HUNT & FISH 2019

YOUNG GUNS: WOMEN LOCKED & LOADED

HUNT&FISH SUMMER/FALL 2019

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ESSENTIAL

TOOLS & GEAR

Racing Legend

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

PLUS GRAND SLAM TURKEY TIPS OFF-THE-HOOK FISHING SPOTS HUNTERS CURB WILD HOG WOES

LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERED TO DO EVEN MORE. SMOOTHER & STRONGER High output engine and updated CVT combine for smooth power and torque delivery with stronger acceleration 1

ENHANCED CONTROL & COMFORT Fully independent suspension with gascharged front and rear shocks contribute to precise handling on any terrain

INCREASED TOWING CAPACITY Towing capacity increased to 1322 lbs. with receiver-type trailer hitch mount

STRONGER FRAME Frame rigidity increased, with rear suspension and final drive case brackets reinforced for added strength

IMPROVED STEERING Updated power steering system enables more comfortable operation with less rider fatigue 2

ADVANCED ELECTRONICS Handlebar mounted headlight, low-draw LED taillight and multi-function LCD instrument panel

GET MORE DONE AT KINGQUAD.SUZUKICYCLES.COM Select new and unregistered models will receive a Customer Cash amount of $1,800, $1,500, $1,400, $1,300, $1,200, $1,000, $900, $950, $750, $700, $500, or $200 which is non-transferable and holds no cash value in the continental United States excluding HI. Visit www.suzukicycles.com/offers to see which select models qualify for customer cash. Excludes promotional financing. Offer effective from a participating authorized Suzuki dealer between 7/1/19 and 9/30/19.

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1 Available on KingQuad 750AXi models. 2 Available on KingQuad Power Steering models.

Along with concerned conservationists everywhere, Suzuki urges you to Tread Lightly!® on public and private land.

Suzuki, the “S” logo, and Suzuki model and product names are Suzuki Trademarks or ®. © 2019 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

HUNT&FISH SUMMER/FALL 2019

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BEST IN FIELD Hunting dogs point, retrieve and track, capturing their owners’ hearts

NANCY ANISFIELD

Features 28

GRAND SLAM Patience and perseverance will help you get your gobblers

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BASS BOOM Hook up with largemouths and smallmouths at these four lakes

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THE RESTART Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the restorative power of the great outdoors

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HUNT&FISH SUMMER/FALL 2019

Departments HUNTING

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Hog Wild Hunters are helping to tackle the feral pig problem

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Hunting for Others Game donation programs help feed the hungry

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Young Guns Women hunters push industry forward

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Next Chapter Accident propels hunter to live life to the fullest

FISHING Holy Mackerel There’s much to like about catching these fast fish

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Hook, Line and Arrow Bowfishing removes the ‘bad’ fish Frenemy Fish Florida non-natives provide angling entertainment

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Up Front 6 10

EDITOR’S NOTE GEAR

» Outstanding sunglasses » Shooting pairings » Anything-but-basic backpacks » Lifelike baits

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20

BEHIND THE BRAND

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22

WINTER WADING

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CLAY-CRUSHING KIDS

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ON THE COVER:

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Fishpond’s mountaininspired sustainable mindset leads the way

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South Texas anglers know how to keep warm while enjoying the rewards Program offers students chance to get involved in fast-growing sport

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Off the Hook Our picks for the top fishing city hot spots in the U.S.

GREAT OUTDOORS Float Your Boat Canoe and kayak designs make happy campers Hit the Road The next generation of recreational vehicles gets hip Gear Up Top-notch camping products create awesome adventures All-Weather Friends Our favorite products for surviving all types of extreme conditions

LAST WORD Pass It On Introduce someone to your favorite sport

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. PHOTOGRAPH:

TrueTimber

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All prices and availability are subject to change.

DAVID SIKES; PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

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Featured Contributors PREMIUM PUBLICATION EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jeanette Barrett-Stokes jbstokes@usatoday.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jerald Council jcouncil@usatoday.com

Based in Vermont, outdoor writer and photographer Nancy Anisfield captures images and content for sporting venues, hunting-dog breeders, product manufacturers and publications that include Covey Rise, Project Upland, RGS Covers, Shooting Sportsman and Gun Dog. She is the creative director for Ugly Dog Hunting Company.

Brad Fitzpatrick is a full-time freelance writer based in Ohio.

His work has appeared in several publications, including Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Gun Dog. He is a past recipient of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers Best-Of-Best award and is a Professional Outdoor Media Association Pinnacle honoree. When he isn’t hunting, he likes to sail and hike with his wife and two children.

Ken Perrotte is a King George, Va., resident and veteran who enjoys fishing waters from Florida to Canada, exploring fun along the way. His work has appeared in more than a dozen magazines. He’s the conservation editor for the National Wild Turkey Federation, a regular contributor to Ducks Unlimited and the outdoors columnist for the Fredericksburg, Va., Free Lance-Star newspaper.

MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Washington mjwashington@usatoday.com GUEST EDITOR T. Edward Nickens ISSUE EDITOR Sara Schwartz EDITORS Amy Sinatra Ayres Tracy Scott Forson Harry Lister Debbie Williams ISSUE DESIGNER Gina Toole Saunders DESIGNERS Hayleigh Corkey Amira Martin Debra Moore Lisa M. Zilka CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Nancy Anisfield, Brian Broom, Dalvin Brown, Brad Fitzpatrick, Gary Garth, Albert Grain, Debbie Hanson, Ed Killer, Ken Perrotte, Ben Romans, Kristen A. Schmitt, Michael R. Shea, David Sikes, Mike Zlotnicki

ADVERTISING

PROVIDED BY THE CONTRIBUTORS

VP, ADVERTISING Patrick Burke | (703) 854-5914 pburke@usatoday.com

Ben Romans is a passionate hunter and angler living in Boise, Idaho, with his wife and two young boys.

During the workweek he’s a writer and online editor for Outdoor Life and Field & Stream.

When he’s not working, he’s tying flies, catching smallmouth bass, hunting for elk and mule deer in the high country or planning his next big adventure.

Kristen A. Schmitt lives in northern New York and writes about wildlife, science, adventure and the outdoors. Her work has been published in National Geographic, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, Outside magazine and others. In this issue, she tells you what sunglasses to wear, why bowfishing is on the rise and how three millennial women are shaking up the hunting industry.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @USATODAYMAGS

Michael R. Shea is an editor-at-large at Field & Stream and a frequent contributor to Men’s Journal and Outdoor Life. When not in a treestand or duck blind, he can be found working his small farm in upstate New York. In this issue, he spoke with legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. about his legacy and why he returned to hunting.

FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/usatodaymags

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Vanessa Salvo | (703) 854-6499 vsalvo@usatoday.com

FINANCE BILLING COORDINATOR Julie Marco

This is a product of

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved herein, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or reproduced in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written consent of USA TODAY. The editors and publisher are not responsible for any unsolicited materials.

PRINTED IN THE USA

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EDITOR’S NOTE

An award-winning author, journalist and on-camera host, T. Edward Nickens is editor-at-large for Field & Stream and a contributing editor for Garden & Gun.

Never Enough

6 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

little farther afield — just like you do. We’ve tracked down places where you can double up on trophy largemouth and smallmouth bass in a single lake.

You’ll learn about how shotgun programs for high school youth are expanding opportunities to get new hunters in the field. We dial down on bowfishing and urban fishing. And we get on point with the growing movement to train versatile hunting dogs that can hunt just about everything just about everywhere. Which sounds right up our alley.

And your alley, too, I bet. Because there’s always something new to explore right around the corner.

So, what are you waiting for? Turn the page.

T. Edward Nickens, Guest editor

DUSAN SMETANA

J

ust over the ridge, just past the next bend in the creek, just on the other side of the mountain, there’s something even better and more exciting waiting to be discovered. Isn’t that what drives us as hunters and anglers? We’re always seeking new frontiers and new ways to experience the places and passions we love. Just this past year I’ve headed out for three subspecies of wild turkey — Eastern, Merriam’s and Osceola — in three different states, hunting across wildly different terrain from big woods to deep swamp to high-elevation New Mexico backcountry. New challenges hone our skills, which helps us find new ways to celebrate our sporting heritage.

This issue of Hunt & Fish is a perfect illustration.

We’ve covered all the bases with our stories on bass fishing, deer hunting, turkey chasing and saltwater angling. But this year we’ve wandered a

Unforgettable Adventures.

Feel-Good Savings.

Heed the call of adventure with great insurance coverage.

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Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, DC 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. Š 2019 GEICO

Fish & Cruise While the 236CC was designed for use as a coastal fishing boat, it's really a multi-purpose boat that can be used for lots of activities — pulling kids on a tube, cruising to dinner, or just a leisurely ride along the waterways.

With seating for up to twelve passengers, rod holders and storage throughout, and a changing compartment that can be upgraded with an optional porta potti, the 236CC is ready for a full day of fun on the water with family and friends!

236CC Deck Boat 23’ 8” | 101” beam | 3648 lbs (w/ popular engine) | 68 gal fuel capacity | 12 ppl, 3250 lbs VISIT STINGRAYBOATS.COM /236CC FOR MORE INFORMATION

| HUNT&FISH

UP FRONT I N T H E N OW, I N T H E K N OW

GEAR 10

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BEHIND THE BRAND 20

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EDUCATION 22

GETTY IMAGES

GET YOUR GUN The Michigan Department of Natural Resources plans to release male pheasants at 11 sites in the state this fall.

To learn more, visit michigan.gov/dnr.

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GEAR

Throwing Shade Don’t let glare get between you and your next outdoor adventure

BY KRISTEN A. SCHMITT

Costa’s Harpoon sunglasses let you easily transition between wrangling in a rainbow trout and spending the day hiking with family. The substantial frame has rubberized nose and ear tips; polarized lenses provide 100 percent UV protection. Lenses available with 580G lightwave glass or 580P polycarbonate. $239,

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costadelmar.com (men’s)

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With special ChromaPop technology, colors are crisp and vibrant when wearing Smith’s Caper polarized sunglasses, making it easier to see what might be swimming beneath the surface during your next fishing trip. The eco-friendly vintage-style frames come in three colors, fit slender faces and are comfortable for all-day wear.

$169, smithoptics.com (women’s)

The Capetown Bengal sunglasses

by Maho are lightweight and travel-friendly.

One-piece plastic construction with polarized aqua blue mirror lenses makes these frames perfect for the beach or backcountry.

D-Style tortoiseshell frames work well for medium or larger faces. $125,

mahoshades.com (women’s)

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

Tifosi Bronx sunglasses are made for land or sea, particularly if you’re after a stylish pair of tactical sport optics.

Decentered lenses prevent distortion and create optical clarity. Flexible frames allow for some give, but they still stay snug on your face thanks to rubber ear and nose grips. Meets Z87.1 tactical safety standards. Polycarbonate polarized lenses. $79.95, tifosioptics.com (men’s)

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The Sunski Foothills sunglasses are lightweight and perfect for travel. One-piece 100 percent recycled plastic construction means you won’t lose nose or ear pads while on the go, and the tight hinge ensures zero slippage. Polarized, blocks 100 percent UVA/ UVN/UV400. $58, sunski.com (men’s)

GEAR

Perfect Pairings Five of the best new gun and optics combinations

BY BEN ROMANS

E

ach year at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, firearm and optics manufacturers show off their latest and greatest. From high-powered configurations and high-tech scopes to small-caliber loads and red-dot sights, there’s no shortage of innovative products making their way to retailers’ shelves in 2019.

Whether you’re passionate about long-range shooting, or simply like to plink aluminum cans, there’s something new for everyone. To help you think about your next big purchase, here are five rifle and scope pairings that seem made for each other.

1 HOWA ORYX MINI ACTION AND STEINER 4-28 X 56MM IFS M-SERIES SCOPE

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2 REMINGTON V3 TURKEY PRO WITH NIKON 1-6 X 24 BLACK FORCE 100

Remington’s new V3 Turkey Pro shotgun is one of the lightest, easiest to clean scatterguns available today.

Replete with a 22-inch long barrel and TruGlo sight, its short stock is easy to handle from a crouched position. If you prefer a sight with more features, consider Nikon’s new Monarch 5 lineup. The 1-6 x 24 Black Force 100 scope has a first-plane reticle and illuminated aiming point, and it displays cartridge-drop references at higher magnifications.

Gun: Starting at $1,195, remington.com Scope: $649.95, nikonsportoptics.com

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

The last few years, Howa has produced some impressive rifles that perform as good as they look. This year they unveiled the Oryx Mini Action — a bolt-action modern sporting rifle with a customized chassis available in .300, .233, 7.62 x 39 or 6.5 Grendel calibers. With a rifle that projects bullets with tack-sharp accuracy, you need great optics, which is why this model is well-suited for Steiner’s new IFS M-series scope. While it has a hefty price tag, this electronic model computes temperature, air pressure, target angle, wind speed and distance and displays the proper aiming point.

Gun: $1,059, legacysports.com Scope: $5,750, find dealer at steiner-optics.com

3 CVA PARAMOUNT MUZZLELOADER WITH SWAROVSKI DS 5-25 X 53MM SCOPE

Muzzleloader enthusiasts at the 2019 SHOT Show were abuzz about the new Paramount from CVA — a .45 caliber smokepole capable of handling charges over 150 grains and reaching record distances for modern muzzleloaders. That said, if you plan on pushing the Paramount to its limits, you’ll need a scope that’s up to the task.

Consider Swarovski’s new dS 5-25 x 52mm. It’s pricey, but for good reason — this laser-ranging scope has an integrated ballistic computer for aiming correction within seven-tenths of a second using info you input from a smartphone app.

Gun: $1,062.95, cva.com Scope: $4,500, find dealer at aa.swarovskioptik.com

4 WINCHESTER WILDCAT .22 WITH TASCO AIR RIFLE SCOPE

If there’s a better way to introduce someone to shooting than with a .22 rifle, then I don’t know it, and the sleek look and design of Winchester’s latest .22 will certainly add to the excitement of any first-timer’s trip to the range. The Wildcat rimfire autoloader is light, easy to clean and fun to handle. Mount a Tasco 4 x 32 Air Rifle scope on the rail, and you’ve got a gun that’s great at plinking soda cans or prairie dogs.

Gun: $249.99, winchesterguns.com Scope: $60, find dealer at tasco.com

5 STEVENS 301 WITH LEUPOLD FREEDOM RED DOT SIGHT

Because of recent developments in shotgun ammunition, small-gauge shotguns that were once considered nonlethal for game like wild turkeys are becoming popular. Responding to the demand, Stevens, under the Savage Arms family, introduced its new 301 Turkey Obsession — a single-shot, break-open shotgun able to handle heavy TSS payloads. Pair it with Leupold’s new 1x34mm red dot VX Freedom scope and you’ll have a lightweight but powerful turkey-hunting combo.

Gun: $199, savagearms.com Scope: $389.99, leupold.com

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GEAR

Whether you’re traversing big game country or a national park, these packs won’t let you down

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BY SARA SCHWARTZ

The Sitka Mountain 2700 pack is designed specifically for female big game hunters.

Able to support 45 pounds, the streamlined backpack features a precise fit, plenty of pockets and comfortable foam sections, while a Velcro swatch at the waist holds most pistol holsters, bear spray and other accessories.

$329, sitkagear.com

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The completely submersible Highwater Slingpack by BOTE keeps gear bone dry and slings over the right shoulder to stay out of the way. Multiple rod tube and paddle straps secure gear in place and a side handle allows for horizontal carrying.

$150, boteboard.com

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Got Your Back

Whether hauling gear or used as a bug out bag, the roomy AMP72 40L backpack by 5.11 Tactical has a plethora of options for mounting or attaching gear. A side compartment holds up to a 24-inch rifle, and the load-bearing design carries multiple days’ worth of necessities.

The durable and lightweight Rogue 2285 backpack features ScentLok’s odor-absorbing technology, preventing you from alarming game.

A hydration pack pocket, hose slot and internal keychain flashlight make this an ideal daypack for the stand or blind.

$249.99, 511tactical.com

$99.99, scentlok.com

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è The integrated frame and padded top on the Singi Stubben backpack allow you to take a seat wherever you are. The padded back panel and shoulder straps make it comfortable to wear, and the main compartment is top-loaded but accessible through a front zipper. Carry a rifle with the Singi Gear Holder side pocket and expand space with the Singi Side Pocket. Available Sept. 15.

