Sportsman's News February 2019 Digital Edition

FREE February 2019 | Volume 15 | Issue 2

Big cats, bulls, and bucks with Allout Outfitters

Hunting Colorado’s Uncompahgre Plateau

Reloading Roundup

Sportsman's Warehouse is your reloading HQ Page 22

Pro's Tip: Book That Hunt of a Lifetime

Insider Tips from a top Guide Page 18

Passion for Perfection

SAKO Rifle Page 10

Chad LaChance: Fishful Thinker

Road Trippin'

Gary Lewis: PacWest Outdoors

An Honest Black Bear

Send Us Your Stories And Win A Hunt Of A Lifetime With

SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 2322 W. Industry Way Cedar City, UT 84721

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PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Mike Deming President/Publisher 435-669-4624 mdeming@sportsmansnews.com

SENIOR EDITOR Kent Danjanovich 801-231-9838 kdanjanovich@sportsmansnews.com MANAGING EDITOR Dan Kidder 435-865-1680 dkidder@sportsmansnews.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Lisa Deming info@sportsmansnews.com VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGERS Sam Staudt sam@sportsmansnews.com Subscribers should contact Managing Editor for changes of address.

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This is an outfitter we have hunted with every year for the past seven years and look forward to every March. We have been able to harvest some extremely large Aoudad on 40,000 acres. One 33” whopper, 31.5”, 31”, 29.5”, and 28” rams. ~ the Sportsmans News Team

New Mexico & Texas Hunts (575) 361•1053 17th Annual

OUTDOOR WRITING CONTEST Grand Prize Package

• Winner will be chosen to join the Sportsman's News Team on a fully guided hunt in Texas with Steve Jones Backcountry Hunts the last week of March 2020. Included is meals, lodging, 1 on 1 guided hunt for 3 days for Trophy Aoudad in west Texas. This is a free range wild sheep hunt. License is included for the winner. Camp will be shared with the Sportsman’s News team and we will film the adventure for an episode of Sportsman’s News Television.

• Contest will run from November 1st, 2018 through November 30th, 2019 with two stories selected each month and published on our website. One grand prize winner will be randomly selected from those entries and notified by e-mail.

• Every published entry will receive a knife from Outdoor Edge and will be entered into the grand prize drawing.

• E-mail stories and photos to info@sportsmansnews.com.

• Stories should be between 900 and 1500 words and be sent as a MS Word document or pasted into an e-mail.

• Photos should be high resolution JPG’s, TIF’s or PDF’s: if you have any questions regarding photos call (435)865-1680.

• Stories without photos will not be considered for publication or contest entry.

All stories may be edited for content and size. Published articles and photos become property of Sportsman’s News. All prizes are provided by Sportsman’s News Inc. Must be 18 years of age to win grand prize.

All entries must include author name, address and phone number to be considered for publication.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER

By Michael Deming

WHAT’S INSIDE 4 Hunting Colorado’s Uncompahgre Plateau Big Cats, Big Bulls, Big Bears, Big Bucks.

SAKO Rifles 10 A Heritage of Perfection.

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Platinum Approved Outfitters

Choose a Sportsman's News Endorsed Guide for your next trip.

18 Pro's Tip: Booking The Hunt of a Lifetime Insider Tips from a Top Guide.

22 Reloading Roundup

Stock up on the best gear to roll your own.

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s we start our fifteenth year of Sportsman’s News, I am reminded of how blessed we are to get to do what we truly love and are passionate about. We walked away from successful careers to pursue a dream. This was a dream of becoming an extremely well-educated person in the field of our ultimate passion and using that platform to help educate others. This isn’t a destination, but a journey as we are constantly learning new and exciting tips, tricks and techniques about our beloved sport and the outdoors. We surround ourselves with high-quality professionals who are the best there is in their craft. This allows us to keep getting better and providing better resources to our readers and followers. I can honestly say that the decision to walk away from a successful business, which paid the bills, yet wasn’t a joy to pursue what I am passionate about, has been one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.

This platform has allowed us to educate everyone on products, destinations, and how to be a better steward of the land. It will be no exception in 2019 and we have a lot in store for this upcoming year. We are already planning on some big comparisons throughout the year and I’m sure some of those things are on your list to purchase. We did an extreme cooler comparison in 2018 that was very well received and with the evolution of these products, we will plan another one of these as well. Heading to the back country and not having power puts you in a position to need to charge your devices and this is an area that I feel has been an overmarketed and underdelivered on products. We will be rounding up a bunch of these devices and putting them in a real-world environment and see which ones are going to do what they say they can do. We have already been testing some off the grid communication devices like the Garmin InReach and the SPOT for an upcoming comparison. We are also going to smash some broadheads through plywood and other materials and see what holds up the best. We have a long list of products to test, but if there is a comparison you would like to see, let us know by sending us an email to info@sportsmansnews.com with COMPARISON typed in the subject line.

We will also start our production of video product reviews for the year. We traditionally do sixty of these each and every year. Due to the popularity of video in today’s market, we will likely add some staff to do a few more of them. We know that clothing, optics, guns and packs are always a major topic of conversation and we already have a good number of the new products scheduled for review, but feel free to let us know if you have other items you would like to see reviewed. The industry trade shows will be taking place over the first quarter of 2019 and we will be looking at a lot of new products to do reviews on as well.

The Pro Membership Sweepstakes will be finishing up its 4th year in March and we will continue to put together even better prizes. We have exceeded $1.2 million in giveaways for everything from Desert Bighorn Sheep, worth $60,000, to Alaskan fishing trips for two for $12,000.

We have taken the focus off of us and made our lucky winners the focus of the media that we do. We know that we are lucky to do what we do and we love sharing our experiences with a lot of very fortunate people. We are approaching the 1,000 member-mark, which is close to half of where we will cut-off the participation in this program. We will stop membership at 2,500 total members, which will likely take the next few years to achieve.

We currently give away $300,000 worth of trips, guns and gear each and every year with our current model. As the participation grows, we will continue to add great giveaways to where this number equals $500,000. We will just keep getting better and better as time goes on. We will keep adding the highest quality trips, many with waiting lists and limited opportunities. If you know of an operation that is high-quality and provides these types of trips, please get in touch with me and share your thoughts.

We look forward to a great 2019 with all of our readers and followers. Make sure you follow us on YouTube, Facebook and Instragram to make sure you are getting the most current info pushed to you as it happens.

26 Pacwest Outdoors: An Honest Black Bear

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Getting a black bear on the scale is a real wake up.

28 Pro Member Update: Cacklin' Roosters in South Dakota Blasting ringnecks in Harrold.

Fishful Thinker: Road Trippin' 32

What it takes to bring you 26 episodes a season.

34 NWTF Utah Banquet Schedule 36 American Sniper Auto Accessories

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Stylish accessories that support a great cause.

37 Business Directory 38 Outdoor Writing Contest: Grizzly Adventure An Alaskan caribou hunt is plagued by grizzlies.

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40 Wild Game Recipe: Indian Style Elk Kabobs

Garam Masala makes this take on an Indian classic a delicious and easy meal.

42 Adventures On A Budget: Dam Good Fishing Tempting Bass With Live Bait on Pickwick Lake

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sparky Sparkes Gary Lewis Chad LaChance Lee Perrin Steve Mayer John Felsher

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Hunting Colorado’s Uncompahgre Plateau BIG CATS, BIG BULLS, & BIG BUCKS

By Michael Deming

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aving grown up in Colorado, I was very familiar with the quality of the plateau and the history of big bucks and bulls that have come from it over the past forty years. It is one of the most sought-after units in the state of Colorado for big bull elk as well as mule deer. One of these premium elk tags is going to require roughly two decades of accumulated preference points to get to play the game during one of the open seasons. Deer won’t take as many, but you are still going to spend at least a decade as a nonresident to get a chance to hunt.

Having not been in the unit in over a decade, but knowing the history, I invested in a 2nd season deer landowner voucher and coaxed a good buddy into doing the same. I scouted heavily on this drought year and was turning up a whole lot of nothing. By the time the season arrived, I had exactly no contender bucks and by the last weekend of the season, I had only seen one giant buck. It was in the back of a truck. I felt that I was pretty good at getting things done in an unfamiliar area, and I don’t mind a piece of humble pie every now and then, but eating the whole pie wasn’t something I was used to.

I started making phone calls and visiting taxidermists, meat processors, and even calling outfitters with a few days left to at least help my buddy fill his tag. The name of JT Robbins of Allout Guiding & Outfitting kept coming up as a go-to guy for someone who knows the area and consistently delivers success to his clients. However, I didn’t connect with him while we were still in the unit and I ended up eating my tag.

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

JT reached out to me soon after the hunt ended and shared some great pictures of successful clients. He said that he would be busy finishing the elk season and then would be onto cats as soon as 4th season was over and wanted to talk when he got a decent break.

Since we are always looking to pair ourselves with the best outfitters in the business, I was open to the conversation whenever he was available. For the next 8 weeks, every time I had a text from JT it was another huge cat either in a tree or being held by a successful client. By the time we got to speak about working together, he had successfully harvested twenty big cats out of both Colorado and Utah. This is a level of success that I’m not familiar with and he does it nearly every single year.

JT informed me that our hunt in unit 61 was very similar for those guys for deer, but the elk is where things are at. Big bulls and cats are truly his passion and after the results he had posted from the past few months, I knew that Allout Guiding & Outfitting was someone we wanted to work with in the future for our Pro Membership Sweepstakes, as well as booking those hunters who have spent decades building points. We made arrangements to tag along for a spring bear hunt in Utah as well as do a late season bull elk hunt for the next season.

The spring bear for my good buddy Dave Bloom was a success and I got to see how JT and his team worked together and it made me even more excited to get to unit 61 for the fourth season elk hunt.

We arrived at Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa in Gateway, Colorado to start our elk hunt in mid-November. This made for more of a luxury getaway than the base camp for an elk hunt. However,

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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after living in tent camps and freezing for the past few weeks, this was going to be a very welcome experience. This five-star resort is a bustling metropolis during the summer and early fall, but they had limited guests during this later November hunt. But they still offered fine dining each and every evening.

JT and his crew met up with us at the resort the night before the season to enjoy a great meal and go over the plan for the week.

They would pick us up early in the morning and we would head up the mountain and spend the day hunting and wouldn’t be back until after legal shooting light was over or we had been successful.

My great friend and taxidermist Buddy Adamic from Canon City, Colorado was the tag holder and he had burned 14 preference points for this 4th season tag and he only needed 9, so he was taking one for the team for us to do this evaluation trip. However, Buddy had never harvested a bull over 300� B&C and JT said we would be looking for a bull well over that threshold. JT tries to target bulls that are 330� B&C and bigger in this unit, but the weather, moisture levels, and physical abilities of the hunters all play a factor in what they tag out with.

