Freshwater Fishing
Options and benefits
Complementing the umbrella rig’s benefit of quantity, you also have an amplified element of experimentation.[…]
Statewide LA
Freshwater Fishing
Rig roundup
Similar to its bass-market counterparts, the multi-bait crappie rig has seen rapidly expanding creativity. Local models and homemade jobs are many, but here are a handful of commercial models:[…]
Deer Hunting
Missed opportunities
Nothing bums me out more than going on a deer or turkey hunt, doing everything right, have the targeted animal come into range and then miss.[…]
Deer Hunting
Take-home message
The lessons from the track record of these bucks can be summed up as follows:[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Tippets
For fly anglers, January can be the worst of times, the best of times. It all depends on the weather and if you prefer quality over quantity.[…]
Deer Hunting
Patience, flexibility key to effective management
Many hunters claim they would like to kill trophies, while at the same time making hunting all about the numbers. What these hunters don’t understand is that quality deer require time to develop, and that means sacrifices have to be made.[…]
Deer Hunting
Keep records to track progress
Detailed and meticulous records are vital tools for clubs wanting to raise the bar, Anderson-Tully Lumber Company biologist Mike Staten said.[…]
Sidebars
Tinkering with the rig
Little things make big differences in all hunting.
Let’s face it: Hunters who succeed time after time — as well as those that don’t — do 99 percent of everything the same. They get up at the same time, shoot the same guns, wear the same clothes, hunt the same areas and use the same calls and attractants.[…]
Deer Hunting
Protein could produce bigger bucks
As we drove off the property, Greg Hackney and I passed a large flat-bed trailer being towed to the club’s camp. On that trailer were sacks of protein.[…]
Recipes
Quackers on the barbie
Ducks and geese have to be the most difficult of all game animals to cook. They have a reputation for being strong and gamey — almost “livery” in taste.[…]
Deer Hunting
Habitat a major issue
One of the biggest benefits to proper deer management is a sustainable population of deer.[…]
Sidebars
Speedy breasting in the field
Hunters who plan to only use the breasts of their ducks have little need to clean and transport whole birds from the field or camp to their home.[…]
Deer Hunting
Shoot or don’t shoot?
Someone who has never hunted property holding numbers of racks would have a heart attack on Greg Hackney’s club trying to decide if a deer was a shooter or not.[…]
Bass Fishing
Where to fish for prespawn bass
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Cliff Crochet described the prespawn zone as those major stopping points bass utilize before heading into their spawning areas. It’s difficult, he said, to define a specific depth because the range varies by location and habitat.[…]
Bass Fishing
Adjust when bass fishing late-season cold fronts
When late-season cold fronts put prespawners in a foul mood, just remember that, despite the interruptive nature of a temperature drop and the dreaded bluebird post-front day, the fish still want to eat.[…]
Freshwater Fishing
Time to Troll
A veteran long-liner, crappie tournament pro Mark Williams likes to mix things up and dial in what the fish want.[…]