Bobwhite Quail Conservation, Tarpon 101, Ducks Unlimited on 2016 Season Outlook, & So You Want to Be an Outfitter?

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We discuss bobwhite quail and their recovery with Jay Stine- Executive Director of the Quail Coalition. 2015 was a banner year for bob’s and it looks like 2016 should be great as well. Equally as exciting is the work the Quail Coalition is doing on the Texas landscape. Jay talks about some upcoming events, where monies raised are spent locally and we also discuss the eye worm’s impact on quail mortality. (rooster I photographed in Rocksprings, Texas last week)

Next, we’re joined by our longtime friend Captain Mike Holliday of Costa Sunglasses. A saltwater veteran of over 3 decades, Mike has been chasing tarpon up and down the Florida coast for as long as he can remember. Is the tarpon fishery a healthy one in his opinion? What are the best months to target this migratory species? What are his favorite baits- both live and artificial. It’s Tarpon 101 with one of our favorite guides. (Captain Mike with a nice tarpon at the boat)

Ducks Unlimited Conservation Outreach Biologist Kirby Brown then makes his return as we take a look at duck nesting production and how current water conditions will affect the fall migration in 2016. Kirby also talks Texas water conditions and what that means for wintering birds. Rice production is up for the first time in a long time along the coast and that should translate into healthy ducks and lots of them. Lastly, we take a look at the unique mottled duck and how the non migratory species is doing in it’s native coastal habitat.

We finish strong with a segment titled “So You Want to Be An Outfitter” with Three Curl’s Brett Jepsen. Some of you might want to get into outfitting or guiding part or even full time and Brett provides some insight on what it takes. After years of part time outfitting he finally quit his 9 to 5 job and went full time. Has been it been all he thought it was cracked up to be? Does he work more now than before? How does he maintain healthy relationships with his landowners and clients? All that, plus we talk about the upcoming dove season. (Brett on a fun public land teal hunt we did a couple years back)