Sportsman's News October 2016 Digital Edition

SportsmansNews.com

October 2016

Ralph Crystal, Dr. Jeff Smith, Sammi and Brandon Simpson and Kent Danjanovich pose for another great photo after a successful day in the field with Tumbleweed Lodge.

Volume 12 Issue 10

World Class Experience: Tumbleweed Lodge

O

By Kent Danjanovich Senior Editor

ver the last 12 years, I have had the opportunity to visit many great destinations all over the world.

These locations have offered just about everything imaginable continued on page 2

Page 6

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

TUMBLEWEED continued from cover

including fishing, upland game, waterfowl, big game, and a little bit of everything in between! Now I know that most of you think of me as the fishing side of Sportsman’s News, but I will have to tell you that I will always have a special place in my heart for a special bird; one that I have cherished since my early childhood and that is the rooster pheasant.

Growing up in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah, although you wouldn’t know it now, this area was once a pretty good place to chase a bird or two. I remember many restless nights leading up to opening day of the pheasant hunt, with great expectations of spending time with my dad and brothers and our prized pointers in the field. There is just something special about watching a bird dog work a piece of cover, using their acquired and inherited instincts to outsmart and hopefully outmaneu-

ver their prey, with the end result a perfect, awe-inspiring flush.

Now unfortunately, those days have come and gone. My dad and one of my brothers have passed and houses cover the landscape that was once home to perfect upland bird habitat in my old stomping grounds.

But, my love of the sport has never diminished. My passion for the hunt and experience still burns and I am always searching for places to visit to reminesce on those fond memories of so long ago.

Well, nearly ten years ago I found a hunting lodge in the heart of South Dakota that has rekindled that fire in me for upland bird hunting. Not only are the birds plentiful, but the people that I have met because of this new-found association have become just about as close to me as my own family and I again look forward to visiting them every fall for my return trip-of-a-lifetime!

Don, Judy, Michael and Angie Bollweg are the owners and operators of the Tumbleweed Lodge in Harrold, South Dakota, situ-

ated about 35 miles northwest of Pierre, the State Capitol. As many in the upland bird business today, they started out in the farming business and as the bird populations increased, so did their ideas of capitalizing on the possibilities. Today, they are not only one of the most well respected farming operations in the state, but also rated as one of the world’s best hunting lodges by many top outdoor publications and organizations.

Plenty of hard work has gone into every aspect of their op- Pro Membership Sweepstakes winner Braneration over the years. don Simpson and his wife Sammi had the You don’t get to the time of their lives during their stay at the toptop by not always rated Tumbleweed Lodge in Harrold, South being on the lookout Dakota. for new and innovative improvements. Their beautiful found a comfortable seat around the lodge is the showcase as you drive big screen for a little down time and onto the property. It is perched ‘getting to know time’ before dinner. upon a gentle slope, surrounded As I filled Brandon and Sammi in by towering rows of trees and corn on what they were in for during the and grain fields, with the American next four days, the sparkle in their Flag proudly flying near its corner. eyes became brighter and brighter!

As you approach the lodge, colorAt about 6:30pm the dinner bell ful roosters can be seen scurrying rang and we all made our way to in every direction and for the new- the main dining area. Thick, juicy comer, it is hard to control yourself steaks and all the fixins’ were awaitas the anticipation mounts. ing us, as Chef Joe delivered again as This past December found myself he would throughout our stay. His and fellow Sportsman’s News Pro- culinary efforts are extraordinary Staffer, James Dansie, joining our as he has become a mainstay at the friends Ralph Crystal, Dr. Jeff Smith lodge and we always look forward and one of our latest Pro Member- to his offerings. After a great meal ship Sweepstakes winners, Brandon and a little bit more mingling, it was Simpson and his wife Sammi for then off to our rooms and a good four nights and three days of hunt- nights’ sleep. ing at Tumbleweed.

Although the anticipation had Our host, Michael Bollweg, met most of us up well before the breakus at the door with his usual broad fast bell at 8am, after another great smile and we soon found our way to meal to start the day, we all met in the our rooms and unloaded our gear. It lounge area for a quick safety video was then back to the car to grab our before picking up our licenses online guns and hunting boots on our way in the office and then slipping into to the locker room in preparation for our gear in the locker area. Our guide, our next morning’s hunt.

Brett, then greeted us and led us to The aroma of Chef Joe Fossett’s our awaiting bus, complete with dog appetizers filled the lodge as we trailer in tow and we were off to our then made our way into the lounge designated area for the morning hunt. area. We each grabbed a plate and continued on page 5 a drink of our choice at the bar and

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Words From The Publisher

By Michael Deming

H

unting season is in full swing right now, and with the major advancements in social media, you can almost watch these hunts take place in real time. It is sensory overload with all of the pictures being posted of animals on the hoof as well as trophy photos once the harvest has taken place. As we sit in the blinds, tree stands or lookouts, we are constantly checking our phones to see what has taken place online, since there isn’t anything going on in front of us. It seems to be all about the audience you have created and how big the animal is. I’m equally as guilty as the rest of us when it comes to this, so I’m not calling anyone out. I am just saying that we are creating a society of people who aren’t as in tune with the outdoors as previous generations.

Several years ago, I had my middle daughter in a blind with me for an early muzzleloader hunt. I didn’t take my phone for

a reason and it was to enjoy the experience with her and only her. As the first light started to break, we were greeted by turkeys, rabbits, quail, and other animals, which held my daughters attention. We could hear the twigs breaking from a buck rubbing his antlers several hundred yards away as well as the turkeys scratching. We were totally in tune with nature and what was going on around us without the disruptions of outside forces. According to my daughter, a “whopper” muley came out into the meadow. For me, it was just a young 4-point that needed some age before he would be a worthy adversary.

However, my daughter thought he was a giant and I remembered back in the days when just a 4-point was all we were looking for. We harvested that buck on this special day and I shared it with my child. We had an experience that was unlike any other and it was done without any social media. To this day, it is still a very special memory for both of us.

We should all take the time to enjoy the experience the woods h a v e t o o f f e r. P l e a s e d o n ’ t apologize for the animals that you have taken on social media because they aren’t a world record or even the biggest thing in the unit. You have accomplished something very special and you have provided meat for your table and your family for the year. There are many people in this world who don’t have the skills to do what you just accomplished. You have taken one of God’s creatures to nurture your body the way it was intended; so please don’t apologize. Celebrate your success and teach these skills to your children. They may need these skills to survive in the future.

That is enough of my soapbox discussion. I want to make everyone aware of the premium trophy elk hunt giveaway we are doing with the Sportsman’s News Television DVD promotion. There is an article and an advertisement on page 17 with all of the details. This is definitely a hunt of a lifetime for one lucky person and if you a l re a d y p u rc h a s e a m o n t h l y DVD, you just need to register it. If you haven’t purchased the DVD’s for $2.99 at the cash register yet, this is a great time to start. That’s a pretty inexpensive ticket for a $15,000 hunt.

Best of luck to all of you in this Autumn. I look forward to meeting many of you in the field.

WHAT’S INSIDE

3 Words From The Publisher 6 Sitka Diverge5 Contest Outdoors: 8 PacWest Westerners In Bear Camp 10 Platinum Approved Outfitters 17 Utah Elk Hunt Giveaway 18 Long-Range Rifles Roundup 24 Pro Member Sweepstakes 28 Keep It Clean With Otis Pick: ALPS Commander X 30 Pro’s RCBS Rockchucker and 32 Chargemaster 34 ATN X-Sight II HD Thinker: Scholastic 36 Fishful Fishing 38 Video Product Reviews Business Directory 44 Wild Recipe: Brick 48 QuailGame w/ Escarole and Beans 50 Pro's Tip: Field Judging On A Budget: 51 Adventures Southern Quail 54 Writing Contest: Bull Creek Elk 55 ESEE 4 Knife Sagas: Last-Day 56 Barebow!

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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Gary Lewis Art Merrill Chad LaChance Steve Mayer John N. Felsher Dan Baughman Dennis Dunn

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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 PRODUCTION MANAGER James Dansie jdansie@sportsmansnews.com

Subscribers should contact Managing Editor for changes of address.

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The entire content of this newspaper is Copyright 2016 © All rights reserved.

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

TUMBLEWEED continued from page 2

Now if you have not hunted pheasants in South Dakota, especially after the birds have been chased for a few weeks into the season, you are in for a little bit of a different adventure. By far the most effective way to hunt the birds is to “push and block”, meaning a group of hunters are let out at the beginning of a section of cover, be it corn, sorghum, marsh or CRP and then posting blockers at the other end of the cover in hopes of cornering the birds. This system can be very successful, as the birds will feel the presence of the pushers and blockers and eventually have to flush, hopefully in range of one or the other.

Brandon, Sammi and Dr. Smith joined Brett and three of his prized pointing labs on the first push, as Ralph and I drove the bus to the end of the section of corn and James grabbed his Panasonic to record our adventure for an upcoming edition of our Sportsman’s News DVD lineup. It was now a waiting game for us, as the group slowly pushed the corn in our direction. But it didn’t take long for the first shots of the morning to ring out and the first of 20 birds for the morning dropped from the sky, the results of a great shot by Pro Membership Sweepstakes winner, Brandon Simpson. By the time the group worked their way to our end of the strip, six roosters had been retrieved and big smiles adorned the faces of every one of

us. Each subsequent push resulted in varied, but successful results and we soon found ourselves back at the lodge, unloading for lunch.

At about 1:30pm, we all headed out to the trap and sporting clays range for a little friendly competition before our afternoon session in the field. Plenty of laughs and good times for all were had, but we all were pretty antsy to get back out to do some more of the ‘real thing’.

South Dakota pheasant limits are set at three birds per day, but because the Tumbleweed Lodge has preserve status, they are able to offer their guests a five bird limit, with the option of purchasing additional birds as well. So, by the time we finished our afternoon hunt, we had not only filled our 25-bird limit, but we had also added another dozen to that number as well. Not a bad start to another great adventure at an unbelievable destination!

That night, we hit the steam room and giant hot tub after dinner and then made our way to the game room in the “Wild” Bill Hickok cigar room for a rousing game of cards, while reminiscing of our days’ events and daydreaming of more of the same to come.

Day’s two and three found us in different areas of the farm, but with much the same success. Each push resulted in birds exploding from cover in every direction. And even though I had the time of my life again, as I always do when I visit the Tumbleweed Lodge, my best memories of this particular trip will

The stunning lodge sits atop a gentle hill and is the showcase of the area.

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Good guides and good dogs make for a great day in the field. be the great experience that I had sharing it with Dr. Jeff Smith and Brandon and Sammi Simpson. All three of them were pretty much introduced to upland bird hunting on this adventure and I think that I can safely say that I think that they are all hooked for life!

And just a little side note. If you don’t think that I really love to hunt pheasants, especially when it comes to visiting my friends at the Tumbleweed Lodge; I was scheduled to go in for knee replacement surgery three days after the trip and even though I had to hobble around and mostly do the blocking during this hunt, I promise I will be back to full bore by this fall for the return trip with our next winners of our Pro Membership Sweepstakes.

So what are you waiting for?

Whether you are a want-a-be pheasant hunter or a seasoned veteran, if you are looking for the very best experience at the very best lodge you can imagine, get on the phone right now and book your hunt with the Tumbleweed Lodge in the heart of South Dakota. I promise you that every part of your experience will be first class. And if you have not signed up for our Pro Membership Sweepstakes yet, you are missing out on a chance to win a trip for two every year as part of this great program as well. Just ask Brandon and Sammi Simpson of Wyoming! The Tumbleweed Lodge, 605-875-3440 and visit them on the web at www.tumbleweedlodge.com.

The interior of the lodge is also first class and offers guests a place to relax and enjoy their down time.

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Seeing Hunting Through A Divergent Lens Sitka’s Diverge Photo Contest is all about uncovering the grit, the beauty and the truth about hunting.

By Sitka Gear

F

ive years ago, Sitka’s David Brinker and Alex Tenenbaum saddled-up at a lunch table in a now defunct Bozeman, Montana, restaurant. Hunting stories flowed as they always did. But the purpose of this conversation was different.

Brinker had an idea that would shape the way hunters saw hunting.

From the outset, he called it Diverge, and the name stuck.

Brinker said that words too often fall short, so maybe the culture shift the Sitka Team had been talking about could be inspired through pictures. Maybe a photo contest could help hunters try out different ways to view and show the journey to each other.

Tenenbaum was intrigued, and together with many others, they worked on the premise, the ask, the rules, the prizes. They wrote and rewrote, refined and honed what it was they were trying to achieve.

At some point in April of 2011, not knowing if anyone would enter, or what the entries would look like, they put up a post on the Sitka Facebook Page announcing the contest.

Along with the contest, they tried to explain to their social media fans what it meant to be “divergent.”

Basically, the winning images would have to be raw—expressing the unexplainable emotions that come with hunting. They would have to be about the journey, not just the

Photo by Dustin Lutt

kill. They would also have to show an attempt at an entirely new way of looking at and expressing the hunt.

And more than anything, they had to inspire. With that, Diverge was born.

The true Photo by Jay Beyer purpose of the Diverge Photo Contest is simple: to shift and accelerate a The Divergent Lifestyle way of think“There are two moments during i n g a m o n g any hunt that photographers of h u n t e r s t o all stripes work toward more than h e l p t h e m any other,” said Tenenbaum. “The better identifirst is the moment just before the fy themselves shot, where ideally the hunter and and articulate the game are in the same frame. It’s themselves, a powerful moment that can lead so that the community can experito a cool image, but if you’ve ever ence more meaning together. been the hunter or the photographer There is a broader cultural meswho’s captured this, you know sage here too. If hunters can learn to there’s just so much more to hunting show the human side of ourselves to than this split second. mainstream culture, to be vulnera“The second is the classic grip-and- ble and not wear such macho masks, grin ‘hero’ shot,” added Tenenbaum. it may be easier to break down some “It’s always an important picture to of the cultural barriers to hunting. the hunter, but there are so many Dusty Lutt is a Sitka Tribe memmoments and experiences that led up ber, hunter and exceptional photo the hero tographer shot. The who has Fans can submit their hunter refully emphotos at SitkaGear.com/ members braced all those, the diverDiverge, or on Instagram by and so he gent lifeposting a new image with sees them style. #Diverge5 in the caption in the grip “What (not in a comment). and grin. drew my But no one attention else does. No one else sees the full to Sitka 6 years ago—and still does season, all that work—often 365 to this day—is the fact that they days of preparation and more—eve- choose to be divergent,” said Lutt. rything that led up to the kill. And “They choose not only to be differthen everything that happens after. ent, but to make something better The dressing, the celebration, the than the rest by having complete primal sense of security brought by respect for the experience and ata full freezer. It’s those moments, the tention to detail. And they’re doing full journey, that are the heart of the it in something that I cherish in my Diverge Photo Contest.” everyday life—hunting.

