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2 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e

Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC.TEXAS FISH & GAME is the largest independent,family-owned outdoor publication in America.

Owned by Ron and Stephanie Ward and Roy and Ardia Neves.

ROY NEVESPUBLISHER

DON ZAIDLEEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CHESTER MOOREEXECUTIVE EDITOR

C O N T R I B U T O R S

TOM BEHRENS TROPHY QUEST COORDINATORGREG BERLOCHER KAYAKING EDITORPAUL BRADSHAW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

HERMAN BRUNE CONTRIBUTING EDITORJOE DOGGETT SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CALIXTO GONZALES SALTWATER EDITORKENDAL HEMPHILL POLITICAL COMMENTATOR

CAPT. MIKE HOLMES ASSOC. OFFSHORE EDITORBOB HOOD HUNTING EDITOR

STEVE LAMASCUS FIREARMS EDITORPATRICK LEMIRE SALTWATER RIGS EDITOR

LOU MARULLO BOWHUNTING EDITORJIMMY D. MOORE NORTH HOTSPOTS EDITOR

TED NUGENT EDITOR AT LARGEDOUG PIKE SENIOR OFFSHORE EDITOR

LENNY RUDOW BOATING EDITORWAYNE C. WATSON LEGAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

MATT WILLIAMS FRESHWATER EDITORREAVIS WORTHAM HUMOR EDITOR

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVESVICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

NICOLE MCKIBBIN NATIONAL MARKETING REP.DENISE BELL NATIONAL MARKETING REP.

1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032PHONE 281/227-3001 FAX 281/227-3002

SUBSCRIPTION/PRODUCT MKTG.

1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032PHONE 800/725-1134

DUANE HRUZEKMARKETING/CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

HEIDI GERKE SUBSCRIBER SERVICES MANAGERLARRY FRIEDMAN FIELD REPRESENTATIVE

JOE LUCA NEWSTAND REPRESENTATIVE

P R O D U C T I O N

JIMMY BORNEART DIRECTOR

LINDSAY WHITMAN YEATESGRAPHIC DESIGNER

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

DENNISE CHAVEZNATIONAL ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/RECEIVABLES MANAGER

TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & GamePublishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Texas Fish &Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or oth-erwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes no responsi-bility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year$19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries to TexasFish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Allow 4 to 6 weeks forresponse. Give old and new address and enclose latest mailing address label whenwriting about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: TEXAS FISH& GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address all subscription inquiriesto TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Email change ofaddress to: [email protected] Email new orders to:[email protected] Email subscription questions to: [email protected].

Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and atadditional mailing offices.

MEMBER AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS

www.fishgame.com

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32 POOL CUE FLOUNDERTF&Gs executive editor and flounder cham-pion has developed the only (albeit one-of-a-kind) rod that guarantees a solid hook-seton an iron-jawed flatfish. His working pro-totype is literally made out of a pool cue.

by Chester Moore, Jr.

OCTOBER 2009 Volume XXV NO.6

ON THE COVERS:COASTAL: Redfish become theobsession of many waders,drif ters and surfers as Octoberbrings the peak of the fall reddrum spawning run.

INL AND/NORTH: The heart-pounding effect of seeing atrophy buck is even moreintense when the encounter isat eye-level.

Photos by Grady Allen

ALSO IN OCTOBER:

54 FISHINGTHE FLOWER GARDENS

by Capt. MikeHolmes

58 IN THE FIELDWITH JAYby ChesterMoore, Jr.

36 TEXAS LOST ELKThe Trans-Pecos region of Texas isnt the firstarea that comes to mind when discussing elkcountry. But reintroductions in the last cen-tury established populations in the region,and there is one thing no one disputes: WestTexas elk are survivors.

by Herman W. Brune

50 PECCARY IN PERILJavelina are among the easiest prey you couldhunt. They are not great table fare, and aboutthe only reason to kill one is for a mount.With populations disappearing and theirrange reduced by two-thirds in Texas, shouldTPWD do more to protect them?

by Steve LaMascus


FEATURES

24 EYE LEVEL DEERHarvesting a whitetail with a bowis a challenge, no matter how youdo it. But when you take the huntto the ground, the challengeincreases significantly.

by Lou Marullo

28 REDFISH INTERRUPTUSWith all the recent talk about closing passesalong the Texas Coast, most notably RolloverPass on East Galveston Bay, just how do suchpass closures affect the redfish spawn?

by Calixto Gonzales

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COLUMNS


OCTOBER 2009 Volume XXV NO.6

10 Editors NotesTaming the Beast by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

18 Chesters NotesWhy Texas Is Tops In Hunting by CHESTER MOORE, JR. TF&G Executive Editor

19 CommentaryJust Say No To IACAIMTFAER by KENDAL HEMPHILLTF&G Commentator

20 Doggett at LargeHorned Toads & Dinosaurs by JOE DOGGETTTF&G Senior Contributing Editor

22 TexasWildAR Groups EndangerAntelopeby TED NUGENTTF&G Editor-at-Large

53 Hunt TexasJavelina the Hard Way by BOB HOODTF&G Hunting Editor

57 Texas OffshoreOffshore Fishing InShore by CAPT. MIKE HOLMESTF&G Associate Offshore Editor

60 Texas SaltwaterGetting Mooned by CALIXTO GONZALESTF&G Saltwater Editor

61 Texas FreshwaterRecord Growth by MATT WILLIAMSTF&G Freshwater Editor

62 Open SeasonOn the Road Again... by REAVIS WORTHAM TF&G Humor Editor

DEPARTMENTS

8 YOUR LETTERS

12 TF&G REPORT

14 BIG BAGS&CATCHES

40 TRUE GREEN

49 TROPHY QUEST

COLUMNS and DEPARTMENTS

www.FishGame.comwww.twitter.com/FishandGame

www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-Fish-Game-Magazine/86524948620


OOPS!A wise man once told me, When you get

in a hole, quit digging.A reader sent me a news item from the 9

March 2009 issue of a webzine called PostScripts about an Arizona woman who hadsupposedly shot a mugger six times as hemade off with her purse. The story turned outto be bogus.

Without verifying the article, I used it forthe basis of my August Commentary column.I apologize for my mistake and any inconven-ience it caused. I certainly intend to avoidallowing this to happen in the future, and Iappreciate the vigilance of the readers whopointed out the error. Kendal Hemphill

DOUBLE OOPS!Im sure you have already received

numerous comments about the incorrectcomment in Greg Berlochers August TexasKayaking column on the new kayak trailbetween Mexia and Groesbeck, but just incase you have not, here goes:

The new kayak trail in LimestoneCounty is on the Navasota River. It runsfrom the Confederate Reunion Grounds toLake Ft. Parker. You briefly threw me for aloop when I saw this, having lived my entirelife no more than 10 miles from that stretchof river. Maybe Ill see Greg out paddlingthat stretch some day. It is a narrow river thatruns anywhere from 5 to 30 feet deep.

I usually fish from Ft. Parker Lake northto the Thelma Road bridge in the old com-munity of Rocky. That area is a mile or solong, and is mostly in the 15-25 feet range ofdepth with lots of gar and many bass. Ihavent had much luck with the cats, thoughI know they are there.

Thanks for a great kayaking column eachmonth. I dont kayak, but have a few

acquaintances that do, and they are startingto get me interested in it. I think I would bemuch more interested in costal kayaking,though.

John StanfordMexia, TX

Thank you very much for your note point-ing out the mistake regarding the new TexasPaddling Trails. Indeed, you are correct. Thenew paddling trail between Mexia andGroesbeck is on the Navasota River, not theGuadalupe as mentioned in the column. Iappreciate you calling this to my attentionand apologize for the mistake.Greg Berlocher

DANGEROUS SPORTSMENI only have one thing to say about Don

Zaidles September Editors Notes aboutbeing dangerous: I have a mount on the walland your magazine on the coffee table.

Amen and keep it up!

Lance BeltVia email

THE TRUTH ABOUTCOUGARS IS OUT THERE

Your September feature article, TheTruth about Cougars by Chester Moore,and Don Zaidles Editors Notes, TheTruth is Out There, mentioned the refusalof wildlife biologists to accept the presence ofcougars in East Texas and elsewhere. Thatstruck a familiar chord with me.

Twenty-eight years ago, while honey-mooning in Big Bend, I saw a Mexican graywolf outside our tent. The next day, weheard a ranger give a talk about the wildlifeof Big Bend, and she stated that the

Mexican gray wolf no longer existed there orin northern Mexico. I told her that I hadseen one the night before. She told me I hadjust seen a coyote. I assured her that I knewwhat coyotes and Mexican grey wolves looklike, and this was a wolf. She said it could-nt be. I told her the tracks were still there ifshe wanted to see them. She said she didnthave to because it couldnt be a wolf. Shecouldnt have cared less about the evidence.

Scientists have become so entrenched intheir own belief systems that they no longerare interested in the facts. Just confront themwith evidence that contradicts their views onthe existence of panthers or red wolves inEast Texas and see what they say.

David ClardyVia email

DRUGS & THE OUTDOORSRegarding Chester Moores September

issue Chesters Notesamen. More peopleneed to say what he wrote. Like him, I lovebeing in the woods. It calms me, I can think,and it de-stresses me. I agree with him 100percent.