Starting at $250, fjallraven.us

The bold Gill Race Team 35L waterproof backpack offers 35 liters of storage space and is made using PVC tarpaulin to protect all your essentials in harsh marine environments. Welded seams and a top roll-down closure provide a watertight seal.

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

$99.95, gillmarine.com

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Constructed from waterresistant nylon, the Flambeau Portage backpack features a customizable front-loading design capable of holding up to five 5000 series Tuff Tainer tackle trays in the main compartment, with ample room for additional 3000 and 4000 series Tuff Tainers in the zippered side pockets.

$134.99, flambeauoutdoors.com

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GEAR

Lured In

Lifelike baits entice even the most persnickety quarry

BY DEBBIE HANSON

An ultra realistic crayfish imitation, Z-Man’s TRD CrawZ was designed for Ned-rigging, but can also be used as a finesse jig trailer or saltwater fiddler crab replica. The soft plastic buoyant claws stand up in a natural defensive posture when dragged along the bottom. Choose from multiple color options to match the hatch. $4.49 for a six-pack,

zmanfishing.com

With an internally weighted body, the WildEye Live Bluegill produces an incredibly lifelike swimming action when retrieved. Natural color patterns and holographic flash foil make it easily mistakable for the real deal. The tough, yet soft, outer body is built to withstand aggressive attacks from lunker bass. $6.49 to $6.99, rapala.com

A subsurface walk-the-dog swimming action sets the X-Rap Twitchin’ Mullet apart on shallow coastal flats and inshore waters, while the translucent body and 3D holographic eyes further enhance the lure’s effectiveness when it comes to eliciting strikes from suspicious gamefish. $10.99, rapala.com

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The Egret Baits Vudu Mullet is designed with an articulated body that creates an irresistible swimming motion when retrieved in the midsection of the water column.

If snook, redfish and tarpon are selectively feeding on finger mullet near the mangroves, consider bringing this bait out of your box. $7.75,

egretbaits.com

The biologically precise anatomy, color palette, biomimetic action and scent of the LIVETARGET Fleeing Shrimp replicate an actual living shrimp to lure skinny water redfish and spotted seatrout.

$9.99, livetargetlures.com

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

W

hether targeting trophy bass between the bulrush or scouting saltwater mangrove shorelines for snook, matching the local forage is a key contributor to angling success. Some of the latest artificial baits have been carefully crafted to entice wary game fish in challenging conditions. By applying recent advances in technology and materials, manufacturers are producing lures that are more realistic than ever.

RECON 6 POD

RUGGED BUILD CLEAR SOUND 360° Swivel Clamp

Adjustable Ring mounts Grill at any angle

2-Way Component Coax & AL Tweeter

WS MC • 2

1-PIECE DIGITAL AUDIO RECEIVER

COMPLETE AUDIO CON TROL 2.7” Full Color Display

Bluetooth, Aux, USB, & Pandora

AM/FM/WB Digital Tuner

SHIVR 55 Cooler

HIGH OUTPUT COOLER SYSTEM Built-in Bluetooth

Auxiliary Input/Output

Stealth 6-Speaker System with DSP

visit WETSOUNDS.COM or contact your local WET SOUNDS REPRESENTATIVE

BEHIND THE BRAND

Leader of the Pack Fishpond sets an admirable example with a mountain-inspired sustainable mindset

BY DEBBIE HANSON

THUNDERHEAD SUBMERSIBLE BACKPACK

SWITCHBACK WADING BELT SYSTEM

$299.95, fishpondusa.com

$99.95, fishpondusa.com

Made to withstand challenging conditions, this backpack is constructed with bombproof 1680 denier TPU-coated recycled nylon, a fully waterproof zipper closure and a sturdy harness system with lightweight foam shoulder straps for comfort. Whether used on a misty hike to remote mountain streams or river rafting through the canyons, this waterproof backpack will protect tackle, electronics and daily provisions.

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This modular system features a sliding pack, a slot that holds most net handles, a shoulder strap with tool and fly attachment, and options to attach a molded wading staff pouch, drink holder and Quickshot rod holder. Two zippered main pockets hold up to three large fly boxes or about five slim fly boxes. The belt is made with thermoformed foam and can be worn with a vest or chest pack.

FISHPOND

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of marketing. “The truth is that the ways our customers use our if brands don’t take their duty to products dictate their design,” Reis reduce resource consumption and says. “Fly fishermen are notoriously support environmental conservarough on their gear, and our packs tion seriously, those wild places and bags are often found in some and species may not be of the harshest, remote around for much longer.” terrain on Earth. For that Beyond the use of reason, we produce our NEW LIFE Learn more recycled materials, submersible products about Fishpond’s the company’s design with 1680 denier CYCLEPOND fabric principles bring funcnylon — an extremely at fishpondusa.com/ tionality and quality tough, rugged, and cyclepond-fabrics to each product. While highly abrasion-resistant the company’s origins fabric. To the same end, may have been established many of our gear bags feature in the fly-fishing community, most a waterproof, molded bottom that outdoor enthusiasts can appreciis capable of withstanding heavy ate the sustainable and durable abuse.” products developed by the brand.

Here’s a look at two of Fishpond’s “One of our principles is to let latest products:

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dventure outfitter company Fishpond’s roots run deep in the Colorado Rockies, instilling a corporate culture that values conservation of species and habitats. This ecominded focus has a major influence on how the family-owned company develops and tests new products.

Eleven years ago, Fishpond introduced a line of CYCLEPOND fabric made with repurposed fishing nets pulled from the ocean — an industry first. “Our passion for the outdoors, and connecting with wild places and species, define the responsibility we feel toward conservation and sustainability,” says Jack Reis, Fishpond director

The Outer Banks

®

OF NORTH CAROLINA

There’s fishing and then there’s Outer Banks fishing.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a chain of barrier islands jutting 30 miles into the Atlantic. Which means, you’re closer to the “blue water” and some of the best fishing in the world.

877-629-4386 | OuterBanks.org

Cherokee Fisheries and Wildlife Management makes sure our trout grow up big, strong, and ready to fight. For tournament schedules, licenses, and more: VisitCherokeeNC.com | 828.359.6110

EDUCATION

Winter Wading Anglers in South Texas know how to keep warm while enjoying the rewards

F

inding conditions fit for fishing during winter can be challenging, even in balmy South Texas.

But if you have the luxury of flexibility, you can avoid uncomfortable weather while still catching fish between cold fronts. And this includes wade fishing.

Wade fishing is all Rockport, Texas, fishing guide Jay Watkins does with a rod and reel, so I consulted with him on winter tactics. He doesn’t consider it necessary to target soft bay bottoms in miserable weather, but even in moderate conditions, you should guard against chilly conditions.

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LAYER UP Most wade anglers I know stopped wearing neoprene chest waders years ago.

They’re uncomfortable, confining and a struggle to put on. Today’s lightweight breathable waders are roomy enough to include at least two under-layers of protection.

Many folks prefer

stocking-foot-style waders worn separately with wade boots. Built-in boots on waders tend to cause your feet to slip out when the boot gets even slightly stuck. I prefer lace-up boots with no metal parts.

If bay temperatures are in the mid-50s to 70s, wearing sweatpants beneath your waders might be enough to

DAVID SIKES

B Y DAVID SIKES

keep you warm. But when it’s below 55 degrees, I add a layer of long johns and maybe a pair of lightweight nylon pants. If the tide is colder or you’re particularly sensitive to the chill, add thermal underwear with two pairs of socks.

To keep your upper body warm and dry, you’ll need a specialized wading jacket, which I wear over my waders. These belt-length jackets have large breast pockets for tackle and extra lures.

I prefer ones with a snug elastic waist band and a hood you can cinch up tight.

WHAT TO WEAR

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Specialized wading jacket

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Breathable waders

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Lace-up boots with no metal

TIP If the tide is cold or you’re particularly sensitive to the chill, wear thermal underwear and two pairs of socks.

GETTY IMAGES; ILLUSTRATION: HAYLEIGH CORKEY

LURES TO TRY A frigid tide tends to slow the metabolism of fish, emptying a bay of its usual abundance of prey. Winter also makes the signs that anglers look for more subtle.

Combine this with fewer bait shop flags flying, and many anglers choose to use artificial lures.

While most winter trout anglers use a variety of Corky-type lures, such as the Paul Brown Original series, Watkins also recommends the Custom Corky, a Texas Custom Double D Lure, some of the MirrOLure suspending and slow-sinkers, plus soft plastic jerkbaits on lightweight jigheads.

There are few absolutes in angling, but one that comes close is the use of topwater plugs in winter. Few anglers use them, preferring instead to toss baits that are more attractive to lazy predators.

Generally, this includes slow-sinking or suspending lures that can be manipulated near warmer bay bottoms, where predators tend to lurk during lean winter months.

LOOK FOR SUBTLE SIGNS OF PREY Corpus Christi, Texas, fishing guide Cliff Webb encourages winter anglers to learn the difference between a mullet jump and a mullet flip. Next time you see a mullet breach the surface, watch to see whether its body and tail are straight and stiff or the fish’s airborne attitude resembles a swimming motion. Also notice the sound it makes on re-entry: Is it a hollow flop or a flitting slap?

Webb noticed the airborne urgency and reentry of a mullet fleeing for its life is different from that of mullet casually jumping.

You’d do well to recognize this distinction, and focus on the latter. But still, cast at every mullet you see within reach.

When the tide is coldest, most fish run deep for warmth, but Watkins suggests those same fish stage in areas near shallow

water. Sunny days between fronts quickly warm the shallows, inviting baitfish to the flats and predators to follow. The savvy winter angler will take advantage of this pattern.

HEAD TO THE MUD It’s been said soft mud holds warmth longer than hard-sand bottoms. And for years, big-trout chasers have endured difficult wading conditions to test this perception. Watkins questions this temperature premise somewhat, but not absolutely.

He believes mullet may seek mud for the food a soft bottom harbors.

Mullet mostly eat algae and tiny plankton, which Watkins believes is more prevalent in rich organic mud. And because big trout eat mullet, mud is where you’re likely to find them both. Simply cast to it while standing atop a reef or on a firmer bottom.

During warming trends, Watkins focuses his efforts along the edges of shallow areas with potholes and seagrass beds as well as around scattered oyster shell. You may not have to actually walk through soft mud to fish soft mud; it can be found around shoreline points, coves and ditches leading into marshy areas.

SLOW AND STEADY Couple your slow lure presentation with thorough and methodical coverage of an area. Deliberately cast as many times as patience will allow, using a fan pattern.

Then take a few steps forward and repeat the process.

Keep in mind that for fish, winter is a time to conserve as much energy as possible in everything they do. A summer trout will chase its prey, while a winter trout will lie in wait for a baitfish to make a mistake.

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EDUCATION

Clay-Crushing Kids National program introduces students to fast-growing sport

SCHOLASTIC SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION; GETTY IMAGES

BY BRAD FITZPATRICK

T

he word “pull!” echoes up and down the course at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. To my left and right, kids of all ages are firing at clay targets. The clays aren’t faring very well, either; very few targets hit the ground before being shattered.

“These kids are unbelievable,” I say to Rafe Nielsen, director of marketing and communications for firearms companies Browning and Winchester. Nielsen had invited me to attend a recent Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) International National Championship, and I was impressed by the abilities of the young shooters.

“They’re very good,” Nielsen says. Browning and Winchester were sponsoring the event, and in an office space behind the range, both brands had their new guns on display as well as a gunsmith available to help shooters with mechanical issues.

SCTP was founded in 2001 by the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation as a way for young shooters to compete in clay >

Learn more about the Scholastic Clay Target Program at sssfonline.org.

25

competitions at the local, state He established a team at his and national levels, and since kid’s school, and 17 students then, the program has expanded. signed up. Within a few weeks, SCTP is the largest scholastic clay it grew to 28. Soon SCTP confertarget program in the nation and ences were developing in other there are currently more than schools across Wisconsin. He 840 teams in 47 states. More than adds that SCTP is one of the 2,100 shooters from elementary fastest-growing school-age sports school through college were in the country. In 2011, there competing in the were roughly 5,000 weeklong championstudents competing ship at the Cardinal in SCTP events. Today, Shooting Center. By it’s more than 20,000. the time the event SCTP membership was over, more than is $20 for athletes The number of $100,000 in prizes and $30 for coaches, Scholastic Clay and scholarships had which includes a Target Program been awarded. $5 million liability teams across the nation “These studentpolicy for schools, athletes are forming coaches and shooting friendships and learning the clubs through the Sportsman’s rules of safe gun handling,” says Insurance Agency. Competitions Tom Wondrash, SCTP national discourage a “win-at-all-costs” program director. “Kids that may mentality and promote safe gun not compete on other school handling, sportsmanship and teams or in other school sports leadership development — all are having success at SCTP. It’s of which were on display at the really a sport for everyone. It national championship. During teaches valuable life skills includthe event, more than 1.4 million ing respect and responsibility.” shots were fired without a single Wondrash became involved injury, Wondrash says, due in part in SCTP in 2004 while working to the program’s safety requireas a manager at a gun club in ments that include wearing ear Wisconsin. He was looking for and vision protection, pointing ways to introduce school-age the muzzle of the firearm in a kids to safe firearms handling safe direction and keeping the and discovered SCTP’s website. chamber of the gun open until

840

26 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

reaching the shooting position.

Additionally, SCTP hosts a college day at the national championship where prospective college shooters can meet with collegiate coaches. Student-athletes attending SCTP Junior Olympic Development Camps stay at the Olympic Training Center for USA’s Olympic shooting athletes in Colorado Springs, Co. According to Chet Tuinstra, SCTP’s director of development, there are no minimum age requirements for shooters. As long as kids are able to safely handle a firearm, have signed parental consent and don’t violate any state or local laws, they are allowed to compete.

Some clubs provide guns for their team members, Tuinstra says, but most student-athletes provide their own.

Browning has been a sponsor of SCTP since its inception and Nielsen says that the company is thrilled to help kids enjoy the sport. “Not only does SCTP do a great job running shooting events, but they really excel in getting the kids fully vested in the program,” he says. “SCTP fosters an environment where the kids need to get involved to be successful, and it creates great retention for the sport.” l

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EDUCATION

Carry On The Tradition Our America Depends on You . . .

About the ISRA • Support and protect the rights and freedoms of all citizens protected by the Bill of Rights under the United States Constitution.

• Assist the Civilian Marksmanship Program Practice Firearm Safety.

• Promote the highest degree of sportsmanship and good fellowship.

• Promote and assist in the planning, construction, and preservation of civilian shooting ranges.

• safety, self-defense, competitive shooting and sport hunting.

• Support & promote the purposes, goals and

Since 1903

America and USA Shooting.

Join us at: www.isra.org • PO Box 637 Chatsworth, IL 60921 • 815.635.3198

In Pursuit of the Grand Slam Patience, woodsmanship and perseverance will help you tackle these turkey subspecies

JASON BOGGS/NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

BY T. EDWARD NICKENS

28 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

atience,” whispers my buddy, Mark, as we wait on a dark Virginia ridgetop, ears straining as dawn breaks.

“That’s the most important thing to killing turkeys.”

Then we heard a gobble from far off along the Shenandoah horizon. Mark’s body tensed. “Did ya hear that?” he asks. “I think I know where he is. Let’s go!”

“What about patience?”

I reply.

He laughs. “Woodsmanship! Knowing when to move and where to move — that’s the most important thing!” And off we went, scrambling down the ridge, across a creek, up another ridge, to the place where the gobbler no longer was.

It was two hours later, and two more ridges descended and climbed, and two more turkeys chased, when I finally pulled the trigger on an Eastern wild turkey. Mark picked up my bird, stuffed it into the game bag of my vest, slapped me on the shoulder and jabbered with glee. “What’d I tell ya?” he says. “Perseverance! That’s the most important thing!”

That was my very first turkey hunt and my very first gobbler. In the years

since, I’ve chased spring thunder through a lot of woods across a lot of America, with some of the best turkey hunters around.

And the funny thing is, I’ve learned that Mark was right.

All three times. Patience, woodsmanship and perseverance — in various combinations — are what it takes to connect with the wild turkey, considered by many the wariest, wiliest quarry on the continent.

