Sportsman's News February 2017 Digital Edition

SPECIAL GUN CLEANING EDITION FREE

February 2017 | Volume 13 | Issue 2

Majestic Valley Elk

Dave Canterbury

10 Cs of Survival Combustion

Enter To Win An Elk Hunt

With Every DVD Purchase See Pg. 42 for details

Big beautiful elk are what you can expect with Majestic Valley Outfitters in Utah.

Gary Lewis

Slapping Leather Cowboy Style

Be A Jerk

Chad LaChance

Simple Trips Tips

Best Jerky and Sausage Making Products

Page 8

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 NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Shane Chuning 435-592-6106 schuning@sportsmansnews.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Lisa Deming info@sportsmansnews.com VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER James Dansie jdansie@sportsmansnews.com

Subscribers should contact Managing Editor for changes of address.

Sportsman’s News is published monthly.

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

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February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

WHAT’S INSIDE

WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER

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4 Majestic Valley Outfitters

By Michael Deming

ack to basics! It is truly amazing the amount of information and knowledge you gather over years of being in the field; especially when you spend a lot of your time with other professionals. I’m talking about men and women who spend hundreds of days a year in the field and help themselves, as well as clients, harvest animals consistently. We often take for granted the knowledge we have acquired over all these years. Just as Sitka Gear refers to their Pro Staff as Professional Athletes, that’s what we are.

I often make the assumption that someone who has been an outdoorsman or woman for a number of years has an equal amount of experience and I find myself not sharing my knowledge with them on a basic level. However, with the Pro Membership Sweepstakes, we have had the opportunity to take average, everyday people on world class trips. Even though these winners might have hunted or fished for years, most don’t know what we know and they are a sponge when it comes to picking up tips and tricks to make them better in the field.

Over the past few months, I’ve had many conversations about this exact thing with other professionals and the true art of being an outdoorsman or woman is not being passed down to the masses. Here at Sportsman’s News, we feel that it is time to go back to the basics in that manner.

You will start seeing columns in the paper as well as video on our YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms sharing some of the very basics to help people get started in the outdoors.

Whether it is hunting, fishing or camping, you will have a resource on how to be a proficient outdoorsman or woman. So, make sure you pick up your copy of Sportsman’s News each and every month at Sportsman’s Warehouse or get a free digital copy delivered to your email by signing up at www.sportsmansnews.com Those of you who want an opportunity to travel with the Pro’s should become a Sportsman’s News Pro Member. This is the largest outdoor sweepstakes in history and for those that win, you will be in the field with one of our team members to share the experience as well being part of the video of that event. We will once again provide more than $300,000 worth of trips, guns and gear throughout the year. These are the very best trips with the very best dates with our Platinum Approved Outfitters, which have been thoroughly vetted over the past twelve years. In most cases, we have booked these trips two years in advance to insure that we can have the very best trips.

We do a major giveaway every ten days and this gives our members something to look forward to nearly each and every week of the year. These are also great gift ideas.

Some of our largest giveaways this year include another Desert Bighorn Sheep hunt in Sonora, Mexico; Dall Sheep hunt in Alaska; Kodiak Island Brown Bear hunt with world famous outfitter Larsen Bay Lodge; and a 4th season landowner voucher and fully guided hunt with Colorado Hunting Expeditions in Dolores, Colorado, which is the region where the world record typical mule deer came from back in 1972. The center spread of this issue shows you all of the giveaways for the next 12 months. So, if you aren’t a member as of now, you might just want to consider it.

The odds of winning are way better than trying to draw most of the good tags of the west.

We film each and every one of these drawings and post them on our YouTube channel so that you can see the process. If you would like to see the process or become a member, log onto promembersweepstakes.com. Once you become a member, you will be entered into all 36 grand prize drawings for the entire year. We also usually giveaway between 3 and 6 bonus prizes in each drawing as well. This consists of knife sets from Outdoor Edge, Alps OutdoorZ packs that we use here at Sportsman’s News and also Sig Optics is providing us twelve of their rangefinders to give away throughout the year, and much more. Lots of great prizes for all of those who enter.

Big Elk In The Mountains Of Utah

Sitka Subalpine 8 The Ascent You Know With A New Pattern.

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10 Fishful Thinker: Tips For Simple Trips K ISS Advice For Your Fishing Planning.

Platinum Approved Outfitters 14Choose A Sportsman's News Endorsed Guide For Your Next Trip.

18 10 Cs of Survival

Part 2: Combustion Devices

22

Pro Member Sweepstakes

Over $300,000 In Giveaways. Drawing Every 10 Days.

24

24

Pro's Tip: Deep Cleaning Guns

Getting Down And Dirty With Your Dirty Guns

28 Jerky and Sausage Making Products

Top Products For Making Your Favorite Snacks

31

PacWest Outdoors: Strapping On Sixguns

Playing Cowboy with SASS.

36 Pro-Member Update Hunt Hard

38 NWTF - Utah Banquets Save the Habitat - Save the Hunt

40 Pro's Pick: Hoppes Gun Medic

31

9-1-1 For Your Gun

42 Business Directory 44 Wild Game Recipe: Venison Wellington Crispy and delicious pastry wrapped venison

46 Adventures On A Budget: Cold Water Smallmouths Hooking them up on Alabama's Pickwick Lake

48 Outdoor Writing Contest: Fly Fishing With Wes A fitting memorial for dad

50 Barebow!Sagas: Two Monsters With One Arrow Killing more than just a world record grizzly

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chad LaChance Dave Canterbury Gary Lewis Steve Mayer John Felsher Michael Grismer Dennis Dunn

Sincerely,

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

3

Under Promise And Over Deliver At Majestic Valley Outfitters

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By Michael Deming

he first hunt of the year is something we all look forward to. The anticipation of what is in store makes me feel like a young boy at Christmas. The thoughts of what might happen in the coming days keeps me up at night.

Our team usually spends the entire summer scouting heavily for these first hunts of the year, but poor luck in the draw had us scrambling for a hunt in our home state of Utah. However, a call from my good friend, Tyler Watson, would put us in action for the opening weekend of archery elk season. He wanted us to do an outfitter evaluation trip and consider his new operation for our Platinum Approved endorsement.

Tyler cut his teeth in the hunting industry at another one of our Platinum Approved Outfitters and he had vast experience and had consistently proven himself as a good hunter. However, this would be an entirely new operation and with new property. Tyler started Majestic Valley Outfitters to give him the opportunity to develop and grow his business as he saw fit. Knowing his experience and his positive attitude as well as our lack of tags, I was happy to plan a trip with his new operation.

This archery elk hunt with Majestic Valley Outfitters was something which I was truly looking forward to, even though I didn’t get to scout myself. I had numerous calls with Tyler throughout the summer to discuss the hunt, animal quality, lodging and other aspects of the hunt. To say he was fairly closed-lipped on everything would be an understatement. By the time late August arrived, I was confident that I would have a warm bed, food, and we would probably see a few elk throughout the week of

This is the caliber of buck you can expect with Majestic Valley Outfitters in Northern Utah

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February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

our hunt. Other than that, I was trying to keep my expectations to a minimum.

The day before the opening of elk season, we met Tyler in northern Utah and convoyed to the ranch. As we pulled up to the gate to enter the ranch, I was absolutely awe-struck. We weren’t entering a ranch, but more of an estate. The double-entry electronic gate was just the beginning. As we drove up the hill into the ranch, it got even more exquisite. The garage was the first thing we passed after entering the ranch, as it holds a fleet of new Polaris Rangers to get around. Next was the boat house, which sits beside a small pond teaming with hungry trout. A fully refurbished Pony Express cabin is the next thing you get to see. I was about to forget that we were here to elk hunt, when we rolled around the corner to see a freshly cut alfalfa field which was teaming with over a hundred head of elk. Cows, calves and twenty-plus bulls were enjoying the good eats as well as some pre-rut activity. Two pretty good bulls were posturing at the far end of the field and both would be worthy of my tag the next morning. This was what I was hoping for, but not expecting since it was early in the afternoon and still ninety-degrees outside.

The main lodge was truly the icing on the cake and qualifies as one of the nicest places I’ve ever seen. Way more than I expected or could have ever imagined. It is somewhere north of 12,000 square feet with enough bedrooms and baths to house a small army. It sits along an alfalfa field with great views of all the elk coming to the fields. To say that this was a place you wouldn’t expect as a hunting camp, would be an understatement.

Since it would just be me and my cameraman, with Tyler guiding us personally, he said that we could stay in the guest house. I embraced something a bit smaller as well as hopefully not so pristine. The guest house was a bit smaller, but equally as nice. It is a beautiful cabin and a little more of what I’m accustomed to in a high-end lodge.

We settled in and got our gear ready for the next mornings’ hunt. We decided to walk up to the alfalfa field for the last thirty minutes of daylight to evaluate the possible candidates on the property. Our herd had nearly doubled in size over the past 3-hours since our arrival and one big 6X7 had our attention. He was in the 330-340” range and a great bull for an over the counter type of tag. It was obvious that this hunt was undersold and over delivered.

The plan for the mornings’ hunt would be to spot the alfalfa field in the morning and see what direction our target bulls would head and then use the terrain to get in front of them. We could hear the herd talking well before daylight, which usually isn’t a good sign. As the grey light finally started to creep in, we could see the entire

Buck Commander's Tombo Martin, Adam LaRoche, and guide and outfitter Tyler Watson with the 188-inch buck Tombo killed. Watch for the show on the Outdoor Channel.

mountain moving with elk well above the field. We scrambled to the Ranger in hopes of getting ahead of the herd. However, the wind switched on us and we were forced to watch the herd settle into the oak brush for their full day of rest. Tyler smiled and said, “we will have a good shot this afternoon, I have a blind up by them”. Sure enough, when we got to the blind for our afternoon sit, there was a lot of fresh sign and the trail camera had a lot of pictures. Our big 6X7 didn’t hit the water, but many of the other ones did. So, we hoped he would give us a shot in the afternoon.

We were in the blind by 3 pm and ready for a six-hour sit if needed. Nothing moved until just before sunset and the first thing I saw was a huge tine through the brush. I was set for a shot, when a huge typical mule deer stepped out. He was a giant and had I decided to purchase a deer tag instead of an elk tag, I could have had a chip shot at 30 yards.

Instead, we just got to shoot him with the camera and enjoy the show. Deer tags are premium on this ranch and fall under the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit or CWMU, which means they

Michael Deming with Sportsman's News casting a fly on one of MVO's great fishing holes. When you finish early with your hunt or just want to come down and wet a line, most of their ranches have great fishing to pass the down time or get a little R&R. get extended season dates and tags don’t have to be drawn through the drawing process. Seasons for these CWMU’s go into November during rut time, but I was really wishing I had one right then.

For the next five days, we would chase the elk in the morning up the hills and sit the water holes for the afternoons. The first day of the hunt was the only day I didn’t have an opportunity to kill a bull. Either morning or evening and sometimes both yielded shot opportunities, but none were at the bull I was targeting.

We were seeing new bulls arrive each and every day and we now had five bulls of 330” or better to go after. The big, 6X7 was still our primary target, but a new super wide 6X6 was running a close second.

Sportsman's News Publisher and CEO Michael Deming, hunting early archery elk in the Utah mountains saw a lot of bulls, but was unwilling to drop the string unless he had a shot at the big 6x7 he had targeted on day-one.

