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If you’re a duck hunter you know the drill.

You’re up and on the way to the blind at 4 a.m. Once you arrive you get to unload the decoys, slosh through water in the coldest weather imaginable and begin the skywatch, sometimes for hours!

Why do we do it? It’s pretty simple. Having one of these amazingly cunning high-flyers respond to a call and then glide into the middle of a carefully-designed decoy spread is a thrill that’s hard to describe to normal people. Oh yeah, duck hunters are not normal people.

DUCK HUNTING 2013 WHERE TO FIND THEM AND HOW TO BRING BACK A FEW

Ducks Unlimited estimates that more than 14 million people hunt these birds in the U.S. alone and these hunters are responsible for more than $50 billion in related economic activity. That’s a lot of hunters and a lot of economic impact. However, that’s a small part of the story.

As a group, duck hunters are good stewards of the land and water. There’s something about a truly passionate duck hunter that makes him more attuned to the natural environment than many other outdoorsman.

Maybe it’s because it takes a certain type of person to meet these challenges. In order to be even moderately successful at this sport, the hunter must acquire vast amounts of knowledge – about the differences in the types of ducks, dealing with natural elements and a hundred other areas. In the course of acquiring this knowledge, most duck hunters also pick up an appreciation for the environment that supports these incredible birds.

This special Duck Hunting issue will barely scratch the surface of sport. As teenagers say, there’s just TMI – too much information. However, if you’re a wily veteran or new to waterfowl hunting, some of these tips and nuggets of information might help you have more fun on your hunt and that’s what it’s all about.

Even a grizzled veteran of the duck blind can use a little refresher on the types and proclivities of these clever birds. Here’s a quick primer for understanding the tendencies of ducks.

PUDDLERS OR DIVERS? Ducks are divided into two categories - puddlers or divers. Diver ducks choose shallow water and then feed bottoms-up – tail to the sky, underwater looking for grains, seeds, snails and aquatic plants. Puddlers, on the other hand, tend to forage for food in shallow lakes, marshes, fields and stock tanks and they usually stay close to land. In fact, puddlers will sometimes feed on land, similar to geese.

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Puddler take off with a fierce amount of wing flapping, almost like a helicopter, unlike divers who tend to take off like a small seaplane which must build up speed before becoming airborne. Puddle duck species have iridescent, prismatic wind windows or speculum and some philosophical duck hunters, with too much time in the blind, have speculated that this speculum serves as a beacon to keep the ducks together in flight. In terms of flight pattern, puddlers will often circle water source several times and if they notice anything suspicious (such as the shiny face and teeth of an overeager duck hunter) they turn tail and fly off into the wild blue yonder.

Puddle ducks have roosting areas where they snooze during the night and midday and a feeding area where they grab a bite. The typically leave the roost pre-dawn feed and return to the roost at midday. They venture out to feed again in late afternoon and return to the roost for a little duck chat with the missus when it gets dark.

Diver ducks prefer to open water – large lakes, coastal bays and sea coasts. As their names suggests, they dive, sometimes to great depths, to feed. These ducks enjoy a scintillating repast of crustaceans, fish, aquatic vegetation and other marine foods.

The diver’s flight patterns are much different than the puddlers. When they see a body of water that strikes their fancy, they tend to come in low and fast. If they notice something weird, such as a group of poorly positioned dekes or the glare off of a duck hunter’s receding hairline, they will flare off to one side. Unlike the take-off of the puddlers, divers will accelerate across the water for several yards, webbed feet slapping to build speed.

DUCKS THAT ARE PUDDLERS AND DIVERS There is a wide variety of ducks that fall into the puddler duck category. These include: wigeon, northern pintail, gadwall, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, northern shoveler, black duck, mottled duck (aka Florida duck) and mallard As for diver ducks, there are plenty of them to choose from as well. They are: lesser scaup (bluebill), ringnecked duck, canvasback, redhead, common goldeneye, common and red-breasted mergansers and bufflehead. Even though they are not technically diver ducks, hunting guides usually put the stiff tailed ruddy ducks in this category because they feed on aquatic life and are great underwater swimmers.

Before heading to the blind, it is a good idea to review images of all of these species in order to use the right hunting strategy. The Ducks Unlimited website (www. ducks.org) is packed with great photography of all of these birds.

WHERE TO HUNT THESE DUCKS Because specific types of ducks are attracted to certain terrain, water sources and feeding areas that are based on native vegetation, it’s important to check with local fish and game references in the area being hunted. Google is also a great resource to determine what types of ducks are likely to be flying into your decoy spread.

There are some generalizations that can be made. Heavily forested areas, with lakes, rivers and ponds such as the “Piney Woods” of East Texas are a duck hunter’s paradise. Lakes, ponds, rivers, flooded timber all provide terrific duck hunting. Hunters can stand by trees, use boat blinds and permanent blinds to harvest mallards, gadwalls, wigeons, green-winged teal and wood ducks.

Coastal areas where there are bays, marshes swamps, lagoons and inland rice field attract an amazing variety of ducks. Hunters will find puddlers such as pintails and mallard over the rice fields and divers such as lesser scaup, redheads and canvasbacks on the coastal waters.

In the Midwestern U.S. there is a heavy grain concentration and it is irresistible to mallards, pintails, gadwalls and wigeons. There are not too many people in this area, so there’s not much hunter density to worry about.

Even in the desert areas, where there are sources for water, ducks can be found. The types of ducks found here include: gadwalls, mallards, pintails and wigeons.

There is also the possibility of harvesting the rare cinnamon teal which is seldom found east of the Rockies.

THE TOP DUCK DESTINATIONS FOR 2013 In most cases, the home zip code of a duck hunter determines the type of duck he/she brings back to the freezer. This is because the traditional migration patterns of all species of ducks are amazingly consistent, year after year. However, some die-hard hunters have been known to travel thousands of miles from their homes in order to hunt a specific type of duck. It is for these folks that the annual survey from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fascinating reading.

DUCK HUNTING 2013

This Fish and Wildlife survey uses wintering ground surveys and historical data to predict the migration and ultimate destinations of every duck species. This information is available online from the service. Here are some highlights.

MALLARD This iconic bird can be found in a number of migration routes, including the Atlantic Flyway, the Mississippi Flyway, Central Flyway and the Pacific Flyway. If you’re in the Atlantic Flyway, you will find ducks migrating from Ontario and other Canadian provinces and heading for the wetlands around the St. Lawrence River Valley and along the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Other popular duck destinations in this area include: Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Cayuga Lake in the state's Finger Lakes region and South of the Finger Lakes and the upper Chesapeake Bay where the survey predicts mallard numbers will be most concentrated on the Susquehanna Flats; along the Chester River on the upper Eastern Shore; and on estuarine wetlands farther down the Eastern Shore.

In the past, the Mississippi Flyway has been chocked full of mallards and this year is no exception. Ducks.org noted “Nearly half the 4.5 million mallards harvested last year in the United States were taken in this flyway. While hunters in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Mississippi enjoy good mallard shooting, those in Arkansas often enjoy the best. Arkansas averaged an annual mallard harvest of 598,448 birds. Mallards are primarily drawn to the eastern third of the state, which devotes almost 1.5 million acres to rice production. The town of Stuttgart is located at this region's heart, earning it the nickname The Rice and Duck Capital of the World.”

The potholes of North Dakota in the Central Flyway are known for yielding outstanding mallard numbers. The ground survey suggests that around mid-October they begin to congregate on the larger lakes and along the Missouri River to seek available open water. Oklahoma has also become a hotbed for hunting mallards in the Central Flyway. The large lakes in the eastern part of the state - Grand, Kerr, Eufaula, Oologah, and Texoma - are top stopovers for mallards as they migrate between their breeding grounds on the northern prairies and wintering grounds in Texas. Fort Cobb Reservoir also attracts large numbers of mallards because of its location in the heart of the state's peanutgrowing region.

If you live and hunt in the Pacific Flyway, you can count on plenty of mallards this season. Prime spots include southeast Washington near Moses Lake and neighboring Potholes Reservoir. These areas offer migrating ducks an expanse of marsh and open water amid a landscape of mountains and prairie.

These two bodies of water are also surrounded by the state's major corn-producing area. Farther south, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California, (where the country’s second largest rice harvest occurs) biologists counted 160,000 mallards along the Sacramento River.

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DUCK HUNTING 2013 PINTAIL

PINTAIL

This species is one of the most highly distributed duck in the U.S. However, it must really like the Pacific coast area because about half of the total population pintails will be found this year in the Pacific Flyway – specifically California. These birds gravitate to the various freshwater and brackish marshes, flooded agricultural fields, and ponds of the Sacramento Valley, Suisun Marsh, San Joaquin Delta, and San Joaquin Valley. There is also a respectable population of pintails wintering in the Texas Gulf coast area in the rice prairies southwest of Houston.

GADWALL Since gadwalls are not grain eaters, they have a different set of objectives from say mallards when they’re considering their winter home.

The Fish and Wildlife survey notes, “they migrate in great numbers to the freshwater marshes of coastal Louisiana. A significant number of birds begin to arrive in late October with the peak migration occurring from mid-November to mid-December. This past January, the state's midwinter survey counted an estimated 938,000 gadwalls in southern Louisiana.” These birds are also found in Arkansas, coastal Texas and even North Dakota (when the winter is mild).

GADWALL

BLACK DUCK Black ducks are primarily found in the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways. They are partial to Michigan and the coastal areas around New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland. They eat snails and invertebrates and wildlife experts predict a good population of black ducks in the Absecon Bay (near Atlantic City) or Barnegat Bay.

TEAL

BLACK TEAL

The “sportsman’s paradise” of Louisiana is the most popular destination of teal. The state had the nation's highest average harvest of blue-winged teal, with more than 230,000 of the birds taken annually. Most of these are taken in November, but the state has an early teal season which begins in September. Green-winged teal migrate later in the season than the blue-winged teal and most of these are harvested in California’s Central Valley.

WIGEON The majority of the North American continent's wigeon breed in the boreal forest of Alaska and western Canada and winter throughout California's Central Valley. Because they like to feed in flooded areas, their concentration will be determined by rainfall amounts in late summer and early fall. Wigeons can also be found in Oregon, Washington and even a few in the coastal area of Texas.

