Lone Star Outdoor Show

So much to get into and so little time to do it! We kick this week off by checking in with one of the finest shooters in the Lone Star State. Pistols, rifles, shotguns… it made no difference to Zavalla, Texas native Dustin Ellerman. You might have seen Dustin take home the $100,000 grand prize as the Season 3 champion of the History Channel’s hit show Top Shot. Not bad for a self taught Christian summer camp director. Dustin doing what he does best.

Then a real treat when The Honkey Tonk Kid- Aaron Watson drops in. One of my favorite Texas singer/songwriters, Aaron is as passionate about the outdoors as he is about his music. He even has a new website devoted to the outdoors: An avid bowhunter, his favorite thing these days is to take his 4 and 5 year old boys into the blind with him. Below you can see him and 5 year old Jake sitting in the deer blind- that’s what it’s all about!

We round things out with some bass fishing talk as the hill country’s Lake Austin has stormed onto the scene as Texas’ premiere sharelunker producing reservoir. Lake Austin has produced 3 of the state’s 5 entrees into the sharelunker program this season. We are thrilled to have Austin area Texas Parks and Wildlife Department District Manager Marcos DeJesus stop in to talk about Lake Austin’s recent ability to produce so many big fish. The most recent sharelunker- entree 528 was caught this month by Landon Glass. TPWD puts ID tags in all lunkers entered into the program. This fish was also caught as sharelunker 481 back in 2010! Time to get on down to Lake Austin and wet a line.

Most deer hunters enjoy taking care of their deer herd. Providing food/nutrition is a major part of that. Especially after the rut when bucks have lost an incredible percentage of body weight and are at their most vulnerable. Planting those winter food plots is an essential way to make sure that your bucks have what they need in order to recover. In part 1 of our miniseries on whitetail management- Dr. James Kroll, (aka Dr. Deer) breaks down when we should plant those winter food plots and what kinds of nutrients we should look for in a seed. We also get into protein feeds and when those should be offered as well.

Then a real treat when longtime Dallas radio personality George Dunham of the Bird Dogs joins us in studio. George and some buddies formed this great Texas Country band two years ago and just released their 2nd studio album Fool Hearted Dreams. We will hear a couple of tunes and talk some fishing as the Dunhams love to get down to their Possum Kingdom Lake getaway and wet a line. George and Steve Porcarry jamming out.

We round things out when Justin Beckendorf of Double JJ Outfitters drops in. Justin and his partner Joe having been hunting the Katy Prairie their entire lives. With over 1.5 million ducks and 1 million geese wintering along the Upper Texas Coast it’s no secret that it’s one of the nations premiere waterfowl destinations and we talk about the beauties of hunting such a place. Waterfowl nest success was up 20% across the board this year so now is the time to head to the prairie and take advantage of those full skies!

We kick off this week’s show with a very special guest when GoDaddy.com founder and CEO Bob Parsons drops in. Not only is Bob one of the most successful businessmen in the world, but he also is longtime outdoorsmen who is extremely passionate about big game hunting. Last year Bob came under fire for harvesting a problem elephant in Zimbabwe. Elephants are overpopulating Zimbabwe and that causes a major problem for the villages who rely on agriculture to survive. Not only did Bob remove the problem but he also helped feed three villages with this kill. You tell me who the real humanitarian is PETA.

Then we get serious about our state’s rapidly declining quail population when Quail-Tech Alliance founder and chairman Charles Hodges joins us in studio. Founded in 2008, the Quail-Tech alliance has a ranch in over 30 west Texas counties that are dedicated to helping the bobwhite rebound. However, the 2011-2012 season is a critical one and Charles explains the importance of a new management strategy all of us quail hunters should adopt this season. One of the Alliance’s many projects- releasing birds back into the wild such as the banded chick below.

Then we round things out when Ducks Unlimited Dallas’ CO-chairman Keith McDonald joins us. The Dallas chapter’s 2011 banquet is coming up on November 16th and Keith talks about some of the great raffle and both live and silent auction items that will be featured that night. Including a duck hunt with Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland! There are a few tickets left and we will give away a $200 couples ticket for the event live on the show Saturday morning. It’s thru local chapter efforts across the country that DU raises the funds to keep images like the one below happening. Ensuring there are full skies for future generations is what it’s all about!

