Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i Field & Stream

YOU KNOW the subsonic rimfire rounds so useful for quietly knocking off a varmint in the squash patch? Well, you can roll your own centerfire ammo that’s almost as quiet. And not just for your .300 Blackout AR. You can make subsonic loads for any of your favorite centerfire hunting rifles and use them to take varmints, predators, and even hogs and deer. There is a trick to it, though. With common gunpowder, it’s generally not safe to underload highpower centerfire cartridges like the .270 or .308 so much that their projectiles move slower than the speed of sound. You need to use something else: namely, Hodgdon Trail Boss. Introduced just over a decade ago for cowboy-action shooters who wanted to shoot really light handloads, Trail Boss is an extremely…

Q: Which would you choose for mule deer, pronghorns, and elk: the .280 Rem., .257 Wby. Mag., 26 Nosler, or 28 Nosler? —CODY ROCCA, SACHSE, TEXAS A: Unless you’re planning to shoot them from the adjacent time zone, I’d go for the .280 Remington. It’s mild mannered, well behaved, and absolutely lethal. The others breathe fire and flames and deafen birds flying far overhead. Q: I’m torn between the .300 Win. Mag. and .300 RUM for a North American big-game gun. Is the extra velocity of the .300 RUM worth the extra recoil? —JOSIAH WISE, HAVELOCK, N.C. A: In a word, no. The .300 Win. Mag., which is now taking over from the .308 as our official sniper cartridge, is considered effective to 1,500 yards. If you want to shoot…

THE EXPERT: R.J. DICK LOCATION Holland, Mich. AWARDS Four-time world-champion goose caller YEARS CALLING 10 FAVORITE CALL Bill Saunders I5 KLR (billsaunderscalls.com) CHECKLIST THINK BEYOND THE CLUCK The train, the turkey, and the spit note are advanced sounds. They are deadly on geese that have heard all the regular routines and need something different. I use them all the time. The nasty guttural sounds of a train mimic that of a goose on the ground, and turkey and spit notes sound like birds coming in to land. I’ve seen these sounds make pressured geese fully commit on days when hunting is tough. RAISE A RACKET On nasty-weather days and days when migrating geese are showing up, flying high out of the north, you can often call hard and loud to…

1 THE GUN RUGER MARK IV 22/45 TACTICAL This tactical version of Ruger’s legendary .22 pistol has a threaded 4.4-inch barrel with rails on top and underneath. You probably don’t need a tactical flashlight for squirrel hunting, but it could come in handy for shooting big bullfrogs in the off-season. $530; ruger.com 2 THE SCOPE LEUPOLD VX-3 HANDGUN 2.5– 8x32MM For precision squirrel shooting, a variable-power pistol scope makes sense, since you can dial up to 8X and clearly see a squirrel’s head high in a hickory tree. Without the suppressor, this scope will probably hang over a 4-inch gun’s muzzle. Choose your barrel length accordingly. $715; leupold.com 3 THE SUPPRESSOR SILENT LEGION RIMFIRE DIRECT THREAD Trust me, you’ll be shooting this pistol a bunch, and it’ll be surprisingly loud,…

MORE RESULTS SEE HOW THREE OTHER MODELS FINISHED, P. 82 1 BEST OF THE TEST AND BEST BARGAIN Bergara B-14 HMR SCORE: 93 • $1,150 • bergarausa.com SPECS: 6.5 Creedmoor • 9 lb. 3 oz. • 41.5" overall length • 24" barrel • Adjustable composite stock Bergara’s custom shop in Georgia is staffed by craftsmen who either built rifles for the Marines when they were in the Corps, or did it as civilians. Marines like their rifles to shoot and get very cranky if they don’t. The rifles that come out of the custom shop are (a) expensive and (b) perfect. The Model B-14 HMR, which is about one-quarter the price of a custom Bergara, is not expensive, and it’s not perfect. There’s more of a gap between the barrel…

In 2017, Atlantic Flyway duck hunters will get their first two-bird daily bag limit on black ducks in more than 30 years. Lawrence Mauck, a pro staffer for Banded, is from Rich mond, Va., and has been hunting these notoriously wary ducks his whole life. “To many hunters,” he says, “shooting a black duck is special; it’s even better than shooting a trophy whitetail buck.” GET SALTY Black ducks have a limited geographical range. Though you might see one in a beaver pond in the Mississippi Flyway, they’re best known as denizens of the Northeast, particularly along the coast. Mauck hunts them on a tidal marsh that drains into the Chesapeake Bay. “When I’m hunting black ducks specifically, I’m looking for a creek or marsh with connections to a larger…