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Michael Deming holding a nice tiger trout he caught in-between the action on his archery elk hunt.

This 6x6 bull pulled a fake-out on us on the last day of the hunt. No worries, we will be back and see him again.

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February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Here at Sportsman’s News, we are known for often getting it done on the last day. We watched the elk leave the field on our last morning hunt, but neither of our biggest bulls were anywhere to be seen.

Knowing that we had to be on the road by early afternoon, we needed to get aggressive with one of the remaining candidates. We hustled around the mountain on the Ranger and then took off on foot. We could hear many of the bulls bugling as they filtered through the oak brush. Our previous days in this bedding area gave us a bit of an advantage to know where there were some openings. Although we were out of breath, we had gotten ahead of the major portion of the herd and were in position to make a play.

I had just gotten my breathing under control when I saw tines coming up the hill. We were thirty yards below the trail this bull would travel on if he continued on his current path. He was a good 6-point and just around the 300” mark with a couple of cows in tow. I had passed on several bulls bigger during the week in hopes of killing a giant, but with only a few hours left in our hunt, I now just wanted to fill the freezer.

As he closed in on our shooting lane, he stopped and looked back across the canyon. He let out a bugle and looked in our direction. My cameraman, James Dansie quietly exclaimed, “another bull”. I slowly rotated my eyes across the canyon to catch the big, wide 6X6. He stood in the morning sun and responded to the challenger’s bugle. My mind raced, thinking that we just might get this done and with our target bull.

They exchanged bugles back and forth and the smaller 6X6 decided it was time to head over the hill with his cows. In fifteen yards, he would be perfectly quartering away in my shooting lane and it was time to make a decision - take the sure thing or wait for the big one. I clipped onto my D-loop and came to full draw, but watched him walk through my shooting lane without trying to stop him. I let down my bow and looked back at the wide 6X6. He bugled more aggressively and started walking in our direction.

I was coming uncorked thinking that our patience was going to pay off. He disappeared out of sight and would likely come up the hill on our side and on the same trail of the bull we just passed on.

A few minutes passed without any sign of the bull or a sound. The bull finally appeared and it was on the same trail we had last seem him. However, he was headed back towards the side of the mountain he had originally appeared on. He gave us one last look before he disappeared as if to say, “I got ya”.

We had passed on many good bulls throughout the week, in hopes of harvesting an exceptional one. We saw numerous giant trophy mule deer, had 10,000 private acres to ourselves, and enjoyed the best accommodations and food a hunter could ever imagine. Yes, when it comes to enjoying the overall experience and having a hunt of a lifetime, Majestic Valley Outfitters and Tyler Watson delivered way more than anyone could ever expect. I’ll be back again next year, in hopes that my big, 6X7 made it through the season!

Majestic Valley Outfitters, visit them on the web at majesticvalleyoutfitters.com or give Tyler a call at 801-430-0885.

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Sitka Gear Launches The Next Great Thing With Optifade Subalpine

The ability to blend in to the forest floor is amazing with Optifade Subalpine. Find the hunter in this photo.

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t’s been over a decade since Sitka Gear burst onto the scene of the outdoor community. They literally took the industry by storm and delivered high performance outdoor gear to the hard-core mountain athlete. Until that time, the hunter wasn’t even considered an athlete. However, the Sitka team saw a serious need for technical clothing systems for serious hunters. These hunters didn’t need mere clothing, they needed gear that could handle dynamic mountain weather.

The mountaineering industry had been doing this for years and most of the extreme hunters were utilizing mountaineering clothing because there wasn’t any other alternative. In 2005, Sitka Gear became that alternative and since have been striving to make the very best and innovative gear for dedicated hunters worldwide.

New for 2017 from Sitka Gear is the Ascent series, offered in their new Optifade™ Subalpine pattern. These purpose driven designs are putting Sitka Gear leaps and bounds ahead of its competition by providing extremely specialized clothing and equipment for hunters.

The Optifade™ Subalpine pattern is designed with the elk and deer hunter in mind.

The scientifically vetted pattern is intended for hunters who are stalking or ambushing animals from the ground in tree covered and vegetated terrain. The high contrast of the pattern is optimized for close engagement distances of fifty yards or less. Their Open Country pattern is optimized for engagements of 50 yards and beyond in open and rocky terrain. The high contrast of Subalpine allows the pattern to keep its depth at these close ranges, providing the hunter an edge to stalk in and hopefully get a shot.

The Ascent series is Sitka’s lightest offering to date. These products are made for early season and warm weather hunts where weight and performance mean everything. Most products are Polygiene treated to prohibit the growth of bacteria so your body odor is manageable, even after a 10-day hunt pursuing mule deer in the heat.

The fabrics have been selected to promote cooling and efficient wicking and breathability. Their new offerings have been in the field across the west hunting for two seasons. From the sage deserts of Arizona, to the P&J of New Mexico ,to the lush rain forests of the Pacific Northwest, the diversity of this pattern allows Sitka Gear to de-

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February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Optimized for engagements of 50 yards and less from the ground in treed and vegetated terrain, OptifadeTM Subalpine is Sitka's second Big Game pattern.

sign products for very specific applications, so the hunter can fine-tune their system for how they hunt.

Let’s expand on this a bit more. Are the needs of a sheep hunter in the Northwest Territories the same as an archery elk hunter in Colorado? Definitely not; these are significantly different hunts with very different priorities for the gear. The sheep hunter is going to live out of his pack for weeks at a time. Durability is critical as a breakdown in equipment could mean the difference between life and death. The elk hunter on the other hand is likely to hunt from a base camp, which they return to each and every night. They have the ability to continuously fine-tune their system as the weather and hunting dictate. They are also much more likely to be willing to put durability lower on their list of priorities in favor of a lighter, quieter system.

The new Subalpine pattern will not only allow Sitka Gear to have a concealment pattern for every species and terrain a big game hunter could need, but it is also allowing them to design very specific products for diverse hunting styles. Those of you that are early season archery hunters who put a premium on a high level of performance, breathability and functionality, will now have a finely tuned system different from the one you’ll need for late season rifle in sub-zero weather.

A perfect example of this is the new Ascent pant and shirt. Made of a durable nylon/Cordura it assures the 12oz. Ascent pants their durability. Mesh backed hand and cargo pockets keep layers thin and promote breathability while walking.

The internal mesh knee pad pocket accepts any of Sitka’s knee pads for those long crawls after weary muleys. The Ascent shirt, Sitka’s first technical hunting shirt, is loaded with features. This lightweight, 5oz. shirt features a wispy, yet tough nylon upper torso. Polyester knit in the lower torso and sleeves promote wicking and won’t interfere with bow strings. Mesh under the arms and inside the two zippered chest pockets promote breathability even when wearing binos. Finally, the flip up collar limits chaffing from pack and bino straps and protects your neck during long glassing sessions in the sun.

It’s been 8-years since Sitka Gear introduced a new big game pattern to the market. Trust us - it’s been worth the wait. Combine that with 20 new or updated products for the big game hunter and Sitka is proving once again it is the true leader in technical hunting apparel.

Photo by William Freihofer

Photo by Jay Beyer

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Tips For Simple Trips

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aby, it’s cold outside. By now you’re probably tired of that infamous song lyric after having it drilled into your cranium by holiday marketers nationwide, but there is no escaping the obvious; it is indeed cold outside. I know, I know, it’s supposed to be cold and possibly snowy around the mountain west at this time of year, but that does not mean I have to like it. No worries though, I’m not the type to sit here in my office and complain; that would be pointless. Instead, I survive by making travel plans. And in my world, that means fishing trips! I’m here now to say that you too should make travel plans.

Whether it is to escape cold temps or just because, making travel plans to fishing (or hunting) destinations is therapeutic at very least and good for your soul at best. Travel is part of the very fabric of outdoor pursuits and the stories traveling generates are among generations of lore. Far-away fishin’ holes are the stuff of legend, dreams, planning and ultimately memories that last forever. We cannot put a price tag on that - we just have to go.

Since its mid-winter and I’m seeking warmth and Vitamin D, possibly combined with a little salty air, my current planning is Florida focused. Being born there, living a large part

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of my life there and fishing there several times per year these days, Florida is not exotic to me. However, I’ve lived in Colorado for the last 16 years and Florida therefore feels deliciously far from home. The very fact that it is familiar makes traveling there easy; I know the airports, road ways and waters so I can plan quickly depending on my desired experience, time available and budget.

For instance, since it’s wintertime warmth I desire, traveling to the far SW corner of the state is a good plan because central and north Florida, while posting warm afternoon temps, are typically much colder than the southwest region. I only have a small budget and short time window, so I’ll need to fly to a somewhat major airport to save on airfare and stay somewhere close by to avoid excess road time. Sooo, I’ll fly to Fort Meyers during an off time and fish my way south along the coast in a rental hoopdy. Simple. And because I’m not looking for fancy hotels or meals, I can live like a fish bum for a few days and fly home without spending much money while I’m there.

I use the Florida example because it illustrates a key point - your travel need not be exotic or even foreign to you. It need not be expensive or your lifetime dream trip. Your inner-angler will rejoice regardless because you are on a fishing trip and that is plenty good enough!

That last point is key. In my opinion, several inexpensive trips are better for your mojo

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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than a single bank-buster. Don’t get me wrong, an epic trip to say, Brazil to fish for peacock bass for a week would be ridiculously cool, but for the same money I could de-stress for a bunch more days while catching a pile of fish by scheduling several short trips over the course of the year. Geez, I could even target peacock bass, albeit smaller ones, in Miami canals. And in case you’re uninitiated, I could also catch largemouth bass, snook, tarpon and a slew of other weird species the same day, within sight of Miami International Airport.

If, like most of us, money or time away is a concern, still plan trips, just shorter ones.

Planning a trip to your old stomping grounds is always fun, usually inexpensive and often surprisingly refreshing. Wherever you fished as a kid, go there. Perhaps go to some place that you can drive to which allows you to bring more tackle and road time to anticipate headed out and reflect headed back. From most regions, a full day’s drive time gets you into entirely new country and fish.

Another option is someplace completely foreign to you, but not necessarily known as a tourist destination or even a hugely popular place to fish. These places are less expensive and I have found that a little research goes a long way. Lesser known coastal towns in Texas, the Carolinas or Georgia come to mind, along with a slew of neat little lakes and rivers around the country.

A bit of advice on the fishing; plan to do some kind of fishing for which you are at least basically equipped knowledge and tackle-wise. For instance, in southwest Florida I’ll fish for snook, seatrout, redfish, etc. - the inshore species.

My bass tackle is fine for all of them and a selection of jigs to be tipped with Gulp!, a few spoons, a jerkbait or two and a popper will round out my lures.

I’ll watch the tides for turns and peak flows and fish anywhere the opportunity presents itself; inlets, beaches, seawalls, bridges, canals and Intracoastal bays will be sampled. That, in and of itself, is the fun part. I might even rent a kayak for an afternoon. Maybe I’ll catch a giant, maybe I’ll catch a bunch of average fish. Either way, I’ll be on a fishing trip.

Plan a simple trip yourself - no passports, two days’ travel time or bucket list fish. No, just a simple fishin’ trip, perhaps with a buddy, is plenty good to boost your soul.

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February 2017 | 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.”

