Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Game & Fish South

With fall on the way we all want to be in the woods and on the water more now than during the sweltering weather of the summer dog days. While the higher price of gas and products in general may cause us to cut back on trips, there are some things we can do to keep costs down while still enjoying our favorite pursuits. This issue contains three good examples. On page 14, Tony Hansen lays out a plan for dealing with increased pressure when hunting public land. He gives some smart advice, and you may want to consider it instead of writing off that piece of public ground just down the road. Don’t assume you can’t find success there. Some homework and a smart strategy to avoid the crowd could…

When it comes to small game hunting, nothing beats a .22 rifle. Not only is it virtually recoil free, it’s also not excessively loud. And, with the right ammunition, it’s small game capable out to 100 yards or so. A major online retailer lists more than 100 different loads for the .22 LR. Obviously, hunters will be concerned with things like energy, bullet upset and penetration—especially depending on the animal being hunted. Conversely, if you’re head-shooting squirrels, just about any bullet will do. What matters most in that scenario is how close the bullet will land to your point of aim. TWO TESTS I recently conducted a test to discover what the most precise-shooting .22 LR load was in my favorite rifle. I wanted to know which load would give…

Sean Manning admits the growth of his group, the American Carp Society, was slow to start. Founded in 2002 with concentrations of membership in California, Texas and New York, the group now has members in nearly every state along with a significant foreign membership. Little wonder the rest of the world is interested in American carp angling. From eastern Europe to China, sport anglers pursue carp with the sort of intensity that their countrymen reserve for soccer. These international advocates have been mystified that the sport—or species—hasn’t taken hold in the U.S., which arguably has some of the world’s best carp waters and abundant public fishing access. Manning hopes to change that by rehabilitating the image of the common carp, a non-native species that has been “naturalized” in the U.S.…

Outfitted hunts are the most hassle-free choice. The province has tons of outfitters. In fact, Tourism Saskatchewan (tourismsaskatchewan.com) lists 56 that offer waterfowl hunting. I may be slightly biased here, but it’d be hard to find one better than Tyler Mann at Saskatchewan Goose Company. The guy loves hunting ducks and geese and works hard to keep clients on birds. He’s hunted them since he was 12 and has lived and guided in Saskatchewan the past 11 years, so he’s established relationships with many area landowners. The fields he hunts are at the top of the Central Flyway where forest meets agricultural fields. The lodge is also top-notch, with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a comfortable lounging/social area and a kitchen that turns out delicious, hearty meals. Mann only hosts one…

Bienville Plantation is now Bienville Outdoors, but that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the changes at this north Florida lunker bass destination. After decades in the spotlight as America’s premier private trophy factory, it now seems that Bienville’s future is even brighter than its glorious past. The 11,000-acre property is under new ownership that clearly has its sights set on regaining some of the luster lost in recent years when previous ownership put a spotlight on things other than fishing. New owners Adam Baker and Chris King are focused on the fishing, and priority number-one is making the 18 lakes on the property as productive as they can be. To that end, they’re making all the right moves. The two are working with fisheries…

The herd of Roosevelt elk emerged from the mountainous timber, just as Dad said they would when he left me sitting there. Cautiously they walked single-file, broadside, 100 yards away. The little creek in the massive ravine separating us was overflowing its banks and roaring from recent rains, typical of the Oregon Coast Range in November. The elk slowly moved along the trail, getting closer with each step. Intense rain bounced off the hood of my rain jacket, and my hands looked cold due to the death grip I had on the old .30-06 that belonged to my late grandfather. I didn’t feel cold or wet. Adrenaline alleviated any discomfort. Six … seven … nine. I counted elk as they slipped from the dense Douglas firs, lining out one-by-one. Through…

With fall on the way we all want to be in the woods and on the water more now than during the sweltering weather of the summer dog days. While the higher price of gas and products in general may cause us to cut back on trips, there are some things we can do to keep costs down while still enjoying our favorite pursuits. This issue contains three good examples. On page 14, Tony Hansen lays out a plan for dealing with increased pressure when hunting public land. He gives some smart advice, and you may want to consider it instead of writing off that piece of public ground just down the road. Don’t assume you can’t find success there. Some homework and a smart strategy to avoid the crowd…

I consider myself a student of the hunting game—as such, I am acutely aware of trends in our sport. One I’ve noticed over the last few years is the dramatic increase of interest in public land hunting. As most know, I am a big fan of public land hunting, having spent the majority of my formative years tromping there. Another trend developing is the dramatic decline in the popularity of outdoor “television” and the way it is consumed. Most of today’s hunting programming is no longer delivered via traditional television, but to millions of mobile phone screens via video sharing platforms, like YouTube for instance. Here, you will find no shortage of public land content rife with detailed how-to and where-to information. More often than not, the state being hunted…

