Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 Equpiment Annual Rel 1 i Wildfowl

LOCK’EM UP Three New York poachers were handed a total of $2,285 in fines after two off-duty game wardens witnessed the trio shoot into a flock of redheads that swam into their decoys last January. The men killed 35 ducks, or 29 over their daily limit. They were charged with nine violations, including hunting without a license, taking over the limit and failing to register for the Harvest Information Program. STUTTGART LOCKDOWN? The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission may bow to resident hunter pressure and limit the number of non-resident waterfowlers on public areas. Proposals include increased WMA permit fees, eliminating annual non-resident WMA permits, restricting the number of visits to six, five-day periods and making permits WMA-specific. MORE LAND FOR DUCKS More than 108,000 acres in 14 states will…

FLYWAY VETERAN 1 HUNTER: Stephen Ward, Severna Park, MD BAND #: 1707-69321 SPECIES: Atlantic Brant (F) BANDED: 07/24/2004 LOCATION: 32 SE Coral Harbor, NU RECOVERED: 01/18/2015 LOCATION: 1.8 m WNW Chincoteague, VA 2 HUNTER: Gray Pierson, Springfield, IL BAND #: 1937-22095 SPECIES: Blue Goose (F) BANDED: 08/08/2010 LOCATION: West Coast Baffin Is, NU RECOVERED: 02/07/2016 LOCATION: 4 m SE Virden, IL 3 HUNTER: Greg Sawyer, Harrodsburg, KY BAND #: 2007-04588 SPECIES: Black Brant (M) BANDED: 07/18/2011 LOCATION: Piasuk River, AK RECOVERED: 02/02/2017 LOCATION: 9.9 m SSW Guayabo, Sonora, Mexico 4 HUNTER: Greg Sawyer, Harrodsburg, KY BAND #: 1767-04656 SPECIES: Black Brant (M) BANDED: 07/18/2011 LOCATION: 45 km ESE Barrow, AK RECOVERED: 02/02/2017 LOCATION: 9.9 m SSW Guayabo, Sonora, Mexico 5 HUNTER: Fred Pratt, Meridian, ID BAND #: 1727-01575 SPECIES: Greater…

We think they should have renamed this new spin on the icon the Super Tough Eagle 3. I have shot this gun in Cold Bay, Alaska, amid nasty beach conditions and in layout boats for brant, Pacific eiders and Harlequins and can’t seem to break one. We cleaned the early prototype guns after a few—and very few—sand and salt water hiccups. But not the next production SBE3 I got in Realtree Max-5—months before the gun would be announced at SHOT. We ran hundreds of rounds through it for collared doves and it flawlessly cycled light 7/8-ounce loads that the old SBE2s would not. Then we hit goose pits and the marsh, before I took it to Saint Paul Island for king eiders. It ran with perfection even after salty waves…

We’ll shoot and there will be more birds right behind them. Try to kill’em all. YOUR FRIENDS DON’T TALK ABOUT HOW THEY “DREAM OF one day hunting Manitoba.” It does not receive the attention or accolades Alberta and Saskatchewan enjoy, and that is just fine with most of us who have hunted there. Because some of the most slam dunk waterfowl shoots on earth unfold here every year. Seven years ago, my intro to the province was all smoking gun barrels and geese laying everywhere on a trip to Manitoba’s Narrows region on Lake Winnipeg, where I first met Final Approach calling phenom John Vaca, to test the then-new Browning Maxus in 2009. It had been a hell of a pre-game pep talk, as far as night-before goose hunt coaching…

SHE KNOWS YOU DON’T MEAN IT WHEN YOU SAY this new shipment of decoys is the last. Just like a woman’s shoe habit, hunters have got it bad when it comes to decoys. You can never have enough, and even if those old blocks knocked ‘em dead last season, just think how many more birds you’ll shoot with the latest and greatest. The fact is, no matter how many times you think the spread is set, another new batch of blocks hits the market you have to add to the mix. So admit defeat and next time your wife sneaks some new shoes in the closet, play dumb. MOJO FATAL FRONT To kill patterned mallards that stick near the refuge, you need a decoy that lookÛÌhi›«>ÀÌ°››››yo>ÌiÀÛëoÀÌ›>›vol`>Lli›kiil›voÀ›LiÌÌiÀ›moÛiminÌ›on› windless days. Drakes feature…