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A

Part 2: Combustion Devices

s the 2nd C in our 10 Cs of survival, combustion is one of the most crucial elements to short term survival. Your ability to quickly make a sustainable fire in any weather condition can, in an emergency, be the difference between life and death. To this end, we should always keep multiple ways to start a fire layered within our kit as well as on our person. I personally recommend three combustion devices to all my students and there is nothing wrong with multiples in different areas of the kit.

The most logical choice obviously is something that will create open flame in most cases and that would be a lighter. Now just any lighter is really not good enough, as just like all these items, it must be the most robust and easy to use of its type. For me the BIC brand lighter is the top dog in this category. Why, you ask? Well first they are simple to use as well as inexpensive - you could have five of them for less than 10 dollars. They are very reliable and will work in most conditions easily.

There are a few things to think about with a simple BIC. First, remember that the fuel supply is limited and while it may light many cigarettes, holding the button down several minutes at a time to ignite stubborn tinder sources is a different story and will use fuel quickly. My general rule is 5-seconds on the button. If the tinder will not ignite in 5-seconds you have another issue to fix and are wasting a resource. The next thing to remember is that BIC’s are not a fan of cold weather. When temps dip to freezing, they sometimes don’t light. So, keep them in a pocket near your body heat so that they will work easier in cold weather.

First thing I do when I buy a new BIC is remove the child safety, this just gets in the way of operation especially with cold hands or with gloves. Removing this will make the lighter easier to dry out for lighting after it has been soaked as well. So, you got your lighter wet? Step 1: shake it vigorously to remove excess water and then blow into it from the top forcefully to remove the rest. Next use the tail of a shirt or a dry rag to dry the friction wheel as you slowly rotate it. The lighter should work now easy

A few items carried with you at all times can ensure you have the ability to start a fire in most conditions. A fire kit consisting of a BIC lighter, a Ferro Rod, and a magnifying lens will provide the tools to create a fire.

18 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Carrying a fire kit should become second nature. Fire is a lifesaver and provides warmth, light, the ability to purify water, and protection from predators. Carry the right tools and learn how to make fire. enough, but it takes practice. If all else fails after these steps, run the lighter up your pant leg a few times to create heat.

By spinning the friction wheel, this should dry it out pretty quickly.

The second form of combustion I recommend is a Ferrocerium Rod. This is a rod made from multiple pyrophoric metals, that when material is quickly removed from the rod with an object that is harder than the material the rod is made from will combust and become molten metal and sparks that are approximately 5,000 degrees F. Here is the thing that makes a Ferro Rod a good choice. It will work on any good combustible tinder source and lasts much longer than the lighter's fluid - it will also work even if it is wet. So, while the tinder must be a bit better without open flame, the longevity and waterproof factors make it a great emergency resource.

My recommendation is buy the largest rod you can find because the smaller ones can be hard to hold onto in colder weather and most of the handles will come off eventually, unless they are pinned in place. The other reason you want a larger rod is that the more time you have contact with the surface area to remove material and the larger that surface area is, the more sparks the rod will throw and in an emergency, this is important.

The 3rd item to always have on hand is a good magnification lens of at least 5-power.

With a mag lens, again size does matter more than power. Collecting the sun to a focal

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

19

point works much more effectively with a bit larger lens. I recommend one about 2-4” in diameter (Hint: the bottom lens from a cheap pair of yard sale binoculars works great). Now there are advantages and disadvantages here. The advantage is that the sun is a renewable resource and you will never run out of it unless it’s a cloudy day. The disadvantage is that the tinder source for this method must be very combustible, things like charred materials and punky woods, as well as many tree funguses work best.

Now this brings us to our final point and that is NEXT FIRE mentality. The first fire you start is often the easiest fore and the next one may be the hardest due to use of resources to get the initial emergency fore going. So, we must always take advantage of the first fire to make the second one easier. To this end, we should always make char of some sort with the initial fore to save for the next fire as all of these methods from a spent lighter to a mag lens will easily ignite char to make blowing tinder materials to flame much easier.

Making char is not difficult; we need a chamber of sorts that we can place into the fire that will let gas escape, but not allow oxygen in. For this, we generally use the 3rd item in the Cs, our Container. We need to use some type of natural material in the chamber like a piece of cotton t-shirt and place it in the fire. A 4” square generally takes about 10 minutes to be done and when the container cools, you will have char. There are many other materials you can also use for this, but that is a longer conversation than we have room for here. The bottom line is, Fire is Life. It disinfects and warms water, cook’s food, signals for rescue, fire hardens tools, sterilizes needles and blades and provides us with resources like char, coal, and ash. I hope this helps to shed a little more “light” on an important part of your outdoor adventures.

About the Author - Dave has been published in Self Reliance Illustrated, New Pioneer, American Frontiersman, and Trapper's World, and has appeared on the cover of Backwoodsman Magazine. Dave’s book BushCraft 101 is a two-time NY Times Best Seller. In addition to writing about survival, Dave is the Co-Owner and Supervising Instructor of The Pathfinder School in SE Ohio, the United States' premier school for self reliance. The Pathfinder School is listed as one of the top 12 Survival Schools in the U.S. by USA TODAY. Dave holds a bachelor’s degree in Wilderness Ministry from Frontier Christian University is certified in Advanced Search and Rescue,Wilderness First Aid/CPR, as an Expert Trapper by the Fur Takers of America, and holds basic and intermediate certificates from the International School of Herbal Arts and Sciences.

A good lens can be improvised from an old pair of binoculars, a magnifying glass, a bottle, a pair of eye glasses, a plastic baggie filled with water or urine, or even from a broken flashlight or car headlight. Anything that will focus the rays of the sun into a point will work. Use it with something like punk wood processed into dust to get your ember.

Even without fuel a BIC lighter can be used to start a fire if you have a good material to catch the sparks and make an ember. Char cloth, made from cotton that has been heated while deprived of oxygen, is a great tool to make for this. The lighter uses a small ferro rod to cast sparks that can be collected in the char. A hole in the empty lighter can be used to store and carry your char material. Removing the metal guard around the striker, as well as the child safety, can make it easier to direct your sparks onto your material. In a pinch, the plastic case of the lighter can be shaved into fine tinder that will ignite with a good spark.

20 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Deep Cleaning Your Guns PRO'S TIP

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

W

hen the winter months cut into my range time, there are two activities that keep me occupied on snowy days; dry fire practice and deep cleaning my guns.

During the shooting seasons, I clean my guns frequently by field stripping them down to their basic elements and giving them a good scrub. But, deep cleaning involves totally tearing them down to every pin, spring and component and going to town.

Guns that get heavy use, as mine do, build up carbon in tiny nooks and crannies and over time, these build-ups can affect accuracy, performance and reliability. By completely tearing them down, you can get into places that aren’t possible by simple field stripping.

Since there are thousands of types of guns on the market, I won’t get into the details of tear-down for all of them. There are thousands of videos on YouTube that provide detailed instructions for breaking down your gun by make and model.

The first step is to dissemble your gun in a way that won’t damage it or cause you to lose the small parts. Create a safe work space with ample light and no clutter. A towel or other soft material, like a gun mat, will keep your parts from rolling around and minimize the risk that you will lose them.

The best description I have ever heard for small parts is that they tend to be concrete soluble; as in they vanish into thin-air once they hit the concrete. I imagine when I finally move and clean out my garage, there will be thousands of tiny springs and AR detent pins swept up around my work bench. Take special care to prevent small springs and parts from flying off of the gun as you disassemble it.

Some special tools will also help. A good quality armorer’s tool kit, like the ones from Wheeler Engineering, will provide you a multitude of hollow ground, flat head screw driver bits and other tools specifically designed for working on

While standard field stripping is sufficient for most cleaning tasks, giving your guns a deep cleaning by completely disassembling them every so often will keep them performing and extend their life and improve their reliability.

24 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Getting into all the nooks and crannies while main components like trigger assemblies are still connected isn't possible. To really get them clean, you need to remove them from the frame your guns. A polymer or plastic armorers block, with grooves and holes for capturing driven pins, will allow you to contain your pins and not mar the finish. A set of rubber vice clamps will hold your guns in place in your vice without marring the finish. A set of steel, brass and plastic tipped punches and a good brass and Delrin hammer will complete your specialty tools. Regular tools like a pair of needle nose pliers, vice grips and a set of handled precision picks will also come in handy.

Make sure your gun is unloaded. Remove the magazine and check the chamber.

Now check it again. Check it one more time, just to be safe. For long guns, drop the magazine plate and work the bolt. Now visually inspect the chamber. Now, point the gun in a safe direction; the concrete floor, the basement wall, etc. and pull the trigger, making sure that there are no valuable body parts between you and the indestructible surface you are pointing the gun at. If it goes click, you may proceed. If it makes a louder noise, you may need to consider going back to a basic firearms safety course. There is no shame in this.

Using your chosen source, disassemble your gun into the smallest pieces possible. If a multi-part component can be stripped down even further and you can find a source to show you how, then take it down as far as you can. Once the gun is completely dissembled, the real cleaning can commence.

There are a few ways you can achieve a very clean gun, but I use three primary techniques; manual, sonic, and chemical.

For manual cleaning, I break out my Otis All Purpose Receiver Brush. The large toothbrush-like head is great for general cleaning, but the very small bristles on the other end are excellent for getting into tight places. Using some good old Hoppes 9 and some soft cotton patches, I wipe down all of the larger parts with solvent. Very tiny parts get dropped into solvent in a clean container to soak. My favorite gun cleaning solvent holder is the bottom of an empty water bottle that has been cut off about 3-inches from the bottom. This lets me soak small parts and then also dip my brush and patches into it without contaminating the entire bottle of solvent.

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

25

PRO'S TIP

That sonic cleaner is for cleaning more than just cases. It is also a parts bath and is a great way to deep clean all of your gun parts. Swap out your case cleaning solution for a heavy duty degreaser and parts cleaner.

Now comes the part where everything has to be reassembled in the proper order. Choose your assembly source book or video and carefully follow the directions. A good source will tell you of any tricks or tips you need to know, like properly aligning the hammer strut on a Ruger Mark I, II, or III pistol or getting each finger of the sear spring in the right place on a 1911.

Just as when you dissembled the gun, make sure to keep control of tiny springs. I still haven’t found the spring wrapped titanium firing pin for my Springfield Custom Pro 1911 that went on a trajectory course in close orbit to the moon about a year ago. Have your username and password for Brownell’s website handy in case you need to order a replacement part in a hurry.

Once everything has been reassembled, make sure you function check the gun several times to make sure everything is back in its proper place and working the way it should. Make sure the gun goes back into battery; it easily fires, the slide or bolt operates as it is supposed to, the safeties engage and disengage properly, the trigger feels right, the slide doesn’t lock open when cycled without an empty magazine in place, and all of the controls do what they are supposed to do. It just takes one minor misalignment or one backwards spring to bring your gun to a screeching halt.

Finally, use a good silicone-free product to wipe down the outside of the gun and remove any fingerprints. I like a Marine Tuf-Cloth for this, but some Hoppes Gun Medic or Hornady One Shot Gun Cleaner with Dyna Glide sprayed on a microfiber cloth and wiped over the surface will protect the finish and remove any oils or acids from contact with your skin. Once that is done, give the gun a last wipe down with a dry cloth and handle it as little as possible while you put it away into storage.

