Great Days Outdoors - July 2019 by TrendSouth Media

VOLUME 1 • NUMBER 1

REPOWER REPORT

JUNE 1, 2019

This is the first edition of Paradise Marine Center’s Repower Report. This feature will run on a regular basis and will showcase one of the many repower projects performed by Paradise Marine. Each new report will feature product specifications on different outboard engines for all types of boats. We will also tell the story behind the project, the users, and their boats. In the first issue, we caught up with fishing guide Capt. Tim String, of Southern Outdoors Adventures. What is the make and model of your boat and how long have you owned it? My boat is a 2008 21’ Frontier Bay Boat which I have owned for over 9 years. It was previously powered by another manufacturers 150HP 4 stroke. How do you use your boat? I guide fishing clients all over Mobile Bay and the Delta. I also chase near shore species in the Gulf at certain times of the year. How did you decide to repower with a new Suzuki? I have owned all brand outboards; Mercury, Honda, Yamaha, Evinrude and Suzuki. I had previous

Capt. Tim String of Southern Outdoor Adventures. For trip information 251-610-7849

Suzuki ownership experience. I purchased a 70 HP Suzuki from Paradise Marine 11 years ago for a 17’ Boston Whaler. It had always given me good service and I was very satisfied with it. On this repower decision, I went with the recommendation of Kenny Myers, the outboard Master Tech Mechanic at Paradise Marine. He told me that Suzuki was the only way to go. I decided to go with the 175HP in line 4 cylinder, based on his expertise and our long relationship. What impresses you most about your Suzuki? There are four things that stand out for me when I compare it to my previous outboard. In my business of guiding clients, hole shot is an important consideration in shallow water. In this respect, the Suzuki excels. The hole shot is phenomenal, but not at the expense of top end speed. This baby flat out moves my boat. One of the most notable differences is the complete lack of vibration from the engin... it is smooth as silk. You could feel the previous engines vibration while holding the console handrail... not on this motor. There is no transmitted vibration to speak of. My customers constantly tell me how quiet this motor is compared to their 4 strokes. I also like the fuel economy of this engine, as I have 25 more horsepower without any increased fuel burn. Give us a memorable Fishing experience? Just the other day a personal friend of mine and

Questions about repowering? Paradise Marine Center is located at County Rd 8 and Hwy 59 in Gulf Shores. 251-968-2628

I ventured to South Mobile Bay to fish. We fished all morning with little success. We decided to have lunch at Tacky Jacks at Ft. Morgan and decide what to do next. We figured we would head back up Mobile Bay, and see if we could change our luck. On the way, I stopped and netted some menhaden. We hit our first spot and started live chumming with menhaden and got the trout in a frenzy. During the next three hours, we caught over 60 trout, weighing from 3-6 pounds. We went from zeros to heros in just a few hours.

SUZUKI 175HP Inline 4-Cylinder 4-Stroke Outboard Suzuki's DF175 is based on an inline four cylinder DOHC powerhead with a 175 cu. in. displacement. While the large displacement contributes greatly to producing exceptional acceleration and torque, it doesn't mean that they are comparatively larger and heavier in size. On the contrary, Suzuki's engineers have targeted this big block motor to be one of the lightest four strokes in the 175 HP class. At 474 pounds, Suzuki leads the class in power to weight ratio in a compact design. Offset Drive shaft for better balance on the transom. Self adjusting, oil bathed timing chain vs. over head belt. No belt maintenance or adjustment necessary. Variable Valve Timing for better midrange torque, Multipoint Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection for Top Performance in All Conditions. 2.50 : 1 vs. 2.00 :1. Lower gear ratio to swing a larger prop for improved acceleration.

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HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE

FEATURES 8

THE CATFISH SPAWN AND HOW TO CATCH THEM BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER By John E. Phillips

12 16 20

WHAT’S HOT IN CLOVER FOOD PLOT SEED By Charles Johnson

22 26 30

SADDLE HUNTING 101 By Nick Williams

CHOOSING FOOD PLOT EQUIPMENT FOR SOUTHERN HUNTERS By J. Wayne Fears with John E. Phillips

JOURNEY IN TRADITIONAL/ PRIMITIVE ARCHERY By Tony Kinton INSHORE FISHING IN ORANGE BEACH AND GULF SHORES By Frank Sargeant

MAKE MORE BASS BITE By John E. Phillips HOW TO FILET A SHEEPSHEAD LIKE A PRO By Great Days Outdoors Staff

IN EVERY ISSUE Bets 6 Best by William Kendy

FISHING OUTLOOKS

New Gear for Outdoorsmen by Great Days Outdoors Staff

Pier and Shore by David Thornton

The Gun Rack What is a Chronograph?

Gulf Coast by Mike Thompson

From the Commissioner Keep Boating Safety, Boat Ramp Etiquette in Mind

Regional Freshwater by Alex Granpere

Hunting Heritage Alabama’s Declining Turkey Population

Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts

From the Director To Bait Or Not To Bait... That is the Question!

Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room

70 72 73

Great Days Kids Corner

Scary Words by Jim Mize

Fishing 48 Paddle Kayak Fishing Gear to Help You Land Big Fish by Ed Mashburn

51 4 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Camphouse Kitchen by Hank Shaw

Classifieds & Fishin' Guides Fishing Tips by Captain Bobby Abruscato

PROPERTY PHOTO HERE

Fins-Feathers Farm

The Styx River Persimmon Creek Oasis

Fins-Feathers Farm, located in Livingston, offers plenty of recreational hunting for the avid sportsman.PROPERTY Riding on miles of well-maintained roads youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come across TEXT HERE 20 deer fields with pears, crab apples, and sawtooth oak; 3 bass and bream lakes totaling 40+/- acres; 300+ fruit trees that have been planted in the last 10 years; a quail preserve; and 3 ducks ponds one of which is already planted and may be flooded at any time with the valve. Structures on the property include a restored log cabin dated from 1830, 3 barns for storage and equipment repair, and a storm shelter. The property has qualified for a conservation easement and minerals are in place on most of the property. This is a very versatile tract offering abundant hunting opportunities. Call today to schedule your private tour!

This versatile water and riverfront investment is located between Rosinton, Elsanor, and Gateswood, just over 1/4 mile from Exit 53TEXT on I-10. Enjoy multiple uses such as fishing, PROPERTY HERE hunting, timber investment, use in a conservation easement, or take advantage of its residential or commercial development potential. Persimmon Creek, a wide, beautiful year round creek, flows through the property for over 1.5 miles and the east boundary comprises of nearly 2,900 feet of Styx River frontage. Utilities are available, access is great with 3 entrances along the nearly 3,400 feet of paved frontage on CR 64, and the tract is an easy commute from Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Fairhope, Daphne, Spanish Fort, or Pensacola. Baldwin county is the fastest growing in the state and tied for the 8th fastest growing MSA in the country, and this is one of the most reasonably priced tracts in the county.

Sumter County, Alabama, 740+/-Acres

Alabama Listings COUNTY Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Bibb Bibb Bibb Blount Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Butler Butler

ACRES 535 317.65 240 116 116 3636 1995 710 492 425 346 200 179 111 98.6 30 24 87 66 60 50 5.46 80 48.6 395 54

Butler Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun Chilton Chilton Chilton Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clay Clay Clay Clay Clay Cleburne Cleburne

10 147.3 102 100 26.91 25 221 65.4 0 269 216 107 25 20 526 520 220 54 26 117 80 42 40 38 377 80

COUNTY Cleburne Cleburne Coffee Coffee Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Coosa Coosa Coosa Coosa Covington Covington Crenshaw Cullman Cullman Cullman Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas

ACRES 57 56.48 254 6 40 36 36 25 2 10 440 151 62 45 331 43 134 876.25 170 100 340 600 463.54 140 82.73 64

Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Escambia Escambia Etowah Etowah Etowah Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene Greene Greene Hale Hale

2000 450 342 264 213 671.6 68 27 275 167.3 57 260 232 155 133 90 608 563 552 165 118 30 1 0.72 186 114

COUNTY Hale Hale Hale Henry Henry Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lauderdale Lauderdale Lawrence Limestone Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Macon Macon

Baldwin County, Alabama, 710+/-Acres

ACRES 96 92 88 200 104.5 400 330 245 125 94 192 136 104 92 80 60 30 80 1.36 1181 1013 790 783 656 930 60

Madison Marengo Marengo Marion Marion Marion Marion Marion Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Morgan Morgan Perry

100 772 264 387 325 250 215 120 1800 260 249 200 192 790 378.49 271.5 129 67 858 697 623 500 430 150 41 604.33

COUNTY ACRES Perry 386 Perry 200 Perry 189 Perry 120 Pickens 837 Pickens 513 Pickens 450 Pickens 430 Pickens 150 Pike 352.8 Pike 80 Randolph 407 Randolph 329 Randolph 78 Randolph 60 Randolph 52.4 Russell 1403 Russell 711.35 Russell 692.31 Saint Clair 296 Saint Clair 100 Saint Clair 41.95 Saint Clair 29 Saint Clair 14.28 Shelby 458 Shelby 253

Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa

93 43.56 41 740 350 240 213 188 1314 1015 882 723.5 327 163 153

COUNTY ACRES Tuscaloosa 71 Tuscaloosa 71 Tuscaloosa 70 233 Walker 65 Walker Washington 1287.41 Washington 1261 Washington 480 Washington 313 Washington 240 2365 Wilcox 2.5 Wilcox 84 Winston

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BEST BETS

BEST BETS FOR JULY These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month! BY WILLIAM KENDY

TIME TO SOW

When the hot “dog days of summer” arrive for most sportsmen, it’s all about fishing and staying cool (literally). On the other hand for those hunters who own or have access to property that they can manage for wildlife and can’t wait for hunting season, it is the perfect time to start developing and prepping food plots. In this issue we have two articles that give you some of the information you need to be able to get going on getting those plots in gear. Choosing Food Plot Equipment for Southern Hunters outlines the equipment, financing options and steps needed to make food plots a reality. What’s Hot in Clover Food Plot Seeds sheds light on the newest and best clover seed options.

VOLUME 23, ISSUE 7 JULY 2019

PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya ASSISTANT EDITOR: Bill Kendy CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Samatha Hester

CONTRIBUTING FREELANCE WRITERS:

SUMMER CATFISHING

July Alabama catfish fishing go together like fish and chips No matter where you are “catfishing” in Alabama this month chances are good that you will bring home filets. Regardless of your tactics, whether you use a rod and reel, a “limbline, a “set-pole or are jug fishing you are pretty much assured of catching fish. Catfish will eat just about anything that has a scent (stinky is good) but they also respond to lures. A “perfect” presentation isn’t necessary but catfish are strong fighters and landing a 4 to 12 pound catfish on a medium size outfit can be a challenge and requires some skill. For more information, read John Phillips article The Catfish Spawn and How to Catch Them Before, During and After.

PUT SOME STRUCTURE IN YOUR FISHING

July is a prime time for fishing Mobile Bay rigs and other structures for speckled trout and redfish. To beat the heat, go out early and late. Live shrimp are always a good offering and, according to Captain Bobby Abruscato croakers work well, if not better, depending on the water temperature. Abruscato says that slip corks and tight lines are the “order of the day” when fishing structure and that anglers should fish waters that are deeper than eight feet since they are cooler and oxygenated enough to hold fish. He also advises anglers to vary the depths of their presentations to find the strike zone. To find out more about fishing the “4-R’s” see the Fishing Tips article in this issue. 6 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Chris Blankenship Daryl Bell Alex Granpere Craig Haney Charles Johnson Ed Mashburn Doug Max Greg McCain

John E. Phillips Corky Pugh Chuck Sykes Mike Thompson David Thornton Jim Barta Jim Mize Deneshia Larson

Patrick Garmeson Hank Shaw Joe Baya Don Green Babe Winkelman Bobby Abruscato J. Wayne Fears Nick Williams

Great Days Outdoors (USPS 17228; ISSN 1556-0147) is published monthly at P.O. Box 1253 Santa Rosa Beach, Fl 32459 Subscription rate is $24 for one-year, $40 for two-years, and $55 for three-years. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stapleton, Ala. and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 SUBSCRIBERS: All subscriptions begin the first issue for the month following receipt of payment, if payment is received by the 15th. Great Days Outdoors assumes no responsibility for delivery after magazines are mailed. All delivery complaints should be addressed to your local postmaster. CONTACT US: EDITORIAL | JoeBaya@greatdaysoutdoors.com ADVERTISING | SamHester@greatdaysoutdoors.com SUBSCRIPTIONS | greatdaysoutdoors@pcspublink.com Great Days Outdoors Media LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 877. 314. 1237 info@greatdaysoutdoors.com www.greatdaysoutdoors.com All rights reserved. Reproduction of contents is strictly prohibited without permission from Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC.

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FISHING

The Catfish Spawn and How to Catch Them Before, During and After

Although certain subspecies of catfish spawn at separate times, when you’re fishing the catfish spawn, you may get a mixed bag of channel, blue and possibly flathead catfish from the same region like those here.

Understand the catfish spawn to catch catfish around that time. BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS During their spawning season in the spring and early summer, catfish are searching for rocks. They like to get in the holes in these rocks and make their nests. So, if you’re hunting catfish around the spawning season, you need to look for them in rocky areas like broken rock banks, broken rock points and riprap. One of the major keys to finding summertime catfish besides examining rocky banks, rocky points and riprap is knowing when the catfish will arrive at the rocks. According to studies done by fisheries biologists, when the water temperature is 72 to 74 degrees, the blue cats will start their spawn. Channel cats will begin their spawn when the water temperature is 73 to 75 degrees. The blue catfish exhibit different characteristics from the channels in that the blues are a more open-water fish and tend to school together more than channel cats, which are mainly bottom feeders. Although channel cats will school, you are less likely to find large schools of channels than you may blue cats. Often blue cats can be located in the mid-water areas too. Alabama waters also home flathead and bullhead catfish.

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When you’re angling for spawning catfish, either channels or blues, you usually will be fishing for larger catfish. In order to spawn, the catfish must be sexually mature, which means generally the catfish is two to three years old. Understanding the spawning habits of the catfish will help you know how, where and when to catch them. The male catfish builds the nest and the female comes in to the nest and lays the eggs. Then the male fertilizes the eggs, guards the nest and rears the young. Generally the nest is situated in some type of hole or depression in the bottom or on the bank. Therefore rocky areas, if they have holes in them, are productive spawning sites. The State of Alabama doesn’t have a limit on the number of catfish you can take, but only one catfish larger than 34 inches can be in your possession. CATFISH ON THE WAY TO ROCKS One of the most effective ways to catch catfish when they’re heading for the spawning grounds is to locate them in open water, schooled-up and you can take them on jugs. A friend of mine does this by reading his depth finder to locate large

The Catfish Spawn and How to Catch Them Before, During and After

schools of fish, noticing at what depth the school seems to be holding, rigging the lines on four or five jugs at that depth and floating the jugs through the area at the depth where the fish should be. When the jugs sink, he catches cats. Then he gets upwind of the school, sets all his lines at the depth where he’s caught catfish, puts the jugs out and allows the wind to carry the jugs to the catfish. He remains in contact with the school with his depth finder and floats his bait through the region of water where these catfish are swimming. After moving his jugs three or four times, he soon determines the direction in which the school is swimming and anticipates where to place the jugs to float through the school. Anglers jug fishing catfish in Alabama don’t have to write their names on the jugs to label them but need to remember to remove all gear later. Fishermen who have their baits only on the bottom can and do miss blue cats. That’s why many fishermen fish corks and try to keep their baits about a foot off the bottom. Since knowing exactly when the cats get on the points and the riprap is difficult, check several of these regions each day. Once you pinpoint catfish on a point or on riprap, you usually can catch the fish in that area for a week or more. EQUIPMENT FOR CATCHING SPAWNING CATFISH NEAR ROCKS To rig for spawning catfish, many anglers use medium-action spinning rods, 8- to 10-pound test line and a spinning reel with a quality drag system. Most anglers realize that the drag system is the key to catching big, spawning cats. Getting a big cat on

a line isn’t difficult. However, trying to land a 4 to 12 pound catfish on 8 to 10 pound test line can be problematic, if you try to horse the fish in to the boat. I think perhaps anglers have read so much about hauling big bass out of thick cover with stout rods and heavy line that when these same fishermen attempt to catch catfish, they apply this same heavy-handed technique to catching cats and lose more fish than they take. Sometimes you’ll have to fight a catfish for 15 to 20 minutes to land a big catfish on 8-10 pound test line. So, never hurry a catfish. Get the catfish to the boat without putting much pressure on it by letting the drag system fight the fish. Then you’ll land many more catfish. Some fishermen prefer using treble hooks rather than a single hook for several reasons. The treble hook catches catfish more effectively than a single hook will and allows the angler to present the bait to the catfish more naturally than a single hook does. Many catfishermen fish with a large nightcrawler around the spawn and in the rocks, lacing it in a circle around the treble hook. They’ll often squirt some kind of catfish attractant on the night crawler, because scent attracts catfish, which will eat about everything. They’ll use a shot lead to get the bait down to the catfish and a slip cork to float the bait about a foot off the bottom. By having the bait off the bottom, you can attract both channel and blue cats. Even if the fish are on the bottom and building a nest, you want the no-scales to come out of the rocks and take the bait. Then you won’t lose the fish in the holes when you hook them.

