Lone Star Outdoor Show

We start things off by setting the record straight on the 201 7/8 inch typical buck killed in Frio County this month. There has been much speculation about this monster ten point which is the largest typical deer ever killed in Texas. Was it killed on a high fence ranch? Will it count for B&C record books or just Texas Big Game Awards? Did this buck come from breeder stock and was then released? I for one got tired of all the speculation and rumors. So I’m thrilled that the hunter who killed the buck will join us to give us all the details. Wade Hendricks of Alice, Texas joins us to set the record straight on this buck of a lifetime.

Then a real treat when Jase Robertson of Duck Commander and the hit TV show Duck Dynasty makes his return to the broadcast. How has his season been so far? What is the craziest thing ever to come into his decoy spread? Also, what is it really like behind the scenes of Duck Dynasty? Is Uncle Si really that crazy LOL? We also get into the most common mistakes that duck hunters make when calling birds. It’s always a good time when one of the Robertson boys drops in!

We round out the show by discussing a recent article in Outdoor Life Magazine. Benny Spies November contribution really got me thinking about some of my special memories that have taken place in the woods. Specifically my first deer. We all remember that experience and today we take a minute to reflect on that magical moment that none of us will ever forget.

We get things going by talking roosters with Texas Parks & Wildlife Upland Game Bird Program Leader Robert Perez. A longtime friend of the show, Robert stops by to give us the latest pheasant survey numbers. After the historic drought, 2011’s count was the 2nd worst on record. How will this year’s count compare? We discuss what Texas pheasant hunters can expect opening weekend ( Saturday, December 1st).

Then Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Government Affairs Gary Taylor joins us from Washington D.C. to discuss The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012. This act has 17 different bills of major significance to our country’s sportsmen and women. The U.S. will decide the fate of this piece of legislation during the current session. Of course wetland conservation is a top priority. We discuss that as well as some of the other high points included in the Sportsmen’s Act ot 2012. All wildlife depend on us to protect them. Write your senator! Pictured below: Blue winged teal in a protected wetland.

We round out the broadcast when our buddy Captain Len Girard joins us from the Texas Coast. The redfish are staging and are hungry! Black drum and flounder are also being caught in good numbers. Captain Len tells us where he catching ’em and what baits are the most effective right now. Father/son with a nice bull red on a recent trip with Captain Len:

Zane Williams joins us live in studio to talk some outdoors and play a couple new tunes! Big things are on the horizon for Zane as he and the band are starting to tour Texas pretty much full time. A good friend of ours and hunting buddy- we are excited for him. Expect a brand new record out this spring! We also talk about some of our outdoor adventures…some good and some not so good but I guarantee it will be entertaining.

Then we talk whitetail management with Brad Smith of the SmithKO Ranch. With over 15 years experience- Brad has seen and done it all as far as growing big deer is concerned, both in low and high fence situations. We discuss what goes into acquiring MLD permits through Texas Parks & Wildlife, natural browse vs foodplots and predator control among other things. Bottom line- a sound management plan can help you grow monster bucks like the one below:

Then we round things out when our good buddy Craig Smith- Owner and Founder of Game Guard Camouflage stops by. If you haven’t already noticed, Game Guard and Lone Star Beer have partnered up this season to bring you the Lone Star Beer/Game Guard Camo Can. Pretty cool! Even cooler however, is the Lone Star Beer/Game Guard 4 Wheeler Sweepstakes!!! One lucky Texan will win a brand new, fully decked out Kawasaki 4 Wheeler with Lone Star’s logo and the Game Guard pattern. We’ll let you know how to enter to win the 4 wheeler.

We start things off by talking big bucks with renowned outdoor writer Pete Rogers. His recent article in Texas Sportsman Magazine focused on how big, mature deer use specific topographical characteristics of a property to travel and move to and from cover. Once you have a grasp on the topography of your ranch or lease you will have a better understanding of the prime places to ambush a monster. Aerial photos and topographical maps are an invaluable resource for the passionate deer hunter.

Then a real treat when Kyle Park drops in. The pride of Leander, Texas- Kyle has 3 studio albums under his belt and a keeps turning out Top 10 Hits on the Texas Music Chart. We talk some tunes, life on the road and of course we get into some hunting talk as well. A lifelong deer hunter, Kyle reflects on some of his favorite hunts.