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN DUCK boats were clunky aluminum canoes and banged-up old flat-bottoms. If it floated, it hunted. Today’s ‘fowling sleds cater to the way you hunt. Whether it’s a big ocean-cruising vessel for chasing sea ducks in rough water or a light, mobile one-man stealth boat that gets into tiny sloughs, there are more options than ever. Tougher, faster and lighter, they’re no longer floating tubs, but well-constructed watercraft capable of handling anything the marsh can throw at us. GO-DEVIL 18X60 Big, wide, stable and slick—as in a slick, snag-free bottom. What more do you want in a shallow-water duck boat? Go-Devil’s surface-drive is built to avoid hanging on stumps, logs and mud. The tapered chines don’t just roll off obstacles, they help maneuverability, too. The hull,…

A LONG-BEARDED DUCK-HUNTING PHILOSOPHER once said, “A duck gun has to do three things, Go boom, boom, boom!” Reliable, able to stand up to all conditions, shoot different loads and, above all, one you can kill with are all characteristics of a great waterfowl gun. This year we have a raft full of workhorses, from Turkish bargains to pricey Italian autos. The ladies in our life are becoming a growing part of wildfowling, and we have a great gun for her, and southpaws have a broader choice too. Pull up your boots, wade in and find your gun. BENELLI SBE III One of the most iconic auto-loaders to ever come out of Italy has been lightened, sleekened up and decked out. The ComforTech stock has more cushion, the magazine loading…

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY DUCK TOYS. Each has its time and place, and sometimes their addition to your arsenal doesn’t only add usefulness, it adds a bit of flare. Every year, manufacturers develop and design accessories we can't live without, from big-money 4x4s to specialized packs for walk-in hunters. Sometimes these products change the way we hunt forever. Anyone who shoots ducks over a Mojo can attest to that. Who will make the next great innovation? Only you can decide. YAMAHA VIKING VI EPS "Real world tough," indeed. We have spent a year trying to break a Viking both waterfowling and hog and predator hunting without one whimper from the machine (p. 58). Take six hunters to the pit? This UTV will get you there, with a 686cc…

LUKE SCHERDERS SPOKE THE words every duck hunter wants to hear: “This is the kind of flock I like.” Almost on cue the lead greenhead curved its wingtips toward the picked cornfield. Less than a second later, the 24 other mallards did the same and the men below in layouts all remembered just why in the hell we chase these awesome birds. It was a T-shirt warm October day. No wind. And the Ontario field we were in was harvested but the stalks were so high Luke had to drive his truck and trailer around in circles just to make a hole for the decoys. The locals call these cut kernel fields, but it just looked like half-assed harvested corn to me. Regardless, it was fantastic for killing birds in…

I should have been stoked enough about the sky-cleaning goose shoots we enjoyed, but I was getting greedy. I wanted The McNab, a legendary hunting hat trick I’d first heard tale of on that original Narrows adventure in ‘09. The McNab is a legend that started with a fictional Scottish poacher named John McNab who issued a challenge to landowners declaring he will poach their deer, fowl and salmon at will and not get caught. For modern hunters, it generally means a cast-and-blast involving killing a prestigious gamebird, a game animal and catching a desirable fish all in the same day. Celebrating in camp after I shot a nice bear the first evening after our morning goose shoot, we realized if I had just caught one of the famed Lake…

GREAT CALLERS WILL TELL YOU THEIR favorite place to go fool a duck is on ultra-competitive public land. It is here where you find out who the real world champ is. Some of the best of the best cut their teeth on state refuges and NWRs. Now maybe you can’t compete with the great meat callers of your generation, but you can get damn close with these, singles, doubles and short-reeds...if you put the time in. Wood, acrylics, poly blends, they’re all here; now it’s on you to be The Man at the marsh. LYNCH MOB DOD George Lynch is a meat caller and the DOD double-reed was built to kill ducks. If you prefer singles, LMC can swap one in. A stick-free sound board insures this acrylic is always…