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The Catfish Spawn and How to Catch Them Before, During and After

TACTICS FOR CATCHING SPAWNING CATFISH ON THE ROCKS Pinpointing the correct depth is the key to taking cats on the rocks. In the summer catfish often tend to hold at the same depth. Floating your bait in a depth zone where catfish are feeding can make the difference between catching and not catching the catfish. One catfishing buddy of mine believes that controlling his boat with his trolling motor is very important as he casts to a bank. He prefers to set his cork at five feet deep to begin and fish 100 to 200 yards of the bank at that depth. If he doesn’t take a catfish, he’ll turn his boat around and return down the same bank with his cork set at eight feet, continuing this process until he’s fished all the water from 5 to 20 feet deep. Once he catches a couple of catfish at a certain depth, that’s where he’ll concentrate his fishing. The conditions that cause cats to feed shallow or deep are the same ones that make bass move up or down. Generally the warmer the water, the shallower the catfish will be. But, in clear water, look deeper to locate the cats. Catfish can be caught in shallow water when the water is rising but will be taken in deeper water when the water level is falling. Also realize that more catfish will be caught on points than along the banks when the water level is falling. For some reason, there seem to be very few catfishermen who understand or fish for spawning cats. When the fish get on the riprap and/or on the points in many places, usually you’ll see very few boats trying to take Mr. Whiskers. Perhaps anglers don’t realize where the catfish are or just don’t know how to

catch those spawning catfish. Although few cat catchers fish the rocks, often an angler can take 50 to 100 pounds of catfish in a morning of fishing when the cats move into the rocks to spawn. SMALL STREAM CATFISH ON THE ROCKS Not only do big-water catfish live in rocks but so do smallstream catfish. Many of the same tactics work on small-stream catfish as do big-water ones. If anglers understand that the catfish are searching for rocks and/or holes or cuts in the bank to spawn in, then bank fishing for cats can be extremely productive in the springtime. Two of the most effective bank fishing methods I know include limblining and set-pole fishing. For either tactic, a piece of monofilament, a hook, a shot lead and a bait are all the equipment required. To “limbline” for catfish, tie the line on to a green bush or a limb that’s overhanging the water, and drop in the line with a bait on its end in the water close to the bank. The catfish that are cruising the bank to bed and spawn will take the bait and be hooked. The green limb then will battle the fish into submission. Always be sure the limb you tie your line to is green and not brittle. Since a nice-sized catfish will put pressure on a limb, the branch should bend and not break under that pressure. Also set your lines at different depths to determine where the fish are. A shaking bush usually means a fish dinner. Landing a big catfish on a limb line is much like landing a catfish on a jug. Don’t try to wrestle the catfish to the surface with the line. Often the catfish will dive and either break the line or jerk it off the limb. Instead, gently lead the catfish to the

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The Catfish Spawn and How to Catch Them Before, During and After

surface, and slip your net under it. Set-pole fishing is a productive tactic on small streams where a jon boat or a canoe can be used to set the lines out and run them every day. A set-pole is a small limb or a river cane that has been sharpened on its big end and then stuck into the soft earth of the bank and baited. Remember with this method to position the pole at about a 45 degree angle, so that when the catfish takes the bait, the pole will bend and not pull out from the bank, while awaiting your return to check it.

Generally the warmer the water, the shallower the catfish will be. But, in clear water, look deeper to locate the cats.

Yet another successful technique for fishing small waters is to float them in a canoe or a flat-bottomed jon boat equipped with a depth finder designed for small boats like the Humminbird Helix 7 G3 Fish Finder (www.humminbird.com) with its clear, sharp underwater views for seeing 200 feet to each side of the boat. Also the inexpensive PiranhaMax 4 features a narrow and a wide beam for great detail, helping you identify catfish, the structure and contours of the bottom under the water. Once you’ve pinpointed these places, anchor upstream, and let your bait wash into these regions where catfish will hold. These underwater catfish hotspots often go virtually unfished and generally will hold plenty of cats for the catching. WAYS TO CATCH CATFISH IN TAILRACE ROCKS Catfishermen understand that the best place to catch a cat often is in a tailrace where there’s plenty of food and oxygen. Also the fish can hide behind rocks and boulders that break the current and feed.

HOW AND WHAT CATFISH EAT The barbels (whiskers) on the faces of catfish enable catfish to find food, since catfish taste through their feelers as well as their entire bodies that have more than 100,000 food sensors on them. A catfish discovers food by fanning the bottom with its barbels and honing in on vibrations – catfish can detect high frequencies at 13,000 cycles per second – and following food scents. Catfish will eat most anything, including fish like gizzard and threadfin shad, miniature marshmallows, homemade soured-food cooked mixtures like pineapple and rice, dry dog food sunk in a burlap bag, wieners, chicken livers, soap, golden raisins, commercially-prepared catfish bait, suckers, mullet, freshwater mussels, hellgrammites, worms, leeches, frogs and any decaying matter. ALABAMA CATFISHERMEN NAME SOME OF THEIR FAVORITE WATERS This information isn’t scientific but is what some catfishermen around the state consider some of the most-productive places for catching catfish. • • • • • • • • •

Wheeler Dam on the Tennessee River, and also the dams at Guntersville, Wilson and Pickwick. Lake Shelby, Gulf Shores Locust Fork of the Warrior River Demopolis Dam – Above and Below Claiborne Dam on the Alabama River Cahaba River Alabama State Public Fishing Lakes The Lower Chattahoochee River below the Walter F. George Lock and Dam at Eufaula Small streams, rivers and lakes throughout Alabama Once you’ve located where catfish are in prespawn, spawn and post spawn, you can take your wife, your children and Grandma and Grandpa and enjoy a fun day of catfishing.

However, when catfish have spawning on their minds rather than running the fast water, some anglers fail to realize where the cats may be positioned in the tailrace, primarily in the slack-water sections around the dam. In front of spillways and along the riprap and other rocky regions close to the dam but not in the swift water often are spots that will yield rich catches of catfish. To take these cats, float a bait on a rod and reel or jug fish. But more cats can be caught keeping the bait up off the bottom in these slack-water regions than by using traditional bottom-bumping tactics that most anglers usually associate with tailrace fishing for catfish. This summer enjoy fishing for catfish before, during and after the spawn. To learn more about how to catch catfish, check out John E. Phillips’ book, “Catfish Like a Pro,” that’s available in Kindle and print versions by going to http://amzn.to/W900eu.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 11

HUNTING

What’s Hot in Clover Food Plot Seed Crimson clover is an annual and grows well in drought conditions and moderate pH range.

Tiny clover seed can grow into powerful plants producing forage for all types of wildlife. BY CHARLES JOHNSON When wildlife managers consider what types of seed to plant for their food plots, clover is usually not at the top of their list. Cereal grains, winter peas and brassicas occupy the front space. These and other seeds are wise choices, but clover seed should be somewhere in the mix. Many wildlife seed producers have clover seeds in many of their blends and it is with good reason. Various clovers produce forage throughout the fall and winter seasons. And they accompany other plants in the plot producing viable food into the summer months. But clover can be a top forage producer and wildlife attractor even in pure stands. Some hunting lease managers and hunters may not recognize the benefits of pure clover stands for food plots. Clovers are a hot seed topic and a very versatile plant for deer and turkey. 12 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

NEW HOT CLOVERS According to Daniel Bumgarner at Wildlife Management Solutions (WMS) a clover that has hit a home run is Frosty Berseem. This clover looks like alfalfa and sometimes is referred to as the “poor man’s” alfalfa. As the name implies Frosty Berseem is cold tolerant. “Frosty Berseem is a heavy tonnage produce and actively grows below 60- degrees F.,” mentions Bumgarner. “It will perform well in sandy to clay soils in the Blackbelt Region. Also, Frosty Berseem can survive soggy soil conditions. Deer really love this type of clover. In a clover preference trial at Mississippi State University, Frosty Berseem placed first in drawing deer during the season. The only negative trait is that is does not re-seed well.

What’s Hot in Clover Food Plot Seed

disking over the plot will re-seed it. Most annual clovers can be mixed with other plant types to provide different types of forage throughout the deer season. And the plants still be viable into spring turkey season. WMS offers a blend called Clover Feast. It contains annual clovers of Frosty Berseem Clover and Fixation Balansa. Clover Feast blend is suitable for all soil types from dry to waterlogged. It can be mixed with cereal grains at around 5- to 10 pounds per acre or in pure stands at seeding rate of 15-pounds per acre. PREPARED SEED BEDS FOR CLOVER One critical factor in establishing a clover food plot is the pH level of the soil. The pH level indicates how acidic or alkaline the soil. A pH level of 7.0 is neutral. Anything below 7.0 is acidic and above 7.0 is alkaline. Most clover varieties grow well with a pH factor around 5.5 to 6.5. Various clovers can provide forage almost year-round.

Bumgarner pointed out another relativity new clover that has become hot named Fixation Balansa Clover. It can grow in sandy or waterlogged type soils. It can also handle dry soil and pH levels from around 4.5 to 8.5. This clover is considered a bio-mass and provides plenty of tonnage during deer season. By springtime it can be three feet high. Fixation can produce over 90,000 pounds of forage per acre. And this clover provides 300 pounds of nitrogen per acre. It re-seeds well and it placed second in the Miss. State food plot preference trials.

“It’s always a good idea to get a soil test for your plot at least every two years,” Bumgarner advised. “A soil test is inexpensive and can save you money later on.” Soil tests are simple and easy to do. Before planting take a few small shovels of dirt/soil from various points around the plot site. Mix the soil in a small bucket and place a sample in a kit bag. Soil sample kits can be obtained from a local Co-Op or seed supply stores. Follow the instructions on the kit. The cost for the soil test

ANNUALS VERSUS PERENNIALS There are many different types of clovers available. They all fall into one of two categories, annuals and perennials. An annual is a plant only grows for one year before dying. A perennial plant can continue to grow and survive for more than a year under normal conditions. “Annual type clovers grow well throughout deer season,” Bumgarner commented. “Perennial type clovers are not as productive during deer season but do grow better into the spring.” Bumgarner pointed out that once established, some of their clovers can last three years or more. Ladino and Kenland Red are two types of perennial clovers offered by WMS. Regal Graze, a ladino clover is a type of perennial clover that can persist for three to five years. It was developed for a larger leaf size and higher canopy than other white and ladino clovers. It is a great choice for food plots. Another top perennial clover is Osceola Ladino. This clover is draught tolerant. It prefers a soil pH level of around 6 to 6.5 but will grow in slightly acidic soils. Once stablished it grows well on upland and bottomland sights. Osceola is very high in protein and provides year-round forage for deer and turkey. Crimson Clover is a re-seeding annual and is quick to establish. It grows well in less fertile soils than other clovers. At maturity the clover is readily identifiable by its bright red seed head. In late summer the plants seed-out and a light 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 13

What’s Hot in Clover Food Plot Seed

is minimal, usually less than $10. In about two weeks you should receive the results in the mail. The result sheet should indicate the pH level along with the nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus levels, (the three main nutrients for plants). The test results will indicate how much lime is needed to adjust the pH level. Fertilizer can also be added to meet the nutrient requirements as indicted from the soil test results.

Grass and weed competition can choke out clover, especially in perennial plots. The use of a selective herbicide like Clethodim or 2-4DB will help control grasses and broadleaf plants without harming the clover. For more information about clover seed and planting contact WMS at: seedsource @bellsouth.net

Bumgarner mentions that clover adds nitrogen to the soil. Nitrogen is one of the main nutrients for healthy plant growth. By planting clover, the nitrogen level in the soil can be increased naturally and this reduces the need for costly fertilizer. Clover seeds are very small and a little extra care in planting is required. A well-prepared seedbed for the plot is essential for good seed germination. The soil should be smooth. No large clods or rough soil. It is wise to run a cultipacker over the plot before planting. “Clover seed should not be planted more than 1⁄4 inch deep,” Bumgarner reports. “Clover seed requires a firm, smooth seed bed. The soil should not be fluffy.” After seeding, make another pass over the plot with a cultipacker to press the seed into the soil. For maximum germination, there needs to be good seed-to-soil contact. Since clover seed is tiny, some folks prefer to use a bag-style, hand crank seed spreader. It is a little more work, but it is easier to obtain better seed coverage over the entire plot.

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HUNTING

Journey in Traditional/ Primitive Archery BY TONY KINTON

The author readies for a shot at a francolin in Africa. This bird was added to a variety of others that went into a quite grand wildbird pizza fashioned by the camp chef.

16 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Journey in Traditional/Primitive Archery

Squirrels are abundant and definitely a challenge for the traditional archer.

Cracking acorns were the first firm authentication. It was that hollow resonance indicative of a whitetail mouthing those treasured morsels from a white oak. Only minutes prior I thought I heard the crunch of hoof fall on dry leaves down slope, but now my previous uncertainties were proven reality. A deer was close. I stood and fingered the taunt string of an Osage selfbow, cedar arrow fletched with last spring’s turkey feathers in place and ready to fly its perfect path. A buck materialized. He was not a trophy specimen as some would judge, but I was not seeking antler inches. This shiny, fat eight was ideal for my purposes. The shot came without thought, a practiced prescription that consisted of picking a tiny spot, drawing smoothly, locking into a rehearsed form and executing a rapid but gentle release at the moment the subconscious whispered, “Now.” The arrow scooted into leaves on the off side of that buck. It was at this time the woods exploded. The buck crashed back the way he came from, but his rush was punctuated by a solid thud. All became quiet. It was over in seconds and all was well. As I began to ease down from the stand, I noticed a familiar tree nearby, this one also affording a suitable station from which to watch the productive white oak my most recent buck had frequented. It was from that nearby tree I had, one year ago to the day, taken an old and exceedingly heavy doe while using a primitive bow made from Osage strips and backed with bamboo. Another cedar arrow that time as well. Traditional and primitive bows are things of antiquity.

That said, it is a bit odd that these units, for the past two decades or so and in the face of incredible technological advances in archery gear, have enjoyed tremendous growth in popularity. Some may find use only on backyard targets, but others are employed in the hunting fields with marked regularity. So popular have these units become that custom builders find themselves with long and growing lists of waiting buyers. Why is this? Please, let’s postpone consideration of that complex question until later in this piece and substitute some “what,” for definitions seem in order at this point. Be advised, however, that these definitions are not inclusive. Archery is too extensive to be thoroughly outlined in a few paragraphs. But some general guidelines will assist in gaining a measure of understanding. Primitive bows are generally those consisting of no man made additions such as fiberglass or carbon or many others on a lengthy list of modern components. Primitive suggests wood or horn, natural ingredients found in natural surroundings. They can be laminated and still be termed primitive, but those laminates must be natural. That Osage and bamboo mentioned above is one example. And within the primitive there is another category known as selfbow, the type I collected that buck with at the beginning of this piece. A selfbow is made throughout from one ingredient, perhaps Osage or yew or hickory. No combo of mixed wood. Any of these can possess some measure of deflex/ reflex common to modern longbows and recurves and yet maintain the selfbow status.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 17

Journey in Traditional/Primitive Archery

Traditional generally implies a more modern approach. These bows can be constructed with any number of blends, fiberglass and carbon being extensively used today. And traditional will encompass both longbows and recurves. Properly built, these units are stellar performers, sacrificing very little to compounds except in speed and let-off. Still, a well-made traditional bow is plenty fast for hunting.

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It removes quite a few elements that are considered givens by technology and places them in the hands, the very heart, of the shooter.

Longbows, found both in primitive and traditional persuasions, are as the name implies, long. I build my own traditional longbows, with various woods of my liking placed beneath clear fiberglass so that the wood’s beauty is on display. I leave primitive longbow builds to my friend Mike Yancey of Pine Hollow Longbows in Van Buren, Arkansas. He does it far better than I. All longbows I have are a minimum of 62 inches. Commonly built straight with no deflex/reflex, I do mine, as Yancey does his, with a touch of both. This generally gives better performance and definitely mitigates hand shock. Longbows, both primitive and traditional, are clearly my favorite.

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Recurves are those bows you see with shorter and truly graceful limbs that sweep back (deflex) and then bend forward with a steep recurve (reflex). They, among many bow lovers, are the things of dreams and are perhaps the best choice for anyone new to the pursuit. Modern recurves are fast, quiet and fully outstanding performers. A common question asked by those unfamiliar with primitive or traditional bows focuses on aiming. There are, after all, no sights. The answer to that is quite complex, for there are several standard tactics that are specific approaches and perhaps some that blend elements of two or more. The basic is probably instinct, and it is done by picking a specific spot, pushing the bow forward while pulling the string back, anchoring and then releasing. Beautiful, fast, precise, but I can’t do it. I have a friend who can. I may best him on the target range from time to time, but in a hunting situation he simply doesn’t miss. Then there are systems of shaft shooting, gap shooting, secondary aiming point shooting. Some research can reveal the finer points of all these. But like pure instinct, I’m out on all. My approach is rather convoluted. I find my refined target spot, push the bow hand at full length, grip the string and bring it to my anchor, mentally visualize a straight line from the elbow on the side that draws the string and then take that line through the arrow and to the target. I don’t consciously see the arrow or tip, but it is in my peripheral 18 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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Journey in Traditional/Primitive Archery

vision. Range, which impacts elevation, comes without thought. Though this sounds complex and slow, after 40 years of implementing it, this ploy is simple, fast and accurate. It has served me well on whitetails, wild hogs, squirrels, rabbits, a plethora of African game birds and a beautiful nyala bull taken on a “walk-and-hunt” safari in South Africa, all with a selfbow. I have no compulsion to change at this ripe old age. So after all the above mundane descriptions and fragmented statistics, some may legitimately ask why anyone would want to use traditional/primitive gear when there are so many tools that are considered new and improved. As I said earlier, this is complex. For me, it is a more personalized approach to hunting, target work as well. It removes quite a few elements that are considered givens by technology and places them in the hands, the very heart, of the shooter. Traditional/primitive gear pushes the shooter. It asks a great deal of him or her. It is an emotional thing that requires one to come to grips with the core of being. It is, at the least, challenging. But remove all the psychological ramblings and emotional gymnastics, and the shooter comes up with perhaps the most endearing ingredient of them all regarding traditional/ primitive archery. And this one ingredient is simple to digest and impetus enough to persuade and inspire. It is simply fun! An Osage selfbow claimed this Texas hog. Kinton has used that same bow extensively, taking it on two trips to Africa.

