THE DOUG PIKE SHOW: Saturdays 7a-10a
More than a half million Houstonians fish and hunt, and as many or more enjoy other pastimes in the great outdoors ... like camping or sailing, birding or backpacking, kayaking or hiking. Doug Pike shares their passions for the outdoors and has done so since he grew up here in Houston.
Running a close second to the outdoors for Doug is golf, a game he knows well and plays every chance he gets. To learn more about everything that makes Houston the center of the outdoors universe and a world-class golf destination, turn to Doug Pike and The Doug Pike Show, 7-10 a.m. Saturdays on The Sports Animal.
Doug is a native Houstonian whose interest in the outdoors was apparent from the time he could crawl – and often did, right out the door and into the yard. Since then, he has fished and hunted throughout North America and the Caribbean ... even as far away as Sweden, but his roots are right here in Texas.
During 20-plus years as an outdoors writer and broadcaster, Doug has won more than 100 awards from state and national associations for his writing, broadcasting, photography and editing. His enthusiasm for the outdoors and golf is contagious – catch it Saturday mornings on The Sports Animal.
::.E-MAIL DOUG.::
TEXT DOUG TO 777111 TO MESSAGE THE STUDIO DURING THE SHOW!!
 
::.PIKE'S POLL.::
*****start poll*****
Poll: What's your opinion of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's public hunting programs? *****end poll*****
Nancy who? Where?  From the Denver Post comes word of a Wyoming hunter who was arrested at the Denver Grand Hyatt Hotel for traveling with two rifles and two handguns. He apologized for causing a ruckus after some hotel guests were evacuated Saturday. Joseph Calanchini, 29, leaves Thursday from Denver for an African hunting trip on Aug. 28; he had no idea that the Democratic National Convention was in town or that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was among those registered at the Hyatt. "I don't watch the news," said Calanchini. They ought to be apologizing to him for false arrest. Last time I checked, it was legal to own guns in this country -- at least until the November elections, depending on which way things fall. Having done a few hunting trips that involved gun cases and hotels and airlines in my time, I can assure you that Calanchini's firearms were in locked cases the entire time he was in that hotel. - DP Archer can't practice, says ridiculous ordinance
From the Visalia Times Delta: A Tulare, Calif., man preparing to take part in the Beijing Paralympic games was prevented from shooting arrows in his driveway because of a city parks ordinance prohibiting the discharge of firearms or bows. Jeff Fabry, who won two medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, practiced longer shots from across the road until some ignorant neighbor called police. Rather than call the law, those folks either should have driven the guy somewhere else to practice so he could win more medals, or they should have gone on with their lives. This wasn't some troublemaking kid flinging arrows haphazardously into the air. The guy's an Olympic-class athlete. - DP
Got a strange story you'd like to share? Send it to: dougpike@clearchannel.com.
Jeff Wiessman - This one fell on Westwood Golf Club's 155-yard No. 17, where Phil Sowa dropped one a month ago. Wiessman played it from the back tees, to his credit, and swung 8-iron - perfectly. Garrett Duncan - Scored a dunk June 24 at the 170-yard No. 7 on Houston National Golf Club's North Course. He used a 5-iron. Must have been a back pin, playing into a stiff breeze that day. Randy Anhalt - A Father's Day bucket at Westwood Golf Club's No. 15, 165 yards and almost all of them over water. Randy hit a 7-iron. Hope it stayed in the air a long time, and that he watched it every inch of the way. Eric Durbin -- Champions Golf Club, No. 11 on the Jackrabbit course, which plays 191 yards. Durbin hit 6-iron. And yes, he can hit 6 that far. Eric is the son of former city champ Gary Durbin and HGA superstar Jessica Durbin, and Im told the kid's got plenty of game. Phil Sowa -- This is Phil's first, and it was a pretty good one. He swung 8-iron at the 134-yard No. 17, Westwood Golf Club. Lots of sand around two-tiered green that's tough to hit, and it has no easy pin placements. Birdie is a good score there any day. A hole-in-one is quite impressive. Sowa now owes all of us a drink. Liz Reynolds -- Not one, but two holes-in-one in 72 hours at Champions Golf Club. Liz dunked a PW at the seventh on Jackrabbit, and she holed a 5-iron at the fourth on Cypress. Thanks, Liz, for reminding most of us - twice - that we still haven't made a hole-in-one. Make a hole-in-one? (I haven't yet.) If so, have your club pro send the information to dougpike@clearchannel.com, and I'll post it here for all your friends to see.  