Sportsman's News November 2018 Digital Edition

FREE November 2018 | Volume 14 | Issue 11

Hidden Gem of Texas Whitetail Hunting

Brown Bear Hunting Gear

WHAT TO TAKE ON the hunt Page 18

Holiday Cooking Gadgets

Wow your guests this year Page 28

Gary Lewis: PacWest Outdoors

BEWARE OF

Chad LaChance: Fishful Thinker

Move Out Day

Counterfeit optics are abundant.

Avoid getting burned.

Page 14.

Relentless Versatility: LEUPOLD’S VX-3I DELIVERS EVERYTHING HUNTERS WANT MOST IN A RIFLESCOPE PAGE 8

Blue Mountain Elk

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

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 Andrew Saullo andrew@sportsmansnews.com Subscribers should contact Managing Editor for changes of address.

Sportsman’s News is published monthly.

The entire content of this newspaper is Copyright 2017 © All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written consent of the Managing Editor.

SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE 7035 So. High Tech Drive Midvale, UT 84047

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER

By Michael Deming

WHAT’S INSIDE

4 Hidden Gem of Texas Whitetail

Gnarly non-typical bucks with DaVine Springs.

8 Leupold VX-3i Relentless Versatility.

10 Platinum Approved Outfitters

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

14 Beware of Fakes

Counterfeit optics posing as the real deal present dangerous perils for the consumer.

T

his is the month of Thanksgiving and I can honestly say that we have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve spent over 100 days of this year in the field with some of our lucky Pro Membership Sweepstakes winners. We have done everything from Canadian fishing trips to Alaska/Yukon moose hunts. We have topped over 1 million dollars in giveaways since we started back in 2015 and I’ve personally met many of the people that are so thankful for their good fortunes.

When we launched the Pro Membership Sweepstakes, I envisioned people who were just like me, having the opportunity to do hunting and fishing trips they normally couldn’t ever afford. Being able to see this vision become a major reality is something I’m so thankful for.

I have been fortunate enough to be a hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman since I was just a child thanks to my grandfather and great uncle. Many of these winners didn’t have this luxury and have gotten into outdoor activities later in life and have had the pleasure of not only fulfilling a dream, but help to burn that fire within to make sure they teach their kids as well as generations to come. What we are doing is truly perpetuating what we do for the long haul. We appreciate all your support in helping this dream come true for everyone.

We will keep working hard to continue making this a reality for as many as possible. Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday and your time in the field this month.

On a side note, I would like to address some of the conversations I’ve had with numerous hunters in the field this year. Most revolve around bonus/preference points and waiting years to draw a tag and the expectations that go along with this. The southwest part of the United States had a tremendous drought this year. I talked to some cattlemen who were in their 70’s and they told me that this was some of the worst they can ever remember.

What this means to us as hunters, is that antler/horn growth is going to be affected. I thought that everyone understood this, but after numerous conversations with hunters in the field, I realized that very few people take these things into consideration. It affects the feed for the animals as well as the water they normally drink. We saw water holes totally dried up and areas normally loaded with elk and deer that were totally void of animals.

The range had been totally destroyed in some areas and the cattle had wiped out what little food was there. In some area’s, the elk’s bodies were in such poor shape that they never showed signs of coming into estrus and breeding until weeks or even a month late when moisture started to make the range better.

Antler/horn growth was off by 30% in some areas. However, many people who had waited for years to draw a tag didn’t take these factors into account and had goals for their tag that would be lofty even on a great year. I made it a point to get these hunters phone numbers and followed up with them after their hunts. Most were extremely dejected because they didn’t achieve their goal and worst of all is that they didn’t enjoy the experience of the hunt because of the burden they self-imposed.

I’m bringing this up because we will all be applying for tags right around the corner and another group of maximum point-holders will make these same mistakes again next year.

It is again reasonable to say that the southwest may very well show lower than average success rates and poor trophy quality again in 2019. Sure, there will be a few needles in the haystack that manage to fall, but overall, the data on paper will look fairly poor. But, this also will mean that there will be some older age class of animals for the 2019 season that, given the right weather conditions, will have some great potential.

There is a lot that goes into getting an animal to its’ maximum trophy potential and we can all just hope we have a tag during that perfect year. If not, enjoy the experience of being in the woods and having the ability to harvest some high-quality table fare. Most importantly, we need to be thankful for our ability to enjoy the great outdoors.

18 Brown Bear Hunting Essentials Part 2: Gear.

22 PacWest Outdoors: Back in the Blues with an Army Veteran Chasing elk in the Blue Mountains.

Fishful Thinker: Move Out Day 24

Swapping boats is a good time for organization.

28 Holiday Cooking Roundup

Let these cooking companions help wow your guests.

34 Pro Membership Update

28

Alaska Summit Guides Dall Sheep.

NWTF: Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt 37 Becharof Rapids Camp 39 The silvers run hot and heavy on the Egegik.

39

Writing Contest: One Lucky Day Black 43 Wildebeest

Only one day to get it done in South Africa.

49 Business Directory 51 Pro's Pick: Outdoor Edge WildPak

A must have for field dressing or butchering big game.

52 Wild Game Recipe: Venison Taco Stuffed Potatoes A Tex-Mex take on an old classic.

54 Adventures on a Budget: The Coues Deer A DIY Arizona Ghost Hunt

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Chad LaChance Gary Lewis Shan Miller Bob Solimena

Ross Melinchuk Steve Mayer Terry T. Clapp

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Hidden Gem of Texas Whitetail Hunting

By Michael Deming

T

he great state of Texas is truly a hunter’s paradise. Nearly everywhere you go, there are pickup trucks, American flags, BBQ and red-blooded American’s talking hunting. They are extremely passionate about their hunting and especially their whitetail deer.

If you have ever spent any time in this part of the country, you have already heard the comment that “Everything is bigger in Texas”, but if not, this article will make you a believer in this statement.

We stumbled onto the DaVine Springs Ranch back in 2014, when a good friend told us about this well managed, family ran operation that had some good hunting and was reasonably priced. We did our first trip with them the following year and we have been making the annual trek to Belton, Texas, to hunt with the Wolff family ever since.

The ranch is just about an hour north of Austin and encompasses a couple thousand acres of the finest hunting property I’ve ever experienced.

This year’s trip was our third visit to the ranch, a trip I look forward to each and every year. We do this trek the first week of December when most of the big game hunts here in the west are about done, but the whitetail rut this far south is just about to hit its peak. As if the rut isn’t reason enough for any hard-core hunter to want to head south, getting out of the extreme cold is another reason to want to make this trek. Heck, the world class traditional Texas BBQ alone, put on by Brian Wolff (Lanes dad) every day is truly reason enough to make this visit!

Casey Reynolds was our lucky Pro Membership Sweepstakes winner for this trip.

He lives in Idaho and has had the opportunity to hunt whitetail, but nothing close to the experience he was going to see in Texas. This is a trip we give away annually and we have been on the same package since we started hunting here. We are usually able to shoot a big, mature whitetail scoring up to 200” with our investment for

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

our winners. However, Lane Wolff gave me a call the week before we were to arrive and let me know that he had a special treat for us. He informed me that we would not have any restrictions on our hunt this year and that we could shoot anything on the property that presented a shot. I had no idea what that would consist of for this hunt, but I knew that I had seen some real monster whitetail the year before when we were done with our hunt. I didn’t let Casey in on this unbelievable good fortune until we arrived in Texas.

Casey was bringing his wife and his dad, who has also won a grand prize with the Sportsman’s News Pro Membership Sweepstakes, so we were going to have a full house and a lot of fun ahead of us. Lane told Casey on his arrival that he was going to have full run of the ranch and he could shoot whatever whitetail presented itself. He had no idea what that meant until Lane started rolling through trail camera pictures that would blow your mind. Not only were there a few bucks on the property that would break that 200” mark, there were some that Lane felt were well over 300”, with one mighty buck that might even go 400”. We are talking bucks that could be measured in board feet instead of inches, but Casey just kept his composure and smiled.

We rolled into the ranch with plenty of time left in the day to check Casey’s rifle for accuracy and still make it to the blind for an evening hunt. The stands we hunt are what are called tower blinds, which are about 15-feet off of the ground and provide a great perch to look into the thicker cover. The Wolff’s have some of the best blinds you will ever hunt out of, as they are oversized and allow three hunters to fit relatively easily into them and still have room for a cameraman’s equipment.

We hadn’t been in the blind long when deer started showing up. Lane said that we were in for a show as he had pulled the trail camera cards for this stand earlier in the week and there was a ton of rutting activity around this stand. As the sun started to fall below the horizon, the bigger deer started showing up and the attitudes and posturing soon followed. Lane was interested in us getting a crack at one of two bucks.

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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They had named one ‘Christmas Tree’ and the other, ‘Left Leaner’. Lane was right - we got a darn good show from some nice Texas bucks and I’m sure Casey would have been happy shooting any of them, but Lane wanted him to at least see our two target bucks on the hoof before he filled his tag. Neither one of these bruisers decided to present themselves on the first evening of our hunt.

Although we didn’t have success in the field, Brian delivered some first-class ribeye’s on the smoker that had me really happy that I made the trip to Texas.

The next morning, Lane said that we were going to check out a different part of the

Whitetail Deer & Exotic Hunts

Davine Springs Is A Family-run Hunting Operation And One-on-one Hunters Retreat 1,100 Acres In The Heart Of Bell County, Texas Outstanding Lodge Accommodations And Home-style Cooking

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Lane Wolff (254) 534-0102

davinespringsranch.com

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

ranch in hopes that one of our two target bucks might be there. We were in the blind nice and early this morning, giving us plenty of time to settle in. Just as the grey light was starting, a giant deer appeared in the open area, but we couldn’t determine his overall size. It seemed like time was standing still as we waited for enough light to see if this was one of our target bucks. The sixth sense kicked in and the big buck drifted into the thick brush before we could ever make a positive identification on him. We all chuckled about how those big ones always have the odds on their side.

We scanned the brush vigorously looking for our big buck to come in, but there was nothing. Finally, a doe trotted out into the field, which we were sure was the anchor we needed to get the buck out into the open. Lane finally caught some movement back in the brush and a beautiful buck, with double drop tines, came out into the open.

This was truly “My” dream buck and I would have already unloaded my gun on this whopper. But, unfortunately, I didn’t have a tag, but I did have this awesome buck full frame in my camera. I looked over at Lane and he was smiling. He whispered, “This buck and Left Leaner are often together”.

As if on que, Left Leaner strolled out of the back of the meadow, working his way towards us. His head was down and I was trying to figure out exactly what I was looking at. This giant buck’s momma had to be a moose, based on how much palmation he had going on. When he finally lifted up his head and looked towards the blind, I could see just how big this guy was. He was truly an amazing whitetail and Lane assured us that he was going to be close to 350”. That’s correct and not a type-o; a whitetail with as many inches on his head as a great bull elk. When he walked, he leaned a little to the left, which is how Lane gave him his name. Lane asked Casey what he thought, as Casey mumbled, “Are you kidding me?”, meaning he would be more than happy putting his tag on this Texas giant.

