Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
October 14, 2016
Volume 13, Issue 4
Pronghorn season successes
It’s official: Bass Pro buying Cabela’s
By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News
Chase Clark shot his first pronghorn during the early part of the season that ran Oct. 1-9. “I had hunted at an old friend’s place in Culberson County before, and got to go with Troy (Calloway) again this year,” he said. During the hunt, several good bucks were seen, but Clark passed on them. “I set my sights a little high,” he said. “I passed on some beautiful bucks in the 68- to 72-inch range, and saw one with a double prong and another with amazing mass, but he was long and skinny. I bet we passed on 20-30 bucks.” The hunters covered a lot of ground and did a lot of driving in the 90-degree heat of the season’s first weekend. “We rolled around for two days and never saw the same bush,” Clark said. “It’s beautiful country — it felt like you were hunting buffalo in the rolling prairie with high grass. It was hot; I took a lot of grief for wearing shorts and a T-shirt.” On the last afternoon, they saw the buck they were looking for. “There was a big group with two bucks,” Clark said. “He was one of them.” The 150-yard shot was uneventful. “We came around a corner, and they were there,” Clark said. “He is real unusual with the large left prong.” The buck grossed just over 80 inches. In the Panhandle, Kelli Vogler of Abilene got her first pronghorn buck while hunting with her husband, Brent.
In what cannot be described as a well-kept secret in hunting and fishing circles, it became official on Oct. 3 that a consortium of Bass Pro Shops, Goldman Sachs Group’s private equity arm, and Capital One Financial will purchase the publicly traded Cabela’s. Bass Pro reached a deal to buy Cabela’s for $65.50 per share, coming to a total value of $5.5 billion. Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro, will serve as CEO of the combined entity and will retain majority ownership. The deal was delayed while Cabela’s sought a buyer for its World’s Foremost Bank operations. Capital One Financial entered a 10-year partnership with Bass Pro Shops for which it will originate and service Cabela’s cobranded credit card. In an open letter to employees published on Bass Pro’s website, Morris laid out his plans for the combined entity. “The prospect of bringing together our time-tested, iconic outdoor brands: Cabela’s — a leader in hunting, Bass Pro Shops — a leader in fishing, and White River Marine Group — a worldwide
Lone Star Outdoor News
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BIG PRONG: Chase Clark’s pronghorn buck, taken in Culberson County, was one of many good bucks he and his friend saw over two days of hunting in 90-degree heat. Photo from Chase Clark.
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Gig the night away for big flounder
CONTENTS Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 24
By Robert Sloan
Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 27
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 32 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 33 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 34
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October is the prime month to be flounder gigging along the Texas coast. It’s when “flatties” by the thousands are beginning their migration to the Gulf of Mexico. Not only are there a whole lot of targets to gig, but the nights are cool, fishing pressure is at a minimum and the end result is a whole lot of very tasty flounder. “Without a doubt it’s my favorite time of year to be gigging,” said Capt. Pat Lester. “It’s a fun way to see all sorts of things in the water from redfish to doormat-sized flounder. During October, I’ll be gigging around the islands at Port O’Connor. That’s my favorite place — lots of flounder. But if things get slow I’ll move over to East Matagorda Bay.” Lester has gigged flounder from the Chandeleur Islands to the middle Texas coast. “It’s all fun,” he said. “Most of what I do is from the boat. But we’ll set up wading Please turn to page 9
INSIDE
Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 28
HUNTING
FUN IN THE DARK: Capt. Pat Lester prepares to gig a flounder around the islands at Port O’Connor. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
Archers in the field
Black lab in wedding
Deer hard to find, some great bucks taken. Page 4
Couple celebrates with dog. Page 4
FISHING
Fishing the birds
Same bass
Gulls active at Sabine. Page 8
Austin angler catches 7-pounder twice. Page 8