One last step that I find helps save the finish on my gun is to give my holster a good cleaning as well. If using Kydex or plastic, put it in the dishwasher on the top rack with a grease cutting detergent. If using leather, rub in a good leather conditioner and coat the inside with some Galco Draw EZ Solution for a slicker glide in and out of the holster. If there are mechanical parts on the holster that need lubrication, be sure to use your needle oiler to get lube into the tight spaces with the springs.

Just because it is too cold and snowy to get out and practice doesn’t mean that you have to lock up your guns for the winter. Proper care and maintenance will ensure that they can continue to serve you for many years and be passed down to future generations.

Once every part has had a chance to soak in the solvent, get scrubbing and wiping.

While you will notice carbon being removed, don’t be disappointed that the parts don’t shine bright like when new. The heat from repeated firing will discolor the milder metal parts inside, and that is to be expected.

For sonic cleaning, I use my Hornady Magnum Sonic Cleaner. Not only is this a great tool for washing and prepping brass for reloading, but with a serious degreaser and parts cleaner, the combination of heat and sonic vibration gets everything squeaky clean. You can either use a purpose-made gun cleaner and degreaser or I use diluted Simple Green, because I prefer the cost and the smell. I turn up the heat to its maximum setting and put it in for its maximum time. The very small parts will fall out of the basket into the main tub. This isn’t a worry if you do a single gun at a time and make sure you collect all of the tiny parts. I accomplish this by dumping the cleaning solution into a tub through a kitchen sieve.

The third method is to use a product like Gun Scrubber or Hoppes Gun Medic Cleaner and Lube. Using Hoppes Gun Medic accomplishes two vital steps; cleaning and providing lubrication on your parts. The Hoppes’ lube is a spray lube that leaves your gun feeling silky and smooth once it dries.

Once the gun has been thoroughly cleaned, this is a great time to generously lubricate all of its parts. Deep cleaning will remove every bit of lubrication, so a good application of your favorite lube is needed at this point in the process. I like to use Tetra Gun Grease on the springs and slide rails. I find that this holds up well in the cold and continues to lubricate even after firing a lot of rounds. My choice for fine oiling is Marine Tuf-Glide from Sentry Solutions with a needle oiler. For areas that get heavy carbon build-up, I like Fire Clean.

Whatever product you use, ensure that it will be hydrophobic and penetrate well into the micro pits of the metal to prevent rust if it is stored in a damp environment.

This is also a good time to check the parts for wear. Pay special attention to the springs and firing pin. Check the ejector and extractor for wear, chips and cracks.

Parts for most makes and models of guns can be acquired either through the manufacturer or, for out of production guns or generic guns like AR15s, through third Every gun is different, so make sure you have a reliparty suppliers like Brownell’s. A good able source of information on how to get it apart and back spring tester, like the one available from together again. YouTube is a great source of in-depth videos Secure Firearms Products, will let you test on how to get your gun fully disassembled. the spring tension to determine if it needs to be replaced.

26 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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JERKY & SAUSAGE Accessories LEM Ground Meat Packaging System

Whether you are making ground caseless seasoned sausage or just plain ground game meat burger, this packaging system from LEM will speed up your bulk packaging and cut your bagging time by about a third. Utilizing a special tape dispenser, the Ground Meat Packaging System allows you to quickly stuff their bags, swipe them through the dispenser and get a neat tape wrap every time. Bags feature boxes for marking the date, species and other information to help you keep your ground meat sorted and fresh.

Hi Mountain Jerky Cure and Seasonings

In the time I have been making jerky, it seems like I have tested every brand of jerky cure and seasoning and the best tasting and easiest to use are the products from Hi Mountain Seasonings. Packaged in two different bags, the cure and seasoning are applied to the meat separately and allowed to sit for 24-48 hours before smoking or dehydrating. Their flavors run across the gamut from sweet and spicy, to earthy and traditional, to exotic. For delicious jerky that cures properly for longer shelf life and tastes delicious, you can’t beat the seasonings from Hi Mountain.

Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill

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“Go big or go home”, applies to the world of jerky and sausage making as well. With a variable temperature control that will go as low as 160 degrees, all the way up to 500 degrees, the SmokePro DLX gives you ultimate cooking capability for slow-smoked jerky to smoky, fully cooked sausage. With 429-square inches of cooking space, you can cook a lot of jerky at one time. Add in the tiered jerky trays and you can triple your jerky production. A high capacity hopper and a more efficient combustion chamber means that you can cook for hours without refueling your grill. A digital temperature control system keeps your jerky and sausage at just the right temperature with minimal adjustment. Use the internal meat temperature probe and you can set it and walk away, without worrying about overcooking your tender jerky.

Using virgin wood sourced pellets for their SmokePro Pellet Grills, Camp Chef ensures that only the finest hardwoods are used to prevent chemical contamination that can occur from using treated woods left over from cabinet making or in the binders some manufacturers use to compress their pellets. While usually not harmful, these additional ingredients can transfer to the meat being cooked, imparting an off taste. Camp Chef uses hardwoods and only hardwoods in the manufacture of their premium Hardwood Pellets to ensure even flavor and consistent burn rates. They are available in six different hardwoods; competition blend, hickory, apple, alder, mesquite and cherry; as well as a natural herb blend for hints of sage and other herbs.

LEM Sausage Stuffing Kit

Using your grinder to stuff your sausage casings is usually sufficient for a small batch of sausage, but getting into full production mode requires the use of a stand-alone sausage stuffer. The Sausage Stuffing Kit comes with everything you need to do 5-pound batches of sausage very quickly. It includes the 5-pound vertical stuffer and enough casings and seasonings to make 30 pounds of tasty sausage, forcemeats like salami or bratwurst. The stuffer is very easy to use and features an oversized crank with a stainless-steel body and pressing plate that is super easy to clean and requires very little maintenance.

Hi Mountain Seasonings Jerky King Set and Variety Packs

If you are just getting into making jerky, the Jerky King set provides you with a hardwood cutting board with a lip for easily cutting the perfect thickness of meat. It also provides a razor sharp long knife for slicing quickly and cleanly through your meat. A nickel-plated jerky making screen lets you get proper airflow to your jerky, whether you use your smoker, oven or barbecue to smoke it. For those who can’t quite decide which flavor they like best, Hi Mountain Seasonings also provides variety packs of several of their seasonings and cures to give you the ability to try new flavors.

28 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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JERKY & SAUSAGE Accessories LEM Handheld Round Meat Tenderizer

Camp Chef Smoke Vault

Nobody likes tough jerky and few want to take their most tender cuts of game meat to make it. One inexpensive way to soften up their less desirable cuts of meat for making jerky is to use the Handheld Round Meat tenderizer to break up those tough fibers. A few passes with the 24 stainless-steel points makes quick work of making the meat softer, but also opens it up for better marinating and curing.

For those times when you don’t have access to an external 120-volt power supply, the Smoke Vault propane smoker from Camp Chef offers a compact, complete smoking system with just a bulk propane tank for power. Available in either an 18 or 24-inch wide configuration, the Smoke Vault features an internal thermometer for easy monitoring, a heavy gauge wood chip tray that will stand up to years of hard use and a water pan to keep your meat moist while smoking. Optional jerky trays let you make beef sticks and ground jerky without allowing them to fall through the grills. A full adjustable burner and dampers let you vary the temperature from 160-degrees to 400-degrees for “low and slow” or “hot and fast” cooking.

LEM Jerky Cannon

One way to get tender jerky is to fine-grind your meat and squirt it out into strips. To accomplish this quickly, you need a cannon; specifically, a large jerky cannon. This big gun from LEM holds a pound and a half of ground meat and shoots out flat and round sticks of flavorful jerky. It comes complete with two packages of Backwoods jerky seasoning to make more than 10 pounds of delicious strips and sticks.

Hi Mountain Fish Brines

Jerky doesn’t have to just be red meats like deer, elk, beef or moose. Some great jerky recipes use white meats like pork, fowl or fish. Hi Mountain has you covered with a selection of excellent brines for Alaska Salmon, Wild River Trout and Gourmet Fish. Soak your catch in these brines before smoking for a delicious and flavorful dried smoked fish that will have your neighbors and their cats lined up outside your door.

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LEM Collagen Sausage Casings

Nothing beats that firm pop of biting into a tender and delicious cased sausage, but anyone who has worked with natural pork intestine can tell you that they are a pain to soak, sort, stretch and inflate prior to filling. The small blood vessels tangle up and small holes can quickly develop into major ruptures during stuffing. To get the same texture as with a natural casing, LEM makes collagen cases that come shirred (stacked like a slinky) and are used dry for very easy stuffing on your grinder or stuffing machine. They are made from beef collagen for a great natural taste that easily takes a good smoke flavor.

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LEM 5-Tray Single Door Countertop Dehydrator While I prefer smoking as a way to desiccate my jerky meat, some people like a milder flavor for their meat sticks. The LEM Countertop Dehydrator is a great way to quickly dry out your cured meat. It features a 30-hour digital timer with an auto shut-off. The entire casing and shelves are made from a food-grade ABS plastic for easy cleaning and a neutral flavor transfer to your jerky. It is also suitable for dehydrating fruity snacks and even making fruit leather from juice with the optional juice trays.

30 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Strap On Sixguns And Stoke That Lever-Action Join the Single Action Shooters Society to explore family history and tune up shooting skills in the offseason.

Mikayla Lewis practices with the old guns. The Japanese zipper might not be cowboy correct, but the girl can shoot.

Inset: (Top) Shooting a single-action at steel bad guy targets.

(Middle) Participants are free to adopt any Old West character they choose.

(Bottom) Competitors wait their turn at The Mission while shooting with the Horse Ridge Pistoleros at the COSSA Park near Bend, Oregon.

A

By Gary Lewis couple of years ago, digging through a box of old family photos, I came on a newspaper clipping of one Paul Cunningham, my grandma’s uncle. A larger than life character, his visage had been carved on a totem pole on Whidbey Island and I remembered what grandma had to say about him.

He was a big game hunter, a lover of fine rifles and fast horses, a friend of Buffalo Bill Cody. He was a frontier policeman in the 1870s and 1880s and a poet. He wore his hair to his shoulders, a Van Dyke beard, a collar and a bowtie and wrote under the pen name, Peppercorn. It was easy to find information and pictures on Ancestry. com and when I searched back through other relatives it struck me; My ancestors, throughout the 1700s and 1800s, always lived on the frontier and always moving west when it got too crowded. And a lot of them were solid people who married for life, worked hard and went to church on Sunday.

I went to church on a Sunday with the Horse Ridge Pistoleros at the COSSA Park, east of my hometown of Bend, Oregon.

The mission is really just a plywood façade painted up to look like the front of an adobe building. There is a wooden cross, a church bell and a plywood vulture perched on the corner of the building. A sign reads Espirtu del Juego, which means something like spirit of the game.

I introduced myself as Peppercorn to Palaver Pete, Big Casino, Whisperin’ Wade, Hoss, Dirt Digger and a bunch of other folks I already knew. You see, a cowboy is way better off coming up with his own

Photo by Greg Gulbrandsen

Photo by Gary Lewis

Photo by Gary Lewis

Photo by Gary Lewis February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

31

handle than to let a bunch of ornery hombres come up with one for him.

I flashed my badge to prove my bona fides. I’d registered the nickname with the Single Action Shooting Society. I was probably the only one with a six-digit badge number. There are over 100,000 members in SASS and each has a unique nickname.