Casey slowly got his rifle up on the rest, readying for a shot to present itself. We waited and waited as the bucks postured and went in and out of the brush and back into the meadow. Finally, Lefty came out and was headed right towards us. He finally cleared a tree and turned broadside. I gave the thumbs up that I was good on the camera and Casey made one fatal shot as the buck dropped in his tracks.

Let me tell you, the walk up to a buck that is 300-plus inches is something that I won’t ever forget, especially when it is on a body of a deer that weighs less than 150 pounds. We did our standard photo shoot and loaded the buck up into the Polaris for its’ final ride back to the lodge. Casey’s wife and father were as elated with his success as was I. Well as you can see, we experienced another great trip with DaVine Springs Ranch (254-534-0102) and we established a new benchmark for trophy whitetails that I’m sure we may have a tough time exceeding anytime in the near future. However, we have another lucky winner which is going to be headed to Texas this fall. I’m sure we will have another great trip and if you would like to join us, please give Lane a call. Not only do you have the opportunity for great whitetails, but also exotics from all over the world are available on this great family run ranch as well. If you want a chance to win this great hunt or numerous other trips just like it, please visit our website at www.promembershipsweepstakes.com . We giveaway a great trip like this every 10-days and we will be giving away over $300,000 worth of trips, guns and gear again in the next 12-months.

THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE-SEEKING SIDE-BY-SIDE

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Introducing the all-new Wolverine® X2 – the newest offering from Yamaha, the company that redefined the Side-by-Side industry. Boasting superior capability, comfort and confidence with a new ultra-smooth 850-class twin engine, a tighttrail conquering compact and nimble chassis, plus next level versatility thanks to its 600-pound-rated dump bed, the Wolverine® X2 is a truly Proven Off-Road SxS for those looking to get out, go further, and do more than ever before.

REALize your Adventure: visit YamahaOutdoors.com Professional driver on closed course. Wear your seat belt, helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Read the Owner’s Manual and the product warning labels before operation. Model shown with optional accessories.

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A Scope for Every Need – Leupold’s Versatile VX-3i Line you maximum transmission of the entire visible spectrum. Why does that matter? The human eye is most sensitive to colors outside the middle of the spectrum during dawn and dusk, when game is moving. This system literally helps you see more in less light. Superior glare reduction, meanwhile, ensures the maximum amount of usable light gets to your eye. Leupold’s proprietary lens coatings and superior optical design help deliver the very best contrast and resolution, ensuring you’ll be able to see things like tines in heavy timber.

With the Twilight Max Light Management System, your trophy shouldn’t be able to give you the slip in low light.

Custom Dial System

H

unters nationwide have similar needs when it comes to riflescopes – outstanding low-light performance and rugged reliability in a lightweight package are typically among the first requests. Featuring dual spring precision adjustments, the Twilight Max Light Management System, and a legendary reputation for durability, Leupold’s VX-3i line firmly fits the bill.

A 3:1 zoom ratio means the VX-3i line comes in a wide variety of magnification ranges – available in 1.5-5, 2.5-8, 3.5-10, 4.5-14, and 6.5-20 power models, with varying objective lens diameters. But your options don’t stop there, it’s also available with a Duplex, Illuminated Duplex, Heavy Duplex, Fine Duplex, Wind-Plex, Boone & Crockett, German 4, Illuminated German 4, and Varmint Hunter reticle. Illuminated reticles feature Leupold’s Motion Sensor Technology (MST), which puts the FireDot into a battery-saving standby mode after five minutes of inactivity. When the MST detects motion, it instantly activates the sight, so it’s ready when you are. The line features both 1-inch and 30mm maintubes, so you can opt for super lightweight or really lightweight.

With the VX-3i you’re getting a feature-packed riflescope, complete with Leupold’s well-known rugged reliability standards, at a price point that won’t blow your budget – VX-3i’s can start as low as $450. Ready to know more?

Superior Low-Light Performance Get behind a VX-3i and you’ll see what makes it a step better than its competition.

Every scope in the line offers superior edge-to-edge clarity and extreme low-light performance. Leupold’s Twilight Max Light Management System delivers the perfect balance of image color and contrast, light transmission, and glare management. Most scopes only focus on transmitting high percentages of midday light, while the VX-3i gives

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Select VX-3i models can be equipped with Leupold’s one-ofa-kind Custom Dial System (CDS). Never heard of it? Then pay attention because the CDS system makes accurate, long-range shooting this simple: range your target, turn your CDS dial to match the range, aim dead on, and then squeeze the trigger. With a CDS dial and some practice, you can shoot farther and more accurately than ever before.

Here’s how it works: Leupold customizes your scope’s elevation dial to match your exact load, velocity, and even the average atmospheric conditions where you hunt for unprecedented precision. With your CDS dial, you’ll easily compensate for bullet drop and make ultra-quick adjustments on the fly. You can even create multiple dials for the same riflescope to match different loads or different conditions. A free CDS dial is offered with the purchase of any CDS-ready riflescope, and extra dials are available for a nominal fee. The CDS feature is available on all VX-6HD and VX-6 models, and select VX-5HD, VX-3i, VX-R, and VX-Freedom models. CDS dials are excellent when paired with a Leupold rangefinder, thanks to the company’s exclusive True Ballistic Range technology. Use True Ballistic Range to get the most accurate ballistic range to your target, and then set your CDS to the correct number - it’s already matched to the ballistics.

Built to Last

Like every riflescope offered by Leupold, the VX-3i is designed, machined, and assembled in Beaverton, Oregon, and it’s built to withstand a lifetime of abuse. Exterior lens surfaces are treated with DiamondCoat 2, an ion-assist lens coating, for higher light transmission and an amazing level of abrasion resistance. DiamondCoat 2 has the additional advantage of assisting in light transmission, for greater brightness, clarity and contrast, and will prove its worth in the wildest places on earth. Further, every Leupold riflescope model is “Punisher” tested and capable of withstanding whatever you might be able to throw at it. That said, if you do ever have a problem, know that the VX-3i is backed by Leupold’s legendary Full Lifetime Guarantee.

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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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

ALASKA FISHING

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ALASKA GUIDED FISHING Halibut, Yelloweye, King, Silver, Pink, and Chum Salmon, Ling Cod, and Dolly Varden.

Fresh and saltwater fishing adventures.

Pybus Point Lodge Juneau, AK 1-(800) 94-PYBUS • www.pybus.com

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

www.becharofrapidscamp.com

10 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

ALASKA GUIDED FISHING

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CANADIAN FISHING

Join us for a Canadian fishing adventure of a lifetime!

Fully Guided Fishing On Mcintosh Lake, Part Of The Legendary Churchill River System Which Holds Massive Pike, Trophy Lake Trout And Scrappy Walleye

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Fly-in Alaskan hunting for brown bear, Alaskan moose or black bear. Custom tailored trips.

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ALBERTA

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.

www.ranchlandoutfitters.com 877-924-8440 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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CANADIAN HUNTING

MANITOBA HUNTING & FISHING

Canada’s Best Fishing Lodge Of The Year!

Five Star Main Lodge Featuring Fully Guided American Plan Packages Plus Remote Outpost Camps on 4 Lakes

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Book your Bison hunt now to secure available dates.

Contact Season Elliott at contact@ranchodechavez.com or 505-884-3503 www.ranchodechavez.com

COLORADO WATERFOWL

NEW ZEALAND HUNTING

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.

• 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

303.659.8665

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LOUISIANA FISHING

SASKATCHEWAN HUNTING

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

Chase Big Tailing Reds & Lunker Trout In The Heart Of The Louisiana Marsh Spin Fishing In Bay Boats & Fly Fishing In Fly Boats

www.neworleansfishing.com

12 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Just 30 Minutes South Of New Orleans

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SOUTH DAKOTA HUNTING

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Contact Brett Waibel: info@badriverhunts.com

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Day and all inclusive hunts available!

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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TEXAS HUNTING

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

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

13

Beware of Fakes

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

R

ecently I was cruising around a website of cheap Chinese junk, looking for cool new gadgets to feature in my speaking circuit as the Gear Guru. While scrolling, I came across an offer that caused me to pause in my tracks. An authentic, branded Leupold LCO optic for a mere $29. Knowing that this red dot retails for just under a grand, it made me read deeper. The description said it was made in America, referenced the Leupold name multiple times and the image was clearly an LCO. Now, my momma didn’t raise a dummy, that happened years later, so I knew that it had to be a fake, but yet here it was blatantly in my face. The part of me that longs for honesty and fairness in the world couldn’t believe that anyone could get away with such a blatant forgery. The part of me that knows better seized the moment and thought it would be a good opportunity to warn our readers about the potential for fraud in the gear marketplace. So, I whipped out the American Express and bought the knockoff LCO and a Trijicon RMR for good measure. What the heck, I am expensing it to Sportsman’s News, so what harm could it do?

First off, if it seems too good to be true, you can be sure that it is. Though the

14 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

fake LCO claims to be made in America and even has a laser engraved decal of an American flag inside a circle of text that proudly proclaims, “Designed, Machined, Assembled in the USA,” it shipped China Post from the Hubei Province of China. Two weeks later, it was in hand and my jaw dropped even harder when I saw the Leupold logo brazenly etched on top and on the sides. The weight, form factor and attention to detail of the forgery is impressive. Showing them to people in the industry, side-by-side and asking them to identify the fake, they showed some hesitation, but ultimately were able to pick the correct one. If they were shown just the fake and told it was real, they never knew the difference.

Internally though, is where the value proposition becomes crystal clear. The fake, while it features both red and green dots, is not made to any quality control specifications. The dot is fuzzy and lacks clarity. While the real LCO has Leupold’s world famous glass and amazing light enhancing coatings to improve optical clarity, the knockoff is made of a glass that adds a grayish hue to everything and lacks the crispness of the real McCoy, kind of like looking through a muddy windshield. From the outside looking in, the real LCO has a nice golden hue to the front lens and more angle to divert glare. The fake has a cheap looking, silver mirrored coating, reminiscent of Sylvester Stallone’s Ray Bans in the 1980s action film, Cobra. The angle is almost completely perpendicular, so it acts as a big reflector on top of the rifle.

The real LCO has a subtle bronze laser engraving of the logo, serial number and other markings. The fake uses bright silver engraving to put the same information on the anodized aluminum housing. Other than some different markings and different location of them, which I will list out to help you spot the fake, the logo, text and reference printing is bright silver, almost white and not as deep as on the real one and looks like white paint.

Now, some of you reading this right now are asking, “so what? What difference does it make if it does the job of putting a red dot where I need it?” Well, it doesn’t even do that all that well. The Leupold LCO boasts an impressive 60 MOA of adjustment and tracks perfectly. This means if I dial it up 40 MOA (80 clicks) and then back down 40 MOA, the point of aim will be precisely where it was prior.

The cheap knock off has 95 MOA of adjustment, but very light clicks of the adjustment screw and they are barely perceptible. It also doesn’t track well, being off by as much as a few MOA. This means you can use them to zero at a fixed distance but can’t rely on them for computing on the fly.

When mounted on a flat top AR, the real LCO had plenty of vertical adjustment for zero on the target to precision accuracy at 50 feet, making a nice tight, clover shaped group of overlapping shots. The fake didn’t have enough upward adjustment and topped out about six inches below the target. It might make it if it were mounted on a carry handle AR, but definitely not even close on a flat top.

