When It Comes to Gulf Fish, Don’t Fear the Sheeper
Move over, speckled trout and redfish. The misunderstood, toothy sheepshead is a tasty—and sustainable—catch.
Wes Ferguson was a senior editor at Texas Monthly who wrote primarily about the outdoors. His 2019 article "When Angels in America Came to East Texas" was nominated for a National Magazine Award in Feature Writing. An East Texas native, he is the author of two nonfiction books, The Blanco River and Running the River: Secrets of the Sabine, both published by Texas A&M University Press.
Move over, speckled trout and redfish. The misunderstood, toothy sheepshead is a tasty—and sustainable—catch.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Lucrative tournaments built around these river monsters are booming.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Survivalist expert Bob Hansler found YouTube fame by testing his skills in the Texas wilderness. His biggest challenge was yet to come.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
But many breeders say the new regulations go too far.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Ready to commit murder most fowl?
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
The ancient art of falconry is alive and well.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
So is a little fish that swam along the San Marcos River.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
A shoot-out at a Big Bend ranch captured the nation’s attention: first as an alleged ambush by undocumented migrants, then as a fear-mongering hoax. The real story is much more mysterious.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
The Hill Country offers fast-flowing streams and some nice bass. But for solitude and diversity of species, the creeks and bayous east of I-45 can’t be beat.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Ranch CEO Jason Molitor always loved hunting. Now he runs an 18,000-acre operation with more than 60 species on offer.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Exotic species brought to Texas from Africa and Asia fared poorly in freezing temperatures.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
With its distinctive, raucous call, the chachalaca is often heard in South Texas—but good luck spotting one.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
From the Big Bend to East Texas, the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas ranches have been transformed in recent decades by the proliferation of exotic game animals, many of them rare and endangered in their native habitats. With the rise of “Texotics” has come an army of
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Jesse Griffiths goes hog wild to reinvent a favorite childhood meal.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Sprawling ranches. Rare animals. Rich folks with guns. Welcome to the state’s booming business of stalking wildlife from around the globe.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Crested caracaras used to range no farther north than Texas’s southern tip, but now they’re expanding across the state—perhaps because of climate change and habitat loss.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Affordable private places to pitch your tent when public parks aren’t an option.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Living hard and free, cedar choppers clashed with respectable townsfolk in the mid-20th century.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
From the Estelline spring in the Panhandle and the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains to the hypersaline lakes in the Rio Grande Valley, the common mineral is all around us.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Not everyone in San Augustine is on board for local artist Gary Brewer's perplexing project, which is three stories high and counting.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
In the aftermath of tragedy, members of the Caddo Nation are drawing on their culture and traditions to help restore Caddo Mounds State Historic Site.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
The Redfish Wars changed Texas fishing. A fight over flounder could be next.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Texas offers some of the most-diverse fishing in the country—from stalking monster sharks on Padre Island to fly-fishing from a kayak on the remote Pecos River. And for three months, I got to try it all.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Here are four essential items to get off dry land and into a kayak.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
The state has spent more than a century building up a world-class fishery, with some unintended consequences.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Tips from Texans who trap, kill, and study wild pigs.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
A visit to the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta and Los Adaes, where our state’s Spanish colonial roots live on just across the Sabine River.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Ray Gene, proprietor of Longview’s singular It’ll Do Tavern, passed away last weekend.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Deer season is almost upon us, but don’t fret if you don’t have a lease. Here are four public places that welcome hunters.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Once widely hunted in Texas, the beloved game birds have been dwindling in number in recent decades. But a West Texas hunter and professor believes he’s found a way to save them.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
These creatures—some creepy crawlers, some fearsome beasts, some microscopic threats—can and will kill you, maybe.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Twenty years ago my hometown made national headlines when the local college staged an internationally acclaimed play about gay men and the AIDS crisis. The people I grew up with are still feeling the aftershocks.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
A revitalized downtown and a new network of hiking, biking, and paddling trails add to the appeal of this border town by the beach.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Trent Lesikar’s ongoing ‘The Shape of Texas’ series teases out connections between the state’s different eras.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Fifty years after humans first walked on the moon, you too can play astronaut for a day.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
The invasive species hitches rides on contaminated boats from one body of water to the next.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Austin rockers Montopolis will premiere The Living Coast—an audiovisual homage to the Texas Gulf Coast—on August 2 in Austin.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Descendants of slaves who escaped across the southern border observe Texas’s emancipation holiday with their own unique traditions.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
A constitutional amendment on the ballot in November aims to shore up funding for Texas’s system of state parks and historic sites.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Former train corridors pave the way for exploration and quietude through seven counties in this rural part of the state.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Where to find wide-open skies—or a big telescope—if you live in the big city or in the eastern half of the state.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
With the state’s four highest peaks, Guadalupe Mountains National Park offers incredible vistas and rewarding trails, which you just might have mostly to yourself.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Friday night, lights out.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Getting a head in Pittsburg.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
It’s time to go or get off the pot.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Lyndon B. Johnson conducted the nation's affairs under the Cabinet Oak. But is the three-hundred-year-old tree a goner?
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
A new documentary follows the lives of the 94 bayou folk, retirees, and reputed outlaws in the village of Uncertain.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
Wes Ferguson has paddled and walked all 87 miles of one of the Hill Country’s most prized waterways. In this exclusive excerpt from The Blanco River, he uncovers a few of its natural secrets.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
How long it will take the dreaded emerald ash borers to fully establish themselves in Texas? And how many native ash trees will they decimate?
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.
A year ago, the Blanco River overran its banks and devastated Hays County—just as a handful of government officials had predicted decades ago.
Wes Ferguson writes about the outdoors, among other things.