And you’ll need a motherlode of each to accomplish turkey hunting’s greatest feat: the North American Wild Turkey Grand Slam, taking each of the four wild turkey subspecies on the continent. (A fifth North American subspecies exists — Gould’s turkey — but it is at the northern extreme of its range in southern Arizona and New Mexico, and isn’t counted in the North American Grand Slam.) Some hunters set out to complete the Grand Slam in a single year, but most work on the goal season after season.

If a Grand Slam is in your sights, good luck. Bring your patience, your woodsmanship and perseverance.

A couple of turkey vests stuffed with good luck won’t hurt, either. Here’s what you’re up against:

{ REGISTER YOUR GRAND SLAM }

The National Wild Turkey Federation keeps an updated list of those who register their wild turkey grand slams. The group, along with state and federal agencies, works to restore wild turkey populations to North America. Learn more about their initiatives at nwtf.org.

Eastern wild turkey

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In Pursuit of the Grand Slam

Eastern wild turkey

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

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An array of attributes make Eastern wild turkeys such a beloved quarry. They can thrive in a mosaic of habitats that puts them within reach of hunters everywhere: They’re found in big-woods wilderness, broken farm country and even in suburbia. In the spring mating season, the male birds gobble wildly, and their vocalizations make hunting successful and exciting.

Often categorized as “big game,” Eastern wild turkeys have incredible eyesight and hearing, making them a challenging quarry. It’s often been said that if a turkey had a keen sense of smell, no hunter would ever be able to get close enough for a shot.

 Chestnut-brown tips on tail feathers  White and black bars on the wings  Adult males weigh 18 to 30 pounds  Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds  Very strong gobbles (strongest of all subspecies)  Very long beards (longest of all subspecies)  Second to the Osceola in difficulty of calling in SOURCE: NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION (NWTF)

TONY PIANALTO/NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

T

his is the bird to blame for all those sleep-deprived days in the office, the sick days (turkey fever), the mental health days (turkey crazy) and the spring weekends when your children forget your name because they haven’t seen you in a month of mornings. The Eastern wild turkey is the most widely distributed of the subspecies, found coast to coast and from southern Canada to northern Mexico.

It’s also the largest, with occasional reports of birds as heavy as 30 pounds.

When wild turkey restoration swept across the Midwestern and Eastern United States in the 1960s and ’70s, the stage was set for today’s rich culture of turkey hunting across the country.

KEVIN VELLA/NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION; MONTANA DECOY CO.

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hese open-country birds are native to semi-arid plains and scrub throughout the southern Great Plains, from Kansas and Oklahoma down through Texas and northern Mexico. They’ve now been introduced as far west as California and Washington. A bit smaller and lighter than the Eastern wild turkey, Rios have a copper wash across the body and tail feather and rump coverts tipped with a yellowish tan. Compared with an Eastern, a Rio has a softer, even weaker, gobble that doesn’t carry as far, so it’s easy to overestimate how far away a gobbling Rio Grande turkey is located. Woodsmanship is definitely key when moving in on a Rio gobbler. The hens also call with a cleaner tone, often lacking an Eastern’s raspy two-note yelp.

Rios can live in much more open country than other turkey subspecies, and often gather in massive wintering flocks. Given their habitats, they’ve evolved a particular knack for picking out anything that looks the least bit out of place on field edges and in open woods.

But all those open-country smarts can get tossed out the window when a Rio Grande turkey is in heat. Once I spent two days in Texas, hunting a vast swath of steppe-like grasslands that sprawled in a mosaic of skunkbush and scattered mesquite, mesas thick with live oak and creek bottoms timbered with cedar, cottonwood, elm and the pencil cactus Texans call tasajillo. I was surrounded by gobbling Rios that simply didn’t want to play. Until one did. My buddy Clint

Rio Grande turkey

WHAT TO LOOK FOR scratched out a so-so yelp from a pot call and a bird answered with a gobble. Clint and I looked at each other, and the bird gobbled again — he’d already cut the distance by half.

We hit the ground, crawled to the nearest cover, and I barely had time to get my knees up and the gun on my shoulder before a big Rio gobbler strutted into view. Sometimes it takes something other than patience, woodsmanship and perseverance.

Sometimes it takes luck.

 Tan-colored tips on tail feathers  Same amount of black and white barring on wings  Adult males weigh about 20 pounds  Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds  Moderate gobbles  Moderate beard lengths  Moderate spur lengths SOURCE: NWTF

{ DECOYS TO DEPLOY } Run-and-gun turkey hunting requires lightweight gear

that you can grab, stash and deploy time after time, hour after hour. I packed the Purr-Fect Pair 3D dekes from Montana Decoy Co. on two different hunts this past season — a swamp stomp for Florida Osceola turkeys and a backcountry multiday camp-and-hunt trip for New Mexico Merriam’s. I could fold the jake and hen decoys into a bundle the size of a bread loaf, and barely felt their weight in my turkey vest. No more hand-wringing about whether or not to haul in the fakes.

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In Pursuit of the Grand Slam

Merriam’s turkey

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

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live, run-and-gun hunting is the primary approach for most Merriam’s turkey hunters, although birds on lower-elevation ranches and farms can be more easily scouted and called. The Western terrain can be magnificent, and a big public land hunt for unpressured backcountry Merriam’s is an affordable way to experience Western hunting.

Merriam’s toms are known for coming to a hunter’s calls from long distances, but that doesn’t mean that patience shouldn’t be a part of your strategy. I once belly-crawled to within 75 yards of a henned-up tom, and he gobbled at my yelps and clucks at least 75 times without budging. I finally gave up and crawled back down the ridge to meet my hunting partner, and then walked back to where I’d had my standoff. And there he was, not 10 feet from where I’d sat to call. Once I’d left the area, he’d gotten curious about the silent treatment and moved in to investigate. Had I been just a bit more patient, I would most certainly have gotten a shot.

 Light tips on tail feathers and upper tail coverts (rump feathers), buff to white  More white and less black on wings  Adult males weigh 18 to 30 pounds  Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds  Weakest gobbles of all subspecies  Short to moderate beard length  Short spurs SOURCE: NWTF

GUY TILLETT/NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

L

ike Rio Grandes, Merriam’s turkeys will roost in large flocks, a habit the birds developed from living in a region with relatively few large trees.

One morning in the central Nebraska countryside, I counted 82 birds roosting in a single cottonwood.

Those birds were transplants; the original range of the Merriam’s turkey is the steep mountains and canyons of Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.

They are found in elk and mountain lion country, lovers of rugged terrain cloaked in ponderosa pine. Similar in size to an Eastern wild turkey, mature Merriam’s toms typically have shorter beards and spurs, thanks to the rough, rocky environs they prefer. The birds have been introduced into all the Pacific seaboard states, Nebraska and South Dakota. These turkeys can appear nearly coal-black, with body feathers washed in iridescent bronze, blue and purple highlights. The creamy white fan tips stand out like beacons when a big gobbler is strutting in dark timber.

Given the big country where they

JAMIE ADAMS/NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

A

h, the swamp devil. Dweller of Florida’s tangled Cracker country.

A ghostlike wraith that haunts the dreams of the most die-hard, dedicated turkey hunter, the furtive, confounding Osceola turkey is only found in peninsular Florida, and many hunters figure the Osceola for the toughest of the turkey subspecies to bag. And while that honor rests largely on the fact that public hunting land for these birds is increasingly difficult to find, and private land hunts are increasingly expensive to book, the birds themselves get some of the credit.

For starters, these long-legged turkeys live in tough country to hunt. Thick or thin — that seems to adequately describe Osceola turkey habitat. The birds prefer godawful thick cover comprised of swampwoods and head-high palmetto — shared with alligators, snakes and even panthers — or wide-open cattle pastures and pine savannahs nearly void of cover. Osceola turkeys are smaller than Easterns, at least in average body size, but they can grow some wicked-long spurs. The combination of limited range, challenging habitat and uneven levels of vocalization make the Osceola turkey a serious trophy, no matter the size.

To hunt them successfully, you’ll have to take your foot off the gas.

Running and gunning is a tough nut to crack on Osceolas, because they’ll either see you coming in the open grounds or hear you sneaking through the thick palmettos that snap, crinkle and pop with your every step. It’s best to spend afternoon hours scouting from a distance — driving and glassing from ranch roads, sneaking pasture edges while walking well back from the edge — and hatching a plan to intercept birds after they’ve flown down from the roost.

And pack a snack, because if there’s a turkey subspecies that will test your patience, this swamp bird is the one. I flopped my first Osceola turkey after a two-and-a-

Osceola turkey

WHAT TO LOOK FOR half-hour sit in a massive Florida scrub meadow anchored by live oaks draped in Spanish moss. We’d worked a single gobbler for an hour, but he never showed. Seven jakes dropped by for a visit at just five paces’ distance. But it wasn’t until we’d given up and pulled the decoy that the boss swamper we were hoping for gobbled from the woods.

He’d heard us all morning long, and was coming in on his own sweet time. My buddy stretched out flat as a road-kill armadillo, face in the dirt, as the Osceola king sauntered through the middle of the field — until he sauntered no more.

 Dark-brown tips on tail feathers  Mostly black wings with very small white bands  Adult males weigh about 20 pounds  Adult females weigh 8 to 12 pounds  Long legs  Strong gobbles  Very long spurs  Shorter beard lengths than Easterns on average  Considered the toughest species to call in SOURCE: NWTF

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LABEL

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HOOK UP WITH LARGEMOUTHS

GETTY IMAGES XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AND SMALLMOUTHS AT THESE LAKES

BY KEN PERROTTE

ass anglers have many options when it comes to bodies of water sporting either lunker largemouth or monstrous smallmouth. Rarer are the destinations where you can find behemoth bass of both species in the same lake — a diversity of habitat and forage is needed to grow such trophy fish. In some of those lakes, largemouth weighing double digits and smallmouth exceeding 9 pounds are possible.

Here are four proven fisheries where, with skill, timing and a little luck, you can hook into both smallmouth and largemouth bass topping the 5-pound mark:

9 35

TIMING: March through May; Autumn can also be good.

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Anglers can thank the Tennessee Valley Authority for creating Nickajack Lake from the Tennessee River. Nickajack has 179 miles of shoreline and 10,370 acres of water surface. Reservoirs created from dammed-up rivers often behave like a river, with increased current flows over rocky bottoms sculpted by eons of moving water.

Smallmouth bass love that habitat, says Capt. Richard Simms of Scenic City Charters, an angler with 60 years of experience fishing near Chattanooga.

“Our section of river has a lot of rocky bottom structure — rock humps and holes — that make great ambush points for smallmouth, and many of those are found in the main current areas,” Simms says. “Tactics are to fish the water current eddies and seams. It might be around natural structure or around man-made structure. The fish don’t care which.”

Such fishing can be challenging for anglers used to placid lakes. “You have to learn to let the current work for you rather than fighting it,” Simms says.

36 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

The reservoir also has more secluded coves and pockets that feature woody, weedy habitat preferred by the more sedentary largemouth bass.

Still, it is sometimes possible to hook into a big largemouth in current, especially when they’re active and aggressively feeding, Simms notes.

Nothing beats live bait, and the main forage fish on the Tennessee River is the threadfin shad. “I want clients to catch lots of fish,” he says. “There is no better way to do that than by using live bait. We use cast nets to capture threadfin shad on the river when possible. Or we also use store-bought shiners. The ones we buy and use are typically 3 to 5 inches long. We jokingly refer to them as ‘natural swim baits.’”

Swim baits are generally the best option for artificial lures. “Basically, anything that imitates a 3- to 6-inch shad. However, hair or rubber jigs are always an excellent choice. I personally think smallmouth have a preference for hair jigs for some reason. My favorite is a 1/8-ounce fox hair jig with a 101 Uncle Josh pork rind,” says Simms.

CELEBRATE AT: Big River Grille & Brewing Works in downtown Chattanooga offers excellent beer and tasty pub grub.

PROVIDED BY RICHARD SIMMS; PROVIDED BY KEN PERROTTE; GETTY IMAGES; PROVIDED BY CVB

Nickajack Lake

GOOD BOAT LAUNCHES: Hubert Fry Center at Tennessee River Park; another is about 2 miles away; also on the Tennessee River Park located downstream from the Chickamauga Dam.

Kentucky Lake Gilbertsville, Ky.

Almost all of Kentucky Lake’s eastern shoreline comprises the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, offering camping, kayaking, backpacking, mountain biking, horse riding and hunting.

Not far from where the Tennessee River forms from the Ohio River is the Kentucky Dam, marking the beginning of Kentucky Lake. This 117,874-acre lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area east of the Mississippi River. More than 55,000 acres are situated in Kentucky; the rest stretches south into Tennessee.

Adam Martin, western district fisheries coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, says there’s space to accommodate thousands of anglers and boaters.

The lake is famous for its underwater habitat, including craggy offshore ledges. Martin says that, outside of the April and May spawning period, you’ll find most of your fish in the old creek and river channels offshore.

“This makes having the right electronics important,” he cautions. “It can be a bit unusual for bass anglers accustomed to casting toward a visible target on shore. It is also unique because of the varying environmental conditions, such as water clarity, aquatic vegetation and water levels.

The lake can be productive for different species of fish during different years.”

This diversity can also feed a fisherman’s dream, setting up enviable scenarios where it is possible to catch a 5-pound largemouth, 5-pound smallmouth, 3-pound crappie or 2-pound redear sunfish on consecutive casts.

“Once fish are located, they can be targeted with deep-diving crankbaits, or slower presentations like the Carolina rig or a jig,” Martin says. “One important thing to understand about ledge fishing is that the casting angle is crucial. Each school of fish is going to be oriented in a certain way based on the flow and the bottom structure.

At times, you will want to be in shallow water throwing into deep water or vice

TIMING: Spring during the prespawn period when water reaches 52 to 56 degrees.

GOOD BOAT LAUNCHES: Kentucky Dam Marina for the north end. Big Bear boat ramp for the middle and Wildcat Creek Landing for the southern end.

CELEBRATE AT: Ralph’s Harborview Bar & Grill at the Moors Resort serves local craftbrewed beers.

versa depending on the orientation of the school.

Bass are competitive, so having the correct angle can often trigger a feeding frenzy when a bass thinks another bass might get the prey.”

The lake’s main forage species are gizzard and threadfin shad, silversides and emerald shiners. You typically find smallmouth bass in deeper water in areas with hard or rocky bottoms. Martin says a simple jig with a blue trailer or a tube are good choices for prespawn fish. Largemouth, he notes, can be caught on a variety of techniques, with crawfish-colored crankbaits and spinnerbaits as good choices. He says many anglers overlook using topwater lures during the summer on the main lake’s shallow bars.

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LABEL

Pickwick Lake Muscle Shoals, Ala.

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TIMING: March and April for heavy, prespawn fish; smallmouth in October and November and largemouth in April and May.

GOOD BOAT LAUNCHES: McFarland Park in Florence, Ala., is a preferred launch on the lake’s upper end. Pickwick Lake State Park is preferred on the lower end.

CELEBRATE AT: Singin’ River Brewery Co. in Florence serves a wide selection of craft brews. Try the Swamper porter or Codachrome golden ale.

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Pickwick, a 47,500-acre impoundment of the Tennessee River, covers portions of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee and offers incredible diversity of bass-loving habitat, including channel ledges, feeder creeks and impressive rock structures.

Phil D. Ekema, Alabama’s district fisheries supervisor for the area, says the tailrace area below Wilson Dam is full of rocks and loaded with chunky smallmouth.

Bronzebacks love current, and Ekema says when the Tennessee Valley Authority is generating electricity, the increased water flow bunches up threadfin shad in eddies where hungry smallmouth ambush them.

Brian Barton, a guide who has fished Pickwick for 37 years, says the lower part of the lake has numerous large slackwater stump flats with lots of grass, making it a go-to spot for largemouths.

Threadfin shad are the main forage for all bass in the lake, but the fish readily eat gizzard shad and skipjack herring.

“In the fall you need to locate the bait, and you’ll find the bass. Follow the threadfin shad migration,” Ekema says.

Barton uses live bait both spring and fall. “In the spring, I concentrate on gravel bars and rock piles for smallies, usually just off the current edge,” Barton says. “For largemouth, the middle to lower lake is best. Ditches and channel ledges cutting through massive stump flats are your best options.”