Click on the Toy Box to see new outdoors and golf gear, and feel free to forward your own comments on listed items or other new "toys" you'd like to see featured here. Send it all to dougpike@clearchannel.com.  Sept. 1 - Dove season opens in the North and Central Zones. Expect some heavy rain between now and then, but not any place where it would be useful for teal hunters. Sept. 3 - Houston Safari Club monthly meeting, 6 p.m. at the Omni Hotel. Guest speaker is Irvin Barnhart on hunting Marco Polo sheep. Call 713-623-8844. Sept. 6 - American Shooting Centers hosts the Texas Youth Super Shoot and Family Fun Festival for ages 8-21. No previous experience necessary. Event features a variety of clay-target shooting plus archery and fishing. Entry is $75, and space is limited to 250 shooters. Go to amshootcenters.com. Sept. 13-28 - Special early teal season; four-bird daily bag limit. Expect dry, dusty conditions except where that might help dove hunters. Sept. 21 - Buffalo Bayou Partnership and North Lake Conroe Paddling Company host a kayak tour of Buffalo Bayou. Cost is $50 per person, including boat, paddle and shuttle. E-mail Trudi Smith, tsmith@buffalobayou.org.
Oct. 14 - CCA Texas Fish Stix golf tournament, 1 p.m. shotgun start at Tour 18 Golf Club. Cost is $200 per play with plenty of team-sponsorship options. Note the presence of Hawaiian Tropic models, who will serve as caddies to the highest bidders. Click here for registration and model info, or call 713-626-4222.
    
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dove prospects good if Gustav is kind
Thursday 08-28-2008 11:38am CT
This many days to go
 Dove season opens Monday, Sept. 1, in TPWD's north and central zones. Around here, that translates to north of I-10. Prospects are above average for now, but the approach of TS Gustav, almost certain to become a hurricane when it reenters open water, has outfitters nervous. Don't forget to buy a new license; the one in your pocket now expires Sunday night. And buy premium shells, too. Cheap shells don't throw consistent patterns, and bad patterns don't knock birds down cleanly. Do it right...or go bowling on Monday.
Fish ID of the Week (bonus fish)  This is a tripletail. They get much larger and are excellent on the table. Key on nearshore floating objects and channel markers; you'll often see the fish, resting on their sides, near the suface. Live shrimp work best, but tripletail also will hit jigs and flies.
The wait is almost finished
Wednesday 08-27-2008 3:35pm CT
Patience...
This is what "patience" looks like. We've all waited a long time for hunting seasons to start. Monday is the day, provided that our unwelcome visitor, Gustav, doesn't come crashing through the Gulf like a drunk brother-in-law stumbling up the driveway and looking for a place to sleep it off.
Surfside, Galveston could get a good swell
The little bit of good that comes from tropical storms is delivered in the form of clean, measured swells and potentially great surfing. If Gustav follows the model shown above, Galveston will get the first pulses off the storm. Should Gustav grow large, it could spin off a strong enough swell along that western flank to rebound off the Quintana jetty and break inside the channel at Surfside. When it is "right," that channel produces some of the better quality surf along the upper Texas coast. If waves are big enough to break in the channel, the Gulf-side surf typically is a sloppy, disorganized (but big nonetheless) mess. Pick your favorite spot, wax your board and be ready. Photo from wannasurf.com.
Fish ID of the week
This is a sleek and beautiful but potentially dangerous barracuda. So is the fish.
One week to dove season
Monday 08-25-2008 2:16pm CT
Time running short to get ready
Dove season begins in the state's north and central zones one week from today. You'll need a fresh license, clean shotgun, plenty -- plenty -- of shells, ear protection, eye protection and insect repellent. And no, it would not be sporting to take the one-shot half limit presented at this backyard feeder.