YES, GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN. REAL duck hunters love burning a line across a dark, cold lake at 4 a.m. It’s another reason why we hunt. There are plenty of reliable, powerful and feature-filled choices, ranging from beast-mode outboards that can zip a 20-foot boat through big-river chop in no time to tiny long-tails that blast smaller rigs over sunken stumps and shallow mud flats. Just choose the one best-suited for your marsh. GATOR-TAIL GTRXD A beast packed with features, the 993cc Big Block 37-hp 6>n}Õ>À ›VomiÛÜiÌh›>›Ì>VhÉhoÕÀ›miÌiÀ]›ÃÌ>inliÃÛmÕvyiÀ› and a 20-50 amp charging system. It has a heavy-duty waterproof trim switch, electric clutch, planetary reverse transmis- Ãion]›vÕllÞ->`jÕÃÌ>Lli›ÌÀ>nÃom›Vl>m«]›vÀii-yo>Ìin}›h>n`li›ÜiÌh› tension adjustment and weedless prop. It also comes with a lifetime belt warranty and a three-position throttle control. $8,395 |…

CONSISTENCY PUSHES TODAY’S SHOTSHELL makers and the engineers behind highly-advanced choke tubes. Keeping shot patterns together longer is key, but we all have different opinions when it comes to killing ducks. Whether you love speed, crave knock-down power, advocate smaller pellets for uniform patterns, or bigger BBs for longrange—there's a choke and load combination to suit you. Just remember, whether your shooting a $40 box of shells or a $14 box, it’s all about getting the bead on the bird. B&P MAGNUM STEEL ›Ì>li>nÛm>ki›wni›ÃhoÌ}ÕnÃ]›>n`›>›}Ài>Ì-«iÀvoÀmin}]› Ü>ÌiÀvoÜl›lo>`›h>ÛVomi›>lon}›in› E*°››>`i›in›>n›>ÀÀ>Þ› ov›ovviÀin}Ã]›VhiVk›oÕÌ›Ìhi›Î€»›£9 |£È-oâ›iv›ÞoÕ›Ài>llÞ›Ü>nÌ›Ìo› «oÕn`›Ìhi›LiÀ Û-Üi› i`›on›l>Ìi›}iiÃi®°°› E*›ovviÀÛ/Õn}ÃÌin› non-ÌoÝiVÛÌoo]›>n`›>ll›ÌhiiÀ›lo>`Û«>ÌÌiÀn›liki›no›oÌhiÀ° $15 (start) | BASCHIERI-PELLAGRIUSA.COM HEVI-SHOT SPEED BALL /hiÛh>Þm>kiÀ›VomLiniÛinVÀi`iLli›Ã«ii`›-Õ«›Ìo›£]ÈÓx› v«Ã®›>n`›hi>ÛÞ›iniÀ}Þ› ÀiÛin›LÞ›>›miÝ›ov›«ÀimiÕm›ÃÌiil› >n`›ÌÕn}ÃÌin°›/hi›VoÀk-ÃÌÞli›L>ll›Ãi>Ìi`›in›Ìhi›hÕll›VonÌÀolÛ Vh>mLiÀ›«ÀiÃÃÕÀiÛ ÕÀin}›Àili>Ãi›>n`›ÌÀ>nÃviÀÛÌh>Ì›iniÀ}Þ› oÜn›Ìhi›L>ÀÀil›inÌo›voÜl-VÀÕÃhin}›«iÀvoÀm>nVi° $27-$33 (10 Shells) | HEVISHOT.COM KENT BISMUTH 7hiÌhiÀ›ÞoÕ›Ü>nÌ›Ìo›V>ÀÀÞ›>›Vl>ÃÃiV›}Õn]›oÀ›niÛiÀ›ÜoÀÀÞ› >LoÕÌ›Üin}in}›>noÌhiÀ› ÕVk]› iÃmÕÌh›LÀin}Ûmo`iÀn›«iÀvoÀ-m>nVi›Ìo›}À>n`>`¿Ã› oÕLli°›ƂÛ>il>Lli›in›£Ó]›Óä]›£È]›>n`›Ón› }>Õ}iÛÜiÌh›>›m>Ý›ÛiloViÌÞ›ov›£]{xä›v«Ã° $18-$32 |…

IT HAS TAKEN two columns to get to this point, but your dog is ready to wrap up the trained retrieve, sans e-collar work—there's always more to be done with gun dogs, I know. For now, this an excellent start, provided you get through the next phase, which begins with the ear pinch (you should not have employed this method until now). At this point, your dog should be completely comfortable with a gloved hand in his mouth and understand the “hold” command. Tether your dog and slip a hand under his collar. With the same hand, use the corner of your thumbnail to apply light pressure to his ear. Be patient. It’s a new wrinkle in the routine and your dog might be confused. If you have to go…

