Great Days Outdoors - December 2019

VOLUME 1 • NUMBER 6

REPOWER REPORT

FEBRUARY 1, 2017

This is the latest edition of Paradise Marine Center’s Repower Report. This feature runs on a regular basis, and showcases one of the many repower projects performed by Paradise Marine. Each new report will feature product specifications on different outboard engines for all types of boats. We will also tell the story behind the project, the users, and their boats. In this issue, we talk with Garett Hill of Purvis Misissippi about his new Suzuki DF200.

What is the make and model of your boat and how long have you owned it?

My boat is a 2008 Shoalwater Super Sport with a partial tunnel for shallow water use. It is a Texas made Bay Boat from a smaller custom builder. I previously had a 200 HP Evinrude Etec on the transom.

How do you use your boat?

I primarily fish for trout, redfish and flounder in the Biloxi Marsh. We typically launch at Bayou Caddy in Lakeshore, Mississippi and run 13 miles across the Mississippi Sound to the Biloxi Marsh which is actually located in Louisiana. A typical trip usually covers about 60 miles per day. We fish a lot of oyster leases by drifting over them with artificial baits. We also fish a lot of points, cuts and current lines. We only use artificial lures, mostly imitation shrimp plastics under popping corks and on the bottom using a tight line.

In the spring, we use top water baits to target the

Garett Hill and his dad Leonard, on the Biloxi Marsh, in his 21’ Shoalwater Bay Boat.

spawning sow trout. I also like to use Mirro Lures and Super Spooks as conditions change.

How did you decide to repower with a new Suzuki?

When I finally decided I needed a new motor, I primarily made my decision based on the cost of operation. I hated the fuel economy I was getting and the fact that I had to continually buy expensive two stroke oil. I was also very interested in the lower gear ratios and the increased prop size that the Suzuki motors utilized. I did a lot of research and decided on a Suzuki. I asked a friend of mine, Kevin Deselle, the owner of Sport Trail Trailers who I should see for this purchase. He told me very quickly to call Gene Myers at Paradise Marine Center in Gulf Shores. I called and they quickly hooked me up.

What impresses you most about your Suzuki?

Hands down it is the huge difference in fuel economy, almost 35% better than my previous engine. It is a night and day difference. In the past, I would burn around 15 gallons on a marsh trip, now I burn 8-10. I am also impressed with the torque and power as well.

I was worried that it would not be as powerful as my old V6 two stroke, but boy was I was wrong about that. The inline 4 cylinder does a great job, plus I have a better top end to boot. The difference in sound levels is also amazing and you can have a conversation at full speed without having to yell over one another.

A nice mess of Biloxi marsh trout. Birds don’t lie. For questions about Suzuki repowers see Paradise Marine Center, located in Gulf Shores.

Give us a memorable Fishing experience?

About a month ago, three of us were fishing the marsh and had about 30 trout by 9 AM when the fishing shut down. We decided to move spots and came across a large group of birds resting on the surface. As we slowed and approached them, a closer look showed them to be feeding on small minnows, in about 4’ of water. We cast into them and all three of us hooked up immediately and the party started. We caught 18” trout cast after cast, and within an hour we had our limit of 75 trout in the box and were heading home. A lot of folks would drive by sitting birds but they are there for a reason.

Don’t pass up sitting birds. You might be sorry.

Suzuki DF200 4-Stroke Outboard

Redefining best in class. The DF200A is an “In Line” four-stroke outboard is packed with technology. This four-stroke engine has large displacement (174,9 Cu In), lots of torque and plenty of power while tipping the scales at just 498 Lbs. This four stroke engine is a clean runner and certified with a 3-Star Ultra-Low Emission rating from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and has also met the EPA 2010 standard. So if you want to run with a proven winner, go four-stroke. Go Suzuki.

• In Line 4 vs V6 block for compact, lighter, design can be mounted on 26” center without contact. • Offset Drive shaft = Better balance • Self adjusting timing chain vs. Over head belt. No belt maintenance or adjustment necessary. • Easy access Shim & Bucket vs. Rocker arm quick and accurate valve adjusment vs.expensive service and additional adjustment. • 2.50:1 vs 1.86:1. Lower gear ratio to swing a larger prop for improved acceleration. • Built in charging system vs. belt driven alt. Less moving parts.

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HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE

FEATURES 8 14 18 22

8

14

18

22

PIEBALD DEER - TO SHOOT OR NOT TO SHOOT

By John E. Philips COLD WATER CRAPPIE

By Ed Mashburn BEGINNING E-COLLAR TRAINING TECHNIQUES

By Stephanie Mallory PICKING THE BEST CHOKE TUBES FOR DUCK HUNTING DIFFERENT SITUATIONS

By Charles Johnson

26

SALTWATER RIVER FISHING TIPS FOR REDFISH AND SPECKLED TROUT

By Capt. Bobby Abruscato

30 34 54

HOW TO HUNT DEER MIDDAY

By Charles Johnson JUSTIN MARTIN SHARES HIS CHRISTMAS GEAR GUIDE

By Great Days Outdoors Staff THE FISH CLEANING TABLE MADE GREAT AGAIN

By Great Days Outdoors Staff

IN EVERY ISSUE Bets 6 Best

by William Kendy

40 42

New Gear for Outdoorsmen

by Great Days Outdoors Staff From the Commissioner Think of ADCNR for Unique Christmas Gifts

FISHING OUTLOOKS 58

Pier and Shore

by David Thornton

62

Gulf Coast

by Mike Thompson

64

Regional Freshwater

by Ed Mashburn

44

From the Director I Never Thought I Would See The Day

68

Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts

46

Hunting Heritage Turkeys, People, and Timber

72

Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room

48

The Gun Rack J.C. Higgins, Uncle Robert and Me

Great Days Kids Corner

50

Camphouse Kitchen

by Hank Shaw

74 76 77 78

Some Days the Bear Gets You

by Jim Mize

Fishing 60 Paddle Cold Weather Kayak Gear

by Ed Mashburn

50 4 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Classifieds & Fishin' Guides Fishing Tips

by Captain David Hare

PROPERTY PHOTO HERE

PROPERTY PHOTO HERE

Blue Sky Farm

Bigbee Lake Lodge & Trophy Hunting Retreat

This is an excellent timber investment within 5 miles of Smith Lake in Cullman County, AL. This land is loaded with wildlife and various ages of pine timber and PROPERTY TEXT HERE old growth hardwood. There is 500 acres of pine plantation ranging from 25 to 31 years of age which could be cut now. The remaining pine on the farm was planted in 2012 and is growing very well. There are several well constructed wildlife food plots through out the property. These fields offer excellent habitat for the abundant deer and turkey populations. If you’re looking for land that would be a good timber investment and hunting tract this is the spot!

One of the best Trophy Hunting properties w/both Lake & Lodge in its area, this diverse, turn-key tract offers a superb buy on a one of a kind property. Move-in ready for residential or commercial use as well. Paved rd frontage, 6BR, 6.5BA, fully furnished lodge boasts a master ste, chef’s kitchen, game rm, custom outdoor liv space, overlooking a feeding area w/stadium lighting. Equipment area houses 4 equipment sheds, 4 tool rms, game processing facilities w/walk-in cooler & freezer, & a fueling station w/both gas & diesel. 3 pull under silos, deer breeding pen, & quail flight pen are also nearby. Entire lodge area is irrigated, so keeping things green & watered is never a concern. 8 ac fishing lake, boathouse w/sun deck, double boat lifts, & built-in charging stations. Deer hunting w/480+/- ac under high fence for 20+/- years, stocked w/Canadian Whitetail genetics, & 150+ inch deer & larger are prevalent. Lg food plots throughout, w/ strategically placed shooting houses & stands in the fields, mature stands of natural hardwood & pine timber, & the bedding areas in the recently harvested areas outside of the fence. Tract’s turkey population is superb, & also fantastic dove & quail hunting. ALL equipment, tools, & feeders included, incl two John Deere air cab tractors & related implements, trailer w/pump for loading feeders, multi UTVs, & electric buggies. Located a short drive from the amenities of Chatom, AL, less than 60 min from I-65, & only 80 min from Mobile, AL.

Cullman County, Alabama, 876.25+/-Acres

ACRES 317.65 210 189 160 116 3636 1995 1339 901.52 710 120 62 98.6 30 24 233.3 80 66 60 50 80 48.6 40 1455.52 395 85.16

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Alabama Listings COUNTY Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Bibb Bibb Bibb Blount Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Bullock Butler Butler Butler

Washington County, Alabama, 796+/-Acres

77 54 102 100 26.91 25 22.5 221 65.4 388 216 54 38 25 526 520 234 220 179 116 80 42 40 38 377 80

COUNTY Cleburne Cleburne Coffee Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Coosa Covington Covington Covington Covington Covington Crenshaw Crenshaw Cullman Cullman Cullman Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas

ACRES 57 56.48 254 40 36 36 2 1 20 10 151 45 360 331 79 72 43 134 120 876.25 232 59 463.54 140 82.73 64

Dallas Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Escambia Etowah Etowah Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene Greene Greene Greene Hale Hale

27 2000 450 342 264 213 671.6 68 275 167.3 232 112 110 90 78 608 563 552 306 244 2100 38 30 1 575 186

COUNTY Hale Hale Hale Henry Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lauderdale Lawrence Limestone Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Macon Macon Macon Madison

ACRES 150 96 92 200 633 400 330 245 125 367 192 160 136 92 60 80 1.36 1181 1013 793.5 790 783 930 396 60 100

Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Marion Marion Marion Marion Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Morgan

6214 3000 772 672.8 404 387 325 250 215 168 1800 308 299.1 260 192 790 378.49 294 268.11 129 858 697 623 469 430 150

COUNTY Morgan Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pike Pike Pike Pike Pike Randolph Randolph Randolph Randolph Randolph Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair

ACRES 76 386 240.75 200 189 90.5 1480 837 450 430 217 352.8 160 112 80 40 407 329 78 60 52.4 100 68.13 29 14.68 10

Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Tallapoosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker Washington Washington Washington

458 253 93 83 80 740 350 213 188 75 1015 882 537 327 47 20.917 164 153 117 115 80 233 65 1261 796 240

COUNTY ACRES Washington 160 Washington 160 Wilcox 2365 Wilcox 1465 Wilcox 694 Wilcox 660 Wilcox 640 Winston 265 Winston 2.3 Winston 1.3

FL Panhandle Listings Escambia Madison Santa Rosa Walton Walton

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 5

BEST BETS

BEST BETS FOR DECEMBER These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month!

BY WILLIAM KENDY

HUNTING FOR THE DECEMBER LULL

By December, Alabama whitetails have seen, smelled and heard a lot of hunters. They become more nocturnal and mature bucks find the thickest and most remote areas they can find.

In December, get away from the crowd. Public land like the Choccolocco WMA, Talladega National Forest, the Buckhead National Forest and others offer hard to access terrain that reduces hunter pressure. Even if your hunting area isn’t that challenging, there are always thick, harder to access spots that get overlooked…by hunters.

Many early morning hunters will start moving around 9:00-10:00, so that is the time to stay put. See Charles Johnson’s article “How to Hunt Deer Midday” for more information.

Get out early, be scent conscious, set up quickly and hunt far back. Let the hunters moving or arriving later drive the deer to you.

Identify natural “funnels” that provide ambush spots and take advantage of “safe havens” such as heavy cover by streams, swales, fencerows or any areas that provide heavy cover and concealment…regardless of how small.

DECEMBER IS WESTERN BIG GAME HOMEWORK TIME

For those hunters who want to try to get the opportunity to hunt for big game in the West, December is the time to find out about different state application processes and deadlines.

I did some seat-of-the-pants online research and found that in 11 western states for 2019 the earliest application deadline was January 31st (non-resident elk in Washington) and the latest was July 1st (supertags in Montana).

The mechanics of the application process vary state by state as do the odds of getting chosen and there is strategy involved as to when and where you apply.

To start Google, “2020 Western Big Game Hunting Application Deadlines” (or similar) and you will see a number of sites pop-up. www. gohunt.com and www. backcountrychronicles.com are places to start.

Note: No information had yet been posted for 2020 at deadline time.

VOLUME 23, ISSUE 12 December 2019

PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya ASSISTANT EDITOR: Bill Kendy CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Samatha Hester

CONTRIBUTING FREELANCE WRITERS: Chris Blankenship Daryl Bell Alex Granpere Craig Haney Charles Johnson Ed Mashburn Doug Max Greg McCain John E. Phillips

Corky Pugh Chuck Sykes Mike Thompson David Thornton Jim Barta Jim Mize Deneshia Larson Patric Garmeson Hank Shaw

Joe Baya Don Green Babe Winkelman Bobby Abruscato J. Wayne Fears Nick Williams Tony Kinton Richard Rutland

Great Days Outdoors (USPS 17228; ISSN 1556-0147) is published monthly at P.O. Box 1253 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 Subscription rate is $24 for one-year, $40 for two-years, and $55 for three-years. Periodicals Postage Paid at Mobile, Ala. and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 SUBSCRIBERS: All subscriptions begin the first issue for the month following receipt of payment, if payment is received by the 15th. Great Days Outdoors assumes no responsibility for delivery after magazines are mailed. All delivery complaints should be addressed to your local postmaster.

COLD WEATHER SURF AND PIER

CONTACT US: EDITORIAL | JoeBaya@greatdaysoutdoors.com ADVERTISING | SamHester@greatdaysoutdoors.com SUBSCRIPTIONS | greatdaysoutdoors@pcspublink.com

David Thornton in his December Pier and Shore Fishing Forecast points out the opportunities that abound for the hardy angler who gets a little bundled up.

Great Days Outdoors Media LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 877. 314. 1237 info@greatdaysoutdoors.com www.greatdaysoutdoors.com

While December can be a little chilly, that isn’t any reason to stop shore and pier fishing.

Here are just two of Thornton’s pearls of wisdom.

For the surf aficionado, Thornton points out that fishing the troughs just off the beach where the water remains at least four feet deep at low tide with light spinning tackle baited with shrimp pieces or Fishbites can be a prize hotspot for pompano, whiting and even black and red drum in the morning.

For pier anglers Thornton says that schools of little tunny (“bonita”) often show up on foggy mornings in December chasing tiny baitfish and provide a challenging action on light spinning tackle. He advises using ¾ ounce hex-head jigs or small spoons.

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All rights reserved. Reproduction of contents is strictly prohibited without permission from Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC.

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PIEBALD DEER To Shoot or Not to Shoot

BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS

8 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

HUNTING

Some biologists estimate less than 2% of the whitetail deer population are piebalds.

“I thought I was seeing a ghost,” Glenda Henderson-Thomas of Parrish, Alabama, recalls.

Thomas had been sitting in a tree stand with her 7mm Mag, waiting on a buck she could harvest, on Christmas Eve, 2018.

“I thought my taking a buck and cooking the meat for dinner between Christmas and New Year’s would be neat,” Thomas said.

Thomas had seen the doe she named Patches twice before on the 14 acres that she and her husband owned behind their home.

“The first time I saw Patches, she crossed in front of me, right behind my driveway in November, 2016. As soon as I saw Patches, I told my husband I wanted to hunt her. Then about a month before I took the piebald, we saw her again on November 19, 2018. We only had two trail-camera pictures of Patches. One of the reasons that deer come to our property is that we feed them rice bran and corn. I had my deer stand 250 yards from where we fed the deer,” Thomas recalled.

Thomas had put in 20 hunts in 2018 before she finally took Patches.

“During the time I was hunting Patches, I could hear the crack of rifles on other properties near us. On December 23, 2018, my husband and I had a talk about the odds of my seeing Patches again. My husband told me that he felt sure someone probably already had harvested Patches.

“That’s when in my mind, I gave up the hunt for Patches and decided to hunt on Christmas Eve and take one of the bucks I’d seen. While I was hunting Patches, I passed on some very-nice 7- and 8-pointers that I easily could have taken. But I wanted to take that piebald,” she said.

On December 24, 2018, Thomas woke up before daylight and walked to her stand, about 75 yards from her house.

“Somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 am, I was texting my husband to tell him I planned to stay in my stand until about 9:00 am, and when I looked up from my cell phone, I spotted Patches. I truly thought she might be a ghost. I’d wrongly assumed that someone had already taken her,” Thomas recalled.

Thomas put down her phone, started raising her gun and made a slight noise that Patches heard before blowing an alarm and then running.

“I said to myself, ‘If I don’t shoot, I’ll probably never have another chance to take Patches,’” Thomas explains. “When Patches broke into an opening and ran parallel to me at about 30 yards, through a cutover, I took the shot. Patches went down.”

Glenda Thomas of Parrish, Alabama, took this piebald doe she named Patches in 2018 near her home.

