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Who doesn’t want more public hunting or fishing opportunity? This week we are joined by National Wild Turkey Federation Private Lands Leasing Biologist David Carter. The NWTF has partnered with Texas Parks and Wildlife to lease additional private lands for the purpose of public hunting. David acts as the liaison between private landowners and TPWD. We discuss Type 2 (Annual Public Land Permit) hunting opportunity in Texas and how David works to enroll more lands into the program. Who funds this project? How can landowners lease their lands to TPWD? David breaks it all down for us.

 

Next up, our old friend and two time Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year Aaron Martens stops by. Aaron took home first place and a $100,000 paycheck at last weekend’s Elite Series event on Lake Havasu, Arizona. But it was the pattern he used to win that was pretty amazing. Always thinking outside the box, Aaron noticed all the blackbird nests lining the reeds of Havasu.

After finding a bunch of black feathers in his livewell, he realized the pattern that would win the tournament. When baby birds fall out of their nest, big predatory bass were usually there to scoop them up! We discuss the bird pattern as well as Aaron’s fitness routine and we get his thoughts on keeping and eating bass. Be sure to catch Aaron fishing the championship round of the Shell Rotella Challenge Cup this on Major League Fishing this weekend! Saturday, 1 PM CST on Outdoor Channel!

 

Then, Chris McKinnon of McKinnon Outfitters joins from Alberta, Canada! We get into all things spring black bear hunting as we are gearing up for our first ever black bear hunt next week. Chris tells us what to expect on our trip to Alberta to hunt with McKinnon Outfitters. We talk bear vitals, shot placement, and what is happening in the life cycle of a bear at this time of year.

 

We round out the broadcast with an in studio treat when renown wildlife and gun dog artist Van Johnson drops by. Named the ‘Ducks Unlimited 2014-2015 Texas Sponsor Artist of the Year’- Van talks about his love for upland hunting and how that ultimately inspired him to pick up a paintbrush and canvas some 20 years ago. We remissness on the heyday of Texas quail hunting and the kinds of bird dogs that Van hunted over for over 40 years. We also discuss how to commission an original painting like the one he did of Belle (pictured below).