Lance BeltVia email

TF&GSOMETHING FOREVERYONE

I receive TF&G because LEAPEngineering provided Bill and me with aticket to the CCA fundraiser in Beaumont.TF&G was delivered to our sons Austinaddress, site of a recent family reunion.Portions of the magazine were read aloudand quoted when applicable (Alyssa, howdo you like your pork?referring to TedNugents hilarious Texas Wild column, For


Letters

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the Love of Pigs, in the September issue).I took TF&G on the plane with plans to

read the article about Pleasure Island andthen throw it away. However, I found otheritems of information that I plan to summarizeand use in Port Arthur Yacht Clubs month-ly newslettercoordinates of fishingHotspots, commandments of anchoring, beerchicken recipe, FEMA response to Ike, etc.

The greatest compliment to TF&G is thateven though I am not a Texas game hunter, Iam changing the delivery address to myVirginia work address so I can enjoy futureissues.

Thanks to LEAP Engineering for intro-ducing me to a magazine with a wide varietyof articles that reach out to even those of uswho sail often and sometimes fish on SabineLake.

Carolyn WorshamHerndon, VA

Comments from readers who visitour Facebook pages:

TF&G ON THE BLEEDINGEDGE

You guys were the first on the mottledduck issue, talking about it last fall and withthe story in the July issue. After reading theTexas Parks & Wildlife news release on thenew duck regulations, I find it interesting thestate is finding unique ways to restrict mot-tled duck harvest and trying to forego a longclosure. I hope this six-day shutdown front-loaded in the season helps out and, moreimportantly, that we break our cycle ofstorms and drought.

Thank you Texas Fish & Game for alwaysgiving us the first look at key issues like this,and helping us understand why regulationsare put in place, and not just reporting. I amalso interested in what you published in your

Facebook commentary and a few issues agoabout widgeon numbers below average andthe potential for restrictions in coming years.Justin Stevens

COTTONMOUTHSWe have a creek and pond on my proper-

ty right next to the house. Since the drought,things have dried up and the cottonmouths

have been horrible this year. They are look-ing for water anywhere. Ill add that you cansometimes smell them before you see them;they have a skunk odor, as my vet told meabout moccasins during the early teal seasonand early duck seasons. Its as much the tox-icity of the venom as it is the bacteria thatgrow in their mouth from living in andaround stagnant water all the time. Nastysnakes. Mike Hruby

www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-Fish-Game-Magazine/86524948620

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Taming theBeast

TECHNOLOGY IS A WONDERFUL THING.Without it, doctors would still applygourd rattles and tree bark to treatheadaches, and we would sore-foot our

way from the cave to the lake and paddlearound on logs while trying to avoid gettingeaten by a giant marine Thesaurus rex. Dontget me started on flint broadheads, stoneknives, and cave women.

Speaking of technology and things prehis-toric, untamed technology can be trouble-some, as Michael Crichton and StephenSpielberg depicted in their respective bookand movie, Jurassic Park.

Creating and launching a website is a bitlike cloning dinosaursif you are not careful,when the thing comes to life it starts wreckingthings and eating lawyers. Although the latterhas appeal, efficacy to purpose is preferable.That is why it takes so long to develop a goodwebsite.

Although Texas Fish & Game has had awebsite for years, it simply was neither what itshould have been nor what we wanted it to be.We determined to take on that beast and tameitor get eaten in the attempt.

We did. Tame it, I mean, not get eaten.The new Texas Fish & Game website is

what we want it to be and more. Rather thansimply regurgitate print magazine content, thesite provides real-time interactive data, infor-mation, and instruction that readers no longermust wait for the postman to bring. And itprovides things impossible in the print maga-zine, such as:

Community forums for discussion anddebate of all things outdoors with fellow read-ers and TF&G staff.

An interactive, searchable version of ourone-of-a-kind fishing Hotspots.

Up-to-the-hour weather forecast anddynamic, customizable tide forecasts.

Blogs by senior TF&G staff with readercomments.

Subscriber services have never been easieror more complete. With the new site, readerscan check issue subscription status, changedelivery address, request replacements formissing or damaged issues, renew subscrip-tions, and most other things related to theirprint issue subscription.

If your print subscription is late arriving inthe mail (which is rarely our fault but that of,well, dinosaurs), stay informed by browsingan electronic rendition of the current issueexactly like the print issue in every way, eventhe page turns. Well, and the lack of paper.

Registered uses can create a personal pro-file that includes their photograph; gain accessto back issues; search for any topic, author, or

keyword; and post or view other readers pho-tos, videos, blogs, and profiles.

From the on-line store, users can purchaseTF&G merchandise, gift subscriptions, andbooks.

The TF&G video library is one of ourfavorite features. Ranging from how-toinstruction to demonstrations of outdoor skills,nature, wildlife, myth busting, video com-ponents of articles in the print magazine, andjust plain fun, the ever-growing video sectionproduced by TF&G staff is sure to becomeone of your favorites, too.

When reading the print magazine, watchfor On the Web tags attached to articlesand columns. These point to additional infor-mation on the article topic, both on the TF&Gwebsite and those of universities, scientificinstitutions, game departments, governmentagencies, and other sources vetted by our staff

by Don Zaidle| TF&G Editor-in-Chief

Editors Notes

PHOTO BY DON ZAIDLE

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f o raccuracy and reliability.

There is more to see and do on the newTexas Fish & Game website than there isspace to chronicle. Rest assured that we willapply to it the same standards of quality,

accuracy, and value to our read-ership that we follow in producing the printmagazine. We recognize that the website can-not replace the paper version, but it certainlycan and does augment it in ways any wiredreader will appreciate and value.

Of course, like Prof. John Hammonds

technology-driven Jurassic Park, a few bugsremain to exterminate, and Under Con-struction signs pop up now and then. Bythe time you read this, most of that shouldbe fixed, but even if it isnt, do not put offvisiting the site.

We know you will find it interesting,informative, and rewardingjust as you dothe print versionand we guarantee noth-ing will eat you. (Warranty void in Califor-nia, New York, Massachusetts, CostaRica, Isla Nublar, and where otherwiseprohibited by law or common senseorif you are a lawyer.)

www.fishgame.com

E-mail Don Zaidle at [email protected]

On the Web

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TF&G Report

A52-YEAR-OLD BAYTOWN MAN DIED INAugust from an infection acquired whilefishing in Galveston Bay.

Thomas Jesse Shurley was fishing alonenear shore in July when he scraped his kneewhile righting his overturned johnboat. Thebacterium Vibrio vulnificus infectedShurleys leg through the abrasion.

Shurley died of multiple organ failureafter the bacterium spread despite aggressivedebriding of infected tissue and the ultimateamputation of the leg.

As reported in our September 2004issue, 49 people, including a number ofTexas saltwater anglers, acquired V. vulnifi-cus infections that year, the number of casesremaining within Texas Department of StateHealth Services (DSHS) parameters fornormal, but alarmed saltwater fishermennonetheless.

Health officials said the bacterial infec-tion, although quite serious and often fatal inthose who are at risk and who delay treat-ment, is rare and poses minimal threat topeople in good health.

Found in warm saltwater around theworld, V. vulnificus is one of dozens of vari-ants (one of which is responsible for cholera)and is the worst of all saltwater-bornepathogens, according to Victoria plastic sur-geon Dr. Brian F. Burns, who considers thegerm more ravaging than Group A strepto-coccus, better known as flesh eating bacte-ria.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)in Atlanta, which has monitored V. vulnifi-cus infections since the late 1980s, reportsabout five-dozen confirmed cases annuallyalong the Gulf Coast, and roughly twice asmany nationally, many of which are causedby ingestion of tainted or undercookedseafood.

Based on those figures, the likelihood ofinfection is statistically insignificant.

CDC statistics for 2007 (the latest avail-able) indicate 549 people contracted V. vul-nificus illnesses nationwide, with Texasreporting the most at 60.

Two Houston men treated by Dr. Burnsin 2004 for wound-related V. vulnificusinfections after fishing near Port OConnorsuffered significant injuries. The youngerpatient lost the flesh between the knee andfoot of one leg just days after exposure. Theolder man waited an extra day before seekingtreatment; he lost both legs and suffered kid-ney failure barely a week after the bacteriaentered his system through cuts suffered dur-ing a fall at the dock.

V. vulnificus mortality rates can be high as30 percent in those who postpone treatment.

V. vulnificus has difficulty penetratinghealthy skin. People in generally good healthmight not realize they have been exposed tothe potentially deadly bacterium. For them,the only symptoms might be minor irritationor redness at the site that dissipates as quick-ly as it arises.

Dr. Burns said that V. vulnificus shouldbe on every coastal anglers mind, butshould not keep anyone out of the water.

Early stages of V. vulnificus ingectionappears rash-like.

Saltwater-Borne BacteriaKills Angler

TF&G FIRST SEPT. 2004

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TF&G Report

Treat the bacteria with the respect you wouldshow rattlesnakes on a quail hunt or copper-heads in a woodpileor bull sharks in thesurf.

Indications of V. vulnificus wound infec-tion begin with redness and soreness thatworsen rapidly, followed by appearance of adark purple or black spot at the site. Watchfor flu-like symptoms, such as nausea, chills,general malaise, and fast-rising fever.

