Great Days Outdoors - January 2020 by TrendSouth Media

VOLUME 1 • NUMBER 6

REPOWER REPORT

FEBRUARY 1, 2017

This is the latest edition of Paradise Marine Center’s Repower Report. This feature runs on a regular basis, and showcases 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 this issue, we talk with Garett Hill of Purvis Misissippi about his new Suzuki DF200. What is the make and model of your boat and how long have you owned it? My boat is a 2008 Shoalwater Super Sport with a partial tunnel for shallow water use. It is a Texas made Bay Boat from a smaller custom builder. I previously had a 200 HP Evinrude Etec on the transom. How do you use your boat? I primarily fish for trout, redfish and flounder in the Biloxi Marsh. We typically launch at Bayou Caddy in Lakeshore, Mississippi and run 13 miles across the Mississippi Sound to the Biloxi Marsh which is actually located in Louisiana. A typical trip usually covers about 60 miles per day. We fish a lot of oyster leases by drifting over them with artificial baits. We also fish a lot of points, cuts and current lines. We only use artificial lures, mostly imitation shrimp plastics under popping corks and on the bottom using a tight line. In the spring, we use top water baits to target the

Garett Hill and his dad Leonard, on the Biloxi Marsh, in his 21’ Shoalwater Bay Boat.

spawning sow trout. I also like to use Mirro Lures and Super Spooks as conditions change. How did you decide to repower with a new Suzuki? When I finally decided I needed a new motor, I primarily made my decision based on the cost of operation. I hated the fuel economy I was getting and the fact that I had to continually buy expensive two stroke oil. I was also very interested in the lower gear ratios and the increased prop size that the Suzuki motors utilized. I did a lot of research and decided on a Suzuki. I asked a friend of mine, Kevin Deselle, the owner of Sport Trail Trailers who I should see for this purchase. He told me very quickly to call Gene Myers at Paradise Marine Center in Gulf Shores. I called and they quickly hooked me up. What impresses you most about your Suzuki? Hands down it is the huge difference in fuel economy, almost 35% better than my previous engine. It is a night and day difference. In the past, I would burn around 15 gallons on a marsh trip, now I burn 8-10. I am also impressed with the torque and power as well. I was worried that it would not be as powerful as my old V6 two stroke, but boy was I was wrong about that. The inline 4 cylinder does a great job, plus I have a better top end to boot. The difference in sound levels is also amazing and you can have a conversation at full speed without having to yell over one another.

A nice mess of Biloxi marsh trout. Birds don’t lie. For questions about Suzuki repowers see Paradise Marine Center, located in Gulf Shores.

Give us a memorable Fishing experience? About a month ago, three of us were fishing the marsh and had about 30 trout by 9 AM when the fishing shut down. We decided to move spots and came across a large group of birds resting on the surface. As we slowed and approached them, a closer look showed them to be feeding on small minnows, in about 4’ of water. We cast into them and all three of us hooked up immediately and the party started. We caught 18” trout cast after cast, and within an hour we had our limit of 75 trout in the box and were heading home. A lot of folks would drive by sitting birds but they are there for a reason. Don’t pass up sitting birds. You might be sorry.

Suzuki DF200 4-Stroke Outboard

Redefining best in class. The DF200A is an “In Line” four-stroke outboard is packed with technology. This four-stroke engine has large displacement (174,9 Cu In), lots of torque and plenty of power while tipping the scales at just 498 Lbs. This four stroke engine is a clean runner and certified with a 3-Star Ultra-Low Emission rating from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and has also met the EPA 2010 standard. So if you want to run with a proven winner, go four-stroke. Go Suzuki. • In Line 4 vs V6 block for compact, lighter, design can be mounted on 26” center without contact. • Offset Drive shaft = Better balance • Self adjusting timing chain vs. Over head belt. No belt maintenance or adjustment necessary. • Easy access Shim & Bucket vs. Rocker arm quick and accurate valve adjusment vs.expensive service and additional adjustment. • 2.50:1 vs 1.86:1. Lower gear ratio to swing a larger prop for improved acceleration. • Built in charging system vs. belt driven alt. Less moving parts.

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 3

HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE

CONTENTS Deep Water Tactics for Winter Speckled Trout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 by Captain Patric Garmeson The Best Time to Hunt a Big Buck in January. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 by John E. Phillips Late Season Decoy Spreads for Coastal Ducks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 by Mike Thompson Lake Guntersville Bass Fishing Tips for January. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 by Ed Mashburn Whitetail Deer Calls that Work. . . . . . . . . . . 34 by Charles Johnson Ozone Generator for Hunting Reviews . . . . 42 by Joe Baya

In Every Issue Best Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by William Kendy New Gear for Outdoorsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 by Great Days Outdoors Staff From the Commissioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 by Chris Blakenship From the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 by Charles Sykes The Gun Rack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 by Charles Haney Camphouse Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 by Hank Shaw Pier & Shore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 by David Thorton Paddle Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 by Ed Mashburn Gulf Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 by Mike Thompson Regional Freshwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 by Ed Mashburn Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room. . . . . . 72 Great Days Kids Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Classifieds & Fishinâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; Guides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Fishing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 by Captain Dan Kolenich A Great Day Outdoors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 by Jim Mize 4 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

PROPERTY PHOTO HERE

Enon Plantation Hunting and Timber Retreat

Alabama River Waterfront Hunting Tract

Enon Plantation is a phenomenal property expertly managed for wildlife and timber with beautiful mature pines, hardwood bottoms, and open land. A conservation easement has been created to protect the landPROPERTY and the red-cockadedTEXT woodpecker. Enon Plantation has some of the HERE best hunting in the south! Deer and turkey are abundant and the property has been a premier quail hunting destination for over 90 years. Love to fish? The 50 acre lake is stocked with bass and bream and has a boathouse and outdoor bar. The beautiful 4 bedroom and 4 bath historic main home was built in the 1840s and has been remodeled and updated. The world class hunting lodge features beautiful woodwork with a large gathering room and fireplace, commercial kitchen, dining area, game room and six private bedroom suites plus two half baths. Additional structures on the property include a 2 bedroom guest home located directly behind the main home, a 3 bedroom and 3.5 bath manager’s home, 3 bedroom and 3 bath lodge, horse barn with seven stalls and a tack room, horse stables, deer processing building, equipment sheds and equipment shop, two large grain silos, and dog kennels. This is a must see property!

This diverse waterfront hunting and timber investment with 3,067 feet of frontage on the Alabama River and Bailey’s Creek is a rare find. Located off CR 1 between Chrysler and TEXT HERE Perdue Hill, an area wellPROPERTY known for quality deer, turkey, dove, and duck hunting, just over an hour from both Mobile and Spanish Fort. Enjoy easy access off Bailey’s Creek Road and an intricate internal road and trail system to access the multiple food plots, two duck ponds, and equipment shed on the property. Timber types include mature, unthinned hardwood, pine plantations that are almost ready for their first thinning, and recently converted pine plantation. Utilities are available at the offset camp site and there are multiple potential fishing lake sites and camp sites with hilltop views. Land of this quality is rarely available in this area, much less on the river.

Bullock County, Alabama, 4000+/-Acres

Monroe County, Alabama, 298+/-Acres

FL Panhandle Listings

Alabama Listings COUNTY

Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Bibb Bibb Bibb Blount Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Bullock Bullock Bullock Butler Butler Butler

ACRES

1068 371 298.55 210 189 3636 1995 1339 901.52 710 120 62 98.6 30 24 233.3 80 66 60 50 4000 167 80 48.6 40 1455.52 395 85.16

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

77 60 102 100 26.91 25 22.5 221 65.4 388 216 54 38 25 526 520 234 220 179 116 80 42 40 38 377 80 57 56.48

COUNTY

Coffee Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Coosa Covington Covington Covington Covington Covington Crenshaw Crenshaw Cullman Cullman Cullman Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Elmore

ACRES 254 40 36 36 2 1 80 20 10 151 45 360 331 79 72 43 134 120 876.25 232 59 96 463.54 140 82.73 64 27 2000

Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Escambia Etowah Etowah Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene Greene Greene Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale Henry Jefferson

450 342 264 213 671.6 68 275 167.3 232 112 110 90 74 608 563 552 244 165 2100 38 30 575 186 150 96 88 200 633

COUNTY

Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lauderdale Lawrence Limestone Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Macon Macon Macon Macon Macon Madison Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo

ACRES 400 330 245 125 367 192 160 136 92 60 80 1.36 1181 1013 793.5 790 783 2370 930 486 396 60 100 6214 3000 404 310 264

Marion Marion Marion Marion Marion Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Morgan Morgan Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens

387 325 250 215 168 1800 308 299.1 260 192 790 378.49 298 268.11 129 858 697 623 469 430 150 76 386 240.75 200 189 90.5 1480

COUNTY

Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pike Pike Pike Pike Pike Randolph Randolph Randolph Randolph Randolph Russell Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter

ACRES 837 450 430 217 352.8 160 112 80 40 407 329 78 60 52.4 195 68.13 29 14.68 10 93 83 80 48 43.56 740 350 213 188

Sumter Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Tallapoosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Winston Winston Winston

45.7 1015 882 537 327 47 20.917 164 153 117 115 80 233 65 1261 796 240 160 160 1465 694 660 640 213 265 2.3 1.3

COUNTY Escambia Escambia Gulf Holmes Santa Rosa Walton Walton Washington

ACRES 257 80 55 93 680 225 188 38

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 5

BEST BETS

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

THE ELUSIVE ALABAMA RUT

Trying to pinpoint when Alabama bucks will be in the throes of passion isn’t easy. Because of the diverse gene pool and origin of the whitetails stocked in the 1940s to 1960s, each area can be on a different timetable. Still, there are some generalities that can help hunters score. While the Alabama rut can last months, the predominant rut runs from mid-January to the middle of February but that depends on genetics and the herd. Early season is about food and later it turns to breeding, with most activity occurring in early morning and later afternoon with intermittent movement at other times, depending on the weather. For info see John Philips’ “Mixed Up Rut” article in the December 2018 issue of GDO and at the Quality Deer Management Association website at www.qdma.com

VOLUME 24, ISSUE 1 January 2020

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:

CASH IN ON COLD WEATHER FISHING When it comes to January fishing in Alabama, fishermen have two great cold weather choices.

While cold weather may stop freshwater fishermen, it doesn’t stop crappie from biting. In his article, “Cold Weather Crappie” in the December 2019 issue, Ed Mashburn shares how and where to find slabs, what they bite on and the best cold water rigs to use. . If you are a speckled trout fan, the deep water in the rivers, creeks and canals around Mobile Bay may be just your ticket. Captain Patric Garmeson points out that the term “deep” is relative to the area in which you are fishing. In some cases, it may be 10 feet. In others it may be 50. See “Deep Water Tactics for Winter Speckled Trout” in this issue.

TIME TO PREPARE

Taking a little time off from outdoor activities in the winter isn’t a bad thing. Coming off of the holiday, January is a good time to “take care of knitting” and get your hunting and fishing gear ready for the next season. Fishing reels can be stripped down, washed (especially saltwater gear), lubed, new line strung and made ready for action. Inventory lures and terminal tackle and fill in the holes. The same holds true for guns, accessories and ammo. On a nice day, tents can be set up, cleaned and seam sealed; boots and even garments can be waterproofed and other little maintenance chores. If you’re ambitious, you could start an exercise program to get into better hunting and fishing shape. Ok, I might be pushing my luck on that one.

6 JANUARY 2020 // 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 Patric Garmeson Hank Shaw

Joe Baya Don Green Babe Winkelman Bobby Abruscato J. Wayne Fears Nick Williams Tony Kinton Richard Rutland

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 Mobile, 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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Captain Patric Garmeson holding a speckled trout caught in 12 feet of water in the early winter on a 1/4oz Bomber jig head rigged with a disco minnow colored Yum Mud Minnow

BY CAPTAIN PATRIC GARMESON

Deep Water Tactics for Winter Speckled Trout As a fishing guide, I am often asked “when is your favorite time to fish for speckled trout?” Without even thinking I will respond “winter”, which often raises eyebrows.

8 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

FISHING

Cooper Garmeson with a speckled trout caught on the Mobile River in the late winter /early spring

Sure, I love targeting speckled trout year round and while each season has its highlights, winter speckled trout fishing never fails to warm my blood. After stating that my favorite time is winter, I usually follow up with saying that I just love catching specs on lures and teaching people how to catch them the same way. And the winter is the best time to hone those skills. WHERE SHOULD YOU FISH FOR “SPECS” IN THE WINTER? The answer is “in the rivers, creeks and canals surrounding Mobile Bay”. The biology of speckled trout allows them to move into fresher water (salinity levels of greater than 5parts per thousand) areas in the cooler months. This is where you will find the bulk of the fish. In addition, speckled trout move into the feeding rivers, creeks and canals of Mobile Bay because the water depth is usually deeper than the bay and an abundance of bait can be found in these rivers. This abundance of bait is what the fish will feed on all winter long. Numerous bait species like freshwater shad, menhaden (pogies), mullet, shrimp, small

croakers, bay anchovies (glass minnows) and even small bass, bluegill and crappie are eaten by speckled trout. This opens the door for anglers to effectively use a wide range of lures. Now we need to dissect the river. Each river, creek and canal will have key components which include deep holes, ledges, points, and primary and secondary flats. First, we need to establish exactly what is “deep”? The term “deep” is actually relative to the area or body of water in which you are fishing. For example, a river or canal designated “deep” is one that is designed to be deep enough for a container ship (50 feet or more). Opposite of that is a river or bayou which has more flats than channel and the channel portion maxes out at a depth of 10 feet and may only be 20 feet wide. RIGGING FOR DEEP WATER SPECKLED TROUT When it comes to tackle, my preference is for medium action seven to seven and a half foot rods with a medium to fast tip. I prefer bait cast rods because I feel the bite a little bit better. However, spinning equipment can get 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 9

Deep Water Tactics for Winter Speckled Trout

it done in a similar set up. I use 20 pound braided line with 20 pound fluorocarbon line leader. I join the braid and fluorocarbon with an Alberto knot and I like to start the day with a leader about 30” long as this will get shorter as the day goes do to break offs. I attach to the end of the leader a 1/4-3/8oz jighead. JIGS AREN’T JUST JIGS I choose Bomber brand jig heads due to the hooks being strong and super sharp. These jigs are available in a variety of colors and head styles. If you are concerned about which color to choose then go with unpainted or white, although I generally go red or pink. If the bottom composition of where you are fishing is firm then a bullet, round or stand up jig head can all work well. If you are around rocks and numerous hang ups then a round head or rounded head jig will reduce snagging Soft bottom can be a great place for a stand up jig or bullet jig. WHAT DO YOU ADD TO THE JIG HEAD? I break down the jig bodies into several categories. The first is a fluke or jerk shad type body like the Lil slick, which is the first lure type I like to experiment with. The Lil Slick is a long skinny lure with a whip like tail and this lure type seems to be the best all-around lure type to start with in a new area.