When I asked Thomas if she was having Patches mounted, she answered, “I’m having a full body mount done. Patches is such a beautiful deer, and I want to be able to see all of her.”

An interesting story happened when Thomas posted a picture of herself with Patches on a deer-hunting website in Alabama.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 9

Piebald Deer – To Shoot or Not to Shoot

Barry Carruth took this photo in Lamar County, northeast of Sulligent, on October 18, 2016.

”I got an email from a man in Mississippi who asked, ‘Did you take that deer near Parrish, Ala?’ I was curious to know how he knew where I’d taken Patches. So, I wrote him back and answered, ‘Yes, I did,” Thomas said. “He explained that he worked for the railroad that ran through Parrish. He’d seen Patches before, as well as other piebald deer in our same general area. So, apparently more piebalds must be in this region of the state than we know.”

WHAT IS A PIEBALD DEER? One of the biggest mysteries in the world of deer hunting is what is a piebald deer, a calico deer and/or an albino deer? Is a calico deer a partial albino deer? Are these deer different in ways other than coloration from an Eastern 10 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

white-tailed deer? Should hunters be allowed to take piebald deer? In some states, they are protected. Most of the time when a group of hunters discuss piebald deer, they’re often doing what I call, “sharing ignorances.” I can say that because I’ve often shared my ignorance in what is a piebald deer, and whether he or she is good or bad for a deer herd.

The name piebald originates from the word pie – short for magpie, a black-and-white bird in the crow family. Bald comes from the fact that these deer look bald due to their patchy appearance.

To make an educated decision to answer the questions, what is a piebald deer, and is that deer different from

Piebald Deer – To Shoot or Not to Shoot

other whitetails besides coloration, I recently spoke with Marianne Hudson, a wildlife biologist and a conservation outreach specialist at Alabama’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“Piebald-coloring of white-tailed deer is a genetic mutation that can cause abnormalities and is transferred in the genes of certain deer. Deer aren’t the only species that produce this type of coloration. Squirrels do too. In deer, this trait may result in the deer having white stockings or a patch or patches of white somewhere on the deer’s body.

“However, the difference in an albino and a piebald deer is that they are genetically different. Sometimes, but not always, the piebald gene will be linked to skeletal abnormalities that result in skeletal deformities, specifically the lengths of the legs. The joint just above the piebald deer’s hoof often may be bent. These skeletal abnormalities aren’t always found in a piebald, but generally the piebalds look different from other whitetails.

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“The piebald gene can be carried by either parent. One way to distinguish the difference between a piebald deer and an albino deer is if a deer’s coat is all-white, but it has dark eyes like a normal deer, then that deer is a piebald.

An albino animal has pink eyes,” Hudson explained.

Other characteristics of piebald deer can include shorter-than-normal legs, an arched spine (scoliosis), arthritis, club feet, oral overbite and internal deformities. Geneticists explain that piebalds are affected by pleiotropy where one single gene controls numerous traits from pigmentation to bone development and more. Some researchers estimate that piebald deer make up less than 2% of the whitetail deer population. As you can see from accompanying photos, a piebald doe may have normal-looking twin fawns, and a white-tailed doe may have twins with one being normal and the other a piebald, perhaps resulting from more than one buck impregnating the doe.

WHETHER TO HARVEST OR NOT TO HARVEST Some states and parts of some states restrict the harvest of piebald deer, mainly because the hunters in that area may not want to take these kinds of deer and prefer to promote the growth of the piebald gene in their deer herd. Often the land manager will make a decision on whether or not the hunters there can or cannot harvest piebalds, and/or how many piebald deer can be taken out of the herd each year.

“In Alabama, there are no restrictions for harvesting piebald deer,” Hudson explained. “If a hunter sees one, he can take that deer. But the landowner ultimately makes the decision as to whether the hunters on his property can take piebald bucks or does. However, our Department has found that there’s no reason not to harvest piebald deer.

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ENCAPSULATION

“The piebald deer do seem to have a higher fawn-mortality rate for a couple of reasons. The piebalds are more visible to predators, and sometimes if those piebald deer have skeletal deformities, they have a more-difficult time standing to nurse or following their mothers. But quite a few piebalds do survive and carry that trait.”

To learn a more-national perspective on whether to har877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 11

Piebald Deer – To Shoot or Not to Shoot

Pictured here are two piebald elk, demonstrating that the piebald gene doesn’t occur only in whitetail deer but also in a wide variety of other animals.

Photo courtesy of Matt Vincent.

vest or not to harvest piebald deer, we talked with Brian Murphy, a wildlife biologist and CEO of Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), who reported, “Many misconceptions exist about piebald deer. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what exactly is a piebald.

Although many hunters confuse the piebald deer with an albino deer, they are very different. Deer that are true albinos have pink eyes, pink noses and unpigmented (white or clear) hooves.

Murphy pointed out that the piebald deer has inherited recessive traits, often from its mother and father.

“The mother and the father must live within the same given area. The piebald may be very crippled and/or malformed skeletally or have a Roman nose, deformed legs or spinal column. Some piebalds don’t survive very long, while other piebald deer may survive with no ill effects at all. Some piebalds have large areas of white hair on their bodies, perhaps even near 100%. Other piebalds may sport

ALBINO DEER

– CAN YOU HUNT THEM?

Some biologists say that only one in 100,000 deer is born a true albino. Albino deer are illegal to hunt in several states, including Illinois, Iowa and portions of Montana, Tennessee and Wisconsin, except in areas where chronic wasting disease is a problem. Until 2008, harvesting an albino deer was prohibited in Michigan. Other biologists think there should be no restrictions on taking albino or piebald deer, since they’re inferior genetic stock.

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only a patch or two of white no bigger than a half-dollar.

The big difference is that the piebalds aren’t albinos and don’t have the albino gene,” Murphy said.

“Unfortunately, many states in the past have protected both piebalds and albinos, which doesn’t make sense as far as a biological standpoint is concerned. These deer are caused by recessive traits, and geneticists will tell you that generally recessive genes tend to be bad genes.

Piebald deer are fairly uncommon throughout the whitetailed deer’s range. Because of that fact, I tell hunters that if they rarely or never see a piebald, they shouldn’t be concerned about their herd’s genetics.”

Murphy suggests that if you see a young piebald buck, you may want to let him live a year or two more and harvest him when he’s older and bigger. “However, if you start to see a great number of piebald deer in your herd, you may want to start controlling them by harvesting them. Mother Nature doesn’t like recessive genes. Some deer herds I’ve known of never have had a piebald deer in them. In other deer herds, piebald deer may make up less than 1% of those deer herds. But a piebald is a fairly-common rarity in deer herds.”

One question often asked by hunters is, “What effect on our deer herd will a piebald buck have if he breeds several does each year?” Murphy says that the piebald probably won’t have any effect on a deer herd. “Remember, I’ve said that the piebald buck most often must breed with a piebald doe to produce a piebald fawn. The survival rate on those fawns is not as high as the survival rate of other deer fawns in that same herd. Both the male and the female must carry this recessive trait. Certainly leaving a piebald buck in a deer herd is more likely to produce piebald offspring, because each buck breeds more than one doe.”

Piebald Deer – To Shoot or Not to Shoot

A close-up photo of the piebald fawn that only lived only a few days after birth, due to its many skeletal and internal abnormalities, that was born at the University of Georgia Deer Lab. Photo courtesy of QDMA.

PIEBALD ANIMALS

Other animal species besides deer and squirrels can inherit the piebald abnormality, including horses, certain dog breeds, python snakes, moose, elk, bald eagles, kangaroos, zebras, alligators, peacocks, lions, tigers, cats, foxes and in some cases even humans.

Another dilemma facing a hunter is if he or she is hunting public lands and sees a nice piebald buck, whether or not to take him. Murphy emphasizes that, “I absolutely will harvest that piebald buck. On the property I hunt, we’ve only had one piebald doe. I was hunting with my daughter and didn’t have my rifle with me. I felt the shot on the piebald we saw would be too long for my daughter to make.

But I enjoy harvesting piebalds whenever I have an opportunity to take one. As I’ve mentioned earlier, if our property has a piebald buck, I may let him grow a year or two before I harvest him. I once saw a cartoon that said, ‘The piebald is a bummer of a birthmark,’ which I think says it all.”

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All bundled up and lots of big crappie to catch.

Crappie are eager eaters in cold weather.

14 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

FISHING

COLD WATER CRAPPIE They Don’t Ever Stop Biting so Don’t Stop Fishing

BY ED MASHBURN This morning broke clear and cold, and after the sun rose for our early morning boat ride across the choppy surface of Weiss Lake, it didn’t get any warmer. In fact, as the day passed and the cold front which blew through with wind and rain the night before filled in, the day got colder.

When we finally stopped the boat, it took a bit for my hands to warm enough for me to grab my crappie rod and drop a jig in the cold, cold water.

I asked Captain Lee Pitts, a guide who knows the Weiss Lake waters and fish very well, if he thought it ever got too cold for fishing.

He reflected just a moment and said, “For us, it can get too cold. For the fish, it doesn’t ever get too cold. Crappie never take breaks from eating.” He was smiling as he said this.

Then he couldn’t talk anymore because he had a fat crappie on the end of his line. And since we had a crappie fish fry planned for this night, I had to get busy and do my share of catching.

I found that the shivers that ran down my arm to my hand were just enough motion to make my jig dance down in the deep water where the crappie were holding. This slight movement the crappie really seemed to like. So I spent that cold, cold morning shivering, wiping my running nose and watering eyes and catching some fine fat slab crappie.

It might not have been too cold for the crappie, but it was certainly plenty cold enough for me. However, the big platters of fried crappie for supper that night made up for the misery of the cold wind.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 15

Cold Water Crappie- They Don’t Ever Stop Biting so Don’t Stop Fishing

Crappie can’t resist a small jig dropped to their holding level.

Although the advice and techniques for this trip came from a Deep South crappie expert, the lessons learned here can be applied to crappie waters all over the country.

HOW TO FIND THE CRAPPIE IN WINTER If the cold water and harsh wind of winter makes crappie fishing less comfortable for the angler, the colder water feels just fine for the crappie. Remember, crappie are one of the primary targets for those folks who live far north where the water freezes enough for ice fishing. Regardless of where they live, crappie tend to form large schools in colder weather, and when the crappie are found, they tend to be found in large bunches and are eager to bite.

But finding them is the catch.

“Most cold water crappie are hanging around deep structure.

This can be stumps, standing timber, ledges and even manmade crappie tops,” Pitts said. “My biggest helper in finding the crappie is my electronics. I rely on my Humminbird sonar unit. This allows me to cover a lot of water each day I fish.

When I find them, that’s where I will start fishing the next day.”

Even though the crappie can and do move around in a lake or river, they tend to stay close to the places where they were found the day before.

Another point to keep in mind about cool weather crappie is that they tend to stay at the same depth on any particular day.

For instance, if a school of crappie is found on one treetop that is fifteen feet deep, then the crappie will probably be holding at fifteen feet on another treetop.

WHAT WILL THEY EAT? In winter, crappie eat a lot, and they eat what presents itself to them. However, in general the primary forage for reservoir crappie is small threadfin shad and creek chub minnows.

Crappie will feed on a wide range of small baitfish and even insect larvae which is present in their water, but the one thing in common is that the bait in wintertime crappie eat will be small.

Pitts likes to use 1/8 oz to 1/16 oz jigs, and when he is fishing deeper water, he’ll double up on the jigs.

16 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

“I’ll put the upper jig about a foot above the jig on the end of the line. This gives me more weight to help get the jigs down to the fish because I like to use a vertical approach to fishing for these winter crappie,” Pitts said.

“I use Bobby Garland Baby Shad bodies on my jigs. I can hold these jigs with little motion which is what the crappie want sometimes. In winter, the crappie just want smaller lures, and often they want very slow movement and little lure motion,” Pitts added.

Another advantage of fishing a double jig rig in winter: Pitts often finds that the energy and effort of a crappie hooked on one jig of a double rig often draws the attention of a second crappie which will take the other jig. These double hookups can be a lot of cold weather fun.

As far as jig color goes, Pitts has the full range of grub body colors on hand, but he prefers something with chartreuse or orange if the water is cloudy. If the water is clear, he goes to more natural colors.

GOOD COLD WATER RIGS Using the proper rod and line makes a real difference when fishing for cool weather crappie. Pitts has tried a wide range of rod lengths and line weights and he has found a general setup that tends to work for him.

“I like a lighter line. Six or eight-pound Vicious line is my choice. I use the eight-pound line when I’m fishing heavy timber and structure to help get jigs back from limbs and other stuff when they get hung up- and you will get hung up if you’re fishing right,” Pitts pointed out.

Pitts added, “High Vis line is very important for winter crappie fishing. You’ve got to watch your line at all times, and high-vis line allows you to see subtle crappie takes that you won’t even feel. When that line twitches or moves at all, set the hook!”

As for rod choice, Pitts likes a seven-foot rod so he doesn’t have to move the rod a lot to give some motion to the jig below.

A shorter rod requires much more action from the angler to move the lure. Using a longer rod means a little move on the part of the angler provides a more pronounced movement to the

Cold Water Crappie- Cold Water Crappie- They Don’t Ever Stop Biting so Don’t Stop Fishing

needed to keep the bait in proper position.

Also, when the crappie are just slow to bite and don’t seem interested in any color jig, Pitts recommends anglers to tip the jig with a live minnow and lower it to the fish. Crappie generally cannot refuse a live minnow presented to them in this way.

AND ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF WINTER CRAPPIE On my cold-weather crappie fishing trip with Pitts, I wasn’t comfortable because I didn’t come prepared for the conditions, but we caught enough crappie as the day went on to keep my interest and my effort going.

And even though Pitts felt sorry for me as I shivered in the north wind, he didn’t offer to come in. He just reminded me, “It never gets too cold for crappie. Crappie never take a break from eating.”

I kept this thought in mind all day, and later that night when the crappie had been filleted and fried up right, I found again that cold water crappie are just about the best tasting fish. And if the crappie never take a break from eating, I didn’t take much of a break from eating crappie that night, either.

Important Contact Information

Here’s what we’re after. A mess of cold water crappie are superb eating.

lure below.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS No two days of cold weather crappie fishing are the same, and sometimes anglers looking for the wintertime crappie have to make some adjustments.

Even though most anglers like to get on the water at the break of dawn, even in cold weather, waiting until mid-day might be the better call. Winter crappie are not as sensitive to light as other times of the year, and since they are usually holding in deep water anyway, the sunlight above is not as big a factor to the crappie bite. And mid-day can be a lot more comfortable for the angler.

Also, crappie chasers who are fishing in lakes and reservoirs which have moving water need to pay attention to currents caused by water coming in or going out through dams generating electricity, for instance. Crappie tend to bite better when there’s a little water movement. This can present problems when vertically fishing over brush and other tough cover as the current can move the jigs into the hang-up stuff. Pitts advises anglers who are hanging up in current water to try a trick he uses. First, make a double jig rig, but instead of using a light jig on the bottom, use a 1/8 to ¼ oz jig on the bottom. This heavier jig will help keep the line straight and the jigs from being moved into the cover quite as badly. This is basically a drop-shot rig that uses a jig instead of the usual sinker. If the current is really ripping, as much as ½ oz jig or sinker may be

Captain Lee Pitts leepitts@live.com 256-390-4145

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BEGINNING E-COLLAR TRAINING TECHNIQUES

BY STEPHANIE MALLORY

18 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

HUNTING

Hunting dogs don’t come with a manual, and while wonderful, they each have their own set of challenges.

Does your dog ignore you, steal food from the table or refuse to come when you’re in the field hunting game? These challenges and others can be addressed with an e-collar.

What exactly is an e-collar? It’s a remote training system that consists of a wireless remote and wireless receiver that allows you to remotely send signals to your dog to help it understand the difference between good and bad behavior.

E-collars are safe and effective training tools, which you can use to make corrections suited to your dog’s temperament and the situation. They can help in creating a happy and willing hunting dog that responds quickly to commands, whether at a distance or when distracted.

What is an e-collar not? It’s not a device that should be used as a form of punishment.

“You can ruin your dog if you don’t know how to properly use an e-collar or if you use it as a punishment,” says Tyler Webster with the Birds, Booze & Buds Podcast. “It should be used to reinforce commands the dog already knows. I’ve seen guys put an e-collar on a dog and use it to punish a dog that hasn’t been trained and doesn’t know what it’s done wrong.

The dog needs to understand what you expect and know the commands before you implement an e-collar.”

Webster doesn’t necessarily consider himself an expert on dog training, but does consider himself an authority on hunting dogs and says e-collars offer a multitude of benefits.