Don Zaidle

Remington 17 HMR ProductSafety Warning

Remington has been notified by its sup-plier of 17 HMR that the ammunition is notsuitable for use in semi-automatic firearms.The use of this ammunition in a semi-auto-matic firearm could result in property dam-age or serious personal injury.

If you have a semi-automatic firearmchambered for 17 HMR ammunition,

immediately discontinue use of Remington17 HMR ammunition. If you have anyRemington 17 HMR ammunition that youwish to return to Remington, contact theRemington Consumer Service. Do notreturn the ammunition to the dealer.Remington will provide you with a $10coupon for each complete box of 50 roundsof returned Remington branded 17 HMRammunition. This coupon will be good forthe purchase of any Remington ammunitionat your local dealer.

It is very important that you immediatelystop using your Remington Model 597 17HMR semi-automatic rifle. If you own aRemington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle and wish to return it toRemington, please contact Remington. Inreturn for your Remington Model 597 17HMR synthetic stock semi-automatic rifle,Remington will provide you a coupon valuedat $200 good for the purchase of a replace-ment Remington firearm. If you have a lam-inate stock Remington Model 597 17HMR semi-automatic rifle, Remington willprovide you a coupon valued at $250.

Remington will also reimburse you for theactual postage to return your Model 597 17HMR semi-automatic rifle to Remington.

Please allow up to six weeks afterRemington receives your Model 597 17HMR semi-automatic rifle or yourRemington branded 17 HMR ammunitionfor the appropriate coupons to arrive. Thecoupons include instructions for redemption.

Contact: Remington Consumer ServiceDepartment, 800-243-9700, prompt No. 3.

Staff Report

2009-10 WaterfowlSeasons Finalized

For the 14th consecutive year, Texas duckhunters get a liberal waterfowl season with 74days and six-bird daily bag limit for the 2009-2010 general seasons, but mottled ducks willbe off the table during the first five days. TheTexas Parks & Wildlife Commission finalizedthe framework at its 27 August public meeting.


Later stages of Vibrio infection producesnecrotizing fasciitis.

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Continued from page 12


High Plains MallardManagement UnitOctober 24-25October 30-January 24Youth-only season, October 17-18

North and South ZonesOctober 31-November 29December 12-January 24Youth-only season, October 24-25

Western Goose ZoneNovember-February 7 (daily bag 20 light

geese in the aggregate, four Canada geese, onewhite-fronted goose. Possession limit is twicethe daily bag limit for dark geese and no pos-session limit on light geese.

Eastern Goose ZoneOctober 31-January 24 for light geese

and Canada geeseOctober 31-January 10 for white-fronted

geese

The daily bag limit is 20 light geese in theaggregate and three Canada geese and twowhite-fronted geese.

Light Goose Conservation OrderWestern Goose Zone,February 8-March 28Eastern Goose Zone,January 25-March 28No bag or possession limits.

Sandhill Crane

Zone ANovember 7-February7 (daily bag three)

Zone BNovember 27-February7 (daily bag three)

Zone C December 19-January 24 (daily bag two)

Possession limits statewide are twice thedaily bag limits.

Duck Bag LimitsSix in aggregate comprised of: 5 mallard, only two may be hens 3 wood duck 2 scaup 2 redhead 1 pintail 1 canvasback 1 dusky duck(mottled duck, Mexican-

like duck, black duck and their hybrids)Mottled duck may not be harvested prior

to Thursday 5 November in the North andSouth Zones, and 2 November in the HighPlains Mallard Management Unit.

The bag limit on mergansers is five daily,of which only two may be hooded mergansers,and the daily bag on coots is 15.

TF&G Report



Why TexasIs Tops InHunting

CROSSBOWS ARE NOW LEGAL FOR HUNTINGwhitetail deer during the archery-onlyseason in the great state of Texas.

Green-lighted by the legislature and given afinal stamp of approval by the Texas Parks andWildlife Commission, our state finally joinedothers in recognizing crossbows are safe, effec-tive, and fun hunting instruments that will doabsolutely no harm to game populations orbowhunting.

This has ruffled the feathers of a fewarchers who are offended others will intrude ontheir month and not be using more tradi-tional archery equipment. However, in a statethat is 97 percent private land and facing deeroverpopulation from Mason to McAllen,those tired, old arguments are looking, well,tired and old.

With the crossbow issue behind us, Texashas officially, in my opinion, become the mostforward-thinking state on hunting issues andrights.

Take youth hunting, for example: Manystates like Massachusetts have a minimum age(15) and in other states, it ranges from 10 to17. By that age, I had been hunting for adecade and had a number of game animalsunder my belt. The passion to hunt burneddeep in my youth and was fueled by real hunt-ing experiences with my father and uncle. Wetake it for granted that parents can make thedecision on when to take their youngsters hunt-ing here in Texas, while other states imposeridiculous age restrictions.

Statistics show these progressively back-

ward you have the lowest hunterrecruitment and greatly sagging

license sales.The right time to instill a love for hunting is

when kids are young and impressionable,before they have been lured away by the nega-tive forces in society. I truly believe these lawsin other states were placed at the behest of ani-mal rights-minded people who convinced com-placent bureaucrats and legislators that kidsgoing hunting is a bad idea. The same goes foranti-baiting laws that are put in place allaround the country under the guise of ethics.

Somehow, luring game animals into aknown area where distance can be easily cal-culated and therefore effective shot placementmade is unethical and harmful to the game.Yet, here in Texas we have the largest popula-tion of whitetail deer and wild turkey in thenationand hundreds of million of pounds ofcorn are spinning out of feeders annually.

We must be doing something right.But wait! There is Chronic Wasting Dis-

ease (CWD) to worry about. According tostates like New York, baiting deer is a surefireway to spread that dreaded disease that hasbeen the darling of the outdoor media in recentyears.

How many cases have you heard of inTexas?

Thats right none so far, and although thisdisease has likely been here for eons, if it werethe threat the media is making it out to be,dont you think the state with 4.5 millionwhitetails, 250,000 mule deer, and hundredsof thousands of exotic deer would have allkinds of outbreaks, especially since we dare(gasp!) bait them?

Our state has done the wise thing and takenprecautions against CWD, but has recognizedwe have found no link here between it andbaiting deer with corn and standard proteinfeeds.

In comparison to other states, we are doinga magnificent job of preserving hunters rightsand keeping our resources healthy. While thereare bumps in the road (antler restrictions), weare far better off than any other state.

The poor hunters in California essentiallyhave to hit the field accompanied by a survey-or and a lawyer. The surveyor will make surethey have not crossed one of the hundreds of

imaginary hunting zone lines the state has laidout, and the lawyer is to represent them in casethe state changed its mind during the course ofthe mornings hunt.

When you live in a state that literally makesit illegal to kill a mountain lion caught in theact of destroying your livestock, you know youare in trouble.

Thank goodness Texas has the senseenough to recognize lion numbers are growingand imposes no restrictions on harvest, allow-ing landowners to manage the big predators asthey see fit.

Despite our states common sense approachto game management and hunter rights, onearea we do need work on is affordable hunteraccess.

Deer hunting has become so expensive thatmany hunters simply cannot afford it, and werisk losing a rich tradition in coming decades.Let me put that a little differently; rich wasa poor choice of word.

You see, rich people will always have aplace to hunt deer, and I am all for that. Heck,I want to be rich and I am sure you do as well.However, the fact is middle to lower incomepeople are getting pinched.

If the state really wants to take things to thenext level, how about closing some of thosestate parks that are financial black holes andturn them into wildlife management areas ded-icated to access for the average hunter? Theycould charge a nominal fee to hunt and elimi-nate most of the overhead costs state parksincur.

Maybe the next time the legislature meets,they could pass a bill giving tax credits tolandowners who offer affordable access to low-income families who want to hunt, so everyonegets a chance to enjoy our amazing outdoorsresources.

I believe we are doing great things in theLone Star State and can do even better if wecontinue looking to the future while holdingtight to the values of our past.

(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him [email protected]. You can hear him onthe radio Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on NewstalkAM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.)

Chesters Notes

by Chester Moore, Jr. | TF&G Executive Editor

TF&G FIRST SEPT. 2006

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Just Say No ToIACAIMTFAER

BACK IN 1997, BILL CLINTON TRIED TO GETthe US Senate to ratify CIFTA,which is actually the Inter-AmericanConvention Against the Illicit Manu-

facturing of and Trafficking in Firearms,Ammunition, Explosives and other RelatedItems. The acronym really should beIACAIMTFAER, I guess, but in Mexicothey call it CIFTA, evidently because ofsome Spanish words, and its a lot easier tosay, and write, than IACAIMTFAER.

Congress never went along with CIFTA,hopefully because it is anti-gun, and wouldinfringe on many U.S. citizens rights,including the Second Amendment.

During a visit to Mexico in April, Presi-dent Obama renewed the call for the U.S. tojump on the CIFTA bandwagon.