I submerged both the real and the fake side-by-side in a glass tank for 24 hours. Amazingly, they both worked as well as they did beforehand, but the fake rusted on the top adjustment screw. Because the real LCO goes into a sleep mode and reactivates when moved, its battery was still going strong after two weeks of being left on. The fake was dead as a doornail.

The real LCO has special coatings on the lenses to repel water and grime and they were crystal clear after their bath, while the fake showed significant water spotting that even further degraded its clarity. The water also damaged the brightness switch on the

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Sportsman’s Warehouse purchases their optics direct from the manufacturer, so you know you are getting the real thing. Second, if you are bargain shopping and find a deal that is too good to be true, it probably is. Compare the real LCO markings and features with the item being advertised. Third, be skeptical when purchasing from third parties. Make sure they can provide the original packaging and that any images they provide are of the actual unit and not stock images.

I like saving money as well as the next guy, but if your life depends on the functionality and reliability of the true product, I certainly wouldn’t risk buying or using a fake. Now you know and knowing is half the battle.

Water testing - submerging them for 24 hours really showed the strengths and weaknesses. The fake stayed running but rusted in places and it fried the power switch and brightness control. There was no damage to the real LCO. fake, so much that it only increases in brightness and won’t decrease until you cycle all the way around again. It also fried the power switch, so it will no longer turn off.

And here is the major difference between the fake and the real thing. Leupold has one of the best warrantees in the industry, with a no questions asked lifetime guarantee on their optics and two-years on their electronics. You can count on the folks in Beaverton, Oregon to stand behind their products and either replace or repair them. I am not even sure who to contact regarding repairs on my fake.

At the end of the day, while I was impressed in the performance of the fake for a $29 piece of equipment, it was far inferior to the real deal. While it is fine for $29, where the real danger becomes apparent is that I saw the fake on another website being sold for $699. While anyone seeing the $29 price tag can assume they are getting a poor quality knock off, seeing the $699 price has all of the appearance of getting the real thing at a bargain price. It is close enough to the $909 price tag of the real LCO to have the appearance of a sale price. And then there are images floating around of the fake being used to sell the real one. Even Midway USA, a very reputable company, has the fake image on their listing for the real optic.

The table below shows some key areas where they differ to help you make sure you are getting a legitimate LCO. Some areas where the two differ is in the beefiness of the shroud protecting the optics and electronics. The real LCO is made of stouter stuff. The nut to tighten the mount is a heftier half inch, while the fake has a tiny 10mm that won’t allow proper torque to avoid losing zero without the risk of damaging the bolt head.

All of the dials are crisp and do what they are supposed to do on the real LCO, while they may fail to make any adjustment on the knock-off. The LCO logo tops the real optic and the Leupold logo is on top of the fake.

So, how do you avoid getting ripped off? First, purchase your optic from a reputable company with a long history of standing behind their customer.

Leupold LCO

Counterfeit

MSRP

$909

$29/$699

Weight

9.5 ounces

9.1 ounces

Mounting Bolt Diameter

.5”

10mm

Leupold Logo Location

Sides of housing

Top of housing

Etching color

Bronze

White

Housing thickness (Top)

0.152

0.09

Width of Housing

1.53

1.52

Length of Housing

2.25

2.3

Overall Height

2.4

2.45

Mounting Plate Internal Width

0.78

0.87

Dot MOA

6

9

Clarity of Dot

Fine

Fuzzy

Color of Dot

Red

Red or green

Brightness Settings

16

10 for each color

0.5 MOA

1/2 MOA

Increment Markings Compliance Marks

Proper FCC Mark

Trijicon RMR What about that Trijicon RMR I mentioned? Well, while Leupold was more than happy to send me one of their real LCOs for comparison, Eddie Stevenson, who handles media for Trijicon, sent me the following reply, “We unfortunately don’t have a unit to send for your evaluation. Demand for the RMR is extremely high and our T&E samples are exhausted. I would like to share the following guidelines that can help you explain what to look for when evaluating a ‘real’ vs. ‘fake’ Trijicon RMR. 1. The adjuster screw heads will be bright silver steel. Real RMRs are dark, flat color steel.

2.. The adjusters screws might be a Torx or Allen head, not a flat screw head as the real RMR will have.

3. In the fake, the serial number will be printed on the main body of the optic, while the real will be printed in the thumbnail cut out.

4. The printing on the fake RMR will be of poor quality and the font sizes will change.

5. On the underside of the fake RMR, the electronics will not have the dot size printed and will look of poor quality.

On Trijicon’s website, they have a Product Authenticity link that essentially says they cannot tell you if you have a real Trijicon product unless they have it in hand at the factory.

So, when it comes to the customer service of those standing behind their product, I can’t tell if the Chinese knockoff is better or worse than the real deal. At least with the Chinese counterfeit, it has done everything I asked it to and if it breaks, I am only out $29.

FC text

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

17

Gear for Brown Bruins Part 2: Tools PRO'S TIP

By Chad LaChance

A

s a professional outdoorsman and host of Fishful Thinker TV for the last decade, I’ve learned the importance of preparation for success, be it for a day trip on the lake I guide on or a cross-country trip in the Tundra to some river or bay I’ve never seen. Same holds true for hunts or even camping trips; preparing to win, as cliche as it sounds, is paramount to success. This includes everything from cloths to gear to rods, reels or rifles. The less that is left to chance, the lower the odds that some scenario will be encountered that messes you up. The longer the trip or more remote the destination, the more important the planning process is. After all, many Americans may not realize it, but there are places where running to the store to grab something you need but failed to bring, simply ain’t happenin’ and that World Wide Web may not be as world-wide as it sounds when it comes to delivering needed goods in out-of-the-way places.

Furthermore, I’ve learned to lean on those that have actually been there when visiting some place - especially a remote place that a relative few have been to - when choosing what exactly to bring. Oh and I’ve also learned that quality counts; if my success or possibly even safety revolves around a piece of gear, I’m going to source a quality product.

Enter Kodiak Island Alaska, in late fall, hunting giant brown bears. My inner-outdoorsman tells me that qualifies as a relatively remote place not a ton of people have been to and that my safety and success may hinge on my gear and clothing even more than normal. Yep, this is going to require some preparation.

Last month, here in Sportsman’s News, I detailed some of the hunt’s background information, including the fact that I won the trip - a $30,000 ten day guided hunt - by having the foresight to enter the Pro Membership Sweepstakes (promembershipsweepstakes.com in case you want to win a hunting or fishing trip or some awesome guns and gear). I’ll be on the trip while you’re reading this very column and yes, I’m pumped and a bit nervous. The trip will involve four plane rides each way, including a classic old float plane and most of my hunting, I’m told, will be from a small, open aluminum boat (think jon boat). Once a suitable bear is located, we’ll beach and stalk.

I’m also told the bears are big and not overly friendly, kind of like the island’s weather.

I’ve never been to Kodiak Island or hunted brown bears, so I started asking questions of those that have and whose opinions I respect. In last month’s column I detailed the clothing. Several Kodiak experts were consulted and the commonality was Sitka Gear. A visit to Sportsman’s Warehouse handled that and I’m now confident I can stay warm and dry regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us. Now let’s look at some of the other gear a trip like this requires.

I’m a lifelong big game hunter, with most of my exploits taking place in the western United States. That means I already have many of the items I’ll need for this hunt, but that does not diminish the need for preparation. In the case of gear I already have, preparation includes making SURE whatever the item may be that it is in good working order and appropriate for the somewhat different type of hunting this will be. What works for, say, arid plains deer may be out of place in bog somewhere in a Kodiak Island valley, even if the intended task is the same. If nothing else, the environment will be a lot wetter.

Let’s talk rifles. Brown bears are big, like 10-feet tall and 1200-pounds, give or take.

They’re also not very friendly and have been known to charge when shot at, possibly even when hit. So, rifle and ammo selection is critical, given that I want to live through the hunt. I considered archery for a minute;

18 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

then the buzz wore off and I went back to the gun decision. The rifle make and model was easy for me, the caliber, not so much.

I shoot Browning rifles.

Have for my entire life and my safe is full of them, ranging from original A-Bolts all the way to the vaunted X-Bolt Hells Canyon series.

The last thing I want for a dangerous game hunt is an unfamiliar rifle, so back to Browning I looked because when I raise my rifle to shoot at an animal that will fight back, I want all of it to be automatic muscle memory.

The stock feels the same in hand, the safety is in the same place and the bolt works exactly the same should a follow-up shot be required. Besides familiarity, I have a huge amount of confidence in the rifles; they all shoot and cycle extremely reliably. They feature a short throw, 60-degree bolt for speedy cycling and low scope mounting which aids in primary balance and minimizes mechanical off-set between the scope line of sight and the bore. Browning X-Bolts have detachable magazines that are inexpensive, so I can carry an extra loaded mag in case the poo really hits the fan, as opposed to trying to stuff loose shells in a rifle under serious duress. The trigger pull is adjustable too, so I can set it to match all my other rifles; from my varmint rifle to my deer rifle and now the bear rifle, they all feel the same in hand with the exception of minor differences in overall weight. From all that I derive confidence and confidence leads to success.

So, I chose an X-Bolt Hunter and procured the extra magazine. Caliber? That was tougher, but after considering a few options I settled on a .375 H&H Mag. Why such a big bore? Because where I’m going, when I’m going, could yield an extremely large bear, even by brown bear standards. Additionally, I have no interest in shooting one from any farther away than absolutely necessary. If I’m going to hunt the largest landbased predator on Earth, weighing three times what a male African lion weighs, I want the full experience. I want to feel its presence and be up close and personal in a way that sniping one from 300 yards would never provide. That’s fine for deer and elk back home, but brown bears are different.

The .375 H&H has proven stopping power, lots of it, without being ridiculously hard on shooters. At ranges I’m expecting to shoot, it’s very accurate and is considered by many experienced dangerous game hunters as a forgiving round with reliable performance. I’m not arguing with that. Since I shoot DoubleTap ammunition with great success in my other X-Bolts, I looked to them for this one too, ultimately settling on their DT Safari line of ammo, specifically sending a 300 grain Nosler Accubond bullet down range. It leaves the muzzle at 2,640 feet per second, generating more than 4,550 pounds of energy. That, friends, will stop even a big ol’ bear, if I put it where it needs to go.

Speaking of putting it where it needs to go, the X-Bolt is topped with a 2X-10X Leupold VX-5HD, featuring lots of eye relief. While I’m hoping to shoot point blank on 2X, if I need to zoom it up for a longer shot, I can. Because the .375 ain’t exactly a flat shooter, we had the factory cut an elevation dial to this rifle’s actual measured ballistics. That way, in the event of a wounded bear that flees requiring a long follow-up shot, I can dial up the requisite yardage and hold dead on. I really don’t want to have to estimate hold-over on a critical shot while the adrenaline is flowing and besides, the time it takes to range and dial is, in my experience, a perfect way to gather my composure. Lastly, I added a Pachmayr Magnum Recoil Decelerator slip-on pad over the factory recoil pad. I’ll only use it while practicing, subsequently removing it for the actual hunt. The last thing I want to do is develop a flinch while practicing; the only thing worse than that would be not practicing. The extra pad makes it tolerable.

