Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2020-21 i Game & Fish West

It’s almost never difficult to shop for hunters and anglers. We’re tough on gear, which constantly needs to be replaced, and we covet the latest anything, from bullets to boats. Our friends and family should thank us for these character traits, especially during the holiday season, instead of dismissing them as flaws. We make it easy on them. But when it comes to gifts from one hunter or angler to another, I think the best ones I’ve given and received have been something other than items that were boxed and wrapped. Spending time afield or on the water with friends and loved ones, creating moments that will be remembered long after new camo fades and a once-fresh supply of soft-plastic baits is gone, can be the greatest gift of all.…

Things escalated quickly. I proposed a short DIY piece on how to repair a damaged wrap on a rod, and somehow found myself sitting at a table covered with spools of thread, unfamiliar tools, multiple sticky substances (I am not good with sticky substances) and an assignment to build a rod from scratch. I would like to say it went as smooth as Tennessee whiskey, but it didn’t. Nothing ever does the first time you try it, but in the end I had a great custom rod and a newfound hobby. As intimidating as it appeared at first, this rod-building thing is actually pretty easy. The secret is to order a Turnkey Rod Kit from Mud Hole Rod Building & Tackle Crafting ($159.99-$279.99; mudhole.com). The kit comes with all the…

Variety is not just the spice of waterfowl hunting in the West, it’s the whole meal. Part of this variety stems from differences in behavior among available waterfowl species, from puddle ducks to geese. Another part is due to the different kinds of habitat available to western waterfowl outside the traditional lakeside blind set-up. Great alternative hunting comes from grass and grainfields, small ponds that periodically hold migrating ducks and small creeks that serve as resting places for waterfowl on their way south. For hunters, the plentitude of variety generates opportunities, but at the same time demands a wide range of approaches in decoy spreads, hunting tactics and blind-making strategies. The better integrated the hunting approach to the type of waterfowl and the kind of habitat being hunted, the better…

Drift bobbers are a key element of winter steelhead fishing. These little gems add buoyancy to your terminal gear to prevent hang-ups and increase a bait’s visibility, which makes it easier for fish to find it. Scent can be added to these rigs as well, giving you a chance to appeal to a steelhead’s sense of smell as well as its eyesight. Drift bobbers can be fished alone or with bait. A common plunking drift bobber is the Spin-N-Glo. This winged drift bobber offers lift and a lot of movement to a presentation. Drift bobbers come in a range of designs, sizes and colors. Experimenting with these under different water conditions can take your steelhead fishing to a new level.…

Like the largemouth, spotted bass are not native to California or anywhere else in the American southwest. They’re transplants from eastern waters, and they arrived not long after western anglers and fisheries managers realized that California was capable of growing world-class largemouths. Take the right genetics—like those found in Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake, home of numerous world-record spotted bass dating back to the 1960s—and combine them with a food source that really packs on the pounds (rainbow trout and kokanee salmon), and you have a formula for record bass. The last record spot to come from Smith Lake was caught by then-15-year-old Phillip C. Terry in March of 1978. That bass weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and eclipsed the previous record by just over an ounce. Since that time, every…

The very remote Phobane Reservoir is the top largemouth bass fishery in all of Africa, and it lies north of Durban in the Eshowe Hills of South Africa. As facilities are non-existent, the lake has very little fishing pressure. I visited the reservoir on a rainy day and found the largemouths to be very cooperative. Fishing with guide Lionel Crow, I landed a 6-pounder from the beautiful waters. He and I caught several heavy Florida-strain largemouths along the earthen dam lined with rock rip-rap that held back the 8 1/2-mile-long lake. We fished belly-hooked, whacky-rigged soft-plastic baits around a few flooded pepper bushes and down the drops off bluffs with overhanging vegetation. Small minnow-shaped crankbaits and hard- and soft-plastic jerkbaits also fooled some of the Phobane bass. The lake produces…

