Sportsman's News October 2017 Digital Edition

FREE October 2017 | Volume 13 | Issue 10

The American Bison In The Books

Utah Big Game Hunts owner/outfitter Coby Hunt was a big asset in helping find Quality bison on the Books. Mike Duff was a good set of eyes and cameraman for the hunt.

Gary Lewis

Gear Up For Chukar

Chad LaChance

Follow Your Instincts

THE ONLY

NEW!

Edge TLR

Terminal Long Range

See page 8

ONE. WITHOUT A DOUBT.

ACCURATE & TERMINAL BEYOND LONG RANGE

federalpremium.com

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 PRODUCT SPECIALIST Wes Atkinson wes@sportsmansnews.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Lisa Deming info@sportsmansnews.com VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGERS Sam Staudt sam@sportsmansnews.com Andrew Saullo andrew@sportsmansnews.com Subscribers should contact Managing Editor for changes of address.

Sportsman’s News is published monthly.

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

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October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER

By Michael Deming

WHAT’S INSIDE

American Bison In The Books 4 Once in a lifetime hunt for bison in Utah.

New Edge LTR 8 Federal Premium's new long range ammo.

Pick: 10 Pro's Wicked Wing

Browning Maxus

An autoloader with attitude and performance to match.

8

Pro-Shot Gun Cleaning Equipment 11 Made in America quality gun products Why You Need A Trigger Gauge 12 Improve accuracy and maintain safety.

Approved Outfitters Platinum 14Choose a Sportsman's News Endorsed Guide for your next trip.

I

ndian summer is what they call this time of year. It has been extremely hot so far in September, with the mercury being higher than many days in August. However, the hunting season dates don’t change because we aren’t getting the weather we want. This is where years of experience in the same unit truly pays off.

My phone constantly blows up this time of year, with people in a panic about burning their coveted tag that they have waited so many years to draw. They applied for years and in some situations, decades in hopes of getting a crack at that once in a lifetime animal.

The major problem with most of these tag holders is that they are now in a unit they have absolutely no experience in and they weren’t willing to hire an outfitter. After all, it takes buckets of points to draw this tag, which means there should be an abundance of good bucks or bulls in the unit – right?

The unit might be managed for more trophy quality animals, but those bucks and bulls have reached maturity and even though you haven’t hunted this unit while you were building points, other people have hunted this unit each and every year. I guarantee, there are outfitters that hunt this unit each and every year and know all of the nuances about the animals, weather and terrain. They consistently harvest some of the best animals the unit has to offer and that is because they know where to go on years like this, when it is extra hot.

So, get out and hunt. Quit waiting to get into the game and don’t spend decades waiting to draw a tag for the holy grail of opportunities. Trophy animals are the byproduct of hard work and dedication.

Find a unit you can hunt every year or every couple of years and start learning the unit. Go spend this hunting season in the unit, even if you don’t have a tag. It’s amazing how much other hunters will share information about a unit when you are just checking things out and don’t have a tag. It doesn’t hurt to share info you are finding with them as well, although I might not be inclined to tell them where to find that trophy buck that you are hoping will make it through the season. Travel roads, find lookout points and talk to as many people as you can. If there is an outfitter in the unit, look at the quality of animals they are taking and it will tell you what the unit holds. And most of all, don’t forget to enjoy the experience.

This is the time of year many of you are looking to buy optics, rifles, knives and various other outdoor products. With the internet, it is easy to look up reviews and see what some folks have to say about products you are considering buying. However, some of the people posting reviews aren’t knowledgeable enough about products in general to truly be testing the products.

Sportsman’s News is the official publication of Sportsman’s Warehouse and our primary duty is to field test products that are sold within the walls of Sportsman’s Warehouse and online. My team spends roughly 1,000 man-days in the field each year and we put some of these products through some pretty hardcore testing. If it will stand up to the rigors we put stuff through during one season, it will likely make it through a decade of seasons for the average outdoorsman.

Some of these write ups are in the pages of Sportsman’s News and some of them are done on video.

If you purchase a Sportsman’s News Television DVD at the cash register, all the current video reviews are on them as well as 4-hours of great content to share at hunting camp. The DVD purchase will also get you an entry into the New Zealand Red Stag/Tahr Hunt package, worth over $20,000. You can also sign up for our YouTube channel, sportsmansnewstv, which has all of the past video product reviews we have done. When you are talking about spending thousands on a new rifle or optics, it’s hard to just check them out in the store. So, take a look and see what some real-time field testing looks like and let us help you make that buying decision.

Best of luck with the remainder of the hunting season and don’t forget to send us your stories about your exploits for our story contest. Good luck to all.

Fishful Thinker: Follow Your Instincts 19 Trust your gut to catch more fish.

Alpen 20-60x80 Spotting Scope 20 Excellent clarity at a great value.

Vortex Impact Laser Rangefinder 22 The latest offering from Vortex Optics.

Browning X-Bolt Hells Canyon LR 25 Matching Browning quality with ATACS concealment.

Outdoors: Gear Up For 26 PacWest Chukar

The definitive gear guide for hunting these spry birds.

Member Sweepstakes 28 OverPro$300,000 In Giveaways. Drawing Every 10 Days. 26 30 Big Game Essentials What you need for tackling big game.

36 Pro's Tip: Six Steps to Better Marksmanship Learn how to stretch out your rifle shooting.

Outdoor Writing Contest: Steelhead Bob 40 Bob graduates from trout fisherman to steelhead slayer.

Product Reviews 44 Four Video new product reviews for your viewing pleasure.

Pro Member Update: The Quest for Silver 48 Some of our biggest fans travel to the Tsiu.

52 Best Waterfowl In The West There is a reason Stillwater is Colorado's most successful guide service.

54 Business Directory 56 Wild Game Recipe Grilled Coffee Rubbed Quail.

58 Adventures On A Budget: Cowboy Quail Gambel's, Scaled, and Mearns' 61 Outdoor Writing Contest: Passing It On Getting a family hooked on the outdoors.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Chad LaChance Gary Lewis Art Merrill JR Grotjohn

Treg Owings Steve Mayer Terry Clapp Stan Hayes

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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The American Bison in the Books

By Mike Deming

A

n animal that once roamed the prairies of North America in abundance was driven to near extinction from over-hunting and downright slaughter. According to some sources, there were as many as 60-million of these majestic animals roaming North America prior to 1800. By 1900, they had been nearly wiped out, down to a population of approximately 300 animals. What was done to this great creature was a shame and we are fortunate to still have free ranging bison in today’s society. We not only have them, but there are huntable numbers in several western states.

Utah is one such place and I’m fortunate enough to live here and apply in the resident pool of applicants. We have two different herds, which are both wild and free-ranging.

The Henry Mountains herd has had huntable numbers and an open season or two for quite some time. The Book Cliffs unit has only allowed hunting in the last decade. However, there aren’t a lot of tags available.

During the 2017 draw process, there were an even dozen tags up for grabs, which

Coby Hunt not only proved himself to be a good outfitter but a great pack mule. He already had one front shoulder on an ALPS pack and threw the other over the top. Three hundred plus pounds of brute.

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October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

meant that six would go to the folks with the most bonus points and the remaining six would be offered up into the random draw, where people with as little as zero bonus points could draw this coveted tag. With twelve points going into the draw, I didn’t have much hope to be one of those fortunate people in the random draw.

Amazingly, I was one of the six lucky people to draw a tag. I was super excited, but a bit overwhelmed at the same time. My fall schedule was already overbooked and there was no way to give this tag the dedication it deserved in scouting or hunting.

I made one call to Coby Hunt, who owns Utah Big Game Outfitters. I knew about him from the numerous big mule deer he had guided in the Book Cliffs area, as well as the arid desert area near Green River, Utah. Coby gave me a lot of insight on the area and said he would love to be part of the excursion, since it is right in his own back yard. He has run cattle there since he was big enough to sit on a horse and knows just about every nook and cranny on the mountain. Due to my extensive schedule, we decided that the last part of the hunt would be the best time for both of us.

I was finishing up on Colorado’s fourth season hunt in 70-degree weather, which looked like it was going to provide ideal conditions for us to horseback into the Book Cliff’s roadless area where Coby had watched some tremendous bulls over the summer and early fall. He felt that several of these bulls would be really close to that Boone and Crockett threshold. Since this was a once in a lifetime tag, I wanted to make the most of the opportunity and harvest as large a bull as possible.

When I got home, it appeared that the snow dance I had done in Colorado for the deer hunt was finally going to be answered. Unfortunately, it was several days too late and looked like it could become a serious problem for our backcountry hunt.

The morning I was scheduled to leave, the snow was coming sideways and radar showed a blob the size of Texas over Utah, Nevada and southern California, which meant this was going to be a good one. My good friend, Mike Duff, was already in Vernal to start the hunt when I decided it might be safer to travel when the snow let up. It took two full days for the storm to pass and it had dropped several feet in the lower country and we had no idea what the high country held. However, we decided to change plans and hunt the northern part of the unit, which has some roads instead of requiring horse backing into the unknown.

Mike was having no part of sitting in a hotel room, waiting for me to show up and decided to scout the northern area through the storm. By the time I arrived, he had several days of scouting under his belt, but had yet to see one of the massive beasts. I was a little concerned that I had drawn a once-in-- lifetime tag and had pushed off the hunt to the point that I handicapped my own opportunity. Coby assured me that he wasn’t going to let my tag go unfilled. He was willing to load up the horses and bust trail into the roadless area, if needed, to find me a bull.

We rolled out on the first morning, with only six days left in the hunt. The temperatures were in the low teens, but at least the snow had passed and we had clear skies. The plan would be; cover as much ground as possible in the truck and glass the open areas for herds of bison. Since there is a lot of oil and gas exploration in the area, there were a lot of roads to check out, which simplified the process. However, this is a huge unit and we were pretty much starting from-zero in finding bison.

We had been hunting for nearly three hours when a whopper Rocky Mountain sheep captured our attention. Sheep are Coby’s passion and he totally forgot that we were on a bison hunt. I can’t say that I’m a good judge of sheep, but Coby wanted my satellite phone to make a call and see about getting the Sportsman’s tag holder over to shoot this sheep.

We finally got Coby focused back on the job at hand, finding bison, after we couldn’t make contact with the Sportsman’s tag holder.

The sun had started to shine brighter and it Taking great pride with the last load to the was turning into a nice truck. The hide and a head weighed close to 200 winter day. It became pounds. even nicer when we

This great ram took an hour of our time as we watched him rut and parade around with his harem of ewes. rounded a corner to see a herd of nearly forty bison walking through the sagebrush and pinion trees. The wind was in our favor and they hadn’t heard the truck. We sat in the truck until the last one was out of sight. We then grabbed the spotting scopes, camera and rifle to move in for a closer look.

We had closed the gap to about 600 yards and settled in to glass the herd. There were lots of cows and calves and a few young bulls, but I couldn’t see anything worthy of my tag. I was just about to pull the plug on this group and move on, when a tank of a bull walked out of the trees. He stood nearly a foot taller than any of the other bison and it was obvious that he was an old warrior.

My heart started to pound and I felt an excitement come over me that I hadn’t felt in

This herd of bison was a welcome sight after not finding any bison on the previous three days of scouting.

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

5

Only a couple of inches short of the record books, it was still a memory that will last a lifetime. years. I was sure the old bull must have heard my heart beating when he lifted his head and looked right at me. I was shocked! He had a massive horn on his right side that I was sure would exceed the Boone and Crockett requirements, but he was totally missing the horn on his left side. Wow, what a shame. My emotions had just been taken on a massive roller coaster ride and I was battling with the thought of “should I shoot him or should I not”?

I knew my taxidermist could make a replica of the right side and put it on the left, but he wouldn’t make the books the way he was. I had harvested numerous animals that would make the book, yet I had never put one in there. What was I waiting for? I guess, enough time to pass for big bull #2 to get up out of his bed and make his presence known.

This new bull wasn’t quite as tall as the old, one-horned warrior, but he was massive and in his prime. In fact, he might even have been the guy who knocked the warriors left horn off. I would never know, but I did know that this was a bull worthy of my tag.

I immediately went into “Kill Mode” and it was as if the bison could feel the tension in the air. They all herded up and I couldn’t get a clear shot at anything as they slowly moved away. We played cat and mouse with the herd for the better part of the next hour. We were as close as a hundred yards from some of the herd and as far as five hundred from the rest.

We set up for a shot on two occasions, hoping the bull would give us a clear shot. Our third attempt had us in the pinions and most of the herd in the sage. A small fence had slowed the herd down as they jumped the last two strands of wire that were up between two poles.

The big bull was the last one in the group to make his way through the sage. I had laid down across my pack with my trusty 26 Nosler, only three hundred yards away. The big bull looked back at me as the final calf cleared from behind him, leaving a clear shot. I slowly squeezed the trigger and that 127 grain Barnes bullet crumbled the giant in his tracks.

I started to get up, but Mike Duff tackled me with excitement. He had experienced a lot of great hunts with me, but this was truly a hunt of a lifetime. As we walked up to the giant warrior, it was a surreal moment for me. I sat by the bull for over an hour, taking in the moment and enjoying the experience. This was a special piece of history for me and to have Mike Duff and Coby Hunt there to share it on this cold, November day in 2016 is something I won’t ever forget. Long live the American Bison and the great experience they can provide to all.