WIGEON

CANVASBACK

CANVASBACK

Canvasbacks get around, a lot. They can be found in the Atlantic Flyway near Chesapeake Bay in Maryland munching on wild celery and other aquatic plants. They also like California; specifically the brackish estuarine marshes and open water of California's San Pablo Bay and Suisun Marsh. Another great spot to find canvasbacks is Catahoula Lake in Louisiana. It has been estimated that approximately 123,000 canvasbacks - nearly a fourth of the continental population – pass the winter months in Louisiana.

WOOD DUCK Wood ducks have traditionally migrated to areas of forested wetlands. This characteristic is found in abundance in the Mississippi Flyway. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Alabama are the top destination for this bird. There numbers are enhanced when they mix with the less-migratory southern wood ducks in the southeastern states.

REDHEAD

WOOD SCAUP

If you’re intent on hunting redheads this year and you happen to live in the Midwest or Northeast, better get ready for a little trip South. Wildlife biologists estimate that 80 percent of the redhead population can be found wintering near the Laguna Madre on the Texas and Mexico Gulf coast. This is a highly saline, shallow lagoon is located between South Padre Island and the mainland of Texas. Redheads start arriving in Texas in October and spend the winter in the warm sunshine.

SCAUP Changes in the wetlands in the Midwest have changed some of the migration patterns of scaup.

Several hot spots remain and these include: the South Shore of Long Island in New York, Devil’s Lake in North Dakota (for both spring and fall), coastal Texas and South Louisiana. The scaup like to winter in areas with fresh and brackish marshes and they eat freshwater shrimp found in abundance on the Gulf Coast.

REDHEAD

CANVASBACK Canvasbacks get around, a lot. They can be found in the Atlantic Flyway near Chesapeake Bay in Maryland munching on wild celery and other aquatic plants. They also like California; specifically the brackish estuarine marshes and open water of California's San Pablo Bay and Suisun Marsh. Another great spot to find canvasbacks is Catahoula Lake in Louisiana. It has been estimated that approximately 123,000 canvasbacks - nearly a fourth of the continental population – pass the winter months in Louisiana.

WOOD DUCK Wood ducks have traditionally migrated to areas of forested wetlands. This characteristic is found in abundance in the Mississippi Flyway. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas

RING-NECK

LOAD ‘EM UP FOR DUCKS!

The best guns, ammo and shooting strategy for ducks While there are some amazing shotguns on the market that are designed specifically for duck hunting, it’s interesting to note that most hardcore duck hunters and guides favor the basic 12-guage pump-action shotgun with a modified barrel. Because of they are exposed to the elements of cold and rain, shotguns used in duck hunting get the most grief of any firearm and durability is important.

The 12-guage has enough firepower to knock down an incoming or passing duck and the pump action can survive just about anything – including being dropped into a muddy marsh. Some duck hunters favor a 12guage over and under that shoots 3-inch Mags in the field because they offer shot size flexibility in different shooting situation and the gun is durable. A 2 ¾ inch load is also good for ducks, especially if hunting over decoys where the shots tend to be closer and not as much fire-power is needed. Since all shot must now be steel, rather than lead, #4 and #2 in the heaviest load possible is the best choice for ducks.

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STEEL OR LEAD SHOT

Woods & Water: DUCK HUNTING

There continues to be controversy about whether there are more ducks crippled by steel shot than were poisoned by lead.

A hunting guide who works in the Texas Gulf coast area noted that steel shot is a hunter’s ally at short ranges, such as over decoys, because most hunters fail to adjust to the speed of ducks and fail to swing through their shots. If the shot is greater than 40 yards, the steel shot slows and the killing power is reduced, making the lead difficult to judge and accounting for poor shots which can lead to crippled birds.

Guides disagree about what type of barrel to use for ducks using steel shot. Many argue that open chokes have better killing power when steel shot is used. However, if the shot attempt is more than 40 yards, as in pass shooting and not hunting over decoys, the hunter needs all of the steel shot possible to bring down the bird. In this case, modified choke or full choke barrels work best. If the range is less than 35 yards, which is typically the case with decoys, an improved choke is the best choice because the pattern will be tighter.

The "aim small, miss small" attitude adopted by many shooters translates well to a waterfowl hunter who focuses on the head of a decoying bird. Duck guides note that by focusing on the green head of a mallard you are concentrating more on a target rather than on the bird as a whole. By aiming at the head of the bird, the hunter is increasing his lead by 6 to 12 inches, which lessens your chance of shooting behind or crippling the bird.

A BETTER SHOOTING APPROACH Ducks in flight are usually too high in the stratosphere to afford a hunter even the slightest chance at a passing shot. That’s why decoys are deployed and we wait for the “flaps down” approach of these wily birds into the water. There are, however, times when the bird is close enough to make a passing shot and this is where some time spent on the sporting clay range – before heading for the blind – comes in handy.

Shotgun shooting instructors rightfully contend that targets on a sporting-clays course tend to replicate realistic hunting situations for wingshooting. Therefore, the more comfortable a hunter gets with shooting a small, 4-inch target screaming across the course, the more comfortable and confident he will be in the field.

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DUCK DECOYS DEPLOYED FOR ACTION

USE SEVERAL SPECIES IN THE SPREAD

Next to being pulled over by a game warden, the most intimidating experience for a duck hunter is formulating a strategy for deploying decoys. Literally hundreds of books have been written about this subject, thousands of articles have been posted web and, most likely, get two duck hunters together and you’ll hears two different strategies.

Guides suggest that a decoy spread with several species of ducks has a good effect on the ducks overhead. Some successful hunters put out as many as five to six dozen dekes with a smattering of mallards and black or dark-colored decoys. These darker models stand out better from the air making the spread easier to see.

Getting any duck within gunshot range is tough because they have superior sight and an almost freaky ability to see when “something ain’t right down there.” No amount of shooting lessons, duck calling seminars or lucky camo hats will help a hunter get his daily bag limit unless he has an effective decoy spread.

There is also some thought that various sized decoys stand out better. This means that standard sized, magnums and super-magnums can be used to draw attention to the spread.

Duck hunting guides realize that in order to get ducks to give your pond or part of the lake a second look you must figure out what attracts them. You then must match that attraction element with a decoy spread that makes the ducks feel comfortable and eager for a little company.

Successful hunters deploy their decoys after careful consideration of all elements. They are also prepared to change the spread (several times if necessary) if that day’s birds don’t seem to be responding to the original layout. The best way to spend the entire day with no ducks landing near your blind is to rig up a bunch of decoys and toss them out randomly on the water. Here’s how to improve your decoy placement.

Even different brands of decoys can be mixed and matched in the spread to draw more attention. Brands such as “Greenheads,” “Carry-Lites,” or “Flambeaus” all have a distinct look and their addition to the spread make it more diverse and interesting.

Duck species will tend to segregate themselves. This is especially true with regard to mallards and other ducks. Teal will typically land and swim in the shallow side of the pond, next to weeds. They will stay away from the mallards that are usually in deeper, more to the center water. Pintails seem to prefer to be on the outside of a concentration of mallards, closer to the deeper water. An effective decoy spread should take this natural segregation into consideration.

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Decoy strategy also changes in the late-season. Most guides suggest slimming down the decoy spread if they are hunting in the latter part of the season. They also recommend calling less during this period. Typical layout could involve 9 decoys, probably mallards, set up with two drakes and a hen. This mimics nature because the ducks arrange themselves this way when they are competing for a mate.

AN EASY DECOY SCENARIO The most common duck hunting scenario is having a blind on the bank of a pond or lake. In this case, the easiest and most effective decoy layout is to have the dekes in a fish-hook shape with the shank of the hook pointing downwind and each decoy set two or three feet apart. The ducks should land inside the barb of the large hook.

Most guides recommend hunters not mix puddlers and divers in the same spread. Another cool tip is to buy a heron or goose deke and set it off to the side of the water. Incoming ducks know that these birds won’t stay in a dangerous area and these large birds are easier for high-flying ducks to see.

If the hunter’s blind is a boat, the best strategy is to surround it with decoys. It’s a good idea to use the same theme of creating a landing area near the blind.

The number of decoys should be adjusted according to the type of ducks that are foraging in the area. In the case of small ponds, no more than a dozen dekes are needed. However, in larger lakes or coastal areas, as many as four or five dozen decoys are needed.

The blind should be a near to this open spot as possible and the wind should never be in the hunter’s face. Hunting guides suggest that the best place for hunters to be placed in this configuration is where they can shoot crosswind into the landing area. The barb of the hook of decoys should not be more than 45 yards from the blind and this should be the maximum distance for any shot to be taken.

The choice of decoys depends on the types of ducks that are likely to come visit your water hole. If mallards, green teal and pintails are likely to be foraging in the area, the best suggestion is to use a combination of these species. When mixing mallards and pintails, the pintails should be the farthest out because the white of the pintail breast can be seen at a greater distance.

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KEEP THE WATER RIPPLING Just about everyone agrees that some form of motion and water disturbance has a positive effect on getting the attention of high-flying ducks. Some other tactics include the “ripple makers” products such as “Quiver Magnets” and swimming decoys.

The tried and true method for life-like motion is the old-fashion jerk string. Guides suggest rigging two or three lines with up to three decoys each and periodically yanking the lines to get the motion. Unfortunately, this “yanking” get tedious in a hurry and if you’re lucky enough to have a youngster who wants to go duck hunting with Dad or Granddad, this is a great job for him.

Over the course of a typical day of duck hunting, lots of things can happen to affect the flight patterns of ducks. Weather can turn colder, a deluge of rain can hit or the wind can shift and pick up dramatically. Or, for whatever, nonsensical, weird reason, the ducks that are working over your blind might not like the look of the spread that you carefully laid out before sunrise. It happens.

The best way to deal with this is to always be ready to try some other look. About a half hour after sunrise and shooting time begins and daylight is brighter, it is

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not uncommon for seasoned hunters to make fundamental changes in the decoy spread. This could involve moving mechanized decoys to some other spot, adding or subtracting some decoys from the spread or changing the rhythm of the jerking.

