11/07/2009

The next-best thing
The dogs were locked on point about 20 yards away, their intensity leaving little doubt that birds were under their noses. Matt Brown's brace of dogs was extraordinary.

North Texas Outdoor Expo
Event organizers are expecting as many as 10,000 kids at the first North Texas Outdoor Expo. Youngsters will have a chance to sample everything from mountain biking and kayaking to breaking clay targets with a shotgun.

Deer hunters: You've been warned
Deer hunters should beware of three common citations issued by game wardens. These violations are sometimes caused by laziness or ignorance of the law.

Outdoors calendar

11/05/2009

Chat replay: Ray Sasser on hunting, fishing and the start of deer season

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Ray Sasser, outdoors columnist for The Dallas Morning News, chatted about hunting, fishing and the start of deer season.

Preview: Deer season

More: Outdoors

Q&A: Deer expert

Experts urge caution amid bear influx in East Texas
Mike Ford won't forget the first black bear he saw near his home in Red River County, about 120 miles northeast of Dallas.

11/04/2009

Outdoors notebook
The Texas Conservation Alliance is hosting a public gathering 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity River Audubon Center, 6500 South Loop 12, Dallas. The event is open to the public.

Outdoors calendar
Events through Feb. 11

10/31/2009

Essential aims
Opening day is Nov. 7 for most of this state's 550,000 or so white-tailed deer hunters. By Friday, highways leading out of Dallas will be choked with pickup trucks and SUVs, all loaded with groceries, guns and camouflage clothing, headed north, south, east and west to hunting leases that range in size from 100 acres to 100,000 acres.

Deer expert has hunting down to a science
Dr. James Kroll is director of the Institute for White-tailed Deer Management and Research at Stephen F. Austin State. The man known as Dr. Deer has published more than 200 scientific and popular articles and numerous books based on years of telemetry-tracking whitetails.

Game warden proves to be a good shot
Kaufman County game warden Eric Minter is accustomed to checking some pretty good whitetail bucks taken by other hunters, but Oct. 19 was Minter's turn to be the lucky hunter.

Outdoors calendar
Events through Nov. 14

10/28/2009

Art of fly fishing will be on display in film tour coming Nov. 11 to Dallas theater
The fly fishing equivalent of the Cannes Film Festival comes to Dallas on Nov. 11.

Outdoors notebook

Weekend tip

Outdoors calendar
Third Annual Texins Archery Club Halloween Spooky Shoot, 6 p.m. at club range, 8880 Restland Road, Dallas. $5 per shooter. Youths shoot pumpkins and ghost targets to win candy. Details at www.dallasarchery.com.

10/25/2009

First-class fliers: Favorite duck species
Outdoors columnist Ray Sasser gives a rundown of his favorite duck species.

Outdoors notebook

Outdoors calendar

10/21/2009

It's time to make accuracy your aim with a trip to the range
It's a little more than two weeks until the beginning of deer season for most Texas hunters. Just enough time to grab your favorite rifle and head for the shooting range.

Fishing buddies take top honors at Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship
Veterans Judy Wong and Pam Martin-Wells shared a fishing spot for three days at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship. When the tournament was over, the two women shared accolades.

Weekend tip

Outdoors calendar
Events through Dec. 20

10/17/2009

Catch-and-release records announced
A 27 1/4-inch largemouth bass caught and released from Choke Canyon Reservoir on Aug. 29 has been certified as a state catch-and-release record, beating the existing mark of 27 inches.

Frigid day is nice enough for dogs and hearty hunters
The north wind drove an icy mist, locking southwest Kansas in a wintry wonderland. It's the kind of weather you'd expect in these parts from December through February, but the early-season chill set record lows for Oct. 10.

Outdoors calendar
Events through Nov. 7

10/14/2009

Drawing a bead on the perfect deer rifle
After 36 seasons in the white-tailed deer woods, I've changed my ideas about the perfect deer rifle – at least the perfect deer rifle for me.

Seven Texas women set to cast for cash
Seven Texas women will cast for cash at the 2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship tournament, which runs Friday through Sunday on Cypress Black Bayou Lake in Benton, La, near Shreveport-Bossier City.

Outdoors calendar
Events through Dec. 20

10/10/2009

Q&A with Chad Ferguson: One man's blue heaven
On Sept. 1, Texas Parks and Wildlife imposed an experimental limit on blue catfish at Lake Lewisville, Richland Chambers Lake and Waco Lake. Blue cats are the biggest common freshwater game fish species available to Texas anglers. Three 100-pound fish have been caught in Texas by rod-and-reel fishermen.

Staggered youth hunting seasons create more opportunities
After years of scheduling youth deer season on the same weekend as youth duck season, Texas Parks and Wildlife finally got it right in 2009. The early youth hunting seasons occur on different weekends this fall, meaning kids will have a chance to do more of the early-season hunting.

Outdoors notebook
Texas Parks and Wildlife's Toyota ShareLunker program has been immensely popular with Texas fishermen since it began as Lone Star Lunkers in November 1986. Now Texas big bass have a chance to go viral.

Outdoors calendar
Outdoors events scheduled through Oct. 31.