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Fall outdoor opportunities abound

I was listening to an outdoor radio program recently and the host, while interviewing a well known TV show personality from out of state, made the statement that Texas has no real public hunting opportunities. I beg to differ. I’ve enjoyed some very good hunts of public lands right here in The Lone Star State. For the nominal annual fee of $48 for the Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit, Texans gain access to almost a million acres of public land to hunt, much of which offers some very good hunting for big game such as feral hogs and deer and small game and birds.

The APH permit is valid from date of purchase through August 31 of each year. The permit allows hunting, fishing, camping and other recreational activities during operating hours on sites such as State Parks, U.S. Forest Service lands and Wildlife Management Areas. The permit grants access to more than 200 different areas including approximately 140 special dove and small game hunting units, many of which are open year around to permit holders and youth under 17 years of age may hunt for free with a permit holder. Permit holders receive a booklet with maps, rules and regulations and dates for special hunts.

APH Permits are available at TPWD law enforcement offices and all license vendors or by calling 1-800-TX-LIC-4U. Permits are also available online. If the permit is purchased at a TPWD office, the Map Booklet is provided at time of purchase, otherwise publications will be mailed within 2 weeks of purchase.

Special permits for hunts on State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas are issued through drawings. Granted, there is a limit on the number of hunters participating in the draw hunts but odds of being drawn are pretty good. Through the years, I’ve been drawn for several hunts on WMA’s for deer and hogs and I thoroughly enjoyed the outings and the professional manner in which TPWD personnel organized and conducted the hunts.

Each adult applicant 17 years or older pays an application fee of $3 except for the Private Lands hunts and Guided Hunt Packages that have a $10 application fee. After being selected, applicants pay a permit fee. No application or permit fees charged for kids 8-16. On the youth only hunts, fees are waived for both the non hunting adult supervisor and youth hunter.

Regular permits are at times available for small game and waterfowl hunts. These permits are issued at a first come first served basis at the WMA providing the hunt.

For up-to-date information on changes to the public hunt schedule or access and availability of public lands, go online to www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TPWD hunt. Or call 800-792-1112 menu 5.

It today’s challenging economic times, I know several lifelong hunters that simply cannot afford the price of a hunting lease on private land. Many of these folks are taking advantage of these public hunting opportunities and are thoroughly enjoying having the opportunity of exploring and hunting new areas.

FALL FISHING HOTSPOTS - The cooler weather has definitely kicked fishing in high gear! Lake Tawakoni guides Michael and Terri Littlejohn have been enjoying a big blue catfish bite that usually occurs later in the fall, around mid October.

“We’re using cut bait under floaters in water 4-6 feet deep around shorelines exposed to the wind. In the last 3 days, our clients boated 623 catfish. The average size was 3 pounds with a few trophy blue cat fish up to 43 pounds,” says Littlejohn.

Lake Fork guide Seth Vanover says after a brief slump in crappie fishing for a couple weeks, fishing is again back to normal.

“We’re fishing around fish attractors that I set back in the summer, dropping live minnows down around the cover," tips Vanover. "Most fish are coming from depths of 12-22 feet. Crappie fishing has also been very good around the bridges on the lake, especially around the horizontal supports that connect the bridge columns."

The Markums at Crockett Resort on Houston County Lake, near Crockett, Texas report bass fishing has been very good with fish up to just over 10 pounds landed on Texas rigged worms around submerged vegetation and brush in water 6-12 foot deep. Blue and channel catfish are also biting well on trot lines baited with live perch in water 12-15 feet deep in areas with heavy timber.

ARCHERY DEER SEASON AT HAND - Archery season for whitetail deer begin the 29th of this month. If your goal is to arrow a heavy antlered buck or fat doe for the freezer, there’s still a little time to fine tune your equipment and… your shooting! If you’re like most Texas bow hunters, you will keep your shots within 30 yards. With today’s fast bows, many of us have switched to using one sight pin. When the time to release the arrow is at hand, it’s much easier to have only one pin to concentrate on. I use a green pin, it’s the most visible in low light conditions, and sight my bow in 2.5 inches high at 20 yards. At 25 yards, the arrow drops only about an inch and at 30 yards, it’s right on.

It’s also a good bet to do some shooting from elevated positions, if you do your hunting from a tree stand. Throughout my bow hunting career, I’m had a tendency to shoot a little high when in an elevated stand. There is no confidence builder like knowing you can put you arrow where it belongs and the only way to achieve this level of competence it through practice.

Remember not to rush the shot when game gets within shooting range. I like to keep my bow upright in a vertical position so that all I have to do is draw when the time is right. Learn to watch the deer’s body language and move only when game is looking away or it’s head is hidden from view behind brush. There are easier things to accomplish in the outdoors than arrowing a mature whitetail buck, but with patience and practice, it can be done.

A look at the Pope and Young record book shows more and more mature bucks scoring over 125 PY have been taken during the past few years than ever before. I’m positive that the ease of learning to accurately shoot modern compound bows is the primary reason for archer’s success.

Listen to Outdoors with Luke Clayton and Campfire talk with Larry Weishuhn at www.catfishradio.com. Email Luke via the web site with outdoor news from your area.