Ducks are one of nature’s smartest animals. The ancestors of ducks that are flying today evolved over the centuries and learned all about dangerous situations. That knowledge is hard-wired into the brains of modern-day ducks. Even with all of the high tech weapons, calls and decoys, the most skilled hunters will be lucky to get his daily bag limit and that’s just the way nature planned it.

YOU NEVER KNOW ENOUGH Duck hunting is a life-long learning experience.

Understanding the dozens of species and their unique habits, choosing the best shotgun and ammo and getting the decoy spread just right are just three of challenges for a successful hunt. However, the point of duck hunting is not just bringing back ducks. It’s getting out in the elements, sometimes with friends and sometime alone, and coming back with great stories.

That’s a successful hunt.

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Calling all Ducks

The A&E Television show “Duck Dynasty” has forever changes the way we think of duck calls. The hijinks of the Duck Commander Duck Call employees has shown millions of otherwise uninterested folks, the magic a of duck call when it is properly played.

It brings to mind foreign language. If you’ve ever been in a foreign country, you know that the waiters at the restaurants take better care of you if you speak the same language as they do…or at least try to throw in some words that they might understand. In the case of the latter scenario, they will typically have pity on you because you’re making an attempt and showing some respect for them.

In a way, this works for ducks too. However, ducks are not as forgiving if your ability to speak their lingo is not up to their exacting standards!

Ducks are extremely perceptive critters. Even at hundreds of yards away, a duck’s vision and hearing can pick up unnatural clues that scream “danger below” and they use this knowledge to fly even higher and faster. However, a skilled hunter can overcome this wildlife advantage with careful camouflage, natural decoy patterns and compelling duck calls.

WHAT TYPE OF CALL WORKS BEST? Duck calls can be made of either wood or acrylic and, as with most big questions in life, most hunters eventually find that they like one or the other. After this decision has been made, no amount of scientific facts can alter this opinion. Moisture affects the tone of wooden calls more than those that are acrylic, but hunters who favor wooden calls just think of this as an added charm and it’s not a problem.

Another question duck hunters must consider in a duck call concerns the number of reeds a call should have.

Every duck call has either a single or double reed which allows the variations of the quacking sound. Is it more advisable to have a single reed or double reed in order to bring in the ducks? Again, as laconic hunting guides are fond of saying: “That depends.”

A double reed call has two reeds and produces a desirable (at least in the ears of a duck) raspy sound by just blowing air into a call. That’s the upside. The downside is that a double reed is limited in range of sound to this one raspy sound.

As several online waterfowling sites have noted, a call does not have to be a double reed to be raspy. It just has to be blown correctly.

Several websites that sell duck calls have noted that the amount of air needed to blow a call is not necessarily determined by the call. It is determined by the reed and its length. The longer the reed is, the deeper the sound and the harder it is to blow. The shorter the reedthe higher pitch the sound and the easier to blow.

A single reed requires a little more voice to be put into the call to produce a ducky sound, but once this is accomplished, a single reed requires a lot less air to operate and is far more versatile in sound. This versatility accounts for more effectiveness in calling ducks.

HOW TO BLOW A DUCK CALL In spite of what’s seen on every outdoor television show, where a grizzled guide grabs his call, and effortlessly starts playing duck music, it takes a lot more skill and hours of practice for a hunter to master the correct tone and language of a duck call. For anyone just beginning to enjoy the fun of duck hunting, it is important to establish good habits, especially as they relate to calling ducks.

Expert hunters who have been chosen by the wildlife conservation group “Ducks Unlimited” (DU) to offer hunters tips on increasing effectiveness have suggested many techniques for better duck calling. In order to get started, it is important for the hunter to get a grip.

These DU experts suggest that hunters should “hold the call like you were in the Army saluting a superior.

The end piece should be between your thumb and forefinger. Now slightly cup your hand to form the shape of the letter “C”. Remember not to cup your hand so much that you begin to muffle the sound.”

In terms of the best technique for putting the call to a hunter’s mouth, it is suggested that “while holding the call, place the barrel to your mouth like you were drinking from a soda bottle. Make sure that your lips have a good seal around your lips, and without so much pressure that your lips are uncomfortable.” To get the most natural, ducky sound, the hunter should practice delivering the air from his diaphragm in order to get the proper, low tone.

DIFFERENT WORDS FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS The calling strategy or “language” of the call will vary depending on the location, species, wind direction and even temperament of an approaching flock of ducks. Since the objective is to get them to slow down and eventually drop into the decoy spread, it is important to use the right call for the given situation.

Champion duck caller and maker of the “Drake Brake Duck Calls,” Greg Brinkley noted in a DU online article that there are eight distinct calls that every hunter should master in order to be successful in any situation. The basic quack is the most simple but often misused call. Brinkley stresses that instead of merely using the Qua, Qua, Qua, the hunter should distinctly enunciate the QuaCK. The second most important call is the greeting call. He notes that this call is employed when ducks are first seen in the distance. The sound is a series of 5 to 7 notes in descending order at a steady rhythm. These are made by saying Kanc, Kanc, Kanc, Kanc.

Brinkley notes that the basic feeding call results from saying tikkitukkatikka into the call raising and lowering the volume slightly. A call this is most likely to be misused in the hail or “highball” call. Experts advise that this call, which involves starting with a long, strong, Aaaaaaink...Aaaaaink… aaaaink… aaainkaink and tapering off as it progresses, should only be used when the ducks are at least 100 yards out. If it is used when they are close-in, they will be spooked and head off for the wild blue yonder.

The duck call maker notes that “The comeback call is used when ducks don't respond to your greeting or you want an immediate response, such as in timber. It's more urgent sounding and faster, like Kanckanc, Kanc, Kanc, Kanc."

Another effective call is the lonesome hen which is low and throaty. This call is made by drawn-out Quaaaaink quacks sounds through the call.

Getting a duck to commit to a decoy spread is very much like a sales call and as any salesman knows sometimes closing the deal requires a little begging. The DU article notes, “The pleading or begging hail call is used to get the attention of ducks flying 75 to 200 yards above you. This call is a series of 5 to 6 quacks that are really dragged out to sound like you are begging the ducks to land. A pleading call is a Kaaanc, Kanc, Kanc, Kanc sound, and its first note is usually held a little longer.”

DU’s final suggestion involves whistling. Whistles are especially effective when hunting mallard, pintail and wigeon ducks. It is, however, important to be able to identify these species before using this call tactic because each respond to different whistles.

THE CALL OF THE WILD Calling in a group of ducks to a decoy spread is indeed an art. Whether it is with single or double reed, wood or acrylic calls, the challenge comes from successfully mimicking the incredibly complicated natural voices of these very intelligent creatures.

With many hours of practice a hunter can learn to entice birds into shooting range. However, even if the bag limit is not reached, the sheer joy of watching and, on some level, communicating with the beautiful birds is worth the effort.

SYSTEMS, INC.

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow shall stop the Duck hunt Good duck hunters harvest these birds in any weather – cold, warm, wet, dry. The trick is to use the best tactic for whatever weather Mother Nature has decided she will throw on the day of the hunt. As the song says: “every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser… you just gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.”

Here are some tips on playing the weather hand that’s dealt.

Fair Weather Hunting A beautiful, clear day makes for some very tough hunting. Why? The ducks can fly and dive wherever the urge takes them. Plus, the bright sunshine reveals outlines of hunter shadows and the reflection of the sun off of the hunter’s face is brighter than the neon signs in Times Square.

Plus, on clear days, it’s much easier for ducks to see where hunter might be hiding, thereby determining where the safe areas are located and where danger lurks. However, make no mistake, just because they can fly or land anywhere they want, these highly intelligent birds don’t do anything willy nilly. They always have a plan.

Experts such as those at Ducks Unlimited (DU) note that the flight lanes, the fields and woods that they feed in and the water that they float on follow patterns that they have established over many generations. Since there is nothing random about the actions of these birds, the smart hunter can position himself to take advantage of these movement patterns by spending the time to closely observe them.

So, even on crystal, clear days, which offer the ducks excellent views of anything that might be amiss below, it is critical for the hunter to set out the decoys and concentrate on watching the flight, feeding and rafting patterns of the birds. Over time, and this might take hours or days, a hunter can ascertain the pattern and position himself for the best shots.

Stormy Weather If the weather forecast suggests that rain is imminent – cloud cover increasing, low pressure and increasing wind velocity – this is music to the duck hunter ears.

This gloomy weather means there is no problem with ducks being able to see the shadows or movement of hunters and there is no sun glare off shotgun barrels and hunter faces.

In spite of the weather, the ducks are still going to get hungry and they will continue to fly, forage and float. They will simply do this in slightly different areas when the storm is approaching. Hunting guides note that as the wind kicks up, ducks will tend to move to more protected areas such as lake coves, timber openings and river backwaters. The best tactic for hunters in this inclement weather is to move decoys and themselves to these more sheltered areas. If the weather forecast calls for storms, the savvy hunter will find these protected areas and set out dekes here before the sun and the storm rises.

Bad weather also means that ducks will fly lower in an attempt to avoid the stronger wind in the higher altitude. If positioned correctly, a hunter can get a much easier passing shot on these lower flying birds.

Since the weather can change quickly, having mobility in the form of a duck blind boat or wearing waders and moving where the ducks are gathering is a distinct advantage.

Baby It’s Cold Outside Every duck hunter has experience the misery and exhilaration of hunting in freezing weather. In spite of the potential for frost bite and the utterly ridiculous image of a supposedly sane man or woman walking through water that has iced over, duck hunting in freezing weather can be wonderful due to the fact that when much of the water is frozen, the areas that are still open will have many more ducks than usual. Again, it’s just knowing when to hold ‘em, and so forth.

The good news about hunting ducks in freezing weather is that the birds have to eat more, taking in more calories, in order to compensate for the cold weather. So, instead of just morning feeding, they must feed at least twice per day. This leads to more opportunities for the hunter to get a closer shot as they put the flaps down to grab a quick snack.

The secret to a successful hunt in freezing weather is finding the open (non-frozen) water. These areas are usually areas where levees or high banks shelter the water or areas on a creek or river where the running currents prevent the water from freezing. Areas in timber that receive a steady stream of water from a creek will also usually have open water.

