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HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
CONTENTS How to Make College Bass Fishing Pay Your Tuition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 by John E. Phillips Beaver Trapping for Beginners . . . . . . . . . . . 14 by D. Strickland Trophy Bluegills - How It‘s Done. . . . . . . . . . 20 by Ed Mashburn Six First Time Land Buyer Mistakes to Avoid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 by Joe Baya Alabama Hog Hunting Tips and Tricks. . . . . 30 by Rhett “Hoop” Hooper Targeting Trophy Trout in May. . . . . . . . . . . . 34 by Patric Garmeson
In Every Issue Best Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by William Kendy Camphouse Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 by Hank Shaw New Gear for Outdoorsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 by William Kendy From the Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 by Chris Blakenship From the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 by Charles Sykes The Gun Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 by Craig Haney Pier & Shore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 by David Thornton Coastal Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 by Chris Vecsey Paddle Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 by Ed Mashburn Regional Freshwater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 by Ed Mashburn Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room. . . . . . 68 Great Days Kids Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Classifieds & Fishin‘ Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Fishing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 by Captain Brian Barton A Great Day Outdoors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 by Jim Mize
4 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
PROPERTY PHOTO HERE
PROPERTY PHOTO HERE
Sneads Creek Recreational Tract
Morvin Trawick Creek Hunting & Timber Investment West
Just Reduced! Good year-round recreational property only 30 minutes west of Northport in Pickens County. This would be an ideal hunting-fishing get-away for a family or small group. There is a beautiful 8+/- acre managed fishing lake, a PROPERTY TEXT HERE furnished 2 bedroom/1 bath camphouse, and a very nice equipment shed. The timber consists of a good mix of pine and hardwood of different ages making this a good timber investment and also providing diversity for wildlife. The property has great access off of a county road with an excellent internal road system. This area offers fantastic deer and turkey hunting. There are numerous greenfields already in place and several are currently planted in corn. There are also a couple of great spots for dove fields. Besides having the lake there is also a nice creek flowing through the property to provide water for the wildlife. Located only about 45 minutes from The University of Alabama, this is the perfect game day get-away for football weekends.
This hunting, timber, and recreational investment is located just south of Morvin, an area where land is rarely available. Enjoy easy access from the frontage on TEXT HERE Highway 69 with the PROPERTY excellent deer, turkey, and small game hunting. The property has been under intensive wildlife management for years, with year-round feeding programs in place, and there is a large, strategically placed food plot with shooting house, hardwood bottom laden with mature oaks, and pine plantation providing superior bedding ground as well as investment and long term cash flow. There is a potential fishing lake site, and utilities are available. Tracts like this don’t come along often, especially in this area. Need more land? Additional acreage is available directly across the highway from this tract for a total of 234+/- acres.
Pickens County, Alabama, 837+/-Acres
Clarke County, Alabama, 58+/-Acres
FL Panhandle Listings
Alabama Listings COUNTY
Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Barbour Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Butler Butler Butler Cherokee Chilton Chilton Chilton Choctaw
ACRES 535 375 371 298 210 1995 1339 1304 710 463 884 120 62 233.3 151 60 50 4000 167 395 85.16 77 2230 146 65.4 40 388
Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Coffee Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Covington Covington Covington Covington Covington Crenshaw
216 54 38 30 620 526 520 234 220 200 294 161 133 101 80 80 74 40 22 20 151 360 331 72 50 22 120
COUNTY
Crenshaw Cullman Cullman Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Escambia Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene
ACRES 60 876.25 59 96 463.54 140 82.73 27 19.34 450 342 264 111 97 671.6 68 672 232 122 112 110 563 244 103 56 49.5 2590
Greene Greene Greene Greene Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale Henry Henry Henry Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lauderdale Lauderdale Lauderdale Lawrence Lawrence Lowndes
2100 1135 965 490 150 53.2 53 41 38 200 100 80 633 120 65 8.25 367 200 192 160 148 67 60 7 80 45 1013
COUNTY
Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Macon Macon Macon Macon Macon Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Marion Marion Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery
ACRES 793.5 783 656 567 2370 930 486 396 37.5 6214 3000 1164 404 264 250 82 31 1800 308 299.1 260 192 790 298 129 858 697
Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Morgan Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pike Pike Russell Saint Clair Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter
623 469 430 76 386 240.75 200 189 90.5 837 450 430 240.36 150 112 40 195 68.13 10 93 83 80 74 48 740 550 350
COUNTY
Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker Walker Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Winston Winston Winston
ACRES 188 45.7 882 537 153 152 120 120 80 203 100 61 480 240 190 160 160 1465 660 640 31 12 265 2.3 1.3
COUNTY Escambia Gulf Holmes Santa Rosa Walton Walton Walton Walton Walton
ACRES 257 55 93 680 225 188 60 39.75 35
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 5
BEST BETS
BEST BETS FOR MAY These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month! BY WILLIAM KENDY
TIME FOR SLABS
May is the time when you can get out and really enjoy the weather and cash in on some great inland fishing and bream is right up there at the top of the list. Whether you are cane poling it, fly fishing with poppers, fishing lures or bait on light or ultra-light tackle or anything in between bream are ready and eager to do battle. With that in mind see this month’s “Fishing” Tips by Captain Brian Barton on how to fill your cooler with bluegills on Lake Wilson. While catching small to medium size bream is one thing, catching the big guys is another story and we have one in this issue. Check out Ed Mashburn’s article “Catching Trophy Bluegills” on page 20.
VOLUME 24, ISSUE 5 May 2020
PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya MANAGING EDITOR: William Kendy CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Samatha Hester
CONTRIBUTING FREELANCE WRITERS:
POST-SPAWN BASS
May is one of the premier months to cash in on a large bass. As the water gets warmer, the bass have mostly spawned and it’s time to fatten up and they will be chowing down According to the experts, shad will be starting to frequent the shallows and lures that imitate them can produce strikes. Spinnerbaits (3/81/2 ounce) with silver blades is a good choice for shallow water and heavy cover areas. Don’t forget about weedless frogs for the heavy stuff. Other effective lures are jerkbaits, soft bodied jerkbaits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits like the Rat-L-Trap and Rapala Rippin’ Rap. Topwater lures like the Zara Spook and Rapala Skitter Walk are popular as are buzzbaits. Finally, there are chatterbaits and jigs with trailers.
SPRING TROPHY SPECKLED TROUT
The warmer waters of May prompt speckled trout to move out of the river and canal systems seeking a saltier environment in which to successfully spawn. While they are searching for the perfect spawning location, they will be feeding heavily on just about anything that swims. So says Captain Patric Garmeson of Ugly Fishing out of Daphne, Al. Garmeson points out that shell, rocks, grass, sand bars, natural and artificial reefs, docks, bridges and even natural gas rigs will all be great habitat for speckled trout and allow them to evade predators, provide protection for their fry and attract baitfish. Learn more about the ins and outs of catching speckled trout in Garmeson’s article Targeting Trophy Trout in May in this issue 6 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Chris Blankenship Alex Granpere Craig Haney Charles Johnson Ed Mashburn Doug Max Greg McCain John E. Phillips
Chuck Sykes 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 Chris Vecsey
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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8 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Garry Mason (center) holds the check for the $5,000 awarded to Bethel University’s bass-fishing team for winning the 2019 National Championship.
One of the fastest growing sports in the outdoors is tournament bass fishing. A student can start tournament bass fishing in the 2nd grade, fish through high school and possibly win a college scholarship. Here’s how. All of us are concerned about financing college educations for our children and grandchildren with the high costs involved today. But if you know a young person who loves to bass fish, he or she may earn a tuition scholarship to college and additional monies to cover fees and the expenses incurred for travel, hotel and food to fish on the collegiate bass-fishing circuits. Garry Mason, the bass-fishing coach at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee, one of the winningest college programs with several world and national championships, explains, “Our college was the first to give scholarships for bass fishing. At that time in 2009, no college or university I knew of offered scholarships to high school students to compete in the infant collegiate bass programs being started by several organizations. Colleges and universities had club bass-fishing teams at that time, but the students paid all their own expenses to participate in these clubs, besides paying their college expenses. Today, we have 35 student athletes in our bass-fishing program at Bethel, the college pays about 1/4- to 1/3- of the cost of their tuition, also based on need, and our program actively tries to find other scholarships too for these students for which they’re qualified to cover other tuition costs, books and fees.” William Crawford, the director for the University of Montevallo’s Outdoor Scholar Program , (https://www.montevallo.edu/academics/experiential-learning/presidents-outdoor-scholars/) in Montevallo, Alabama, reports that, “At UM, bass-fishing scholarships pay for tuition and fees, with help from over 40 sponsors, including corporate sponsors like Coosa Cotton, Mossy Oak Fishing and the Management Advantage.” WHAT’S THE PATH TO WINNING A COLLEGE BASS-FISHING SCHOLARSHIP? According to the college coaches I’ve spoken with, they watch carefully and evaluate the high-school bass-fishing tournament circuits to discover the top anglers, both girls and guys, also with the best academics. Today Bassmaster (www.bassmaster.com) offers a young person a tournament circuit for: 2nd grade – 8th grade, the Mossy Oak Fishing Junior Series; a high school circuit – the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series Presented by Academy Outdoors; and a collegiate circuit, the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops, before that angler graduates to fishing the Bassmaster Open Series and the Elite Series. A young person may have participated in tournament bass fishing and enjoyed his fishing experience for 11 years before entering college and then add four more years of competitive fishing experience to his or her 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 9
How to Make College Bass Fishing Pay Your Tuition
Alabama’s Smith Lake’s spotted bass, pictured here, helped the Junior Series Champions to win in March, 2020, in the tournament sponsored by Mossy Oak Fishing and Bassmaster.