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FISHING

Inshore Fishing in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores

BY FRANK SARGEANT Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are known as beach towns that attract families from far beyond Alabama, but the area is also an angling mecca, particularly famed for fast action on red snapper during the short but very productive season. While red snapper get a lot of the glory, there’s also great inshore fishing almost year around. The beach here sits on what’s essentially an island, with the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Cotton Bayou, a westward arm of Perdido Bay, to the north. Perdido Pass lets out the waters of the Perdido River into the Gulf on the east side, and the Flora-Bama line is minutes away. It’s just eight miles west via the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) to the vast fishery at Mobile Bay. Gulf Shores is only seven miles down the beach to the west. In short, any way you turn there’s fishable water. Cotton Bayou Boat Launch, just off Perdido Beach Boulevard, is a huge, modern launching area in Orange Beach and Orange Beach Boat Ramp, at the end of Marina Drive is another good access point. Nearer Gulf Shores is Canal Park Ramp off Gulf Shores Parkway, which goes into Portage Creek and the ICW. From that point it is just three miles to the open water of Bon Secour Bay and Mobile Bay beyond. For those who want to fish Mobile Bay proper, trailering 25 miles west to Pines Public Launch Area and also Fort Morgan 20 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Public Launch, both off Fort Morgan Road on the peninsula, will save running time in the boat. There’s an assortment of inshore targets here, but the favorite is probably the red drum, aka redfish. The area is a major spawning zone for the species, with big schools of 15 to 25 pound adults moving along the beaches and into the passes and bays starting in October and continuing into early December. While these fish are far above the 16-26 inch slot limit for Alabama, they’re great gamefish that readily take a wide variety of live baits as well as most artificial lures. And because they frequently make their presence obvious, they’re even great targets for flyrodding. For keeper-size reds, the area has an almost unlimited selection of docks that provide the kind of shade and structure that holds fish nearly all year long. Live shrimp or “LY’s”, scaled sardines, flipped under these docks is the can’t miss combo but reds also readily take the Vudu Shrimp, DOA Shrimp, Berkley GULP! Crab and an assortment of jigs rigged with soft plastic tails. There’s also a pretty good flats fishery for reds throughout the warmer months and anglers pole or drift around sandy cuts, flats edges and oyster bars looking for fish on the move or tipping up to feed. A gold spoon like the Johnson Silver Minnow in halfounce size is the favorite for this action especially if you throw it around the fish and crank it back fast enough to bring out the

Inshore Fishing in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores

wobble (It’s a good idea to add a snap swivel to the eye of the lure to avoid line twist).

are not glamour fish, but they’re on the same plane as flounder when it comes to being table fare which is absolutely delicious.

When it comes to sea trout, the area has plenty of big ones thanks to the fertile outflow of the rivers creating a rich forage. The fish are there pretty much year around.

To make your life easier and less painful it’s a good idea to cut off the sharp spines with kitchen shears before cleaning.

From April through October, they can readily be caught by throwing topwater plugs around marsh edges and docks at first light, moving out to the edge of the channels and drops and fishing live or artificial shrimp as the sun gets high.

There’s also a pretty good flats fishery for reds throughout the warmer months and anglers pole or drift around sandy cuts, flats edges and oyster bars looking for fish on the move or tipping up to feed.

Fall brings schooling action in the open bays, particularly Mobile Bay and look for diving birds and then fish under them with live shrimp on a popping cork. In winter, the fish move inland to the ICW, feeder rivers and potholes in the backcountry, where they’re best caught on live shrimp or jigs eased along near bottom. You don’t even need a boat to enjoy fast fishing here in March, April and early May, when schools of pompano run the beaches and passes searching for sand fleas. You can catch these small beach crabs with a wire basket beach rake sold at area bait shops, but the artificial bait known as Fishbites works just as well and it is far easier to get and stays on the hook better. It can be used like cut bait, fished on bottom on a size 1/0 short shank hook, or to add scent to the typical pompano jig, a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce head with a short bucktail or nylon dressing. November brings the annual flounder run, as the fish flow out of the bays, through the passes to spawn on the nearshore reefs. This is the time of year when a limit of these incredibly tasty flatfish is almost automatic, provided you can find a bait shop with live killifish, also known as mud minnows, in stock. Shrimp will catch some, but the fish seem to find the killifish irresistible. They can be fished on a fishfinder rig on bottom, or hooked on a bare 3/8 ounce or heavier jig and slipped slowly along bottom on the channel edges and around rip-rap at the passes.

In summary, there’s good inshore fishing somewhere around Orange Beach pretty much year around. WHERE TO STAY IN ORANGE BEACH The whole area is loaded with resorts so there’s a wide choice of places to stay. The Caribe Resort, just west of the Old Island Bridge in Orange Beach, rents condos from one to four bedrooms, and a big feature is that they have abundant dock space where you can tie up your rig. In fact, these docks, almost right on Perdido Pass, are a very good place to start your fishing trip and they frequently hold some lunker reds and trout. The Wharf Resort and Marina at Orange Beach, just off Foley Express Way, has wind-protected docks on Portage Creek and quick access to the east to Perdido Bay, to the west Bon Secour and Mobile Bay. The brand new Lodge at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores is another great place to stay. It’s right on the beach, which will be a big plus with mom and the kids, who can spend their time on the sand while you spend yours in the boat, if that works best for your family. You can’t store your boat in the water here, however. The location offers all the perks of a beachfront location as well as a host of park amenities such as hiking and biking trails, a 900 acre fishing lake, nature center and outdoor classroom, interpretive center, tennis, kayaking, paddleboards, geocaching, guided nature walks, birding, and several playgrounds. If you don’t take your boat, you can catch everything from whiting and pompano to Spanish, kings and the occasional cobia off the public pier here. Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism has a full palette of places to stay, from luxury resorts to condos to private home rentals, all of them not far from the beaches and the angling action. Visit www.gulfshores.com for details.

Sheepshead also show up in fall, beginning in October and continuing into winter. They can be caught around bridge pilings, docks, riprap, and when it gets colder, in rocky potholes in the backcountry. The largest sheepshead also show up on nearshore artificial reefs and rock piles in March. Fresh-cut shrimp is a favorite bait and anglers should use a piece about an inch long rather than the whole shrimp to avoid the fish from stealing the bait. Sheepshead also love sand fleas and fiddler crabs. Whatever the bait, fish it on a small hook, size 1 at the largest and the octopus style works well. A slip sinker and 18-inch leader of 20-pound test fluorocarbon will help you detect the bite (The heavier leader helps prevent cutoffs on their sharp teeth). These

Flounder cleaned and ready for the pan 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 21

HUNTING

Saddle Hunting 101

BY NICK WILLIAMS

22 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Saddle Hunting 101

Since a saddle hunter is always attached to the tree with either a lineman’s belt, a tether, or both, and there is constant tension on these devices, a true fall is simply not possible.

An unconventional “tree stand” has taken the hunting world by storm. For decades it has been a secret weapon in the arsenal of legendary big-buck killers such as Dr. Robert Shepard (Alabama author of Whitetails: An Unprecedented Research Driven Hunting Model), and John Eberhart (author of Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails). But now the secret’s out… and hunters everywhere are discovering the advantage of the simple but effective tree saddle. WHAT IS A TREE SADDLE? A tree saddle is a lightweight type of stand made from straps and fabric instead of metal. They are similar to the work harnesses used by arborists and utility workers. While most saddles weigh just a couple of pounds, they are capable of supporting literally tons of weight. Used properly, a tree saddle is impossible to fall out of, since the hunter is strapped to the tree at all times. Sitting in a saddle is similar to sitting in a swing on a children’s playground. The fabric cradles your rear, and an ultra-strong rope called a “lead” or “tether” attaches to loops located by each hip at one end, and securely around the trunk of a tree at the other. Used in conjunction with one of several compact and lightweight platform options, the hunter sits facing the tree, and can swing smoothly and quietly 360° around the trunk. ADVANTAGES OF A TREE SADDLE Why should you switch to a tree saddle? Simply put, it is the safest, quietest, most comfortable, and most versatile way to hunt from a tree, and can give you significant advantages over other hunters. If you are a mobile, “run-and-gun” hunter, a saddle gives you the freedom to set up on fresh sign without paying attention to finding the “perfect” tree. If you prefer to preset trees in advance of the season, a saddle allows you to set multiple locations for a fraction of the money and effort required with other stand types. Saddles perform well in almost any circumstance, and for almost any type of hunter. Because saddles are made of fabric instead of metal, they are incredibly compact. They weigh a fraction of what conventional stands do, and are typically either worn on your body for the walk in or carried in a daypack. This allows you to hunt further off the beaten trail, far away from other hunters and closer to the isolated areas big bucks call home. Because there is no metal to tink or clank, and nothing to catch on thick underbrush, you can execute a stealthier approach when

hunting near known bedding areas. The ability to quietly and easily navigate terrain other hunters cannot can lead to chances at cautious old bucks that many hunters will never see. A saddle hunter sits facing the trunk of the tree. This can feel strange at first, but thanks to the range of movement around the tree that the saddle’s tether affords, an alert hunter can learn to stealthily position the trunk between himself and approaching deer. This is a huge advantage, especially when hunting in an area where multiple deer are lingering for prolonged periods of time. Peeking around the trunk like a squirrel, a hunter might as well be invisible to his prey! For gun hunters, the trunk and tether make a sturdy rest, allowing for greater accuracy at longer distances. Bow hunters can learn to use the trunk to help conceal the motion of drawing their bow, which as any seasoned archer knows is oftentimes the “make or break” moment right before a kill. Unlike the climbing stands used by many hunters who like to stay mobile, a saddle works in leaning and limb-filled trees. A saddle can also be used on any diameter tree that will hold your weight and is not so large that you cannot throw a lineman’s belt around it. This means that a saddle hunter isn’t forced to hunt perfectly sized, straight, limbless trees. Instead, he can focus on finding good sign and then make whatever tree is available work. While a hunter in a lock-on type stand is not as limited as one in a climber, he still cannot hunt from the extreme ranges of tree diameter, and his stand will not self-level on the extreme angles that a saddle hunter can safely hang from. SAFETY! Speaking of safety, no other stand compares to the safety of a tree saddle. It is impossible to fall out of one, because it combines your “stand” with your safety harness. Many hunters are guilty of not wearing their harnesses due to perceived issues with comfort, mobility, or performance. A saddle hunter has no choice but to wear his harness every time he climbs! Since a saddle does need shoulder straps like a conventional, fullbody safety harness, it is more comfortable and less restrictive. Saddles come with built-in loops for attaching a lineman’s belt while climbing. This allows a hunter to use both hands to work with and climb, helps maintain balance, and prevents a backwards fall. Saddles also come with load-rated waist buckles to secure them to your person, and leg loops to prevent you from sliding out of the bottom. At height, a saddle hunter securely fastens their tether around the tree, and clips into their saddle using a locking carabiner. This is done before removing the lineman’s belt and stepping up onto the platform; providing an additional safety measure during what many believe is the most dangerous point of a climb: the transition between your climbing method and hunting platform. Since a saddle hunter is always attached to the tree with either a lineman’s belt, a tether, or both, and there is constant tension on these devices, a true fall is simply not possible. If a step were to break or a boot were to slip, a saddle hunter would swing a few inches and land facing the tree. This short swing is very different from the potential drop that can be experienced by a tree stand hunter wearing a conventional harness. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 23

Saddle Hunting 101

It puts less force on the hunter’s body, and puts him in a much better position to recover. The extreme ease of recovery, combined with the fact that a saddle does not cut off circulation to the legs like a full body harness, makes death or injury due to suspension trauma unlikely. In short, a saddle is not only the most versatile option for elevated hunters; it’s the safest! WHERE CAN I BUY ONE? For those interested in purchasing a saddle hunting rig, I would recommend the following companies:

more minimalistic saddle comfortable. Once you have a saddle, a good way up the tree is the next priority. Mark Cama, owner of Treehopper LLC, has designed the perfect climbing method to complement a tree saddle. His Treehopper Hand Drill features a durable aluminum body and can be purchased with a folding handle, which makes it extremely compact. It is used in conjunction with “grade 8” steel bolts, which are much stronger than other manufacturer’s screw-in steps, and cheaper to boot.

Aero Hunter and its parent company New Tribe have been building saddles and arborist harnesses for years. The company’s extensive experience means that they are at the front of the pack when it comes to designing lightweight, safe, and innovative saddles. They offer various accessories for their saddles, including quality lineman’s belts and tree tethers. They currently have two models available, the Kestrel and the Kite. I have hunted out of their Kestrel model for the past two seasons, and it has held up well to the abuse I’ve put it through. John Reed at JX3 Outdoors also makes a phenomenal “hybrid” saddle. It combines the utility of a saddle with the comfort of a Millenium or Summit style stand. It also doubles as a ground chair and frame pack. The polymer and mesh design is cool and lightweight, and provides excellent back support. I recommend it to anyone who is intrigued by the saddle concept, but is not sure that they would find a

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In short, a saddle is not only the most versatile option for elevated hunters; it’s the safest!

The final piece of saddle gear you will need is something to rest your feet on. Last year I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with Dan Osterhout of Eastern Woods Outdoors. He introduced the lightest strap-on climbing step that has ever been offered: the Squirrel Step. Five of these steps on a strap with either an over-center or ratchet buckle makes for a platform that weighs less than 1.5lbs and fits in a cargo pocket. They can also be used for climbing in areas that do

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Saddle Hunting 101

not allow hunters to penetrate the bark of the tree. Dan also stocks climbing stick and saddle platform components for those interested in building their own, custom gear. I personally trust my own safety and the success of my hunts to the above manufacturers. However, they are not the only players in the market. The following companies also offer saddles and saddle related gear: Tethrd was founded by two long time saddle hunters: Greg Godfrey and Ernie Powers. Their Mantis saddle and Predator platform have proven very popular, and they offer various accessories as well. Wild Edge is a veteran owned company that manufactures a unique, camming climbing step. Their steps are rock solid on the tree, and are used both for climbing and as a platform at hunting height. Out On A Limb has recently introduced two platforms for saddle hunters: the Podium and the Perch. The Perch is unique in that it is used in conjunction with Wild Edge’s step, increasing the surface area of it to make it more comfortable. IN CONCLUSION Gear will never be a substitute for hard work and dedication. However, since switching to a saddle, I have personally had more big buck sightings and harvests, and would never consider going back to a conventional stand. If you are currently shopping for a new stand, I would strongly encourage you to consider adding a tree saddle to your arsenal!

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FISHING

Make More Bass Bite BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS “When bass are reluctant to bite, Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips can cause those lockjawed bass to open up their mouths and eat your bait,” Phillip Criss says.

Thirty years of scientific research in the fields of marine and molecular biology have produced an attractant that will make bass bite. Sound impossible? Read on to learn more. WHAT PHILLIP CRISS LEARNED ABOUT CATCHING BASS ON FISHBITES BOB’S YOUR UNCLE STRIPS Phillip Criss of Albertville, Alabama, has guided for bass for 38 years and today guides on Lake Guntersville, in north Alabama, one of the top 10 “big-bass” lakes in the nation that’s also known for an abundance of bass. Criss was asked to fieldtest Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips, a product with 30 years of scientific research and study associated with it to make it one of the best make-a-bass-bite baits anywhere. Criss fished these strips for three months as an independent angling researcher to field test them and give an honest report of what he learned about whether Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips made bass bite. “The week before this interview, I had one of my clients at Lake Guntersville catch an 8-pound, 2-ounce bass and a 7-pound, 12-ounce bass,” Criss explained. “Then two weeks before this report, I had a customer catch a 10-pound, 3.2-ounce largemouth. Guntersville homes numbers of big bass. Although I don’t know what Bob’s Your Uncle strips are made of, they’re very soft and supple trailers like the old Uncle Josh Pork Rind trailers were. But these strips seem to have many more benefits than the pork trailers had.” HOW CRISS ADDED BOB’S YOUR UNCLE STRIPS TO BIG-BASS LURES AND FISHED WITH THEM “In this test, I used a Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle strip as a 26 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

trailer on a jig for punching grass mats and flipping vegetation,” Criss reported. “I also fished it on a swim jig and a spinner bait and experimented with using this strip with a rubber frog. With more lakes having aquatic vegetation in them today, frog fishing for bass has become very popular. However, when a bass attacks a frog, about two out of three times, you won’t hook the bass, because the fish won’t hold onto the frog long enough to get the lure deep enough in its mouth to get a good hookset. But with the Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips, I’ve learned that the bass will hold on longer, and our catch ratio has gone up. I’ve also noticed that when you pull the frog into a hole in the grass or to the edge of the grass and stop the frog, the strip continues to move. I don’t know whether the bass thinks the frog is about to move or jump when it’s sitting still on the water with the trailer still wiggling.” However, I caught five bass on consecutive casts with this technique fishing the grass at Guntersville. Next I took the strip off the frog and made five more casts to that same section of the lake and only caught one bass. I fished three colors of Bob’s Your Uncle strips, pink, white and chartreuse, and all three colors of trailers seemed to work equally well. To determine how potent the scent on this strip was, I fished a strip on spinning tackle with just a hook. The strip was too light to cast with a baitcasting rod, however, on spinning tackle, I was surprised at what I learned. Just swimming the Bob’s Your Uncle strip through and around grass, logjams and other types of cover, I found that the bass seemed to want to eat it up,” Criss said.

Make More Bass Bite

“I put a 1/16 ounce weight in front of my hook too and also cast the Bob’s Your Uncle strip into holes in the cover, using my rod tip to twitch it. The bass ate the strip like that. So, I realized that the strip didn’t have to be a part of another lure but actually could produce bass when I fished the strip by itself. I’d seen an angler many years ago casting a pork rind on a hook. When I received the Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle strips, I decided to try that technique on this swimming type of trailer. I found it paid bass dividends. By fishing a strip on a single hook on spinning tackle, you didn’t have to have hardly any rod-tip action to make that bait move.

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“Something else I like about this strip is you can take scissors and split its tail to give it more action. Or, if the bass are short-striking you can shorten it up. As you can see, the Bob’s Your Uncle strip is a very versatile lure. I also found that these strips didn’t dry out like pork would, and they were easy to take off a hook and put them back in their original jar. “I think one of the biggest advantages of fishing the Bob’s Your Uncle strips is that I have more time to set the hook when a big bass bites, an especially-important factor when I’m fishing vegetation with 50-60 pound braided line. I know that due to the texture and the scent of the strip, a bass tends to take it deeper into its mouth. Then I can hesitate before I set the hook and catch more bass than I do when I try to set the hook immediately on the strike. “I fish spinner baits often, and when you stop a spinner bait, you want it to fall straight down. This strip doesn’t impede the action of the spinner bait as it falls. The blades on the spinner bait keep turning, and the strip wiggles as the spinner bait falls. “Since my job is helping my clients catch bass, and on some days, the bass want to be hardheaded and not bite, those days are the ones when Fishbites Bob Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips really pay off for me. I know those strips help my clients and me get more bites and catch more bass on days when catching bass is very tough.” HOW TO BRING OLD BASSING LURES BACK TO LIFE “Most bass anglers know bass can wise-up to a lure, so for that reason, I fish numbers of old lures that always have caught bass and still will catch bass today, since the bass rarely see them,“ Criss said. “I’m a big fan of Hildebrandt’s Snagless Sally, a single-spin, inline spinner bait. When I use a Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips on the back of this old lure, the bass attack it. Two, other, older lures I’ve found to be deadly effective once you add Bob’s Your Uncle strips to them is the Panther Martin WeedWing and the Johnson spoon, especially when fishing around thick cover and through grass and lily pads. Those

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Make More Bass Bite

lures can go where other lures can‘t. When you add the action of Bob’s Your Uncle strips to those lures, the lures often will produce more strikes and more bass being caught on them than some of the hottest new lures available for bass fishing today.” WHAT FISHBITES BOB’S YOUR UNCLE SCENTED BAIT STRIPS ARE AND HOW THEY WERE DEVELOPED Michael Carr of St. Augustine, Florida, knows the history and the science behind Fishbites, since his dad, Dr. William Carr, created the product. Michael Carr describes Fishbites as, “Fruit Roll-Ups for fish”. “There’s not real food in that fruit roll-up candy. This product was made by food scientists to give this candy the smell and the taste of lemons, watermelons and strawberries. This same type of science was used by my dad, Dr. William Carr, to create Fishbites,” Carr pointed out.