What a great lineup for this week! As most of you bowhunters are probably aware by now, a 194 inch Hopkins County whitetail was taken down on opening morning of archery season. Kyle Koon of Sulpher Springs, TX watched this buck grow up for 4 years before decided to harvest him as a monstrous 4 1/2 year old this fall. This buck will shatter the Hopkins County record and also is a testament to what sound management practices can do. The deer was taken on a 500 acre low fence property. Kyle tells us all about that special morning as well as some of his management philosophies. Here is a trail cam pic of the buck and Kyle with his trophy on opening morning.

Then another special guest drops by to talk whitetail management- Jack McElroy of Oasis Wildlife Water Systems. Oasis is a relatively new company specializing in providing a reliable water source for the wildlife on your ranch and lease. Jack saw a need to get water to his deer on his Hill Country lease and the result was the creation of Oasis. Inspired by the Texas deer hunter for the Texas deer hunter.

We then round things out when one of my favorite singer/songwriters joins us. The pride of the Canadian Rockies, it’s the great Corb Lund. Corb grew up hunting and fishing his family ranch in some of the most rugged land in North America. His family owned a cattle ranch and Corb is no stranger to rodeoing and steer wrestling. So how did a Rocky Mountain cowboy start making some of the best Texas style music around? Corb tells all. Should be a good un ya’ll!

Dang we have alot to get into today. We kick it off when Rick and Julie Kreuter from the Outdoor Channel’s “Beyond the Hunt” drop by. Bow hunting fanatics-they travel North America in search of all manner of big game. But we are talking whitetail today, specifically- what are Rick’s thoughts on public draw hunts where you don’t have a chance to scout? What are the things he looks for in an unfamiliar area?

Then another special guest- Colorado Buck joins us. You may recognize him from the Sportsman’s Channel hit show “Where in the World is Colorado Buck”? Colorado is widely considered to be one of the best bear and mountain lion hunter in the country and when he isn’t traveling the globe in search of big game- he outfits whitetail hunts here in the Lone Star State. That is especially important since ya’ll all have a chance to our the 2011 Photo of The Year Contest. Grand Prize you ask??? How bout a 4 day, 4 night fully guided, meals and lodging included whitetail hunt with Colorado Buck himself! The hunt will take place at the QB Ranch and the winner will have the opportunity to harvest a mature 8 pointt mainframe like the one below. Like the one below. These low fence native deer typically score between 130 and 170 at the QB so send in your photos today.

Buck talks about this hunt that one lucky listener will enjoy at the QB…and of course we’ll also get into some of his world travels as a big game hunter.

Man what a show! We kick it off when one of my favorite singer/songwriters joins us in studio! The great Darryl Lee Rush grew up in small town coastal Texas where hunting and fishing were a way of life. He shares some seriously funny recollections of his childhood and how his upbringing helped make him the musician he is today. Of course, Darryl recently released his 3rd album and we get him to play a few tunes for us live!

Then a very special treat when the beautiful Diamond Poole joins us. Diamond is a successful swimsuit, lingerie and fitness model who also plays full tackle football for the Dallas Diamonds. But there is a whole lot more to her story…up until about a year ago, Diamond was a lifelong PETA supporter, even donating part of her earnings each month to their effort!!! She thought all of us hunters were just a bunch ignorant rednecks anxious to kill the first thing that walked by. Luckily, she fell for a nice southern gentlemen who eventually showed her the light about what hunting truly is. You won’t want to miss her fascinating story as Diamond now has a whole mess of kills under her belt – including this trophy aoudad from this summer.

We round out the show by checking in with everybody’s favorite bass fishing guide- Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. Cooler weather means big bass are chasing shad back to shallow water. Heath tells us where to find ’em and what to use.

 

Synopsis of Episode 84:

We start things off with Texas Fish and Game Magazine’s John Felsher. His latest article “Bass Tactics for Redfish” breaks down the similarities between freshwater bassin’ and saltwater reds. Bass fisherman don’t need to restock their tackle boxes when they head to the coast- just go with what ya got. John talks about some of his favorite bass baits that redfish can’t resist. John with a nice bull red caught on a spinnerbait:

We keep it coastal with our next guest as Captain Len Girard makes a return visit to the show. Len has the reds, trout and flounder bite down to a science from Corpus Christi Bay all the way up to the Land Cut. But right now, the Upper Laguna Madre is on fire, and Len is reeling in the big reds. He tells us where to find ‘em and what their biting.