The next lure type is a split tail grub like the Betts 3” Split Tail or the H&H Sparkle Beetle. This lure type is a great choice when shrimp are in abundance and or when the fish are lethargic. The third soft plastic bait style is a paddle tail like a matrix shad or Vortex shad. This bait gives action from the second it hits the water and the entire time it’s in the water. Paddle tail jigs seem to be the best when pogies and shad are the common food source. The fourth bait choice is an old school curly tail grub. They have been made for decades and have been catching fish of all kinds. This bait is every bit as versatile as a paddle tail grub. The last jig type is a shrimp body like the Fishbites Shrimp which is also spiked with the Fishbite magic scent. Yes there are several more soft plastic styles but these five cover the basics. Once you find a jig style that is getting bit better than others then you can experiment with color selection. Keep this simple. Light colored lures like white, chartreuse, opening night Arkansas shiner or darker lures like root beer, avocado, or even black. You will often find a lure body type is more important than color in deeper water but you never know when you may swap from a

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10 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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Deep Water Tactics for Winter Speckled Trout

natural or lighter color to a really dark color and see a huge uptick in the number of bites or vice versa. PRESENTATION AND LOCATION ARE EVERYTHING The set up and presentation can make all the difference in the world sometimes more so than the lure style. Deciding on your set up. I absolutely love this time of year fishing deep water because I am an electronics nerd. In winter fishing areas where we are looking in areas 8 to 35 feet deep, high quality electronics can be the difference between finding fish or not. I use a Raymarine Axiom Pro 12. When I am scanning an area, I will have my screen split three ways; side vision, down vision and chirp in the third screen.

William K. holding a speckled trout caught on the 3/8oz Bomber jig head rigged with the lemon colored Lil Slick

Ideally I want to see fish tight to the bottom with bait marks very close by. Once you identify fish near the bottom it’s time to fish. Position your boat over the deeper water and cast toward the shallow. THE ALL-IMPORTANT FIRST CAST When you make your cast give your lure plenty of slack line as it lands on the water surface. This will allow the lure to fall nearly straight down from where it lands opposed to closing or stopping the reel instantly after it lands on the water. Allow it to sink straight down and all the way to the bottom before trying to do anything with the bait. You will want to pay attention to your line as it’s sinking because you will see a bow in the line develop once the lure lands on the bottom. When that happens, engage the reel and begin the retrieve back to the boat. Each day speckled trout may want a slightly different presentation so pay attention to your cadence. WHAT IS CADENCE? This is the way you will hop, bump, crawl and drag your lure back to the boat. At a brand new area where I’m just trying to see if there are any hungry fish, I will go with a “confidence” lure and a “confidence” cadence. One of favorite cadences is the where the sequence is a “Hop-Hop” with a two to three second pause then the “hop-hop” again. Each hop should be less than a two foot movement. The steeper the slope you are working your lure, the smaller the hop needs to be. Think about how you would want to walk down a super steep hill without slipping or falling. Small close together will provide the most jig. Make sure each pauone second but I lean closer to will come when the lure is resting

steps very thoughtful steps stability. Consider that for your se rests on the bottom for at least three seconds. Most of your bites dead on the bottom.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN A SPECKLED TROUT BITES? A trout may grab your lure on the fall after a hop and this fish can often be missed due to it often being on a looser or slacker line. However if you watch your line as you are fishing you will often see the line twitch or jump when the trout grabs the bait. If you see the twitch or line jump you should rapidly take up the slack and set the hook with a sharp hook set with the rod tip up. Once the hook is set don’t give the fish any slack. Slack line will lose fish.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 11

Deep Water Tactics for Winter Speckled Trout

Another bite to expect to have in deep water jigging is the “thump”. This is the bite you feel when the bait is usually sitting on the bottom and trout has to suck the lure up off the bottom and into its mouth. When you feel the thump you reel the rod tip down as quickly as possible and set the hook with force. Once again, don’t give the fish any slack because they are really good at slinging out a lure. THE “WET-RAG” BITE This bite is the one you never see or feel. This is when you are working the lure and you lose contact with the bottom and when you try to jig or move your lure it feels like you hooked on to a wet rag. This fish is usually swimming slowly in the same direction you are working your lure and is hard to detect. Many anglers will not successfully hook the fish and will often pull the lure from this trout’s mouth. However when you recognize the wet rag is actually a trout, quickly reel down and set the hook with force. The final bite to expect is when the trout simply whacks it. This bite usually happens when your lure is moving quickly and the fish hits your lure at full force and basically sets the hook on itself. The main thing to pay attention to is to sweep the rod to the side or straight up to get the rod bent as smooth as possible. These fish can easily tear the hook out of their mouth so you have to use less force after the bite.

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In Conclusion Fishing deep water in cold weather can seem like fishing on the moon for the angler who is used to fishing for speckled trout with top water and popping corks. We are focusing on deep water, which means generally 8 feet to 28 feet in depth. We have found, hooked and landed specs in 44 feet of water.

The Final Three Tips Look for the bulk of the fish to be most active out of the main current areas.

Look for the fish to be in pockets and dead end areas that have the least flow.

Look for specs to be on the edges of the main current in eddies.

12 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

ENCAPSULATION

Deep Water Tactics for Winter Speckled Trout

BY HANK SHAW Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Fried Speckled Trout with Black-Eyed Pea Salad Obviously this recipe can be done with any white fish. Other good candidates would be bass, walleye, pike fillets, croaker, black seabass, small codfish or haddock, Pacific rockfish, freshwater sheepshead... you get the point. I wanted the salad to be very Southern, thus the choice of black-eyed peas, turnip and mustard greens and bacon. You can change it up if you feel like it. Want a Nordic flair? Go with Great Northern beans, kale and, well, bacon is a universal... Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 20 mins • Total: 40 mins Ingredients TROUT • 4 to 6 skinless speckled trout fillets • 1 cup milk • 1 cup fine cornmeal, a/k/a “fish fry” • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper • Peanut oil for frying SALAD • 1 cup black-eyed peas • 2 cups chicken broth • 2 cups water • 1/4 pound bacon • 1 chopped onion • 3 chopped garlic cloves • 1 or 2 roasted red peppers, canned or freshly roasted, chopped • 3 cups chopped turnip or mustard greens • Salt, black pepper and cider vinegar to taste

Instructions 1.

Start by cooking the black-eyed peas. Bring the water and chicken broth to a boil and add the peas. Lower the heat to a very gentle simmer and cook until they are tender, but not falling apart. While this is happening, cook the bacon in a large saute pan. When the bacon is crispy, remove it and chop. Set it aside for now. 2. Saute the onion in the bacon fat over medium-high heat until the edges brown. Add the garlic and the greens and toss to coat in the bacon fat. Cook until the greens wilt. Turn off the heat, add back the bacon, then mix in the red peppers. Cover the pan and set aside for now. 3. Pour the milk into a shallow bowl. Mix all the breading ingredients. Pour enough peanut oil into a frying pan to come up about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Heat the oil to 325°F to 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, the oil will be ready when a bit of the breading sizzles instantly when flicked into it. When the oil is hot, dredge the fish in the milk, then coat with the breading. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. 4. To finish, warm the black-eyed pea salad and put some on everyone’s plate and top with the fried fish. Serve with beer or an uncomplicated white wine.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 13

The Best time to Hunt a Big Buck BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS

in January

Research about big deer may change your mind about where you hunt in January. Jesse Owen of Tennessee had permission to hunt the 25 acres behind his house and first saw a huge buck with many points on his massive, wide rack in 2016 on his trail camera. “I estimated him to be a 12 point, scoring about 150 inches. I never saw or got photos of him during daylight hours. He was totally nocturnal,” Owen recalled. Owen didn’t know how to take this big buck. But instead of saying, “There’s no way to take this buck legally,” Owen decided he would study all the articles he could about taking nocturnal bucks. WHAT ONE HUNTER LEARNED ABOUT TAKING NOCTURNAL BUCKS Owen learned that three ingredients must come together to take a big, nocturnal buck. “I needed to hunt the buck: • “During the rut, when an older age class buck would break with his normal routine and start chasing does to breed; • “When the weather was changing - either from warm to cold or from cold to warm - causing mature bucks to move; 14 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

HUNTING

There only may be one or two days per season when a trophy buck like this may appear on the land you hunt. To take him, you’ll need to be where he’s most likely to show-up on those couple of days.

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The Best Time to Hunt a Big Buck in January

• •

“By being patient, turning down other, shootable bucks; and “By spending time in my stand.”

Once Owen saw that a major weather change would occur one afternoon with a cold front moving in from the northwest, the temperature was supposed to drop dramatically and a light rain with the possibility of snow was due to fall too, he realized that on this day, everything was right to take the trophy buck. Because of weather forcast, Owen thought that if that “monstrous” buck ever was going to change his habits and appear in the daytime, it should be today.” After getting in his blind, Owen looked out its side window and spotted the big buck jumping the fence, about 150 yards away from his blind, coming down a trail. “I was so amazed at how big this buck’s antlers were that I hesitated. Then that buck looked directly at my ground blind, and I shot this big, usually nocturnal buck,” Owen said. Many hunters would have hoped to get lucky at some time during the three seasons that Owen hunted and researched this big buck. Instead, Owen chose the very-best day of deer season to hunt that buck when the odds were the greatest that a huge buck like this would show up.

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WHAT FACTORS IMPACT YOUR TAKING A BIG BUCK Twenty years of research, including 35,000 hunter days and statistics from the National Weather Service about the weather conditions on both morning and afternoon hunts, can teach us information about when deer move. Dr. Bob Sheppard of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with the help of the hunters and the staff at Bent Creek Lodge (http://bentcreeklodge.com/) in Jachin, Ala., has gathered dramatic information that will change many of our beliefs about when deer move, and what’s the best time to hunt a big buck. According to Dr. Sheppard his research from hunters on deer sightings and deer harvest over a 20-year period with hunters hunting mornings and afternoons was merged with the National Weather Service data on weather conditions for each day these hunters hunted. Once he had the data, he began to look at the weather conditions that caused deer to move, be seen and be harvested. “We wanted to know what kind of weather conditions optimized the likelihood of big deer getting-up out of their beds and walking around, so hunters could take them during daylight hours. We were surprised by some of the data, and what we learned,” Sheppard noted. Shepperd concluded that: * “The most-important factor that increases the likelihood of deer moving in daylight hours is temperature. Basically, the colder the weather is, the better your odds will be for seeing deer.

The Best Time to Hunt a Big Buck in January

* “The amount of cloud cover or the lack of cloud cover is the second most-important factor impacting deer movement. Rainy weather isn’t particularly good, although some hunters swear that hunting deer in rain is better. Cloudy skies are somewhat better for spotting deer movement. A clear sky is the best day to hunt, particularly bright, clear, cold days.

When you’re hunting a buck like this, and the only time you’re seeing him is on trail-camera pictures after dark, learning how and when to hunt nocturnal bucks may put you in the right place in the woods at the best time to take him.

* “The third factor impacting deer movement was wind velocity. I initially thought a calm day with no wind or wind speeds of 12-15 miles per hour wouldn’t cause deer movement. I assumed really-strong winds with possible wind speeds of 30 to 40 mph wouldn’t be good days to hunt. But statistics showed that the harder and faster the wind blew, the more deer sightings and deer kills we recorded.”

What’s the Ideal Day for Hunting Deer

An ideal day for hunting deer will be a cold day with clear skies and high wind velocities. You’ll need a close shot, so you won’t experience arrow or bullet drift in a hard, blowing wind. According to Dr. Sheppard, on: • “Cold days, deer need more food than on other days and may stay warmer by walking. • “Clear, windy days, deer can’t hear sounds in the woods as well as on still, quiet days. • “Clear days with plenty of sunshine, deer spot approaching predators better than on cloudy, overcast or rainy days.” But as Dr. Sheppard emphasizes, “These are just my opinions.”

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HOW MOON PHASE AFFECTS DEER MOVEMENT Moon phase can impact your deer hunting, but probably not in the way you think. Many hunters believe that moon phase is the critical ingredient determining when deer move and have believed that on the day before a full moon, the day of a full moon and the day after a full moon that deer don’t move as much. We’ve always thought that on bright nights deer feed, and on dark nights deer don’t feed.

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What Dr. Robert Sheppard has learned may change your opinion. “Bent Creek Lodge puts out 25 hunters for the morning hunt and 25 hunters for the afternoon hunt, every day during Alabama’s deer season. For 20 years, when the hunters returned from the woods, they gave us the information they had gathered, the number of bucks and does seen, and the number of deer taken - both bucks and does,” Sheppard said. “Once we gathered that information and overlaid that with

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The Best Time to Hunt a Big Buck in January

hunt deer. So, we had four years’ worth of conflicting data as to when deer moved according to the moon phase. I went back and did a multivariable analysis. I learned that the moon phase was a marker, but not the actual cause and effect that made the deer move. Temperature had a greater bearing on deer sightings than moon phase did. In other words, if a cold front hit, and there was a bright moon, then the deer would move. But a bright moon phase and warm weather meant hunters wouldn’t see many deer.”

the information from the National Weather Service, recording moon phase, wind direction, temperature and many-other weather-related factors, we matched-up the data these hunters brought in with the weather information we’d received. Then, we looked at each weather indicator one at a time to see how the moon phase, barometric pressure, wind direction, wind speed and sky conditions (rainy, cloudy, overcast and many-other variables) impacted deer movement.” The first two years of the study, Sheppard found information supporting what he thought it would. The day before the full moon, the day after the full moon WHAT OTHER FACTORS INCREASE YOUR and the next day weren’t productive days to hunt with ODDS FOR TAKING A TROPHY BUCK - USING THE FIRST STRIKE APPROACH AND BEING hunters not seeing or taking many deer then. CONSCIOUS OF NOISE “Then during the next 2 years, the results were exactly Dr. Sheppard is a total believer in the first-strike apthe opposite,” Sheppard explained. “The day before the proach for trophy bucks. He’ll only hunt from a stand full moon, the day after the full moon and the next site once during deer season to keep deer from patday seemed to be some of the best days you could terning him. 18 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Yes, we’d all like to take a monster buck like this one. Some hunters do get lucky, however, research is available that can put the odds in your favor of when, where and how you can take your buck of a lifetime.

The Best Time to Hunt a Big Buck in January

Sheppard explained that earlier in my deer-hunting career, he spent hours and days attempting to pattern a trophy buck. Then, he’d go to his stand and try to take that buck. “I might see him on the first day I hunted and not be able to get a shot, or for some unknown reason the deer just wouldn’t show-up. So, I realized I had to develop a different hunting strategy,” Sheppard said. Sheppard is convinced that deer pattern hunters with their noses, determining where hunters have come into the woods, where they’ve last been on the ground, and which direction they’ve walked to leave the woods. “When we walk to our tree stand sites and set-up our tree stands, we leave human odor at the bases of those trees,” Sheppard pointed out. “As a hunter climbs a tree, some of the bark and the dust on the side of the tree falls to the ground. Perhaps the wind carries some of that bark and dust with our human odor in it out past the tree. That night, when deer come through the area, the deer will smell where you’ve been and will avoid that particular spot. “During the daytime, they may not change their routes and still may go to the same places, but usually an olderage-class buck will travel 100 – 200 yards from where he’s smelled human odor. I avoid the places that I’ve hunted that season and won’t return there until the next season.” Sheppard thinks deer put more emphasis on where you’ve been, than they do on where you are now. “I’m convinced that deer know that hunters are creatures of habit. All of us like to hunt places where we’ve hunted before. A buck realizes that if he avoids a spot where he’s smelled human odor, his chances of survival are much greater,” Sheppard concluded. Many hunters don’t believe that the noise the hunter makes going to or from his or her stand or while in the stand is that important, but Sheppard has found that it is. So much research is being conducted by wildlife scientists and avid students of deer hunting that by keeping an open mind to learn all we can about the big deer we want to take, we’ll increase our odds to harvest more and bigger deer. For more information about Dr. Sheppard’s research and hunting tactics, go to his webpage at www.bobsheppard. com. To learn more about big-deer hunting strategies, check out John E. Phillips’ book “Whitetail Deer and the Hunters Who Take Big Bucks,” available in Kindle, print and Audible versions at http://amzn.to/2bYwYOK.