resume. These young people can be seasoned veterans of 15 years of tournament bass fishing before they even reach for the gold ring of becoming a tournament bass-fishing pro. Mossy Oak Fishing recently started a new contingency program (https://fishmossyoak.com) to encourage high-school bass fishing by awarding yearly $20,000 to the top 25 high-school fishing teams for expenses and equipment. The top team will win $10,000; 2nd place - $5,000; 3rd place - $2500; the 4th-10th place teams, $500; and the 11th – 25th place teams $100 each. To learn more about other high school tournament circuits, visit http://highschoolbassanglers.com/high-school-bass-fishing-circuits/. HOW TO BE A ONE-MAN HIGH-SCHOOL BASS-FISHING TEAM Ethan Jones and his bass-fishing partner at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, recently won one of four legs of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops at Alabama’s Smith Lake. Jones actually fished his entire high-school career by himself as the only person on his high school’s bass-fishing team. “My high school was small, only 30 students in my freshman class, and no boys or girls were interested in bass fishing but me. However, after my school filled out all the paperwork, the Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation High School Series allowed me to fish by myself in all the school tournaments available,” Jones said. “All the other teams that I competed against had at least two anglers 10 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
fishing each high-school tournament. I always wanted to fish professionally, and I knew that the pros fished by themselves. So, I wasn’t really bothered that there were twice as many fishermen competing against me. I decided that if the pros fished by themselves, then the sooner I could learn to fish by myself and rely on myself, the better my odds would be to one day become a professional angler. Because I was a one-man team, I was determined to fish harder and longer and work at bass fishing more than the two anglers in the other boats against whom I competed. “I finished second in the state my freshman year of high school. My sophomore year of high school, I won the State Championship fishing against 66 boats with two anglers per boat, except for me. I qualified again for the state my junior year and finished sixth,” he concluded. HOW TWO BIRMINGHAM HIGH SCHOOLERS ARE FISHING FOR BASS IN COLLEGE Tucker Smith and Grayson Morris of Birmingham, Alabama’s Briarwood Christian High School for two consecutive years, 2018 and 2019, proved to be the best high-school tournament bass fishermen in the nation. In 2019, Morris graduated and joined the University of Montevallo’s Bass Fishing Team. Smith had another year of high school, and today has been offered fishing scholarships at several universities, narrowing his choices to Auburn University and the University of Montevallo. Both young men say they’ve loved bass fishing forever. They’ve played other sports but their hearts have been and still are in tournament bass fishing.
How to Make College Bass Fishing Pay Your Tuition
teams nationwide, and last year finishing in the top 5. The UM team is ranked 2nd in the nation at this writing, with McKendree University the only team ahead of us. As we look at the 2020-2021 season, we believe our scholarships for bass fishing will increase to 40 athletes.”
HOW ALABAMA’S UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO STARTED ITS BASS-FISHING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM William Crawford of the University of Montevallo oversees the young people participating in this program of fishing, hunting and archery. “Montevallo’s bass-fishing team started in 2005 with Clent Davis, who today fishes on the Bassmaster Elite Series, as one of the founding members. In college, as Davis and some friends who all liked to bass fish watched a collegiate bass-fishing tournament online, they thought how cool Montevallo would be with a collegiate fishing team that competed with colleges across the country,” Crawford said. “Davis and his friends took the proper steps to make college bass fishing, a new phenomenon, happen at UM. Awarding scholarships for the Montevallo bass-fishing team evolved several years ago when UM started its Outdoor Scholars Program, after becoming aware of how important scholarships were and raised the funds for that program through fundraising.” The University of Montevallo recognized how fast collegiate bass fishing was growing and wanted to be a part of that growth. In 2020, UM had 32 tournament bass-fishing anglers on scholarship, one of the largest teams in the nation,that enables UM to compete in all the available collegiate tournaments every week on three different circuits – the FLW Collegiate Circuit, the Bassmaster Circuit and the Bass Pro Shops College Bass Fishing Tour – often having three tournaments in 10 days. “Just as athletes in other sports have to go to class and keep up their grade point averages, so do UM anglers,” Crawford explained. “We’ve seen the success of our team grow every year, finishing in the top-10
WHAT’S THE GROWTH IN COLLEGIATE BASS FISHING When UM started its scholarshiped team five years ago, only eight colleges and universities offered scholarships to their bass-fishing athletes. According to Crawford, “I don’t know where that number is today, but about 350 collegiate bass-fishing teams participated in the 2019-2020 season, with many schools fielding numerous teams. Some of those are club teams but others give scholarships. Our UM team has been able to grow due to our corporate sponsorships, and we’re fortunate also that the university budgets money to help with the costs of gas, hotels and food expenses that our team incurs. In the last two years, we’ve spent approximately $80,000 each year to pay the expenses of our teams going to tournaments.” HOW TENNESSEE’S BETHEL UNIVERSITY’S BASS-FISHING PROGRAM WORKS In 2009, Bethel University asked Garry Mason to come to the university and speak with the officials there about the possibility of starting a college bass-fishing program. “I told the administration that besides offering college scholarships for bass fishing, I wanted the bass-fishing team to be a part of the athletic program at Bethel and that their travel expenses also be paid,” Mason
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How to Make College Bass Fishing Pay Your Tuition
Left to right, Andrew Althoff and Ethan Jones of McKendree University won the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops on Smith Lake in March, 2020, and the McKendree team is currently in first place nationally at this writing in 2020.
explained. “I said I’d run the bass-fishing team like any other sports team on campus with the atmosphere of a true team, not just a group of individuals fishing for bass.” Bethel agreed to give four scholarships to start the program, and today has 35 student athletes on scholarship for the bass-fishing team. Bethel realized that if the university offered a bass-fishing team that the school could attract students who wanted to attend college, loved to bass fish and possibly wanted to step up after college graduation to the next level of tournament bass fishing and/or prepare themselves for the thousands of available outdoor industry jobs. “Only about 5-6% of the student athletes in high school have opportunities to participate in their chosen sports in college,” Mason pointed out. “Bethel decided that if the university provided an atmosphere for those who loved to bass fish, then they’d come to Bethel. But even today most colleges view competitive bass fishing strictly as a club sport and may not help their student athletes with any financial support. So, these teams may put on fundraisers or depend on family and friends support to help with their travel expenses.” Today Bethel University offers numerous non-traditional sports for students and one of the most-successful collegiate bass-fishing teams with participants from across the nation. HOW BETHEL UNIVERSITY SELECTS ITS SCHOLARSHIP BASS-FISHING ATHLETES “I’m looking first of all for a student who’s coachable,” Mason reported. 12 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
“Neither the school or me wins if we get a Michael Jordan or a Kevin VanDam type athlete and I can’t coach that person. We’re searching too for anglers who are dedicated to being team players. The members of our bass-fishing team help each other at every opportunity, although they still compete against one another. I’m also looking for a community-minded student with a good high school academic record and ACT score.” WHAT A COLLEGIATE BASS FISHERMAN WILL LEARN IN COLLEGE “We teach our student athletes life skills, as well as fishing tactics,” Mason emphasized. “Life on the road as a tournament angler is much different from life at home or life on a college campus. We help them learn how to: maintain their grades; work with their professors; do their class assignments before or during a tournament or finish their homework after a tournament before returning to class; maintain their health under stressful conditions; handle the pressure associated with being a student athlete and a college student; work toward graduation, since if they do become professional tournament anglers, they may have to support themselves using their college degrees at some time; keep a positive attitude; learn the importance of helping others – not only their teammates but any other competitor or coach and team; and work with and for potential sponsors and build relationships with them. “One of the advantages to being a part of a collegiate bass-fishing team is that a student may change professions several times during his or her lifetimes. But he or she will be a bass fisherman for his entire life,” Mason concluded.
How to Make College Bass Fishing Pay Your Tuition
According to statistics, many bass-fishing scholarships pay $5800 - $12,000 per year. To learn more about college bass-fishing scholarships, visit http://scholarshipstats.com/ bass-fishing.html. At this writing, these colleges field some type of bass-fishing team, either club or scholarshiped. (The names have been gathered from numerous sources).