Barton says smallmouth anglers who prefer artificial baits should try 3- to 4-inch plastics in watermelon or green pumpkin colors. Black and white small bucktail jigs are also deadly on smallies.

“When not fishing live bait,” Barton says, “I use Charlie Brewer 4-inch sliders and 3 ½-inch Bassin’ Grubs almost exclusively for smallmouth.”

Ekema likes fishing swim baits, smoke-colored grubs and Alabama rigs through current breaks and seams for smallmouth.

For largemouth, Barton uses similar colors but upsizes the baits to the 6- to 8-inch range. He is also a fan of willow leaf spinnerbaits and square bill crankbaits in the spring.

Lake Champlain Vermont and New York

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PROVIDED BY KEN PERROTTE; GETTY IMAGES

The large, freshwater Lake Champlain nestled between northern Vermont and upstate New York is one of the most scenic lakes in the country. Vermont’s Green Mountains rise to the east and New York’s Adirondacks to the west. It’s a deep, glacial lake with diverse habitat. It covers 435 square miles and has many islands and underwater terrain features, including ledges, reefs and coves.

Bernie Pientka, Vermont’s fisheries biologist for Champlain, says the lake supports 85 fish species and that the habitat is so diverse that if you blindfolded someone and took them to different areas of the lake, they would think each area was a different lake.

Bryan LaBelle of Hinesburg, Vt.,

TIMING: Mid-May to early June for prespawn pattern fish; 5-pluspounders present year-round.

is one of the region’s top professional anglers, a perennial top finisher in regional and national tournaments.

He says Champlain is productive, from its northernmost point at Missisquoi Bay along the Canadian Border south to Ticonderoga on the New York side.

“Champlain has it all when it comes to habitat,” LaBelle says. “The central part of the lake, from Colchester to Charlotte, can have incredibly clear water. It’s definitely best for smallmouth. The upper and lower ends can have more stained water and lots of grassy flats and small coves, which largemouth like.”

For spring and fall, LaBelle throws any of a variety of moving baits, including swimbaits, spinners, crankbaits, jerkbaits and chatterbaits. In the summer, he switches to drop shot presentations and more subtle Carolina rig offerings.

For largemouth, LaBelle says he likes nothing more than flipping a jig (black and blue color with a trailer such as a Zoom Salty Chunk) into grass or reeds.

GOOD BOAT LAUNCHES: Champlain has dozens of launch sites. Select an access area close to where you want to fish.

CELEBRATE AT: 14th Star Brewing Co. in St. Albans, Vt., a veteran-owned craft brewery.

13 39

TRUETIMBER

40 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

THE RESTART Dale Earnhardt Jr. on hunting, family and the healing power of the great outdoors

BY MICHAEL R. SHEA

D

The Earnhardts crawled out on a tree limb.

“I’m terrified,” Dale Jr. recalls, now 30 years later. “I’m terrified on the way up there. Terrified he’s gonna fall out of this tree. Terrified how I was going to get down.” Then, in the late afternoon light, a doe walked through the timber. Dale Jr. drew a bead with a borrowed .243. He shot, then, “Dad’s excitement took away all my fear.”

At 16, Dale Jr. committed to NASCAR racing. In 1999 at age 23, he drove his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and became a full-time driver in 2000. When he retired >

GETTY IMAGES

ale Earnhardt Jr. will never forget his first deer hunt.

His father, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., took the then 14-year-old to Alabama.

Looking up from the base of the tree, Dale Jr. had to squint to see the stand. “My dad put his stands ridiculously high, unnecessarily high,” he remembers. The screw-in steps were so far apart he had to step in his dad’s hand, and The Intimidator, The Man in Black — the most feared and respected driver on the track — lifted his boy up, step to step, until they reached the platform.

41

I like how you can work and tune the bow “ like how you can work and tune a race car. ” — DALE EARNHARDT JR.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been selected a record 15 consecutive times as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver by race fans.

42 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

acterized him as a privileged son, riding daddy’s coattails, his slot in the big show given rather than earned.

Dale Jr. would soon silence the doubters, but in those early days he seemed to troll his detractors in the press, cultivating a very un-NASCAR persona.

If hard-charging, hotheaded, deer-hunting Dale Sr. was the archetypical race car driver, Junior would be something different. He smack-talked Walmart. He didn’t like country music.

When a reporter asked him about hunting, Dale Jr. said he’d rather play video games.

“You have to understand,” Dale Jr. says all these years later, “if my dad wasn’t driving a race car, he wanted to

be in a deer stand. I couldn’t understand it. Why didn’t he want to be at home with his family? Why didn’t he want to be with us? Gone on the weekend. Gone during the week. That pissed me off — made me distance myself.”

On Feb. 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr. hit the wall at Daytona. On the track, in his rearview mirror, Dale Jr. watched the wreck that killed his father. Twelve years after that, in 2013, he still wondered what his dad saw in hunting. “I became curious,” he says. “I asked myself, ‘What was it about it that made my dad love it so much?’”

Dale Jr. wanted to go hunting again, and he knew just who to ask.

ROBERT LABERGE/GETTY IMAGES

from racing in 2017 to join the broadcast team at NBC Sports, Dale Jr. had amassed 26 victories, including two Daytona 500 crowns and two Busch Series championships.

Race fans had selected him a record 15 consecutive times as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver. While his father was famous for leaving the weekend races to spend all week in the woods tracking deer (hunting apparel brand Realtree even made a television commercial about it), Dale Jr., took a different approach to the outdoors, especially early in his career.

Legendary sportswriter Pat Jordan wrote in the early 2000s that Dale Jr., “has a race car driver’s most important physical ability: to see images at more frames per second than ordinary people do.”

Junior maintained composure in race traffic, Jordan wrote, and was “smarter than most drivers, and patient.”

Yet, much of the coverage at the time — and the NASCAR rumor mill — char-

Martin Truex Jr., left, was instrumental in getting Dale Jr. interested in bowhunting.

Today, they co-own land in Ohio to hunt on.

HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES

ARROW THERAPY

Martin Truex Jr. grew up in a racing family in Manahawkin, N.J. If they weren’t on the track, the Truex clan was fishing on Barnegat Bay, or deer hunting the Pine Barrens. “I live to hunt and fish,” Truex says, a few days after his late-May victory at the Coca-Cola 600. He broke into NASCAR in 2000 after making a name for himself racing in the Northeast. The phone rang, and Dale Jr. was on the line asking him to join his race team. “We hit it off

right away,” Truex says.

In 2000, Truex moved south to Mooresville, N.C. — the Vatican City of NASCAR — and into a spare bedroom at Dale Jr.’s place. He once told a reporter that if it wasn’t for Dale Jr., he’d be working on fishing boats in New Jersey for a living.

Dale Jr. hadn’t hunted since his father passed away, but watched for years as Truex traveled to hunt and fish during his down time. Then one day in 2012, Truex asked him, “Why don’t you get a

bow and learn how to shoot it?” They set a target in the backyard. That was all it took.

“I found enjoyment in the technology of the bow itself,” Dale Jr. says. “You can change it, fit it, shoot it in the comfort of your own backyard. It’s a fun challenge itself. I like how you can work and tune the bow like how you can work and tune a race car.”

Soon after, in 2013, they went on a deer hunt in Oklahoma. Conditions were rough; the hunting slow. No one saw a deer, until a big 10-point walked under Dale Jr.’s stand. “Twenty-two yards, and that was it,” he says. “I was hooked.” It was his first bow kill.

Dale Jr. went on several deer hunts with some of the biggest names in the hunting industry — Bill Jordan of Realtree, Johnny Morris of Bass Pro Shops — but the self-described introvert wasn’t 100 percent comfortable just showing up and hunting other people’s land.

Along with Truex, Dale Jr. enlisted his brother-in-law, LW Miller, who runs the race program at JR Motorsports.

Like Truex, Miller grew up hunting and fishing. The three guys considered purchasing a property, mulling the right size and >

43

location. It would have to be within reasonable driving distance of Mooreseville. For the next year, Miller looked at spreads in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky before landing on 1,000 acres in Ohio, an old timber lease six hours away. The three friends bought the land in 2015.

Despite retirement from high-profile racing, Dale Jr. is busy still. He’s a celebrity television broadcaster and a businessman with a brand value, according to Forbes, in the hundreds of millions. But unless you see his busy life up close, it’s tough to really comprehend, Miller says.

“His life is 100 percent filled with commitment,” Miller says. “He’s going to the Kentucky Derby. That sounds like fun, but he’s working it. That’s interviews, media appearances, every minute spoken for. That’s all really cool stuff, but he’s booked. As a race car driver, he had more personal time, I think. People knew not to bother him. Now it’s always, ‘We need Dale for this, Dale for that.’”

The Ohio property, with its small rustic cabins, has become the new place where people know not to bother him. “My goal isn’t to kill a deer,” Dale Jr. says of the camp, “but to have some

44 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

peace, to decompress, to relax, and if I get a trophy buck at the end of the day, that’s a bonus.” He enjoys going to town for groceries with the guys, sitting by the fire at night drinking a beer, climbing into a stand in the morning to soak up “the calm and serenity and peacefulness of nature. It’s like therapy.”

They’ve put in food plots and wired the place with cellular trail cameras. Watching the deer grow, sending each other photos, it’s all part of the hunt camp camaraderie that goes deeper and runs longer than the season itself.

Dale Jr. likes to give Miller hell over the trail cameras — if he thinks they’re in the wrong spot, or catching too much glare off the sun. “I just bite my tongue,” Miller says with a laugh. Deer hunting has strengthened their relationship as brothers-in-law, and cemented the real and lasting friendship with Truex.

As Miller puts it, “there’s no bond stronger than what’s built outdoors.”

Truex killed a slammer during muzzleloader season in Ohio two years ago. Last year Miller got a great nine-point. “I would love to kill a 170 or 200 on my own

JR MOTORSPORTS

Dale Jr. and wife, Amy Reimann, had Isla Rose in 2018. “Family first, then my job, and then hunting and everything else,” he says.

property,” Dale Jr. says, “but I’m not in it for that. I’ve had the opportunity to hunt some awesome places all over the country, and those are great memories. I have some awesome deer on the wall, but for me, after I did that for a while, just repeating that process of going to a big ranch, killing a 170, hanging it on the wall, go somewhere else, kill a big 170, hanging it on the wall. I can’t see a lasting interest in that. That’s not the hunter I want to be.”

Two years ago, Miller called in Dale Jr.’s first spring gobbler at their Ohio place.

The bird came in hot, gobbling the whole way in, from roost to gun. “There isn’t an adrenal rush, whether driving a race car or flying a rocket ship, that compares to a turkey gobbling at you 10 yards away,” Miller says.

“I saw that in (Dale Jr.’s) eyes that morning.”

GETTY IMAGES

THE FINAL RESTART

Despite that newfound thrill for the outdoors, Dale Jr. is staying mindful of his priorities. “Family first, then my job, and then hunting and everything else,” he says.

Hunting, in a way, has become part of his job, part of his brand, since taking an equity stake in TrueTimber Camo. But family has never been more important, either.

In 2017, he married his longtime girlfriend, Amy Reimann, and last year they had their first child, daughter Isla Rose. He missed turkey

season this year because he wasn’t about to miss out on a week of his little girl’s life.

Still, for a guy who knows adrenaline and made a career of flooring it past 200 miles per hour, how does hunting compare to the thrill of NASCAR? Dale Jr. explains the final restart. In NASCAR, if there’s a caution flag — a crash, debris on the track, dangerous weather — the cars slow down and hold their position while the track is cleaned up or conditions improve.

“When it comes down to the end of the race,” Dale Jr. says, “you know everything you do in this next few 100 feet on that restart will determine whether you win or lose.”

The drivers get the “go” sign. The green flag is next.

“Turn one and two, you’re looking around at the cars beside you. What might they be trying to defend? How can I win this restart to finishing this race? That’s what happens when you see a buck.

You’re glad at first you’re just in the race. That you see something with horns. You bring up the binoculars and see, ‘Oh man, he’s a shooter.’

You’re in it now, this last restart, the last few laps of a race you’re leading now. The buck walks in. You draw back.

You let the arrow go.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., normally fast-moving, fasttalking, 200 miles per hour, takes an uncharacteristic pause.

“That’s getting the checkered flag, man.” l

GIVING BACK

Since 2007, the Dale Jr. Foundation has raised more than $8 million for North Carolina charities. The Earnhardt family has long supported the Make-A-Wish foundation, meeting kids with a terminal illness trackside, and the Dale Jr. Foundation grew as an extension of that charitable work. The foundation supports numerous child advocacy centers, including the Terrie Hess House, Pat’s Place and Hope of Mooresville.

For more information, visit thedalejrfoundation. org, or search “The Dale Jr. Foundation” on eBay to see signed Earnhardt memorabilia sold to support the charitable work of the foundation.

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VERSATILE HUNTING DOGS POINT, RETRIEVE AND TRACK FUR OR FEATHER, CAPTURING THEIR OWNERS’ HEARTS AT THE SAME TIME

B

alancing on a few flat, muddy rocks at the edge of Merrymeeting Bay in Maine, I felt my adrenaline accelerating as fast as the shivers of excitement from the German shorthaired pointer by my side. Prairie’s training collar and lead lay on the ground where I’d tossed them. In my hand, the 12-gauge over-under was loaded with blanks. Giving Prairie a firm “whoa” command, I stepped forward and fired one shot toward the tall grass that dotted the open water.

Pause, pause, then ... “Find ’em!”

46 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

Prairie leapt into the water, circled once then headed out to sea. A flightless mallard had been placed via kayak about 50 yards out, and it was Prairie’s job to find it. Clutching the straps on my bird vest, I felt my stomach tighten and heart pound.

She was on her own, and other than the power of a strong whistle blow, she was out of my control.

This exercise is an important part of training a versatile hunting dog — one that has been bred to hunt and point game; to search and retrieve on land and water; and to track wounded game on land >

GETTY IMAGES; NANCY ANISFIELD

BY NANCY ANISFIELD

47

At the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association Invitational Test, the writer sends her German shorthair, Scratch, on a blind duck retrieve.

48 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

must retrieve it and bring it back to their handler.

Prairie was about 45 yards away when I lost sight of her.

I strained for a glimpse. A few minutes went by, then a highpitched “yip yip yip” and distinct splashing told me she’d found the duck and was in pursuit.

I finally saw her grab it with a lunge that sent spray into the air. I blew my whistle and yelled, “Good girl!” Paddling back to me with her head tipped up to minimize the drag of the duck

on the water, Prairie’s eyes shone proudly. Mine did too, until she climbed out of the water. Instead of presenting the duck to me, she sauntered away and began to pluck at the feathers. OK, I thought, we’re still in training.

A LITTLE HISTORY Long ago in Europe, only wealthy landowners had recognized hunting privileges. They kept extensive kennels that housed specialized dogs, each breed attending to a specific aspect of the hunt — a pointer for pointing, a hound for tracking, a retriever for retrieving, and so on. With the Industrial Revolution came a change in class structure.

Predominantly middle-class folks couldn’t afford

RICHARD HOLT

and water. The dog must trust the handler, understanding that when sent — without having been able to visibly mark a falling bird — there is a downed duck out there somewhere. The dog must have the independence to search on her own but do so in cooperation with the handler.

Versatile hunting dogs can scent on the water as well as in the air or on the ground. They learn to use the wind to their advantage. And they learn that when they find that duck, they

NANCY ANISFIELD

kennels full of dogs. They needed a multitasking, multipurpose gun dog. Blending existing breeds, dedicated hunters created dogs with a keen nose, intense point, blood-tracking capability, cooperative temperament, strong desire to retrieve on land or water, durable coat and stability.

Versatiles began appearing in the U.S. and Canada in the latter part of the 20th century, but there were few breed clubs overseeing their training and testing. In 1969, the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) was formed. The organization’s founders designed a set of training guidelines for realizing the versatile gun dog’s full potential and a testing program in which owners could assess the usefulness of their dogs.

NAVHDA is the largest organization exclusively dedicated to training versatile dogs and the largest composite versatile breed registry in the country.

However, not all versatiles are registered with NAVHDA or train in the system. Some train and test within their breed club; others go it alone.