The consensus of a number of pro Sec-ond Amendment organizations, after analyz-ing CIFTA, is that it is a bad treaty, no mat-ter how you look at it. Mike Hammond, leg-islative counsel for Gun Owners of America,has prepared a fact sheet that includes thefollowing points:

The seventh precatory clause Stress[es]the need, in peace processes and post-conflictsituations, to achieve effective control offirearms, ammunition, explosives, and otherrelated materials in order to prevent theirentry into the illicit market;therebyendorsing comprehensive gun and ammuni-tion control in violation of McClure-Volkmer(which deregulated ammunition) and of theSecond Amendment to the Constitution.

Furthermore, the tenth precatory clausesupports a know-your-customer policy fordealers [in firearms]something whichwould rapidly lead to an abolition of firearmsin a country as large and transient as theUnited States.

Illicit manufacturing of firearms isdefined as assembly of firearms [or] ammu-

nition... without a license... Hence, reload-ing ammunitionor putting together a lawfulfirearm from a kitis clearly illicit manu-facturing. Modifying a firearm in any waywould surely be illicit manufacturing. And,while it would be a stretch, assembling afirearm after cleaning it could, in any plainreading of the words, come within the screwydefinition of illicit manufacturing.

Firearm has a similarly questionabledefinition. Borrowing from the open-endeddefinitions in [U.S.] federal law which havecontinued to vex us...any barreled weaponwhich... may be readily converted to expel abullet would be a firearm. Even worse, anyother weapon (a term which is not defined)is a firearm.

CIFTA also includes some unreason-ableand scaryrequirements, such as:

- Appropriate markings on firearms, aprecursor to micro-stamping of firearmsand/or ammunition.

- Confiscation and forfeiture of illicitfirearms.

- Increased government roles, in unfore-seen ways, in supervision, import, and exportof firearms and ammunition.

- Maintenance of any records for a rea-sonable time that the government deemsnecessary to trace firearms, a precursor to anational gun registry.

- The exchange of information withrespect to Federal Firearms License holders,presumably providing information on Amer-ican firearms dealers and purchasers to for-eign governments, including corrupt Mexi-can police that are the source of most illicitfirearms used in inter-cartel drug wars alongthe borders.

The basic premise here is that it is ourfault the drug cartels in Mexico are killingeach other with automatic weapons. This isthe lie that the entire effort to get the Senateto ratify CIFTA is built on. I have no ideawho first thought this up, but its just anoth-er effort at gun control in the U.S., disguisedas humanitarianism and international coop-eration.

Most unacceptable is the fact thatCIFTA would allow Americans to be extra-

dited to other countries to face trial ifaccused of accepting delivery of a gun thatmight have come into the country illegally, orsuspected of committing some other interna-tional firearms crime. No proof is actuallyrequiredyou would just have to beaccused.

If CIFTA is ratified and you unknowing-ly buy a stolen gun from someone, you couldend up in a Mexican prison, where the bigones eat the little ones, and there wont beanything anyone can do about it.

It is true that the drug dealers are whack-ing each other right, left, and center (but notwith firearms legally owned by Americans).This would be fine, as long as innocent peo-ple werent getting caught in the middle, butthey are. So, obviously, something has to bedone. And just as obviously, the Mexicangovernments efforts have been ineffective. IfMexican federale government troops couldsolve the problem, it would have gone awayby now.

None of Mexicos or any other countrysproblems are the fault of the U.S. or Amer-ican gun owners. If Mexico wants help withthe drug dealers, all they have to do is ask.Didnt anybody ever see Clear and PresentDanger? If Tom Clancy can figure out howto deal with the kingpins of the drug tradesouth of the border, surely our governmentcan, too.

This idea that the U.S. or its law-abidinggun owners are responsible for the firearms-related problems of other countries is ludi-crous. The number of illegal guns going fromhere to Mexico is a trickle being described asa flood. Even if it were a flood, it would beridiculous to punish law-abiding Americansfor something they have no part in, andcouldnt stop if they wanted to.

Americans, no matter their political affili-ations, need to send a message to their Sen-ators that CIFTA is a ticking bomb set toexplode on election day, and only the Senatehas the ability to disarm it.

E-mail Kendal Hemphill at [email protected]

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Commentator

Commentary

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Horned Toads& Dinosaurs

SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, I STOOD ON THE SAND ATSurfside Beach near Freeport andwatched as a flock of seabirdsworked an active school of fish in

green water several hundred yards off thebeach. I suspect the fish were Spanish mack-erelor maybe a mixed bag of mackerel,bluefish, and ladyfish.

The action was too far offshore to con-template a cast, so I reluctantly shifted fromaggressive plugger to passive observer. I waskind of, sort of, well, not really, but maybe, abird watcher.

In addition to the normal rabble of gullsand terns, I noted the dark, almost wickedimages of two large frigatebirds coasting withsickle wings and forked tails high above themelee. According to Smithsonian Birds ofNorth America, they would have been mag-nificent frigatebirds (as opposed to thegreat or lesser varieties).

The Gulf Coast is included in the fringerange of the big birds, and they are magnifi-cent; not to mention semi-lost. The Smith-sonian text was published in 2001, but I canassure relative newcomers to Texas thatfrigatebirds of any issue were not common(or even casual) sightings along our coast30 years ago.

During the 1970s, a frigate was some-thing you saw while trolling with the BibiFleet or the Star Fleet off Mazatlan, Mexi-co. It was a Pacific bird, or maybe aCaribbean bird. So, for that matter, was thebrown pelican. They did not exist on localwater (at least in meaningful numbers) backwhen we fished with fiberglass Fenwick rodsand Ambassadeur red reels. If memoryserves, the brown pelicans, like the frigates,began drifting north and east from Latin lat-itudes during the late 1980s and early 90s.

I believe the first reliable sightings ofbrown pelicans along the upper coast were atthe aptly named Pelican Island in Galveston

Bay. Now they are common along most ofthe coast.

These are two examples of the gradualand on-going shifts in wildlife populations. Ihave been an amateur student of nature formore than 50 years (a long time as I gazewith dismay into the nearest mirror, but amere blink as Earth turns) and have notedmany changes.

Look at the exploding and expandingwhite-winged dove population in Texas.When I joined the Houston Chronicle in thefall of 1972, the Valley Shoot for whitew-ings along the Rio Grande was a big deal.The chunky doves that flew in large flocksfrom roost to grain were native to Mexico,and the South Texas valley region represent-ed the far northern fringe of the nesting pop-ulation.

Now, whitewings are scattered across thestate and flourishing year-round in manyareas. The numbers around San Antonioand Uvalde are ridiculous, and you can havean easy limit shoot in a scouted field nearKaty or Sealy, a mere 30 minutes west ofHouston. West Galveston Island an hoursouth of Houston is swarming with whitew-ings and has been for 10 or 15 years.

Forty years ago, the odds of seeing awhite-winged dove along the upper Texascoast were about equal to tripping over adodo bird.

And what about the Eurasian collareddove? I think they fluttered over from SouthFlorida. They are a non-native species, butat the rate they are propagating in the brushacross Texas, that status might have to bereviewed in a few years.

When I was kid in Houston during thelate 50s, I caught two horned lizards(horned toads or horny toads) in fieldswithin the city limits. I suppose they wereTexas horned lizards; each sported a pair oflong horns on the back of the head, opposedto the stubby spikes of the short-horned andround-tailed varieties. Whatever they were, Ihave not seen one sinceanywhere.

On the subject of toads, the real ones, theswarthy amphibious hop toads, are woe-fully scarce in the Houston area compared tothe croaking jamborees following each warm-weather rain during my youth. They were in

great abundance, flattened routinely on thesteamy residential streets and rural roads atnight. Now you seldom see or hear one; atleast, I dont.

Some authorities blame pesticides, otherpoint to the ozone layer.

Not coincidentally, the chubby, stubbyeastern hognose snakes once so common invacant lots and along bayou banks have allbut disappeared among my haunts in south-east Texas. The non-venomous hognosesnake feeds almost exclusively on toadsaclassic example of how the disruption of onelink in the chain can adversely impact otherspecies.

I have seen exactly one hognose duringthe past 25 years, a really fine specimen on amild spring afternoon several years ago inMemorial Park on the west side of Houston.

In freshwater, exotic tilapia and whiteamur, or grass carp, swarm where 30 yearsago none existed. The former was intro-duced as a forage fish for largemouth bass(and a food fish for the commercial market),and the Asian carp was imported by fisheriesbiologists and lake managers for aquaticweed control (dont worry, they cant repro-duce). Both appear to be here to stay, espe-cially as the climate continues to warm.

In saltwater, several native species havedramatically expanded ranges during thepast two decades of mild winters. Notablesare snook and gray snapper; both now arefound in reliable numbers well up the coastduring the warm-water months. Again, 30or 40 years ago, the report of a snook any-where north of the Brownsville Ship Chan-nel would have been considered highly sus-pect, if not downright laughable.

These are a few examples of the on-goingshifts in wildlife populations. Some arecaused by Man, others are influenced bychanges in habitat or climate. But all, forbetter or worse, are part of the ever-changingoutdoors. Perhaps this explains why Ihavent seen a Tyrannosaurus rex recently.

E-mail Joe Doggett at [email protected]

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Doggett at Large

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AR GroupsEndangerAntelope

AS THE RESULT OF ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPSHumane Society of the U.S.(HSUS) and Friends of Animalsassault on a rule exempting captive

animals of three antelope species fromEndangered Species Act prohibitions,those three species are now in jeopardy.