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1) Adrian College – Adrian, MI 2) Arkansas Tech University - Russellville, AR 3) Auburn University – Auburn, AL 4) Bethel University – McKenzie, TN 5) Bevill State Community College – Jasper, AL 6) Blue Mountain College – Blue Mountain, MS 7) Brewton Park – Mt. Vernon, GA 8) Bryan College – Dayton, TN 9) Calhoun Community College –Tanner, AL 10) Campbellsville University – Campbellsville, KY 11) Carson Newman University – Jefferson City, TN 12) Catawba Valley Community College – Hickory, NC 13) Central Alabama Community College – Alexander City, AL 14) College of Environmental Science – SUNY - Syracuse, NY 15) Dallas Baptist University – Dallas, TX 16) Drury University – Springfield, MO 17) East Tennessee State University – Mountain Home, TN 18) East Texas Baptist University – Marshall, TX 19) Emmanuel College – Boston, MA 20) Erskine College – Due West, SC 21) Faulkner University – Montgomery, AL 22) Itawamba College – Fulton, MS 23) Jacksonville State University – Jacksonville, AL 24) Kentucky Christian University – Grayson, KY 25) King University - Bristol, TN 26) Lander University – Greenwood, SC 27) McKendree University – Lebanon, IL 28) Minnesota State University – Mankato, MN 29) Savannah College of Art & Design – Savannah, GA 30) Southeast Missouri State University – Cape Girardeau, MO 31) Tennessee Tech University – Cookeville, TN 32) University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa, AL 33) University of Mississippi – Oxford, MS 34) University of North Alabama - Florence, AL 35) University of North Georgia – Dahlonega, GA 36) University of Tennessee – Knoxville, TN 37) Wallace State Community College – Hanceville, AL 38) West Virginia University – Morganton, WV 39) Young Harris College – Young Harris, GA
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beaver
14 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
TRAPPING FOR BEGINNERS BY D. STRICKLAND
When I was a small lad, I spent a great deal of time at my grandparents’ house. They lived in rural Ralph, Alabama, past an old artesian well at the end of a sandy road. I was told that past the old smokehouse and beyond the big oak tree there was “deep water and a dangerous swamp.” I was constantly warned by my grandmother to “Stay away from that creek, the snakes are big and you can’t swim.” In reality it was just a small creek down a steep hill just beyond the edge of the nearby forest. I remember sneaking to the edge of woods and peering down at the slow-moving creek. One day I noticed a furry, dog-like figure moving slowly on the surface of the water towards a mound of sticks. I turned and fled in terror as a sudden explosion of water cascaded into the air. I learned that the strange animal that caused such panic that day was just a beaver, and that sound was made by its large flat, muscular tail. Since that time I’ve lost track of the tail slaps directed at me. A beaver’s eyesight is poor, so they rely heavily on their keen sense of smell and excellent hearing. Their nose and small ears have flaps that close when they enter the water and their eyes have a clear membrane that protects them as they swim. Their loud tail splash is used to warn both the intruder and nearby relatives, but also can help the beaver locate an unseen predator. That leathery tail is an amazing feature and serves to help propel and steer beavers through the water. They also use their tail as a prop when sitting or standing as
they chew trees. It also stores fat to help them survive the harsh conditions in winter. Beavers are rodents and weigh about one pound at birth and between 45 and 60 pounds by maturity at four years. Beavers have been recorded to weigh in excess of 100 pounds and they can live more than 20 years. Their front feet have five fingerlike toes and their ability to grip and carry objects is excellent. Their rear feet are much larger and have webbing between the toes, similar to a duck’s foot. Each toe has a claw, but the second toe from the inside of both rear feet has a large double claw which is used to comb the fur and remove parasites. While combing its fur the beaver applies a water repellant oil which comes from two glands located under its tail. These glands are different from the larger castor scent glands that produce castoreum, a yellowish, strong smelling oil. Castoreum has been used as flavoring in foods for nearly 100 years and the Swedes actually drink a liquor made from it. Beavers secrete it on small mounds of mud and leaves around their territory and serves as a warning to intruders. They are monogamous but will choose another partner after the death of their mate. Historically, most Native Americans revered the once abundant hardworking beavers. There is even a Canadian tribe of Indians known as Tsattine, which means “beaver people.” 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 15
Beaver Trapping for Beginners
A conibear trap captures and quickly and humanely dispatches beavers.
16 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Beaver Trapping for Beginners
Our state’s native Cherokee population viewed the beaver as similar to the tooth fairy, and their young children made an offering of their baby teeth along with a song for good luck. Many tribal elders used the beaver as an example to teach the younger members about hard work and they even had a dance honoring the beaver. Most all tribes hunted and trapped beavers for their skins and food. They were hunted and trapped primarily in winter when their fur was thicker, but also occasionally in the spring for food. They used deadfalls, snares and even made netting which was placed over the exits of beaver huts to catch them. They also used fresh branches as bait and waited with bow and arrow or spear to collect them. They used the fur for clothing or trade and used the teeth in knife making. There were various taboos associated with beavers. Its head was never consumed and its head and leg bones had to be taken back to the water. One Ojibwa chief of the Temagami band described the beaver as the “Indian’s pork.” BEAVER TRAPPING IN ALABAMA Trapping these days is less about finding food or making money and more about removing a perceived nuisance. Currently in Alabama, if you are not being paid to trap and are not selling the fur or carcass, no license is required to eliminate nuisance beavers. This means a landowner can trap to reduce the beaver population on their property without buying a special trappers license. Unless someone is well versed in trapping technology and techniques, it is usually easier to hire a trapper to reduce any unwanted beaver-caused flooding on their property. Trapping an occasional beaver is not difficult. After buying traps some discover that beavers can become trap wary and discouragement can replace optimism.
BEAVER TRAPS I’ve learned a few things about traps and the habits of our local beavers. Beavers are creatures of habit and the trails they consistently use are fairly easy to spot. Where these trails enter the water is a prime spot to position either a conibear, foot trap or snare. Traps are generally classified as lethal or live, though some traps can be modified to work either way. The Conibear- This is a very powerful type of body hold trap that is designed to quickly kill even a large beaver. Extreme care must be exercised when setting the trigger and positioning the trap. This is positioned where a beaver is likely to walk or swim through it and is anchored in position with stakes on each side and a chain. Foot Traps- These are commonly positioned where a beaver’s rear foot is likely to step as it exits or enters the water and is also used around castor mounds and dams. The CDR 7.5 is an excellent model and is handmade in the US. It is often rigged to slide on a wire anchored in deeper water in order to drown it. Snares- Small diameter aircraft cable is most often used in the making of modern snares. The correct diameter is required and they are used in lakes and streams and even beneath ice. The self-supporting design I use are made in Iowa. They will catch the beaver around its body if properly set, and can be used as a live set or rigged like the foot trap with a drowning wire. Just remember that they must be touching water to be legal in Alabama.
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Beaver Trapping for Beginners
Cage Traps- These need to be well constructed and fairly large, with sturdy, locking doors on each end. A well-built cage trap that is made in the USA by Comstock is effective either on land or completely submerged under water. Hancock Style Traps - Another type, often used for relocation, is called a Hancock or Moro trap. It’s a wire mesh clamshell type trap that can be set to drown or for a live catch.
The cage trap is a top choice for live trapping beavers
BEAVER LURE Traps are placed to take advantage of terrain and natural or contrived restrictions on a trail so that a beaver is more likely to enter it. Traps can also be placed on a beaver’s hut or dam and in underwater channels made by a beaver. There are usually telltale signs of travel across their dam. You can also create a small break in the dam to create a place for a trap. One of the best lures is castor from another beaver that is placed on or near a trap. Another option is to position a trap where a fresh castor mound already exists. Beavers check these mounds often and serve to mark its territory. You can also create a trap site by making a small mound of mud and vegetation and placing some commercial lure on it. Trap suppliers sell many varieties of castor lure and usually the preference varies according to the region one is trapping. Some trappers cut a few branches of cottonwood, birch or any nearby favorite vegetation and dip it in their castor lure to stake near their traps. Because our neighborhood has lots of kids and domestic pets, I prefer snares because they are safer. Whether in the swamps or near neighborhoods it is extremely important to place traps in such a way
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Beaver Trapping for Beginners
that catching anything other than one’s target species is minimized. A commercial trapper is required by law to carry a choke pole in order to safely release any non-targeted animals. SETTING SNARES My favorite way to catch beavers is with a wire snare, but remember, Alabama requires all snares to be set in the water. An excellent snare to use is a self-supporting snare made from 1/16-inch aircraft cable. They can be purchased pre assembled from snareshop.com for about $25.00 a dozen. A snare’s loop must be the correct diameter to match the average size of the animal targeted, and must be suspended at the height an animal will step over the bottom of the loop. For a beaver the loop should be 10 inches set two-three inches off the ground. An excellent place to set one’s snare is where the trail or slide enters the water. The self-supporting snare is made with a length of 11-gauge wire attached to the snare loop. The end of the support wire is wrapped tightly around a piece of rebar driven into the ground at the edge of the water. A washer is usually welded to the top of the rebar to prevent the wire from sliding off. The stiff wire allows the loop to be precisely positioned and serves to restrain the beaver once caught. The snare loop is made so that as the beaver steps through the loop, it closes tightly. There is a small sliding tab that allows the loop to be drawn tight and not release. A .22 caliber is a good companion to quickly dispatch a live angry beaver. If trapping a few beaver seems like something you would like to pursue then I recommend not wasting either the fur or the flesh of our vegetarian rodents. There are many recipes for beaver, including the tail. They are considered quite tasty when barbecued and there is a good recipe for beaver stew that I might just try one day. Good Luck!