This was insanity. We’d just sat back down inside the blind after retrieving birds, and already a new group of 20 or 30 ducks was locked onto our spread and dropping down to make their approach. The birds sucked gently closer to our decoys, seemingly pinning themselves to some unseen board in the sky. Tyler Mann, our guide and the owner/operator of Saskatchewan Goose Company in north-central Saskatchewan, shouted the order to take them. The pea field erupted as eight of us popped out of an A-frame blind and released a barrage at the perfectly decoying birds. Mallard after mallard fell from the air. It was the third such volley we’d unleashed on our first evening hunt in Saskatchewan, and an impressive pile of ducks was accumulating behind the blind.…

September is the itchy month, the twitchy month, when the first cool mornings give you the feeling that you just can’t stand it indoors a moment longer. It’s time to flee the hardtop and the AC; pick up a rod or gun; hit the woods, water or swamp; and get outside. Summer is in the rear-view, autumn is coming fast and these picture-perfect days won’t last. Big game, small game, saltwater, fresh—it just about doesn’t matter now that it’s September. Time to scratch the itch. 1 ’BAMA’S FIRST-CRACK RABBITS While many rabbit seasons in the South don’t come in for another month or two, Alabama’s bunny opener is in early September. If you love chasing dogs chasing rabbits and listening to a chorus of hounds on a hot track, you…

A few years ago, I was pre-fishing a couple of small lakes with my tournament partner in preparation for a local bass club event. Neither of us had ever fished either lake. There were no marinas on them to promote the fishing. The remote lakes had received little acclaim and were far from major highways. They had a combined total of about 3,000 surface acres, which is a substantial amount of water to thoroughly cover in 4 or 5 hours. My partner and I reasoned we needed to do some on-the-water investigation to locate prime bass spots. The first lake had an irregular, grass-lined shore. It was connected to the second lake, which was deep, circular and lined with bulrushes. Upon close inspection, I noticed the height of the rushes…

The “Summer of Love” is what the media called the summer of 1967, when hippies converged on San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district and “sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll” became a part of the nation’s vernacular. I was in high school not too far from the Haight back then, and I think back on those days every summer when I start scouting whitetails. In the deer world, every summer is a summer of love, with bucks and their velvet antlers hanging together in what are commonly referred to as “bachelor groups.” Once the velvet comes off and the hormones kick in, they won’t be able to stand one another any longer, but for now the bromance is strong. If you understand this dynamic and learn how to use it to your…

When the first European explorers reached Florida in the 16th century, they came looking for gold, silver, even the Fountain of Youth. What they found was alligators, snakes and humidity—no precious metals or mystical waters. After a few hundred years, Florida was basically written off by treasure seekers. Then, in the early 1800s, the British realized that phosphorous promotes growth in both plants and animals. They used bones (which contain phosphorous) as an agricultural fertilizer. Later, scientists discovered that phosphate rock is a more abundant source of phosphate. But where to find it? It turns out that Florida is rich in phosphate, and the state now supplies about 80 percent of the nation’s phosphate needs and about 25 percent of the world’s phosphate demands. The mining process for phosphate requires…

THE GUN: No one in their right mind would ever call the Winchester XPR Stealth SR an elegant rifle, but no one in their right mind would ever take an elegant rifle bear hunting, either. Instead, the XPR Stealth SR is a workhorse—precisely what you need in the thick, nasty woods that Maine’s black bears inhabit. The rifle features a forest-green composite stock, the bolt has a nickel-Teflon coating and the receiver and threaded barrel both wear a black Perma-Cote finish. A Picatinny-style rail comes mounted and optic-ready. Aside from its ruggedness, what I appreciated most about the rifle was how nimble and handy it was, whether carrying it through dense cover or while in the cozy confines of a ladder stand. Weighing just 6 1/2 pounds, the rifle’s overall…

When Shane was in third grade, a representative from Boy Scouts of America gave a presentation during lunch, and Shane immediately signed up. The following Wednesday evening he attended his first Cub Scout meeting, held at the house of a classmate whose mom was the den mother. After orientation and roll call, the boys began making bird feeders. Later the den mother mentioned a campout that would take place in the fall, where the boys would put to use all the skills they’d learned until then. Shane couldn’t wait. At the next meeting, however, Shane was somewhat disappointed when, rather than learning how to make a fire or build a lean-to, the Scouts resumed work on their bird feeders. The weather was gorgeous, and Shane dearly wanted to be outside…

Twice I hunted a prime spot last duck season and failed to fire a shot. I first tried an A-frame blind tucked into a tree line and then a layout blind in the open. The first blind was too tight to heavy cover, which ducks avoided. The second blind had a footprint that was too big and hard to conceal, so ducks flared. As ducks continued to land in the flooded field by the thousands, my wheels kept turning. That’s when I decided to build my own, single-panel, low-profile blind. On the first hunt with my homemade blind, I limited in 15 minutes. The following hunt I watched more than 700 ducks land in the decoys, but I didn’t shoot for the first five hours because I was seeking a…