Speaking of practice, once the rifle was zero’d at 100 yards and the dial verified,

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

19

PRO'S TIP I stepped away from the bench. I never practice with any hunting rifle off a bench because that is bench rest practice and only good for testing a rifle’s accuracy - not developing real world shooting skills. So, I practice for reality, starting with lots of dry firing off shooting sticks at various target sizes. You’d be surprised how helpful this is at developing muscle memory and trigger skills. Then I shot a bunch of actual rounds off the sticks while sitting, kneeling and standing as well as a few off make-shift rests like my backpack. I also shot a bunch of off-hand, starting at 25-yards and in each position, I start with the rifle NOT at ready, always focusing on a smooth speed in establishing a rest, rifle mount and sight picture. If I have loads of time, great. but rarely in hunting is that the case, so I practice being efficient and smooth.

In all cases, I shoot at 6” diameter paper plates, not sight-in targets. I feel sight-in targets have a way of making big game shooters micro manage the shot and what hunters really need to do is develop confidence; hitting a vital sized target over and over will do just that. After all my practice with the .375, I determined that I can off-hand out to 75 yards confidently if required, can easily shoot out to 300 yards standing with the shooting sticks and can dial and hit farther than I’m willing to shoot at a bear if I have time and space to sit. For the record, I practiced in the wind as well.

Given the importance of shooting sticks in all my big game hunting, two versions will go to Kodiak Island with me. I most commonly use the tall Primos Trigger Stick bi-pod; it spends more time doubling as binocular rests while glassing than it does a rifle rest but can be used to shoot from standing all the way down to sitting. The overall leg length can make them a bit awkward when sitting flat on the ground to shoot, so if I have time or will be sitting for a while, I prefer a Primos Polecat sitting length bi-pod; the legs are three-piece, shock-corded together and they stow easily.

The last rifle related items I’ll pack are a fully adjustable nylon sling with padded “grippy” shoulder strap and a rifle cover. Why nylon and grippy? Because I’ll be wearing copious amounts of Sitka clothing and it may very well be rainy or snowy - I don’t want to fight the sling sliding off my shoulder or leather getting wet. I also procured a Sentry Armadillo rifle cover. It’s a water-resistant cloth cover that slides over the top of the rifle, covering the entire thing including the scope and muzzle to keep water drops or dirt out, yet allowing the rifle to be slung over my shoulder. It’s very quick to

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20 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

remove and can be cinched tight as well. I expect the rifle will stay inside it for most of the hunt.

This style of bear hunting is spot and stalk which also happens to be my normal big game M.O. so I’ll carry my usual 10X42 binoculars. For this hunt, they’ll be housed in Sitka’s Bino Bivy harness to keep the lenses dry, yet immediately handy. I typically spend a lot of time glassing, so resting them on top of the shooting sticks is a great way to stabilize the view and reduce arm fatigue because the arms don’t have to hold against the resistance of the stretched bino harness. Try it - good trick, even sitting down.

Because the .375 H&H lobs bullets compared to, say, the .26 Nosler I typically shoot and because brown bears are larger than anything I’ve ever judged yardage on, laser range finders could end up being critical if a longer shot is required. I carry a Nikon Prostaff 7i; it’s a small, simple ranger for reasonable distance (I’ve used it on deer out to 700 yards) and I’m very familiar with using it in a hurry. In an effort to avoid needing range finders at all, I’ll carry a small breeze “sniffer” bottle to help with stalking close.

Boat based hunting means that long hikes won’t be on the agenda, so a reasonable sized backpack should suffice. I will utilize my Tenzing TZ 2220 which has a fold-out rain cover as well as a rifle boot, plus it’s compatible with most 2L water bladders. I usually use this pack on day hunts and here again, I’m already familiar with it.

Hunters need knives and to that end, I’ll carry three of them; a skinner, a meat knife and a general purpose knife, all fixed blades. Fixed blades are lighter in weight and more reliable, plus easier to sharpen. I carry a small stone to sharpen as needed.

Some little things I’ve packed or learned over the years can also help big time. I already devoted a whole column to my clothing as noted above, but even with cozy Sitka Gear, I still like to have portable heat packs. I’ll carry one in each hand pocket, so when I’m not wearing gloves, I can warm up my fingers. Given that I have never liked gloves from the dexterity standpoint, these heat packs can be life savers. In a pinch, they can double to keep batteries warm too and they’re very cheap. A lens cloth is also a handy item. Scope, binoculars, camera lenses and even my Costa sunglasses will likely all need cleaning repeatedly and a lens cloth will do so without damage. A small first aid kit also goes along. I don’t care if the guide has one or not. If I need first aid, I’m prepared. Same concept with a small rifle cleaning kit; I carry a kit to clear the bore in the event something silly happens like I fall in the mud, plus to simply wipe off the day’s grime to ensure it functions properly when I need it to. I also carry a small hand towel on all my hunts, this one included. Somehow that thing always seems to get used.

The last, yet one of the most important things I’ll mention, is a dry bag which for me, means an Otterbox Yampa Dry Duffle. Kodiak Island is a very wet place and any gear getting wet is not an option from the safety or comfort standpoint. The Yampa Dry Duffle is available large enough to include all my requisite gear and it’ll obviously keep stuff dry. What may not be so obvious is that the bag is completely padded with low density foam to protect contents against impact. The interior is brightly colored to make it easy to find small items within and it has a backpack harness with neoprene shoulder straps, so it can be worn like a backpack in transit and even has an airflow promoting back pad. It’s got a reinforced bottom, impervious to whatever I may set it on in the boat or ground and has clips and straps that can be configured to allow use as checked or carry-on luggage, which is how I’ll transport it. A dry bag is very handy for any outdoorsman and this is the best on the market in terms of features and functionality.

Given that this hunt is fully outfitted by Larsen Bay Lodge, many of the fundamental items I would normally need to pack like a spotting scope, bedding, etc will be on hand.

So, the list above, along with my previous clothing column, amounts to about 95% of what I’ll fly to Kodiak Island with. I’d like to point out that this is my first hunting trip in Alaska and the anticipation has been great. Planning for any trip is a major part of the fun and this is a trip of Kodiak bear proportions. If I had not become a member of the Pro Membership Sweepstakes, I’d likely would have never gone on a hunt like this. I feel like I won, even if we don’t harvest a bear!

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

21

Elk: Back in the Blues with an Army Veteran U.S. Army vet Kyle James returns to his homeland for a late-summer elk hunt

Photo by Gary Lewis

By Gary Lewis

A “

fter I got back from Iraq, I didn’t want to hunt for a long time.”

A lot of things change for a soldier back from war.

“After I got back, even most music, I didn’t want to listen to.”

It was a time to heal.

Kyle James, who makes his home in Oregon City, is a soft-spoken 30-year-old who used to sit in the turret on an armored Humvee with his finger light on the 240 Bravo trigger.

We hunted with him in the Blue Mountains in late August.

There were six in the party: James, Freeman, Jake Carse, landowner Brad Andrews, Sam Pyke and me. We met in Unity at the Water Hole Tavern and planned the hunt over dinner. We found out James had grown up in Baker County. It turned out that Andrews knew his family.

Andrews and Freeman had arranged a damage control tag for elk on Andrews’ property in this corner of the Blue Mountains.

James would use Freeman’s rifle, a long-barreled 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum, topped with a Leupold scope and equipped with a bipod.

“I knew I was ready to go hunting again when I wanted to go shooting again.” That happened last spring, James said.

The IED that blew his Humvee into the air was hidden in a manhole and detonated with a walkie-talkie when the rear axle was over the bomb. The blast flipped the vehicle 2-1/2 times. James was thrown 151-feet like a rag doll in the same trajectory and he landed right in front of the vehicle. If the vehicle had rolled one more half-turn, it would have crushed him.

The doctors told him later he had a concussion, two broken ribs, collapsed lungs, a broken hip and internal injuries. He came out of his coma back in the States and redeployed the following summer.

Phillippe Freeman is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. Today he is a dentist in Bend, Oregon and something inside told him it was time to reach out to a younger Army vet and help him or her readjust.

He told Brian Davis and Brian Davis told me and I called Jake Carse from Home with Heroes. Carse told me about James and soon a plan was hatched.

Army veterans Kyle James and Phillippe Freeman practice with an unloaded rifle prior to an elk hunt in the Blue Mountains.

Under a Lemon Sky

We cut the tracks of a big herd late in the afternoon and worked our way up to a hay barn that commanded a view of the bottoms of three canyons. The six of us clambered up the stacks of hay and crawled on all fours under the low ceiling to take up positions in the corners.

There were two fires in the immediate vicinity and we could hear the helicopters working the mop-up of the Eldorado and Cornet-Windy Ridge blazes in the distance.

With the sun in the west, the mountain valleys and the tops of the yellowed grass were lit with an orange glow. We sat with our binoculars to our eyes and peered into thickets with the longer glass of the spotting scope.

Shadows grew longer and mule deer filtered out of the canyons. We glassed into patches of juniper and aspen, we counted bucks in the alfalfa and took turns napping.

I snapped awake at 7:15 and saw a deer come down a ridge. Right behind it, I saw chocolate-colored ears above the tops of the sage, silhouetted against a lemon-yellow sky.

“Elk,” I whispered, and that set off a scramble inside the hay barn as Freeman and James moved into position.

To get to the side of the barn, Freeman and James had to cross a four-foot void between

Photo by Gary Lewis

Photo by Gary Lewis

Elk on a hilltop in the Blue Mountains.

22 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Kyle James looks up the hill as Sam Pyke, Phillippe Freeman and Brad Andrews watch for elk.

the hay bales with an eight foot drop below them if they slipped. They managed to get to the other side and set up at the edge of the barn.

The lead cow had sensed something amiss, but there were so many hungry elk in the band, they didn’t pay any heed.

Elk streamed off the top of the hill, in ones and twos and knots of six and seven. We could see more coming down the hill.

Kneeling, both men’s eyes were on the elk and neither one saw the corrugated steel of the lower roof jutting toward them. Getting into position, the long rifle barrel tapped against the steel.

Photo by Gary Lewis

Home With Heroes Home With Heroes is a Northwest-based non-profit organization. A grassroots effort, the group is made up of fishermen, hunters, members of the community and like-minded sponsors who make it possible for veterans to experience hunting and fishing hosted by volunteers. Events include a banquet, bird hunting, deer camp, a golf tourney and a 5K Run & Gun. www.homewithheroes.com Clank. It was loud in the calm air. Several elk looked up and one knot of animals moved out of sight.

Using the corrugated steel for a rest, his hand balled beneath the rifle, James was on the trigger, Freeman beside him. The rest of us held our breath.

There were two spike bulls on the slope before us, two branch-antlered bulls were in the group knotted at the top of the hill. Elk milled on the high slope while the elk resumed feeding in front of us. All told, we could have counted close to 120 elk in the herd.

“Pick out a lone cow,” Freeman whispered. A shot crashed in the stillness and a few elk broke downhill for the open alfalfa fields, while the rest of the herd bunched on top of the ridge. We clambered down out of the hay and started up the hill to claim James’ prize.

