Lone Star Outdoor Show

We are all over the map this weekend! To start with we are joined live from the Texas Coast by our good friend Captain Len Girard. The trout bite is on fire right now and Captain Len tells us where to find ’em and what bait to use. Of course live shrimp and croaker are always great options for live bait but what about artificials? Captain Len breaks down his favorite plugs and soft plastics as well. Full stringers of trout with some bonus reds can be expected from Corpus Christi Bay all the way to the Land Cut.

Then we change gears and dive into a hot button issue involving two heavy weights on the Texas deer scene. The Texas Deer Association and Texas Wildlife Association passionately disagree on some recently proposed legislation in the Texas house. HB 2433 and SB 1412 – would change the an 80 year old 10 day rule for releasing bucks into high fence pastures. The new legislation would increase the required release time from 10 days to 60 days. Dick Cain- Board Member, Texas Deer Association and longtime deer breeder drops by to explain why this would not be in the animal’s best interest. Also, it becomes a private property rights issue when folks start trying to tell each other what they can and can’t do on their own place. The high fence vs low fence debate will never die. Personally, I believe we need to stand united as a hunting community. Either way, it’s very interesting stuff for sure. Which side of the fence are you on?

Next we talk spring crappie with Texas’ top crappie angler- Paul O’Bier. A longtime friend of ours, Paul is a 4 time Crappie Anglers of Texas Angler of the Year and 3 time Texas Crappie State Championship Tournament winner. Paul breaks down how this unpredictable spring weather has affected the crappie spawn and bite. Where is Paul finding most of his fish? What is his go to jighead weight? We also find out what color jig he used to win the CAT Tournament on Cedar Creek last weekend. Paul with a couple nice slabs from his winning stringer of papermouths.

We wrap things up by checking in with TPWD Chief Pilot and Assistant Chief Game Warden Lee Finch. Lee heads up TPWD’s aviation department and his responsibilities include wildlife surveys, animal relocation and patrolling the night skies in search of poachers and game law violators. Lee talks about some of his experiences as the “Eye In The Sky”, from West Texas mule deer counts, to big horn sheep relocation and using night vision to bust an unsuspecting deer poacher. Lee and his partner using night vision goggles while flying an anti poaching surveillance mission.

Lots of star power this weekend! We start off by checking in with renown chef, world traveler, author, blogger and TV show host Andrew Zimmern. His hit series Bizzare Foods is wrapping up Season 7 on Travel Channel. What drew me to invite Andrew on the show is the fact that he is also an avid hunter and angler which is depicted in almost every episode of Bizzare Foods. He has hunted and fished for wild game all over the globe. He brings Bizzare Foods full circle in each episode by showing the entire process from the hunt to harvest, to gutting and cleaning and then the preparation and eventual consumption of the animal. Andrew with a nice strap of ducks from the Texas Coast.

Sure Andrew will eat just about anything put in front of him, but I truly respect the fact that he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and doesn’t sugar coat how food is really procured. We talk about some of his favorite hunting/fishing trips, most tasty wild game recipes and of course we’ll find out what his least favorite wild game meal consisted of. Andrew with a nice tuna caught off the coast of Samoa.

Then we check in with old friend and one of my favorite songwriters Brandon Rhyder. We talk some music- including taking a listen to the brand new single “Haggard” which is climbing up the Texas charts. Brandon talks about the single and the new record (which currently doesn’t have a title) but is scheduled to be released sometime this summer. Brandon doing what he does best:

Also, if you’ve been watching Sportsman’s Channel over the past couple of months then you might have seen Brandon as a frequent guest on Lone Star Outdoors TV. Hunting and fishing were part of Brandon’s upbringing in rural Northeast Texas. But with his music career having blossomed, he is finding alot more time to enjoy the outdoors. He took down this Texas free ranging aoudad at 450 yards on a recent hunt!!! Nice shot.