Soft plastics are remarkably effective for bass in a wide variety of situations, but since they’re mostly fished on single hooks, choosing just the right hook is critical for success. Sizing the hook correctly means not only selecting the right numeric size, but also the right gauge of steel. Bass hooks range in size from 1 to 7/0, from the very heavy wire designs used in flipping hooks to the very light—but very quick to penetrate—designs used for wacky rigs, Ned rigs and dropshotting. A hook that’s too big or too heavy kills the action of a soft plastic, while one that’s too small and too short won’t hook fish. That said, the right shape or style of hook is probably the most important factor of all. Here’s a basic…

Trees offer a tremendous amount of information to the alert angler. The species, height and location where they are growing offer clues to their surroundings. Here are some things to look for next time you’re on the water. 1. Cypress trees tend to grow in low, predominantly wet areas. Low areas are typically shallow with slowly tapering bottoms. 2. Pine tree-lined banks are usually on higher ground, denoting deeper channels adjacent to their root system. Low, marshy areas seldom sustain large trees or provide quick drop-offs. 3. Large trees (like oaks) growing along a bank are usually a good indication of stable water conditions. Firmer bottoms and sharper drops can be expected. 4. Swampy shorelines have water levels that often fluctuate and do not allow most types of large trees…

It’s odd that we call jumbo redfish “bulls” when you consider that they are all females. Be that as it may, the best time of the year to catch one throughout the Southeast is from August through October. The fish show up en masse around beach sloughs, passes, inlets and the deep edges of the flats as they move in from offshore waters to spawn. Hit it right and it’s not uncommon to see a “redfish wave” build on the edge of the flats as a school of 20- to 30-pounders pushes along at speed looking for mullet. At the jetties and inlets, fish to 50 pounds cruise and feed on menhaden and whatever else comes in front of them. Sometimes they actually give the water a reddish tint. During…

So, not everyone in your family is interested in catching giant bass? You say that piscatorial pursuits are not their personal priority, but they still want to be entertained? Bienville Outdoors has the answers for almost any visitor. “In addition to the chance to see a lot of Florida’s natural beauty,” says site manager Tim Rode, “we have plenty of other outdoor activities that have recently been added to our mix.” These include volleyball, tetherball, pickleball, kickball, 16-inch softball (no gloves required), cornhole, horseshoes and a beautiful fire pit. Plus, it won’t be long before Bienville adds camping, trail riding and even a small golf area. However, visitors don’t have to be outdoorsy to enjoy time at Bienville. The cabins are comfortable, with Wi-Fi and satellite TV, and the food…

Nathan Theriault’s OMM Outfitters (the “OMM” stands for “Old Mill Marina”) operates out of the historic Eagle Lake Sporting Camps, situated high on a bluff on the northern shore of the eponymous lake. Established in 1889, the camp was once a destination for titans of industry from New York and Boston and now hosts hunters from all over the country in pursuit of big Maine moose and bears. In addition to several comfortable bunk houses, a separate building houses the kitchen and dining room where guests enjoy hearty, homecooked meals. A lodge offers a pool table, dart boards and other ways to while away time not spent chasing bears. Eagle Lake boasts good fishing for landlocked Atlantic salmon, lake trout and brook trout. OMM also offers excellent grouse hunting and…

Those of us who venture into the backcountry typically recognize that we are responsible for our own safety. Having a way to protect ourselves against predators of both the four- and two-legged kind should always be part of our plan. Handguns often serve in this role for anglers, bowhunters and even rifle hunters who want a secondary means of stopping a threat. They are portable and potent, as long as we spend the amount of training time necessary to become proficient with these tools. We have a wide variety of options in handguns that are up for the task. From 1911-style pistols and polymer-framed models to revolvers, there is no question that today’s handguns are rich in features for outdoor enthusiasts. Some, in fact, are designed with a strong nod…

I’m a skeptical guy. I don’t know if it’s my Show-Me State upbringing or just the experiences of my life, but usually when I hear a claim made, I find that I need to see it for myself to believe it. So, this past summer when Teri Quinn, marketing director for FeraDyne Outdoors, started talking up the new Covert Optics 10x42 binocular, I was somewhat reserved. It was the middle of June, and we were in Texas hunting exotics—aoudad, axis deer, blackbuck and the like. We were between morning and evening sits, and the temperature was hovering right about 100 degrees. In all honesty, maybe I wasn’t reserved so much as too lethargic to speak. In any case, Quinn described the bino as one of the best value-for-the-money offerings in…