“This is exactly what I try to do with “It’s nearly impossible my photography” added Lutt. “It’s to capture a whole not just a success story in one picture, story with an animal, it’s a way of but I’ll try like hell thinking and a way e v e r y t i m e . T h i s of life. I try my best lifestyle deserves that to capture everything from the calm kind of respect.” – relaxing moments in a sunrise to the Dusty Lutt emotional heart-

pounding excitement of finally having an elusive mature buck in a hunter’s hands. It’s nearly impossible to capture a whole story in one picture, but I’ll try like hell every time. This lifestyle deserves that kind of respect.”

This Year Sitka calls the Diverge Photo Contest a “contest” because they give prizes to those who surprise and inspire most – and this year, there are more and bigger prizes than ever. But it’s not about the prizes, the prizes are just to help celebrate those who do things differently—who see things differently—and who refuse to be conformed to too-small definitions of what it means to be a hunter.

These ideas seem to be catching on. Over the last four years, Diverge has shaken the hunting world in unimaginable ways. It’s allowed hunters to come together and share the very real things they have seen.

The grit, the beauty, the truth of hunting. The rawness.

That kind of rawness has been uncommon in recent years, especially in hunting. It’s risky for people to show their cards, to try to share what hunting truly means to them with a bunch of people they don’t know.

“We’re stoked to be a part of that rawness, and we want to reward the people who take the risk,” said Sitka Founder Jonathan Hart.

The Sitka Team encourages anyone reading to just step out. Winning at Diverge doesn’t require hunting uncommon species in uncommon places. It just takes being an uncommon human, seeing the world in uncommon ways.

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Westerners Are Weakest Links In Minnesota Bear Camp

Hunting black bear from tree stands in the Upper Peninsula.

By Gary Lewis

S

hifting shafts of sunlight sifted through timber. Squirrels chattered in the trees, chipmunks flit-

Brian Bachman, the owner of Arrowhead Wi l d e r n e s s Outfitters, had walked in with me. In a low voice, he whispered my instructions.

“Sit still and watch.”

He pointed to two paw-worn Photo by Gary Lewis paths. “Bears come on that This sow came in with two cubs and fed for 15 trail and they minutes before catching the scent of a boar back in come on that the trees. A moment after the photo was taken, she one. They might bolted. The bigger bear showed 40 minutes later. also walk in on the trail we came ted through leafy groundcover. Then in on.” With that, he walked away.

I checked the wind and my watch. the camp robbers and jays appeared The hours passed and the sun went in the treetops.

behind the trees. I sensed the bear was close. Two hours before Minnesota dark, I heard him to my left, a short grunt. Seven minutes later, I heard him again.

Two hours later, when flying squirrels, like windborne rectangles, streaked through the moonlight, I heard the bear again, close, maybe 20 yards, but black, in blackness.

The next morning I woke to thunder and lightning and two inches of rain.

A change in the wind meant a move to a different stand.

Paige Bachman, Brian’s 22-year-old niece, was my guide on the second afternoon. She walked me to a stand in a white fir, the bait located 10 yards away. The cover was so dense I couldn’t see more than 15 yards.

After an hour, two cubs and a sow came in and began to feed. They ate in

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

BEAR CAMP

the legs of a bear. He stalked the bait and, screened by branches, I could see continued from page 8 parts of him, but I knew it was a boar. a businesslike manner and raised their Bachman had told me, “I want you to heads and looked back into the timber take him at the first good opportunity.” like they expected company.

My thumb was on the safety. I saw One of the cubs froze and looked up. nose and head, then foreleg, then lower The sow swiveled her head and then half of the body. In an instant, the rifle they bolted out the way they came in. was at my shoulder and I had the vitals There was something else out there. in the crosshair.

Forty minutes passed. I closed my The trigger broke, the rifle crashed eyes for a moment and opened them. and the 165-grain AccuBond took the Back behind a screen of limbs, I saw bear behind the shoulder where it struck and followed a Photo by Gary Lewis rib, expanding rapidly through the lower region of the lungs.

Spinning, the bear smashed into an alder that shivered all the way to the top of the tree. When there was a chance, I put a second bullet into him. I call that insurance.

When the magazine was topped up, when the sounds of the forThis bear stalked the bait to keep other bears away and then it showed itself in a small opening. est returned, when the

birds lit, cautious, in the treetops again, I climbed down and counted steps, pushing the muzzle in front of me.

Eleven paces to the bait. Fifteen paces to the edge of the clearing. Twenty-three steps to the bear.

Failed Berry Crop = Bears on the Move Rod Martino, of Bend, Ore., and Tony Collins, from South Carolina, and I had planned our hunt with Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters for three years.

Outfitter Brian Bachman had faithfully applied for our tags each year.

When we arrived in camp, Bachman was positively giddy. For a Minnesotan.

You see, the natural tendency of the Minnesotan is to keep a neutral point of view and a face to go with it.

According to Bachman, the berry crops had failed. “Last year’s crop was so big, the plants couldn’t physically do it two years in a row.” That meant bears would be hungry and on the move.

“This could be the best season we’ve ever had.”

Martino tagged his bear the first evening. Dropping the hammer on his lever-action Marlin.

It was the second afternoon when my chance came.

Collins tagged his bear the second evening as well, a big brute that was the heaviest of the bears taken in our camp that week.

We spent the last three days of our trip trying to get Minnesotans to say how they really felt. Bachman was one of our favorite targets.

He said a few of his clients come from Europe, but most come from the Midwest and East Coast.

Everyone brings their own cultural tendencies and worldviews.

Cultural Perspectives in the Northwoods Europeans are very appreciative of the bear hunt experience, Bachman said. They listen to their guides and follow directions. They are regulated, strict, and often more astute than the average hunter.

“Hunting is part of their history,” Bachman said. “It’s a big deal because they just don’t have the kind of hunting continued on page 16

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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BEAR CAMP

continued from page 14 we do and when they hunt a bear, it’s like they’re the king.”

Europeans, however, are “movearound kinds of guys,” Bachman said, and that doesn’t work for bear hunting.

“Eastern tree-stand hunters are the best,” Bachman said. “They excel at sitting in one place and they’re used to the dense forest.”

In a typical year, Bachman might have 40 hunters in camp, but bear hunters, it turns out, are a more complicated lot than the average person might think.

Some people buy bear tags, they bring their rifles and gear to Minnesota, and they don’t really want to shoot a bear. They may not even know that about themselves.

There is something elemental about the bear hunt that gets to a part of us that a lot of people never explore. Like a human, a bear has eyes in the front of its head, ears that are oriented to the front, eye teeth for eating meat. Like a

human, it will eat just about anything.

And it is a beast of the forest, a beast out of our ancient history.

It turns out that westerners, who are used to wide open spaces, are the hardest hunters to work with in a Northwoods bear camp.

“I think you are claustrophobic,” Bachman said. “Westerners are used to seeing long distances and they get here and they can’t see more than 15 yards.” Yes, and then there are the elemental fears: bears, wolves and the dark.

Bachman tells his hunters to stay in the stand until dark. Guides will walk in and get the clients at the end of shooting light, but a lot of people disobey. Especially westerners.

“Western people can’t sit in a tree stand. They’re going for a walk.”

Westerners.

My father’s parents came from Minnesota. They settled in the Northwest amongst fir trees and cedars, in a habitat not unlike their native state. Their children and grandchildren were born Westerners.

Sitting in a lodge on the edge of

Made in the U.S.A.

the Superior National Photo by Gary Lewis Forest, surrounded by bears and wolves and Minnesotans, I understood grandma and grandpa a bit better.

Supper, hot dishes, dessert negotiations and neutral conversations that ended with “’Pose so,” or “Yinyet?”

Yinyet, meant “Are you in the car and ready to go, yet?” Grandpa would say that without Tony Collins (center) with a Minnesota black bear and guide Ray Crow (left) and outfitter looking at us.

And I guess, that’s Brian Bachman. what I really love about hunting. It puts us in touch with the land and the people in ways we don’t Brian Bachman expect. Here I am in a tree stand, not Arrowhead Wildnerness far from where my grandparents grew Outfitters up, and I understand them a little bet10241 St. Mathias Road ter. You get a lot of time to think in a Brainerd, MN 56401 tree stand.

(218) 330-1353 Next time, I think, I’ll try the lutefisk. www.ahwoutfitters.com Youbetcha. brian@ahwoutfitters.com To contact Gary Lewis, visit www.

GaryLewisOutdoors.com

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Trophy Utah Elk Hunt Giveaway

By Michael Deming

S

portsman’s Warehouse and Sportsman’s News have been bringing you the Sportsman’s News Television DVD series for nearly ten years now. Each one of these DVD’s is packed with 4-hours of commercial free outdoor television as well as some of the latest and greatest new products available. Several years ago, we started donating some of these to the troops overseas. This had tremendous success and extremely positive feedback from a lot of the troops. I consistently get emails from those happy soldiers and sailors around the world who appreciate the support you provide. I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your support as well.

We have purchased a premium trophy elk hunt in the great state of Utah for the 2017 rifle elk season to give away. This hunt is going to take place during the peak of the

rut in September and will be filmed for an episode of SNTV. This great trip is going to be given away to someone who has registered their DVD purchase online at www. sportsmansnews.com. Regardless of whether you donate your DVD to the troops or keep it for yourself, you can register to win.

You can even purchase multiple DVD’s to increase your chance of winning. Each person will be given one chance in the drawing for every DVD they have purchased throughout the entry period. The entry period will be from September 15th, 2016 to May 30th, 2017. You will need to register the city where you purchased the DVD as well as your receipt number and the date of purchase and your personal information so that we can notify you if you win. So, buy a DVD for yourself and one for the troops to double-up your chances.

I truly wish that we could give an elk hunt to each and every one

of you who have supported this program over the years. Our proud men and women in uniform are very near and dear to us here at Sportsman’s News as nearly every employee here is a prior service member. We will definitely thank one of you greatly with an elk hunt you will never forget. We know that

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not everyone can afford to spend the $2.99 for a DVD and there is a “no purchase necessary” opportunity to register for this hunt at the Sportsman’s News website. So, make sure you don’t miss your opportunity to chase big rutting bulls in Utah in 2017. Thank you so much for your support.

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Long-Legged Hunt Rifles

By Art Merrill

T

here was a time when a long range shot at big game was maybe 300 yards. In that time many hunting rifles had lever actions and blunt-nosed bullets of low ballistic coefficient that lost velocity like a VW bus going uphill. Iron sights set for 100 yards would distend much of an entire game animal when utilizing a “hold over” for 300 yards. And even with a scope-mounted bolt gun, bullet placement precision was generally no better than the size of a deer’s vitals zone at 300 yards, making shots at any longer range a matter of luck. In recently perusing some American Rifleman magazines from the 1950’s, I noted that the expectation for good big game rifle accuracy even then was about 2-MOA. Welcome to the technical vastness of the future, where rifle and ammo makers have halved our expected MOAs and doubled our meaning of “long range.” They have significantly increased our opportunity for bagging our game if we develop the marksmanship skills to match.

Long Shot Tools

W

Not just speed While it may seem a no-brainer that the key to longer range hunting is higher bullet velocities, the reality is that speed is only one factor among several. To illustrate, if you started a muzzleloader round ball at 3000fps, it still wouldn’t have the precision to reliably hit a deer’s vital zone – or likely even a barn, after stripping past the rifling - at long range.

Equally important as aerodynamic shape and protective jacket, the technology in most premium bullets intended for long range hunting, assure expansion across a wide range of velocities. Since velocity up close might be 3500fps and at 600 yards only half that, this aspect alone adds yardage to both ends of our hunt opportunity.

But no matter how good the bullet, you’ve got to have a rifle capable of accurately placing it at long range.

Though many factory rifles today are capable of precision unheard-of in the 1950s, making them into long range hunting rifles is a game of tradeoffs and some stand out as superior choices. Let’s look at some rifles and talk about those compromises.

Browning X-Bolt LRH Browning X-Bolt Long Range Hunter Here’s a rifle chambered only for long-legged cartridges: 6.5 Creedmoor and 26 Nosler, 270 and 300 WSMs and traditional 7mm and 300 Win Mags, all with 26” barrels to take advantage of heavier bullets and slower powders to reach way out there.

Browning’s accurizing treatments to the X-Bolt Long Range Hunter include bedding the front and rear of the action to the stock and free floating the barrel. Fluted heavy sporter barrels help keep rifle weights to 7 ½ pounds or less (sans scope) while providing rigidity to reduce barrel vibration. You can’t shoot accurately without a great trigger; Browning’s Feather Trigger is screw adjustable for 3-5 pounds pull weight (fac-

e now have the factory guns and ammo to reliably bag big game at longer ranges, but we still need a few more tools to confidently put a bullet in a six- or 10-inch vital zone on the first shot when that one chance comes at 500 or more yards.

Cheap scopes need not apply for this job. Long range shooting calls for scopes with excellent light transmission, adjustable parallax and reliable windage and elevation adjustments.

A rangefinder can make or break your long range shot. It’s easy to misjudge distance when an animal is way out there and misjudging 625 yards as 550 can result in a wounding or miss.

But the most important tool is your marksmanship. Bullet drops at long range can be surprising even with a 300 yard zero. Correcting for wind deflection (“doping the wind”) is the single greatest factor that differentiates long range from 300 yard shots – and long range shooters from the rest. When shooting at an up or down angle, we must hold as though the target were closer than it actually is; how much so depends on the angle and the – surprise, surprise - distance. Long range shooting requires a rock-steady hold and more emphasis on breath and trigger control.

You can’t buy marksmanship; the only way to develop or improve your marksmanship skills is to shoot. A lot. Participating in any kind of long range competitions with any kind of rifle (including your long range hunting rifle) is excellent practice – plus you’ll quickly learn a lot from the other shooters.

Know how far your bullet drifts downrange in winds of different speeds and from different angles is essential. Study your “hold unders” for vertically angled shots. Know your bullet drops. Tape the info to your buttstock, write it on a Hornady Ballistic Band or make pocket-size paper charts laminated for weatherproofing. Consider Leupold’s Custom Dial System (CDS) elevation knob engraved with your cartridge ballistics (for Leupold’s VX-2, VX-3i and VX-6 scopes).

Technology provides the tools. The rest is up to you.

with its stainless steel, Browning built the X-Bolt for wet weather and steep terrain. The X-Bolt accepts Browning’s own X-Lock scope mounts, which utilize four mounting bolts rather than only two for more assured security. A muzzle brake helps tame magnum recoil, as does the Inflex Technology recoil pad that directs recoil, not just back into your shoulder, but also down and away from your cheek.

