Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2018 i Outdoor Life

Lower Blue River, CO / May 17 / 2:37 p.m. The paradox of a fishing guide’s life is this: You become a guide for the love of fishing, but you don’t get to fish as often as you’d like. Your job is to help others fish. This is true of Colorado guides Matt West and John Muir, who spend their days off back on the river. Here, West tries to control a flopping rainbow as Muir readies the net as backup. “That’s one of the bigger fish Matt has caught in Colorado,” photographer Matt Shaw says. “That’s the fish you float that section for.” LETTERS@OUTDOORLIFE.COM…

Since its introduction in 1936, the Winchester Model 70 featured heavily in Jack O’Connor’s columns. O’Connor reflected on the origins of his relationship with it, writing in 1964: “My experience with the Model 70 actually goes back to the fall of 1925 when I bought my first Winchester Model 54 in .270 caliber. The Model 54 was really sort of a primitive Model 70, or the Model 70 is a refined Model 54.” Here’s a look at his writings on a rifle that found its way into his heart—and on his hunts—many times over. JANUARY 1940 GETTING THE RANGE The stock on the Model 70 Winchester—successor to the old Model 54—has good fore-ends, satisfactory drop at comb and butt, and a good, wide, flat butt plate. It’s not perfect, in…

CANT Purposely tilting a traditional bow to keep the arrow resting on the shelf and to improve the sight window for instinctive shooting. GAP SHOOT This is a style of traditional shooting that uses the point of the arrow as an aiming reference. The “gap” refers to the space between where the arrow point needs to be held and the target at varying distances. ILF RISER AND LIMBS Risers and limbs made to International Limb Fitting specs are, in theory, crosscompatible, allowing you to mix risers and limbs of takedown bows from different manufacturers. MEDITERRANEAN DRAW A string-gripping style that places the index finger above the arrow nock, and the middle and ring fingers under it. REFLEX/DEFLEX The amount of curve away from (reflex) or toward (deflex) the shooter in…

THE WILD TURKEY’S return to Nebraska is one of hunter-based conservation’s great success stories. Six decades ago, there were no turkeys in Nebraska. Now Nebraska’s turkey flock is a puzzle for scientists. The reintroduction of wild birds to Nebraska—many of which had mixed with domestic birds—has created a genetic tapestry researchers are only just beginning to unravel. Many traveling hunters know that you can kill a Merriam’s, Rio Grande, and Eastern gobbler in Nebraska. But how pure are those subspecies? The first documented release of wild turkeys in Nebraska occurred in 1959, when 28 Merriam’s birds were translocated to Pine Ridge in the northwestern portion of the state. Although the Merriam’s subspecies was not believed to have been previously present in Nebraska, that flock flourished and quickly expanded their range…

1. UNIFORM CASE NECKS Turn your necks to a uniform thickness. Use a neck-wall-thickness gauge to determine the thinnest dimension in your batch of brass, and turn the necks to that size. If your brass has minimal neck-thickness variation (.002 inch or less), you can skip this step. 2. CALCULATE BUSHING SIZE To figure out the correct bushing size, double your neck-wall thickness and add it to the bullet diameter. Then subtract .001 inch to arrive at the bushing size (e.g., a .308 with .014 inch case walls would take a .335 inch bushing). Or you can measure the outside neck diameter of several loaded cases and subtract .001 neck from the average. 2. RESIZE THE NECK You’ll need bushing dies—available from all major die-makers—in order to use neck bushings.…

The Burmese python sat still as Bill Booth eased forward. It was coiled and hidden in a tangle of brush and vines, but Booth could see enough to know it was a very big snake. So he crept forward until he could spot the python’s head, just visible through the green leaves. Then he crouched low and reached out with his right hand. I had tagged along with Booth for four days and nights while he searched wildlife-management areas around the Everglades for a snake like this one. Booth—a 53-year-old firefighter who stands 6 feet 4 inches and is built like a Florida Gators lineman—has been hunting, fishing, and camping in the Glades his whole life. He’s an easygoing Southerner, but his big-teddy-bear persona didn’t fool me. Booth is that…

BIRDS OF A FEATHER ▸ I enjoyed OL’s Feb./Mar. cover feature, “How to Make a Hunter,” specifically the article “Late to the Game.” As a 43-year-old, I, too, have benefited from a hunter’s need to pass on his love of hunting. I had big plans to learn, but as time went on, I found myself juggling two jobs and three daughters. Similar to the author’s experience with Andrew McKean, my good friend Jim has been a gracious mentor, teaching me about deer hunting. He introduced me to local hunters, brought me to his rod and gun club, and taught me to dress and butcher deer. We enjoy swapping stories and scouting together, and I feel a greater connection to my land and a deeper appreciation for my friend. I’m hooked.…