“Most training collars today have a beeper and vibration function,” Webster said. “You can teach the dogs that the vibration means one thing and the beep means another. I’ve trained my dogs that the beep means they should come back to me, and I use the vibration in a trash-breaking situation, such as when they’re chasing a deer or pointing at a racoon. I also use the vibrate function to get them to stop barking when they’re in their kennels. The functions can have a multitude of uses.”

He said when it comes to training collars, it all starts with conditioning the dog to understand what the correction on the collar means. He starts training his dogs when they are very young, but he doesn’t start them off with an e-collar.

“I start training them using a check cord, which is a length of rope with a snap on it that connects me to the dog. If the dog is doing something it shouldn’t, I can pull back on the cord to stop that behavior. It acts as an extension of my arm. Then, once I’ve completed training with the check cord, I transition to the training collar.”

Webster begins training his puppies when they are approx877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 19

Beginning E-Collar Training Techniques

imately 8- to 10-weeks old, and says it’s amazing how fast they learn. He said when you start training one puppy with a cord, the others in the litter will learn as well.

“The cord essentially works as an emergency break,” he said.

“By tugging on the cord, I can stop an undesirable behavior.

When a puppy pulls on another puppy’s lead, the puppy on the lead will submit and walk alongside the puppy pulling it.”

He says he starts transitioning from the cord to the e-collar when the puppy gives him a reason to, such as when it’s getting too big and too fast to catch. Use the e-collar just like you used the cord – give the same commands and use the beep or vibrate function to get the dog’s attention.

Once your dog becomes accustomed to the e-collar, it can work as an invaluable tool -- both for getting your dog to follow your commands and for keeping it safe. Every dog should know the “stop” and “woah” command.

“When your dog is outside, you never know what can happen,” Webster said. “You can sometimes see a problem before the dog does, and you can prevent that problem from occurring with the collar. For example, if your dog is running toward the road while chasing a bird and it doesn’t see a car coming, you can use the e-collar to stop him before he gets in harm’s way. Or, if your dog is running hard and hunting, it may not be looking at what’s right in front of it, such as a barbed-wire fence. You can use the e-collar to protect your dog in that type of situation as well.”

20 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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Beginning E-Collar Training Techniques

Webster says one of his favorite features of an e-collar is that you can use it on multiple dogs.

“I like a multiple-dog unit,” he said. “One of my favorite units, the Dogtra T&B DUAL, which includes two collars that run off the same remote. There are two sets of buttons on that one remote, so I can use it on two dogs. Not having to manage two remotes makes my life a lot simpler. “ Webster said he also likes the wide range of stimulation offered by the Dogtra collars.

“You can dial the stimulation levels from 0 to 127. You want to find a point that the dog feels the stimulation, but it doesn’t hurt it,” Webster pointed out. “It should just feel like a tap on the neck. There’s a perfect number for each dog. My little female dog only takes a 20, while my two bigger males are in the mid 30s.”

There’s another type of e-collar that is invaluable to hunters as well, and that’s the GPS collar. Many dog owners who hunt rough grouse in the East in thick cover rely heavily on GPS collars.

“DOGTRA has one called the PATHFINDER that runs off your cell phone . You can use Google Earth to see what your dog is doing,” Webster said. “It will let you know if your bird dog is on point, your coon dog is treed or if your dog gets hung up somewhere. A trainer friend of mine just told me about a guy down in Arizona who’s dog fell in mine trap.

Without GPS, he would have never been able to locate and save his dog.”

E-collars have a multitude of benefits and Webster says when it comes down to using them, you should always remember one very important point.

“Your dog should never cringe when it sees the collar. It should be excited to put one on, because it associates the collar with getting outside and having fun.”

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 21

Picking the Best Choke Tubes for Duck Hunting Different Situations

BY CHARLES JOHNSON

Waterfowlers can select the best choke tube to optimize their hunting situation.

Begin a discussion among waterfowl hunters and the talk usually leans toward shotguns and the various duck ammunition available. While these are important subjects in duck hunting, oftentimes one area is overlooked and that is choke tubes.

Most duck hunters don’t realize that the type of choke tube they use can make a difference in a clean kill or just shaking loose a bunch of feathers. In recent years there have been major strides in technological advancement in firearms and shotshells.

However, interchangeable choke tubes are an important part of the duck hunting equation. Waterfowl shooters will want to utilize the best choke tube to maximize their opportunity when in the duck blind.

WHAT DO CHOKE TUBES DO 22 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

A choke in a shotgun is a constriction in the barrel usually a few inches from the muzzle. All shotgun barrels have some type of constriction or choke which is either machined in the barrel or a screw-in style or interchangeable. The exception would be a barrel with a cylinder bore for which would be no constriction. It is basically a straight tube.

For our reference here, we will be discussing the interchangeable type of choke tube that screws into the muzzle end of the barrel.

As the shell is fired, the shot travels down the barrel and it is the job of the choke to constrict or squeeze the shot before it leaves the barrel. This compression helps hold the shot in a pattern down range. The tighter the choke or compression the tighter the pattern will be up to a certain point.

HUNTING He believes that too tight of a choke when shooting steel shot can blow out the shot pattern. This will cause misses or worse cripple birds. A modified choke is about as tight of a choke duck hunter should use.

Steel shot are much harder than lead and don’t compress as much when travelling through the choke tube.

Some duck hunters prefer the tungsten or heavy shot for waterfowl shooting. This material is harder than lead and almost as dense retaining more energy than steel downrange.

FINDING YOUR OPTIMUM CHOKE Waterfowl hunters can take a tip from turkey hunters in determining the best performing choke tube for their shotgun. Turkey hunters will visit the range with a few choke tubes and several different brands and shot sizes of turkey loads. They can check the shot pattern for their gun using a standard target by shooting different loads.

Duck hunters should do the same using different choke sizes and shot sizes/loads to determine which choke and load performs the best in their duck gun.

“Hunters should try to get the densest pattern possible in a 25-inch circle,” Patty advised. “The distance should be around 25- to 30- yards.”

A good rule-of-thumb for pattern density is for around 60% of the shot to hit inside a 25- inch circle. There are approximately 187 pellets of steel shot in a standard 1 ½ ounce #2 size shell. At 60% that means there should be around 112 holes inside that 25-inch circle target.

Duck hunters will want to shoot different shot sizes and loads at varying distances to determine which load will be a top performer for their hunting style and conditions.

Each shotshell brand, size and weight will pattern differently. Choke tube brands, and styles will shoot varying patterns.

“Choke sizes are related to lead shot,” mentions Richard Patty, master sporting clays champion and owner of Shotgun Sports in Anniston, Alabama. “When shooting steel shot, the effects of the choke becomes tighter.

There are three common choke sizes, full, modified and improved cylinder. A full choke is a tight constriction, with the modified slightly more open and the improved cylinder choke is more open and less constriction than the modified choke.

There are variations to these standard choke sizes. Turkey hunters often opt for an extra-full or super-full choke tube for gobblers. However, these ultra-tight choke restrictions on steel or heavy shot could damage the barrel and cause injury to the shooter.

“Generally, when shooting steel shot the choke acts like it is two sizes tighter than when shooting the same size lead shot,’ Patty said..

Waterfowl shooters need to spend the extra time at the pattern board to check and verify which choke and duck load will work best for their shotgun if they want to come home with a full bag. Also, every shotgun and choke combo will not shoot the same pattern. The setup of your hunting buddy won’t be the same for you.

For example, shooting wood ducks in flooded timber or fast flying teal may require a more open choke like an improved cylinder. The shot pattern may be a little more open and more forgiving for close in shots.

ADVANTAGES OF CHOKE TUBES There are many different styles of choke tubes available for duck hunters. Choke tubes are either flush mount or extended. The flush mount screws in the muzzle of the barrel and seats even or flush with the end of the barrel.

Extended choke tubes project from around two to four inches from the barrel end.

Some duck shooters feel the extended tube provides a more consistent pattern from shot to shot. The shot pellets are gradually constricted in an extended tube compared to 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 23

Best Choke Tubes for Duck Hunting in Any Situation

The correct screw in choke tube will help improve any duck hunter’s shotgun

a shorter flush mount.

“With a flush mount tube, a choke tool or wrench is required to change out the tube,” advises Arlie Fortner, Manager of Shotgun Sports. “With most extended tubes, they can be changed out by hand.”

In changing hunting conditions or locations waterfowlers may want to change their extended tube to be better suited for the conditions.

Fortner mentions that several choke tube manufacturers offer their extended tubes in pairs, each with a different constriction.

Some of the more popular brands of choke tubes for ducks are Jebs, Kicks High-Flyer, Patternmaster, TruGlo Titan and Mueller Waterfowler. Prices can vary from around $30 each to over $100 depending on brand and type.

“There are specialty duck load shells that can provide excellent patterns with most choke tubes,” Fortner said..

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24 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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Best Choke Tubes for Duck Hunting in Any Situation

Federal Black Cloud, Winchester Blind Side and Kent Tungsten Matrix are some popular brands among waterfowl hunters.

Another advantage of extended choke tubes that are ported can reduce the recoil and muzzle movement when shooting. This can help hunters stay on target and make it easier for an accurate follow up shot if needed.

Always use some type of anti-seize lubricant on the threads before installing a choke tube.

Whether using a flush mount tube or extended, hunters should use an anti-seize lubricant on the choke threads. This will keep the tube from becoming cinched in the barrel. Also, if the choke tube and barrel muzzle has been exposed to water, after the hunt remove the tube, clean and re-apply the lube.

Whenever installing or removing a choke tube, always make certain the firearm is unloaded. Also, do not over-tighten the choke tube. Special choke cases should be used to protect the threads when carrying extra tubes on a hunt.

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For more info on the events or CCA Alabama www.ccaalabama.org 251-478-3474 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 25

Saltwater River Redfish and Sp

BY CAPTAIN BOBBY ABRUSCATO

Jonathan Phillips, pictured here, finds crappie out in the middles of lakes and rivers where most crappie fishermen never will fish.

26 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

FISHING

r Fishing Tips for peckled Trout A fellow pulled up to me as I was gassing up my Skeeter one cold winter afternoon and asked “Did you really go fishing in this weather? You must be crazy!”

He was right on both accounts. Yes, I did go fishing and, well people who know me can attest to his other comment. I couldn’t help but manage a smile as the mid-winter trip in an area tidal river had been a huge success; moreover, there were several other “crazy” people out there with me and we were all catching fish.

Cold weather inshore fishing is something that many savvy inshore anglers look forward to each year. We know that the estuaries get loaded with speckled trout and redfish that can be caught very effectively by applying a few tactics that specific to this time of the year.

Tidal rivers and estuary systems are where you’ll want to target the inshore species of fish during the mid-winter season. The river systems have everything that the fish need in order to survive the cold weather. Because they are not spawning, they don’t need a high salinity environment. The salinity levels that they do need are available to them even during periods of both local and upstate rain. All of the rivers have deep areas that hold pockets of the denser salt water where the fish can get to during the heavy rain events that regularly occur during the winter months.

Those same deep areas also provide stable water temperatures when the air temperatures reach extreme cold ranges because deeper water columns take longer to cool than narrow water columns. When the water temperatures drop below the 62 degree range, which occurs during the winter, you’ll find speckled trout relating to the deepest areas relative to the system that you are fishing in.

If you are just learning a river system, pay close attention to your bottom machine as you navigate through the system and take note of the location of the river channels, ledges and holes.

Typically, the deepest areas are in the river bends and there is a gradual and a steep drop off on either side of the river. All are important to note as the fish will be in certain areas as weather systems move through. The day after a strong front, you’ll be best to focus on the deep holes and steeper sides of the river. A couple of days after a front is generally the best time to fish if

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 27

Saltwater River Fishing Tips for Redfish and Speckled Trout

the areas river systems. Concentrate on keeping the lure in contact with the bottom. The good jig fisherman can “feel” the bottom with the jig. Poor jig fishermen like myself, have to watch the line. In my case, I really have to keep an eye on the line waiting for it to go slack before I begin the retrieve.

There is going to be the one occasion where a stupid color like “electric drunk monkey with a chicken on a chain” or something like that is needed, but 99% of the time chartreuse or root beer will one of the only colors that you’ll need.

In water depths of eight feet or less, such as a couple of days after a front or in a system where that is the deepest water, I have never found a lure that works as well as the Slick Lure from Pure Flats LLC. The lure mimics, in an uncanny fashion, a finfish like a mullet. They are available in an assortment of colors that will cover any water color. Most of the time I prefer the “Bcat” which is pearl/white with a chartreuse tail and switch to pink with a chartreuse tail in clear or clear/tannic water. Use the Owner 4/0 “Beast” hook with a 1/8 oz. weight and be sure to rig the lure so it lays flat, which will prevent it from spinning. You’ll want to drag the lure close to the boat right after rigging it. The action should be side-to-side and not spinning or coming to the surface. An adjustment to the way the hook goes through the lure is all need you’ll need to do in order to get it working properly. I present the lure by slowly reeling it in with occasional gentle “twitches and jerks” of the rod tip.

On warm, pre-front days, look for bait activity and fish slicks on the shallow flats adjacent to the river channels. The Slick Lure will work very well here again. Usually, you’ll have cloud cover, higher water levels and wind on those days. Top

you can schedule to go. By then the wind has usually laid and the fish have begun to move. You’ll find speckled trout on the more gradually inclining sides of the rivers and they will be there for a few days after the front. On pre-front days, you may even find that the trout have moved all the way out onto the flats adjacent to the main river channels.

The proper gear is never more important anytime than for winter fishing.

All three of the winter time periods around the frontal systems require different techniques to put fish in the boat. A jig on a lead head is going to out-perform anything when fishing water depths greater than eight feet. This will most often be the day of or after a strong front, especially when the air temperature has really dropped and the skies are bluebird. I prefer GULP and Powerbait jigs from Berkley. They are scented which helps the fish hold on longer so I can get the hook set. ¼ or 3/8 oz. jig heads are usually heavy enough to fish any of 28 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

HOG RUSH

Saltwater River Fishing Tips for Redfish and Speckled Trout

“THERE WILL BE BLOOD”

water plugs and even shrimp imitations under a popping cork work well when the fish are very shallow.

The proper gear is never more important anytime than for winter fishing. For rod and reels I use both spinning and casting.

My spinning reels are 2000 size Penn Conflict spooled with either 12# Nanofil or Fireline Ultra 8. Both have very little stretch, cast a long way and don’t get wind knots. On both lines I tie a 2-3 foot 20# fluorocarbon leader and attach the lure with a loop knot. My casting reels are REVO STX from Abu Garcia. On the casting reels I use 10# Professional Grade Fluorocarbon from Berkley. The flouro has features that make it dynamite for winter fishing. It is very strong, has little stretch and sinks. The rods are 7’ or 7’3” medium or medium fast action. The softer action rods act like a shock absorber which compensates for the low stretch line when a big fish is on and shaking his head.

Rods, reels and lures are obviously necessary for any fishing trip, but even the best equipment may as well be left at home if you are miserable on the water. Dressing properly makes a cold day on the water much easier to enjoy. I tell my clients to add one more layer of clothes once they think they have enough on. The cold is magnified many times when running in a boat in the cold, pre-dawn darkness. You can always take it off, but you can’t put it on if you don’t have it. Dress in layers, be sure to have a cover for your head and don’t skimp on winter footwear. Quality insulated shoes or boots with wool socks are a must for a day on the water with air temps in the 30’s.

Lastly, even Olympic medalist Michael Phelps couldn’t swim for long with a bunch of clothes and boots on. We wear the fanny pack inflatable life vests on winter trips. They are unobtrusive and will save your life if you fall in during the winter.

A good one is less than $80.00 at any retailer of outdoor products. I provide them for my winter charters and require that they wear them while we are on the boat.

The smile was on my face even after I left the gas station. The poor fellow didn’t have a clue what he was missing by not fishing during the winter. It made me wonder- “which one of us was really the crazy one?”

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www.HOGRUSH.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 29

30 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

HUNTING

How to Hunt Deer Midday

BY CHARLES JOHNSON Deer can’t stay bedded down all day and it can work to your advantage to just “stay put”.

We humans are creatures of habit. We drive to work using the same path each day, visit the same restaurants and order the same coffee.

Almost everything we do is by habit. Our manner of living is not haphazard. As some old timers say, “We have become set in our ways.” And, like a gun-shy bird dog, old habits can be hard to break.

Deer also can be creatures of habit, especially mature bucks, at least until hunters arrive in their home areas and begin to disturb their habits or patterns.

Deer change their habits in order to survive. They learn the sounds of truck doors slamming, loud talking and the putrid odor that walking-upright creatures emit.

After only a few weeks of hunting pressure, deer (especially bucks) learn areas to avoid and when the best time to take a stroll. They have learned the hunter’s habits and know around midday is a good time to move about and get a bite to eat along the way.