Wow what an awesome story to kick off this week’s broadcast. Trevor Brittingham was fortunate enough to harvest the oldest buck I’ve ever heard of this past whitetail season on a 5,000 acre Dimmit County, TX ranch. The buck know as ‘Indigo’ was first filmed at 3 years old and Trevor first saw him and filmed him running does as a 160 class at 10 years old!

He took the video to the ranch manager and they scoured the archives until they found the buck that would become known as ‘Indigo’. Turns out they even had his 7 year old sheds on hand. His rack changed over the years but he always maintained a narrow rack with some very defining characteristics. After that disovery Trevor hunted him hard but Indigo disappeared for 2 seasons and was feared dead. A helicopter survey discovered he was indeed still alive at the ripe old age of 13 and Trevor’s patience and dedication to hunting this buck finally paid off in December.

Trevor with Indigo- a 14 year old trophy!

Indigo’s 7 year old sheds

Indigo captured on trail cam just days before Trevor harvested him.

Then one of my favorite Texas artists joins us when William Clark Green drops by the studio. William’s new record ‘Rose Queen’ comes out April 30th. We hear a couple tunes and talk a lot of hunting. A passionate waterfowler- William grew up duck and goose hunting on his family ranch near Beaumont, Texas. He then attended Texas Tech in Lubbock and experienced waterfowling on a whole new level during his college years. We cover all that and William even tells us about his recent offshore fishing trip which didn’t turn out so great. Dramamine anybody? William playing the new single ‘She Likes The Beatles’ in the Lone Star Outdoors Show Studio:

We kick this week’s show off by checking in with Beaumont, TX native and Nashville recording artist Clay Walker. Coming from modest means in southeast Texas- Clay grew up in a family that lived off the land. Hunting and fishing were just a way of life. We talk about his upbringing and his new gig as the host of Texas Trophy Hunter TV on Outdoor Channel. What hunts can we expect to see on the upcoming season? We also discuss Clay’s brand new book ‘Jesus Was A Country Boy’. Lots of great stuff with Texas good ‘ol boy!

Then I will share a sickening personal experience with you guys and gals. I was kind of torn whether or not to even discuss this on the air. But what you see is what you get with me so I really had no other option. Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of joining our 2012 Photo Of The Year winners John & Justin Church on their Grand Prize exotic buck/spring turkey hunt package at Koon’s Canyon Ranch. We had a great time and everybody brought home a mount worthy trophy (including John’s 28 inch axis buck) and on Saturday evening I shot an axis buck myself. Daylight was fading and we decided to go recover him in the morning. We found a solid blood trail and expected to find my buck piled up under a cedar. Sadly that isn’t how things worked out. I explain what I would have done differently and hopefully my failure will result in one of you not making the same mistake. We thought for sure he was down for the count after finding good blood.

We round out the show by talking spring predator hunting with Gary Roberson- host of Carnivore TV and owner of Burnham Brothers Game Calls. Nobody hunts coyotes and bobcats harder than Gary and he has been blessed enough to do it for a living. We pick his brain on how the game changes once warmer weather arrives. Does he change up calling technique? What about the length of time he sits on stand? How does a coyote’s behavior change? All that plus we talk ballistics with one of the best in the industry.

We kick this week’s show off by talking some bowhunting with newly elected Lone Star Bowhunter’s Association President Bob Barnett. If you aren’t familiar with this great organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the great sport of bowhunting in Texas, then I suggest you tune in. If you are aware of the LSBA, then tune in anyway because fresh ideas and some significant changes or on the horizon under the new leadership. Bob also tells us about his favorite bowhunt ever. I imagine it might have to do with the Pope & Young buck he is posing with in the picture below.

Then we tackle the Colorado anti-gun legislation that was signed into law last week. Many of you have probably seen or heard about outdoor television producer Michael Bane’s recent letter to Colorado Senator Steve King. If you haven’t, the gist of the letter outlines Michael’s stance that he will be pulling his production company completely out of Colorado- and with 4 shows currently airing on Outdoor Channel (including Gun Stories & Shooting Gallery), Michael’s reputation and influence has a very broad reach. The new laws will limit magazines to 15 rounds and shotguns to 8 rounds only.