This is the category that separates Stephen from the pack. Anything longer than a three-mile hike over roadless terrain in the dark will deter the average hunter, but not Stephen. Here’s how he gears up for it. CONCEALMENT: Do-it-yourself brush blanket. Weighing less than a pound rolled up, this homemade concealment system provides exceptional cover with an even lower profile than a layout blind. You can buy a similar product from Rancho Safari (the Ghillie Blanket), but all you need to do to make your own is attach brush straps to a rectangle of camo fabric (I bought my fabric at a craft store for $3.75). Once afield, cover the blanket with brush, slide it up to your chin, and get ready to shoot. GEAR TRANSPORT: Frame pack. Any brand…

IT WASN’T TO BE THE KIND OF epic duck and goose hunt we had come to expect from Saskatchewan, where birds stream by at times like feathered rivers in the sky. Close to three-quarters of all the ducks and geese in North America funnel through this central province. But we saw no dark swarms of early-season ducks, which at times here are thick enough to create a panic to determine species over your gun barrel in the early light. No long, lingering lines of impossibly slow-flying geese that seemed to have never seen a decoy. It seemed that this time, late October was a little too late for the north country, and hunting pressure combined with quickly-cooling weather had pushed them out or made existing birds stale and unresponsive. But…

YOU CAN HAVE THE MOST EXPENSIVE NEW auto-loader, biggest spread of custom decoys, latest in technical apparel, but if you don’t have a good hide, you’re going home skunked. Through the years, we’ve tried about every type of blind there is, from burlap bags to hog wire panels. But birds smartened up, and we invest more time and money into blind building than ever before (don’t tell our wives). Today’s modern hides allow hunters to disappear in thin cover, so there’s always a chance to get on the X...if you have the right blind. BANDED AXE BLIND Originally designed as an easy-to-use, pop-up boat blind, the Axe was quickly adopted by landlub- LiÀÛÌoo°›ƂvÌiÀ›wÀÃÌ›>ÃÃimLlÞ]› the Axe sets up in seconds, and «ÀoÛi`iÛVoÛiÀ›vÀom›>LoÛi›ÜiÌh›>› quick-throw, sliding top. A row of straps around the…

PERFECT DUCK DOGS DON’T EXIST, BUT THE right pedigree and a commitment to training can get you darn close. As you build pup into a retriever, the gear you employ will help coax out the best (and prevent the worst) in him. Without the right equipment, finishing that bird dog is a tough proposition. The proper food/ nutrition plan will have pup in good working order, and vests, kennels and e-collars are essential to keeping your dog safe and obedient. CORNERSTONE GUNDOG ACADEMY CGA is an online interactive resource that will help you take ÞoÕÀ› o}›vÀom›>›Ç-Üiik-ol`›«Õ«›Ìo›>›wniÃhi`›ÀiÌÀiiÛiÀ°› Each video tackles another step in the process, so your bird o}›Üill›Li›viÌVhin}› ÕVkÛliki›>›ÛiÌ›on›Ìhi›o«iniÀ°›››Ƃ› caters to you with three options: complete academy (full access), value bundles (grouped by development level) and in`iÛi`Õ>l›mo`ÕliÛ-LÕÞ›Üh>Ì›ÞoÕ›nii`®° $97-$597…

YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUGH? TRY HUNTING IN COTTON waffle long johns, blue jeans and Dickies coveralls. That’s what our fathers wore waterfowling. Our dads made do with whatever they had, and that usually meant a half-dozen layers of the same stuff they wore to work at the factory. Luckily, you’re your own man now and gainfully employed (at least in the off-season). That means you have money to invest in some new and improved hunting duds. Put those dollars towards something warm, because even when the gunning’s hot, it sucks being cold. MOSSY OAK DU SHADOW GRASS BLADES Waterfowlers have long loved Shadow Grass, and Blades made the pattern even more effective. Three-D shadows and lifelike blades of grass add depth and realism. It's also Ìhi›ovwVi>l›V>mo›ov››1° MOSSYOAK.COM REALTREE MAX-5 Realtree’s…