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Drewa said most of the fish they found were in the 16- to 18-inch range.

Port O’Connor floundering guide, Capt. Shawn Harvey, said water conditions for gigging just recently started to improve.

Harvey is finding flounder in various depths.

Areas where the guide has found fish have held good numbers. “Once you find them, it’s not out of the question to be able to gig 10 to 12 flounder in a 50-yard stretch or so,” Harvey said. “And undersized flounder are everywhere.”

in the mid-130s or better, good for a Hill Country buck.

The family also had some luck, as in a good neighbor with a similar management philosophy.

On opening morning, the four family members were each in different stands with their bows, and the neighbor was hunting the buck as well. But it was Braden who saw him.

With the light improving, Rohde wondered if he would be able to see through the pins on his bow.

The buck ran off hard and turned right, then went into an open area and went down.

The Hill Country buck weighed just 140 pounds but had 20 points and scored 155 7/8.

“We figured out a good management plan and followed it,” Rohde said.

HELIUM POLE SAW: This new saw by Hawk will help hunters clear brush around tree stands and ground blinds. Featuring sturdy yet lightweight aluminum pole sections, the pole saw uses progressive tensioning clamps to secure the pole sections at the desired length. The saws are offered in 10-foot (41 inches closed; about $100) and 14-foot (46 inches closed; about $130) versions and weigh 2.5 and 3.5 pounds, respectively. A soft-sleeve grip provides needed purchase and control when working tough branches. The saw has an 11-inch SK5 high carbon steel blade with a black nitride, corrosion-resistant finish. A plastic blade protector is included for safe transport to the field.

GMAX32 NO GLO CAMERA: Part of Stealth Cam’s Gseries line of high-performance trail cameras, this model delivers high-resolution imagery with 32 MP/1080P video capture capability. Outdoorsmen can select the 32MP for maximum image quality or adjust recording resolutions to find the ideal balance of graphic quality and storage capacity. Software innovations and a 2.4-inch color screen further enhance viewing of still images and videos. Features include a 0.4 second trigger speed, a 45-piece flash system with an effective range of 100 feet for high quality nighttime performance, a temperature sensor, and more. The trail camera costs about $140.

ULTRACAST VANISH: This new SpiderWire fishing line has all the benefits of braid conveniently matched with fluorocarbon for an invisible presentation. Offering strength and toughness for all fishing applications, its “invisibility” near the bait triggers more strikes. Available in 10-, 15-, 30- and 40-pound options, it comes in translucent/clear and aqua camo/clear. A dual spool box costs about $22.

FISHING ZEPPELIN: Sharkbanz’s compact device utilizes electromagnetic technology to deter sharks from a variety of trophy fish species, including red emperors and coral trout. A 2021 ICAST Show winner in the terminal fishing gear category, this device is designed specifically for anglers and uses an electromagnetic field to harmlessly ward off sharks without keeping other fish from taking the bait. The 6.5-ounce Zeppelin requires no batteries or charging and can be used as a sinker, tied into the main leader, or added to the main line using a carbineer. It costs about $70.

U s e d a n d n e w f i r e a r m s , a m m u n i t i o n , k n i v e s , a n d o p t i c s f o r a l l o f y o u r h u n t i n g , s h o o t i n g a n d p e r s o n a l p r o t e c t i o n n e e d s . RUGER 10/22: American-Italian rifle stock manufacturer WOOX has expanded its lineup of rifle stock and chassis >> to include the popular Ruger 10/22. Featuring handmade Italian craftsmanship coupled with American design and accuracy, the stocks and chassis are compatible with Remington 700, Savage 110, Tikka T3/T3x, Sauer 100, Howa 1500 and Weatherby Vanguard models as well as the Ruger 10/22 models. The rifle stocks and chassis start at about $560.

providing some of the best early growing season rainfall in years, improving the outlook for bobwhite populations. In South Texas, where TPWD said 80 percent of the bobwhite harvest took place in 2020, late nesting could improve bobwhite numbers.

According to Park Cities Quail Coalition, this quail nesting season has been the longest seen in more than a decade.

