Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
December 24, 2021
Volume 18, Issue 9
Preserving lures in time By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Fred Murray’s unique artwork shows an angler’s favorite lure or lures in cube-shaped displays. Photo from Fred Murray.
Do you have a favorite lure? Maybe one that was used to catch your personal best fish or one used on an exceptional day of fishing? Angler and craftsman Fred Murray has come up with a way to preserve special lures like this, allowing them to be displayed in ways that are unique and eye-catching. Murray is taking lures anglers
want to save and creating lure art that can be showcased. He does this by suspending a lure in a clear resin that fills a 4.5 to 5-inch cube. Each cube has a wooden base with an LED light that shines up through the bottom, displaying the lure as it would appear underwater. Each cube is completely customizable by the customer. Redfish Woodworks, Murray’s business, began taking orders for his lure cubes at the
beginning of 2021. He had been practicing carpentry and resin work for the previous four years prior to coming up with his lure art concept. “I was making a lot of custom tables and other pieces of furniture, and just really felt like I found myself trapped in a saturated market,” Murray explained. “It just didn’t seem like it was progressing the way I wanted it to. I wanted to come up with something that
was different, and also fishing related, and I really like working with resin. So, I had the idea to drop a Corky in a cube mold with resin, and the rest is history.” It took Murray about a year and a half to fine tune his product. “I had to figure out the best components to use to incorporate a LED light that would enhance the display of the lure,” he said. “I also had to figure Please turn to page 9
Mule deer in great shape out west By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News The general mule deer season has come and gone; however, many hunters and outfitters are still chasing mature bucks on Managed Lands Deer Permit properties. Most have reported seeing good numbers of muleys in healthy condition, with success rates being fairly high in the Trans-Pecos and Panhandle regions of Texas. Childress area resident and hunter, Mark Keys, said he has seen several mature mule deer bucks in cotton fields on the properties where he hunts. “We’ve really started seeing an increase in the number of mature bucks in recent years, especially since antler restrictions were imple-
mented in Childress County,” Keys said. “I was able to put a stalk on a heavy antlered buck and harvest him with my bow.” Keys spotted the muley as he was bedded down in a cotton field. After playing the wind and accidentally bumping him, he was finally able to get within bow range of the deer to take a 45-yard shot. During the gun mule deer hunt at the Matador Wildlife Management Area, five bucks were harvested. The largest of these was a 180-class brute shot by Rodney Marbach. The mule deer had an inside spread of 25 1/8 inches. According to Matador WMA wildlife biologist, Hunter Hopkins, a couple of the other bucks harvested had gross scores in the 140s, and a few were a little bit smaller. Please turn to page 6
Brian Brumback shot this mature West Texas mule deer buck while hunting with Big Rim Outfitters. Photo by Bob Daugherty.
By Craig Nyhus
Dove season reopened Dec. 17 across the state, and although the late season lacks the participation of September hunts, some hunters who ventured out found success, especially in South Texas. Lone Star Outdoor News’ contributor Nate Skinner hunted the afternoon of Dec. 17 over a tank in Wilson County and reported plenty of mourning dove and limits. “A friend hunted in Karnes County over an old tea weed and plowed field and shot a limit of mourning dove, too,” Skinner said.
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Lone Star Outdoor News
While most outfitters are focused on deer, Dilley Dove still takes hunters in Frio and LaSalle counties in the late season and reported plenty of birds for the opener of the late portion of the season. Randy Edwards, in the Central Zone near Baird, said his birds, all mourning dove, weren’t there in September but showed up in October and are still around. “We have a lot of volunteer wheat and plowed up sunflowers,” he said. “There are quite a few birds in there. The whitewings are in town, but they seem to be hitting everyone’s bird feeders.” In Comanche County, hunters
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 20 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 21
INSIDE
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
Dove season back in action reported pecan orchards teeming with white-winged dove, but rains and heavy winds kept them out of the field. They’re hoping the birds stick around until Christmas and New Year’s. One hunter south of Alice reported success over a cut pea field. TripleE reported on the Texas Hunting Forum shooting 14 birds on Dec. 17 and eight the next morning, with all of the dove being full of peas. Check TPWD for more details. 2021-2022 Late Season Dates: North Zone: Dec. 17-Jan. 2 Central Zone: Dec. 17-Jan. 14 South Zone: Dec. 17-Jan. 21
Some dove hunters prefer the late season, with fewer worries about heat, snakes and mosquitoes. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
HUNTING
FISHING
Getting tags (P. 4)
Finding crappie (P. 8)
Out-of-state deadlines approach.
Guide helps anglers learn new electronics.
Ducks after the split (P. 4)
Winter rainbows (P. 8)
Hunters wish for cold up north.
Stockings underway.