Snares are an effective and inexpensive way to trap beavers
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Trophy Bluegills How It’s Done BY ED MASHBURN
Small bluegills are easy. They are always hungry, they run in packs when they’re small, and they are not picky about what they eat. Just about anybody can catch small bluegills.
since that old world-record.
But big bluegills, and by this I mean old bumpy-headed copper nose fish of two pounds and larger are hard - really hard to find and catch.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Tommy Purcell, District 5 Fisheries Biologist for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Fisheries, shares some good information about seeking a trophy bluegill.
However, those of us who live in the South have some advantages when it comes to chasing after big bluegills. We have lots of water which hold big bluegills and our growing seasons are months longer than many places up north where the lakes freeze and the fish go dormant. We can go bluegill fishing in the Deep South year-round with good prospects of actually catching big fish. And remember, the world-record bluegill, which was almost five pounds, came from a small lake in Alabama a long time ago. Lots of other truly big ‘gills have come from Southern waters 20 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
But no one ever said catching big bluegills is easy.
“For the area I cover in southwest Alabama, I would recommend Escambia County and Monroe County Public Fishing Lakes for big bluegill,” Purcell said. “These lakes are fertilized to maintain high productivity which stimulates the base of the food chain and produces abundant forage for bluegill. Also, these lakes have good populations of bass which keep bluegill numbers in check and allow for good bluegill growth. The Mobile Delta has some great bluegill fishing, but competition from other species can keep maximum sizes lower than other bodies of water.”
FISHING
Light spinning rigs work well with the small lures and baits used for big bluegills.
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Trophy Bluegills- How It’s Done
There are few fish more attractive than a big bluegill.
22 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Trophy Bluegills- How It’s Done
Purcell pointed out that really big bluegills have mastered the ability to avoid predators and stay well fed. “Genetics can definitely play a part in it, but bluegills over a pound are rare, and two pounds extremely rare. They obviously have to live long enough to get big, so the ability to avoid predators is key, so cover and refuge from predators is also important. Reduced competition among other bluegills and having lots and lots of food are important,” Purcell said. Weiss Lake fishing captain and guide Lee Pitts has caught some very big bluegills through the years and he says that anglers should keep in mind the moon phase and concentrate on areas not fished by most anglers. “Moon phase (right after the dark of the moon is a good time) plays a big part, and I look for harder bottom and bottoms out in more open waters that are overlooked by other anglers and don’t get near the pressure,” Pitts suggested. “I have found a lot of times I can find good bream or shell cracker beds out in front and around cat tails. For some reason, the bottom is different.” BIG BLUEGILL LURES AND BAIT Bluegill will readily attack lures intended for largemouth bass, but big bluegills are limited in the size of bait or lure that they can take. “Even really big bluegill consume mostly small insects. The bigger ones will feed on small minnows and crawfish, but even big bluegill are limited by a small mouth, so they rarely take anything bigger than about
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an inch and half,” Purcell noted. One of the very best big bluegill live baits is somewhat hard to find, but if a bucket of small, less than two-inch long crawfish can be found, some big bluegill can be caught. Big “gills” love mini-crawfish, and a tiny mudbug dropped on a hook with just a split-shot for sinker in deep water can be irresistible for big bluegill. “Most of your bream fishermen prefer old-school worms and crickets and that is a great way to catch bluegills, but I found what helps me catch the bigger ones is to step outside the box a little,” Pitts said. “I have found the Bobby Garland Itty Bit plastic baits have been key to getting bigger bites. I use these baits on a 1/48 oz or 1/64 oz jig head on mostly four-pound test either tight lining or under a float.” These very effective lures for big bluegills are also the simplest. A mini-jig of about 1/32 oz to 1/16 oz with a soft plastic grub body fished very slowly just above the bottom can be very effective for fooling big bluegills. This tiny lure can be used with scent added or plain. An angler looking for big bluegills will have to sort through a bunch of smaller bluegills with this technique, but if trophy bluegills are around, they will bite a mini-jig. A very productive technique for fishing mini-jigs for big bluegill is to suspend the jig below a small bobber. This allows anglers looking for trophy ‘gills to keep a jig in the right strike zone for a longer period of time to allow the bigger fish to react to the lure.
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For more info on the events or CCA Alabama www.ccaalabama.org 251-478-3474 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 23
Trophy Bluegills- How It’s Done
Cast the jig and bobber out, let the rings on the water die away, and then gently pop the bobber with a rod jerk. If big bluegill are around, they will probably come eat the jig. RIGGING AND GEARING UP RIGHT Although just about any kind of rod and reel setup will work for catching small bluegills, when we’re going after the true trophy fish, gearing up right makes a big difference.
HOG RUSH “THERE WILL BE BLOOD”
Pitts likes to “go light” with good quality gear and stresses the importance of having a reel capable of handling strong fish. “I like the Lew’s 6 to 6 1/2 foot-rod with the Speed Spin reels in 50 or 100 series, and I spool this rig with Vicious four-pound Panfish line. I fish these rigs with either a tight line or with a float,” he added. Of course, for maximum fun with really big bluegills, anglers who can handle a fly rod can really have a ball with big bluegills. Big bluegills will eat standard fly offerings such as poppers and slow sinking flies, but anglers will have to work through a bunch of smaller fish to get to the big ones. When a truly big bluegill is hooked and played on a fly rod, the angler will remember that fight for a long time. STRATEGIES FOR OUTWITTING THE BIG ONES Although small aggressive bluegill are notorious for attacking any lure or bait which comes in their territory, bigger bluegill are a whole different beast. The key concept to keep in mind when fishing for big bluegill is keep the presentation slow. Big bluegill are cautious, and they are very hesitant to eat anything which doesn’t appear right. When fishing for big bluegills in spring and summer as they are bedding, anglers would do best to fish on the deeper edges of spawning areas. Bigger bluegill tend to bed deeper than the great majority of smaller bluegills. Cast the bait or lure on the deep outside edge of the bed and let the offering settle to the bigger fish. The strike of a big bluegill can be surprisingly light. Often a big bluegill bites is just a “tap” and the line comes tight. And again, if some mini-crawfish can be found, they are deadly when put before bedding trophy size bluegills.
THERMAL NIGHT
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Whenever big bluegill are the target, quietness is another important element. Big bluegill spook easily, and when they have been scared off a flat or a bedding area it may be quite a while before they come back. So anglers going after big ‘gills need to keep movement, noise, and vibration whether from a boat or from wading to a minimum. The little bluegills don’t mind disruption, but the big ones surely do. Pitts’s provides one last piece of advice in fishing for really big old “gills. “One other thing is key if you’re using a float, I have found the smaller the floats you use, the better results you have. For some reason, the bigger fish can see the shadow of the bigger float and it spooks them,” Pitts concluded. Important Contact Information Captain Lee Pitts Lee Pitts Outdoors 256-390-4145
24 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
334-430-8111
www.HOGRUSH.com
BY HANK SHAW Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Southern Fish Stew This stew uses a special seasoning blend common in the South called Cavender’s Seasoning. If you can’t find it, skip it or add some garlic and thyme. The final piece to this Southern fish stew is very, very Southern: Conecuh sausage. Those of you who know, know. For those of you who don’t, Conecuh is to Alabama as Taylor Ham is to New Jersey: A breakfast meat with a cult following. It is a proprietary recipe, and there is nothing exactly like it. That said, any smoked sausage you like will do. The result is a rich stew that gives you different flavor combinations at every bite. The fish is, as I mentioned, present, but not overwhelming. If you want a more seafood-y stew, I suggest adding shrimp and crab. Both would be great additions. You can also sub in homemade fish stock for the chicken stock to make it more oceanic. Prep: 15 mins • Cook: 45 mins • Total: 1 hour Ingredients
• • • •
3 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil 1 large yellow or white onion, chopped 1/2-pound fresh okra, sliced (or 1 cup dried) 2 teaspoons Cavender’s seasoning (optional)
• • • • • • • • •
1-quart chicken or seafood stock 1-quart water 1 cup crushed tomatoes 2 cups cooked hominy or other corn (canned or frozen is fine) 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas or butter beans (canned or frozen is fine) 1-pound Conecuh or other smoked sausage, sliced 2 pounds sheepshead or other fish, cut into 1-inch chunks 1/4 cup chopped chives or parsley Saltines (optional)
Instructions
1.
2. 3. 4.