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October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

7

Deadly At Any Distance Federal Premium Edge TLR All-Range Hunting Ammunition

C

hoosing hunting ammunition has traditionally involved selecting a round that would yield maximum performance at the range you expected to shoot.

Some rounds were lethal up close, while others were designed for long-range accuracy and lethality. Finding a load capable of dropping game equally well at all distances has largely been a dream—until now.

Federal Premium’s new Edge TLR blends the features of top match bullet designs with the industry’s best bonding technology and components to make true all-range performance a reality.

The loads offer match-grade long-range accuracy and reliable expansion at the low velocities typical at extreme distances. They also provide high weight retention, deep penetration and lethal terminal performance up close.

There’s never been a hunting bullet that compares.

Terminal Long Range

Deadly terminal performance is a result of the bullet’s ability to penetrate straight through its target and unleash a knockout punch of energy along the way.

This requires the front of the bullet to expand uniformly when it hits the target, which increases stability. And that’s where many so-called long-range bullets have traditionally fallen short. These projectiles can fail to expand at all, or they expand asymmetrically, causing the bullet to veer off course or tumble—even exiting out the side of the target.

Federal Premium engineered the Edge TLR for flawless expansion at a wide range of velocities, from blistering speeds at the muzzle all the way out to extreme ranges where velocity falls off. At all distances within this vast window, the round reliably expands within the first couple inches of entering the target and punches straight through, dumping devastating amounts of energy in the process. This instantly destroys tissue, blows through bone and causes quick, humane kills on some of the toughest big game.

A carefully designed nose paired with a completely new polymer tip helps make this possible.

“The Slipstream Tip features our patent-pending hollow-core technology,” said Product Development Engineer Justin Carbone. “A small cavity runs the length of the shank all the way up to just below the point itself. That point breaks free upon impact, allowing fluid to enter the hollow core, where it generates pressure and easy expansion at low velocities. Even during our initial tests of preliminary designs, it worked perfectly and

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October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

instantly extended the bullet’s effective range a few hundred yards.”

A large hollow cavity in the bullet nose along with exterior jacket skiving further aid expansion and penetration. Serrations allow petals to peel back on contact at velocities as low as 1,350 fps—speeds typically seen 1,200 yards downrange in the 200-grain 30-caliber loads.

The Slipstream Tip’s hollow core sets it apart from all other polymer tips on the market—but it’s also unique in its resistance to the elevated temperatures a bullet experiences during flight.

This high-tech blue material is actually the same one Federal Premium has used for a decade in the popular Trophy Bonded Tip bullet. It has a glass transition temperature—or softening point—of 434 degrees Fahrenheit. This unmatched heat resistance gives shooters the extremely consistent ballistics needed to make accurate long-range shots.

Close-Quarters Coverage

With the growing popularity of long-range big game hunting, it’s not hard to find ammunition claimed to offer the accuracy and downrange terminal performance to do the job. However, to even come close to filling this tall order, these options are often built like varmint bullets, with light, thin jackets to encourage expansion at the low velocities experienced at longer ranges.

Unfortunately, when the bull or buck of a lifetime steps out of the brush 20 yards from the hunter, such singlepurpose projectiles can completely blow apart under the high velocities of close-range impact. The result is shallow penetration, low weight retention and poor terminal performance.

Edge TLR doesn’t make such sacrifices, combining its extreme range expansion capabilities and accuracy with the bonding and heavy-duty construction of the world’s toughest hunting bullets.

“You still get that bone-crushing bonded-core technology that’s been proven for decades in our Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and more recently in the Trophy Bonded Tip,” Carbone said. “The bullet’s copper shank and bonded lead core retain weight for deep, reliable penetration—even at high velocities. There’s no other bullet with this wide of a velocity spectrum, period.”

Boosting BC

Edge TLR doesn’t just pack a punch. The new round is also incredibly sleek, allowing long-range surgical strikes that have historically been limited to handloaded match bullets.

The credit goes to its extremely high ballistic coefficient (BC), which is a measurement of how well the bullet cuts through the air on its way downrange.

“Another way to think of BC is as a measurement of how well the bullet maintains its velocity,” Carbone said. “The more velocity it retains, the flatter it flies, the less wind pushes it and the more energy it holds onto for expansion on impact.”

To boost BC into the stratosphere, Federal Premium engineers gave the Edge TLR several important design features, including the small-diameter Slipstream polymer tip and a secant ogive.

A sleek, elongated boat-tail profile is another critical part of the performance package, and like the rest of the bullet’s design, it didn’t happen by accident.

Longer boat-tails yield higher BCs. The tradeoff is lengthy tails can reduce stability. To conquer this, Federal Premium engineers determined the optimal boat-tail

angle and extended the length as far as possible without taking a bite out of bullet stability.

To further boost BC, engineers selected bullet weights that are as heavy for caliber as possible while still maintaining stability through the different barrel twist rates common in today’s wide array of hunting rifles.

As a result, Edge TLR boasts some of the highest BCs in the industry. Doppler radar was used to verify that the 175-grain 30 caliber has a BC of 0.536, while the 200-grain version hits 0.625. Those are big numbers for these bullet weights in anyone’s book—and they’re achieved without compromising stability.

“You get the flattest trajectories, the least amount of wind drift, and the highest confidence that you’re going to make your shot,” Carbone said.

Get In the Groove

Like many of the most versatile hunting bullets, Edge TLR also features grooving along the shank to improve accuracy across a range of rifles, while decreasing barrel wear and fouling. However, unlike conventional grooving, the AccuChannel technology used in Edge TLR accomplishes these goals with only a minimal increase in drag.

Standard grooving causes approximately a 5 percent drop in BC per groove, so Federal Premium engineers ran a series of tests on both the number and location of grooves to determine the best combination for accuracy and minimizing drag.

“That’s when we made a breakthrough,” Carbone said. “We learned that by strategically placing one groove we could achieve the same benefits and accuracy as multiple grooves.”

Still not satisfied, the engineers used fluid dynamics modeling to tweak the groove geometry

itself to reduce drag even more. “Your typical groove has steep, 90-degree walls,” Carbone said. “We gave AccuChannel grooving a sloped rear wall that lets air flow more easily in and out of the groove, decreases pressure on that portion of the bullet and minimizes overall drag.”

The benefits go far beyond just drag management. “With such a wide variety of hunting rifles in circulation, some will invariably not shoot as well with certain bullet designs,” Carbone said. “But with Edge TLR’s AccuChannel technology, you get the best possible accuracy across the widest range of rifles.”

The Only One

In a marketplace filled with competitor loads that make tradeoffs—sacrificing short-range terminal performance for long-range expansion, or toughness for accuracy—Edge TLR stands alone. Designed from the ground up to meet every aspect of all-range performance, it removes all doubt.

The black-nickel finish on both the bullet and case delivers corrosion resistance as well as a sleek look that appeals to serious shooters. Like all Federal Premium rifle ammunition, Edge TLR is loaded with Gold Medal match primers and specially formulated propellant, and it is held to extremely tight quality control specifications for velocity, pressure and accuracy.

Look for the new Edge TLR in four initial offerings: 175-grain 308 Win., 175-grain 30-06 Spring., 200-grain 300 Win. Mag. and 200-grain 300 Win. Short Mag. Learn more and check out exclusive videos that highlight the loads’ exclusive technologies at www.federalpremium.com.

THE ONLY

ONE.

NEW!

Edge TLR

Terminal Long Range

WITHOUT A DOUBT.

ACCURATE & TERMINAL BEYOND LONG RANGE

• MATCH ACCURATE • BONDED • LETHAL AT ALL RANGES Federal Premium® Edge TLR™ removes all uncertainty, combining the features of the top match bullet designs with the industry’s best bonding technology. The result is match-grade accuracy with consistent, terminal performance on big game from the muzzle out to 1,200 yards.

There’s never been a bullet that compares. Designed without a doubt.

Highest-in-class ballistic coefficient

Slipstream™ tip

Edge TLR Terminal Long Range

AccuChannel ™ grooving

Most heat-resistant polymer

Available in 308 Win., 30-06 Spring., 300 Win. Magnum and 300 Win. Short Magnum. Learn more at federalpremium.com

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

9

Browning Maxus Wicked Wing Autoloader PRO'S PICK

R

eal-world reliability is the most important feature any manufacturer can build into a firearm. That’s why it was the first priority when Browning set about developing the Maxus. But reliability isn’t the whole story. The Maxus delivers 18% less felt recoil for greater comfort, 44% less muzzle-jump for more accurate follow-up shots, 19% faster bolt speed and 24% faster locktime than the nearest competitor. Unequalled reliability and features, all found in one of the finest, most reliable gasoperated autoloaders ever to swing on a bird.

New for 2017 is another revolutionary model, the Wicked Wing (available in both the Maxus and A5 models). Now you can choose between a pair of Browning autoloaders with custom touches to make them stand out — in a good way. Wicked Wing autoloaders feature a Cerakote Burnt Bronze camo finish on the receiver and Burnt Bronze on the barrel. And to further satisfy those specialized hunters, Wicked Wing models are available in A-TACS AU, Mossy Oak Bottomlands and Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades (with the A5 also available in Realtree Max-5) finishes.

Speed and reliability are the key words for today’s autoloaders and the engineers at Browning have done an excellent job of both. This gun looks fast, starting with a sleeker, thinner profile than any other gas autoloader.

Browning’s Maxus is made from a lightweight aluminum alloy that allows each model to come in under seven pounds. It has a lengthened forcing cone and has three adjustable chokes, so shooters can adjust a desirable shot pattern for short or long distances.

Looking at the fore-end, you will immediately notice the absence of a screw-on end cap. The Speed Lock Forearm is one of the most innovative features found on the Browning Maxus autoloader shotgun. A simple lift of a lever allows you to remove the forearm with a flip of your finger. The simplicity of this system allows the fast removal of the fore-end: no more over-tightening and having to use a pair of pliers and a rag to take your fore-end off or under-tightening and dealing with a rattling gun.

As for its action, called the Power Drive Gas System, it is essentially a re-vamping of the action shared by the Browning Gold and Winchester Super X-2. Years of extensive research, prototyping and testing have resulted in a new gas piston that has been designed to be more reliable in all conditions, fire a wider selection of loads, reduce recoil and cycle shells faster. The new Power Drive gas piston features large exhaust ports that effectively dump gases faster on heavy loads, while the piston has an approximately 20% longer stroke for superior reliability with light loads How is it on the shoulder? Browning added an advanced soft-rubber recoil pad with what they refer to as “Inflex Technology” to the rear of the Maxus. This pad, combined with the new action translates to one of the softest-recoiling guns on the market, easily handling the hardest-kicking 3.5” shells down to light, 1-ounce skeet loads. It has no trouble on the range or in the field, even when purposely mixing loads.

The Maxus is available in several models specified for waterfowl, field and sporting use. Any one of these is sure to please and from my experience, the Maxus is one of the best all-around guns on the market today. If you are looking for a shotgun that can cover all of your needs, Browning’s Maxus just might be the one for you.

10 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Pro-Shot Gun Cleaning Equipment

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

O

ne of my pet peeves is a dirty gun. A bigger pet peeve, is the quality of the gun cleaning kits being produced and sold lately. These cheap Chinese-made kits have plastic tips that bend or break easily, flimsy rods that don’t fit together well, and components that are practically disposable. In short, the majority of the gun cleaning kits on the market today

suck eggs.

So, I was very pleased to stumble upon the quality cleaning kits from Pro-Shot Products on a recent visit to my Sportsman’s Warehouse store. These kits feature high quality, American-made components, neatly stored in a clear plastic bin. The rods are made from rigid micro-polished stainless steel. Every threaded end is the same, and matches perfectly with the included tips. Some of the flimsy aluminum kits on the market have one end that is threaded differently to accommodate the tips and the segments won’t screw together on that end. Additionally, the deep threaded recesses on the Pro-Shot rods provide a snug and seamless fit so there is no flop or wiggle in the rod when it is assembled.

The tips are all made of solid brass, so they are soft enough to prevent scratching, but strong enough to allow you to scrub your barrel with some force. While jag tips are all the rage, I prefer a looped eye patch holder for deep cleaning my barrel, and these kits include them. Some of the kits don’t even come with jags, but you can add them individually in various calibers if you prefer to scrape lead and copper from your rifling with them. They even offer aluminum jags with a secondary coating to prevent the deposit of brass that jags can leave in your barrel.

The handles of the Pro-Shot kits are amazing. Made of machined anodized aircraft aluminum, they feature bearings so they spin freely as you insert them into the barrel of your gun, engaging your patches and brushes into the rifling of your barrel. The brushes in the kits are either bronze or stiff nylon, and wrapped with brass, so they take a lot of scrubbing abuse, and hold their shape and keep performing.

The kits come in a variety of caliber specific or universal arrangements. They are available in uncoated stainless steel rods or plastic coated rods for even more protection of your bore. They even have universal .22-.45 pistol kits, universal rifle and pistol kits, or kits specific to your caliber. They also have a tactical kit contained in a FDE nylon pouch with PALS attachments and MOLLE loops. The tips are specific to a .223/5.56 caliber and have specialty tools for cleaning the chamber of a modern sporting rifle. The handle on this kit is of a T-handle configuration for pulling tight patches through a small bore.