Opening morning had us sneaking into a spot where both JT and Scott Kent, (AKA: Clark Kent) our guide had seen a bachelor herd of bulls, which had several bulls we could shoot. We had started walking to the area the bulls had been frequenting and JT was on a lookout point observing the situation. He had another young guide by the name of Skyler looking for "Plan B� bulls if our morning plan didn’t work out. As the sky started to lighten in the

Trophy Hunting Colorado Unit 61 & The Utah Bookcliffs Buddy enjoying the view of the sunrise over the Uncompahgre Plateau.

Elk Mule Deer Black Bear Mountain Lion Big Horn Sheep Bison

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Contact:

JT Robbins 970-773-4898

www.alloutoutfitters.com 6

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

east, we got a signal from JT that the bulls were exactly where we wanted them. They were in perfect position for a play. An opening morning harvest would be something I’m not very familiar with but having someone who runs cats in the area as well as knows the habits of his animals is why this is possible. We slowly moved through the thick brush looking for a window to see the herd of bulls. We took nearly an hour to go less than two hundred yards as we slowly picked our way through the brush. We were sure that we hadn’t spooked the bulls, but hunting public ground has its’ disadvantages. A cow elk hunter was wandering aimlessly through the area and came out up wind of the bulls and they all spooked. Onto plan B. By the end of the first day, we had looked at over 60 bulls and a couple in that 330” range, but no real shot opportunities at high quality bulls.

Day two we were right back on the same plan. JT felt that there were so many good bulls right here that it would pay dividends

if we did our time. He was right with his assessment and the big bachelor group was right back where they had been spooked the morning before. We had come in a different way today and put us right on the edge of the opening and we were here in plenty of time to wait for the bulls to come to us. The wind was good, and the elk needed to come about a half-mile, and they would be in our lap. Unfortunately, another hunter spooked the herd and didn’t even know they were there. We just weren’t getting the break that we needed even though we were into the elk that we wanted.

We snuck in on a bull that looked to be a shooter on the 4th day.

JT had found him bedded in a thick nasty basin loaded with oak brush. We moved around to where we would be right over the top of him, looking down into his bedroom. If we could find him, we would only have a couple of hundred-yard shot. It took nearly an hour of looking to turn him up and it was too late. He had already gotten our scent and was looking up the hill right at us. We could see his big sweeping beam and huge front end. He was just the

While the hunting conditions were typical, the accomodations at the Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa were anything but.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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kind of bull we were looking for, but we couldn’t see any of his vitals. He was planning his escape and when he finally made the decision to go, he was covering ground in a hurry and only showing us brief glimpses of his huge antlers. He stopped for just a second at over 800 yards and we could see that he had broken his main beam just above his G3 on his right side. What a beast of a bull, but so sad that he had lost so much of his right side.

With only one day left on this five-day hunt, I was feeling like this is more of what I’m used to. However, we were getting to look at a lot of elk and really seeing what JT and his team were made

Inset: Another successful lion hunter with Allout Guiding and Outfitting.

Dave Bloom of California teams up with JT Robbins for another successful spring bear hunt in Utah using some world class dogs.

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

of. The optimism was high, and we knew we were in the right place.

We just needed a break and Skyler provided it. He left hours before daylight to hike up to a huge overlook. He had found the bachelor herd of bulls that had disappeared on day-2 and they were a couple of miles away, but in a very killable spot.

By the time we got to where he had last seen the bulls head into the canyon, JT spotted the whole herd moving towards the top. The oak brush and other trees made getting a clear opening very difficult and the elk were definitely pushing Buddy’s comfortable effective range.

We didn’t know if they had spooked or were just going somewhere.

The broken main beam bull had joined this group as well and he was the first one to come out of the thickest cover. Buddy had settled in on a big boulder and was tracking the bulls. The perfect 6X6 with curved main beams was going to come out right where the broken beam bull had appeared, and I rattled off the corrected yardage. He stopped in the opening as if on cue and Buddy sent a round from his Browning X-Bolt .26 Nosler downrange and it just went under the kill zone. In all the excitement, Buddy didn’t hear me say the corrected yardage from the bulls moving up the hill.

He got the corrected data as I yelled it out again and made adjustments. Now he was a little rattled that the elk were moving. He got back into the scope and his bull and the broken beam bull hadn’t moved. Standing nearly twenty yards apart, I watched the broken beam bull crumble with the report of the rifle. From Buddy’s angle, he couldn’t see the broken beam and the front end and unbroken side isn’t something that anyone would likely pass. The .26 Nosler had hit this bull like a freight train at 900 yards and knocked it off of its feet and crushed him. Fourteen years of waiting to harvest a big bull had come to an end. All that was left was to cross the nasty deep canyon and tag his prize.

Scott made a beeline to the bull as soon as it hit the ground, but It took the rest of us well over an hour and a half to cross the canyon and get to the bull. Scott assured us that we wouldn’t be disappointed in the caliber of this bull when we finally got up to it. He was absolutely right. This was a very old and mature bull with massive beams. It’s hard to believe that another bull was able to snap this off during the rut. Even though Buddy is a great taxidermist and could fix this bull to its original form, he said that he will leave the broken antler the way it is. It says a lot about the bull and reminds him of a world class experience he got to have on the Uncompahgre Plateau and with JT Robbins Allout Guiding and Outfitting.

Allout Guiding and Outfitting provides hunts in units 61 and 62 as well as unit 40 with high success rates. He also offers limited mountain lion and bear hunts in both Utah and Colorado.

The Sportsman’s News team has purchased this 4th season hunt with a landowner voucher as well as the stay in the Gateway Resort for 2019. If you aren’t a member, make sure you join and have a chance to win this great hunt each and every year. promembersweepstakes.com

Buddy Adamic of Big Timber South Taxidermy harvests a great bull

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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SAKO Rif les A Heritage of Perfection

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

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lose to the Arctic Circle in the beautiful and friendly country of Finland, lies a company obsessed with perfection. I recently had the opportunity and privilege to be a guest of this company and tour their facilities, and I have to say I was very impressed.

SAKO is an acronym for Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Osakeyhtiö, which translates to Firearms and Machine workshop of the Civil Guard. Located in the industrial city of Riihimäki, 45 miles to the North of the capital Helsinki, the company still operates in the factory they have occupied since 1927. The history of the company is as fascinating as the history of the country itself, and one could argue that if it were not for the events surrounding the creation of Finland, there would be no SAKO, and possibly without SAKO, there would be no Finland. The company itself was started in 1919, refurbishing old Prussian rifles given to the White Army during the 1918 Finnish Civil War. The company that would bear the name SAKO Oy was officially founded in 1921 and has been in continuous operation as a rifle company since then. During World War II the SAKO factories began full scale production of cartridges, producing 275 million between 1939 and 1944, in a small brick building that still stands in the courtyard of the Riihimäki factory complex and is now used as a conference and show room for all of their products.

During the 100-day long Winter War, the top sniper in the world, Simo Häyhä, also called “The White Death” used a SAKO produced variant of the Mosin Nagant to kill between 505 and 542 Russian soldiers. He was so successful as a sniper with this rifle that the Russians put a price on his head. The staggering losses to Russia and the relatively light losses to the Finns (323,000 Soviets to only 70,000 Finns) is partly credited to the excellent quality of their rifles and the hunting tradition of their people, coupled with their knowledge of the woods and ability to ski into position, strike, and ski away. That and Sisu, which we will elaborate on in a bit.

The marriage of old and new world technology is evident at SAKO in their Riihimäki factory. It has been in continous operation since 1927 and features state of the art manufacturing as well as caves where they moved operations to avoid allied bombing during World War II.

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Simo Häyhä, also called “The White Death” used a SAKO produced variant of the Mosin Nagant to kill between 505 and 542 Russian soldiers during the Winter War between November 1939 and March 1940. He was so successful that the Russians placed a bounty on his head. To this day, he is still considered the deadliest sniper in history.

Their problems with the Soviets led Finland to ally with Germany in World War II. To avoid being nationalized by Russia as part of reparations for being on the losing side in that war, SAKO was acquired by the Finnish Red Cross and made hospital bed posts, small alcohol lamps, and “other necessary medical equipment,” which exempted them from Russian control. In fact, it wasn’t until 2000 that SAKO was owned by a company whose primary business was manufacturing firearms, when they were purchased by their current owners, Beretta Holdings Group. Prior to that, they were owned by a company that made underwater steel cables and then by cell phone manufacturing giant Nokia.

Throughout these tumultuous years, SAKO continued to make rifles, known the world over for the smoothest actions. Their current offerings include that same butter smooth action and a litany of features that make the rifles highly sought after by militaries and hunters around the globe.

Seeing the manufacturing processes for myself gave me the opportunity to really geek out. I come from a family of machinists who worked for everyone from Lockheed, Ryan, Boeing and other companies known for their precision work. It was not uncommon to pick long spirals of machined metal that had been tracked in the treads of a work boot out of the carpet in my home when I was growing up.

The smell of machining coolants and oils was always present. Walking through the floor of the factory and seeing a blend of modern robotics mixed with older manual machines was a fascinating inside look at the lengths SAKO takes to marry the best of modern technology with old world craftsmanship. It was also unusual to see a busy factory so clean that one could eat off the floors and equipment benches.

SAKO uses some of the finest materials for production, giving them superior strength and reliability. Steel, aluminum alloys, woods, and polymers for their rifle production and brass, lead, tin, and copper for their ammunition. Starting at this base of quality materials they are already a leg up on the competition.

As the materials move through their various stations being crafted into precision rifle parts, each step is quality inspected to assure there is minimal deviation. Some of the quality assurance checks involve state of the art machines from Zeiss that touch each part at multiple points, measuring them for precision. Other steps are as simple, and yet effective, as a hand inspection with a magnifying glass by the trained eye of a craftsman.

David Draper, Editor-in-Chief of Petersen's Hunting, sights in the Finnlight 85 he would use for our hunt on Nagu Island.

Once each part has been manufactured and tested they move on to an assembly station where a single gunsmith assembles every part into a finished rifle. This single assembly stage, rather than a production line, makes sure that each part is fine-tuned to work together for superior performance. Once assembled, two over pressure loads are fired through the rifle to make sure it can withstand pressure beyond SAAMI specifications.

Three more rounds are then fired to ensure sub-MOA accuracy.

It is important to note a few things that are different about Finland that contribute to this goal of perfection. First, hunting is a major pastime in Finland. It is almost as Finnish as that other Finnish pastime, the sauna. In Finland, unlike much of Europe, hunting is accessible to every person, and not just reserved to the wealthy or landed aristocracy. I heard hunting referred to as “every man’s right,” no less than 40 times in the week that I was there, by multiple people. It is a part of their national pride and almost every Finn will partake in the sport at some point in their life.

The second thing that is different about Finns is the concept of Sisu. Sisu has no direct English translation, but is a Finnish concept described as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness and is held by Finns themselves to express their national character. It is why they were a formidable adversary on the battlefield and why they take their aspirations for manufacturing perfection so seriously. The tougher the challenge, the more eager the Finnish people are to tackle it.