In a large soup pot, heat the bacon fat over mediumhigh heat and sauté the chopped onion, stirring often, until it just begins to color around the edges, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the okra and Cavender’s seasoning and stir well. Sauté this for 3 minutes or so if you have fresh or frozen okra. If you are using dried, just mix it around a bit. Pour in the water, stock and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add salt to taste. Add the hominy, beans and sausage. Simmer, don’t boil, for 15 minutes. Add the fish and simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped chives and serve. If you want to bulk this up a bit, crush Saltines into the soup while eating. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 25
26 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
Six First Time Land Buyer Mistakes to Avoid
BY JOE BAYA
Owning land is the original American dream. Unfortunately, for many first-time land buyers there are some common mistakes that I see over and over again. When buying land, most first-time land buyers will begin the process by deciding whether to use land financing, first-time land buyer loans, first-time land buyer grants, and understanding what may or may not exist in first-time land buyer programs. In this article, we‘re going to dig into the first-time land buyer loan mistakes you‘ll want to avoid and give you some helpful tips on how to begin your purchase.
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FIRST TIME LAND BUYER MISTAKE #1 - NOT GETTING APPROVED BEFORE LOOKING FOR LAND When it comes to first-time land buyer loans, it is crucial that you use a lender who understands and specializes in all rural land types. John Matulia is a lender and relationship manager for Alabama Ag Credit in the Montgomery Alabama office. AAC is a borrower owned cooperative that services central and southern Alabama.
FIRST TIME LAND BUYER MISTAKE #2 – MISUNDERSTANDING INTEREST RATES When you start your land purchase process, that first phone call needs to be to a lender so they can grasp your financial picture and approve you for a loan. One of the variables in what you’ll be able to afford is the interest rate. These rates change frequently so it’s important to stay in touch with your lender to stay on top of the most up-to-date accurate interest rate options. At the time of my interview with Matulia (February 2020), interest rates for land loans were very attractive. “Our bread and butter product is typically a 20-year term with rates currently ranging in the mid to low fours. With a 15-year term an interest rate will be somewhat lower,” Matulia said.
I recently sat down with him on the Huntin’ Land Podcast and we did a deep dive on every mistake we‘ve seen in first time land buyer purchases. Matulia brings a unique perspective to land financing because he‘s also a former land sales professional. After earning his Agricultural Economics degree at Auburn University and before moving into financing, he specialized in the sale of large acreage rural land. Matulia believes that one of the most common mistakes he encounters is not getting funding in place before beginning a land search.
Matulia pointed out that one of the major differences between AAC and local or commercial banks is the potential for a patronage dividend which reduces a borrower’s actual effective interest rate. “Every borrower purchases stock, that stock allows them to receive a patronage dividend as declared by our board,” Maulia said. Over the past five years, the Board has declared close to a 1% payout, specifically for the past two years, it‘s been 95 basis points each year. We‘re really proud of our patronage program.“
“We‘re one of the first phone calls you should make once you start thinking about buying land.,” Matulia said. “Of all the mistakes folks make, one of the biggest they‘ll make is to not be ready. Then all of a sudden, they find that tract they wanted, and now they‘re trying to gather everything needed for their financing application, and they miss out on the opportunity. Even worse is as they get down the road they‘re not able to qualify for the financing.“ From a land sales professional‘s perspective, I have to second this. In 2019, I was working with a buyer who was looking for a parcel to hunt on and grow timber. I found the perfect tract based on the price range and acreage he wanted to be in, not even on the market yet, and it was a great price. I showed the tract to the buyer on Wednesday and I made him aware that it was a great deal and he needed to move quickly or he would lose it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have his financing in order, wasn’t sure exactly what he could afford and was uneasy about making an offer. That afternoon as I left the property, the neighbor saw my truck as I was closing the gate. That night, the neighbor contacted the landowner and
made an offer that she accepted. Not having his financing in order cost this first-time land buyer a beautiful hunting property full of nice timber.
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So, for us folks who don‘t speak in finance, what this means is that if you borrow at a 5% interest rate, you effectively borrow at a +/- 4% rate after the patronage is paid to you. It‘s not a guarantee, but I‘ve never heard” of any other banks that send their borrowers a check in the mail each year. Understanding interest rates is critical in determining how much land you can afford and goes hand in hand with mistake #1. Before beginning your land search, contact a lender who understands first-time land buyer programs and let them help get you ready to find your ideal piece of ground. FIRST TIME LAND BUYER MISTAKE #3 MAKING ASSUMPTIONS I see it all too often when I‘m working with a first-time land buyer. They come into their first purchase under many assumptions that, in most cases, are wrong or misguided. For example, many first-time land buyers think they can go cut trees on the property to fund the down payment, 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 27
Six First Time Land Buyer Mistakes to Avoid
and in most cases, this is not possible. That doesn‘t mean that there aren‘t other creative ways to finance a piece of land. “The best thing to do is pick up the phone and call us and talk to us. Even from the standpoint of interest rates and loan terms, we can customize options for you based on your goals and objectives for the property,” Maulia explained. “There are a lot of other options than just regular down payments and loan terms that you typically hear. Where we add value is, we really want to listen, and we want to know what your goals are. We may be able to show you something that makes a whole lot more sense than off the shelf financing.”
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FIRST TIME LAND BUYER MISTAKE #4 TOO MANY IMPROVEMENTS I can‘t tell you how many times I‘ve walked onto a property and seen camps, barns, and buildings where the owner spent way too much money in structure. Most first-time land buyers think that if they spent a dollar in construction, they‘ll get a dollar back in the eventual sale. Done correctly, this can be true, but it is definitely not always the case. This is a mistake for many reasons, but from a lender’s perspective, it makes it challenging to lend on such a property. Maulia weighed in on spending too much money on improvements. “We have to consider risk and, in the event of default if we have to take this property back, what obstacles could there be in remarketing the property? If there are too many costly amenities it could be difficult. A reasonably priced barn or cabin, folks want those things, it‘s just ‘over improved’ where it could become an issue,” Maulia said.
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FIRST TIME LAND BUYER MISTAKE #5 THINKING YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SURVEY I find that most first-time land buyers think they have to have a survey. I asked Maulia if he thought a property could be financed with doing a new survey.
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A versatile lure that is very effective in different water depths and conditions.
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Six First Time Land Buyer Mistakes to Avoid
“We do not always require a new survey. As long as there is a valid legal description and the closing attorney can insure that property and provide a lender’s/owner’s policy on that piece of property, we don‘t require one,” Maulia said. I always have that conversation and say, we don‘t know until we start doing title work, and our appraiser starts looking at what the description says. But that is probably one of the bigger misconceptions for my first-time land buyers that they think 100% of the time, we need a new survey. I would say probably only 25% of the transactions I have worked required new surveys.“ With today‘s technology and readily available GIS systems, if somebody is concerned about acreage, it can be estimated with a relatively small margin of error.
are not a cost but a significant value. That being said, I do not sell houses, unless they are on large tracts of rural land. If a homeowner comes to me and asks me to sell their residential property, I refer them to the expert residential agents that I know. The reasons for this are many, but from a lender‘s perspective, here is Maulia’s read. “If you‘re buying land, you typically see the property listed with a land professional. Often, based on the types of questions first-time land buyers ask me, I can tell if they have been working with a land professional. Land professionals have already addressed specific questions and issues before they‘ve gotten to me,” Maulia concluded.
Here is the scenario. You’re... paying $2,000 an acre on a large tract of land. Let‘s assume your margin of error equals $5,000 in terms of “lost“ acreage. If it‘s on the negative side to you, but the survey to confirm that it‘s going to cost substantially more than that, then you‘re probably not going to pay for a survey unless it is necessary to provide a complete and accurate legal description.
First-time land buyers should be excited about making their first purchase. There is a lot to learn, but the good news is that there are professionals who can help you along every step in your journey. If you‘re in the market to buy land, be sure to avoid the mistakes we‘ve covered above, and your first-time land purchase will be one you‘ll never regret.
FIRST TIME LAND BUYER MISTAKE #6 NOT WORKING WITH A LAND PROFESSIONAL Residential agents and residential mortgage companies are experts when it comes to buying and selling homes and I believe that in both cases you need to call a residential real estate professional. When you buy a home, your first call should usually be to a lender who offers residential products. For serious buyers, professional agents and lenders
JOE BAYA is the Editor-in Chief for Great Days Outdoors and co-hosts the Northwest Florida Fishing Report as well as the Huntin’ Land Podcast. He is a Land Sales Professional licensed in Florida and Alabama specializing in large acreage Timber, Agricultural, and Hunting Land.