• THE SEASON • SPORTSMAN’S NOTEBOOK • RIFLES • THE TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN • SHOTGUNS • ASK PETZAL THERE WAS A HOLLOW, clattering explosion. Then plastic parts went flying through the air—an ear, a leg, a head. It was too much. I was already rattled, shaking like crazy at what would be my first bow buck. But when he lowered his head and freight-trained my decoy, smashing it to pieces, everything stopped for a second. I stood there, frozen, holding the bow at my side like an idiot, thinking, What just happened? The buck seemed to be in a similar state. He’d spotted the fake almost immediately, closed fast, and circled downwind. Then he’d pinned his ears, tipped his white 8-point rack at the decoy’s flank, and barreled right through the…

A CUT ABOVE Atop any traveling big-game hunter’s gear list is a no-fail fixed-blade knife. With a 1?4-inchthick, 51?2-inch-long D2 tool steel drop-point blade, full Cerakote finish, and textured CNCmachined G-10 or Canvas Micarta grip panels, the Freeman Outdoor Gear Model 451 “Little Beast” Field Knife will outlive you, no matter where your adventures take you. $250; freeman outdoor gear.com BOTTOM FEEDER There are many utensils out there, but the Sea to Summit Long Spork has enough reach to scrape the crusty deliciousness from the bottom of a Mountain House bag. $9; seatosummitusa.com FIX ANYTHING A multitool is a traveling hunter’s must-have. The Leatherman Rebar has 17 tools including a knife, saw blade, file, pliers, and several screwdriver bits. $60; leatherman.com SEE IT ALL One of the best deals in…

CONGRATULATIONS ON your new Aggravated Assault 9000 crossbow by Neuro- Toxin! The AA represents a previously unknown level of technological innovation that will not be surpassed for 12 months. At which time, some other maker’s sexier cosmetics and 2 fps gain in speed will make this thing seem like a 2002 Pontiac Aztek. But let’s not spoil the fun just yet! The AA’s composite laminated limbs incorporate carbon fiber, fiberglass, and a proprietary silicone polymer that, as a kid, you knew as Silly Putty. When the limbs fail—which, fair warning, happens—Silly Putty helps them do so quietly, so you don’t spook the game that, well, you couldn’t shoot anyway. The forged magnesium- plutonium riser is licensed exclusively to NeuroToxin and is illegal in many states. But that very toxicity also…

Mock scrapes are no secret among deer hunters. But most of us are too conservative when we construct them, limiting ourselves to a single scrape under a lone overhanging branch. Mocks that have additional licking branches and plenty of space for multiple scrapes attract more deer. The trouble is, most trees don’t feature more than one potential licking branch, and ideal mock-scrape trees often don’t grow where we want them. Mega mocks solve all these problems. They provide multiple licking branches, with lots of space for scraping, and—best of all—you can usually place them where you want them. Here’s how to make one. SELECT THE SITE Like a standard mock, megas are more successful when placed in areas with high deer traffic: trail junctions [1], terrain funnels, and field-edge corners.…

As the rut approaches, hunters dig out their grunt tubes and can calls and get to work. Problem is, most blind call to little effect. There’s no doubt that speaking deer language works, but not so well when you just prattle on randomly. As with any good conversation, you need to read the situation and say the right thing at the right time. Here’s how. JUST THE BOYS SITUATION: Two or three bucks are hanging out in the same corner of a food plot or working down a wooded ridge in a rough single file. BEST CALL: Short contact grunt. WHY IT WORKS: Even though these bucks are hanging together like buds, one of them is definitely the top dog. Just one grunt from a stranger should fire him up,…

PHOTOGRAPHER: BRIAN GROSSENBACHER LOCATION: DESCHUTES RIVER, OREGON On this clear October morning, Mia Sheppard exhibited her awardwinning Spey cast using a double-handed rod along the Deschutes River in northern Oregon. Photographer Brian Grossenbacher, impressed by Sheppard’s fly-casting precision, says he felt comfortable slowly moving in to snap this super upclose shot—the last photo he took that day. “The fly was literally inches away from my face, but Mia is so consistent and controlled,” Grossenbacher says. “I never felt nervous getting closer.” Sheppard first began Spey casting in 2001. It’s ideal for steelhead, which happen to be her favorite fish to catch. “When I hook into a steelhead, there’s a moment where I lose control, then gain it again,” Sheppard says. “It’s pretty humbling.” A passionate conservationist, she and her husband,…

