MHFM Winter 2014 by Dakota Hunting Guide

WINTER 2014

HUNTING

WITH

Kara Wattunen

ICE FISHIN’ focusing on styles WITH DAVE GENZ

PREDATOR

CALLING

PAGE UNTING ISHING FALL EDITION 2014 AGE 1 • D MAKOTA IDWESTHH UNTING&&FF ISHING- A - JNNUAL ANUARY -FEBRUARY

MidwestHuntFish.com huntdhg.com MidwestHuntFish.com

Click Or Hold? What's Best For Wind Deflection? By John Antanies - Spring 2012, Issue #82

FIND THE ANSWERS YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR IN The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine® Information on Varmint and Predator Hunting, Calling, Long Range Shooting, Handloading, Customizing, Accurizing, Humor, Load Development, Wildcatting, Conservation, Problem Solving, Where-to and How-to articles and much, much more.

The perfect addition to YOUR hunting AND shooting library! www.VarmintHunter.org twitter.com/VarmintMagazine facebook.com/VarmintHunter youtube.com/VarmintHunterz myspace.com/VarmintHunterMagazine 605-224-6665 or 800-528-4868 PAGE 2 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

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Hunting ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Is Your Rifle Ready? Future Rifle Scope Technology That’s Here Today

Deer Hunter Predator Calling Basics Gear & Equipment

9 12 15 18

How to Hunt Coyotes at Night

Calling Turkeys

Montana’s Wild Turkeys

First Snow Goose Hunt From a Passion to an Obsession

PAGE 4 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

Being Physically Fit Equals Successful Hunts

Be Careful While Hunting Hidden Dangers of Infection and Disease

40 44

Gun Dog Episode 1

Protecting Hunters From Risk: Some Common Sense Guidelines

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

Nothing Wrong With Having Fun

30 MidwestHuntFish.com

Women Hunters //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The Flyway Chase

Girls Can Hunt

Ever Wondered Why Women Like to Hunt?

Fishing /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Focus on Styles of Fishing

Hypothermia

A Cold Blooded Killer

Glow in the Dark Ice Fishing

Ice Fishing Safely

Check the Conditions & Bring Safety Gear

Ice Fishing Preparation

Ice Fishing

Where to Find Fish

huntdhg.com PAGE 5 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

ARTICLES ICOtec Electronic Predator Calls 23 Offering Tremendous Success What Do You Feed Your Gun Dog?

Ice Fishing in Mobridge: A South Dakota Secret

The Last Angler Standing!

DEPARTMENTS Editorial In My Bag Marketplace Parting Shot

6 50 64 66

DAKOTA HUNTING & FISHING - SEPTEMBERMidwestHuntFish.com -OCTOBER 2013 • PAGE 5

January-February 2014

“I’ve bought hundreds of acres around my home. That’s why I moved here from the coast. There’s plenty of room to roam and be alone with nature. That’s living. The city life is… merely existing,” - Robert Redford

Front Cover Photo (Kara Wattunen) Courtesy of: © MITCH KEZAR 2012 WWW.KEZARPHOTO.COM

That quote has stuck in mind for years when I first heard it as an “invincible” teenager. However it didn’t dawn on me how important that statement was until much later in life. That statement is very true. Having lived in both areas on and off during my life I’m able to say with a certainty that being-living in nature is real living and city living is merely existing. Frankly I don’t know what I’d do without nature and the outdoors. I can still remember when I was young and looking forward to every Saturday when my father would take me hunting, fishing or shooting. My best memories of when I was younger were times I spent outdoors with my father or just out roaming by myself. When you’re out being one with nature then and only then are you truly at peace with yourself. When I’m in the city it seems like I’m always on edge and never truly at peace with myself. There’s nothing quite like sitting all alone in the mountains and hearing your own heartbeat because the forest is dead silent. Nowhere in the city could you find such silence and peace. Now being a father I can’t imagine what life would be like for my children if they weren’t able to have the same experiences I had when I was young. Nobody loves or admires the outdoors as much as sportsmen/outdoorsmen. We are truly the keepers and watchers over nature. I’m encouraging everyone who reads this to take your kids and family hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, off-roading and anything that has to do with the outdoors. Support and donate to your local wildlife offices or hunting/fishing organizations. Help to preserve North America’s wild-free country for generations to come. Be Safe, Jim Rogers

Magazine Team

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EDITOR/SALES MANAGER: Jim Rogers SALES: Steve Krier, Adryanna Rogers

Contributors Ted Takasaki Dave Genz Darrell Holland Kara Wattunen Haden Bowie Joan Nold Tim Forge Jim Rogers Marlene Affeld

Jon Eaton William H. Johns Chris N Jackson Beverley B Patterson Scott D Rogers Mike Howe Sioux Nation Pet Supply Corey Nutrition IcoTec LLC

PAGE 6 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 The opinions expressed within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect Dakota Hunting Guide. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher.

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MidwestHuntFish.com

is your By Darrell Holland

The engine of the Super Cub sputtered at bit as the pilot leaned the fuel mixture in preparation for a smooth landing on Indian Head lake in Northern Alberta. The leaves had started to blush with color and a heavy frost was still visible in the shaded meadows surrounding the lake. The beavers had been working overtime, as numerous dams and ponds were present on the southern end of the lake. Josh Williams, age 50, was hardly a newcomer to fly-in hunts, yet he braced his feet against the floor and tightened his jaw as his guide and pilot Pat Murphy touched the float plane down within 100 yards of the shore line. Revving the prop, Pat turned the plane 90 degrees, and eased the Cub into shallower water alongside the makeshift dock. This would be Josh’s third trip to Alberta in search of a trophy mule deer. The 10-day hunt should allow enough time to locate, stalk and harvest a trophy animal. Previous trips had been unsuccessful; good deer were spotted, but a shot was out of the question. Josh had hoped to end his streak of bad luck and score a nice buck. The two quickly unloaded the plane and prepared to settle in for the night. If weather reports were accurate, they could look forward to cold temperatures and a possible snow flurry the following week. Pat knew the area quite well because he flew numerous fishermen into the lake during the spring. During these trips he had spotted what appeared to be several nice bucks in the next drainage to the east. He felt confident that he could get Josh within shooting distance, since the terrain offered great stalking opportunities. The rock outcroppings and quaky patches were ideal habitat for mule deer, especially big bucks. The familiar incessant buzzing of the alarm brought both men out of a deep sleep. Josh shifted in his sleeping bag and started to reflect on the hunt. Doubts and regret crept into his mind. It had been a hard eight days of hiking, glassing and scouring thousands of acres in search of a trophy buck. Had he been foolish passing on a nice 28 inch buck the day before? The buck had a good spread, but the mass was not there. He had not come to Alberta a third time to shoot a second rate buck. Today would be the ninth day of hunting; maybe today his luck would change. He pushed the tent flap aside and was greeted by 4 inches of new snow. For once the weather report had been accurate. With lunches packed and a thermos of hot coffee between them, the two men headed for a series of rocky outcroppings where they had seen deer earlier in the week. With the change in the weather, Pat had hoped the deer would be out feeding at first light. The extreme cold and powdery snow made for quiet walking. The two hunters removed their daypacks and settled in for a few hours of glassing from the rim. “They must be bedded down tight,” Pat commented. “Must be,” Josh replied. “Where could they be hiding,” he asked? Pat suggested they wait for the sun to break over the mountain and warm things up. “Maybe that will get the deer moving? If not, we’ll hunt that patch of dark timber to our left.” Suddenly a slight reflection caught Josh’s attention. He glassed that same patch of timber minutes earlier and did not remember seeing anything. He checked the focus on his binoculars and stared intently into the black timber. The sun’s rays were penetrating the deep shadows as he caught movement. The movement soon materialized into a huge buck with deep forks and tremendous mass. Josh was looking at the buck of a lifetime.

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MidwestHuntFish.com

“Pat, I’ve got one and he’s a dandy,” whispered Josh. “Look just to the left of the big windfall in that dark patch of timber. He’s on the right hand side.” Don’t waste any time Josh; nail him before he gets away, he thought. The 10 1/2 pound rifle felt as light as a feather as Josh adjusted his pack for a rest. He’d been glassing for almost an hour, but his heart was pounding harder now than it had been after the steep climb to the rim. He was having a hard time keeping the reticle steady on the bedded buck. Snowflakes were landing on the eyepiece lens, Josh raised his head and tried blowing them away, but his hot breath fogged the lens. “Damn it,” he whispered. Pat turned to see Josh trying to wipe away the fog with his glove. He knew from experience that he needed to calm his client. “Be cool,” he whispered. “Take your time, don’t blow it now...” By now the buck had honed in on the hunters’ location. With ears forward and muscles tensed, a split second was all that was required to make his escape. Josh finally cleared a dime size area in the lens from which to see. Exhaling and steadying for the shot, he focused the cross hairs just behind the buck’s shoulder. “Squeeze the trigger; squeeze the trigger” he said to himself. Josh had learned this lesson the hard way years ago when he flinched on a big bull in the Selway. He was determined not to make that mistake again. A Boone and Crocket buck was a mere 200 yards away. In a heartbeat it would be over and the trophy buck he longed for would be his. He felt the trigger break, but a slight hesitation and an “audible click” interrupted the customary rifles report. The adult adjectives flowed freely and a fumbled cycling of the bolt prevented a second round from being chambered before the buck sprang from his bed and vanished in the timber. Sound familiar? You bet it does! Every year hundreds of hunters take to the field unprepared for the task at hand. Having spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a dream hunt, only to have it end in failure. Are you going to be the next member to join this growing fraternity? In over 30 years of hunting around the world, I’ve been quite fortunate to have never experienced a rifle failure. I’ve had modest scope failures (fogging) but it didn’t result in a missed or wounded animal. Can a hunter have 30 years of good luck? Or is there a method; a way of eliminating mechanical failures when we go afield in pursuit of big game? Let’s take a look at what foiled our unlucky hunter. The slight hesitation and “audible click” was a failure to fire, resulting from none other than poor rifle maintenance. No doubt, a sticky or gummed up firing pin and spring being responsible for our trophy buck living another day. Firing Pin Assemblies These simple mechanisms can cause a majority of our problems. Firing pin protrusion should be a minimum of .050 to a maximum .065 protrusion from the bolt face. The pin tip should be hemispherical in shape. The firing pin body and spring should be free of grease and oil. Eliminate the WD-40 and 3in1 oil from your cleaning supplies. These two magnets for dust and dirt have been responsible for countless failures in the field. In their stead, try a dry film lubricant. I prefer a dry molybdenum disulfide spray. It will never become sticky or gum up under harsh conditions. Trigger Mechanisms Many do-it-yourselfers spray oils and magic love potions into their trigger groups in a feeble attempt to reduce those horrendous factory trigger pulls and to offer some resistance to rust. Keep in mind rusty trigger parts (sears and triggers) are few and far between. These parts are usually machined from high carbon or tool steels and heat-treated to a Rockwell of 60 plus on the “C” scale. Due to this hardness, rust is not really a concern warranting oiling of the trigger mechanism. Often times the sear and trigger are plated or hard chromed to slicken sear surfaces. This plating also inhibits corrosion. Under NO circumstances should one attempt to oil or grease the trigger for improved performance. Oils and greases simply attract dirt and dust and over time will ultimately result in a mechanical failure that seems directly proportionate to the size and quality of the horned trophy hunted. The Remington 700 and Browning “A-Bolt” type triggers are what we call enclosed trigger mechanisms. If not maintained, they account for many mechanical failures in the field. The Model 98 and Winchester Model 70, on the other hand, are what we refer to as an exposed trigger group. The Mauser design has been field tested under the worst possible conditions; wind, rain, sleet, snow and freezing Eastern Front conditions have little effect on this proven design. While PAGE 10 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

these triggers may not be as light and crisp as the 700 series of triggers, they are less prone to problems if you are slack in your maintenance regimen. Cleaning and Maintenance With the advent of stainless steel rifles and hypnotic Madison Avenue advertising, we have brainwashed the “Stainless Generation” into believing that a maintenance free rifle has finally arrived, liberating them from the tiresome cleaning chores of the past. Nothing could be further from the truth! Every rifle, regardless of its metallurgical make-up needs to be given a little TLC from time to time. This involves removing the barreled action from the stock, cleaning the barrel, and lubing the cocking cam and locking lugs. The entire above-mentioned details can be accomplished by anyone who can screw a nut on a bolt. Believe it or not, barrel cleaning is quite a detailed procedure and we will save it for a future article. Let’s remain focused on the action, bolt and trigger for now. Virtually every small hamlet or village has an auto parts house or Wal-Mart close by. These outlets can easily provide the specialized products required to keep your “Shootin’ Iron” in good working condition. An aerosol can of Carburetor Choke cleaner will remove the gum and sludge that can accumulate in the trigger and firing pin assemblies. The combination of toluene and acetone quickly dissolves the most stubborn build-up of 3-in-1 oil; WD-40 and dust, rendering the aforementioned parts squeaky clean. Use this product to clean your trigger group at least once a year. Our next item to purchase is a can of dry molybdenum disulfide spray. This dry film lubricant is great for the firing pin assembly and acts as a corrosion preventative as well. It is best applied to a clean surface. I like to warm the parts to be coated using a hair drier until they are warm to the touch. I then spray a uniform coating over the pin assembly and inside the bolt body. A can of M/D spray should last the average hunter/shooter several years. MidwestHuntFish.com

Cocking Cams and Locking Lugs These are two of the most overlooked areas for maintenance with most shooters. These are the only two areas that we apply a generous amount of grease and anti-seize compound without fear of causing a mechanical failure. The locking seats in the receiver and the locking lugs should mate well in a good rifle. We’ve all heard of lapping the lugs for better contact. When we increase the contact area between the lugs and the locking seats in the receiver, we need an anti-seize compound to prevent galling. This galling occurs when the two surfaces are dry and under pressure, either from tight headspace or firing pin spring tension on the bolt. A thin film of anti-seize compound on the backside of the locking lugs prevents this galling from occurring. Grease does not work as well and should not be used as a substitute, unless it’s an emergency. Cocking cams require sticky high-pressure grease to keep them in working order. Again, galling occurs when these surfaces are dry and excessive spring pressure/tension is present in the cocking stroke on our bolt action rifle. It is a good idea to have the cocking cam and cocking piece polished as well (smoother surfaces work better) These modifications, along with a little cam grease, will eliminate galling and hard cocking. I’ve seen galling so severe that the shooter was bending the bolt handle trying to cock the rifle. Holland’s Shooter Supply offers a nice kit containing cam grease and anti-seize compound. These round sealed tins will last the hunter for years and fit nicely in your cleaning box.

PAGE 11 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

stumble or fall with the rifle, confirm zero. In closing, I’d like to leave you with a final thought. Know your limitations! If you are not comfortable with shots over 400 yards, stalk and get closer. It is better to pass on a difficult or iffy shot; wounding or losing an animal is a poor way to end the season. Mr. Holland is well known among varmint hunters and tactical rifle shooters, as a custom rifle builder, writer and lecturer. He builds some of the tightest shooting rifles in existence. Darrell is always inventing new performance shooting products and is constantly pushing the envelope with regards to integrating the latest technology and ideas into his rifle designs, to increase accuracy and improve reliability. Always pragmatic Darrell is constantly looking for and testing ideas that “will work in the real world.” His unique “V Block” one screw bedding system is an excellent example of his thinking and machining skill. To contact Darrell for high-end custom rifle work call Holland’s at 541439-5155 or visit his website at www.DarrellHollandGuns.com.

Waupaca, Wisconsin

Stock Photos

”Typical“ Whitetails With Mainbeam Mass

Stock Photos

Action Screws and Scope Mounts We often hear complaints of loose action screws and wobbly scope mounts. Really? Being aware of your rifles scope mounts and action screws seems elementary to some, but every year we hear tales of woe as to how a loose scope mount cost the hunter a buck of a lifetime! Get into the habit of checking the rifle prior to going to the range for zero confirmation. This simple check can save a lot of grief as well as ammunition. Action screws should be torqued uniformly. On pillar bedded rifles 50-55 inch pounds is best. On aluminum bedding blocks as seen in Remington, Winchester and Weatherby rifles, 60-65 inch pounds is best. Always tighten the front and rear screws the same. On 3-screw guns like the Winchester Model 70 and Ruger 77’s, tighten the front and rear screws the same and just snug the middle screw. Over tightening the middle screw can affect the bedding and accuracy of the rifle. Make sure the action screws, when properly tightened, do not interfere with the closing of the bolt. If you feel a slight hesitation, or if the bolt fails to close, it is an indicator that the front guard screw is protruding into the locking recess, which will prevent the bolt from closing completely. This can be disastrous to accuracy. Filing or grinding the screw shorter will remedy the problem. Getting a Perfect Zero Confirming our rifle’s zero should go without saying, yet countless hunters go afield with the confidence that their rifle is dead on without actually confirming their zero. How many of you have heard the following: “Hells Bells, why I sighted the rifle in last season and never fired a shot. Its gotta be zeroed. Besides, these new shells are expensive and I’ve only a half box left!” Sounds like a caption to a Far Side cartoon. I can’t wait to hear the stories at the end of the season. Without exception, you should confirm your zero prior to hunting. Should you stumble or fall, check your zero. What are the odds of the maid fessing up to the rifle clattering to the floor when she is cleaning the closet? It doesn’t take much of a bump to move our point of impact several inches at 100 yds. On a recent trip to Africa, I confirmed zero twice in as many days and was damn glad on the second time, since the rifle’s point of impact had indeed changed. Failure to do so would have resulted in a 6-inch error at 200 yds. Knowing that you have confirmed a perfect zero gives you confidence in your rifle. Failure to do so can result in a long march back to camp. Each and every time we remove the barreled action from the stock we should check the rifle’s zero. Anytime we tamper with scope mounts or screws, confirm zero. Slip,

• Scenic, prime wildlife habitat • Rolling hills, steep drop-offs • Natural springs • Oaks, pines, food plots • Massive mainbeam bucks Information: Tom Justmann +1 925 890 6936 www.tomorrowriverranch.com MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-F MidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 11

Future Rifle Scope Technology That’s Here Today By William H. Johns

The DigieScope DV-Scope 2 inch LCD display

The next generation rifle scope targeting technology will make real life shooting resemble a video game and cause a revolutionary re-tooling of the industry. The size of a rifle scope, the optimal location on the gun, the way users position it for targeting in front of their eye, and its visual sensory field of view capabilities are all ready to leap frog ahead at affordable consumer prices. As a technologist, sports shooter, and hunter I look at how the traditional rifle scope and its user interface has not changed in design to incorporate any of today’s readily available technologies. Most shooters I know look at a scope the same way we looked at a camera in the 80’s. Why should the body style change and why add an LCD display? An LCD is certainly not as sharp as looking directly through quality lenses from vendors like Nikon or Canon. In the sun you can hardly see what you are pointing at on a LCD screen. But today, every camera has one, even the most expensive ones used by professional videographers. In this writer’s opinion, one day soon every rifle scope will also. You may ask, “what consumer technologies do we have today that could enhance a rifle scope?” The first technologies that come to mind in automating are LCD displays, SD card storage, and wireless video transmission. PAGE 12 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

Others include micro circuit board camera IR night vision and starlight night vision. These simply integrate technology with the scope’s visual field. The manipulation of the image data for decision making is also possible. I am sure the military has this today, but why not Bass Pro Shop and Walmart at consumer prices? Technology has added a visual monitor to just about everything over the last 20 years. Who would have thought in the 1980’s that the telephone, camera, and even automobiles would have built in LCD screens for user operation interfaces. Everything from a plumber scope that examines the insides of your pipes to microscopes now come with video capture and LCD display monitors as a standard or optional interface. This year Google even released HUD eye glasses which project visual information on the glasses lens for viewing. MidwestHuntFish.com

Pulsar Digisight N750

DigieScope DV-Scope

Targeting with a traditional scope has a human error opportunity called parallax which takes skill to overcome. This is a targeting problem caused when the eye is not positioned optimally in the scope’s line of sight. Products like Digital Crosshairs NL scope attachment for day/night shooting eliminates this when attached properly to the scope. With this new device the human eye is no longer required to even be positioned behind the scope’s eye piece for targeting, the crosshairs are displayed on a picatinny rail mounted LCD. Digital cameras were a destructive technology for the traditional camera industry. Digital storage revolutionized the film industry, changed the fabricated shapes of cameras, and blurred the difference in a video camera and still camera. The same is close to happening for the old fashion rifle scope. Changes to the way a scope is used for targeting could even change the fabricated shapes of guns. Circuit board cameras can provide high definition video, IR night vision, starlight vision, and thermal imaging. Targeting with a traditional scope has a human error opportunity called parallax which takes skill to overcome. This is a targeting problem caused when the eye is not positioned optimally in the scope’s line of sight. Products like Digital Crosshairs NL scope attachment for day/night shooting eliminates this when attached properly to the scope. With this new device the human eye is no longer required to even be positioned behind the scope’s eye piece for targeting, the crosshairs are displayed on a picatinny rail mounted LCD. A newly announced add-on to this product will enable the shooter to also transmit the scope’s field of view up to 600 meters wirelessly to a remote viewer. This brought a lot of excitement when displayed at the Gastonia North Carolina 2013 Sniper’s Conference in October. A frequent comment from SWAT team members was that this device showed the commanders what the shooter was viewing so the final decision to shoot could be made by the command based on live visual information using wireless video transmission, not a verbal description of what the shooter was viewing. Digital Crosshairs NL makes it easy to enhance an existing scope to include an LCD display and IR night vision. Other new technology enabled rifle scopes include the DigieScope DV-Scope which has a built in 2 inch LCD display for targeting and the Pulsar Digisight N750 that features a OLED Screen for viewing and a built in variable power laser

IR illuminator. It has a 4.5x magnification and a push button digital zoom which magnifies what you see by 1.5 times. The scope industry like the camera industry will resist changing and a lot of die-hard shooters will insist that their traditional scope is better. Early resistances to destructive technologies that change a norm usually meet resistance. Would a serious shooter even want a scope that resembled a Gameboy? Would a serious photographer consider a digital camera ten years ago? Everything changes and the rifle scope will also. Low cost electronic components from China like IR circuit board cameras, small LCDs, and new polymer battery technologies will make these innovations cheap to implement and provide a quality competitive with the multi thousand dollar high end scopes technology of today. Mr. Johns is a technologist and innovator living in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He has over 20 years of experience working in computer technology management, planning and product development. Digital Crosshairs is an innovative scope attachment that adds a monitor and night vision to a standard scope. http://www.digitalcrosshairs.net

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Digital Crosshairs NL Scope

MidwestHuntFish.com

PAGE 14 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

MidwestHuntFish.com

DEER HUNTER “I

don’t know what possessed me to think of hunting such an animal of elusiveness. My experiences with the turkey taught me all too well the pitfalls of trying to outwit a creature that has millions of years of evolutionary history of eluding predators, to think a mere nimrod with a gun and the internet could outwit.”