Every employee in the production line at SAKO has a strong tie to the hunting heritage that is so predominant in Finland. They look at each rifle as if it is one that may end up in their own hands on a hunt and provide a special dedication to quality knowing that it could mean the difference between a successful hunt or failing to put meat on the table. This has led to SAKO’s slogan and mission statement, “a passion for perfection.”

Kim Juutilainen, SAKO Sales Manager with the moose he took on Nagu Island with his suppressed Finnlight 85.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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On a moose hunt on the island of Nagu, part of the Turku Archipelago, a chain of islands in the Baltic Sea, I got to wield their current offering, the 85 Finnlight II. The Model 85 is available in dozens of configurations, six different sized actions, both wood and synthetic stocks of varying shapes, and a wide variety of caliber offerings. In total, SAKO offers the model 85 in more than 2,000 different SKUs. Each of the 85s features that renowned smooth action that makes it ideal for rapid cycling for multiple fast shots on target. For our shooting test to get our hunting license, we had to place four shots in the kill zone of a moose target at 75 meters in a minute and a half. That is a big target at a short distance with a lot of time, so I took my time and didn’t rush in the slightest. Because of the smooth action, I was able to successfully place all 4 shots from my .308 on target in 11 seconds. I was pretty proud of that until one of the factory guys told me he did it in three. Whether he was putting me on, I imagine that had I rushed I could have significantly cut the time to eject and lock the bolt by a great deal.

One of the factors for why the bolt is so smooth is obviously polishing and finishing, but it goes far beyond that. The three locking lugs are so precisely machined that they fit seamlessly into the receiver. On top of that they use fewer parts to create fewer potential failure points, and the single forged bolt leaves no weld points. This provides more surface area for positive lock-up of the bolt and a lock time of 1.3 milliseconds. It is fast, and it is smooth. The angle of the bolt is just right for comfortable operation. Couple the smoothest action I have ever worked on a rifle with an amazing trigger. The trigger is user-adjustable from 2 to 4 pounds, and many of the Model 85s come standard with the SAKO Set Trigger, an adjustable single stage short trigger pull. To activate this Set Trigger, you push the trigger forward to set it, then pull as normal for a short trigger with zero creep or overtravel. When you don’t set it, it acts just like a standard trigger. All of the Model 85s have the option of including the Set Trigger.

In addition to the amazing action and phenomenal trigger, SAKO incorporates their Controlled Cartridge Feed to prevent jams and double feeds by

Justin Leesmann of Gunpowder Media with the beautiful roe buck he took with his SAKO rifle and SAKO Hammerhead ammo. The terminal performance of this ammunition was impressive to see.

12 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Single piece bolt and handle construction starts from a casting and is then machined to the smoothest bolt I have ever thrown. Fewer failure points and three locking lugs ensure that it is super strong as well.

From forming the brass to assembly of the cartridge, each step is carefully performed and inspected at the SAKO Cartridge factory onsite. precisely sliding the rim of the case under the extractor, as well as mechanical ejection to rapidly clear the chamber of spent shells, reducing the time needed to fully cycle the bolt.

But the real test of any rifle is the barrel, and here is where SAKO really excels.

They use cold hammer forged barrel blanks and then broach rifle and hone them for consistent and exact twist rates along the length of the barrel. SAKO will choose the most accurate twist rate for each caliber and tune the rifling to that particular cartridge and load.

SAKO Sales Manager Kim Juutilainen proved what a deadly rifle the 85 is by putting the smack down on a charging bull about 15 minutes into the hunt with two rapid shots that dropped him in his tracks. The next day, Beretta Product Manager Phillip Jones made the most amazing rapid string of shots I think I have ever encountered on three roe deer, dropping all three in what seemed like less than two seconds with five shots, using the Model 85 Bavarian with the Set Trigger. The SAKO performed well for everyone who hunted with it, and many deer, moose, and fox fell to it on the two days of hunting.

The one area where I feel the SAKO 85 could do with some improvement, is the scope mounting system. The model 85 uses a proprietary tapered rail machined into the single piece receiver. SAKO claims this tapered system is more secure by placing opposing tension on the rings. However, this system makes it difficult to find the appropriate rings and bases than the more common Picatinny system affords. There is also debate in the shooting community whether it is as solid as the more available standard rail. One answer from SAKO to these concerns was that people are using other brands of rings or bases and also that they were not torqueing them to the suggested 50-inch pounds to the base. SAKO highly recommends using only steel SAKO Optilock rings or bases and never dry fitting.

Either use blue thread locker or a drop of gun oil to properly seat the screws. If

the rings are not available at your local retailer, they are available on the Beretta USA website at www.berettausa.com under rifle accessories. My rifle on the hunt had loose rings and we never did quite get the scope dead on. I know others who have had issues with getting their bases to stay tight and have experienced scope drift as a result. My suggestion is to tighten them down after every shooting session and again before every hunt to make sure they are still tight. And of course, you should always verify your point of aim/point of impact with your chosen load before a hunt anyway.

Speaking of loads, I have to say how impressed I was with the SAKO Hammerhead ammunition. Not only with the degree of precision to which it was made, but the terminal effect I witnessed on animals that were shot with it. The ammunition was precise and effective.

The SAKO factory contains their cartridge manufacturing plant and all of the components are made of the highest quality materials and formed and assembled on state-of-the-art machines. The same level of precision quality control that SAKO applies to their rifles is present in the ammunition side of the house. They use a chemical tinning process to bond the copper jacket to the lead core for high weight retention after impact. And seeing what it did to the animals it hit, I was highly impressed with the amount of damage it caused. Recovered bullets held together amazingly well with nearly 100 percent weight retention and magnificent expansion. Whether you are chasing dangerous big game, or smaller animals, they have a load that will be a great fit for you and it is currently available in 35 calibers with 114 commercial loadings.

With the combination of history, performance, and the indomitable will of the Finnish people who design and make them, SAKO continues to make outstanding rifles that perform beyond expectations. Their passion for perfection drives their continued development and manufacturing and preserves their heritage of excellence.

Modern robotics, computer numerical control machining, and old world craftsmanship are combined as part of SAKO's pursuit of perfection. This marriage of old and new tehniques provide excellent performance and reliability.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

13

The Sportsman’s News Platinum Approved Outfitter is an outfitter book. These are outfitters you would be proud to refer to a friend. that has excelled in every aspect of their business. They put We know this because we are proud to endorse each one of these people and customers before profit. They do what it takes to make sure that they will be outfitters based upon our staff members personally visiting each one of these in business for the long haul and ensure that they have repeat customers. They practice operations. These outfitters have proven to us that they have what it takes to be good game management, which will ensure a top quality trip with them every time you “Sportsman’s News Platinum Approved.”

AFRICA HUNTING

ALASKA GUIDED FISHING

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ALASKA GUIDED FISHING

ALASKA GUIDED FISHING

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Fresh and saltwater fishing adventures.

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ALASKA GUIDED FISHING

Becharof Rapids Camp On the banks of the Egegik River on the outlet of Becharof Lake in the Bristol Bay region. Uninhabited, untouched, and pristine with the area a veritable salmon factory. All five species of salmon plus rainbows, Arctic char and grayling.

360-532-7594

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14 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

ALASKA GUIDED FISHING

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CANADIAN FISHING

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

15

LOUISIANA FISHING

CANADIAN HUNTING

Ranchland Outfitters offers First Class Waterfowl Hunts and Big Game hunts in Alberta, Canada. If you are looking for an Outfitter that cares about each hunt, look no further. Ranchland Outfitters is a First Class Waterfowl and Big Game Outfitter.

ALBERTA

www.ranchlandoutfitters.com 877-924-8440

Bourgeois Fishing Charters The Finest Bayou Fishing New Orleans Has To Offer

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MANITOBA HUNTING & FISHING

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• Colorado's Largest and most productive waterfowl Outfitter • Exclusive Leases on over 50 Farms on the Front Range of Colorado • World Class Guides and Equipment • Hunts are conducted in spacious in-the-ground pit blinds

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16 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Stillwater Outfitters is Colorado's oldest and largest Waterfowl Outfitter. We have exclusive hunting leases on over 50 farms on the beautiful Front Range of Colorado. Our goal is to provide the trip of a lifetime without any drama. We also offer Turkey and Trophy Whitetail Deer hunting.

Book your Bison hunt now to secure available dates.

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NEW ZEALAND HUNTING

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SOUTH DAKOTA HUNTING Hunt the Grand Slam of the Dakotas World Class Pheasant Hunting Sharp-tail Grouse • Prairie Chicken Hungarian Partridge • Waterfowl

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WYOMING HUNTING

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TEXAS HUNTING

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SportsmansNews.com Logon to our website for a full list of endorsed outfitters with photos, descriptions, and details about each.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

17

PRO'S TIP

BOOKING THE HUNT OF A LIFETIME A top guide gives you insider tips on booking your dream hunt

B

By Sparky Sparkes

ooking a dream hunt can be as frustrating as spending a week with the in-laws on a week-long island vacation or trying to finish a puzzle when you are missing pieces. Although I cannot help you with your in-laws, I have put together some advice to help you put the proper puzzle pieces together to book the proper hunt.

There are many choices when looking for an outfitter to book a hunt. Referrals from friends, magazines, TV shows, the internet, Facebook, and more. The information is endless and like any other major decision in your life, you need to make sure to do your homework and avoid the pitfalls of booking the wrong hunt. There are many things to consider and questions to ask when deciding to book a dream hunt. What are my end goals? What are my expectations to achieve those goals? What is my realistic budget? How much work am I willing to put forth to achieve these goals? Is an animal on the ground my only success or does size matter? These are all factors you need to consider before you start pursuing that dream hunt.

The most important piece in this process is to be honest with yourself and look at what your goals are. Are you booking a guided hunt only to fill a tag or are you hoping to harvest the animal of your dreams? Both are valid reasons for booking but without this knowledge, an outfitter cannot help you achieve your goal. Let’s take elk for example: Do you want to harvest any elk or only a bull? Are you only interested in some magical number or the biggest bull the area has to offer? Yes, I know we all want the biggest and best, but is that your only goal? If you do not achieve this goal, will you be disappointed? Hunting used to be about the amazing experience of enjoying the great outdoors with like-minded people in pursuit of harvesting any animal to be successful. Social media has changed this by allowing us to see others amazing success instantly and it puts us in this mythical place of how easy it must be. Harvesting a trophy animal is not easy, even for the professionals. If it was easy everyone would do it.