Any SASS member can find a place to shoot any weekend in any state in the U.S. and in several foreign countries.

At the heart of SASS and cowboy action is 3-gun competition. Each participant assumes the identity of a character from the Old West or from a B-western. Most opt for an 1880s style with two sixguns, a lever-action rifle and a shotgun. Because I know a few of the guns my great-great uncle owned and I know how he dressed, I can interpret the rest.

For my armament, I have a matched set of Model 1873 single actions from Pietta and Traditions, a Winchester 73 and a side-by-side shotgun.

The sixguns are chambered for 357 Magnum and have 5-1/4 inch barrels. They ride in a Kirkpatrick Long Hunter rig with a three-inch tapered belt and sliding two-inch drop holsters with eight-degree forward cants. The holsters are cut down in the fronts for quicker draws and flare at the top for ease in Photo by Greg Gulbrandsen reholstering.

My Winchester Model 1873 is Gary Lewis (aka Peppercorn) shoots a a current production Short Rifle Winchester 73 while Hoss runs the timer. with a straight grip stock, a

crescent buttplate and a 20-inch barrel. Of course, the rifle and the revolvers share the same ammunition. I keep the rifle safe in a red, fringed wool blanket sleeve. Someday I’ll take this rifle on a pig hunt or a deer hunt. For now, I’m learning to shoot it fast and smooth.

I actually have two shotguns, a 1930s Lefever 12 gauge that wants a bit of gunsmithing and a modern CZ Ringneck 20 gauge that could use a tune-up too. That’s one thing you find out about when you start shooting cowboy action. Every gun needs a bit of work. To make it smoother and faster.

At the mission, I was confronted by an array of steel bad guy targets. I rested my

Photo by Gary Lewis Practicing with the shotgun at the livery stable. Every range has their own style and each stage reflects the imagination of the clubs.

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hands on my guns while Photo by Gary Lewis Hoss held the timer. I shot each target, first with the left gun then with the right, shooting both empty. Then I picked up the rifle, hit each target again and picked up the shotgun. There was one shotgun target on the left and two on the right. The last one launched a clay pigeon, which I powdered.

I wasn’t super fast and I Palaver Pete loads a lever action rifle wasn’t smooth, but I shot prior to shooting a stage at “The Mission.” clean, meaning I hit every target. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Cowboy action shooting is a combination of historical reenactment and cowboy matinee. There are a number of categories for competitors, including age-based, duelist, gunfighter, classic cowboy/cowgirl, B-western and blackpowder. Participants are supposed to dress in clothing typical of the late 1800s, a B-western movie or a western series. Short sleeve shirts, tank tops, long sleeve t-shirts, designer jeans, ball caps and tennis shoes are not allowed. The rules are posted at www.sassnet.com There are about 15 SASS affiliated clubs in my home state of Oregon. Locally, I can shoot with the Horse Ridge Pistoleros, Pine Mountain Posse at COSSA Park (my home range) or the Old 97 Railroad Rangers.

Cowboy action shooting is a good way to connect with a family’s past and American history at the same time. All the clubs are happy to welcome new members and loan out gear to get a greenhorn started. They’re even happier to come up with a nickname for you. All in the spirit of the game.

To contact Gary Lewis, visit www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com

Photo by Gary Lewis

Cowboy action shooting is a good way to connect with a family’s past and American history at the same time.

34 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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PRO MEMBER UPDATE

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Jimmy with his awesome New Mexico trophy bull.

he Pro-Membership has now been in full swing for almost two years. Because of the relationships with our outfitters, we have some trips that we givea way in our program every year. One such trip is an elk hunt with Hunt Hard Outfitters. I’ve had the pleasure of filming the last two winners and both hunts were full of excitement, but required a lot of physical endurance.

Hunt Hard

By James Dansie Jeff Lester is the owner of Hunt Hard Outfitters and surrounds himself with a great group of guides, resulting in a very high success rate. During each one of the hunts, we were able to see multiple bulls and shop around for the best one on the mountain. For those of you who have hunted the beautiful landscapes in New Mexico, you’ll know that the terrain is one of a kind. You are not only surrounded by thick pines, but also red rock cliffs and low flat lands.

Almost a shooter, but not quite as big as what we were hoping for.

Unfortunately for us on this hunt, the elk weren’t hanging out in the low country, so to hunt where the elk were required quite the hike each morning.

It didn’t take long to warm up in the cold, early October mornings because right out of the gate, we had about eight hundred feet of elevation to climb.

Once on top, we were able to glass for miles in almost all directions.

It didn’t take long to spot our first group of elk and as the day went on, we were able to see and judge multiple bulls. It’s not uncommon in that unit to go days without even seeing a cow, so we were excited to have already passed on a couple of smaller bulls. Hiking up and down that steep face every day was very physically demanding and I was glad that our winner, Jimmy Ferguson, was in great shape and able to handle it. We were both exhausted by the time we got back to camp each night, but our spirits were quickly lifted by the amazing food that Jeff’s brother, Alan, prepared each night. We enjoyed everything from a taco bar to chicken fried steak and even though we were burning a ton of calories each day, I know I probably gained some weight.

After covering everything there was to see in our first area, we made the decision to journey out even further to try and find a group with hopefully some

36 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

PRO MEMBER UPDATE keep climbing the mountain we were on to see if there were any bulls possibly in the wallows on top. We covered another five miles or so, but we weren’t able to see anything worth harvesting. It was getting late and we had a long walk back to the truck, so we set off.

On our way back to camp, we quickly noticed that the same group of elk that we had been glassing earlier were exactly where we had left them and were only three hundred yards from our position. Nelson got Jimmy set up just in case that big five point decided to show up. We were watching a group of four young rag horns chase some cows when out of the brush walked the 5X5 that I had seen before. He could have easily been somewhere in the 340’s and we knew we had to try and take him. We were able to get on him, now we just needed him to stop.

Unfortunately for us, when he decided to stop, he was quartering away with some brush covering his body and Jimmy didn’t want to risk wounding him or not being able to recover him. Our wind also decided to switch on us, which caused the whole group to quickly bail out of the area. Defeated, we again started our long hike back towards the truck. As we were about to start our last climb, we noticed that there was a bull and a couple of cows right out in the open Talking with Jimmy on which bull to take. just a couple of hundred yards away. The bull met our qualifications and Jimmy decided to put the hammer down. He was able to make a perfect shot and the bull didn’t even go twenty yards. We were ecstatic that we were able to find anmature bulls. We pushed out about four miles further, before we took a break to other shooter bull and when we went to recover him, we found out that he even glass. I was able to spot a group of elk in the flats about three miles away from had a nice set of devil tines, making him really unique. our position. It was still early morning and the light wasn’t the best, but I was Overall, we had a great hunt with some truly amazing people. Another pretty sure that there was a really big 5X5 in the group. I quickly pointed the great adventure for a lucky winner in our Proherd out to our guide, Nelson, and we decided Membership Sweepstakes. If you are looking that we needed to get going and try and get closer an elk hunt that will test your physical to get a better look. After a couple of miles and When we went to recover him, we found for limits, but also give you a great opportunity at another steep climb, we were finally in position to out that he even had a nice set of devil harvesting a trophy, then be sure to check out better glass that group.

Jeff Lester and Hunt Hard Outfitters. Visit them We glassed them for about three hours and all we tines, making him really unique. on the web at www.hunthard.com or give them could turn up was a 5X5 that wouldn’t break the a call at (980) 245-2668. three-hundred mark. Disappointed, we decided to

Sweepstakes winner, Jimmy Ferguson, takes aim.

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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NWTF -Save the Habitat - Save the Hunt 2017

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he National Wild Turkey Federation is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America and was a driving force in the comeback of the wild turkey, the most successful wildlife restoration story in the history of North America.

The NWTF and its volunteers work closely with state and federal agencies and other partners to improve wildlife habitat, benefiting wild turkeys and countless other wildlife and game species. The NWTF also actively protects our hunting heritage to ensure hunting and wildlife exist for future generations.

Come and join in the fun of a local National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Super Fundraising Banquet.

The NWTF banquets are where you can

buy exclusive merchandise, participate in live and silent auctions and have a great time with friends and fellow supporters of the “Great Outdoors”. All the while, you will be raising vital funds for wild turkey conservation and important programs that introduce the outdoors to men, women, children and the disabled.

Here is a list of banquets for the NWTF Chapters in Utah:

January 21th

• Richfield - Craig Blake, (435-979-6580) Tags: Bull Elk Mt. Dutton (A/W), Southern Turkey.

March 4th

38 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

• Nephi - Lynn Worwood, (801-3685834) Dave Worwood, (435-580-9004) Tags: Wasatch Mountain Bull Elk (A/W), Statewide Turkey, Central Turkey (2).

• Tooele - Collin Smith, (435-241-0188) Tags: Buck Deer West Desert Vernon (Season Choice), Central Turkey.

March 24th

• St. George - Kent Danjanovich, (801231-9838) Tags: Bull Elk Beaver East (A/W), Southern Turkey.

March 25th

• Lehi - Clay Shelton, (801-358-1715) Tags…Buck Deer Book Cliffs North & South (A/W), Central Turkey, Southern Turkey.

March 31st

• Roosevelt - Kevin Richens, (435-8230391) Tags: Bull Elk Book Cliffs Bitter Creek/South (A/W), Buck Deer South Slope Diamond Mountain (Season Choice), Yellowstone Bear, Northeastern Turkey (2).

April 7th

• Heber - Chris Bullock, (435-731-0107) Tags: Buck Deer Book Cliffs (Archery).

May 13th

• Spanish Fork – Chris Brittain, (801-472-3623) Tags: Cougar Wasatch Mountain, Currant Creek and Wasatch Mountain West (L/E).

May 20th

• Logan – Jeramy Ellis, (435-230-4672) Tags: Cougar Chalk Creek/Kamas, East Canyon and Morgan (L/E).

Date TBA

• Moab – TBA – Tags: La Sal Bear (Multi-Season).

*(A/W) Any weapon **(L/E) Late or early Check out the NWTF website at www. nwtf.org for more information on these banquets and many more from around the country.

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When seconds count, Gun Medic products will clean and lubricate a dirty firearm quickly and effortlessly to provide unrivaled performance. The revolutionary formula combines a bio-based lubricant developed for jet turbines with an amazing cleaning agent that scrubs away powder residue and then evaporates in 60 seconds, leaving only the thin coat of the high-performance lube. The lubricant tolerance is an astounding -65°F to 500°F. This cleaner and lubricant combination is loaded into a new high-pressure bottle to blast out dirt and crud. It comes in 4-ounce and 10-ounce sizes.

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43

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

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Venison Wellington

his is an impressive presentation for your coveted Venison back strap. It has a lavish look and a mouth-watering aroma when baked. Do not be hesitant to try this technique, as it is easier to prepare than it appears.

The duxelles is just a fancy term for an herbed chopped mushroom spread that is really tasty! Bring your game to a whole new level with this “haute” new recipe!

Ingredients Duxelles

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2 tablespoons olive oil • ¼ cup shallots, finely chopped • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped • 1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Method

Venison

• 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto • 1 (2lb or so) Venison Back-strap • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • Olive oil or bacon fat for searing • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard • Flour, for rolling pastry shell • 1 pound thawed puff pastry shell • 1 egg, beaten • Coarse sea or kosher salt

Duxelles

Warm the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and thyme to the pan. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring

44 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and strain any remaining liquid off. Allow the mushroom mixture to cool.