We then round out the show by checking in with an old friend- Dustin Ellerman. You might recognize him as the Champion of Season 3 of the hit show Top Shot on History Channel. Dustin not only runs Camp His Way (A Christian Youth Camp) in Zavalla, TX, but he also now writes the gun pieces for Texas Fish & Game Magazine. What are his concerns now that President Obama has been re-elected? We get into some serious gun control talk with a gun nut!

This is my favorite weekend of the year as the Texas Waterfowl Season and General Rifle Season for whitetail deer open up! Now is the time to get out and try to nail that trophy buck as the pre-rut has or will be starting shortly throughout much of Texas. Does are starting to come into estrous and that means the big boys are on the move checking them. Often in broad daylight. Longtime whitetail hunter and Foremost Hunting’s Chris Larsen joins us to talk about the pre-rut and he give us some tips that might help you get that big buck you’re after. Look for scrapes like the one this bruiser is making:

Then Field & Stream’s Shotgun Editor Phil Bourjaily drops in to talk about one of our nation’s oldest hunting traditions- Fall Turkey. This is the Pilgrims bird folks and it can make for an awesome day in the field. Young birds and hens are extremely vocal and gobblers answer gobbles very aggressively. Sure, it’s mostly about deer this time of year- but busting up a flock of turkeys and calling them back to you can be fun and rewarding. Phil with a nice fall turkey.

Next we talk Lake Austin big bass with Bennett Cowan of San Marcos, TX. His 14.28 lb largemouth was the first sharelunker entered for the 2012-2013 season which runs from October 1st to April 30th. He caught this behemoth on a hand poured 17 inch green pumpkin worm. Bennett shares the experience of catching the fish of a lifetime with us. Congrats on a heck of a fish buddy!

And keeping with bass fishing and specifically Lake Austin, (which over the past two seasons has produced more huge bass than any Texas lake) we check in with angler Susan Kerlin who caught this 12.5 monster on the first day of the sharelunker season while bank fishing Lake Austin’s shoreline. Funny thing about this fish was that it had already been caught and entered into the TPWD Sharelunker Program last year! Unfortunately for Susan the fish wasn’t full of eggs and didn’t reach the 13 lb requirement to be entered again. But still the catch of lifetime nonetheless! My advice: if you want to catch a Sharelunker- get your butt to Lake Austin!

Since I’ve been in New Mexico mule deer hunting for a week seemed like the ideal time to do our annual ‘Best Of’ show. I picked a few classic interviews that seemed to get the most attention over the past couple years. So hold on tight because we’ve got some awesome stuff on tap for this weekend with Uncle Ted, The Duck Commander and the great Bill Dance. Hope you enjoy the “Best of the Cabela’s Lone Star Outdoors Show 2012 Edition”.

We kick things off when On Your Own Adventures Randy Newberg makes his return to the show. As many hunters know, wolves have long been a hot button issue and with populations on the rise there’s a need for this magnificent species to be managed just like elk, deer, ducks etc. Problem is the anti hunting blowhards use wolves as a pedestal to raise funding and cry foul. In August OYOA became the first show to air a nationally televised wolf hunt in the lower 48. Randy received nothing short of death threats for airing this hunt. We get into all that and even talk some mule deer as Randy shares decades of experience as I prepare for my first ever own your own style New Mexico mule deer hunt. Don’t forget to set those DVR’s for OYOA airing on Sportsman’s Channel- Thursdays 9 PM Central. (Photo Courtesy of OYOA)

Then we change things up and talk some crow hunting with Bob Irving and Phil Masters of the Texas Crow Patrol. These fellas are good at what they do and know all the tricks in the book when it comes to putting these wily birds on the ground. Since there is no closed season in Texas and landowners want crows removed from both depredating and nuisance reasons, crow hunting can make for a great wingshoot throughout the year. Decoys, calls, shot size, and other gadgets- we cover it all. Bob with a nice haul after a morning hunt:

Then we wrap things up with a very special treat for all the bass anglers out there. 2012 Elite Series Angler of the Year Brent Chapman drops by to recap his amazing season. We also cover his favorite fall bass baits, why he believes Falcon is the number one bass fishing lake on the planet and we even talk some bowhunting with this whitetail fanatic.