Ruger Precision Rifle Ruger’s Precision Rifle is a departure from standard ideas about bolt guns, with the DNA of Long Range competition “tube guns” and a silhouette easily mistaken for an AR-15. To quote Ruger CEO Mike Fifer on the rifle’s accuracy, “1600 yards. Enough said.”

Ruger Precision Rifle

tory preset at 3 ½ pounds) with crisp let-off and minimum overtravel.

The X-Bolt combines accurizing with hunting features. The 60° bolt lift clears the largest scopes and accelerates follow-up shots.

The rotary polymer magazine detaches, making it easy to quietly carry backup ammo in a pocket.

The lightweight composite stock has a tough carbon fiber outer layer; combined

While that’s beyond the ken of most hunters, 1600 yards is also asking a lot of bullet terminal performance on many big game animals when you consider the cartridges in which Ruger chambers the rifle, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win. But the Precision Rifle gives the long range hunter the confidence that comes with knowing his equipment is capable of exceeding his own abilities.

Ruger’s accurizing includes bore and groove minimum dimensions, as well as minimum headspacing.

A trigger adjustable down to 2 ¼ pounds helps, too. So does its comparatively hefty weight, one of our tradeoffs.

We must carefully consider the Ruger’s other tradeoffs when choosing the optimum long range rifle for our specific hunt. The Precision Rifle’s skeletonized, adjustable buttstock has plenty of projections and angles for tangling in brush, clothing, straps and gear; the hand-

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

guard, pierced with scores of ventilation/lightening holes, is another opportunity to pick up grass, leaves, dirt and brush. And at 11 pounds (in .243 Win) empty, the Ruger outweighs Grandpa’s venerable and beefy M1 Garand by a pound and a half.

The Ruger’s place to excel is in a stand, blind or prairie dog town, where mobility isn’t a factor. Picatinney railing allows a wide choice of sights and easy addition of a bipod or other accessories. The rifle is also an excellent choice for big optics.

It’s a simple matter to clamp a tall riser between the Picatinney rail and scope rings, taking advantage of that adjustable cheek rest to mount a very large objective lensed scope for twilight shooting.

Savage 111 Long Range Hunter Like Henry Ford’s Model T, you

Savage 111 LRH can have the Savage 111 Long Range Hunter in any color you want, so long as it’s black. Except for polished bolts, these rifles are completely anti-glare matte black for serious no-spook-‘em hunting.

All the Long Range Hunter rifles have 26-inch barrels, even the nonmagnum calibers and come with adjustable cheek rests that aid in properly aligning the eye to the scope center to reduce the likelihood of parallax when mounting largeobjective scopes in high mounts.

Except for the .338 Lapua Magnum chambering, all sport hinged floorplates and adjustable muzzle brakes; the Lapua version has a fixed brake and a detachable box magazine that necessarily extends as low as the

Savage 111 .338 Lapua

pistol grip to accommodate the big Lapua cartridges.

Long Range Hunters come in three .30 caliber choices (.308 Win, .300 Win Mag, .300 WSM), two .338s (.338 Federal, .338 Lapua Mag), 7mm Rem Mag and three 6.5 millimeters (.260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x284 Norma Mag).

Of course, the Long Range Hunters feature the fine AccuTrigger.

Another of Savage’s keys to building accurate rifles is to chamber the proper headspace gauge before mating barrel to receiver, resulting in an absolute minimum headspace. I’ve found Savage rifle chambers so tight that the Savage bolt would hardly close on cases fired in other rifles.

Nosler Liberty 48 In a “you get what you pay for” world, Nosler offered top quality brass and bullets for many years before plunging into making loaded ammo and their own bolt action rifles. They brought their reputation for quality with them and putting Nosler’s ammo and rifles together means hunters get factory guaranteed out-of-the-box sub-MOA accuracy.

Nosler ’s new-for-2016 Liberty 48 bolt gun isn’t a revolutionary new design; rather, Nosler cherrypicked features of proven rifles and incorporated them into an entirely new hunting machine. Two obvious features that make the Liberty 48 a serious hunter are the tough, lightweight synthetic stock with noslip texturing and the weatherproof Cerrakote metal finish. Others that make it a long range serious hunter

Nosler Liberty 48

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

are invisible. Nosler holds all machining and action-to-bore alignment to very close tolerances and they blueprint and true actions after heat treatment. An integral, heavy duty recoil lug on the action has a mate imbedded in the stock for consistent distribution of recoil energy.

Actions bed to an aluminum chassis for a solid, hand-in-glove fit. Barrels are match grade and parts get a final hand fitting by factory gunsmiths.

And depending upon caliber and barrel length, carry-all-day weights start below seven pounds.

Of practical importance, the action takes common Remington 700 scope mounts and sports a 700-style side mounted safety selector. The bolt field strips with a twist of the wrist for rapid inspection in the field. The bolt body’s very large safety gas vents protect the shooter’s face in the event of a case rupture and they also permit ease of cleaning. Large flutes on the bolt body and a groove in the right locking lug mating with a rib on the receiver prevents bolt binding

for rapid cycling. The barrel is free floated and an 11 degree “target” crown protects the recessed muzzle.

Available in calibers beginning with .22-250, for deer-sized game consider the 26 Nosler instead, with 120gr or 130gr bullets that hustle out the bore at more than 3400fps or the 30 Nosler with heavier bullets suitable for elk-size game. Nosler guarantees sub-MOA three-shot groups at 100 yards with their ammo in their bolt guns.

Fierce Edge and Fury Lesser known is the Edge rifle from Fierce Firearms of Gunnison, UT. Combining desirable hunting and accuracy features with very tight machining tolerances results in a long range hunting rifle offering a remarkable ½ MOA accuracy for three shots at 100 yards.

Fierce designed and produces its

Fierce Fury own Triad action that sits tight in a carbon fiber stock via aluminum pillars and a composite bed. The one-piece bolt has three locking lugs that provide a short 70 degree bolt throw and is hands down the slickest, fastest, easiest factory bolt I’ve ever manipulated. It has controlled round feed, a three-position safety, a rapid-change detachable metal box magazine and a trigger that adjusts from 2-4 pounds. The free floated barrels get match chambers, hand lapping, threads for muzzle brakes (Fierce makes their own of titanium) and twists suitable for heavy bullets. The 29 chamberings run from .22-250 to .375 H&H Magnum and include a few esoterics like the 7mm Fierce Edge

LRM. Rifles break the magical “light rifle” seven pound barrier at 6.9 pounds.

The Edge has a fluted barrel, Fierce’s Last Guard weatherproofing (a matte gray finish akin to Parkerizing) on barrel and action and their DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) on the bolt. Oh – and your Edge comes with a certified ½ MOA test target fired at the factory. Fierce’s less-expensive Fury rifle is similar, but the Fury’s barrel is unfluted, wears Cerrakote on barrel and action and has a polished bolt. Fury chamberings are 6.5 Creedmoor, .28 Nosler, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 WSM, .300 Win Mag and .300 RUM.

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A weighting game Too often the qualities a rifle needs for great accuracy and those that make it best for hunting are mutually exclusive. No one is going to carry a 17-pound, 30-inch barreled competition rifle on a nearvertical sheep hunt, even if it shoots minute-of-bighorn groups at 1,000 yards. A long range hunting rifle is therefore an engineering exercise in compromises, intended to deliver more than enough precision for

bagging game at long range.

Accurate rifles begin with precision machining and fitting of parts, but weight plays a big role, too, which is why competition rifles are universally the shooting sports’ version of fullbacks. Other factors aside, weight and barrel length are our major tradeoffs when choosing a long range hunting rifle. Wooden stocks tend to be heavier than synthetic, so we see most long range big game rifles wearing synthetics.

Short barrels and light weight gain importance the farther afield we must carry a rifle and most of a rifle’s weight is in its barrel and stock.

Shorter barrels are lighter, but magnum calibers typically have barrels of 26 inches to maximize the potential in slower-burning powders to push heavy big game bullets to highest practical velocity.

They also benefit from some beef, with thicker (heavier) barrels better handling the vibration of ignition and bullet travel down the bore than do light, slim barrels, resulting in better accuracy.

The Savage 111 Long Range Hunter in .338 Lapua Magnum weighs in at 9 ¼ pounds, naked and empty. Similarly, the lightest Ruger Precision Rifle (in .308 Win with a 20-inch barrel) right out of the box weighs a few ounces more than the Savage. Toting an 11-pound scoped and loaded, extended magazine rifle to a stand or blind is one thing; carrying it on a five-day mountain elk hunt is another.

Recoil is another big tradeoff here.

Newton says that lighter rifles recoil more than heavier rifles, given the same cartridge. While physics is inarguable, subjective experience is not and only you know how much is too much for you. Though we seldom notice recoil when shooting game, it can be quite uncomfortable when sighting in at the bench and, unfortunately, “muscle memory” at the range can induce a gamemissing flinch in the field. We can reduce recoil by adding a muzzle continued on page 26

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RIFLES

continued from page 22 brake, going with a non-magnum caliber, adding weight or all three.

You’ll note that makers include several non-magnum calibers here, including those with 6.5mm bullets that Americans have traditionally considered too small for big game. That attitude is a bit of a head-scratcher among Scandinavians who have been bagging moose with the 6.5x55mm Swede for more than 100 years.

Legendary hunter Karamojo Bell, who killed hundreds of elephants with the non-magnum 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenhauer, disagrees as well. Ballistics isn’t the subject of this article, but let’s point out that the 6.5’s sectional density with heavier 140gr and 160gr bullets promotes deep penetration – enough for nonmagnums to routinely drop moose and elephant - while its ballistic coefficient provides excellent long range precision.

Also note that many of the above 6.5mm offerings wear magnum length barrels. In hand loading, the general rule is to use slower powders

for heavier bullets; slower powders call for longer barrels. The 1:8 twists and long barrels of all the makers listed here will readily accommodate

heavy 6.5mm bullets. Several makers offer 160gr bullets; Berger Bullets and Hornady offer 140gr 6.5mm hunting bullets featuring secant ogives that Berger originally developed for long range competition. Long-forcaliber heavy 6.5mm bullets better resist wind deflection and retain downrange energy for deep penetration when the shots are long and the stakes are your big game hunt.

About the author: Art Merrill lives and hunts in Arizona, where shots at game are often long. He has been shooting Highpower Rifle and Long Range competition at 600 and 1,000 yards – and hand loading for competition and hunting - since the 1980s. Arizona Game & Fish Commission named him Outdoor Writer of the Especially in the western US, shots at big game can be long. New rifles and Year in 1996. ammo are up to the task.

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Keep It Clean And Running With Otis

T

here are a lot of gun cleaning products on the market, but the leading maker of products for your gun in the field is undoubtedly Otis Technologies.

Using innovative products to allow for easy gun cleaning on the go, Otis is known for their memory flex cable system for proper breech to muzzle cleaning and their round perforated patches. But, they also have a variety of tools to make deep cleaning your favorite firearm easier.

I-MOD Cleaning System For tactical shooters, the I-MOD cleaning system comes in a variety of specific caliber configurations for just rifles or for rifles and pistols.

Zipped into a tough nylon case designed to fit into a stand-

ard AR magazine pouch, the I-MOD system is one of the few Otis products that contains their memory flex cables, a Ripcord, and cleaning rods. Yes, Otis has cleaning rods. It also includes a heat treated nylon military-style cleaning brush, patches, bronze bore brush, a chamber brush, and a tube of their Smart 085 CLP solution to make fast work of metals and carbon fouling, while lubricating and protecting your firearm.

Ripcord The Ripcord provides quick onepass cleaning of your chamber and bore. This tough Nomex covered cable is inserted in the breech and pulled through the chamber. A molded rubber core tapers to be thicker on one end, so it expands to drag out any fouling in the barrel. Use it with Smart 085 CLP or dry. Threaded end caps allow it to be extended by screwing in your memory flex cables.

MSR/AR Cleaning System Otis is as well known for their round nylon cases as they are for their memory cables and this offering for Modern Sporting Rifles and ARs packs a lot of cleaning gear into a hockey puck sized package. With cables, CLP, patches, and bore brushes you would expect, they have also included a short T-handled rod and a variety of precision tools for getting into those hard to reach places.

It even includes two Mongoose G2 scrubbing mops. These guys combine the patch and the bronze brush into a single attachment for quick, yet deep cleaning. The MSR/AR kit also comes with the Otis BONE Tool, for scraping carbon from the bolt, bolt carrier and firing pin.

Elite Cleaning System For those who have a wide variety of firearms to maintain, Otis makes their Elite Cleaning System. Containing 22 bronze brushes of varying size to handle everything from .17 caliber up to a 12 gauge shotgun, the

Elite Cleaning System features nylon brushes, wipe down cloth, multiple lengths of memory cables, and the complete maintenance tool kit. Inside, is a removable and portable Tactical Cleaning System for taking your cleaning supplies on the road. And not only will the Elite Cleaning System take care of your favorite firearm, but it also includes Otis optics products to care for your glass.

Check out the full line of Otis Technologies cleaning products at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse and keep it clean and running, whether in the field or on the bench.

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

ELECTRO-OPTICS

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Updating at 4x per second in HyperScan mode, the Kilo2000 rangefinder with patented LightWave DSP™ technology is amazingly fast. Couple that with the ability to range targets at over 2000 yards, for simple, intuitive long distance ranging. The built in inclinometer calculates AMR™ Angle Modified Range for angled shots. Our proprietary Lumatic OLED Display™, automatically adjusts display intensity to match ambient light conditions, bright in bright conditions and dim in twilight to protect your eye.

H Y P ERSC A N 4x P E R S E C O N D

LIGHTWAVE DSP™ DSP Lightwave DSP™ (Digital Signal Processing) engine leverages HyperScan—an advanced power management technique that provides the fastest refresh rate in scan mode (4 times per second) even at distances over a mile.

1200 YDS DEER

1500 YDS TREES

3400 YDS REFLECTIVE

ANGLE MODIFIED RANGE (AMR) (AMR)™ Ranging technology using an on board inclinometer that reads incline/ decline angle and modifies the effective ballistic shooting range to the target. AMR is the equivalent horizontal range and integrates perfectly when used in combination with SBT Dials.

SEE THE FULL LINE AT SIGOP TICS. COM SIG SAUER ELECTRO-OPTICS, PORTLAND, OREGON, USA | ©2016 SIG SAUER, INC

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

ALPS OutdoorZ Commander X Frame and Pack

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etting into the backcountry and away from the crowds is usually a recipe for finding trophy animals. Getting all the necessary gear in and out is usually on your back, unless you want to hire a guide or own some hay burners. Having a pack that can handle the load in as well as your game and gear back out and doing it comfort-

ably is usually a problem. The Commander X Frame and Pack assembly provides all the answers for that hard core backcountry hunter.