Selecting the Best Stand Site for Taking Big Bucks

Since you can’t bag a buck if you don’t see the animal, you must know how to choose the most-productive stand sites.

Stadium Seats – Use the same procedure you do to find your seat at a foot-

ball game. Many hunting guides recommend you use an aerial photo. On an aerial photo, you can look at how the ground lies, since each piece of property is different, and you’ll have to hunt it differently. You can identify the road systems to enter and leave as well as the natural barriers, property lines, bodies of water, large fields and funnels. You even can distinguish between hardwoods which appear as small, round, blob-looking features (the tops of trees) and pine trees with a smoother texture. Topographical maps will enable you to pinpoint land changes and identify ridges, valleys and terrain breaks. Go to www.mytopo.com to have maps made of specific sites you want to hunt.

Public-Land Stands – If you’re hunting public lands, you must always think that someone else may be at your favorite stand site. A few years ago while hunting public lands, I discovered an acorn-producing white oak tree, surrounded by a huge number of droppings, tracks and acorn hulls. Two trails led there. I thought the best spot to hunt would be within 50 yards of the white oak tree to watch bucks coming down both trails and have the best opportunity to see the most deer. I assumed the second-best stand site would be 50 - 100 yards away from the tree, down the most well-defined trail. My last choice would be to take a stand on the more-dim trail that apparently had not been used very much. When I rethought my original stand-site priorities and considered what the other hunters in the area probably would do, I realized that Stand Site I (the oak tree) was an obvious feeding hot spot and would be visited by other hunters. At Stand Site II, I figured the experienced hunter would take this well-defined trail leading to the white oak tree, thinking a novice would set-up close to the feeding site. Hunting from Stand Site III appealed to me, because I knew that older ageclass bucks, often the biggest bucks on the property, rarely used the same trails as does and younger age-class bucks. An older buck’s trail wouldn’t be as well-defined. I took a nice buck at Stand Site III for these reasons.

Green Field Stands - The most-obvious green field stand site is on or near a trail that comes from the woods to a green field, with the best time to hunt there in the late afternoon when deer are moving to the green field to feed. The second best green field stand site will be 50 - 100 yards down that trail. But instead, go past this point further down the trail to where you pinpoint two or three other trails intersecting the main trail leading to the green field. These trail heads are often 200 - 400 yards away from the green field where several trails come together on the main trail leading to the green field and will be the most productive. Place your tree stand near that intersection. Escape Trail Stands - If you hunt high-pressure areas, one of the most consistent stand sites will be escape trails, where a buck goes after being spooked by other hunters. Escape trails usually will lead out of or into thick cover and are often near or close to open woodlots, green fields or agricultural crops. Look for the trail coming away from whatever barrier the buck probably has put between him and the hunter, and set up there. Water Stands - You can “buddy-hunt” and use a small boat, a canoe, kayak or you can wear waders to reach a tree stand site over or in water in a river-bottom drainage. That way you leave no scent in the area you plan to hunt, can watch the water’s edge which is often a natural deer-migration route and you may surprise any the deer there, since they don’t expect to see hunters in trees over water or wading in the water. It also means that other hunters may drive deer to you if they’re coming by land. An added benefit is that you can load any deer you bag into the canoe and easily transport it out to your vehicle. I once hunted a water site on my hunting club that produced six nice-sized bucks for me out of eight years. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 19

The Best Time to Hunt a Big Buck in January

BY HANK SHAW Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Venison Steak Diane Steak Diane really needs a tender cut, and with venison that means tenderloin or backstrap. The best way to cook this is with a large piece of backstrap that you then cut into medallions right before you serve. If you have regular medallions, it will still work. While it is important to use heavy cream for this recipe (lighter creams will separate), it is not that important to have fancy brandy for this recipe -- just use something you would drink, OK? Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 12 mins • Total: 32 mins

Ingredients

• • • • • • • • • • • •

1/2 pound piece of venison backstrap or tenderloin Salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 shallot, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup brandy 1/2 cup venison stock or beef broth 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon mustard (I use Dijon) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/4 cup heavy cream Minced herbs for garnish (basil parsley, chives, etc)

Instructions

Bring the venison loin out of the fridge, salt it well and let it come to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.

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4. 5.

Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat for about 90 seconds. Pat the venison dry with a paper towel and cook it on all sides. Turn the heat to medium so the butter doesn’t scorch, and take your time. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes or so to get a nice brown crust on the venison without overcooking the center. Remove the venison, tent loosely with foil and set aside. Add the shallots to the saute pan and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Don’t let the garlic burn. Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping off any stuck-on bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the brandy cook down almost to a glaze, then add the venison stock, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Let this boil down until a wooden spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail behind it that does not fill in for a second or two. This should take about 3 minutes on high heat. Turn off the heat and let the boiling subside. Stir in cream until the sauce is as light as you like. Don’t let the sauce boil again or it could break. Slice the venison into thick medallions. If you find you have not cooked it enough, let the meat swim in the sauce for a few moments to heat through. If the venison is to your liking, pour some sauce on a plate and top with the meat. Garnish with some chopped herbs. Chives are traditional, but basil and parsley are also nice.

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Late Season

DECOY SPREADS

for Coastal Ducks BY MIKE THOMPSON

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HUNTING

Ducks have been under siege by waterfowl hunters since early September, when northern seasons opened. All the way down the flyway, ducks have seen thousands of decoys and many of the ducks have become highly educated. Let’s look at a few different decoy tricks to fool the smartest of ducks. During the beginning part of duck season, ducks seem to be easily duped by just any sort of collection of bodies floating on the water. The shooting can be easy, as the ducks seem to be drawn to the decoys like they are magnets. One of the reasons things come so easy is the fact that over 50% of the ducks taken are “first of the year” birds. Banding studies have shown that juvenile ducks are twice as likely to be taken by hunters than seasoned ducks. All they know in their limited lifetime is that a crowd of ducks on the water usually means food. The older, wiser ducks seem to hold back and not commit to a decoy spread, but rather allow the ‘juvie birds’ to take all the risks. These older birds have been up and down the flyway and are quite wary and intelligent. By late season, the juvenile ducks that have survived have taken close notice of what the older birds do and mimic that behavior to survive. The later in the season, the tougher it is to fool ducks.

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Late Season Decoy Spreads for Coastal Ducks

DECOYS AS A TOOL

During the first part of the season, most ducks are still gaining their plumage. Every day more and more feathers grow, changing the ducks from a drab color to a gaudy mating suit meant to attract a sort of a ‘love connection.’ Using lots of dull colored decoys, including lots of hen decoys, really doesn’t affect the way ducks react to them. As mentioned earlier, clustered bodies on the water indicate a food source has been located. Early season birds are more than willing to join the party. However, as the season progresses, decoys with more coloration will give smarter birds more confidence to come in closer. Most female ducks will have the same drab, dark colors throughout the year. The drakes of most species will start to put on more coloration in front of the spring mating season. In late season it is important that your decoys stand out more. Nothing stands out more from a distance than the color white. During a typical hunting season or two, your decoys take a beating during pick up and transfer. The paint is scuffed and damaged, causing the decoys to lose their ‘fresh out of the box’ look. When that happens, you should spend some time sprucing them up. Multiple puddle duck species have some white coloring that will stand out from a distance. Gadwalls have a noticeable square white patch on their wings, even in the sitting position. Widgeon have notice-

able white coloring. And pintails, AKA ‘Duck in a Tux’ have an abundance of white showing. Over the years I have touched up the above-mentioned species with some fresh white paint, dull of course. When doing the job, I always make the white areas a little larger. This includes making the white wing patches larger and any white body colors overlap just a bit. The difference in visibility can attract ducks to your spread with more confidence at greater distances.

PRO STAFFERS ADVICE

Brian Anderson of G & H Decoys gets to do a lot of duck hunting in his job as a pro-staffer for the company, always looking for ways to improve hunter success. In this endeavor, Anderson has come up with a simple strategy for late season success. “I strongly suggest that in late season you should put your decoys out in pairs, meaning drakes and hens together. You should also try to include motion, such as a jerk string, not a spinning wing decoy. Try and use that ‘old school’ mentality,” Anderson said. Anderson pointed out that todays’ decoy market is flooded with new companies, all after the duck hunters buck. If you are planning on waterfowl hunting for an extended period of time, you should seek out a more durable decoy.

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Late Season Decoy Spreads for Coastal Ducks

“At G & H, we use a time-tested method of painting our decoys. Also, our decoys are made of very durable materials. We have some decoys out there that have seen 20-30 years of service,” Anderson noted. Late season ducks have survived by being wily and smart. Even the little details can be important. “Instead of bulky decoy line, I use 20-30 pound test monofilament. It is almost invisible under even clear water,” Anderson noted. “As mentioned earlier, I suggest you include motion in your spread. We have developed a decoy called the River Gator. It is a decoy that swims in just a light current and requires no battery. We incorporated a wedge at the front of the decoy, causing it to swim left or then right, providing motion.”

PUDDLER POINTERS

Late season puddle ducks, who have survived the onslaught of a typical season on public areas, become particularly suspicious. Making changes in your decoy spread is critical. The first change you might consider is the reduction in the number of decoys you place out. In mid-January I have decoyed many ducks using a spread of 7-10 decoys. I know it sounds crazy, but it has worked for me many times. Another tip is to put out only the species of ducks you have seen in your area. If you don’t have many mallards, leave the mallard dekes at home. If you mainly see gadwalls, then an all gadwall spread can fool the wary birds.

LONE

Educated, late season ducks are prone to fly later in the morning. This allows them greater visibility to focus on danger and to find feeding activity. The lowly coot is known to savagely attack vegetation. Late season ducks recognize that a large group of coots means ‘groceries. ‘Setting up a long string of coots along a grass edge with some (4-6) puddlers on each end of the string will produce opportunities late in the season. Painting older, scuffed up decoys black will work as well as regular coot decoys. Using painted two-liter soda bottles is also a cheap way to add coots to your spread

LATE SEASON DIVERS

During the second half of the season, coastal waterfowlers see lots of ‘new’ birds. Colder weather to the north pushes the hearty divers to the coast. When this happens, there are many eager duck hunting enthusiasts waiting on them. Along the Mississippi Coast, Captain Robert Brodie of Team Brodie Charters, is known as the ‘go-to’ guide for diver action. Over the years, Brodie has picked up on late season ducks and their tactics. “Later in the season, the ducks have seen it all on their journey to the Gulf Coast. I like to let the ducks tell me what to do when it comes to decoys. We shoot mainly bluebills and redheads, so naturally, my spread will contain a 50-50 mix

WOLF

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Late Season Decoy Spreads for Coastal Ducks

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Late Season Decoy Spreads for Coastal Ducks

of those two species. I sometimes use spinners, but will pull them if they appear to be flaring ducks from the spread,” Brodie explained. Brodie uses decoys that are strung onto a long-line. This allows him to put out up to 150 decoys in a short period of time. “I use the long-lines, weighted with old window sash weights. The long tubular shape of the weight allows me to pull in the string without damaging grass beds. It also allows us mobility to move a bunch of decoys fast. It also helps me to reduce the decoy spread if the ducks don’t seem to like the big set-up,” Brodie said. Late in the season, Brodie’s game plan is to set up his decoy spread in long ‘cigar’ shaped formation. This simulates flocks of redheads feeding together. “A lot of my clients are after strictly, bull redheads. I might use an abundance of redhead decoys to help them accomplish their goal. It is critical to be well hidden to get the ducks to come close,” Brodie said. “While we don’t see many canvasbacks, I also will put out a few cans as well. The bright coloring of the canvasbacks can be seen from a distance.” Brodie has picked up on the fact that intense pressure from hunters will cause late season ducks to change their habits. Brodie adjusts to this situation in a simple way. “During late season, we don’t get in a rush. We seem to take most of our ducks late in the morning. In fact, the best shooting can occur from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Many times, the ducks will dive into the spread while you are sipping coffee or eating a sandwich. You must stay on the alert,” Brodie advised. Bigger flights mean more eyeballs looking for danger. Getting these large flocks (30-40) to commit is usually very tough. However, all is not lost. “I never take my eyes off a large flock that comes by my decoy spread. Often times there are small groups of the flock that will peel off and return to the decoys, offering prime shots,” Brodie concluded.

CONCLUSION

Decoying late season ducks along the coast can be a challenge. Hopefully, a few of the tips listed above will help you take more ducks during the tougher part of the season. Also, remember that late season means much colder temperatures and water. Play it safe out there!

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CAPTAIN LEE PITTS SHOWS US THE KIND OF BASS WE CAN EXPECT. PHOTO BY ED MASHBURN

28 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

FISHING

Lake Guntersville Bass Fishing Tips for January Let me tell you about the coldest I’ve been since I moved to Alabama. It was a January weekend on Lake Guntersville a few years ago.

The wind was whipping up off the white-capped surface of the lake was not just cold—it was extremely cold. Memories of the frigid boat ride we endured from the dock to the first fishing stop still linger. With teeth chattering, I tried to begin fishing. My numb fingers could barely tie on a lure. My eyes streamed tears from the icecold wind. Let’s be honest. I thought I’d freeze to death that frigid Saturday morning. Only one reason will compel me or anyone with anything like normal good sense to endure such a miserable situation on a grey January morning in northern Alabama. Big bass! The bass didn’t care how cold it was above the water. They were ravenously hungry and looking for breakfast. And yes, we caught some good bass. With each bass I caught, I felt the cold a little bit less. By the time the third nice Guntersville bass came in, I was feeling a whole lot better. Although cold-weather bass fishing takes a little bit of preparation and gearing up for best results, some of the finest bass of the entire year are caught in January on the lakes of Alabama by those anglers who come ready for a cold boat ride. SOME HELP FROM A BASSIN’ EXPERT Captain Lee Pitts is a tournament angler and fishing guide who works primarily on Lakes Weiss and Guntersville and he offers us some very good on-the-spot advice when it comes to planning a January bass fishing trip. “What all anglers need to remember is that even in cold weather, bass still need to feed,” Pitts said. “Even when it’s cold and bitter, it’s harder on the fisherman than it is on the bass. Wintertime is great for deer hunters, but many days when I’m in the deer stand, I’m ready to pack it up by lunchtime and head for the water.” In cold weather on Alabama’s lakes, fishing pressure falls off to almost zero for many days, and those anglers who can get on the water at all may find some great fishing. For instance, on the day after the frigid trip described at the start of the article, my family and I were staying on a houseboat at a dock just outside the town of Guntersville. We stayed indoors later and watched Sunday football games on television, but I also caught some really nice bass that weekend. BY ED MASHBURN

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Saltwater River Fishing Tips for Redfish and Speckled Trout

I caught bass all day long from the back porch of the houseboat. From the stern deck of the houseboat, I’d cast out a live minnow with just enough weight to sink it slowly. I’d put the rod in a holder mounted on the rail of the houseboat and then I’d run back inside to warm up. While I watched television, I kept an eye on the rod outside. When the rod bowed over and started to bounce, I just walked out on the deck and played my fish in. I had bass up to four pounds eating minnows all day long. It never got over thirty degrees that day, and I spent the day running in and out of the houseboat as bass took my bait. Now, that was a very good kind of cold-weather bass fishing. WHERE SHOULD WE GO AND WHAT KIND OF BASS WILL WE FIND? Finding the fish is the first and most important step to catching a good mess of bass, and Pitts knows some reliable cold weather lakes for anglers to think about when planning a January trip. “Cold water bass can be found all along the Coosa River (Lake Weiss) on deep docks close to river channels and lay-downs on the main river, Pitts pointed out. “On Guntersville, key things to look for are bridge

30 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

pylons off the major creeks. These are excellent places for largemouth bass to winter.