Dead zone needs immediate attention
 The Mississippi River dumped major runoff into the Gulf of Mexico this spring and summer, and much of that water is loaded with nitrates and phosphorous that trigger algae blooms which, in turn, wind up depleting the dissolved oxygen in vast areas of the Gulf. Where there is no oxygen, there is no traditional marine life. No fish, no crabs. Just empty water, for miles and miles. So-called " dead zones" are not new, but the size of this annual occurrence continues to increase. A federal-state task force has implemented a voluntary effort among farmers to reduce fertilizer runoff from the the Midwest, and none too soon. River sediment built the Louisiana delta, but changes in water chemistry over the years also are causing tremendous wetlands losses.
Big-time bighorns  My friend, Todd Steele, forwarded this and a couple more images from a recent trip into bighorn country. He's one of the best in the business. You can see more of his images in my photo galleries when he's kind enough to share them, or simply click on his name.
Ever wonder what 300 inches of antler look like on one buck? Now you know. I ran an earlier photo of this buck a few weeks ago. He's just about topped out now and is said to score better than 315 gross. Once he's all polished up, they might want to rename him Bed of Nails.
Airlines ripping off surfers In keeping with the airline industry's ongoing quest to squeeze every possible nickel and dime from its customers, many airlines have raised the rate for checking surfboards to as much as $300 each way. And according to a story in today's Houston Chronicle, British Airways has pulled the plug on boards altogether. Fees on other sporting equipment have increased, as well, the story said, but not nearly so steeply as those for surfboards. The charges don't make sense. Bagged surfboards are light relative to their size, and the airlines assume no risk for damage. Rather than collect extra hundreds for carrying boards, they'll lose millions in empty seats. The airline that will profit from outdoors enthusiasts is the one that promise no fees for sporting equipment such as surfboards, bicycles, golf clubs, fishing rods and other gear we like to take to special destinations. It's not excess baggage fees that generate profits for airlines, it's butts in seats. Add a couple of bucks to the ticket price if you must, but don't charge me for toting my toys.
Big show tomorrow morning
Friday 08-22-2008 5:30pm CT
Shotgunning tips at dawn
Tune in promptly at 7 a.m. Saturday for another conversation with Gil Ash of OSP Shooting School. In all of Texas, the only person who understands shotgunning as well may be his wife, Vicki. They're in Toronto, teaching some Canadians how to handle shotguns, but Gil promised me 30 minutes or so before he has to go work with those Torontulas. Torontians? Canadians.
With nine days left until dove season, most of us can use all the help we can get trying to get doves to fly into our shot strings.
I'm hoping for an Olympics-related call at some point during the show but can't say any more than that just now. Details as they develop. I want to talk a bit about TPWD's public hunting programs in the 8, and maybe about dove hunting in general. Or, whatever you like -- provided you pick up the phone or take a few pecks at the keyboard. Don't be shy. As always, I'd much prefer to hear your opinions than mine. If we agree, I'll know how smart you are. And if we don't, we get to share new ideas.
In the 9-10, we'll open with Dave Dusek at the Barclays in New Jersey. Maybe he can explain this whole Fedex Cup system, then Redstone Golf Club's Evan Johansen and I will talk about the work that has to be done after a PGA Tour event.
 This is a permit. I will try to offer more fish identification tips in future days. See also the Fish Bowl photo gallery on the other side of this page.
Gator day
Thursday 08-21-2008 5:05pm CT
Gator-cycle Now this...is a custom motorcycle. Southeast Texas, or Southwest Louisiana? Cool thing is that if you live in either region, you could make this bike out of parts you find on the roadside. Gets you thinking about Texas Gatorfest, doesn't it?
And in keeping with today's "Gator" theme... this photo from the University of Florida.  Not especially outdoors-related, but you are welcome anyway. Go 'Gators.
Bigfoot claim was a hoax. Please tell me you are not surprised. If you actually believed those two knuckleheads had found and frozen the real thing, an actual ape-like animal eight or nine feet tall, then you are an idiot. I don't doubt the claims of people who say they've seen something inexplicable in the woods, but neither do I believe they've seen bigfoot. If something that big roamed southeast Texas or Southwest Louisiana, somebody on the way home from a dance hall on a Friday night would have whacked one with a pickup long ago. This time, the frozen corpse turned out to be...a rubber Halloween costume. Maybe next time, believers. Maybe next time.
|
|
© 2008