At the end of it, under a sliver of moon in a smoky sky, James flashed a wide grin.

He was ready to start to work on his first elk, to put the nutritious, wholesome meat aside for his young family.

“I’m a hunter again. It feels good,” he said.

Healing takes time. For this young Army veteran, the road back to the Blue Mountains had been long and hard. Welcome home, Kyle James.

To order a signed copy of Gary Lewis’s Hunting Oregon, send $24.95 (includes S&H) to GLO, PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709 or visit www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com

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23

Move Out Day

M

ove out day. What visual does that conjure up for you? Do you picture a pile of cardboard boxes and furniture stuffed in a truck as you change homes? Maybe you picture a single box full of pens, note pads and assorted cubicle goodies as you move out of your job space?

I picture a huge pile of rods and reels, Plano boxes, ropes, PFDs, tools, spares and the rest of the stuff that normally resides in my 21-foot Ranger bass boat. You see, for me, move out day means emptying the boat for the season and that typically happens in late October around here.

Since I fish for a living, my boat is sort of my office. As such, it is full of everything I may need to catch any fish I may encounter in my travels, along with all the rest of the stuff that keeps me efficient on the water. I also sell my boats late every fall, which means nothing stays in it. While it’s a lot more work than you might

Chad LaChance

24 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

think to get a new boat every spring, set it up to my liking and pack it full of gear, just to use it for a season and then unpack the whole shebang and start over, it’s part of how I make my living. And to be clear, I’m not complaining about it! Besides, after 15 years of that process, I’ve learned that move out day and the two weeks afterwards is the right time to evaluate, clean, repair and replace any and all items that may need it. If you really want to see what you have and in what condition it’s in, pile all of it on your garage floor; you’ll find it’s very enlightening. In fact, even if I quit fishing for a living, I’d still go through the same process - it’s become that important to my angling success.

The move out process starts with the boat itself. No, not the act of actually moving stuff out, rather the evaluation process. Since I’ll be going through every compartment, it is a chance to see how my initial organization was versus what sort of entropy has taken place. In short, if tackle has migrated to new spots in the boat over the season, it must have done so for a reason, so perhaps it should be put there at the start of the next season.

Next, I download all waypoints, routes, trails and settings off the Lowrance sonar/GPS units before wiping their memory clean for the new owner. This is prime time to clean up duplicate or temporary waypoints and store the new ones, along with the settings, in my permanent archive. Here again, I’d do this yearly while it’s all fresh in my mind regardless of my boat swapping. Managing data is an integral part of serious angling these days and my archive is extremely valuable to me. Hence, I protect it.

Now for the more obvious move out day items like tackle and gear. I always work with the rods and reels first because they are fragile and need to be stowed in my ceiling rack for winter. Before stowing, I closely inspect each for damage to the guides, handle, reel seat and blank. Each reel is removed as part of that and then the rod is thoroughly cleaned. A Magic Eraser and a few cotton swabs work great for this task. The reels get the same basic treatment; inspect, thoroughly clean the exterior and spools (I don’t fully disassemble and service except as needed by performance feel) and then release pressure off the drag before putting it back on the rod for their winter’s nap. At this time, I start a spreadsheet for what line they will need before going back in use, along with a list of rods or reels that may need to be replaced.

You may think I’m crazy, but I go through every single compartment of every box, pulling out every lure and inspecting it. Hooks are replaced as needed and here again, my lure spreadsheet is updated for needed items. Each box itself is looked at closely for cracks or failing hinges before reorganizing the lures back inside. Terminal boxes get the same treatment, as does my leader kit (I carry small spools of Trilene fluorocarbon and mono ranging from 4# to 20# to use as leaders) and fishing tool kit (pliers, forceps, nippers, split ring pliers, etc).

Dock ropes, bumpers and the boat tool kit (prop wrench and hub kit, spare trolling motor prop and shear pin, basic tool set, electrical tape, etc) all get inspected too. Anything missing or damaged is replaced. I had a rotted dock line break once and cost me gelcoat damage; never again because I check them yearly. PFD’s and throwables are very thoroughly inspected for failing seams.

I use inflatable PFDs sometimes and they are checked to ensure the charging canister is full. These last couple of items may save you from a ticket should ‘The Man’ want to give you a boat safety inspection next spring.

I’m not suggesting that every weekend angler needs to be this thorough, but I do respectfully suggest you spend some time with your tackle before stashing it for winter. It’ll give you time to repair and replace as needed and get you ready to hit the water when spring rolls around. The peace of mind is worth it and besides, maybe you’ll come up with a few needed items for your Christmas wish list!

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26 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Holiday Cooking Roundup KingKooker Jalapeno Rack with Corer

Cajun Injector Creole Butter Combo

Put some spice in your holidays with the KingKooker 36-hole jalapeno rack. Use the included corerer tool to quickly hollow out your peppers and then stuff them with your favorite fillings.

Use in the oven or on the grill for delicious hors d’oeuvres to keep your guests satisfied while they wait for the main course.

When it comes to a moist, mouthwatering bird, nothing brings the flavor like Cajun Injector’s Creole Butter. The blend of oils and spices are just the ticket for the most delicious turkey that will leave guests clamoring for an invite every year.

It comes with an injector for shooting the flavor deep into the meat and also placing it under the skin for a perfectly crispy exterior and meat that retains it juiciness.

Presto 6 Quart Nomad Traveling Slow Cooker

A slow cooker is a great kitchen tool, usually but doesn’t travel well without spilling the contents. Presto has created a version that offers portability and ease of use in a single package.

Designed like a cooler on the outside, the Nomad Traveling Slow Cooker has a handle for easy carrying and a cool touch exterior for easy transport.

The removable pot is submersible for easy cleanup and the locking lid prevents spills. A marker and dry erase board allow you to write the contents on the front and a tray with bungees acts as a utensil rest and means to transport your serving spoon.

Take your slow cooked casseroles, soups, stews and roasts with you to grandma’s house without the hassle of transporting a traditional slow cooker.

Lodge 7 Qt. Oval Dutch Oven

Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer There isn’t much that tastes as delicious as a deep-fried turkey, but between the mess and expense of the gallons of oil, many choose to go the more traditional route and roast their bird in the oven. Now, thanks to infrared oilless frying, you can enjoy the flavor of a deepfried bird without the fuss. The Char-Broil Big Easy lives up to its name, making frying and cleanup fast and simple. Cooks birds up to 16-pounds and after coating them with some olive oil and injecting them with some Creole Butter, you will wonder why you ever cooked a bird any other way.

28 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

All of the amazing versatility of a cast iron Dutch Oven in a package attractive enough for the fanciest of dinner table is what you will find in the Lodge enameled 7-quart Dutch Oven. Large enough for roasting a small bird or for the largest of casseroles, this Dutch Oven provides even heating, quick cleanup and no need for seasoning, thanks to its attractive and durable enamel coating. Available in a variety of colors.

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Holiday Cooking Roundup New Buffalo 6 Quart Ice Cream Maker

What could be better with granny’s homemade apple pie than some home churned ice cream à la Mode? The New Buffalo ice cream maker combines old world styling of a wood bucket with the ease and convenience of an electric churn (No more tired arms for those old enough to remember hand churned ice cream). This updated version provides all of the fun and delicious enjoyment, without the hard work. But, in case the power goes out or you are far in the backcountry, this maker also includes a traditional hand crank so you can show the whipper snappers in your midst the way ice cream was made back in the day.

Camp Chef Deluxe Pellet Grill with Window

Throw away your old gas grill, retire that charcoal and upgrade to the newest pellet smoker and grill from Camp Chef. Featuring slide and grill technology to give you the best of flame broiled goodness or slow smoke, the Deluxe Pellet Grill also provides a window, so you can check on your meat while maintaining that perfect temperature. Dual probes allow you to see the internal temperature of your meat or the chamber temp with just a single push of a button. Easy ash cleanout and pellet swap means that maintenance time is minimal and you will never need a shop vac to use this grill. The 4,850 cubic inch cooking chamber is large enough to cook any size bird and the 22-pound hopper capacity means you can watch the game and not worry about refilling your pellets. This Sportsman’s Warehouse exclusive is sure to make the neighbors jealous.

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The new Sportsman’s series pellet grill is digitally controlled and features a viewing window, Camp Chef’s patented Ash Cleanout, and Smart Smoke Technology.

Check it out at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse store.

30 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

THE RUGER

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Holiday Cooking Roundup

GrillEye Smart Bluetooth Grilling & Smoking Thermometer

GrillEye is designed to withstand the tough conditions during grilling and smoking, without loosing its premium style that makes it stand out of the bunch. The screen is made of a specially coated polymer that keeps the device lightweight while reflecting the sunlight, thus allowing you to read temperatures easily. For each probe, the GrillEye displays the current and the target temperature, using two different LED indicators, so that you can see what’s cooking, even without your mobile. GrillEye uses a space-grade, aluminum rotating stand that allows you to adjust the device’s position and enhance your viewing angle, whether you are standing or sitting. No more disconnections when moving away from your grill or smoker. GrillEye uses true, long-range Bluetooth that guarantees a hassle-free grilling and smoking experience.

FireDisc Bamboo Cutting Board w/ Built in Knife Sharpener

Carve your bird without fear of damaging your knives or endangering your guests. Bamboo is a very durable material and provides a harder surface than most wood cutting boards, plus the natural bamboo grain pattern adds a very unique look that will stand out. The natural finish is carbonized, with no dyes or stains used. The glue has been tested for food-safety. The sleek board is scratch and moisture resistant and won’t dull knives. It has been treated with a special process to make it antibacterial. Rubber pads on the bottom keep the board from slipping. The built-in knife sharpener allows you to quickly touch up your blade while carving.

32 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Holiday Cooking Roundup LEM Products French Fry Cutter

Mashed potatoes are nice, but what is better than fresh homemade French fries? The LEM French Fry Cutter makes quick work of peeled potatoes and even works great for homestyle skin-on fries. Simply insert your spud and press the heavy-duty handle to quickly julienne an entire potato at once. A strong plastic frame and stainless-steel cutting blades quickly wash up in the sink or dishwasher for fast cleanup. It comes with both a thick and a thin cutting plate for regular or heavy fries.

Presto FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer No more worrying about the correct frying temperature. The FryDaddy automatically maintains the perfect frying temperature with no dials to set. Uses just 4-cups of oil to deliver that perfectly deep-fried goodness each and every time. No controls to set. Crispy, crunchy deep-fried food! Delicious French fries, shrimp, chicken, onion rings and more. Handy scoop lifts, drains and serves. No messy basket.

Easy to clean! Nonstick surface inside and out. The easy-to-store snap-on lid lets you store oil right in the fryer to use again and again.

Bear Paws

Bear Paws are the original, must-have BBQ accessory. A longtime favorite of BBQ experts across the nation, Bear Paws are specially designed for lifting and shredding meat. Channel your inner grizzly with the only meat shredding tool that fits your hands perfectly, acting like an extension of your arms and allowing you to shred meat without getting burned or melting your tools.

The super-sharp, meat-shredding “claws” are strategically spaced so meat won’t get stuck.

Bear Paws offer a much better way to shred meat than the traditional knife and fork. They also work great for transferring your hot turkey from the roaster to the platter.