”I put Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips on a rubber frog, and learned that they caused bass to bite and hold onto the frog longer, allowing me to get better hooksets,” Phillip Criss explained.

“A research scientist with PhDs in marine biology and molecular biology, my dad studied how fish detected flavors and scents, spending 30 years in these two fields to develop Fishbites. He became extremely interested in this type of research when he was a little boy in Smyrna, Fla., fishing with my granddad. While wade fishing in Mosquito Lagoon, my dad stepped on an oyster shell that made a small cut on his foot. He noticed that a large number of tiny fish and water creatures started nibbling on his wound. He said he wanted to find out what was in his blood that notified these creatures that lunchtime had arrived. My dad took that encounter with him for the rest of his life to try and learn what made fish bite. That interest was what

THE 2019 RED SNAPPER SEASON IS HERE! FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 1st – JULY 28th THE MANDATORY REPORTING PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE FOR THE 2019 RED SNAPPER RECREATIONAL SEASON. ONLY ONE REPORT IS REQUIRED PER FISHING TRIP WITH RED SNAPPER. ANGLERS CAN REPORT USING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: • SMARTPHONE APP (iPhone or Android)* • ONLINE AT OUTDOORALABAMA.COM • PAPER FORMS AT CERTAIN COASTAL PUBLIC BOAT LAUNCHES App Icon

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ANGLERS MUST REPORT CATCH BEFORE FISH ARE REMOVED FROM THE VESSEL OR THE VESSEL WITH FISH ONBOARD IS BROUGHT ONSHORE. REQUIRED REPORT INFORMATION INCLUDES: • VESSEL REGISTRATION • COUNTY OF LANDING • VESSEL TYPE – CHARTER OR PRIVATE • NUMBER OF ANGLERS • NUMBER OF RED SNAPPER HARVESTED AND DISCARDED DEAD • ACCESS TYPE USED - PUBLIC OR PRIVATE

steered his studies in marine and molecular biology. Since he was one of the first scientists to study how to make fish bite and to do research on fish, he eventually went to work at Marineland in St. Augustine and at the Whitney Marine Laboratory,” Carr said. Carr’s father had a huge wet lab set-up with 30 to 40, 50-gallon tanks, which enabled him to run several sets of experiments on fish all at the same time.

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Make More Bass Bite

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“My dad would grind up different fish, shrimp and crabs until he found what he called, ‘The secret sauce’, that told fish when they smelled or tasted this secret sauce that the time had arrived to eat,” Carr explained. “Then he incorporated the chemical components of this secret sauce into a hydrogel, and the Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips were born.” Two components make up Fishbites. A layer of cloth that’s injected with and surrounded by the feed-grade water-soluble gel forms the strips and the cloth is the key to keeping the scent on the bait longer. When you put a hook through the gel and the cloth, a Bob’s Your Uncle strip will remain on the hook and release the bass attractant as it dissolves horizontally. According to Carr, Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips, perform much the same way as the old Uncle Josh Pork Rind once performed, except they are softer, won’t dry out as quickly and are infused with the formula my dad developed. To learn more about Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips and see videos of using various Fishbites products to catch both freshwater and saltwater fish, visit www.fishbites. com. OTHER BAITS FISHBITES OFFERS Other Fishbites’ products that also are infused with specific flavors to attract and catch freshwater and saltwater fish include: •

• • •

Fishbites Fight Club Lures for freshwater fish allow you to fish stink-free. These lures come in four shapes and numerous colors. Jigheads for these lures are available in five colors and four weights that feature heavy-duty, chip-proof paint and red holographic eyes with a Mustad UltraPoint hook. Fishbites Yeh Monn! Catfish Baits call catfish, come in 5/8”-wide, 12”-long ribbons and feature four scents, including crawfish, liver, shad and worms. Fishbites Fish ‘n Strips catch saltwater fish and are available in sand flea, clam, crab and shrimp flavors. Fishbites Chum that lasts for hours takes the blood and guts out of chumming for saltwater fish, is made from Fishbites recycled baits and features a puck-shaped bait, 3-inches wide and 1-inch high, weighing approximately 5.5-ounces each. Fishbites Fish’n Chunks come in large, pennant-shaped wedges in three scents, crab, shrimp and squid to call large saltwater fish. Fishbites Bag O’ Worms for saltwater anglers are available in various sizes in bloodworm and sandworm scents. Fishbites E-Z Baits for catching saltwater fish are fast-acting and come in shrimp, crab, clam and squid flavors.

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FISHING

How to Filet a Sheepshead like a Pro BY GREAT DAYS OUTDOORS STAFF

30 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

How to Filet a Sheepshead like a Pro

Captain Patric Garmeson is a professional fishing guide, owner of “Ugly Fishing” and is the current Alabama state record holder for sheepshead. Garmeson has always had a passion for sheepshead and a long-time dream to hold the Alabama state record. That came to pass in 2019 when he caught a 13 pound, 14 ounce sheepshead (see the June 2019 issue of GDO for details). In his quest for that record fish, he has caught and filleted his fair share of sheepshead and is sharing his expertise. A SHEEPSHEAD IS LIKE A BIG SALTWATER BREAM WITH A BAD ATTITUDE. Having a compressed body shape and five or six vertical bars over a grey background, a sheepshead looks and acts like an ‘escapee or convict’ from fish prison Strong jaws allow it to crunch and feast on shrimp, sand fleas, clams, crabs and other crustaceans. Ironically, a sheepshead has small “human like” front teeth, which makes it a notorious bait thief so small hooks work best for connecting. Maybe that larceny is why it has prison stripes.

STEP TWO Use your knife blade to cut just above the dorsal to outline the fillet. After cutting downward, turn your knife blade to point towards the tail and follow the backbone down the length of the fish. As a guide, along the backbone there is a “membrane” or line that runs down the side of the dorsal fin that you can follow.

Like any big, flat, wide, dense and strong fish, when a sheepshead turns that impressive girth against you, you are in for a tug of war. It is kind of like catching a bluegill on a 6 weight fly rod. Be advised that a sheepshead has heavy, sharp dorsal spines and very hard scales, so, when you are cleaning, it is prudent to wear gloves, at least on your fish holding “non-cutting hand”, as a wet, slippery, tough scaled fish can cause knife slips and maybe cutting accidents. It also might not hurt to have a serrated fillet knife in your blade arsenal to cut through those tough scales and rib cage so as not to dull the edges of your finer cutlery.

STEP THREE Cutting your way down the backbone find the rib cage with the knife point. Using the point follow the structure and “scrape” down the rib cage to capture all of the meat that you can to produce good fillets.

STEP FOUR Push the knife through the fish just behind the vent to finish outlining. STEP ONE Work your knife point between the scales to avoid cutting through them. With your hand holding the head of the fish, start your cut just behind the gills and dorsal down to the bottom of the fish. Work the knife between the scales to avoid dulling the blade.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 31

How to Filet a Sheepshead like a Pro

STEP FIVE Cut your way along the top of the rib cage. Here you are separating the filet from the body of the fish. Take your time and use some finesse and care working through the body for nice fillets. Work down and then work back, pushing the knife as close to the bones as possible to capture as much flesh as possible. Don’t worry about leaving the rib cage. There is very little meat and lots of bones in this area.

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STEP SIX Cut your boneless filet off the top of the skin. Lay your knife blade flat and cut and work horizontally to separate the flesh from the skin. Be sure to come down and check out more great fish cleaning tutorials at the Great Days Outdoors KILLERDOCK Fish Cleaning Station, which is just one of the many spectator attractions at the 86th Annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (ADSFR) scheduled for July 19-21, 2019 in Dauphin Island, Alabama. The ADSFR was founded in 1929. The three day tournament attracts over 3,000 anglers and 75,000 spectators seeking almost a million dollars in prizes and cash. A project of the Mobile Jaycees, the ADSFR has donated over $275,000 to the University of South Alabama Department of Marine Sciences and annually funds academic scholarships. For information and to find local outlets for tickets call the Mobile Jaycee Office at (251) 4710025 or online at www.adsfr.com. Tickets available at www.fishingchaos.com

Important Contact Information Captain Patrick Garmeson is a Dauphin Island based professional fisherman who provides guided fishing excursions in the Mobile Bay area. For more information contact Ugly Fishing at (251) 747-1554 or online at www.uglyfishing.com.

32 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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HUNTING

Choosing Food Plot Equipment for Southern Hunters

BY J. WAYNE FEARS WITH JOHN E. PHILLIPS Photos by John E. Phillips

(Editor’s Note: J. Wayne Fears of New Market, Alabama, a wildlife biologist, has written 34 outdoor books and thousands of magazine articles as an outdoor writer of more than 50 years. He has owned and managed two different hunting lodges and has supervised 220 hunting clubs for a major timber company and is well acquainted with food-plot management.) WHY YOU NEED IMPLEMENTS TO PLANT FOOD PLOTS You must have implements to plow, plant, fertilize, lime and seed a food plot. The types of implements you use for these tasks generally depends on the hardness of the ground where you’ll be planting the food plots. HOW TO DECIDE ON THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED The first question that has to be answered is whether you need a tractor to create the food plot, or can you use implements designed for an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) or a UTV (utility task vehicle or Side-by-side). In order to t answer this question, you need to consider: • Will this food plot be a new site? • Is this location an old logging road or an old log landing? • Is the spot an overgrown field? • Are there stumps and roots at this site? • Are the rocks there as large as grapefruits? • Is the soil tightly packed, for instance like red clay will be? • Is the plot larger than 3 acres? • Are you planning on having six food plots or more? WHEN YOU NEED A TRACTOR If you answer any one of these questions with “yes,” then you need to use a tractor with tractor implements to create 34 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

a food plot - at least for the first plowing. The best and least expensive way to solve these problems is to hire a farmer who already has these implements to do the work for you. Many of the people who are hunting today live in towns, have little or no experience in farming and don’t own tractors with all the implements required to solve the problems listed. Buying a tractor and the required implements is very expensive. If you can find a local farmer in your hunting club’s area who has the equipment and implements to create four to six green fields, then he can do the work in far less time and for less dollars than you can. WHAT ABOUT ATVS AND FARMING IMPLEMENTS For beginning food plots (places that never have been plowed before), you are dollars and time ahead to hire a farmer with his tractor and implements to create, lime, fertilize and seed the food plot, initially. But after that initial food-plot planting, many landowners and hunting clubs may want to replant the food plots once or twice a year, with their ATVs and ATV implements. The two types of ATVs and UTVs are the ones designed to take hunters and their equipment to and from hunting sites and help carry the animals they take out of the backcountry and the ATVs with more muscle that can do the work required to build and maintain a green field. The muscled-up ATV engine needs to be at least 450 ccs, have four-wheel drive, feature low-range capabilities and have been well-maintained or be new. An ATV that doesn’t meet these specifications won’t get the job done when you put ATV farming implements on the back of it. If the green field has been prepared by a farmer the year or the season before, the field is less than ½ or ¼ acre and there’s not a large number of green fields to plow and plant,

Choosing Food Plot Equipment for Southern Hunters

then you can maintain these green fields with smaller scale ATV implements. ATV farming implements have been designed for sportsmen to plant small food plots in isolated areas where a tractor may have difficulty reaching. For instance, you may want to create a food plot on a bench on the side of a mountain, which will be difficult for a tractor to reach. However, if you have one of these muscled-up ATV vehicles, you can go into that bench with lightweight ATV implements and create a food plot.

For beginning food plots (places that never have been plowed before), you are dollars and time ahead to hire a farmer with his tractor and implements to create, lime, fertilize and seed the food plot, initially.

•

• • •

• Another advantage to using ATV farming implements is that today biologists are encouraging landowners and hunting club members to plant the same food plot twice a year, once with a cool-season planting and then replanting that same food plot with a warm-season planting to help hold wildlife on that property all year long. By breaking up the ground twice a year, the soil becomes easier to plow and plant each time you break it up. Also since ATV implements are built on a smaller scale than tractor implements, they are less expensive. Do consider that you’ll spend quite a bit of time preparing, harrowing and cultipacking the soil, liming, fertilizing, planting the seeds and then cultipacking the seeds into the ground, if your food plot is an acre or more. But you can do it. I have a food plot that’s an acre, and I use my ATV implements to plant green fields in it every year. STEPS TO FOLLOW TO PLANT FOR WILDLIFE • Plowing - If you have access to thousands of acres, and you want to put food plots on them and already have a tractor, the first implement you’ll need is a disk plow. This true plow does primary tillage and leaves behind a rough surface by breaking up the soil. • Harrowing - You drag the disc harrow over the field to

•

cut up and break up the clumps of earth and turn it into very fine soil which leaves you a fairly level seed bed to plant your crop for wildlife. Soil Testing - A soil test tells you the chemical makeup of the soils in that specific food plot and will give you recommendations on the amount of lime and fertilizer you need to put on that field that you’ve just disked and harrowed. Liming and Fertilizing - You can use a seeder to set the amount of lime and fertilizer to be spread over the size of the green field you want to plant. Cultipacking - After you’ve put out lime and fertilizer, you need the cultipacker to help get the seed bed as level as possible and make the soil somewhat pressed down. Checking for Rain - Watch the weather forecast before planting. After all the work you’ve done, the best way to ensure the germination of the seeds and to get your green-field plantings out of the ground is to have rain on that field as soon after planting as possible. Seeding - After you’ve cultipacked the ground the first time, you need to replace the cultipacker on the back of your tractor with the seeder. Pour the seed or blend of seeds that you’re planting into the seeder. Use a tractor to seed the food plot that you’ve just built. Cultipacking - Once you’ve completed the seeding of your green field, take the seeder off the tractor, put the cultipacker back on and go over the field you’ve just seeded with the cultipacker to push the seed down into the earth.

Planting green fields with both annual and perennial seeds will drastically improve the overall health of your deer herd. Many sportsmen today are hunting smaller acreages and planting smaller green fields that often are more efficient than large green fields. To reach this goal, more individuals and landowners are using stronger ATVs and smaller implements. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF ATV IMPLEMENTS WITH J. WAYNE FEARS One trend I’ve noticed is that an individual or a small hunting club may purchase ATV implements and plant their food plots in September. However, after they finish planting their food plots, they don’t take care of their implements. Then they wonder why those implements don’t work like they should work the following September.

In a large green field planting, you may want to plant a small strip green field next to a standing crop to give wildlife a place to continue to feed after a standing crop like corn is plowed under. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 35

Choosing Food Plot Equipment for Southern Hunters

food hopper will be destroyed in a year or two. You need to clean, oil and lubricate all your implements after using them, according to manufacturers’ recommendations and then have a place to store those implements, so they are out of the weather. To learn more about building, maintaining and planting food plots, check out J. Wayne Fears’ books at http://jwaynefears. com/j-waynes-books, “Deer Hunter’s and Land Manager’s Pocket Reference” and “Hunt Club Management Guide.”

If you plan to supplementally feed your deer during the offseason, you can use an OxCart like the one seen here to carry food to your feeder that’s often best placed where you’ve established a small green field.

Farmers know that they have to maintain and take care of tractor implements after using them if they are to last. For instance, if you have a seed hopper that you’ve been using to put fertilizer, lime and seeds in and you don’t wash it down, clean it out and do the recommended maintenance on it, that

LONE

WOLF

36 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

A HELPFUL ACCESSORY – THE OXCART UTILITY CART This load-tested to 1,100 pounds utility cart makes hauling and unloading large loads easier, while reducing physical strain and enabling you to get more work done quickly and with much less effort. The OxCart combines a rear offset dumppivot point for greater control with a hydraulic assisted tub lift for easier heavy load handling. Featuring a swivel feature that reduces backing, the OxCart also has commercial grade durability with an all-square-tube construction, full mandrel bent NASCAR designed axle support and tractor grade runflat tires. You can purchase a conversion kit accessory that turns it into a farm cart/wheelbarrow in seconds for use in land maintenance and hunting prep. Visit www.oxcart.com to learn more. HOW TO FINANCE FARM EQUIPMENT Once you’ve decided whether you’ll use a tractor or an ATV or UTV to create, plant, lime and fertilize your green field planting or hire a farmer to do that work for you, the next question to answer is, if you do plan to buy ATV implements

Choosing Food Plot Equipment for Southern Hunters

is whether it will be used or new equipment, and who should you consider for a financial partner (lender)? One of the oldest and most trusted lenders for any type of farming equipment nationwide always has been the Farm Credit System that was established about a century ago. In recent years, this organization has partnered with and become a part of state agricultural credit unions, like Alabama Ag Credit, a borrower-owned cooperative lender. There are state organization groups in every state. We talked with Steven Bozeman, a loan officer with Alabama Ag Credit, who explained that Alabama Ag Credit primarily works with farmers and hunters in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi with eight offices in south Alabama and six offices in north Alabama. “We can loan up to 75% of the cost of agricultural equipment,” Bozeman said. “For instance, if the implement costs $100,000, the buyer only has to put up 25%, which is $25,000, and Alabama Ag Credit will loan the other $75,000 to the person. The terms of this type of loan will last from five to seven years with a fixed interest rate.” “However, when you’re considering buying ATV and UTV farming equipment, you only may want to have a three year loan, depending on the cost, the age and the size of the implement(s) and the projected useful life of the equipment. This equipment must meet the specs for farming for wildlife, planting green fields and improving the land. “The purpose of Alabama Ag Credit is to help individuals,

hunting clubs and people to buy rural land for farming, planting for wildlife and/or improving the land. Many people, especially first-time land buyers may not ever have heard of Alabama Ag Credit, or may not know that we can help them buy the equipment they need to improve the land for wildlife, as well as farming,” Bozeman noted. “If you need help finding an Ag Credit Union, you can go to www.alabamaagcredit.com and learn the offices and information about them. We also help direct customers to Ag Credit offices in different states, if that’s where they live or hunt and fish. Although we do more loans for real estate than we do for implements, we’re becoming more involved in loaning money for all types of equipment as well as providing money for other kinds of land improvements like fencing. You can call me directly at 334-489-7103 or write Steven. Bozeman@AlabamaAgCredit.com.” WHY PLANT A GREEN FIELD FOR DEER AND TURKEYS Dr. Grant Woods, a longtime deer researcher from Reeds Spring, Missouri, says, “You must maintain a constant food supply in a green field to improve and increase the number of deer and turkeys using your green field. Always keep food on the table for wildlife. Having highly-nutritious and palatable food for deer and turkeys to find every time they visit your green field means they won’t stray off your property. “The more wildlife you draw to a green field, the more feed you must provide for them. If a buck deer thinks, ‘green field’ when he feels hungry, he’ll be more likely to use that green field, even during hunting season, due to his belly being tied to his brain.”