STORYTIME We publish true adventures. Only those used will be acknowledged. Send to THTM@OutdoorLife.com (preferred), or Outdoor Life, THTM, 2 Park Avenue Flr 9, New York, NY 10016. Include a daytime phone number. IF WE USE YOUR STORY, WE’LL SEND YOU THIS BOOK! ”THIS HAPPENED TO ME” HAS BEEN A FIXTURE OF OUTDOOR LIFE SINCE IT FIRST APPEARED IN 1940. WE’VE SINCE COMPILED SOME OF THE MOST HARROWING, HAIR-RAISING MISADVENTURES READERS HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN A SINGLE VOLUME. IF WE RUN YOUR STORY, YOU CAN PORE OVER THE 183 PAGES OF THIS ACTION-PACKED BOOK KNOWING YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY. WANT TO BUY A COPY INSTEAD? THEY’RE AVAILABLE AT OUTDOORLIFE.COM/THTMBOOK…

1804 Lewis and Clark report seeing wild turkeys in what is present-day Nebraska. 1915 Wild turkeys are considered all but extinct in the Cornhusker State. 1937 The Pittman-Robertson Act provides much-needed funding for wildlife-restoration work. 1945 World War II ends, and serious wild-turkey-restoration efforts soon begin across the United States. 1951 Cannon nets allow for highly effective trap and transfer of wild-turkey flocks. 1959 Twenty-eight Merriam’s turkeys are released at Pine Ridge. They flourish. 1961 Rio Grande hybrids and Easterns are introduced in other suitable habitat areas in Nebraska. TODAY Nebraska has one of the country’s highest turkey populations—albeit with a bunch of hybrid birds.…

SPEED FREAK QUANTUM VAPOR ▸ These days, anglers feel the need for speed. The Quantum Vapor 30 sucks in 35IPT while maintaining a ton of power thanks to a 6.0:1 gear ratio. Its return rate is fast enough for any spinning application, and is achieved without sacrificing pull strength. X FACTOR G. LOOMIS/SHIMANO CONQUEST ▸ In the race for lighter, stronger rods, G. Loomis and Shimano have co-branded a stick. The tech in this rod eliminates any twist in the blank, while increased strength and leverage are focused on enhancing accuracy and distance while maintaining an abundance of power. PRECIOUS GEMS QUANTUM TOUR S3 PT ▸ Quantum upped the bar in overall smoothness by using the same crystals that high-end watchmakers use as spool-tension washers. These washers are very hard,…

1. Grayl water filter This French press-style water filter should be standard on absolutely any and every fishing trip. It’s lightweight and carabiner-friendly, and it makes clean, potable water in a jiff. ($60; grayl.com) 2. Aluminum foil Fillets fried in oil are great, and your guide will take care of that for you. But for those days when you want to DIY more-remote water, some foil (along with garlic and olive oil) makes baking a whole walleye or brook trout easy. 3. Buff neck gaiters Buff’s line of neckwear is great for thermal management and bug control. ($18; buffwear.com) 4. A GPS with an Ontario-specific topo map A trusty unit will make wayfinding much easier, and comes in especially handy for exploring portage-to-backcountry lakes. 5. Stanley Classic extra-large thermos Cram…

Anthony Bartkowski Colorado Springs, CO IF YOU WERE TO LOOK IN Anthony Bartkowski’s garage, you might think he was an Orvis rep. Actually, the 46-year-old Colorado resident is the executive director for the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. But he has spent time as a trout guide, inspired by his addiction to fly-casting since a family friend first introduced him to the sport when he was 12 years old. “I grew up catching trout, steelhead, and bass in the tributaries of the Great Lakes,” Bartkowski says. “But when I moved to Colorado about 15 years ago, I fell in love with the mountains and crystal-clear streams here, and the many species of trout that swim in these waters.” Bartkowski isn’t the only angler in love with the salmonoid opportunities that abound…

1. MAKE THE FRAME PIECES Rip two strips of plywood the height of the wheel wells and cut them to the bed length minus 3 inches. Next, rip four strips of plywood 4 inches wide and cut them to the bed width. Some beds are tapered, so measure each piece. 2. ASSEMBLE THE FRAME Place the two long beams on edge in the bed. Next, lay the support strips flat on top of the frame. One strip should be a foot from the tailgate, another as close to the cab as possible. Distribute the other two equally across the remaining space. Mark each support strip location, and notch the beams so each support strip sits flush at the top. Then reassemble the full frame in the truck bed to verify…