WHY HUNT MIDDAY BUCKS? It is a known fact that deer move during the midday hours.

Studies have shown that deer are primarily crepuscular; that is, they move in the early morning and late afternoon during the twilight hours. Research has also shown deer movement to peak again from around 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some factors can alter these times, such as weather conditions, the rut and hunting pressure.

“If it’s a good weather day I will stay in my stand later,” mentions Andy Barker of Munford, Ala. “Usually by 10 a.m. other hunters are leaving for lunch and they will push deer by my stand.”

Barker says he’ll bring along some water and snacks to alleviate any hunger pangs. He says by midmorning it’s tough to stay in his stand.

But he knows the chance of a buck coming by is greater during the lunch hour. If it’s good hunting weather, it’s much easier to stay in the stand longer.

DEER, LIKE HUNTERS, CAN’T STAY BEDDED DOWN ALL DAY. By late morning, deer are ready to take a stroll, albeit not a long one, 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 31

How to Hunt a Deer Midday

to stretch their legs. Don’t expect the deer to take a mile-long walk during the midday hours. They generally will only move a couple of hundred yards and usually stay close to their bedding area.

“Deer do a better job patterning hunters than vice versa,” says Dr. James Kroll, wildlife biologist at Stephen F. Austin University in Texas. “Since most hunters are in their stand for a few hours in the morning and the last two hours of the day, bucks often move during the midday.”

As food sources dwindle, deer will travel a little farther in search of a midday snack. Hunters can set their stand sites along travel routes between bedding areas and a food source.

Yearling bucks and does are more likely to move about more than older bucks. The exception is the rut.

“During the rut, bucks can move all day,” says Barker.

“They will be up on their feet looking for does and checking scrapes.”

Barker will have a couple of stand locations already in place for hunting during midday hours. He may leave one stand around and use one stand for a morning hunt and before moving to another location for a hunt through the lunch hour.

His lunch time stand will be near a thicket or other area where deer normally bed down.

WEATHER OR NOT Changes in the weather can make a big difference in the movement of deer, including mature bucks. Through several studies, Kroll has determined that during extreme cold weather days that deer in the South will hunker down and wait for a warm up to feed. Northern deer will feed before an approaching cold front.

tions. However, when the weather breaks, that’s the time to be in your stand.

“If it’s raining I’ll sleep in,” Barker comments. “There’s no use in trying to fight it. When the storms have passed, I will head out to my stand.”

Deer will move during drizzle and light rain events and Barker says this is a good time to be on watch in/on your stand.

The rain will help keep your scent from spreading. However, it does make it difficult to hear a deer approaching. Watch the trails adjacent to any type of thick cover.

A few cold weather days strung together will have the deer headed to a food source. Leftover acorns, food plots and cut agriculture fields are choice spots to hang a midday stand.

Even on cold sunny days, deer will venture into open areas in search of food.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH There are three natural factors that will affect deer movement: food, fear and breeding.

We have mentioned the first two. However, the rut changes everything and gives cause for hunters to change their thinking and approach. Since deer could be moving anytime during the day, why shouldn’t a hunter stay on stand all day?

For some hunters this is possible. For most, physical limitations are a factor to remaining in a stand for several hours.

Thus a majority of hunters will hunt the first and last hours of the day. But wise hunters will be on stand during the midday time frame when the bucks will be up looking for a doe in estrus.

Heavy rain and storms will force deer to stay put in heavy cover. Overgrown cutovers, mangled thickets and low dense canopies are top deer holding spots in adverse weather.

“By midafternoon I will get down from my stand and stalk hunt,” Barker reports. “I’ll ease along to areas where I’ve found plenty of deer sign.”

Hunters also will have a difficult time hunting in these condi-

Barker said he may only cover a couple of hundred yards in

32 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

How to Hunt a Deer Midday

an hour. When he says ease through the woods, he means move slowly and quietly. He will use fox or coyote urine to help cover his scent. Barker likes to creep alongside of a ridge or pine thicket looking for deer entering or exiting these locales.

Creeping along, Barker will stop every 30 to 40 minutes and scan for any deer movement. He will sometimes peek over a ridge and try to spot a deer. Of course, with this tactic hunters must wear hunter orange and watch the wind. Barker advises to also try to keep the sun at your back.

After a rain or during a light rain is the best time for a stalk approach on midday deer. Dry conditions make it almost impossible to stalk quietly. Barker recommends a lightweight, soft- sole shoe or boot when stalking. He will occasionally wear a tennis type shoe.

“During dry conditions, look for creek crossings,” Barker says.

“Deer will often use the same crossing when moving from one area to another.”

Deer need water every day. Creeks, ponds and lakes are top spots to set up for thirsty midday bucks. Does will also frequent these areas and bucks usually won’t be far behind.

Search for those spots that have some type of cover nearby.

Barker also mentions when approaching your stand to do so cautiously. Scan the creek bottoms and peek around the curves in old logging roads and trails for deer. In the low hunting pressure areas, deer are not as spooky. They usually won’t move out too far if alerted.

This stalking technique works great when changing stand

locations. Many hunters clamor through the woods making noise that will alert every deer. They often enter and leave by the same route.

“When returning to my stand I will always change my direction,” Barker said. “I will come in and go out a different way, depending on the wind.”

Game cameras can be a best friend to a midday deer hunter.

Set up two or more cameras along trails or feeding areas to capture deer movement. One camera can miss some deer action. A doe may walk in front and a buck behind and not be seen in a photo.

Checking the capture times indicates when the deer are moving during midday hours.

Hunters can use this data to set new stand sights and plan their approach to their hunts. Hunters can adjust their hunting strategies on how, when and where to set their lunch date for a buck.

Do not place the trail camera directly on a deer trail. Instead, back it off about 10 to 15 yards from the trail.

Set too close, the camera can miss the shot. You’re not looking for a portrait of a deer but rather the entire deer and a time frame. After a few days, if there is no midday deer activity, move to another location.

Midday hunting can have you lunching with a buck. And when that happens you know it will be a great day outdoors.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 33

Justin Martin Shares his Christmas Gear Guide

BY GREAT DAYS OUTDOORS STAFF

Justin Martin, of the Duck Commander, shows off a Magellan Ozark whitetail hunting jacket from Academy Sports

34 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

GIFT IDEAS

Great Days Outdoors caught up with one of the Duck Commanders, Justin Martin, at Academy Sports and Outdoors in Hoover. He gave us a tour pointing out Christmas gifts any outdoor person will enjoy.

“The Magellan Mesa hunting jacket and pants are great for any hunter in Alabama,” Martin mentioned. “In the Realtree Timber camo pattern they can be used for deer, duck or turkey hunting.”

The Mesa series is a medium to light weight which allows for layering underneath on colder days outdoors. The material is waterproof and has scent control. They can be purchased separately and is available in other Realtree patterns. Each is around $89.

Every outdoor person needs a quality rain suit. And Frogg Toggs Pilot series is top notch for waterfowlers. The material is 100 percent waterproof, DriPore Gen 2 material and sealed seams offer protection from moisture. Available in Realtee Camo for around $140.

Martin mentioned that if it does get cold, Academy has you covered in a pair of insulated bib overalls. Magellan Ozark insulated overalls are available in various camo patterns including Realtree Max 5 which Martin says is a great pattern for duck hunters.

“These bibs can also be used for cold weather fishing,” Martin advised. “They have pockets high and pockets low along with zippers. They are comfortable and plenty long enough.”

The bibs can be matched with an Ozark insulated waterproof jacket with a hood. Both bibs and jackets are available in men’s and women’s sizes. Price is around $60 for each.

Martin said that a game camera is another great Christmas gift from Academy and a gift giver can choose from a base model around $60 to $70 to a few hundred for the cellular models. It depends who you are buying for.

There are several different makes and models available including Stealth Cam, Wild Game Innovations and Moultrie plus others. The trend is toward new cell cameras. Some models are cell carrier specific. Martin cautioned to make certain there is cell service in the area where the camera will be used.

Martin mentioned that pop-up hunting blinds are another gift that can be used for hunting deer, turkey and other game.

Academy carries the Game Winner and Ameristep brands.

The blinds set up quickly and are waterproof. Most sizes are large enough for two adults or an adult and a couple of kids.

Prices for pop-up blinds range from around $100 to $150.

Martin pointed out that the blinds are safer than hunting from a tree. For older hunters ground blinds are easy in and easy 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 35

Justin Martin Shares his Christmas Gear Guide

Justin Martin is a believer in the Yeti soft-sided coolers for any outdoor person.

out and ground blinds are great for hunters just starting out with hunting. The pop-up blind is super simple to set up.

A couple of top brands are Hvalon and Outdoor Edge. Prices range from around $25 to $80.

“What outdoorsman doesn’t need a good knife?,” Martin asked “Knives are a great gift for any hunter, and no-one can have too many knives.”

Rounding out his Christmas gear guide, Martín pointed out that soft-side coolers are the way to go. Academy offers Yeti brand soft-sided coolers.

Martin said that he has knives stashed everywhere, He keeps a couple in his truck and some in his boat. He prefers the type of knife with interchangeable blades. You don’t have to stop and sharpen the knife just replace the blade and you’re ready to go. Martin pointed out that he is no good at sharpening a knife. He likes to just push a button and pop in a new blade.

“Soft side coolers are great for carry-on for airlines,” Martin said. “I can cut out my backstraps, freeze them, put them in the cooler and I am ready to go.”

36 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

The Yeti soft-sided coolers come in different sizes and are available at around $200 to $300.

Justin Martin Shares his Christmas Gear Guide

Another top gift for anyone in the outdoors is a knife with replaceable blades.

Pop-up hunting blinds are the perfect gift for deer and turkey hunters.

The Magellan Mesa series camo outerwear makes a great gift for deer, turkey or duck hunters.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 37

Christmas at the Co-op Hybrid Bluebird House with Recycled Green Plastic Roof

School House Bird Feeder #9084 AFC #605731

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Barn Bird Feeder

Church Bird Feeder

3 QT. Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet Holders

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John Deere® Green and Pink Stake 36” Wagon #34637 AFC #498397

Wagons are heavy-duty steel body with pneumatic tires. Get one while supplies last!

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Schrade Camo Mini Machete This Machete is a lightweight fixed blade knife designed for easy carry while hunting or camping.

Schrade 3-Piece Knife Set

Barn with Animals & Accessories Detachable roof, doors open, and fence can be connected any way.

Farmer’s arms move. Get one while supplies last!

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1:16 John Deere 62610R Tractor with Frontier Grain Cart #46284 AFC #423413

Lights and sound requires 3 AAA batteries. Steerable front axle.

Tractor windshield opens for scess to steering wheel. Cart features working auger and unloading door.

This set features a folder, fixed blade, and axe. These will be useful for hunting, camping or just general outdoor use.

Uncle Henry Limited Edition Gift Set

Old Timer Limited Edition Gift Set

3 traditional Pocket knives that are idea for camping, everyday carry, as well as most outdoor activity.

3 traditional Pocket knives that are idea for camping, everyday carry, as well as most outdoor activity.

Old Timer 152ot Sharpfinger and 720T Dog Leg Jack Knife Set

Pet In-Ground Fence for Stubborn Dogs

For dogs 8 lbs. and up. 5 adjustable, higher-intensity levels of static correction. Tone-only mode alerts your pet with a beep. Waterproof receiver collar. Expandable up to 10 acres with additional wire

AS105 Dog Trainer

Range up to 100 yards. Waterproof receiver.

Water-resistant transmitter. Replacement batteries.

Operating quide included.

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ALAFARM DOG FOOD Premium Adult Dog Food 26-18 26% Protein - 18% Crude Fat - 50 lb. bag

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Puppy Food 30-20

30% Protein - 20% Crude Fat - 25 lb. bag

Wireless Pet Containment System This system is simple, yet effective alternative to traditional outdoor fencing or buried wire fencing.

Instead of using spools of boundry of wire around your yard, it uses radio frequency to guard your pet against straying. This system is also portable.

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SS22-MBE

AFC #400302

WG Shadow 18 MP Adaptive illumination and exposure control automatically adjust for incredible image quality so you never miss a tine or a tail. Easily mounts to any tree or fence post.

AFC #409979

AFC #407600 22 gun. Electronic 2-way locking system with 1� live action locking bolts. Adjustable Shelves. Fully carpeted interior. Black textured finish. Patented barrel rest and standoffs.

Big Foot Hang On

Ameristep Chair Blind Simplify your load with this chair blind. No assembly required, and only one piece of gear to keep track of.

Include a convenient carrying case and a shoulder strap for easy transport.

AFC #409977

Floating seat made from durable TearTuff mesh to provide hours of comfort.

Larger platform and footrest.

This tree stand will give you plenty of space and added comfort

AFC #461425

WG Vison 14 MP

Perform better than ever this hunting season with Wildgame Innovations Vision 14 Lightsout 14MP Infared Game Camera. Features .5 second trigger speed, 70 ft. range and black infrared flash capture.

AFC #458840

WEDNESDAYS • 5 P.M. CENTRAL Sunday, Central Time

Alabama Stations and times

T E L E V I S I O N S H O W

Market Montgomery Mobile Dothan Birmingham Columbus, GA Huntsville

Station WSFA-TV 12 WPMI-TV WTVY-TV 4 WBMA-TV 33/40 WLTZ-TV 38 WAFF-TV 48

Time 6 AM 6 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 9 AM

www.SimplySouthernTV.net

www.alafarm.com

MID STATE STOCKYARD

Contact your local CO-OP store for all of your farming, hunting, or gardening needs!

Albertville Andalusia Arab Ashford Ashville Athens Atmore Blountstowon, FL Centre Columbiana Courtland Crossville Decatur Demopolis Elba Elberta Enterprise Faunsdale Fayette Florala Florence Frisco City Geneva Goshen Greenville Haleyville Hamilton Hartford Hartselle Hazel Green Headland Holly Pond Jacksonville Jasper Jay, FL Leighton Leroy Lineville Live Oak, FL Luverne Lynnville, TN Madison, FL Meridianville Moulton Northport Notasulga Oneonta Opp Pell City Piedmont Pulaski, TN Rainsville Rogersville Scottsboro Selma Stevenson Talladega Troy Tuscumbia Wedowee Wetumpka

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NEW GEAR

BY WILLIAM KENDY

Fish Monkey Introduced a New Full Finger Wooly Fishing Glove

Fish Monkey has added a full finger wool model to its Wooly series. Offering unmatched fit and comfort, these breathable wool gloves can absorb up 30% of their weight in water without feeling heavy or damp. Because wool in a natural insulator and its fibers wick moisture away keeping your hands stay warm even when wet.

Suggested Retail Price: $19.95 (Half Glove) - $24.95 (Full Glove) Fishmonkeygloves.net

Announcing the New Sen-X Onyx Tactical Crossbow

The Sen-X onyx by Steamboat tactical crossbow is powered is one of the most powerful hunting crossbows in the world. Powered by a compressed air system with a referable tank the Onyx features a one-push automatic cocking system which means you can cock your crossbow by simply pushing a button. Its 225 pound draw weight delivers an arrow speed of 330 feet per second.

Suggested Retail Price: $1,599.99 Airventuri.com

Protect Your Saltwater Lures with the Plano Rustrictor™

If you fish saltwater, you know the importance of washing tackle after every outing but that doesn’t always happen. Now, Plano has a new tackle box that helps prevent neglected lures from rusting away. Once closed the Rustrictor™ box fills up with a Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor vapor, whose ions create a 360° wall of protection and stops rust before it can start.

Suggest Retail Price (Depending on size): $5.99 - $14.99 www.planomolding.com

Late Drop Persimmons from Chestnut Hill Outdoors

When it comes to favorite deer foods, persimmons are at the top of the menu. Now Chestnut Hill Outdoors has created their “Deer Candy” collection of several American persimmon varieties, including “late drop” deer magnet trees to extend a whitetail’s seasonal dinner hour.

All the persimmons are grafted female trees which results in rapid growth of 1 ¼ - 1 ½ inch diameter fruit in 2-3 years.

Suggested Retail Price: Varies by Quantity ChestnutHillOutdoors.com

Winchester Adds True Timber Strata to the XPR Line

The new Winchester XPR® Hunter TrueTimber® Strata™ bolt-action rifle offers versatile concealment in an accurate, value driven package. It sports a free-floating, chromoly button rifled steel barrel hardened steel action with a Nickel Teflon® coated bolt with a short 60° lift. The action, barrel and bolt handle have a flat, dark earth Perma-Cote™ finish that complements the TrueTimber® Strata™ camouflaged composite stock.