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$155.97 Cool your shop, stable, or barn. Bottom: 950 sq. ft. cooling fan. MC37m AFC #407824

$315.97 Other sizes cooling fans available. 500 sq ft. AFC #409779 1600 sq. ft. AFC #407825 3000 sq. ft. AFC #409777

• Captures residual nitrogen. • Increases water infiltration and soil moisture holding capacity. • Helps prevent soil erosion •Helps increase soil organic profile.

• Extensively tested, proven performer. • Consistent high forage yields. • Early/medium maturity • Rust resistant • Gray leaf spot resistant

SS22-MBE

M-40i Invisi-Flash 16MP Game Camera • 16MP Resolution •PIR Motion Sensor - 80’ Range • Motion Trigger Speed • 32-LED invisible IR flash

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$499.99 22 gun. Electronic 2-way locking system with 1” live action locking bolts. Adjustable Shelves. Fully carpeted interior. Black textured finish. Patented barrel rest and standoffs.

Lieutenant 42 Gun

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$839.97 12 gauge steel door with Tru-Lock internal hinges. Uses 4” locking bolts to protect the bolts from prying. 2 adjustable shelves and an organizational panel on the door provide additional storage capacity.

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WEDNESDAYS • 5 P.M. CENTRAL Sunday, Central Time

Alabama Stations and times

T E L E V I S I O N S H O W

Market Montgomery Mobile Dothan Birmingham Columbus, GA Huntsville

Station WSFA-TV 12 WPMI-TV WTVY-TV 4 WBMA-TV 33/40 WLTZ-TV 38 WAFF-TV 48

Time 6 AM 6 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 9 AM

Contact your local CO-OP store for all of your farming, hunting, or gardening needs! Albertville Andalusia Arab Ashford Ashville Athens Atmore Blountstowon, FL Centre Columbiana Courtland Crossville Decatur Demopolis Elba Elberta Enterprise Faunsdale Fayette Florala Florence Frisco City Geneva Goshen Greenville Haleyville Hamilton Hartford Hartselle Hazel Green Headland Holly Pond Jacksonville Jasper Jay, FL Leighton Leroy Lineville Live Oak, FL Luverne Lynnville, TN Madison, FL Meridianville Moulton Northport Notasulga Oneonta Opp Pell City Piedmont Pulaski, TN Rainsville Rogersville Scottsboro Selma Stevenson Talladega Troy Tuscumbia Wedowee Wetumpka

256-878-3261 334-222-1851 256-586-5515 334-899-3263 205-594-7042 256-232-5500 251-368-2191 850-674-8194 256-927-3135 205-669-7082 256-637-2939 256-528-7188 256-353-4663 334-289-0155 334-897-6972 251-986-8103 334-347-9007 334-628-2681 205-932-5901 334-858-6142 256-764-8441 251-267-3175 334-898-7932 334-484-3441 334-382-6548 205-486-3794 205-921-2631 334-588-2992 256-773-6832 256-828-2010 334-693-3313 256-796-5337 256-435-3430 205-387-1142 850-675-4597 256-446-8328 251-246-3512 256-396-2097 386-362-1459 334-335-5082 931-527-3923 850-973-2269 256-828-5360 256-974-9214 205-339-8181 334-257-3930 205-274-2185 334-493-7715 205-338-2821 256-447-6560 931-363-2563 256-638-2569 256-247-3453 256-574-1688 334-874-9083 256-437-8829 256-362-2716 334-566-3882 256-383-6462 256-357-4743 334-567-4321

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MID STATE STOCKYARD 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 39

NEW GEAR BY WILLIAM KENDY

New Costa Ocearch® Tuna Alley Angler Sunglasses

Named after the legendary 15-mile stretch of sand cutting through the deep blue Bahamian waters where the Bluefin tuna migrate north, the Ocearch® Tuna Alley sunglasses incorporate integral hinges, a patented vent system, polarized 100% UV protection with different 580 polarized lense options (including mirrors) and has a tough-as-nails rectangular single bridge nylon frame. These lightweight high-tech glasses are perfect for both salt and freshwater fishing. Suggested Retail Price: $259.00 www.costadelmar.com

St Croix Rods for Kayakers

The St. Croix Mojo Yak rods are designed for kayakers and feature high- sensitive graphite blanks for distance and accurate casting along with the backbone to hoist fish up. Available in spinning and casting models they include Kigan Master Hand 3D guides, a shorter split-handle configuration with Winn polymer grips and a shortened butt for easier casting and better presentation while sitting low to the water. Suggested Retail Price: $150 - $160 www.stcroixrods.com

Bear-Resistant OtterBox Coolers

The Otterbox Venture Coolers are available in three different sizes and will keep ice for up to 10 days (longer for different models). Each cooler can be customized with accessories such as cutting boards, ice packs, cup holders and even “All Terrain” wheels for the 45 and 65 quart models. All Otterbox coolers are certified bear resistant when secured with the locking kit and feature a limited lifetime warranty. Suggested Retail Price: $195.49 - $382.49 www.otterbox.com

40 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

NEW GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN

New ElimiShield® X10D Concentrate

The ElimiShield® X10D concentrate bonds to clothing fibers and produces a long-tem “uninhabitable” surface for odor-causing components, resulting in virtually scent-free clothing. X10D is recommended for use for treating those garments that actually touch the skin and /or are exposed to body odor, such as undergarments, gloves, socks and hats. One 10-ounce bottle of Elimishield® X10D will treat 10 pounds of clothing and/or soft gear in a short 10 minute process. Suggested Retail Price: $39.99 www.elimishieldhunt.com

Silent Legion’s New Hog Hunting Partner

Available in both .223/5.56 and .30 calibers, in direct-thread and quick-detach versions; these suppressors are constructed of lightweight yet strong long lasting titanium. They reduce sound by 30 dbs. for the .223 model and 32 dbs. for the .30 caliber unit which allows for the opportunity for multiple shots on hogs before they spook. Both suppressors come with a lifetime warranty. Suggested Retail Price: Varies depending on model www.silentlegion.com

Mossberg® 500® Centennial Limited Edition Shotgun

The Mossberg special commemorative model 500 pump shotgun features a nickel-plated receiver engraved with the Mossberg 100th Anniversary logo on the right side and a pair of flushing ruffed grouse on the left, both highlighted in 24 karat gold. This limited edition model will be limited to 750 units, each with a special serial number that incorporates a unique prefix, used only for this production run. Suggested Retail Price: $910 www.mossberg.com

Outdoor Edge® WildGuide™ Game Processing Combo

The wild break down set is comprised of a 2.5 inch 420J2 stainless-steel caping knife, a 4-inch stainless steel guthook skinner and a T-handle wood or bone saw featuring a 4.9-inch 65 Mn steel blade with triple-ground saw teeth and a chrome coating for long-lasting performance. All three tools feature glass-reinforced nylon handles with blaze-orange thermoplastic rubber overmolding encased in a nylon Mossy Oak® camouflage belt sheath. Suggest Retail Price: $47.95 www.outdooredge.com

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 41

Keep Boating Safety, Boat Ramp Etiquette in Mind

PFDs required for all passengers; keep your cool at boat ramp

With the nation celebrating its independence and many people on vacation, July is a busy water-recreation month and Alabama’s waterways can get crowded. To ensure a safe and fun outing on Alabama’s many lakes, rivers, reservoirs and Gulf waters, I want to remind everyone to focus on boating safety, including equipment that can often get overlooked – personal flotation devices (PFDs) or life jackets as most people call them.

BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources

You have to have one correctly sized PFD for each person on board, and the U.S. Coast Guard and Alabama regulations require that PFDs be in serviceable condition. If the PFDs have deteriorated it’s time to head to the store for new equipment. Life jackets save lives! In my career, I have searched for and recovered several deceased boating accident victims. The vast majority of those might have lived if they had been wearing a life jacket. The Coast Guard (USCG) and our State officers will deem a PFD unusable for several reasons, including if metal or plastic hardware used to secure the PFD on the wearer is broken, deformed, or weakened by corrosion. Webbings or straps used to secure the PFD on the wearer must not be ripped, torn, or have come loose from the PFD. Officers will also check for any rotted or deteriorated structural component. Any rips, tears, or open seams in fabric

42 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

or coatings that allow the loss of buoyant material will disqualify a PFD. Also disqualified are life jackets with buoyant material that is hardened, non-resilient, permanently compressed, waterlogged, oil-soaked, or that shows evidence of fungus or mildew. Inflatable life jackets have become more popular in recent years and are more comfortable to wear than the bulky, traditional life jackets. These PFDs use a carbon dioxide cylinder to inflate the jacket that is activated automatically when the person enters the water or when the cord is pulled. They can also be manually inflated. Use of Inflatable PFDs is limited by the Coast Guard to those 16 and older. Boats 16 feet in length or longer must also have a throwable Type IV U. S. Coast Guard-approved PFD onboard and readily accessible. Children under 8 years of age must wear a properly secured U. S. Coast Guard-approved PFD at all times while onboard any boat, except when in an enclosed cabin. Each person who is being towed or onboard a personal watercraft (PWC) must wear a properly secured Coast Guard-approved PFD. Visit http://uscgboating.org/recreationalboaters/life-jacket-wear-wearing-yourlife-jacket.php to learn about the different types of PFDs. Another issue that arises as our waterways fill is boat ramp etiquette.

FROM THE COMMISSIONER An enjoyable day on the water can get off to a rough start if you encounter an inconsiderate boater who has blocked the entire ramp while loading or unloading gear. These boat ramp hogs can cause what is known as “ramp rage”. Boaters and anglers expect common courtesy to prevail at the ramps. Don’t pull onto the ramp until you are completely ready to launch. The boat launch facilities that are built or refurbished by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are designed with make-ready areas just for pre-launch preparations. When I get ready to launch our boat, I have already played out the scenario in my head that will result in a quick, easy launch, and I have communicated the plan to my wife, children or friend who will be assisting me. But don’t get in too big a hurry and forget something important, like installing the drain plug in the boat hull. Here is my routine that includes pre-launch, launch and retrieval/loading: •

•

• • • • • • • •

Remove the tie-downs that secure the boat to the trailer. Do not remove the winch line from the bow eye until you are at water’s edge. You don’t want to dump the boat on the concrete ramp if you have to make a quick stop. Load all equipment from the vehicle to the boat. This includes fishing gear, coolers, life jackets – anything you will use needs to be loaded onto the boat prior to pulling onto the ramp. Install the drain plug. Unplug your trailer lights if not sealed and waterproof. Pump the fuel primer bulb if you have one, put the key in the ignition, and check the battery to make sure it is still live. If launching with more than one person, put the other person in the boat so he/she can drive it off the trailer once launched. If you’re alone, attach the bow or docking line to the trailer or vehicle. This will keep the boat from floating away if the trailer is backed in too far. Be sure not to be one of the “line jumpers”; wait your turn. Then back down to the water and, just before water entry, unhook the trailer winch line. A single launcher should back into the water until the boat just barely starts to float; then untie the bow line. The boat should be moved to the courtesy dock. Avoid tying up the courtesy dock for longer than absolutely necessary, especially if the boat is blocking a ramp. If a person capable of driving the boat is available, move the boat away from the dock and then return to the dock to pick up the driver of the tow vehicle.

As much fun as a day on the water is, it also leaves just about everybody weary and sometimes a little testy when it’s time to take the boat out of the water. To avoid conflicts, do not unload the vessel until you are away from the ramp area. Then you can pull the plug, strap on the tie-downs, and transfer equipment from the boat to the vehicle. Boat ramp etiquette is the responsibility of everyone who uses Alabama’s waterways. Please follow these tips and treat your fellow boaters and anglers with courtesy, and enjoy your time on the water.

A Must Read for Turkey Hunters. “Any information that came from outside was highly suspect. Anything that came from inside, even from members of your own family was, in many cases, tarred with the same brush. Nobody and by that I mean nobody, gave away a thing. The “boy” in this story is blessed with an honest and benevolent grandfather who learned the hard way. Alan covers very well what has come to be called “The bad old days” when you mostly made it on your own or you didn’t make it at all.” TOM KELLY

First Edition

NOW AVAILABLE! Hard Cover or Paperback

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 43

Alabama’s Declining Turkey Problem-solving 101 Population

Concern about declining turkey populations in Alabama is widespread. Alabama is not unique in this regard. A documented decline southeast-wide has been on the radar of turkey biologists for a number of years.

BY CORKY PUGH Executive Director, Hunting Heritage Foundation

Around a decade ago, Alabama DCNR biologists started to take note of the decline and look for solutions. As with most puzzles involving wild creatures in natural habitats, there are no easy answers. So many variables, all in constant flux, require a discerning, deliberate approach to problem-solving. Effective problem-solving focuses on causes, and weighs possible solutions against the common-sense question of, “If we do this will it fix the problem.” The pitfalls include jumping to conclusions, lack of focus on causes, and over-simplification.

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A CAPABLE PROJECT LEADER In 2015, Alabama DCNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division and Auburn University Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit began the most comprehensive and long-term study of Eastern wild turkey populations ever conducted in the state. Alabama Wildlife Biologist Supervisor Steve Barnett has been the project leader, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more capable, experienced, innovative professional anywhere. In fact, Barnett received the highly prestigious Henry S. Mosby Award from the National Wild Turkey Federation earlier this year for his outstanding contributions to wild turkey management. Like so many wildlife professionals of the baby boomer generation, Barnett

HUNTING HERITAGE has reached retirement age. However, even though he recently retired, he will continue in a part-time capacity. He will no longer have to spend time and effort supervising an entire district, but will be able to focus entirely on the turkey project. The advantages of DCNR being able to retain seasoned, knowledgeable employees on a part-time basis are many. As hunters, we are well-served by this arrangement. THE FACTS ABOUT THE DECLINE Nationally, estimates are that wild turkey populations are down 15%. In some states, hunter harvest has literally fallen by half.

AFLATOXIN IS LETHAL TO YOUNG TURKEYS Even small amounts of Aflatoxin have proven to be fatal to young turkeys. Additionally, man is making predators more efficient through baiting and feeding. And to make matters worse, many predators on turkeys also eat corn or other deer feed, resulting in increased predator populations. REGULATORY CHANGES? Some have suggested that a reduction in the annual bag limit for turkeys will solve the problem of declining populations. This is a gross over-simplification, and fails to examine the real causes of the problem.

Aflatoxin is a toxic chemical given off by a species of mold commonly found on wildlife corn.

The average per-hunter harvest is now .7, less than one turkey each. Yes, some hunters kill five a year, while some kill none. The limiting factors on hunter harvest are a mix of opportunity, skill, and desire on the part of the hunter. There are very few turkey hunters who kill the season limit of five.

In Alabama, according to the latest statistically-valid Annual Hunter Survey results, there are 42,126 hunters who participated in the 2016 turkey season. 458,899 man-days of effort resulted in a harvest of 30,670 gobblers. 29,893 were killed in the spring, the lowest spring harvest since 1982.

PRODUCTION MUST EXCEED LOSS TO CORRECT PROBLEM Production, or annual recruitment of young turkeys is the primary limiting factor on population levels, not hunter harvest. In a state with established, reproducing turkey populations and gobbler-only harvest, reducing the annual limit is only a pseudo-solution. False solutions only divert attention and resources away from really fixing the problem.

The average per-hunter harvest was .7, compared to the highest average of 1.1 in 2007. Man-days per harvest was the highest on record at 15. The Annual Hunter Survey utilizes the same methodology employed by many other states, and has been conducted since 1963. The standard error percentage is 4.5, well within the bounds of what is considered to be valid for wildlife management purposes. Wildlife management by its very nature is an imprecise undertaking. Some of the greatest boondoggles in wildlife management history have occurred when futile attempts to apply un-needed, impractical levels of precision were undertaken. Wildlife management is not engineering or laboratory science. It is correctly referred to as the art and science of wildlife management. THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARING WILD TURKEY In a recent article by this title, Arkansas outdoor columnist David Mosesso wrote, “Our state’s 2019 turkey harvest numbers will be only about one-third of our record harvest that was set in 2003.” Mosetto goes into the various opinions about the reasons for the decline, but zeros in on Aflatoxin laced deer corn as a primary contributing factor. “There are thousands of corn feeders spinning out millions of pounds of corn across our state from September through February each year,” Mosetto said. “Aflatoxin is a toxic chemical given off by a species of mold commonly found on wildlife corn. At even low levels it can affect a turkey’s ability to lay eggs, and it can affect a turkey’s health.”

In 2016, the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies released a report by their wild turkey working group setting out science-based recommendations regarding the timing of spring turkey seasons and the effects on turkey reproduction. The first option is delaying spring opening dates until hens begin to lay eggs. LISTEN TO PROFESSIONAL STAFF In Alabama about 15 years ago, there was a very deliberate, systematic sidelining of professional DCNR staff on the part of politicians and narrow special interests. The Governor’s Conservation Advisory Board and DCNR Commissioner began to make decisions without consultation with professional staff. One of those surprising decisions was to open turkey season five days earlier. Nobody knows more about wild turkeys in Alabama than Steve Barnett. The DCNR Commissioner and Conservation Advisory Board would best serve the interests of Alabama’s hunters by listening to Barnett’s recommendations rather than coming up with their own pseudo-solutions to the problem of declining turkey populations. The Hunting Heritage Foundation is an Alabama non-profit organization established in 2011. To see what HHF stands for go to the website at www.huntingheritagefoundation.com. You can write to us at: P. O. Box 242064, Montgomery, AL 36124, or corkypugh@mindspring.com. * The opinions expressed in this column are solely that of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff and management of Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 45

To Bait Or Not To Bait... That Is The Question!