The base of this pack is the detachable frame. Its’ strength comes from the dual aluminum stays, with the channeled high density polyethylene frame. It has an adjustable molded foam suspension and Lycra shoulder straps with load lifters.

The waist belt is extremely comfortable and the two, well-placed, large pockets will accommodate items you need quick access to. This waist belt is also designed to accommo-

date a clip-on pistol holster. Most importantly, the frame is designed to carry heavy loads. We personally tested it by carrying a load of over 150 pounds.

The 4,000 cubic inch pack has all the capacity you might need for a full week to ten days in the backcountry.

This pack uses heavy duty zippers as well as a lashing system to secure the pack to the frame. The sleeping bag compartment at the bottom of the pack keeps your sleeping system separate from the main bag. The pack is hydration compatible and it also has water bottle pockets on the sides. The top lid seconds as a fanny pack if you only need a few items once you get to your destination.

Oversized external zippers give you the versatility to completely detach the pack bag or keep it on if needed.

Through a series of compression straps, you may also utilize the lashing system while still securing the pack bag to the frame. The padded

spotting scope pocket not only protects your spotting scope, but keeps it easily accessible. It also comes with its own rifle/bow securing system, which gives you the opportunity to use trekking poles or go hands free.

The built-in rain fly tucks into the bottom of the pack and is totally out of the way until it becomes needed.

This is one of the best packs we have ever tested for the all-around hunter. The Commander X gives you the ability to carry all of your items with room to spare and when you punch your tag, you will have everything you need to haul out a super heavy load, with the weight distributed throughout your frame.

ALPS OutdoorZ builds affordable high quality gear that won’t let you down and best of all, won’t break the bank.

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

匀唀刀嘀䔀夀 䘀伀刀 䜀唀一 伀圀一䔀刀匀 吀栀攀 一愀愀漀渀愀氀 匀栀漀漀漀渀最 匀瀀漀爀琀猀 䘀漀甀渀搀愀愀漀渀 椀猀 挀漀渀搀甀挀挀渀最 愀 猀琀甀搀礀 琀栀愀琀 眀椀氀氀 栀攀氀瀀 琀栀攀 ǻ爀攀ⴀ 愀爀洀猀 愀渀搀 愀洀洀甀渀椀椀漀渀 椀渀搀甀猀ⴀ 琀爀礀 琀漀 戀攀攀攀爀 甀渀搀攀爀猀琀愀渀搀 挀漀渀ⴀ 猀甀洀攀爀猀 愀渀搀 椀洀瀀爀漀瘀攀 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀 愀渀搀 猀攀爀瘀椀挀攀猀 昀漀爀 最甀渀 漀眀渀攀爀猀⸀ 䄀氀氀 猀甀 䄀氀氀 猀甀爀瘀攀礀 爀攀猀瀀漀渀猀攀猀 愀爀攀 挀漀渀ǻⴀ 搀攀渀渀愀氀⸀ 唀瀀漀渀 挀漀洀瀀氀攀攀漀渀Ⰰ 猀甀爀瘀攀礀 爀攀猀瀀漀渀搀攀渀琀猀 眀椀氀氀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 漀瀀瀀漀爀琀甀渀椀琀礀 琀漀 攀渀琀攀爀 愀 挀漀渀琀攀猀琀 昀漀爀 愀 挀栀愀渀挀攀 琀漀 圀䤀一 䄀 ␀㔀 嘀䤀匀䄀 䜀䤀䘀吀 䌀䄀刀䐀℀ 匀唀刀嘀䔀夀 䰀䤀一䬀㨀 栀栀瀀㨀⼀⼀一匀匀䘀⸀䌀匀倀㈀⸀猀最椀稀洀漀⸀挀漀洀⼀猀㌀⼀㼀最爀漀甀瀀㴀猀瀀眀栀 匀挀愀渀 儀刀 挀漀搀攀 琀漀 琀愀欀攀 猀甀爀瘀攀礀

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit and Chargemaster Combo

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or those who make precision shots, precision ammo loads are a must to achieve consistent accuracy. While factory loaded ammo can come close, nothing provides the exacting consistency that you get from hand loading your own ammo.

The standard for single stage presses is the RCBS Rockchucker. These presses have been in common use for decades and many of those original presses from 40 years ago are still in use today.

For the beginner, RCBS has packaged everything needed to get started into a single kit, the Master Reloading Kit. This kit includes the standard Rockchucker Supreme press, a mechanical scale, priming tool, deburring tool, shell tray, lube pad, lube, Uniflow Powder Measure, Nosler Reloading Manual, and all of the tools you could need to get started, with the exception of dies and a shell holder, which you will select for your specific cartridge. It is also recommended to purchase a case measuring device such as a precision caliper tool.

There is a little learning curve to starting to reload, but it can be taught in person, online, on video, or just by carefully reading the information in the Nosler Reloading Manual. RCBS website has a step by step training guide or videos available to help teach reloading skills. With a single stage press, you can get astounding consistency of loads by trickling in powder, weighing bullets, and then mating bullet and case together with

repeatable accuracy down to the ten thousandths of an inch. Consistent loads in a good rifle will give repeated points of impact, provided you do everything on your end correctly.

RCBS Chargemaster Combo To get even more reliable loads, add the RCBS Chargemaster Combo scale and powder measure to your reloading regimen.

The Chargemaster Combo includes a precise digitally controlled powder measure with a digital scale accurate to +/- one tenth of a grain. The powder hopper will hold a full pound of powder and measures it out by weight and stops dispensing when the programmed weight is met.

The dispenser dumps an amount close to the programmed weight into the dump pan then slowly trickles powder a grain at a time until the exact desired measurement is achieved. This technique gives you precision control of all of your smokeless powder charges with ball, stick, and flake smokeless powders.

Consistent charges equal consistent performance.

The scale can be used alone as a regular scale for measuring bullet weights, or used with the dispenser for powder. Simply dial in the weight you want and the dispenser will stop once that weight is achieved. A clear cover protects the weighing area from air currents, which can affect accuracy and swings open to either the right or the left.

And my favorite feature, the dispenser has a dump feature to quickly let you empty the hopper and swap out powders. Until you have had to do it several times, you don’t realize how much you will appreciate this.

So don’t let the mystery of reloading your own ammo elude you any longer. Take a look at the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit and the Chargemaster Combo, and get the precision you can only achieve from loading it yourself.

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

ATN X-Sight II HD

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

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hat if you had a scope that could automatically compute your ballistics and range your target with angle compensation, then could save all of this information in specific profiles so you could set it up on multiple rifle and ammo combinations, without resetting all of the information each and every time? Then what if that same scope had a built-in HD camera One of the features I particularly liked was the and video recorder that could record in real time or buffer video from before your shot and record ability to change reticle shape and color. Orange before, during, and after the shot, automatically? against the green night vision is a great contrast.

The scope comes in either 3-14x50 or 5-20x85 Oh, and did I mention that it has black and white magnifications. or green night vision?

The sight isn’t small by any means and it does The ATN X-Sight II HD does all of that and so much more and it does it at a staggeringly low add some heft to your rifle, but for all that it does, this is a small price to pay. price for a scope with all of these capabilities.

The documentation in the box is sparse, but While the night vision capability is nice, the entire package contains features that make the the interface is so intuitive that you don’t really scope smarter than the user; at least this user. need more. If you do, the full manual can be No longer are you required to know complicated downloaded from the ATN website. geometry and trigonometry. The scope does all of the computations with its advanced Obsidian II microprocessor crunching a billion cycles per second and monitoring data from a suite of sensors to give you intelligent computing power.

The inclusion of GPS and Wi-Fi lets you geotag your location in video and photos but also supplies the onboard computer with barometric and altitude readings for the ballistic calculator. The Wi-Fi lets you sync with your smartphone to view the scope on your device and play back video or view photos. It also allows another user to see Sensor HD 1080p ATN L130 Sensor what you are looking at through Magnification 3-14 or 5 - 20 X the scope.

Field of View @ 1000 yards 3-14=460 ft., 5-20 = 240 ft.

The internal screen measures Objective lens 3-14=50mm, 5-20=85 mm angle on a side to side axis and HD Display an up and down axis and feeds Micro display this data to the internal ballistic Eye relief 65 mm (2.5 inches) calculator and the rangefinder IP rating Weather resistant and then automatically adjust the Video Record Resolution 1080p at 30 fps aiming reticle for you.

From 4 to 64 GB HD lenses, sensors and display MicroSD card WiFi (Streaming, Gallery iOS & Android make the image quality sharp, & Controls) even out to 600+ yards and a reMultiple Patterns & Color Options movable IR illuminator extends Reticles your night vision beyond what Mount Picatinny, Interchangeable most people are familiar with in a Battery life (Li-ion) 8 - 12 hours UV sight. An optional upgraded Battery type 4 AA (Lithium Recommended) illuminator can be mounted on 11.36” x 3.5” x 3.45”/289 mm x 90 mm the housing with the built-in Pic- Dimensions x 88 mm catiny rail to extend your night 2.55 lbs vision range up to 300 meters Weight Warranty Two years (328 yards).

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Scholastic Fishing; Who Knew?

Chad LaChance

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all me jealous, but today’s youth anglers have it made.

No, not because they have access to better tackle than I did as a kid, nor because they have better places to fish. And no, it’s not because of the fishing info abyss that is the Internet which today’s youth

are the masters of exploiting. I’m jealous because competitive fishing has gone mainstream; a pre-teen kid these days can start fishing organized and sanctioned bass derbies complete with a national championship. By high school, that kid can compete in local and/or regional “open” tournaments, can win a state championship, and can go on to compete again at the national level. By college, our kid can fish for boats, trucks, and even entries into the highest form of BASS competition; the Bassmaster Classic, where even last place pays $10,000!

See, today’s fishing kids are in a pretty good spot and you can help while growing as a person yourself.

I started volunteering to be a “boat captain” for youth events around 2002. Back then, I was just getting Fishful Thinker LLC off the ground as a guide business and working kids events was a feel good promotional thing. Fast forward to today, and it gives me the utmost pleasure to say that I just coached a Colorado high school team to the 2016 national championship, specifically beating 175 other high school teams from

around the country and Canada in the Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship. Its been a long road and I can say unequivocally that I am a far better angler and person for it.

Organized scholastic competitive fishing is probably the hottest trend in fishing right now. Large companies like Costa, Berkley, Toyota and others have embraced the trend, ponying up dollars to build high quality events because they recognize that the future of the outdoors is in the hands of our youth. While not all kids who fish are cut out to compete, they will none the less be fans of those events based on

my experience, and will participate in the sport at there own level with gusto when they see their peers on weighin stages and in TV coverage. There are high school competitive anglers with tens of thousands of followers on various social media; their peers are following their careers just as us old bass heads have followed the likes of KVD and Clunn. For the record, the high school national championship was covered live online and in a one hour show on ESPN a week later. Not too bad for a high school sport!

The sponsorships are not just for major events; many of the the high school kids and teams have sponsors of their own as well. One of the kids on my team, 18 year old Ryan Wood, has had St. Croix Rods, Pflueger, and Stren on his resume for years. The teams often recruit local businesses as team sponsors to cover travel costs to big events and this is important for a couple of reasons; it gets the kids real world experience in dealing with companies while at the same time getting them to have some skin in the game so to speak; a lot goes into traveling across country to compete. In our case for the 2016 championship, we traveled 2,553 miles in my Tundra towing a boat, and eight nights in a hotel. In today’s age of entitlement, it’s great to have the kids help earn the money for travel if they want to compete.

For the pre-high school events, boat captains - meaning the adult that has volunteered to take the kids out in the boat - are supposed to help the kids learn the sport of bass fishing.

Everything from knot tying to lure selection to casting details can be taught while competing . By the time the kids compete at the high school level, boat captains are called coaches and teaching can only happen in continued on page 44

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Take it hiking. Take it hunting. Take it on the water. Montana™ 650t features a bold 4-inch color touchscreen display with dual orientation capabilities. Preloaded 100K TOPO maps come standard, plus support for multiple mapping options like BirdsEye Satellite Imagery and BlueChart® g2 (each sold separately). Montana packs a 3-axis tilt-compensated compass, barometric altimeter, and a 5-megapixel camera to boot. Buy the power mount and City Navigator® and it’ll give you spoken turn-by-turn driving directions. It’s big. It’s versatile.

It’s tough. It earned the name Montana – the ultimate in touchscreen toughness.

www.garmin.com NASDAQ GRMN ©2012 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries

Sportsman’s Warehouse: America’s Premier Hunting, Fishing & Camping Outfitter www.sportsmanswarehouse.com

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

2016 New Video Product Reviews

Sitka’s 2016 New Line Of Gloves

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or anyone who hunts, one of ally frustrating when you get limitthe most import things to do ed by big bulking gloves, hindering in order to have an enjoyable you from being able to do simple experience is keeping your extremi- movements like pulling a call out of ties warm. Nothing ruins a hunt your pocket, which could cost you faster than freezing your figures that trophy animal. The Mountain off. One of the issues with finding Glove features a leather and nylon a good pair of gloves is that usually palm, giving you extra grip. This all of the really warm ones are too added grip will ensure that you bulky to be able to work a bow, rifle never drop your bow or rifle in the or for me, a camera. Well, Sitka Gear field, even if they are wet. The inhas introduced a new line of gloves side is lined with Sitka’s signature for the 2016 season that fit my needs Gore Windstopper technology and perfectly. will do its job to keep your The Mountain Glove is hands warm even in the perfect for the cool mornworst of conditions. ings and evening of those For your later hunts, first season hunts. It feacheck out the Coldfront tures a low bulk design, GTX. They have a lot of maximizing your dexter- Scan this QR Code with your the same features as the smart phone to view the ity, making it easy to still Sportsman's News YouTube Mountain Gloves, but move your fingers. It’s re- Channel. have added insulation

making them a lot warmer. Even though they have more insulation, they are still a lot less bulky than most of the other gloves on the market today.

If you are used to hunting in just leather gloves, than you need to check out the new Gunner WS. They are Sitka’s take on the ‘tried and true’ full leather style, but like all of Sitka Gear's products, they are built better and lighter than anything else on the market.

They are made from a soft sheep leather and feature nylon that runs down the side of each finger to help vent your hands so they don’t get too warm.