“The difference between largemouth and spotted bass in winter is that largemouth tend to rely on wood cover and they tend to hold shallower. Spotted bass may lie deeper and follow bait, and they usually don’t hold on much shallow cover. Both kinds of bass will be following the bait and feeding on shad. Largemouth tend to pull shallower when they are ready to feed during those days that have more sunlight and calmer weather.” Pitts said that Lake Guntersville is his favorite lake during the winter months. “Whether it is bitter cold days with deep creek channel fishing or sunny days fishing a jerkbait,— Guntersville is the place to be,” Pitts noted. “On the upper end, you can put in at Mud Creek or B.B. Comer Bridge. On the south end, you can put in at Brown’s Creek or Guntersville State Park.”

HOG RUSH

Saltwater River Fishing Tips for Redfish and Speckled Trout

WHAT KIND OF LURES WORK IN COLD WEATHER? In general, cold weather bass, both spots or largemouth, will eagerly bite a properly presented lure, but we have to keep in mind that they usually won’t chase a lure far or fast to take it. Anglers need to think about fishing close and slow in wintertime. First of all, they need to place lures as close as possible to where hungry bass are holding so they won’t have far to move for a strike. Secondly, slow down retrieves so the bass won’t have to move very fast to reach a lure.

“THERE WILL BE BLOOD”

Shad are the primary cold water forage fish for largemouth or spotted bass. This means that anglers should try to pattern lures after the color and size of the shad in a particular lake. Any lure that looks like a shad and that can be worked close to cover at a fairly slow speed is a good bet for cold water bass in January. A shad pattern crankbait which can be pulled down to depth and then slowly brought back alongside deep water cover is ideal for winter and the bass really hammer these crankbaits. Pitts has some definite preferences when it comes to winter cold weather lure choice for both Weiss Lake and Lake Guntersville. “On the Coosa, a Talon Spinnerbait with a double nickel willow leaf blade with white on white and chartreuse skirt is my wintertime go-to bait,” he says. “A black and blue jig with a Gene Larew Salt Crawl trailer is great around wood cover.”

THERMAL NIGHT

HUNTS

IN ALABAMA

For anglers looking at Guntersville in winter, Lee points out that on Lake Guntersville, the Alabama Rig is still the king for cold weather bass. He adds that the Yum Money Minnows are what most anglers use when it’s real cold, and the Gene Larew Sweet Swimmer has great action in cold water.” WHAT ABOUT REALLY NASTY WINTER WEATHER? “The best cold weather conditions are calm days with sun,” Lee stated. “This helps bring the fish up to feed. Days with snow can be excellent fishing days, too. Some of the best wintertime fishing I’ve had was during a light snow. Snow affects the barometric pressure and causes bass to bite like crazy on the Tennessee River lakes.” On another non-fishing topic that anglers in January must be aware of, angler safety should be a primary

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www.HOGRUSH.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 31

Saltwater River Fishing Tips for Redfish and Speckled Trout

Soft plastics will account for a lot of cold water bass. Photo by Ed Mashburn.

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Saltwater River Fishing Tips for Redfish and Speckled Trout

concern. Cold weather accidents on the water can be very dangerous, and bad stuff can happen very quickly in cold weather. Of course, anglers need to be even more careful than usual when moving around a boat while fishing in cold weather. A slip and fall overboard in July is not good, but there’s usually no real problem with a July fall other than some loss of pride and embarrassment. However, a fall overboard in January can be very serious. A wet angler in January faces a very real risk of hypothermia and more serious problems.

A waterproof snowmobile suit is not a bad idea to wear over the layers, and an insulated dry-suit of some kind can make those high-speed boat rides a lot more bearable. A good warm hat is needed, and a pair of goggles or some sort of full-face screen is good, too. In short, anything and everything that can help cut the cold wind is a good thing on January bass trips. If all else fails, anglers can always do as my family and I did that cold January weekend and rent a houseboat to stay in. That might be the most comfortable and civilized kind of January bass fishing in Alabama.

“During cold weather fishing, always be prepared for the worst,” Lee said. “This includes boat malfunctions, and I always have extra dry clothes along. One slip can be deadly. I always carry towels and extra clothing during the winter months.” Also, anglers need to be aware that just a little glaze of ice on a fiberglass boat deck may be just about the slickest substance known to man. Be very careful stepping onto a boat from the dock in cold weather. A serious fall from an iced-over boat deck can bring a January fishing trip to a quick end before it even gets started. It goes without saying that clothing selection in January is crucial. Anglers should think about wearing several layers of clothes which can be removed layer by layer if the day should turn out sunny and warm.

Important Contact Information Captain Lee Pitts Leepittsoutdoors.com 256-390-4145 Gene Larew Lures www.genenlarew.com Yum Lures www.yum3x.com Talon spinnerbaits Talonfishing.com

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457 Dauphin Island Parkway “At the Loop” Mobile, AL 36606 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 33

A buckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s snort-wheeze is when he exhales rapidly through his nostrils.

34 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

HUNTING

WHITETAIL DEER CALLS THAT

WORK

Hunters can use deer calls into the late season by understanding deer vocalization. BY CHARLES JOHNSON

Deer Speak

When it comes to calling deer there are hunters on both sides of the fence. Some believe it and have success calling in deer. Others don’t think calling is effective and have never given it a try. However, there is a time and place for using deer calls. Calling deer is much different than calling turkeys, ducks or other wildlife. Deer will usually not answer the call, but rather respond to it. The response can be positive or negative depending on the mood of the animal. Hunters obviously want a positive response and to have a deer approach allowing a shot. Deer are somewhat like people. You may call and they hear your call but ignore it. It is much like when you speak to someone and they don’t give an instant reply, even though they heard you. However, deer calls do work under some circumstances. Biologists and hunters continue to learn about deer vocalizations.

“One key in calling deer is to start off soft,” says expert turkey hunter and calling champion Eddie Salter of Evergreen, Ala. “If you call too loud on the first call you can spook deer that are close by.” Salter advises hunters to look around your hunting area before making any type of call and check to see if any deer are close. He says to begin with a soft doe bleat. The sound should be short, only a few seconds. Deer have excellent hearing and what is barely audible to us can be loud in the ear of a deer. Before calling select the proper area suita-

Before you Call

There is more to calling deer than just tooting on a call. First, we must determine which deer we are calling. A buck in a field with a couple does probably won’t respond to a buck grunt. However, a doe bleat or fawn ball may bring the does in closer with the buck following.

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Whitetail Deer Calls that Work

Hunters need to be prepared to shoot when calling, as a deer can approach quickly.

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Whitetail Deer Calls that Work

ble for calling deer. Setup on the edge of a pine thicket or near heavy cover. Allow enough room between you and the deer to get a shot when it comes in view. Deer, like turkey, prefer to move up hill or on the same level if responding to a call. This doesn’t mean the deer won’t come down hill to a call. They just prefer to move up.

when calling. Deer are very cautious when coming in to a call. Stay alert as the deer may approach from a different direction.

Doe Bleats

Buck and Doe Grunts

The bleat of a doe is a nasal sound at a higher pitch. Does will use this call to help locate other deer in the area. It is a call that says “where are you?” The bleat call is about 2 to 3 seconds in duration. Another doe call that is used during the pre-rut and rut is the estrous bleat. The pitch of this call is a little higher than the regular bleat is about 3 to 5 seconds long. Does will use this call to let bucks know they are in estrous. Primos Hunting Calls (www.primos.com) makes the Lil’ Can that reproduces the high-pitched call of an estrous doe easily. Keep yourself scent free and use a cover scent

“The deer will usually circle downwind to see if he can pick up any scent,” advises Salter. “Spray down good with scent eliminator spray.”

If you know there are deer in the general area but haven’t seen any, blind calling may work. Starting off with a few high-pitched doe grunts can get a deer’s attention. Keep the calls short and low in volume. If no deer or response is noticed call again, but sparingly. One call about every 15 minutes is plenty. “During the pre-rut and rut I like to use the grunt of an older doe,” Salter commented. “Also, I’ll try some grunts of a young buck.” When sounding the doe grunt move the call to give the impression the doe is running. Sometimes this can get an old buck excited and he may

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Whitetail Deer Calls that Work

run in. Buck grunts have a deeper tone and are much lower in frequency, much like a bass singer. Mature bucks will grunt three or four times when chasing a hot doe. Sometimes their grunts may sound like a guttural burp or even an old squeaky door hinge.Also, an old buck close to a doe will make a deep clicking noise. This sometimes sound like a short turkey cluck like a “click, click, click.” Some old timer deer hunters would use a plastic hair comb on a zipper to imitate the clicking sound of a buck. Woodhaven calls made in Alabama, (woodhavencustomcalls.com/) offer several different deer grunt calls.

Another call often misunderstood by hunters is the snort-wheeze of a buck. A snort wheeze is produced when a buck rapidly exhales air through his nostrils, like an alarm blow, but longer. The call can sound like the words “swisssh cheeeeze.” It’s typically only made by mature bucks and is one of the most aggressive deer calls. This call can intimidate younger bucks.

Rattling is another type of call for bucks. Molded antlers or a rattling bag can be effective in getting a mature buck’s attention. Rattling simulates the fighting or sparring between two bucks. Generally, the larger or more dominant buck will be involved in the fight. However, some bucks may come in to watch the fight.

38 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Salter mentions with rattling you can get a buck to look your way even if he is 400 to 500 yards away. When he hears the rattling, he will stop and look. Salter prefers a rattling bag over antlers since they are louder and easier to carry.

Calling to Deer you See

Seeing a deer react to your calls is a good indication you made the right call. The deer will usually not come in on a dead run, but rather change direction toward the sound of the call. A buck will most likely circle and approach downwind of the call. “Once the deer begins coming into your location don’t call to him anymore,” Salter said. “He will be looking for the source of the sound and that is you.” As the deer approaches keep quiet and still. The deer is searching for the sound. Any unusual noise or movement will spook the deer. According to Salter the best time for calling bucks is during the midday hours. Sometimes, the bucks are up and moving around some during the middle part of the day. If you call to a deer and the deer shows no response or interest, hit the call again. On the second try, increase the volume of the call. It may take a couple of loud calls to get the deer to look your way. If the deer is out of shooting range, you have nothing to lose by calling louder. Deer use vocalizations all year long, not just during hunting season. Rattling and calling can work throughout deer season, even after the rut. While plastic deer calls are the most common, a wooden call gives off a better more realistic sound. Calling deer is not magical and it takes some practice. Get to know your calls and experiment with the different types before heading out into the woods.

Whitetail Deer Calls that Work

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 39

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OZONE GENERATOR FOR HUNTING REVIEWS A TWO YEAR FIELD TEST

BY JOE BAYA

You can turn on any deer hunting television show and find personalities giving ozone generator reviews that promise that the technology is a “game changer”. Do you believe it? I, personally, was a skeptic, so I set out first to understand, how does an ozone generator work? Once I grasped the science behind it, I had the confidence to take the technology into the field and put it through the harshest conditions possible. The goal was to answer the question once and for all, “Do ozone generators work for hunting? Here is the detail on three specific hunts over two years of testing and my results. How Does an Ozone Generator Work Do you really want to know how an ozone generator for hunting creates and emits ozone? I personally could care less. What I am interested in is how does an ozone generator work to eliminate, mask, or otherwise prevent my quarry from smelling me. Nick Andrews of Scent Lok offers up an interesting analogy that is enough explanation for me. “Think of scent like a train, where each different scent is a different configuration of box cars. A human may be an engine with 4 box cars whereas a fox may be an engine with 6 box cars and a caboose. Animals are capable of storing thousands of unique “trains” of scent in their brain,” Andrews said. 42 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

So how are these scent “trains” affected by an ozone machine for hunting?

“Ozone attacks the scent “train” and disrupts the animals ability to process the scents they are familiar with. The ozone actually breaks them apart, like separating the box cars, rendering that scent unrecognizable.” Sounds good, but how does it work in the field? Ozone Generator for Hunting Reviews Hunt 1: The Matriarch The morning of November 11, 2018 morning brought a strong cold front to my hunting area. My wife Stephanie and I were celebrating our anniversary with a babysitter for our newborn and some crossbow hunting during Florida’s archery season. I had a ground blind set up in an oak flat that funneled deer onto 2 trails that were within bow range. I had been getting pictures of several mature does in this area and some small bucks so we decided we’d give this area a morning hunt to see if we could put a doe in the freezer and get Stephanie her first archery season kill. There was only one problem, The strong North winds would blow our scent directly to the trails and bedding areas that we hoped the deer would come down. In any other situation I would never have considered hunting here but this was the perfect opportunity to test the effectiveness of an ozone machine for hunting. I was breaking all the rules. As the sunrise cleared the treetops we caught our first glimpse of movement. The familiar shape of a deer moving its way west to east in front of us sent both of our hearts racing. I cautioned Stephanie to slowly get her crossbow into position as I ranged the shooting lane one more time. “31 yards, take your time and squeeze the trigger” I whispered as the matriarch doe poked her long neck into the opening. As the deer came into view, I watched her pick her head up, sniff the air as if she had caught wind of something just slightly off, and then she put her head back down to browse. At this moment Stephanie sent her bolt and I watched as it impacted a little high and back, but nonetheless what would prove to be a quick killing shot.

PRODUCT REVIEW

The Scentlok OZ line of ozone generators convenient size can easily be put into a backpack or cargo pocket. The green shaded area is a common bedding area. The orange icon is a ground blind. The orange line represents several trails that deer use to browse hard mast and native vegetation. The white arrow represents the wind direction on the morning my wife shot the matriarch directly down wind.

Was this enough to make me a believer? It was definitely impressive, but maybe we just got lucky. Maybe given another 30 seconds she would have figured us out. It was still too early for judgement. The rest of the 2018 season would prove inconclusive for testing the ozone generator. Frankly, I was still set in my ways and I didn’t hunt stands with the wrong wind any more that season. Ozone Generator for Hunting Reviews Hunt 2: The Oak Hill There is a hill on the property I hunt that is covered with oak trees. Every year this hill produces many acorns and is a hotbed for deer activity in the early season. I have a stand in the perfect spot on this hill. A west wind is all I need to almost guarantee an opportunity at an animal. We hardly ever get a west wind when I can hunt.

The author took this buck directly down wind at 17 yards with the use of an ozone generator.