Like it or not, baiting passed the legislature. Now what? When William Shakespeare asked that most important question, “To be or not to be?” in Hamlet, it became one of the most widely quoted lines in modern English. That famous quote had a profound impact on the lives of many for hundreds of years. This fall, Alabama hunters will be asking themselves a similarly profound question, “To bait or not to bait?” That will be the question of the year!

BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)

This debate has been raging for years among hunters, wildlife biologists, and politicians alike. Hunting by the aid of bait has been one of the most contentious topics of each legislative session for the past several years. Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) was thrown under the bus each session by both sides. Half wanted us to come out strongly against baiting while the other half demanded we support the practice. WFF was in a

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no-win situation each session until this year. Let me take a minute to explain my position on the subject. As a biologist, I was taught in college that an unnatural congregation of animals around a feeding station was bad. This doesn’t mean that the feed is bad. It simply means that if an animal is sick, it has a higher probability of infecting other animals if they are eating from the same trough, pile, or area. I think most people understand and agree with that logic. It is the same concept as a person having a cold and going to work with 10 co-workers. That sick individual has a much greater chance of infecting others if they all stand in the breakroom together than if they all stay in their respective offices. As you all know, it was perfectly legal to feed wildlife 365 days a year

FROM THE DIRECTOR as long as you didn’t shoot an animal consuming the feed. Therefore, I couldn’t go into the baiting debate with a strictly biological argument because corn placed more than 100 yards and out of sight (which is legal) and corn placed under a stand (not legal) is the same. Corn is corn no matter the distance. In my opinion, baiting was not a biological issue in Alabama. It was, however, a personal hunting dilemma where the individual had to decide on whether hunting over bait constituted fair chase or was ethical. The stars were lining up that the 2019 legislative session was going to be the one to pass a baiting bill. Therefore, we met with the bill’s sponsor to see if he would add an amendment giving the Commissioner of Conservation the authority to suspend the baiting privilege and manage the feeding of wild game in the event of a disease. The sponsor agreed to add our amendment. In our opinion, this amendment placed us in a much better position than we were in currently and thus led us not to oppose the bill this year. No matter what your personal preference, it’s here and we are going to have to deal with it. So, here is what SB66, the baiting bill, means for hunters this year: 1. Hunters can hunt feral hogs and white-tailed deer over bait on privately owned or leased land if they purchase a baiting license. The resident baiting license costs $15 and the non-resident license costs $51. This license can be purchased anywhere licenses are sold. 2. All hunters wishing to hunt over bait must purchase the license. Even hunters historically exempt from purchasing a hunting license, including residents over 65, all hunters under 16, and resident landowners hunting their own property, must purchase a license to hunt over bait. For example, a 67-year-old resident landowner, his 40-year-old son, and his 7-year-old granddaughter are going hunting opening day of youth deer season. Grandpa carried the gun, dad carried a backpack full of

supplies, and all three are sitting together in a box blind looking at a feeder in the middle of a food plot behind the old family barn. In this scenario, all three must have the baiting license to be legal. 3. For those hunters who choose not to hunt over bait, the area definition remains in effect and they can hunt an area if the feed is more than 100 yards away and out of sight by natural vegetation or terrain features. Or, they can simply make sure all feed has either been consumed or removed 10 days before the hunt takes place. 4. No baiting or feeding can take place on public lands. 5. If a hunter purchases a baiting license to hunt feral hogs this summer, it will be valid through August 31, 2019. All licenses renew on September 1. Therefore, a new license must be purchased at that point. 6. The baiting bill has no impact on the hunting of any animal other than feral hogs and white-tailed deer. It is still illegal to hunt all other wildlife by the aid of bait. Well, there it is, the truth about SB66, the baiting bill. So, despite what you’ve heard while standing around the coffee pot at work or seen on Facebook, these are the facts. There isn’t a sticker that has to be placed on every feeder. You don’t have to feed a certain protein content for a certain number of months. You don’t even have to place the feed in a feeder. And, most importantly, baiting isn’t mandatory. You don’t have to do it just because you think your neighbor is. The choice to hunt over bait is a personal one that every hunter will have to make this fall. Personally, I’ll buy one for nothing more than an insurance policy. From now on I won’t need to worry if the person I hunt with has followed the letter of the law. It’s nothing more than peace of mind for me.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 47

Kayak Fishing Gear to Help You Land Big Fish

Lip grippers work well with toothy fish.

Most kayak anglers learn very quickly that safely handling big fish of any kind at boat side is a little bit different from most fishing situations. Kayak anglers are sitting, and they don’t have the full use of their legs and backs to help control a big fish. Kayak anglers are very close to the water and the fish, and kayak anglers can’t jump out of the way obviously limiting our mobility.

BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn

saltwater fishing trip since we never know when a big, strong fish is going to show up. These landing tools operate on the principle of a pair of pliers can help control the head of a caught fish and to keep the fish from dropping into the boat and onto the angler.

That means that when it comes to safely landing big fish, kayak anglers need some simple, dependable tools to make the operation safer for both angler and fish.

I’ve used a wide range of gripper type landing devices, and my favorites are the ones that float. Metal grippers with scales and “pull-down” weighing features are nice, but I tend to drop stuff overboard and, unfortunately, the metal grippers don’t float.

LIP GRIPPERS Kayak anglers can find a wide range of very effective lip-gripper type landing devices, and they all work to help subdue fish that are to be released unharmed. A good pair of lip grippers should be on the kayak for every

Lip grippers work very well for kayak anglers on big redfish, kings, and even deep water red snapper. Gripper devices keep fingers away from sharp teeth, and with the head of a big fish controlled, a kayak angler can usually deal safely with the rest of the fish.

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PADDLE FISHING And lip grippers even work well for hardhead catfish. I once landed a fat three pound hardhead catfish by hand, and I brought the slimy thing into the kayak with me so I could remove the hook and cuss the catfish. Without using a lip gripper, I couldn’t control the fish, and it dehooked itself and fell onto my leg. It was an interesting moment when the super-sharp, super painful top fin of that nasty old catfish punctured my knee. Of course, it could have fallen into my lap, so things could have been worse, but that little accident would not have happened if I had used lip grippers. GAFFS/SPEARS/CLUBS Sometimes kayak anglers go after very big, very strong, potentially quite dangerous quarry, and for these times, gaffs and single point spears are very effective for safely landing a big fish. When a gaff or spear is applied properly, the fish experiences shock and internal damage that tends to quiet the fish down immediately. For kayak use, gaffs need to have short handles with non-slip grips, and the business end of the gaff needs to have a good protective guard. A long handled gaff can become a club to beat the angler in a kayak if a big fish is not gaffed properly. Big brown cobia are popular kayak angling targets when they migrate along the coasts of Florida and kayak anglers are getting very proficient at hooking and playing these hardfighters from the small boats. Cobia to be kept should be gaffed, and then when brought alongside, a healthy whack with a club or fish bat should be

applied to the head. This might need to be repeated. Cobia are very strong, they have ferociously sharp and stout spines on their backs, and they are known for being very difficult to manage when brought into a boat of any kind. Having an angry, thrashing cobia landed in my lap when I’m on my kayak is not something I want to experience- therefore, using the bat to terminally quiet a cobia is a good idea. Big king mackerel might also require the gaff and bat combination. LANDING NETS Traditional wide-mouth landing nets work well, but they can be a pain on kayaks. Wide nets tend to get in the way, and they are very good at getting caught in backcasts and creating terrible tangles which must be cleared. There are some very good net options specifically for kayak anglers. Landing nets specifically designed for kayak angler often fold up into a much smaller unit or the pouch part of the net can be pulled up into the handle. In both cases, kayak anglers have a net that can be quickly and easily put into working shape and then used to get that big fish into the kayak. When using a landing net in a kayak, it is a good idea to have a handle long enough that when the fish is caught, the handle can be slipped under the angler’s backside on the seat where it will be secure, and then both hands will be free to deal with the fish and equipment.

Landing spears are effective on big fish that are going to be kept.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 49

Kayak Fishing Gear to Help You Land Big Fish

A good landing net is used to secure a speckled trout.

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4500 Hwy. 77 · Southside, AL 35907 50 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

COASTAL SPORTSMAN

HOW TO PULL A SHRIMP TRAWL FOR SMALL BOATS, BAIT, AND DINNER

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 CS 1

How to Pull a Shrimp Trawl for Small Boats, Bait, and Dinner

of underwater life in our Gulf Coast waters becomes real to young people.

Try different areas and different water depths. Just because you caught them there yesterday doesn’t mean you will catch them there today.

And catching shrimp is also a great way to obtain the best possible fishing bait. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS Of course, like all things in this world, there are limits on when, where, and how we can go recreational shrimping. It is totally up to the recreational shrimper to know the current rules and regulations, and they do change from time to time.

By Joe Baya

My family and I have been pulling twelve and sixteen-foot trawl nets for many years. I remember going out with my dad on Mobile Bay at night and what we caught while shrimping was as amazing to me then and it is amazing to me now. Whether it’s getting up fishing bait or putting a good load of shrimp in the freezer, setting up a shrimp-trawl for small boats is a lot of fun. The best part is that anyone with a fishing boat and motor can do this and it doesn’t take a $60,000 bay boat to catch a lot of shrimp. Catching shrimp seems to be designed to provide fun for kids. There’s always something to see, and a whole world

To begin, on our northern Gulf Coast region, private individuals can trawl for shrimp during open seasons in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Florida does not allow recreational shrimpers to use any kind of towed net to take shrimp. My long-time friend and small boat shrimp trawler Justin Ishee offers his experience to us about recreational shrimping. “In Alabama you can purchase a recreational license which allows you to catch a five-gallon bucket of shrimp per trip for around $28 annually. A commercial license is around $100 and you can keep any amount,” Ishee said. “You can keep crabs and fish such as white trout, flounder, ground mullet, but you’re not supposed to keep game fish, and to be fair, I’ve never caught any in all my years of shrimping.” There are several specific regulations for recreational

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How to Pull a Shrimp Trawl for Small Boats, Bait, and Dinner

Float line (top), Lead line (middle), tickler chain (bottom). shrimpers in Alabama. See the sidebar at the end of this article for more information. HOW DOES A SHRIMP NET WORK? Shrimp nets consist of long, open at both end, nets with a wide mouth that has two "doors" or trawl boards. As the boat is slowly motored forward, these boards act like wings and serve to open the net so that shrimp can be gathered up as the boat is slowly motored forward. The narrow end of the net must be carefully tied shut so that the shrimp will collect and where they can be easily emptied out for sorting. A net end not closed and secured properly means an empty net comes in with no shrimp at all. It seems like a simple thing, but you’d be surprised. The net, chain, doors and tow lines are carefully passed over the stern of the tow boat, and then the slow trawl begins. The doors should “bust” the net open, and the lead line at the bottom front of the net will help assist in holding the net down on the bottom while the “tickler chain” drags the bottom and makes the shrimp jump up into the open mouth of the net.

SHRIMPING GEAR FOR SMALL BOATS When it comes to finding a boat for recreational shrimping, the choice is easy...what you have will probably work. “I have seen small fourteen foot Stauter boats shrimping, so I don’t think there’s a boat too small', Ishee said. We it comes to rigging the boat for shrimping, Ishee advises, “A shrimp net is measured across the front of the net, so a 16 foot net is 16 feet wide. Most people pull a ‘super 16’ net which has higher wings, which are the sides of the net. The reason you want higher wings is because white shrimp, which are the bigger shrimp, can jump out of the way of a net if they feel it coming through the water, so the higher the net, the better chance you have of catching more and bigger shrimp.” “Things you will need on your boat will be a picking box or sorting box, a pick stick, a shrimp net with doors and tickler chain,” Ishee said. “The tickler chain is used to drag the bottom in front of the net to make shrimp that are on the bottom jump up a little so the net can scoop them up. The tickler chain is typically attached to the bottom of the doors and is connected where it is dragged about a foot in front of 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 CS 3

How to Pull a Shrimp Trawl for Small Boats, Bait, and Dinner

the bottom of the net.” For proper net tow rope selection, Ishee recommends, “The theory is that for every foot of water, you need 5-7 feet of tow rope. So, if it’s 10 feet deep, you will need 50 to 70 feet of rope. You can attach the tow ropes to side cleats on the boat which will help you spread the net better or you can attach to the back of the boat. It’s just a matter of preference.”

Typically we will pull for 30 minutes at first, and then if we are catching shrimp, we will pull for an hour CHOOSING WHERE TO PULL There are places in the Mobile Bay area that are closed to shrimping at all times. It is crucial for recreational shrimpers to know where they can and can’t trawl for shrimp. “South of Dauphin Island stays open all year. When you purchase your license, they have a handout that shows permanently closed areas and where everywhere else is open,” Ishee said. “Choosing where to pull is just a matter of preference. Usually shallower water will get you more fish, and shell bottom will have more fish, too. You have to be careful on shell bottom because you can pick up shells in the net and it could get too heavy.”

bit of rope, you need to make sure you’re not going too fast because the initial jerk can sometimes lodge the doors into the mud.” “We usually tow at 2.2 to 2.3 knots. You don’t want to pull too fast because you can pick the net up off the bottom, and if you create a pressure bulge in front of the net, the shrimp can feel this and get out of the way. Obviously you don’t want to pull too slowly because the shrimp will outrun the net, and you’re not covering as much ground and maximizing your time,” Ishee added. “Typically we will pull for 30 minutes at first, and then if we are catching shrimp, we will pull for an hour.” Ishee said that a special consideration for shrimpers catching live shrimp for bait is to limit the time that they pull. “When live-bait shrimping, typically you only want to pull for 5-8 minutes so you don’t kill your bait,” Ishee said. “A good pull for thirty minutes will usually produce 10-15 pounds of shrimp. If you catch more than 20 pounds on a drag, you need to drag for an hour and get ready to fill the boxes.” STORING YOUR SHRIMP NET Once shrimping season is over, the gear needs to be carefully inspected and then very carefully stored. Nets left out in the weather or just rolled up and tossed into a closet won’t be in good shape for the next year’s shrimping season. “I hang my net up and let it dry once I am through for the season, and I store it in a lug or plastic bin, and I put the net in first and cover the net with the doors on top with the rope on top of the doors. This helps keep rodents out and any moisture. Be careful though because rats and mice will eat the net and put holes in it. I had to replace my net this year because rats ate it up,” Ishee recommended.

“Deeper holes and deeper water seem to have more shrimp during the summer time, so if you can shrimp deeper areas, gullies or channels, that seems to do better. I usually shrimp 12 to 20 feet deep, and I go in the evening into the night,” Ishee added.

“I tend to get my net re-dipped every three years or so and any holes patched- dipping costs around $50. You can purchase shrimping nets from Sprinkles Net Shop in Bayou La Batre and Brunson’s Net Supply across the bay. Nets run from $300 to $400,” Ishee said.

“Try different areas and different water depths. Just because you caught them there yesterday doesn’t mean you will catch them there today. After doing it a few times or years, you will start to have certain areas that produce and consistently have shrimp. Obviously, look for other boats and big boats. If there are big boats dragging, the shrimp are there,” Ishee advises.

SHRIMPING IS A SIMPLE JOY Other than the great food and great live bait which can come from a trip spent shrimping, young people in the shrimping

DEPLOYING A SHRIMP NET Actually putting a shrimp net out from a boat takes some organization and procedure to keep everything in place and going right. It helps to have some experience with a veteran shrimper aboard on the first few trips. Ishee says, “One of the most important things to make sure of when you set the net out- don’t flip a door, and make sure your net is busting open. As you pull forward and are busting the doors open and letting out rope, you need to keep a good tension on the doors as you let out rope. Be careful to not get caught in the rope, and when you do let go of the last CS 4 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Recreational shrimping is a great way to get young children on the water and guarantee a calm experience and a great time.

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How to Pull a Shrimp Trawl for Small Boats, Bait, and Dinner

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How to Pull a Shrimp Trawl for Small Boats, Bait, and Dinner

crew learning about the coastal world and the wonderful creatures that live here is probably the most rewarding part of recreational shrimping. “I love to take my girls shrimping. It shows them all the different sea life we have, and it lets them get their hands dirty doing it. To me, it teaches them how to supply their own food and that not everything needs to be bought in a store. It’s relaxing and other than picking the net up, it’s just slow boat riding and enjoying being outside,” Ishee concluded.

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SAVINGS AND SERVICE THAT WILL FLOAT YOUR BOAT

RECREATIONAL SHRIMPING REGULATIONS The rules change from season to season and from state to state. It is the fisherman’s responsibility to know the laws and regulations in effect at any given time. In Alabama, call 251-861-2882 or 251-968-7576 for specific information. Please check current regulations before shrimping. License- A boat license is required for both residents and non residents of Alabama. Season- All inside waters are closed to commercial and recreational shrimping from 6:00 a.m., May 1 to 6:00 a.m. June 1 of each year. From 6:00 a.m. August 15 until 6:00 a.m. October 1, the area in Mobile Bay from center of May Day pier out to ½ nautical mile then south to the northern edge of Point Clear channel will be open for cast net shrimping only. Trawl Size- Recreational shrimp trawls cannot exceed 16 feet along the main top line of the net.

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Limits- Recreational shrimpers can keep five gallons of intact shrimp per person per day. In bait areas, one gallon of intact shrimp per boat per day can be kept.

Permanently Closed areas: •

• •

• • • •

All rivers, streams, bayous and creeks with the state (except Bayou St. John, Old River in Baldwin County and that portion of the Blakely River designated by law as an exclusive bait shrimp area). All of Portersville Bay Heron Bay and that portion of the Mississippi Sound north of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and east of line from Barron Point of Mon Louis Island to Range Marker D on the ICW All of Weeks Bay Theodore Industrial Canal Bon Secour Bay within 2500 feet of Weeks Bay mouth. All waters north of the Battleship Parkway.

There are other specific permanently closed areasplease see current regulations.