Many owners of versatile dogs discovered NAVHDA through breeders. I had trained my first German shorthair using the methods described in Kenneth Roebuck’s manual Gun-Dog Training Pointing Dogs: Care and Training of Pointing Breeds. I trained alone,

A German wirehaired pointer, German shorthaired pointers, a small Munsterlander, and an Irish setter wait patiently at the NAVHDA Invitational opening ceremony.

and while my dog Harley was a good hunting dog, he wasn’t great. No retrieving, minimal steadiness. My next shorthair was NAVHDA-registered and the breeder encouraged me to attend a NAVHDA clinic. The comprehensive approach to training steadiness, retrieving, tracking and land and water skills simultaneously addressed all my puppy’s potential. Other handlers’ experiences helped me understand what to do and how to fix problems.

For the 15 years I’ve trained dogs through NAVHDA, I’ve also served as a chapter officer, gunner, field marshal, photographer and volunteer at clinics and tests. I’ve seen at least 23 of the 30 NAVHDA-registered breeds work in the field. Nevertheless, these versatile dogs’ skills as hunters and companions continue to astonish me.

POINTING THE WAY Versatile breeds take many shapes and forms. They range in size and coat length, region of origin, strengths and temperament. According to a recent Project Upland magazine study, the most popular versatile breeds in the U.S. and Canada are the English setter and German shorthaired pointer.

German wirehaired pointer, wirehaired pointing griffon and Brittany would be next.

Favored by many, the elegant vizslas and Weimaraners have proven reputations, although their lines — like those of many other fine hunting breeds whose appearance drew the attention of the show ring crowd — have split into those bred for show as opposed to those bred for the field.

Breeds currently growing in popularity in the U.S. are the pudelpointer, Spinone, small Munsterlander, German longhaired pointer, Cesky Fousek and large Munsterlander.

Among the lesser-known breeds with their own dedicated following, the braques are gaining attention: the Braque Francais, Braque D’Auvergne, Braque du Bourbonnais and Bracco Italiano.

One other category that bears notice are the pointing breeds that were originally singlepurpose dogs — the different types of setters and the pointer (which used to be called the English pointer).

Since NAVHDA was formed, more than 66,000 dogs have been registered. NAVHDA now encompasses 30 breeds, 7,000 members, 70 chapters, 150 judges, 4,000 registered dogs and 580 registered kennels. >

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Unlike the world of competitive field trialing, where the trial is an end unto itself, in the NAVHDA testing system everything the dog is asked to do reflects actual hunting conditions and situations. A complex scoring system minimizes subjectivity by breaking down each task and the qualities that are called into play, such as nose, desire, cooperation and obedience.

Many owners do not test their versatile dogs, but take advantage of the expertise and camaraderie of NAVHDA and the breed clubs for training. They understand that owning a good field-bred versatile dog is like owning a Ferrari — it doesn’t make sense to simply drive it to the supermarket, leaving its exceptional capabilities unused. Versatile hunting dogs, like superb sports cars, should be given the chance to fulfill their potential.

The NAVHDA Invitational is perhaps the best way to see the breadth of a dog’s skill in action.

Each year, NAVHDA invites quali-

Versatile dogs can hunt and retrieve small furred game as well as track wounded deer.

50 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

fied dogs — ones who scored a Prize 1 in their Utility Test — to be evaluated. It is a pass/fail test. Dogs that pass are awarded the title Versatile Champion with a “VC” placed before their name on their pedigree.

At the Invitational, dogs must run a one-hour field hunt in a brace while being scored on search, backing, pointing, steadiness and retrieving. They must complete an off-lead heeling course and a 100-yard blind water retrieve, honor another dog’s duck retrieve at the water and do marked double water retrieves. Throughout, the dogs are scored on nose, desire, cooperation and obedience.

My German shorthair Scratch and I tested in the Invitational twice. In 2013, he failed. Scratch had a terrific field run, despite getting so amped up before his turn in the field that upon release he exploded like a stick of dynamite. His retrieves were straight and clean. He crossed the river like a pro.

He even settled down enough for a passing score on the dreaded heeling course. Then it was time for the marked double retrieve, which he’d been doing perfectly for months. Until test day. The one thing I didn’t worry about, he blew big time. We returned two years later and passed.

Training and testing on the road to the Invitational is an enormous challenge. In the end, however, having that “VC” recorded on a pedigree really isn’t the reward. The reward is the journey of discovery taken while working in partnership with a remarkable hunting dog, and through it all, learning the true definition of “versatile.” l

How to choose a versatile breed When considering a versatile hunting dog, Craig Koshyk’s Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals is an excellent resource.

Koshyk spent more than 10 years researching the history of each versatile breed and hunting over them.

Here are other ways to choose: uLocate a NAVHDA chapter and attend a training or testing day to see the dogs in action. uSearch for breeders in the databases and listings of breed clubs or hunting dog organizations. uReview the performance records of dogs and their litters that have tested. uTalk to breeders about their dogs’ temperaments and training programs, and ask whether the breeder currently hunts. Ask to hunt over other dogs in their lines and see dogs from duplicate or similar breedings.

You want a dog bred from field lines, not exclusive show lines that may have had hunting traits suppressed in favor of appearance.

CAMILLE NOLDAN

TRAINING AND TESTING

TOP DOGS

The right food can help your sporting dog excel

SHANNON AYRES

BY AMY SINATRA AYRES

YOUR SPORTING DOG is an athlete — and like any athlete, a good diet can enhance his energy and endurance. While many owners focus on the need for a high percentage of protein — important for muscle strength — there are additional factors that are essential.

Ryan Canales is a Vermontbased veterinarian who owns and trains working dogs and a former field trial judge for pointing dogs and beagles.

When considering dog food, he recommends checking

the specific source of protein, and looking beyond what’s often listed as a crude protein minimum or maximum to make sure it’s nutritionally beneficial, like chicken or beef.

“The big thing is high-quality protein, high-quality fat and carbohydrates.”

Canales also looks for foods that have about 400 to 500 calories per cup and a digestibility rate of about 85 percent, meaning it’s being properly utilized by your dog’s body. To figure out how digestible your

dog’s food is, keep an eye on his stools and how satiated he is after eating.

Owners may also need to experiment with what foods work best. “I tell my clients, ‘Call the company. Find out if there’s a veterinarian that’s associated with the company,’ ” and ask about the sources of carbohydrates, protein and fat.

“You could call 10 vets and you’re probably going to get 10 answers,” Canales says. “But the really big thing is just (getting) a really good quality food.” >

Murphy the black lab loves Ollie, which delivers customized meals to your door.

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Made from quality animal protein and rich in animal fat, Orijen Original aims to replicate a dog’s natural diet. $90.99 for a 25-pound bag, find retailers at orijen.com

Annamet Ultra chicken meal and brown rice has the highest protein and fat levels the company offers, as well as probiotics. $68.99 for a 30-pound bag, find retailers at annamet.com

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Ollie creates customized recipes and delivers frozen human-grade beef, chicken, turkey and lamb directly to your door.

Subscriptions start at $2 per day, myollie.com

Purina Pro Plan’s Sport Performance 30/20 chicken and rice formula helps optimize oxygen metabolism for increased endurance. $45.99 for a 37.5-pound bag, chewy.com

Victor’s Performance food offers protein from beef, chicken and pork and was created for dogs with high physical demands. $48.99 for a 40-pound bag, find retailers at victorpetfood.com

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INTO THE WILD HUNTING 57

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GREAT OUTDOORS 89

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LAST WORD 104

SASHWA BURROUS

TAKING CHARGE First-generation hunter Lindsey Elliott is helping to push the hunting industry forward.

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HUNTING

HOG WILD The feral pig problem dates back centuries, but hunters can help

BY BRAD FITZPATRICK

T JOHN MACGILLIVRAY

he 14-acre parcel of land in the Florida Panhandle looks like an excavation site.

And, in reality, that’s exactly what it is — except the work was not done by heavy machinery or human hands.

This devastation is the work of a familiar enemy in the Sunshine State — invasive feral hogs. >

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HUNTING

Feral swine tore through 14 acres of land in Florida, destroying corn and pines.

“Fourteen acres of newly planted longleaf pines were completely destroyed,” says Arlo Kane, regional coordinator of the Landowner Assistance Program for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The landowner was upset by the devastation, Kane says, and rightly so. Unfortunately, this is merely one example of the ecological damage caused by feral pigs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that nonnative wild hog populations of roughly 6 million animals are established in at least 35 states, and these pigs do a minimum of $1.5 billion in damage each year

58 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

to agricultural crops. Additionally, feral hogs displace native species and disrupt ecosystems, and they can cause serious and sometimes fatal disease outbreaks in humans. Wild hogs were at least partially to blame for a 2006 outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7, which killed three people and sickened more than 200 others in 26 states when the deadly bacteria was transferred from hog feces to spinach.

AN INVASIVE HISTORY “Feral hogs have been in Florida since 1539 after being introduced to Charlotte Harbor by Hernando de Soto,” Kane says. Those early feral

hogs, which the Spanish explorer brought as a ready source of meat, quickly adapted to the habitat in Florida and began spreading throughout the country. Very few large mammals reproduce as quickly as hogs: According to the USDA, a sow reaches sexual maturity between 6 and 8 months and can produce up to two litters of four to 12 piglets per year. Where you see signs of a few pigs, there are likely to be more, and since populations can easily double within a 12-month span, it’s easy to understand why hogs are a problem.

Hogs wreak ecological havoc on habitats. “Wild pigs displace native

ARLO KANE

Hog Control The 2018 Farm Bill, which funds conservation efforts on private lands, has earmarked $75 million to help landowners control feral hogs on their properties. One of the largest governmentfunded eradication efforts in U.S. history, the bill allows landowners to use that money to trap or otherwise destroy wild pigs.

Good to Know

BRAD FITZPATRICK

AMERICA HAS A pig problem. And while hunting may not be the only solution, it’s a start.

Hogs can be hunted in a variety of ways, but the most common methods are spot-and-stalk or shooting over bait. The use of thermal imaging scopes has become popular where legal, but hog hunting is equally fun and effective with more primitive weapons like crossbows and handguns (which are portable and, in calibers like .44 Magnum, pack plenty of punch for pigs). Most hunters will find that their deer rifles are worthy hog weapons, but controlled-expansion bullets are important since mature hogs have thick skin and heavy bodies.

Feral swine vary in color from black to brown and even patchwork colors, and range in size from 75 to 250 pounds. Look for signs (rooting, wallowing or hog prints in fresh mud) and focus your efforts at dawn and dusk when pigs are most active.

Hog meat is very tasty, but a degree of caution is required when processing and cooking it. “Pigs have been documented to carry more than 100 fungal, bacterial and viral diseases as well as a number of other pests like fleas and ticks that also can carry disease,” says scientist Stephen Webb.

He recommends the use of protective gloves and glasses when handling hog meat and says cooking to temperatures above 180 degrees is best to reduce the risk of disease transmission.

wildlife from preferred habitats, which can have consequences (most largely unknown) in terms of long-term fitness,” says Stephen Webb, a scientist with the Noble Research Institute.

These problems include reduced survival and reproduction rates for native species that are displaced by pigs and forced into less-productive habitats. Kane adds that the results of this displacement can be devastating for hunters, too.

“One (hunt) club I am aware of has a lot of hogs and a density of one deer per 2,000 acres,” he says. “Other clubs nearby did not have hogs and had a density of one deer per 100 acres.

High hog densities will push deer out of an area.” Webb also points out that pig depredation can be a real problem since they feed on forage crops, fruits, vegetables or even other species of animals including invertebrates, ground-nesting birds and their eggs, and anurans like frogs, toads and salamanders.

SETTING YOUR SIGHTS ON THE PROBLEM Because pigs are so problematic, many states have loosened limitations on hog hunting. Florida eased hunting restrictions for hogs on private land in 2011, allowing night hunting with

lights and hunting without a license or permit. States such as Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin have followed suit, and encourage hunters to shoot feral swine on sight.

“Maryland has no reproducing feral swine populations, and we are determined to keep it that way,” says Jonathan McKnight, associate director of Maryland’s Natural Heritage Program for the state’s Department of Natural Resources. “Unless they know it’s a neighbor’s stray animal, I encourage Maryland hunters and land managers to shoot any free-ranging swine they encounter on lands they own or manage.” l

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HUNTING

HUNTING FOR OTHERS Game donation programs help feed the hungry

BY MIKE ZLOTNICKI

GETTY IMAGES/PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS

T

he deer you have in your sights could wind up feeding a neighbor in need. Since the early 1990s, the idea of donating venison to feed the less fortunate has grown in popularity, and so have the number of organizations involved in aggregating, processing and distributing the meat.

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FARMERS AND HUNTERS FEEDING THE HUNGRY

The National Rifle Association’s Hunters for the Hungry is one of the oldest initiatives in this arena. The group coordinates a state-bystate effort among hunters, associations, meat processors and hunger relief organizations to put food on the tables of those who need it. The NRA’s Hunter Services Department runs the Hunters for the Hungry information clearinghouse, which connects individuals to local programs. To date, there are 17 states with active chapters.

The Virginia chapter, one of the larger operations, was founded in 1991. Since its inception, volunteers have collected 6.9 million pounds of venison amounting to nearly 28 million servings of ground venison. Ninety processors serve about 60 food banks, missions and food pantries, according to Gary Arrington, one of the state’s directors.

Funding for the program comes from a variety of charity events, including golf tournaments, sporting clay shoots and raffles, as well as various club, church and individual donations.

“We rely heavily on volunteers for fundraising,” Arrington says.

“Processors are approved by our office and inspected by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.”

Arrington says each deer costs about $45 for processing and yields about 50 pounds of meat, which is ground up and packaged.

Based in Williamsport, Md., Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry was founded in 1997 and patterned after the Virginia Hunters for the Hungry model, but it also accepts livestock donations.

“This past hunting season put our organization past 20 million >

Up to 5,000

deer, elk and livestock

are donated in a typical season to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry

Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry is active in about 20 states.

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HUNTING

Generosity of Spirit There are multiple game donation programs across the country. Here are a few:

» Missouri’s Share

the Harvest accepts venison donations to give to any Missourian who needs it. Some funding is available for local processors. huntfish.mdc.mo.gov

» The Minnesota

feather in the cap a hunter can have.”

— GARY ARRINGTON, DIRECTOR, HUNTERS FOR THE HUNGRY VIRGINIA

total servings of meat donated, processed and given to local food banks and ministries,” says executive director Josh Wilson. “In a typical season, we have somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 deer, elk and livestock donated for processing.” Wilson adds that the group is active in 20 states, with about 80 chapters.

Hunters who want to participate should search for a local organization that collects the animals, processes the meat and delivers the packaged final product. Programs vary, but generally hunters register, find out what kind of game is needed and deliver the whole animal to a drop-off location. Volunteers ferry the game

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to designated processors that in turn release the meat to charities. A few processors will accept whole intact deer, but most require the animal to be field-dressed. A few will accept quartered animals.

While some states, such as Maryland, allow hunters who donate venison to receive a tax credit tied to the processing cost (usually $40 to $60 per deer), most hunters don’t need this sort of incentive to participate.

They feel hunting and sharing the harvest is one of the most natural acts in the world.

“I think Hunters for the Hungry is the best feather in the cap a hunter can have,” Arrington says. l

» New York’s Venison Donation Coalition program accepts entire deer or portions of deer and distributes venison through eight regional food banks in the state. venisondonation.com

» Hunters in

South Dakota can donate deer, antelope, pheasants, Canada geese and walleye to the South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger program. feedtheneedsd.com

GETTY IMAGES

“I think Hunters for the Hungry is the best

Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, administers the Hunter Harvested Venison Donation Program, which allows hunters to donate to food banks, food shelves and feeding programs. dnr.state.mn.us

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HUNTING

YOUNG GUNS

The next generation of female hunters is passionate about pushing the industry forward

T

BY KRISTEN A. SCHMITT

here’s a whole new demographic of hunters — millennial women — who believe public policy, hunter recruitment, wildlife management and conservation are just as important as filling the freezer or hiking beyond the timberline in search of big game. Meet three:

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SASHWA BURROUS; JAMES COOPER

ADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC LAND ACCESS: LINDSEY ELLIOTT First-generation hunter Lindsey Elliott isn’t afraid of a challenge. From being a performance athlete in high school to living off the grid and raising her own livestock in her 20s, Elliott has always experimented with her diet and lifestyle. Now, at 32, she says these experiences led her to living in Utah, hunting deer, elk and ducks and running Wylder, a company she co-founded that offers environmentally sustainable outdoor gear, clothing and products for women — a niche she felt wasn’t being filled by other retailers.