With a hunting and tourism industry that pumps over 1.7 billion dollars into Colorado’s economy each year- there’s a clear way to stand up and make a statement that his type of agenda won’t be tolerated. Michael discusses what he feels is the only option left to save the rich hunting tradition and western way of life in one of the nations most beautifully rugged states. Michael in front of the camera on one of his productions for Outdoor Channel:

We round things out by talking some bass fishing with John McClure- Board Member of the Lake Fork Classic fishing tournament benefitting Camp John Marc. This annual tournament is an excellent opportunity for fellowship and camaraderie at Texas’ historically best big bass lake. Even, better than that however, is the fact that all proceeds from tournament entrees to raffle/auction items go to Camp John Marc. This one of a kind camp is dedicated to getting kids into the outdoors, specifically the kids who need it the most.

Whether they have been in an accident or are facing some life threatening illness, Camp John Marc hosts thousands of these special kids each year. They experience everything from horseback riding to fishing to just hanging out around the campfire with children who are experiencing the same obstacles. This year’s Lake Fork Classic takes place on April 27th and there is still plenty of time to get a team registered. I promise that you won’t ever wet a line for a better cause. By the way…did I mention that Fork has already pumped out 5 Sharelunkers this season?

We get things rolling when renown bowhunter Tom Nelson drops in. Tom is the host of the Outdoor Channel’s longest running bowhunting show- American Archer. Not only has Tom been able to travel the globe flinging arrows at big game animals for a living, but he is also a board member and Auction Fundraising Chair of the Pope and Young Club. Founded in 1957, P&Y has been dedicated to record keeping and furthering the sport of bowhunting in North America. We are thrilled that the bi-annual convention is coming to Texas this spring. Tom also talks about the upcoming event which takes place in Dallas this April 10th-13th. We both hope to see everybody out there. Tom with a nice Texas boar!

Then a real treat when Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours joins us. Evan is the front man for one of the best acts going on the Texas/Red Dirt scene right now. Of course the music is awesome, but I realized Evan is just like you and me after running into him at KHYI’s Texas Music Revolution 17. After just a few seconds of visiting I found out he is a passionate hunter and angler. We talk some tunes and mix in some big game hunting and wingshooting with one of the best singer/songwriters out there!

Next we mix in some bass fishing when our longtime friend Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick drops in. We recap the 2013 Bassmaster Classic and discuss the big females that are starting to show up on beds all over Texas. Heath tells us what to look for and what baits will help get that huge bucketmouth into your live well. Can’t beat this time of the year for big bass in the Lone Star State. Remember- go shallow!

We round out this week’s show by talking spring turkey! And for those of you who know me…well lets just say I have a bit of a turkey hunting addiction. That being said, I am by no means the best turkey hunter out there. But countless days in the woods has given me a wealth of experience and knowledge on the subject and I am thrilled to share my Top 5 Turkey Hunting Tips with you fine folks. Hopefully my successes and failures just might help you bag that big tom this spring!

We get things rolling when Terry Manley- Founder and Owner of Manley Rods drops by the studio. Terry is a serious bass angler and is currently in the process of trying to qualify for the Elite Series. Over the past 20 or so years Terry would always tinker with his rods, sometimes cutting them down shorter or building them out longer. This lack of satisfaction with the status quo led Terry to build his own adjustable rod system, and the Manley Rods ‘Adjust-A-Butt’ system is designed so it can be installed in any rod blank. Terry talks about his innovative system that is taking the fishing industry by storm. Visit Manley Rods

Then a real treat when 2013 BassMaster Classic Champion Cliff Pace stops by. After leading last month’s Classic from wire to wire, Cliff has collected a $500,000 payday and is on top of the world of pro bass fishing. He talks about his game plan heading into the event including:how he he fished the baits he used to win, what underwater structure or geographical features he keyed in on and how the weather affected each day.

