Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
September 25, 2015
Volume 12, Issue 3
Banner opener in much of South Texas
Favorite water temps for bass By Jillian Mock
For Lone Star Outdoor News If you’re looking for the right water temperature to land a monster bass this fall, watch what the baitfish do as the temps decline. “This’ll be the start of the fall turn on,” said fishing guide Mark Stevenson as he weighed in at a tournament on Lake Fork last weekend and reflected on the cooling water temperatures. Please turn to page 11
CONTENTS
BIG WEEKEND: Dove season opened September 18 in the South Zone of Texas, and thousands of hunters of all ages were out in the field with many experiencing good shoots. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
By Craig Nyhus
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 36
Lone Star Outdoor News
Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 28
Dove season in the South Zone was great for many Texas hunters, while others struggled in areas that usually produce. Near Pearsall, though, the birds cooperated.
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 For the Table . . . . . . . . Page 28 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 38 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 14
“It is absolutely amazing; all three nights of the weekend we limited out in about 45 minutes,” said Zach Gates, who hunted mostly by water holes. “They seem very healthy and seemed heavier than in the last four years. I think the heavy rains followed by all of the dry
weather helped us.” While excellent reports also came from Hidalgo, Refugio, Wharton and Kleberg counties, other areas didn’t produce the birds normally seen on the opener. Atascosa County hunters only shot a few birds near Pleasan-
ton, where the opener is often a shooting celebration. A lack of available food appeared to be the reason. As it turned out, the hunters were just a little too far north. At a ranch along the Atascosa/ McMullen County line, limits were the norm for a group of 35 Please turn to page 20
Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 26 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 32
Acorns as friends
LSONews.com
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
Choose bowhunting spots based on type of oak By Craig Nyhus
PICKING FAVORITES: Crossbow hunters should keep an eye on the oak trees and set up next to the ones with signs of deer activity and with the most acorns on the ground. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
INSIDE
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Lone Star Outdoor News
HUNTING
When the acorns start falling, sitting by a corn feeder can be a lonely place for a bowhunter. With archery season beginning in Texas on October 1, many of the 175,000 Texas bowhunters have been scouting the stands of oak trees to see if the trees are holding acorns and if they are on the ground. Hunters know the acorns drop in the fall, but still get surprised when the deer are nowhere to be seen. Other wonder why the deer aren’t eating the acorns
Dove with flintlock
Vines as deer food
A young Texas hunter fulfilled his wish of using a Revolutionary War-era musket to bag a dove. Page 4
Not all vines are bad, even if they cause hunters to stumble. Some are good deer food sources. Page 4
they are watching from their treestand. When do the acorns drop? “That’s a complicated question,” said Eric Taylor, an extension forestry specialist with Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton. “It’s a matter of complex tree physiology and has to do with air temperatures, soil moisture and other factors that trigger the hormones in the tree that leads to the acorns dropping.” Billy Higginbotham, a wildlife and fisheries specialist with Texas AgriLife, said some have already started. “They are dropping now in East Texas,” he said. “It may be a little early in other Please turn to page 5
FISHING
New reef in the works Red tide at midcoast
Thanks to the efforts of avid offshore anglers, a new artificial reef is planned out from the South Padre Island jetties. Page 8
The annual red tide may be larger this year, with reported fish kills including sport fish. Page 9