Outdoor Tidbits
There are lots of Texas hunters that are receiving more than Christmas cards in their mail boxes this season. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is sending out violations to those hunters who have dropped off their animals at deer processing plants that are improperly tagged. According to Mike Cox at Granzin’s Meat Market in New Braunfels, Texas, Texas Parks & Wildlife Game Wardens are regularly making calls and finding either the wrong tag on animals or the date is not cut out properly. So hunters beware. Make sure and tag the animals legally or don’t be surprised by a Holiday Season citation in the mail.
Texas has become a state that boast great deer hunting with South Texas getting most of the fanfare. The panhandle also boasts some huge bucks but not the numbers of South Texas. It amazes me though, that there are even some pockets of monstrous bucks right under our noses. Such is the case with the Hill Country’s own Hidden Springs North, a little hunted ranch with both enormous bucks and great numbers of them. Hunters at this ranch are amazed at the number of deer they see and the mass on the bucks. For more information on booking a hunt to this ranch call (830) 629-HUNT.
Now is the time to start planning next year’s first fishing trips. You can mark your calendar for mid-February through mid-March for white bass. The Sabine River in East Texas has the best quality white bass fishing I know of. Although last year was unusually slow due to low water levels, each year for the past five have been incredible. Two seasons in a row, I landed world record white bass on Valentine’s Day. One year it was snowing, the next it was 60 degrees. The fishing is easy to access by boat and is full of big fish weighing from 2 - 4 pounds. With generous limits of eager biting whites, even the average angler will have an abundance of fillets for the freezer.
I know of only one fishing guide that takes those anglers looking to take white bass home. His name is Mike Wheatley. His trips are what I call “meat runs.” According to Mike, “most of my dates are already booked but I do have room to take some more people. Families and novice anglers are my main customers and they love the white bass. Easy to catch. All they really need to bring is their rod & reel, some Blakemore Roadrunners and a big ice chest because I even clean their catch.” For more information on Mike’s Fishing Adventures call (409) 489-1816. If you hear of something interesting in the outdoors, let me hear from you.