Snow and Fog Hunters who know how to use a duck call can have great success when the hunting area is inundated with either snow or fog. The best tactic is to continually call, whether or not there are any ducks visible. In this type of weather, the ducks that are flying over seem to respond quicker to a friendly voice below and there is no adrenaline rush like the one of seeing a couple of mallards gliding into a decoy spread out of a thick fog or snowfall!

Snowfall can also cover food sources, so setting up near a corn field or stand of trees with plentiful acorns is a good tactic in this type of weather. Again, having some historical perspective of the feeding patterns of ducks will enable the hunter to set up in advantageous positions in the middle of a snowstorm.

Who Cares About the Weather?

Success in the sport of waterfowl hunting involves good shooting skills, compelling calling techniques and a commitment to scouting the area for flying and feeding patterns in all seasons and weather conditions. Many duck hunting guides and savvy hunters understand that this observational skill is equally important to shooting and calling because it will enable the hunter to be in a position to take ducks, rain or shine.

www.gundogbroker.com

Lorrie Morgan

& Son Jesse Keith Whitley Talk Music and Hunting

http://www.gritsandglamour.com/

Lorrie Morgan began her career in country music when she was 13 years old. Her father was the much loved performer, George Morgan, whose song “Paper Roses” was a giant hit for him and made him a regular on the weekly Grand Ole Opry. Lorrie followed him in the family business and soon had her own mega-hits such as “Five Minutes” and “Something in Red.” In 1986, Lorrie married another young singer – Keith Whitley – and had a son named Jesse Keith Whitley who has decided to follow his mom, dad and grandfather into the music business. Lorrie is obviously very proud of her son and it shows when you have both of them on the telephone for an interview. We talked about music, families and hunting.

Woods & Water: Do you guys ever get to perform together?

Lorrie Morgan: Yes, we do. We had something special happen recently. The ACM (Academy of Country Music) had their honors awards and they presented Keith with the “Pioneer Award.” They asked Jesse and me to perform: “Til a Tear Becomes a Rose.” We were very excited about the performance and Jesse came out to sing the song with me and he just nailed it. It got a standing ovation.

WW: How did the record come about?

LM: You know it was fan-suggested. People would come up after the show and say, “OK, where’s the album together?”

Finally, after about a year we both said, “Yeah. Where’s the album?”

WW: You have solos and duets on this record. Which are more fun to do?

LM: They’re equally fun. When you find someone you can really sing with, where their voice really matches yours, it’s easy. Pam is such a soprano and I’m such an alto, it’s easy for us to sing together. I take the low part…every time. We do our individual ballads and our duets and it’s all really fun.

WW: Jesse, with two parents who were mega-successful performers, plus your grandfather (George Morgan) a wellloved performer, did you ever think of anything but getting into the family business?

JKW: Yeah. For a while, I didn’t want to do music. I don’t really know what sparked it, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, that’s for sure.

Jesse Keith Whitely: Actually WE nailed it and WE got a standing ovation!

Lorrie Morgan: Well, that’s true. We do get to perform together quite a bit, especially when he goes on the road with me, which I love. However, he’s had his own schedule lately and so have I. To hear Lorrie and Jesse peform togher click here: http://www.theoutpostlife.com/Pod1_Lorrie_Jessie_together.mp3 WW: Lorrie, you have a new CD called “Dos Divas” where you got to record with another second-generation country artist, Pam Tillis. Since both of your fathers were performers in Nashville, did you guys hang out together when you were kids – backstage or at school?

LM: No not really. We passed each other in the hallway. I didn’t really know who Pam was until she had a couple of hit records (laughing). We didn’t know each other very well until we started touring together in ’96 on the Kraft tour with Charlene Carter. On this tour (to support the new CD) we’ve been having a really good time. Being able to relate to another female is great. We have a lot in common and are really good friends.

http://jessekeithwhitley.com/

WW: Is it tough being in a business where your mother, father and grandfather were so successful? Is it an advantage or disadvantage?

JKW: I don’t look at it as an advantage or disadvantage. I think you have to just go out there and be your own person and not be somebody you’re not. I do a lot of dad’s stuff and I wish I could say I do a lot of mom’s stuff, but I’ve never been able to make it fit right in my set.

LM: You mean you don’t do “Something in Red?” I’m ashamed of you! (laughing)

To hear more of Jesse and Lorrie talk about the family business click here: http://www.theoutpostlife.com/Pod6_Jesse_Saving_amy128.mp3

WW: Jesse, you have a new single that you’re playing on the road.

Tell us about this.

JKW: The latest single is “Where Would I Be” and I wrote this about eight years ago with John Randle. He’s written stuff for Dirks Bentley and he wrote “Whiskey Lullaby that Brad Paisley and Allison Krause did. Right now we’re working on a new album and I have two songs finished. A buddy of mine wrote a song a few years ago and when I heard it I said, “Man you gotta let me cut this song,” and he said “No.” And I said “What?” He kept saying “no” and we finally did a show together and I told my band, “we’re doing that song.” After we did the song, he said, “Man, please cut it.” So, we did it. It’s called “Southern Man” and hopefully we’ll have it on iTunes in just a few weeks.

WW: Hey, let’s talk about hunting for a minute. You both are involved with the Gordo’s Cheese Dip and the Huntin’ is Good sweepstakes where some lucky hunter will win a dream deer hunt deer with your two guys. The only thing anyone has to do is go to the Gordo’s Cheese Dip.com and sign up. Lorrie, for many reasons, women have discovered the sport of hunting. When did you first get interested in hunting?

LM: I was mom and dad to Jesse when he was a little boy and he had a lot of influences. When I married Sammy Kershaw, he was an avid hunter and he got Jesse started in hunting. Well, that was taking some of my time away from Jesse. I had always played with him and as he got older, he became interested in other things such as hunting. I decided that I needed to get into hunting so I could still be a part of his life. As a mom, watching him grow up and know more and more about the outdoor sports is just great. I love to have the mother/son time with just us, out in the woods.

JKW: I totally agree. I remember a time when it was muzzleloader season up here and it was cold, cold, cold!

Mom and I were up in the stand and mom looked over at me and said, “Oh my god. Your eyelashes have icicles hanging off of them!”

WW: Welcome to Huntin’ is Good!

LM: And we didn’t shoot anything that day either!

To hear Jesse’s single click here: http://www.theoutpostlife.com/Pod4_ Jesse_Southern_man_deer-guns.mp3

JKW: We had a coyote come in on us, but I never got a shot off.

WW: You’re relationship with Huntin’ is Good goes back a way doesn’t it? We’re you involved with Steve Klement and “Country Goes Huntin” to benefit “Keeping Warriors Outdoors.” How did that come about?

LM: My manager, Tony Conway, asked if I would be interested in going turkey hunting and since I had never gone turkey hunting, I was extremely excited. I asked Jesse to come along with me and took another couple of friends with us and I got the blue ribbon turkey.

JKW: Let’s just add that this turkey is on display at the Bass Pro Shop and I have yet to kill a turkey. So, every time I go into Bass Pro Shop, I have to pass this turkey and this fact is just thrown in my face (laughing).

WW: “Mom got that one!”

LM: Well, mom is ready to go turkey hunting again.

WW: It takes a lot of patience to hunt turkey. I grew up in the Hill Country of Texas and we have lots of turkeys, but there’s an art to brining one home. You sit there for hours sometimes, and patiently try and call ‘em in. But it’s fun when you find them.

JKW: I tell you what else is fun: you get out in Texas, surrounded by that high bush and you start rattling antlers and you look around to see you’re surrounded by 6 or 7 whitetail bucks and you’re so excited, you can’t move.

WW: Well, you guys are going to have to come to Texas and let me take you deer hunting. That would be fun. The lucky person who wins the Gordo’s Cheese Dip and Huntin’ is Good sweepstakes will be joining you two on a deer hunt and who knows what will happen. One thing we DO know is this. The three Huntin’ is Good guys - Trey, Steve and Neal - know so much more about hunting than I will ever know and have so many cool places to go that this is going to be a BIG time.

LM: Oh, we’ll have a blast! We’ll also take our guitars and sing a little bit at night and do what we do when we go out there and hunt.

WW: Lorrie, I’d like for you to settle an argument that deer hunters have this time of year.

LM: Okay.

WW: What’s the best rifle to use to hunt whitetail deer?

LM: (Laughing) Well… (more laughing)…a 23!

WW: You heard first here folks. This year’s hot gun for deer will be a 23.

JKW: What’s a 23, mom?

LM: I just threw a number out there and figured nobody would know what it was and they’d be trying to find it. (still laughing) WW: The sale of 23 rifles will be going up now. Jesse, what’s your favorite gun for whitetail deer hunting?

JKW: My favorite rifle is a 300 Ultramag, but I think the best deer rifle would be a 270 or a 243.

LM: Or a 23!

JKW: I shot a buck last year with a 270 that was about 300 yards away and it didn’t drop at all. I like to shoot a cannon! I like the kick and the power of it.

WW: And if you’ve got that power and you put it in the right place, you don’t have to spend the rest of the day chasing that deer.

JKW: Exactly!

Lorrie Morgan and her son Jesse Keith Whitely are two of the nicest, down –to-earth people you will ever meet. As you can probably tell from this brief conversation, they are also two of the funniest people you will ever meet.

To enter the Gordo’s Cheese Dip Huntin’s is Good sweepstakes where the winner gets a dream deer hunt with Lorrie and Jesse, just click on www.gordoscheesedip.com and sign up. If you win, don’t forget to bring your 23.

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Be Ready to Move When the Birds Do The Avery Power Hunter layout blind adds the advantage of mobility

When you’re prepared to go to the game instead of waiting for the game to come to you, that’s Power Hunting. In order to have this type of mobility in duck and goose hunting, the hunter must be able to pack up his decoys, gear, guns and even his blind in a few minutes. It is in this situation where Avery layout blinds excel.