October 27th of 2019 was no different. It was a beautiful cool Sunday morning, with a steady East Northeast wind. I had a kitchen pass, the weather was good, lots of sign in the area, and my favorite stand was unhuntable. I looked at the Scent Lok Oz Radial and said to myself, “what the hell, let’s go test this thing again.” My wind would be blowing directly into a bedding area all morning and directly over the food source I was hunting. Shortly after daybreak a doe appeared directly downwind and 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 43

Ozone Generator for Hunting Reviews - A Two Year Field Test

walked in on a string to just below my stand. I raised my weapon, fired, and watched my arrow narrowly miss her. I dropped my bow arm, a rookie mistake I make from time to time. I was frustrated by my error, but I had a breakthrough. There is no doubt my scent had been blowing towards that deer and she had no clue I was in the world. I made no scent elimination efforts whatsoever besides the ozone generator. I was almost convinced. Ozone Generator for Hunting Reviews Hunt 3: The Slip Up November 2nd of 2018 I was hunting a new stand over a trail that also gave me a 250 yard view of a road that had several good trails crossing it into some hardwoods. Right about sunrise, a bachelor group of four bucks would cross about 100 yards to my North out of range for my bow. I would go hang another stand on that crossing that day, but I would not see any of those bucks again that season. November 1st of 2019 rolled around and one year later I found myself contemplating where to hunt. I made a quick scouting trip to find several fresh tracks using that same trail, with my stand just 15 yards away. Unfortunately for me, the wind was wrong again. Those bucks bedded in a swamp to the west and I had an Easterly breeze. Hunting this set would mean blowing my scent towards the bucks trail at an angle that would not allow me a shot before they would pick it up. November 2nd found me in this tree anyway with the ozone generator whirring away just ever so audibly above me. The 1st hour and a half of daylight proved fairly uneventful. At around 7 am I heard the snap of a twig on the trail. I slowly turned my head to catch a glimpse of brown hair and antler slipping up into my shooting lane. The eight point stepped into view my arrow found its mark. The buck would not go 60 yards before crashing. This deer 100% walked through my scent trail and I was convinced. Do Ozone Generators Work for Hunting? All a hunter really needs is a weapon, good boots, woodsmanship and time to take down more than enough game for his needs every year. Not everyone has as much of the latter as they would like. That is where the ozone generator for hunting adds the most benefit. If a hunter with a minimal amount of time doesn’t have to wait for the right wind to hunt a particular stand, he improves his odds for taking the deer he is after with the limited amount of recreational time he has available. Do ozone generators work for hunting? Yes, unequivocally yes they do. Here are three “in-the-field” examples, no science needed, where I hunted a stand that I otherwise would not have and that resulted in an opportunity at a mature animal.

PRODUCT REVIEW

Scentlok Oz Radial EZ 4.5/5

The Good • Convenient Size, fits in a cupholder and easily in a backpack. I also hang it from my neck when I’m walking to my stand. • Good Battery Life / Functions as a power bank, which lets you charge any usb corded device in the field. • Quiet, barely audible in the field, doesn’t hinder hearing otherwise. • Doubles as a truck interior / small room scent eliminator. The Bad • Although the unit offers cycling functions to help you conserve battery, I wanted it going full blast all the time which meant battery life was typically 4-5 hours. I would forget to charge the unit between hunts. If you have a tendency to get distracted by camp chores like I do, I would pick up an extra battery. Check it out at https://www.scentlok.com/oz-radial-ez

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Ozone Generator for Hunting Reviews - A Two Year Field Test

The authors wife took this mature doe from the ground directly downwind at 31 yards

The area shaded in green is a well known bedding area. The two orange icons are two fixed position tree stands hung 200 yards apart on heavily trafficked trails. The whit arrow shows where my wind was blowing on the morning of “the slip-up”

In the South, we never really know where a deer is going to come from, so every hunt offers an opportunity to get busted no matter what the wind is doing. I can say this, any technology that helps hunters spend more time enjoying a natural resource is a good thing for the tradition of hunting, the wildlife, and the innovators and entrepreneurs who bring it to market. While I know I don’t have to have an ozone machine for hunting whitetails, the new opportunities it creates for me during the limited opportunities I have to hunt make it more than worth it to add to my arsenal.

EASY APPLICATION!!! Unlike many liquid fertilizers, Clark’s Plot Nutrients: • Will not settle out in your tank or application equipment • There are no particles large enough to clog spray nozzles • It is readily absorbed by plants because it is a foliar application. Therefore, within one hour 80-90% of the fertilizer is already absorbed into the plant and working • Heavy rain will not wash away the fertilizer See what a difference it can make on your place!

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 45

Noccalula Falls Park Now Featuring Trout For Fly Fishing In Black Creek Gadsden, AL. – Beginning on November 15th you won’t have to travel to north Georgia or Tennessee to fly fish-you’ll be able to do it in Gadsden at Noccalula Falls Park in Black Creek. Over one-thousand 10”-14” rainbow trout were stocked in the creek below Noccalula Falls. The trout will take a few days to acclimate and find feeding zones and holding points. The City of Gadsden Parks and Recreation Department, along with partners from the Rainbow Fly Fishing Club, Greater Gadsden Area Tourism and State Representative B. Craig Lipscomb are working to make this project happen. Those wishing to cast for some trout must possess a valid State of Alabama Fishing License and a Trout Permit from the City of Gadsden Parks and Recreation Department. The Trout Permit can be purchased at the Noccalula Falls Campground office. Permits can be purchased for one day for $9 and a 3-consecutive day permit costs $11. The Trout Permits need to be clipped to your clothing any time you are fishing in Black Creek. Anyone fishing for any type of fish in Black Creek will have to have the Trout Permit and State License no matter what fish they are fishing for. The Campground office will sell plastic permit holders as well if you need one. Get the state license first because you will need to show that to get the Trout Permit. State licenses can be purchased online or at the Coosa Landing Bait Shop. Fishing will be allowed between dawn and dusk. From November 15th until January 31st there is only a catch-and-release option for the anglers. After February 1st anglers may keep up to 5 trout per day. Also, only fly rods are allowed, the hook shall be barbless, and only artificial bait can be used. An additional restocking will be done after Jan. 1st. You can get more information at www.flyfishgadsdenal.com

46 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

FISHING

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NEW GEAR BY WILLIAM KENDY

Take Safety to the Beach with Beachsafe

Beachsafe is a mobile personal safe that features a built-in charger, a solar panel, battery pack, two USB port and a cooling fan all protected by a blue, durable ABS plastic water-resistant case to protect your phone and other belongings from heat, sun, rain, waves and whatever else nature throws at you. It comes with a 3-foot stainless steel securing cable and a 4-digit reprogrammable combination lock for other risks. Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 www.thebeachsafe.com

Livetarget Freestyle Frog Makes Fish Striking Waves

Injected Core Technology™ (ICT) enables the LIVETARGET Freestyle Frog Inner-Core to offer a life-like frog profile, while the soft Exo-Skin gives the lure its tantalizing action on the surface and well as below. The durable and versatile lifelike inner core mimics a swimming or fleeing frog and the lure’s upright V-shaped legs result in strike triggering action. It is available in three sizes and eight colors. Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 www.livetargetlures.com

Stealth Cam® Goes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

The all new Stealth Cam FLX uses both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to offer in-thefield and Local Network communication between the camera and mobile devices or nearby servers. Users can access it from a mobile device and it allows access to imagery and changing of camera settings without contaminating the area with scent. It delivers 30MP still images, 1080P video and up to 512GB storage with the appropriate card. Suggested Retail Price: $249.99 www.stealthcam.com

Browning Introduces 16 Gauge Waterfowl load

The new Browning 16 gauge waterfowl load boasts premium plated round steel shot for corrosion resistance even in damp conditions and delivers ideal aerodynamics to keep patterns denser. Traveling at a blazing 1,350 feet per second, this high velocity 2 ¾ inch shell sends it’s 15/16 ounce #2 shot size payload at a blazing 1,350 feet per second speed, which reduces target lead and increases down range target energy and impact. www.browningammo.com

Fish at Night with the PowerPro MoonShine Braided Line. Specifically engineered for night time fishing, the new PowerPro Super8Slick V2 Braided Line MoonShine glows in the dark when illuminated by a blacklight. Made with a core of eight tightly woven 100% spectra fibers the tough Power Pro MoonShine offers a soft super smooth coating that enables long casts with clear visibility. Available in eight to 80 pound test in 150-300 yard spools. Suggested Retail Price: from $20.99 www.powerpro.com 48 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

NEW GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN

Find those Trails and Dirt Roads with onX Offroad iOS App

The new onXoffroad app includes mapping of over 985 million acres of public land, 240,000+ miles of roads and trails, 54,000 campsites, weather forecasting and additional GPS features. It allows downloading of satellite imagery maps for off the grid mapping. It allows customization by vehicle capability and offers four categories, including dirt bike, 50inch width, high-clearance 4x4 and full-width roads. Suggested Retail Price: $3.00/Month $29.00/Year www.onxmaps.com

Blend in, or stand out, with the New Backroadz Camo Truck Tent

The Napier Backroadz camo truck tent 19 offers a fully built-in floor, storm flaps in the windows and doors, a full rainfly and, due to the color-coded pole and sleeve assembly allows easy and quick set-up. The Backroadz is available in four sizes and features shock-corded poles, seam sealed rain fly, a gear loft, gear pocket and lantern holder. Suggested Retail Price: $199.99 www.napieroutdoors.com

Y’all Wood Duck Calls offer Handcrafted Quality and Economy

Uniquely built of hand-harvested Bobock and Hickory tree wood from the Mississippi Delta, each Y’all wood call is hand cut, hand turned and hand tuned resulting in a true resonating and proven effective top quality duck call. In addition to wood models, the Y’all duck call is available in a polycarbonate model and both feature double reed and are hand tuned. Suggested Retail Price: $19.99 www.bigshowoutdoors.com

Firminator: The Best Food Plot Implementation on Earth

When it comes to food plots, Ranew’s Firminator offers the ultimate in flexibility in working and planting a food plot. In addition to offering a wide range of angles and pitch adjustments, the Firminator combines a heavy-duty disc harrow, an agricultural-grade cultipacker and precision ground-driven seed system in one unit, allowing it to handle planting a food plot from start to finish. It is three tools in one piece of equipment. Contact for Quote www.Thefirminator.com

Eliminate Scent Before it Starts with ElimiShield HuntX10D

The ElimiShield Hunt X10D concentrate prevents the formation of human body odor on clothing or soft-goods accessories. X10D bonds to the fibers to create a chain of atoms that creates an uninhabitable surface for odor-causing compounds, making the treated garments virtually scentfree. Recommended for treatment of articles that actually touch the skin, a 10 ounce bottle of Hunt X10D will treat 10 pounds of clothing. Suggested Retail Price: $39.95 www.elimishieldhunt.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 49

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALABAMA’S PUBLIC HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES THIS SEASON

One of the main obstacles for people who want to continue Alabama’s legacy of hunting is lack of access to suitable land.

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

Thanks to the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division and the Forever Wild Land Trust, the public can take advantage of almost 800,000 acres of land in our great state to hunt their favorite wild game. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) manages 775,055 acres of land for the Alabama hunter. These wildlife management areas (WMAs) are financed with funds derived from hunting licenses and federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition through the Pittman-Robertson Act. The Forever Wild Land Trust currently owns or leases more than 270,000 acres of land, with 85 percent of that land available for hunting as part of the WMA system. Hunting is also allowed on another 24,500-plus acres that are managed as a Nature Preserve and Recreation Areas. Compared to the price of leasing hunting land or joining a hunting club, the price to hunt public land is indeed a bargain. The requirements to hunt a WMA include a hunting license, WMA license and WMA map permit. Hunters have a wide variety of publicland hunting options. These include huge tracts of land like the Black Warrior WMA, which has 91,263 acres to hunt, and the James D. Martin/Skyline WMA with

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60,732 acres of hunting land. Smalleracreage WMAs like the 400-acre Martin Community Hunting Area in Tallapoosa County are available as well. Special rules apply on certain WMAs, including Boggy Hollow, Coosa, Choccolocco, Hollins, Jackson County, James D. Martin/Skyline and Little River. Those areas require a daily permit to hunt. On those specific WMAs, the daily permit must be obtained from a check station or kiosk self-service box located on the WMA before the hunt can begin. Check the map permit for check station and kiosk locations. Those special rules include a tear-off, check-in stub on the daily permit that must be filled out and deposited in the return slot of the selfservice box. The remainder of the permit should be retained and in possession of the hunter while hunting. That portion of the stub must be completely filled out and deposited into the self-service box at the check station or kiosk at the end of each day hunted. To hunt small game, the daily permit along with a map permit and hunting license is required. To hunt deer, turkey and waterfowl, the daily permit along with a map permit, WMA license and hunting license is required. For small game hunting, excluding waterfowl, a Wildlife Heritage License can be used by Alabama residents on WMAs in lieu of state hunting and WMA licenses.

FROM THE COMMISSIONER If you keep up with the hunting in Alabama through social media, you have already seen numerous successful hunters who bagged “trophy” deer on several WMAs this season. For waterfowl hunters, numerous Alabama WMAs offer opportunities to bag mallards, gadwalls, divers and the state’s most abundant duck, the wood duck. The WMAs that offer waterfowl hunting include the MobileTensaw Delta/W.L. Holland and the Upper Delta WMAs in southwest Alabama, the David K. Nelson WMA in west central Alabama and numerous WMAs in north Alabama, including Swan Creek, Mallard Fox Creek, Seven Mile Island and Mud Creek, Raccoon Creek and Crow Creek in the Jackson County WMA. After the deer and waterfowl seasons end, hunters can match wits with the wily eastern wild turkey on many of the WMAs, although the season will be delayed for research purposes on seven – Barbour, James D. Martin/Skyline, Hollins, Oakmulgee, Lowndes, Choccolocco and Perdido River. The turkey season on those WMAs will run from March 28 to May 3, 2020. The research conducted on those WMAs will include wild turkey survival and productivity. Visit www.outdooralabama.com/wildlife-management-areas/ wma-rules-and-regulations for details on the regulations regarding the use of Alabama’s diverse WMA system. Those who wish to take advantage of the hunting on Forever Wild tracts can go to www.alabamaforeverwild.com/hunting-

regs-permit-maps for information on the land open to hunting that is not a part of the WMA system. Ten Forever Wild tracts scattered around the state have specific rules and regulations. Certain tracts have open-gate dates set for hunting access in 2020. Those include the Lillian Swamp Tract in Baldwin County on January 11-12 and February 15-16, the Splinter Hill Bog Tract in Baldwin County on January 18-19 and February 15-16, the Red Hills Tract in Monroe County on January 11-13 and February 1129, and the Old Cahawba Tract West Zone in Dallas County on January 4-5 and February 22-23. Hunters may drive personal vehicles and ATVs through these gates, but they must abide by the Regulations of Certain Conduct on State Lands (220-4-.15). They are not allowed to operate vehicles except on regularly used roads. Not all gates will be open during those days, and users are not allowed to drive around locked gates. Hunters who utilize the Forever Wild tracts must possess a valid hunting license and permit map and abide by the game laws in effect for the county where the tract is located. The Alabama DCNR continues to strive to make hunting opportunities available to the general public through additional land acquisitions and effective maintenance and management of facilities and wildlife populations. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of these valuable and cherished resources by planning a hunt on public land in Alabama this season.

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 51

I Bet You Had No Idea

“Pet” prairie dogs specifically are believed to have been responsible for past outbreaks of monkeypox (a virus similar to smallpox).