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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PRO MEMBER UPDATE

Alaska Summit Guides Dall Sheep Hunt

By Shan Miller I’ll never forget the day that I received a text from Mike Deming. I tried to give him a call back but got his answering service. I then gave Kent Danjanovich a call and he informed me that I had just won the Pro Membership Sweepstakes drawing and that it was for an Alaskan Dall Sheep Hunt. Of all the prizes that are offered in the sweepstakes, this was the one that I had always dreamed of winning.

Day three presented the best weather of the trip and we were able to climb to an elevation of over 5,000 ft. We were able to glass up four possible shooters on this day. As you can see, the terrain if severe along these hog-backs and ridgelines. These areas are breathtaking, rugged mountains. Sheep hunts in Alaska are always rather physical as the sheep reside in the upper cliffs of steep mountain terrain.

34 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Fall weather in Alaska can be very wet. Temperatures range between 25-50 degrees and rain and snow are common. Staying dry and layering is the key to being comfortable. You need to keep in mind that you will be covering a lot of ground, both on the hunt and in and out of base camp. I had to be ready for tough terrain, water crossings and hours of glassing to find my animal of a lifetime.

From Anchorage, we hopped on a Cessna 206, arriving on a small landing strip (Tatitna airstrip along the route of the Iditarod course) near Rohn, AK. Then we crawled into a Super Cub, with just me, the pilot and my personal gear for our short, 20-minute flight to base camp. You never quite know what the weather will bring, so delays are the norm.

We landed at tree-line, above the alders along an old river bed, quite the experience for a southern Utah land-lover like me.

PRO MEMBER UPDATE Dall sheep inhabit the mountain ranges of Alaska.

They are found in relatively dry country and they frequent a special combination of open alpine ridges, meadows and steep slopes with extremely rugged “escape terrain” in the immediate vicinity. They use the ridges, meadows and steep slopes for feeding and resting. When danger approaches, they flee to the rocks and crags to elude pursuers.

They are generally high-country animals, but sometimes you can find them in rocky gorges below timberline.

As you can see, base camp is nothing fancy – a couple of good tents that will stand up to the elements, a sleeping bag and pad, a good backpack, freeze-dried meals with water from a nearby creek and good optics. In fact, we spotted our first ram of the trip from basecamp on our first evening. The hunt was six days, as I took my ram on our fifth day of the hunt, since I was not able to actually hunt on our first day in camp because of the “no hunting on flying days” policy in Alaska.

My guide for the trip, Steve Unfreid, is an experienced Alaskan sheep hunter and was instrumental in the success of my hunt. He was able to make the ultimate decision on the age of my ram. Alaska Range Dall sheep are really something special, with the area that we hunted holding an excellent population of sheep. Many amazing trophies are produced in the area that we hunted, as average age of a harvested Dall ram is 9.5 years of age.

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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36 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

NWTF- Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.

By Ross Melinchuk NWTF Vice President of Conservation

T

he National Wild Turkey Federation was formed in 1973 to help restore wild turkeys. Thanks to the efforts of state/federal/provincial agencies, corporations, private landowners and passionate NWTF volunteers and staff, wild turkey populations throughout North America have been restored from a historic low of about 200,000 to nearly 6.5 million birds today. The NWTF’s Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is now focused on maintaining those healthy, sustainable and huntable wild turkey populations for generations to come. An important part of doing that is active habitat management, which includes the use of prescribed burning or prescribed fire.

Unfortunately, many blame poor reproduction and observed declines in hunter harvest on the use of prescribed fire, particularly burns conducted during the growing season, which coincides with the spring nesting season for wild turkeys. While the loss of wild turkey nests to prescribed fire is a legitimate concern, a majority of wild turkey research shows very few turkey nests are lost directly because of springtime burns. Research suggests that hens prefer nesting in areas that have been burned within the past two years and not in high numbers in unburned areas because the habitat is too thick. For the few nests that are lost due to habitat management activity, predation or even weather-related events, it’s important to note that hens may re-nest up to three times.

Prescribed fire greatly improves nesting and brood-rearing habitat, both population-wide benefits that exceed the small-scale loss of individual nests. When conducting active management over a large area, wildlife managers must have a vision for how the work they are doing today leads to the ideal conditions for plant and animal populations to thrive in the future. Prescribed fire is one of the primary tools used to create and improve habitat for wild turkeys and other species that depend on young-growth or early successional habitat. Without fire, the least expensive and most efficient management tool we have available, maintaining current turkey populations would be much more difficult and expensive. As such, the NWTF strongly supports the use of prescribed fire to achieve habitat management objectives that will create ideal habitat for wild turkeys.

In general, smaller-sized burns, on a 2-3 year frequency, with a mix of timing between dormant and growing seasons are best for wild turkeys because this technique creates a true mosaic of habitat in various stages of growth. That is a best-case scenario, but one that many land managers cannot realistically implement or maintain. Private landowners typically have the most authority and latitude on how they use prescribed fire on their own lands; however, most state and federal agencies must consider multiple users and objectives for the properties they manage. Another major consideration is the scale at which these agencies must work and the available resources (money, time and staff) they have to work with at any given time. Using prescribed fire on 50 acres is very different compared to tens or even hundreds of thousands of acres that must be burned annually to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

The introduction of anti-fire messaging in the early 1900s led the public to believe that fire of any kind was bad, and, as a result, the use of prescribed burning dropped dramatically. More recently, concerns regarding liability, lack of training, air quality and public perception have further limited the use of prescribed fire. Now, a majority of our forests have become overgrown and do not provide the ideal mix of habitat for wild turkeys to live and reproduce. These conditions also have dramatically increased the risk and severity of devastating wildfires that lead to the loss of life, personal property and wildlife habitat. Such catastrophic wildfires can also cost taxpayers millions of dollars in fire suppression efforts.

Prescribed fire is an art as much as it is a science and it involves a complicated mix of environmental conditions that can change within minutes and certainly within the time span that a burn is conducted. Humidity, wind speed and direction, smoke dispersion, air temperature and other parameters are constantly changing and adjustments must be made accordingly. The timing of controlled burns and how they are applied influence how habitats respond and how wild turkeys use that habitat.

Seasonality (time of year), intensity (how hot), ignition type (how it is lit), frequency (how often) and scale (size) of the burns all depend on the specific property and the desired management objectives. No two burns ever behave the same, and, sometimes, there will be unintended consequences, such as areas that burn more or less than planned. This is an expected trade-off that still produces better habitat than not using prescribed fire at all.

The NWTF was established as a science-based organization and continues to apply science in our decision making. Knowledge gained with new technology, experience

and research, as well as on-the-ground observations, often changes how management decisions are made. As such, landscape-level management decisions should not be based on a single research project, but rather, decisions need to be based on a full body of research over time and the measured results of implementation in the field.

The NWTF will continue to work with and support our numerous partners to ensure they are making sound management decisions and implementing active habitat management according to the best available science and current, best-management practices. Keeping in focus the best interests of wild turkeys, turkey hunters, and conservationists, alike, has always been and will continue to be the NWTF’s priority.

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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38 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Becharof Rapids Camp

toric numbers (during our lifetime anyway), many river systems have started to struggle at times. But one river in the Bristol Bay region that has been literally on fire is the Egegik, with its headwaters beginning at the aforementioned Becharof Lake, about 300 miles southwest of Anchorage. All five Pacific salmon species make their way up the Egegik on their way to their spawning grounds yearly, to the waters of their birth to complete their life cycle.

Well, as luck would have it, I had the pleasure of meeting Dave Mandich, owner of Becharof Rapids Camp a few years ago at the Sacramento Intermountain Sports Expo. He took a few minutes from his busy schedule to fill me in on his location and operation at the show and then I took that information back to the office to do some more research about the area. Plans were quickly made for a visit that fall and the rest is history. 2018 marked my third visit to their camp, with each one even better than the last, which is pretty tough to do!

Each time we visit one of our Platinum Approved Outfitters and Lodges, we do a follow-up story on our visit and also film the trip for use in promoting their operation. Now because of the exposure we are able to give our endorsed lodges and outfitters, we get hundreds of calls and emails each year, asking specific questions about what each have to offer. If fact, many potential guests even ask when we will be visiting the operation again, in hopes of scheduling their trip to coincide with ours. And that was just the case this time around, as a couple of good friends of mine, along with some good friends of theirs, would be joining me and fellow Pro-Staffer, Steve McGrath on this trip, giving us eight of the 12 spots at the camp for our six-day trip, the first week of September.

By Kent Danjanovich

A

laskan water facts – Alaska has more than 40% of the entire nation’s surface water resources. About three-fourths of all fresh water in Alaska is stored as glacial ice that covers nearly 5% of the state. Alaska has more than 3,000,000 lakes, over 12,000 rivers, thousands of streams and creeks and an estimated 100,000 glaciers. Now that is pretty impressive!

Now here’s another tidbit of information that is interesting. Southwest Alaska (Bristol Bay) is home to the largest run of salmon in the state (over 61,000,000 in 2018), while also being home to the three largest lakes; Iliamna, Becharof and Naknek. It’s no wonder thousands of fishermen flock to this part of the state in search of salmon and all of the other creatures that depend on them.

Over the last few years, even with the salmon numbers in many areas reaching his-

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Now, just to let you know, it was no small feat just securing the spots for this trip.

Because of the success on the Egegik for sockeye and silver salmon over the past few years, the return clientele get the first crack at spots for the next season. We were fortunate enough to find a week that we could sneak into. We would also be able to work out the schedule to include an over-nighter at Gertrude Lake for a little rainbow, Arctic char and grayling action, as four of our group would fly directly to that camp, while the rest settled in at the main camp on the Egegik, targeting silvers.

Steve and I decided to split up in order for us to both be able to capture footage at both locations. Steve’s group would include most of the “younger” hikers, giving them the opportunity to get back into waters that hadn’t had much pressure and boy did they take advantage of the situation! Their group of four had two days of some of the best topwater action imaginable, both with mouse patterns and just about any dry fly offering. Rainbows and Arctic char to the mid 20’s and Arctic grayling to nearly 20-inches were the norm and in big numbers. And when we changed places with them the next night, our full day on the creek surrendered much the same, but on bead-head wooly buggers and caddis dries.

Meanwhile, back at the main camp on the Egegik – well, “hot and heavy” would definitely describe the fish – screaming hot silvers and yes, on the heavy side, with the average in the 12+ pound range. Let’s just say you know the fishing is exceptional when you have eight, hard-core fishermen that are willing to go in for lunch back at the camp, just to take a break from the non-stop action. And, when we got back to camp and the lunch line, Nancy had outdone herself with a seafood spread that was fit for a king! Beer-battered cod, crab legs, deep-fried calamari, salads, desserts – oh my!

After we had gorged ourselves and traded a few tall stories with the other guests, we all headed back out to another hot spot on the river, this time a short distance below camp in an area where the river opens up into an expansive ‘flats’ area. As we approached, fins and tails could be seen surfacing everywhere, as the wind was minimal and the water appearing like glass. Although most of us were throwing pink, purple, black or chartreuse bunny leeches and Dolly Llamas, others found the fishing just as hot with spin cast outfits, retrieving Mepps spinners and pixies.