With age comes wisdom, and wisdom is often the product of mistakes from which you’ve learned. That’s why old guys who’ve been doing things for a long time know stuff. One thing I’ve learned after nearly a half-century of hunting with rifles is that it’s not a good idea to head out on a hunt without some tools you can use to service your rifle. It’s not that rifles break down frequently, but they do often need some care during a hunt. Trying to work on a rifle with the hammer and pliers you keep behind your truck seat never turns out well. Some years back I put together a toolkit that goes with me anytime I’m hunting. I’m not paranoid and I don’t normally hunt with rifles that are…

If you’re like me, Washington, D.C., is as unknowable as the mind of a February gobbler, and as hard to navigate as a coastal estuary at low tide. But so many vital decisions are made in the nation’s capital that we ignore Washington at our peril. Everything from our ability to own and use guns, and access federal land, to funding for keystone conservation programs comes from decisions made there. You’re right if you think your representatives listen more to organized advocacy campaigns than to your lone voice—and vote—back home. The latest election should remove all doubt about the power of collective action. The folks who get paid to think about our nation’s conservation priorities know that, and it’s a lesson they’ve learned the hard way, by being shut out…

Effective crow, raven and magpie decoys can be fashioned from cardboard and foam with some flat black paint.A variety of magpie decoys are sold in garden and feed stores, as well as at online supply houses. Cabela’s offers a pair of crow decoys ($24.99; cabelas.com) with a flocked exterior (above).They comes with metal stands, built-in spring clips and hanging loops for versatility in your presentation. Mojo Outdoors makes another good bird deke. The Mojo Crow ($59.99; mojooutdoors.com) is a motorized option with a dual-shaft, direct-drive motor; an external charging port; molded-in peg; 3-piece pole; and a quick-connect plug for remote capability.…

The first rule of trophy fishing is that you must fish in waters that hold trophies. You can use the best methods and baits ever made, but unless you cast them in the right waters, you will fail to catch exceptional fish. Fortunately, if you’re targeting giant spotted bass and live in the southwestern United States, you’re already in the right neighborhood, and the best waters are close by. What’s more, these waters are proven trophy producers. In fact, they’ve produced multiple world-record spots in recent years, and there’s absolutely no reason to believe that the next world-record spot will come from anywhere else. The biggest spots have come from California’s New Bullards Bar Reservoir in Yuba County, about 90 miles north of Sacramento. Not long ago the lake produced…

Onyx Hydrovore: Clad in Mossy Oak’s Elements Marlin pattern, the Hydrovore jacket and pants feature fully taped seams to keep out the cold and wet as you blast around the lake. This lightweight combo lets anglers layer beneath and shed clothing as the day warms (jacket, $119.99; pants, $99.95; onyxoutdoor.com). Gill Winter Angler: With two-layer fabric construction and 100-percent polyester insulation, this set is meant to be worn without the need to layer up underneath. Both garments feature a durable water repellent finish and have fully taped seams. The jacket has adjustable outer cuffs with inner seals for watertight comfort, while the bib boasts full-length zippered legs and articulated knees with abrasion-resistant panels (jacket, $325; bib, $250; gillmarine.com). —Dr. Todd A. Kuhn…

Shane had taken a 6-point buck earlier that morning, and he brimmed with pride as he and his father pulled into Bailey’s Outdoor Store. The store always bustled with activity during Stonewall County’s 10-day rifle season, and the parking lot was packed. Some folks were buying gear, others were checking in deer per game department regulations or bringing them to be processed, and more were just shooting the bull. Shane and his father backed into the weigh station, and several men and a few boys walked over to the truck to peer into its bed. Bailey’s was holding its annual big buck contest, and other hunters were naturally curious about the new arrival. Just then the store’s owner, Ron Bailey himself, pushed through the front door and with clipboard in…

I am very much a DIY guy. I would even go so far as to say I’m a bit of a DIY snob. Being able to fix things and making stuff last longer than it really should bring me a lot of satisfaction. In a lot of situations, my DIY mentality stems from fiscal responsibility. Put another way, I’m cheap. I refuse to pay someone to handle a task that I should be able to do myself. I also find myself in situations where there is no option for help. That happens a fair bit while hunting. I don’t like to hunt areas near high human populations, so when my truck breaks down or my bow goes off the rails, I need to solve the problem myself. Necessity, as it’s…