While HSUS andFriends celebrate asuccess in court, theramifications of theirempty victory haveundermined conser-vation efforts for

these species in the United States.Although scimitar-horned oryx, dama

gazelle, and addax have either disappearedor all but disappeared in their home rangesin Northern Africa, captive herds of thespecies have been thriving on ranches herein the United States, in great part due to

by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor-at-Large

Ted NugentsTexasWild

Scimitar Horned Oryx

Addax

22 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e ABOVE ORYX PHOTO BY TYLER BRENOT UNDER WIKIMEDIA COMMONS LICENSE

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the ranchers ability to sell, trade, breed,and allow hunting of members of these cap-tive populations without ESA restrictions.The freedom to manage these animals hasencouraged private owners to raise largeherds, and these animals now number inthe thousands in the United States.

In 2005, the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS) listed the three speciesas endangered, and at the same timeadopted a rule that would exempt captivemembers of the three species in the UnitedStates from ordinary ESA restrictions.

HSUS and Friends of Animals filedsuit to challenge that rule. Their goal wasto prevent the hunting of individual ani-mals, regardless of the cost to the species asa whole. They did not succeed. The courtdid not find that hunting of these specieswas illegal and rejected HSUS andFriends assertions that hunting in theU.S. encouraged poaching or brought anyother harm to members of the species out-side of the U.S. The court also dismissed

the groups allegations that the hunting ofthe species in the United States in any wayharmed them.

The Court ruled in the two groupsfavor on only a single issue. The judgedecided that the ESA does not allow ablanket exemption to endangered speciesprohibitions and that those who wish tohunt or otherwise conduct activities thatamount to a taking of these three ante-lope species must apply for an individualEnhancement of Survival permit fromUSFWS. The judge ruled that becausethe permit applications must be publishedin the Federal Register, the notice of theapplication makes it possible for individu-als and groups to comment on the pro-posed activities.

The judges ruling forecasts the end tothe system that has allowed the threespecies to increase in the United States.The additional bureaucracy and delaysintroduced by the application and FederalRegister notice procedures will make it

more difficult and more expensive forranchers to raise these animals. More like-ly than not, ranchers with existing herdswill no longer wish to raise and breed theseanimals. Fewer and fewer ranchers willkeep their herds, and as a result the nextfew years will see a dramatic decline in thenumber of herds and ultimately the numberof animals in the U.S.

HSUS and Friends of Animals arebusy patting themselves on the back overtheir victory in the courts. Ironically,there is no victory for anyone. HSUS andFriends did not succeed in making huntingof scimitar-horned oryx, dama gazelle, andaddax illegal. They only succeeded in sab-otaging an amazing conservation effort forthese three species.

E-mail Ted Nugent at [email protected]

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24 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e PHOTOS BY GRADY ALLEN

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by Lou Marullo



arvesting awhitetail with abow is a chal-lenge, no mat-

ter how

youdo it. However,when you take the hunt to theground, the challenge increasessignificantly.

For hunters who feel uncomfortable hunt-ing from a small platform 20 feet in the air,or hunt in habitat with few big trees such asSouth and West Texas, ground blinds are theanswer.

Lightweight portable ground blinds haveadvantages and disadvantages. On the plusside, they help conceal hunter movement andare perfect for fidgety youngsters. Manynewer models sport a scent-absorbing interiorthat helps minimize human scent.

Although turkey seem to pay little atten-tion to these blinds, in my experience deer donotice and are very leery of this new couchthat has appeared in their living room. It istherefore necessary to introduce a groundblind the right way in deer habitat. It helps ifyou camouflage the blind with brush from theimmediate area.

I once was turkey hunting from a groundblind when I saw four deer come out of thewoodlot and immediately look at my setup.They were all well aware that this new bushwas not there yesterday, and stayed well outof bow range. I decided to try an experiment.I reached for my HS Strut diaphragm calland yelped softly. I was amazed that as soonas the deer heard the nearby turkey decoyyelp, they were convinced that everything wasall right and calmed right down. Eventually,two of them calmly fed just 10 yards away.

You often see turkey and deer together,and it might be that each takes security in theothers sensesa sort of symbiosis similar tothat of oxpecker birds and Cape buffalo andrhino in Africa. You often see on TV and inmagazines scenes of large African animalswith birds perched on their backs. These areoxpeckers that feed on ticks, specks of shedskin, and other detritus on the animalsbacks. The birds also provide an early warn-ing system for approaching danger, theirflushing away alerting the animal that some-thing is amiss.

Now, I understand that you are alreadyhauling enough into the deer woods whenyou hunt from a blind, but a few turkeydecoys might help make your setup more con-vincing to a whitetail. Adding the audiblereassurance of a few soft yelps, purrs, orclucks from a turkey call might be all it takesto convince a skittish buck that everything isas it should be.

Pay attention to the interior of the blind. Ifit is black, dress in black and leave your camohome. My long-time friend, executive editorChester Moore, is a big believer in this prac-tice; he calls it hunting ninja-style asdetailed in the March 2009 issue.

Being camouflaged doesnt necessarilymean wearing a camo pattern, he told me.If you are surrounded by black, then blackis the camo color you should use. I useMedalist tactical gear, which is not only blackbut scent free, so you get the best of bothworlds.

Many companies use a shoot-throughnetting over blind windows. I have never triedthis, but the manufacturers claim it does notaffect arrow flight. If you intend to use thisfeature, shoot one or two arrows through thenetting during practice; this will give you theconfidence you need when a big buck is justa few yards away.

Busted! Hunting deer at ground level is challenging,but the rewards are well worth it.

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Any time you choose to hunt at groundlevel, you must be constantly aware of thewind. The slightest breeze will carry scentand alert deer of your presence. After youhave determined the wind direction, yourambush spot should be around 20 yardsdownwind from your intended target. Mostshots will be 20 yards or closer, although alonger shot might be your only shot. Withthat in mind, clear an arrow path by snippingaway intervening brush and tall grasses.

When you clear brush for a clean shot,keep it to a minimum. It is not necessary togo in there with a chain saw and cut a path10 feet wide. Simply trim enough for anarrow to fly true; it should not be much.Remember that you are in the whitetailshome and any changes you make might giveyou away.

Bowhunters on a budget can also taketheir hunting to the ground by using naturalground cover. Well before the season opener,scout for good ground-level ambush location.I have used blowdowns and brush to helpconceal my location. Make sure the prevail-ing wind is coming from the right direction,and then proceed to build your home awayfrom home in the woods. My tangled web ofwood and brush has worked well many times.

Once, I took my sister out bowhunting.She had never taken a deer with her bow,and I was determined to get her a good shot.I placed her in a thick hedgerow where shewould be well hidden. I had previously cut apath from the edge of the hedgerow to herlocation, and then cleared shooting lanes onboth sides. I watched from a distance as threedeer worked toward my sister. One actuallywent into the hedge on the same path she hadwalked on an hour earlier. I waited for theshot to happen...and waited some more. Itnever happened.

Later that morning, my sister explainedthat the deer came directly toward her andshe was afraid to move. It stood 10 yardsfrom her, eating the very brush she was hid-ing in.

Remember, too, the option of taking themountain to Mohammed by stalking andstill-hunting. Wind awareness is even morecritical with these techniques, and stealth isthe lynchpin.

When stalking a deer you have spottedfrom a distance, use natural elements(clumps of brush or cactus, and topographi-

cal features) to cover your movements, andmove only when the deer has its head down.

When still-hunting, move very slowly, tak-ing only one or two steps at a time, then stopand slowly scan with your eyes and earsbefore moving again. Look for parts of a deer(the horizontal line of its back, the curve of aleg, the glint of a polished antler, or the twitchof an ear or tail) rather than the whole deer.Listen for the crunch of a leaf under a hoof,snorts, sneezes, and coughs. Contrary to

common perception, deer are not silent in thewoods, so pay attention to any sounds youhear.

Hunting whitetails at ground level willgive you a different perspective on huntingwith a bow. It will be a new experience thatyou will not soon forget. My sister and I stilllaugh about that unforgettable morning, andwill for years.


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T E X A S F i s h & G a m e / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 29PHOTO BY GRADY ALLEN


By the timethe actionslacked off ahalf-hour later,redfish flopped allover the deck andanglers squealedwith delight andlaughter at their goodfortune. In all, wecaught 52 redfish rang-ing from 26 to 34-inch-es. Eleven anglers had touse the then-new trophytag.

Those fish were mov-ing out to spawn, saidCaptain MikeHiggenbotham, skipper of theBay Princess back then. Wecaught them just right.

Passing AlongThe events of that magical

evening underscore how important openpasses from Texas bays into the Gulf ofMexico are to the redfish life cycle.According to the Texas Parks & WildlifeDepartment, redfish spend the first threeyears of their lives in the bays or surf zonesnear passes. As they reach maturity, redfishrely on those passes to move out into theGulf to live out the rest of their lives(although they do occasionally return to the

baysto scare forage

fish and anglers alike) andreproduce. During the fall, large adult red

drum move to the Gulf beaches, possibly forspawning.

Redfish thus use these passes as thor-oughfares between bays and the Gulf.Mature fish move out of bays through thesepasses and, perhaps more importantly, red-fish fry return to historical nurseries in thebays.

