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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Friday, July 31, 2020:
Crabbing along Texas coast geared toward simplicity, fun, food
Red snapper season in federal waters off Texas coast to close August 3
The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3. Anglers may continue to harvest up to four red snapper per day with a 15-inch minimum length limit from Texas state waters.
Under an agreement between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the National Marine Fisheries Service, TPWD can establish the opening and closing of the red snapper fishery in federal waters off the Texas coast for private recreational anglers fishing from their own vessels.
As part of this agreement, Texas must close the fishery when the state’s allotted poundage is reached. If the allotted poundage is exceeded, Texas must lower the next year’s quota to make up for the overage. The Aug. 3 closing date coincides with predictions by TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division of a 63-day season in federal waters with state waters open year-round. TPWD has been closely monitoring the red snapper fishery harvest during the season through its creel survey program and iSnapper landings data submitted by anglers.
“Texas anglers were able to have a 63-day season in federal waters as predicted” said TPWD Coastal Fisheries Division Director Robin Riechers. “First and foremost, TPWD seeks to achieve a sustainable level of catch of red snapper based on sound science. But we are also excited to have offered a longer fishing season for the 3rd year in a row. Our local communities benefit greatly through sales of gas, tackle, and other fishing expenditures when opportunities like this exist along the Texas coast.”
Choteau man seriously injured in grizzly bear attack: ‘It was throwing him like a rag doll’
The attack was sudden, unexpected and violent. On Monday, Shannun Rammel, a 50-year-old Choteau area resident and father to nine children suffered serious injuries to his hand, back and arm after he unwittingly surprised a grizzly bear that was inside a barn in the middle of farm country.
According to his wife, Jammie Rammel, her husband’s injuries are not life threatening, but the family has been left shaken by the attack, which occurred about a mile and a half from their home.
“As fast as that bear came out and got my husband, he couldn’t have gotten to a gun even if he’d had one,” Jammie Rammell said while waiting in Great Falls for her husband to go into surgery. “My kids were home last night and I told them to turn on the flood lights, let the dogs out. I want you guys close to the house.”
Their encounter with the grizzly began with a warning from a neighbor. The Rammel’s were driving home from Great Falls when they got a call from the farmer down the road saying he’d spotted bear tracks near the pond that lies between their two houses.
“Earlier he was getting water out of the pond, and he had walked around and found the bear’s tracks,” Jammie Rammel said. “We’ve had grizzly bears up there before and we talk back and forth. If he sees a bear he’ll call me. He knows we have nine kids. We’ve got dogs, pigs, chickens and goats. It’s good that your neighbors can be aware and do that for you.”
South Africa rhino poaching plunges during pandemic
South Africa said the number of rhinos killed by poachers fell by 53% in the first half of the year as the coronavirus outbreak limited the movement of people.
In the six months to the end of June, 166 of the animals were poached, the environment department said in a statement on Friday. Stronger measures also had an effect, it said.
“With the Covid-19-associated countrywide law-enforcement measures to restrict movement, the decline in rhino poaching compared with the same period last year is striking,” Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said in the statement. “In the Kruger National Park during April, no rhinos were killed in the Intensive Protection Zone for the first time in 10 years.”
South Africa is home to about 20,000 white rhinos and accounts for more the 90% of the world population of the species. Demand for the animals’ horns in East Asia, where they are believe to cure cancer and boost virility, has led to a sharp increase in poaching over the last decade.
Experienced captains share lessons of hurricane preparedness and survival
By far the most powerful storms on Earth, hurricanes expend so much energy that they can be measured in terms of atomic explosions. According to hurricane expert Dr. Kerry Emanual of MIT, Irma, the Category 5 hurricane that leveled the Caribbean and parts of South Florida and the Florida Keys in 2017, generated the equivalent energy of seven atomic explosions (420 trillion joules) every minute. Before tapering off, the storm unleashed twice the energy of all the bombs dropped during WWII. And then there was Hurrican Dorian, a disaster of monumental proportions, with 200 miles-per-hour sustained winds, leaving a trail of unprecedented destruction in its wake.
Although storms like Irma and Dorian proved to be unusually powerful, many experts believe that these mega-hurricanes will become more common in the future if global temperatures continue to rise.
Heat and water vapor fuel hurricanes, so, unfortunately, these storms frequent the same latitudes as billfish, especially during the summer months. This connection means that both marlin fishing and hurricane dodging go hand-in-hand throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
The relationship is so strong that insurance companies place certain restrictions on where and when you can visit certain latitudes without having a hurricane plan and/or paying and additional fee. Most insurance companies use “The Box” as the demarcation lines of the hurricane zone. For insurance purposes, the box uses the following coordinates: North of 12 degrees 40 minutes North, West of 55 degrees West, South of 35 degrees North, and West of 110 degrees West.
This “box” stretches from the middle of Texas to Bermuda at the top, and from south of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to just offshore and a bit south of Acapulco, Mexico in the Pacific on the bottom. Hurricane season runs from the end of June through November, which is the perfect time to hunt blue marlin in the Carolinas, Bahamas, the Gulf Coast, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and all the other Caribbean hot spots. Cost for additional hurricane coverage can be a bit on the expensive side, sometimes as much as an additional 15 percent, but it’s a lot less than the cost of replacing a boat.
While insurance might protect your investment from a hurricane in the worst-case scenario, it takes a knowledgeable, experienced captain to keep your vessel out of harm’s way in the first place. If you can’t get out of the way, a professional captain is the best way to ensure the great care needed to protect the boat and limit the damage if a fast-moving storm makes getting out the way far too dangerous. The following captains either recently went through a hurricane or have ridden them out in the past…you’d be wise to follow their advice.
How to debone a venison hindquarter
The hindquarters, or hams, contain many of the choicest cuts of meat on a deer, so you want to process it with as much care and attention to detail as possible to get the most out of it. In the rear quarter you’ll find the sirloins and rounds, both of which are great for cooking whole or slicing into steaks.
Deboning these back legs is relatively simple and only requires a few well-placed cuts. Watch this video first to see how to remove the hindquarter from the deer’s body. Once you have it off, lay the ham on a table with the inside and ball joint (where the femur connects to the hip) facing upward.
You’ll see a thin strip of meat running straight from the ball joint to the knee. Lightly cut the fascia holding it to the larger muscles on either side, pull it free, and add it to your grind or stew meat pile. That will expose a seam that runs right down to the femur. You can feel the bone through the meat with your fingers to place your cut, then slice gently downward until you hit the femur. Be careful not to cut against bone and dull your knife.
From here, you’re trying to free the bone from the muscles while leaving the muscles as intact as possible. You can accomplish this by pushing the meat apart to show the bone, then making long, shallow cuts along the length of the femur, tracing its outline.
Other Stuff That Might Tickle Your Fancy
Not your typical “10 tactics for deer” article. My teammate Kip Adams shares thoughts on a variety of ways to enjoy better hunting and also give back to deer conservation. Refill your coffee and read. ☕️ 🦌 https://t.co/fxniT7GbSz
— Lindsay Thomas Jr. (@LindsayThomasJr) July 31, 2020
Have you seen the living legend, the Jefferson Barracks Cemetery buck! Shared by Tony McElroy #IAMSPORTSMAN #deer #whitetails #buck #bigbuck #deerseason pic.twitter.com/LIn7XQItct
— Sportsman Channel (@SPORTSMANchnl) July 30, 2020
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