Despite what many people think, we deal with much more than hunting and fishing issues. Coming into this job from outside the agency, I knew there would be quite a few things that I wouldn’t know anything about. I knew I would have to learn the basics like state purchasing, state personnel, and the politics of Montgomery. For some reason, I thought my wildlife degree, more than three decades of experience hunting and fishing in Alabama, and my previous career, would prepare me handle all of the wildlife- and fisheries -related topics. Now I see how incorrect I was with that line of thinking. BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)

I had no clue of the depth and breadth of the wildlife and fisheries issues this department deals with daily. One topic is the frequent violations of Alabama regulation 220-2-.26: Restrictions on

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the Possession, Sale, Importation and/or Release of Certain Animals and Fish. This regulation is in place to protect the integrity of Alabama’s wildlife resources and its enforcement is essential to our mission of managing, protecting, conserving, and enhancing the wildlife and aquatic resources of Alabama for the sustainable benefit of her people. You see, the illegal importation of prohibited animals can be a source of real problems. Each individual animal is a potential packet of disease, parasites, and genetic problems. Others are likely to become invasive and rob native animals of valuable resources. Artificial introduction of these species and the problems they carry can have longterm impacts on an ecosystem and

FROM THE DIRECTOR jeopardize the health of not only wildlife, but also humans and domestic stock. Here are just a few examples of things that have happened recently that I bet you had no idea the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division deals with daily. In August, an individual in Randolph County was cited for holding captive two skunks, seven opossums, four deer and a crow this person had imported from Georgia. Skunks are among the vector species that can transmit rabies before showing any outward signs of the disease. Rabies is an important public health issue, and not one of you would knowingly consent to the release of an animal infected with a fatal, contagious disease to mingle with other wildlife on your property. Regarding the case, investigating Conservation Enforcement Officer Thomas Traylor noted, “Very often people don’t see or care beyond their own needs, whether those needs are financial or other, to understand the danger they place on our native wildlife by violating Alabama laws.” Also in Randolph County this summer, we confiscated a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake and some prairie dogs. The prudence in prohibiting nonindigenous venomous reptiles is rarely questioned, but importation of non-indigenous venomous reptiles can have severe ramifications on wildlife and public safety. In addition, any imported species of wild rodent also brings potential chaos. Rodents and other wildlife carry fleas that may harbor diseases such as typhus, tularemia, bubonic plague, and bartonella (cat scratch fever). “Pet” prairie dogs specifically are believed to have been responsible for past outbreaks of monkeypox (a virus similar to smallpox). Monkeypox can kill up to 10% of the humans who contract it, and it only impacted people in the United States because they were in close contact with prairie dogs. Degus are another species of exotic, wild rodent that we’ve dealt with in the past several months. Typically, we find them imported as pets from Florida. We have had more than one case of unlawful degu possession, most recently in Madison County with a total of 12 removed from one residence. Our Law Enforcement office receives several calls daily inquiring about the legality of importing this and other perilous species. This is a pervasive threat that appears to be expanding.

rehab facility. The animal died a few days later and tested positive for rabies. As we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This couple, thinking they were saving a raccoon, exposed themselves and countless other people, pets, and native wildlife to rabies. We can’t stress enough to leave wildlife in the woods. We must manage animals on the species level. Trying to save one individual may endanger many. It’s just not worth it. Just ask the parents who had to have their 9-yearold treated for rabies exposure because a friend’s family “pet” was an adult raccoon.

Wild animals that are raised by humans naturally have no fear of humans and can pose a safety risk when they mature. I’m sure quite a few of you are thinking, “Why is this a big deal? It’s only a couple of people and their ‘pets.’ They can’t really hurt anything.” Realize, I’m sure the folks in Florida who got tired of feeding a python or lion fish didn’t think it was a big deal to release them into the wild. Now look at detrimental impact those two species are having on the Florida ecosystems. Most importantly, wildlife is supposed to be wild and not kept as pets. If you want to enjoy wildlife, buy a license that will benefit conservation funding and spend time in the woods hunting, or just take a stroll in nature. And if you want a pet, go to the animal shelter and adopt a puppy or kitten.

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It’s not just exotic wildlife that poses problems; native wildlife illegally held in captivity can pose a threat as well. Each year we have quite a few well-meaning individuals who take what they feel are “orphaned” wildly animals into possession. Usually these are deer and raccoons. Many of these animals are taken into private homes and raised, while others are taken to wildlife rehabilitation facilities. Private possession of wildlife is illegal and always ends up badly for the animal. Wild animals that are raised by humans naturally have no fear of humans and can pose a safety risk when they mature. We had an illegally held captive white-tailed buck almost kill the man who raised him. The buck was fed every day for 6 years by the same person, but one day, during the rut, his wild instincts took over and attacked the man feeding him. The man lost and eye and almost his life. Consequently, the buck had to be euthanized. That same season, a 12-year-old was gored and nearly killed by another illegally held buck in Cleburne County. Just this summer, a couple on their way home from a beach trip picked up a small raccoon on the side of the road. Even though they should have left it alone, they at least carried it to a wildlife

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SQUIRREL HUNTING STATE WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT AREAS Greg, JW and myself were discussing our grandkids and what they had gotten for Christmas in terms of outdoor gear. When it was Greg’s turn, he said his grandson loved the scoped Ruger 10/22 he had given to him but was driving him crazy to hunt squirrels. At my hunting club, we can’t hunt squirrels until deer season is over and I think Rusty is going to drive me crazy before then,” Greg exclaimed. I was about to mention state Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s) but JW beat me to it and added that he would go to one of the state WMA’s where deer hunting is not allowed.

BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney

“There are several of the areas not too awfully far from where you live,” JW said, “and depending on which one you choose, I can recommend a good BBQ joint in the vicinity for when y’all get hungry. You will probably have the area to yourself, when I’ve squirrel hunted on several of them, I’ve not seen another hunter. The waterfowl WMA’s seem to be an underutilized resource for squirrel hunters.” JW continued “Why I like to hunt these areas is they are flat. Access is easy and I’m not worn out at the end of the day from going up and down ridges. My knees are out of warranty now and I don’t feel as beat-up after a days’ hunt as I used too. There are plenty of creeks on

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these WMA’s and you know how good crew bottoms are to hunt.You can also take a canoe or kayak and gain access to areas that probably never see a hunter. I’ll beach my boat and hunt on foot and if I decide that area does not look good after awhile, I can go back to the boat and find a better area.” WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT AREAS The state of Alabama has 34 management areas for residents to hunt scattered throughout the state but only 6 of them allow waterfowl and small game hunting and no big game hunting. All but one are located in the northern part of the state. Crow Creek Management Area is located in Jackson County near Stevenson. This area has 2,069 acres and allows small game and waterfowl hunting only. Mallard-Fox Creek Management Area is near Decatur in Limestone County. Small game and waterfowl hunting are allowed on the 1,743 acres in the management area. Martin Community Hunting Area is located more centrally in the state in

THE GUN RACK

SQUIRREL HUNTING IS A GREAT SPORT FOR AND A GRANDFATHER AND GRANDCHILD TO SHARE TOGETHER

Tallapoosa County and has 1,742 acres for small game and waterfowl hunters to access. Raccoon Creek and Coon Gulf Management Areas are also located in Jackson County near Stevenson. The combined two areas have 8,507 acres but Raccoon Creek allows only small game and waterfowl hunting while Coon Gulf allows deer, turkey and small game.

BAY TRANSMISSION

Seven Mile Island Management Area is located in Lauderdale County near Florence. Small game and waterfowl are the allowed species to hunt on the WMA’s 4,685 acres. Swan Creek Management Area is the largest and best known of the states’ WMA’s for waterfowl hunting as well as small game. This WMA is located in Limestone County near Decatur and contains 8,870 acres. There are over 20,00 acres of WMA’s in Alabama that only allow waterfowl and small game hunting. If deer hunting doesn’t interest you, then check out these areas for squirrels. Once the leaves have fallen off the trees in late fall, squirrel hunting can be challenging and pretty sporty. PASSING IT ON Squirrel hunting is a great sport for and a grandfather and grandchild to share together as is deer hunting but sitting in a shooting house or stand can get to be boring for a youngster if you are not seeing deer or he’s getting a shot. In the squirrel woods, usually you will have some action that keeps the youngster interested and wanting to do it again.

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 55

BY HANK SHAW

Photos by Holly A. Heyser and Hank Shaw

How to Cook Duck Breasts If there is a bedrock duck breast recipe, it is this one.

yours — but it works.

One of the most common requests I get from readers is for step-by-step instructions on how to cook a duck breast properly. And this same technique works for goose breasts, as well as any other dark meat bird breasts, like pigeons, sharp-tailed grouse and the like.

For the rest of you, here goes. Be sure to have breasts with skin on them. Skinless breasts require a different set of instructions.

I know many of you are thinking, “I know how to do this already, Hank.” To you I apologize; what’s more, my method is idiosyncratic and is likely to be different from 56 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

For me, this is the duck breast recipe I follow almost exclusively: I really don’t think a nice fat pintail or mallard or wood duck needs more than salt, pepper and a squeeze of citrus or vinegar or a dash of Worcestershire.

CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 15 mins • Total: 35 mins Ingredients • • •

4 duck breasts (breasts from two ducks) Salt 1 teaspoon duck fat or olive oil

Step 1 Take the meat from the fridge. If you are usi ng a domestic duck or a very fat wild duck, score the skin (but not the meat) in a cross-hatch pattern, making the cross-hatches about 1/2 inch across; this helps the fat render and will give you a crispier skin. Salt it well on both sides and let it stand on a cutting board or some such for at least 15 minutes and up to 45 minutes for a goose breast. It is far easier to control the internal temperature with a room-temperature breast than an ice-cold one.

Step 2 Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. If you are cooking a domestic duck or a very fat wild duck, put 1 teaspoon of duck fat or cooking oil in a large pan; don’t use non-stick pans, as they don’t allow you to sear meat as well as steel or cast iron. Lay the breasts skin side down and use them to smear the fat all over the surface of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Yes, you read that right: Don’t preheat the pan. You want as much fat to render out as possible, so start with a cool pan. If you are working with normal wild duck breasts, i.e., skinny ones, heat the pan over high heat for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons of duck fat, butter or some other oil. Let this get hot, but do not let the fat smoke. Only then do you lay the duck breasts in the pan, skin side down. Either way, once the duck breasts start cooking, you will notice the “tails” of skin and fat from the head and the tail side of the fillet contract immediately. As the skin contracts, you will sometimes get a little oval patch on the tail end of the breast that curls up and doesn’t make contact with the pan. Use your tongs to press down on this part for 30 to 60 seconds. This gives you a more even sear.

Step 3 Let the pan do its job. Cook at a jocular sizzle -- not an inferno, not a gurgle. Think about how bacon sounds in the pan when you cook it, and you have the right idea. How long? It depends. I like my duck mediumto-medium-rare. To do this with small ducks like teal or ruddy ducks, you need only about 3 minutes on the skin side, and you might want to keep the heat higher. Medium-sized ducks like wigeon, gadwall or wood ducks need 3 to 5 minutes. Mallards, pintail, canvasbacks and domestic ducks need between 5 and 8 minutes.

If you are cooking a goose breast, you will want the heat on medium-low and you’ll need to cook the skin side a solid 10 to 12 minutes. The key is to let the breast do most of its cooking on this side -- it’s the flattest, and will give you that fabulously crispy skin we all know and love. Again, I repeat: When you cook a duck breast, 3/4 of the total cooking time is on the skin side.

Step 4 Turn the breasts over. When? Follow the guidelines above, but also use your ears: You will hear the sizzle change; it will die down, just a bit. That’s when you turn. Now -- this is important -- lightly salt the now-exposed skin immediately. Doing this seems to absorb any extra oil and definitely gives you an even yummier, crispier skin. Let the ducks cook on the meat side for less time. I recommend: 1 to 2 minutes for small ducks; 3 to 4 minutes for medium ducks; 4 to 6 minutes for large wild ducks and domestic duck; 5 to 7 minutes for geese. More than mere time, however, you need to just use The Force to know when your duck is ready. Not in tune with The Force? The next best thing is the finger test for doneness. Use this to determine when you’re almost ready. My advice is to go to the next step when your duck breasts are rare.

Step 5 Now “Kiss” the thick side of the breasts by standing two halves against each other. You will notice that duck and goose breasts plump up and contract as they cook. One side of the fillet will be wider than the other, and this side will need some heat. You can see the wider side in the picture. Just tip the breasts on their sides and cook for 30 to 90 seconds, just to get some good color.

Step 6 Take the duck off the heat and let it rest on a cutting board, skin side up. Teal need only need a minute or two rest, while big Canada geese might need 10 minutes. Everything else benefits from about a 5 minute rest. A duck breast is just like a steak: If you don’t rest it, the juices will run all over your cutting board -- and not down your chin, where they should be. You can slice the breast from either end, either side up. You can get thinner slices by starting at the meat end, but you lose a little of the crispiness of the skin. If you are serving a whole breast, always serve it skin side up, with its sauce underneath. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 57

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook

Often plenty of rail space on the beach piers in January.

People are asking “Where will all these pier anglers fish for the three months the Gulf State Park Pier is closed?”

BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton

Though the coastal pelagic species are long gone from the “Emerald Coast” by January there are still viable shore fishing options to anglers willing to fish slower and more deliberately for the fish that are available. Pompano and redfish are usually the first that most anglers think of and pursue in the cooler months. But gulf kingfish, known locally as “whiting” are much more numerous in the surf zone and around the gulf piers. Also, smaller versions of redfish as well as black drum in all sizes can show up at any time to make an angler’s day. In addition, sheepshead and bluefish are common along the coast in January, especially around ‘hard’ structures like jetties, seawalls and piers. And even speckled trout and flounder are around the passes for anglers willing to put in the time and effort to target them.

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Live or “fresh dead” shrimp are the most common bait this time of year. Usually unmolested by worrisome pinfish and baby jacks that have either migrated away or offshore for the winter. Of course, we still have the occasional stingray, skate, catfish, et cetera to deal with. But they are few compared to the pests of warmer months. In January the water temperature usually dips into the lower 60s, perhaps even cooler when occasional outbreaks of polar air settle over the region. Yet for the most part our winters are relatively mild with daytime high temperatures in the 60s and lows in the 40s. In fact, periods of warmer than average weather often bode well for successful January fishing when light winds and seas prevail. Just be prepared to wait the fish out as their metabolism is much slower in these cooler times.

FISHING OUTLOOK Securing good bait for a January day’s fishing is every bit as important as the venue you choose or tackle you employ. Often alternative baits may perform better than the pinead shrimp this month as lethargic fish get “finicky” about eating at times. Beach ghost shrimp, fiddler crabs and even hermit crabs are examples of good wintertime baits to target sheepshead, pompano, whiting and the rest. Even the large fish won’t often pass up a ghost shrimp. It may seem like a small morsel to a big fish but as one angler stated “You eat peanuts don’t you. It’s bigger than a peanut.” IT’S SNOWBIRD SEASON Much like migrating ducks and geese, hordes of “snowbirds” winter over along the beaches of the north central Gulf of Mexico. Many of these folks like to fish as they sojourn and at times even outnumber ‘local’ anglers as they are accustomed to cooler weather. Light and medium class spinning tackle is all that is needed to land most of the fish available this time of year. Heavier tackle in the 20-pound class can be used to target the larger specimens, but they are much in the minority of fish in the surf zone. Surf and pier anglers using tackle to target pompano occasionally hang into one of these bigger fish which can still be landed with patience and a proper drag setting. Pier fishing this month is mostly targeting sheepshead or “whiting” with occasional bonus pompano thrown in to keep things interesting. Many days it seems anglers spend more time talking than fishing, but that is one of the joys of sharing the rail with folks from all over. Pier anglers are often glad to share their catch or help other anglers get rigged up or land a nice fish. It’s all about the community. The Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores is now over 10 years old, and the wooden decking is showing age and weathering. If funding becomes available in December 2019, the pier will temporarily close around mid-January for a general refurbishment. The heavy wooden ‘blow out’ panels will be replaced with a lighter synthetic material that will far outlast the treated two by six wood currently being used. Also, the railing will be replaced, bathrooms upgraded, and several other improvements are planned. Stay tuned! PIER-PLEXING QUESTION People are asking “Where will all these pier anglers fish for the three months the Gulf State Park Pier is closed?” There are several piers along the Florida Panhandle that offer much of the same type of fishing opportunities from Pensacola Beach to Panama City Beach. Also, there are abundant venues to fish beaches, passes and jetties. Make time to try alternative fishing venues and network just like you do on the pier. In fact, many of the same pier anglers already fish the beaches or passes . The half mile long seawall along the northwest side of Perdido Pass offers relatively deep-water access to shore bound anglers. Sheepshead are the favored target, but redfish, flounder, bluefish and speckled trout are possibilities as well. And for those willing and able to venture onto the half mile long rock jetty, these same species plus pompano are available. A landing net with a seven foot-long handle is a great asset to safely landing fish from the jetties or seawall. Traveling light and changing locations once the bite dries up will increase your odds of catching a good mess of

fish. And the lighted paved parking lot is only a few yards away from fishing from the seawall for those unable to venture out to the jetty. Be aware of the rocks under the surface though. Of course, there are several good beach access points in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach as well as along the Fort Morgan Peninsula and Perdido Key (where a Florida fishing license is required for non-residents). The area also offers several good venues on Dauphin Island around Fort Gaines, a mile-long sandbar south of the sand-bound pier, and several miles of fishable shoreline accessible from the West End Beach. Florida anglers have five gulf beach piers to choose from, plus the mile-long fishing bridge over Pensacola Bay and the pier at Fort Pickens. And then there are the jetties at Destin pass and Saint Andrews State Park just west of Panama City Beach. All great venues to ply away our short January days and have a very good chance of catching fish. In addition, back bay public access venues and those along the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway offer viable alternative fishing locations on days when inclement weather renders the gulf ‘unfishable’. With our mild winters and so many good fishing options (even in January) is it any wonder the Emerald Coast is such a popular destination for Northerners seeking a respite from shoveling snow? Along the coast we are more likely to shovel sand as we enjoy our great days outdoors!