It was a cool, quiet morning in early January when we reached the point of entry into Mexico at Douglas, Ariz. Ted Jaycox of Tall Tine Outfitters danced gracefully through the armed guards, paperwork and other formalities that would get us across the border into Agua Prieta—our first steppingstone in the Mexican state of Sonora. After a couple of handshakes, some Spanish small talk and a subtle exchange of American dinero, we were on our way. Fifty miles south, tucked into a hidden fold of the Sierra Madre mountain range, a remarkable destination awaited four eager deer hunters. Just before the bumpy pavement transformed into dusty gravel, we paused to admire a marvelous wall painting on a small building. It was a Coues deer, standing tall and regal with a…

I’ve often said that Murphy, of Murphy’s Law fame, was a bowhunter, because a million and one things can go wrong with a compound bow at exactly the wrong time. If you’ve shot a compound much you know what I mean. You’ve got it perfectly tuned with your hunting arrows, the sight pins are dialed in like a laser bomb sight, it draws smoothly and quietly—and then a small part breaks and suddenly the bow’s accuracy is compromised. That’s not a big problem if you’re on the practice range back home, but if you’re in the field, even the littlest problem can ruin a hunt. Well-equipped bowhunters can make quick repairs to minor troubles on the spot. This requires having the right tools and parts handy. Many archers use a…

Over the years, one piece of evidence at a time, the connection between coyotes and scavenging birds has become clear to me. Way back in the tall timber we stopped to make the first call of the morning. We were new at the game, the snow was deep and the day was cold. A minute into the call, a pair of ravens showed up. Moments later, a coyote charged in. On another winter day, I saw a bobcat alongside the road and there was a raven with it, watching. On a November elk hunt, I shot a coyote that had a magpie following it like they were attached by a string. Once, as I was calling under the light of the moon, an owl almost grabbed the rabbit-fur hat off…

A few years back, I was wrapping up a winter steelhead seminar when one of the audience members asked a good question. “Would you rather master one technique, or be good at several?” I replied without hesitation, just as I have when asked that question on multiple occasions before and since: Be good at several. I’ve been fishing for winter steel-head for more than 50 years and I’m a firm believer in tackle diversification. When I talk about “covering water,” I’m talking about fishing a single hole or stretch of water as thoroughly as I can, not hole-hopping and using just one or two techniques. Presenting fish with an assortment of offerings can be the difference between catching fish and not catching fish. You could be the world’s best bead…

The spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) was first identified by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1819. Since then, the species has been subdivided and shuffled. For several decades, there was the northern spot (M. punctulatus punctulatus, 1819), the Wichita spot (M. punctulatus wichitae, 1940) and the largest of the group, the Alabama spotted bass (M. punctulatus henshalli, 1940). One or more sub-species are found in 27 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The Wichita spotted bass was invalidated a few years back, and the Alabama spot was recently redesignated as the Alabama bass (M. henshalli). It’s certainly true that not all of these “spotted bass” are created equal, but it’s certain that the Alabama bass is the biggest and the one that tops the record books.…

Across the West, the best areas to hunt big deer are almost universally managed by controlled hunts, and the odds that you will draw the hunt you want are often discouragingly long. By this time of year, many hunters have accepted the sad reality that their deer hunting is done for the season. But all is not lost if you’re willing and able to head to Arizona and hunt with a bow. Here residents and nonresidents can purchase an over-the-counter (OTC) hunting license and deer tag—good for either a buck muley or Coues deer—in nearly every game management unit (GMU) in the state, save for a few premium areas like those on the Kaibab Plateau and the Arizona Strip. Not only that, season dates are generous: In 2020, the open…

The group of eight hippos that were frolicking near the shallows of South Africa’s Lake Jozini didn’t seem to notice us approaching in two small boats. My guide Lionel Crow and I closely watched their ears and eyes bob along the surface as the barrel-shaped mammals quietly moved into the area adjacent to the shoreline where we were fishing. They were unaware of our presence—or so we thought. Then three aggressive bulls turned toward our personal watercraft and raised their heads another 6 or 8 inches as they stared our way. They ducked under the surface and came up snorting and blowing water from their noses. “Be ready. They may charge!” Lionel yelled from his boat, as the hippos dipped under the surface and moved toward us, increasing the intensity…