In a very short time, the Avery layout blinds have become the unequivocal leader in mobile blinds for waterfowl hunters. Because of its compact size, light weight and rugged composition, the Avery Power Hunter ® layout blind is the most versatile blind on the market. The total weight of this workhorse is only 11 pounds and it folds to a 32 inches x 33 inches x 4 inches backpack with adjustable shoulder straps.

Its compact size belies its ruggedness. It has a heavy duty, aluminum frame with solid aluminum hinges which keeps rust from ever being a problem. The arched “flip top” opening was clearly designed by someone who has first-hand experience with duck and goose hunting because it allows for unrestricted calling. The camo mesh top and rear windows allow for a 360 degree field of vision.

The Avery Power Hunter also has seven (7) rows of CamoStraps for stubbling and the hook and loop closure offers effortless entry and exit. Every duck or goose hunter has experienced the problem with leaky waders or boots that go too far under the water and allow the water to slosh in. The bottom of the Avery layout blind has a PVC-backed 900D polyester floor and this baby ain’t gonna let any water seep in!

You can buy the Avery Power Hunter layout blind at several online merchants, including: www.mackspw.com www.rogerssportinggoods.com and www.rchuntingstore.com. Or you can get more info at the company’s website: www.averyoutdoors.com.

If you would like to win your very own Avery Power Hunter layout blind, just LIKE Woods & Water Facebook page and watch for our upcoming contest to win.

WWW.THEOUTPOSTLIFE.COM

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Look Great and See Better New for fall: Costa Camo Sunglasses

Duck hunting is hard enough without having to deal with a headache from squinting at the water’s reflection. Before the next hunt, it might be time to get some quality sunglasses.

AR GE

Costa Sunglasses has released six of its styles in the Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades frame color. The new pattern compliments Costa’s camouflage line, which already includes eight sunglass styles available in the Realtree AP frame color.

The Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades pattern is known for its precisely arranged blades of grass, designed to help hunters and anglers disappear in the marsh. The new frame color is available in Costa’s Caballito, Fantail, Fisch, Hatch, Rockport and Tuna Alley. Each of these frames feature Costa’s signature performance technology, such as sturdy integral hinges, nearly indestructible co-injected nylon frame construction and no-slip Hydrolite™ nose pads and interior linings.

The camouflage styles are available with Costa’s patented 580™ lens technology. The lenses block yellow light - the harshest light - from entering the eye, allowing the eye to truly relax. The result is razor sharp color enhancement and unparalleled polarization. All Costa sunglasses are 100 percent polarized, eliminate glare and protect against harmful UV rays.

Costa’s 580 lenses are offered in either hard-coated, optically-ground glass (580G) or super lightweight, impact-resistant polycarbonate (580P). Available lens colors include gray, copper, amber, sunrise, and blue, green and silver mirror.

The specialty sunrise lens is ideal for early morning or late afternoon prime hunting and fishing hours, when outside light is low.

Costa’s new sunglass styles featuring Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades will be available at authorized Costa retail outlets and online at www.costadelmar.com. Retail prices for these new styles will start at $159.

Want to win a pair of these Costa Camo sunglasses. Just LIKE Woods & Water Facebook page and check for contest details during the month of October.

WWW.THEOUTPOSTLIFE.COM

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Buck Knives Introduce Splizzors This Tool will replace most others in your tackle box

What do you call a tool that’s a combination of scissors and pliers?

Well, Splizzors, of course. This all-in-one fishing tool is made by the legendary Buck Knives company.

The innovative design of Splizzors efficiently combines the use of scissors and pliers to create a very versatile tool and one that’s up to even the most demanding fishing task. The tool uses the concepts of BASS Elite anglers, Bill Lowen and Brandon Palaniuk along with the Mark Davis of Big Water Adventures TV show. These were incorporated by the Buck product development team in tool that might be the ultimate fishing product.

The Splizzors use edge to edge pressure that is 10X that of normal scissors. The replaceable blades contain micro serrations to cut braided and high performance fishing line with ease. The stainless steel blades and frame are constructed of 420HC steel, with an overall length of 8 ½ inches and a total weight of 8.3 ounces.

The long-nose plier design allows an angler to remove deeply embedded hooks with great dexterity. These plier tips are the perfect dimensions for manipulating the smallest drop shot hooks all the way to the heaviest flipping hooks in any fish mouth.

These Splizzors also integrate a large and small crimping tool into the design, allowing for split-shot crimping. They are capable of crimping sleeves on cable as well. The tool has a Dynaflex rubber handle, bottle opener and lanyard hole. All of these features pack easily into a nylon sheath for sale storage and carrying.

This product is made in the U.S.A. and backed by Buck’s famous “Forever Warranty.” More info on Splizzors is available from www.buckknives.com.

If you would like to win a Buck Knives Splizzors, just LIKE Woods & Water Facebook page and watch for our upcoming contest to win.

WWW.THEOUTPOSTLIFE.COM

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The Slam Talker Trash-talking with whitetail deer

AR GE

When rattling antlers is not enough, you might want to try something else. Some deer hunters have found that big bucks respond to the Slam Talker deer call. From deep buck grunts to estrus doe and fawn bleats all the way to the snort sounds of a challenging buck, the Slam Talker is another way to get a deer’s attention.

This call has a balanced reed design with a hardwood soundboard and it won’t stick or freeze in cold weather. The patented fingertip controls allow hunters to make calls ranging from a lost fawn to a mature buck by simply applying pressure to different areas of the soundboard. To reproduce the snort/wheeze, a hunter simply blows through the open mouthpiece while closing off the end of the call with his hand.

The Slam Talker comes with an adjustable lanyard to allow hunters to have it handy when needed. It can hang around a neck or it can be strapped to an arm for hands-free operation. It is designed with a quiet exterior to prevent unwanted contact noise between the call and other objects. It’s also available in combination with the Ruttin’ Buck rattling bag.

The suggested retail price is $19.99 alone and $34.99 in conjunction with the Ruttin’ Buck bag. The Slam Talker is manufactured by Hunter Specialties and more information on ordering can be obtained by clicking on www.hunterspec.com or by calling 319.395.0321.

If you’d like to win your very own Slam Talker, LIKE Woods & Water Magazine Facebook page and check during the month of October.

WWW.THEOUTPOSTLIFE.COM

Archery Bow Hunting Survey

NEW SURVEY SAYS 18.9 MILLION ARCHERS ACTIVE IN U.S. More people than ever are using a bow for hunting and target competitions. The first nationwide archery survey, released in mid-August 2013, showed that 18.9 million Americans age 18 and older participated in archery and/or bowhunting in 2012. The survey was conducted by the Archery Trade Association (ATA) While this data will not surprise the millions of bowhunters and archery competitors who have first-hand knowledge of the thrill of having a well-placed arrow find its mark, the sport is not as widely known as hunting and competing with firearms. Most experts feel that the improvement in the bow hunting equipment has done a great deal to increase participation. This growth in popularity may also have something to do with the bow season’s earlier launch.

ARCHERY IS HOTTER THAN A $2 PISTOL The methodology of the survey may also contribute to the results. "Often, the number of archers and bowhunters in the U.S. is estimated by the number of bows, arrows and other equipment sold, and hunting licenses issued within a given year," said Jay McAninch, ATA's president and CEO in a press release. "The results of this survey provide an accurate assessment of where the archery industry is currently, and where it has room to grow."

The ATA has helped fund, develop and implement programs to grow archery for more than a decade.

Membership in many archery groups, the demand for archery products, and media attention for the sport have increased in recent years. However, a lack of scientific data has made it impossible to determine true nationwide archery participation and interest.

"The survey results already have changed the archery industry's course," McAninch said. "Now that we know who is interested in archery, and who currently identifies themselves as an archer or bowhunter, we can offer products and education to accommodate current archers while engaging a new audience."

The ATA commissioned the national participation survey through Responsive Management (RM), a respected surveying firm for outdoor activities. With emphasis on obtaining an accurate and precise sample of the U.S. population, RM called 8,335 randomly selected cell phone and residential phone numbers.

THE ARCHERY NUMBERS FOR 2012 Of the 235 million total Americans age 18 and older: *18.9 million (8 percent) shot archery or bowhunted. *10.4 million (4.4 percent) participated in target archery only. *6.5 million (2.8 percent) participated in archery and bowhunting. *1.9 million (0.8 percent) participated exclusively in bowhunting.

OF ALL ARCHERS AND BOWHUNTERS: *8.5 million (45 percent) were age 35 to 54. *7.9 million (42 percent) were age 18 to 34. *2.4 million (13 percent) were older than age 55. *5.8 million (31percent) of all archery participants were women. *4.2 million (41percent) of archery-only participants were women. *1.6 million (84 percent) of bowhunting-only participants were men.

It is interesting to note that most bowhunter and archery enthusiasts are younger than 55 years old. This is good news to the companies that make this equipment. The female numbers are also impressive. “We were pleased to learn that one-third of all archery participants last year were women, and that 4 million women were involved exclusively in archery," McAninch said. "These numbers prove the archery market is strong. They also indicate that archery appeals to a younger audience and that target archery appeals to women more broadly than bowhunting."

REGIONS *10.8 percent of all people living in the Midwest participate. *8.7 percent of residents in the Northeast participate. *7.4 percent of those living in the South shoot archery and bowhunt. *6 percent of all the people living in the West participate. *5.8 percent of the people residing in the Northeast only shoot archery.

Of the 18.9 million participants in bowhunting and archery in 2012: *33 percent lived in a small town or city. *30 percent lived in rural areas. *19 percent lived in the suburbs. *18 percent lived in urban areas.

Knowing the regions where the sport is most popular can help the ATA identify areas that may be most interested in establishing and growing archery parks and programs. This information also can help product manufacturers and program coordinators determine where their efforts are best invested.

EQUIPMENT Of the 18.9 million participants in bowhunting and archery in 2012: *14 million or 75 percent used compound bows. *5.5 million or 29 percent used crossbows. *2.6 million or 14 percent used recurves. *16.4 million or 86.7 percent used only one type of bow. *11.5 million or 61 percent used compound bows exclusively.

Most archers used compound bows, a fact that came as no surprise to McAninch. He noted, however, that the numbers of archers who utilize more than one bow type, or all three bow types, were higher than the association expected.