But to use a fishing quote I heard once, “They say that 10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish.” I think it works the same for hunting. So the goal is to be one of the ten per centers who manage to overcome the defensive weapons of elusiveness and detection. Everyone knows that deer’s sense of smell is legendary and key to their survival. A deer’s nose has about eighty million more smell receptors than a bloodhound, so it’s safe to say that within three hundred yards they can tell whether you drank Coors or Budweiser the night before. Say no more, say no more. And don’t overlook their eyesight. Deer have very good 310 degree peripheral vision that is believed to see into the ultraviolet spectrum for those low light conditions and, contrary to popular thought; they are not really color blind. They’re more like color challenged between the longer wavelengths like greens, yellows, oranges and reds, suggesting that they may not be able to differentiate much between them. If there is a weakness it’s lacking a little in depth perception which is hopeful if you can remain completely still. They will pick up any movement, by you the hunter, instantly. That ability to see into the ultraviolet range should cause concern because a lot of the camouflaged gear on the market is either made with thread that has whiteners in the dye or coated with a whitener that makes it look more attractive to the consumer. A Black Light shone on a lot of these fabrics reveals that psychedelic shimmer you would really rather like to avoid in the woods because that’s what the deer sees, especially in low light. Hearing is the only sense that is close to parody with humans. What? I thought a deer can hear a pin drop at a thousand yards! Imagine that you spent your whole life living in the woods with nothing to listen to but woods sounds. No TV blaring, or mp3’s screaming into earbuds, no traffic rumblings or lawnmowers, or chainsaws, or weed eaters or any of the thousands of continuous daily noises that you almost filter out. Now imagine that your ears are four inches long and can swivel independently. No, you’re not being sent to Bad Boy Island, instead, you now have the ability to focus in on any sound around you even if it’s behind you. Now imagine your average clodhopper hunter gets out of his truck slams the doors, laughs at his buddy who’s taking a leak on the tire and then slams the bolt closed on his loaded weapon before tromping off. Wait those aren’t woodsy sounds, your new deer ears, which definitely set you apart from the rest of the crowd I might add, pick that up instantly from your hideout a half mile away because you’ve been listening to nothing else your whole life but woods sounds!... Well, if you put it that way. Deer, the ultimate big game animal for most hunters in the US, poses the most difficulty to acquire. Not that there aren’t a shortage of these four legged running and jumping machines. Estimated numbers put them over 700,000 in Florida which is a mere pittance compared to the 4,000,000 in Texas, the leading whitetail deer state. So boo hoo for us. But I wasn’t about to be deterred by such puny numbers compared to some of the other states. The problem for the average hunter, however, is land accessibility. Public land is our only option if we’re not wealthy or law breakers. That means hunting the wildlife management areas owned and managed by the State. And that means herds of hunters not just deer. Density, that’s the core of the issue. My area of central Florida is estimated to have a density of 15 to 30 deer per square mile. With a five to one ratio of does to bucks which is a reasonable figure according to biologists, and using 20 as a middle figure, I could expect to be in the vicinity of about four bucks per square mile of my hunting area, pre-season figures. Considering that at least one of those bucks would be antlerless, that whittles down the figure to about 3. But hunting pressure could reduce that number to 1 or 2.

By Tim Forge

PAGE 15 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

MidwestHuntFish.com

My hunting area contains about ninety-nine square miles and allows 650 permits per day. That’s potentially about six hunters per square mile searching for a couple of legal deer. Yes that could be the reason I didn’t hunt opening weekend, and another reason to hunt from a deer stand, which I didn’t have. My challenge would be to hunt them from the ground, a disadvantage I know, but never the less a worthy quest. The first aspect of any hunt regardless of the prey is scouting out the area. Google Earth is a great tool, but boots on the ground are needed to verify potential locations. But where to look? Well, deer are found in the woods. Oh really? I bet you can taste that venison steak already. But not so fast. The “woods” is a big place. Where do you think those deer hang out all day? Definitely not out in the open I can tell you that. My numerous scouting trips out into the woods revealed a very apparent scarcity of these creatures. But they are there in deep, thick cover where your most careful approach will be detected like trumpets at the walls of Jericho. My hi-tech tree cam didn’t help me much either. I had set it up on a trail at a natural bottle neck I had spotted some deer tracks on, hoping to catch a glimpse of the resident bucks. A week later I came back to get the pictures. What they revealed made me uneasy. I caught cows on parade, cows in the morning, cows at night. Black cows, white cows, brown cows, spotted cows. Cows going forward, cows going backwards, cows mugging the camera, cows mooning the camera, cows in a conga line. Good grief. I had managed to photograph the whole herd. This property is leased out to a cattle ranch that has them roaming all over. The camera worked great. I had finally learned to put it up high enough and not close to any moving limbs or weeds that would trigger it. This deer hunting thing was going to be more difficult than I thought. I was going to have to wing it. Deer are primarily active during the twilight hours or as I’ve often seen while driving at night, night creatures. Crepuscular is the term for it. That’s where that ultraviolet vision comes in handy. But the very early or very late hours are the time to plan your ambush, and that is the only way you will get close enough to shoot one. Maybe Davey Crockett could sneak up on a deer in the woods but you won’t. Actually, I believe Daniel Boone was a better deer hunter, but I digress. My plan, was to head out in the afternoon and be sitting in place in my spot as the sun set. I would be bringing my son “X-man” and his friend, “Hellboy,” along as they suddenly PAGE 16 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

found an interest in deer or “hog” as “X-man” said he would prefer. Whatever. They are both found in the same areas. The only problem was that I had only bought one rifle for hunting larger game this year, a Marlin lever action 30-30, with a Tasco 3-9x 50mm scope zeroed at a hundred yards. My other gun would have to be my 12 gauge Remington with a rifled slug which meant close range of fifty yards or so. We drove four miles down the WMA road to a spot off the beaten path. Shit, there was already a truck parked there. I parked next to it and hoped we wouldn’t be close enough to get in each other’s way. We sprayed ourselves with liberal amounts of scent neutralizer before heading out. You can take this anti scent procedure as far as you want if you like. You can start off with a nice relaxing shower while you lather up with Scent-A-Way soap, and then slip into your hunting clothes that were washed in scent and whitener free detergent and dried on the clothesline. No deodorant please. When you get to your hunting destination put on your rubber boots, spray yourself down with scent neutralizer and rub some pine pitch on your pants. Then if you hunt in an area with cattle like I do, find a fresh plop and have some fun mushing it around your boots. And for Christ sake try to pick a spot upwind from where you think deer will be approaching from. This is probably the best single scent advice I received. As good as deer can smell, anything to lose your own human scent would not be overkill. The attractant scent game seemed a little mysterious to me so I decided to keep that on hold for the time being and work on the basics. We walked down the sandy road and noticed a guy sitting in his tree stand close to the end of the cow pasture not more than a hundred yards from where we were parked. “He isn’t going to get a thing sitting that close to our trucks.” I remember saying, the newly anointed Cervidae expert, “We’ve got to get back in there where there isn’t anyone else. The deer can smell the trucks.” “I’m not walking five miles dad.” X-man moaned. “Oh my god,” I moaned back, “We haven’t walked a quarter of a mile yet. Why don’t you guys go to that old tree stand by the swamp and I’ll walk down the other way where these open fields go into the thick woods. Here take the rifle and sit in that stand. And don’t take off those orange vests.” Deer hunting seems more like a solitary sport anyway, and with a shotgun and slug I would have to be extra sly. I trudged down the path for about a half mile until I came to the place I had scouted out before. I set my camouflaged MidwestHuntFish.com

beach chair into the bushes on the edge of the field and sat back, thirty yards from a deer trail I had seen. That’s when I noticed the tree stand set back under the oaks. But it was empty so I figured I had dibs on the area. First come first serve right? Isn’t that proper hunting etiquette? Then I heard the putt-putt of a small vehicle like a four wheeler getting closer. Vehicles are restricted on these roads but I could see two guys in a side by side tooling down the dirt road, and then they stopped and one climbed out and the side by side continued on. I made sure they could see me displaying the raised fist, and could see the guy walking through the bushes to his tree stand. He climbed up into his tree stand and just sat there looking at me. What the..? You know, just because you put a tree stand in the woods on public property managed by the state doesn’t mean you get a reserved spot every single day for the entire season, whenever you feel like showing up, especially when that’s not your only tree stand, and you know who you are. I decided to find another spot but had to take a long leak all over a nearby tree before I left. And this is a good time to bring up the fact that you never pee anywhere near where you are set up when you’re hunting deer. They will smell urine a mile away and avoid you like the plague. Taking a leak into a sealable container is the way to go. A half mile further down the dirt road I found another likely spot and set my gear down, scanning the area for any tree stands. Nothing. I sat back, pulled my camouflaged hood over my head and relaxed, scanning the woods a couple of hundred yards away. A half hour later my eyes caught movement in the woods ahead. But it wasn’t a deer. I couldn’t quite make out the shape but the orange glow of a vest proved once again the value of wearing blaze orange especially with the foolhardiness of someone thinking they can stalk a deer through the bush. I could just scream. This spot was blown. Now what? I gathered up my gear and disgustedly trudged north for about twenty-five minutes and sat down in a clearing as the sun dipped low in the sky. Twenty minutes later there was no sign of any humans. About time, I thought. The sun was sinking into the horizon and everything became very quiet. I think I heard a pin drop at a thousand yards. No just a mosquito buzzing my ear. I sat there looking across the clearing for a while remaining completely still. There, I heard it, the soft bugle of a, was it a deer? It didn’t sound like any buck I’ve ever listened to on an mp3 file, but it was somewhere in the bush at least a couple of hundred yards away. I waited a while until I slowly turned my head to scan the area. Nothing of course. Then I slowly scanned back the other direction and a hundred yards away, under a giant, sprawling oak tree I could see that a medium sized hog feeding on acorns had materialized out of seemingly thin air. It hadn’t seen me but, shit, a hundred yards was too far for an accurate shot with a slug, for me anyway. I thought about the hog but that deer sound out in the woods kept me frozen in place for several minutes. Then I couldn’t stand it any longer. I turned my attention to the hog. I would have to get closer. It was very still and for a while I could hear nothing. The hog grazed on the acorns, PAGE 17 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

oblivious to me inside my 3-D camouflaged jacket, hood and face mask. I was sitting there thinking that if I had my 30-30 I could have picked it off from where I sat. This scenario was just unacceptable, how was I going to get closer? Then out of the corner of my eye a tiny calf of the cow variety walked into view. Oh great, now the entire heard is going to come tromping through, I thought. But nothing followed it. It was all by itself. It couldn’t have been more than a few days old. It must be lost, poor little thing. It wandered along the trail, not seeing me until it spotted the hog off in the distance. Then the calf trotted over in its direction as if to ask, “Are you my mother, are you my mother?” The hog seemed unconcerned, “No, I’m not your mother, punk, do I look like a cow?” Then a brilliant plan formulated in my brain. There were two small trees between me and the hog. As the calf walked out ahead I crept stealthily with the first tree directly between me and the hog. I couldn’t believe I made it to the first tree without being seen. If I could just get to the next tree it would put me at about fifty yards away. The calf continued to close in on the hog, “Are you my mother, are you my mother?” I dared another scuttle to the next tree. Success. The hog was still rummaging for acorns and the calf was standing next to the hog looking forlorn. Really? Forlorn? You saw a forlorn expression on the calf’s face? OK, how about dejected? Let’s get this straight. A calf’s face is like a woman’s face that gets a lot of Botox, it doesn’t change expression. I needed to take the shot. Before my brain told my arms to bring the shotgun up to my shoulder, the little calf walked over to nuzzle the hog but the hog wasn’t having any of that. It trotted off into the thick palmettos that lead toward the swamp. With a forlorn expression on my face I walked back over to my chair and sat down deciding what I was going to do. The little calf followed me over and stood right in front of me, “Are you my mother, are you my mother?” “No, I’m not your mother, now scram, cow.” I guess it took the hint and wandered off down the path. I sat back down, drank some water, and then heard a single gunshot back in the direction of where we came in at. I called my son and asked him if it was him. He denied it. The guy in the tree stand by the truck, shit. I loaded up my gear and walked out to meet up with my son and his friend. It was dark and I could see that they had turned on the headlamps I had given them before we left. Always carry at least two good lights. I carry two head lamps and a strong handheld flashlight along with the gps and compass and a backpack filled with enough gear to stay overnight if I have to. You only have to spend one night shivering in the dark to make a believer out of you. We rounded the corner for the last couple of hundred yards to the truck and could see the headlights of the guy’s pickup on the road in front of the deer stand. It was a nice six point buck. We helped him load it onto his truck. He was an older fellow and he said it was his first deer, he couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. We had slammed the truck doors. They had peed on my tires and laughed hilariously. They had made enough racket to alert the authorities. There’s no way a deer should have shown its face anywhere near that area. Sometimes, even when you think you’re doing all the right things, it still comes down to the randomness of a wild creature’s habits. MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 17

PREDATOR Calling Basics By Dennis Crownover

Gear&Equipment... What Gear Do I Need?

Most predator hunters are the rugged individual types and feel strongly about the methods and gear they use. This is perhaps the most contentious topic you can discuss among predator hunters....If you ask 10 callers what is the best caliber rifle for coyotes you are likely to get at least 9 different answers. The following is my take on what every predator hunter will need to be successful in the field as well as what types of equipment, in my opinion, are best and what options are available for the various predator hunting gear I will be discussing. This is not a comprehensive accounting of every type of call, rifle, knife available but rather I will give you the basics and try to cover the important differences so you can make informed decisions.

The Rules The very first thing you need to do is to review and understand your state and local hunting regulations related to predator hunting and calling. The second step is to make sure you are in compliance....it would be a real bummer to get fined, loose your hunting rights or have your firearm PAGE 18 â&#x20AC;˘ MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

Coyote with a deer carcass

confiscated which some states do for even minor violations. You also want to know the area you are considering for your calling ventures and be aware of any special hunting laws or restrictions. Is the land private, county, national park or forest, protected? This is very important for the same reasons above. If the land is private or you suspect it is then you will need to get explicit permission from the owner or representatives. Depending on the area you live in, some land owners would welcome a depletion of the coyote populations but they are also concerned about the safety of their livestock and property so you will need to present yourself as a responsible sportsman. There are some callers that have business cards or flyers that explain the benefits of their services with contact info so the owner knows how to reach them if there was ever a problem.

The Equipment I will break this section up into categories to make it easier to reference but as I stated above this is not going to cover every single possibility but rather what I feel are the best options for the various calling scenarios. MidwestHuntFish.com

redator hunting is a relatively cheap sport to get started in but like anything else, the sky is the limit on what a guy could spend. There are a few high tech digital callers out there that are darn near $1,000, but don’t let that scare you off because if you already have a decent rifle and some type of old camouflage you can pick up a decent closed reed mouth call for around $10 to $20 and you are ready to start calling…

Concealment This section covers the type of products and gear that we will need to insure we are not detected was we get to our calling locations. The most obvious item is clothing and this is one of those areas that almost every hunter disagrees on but I will give you my take on the important stuff. Before I go any further I want you to know where I am coming from on this topic. I am of the opinion that a lot of the real fancy high priced camouflage clothing is unnecessary. How we (humans) perceive camouflage patterns is very different than how coyotes see it. I won’t get very technical here but coyotes see the world very differently than we do and patterns and colors that seem very effective to us may actually work against our efforts to not be seen by predators. Bottom line is you want to have clothing that has neutral matte earth tones and be made with a high percentage of cotton with no treatments like water proofing, etc. Some fabric treatments leave a shine on the clothing which is not food and will stand out in the eyes of the coyotes. If you real want to get fancy you can purchase special detergents designed for hunting clothes that don’t leave any scents or shine on the fabric...I have never used these products but it makes sense and I’m sure it may give you a little more of an edge. Don’t get me wrong, most of the high end, and even some of the economy camouflage available works just fine and will not be any kind of disadvantage I just think this is the area that we need to focus on our spend a big percentage of our hunting budget. Just pick up something that will cover all of your exposed skin and meet the criteria above. Gloves and a face covering are a must. I like the loose fitting thin mesh masks that have mouth and eye openings. I see more and more ads for military style ghillie suits and one of my hunting buddies wears a ghillie head covering and I have to say it really makes you disappear but again I doubt it gives you that much of an advantage. In summary just make sure you are not wearing anything that will stand out as unnatural and use natural cover and shadows to conceal and breakup your outline. PAGE 19 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

The Firearms Everyone has an opinion on this one as well but in reality just about any center fire caliber will work on predators and it comes down accuracy over distance and whether or not you want to preserve the pelts. If you are hunting in thick cover with very little long range visibility then you will want to consider a scatter gun. I use a camouflaged 20-gauge Winchester Model 1200 with a 22” barrel and #3 shot or bigger for close in action out to 25 or 30 yards. Some companies like Hevi-Shot make shotgun ammunition specifically designed for predator hunting, and I have heard of guys taking coyotes out to 50 yards or so but that would be pushing it in my opinion. Another advantage for shotguns, if you live in California like I do, is that there is a lot of non-lead options available in the heavier shot sizes, but mostly in 12 gauge. Shotguns would not be my first choice when taking animals for fur. It doesn’t tear up the pelts as bad as some hyper fast fragmenting rounds but it gives you a lot more holes to try and hide. Rim fire ammunition is generally thought to be under powered for coyotes and I would agree that you don’t want to use .22 LR on coyote size animals but I have had very good experiences using the .17 HMR on coyotes. This is a very fast and flat shooting round that takes them down with ease, however, I would not recommend this round for novice hunters as shot placement is critical to making a clean kill. While the .17 HMR is very fast and accurate it doesn’t carry it’s minimal energy very far down range so I keep my shots well under 100 yards and start thinking twice about any shots beyond 75 yards. The benefits are almost no recoil, very pleasant report, non-existent pelt damage. Center fire calibers you have lots of choices in the varmint class and light deer calibers but I believe the two most common are the .223 Remington and the 22-250 for a little more performance. With the 22-250, unless you are trying to reach out to 400 yards or so I would go with a heavier bullet at lower velocities. These rounds are real screamers and some of the higher velocity light soft nose bullets tend to explode on contact without fully penetrating. The .223 is a good all-around performer and the ammo is very reasonable and available everywhere. As for calibers above .223 you start to get into real overkill. I do take my 25-06 once in a while if I think we will get some real long shots but this round just devastates the pelts (big exit holes!). You can also use handguns for some extra challenge but this is more for fun than practical. I have taken a few with my trusty three-screw Ruger Blackhawk .357 and I have to say it is a real thrill but I miss more than I hit.