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Alabama Hog Hunting
Tips and Tricks BY RHETT “HOOP” HOOPER
30 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
When it comes to wild hogs (feral pig), there is bad news and there is good news. The bad news is that hogs have become a major nuisance and their destructive rooting behavior and high reproductive rate is costing farmers and other property owners millions of dollars. The good news is that in Alabama there is no closed season or bag limits on hogs. That means if you are on private land you can literally hunt hogs every day. The other silver lining in the feral pig cloud is that if the meat is prepared correctly, they are excellent to eat. I am the owner and operator of Hog Rush LLC, located in Fitzpatrick, Alabama which is approximately 20 miles southeast of Montgomery. What started out as a passion for Hog Hunting with suppressed weapons and Thermal Scopes, developed into a full-time Hog Eradication business. When it comes to hunting hogs during the day or at night, here are some general insights and tips I’ve learned from harvesting over 5,000 hogs. WHAT FIREARM IS BEST The bottom line for firearm and cartridge selections can be pretty simple. If you hunt deer, your deer rifle will work just fine. It may not be the perfect fit but it will kill hogs if you place your shot correctly and stay within distance parameters specific for the caliber you’re using. Your .30-06, .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270 or even a 30-.30 has the velocity and power to bring down a wild hog. While I’m not a big fan of the .300 Blackout it can still take down a hog within 75 yards consistently. The effectiveness of the cartridge is really a combination of bullet weight, density, and velocity. A good hog cartridge needs to create a Temporary Wound Cavity much larger than the bullet diameter similar to a “mini-explosion” causing trauma and excessive blood loss. The thing to remember is that hogs are dense animals and their structure is different from a deer. The ammo that we normally use for hogs might punch right through a deer. The hide of a hog is like a firm rubber truck tire and has higher tissue density. This requires a bonded type projectile. Some mature boars can weigh upwards of 300 pounds and have a thick calcified “Shield” surrounding their shoulder and chest area. When high volume eradication is your goal, I suggest a semi-automatic rifle capable of using a picatinny mounting system as found on most thermal optics. The AR15 chambered in 5.56mm is more than adequate to kill a Hog even when shot placement is less than desirable. A 55 grain 5.56mm travels over 3000 fps. And will deliver the temporary wound cavity spoke of earlier even at distances over 300 yards. The 6.5 Grendel in an AR15 is also a great choice. My hopes are it will one day become a
NATO caliber so that ammunition will be more readily available. Another semi-auto platform, the AR10, will chamber larger case capacity calibers such as the .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, and .243 Winchester, but is an inherently heavier platform. Yes, they deliver more energy on target at farther distances, but they really do not add much effectiveness when high volume eradication is a concern. Most action happens within 200 yards as the thermal scopes generally have lower resolution. Connecting on running shots also requires most marksmen to be within this range. I zero in my rifles at 100 yards which covers close in shots out to about 150-200 yards. For daytime optics a 1-6 variable or even a 6 fixed power scope offers the ability to take close in or further out shots. A 3x9 variable is also a good choice. I prefer the 5.56mm because I have taken shots as close as ten yards and as far as 350 yards. I also like to have the ability to ground check a Coyote if needed and the 5.56mm has a relatively flat trajectory and decent energy with low recoil out to 300 yards. HUNTING TIPS For hog hunting either during the day or at night you need to remember that hogs don’t have sharp eyesight like deer, turkeys or other wildlife. Since hogs have monocular eyesight, which means they use each eye separately resulting in an expanded field of vision and they can see movement and even shadows, which is a consideration in night hunting. Since they don’t have binocular vision, they don’t have a good depth perception and can see color but not well. Also, since their heads are low to the ground that doesn’t allow them to see over ground cover On the other hand, one of a wild hog’s strongest suits is an excellent sense of smell. That sense of smell is what helps them sense underground food and faraway food sources. You always want to try to hunt with the wind in your face. Make sure to take along a wind checker. Worst case just throw up some dusty dirt in the air and see which direction it goes. I remember once I came upon some pigs that were rooting in the most awful smelling rotten soybeans you could imagine. The only way to approach them was from upwind. They caught my scent just before I set up to shoot and I was only able to take down two of them on the run as they disappeared into the nearby crops. Wild hogs hear and see similar to humans. But never underestimate their sense of smell. As for hearing, one night I found a group of hogs with the Hog Rush thermal rone, OVERLORD, near a feeder. We made our way to the field they were in and once we were in the area found that they had moved into the high cotton plants. I had my guests get set up while I ran a test spin on the feeder. The hogs immediately heard that familiar noise from over 50 yards and came running. Two were taken. While we’re on the subject of hearing, hogs will respond to grunts, 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 31
Alabama Hog Hunting Tips and Tricks
snorts and sounds that imitate a boar fight, but “here piggy, piggy” doesn’t work. I’ve added a requirement prior to hunts that simply states, if you imitate Elmer Fudd in the truck, you get put out.
from the hogs but you may from racoons. They are smart and you need a cage around the bottom to keep them from getting up into the spinning wheel and eating all of the corn.
You can buy a pair of inexpensive speakers and download a wild hog call app on your cell phone for a little bit of money and be in business.
Using “directional” feeders that you can mount to a tree or a post is a good idea as well.
Wild boar are mostly nocturnal like raccoons and mature deer. Especially during the hotter month, they will lay up in the shady swamps during the day and try to feed at night.
If you are on a budget and/or don’t have a lot of time to play with, you can set up a feeder in a known area for hogs and install a motion activated light. When the light comes on, be ready with your run of the mill deer rifle and try to take down a hog when they are feeding under the feeder. Usually a green light will not spook the hogs once they are used to it.
Find a food source or an area where they have done damage and put up a camera and find what time they are moving and to get a general idea of where they are coming from and going. Every place is different depending on the food source, water location, where the heavy cover is and dictate hog behavior. BAITING It is legal in Alabama to bait wild hogs on privately owned or leased land. Soured corn is a good bait but you can mix it with donuts and other things that have a scent. Tripod feeders for hogs can be tricky because the hogs can tip them over and dump out all the corn and destroy the feeder. If you rigged it so that it is anchored in the ground you probably won’t have any trouble 32 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
The key with hunting hogs is finding out where they are, getting familiar with the property and developing the rights setup. As the old saying goes, ‘Luck is when preparation meets opportunity’. For additional information on hog hunting from Hooper please see his articles, “Wild Hog Hunting: How to Hunt Hogs at Night”, “Selecting the Best Thermal Imaging for Hunting” and “Feral Pig Hunting – Tools and Tactics of the Trade” in past issues of Great Days Outdoors. www. greatdaysoutdoors.com
BY PRETTY KITTY
Recipe and images courtesy of Allrecipes.com
Sweet Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin This juicy, tender pork loin is wrapped in bacon and roasted with a sweet honey balsamic glaze. Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 40 mins • Total: 1 hour Ingredients
• • • • • • • • •
1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin Salt and pepper to taste 8 slices bacon 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons dry red wine 1 sweet onion, minced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons golden raisins
Instructions
1.
2.
3.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil. Season pork loin with salt and pepper. Wrap the bacon slices around the pork loin and secure with toothpicks. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the pork loin. Cook until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes, then place onto a roasting pan. Stir together honey, balsamic vinegar, red wine, onion, and rosemary in a small bowl; spread over pork loin. Roast the pork loin in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with raisins. Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the pork loin reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before removing toothpicks and slicing. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 33
This lunker speckled trout took a risk and decided to eat a tailed jig.