"The archery industry works tirelessly to appeal to new archers while staying true to bowhunters," McAninch said. "The results of this survey indicate that the industry is strong. Now that we know who is shooting archery, where to focus our efforts and what bows archers are using, we can help more people get involved with this outstanding sport."

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Five Easy Steps to Increased Archery Accuracy

by Patrick Meitin

Better Equipment Makes for Better Shots Even though archery season has arrived, there’s still time to work the kinks out of your neglected shooting form, tone those soft muscles and sharpen your shooting eye. Quality practice is part of your moral obligation when choosing bowhunting gear, to ensure clean and humane kills. Shooting your bow is important, but a complete equipment overhaul could also help you shoot better.

First of all, they make nearly any bow quieter. Silence is golden in bowhunting, and special rubber shock absorbers, powder fill or gel-suspended weights actively pull unwanted vibrations out of your bow that cause shot noise and dissipate them silently.

This can also help your equipment last longer. More pointedly to the discussion at hand, these vibration and shock sponges can actually help you shoot better. At their most fundamental they simply remove uncomfortable hand shock from your bow.

STEP ONE: INSTALL A DROP-AWAY REST If you employ a release aid while shooting, as some 75 to 80 percent of bowhunters do today, and you’re not using a drop-away arrow rest, you’re not shooting as well as you could. Combined with a release, the newest fall-away arrow rests add instant forgiveness and provide an automatic accuracy boost by eliminating all fletching contact and contacting your arrow less time during the critical launch mode.

This also allows you to add maximum fletching helical or spin to your hunting arrows for better broadhead control. Ideally, the drop-away is tuned to support your arrow after release as long as possible, disappearing from beneath the shaft just before fletchings arrive. This helps to better steer your arrow true and also avoids fletching contact around the rest that can cause imperfect arrow flight.

There are multitudes of quality, dependable models to choose from, most automatically scooping up your arrow during the draw cycle, making it less likely that it will fall from the rest at the worst possible moment. Possibly the best of both worlds are models that fully contain your arrow when at rest, yet fall away for complete fletching clearance during the shot.

While any stabilizer adds stability that, like the tight-rope walkers balance pole, helps you aim more steadily, the active stabilizer also begins absorbing unwanted vibrations from your bow from the moment you release the string. This helps keep your shot true from the moment you trigger your release until your arrow is well on its way.

STEP THREE: INSTALL BETTER SIGHTS

STEP TWO: SCREW ON A STABILIZER HOME

The latest bow sights are better in every way. They have become easier to adjust while better engineering and materials assure they remain dead nuts accurate during the most abusive, rough and tumble hunts. More importantly, today’s fiber-optic pins are worlds brighter than solid pins of old. They increase pin visibility during common low-light hours when game moves best, and can’t be beat for the aging archer with failing eyesight in any conditions.

If you’ve avoided stabilizers in the past due to the added weight, or own a model more than a few years old, investing in a newer “active” stabilizer can also give you an accuracy edge. Active models serve several useful functions, not the least of which is the ability to help increase accuracy.

The new trend of round pin-guards with bright aperture rings help you better and more quickly align your peep during a critical hunting shot. By centering the round pin guard in your peep instead of a single pin you are able to use a larger peep that increases light transmission in low light, while also maintaining a more consistent anchor point.

STEP FOUR – ADD A WRIST SLING A wrist sling is a commonly-neglected and inexpensive piece of gear that can help you shoot better under all shooting conditions, but especially during tense bowhunting encounters. They do nothing more than encourage you to employ an accuracy-enhancing, relaxed grip while holding your bow at full draw. Gripping the bow handle during release due to a fear of dropping your bow introduces torque that throws your arrows off the mark.

Adding a wrist sling is especially important on the longer shots normally encountered while bowhunting Western game or during the highly-critical business of 3-D archery. Including a properly-adjusted wrist sling - one that actually supports the bow at full draw, completely relaxing your bow hand at full draw - allows your bow to find its own, level balance, without fear of dropping it after release and without forcing it to sit up straight.

STEP FIVE – PURCHASE BETTER ARROWS Finally, take a good look at your current arrows. Are they perfectly straight? Do the fletchings need replacing? Are they the very best you can afford? Old aluminum arrows are likely to have acquired slight bends or dings that erode accuracy.

Damaged or worn fletchings do not promote top-drawer flight and grouping qualities.

Cheap arrows may seem a good idea at the time, but in the scheme of things is not worth the savings. Purchase a budgetpriced bow, a discount quiver model, but never skimp on arrows. Buy the best, brands that are weight matched to within a single grain per dozen, that include 100-percent true deflection around their entire 360 degree circumference and offer straightness tolerances of +/- .003 inches minimum. Sure they cost more, but they automatically provide added accuracy, but also the confidence that you’re shooting the very best shafts possible.

It’s a safe bet that your current archery outfit could use an accuracy-enhancing boost. If you’re shooting outdated equipment or have skimped on certain aspects of your set-up, do yourself a favor this archery season and invest in these key pieces of equipment today. Your shooting is guaranteed to improve instantly. This gives you more confidence afield, and assures you are sending forth your best shot when that season-making trophy steps into your shooting lane.

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SHOULD YOU USE A CROSSBOW? CROSSBOWS ARE ENJOYING NEW POPULARITY

There’s a great word that describes most bow hunters I know. The word is “anachronistic.” If you haven’t already hit the search button for the exact meaning of this word, it doesn’t mean a fear of spiders (that’s arachnophobia). No, bow hunters are anachronistic because they are “someone from a former age that is incongruous in the present.”

Since prehistoric times, hunters have realized that a sharp stick, when shot from a tightly strung bow and accurately placed in a strategic area of the body, will bring down just about animal. Whether the arrows are made of hardwood and flint rock or high-tech metal, the basic premise of bow hunting has been around since cavemen realized just how cool it was to pull back that string and let ‘er fly.

These days, hunters around the world eagerly anticipate bow hunting season for white tail deer, mule deer and turkeys. It usually occurs the month before firearm-based deer hunting season.

Hunters, even those crazy anachronistic bow hunters, love new equipment. It gives us a reason to go to the sporting goods store and spend money that would otherwise be wasted on frivolous things like utility bills and shoes for the baby.

CROSSBOWS ARE ENJOYING NEW POPULARITY As noted by the recent survey on bowhunting and archery, highlighted in this issue (page 43), it was noted that of the 18.9 million participants in these sports in 2012, 14 million (75 percent) used compound bows, 5.5 million (29 percent) used crossbows and 2.6 million (14 percent) used recurve bows. The degree of crossbow usage will likely surprise many bowhunters because these bows have only recently been approved for hunting in some states.

As would be expected, the people most happy about this new popularity of crossbows are the big box sporting goods stores. In a newspaper article, “Bass Pro Shops” reported that they enjoyed a greater than 50 percent increase in crossbow sales and “Cabella’s” said that they tripled their sales of the item over last year.

Crossbows shoot a lot like a rifle. They are usually fitted with rifle sights and because they do not require the strength needed to pull back the traditional bow, they are good for either beginning archers or those hunters who don’t have time to commit to the constant practice necessary to be successful with a standard bow.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CROSSBOWS AND TRADITIONAL BOWS There are a few differences and similarities between the crossbow and the traditional bow. The crossbow makes more noise that the traditional bow and this can have the effect of spooking a deer before the shot arrives. Guides note that when this happens, the deer tend to duck in preparation to running. This will cause the arrow to miss high.

There’s no advantage for either bow in terms of arrow speed.

Both types of bows will shoot an arrow about 350 feet per second.

Expert bow hunters say that the shorter crossbow arrow loses velocity quicker than the traditional bow, but the trajectory is roughly the same as that of a compound bow. At 30 yards, the arrow from a traditional bow drops about 17 inches, about two inches more than the shorter crossbow arrow.

The crossbow wins the comparison in several categories. It is easier to aim because of the rifle sights and the trigger mechanism. It is more accurate than the traditional bow for the same reason. It is also easier to use because of its mechanical cocking aides and string locks.

The traditional bow has a few factors in its favor. It is much easier to reload a traditional bow than a crossbow. Plus, there is a big difference in the weight of the two types of bows. Crossbows weigh two or three times more than a compound bow. As a result, some form of support is necessary for the crossbow, not so for the traditional bow. This additional weight has discouraged more women from using this bow.

While there is speculation that allowing crossbows for the archery season will increase the number of bow hunters, not everyone agrees that the harvest of deer and turkeys will increase. One fact of life in the woods remains. The bow hunter must have patience and skill to get within 30 yards of the quarry and then make that shot.

Beckett Crossbows

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Hog Hunting with a Bow

A LITTLE WALK ON THE WILD SIDE!

In the past few years the population of feral pigs has gone hog wild. In the process, farmland, rivers and streams and wildlife habitat have been destroyed by the nasty habits of these relentless porkers. In a relatively short time, these hogs have spread to more than 38 out of 50 states and parts of Mexico and Canada and they’ve done billions of dollars in damage.

Because of their exponential population growth and destructive nature, the fish and game regulatory agencies in every state have allowed virtually unrestrictive hunting of these hogs. Any time, day or night, with a basic hunting license and the permission of the landowner, a hunter can take an unlimited number of these very tasty pigs to the freezer. In many ways, the most exciting way to hunt these hogs is with a bow.

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Wildlife biologists note that feral hogs have a much higher tolerance for both heat and cold than other animals. However, the temperature will dictate their foraging movement. In the heat of summer, the pigs will tend to be more nocturnal and they will be looking for a cool bed near water during the day. On winter days, they tend to be active at dawn and twilight. In the spring, their movement is dependent on hunting pressure. If it gets higher, they will tend to forage at night.

Some hog hunters have seen herds of 50 or more hogs.

However, the average herd size is 8, with no more than 3 adults per group. However, with the population of this animal is increasing, the herds will likely trend larger.

The vision of wild hogs is poor, but they make up for this with superior senses of smell and hearing. Hunters that can read the wind and position themselves down-wind from the hogs have a better chance of getting a closer shot.

Feral hogs are stocky and stout. A mature hog has a shoulder height of about 36 inches and can weigh anywhere from 100 to 400 pounds. They have four, continuously growing tusks, two on top and two on the bottom, and because they spend a lot of time fighting other hogs, these tusks are usually razor sharp.

