Episode 766: Bird Dogs, Quail Conservation and Lightning Strikes Twice for One Angler

What this episode covers

Park Cities and Quail Coalition Executive Director and lifelong quail hunter Jay Stine makes his return to the studio this week. We talk English Pointers, Cocker Spaniels and the allure of upland hunting with small bore shotguns before diving into the latest on the quail conservation and research front. While the boom or bust nature of our beloved bobwhite is well documented, is there more to declining populations than meets the eye? Funding conservation/research is why Quail Coalition exists and over the past decade or so, they’ve invested quite a bit of financial support into studying and coming up with a plan to help quail overcome nasty eye worm parasites (pictured below). For a species that is essentially the lowest on the totem pole, it only makes sense that a vision impairing parasite would have a negative impact on quail populations. Through a concerted effort, there is a medicated feed available that helps prevent eyeworms in wild quail populations. We discuss where to find it and how to administer the feed. Unfortunately, the eyeworm issue has become a somewhat political topic and one that frankly, shouldn’t be. Jay also gives us his favorite quail recipe and some exciting news on Quail Coalition’s expansion outside of Texas. Next, we shift gears and talk big bass with angler Ross Gomez. A passionate crappie fisherman, Ross hooked something giant while fishing Lake Alan Henry in February of 2023. His 4 lb test held up and he reeled in a giant 13.22 lb sharelunker that Texas Parks & Wildlife would ultimately take to the Freshwater Fisheries Center to spawn before releasing her back into the lake later that spring. Fast forward to nearly two years to the day and Ross was once again crappie fishing the same exact spot on Lake Alan Henry when he had something giant swallow his bait. After a pretty decent fight, Ross landed his second Texas Parks and Wildlife Sharelunker. The 14.78 lb largemouth looked similar to this 2023 catch, but there was no way it could be the same exact fish…was there? Again, Texas Parks and Wildlife collected the fish to have her spawn at their Freshwater Fisheries Center and there they conducted a quick DNA scan that confirmed it was indeed the exact same bass Ross had caught (almost 2 years to the day) in 2023. Ross now holds the unique distinction of not only being one of very few anglers to have entered two different catches into the Sharelunker Program, but he is the only angler to enter the same fish on two separate occasions. If you love a good fishing story, then this one is for you.