Major passes from south to north on thecoast include: Brazos Santiago (Lower

Laguna Madre),Mansfield (Lower and UpperLaguna Madre), PackeryChannel (Upper LagunaMadre and CorpusChristi/Nueces Bay), AransasPass (Corpus Christi/Nuecesand Aransas Bay),Matagorda Ship Channel(Matagorda Bay com-plex), Pass Caballo,Rollover, and San Luis

(Galveston Bay complex), andSabine Pass (Sabine Lake). Losing thesepasses would be a one-two punch preventingmature redfish from migrating out and frymigrating in.

More than FillerThe silting in of passes has been a major

issue in recent years. Until it was finallyopened in 2008, the slow but dramaticshoaling of Mansfield Pass was a hot buttonamong Lower Laguna Madre anglers.Recreational anglers, private business own-ers, and environmental groups united in a

Pass closures due to natural forces require

costly human intervention to correct.

Passes annually

yield fantastic

catches

during the spa

wn migration.

30 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e PHOTOS BY GRADY ALLEN


grassroots effort to squeeze money out of thefederal government to dredge the pass beforeit closed completely. In the interim, a sand-bar formed across 80 percent of the pass,leaving a narrow boat channel along thenorth jetties.

The effect of the narrowing of the passwas devastating to local businesses. Largeoffshore boats pulled up stakes and headsouth to Padre Island, or north to CorpusChristi and closer to passes that the boatscould run through. The local economy suf-fered as a result.

The pass was still open for fish, saidDr. Mark Fisher, TPWD science directorfor the Coastal Fisheries Division. Boattraffic was limited by the shoaling, but red-fish still migrated out to the Gulf of Mexicothrough the pass.

More recently, sportsmen along theUpper Texas Coast are up in arms over arecent proposal by Land CommissionerJerry Patterson to fill in legendary RolloverPass. Rollover is a popular fishing hotspotfor shore-bound anglers, and a vital source ofrevenue for the nearby community ofGilchrist through bait, tackle, food, and

lodging receipts. To lose the pass would be asubstantial recreational and financial loss.

Many anglers are also concerned aboutthe loss of a pass that allows redfish andother sport fish to migrate. Fisher said notfilling in Rollover is more beneficial thanharmful.

Water flow through Rollover Pass hascontributed to beach erosion since before thestorm surge that passed through duringHurricane Ike in 2008, he said. In thelong term, closing the pass is a betteroption.

Fisher said that the effect on redfishspawning migration would be negligible dueto the presence of larger San Luis Pass tothe southwest; redfish fry are capable ofmigrating a long way to nursery habitat.We found redfish larvae in Corpus ChristiBay, which is a long haul from the nearestinlet at Aransas Pass, he said.

An Even ExchangeAccording to Fisher, anglers can rest easy

about redfish migrating to and from theGulf: Everything is in balance on the Texas

Coast. Water exchange has remained con-stant.

Ironically, the opening of the MatagordaShip Channel, a hydrostatic monster withdepths reaching 90 feet, almost spelled thedoom of Pass Cavallo. Currents from theship channel undermined water flow throughCavallo, and it began to silt in. Water flowthrough the pass has since stabilized, andsilting has reduced.

Even as Pass Cavallo filled in, the shipchannel would have easily replaced it.

There will always be passes for fish tomigrate through, Fisher said. RolloverPass was opened in the 1950s to improvesalinity and water flow in East GalvestonBay.

Redfish were doing just fine before that.Redfish have needs, and Mother Nature,

with a little help from Mankind, will alwaysfind a way to accommodate them.



32 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e PHOTO BY CHESTER MOORE, JR.


T E X A S F i s h & G a m e / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 3 3T E X A S F i s h & G a m e / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 3 3



ow manyflounder haveyou lost at thelast second?As the netslid into thewater, the fishopened its

gaping, toothy mouth, and spit thehook right out, didnt it.

There is a cure for this prob-lemthe pool cue rig, a sure-fireflounder setup I developed in late1990s. I do 90 percent of myflounder fishing with lures and havefor many years, so this rig is not forthe typical live mud minnow floun-der setup. For lures, however, it isdeadly and will translate to farfewer flatfish escapees.

My early studies of flounderinvolved everything from keepingfish in a 400-gallon custom aquari-um that I still use, to throwing fillet-ed flounder remains onto ant bedsto debride the skeletons for laterexamination.

It did not take long to figure outthat flounder have very bony mouths. WhenI tried to manually jab a hook into a deadflounders jawbone, it was quite difficult. Irealized the reason it is difficult to set a hookinto a flounders bony mouth is wimpy fish-ing gear. A limber rod that could double asa buggy whip combined with light monofila-ment line with extreme stretching propertiesis simply no match for the flounders hard-core jawbones.

After consulting my good friend, notedflounder expert Capt. Skip James, I found a6-foot, 6-inch, medium-heavy spinning rodand chopped it down to 5 feet by removingthe tip. After affixing a new tip guide, whatremained was a stout rod with almost nogive. The next step was selecting the rightline. I have used many over the years, buthave found Berkley FireLine in smoke orcrystal is best for flounder. It has a smalldiameter to test ratio and absolutely nostretch.

For my first flounder book, FlounderFundamentals, I did an experiment compar-ing standard flounder gear to this setup andfound it increased the number of flounderboated by around 30 percent. Over theyears, I gained familiarity with the subtlenuances of a flounders strike and appliedthis knowledge to increase landing successby more than 50 percent and make my floun-

der trips productive even on slow days.I believe in this pool cue concept so

much that I got my dad, Chester Moore, Sr.,to build a spinning rod for me out of an actu-al pool cue. Sporting one of my old AbuGarcia spinning reels, rigged with eyes webought from Fishing Tackle Unlimited inHouston, and attached to an inexpensivepool cue I bought at the Wal-Mart down thestreet from my house, it is quite the mon-strosity. Dad is an extremely gifted personwith his hands and can make just about any-thing.

This bizarre rod casts surprisingly well,and I made it a point to catch flounder aswell as redfish and trout on it last fall. And,no, it is not going to be my standard rod, butused as a prop to illustrate that a rod withstiff backbone makes a huge difference inflounder fishing.

I use a couple of lure types with my stan-dard pool cue rigs. The first is my old stan-dard, a curl-tailed grub in Glow or char-treuse tipped with shrimp and fished on a1/4-ounce jighead. I have caught thousandsof flounder using this one and it is my main-stay to this day. Lately, I have been using theOld Bayside Speck Grub, which has a lot oftail action and is made of durable but lifelikeplastic.

Gulp! Shrimp can be a very effectiveflounder bait, particularly the 3-inch Glow

or Pearl colors, which are hard tofind but killer on flounder. I rig thiswith a jighead just as I would agrub; the only problem is keepingredfish away from it.

When using lures, it is not nec-essary to use the old 10-secondflounder bite rule (when a floun-der hits, wait 10 seconds and thenset the hook; some say 20 seconds).This is for live bait, not plastics.Flounder bite and hold onto artifi-cial baits differently. I usually waittwo seconds after a strike, but if it isa light bump or one of those hitsyou are not sure is actually a hit, Imight wait as long as 10. Two sec-onds is usually the rule, though,and I believe this does help withreducing deep hooking, which isimportant for releasing under-sizedfish.

Finally, the actual hookset isimportant. Going back to the bonymouths, it is important to ram thathook through bone, so do not beshy about sticking that sucker hard.

Just think bass fishing legend BillDance as he pulls back with gusto as part ofhis trademark, energetic on-camera personal-ity. Bill would make a killer flounder fisher-man.

If you would like to make your own poolcue rod, dont think you have to use an actu-al pool cue, although as I have proven it canwork. Go to your favorite retailer and findthe spinning rods with the stiffest backbones.It doesnt have to be weapons grade, butanything that is not going to double overunder the tug of a 3- to 4-pound fish will getthe job done.

A great rod on the low end of the pricescale is the Berkley Lighting Rod from theShock series. These rods are designed forfishing braid and other super lines, light-weight, and carry lots of sensitivity through-out. The 6-footer is actually a pretty goodflounder stick out of the box, but knock itdown to 5 and you have an awesome poolcue.

There are many good rods out there forthese applications, and you will know whenyou get the one that is just right. It will trans-late that beautiful thump into a flounder inyour net and a big smile on your face.

PHOTO COURTESY NOAA

Flounder have notoriously tough mouths, and it takes an even tougher rod toset the hook into one.

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andowners, biologists, researchvolunteers, and outfitters agreethat West Texas elk are sur-vivors. After that, the questionbecomes whether the animals

need management and intervention fromthe Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

The Trans-Pecos region, which receives10-12 inches annual rainfall, isnt the firstarea that comes to mind when discussingelk country. The last Merriams elk van-ished from the Southern GuadalupeMountains in the early 1900s. Then in1928, Judge J.C. Hunter released 44 headfrom South Dakota in a reintroductioneffort. In 1959, elk were listed as big gameanimals to be regulated by the state.TPWD and various landowners broughtin more elk through the 1980s.