Some added extras of the kits include a brass muzzle protection sleeve that can slide onto the rod and protect the crown of your barrel. Each kit also includes low-lint cotton flannel patches in sizes specific to the calibers covered by the kit. These are much better performing than the cheap paper patches found in most kits. They also include a bottle of their proprietary cleaning and lubricating fluid that is not harsh, smelly, or toxic. This special blend loosens fouling, removes build-up of metal deposits, and lubricates and protects the gun in a single step. The biggest deal for me is that each bottle includes a needle oiler for precision application. Each kit also comes with a double ended nylon military-style cleaning brush.

Pro-Shot Products has a wide selection of their quality products at Sportsman’s Warehouse, including full length cleaning rods, shotgun cleaning products and swabs, and silicone microfiber cloths to protect the finish of your gun. They even provide bulk resupply of their thicker and tougher cotton flannel patches in various sizes. There are also a wide variety of very unique accessories for specific models and types of guns.

If you are looking for top quality cleaning products, then don’t settle for the inferior junk most are selling. Opt for American made, high quality cleaning kits and supplies from Pro-Shot Products to keep your expensive guns performing like a pro.

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

11

Why You Need a Trigger Gauge

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

F

inding the balance between a trigger that is too light and thus unsafe and one that minimizes the force needed to break it, thus improving accuracy, can be a tricky balancing act.

To get a precise measurement of your trigger, you will want to add a trigger gauge to your workbench.

A quality trigger gauge, like the Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge, will not only give you a very accurate measurement of the force in pounds or grams that is needed to break the trigger, it will allow you to average out multiple pulls to get an even finer-tuned idea of how hard you have to press to pull the trigger.

There are many rifles on the market with an adjustable trigger that will travel anywhere from 2-pounds to as high as 8-pounds. An 8-pound trigger has much less chance of inadvertently firing while you are carrying the gun or in case of an accidental drop, but it will severely degrade accuracy, especially at long range. A

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trigger that is too light will be easier to keep still while you are pulling the trigger, but it will become dangerous as it could unintentionally fire.

Handguns have multiple modifications that are available to alter the weight of the trigger. For a competition gun, you want a lighter trigger. For a personal defense gun, you want a heavier trigger. In a startle flinch, you want to have meant to pull the trigger.

Before you go messing around with your trigger, it is good to know from where you are starting. A trigger gauge will give you an accurate reading to see where your trigger is currently set and give you a benchmark of how much to add or subtract. Some trigger modifications for handguns, reduce a trigger by a given poundage and others set it at a fixed weight. For example, a trigger modification that reduces your trigger weight by 3-pounds might be great on an 8-pound trigger, but is not even close to safe on a 4-pounder. Really, anything under 5-pounds on a personal defense gun is unsafe and could result is serious legal liability. If you are shooting in competition, a fixed weight 2.5- or 3-pound trigger may be permitted, but you need to check the competition regulations.

On a rifle, trying to set your trigger between 3- to 5-pounds is ideal. Lighter for a stationary bench rested rifle, than for one that you will be carrying in the field.

In either case, measuring where you began and then measuring again when you have made your modifications, will let you know that your trigger is at a safe weight before you carry it hot. Minimizing movement to improve accuracy is fine, but not at the expense of having a gun that is dangerous.

With the Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge, you have a metal rod with a plastic tapered wheel that gives you a steady press of the trigger while measuring the force in pounds or grams. Once the trigger breaks, the gauge senses this and locks in the measurement. Reset the gauge and test a few more times and it will give you an average of the weight. Since every time you pull the trigger there will be a slightly different measurement, the average is your ideal metric. You can still get this average with an analog gauge, but you will have to record the readings and do the math yourself.

The Lyman measurement rod is adjustable to allow it to be used at multiple angles so it can be read while it is used. This gives you better flexibility to ensure you are pulling it steadily and straight. The rod is detachable from the meter body and all stores neatly in a zippered nylon case.

To improve your accuracy, minimize unnecessary movement and improve your consistency, by all means, lighten your trigger. To ensure that you are safe, don’t lighten it too much. Get a Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge to find the perfect balance and shoot straighter and safer. Check them out in the reloading aisle at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.

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RUGER.COM/AMERICANRIFLE © 2017 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. 022217

Find Ruger: October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

13

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

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

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16 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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205-625-5473 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

17

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You’ll find Remington VERSA MAX® and other Remington arms and ammunition at all Sportsman’s Warehouse locations. Also shop www.SportsmansWarehouse.com.

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

18

Follow Your Instincts

W

hat do you think allows some anglers to be more successful than others? Is it their boat or tackle? I don’t think so. Maybe it’s their physical prowess with their equipment; you know, great casters and such. These folks will likely catch a lot of fish, but when it comes down to it, the best casters are not always the best catchers. Perhaps it’s the home area because some anglers simply live in Chad LaChance more fishy areas. Sure they catch a lot of fish then, but their success is a product of their environment, not a testament to their angling. After all, anyone can catch them good at certain times and places, but that doesn’t mean we are all on equal when the big picture is considered. No, what I really think separates the greatest anglers - or hunters for that matter - from the rest of us is their instincts. More specifically, their instincts combined with the confidence to act on them, is the secret to success afield.

So some mystical power is the driving force behind procuring game and fish. Just how, as an outdoorsman, am I supposed to improve that? Improving my casting is a matter of equipment; quality rods, lines, and reels can be bought and I can go practice in the same way a good golfer does. I can improve my ability to control my boat or use my electronics with practice too, and of course I can upgrade to better versions of both and up my odds of success. I can obtain the best lures or flies, view the water through high performance polarized fishing glasses, and even use sounds to attract fish or game to me. Seemingly better, I can read jillions of pages of angling literature or watch Youtube videos until my brain goes numb and still not catch fish or game as easy as some folks, and in many cases they do so with lesser quality equipment. What gives?

Again, instinct is what. Call it steely eyed woodsmanship, following your gut, a vibe, or whatever you want; success in the outdoors boils down to good decisions afield, and good decisions boil down to instinct. And while it seems nebulous, instinct along with the confidence to act on it, can be improved.

Improving your instinctive decision making starts with observation. In fact, when I started studying the habits of the most consistently successful outdoorsmen I know, I quickly realized that they are very observant. The best of them are constantly monitoring all aspects of the world immediately around them including but not limited to prevailing seasons and weather not only as it’s occurring, but also leading up to the time afield.

They immediately notice wind changes, changes in the general activity level of the environment, and anything else that changes or seems out of place. They also operate with an open mind such that observations are taken at face value, not debated or compared to The Book. It does not matter what The Book says bass or deer should do when a certain condition arises, it matters what you are actually observing right in front of you.

I’ve observed folks with solid instincts but that lack the confidence to act on them. For

instance, watching a bass fishing tournament the other day, a competitor repeatedly commented out loud that “I ought to go fish that deep grass line I saw,” but continued to beat the bank instead because in many cases it’s easier to catch fish there. At the end of the day, he was soundly beaten by a couple of competitors that fished the very grass lines he kept mentioning. His instinct was good, his confidence in decision making; well, not so much.

Let’s cut to the chase. How are we to improve our instincts? First, time afield. There is no substitute for time on the water or in the woods. Even more than just the time, it needs to be purposeful time laden with constant observation and consideration of how whatever you observe affects your quarry. Don’t just look around, look around purposefully. Watch for details and minute differences. Did you notice that the heron left its mid morning roost and landed on a shallow bank? Or how about the heard of beaded cows that started making a bunch of noise, then rose and started the march to food? Either might indicate a feeding period on the immediate horizon and likely a change in your approach to catching fish or game is in order. In short, be purposely observant of as many things as you can, and consider how they are affecting your success.

Learning to act on your instinct is a trial and error type process. You have to be willing to fail to improve. Get a vibe on some environmental change? Make an immediate change in your presentation. If it works in your favor, great. If not, no problem; you learned from it. Being hard headed or doing what the status quo says you should never allows you to learn. Be willing to make immediate decisions in the interest of learning from them. In the long run, more and more of those decisions will indeed work in your favor.

Focussing on your instincts and decision making is not as easy or obvious as upgrading your tackle or book smarts, but I promise it will pay bigger dividends in due time.

South Dakota Pheasant Hunting at its Finest!

Contact Brett Waibel: info@badriverhunts.com

(605) 669-3440 BadRiverHunts.com Day and all inclusive hunts available!

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

19

Alpen 20-60x80 Waterproof Spotting Scope

By Dan Kidder Managing Editor

I

n the world of optics, there is no company as underrated as Alpen optics.

Known widely among the bird watching community, many in the hunting community are unfamiliar with the quality of their products, since they opt to spend more on product development than glitzy marketing campaigns.

For my money, I appreciate their quality glass, fully multi-coated lenses, and BAK4 prism that provides excellent clarity and light gathering. The durable rubberized coating on the exterior, protects the chassis and gives superior grip and control.

The scope is available in either a straight or angled design. I prefer the 45-degree viewing angle as it is less tiring to look through for a prolonged length of time, but some find it easier to find your target on full magnification with the straight design.

It is really a matter of personal preference.

The 20-60x80 spotting scope provides a 113-foot field of view on 20 power at 1,000 yards, which is excellent for getting on and staying on your objective. Zoom into to 60-power, and you still can keep an eye on 55 feet of real estate, so you have plenty of room to move the scope and keep your animal centered in the eyepiece. This is a great trick with something that has that much magnification. The included tabletop tripod has incremental adjustment wheels that tweak the tripod for you, so you aren’t relying on a steady hand to keep your target centered. The legs lock in place and provide a very stable viewing platform that is often very wobbly in other brands of this price point.

The eyepiece is comfortable to look through, and the adjustable twist up eyecup lets you view it with glasses, sunglasses, or the naked eye. The large knurled and smooth turning focus knob is handily placed beneath your fingertips for easy access, when gripping the bell of the scope housing.

On the bottom of the scope is a standard ¼-20 threaded tripod mount port, so it

20 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

can be used with most of the tripods on the market for free standing field use. The padded and protective carrying case stows both the scope and the tabletop tripod in the same case for ease of storage and transport.

PhoneSkope makes an adapter for this scope, and I have been able to capture some amazing photos and videos using the spotting scope and my iPhone6. The light gathering capability, coupled with anti-glare coating on the lenses, gives me very crisp images, even at vast distances. The 80mm objective lens sucks in light, so even in the shade or twilight hours, you get vivid contrast and great color clarity.

Alpen also offers exceptional customer service and a lifetime warranty, and you won’t find friendlier people out there.

But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so you should definitely take a look through the Alpen 20-60x80 Waterproof Spotting Scope the next time you visit your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

21

Vortex Optics New Impact Laser Rangefinder

T

he days of guessing where to hold on an animal is over. Knowing the distance to your target is essential to making accurate shots and with the launch of the new Vortex Impact Laser Rangefinder, it’s attainable for everyone.

This compact, handheld rangefinder will be hitting the market this fall and will fall into that under two-hundred bucks’ category. So, although $200 is still a good amount of money, you won’t ever regret spending it when you know the exact distance to that buck of a lifetime this coming season.

The new Vortex Impact is another quality product by a well-known and respected name in the optics industry and as with all of Vortex’s products, it is backed by their VIP warranty. If you aren’t familiar with it, you should be. If it breaks, they will fix it or replace it, no questions asked. This is truly the best warranty in the business.

The rangefinder itself is nice and compact at 3.8” long and 3.0’ high, which isn’t much larger than a standard business card. It weighs in at a mere 5.5-ounces and has 6X power magnification. This is a very basic rangefinder, which allows Vortex to keep the unit extremely affordable. However, it has some great features you are going to want as well.

Angle range compensation or HCD is what Vortex calls it, as it will calculate the exact range based on the angle uphill or downhill and give you a shoot for yardage. This is the most common usage for your average hunter and the unit comes preset when you purchase it. You can adjust it to provide a direct line of sight yardage as well as the angle of shot, if you so desire. You can also adjust between yards and meters. It also comes equipped with a SCAN mode which is ideal for moving targets. This mode can be entered by holding down the measure mode button.

The setup and menu for this unit is very user friendly and quick to navigate.

However, the real meat and potatoes of this unit is in the field testing. Vortex’s claim is that it will scan a reflective target between 10-yards out to 850-yards with a maximum angle reading of sixty degrees. It will work on non-reflective targets between 10-yards out to 400-yards. We put the unit to the test here at Sportsman’s News and on reflective surfaces, the best we could get was 815 yards, which was on a very bright building with subdued sun. We could easily pick up reflective targets at 700, regardless of color or lighting.

We then took the unit to the field to check deer and elk and found that it outperformed the claims. I consistently ranged deer and elk sized targets in the low 500-yard range. Once we got into low light conditions, we were below the 500yard range, but still exceeded the 400-yard claim.

Overall, this rangefinder performed extremely well. So, the price to performance ratio with a lifetime warranty is hard to beat. Never hit the woods not knowing how far it is to your target again. Check out this great new rangefinder at your Sportsman’s Warehouse gift bar.