When we came off the trail onto the overlook at the falls, the two kids stood open-mouthed and wide-eyed, their heads swiveling as they said to Steve and me things like: “Dad, look! Look! Wow. Dad!” A dozen brown bears patrolled the river, some only yards from the elevated platform we were standing on. The “smaller,” younger bears roamed the banks, picking over half-eaten salmon. The river seethed as dense pods of red salmon surged upstream. Huge mature bears staked out the prime fishing spots, some catching salmon as they leapt the cataracts. Others charged into the water, coming up with salmon flopping in their jaws while the river around them exploded in a spray of panicked fish. We were at Brooks Camp, the world-famous bear-viewing spot in Alaska’s Katmai…

I’ve never needed a .410. In my experience, it’s an unreliable rabbit killer beyond 25 yards. I know a few purists who’ve shot turkeys with them, but mostly for show and all at point-blank range. But new pellet materials might change that. Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) and Federal’s new Heavyweight TSS loads are the talk of the 2018 turkey woods. At 18 g/cc, TSS is the densest shot material available. Lead is 11.3 g/cc. Which brings me back to the .410. One of the new loads is a 3-inch .410 with 13/16 oz. of No. 9 shot. I took several boxes to the range, expecting—maybe—a passable turkey pattern at 20 yards, and not much else. I got quite a shock. The Test I used two .410s for this test: a…

• FISHING@OUTDOORLIFE.COM Our boat steers a course parallel to a break wall along Lake Michigan’s western shoreline. Early April water temperatures register in the mid 40s and air temperatures hover near freezing. The fish finder reads 28 feet deep. Where rock turns to sand, a steady procession of long, inverted V-shaped marks reveals the presence of giant lake trout. They resemble mini submarines stealthily positioned within a few feet of the bottom. Lake trout can be temperamental feeders, but not on this day. I work a gold-colored blade bait on 20-pound-test braided line and medium spinning gear, and give the rod a flick after the lure hits the bottom. Through the rod tip, I can feel the lure jump off the sandy bottom and careen into an adjacent boulder. It…

In the nearly seven years that I’ve been editorial director of Outdoor Life, the most consistent demand from our large audience has been for more: more cutting-edge information on hunting and fishing, more in-depth product reviews, and, most of all, more stories. The most common request we get from readers of this magazine is that you want to read long articles that take you into the field, bring you along on adventures, and explore all aspects of what makes hunting and fishing such a rich, rewarding experience. This endless hunger for more content is now being fed by many different types of media. Like the rest of society, sportsmen and women have a torrent of words, videos, and images coming at us through print magazines, books, news apps, and websites,…

HUNTING@OUTDOORLIFE.COM The tool of choice for most bowhunters is a modern marvel. It’s highly engineered, supremely efficient, and forged from aluminum, carbon, steel, and computer-aided algorithms. And then there are the rest of us: bowhunters who use a tool that is simple and enduring. It’s built of wood and fiberglass by the human hand, and though it’s comparatively limited in range and efficiency, it’s absolutely deadly when mastered. A few aspects of traditional bow design have been influenced by modern technology. But for the most part, it has remained largely unchanged since the days of Ishi, Fred Bear, and Howard Hill. And the stickbow is riding a newfound wave of popularity as more bowhunters look to change up their experience in the woods. Thinking about making the plunge into a…

The Outdoor Life tackle test team, made up of four diehard anglers, put 46 new rods and 35 new reels through the wringer. We evaluated the gear on every level, from pure aesthetics to overall performance. When the dust settled, we crunched the numbers and ranked our contestants accordingly. There were a bunch of strong contenders, but these are our top picks and those we thought were killer buys. THE WINNERS: REELS SPINNING EDITOR’S CHOICE SHIMANO EXSENCE PRICE: $540 We know, the price of this reel might be a turnoff, but the Exsence was the clear winner for its superlative scores in all categories. The test team immediately nicknamed it the “Batmobile” for its space-age design. But obviously looks aren’t everything. The Exsence’s performance was nearly flawless. It casts a…

Our test panel included myself, Outdoor Life fishing editor Joe Cermele, and lifelong anglers Matt Andreula and Charlie Rothery—who both target everything from panfish to muskies to bass and beyond. The team analyzed every element of more than six dozen rods and reels. We set up a casting course in an open field to measure distance and accuracy. Every team member took five casts on each rod and reel to measure distance, and then the scores were averaged. Rods were also tested for accuracy by having each tester fire at multiple 3-foot targets at varying distances five more times. Reel drags were tested for smoothness and strength. The line from each test reel—mounted on a slave rod—was tied to the trailer hitch of a 4x4. Each panel member held the…