Then we switch things up and talk spring turkey with our longtime friend of the show, Texas Parks & Wildlife’s Turkey Program Leader Jason Hardin. Texas south zone turkey opener is this weekend. Gobblers will be looking for love and shotguns will be sounding off in 54 South Texas counties. Nobody knows Texas turkeys better than Jason and gives us his predictions on what to expect this spring across the state. How was last year’s hatch, are there more jakes than usual, how about numbers of mature 3-4 year old toms? Jason also predicts which weekends he thinks will be the peak of the breeding season this spring. Don’t forget the North Zone opens Saturday, March 30th. For a full list of counties and zones visit TPWD’s website: Click for Season Dates

Then we round out the show by checking in with our friend and guide Carey Thorn. The warmer weather means the spring sandbass run is upon us as most of the males have already moved up into creeks and rivers that feed into Texas’ major reservoirs. Carey has studied this fish and their patterns for 15 years now and he has them patterned down to a science. My dad and myself had the pleasure of fishing with Carey this past week and limited out on sandies. Carey explains what temperature sets the spawn off, when to expect the big females to show up, what baits to use, what areas of the creek to target and also explains how barometric pressure can cause a great bite or shut the fishing down completely. Very interesting stuff to say the least. Oh, and I almost forgot- Carey is one heck of a fly fisherman. He helped increase my flyfishing skillset by leaps and bounds in a matter of a couple hours! First sandie I’ve ever caught on a flyrod. Lots of fun on light tackle! Visit Carey’s Website

I don’t know how we are gonna get it all in! Off the top we check in with our good friend Jacob Orr of Limitless Outdoor Adventures. A North Texas native, Jacob has been guiding Grayson Country duck hunts and Lake Texoma Striper trips for a decade now. This week I had the pleasure of joining Jacob on Texoma’s vast waters. True to his word, Jacob said we could catch limits by throwing only artificial swim baits – which we did. We discuss where to find big Texoma striped bass, what baits to use and which retrieve technique is ideal for early spring. Lake Texoma is a gem of a fishery- one of only 5 landlocked water bodies in North America where stripers reproduce naturally. Jacob and I with the haul. Time to heat up the grease!

Then a real treat when Ray Johnston of the Ray Johnston Band joins us in studio. His story is an incredible one of resiliency and a sheer desire to live. After playing basketball at the University of Alabama, Ray was picked up by the Dallas Mavericks summer league team. It was then that Ray was diagnosed with a leukemia that covered 84% of his red blood cells. After 2 months in a coma and the loss of 7 toes Ray came out of it but he was far from out of the woods. With the dream of basketball over he turned to his other passion- music. A bone marrow transplant and many surgeries later and Ray Johnston just released his 2nd studio album- Against the Grain. We talk about his life, his music and even hear a couple tracks off the record. Ray in studio with us:

Besides playing some great Texas music, Ray is also a passionate outdoorsman and even brought his hunting buddy ‘Lil Dude to the studio with him. ‘Lil Dude is Boykin Spaniel. A very versatile hunting breed that will flush and retrieve all manner of upland birds, dove and waterfowl. After the interview Ray and I took the dogs out to get some field work in. ‘Lil Dude on a retrieve- pretty cool little bird dog:

Then we check in with Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden Captain Fernando Cervantes. Captain Cervantes helped head up the successful sting “Operation Shark Fin” – a four-day, around-the-clock Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement effort along the lower coast aimed at disrupting trans-national criminal organizations engaged in illegal commercial fishing and other activities in the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande, and Lake Falcon has resulted in the seizure of 17,500 feet of long lines, two vessels and 15 citations or arrests. TPWD Game Wardens with one of the seized illegal Mexican fishing vessels:

Get ready to wet a line because we have a bunch of fishing talk to get into! We kick it off with TPWD Information Specialist Larry Hodge. Based out of the Freshwater Fishery Center in Athens, he’s right in the middle of all things freshwater fishing in Texas. Larry also writes for TPWD Magazine and his latest work Hot On Fishing is featured on the cover of the March issue. The article focuses on these little hidden gems scattered across the state that serious anglers know as Power Plant Lakes. Due to warm water released from the power plants, these 20 plus lakes offer great cold weather fishing for bass, crappie, catfish, white bass and even freshwater red drum.