Venison Recipe

Spread out a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter or a large cutting board.

Lay out single pieces of prosciutto, overlapping them to create a large solid rectangle, large enough to wrap around your venison roast. Once you are satisfied with the size of the prosciutto rectangle, spread the duxelles evenly over the prosciutto.

Season the venison with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy frying pan over high heat and add a light coating of olive oil or bacon fat. Sear the venison on all sides for a few minutes until nicely browned. Remove from heat and let cool to touch. Smear the venison on all sides with the Dijon mustard. Lay the back strap in the middle of the duxelles covered prosciutto rectangle, then roll it up tightly in the plastic wrap. This should form to a nice burrito like shape. Put it the refrigerator for ½ hour or so to firm up and help retain its shape.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

LIGHTLY flour your work surface and roll the puff pastry to a ¼ inch thickness.

You may have to overlap the two sheets that come in the package together to get a piece the right size to wrap around your venison. Set the back strap in the center of the rolled pastry dough and wrap it around the venison and then brush the egg wash on the edge to seal. Trim the ends if necessary and brush again with the egg wash, folding the flaps to completely seal the meat. You can make some decorations with the scraps for the top if you want to really show off.

Now place the meat pastry seam side down on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining egg wash. Sprinkle some coarse salt over the whole thing and make a couple of small slits in the top to release steam as it cooks.

Bake for about a half hour until the pastry crust is golden brown and the internal temperature is 125 degrees F. Let the roast rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Serve with a spicy green salad with a light vinaigrette and roasted root vegetable side. I would choose a full bodied Zinfandel or a Pinot Noir to accompany this decadent meal on the wine front.

As for a beer pairing, I would opt for a robust brown Ale. Cheers

February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

45

Adventures On A Budget

Cold Water, Hot Action Winter can produce big smallies at Pickwick Lake

I

By John N. Felsher n the right spot, anglers fishing Pickwick Lake can fish three states at once without moving the boat and possibly catch more than a dozen species in one day, but many people visit the impoundment to tempt monster smallmouth bass, particularly during the winter.

“Pickwick has really become one of the best bass lakes, not only in Alabama, but in the entire South for both largemouth and smallmouth,” said Tim Horton, a professional bass angler from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.”

Pickwick Lake spreads through 47,500 acres across parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. The lake runs from Wilson Dam in Florence, Ala., 53 miles down the Tennessee River to Pickwick Dam at Counce, Tenn. Near Wilson Dam, the lake still resembles the old river channel. The Tennessee Valley Authority maintains the channel for commercial boat traffic, so it averages 10 to 12 feet deep, but some holes drop to more than 50 feet.

The lower portion widens into a more characteristic reservoir.

A River and a Lake

“Pickwick is both a river and a lake,” explained

Jimmy Mason, a bass pro from Rogersville, Ala. “At the upper part, from the Natchez Trace Bridge to Wilson Dam, it’s a river. From the bridge toward Mississippi, it turns into a more typical reservoir.

The lower lake has a phenomenal amount of ledges, grassy flats and structure.”

Yellow Creek, birthplace of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, hits Pickwick near where the Tennessee and Mississippi state lines converge. The Tenn-Tom flows from Pickwick Lake across Alabama and Mississippi until it connects with the WarriorTombigbee system at Demopolis, Ala. Almost like another lake, Bear Creek enters the system near the Mississippi-Alabama state line.

The largest tributary of Pickwick Lake runs about 15 miles. Other good fishing creeks include Indian Creek, Dry Creek, Second Creek, Coffee Slough, Colbert Creek and Panther Creek.

“Pickwick is a dynamite lake for big smallmouth,” commented Roger Stegall, (662-423-3869, www.

Fishpickwick.com) a professional bass angler and Pickwick guide from Iuka, Miss. “I’ve heard of some 10-pound smallmouth. I caught one about eight pounds. It’s not uncommon to catch a largemouth, a smallmouth and a spotted bass on three casts with the same lure.”

Those Dam Bass

Although anglers frequently catch smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass in the same honey holes on the same lures, the best smallmouth fishing

Photo by John N. Felsher

Roger Stegall, a professional bass angler from Iuka, Miss., compares his smallmouth bass to the largemouth bass caught by Steve Barnett while fishing in the Tennessee River tailrace below the Pickwick Dam near Counce, Tenn.

46 February 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Painting by John Hamberger generally occurs in the Wilson Dam tailrace near Muscle Shoals, Ala. Below the dam, the river flows through several channels and around numerous rocky shoals, islands, sandbars and other obstructions.

“The Wilson Dam area has a lot of current breaks like rocks, logs and stumps,” Stegall advised. “Fish will be near those current breaks. One of the simplest ways to catch smallmouth is to throw a smoke or chartreuse grub on a leadhead jig upstream.

Let it go to the bottom. Hold the rod at about 10 o’clock, reel the bait about five or six cranks and let it fall back. Repeat this step. The fish normally hit when it falls.”

The Florence Canal flows around Patton Island near the dam so boats can bypass some shoals.

Large vessels passing through the locks create current along this deep channel. Here, fish shadcolored crankbaits. When water flows through the locks or Wilson Dam, currents stir up the bottom, flushing baitfish and other forage downstream. The rolling current also adds more oxygen to the water, giving fish an energy boost. That combination of added oxygen and plentiful prey can kick off a feeding frenzy.

When the water flows through the dam, some people drift the river, bouncing live shad along the bottom. Tie a live bait hook on the end of the line.

About two feet above it, add a split-shot sinker. Use only enough weight to keep the baitfish near the bottom. Fish this vertically as the boat drifts down with the current. If anglers drift over a good hole, they might maneuver the boat so they can anchor and fish the sweet spot.

Many people fish right next to the dam with either live bait or lures. Some people toss swimbaits against the concrete walls and let them drop like dying baitfish. Others run spinnerbaits or vertically jig slab spoons. When the TVA opens some gates, others that remain closed create slack spots. Fish frequently congregate in the slack water adjacent to current looking to ambush anything flowing in the current.

Roger Stegall holds up a smallmouth bass and a Kentucky spotted bass. Steven Felsher holds up a white crappie and a yellow perch. Darrell Moon shows off a largemouth bass and a sauger, six of the many species of fish found in Pickwick Lake.

Photo by John N. Felsher

Adventures On A Budget Running the River

rock rows. I drift backwards with the current. I use the trolling motor to slow the boat drift and cast upstream. Then, I use the current to sweep my bait into the eddies. For big smallmouth, I throw 5-inch grubs on 6- to 8-pound test line.

I also throw 1-ounce spinnerbaits or swimbaits. With the swimbait, I use a 1/2- to 1-ounce jighead, depending upon the current strength and water depth.

My all-time favorite swimbait color is Foxy Shad, a shad color with a splash of chartreuse on the shoulders.”

As the weather warms in the spring, shad-colored topwater baits can tempt smallies. Bass frequently attack threadfin shad gathered behind rocks and other current breaks. Toss a topwater lure upstream and work it downstream, running it as close to rocks, logs, sandbars or other current breaks as possible.

Another hot winter bait, an Alabama or umbrella rig consists of a wire harness where anglers can attach four or five baits. People can put any lure type or combination on the rig, but many people use swimbaits. Coming through the water, the entire rig resembles a shad school.

Presenting several baits at once, an umbrella rig provokes the natural greediness and competition for food. If one bass strikes a bait, that motivates others to feed. In nature, bass often try to snatch morsels from each other’s mouths. Anglers sometimes catch several fish Photo by John N. Felsher on one cast.

“An Alabama rig looks like a school of minnows or shad,” explained Gerald Swindle, a professional bass angler from Warrior, Ala. “Baitfish are normally in a school and rarely by themselves. A bass is programmed to feed more on schools of baitfish than on single minnows. I have done pretty well with many different bait combinations, but for me, the most effective has been swimming flukes with paddle tails. I always put junior flukes on the outside with a big fluke in the center.”

Even farther downstream, current from the dam can position fish.

Like rainbow trout in swift mountain streams, smallmouth bass often hide behind rocks, sandbars, logs or other obstructions waiting for the currents to bring them something to eat. When brownies see something they like, they swoop out into the current, snatch it and then return to their lairs in the eddies.

“Typically, smallmouth go a little deeper and get in the eddies,” Mason explained. “In the winter, I like to fish close to the flow, but still outside of it. I look for anything that breaks the current, like a rock pile, sand and gravel bars or islands. I look for current seams where fish can get behind something and don’t have to fight that current.”

From the dam downstream to the Natchez Trace Bridge, the river flows around several islands, rocks and more shoals. Some old rocky jetties that once marked the natural Tennessee River channel can hold big smallmouth looking for baitfish concentrations.

“Those old rock rows are dynamite areas to catch smallmouth in the winter,” Mason recommended. “They create great areas where fish can get out of the main flow. When the river is flowing heavy, I like to fish those

Jimmy Mason, a bass pro from Rogersville, Ala., shows off a smallmouth bass he caught on a jerkbait while fishing at Pickwick Lake near Florence, Ala.

More Than Big Smallmouth Although anglers can catch smallmouth from dam to dam, the area from the Natchez Trace

Jimmy Mason, lands a smallmouth bass he caught on an Alabama rig while fishing at Pickwick Lake near Florence, Ala. Bridge downstream towards Mississippi typically produces more largemouths including some double-digit fish.

Many anglers fish the points and grass patches. Besides bass, anglers might also catch yellow perch, sauger, white bass, chain pickerel, striped bass, channel catfish, crappie, multiple panfish species, humongous blue catfish and several other species.

While in the Pickwick Lake area, anglers can find food, facilities and accommodations in the towns of Florence, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia. Just up the river, people who prefer a more rustic setting might opt to rent a cabin or lakeside cottage at Joe Wheeler State Park (www.alapark. com/joe-wheeler-state-park). The park covers 2,550 acres on Wheeler Lake near Rogersville. State park visitors can stay in the resort hotel and dine in its restaurants.

For something really adventurous, spend the night in grain silo converted into a condominium at the Seven Springs Lodge near Tuscumbia. Hungry? Head down the canyon to the

Rattlesnake Saloon (rattlesnakesaloon. net) and dine inside an ancient natural rock outcropping. The western style saloon offers such items as snake eyes and tails (stuffed jalapeno peppers and green beans), rattlesnake eggs (fried jalapeno poppers) and monster burgers.

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

An Alabama license allows anglers to fish Pickwick Lake from dam to dam. A Tennessee or a Mississippi license only allows anglers to fish parts of the lake. Anglers can check the Wilson Dam generation schedule at www. tva.gov/lakes/wlh_r.htm.

For area information, contact the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau (www.colbertcountytourism.org) or Florence-Lauderdale Tourism at www.visitflorenceal.com.

Did you know...?

A skunk can spray its musk 12 feet and can change it from a mist to a stream. When misting, just a few droplets can impart strong odor on its target. The average skunk can spray 5-8 times, then must wait up to a week before regenerating enough musk to spray again. The best solution for dispelling the odor of a skunk is an acidic mixture such as lemon juice, tomato juice, or vinegar, mixed with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Adding a bit of grease-cutting dish washing detergent can also help to break up the oils in the musk and help it dissipate more quickly. The best solution is to avoid getting sprayed in the first place, as the odor can last up to two months.