22 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

23

24 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Browning X-Bolt Hells Canyon Long Range

By Mike Deming

F

or decades, I’ve had custom rifles built to give me the most accurate firearm possible. When the Browning X-Bolt Long Range Hunter hit the market, I was fortunate enough to field test one for several months. It performed as well if not better than my $5,000 custom rifles, so when the X-Bolt Hells Canyon Long Range rifle was announced, I immediately put in a request to get one in my hands.

Due to the high demand, it took a while for my rifle to show up. I had requested it in my favorite caliber, which is the .26 Nosler. However, there are eight different calibers to choose from when looking at this new rifle, the smallest being the 6mm Creedmoor all the way up to the 300 Win Mag. Each one of these rifles has a 26” barrel which is a heavy sporter contour type, which means it’s designed for long-range and your groups won’t fall apart after a few shots. All barrels are fluted and then threaded on the end to accommodate the included muzzle break or an aftermarket suppressor.

Browning then finishes up this great barrel and action with a Burnt Bronze Cerakote.

The Hells Canyon stock is covered with DuraTouch Armor Coating, which provides a rubbery type feel to the synthetic stock. It provides an extremely sure grip when hot or cold, as well as when wet or dry. It is covered with Browning’s exclusive, A-TACS AU camouflage pattern, which mixes micro as well as macro patterns to break up the outline. The barrel is free floated within the stock, to make sure it provides you with the best accuracy possible.

Another great feature is the 60-degree bolt lift, which allows a much shorter action of movement to eject the shell and chamber the next round. These rounds are fed from a rotary style, detachable magazine and you are able to purchase an additional mag for backup should the need arise.

An adjustable trigger, which has no creep, is essential to being extremely accurate at long-range and Browning is spot on with their Feather Trigger system. It is completely adjustable by the owner without the need to send it off to a gunsmith. The design of this trigger makes it one of the safest on the market as well as extremely precise, with absolutely no creep. Our trigger was adjusted to break right at three pounds. We then topped the rifle with a Leupold VX-5HD and headed to the range to check for overall accuracy.

Doubletap Ammo is my preferred ammunition of choice when doing tests like this.

My primary reason is that each and every round is hand loaded just as I would do personally if I had the time. The other reason is that I’ve tested them for years and they are premium ammunition with premium components, which is going to give me the best results out of a test rifle. I don’t want to put myself in a position to have a rifle perform poorly because we chose poor ammunition. Based on the past tests with

the Browning Long Range Hunter models, I wanted to start with either the 127 grain Barnes or the 140 grain Accubond load. Both have performed extremely well out of every one of the rifles we have ever tested, but each rifle will usually favor one more than the other.

We went through the break-in process according to the owner’s manual by shooting and cleaning and then shooting and cleaning again. Once we got into the full testing process, we settled in at two hundred yards. The 127 grain Barnes load was up first.

After three smooth trigger squeezes, I had pulled off a 1.25” group at 200 yards, making this a .625” 100-yard group. Pretty impressive for a factory rifle. The Accubond load performed acceptable and was still less than a 1” group at 100 yards, but it didn’t perform near as well as the Barnes. We moved out to 500 yards for the next 3-shot group. Due to the 5-mph wind, the group was a few inches off to the right, but the group was 3.25” overall.

The 600 and 800-yard ranges were then skipped over, as we moved right to the 1000-yard range, which usually separates the men from the boys or in this case, separates the good rifles from the great ones. The first shot burned the edge of the 5” bullseye. We heard the steel bang at the report of the second shot, but couldn’t see the impact mark. However, a replay on the long-range video camera revealed that I had stacked both bullets on top of each other. This had the makings of a group I would be happy with at 200 yards, let alone 1000. The third shot expanded my overall group to 5”, but shots four and five held the group inside that. A five-shot 5” group at a thousand yards, with a factory rifle, is one I’m happy to take with me on any hunt.

I was so confident about this rifle that I hauled it to Alaska for a Dall Sheep hunt. A week later, I took this same rifle to Nevada for an antelope hunt and connected with a one shot kill at 775 yards with a complete pass through. A double-lunged shot at that distance is what I would consider an extremely accurate rifle.

In conclusion, the X-Bolt Hells Canyon Long Range rifle is every bit as accurate as most custom rifles at a fraction of the cost. I will be keeping this rifle for a very long time and putting it to the test season after season. Anybody want to buy some custom rifles? I’ve got a few for sale.

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

25

Our Gear-Up Guide for the Chukar Hunter Bushnell Engage

Get ready for fall hunts with this look at upland bird hunting tools for our favorite time of year.

If I need to check out movement of a flock of chukar on a far slope, I remember I should have brought optics. This year, I’m going to carry a binocular. A great new option from Bushnell is their Engage line. I’d opt for 10x42 and carry it in a good case like the Bino Harness X from Alps Outdoorz.

By Gary Lewis

A

shotgun, a pointing dog, a good pair of boots and all that land all the way to the horizon. If there is one great wing-shooting opportunity for the rugged individual in the West, it’s the chukar hunt. And much of the best chukar habitat is on land owned in common by all Americans.

If there is anything else to bring along, it fits behind the seat of the truck and in the game vest.

For the Hunter Savage Stevens 555E Over/Under

Danner High Ground

Danner’s High Ground boot employs nubuck and oil for improved water resistance. A leather upper offers durability and a shorter break-in. At 46 ounces per pair, these boots are light, waterproof and breathable. A tighter heel pocket and a wider toe box lend to an athletic fit.

Browning Training Whistle

A lot of hunters still rely on Stevens shotguns, known for their rugged durability. It’s not uncommon to climb out of the truck on a chukar hunt and see a partner uncase an old Stevens side-by-side or over/ under passed down to them from a father or grandfather. This new one is worthy to pass down to a grandchild after a lifetime of chukar hunting. The E stands for Enhanced, which refers to the high-end walnut stock and polished/engraved action. At 6-1/2 pounds, it’s a great choice for carrying in chukar country.

Weatherby Orion I

To my way of thinking, a chukar hunter should carry a double instead of a semiauto or a pump. Handling dogs, climbing over fences and negotiating boulder slides are just some of the things that distract a hunter. It’s easy to tell at a glance when a break-action gun is safe. Introduced in 2015, the Weatherby Orion is easy to carry,at seven pounds, it has 3-inch chambers, a beautiful walnut stock and a Prince of Wales grip. It’s classy, points and shoots fast and, with auto ejectors, it’s quick to reload.

Silynx Clarus Pro

I’m testing the new Silynx Pro, which uses in-ear microphones about the size of a pin and a AAA battery inside the user control module. It allows for integration of a phone or handheld radio. At the medium setting, I can hear voices at normal volume, but the shotgun report is canceled out. At super-normal, I can hear chukar re-grouping calls over a mile away.

Browning BXD Upland Ammo

Browning’s latest offering is called BXD Upland, available in 3-inch and standard loads in 12, 20 and 16-gauge. For wild chukar, I’d pick 6-shot in 2.75-inch with a load that promises 1,485 fps out of the muzzle.

26 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

It’s easy to forget a whistle. But when you need it, you really need it! This one is a good choice because it comes with a thermometer, a retractable cord and a clip to attach to the bird vest.

Brunton TruArc Compass

After twice being lost in fog, I swore my bird vest would never be without a compass. I carry a Brunton. A compass doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be reliable. A cheap one will get you lost or worse.

For the 4-legger Photo by Gary Lewis

Photo by Gary Lewis

SOL Adventure Dog Series Workin’ Dog

On our hunts, the dog typically covers three times the amount of ground as the two-leggers.

Abrasions, splinters, ticks, porcupine quills and barbed wire cuts are common problems we have to help our four-legged friend with. A medical kit to fix the dog when it hurts is indispensable and takes up very little space in the truck or in the vest.

Ultra Paws Rugged Dog Boots

Up in the lava flows and rim rock, a dog’s paws wear out fast - especially early in the season. Hunt longer with dog boots like these from Ultra Paws.

Browning Safety Vest

Do you have a brown dog? Yea, me too. And it is way easier to spot in heavy cover when it is wearing a safety vest. Keep your dog safer when hunting with several partners and protect it from abrasions and weed seeds too.

Browning Orange Canvas Training Dummy

I don’t know about you, but I lose these things, so I like to have one or more to work with my dog in and around water. This one is rugged and durable, made from high-tensile canvas.

In the Truck Browning Dog Bench Seat Cover

Protect the truck seat from dirt and dog hair and sharp claws. This pet seat cover fits most bench seats.

Browning Insulated Crate Cover

Late in the season, the dog crate can be a chilly place. When the temperature drops below 30 degrees, a dog needs more insulation than nature gave him. The Browning insulated crate cover has mesh Photo by Gary Lewis windows with a clear plastic cover for insulation. Exterior pockets offer extra cargo capacity for doggy energy bars and other items.

Camp Chef Stryker Multi-Fuel Stove I keep my stove in the truck yearround, but it gets the most use in November and December, when I can put a can of soup on to heat or water for oatmeal or coffee. This multi-fuel unit packs up small, but comes with a 1.3-liter pot, stove and lid, all in one mesh carry bag. Cook up a hot bowl of soup after a chukar hunt. It’s a great way to finish out a day in chukar country.

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

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Basic Essentials For Every Big Game Hunt

By Art Merrill

A “

mericans are addicted to toilet paper,” an immigrant from a Third World country once laughed at me. Having traveled a good portion of this planet to places where TP is an uncommon luxury, I could laugh with her at that observation. But I don’t agree with it, as folks usually don’t leave their addictions behind when they go big game hunting and it’s a pretty good bet we’ve all forgotten the TP once or twice.

I wouldn’t presume to make a comprehensive list of must-haves for your first or next big game hunt – even a book would fail to cover all the bases, as after listing “Hat” there are about 7.5 billion possible items we might add, depending on the local environment and the specific pursuit itself. Instead, here are a few thoughts, memory prompts and suggestions that may aid in selecting essentials for your big game hunt.

Feets, don’t fail me

Regardless of climate and transportation considerations, it’s a pretty good bet that at some point our big game hunt will include a bit of walking. How much so depends on whether we are plotting a black bear from a tree stand, hoofing it over ridges in pursuit of elk or skulking through desert washes after Coues deer. A good way to end a big game hunt or turn it into a cheerless test of discomfort endurance is with improper footwear.

The boots I wear in Arizona for December elk are not the ones I wear for January javelina because the environments the animals inhabit only a few miles and a few weeks apart are very different (OK, javelina aren’t big, but are classed as “big game” animals under hunt regulations nonetheless). One hunt requires footwear that’s tall, waterproof and insulated and the other, low, lightweight and ventilated.

My stepdad owned one pair of plain leather Irish Setter boots for all hunting he did in Vermont; here in the economic good times of the future, we are more fortunate.

Today’s Irish Setters include their modern Vaprtek 400 Gram hunting boot with ScentBan , which weighs about half as much as their old leather jobs, thanks to its composite sole material; the maker says it feels about like wearing an athletic shoe.

If your hunt is colder climates, check out their Elk Tracker 12-inch high leather boot with 1000 grams of insulation and also with ScentBan.

for hunters on foot. A map & compass – and the skill to use them – are still essential to many hunts.

Topographic maps are the only way to go, of course, unless you have a penchant for guesswork and surprises and US Geological Survey maps are the trusted standard. Making them even better, mytopo.com offers completely custom USGS maps of the specific area of your hunt. You customize the scale of the map area and the physical size of the map and you can even have mytopo print it on waterproof paper. One of my 36”x 36” mytopo maps shows inholding properties in the local National Forest and includes the names of the property owners. To preclude arguments over who owns this fine map, mytopo professionally printed my name in the map margin. Maps this large on waterproof paper cost $50; smaller maps go for less.

Wick it

“Dress for success” applies to hunting as much as it does to business. That doesn’t necessarily mean just selecting matching camouflage clothing for your hunt locale; though generations of successful hunters before us found camo unnecessary, they did find that comfort can make a hunt. Today we’ve got synthetic materials that can outperform wool and cotton in turning rain and holding heat and wicking sweat; the many environment-specific camo patterns available to us is just a bonus.

Rain or snow may or may not be a consideration on your specific hunt. Something I seem to relearn every few years is the importance of waterproofing both myself and my gear. Most outerwear that’s 100 percent waterproof over a full day of downpour is not especially breathable, so it traps body heat and sweat. Sweatwicking base layer underwear is helpful in moving sweat off the body, but then that sweat has to somehow evaporate to the outside air. A near-hypothermic experience in Alaska has since taught me that nothing beats Gore-Tex outerwear for snow-andcold environments; because Gore-Tex is also breathable, it allows insulating base layers like Coldpruf to wick sweat and evaporate it to the outside. Coldpruf rates their insulating base layers from merely “cold” to “extreme cold,” and sizes run from XS/Youth to XL.

Get in - Get out

Handheld GPS units are marvelous tools for navigating, especially for those with limited map & compass skills and the many who lack that enviable homing pigeon sense of direction. They’re especially useful for marking and returning to the spot of downed game when we have to make multiple trips to pack out meat. Basic units start at about $100; the more you pay the better and more refined the display and the features – and the more detailed the operations you must learn.

The downside to GPS is that anything electronic is prone to sudden failure. Also, GPS must acquire a minimum of three satellites to accurately triangulate position; canyons, mountains and other rugged terrain routinely puts GPS out of commission

30 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Got glass?