THE BEST BOWS AND BROADHEADS FOR HOGS

A PLAN FOR HOG HUNTING

Hog hunting guides also suggest using an electronic dot scope, such as the Apex Gear Nano-Dot, instead of pins because they allow for accuracy in low light. Since hog hunting is often done at night, a stabilizer-mounted light with a red beam (rather than a white beam which can spook hogs) is also a good addition. Hawg Lite makes a good red-beam light that costs about $100.

A pig’s vital organs are located between his shoulder blades. Placing a broadhead in this spot will usually drop the animal. However, the tricks for the hunter is to (1) have the right bait strategy for luring the pigs within range, (2) get in the right position to make this kill shot (3) have enough power for the broadhead to break through the tough hide and bone of the hog. The process starts with luring the pigs into the area where a shot can be taken.

Wild hogs love to eat. In fact, they tend to make pigs of themselves, especially when corn is involved. They also adapt well to a timed feeding system. Hog hunting guides suggest that hunter scout areas looking for signs of rooting or wallows. Hanging a corn feeder – as opposed to setting up a tripod which hogs can knock over – near this area where they have spent some time and then setting up a tree stand with a good view and about 15 yards from the baited area is a good strategy. Guides note that hogs like to feed in an open area which is near a thicket – allowing them to dart in and out of cover – so putting the feeder near the cover is advised.

During the day, it’s possible to get a good, close-in shot on the hogs from this tree stand because their vision is so limited. However, there’s nothing wrong with the hog’s sense of smell. It is therefore important to place the stand where the prevailing breeze is down-wind from the baited area.

Should the wind change, the hunter can have a fallback position with a blind on the opposite side of the bait – in the cover of the thicket.

It is legal to hunt hogs during the night in most states and this presents even more opportunities when the hunting pressure has encouraged the pigs to nocturnal foraging.

The same ambush baiting strategy used during the day will work at night and for the thrill-seeker, some downwind stalking can also yield some close-in shots. Needless to say, there’s a lot more pressure on a shot from the ground than one from the tree stand!

The best bow for hog hunting is one that is designed for close and fast shooting. Most hog hunting guides and websites dedicated to the sport suggest a smooth, singlecam bow with a 7 ¼ -inch brace height. Most suggest the draw weight of the bow be 50 to 60 pounds. Personal preference is always important but several sources cite the Bear Anarchy bow as an excellent weapon for hogs.

No matter how hard you work to get into position, bait the area and make an accurate shot, the type of broadhead used can be the difference between quick kill and hours of tracking. Expert hog hunters advise that you use a fixed-blade broadhead that will break bone if necessary.

The three-blade Muzzy 100 (about $40 for six) is a good choice for this.

TRY THE PORK Wild hogs breed year-round which is one of the reason that they are out of control. Wildlife experts and veterinarians note that female wild pigs can produce three liters in two years. The old timers who farm and ranch in the Southwestern U.S. have an old saying: “When a feral hog has six piglets, only eight are expected to survive.”

However, if more people realized just how good-tasting and healthy the meat from these hogs are, there would be many more hunters out there, reducing the population and bringing home the bacon.

In this issue of Woods & Water, we have included several ways to prepare wild hog. If you get the chance to get out in the field and harvest 1 or 2 hogs, the most flavorable size tend to be smaller – 50 to 70 pounds. Plus, wild game processors and butchers suggest that the best chops come from a sow that is not nursing piglets. This assumes that a hunter, who has ambushed an angry pig and is drawing back his bow while a hard-charging wild hog bears down on him, is checking the gender and nursing habits of this animal!

www.pac-systems.com Catching Walleye in October If you live in the Upper Midwestern U.S., it’s about to get cold, very cold. However, in the month of October there is still time to catch one of the best tasting and hardest fighting game fish – walleye. They can be found in the Great Lakes and connecting waters as well as inland rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

Walleyes can be caught in numerous ways. Early in the season, fishing bottom with lead-head jigs tipped with minnows or with plastic grub bodies is the top technique, but as the season progresses, trolling with plugs (such as Rapalas and Wiggle Warts) or spoons or with spinners and crawler harnesses are the best approaches. Slow trolling baits at a variety of depths is important as, although walleyes are usually associated with the bottom, the most active fish are sometimes suspended in the water column.

These aggressive fish can also be taken on live bait; nightcrawlers drifted along the bottom, leeches suspended under a slip bobber or minnows fished on a tight line will all produce. In the fall, jigging with spoons in deep water is a popular technique.

Blinded by the Light Walleyes can be photosensitive and therefore fishing is often best early and late in shallow water, though this is less critical in deep water. But walleyes often move shallow to feed at night and casting with artificial lures or drifting with live bait will all produce walleyes after dark.

In the fall, the light changes and the water gets cooler. So what are the best tactics to hook one of these fighters in October?

Fall Back Here are some tips for catching walleye in the early fall from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

1. In early fall, walleye can be found in a variety of places in the body of water, including deep, shallow or anywhere in between. This makes the challenge that much more fun. This means that the angler doesn’t have to stick to one depth.

2. If you’re out in the morning, you should check where the deep water meets the shallow spots. Walleye will likely be waiting.

3. As the day progresses, remember this fish’s photosensitivity and move to the deeper water.

4. Fishing for walleye at night in the fall can be very productive. The best places to cast are the rock points and the flats.

Winter Walleye This species is immensely popular with ice-fishing anglers. These hearty fishermen jig with artificial baits such as Jigging Rapalas or spoons, often tipped with minnows; on slip-bobber rigs or with tip-ups baited with live minnows. Walleye fishing through the ice usually begins and ends in shallow water areas with deep water more productive during the heart of the winter.

Whether you’re chasing walleye in the warmth of spring and summer, the crispness of fall or the dead of winter, there is no better fishing on the planet. Using seasonally appropriate tactics will get this fish out of the lake and on your dinner table, which is where he belongs!

VENISON. IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER! So you had a successful fall and now you have a freezer full of meat? What a better way to impress your friends by not only bringing home a bountiful kill, but also putting the Food Network Chefs to shame with a feast from the field. Is there anything better than venison on the dinner table? Because it’s wild game, it takes a little more preparation than something you can get from the supermarket. However, there is less fat and more flavor in venison that was once in the cross-hairs of your rifle.

Here are seven recipes that are guaranteed to either win you a trip to Iron Chef contest or ensure that your significant other is eager to let you go hunting next year!

Slow Roast Venison Procedure: Set the oven temperature at the desired temperature that you want the venison to be when it is done. This should be about 165 degrees F. Place the roast in a pan, set it in the oven and leave it there. Leave it there overnight, all day, all day and all night--whatever. It requires no watching; it can't burn, vitamins and minerals can't be harmed at such a low heat. Almost no fuel is required to cook it. The fat in the venison will slowly cook out so you end up with a basically fat free roast venison recipe.

The exact cooking time is not significant. Allow plenty of time.

The longer you cook the meat at this low temperature, the more tender the roast will become. Let the internal temperature rise to 165 degrees F. We were startled at how scrumptiously tender and tasty the roast became, and I think you will be too.

Old-Timers Roast Venison Ingredients: 3-4 pound venison roast 4 cups vinegar 4 cups water 3-4 tablespoons salt 8 bay leaves 8 cloves 1 pound beef suet 1 pound bacon Salt Pepper

Procedure: • Trim off all deer fat. Most people don't like deer fat. Place roast in pan.

• With a knife poke holes over entire surface of meat to allow liquid to penetrate.

• Pour water and vinegar over roast. Make sure roast is covered completely with liquid. Add more liquid if necessary.

• Add cloves and bay leaves. Let the roast set in this mixture for about 24 hours.

• Remove from pan and rinse with water.

• Now take thin strips of suet and bacon and press into holes in roast.

Poke deep if possible. Set remaining bacon and beef suet on top of roast.

• Pour about 1/4 inch water in roasting pan and return roast to pan.

• Roast at 300 degrees F until done, usually about 30 minutes per pound.

Do not overcook. Many deer are grass-fed (except in the Midwest where deer enjoy corn!) so there may be little fat to insulate the meat. Grass-fed meat cooks faster than fatty meat. If overcooked the meat will become dry and tough. The bacon and suet help prevent this. www.grassfedrecipes.com

Venison Steak Marinade Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 -2 teaspoon minced garlic ½ teaspoon ground pepper 1 (1 ½ lb) package venison steak Directions: • Mix all marinade ingredients together in a small measuring cup.

• Place venison steaks in a large zip lock bag.

• Pour marinade over steaks and seal bag.

• Place bag in a flat casserole dish so that the steaks are in a single layer.

• Refrigerate and marinate at least 4 hours, turning every half hour to marinate each side.

• Drain marinade and grill steaks to desired doneness.

Venison Chili If you’re the designated wild game chef at either the hunting camp or back home, you must have a simple but delicious recipe for venison chili. There are literally hundreds of ways to prepare this classic dish but this one combines simplicity of preparation with all of the spices that bring out the best in the lean venison meat. After a long day in the tree-stand, this chili will get you ready for going out tomorrow and doing it all over again.

Prep Time: 20 minutes - Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes - Level: Easy - Serves: 2 quarts

Ingredients • 4 strips bacon, diced • 2 1/2 pounds leg or shoulder of venison, cut into 1/2-inch cubes • 1 cup chopped onions • 1 cup chopped green bell peppers • 2 garlic cloves crushed • 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 1 tablespoon chili powder

• • • • • • • •

1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes 1 cup beef stock Salt and pepper 1 cup grated Sonoma Jack cheese

Hunting, Venison and Wine What more do you need?

By Harold Green One of the great parts about hunting is that at the end of the day you get to sit around a campfire or fireplace with friends and talk about the day’s hunt, sports and your family. Often these conversations include a few beers or a little harder adult beverage to keep the cold away. I have a few friends who always drink brandy while smoking cigars. And I for one would have a glass or two of red wine.

While I like bold reds, one of my friends always drinks White Zinfandel. I kid him about drinking “Pinkie,” but when you think about it, a good wine is any wine you like. Since White Zin is the number one wine sold in the US, my friend has a lot of company. So when people tell me they don’t like wine, it’s usually because they have a built in negative impression of wine and they just haven’t found one they like. But it’s out there!

