The Daily Texas Outdoor Digest is sent to your inbox to keep you up to date about hunting, fishing, conservation and outdoors pursuits making headlines and going viral in the Lone Star State and beyond. It’s free, so subscribe today!
Here’s what’s worth reading today, Wednesday, July 31, 2019:
Fishing guides called ‘heroes’ after coming to the rescue of injured fisherman: A North Carolina woman is calling a pair of local fishing guides “heroes” — coming to the rescue of her dad and his fishing partner, who were seriously injured in a boating accident. It happened Monday below Ft. Loudoun Dam. James Rich and Ronald Greene’s boat capsized, thought to have overturned because of falling water from a spill gate. Rich was treated and released from the hospital. Greene is still at UT Medical Center.
Mako shark goes ballistic behind fishing boat: Anglers aboard a San Diego-based fishing boat were treated to a spectacular aerial display involving a 400-pound mako shark that was attempting to shake the hook. The accompanying footage, captured from aboard the Sea Watch out of Seaforth Sportfishing, shows the apex predator performing a series of backflips high above the surface as 19 anglers and three crewmen watched in awe.
Consider sporting clays to get you ready for the hunting season: Dove, teal and Canada goose season is just around the corner and it is time to start thinking about hunting, even though the temperatures continue to remind us it is still summer. For a lot of hunters, the number of shells discharged at birds during these seasons is less than impressive, also making them some fairly expensive birds when harvested. Sporting clays is a great way to spend some time shooting all the while honing your skills for the fall.
National report says future of fishing looks bright: Fishing participation in the United States isn’t keeping up with population growth, but a recent national survey is showing positive trends for the 11th year in a row. A report released this week said that nearly 50 million Americans went fishing last year, 300,000 more than in the previous year. That’s 16.4% of citizens over age 6. The gain in raw numbers provided for the highest number of participants since 2007, with positive growth in the numbers of women, youths and adolescents.
The future of public land access and recruiting new hunters and anglers: By now, most hunters and fishermen have heard the news about the proposal to open more of our federal wildlife refuges to more hunting and fishing opportunities. The proposal, launched in June, will increase access for hunters and fishermen to more than 1.4 million acres of federally managed public land on 74 different wildlife refuges and 15 federal fish hatcheries. The document is big — opening new places to hunt whitetails and hogs on St. Marks Wildlife Refuge in north Florida to upland and waterfowl hunting on the Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge along the Solomon River in north-central Kansas, and everything beyond and between.
Canadians sentenced for hunting license fraud: A father and son from Canada were sentenced on April 10 in Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena following a lengthy Montana license fraud investigation. As part of the case, 50 big game animals were seized on a search warrant executed in Custer County. They included 15 elk, 22 mule deer, 11 antelope, one bighorn sheep, and one mountain goat. Some were classified as trophy animals. Larry and Shane Adams lived in Emo, Ontario, and operated a fly-in fishing business there. They also owned a home west of Miles City, using that address to purchase resident Montana hunting licenses for several years. A Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks investigation determined that they were living in Canada and did not meet Montana residency requirements.
Tips for capturing that great fish photo: Nearly 30 years as an outdoor writer has given me some experience as a photographer as well. Most of my fishing stories are usually submitted for publication accompanied by a “fish” photo. While I am certainly far from an expert, I have learned some things about taking outdoor photos, mostly through trial and error! Here are some things I have learned that can serve as basics to others who want to get started capturing photos of their catches.
Saltwater fishing limits change Aug. 1; new fee in 2020: Alabama conservation officials want to remind anglers of some impending rule changes, as well as an extension of the red snapper season. The Alabama Marine Resources Division has issued a reminder that the multiple regulation changes go into effect Aug. 1.
Stay in the Know With The Daily Texas Outdoor Digest
If you haven’t subscribed yet, there’s no better time than right now (We hate spam and we won’t share your information with anyone. That’s just not cool):