In my life I live by a “NO EXPECTATIONS” rule. It is very hard to be disappointed if you have not set yourself up with unrealistic expectations. If you only want to harvest a 350+ bull elk, you cannot hunt where only one 350+ class bull lives. You must hunt where 350 is nice and 400 is great. Every year people draw coveted tags to pursue a monster bull elk in a unit that has harvested one 400-inch bull each of the last 5 years, ONE! Are you the ONE? Every year someone wins one major lottery for hundreds of mil-

18 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

lions of dollars, are you the one? Luck plays a pivotal role in harvesting the giants of the woods and it’s a lot like winning the lottery, which not many people will ever do. From the time you draw a tag, in all the months leading up to your hunt, there are numerous factors out of your control that will come into play. Will there be a harsh winter in that area? Will there be enough rain in the spring to produce great feed for the animals coming out of winter to make their horns and antlers flourish or will there be a drought diminishing antler growth? Will there be a major fire in the summer before you get there, pushing your trophies into another unit or burning up a lot of your hunt area? Will it be the hottest fall ever?

Will the snow not come early enough to push the animals down? These are all contributing factors that are out of yours and your outfitters control.

Hundreds of thousands of people go after that 400-inch bull, 200-inch mule deer, 170-inch white tail with only a handful each year harvesting such majestic animals. If you do not reach this mark, will you be upset and consider your hunt a disappointment? Will you pass a 340 bull in an attempt to shoot that 400-inch bull on the first day?

Will you pass a 270 bull on the last day because you did not get a shot at a monster, or will you shoot it because you feel that you have to harvest something? If you shoot a 330 bull (which by the way is an amazing trophy), will you still be happy? All of these things are part of managing

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

19

PRO'S TIP expectations. I can tell you that you will never shoot these majestic trophies if you are not willing to pass on everything else. I recently spent 6 days hunting in Indiana and saw a few really nice bucks in the 140-150 range. Are they beautiful bucks? Yes, they are, but I will not shoot a 170 if I settle for them. I did not see a buck over 170 but I also understand they are not around every corner. If 140-150 had been my goal, then I could have achieved that level of success. In my eyes I was successful because I had a goal, managed my expectations and, enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with friends in the great outdoors.

In today’s hunting world the cost of the hunt can stop many hunters from pursuing their dream. Outfitters prices are generally based on the quality in the area, quantity in the area, and supply and demand of tags along with a few other factors. Be realistic about your budget and what you can afford to spend. Do not go looking for $8,000 hunts if you have $5,000 in your budget. Yes, you can find a good deal, but as they say in life, you usually get what you pay for! I say this because I hear all the time how someone has booked 3 different elk hunts ranging from $3,500-$5,000 every year, for last three years, and only seen a handful of elk. Never getting a shot and never harvested an elk. Why not save up for that more expensive elk hunt with a higher probability of success and go every other year or every third year? One major thing to consider when booking a dream hunt is how many clients do, they run a year? Are you one of 80 guys a year they

4 Only ill s st t o p S le b a l i Ava 019 2 r o f

are taking out or one of 20? This is not only very important for increasing your odds of harvesting an animal, but also in the attention you will receive while on the hunt.

Finally, only you can prepare yourself for the hunt once you have booked. Your outfitter cannot make you shoot straight, or help you shoot 300 plus yards. They cannot practice shooting your bow or rifle for you. They cannot help you lose that extra 15 pounds you packed on since Christmas. They cannot hike 7 miles a day with your pack for you. They cannot help you calm down when that trophy of a lifetime is standing there for the shot. They cannot make you pay attention in the stand or blind when you are by yourself. If having your phone in the blind to check your Facebook account is more important than focusing on your hunt and surroundings around you, should you be booking a dream hunt? Hunting success is much easier to achieve if you are mentally and physically prepared for whatever dream hunt you book. Also ask your outfitter what they expect from you to prepare yourself for this opportunity. You owe it to yourself and your outfitter to be 100% ready when the opportunity presents itself.

With all the pieces sitting in front of you and the knowledge of how to put them together, it is time to add the final piece. Do you hire an outfitter or try to do a DIY (do it yourself) hunt? Make sure and grab our next issue and I will tell you how to put your final piece of the puzzle together and book your dream hunt.

— THE JOKER

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20 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Reloading Roundup Hornady Cam-Lock Case trimmer

Getting precision from your rifle cartridges requires starting with the right case length. A consistent case length will affect bullet depth, crimp, chamber pressure, and proper engagement of the bullet with the rifling in your chamber. The Hornady Cam-Lock Case trimmer uses a cast iron frame with adjustable case holder and a cam lever to quickly swap out cases. This system gives precision cut cases with fast cases swaps for consistent case lengths every time. It comes with a set of pilot guides to ensure a wide variety of calibers can be prepared in this trimmer.

RCBS Flash Hole Deburring Tool

Getting a consistent ignition from your primer can be impeded by burrs around the flash hole inside the case. The RCBS Flash Hole Deburring Tool features a comfortable rubberized handle with a long shaft topped by a hardened deburring point to reach down inside the case and quickly remove these bits of shaved brass that can impede consistent ignition.

Hornady Bullet Comparator and Inserts

To get a truly accurate measurement of cartridge overall length (OAL) you need to use a good caliper and make sure you are measuring the bullet in the same exact spot each and every time. The Bullet Comparator from Hornady attaches to your caliper blade and acts as a cup, ensuring proper placement for every round measured. Different inserts for various calibers, ensure that you will get a consistent reading every time.

Hornady One Shot Gun Cleaner and Dry Lube

Every set of new dies comes coated in a packing grease that can become sticky over time. Before starting to use these dies, they need to be properly cleaned. Hornady One Shot Gun Cleaner and Dry Lube uses a proprietary DynaGlide formula to remove this packing grease and provide a clean, non-gummy dry lubricant. It can be used on guns, dies, and other reloading equipment as a maintenance product to keep your press running clean and prevent build-up of brass, powder, case lube, and other components. Just give your parts a quick spray, and wipe them down to keep your press running smoothly.

Lee Precision Factory Crimp Die

Handloading bullet seating and crimp dies use a roll crimp to lock the bullet in place. Achieving a proper crimp with this method is hit or miss if you don’t trim your cases to all be the exact same length. It is even more difficult to achieve a good crimp on rifle bullets that don’t have a groove cut around their diameter. Bullets lacking this ogive can be set back upon chambering and develop inconsistent chamber pressure, affecting accuracy. The Lee Precision Factory Crimp Die places a consistent taper crimp all around the bullet the same way that major ammo manufacturers do, to get a precise, even crimp on all kinds of rifle bullets. It is an extra step in the reloading process, but one that will provide tremendous improvement in accuracy and consistency.

RCBS Trim Mate Case Prep Center

Proper case preparation leads to more consistent completed cartridges and fewer problems in the loading process. The RCBS Trim Mate Case Prep Center features a motorized base with five rotating stations and a variety of tools that will deburr primer pockets, remove military primer pocket crimps, chamfer the inside and outside of the case mouth, clean primer pockets and much more, depending upon the tools or brushes you screw into the threaded rotating stations. Two additional stationary threaded stations on the upper portion will hold unused tools or can be used to manually brush the inside of the case neck with long case brushes. A cup is in place to hold dry case lube for dipping.

22 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Reloading Roundup Hornady OAL Gauges and Modified Shell Casing

Finding the proper overall length for your cartridges is dependent on getting an accurate measurement of where the bullet engages the rifling in your chamber. Using one of the Hornady OAL gauges and modified shell casings will give you the perfect length to set your reloading dies. A curved gauge is used to measure the chamber in lever action and semi-auto rifles and other guns that don’t have a removable bolt. The straight gauge is used for bolt action rifles. Using this measurement will increase accuracy in your hand loads.

RCBS Chargemaster Combo

For getting ultra-precise powder measurements, the RCBS Chargemaster 1500 Scale and the Chargemaster Powder Dispenser merge into a single unit. Program in the weight of the powder you would like dispensed and hit the dispense button. A load of powder will be dumped out and then trickle until the exact amount desired is dispensed. No more fussing with a manual powder trickler, and re-dumping powder because you overshot the mark. Get a perfect charge each and every time. A powder dump chute on the side makes it easy to quickly remove excess powder from the hopper for changeover to a new powder.

Comes with brass calibration weights and a clear plastic cover that protects the scale from the influence of a breeze.

Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic Reloading Kit For those thinking of getting into reloading, this complete kit has just about everything a new reloader will need. It includes the Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic single stage press, reloading handbook, digital scale, powder drop, hand priming tool, powder trickler, loading tray, One Shot Case Lube, Lock-N-Load bushings, funnel, and everything but calipers, shell holders, dies, and reloading components to get someone started on rolling their own ammo.

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Hornady Lock-N-Load Ammo Plant

For those looking to make the jump from a single stage press to progressive, the Ammo Plant from Hornady provides everything you need to take your reloading to the next level. A heavy-duty five stage press with auto-indexing lets you spit out a completed metallic cartridge with every pull of the handle. Powered bullet and case feeding hoppers set up your press so that all you need to do is keep it filled and keep pulling the handle. It is like a slot machine that pays out with every pull. For even more productivity, add the Deluxe Control Panel to monitor powder level, primers, and a powder cop to stop the press and notify you if there is a double charge. The control panel also features a stick-on light strip and a counter. Sensors easily connect to different stages of the press and give you auditory feedback if something goes wrong.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

23

Reloading Roundup RCBS Rotary Case/Media Separator

If you do choose to use a media separator, the Rotary Case Media Seprator from RCBS is a beast. It will handle a full load from your tumbler and spin out the media in no time at all with just a few turns of the crank. The media and cases are loaded into the black center chamber, the outer clamshell is closed, and the handle is spun a few times to fling out the media. The used media drops into the bottom chamber where it can be easily poured back into the tumbler or into a storage container for re-use. The base of the separator is rounded to fit inside a fivegallon bucket to place it at a more convenient height without taking up valuable counter space.

Lyman Turbo Pro 1200 Case Tumbler

Shiny cleaned brass gets stuck less, reloads faster, and feeds in your gun more consistently. Of all of the case tumblers I have tried, the Turbo Pro 1200 is hands down the most robust. It can handle large loads of heavy brass, and even a variety of media, including heavy stainless steel that bogs down lesser tumblers. Its heavy duty motor, and large hopper let it power through extra-large loads of brass and it will run for hours without overheating or wearing out. I can’t even count how many tens of thousands of cases I have prepped in my Turbo Pro 1200. With a high rate of vibration, and beefed up suspension, it won’t walk off the counter on you. The 10-inch bowl will hold up to 350 .38 Special cases and media at one time. A sifter lid makes media and brass separation a snap without an additional media separator.

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RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Press

The Rock Chucker Supreme press has been lengthened to allow easy loading of today’s longer cartridge designs. With easy operation, ambidextrous handle, outstanding strength and versatility, the Rock Chucker Supreme is ideal for beginners and pros alike. The RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme press is designed to last a lifetime. The Rock Chucker Supreme is packed full of useful features that every reloader will find handy.

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ruffossportsmanslodge.com 24 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Stack-On Professional Steel Workbench

A good reloading setup is only as good as the bench you mount your press on. In reloading, there are a lot of little parts and components to keep track of, as well as tools. The Professional Workbench from Stack-On gives you a steel clad MDF work surface to mount your press on, as well as plenty of storage and organization. Two pull out drawers, as well as ample compartments for larger items or powder and dies will help contain and organize your equipment. A peg board backer will let you easily organize tools where you can quickly find them. Its solid steel frame will give you a stable mounting base with minimal bounce as you actuate the arm of your press. Over 1,200 square inches of workspace provides you with ample room to spread out your reloading process, and a convenient top shelf above the peg board gives you even more options for storage and organization.