One feature that I

really like is that the shooting finger on both hands features a nylon top, making it that much easier to bend your finger when needed and it also makes it easier to fit it into your trigger housing. These are perfect if you are looking to upgrade your old leather gloves. All of these gloves will work hard to make your hunt a more enjoyable experience, so check them out today at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Zeiss Conquest Gavia 85 Spotting Scope

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arl Zeiss Sports Optics, the world’s leading manufacturer of high performance sports optics, is pleased to announce the new ZEISS Conquest Gavia 85 angled spotting scope, specially developed to meet the needs of sportsmen and wildlife/nature observers.

The powerful 60x magnification combined with a wide-angle field of view, the Gavia 85mm spotting scope makes tricky identification of wildlife no problem, even at great distances thanks to highly detailed image rendition. Outstanding optical performance and brightness

along with an intuitive and dynamic focusing mechanism enables fast and smooth focusing during observation. The Gavia’s compact and light-weight design makes packing this spotting scope in remote locations comfortable and effortless.

Made in Germany, the Conquest Gavia owes its outstanding image quality and optical resolution to its 85mm objective design and its unique HD glass system. This phenomenal optical concept offers unrivalled low light performance.

All external lenses are protected by LotuTec coating for easy cleaning and clear visibility in any weather situation.

Experience the sheer brilliance of the ZEISS Conquest Gavia, backed by an industry-leading limited lifetime transferable warranty and a 5 year No Fault policy.

With specs and

when making discoveries off Magnification 30-60x the beaten path.

Objective Lens Diameter 85 mm To observe the natural Exit Pupil Diameter 2.8-1.4 mm world without Focal Length (Objective Lens System) 494 mm causing a disField of View at 1,000 yds 99-69 ft ruption, you need the right Close Focus 10.8 ft equipment: the Lens Type HD new Conquest Coating LotuTec® /T* Gavia 85 spotting scope from Fogproof Nitrogen Filled ZEISS is the ideWaterproof 400 mbar al travel comLens Thread M 86x1 panion thanks Length 15.6 in to its compact design and low Weight (incl. Eyepiece) 60 oz weight, so you Order Number (with Eyepiece 30-60x) 528048-0000-010 can capture all a warranty like that, the the wonders of Zeiss Conquest Gavia is nature from just the right sure to find its way in angle. many back packs for years When you factor in the to come. size, weight and all the Thanks to impressive specs, the Zeiss Conquest precision, low weight and Gavia 85 is sure to be a hit. a robust design, the ZEISS Definitely worth the look Scan this QR Code with your Conquest Gavia is a com- smart phone to view the if you're in the market for News YouTube panion you’ll always want Sportsman's a new spotter.

Channel.

SPECIFICATIONS

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Master the challenge.

New ZEISS VICTORY V8

// PRECISION MADE BY ZEISS

New ZEISS VICTORY® V8 The most sophisticated, precision hunting solution from ZEISS. Unsurpassed in its versatility and unrivaled in its optical performance, the new VICTORY V8 from ZEISS gives hunters everything without compromising anything. The brightest optics combined with 8x zoom enable fast, intuitive reaction time and flexibility at any distance, under any light situation, no matter the hunting scenario or style. This one-of-a-kind masterpiece of engineering is available in four models: 1-8x30, 1.8-14x50, 2.8-20x56 and 4.8-35x60. All models include TALLEY Signature Rings and a coupon for free TALLEY® Steel Bases. ®

www.zeiss.com/victoryv8

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

2016 New Video Product Reviews

Browning Packs In A-TACS

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ast year we introduced you fabric, the pack is soft and quiet padded thermo-molded air chanto the Browning Buck packs when moving through thick woods, nels make it comfortable. A center from Signature Product but also delivers a tough exterior area with no padding at all, allows Group. These versatile hunting without the weight of traditional plenty of air to flow across your back to keep your back dry. A sterday packs are packed with features materials. and made of rugged, quiet, and The Buck packs feature a water num strap keeps the shoulder straps dependable materials that will last resistant DWR coating that will together and a wide belt with ample you for years. keep your gear dry, tough double hip hugging padding, provides two This year, SPG has released these seam construction, low profile lash roomy easily accessible pockets for packs in the new Browning A-TACS points, a strap for hanging it up accessing that super essential gear Arid/Urban camo pattern, to coor- in your tree stand, and a hunter without removing the pack.

The Buck1700 forgoes the pocket dinate their Hell’s Canyon SPEED specific organization system to and belt to minimize weight, and line of hunting clothing. keep your important gear neat and PACK - FEATURE ICONS: instead provides a slip Modeled on camo used by the accessible. pocket on the outermost US Army, A-TACS gives you better An integrated rifle butt panel. concealment in a variety of terrains. sling and hydration bladUnloaded, the Buck2000 Also new for this year is the Buck der capability, further add weighs in at 3 pounds and Pack in a 1,700 cubic inch size. In to the features of this pack. the Buck1700 is a mere addition to the 1,700 CI, the Buck Wide adjustable padded 1.5 pounds, giving you comes in 1,250, 2,000, 2150, and shoulder straps allow you this QR Code with your great carrying capacity, 2,500 cubic-inch models. to easily adjust how the Scan smart phone to view the Made of Browning’s Baumshell pack rides and heavily Sportsman's News YouTube excellent concealement,

and minimal weight for a pack this tough.

Check out the entire line of Browning Hunting packs in A-TACS at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse, or online at SportsmansWarehouse.com.

Channel.

INFINITE LOOP

CENTER OF GRAVITY

2 PACK - FEATURE ICONS:

ASYMMETRICAL BELT

PATENT PENDING

INNOVATIVE PACKS

RANGE OF MOTION

FROM THE MOST

TRUSTED OUTDOOR BRAND INFINITE LOOP

1

CENTER OF GRAVITY

PACK - FEATURE ICONS:

3

Buck 2500RT Day Pack

4

ASYMMETRICAL BELT

PATENT PENDING

PATENT PENDING

RANGE OF MOTION

FABRIC 1

FABRIC Revolutionary quiet, durable and lightweight fabric

3

TRI-VENT BACK PANEL Cool and comfortable three layer breathable back padding

|

2

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4

INFINITE LOOP SUSPENSION Shoulder straps that move with your body INFINITE LOOP

HYPO-SONIC CLOSURE ™ Quiet toothless zipper, for when you’re in close PATENT PENDING

CENTER OF GRAVITY

FABRIC

www.BrowningPacks.com

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

2016 New Video Product Reviews

ALPS OutdoorZ Bino Harness X

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LPS OutdoorZ has just It stays put and I don’t find myself added a great little bino readjusting it on a regular basis, harness to go with their compared to others on the market. ever so popular EXTREME line. The The 1680D Nylon Ballistic Fabfirst thing that caught my attention ric makes it highly durable. Over was the slim profile design. Some of this past spring and summer, it the options out there can be fairly has shown minimal signs of wear. bulky and I find them more of a The extra-padded back that sits up hassle than a benefit. This is not the against your chest has a netting case with the Bino Harness X. fabric that helps on those hot days.

It boasts a low profile design, I never find myself sweating more along with a streamlined, fully ad- from the bino harness sitting up justable harness that is not bulky, against my chest. That little extra making this a very well thought-out quality goes a long way for comfort bino harness system that comes in while out in the field. at a comfortable 10 oz. The There is no need for harness system eliminates different sizes with the weight at the shoulders, adjustable closure, makwhile still keeping everying it a good fit for a vathing tight to your chest. riety of bino options out I have been testing out there on the market today. the system for the last The Bino Harness X also this QR Code with your few months and never Scan keeps your binos from smart phone to view the had it move out of place. Sportsman's News YouTube falling out when bending Channel.

forward with the bungee cord securing the adjustable closure in the closed position. The non-metallic binocular attachment straps are quiet and come with a quick disconnect that make it easy to detach your binoculars when needed.

They have also included a front zipper pouch with an enclosed lens cloth for keeping your lens clean at all times. It is attached by a cord, so there is no reason to ever be without one. On one side of the bino harness is an open pouch that securely carries a bottle of wind checker. The other side has four lashing points to secure extra accessories when needing to attach other items.

Overall, I am impressed with the design and quality of the ALPS OutdoorZ Bino Harness X and I would definitely recommend that you check it out for yourself at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Bushnell Elite CONX 1 Mile Rangefinder

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nowing the range to your contrast. And the lenses are also target is only half the battle. coated in Bushnell's Rainguard HD Until recently, your typical to cause water beading for better rangefinder under $1,000 was pretty visibility in wet weather. The entire accurate out to about 600 yards. unit is also armored in a tough abraBushnell has blown that distance sion resistant rubberized skin for a out of the water with the Elite positive grip in damp conditions.

CONX 1Mile Rangefinder.

Variable Sight In lets you “zero” Boasting distances of up to 1,760 at 100, 150, 200 or 300 yards. Three yards (1 mile) with accuracy of up to ranging modes let you range to +/- ½ yard, not only does the Elite a specific target, scan across the CONX 1Mile provide you proper landscape constantly reading range, distance, but with the addition of or pick out the range to something Bushnell's A.R.C. technology, it will obscured by brush with Bulls Eye, compute and compensate for angle. Scan, and Brush modes.

It will compute holdover for three The second generation E.S.P. proballistic curves in MOA, inches, or cessor rapidly computes distance MIL. and range computation for rapid With 7x magnification, it will also target ranging. help you see what you are The Elite CONX 1Mile ranging at those distances. is more than just a rangeIts Vivid Display Techfinder, with the ability to nology gives you crystal connect to your smartclear viewing whether far phone and the Bushnell away or up close. MultiCONX app. This will incoated lenses resist dust Scan this QR Code with your put the range and ansmart phone to view the and moisture and provide Sportsman's News YouTube gle data from your Elite exceptional clarity and Channel.

CONX 1Mile and feed it

into the Bushnell ballistic calculator for even greater accuracy.

Paired with the Kestrel Sportsman weather station and applied ballistics engine, the Elite CONX 1Mile will wirelessly feed data to the Kestrel, which is also collecting data from the atmosphere, to provide you an exact shooting solution for your environmental conditions, range, and inclination.

About the only thing this combo won't do for you, is pull the trigg e r. B u t i t gives you all of the information you need to DOPE your scope, so if you

miss, you only have yourself to blame.

Check out the Bushnell Elite CONX 1Mile Combo at your local Sportsman's Warehouse optics counter or online at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com.

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Outdoor Business Directory AFRICA HUNTING

TAXIDERMY

ALASKA FISHING

UTAH HUNTING

ALASKA LODGING

UTAH HUNTING

85 Rooms 10 Minutes to Downtown Free Airport Shuttle Complimentary Breakfast Free Wi Fi 4400 Spenard Rd., Anchorage, AK 99517 (800)-4PUFFIN - (907)-243-4044

www.PuffinInn.net

COLORADO HUNTING

FISHFUL THINKER continued from page 36

IDAHO SHED DOGS

practice. During events, a time out has to be called if the coach needs to teach, and like football, you only get a certain number of time outs and a half time. The coach basically drives the boat to wherever the kids want to fish (not the trolling motor; the kids have to do that), gives fishing advice during time outs, and basically supervises. At the collegiate level, only the kids are in the boat at all.

So how does this make the coach a better angler as I’ve suggested? Well, before you can teach something, you have to really break it down and learn how to effectively communicate the why’s and how’s of it. Then

you get to sit and observe the kids fishing, to note what they did right and wrong, and how it could have gone better. It is common to notice details that I could do much better at just by watching them. In my case, learning directly from the kids also happens; they are very good at cutting edge techniques, data management, and generally have a fresh approach to stuff us old guys take for granted.

More important than fishing skills, coaches get the gratification of helping today’s youth with something we are all passionate about; the outdoors lifestyle and the values it entails.

You want to feel major pride? Find a bass club in your area and teach some kids to compete. I guarantee you’ll all be better off for it!

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Browning A5 “Sweet Sixteen”

T

he Browning A5 16 gauge is one “Sweet” shotgun. In the not-so-distant past, if your buddy uttered the phrase, “Sweet Sixteen,” your eyebrows didn’t go up because you knew he was talking about a Browning Auto-5 in 16 gauge. Maybe it was the sweet way these guns handled, their light and trim dimensions or it might have just had something to do with the way the phrase “Sweet Sixteen” rolled off the tongue. Often called the “Gentleman’s Gauge,” the in-between 16 is, to many hunters, the ideal ammunition for the perfect gun. A well designed 16 gauge is closer in weight to a 20 gauge, with a shot

payload nearer the 12 gauge and patterning that bests them both.

Like its most revered predecessor, the Browning A5 16 gauge is built on a smaller, lighter receiver for reduced weight and a sleek feel in your hands. It also benefits from the advantages of Total Barrel Dynamics and the InvectorDS choke tube system to extract the most performance from this revered gauge. Built from rugged and lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, the A5 receiver’s shape is more than a throwback for the sake of nostalgia. The familiar humpback receiver profile melds seamlessly with the rib to extend your sight plane, aiding

in natural sight alignment for quicker target acquisition and more accurate shooting.

Weighing in at 5 lbs. 13 oz. this beauty is a pleasure to raise and is definitely easy on your shoulder.

And it is every bit as good-looking as it is a good shooter. It features a walnut stock with a brass bead front sight, the classic hump back receiver and gold accents on the trigger and other key parts of the gun. Just like the old Auto 5 of the past, the Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen is sure to become a modern classic, with a short-recoil operated action that is so reliable, it’s backed with a 5 year/100,000 round guarantee.

Unlike the original gas operated Auto 5, the new A5 uses Kinematic Drive. In its simplest term, kinetic energy is the energy of motion.

The Browning A5 makes better use of kinetic energy with its powerful, short recoil-operated Kinematic Drive System. Kinematic Drive harnesses recoil energy and converts it into the mechanical motion needed to operate the action. This concept is tried and true and now perfected by the company that broke ground first with auto-loading shotguns.

The beauty of Kinematic Drive is the simplicity of design for consistent, reliable function with any load and under the full extremes of weather, temperature, moisture and grime. Operation is clean because gases are sent out the barrel and away from the action.

Check out Browning’s great line of firearms for yourself at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.

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Digital Edition Only Special Content

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

Y

ou have probably heard of “Brick Chicken” in restaurants, now you can use this tasty method for cooking gamebirds at home. The bricking flattens the breast portion for even cooking while retaining the juices for crispy, moist quail. The Cannellini Beans with Escarole is rustic Italian goodness which perfectly complements the quail.

This is an outstanding recipe to showcase your hard-earned quail.