We eventually made our way back to camp at about 5:30pm. As we talked it over with each other, our total number of fish landed that afternoon was well into the triple digits, resulting in a stringer full of 40, chrome bright silvers, just a few hours out of

40 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

the bay. In all, our group would harvest over 540-pounds of fillets that were processed, frozen and boxed by the staff for our trip back to the lower 48 at the end of the week.

Becharof Rapid Camp came through for the Sportsman’s News Team once again and you can bet it won’t be our last visit. Plans are already being made for a return trip during the 2020 season. Dave Mandich and his staff do a great job in all facets of their Alaska operation. Their accommodations are great for a remote camp, the food is outstanding and the fishing, well if you can’t tell from this article just how we feel about that – I guess you need to just get on the phone and book your own trip to southwest Alaska and Becharof Rapids Camp (360-532-7594). Their standard trip is six-days and five-nights, with everything taken care of once you get to King Salmon. Fly-outs can be incorporated as part of your trip or as an add-on (and they are highly recommended) for an additional fee. And don’t forget to tell them that Sportsman’s News sent ya!

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42 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

One Lucky Day Black Wildebeest Hunt

By Bob Solimena

I

t was a long November flight for my wife Tatyana and I from Sacramento, California to Johannesburg, SA . Our Professional Hunter, FC, met us at the Tembo Airport where we cleared my rifle and collected our baggage. Then we continued our journey by vehicle to the Free State province to hunt the elusive Black Wildebeest also known by the Dutch as, White -tailed Gnu. We were on a 15 day Safari with Bushman’s Quiver in Limpopo Province of South Africa.

Reaching our destination, host and hostess Jess and Jennifer welcomed us to their beautiful lodge, a rustic and warm place. We were beat to say the least. After relaxing in our room we met in the main dining room and bar. The conversation immediately focused on the 2016 USA presidential election and the victory of Donald Trump. We all were happy that he won. He would be a better president over Hillary and would be pro business and pro hunting. That was good for business, and good for conservation that hunters are a big part of. This is especially true in the case of the Black Wildebeest which were hunted to almost extinction in the 19th century but, thru good conservation and game management it is now considered “Least Concerned” by the IUCN ( International Union for Conservation of Nature).

This lodge is situated on a spacious concession with plains that stretch across to the base of mountains of varying heights. Some even have ancient Bushmans Caves with petroglyphs. My wife Tatyana and I took a short walk around the grounds to get

OUTDOOR WRITER'S CONTEST Sportsman’s News Outdoor Writing Contest Finalist See pg. 4 for entry details.

familiar with the area. Immediately we spotted various game off in the distance. I could make out herds of Blesbok, SpringBok, Cape Buffalo, & Black Wildebeest.

Closer in I spotted some Sable antelope, so majestic with their crescent shaped horns, shinny black hide, and white striped face. It all was a fantastic scene that reminded me how magical this land is and, for that matter how all of Africa is. With its game animals and eco diversification, Africa is like no other place on earth. I could not wait for the start of my hunt in the morning.

I had won this Safari in 2015 for 7 day plains game in a drawing at the annual Sportsmans Show in my home town. I was happy to add another 8 days so my non hunter wife Tatyana and I could see some sights and experience local places here on the Dark continent. Only seven of those days would be dedicated to hunting game with my custom 30.06 Griffin and Howe M1903 Springfield. Months before I had a new Stewart Edward White style English walnut stock fitted to it. I did the stock finishing work using thirty thin coats of Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil hand rubbed finish. A real nice classic weapon, one like that owned and used by Hemingway in his 1930’s and 1950’s trips to the Dark Continent. Back then, he used his Griffin & Howe 30.06 Springfield to harvest some of the big five like Rhino and Cape Buffalo as well as Kudu.

The rest of our journey would be used for other activities like a trip to Kruger National

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

43

OUTDOOR WRITER'S CONTEST

Park, Interactive Elephant experience in Limpopo Province, shopping at curio outlets in Modimolle and fishing in the Indian Ocean at Sodwana Bay Beach on the East Coast.

The next day, FC and my Tracker, Punge (pronounced Poongee) headed out to an area where I could take a few practice shots to see that the rifle was still sited in. At home I only have access to a 100yd public range where I adjusted the Redfield Revolution 2-7X Accurange reticle scope to place the Remington 180 grain PSP CoreLokt bullet approximately 3” high. This made the bullet strike point blank at 225 yards. With this setup it is within the killing zone of most any plains game without having to worry about bullet drop. It

worked nicely! My practice shots that day confirmed the rifle was still dead on.

I hopped onto FC’s Toyota pick-up with Punge driving. The bed of the truck had a custom rack with padded seats and a cab roof overhang. The overhang was sturdy, padded and made for a very nice vantage point to shoot from if needed. As Punge steered us along I had such a great joy in being in South Africa again. The last time was 2012. The rolling hills, plains, and distant mountains were breathtaking. Tatyana stayed back at the lodge and was scheduled to visit some petroglyphs with Jess. I knew she would enjoy her day with the camera.

The weather was clear and sunny for this November day and my expectations were high as I could see in the distance herds of game. We past Springbok, Cape Buffalo and a small pond where I could just make out the protruding snout of a Hippo.

We don’t get to see these images on hunts back home.

In time we caught up to a herd of Black Wildebeest. When we got to within a few hundred yards the lead bull spotted us and led his troupe running, jumping and whisking their white tails in the air. Punge slowly and carefully followed the herd as they settled down to watch us and satisfy their curiosity. Again, as we got closer, they took off running, this time in a large circular pattern around our vehicle just out of range. At times some of them bucked and kicked their hooves high in the air while whipping their tales stretched out behind them. It was almost as if they knew we could not get a shot and were making fun of the situation. I had to laugh.

We kept trying to get within range but the wildebeest eluded us. This continued for most of the morning. We took a break and had some snacks. While glassing the plains we spotted some springbok off in the distance about 300 yards away. Right behind them were two nice wildebeest running and circling our truck. One was a good bull. They passed us out of range. The larger bull ran up a slope that was directly in front of the vehicle and stopped broadside about 200 or 250 yards away, the smaller one right behind. FC said “take him”. So, when Punge stopped the truck I steadied on the padded overhang and squeezed off a shot. The bull flinched and kicked up his back hooves. I could see dust fly behind. Both bulls turned and went over the ridge.

FC said it looked like a good hit. I wasn’t so sure.

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46 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

OUTDOOR WRITER'S CONTEST We waited a while, then FC signaled to Punge. He drove the truck slowly around the base of the hill and eased to the flat top above. We spotted the two bulls way out on the flat hundreds of yards away. The smaller bull was grazing but my bull was just standing there. We watched for a while to see if he would drop. Behind the two bulls were more wildebeests grazing and laying around. My bull just stood there not eating.

FC and I thought that was strange and hoped he was going to go down any minute.

That did not happen. Meanwhile FC sent Punge on foot to search for any blood back at the spot where he was standing when I took the shot. Nothing!

After about an hour or so my bull started moving and feeding with the smaller one.

We glassed him for any sign of blood or injury. Nothing. FC and I decided it was a clean miss and that my shot was probably low. We returned to the lodge for lunch.

I explained to Jess who was back with my wife for lunch, that I tried to aim low for a heart shot as the bull was above us on top of the ridge. His feeling was in that case I shot just under the bull's belly. He suggested that, next time, I aim for the Heart/Lung area which is about two to four inches above the point where the front leg meets the body, just like I would when hunting plains animals back home.

After lunch we went back to check on the bull once more, as FC wanted to be sure.

We first went to the spot where he stood when I shot. Again, there was no blood anywhere. On the other side of the ridge where we last saw the pair, there was no sign of blood or of either wildebeest. They both must have joined the rest of the herd.

I felt disappointed but was glad he was not wounded. We continued our hunt attempting to get within range of a good mature bull. But, like earlier in the day, they kept playing tag with us. As the afternoon wore on things were not looking good.

We stopped to glass a new area and FC spotted a herd way off in the distance. He signaled to Punge to head in their direction. This game of cat and mouse continued.

Punge inched up slowly as the herd crisscrossed ahead of the truck always out of range. On our next approach, Punge decided to flank the herd on the right. This caused them to spread out in a straight line as we got closer and closer. Now, Punge slowed the vehicle to a crawl which allowed him to cut our distance in half. As we inched closer the herd flipped around and headed back where they came from speeding by the left side of the truck.

Punge turned to follow. The lead bull stopped and the herd calmed for a second.

We were just over 200 yards away when FC pointed to the last bull and said “take him”. He was broadside. I rested on the padded overhang, put the crosshairs right on the Heart/Lung triangle and squeezed off a shot. At the roar of the muzzle the herd took off running. My bull lunged forward a few steps and dropped. His tail waving. I was elated.

We walked over to him and I could see he was a large mature bull with heavy bosses. We admired this magnificent trophy; he was hard won. And, thanks to FC and Punge we got the job done. We took pictures, loaded the wildebeest into the Toyota and headed back to the lodge. The sun was now starting to set in the beautiful South African sky and I remember feeling how fortunate I was to be here again on the Dark Continent.

Just before reaching the lodge, FC and I got out to stretch our legs. We were about 200 yards from the road when we noticed a long line of blesboks strung out across the landscape only about 80 yards ahead. There were all kinds of phase colors and with the red evening sky in the background it was a gorgeous sight. How lucky we were to witness it.

We arrived back at the lodge by dark, helped Punge hang our trophy and went in for dinner. After a scrumptious meal we sat back at the bar and discussed the days events with my wife and our hosts. Tatyana enjoyed her trip to the Bushmans caves nearby and saw many of the petroglyphs created by the ancient rock dwellers known as Bushman who inhabited this area before any white settlers, mainly Portuguese and Dutch, arrived on the shores at Cape of Good Hope.

By now we were tired and called it a night. With the events of the day still fresh in my head I fell into a happy slumber anticipating our trek in the morning to the next concession near Modimolle where we would continue our quest for plains game. FC told me later the next day that there was only one day scheduled to hunting the Black Wildebeest. Knowing that beforehand would have caused me to put more psychological pressure on myself to perform. As it turned out, on that day, I was very relaxed thinking there was more than a day to harvest this sought after trophy.

It was my “One Lucky Day Wildebeest Hunt”

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48 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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TRIPLE DUTY 8.5-25X50 RIFLESCOPE

Tested and recommended by the National Tactical officers Association, this high-power riflescope features a large 50mm objective lens and a Mil-Dot reticle that offers bright, crisp images at long distances. Designed for superior range estimation and long-distance shooting, the 8.525x50 Riflescope utilizes cutting-edge glass with fully multi-coated optics for exceptional clarity.

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50 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Outdoor Edge WildPak Game Processing Set

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

W

hether you are breaking down your game in the field or fabricating cuts of meat in your kitchen, the indispensable tool everyone needs is a good sharp knife that not only takes an amazing edge but is quick and easy to sharpen on the go. For that, the standard blade is 420 stainless steel. It is hard enough to hold a decent age, yet soft enough to allow anyone to quickly touch it up with a stone, steel, or carbide wedge.

Basic 420 Stainless is the standard butcher knife material because it takes minimal care to prevent rusting and staining of the metal. This metal is also less reactive to acids and astringent cleaners. It is tough enough to allow significant lateral force to be applied without cracking or chipping.