We discuss the best lake for each species and I throw Larry a curveball when we discuss Lake Fork’s history and why it continues to produce Sharelunker quality bass year in and year out (Fork is responsible for 3 of 8 lunkers entered into the Sharelunker program this season). Larry with a beautiful power plant lake red drum caught on Braunig Lake, San Antonio.

Then a real treat when Professional Bass Angler Joe Thomas drops by. Having fished both FLW and BASS over the years, Joe has won his fair share of tournaments and prize money. But these days you might recognize him more for his work as the host of Outdoor Channel’s “Stihl’s Reel in The Outdoors” and “Scent Lok’s High Places”. And this weekend, Joe is actually at another great Texas bass fishery- O.H. Ivie where he is the emcee and host of the Suddenlink Open Tony Gibson Memorial Fishing Tournament benefiting Hospice of San Angelo, TX. Joe talks about his favorite pre-spawn baits and we get his thoughts on the Alabama Rig. An avid bowhunter, we might even get into some big game hunting. Joe and myself at the 2010 Ducks Unlimited National Convention in Dallas where I had the honor of acting as emcee.

Then we shift gears and talk about something very important that I feel many Texas outdoor enthusiasts overlook. Lets face it, we all love to hunt and or fish and those passions can be very expensive. So whether it’s a ranch, ATV, bass boat, deer blind or if you are a guide or outfitter- you need to protect yourself. Sometimes bad things happen to good folks like you and I and that is why our friend Holmes Williams of Texas Insurance and Financial Services stops by to talk about the importance of protecting your outdoor/recreational assets. Holmes is a lifelong Texas outdoorsman and is even a PH (licensed Professional Hunter) in Botswana, Africa. I’m sure Holmes will share a couple of those experiences with us as well. Holmes rocking Game Guard Camoflauge with his SCI #5 overall Black Wildebeast. Texas proud brother!

Whitetail season has come and gone but that doesn’t mean the work has stopped. Far from it for land owners and lessees passionate about deer management. Food plots are especially important this time of the year as bucks are trying to recover from a breeding season in which they likely lost between 30 to 40 percent of their body weight. Our good friend Dr. James Kroll ‘Dr. Deer’ drops by to talk about what foods deer benefit from most during this vital recovery period. Energy vs protein, corn vs other supplemental feeds…Dr. Kroll has over 40 years in whitetail research and he breaks it all down for us. He also sheds insight as to what you should be planting based on what region of the state you live in. Food is often scarce during the late winter and deer will take advantage of your planting efforts.

The we talk trout and redfish with our longtime buddy Captain Len Girard who joins live from Corpus Christi Bay. Captain Len is on the water 6-7 days a week and he tells what the fish are biting and where to find ’em. Black drum are still moving thru the flats in large schools and are tearing up both live and dead shrimp. We also get a gauge for the water temperature along most of the coast and when Captain Len expects the flounder and redfish to return to the bays from their winter spawn in the open ocean. A couple happy anglers after a recent trip with Captain Len:

We round out the broadcast by tackling the unfortunate issue of the Gulf Coast Fishery Management Council’s gross misuse of our red snapper resource. Last week the council released a recommendation for an 11 day red snapper season! This would be the shortest season on record. Cutting over 30 days of fishing off of last season. Our Texas Parks and Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Director Robin Reichers sits on the council and he is none too pleased about the proposal. The fishery off the Texas coast is the strongest in the Gulf and yet we keep getting a shortened season and fewer pounds for our overall quota. Texas offshore anglers are getting a raw deal and we get to the bottom of it. What does Robin thing can be done to rectify this situation? We try to find the answers. Yours truly is not a happy camper as I enjoy catching and eating red snapper as much as anyone.