The Calls No matter what type of call(s) you choose, you will be using a few basic prey sounds when going after predators. The idea is to sound like an injured or distressed prey animal which will entice the predator in for, what they believe is an easy meal. There are other sounds that can be used primarily on coyotes which mimic their vocalizations to try and fool them into thinking that there is either an intruder in their territory or get them to respond letting you know they are in the area. I don’t have a lot of experience with using vocalizations with coyotes so I’m not going to discuss this much in my series. The top prey sound by far is the injured rabbit sound which is a scream or cry they make when hurt or under stress. Interestingly this is the only time rabbits make any sounds at all. These come in two basic varieties, the cottontail and jack rabbit. The cottontail is softer and less raspy with a higher pitch MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 19

while the jack rabbit is a bit louder and more gravelly. They do sound pretty different but have the same sort of cadence. Other popular prey sounds include birds (woodpecker is a good one) rodents, house cats, fox or coyote pups, chickens, piglets, lambs, and anything else the predators might prey on. For electronic calls, you can purchase recordings of real animal distress sounds but I’m not convinced that these are necessarily more effective then artificial sounds made with mouth calls. I have done a little non-scientific testing with mouth calls to see what coyotes will respond to. My conclusion is if you are making a sound that has a pitch and duration of the prey sounds they will come in, perhaps just out of curiosity but the point is you don’t have to do a perfect recreation of the prey animal sounds to get them to come in... but it doesn’t hurt to constantly improve and refine your call technique. You have one big decision to make here....electronic or manual (mouth blown or pump). For brand new predator hunters I recommend going the electronic route at first then if you find this is a sport you really are passionate about then begin learning to use mouth calls. The reason I say this is that you can forgo the trial and error period when first starting out with mouth calls and getting discouraged before you start having any real success. Also, it removes a variable (making the right sounds) when you are trying to troubleshoot if you aren’t having success. There are a lot of choices out there for electronic calls ranging from home made and relatively cheap to the very high end Foxpro models that could set you back near a $1,000. For most of my calling career I used mouth calls but a

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few years back I decided to try my hand with the electronic calls. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money so my first unit was a homemade contraption using a music MP3 player, an amplifier and loud speaker. There are many free downloadable calling sounds out there ranging from great to crappy....if you use sounds downloaded from the internet you want to make sure they are clean and don’t have a lot of background noise, and sound natural. If you don’t want to build your own, I would suggest a lower end model that has the ability to add and play your own sounds. One model that I like a lot is the Mighty MP3 by Expedite. This is a very versatile unit that comes with 16 or so pre-programmed calling sounds and a SD card slot to add your own MP3 calls. You can pick these up for around $80 and are well worth the money. Most calls in this price range don’t allow you to use your own sounds plus the sound quality is excellent. When you move up from here you start to get into wireless features which are great because you can locate the speaker up to 50 yards from your calling location to focus their attention away from the spot where you are sitting allowing you a little more freedom to move around a bit when you are raising your rifle to get a shot. The important features in an electronic call are sound quality which you are not going to find in sub $70 units because of the cost of the components needed to produce loud crisp sound quality, quality and variety of call sounds, ability to load and play your own sounds, large display screen that is not effected by sunlight or glare, and well placed large buttons that can be found and operated by feel with gloved fingers. Wireless features allowing the ability to place the speaker a distance away from the stand are a big plus but not essential. The loudness of the unit is not real critical but you do need the ability to get the sounds out there when calling in open areas and on windy days. I don’t know what the decibel level cut off is but typically the unit’s cost is proportional to the wattage output and distortion filters at high volume...so, I guess like everything else, you get what you pay for. I will cover electronic call technique in later chapters. Mouth calls come in two basic types, open reed and closed reed. This distinction has to do with the thin metal or plastic reed component that vibrates when air is passed around it. The open reed type of call has the reed enclosed within the body of the call and requires the user to just blow through one end of the call. These open reed calls are easier for the beginner to start with because they are somewhat tuned for the pitch of the intended sound and only requires the user to vary the volume and pressure of air into the call to get the desired sounds. If you are new to the sport and end up using an electronic call to start, I still recommend getting a couple of closed reed calls, like the Quaker Boy Screamin Cottontail, to practice with. To keep in practice I blow the call in my truck on the way to stand locations. Once you get to a point where you can produce believable call sounds with the mouth call you will want to start using it because calling in predators with mouth calls is much more rewarding because it is directly related to your skill and techniques. The open reed is much more difficult to master but the upside is they are capable of producing much greater range and variety of sounds. The open reed is just what it sounds like, the reed component is exposed on top of a tapered half barrel and is placed in the mouth where you vary the pitch by applying pressure at points along the reed with either your teeth or lips. The length of the reed end beyond the pinch MidwestHuntFish.com

point dictates the pitch of the sound. As I said these take a lot more practice and I don’t recommend them for beginners. There are other reed type calls that are operated by squeezing or pumping. Most of these are mouse or rodent squeakers and are used after you have called in predator but they require a little coaxing to bring them within range.

Decoys Decoys are starting to get more popular with predator callers. A number of companies are offering decoys designed specifically for predator hunting like Edge by Expedite. Most of these resemble rabbits or birds but there are also decoys of full size coyotes and foxes, some with motion and others are just static. I have just recently started using a motion decoy, the Quiver Critter, and it’s too early for me to say how effective decoys are but I have read where a number of callers are having real good luck with them.

Skinning Equipment If you are going to sell or keep the pelts you will need to carry skinning gear at least in your truck. Skinning knifes are somewhat of a personal preference although I recommend knives specifically designed for skinning rather than just any old hunting knife. Skinning knives have different steel and blade configuration. The blade material is typically softer steel allowing you to quickly clean up the edge and keep it razor sharp in the field. I also carry a folding razor knife like the Gerber Blades EAB. These are handy because when they get dull you can just flip the blade over or put a new one in. You have to be real careful when skinning with one of these because the blades are just a straight edge and very sharp so it is difficult to do intricate cuts without cutting through the pelts.

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You will also need to carry a length of rope or cable to hang the coyote to make pulling the skin easier once the rear leg area is cut and pulled away. Gloves are a must as well, fish filleting or mechanic gloves work well but you may also want to wear medical grade rubber gloves underneath to prevent transfer of disease which is a possibility. Keep a couple gallons of water on hand to wash up afterwards.

A couple more things ... When I’m out calling I rarely travel more than a few hundred yards from my truck so I don’t carry any water or survival gear to the stand but I do in my truck. Even if you only plan to be out for a few hours it’s a good idea to have some basic first aid supplies, water, warm clothes, matches, granola bars, etc. in the event something happens and may be there overnight. You will want some type of bag or backpack to carry your gear in. I use a little camouflage range bag with a shoulder strap to carry my calls, decoys, etc. to the stands. If you hunt in areas with little or low cover you may want to buy a section of camouflage material (burlap or other cloth) to drape over you for additional concealment. Buy a couple of good lanyards for your mouth calls to keep them handily around your neck. Whether or not I’m using an electronic call I still carry my mouth calls on a lanyard with a long range, short range, and a squeaker call just in case I need to change it up. Ok, well that’s the basics for the types of gear needed to start coyote calling. If you want more detailed articles on predator hunting please visit our website (http://www. theraspyrabbit.com/) and look for our article section.

MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 21

By Chris N Jackson

oyotes, like most predators are mainly nocturnal. They do the majority of their day to day activities at night like hunting, eating, breeding and establishing hierarchy. For this reason, hunting coyotes at night can be very fast paced as you see a lot more than during daylight hours. They also feel more secure at night knowing that humans, their only predator, are less active at night, so they tend to be a little less wary. Spot Lighting If you are hunting at night you will need a way to see the coyotes. The most practical tool for bringing light to the night is a high powered spotlight. These spotlights are extremely bright and will do a good job lighting up coyotes up to 400 yards, if you invest in a good one. When using a spot light, animals that can see in the dark are very easy to see as their eyes make a very bright reflection, much like a light of their own. For this reason, you do not have to spend much time scanning an area to see if there are any coyotes nearby. All animal eyes have a certain glow to them when hit with an artificial light. It is important to be able to determine what type of animal is in your light before you start shooting as it can be hard to tell. Many times though it is easy enough to tell by just the eye reflection after you gain some experience. You will find that predator eyes are typically brighter than prey eyes. Be aware though, there are always variances in reflection strength and color, so be extremely sure of your target before aiming a weapon at it. Most spotlighting is done from a vehicle where the spotlights are run off of 12 volt power out of the car cigarette lighter. It is also possible and popular to use a spotlight that runs off a rechargeable power supply. These spotlights are very nice to have, and in many states necessary, as to be legal the light needs to be powered by something else other than the vehicle. Check your local regulations to be sure of all laws pertaining to hunting with artificial lighting. PAGE 22 â&#x20AC;˘ MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

Calling Coyotes at Night One of the most effective ways to hunt coyotes at night is to use predator calls. Coyotes are out and about most at night and are more confident when coming in to calls than they are during the day. If you have experience calling to coyotes and other predators during the day, then you should have success with the same sounds at night. Common sounds are prey in distress, mainly rabbit, bird, and a number of coyote howls, yips, and distress calls. Both mouth calls and electronic calls work well for hunting coyotes at night, with electronic calls giving you a significant advantage unless you are extremely skilled with a mouth call. Electronic predator calls are extremely loud, clear, and are typically actual voices of real life animals making them very believable to predators. Many coyotes come running in fully expecting to see what they are looking for without fear. TIP: Be ready at all times. It may take less than a minute before they are right on top of you. Therefore, make sure you are ready to shoot before you begin your call sequence. Likewise, not all coyotes come in at a full run; some come in casually. If you are in an area that sound can travel long distances, then it may take a while for the coyotes to get to you. Alsoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;be patient. Give them plenty of time to come in or you will experience what most experienced coyote callers have and do when as soon as you get up you see a coyote running away. Other predators such as bobcats tend to come in even slower and more alert. MidwestHuntFish.com

n most States and Provinces throughout North America coyotes can be hunted year round. In many of these areas coyotes can be hunted both day and night as well. By learning how to hunt coyotes at night, a hunter can hunt coyotes 24/7, 365 days a year. Night hunting for coyote, where legal, can be a very exciting and an extremely effective way to keep their population at bay. Best Times to Hunt Coyotes at Night

Most states allow coyote hunting at night all year round, but most people partake in coyote hunting during fur bearing seasons, which in most areas is the end of September through March, depending on the year. This does not mean you can’t or should not hunt them throughout the spring and summer, but this is when their hides will fetch the highest price. The warmer weather can be some of the best times to call coyotes though, especially if you are just learning how to hunt coyotes at night. There is less competition during this time of year so coyotes are typically easier to bring in with predator calls. During the winter, days getting shorter and nights longer are a major reason why many people hunt coyotes at night as well. When it gets dark at 4:30pm in the evening, it doesn’t leave much time for hunting coyotes during the daylight hours. If you want to try a few areas after work during the fall and winter, a spotlight might be your only option; and a good option it is. Learning how to hunt coyotes at night will open up a lot more hunting opportunities for someone who would like to get out more often.

ICOtec Electronic Predator Calls offer tremendous predator calling success for a fraction of the cost others charge. The model GC300 offers easy to use controls, proprietary long range remote technology, great volume, clear audio calls, the ability to play two calls at the same time and the most conservative battery consumption in the industry. Slay predators as they find the realistic animal calls irresistible. You can remain hidden better thanks to our 300 yard range, non-line of sight remote control. Developed for ease of use, these units are light weight, compact, reliable and among the most affordable available. All 12 audio calls are licensed from Wildlife Technologies, a leader in bioacoustics since 1982. Find out why thousands of hunters are sold on ICOtec Electronic Predator Calls. ICOtec, 6415 Angola Rd., Holland, OH 43528 419-867-6900, www.icotec.com

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Gear You Will Need There are a few gear items needed to hunt coyotes at night in addition to the typical necessities of day time coyote hunting. Rifle: Just about any rifle will do the trick for coyotes. These dogs are smaller than one might think, with a 30 pounder being a big one. They are also soft skinned, so a big bullet is not necessary and will destroy the hide much worse than a smaller one. My personal opinion is that a 243 caliber rifle is the perfect coyote rifle. It is flat and fast shooting, with enough weight to carry the bullet for longer distance shooting. Also, you can find ammo at any sporting goods store and a .243 makes a good caliber for white tailed deer, hogs, and antelope, without much recoil.

Try the Savage Axis bolt action rifle, available in .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem, and .243 Win. all coyote downing calibers.

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Spot Light: Artificial lights can be a number of brands. Spotlights that have the ability to control the light spread are nice as they let you use a flood light for scanning and then dial it in to a beam to determine what you see. It is best to have both a 12 volt light that operates from a vehicle power source/cigarette lighter and a rechargeable spotlight for when you get out of the vehicle. Also, you may want to purchase a red filter (cover) which turns your light beam red. Predators do not see red so they will be unaware that they are getting blasted by a spotlight. Even without the filter, many times they do not even care and keep on coming in. Predator Calls: There are a number of predator calls that you may choose to use. Electronic calls work the best. Mouth calls such as reed and diaphragm calls work well but make sure you practice before you go out as these calls take time to perfect. Check the last paragraph for specifics on the best calls to use. We will discuss specific equipment in more detail below.

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One thing to remember when you hunt coyotes at night is that like coyotes, other predators are most active at night as well. For this reason, you should be ready for whatever you may see. Foxes, bobcats, lynx, and other predators are all good animals to take as an addition to coyote hunting at night. In some areas, it is even legal to take cougars at night and hopefully soon, wolves in some states. For this reason, you need to be ready and legally prepared to hunt these animals as well. Check your local regulations as some of these animals may require special licenses and permits. You do not want to have to pass up a predator because you failed to get a tag for it, or even worse because you were not sure whether or not it is legal. Learning how to hunt coyotes at night is not only a highly effective way to hunt these song dogs, but also a good way to increase the amount of time you are in the field and out of the house. When the days get short and the nights long, you can still get your hunting fix by changing your hunting tactics to adapt to the situations. Of course, this may take a little extra gear that you may not have. If this is the case, you can make sure you have all the necessary equipment by checking out this website: http://www.bestforhunting.com/ where you will also find other articles on how to hunt coyotes at night as well as other predators.

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CALLING TURKEYS Montana’s Wild Turkeys By Marlene Affeld

he once non-existent, Montana’s wild turkey population are now flourishing. Watching a flock of wild turkey move across a Montana meadow is a fine sight.

They forage, yelp and gobble, oblivious to the plight of millions of their domesticated brothers doomed to grace holiday tables. If you are a wild turkey living in Montana, it is highly unlikely that you will ever wind up in the oven. Distinguished from other birds by their impressive size, iridescent bronze-colored plumage and naked bluish head, wild turkeys are a prized addition to the state’s diverse upland game bird population. Although the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopova) is native to North America and was an important staple in the Native Indian diet across most of America, it is only in the last fifty years that the succulent bird could be found in Montana. Merriam turkeys are actually native to Colorado and were introduced into central Montana in 1954 with 13 birds obtained from our Colorado neighbors. In 1955 another 18 birds from Wyoming stock were introduced to Montana. The hardy new residents thrived and as their population PAGE 26 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

grew surplus birds were trapped and transported to other parts of the state. Presently there are about thirty Merriam’s turkey flocks with huntable sized populations in about seven areas of the state. Hunted in Montana since 1958, wild turkeys have become a favored game bird. Montana has both a spring and fall gobbler season, but don’t be too worried about the turkey. Successful turkey hunting takes a very high degree of skill and luck. Wild turkeys are wary, have very keen hearing and eyesight and a seemingly magical ability to disappear during hunting season. Mt.gov, Montana’s Official Website offers the following information and tips for turkey hunters: Montana has a spring gobbler season and an either-sex fall season. Hunters are required to purchase a turkey tag in addition to a bird and conservation license. Hunters are allowed one wild turkey per special tag holder per special season. Popular hunting areas include the Long Pines and Ashland areas of the Custer National Forest and portions of Fergus County and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Specific information on season hunting dates, open MidwestHuntFish.com

and closed areas, and other information on regulations ry to get uphill and can be obtained from the on the same ridge as turkey regulations for the spring and fall hunts. a gobbler. It’s the easiest Consistently, successful place to call from. turkey hunting for toms requires a high degree of skill. Wild turkeys are extremely wary and possess keen color vision and good hearing ability. Finding a place to hunt turkeys in the spring does not present major problems since much hunting in eastern Montana occurs on U.S. Fish & Game, Wildlife Service or Bureau of Land Management land. But finding turkeys can present a problem. Preseason scouting for signs left by turkeys is the best way to find a good hunting area. Signs to look for are roost trees, droppings, hunters swear by facial camouflage and clothing, other feathers, scratch and dusting areas. Also, listen for gobbling. good hunters are inclined to believe one’s movements Make a note of feeding areas. In the timbered areas, preferred spook turkeys. roost trees are tall, over-mature and dead ponderosa pines Where should you take a stand? After a gobbler sounds, that are sheltered from high winds. A lot of the turkey range try to move within 200 yards of his position and then choose east of the Continental Divide is on private property. You a stand in a fairly open area. As a general rule, turkeys avoid must have permission to hunt turkeys on private property. thickets that could conceal an enemy. A turkey likes a Climbing a high butte during late afternoon and scanning the open park areas with a spotting scope is a good way to spot turkeys. If any toms are in the vicinity, chances are good they will be out in the open going through their courtship display. Once you spot a tom, mark his location and arrive there early the next morning before he leaves the roost tree. Some hunters use an owl hooter during the early morning to get roosted birds to call back. Hooters are commercial mouth-blown devices that imitate We Can a large owl’s hoot. Once a gobbler is located, the hunter can Sleep Up move in quietly, then hide and use his turkey call. If you don’t hear a bird gobble of its own volition, move To 30 through the woods and make several hen yelps every 300 to 400 yards. Such calling should be done only from a location where you can hide quickly and also have a good view of the surroundings. Pheasant • Chuckar • Quail Be in the woods by the crack of dawn because this is when the breeding-age toms begin sounding off with 1200 Acres of Managed Habitat • Clay Target Range lusty gobbles audible half a mile away on a still morning. Kid & Older Adult Friendly Breeding-age toms do most of their gobbling during the Couples Rooms and Dog Friendly Rooms first two hours of daylight, but during the height of the Preserve Season Runs From 9/1 to 3/31 mating season, an occasional gobble may be heard at any time of the day. Year Round Banquet Facilities If you hear more than one tom gobbling, move in on the closest tom as fast as possible. Stalking a more distant A Hunt Located in the heart of the James River Valley, tom may result in a busted stalk. just South of Aberdeen, South Dakota. This is of a When calling to a tom on the roost early in the morning, Lifetime! area has prime habitat and has been producing a couple of soft, sleepy clucks works better than the hen good birds numbers over the past few years. yelp. A tom is reluctant to respond to a love yelp so early in the morning. 39497 145th St Stratford, SD 57474 Whether you wear camouflage or not your clothing (605) 395-7801 www.littleriverpheasanthunts.com should blend with the foliage around you. Although some