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How to Pull a Shrimp Trawl for Small Boats, Bait, and Dinner

Important Contact Information Aloe Bay Boat Storage Justin Ishee 251-591-1930 Island Boys Seafood 251-861-0106 Shrimp Net Supplies Sprinkles Net Shop 14300 Shell Belt Road Bayou La Batre AL 36509 251-824-2139 Brunson Net Supply 17778 Hwy 98 west Foley, AL 36535 251-943-6911 www.brunsonnet.com

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CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN

BY HANK SHAW

Photos by Holly A. Heyser and Hank Shaw

Pork Stir Fry with Asparagus This is a really easy, very basic Chinese style stir fry. If you remember the basic method, you can stir fry any lean, boneless meat along with any seasonal vegetable. The marinade, the Chinese “trinity” of garlic, ginger and green onions and the sesame oil never change. If you don’t like chiles, leave them out. Note this is not a “saucy” Chinese stir fry. If you want a saucier dish, double the marinade. Prep: 20 mins • Cook Time: 8 mins • Total: 28 mins Ingredients • • • • • • • • •

1 pound pork or wild pig loin, sliced into thin strips 3 teaspoons corn or potato starch 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sherry 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 3 teaspoons sesame oil 3 tablespoons peanut oil, lard or vegetable oil 3 large garlic cloves, sliced thin

• • • • •

1 to 3 small dried hot chiles, crumbled A 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced 3 to 5 green onions, sliced on the diagonal into bitesized pieces 1 pound of asparagus, sliced on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces Sesame oil to garnish

Instructions 1. Slice the pork into slivers and mix it well with the marinade: The starch, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Let this marinate on the counter while you cut all the vegetables, or abou 20 minutes or so. 2. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat on your hottest burner for a minute or two. Add the peanut oil or lard and swirl it around. When it starts to smoke, add the minced garlic and ginger, as well as the crushed chiles. Stir fry this for 30 seconds. 3. Add the pork and any marinade in the bowl and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pork or wild pig turns opaque. Add the asparagus and green onions and stir fry 2 minutes, or until you begin to see some liquid start to form in the bottom of the wok. Don’t cook for more than another 3 minutes or the pork will be overcooked. Turn off the heat and drizzle the sesame oil over everything. Serve with rice. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 51

Camphouse Kitchen

Hawaiian Tuna Poke Use this recipe as a guide, not as gospel. One of the best things about tuna poke is your ability to have fun with it. Any high-quality tuna will work here. Prep: 15 mins • Total: 15 mins Ingredients • • • • • • • • •

1 small sweet onion, like a Maui or Vidalia, sliced thin 3 tablespoons lime juice 1 to 2 pounds high-quality tuna, cut into dice 3 to 5 thin green onions, or chives, sliced thin 1/2 cup Macadamia nuts, roughly chopped 1 avocado (slightly underripe), cut into chunks 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 to 3 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon furikake seasoning (optional)

Instructions 1. Slice the onion thinly and soak in the lime juice while you chop and cut everything else. Mix everything together gently in a large bowl, then serve in individual bowls.

Buttermilk Fried Quail

If you are working with real wild quail, I highly recommend you brine them before frying. A simple brine of 1/4 cup kosher salt to 4 cups water will do — the birds are going to get plenty of seasoning later. Submerge your quail in this brine for 4 to 8 hours. Store-bought quail don’t need to be brined. Prep: 2 hrs • Cook Time: 30 mins • Total: 2.5 hrs Ingredients • • • • • • • • •

8 to 16 quail, cut in half 2 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, or 1/3 cup of mixed chopped fresh herbs like oregano, thyme and parsley 2 teaspoons paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon cayenne 2 cups flour 1 tablespoon salt 3 cups vegetable oil

Instructions 2. Mix the buttermilk with the all the spices (except the salt). Coat the quail with the mixture and set in a covered container for as little as an hour, and as much as 8 hours. 3. When you are ready to fry, pour the oil into a large pan — a big cast iron frying pan or Dutch oven is ideal — and heat over medium-high heat. You want the oil to almost submerge the quail halves. 4. Meanwhile, take the quail out of the buttermilk and let it drain in a colander. Don’t shake off the buttermilk or anything, just leave it there. 5. Let the oil heat until it is about 325°F; this is the point where a sprinkle of flour will immediately 52 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Camphouse Kitchen

sizzle. Do not let the oil smoke! When the oil is hot, pour the flour and salt into a plastic bag and shake to combine. Put a few quail into the bag and shake to get it coated in flour. NOTE: If you want your quail “extra crispy,” let the battered birds sit on a rack until the flour absorbs the moisture of the buttermilk coating. Then give them a second shake in the flour bag. You’ll get a much thicker, crunchier crust that way. 6. Fry for about 4 to 5 minutes. Fry gently — you want a steady sizzle, but nothing raging, and you definitely don’t want the quail to just sit in oil. You might need to adjust the heat a bit. Turn the quail over and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes. You will probably need to fry in batches, so just leave the unfried quail in the colander until you are ready to flour them up and fry them. Don’t let the floured pieces sit. 7. When the quail are good and fried, let them rest on a rack set over a paper towel to drain away any excess oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Butter Poached Fish with Seasonal Salad

Consider this a master recipe. You can play with it a lot by changing the fat -- butter, olive oil, sesame oil, lard, duck fat, whatever -- or the salad underneath the fish, and, obviously, by altering the fish you use. I used California halibut, because it is fantastic cooked this way, but almost any fish will work well here, especially freshwater fish. The only sorts of fish I’d avoid butter poaching would be dark, oily ones like mackerel, bluefish, herring or shad. Other oily fish are nice this way, though, like tuna or salmon, sablefish (black cod), or yellowtail. Prep: 20 mins • Cook Time: 20 mins • Total: 40 mins

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • •

1 to 2 pounds of skinless boneless fish or shrimp Salt 1 yellow squash 1 green squash, like a zucchini 1 large cucumber 3 to 6 radishes 1/4 pound fresh green beans 1/4 cup white wine or rice vinegar 1 pound unsalted butter Olive oil (optional) Black pepper

Instructions 1. Salt the fish well and set aside. Slice the squash, cucumber and radishes very thinly into rounds, ideally with a mandoline -- although a knife is fine. Slice the green beans thinly on the diagonal. Toss all the vegetables with a little salt and vinegar and set aside. 2. Melt the butter in a pot large enough to hold at least 1 piece of fish, and ideally 2, at a time, but small enough so that the pieces of fish are submerged. You can use more butter if you want to, or you can top things off with olive oil. You want the butter to be between 150°F and 170°F. When the butter hits the right temperature, pat the pieces of fish dry with paper towels and submerge in the oil. If the fish sizzles at all, lower the heat. You want the fish to cook gently. Let the fish swim in the butter for about 10 minutes for every 1/2 inch of thickness. One way to do this is to put the submerged fish into a 325°F oven for 15 minutes. 3. To finish the salad, add a little bit of the melted butter, or use olive oil, and toss well. Put some on everyone’s plate. Gently lift out the pieces of fish and lay them on the salad. Grind lots of black pepper over everything. Serve with some good crusty bread.

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WHAT IS A CHRONOGRAPH?

Knowing how your ammo performs is an advantage whether hunting or shooting competitions “I thought a chronograph was an expensive watch with several dials and functions,” said Billy as he watched Wade quickly set up his ballistic chronograph in front of the shooting bench. Wade had gone to the range to evaluate several different loads for his new rifle chambered for 6.5 Creedmoor while Billy was there to check the zero for his .308 and practice on targets at longer distances. Before going to another shooting bench to set up his shooting equipment, Billy asked “Why do you check the velocity when the reloading manuals or ammo box tell you the speed of your particular cartridge or load?”

BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney

You use a chronograph because you want the best accuracy and desired velocity from your gun.

“Because the ballistics from the reloading manual or box of ammo probably will not match the ballistics of that ammo fired from your gun,’Wade patiently explained. “When ammo is tested at the factory, it is under controlled conditions and fired from longer rifle barrels than are commonly used for hunting.” WHAT IS A CHRONOGRAPH? A ballistic or shooting chronograph is an instrument that measures in feet

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per second (FPS) the speed of bullets leaving the rifle when fired. This measurement is called muzzle velocity. The chronograph Wade uses is the Oehler 35P which is shown in the accompanying images and uses traditional Skyscreen technology. The Skyscreens are mounted in front of the firearm on a four foot rail which is mounted on two folding stands. Their sensors detect the bullet passing over them and the bullet speed is computed with an accuracy of 0.25%. The Oehler 35P is unique in that it makes two velocity readings for each shot so you can verify the accuracy. When the readings agree, you know they are correct. If the readings disagree significantly, then you know to check or re-evaluate your loads. The Oehler 35P keeps track of a multiple string of shots and provides the user with the following information. • •

HIGHEST VELOCITY - This number represents the fastest shot in the string in feet per second. LOWEST VELOCITY - This number represents the slowest shot

THE GUN RACK • •

•

in the string in feet per second. AVERAGE VELOCITY - This number represents the average velocity in feet per second of all the shots combined. STANDARD DEVIATION - This represents how close each shot was to the average velocity which is an indicator of how consistent your rounds are whether your reloads or factory ammo. EXTREME SPREAD - This is the difference between the fastest and slowest shots. The extreme spread of your shots should be small. If this is a large spread, it means the fastest and slowest shots were traveling at different velocities. This could be an inconsistent batch of ammo if it was factory loads or that you need to take more care in reloading your own ammo.

• WHY CHRONOGRAPH? You use a chronograph because you want the best accuracy and desired velocity from your gun. Uniformity is the key to being accurate. This means your aim point, holding your gun the same every shot, squeezing the trigger the same shot after shot and consistent ammo where each round is exactly alike. If your ammo is shooting tight groups then you know it is uniform. If you are not getting the type of group you want, then a good place to start is checking the velocity of your rounds making sure their velocity is uniform. Using a chronograph, it is easy to measure the average velocity and that the velocities are uniform. There is no guarantee that ammo with the most uniform velocities will shoot the size group you want but it is a good

call o t e Tim

place to start. However once you know the uniformity and average velocity of your tested load, it becomes easier to figure out the best load. CHRONOGRAPH TIPS and TECHNIQUES • SHOOT FROM A STABLE REST - To get accurate results, you should shoot from a shooting bench with a stable rest such as a Lead Sled or at least sand bags. • SET UP YOUR GUN PROPERLY IN REGARD TO THE SKYSCREENS - Looking through your scope make sure the rifle will be shooting directly over the center of the chronograph. The rifle and chronograph should both be level. Check the owners’ manual for the proper distance to set up the screens from the firearm. This is important because the muzzle blast can skew the results if it reaches the sensors before the shot. • AIM AT THE SAME SPOT EVERY TIME - By doing so the chronographs’ reading should be more accurate. • SHOOT MULTIPLE ROUNDS - Shooting strings of 3-5 shots will provide more accurate readings than firing single shots. • ALLOW THE BARREL TO COOL COMPLETELY BETWEEN SHOTS - Everything else being equal, a cool barrel will deliver the most accurate shot. • PROPER LIGHTING - Both sensors should receive approximately the same amount of light for best results. • FINAL THOUGHTS Using a ballistic chronograph can be really useful for the competition shooter or hunter in developing or finding the best load for their rifle, plus they are fun to use. https://oehler-research.com

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Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook

Bluefish are very cooperative for kids to get into saltwater fishing “The Bubble rigs are especially popular for folks who like the topwater action and the visible strike.”

BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton

By the time July rolls around, the weather along the northern Gulf coast is already entrenched in a summer like pattern. Most of the time the weather is great, a bit hot maybe, but it is punctuated by a high number of thundershowers that can quickly cool things off for a while. Fortunately the rain and lightning usually only affect an isolated part of the region, and are short lived. Overall the weather and water are delightfully cooperative for a variety of beach side activities including some great “from-shore” fishing.

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GETTING YOUR FEET WET The warm gulf waters (middle 80s) makes for comfortable wading for anglers who should maintain a wary eye for stingrays, jellyfish, and on the weather for approaching thundershowers. But if the gulf remains fairly calm, then clear waters can yield a host of species to anglers fishing dead baits from shore, but especially for those wading and throwing lures. Calm periods near dawn and dusk provide from-shore anglers not only a respite from the scorching mid day sun and heat, but often a great opportunity for some stellar topwater action from several species of fish. Including the ever popular speckled trout in the back bays and along the Alabama beaches.

FISHING OUTLOOK Unless you are near a jetty, pier or seawall, wade fishing is most productive for anglers free to roam the beaches looking for “points” and “holes” that may temporarily hold schools of feeding fish. Casting all the while not only perpendicular to the beach, but parallel to it to keep their lure in the ‘strike zone’ longer. Slow sinking, hard twitch baits like MirrOlures and Unfair Lures are the demise of many speckled trout and other fish along the beach front or back bays on these mornings.

A few tarpon are returned to pier side, where they are “popped off” by the angler intentionally breaking the line.

Ladyfish are the predominant fish in the surfzone again this month. Despite their large numbers and acrobatic antics they are not a favored target species but they can provide hours of fun on light tackle and are good candidates for catch, photograph and release. Also the hard hitting bluefish are common at times this month too. They too suffer a ‘bad’ reputation from anglers focused on other species such as speckled trout. Besides, who wants to lose hooks and lures to those snapping teeth or sharp gill plates? But properly prepared, they too can provide some deliciously hearty meals. Still the primary intended species for a majority of plug casting anglers is the speckled trout. Soft bodied plastic swim baits, like the 4 inch Fin-s and Zoom Fluke on a light ⅛ to ¼ ounce jighead can also be very effective in shallow water this month. With these lures worked near the bottom, the possible fish caught expands to include redfish and flounder at times. Though they do not hold up well to sharp teeth or a lot of thrashing about, soft plastics can entice otherwise ‘sulky’ fish into biting. Silver and gold spoons, in the ½ to 1 ounce weight range are additional great weapons in the tackle bag for surf casting anglers. These compact lures get very good casting distance, even in breezy conditions. And they sink fast too, providing a flashy attraction to gamefish as they fall. All of these lures can be utilized with most any medium light spinning rod, combined with a 2500 or 3000 series sized reel holding 8 to 10 pound monofilament line or 10# to 20# braid. PIER PREDICAMENT Fishing from the beach piers in July is also predominated by the presence of ladyfish (inshore) and small jacks along with some mackerel and the largest of our Elopiformes, the Atlantic tarpon. These ancient gamefish often exceed 100 pounds and six feet in length. All this month they are at the height of their yearly spawning migration along the “Emerald Coast” headed toward the mouth of the Mississippi River. Thousands proceed daily east to west in schools often numbering over 100 individuals. Many times these schools

approach within casting distance of the ends of the gulf beach piers barely a ¼ mile from shore. A breathtaking sight in itself, as 50 or more large tarpon roll on the surface, breaking the casual stillness of the day. Quite a few tarpon are hooked by pier anglers throwing live baits like scaled or spanish sardines (locally called “LYs” and “herring”) intent on catching mackerel. Perhaps even more are hooked by anglers targeting them with large swimbaits or hard plugs. Rigged with a 80 pound to 100 pound monofilament leader, the lure is cast in front of the migrating school. Then it is retrieved across their path in hopes of enticing one to engulf the offering. The battle usually begins with a series of spectacular leaps as the large fish jumps clear of the water. Then the powerful fish moves away swiftly in a run that often exceeds the tackle’s ability to control it. If the fish doesn’t throw the hook with its violent surface thrashing, it may spool a reel without enough line capacity to slow it down. Even then, the battle is in question as these fish may make multiple runs and jumps that test the tenuous connection of the angler’s tackle along with his stamina in the July heat. A few tarpon are returned to pier side, where they are “popped off” by the angler intentionally breaking the line. This is considered a type of “counted coup” and is the next best way to claim a tarpon as “caught” without actually putting it on the pier. Only a very few tarpon are killed yearly by anglers who are required to have a special tag to do that. Just another incentive to help maintain this fantastic world class fishery at our doorstep! BUBBLING ENTHUSIASM There are plenty of other species around the piers which can test the tackle of lighter tackle anglers as well. Ladyfish, bluefish, blue runner, spanish mackerel,speckled trout and even pompano may be caught from these piers in mid summer. The Bubble rigs are especially popular for folks who like the topwater action and the visible strike. They really garner the attention of these gamefish which are well balanced to the medium sized spinning tackle. Most rods are seven feet long with a medium or medium-heavy action. The 4000 size reels are most popular, as they hold plenty of 10 to 12 pound monofilament and 15 pound braid backing. The bubble is a hollow, clear acrylic float with a plastic stem inside. The stem is pushed to open the holes, and water is introduced to fill the cavity a little more than half way. Then the stem is pushed back into place to hold the water, which acts as a weight for very long casts. The lure can be any small jig, spoon or plug on a three foot long 30 to 40 pound clear monofilament leader. Also a short trace of single strand wire can be added to help prevent cut-offs from the sharp toothed fish. The Bubble rig is cast out perpendicular to the pier and retrieved with a sharp jerk on the rod tip. This makes the bubble ‘tear; across the water surface creating a splash that resembles the fish feeding activity. Fish hear the sound, investigate and see the small lure darting around like a hapless baitfish. This leads to hours of fishing fun from the pier! No matter what venue or quarry you might choose in July, you can be assured of some fishing fireworks as you try to beat the heat and enjoy your great days outdoors. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 57

Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook

Trolling weedlines can produce nice dolphin this month BY MIKE THOMPSON Photos by Mike Thompson

With water temperatures already hot and tournament season in full swing, coastal anglers are on the water in search of their favorite fish. It’s hard to name a saltwater species that is not available this month. Let’s look at a few places to try. ALABAMA Scorching temperatures send inshore anglers along the beaches at daylight. Speckled trout and redfish dominate

the surf, but be on the lookout for hungry Spanish mackerel and bluefish crashing the party on the beach. The action lasts for just a short while, then it’s time to hit deeper water for the same trout and reds. The gas rigs in Mobile Bay will be targeted often by anglers during the hot month of July. Live shrimp fished under a slip cork is the most used method to target the trout Early mornings and late

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evenings are the most comfortable and productive times to hit the rigs. Anglers hitting the rigs in July can sometimes bump into a few flounder. Fish close to the rig legs with a small croaker or the old reliable bull minnow. Fish the croakers or bull minnows on the bottom. When a bite is detected, give the flatfish a few seconds to position the bait for swallowing before setting the hook.