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Today, there are herds in the DavisMountains, Glass Mountains, EagleMountains, Wylie Mountains, andGuadalupe Mountains. However, there islittle scientific data concerning habitat needsand movements, although there are observa-tions coming from landowners andresearchers. The landowners also have opin-ions about listing elk as Texas big game ani-mals.

The Mills Ranch is located north ofMarathon, Texas, and has been owned bythe same family since the 1920s. HomerMills declared that he has been watching elkfor more than 50 years.

In that many years, we killed five elk,said Mills. They summered in the highcountry near Iron Mountain Ranch. Theyliked the cool oak canyons. Then they camedown in the winter. It seems like the bulls

liked wintering with our saddle horses.But without Texas Parks and Wildlife

regulation, its an empty resource. Mostfolks take care of the elk, but the elk are onlyas safe as the weakest link of landowners.

Mills also said TPWD was not alwaysthought of as the landowners friend.

In the 1980s Parks and Wildlife had adirector that was going to reintroduce moreelk and force landowners to allow publicaccess. This upset a lot of people and wasviewed as a severe erosion of property rights.We sat down with the director and ham-mered out some terms similar to the antelopeprogram from years ago.

Parks and Wildlife had a plan to tradewild turkey for White Mountain NewMexico elk that had remnants of theMerriams bloodline, but the whole deal fellthrough and in 1997 elk were delisted as big

game animals. Some folks argue that sinceour strain of elk isnt indigenous to this area,it shouldnt be listed with TPWD. But, thatargument doesnt hold water because neitherare the antelope or desert bighorn sheep.One day, they were big game animals; thenext day, they were feral. Ive got bittersweetthoughts about the elk herd.

More recently, Robert Zock bought20,000 acres of the Mills Ranch, the FlyingZ Ranch. Zock then opened the ranch toresearch by Sul Ross State University, aidedby volunteer efforts and fundraising by theRocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Thestudy area falls in the Glass Mountains inBrewster and Pecos counties.

Dr. Louis Harveson is the director of theBorderlands Research Institute for NaturalResource Management. Through researchperformed by his students, knowledge is

Grad student Brendon Witt (with elk), and Dr. Pat ONealgather data from a sedated free-ranging bull elk on theFly Z Ranch in the Chihuahua Desert.



gained about the West Texas elk habitatneeds, migration, and landowner attitudes.The research should also help develop goodmanagement practices for individuallandowners.

In the initial study, 14 elk were capturedand fitted with radio collars. Location dataand elk movement was determined by radiotelemetry from fixed-wing aircraft. It deter-mined the average home range for a bull elkin the Glass Mountains is 62,284 acres,while the average home range of cows is25,388 acres. One bull made an inexplica-ble 200-mile circuit tour of West Texas.

West Texas elk are smaller animals, usu-ally weighing 25 percent less than theirRocky Mountains cousins. Herd populationestimates have ranged from 150 to 500 ani-mals. Drought and habitat availability couldaccount for the different group sizes. At thesame time, despite projected population dis-crepancies, studies indicate that the GlassMountain Range might be at carryingcapacity.

In the next study, students sent surveys to1743 landowners in Brewster, Culberson,Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio,

Reeves, and Terrell counties and received a55-percent response.

The indicated landowner property use asprimarily for livestock and hunting; 62 per-cent were concerned about elk damage tofences and feeders; 66 percent said theyliked elk; 70 percent said theyd like to haveelk on their property; 90 percent said theydo not hunt elk on their property; and 51percent said they would be interested in par-ticipating in a cooperative elk managementprogram.

The conclusion of the survey was thatWest Texas landowners had a positive out-look toward having elk on their property andworking together to manage the herds.

Animal health is another concern, andfell in the lap of the Texas Animal HealthCommission (TAHC) and the ChronicWasting Disease Task Force via the recentpassage of House Bill 3330. Gene Snelson,general counsel for TAHC said the CWDTask Force needed to make the distinctionbetween free-ranging elk and those behindfences. The trigger to warrant CWD testingis when elk are moved between properties.

Anytime we put an elk in a trailer for

release elsewhere, we want to know thatwere moving a healthy animal, saidSnelson.

While landowners suspect the on-againoff-again relationship between TPWD andWest Texas elk is political maneuvering,TPWD big game director Clayton Wolfstated the departments official current posi-tion: TPWD regulated elk until 1997when HB 1489 took them off the big gamelist. The departments official position is thatits up to the legislature. It would take moremanpower, surveys, and fiscal implications.There wouldnt be enough revenue from per-mits and licenses to offset the costs. Then,you know, some people want us to regulateand others want us to stay the hell out oftheir business.

There is not enough data to determinewhether Texas will again have a viable, hunt-able elk population, but if it occurs, odds areit will be through landowner and volunteerefforts.


U.S. HouseBoosts DuckStamps

WATERFOWL HABITAT CONSERVATIONis moving closer to keeping pacewith sky-rocke t ing

land values of the pastseveral years as theHouse NaturalResources Committeepassed the MigratoryBird Habitat Invest-ment and Enhance-ment Act

This is an impor-tant step for conserva-tion, said ScottSutherland, Directorof GovernmentalAffairs for DucksUnlimited. Thediminished buying power of the duck stampis hamstringing the efforts of millions of con-servationists that are investing in the pro-

gram to protect waterfowl habitat.Since being set at its current price of $15

in 1991, the purchasing power of the stamphas severely hampered the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service (USFWS) ability to pur-chase land with funds raised by stamp.

Under the new bill, the price of thestamp would be raised to $25 after July2010. More than 1.5 million people pur-chase duck stamps each year, and over 95percent of them are waterfowlers. Stampcollectors, as well as other bird and wildlifeenthusiasts also purchase the stamps, either

for their own collections or for the freeaccess to National Wildlife Refuges that thestamp allows. Staff Report TG

ScientistsMake LEDBulbs FromSalmon DNA

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUTresearchers have added fluores-cent dye to salmon DNA andspun the DNA strands into

nanofibers to create a brand new mate-rial that gives off a bright white light.An LED light is coated with the DNAnanofibers, and a salmon DNA lightbulb is born.

While other scientists have experi-mented with materials like silicananoparticles and block copolymers toalter the color of LED light, salmonDNA has proven the most effective.Tuning the light quality from cool whiteto warm white is just a matter of tweak-ing the ratio of dyes.

Salmon DNA bulbs could vastlyimprove LED brightness.

UC scientists do not know if salmonDNA LEDs will be cheaper or moreenergy-efficient than current LEDbulbs, which are more efficient thancompact fluorescent and incandescentbulbs. With high-end LED bulbs sell-ing for as much as $80, price will ulti-mately be the barrier that makes orbreaks the success of LEDs in the mar-ketplace. Staff Report TG


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Trout:Contaminatedor Not?

The Galveston Bay system consists ofGalveston, Trinity, West, and East Bays,covering a large amount of water and miles.Saltwater fishing guides, such as Capt. PaulMarcaccio, agree that the fish in upper Trin-ity and Galveston Bay proper are contami-nated. High levels of toxins have been veri-fied by testing, but how in the world can theword be put out that trout as far as Choco-late, West, and even East Bays are also con-taminated, especially since there has beenno testing. Warning signs of the contamina-tion of spotted seatrout and catfish are post-ed at popular boat launch sites.

Beginning in 1990, the Texas Depart-ment of State Health Services (DSHS)issued an advisory warning against the con-sumption of catfish and blue crab taken from

the Houston ship channel. In 2001, the1990 advisory was reevaluated, this timeextending the health advisory to upstream ofthe Lynchberg Ferry and all contiguouswaters, including the San Jacinto River tothe U.S. Highway 90 bridge.

In 2006 and 2007, additional studieswere conducted to look at other areas of thebay system. Offatts Bayou was the western

limit on West Bay and Hannahs Reef wasthe eastern limit on East Bay, leaving a lotof fish in these bays unchecked.

In 2008, the latest advisory was issuedwarning against consumption of more than8 ounces of speckled trout and catfish permonth for the entire bay system.

It is important to note that this action wastaken based on TPWD migration studies ofspeckled trout.

We provided the information toTDSHS that we have collected over theyears where we have tagged fish, releasedthem, and as recreational fishermen catchthem, they call us and give us the tag num-ber, said Lance Robinson, TPWDregional director of Coastal Fisheries inDickinson. This same information was pro-vided to Marcaccio.

We get information on the growth andhow these species of fish move around,Robinson said. Based on our tagging stud-ies in Galveston, we know that spottedseatrout do not generally move between

tection Agency (EPA) for averagehuman consumption, and 2/3 exceededthe safety level for fish-eating animals.

This study shows just how wide-spread mercury pollution has become inour air, watersheds, and many of ourfish in freshwater streams, said U.S.Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in astatement.

Mercury enters the environment pri-marily as fallout from industrial process-es, particularly coal-fired power plants.

USGS hydrologist Barbara Scud-


NEUROTOXIC MERCURY IS UBIQUITOUSIN ALL U.S. STREAMS, ACCORDING TO A

SEVEN-YEAR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY(USGS) STUDY RELEASED IN AUGUST.

Scientists detected mercury in all fish-es sampled from 291 freshwater streams.More than a quarter of those fish con-tained concentrations of mercury exceed-ing levels set by the Environmental Pro-

Mercury Concerns?Eat More Crappie


THE QUESTION REMAINS: ARE SPECKLED TROUTIN THE ENTIRE GALVESTON BAY SYSTEM CONTAMI-NATED WITH POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS(PCBS) AND DIOXINS?