Growing up hunting in the thick, often jungle-ish woods of Florida, I had little use for binoculars. Here in the American West where the horizon is typically miles away, binoculars and sometimes a spotting scope are essential for most hunting.

Like riflescopes, it’s a good idea to pay as much as we can afford for good binoculars. Inexpensive pocket-size binos are OK for packing light and covering ground when scouting, but we need quality, larger glass for a lot of big game hunting. “Larger” is perhaps a minimum of 8x42, though your hunt and terrain may dictate more or less.

Vortex Optics have made a big splash in the market the last few years and for good reason. Their glass is clear and with their highest priced bino/rangefinder

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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combo topping out at about $1,600, you won’t break the bank either. And with models ranging from as low as $189, you are sure to find a pair that is just right for you.

With HD (High Density) extra-low dispersion glass, one look is all you’ll need to appreciate why the Viper HD is an award-winning bino. Add XR fully multi-coated lenses and you have a bino that delivers bright, crisp details with impressive resolution and color fidelity. Rugged, compact and lightweight—the Viper is one of the lightest full-size binos available. Viper HD binoculars pack in all the features you need for a successful hunt.

Night sight

If you’ve ever trailed a wounded game animal into the dark hours and fielddressed it by light of a flashlight, you know that hands-free illumination is essential. There are plenty of choices in headlamps, but all of them are tradeoffs between lumens (brightness) and battery duration – basically, the brighter the light, the shorter the battery life. The Cyclops Quad Mode headlamp allows you to select only the level of light output needed; three AAA batteries will shine a brilliant 120 lumens for 6 hours, while 72 lumens will last about 10 hours. If you want more lumens, PETZL’s Actik Core headlamp pumps out 350 of ‘em from either three AAAs or from an included USB rechargeable battery pack.

Elk reduction

While we’re working in clichés, “The proper tool for the proper job” applies to field dressing big game animals perhaps more so than to other pursuits. The Outdoor Edge Game Processor kit is not much larger than a plastic pistol box, but it carries essential tools for reducing a big critter to pack-out size. The kit includes four different knives, a rib spreader, a bone saw, long-nosed snips and, of course, a sharpener.

Packing out big game meat on foot usually means making multiple trips – how many depends on how much meat the available backs in your party can pack. A pack frame that’s uncomfortable can turn this hunt aspect into torture. Eberlestock says their aluminum frame Team Elk Pack with a stowaway rifle scabbard can handle an elk quarter comfortably if you can. At 2600 cubic inches the Team Elk Pack is larger than a day pack and big enough for a minimalist to stay out for several days and weighing in at about six pounds empty, you can carry that much more meat.

Energy foods

Active hunting is one time when we don’t really have to worry about calorie counting; especially when spending the day scouting and stalking over miles of rough terrain, we can easily burn twice the calories as we would as flatland office workers commuting to work in a car. That said, many hunters discover that a high-calorie meal before and after a hunting day is maybe less important than high-calorie snacks that are easy to pack along. There are a lot of high calorie (or “energy dense,” if you prefer) packaged snacks out there, from simple candy to designer energy bars and it’s the wise hunter who buys samples and tries them at home before taking them on a hunt.

It can be a bit disappointing to be two hours’ hike from camp, get that hypoglycemic shaky-hungry feeling and discover your cool new snack bars apparently include sawdust and bird droppings not listed in the ingredients.

Trail mix is popular because it includes a lot of what we need out there, natural sugars in the dried fruit and proteins and a little salt in the nuts. The candy-coated chocolates in trail mix may or may not contain high fructose corn syrup which, apparently, the body deposits as fat, rather than burns as fuel, so is not useful for immediate energy. Simple fruits that can survive hiking, such as apples and oranges, are good choices, too, of course.

Communicate

Small handheld radios are a boon to hunting parties, allowing coordination of efforts and emergency communication. Many are sold in pairs and outer package

32 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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printing frequently claims working ranges of 30 or more miles. However, those claims are only achievable under optimum conditions of clear weather and dinner-plate-flat terrain or glass-calm waters.

The reality is that the FCC-compliant low output of these small handhelds, combined with rugged terrain, thick, wet forest or bad weather can limit radio reception to a fraction of a mile.

Still, these little radios have big benefits that outweigh the tiny amount of space they require.

Let other features, such as waterproofing or compactness, rather than distance claims, decide your choice.

Fire starting

I’ll admit to still having a 12-year-old Inner Boy Scout who ranks outdoorsmanship with the ability to start a fire with a single match – or none.

As an adult nod toward efficiency and success, I sometimes cheat by using a fire starter of some kind. During my flying years I carried in my survival vest a plastic sandwich bag of a half-dozen Vaseline-saturated cotton balls for fire starters. If you prefer something that burns longer in anticipation of damp kindling, try a hexamine or trioxane camp stove solid fuel tablet. Kept dry, they have a near-infinite shelf life. A votive candle lit under a pile of stacked kindling works if there’s no wind. If you want to go more primitive with matchless fire starting, know that it takes practice to use those magnesium/flint & steel starters.

Quick fixes

Leatherman and Gerber are probably the best-known among multi-tools. I don’t know anyone who has ever made use of the little saw blade (is it really a fish scaler?), but multi-tools are great for pulling cactus thorns and making light equipment repairs.

The cheap ones are about useless, so spend some coin, $45 and more, if you want to avoid disappointment.

We often joke about duct tape, but it got three men in a broken spaceship back to earth and it has endless uses around camp. A roll of duct tape can survive for years behind a truck seat, so there’s no reason to leave it at home.

Emergencies

First aid kits are a subject unto themselves. Generally, a minimum is one that has items for disinfecting and covering minor wounds and for keeping larger wounds closed (in a pinch, the aforementioned duct tape can hold closed a really nasty gash ‘til you can get to an ER). Anything much more beyond that becomes too specific to your type of hunt to cover in a paragraph or two here. Adventure Medical Kits first aid kits come in a wide variety of outdoors-specific choices intelligently rated for the number of expected persons or days in the field. Their Whitetail and Waterproofed Steelhead kits include an excellent selection of first aid items that are both minimal and useful.

I carry a palm-size soft case first aid kit when mountain biking, fishing and making other outdoors solo day trips and it takes up almost no space in a fanny pack when scouting or stalking. Snake bite kits? Professional medical opinion today says that cutting open venomous snake bites to suck out the venom doesn’t work. Honestly, I wasn’t going to do that for you anyway.

Over here!

A 20-year military aviation career that included desert, jungle and sea survival schools and a civilian stint as a scuba instructor has given me a bit of a what-if focus on possible emergencies. Here we have to make tradeoffs between the likelihood of what bad thing might happen and what space constraints allow us to bring along to deal with that possibility. In this regard, we’re actually gambling a bit, but hunting, like other fun stuff in life, has inherent risk that we accept. We don’t expect to break a leg, though it could happen and yet few hunt lists include “Stokes litter”; they should, however include some means of communicating distress in a hunt gone seriously sour.

Communication methods, in order of their range, are aural, visual or electronic.

When was the last time you heard of three gunshots actually bringing help a-running?

Me, either. However, the sound of a simple plastic whistle can carry nearly a mile on a calm day in open terrain or water.

Visual communication can be passive or active. The orange and silver emergency blanket is passive (or active if you wave it), but it can communicate details to aerial searchers when you fold it in the symbol patterns in the included instructions. Signal flares are excellent for attracting the attention of aerial searchers, but can be difficult to be seen and localized by searchers on the ground.

Electronic comms are preferred – when they work. Cell phones have 911 and GPS locator capabilities, but we all know that signal coverage is not guaranteed – your specific hunt location and terrain will determine that. List those small handheld radios here, too, but we often turn them off while hunting to conserve batteries or prevent spooking game, so it’s a good idea to prearrange times when everyone will turn theirs on just in case someone is in distress.

& etc.

Be sure to add “Battteries” to the list. It pays to sit a few minutes and itemize every individual battery powered device you’ll take on your hunt - flashlights, rifle scopes, rangefinders, radios, etc. – and bring along spare batteries for each. And don’t forget that flashlights often pack along their own spare bulbs on the inside cover of the battery compartment.

A roll of surveying tape is handy for marking the trail-less path back to downed game or a promising spot if you don’t rely on a GPS and even if you do, the brightly colored tape can help those behind you find your path. Some hunters also use small reflective markers for night time use.

One item often forgotten is, “Entertainment.” Hunts that require several days and nights in the field are not just eat, hunt, sleep. Elk hunting with a friend a few years ago, a simple deck of cards offered welcome relief for cabin fever on snowed-in nights in a tiny camp trailer.

Regardless of what you add to your Hunt Essentials List, it makes good sense to try out anything new at home or on short camping trips or day hikes before packing them along on an important hunt.

Oh - and don’t forget the TP.

34 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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AT STORES NOW October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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PRO'S TIP

Six Steps to Better Marksmanship

By JR Grotjohn

H

ow far can you shoot? That question seems to have replaced, “How much ya bench?” as the measure of one’s manliness. Stop by a shooting range or sporting goods store and you will hear that question, followed by guys trying to one-up each other with stories of their manly marksmanship.

If you are new to shooting or aren’t up to speed on the newest gear, you may feel inferior listening to these tales of glory. You may begin to question your equipment and be tempted to spend your kid’s college fund on a rifle that you think will pump up your game. It’s okay. I’ve been there. But let me tell you a little secret- 90% of these guys are just blowing hot air. Another secret for you is that the majority of rifles can outperform their shooters. Even the one you currently own. If you truly want to become a better marksman, follow the steps below and you will be on your way.

Step 1: Know Your Goals Having a goal in mind will help you focus your training. If you are only comfortable taking shots on big game at 200-yards, a good goal to strive for is doubling that distance. Even if you don’t achieve it, being able to stretch to 300-yards will feel like a big accomplishment.

Step 2: Know Your Limitations

A practice session where I shot a 4 shot group on the 4"x4" head section of my steel target.

It was a goal that I had to shoot a sub-minute group at 500 yards with that particular rifle and as you can see, I achieved that goal.

There are many limitations to address when shooting at longer distances. If your goal is ethical kills on big game at 400-yards, a limitation could possibly be the caliber of rifle you shoot. When it comes to shooting animals, retained energy and reliable bullet expansion are a must. The bullet needs to have enough energy to cause the trauma necessary for a clean kill. If your rifle of choice is a .223, a clean and ethical kill on an elk at 400-yards is very unlikely, simply because it does not have enough energy.

If the caliber of your rifle is appropriate for your goal, the optics may be the next limitation you encounter. With the 400-yard goal in mind, a standard duplex would make it difficult to compensate for bullet drop. A Mill-dot or MOA reticle would give you better reference points for aiming out to 400-yards. If your goal is to accurately shoot out to 1,000-yards, a scope with repeatable turrets is a must.

36 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

The Hells Canyon Mule Deer. I shot him after 9 months of serious preparation. Though the shot wasn't far (468 yards) it was the best reward for my offseason practice. One shot dumped him.

Step 3: Know Your Ammunition It is very common for a person to purchase whatever ammunition is on sale and take it to the field. Often times, they don’t recheck their zero or how consistent the ammunition is in their rifle. In order to shoot extended distances accurately, consistency is the name of the game. Pair your rifle with ammunition it can shoot consistent groups with.

Sometimes you have to try several different bullet weights and brands to find what works. Once you find the right load, stay with it. Any changes will cause loss of consistency and affect your down-range performance.

Step 4: Know Your Zero No matter what optics you use, knowing your zero is paramount in long-range marksmanship. I can’t count the number of guys that say they sight their rifle in 2-inches high at 100-yards, which puts them close at 200. That is not a zero. At best that is a guess. Depending on the rifle, 2” high at 100-yards could be zero at 150- or 250-yards. In order for your rifle to be correctly zeroed, you must shoot it at that distance. If your rifle is not accurate enough to group consistently at your intended zero, move closer. There is nothing wrong with a 100-yard zero. In fact, many accomplished long-range shooters prefer a 100-yard zero because it allows them to be very precise.

Step 5: Know Your Drop Whether using holdover or dialing turrets for each shot, knowing what your bullet is going to do before the shot takes place is the bread and butter of long-range shooting. There are a couple of methods that can be used to acquire this information, ranging from shooting at known distances and measuring the drop, to using a ballistics calculator to mathematically calculate it for you. The ballistics calculator is by far the most accurate way because you can input real-time data, like environmental conditions and have a reliable solution calculated for you. This works by saving your sight-in data (zero distance, environmental conditions, bullet data, etc.) to the calculator and then inputting real time data. The calculator figures the differences between the two and comes up with a solution. The known distance measurement is less accurate, but out to 500-yards or so one can be successful with it. It involves shooting at targets at known distances and measuring the distance between point of aim and point of impact. Once you have that info, you simply dial that amount or hold over that much more.

Step 6: Know Yourself You know better than anybody your capabilities. You know your strengths and weaknesses. This step involves taking a good look in the mirror and being honest with yourself. If you can recognize areas in your ability that need improvement, identifying them and working on them will most definitely make you a better shooter. If you are one of the many shooters that suffer from a flinch, doing dry-fire drills will help you overcome

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A group shot by a former student and now my business partner, Beau Eddie, after a year of solid practice. He is using a factory rifle and some hand loaded ammunition.