While Utah has 41.1 million acres of public land, access can still be an issue, which is why Elliott was recently in Washington, D.C., working with recreation groups on public policy “because of the urgency in realizing we might lose this.” She notes that the joint lobbying force of hunting, fishing and other recreational groups, including Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Outdoor Alliance, is helping propel the campaign for public land access forward.

“Hunting connects me to wildlife management, public land protection and advocacy,” Elliott says. “Public land is one of the most unique aspects of our American heritage that every citizen can benefit from. We need to rally around conservation and, especially, public lands protection.”

RECRUITING HUNTERS: NIKKI PLUM Nikki Plum believes in paying it forward — both in her day job as a registered nurse working with first-time moms in Pennsylvania and in her off time as a Sisterhood of the Outdoors field staff member. After harvesting a deer on her first hunt when she was 16, Plum was hooked. Now, at 28, her goal is twofold: spending as much time as possible in a duck blind (she’s a skilled waterfowl hunter) and recruiting new hunters — primarily women. She does this through the Sisterhood, which organizes more than 100 events annually geared toward introducing women and youth hunters to the sport. Women are a fast-growing segment within the hunting industry and, according to the Sisterhood, the organization’s female-friendly or female-only hunting (and fishing) trips have increased retention of female

hunters. And, for Plum, there’s an additional benefit of meeting other like-minded women.

“What I really like about the Sisterhood is connecting with women all over the country,” Plum says. “I’m building these friendships over a shared passion … a common ground.” That extends to conservation projects she runs as social media director of the local Delta Waterfowl chapter in Lancaster, Pa. “Protecting these nesting, resting and feeding areas for waterfowl is important,” says Plum, who brings along trash bags to clean up river banks when she goes fishing or duck hunting and has organized cleanup projects. Together, Plum and other volunteers have helped band waterfowl, build nesting structures and stock fish.

“It’s not just personal,” she says. “As an ecosystem in general, it’s important to keep things clean.”

65

GROWING BIG DEER: ALEX TEMPLETON “Hunting, farming, ranching and the outdoors go hand in hand,” says Alex Templeton, a self-described whitetail fanatic.

“There’s not a point where one stops and the other begins … it’s a full-circle ecosystem.”

Which is why managing food plots for big deer has become second nature to Templeton. A third-generation rancher and farmer in Polo, Mo., she spends the majority of her day outside tending to 500 cattle as part of a beef operation she runs with her father. At 26, she has been hunting since she was old enough to hold a rifle, but didn’t start managing her family’s acreage for mature whitetails until after college.

While she may have learned the ropes of the family business from her father, she became

66 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

the teacher when it came to growing big deer. Templeton started researching food plots, talking with other local hunters and farmers to learn how to better manage their property for healthy cattle and deer. Soon, she was making daily rounds, putting out feed, minerals and salt for cows and deer and gathering SD cards from trail cameras to monitor whitetail growth.

Last year, she was rewarded for her efforts. She harvested a 13-point whitetail buck on her property that she’d watched mature over the last three years.

“A lot of it is still trial and error and I don’t always get it right,” says Templeton. “But I enjoy the conservation and property management side as much as the physical hunting side now because I get to do them during different times of the year.”

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HUNTING

Ramsey Russell and his dog Cooper enjoy a view in Alaska while hunting.

A NEW DAWN A freak accident nearly killed him at age 15.

Now, this duck hunter travels the world.

B Y BRIAN BROOM

PROVIDED BY RAMSEY RUSSELL

O

n May 17, 1982, Ramsey Russell’s heart stopped beating.

He was just two weeks shy of turning 16 and was painting the garage door of his family’s home. The paint was oil-based, so he used gasoline to clean the brush in a storage room. A water heater pilot light turned fumes into flames, and the room exploded into a fireball.

“That night, I died,” he says.

“They hit me with the paddles and brought me back to life.”

Doctors said he had an 8 percent chance of living.

The freak accident almost took away three of Russell’s four limbs and would have made it impossible to do what he loved most — hunting.

Russell, who lives in Brandon, Miss., grew up hunting and fishing in the Mississippi Delta on the banks of Lake Ferguson in Greenville. His grandfather was his mentor. Together, they hunted deer, ducks and doves.

“My fondest memory of hunting in Mississippi is dove hunting.”

But this isn’t a story about a man who escaped death but lost what he loved to do most in life. Because Russell didn’t just survive — he stared death

in the face and lived, overcame the odds and has spent his adulthood creating new cultural experiences by traveling the world and hunting ducks.

A DARK PLACE Russell couldn’t remember things for months after the accident. He was in excruciating pain from the second- and thirddegree burns that covered almost 75 percent of his body. He spent two weeks in intensive care and was moved to a burn center in Galveston, Texas.

He described the next four months as a pitch-dark nightmare. To cope, the teen >

69

HUNTING

was walking down a stone hallway in a castle with a presence behind him. The presence talked to him and calmed him. Russell says he then came to a tall window open to a beautiful day with blue skies. The temperature was perfect, and green grass invited him to walk barefoot through it.

Russell says the voice told him he could go outside, walk in the grass and the pain would end.

Instead, he was vaulted back to reality. “I woke up screaming, ‘God, save me,’ I was absolutely aware after that. I was out of that rabbit hole.”

70 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

BOUNCING BACK After that, Russell remained in the burn center for two more months. He underwent more than 70 surgeries, and doctors were able to save his injured arm and legs. But recovery was far from complete.

Finishing high school was difficult. More surgeries and physical therapy took time. The 16-year-old’s scars and bandages also took their toll. “I didn’t want to leave the house, but I had to go to school,” Russell says. “It wasn’t so bad my senior year because I skipped half of it.” In fact, he skipped so many classes that he didn’t graduate on time.

Months later, though, he finished high school and enrolled at community college. He then transferred to Mississippi State University and earned a degree in forestry. His self-esteem began to improve, too. He had started cycling and swimming in high school, and throughout the years, his body had become stronger.

While attending MSU, he even rode his bicycle from Boston to the West Coast, a 78-day journey that raised $30,000 for the Mississippi Burn Center. “I didn’t think there was anything I couldn’t accomplish,” Russell says.

The accomplishments kept coming. Russell finished his forestry degree and completed graduate school. He married and had children. He compiled an impressive resume of forestry jobs in both the private sector and federal government.

His love of the outdoors also grew, particularly duck hunting.

He began going to Canada, where he and friends hunted with an outfitter. The number of people who went grew so much that the outfitter asked Russell to book hunts. Russell started GetDucks. com, an online business that coordinated hunting trips in Canada and Argentina.

The business was well-received

“You can’t take life for granted.

You’re one breath away from not having it. I learned that at too young of an age. Life is about living, not just doing.”

— RAMSEY RUSSELL

BARBARA GAUNTT/THE (JACKSON, MISS.) CLARION LEDGER

put himself into what he described as a self-induced coma.

“Spiritually and emotionally I crawled deep in a rabbit hole,” Russell says. “It’s a dark place. It’s a human way of coping.”

Doctors were unable to relieve the pain with medications because the drugs would slow the growth of skin needed for grafting. He was bathed in diluted bleach and dead tissue had to frequently be scraped from his body.

One night during recovery, Russell says he had a dream. He

Russell shares his passion for hunting with others on trips around the world through his business GetDucks.com.

and began to require more time.

Between his federal government job, consulting on the side, and GetDucks.com, Russell was sometimes missing three nights of sleep per week.

CHOOSING ADVENTURE Russell and his wife knew he had to choose a path. Leaving a steady job with benefits wasn’t easy, but in 2010 he did just that. “It just kept grating at me,” Russell says. “This is fate.”

Russell continues to offer trips in places largely unknown to the hunting community.

“We’ve brought so many hunts

to the world that the world hasn’t heard of,” Russell adds.

“Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Sweden, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Peru; some of the world’s greatest duck hunts.”

Booking hunts is only part of the business. Russell hosts many of the excursions and travels to find new locations.

He’s hunted on six continents and averages 150 to 200 days of travel per year.

Although it has its downsides, Russell realizes he’s living what many would consider a dream.

He travels, experiences cultures and food and makes friends with

people he otherwise would have never met. He also realizes that if it were not for the explosion that almost killed him and the scars that remind him of it, he would not be where he is today.

“I almost died,” Russell says.

“You can’t take life for granted.

You’re one breath away from not having it. I learned that at too young of an age. Life is about living, not just doing. It made me very, very thirsty to live life to its fullest. It’s a mighty big world, but I’m going to see it.” l — BRIAN BROOM is a reporter for the (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion Ledger

71

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FISHING

HOLY MACKEREL Get hooked on trying to catch these fast and furious fish

I

BY ED KILLER

ED KILLER

learned something new recently: There’s a fine line between losing a $150 spinning rod and reel outfit and catching a Spanish mackerel.

About a 10-pound test line, in fact. More on that later.

In late December, I joined Capt. James Cronk of 772 Fly and Light Tackle Charters in Stuart, Fla., and Capt. Sam Heaton of Port St. Lucie on a fishing trip. There was no huge plan on what we were going to target, except to just get out on the water and see where it took us. >

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FISHING

GET JIGGY WITH IT

After half-filling the well on Heaton’s bay boat with lively pilchards that Cronk had caught earlier, we headed off to see whether there were any catch-and-release snook willing to join in the fun. (Well, fun for us.)

A dozen or so casts under a dock wellknown to hold snook and it was clearly apparent there would be snook catches on this day. So Heaton pointed the bow of his boat toward St. Lucie Inlet. We ducked out the mouth of the inlet and faded right.

As we began to get out the tackle we were going to use, we could see more boats than could be easily counted scattered along the length of the reef that runs parallel to the sandy beach at St. Lucie Inlet State Park Preserve.

The boats were all working a variety of fishing methods to catch Spanish mackerel. Some boats carried commercial cast netters throwing specially designed nets to capture mackerel to sell at market.

Some boats carried commercial hookand-line fishermen who were casting and reeling jigs to fill up their coolers. Other boats had fly fishermen who were trying to fool mackerel with minnow-patterned flies. Many others were like us — just a few guys out to catch a few mackerel for the dinner table.

74 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

CLOUSER MINNOW TIED WITH A LONG SHANK HOOK

A FAN FAVORITE After all, what’s not to like about Spanish mackerel?

“My favorite thing is the action — it’s fast and furious,” explains Heaton. “Anybody can catch them, and on a variety of different lures.”

Heaton, like myself, rates Spanish mackerel high among his favorite fish to bring home for dinner. I put fresh Spanish mackerel side by side with pompano as Nos. 1A and 1B on my list of fish to eat.

“I enjoy the table fare,” Heaton says.

“On the grill, sautéed on the stove, baked — they’re delicious.”

Heaton points out another feature that makes fishing for Spanish mackerel popular: They are not close to being overfished.

“These fish are so prolific. They are so abundant,” says Heaton. “You can keep a few for a nice meal and not feel guilty about it. Thank goodness for ’em.”

We set up on a spot along the inshore side of the reef. We used the Minn Kota trolling motor’s Spot-Lock feature to hold position automatically despite a strong outgoing tide and brisk easterly wind pushing choppy windswept waves over the reef. That put us in position to cast without concern and focus on the fishing.

ED KILLER

KASTMASTER GOLD SPOON 1/4 OUNCE

è

è

Jigs commonly used to catch Spanish mackerel:

è

è

è GULFSTREAM LURES FLASH MINNOW 1/2 OUNCE

GOT-CHA BY SEASTRIKER 7/8-OUNCE MODEL G1602

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LIVE CHUM

LESSON LEARNED

Cronk used the dip net to hurl handfuls of pilchards downwind. That kept the macks — and a few chunky bluefish — in a frenzy. Meanwhile, we cast hard-sided topwater plugs and handmade jigs to hook fish.

Spanish mackerel are fun. They strike with the fervor of a fish jacked up on caffeine. They will follow a reeled offering all the way to the boat and aren’t afraid to leap out of the water to eat something. They have hard, thin forked tails that are clearly designed for speed. They don’t grow too big — a large one measures 24 inches at the fork of the tail. And best of all, during the winter months, the Spanish mackerel reside along Florida’s southern coastlines in schools numbering in the tens of thousands.

We did most of our catching using a jig Cronk made. He used a cut-up 3- to 6-inch section of a “croakie” meant to hold sunglasses on an angler’s head, cut it to length and slipped it over a small jig head. Voila. The most effective Spanish mackerel jig ever. We used 10-pound test line and 50- to 60-pound monofilament leader so the jigs wouldn’t be cut off immediately by Spanish mackerel.

But my advice to you: Watch those rods. At one point late in the fray, I laid one of Heaton’s spinning rods down on the deck. It was leaning on the gunwale, but I made a mistake and let the jig dangle over the side on the surface of the water. I had my cellphone out to take photos of our action.

Suddenly, before I could react, Heaton yells something at me. I look up from my cellphone just in time to see his rod and reel get pulled over the side into the Atlantic Ocean. As I thought, “Not again,” Cronk leaped into action. He made two or three casts at the rod as it slipped away from us. With the same odds of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot, Cronk heroically snagged the rod on his last cast. He reeled the rod back to the boat.

I grabbed the rod by the butt, pulled it from the salt water and lifted the rod tip.

The fish was still hooked on to the jig. I reeled it in. And just like that, we went from down one rod to up one fish.

That night, the grilled Spanish mackerel never tasted so good. l

SPANISH MACKEREL REGULATIONS Season: Open year-round Size limit: Minimum 12 inches fork length Daily bag limit: 15 per angler Florida fishing regulations: eregulations.com/ florida/fishing/ saltwater/pelagics

— ED KILLER is the outdoors columnist for Treasure Coast Newspapers based in Stuart, Fla.

75

FISHING

HOOK, LINE AND ARROW

Bowfishing removes invasive fish from national waterways

BY KRISTEN A. SCHMITT

T

he sun set hours ago and spring peepers for a long period of time.” are beginning their nocturnal serenade It’s also fun, adds Mazur, especially for millenas bowfishers, or bow anglers, prep for nials and younger generations who are after a their nightly harvest. Using floodlights, rewarding challenge, particularly those “who are they illuminate hundreds of spawning more environmentally conscious” and want to help carp — an invasive fish steadily taking over watereliminate invasive species. ways across the nation — swimming in lazy circles Bowfishers use a compound or traditional bow within the weedy, grassy shallows of the lake. equipped with a heavy-duty reel and hunt for “You’re out there at night, under lights in a boat, invasive fish, primarily common carp, bighead carp, moving though the water, and it changes very silver carp and alligator gar. Many participants rapidly,” says Jason Cathey, an avid bowchoose to compete in tournaments fisherman from Cleveland, Ga. Cathey organized by state wildlife agencies or has been bowfishing for 20 years and organizations, like the BAA, which use CHECK competed in his first tournament the events to help manage populaREGULATIONS in 1999. In 2012, his team won the tions of nongame fish that have FIRST Bowfishing Association of America’s few natural predators. Bowfishers Bowfishing rules vary from state to state, so be sure (BAA) world championship in the typically compete in three categoto check which species numbers division. ries: total weight, the biggest 20th are legally harvestable.

“This sport is evolving so fast fish or the total number of fish shot tournament-wise,” says Cathey. “You in “12 or 14 hours, or however long the learn every time. Somebody comes up tournament is,” says Cathey. with a new trick or new way to be on top … you got to be on your game because somebody A LITERAL LEARNING CURVE somewhere is trying to knock you off that top rung.”

While they both use a bow and arrow, there are Bowfishing, which merges bowhunting and still subtle differences between bowfishing and fishing, is gaining in popularity, with more than a bowhunting — and that’s not just because of their dozen fiercely competitive tournaments held this quarry. Typically, when bowhunting, your objective year. This is likely because of two things: social is to remain as silent as possible so you can make media and a push to remove invasive species. your stalk during peak hours between sunrise and “We have heard about a rising interest in the sunset. Bowfishing, on the other hand, is quite sport of bowfishing at various fish and wildlife social — imagine a group of friends hanging out agency meetings and conferences we have aton a boat — and usually occurs at night, under tended,” says Jennifer Mazur, senior director of spotlight. outreach and education for the Archery Trade There’s also a major difference in how you aim at Association. “The barriers for entry are lower as the a fish versus a deer. reel and arrow can be secured to most bows. The “There’s a severe learning curve because of light sport offers a highly interactive, fast-paced, social refraction,” says Brady Miller, who holds multiple experience that can keep a group of people engaged state and world bowfishing records and >

76 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

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Interested in bowfishing? First, buy your fishing license. You won’t need a special permit to bowfish, but may need landowner permission if it’s not a public lake or river. Next, grab a bow. Bowfishing champion Brady Miller says even a traditional bow will work because shooting is instinctive, and you don’t need the bells and whistles big game bowhunters use.