Ingredients Brine • • • •

4 cups water ¼ cup kosher salt ¼ cup brown sugar 10-12 Quail

• • • •

1 large head Escarole Kosher Salt for the boiling water 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter

Beans

Brick Quail with Escarole and White Beans • • • • • • •

1 large onion, diced 7 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (rinse in water and drain) ½ cup water ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Freshly ground black pepper

Quail • • • •

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter Kosher salt / ground black pepper Italian Seasoning

Preparation Method

This recipe uses whole, plucked quail. I didn’t get to hunt any last year, but I found some nicely dressed frozen ones at my local market. Most upscale markets and Asian stores will have them in the freezer department. Put the salt, brown sugar, and water into

a large zip lock, seal and shake until fully dissolved. Add the quails and brine in the refrigerator, for a minimum of 2 hours, or ideally overnight. Remove from the brine and pat dry. Spatchcock the quail by cutting out the back bone with either a knife or some poultry shears. Lay the quail on its back and smack it with the palm of your hand to flatten the breast. Salt and pepper the birds to taste and sprinkle liberally with Italian seasoning. Set aside.

Pick a large sauté pan to prepare the beans in. Bring an inch of salted water to a boil over high heat. Rinse the head of Escarole and chop into 1 inch pieces. Add the Escarole to the boiling water and blanch 1-2 minutes, or until it is fairly wilted. Pour the Escarole into a dish towel lined colander.

Allow to cool and drain. Leave

it in the towel as you will need it later.

In the same pan warm the butter and oil over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion and sauté 3-5 minutes, or until translucent.

Add the chopped garlic to the onions and cook for another 3 minutes. Next add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into small pieces as you go. Cook until it is no longer pink. Stir in the beans.

Take the dish towel with the escarole still in it and form a pouch. Squeeze as much moisture as much as possible from the lettuce. Add it to the pan with a half of cup water, cover and cook until beans are heated through. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheese over the top and stir.

While the beans are simmering it is time to “brick” the quail. You will need a large and a medium fry pan. Cast iron works the best, and the smaller pan must fit into the larger pan with at least an inch of clearance on the sides to eliminate steam, which will keep your quail from browning.. A brick wrapped in foil is used to weigh the smaller pan down to press the quail that will be cooking in the larger skillet.

Heat the oil and butter in your large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the quail breast side down and cover to press with the smaller pan and brick. Cook for 12 – 15 minutes until golden, crispy brown. You may have to cook them in batches, I could only fit four in the pan at a time.

Plate the quail over the beans.

The flavor combination is a real taste treat. Serve this meal with a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, or a crisp Pilsner. It is truly unique way to serve this tasty bird.

Cheers!

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

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Digital Edition Only Special Content

Field Judging Big Game

By Shane Chuning

O

ne of the first things we start wondering about when glassing with a spotting scope or a set of bino’s after spotting a big game animal is, what does it score? I don’t consider myself a trophy hunter but more of someone who enjoys the hunt itself. When glassing, I am always curious on size and how one would fair when it comes to scoring a big game animal.

One of the first things to consider is learning the body size of the game in your local area. These specks do change throughout the country and can have an impact on how you effectively field judge the game you are pursuing.

A couple things that can help at guiding you in the right direction is by visiting your local taxidermy shops and measuring specific points you can use as references in the field with the local game in your area. For mule deer, ear to ear spread is a great reference to use for inside spread measurements. I tend to use 22 inches as a guideline on mule deer when referencing ear tip to tip spread. Then you can take and measure one ear to get a rough idea using that same measurement in the field when glassing through a spotter. Simply take that ear measurement and break it up on the main beam to see how many times it will stack end for end. This

will get you very close to the main beam lengths. Next, look at the G4 measurements; again you can use the ear length as a reference, which is usually around 9”on a mule deer.

The G4 measurement is the tine that comes off the main beam. Between the inside spread, the main beam lengths and the G4 measurements, these will put you at roughly half the total score. It can go a little higher but it’s nice to have your first field judge measurement to be under delivered, than over delivered, especially if you end up taking that specific game animal you are field judging. This is a fairly simple breakdown that will get you in the ballpark when glassing those mule deer in the field.

Elk will be no different and you can use parts of the body as reference points to get you in the ballpark when field judging them. I know just in our local area the body measurements can vary depending on the unit you are hunting. Just within a 3 hour drive, I know 2 units that can vary from inside of eye to tip of nose by 2 or 3 inches. This can be a significant amount when trying to estimate total score in the field. There’s one unit locally that from inside of eye, to tip of nose can be more like 11 inches on average. While another unit being only 1 hour away from the other averages more like 14” inside of eye to tip of nose. This is why knowing the local game in your area is critical at

Pro’s Tips

giving you a more accurate reading when field judging.

Since body size can vary so much on an elk in different units across the country, I just use the average of the eye to tip of nose measurement.

Nowadays with the use of Phone Skope adapters etc., you can snap different angle still pictures while glassing and use that nose to inside of eye measurement. Then just scale that on your still pics to get you in the ball park with all the different measurements. From there you can scale all your tine measurements, main beam on both sides and inside spread, leaving you only your mass measurements to get you to your total score. Most mature 6x6 bulls will have an average of 54-60” of mass, so I like to use the lower 54 inches of mass as a general rule of thumb when plugging in your total numbers. Again it’s always better to be underachieving when field judging than over achieving.

When looking at first glance through a spotter I look for bulls fronts to be at least in the 14 to 16 inch range. Generally this is a solid indi-

cation of a 300 plus bull and worth breaking down farther for field judging. Once you start getting to that 350 plus range, keep in mind you will more than likely have to have a 16” average measurement on your G1 through your G4’s to get you to that 350 inch range. Remember when scoring say a 6x6 for example you will only be calculating G1 through G5 and not that last tail point on the back end. This is taken up in the overall main beam measurement and sometimes forgotten when adding up the different tine lengths.

Products like Phone Skope, have become a very effective tool at scaling a big game animals rack while trying to field judge them. Using the eye to nose or the ear tip to ear tip measurements in the area you intend to hunt are a valuable tool in helping you field judge a trophy animal. For those traveling outside your local area, a call to a local biologist will help provide the information of those dimensions. The most important part is to never lose sight of the hunt itself and enjoy every moment in God’s country.

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Southern Traditions

For centuries, Georgia meant quail hunting

By John N. Felsher

W

ith tails wagging frantically, the pointing dogs raced ahead through longleaf pine savannah punctuated by majestic oaks festooned with Spanish moss.

The scene looked like it should jump out of an iconic painting from the Old South.

The dogs locked up on a thick bramble patch about 40 yards away. Where dogs can run through rabbit tunnels beneath thorny vines, humans could not. Finally catching up to the dogs, one shooter took up a position to the right while another stood ready on the left as the guide sent in a cocker spaniel to flush the birds.

Moments later, eight bobwhite quail burst from the thicket and rocketed in all directions. Just as one shooter took a bead on a feathered butterball, the bird disappeared behind several pine trees. The shot pattern splattered the wood. The other hunter never fired a shot as the birds quickly sailed into another impenetrable thicket.

“That’s hunting in south Georgia,” quipped McLeod Hatcher, a guide for Wynfield Plantation near Albany.

“It’s much more challenging to hunt the trees than walking a field where people get lots of open shots. In the forest, we never know when a tree might

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Adventure On A Budget

“Georgia has about 500,000 acres in private plantations intensively managed for wild quail,” explained Reggie Thackston, a Georgia Department McLeod Hatcher points where he expects the of Natural Resources quail to flush so Kristen Schuette Loflin can biologist. “Some plantatake the shot during a hunt on the Wynfield tions have been around Plantation near Albany, Ga. since before the Civil War. These lands have very high wild quail jump in the way of a good shot!” populations, in some cases the highest When most upland hunters think they’ve ever had.

Put the right amount about an old-fashioned Southern quail of habitat in the right landscapes and hunt, they naturally envision themthe quail population will respond to selves following dogs through Georit.” gia pine savannahs. The largest state Unfortunately, wild bird populain the South probably offers the best tions declined across the South in quail hunting east of the Mississippi recent decades as good habitat disRiver. In fact, the Georgia General Asappeared and predator populations sembly designated the bobwhite as its expanded.

Georgia sportsmen looking official state gamebird in 1970. for wild bobwhites on public lands For centuries before that, gentlewon’t find many in the Peach State men sportsmen followed enthusiastic this fall. dogs through fields and forests every “On most public areas, bobwhite autumn in pursuit of King Bob. Quail quail populations are very low,” hunts became major seasonal social Thackston lamented. “Many areas events as sportsmen dressed in their have good quail habitat, but not in finest shooting jackets bragged about large enough areas. To support a huntwho had the best dogs or could shoot able quail population, it takes considthe straightest – until embarrassed by erable acreage.

In a forested landscape, the next bird! we want to see about 5,000 acres of good habitat, either contiguous or in close proximity where birds can fly back and forth. In a farm landscape, we need at least 3,000 acres.”

On the positive side, the state continues to improve quail habitat on several public properties including Di-Lane Plantation Wildlife Management Area. Di-Lane covers about 8,100 acres on the Georgia upper coastal plain near Waynesboro. Thick upland hardwood strands mixed with pine forests dominate about 70 percent of the property with the rest in fallow fields and pine savannahs.

“Bobwhite quail can be found throughout the state, but higher densities occur in the upper coastal plain,” Pembroke Pope and Zac Venable wait for their dogs to point advised Paul Grimes, the GDNR state some bobwhite quail during a hunt at the Pope Plantation near quail coordinator in Waynesboro.

Washington, Ga.

“Upland bird hunting opportunities are available on several wildlife management areas and other public properties. Based upon our population surveys, the number one place to hunt wild quail in Georgia is Di-Lane Plantation. It’s intensively managed for birds and small game species. We also manage the harvest so it does not exceed 15 percent of the fall quail population each year.”

Sportsmen can apply for quota hunts on Di-Lane Plantation each year.

People selected to hunt can bring two companions. During the 2015-16 season, poor weather hampered hunter success on Di-Lane Plantation. The harvest dropped slightly from the previous season.

Sportsmen might also find some quail hunting opportunities at River Creek, Silver Lake, Elmodel and Chickasawhatchee WMAs. In northern Georgia, the Chattahoochee National Forest creates one of the largest contiguous public hunting properties in the eastern United States. With three ranger districts, the Chattahoochee NF covers 750,145 acres spread across 18 Georgia counties.

Much less mountainous, the nearby Oconee National Forest includes another 116,232 acres between Macon and Athens. Together, these forests conserve 866,468 acres. In contrast, Rhode Island covers about 776,960 acres.

“It’s pretty rugged terrain,” explained Mike Brod, a fire and natural resources officer for the Chattahoochee National Forest in Gainesville, Ga. “The Chattahoochee is dominated by upland hardwoods like oaks and poplars. In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Oconee National Forest is primarily rolling piedmont with lots of pines in the uplands and hardwood in the bottoms and along the streams.”

South of Oconee NF, the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge near Forsyth allows hunting on about 34,000 acres. continued on page 53

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

圀圀圀⸀匀倀伀刀吀匀䴀䄀一匀圀䄀刀䔀䠀伀唀匀䔀⸀䌀伀䴀

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

QUAIL HUNTING

about 2,000 acres of mostly longleaf and slash pine punctuated by occasional clearings and hardwood groves.

“We manage the property for wild bird habitat, but we also do pre-releases on the property to ensure success of our hunts,” Guthrie explained. “I watch the numbers as hunters harvest birds throughout the season and release more birds as needed. The ones we release before the season get with wild coveys and turn wild quickly.

The birds fly really well. It’s more like a wild experience than hunting pen-raised birds.”

Near Washington in Wilkes County, the Pope Plantation offers hunting on 1,200 acres of mixed loblolly pines, hardwoods and fields. For five generations, the Popes put countless sportsmen on birds. The original farmhouse, built by Dr. John Hunter Pope in 1840, still exists on the property. The original 200-year-old heart pine still comprises the floors and a screened wraparound porch where visitors can sit in rocking chairs to watch the sun set behind the pecan orchard.

“The lodge was my grandfather’s house when he was 16 years old,” recalled Pembroke Pope who runs it now. “My grandfather used to grow cotton. He switched to growing pine trees, pecan trees and cattle. In 2007, we decided to turn the property into a top-notch hunting preserve. People stay at the Pope Plantation for the great atmosphere, great friends and a great time.”

On the Pope Plantation, quail hunters may choose between three hunting options ranging from easy field

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hunts to extremely challenging treks through pine forests. Sorghum fields continued from page 51 typically offer the easiest shots at risThe land consists primarily of upland ing birds. Many sportsmen like to take loblolly pine forests with hardwoods their young children to this area. More lining the creeks. Refuge managers experienced hunters typically prefer periodically burn portions of it and the challenge of walking through pine thin timber to enhance habitat. forests and waiting for birds to erupt With wild quail becoming diffrom between the trees. ficult to find across the South, many Sportsmen visiting Noontootla sportsmen visit commercial shooting Creek Farms near Blue Ridge in the preserves. At a preserve, landownmountains of northern Georgia can ers manage the habitat for quail and opt for a cast and blast adventure, supplement the wild bird population hunting birds half a day and fishing by periodically releasing pen-raised for trophy trout the other half. One of birds. Some preserves also offer huntthe top trophy trout streams in Georing for pheasant, chukar and other gia, Noontootla Creek runs through birds. Many also provide food and the 1,500-acre property and can prolodging services. duce some rainbows exceeding 10 “Hunting on a game preserve is a pounds and very large brown trout. great way to introduce children or “The cast and blast option is a lot of novice hunters to the shooting sports,” fun, but after a day walking the fields advised Kurt Guthrie, general manand mountains for birds and wadager for Wynfield Plantation. “Hunting the creek for trout, people sleep ers get lots of action and don’t need to well that night,” quipped Rob Kaser, keep still and quiet for long periods.” a farm manager. “We have no wild Throughout Georgia, sportsmen quail coveys on the property, but our can find many outstanding shooting birds are very strong, good flyers. I’ve preserves. Some of the best quail huntseen a few quail and pheasant long ing in the nation occurs near Albany. after hunting season ends. They may In a survey conducted by Pheasants survive long enough to breed.”

Forever and Quail Forever, sportsSurrounded by the Chattahoochee men named Albany, Ga., as the ninth National Forest and the Blue Ridge best overall bird-hunting destination Mountains, Noontootla Creek in the United States and the top quail Farms offers very challenging bird hot spot. shooting in rugged country. SportsJust outside Albany, Wynfield Planmen can make unguided hunts tation sits in the heart of the Plantation with their own dogs or accompany Trace, an area of southwestern Geora farm guide. Some people prefer gia known for its great bird hunting. to hunt the pine forests and valley A previous Orvis Lodge of the Year thickets. Others choose to hunt open honoree, Wynfield Plantation covers fields along the creek.