Suggested Retail Price: $599.99 Winchesterguns.com 40 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

NEW GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN

Okuma Reintroduces Cedros Spinning Reels

The Okuma Cedros is lighter, stronger and sleeker than ever and features a rigid and corrosion resistant magnesium and aluminum alloy construction. Available in three classes, 8,000, 10,000 and 14,000, the reels have a precision dual force drag system (44 pounds of pure drag), dual anti-reverse, a manual bail trip function for ultimate reliability, multi-disc drag adjustment and more.

Suggested Retail Price: $159.00-$179.99 (Depending on size) OkumafishingUSA.com

Now, RV Mattresses You Can Actually Sleep on

Designed specifically for RVs, travel trailers and fifth wheels the Brooklyn Wanderlust Memory Foam mattress is constructed with a top layer of memory foam and delivers enhanced contouring with pressure point relief.

A cool gel infusion, coupled with open cell technology for increased airflow and breathability ensures a temperature neutral sleeping environment, all created with a high-density foam base for durability and stability.

Suggested Retail Price: From $149.00. rvmattress.com

Helinox Offers Lightweight, portable Outdoor Comfort

The lightweight, portable yet durable Helinox camp chair is a must for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities. Weighing in at 2.1 pounds, the Helinox packs down to roughly the size of a water bottle (4”x4”x 14” in its case) and will hold up to 320 pounds. It is weather and UV-resistant, it’s aluminum pole frame makes for quick seup and accessories are available Suggested Retail Price: Starting from $70.00 helinox.com

High Performance Footwear Designed for Off-Shore Anglers

The XTRATUF 6 inch Ankle Deck Boot collection is specifically crafted for Off-Shore anglers who have to keep their footing and perform in often less than easy conditions.

These lightweight, waterproof slip-on boots incorporate a slip-resistant Chevron outsole, an XPRESSCOOL™ liner for additional comfort, pull-on tabs and weigh approximately 3.16 pounds. They are perfect for use in any marine situation that requires slip resistant footwear.

Suggested Retail Price: Starting at $80.00 xtratuf.com

HuntWise™ Adds Brands to $500,000 Giveaway

HuntWise™, a digital platform for the hunting industry, has added four national product brands to its HuntWise 500K Giveaway, where lucky entrants can win the hunt of a lifetime along with other products The app, used by over 1.5 million hunters, offers peak hunting time predictions for popular North American game, as well as advanced GPS mapping tools which also allows for interactive 3D renderings of hunting land.

For additional information: HuntWise.com/Giveaway 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 41

Think of ADCNR for Unique Christmas Gifts State Parks gift cards make perfect stocking stuffers

It’s time to get into that Christmas spirit again, and, as we get a little older, it becomes more about the giving of gifts than receiving them.

As anyone who has friends and relatives who love the outdoors knows, it can be increasingly difficult to find gifts that those loved ones don’t already have.

Let me offer a few gift ideas that might not come to mind that the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) has available.

BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources

park atop Cheaha Mountain provides spectacular sunsets and picturesque waterfalls. The park offers overnight guests and day visitors an array of activities as well as opportunities to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

For those who love waterfalls, DeSoto State Park is the place to visit, with numerous waterfalls near the lodge and cabins. The spectacular DeSoto Falls is only a short drive from the park and will have you marveling at the sight of the water cascading into the West Fork of Little River.

Alabama boasts one of the best State Parks systems around with a chance to enjoy nature and the inherent peaceful surroundings in diverse settings. It’s difficult to imagine that one can find so much variety in one state, but that’s what we’re blessed with in Alabama.

If watching a river flow provides the retreat you desire, consider one of two resort parks on the Tennessee River – Joe Wheeler State Park and Lake Guntersville State Park.

A unique Christmas gift could be an Alabama State Parks gift card, which can now be purchased online at https:// alapark.cardfoundry.com/giftcards. php. The Parks gift cards also can be purchased onsite at credit/debit/gift card machines located in 16 of our 21 State Parks. The cards can be purchased for any amount from $10 to $1,000.

Wheeler is a 2,550-acre resort park on the shores of Wheeler Lake with a waterfront lodge with restaurant and convention facilities, championship 18-hole golf course and clubhouse, fullservice marina with permanent and overnight docking slips, modern and primitive camping, lakeside cottages, cabins and a rustic group lodge.

With that gift card, the recipient could stay at Cheaha State Park on the top of Alabama’s highest elevation with breathtaking views and numerous recreational activities. This 2,799-acre

Guntersville overlooks one of the best bass fishing lakes in the nation, but that’s just part of the allure of this 6,000-acre park, which sits atop Taylor Mountain.

An 18-hole championship golf course,

42 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

FROM THE COMMISSIONER a beach complex, an outdoor nature center and 36 miles of hiking and biking trails are among Guntersville’s amenities.

The park offers a unique opportunity to view and learn about the majestic bald eagle. The Eagle Awareness program is held at the park on select weekends in January through the first weekend in February to educate the public and actually view America’s national symbol.

Another resort park to consider is Lakepoint State Park on the banks of Lake Eufaula, another of the nation’s top lakes for a variety of fishing activities. The renovated Lakepoint Resort Lodge and Convention Center has an adjoining 101 hotel rooms, while the park also offers 29 cabins and 10 lakeside cottages.

When it comes to the attraction of “toes in the sand,” nothing compares to Gulf State Park. The gift cards are not valid at the concessionaire properties (The Lodge at Gulf State Park, the Eagle Cottages and cabins), but the card can be used at the extensive campground facilities for recreational vehicles (496 improved sites) and primitive camping while you take advantage of the park’s many features, like the Nature Center, the Learning Campus and Interpretive Center, Beachside Pavilion and the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail.

And don’t forget the Gulf State Park pier, which extends 1,540 feet into the Gulf and offers a wide variety of saltwater fishing opportunities.

As you can see, an Alabama State Parks gift card is a great idea, but that’s not all ADCNR has to offer.

A great gift for those who love to hunt and/or fish is a lifetime license for Alabama residents.

For those who fall in the age category of 12 to 49, a lifetime freshwater fishing license will cost only $292.35. If you want to participate in a wide variety of outdoors activities, a lifetime hunting, saltwater and freshwater fishing and state duck stamp license is $1,460.70. The lifetime licenses also include a Lifetime Wildlife Heritage License that covers wildlife management areas (free WMA permit required) and ADCNR’s public shooting ranges and community archery parks.

If you want to purchase a lifetime license for a child or grandchild under 2, that lifetime license that covers hunting, fishing and state waterfowl will cost you $970.65, a substantial savings over that youngster’s lifetime.

Those who love collectibles should consider the new license hard cards that are available with a variety of wildlife scenes.

For an additional $5 fee, purchasers can select from eight different cards that depict scenes including deer, turkey, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, wildlife heritage with an indigo bunting, sandhill crane and shooting sports. The inaugural bait privilege license sports a deer and feral pig.

If you’re still stumped on a gift, head down to your local retailer and grab the latest hunting and fishing gear. Or, you might want to consider a kayak, the fastest-growing trend in fishing.

Whatever ends up under your tree, Merry Christmas!

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 43

I Never Thought I Would See The Day

“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one is watching—even when doing the wrong thing is legal.”—Aldo Leopold A Sand County Almanac

BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)

We are currently dealing with many difficult issues that relate to sound wildlife and fisheries management, from the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) to the Asian carp invasion. No species is immune from the dangers of habitat loss, disease, invasive species competition, or commercial exploitation.

As the state agency tasked with managing most of the species, we have conservation minded individuals looking to us to base our management recommendations on a sound scientific foundation.

As if these issues aren’t enough to stress the health and sustainability of our natural resources and stretch our budget and manpower thin, there is an 800-pound gorilla in the room that most sportsmen don’t consider. In their defense, until I took this job, I didn’t notice it either.

The one thing that is usually left out of the conversation around the campfire or Facebook forum is the political aspect of wildlife management. Very early in my tenure, I was given an invaluable piece of advice from a seasoned veteran Director from Texas. He told me a very eloquent story of him going before a judge on a deer hunting issue and pleading the state’s case for a change from the status quo. In his concluding statement

44 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

he said, “Your Honor, we have wildlife science on our side.” Much to his dismay, the judge told him that he practiced political science, not wildlife science, and his form of science was definitely not on the state’s side.

For a biologist, that’s a pretty hard pill to swallow. But, as with the critters we manage, we either adapt or die. So, I’m learning how to maneuver through the political minefields. Let me give you an Alabama example of what I’m talking about. For the past several decades, many of the issues that have been brought before the Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) each year have centered around dog deer hunting. Let me make one thing perfectly clear, the complaints are not against the practice of hunting with dogs; they are against someone’s dog interfering with their enjoyment of their personal property.

In response to these complaints, many areas have been completely closed to dog deer hunting, while others were placed on a permit system created by the CAB. The permit system required any group desiring to hunt deer with dogs to provide the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Law En-

FROM THE DIRECTOR forcement section with maps of their property and a list of all individuals hunting the property. If complaints continued to be filed against the group, their permit would be revoked, and they could no longer hunt with dogs.

Although the permit system has been extremely effective, it is still not a perfect answer. In short, the permit system penalizes entire counties or areas of counties and in turn some innocent individuals or groups have been penalized for the actions of others in their county. Therefore, the CAB has been working diligently on an alternative.

Picture yourself sitting in your favorite tree stand well before sunrise on opening morning of gun deer season. You’ve sacrificed and saved your money for the past 10 years and purchased your own 40 acres of heaven in Alabama. You spent countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears turning this property into your very own wildlife paradise, and 30 minutes after daylight a hunter who doesn’t have permission to be there walks by.

What do you do? You call the local conservation officer, who issues the trespasser a citation, and your issue is solved.

So, what happens if, instead of a hunter taking advantage of your land, it is a pack of dogs that is supposed to be on the neighboring property that runs through your property and ruins your hunt. What do you do? You catch the dogs, call the officer, and he arranges for the dogs to be returned to the neighboring hunter. What happens if this occurs next weekend or every weekend? The exact same thing because you as a landowner have no recourse.

The CAB has heard story after story like this for the past 30 years. So, they voted unanimously to create the dog encroachment regulation. This simply makes the dog owner liable for his dogs. That seems simple, doesn’t it? If a man trespasses on the property of another, he gets a citation. Why should the man who allows his dogs to repeatedly trespass on the property of another not get a citation as well?

Some would say dogs can’t read property lines. That argument left the arena with the advent of GPS collars, whistle breaking, and common sense. This is not a regulation against the practice of hunting deer with dogs. This is much more basic than that.

This is a regulation protecting private property rights, plain and simple. It punishes the careless hunter and not the entire group or county.

It took four years to even get the regulation before the Legislative Council for them to approve or disapprove. If someone had told me a Republican legislature would vote against private property rights, I would have called them a liar. But that’s exactly what happened. Despite being provided letters of support from numerous landowners and hunters as well as the Alabama Dog Hunters Association and a brilliant explanation of the history of this issue by our law enforcement chief, the committee voted down the regulation by a vote of 14 to 3.

This Legislative Council voted down private property rights in favor of politics. They basically told one group of hunters they had the right to infringe on the private property rights of others.

So, for all the landowners and conscientious dog hunters who have begged the CAB and the Department to help with the dog trespass issue, all I can say is we gave it a valiant effort and we will keep trying to solve the issue.

Despite all the issues, Alabama’s hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts can rest assured that some incredible people out there working for the benefit of our natural resources. They wake up every morning with love in their hearts for wildlife and no agenda other than making sure wildlife has a future.

They may put on a wildlife officer’s gun and badge and work long hours with very little appreciation. Or, they may be regional biologists, up before dawn driving long hours to do a survey, knowing no one will ever see their faces or ever know their names. People in coats and ties driving or flying from place to place, working every day through the political game to make sure wildlife is winning, even though, personally, they may be losing.

As sportsmen, managers, and conservationists, all you can do is hope the words of people like Aldo Leopold are being heard and followed with each thought and decision that is being made. Unfortunately, I’m afraid many of our elected officials have never read any of his works. If you as a hunter or conservation-minded individual haven’t, I urge you to. With that, I’ll leave you with one more quote that pretty much sums up the political and sociological issues we deal with daily.

“The problem, then, is how to bring about a striving for harmony with land among a people, many of whom have forgotten there is any such thing as land, among whom education and culture have become almost synonymous with landlessness.

This is the problem of conservation education.” ― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

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4500 Hwy. 77 · Southside, AL 35907 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 45

Turkeys, People, and Timber Tom Kelly, 92 years of age, author of TENTH LEGION, has released his newest book, INFINITE VARIETY.

BY CORKY PUGH Executive Director, Hunting Heritage Foundation

When Alabama native Tom Kelly penned his now-classic Tenth Legion in 1973, none of us knew that it was the beginning of what would become the first of 29 books chronicling the relationship between man and wild turkeys and forests.

His latest book, Infinite Variety, is an absolutely enthralling 128-page mix of wild turkey hunting and southern forests. Much of what he writes is based on hard-earned experience, yet much is borne of seeing things in a whole new light.

When yours truly first met Kelly at a Forestry Roundtable meeting in Mobile in the 1980s, I knew he was cut from a different cloth. He spoke his mind, cut incisively to the issues, and got there before anybody else in the room. And he wasn’t trying to show-out. He just took the matter seriously, applied his mind to it, and was not afraid to think outside the box.

HARDWOOD FORESTS Kelly’s revelations about hardwood regeneration are enough to make anybody with good sense sit up and take notice. In essence, given today’s demand for hardwood pulpwood, a landowner can reap far more benefit from naturally regenerated hardwoods than from plantation pines. And the cost of regeneration from stump-sprouted hardwoods is far less than intensive site-prep pine monoculture.

His writing is just as spot-on, and is as much so now as it was back then.

At 92, he still writes 1,000 words a day. And his 1,000 words hold more meaning than 5,000 of mine or anybody else’s.

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For those of us who hunt in Southern forests, the implications are many. Tom doesn’t go into all this, but allows us to draw our own conclusions.

HUNTING HERITAGE The relative profitability of growing hardwood will predictably result in more hardwood being grown.

Mixed pine-hardwood forests offer more diversity, far more than pure pine monoculture.

Natural regeneration results in diverse, early-successional growth. Given the fact that turkeys and deer are early-successional forest wildlife species, this bodes well for the future.

Yes, we all like to look at open-understory mature forest, but given a choice, the wild game animals we like to hunt will choose brushy, early-successional forest over park-like, open-understory mature forest just about every time.

For turkeys, the choice is nesting cover and brood-rearing habitat where brushy, weedy cover protects them from avian predators. For deer, the choice is abundant browse and cover.

Everybody likes acorns, but they are only there six weeks out of the year.

TURKEYS—SPRING AND FALL Kelly’s observations about hunting turkeys, spring and fall, resonate strongly with those of us familiar with these outdoor pursuits.

In Chapter 14 of Infinite Variety, titled, “Back Where You Were”, he writes, “One of the most difficult things to do in the woods, is to be engaged in almost anything at all out there, and then for one reason or another, you want to be able to find the same place where you were last night, when you get back there first thing the next morning in the dark.”

Sound familiar?

Kelly goes on to compare and contrast the fall turkey hunting experience with spring, and for those who enjoy both, his insight is priceless. Of course, the common denominator is the wild turkey.

Spring hunting and fall hunting are different, both are challenging, and their infinite variety is what keeps us coming back for more.

Kelly’s words sum up the difference this way: “But when you come to the spring season, you often don’t know where either hunter or turkey is, and all you have to work with is one sound, coming from a specific direction but from God knows at what distance. Things then become a different matter altogether. You now have one known and ten or twelve unknowns, and the whole world changes.”

are, continuing to call only postpones his arrival at your location, and arouses suspicion on the part of the turkey.

As Kelly puts it in Infinite Variety, “Suspicion now becomes certainty, and when a turkey becomes certain, he generally goes off somewhere a quarter of a mile away to work things out in his own head.”

Editor’s Note: Infinite Variety has something extra: a FREE audio book.

At the end of each chapter is a QR code that can be scanned with a link to Tom Kelly reading that chapter.

Infinite Variety can be ordered at www.tomkellyinc.net or 800-852-9662 for $ 35.00 + $ 7.50 priority shipping.

The Hunting Heritage Foundation is an Alabama non-profit organization established in 2011. To see what HHF stands for go to the website at www.huntingheritagefoundation.com.

You can write to us at: P. O. Box 242064, Montgomery, AL 36124, or corkypugh@mindspring.com. * The opinions expressed in this column are solely that of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff and management of Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC.

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The advice Kelly gives is worth the entire price of admission.

“Sit down, shut up, and wait for a specific sound, or sounds, to tell you which direction to begin to go in.”

His ability to boil down complex undertakings into clearly understandable courses of attainable actions is unsurpassed.