We round out the broadcast with a real treat as former TPWD employee and longtime freelance outdoor writer John Jefferson joins the program. John’s latest piece “Golden Age of State Parks, How Texas Acquired a Passel of Iconic Parklands” graced the cover of the August edition of TPWD Magazine. The Lone Star State has over 600,000 acres of state park land. But it was the effort and vision of a few conservationists who helped pave the way for our great state park system. The 25 year Golden Age from 1963 to 1988 saw over sixty state parks added to the system. You may recognize names like Governor John Connally, Texas Tech’s John Gosdin and Senator Don Kennard. John talks about the article and reflects on some of those who paved the way for the state park system that hundreds of thousands of Texas hunters, hikers, campers and anglers enjoy each year.

 

Synopsis of Episode 78:

This week’s show should be a dandy. We start things off with Marvin Winn of Maxcutter Knives. Maxcutter will outfit the July Photo of the Month winner with a custom 13 inch pig sticker. Marvin joins us to talk about his experience as a knife maker and what goes into making a quality blade. Pigsticker in progress and some of Marvin’s other work laid out in the studio. NICE!

Then we check in with one of the greatest shotgunners the world has ever seen when Tom Knapp drops in. Tom not only holds various world records as a shooting exisbitionist but he is a lifelong wingshooter. Tom talks about how he got his start in competitive shooting and his love for everything from dove, ducks, quail to pheasant. After 18 years he split with Benelli and is now shooting CZ shotguns. We get into that relationship and why it ended. And like so many of us, Tom also loves to watch them dogs work so we’ll talk gundogs as well.

We finish things off by checking in with our old buddy Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. This week we cover how to locate large suspended schools of bass during the hot summer months. No matter what lake you fish in Texas- one thing is constant- it’s gonna be hot! And that means bass will suspend in deeper water during the heat of the day. Heath breaks down how to find em, and what techniques are the most effective at catching these suspended monsters.

 

Synopsis of Episode 65:

Most of us don’t have any state record fish to our names, much less three of ’em. But three is how many angler Charles Dewey has after landing a state record Rio Grande Cichlid a couple weeks ago. Charles stops by to talk about his 1.87 lb monster he caught using a pole and line method on Lake Dunlap outside of New Braunfels.

Then one of Texas’ great singer/songwriters joins us live in studio. Guthrie Kennard has been everywhere and played with just about everyone. His tune ‘Catfish Fishin’ is one of the greatest fishing songs ever written. Guthrie will play it for us as well as discuss growing up on a river in the 1950’s. It was definitely a different time and way of life.

We round out the show by checking in with Texas Ranger first baseman Mitch Moreland. Mitch joined me on a spring turkey hunt with Silver Creek Guide Service. A lifelong waterfowler and deer hunter, Mitch was able to bag his first spring gobbler on this hunt. A trophy tom with a 9 1/2 inch beard! Not a bad way to spend an off day before heading on a 10 day road trip.

 

Synopsis of Episode 62:

Well, Saturday April 2nd is the North Zone turkey opener. I have anxiously been awaiting turkey season like so many of ya’ll have, and our old buddy- TPWD Turkey Program Leader Jason Hardin will drop in tell hunters what to expect this season. We had a great hatch last year so expectations should be high!

Then, an authority on crappie joins us to talk about the spring spawn. The slabs are in the shallows and nobody knows how to catch ’em like ‘Mr. Crappie’ Wally Marshall. Never a dull moment with Wally as he gives us some tips on how to take advantage of the great crappie fishing that comes each spring.

It’s no secret that feral hogs are not well liked by farmers and ranchers, they cause over 400 million in damages each year in Texas alone! Poisons have been considered in the past, but a new sodium nitrite based poison could hit the market very soon. Texas Wildlife Service’s Mike Bodenchuk joins us to talk about this poison and a new feeder that is in the works that only allows feral hogs access to the bait.

A very familiar sight on Texas’ landscapes- hogs rooting up a pasture.