“It’s a rough hunt, very chalQuail Initiative hopes to bring back the birds lenging,” said

By John N. Felsher Cole Sullivan, Faced with dwindling wild quail populations, Georgia began its Bobwhite Quail Initiative a Noontootla in 1999 to restore bird numbers wherever possible. guide. “We’re “Habitat is the most limiting factor when it comes to quail,” explained Paul Grimes, a constantly going state biologist. “Quite often, when we’ve restored quail habitat, wild birds show up on up and down their own and their numbers start improving. Fortunately in Georgia, we have a growing mountains and interest to more intensively manage some wildlife management areas to meet the demand through thickets. from sportsmen for wild quail hunting on public property.”

Hunters don’t State biologists provide technical assistance to landowners on how to create and manget shots at age quail habitat. Another part of plan involves catching wild quail with baited cage traps every bird they and releasing them in good habitat with few birds. At Di-Lane Plantation WMA, state and flush and don’t University of Georgia researchers attach electronic devices to released quail to study their hit every bird. movements.

These birds fly “We’ll capture birds and put electronic telemetry devices on them for about three years,” very well and Grimes revealed. “Ultimately, we would like to gain better insight into quail movements know how to esand survival so we can better manage quail and other species.” cape.”

As a species, quail survived predators for eons. Create good habitat and highly prolific Whether huntquail will occupy it and survive. ing public or pri-

vate lands, sportsmen in Georgia should enjoy great opportunities to follow the dogs this fall, continuing a tradition stretching back centuries. It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to get out and enjoy quail hunting.

Day hunts at hunting clubs, with a group of buddies, can be pretty affordable and can many times save you time and a lot of boot-miles as well.

Contacts:

Important Information Georgia Wild Quail Hunting Season Nov. 12, 2016 to Feb. 28, 2017, Statewide, limit 12 per day (Note: Some public lands may offer different season dates or require quota permits so check the regulations before hunting any public property.

Georgia Licenses See www.georgiawildlife. com/licenses-permits-passes Commercial Hunting Preserves Noontootla Creek Farms Blue Ridge, Ga. 706-838-0585 ncfga.net Pope Plantation Washington, Ga. 706-318-5389 www.popeplantation.com Wynfield Plantation Albany, Ga. 229-889-0193 wynfieldplantation.com Government Contacts Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division georgiawildlife.com U.S. Forest Service Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests www.fs.usda.gov/main/ conf/home U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge https://www.fws.gov/piedmont/

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October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

Digital Edition Only Special Content

Bull Creek Elk Hunt

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

By Dan Baughman

I

n 1986, we did something different. Dave found a spot while trail riding several years earlier. Dave, Sue and I rode into Bull Creek that summer to look it over. The trail had a few bad spots but for the most part it was pretty good. I didn’t count on all the wet weather that was to come.

Anyhow the area looked promising so we decided to hunt it this October.

We left Friday night during a heavy rain. It seemed like it rained all during the month of September.

We arrived at the end of the road and camped for the night. It was still raining with snow mixed.

The next day we loaded everything on our bikes and started in.

The trip is about eight miles with the first three being an old logging road. The road goes up to a high pass, 6,400 feet, where it turns into a trail. From there, it drops down to Bull Creek, another three miles. We started hitting snow about a mile from the top. It got deeper as we climbed and at the top it was about six inches deep. From there, we dropped down to the creek. The rest of the way was fairly level, but with numerous bogs. With all the rain and snow, the trail was extremely difficult. Dave didn’t have any trouble but I did.

When we arrived at the spot we had picked to camp earlier, we found to our dismay, a sheepherders tent already set up. So we started back the way we came looking for a place to camp. We finally found a

spot off the trail next to a small creek.

We were cold, wet, and getting a fire started was the top priority.

Unfortunately, all the wood was wet, and starting a fire was next to impossible. Finally Dave spotted a dead tree with one side that appeared to be dry. We chopped out pieces of dry wood and managed to get the fire started. We then preceded to set up the rest of the camp.

While setting up camp we could hear what sounded like two bull elk bugling in the creek bottom below us. This went on for about 30 minutes. Then one of the bulls sounded like he was getting closer.

Every time he bugled he sounded closer. We started out on an interception course, through a tree studded meadow, where a 150 yards from camp, we sat down to wait.

We didn’t wait more than one or two minutes before a 6-point bull

came bugling his way through the meadow. He walked within 50 yards of us, not realizing we were there.

The bull would stretch his neck out and give off a spine- tingling bugle as he picked his way through the sage brush. We watched him for the next five minutes until he disappeared among the pines and aspen.

Somehow, the cold and wetness were forgotten as we walked back to camp knowing that when the season opened in 5 days we were in a good area.

That Tuesday afternoon, we were glassing the hillside above camp when we spotted our first elk since our encounter with the 6-point.

They were easy to spot against the snow. We watched all afternoon and counted eight different bulls and numerous cows. We knew where we were going in the morning.

In the early morning darkness, we made our way up the hill through thick buck brush, Dave on one side of the ridge and myself on the other.

The snow got deeper and the brush thicker as we made our way to the waiting elk.

As daylight slowly eroded the darkness, gunshots sounded off to our left. I increased my pace, trying to get through the undergrowth.

Another gunshot, but this one much closer.

It was Dave taking a long shot at a large bull heading for higher ground, hitting nothing but snow.

I fought my way to the top of a brush covered knoll, my lungs gasping for air. Looking around I

spotted what looked like a 5- point bull standing next to a snow covered pine, about 250 yards away . I frantically looked for a gun rest but there was none to be found. I kneeled down but the brush obscured the bull. I stood up and tried to steady the crosshairs on the elk but my ragged breathing wouldn’t allow it. I waited for my breathing to subside, hoping that the bull would continue to stand there. He started moving before I could catch my breath.

Dejected, I continued up the hill, still fighting the brush still trying to catch my breath. I scrambled another 25 yards, when another 5-point appeared. I squeezed off one shot before he walked up the hill and behind a large tree. I scrambled up the hill hoping to see him again when another hunter appeared just to the right and below the tree. The trotting bull emerged about 25 yards from the hunter which turned out to be Dave. The elk ran right in front of him presenting an easy shot. Even at that close range it took three shots to bring him down.

The next day, Dave went back for his bull while I went on the opposite side of the canyon hoping to find another elk. On the other side of Bull Creek, the tree covered slope rises at a very steep angle. A very steep angle. I followed the top of the ridgeline where you could have one foot on each side of the ridge at the same time. I thought I heard an elk bugle but the wind was blowing so hard that I couldn’t be sure. I dropped down off the ridge out of the wind and continued on. The sound became more and more distinct until I knew that it was a bull. When I got to within about 200 yards from the bull, I stopped. The snow was crusted over so that getting close to the elk without being heard was impossible.

Because of the trees, there wouldn’t be any 2-3 hundred yard shot. I had a decision to make; continue on and hope that I could see him before he heard me, or try and bugle him to me. I decided on the latter, but

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

since I didn’t have my bugle , (I can’t bugle anyway) I elected to leave the bull undisturbed and come back with Dave (who can bugle) tomorrow morning.

We were half way up the hill when dawn broke.

Fortunately we found a well-used game trail that side-hilled back into the canyon.

The snow was beaten down so that walking was easier and not as noisy. We followed the trail for about three quarters of a mile without seeing anything. Then, there was movement through the trees. Three cow

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elk stepped into view about 150 yards away. I kneeled down and searched the pines through the scope, looking for the bull that I knew to be there. The cows must have sensed us for they started to trot up the hill. Afraid that the hidden bull would spook with the cows, Dave pointed at his grunt tube. I nodded yes and he put the tube to his mouth and the woods was filled with the sound of a bugling elk. Our phantom bull didn’t let the challenge go unanswered as he responded immediately. He stepped from behind a clump of trees searching for the intruder. He must have seen or sensed us as he peered in our direction. He started to take a step as I pulled the trigger. He disappeared before I could get another shot. There wasn’t any sign of him being hit. We searched the snow for blood but we came up empty. I had to face the fact that I had missed again. The crosshairs were right on the front shoulders. I couldn’t believe I missed that shot.

We split up and continued on up

the canyon. We hadn’t gone more than a hundred yards when Dave shouted, “here he is”. I went down the hill to see the 6-point bull laying on a clump of buckbrush.

Not one drop of blood did we find.

The bullet blew up inside and never exited. We were extremely lucky to find him.

We got the front quarters out that day. We made a mistake, dragging the animal down the hill towards the creek. It was choked with brush and deep ravines. It was a real mess. We took the hindquarters out Saturday morning. According to the map, we had a pack of two miles. It was the hardest pack we ever had. It was so hard that we came up with an appropriate name for the canyon which I won’t write down.

The rest of the day was spent getting the elk and camp to the van.

The horses made the trail worse than when we came in. Dave rode the trail to the summit where we exchanged loads. I wasn’t able to ride the trail with a heavy load. Dave got the last load out Sunday morning.

ESEE 4 Knife From Randall’s Adventure Training

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

I

n the world of wilderness and jungle survival, the name Randall’s Adventure Training is known around the globe. To make sure students have quality knives for their bushcraft and fieldwork, Randall’s has created ESEE knives, designed for use by the military and law enforcement communities.

Made in America to demanding specifications, these knives are also available to civilians at a limited number of Sportsman’s Warehouse stores and online at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com. These knives are built to order, so availability is extremely limited. Check online frequently to see if they are in stock.

For the past month, the ESEE 4 has been clipped to my belt and used rigorously in the field. This 9-inch long knife does everything you demand from heftier knives, but weighs only 8 ounces. It features a full tang with safety orange inserts and removable tough Micarta handles. By simply undoing the three

hex-head screws that are connected to the other side with a threaded sleeve, the scales can be taken off to allow the blade to be used as a spear tip.

The blade itself is made of tough 1095 high carbon steel for a long lasting edge, then treated with a textured powder coat to create a durable finish that will protect the blade. Care still needs to be taken to coat the cutting surface with a dry lubricant to prevent rusting the carbon steel.

The overall blade length is 4.5 inches with a 4.1-inch cutting surface, tapering from 1.25 inches at its widest spot to a standard allpurpose drop point. The maximum blade thickness is .188” thick.

It comes standard with a multiconfiguration molded plastic sheath with a strong spring steel belt clip that will fit belts up to 2-inches wide. It also includes a lanyard and cord slide to allow it to be hung from the neck. Steel grommets around the edge of the sheath allow

you to set it up however will work best, and a retention detent molded into the sheath will prevent it from coming out unintentionally if worn upside down.

This knife can withstand anything you can throw at it, from batoning wood to attaching it to a spear, to cleaning fish and processing game. And if by some miracle you do manage to break it, like all ESEE Knives, it comes with a no-questions asked lifetime replacement warranty.

The ESEE 4 feels great in the

hand, will stand up to hard use, and performs a wide array of functions in the field. It is a great addition to your camping and survival kit.

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Last-Day Success

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ext to wild sheep meat, moose is my favorite table-fare of all the game animals in North America. Since my first two hunts for AlaskaYukon Moose (1990 and 1992) had produced high adventure in the Northwest Territories but no meat for the freezer, it finally occurred to me that perhaps I should try hunting them in either Alaska or the Yukon — after which the species had been named. Therefore, in the spring of 1996, I booked a hunt for mid-September of 1997 with Kurt Lepping, who operated out of Wasilla, AK. In the fall of 2001, I had previously hunted with him Alaskan Brown Bear.

Our prime moose-glassing spot.

Staking Claim by Hayden Lambson Although I hadn’t yet focused my vision on the goal of the Super Slam, I was becoming extremely focused on moose, in general, because I had yet to take one with my bow and because the Canadian subspecies had also totally frustrated me throughout two different hunts in northern B.C. When success finally decides to favor you, however, it often comes “in bunches” — which is what happened to me with moose. In the space of just three autumns (1997-1999), all three varieties that are part of the Super Slam fell to my arrows. Three arrows l e f t m y b o w ; t h re e b u l l s h i t the ground. Three, very quick,

clean, one-arrow kills. In the end, it seemed so easy, but getting there had seemed so hard.

Kurt’s moose camp was located in central Alaska, not far from Galena on the north bank o f t h e Yu k o n R i v e r. T h e o l d World War II Air Force Base runway has been maintained there and on the sunny afternoon of September 13th, a small feeder-airline plane set down and taxied right up to Kurt’s waiting Cessna. From there, it was only a ten or fifteen minute hop out to base camp. Little did I suspect that my first excitement of the hunt was going to be generated by our arrival — namely, the hairy landing, itself!

The “landing strip,” if you could call it that, was a narrow gravel bar that ran about 1 0 0 y a rd s a l o n g t h e e d g e o f a s m a l l r i v e r. T h e p r o b l e m was that it stretched around the inside bend of the river, making it necessary for the pilot to make his landing on one wheel only and then taxi around the bend with the other wheel still airborne.

When the second wheel finally touched down and we slowed to a grinding halt, it dawned on me it was OK to start breathing again. I’m not sure which was whiter —my face or my knuckles.

I had already learned, of course, that Kurt was a superb bush pilot, but on this hunt I was to observe his remarkable skills demonstrated many more times. Once we all had enjoyed a hot lunch there at base camp, Kurt went to work with his second aircraft, flying each of his several moose hunters out to their respective spike camps.

Since the Super Cub could only be flown with one passenger at a time, the guide would be transported first — then the hunter on the second trip. My guide, Brad Saalsaa and I were the last to go out that evening, but by the time Kurt got around to us, he was in a race against dark.

As evening came upon us, the sky began clouding over and a wind began to blow. Kurt took off with Brad and our camp gear, saying he hoped to be back in twenty minutes for me. A half an hour later, he was back on our gravel bar with a worried look on his face.

“On the ridgetop where I landed Brad, there was a severe crosswind,” he explained. “Hop in as fast as you can! There’s not a lot of light left and I may have to make several passes before I can set the plane down without flipping it.”

Kurt quickly threw my duffel and pack frame into the small space behind the pilot’s seat and ordered me to make like a sardine by cramming myself into the few remaining cubic inches. As any experienced wilderness hunter will tell you, Super Cubs are only pilot-friendly — never hunter friendly. If I h a d t o s i t i n t h e e x t re m e l y narrow, rear half of the plane on top of my duffel, with my bow held vertically upright between my thighs and the bowstring doing double duty as dental floss, then so be it! This was no time for questions, even though I certainly had several on the tip of my tongue.

M i n u t e s l a t e r, w h e n I s a w what Kurt intended to try to

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Northern Disposition by Dallen Lambson. land on, I about died —or thought I was about to, anyway. It was hardly what could be called a ridgetop, but rather the crown of a ridge crest that was flat for maybe 20 yards, but which fell away very quickly a t b o t h e n d s o f t h e 2 0 - y a rd flat! Brad, I learned, had hiked up from the valley floor a few days before and “cleared” this little insult to a genuine landing strip so that Kurt could get in and out of their with his superacrobatic Super Cub. That, however, had been without a nasty crosswind thrown in to make it even more challenging.