Of course, it’s easier said than done. And more often than not, the reasons we don’t kill turkeys are things we did, not things we didn’t do.

Take calling for instance. Once a turkey knows where you

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457 Dauphin Island Parkway “At the Loop” Mobile, AL 36606 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 47

J.C. Higgins, Uncle Robert and Me

A Boy, a Shotgun and a Lifetime of Memories “Settle down boy, the birds will be there when we get there,” smiled Uncle Robert, obviously recognizing my impatience. “We’ve got to finish breakfast, get dressed, make a lunch and load the dogs. Then, if you haven’t fidgeted yourself into a heart attack, we’ll leave.”

BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney

I don’t know why I was so nervous.

After all, I was thirteen years old and a bird hunting veteran. I had hunted

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quail with my uncle for the previous two days, so I figured it made me a veteran quail hunter. At least, that’s the way it seemed to this hunter.

Sopping up the last of the sawmill gravy with the remnants of a cathead biscuit, I pushed away from the table and excused myself. I hurried to the bedroom to get on my hunting clothes and be the first to the dog pen.

The crisp December air felt good as I wasted no time in rushing to the dog

THE GUN RACK from the truck in anticipation of the day’s hunt. We started hunting the fencerow at the field about fifty yards from the house. About halfway down the fencerow, Joe stopped suddenly, his muscles tensing as he went on point. Belle, seeing the liver and white statue in front of her, backed him perfectly.

As I stepped past the dogs, the birds flushed and I quickly fired one barrel and then the next. Nothing fell. Uncle Robert, to my left, raised his worn old Browning A5. In one fluid motion, he picked his bird, pulled the trigger and downed the quail. Putting the bird into his game bag, he reminded me that I had to quit trying to shoot the whole covey at once.

“Pick out one bird, swing and pull the trigger,” admonished Uncle Robert with a grin. “The sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be. You won’t have to spend all your allowance buying shotgun shells.”

My uncle took a couple of birds that I missed as we finished hunting Mr. Arthur’s farm. We headed to the Rutledge farm about an hour away. We visited with Mr. Rutledge for a few minutes then decided to eat lunch.

We quickly ate the sandwiches my aunt had fixed for us and drank all the sweet tea. We put the wrapped slices of pound cake in our vest pockets for a snack later.

We had hunted for about an hour, with no birds when Joe and Belle froze on point. Uncle Robert told the dogs “steady” and me “to ease past them to edge of the brush pile.” My heart racing, I eased past the dogs and kicked the brush. The covey exploded in a mass of whirring wings and brown bodies. Taking the safety off as I raised my shogun, I picked out one bird, put the sight just in front of him and pull the trigger. Feathers flew and five ounces of dynamite hit the ground.

My shoulders sagged as a combination of relief and exhilaration flooded my body as I took the bird from Joe’s gentle mouth. Uncle Robert was wearing a grin from ear to ear as he said “you did just find boy. Lets us find some more birds.”

pen. Joe and Belle, obviously excited, knew what was in store that day. Jumping, barking and wagging their tails all at the same time, They seemed more excited than I did.

Quickly putting our gear and dogs in the back of the faded blue truck, we started the short ride to the Tomlinson place on the edge of town. As we were parking near the tool shed at Mr. Arthur’s, he hobbled onto the back porch to greet us. No longer able to hunt, he passed the time of day with us, then wished us good luck. He settled into a worn, cane-bottom chair on the back porch to watch the dogs work the “house covey.”

Uncle Robert lowered the tailgate and the dogs leapt

It has been a lot of years since that Christmas when I was thirteen, and received a J.C. Higgins double barrel twenty gauge shotgun. It had a twenty-six inch barrel choked improved cylinder and modified. I also received hunting pants and boots as well as a hunting vest. The day after Christmas, my parents took me to the train station downtown and turned me over to the conductor for the ride to Tupelo, Mississippi. In Tupelo, my Uncle Robert had a week of quail and rabbit hunting planned for us. My dad didn’t hunt but he trusted Uncle Robert with getting me started as a hunter in the right way. I will forever be grateful to him for that.

It was a Christmas Day and a week I will never forget.

There may be a young person in your life that wants to be a hunter or fisherman but their parents don’t participate in either sport. Talk to their parents and see if they will let you mentor the youngster in the outdoors. It is a gift the child will never forget and you won’t either.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 49

BY HANK SHAW

Photos by Holly A. Heyser and Hank Shaw

Shrimp Mac and Cheese Rare is the day that I mix cheese and seafood, but shrimp mac and cheese is an exception.

Good mac and cheese sauce is easy to make. You start with a flour-and-butter roux, cook it until it’s a light beige, then mix in whole milk, half-and-half or cream.

As for cheese, I’m partial to a 50-50 mix of freshly grated cheddar and gruyere, plus a little grated pecorino or parmesan. Whatever you use, make it a mix of cheeses, Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 50 mins Ingredients • • • • •

1 pound elbows or other short pasta, cooked and drained 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small hot green chile (serrano), minced (optional)

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• • • • • • • • •

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups cream 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese, loosely packed 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, loosely packed 1/2 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese Salt and black pepper 12 ounces shrimp, peeled 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions 1. Heat the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion and saute, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chile and garlic and saute another minute. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. Add the flour to the pan and mix it in well. Cook this, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until it browns a bit.

Pour in the cream about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each time so that it’s fully incorporated.

3. Do the same with all the cheeses, adding about 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring it in before adding more. Add salt and black pepper to taste, then mix in the cooked pasta and shrimp.

4. Move all this to a casserole dish; I like to grease

CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN mine with butter, but this is not strictly necessary.

Pat the mac and cheese into the casserole and sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parsley over it all.

If you feel like adding some other seasonings, like Cajun or Cavender’s or some such, sprinkle maybe a teaspoon or two over everything now.

5. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top browns. Remove and let it sit 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: If you are using large shrimp, cut them into small pieces.

Venison Pierogis I use venison, but pretty much any meat is fine. Freeze on a baking sheet then put in a freezer bag. Boil straight from the freezer.

Prep: 2 hours • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 2 hrs 30 mins Ingredients FILLING • 3 tablespoons butter, lard, duck fat, or the cooking oil of your choice • 2 pounds venison shoulder, shank meat, or neck meat • Salt and black pepper • 1 teaspoon caraway seed • 2 celery stalks, chopped • 1 onion, chopped • 1 carrot, chopped • 2 garlic cloves, chopped • A handful of dried mushrooms • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce • A 12-ounce bottle of dark malty beer such as stout, porter, or a brown ale • 1½ cups venison or beef stock • 1 tablespoon cornstarch DOUGH • 2 large eggs • ½ cup sour cream (4 ounces) • 3 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 cup all-purpose flour (4¼ ounces) • 1 cup dark rye flour or whole wheat flour (3¾ ounces) Instructions 1. Heat the butter in a heavy, lidded pot large enough to hold the venison. Salt the meat well and brown it on all sides. Don’t crowd the pot, and do this in batches if need be. As the venison browns, remove it from the pot and set aside.

2. Add the vegetables and cook over medium heat until they begin to brown on the edges, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the Worcestershire sauce, beer, and about ½ cup of broth. Return the meat to the pot and add more

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

stock until it comes halfway up the sides of the meat.

Cover the pot and simmer gently over medium-low heat until the meat is very tender. This could be anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how old your animal was.

When the meat is ready, shred it roughly. Put 1 cup of this meat in a food processor and add 2 tablespoons of cooking liquid. Pulse until coarsely ground.

Depending on what sort of cuts you use, you may have extra meat. You can eat the rest of the meat as a cook’s snack, or drop it into soup. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve it to make gravy later. All of this can be done up to a day or two before you make the pierogis.

To make the dough, mix 1 egg, sour cream, and melted butter into one bowl, and the remaining ingredients into another bowl. Stir the wet into the dry, then knead until the dough comes together—this should only take a minute or three. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Cover one half while you work with the other. Roll the dough into a snake and cut it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and set aside, covered. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Ideally you have a tortilla press; they are cheap and available online or in any Mexican market. It makes the process of forming all sorts of dumpling wrappers (and, of course, tortillas) so much easier it’s worth the $20. If you have one, line the press with cut pieces of a plastic bag and press each ball of 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 51

Camphouse Kitchen

dough into a flat disk.

8. If you don’t have a tortilla press, flatten each ball of dough with your hands, keeping it as round as possible. Finish rolling the wrappers out on a wellfloured surface with a rolling pin. You want them as thin as possible, like 1/8 inch. Alternately, you can roll the whole batch of dough out thin and cut out 3-inch circles with a cookie cutter.

9. Beat the remaining egg for the dough with some water to make an egg wash. Get a baking sheet out and either line it with parchment paper or dust it with semolina flour or cornmeal.

10. Fill each circle with about a heaping tablespoon of the venison. Using your finger, swipe a little bit of the egg wash along the edge of the dough circle, then fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon.

Seal the dumplings with your fingers and set them on the baking sheet.

11. When you’re done, you have a choice: Fry your pierogis or boil them. If you boil them, get a large pot of water boiling and add enough salt to make the water taste a little salty. Boil the pierogis until they float, then boil a minute or two more. If you fry them, get a wide frying pan and add 3 or 4 tablespoons of your favorite fat—duck fat and butter are mine—and fry the pierogis over medium-high heat in one layer until nicely browned, about 2 minutes.

12. You can eat them all this way, with sour cream and caramelized onions, or you can make a gravy with your cooking liquid by heating it up to steaming, then adding the cornstarch. To do this without clumping, mix the cornstarch with about 1 tablespoon of water to make a slurry, then stir it into the hot liquid. Keep stirring, and bring the gravy to a boil. That will set the corn starch. Drop the heat back to a simmer and you’re ready.

Grilled Redfish on the ‘Half Shell’ Redfish on the half shell is a classic Gulf Coast dish but any fish like largemouth or smallmouth bass, grouper, snapper or others with heavy scales will work. Just remember to keep the skin and scales on.

Why? Because the scales act as armor to shield and protect the meat from the high direct heat of the grill, allowing you to cook it to perfection without destroying the fish.

Prep: 1 hr 30 mins • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 2 hrs Ingredients • • • • • • •

1/4 cup kosher salt 4 cups water 2 cups crushed ice 2 to 3 pounds large fish fillets with the skin and scales still on 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 to 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

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CAJUN SEASONING • 1 teaspoon black pepper • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon celery seed • 2 tablespoon sweet paprika • 1 tablespoon garlic powder • 1 tablespoon dried thyme • 1 tablespoon dried oregano Instructions 1. Mix the salt and water until the salt dissolves, then add the ice. Brine the fish for 1 hour. Remove, pat dry with paper towels and put on a rack in a cool, breezy place for 30 minutes. While you are doing this, get your grill nice and hot.

2. When you grill is ready, coat the fish with the vegetable oil, then sprinkle the meat side of the fish with the Cajun seasoning. Lay the fish on the grill with the fat side of the fillet over the hottest part of the fire, and the tail sections out toward the edge where the fire is a bit cooler. Let the fish grill undisturbed until the meat is fully cooked; it will just begin to flake when that happens. This can be done in an uncovered grill if it’s a) not too windy, and b) the fillet is less than 2 inches thick. If you are worried about timing, cover the grill, or tent the fish with some heavy-duty foil.

3. When the fish is done, gently remove it with a large spatula, or two spatulas if you need to. Move it to a platter and dot the top of it with butter. Serve when the butter melts alongside rice, potato salad, maque choux,

Camphouse Kitchen

Smoked Bonito This method will work on any small oily fish, so any of the bonito or bonito-like fish discussed here, as well as Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, really larger regular mackerel, and small skipjack or blackfin tuna.

Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 3 hrs • Brine Time: 8 hrs Total: 11 hrs 10 mins Ingredients • • • •

2 pounds bonito fillets, skin on 3 quarts water 3/4 cup kosher or sea salt 1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions 1. 1. Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. Soak the bonito fillets in this brine, in the fridge, for 4 to 12 hours; 8 hours is my sweet spot.

2. 2. Remove the fish from the brine and set on a rack over a tray, skin side down. Let these rest, uncovered, in the fridge up to a day or two, but at least 1 hour. You can also let them rest at cool room temperature in a breezy place, like under a ceiling fan or near an open window, for an hour or two.

3. 3. Get your smoker ready. I prefer alder wood here, but any fruit wood is nice, too, apple and cherry especially.

Slick the skins of the bonito with some oil and lay them on the smoker grates. Smoke over low heat, as low as you can go, for up to 3 hours, or until they are nicely bronzed. I set my Traeger at 165F for this.

4. 4. Remove the fish from the smoker and let cool to room temperature before vacuum sealing and storing.

They will keep in the fridge a week, and up to a year in the freezer. Or, eat them hot!

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 53

THE FISH CLEANING TABLE MADE GREAT AGAIN

BY ED MASHBURN

The Slam version with A sun blocking canopy.

Having fished professionally for many years, I’ve literally cleaned or filleted tens of thousands of pounds of fish.

Ending a successful trip at the fish cleaning table and admiring your catch is an excellent feeling. Unfortunately for most, the fun stops there. The task of filleting fish usually involves a low budget fish filet table that is inadequate for the task. Even if you’re lucky enough to be at a dock with a fish cleaning station, that fish cleaning table is usually wooden and has been cracked, splintered and warped. The remnants of the last anglers catch are typically left in all of the cracks and crevasses leaving you with a smell and questionable health standards for your pristine fresh filets. All this leads to an ending to your day that is less than desirable.

The fish cleaning table is usually built over the dock, which means even if the table has slots or drains, the scales and undesirables typically end up on the dock and on the top of your feet underneath the table. The second problem is the fish cleaning table is typically composed in some manner by wood. This causes a whole host of problems 54 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

from warping, cracking, and eventual rebuilding or replacement to the absorption of the nasty stuff, leading to smell and bacteria. Third is the heat. In the south, some of the best fishing of the year happens concurrent with some of the brightest sun and warmest temperatures. Most fish cleaning stations lack shade and protection. Last, and I’ll probably get flamed for this, is appearance. Like it or not, what you have on your dock is a direct reflection of the home you live in. Having a beautiful fish cleaning table is certainly not a necessity, but does it hurt?

Recently I was approached by a company out of Mobile, Alabama, Killerdock, and asked to stop into their facility and take a look at a new fish cleaning station they were going to launch. The father and sons team of Brian, Aaron, and Jay Williamson are crafting fish cleaning tables that have solved all of the inherent problems with fish filet tables. Below is an overview of their manufacturing process, and how they intend to, as they put it, “make fish cleaning great again”.

FISHING OUTLOOK PROBLEM 1 – ROTTEN, WARPED, AND CRACKING WOOD Killerdock uses only marine grade aluminum to construct their fish cleaning tables. What this means is that this fish filet table is impervious to corrosion, rotting, cracking, and warping that most wooden tables experience. While this should be enough for a lifetime of service, Killerdock also coats their tables with SG Marine MetalJacket XL CeramicHybrid Coating, insuring even more protection.

PROBLEM 2 – IMPROPER DRAINAGE Whether it’s the pooling of fish goo or the draining of it back onto your dock or onto your feet, Killerdock has patented a draining system than channels fish horrible through the legs of the fish filet table itself. The fish disgusting is transmitted directly into the water where it belongs.

This is accomplished through an ingenious design that mounts to your dock’s outer joist, meaning the table surface is actually over the water, not over your dock. In addition to this, the table has a slight negative slope, which means the table is ever

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 55

The Fish Cleaning Table Made Great Again

so slightly sloping away from you, aiding in moving the fish offensive to the drain system. What’s the result?

After recently scaling and filleting some really tough Sheepshead, where I would have normally had my belly covered in slime from the table, you could literally not tell I had just cleaned a bunch of fish. There was no slime or scales on me or the dock.

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56 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

PROBLEM 3 – HEAT I love getting sunburned, in fact I really enjoy when it’s so hot that my beer gets warm in between filleting fish said no one ever. The problem here is shade.

Most guys are cleaning fish on an open fish filet table with a blistering sun over head. Killerdock has you covered here too. Available in addition to their fish cleaning table is an all aluminum canopy outfitted with SolaMesh® Shade Sail Fabric which has a 10 year warranty. While recently cleaning cobia in the blazing September sun, we found the canopy brings the felt temperature down 15 degrees or so.

No, it doesn’t actually lower the air temperature, that would make this fish cleaning table God, but it reduces the radiant heat from the sun which makes you feel much cooler.

The Fish Cleaning Table Made Great Again

PROBLEM 4 – APPEARANCE Let’s face it, most fish cleaning tables are tucked out of the way somewhere, out of sight for guests and passers by. If it’s not tucked out of the way, the fish filet table is an eyesore.

There’s just nothing aesthetically pleasing about them.