38 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

this bad habit. I like to use the method of five good dry fires to one live fire. So, at the range, set up your rifle as you normally would. Find the target in the crosshair and remain steady on it. Then, make a good, smooth trigger pull. If your crosshairs remain centered on the target after the dry fire, do it again. If you can do five good pulls in a row, do a live fire. Few people are manly enough to recognize their own weaknesses.

Even fewer will work on them. If you want to surpass the blow hard group, this kind of training will make that happen.

These steps are the foundation to better marksmanship. I own a shooting school in eastern Idaho and specialize in helping people improve their skills with their existing equipment. In teaching these principals, I have seen shooters over the course of two days double their effective range. Recently, I coached a 12-year-old boy on how to apply these steps and by the end of the day, he had a one shot hit on a 12”x 16” target at 545-yards. That’s not to say this is his new effective hunting range, but practicing at longer distances gives confidence to shots at practical distances.

I want to give one last piece of advice. Many people pull their rifle out in September, shoot a couple of rounds to check zero and then go hunting. I strongly disagree with this mentality. Good marksmanship takes practice and that means taking time throughout the year to work on it. If you make time, even one weekend a month, to shoot with a focused goal, it will pay off in the long run. These tips may not help your story telling skills at the range, but they will definitely make you a better shooter.

About the Author: JR Grotjohn has been in the shooting business for 15 years with an emphasis in teaching rifle marksmanship for the last 5. In high school he worked for Defensive Edge Inc. They specialize in building long range rifles. This company is responsible for the .338 Edge, .338 Terminator, and the .260 Terminator. After high school he joined the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman. He was injured in training and received a medical discharge. After the Marines, he worked for Rogue Rifle Company as a machinist, building rimfire rifles. At this time he began competing in local benchrest, silhouette, GSSF, and CMP competitions. In 2012 JR started his own gunsmithing business where he does repairs and machine work and teaching people the principals needed to extend effective shooting distance. With his business partner, Beau Eddie, he started Down Range Precision. This is a rifle school with the mission of teaching people how to get the most out of their own equipment. They do group classes as well as one on one instruction. You can reach him at downrangeprecision@gmail.com, phone: (208) 791-6424, www.downrangeprecision.net.

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Steelhead Bob

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

By Treg Owings

I

t is time to tell the truth about Steelhead Bob. I probably should start from the beginning. I knew Bob before he became “Steelhead Bob”.

Before, he was just another trout fisherman from Montana. He was pretty good at his sport. In fact, he was looked upon as somewhat of an intermediate, well, maybe more than that. But you know, until you earn the title, you’re just another trout fisherman.

Well, I have to start at the beginning. I finally decided to take Bob to steelhead heaven, The Deschutes River. Because Bob was used to the best of life, I decided to float down to meet him. This way, I could carry everything to make his trip enjoyable (including a toilet). Because of this, the boat was dangerously loaded; floating through the class 3 and 4 rapids became life threatening. However, I would do anything to make Bob and Judi’s first trip to Heaven a great trip. The first stop was just below Mack’s Canyon. The evening was late and the river did not give up a fish. However, the morning was better. I took one hatchery fish of 24 inches that was to be our first meal with Bob and Judi. This was my camp the first morning.

That evening, I drifted down to Green Light, one of the best spots on the river; a hole that has produced for me in the past. Not so tonight or tomorrow. Could this be a curse? The deadly rapids come next. But for Bob and Judi, nothing is too dangerous. Somehow I made it through. After the last rapid I started to look for Bob. And there he is, Bobby “Whiteshoes”. I identified him from a half mile by those trademark white shoes. He had lived through the roughest part of Oregon and made it to the river. My relief was plainly visible on my face as he approached the campsite. Luckily, two other friendly Oregonians from Eugene were holding our spot.

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October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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There were some problems with bike transportation for Judi and Bob but those were worked out. Once these were accomplished, the work of getting “Whiteshoes” into his first real fish began. To start with, I had to cleanse him from the inside. To do this I had to first pour alcohol into him and then have him eat a fresh Deschutes steelhead. Once this was done I could let him step into the run. He was close to being one with the fish. Bobby W went through the “Camp Hole”. This is one of the best runs in Oregon. The wading is tricky; the currents treacherous and the rocks are similar to greased bowling balls. Bobby survived but no fish. He was shaken to say the least. I told him his only chance to hook up was to go to the dreaded corner. Many men have refused to step into this area. Snakes line the banks and a false step will send you down through rapids that will not release their victims. Yes, B was shaken. I encouraged him. He said it was too dark. I told him he had the fish in him. He had to let it out. He stood, with a haunted look in his eyes and said, “lead me on.” We headed down for “THE CORNER”. We waded in together. I stayed upstream of B to break the current. I told him to cast out into the dark water. “Let your fly hunt. The fish will come!” And then it happened! A wild steelhead grabbed the fly. It immediately leaped clear of the water. I had to grab B’s waders to keep him from following the mighty steelhead into the dark depths. The large reel held the fish and the rod bent near the breaking point. With both our best efforts we made it to shore. Somehow, the fish stayed connected to the fly. Bobby “Whiteshoes” landed his first wild Deschutes Steelhead! He had become the fish. He had become, “Steelhead Bob”.

Bob and Judi had to ride out in the dark that night. Bob had no fear. He said, “Headlights, we don’t need no stinking headlights.” I admired his courage. However, I decided he should still use the headlights. As it was, Judi ran over a rattler that almost upset her bike. She had air coming off that snake as it acted like a ramp on the trail. Braving porcupines and skunks they made it out safe and sound.

The next day was similar to the first. I knew “Steelhead Bob” no longer needed my help. He was one with the fish. I became one with the fish. My first fish cleared the water 8 times before coming to my hand. Some flies must remain a secret. One in particular must stay in the box. It is said that

this fly must be kept in the box or in the river for fear of fish jumping on the bank to eat it. And yes, our hero, “Steelhead Bob” caught another in the corner.

The river turned angry after that. No more fish were to come to hand. We had gone to the water enough for one trip. Oh, don’t make a mistake. “Steelhead Bob” will return. He may get Judi to brave the water next time. Until then, the fish have a break and Bobby Whiteshoes will be forever known in Oregon as “Steelhead Bob”.

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#sigelectrooptics October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

43

Video Product Reviews

Bushnell AR Optics 1-4x24 Tactical Riflescope

T

he Bushnell AR Optics AR/223 1-4x24 tactical scope gives modern sporting rifle shooters an inexpensive option with outstanding performance.

Inside the 30mm hard anodized aircraft aluminum tube is an illuminated Bushnell Tactical Reticle (BTR), optimized for the Savage MSR rifle, but that will work well with any AR style rifle. The BTR features an inverted crescent shaped aiming halo with holdover marks calibrated to 100 meters, out to 500 meters. The reticle is etched onto the first focal plane, so it gets smaller at close range and larger at maximum magnification to give you more pinpoint accuracy.

Tactical turrets provide 10 rotations of elevation and windage adjustment, which gives you 60 inches of adjustment at 100 yards, and provide reference marks so you know how many rotations you have made for easy return to your original zero mark after adjustment. This setup makes adjustments on the fly easy to make and easy to undo. The scope is calibrated in MRAD and each click of the turret is equal to 0.1 milliradians at 100 meters. By loosening the setscrews in the adjustment cover, the dial can be rotated to zero quickly and then relocked so it doesn’t get bumped and inadvertently moved.

A folding throw Power Charge Lever (PCL) on the magnification ring lets you quickly adjust your zoom and then stows out of the way when not in use.

The illumination dial is on the left side of the scope for quickly turning on the lighted reticle and adjusting brightness up to 11. The etched reticle is also very visible when the illumination is switched off.

The 24mm objective lens decreases parallax distortion by laying closer to the top rail of an AR, which places it closer to the bore axis of the rifle.

Scan this QR Code with All told, this makes quick adjustments much easier with less math to get your smart phone to view dialed in. the Sportsman's News Fully multi-coated lenses provide excellent light throughput and a high YouTube Channel. twilight factor, free from glare. The sealed and nitrogen purged tube pre-

vents water from leaking inside and also prevents fogging from thermal shock during rapid temperature changes.

With 3.6 inches of eye relief, it is a great fit for adjustable length AR stocks and the 110-36 foot field of view, lets you see plenty of the battlespace downrange.

Whether you use your modern sporting rifle for pest elimination, controlling predators of the two or four-legged variety, or for competition, the Bushnell AR/223 Throwdown PCL is a great fit that performs well without breaking the bank. Bushnell also makes a version calibrated for .300 Blackout. Check them out at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse optics counter.

CANIK TP9 SFx Competition Pistol

T

he CANIK TP9 pistol was all the rage at the 2017 SHOT Show and buzz was abounding as to when Century Arms would release a competition version of their Turkish-made duty gun. In March, the new TP9 SFx was released and now CANIK has upped the ante by creating a version complete with a Vortex Viper reflex red dot optic in the box and ready to

mount.

CANIK’s TP9 SFx comes with an already milled slide to accept a variety of red dot optics and includes four different floor plates to allow the majority of red dots on the market to be quickly mounted. Each floor plate comes tapped on both sides for the installation of the included cocking handle. This handle makes it easier to cycle the slide with the red dot scope installed or for those with less hand strength.

The TP9 SFx is a full race gun, with a flared magazine well and comes standard with a pair of 18-round magazines, with +2 weighted magazine baseplates, to give you a total of 20 rounds of 9mm in each stick.

Inside the box, there are plenty of accessories for this pistol. A plastic organizer bin includes additional fiber optic posts for the sights, two additional-length magazine release buttons and a spare screw, mounting screws for the Viper and the tools you will need to mount and zero your optic. A cleaning brush and rod, microfiber cleaning cloth for your Viper, paddle retention holster and magazine loader are also included.

The single action only striker fired gun is larger overall than the standard CANIK pistols, with an elongated slide and a 5.2-inch barrel for enhanced accuracy. The gun has an overall length of 8.27 inches and is also taller, coming in at 6.2 inches high. This extra height is contained in the grip, to give the shooter plenty of area to hold onto.

Ergonomic grip and integrated texture of the palm swell is welcomed, as well as stippling on the front and rear of the grip, make it cling to the hand like it was Scan this QR Code with tacky. The grip contour makes it very comfortable and your smart phone to view controllable in the hand. The TP9 SFx also comes with the Sportsman's News YouTube Channel.

44 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

two backstraps of slightly different size, so it can be fine-tuned to the hand of the shooter.

The longer slide has relief cuts to cut weight, so the larger gun is only slightly heavier than a standard TP9. It is Cerakoted, in tungsten grey, to give it a modern look and to protect the finish.

Take a look at the CANIK TP9 SFx the next time you visit your local Sportsman’s Warehouse gun counter.

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

45

Video Product Reviews

Browning AB3 Rifle

T

he A-Bolt has been a staple in the Browning line for over three decades.

This is because of the accuracy, dependability and price. The AB3 is an advancement in the A-Bolt which takes this rifle to the next level. They have taken what was already a great rifle and made improvements without increasing the cost.

Browning uses cold-rolled steel to make the barrel on these tried and true, AB3 rifles. The precision button-rifled, target crown and free-floating barrel gives this rifle downrange accuracy you would expect from a much more expensive firearm. Most of the calibers in this line come with a 22-inch barrel except for the .270 WSM and the .300 WSM, which have 23-inch barrels. The magnum calibers of 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag have 26-inch pipes.

The action and barrel have a matte blued steel finish. The bolt has three front locking lugs and is designed to give you a 60-degree lift on the bolt. This gives you a fairly short lift before racking the action and something we have become accustom to with the higher-end X-bolt rifles.

An additional feature, which is usually reserved for more expensive rifles, is the bolt will lock when on safety. This keeps the bolt from catching on things as you walk through the woods when opening the action. You can also empty the rifle with the

safety on, which is another great feature.

The factory trigger breaks around 3.75-pounds and works well for good, accurate shooting. It comes with a detachable rotary magazine and is drilled and tapped for a scope. The AB3 Composite Stalker model comes with a composite stock, which is pretty durable. The AB3 Hunter model comes in a black walnut and will cost you a bit more.

For that young hunter in your life, the AB3 Micro Stalker Scan this QR Code with hit the market for 2017. It has a shorter pull for those smart phone to view smaller frames and comes in four very popular calibers, one your the Sportsman's News being the 6.5 Creedmoor.

YouTube Channel.

All three of these models were designed to give you Browning quality at a price anyone can afford. A few trips to the range with our AB3 test rifle and some premium ammunition made it very obvious that you don’t have to spend your kid’s college fund money to get an accurate rifle. With several different loads, we consistently shot sub MOA groups. One particular load delivered .5-MOA groups, which is as good or better than anyone could expect for an entry level rifle.

N

The VX-LPR is fitted with a tactile power selector and easy to use throw lever for right-or left-handed use. The list of reticles is long and I won’t mention them all here, but you can click on the video to see a more comprehensive breakdown of the various reticles in Mil-Dot and MOA. This scope tracks smoothly and has all the makings of an affordable, durable scope mounted to your go-to rifle and is easily consistent for the long-range hunter and shooters needs.

