SPECIAL SECTION – BEST OF THE TEXAS OUTDOORS – January/February 2022

“As they say, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.”

THAT QUOTE FROM Mark Twain could not be more fitting as we enter 2022. At the time of this writing lockdowns are occurring globally. Things aren’t exactly the same as in 2020 when all of this began, but it sure is beginning to rhyme.

Confusion, Chaos, Fear—Sound familiar?

All are certainly part of what’s happening around the world at this moment as year three of the pandemic-era begins. So, instead of focusing on the negative, we’re doing what we do best and that is focusing on the great outdoors.

Texas has an incredible amount to offer whether you started hunting or fishing when the pandemic began or have been at it for years.

Here are our picks for the top outdoors challenges in Texas that best reflect the wide diversity of opportunities the state has to offer. This does not include any migratory birds ( be the subject of a feature of their own down the line, but it does include one avian species:

Hog Hunting: Deer season is winding down, but we have hog hunting opportunities aplenty, virtually everywhere from the eastern Trans-Pecos to the Louisiana line.

The Texas hog population has exploded and expanded geographically over the last decade. Today, hunters are taking some absolutely huge hogs.

Super-sized porkers are found—not in some remote forest—but in huntable areas near suburbia. Communities around the state are reporting huge hogs ravaging their neighborhoods.

Setting up a stand next to a bus stop isn’t going to fly from a legal standpoint. However, you’ll find plenty of places where hunting IS legal on the outer edges of town.

These are great places to bag big boars that are trading between places such as cattle pastures and little league parks.

 

 

Mega-Bass: The bass action on lakes like O.H. Ivie and Sam Rayburn have been tremendous over the last couple of years.

Texans (and many visitors) are catching genuine mega-bass and there’s no reason to think that trend will slow any time soon. With droughts having ended in several parts of the state, lakes are getting the “new lake effect” which occurs when vegetation that has grown during drought conditions is covered by water.

It provides new habitat and gets the bass stirred up.

Lake Fork, Toledo Bend, Lake Austin, Lake Nacogdoches, Bob Sandlin, Tawakoni are among many great places to hang the bass of a lifetime.

Tarpon: Last year was an incredible year for tarpon fishing on the Texas Coast. These mysterious sportfish tend to move into our waters in mid-summer and hang around until the first cold fronts strike in October.

South Padre Island, Port Mansfield and “Tarpon Alley” off of Galveston are top places to score on the silver king. But there are also good opportunities at Port O’Connor and Port Aransas and occasional schools showing up between High Island and Sabine Pass.

Nothing fights quite like a tarpon and catching one of these special fish is extra special when it’s done in Texas waters.

Guadalupe Bass: On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is the Guadalupe bass. Native only to a handful of river drainages in Central Texas, these small bass are feisty and fun to catch.

Everyone has caught a largemouth, but how many of you have caught a Guadalupe bass?

These fish prefer streams with lots of current and will fight like a largemouth twice their size. They’re super fun on fly gear and a test for ultralight tackle. Add one to your list of Texas catches and you will not be disappointed.

Free-ranging Aoudad: This one is either free or pricey. Let us explain. Many hunters in Central and West Texas have free-ranging aoudads on their deer lease. Killing one there is a free bonus.

Booking an outfitter in the Trans-Pecos to hunt aoudad can be a little expensive compared to the rest of our list. However, it’s the closest thing most hunters will ever get to hunting desert bighorn sheep—and it’s only a tenth of the price.

Aoudads are African animals with an attitude. They might be the smartest free-ranging animal in North America, but even when populations are dense, they are hard to hunt.

Even if you book a high-fenced hunt, expect a great challenge. Aoudads are notorious for being difficult to find, even in breeding pastures where the only cover is tall grass and a few cedars.

Turkeys: Texas has more turkeys than any other state.

The bulk of these are Rio Grandes, which inhabit the western two-thirds of the state. However, a growing Eastern turkey population can be found in the Pineywoods. Also a small, remote number of Merriam’s turkeys exist in the Trans-Pecos.

If hunters want to take the “Grand Slam” of turkeys (the Rio Grande, Merriam’s, Eastern and Osceola) then Texas is a great place to start. Outfitters offer plenty of Rio hunting options, and diehard, serious turkey hunters can slug it out on public land in the Pineywoods to try for an Eastern.

Redfish: We would have mentioned speckled trout here, but the freeze of 2021 caused some major die-offs. Fisheries are limited for trout in many areas, but redfish remain in good shape at virtually every location on the coast.

Whether you want to sight cast for tailing reds in the marsh, seek out seagrass-loving schools, or battle bull reds in the nearshore Gulf, Texas has it all.

Whitetailed deer: What list of Texas best would be complete without whitetailed deer? Texas, after all, has the largest deer population. Last year it reached more than five million, the highest it has been in many years.

One of the coolest things about Texas is that it has numerous subspecies of whitetails. The Texas whitetail dominates most of the state from north Texas to the Mexico line and most in-between.

The Kansas whitetail dips down into the Panhandle. This big-bodied deer tends to run quite a bit larger on the hoof than the others.

The Avery Island whitetail is the resident of the extreme southeastern corner of the state extending into Louisiana. Body sizes tend to run a little smaller, and the racks are very basket-like.

Finally, the Carmen Mountain whitetail lives in a few ranges in the Trans Pecos. It’s a small deer, slightly larger, but comparable to the Key deer of Florida.

The fact is, if you want biodiversity, Texas has you covered. If you want ample outdoor opportunities, Texas has plenty to keep you focused on positive things, even during confusing times.

 

 

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