34 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Trophy Trout
Targeting
in may
BY PATRIC GARMESON, UGLY FISHING
In general, when I take anglers out on a guided fishing charter my normal day begins at 3:00 am so that we can be on the water with lines in by about 5:45 am. “Where are we headed captain?” and “what are we fishing for” are two common questions as my fishing customers get settled in on the boat. Just to have some fun with them, my response is often, “I’m not sure yet. I will see which way the boat wants to go.” Funning aside, if it is May then the speckled trout are chewing the rod tips off. Us diehard speckled trout fans wait all winter and well into spring to pursue these freckled fish who have finally gotten into the mode to eat just about anything that swims. The days are getting longer, water temperature is on the rise and the specs are fired up. From topwater lures to live shrimp on the bottom and everything in-between we can pick our poison for exciting speckled trout fishing when May rolls around to the Alabama coast LET’S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING AND THAT MEANS TACKLE. Speckled trout can weigh from a pound up to eight-pounds with potential to surpass double digits. The majority of keepers are in the one to threepound category generally measuring 15-22 inches. Whether you hope to take some fish home for dinner or fill your social media posts with big beautiful catch and release speckled trout you will want to have a suitable rod, reel and line combination. Rod and reel selection can be as complex or as simple as you wish to create. For customers I prefer a 7 to 7 ½ foot medium action spinning rod. It’s long enough to give you casting ability and the sensitivity to feel the action of the bait or lure. However, it allows you to handle any speckled trout or even a bruiser bull red or jack crevalle that could show up in your favorite speckled trout spot. While everyone has their own favorite brands of reels, the ideal choice is a 2000-3000 class reel with a decent drag and some guts, spooled with 15-40-pound test braid or 10-15-pound test monofilament. You can lace your reel with fluorocarbon but I prefer braid with a fluorocarbon leader. The lighter the reel the better as you will be making a lot of casts and it is easier on your arm. If you are concerned about reel
line capacity and are willing to take on a few more ounces of weight, step up to a 4000-class reel. I personally use 400 (4000 size) Lews Custom Inshore spinning reels due to the mega amounts of 20# Nano X-braid they will hold. If spinning equipment isn’t your game then I recommend a 200 class low-profile bait casting reel. Low profile reels have long been in the bass fishing game but only in the last 15-20 years have they entered the inshore fishing world. My personal favorite low-profile bait caster is the Lews Custom Inshore Speed Spool loaded with 20-pound Nano-X braid line and paired with a Lews seven-foot medium action casting rod. This setup or anything similar will be great for slinging topwater, Slick lures, Mirrolures or any other artificial bait. These set ups also work well for freelining live baits. The last rod and reel set up some anglers say is a must have is the old school round reel bait caster like the Abu Garcia or Shimano Calcutta. Many anglers like the round reels for slip cork fishing due to the large line capacity which is often required while slip cork fishing. WHERE TO FISH Under normal circumstances speckled trout will be moving out of the major and minor river systems and canals headed toward or already located throughout bays, sounds and gulf beaches. These speckled trout are in need of saltier water where they can have the most successful spawning. Once the water temperatures become stable above 72°F specs will be feeding heavily and searching for good spawning areas. Shell, rocks, grass, sand bars, natural and artificial reefs, docks, bridges and even natural gas rigs will all be great habitat for speckled trout during this time of year. All of these habitats will offer areas for specs to evade predators, provide hiding places for the speckled trout fry and offers an area for tasty baitfish to accumulate. Each type of structure or habitat will have its own characteristics and unique fishing tactics. Shell bottom areas are where saltwater is always present and water normally is moving because of wind and/or tide. My preferred shell bottom is eight feet deep or shallower. Since most of the Northern Gulf coast does not have much, if any, natural rock areas most rock structures are created by man, either as erosion control or habitat creation. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 35
Targeting Trophy Trout in May
Erosion control rock areas are usually visible above the water surface and rocks extend to the natural bottom below the surface. Habitat construction areas are usually created using brick-sized limestone rocks. These areas are normally constructed in irregular shapes with scattered mounds; these are usually found in areas 6 to 25 feet deep. Grass usually grows on flats hence the common phrase “grass flats”. Flats are usually eight feet deep or shallower. However, in and around Mobile Bay and the Mississippi sound most grass will be found in five feet of water or less. The sandbars we target in May will either be in or very near the Gulf. Sand bars do not have to be visible above the water surface nor provide navigational hazards to fishing boats. Generally, these sand bars could be two feet deep at the shallowest with five deep on one side and four feet deep on the other. Natural and artificial reefs are found throughout the nearshore and inshore waters along the northern gulf coast and most are either marked with poles or GPS numbers that are available to the public via the state marine resources website. While docks, bridges and gas rigs are all man-made structures, they share a couple of common traits. All three structure types have vertical support pillars, which in itself is a fish draw, and they may or may not have any hard bottom structure, some sort of cover that will attract and hold fish. For instance, most of the gas rigs in Mobile Bay have limestone bricks along the bays bottom which is a “double whammy” for attracting speckled trout. The bottom line is all of these structures/habi-
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tats can hold speckled trout.. WHAT TO FISH In May, early in the morning and late in the afternoon, my preferred method for targeting speckled trout is a topwater lure. Having said that I’ve found that specs will attack topwater lures at all times so if you aren’t getting action fishing other baits, give them a shot. Topwater lures do a great job at imitating mullet or pogies (menhaden) which are both high on a speckled trout preferred menu. We normally throw topwater lures around shallow water less than six feet deep but catching speckled trout on topwater middle of the day around a gas rig is not out of the question. Shallower areas with grass, shell, rock, docks or sand bars are all great areas for working an early morning topwater lure and I normally start out with a topwater in hot pink. Figuring out what to use can be challenging. My “core four” for speckled trout topwater lures include a Rapala, Heddon, Bomber and Mirrorlure baits. All of these lures are “walk the dog” style topwater lures but each have their own unique walk and sound. The Rapala Skitter Walk is a top “any condition” topwater lure and I’ve found the hot pink model to be a winner but any of them offering white bellies are effective. In the Heddon line, the Super Spook, Super Spook Jr. and the One Knocker are must as long as you include a hot pink, bone or any of the silver belly models. The One Knocker is the best allaround lure, the Super Spook is the best in choppier conditions or when
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Targeting Trophy Trout in May
Shallow water mid morning speckled trout caught on cool beans colored slick lure. Cool note on this picture is this speckled trout scarred from a recent close encounter with a bottle nose dolphin.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 37
Targeting Trophy Trout in May
Upper slot speckled trout caught late morning around gas rigs using slip cork and live shrimp
fishing around dense schools of mullet and the Super Spook Jr. is my favorite topwater when fishing in glass calm conditions. Bomber lures offer their topwater Badonk-A-Donk in two sizes with two different sounds. I prefer the high pitch four-inch bait in hot pink or silver mullet pattern, especially in dirtier or choppier water. My final preference is the Mirrolure She Dog because it is the noisiest of all topwater baits and can draw some explosive strikes when fishing in deep and choppy water. I typically tie on a silver black back, hot pink or the one I call Black Betty which is the chartreuse head black body She Dog model.
shrimp or soft plastic jigs like the Lil Slick are great options for locating hungry specs. Continue to focus on those areas six deep and shallower. The popping cork rig is one of the most effective catching fishing systems ever created for inshore fish like speckled trout and redfish. The “pop” of the cork perfectly imitates the sound of a feeding fish and the perfectly located bait of choice will initiate a strike. An additional benefit of the popping cork rig is that it can be easily and effectively fished by all anglers, regardless of their skill level.
In fishing topwater lures, I use the smaller quieter baits in shallower, calmer and cleaner waters. I go bigger and noisier as the water gets deeper, choppier or dirtier.
For my lure “purest” customers we will cut off the topwater lures when the bite slows down and switch to subsurface or “twitch” lures like the Mirrolure or the increasingly popular Slick Lure, rigged with a 4/0 Owner Beast TwistLOCK hook. Shallow diving stick baits or swim baits will work.
INTO THE DAY As the morning wears on, the topwater bite will usually slow down enough to look at other options. Popping corks with live shrimp, Vudu
The Slick Lure is my “go-to” after the topwater bite slows down. Working the Slick near shell, rocks, docks, grass or sand bars can be a great lure to entice a hungry speckled trout. While it is produced in numerous
38 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Targeting Trophy Trout in May
different colors and patterns, I find myself throwing the “Cool Beans”, “Cold Night” and greenie colors the most frequent but don’t overlook the extremely effective “B-Cat” and “Pink Passion” options.
THE FINAL CALL An ideal day for me while guiding for speckled trout would be to catch them all day long using a variety of methods and tactics.
As far as Mirrolures and other subsurface hard baits I prefer to throw either natural colors like olive, black or blue back lures with white bellies or bright lures in chartreuse or hot pink. Black back and orange belly lures are really effective as well in and around Mobile Bay.
From tossing topwater in shallow areas to using subsurface lures, popping corks or even freelanced live bait May is the ideal time to use a full range of methods to catch big speckled trout.
When fishing subsurface lures start off with slow presentations and slowly get faster and faster until you find a retrieval rate and cadence combo that gets a speckled trout’s attention. As I mentioned, speckled trout are not real picky in May and freelined live baits can be highly effective ways to target speckled trout. Using live finger mullet, pogies, croakers, shrimp or even sweet trout are all live bait options. A real advantage of using freelined baits is that your bait will naturally swim to areas where they would normally swim. For instance, a croaker will naturally swim toward the bottom, a pogie will swim in whatever zone it feels content and a mullet may swim on or near the surface. All the live baits are effective for speckled trout in water depths from zero to 20 plus feet deep. Occasionally anglers will need to add weight to the line to help keep a bait into the strike zone. Keep in mind that the smallest weight to accomplish this goal the more success you will likely have.
The final tactic I want to share concerns fishing over deeper reefs, rocks, docks or rigs. You can catch speckled trout on these structures eight feet and deeper at any time during the day but you may miss out on some other methods of fishing if you start your day off fishing in deeper water. Deeper water speckled trout fishing often involves the use of live bait like shrimp, croakers or pogies and a slip cork rig. The slip cork is a highly effective speckled trout catching set up. When fished properly a slip cork should drift at the same rate as the current. For best results anglers should position their boat up current from the structure you wish to fish. Simply drop the bait over the side and free spool the line until the cork stands up then pay out the line off your reel by hand to maintain only a small belly in your line between the rod tip and slip cork. When the cork goes under the water you will want to engage the reel and tighten line quickly to get the hook set. Whether it is topwater lures, subsurface, shallow or deep water or freelining bait, May is the perfect time to catch speckled trout on Alabama’s Gulf Coast and connected waterways.