We get the ball rolling when our longtime friend and Elite Series Pro Kelly Jordon drops in. Kelly gives us his favorite baits and techniques for early fall bassin’. Then he tells us about his opening weekend bow hunt where he arrowed the biggest buck of his life! Good stuff as always with our favorite bass angler.

Then if you’re anything like me, Alaska ranks at the top of your bucket list of places you’d like to hunt and fish. The Last Great American Frontier is has long been romanticized by outdoor writers and enthusiasts for well over a century. I am willing to bet it’s even better than advertised and I am thrilled to have Gary Sampson of Kodiak Sportsman’s Lodge join the show to talk about the untapped fishery surrounding Kodiak island. King Salmon, Halibut, and Ling Cod fishing doesn’t get any better and Kodiak’s blacktail deer hunting is equally as amazing. Gary talks fishing/hunting Alaska with us. I can’t wait to check this one of the bucket list! One of Gary’s anglers with a giant King Salmon:

Then we wrap things up when Captain Len Girard joins us live from Corpus Christi Bay. Captain Len fishes from Corpus up thru Baffin and all the way to the Land Cut and right now the reds are schooling up and down the coast as they prepare for their December spawn. Captain Len tells us where to find them and what live baits and artificials are boating the most fish.

We start off by talking hunting and a little hoops with new Dallas Mavericks Center Chris Kaman. Chris grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and has long been a passionate outdoorsman and avid bowhunter. But with college hoops and then living in L.A. while playing for the Clippers for 8 seasons he hasn’t had many opportunities to hunt. That will probably change this season now that Chris is here in Texas with the Mavs. Sure he plays in the NBA- but at heart he’s just a good ‘ole boy like the rest of us.

Then one of the most respected bowhunters in the world makes his return to the show when Fred Eichler of Easton Bowhunting drops in. We talk traditional archery equipment. How far does Fred consider a shot to still be ethical? What advice does a lifelong western big game hunter have for me as I prepare for my first ever mule deer hunt in New Mexico? Fred also talks about some of his most memorable hunting experiences like this Alaskan brown bear hunt where a bear charged within 10 feet of his raft!

We wrap things up by talking big bass with Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. TPWD’s Sharelunker season kicked off October 1st and the big girls are moving into their fall haunts. Heath tells us where to find them and what to catch them on. One of Heath’s clients after a recent trip. What a toad!

We get the ball rolling by talking big bass this morning. In March, The Godfather of Big Bass- Dave Campbell- retired after 46 years with Texas Parks and Wildlife. So today we get to know the fella who took over as our Sharelunker Program Leader. Juan Martinez has the experience and passion to continue heading up the most successful bass management plan the world has ever seen. Juan talks about the programs goals in this new era and he gives us some tips on what lakes he thinks will produce the most Sharelunkers in the 2012-2013 season which runs from October 1st to April 30th. Any bass caught and weighing over 13 lbs can be entered into the Sharelunker program. A Lake Austin angler with a recent lunker- no doubt the catch of a lifetime!

The we get into some serious waterfowl talk with Ducks Unlimited’s Chief Scientist Dale Humberg. We break down the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services 2012 Waterfowl Population Survey. The numbers are the highest on record across the board, but will that mean full skies for the Texas duck hunter? Also what is going on with the Pintail- one of the few ducks to see a significant decrease in numbers (22%) in 2012. Is there cause for concern with this majestic duck which is a highly regarded trophy among Central Flyway hunters? Dale breaks it all down for us as we get ready for the November 3rd opener!

Then we round things off by talking South Texas deer with Chisum Cooke of Webb County’s Mendiola Ranch and Triple E Outfitters. Hunters from all over the U.S. travel to the brush country each fall and I had the pleasure of experiencing these giants for the first time last year. It didn’t disappoint as I took my largest buck ever as well as my first buck with a bow on the same weekend! Why do South Texas deer get so big? Nutrition? Genetics? Chisum gives us his thoughts. We also talk management philosophy and the special 2012 Lone Star Outdoors Show Trophy Hunt Package that is being offered to deer hunters this fall. I guarantee you won’t find a better deal!!! The 3,800 acre low fence ranch has plenty of mature bucks that range from the lower 140s to upper 150s like this beautiful 10 pt. To book a hunt email Lee Cooke at [email protected] or call 361-815-6192

Me with my mid 140s trophy from last season. No doubt the buck of my lifetime!