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

25

An Honest Black Bear

You think a bear loses weight fast in its winter den? Try putting it on a scale!

The best way to field-judge a bear is when two or more are close together. In a lot of cases, that’s going to be a sow and cubs. In the spring, two bears together could be a male and female. Note how this sow is looking around for danger in between mouthfuls.

Story and Photos By Gary Lewis

D

oes your scale go to 500 pounds?”

It was September, in Minnesota, and the season was open. Brian Bachman outfits bear hunts on public lands in the Superior National Forest. When a group of public land hunters brought a bear into the local sporting goods store, the owner suggested they call Bachman and see if he would weigh the bruin.

“Are you sure you want me to weigh it?” Brian asked. “Right now your bear weighs 500 pounds. After we put it on the scale, it won’t weigh 500 pounds ever again.”

“Well sure we want to weigh it, it’s huge, it’s got to be at least 400 pounds.”

Notice how by introducing the scale to the discussion, the bear immediately lost 100 pounds?

By the time the guys showed up at camp, a half-mile from the store, it had lost another 100 pounds. “Well, for sure it’s 300 pounds.”

“Are you sure you want me to weigh it?” Bachman asked again. The truck was backed up to the scale.

It was a big bear, and it had been gutted. When the bear hung from the scale, the digital readout told the truth. Two-hundred-eighty pounds. Bachman guessed the live weight was somewhere around 320.

It was a good bear for sure. Better than good. It was that most rare of animals.

It was an honest bear.

Bachman weighs every bear his hunters take because the Department of Natural Resources requires him to keep records.

When I was in camp last September, 16 hunters tagged 14 bears. Every one went on the scale.

One of the reasons it’s so hard to guess a bear’s weight is that every bear is

“

26 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

different. They have different musculature, different amounts of fat, and bears, from region to region, have different hair length, which also varies season to season.

“Some are long and skinny, some are short and fat,” Bachman says. The same could be said of bear hunters.

One of the guides in camp was Ron Radika, an honest man. Radika has been guiding bear hunters in Minnesota for four years and he has looked at as many as 25 bears on the ground each season. After all his experience, Ron Radika said he is still “the world’s worst guesser.” He gave some examples of how wrong he has been.

“It’s just hard to know how big they are.” Radika tries to guess on the low side, but it doesn’t always go that way. Once he told a hunter he had the biggest bear in camp.

“It is way over 300 pounds, I told him, and when we put it on A bear on the the scale, it was 156 ground.

This is where pounds!” the guessing usually Another time he told starts. Bears typically a hunter his bear was 90 weigh more, the pounds and it turned out to weigh 206 pounds. further they are from

a scale.

Black Bear by the Numbers

In general, bears get bigger through the course of their lives. A newborn black bear weighs about eight ounces.

A year later, that cub is somewhere between 30 and 70 pounds. A young male, 1-1/2 years old by autumn is likely to weigh between 100 and 120 pounds, while a 2-1/2 yearold will tip the scales at 150 to 170 pounds. After that, it comes down to genetics and food sources.

In northern climes, black bears may not grow as fast as they do in warmer temperatures. It’s a factor of growing seasons.

In general, east coast bears are larger than they are in the rest of the continent, but there are exceptions in areas with good food sources and longer growing seasons. A 10-year-old North Carolina male had a recorded weight of 880 pounds. A boar was killed by a car in Winnipeg, Manitoba; its weight was recorded at 856 pounds. In most places black bears are found, males average between 200 and 280 pounds. A large bear might lose up to 20 percent of its weight over the winter denning period and can lose weight again during the spring breeding season.

It is rare for a sow to attain a weight of much beyond 200, although black bear sows have been known to reach 300 pounds. On our hunt we weighed one sow at 238.

In general, we expect bears to continue to get bigger as they get older, but that isn’t always the case. A sow might not get much bigger than 150 to 160 pounds.

They’re Always Bigger in the Rifle Scope

A good way to tell the size of a bear from its tracks is to measure across the front pads.

Lewis carries a tape measure to check tracks at baits and water holes. A front foot pad that measures five inches across is an indicator of a bear that probably would tape six feet from nose to tail.

On the second day of my Minnesota hunt, I saw a bear walk in on the trail to my right. From my perch ten feet up, I evaluated.

“That’s a small bear,” I told myself. Then its twin showed up. I saw momma back in the brush, her nose up, testing the air. She looked big in comparison to her cubs, and I suppose she was, but probably no bigger than 170 pounds.

When they spooked after 15 minutes of feeding, I knew a boar was nearby.

Gary Lewis and guide Paige Bachman with Lewis’ Minnesota bear, a 224-pound September boar.

Bears are notoriously difficult to judge in the field, but hunters are quick to guess their weight. That’s before the scale is employed. This boar weighed in at 204 pounds.

South Carolina hunter Tony Collins took the biggest bear among 14 hunters in camp. This big, old bruin weighed in at an honest 323 pounds. If the berry crop hadn’t failed, this bear would have weighed close to 400 pounds.

When I saw him, I estimated his weight at 400 pounds. One-hundred-twenty seconds later, I shot him. He came to rest against a tree.

As my heart rate declined, I revised my estimate down to 300 pounds. When I walked up to my bear, I ran a tape from his nose to the tip of his tail. He was five feet, six inches long. I revised my guesstimated weight down to 279 pounds. Still a good bear, I told myself, although the “ground shrinkage” had dropped it 121 pounds. And all that before it was weighed.

Back at camp, the other hunters, jaded by their experiences with the scale, guessed at the weight. The estimates came in anywhere from 190 pounds to 280 pounds. When the scale stopped bouncing, we read the real weight at 224.

That same bear, in the spring probably weighed less than 200 coming out of the den. In a different year, with more berries and more natural food in the forest, he might have weighed 250 pounds in September. The real weight of a bear is maybe not as good a talking point as its length.

In camp we had a taxidermist. Dave Ringstrom skinned out all 14 bears hunters and had a smile on his face the whole time. We talked about how hunters never really know how big bears are.

Ringstrom looks at a lot of bears and rather than rely on the weight of animal, or the supposed weight when ordering taxidermy forms, he likes to whip out a tape measure.

“I tape it from nose to tail, that tells me how big it is.”

After that he’ll measure the girth.

Ringstrom said a guy will tell his taxidermist how big his bear is, and the taxidermist, will write that down and bill the fellow for the size of the grossly inflated bear.

If you don’t weigh it, you can still say your bear is a 400-pounder. And maybe you’re right. Just don’t brag to the taxidermist. Exaggerating can get expensive.

To contact Gary Lewis, visit www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

27

A

PRO MEMBER UPDATE s the sun rises in the eastern skies, the daily ritual begins in South Dakota and its surrounding states. Wild pheasants, both roosters and hens, emerge from their resting places in search of food sources. Many head to roadsides to peck at some pea gravel for their gullets. Others to cultivated grain fields to pick up the remnants of the harvest. Corn fields as far as the eye can see are also a seemingly safe haven for wily ringnecks and their mates. Always on the lookout for predators, quick cover, in most cases, is only a short distance away.

When fall approaches, they seem to sense that another predator will soon start to show up in droves. Yes, hunters from all parts of the world converge on the mid-west to give chase to one of the most popular upland game birds, first introduced in the U.S. back in 1733, when the Old English blackneck pheasant was dropped in New York and New Hampshire by each states’ governors. These first birds received a real culture shock and they died off quickly before ever really taking root. Other pheasant varieties also had their place in American history, including what many historians suspect was a pair of golden pheasants. You know who kept them? None other than the young country’s first president, General George Washington, at his Mount Vernon home in Fairfax County, Va. But the first real introduction of the ringneck pheasant you should pay attention to was on March 13, 1881. At the suggestion of his wife, Owen Nickerson Denny, an Oregon native and the former United States Consul General to Shanghai, China, shipped 60 Chinese ringneck pheasants from China to Port Townsend, Washington, along with a number of other Chinese birds and plants.

Why pheasants? Well, he liked the taste.

The trip across the ocean was a success, with the majority of birds surviving, but the next trip, from Washington to his home state of Oregon, was over the terrible roads of the time. Most of the pheasants died in transport and the few survivors were released on the lower Columbia River, where historians still argue whether they survived and reproduced or just went the way of the Old English blackneck. However, Denny released more birds in 1882 and 1884 and that helped the ring-necked pheasants flourish in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and then Oregon as a whole and into Washington. Today, birds have been introduced in 40 of the 50 states, with self-sustaining populations in Oklahoma, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, California, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and many others.

South Dakota even named the ring-necked pheasant as its official state bird, one of only three introduced species to be chosen across the U.S. In my youth, growing up in the southern part of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah, the first Saturday in November was one of the most highly anticipated days of the year. The opening of pheasant season almost rivaled Christmas Day itself, as thousands of sports-

Pro Membership Sweepstakes winner, Trevor Luna (right) and his hunting buddy, Brandon Schroer take aim as roosters start to flush at the end of a push.

28 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Cacklin’ Roosters in South Dakota

By Kent Danjanovich men, both young and old, headed to their favorite hunting locations, in hopes of experiencing the hair-raising flush and cacklin’ eruption of one of the most colorful birds in the world. Some fifty years later, the opportunities in Utah have subsided, but it hasn’t diminished my love for the sport. Now, fast forward to 2006.

As I walked down the isles at the Dallas Safari Club Show in Dallas, Texas, I stopped in to visit the Tumbleweed Lodge booth. I had always heard so much about pheasant hunting in South Dakota, but I had never made the trek. After introducing myself and giving my sales pitch to Michael and Donny Bollweg, owners of the lodge, our first visit was planned for that fall and of course, as they say, the rest is history!

Nearly every year since that first visit, the Sportsman’s News team has had the pleasure of visiting our friends at the Tumbleweed Lodge, just outside of the state capitol of Pierre, in the farming town of Harrold, South Dakota to partake of everything that they have to offer. First class accommodations, exquisite food and exceptional customer service are always the norm and serve as the backdrop to their bird hunting paradise.

It’s no wonder that many highly recognized hunting publications have rated them in the ‘Top 20 Wingshooting Destinations’ in the world.

Our visit in December of 2018 would include myself, cameraman Sam Staudt, Pro

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

29

30 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

PRO MEMBER UPDATE Membership winner Trevor Luna and his hunting buddy Brandon Schroer, ALPS Outdoorz President Dennis Brune, two more Danjanovich’s, Bruce and Randy, the 2018 Writer’s Contest winner Dustin Brown, his friend Ryan Toller, my golfin’ sidekick from St. George, Neal Matthews and my good friend and owner of the Gone Fishin’ Lodge in Alaska, Ralph Crystal.