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certain amount of ground cover within the timber to make it feel secure. However, the ground cover must be open enough to instantly afford the turkey good vision, allow it to walk without touching or coming into bodily contact with thick ground growth and assure it quick wing action and passage if need be. Turkeys are like any other animals-their behavior is mostly directed toward survival. Once you are on a stand, sit still and be patient. Smoking, coughing and other unnecessary movements simply do not fit into the strategic plan for hunting turkeys. Try to get uphill and on the same ridge as a gobbler. It’s the easiest place to call from. Turkeys are a lot easier to call uphill than downhill. When selecting a calling site, look for a tree with a good thick base. Sit in front of it, and use it as a backrest. Weather conditions play a big part in the success of the spring gobbler hunt. A day that starts with a clear, cool morning and no wind is a good choice for hunting turkeys. Eastern Montana unfortunately has its share of inclement weather during the spring turkey season. Cold weatherespecially when coupled with a foot of snow-usually dampens the amorous attitudes of gobblers, making calling almost useless. If such weather conditions occur, stay home, practice your calls, read up on the life history of the wild turkey and hope for a better day. Although rifles are legal, most turkey hunters prefer using a 12-gauge shotgun with a full choke and using 0.2 or No. 4 shot. Turkeys are big, tough birds, and their vital organs are tucked away beneath heavy, metallic-colored feathers. Breeding-age toms also have what is called a breast sponge, which acts like a flak jacket. It’s a large mass of fatty tissue that helps them remain in prime physical condition during the breeding season. Wild turkeys also have blinding speed afoot, and even a broken wing seldom results in a turkey in the oven. Because a turkey’s body is nothing less than a miniature armored-tank, preferred areas to shoot at are head and neck. Selecting a call presents a bewildering problem for the beginner, especially if he asks for advice - few turkey hunters are likely to agree on a selection. This diversity is understandable, since calls differ widely in appearance and method of operation. One of the most popular and easiest to use is the large hinged-type box call. The top edges of the box are beveled and are chalked by the user. By drawing the paddle or lid very slowly and gently across either lip, the low, seductive mating yelp of a hen can be imitated. Concentrate your efforts on learning to imitate only the hen yelps and clucks. These are really the only two calls you have to learn for a successful hunt. The yelp is soft and plaintive and usually uttered in a series of threes. Visualize it as: “kee-yuk, kee-yuk, kee-yuk . . . . key-yuk, key-yuk”. It must be done pleadingly with medium-pitched sounds, and with each perk ending on a rising inflection. A calling sequence should start with four or five yelps. The rhythm of the yelping sequence is far more important than the tone, and this is what you should try to perfect when calling. Surprisingly enough, some hens will produce yelps that are really off key. When the hen is responsive to the gobbler, her call is snappy and to the point. As soon as you make some hen yelps, the tom will usually respond quickly with a gobble. Make a second call soon after the first to convince him that he really heard MidwestHuntFish.com

what he thought he did. Then, remain quiet for a while, regardless of how much he keeps gobbling. You can be sure he has zeroed in on your position and can come straight to you, if so inclined. If he is still gobbling from the same location 10-15 minutes after you last called to him, you might try a couple of clucks every 5 or 10 minutes until he comes in. If the bird is a 2-year old tom unable to gather a harem of hens, he will often move in quickly after hearing your hen yelps. But if you are working on a long-bearded old tom with a complement of hens in the vicinity, you are probably going to have a frustrating experience. The hens in his harem may go to him soon after he starts gobbling and your early morning efforts to lure him to you usually will be futile. A little patience and a different call may turn the tables. Under such a set of circumstances, a gobble from your box call may spell the margin of victory. Many box calls have a crisscross arrangement of rubber bands holding the lid gently to the box top. If you hold the call bottom down in the palm of your hand, handle pointed away from you, a quick shake will produce a gobble. This call often moves a hesitant tom into range because he thinks a rival gobbler is moving in on his hens. Use it with caution, however, because it also might call up another hunter. Probably the best way to learn the yelping sequence of the hen turkey is to listen to a good caller or to a turkeycalling instructional record. If you are halfway serious about learning the basic calls, practice the yelping sequence outdoors throughout the year and don’t wait until the day before the hunt to review your calling instructions and to begin practicing yelps.

Wild turkeys seem to prefer open ponderosa pine woodlands; however, Montana’s wild turkey population is adaptive and they fare well across most of Montana. You will find turkeys in thick grasslands as well as areas with deciduous trees and brush coverage. Foraging on the ground, wild turkeys consume a wide variety of flower heads, tubers, seeds and insects. When available, the sweet seeds of the ponderosa pine are favorites of the Merriam turkey. In Northwestern Montana, wild turkeys also eagerly feed on snowberries, service berries, chokecherries as well as rose hips. The turkeys are helpful in keeping spider and grasshopper populations controlled, happily snapping up the invasive insects. Cultivated grains including wheat, barley and oats are also favorite foods. Some of the larger turkey populations have prospered in proximity to grain fields. When available, wild turkeys will also feast on small vertebrates such as snakes, frogs and toads. Survival through Montana’s fierce winters is often dependent on the kindness of local landowners that supplement their diets with corn and grain. Wild turkeys generally nest on the ground, seeking shelter under brush near woodlands that adjoin an open meadow. Turkeys will often roost in trees at night. Males have a prominent bright red neck wattle, a beard and spurs on their legs. The male sports a proud plumage of brownish-bronze feathers, tipped in black. An adult male is about 48 inches in length and will weigh an average of 17 pounds. Rather drab, the more demur female is smaller with the back and breast feathers tipped in yellowish brown or yellow. A female will average about 34 inches in length and weigh about 10 pounds. Source: ArticlesFactory.com

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oming from Chicago and then moving to Houston Texas at a young age is traumatic enough at the age of sixteen; little did I know of the wonders and disappointments that lay ahead. When living in Chicago as a young boy I do remember seeing the Canada geese from time to time and of course chasing the local pair of ducks around the local park with a stick, but nothing could have prepared me for what was in store...

From a Passion to an Obsession…

FIRST SNOW By Jon Eaton

PAGE 30 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

MidwestHuntFish.com

Once arriving in Baytown Texas many things were obvious at first glance and not just their speech. There were oil derricks, the Gulf of Mexico, John Wayne filming a movie about oil well firefighting and oh yeah, the massive amounts of waterfowl. Once out from the sleepy little town there were field after field of crops and in the late fall as the temperature fell the waterfowl started arriving and not just ducks, but geese…snow geese. Almost as soon as I saw the masses of snow geese I was hooked and not that much longer I had pestered almost everyone my parents knew into letting me tag along as they went hunting. Knowing nothing and coming from a family that had no hunters, one of my father’s coworkers took pity on me and succumbed to my constant pleading and begging to join them. He first made me agree to do as I was told and that he would allow me to help set up their next morning’s hunt, knowing less than nothing I clamored at the chance to go and would have agreed to almost anything at that point. My first day hunting or well at least I thought so, started as I was awakened before anything could have possibly been awake and moving or so I had thought. After a long

ride in the middle of the night that I thought would never end, going to one of this man’s rice farming friend’s fields. I found myself with a group of five very large men all with guns and dogs dressed in this neat looking camouflage when my fathers’ friend says; OK you carry this bag and follow me. As I tried to follow the man the best I could carrying and dragging the funny heavy bag with all of these heavy plastic decoys of ducks and geese, I could just barely make out this hump in the background. As we drew closer I could see the men were stepping down in to this pit style blind. “Finally” I thought “Now I can rest!” Yeah, I was wrong. Once I start to sit down on the bench seats in this pit blind, I’m told; “Not yet we still have to put out the decoys and then it’ll be shooting time.” As I looked around you could start to see the sky change from black and full of stars to these wonderful shades of blues and yellows. I am told that I get to be the decoy boy, my job was simple do as you’re told and drag the bag behind one of the hunters and hand him decoys. After about a half hour that seemed to drag on forever in the mud, we were done and as I turned back to look at our finished job you could see the birds

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PAGE 31 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

Snow geese in the Katy Prairie in Texas. Adventures of KM&G-Morris, flickr.com

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A flock of snow geese, well into the thousands, in a pasture near Terrell, Texas, about 40 miles East of Dallas. Photo by Martin LaBar, flickr.com

lmost as soon as I saw the masses of snow geese I was hooked and not that much longer I had pestered almost everyone my parents knew in to letting me tag along as they went hunting. Knowing nothing and coming from a family that had no hunters, one of my father’s coworkers took pity on me and succumbed to my constant pleading and begging to join them. He first made me agree to do as I was told and that he would allow me to help set up their next morning’s hunt, knowing less than nothing I clamored at the chance to go and would have agreed to almost anything at that point. PAGE 32 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

flying here and there in the early morning sky and the sounds of the geese and ducks calling to one another. It didn’t take us long to make our way back to the pit and just in time to hear one of the men say “Now…Now…Take ‘em!…Take ‘em! At just that moment I looked over the wall of the pit and could see what I thought was hundreds of thousands of snow geese. They looked as if they were caught in a tornado coming down and then the loud crakes of gunfire, the next thing I knew the dogs were running out and retrieving the snow white snow geese and bring them back to the pit. As hunting goes the men really did not get that many, I felt as if I myself had taken a hundred of these gorgeous snow geese. That night I could still hear the snow geese calls ringing in my ears and was so excited I could hardly sleep in anticipation of telling all I went to school with about my newly found hobby. Little did I realize that just that one morning would forever change my life giving me direction, a lasting love of the outdoors, nature and of waterfowl. What once started as a hobby then changed to a passion and now has almost consumed my life. As I count the days with my dog by my side from the end of spring to the beginning of autumn in anticipation of the fall fights of snow geese over the grain fields and once again the sounds of geese circling down into the decoys, I can’t help remembering with joy my humble beginnings as I see our clients bring their youngsters on their first snow goose hunts as they see the massive swarms of snow geese fill the crisp morning air. By Jon Eaton owner operator of Show Me Snow Geese—snow goose hunting in the heartland, featuring Snow goose, Canada goose, duck, and turkey hunting in Missouri, a Missouri based waterfowl hunting guide and outfitter service. He may be contacted at information@ showmesnowgeese.net MidwestHuntFish.com

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Custom Fish Houses 17163 St. Hwy 371 N Brainerd, MN 56401 218-824-1722 www.iceforts.com

Bergdale Harley-Davidson 905 Plaza St Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-373-5236 www.bergdalehd.com

Fish “N” Style 7440 West 126th St Savage, MN 55378 612-599-5432 www.fishnstyle.com

PAGE 33 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

- Multiple Configurations - Lightweight Yet Durable - Variety of Color Options Glacial Lakes Dock South Hwy 29 Starbuck, MN 56381 320-424-1231 www.glaciallakesdock.com Johnsons on the Water 20267 State Hwy 226 Park Rapids, MN 56470 218-732-0798

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North Country Marine and Motorsports 4034 Hwy 37 Bypass Garrison, ND 58540 701-463-2628 www.northcountrymarine.com

Park “N” Sell 1200 Parkside Drive Marshall, MN 56258 507-829-2500 www.parknsell.info

Northland Auto Center, Inc. 16138 Hwy 169 Milaca, MN 56353 612-804-1818 www.nlaci.com

Park “N” Sell 99 Airport Road Redwood, MN 56283 507-430-2200 www.parknsell.info

MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 33

The Flyway W

CHASE

hen August comes rolling in all waterfowlers’ trigger fingers start to itch with anticipation. The simple sight of the larger numbered flocks get their, and my, blood-rushing knowing that the migration is about to begin. From Canadian Geese, mallards and those beautiful buffleheads, there is nothing that can compare to the Flyway that any one who hunts waterfowl is able to experience. Now in most cases, the hunting shows, photos, and even country songs about waterfowl hunting is all about the boys. Well in my case, I tend to break that mold and encourage other women to break that mold as well. My passion for the outdoors extended even further by taking a leap of faith and attending a Minnesota Duck and Goose Callers Association meeting to learn what this whole waterfowl thing was about. Looking around the room one of the first things I noticed was that there were only two other girls there out of a group of about 40. Now I had been duck and goose hunting with some of my buddies when I was in college but never knew the nitty gritty or really any details about it except when they hollered “take ‘em,” I better be shooting. Every month when Minnesota Duck and Goose Callers met, I would be there to learning new trips and tricks on everything from calling to decoy set up. These people became not only my friends and mentors, but my hunting partners as well. I learned that this organization hosted a Women’s Waterfowl weekend to get more females out into the field to experience the flight. As I grew closer with the group, I was able to attend the hunt and then after a year, be a lead mentor for a group of great ladies. Now, in Minnesota, there are only a few months to chase the ducks and geese, but why should a hunting adventure have to stop at the state lines? Through the waterfowl community I had the opportunity to meet people all over the country who invited me to hunt so the “flyway chase” began. Myself and three other ladies have made a pact to do a Minnesota to Louisiana waterfowl adventure. In this pact we have agreed to promote the sport of waterfowl hunting in a positive light and also encourage other women to join into the outdoors specifically in waterfowl hunting. Our pact has now been in effect for a few years and our chase states have included Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. Arkansas has become a preferred spot of mine to go chase mallards in the famous timber and flooded rice fields. Hearing each wing beat and being able to watch the reflections on the water of the ducks banking into your decoys is something you will never be able to experience anywhere else. Every waterfowl hunter should be able to see it someday in his or her hunting lifetime. Knowing that the Flyway Chase is at its peak in January for greenheads in Arkansas, I set my sights on finding a tree and waiting for the duck storm to begin. Even though the cold has set in within the southern states by that time, no Minnesota girl will be afraid of an icy bite in the wind. The morning of the first day in Arkansas always starts off the same, mascara and face paint. Yes, face paint. It is essential in the areas we hunt in to make sure your face is either covered or painted to reduce the chances of flaring the birds away. The flooded timbers and fields become places of fellowship and laughter as the hunting days open and close filling each season with more memories. The girls and I are very excited to be able to hunt Louisiana next year in the bayous and fields. Hunting Louisiana will also complete our pact and the original Flyway Chase dream, so why not start a new map for a dream season of the Flyway Chase? Rather than just one state per year or maybe two, why not cover the entire Mississippi River flyway from top to bottom. As the Flyway Chase map starts to fill up, new possibilities for hunting other states begin to open their doors. These new doors are to hunting areas yes, but most importantly the promotion of waterfowl hunting in a positive light and passing down the legacy and heritage of hunting to younger generations.

By Kara Wattunen PAGE 34 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

MidwestHuntFish.com

PAGE 35 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

MidwestHuntFish.com

Have you ever wondered

e had the opportunity to do some pheasant hunting with four outdoors women at Torrey Lake Lodge near Platte, South Dakota. Get some insight into what drives these women to “hunt up some critters,” just like the men do.

Already an accomplished hunter at her young age, Taylor Lewin, 14, is the daughter of Darin Lewin, owner of Torrey Lake Lodge. She has shot many trophy whitetail bucks and has an incredible 8x8 elk, which left me speechless as I gazed upon it, hanging on the wall. She also gets out to do some walleye fishing with her dad. When it comes to hunting, Taylor says that patience is her number one attribute. “I pass on many average bucks,” she said, “until I see the one I want to shoot. And I still get excited every time a big one comes by!” Ted’s friend Jammie has hunted with her dad and brother on many occasions over the years. She told us a great story about her dad taking her road hunting for pheasants when she was just 7 years old. “My dad would stuff my mom, brother, two sisters, and me all in the back of his pickup truck,” she remembers. “We would then drive around the countryside looking for the elusive birds. The only way he would be allowed to go hunting was to take the whole family! When he’d spot a pheasant, he

PAGE 36 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

MidwestHuntFish.com

“Hunting and fishing has been in my blood since before I was born.” says Minnesota native Kara Wattunen. The former Miss Minnesota US International 2011, has a passion for duck and goose hunting. Here, Kara hunts greenheads in Arkansas.

why women like to hunt? would slam on the brakes and all of us kids would slide forward toward the cab of the truck. While we were untangling ourselves, my dad would run out and shoot the pheasant. We’d all laugh and admire the downed bird. This experience was always a great time and I will remember the good times spent ‘hunting’ with my dad!” Jammie’s daughter, Maryanne, 17, has a completely different motivation for hunting. “The thrill of accomplishment is what trips my trigger,” she said. “I want to show up my guy friends at school and prove to them that I can shoot just as good as they can. I loved showing them pictures of the pheasant that I shot.” Funny enough, isn’t that what us guys all do when we get around the water cooler at work while bringing up photos of our biggest fish or deer on our camera phone? Kristi Takasaki, 25, is my daughter, and after all these years, I never knew she would like to hunt. I often took her fishing as she grew up, but didn’t ever take her hunting or couldn’t envision here holding a gun or a bow. She met her boyfriend, an avid hunter, while at college. Now, she will sit in a tree stand for hours in freezing temperatures for an opportunity to shoot a deer. “I have always loved being outdoors,” Kristi said, “and relish the excitement that I feel when I finally shoot a big bird, deer, or any other species that I am going after. There’s something special about ‘living off the land’ and that’s what I get when we sit down at the table for some freshly prepared venison or wild turkey.” Kristi Takasaki, bottom right hunts and fishes. “I have always loved being outdoors,” Kristi said. Kristi poses here with her rooster bagged at Torrey Lake Lodge near Platte, SD. PAGE 37 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 37

Being Physically Fit

Equals Successful Hunts By Beverley B Patterson My brother and his wife run marathons and many different cause races held within their community throughout the year. They dedicate a lot of time to eating right and run 6-10 miles a day. This is done months prior to the next walk or run. If you don’t take the time to condition your body for the brutal impact and stress your body will endure during this type of event, one would not likely make it to the finish line, let alone survive even a couple miles. Preparing for a successful hunting trip is certainly no different from the conditioning it takes to get ready for a big run. Preparing for a successful hunt is not just about gathering up equipment needed, but conditioning the vital piece of equipment prior to that venture—your body. Many hunters experience heart attacks and oxygen deprivation and mostly because they are not fit for the task. I learned the hard way about going hunting when your physical body is not necessarily in the best condition. I went on my second deer hunt only a few weeks after having my first baby. The hunt required hiking up some pretty steep terrain. It took all I had to keep up with my hunting party and to catch my breath. I knew about half way up the bluff I probably shouldn’t be doing this. I could not in any way keep up, so my girlfriend and I dropped back because I required frequent rests to catch my breath and pretty much felt awful. I think my physician would probably have skinned my hide for doing this. In my mind I was ready for the hunt—

totally pumped, but my body began to tell me otherwise. I believe my youth and being physically fit is what I had going for me and helped me cope. I got my deer, but that hunt took a toll on my body that day. I was so exhausted and grumpy. I could hardly enjoy the fact that I got my deer and, on top of that, it was a bad shot! It was a lesson well learned. So what can you do to make sure your fit for the occasion? Hiking can be taxing to your limbs and lungs, so you want to do what you can to get these into better shape. Pay a visit to your physician to make your heart is healthy, especially if you are aging. You want your heart to be ready for the job and don’t want any surprises. Take the time to eat right, get plenty of fruits, vegetables and proteins into your system and drink ample amounts of water. Make time to work out a little more often to get your heart rate up where it needs to be. Start out a little at a time and gradually increase to see how your heart handles the exercise. Get those lungs working great! Hiking in higher elevations means less O2 and you will want your body to be ready for that. Visit some higher elevated areas and do a short hike to see how you are doing in those particular conditions, expand from there. There’s a lot to do before a hunter ever thinks about getting to the hunting site. Getting into good physical condition for the hunt generally doesn’t make it on the hunter’s “To Do” list. The hunt will be more successful when the body is prepared and up to the task.

Photo provided by Kara Wattunen

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MidwestHuntFish.com

reparing for a successful hunting trip is certainly no different from the conditioning it takes to get ready for a big run. Preparing for a successful hunt is not just about gathering up equipment needed, but conditioning the vital piece of equipment prior to that venture—your body. Many hunters experience heart attacks and oxygen deprivation and mostly because they are not fit for the task.