If Kurt could make his wheels touch down on the first yard of level ground, then he’d have a chance to bring the Cub to a halt within 50 yards — just before the downhill grade would become too steep for him to be able to stop at all. Three times Kurt made a pass at the critical landing spot and three times he lost his nerve at the last moment. The crosswind was giving him fits and generating all sorts of blue language — of which I was only catching fragments above the noise of the engine and the air- turbulence on the wings.

On each pass, I could see Brad standing off to the side, with jaw clenched, wondering if he was really going to end up with a companion for the night or not. On his fourth try, Kurt actually touched his wheels down

for one bounce, then gunned it again to make one more circle.

On his fifth try, I guess things felt just right to him and — as soon as the wheels made initial contact with the ground — he took the all-or-nothing chance and cut the power. It worked!

T h e p l a n e re m a i n e d u p r i g h t and Kurt brought the craft to a halt just as we reached the orange ribbon Brad had tied on a low bush — marking the downhill limit, beyond which, the “strip” became a steep, unusable hillside.

The next six days involved a lot of hiking, a lot of bushwhacking, mostly good weather, but very few moose encounters. There were other ridges, not too far away that were bigger and higher than ours. Most of our time and energy were spent getting to them and then getting back to our tent by dark.

Some days I suspect we logged as much as 10 or 12 miles on foot — most of it up or down, with little of it on flat ground.

Brad seemed to be an excellent caller, both with his cow calls and with his bull grunts. I remember one day we were on a high, barren ridge, several hundred feet above the evergreen timberline. In reply to one of his cow calls, Brad claimed he heard a distant grunt, responding. We listened intently and he heard it again. I wasn’t sure if I’d heard it or not. Suddenly, Brad spotted the bull down in

the bottom of a timber flat almost a mile away.

“He’s coming!” Brad said.

“Let’s get the hell off this exposed ridge and down into the trees as fast as we can.” He didn’t even bother to look to see if I was following behind.

H e j u s t w e n t ru n n i n g d o w n the mountainside as fast as he could, while I did my best to keep up. What took my breath a w a y, h o w e v e r, w a s n o t t h e quick descent. It was the speed with which the bull was coming to us! When we stopped to listen, we could either hear him crashing through the timber or occasionally catch glimpses of his antlers moving through the trees. When Brad reached the first bit of cover, he hid behind it, told me to move down 50 yards further —or as far as I could descend before the bull came into view. He said the bull would likely come right up the hill to us and that I should have an arrow nocked —ready to shoot on short notice.

B e f o re I m a n a g e d t o d ro p down even another 20 yards, the game was over. I froze, as the big bull simply materialized out of nowhere and stopped about 30 yards steeply below me. He had covered all that distance so much faster than I would have believed possible.

For quite a while he stood there without any movement. No doubt, he was having trouble figuring out why he couldn’t see what he’d been hearing for

some time. Finally, something had to give and the bull took one step — as if turning to depart momentarily. I decided to attempt a shot through a small opening in the bush right below me, feeling certain I had a clear path to the lower part of the rib cage. Unfortunately, my shot was a bit too low — cutting just the hide on the backside of the near, upper foreleg. The bull exploded out of there in the wink of an eye and I was left cussing myself for a poorly-executed shot that I probably shouldn’t have taken. In a half-hour of searching, one drop of blood on a yellow poplar leaf was all we could find, some 30 yards further down into the trees.

On the long hike back up to the ridgetop, I gave myself quite a talking-to.

The outfitter had said we should give it about six days of effort up in the higher country and then —if that didn’t produce success —he would bring me back down to the valley and send me on a float trip down the river for the remainder of the hunt. By the time Kurt picked me up and flew me back down to base camp, I was more than ready for a change of scene and a change of tactics.

After spending a night in base camp, I was assigned a new guide in the person of one Linus O’Brien. Irish by name and half-Scottish by blood, Linus was three-and-a-half characters rolled up into one. When

Alaska guide and master-chef, Linus O’Brien.

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cooking dinner for us each night, he would always wear his Royal Stuart tam-o’-shanter.

Once the good meal had been stowed away, his fascinating stories of outdoor adventure would roll off his tongue, one after another, like raindrops off a rain-fly. This was a man who had had great difficulty all his life living within the bounds and restraints of civilization.

As a consequence, he’d spent most of the prior 20-plus years living in the wilderness, surviving as best he could. He was also the most genuinely intellectual hunting guide I believe I’ve ever had the pleasure of hunting with. I’m not sure if I had more fun talking with him or hunting with him, over the next four days.

The first spike camp we set up on the edge of the river was just two or three miles below base camp. Directly across the river from us was a ridge which rose u p r a t h e r a b ru p t l y f ro m t h e bank and offered anyone willing to sweat a little (by climbing 400 feet) an expansive, unimpeded view of several square miles of the valley’s broad floor. For that afternoon and all the next day, Linus and I used that ridge as our lookout-post.

Surely such a vigil would allow us, eventually, to spot a big bull traveling in search of an outlet for his pent-up testosterone.

Large parts of the valley bottom were broad open spaces,

covered only by grasses and low bushes. There were pocke t s o f d a r k t i m b e r h e re a n d there, but close to the river it was lengthy stands of golden cottonwoods and poplars that dominated the breath-taking landscape. On the side-hills above the riverbed, quaking aspens added their own special touch of autumn glory. The blue sky overhead that first morning on the ridge across from camp, was all that was needed to complete the magical spell that fell over me, as I drank in the remarkable scenery.

Around noon, a cow moose emerged from the woods across the river below us and then stood there for a while, as if waiting for a suitor. Linus and I caught glimpses later in the afternoon of two more cows and a mediocre bull moving through the vegetation 500 yards downstream, but the big bull we were hoping to find had thus far eluded our binocularempowered eyeballs. Around 3pm, we suddenly noticed a v e r y l a rg e b u l l r i g h t o u t i n the open across the valley. He seemed headed down-river w i t h a p u r p o s e . T h e re w e re n o t re e s a n y w h e re n e a r h i m and his dark form looked huge against the expansive backdrop of nothing more than foot-high grasses. We couldn’t imagine why we hadn’t picked him up sooner with our naked eyes!

Immediately, Linus started

Lepping and his acrobatic Cessna, (with antlers attached).

Author with his ‘respectable’ bull. cow-calling. Within seconds, the bull stopped, listened and then altered his course to head for the river. Jumping to his feet, my guide said hurriedly, “Dennis, we’ve got to get down and across the river as fast as possible!” The bull was still at least 800 yards away, but I could see he was coming fast.

Once we reached the raft and managed to get ourselves to the other side of the river into a decent ambush spot, we knew our quarry might show himself at any moment. The problem was, he didn’t! Linus made another cow call and we waited.

No response. Next Linus made a few soft grunts, then raked the tree alongside him with the old moose shoulder-blade he always had with him for that purpose. Silence! We waited and waited and waited. Nothing.

A half-hour had now passed since our scramble down the hillside. There was something wrong. The moose must have passed us by and perhaps was no longer within earshot. Linus decided to paddle back across the river and climb part-way back up the hill again. By being able to peer down into the trees from above, he was hoping to relocate the bull. I made up my mind, meanwhile, to work my way slowly down the river for 100 yards or so and then try some cow-calling of my own.

As the final, amorous echoes

of my long, drawn-out wailing sound receded into the ether, I heard a grunt come back at me from across the river and slightly downstream. Before I even had time to wonder if this was the bull, he appeared on the far shore about 80 yards distant and began wading back toward my bank.

An arrow was already on the string, as I watched the bull leave the water and disappear i n t o t h e b ru s h j u s t 5 0 y a rd s downstream. I figured the showdown was imminent and that Linus must really be enjoying the drama from his ringside seat. I waited silently, with all my senses on red-alert. I had pulled my camo headnet down over my face, donned my camo gloves and positioned myself just barely inside a little thicket.

My hope was that I might look like just another nondescript part of the forest’s underbrush.

Soon, the wait became agonizingly long. I cow-called again — this time softly, facing upstream away from my imagined quarry. No grunts.

Nothing. I tried a grunt or three of my own. No response. After another 15 minutes of seeing and hearing nothing, I gave it up and walked out to the riverbank, motioning my guide to come down and join me. Linus confirmed my hunch — namely that the bull had picked up my scent immediately on leaving the riverbed and then silently

October 2016 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION

stolen away. The weather was calm at the moment and — as is so often the case in those conditions — the still air drifts downstream with the flow of the current. The big bull would live to love another day.

Since our second day of hunting from that spike-camp produced no excitement worthy of storytelling, I will skip forward to the final two days that took place out of a final camp we set up a few miles further downriver, close to the farthest boundary of Lepping’s hunting area.

T h e re w a s a l o n g s a n d - a n d gravel-bar there, where Kurt had said he would pick us up at the end of the hunt. The exposed beach area seemed about equally covered with moose, wolf and grizzly tracks, so we figured this was as good a place as any to experience some endof-the-hunt excitement.

Our first morning there, Linus was chopping wood near our tent, when suddenly the sounds of his ax brought a response from across the river. Initially, a banging of antlers on wood and then a series of low grunts.

It seemed once again as though “action” were about to land on our doorstep. Linus whispered for me to get out on the brushy edge of the river in full camo — while he was going to retire 50 yards or so back into the woods, to do his “thing.”

I had not even reached a satisfactory ambush spot, when a disappointingly-small bull materialized on the far bank and began swimming in my direction. Instantly I nocked an arrow and froze — still rather exposed, without much c o v e r. E v e n t h o u g h t h e b u l l couldn’t have been more than a two-year-old, what followed took my breath away and still astonishes me today whenever I recall the incident. After exiting the river and shaking thoroughly, the bull turned and walked straight at me. At first I couldn’t tell if he was seeing me or not. When he reached 20 yards and closing, I realized he didn’t have a clue I was there.

He was looking for a bull that

wasn’t anywhere around and my stationary form didn’t match the template he had in mind.

At 10 yards and closing, it suddenly hit me that my very survival —at such intimate quarters —might well depend on how successfully I could p l a y t h e ro l e o f t h e c a m o ’ d statue! Breathing and blinking were now out of the question and I had already closed down my eyes to the narrowest of slits. Whatever slight air movement there was, if any, must have been from him to me — or more likely a cross-breeze. Even so, to this day I’ll never understand why he didn’t smell me.

On his compass, he was merely charting a course between two small trees. From my deeplyworried, slightly-bent-over perspective, his front shoulder passed within 18 inches of the bill of my camo-cap and one antler — nearly nine feet off the ground — passed right over my head. The bull never stopped.

He never sniffed. He just kept on — oblivious!

My “last-day success” occurred the final morning, right at our gravel-bar campsite. We had just finished an early breakfast. After doing the dishes so as to minimize the chance of bear problems, Linus picked up his trusty moose shoulder blade and said, “It’s high time! Let’s go get you a nice bull, Dennis!”

We walked upriver 100 yards and sat down on the edge of a small clearing, perhaps 35 yards from the riverbank. Some birds were warbling close-by and everything seemed right with the world. The slick riversurface appeared to be steaming in anticipation of a warmer day, but the sunny weather wasn’t the only thing about to heat up.

As for the various techniques used for calling moose, Linus was definitely of the school that “less is more.” He used calling only sparingly; mostly he preferred just to use the shoulder blade for raking bark off a tree trunk or scraping the brush.

Over a thirty-minute period, Linus used his “scraper” only two

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or three times. “On such a quiet morning, it doesn’t take much,” he explained, “and moose have such fine hearing they can hear this kind of noise from a long ways off.”

He was right and it didn’t take 15 minutes for his crystal ball to come into focus. Suddenly he was pointing into the woods behind me and motioning me to get ready to draw. My straining ears finally picked up a low grunt and I rose to my feet ready for action. This time something within told me it was all going to come together perfectly.

A minute later, another grunt reached our ears — this time much closer. Thirty seconds later, a small twig snapped, then a second, lighter one. Close, I thought, he is really getting close! The next thing I heard was the sound of an antler brushing aside some saplings.

Indeed, I was standing on the edge of an entire, thick, forest of 10- to 12-foot poplars and this bull was coming right through them — about to pop into the open no more than 40 feet in front of me! It was time to draw.

I did so just in the nick of time. No sooner had the wheels of my bow turned over and my string fingers lurched into their anchor position under my cheekbone, than there he was stepping out into the open, fully broadside. Unfortunately, I had not thought to retreat a step or two inside the edge of the woods. The visitor — startled at seeing me there, fully exposed — instantly bolted forward some twenty yards, then turned 90 degrees and began walking straight across in front of me. I waited no longer.

The arrow struck home, right up to the fletching — though a little higher and farther back than I would have considered ideal. I had the feeling, nonetheless that it was good enough to prove lethal pretty quickly.

When Linus and I compared notes, such proved to be his feeling, as well. The stricken moose had trotted off in the direction of our tent and we began

joking about how considerate of him it would be, were he simply to expire right in camp. Not wanting to get his adrenaline pumping by pursuing him too quickly, we walked out on the gravel bar, built a fire and ate some nuts and candy chews.

Linus speculated that he carried about a 50-inch rack. Not a Pope & Young bull — but respectable, nevertheless.

The hour passed much too slowly, yet we tried to help it along by coming up with intellectual solutions to most of the major problems of the world — after which we finally decided to cut the live bull and go find the dead one. His dark, inert f o r m l a y j u s t 3 0 y a rd s f ro m camp. I accepted Linus’ hearty handshake and then traced the bull’s spoor backwards, to where he’d been walking when I released my arrow. The distance was just over a hundred yards. The shot had been at 24.

Talk about thrilled? It was my very first moose and my firstever, “last-day success!” The moose-monkey was finally off my back.

The BAREBOW! Sagas – Adventure and Misadventure in the Wilds of North America Dennis Dunn doesn’t just tell h u n t i n g s t o r i e s ; h e s h a re s h i s dreams, his victories, his disappointments, his wisdom and he teaches from his knowledge and experience. The BAREBOW! Sagas will not only acquaint you with the sweet taste of success and the bitter agony of defeat; they will convince you that well-regulated hunting sustains the use of wildlife and gives the animals increased value to justify their conservation and preservation. In this series, Dennis takes you along on his quest for the North American Big Game 29 Super Slam. A bow, a string, an arrow – no trigger, no peep-sights, no pins – just fingers, guts and instinct. That’s hunting BAREBOW! To learn more about Dunn’s award-winning book (from which the above story was taken), or to order a copy of BAREBOW!, you may visit the author’s website at: www.barebows.com.

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