By 8pm on the night of December 3rd, all of us, along with ten other guests of the lodge, filled the dinner tables in the main lodge to enjoy the first of many great meals during our stay. Big, juicy steaks and all of the fixings adorned our plates. Of our group, only myself, Bruce, Randy and Ralph had been to the lodge before. After dinner, I tried to fill the rest of the group in on what was in store for them in the coming days before retiring to our rooms in hopes of a little shut-eye before our first day in the field.

The dining room bell rang at 8am and after we all downed a hefty serving of breakfast delights, it was off to the sitting room to watch a safety video. Michael Bollweg added a few words himself on the subject and we then headed to the locker room to slip into our hunting attire and then load into our awaiting buses with our guides at the helm. Each of us lashed our shotguns in the holders and grabbed a pocket full of supplied shells before taking our seats as we headed to our assigned location on the 10,000 acres that surround the main lodge.

As is the norm when hunting the sprawling fields of South Dakota, we would be taking turns splitting the duties as both pushers and blockers. Six hunters unloaded at one end of the first corn patch strip, along with guide Zeb and three of his prized pointing labs and the other four hunters accompanied guide Rick and his labs as they made their way in the bus to the opposite end of the field to block. Moments later, the onslaught began.

Big roosters could be seen springing on the horizon as guns began blazing in the brisk morning air. As the pushers approached the blockers, it was our turn to get in on the excitement. As birds fell from the sky, Sam followed the action with his camera as sleek Labrador retrievers bolted in every direction in efforts to return the downed birds to their master. A dozen roosters came to hand on that first push and broad smiles and astonished looks could be seen on everyone’s faces.

By 10:45am, 45 birds filled the top of the dog trailer box, as we reluctantly headed back to the lodge to relax a little before lunch. I had tried to explain that we would need to exhibit a little restraint on our first morning in the field, but it is tough to really get firsttimers to understand what is in store when visiting the Tumbleweed Lodge.

After lunch, we decided to try our luck at some prairie chicks and sharptailed grouse on another section of the farm. Knowing that these skiddish birds would be tough to corner in late season, we did manage to flush a few long-distance covey’s, but none close enough to harvest. We then headed back to finish up on our daily limit of 60 birds for the group, as it only took two more pushes to finish up our day in the field.

Our second morning found us heading toward another section of the farm. On this push, Dennis Brune and Trevor Luna would accompany myself and Sam as blockers in hopes of securing some interview time behind the camera. As Sam filmed my interview with Dennis, birds could be seen breaking from the corn rows behind us as Trevor tried his best to bring them down all by himself! I then decided to cut the interview short so Dennis and I could lend him a hand. By noon, another 60 birds were laid out in front of us, as we gathered for a few group photos before heading back to the lodge.

Since Tumbleweed Lodge has preserve status, I informed Michael that we would like to continue our hunt in the afternoon by purchasing extra birds. Well, the afternoon hunt produced another 60 birds for our group, as now 180 birds had fallen for our group of hunters, with day number three still looming on the horizon.

Our last morning again didn’t disappoint. Another 60 birds were harvested by our group during our morning hunt. After lunch, we decided to head out to the sporting clays course for a little friendly competition. As the sun began to set in the western sky, we headed back to the lodge for another great meal on our last night. After dinner, some hit the hot tub, some the sauna and others retired to the Wild Bill Hickock room for a rousing game of Texas Holdem’ before we hit our beds for our last evening at the spectacular Tumbleweed Lodge.

Well, to say our latest visit to our long-standing Platinum Approved, Tumbleweed Lodge was a rousing success would almost be an understatement. It was truly a pleasure to help host not only our latest Pro Membership and Writer’s Contest winners, but also both new and old friends to this special local. We will again make the yearly trek to partake of their hospitality during the week of December 9-13, 2019. Another lucky winner and their guest will accompany me from the Pro Membership Sweepstakes as we converge again on the pheasant haven of South Dakota. The Tumbleweed Lodge (605-875-3440) is truly magnificent and if you are looking to book an unbelievable upland bird hunting experience, you had better get on the phone right now to book your trip of a lifetime.

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31

I

Road Trippin’

can’t believe it but another year has passed.

2019 marks our 11th year producing and hosting Fishful Thinker TV. While a normal TV show airing-season is 13 episodes, we’re a glutton for punishment and produce two seasons per year, meaning 26 original episodes. And what might you guess does the production of all of those episodes - about 260 of them now - have in common? A road trip!

We’ve always been regional in our production, filming the vast majority of the shows within about an eight hour drive of Denver. We’ve flown to a couple of destinations while making what we call “vacation shows”, most recently to northwest Florida to film our first inshore salt water shows and another time to south Texas to fish legendary Falcon Lake for giant bass. But we basically always drive, even when we venture outside our normal range.

Longer trips included Iowa to film with the Berkley guys at Spirit Lake and Missouri with some Ranger boats folks, and a bunch of the time we’ll hit several locations to produce multiple episodes over a given trip, even if it is within our “easy” eight

Chad LaChance

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www.Pybus.com 32 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

hour range. Given that we may include several types of fishing, we require a lot of gear and tackle. Another detail is that we are very often pulling a 21’ Ranger boat or possibly have a smaller boat stuffed in the back of the Tundra. And in case all those film trips aren’t enough, we road trip often for fun fishing and also hunting all season. All of this packing, driving, towing, living out of the back of a pickup, and unpacking has taught me a few things over the last decade, and I thought I’d share them in case it will help those that don’t road-trip as much as we do.

I almost hate to say this out loud, but we have never had any major troubles on the road; knock on wood. A major part of that is that I drive uber-reliable Toyota Tundras. I say Tundras, plural, because, over the 11 years of production, we’ve swapped them several times. I always modify them to fit our specific needs which starts with a topper to keep our stuff dry and secure. My toppers are equipped with serious Rigid LED lighting inside for convenience, and a BedRug keeps our fancy tackle - and old knees - from getting banged up. But those are comfy things; we beef up the rear leaf springs to handle the extra weight of the boat and a full bed load. This keeps the truck riding level when fully loaded which is paramount to good handling and braking, especially while towing in the mountains we commonly traverse.

I keep very good tires on the truck at all times and check the air pressure before EVERY trip. No, I don’t rely on the Tundra’s built in warning system. I check and adjust pressure regularly. If nothing else, this will slow tire wear. I also keep very good windshield wipers, the washer fluid reservoir full, and coat the windshield itself with Rain-X all because visibility is no joke. The boat trailer gets equal consideration; tires and pressure are checked all the time and every stop along the way includes feeling each hub for heat and checking straps for tension.

We always carry a tool kit that includes tools specific to anything common like trailer lugs, duct tape, some basic electrical stuff, etc. A 30,000 pound rated tow strap, quality leather gloves, a block of wood for the jack to lift from and a good headlamp also always tag along. To be honest, we’ve used most of this stuff to help others in need far more than on our own vehicle, but it is good to have it, nonetheless.

A few things help make life on the road better. One is a high quality cooler, or two. We use the OtterBox Venture series as the main cooler in the back of the truck because, even on a 10-12 day road trip, we never have to get more ice. We also carry a smaller Trooper series cooler inside the cab for quality road snacks; this prevents

us from eating a bunch of junk food along the way. Bringing all requisite food is much cheaper and better for us in the long run.

We use large plastic tubs with locking lids for packing because they are stackable and keep stuff from getting damaged. One tub may contain all our cooking items, another all the spare tackle, and yet another wading gear. The BedRug keeps them from sliding around. Hauling rods can be tricky; all my St. Croixs get rod sleeves and then the entire selection is wrapped with Velcro straps so they move as a unit.

I lay a towel over them to prevent vibration wear.

Call me old school, but I still carry a paper map or atlas. Phones loose reception in the boonies, truck navigation systems loose back road detail when zoomed out, but a paper map always works. I carry an 800 lumens flashlight and, along with the aforementioned head lamp, it gets used frequently. A couple of ratchet-style tie down straps stay in the truck and get used to secure the gear boxes or anything else I need in the truck bed.

Road tripping is part of the outdoor lifestyle. Consider these simple tips gleaned from many years of living it.

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33

NWTF 2019 Utah Banquet Schedule T

he National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America and was a driving force in the comeback of the wild turkey, the most successful wildlife restoration story in the history of North America. The NWTF and its volunteers work closely with state and federal agencies and other partners to improve wildlife habitat, benefiting wild turkeys and countless other wildlife and game species.

The NWTF also actively protects our hunting heritage to ensure hunting and wildlife exist for future generations.

Come and join in the fun of a local National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Super Fund-raising banquet. The NWTF banquets are where you can buy exclusive merchandise, participate in live and silent auctions and have a great time with friends. All the while, you will be raising vital funds for wild turkey conservation and important programs that introduce the outdoors to men, women, children and the disabled. Here is a list of banquets for the NWTF Chapters in Utah and some of the great conservation tags available: Lehi February 8, 2019 Clay Shelton – 801-358-1715 Tags – Buck Pronghorn South Slope, Bonanza/Diamond Mtn. AW

Black Bear Wasatch Mtns., West-Central Multi-Season

Wild Bearded Turkey Southeastern Region Multi-Season Nephi March 2, 2019 Lynn & Dave Worwood – 801-368-5834, 435-580-9004 Tags – Buck Pronghorn San Rafael, Desert AW

Bull Elk South Slope, Diamond Mtn. Archery

Central Turkey, Statewide Turkey Logan March 2, 2019 Jeramy Ellis – 435-230-4672 Tags – Bull Elk North Slope, Three Corners Multi-Season

Wild Bearded Turkey Northeastern Region Multi-Season Tooele March 2, 2019 Collin Smith – 435-241-0188 Tags – Buck Pronghorn Nine Mile, Anthro-Myton AW

Cougar Oquirrh-Stansbury, East AW

Central Turkey Cedar City March 9th, 2019 Ron MacIntosh – 435-463-0268 Tags – Buck Deer Henry Mtns. (Management Buck) AW

Black Bear La Sal Multi-Season

Black Bear Panquitch Lake/Zion Multi-Season

Southern Turkey (2) St. George March 29, 2019 Kent Danjanovich – 801-231-9838 Tags – Bison Henry Mtns., Hunter’s Choice (Archery Only)

Buck Deer La Sal, Dolores Triangle Hunter’s Choice

Buck Pronghorn Dutton/Paunsaugant Landowner Tag

Southern Turkey

34 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Spanish Fork May 4, 2019 Austin Brittian – 385-685-8161 Tags – Buck Deer Book Cliffs Archery

Cougar Wasatch Mtns., Current Creek – North AW Roosevelt April 5, 2019 Kevin Richins – 435-823-0391 Tags – Bull Elk Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek/South AW

Buck Deer, South Slope, Diamond Mtn.