Wine and Venison Have the Same Problem of Perception A lot a people like to hunt but not as many people like eating venison. Usually, this is because it’s not prepared well or people have a built in view that they won’t like it. Several years ago we made venison chili for our neighborhood New Year’s party but didn’t tell anyone it was venison. Sure enough, all the chili was quickly eaten and everyone kept telling us how great it was.

While I love venison chili and sausage, my favorite dish is barbeque venison. I have great memories of going with my dad to a neighborhood gas station where the owner had barbeque venison cooking for his customers throughout deer season.

So when people tell me they don’t like venison I tell them they just haven’t found the venison dish they like. Which brings me to the point of this article.

What’s a Good Wine to Go with Venison?

My first answer is that if you have a wine you like, try it with your favorite venison dish and you may find that they are the perfect match for you. That said, here are some basic rules when pairing wine with venison.

HAPPINESS IS A BELT-FED WEAPON

Our annual machine gun shoot saw twelve marksmen all get to shoot some of the most famous automatic weapons. Our customers all enjoyed the belt-fed machine guns and several enjoyed the AK 74.

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Because good things are often difficult to describe, if you were trying to explain the music of JJ Grey and Mofro to, say, an alien from Mars you would have to fall back on the time-tested technique of using short, clever phrases that music reviewers always use. His new CD, entitled This River, has earned a whole passel of short clever phrases, some of which an alien from Mars might even understand, including: • A southern storm of soulful grooves • Riff-based southern rock • Cold-blooded swamp funk • Sly Memphis soul He and his band are all of those things and (wait for it….) more!

The best definition of the tunes on This River comes from the man his own bad self. “Many of the new songs,” says Grey, “are about being your own worst enemy, and about normal folks pushing themselves over the edge.” So, we can safely add to the list of short, catchy phrases: • Honest storyteller.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll_9DxHBrKk#t=44

Turn on the Machine!

The press surrounding this CD has noted that Grey decided to record these tunes “live” in the studio which means there is little or no over-dubbing every instrument and voice. Basically, somebody yells, “Turn on the machine” and everyone plays and sings their part at the same time – as if they were performing live on stage. This approach works well with a bunch of talented musicians like Mofro.

“It adds so much more to the dynamic of a recording. It’s so different when you get to play off each other rather than overdub each track,” says Grey. As one reviewer noted, “The songs on This River are tighter and more deftly written than on previous offerings, but the more immediate, in-the-moment-of-creation production and incendiary performances keep things from getting slick.”

A Little Something for Everyone The songs are nicely diverse in tempo but all reflect a slice-of-life approach to Grey’s stories. There are upbeat funk/blues rhythms, with big, fat hooks like “99 Shades of Crazy”, “Your Lady, She’s Shady”, and “Write a Letter”. The CD gives a nod to Motown in “Tame a Wild One,” sandy beach songs in the form of “Florabama” and “Standing on the Edge” and has a couple of really nice, lyric-driven message tunes such as “The Ballad of Larry Webb” and the title cut “This River.”

Every one of the cuts is fresh and a different from anything you’ve heard lately. The people responsible for this magic are: JJ Grey ...vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards Dennis Marion ...trumpet Andrew Trube ...guitar Todd Smallie...bass

Art Edmaiston ...saxophone Anthony Cole ...drums Anthony Farrell ...organ

With the release of This River, JJ Grey and Mofro have now recorded seven CDs and they just get better every time.

Give this Outpost sample cut a listen and see if you don’t find yourself clicking over to Amazon to order this gem.

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MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF YOU - GUY CLARK The first time I met singer/songwriter Guy Clark was in 1974 when I was working the morning show on an album rock radio station in Austin, Texas. I did a daily music and talk show and he and his band were motoring through the Hill Country on their way to a gig. I guess they saw our broadcast antennae and decided to drop in. I was glad they did.

This was the time of the rise of the ‘cosmic cowboys’ (Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Murphy and many others) in the area and Walker had cut a couple of great songs written by Clark that we played until people were sick of hearing them. Walker, himself a pretty fair songwriter having written “Mr. Bojangles,” recorded Clark’s songs, “Desperados Waiting for a Train” and “LA Freeway” and they became his most crowd pleasing numbers.

When we started talking during the hastily arranged, live interview, Clark’s accent sounded very familiar.

I found out he was born and raised in Monahans, Texas located in far West Texas not too far (at least

by Texas standards) from my hometown. Some of his other band mates started piling out of the van/bus and one of these young, surly guys – his lead guitar player - was Steve Earle who turned out to be a pretty fair songwriter himself.

At this time, Clark had moved to Nashville from Texas, with a short stay on the West Coast (“if I can just get

off of that LA Freeway without getting killed or caught”) and he and his wife Susanna – also a songwriter and visual artist – we making a living writing songs. While she was not on the bus that day, he mentioned her in the interview as someone who was a saint to put up with the grief from him and his hell-raising friends like Townes Van Zandt.

Van Zandt, who became an icon to song-writers worldwide (writing brilliant tunes like “Poncho and Lefty” and “If I Needed You”) died in 1997 after his candle, which had burned from both ends for decades, finally went out. The title of Guy Clark’s latest CD – My Favorite Picture of You – was the result of one of these all-night, Clark/Van Zandt, drunken song fests. Sadly, Susanna Clark also passed away in June 2012, and this personal loss affected not only the title but the songs in this collection.

As one reviewer in the online publication “Folk Alley” notes: “The title track tells the story behind the Polaroid Clark holds on the cover of the disc. It’s a shot of his wife Susanna in the 1970s, when she had just come home to find Guy and his friend Townes Van Zandt drunk again. She was angry and hurt, storming off, full of fire. “You never left but your bags were packed just in case,” he sings, describing her as “nobody’s fool ... smarter than me.” It’s not an easy song to hear, but neither is lasting love an easy task. Telling the story in simple terms that are emotional and provocative - and rhyme - is another feat altogether. But, Clark is one of the best.”

Vintage Guy Clark Love and heartbreak are the overriding themes of My Favorite Picture of You and Guy Clark, at age 71, can still tell this story like nobody else. This is Clark’s first CD in four years and he has obviously been working in the interim because this is one of his best ever.

The standout cuts on this collection of very personal tunes are “Cornmeal Waltz,” “El Coyote” and, of course, the title cut. The music and arrangements are sparse by current production standards and one must assume they were carefully planned to be so. This allows the listener to savor the funny, sad, ironic and ultimately profound messages in the lyrics. It is vintage Guy Clark.

Old fans and those who have never heard of Guy Clark will also enjoy some of the other gems on this CD. “Heroes” is an emotional song about soldiers living with PTSD. He shows why he’s considered one of the best story-tellers with “The Death of Sis Draper,” which is set to the tune of the old song “Shady Grove.” On the song “Good Advice” Clark understates some well-earned wisdom: “If it’s not one thing, it’s another, and that you can count on.”

Guy Clark has had an incredible career out of observing peculiarities of the human condition. If “My Favorite Picture of You” is any indication, he’s still got one of the best eyes in the business.

THE NEW OUTPOST RADIO IS LAUNCHED Radio for the Great Outdoors Woods & Water Radio. At any given time on this unique station, you can hear Stevie Ray Vaughan, followed by Blackberry Smoke, followed by George Jones. While all of this is going on you can be given a chance to listen to podcasts that feature tips on hunting whitetail deer, or catching crappie in the Atchafalaya Basin or learning why blue quail would rather run than fly.

In the words of more than one recently converted Outpost Radio fanatic: “I’ve never heard anything like this station.” Exactly.

This combination of music and outdoor sports information, presented 24/7, available wherever you are, worldwide on your mobile device has never been offered. Until now.

The stories in Woods & Water Magazine are about the simple joys of living an authentic life. This includes outdoor sports such as fishing, hunting, camping, hiking and biking. It involves good food and strong drink and it also includes music – from every genre – that sportsmen and sportswomen enjoy.

If you can do without the little girl pop stars and auto-tuned crap that passes for country and rock and roll these days, you might want to try Woods & Water Radio. If you want to know the weather wherever you’re sitting in a duck blind, it’s here. If you’re on the way to hunt pheasant or fish for walleye and you’d like to know if anybody’s seeing any, this might be your new favorite radio station.

Unfortunately, most of the music you hear on traditional (terrestrial) radio is so sanitized, analyzed and ‘peroxized’ that the tunes and words are cotton candy for the brain. Plus, most of the outdoor sports radio programs come on the stations between 3 and 4 am. That’s a little too early for most of us.

It’s is for this reason that we joined some friends who are experts in the radio business and launched Woods & Water Radio.

We’re calling it Radio for the great outdoors and that’s more than just a catchy phrase.

A typical radio station would never play the diversity of songs you’ll hear on

42

The Mavericks Back in Your Arms

Woods Water Humor

LETTER TO THE MEN’S HELP LINE Hey Guys, I really need your advice on a serious problem. I have suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs: if the phone rings and I answer, the caller hangs up; she goes out with the girls a lot. I try to stay awake to look out for her when she comes home but I usually fall asleep.

Anyway last night about midnight I hid in the shed behind the boat. When she came home she got out of someone's car buttoning her blouse, then she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on. It was at that moment crouched behind the boat that I noticed a hairline crack in the outboard engine mounting bracket.

Is that something I can weld or do I need to replace the whole bracket?

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

TRAVEL - CLASSIFIEDS - GUIDES

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“What one has not experienced, one will never understand in print.� ~ Isadora Duncan

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THE OTHER FALL TRADITION

For 39 years we have been keeping the “Bird Hunting� tradition alive by producing lasting memories at the Plantation. Explosive coveys, outstanding dog work, and up-scale accommodations are available just one hour east of Atlanta. Season runs Oct. 1- March 31

Come just once and you will be a customer for life!

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1161 Blackwell Rd Newborn, GA 30056 (706) 557-0407

The

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Do you have a funny hunting or fishing picture? • Do you have a joke that everyone should hear?

Email them to: art@theoutpostmagazine.com

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