“Like anything, you can make it as expensive as you want or as cheap,” says Miller. “For a sport like bowfishing, start cheap and work your way into it.”

Companies like Muzzy and AMS Bowfishing offer kits specifically for the task, but Miller says any basic bow will work. Then grab some fiberglass arrows outfitted with a quick-release carp point tip (the most common), a heavy-duty reel and head out to your favorite fishing hole. Good luck!

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77

Beka Garris has found success in Ohio using her compound for bowfishing.

previously served as vice president of BAA. “Depending on if you use a sight or shoot instinctively, the main thing is to aim about 6 inches below the fish. Otherwise, you’re going to miss all of the time because you’re going to be shooting higher because of the refraction.”

That refraction can intimidate even the most seasoned archer.

“My cousin coaches the Navy archery team,” says Cathey. “He’s shot competitively all of his life.

I took him bowfishing one night, and it took him forever to get a fish. It’s a different ballgame as far as shooting the target or shooting at a deer and shooting at a fish.”

Spotlights add glare to the water, too, which bowfishers need to accommodate for when aiming.

Also, many archers after fish shoot instinctively, which takes time to master.

“Some people do actually use a sight, and some companies make laser sights, which take into consideration the water refraction,” says Beka

78 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

Garris, who has been bowfishing Ohio lakes and rivers for the past seven years. “But I’ve always shot instinctively, which actually has helped me become fairly good quickly with a traditional bow for hunting.”

Garris now bowhunts primarily with a traditional bow, saving her compound for bowfishing. In fact, for those who also bowhunt, Miller suggests using a dedicated bow because fish eggs, scales and other debris will “get a nice hunting bow really dirty, really fast.”

Regardless of whether they’re using a compound or traditional bow, most agree that bowfishing is beneficial to the nation’s waterways. It’s an effective and environmentally responsible way to remove invasive species since it requires skill and precision instead of chemicals or poison.

“There are Facebook groups, bowfishing groups,” says Garris, “and people will post ‘Hey, I have carp in my pond, and they’re ruining it. Can someone come and shoot them?’” l

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FRENEMY FISH Sometimes snubbed and judged, these Florida non-natives can provide hours of angling entertainment

BY DEBBIE HANSON

80 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

PROVIDED BY DEBBIE HANSON

I

n the Florida angling community, freshwater non-natives are often viewed as the scrappy crowd from the other side of the tracks, lacking the respect that is given to the endemic largemouth bass or beloved bluegill. While it’s true that these aquatic “black sheep” did not originate in the Sunshine State, they have become longstanding inhabitants of canal systems, ponds and lakes in its southern regions.

While some fisherfolk turn their noses up at this growing gang of non-natives, others recognize that species such as the butterfly peacock bass, Mayan cichlid and oscar equate to great sport on fly or light tackle, welcoming each exotic catch. These three fish also present outstanding opportunities for beginning anglers because they are exceptionally obliging when it comes to striking colorful flies and artificial lures. So when Florida’s summer temps climb above 90 degrees and most other freshwater fish species acquire a case of heat-induced lockjaw, don’t forget your frenemies.

BUTTERFLY PEACOCK BASS

Despite its American-given moniker, the butterfly peacock bass is actually a member of the cichlid family with origins in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America. Whereas other Florida non-natives are largely the result of aquarium or fish-farm releases, the butterfly peacock bass was intentionally introduced into the coastal canal systems of Southeast Florida by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 1964, and again in 1984, to help manage populations of undesirable exotic forage fish, such as the spotted tilapia.

Decades later, this rainbowcolored cichlid has become such a popular freshwater quarry that it brings in more than $8 million in freshwater angling revenue to the state every year.

» Fly fishing gear: 7-weight fly

rod rigged with floating line and 12-pound tippet. The best flies include size 2-to-4 streamers and topwater popping bugs in chartreuse, orange or yellow.

MAYAN CICHLID Often referred to as the “atomic sunfish” due to its reputation for putting up an explosive fight, the Mayan cichlid is native to Central and South America, but was first recorded in Florida Bay in 1983. These days, this non-native panfish can be found in Florida’s fresh and brackish waters as far north as Lake Okeechobee.

» Fly fishing gear: 5-weight fly

outfit with floating line and 6- to 8-pound tippet. Best fly patterns include streamers and brightly colored popping bugs in chartreuse or yellow tied on size 6 to 10 hooks.

» Spinning tackle: Ultralight rod and reel rigged with 6- to 8-pound line. Best lures include small spinnerbaits, marabou jigs and small stickbaits. » Where to go: Freshwater and brackish canal systems throughout South Florida, such as the Everglades Water Conservation Areas, usually near submerged vegetation. » State regulations: Must have a valid Florida freshwater fishing license. No size or bag limits apply to the Mayan cichlid.

» Spinning tackle: Medium

power, fast-action rod rigged with 12-pound test line. Best lures include topwater “walk the dog” plugs, baitfishimitating crankbaits, jerkbaits and bucktail jigs in chartreuse, orange or red.

» Where to go: Pompano

Canal in Broward County, the Miami Canal and the Cutler Drain Canal in Miami-Dade County.

» State regulations: Must

have a valid Florida freshwater fishing license. Bag and length rules dictate a daily limit of two butterfly peacock bass, only one of which may be 17 inches or longer in total length. Catch and release is highly encouraged because the peacock bass has considerable sporting quality and helps to keep exotic forage fish in check.

OSCAR

The oscar is best known as a tropical home aquarium showpiece from South America, and doesn’t always generate the same level of affinity as a nearly 70-year non-native resident of Florida’s freshwater canal systems. In fact, rumors have occasionally spread throughout the angling community about a “must-kill” requirement with regard to oscars, although no such regulation exists. Once landed, anglers can lawfully release this species back into the same waterway where it was caught.

» Fly fishing gear: 5-weight fly outfit

» Where to go: Everglades Water

with floating line and 6- to 8-pound tippet; size 6-to-10 streamer patterns.

Conservation Areas and canal habitats of Collier, western Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

» Spinning tackle: Ultralight rod and

» State regulations: Must have a

reel rigged with 6- to 8-pound test line. Best lures include marabou jigs and small spinnerbaits.

valid Florida freshwater fishing license.

No bag or size limits apply to the oscar.

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MIAMI

Miami is one of those places that really lives up to the hype. If you want beaches, bars, glitz and glamour, this is the town for you. You could happily spend your whole trip lounging on the beach or drinking cocktails on rooftops, but save some time for the art deco architecture and Cuban heritage. And don’t forget to check out the garish mansions along South Beach.

As well as being a socialite’s circus, Miami is hands down one of the best fishing cities in the U.S., if not the world. The flats are full of bonefish, tarpon, permit and snook, making them a destination on most fly-fishing bucket lists.

As soon as you leave the shallows, you hit deep reefs full of groupers, snappers, tilefish and more. Sailfish show up a stone’s throw from the shore, and even swordfish aren’t far away.

OFF THE HOOK Some of the best fishing spots in the U.S. might be in your own city

BY ALBERT GRAIN

A

lthough small towns and remote waters offer untouched charm, you don’t have to cast your rod in isolated locations where there isn’t much else to do. Head to any one of these cities, and you’ll find awesome angling along with amazing attractions. FishingBooker.com, an online trip planning platform that connects anglers and fishing guides, recommends these hot spots:

TWIN CITIES, MINN.

Minneapolis has long been known as “the City of Lakes,” and with good reason. There are more than a dozen large lakes within city limits and countless smaller ponds.

On top of all that, you have the Mississippi River, which divides the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

All this water means a lot of fish: musky, walleye, bass, crappie and even pike. Cast a line on a summer’s day or drill through the ice in the winter.

And the fun doesn’t stop once you’re off the water.

If the weather’s fine, take a cycle along the Chain of Lakes. If it’s cold, duck into a café for a hearty brunch or head to America’s largest mall to shop to your heart’s content. In the evening, visit the Guthrie Theater for a slice of high culture. Then, grab a delicious meal at any of the Twin Cities’ many eateries.

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FISHING LABEL

From huge striped bass in Boston Harbor to Quincy Bay’s famous flounder fishery, Boston has great angling right on its doorstep. Head out a little farther, and you can also catch delicious groundfish like pollock and haddock. Up for a real challenge? Venture offshore for a chance at hooking giant bluefin tuna and sharks weighing more than 500 pounds.

With so many fish to choose from, it may be tough to tear yourself away from the water. The city is well worth exploring, though. Walk the Freedom Trail’s cobblestone streets and soak up some revolutionary history. With a wealth of entertainment venues to choose from, you can see a show or catch a gig any night of the week. Wash it all down with a drink in one of the endless trendy bars.

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SAN FRANCISCO

CHARLESTON, S.C..

South Carolina’s oldest city is repeatedly voted America’s friendliest, making its historic streets all the more enjoyable to explore. Once you’ve had your fill of Greek and Gothic Revival architecture, comb the low country marshes in search of monster redfish and flounder. Test your strength against tarpon and bull sharks or fish the reefs for tasty snappers and groupers. You can even head offshore to target sailfish, marlin and yellowfin tuna.

It takes a lot to earn the nickname “Everybody’s Favorite City,” but if any place can pull it off, it’s San Francisco. Whether you’re taking a stroll along Fisherman’s Wharf or riding a vintage streetcar up Market Street, the city has an offbeat charm that’s easy to fall in love with.

San Francisco’s cultural scene is just as impressive, with every genre of music and school of art at your fingertips.

You’re spoiled for choices on the water, too. The San Francisco Bay is home to lingcod, halibut, salmon, sturgeon and striped bass. On the other side of town, the Pacific Ocean holds monster pelagic sharks and delicious albacore tuna. You’ve also got your choice of nearby freshwater lakes full of largemouth bass and rainbow trout.

GETTY IMAGES

BOSTON

A TRUE FISHING ADVENTURE

Stretching above the 55th parallel in Quebec’s Far North, Nunavik is a vast Arctic region covering over 500,000 km2 of wide open spaces, presenting a remarkable display of truly wild tundra, taiga forest and scenic mountains. A thousand miles North of the nearest city and only accessible by plane, this unspoiled region makes the ideal playground for nature lovers in search of a true adventure.

WORLD-CLASS FISHING IN THE LAND OF INUIT The sport fishing opportunities are plentiful in this region bounded by the great water of Hudson Bay to the West and Ungava Bay to the East, and sprinkled by numerous majestic rivers and countless lakes, all teeming with combative big fish such as the unique Arctic char or renowned Atlantic salmon, not to mention an abundance of brook trout and sea-run trout, and enormous lake trout.

With high number and weight quotas for the various fish species, for which catch-and-release is also permitted, you will be able to fish to your heart’s content. And with record trophies weighing from 30 to 45 lbs, any angler willing to make the trip North to cast in Nunavik’s pure and clear waters will be living the dream!

Dropped off by bush plane in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, you can be sure your fishing adventure in Nunavik will be one of a kind! Teasing the region’s river monsters, along with Inuit guides who know the territory, its lakes and rivers like the back of their hand, or sampling the catch of the day with a traditional shore lunch, will add to the authenticity of your experience.

Fishing in an Arctic landscape that’s as unique as it is wild, while partaking in the Inuit way of life at camp, is truly an adventure in its purest form, with memories to cherish for a lifetime!

MUCH MORE THAN JUST FISHING

Surrounded by the spectacular Northern landscape, your camera will be working overtime to create lasting memories of your expedition to Nunavik —as well as proof for your friends to believe your fishing stories!

And, with a little bit of luck and the help of your Inuit guide’s keen eyes, you might even be able to capture the local Arctic wildlife on camera, as caribou migrate across the tundra and small herds of prehistoric muskoxen still roam the area. At sea, curious seals may pop by to greet you, perhaps even whales or a lonesome polar bear.

The bright boreal summer nights will give you the chance to enjoy your stay even longer, bringing the sky to life with endless sunsets and, later in the season, dazzling northern lights.

Come and experience the genuine fishing adventure Nunavik has to offer!

Visit www.nunavik-tourism.com or call 1-855-NUNAVIK (686-2845) toll free to find out more about the various outfitters offering travel packages in this Far North region of Quebec, Canada.

FISHING

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TEXAS

“The Resort City” has the world’s longest pleasure beach and an amazing climate to go with it. When you’re done with the sands, you can take a trip up the Chesapeake Bay for even more coastal beauty.

Get a rod in your hand, and Virginia Beach really comes into its own. The city is the meeting point of the East Coast’s top fish species: redfish, trout, cobia, striped bass, tautog, black seabass — you can catch them all. And that’s just the local waters. Head offshore to find deep canyons full of blue and white marlin, sailfish, bigeye, yellowfin and bluefin tuna.

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CHICAGO

America’s third-biggest city needs no introduction when it comes to culture.

Chicago is famous for its theaters, festivals and genredefining musical heritage.

It’s also the birthplace of deep-dish pizza if all the galleries and gigs get your stomach rumbling.

Fishing in Chicago comes down to a simple choice: lake or river? Lake Michigan’s vast waters hold chinook and coho salmon, brown trout, perch, walleye and more. If you want to keep your feet on dry land, the Chicago River is home to enough largemouth and smallmouth bass to keep even the most serious angler happy.

GETTY IMAGES

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.

“The Metroplex” has a lot more going for it than sharing a name with a Transformer. It’s the largest metropolitan area in the South, one of the biggest business hubs in the country and home to more than 7 million people. No surprise, then, that you can find just about anything here. Museums, galleries, bars, restaurants, theme parks, sports stadiums, rodeos, cattle drives — the list of attractions goes on.

With so much urban sprawl, the one thing you might not expect is great fishing. But the DFW area is riddled with lakes full of every kind of bass imaginable, including striped, white, largemouth and more.

You can also find some giant catfish, and if you really want a challenge, the prehistoric monster known as alligator gar.

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GREAT OUTDOORS

FLOAT YOUR BOAT

OLD TOWN DISCOVERY

New choices in canoe and kayak design will make happy campers out of hunters and anglers

W

hen it comes to fishing and hunting boats, canoe and kayak manufacturers just won’t leave well enough alone. Boatbuilders keep pushing the envelope of hull design. They pack craft with fish-catching accessories and more ways to carry decoys and guns. The result has been a paradigm shift in what a canoe or kayak can be. Lucky you. >

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GREAT OUTDOORS

TOP VIEW

SIDE VIEW

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The Hybrid casting and shooting platform, Canoe/kayak hybrids generally please although I wouldn’t recommend almost no one. Not because of what standing up to shoot. The keel-hulled they are, but because of what they tracks well and seat placement, which are not: not a canoe, not a kayak, is slightly rear of center and stationary, but a cross-pollination sprinkled with superb. features from each design that often And most impressive is the fail to satisfy the one-size-fits-all kayak-style seat. It’s nicely padded for crowd. daylong comfort with an easily adjustThe brand-new Old Town Discovery able back that offers some lumbar 119 Solo Sportsman might be the support. exception. Specifically designed for The boat was roomy and anglers and hunters, the boat comfortable for a 220-pound, is very similar to Old Town’s 6-foot-2 paddler. Initial and popular Discovery 119 DETAILS secondary stability were canoe — both are light to Weight = 56 lbs. good. Designers added two carry and nimble on the Size = 11 ft., 9 in. side storage panels atop the water — with a few distinPrice = $899.99 gunwales flanking the seat. guishing characteristics.

These are about 4 inches by “As anglers and hunters 15 inches with a pair of small ourselves, we found an opstorage slots that will hold a couple portunity to take one of our most of shotgun shells or an extra crankbait cherished canoe chassis and modify or two. While handy, these panels are it in a way that would maximize the mounted on the gunwales and make function and performance for hunting it tricky to slide the boat onto a roof and fishing,” says Ryan Lilly, Old Town rack. marketing manager.