Bull Elk Book Cliffs, Little Creek Roadless AW

Buck Deer South Slope Diamond Mtn. Archery

Black Bear South Slope, Bonanza/Diamond Mtn/Vernal MultiSeason

Cougar Wasatch Mtns., West-Strawberry AW

Yellow Stone Bear

Northeastern Turkey (2) Wasatch April 19, 2019 Chris Bolock – 435-731-0107 Tags – Cougar Chalk Creek/Kamas AW

Buck Deer South Slope, Diamond Mtn. Muzzleloader

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

35

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On the back of the seat is PALS webbing for attachment of MOLLE compatible gear pouches so you can keep your necessary items organized and stored out of the way. An integrated long gun holder allows you to carry your favorite rifle or shotgun slung across the two front seat backs. And they are compatible with the majority of side seat airbags.

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These seat covers not only immortalize “The Legend” Chris Kyle, but also keep your gear organized, protects it from the elements, and look pretty cool while you’re at it. All while helping provide meaningful, interactive experiences to service members, first responders and their families, aimed at enriching their family relationships.

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Sportsman’s News Outdoor Writing Contest Finalist See pg. 4 for entry details.

spawning salmon and we asked the other hunters if they’d seen any grizzly bear, and they said yes, but they didn’t have any trouble with them The first day of hunting was uneventful. The temper­ ature was a warm 70-degrees, so we were in t-shirts most of the time. We saw some caribou too far away to go after and we also saw several bears along the river, but nothing close. The second day started mild, but got windy and colder. Nicki and I had split up as we usual­ly do and I was hunkered down in some brush on top of a hill glassing when it started raining. Later that afternoon, I spotted Nicki walking back towards camp (she said she had got cold and was going back to camp to warm up). As I watched her, I continued glassing and spotted a herd of caribou coming our way. It was a herd of 10 bulls and when I glassed Nicki, I knew she had seen them too. They were headed to come across in front of her. so she found cover in a shallow hole as they worked closer. At about 300 yards she shot twice and missed as wind gusted and her bullets went wide.

The caribou bunched up and Nicki waited until the bull she picked out was clear and her next shot was right on, as the rest of the herd scattered, her bull toppled. I worked my way down and joined her. She had got a nice bull with no velvet, which is what she wanted. She was already talking about having it mounted. Since it was getting late in the day, we dressed the bull, taking a tenderloin to eat at camp, then drug it several 100 yards away from the gut pile. We then decided due to the weather and darkness to return to camp and we made plans to get it to camp the next day.

The next morning, we headed back to get the caribou. When we were about 400 yards away, I noticed some movement and my binoculars confirmed there was a griz­zly on the caribou! We were told later we should have let him have it, but Nicki was adamant that it was NOT going to get her caribou. I fired a couple of shots into the ground near it and we yelled and waved our arms and it took off across the tundra. It had partially buried the caribou up to its front shoulders and had eaten some of the hind­quarters. We dug it up and skinned and quartered it and packed it back to camp, then cleaned the quarters and bagged them and hung them on a willow

Grizzly Adventure Plagued By Grizzly Bears

M

y wife Nicki and I had a caribou hunt on our bucket list for several years. When we found out in late 2016 that the an Alaska hunting license and tags would be doubling in price, we decided 2017 was it. We bought tags and booked a 7-day unguided hunt with Artic Air for September 2017. In early September, we flew into Kotzebue, Alaska and met up with the folks from Artic Air for the flight into the Brooks Range.

The pilot told us the caribou were starting to migrate out and about 10,000 had come out of the Brooks Range already. Upon landing on a gravel bar next to the river, we met a party from Texas (a father and his boys) who were just finishing their hunt.

They were successful with a medium size caribou and had seen others too far away.

While they were load­ing their gear on the plane, a small herd of caribou with a couple of small bulls came out of the willows on the other side of the river, across from camp. It was a good sign and got our blood pumping. The river was full of

38 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

tree frame made by previous hunters about 75 yards behind the tent. That night Nicki cooked part of a of the tenderloin for supper and we found it was tough and terrible tasting! I had eaten caribou before and it was deli­cious. I noticed this caribou had almost no fat when we dressed it, unlike the two bulls a friend and I had taken 14-years before, which had 2” of fat on their backs.

The next morning before I headed out to hunt, we checked on the meat we had hung up. All the quarters had been torn down and consumed by a bear or bears. the meat sacks and bones were scattered everywhere.

The caribou was gone! The only thing that was left was the horns and cape, which we had put close to the tent. We had heard nothing during the night. We took pictures of the remains to show the Alaskan State Troopers if they came to check on us. We knew they were sticklers for making sure we salvaged all the meat (as it turned out they never came). It had rained during the night and was still raining, but I went hunting for the morning. I could not locate any caribou, but did see a grizzly downstream.

That night I woke to the sound of rocks being flipped over. My heart skipped a beat when I heard grunting sounds not 20 feet from the tent! I started yelling and beating the sides of the tent, which woke up Nicki who started doing the same as we heard a bear running away across the river. I had put my Ruger .300 WSM fully loaded next to my cot before I went to sleep and I was ready for a bear if it came into the tent. That morning, we could see where the bear had flipped over big rocks under the tarp, which was 20 feet from the tent where we cooked our meals as he looked for any morsels we dropped. Our ‘latrine’ was back in the willows near

the caribou meat, so before going back there, we made a lot of noise and took our rifles. We had all the food, which was all freeze-dried except for some bread and trail snacks in the tent. We had no means to put it up in a tree. I decided to go hunting that afternoon. The stream we had been jumping across to go hunting was swollen due to the rain, so I took off my boots to wade across. When I got back, Nicki was working on her caribou cape with her rifle by her side. It seems a grizzly came to camp and gave her a surprise visit before she scared it off.

That night we were awoken twice by bears in camp.

We scared them off, but it was unsettling to say the least.

We could hear the bears walking around the tent and splashing in the river. The next morning, we decided we should leave. We called Artic Air on our satellite phone and told them what was going on. They were shocked we were having bear problems as the last hunters at our camp had no problems. We asked if we could be moved to a new location, but they said the weather had locked down the flights out of Kotzebue. they advised us to shoot the bears if they gave us problems, but I didn’t want too unless absolutely necessary. They were just doing what they needed to do to prepare for winter.

I continued to go hunting for caribou, but with not much success, just a few cows/calves and not very close. We continued to

have nightly visits from the bears. One morning we could not find Nicki’s caribou rack. We searched for it and finally located it 75 yards away, with bear tracks all around. We managed to put it in a tree out of reach.

On the 6th day of our hunt, we called Artic Air on the satellite phone and were advised the weather was clear and they could come and get us. We made the decision to leave a day early since we weren’t seeing any caribou and the bear problem wasn’t going away. It turned out to be the right decision as the next day (our original pickup date) all flights in and out of Kotzebue were grounded. We talked with other hunters who were waiting to fly out to hunt. We managed to get out on our flight to Anchorage on time that evening and made it home the next day.

Reflecting on our hunt, I figured the bear (or bears) did us a favor by eating the caribou. If the tenderloin was terrible, the rest of the meat wouldn’t have been good either. We got Nicki’s caribou mounted and now when we look at it, we are reminded of our grizzly adventure.

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Presents Wild Game Recipes of Steve Mayer "The Wine Guy"

Indian Style Elk Kabobs

T

his recipe is centered on the Indian spices of garam masala and turmeric. The exotic flavors are a delightful twist on standard wild game fare. The main spice is Garam Masala, a blend of ground spices, originating from the Indian subcontinent. The word masala simply means “spices,” and garam means “hot.” Thus the term garam masala literally translates to “hot spices.” However, garam masala doesn’t necessarily constitute a particularly spicy blend. The basic 7 spices in Garam Masala are cardamom, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

This recipe also adds turmeric, another Indian spice to further beef up the flavor profile.

As with most wild game recipes, this marinade will work with all types of game including fowl and fish. Play around with this versatile yogurt marinade to add some pizazz to your recipe arsenal. Add some more cayenne or Ghost pepper (my favorite) if you like it hotter, and whip up some tasty Kabobs for dinner!

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yogurt • 1 ½ tbsp. Garam Masala • 1tbsp Turmeric powder • 4 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tbsp. Fresh ginger, minced • 2 tbsp. Lemon juice • 2 tsp Paprika

• ½ tsp Cayenne pepper • 1 tsp kosher salt • 2 lbs. Elk Meat cut into 3/4” cubes • Bamboo skewers • Extra virgin olive oil • ½ cup chopped cilantro

Preparation Method

This is essentially a marinade to tenderize and flavor the kabobs. You can use any

40 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

type of PLAIN yogurt. Do not use a flavored yogurt! A Greek style yogurt is ideal but any plain yogurt will work. The Indian spices kick in a great deal of flavor and the yogurt tenderizes the meat. The unique Indian spices add to yet another flavor profile to your hard earned animal protein.

Combine the yogurt, garam masala, turmeric, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a bowl. Stir until the spices are fully incorporated into the yogurt. Pour the marinade into a gallon freezer bag and add the meat cubes. Get as much air out of the bag as possible and seal. Massage the cubes around in the bag until they are well coated with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

Soak the skewers in water to reduce the chance of them catching fire while grilling.

Remove the cubes from the bag and place in a colander to drain. Don’t worry about them still having a coating when you cook them, it is all extra flavor. Thread the meat onto the skewers leaving a small space between each piece to allow for even cooking.

Place the skewers on a hot grill, and turn every minute or so until medium rare.

Cooking time will vary due to the size of your cubes, and the skewers do have a tendency to burn, so I recommend turning them often. They should be done within 5-10 minutes, do not over-cook them!

Remove to a plate with a bed of rice. I like to take them off the skewers for ease of serving, but they are a nice presentation when served on the skewer. Drizzle with a high quality olive oil, and dust with the chopped cilantro.

I would serve a Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc with this dish for a white wine, or a light Pinot Noir or Syrah on the red side. As to a beer I would keep it simple with a lager or pilsner style.

Cheers!

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

41

Adventures On A Budget

Dam Good Fishing!

Smallmouth prefer more current and rocks than weedloving largemouth bass, but anglers can catch both species plus spotted bass anywhere in the lake. The best smallmouth fishing usually occurs in the Wilson Dam tailrace.

Here, the river flows through several channels and over or around numerous rocky shoals, islands, sandbars and obstructions. When the Wilson Dam gates open, current dislodges bottom-dwelling creatures and stirs up baitfish. Food flushed downstream kicks off a feeding frenzy.

“Fishing is always better when the dam is generating current, particularly for smallmouths,” Barton advised.

“Current is very effective for getting fish to bite. When the current kicks on, the shad school up tighter and that puts game fish in a feeding mode. Without current, the fish spread out and they can be hard to find.”

Meat for Bass

Tempting Bass With Live Bait on Pickwick Lake

By John N. Felsher

E

ven from a hundred yards away, we could feel the power of the churning white water rushing through two gates at Wilson Dam as it pushed the boat steadily downstream on the Tennessee River. Moments later, we each felt power of another sort as large fish inhaled our enticements.