Leupold VX-3i LRP

ot often, but once in a blue moon, it’s time to dust off the old albums and peruse through days gone by. Through the myriad of tailgate kills shots and poorly taken field photos, a theme develops. One of a gold ring on the objective end of an old Vari-X3 I bought for my 7mm when I was 16-years-old. That simple, but legendary gold ring is on that very scope today and it has made it through many an airport and many a country with the same mounts and super minimal tuning.

I can basically just trust the gun to be on every time. The durability and strength that Leupold has hung its hat on is obvious and with each new line, the DNA of the Leupold culture and class comes through. The brand new, VX-3i LPR is no exception and I even had the good fortune of mounting it on a 7mm, for old times’ sake.

The VX-3i LRP, which stands for Long Range Precision, is just that. It is specifically designed for the long-range hunter or target shooter reaching out to great distances. The 30mm tube is constructed of 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum, has a 50mm objective lens and comes in either VX-3i LRP 4.5-14x50mm, 6.5-20x50mm or 8.5-25x50mm and sports an 80-MOA elevation adjustment as well as 80 MOA windage adjustment.

The last model is the VX-3i LRP 8.5-25x50mm (30mm) Side Focus MIL and has adjustment elevation of 23.0 and windage adjustment of 23.0. The turret is large with easy to read numbers and has a key lock, metal to metal to zero out and is supported by 0-5-10 travel hash marks for elevation turret location adjustment clarity. The scope is 100% waterproof, with second generation Argon and Krypton waterproofing and is also fog proof. Nothing is more frustrating than a scope that fogs in crunch time. The Blackened Lens edges minimize light diffusion and glare to improve resolution and contrast, even while looking directly into the sun.

My favorite feature for low light encounters is the Twilight Max Light Management System, which implores the optical science of the human eye to understand how the eye Scan this QR Code with works to differentiate color and contrast in low light situyour smart phone to view t h e S p o r t s m a n ' s N e w s ations. Diamond Coat 2 coats all the exterior pristine glass YouTube Channel. surfaces and insures your scope will stay scratch free.

46 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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LEUPOLD | AMERICAN TO THE CORE October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

47

W

PRO MEMBER UPDATE hen your phone rings and a stranger introduces themselves on the other end and informs you that you have just won a $6,000 fishing trip for two to Alaska, what would be your response? Well, that is exactly what happened a few months ago to Sarah Holcomb of New Mexico.

Sarah’s husband, Seth, was one of the very first Sportsman’s News followers to sign up for the Pro Membership Sweepstakes and he and Sarah decided to sign her up too, giving them twice as many chances each month to draw. The only funny thing is – Sarah was the one that won the prize and the only thing that Seth had to worry about was – would she take him along!

After Sarah calmed down from the original shock, she did indeed inform Seth that he could accompany her on the trip and plans were soon underway. Since neither of them had ever been to Alaska on a fishing trip, their first call was to me to talk about what they would need and exactly where we would be going.

Their flight schedule would be through Seattle, then to Juneau and eventually to Yakutat, Alaska, by the morning of August 18th. So, to take full advantage of their good fortune on the drawing, they decided to arrive a couple of days early into Juneau to see some of the sites and take in as much of Alaska as possible. Hiking to glaciers, glassing for mountain goats, visiting the many shops downtown and sampling fresh seafood would all be part of their pre-fishing adventure, in beautiful Juneau.

On the morning of the 18th, our group of eight (myself, Pro-Staffer Rick Rosenberg, Dr. Jeff Smith and his son Aaron, fishin’ buddies Scott Munson and Ben Baugh and Sarah and Seth) all met up at the Yakutat airport. We were greeted by a representative from Yakutat Coastal Airlines and quickly our luggage was transported to their office, just around the corner from the terminal. Twenty minutes later, we were in the air on our way to the Tsiu.

When we arrived at the lodge, owners, Greg and Darcie Dierick and their staff greeted us and we were then led to the dining area for a hot bowl of soup and a turkey sandwich before heading to our cabins to change into our fishing gear. With winds howling and rain threatening, warmth and protection from the elements were

Not bad for a bunch of rookies on their first day at Dierick’s Tsiu River Lodge.

48 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

The Quest for Silver

By Kent Danjanovich our first priorities. By 2:30 pm, we were loading into our awaiting chariot and our guide, Gabe Darland, helped us all in and we then headed to one of his favorite spots near the end of the Tsiu as it enters the ocean, about two miles from the lodge.

I had brought along plenty of gear for them to use, as Sarah grabbed a spin cast outfit, complete with a shiny Mepp’s spinner and Seth decided to try his luck with one of my St. Croix 8wts, tipped with a black and white Dolly Lama articulating leach.

If my memory is correct, I think Sarah was the first of the group to hook into a shiny, fresh out of the ocean, silver salmon; our targeted species for the trip. Her reel started zinging as she did her very best to bring her high-flying silver to the shore-

RACK UP SOME POINTS.

X-Bolt Stainless Stalker

browning.com October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

49

50 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

PRO MEMBER UPDATE line. Gabe seized the moment and quickly slid his net under its belly and Sarah’s face was a-glow with excitement. The rest of us soon followed her lead and the next three hours produced fish after fish, an incredible start to our five-day Tsiu River adventure.

Days two and three presented high winds and quite a bit of rain, but it didn’t seem to detour us much. Although the weather hampered the fly fishing side of things a little, spin cast methods continued to do just fine and just about every color of the spectrum seemed to work. Mepp’s, Pixies, Blue Fox’s and even Daredevle’s did the trick and Gabe just kept scooping up silver after silver, filling our fish boxes with beautiful orange/red fillets. And oh by the way, just to let you know how good the silver run was this year, we didn’t keep one fish under 12-pounds for the week.

Now let’s catch up on what we did for the few hours a day when we weren’t on the river, fishing.

First of all, let’s talk about the food. Darcie Dierick is in charge of most everything going on around the cabins and the dining hall. Chef Mike has been around for years and never seems to disappoint with his great creations. Steaks, halibut, salmon, shrimp and ribs adorned the dinner line and hearty soups and sandwiches made to order filled our lunch desires. Bacon and eggs, French toast, pancakes and fresh fruit filled our bellies every morning as well. And oh, the deserts!

Each cabin is designed a little different to accommodate any type of groups, from couples to groups of six if wanted.

Each has its own bathroom and space heater and plenty of room to move around. A washer and dryer is available upon request, along with a drying room for your gear and Seth and Sarah Holcomb display their first of many silver salmon on their trip of a lifetime to a fly tying room, complete with vice and materials for your the Tsiu River. use. There is even a small pro shop, complete with flies,

Photo by Sarah Holcomb

This fury creature was having pretty good success as well.

lures, accessories and logoed clothing and hats.

Our fourth day found us enjoying partly cloudy skies and lighter winds. Just about every color of Dolly Lama’s and bunny leaches were working and of course, Sarah was still killing them with her spinners. Seth was all smiles as he landed big fish after big fish on the fly and Rick, Jeff, Aaron, Scott and Ben each tried a little of both as the fish just seemed to be flooding the system. Yes, the Tsiu was red hot and we were all lucky to be part of it.

Sadly, the next morning we were saying our goodbyes to the staff and hopping on our flight back to Yakutat. To say Sarah and Seth had experienced a true, trip of a lifetime would definitely be an understatement. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them again on the river someday, in their quest of finding more ‘Silver on the Tsiu’.

As you can tell, Dierick’s Tsiu River Lodge is one of my favorite spots in all of Alaska and if you are looking for possibly the very best silver salmon experience imaginable, give them a call today to talk about all of the possibilities. They fill up fast, as their repeat business is busting at the seams. We will again be including a trip for two in our Pro Membership Sweepstakes for the 2019 season, so it you aren’t a member yet, what are you waiting for? Dierick’s Tsiu River Lodge, 907-784-3625 is their number and you can also check them out on our website or at tsiuriverlodge.com.

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

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Best Waterfowl Hunting in the West

By Mike Deming

A

s we pulled into the field, I felt a little awkward knowing that we were setting up decoys in what felt like the middle of a sub-division. However, I quickly got over it as legal shooting light arrived. We were facing west with the Colorado Rockies being our backdrop and literally thousands of geese in the horizon headed our way. Travis Reininger, who is the owner of Stillwater Outfitters, was our guide and sitting right next to me. So while we waited for the geese to close the distance, I was able to get the rundown on this great location. He said that Stillwater Outfitters was the most successful waterfowl business around and had been in the area for decades. He purchased the business due to their great reputation, quality land, and the fact that many of these great properties had agreements that allowed them to hunt some very residential areas.

This was the case with our first morning’s setup. We were in a field that the resident geese had grown accustomed to stopping at on a regular basis. They would roost in town and on the golf courses away from any danger, which gives them plenty of security. When they head out to feed, they don’t have to travel long distances and Stillwater has many of these ideal places.

Travis said “cover up,” which meant we needed to pull the lids over our pit blinds and wait for him to call the shot. Some expert calling and the birds locked up from half a mile away and glided right into the decoys.

“KILL EM!” We all flipped the lids to our pits and commenced the firing squad at unsuspecting hungry geese.

The birds had barely hit the ground when Travis said to get covered back up because there was another big flock behind them. Just like the first flock, they did the same thing. When it was all said and done, it had taken more time to set up the decoys than it did to limit out on five honkers apiece. Fortunately for us, we had several more days in store.

This story took place nearly a decade ago, but it has repeated itself time and time again over the past

52 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

ten years. Each and every year, I round up a group of friends and we head to the Denver, Colorado area for our annual goose hunt. During this ten year period of time, we have only had a couple of days where we didn’t limit out. Many times, we are limited out before the sun even breaks the horizon and we find ourselves being spectators for one of the best shows ever. To watch a flock of Giant Canada geese be lured inside of ten yards with feet down, wings cupped, and neck stretched out is an unbelievable sight when you are just going to watch. I used to travel to Canada each and every year to enjoy this same type of experience, but once I found Stillwater Outfitters, I seldom make the migration north of the border. The season usually runs from October until early February, which provides plenty of time to block out three or four days for a hunt.

Flying into the Denver International Airport is relatively inexpensive from nearly anywhere in the USA and being a major city, there is a lot to do when you get tagged out early. These hunts are very affordable as well. With three days of hunting, hotel, airfare, and food, you can get away with less than $1,500 per person, which is about half of what we used to pay to travel to Canada. Stillwater Outfitters is obviously one of the Sportsman’s News Platinum Approved Outfitters and someone you can count on to deliver a great time. Book early as his great reputation and repeat customers fill up the schedule pretty fast, and I’m taking my normal 3 days right off the top.

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For your nearest Pro Yamaha dealer and to learn more about the full line of Yamaha ATVs and Side-by-Sides, visit YamahaMotorsports.com *Manufacturer’s suggested retail price shown. Prices may vary due to supply, freight, etc. Actual prices set by the dealer. Product and specifications subject to change without notice. Availability subject to production, stocking, and demand. MSRP for base Kodiak model. Kodiak 450EPS shown from $6,899. •ATVs shown are recommended for use only by riders age 16 years and older. Yamaha recommends that all ATV riders take an approved training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. ATVs can be hazardous to operate. For your safety: Always avoid paved surfaces. Never ride on public roads. Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing; never carry passengers; never engage in stunt riding; riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix; avoid excessive speed; and be particularly careful on difficult terrain. Professional rider depicted on a closed course. Specifications subject to change without notice. Models shown with optional Genuine Yamaha Accessories. ©2017 Yamaha Motor Corporation. U.S.A. All rights reserved. • YamahaMotorsports.com

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

53

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55

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

Q

Grilled Coffee Rubbed Quail

uail are found almost everywhere in the United States. They are a great gamebird to hunt, and I have many fond memories of pursuing them with my English setter and pointers. The thrill of busting a covey in the early morning can really get your motor running. I love the social calling and clucking they do within the covey and for years had a couple of flight pens full of them in the back yard. If you don’t have the opportunity to hunt them, they can be found in the freezer section of some grocery stores and Asian markets. The coffee rub adds a nice earthy flavor to this dish, and will open your eyes to using this coffee rub on a variety of animal proteins.

Ingredients • 12 Quail

Brine

• 4 cups water • ¼ cup kosher salt • ¼ cup brown sugar • Rub • ¼ cup finely ground coffee or espresso • ¼ cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons Ancho chili powder • 2 tablespoons kosher salt • 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper • 1 tablespoon garlic powder • 1 tablespoon onion powder • ½ tablespoon cayenne pepper

Preparation Method

This recipe really showcases whole, skin-on, quail. Spatchcock your quail by removing the backbone using a sharp knife or set of poultry shears. Place the quail, bone side down on a cutting board. Smack the bird with the heel of your hand to flatten the breast. You’ll feel the breastbone crack and will now have a nice even piece of meat to cook.

56 October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

Mix together the water, salt, and brown sugar in a large zip-lock bag to form the brine. (I threw a couple of shots of bourbon in mine as well) When the salt and sugar have dissolved fully, add the quail. Seal up and refrigerate at least a couple of hours, or ideally overnight. When you are ready to cook them, remove them from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel.

To make the rub, combine the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir until well blended well blended with a whisk or large fork.