Ron Davis 3766 Airport Boulevard Mobile geico.com/mobile-al | 251-445-0053

SAVINGS AND SERVICE THAT WILL FLOAT YOUR BOAT

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CHOOSING THE BEST DUCK HUNTING KAYAK FOR YOUR AREA bile Delta, the open Gulf itself farther east into Florida and to backwater bayous and small creeks which run far off the main bodies of big rivers, hunters can access a wide range of potential duck hotspots.

Kayaks can be rigged with electric motors for duck hunting use

That is, they can access them if they have the right kind of boat. Much of this potential duck hunting water is very shallow, and even mud-boats can go in many places where the ducks can. However, Kayaks can go in six inches of water or less, and if needed, a kayak can even be pulled across and over dry land to reach hidden duckholding waters. Kayaks are the ultimate “all-terrain” boat for duck hunters. Scott Kennedy is an experienced hunter and guide on the Gulf Coast and shared his view on how to use a kayak for duck hunting and the best situations for kayak use. ”The best places to kayak duck hunt are small bays, creeks, and ponds where boats have difficulty navigating shallow waters and where walk-in hunters can’t walk to,” Kennedy said. Of course, no matter what kind of water a duck hunter chooses to take a kayak, the paddle boat will allow retrieval of downed ducks much easier than bigger outboard powered boats. After the shot is made, simply paddle the kayak to the bird and pick it up. If a dog is used, most water dogs find leaving and entering a kayak much easier for everyone involved than a higher sided, larger powerboat. I’m sitting comfortably in my kayak on the water, and I’m looking for a certain target this dark, early, slow-to-lighten morning. However, unlike most of my many kayak trips, I don’t have a fishing rod of any kind. Instead, I have a shotgun and I have just placed a spread of decoys. It seems that that my kayak which is such a good craft for fishing of many kinds is also a very effective boat for duck hunting. And as the morning comes, I tidy up the camo material which is spread over my kayak and me, and I see the first flight of ducks approaching. It’s time for me to get ready for hunting. Even super-shallow mud boats which can get hunters to many places couldn’t get where my kayak has taken me. I have this grassy, super-shallow back bay all to myself, and the ducks.

BY ED MASHBURN Photos by NuCanoe

WHAT TYPE OF WATER CAN WE HUNT? The Gulf Coast region offers duck hunters a wide range of potential hunting locations. From wide open bays and ponds of the Mo-

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AMOUNT OF GEAR WE CAN TAKE It would be a lie to say that a duck hunter can carry the same amount of gear in a kayak that can be carried in an outboard powered boat. Still, most kayaks can hold a hunter and a couple of hundred pounds of gear with no problem. Most sit-on top kayaks have plenty of room for a hunter with gear up front, and even a good-sized lab in the back. Some kayaks can be rigged to have two hunters aboard. By the way, most water dogs take riding and working from a kayak quite well. As far as the material used to camouflage a duck hunting kayak, it really doesn’t take that much. The whole idea is to break up the smooth and unnatural outlines of the kayak, and a few cut reeds or branches from the area will work to do that. A sheet of camo cloth draped over the decks of the kayak will cut the reflection off the plastic surface. Hiding a kayaks is much easier than trying to cover a full-sized duck boat. “On my kayak I’ve rigged an old field layout blind onto the top to make a makeshift blind. I use the wraps to secure camo burlap and webbing to the layout blind. I also have a couple of sheets of Avery Fast Grass that I can lay on top of the kayak if extra concealment is needed. Four sheets of Avery Fast Grass is more than enough to cover a kayak,” Kennedy said.

PADDLE FISHING

THERE ARE LOTS OF DUCKS THAT KAYAK HUNTERS CAN REACH THAT OTHER HUNTERS CAN’T.

“I’m able to carry about three dozen decoys on my kayak, and then I pull a JetSled behind me that allows for another three to five dozen decoys. I always bring a blind bag with extra shells, gloves, face concealment, and most importantly, coffee and breakfast. I do not use a dog. Being able to move around in the water with ease with kayak allows you to get away without a dog.” One of the greatest parts of kayak duck hunting is being able to shoot birds without having to build a fancy boat blind or having a big mud motor,” Kennedy concluded. CHOOSING THE BEST KAYAK FOR YOUR HUNTING Most duck hunters find that a sit-on-top kayak works best for hunting. The open design of a SOT kayak allows hunters to move seating and even remove seating for a full lay-out arrangement, or modifying storage areas for decoys, guns, gear, and dogs quite easily. Just about any kayak that works for fishing duties will also work just fine for duck hunting. However, some kayaks are designed with duck hunting in mind, and these kayaks have features that fishing-only kayaks don’t such as gun holders and tie-down points for camo material to be attached. Many of these kayaks designed for duck hunter come in camo pattern finishes which make concealment a lot easier for hunters.

kayak, and it gives good coverage for the boat, hunter, and dog. Nucanoe even offers camo pattern seat covers for their kayaks. Gun bow mounts are offered for Nucanoe kayaks. These allow secure, safe storage and travel positioning for duck hunters’ guns. Positive and secure placing of guns while paddling or towing the duck hunting kayak is very important. This keeps guns safe and out of water and mud while still allowing quick and easy access. NuCanoe kayaks, like many other kayak lines, can be bought in basic camo patterns as well as a wide range of other colors. One of the best models of NuCanoe kayaks for duck hunting use is the Frontier 12. This very stable boat can be rigged as a tandem. Two hunters can hunt from it, and it can carry 650 pounds of load. This 40-inch wide kayak is self-draining, and it can go in four to six inches of water. It can even be rigged to use an electric motor instead of paddles. Of course, one of the best things about NuCanoe kayaks used for duck hunting is that rigging the boat for hunting is quick and easy, and after duck season has ended, it is just as easy to de-rig the hunting boat and convert it back into a fishing kayak again.

Important Contact Information One of the specific kayak brands which really shines when it comes to duck hunting is the line of boats from NuCanoe. These kayaks are first-rate fishing boats, but they make duck hunting a whole lot easier than most kayaks. FROM NUCANOE FOLKS NuCanoe offers several options for duck hunters. One of the best options offered for duck hunters is a very effective and easy to use layout blind in camo pattern. This camo soft material blind offers easy access into and out of the

Scott Kennedy Whistlin’ Waters Kayak Fishing and Outdoors 251-408-2604 www.WhistlinWaters.com NuCanoe info@nucanoe.com 888-226-6310 360-543-9019 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 61

Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook

BY MIKE THOMPSON Photos by Mike Thompson

ALABAMA Inshore angling on the Bama coast will be determined by the amount of rainfall and salinity of the water and deep holes that hold saltier water should hold the most fish. Rivers will be key areas to find January fish, such as specks and redfish. Dog River, Fowl River and Fish River all qualify for the above description. There won’t be much live bait available, so including artificial will be a must in your tackle box. Using a Vudu Shrimp tied directly to your line and retrieved in a steady fashion can cause lethargic fish to hit. With the lack of shrimp, most fish switch to a finfish diet. Most any chrome hard baits will produce strikes along the drop-offs, while trolling plastic grubs slowly across the bottom will get more action, with those fish usually being smaller. While a long way from the best time of the year, January can produce sheepshead around structure in Mobile Bay. Some of the best action will be around the legs of the Dauphin Island Bridge. Whiting will still be in the surf off Alabama beaches. A shall 62 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

The warm waters of Destin will be holding flounder around structure.

piece of shrimp will entice the whiting. Small strips of Fish Bites will work as well. OFFSHORE January can be a difficult time to find the right weather window to fish in. However, according to Blake (Gumbo) Michaleski, over at J&M Tackle, if you hit things just right, a lot of good things can happen. “There are plenty of fish out there that will crash a bait in January, however some of those fish will be caught, photoed and released. There should still be some warm water out there if we have another mild winter. Finding water in the 70 degree range can produce some nice Wahoo. Using hi-speed Ilander lures in dark or real bright colors trigger strikes. Adding a little flash never hurts,” Gumbo said. On the longer trips with larger boats you can do well by ‘deep dropping’ in 300 plus feet of water. “On the typical deep dropping trip, you can expect to catch tilefish, and groupers. The tilefish prefer a flat mud bottom, while the grouper seem to associate with rocky bottom.

FISHING OUTLOOK Some of the best baits to use are whole squid, big eels or ladyfish,” Gumbo explained. Gumbo advised looking for rips with a distinct color change for this month, to find gregarious dolphin. “If you come across a rip, one side will usually be much clearer than the other. While not actually dirty, the side that is murkier can hold fish. Either free-line live baits or try trolling ballyhoo past them,” Gumbo said. The rigs should also be holding tuna in January, so Gumbo had this advice: “Use live hardtails or pinfish to interest the blackfins. You can also catch them by vertical jigging. For the yellowfins, try trolling ballyhoo, naked or with a duster.” FLORIDA FOCUS Destin is probably known best for its beautiful white beaches. However, the fishing can still be active in January. Steve LaBatt, over at HarborWalk Marina, says there are fish available in sunny Florida. “During this month, a lot of our anglers will be targeting redfish, flounder and sheepshead. All can be caught using live shrimp, which are still available. Targeting docks and bridge pilings will be one of the ways to locate these fish,” LaBlatt said. The surf can also hold fish along the gorgeous beaches of Destin. “There Bluefish will hit something shiny, like a silver spoon. Sometimes redfish will bang a silver spoon as well. The whiting will hit small pieces of shrimp, but seem to bite best on Fish Bites,” LaBatt said. “Going offshore can be dicey, but those that do will be rewarded with fish to fill their coolers. A lot of good eating fish will still be open in January. Vermilion snapper and white snapper are both delicious. You can catch either on small pieces of squid,” LaBatt explained. MISSISSIPPI While January fishing can be tough on the Mississippi Coast, there are always those who have solved the wintertime ‘riddle’. One such Captain is Marcus McDavid of Saltwater Therapy Custom Charters in Ocean Springs. His formula for success is simple. “I like to start the morning trolling for speckled trout in the rivers. I troll a Highwaters Get-Em Shad, rigged on a ¼ ounce jighead. I use the unpainted style jigheads. My favorite colors are plum / chartreuse, avocado and clear glitter colors,” McDavid said. McDavid lets the weather dictate where he targets the specks in January. “In real cold weather, the trout seem to bunch up in bends or deep holes in the rivers. If the weather warms, we will target trout on the ledges and drop-offs, using the same grubs,” McDavid said.

This healthy winter speckled trout fell for a root beer colored curly tail grub.

Important Contact Information J&M Tackle-251-981-5460 High Waters Baits Highwaterfishing.com Saltwater Therapy Custom Charters.com Captain Marcus McDavid HarborWalk Marina-Destin 850-650-2400

After the sun is up and bright, it is time for McDavid to switch gears. “I start sight fishing for redfish on large grass flats, using the same lures as for the trout. I don’t use spinnerbaits, because they catch so much grass. I spool my reels with 30-pound Fins Windtamer braid. This helps out when we occasionally run into stripers,” McDavid explained. CONCLUSION While all your friends are still in the woods or the marsh this month, why not enjoy the lack of competition and catch a few. See you on the water!

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Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook

BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn

ALABAMA WATERS

LAKE GUNTERSVILLE In the cool conditions of January, bass anglers should work Guntersville along the bigger creek channels and the old grass line. Anywhere that narrows the creeks down and creates pinch points is a good place to look.

Captain Jake Davis from Mid-South Bass Guide Service says that in January, there will be a pretty good crank bait bite and that Rat-L-Traps will be good, and jerk baits will also work. “These hard baits should have some red or chartreuse accents on them. Red is always good at Guntersville,” Davis said. According to Davis, the bass will generally be holding in eight to twelve feet of water but that there will be some shallow bass in Guntersville at nearly all times and all conditions. Crappie will be schooling up on the bridges and anglers can 64 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

have good luck with big crappie using small jigs and live minnows around the bridge structures. Fish the shadow lines of the bridges. A good thing about January fishing on Guntersville is that most fishing trips won’t need to start until late in the morning. Davis advises us that this time of year, afternoon fishing after the sun gets up and warms the water a little is best. MILLER’S FERRY Joe Dunn, from Dunn’s Sports points out that the best technique for cold weather crappie at Miller’s Ferry is bottom bouncing for them. Put a one ounce sinker at the end of the line and then put a 1/0 hook about 18 inches above the sinker. Thread a live minnow or a soft tube body on the hook and then tip the hook with a minnow. The preferred colors of the plastic jig will vary from day to day, but sometimes having the little extra attraction of the soft plastic jig can make a big difference. Bounce this rig right on the bottom and feel for bites which may be pretty soft this time of year.