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Your one stop shop for all things outdoors!

850 S Highway 281 | Aberdeen, SD 57401 | Phone: 605-225-2737 | www.sodaksports.com PAGE 39 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 39

BE CAREFUL WHILE HUNTING

Randy Lohr - Flickr.com

HIDDEN DANGERS OF INFECTION AND DISEASE By Jim Rogers There are many possibilities for Outdoorsmen to get sick. Many hunting critics consider these aspects to be nature’s defense mechanisms towards human interference. Whatever the case may be, care must be taken when outdoors at all times to avoid these diseases, infections, and problems. There are many precautions one can take to avoid getting sick in the great outdoors, so attention must be paid at all times to the surroundings and to the natural habitat in which the hunt is taking place. Without proper due care and attention, there is no telling as to what type of affliction can set upon a camp. Knowledge and wisdom are key here. Hunters and their dogs can be exposed to infectious diseases not only from infected animals, but also via insect vectors and contaminated soil and water. Diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans, either through direct contact with the animal or a contaminated surface or water, through ingestion of animal products (including meat and milk) or through insect transmission from an animal are called zoonotic (pronounced ZO-oh-NOT-ik or zoo-NOT-ik) diseases. Insects such as mosquitoes, ticks, flies, fleas or mites serve as vectors, capable of transmitting infection from an infected animal to another animal or a person. For example, there are many diseases that are spread by mosquito. These are called “arboviral” because they are spread PAGE 40 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

by arthropods. Arboviral diseases are known to produce clinical illnesses in humans that require the attention of a medical professional. Arboviral diseases transmit what are called “alphaviruses” to the patient, causing typically mild symptoms but sometimes release harmful after-effects. Another arboviral disease that is getting a lot of air time lately is the West Nile virus. This is also spread by mosquitoes, but originates in birds. Mosquitoes feed on the birds and then spread the virus to humans by feeding on the humans, mixing the blood types. For this reason, always bring bug spray and always ensure that mosquitoes are instantly swatted or squashed as they appear. Brucella is a bacterial infection that is typically spread from animal to animal as they feed on one another. As hunters kill and eat animals, there is a potential for brucella to be present. Brucella are actually bacterial organisms that are highly infectious. The food is typically the highest source of infection and the most likely area of capturing brucella infection. There have been reported cases of infection while cleaning or handling an infected kill/carcass. Fortunately, there are very few incidents of person-to-person brucella transmission but it still is possible. Standard precautions should be taken at all times in dealing with hunted meat. The kill must be cleaned and cooked properly to professional specifications. Hand washing is also a must. MidwestHuntFish.com

Deer Parapoxvirus has been reported in red deer in New Zealand, but human infections have occurred in the United States. The virus is related to the orf virus, which affects sheep and goats, and the pseudocowpox virus, which affects cattle. The deer parapoxvirus causes scabby, crusty lesions on the muzzle, lips, face, ears, neck and antlers of affected deer. There have been two confirmed cases of deer parapoxvirus infection in humans in the U.S., both of whom were deer hunters on the East Coast. Both patients had nicked their fingers while dressing the deer carcasses and later developed pox lesions (scabby crusts) on their hands. One hunter also developed swollen lymph nodes. Both hunters reported that the deer had not shown any signs of illness at the time they were dressed. E. coli or Escherichia coli, is a bacteria that causes diarrhea and stomach pain in people and is the leading cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare kidney disorder that can cause kidney failure. Many types of E.coli are harmless, but certain types can cause severe disease. Although most cases of E. coli infection come from eating contaminated beef or drinking unpasteurized, contaminated milk products, it is possible for white-tailed deer to become infected when they graze in cow pastures contaminated with the bacteria. Disease-causing E.coli has been found in cattle, goats, sheep, deer, elk, pigs and birds. Infection can also occur if a person drinks or swims in contaminated water. The bacteria are spread through fecal-oral transmission; an infected person or animal sheds the bacteria in their stool, and others are infected by accidentally eating the bacteria after they have touched a contaminated surface or had contact with infected stool. The bacteria are invisible to the naked eye,

PAGE 41 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

and people can become infected even if they don’t see the contamination. Dogs can become infected with E. coli. Intestinal infection often causes diarrhea and abdominal pain. E. coli infection in dogs can also cause urinary tract infections, uterine infections, ear infections and other problems. Because the bacteria live in the animal’s intestines, shooting a deer through its abdomen can increase the risk of contamination of the muscle (meat) by the intestinal fluids. The risk of infection is also related to how the carcass is handled, dressed, processed, preserved, stored and cooked. Rabies is caused by different variants (similar to strains) of the rabies virus. The virus is transmitted primarily through bites and causes severe damage to the brain. Non-bite transmission of the rabies virus is very rare but can occur through scratches, abrasions, open wounds or mucous membranes contaminated with saliva or other potentially infectious material (such as brain tissue) from a rabid animal. Once clinical signs of rabies are observed, it is 100% fatal in animals and almost 100% fatal in humans. In the United States, rabies is most common in raccoons, foxes, skunks and bats. The virus can infect any mammal, and there are documented cases of rabies in many wildlife and domestic species. The symptoms of human rabies cases can vary, but early symptoms may include fever, headache, sore throat, tingling at the site of the bite and fatigue. As the disease progresses, infected humans can develop disorientation, paralysis, hallucinations, seizures, coma and death. Cryptosporidiosis is an illness caused by a simple, onecelled parasite named Cryptosporidium (there are several different species of the parasite that are capable of infecting animals and people), which is shed in the stool of wild and

MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 41

Protecting Hunters From Risk:

Some Common Sense Guidelines •Avoid hunting if you are feeling ill. People are more prone to disease if their immune systems are weakened by other illnesses or conditions. •Take precautions to minimize insect bites. •Do not handle or eat wild game or fowl that appeared ill or were acting in an abnormal manner before they were killed. •Do not eat, drink or smoke while cleaning wild fowl or game. •Always protect your hands with gloves (heavy rubber, latex, or nitrile) when field dressing wild game or fowl. •Do not use the same utensils to clean different species. •If there are any old wounds on carcass, or if there is pus present, meat in this area should be removed & discarded. A large area of tissue around the wound and pus pockets should also be cut away, even if the tissue looks normal, because it can still harbor infection. •If any abnormalities are seen in the chest or abdominal cavity of the carcass, consider disposing of the entire carcass. •Minimize contact with brain or spinal tissues. When boning out the carcass, keep both the head and spine intact. Do not cut into the head of any antlered animal that showed abnormal behavior, even to remove the rack. When removing antlers from a healthy animal, use a hand saw rather than a power saw, and always wear safety glasses. •Avoid abdominal shots because they lead to contamination of the meat and can cause the animal needless suffering. If any intestinal contents of the game come into contact with meat, the meat should be considered contaminated and discarded. Do not feed the contaminated meat to other animals, or they may become infected. •Large game should be shot with a clean, humane kill shot, preferably avoiding the abdomen, followed quickly by removal of the intestines; this minimizes the risk of intestinal contents contaminating the meat. •If any of the intestines have an abnormal smell or discharge, or if pockets of blood are seen in the muscle unassociated with the bullet/ shot/arrow wound, the flesh should be considered unfit for eating. •The abdominal cavity should be cleaned, dried and cooled until the meat is processed. During warm weather (over 65° F, or 18.3 C), bags of ice should be placed in the body cavity to hasten cooling. The carcass should be protected against flies. •Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer immediately after handling wild game or fowl, including the tissues and meat. •Wash tools, equipment and working surfaces (including tables and cutting boards) thoroughly with soap and water, followed by disinfection immediately after handling any wild game or fowl. Adding a minimum of 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water is usually adequate for use as a cleaning/disinfecting solution. •If you prepare your own ground meat, thoroughly clean and disinfect all equipment after use. •Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat. •Always cook wild meat until the juices run clear and is no longer pink (generally 150-180°F [65.6-82.2°C], depending on type of meat). This will reduce the risk of food-borne disease. Because the color of the meat is not always a reliable indicator of proper cooking, use of a meat thermometer is highly recommended. Extra attention to the internal temperature should be used when cooking with a microwave oven. •Cook wild birds thoroughly, (65°F [73.9°C]) or higher to make sure that organisms and parasites are killed. •Any uncooked game should be promptly frozen, refrigerated or disposed of properly. •Keep uncooked wild game separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to avoid contamination. •Meat should be properly wrapped and stored on bottom shelves of the refrigerator or freezer to avoid contaminating other foods. •Meat should be refrigerated or frozen properly and should not be kept at room temperature. •Freezing meat does not necessarily protect against disease. •In the United States, hunters should report any signs of sick wildlife or wild bird die-off to the state’s game and fish agency or wildlife agency. •Make sure hunting dogs are up-to-date on their vaccines, especially rabies, prior to hunting season. •Consult your vet about preventive treatments for your hunting dogs, such as heartworm prevention, and use the products as recommended. •Consult your vet about regular stool exams of hunting dogs to check PAGE 42 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 them for parasites, including those that can be passed to people.

domestic animals. Infection generally occurs by contact with the stool of infected animals, contaminated surfaces or by drinking water or eating uncooked food contaminated with stool from infected animals. People can also become infected by swimming in contaminated water. Although some people may not become ill after being infected, the most common symptoms of infection are extreme diarrhea, along with stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, headache and decreased appetite. People with weakened immune systems can develop severe disease if infected with Cryptosporidium. The best way to prevent infection is by using good hygiene. Avoid drinking untreated water; water can be made safe by heating it to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute or by using a filter that has an absolute pore size of 1 micron (pt) or smaller, or has been NSF rated for “cyst removal.” Infected persons can shed the organism in the stool for several weeks after infection, emphasizing the need for good hygiene. Dogs can become infected with Cryptosporidium but generally do not show signs of illness. Mild diarrhea may develop. To date, there is little evidence that dogs can readily infect their owners with Cryptosporidium; however, proper hygiene is always recommended when handling dog stool. Campylobacter bacteria are generally spread by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, unpasteurized milk, and by direct or indirect contact with stool from an infected person, animal or pet. Many animals, including pigs (including wild pigs), cattle, dogs, moose, hares and birds, can carry the bacteria in their intestines. Tick-borne diseases pose a hazard to both hunters and their dogs. They are usually transmitted to people through tick bites, but skin contact with the internal fluids of infected ticks also poses a risk of infection. Cases of tick-borne diseases, such as Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and others, have increased in the last decade. These diseases can be fatal. The symptoms of these diseases can be somewhat vague, making it difficult for physicians to diagnose the disease until it has become more severe. Hunters and their dogs are especially vulnerable to tick-borne diseases because of time spent in tick-infested environments. Preventing tick bites is the single most important step in preventing tick-borne diseases. Lyme disease is a common disease for outdoors-people. This is an illness that may affect joints and bones, creating a possibility of skin and nervous system problems as well. Lyme disease can affect people of all ages and is considered to be the most frequently diagnosed of the outdoor afflictions, making precautionary measures especially important. This affliction is actually caused by a bacteria that looks like a corkscrew and is transmitted by the bite of a tick. Persons with Lyme disease will likely start feeling the symptoms around seven to fourteen days after the tick bite, starting with chills and joint pain. Precautions should be taken to keep ticks off of the skin at all times. Hydatid Tapeworms (Echinococcosis) Hunters and their dogs can be infected by several species of tapeworms. Echinococcus multilocularis infects rodents (including field mice), and coyotes, wolves, foxes and dogs can become infected by eating infected rodents; the worms develop in the animal’s intestines, and their eggs can infect people who come into contact with the infected animal’s stool (or anything, including the animal’s fur, that is contaminated with stool). Echinococcus granulosus tends to cycle between canine species (coyotes, foxes, wolves, dogs, etc.) MidwestHuntFish.com

and larger grazing animals (sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, moose, caribou, etc.). Hunting dogs can become infected when they eat infected organs; the worms grow inside the dog’s intestines and begin to shed eggs that pass in the stool and can continue the cycle of infection. Infected dogs do not usually show any signs of disease. Although rare, hydatid tapeworms can be transmitted to humans from dogs, and the eggs eventually grow into cysts in the lungs, liver or other internal organs. These cysts can cause permanent damage. Tularemia is caused by infection with Francisella tularensis bacteria, commonly found in the United States in rabbits, squirrels, muskrats, beavers, prairie dogs, cats, bobcats, deer and sheep. Rabbits are the most common source of tularemia in the United States. It is a potentially fatal disease. It can be spread to animals and people by deerflies and other insects. Historically, people that work outdoors (landscapers, etc.) have been more likely to be infected with tularemia. Hunters are at risk of exposure because of the amount of time they spend outdoors and in their handling of game species prone to infection. There are many other illnesses and bacterial infections that can be caught in the great outdoors. Such as Leptospirosis, Hantavirus, Giardiasis, Equine Encephalitis, Plague (Black Death), Q fever, Raccoon Roundworm, Salmonellosis. With taking the proper precautions, however, most hunters can avoid having serious incidents and can simply concentrate on the hunt. Clothing should be kept relatively light but tight fitting, making it hard for bugs to get on the skin and easy to spot the bugs. Of course, the problem with light clothing on the hunt is that it also makes the hunter more visible to the animals. Compromises can be reached, however, and there are those that suggest the risk of disease is far too great to take a chance on not being prepared. This article is intended to be a general guide to raise awareness about diseases and infections that hunters and their hunting dogs may encounter. Hunters should always consult their physician if they are concerned they have been exposed to a disease or are showing symptoms of illness. If there are any concerns that your hunting dog or any other companion animal may have contracted any of these diseases, please contact your veterinarian. This article is by no means intended to discourage you from hunting, fishing, or enjoying the outdoors; instead, it is intended to inform our readers of the risks they face so they can take steps to reduce those risks. Regardless of the point of view, there are numerous afflictions in nature that should be avoided and considered when hunting. It may well be nature’s way of protecting itself, but these afflictions and diseases can spread from the hunter to the family members, making for a dangerous situation. When planning any kind of trip to the outdoors, research the area of travel, consult medical professional, and find out all there is to know about the possibilities for diseases and afflictions in that area. Especially when you hunt or fish internationally. Jim Rogers served 15 years as a Combat Medic in the U.S. Army Rangers, Mechanized Infantry, Combat Engineers, and as a Medevac Flight Medic. A decorated combat veteran of multiple engagements, Jim has treated soldiers and civilians alike for all manner of injuries, infections, and disease in both combat, humanitarian, and rescue situations. This article is for educational purposes only, and it is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. PAGE 43 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, in the same class of diseases as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE – more commonly known as “mad cow disease”). These diseases are caused by prions, which are infectious proteins. The diseases affect the brain and spinal cord, causing signs such as weakness, incoordination and abnormal behavior. How CWD is spread from animal to animal is not fully understood, but it is believed to be transmitted through direct animal-toanimal contact or when an animal eats soil contaminated by saliva or manure from an infected animal. CWD prions have been found in elk antler velvet, suggesting a possible route of transmission from elk to elk. To date, only 4 species are known to be naturally susceptible to CWD: mule deer, white-tailed deer, Shiras moose and Rocky Mountain elk. Signs of a possibly infected animal include stumbling, lowered head, droopy ears, weakness, a wide stance (as if trying to balance themselves), excessive salivation and emaciation (“wasting”). Hunters need to be aware that many states ban importation of whole carcasses and animals from states in which CWD has been reported; in fact, some states have check stations at their borders. For more information about the regulations for each state, visit the USDA’s CWD pages. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no current evidence that CWD passes to humans. However, simple cautionary measures should be taken by any hunter handling deer, moose and elk. To date, data from an ongoing multi-year study suggests CWD may not be spread to people through consumption of meat from infected animals; however, eating meat from an obviously ill animal is not recommended. Hunters should check with the state fish and game agency about any reported outbreaks of CWD, and following these simple precautions should be taken when handling any deer, moose or elk: •Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that is acting abnormally or appears to be ill. Contact your state fish and game agency if you see or harvest an animal that appears ill. •Wear latex or rubber gloves when field dressing deer, moose or elk. When skinning the animal, use extra caution around the anus and other areas that may be soiled by stool. •If removing antlers, use a saw specifically kept for this purpose and dispose of the blade afterward. •Remove bones from the animal by separating them at joints instead of sawing through the bones and avoid cutting through the brain or spinal cord except to remove the head. Use a knife specifically kept for this purpose to minimize the risk of contaminating meat. •Minimize handling of all brain and spinal tissues. •Wash hands and tools thoroughly after field dressing is completed. •Avoid consuming the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes of harvested animals. Normal field dressing, coupled with boning out a carcass, will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fat and connective tissue will remove any remaining lymph nodes. •If your deer has been chosen to be sampled for CWD, do not eat any meat until test results have been returned. In some states, this may take weeks to months, so if there is any concern, dispose of the carcass. •If you have your deer, moose or elk commercially processed, request that your animal is processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to the meat from your animal. To date, there is no evidence dogs can become infected with CWD. However, it is best to avoid feeding brain and spinal cord tissues from killed game to dogs. Studies have demonstrated that CWD prions can be excreted in the saliva, urine and manure of infected animals. These findings have led to recommendations for bans of the use of deer urine MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 43 to lure deer.

GUN DOG Episode 1

By Tim Forge

t was over a year ago. I was happy with one dog. I wasn’t looking for another. I was perfectly content with one aging semi cross-eyed, pure breed, male golden retriever who wasn’t exactly the greatest retriever but I hadn’t exactly trained him to be.

Dakota would go retrieve a bird if he could see it, but he hasn’t caught on to looking up in the sky when we are shooting. Hey, I have an idea, Dakota. Why don’t you stop licking your balls for a minute and take a look up into the FREAKING SKY! I’M HUNTING HERE FOR CHRIST SAKE! But that was all before I came to be dog sitting, somewhat permanently, my daughter’s female Catahoula puppy that, eight months later, came into heat for the first time. I was consistent with keeping the two dogs apart, separated by a temporary cage while in the house, and let outside in shifts. I was perfect in letting one out in the backyard while the other stayed inside. I had maintained this procedure for three weeks religiously. How long does a dog stay in heat anyway, I wondered? What I didn’t count on was the random action by my son, X-man who got sick of Dakota, the retriever, howling to get out. So he let him out. It was only for a couple of minutes he said. “You what?” I asked, incredulously, grabbing a chunk of hair out of my head. “Did something happen?” “I don’t know but they got stuck together.” He replied. “Oh, crap!” I wailed. “It’s probably nothing, dad. I don’t think she’s pregnant.” My son remarked, the teenage canine obstetrician. “I hope you’re right” I said, knowing I was wrong. And I was right. PAGE 44 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

And sixty-three days later I was trying to play birthing assistant to a very pregnant, panting dog. I had all the equipment. I had the latex gloves, I had the rolls of paper towels, I had the KY jelly in case one got stuck, I had a can of the first milk in case she wouldn’t nurse. I had towelettes and scissors and nose suckers and hot water bottles. But I was useless because the mother’s millions of years old instinct took over and she did everything she was supposed to do. Five pups later she was finished. What I had was a group of blackish, shiny pups except for one grey and spotted black one. They looked like miniature Labradors, way cuter than human babies with all of their whining and crying and little scrunchy faces. What are you crying about you big baby? Oh I’m sorry, I’m sorry, drop and give me twenty, and not those girl pushups you tried to get away with last time. Oh the plans swirling around in my head. I hadn’t trained a hunting dog since I was a teenager. He was a German Shorthair pointer named Brownie who could point, and find a bird in a hundred yard blind retrieve on hand signals and whistle alone. I once shot a wild band tailed pigeon that sailed far down into the heavily wooded canyon below, and Brownie raced after it. A half hour later just as I was getting sick with worry, Brownie returned, bird in mouth. Another MidwestHuntFish.com

time when we were jump shooting ducks at Grey Lodge State Wildlife Area in California, he kept bringing back ducks we didn’t even shoot. But I had spent a lot of time training that dog. Could I do it again with less effort? German Shorthairs are not natural retrievers like Golden Retrievers are but half of a Golden Retriever’s natural retrieving ability should at least be equal to a German Shorthair’s. I mainly wanted a retriever for duck hunting and occasional dove shoots. Hunting upland game in Florida, namely quail, isn’t worth the effort unless you can get on a private plantation. The once legendary Florida Bobwhite Quail numbers have dwindled severely over the years for various suspected reasons like habitat change, limited natural fires, the type of grasses being grown, pesticides, and even such a seemingly innocuous reason as red imported fire ants eating the eggs. That’s a pity because quail hunting is really enjoyable when there are actually quail to be had. The first few weeks I kept the puppies in a plastic kiddy pool that I had put in the enclosed porch next to my bedroom. I kept a portable heater on to keep the temperature toasty at around 90 degrees. All I had to do was feed the mamma dog as much food and water as she could ingest. The pups ate, slept and grew. At four weeks the grey and black spotted female my son named Grizzly climbed out of the kiddie pool. And then it was game on taping up cardboard extenders around the perimeter of the pool while Grizzly soon learned how to scratch at the joints until the tape came loose and she could slip between the cardboard to escape to the wood floor to take a leak. Ah, nothing like the feel of wood on your bare paws.