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Fly Fishing With Wes

OUTDOOR WRITER'S CONTEST

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By Michael Grismer

ad had been ill for some time, but Wes declared last fall that he was planning a professional guided fly fishing trip for the three of us the following summer to one of his favorite spots, a stretch of the Missouri River in Montana, between Holter Dam and Craig. As much as my dad loved fishing, Wes knew the trip was something my father would want to get well for. Dad rallied for several months and it looked like the trip was becoming a reality. Unfortunately, dad took a turn in late January and he left us in early February. Although heart-broken, Wes remained resolute and began to put the trip together for the two of us for the coming July as

It's not about the size of the fish in the fight, it is about the size of the fight in the fish.

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a tribute to my father. I’d never been fly fishing in my life and I was pretty intimidated at the prospect. I was also still pretty low after dad’s passing, but I couldn’t disappoint Wes or my dad. I knew I needed to go.

The closest I’d ever been to a fly fishing rod before this past summer was fishing as a young boy with my dad, my Uncle Bill and my cousins, tramping through creeks and streams in western Montana, east of Lookout Pass. The heavy blanket of brush, logs and trees quickly dispelled any notion of casting. To fish the water in these tight spaces, my grandpa loaned me his short fly rod so I could easily strip line from the automatic reel, using the line as weight to carry my tiny, salmon egg baited leader downstream. It was a simple task to drop my bait beneath a fallen log, behind a boulder or

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

into a small ripple below an overhanging bush. To reel in, I simply drew the line with my left hand as if I was readying to place an arrow on a bow while steadily bringing the rod tip up, which quickly brought the leader to my chest. This was certainly not conventional fly fishing, but it’s the effective method my grandpa taught my dad, who then taught me and it provided an abundance of fun and great memories, catching native cutthroat trout with an occasional brookie lying among the fern leaves in the creel.

Wes rightly thought it best to give me a private fly fishing tutorial before we headed over to Helena, so I drove up from southern California an extra day early. I arrived in Post Falls on a Thursday in mid-July and the following day Wes drove us out to his cabin, nestled along the north fork of the Coeur D’Alene River. Just off the back porch of the cabin lay a beautifully serene stretch of water. In short order, we marched through some rocks and reeds to a point where the river gently bent south, just above some concrete bridge supports that kept the nearby road aloft and created several nice deep pools.

At water’s edge, Wes deftly demonstrated how to cast and work the line and stayed with me for a few minutes offering suggestions and ample encouragement. He then left and headed back to the cabin, wisely forcing me to figure out for myself how best to master this new art form. In spite of myself and my many failed attempts and tangles, in the course of about an hour, I somehow managed to land and release a couple of nice small cutthroats. Wes praised my success, but also warned that on Sunday not only would we be drifting together in tight quarters on a boat rather than standing shore side, but our prey would be craftier and stronger.

In less than 48 hours, I would find out that Wes had quite a gift for understatement.

Saturday morning, I climbed into Wes’ Jeep, which he had fully loaded with gear and Costco snacks and we headed off to Helena. We settled into our Big Sky lodgings in the late afternoon and had time to drive around town through some of the old historic neighbor-

OUTDOOR WRITER'S CONTEST hoods and visit a few local sporting goods stores before an early dinner. Our guide, Geof, who Wes had fished with several times before, greeted us at our hotel at six o’clock sharp the following morning.

After traveling through breathtakingly scenic countryside, the sun was just over the mountaintops as we rolled into Craig. Geof hitched his boat to his truck, which had been parked in the lot overnight and we ventured into The Trout Shop to pick up our lunches. It was a short drive to Holter Dam and although we were one of many boats lined up to launch, in a matter of minutes, Geof had us in the water just below the dam.

He quickly rowed us to the far bank, anchoring in some still water tucked behind a small jetty and he proceeded to give me a condensed fly fishing lesson.

He handed me one of Wes’ fly rods he had outfitted with a small white balloon on the leader and one of his personally tied flies on a barbless hook. After a couple of cast and retrieve lessons, Geof proclaimed me ready and effortlessly maneuvered our boat out into the current. I learned that mend and marinate had nothing to do with repairing clothing or grilling steaks. Rather, mend meant to constantly remove the downstream loop in my line by flipping it upstream and marinate meant Geof wanted me to let my fly drift along a little longer and wait for a strike. Wes had insisted that I sit in the front of the boat, as not only could Geof coach me more easily, but the front was also the prime fishing location, much like the stern on a deep sea fishing trip. I reluctantly agreed, but only after receiving assurances from Wes that we would change places and even it up throughout our excursion.

For the next two days, with every set of the hook, rainbow trout flew like red flares shot across our bow.

Airborne trout performed tumbling runs on the water’s surface that would make an Olympic gymnast jealous. Geof repeatedly placed us in hot spots throughout the river he knew so well and he selected flies the fish were eager to swallow. He was incredibly patient with my many tangles and re-ties and even though I lost far more fish than I landed, every explosive hook-up was a pulsating, thrilling experience. I could hear my dad playfully needling me with each fish I farmed.

He was a terrific fisherman and would have loved this outing. I also noticed that every time Geof placed us in particularly productive water, Wes was poised with his phone ready to snap pictures when he should have been more focused on his fishing; he easily out-fished me nonetheless. Despite repeated coaxing from me, he refused to move to the front of the boat throughout our entire time on the water. But that’s Wes; always putting others ahead of himself. He wanted to ensure that I would have a great time with photos to accompany my memories.

When we returned to Post Falls after our trip, I was exhausted, but exhilarated! I realized that I needed a lot more practice to improve my fly fishing skills and that I definitely wanted to go again. I realized that I still missed my dad, but I was extremely grateful to have a wonderful friend like Wes. I also realized that something would definitely be different the next time we fly fished the Missouri River in Montana; Wes would be sitting up front.

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Two Monsters With One Arrow

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uring the winter of 2003-2004, I managed to get things figured out pretty well. If I were ever going to graduate from the Murphy School of Hard Knocks, I would simply have to assassinate the Headmaster. By the time I flew into Unalakleet, AK, on May 15th, 2004, I was starting to feel quite hopeful once again. Almost confident, in fact, though I couldn’t explain why.

This spring there were to be two other veteran bowhunters in camp with me. Jake Ensign and Bob Miller were both determined to take a male grizzly with their bows. Neither, as I recall, had hunted Ursus Arctos (Horribilis) before, but our collective bowhunting experience, together with our passion for the intense challenge, quickly created a bonding between the three of us.

It was a great relief to learn from Virgil and Eric Umphenour that this year our hunting would not be disturbed by the spring, commercial herring fishery that had begun to affect so adversely the bear activity along the coast toward the end of my previous year’s hunt. All kinds and sizes of boats had swarmed up and down that part of the Norton Sound coastline, aided and abetted by noisy, spotting helicopters hovering over schools of herring along the water’s edge and as the hunt wore on, the bears seemed to arrive from the interior a little later each night and depart a bit earlier each morning.

In this connection, there is a rather remarkable story I’d like to share with the reader that unfolded the very last night of my spring hunt in 2003. It would have been too tame, too anti-climactic to append it to the end of the previous story, but it will serve as an amusing and instructive prologue to the night of May 18th, 2004, which was to become — nearly a year later — my “night of nights” and the pinnacle experience in this one person’s lifetime of bowhunting.

On a virtually windless evening, Eric and I set out from camp around 10pm and headed the outboard in a southwesterly direction, well out from the shore.

We kept the engine running slow and quiet and — while we proceeded down the coast — we carefully glassed every foot of “beach,” as well as the tundra behind. At the stroke of midnight, the sun slipped below the horizon, leaving us to wonder when we were going to see our first bruin for the outing. In the distance, a half-an-hour earlier, I had picked up through my binos a long, white object lying right on the edge of the water. My eventual guess, as we slowly narrowed the gap, was that we were looking at a rare, beached (or dead) Beluga Whale.

Though it had not been there 24 hours earlier, it did, indeed, prove to be a Beluga (and quite dead).

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Drawing by Dallen Lambson Approaching the whale, still yet a half-mile distant, we noticed a very blonde sow with two cubs starting to come down off the bluffs above the carcass. These were the first bears we had seen all evening, so we decided that staking out the whale-site until daybreak was probably as good a strategy as any. The sun had set only minutes earlier, but as soon as she caught sight of our boat on the calm water, the mama bear headed for the top of the bluffs as fast as she could get there — cubs in tow, right behind her.

At least their quick departure enabled us to go quietly ashore, anchor the boat on the back side of a little rocky point and take up a vigil inside a nifty niche at the bottom of the cliff, no more than 50 yards from the beached whale. The rocky contours at that location would allow me a further approach to within 20 yards, without my being visible to any bears that might decide they wanted to add whale blubber to their diet.

Some native — passing by in his boat earlier that night or the previous day — had stopped to cut out a long strip of blubber from one flank. The excision had produced a very noticeable oil slick which stretched several hundred yards out to sea, carried along by the nightly offshore breeze. “Oil on troubled waters” came to mind, as I contemplated with awe the reflected afterglow of the recent sunset. The surface of the long, serpentine slick was even calmer than the ocean surfaces on either margin. The effect was rather eerie.

It was nearly 1:30am when the sow and cubs reappeared at the top of the bluff and came down again to the edge of the ocean. The mother signaled her cubs to stay put at about 30 yards away from the gleaming white carcass, while she checked things out to make sure it was safe for the little ones to come on in. Her solo investigation produced one of the most humorous scenes I have ever witnessed in the wilderness. Since the Beluga was resting on its back, upside-down, the soft underbelly was facing skyward. Our sow

proceeded to mount the head and then walk gingerly the 16-foot length of the carcass. Reaching the tail, she turned around and started back toward the rib cage. Upon arriving at mid-abdomen, the bear decided she really liked the spongy, bouncy feeling she was experiencing, so all of a sudden, she began jumping straight up and down — as if she were on a trampoline! Eric and I thought we were going to die laughing.

The gymnastic exhibition continued for perhaps 20 seconds until it was suddenly interrupted by the sow herself. All her antennae were abruptly focused out to sea and down the coast — directed toward some threatening menace she could evidently hear, but which we could not. Her cubs were still waiting patiently for the all-clear signal when their mother bolted past them in a second mad-dash for the top of the bluffs. As she paused on the skyline to take one last “listen,” we finally could hear the distant whine of the outboard motor that had first alerted her to possible danger. Through our binoculars, we soon picked out the small boat that was making the racket.

The driver, no doubt, was seeking to take advantage of the calm night to make his first spring trip from St. Michael to Unalakleet — a distance of some 65 miles across open water.

The sow was obviously not taking any chances. Long before anyone in the boat could have spotted our trio of bears, they were long-gone and nowhere to be seen. My guide and I agreed that what we had just witnessed provided much food for thought. Unfortunately, no other grizzly deigned to put in an appearance the rest of the night, so after the sun had been up again for about an hour, we headed back to camp — to pack up and head home.

*

*

*

They say persistence pays off and 2004 finally proved to me the truth of that old saw. When I arrived in hunting camp on May 15th, it was my 7th attempt to take a grizzly in the space of just three-and-a-half years. I had hunted grizzly bear before in both B.C. and the Yukon Territory, but my 2003 spring hunt had convinced me that Alaska would eventually reward my perseverance if I simply hung in there and refused to give up.