“Current is essential to catching fish on Pickwick Lake,” quipped Brian Barton, (256-412-0969, www.brianbartonoutdoors.com) a fishing guide from Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I firmly believe that the current coming out of the dam overrides any other factors such as the moon phases, barometric pressure or anything else. Anyone fishing when the dam is not generating current is not fishing at the prime time.”

Pickwick Lake runs about 53 miles along the Tennessee River between the Wilson Dam at Florence, Ala. to the Pickwick Dam at Counce, Tenn. In all, the riverine impoundment covers 47,500 acres spreading across Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.

Variety of Fish

On any given day, Pickwick fishermen might catch many different species, but many anglers come for big smallmouth bass. While the lake can produce monster largemouths, including at least one 14.50-pounder, Pickwick offers some of the best lunker smallmouth action in the nation. Each year, anglers catch brownies in the 5- to 8-pound range, occasionally bigger ones.

“Pickwick is probably the second best bass lake on the Tennessee River chain, second only to Lake Guntersville,” commented Paul Elias, a former Bassmaster Classic champion from Laurel, Miss.

42 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Smallmouth might hit practically any lure that a largemouth angler wants to throw.

Anglers commonly catch both species off the same cover with the same lure on subsequent casts. However, nothing looks better to a hungry bass than what it already wants to eat and expects to see.

“I fish for largemouth the same as I would for smallmouth up near the Wilson Dam,” Barton explained. “Fishing with live bait is a highly effective way to catch big bass, both largemouth and smallmouth. In bass tournaments, people cannot fish with live baits or troll because those techniques are so effective. As a guide, I’m not under those restrictions. When bait fishing for bass, people get a bent rod so much more often than when fishing with artificials.”

With the current rolling, Barton rigs up live shad and drifts down the river, but stays within a few hundred yards of the dam. In the absence of current, he moves slowly downriver with the trolling motor. For bait, he might use either live gizzard shad or threadfin shad, whatever he catches in the cast net that day.

“I prefer to fish with threadfin shad, but I’ll use whatever we can put in the baitwell,” he said.

“On the Tennessee River, the shad spawn in April and May. We start seeing tiny hatchlings about a half-inch long in midJune. They grow through the fall and reach their peak size in the spring before they spawn. In the spring, bait is more difficult to

Adventures On A Budget catch. We usually have to go right to the dam to catch baitfish by dipping with a net.

In the fall, they are very easy to catch in the creeks with a cast net. In the fall, I like to use 2- to 3-inch shad. In the spring, I use bigger baitfish, about four to five inches long.”

The Right Rigging

Barton fishes shad on a free line with no weight, or perhaps just a small splitshot attached to the line to keep the bait near the bottom. When drifting, he uses a medium-action spinning rod and a reel loaded with 8- or 10-pound-test high visibility green monofilament line so he can better visually detect the bites. Sometimes, a bass might just slurp in a bait. At other times, they hammer tempting morsels.

Bait size determines the hook size, not the size of the fish one hopes to catch. With small baits, use small hooks and large hooks with large baitfish. A lunker smallmouth or largemouth can easily swallow a sizeable baitfish. Ideally, the bait should hover just off the bottom and move at the same speed as the current.

“Most people think fishing with live bait is ‘idiot fishing,’” Barton remarked.

“That’s not really true. There is a little bit of art to bait fishing. I match the weight to the current flow. The size of the bait, line size and weight size all need to match up so the rig does what it’s supposed to do. I want the bait to flow along with the current just off the bottom. If I use too much weight, it will stay hung up. If I don’t use enough weight, the bait will float above the strike zone. If I’m using really small baitfish, about two to 2.25 inches long, I’ll use a Number 4 hook. If I’m using a 5- to 6-inch shad for targeting bigger bass, I use a Number 1 or 1/0.”

When drifting, Barton hooks his minnows in the lips. Hooked that way, they move more naturally downstream. However, when he spots bass attacking shad on the sur-

face, he inserts the hook just behind a baitfish’s dorsal fin and under the spine to give it more erratic action.

“Even with live bait, sometimes it’s not as easy to fool big bass as one might think,” Barton said. “Sometimes, just changing how to hook on a baitfish can make a big difference in the presentation and whether fish bite it or not.”

Hit the Breaks

For the best results, float baits past rock piles, sandbars, humps, fallen logs or other current breaks that might hold fish. Pickwick Lake even contains some ancient, now submerged, Indian mounds. Smallmouth and largemouth bass both tend to hide behind such obstructions and face upstream waiting to grab any temptations washed toward them. Then, they dash out to snatch those succulent shad before returning to their lairs behind the structures.

“Current concentrate fish toward the top or the head of structures, making it much easier to find them and catch them,” Barton revealed. “A smallmouth will nose right into the current. It will get in front of a rock pile and fight the current when it’s in a feeding mode. Largemouths typically like to get behind a log, rock or some other current break and wait for something to come floating by them. Then, they’ll jump out and ambush it before pulling back in the eddy pool.”

When the dam doesn’t generate current, Barton frequently anchors around shell mounds, rock piles, old jetties or other structures that might attract fish. When anchored, he fishes a Carolina rig on a bait-casting outfit loaded with 10- to 12-pound monofilament. He slips a 3/4- to 1-ounce sinker on the line and ties a 3- to 3.5-foot leader to a swivel. As the line slips through the sinker, a baitfish can swim more freely. He tosses the rig right behind or as close to structure as possible.

February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

43

Adventures On A Budget “Carolina-rigging is a good way to fish a rock dike, shell mound or other structure when the current isn’t moving,” Barton recommended. “By such structures, fish will usually be in a small area around it. Frequently, we catch a largemouth and a smallmouth right next to each other on the same structure. When I see some fish on the electronics, but they are not biting, I’ll scoop out four or five shad from the livewell and toss them into the water as chum. That usually gets bass stirred up! The fish will come up to the surface and hit the shad.”

Anglers can catch big smallmouth, largemouth bass and many other species with this method throughout the year. For big bass, though, the best action on Pickwick Lake typically occurs from October through March. On some days, anglers might land nearly a dozen different species when fishing with live shad. Besides largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, the catch might also include drum, flathead, blue or channel catfish, black or white crappie, white bass, striped bass or other species, possibly even a walleye, sauger or yellow perch.

“One of the great things about fishing live bait on the Tennessee River is the variety of fish we might catch.” Barton touted. “We can catch fish with this method all year long if we can find good bait. We’ve had many days where we’ve caught smallmouths and largemouths, plus seven to nine other species. When fishing live shad, we never know what might be biting on the other end of the line.”

More Places to Fish

Anglers might also fish on the upstream side of Wilson Dam. The smallest impoundment on the Tennessee River, Wilson Lake runs 15 miles from the Wilson Dam to the

H

Wheeler Dam near Rogersville, Ala. Some anglers rent lakeside cottages at Joe Wheeler State Park (www.alapark.com/joe-wheeler-state-park) on Wilson Lake.

Although Wilson Lake looks more like a typical reservoir than Pickwick, the tailrace below Wheeler Dam can produce some smallies in the 4- to 7-pound range. In fact, Owen Smith holds the Alabama state smallmouth record with a 10.5-pounder he caught on Wilson Lake.

“My favorite fish to target in the fall is smallmouth,” commented Davis Whitten, a bass pro and guide (256-702-5417, www.facebook.com/dwhittenfishing) from Muscle Shoals. “The biggest, meanest smallmouth on the Tennessee River are going to be in the current behind the dam. Anglers want a significant current flow, but not too overpowering.”

People could also fish Bay Springs Lake, which covers about 6,700 acres in Tishomingo and Prentiss counties in Mississippi. The only lake entirely within Mississippi with smallmouth bass, Bay Springs Lake connects to Pickwick through Yellow Creek.

Thomas Wilbanks set the Mississippi state smallmouth record with a 7-pound, 15-ounce fish he pulled from Yellow Creek.

What works below the Wilson and Wheeler dams could also work on any other impoundments with similar hydroelectric dams. Even any other river with a modest current and a good population of largemouth, smallmouth or both species could make an excellent place to drift live baitfish for lunkers.

Anglers can check the Wilson and Wheeler generation schedules at www.tva.gov. For area information, contact the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau (www. colbertcountytourism.org) or Florence-Lauderdale Tourism at www.visitflorenceal.com.

While in the Pickwick Area

iring a guide to fish Pickwick Lake will cost about $200 to $400, depending upon how long anglers want to fish and for what. Guides might charge extra for more than two people. This does not include tips and any incidental expenses. Guest anglers can use their own equipment or the guide’s.

While in northern Alabama, people can find food, lodging and other facilities in Florence on the north side of Pickwick Lake or in the towns of Sheffield, Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia on the south side. Lodging generally ranges from about $70 to $200 a night.

For something really adventurous, spend the night in a grain silo converted into a condominium at the Seven Springs Lodge near Tuscumbia. Rates range from about $75 to $200 a night.

Hungry? While staying at the Seven Springs Lodge, head down into the canyon to visit the Rattlesnake Saloon (rattlesnakesaloon.net) and dine inside an ancient natural rock outcropping. The western style saloon offers such items as snake eyes and tails (stuffed jalapeno peppers and green beans), rattlesnake eggs (fried jalapeno poppers) and monster burgers.

Music lovers might want to visit the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, located at 617 Highway 72 West in Tuscumbia. The hall opens from 9am to 5pm every Tuesday through Saturday. Adult admission costs $10 with discounts for senior and children. See www.alamhof.org.

Visitors can also see where Helen Keller was born (helenkellerbirthplace.org) in Tuscumbia. During the summer, the town holds a Helen Keller Festival to honor the amazing woman made famous in the movie, the Miracle Worker. Throughout the summer, people can attend the Miracle Worker play. A house tour costs $6 for adults. Tickets for the play start at $10.

Not far from Tuscumbia, sportsmen can pay homage to hunting dogs at the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard, more commonly known as the Coon Dog Cemetery. Open to the public, this sacred ground on Freedom Hills Wildlife Management Area near Cherokee honors more than 300 coon dogs buried there.

People can also stay at Joe Wheeler State Park (www.alapark.com/joe-wheeler-state-park) about 25 miles upriver on Wheeler Lake near Rogersville. Park visitors can spend a night in the resort hotel for about $80 to $170 and dine in its restaurants. The park also rents rustic cabins and lakeside cottages ranging from about $90 to $260.

An Alabama fishing license allows anglers to fish from the Wilson Dam to the Pickwick Dam. A Tennessee or a Mississippi license only allows anglers to fish certain parts of the lake. For Alabama license information, see www.outdooralabama.com/licenses/freshwater-fishing-licenses.

Anglers can check the Wilson and Wheeler generation schedules at www.tva.gov. For area information, contact the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau (www.colbertcountytourism.org) or Florence-Lauderdale Tourism at www.visitflorenceal.com.

44 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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SHOP 92 LOCATIONS ALASKA

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or online at Sportsmans.com 46 February 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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