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When they were seven weeks old, I took a trip to the feed store and picked up their first of three series of shots, the seven in one shot, and a wormer. I studied YouTube carefully on how to give a dog a shot. Always loathing shots myself, I would now have to give them one or face a big fat vet bill for my squeamishness. I picked the mellowest puppy first, and the biggest who I named Whalen. I figured he’d be a cinch. All he ever did was lie around looking for a free meal. I carefully inserted the needle into the saline ampoule, sucked out the liquid, and then injected it into the ampoule of freeze dried serum. After lightly shaking the mixture, I re-inserted the needle and sucked out the serum. I was nervous, my palms were sweating but it was crucial to remain calm. Animals will sense your fear and run like hell if they read “I’m about to give you a shot and I don’t know what the frick I’m doing” anywhere in your body language. What I used was misdirection. A big, fat tablespoon of peanut butter with honey dribbled over it. I picked Whalen up set him on the counter and pushed his nose into the peanut butter. Then I pinched some skin together on the back of his upper neck and inserted the needle. Only it didn’t insert. Shit. I thought I had done it right. I tried it again but Whalen started to squirm. I pushed his head back into the peanut butter but the spoon squirted away. I grabbed the spoon and had a wad of peanut butter stuck to my fingers. Then I readjusted my hold on the puppy, smearing peanut butter all over his head. I was sweating profusely now. I picked the hypodermic up and ran it under the skin and slowly injected the shot. After that I massaged the area lightly and then put the puppy down. My nerves were shot. No wonder most people take their dogs to the Vet. I only had four dogs to go. But they went much easier. In fact the most hyper dog, Grizzly, was the easiest. Maybe she had the thinnest skin. They were still a little young for formal training but not too young for house breaking. I had started them at a few weeks old with paper in the bottom of the kiddie pool. Then I built a little wooden enclosure in the kitchen with the paper on one side and their bedding on the other. They seemed mixed up at first, but over time more and more of their messes ended on the paper. I put some of the used paper on the backyard and started taking the pups out when they were about four weeks old. I had watched the video, “House break your puppy in twentyfour hours” anyone can do it. Yeah? Apparently these pups hadn’t watched the video. It was puppy peeing mayhem once they got out of their little pen. They peed outside, and then they peed inside. They pooped outside and they pooped inside. House break? More like house wreck. And no, I couldn’t

PAGE 46 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

take them outside every twenty minutes during the day, I work for a living. At eight weeks I was pretty attached to all of the pups but knew my sanity required giving some of them new homes. We had no problem finding potential owners for three of the puppies, and gave them their walking papers. Only two were left, Whalen and Grizzly, the two opposites. Whalen looked like a lab and Grizzly looked more like the classic Catahoula. I really only wanted to keep one but my son wanted Grizzly and I wanted to keep Whalen. The first test I gave them was the bird wing on a fishing pole test. I pulled one of the frozen duck wings out of a bag in the freezer and tied it on ten feet of line on my fishing pole I never use. Oh, you think it odd that a person would keep a bag of frozen duck wings in the freezer? In case of emergency, break open bag and grab one wing. Sitting in my lawn chair in the backyard, I flipped the wing towards Whalen. He looked interested but he was just too large and fat to push his underdeveloped muscles into action. I flipped it on top of his head and he grabbed it with his teeth. I gave him praise and pulled it out of his mouth. Then I flipped it a couple feet away. He laboriously gathered himself up and slowly walked over to it. Wow, that retriever blood runs thick in this dog. I passed it off as his oversized features impeding his nimbleness. At this point in his growth, his ears and feet were way too large for the rest of him. In fact, if I were to just poke one of his legs and feet from around a corner you would expect it to be attached to something like a Great Dane. And his ears? More like Dumbo ears. This could be one of those freaky genetic mutations that happen from time to time. Cross breeding can be tricky. Grizzly on the other hand weighing about half as much as Whalen bolted right after the bird wing and chased it with enthusiasm. I let her catch it a couple of times and had to pry it out of her mouth as she savagely attempted to devour it. I hate to jump to conclusions based on just one test. Brownie used to chase that damn bird wing until he was exhausted, and he hated retrieving in the beginning. I would have to find something a little more definitive to base my findings on. A trip to a Bass Pro Shop led me to find the perfect specimen. A dummy retrieving mallard duck that looked more like a raggedy doll but made more durable. I tossed it across the tile floor at the house and the pups skidded into the door chasing it and then both of them latched on to it as they wrestled for control. They loved it. They ran after it over and over. Now who’s questioning the pedigree of my dogs, eh? They had the desire, now I would just have to shape and mold it into something resembling a retriever. © 2012 forge. For more hunting stories checkout http:// www.duckquester.com

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NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING FUN By Sioux Nation Pet

f your dog wants to roll in the snow— let him.

Clare Beelman - Flickr.com

A dog’s life can be just that, a dog’s life. Sleeping in a unpadded or cold floor without proper bedding, water that is stale from days gone by and food that is less than quality ingredients. Staying penned up or chained up in a small confined area and nothing to do. When the opportunity to get free does arise as a sporting dog you want your dog to enjoy his/her time in the field. Dogs that are happy perform better, stay healthier and overall are better tools for you in the field. It starts with the little things like his portable carrier. When it is hot and practical allow as much free air movement as possible in the kennel by putting it in an open area if possible or driving with the windows down. Dogs love to see what is going on around them and love to be able to sniff the breezes. You try putting a dog in a confined closed kennel and he will resent it and show you his displeasure in one form or another. If the trip is more than a couple hours, stop and let the dog out for a break. Bring water and portable dishes to use and refrain from feeding the dogs prior to be used in the field. I have done it and I have seen others do it and the result is upset stomach and discharging the food from his body so the calories never make it to their destination anyhow. Just wait until the end of the hunt and don’t worry, you will cause less stress on the dog and he won’t feel deprived of anything. Make sure the dog’s kennel is properly padded or bedding is properly placed in the kennel. It is a great insect repellent, soft to lay on, cool and warm in extreme temperatures and finally, in the event of an accident it absorbs the fluids until you can properly deal with it. When you arrive at your destination, allow the dog to do what dogs do…..sniff, run, stretch and feel the freedom they have in the field. Let them pee and empty out at their convenience prior to starting the hunt. I have seen dogs completely stress out over stopping to go to the bathroom during the hunt because they weren’t afforded that chance before the hunt and completely felt as though they were going to be left behind. Your dog isn’t doing you any good in that state anyway so give them a few minutes. Finally, remove burrs, stickers or vegetation from their eyes during the hunt. If your dog is limping or has foreign bodies on him remove them and he will hunt better for you. If there is a pond or puddle with water and he wants a minute to lay in it, let him. If he wants to roll in the snow, let him. Regardless of all the training that takes place with our dogs understand that they will make a mistake PAGE 47 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

or do something they know they aren’t supposed to do so get over it. Electronic collars are a great when used as an aide not a stress reliever for the owner. Don’t ever overdo it using one of the collars. When was the last time us humans led a sin free life? I think the last time was about 2,000 years ago so cut Fido some slack. Have fun with your canine companion and let him enjoy his dog’s life in the field.

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our Gun Dog’s diet is one of the most important components of its health and happiness.

A hunting dog is an athlete, particularly a hardworking duck dog. Like most athletes, working dogs work up large appetites. Hunting dog breeds require more calories because they are more active throughout the day. The typical hunting dog will often run and sprint for prolonged periods of time while on a hunt. Also, nutritional needs increase when the weather is extremely hot or cold as this type of weather is even more burdensome on a hunting dog’s body. During the waterfowl season when your retriever is burning up calories swimming in cold water and staying warm the rest of the time, high-energy food is best. However, after the season is over and particularly during the warm months, putting your retriever on a diet is a good idea. If you feed high-protein, high-performance dog food, you can simply cut back the amount fed. The metabolism of individual dogs varies and they may require different amounts of food. For a clue to condition, look at the dog’s flanks. A healthy dog at its proper weight should show the last two ribs. If more show, feed more. If you can’t see those two ribs, cut back. Remember dogs can’t survive on twigs and berries. Dogs are non-obligate carnivores. They need meat to survive and they need fat for energy. High protein and high fat are crucial for a hunting dog’s diet. With fat having twice as many calories as carbohydrates or protein per gram, it is a stable fuel that allows hunting dogs to work for longer periods of time with less fatigue. Protein is a good fuel because it breaks down slowly over time, and it is the most natural food source for a dog. It is recommended that a hunting dog’s diet is 30% protein and at least 20% fat for stable energy throughout the day. Scientific studies have proven that dogs fed a high protein high fat diet in a 30/20 mix of protein and fat greatly outlasted dogs that were fed a lower protein and fat diet in both energy and ability to work.

op Gun Dog Food for Your Gun Dog

Realtree® 30/25 High Performance Dog Food is everything active Gun Dogs need to perform. Providing the nutrition and energy required for focus and endurance, get ready to get the most out of your dog. Their specialized formula uses only the highest quality ingredients for superior taste and digestibility. Don’t believe the hype. Dogs can’t survive on twigs and berries – dogs need meat. This food is 30% protein and 25% fat, which is the best kind of nutrition for dogs. The high protein and fat content also means there is less room in the food for carbohydrates. Grain-free does not mean carb-free. Most grain-free diets contain high levels of other carbs, like potatoes and sweet potatoes. Dogs need meat to survive and they need fat for energy. The top ingredients in this food are chicken and fish, so the dogs get mainly animal protein and animal fat.

Be sure to look at the ingredients of each type of dog food to see what types of carbohydrate, protein, and fat sources are being used. Vitamins are needed for the dog’s chemical reactions. Vitamins A, D, E, and K require fat in the diet for absorption. The B-complex vitamins easily absorb in the body. Vitamin C is not needed in the canine diet because dogs can make it themselves, but dogs that are highly active for a few days in a row may use Vitamin C faster than they can produce it. In these cases, an additive is a good idea. A food with added Vitamin C will back up your dog’s natural Vitamin C production when he needs it most. Minerals, such as calcium and phosphorous, are necessary for structural building as well as chemical reactions. If the dog food is complete and balanced, it should have all the vitamins and nutrients essential for the health of your PAGEdog. 48 • Water MIDWEST UNTING & Fimportant ISHING - JANUARY -FEBRUARY 2014dog and is especially important for the hunting hunting isHthe most nutrient for your dog that runs.

Carbohydrates are sugar, starches and fiber. They provide energy but can also raise blood sugar. For a hunting dog, the increase in blood sugar provides quick energy. Rice raises blood sugar levels; whereas, wheat causes lower blood sugar levels. Corn and sorghum offer slower rising levels. Too much fiber can cause intestinal gas and too little can cause constipation. In a good high protein, high fat food, fiber content should be 3-4%. Anything more is only necessary if the food has a high carbohydrate content, and as such, a high level of fiber is generally an indicator of a high carb food. Fiber should come preferably from a source like beet MidwestHuntFish.com pulp, according to Martin Coffman, sporting dog veterinarian.

Also, one major concern with hunting dogs is the loss of weight. If hunting dogs are not fed the proper levels of protein and fat, it is very likely that they will lose weight. Experts recommend that hunting dogs should be fed at least twice per day. However if the dog is losing weight, it is recommended to feed it more often. Weight loss can cause potentially serious health problems, and it is advisable to check a hunting dog’s weight weekly. Unlike humans, dogs are better suited to have fat as a fuel source before lengthy physical activity. That doesn’t mean that carbohydrates do not have their place in a hunting dog’s diet but a good high performance diet should deliver 25% or less of its energy from carbohydrates. Rice, corn, and milo are good sources of carbohydrates. Rice is an excellent food because it readily breaks down into glucose which fuels quick bursts of energy that are required while sprinting. Milo and corn have been shown to break down more slowly allowing a longer duration of energy availability for the dog. Some hunters become frustrated with their dogs having to go to the bathroom often while on hunts. So, they end up allowing their dogs to drink water only during and after their hunts. Do not do this! Would you deny water to a marathon runner? Just as a human athlete would require steady amounts of water while exercising, so do dogs. Dogs can become ill if they are not properly hydrated while working. It is best to have consistent access to water for hunting dogs. No matter what, always have clean water readily available during periods of activity.

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Adventures come in many flavors; hunting, fishing, camping, a weekend at the cabin, an RV outing, or an awesome day of mudding in the truck. Bringing your dog can cause problems. How much food do you bring? How do you keep it dry? Realtree® High Performance Dog Food has solved these problems for adventure enthusiasts everywhere… with the handy Adventure Pack. • Convenient and portable: fits in pockets of hunting vests • 12 Individually sealed pouches maintain freshness • Waterproof • Individual bags float if dropped in the lake or swamp • Low commitment way to try a new dog food

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Proteins are the building blocks for your pet’s Fats supply energy and essential fatty acids as well body. They supply 10 of the 23 essential amino as transport vitamins. They also help maintain your dog’s acids necessary for proper body metabolism -coat and keep the skin healthy. Fats are a “metabolic source your dog manufactures the other 13. Protein comes Nutrient-dense dog foods are higher in protein and of water,” according to Sabine Contreras, canine care and from meat and plant sources; however, meat has a fat, but lower in carbohydrates. Your dog will eat less nutrient consultant. Fats provide 2.25 more calories per “higher biological value” than vegetable sources nutrient-dense food to get the needed calories. Some gram than protein and carbohydrates, so dogs can eat less such as soybean and corn meal, according to the commercial dog foods have 70-80% carbohydrates and get more energy. For those dogs that are on long hunting Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary -- some used as fillers. Even though a hunting dog excursions, fat provides additional energy. Omega-6 fatty Medicine. Hunting dogs need more protein for body needs energy from carbohydrates, he also needs lean acids (soybean, corn and safflower oil) can cause inflamed maintenance and to avoid injury. Look for dog food protein to protect his body against injuries and maintain and irritated skin. Omega-3 fatty acids (cold-water fish oil, that lists meat as its first three ingredients. Avoid MidwestHuntFish.com P MidwestHuntFish.com AGE 49 higher • MIDWEST HUNTINGof& fat FISHING - JANUARY EBRUARY 2014 flaxseed and canola oil) keep the skin healthy, so look M MIDWEST IDWEST UNTING F FISHING ISHING -- J JANUARY ANUARY -F -FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY EBRUARY 2014 2014 •• P PAGE AGE 49 49 muscle. The content provides the-Fadditional meat&&by-products, which are the necks, stomachs, for HHUNTING energy your hunting dog needs for optimal performance. omega-3 fats. Fat content should be at least 20 percent. feathers and other remains of the animal.

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includes: Grabber Hand Warmers (40 piece) Portable heat in the palm of your hand! Air-activated Grabber Hand Warmers keep hands and fingers toasty for over 7 hours. No shaking or kneading required; just open the package and put the “Original” Warmers in your glove or pocket for a few minutes to start the process.

includes: Grabber Heated Hat/Beanie Grabber Heated Hat assists in maintaining core body temperature in cold weather. Great for outdoor activities such as hunting, camping, construction and spectator sports. Heated Hat features two pockets with Velcro closures. Place one Grabber Hand Warmer inside each pocket for 7+ hours of warmth.

The Grabber Heated Eco-Fleece Kit contains one Beanie, one Neck Gaitor, and one box of 40 pair Grabber Hand Warmers. The Grabber Heated Eco-Fleece Beanie features two interior pockets that perfectly fit a pair of hand warmers. Whether going down the slope or shoveling the sidewalk, the Grabber Beanie has you covered. The Grabber Heated Eco-Fleece Neck Gaitor is perfect for deterring wind and cold. Keep face and neck warm with two added interior pockets, great for holding warmers. Air-activated Grabber Hand Warmers keep hands and fingers toasty for over 7 hours. No shaking or kneading required; just open the package and put the “Original” Warmers in your glove or pocket for a few minutes to start the process.

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Dakota® Model 76 Classic™ The Dakota Model 76 is offered in Classic, Safari and African grades. They all feature controlled round feeding and positive extraction; the extractor, underneath the locking lug and positioned at the end of the bolt, opens fully to insure that the next round feeds smoothly. The one-piece trigger guard and hinged floorplate are machined from solid bar stock. Every Dakota 76 can be custom-tailored to your size and tastes, with a wide range of optional features available.

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Toxic Angel De Morté

PAGE 51 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

Realtree® 30/25 High Performance Dog Food is everything active dogs need to perform. Providing the nutrition and energy required for focus and endurance, get ready to get the most out of your dog. Our specialized formula uses only the highest quality ingredients for superior taste and digestibility.

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The Angel De Morte’ (Angel of Death) is a revolutionary new design in Goose calls. With the Guts at the bottom of the call and the longer Barrel. You get the hollow sound of a Flute Call with the easy of operation of a Short Reed. This call is super easy to blow. Yet in the hands of an experienced caller you can make those notes that you can only get on a short reed, but with a Hollow Flute sound.

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The NEW GC300 is compact, durable and extremely effective for such an affordable unit. You can’t go wrong with this predator call if you are a beginner or a more experienced hunter that prefers a more convenient option. Great for attracting coyote, bobcat, fox, wolf, bear, crow and raccoon.