Apply the rub liberally over the entire quail. When you have coated all of them, place in another zip-lock bag and return to the refrigerator for 2 hours or so.

Remove your quail from the refrigerator and allow to warm at room temperature for a half hour.

Get your grill going to medium high heat. I really like to use mesquite wood to cook quail. If you are using a gas grill, you can add some mesquite chips in a foil pouch with a couple of holes poked through to add some mesquite flavor.

Place the quail on the grill, bone side down. Sprinkle just a touch of kosher salt over them.

Cover the grill and cook 5 minutes. Watch them carefully to make sure they do not burn! Turn them over and cook another 4-5 minutes or until they are golden brown and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F. Serve them over a bed of red beans and rice with a side of grilled Nopales and fresh avocado.

The depth of flavor with a nice little chili kick on the finish, really highlights the delicate meat of the quail. The rub is fantastic and I would recommend making a double batch and trying it on a venison or beef steak. Sublime.

This dish pairs excellently with a dry Rose’ or a dry Riesling. If you prefer beer, I would recommend a smoky porter or a hoppy IPA to quaff with this dish.

Cheers!

October 2017 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS

57

Cowboy Quail

By Terry T. Clapp

T

he normal social graces and hospitality associated with the gentlemen “Bob White Quail Hunts” of The south and mid-west vanish as quickly as do the bob white quail, the further west you travel. The change in landscape grows more dramatic with a Wild West cactus scene. Once in Arizona, when the landscape begins to be filled with the iconic Saguaro cactus, it takes on the backdrop of a typical John Wayne western. This is cowboy country and you can see why. Here the quail hunter will not be blessed by the likes of the bob white, since they politely covey up and hold for the dogs and hunters. Of the big three species of Arizona quail, only one, the Mearns’ comes close to offering the quail hunter and his dog the courtesy of those given by the bob white. The other two species of Arizona quail are a rowdy bunch. They need a whole lot of wrangling to approach them. The Gambel’s quail and the Scaled quail take as much energy to get a shot as the toughest cowboy expends on a fall roundup, bringing in the wildest maverick. Welcome to Arizona and to the Gambel’s and the Scaled quail!

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Spot and Chase

The Gambel’s and Scaled quail present the quail hunter with many challenges, not the least of which is keeping up with them. Quail of the desert are difficult, if not impossible, to keep in range. As you attempt to close within a reasonable shooting distance, many, if not all, the quail will flush 30- to 40-yards ahead of you. Hunters are familiar with spot and stalk as a hunting method while quail hunting in Arizona is best described as spot and chase.

Information on Quail in Arizona

Quail hunting in the U.S. is not like “the good old days.” Conventional wisdom indicates quail populations across America are moving in a positive direction. This comes with the united efforts of private land owners and hunters providing habitat improvements on both private and public lands. The vast amounts of public land in a state like Arizona offer a smorgasbord of fall bird hunting. Quail populations in Arizona are driven by moisture and general weather conditions. These conditions have been great this year, throughout the state. Arizona quail are getting extra help with habitat improved by concerned quail hunters and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The Mearns’ is getting a lot of this extra help in their southern Arizona habitat.

In that regard, you can visit AZQUAILTODAY.COM. This site will provide the quail hunter with up-to-date information on quail hunting across the state.

Gambel’s, Scaled and Mearns’

If you wish to have the opportunity to put all three species of Arizona quail in your

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daily bag limit, hunting southern Arizona, south of Tucson is the ticket. The further south in Arizona means the better the chances for the beautiful Mearns’. And if you wish to use your dog, the Mearns’ is much more dog friendly due to the habitat and terrain of southern Arizona. Be advised, if you do use a dog anywhere in Arizona, rattlesnakes are not uncommon. October is an active month for rattlers. Cactus, in every known variety, abound, causing another hazard to both dog and hunter. Jumping Cholla and Cat Claw thickets prove challenging for both hunter and bird dog, throughout the Sonoran Desert. The daily bag limit for quail is generous, with a 15-quail per day aggregate limit, of which no more than eight may be Mearns’. The caveat in the quail season is that the season opener for the general quail hunt of Gambel’s and Scaled’s begins October 6, 2017, while the season for Mearns’ doesn’t open until December 8, 2017. Both of these seasons end on the same date of February 11, 2018.

Sidebar Bird Hunts

Bonus sidebar bird hunts during the quail season in Arizona include a viable mourning dove hunt, which begins on November 24, 2017 and ends on January 7, 2018. Daily bag limit is 15 for the mourning dove. The Eurasian Collared-Dove season is open yearround with an unlimited bag and possession limit. In addition, waterfowl season is open at times during the quail seasons. The Arizona Game and Fish Department provides details on the waterfowl seasons - you can visit www.azgfd.gov. It is possible to take ducks, geese and mourning dove for a great mixed bag of game birds.

Central Arizona offers great hunting for the Gambel’s quail.

Phoenix to Wickenburg to Gila Bend, with the canal system and a couple of flowing rivers, marks this central Arizona Area. In eastern Arizona, the river and cropland area from Safford to Duncan provide a good Gambel’s quail population.

The chain of lakes north and east of Phoenix provide a water magnet for all wildlife.

The land surrounding Lake Pleasant, north of Phoenix to the Hassayampa River Drainage are other places to spot the Gambel’s quail.

Water is Key

The desert tanks provide water that attracts more birds and other wildlife than one would ever think of in a totally desert environment. Riparian areas are easily spotted in a desert area and usually green in these areas means water may be available. Bird hunting around water is always a good idea in the low desert areas, all the way south to the border of Mexico. Sierra Vista, Green Valley and the surrounding areas are about as far south as you need to go. It is advisable not to hunt too close to the border of Mexico.

There are eyes in the sky and most people who are carrying weapons near the border will receive a visit from the Border Patrol.

Hunting the Gambel’s

If you have ever watched any western of the John Wayne vintage, you may note a giant Saguaro cactus in the background. If there is a Saguaro cactus in the film, then listen closely and you may hear the very familiar call of the Gambel’s quail, as recorded in the movie. Once you get in good looking quail country, stop and get out and listen.

Early in the morning they may be calling. It is worth buying a quail call since they are available at a reasonable cost and calling may help you locate a covey. Gambel’s quail

can be found across the lower half of Arizona and along the Colorado River Drainage of north-central-western Arizona to Yuma.

I would advise to plan on covering a lot of ground, in order to catch a covey on the ground. I do not advise picking a spot and walking until you have spotted a covey, running or flying away from your vehicle. If you are renting, a jeep will do. Any enclosed vehicle is a plus in the low desert where dust can be four or more inches deep.

Keeping dust off of equipment and your person is an issue in desert hunting. Any open-air ATV type vehicle will work, but make sure you have eye, ear, nose and throat protection. Kids must wear helmets.

The Zigzag

Once you have a covey in sight, any approach you take will most likely split them up. As you approach, the covey will run and rise at distances that do not allow viable shots. Try to keep track, like never before, of the number of quail seen and their directions. And remember the area where the covey rose. Slowly and carefully zigzag through this area. Some of the birds probably did not fly, so look for brush that might hold a bird or two, as you zigzag through the area. Also, take a moment to plan ahead and use your GPS to see if there are any roads or changes in relief in the direction the covey flew. Both roads and changes in relief are natural places quail may hide until they figure out the direction from which the perceived threat is coming. These are great places to flush singles. Take your time and try to flush as many birds as you have time to count.

Cost

Non-resident combination hunting and fishing is $160.00 for one-year or $20.00 perday. Youth, ages 10 to 17, may buy a non-resident youth license for $5.00. Motel room rates are available at a reasonable cost along the interstate and state highway systems.

Rooms run in the $50.00 to $100.00 per night range. Book as far in advance as possible for good rates and peace of mind. Fall and winter are prime times for snowbirds to visit Arizona. Meals cost from $8 to $11 in the Metro areas and are available 24-7.

However, in the more remote parts of Arizona, food and gas will be more expensive and may not be available after 8pm.

Cowboys and Quail

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Cowboys are as tough as Arizona quail. The flowing grasslands of southern Arizona are the perfect place for the Scaled quail and the cowboy. Add a little more brush to the grassland mix and find along with the cowboy, the Mearns’ quail. And just as widespread as cowboys are throughout Arizona, so are the Gambel’s quail. The Gambel’s and Scaled quail share headgear that even a cowboy will take a second gander. The Gambel’s quail sports a top knot and the Scaled quail sports the mohawk or gel-styled head feathers. These are the rowdy ones of the quail clan, so “ki-yi-yippee-yippee-yay” to the hunters and quail of Arizona!

Passing It On

By Stan Hayes

M

y dad was one of four brothers that were raised in Michigan.

His dad, my grandfather, owned a cottage on a lake in northern Michigan where the family spent their summers. My dad and his brothers grew up fishing, catching turtles, frogs, and snakes, and contributing to my grandmother’s gray hair. This was during the great depression, but what a life for a boy growing up. Now fast forward almost 20 years and my dad has finished his WWII military service and married my mom. My older sister was next in the family and then I came along.

I was maybe four or five years old when my dad first placed a fishing pole in my hands. I think he figured that to get to go fishing as much as he wanted he could tell my mom that it was for my sake. He parked me on a dock at a lake full of sunfish, bluegills, perch, and a few small bass. With a can of worms and a bobber, I fell in love ! I don’t know if it was because I was born in March under the sign of Pisces the fish, or if God just put fishing in my blood, but fishing became the most fun thing in life. Over the years I graduated from worms to spinners and lures, and ultimately to fly fishing. Discovering remote fishing holes became a passion and led to several other fun things to do – hiking and backpacking, nature and wildlife photography, kayaking, and being an advocate for caring for the natural world. I vowed that I would always live in the western U.S. near the mountains and close to good fishing waters. Using the skills that my dad passed on to me, and learning by experimentation, trial and error, and sometimes just plain luck, I have been blessed with nearly 65 years of fishing enjoyment, including 12 trips to Alaska. When my dad finally quit working and retired, I took him fishing for a week in Canada as a gift. The special moment for him on that trip was catching a 48” muskie and releasing it. I will never forget taking him fishing for his last time, and watching him catch his favorite fish, a largemouth bass, a couple of months before he would die of cancer. Not having any sons of my own that were interested in fishing I wondered what would become of the fishing tradition that had been passed on to me by my dad.

But this story isn’t really about my dad or me, it’s more about a girl named Rebecca who came into my life at age 14 when I married her mom. Rebecca had never been fishing in her life and I doubt she had any concept of what it even involved. Her dad had never instilled any outdoor skills in any of his kids and her mom had her hands full trying to raise three kids while teaching full time. Rebecca never really liked me at first, but I can’t blame her for that, most girls that age wouldn’t care to have their world turned upside down by living in a house with a guy she didn’t really know. But we somehow

got along and she graduated from high school and immediately left for CaliSportsman’s News fornia where her dad and older sister Outdoor Writing lived. After a couple of years of working Contest Winner in a drug store and lots of partying she See pg.

4 for entry details. got serious about life and went back to school and graduated from college and became a first grade school teacher. Now fast forward another 20 years and Rebecca is in her mid 40’s. She is an experienced, dedicated school teacher with a masters degree. She has married and has two young sons, Austin age 9 and Alex age 5. She still lives in California and her husband is very mechanically involved with cars, motorcycles, and ATVs but does not take his sons fishing.

A few years ago during summer break Rebecca brings her sons to visit her mom and me in Colorado. I think she has accepted me now and decides it would be okay if I took Austin fishing. So all of us load our gear and lunches and drive to a lake up in the mountains where we escape the heat of July and enjoy a visit with nature.

I rig up a couple of rods, one with a lure and one with a casting bubble and fly. It takes a while learning to cast but it’s not long before Austin is catching several 10” – 14” rainbow trout. Grandma is having fun playing with Alex and before I know it Rebecca comes to me and asks if she can try fishing. I am stunned to say the least, but hand her a rod and show her how to cast. She gets the hang of it pretty quick and after a few missed strikes lands the first fish ever in her life. It’s no monster but as everyone knows, when it’s your first fish size doesn’t matter. The day passes, her sons become bored so grandma and I load up the car. But where is mom ? She is still fishing and pleads “just one more cast”. I can’t believe it, she seems to be having fun! Well fast forward a couple of years and Rebecca and her boys are returning for more fishing. Alex is now old enough to give it a try so I do with him exactly what my dad did with me – take him to a pond with an endless supply of sunfish and bluegills with some trusty old worms and he is now hooked. But the most amazing thing is Rebecca. She has not only become quite skilled with a spinning rod using lures but a year or so ago decided to try fly fishing and now is very competent using a flyrod.

Now when she comes to visit its “when can we go fishing ?” And she is not afraid to hike along river banks, up and down, over rocks, and through brush – a truly amazing woman.

I feel very happy and blessed to have both Rebecca and her boys as new fishing companions. She is the prettiest fishing pal I will ever have and her boys give me an opportunity to pass along what I have experienced over the years. I recently told Austin and Alex that in a few years when they are old enough I would take them fishing in Alaska. Rebecca overheard that and immediately responded “not without me you won’t”. I am looking forward to that. What I have learned from this is that it is never too late to pass on the joy of fishing and it is something that we need to do.

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