FISHING OUTLOOK With all the tournaments going on in the summer, many of us will be targeting fish to win prizes and glory. Angelo Depaola, who is a realtor specializing in waterfront and boating properties in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and also the President of the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club has a few tips to get your name on the leaderboard.

By now, the morning mild temperatures will turn intense. When that happens, Wright has a plan to comfort his crew.

“July is a great month to target tripletail on our coast. Weak tides are best, but the tidal change is good as well for locating and catching tripletails,” Wright said. “I like to work crab trap floats in search of tripletails. You burn fuel, but you also can stay cool. I use live shrimp about a foot below a cork. “I like to think of fishing tournaments with a varied list of fish You should try and make your cast to a fish you see, just past in my list By trolling, I can pull several ballyhoo behind a few the nose of the fish. Then you can drag the bait away from different lures. This way I might catch dolphin, tuna or Wahoo the fish, avoiding getting tangled in the crab traps buoy line in my quest. It’s important to cover a lot of water, but is also during the fight.” important to cover the right water.” DePaola said. FLORIDA FOCUS The right water, according to DePaola, is where the green and July puts the highlights on near shore fishing in the Fort blue water meet. Finding rip lines can put you on all types Walton area of Florida. Captain Joey Sauvageau of Panhandle of fish, feeding on an ample bait source. Finding these spots Charters says being versatile makes your chances of success has been made easier with today’s technology. Three great more probable. services for this are Roffs , Hiltons or Rip-Charts. “The area where the rip lines occur are nutrient rich and “You can count on some great, light tackle action, by fishing will normally be full of bait. Lots of bait means fish should public spots at night. The competition will be minimal, but be plentiful, but you can’t be holding on smaller fish in the action much more exciting, Sauvageau said. tournament situations. You might be pulling in three-to-fivepound chicken dolphin with regularity off a weed-line, but In early mornings will try the Eglin Flats and the grass beds that won’t win many tournaments. On top of that you will around Black Point. He uses live shrimp under a cork to be depleting your bait supply,” DePaola said. “When this engage the speckled trout happens, you should move on or switch to much larger baits, combined with teasers that the smaller dolphin will ignore. “I like to work pubic reefs and spots. Chumming is very This is also an excellent way to pull up a billfish,” important, but often, I will leave a bite of trash fish. I will move to the Destin Bridge to connect with trout and reds on DePaola had some very good final advice for tournament outgoing tides. We also use live croakers on a Carolina rig to anglers this month. It is something all should remember while stimulate the bite, “ Sauvageau said. “If that doesn’t pay off, tournament fishing. we will target the docks in six-to-twelve feet of water to catch slot reds on live shrimp.” “If the fishing is tough for you, it is probably tough on others as well. Always weigh your fish! I have seen fishermen lose Later in the morning, Sauvageau will move to the north side out on wonderful prizes and cash, because they didn’t think of the Destin Bridge to target bluefish, Spanish and ladyfish, their fish was worthy,” DePaola said. to give charter folks a pull. Finally he will move around to the Gulf side jetties to target grouper on the bottom with live MISSISSIPPI pinfish. Along the Mississippi coast the fishing can be as hot as the weather. Getting out early can result in fish before the heat No matter what….Florida fishing does not disappoint! overcomes you. Captain Mark Wright, of Legends of the Lower Marsh Charters, has worked out a schedule to catch CONCLUSION more and suffer less. Despite the heat, July can be a great month to put fish on board if you plan your trips and stick to the plan. “In July we start out early for speckled trout. We work the grass flats of our barrier islands with lures under corks. There is both turtle grass and shoal grass that the trout really like to Important Contact Information feed near,” Wright said. I like to use a Matrix Shad or a Vudu Shrimp under a rattle cork, with about an 18-inch leader.” Angelo Depaola - The Coastal Connection with EXP Realty and the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club After, hopefully, a successful early morning on trout, Wright 850-287-3440 likes to shift gears towards big bull reds. “We start looking for reds using the ‘run and gun’ method for schools chasing baits. There is also a lot of bird activity usually associated with this technique. We cast # 5 Drone spoons ahead of the school. Both chrome and bronze colors produce on the reds. Sometimes there will also be a lot of jack crevalle feeding on the same bait, but the jacks usually work the sides of the school. To avoid the jacks you must target the front of the school of reds,” Wright said.

Panhandle Charters Ft. Walton Beach 850-226-3127 Legends of the Lower Marsh Charters 228-324-7612 Vudu Shrimp www.egretbaits.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 59

Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook

Drifting down a stream in summer is a good way to keep cool and catch some fine fish. BY ALEX GRANPERE Photos by Ed Mashburn

FLORIDA WATERS

APALACHICOLA RIVER SYSTEM Tony Poloronis of Outcasters Bait and Tackle in Apalachicola tells us that bass anglers will have good luck with soft plastics in July fishing deeper structure. A very good thing for bass anglers to remember is that the coastal bass love to eat shrimp, and so having a bucket of live shrimp will often pay off with good largemouth bass in

summer.

great tasting catfish on the river.

Bream will still be bedding in July, but the biggest part of the spawn will be over in July. Anglers can fish live worms or crickets around treetops and snags for good bream action.

Anglers are reminded that river levels can vary greatly in July, and that upstream heavy rains can produce high water conditions downstream for quite some time.

July is prime catfish time on the Apalachicola River system, so anglers who offer up prepared catfish baits like Catfish Magic will find some hard-fighting,

LAKE TALQUIN â&#x20AC;&#x153;Carolina rigged soft plastics and deep diving crank baits will work well on the Talquin bass in July.â&#x20AC;? said Buddy

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FISHING OUTLOOK Cartwright of Whipporwill Sportsman’s Lodge on Lake Talquin. Crappie will be in deep water near channels, and anglers will want to try live minnows near the ledges and drop-offs. Bream will be scattered in the lily pad fields, and anglers can do very well with either crickets or red worms fished near the pads. For some real hard fighting summer fish, anglers can fish the Ocklawaha Creek area with deep diving crank baits for striped bass. LAKE SEMINOLE Jody Wells says that he has found that when fishing a frog, the bass are more willing to strike regardless of the light and sky conditions. He says, “With the frogs, it doesn’t matter. I’ve caught some big bass in the middle of the day with bluebird skies.” Bream anglers will have a great time catching big bream, both bluegill and shell crackers in July. Crickets and red worms will both work, and fishing on either the new moon or a full moon is really good in July. Catfish bite at Seminole year round, and in July they bite especially well on stink baits fished on the channel mouths and ledges on the main lake. Wells recommends anglers start their trips at Seminole Lodge and Marina (850-593-6886) which is right on the water, is clean, and has good dock facilities for anglers.

ALABAMA WATERS

WILSON LAKE According to Captain Brian Barton big catfish will be on the beds, so flats and gravel bars in 10-25 feet of water. Lime Kiln Hollow and Hog Island are good locations to start a search for the big catfish in July. For smaller eating size cats, the Wheeler Dam tailrace and flats in the mouth of Big Nance Creek are good drift-fishing locations. Use cut shad, chicken livers, shrimp, and nightcrawlers for bait. For bream, target weed beds along pea gravel shorelines. Bream will be bedding when the full moon comes, so try to fish during this time period. Use

crickets, worms, or small artificial lures near the edges of the weeds for best results. Another hot fishing venue in July is for stripers, hybrids, and white bass near the dam when water is being actively pulled through the dam. Use silver or other shad pattern lures to target the striped hard-pullers.

ledges and breaks on creek channels. Crappie will have dispersed and their conditions is not best during hot weather. However, for those hard-core crappie anglers who just want to catch slabs, fishing around bridge structure and under lights can be productive. Crappie will be very deep. The best crappie fishing will be at night under lanterns and dock lights. Catfish anglers might want to take a trip to visit Lake Weiss this month.

Crappie will be in deep water near channels, and anglers will want to try live minnows near the ledges and drop-offs.

” For catfish anglers, this is your time of the year. Jugs, rods and reel, heck you can jump in and grab them by hand!” Pitts said.

LAKE GUNTERSVILLECaptain Jake Davis of Captain Jake Davis of Mid-South Bass Guide Service points out that bass anglers can have good luck with soft plastics and crank baits on the ledges, and jigs are not a bad idea, either. Lures with a touch of red are good for Guntersville bass. “A ½ oz MuscleCrawler jig from Tightline jigs in either Guntersville Special or Green Tequila colors is very good,” Davis said. As July moves on, the world-famous Guntersville frog bite will commence. Anglers have a lot of excitement fishing frogs over the heavy grass. Davis recommends a Pro-Z Bait frog in dark colors. Panfish can be tough in July. Both bream and crappie will be deeper and slower to bite in July, but anglers can still find good fishing especially below floating docks in deep water.

MILLER’S FERRY Joe Dunn of Dunn’s Sports says that crappie will be spawned out and will respond to vertical jigging. Dunn likes Roadrunners with Southern Pro grub bodies in popsicle and Weiss Lake Killer colors at this time, sometimes with larger size jigs and grubs work well at this time. Bass anglers will want to work channels and grass beds early. Working the shallows sometimes work if the shallows are close to deeper, cooler water. Dunn reminds anglers that for all fishing at Miller’s Ferry, the best fishing will occur when the dam is pulling water and there’s a current present in the lake. Another bit of advice for bass anglers is to look for green fallen trees in the water. Bass seem to really orient to the still-alive trees at this time of year. For some great fishing and eating, cat fishing at night can be great on whole shad which will attract some big catfish. Long lining jugs in the main river channel with 15-30 foot long jug lines can really produce in July.

WEISS LAKE Weiss Lake guide Captain Lee Pitts advises anglers to fish very early near floating cover. Spinnerbaits can be very good. Many bass anglers fish the shallows all day long at Weiss with good success, but fishing near heavy cover is best.

LAKE EUFAULA Captain Sam Williams Captain Sam Williams from Hawks Guide Service points out that trash piles and ledges in 12 to 25 feet of water will hold both bass and crappie.

When the sun gets up, the top water bite will usually be over until almost dark, but anglers can find lots of good bass both largemouth and spots on

Carolina rigs, big lip crank baits, and jigs will all be good producers and black is a very good color at this time. A ¾ oz Texas rig with a big black Mann’s 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2019 61

Crappie are still around to be caught. Fish deep and slow for some good summer crappie action. Jellyworm is good for big bass in July. Bass anglers will find bass eager to bite at Eufaula early and late, and bass will be holding where anything casts a shadow on the water. Lily pads in particular can be very good cover in July. Threadfin shad pattern crank baits work well. Crappie will be best at night both under lanterns and around bridge structures. Try to find the level that the schools of shad are holding and them fish a jig at that level for good crappie.

The river may still have some good midge hatches early and late. Caddis flies may show some good hatches in July, but this is dependent on weather and water conditions. Anglers who haven’t yet mastered the long rod can still catch plenty of trout by using ultra-light spinning gear. Single hook roostertail spinners are good, but for maximum results, a clear bubble for casting weight about 2 ½ feet above a fluorocarbon leader with the same flies that fly rod anglers use will catch trout on Sipsey Fork.

For some real fun in a different way, jug MOBILE DELTA fishing for catfish is a very effective “ The main river currents far up the river way to gather a big mess of good-eating from the Delta itself are greatly influcatfish in July. enced by the tides down on the coast. Currents in the river are generated by the tides, and anglers will want to pay attention to where the water is moving. That’s where the bass will be more active,” said Captain Wayne Miller of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service For catfish anglers, this is your

time of the year. Jugs, rods and reel, heck you can jump in and grab them by hand! SIPSEY FORK Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop notes that during July, trout anglers will want to use terrestrial flies such as hoppers, crickets, and beetles. Winged ant patterns are very good in July as this is the month when these insects hatch out and leave their nests, so the trout are used to seeing the ants in great numbers on the water.

Wayne identifies ledges, deeper undercut banks and wood structures as prime locations to find bass in July. Anglers can find some good topwater bites early and late in the major lakes off the main rivers, but the main rivers will have a more reliable bite in July. Bass anglers should try spinner baits, deep running crankbaits, and jigs and soft plastics around treetops in the water and other wood structure. The key to good bass fishing on the Delta rivers in July is to find current, and look for similar conditions in other locations. What produced fish in one spot will probably work on other similar locations.

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Important Contact Information Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy 43, Thomasville, AL Captain Sam Williams Hawks Guide Service 334-687-0400 Brandon Jackson/ Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 17027 Hwy 69N Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 Riversideflyshop.com Captain Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.leepittsoutdoors.com Captain Brian Barton 256-412-0960 brianbartonoutdoors.com Captain Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 msbassguide@comcast.net Buddy Cartwright Whippoorwill Sportsman’s Lodge Lake Talquin 850-875-2605 fishtalquin@gmail.com Jody Wells 850-209-2420 Tony Poloronis Outcasters Bait and Tackle 631 Hwy 98, Apalachicola, Florida 850-653-4665 Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404

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FISHING TIP

Summertime Structure Fishing for Speckled Trout BY: CAPTAIN. BOBBY ABRUSCATO

As water temperatures on the central Gulf Coast reach the highest levels of the year, the speckled trout bite gets best in the deeper waters of the area. “Deep” water in the Mobile Bay system is anything deeper than 8’. In those depths the water stays cool enough in the lower third of the column to hold dissolved oxygen and keep trout active well into the day. Specifically in said deep water, the best concentrations of speckled trout will be on the 4 “R’S”, which means “rigs, reefs, wrecks and rock piles”. These forms of structure are all over the Bay and Sound. They can be found on nautical charts, mapping chips, etc. and, the great thing is that all hold fish. The key to fishing this structure is to use live bait, the right rigging technique and, most importantly, to present the bait properly. Live shrimp always work,

but as the water heats, so does the appetite that trout have for croakers. I try to carry both, often finding that the croakers out produce the shrimp and the bite is much cleaner during the summer months. Slip corks and tight line rigs are far and away the “go to” set ups for summer structure fishing. Check my website (www.ateamfishing.com) for diagrams of both. When setting up to fish the structure, try starting on the up current side and allow the baits to drift freely with the current. Set the depths so the baits are in the lower third of the column and vary the depths a foot or so on each drift so you cover the entire lower third before giving up on a piece of structure. If you start getting bites on the down current side of the structure, you can always reposition the boat to get closer to the fish.

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A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS

Scary Words “Do you think that thing about touching the side of the tent when it’s raining is true?” “You ever lit a lantern before?”

BY JIM MIZE

“Good evening.” Hitchcock always said it in a dry, flat tone, like he was a butler opening the front door to the House on Haunted Hill. Just hearing those words made me shiver like a naked frat pledge sitting on a block of ice. The terror in those words comes from the hint of events for which no one could predict the outcome. It might be jumping a speed bump to discover it’s a ledge or stomping a mousehole only to learn it’s a yellow jackets’ nest. Sometimes, the words come across as a question or a thoughtful insight. Every outdoor pursuit has them, occasionally tuned in to a special frequency that only veterans in the endeavor understand. I’ve learned a few over the years that I can share, so when you hear them, you can immediately dial 911, double your insurance, or smack your partner with a boat paddle before he has a chance to do what’s on his mind. I suggest all three. Campers might as well pitch their tents in graveyards for all the horrors that come to visit them. Surprises rise like haints from beyond because you’re away from civilization, dependent on your gear, and relying on the person who invented the phrase, “human error.” Prepare yourself to dive for cover should you hear any of the following expressions. “I wonder if there’s any gas left in this.” “Did something in here just move?” “The fire should burn itself out.” “You didn’t eat that, did you?” “Well, if that’s not you. . .”

“I say we take nothing but our fishing rods, some flour, and a frying pan and live off the land.” “This dry creek bed ought to be a dandy site to pitch our tent as long as it doesn’t rain.” “I got this GPS unit just for this wilderness hike. Surely it can’t be that hard to figure out how to use it.”

to bring the bug spray?’” “It doesn’t look like much of a cloud.” Phrases like these within the confines of a boat can only be compared to crickets chirping the theme song to Jaws. Hunters, in turn, may feel secure, armed as if in self-defense. Yet, the enemy is never one that can be stopped by a bullet, whether made of silver or laced with garlic. Sheer stupidity knows no defense. You’ll learn to recognize it, though, when you hear it coming, simple words like these from your partner’s mouth. “You reckon this limb will hold me?”

“I don’t have my glasses on, but was that pepper all over your eggs?”

“I should have asked before you sat down, but is my sandwich on the seat?”

Just one of these phrases will make you want to pitch your tent in a Holiday Inn. Of course, if the manager’s smart he won’t let you.

“Ah, it’s never too cold for my truck to start.”

Fishing seems so reassuringly safe by comparison, no flames, no creatures, no foods of questionable origin, at least, by design. The tranquil lapping of waves against the boat, the soft clicking of your reel as you retrieve, you find yourself lulled into a trance, unaware of anything but your rod, your lure, and the fish. Unfortunately, it’s always the unknown that unleashes the terror. Disaster sneaks across the water like shadows from a stray cloud. The warning is never in time and it sounds like this.

“Let’s go sling some mud with that fourwheeler.”

“Did you put in the plug?” “Have I ever shown you top speed on this baby?” “That hose sure resembles a snake.” “Did you pull up the parking brake?” “I keep forgetting . . . is it good snakes have round eyes or the other way around?” “Bet I can lay this Jitterbug so close to that hornet’s nest that it splashes it.”

“Did I give you the keys?”

“You think there’s anything to that deal about old guns not shooting steel shot?” “I smell a skunk. You seen the dogs lately?” “This old wooden bridge has been here a hundred years. Surely it can handle one more truck.” “Yeah, this joint looks a little rough, but I know just how to talk to these good ol’ boys.” And across all these activities, there’s the phrase that signals the greatest threat, the one you dread most because you know nothing good can happen. Had Alfred Hitchcock been an outdoorsman, he’d have cringed at the sound. It’s the question, in the end, that I expect to be the last words my partner ever utters on some foggy evening, in the twilight, just as a twig snaps over his shoulder and he looks back and whispers hoarsely.

“All the years I’ve been running this lake, I’ve never hit a stump.”

“How fast can you run anyway?”

“Did you pull up the anchor?”

JIM MIZE knows experience is the best teacher but not the least painful. You can find his awardwinning books of humor at www. acreektricklesthroughit.com.

“Why don’t you light a match and see.”

“Dark? Shoot, I could drive this boat home with my eyes shut.”

“What’s that hissing noise?”

“What do you mean, ‘Who was supposed

74 JULY 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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