PHOTO BY GRADY ALLEN


TBGARecognizesHunters, LandStewards

FIFTEEN HUNTERS AND LANDOWNERSwere honored on 27 June aspart of the Statewide Texas BigGame Awards (TBGA) ban-

quet, held in conjunction withWildLife 2009, Texas Wildlife Asso-ciation (TWA) 24th Annual Con-vention. The event recognized thecontributions that landowners andresponsible hunters make to managingand conserving wildlife and wildlifehabitat on Texas private lands.

These hunters and ranches arewell deserving of this honor. Allentries recognized at the 2008-2009Texas Big Game Awards were select-ed from over 1500 entries, and almost1000 scored entries were submitted,said TBGA Vice President of Hunt-ing Heritage David Brimager.Because of our 18-year partnershipwith TWA and the Texas Parks &Wildlife Department, the Texas BigGame Awards continues to be theleader in recognizing the importantrole ethical hunting and habitat man-agement play in the lives of our youngpeople.

Joseph Jones of Pattison andJoshua Cross of Alpine were also rec-ognized as the recipients of theCarters County TBGA CollegeScholarship. Jones and Cross eachreceived a $3000 college scholarshipfor the next school year.

Staff Report TG

That reef is not only very popular withfishermen, but is extremely important to theSabine ecosystem and its biodiversity, saidJerry Mambretti, Sabine Lake EcosystemLeader with the Texas Parks & WildlifeDepartment (TPWD).

Mambretti and fellow TPWD biologistTerry Stelly have documented the reef simportance as essential fish habitat (EFH)by pulling near-reef trawl samples and com-paring them with biotypes throughout thearea.

Trawls pulled near the reef caught morespecies of fish (41) and shrimp (6) thantrawls pulled in non-reef areas, with 29 vari-eties of fish and four shrimp species accord-ing to Mambretti.

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SABINE LAKES UNIQUE OYSTER REEF SYSTEM ISUNDER ATTACK. WITH NO RECORD OF COMMERCIALHARVEST OF ANY SABINE OYSTERS SINCE 1966, THESTATE OF LOUISIANA (CO-OWNS THE LAKE WITHTEXAS) IS LOOKING TO BEGIN MASS HARVEST FROMTHE LARGE, VIRGIN REEF ON THE SOUTH END.

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Additionally, near-reef trawls caughtmore total number of fishes (7234), shrimp(6843), squid (134), mollusk (98), andcrab (71) than non-reef trawls, which netted4696 fishes, 1196 shrimp, 11 squid, 45mollusk, and 22 crab.

These differences identify SabineLakes oyster reefs as a beneficial EFH,providing a distinct biotype that contributesecologically to this ecosystem, Mambrettisaid. In short, these reefs in their current,natural state are very unique and have farmore ecological value compared to theirpotential economic value.

Mambretti said this particular reef is theonly one on the Gulf Coast with no recordof harvest and could serve an important roleas a study area: You just dont get to findoyster reefs this size that are in a naturalstate. This is a great opportunity for the sci-entific community and also to protect animportant resource for the anglers that fishSabine Lake. Chester Moore TG

Sabines Unique OysterReef Under Attack



major bay systems. In other words, troutfrom Galveston Bay do not move back andforth between Galveston and MatagordaBay, Matagorda or San Antonio Bay, thosekinds of major systems. They will movearound throughout Galveston Bay andmove out into the surf and back, but youtypically dont see them moving from differ-ent major bay systems.

There was no actual testing of trout forPCBs or dioxins in East, West, and Choco-late Bays. The advisories were issued basedon the TPWD trout migration studies.

Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia haveconducted speckled trout migration studies,some more complex than others. Most stud-ies show trout average movement is within50 kilometers (about 31 miles).

The dogma of trout is that they arepretty localized, said Sarah Walters,

marine fishery biologist with the FloridaFish and Wildlife Research Institute.They can move 50-60 miles, but I dontknow how common that is.

TPWDs study is based on monitoringtrout movement the along the whole coast-line.

What we look at in our tagging studiesis that ours is based on tags in thousands offish coastwide. There were a bunch of tagsup on Trinity Bay, the old HLP coolingplant up there. The fish returned from thattagging effort were found throughout Galve-ston Bay and in the near-shore Gulf. We aretagging fish in every bay system. You canlook at every bay system on the coast andyou see the same pattern.

Marcaccios point is was that you cannotsay there are tainted trout as far away asChocolate, West, and East Bays when with-out actual testing for the toxins. That is a

long way for trout to travel, definitely morethan 31 miles.

Marcaccios concern is that the warningsigns are scaring anglers away from fishing.

Further testing of fish will be performedif funding becomes available.

For anglers concerned about contamina-tion in their catches, cooking and cleaningfish a certain way reduces dioxin and PCBlevels

The skin, dark (reddish-color) muscletissue, and fatty portions (belly fat, side fat,and fat along the top of the back) of the fishshould be removed before cooking. DSHSrecommends baking or broiling skinned,trimmed fish on a rack or grill to allow fat todrip away. If fish are fried, the frying oilshould not be reused. These cooking meth-ods will reduce exposure to many of themost common organic chemical contami-nants in fish. Tom Behrens TG

Continued from page 41

CONTAMINATED TROUT:


Texas Anglers Strike BackAt Invasive Aquatics

Working with Texas Parks & WildlifeDepartment (TPWD), volunteers from theAmerican Anglers Club from Temple andKilleen, the Grand Saline Bass Club, andthe Lindale Bass Club removed seven dumptruck loads of water hyacinth from LakeQuitman.

That same day, a number of interestedcitizens and members of the Beaumont BassClub, the Houston Bass Bandits, and theMagnolia-Tomball Bass Club scoured thearea around boat ramps on Sam RayburnReservoir looking for giant salvinia.

No giant salvinia was found, althoughsome volunteers did bring in commonsalvinia, said Howard Elder, aquatic vege-tation biologist for TPWD. Its possiblethe plant is there hiding under buttonbushand along the banks where bass boats could-nt get to it.

Members of local Boy Scout troopsjoined in the effort at Sam Rayburn, pass-ing out information and collecting litter fromaround the Jackson Hill Park Marina boatramp as part of a Keep Texas Beautiful pro-ject.

The fight against invasive aquatics likegiant salvinia is important to everyone, notjust boaters and anglers, said Terry Symp-son, who manages the Jackson Hill Parkand Marina on Sam Rayburn.

We had three goals going into the pro-ject, said Leslie McGaha, co-director for

conservation for the Southeast TexasB.A.S.S. Federation Nation and coordina-tor of the Sam Rayburn event. First was toremove any giant salvinia we found. Secondwas to increase public awareness, and thirdwas to map locations of any giant salviniafound. In an odd twist, we actually found nogiant salviniabut thats a good thing.

Sponsors of the Sam Rayburn Reservoirroundup included Jackson Hill Park andMarina, Sealy Outdoors, Pineywoods San-itation, Boatlanes, Texas Parks & WildlifeDepartment, Keep Texas Beautiful, BASSACT (BASS Angler Conservation Team)and Southeast Texas BASS FederationNation. Staff Report TG

TEXAS ANGLERS AND BOATERS GET IT: INVA-SIVE AQUATIC SPECIES ARE A REAL AND GROWINGTHREAT TO THEIR ABILITY TO DO WHAT THEYLOVE TO DO, BUT THEY DONT HAVE TO STAND BYAND WATCH IT HAPPENTHEY CAN FIGHT BACK,AND THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF TWO SEPARATEEVENTS ON JULY 18.

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DU PLATES BOOSTTX CONSERVATIONFUNDING

Ducks Unlimited recently launched a secondspecialty license plate that depicts a Blue Heronstanding in a wetland. The new approach isdesigned to reach out to a broader spectrum offolks interested in wetlands conservation in Texas.The original DU Classic plate, available since 2001,is still available. The conservation plates are anexcellent way for someone to show their support ofwetlands conservation and to directly contributeto wetland conservation efforts in Texas. The DUspecialty plate can be obtained on-line or viaapplication at your local county courthouse.

Funds from the proceeds of the specialty platesare used specifically for habitat conservation pro-jects in Texas. These license plate funds can beleveraged with federal and state grant funds toprovide increased funding for conservation efforts.The cost for the plate is only $30 (in addition toregular vehicle registration fees), with $22 fromeach plate earmarked specifically for Ducks Unlim-ited conservation efforts in Texas.

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The funding through the Coastal ImpactAssistance Program (CIAP) will plugabandoned wells in bays and offshore watersto eliminate potential pollution threats tonatural resources on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar

said, I welcome this opportunity to join inpartnership with the State of Texas to carryout this important conservation and coastalprotection project. The Department of theInterior is proud to assist Texas in restoringand protecting natural resources through theCoastal Impact Assistance Program.

CIAP was created by the Energy PolicyAct of 2005 to provide $250 million ingrants annually from 2007-2010 to six eli-gible Outer Continental Shelf oil and gasproducing statesTexas, Alabama, Alas-ka, California, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

The allotted

october 2009

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