URING THIS transitional time of year, it’s not uncommon for one day of lights-out action to be followed by a total skunking. Even traditional methods of predicting fish behavior like tracking fronts, weather, and pressure changes don’t always help you get on the bite now. There is no question that every species of fish needs to pack on weight for the long winter. Despite this fact, species like muskies, smallmouths, trout, and crappies can be reluctant to hit artificial lures as the waters cool in autumn. The solution? Ditch the plastic and go all in with live bait. These four presentations will get mouths open when every hard bait produces nothing but hard luck. MUSKIES THE SUCKER PUNCH Big muskies need lots of calories with winter approaching because as soon…

WATER SLOSHES over the tops of my low-top hikers where the aspen thicket hugs the edge of a bog. Here and there, chalky white splashes spattered over the leaf litter remind me to stay ready. What I need are rubber boots, perhaps even the very rubber boots I packed for this trip, laid out with my gear last night, then completely forgot when I left early this morning. Five minutes into the hunt, my feet are soaked. Fortunately, mid-October weather in Wisconsin is mild. In fact, it’s perfect. Cool, not cold. Enough leaves remain on the trees to add a little bit of fall color, though not so many that you can’t see to shoot. Geese and sandhill cranes pass overhead. All the gas stations nearby are stocked with the…

[1] Big Country: Alberta Moose Logistics: Once you secure a moose tag from your outfitter, you just need a passport to get into Canada, the proper paperwork to get a firearm across the border, and a Wildlife Identification Number (WIN) card to hunt Alberta. Price: $5K–$7K [2] Record-Book Bruins: Northern Saskatchewan Black Bear Why You Should Go: Huge swaths of northern Saskatchewan are only accessible by boat or plane. Up there, most black bears die of old age. A few outfitters are pioneering into areas where bears have never been hunted. This region has the genetics for giant boars; it may be the best opportunity anywhere to shoot a true trophy-class black bear. Logistics: The best hunting is in June. Licenses are only available through an outfitter. Hunters fly into…

You can make noise on a call. A quack. A honk. A cluck. Like most hunters, you’re just skilled enough to get some passing ducks and geese to look at your spread. But also like most waterfowlers, you’ve never put in the time to truly master the art. The best callers don’t just win contests. They shine in the field, too, coaxing migrating geese from on high and turning wary ducks with just the right note. To improve your routine this fall, we asked four champion callers to share their best advice for hunters who can blow a call—but want to do it better.…

CENTERFIRE SHOOTOUT 2017 Back in May F&S rifles editor David E. Petzal and deputy editor Dave Hurteau met me at my home shooting range in the West Virginia hills to test 20 new rifles for 2017. Not so long ago, a year’s crop of new rifles all looked and functioned enough alike to test them all together, in a single group. Not anymore. Given today’s specialization, spawned by the rise of the AR and surging interest in long-range and tactical shooting, the first thing we did was split our test models into three categories: sporting, MSRs, and long-range/tactical bolts. Then, over the course of four days, we generated roughly five gallons of brass, shooting the test rifles at distances from 10 to 500 yards—not to mention a few shots at…

When duck hunters talk spreads, there’s always more mention of fishhooks and pairs than coots. That’s one reason coot rigs work so well; few people ever bother with them. But these decoys attract ducks for a number of other reasons, too. Here’s why you should try the coot surprise this season. DISTANT PROFILE Ducks have excellent eyesight. But from a distance, decoys look to them the same as they do to us: black objects with a ducklike profile. Coot decoys are black and duck-shaped, so if anything, they show up better from afar. FOOD Coots feed on the same aquatic vegetation that many ducks prefer. And they’re messy. As they feed, they dredge up mud and invertebrates, and puddle ducks know this. They’ll drop right in to take advantage of…

You’ve been there. The calendar says you should be seeing big deer acting crazy. But you hunt your best spots, and instead of electric action you get a yawn fest. Lone fawns meander past, looking lost. Little bucks cruise around, acting only a little silly. But the big guys that you know are nearby remain no-shows. There is good news, though, and it’s this: The whitetail rut is extremely dynamic. Although we tend to think of it as ramping up and winding down simultaneously across entire regions, whitetail breeding doesn’t actually unfold like that. Whether it’s because some does cycle a little earlier or later than their local cousins, or because a hot food source is pulling does, and therefore bucks, to a slightly different area, the result is the…