Rollins said nests at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch are hatching and they have been observing multiple late broods.

“Just this past week, we had two nests hatch at RPQRR, each with 11 eggs,” he said. “We also have a few bobwhite still incubating. We hope to have even more chicks on the ground in the coming weeks, and sightings of younger bobwhites have been common along roadside surveys.

On each of three sites where at the RPQRR, radio-marked hens had September hatches, the latest on Sept. 13. In Erath County, the latest recorded was Sept. 16. Rollins said this is likely indicative of range-wide trends.

“Although late season nesting efforts are not likely to affect a large change in annual production, every little bit helps,” he said.

Quail season opens Oct. 30, although many hunters prefer to wait for cooler temperatures and preferably a freeze before heading out with their bird dogs, and extends through Feb. 27, 2022.

where they can leave their vehicles, and head out from there.”

The outfitter, called Mexico Wing Shooting, has one lodge on the water and they lease another one. Package hunts include lodging, hunts, transportation and a chef is on staff.

“He specializes in cooking steaks, authentic Mexican food and some of the best tasting quail you’ll ever eat,” Larson said. “And a special little thing we do is make tamales from the processed birds. We like to send our hunters home with five to 10 Ducks hunters are heading back to Mexico, where the dozen tamales each. Everybody likes daily limit is 30. Photo from Jeff Larson. that.”

Larson said they provide all the guns and quality ammo. The guns are 12- and 20-gauge shotguns. They don’t use steel shot but do have a good supply of lead shot for sale. The 7-1/2 shot is $16 a box, and the 4-shot is $20 per box. The Mexican season on ducks is October through February; for dove it’s August through November and the quail season parallels the duck season. Their hunts are on public bays and leased lands, most of which are within a few miles of the lodges.

short, and he moved to Bandera to pursue a job in the oil industry.

“I left what I considered to be Sportsman’s Paradise in Louisiana to live in one of the driest areas of Texas,” Bledsoe said. “I remember thinking, ‘how in the world am I going to waterfowl hunt over here?’ I was certain I would have to travel to the rice prairies west of Houston to be able to hunt ducks and geese.”

Bledsoe started making sales calls on drilling and fracking sites for his job, all over South Texas, covering up to 400-500 miles in a single day.

“I was basically traveling around and across a bunch of ranches for my job, and I started noticing ducks, geese and sandhill cranes on properties while I was on the road,” he explained. “Nobody seemed to be hunting them, so I decided I would start asking around to see if I could get permission to, from a landowner or ranch manager. What I quickly found out was, most of these folks did not care about the birds at all. All of their ranch activity was managed for cattle and deer.”

Bledsoe got permission to waterfowl hunt a property for the first time in South Texas in the fall of 2016 near Crystal City.

After experiencing some of the best duck hunts of his life over ponds and fields in South Texas, Bledsoe realized he might have found a diamond in the rough.

“I quickly started kicking around the idea of guiding hunts,” he said. “One thing led to another, and I found myself knocking on doors, catching ranchers at gates and on county roads, and doing everything I could to gain access to as many properties as possible. Almost everyone I met was extremely kind, and most were more than happy to let me chase waterfowl on their properties.”

Bledsoe ran his first guided hunt in the fall of 2018. From there, Speck Ops was born, and he hasn’t looked back. He now has four guides working for him, including Drew Garcia, Chris Munoz, Zach Barrera and Jonathan Fenner, and is expanding his hunting grounds to additional regions of the state.

Bledsoe lives in Bandera with his wife, Jillian, and their three daughters, ages 6, 4 and 1. When he’s not guiding hunts, scouting and tracking down landowners to gain access to new properties, Bledsoe works as a project manager for a roofing company.

Bledsoe’s favorite thing about guiding waterfowl hunts in nontraditional areas is seeing other hunters become passionate about the sport.

Convergent Hunting Solutions offers predator hunters the ultimate package in the Bullet HP Complete Bluetooth Game Calling System. Featuring the Bullet HP electronic game call, Picatinny phone mount, full sound library, and camo carry bag, the complete system is sure to help predator hunters call in more critters.