The truth of the matter was that I couldn’t wait to return to that same stretch of coastline for one more attempt on the life of Mr. Griz. In all candor, my wife and mother weren’t too thrilled (to put it mildly) about my going back again, but I was convinced my luck was about to turn. On the morning of the 14th, I boarded a plane for Fairbanks and by the afternoon of the 15th I was settling into the same comfortable tent camp out of which I had hunted one year earlier.

In Alaska, the regulations allow you to hunt 24/7 during any open season, so once again Eric and I had to adjust our sleeping schedule in order to take full advantage of the nocturnal activity of the big bears. On Monday evening, May 17th, Virgil Umphenour and his camp-cook, Paul Johnson, treated the three of us bowhunters to a terrific, steak-and-baked-potato barbecue. Since we had just awakened fresh from a long day’s sleep, this was absolutely the best breakfast any of us had ever had!

Along about 10pm, Eric made up a “sack-lunch” and readied our boat for the night’s hunt, while Jake and Bob prepared to depart with their own guides for very different sections of the coastline. Winds were low, spirits high and the waters looked friendly. Whenever the winds there raise enough to produce major ocean swells or wave-action, it becomes very dangerous to put ashore and to get the boat anchored safely. Since we were blessed with a calm evening, however, conditions were nearly ideal for glassing without having to fight the pitching motion of the boat.

Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to invite Paul, our camp-cook, to accompany Eric and me. I don’t know if I actually had an intuition that this was to be “my night,” but I know I was hoping that any “close encounter” could be captured on video this time — unlike those in the spring of the year before. When bowhunting the big bears of the North, the critical “moments of truth” almost never gets filmed, unless a third person is there in the hunting party. If things turn ugly at such close range, they happen so fast the guide simply doesn’t have time to put down a camera and pick up a rifle.

On the way down the coast, Eric and I saw a couple of sows, each with two cubs — but no single bears. Just after midnight, we put ashore on the end of a rocky point that projected well out into the ocean and which gave us a view of several miles of shoreline in both directions. Eric had just finished setting

up the spotting scope on his tripod when Paul announced he had spotted (through his binos) a large, heavily built boar coming up the coast toward us, about two-and-a-half-miles away. We all found him in our optics within seconds and watched in fascination as he “fished his way” along the edge of the water, scavenging Drawing by Dallen Lambson for herring. Between us and him, we soon spotted four other grizzlies working the shoreline: a mother with a pair of cubs and a loner we judged to be probably an average-sized male.

Not knowing just how long the big boar might remain out in the open before seeking cover inland, we went to meet him as fast as we could manage to move along the rocky shore. Before long we saw the smaller boar pick up the scent of the larger one and take off for the interior like a scalded cat.

A few minutes later, the drama repeated itself with the sow and her young litter. By the time we had covered about a mile on foot, our quarry had closed to within 400 yards and I realized I needed to choose a good ambush spot in a hurry. My choice was a five-foot-high boulder right on the water’s edge. In fact, it formed the very tip of a little boulder pile that stuck out into the ocean 10 or 15 yard, and it really did provide an ideal place for an ambuscade. The slight, steady breeze, such as it was, blew off the “beach,” into my face and out over Norton Sound. As I settled in for the final wait, I was standing in a foot of seawater; the gentle waves lapped quietly around the calves of my neoprene boots.

The Ambush Rock.

Eric and Paul picked a smaller pile of rocks in which to hunker down — roughly 15 yards behind me, as I stood there facing the approaching beast.

Soon he was less than 100 yards away and I realized then that this truly was “a beast” of a big boar! The slow ponderosity of his methodical gait, moving from one boulder to the next, seemed to convey a sense of utter dominance over everything in his ken. A sense of royalty, perhaps. A veritable ‘King of the Tundra’ and of the Seacoast as well. Did I really have a chance to outsmart this old monarch? If so, I was going to have to outsmart Murphy, too.

Suddenly, with the bear at no more than 60 yards and just as I was starting to feel that at long last I might actually get the best of my invisible enemy, I felt his icy breath on the back of my neck once more. I watched in horror as my quarry turned away from the water’s edge, walked slowly up to the brush-line above the beach and disappeared from view! This was no fickle breeze taunting the hackles of my neck! This was Murphy’s ghost

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getting his jollies yet again at my expense and I could hardly believe my eyes!

Had my luck turned sour at the last moment — one more time? Did the bear possess some sixth or seventh sense that told him danger was close at hand?

I knew he could not possibly have gotten our scent! Over my many years of bear-hunting, I had had many different bruins do the same sort of thing to me — for no discernible reasons. At times, their senses are altogether uncanny.

I guess I’ll always wonder what it was that quickly turned that grizzly around and brought him back to the water’s edge and then into my waiting arms. Maybe the creature simply had to go “potty” and preferred the privacy of the bushes to the open, rocky shoreline (I seriously doubt that). Maybe Murphy’s ghost had at last taken pity on me after one final prank. In any case, when Brutus lowered his huge head to negotiate his footing up onto the big flat rock next to the one I was hiding behind, I came to full draw and the die were cast.

I still had to wait about ten seconds, however, until he gave me the broadside opportunity I wanted. For a moment or two, with his head raised and his body facing straight toward me, I felt tempted to fulfill his obvious deathwish by releasing the arrow right into the middle of his chest. Yet I knew the wind was in my favor and I had counted on the weak, early-morning light to combine with his relatively poor eyesight to prevent him from picking up the slight motion of the top limb of my bow as I drew. That was the only thing I could think of that might give away my presence. Knowing the upper limb would be silhouetted against the still-bright western sky, that was precisely why I had waited to draw until the monster’s head dropped down to help him make that final ascent into my lair. I also knew that, unless he wanted to go swimming in deep water, he would eventually have to turn broadside in order to pass inland of me. So, I had waited.

As things turned out, the old boy was clueless and I didn’t have to wait long. On Tuesday morning, May 18th, at 1:25am, in the half-light of the arctic spring night, I released my three-blade Savora broadhead at his rib cage from

Victory at last on the seventh hunt for the species!

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just 8-yards away. Once on its journey, my arrow first skewered Murphy’s ghost, then passed through both the bruin’s lungs, exited the far side and sailed another 25 yards beyond, to land among the beach boulders of the Bering Seacoast. The moment of truth had come and gone. It was all over save the shouting.

I’ve been asked many times since then, if — during the grizzly’s final approach — I wasn’t shaking in my boots, with my heart pounding in my throat.

The reader may think it odd, but — strangely — the answer is no. I was so totally focused on what I had to do, there was simply no room for fear in the picture. Besides, if a hunter allows fear to get even a foot in the door, so-tospeak, he is much more likely to make errors of judgment or timing that could very well lead to lethal consequences for either himself or his guide — or both.

I hope the reader will not conclude that I’m being naive here. In the previous seven years or so, I had read every book I could find on the subject of bear attacks against man. I know how quickly they can kill you — or virtually any other living thing. I know that, with one swing of a powerful forearm, they can send a man’s head spinning 30 yards through the air like a soccer ball. And I had been charged twice, previously, by an Alaskan Brown Bear (kissing cousin of the grizzly). I’m certain there are many people who simply don’t have the right temperament for bear hunting. Those that do, however, learn quickly that stern self-discipline and dispassionate rationality are essential to maintaining a laser-like focus in the field, and thereby to minimizing your risk of harm.

My arrow had knocked the wind out of my bear on the pass-through and the video shows that he stumbled slightly in the first few seconds of his flight for cover. I’m guessing the brute didn’t last more than about 60 seconds. Eric, Paul and I did not actually have the satisfaction of seeing him go down, but four hours later — when it became light enough at last to distinguish the stains of red against the nearly black rocks of the beach — we began the blood-trailing and quickly found him 175 yards away. He was lying on his back in a willow creek-bottom. Rigor mortis was in evidence, big-time! Persistence and determination had finally paid off and yielded a dividend, the richness of which I still didn’t realize until a few hours later when the skinning of the head had been completed.

To this day, I’m still in shock and awe and substantial disbelief that my old monarch of a griz — with almost no sound teeth left in his mouth — turned out to be the new Archery World’s Record! Three of his four canine teeth were completely missing, long since broken off at the gum line and rotted away from there. The empty nerve canal holes were showing at the base of several severely-worn teeth. I’ve little doubt he was staring at least a $300,000 dental bill in the face! It was his time to go. When Alaska Fish & Game eventually completed their tooth-study, he was found to have been 28-years-old. Fifteen years is considered quite old for any bear. Twenty-eight is almost unheard-of — especially for a male, since they do so much fighting throughout their lifetime than do the females. Although his spring coat was in excellent condition, his hide was scarred in many places and we found at least five old, leathery, healed-up bullet wounds on his back and rump. He had clearly had a number of other close encounters during his extraordinarily long lifetime. It was the kind

Photo of a $300,000 dental bill. of circumstantial evidence that injects into a hunter ’s heart an extra dose of humility and gratitude.

The hide squared out at a bit over eight feet (which isn’t all that huge for the species), but the skull turned out to be immense and that’s the only criterion used for entry into the various record books.

After the mandatory 60-day drying period, the skull was officially measured at 26 and 5/16ths inches. That remains its permanent score in the All-Time Boone & Crockett Records. It turned out to be the largest grizzly bear taken anywhere in North America —with any weapon — in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

After being re-measured in April of 2005 at the site of the Springfield, MO, biennial Pope & Young Convention, Old Snaggletooth was officially declared the new Archery World’s Record at a final score of 26 and 3/16ths. The old record of 25 and 13/16ths had been taken in 1987 and tied again ten years later.

Unlike big-game animals whose horns and antlers can be viewed externally and evaluated analytically through high-powered modern optics, bear and cougar skulls are encased inside many layers of muscle, fat, hide and fur that make accurate field-judging almost impossible. I’ll be the first to admit that I was just amazingly lucky to be at the right place, at the right time — so as to be able to harvest such an amazing animal with my bow. If I allow myself any sense of pride, it derives only from the fact that I never gave up in my battle against Murphy. On May 18th, 2004, the assassination of his ghost was quick and clean, all right, but the question in my mind was: Would it remain permanent? Somehow, I doubted it. After all, ghosts do have a way of surviving death, don’t they?

Would my World’s Record remain permanent? Well, hardly! I expected that within a few years it would be eclipsed, also — and probably by a spring bear taken along that same section of Northwestern Alaska coastline. I have no doubt the monster griz that just about blew over the top of me there in May of 2003 was, himself, significantly larger than my World’s Record taken a year later. As the cliche goes, “Records are made to be broken” and sure enough, in April of 2015, a Pennsylvanian named, Rod Debias, saw his beast of an old boar dethrone mine at the biennial P & Y Convention in Phoenix, AZ. He had, indeed, arrowed his monster with the same outfitter I had used and on the same stretch of Alaska coastline.

At least I retain the satisfaction of knowing that my bear was dethroned by a truly worthy challenger. It just so happens — believe it or not — that the Debias bear, at the time it was declared the new Pope & Young World’s Record grizzly, scored higher than any grizzly ever taken by a rifle hunter! Until quite recently, it sat atop all firearm-killed grizzlies ever entered into the All-Time Boone & Crockett Records. Dr. Saxton Pope and Arthur Young must be feeling pretty proud!

The new World’s Record plaque Dunn received from Pope & Young in April of 2005.

Old Snaggletooth with the author and his wife, Karen

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