MidwestHuntFish.com

FOCUS

ON STYLES OF FISHING Dave Genz

PAGE 52 â&#x20AC;˘ MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

When it comes to modern ice fishing, there is a direct connection between tools and techniques. The tools make the techniques possible. And yet, when it comes to talking about the tools, we often lose the direct connection to the techniques. MidwestHuntFish.com

... That all ends here

The classic Genz style of ice fishing is defined by moving a lot, dropping your bait into as many holes as possible until you catch the fish you came for. Staying in one spot longer can be effective, but the premium becomes dropping a wider variety of baits down to try to tempt what are often the “same fish.” Whatever style you choose, gear up for success. As you can see here, the line between shelter and clothing has been blurred, making it easier to “fish outside” while remaining comfortable. (Photo: davegenz.com) When you talk ice fishing tools with Dave Genz, the discussion always starts and ends with what the tools get used for. Approach it this way and your equipment selection is simplified. This time, we focus on styles of fishing. When you know what kind of angler you are, you can do a better job of gathering up the right tools. “So, rather than just talking about new products and their features,” begins Genz, “let’s talk about how you’re going to use whatever you use.” He begins thinking out loud, talking about how some ice anglers—himself included—head onto the ice with a game plan that includes remaining mobile. That is, the primary strategy is to drill lots of holes and fish them quickly, looking for active biters. Other anglers—and it can be a function of the type of ice shelter they use—tend to drill fewer holes, and focus mainly on catching whatever fish are under them. As time passes, it’s often the same fish (that have already seen your initial offering) that you’re trying to catch. “It’s those two different styles of fishing,” says Genz, “and both are effective. Which one do you want to be? If you’re fishing out of a hub-style house or a wheeled fish house or a permanent shack, you aren’t going to move as much. Maybe not at all. So you need lots of rods, all rigged with something different, to try to catch the fish that are camped under your house.” He talks about top competitors in ice tournaments, and how they want to be mobile and move to many holes, looking for biters, but the crowd on the spots makes it hard to fish that way. “Tournament guys are faced with that a lot,” he says. “There are people on all the spots, so you’re forced to make PAGE 53 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

those fish bite that are in your area.” He talks about pressured fish and how they tend to be harder to tempt. He brings up Jim Martin, a Michigan fisherman known for his ability to catch fish in crowds during tournament hours. “Jim Martin is the master at having lots of rods rigged up ahead of time,” says Dave. “He puts a lot of effort into tying up all these rods the night before. His plan is to get those fish to bite by dropping a different bait down there. Something new.” The point is clear: if your mobility is limited, either by choice or circumstance, it becomes more important to try to coax a few reluctant fish into biting. It’s more likely that you are going to be sitting over fish that are slow to react. Active biters get caught quickly, then you settle in to a period of working over tough customers. In this scenario, it’s more likely that the bites are going to be soft and hard to detect. The fish tend to ease up to your bait and perhaps half-heartedly suck at them, maybe just getting the bait to touch the outside of their lips. There is a theory in fishing that you “get what you ask for” from the fish, meaning that if you fish slow and subtle, you get timid bites. If you fish more aggressively, you tend to trigger more aggressive bites. But even that aside, in many cases when you’re camped on a spot, Genz says, the bites become harder to detect. This is one of the reasons that spring bobbers are effective tools for a lot of people. “But you have to realize,” says Genz, “that putting a spring bobber on your rod limits what you can do with the presentation.” We’ve talked about this before, but a spring bobber generally ‘smooths out’ the presentation, making it more of a swimming thing rather than a rapidlyvibrating thing as with the Genz Pound. MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 53

Hypothermia... A Cold Blooded Killer By Jim Rogers Winter is here. With it brings many enjoyable activities such as skiing, snowmobiling, hunting and ice fishing. Some of these activities involve frozen lakes and ponds. These frozen lakes and ponds can be extremely dangerous when the ice is thin. With luck and preparation hopefully you will never have to save someone who fell through thin ice, gets caught out in the elements, or simply over exposes themselves to the cold. But if it happens you should be armed with the knowledge on what hypothermia is, and how to identify its signs and symptoms. It happens to tens of thousands of people every year, killing thousands. Hypothermia is caused by the rapid, or slow decrease of the body’s’ core temperature below 95 ºF. You might not have a thermometer handy in an emergency situation but you can always see signs of it without one. There are three stages of hypothermia. It just might save your life or that of a loved one or friend if you can recognize the symptoms. Stage 1 - Stage One Hypothermia develops in the initial drop of body temperature. In the field, it’s essentially irrelevant what body temperature is present. The symptoms are what matter. The most prevalent symptom will typically be mild to severe shivering; In fact, shivering can be viewed always as a sign that hypothermia is a threat. Take it seriously! Breathing becomes quicker and shallower. The body also begins the process of redirecting blood flow to essential internal organs. As a result, fine motor skills begin to suffer. The victim is unable to perform complex tasks with their hands, as the blood vessels in the arms and legs contract. The victim may feel sick to their stomach. One common tests for Stage One Hypothermia is to touch the thumb to the little finger. While not a fool-proof test, lack of ability to perform this test is a telltale signal that a person is moving into Stage Two Hypothermia, a truly dangerous condition. Stage 2 - In the transition to Stage Two Hypothermia, it is not uncommon for victims to feel sick to their stomach, immensely tired, but often also a warming sense that they are recovering. This phenomenon represents one of the most dangerous aspects of hypothermia - the body’s ability to fool itself. As Stage Two Hypothermia progresses, shivering becomes much stronger and almost violent. The body also desperately tries to save its most vital functions by redirecting more and more blood flow to keeping essential organs warm and functioning. As the blood vessels in their extremities contract, their fingers, lips, ears, and toes will begin to turn blue. They have trouble moving and are mildly confused. Victims in this stage become disoriented, highly dysfunctional with regard to fine and gross motor skills, and start to often make decisions with deadly consequences. Inability to properly use muscles becomes obvious. Stage 3 - Stage Three Hypothermia sets in at about 90 degrees body temperature. Shivering typically ceases and they have difficulty speaking and thinking at this stage. All body functions are in the process of shutting down. Amnesia, lack of body control, and blue and puffy lips and skin are often present. Death is close at hand if intervention does not occur soon. It is unlikely that a person in Stage Three Hypothermia will be able to rescue themself. This is the most serious stage and if you see any of these symptoms then you better get the victim to a hospital quickly. Walking is almost impossible as the body’s blood vessels have contracted completely to keep the vital organs alive. Any exposed skin will turn blue and puffy. Their pulse and breathing rates are slower. Soon their major organs will start to fail and once this happens the body can no longer send blood to the brain. Once this happens, the victim will have about five minutes until death. Get to a hospital! So now that you know the signs of hypothermia you PAGE 54 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

The good news is that, if you like to fish with spring bobbers and they match your style well, that your rods are going to cost less. You don’t need a great rod with a spring bobber. The rod can’t be a mushy train wreck, but any reasonable rod will do when paired with a spring. So it makes it more affordable to gather up an arsenal of rods, allowing you to do the Jim Martin thing and hit the ice with lots of rods, pre-rigged with different style and color baits.

Sight Fishing Next stop: sight fishing. Dave goes into his thoughts on gear and outlook when you can see the fish. “And remember, these days we can sight-fish at any depth,” he says, “because you can use an underwater camera and see deep fish, too, as long as the water is clear enough.” After watching countless others sight-fish, and doing plenty of it himself, Genz came to the following conclusion: when you can see the fish, you tend to slow down, or stop, your presentation as the fish gets closer. “It’s like you want to make it easy for the fish to catch your bait,” theorizes Dave. “So you slow everything down or stop. That’s when your line starts untwisting, so the bait starts spinning. Most fish lose interest when the bait is spinning.” This has been a long-standing issue. Some sight fishermen have learned to grab the line to keep it from spinning. But now you have a hook-setting problem, because your line is in one hand, and there is probably slack line between your hand and the rod. The fish sucks in the bait, you deal with the mess, and the fish has long since spit it back out before you get the hook set. The best answer to the whole spinning bait thing has been the introduction of ‘fly reels for ice fishing,’ so the line peels straight off without twisting. Genz was instrumental in designing the Ice Spooler series for Clam, which features a longer ‘reel stem’ so the reel doesn’t sit tight to the rod, as a true fly reel would. This lets you get your hand in there and hold it like a traditional reel. You can use a rod with a spring bobber on it for sight fishing, but the spring bobber is not useful for detecting bites when you can already see the fish, and the spring limits your presentation options. So perhaps the ultimate sight rod is one that allows you to either ‘pound it’ or swim it smoothly, and minimizes line twist so the bait won’t spin around as you slow down or stop the presentation.

Mobile Attack Genz’s favorite style of ice fishing, the style he built the modern ice revolution around, is sometimes called run and gun. This is where you attack the lake, drilling holes on many promising spots, fishing quickly, looking for active biters, moving on. You keep moving, in most cases, even when you catch fish, because the theory is that there are only so many active biters in an area at any given point in time. As soon as the action slows, you’re on the move, drilling more holes. Fishing this style was the inspiration for what became the original ‘blue suit’ by Clam, which has evolved into a series of ice fishing-specific suits that block the wind, let you kneel down on the ice, and just generally keep your comfortable while fishing ‘outside’ in the elements. It has become part of ice fishing lingo to say that you’re wearing your portable shelter, using tools like Fish Traps primarily to block the wind better, to see better for sight fishing, and to get warm before going out on the next attack. The theory behind this fishing style has been proven so MidwestHuntFish.com

many times that it’s no longer a theory. On most days, this approach produces the most fish, and the biggest fish. It places a premium on the first drop down a new hole, a time when the most aggressive fish is likely to rise up out of the pack and beat the others to your bait. These are often the biggest fish in the area. “Our style of fishing,” says Dave, “is we use the same jig and fish it in a lot of holes.” It’s not that he never changes baits. In fact, he brings about four pre-rigged rods with baits he thinks should produce. But it’s common for him to keep dropping the same jig down many holes. His classic presentation style is called the Genz Pound. To execute it, you need a high quality rod that lets you remain in control of many rapid, tiny vibration-like movements you impart to the bait, and distinctly feel each cycle. What you are feeling is the ‘bottom of each bounce,’ and you train your hands and brain to notice when the cycle of boomp-boompboomp gets interrupted. That usually means a fish has sucked it in, and it’s already past time to set the hook! It’s difficult or impossible to fish this style without a topquality rod. This is the style we talked about last time, that has Genz so excited about the new Legacy rods. “They’re the most affordable rods ever,” he says, “that let you fish this way.” That’s it for today. There’s always a reason for the gear selections, if you think about the style of fishing you plan to do. Hopefully, this will help you gather up the right stuff before you head out onto the ice. Note: Dave Genz, known as Mr. Ice Fishing, was the primary driver of the modern ice fishing revolution. He has been enshrined in the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport. For more fishing tips and to order his new info-packed book, Ice Revolution, go to www. davegenz.com.

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should know how to treat it. Simply put you have to get them out of a cold environment and into a warm one. This can be done by removing their wet clothes and replacing them with dry ones. Use yours if you have to. If you have to use your own clothes make sure you don’t get hypothermia or you are just going to make a bad situation even worse. In mild cases of hypothermia you can just have the victim do some exercise to keep warm blood flowing to all parts of their body. Be sure to find shelter from the wind. Keep the victim insulated from the ground by making a bedding of leaves, twigs, branches or whatever else you can find. Start a fire if you can. Let the victim drink warm non-alcoholic drinks and high sugar filled foods. Apply heat to the neck, armpits and groin area. More severe cases of hypothermia require a more severe treatment. Try to maintain the body temperature of the victim using the previous methods described. Be sure to be gentle with the victim because rough or sudden movements like walking could pull their blood from their outer extremities into their core, causing shock. The best hypothermia treatment in severe cases is to get two warm people under a pile of blankets with the victim and create skin on skin contact to the torso. The victim might want to go to sleep but don’t let them. Don’t try to increase the victim’s body temperature but only try to prevent it from decreasing. Make sure you have already called an emergency response team. If you haven’t, then do it now. If the hypothermia victim has gone unconscious, check for a pulse. If there is a pulse, do not administer CPR, this can cause the heart to stop. If there is no pulse, begin CPR immediately and hope the emergency response team shows up soon. People have recovered from hypothermia in morgues after being declared dead by professionals. So be sure to keep them warm as long as you can. So never give up hope and with these tips you can save someone from hypothermia. How could this have been prevented in the first place? The good news is that with relatively simple precautionary measures hypothermia is one hundred percent preventable. It all boils down to preparation. In extreme weather things get complicated and life threatening faster than you may think. During seasons where hypothermia is even a possibility, always head into the field with proper clothing and emergency supplies. Whether you’re hunting, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, or just out in the elements, be prepared. Dress for the weather, have safety equipment, and a plan for the worst case scenario. Avoid going out alone, especially into unknown or hazardous territory. Have an escapeevacuation plan back to help. Make sure people know where you are and when you are expected to return. Even in known terrain or when there is no forecast of severe weather, carry a day pack with what you will need if the weather does turn nasty. Layered clothing is the best option for dealing with weather fluctuations. Also, due to absolutely awful insulation, cotton clothing should not be used. Once cotton becomes wet, it is useless as an insulator from the cold. It can get wet from sweating or from precipitation. There are manmade materials that work well, but the age-old standard for staying warm in damp to wet conditions is wool. Wear a base layer of polypropylene underwear, with layers over the top. Also, always have a rain parka or poncho for when the skies really do open up. One of the major contributing factors to hypothermia is wind. The rain gear you carry can also serve as a wind break. Finally, make certain you carry a wool cap. An enormous amount of body heat escapes through the head when uncovered. Jim Rogers spent 15 years as a trained and decorated Combat Medic in the U.S. Army serving with the Army Rangers, Infantry, Combat Engineers, and as a Medevac Flight Medic. Jim has treated soldiers and civilians alike for hypothermia, chilblain, and frostbite in both combat and rescue situations. This article is for educational purposes only, and it is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 55

GLOW IN THE DARK Ice Fishing By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson

There are many bright ideas for hard water, but there’s one that has been pretty consistent over the years…the use of glow colors for low-visibility conditions. Fishing at night or in low-light conditions (sunrise, sundown, or in stained or dirty water) often creates special problems for ice anglers. Fish can have difficulty ‘eating your bait’ if they can’t see it. Having said that, it’s known that many predator fish have the ability to locate prey using their lateral line sense. Given the option, though, fish appear to prefer to use sight to nail down something to eat. With some species that ice anglers love to target, such as bluegills and pike, they darn near have to see your bait or you go biteless! Recent breakthroughs in paint technology have allowed manufacturers to paint jigs in a variety of glowing colors, like blue, red, and chartreuse. Different colors emit light at different intensities under different conditions. Sometimes, one color may overpower fish. Another color may not be enough to draw them near. Always experiment and let the fish tell you what they want.

Kristi Takasaki with a beautiful crappie caught in bright sunshine, but with a glow jig! Photo: Ted Takasaki

Light of day Glow jigs shine even in daytime and will often catch walleyes and panfish when nothing else works. Why? Maybe it’s because you’re fishing at sunrise or sunset. But, many lakes in the North are fed by streams that flow through cedar swamps. Water is stained like tea by tannic acid. Visibility is diminished even at midday, especially when the ice thickens and snow covers the ice, cutting down on light penetration. When that’s the case, fish often go deeper as winter settles in. They are forced out of the shallows when weeds die and sap oxygen from their surroundings. Baitfish will suspend somewhere between top and bottom, looking for the depth where plankton and predators have P AGE 56 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-Freside, EBRUARY 2014

a harder time finding them. A glow jig will attract fish that settle at the same depth as the baitfish. Then, the action you put on your jig will make them bite. Stained lakes normally offer classic structure situations. For walleyes, you usually can’t go wrong fishing over hard bottoms on the steepest drops to the deepest part of the lake. Use a lake map and your GPS armed with a LakeMaster mapping chip to search out potential spots. Drill multiple holes and use a portable depth finder, like a Humminbird ICE597 to search for fish. The ICE 597 has a GPS and a graph all built into one unit for convenience. Later in winter, move to deeper structure like mid-lake humps. As ice-out nears, concentrate on spots near known spawning areas. MidwestHuntFish.com

Start by jigging aggressively with minnows to prompt a reaction strike from the most active fish. Hook the minnow through the mouth and up through the head. You can also clip the head of the minnow just behinds the gills. Small lakes may host spectacular prospects for panfish, like bluegills, crappies and perch. Head to the deepest area of the lake and remember that ‘deep’ is relative. Seek that area out whether it’s 40 feet or 20 feet. On large lakes, look for deep areas in bays and inside turns on points at the mouths of bays that reach to deep water. Smaller vertical jigs and spoons tipped with eurolarvae, work best for panfish. Use a sensitive ice stick, like the St. Croix Legend Ice series rods that let you keep in touch with your bait. Jiggle it constantly with short movements so the jig vibrates. This action triggers attention. Perch tend to hold deeper in schools as big as a football field. When fishing with friends, leap-frog each other in order to drill holes at 100-foot intervals until someone connects. Try a small, red glow #8 jig tipped with Eurolarvae. Drop it to the bottom and slightly raise it, and twitch. Fish may be finicky during the day. Try to stay away from the crowd. Sunlight is a good way to make phosphorescent paint glow. Some anglers like to use camera flash units. But, it never seems to fail… the batteries are drained when you need them most, either through overuse or failure to turn the flash unit off after you were done the last time. There are now many different small, super bright, LED flashlights that work much better. Night bite The action improves significantly after dark for walleyes and some species of panfish, like crappies. Even larger bluegills will bite after the sun goes down. For this fishing, glow jigs are a must. As for location, the same spots you fish during daytime will hold walleyes and crappies after dark. Bottom structure that holds baitfish is best for walleyes. Focus on dropoffs near points, on humps or channel edges. Crappies often suspend over the deepest water in small lakes. In larger lakes, they can be found suspended. Funnel areas between the tips of two points that come close to each other or where a sunken island is located just off a point are good, too. Fish are not so spooky after dark. Fish with friends or migrate toward the groups. Other tips Use the biggest auger you think you’ll need for the species of fish you are going after. The bigger the hole, the easier it will be to retrieve your fish. If you don’t connect with any fish, don’t stay long. The more you move, the more likely you will locate active schools. Take a friend with you in case you run into trouble. Don’t fish alone. And take your flotation cushion out of your boat and tie 50 feet of rope to it. It can be a lifesaver if one of your group falls through thin ice. Light up your life with glow jigs through the ice. They’re a real turn-on. PAGE 57 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

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www.haybaleheights.com 4355 87th Ave NE | Devils Lake, ND 58301 701.351.3130 MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FMidwestHuntFish.com EBRUARY 2014 • PAGE 57

ICE FISHING SAFELY

CHECK THE CONDITIONS AND BRING SAFETY GEAR

By Dave Genz

When it comes to ice safety, Dave Genz has always said essentially the same thing: if you move more, you will catch more fish. He wants ice anglers to be mobile, but be careful. He’s a picture of consistent safety precautions, wearing a life jacket outside his Ice Armor parka, using ice cleats for solid traction, punching the ice with a chisel ahead of himself, testing for thickness, as he walks on early or questionable ice. Today, he wants to talk ice safety over the entire course of the winter. “You never know when it could happen, that you could fall through,” he says, “but if you have the right stuff with you, you should be able to get out alright.” Two Aspects of Ice Safety ... Really, there are two aspects to ice safety. 1) Learning to identify situations that have the potential for producing unsafe ice. 2) Being ready with the right gear, should you or someone around you fall through the ice. Let’s look at both aspects. Potential for Unsafe Ice Ice conditions can and do vary from spot to spot on the same body of water, and vary tremendously from region to region. In some parts of the ice belt, cold weather comes and goes – so safe ice forms, then might erode, even at midwinter. Especially in today’s connected world, where we all see Facebook posts with pictures of good catches, the fever can sweep over people living in fringe areas. It can be tempting to try to add your own pictures to the reports, even if the ice is iffy, at the moment, where you live. Iffy ice conditions can always occur in places where water is moving due to currents or aeration devices, and around springs. This is true even in the ‘True North’ where cold weather usually remains for months on end. Also avoid expansion cracks, or ‘pressure ridges’ as they’re called. It pays to know when significant snow fell on top of the ice you are about to venture onto. All things being equal, it’s thought that ice should be at least six inches thick before the first good snow settles on top of it. If heavy snow falls on thin ice, the blanket of snow can insulate the ice, preventing it from getting thicker. Even with sustained cold temperatures, you can have thin ice under the snow. Again, it all depends on when that snow fell.