The Solo Sportsman hull is the The result is a highly manageable, three-layer polyethylene construction 56-pound boat that is two-thirds canoe featured on all Old Town Discoverybut with enough double blade-friendly series boats: durable but not features that it handles like a kayak. indestructible. The boat is available in And it is crammed with features three colors — camo, green and blue specifically for sportsmen.

— and has a manufacturer suggested At 11 feet, 9 inches long, and with a retail price of $899.99. I like it.

32.5-inch beam, the Solo Sportsman is stable enough to provide an excellent — GARY GARTH

OLD TOWN DISCOVERY

ANGLE VIEW

The Next Generation called a kayak, but devotees counter that Fishing kayaks have evolved to the point they’re buying these to catch more fish that they really deserve their own boating in more places, not plunge down Class V category, separate from sleek touring whitewater. The level of accessories and kayaks, sit-on-tops for casual cruising and fish-friendly design of Old Town’s latest is whitewater playboats. Old Town’s newest amazing. There are three flush-mounted fleet member, the Topwater 120 PDL, rod holders, a universal transducer exemplifies this. Everything about this mount, a rear cooler well and a 16.5-inch boat has been designed, built, fine-tuned by 10-inch bow hatch to swallow spare and accessorized to put as much fishgear. The pontoon hull design that is catching ability into the paddler’s hands a hallmark of all the Topwater boats as possible. Starting with the fact that is incredibly stable. It’ll float 500 these hands will likely be devoid of pounds of paddler and gear, and a paddle. it enables anglers to stand up The boat is outfitted with DETAILS and cast.

Old Town’s PDL Drive, a Weight = 106 lbs.

Of course, all these bells, pedal-driven system that Size = 12 ft. whistles and boat hull uputilizes a drop-in propeller to Price = $2,149 grades have a few trade-offs. move the boat, leaving the Without the pedal drive, the angler’s hands free to cast, tie 120 PDL weighs 87 pounds. Add knots, crack open a soft drink the prop, and it tops 106 pounds. and, more importantly, fight a fish.

That will make loading the boat a feat Unlike other pedal-driven mechanisms, best fit for two, although with practice a the PDL Drive has both forward and single person could handle the task. reverse capabilities — and you can The boat’s price tag isn’t exactly a switch instantly. It’s saltwater-ready and lightweight, either. But then again, it’s maintenance-free, and can be tipped not really fair to compare the cost of up easily when you need to chase fish a stripped-down touring hull with this in shallow water. Paired with a knobbed luxury-level-trim fishing machine. A boat rudder control, it makes maneuvering like the Topwater 120 PDL opens up new into position and dealing with currents worlds of fishing, whether you drop it on and wind a no-brainer. That leaves your a local lake or a backcountry saltmarsh. brain focused on fishing, and that’s the It’s tough to put a number on the price great advantage of these kayaks. of a new frontier.

Purists might howl that something not powered with a paddle shouldn’t be — T. EDWARD NICKENS

ANGLE VIEW

TOP VIEW

SIDE VIEW

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GREAT OUTDOORS

Coated in a silver metallic paint with custom alloy wheels and decals, the Sofitel package by nuCamp is designed for a glamorous camping experience.

è The next generation of recreational vehicles gets hip

BY DALVIN BROWN

NUCAMP

F

rom small, app-connected campers with retractable flat-screen TVs to large, solar-powered cabins on wheels, young adults can find an influx of innovative recreational vehicles geared specifically toward their interests.

“We have been targeting the millennials over the past few years in an effort to help them understand how RVs fit with what they already enjoy doing and that RVs aren’t the stereotypical vehicle they might imagine ... and it’s working,” says Karen Redfern, vice president of brand marketing and communications for Go RVing, an industry promotion group.

There’s been a wave of niche brands stepping up to offer the high-tech features, flexibility and connectivity that people under 35 desire — most of which are at prices early-career adults can afford.

“It’s a natural evolution,” says Sherman Goldenberg, publisher of RV Business and Woodall’s Campground Management magazines. “Millennials are interested in spending time outside. That has generated a spur in demand for smaller, towable recreational vehicles.”

Here are three to check out:

è

HIT THE ROAD TAG Teardrop Trailers are manufactured by nuCamp RV in Sugarcreek, Ohio, in the heart of Amish Country.

TAG TEARDROP BOONDOCK BY NUCAMP RVS At 2,900 pounds, the BoonDock by nuCamp was designed for off-road adventures. Compact and built with knobby tires, it can easily tackle back roads.

“We’ve seen a giant uptick from the younger market,” says Scott Hubble, CEO of nuCamp. He adds that towability, although not sexy, is the single most important feature for

young adults. “Large RVs aren’t easy to move. Something this size you can store in your garage.”

And starting at $15,000, it’s intended to be affordable for people who are still early in their careers.

The TAG Teardrop also comes in a deluxe model called Sofitel that’s more suited for people interested in glamping.

The Sofitel package is coated in a silver metallic paint and has upscale cabinetry and hardware.

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GREAT OUTDOORS

Nest’s floor plans pack in a surprising amount of features and amenities.

Travel Checklist Ensure you’re following the rules of the road.

è

Parking: Check local regulations for RV parking. Many residential neighborhood homeowner associations allow short-term parking but not overnight.

This fresh take on an old idea is available in two compact models. Both have plenty of inside storage, and the Nest includes a microwave, two-stove burner and a bathroom.

“We’re seeing this group of people who are kind of tired of the big home and the big car,” says Justin Humphreys, chief operating officer of Airstream. “Small is the new big.

Committing to less frees them up for more outdoor experiences.”

At 3,400 pounds, this fiberglass travel trailer is midsize-vehicle friendly. With a minimalist design, it “appeals to the crowd that grew up on Apple,” Humphreys adds.

Using a smartphone app, users can adjust the colors of the interior lighting to change the vibe. Nest starts at $45,900.

è The retromodern Happier Camper HC1 has a huge rear hatch that offers flexibility for any excursion.

HAPPIER CAMPER HC1 “(Millennials) are wearing all these different hats,” says Ryan Edwards, co-founder of Happier Camper. “They want to be a camper during the weekend and an entrepreneur during the week.”

The Adaptiv modular system in the HC1 by Happier Camper allows for a number of interior configurations, so it can be used as a mobile office, sales space or camping unit. The founder

94 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

also says that the tongue of the 13-foot-long solar-powered camper is removable so that it can fit into the standard 10-by-10-foot space allowed for flea markets and trade shows. “(The HC1) is something that can fit in every aspect of their lives,” Edwards says.

In addition to a flexible interior, the camper weighs 1,100 pounds so it’s towable by most vehicles. Packages start at $24,950.

Lighting: The weight of an RV trailer sometimes forces the tow vehicle’s headlights upward — into the eyes of oncoming drivers — which is illegal.

Make sure your headlight alignment is adjusted.

Driving: When driving or pulling an RV, you must stay in the right lane unless you’re passing, preparing to turn or driving off the highway.

Insurance: RV trailers and fifth wheels must be insured, so it’s important to find a specialized policy that covers the trailer at all times, not just when on the road.

According to RV America Insurance, vacation liability provides extended protection while the RV is being used for recreational purposes.

And be sure to check whether your insurance covers unlimited towing, roadside assistance or, in the unfortunate event of an accident, total loss replacement.

Progressive, for instance, covers travel trailers under its Conventional and Enclosed Trailer Insurance policy and Geico offers Travel Trailer Insurance.

— SARA SCHWARTZ

AIRSTREAM; HAPPIER CAMPER

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GO ANYWHERE

Your next hunting/fishing spot awaits!

The 2019 Aurora Huntmaster with its amphibious capability will get you and your buddies along wih all your gear to your secret hunting or fishing spot regardless of terrain. Experience a vehicle like no other. To learn more and find a dealer near you go to argoxtv.com.

THE AURORA 800 HUNTMASTER © 2019 ARGO XTV. Riders must wear an approved helmet, eye protection, protective clothing and when operating in water always wear a personal floatation device. Use handholds and stay completely inside the vehicle. Never engage in stunt driving. Along with concerned conservationists everywhere, ARGO® urges you to respect public and private lands. Ride only on designated areas or trails. Preserve your future riding opportunities by showing respect for the environment, local laws and the rights of others when riding.

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GREAT OUTDOORS

GET IN GEAR Enjoying the great outdoors is better with these accessories for adventure

BY SARA SCHWARTZ

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The eye-catching Sky Arkali by HOKA ONE ONE pushes the hiking shoe concept to the extreme with excellent results. Combining the ruggedness of a hiking boot, the comfort of a running shoe and the grip of a climbing shoe, there’s not much you won’t be able to tackle.

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$200, hokeoneone.com

2 Keep biting bugs at bay with the Thermacell Radius Zone, a small but mighty mosquito repellent.

Operational at any elevation, the Radius protects a 110-square-foot area without insect sprays or lotions.

DEET-free and scent-free.

$49.99, thermacell.com

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3 Stay in touch with the Midland T290VP4 X-talker walkie-talkie, which offers a robust 40-mile range and radio that locks onto your local channel and sends alerts for severe weather.

$89.99, midlandusa.com

4 Weighing less than 3 pounds, the Tiger Wall UL2 mtnGLO tent by Big Agnes is a light addition to your backpack. Incredibly easy to set up, the single-pole design offers two doors, two vestibules and a spacious footprint. A rechargeable embedded LED light strand gently illuminates from above.

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

$449.95, bigagnes.com

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5 The SITKA Gear Hanger Work Henley is a camper’s dream. With Polygiene odor control and Insect Shield treatment, this soft shirt repels mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies and other pesky insects for up to 70 washes.

$79, sitkagear.com

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GREAT OUTDOORS

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You won’t lose your way with Brunton’s Truarc 15, a sighting compass with a full-size mirror that doubles as a survival tool. TruArc Ever-North magnet settles readings faster and won’t lose polarity.

$59.99, brunton.com

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Enjoy the sunset from the comfort of the Big Six camping chair. Lightweight and sturdy, it cradles you comfortably.

$149.95, bigagnes.com

8 The bright yellow Snap-It Salt by Spyderco pairs an excellent camp knife with a clip that attaches to a D-ring or carabiner. Made of rustproof steel, it won’t corrode.

$140, spyderco.com

9 Spot them before they spot you with the lightweight Maven C.2 binoculars.

Waterproof, fogproof and with a scratchresistant lens, this nimble set is perfect for getting a closer look at wildlife, without the elevated heart rate. Offered in 7x and 10x magnifications.

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$200 to $225, shop.mavenbuilt.com 8

10 Cook up a storm with Kinjia, a two-burner stove from Primus. Its compact and light design makes it easy to carry from car to campsite, and removable grids and drip tray make cleanup a breeze.

$189.95, primus.us

The cozy Oxbow River blanket by Filson can keep you toasty by the fire or layered over your sleeping bag. It looks doubly good over the couch in your cabin. Machinewashable and 100 percent cotton.

$185, filson.com

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PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

11 9

Hook on to Russell County!

Russell County, Kansas

Ask us about the Cael Evans Russell County Youth Hunt!

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Guided hunts available!

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GREAT OUTDOORS

CHILL OUT

The blistering sun and rising temps are no match for this warm-weather gear

BY SARA SCHWARTZ

2

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Keep sweat out of your face with Buff’s CoolNet UV+ headband, made from recycled water bottles.

The stretchy and lightweight material wicks moisture and provides 50+ UV protection and odor control.

Cotopaxi’s Crux Active Short breezily moves with you, with fourway stretch fabric in an athletic cut that ensures full range of motion.

Two side pockets and a hidden zippered third hold your essentials.

$65, cotopaxi.com

$15, buffusa.com

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The plastic-free TKPro by Klean Kanteen is built to keep contents ice-cold for up to eight hours. The stainless steel cap allows for a 360-degree pour and included cup makes sharing easy. Available in three sizes.

Stylish and ultra lightweight, Gill’s UV Tec Polo Shirt features 50+ UV sun protection and moisturewicking material, keeping you looking and feeling cool.

$45.95, gillmarine.com

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$39.95 to $49.95, kleankanteen.com

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Cooler heads prevail with Outdoor Research’s Sombriolet sun hat, which boasts vents, UPF 50+ wicking fabric and a wide wind-resistant brim.

Feel the wind on your toes with Chaco’s Banded Z sandals, which offer an extra strap for more stability, comfy footbed, a podiatrist-approved sole and traction for all-day exploration.

$42, outdoorresearch.com 6

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$110, chaco.com

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

1

GREAT OUTDOORS

HOT STUFF

Frigid temperatures and severe weather are no match for this gear

BY SARA SCHWARTZ

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Warmth is necessary in hunting gear, and Milwaukee Tool’s heated gloves and M12 Toughshell jacket embody both. Powered by rechargeable RedLithium USB batteries, they heat up in just 2.5 minutes, providing hours of warmth and have three heat settings.

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Gloves, $179; jacket, $199, milwaukeetool.com

$129.95, bioliteenergy.com

Layering up to keep you warm is a cinch with Buff’s windproof, fleece-lined headwear, which can be worn five ways, including as a knotted cap and neckerchief.

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$31.50, buffusa.com

$579.95 to $619.95, bigagnes.com

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The Darn Tough merino wool sock sits midcalf and won’t slip, bunch or cause blisters. Cozy wool wicks away moisture and keeps feet toasty all winter long.

$24, darntough.com

5 Serious cold weather calls for a serious sleeping bag. The ultralight Crosho UL -20 bag is filled with DownTek, a waterrepellent material that offers comfort and warmth in extreme environments. The contoured hood cradles your head and the bag efficiently packs down and weighs next to nothing.

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With the insulated Axl Trail Boss sleeping pad, you’ll never shiver while snoozing in the outdoors again.

This ultrawarm, highly durable cold-weather pad’s insulation and heatreflective film trap heat and transmit it back to you.

Available in five sizes.

$179.95 to $259.95, bigagnes.com

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

3

The BioLite CampStove 2 burns sticks, wood scraps or pellets to create smokeless flames that can warm you up and charge your gear at the same time. The handy Flexlight illuminates your surroundings and the entire stove packs down to the size of a 32-ounce water bottle.

Make 2020 the year you check off the Bighorn from your fishing bucket list!

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Hunting & Fishing Hunt for Pronghorn, Mule & Whitetail Deer, Shiras Moose and Big horn SHeep!

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LAST WORD

GET OUTSIDE Celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 28 and honor those who love the outdoors.

Learn more at nhfday.org.

PASS IT ON

Take the time to introduce someone to your favorite sport

I

’m sure you remember your first hunting trip.

Mine was a bitter-cold day of pheasant drives across eastern Nebraska. I was 5 and following my father when he killed a springing rooster. On that day, a hunter was born.

Now, 50 years later, I find myself recalling that day and reaching out to aspiring hunters.

I wanted to share the pleasure I found in harvesting game and now find enjoyment in introducing others to this way of life. I have become a mentor. It’s a path more of us need to walk, because hunter numbers are dwindling.

I hunt many seasons, but I love following my German shorthaired pointers in pursuit of

104 HUNT & FISH | SUMMER/FALL 2019

upland birds and waterfowl. Last Suddenly Blitz locked up on year, while perusing an upland point. “Trust your dog,” I say, bird hunting group on Facebook, holding my breath with fingers a local woman asked whether crossed. I knew that young dogs someone would mentor her in can take some time to figure out wild bird hunting. She woodcock. knew nothing about hunt- Emily Shirey No sooner had I said and her ing, but wanted her own that when a woodcock German pointer to do what it was flushed straight up and shorthaired bred to do. I responded to disappeared into the pointer Blitz in Durham her post, and soon Emily timber. “I didn’t even take County, N.C. my gun off my shoulder,” Shirey and I were after woodcock.

Shirey says, laughing. “I We met on local public game didn’t expect a bird to be there.” land with her dog Blitz and my It didn’t matter that she didn’t Annie. Shirey sported brand-new pull the trigger, and it didn’t brush pants, an upland vest and matter that the single woodcock a Weatherby autoloader. She was our only flush of the hunt. beamed as we entered the thick What mattered was that she was creek bottom covert, ducking there, and that I was with her. On and dodging through the thicket. that day, a hunter was born.

MIKE ZLOTNICKI

BY MIKE ZLOTNICKI

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