Outdoor Edge makes a variety of field dressing knives out of 420J2 Stainless.

Their latest offering is the WildPak, a three-knife set with taper ground edges and comfortable rubberized handles. The antler shape embossed into the handle is more than just decorative. It perfectly molds with your hand for improved grip and control. The material out of which the handle is made is spongy enough to provide a grip even when wet with blood, but firm enough to give incredible comfort and controllability. It comes in a blaze orange so it is easy to find if you set it down in leaves or grass.

The blades are eight hundredths of an inch thick for greater flexibility that is needed for removing meat from bone. Each of the blades provides full-tang construction for greater strength along the length of the entire knife. The kit includes the WildSkin skinning knife with a gut hook, the WildCape caping knife, and the WildBone boning and filet knife. The entire kit also includes a serious 6-inch bone and wood saw with the same material in the handle as the knives, a rib cage spreader, a carbide sharpener, vinyl gloves, and is included in a hard-sided case for transport or storage. The weight of the entire set is just 2.3 pounds and is compact and lightweight enough to toss in your pack for breaking down your animal on the spot.

PRO'S PICK

WildSaw

The saw features a push-style handle made of the same material as the knives for an excellent grip with less fatigue than a straight handle. The bi-directional teeth cut in the forward and rearward directions to speed cutting through both wood and bone.

A slight flex of the blade helps prevent binding, as does the polished stainless-steel construction. A reinforcing shroud between the handle and the 6-inch blade give it even more strength for heavy cutting power.

Steel-Stick

The stainless steel rib spreader hinges in the center for ease of storage, but unfolds to provide 10 inches of spread. Lightening holes in the body reduce weight and still provide ample strength to spread even narrow ribs. A heavy steel rivet acts as the pivot hinge and it includes a stop to prevent it from collapsing.

Carbide Sharpener

The kit includes an Outdoor Edge carbide sharpener to quickly touch up your blade in the field. The super hard carbide V glides over the edge aligning and polishing it to a razor sharpness. The handle is made of the same material as the knife handles and includes a safety guard.

Each piece of this set is a useful tool for dressing game by itself, but as a kit, you have all of the tools you need to quickly break down an animal in the field and process it like a professional. And at around $40 for the entire set, you can have professional grade tools without the professional grade price tag. This is an indispensable tool in my hunting pack and you should consider adding it to yours.

WildSkin

The WildSkin knife has a 3.75 in blade with a draw-style gut hook on the back. It is 8.5 inches overall length with a modified trailing point.

The prominent gut hook on the back is a virtual zipper for opening the skin without risking slicing open the entrails.

WildCape

The WildCape will become your go-to knife for every purpose from cutting cordage, separating tendons, general purpose use. The 2.5-inch blade is ideal for a variety of general camp uses as well as for fine detail work breaking down your animal. The 8-inch overall length makes it a perfect fit for a variety of tasks. A ricasso on the upper edge, as well as an extended choil provide precision control of the blade for fine detail work.

WildBone

Thin and wicked, the WildBone boning/fillet knife has nice flexible blade for sliding meat cleanly off the bone and is also excellent for removing the skin from fish. A short ricasso just forward of the choil is just long enough to pinch between your fingers for superb control.

The 5-inch long blade gives the knife an overall length of 9.4 inches.

November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

51

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

A

Venison Taco Stuffed Potatoes

little Tex-Mex with that potato, oh you better believe it! Add a salad to make this a full meal, or use it as a filling side dish. Everyone in the family will like this tasty twice cooked potato. Kick them up with some extra heat for the chili heads out there. Love these babies.

Ingredients

• 6 Large Russet Baking Potatoes • 3 cloves of garlic, diced • Bacon grease (you can substitute veg- • 1 pound ground venison etable oil, but why?)

• ¼ cup or 1 packet of taco seasoning • Kosher salt • ¼ cup water • ½ cup sour cream • ½ cup cilantro, chopped • ¼ cup milk • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese • 1 tablespoon olive oil • Some chopped scallions and tomatoes • 1 small onion, chopped for topping • ½ cup bell pepper, chopped

Preparation Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry the potatoes. Using a fork, poke a few holes in each side of the potato to allow moisture to escape during cooking. Coat the spuds with bacon grease and salt liberally. This will insure a tasty outside to go

52 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

along with the tasty inside! Bake directly on the oven rack for about an hour. Check to make sure they are soft. Cook longer if not completely tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once they can be handled, cut each potato in half, and scoop out the inside leaving at least ¼ inch of flesh around the skin. Put all the scooped insides into a large bowl.

Combine the potatoes with the sour cream and milk, and mash until mixed but still a bit chunky. Set aside and cook the meat.

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, and add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté’ until the onion become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Venison and continue to cook until the meat is browned. Stir in the taco seasoning and water; cook another minute or two until the seasoning becomes a sauce.

Put the meat into the bowl with the potato mixture. Fold in the chopped cilantro and ¾ of the cheese .Blend well. You are now ready to fill the potato skins back up.

Stuff the mixture generously into the skins, mounding it over the top. Place in a baking dish and top them with the remaining cheese. You will probably have some filling left over, it makes a tasty burrito!

Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese is melted and the top begins to brown.

Garnish with chopped tomatoes and scallions.

I like a darker beer with this dish, try a porter or a stout. On the wine side I would recommend a Sangiovese. Cheers!

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November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

53

Adventures On A Budget

The Coues Deer: A DIY Arizona Ghost Hunt

By Terry T. Clapp

W

e often hear of great Coues deer hunting south of the border in northern Mexico. Such hunts have some elements of intrigue indeed, the stuff dreams are made of. But, why not live out your dreams by hunting the mythical ‘gray ghost’, Coues deer of the Desert Southwest in border states like Arizona and New Mexico? A Coues deer hunt in southern Arizona is a friendly place where Coues deer hunting dreams come true. You will be required to leave your long johns at home. Here you will experience the beautiful Sonoran Desert, a few Sky Islands and some nice little mountains.

Included with all this is also wonderful Arizona winter temperatures.

54 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

The following are a few steps to take in your preparation for the hunt: Homeland Security Issues This DIY southern Arizona hunt is economically viable and 110% safer than any such hunt in Mexico. Yes, there are Homeland Security issues in all border states, but in Arizona, your back is covered by the best in America. Your Border Patrol allies have eyes in the sky as well as boots on the ground. In hunting near the border, you may trip an electronic sensor or be glassed up because you are carrying a weapon. Border Patrol and even Federal Wildlife Agents working National Wildlife Areas may be checking you out. This may cause a little anxiety, but it’s comforting to know they are there. Be sure to carry all your hunting permits and tags along with proper identification. These folks have got your back in Arizona, in Mexico, not so much!

Planning, License, Tag Fees and the Draw Ten percent of all available big game tags in Arizona are set aside for non-residents.

Mule deer are found just about everywhere in Arizona. White-tailed deer are found south of Flagstaff, through Central Arizona, all the way to the Mexico border. The best Coues deer range is south of Tucson to the border with Mexico. Hunting any unit east or west of the I-19 is good. Leftover tags, if any for these White-tailed only hunts, are gone by late July. The deadline to apply through the annual draw is the second Tuesday of June each year. The best chance for any rifle deer hunt is through the formal draw application process. Rifle hunts are usually late October, running off and on through November and December. Remember, the regulations do not speak of the Coues deer. Such hunts are listed under the white-tailed only hunts.

A deer tag for a non-resident is $300.00 plus a $15.00 application fee. A non-resident hunting and fishing combination permit is an additional $160.00 and is required.

Check online with Arizona Game and Fish for details. Archery season has over-thecounter availability state wide. The sure-fire way to get into Coues country is with a bow. The nice thing is all the Arizona archery deer hunts, except one white-tailed only hunt, include any antlered deer i.e. (Mule deer and white-tailed including the Coues).

The bow hunter can hunt just about anywhere in the state. The full advantage of the rut is always with the bow hunter. Bow season is off and on starting in late August, into early September, then mid-December through January in most locations (See 2018-2019 Hunt Regulations for details.) With a little planning, a bow hunter can also hunt Javelina as a sidebar while hunting the Coues, mule deer or other white-tailed

Adventures On A Budget

deer. The price of the bow tag is $15.00 cheaper than the rifle hunt because there is no application fee.

Where to Hunt the Coues From Phoenix, take the I-10 to Tucson. Once in Tucson, stay on the I-10 to State Highway 83 and go south on the 83 to Sonoita, where the road turns into the 82 Highway going east and southwest or continue south on the 83. From these highways, you can hunt Units 34 A, B or 35A, B hunting in any direction from the 83 and 82. These hunt units are east of the I-19.

Many hunters hunt around the Patagonia area. From Tucson, you may go south on the I-19 towards Nogales.

Take the Arivaca Junction exit and head west on Arivaca Road to Arivaca. Hunt any of these Units; 36 A, B or C. To hunt any of these units with a rifle, you need to apply and get drawn for a specific hunt unit. You may hunt any of these units with an over-the-counter bow permit.

To the west of I-19 Arivaca is the last place to get supplies. Diesel fuel can be an issue in these more remote locations, so take extra fuel if needs be. The best places for supplies are along the I-19. The same can be said for places to eat and lodge. Motels along the I-19 are located around the freeway from Green Valley to the border.

Rates are in the $70 to $100 per night range. Book these far in advance to insure you have a place to stay if not camping.

with her .308 at 418 yards. This Coues was taken during a late November, ‘Any Antlered Deer Hunt for Youth Only’.

August and September bow hunts are hot in Arizona. The December and January bow hunts are ideal for hunting, as it is cool and should be peak rut time. Be sure to take lots of water no matter what time of the year you are hunting in Arizona.

This is a very fun hunt. You should be able to glass up a bunch of deer daily, no matter what time of year it is. Most of the deer you see will be does. But where there are does, there are bucks. If camping, your gear does not need to be heavy duty nor does your clothing. Public lands for hunting in Arizona abound. Arizona is the sixth largest state and most of it is public.

A four-wheel drive pick-up or Jeep would be fine. Need I say more?

Set expenses for this trip are $460 to $475 for hunt permits and license fees. The upside to the license fee is that the license is good for one year from the date of purchase. This includes small game hunting as well as fishing. Remember, Arizona has some of the best dove hunting in America and fishing at Lee’s Ferry or Lake Powell is wonderful. Allegiant Airlines flies into Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona. You can get from most places that Allegiant flies to for about $300.00 round-trip, including two bags paid for in advanced. That leaves about $225.00 for car rental. I’m fairly sure you will not lose any hunt time to bad weather.

Arizona’s diversity will wow you. Yes, you might even see a mountain lion! Jaguars too have been spotted in these southern Arizona environs and if sighted, should be reported as they are an endangered species. In my eyes, a trip to Arizona is always a win-win!

Field Conditions The elevations in these hunt units is in the 3,000- to 6,500-foot range. The canyons here are beautiful and many. The Coues are usually found higher up the mountains than the mule deer in these units. Take good glass and be prepared to walk. The flatter the shooting rifle, the better. Shooting across canyons is to be expected. The girl in the picture took her Coues buck across a canyon November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

55

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56 November 2018 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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