Clam and Ice Team pro Rick Johnson nears the edge of early ice. It’s hard to tell, but he is wearing a life vest over his Ice Armor jacket, has floating ice picks around his neck (now they velcro to the vest), and his boots are fitted with Micro Spikes. The object in Johnson’s right hand is a chisel, so he can strike the ice ahead of him as he walks out slowly. If the chisel goes through with one sharp strike, he’ll turn around and go back where he came from. There is a light dusting of snow on the ice, but not enough to cause slush or slow ice formation. Dave Genz, the photographer, will be going fishing with Rick. (Image: davegenz.com) PAGE 58 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

It’s easier than ever to gather information on known currents, springs, and other traditionally iffy ice areas, and to get details on what went down, weather wise, as ice was forming. Seek this information but couple it with your own observations, precautions, and common sense. Flotation, Picks, and a Chisel Genz has always thought it strange that safety experts switch advice abruptly after ice forms. “If you’re going out in a boat on cold water,” he says, “they tell you to wear a life jacket. Then, a week later, after the ice comes, they tell you to stay home. Why can’t we talk about wearing a life jacket when you go out on the ice?” He makes a good point. Once temps chill off into icemaking range, it takes little time for safe ice to form. (It can happen overnight, in perfect conditions, and certainly within a few days, with cold temperatures, safe walkable ice can form.) And first-ice fishing can be excellent. Read this clearly, exactly how it’s intended: check ice carefully, and wear flotation clothing above the waist just in case. “We have a new life vest,” says Dave, referring to the Clam life vest, “that’s Coast Guard approved and cut to fit over your suit. It has a lot of features, including a quick-release velcro holder for ice picks. It helps keep your core warm, and has soft pockets for drying and warming your hands. And we have floating ice picks.” Dave advises people to go ice fishing with at least one partner, and stay close enough to each other to be able to help if one falls through. It’s rare for this to happen, but if it does, a second person can be instrumental in getting the dunked angler back up on safe ice and headed in to warm up. If the assisting person can approach on safe ice but keep distance while rendering help, the odds of a good outcome are greatly improved. “That’s why we made the emergency throw rope,” Genz said, referring to another new accessory now readily available at retail. “You can make your own, or this one works really well. It looks like a dog dummy that’s packed with rope. You hang on to the loose end of the rope and throw the thing to the person in the water, and the rope plays out as it flies through the air. It stores 50 feet of rope in a neat package, and you can keep it in your Fish Trap or strap it to an ATV or snowmobile.” For the ultimate in protection, Genz talks about the Lift Suit, an ice-fishing specific suit made with extra flotation that helps you stay upright and floating in the event you break through. He finishes the thought by adding that floating ice

MidwestHuntFish.com

picks and chisels have also been brought into the lineup, to make sure anglers can find everything they need easily. We almost forgot: spikes. Sometimes called ice cleats, or creepers. They strap onto your boots, fitting you with icegripping traction. They’re crucial any time there’s no snow on the ice. They can prevent slipping and falling, which can (and does) lead to injuries. Genz mentions Micro Spikes by Kahtoola, but stresses that the most important thing is to get some and use them. “This is the stuff that doesn’t get talked about enough,” says Genz, “because it’s not really fishing equipment. And it’s not that we’re saying that ice fishing is dangerous. You’ll probably fish your whole life without needing most of this stuff, but if somebody falls through and you don’t have it along, you’ll wish you did.” Amen, and a major understatement.

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Ice Fishing in Mobridge: A South Dakota Secret “Hello, have you ever fished Lake Oahe?” It was the first question Mobridge Area Chamber of Commerce staff asked passersby at a Minnesota sports show recently. And the answers were shocking--just seven hours away from Mobridge and about four out of five responses went something like, “No, never heard of it.” Fisherman Darin Peters catches a 11.37 lb walleye in Mobridge January 2013.

ups, although you won’t see me doing anything by walk-ins for the next couple weeks. Even better, you can keep more fish and draw from a source that isn’t pressured like many nearby alternatives. Our Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament has done much to publicize the excellent ice fishing we have in Mobridge from January through March. Now approaching our 13th annual tournament, we have over $175,000 in prizes for the 500 2-man teams that come each year. We had to go to a lottery system because we’ve had so much interest. This winter, come fish with us. Call the Chamber at 605-845-2387 for information on places to stay and guide service options in our area--you’ll be glad you did!

Fishermen! Enjoy super ice fishing on Lake Oahe, one of America,s greatest fishing destinations! For lodging, hunting and fishing information: Well, folks, we are the 4th largest man-made lake in the entire country and right on the Missouri River. We have a fishery that is second to none. Walleye abound, as well as just about any other species you are looking to fish. One of the fishermen at our 12th Annual Mobridge Ice Fishing Tournament last year pulled a 16” perch out of the lake. Our locals and visitors alike hammer small and largemouth bass, crappies, northern pike, and catfish--just to name a few. Once our fantastic spring fishing ends in early July and the lake gets hot, we bow-fish for carp day and night and trying our hand at snagging huge pan fish. Fall fishing picks up in September for a few months and then we settle into winter. That was the second question of many of these unassuming fishermen: “Does Lake Oahe even freeze over?” Why, yes, it most definitely does. According to all of our old fishermen in town, you can bet on ice fishing starting December 10 of any given year. This year, they’re right. As I write this, December 9, we have 10” of ice and it’s accumulating fast. Some guys are already out there in pickPAGE 59 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 MidwestHuntFish.com

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ICE FISHING

PREPARATION

by Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson

Why is it that hunters will spend days scouting the woods in order to find just the right spot to erect their tree stands, but those same people ignore the same kind of preparation when it comes to their ice fishing? Be Prepared Most people wind up following the crowd on hard water as a result of poor scouting or no scouting at all. “Many anglers tend to follow that first guy on the ice,” said Dave Genz, father of modern ice fishing and member of the Lindy Little Joe Fishing Team. “You’ve just got to hope that first guy did his scouting.” Most often, however, he didn’t do any more than you did. Instead of catching fish, you both spend most of the winter on community spots wondering why the quality of ice fishing diminishes soon after ice up, Genz added. The common complaint is, “The fish have disappeared…. and they have,” Genz joked. “They’ve gone home in buckets.” It’s especially frustrating when you realize the biggest fish caught during ice season are generally the first ones, he said. Avoid that disappointment by finding several spots on your own far from the maddening crowds. You’ll have the best shot to catch bigger fish that way, and fish will stay on less-pressured areas longer. “Once the pressure comes, fish stop biting,” Genz said. You’ll also be more willing to make a long trek across the ice to a spot you know holds fish. Best time to find those private places is right now before ice up, Genz said. It’s far easier to locate likely fish-holding structure and cover it with your electronics from a boat in November than using an auger to cut through several inches or feet of ice in December, January or February. Pick a nice day, get a map of the lake, launch your boat and follow some simple steps that will help you enjoy good fishing all winter long. Genz said the first factor to remember is this – tall, green weeds standing straight up will hold fish well after ice covers

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the lake. Live weeds give off oxygen that, in turn, attracts microscopic plankton that brings in the baitfish. Baitfish draw larger species, from panfish to gamefish like walleyes, northern pike and bass. “If the panfish are there, so are the walleyes, northerns and other fish,” Genz said. Panfish and northerns will be present during the day. Walleyes move in at dusk or after dark. The first step in good scouting is to determine the depth of the weedline. Then, look at the lake map and find areas where the contour lines are widest at those depths. For example, if the weedline is at 10 feet, look for places on the map that have wide areas from 5 to 10 feet. If the weed line is at 15 feet, then look for spots with wide areas from 10 to 15 feet. Those are the places where the weed patches are likely to be the largest. The bigger the patch the more fish it will hold. (Narrow contour lines signal sharp breaks that will be too small to hold many weeds.) Then, check out those wide areas with your boat. If weeds are standing, they will hold fish. Look for the points, inside turns, and other irregularities within the weedline. Mark likely locations on the map and enter the coordinates into your handheld GPS. Move deeper if the weeds are dying and lying down or the water clarity is poor so deeper weeds are non-existent. In that case, look for likely structure that may hold fish, such as points and inside turns on the breaklines closest to deep water closest to deeper water. Look for suspended fish on your sonar. Watch for rock piles, brush piles, fallen logs and other cover fish will use. Enter those spots into your GPS, as well. You’ll soon have a good mental picture of what’s below by the time you’re done, and you will have done it far easier than if you’d waited until the hard water comes. Next, get your gear ready. “Do the little things,” Genz said. Start with new line. Old line has kinks in it, making it

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impossible for your jig to hang straight and for you to stay in contact with the bait. Check the eyelets on your ice rods with cotton swabs to identify the ones with sharp edges that need replacing to avoid putting nicks in your line. Go through your tackle box and get rid of the jigs that are rusty or did not produce last year. Always focus on limiting your tackle to what works. Sharpen your hooks. Even the littlest ones on your ice jigs can get dull. Next, check all the batteries you’ll rely on. Check on your Tazer light so you will be set to charge up your Techni-Glo jigs. Charge the battery on your portable Vexilar or change batteries on your Bottom Line Buddy sonar unit. Do the same on your Aqua Vu underwater fish camera. Charge the battery on your snowmobile and make sure you service the oil and other fluids. Make sure you have ample light sources and that they are ready to use. Replace mantles and propane canisters on gas lanterns and batteries in electric ones. Now, turn attention to your ice shanty. If you have a Fish Trap, which Genz designed, put electric conduit around the edges for extra rods and other equipment. Bolt some onto the bottom to protect your runners while pulling across snow-less areas. Check out the shanties of your buddies or visit outdoor shows to get ideas for other modifications you can do. Order bait, like eurolarvae, and buy nightcrawlers ahead of time and keep refrigerated until needed. The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” Make it yours to insure the best ice fishing season ever.

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ICE FISHING

WHERE TO FIND FISH

By Scott D Rogers

Obviously ice fishing is a lot more fun if you are catching fish, not sitting there freezing your butt off wondering where the fish are. Follow these helpful tips to find fish under the ice, even when no one else is catching any. This article is not about finding any particular species of fish, but about general locations of all fish during the winter months after a body of water has frozen over. Most ice fishermen usually go where others are fishing, figuring the other guy must be catching fish where he is. Sometimes you will see a little “village” of ice fishing shanties pop up because everyone is in that “monkey-see-monkeydo” mode. They may all be catching fish, but sooner or later the bite will slow down or even stop totally. Now what? Do you pack up your gear and head home, or do you relocate and hope you find more fish? What many ice fishermen don’t realize is that all fish respond to fishing pressure, and fish under ice are no exception. Another factor in fish location is “seasons”. Just as fish in a lake move around and change locations between spring, summer, fall and winter, fish under ice do the same thing from early winter to mid- and late winter. Their feeding habits also change during this relocating. The “villages” mentioned earlier will eventually become “ghost towns” not because all of the fish have been caught, it’s because they have moved away to another location. The good ice fisherman will know where to go to find them again, and keep on catching fish. In your mind try to separate the winter into three “seasons”. Early ice, midwinter ice, and late winter ice. If you fish in a particular lake in the late fall, and you find an area holding a good amount of fish, mark that spot with GPS or on a map, or mark the spot in your memory using shore features. Return to that spot after the first ice and chances are the fish will still be there. Most of the time when a lake freezes over for the first time, the fish will still be located in the same general area where they were before the freeze. There is no sudden exodus of movement after the first ice. Even if the fish are hanging out in deeper water, they will move up into shallower water to feed. This is usually where the “shanty village” will appear. These locations are usually shallow flats near deep water, summer weedbed areas, underwater brushy areas or spots with flooded timber. Underwater ledges with cover are ideal for holding fish during this period. Another good spot to try at this time is steep dropPAGE 62 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

offs where shallow flat areas descend into deeper water. The fish may be staging on these drop-offs, but head up to the flats to feed on baitfish. Depressions in flat areas will also hold fish. A good rule of thumb to remember is that all fish like to be near some sort of structure, and if you can locate these types of areas that have some sort of cover during the spring, summer or fall, remember those locations so that you can return to them after the first ice. If you are ice fishing on a lake that you have never fished, a map of the lake will help you find the types of areas mentioned above. As the winter progresses, fish tend to migrate into deeper water. The warmest water in a frozen lake is at the bottom, and this is where the fish will go. Their metabolism slows down as their body temperatures drop, and they will not swim as far as before to feed. Use this fact to your advantage. After some time, depending on the thickness of snow accumulation on the surface, the oxygen levels on the bottom will begin to drop. When this happens, the fish will suspend higher off of the bottom. Fish will sacrifice body temperature for oxygen, and they will go where they can “breathe”. On lakes with a lot of vegetation, this occurs earlier than on rocky, hard-bottom lakes. Large lakes hold oxygen longer than smaller ones. Therefore, fish location can vary quite a bit from one lake to the next during the same time frame. When the snow cover begins to melt away, and the lake gets wet on top of the ice, we are now in the late winter ice period. Melting snow cover allows more sunlight in, warming the water and increasing the oxygen. Fish will now begin moving back up into the shallower spots, eventually reaching their pre-spawn staging areas. As the lake water and, consequently, the fish themselves, warm up, their metabolism increases as well. This means they will eat more, and will strike at your jig, lure or live bait quicker and with more vigor. The closer fish get to the spawn, the more energy they have, until they are practically “exploding” on baitfish or anything else that resembles food. The most important thing of all to remember when ice fishing is SAFETY. Always check the ice thickness, dress appropriately, and use the buddy system. Before you go, read some great ice fishing safety tips here. Happy Fishing! Big Fishing Shop www.bigfishingshop.com/ice-fishing MidwestHuntFish.com

THE LAST

It All Comes Down to the Last Angler Standing, the Survivor of The Ice Duel!

ANGLER

Ice Duels is the world’s first and only, One on One, Double Elimination Ice Fishing Tournament. Match fishing on Ice, this tournament puts to rest the question of who the best angler is, on any given day. Just like in the old days, when duels were fought, there was a designated place, and certain rules were followed. There were even witnesses and a judge. Sounded like a good plan to follow... FAST UNIQUE & CHALLENGING Anglers engaged in back to back, 30 minute “duels” on pre-drilled holes, in an arena consisting of 50-60 “courts”. Earning points for every fish caught and released back into the waters. Winners advance to the next round of competition and two time losers get sent packing. The sweet 16, the great 8 and the final 4 are worthy goals. The final “Duel” is the pinnacle and the title of Last Angler Standing is the ultimate reward. Do you have what it takes? HOW IT WORKS Brackets will be drawn and anglers assigned to designated “courts”. Duels are 30 minute head to head

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match-ups, win and you move on, lose twice and you go home. Eligible fish species will vary from event to event, but most will see two scored species. The numbered courts will measure 20’x20’’ and be split in half. Two holes per court will be pre-drilled 18 feet apart and labeled A and B. A scorekeeper will be assigned to each court. Courts and opponents will be assigned at random, holes by a coin toss to begin the match.

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marketplace Hunting • Fishing • Lodging Buy • Sell: Equipment & More Marie Fritz Perry - Pastel & Oil Artist. Custom portraits last forever and portray more than a photograph. Tell me about your special dog... 507-301-8693 www.CanineCustomArt.com Located off I-90, Exit 379, Last Call Lodge is only 20 min. from Sioux Falls airport and sits on the edge of the magic zone of thousands of acres of public and private land for hunting and fishing opportunities. Last Call is a quiet place to stay for the night and relax with friends and family. The perfect destination for groups of hunters, family reunions or business meetings. The lodge sleeps up to 12 people and has a large TV/Game Room. 605-940-0952. facebook.com/LastCallLodge Caribou Lodge Outfitters Canada Manitoba Canada Caribou Lodge Outfitters Year Round Trophy Fishing Walleye, Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Black Bear Hunts Family Fun 1-877-472-4868 www.huntnfish.ca

“The Pheasant Capitol of the World” The Buffalo Butte Ranch is located in the heart of this area known as the “Golden Triangle”, a prime pheasant hunting area between Gregory, Winner and Chamberlain. Buffalo Butte Ranch is a 6,000 acre privately owned and operated pheasant farm which has been in our family for five generations. Go to www.buffalobutte.com or Call (800) 203-6678.

Need a blade that won’t let you down? Calvin Klein Knives are custom made and diligently created with durability using ATS-34 Steel. Each Knife is hand made one by one. Custom designs are always welcome. Call Calvin at 605-336-2003. LANDERS SHELL - Exit 159 off I –94 and US 83 – Full Service Sportsman’s Stop for Hunting and Fishing. Open at 5am with gas and diesel fuel, Hot coffee, snacks, license, propane, tackle, ammo and weekdays you can get soups, sandwiches and desserts at the North side Market restaurant. Cold beer to go and groceries for the day or the week. Open 7 days a week from 5am to 11pm. Ph. 701-255-2744.

The Bait Box minCrappie min nows, large and small, fatheads, leeches, smelt, spikes and wax worms, etc. We carry a large line of the most popular lures and jigs for this area, rods, reels, and all of your tackle needs. Come see us at 107 Fremont Ave. N., Lake Preston, SD. Or call us at (605) 847-4590.

PAGE 64 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

Dry Dock stocks many items to outfit almost any gun. Bipods * Shooting Sticks * Targets * Slings * Tactical Accessories * Handgun Safes * Reloading Supplies * Black Powder * Shooting Rests * Gun Cleaning Kits * Vexilars * Holsters * Body Armor * Knives * Binoculars * And Much More * Call 701-652-2421 or go to www.drydocksports.com

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Browguard – Endorsed by Jim Shockey - Strap on a “Browguard” and you can forget about scope cuts and concentrate on your shot! “Browguard” is 100% American, hand-made, high tech closed-cell foam, and leather encased protection for shooters using a rifle scope. To contact us call: (509) 254-3313. www.browguard.com NYATI AMMUNITION - The World’s Most Accurate Low Recoil Big Bore Precision & Practice Ammunition! Hand Crafted Ammunition Designed for the Discriminating Sportsman. We produce a quality range of low recoil, low chamber pressure and low velocity ammo in .375 H&H, .378 Wby Mag, .416 Rigby, .458 Win Mag, .458 Lott and .470 NE. Barnes Banded Solids are used exclusively in all these cartridges - 300 grainers for the .375’s, 400’s in the .416, 500’s in the .458’s and .470 NE. Muzzle velocities are in the 1100 to 1300 fps range. Check us out, we offer custom loading for most calibers. www.nyatiinc.com

Russell Pond Outfitters - Joe and Inga Cabral. Call us for the adventure in elk, lion, bear or wolf hunts of a lifetime! (208)245 2458 or Email us at bbarcoutfitters@bbarcoutfitters.com. MidwestHuntFish.com

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PARTING SHOT

BEFORE YOU GO... CONSIDER LOOKING IN YOUR HEART AND ASK “IS THE LIFE YOU LIVE WORTH THE LIFE THEY GAVE?”

WE ARE AMERICANS: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, children, spouses, aunts and uncles of service men and women who have signed that blank check, good up to and including the cost of their lives, so that we might be free. Patriots Empowering Warriors By Joan Nold, Labs for Liberty

Unfortunately, too many of our troops return home, yet are unable to leave the horrors of war behind them. One third of our veterans return home with “signature wounds” such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Fifty percent of returning veterans experience chronic pain. Seventy-one percent of women serving in combat develop PTSD from experiencing sexual assault. These war related injuries can lead to: flashbacks, avoidance, isolation, and hyper-arousal reactions including anger outbursts, tension and hyper-vigilance. Untreated, these symptoms can lead to deeper problems such as substance abuse, anxiety/panic disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts. These difficulties not only engulf the veteran, but become a damaging pervasive force in their relationships with their family, friends and coworkers. Consequently, each day 22 veterans commit suicide. Thousands of others struggle to adapt to a life where being on constant alert, prepared to go to battle in a moments notice, is not only no longer necessary, but considered inappropriate. They struggle to reconnect with family, as they are no longer the person they were when they deployed. Families struggle to understand the person they have become. While they may not have PAGE 66 • MIDWEST HUNTING & FISHING - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

given their physical life in payment, they have given their hearts and souls. Labs for Liberty believes we, as Americans, must rise up and take action. We are inspired by the selfless service of these veterans and their families. We seek to ask others, how you can make a difference, specifically in the lives of our veterans. It is great to donate money if you have it; it is even better to give of yourself. We are all busy and often complain we don’t have time. Think about it, how much of their time have these men and women given to us? Time that is taken from their families, their loved ones, their lives. Some of them, such as Marc Lee and Chris Kyle, ultimately gave the very last minutes of their lives. Surely we can spare some of our precious time for them. Our veterans don’t want us to take care of them, they want us to include them. They want to be embraced by the communities for which they fought. We can invite them to help coach a youth sports team, take them to a ball game, babysit so they can have a date night with a spouse, get our kids/church group/4-H club to help them paint their house, shovel their snow, or do their yard work. Take your kids to visit our heroes in the hospital and rehab units. What a wonderful gift for both our kids and the veterans. There are endless ways we can give back, if only we make the effort. Think of how inspirational, empowering, and life changing it will be for you and your family having personal contact with our American Warriors. Just think of the impact the American public can have one veteran at a time. This is the heart and the hope of Labs for Liberty. For our part, we have started by raffling a lab pup with funds going to support the Lone Survivor Foundation. We are now embarking on two new missions: 1) raising and training Labs as PTSD service dogs and 2) remodeling a guest home in the mountains of Utah to provide lodging free of charge to combat veterans seeking to vacation with their families or comrades in arms. It is the least we can do, providing a reprieve, a few moments of peace, for those who have given so much of themselves. MidwestHuntFish.com

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