Looking at a Killerdock, you see clean lines and form that you can be proud of. The fish cleaning table can function as a table, since your first thought isn’t that filleting fish is it’s only purpose. The SolaMesh® Shade Sail Fabric is available in 19 different colors and can be customized for any scheme you’ve got going on.

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334.695.2258 • www.HawkinsRidge.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 57

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook

“Bonita” are both fun and plentiful in December from the Panhandle piers.

If a larger red or black drum picks up their bait, things can get really interesting.

BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton

This month can offer all kinds of swimming presents for shore bound anglers. Even as the air temperatures periodically plummet below freezing, the gulf water is usually still in the 60s. Plus the days following a cold front are often cloudless, and with light offshore breezes that allow the gulf to get calm and clear. Great conditions for targeting pompano from the relatively deserted beaches. Other fish species like sheepshead and Little tunny (“bonita”) are present and often eager to take the offerings

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from pier fishermen.

Many folks are put off by the chill or distracted by hunting or football.

But the dedicated December pier and shore anglers take a little cold in stride. The sojourning “snowbirds” from northern states are usually thrilled with our average low temperatures above freezing and the mild afternoons in the 60s.

Our resident fish species seem to enjoy our temperate months too, as they continue to feed on an everdiminishing food supply.

Pompano, “whiting” along with black and red drum probe the surf zone looking for stray food items

FISHING OUTLOOK like ghost shrimp (a resident soft-shelled saltwater roving Little tunny (“bonita”) show up in December. crawdad), coquina clams or other invertebrates dislodged Foggy mornings especially seem to spark several hours by the waves. Troughs just off the beach where the water of feeding activity as they are chasing tiny baitfish. So remains at least four feet deep at low tide may hold small jigs or spoons are ideal to fool them into biting. these fish. Breaks in the sandbar that allow the egress of The ¾ ounce hex-head jigs are very popular because they feeding fish into the beach trough can be a prize ‘hot spot’ cast a little farther (especially in the wind), sink quicker on a cold morning. and have a great fast retrieve action too. No leader is needed really, as “bonita” do not possess biting teeth like Mid-morning low tides predominate this month, and the mackerel or bluefish. late afternoon incoming tide is a great time to find the surf species even closer to shore. Especially when the Again, light spinning tackle can be a key to success as water is calm and the water clear. This allows the angler casting distance and sometimes accuracy can be critical to fish as light of tackle as they wish to target pompano to putting your lure in front of these fast-moving fish. and “whiting”. If a larger red or black drum picks up their They run hard and turn on a dime numerous times during bait, things can get really interesting. On light spinning the fight, making them a true light tackle gamefish. six or eight pound outfits, bigger fish weighing in the “Bonita” are not regulated. Nor good candidates for teens can take about a minute per pound to land. Why release. Most are retained as bait, though many anglers not enjoy the ride! The beauty being there are usually no are learning how tasty they are when smoked or seared obstructions for these ‘brutes’ to break your light line. like other tuna.

And they are still good candidates for catch and release.

Some pier anglers still target “bull reds” this month.

However, they get progressively scarcer as the gulf water gets colder. Therefore, many December pier patrons target sheepshead with live shrimp, fiddler crabs or ghost shrimp. Though primarily vegetarian, sheepshead will often chomp on any small prey (barnacles, mussels, shrimp or crab) they come across. Most often they are in loose schools on the bottom but may suspend between the piling occasionally as they browse on algae and barnacles.

Sheepshead are very popular on the table too, so be aware of your regulations.

BAIT UP! Most anglers just use pieces of fresh dead shrimp for bait. Shrimp is relatively inexpensive for bait, but as the gulf water gets colder ‘freshness’ does seem to matter more to the fish. Also, shrimp may be supplemented with Fishbites. Easy-Flea (orange/white) is a very popular flavor color combination. The baits are usually fished on a high-low “pompano rig” that may have colored beads or brightly colored floats as attractants to the fish. These seem to work best in rough, dingy water or in low light conditions. The hooks can be a #4 up to about 1/0 kahle or circle hook to target larger pompano and the drum fish, but a #6 kahle is ideal to target “whiting”. One to threeounce pyramid sinkers usually round out the terminal tackle. The weight is determined by the amount of wind, waves, current and distance needed to reach the targeted area. During those calm, clear days a ‘stealthier’ rig may be employed to get more bites from wary fish, especially the larger “whiting” that are notoriously leader shy. A “Carolina Rig” (Fishfinder rig) with an egg sinker and a 12” to 15” 10# fluorocarbon leader with a #6 kahle hook is ideal to target all species on light spinning tackle.

The bait can be a piece of fresh shrimp (with or without Fishbites), or the ever-popular beach ghost shrimp. But ghost shrimp are so soft they often fly right off the hook.

Enter the product called “Magic Thread” or “Miracle Thread”. It looks a bit like dental floss but can be used to lightly secure (tie) the ghost shrimp on the hook. It really works!

PIER-CISELY FISHING...

Pier anglers have even more options when schools of

Medium to medium heavy tackle is most popular for sheepshead mainly because these three to six-pound fish will quickly dart around pilings in an attempt to break the line once hooked. Though their mouth is full of teeth and crushers, they rarely bite through the line.

This also makes them difficult to hook. Sheepshead may occasionally crunch a hook (especially a small treble).

But a small #6 J hook seems to work at hooking them in the mouth or lips. Just be sure to use a net to haul them onto the pier so they don’t fall off.

Sheepshead are very popular on the table too, so be aware of your regulations.

Pier anglers inside the sandbar may target pompano with set lines (like from shore). But “whiting” are much more likely to take the bait. Especially when the water is cold, and they are schooling near the pier to escape predatory dolphins, sharks, loons and cormorants. The diving seabirds can really press “whiting” into tight schools and even into deeper water away from the surf zone. These small members of the drum family are scrappy fighters on light tackle. They can be caught in much the same way as from shore, and did I mention they are good eating too! Also, they are not regulated. So, let your conscience be your guide, though most anglers only keep those longer than 12 inches. “Whiting” can live to be 6 or 7 years old and weigh over two pounds IF given the chance.

So, as you have read there are still plenty of fishing options open to the shore bound angler in December.

Just check the forecast, grab your tackle, some bait and bundle up in layers to enjoy these great days outdoors!

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Cold Weather Kayak Gear

This winter time redfish didn’t care how cold my hands were- he wanted to eat.

There’s no reason for us kayak anglers to put the ‘yak up when it starts to cool off. There are just too many great fish to be caught in cold weather, and since many power boaters don’t go on the water much in winter, even here on the Gulf Coast, we paddlers often have the water and the fish to ourselves.

But cold weather and cold water do require that kayak anglers take some very important steps to ensure our safety and comfort. Winter kayak fishing is not the situation to go on the water badly equipped. Wet and cold together can be not just uncomfortable but quite dangerous.

BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn

A kayak roll over which in summer would be at most a minor annoyance and a source of embarrassment for a paddler can be very serious and even life-threatening when the water is cold.

It’s important to gear up right and most importantly, to dress up right for a cold

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weather kayak fishing trip. If we get wet, then we get cold, very fast.

RULE ONE- KEEP DRY, KEEP WARM Keeping warm when kayak fishing is actually pretty simple. It’s crucially important for a paddler to stay dry.

No matter how cold that north breeze might be, if we stay dry, we’ll handle it just fine. After all, we exert a lot of energy either paddling or pedaling.

Basically, kayak anglers need to think about dressing in layers. There should be good insulated, lightweight gear inside and lightweight but solid waterproof clothing on the outside.

Winter kayaking is no place for blue jeans or other absorbent clothing. The idea here is to keep the water off the skin, and that means some sort of waterproof outer layer.

When I go cold weather kayak fishing,

PADDLE FISHING and to tell the truth, some of the best kayak fishing I’ve ever done has been in brutally cold conditions, I make sure that the water and I stay well apart.

I usually wear a pair of lightweight neoprene waders over everything, and I have a waterproof jacket that can be cinched tight at the waist. With this sort of total covering, paddling and pedaling is a little more difficult, but I do stay dry and warm.

Our hands can get pretty cold when kayak fishing.

“For my hands, I do carry winter gloves, but I put two Hot Hands hand warmers in my vest pockets. Then I can put my cold hands in the pockets to warm them up. These hand warmers will last all day and keep my hands warm all day. But you need to buy your handwarmers before hunting season starts, they’ll sell out fast when the hunters start gearing up,” advisesTim Perkins, a champion bass angler on various tournament circuits.

thick rain suit with insulation can get really heavy if soaked in water, and a kayak angler who finds himself in the water will have a very hard time getting back in the boat if he’s wearing a soaked heavy rain suit.

It’s much better to go with lighter, less absorbent gear that won’t weigh a kayak angler down in case of an accident.

Another bit of advice for wintertime kayak anglers is if you keep your head covered, your head will probably be warm.

We lose a great deal of body heat through our heads in cold weather, so a warm hat or hoodie jacket can make a big difference in keeping warm.

Finally, I always wear a pair of thick, partly woolen socks when I go kayaking in winter. These socks will keep my feet warm even if they get wet and they help keep me on the water even if I have a misstep when I launch the kayak.

Kayak anglers fishing in cold weather conditions can’t neglect parts of the boy that may not usually draw attention “My big thing in cold weather is keeping my neck and ears warm. I use a thick neck gaiter and earmuffs. I may look funny, but I stay warm, adds Perkins.

In most cases, if a kayak paddler can keep the hands, feet, and head warm, the rest of the body will be just fine.

PFD - WEAR IT Cold weather presents kayak anglers with one valuable reward. Those Personal Flotation Devices (PFD), which are so hot and uncomfortable during warm weather fishing trips are superb body insulation in cold conditions. Put that PFD on under a jacket and over a layer or two of lighter wear, and you’ve got a very warm arrangement. PFDs provide a very good layer on insulation.

And of course, if we happen to fall in, that PFD may be the only thing that keeps us afloat. Most people cramp up when they hit cold, cold water, and a PFD even under a jacket, will still keep us up so we can take steps to rescue ourselves or get help.

So even if we don’t love to wear that PFD in warm weather, when the north wind blows, it’s best for a number of reasons to have the PFD on.

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GEAR THAT WORKS- AND DOESN’T Perkins fishes a great deal in cold conditions, and he has good advice for kayak anglers who are gearing up for winter fishing.

“I recommend Kokatat Water Pants for cold weather use.

They are sealed and waterproof.: He says, “When it gets cool, I put on boots over the water pants. This works even in the rain. Kokatat has a water jacket that works well in wet and cool weather, too,” Perkins said.

Perkins cautions kayak anglers about wearing cold weather gear that other anglers can use but is not suitable for kayak anglers. In particular heavy, Perkins cautions against thick insulated rain suits that are fine for bass boat anglers, But a

Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details.©GEICO & affiliates.©Washington, DC 20076 © 2018 GEICO

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 61

Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook

Whiting will be cruising the beach this month

BY MIKE THOMPSON Photos by Mike Thompson

ALABAMA South Alabama anglers are finally getting a real taste of cooler weather this month. With that cooler weather can also come tougher fishing conditions. Speckled trout will go deep, and your thought process will need to become ‘deep and slow.’

Salinity conditions are affected by annual rains, so finding deeper water holding saltwater is critical. Deep areas that offer sanctuary for baitfish and predators will hold the key to success.

Some of the traditional areas matching the above description are: Theodore Canal, Fowl River, Fish River, both Dog River and Fly Creek Marinas.

All areas mentioned will hold specks ready and waiting to jump on your soft plastics. Some of the best producers are; Cocahoe Minnows, H&H Sparkle

Beetles, and a new arrival to our area, the Slick Lure.

If beach fishing is your game, the whiting will be running the beaches of Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores this month. All it takes is a pyramid weight to anchor your bait in the tumbling surf.

A small piece of shrimp or a sand flea will interest the whiting. Use a small hook to accommodate the very small mouth of the whiting. Also, the whiting are very fond of the scented bait strips, Fish Bites.

OFFSHORE Competition on the offshore waters at a minimum during the cool periods of winter. During this time, you will have to pay close attention to the weather forecast to enjoy a safe trip.

“You really need to study the weather

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in December to be safe on the water,” warns Angelo DePaola, of the Coastal Connection. “Some really enjoyable fishing is available, but safety outweighs the excitement of bent rods.”

December should offer good grouper action on wrecks and public structure due to the lack of anglers on the water.

Be sure to take along some live bait for best results. Croakers and pinfish are good baits to have in the live well.

Some longtime Captains advise you to take along a pair of scissors to trim the dorsal fins off the croakers and pinfish. Finicky grouper are less likely to spit the baits with spiny dorsal fins removed.

You can also expect to catch a few beeliners and rainbow runners on the structure, so take along some squid to fool the smaller fish.

FISHING OUTLOOK The ride back in should include some trolling with bait such as the Mann’s Stretch 30. The colors of blank and purple seem to interest the Wahoo hanging around the rigs

Shrimp is another solid producer on cold weather specks,” Perrigin said.

When the water gets real cold in December, Perrigin will target structure to locate more cooperative species.

FLORIDA FOCUS In sunny Florida it’s hard to pick a bad day to head out fishing. “I concentrate on docks, piers and bridge pilings to target Despite the occasional rough seas, you can still make the most sheepshead, puppy drum and redfish. All of these fish will of a fishing trip in December. readily hit fresh dead shrimp, fished around the structure. If we catch more than one redfish at a spot, we will start trying Captain Chris Couvillion, of Sea Winder Charters in Destin, the soft plastics to tempt the reds. Some days the reds actually details what his typical December days will be like. prefer the soft plastics,” Perrigin said.

“We start out a normal day with the catching of bait for the trip.

We are looking for cigar minnows, herring and hardtails. Once the live well is crowded, we ride out for some bottom fishing action,” Couvillion said.

With red snapper season closed, the object of a December trip is still to put a few fish on ice. With that in mind, Couvillion institutes his game plan. ” When we are bottom fishing, we use both cut bait and live baits we caught earlier. We will be looking for vermilion snapper, groupers (red, black and gag) along with king mackerel. We will also drift some live baits on flatlines over these bottom spots,” Couvillion said.

CONCLUSION If you are not up in the woods this month, you might as well be on the water. Despite the cold, the fish still have to eat!

See you on the water.

During warm spells in December, speckled trout will start roaming the shallows

On eight -hour trips, Couvillion ventures out to connect with a few other species.

“After hitting the bottom spots, we will move out to the Continental Shelf. There we target blackfin tuna with our live baits. Sometimes we chum the tuna up with chunks of Boston mackerel or bonito. If we’re lucky, we sometimes catch Almaco jacks or rudder fish. And if we are really lucky, we can still hook a wahoo in December,” Couvillion explained.

On the way back in, Couvillion will troll high speed lures. He uses a Black Bart or Yozuri Bonito in the purple color.

Couvillion advised offshore anglers to avoid drinking heavily the night before. He also suggests taking a Dramamine the night before and another the morning of the trip to maximize your experience.

MISSISSIPPI Water temperatures are key this month along the Mississippi coast. Captain Steve Perrigin, of Strictly Fishin, out of Ocean Springs, stays mostly inside for great December action.

Important Contact Information

“For consistent inshore action, I prefer the water temperatures to be 55 and above for good speckled trout activity. We hit the Biloxi Bay and the tributaries around it to target the specks,” Perrigin explained. “If available, we use live shrimp for the trout, sometimes under a cork and sometimes tight-lined with a small weight.”

Sea Winder Charters Captain Chris Couvillion-850-259-9125

Live shrimp are not always available, so Perrigin will adjust.

“My favorite artificial bait of all time is the chartreuse Sparkle Beetle. Fished on a ¼ ounce jig head, this bait is deadly on specks! If the waters are below 55, we might try trolling the deeper holes and bayous with plastics. The Matrix Shad Creole

Black Bart Lures www.blackbartlures.com

Strictly Fishin Charters Captain Steve Perrigin-228-217-0458 Angelo DePaola Coastal Connection- 850-287-3400 H&H Cocahoe Minnows www.hhlure.com

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 63

Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook

Spinnerbaits will take bass all times of the year.

BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn

ALABAMA WATERS

MOBILE DELTA Long time fishing guide Captain Wayne Miller tells us that around the Causeway and lower parts of the Delta, by the end of December the bulk of the bass have moved into the creeks adjacent to the big bays and main rivers, and they will stay in the creeks until warm weather comes in the spring.

Anglers can find numbers of bass in the creeks especially after strong tides from cold fronts push much of the water out of the Delta and into Mobile Bay. The low water conditions concentrate the bass in the deeper creeks.

Miller advises anglers in December to look for deeper water with some sort of wood cover for the bas to hold close to.

Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and soft plastics will work well on December Delta bass. Shad colors such as chrome with blue back, chrome with black back and crawfish patterns will all work well now. Delta bass feed on crawfish year-

round, and December is no exception.

“In December, most fishermen work the creeks. When strong wind and low water conditions are present, small creeks offer good protection and lots of fish,” Miller said.

LAKE GUNTERSVILLE “In most Decembers, we start to make the winter transition. Bass will bite on Rat’L’Traps, jigs, and jerk baits,” says Captain Jake Davis of Mid-South Bass Guide Service “Look in three to seven feet of water along old grass lines, creek channels, and the bass can be stacked up on bends in creeks. Look for any kind of pinch point where the water drops in depth and some current might be present.”

In general, for bass anglers on Guntersville, if you find the shad, you’ll find the bass.

A good thing about bass fishing on Guntersville in December is that it doesn’t require very early starts. Miller

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points out that this time of year, it’s not a break of day bite for largemouth bass and anglers can sleep in, start the trip about 8:00, and fish into the afternoon.

Crappie anglers will have good results working around bridges with minnows and small jigs, and the crappie will be following schools of smaller shad around the shadow lines of the bridges.

White bass and stripers will be in open water, and they can be located by looking for schools of shad on electronic gear and dropping jigs, silver spoons, and other deep running lures to them.

SIPSEY FORK Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop tells us that December on Sipsey Fork will see some good trout for anglers who go about fishing in the right way.

There will be periodic hatches of midges and blue wing olive mayflies, and anglers will have to adjust their fishing to suit the weather and water conditions.

Midges will tend to hatch all up and down the river, but the blue wing olives

FISHING OUTLOOK will be found hatching off in specific locations, and anglers will have to find these spots.

will work well, especially when there’s a current in the lake from dam releases of water.

Flies in smaller sizes, usually size 18, will work best.

Striper and white bass will be schooled up in open water chasing shad, and silver spoons will work well on the stripers and whites.

Anglers who prefer spinning gear will have good results using a light bubble float rig with the same flies that fly rod anglers use tied on a very light leader below the weighted bubble float. This allows long casts to reach trout feeding some distance away from the angler.

Trout Magnet trout jigs in various colors will also work well for the spinning gear folks.

Riverside Fly Shop will continue to offer float trips and guided wade trips for anglers who want to experience the only cold-water fishery in Alabama.

Trout will be stocked each month, and the fish in December will be very active .

WEISS LAKE Weiss Lake crappie guide Lee Pitts tells anglers to try fishing deep lake ledges using bottom bouncing rigs with a sinker on the end of the line and a hook with minnow a couple of feet above the sinker.

Crappie chasers will have move and look to find spots where the best concentrations of crappie will be holding. A good thing about this time of year, when the crappie are found, there will be a lot of them. Anglers can fill a live well with big, fat crappie when they are located.

In fact, some really big crappie that have been feeding heavily on shad are caught in December on Weiss.

Bass anglers on Weiss should look around river channels and deeper holes on the channels. Bass can still be found in shallow water if the shad are in shallow water.

“Spinnerbaits are good for shallow water bass now. Try spinners with gold blades in winter here,” Pitts said.

Bass anglers can look for humps and rises out in the main parts of the lake.

In the low water winter draw-down conditions, these spots are easier to find than when the lake is at full pool in summer. Lots of spots will be holding on these rises and humps, and crank baits

If the weather in December stays cool, the bass will be deeper.

LAKE EUFAULA According to Captain Sam Williams from Hawks Fishing Guide Service anglers coming to Eufaula for the good winter bass fishing to look for any remaining cover left over from summer and fall. Blowdown trees in the water are good places to find winter bass, and the flats that hold left-over lily pad stems can be quite good. The stems won’t look like much, but they will hold good numbers of crawfish, and the bass will be up in the shallower water looking for the mudbugs.

When the weather is too cool for shallow water bites, anglers can try fishing the rip-rap on bridges and causeways for bass. Concentrate on the sunny side of the structure where the water will usually be just a little bit warmer than the shady side.

Williams notes that the early morning topwater bite can still be good on warmer days and suggests working frogs and other soft plastics over the lily pad stems.

If the weather turns cold, anglers can find good bass by working ledges and humps out in the main lake body. Work jigs and soft plastics over the humps.

On the deeper ledges of the main lake, crappie will be schooling up looking for shad. Anglers catch a lot of crappie on Eufaula using multi-rod spider rigs. Try jigs tipped with minnows and slow troll likely spots.

Ferry the cooler weather has dropped water temperatures enough that the fish have moved off shallow water spots of fall and gone into their winter areas.

He tells visiting anglers to look for ledges that fall into deeper water out in the main body of the lake. Water 18 feet or so right on the edge of the break is a good place to find concentrations of crappie.

Try bottom bouncing minnows or 1/8 oz. jigs right on the break.

If the weather turns really chilly, the crappie may move off even farther and hold in 25 feet of water.

If Miller’s Ferry should have high, muddy water from heavy upstream rains, the crappie will look for quiet holding water behind points and other structures that will break the stronger currents that move through the lake. When this happens, anglers can have some fast action as the crappie will be in really big schools.

Dunn says that from mid to late October and through December, the crappie will be on the deeper breaks where they’ll be chasing shad. When the lake is pulling water and there’s a current, the crappie will be closer to cover, and they will be very aggressive and strike harder.

In December, Miller’s Ferry largemouth will be pre-spawn staging in 10 to 12 feet of water just waiting for temperatures to warm enough to actually into spawning mode. At this time, they’ll move into shallow water if it is warm enough to suit them.

If the weather in December stays cool, the bass will be deeper.

Bass anglers should look in the bigger, deeper sloughs, and look for shad. If shad are there, the bass will be there, too.

Chatterbaits, and crank baits that run to six to eight feet of water will work well over ledges in the sloughs.

Just about any kind of lure that looks like a shad will work at Miller’s Ferry at this time of year.

MILLER’S FERRY WILSON LAKE Joe Dunn from Dunn’s Sports Shop tells “It’s big catfish time,” says Captain us that typically in December on Miller’s Brian Barton who specializes in live bait 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 65

Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook

Good old soft plastic worms are hard to beat for slowed-down winter bass.

Both old lily pads and shoreline cover will be good places to find bass.

Large paddletails and buzz frogs worked over cover will be good. Any topwater offering that is weedless and can be buzzed over the vegetation will be good.

The same lure with weight added and then dropped to deeper water ledges can pay off, too.

Early morning and late afternoons will still be the best time to hit Lake Jackson, and cloudy days are always the best.

Important Contact Information fishing on Wilson and Pickwick lakes.

“The big cats will move off into the deep ledges of the river channel in Wilson Lake. They’ll start to school in December, and that means an anglers can get into multiple really big cats now.”

Cut skipjack herring, cut shad, live bream or shad are all good baits for the big old catfish.

Anglers should look from Shoal Creek downstream to the dam for big cats.

This is prime trophy cat water in December. Jackson Island is also a good spot to find the biggest cats.

For eating size cats, anglers should fish the bottom of straight wall bluffs.

Points and ledges are good holding areas for the eating size cats.

Now, for some really hot fishing that will make anglers sweat even in cool weather, it’s hard to beat the big smallmouth bass and striped bass fishing below the dams, especially Wheeler Dam tailrace.

“Both smallmouth bass and stripers will be staging in the tailrace gorging on yearling shad. Anglers who drift current seams and outside edges of the current with live shad if you can get them will have some fast action,” Barton said.

Some of the biggest smallmouth and stripers of the whole year come to anglers fishing below Wheeler Dam in December.

FLORIDA WATERS

LAKE TALQUIN Jeff DuBree from the Whippoorwill

Lodge, says, “The primary target of most anglers on Talquin in December will be speckled perch. Most Decembers the perch fishing will have picked up, and anglers can find big slab speckled perch in the mouths of creeks and on humps in the main body of the lake.”

Trolling jigs is a very reliable and productive method of catching the Talquin slabs in winter situations.

Bass anglers will need to check the recent weather when planning a December trip to Talquin. If the weather has been cold, then most bass will be found on deep ledges where they will take Carolina rigged finesse lures.

DuBree reminds anglers that if the weather has been generally warm, then the bass will still be shallow.

He also notes that as December moves on toward the end of the month, some very big bass will be caught in eight to twelve feet of water on Texas rig worms and Rat-L-Traps as the big old bass feed up for the spring spawn.

LAKE JACKSON Rob Baker of Wilderness Way, which features kayaks and related products along with paddle tours and fishing excursions, offers advice for fishing Lake Jackson, but this advice applies to all of the other lakes in the Tallahassee area.

Baker says that anglers will want to slow their presentations down quite a bit if the weather turns chilly. The vegetation in the lake will be thinning out in December, but what’s left is where anglers will want to spend their time working.

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Captain Brian Barton 256-412-0969 Brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com Captain Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 www.midsouthbassguide.com Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy. 43, Thomasville, AL Captain Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.pittsoutdoors.com Captain Sam Williams Hawks Fishing Guide Service 334-355-5057 www.hawksfishingguideservice.com Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404 Millewa12000@yahoo.com Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 16027 Hwy 69N Jasper, Al 256-287-9582 riversideflyshop.com Jeff DuBree Whippoorwill Lodge 850-875-2605 Fishtalquin@gmail.com Rob Baker Wilderness Way 850-877-7200 3152 Shadeville Road Crawfordville, Fl

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Pensacola Motorsports

TROPHY

William Martiniere showing off his big catch of the day

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Rusty and Hunter Williams with three nice hogs

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©2018 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Some models depicted may include optional equipment. Carefully read the operator’s guide and safety instructions. Observe applicable laws and regulations. Always wear appropriate protective clothing, including a personal flotation device and wetsuit bottoms. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. See your authorized BRP dealer for details.

Sea-Doo.com

Jeremy Chandler and his Bruiser of a flathead

PHOTO of the MONTH Rev. Albert J Robinson Jr snagged this doe in Wagerville, AL during Muzzleloader season

Eric Sheppard with his black drum he caught at Pelican Point

VX

®

SERIES A true family favorite

PENSACOLA MOTORSPORTS 618 N NEW WARRINGTON RD PENSACOLA FL, 325064245 850-456-6655

www.pensacolamotorsports.com Stephanie Baya took this mature doe with a crossbow on a crisp November morning in Walton County Florida.

©2017 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Follow instructional materials and obey all laws. Ride responsibly, wearing protective apparel. Always ride within your capabilities, allowing time and distance for maneuvers, and respect others around you. Don’t drink and ride.

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Wyatt Richerson, 7, with a keeper bass

Case Simmons on his big day

Tytus Brown, 10, of Edmond, Ok 4.78 lb beeliner (or vermilion snapper)

Hunter Travis with a nice bass at Lake Martin with Baldwin County High School fishing team

1

ST

Snapper

Eli Patterson, 11, didn’t let this one get away

Charlotte Carrigan, age 8, after a good dove shoot

Noah Davis, 6, with a feathered trophy

Baden Sanderford, 13, Tuscaloosa, AL caught this bull red at Grand Isle, LA

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FISHING TIP

December Fishing Tips BY: CAPT. DAVID HARE

Here it is November as I write the forecast for December on Lake Martin.

I actually just got off the water and had a very productive striper day before the rain storms ran us off.

The photo of my Humminbird Helix 12 that’s posted here shows the massive school of stripers and bait that I was fishing in today and is exactly what you need to be looking for in December to have a successful day on Lake Martin. These fish went from surfacing to running very deep. I caught stripers out of this school using top water jerk baits, crank baits and then even trolled some lures thru them just to see what all they would hit and they wore out everything I approached them with. I know I didn’t mention my favorite lure, which is live bait, but I want to emphasize the point that when the “bite” is on, other ways of fishing for stripers will work. Having said that I promise you that you’ll very seldom see our guide boats out without having live bait ready and available for the ultimate trip of a lifetime.

This month if you keep a keen eye out for fish busting the surface, birds diving for bait fish, an occasional bald eagle swooping down on a fish and diving ducks feeding on baitfish you could find huge schools of stripers and maybe even schools of spotted bass .

December is one of my favorite months for quality stripers in huge quantities. In a short six hour trip last December our clients boated and released 67 fish (stripers and bass) in only 3 ½ hours and it was as exciting as it gets. We’ve had numerous December trips that we boated and released more than forty fish. So get out of the house and go have some fun this December and it’ll make you forget about all the stress your day to day life may have .

Save time on your Christmas shopping this year and get your favorite person, boss or, better yet your family a gift certificate from Alex City Guide Service . Call or text me and I’ll handle it Merry Christmas to all of you !

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // DECEMBER 2019 77

A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS

Some Days the Bear Gets You to accomplish by clubbing the horse was unclear, except that he was afield without the slow guy.

BY JIM MIZE

Woodsmen of yesterday lived out the creed, “Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you.”

Unfortunately, you don’t hear much about the latter group, since they left fewer notes.

That’s a shame because people don’t make much sense when it comes to bears. Ever since men and bears met the first time at the top of the food chain, it’s been a mutual tale of fascination and fear. On the walls of caves, men painted bears in pursuit and bears being pursued. Today, bears in cartoons make us laugh and bears in horror films make us cringe. We give toddlers teddy bears for comfort while we scare each other around the campfire with bear stories. It’s as if we go to the woods in search of what we fear to find.

But when we do find them, each tale becomes one more thread in a tapestry of bear lore. For instance, Lewis and Clark by themselves generated enough material for a mini-series.

In 1805, Lewis and Clark were among the first travelers to encounter grizzly bears on their trip through Yellowstone. During one episode, six hunters from their party were chased by an old grizzly out for fast food. He forced them into the river to escape.

From then on, these six took special precautions, such as always inviting one slow guy to hunt with them.

Lewis and Clark recorded an encounter of one member of their party surprising a grizzly on horseback.

(Where the bear got the horse was never explained). But the horse started and McNeal clubbed it with a musket before climbing a tree. What he hoped

Many of the Native Americans viewed the bears differently. When a Cree, for example, killed a bear they considered it a spiritual experience and had someone else take care of it, usually the wife. Speaking from experience, this no longer works.

Bear hunting techniques around the world evolved with the cultures and conditions. A personal favorite of mine was the approach some early sailors used for polar bears. Basically, they lay in the snow and pretended to be seals, a favorite polar bear food. This technique is rarely used now since regulations are unclear on whether it’s legal to use yourself as bait. In any event, it’s a violation that probably takes care of itself.

Another early technique was to surround thickets inhabited by bears, then use people to drive them out. The drivers would make noise with drums, sticks, and shouts. I’m not sure exactly what they yelled, but it was probably something like, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” Dogs later replaced people as drivers.

The typical pack would consist of two types of dogs. The first group consisted of trailers selected for their good noses and stamina. The second group, responsible for keeping the bear at bay while risking life and limb, were selected for their not knowing any better.

Some dogs are simply expert at aggravating a bear. I’ve owned enough dogs in my time to know exactly how the bear feels.

Bears, of course, are omnivorous.

This means they’ll eat both meat and plants, making a hiker with an apple a balanced diet.

Some aspects of a bear’s diet can be comical. Just picture something this large, roly and poly, eating garbage, grubs, and berries. It’s like a health food nut that goes out to eat at a

78 DECEMBER 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

landfill.

At times, bears zero in on one part of the food chain, such as when they find a ranch to feed off of until the rancher’s fed up.

This happened back in the 1970s to one Colorado sheep rancher I knew.

For five consecutive winters, he had to shoot bears that wanted to winter on his sheep. He was in his seventies at the time, so being curious, I asked, “Just how did you manage to shoot these bears?”

He thought for a minute, gave me one of those one-eyed rancher stares that says, “You’re not from around here,” and finally answered. “Well, son, they were pretty big.”

At times, bears focus on fish and reportedly are adept at catching them, though you could hardly call it sporting and definitely not light tackle. I doubt they even had licenses though no one would ever check.

The good news about these encounters is that they’ve taught us how to behave when we meet a bear. The first recommendation is to remain calm, though I’m still trying to meet the person who made this suggestion.

If attack appears inevitable, play possum up until the ranger’s truck comes, then there’s no need to weave stupidly between his headlights.

Some experts say you can look at a bear and tell if it plans to attack. They claim its ears fold down, it licks its lips, and in Yellowstone, the bears will pull out plastic knives and forks. This is a good time to find that slow guy.

Running, say the experts, is useless. A grizzly can reportedly outrun a race horse for a short distance. But then again, it that situation so can I. JIM MIZE suspects he is invited on some hunts as the slow guy. You can find his awardwinning books of humor at www. acreektricklesthroughit.com

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IMPORTING UNPROCESSED DEER COULD SPREAD CWD IN ALABAMA LEARN MORE AT OUTDOORALABAMA.COM/CWD

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