The fishing season runs from mid-May to early October, with June being the sweet spot for walleyes, pike, and brook trout. Start planning your trip by getting in touch with the following lodges that operate along the rail line. Per-person package rates given below are for the American Plan (room and three full meals provided) and Housekeeping Plan (room only). Rates are for a three-night stay, though prices vary slightly depending on whether you’re traveling from White River or Sudbury; the varying train arrival and departure times will affect fishing time. Check in with the lodges as your itinerary unfolds. LODGE EIGHTY-EIGHT lodgeeightyeight.com; $1,159/$999 MAR MAC LODGE marmaclodge.com; $1,132/$973 CAMP ESNAGI campesnagi.com/ accommodations; $660/$640 LOCH ISLAND LODGE lochisland.com; $820/$490 Buy your train tickets on the White River-Sudbury line at…

RED ALERT Apalachicola, Florida, guide Brett Martina runs a marsh looking for oyster beds, high water, and redfish. “My go-to here is pretty simple,” he says. “Either Gulp! or D.O.A. shrimp on a ¼-ounce jig—dark in stained water and light in clear water.”…

Austin Luke Birmingham, AL IT’S LIKELY YOU OWN A baitcaster older than Austin Luke. He is only 33 years old, but he lives to fish. His passion was ignited walking farm ponds in the Heart of Dixie, and it exploded in high school. When he arrived at Troy University, he founded the school’s bass fishing team. “If I’m not fishing, I’m thinking about fishing,” he says. After college, Luke decided to guide fly-fishermen in Wyoming before turning to his current full-time position as a salesman of industrial goods. “That was an awesome time. I had some pretty impressive clients. I mean, how many people get to say they taught Jimmy Fallon how to fly-fish? “Bass fishing is so popular in Alabama, the lakes here are just loaded with bass boats…

Jeff Dodd Trenton, TN “I DON’T REMEMBER HOW old I was, but it was just after I got over that wobblin’ part of learnin’ how to walk when Daddy started taking me cat-fishing,” remembers Jeff Dodd, now 54. “We’d wade down the little shallow rivers near home and cut willow saplings to make limb lines. Daddy taught me that you have to stick ’em straight down in the mud of the riverbank, then cut another limb with a fork in it and stick it in the mud right in front. That way, when the catfish takes the bait, the willow sapling isn’t pulled out by the fish—that sapling stays put because of the leverage created by the forked branch. We caught those catfish to eat.” Dodd grew up in Trenton,…

1. CLEAN IT The most difficult part is cleaning the skull. Boiling it is probably the quickest method, even if it is a bit smelly. Dermestid beetles do a fantastic job, and you can usually get it done for a nominal fee. Or, if you have a few months, you can bury the skull and let nature do the work. Once the skull is clean, it’s time to have some fun. 2. PREP AND PRIME IT Use painter’s tape to cover about 5 inches of the antlers, starting at the bases. Apply an even base coat of spray paint to the entire skull. I prefer a flat-gray primer for the base coat, but you can use whatever color you like. Take your time, and apply several thin coats to ensure…

Lodge Located in Port Alsworth in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, the Farm Lodge (thefarmlodge.com) is a family-run outfit that caters to families looking to mix fishing with wildlife viewing and sightseeing. The cabins and lodge are new and very comfortable. The food is great, and the staff is welcoming and friendly. Best of all, the pilots are some of the most experienced in Alaska. Waders Good waders are key. The boys used Redington Crosswater youth waders and Prowler boots. Tackle For spinning gear, we brought Fenwick HMG travel rods and an assortment of Blue Fox Vibrax spinners. For fly rods, we used a Sage X 7-weight and Redington Predator 8-weight for salmon and pike, and Thomas & Thomas Aeros 5-weights for grayling, trout, and char. We kept them…

The 6.5 PRC from Hornady might seem like a new cartridge, but it has been a long time in the making—since 2013, in fact. The driving force behind its development was George Gardner, owner of GA Precision, who was looking to create a hard-hitting long-range round for both hunters and competitive shooters, particularly those in the Precision Rifle Series. According to PRS rules, cartridges cannot have muzzle velocities in excess of 3,200 fps. In addition to that restriction, Gardner also wanted to run the cartridge through short-action receivers. These two parameters are why he decided on a 6.5 mm/.264-caliber round. “I wanted the highest BC bullet you can push at 3,200 in a short action,” Gardner says. “The 6s can be pushed that fast, but they have lower BCs. The…