FISHING OUTLOOK One thing that Dunn advises crappie anglers to be aware of is that if a lot of current is moving through the lake, the crappie may relocate to the larger sloughs and creek to get out of the strong current. “The largemouth bass will be found not too far from their spawning areas, but they won’t be up in spawning water yet. Secondary ledges and points up the big sloughs can be good. In January, there can be a good crank bait, spinnerbait and chatterbait bite in eight to ten feet of water,” Dunn said. If we get a few warm January days, the bass will pull a little shallower, but they are waiting for steady warmer water in their spawning areas. As far as colors and patterns for Miller’s Ferry cool weather bass, Dunn points out that ninety per cent of the time, bass lures need to be in some kind of shad color and pattern.” “Toward the end of the month and going into February and March, crawfish will start to emerge, and then a crawfish pattern is good,” Dunn concluded. SIPSEY FORK Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop says that in January, there can be a good midge hatch, and often stoneflies and blue wing olives will start coming off, too. This can produce some very good fly fishing for the rainbows. “From January to March to a good time for nymph fishing on the Sipsey Fork. The nymphs all have different configurations, and the flies to match them have bread heads and some have wire to help sink them quickly. Other natural imitations sink slower. The fish will tell an angler what sink rate and color they want,”Jackson said. One good thing about fishing the cold waters of Sipsey Fork is that when the air temperatures get as cold as they ever do in Alabama, the water is still the same temperature it was in summer. The trout don’t care how cold it is, either. Alabama anglers who want to try the trout fishing game will find very good reliable results on the Sipsey Fork in January

The river stages and water flow will vary on the amount of rainfall and water released from the Smith Lake dam to maintain the desired lake level above. Spinning gear anglers will have good luck with bubble-rigs using the same flies that fly rod anglers use. Four-pound test line works best for the sharp-sighted rainbow trout. Riverside Fly Shop will be running float and wade trips all through January, and since the river is stocked well every month, there will be fish eager to bite. MOBILE DELTA “What we’re looking at, if the upper and middle Delta has flood waters, the bite shuts down. On the lower Delta, cold fronts combined with strong north winds can produce phenomenal fishing because the low waters concentrates the fish in creeks adjacent to the bays. South of Gravine Island is a maze of creeks which will help concentrate the bass. Navigation at this time can be a problem, but the low water helps show anglers where the deepest water of the creeks

and channels lies,” says Captain Wayne Miller of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service In January the water will be in the 50s, and medium to deep diving crawfish pattern crankbaits can be very good. Plugs that run three to eight feet deep are good. Anglers might try a jig and shaky head for a slower presentation. Darker colors are good and work well most days. Anglers should look for creeks with deeper water and some tidal movement. Either tides going in or out will work, but the bass bite best when the water is moving. WILSON LAKE Veteran Wilson Lake guide Captain Brian Barton says that to find the biggest catfish, anglers will need to use electronics to find the deep-water holding cats and these will be fish in 60 to 70 feet of water. Drop a skipjack or big chunks of shad to the deep fish and give them time. Finding schools of shad is crucial this time of yearthe fish we’re after will be around the shad. Most shad schools will be holding at 45-55 feet of water and the bigger fish will be working below them. Fishing sunny bluffs- mostly on the north side of the lake- can be very good in January. The sun will warm up the water on these bluffs, and this can draw the big fish to the warmer water to feed. Even if the really big catfish are hard to find and catch this time of year, anglers can count on catching an ice chest full of delicious cold-water catfish below the dams now. LAKE EUFAULA According to Captain Sam Williams from Hawks Fishing Guide Service, small jigs in various colors work best and anglers need to experiment to find the “hot” color. “1/16 oz jigs in chartreuse, pink and white are all good colors to use, but each day is different, and the bigger fish will soon show their preference for color. Slow trolling with multiple rigs is probably the best way to find where the crappie are holding now,” Williams said. Anglers should look for the best concentrations of crappie in Sandy Branch, Taylor Creek, White Oak Creek, Barber Creek, and Cowwikee Creek. All of these creeks offer lots of cover for crappie- work the dropoffs and ledges in these creeks. White bass will be very good in the open main lake body. Try trolling with deep running crankbaits to find the actively feeding schools, but be ready. Very often some very big hybrids and even some really big stripers will be mixed in with smaller white bass. Slowly worked soft plastics will be best for bass on Eufaula right now. The bass will be bunched up in creek channels, so when they are found, it can be very good fishing. WEISS LAKE “About the second week of January, we start our ‘spring season’. We will be long-line trolling for some great crappie.” says guide Captain Lee Pitts, who 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 65

Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook

Small jigs worked near deep drop offs can produce some fine January crappie before the spawn begins.

specializes in Weiss Lake Crappies. The lake is still is low-winter level, so the fish are funneled into the bigger creeks and tributaries to the main lake body. The crappie are getting ready to spawn. Big Creek, Cowan Creek, Spring Creek and Little River are some places to look for early season crappie. “The crappie will winter here in these creeks, and we’ll catch crappie fairly shallow- five to eight feet deep,” Pitts said. When it comes to lures, Pitts feels that 1/12 oz Bobby Garland Mo-Glo jig heads with Baby Shad Swimmer soft plastic bodies are top choices with Blue Grass, Ice Out, and Monkey Milk being top choices. “Don’t move the jigs too fast or with too much action.” Pitts advised. Weiss bass are generally slow and lethargic in January, but on warm days, they can move to four to six feet of water with wood cover, and they will be active then. Some very good advice from Captain Lee- “Anywhere there’s riprap in the water, that’s a good place to find winter bass.” Both spots and largemouths will be on roadbeds, bridges with riprap, and shad pattern crank baits are good. This is also a good time for slow-rolled spinner baits worked around the rock structure.

pre-spawn for the bass there, so they are usually feeding. Goodroe recommends frogs, trick worms, and particularly wacky worm rigs drifted past the massive weed beds and drop offs. The water level of the river can vary somewhat with the state of the tide down at St. Mark’s where the river joins the St. Mark’s River emptying to the Gulf. The usual best tides to fish up on the river will be spring tides where the water backs up all the way past the Highway 98 Bridge. A falling high tide can be very good, also.

Capt. Sam Williams Hawks Fishing Guide Service 334-355-5057 www.hawksfishingguideservice.com Capt. Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.pittsoutdoors.com

Bass anglers who fish below the Highway 98 Bridge should expect to encounter some good sheepshead and redfish which will jump on live shrimp or soft plastic jigs.

Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 17027 Hwy 69N, Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 Riversideflyshop.com

LAKE TALQUIN According to Jeff DuBree of Whippoorwill Lodge on Lake TalquinJanuary is traditionally a good month for the big bass.

Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Highway 43, Thomasville, Al

“They are feeding up for the spawn which begin here in February. Fishing in six to twelve feet of water with big live shiners can be good,” DuBree said.

Capt. Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 www.midsouthbassguide.com

The bass at Talquin will be moving up in the creeks by the end of the month, and anglers can have good results fishing with spinnerbaits and swim jigs.

Capt. Brian Barton 256-412-0969 Brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com

Crappie will be very good in January, also. Anglers looking to fill the ice chest with big slabs should try trolling in the mouths of creeks. A variety of 1/16 oz. jigs in different colors will work well.

WAKULLA RIVER Bill Goodroe of Wilderness Way in Crawfordville, Florida tells us, “It’s a matter of getting on the river and getting after it.”

The weather will be the determining factor of where the crappie will be. If we have a warm, mild winter, the crappie will go on the spawning beds earlier in the month. The traditional hot months for crappie spawning on Talquin ranges from early February to late March.

Warm January days can be more pleasant for anglers who go on the Wakulla, and January is

Catfish will be consistently good at Talquin in January in deeper water.

FLORIDA WATERS

Important Contact Information

66 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Bill Goodroe\Wilderness Way 850- 877-7200 3152 Shadeville Road Crawfordville, FLA Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404 Millewa12000@yahoo.com Jeff DuBree Whippoorwill Lodge 850-875-2605 Fishtalquin@gmail.com

MOON & FEED TIMES

68 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

ALABAMA TIDE CHARTS

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FLORIDA TIDE CHARTS

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MISSISSIPPI TIDE CHARTS

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Tanner Hammond with his impressive black drum caught in Mobile Bay

Niki McCall with double does

You didn’t see it coming. Neither did the fish.

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PHOTO of the MONTH DeeAnn Reed with Daphne Reed showing Daphne’s fine shot on some bacon

Tunk DeLaFosse with a lot of future ham sandwiches

SERIES A true family favorite

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Chuck McCall with a wood duck while out on Mobile Bay

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KID'S CORNER

TROPHY ROOM 1

Deer

Brock Butts, 12, with his first deer on youth hunt weekend (November 16, 2019) in Butler County, AL

Easton Bailey, 2, caught this rock bass (green sunfish) on Lake Lanier off his dock with a bread ball

Deer

Katherine Adair bagged her first deer during the 2019 youth hunt in Montgomery County at the Katechis Plantation.

Baden Sanderford, 13, from Tuscaloosa Al caught these Striped Bass at Black Warrier River

Deer

Cayden Thomas Middleton with their frist whitetail

Gaddy Rice, age 8, harvested this 10 point Buck in Marengo County, Alabama with his Papa.

Kennedy Hamilton, 6, took this 9 point 200 pound buck at the Dixon Mills hunting club in Marengo county.

Brantley Bakker, age 6, with his 9lb Bass caught on his family farm in Alabama.

Give us your best shot!

Send your submission to info@greatdaysoutdoors.com. Submitting a photo does not guarantee that it will be published. We cannot give any guarantees on when a photo will be published. Please include: child's full name, age, mailing address, and any details, like if it's a first time, when and where animal was caught/killed, how much it weighed. If it's a buck, include points.

Advertiser Index A-Team Fishing Adventures . . . . . 3 ADCNR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Alabama Black Belt Adventures . 33 Alabama Farmers CO-OP . . . . 38-39 Alabama Liquid Fertilizer . . . . . . 45 ASWF Podcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Bay County Amory . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Bay Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Bluewater Charters . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Bluewater Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . 69 Buck’s Island Marine . . . . . . . . . 44 Camper City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 CCA Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Clutch Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Coast Safe & Lock . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Deep South Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Dixie Building Supply . . . . . . . . . . 3 Equipment Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Fiber Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 First South Farm Credit . . . . . . . 46 Fishbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Flora Bama Fishing Rodeo . . . . . 32 Geico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Hawkins Ridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Hilton’s Offshore Charts . . . . . . . 16 Hog Rush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Hydraulic Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Killer Dock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Lone Wolf Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 MDH Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Midway Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 National Land Realty . . . . . . . . . . 5 Paradise Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pensacola Motor Sports . . . . . 72-73 Slick Lure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Southeastern Pond Management 26 Sportsman Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Test Calibration Co. . . . . . . . . . . . 68 War Eagle Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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76 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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FISHING TIP

Mobile Bay Winter Action BY: CAPTAIN DAN KOLENICH

If you are looking for some January trout or redfish action, look in the deeper parts of the rivers and creeks that flow into Mobile Bay. Those include Bon Secour River, Fish River, Magnolia River, Dog River, Fowl River, and the Theodore Industrial Canal. All of these are local watersheds that will still have some saltwater in the deeper creek beds. I like to drift with the falling tide working a soft plastic on a jig head on the bottom as slow as I can. Explore the small creeks where the creeks flow into these rivers If you’re fishing artificials, my favorite two lures are a Mirrolure Glad Shad or High Tide Shrimp soft plastic on a jig head. I start with a white/chartreuse, root beer/ chartreuse, chartreuse/red color or a natural shrimp rigged on a 3/8 ounce jig head. On warmer days, look near the banks instead of the deeper water for reds. Work your bait slow and expect bites to be soft and slow. Live or dead shrimp on a Carolina rig on the bottom are a good bet. If it’s shallow with some snags on the bottom, a popping cork will do the trick. If you find a calm day and want to head into the gulf, the near shore rigs are a good bet for trout and reds. You can also try Sand Island Lighthouse and Dixie Bar for Bull Reds. Send a live croaker or pin fish to the bottom and let the bait do the work. I usually drift Dixie Bar with a 1/2 ounce jig head and soft plastic on a falling tide. Be sure to handle these big reds carefully so they can be released. If you are looking for sheepshead, work the structure around the bay with live or dead shrimp on a Carolina rig. South of Point Clear and Dog River as well as the rigs in the south end of the bay are good bets.

If you are looking for sheepshead, work the structure around the bay with live or dead shrimp on a Carolina rig. South of Point Clear and Dog River as well as the rigs in the south end of the bay are good bets.

Catch you later, Captain Dan Kolenich 251-422-3474

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JANUARY 2020 77

A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS

Cell-Phone Game Laws pick up by rolling over and hopefully hitting the right button. But let’s assume we could train Ol’ Blue to roll over when his phone rings, mashing the proper button to answer. The conversation would undoubtedly go something like this. Ring . . . ring . . . dog rolls over and answers, “Woof.” BY JIM MIZE Now the next thing one of us would say is, “Ol’ Blue, is that you?” Cell phones have crept into our lives with the high-pitched whine of electronic mosquitoes. Our society is moving toward a pivotal point, namely, whether to pass laws further regulating cell phone use or instead make it legal when a phone rings in a theater or restaurant to strangle its owner. In the old days, a phone ringing in a theater suggested a suspenseful moment in the movie. Now, you don’t even know if it came from the screen or the audience. The outdoors should be the last place to worry about technological intrusions. Unfortunately, it’s already occurred, so we should brace ourselves for it. In Finland, the home of Nokia, some hunters equip their hounds with cell phones and global positioning systems (GPS). They can then listen to their dogs barking over the phones to determine what they’re chasing. Once a fitful yapping comes over the phone, they look them up on the GPS monitor and see where they are. After that, it’s just a matter of going there to shoot whatever they called about. It’s sort of like take-out hunting except you deliver. Still, there ought to be a law against it. On the other hand, maybe I’m overreacting. It probably won’t work here. For starters, hunters here tend to be a little tight with their money, so they’d never buy into one of those big-minute phone plans. As a result, we would never just leave the phones on. That means we’d have to call our dogs every so often to check on them and they would have to answer the phone. Strapped to their collars. Some dogs can’t even scratch that high, so they’d probably

In the old days, a phone ringing in a theater suggested a suspenseful moment in the movie. Now, you don’t even know if it came from the screen or the audience.

Then, there are the phone fees. Even if you got your dog to answer the phone, he has to hang up afterwards. And if he doesn’t, then he’ll probably strike a bear, chase him through three counties and you’ll have horrendous roaming charges. And do you really think the phone companies are going to help you out with special phone plans for hunting dogs? Something like “Friends & Fleas?” Fat chance. And you know Ol’ Blue will want a TV plan for his smartphone. All those hours in the kennel could be filled with re-runs of Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. Furthermore, what happens when your dog realizes his newfound freedom? Do you think he’s going to stay on the line when he raids the chicken coop? No way. He’ll hang up faster than a crankbait in flooded timber. And what’s next? Keys to the truck? Maybe his own credit card? That’s not the worst of it. You’ll know you’re in deep when the bill comes and you see all those calls to someone else. Try dialing one and you’ll hear, “Meow”, only to discover your dog’s been making prank calls to cats.

Think about this for a minute. In all your years of operating a telephone, how many times did you get a wrong number that was a dog? And if Ol’ Blue is smart enough to answer that question, maybe you should be the one running through the woods with a phone strapped to your neck while he operates the GPS.

The saving grace in all this is when telemarketers get his number. Finally, someone with the time to listen to this dribble. But even this isn’t the ultimate solution, because it will undoubtedly run up your bill.

Anyway, let’s assume Ol’ Blue answers and you’re assured you have the right dog. You’re still not home free.

Not only that, but what happens when a delivery truck shows up in your driveway to unload forty cases of Kibbles ‘n Bits? And the order has your dog’s phone number on it with a paw print for a signature?

For instance, what if Ol’ Blue bumps the wrong button and dials 911? Some poor operator on an emergency line will be trying to get information from an unidentified caller who can only pant like a dog. She won’t know whether to send the police, an ambulance, or a dogcatcher. Likewise, signing your dog up for a phone plan is no easy task. For instance, what services does he need? Call forwarding? Caller ID? Do you let him pick out his own phone or go for any model in international orange? If you’re rabbit hunting with a pack of beagles, do you just strap up one of them or get them all phones and a party line?

78 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

I’m convinced we need to block this use of phone technology. Pass a law against it. Otherwise, the day will come when Ol’ Blue’s social calendar gets filled up and he tells you to go chase your own dadgum raccoons. Or worse yet, when you go to strangle that theater patron with the ringing phone, it’s your dog.

JIM MIZE does answer his phone when a dog calls. You can find his two award-winning books of humor at www.acreektricklesthroughit.com.

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IMPORTING UNPROCESSED DEER COULD SPREAD CWD IN ALABAMA LEARN MORE AT OUTDOORALABAMA.COM/CWD

GAME CHECK IS MANDATORY FOR EVERY DEER HUNTER All hunters are required to report their deer harvest using Game Check, which will help the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources effectively manage wildlife for generations.

Check your harvest at OutdoorAlabama.com/GameCheck or by using the official ADCNR mobile app Outdoor AL Search OUTDOOR AL on your app store!