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850-832-2238 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 39
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BY HANK SHAW Photos by Holly A. Heyser
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp So, for those of you who are not familiar with New Orleans BBQ shrimp, this dish might seem confusing. After all, it’s not, strictly speaking, barbecue. Couple funny things about this recipe. Although its origins are in an Italian restaurant and it calls itself barbecue, it’s really neither. New Orleans BBQ shrimp is deeply, intensely CreoleFrench. The only real connection with BBQ sauce is that this sauce hits the same notes: spicy (but not too much), sweet, salty, tart, rich. Just like a good barbecue sauce does. I’ve also heard tell that this sort of BBQ sauce as we know it now was not universally known until the 1970s, two decades after this sauce was invented. My recipe for New Orleans BBQ shrimp is based on my friend John Currence’s recipe in his excellent book Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey, which is well worth your money if you like Southern food. Prep: 30 mins • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 1 hour Ingredients
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1 to 2 pounds shrimp, with the shells (and heads if you can get them) Salt 3 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil
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2 shallots, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 lemon, sliced into rounds 1 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional) 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup chicken or shrimp stock 3 tablespoons heavy cream 4 to 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions 1. Peel the shrimp and remove the heads, if you have them, and set them aside. Devein the shrimp with a paring knife and salt the shrimp lightly. Set them aside. 2. In a sauté pan or sauce pot, heat the bacon fat over medium high heat. When it’s hot, add the shallots, garlic and shrimp shells and heads. Sauté, stirring often, until the shrimp shells turn pink and the shallot is translucent. 3. Add the pepper, lemon, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, Creole seasoning, wine and stock. Bring this to a boil, then drop the heat to a simmer and reduce the mixture for about 15 minutes. Strain it, moving the liquid to a wide sauté pan that will fit all the shrimp. 4. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it roll for 2 to 3 minutes. You ultimately want this to be a glaze, but you still need to cook the shrimp without overcooking them, so you’ll need
CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN
5.
to use your judgment; the shrimp typically need about 3 to 5 minutes in the pan, maximum. So when the sauce just barely leaves a trail when you run a spatula through the middle of the pan, add all the shrimp and toss to combine. Keep the shrimp moving in the sauce until it is syrupy, then turn the heat to its lowest setting. Stir in the heavy cream until it’s well mixed. Now, one tablespoon at a time, swirl in the butter. Add the parsley, toss to combine one more time, and serve at once with rice, grits or bread.
Classic Fish and Chips This is a recipe for a classic beer batter and fried potatoes. I typically make this with leopard shark, halibut, walleye, cod or catfish, but you can also use seafood like shrimp, calamari, oysters or clams. I use waxy potatoes like Yukon gold for the chips; I find they hold together better in the hot oil. Make sure your fish is fresh, your batter is cold, and your oil is hot. Make the chips first and keep them in a warm oven. Oh, and make more than you think you need. People love well-made fish and chips more than they think.
Instructions
1. Salt the fish and set it aside at room temperature. Get your 2. 3. 4.
5.
Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 40 mins • Total: 1 hour Ingredients
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2 pounds skinless, boneless fish Salt Oil for frying 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds 1/2 cup self-rising flour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt About 1/2 bottle beer
6.
oil going: You want it to be 350-360 degrees. Turn the oven to the “warm” setting, and put a cookie sheet inside. Place a wire rack on top of the cookie sheet. Mix the flour, vegetable oil, salt and beer together, stirring all the while. You want enough beer in the batter to give it the consistency of house paint, or melted ice cream. Put in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes. While the batter is resting, slice the potatoes and put them into a large bowl of cold water. When you are done slicing, remove the potatoes and pat them dry with a paper towel. The oil should be hot by now. Fry the potatoes, a few at time, for 3-5 minutes, or until they start to brown at the edges. Don’t cook them until they are uniformly brown or you will overcook them; they will continue to brown a little out of the fryer. Salt each batch the moment it comes out of the fryer. Store each batch on the wire rack in the warm oven. When the potatoes are done, take the batter out of the fridge. Dredge the fish in the batter and let the excess drip off for a second or two. Lay each piece gently into the hot oil. Do this by letting the bottom end of the piece of fish fry for a second or so in the oil before you let the whole piece get a bath. This helps prevent the fish from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Keep a chopstick or something similar around to dislodge any pieces that do get stuck. Fry in batches until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes depending on how large the pieces are. Keep each batch in the warm oven while you finish the rest. Serve at once when you’re done.
Note: Serve with lemon, beer and a sauce of your choice. Tartar sauce is a good idea, but remoulade is also good, as are aioli and the traditionals -- malt vinegar and Tabasco.
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Camphouse Kitchen
Venison Steaks with Caramelized Onions and Mushroom I use larger venison steaks for this recipe: red deer, elk, caribou or moose, but it works with regular venison backstrap. Maitake mushrooms are available in bigger supermarkets, but if you can’t get them, regular button or cremini mushrooms work fine. Please take the time to caramelize your onions. It’s what really makes this dish.. Caramelizing onions takes a while, just go with it. And they keep for days in the fridge.
2.
3.
Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 20 mins • Total: 40 mins Ingredients
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1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided 3 onions, peeled and sliced from root to tip Salt 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 teaspoons honey (optional) 1 pound venison backstrap Porcini powder (optional) 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, ideally hen of the woods a/k/a maitake, sliced 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley Dandelion leaves (optional, for garnish)
Instructions 1. Start by caramelizing the onions. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and toss to coat. Cover the onions, turn the heat down and cook slowly, stirring once in a while. You are looking for them to slowly soften and brown, not scorch on the edges. After 10 minutes or so, 44 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
4.
5.
they’ll start to get soft. Sprinkle salt over them and let them cook some more. When they are just starting to brown, add the thyme and honey. Cook until they are a nice brown. Remove and set aside. The onions can be made in advance. While the onions are cooking, take the venison out of the fridge and salt it well. Let it come to room temperature the whole time you are cooking the onions; this is especially important if you are using elk or moose backstrap, which is thick. When the onions are done, wipe out the pan and add the remaining butter. Pat the venison dry with a paper towel and sear it over medium-high heat, turning it to make sure all sides are well browned. Use the finger test for doneness (See notes, below) to determine when to take it out of the pan. Let the meat rest on a cutting board. If you have some, roll the venison in the porcini powder as it rests. While the venison is resting, put the mushrooms in the pan and turn the heat to high. Sear the mushrooms until they release their water; this might not happen with hen of the woods. When the water has almost boiled away or when the mushrooms begin to brown, add some more butter and sauté hard until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Salt them as they cook. Once the mushrooms are ready, add back the caramelized onions and the parsley and toss to combine. Heat through and put some on everyone’s plate. Add the dandelion leaves if you are using them. Slice the venison into medallions and serve.
Note: The porcini powder I roll the venison in adds a lot of flavor -- you make it by buying some dried porcini and blitzing them in a coffee grinder -- but if you want to skip that, I won’t be mad at you.
Camphouse Kitchen
Lowcountry Chicken Bog Lowcountry chicken bog is one of those Southern rice-andmeat combinations that share origins in both West Africa and Spain. You may know chicken bog’s more familiar cousins, jambalaya and perloo. What makes chicken bog a bit different is hinted by the name: It’s a wet dish, stewy rice as opposed to fluffy rice. The key here is the broth. You make a nice broth that you cook the chicken, strain it, then use that to cook the rice in. And while yes, this is chicken bog, you can use pheasant or grouse, rabbit, quail, or turkey. Stick to white meats. As for the sausage, you want a smoked sausage of some sort. My favorite is Conecuh. It’s not a South Carolina thing, it’s from nearby Alabama, and it’s wonderful stuff. Andouille, kielbasa or any other mild, smoked sausage will work. This is a great one-pot meal for a Sunday supper, and you can make it a weeknight meal if you have leftover chicken and premade chicken broth. Prep: 2 hours • Cook: 40 mins • Total: 2 hrs 40 mins Ingredients OPTIONAL BROTH • 1 whole chicken, or 2 pheasants, about 3-4 pounds total • 1 yellow or white onion, chopped • 2 ribs celery, chopped • 4 cloves garlic, smashed • 1 sprig rosemary (optional) • 1 sprig fresh thyme (optional) • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
CHICKEN BOG • 2 tablespoons butter • 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 cups long or medium-grain rice • 1 quart chicken broth (homemade above, or store-bought) • 1-pound smoked sausage, cut into coins • 3 tablespoons chopped green onion • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Instructions BROTH 1. To make the broth, you can either cut the birds into serving pieces or keep them whole. Either way, submerge the birds in water and bring it to a simmer. Skim any scum that floats to the top. Add salt to taste, then the remaining broth ingredients. Simmer very gently for 2 hours. 2. Remove the chicken or whatever meat you are using, and strip the meat from the bones. Set aside. Strain the broth into a large bowl or pot, through a strainer that has a paper towel set inside it; this strains out debris. Reserve the broth. CHICKEN BOG 1. Heat the butter in a heavy, lidded pot that can cook 2 cups of rice in it. Add the onion, cover the pot, and cook, stirring once in a while, until the onions are just turning brown -about 10 minutes. 2. Add the rice, shredded meat and the garlic and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the smoked sausage and the broth you just made, or if you are using pre-made broth, add 1 quart now. Stir well, cover the pot and drop the heat to low. Cook gently until the rice is done. 3. When the rice is ready, add some broth to make the dish a bit soupy, then stir in the green onions and parsley.
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NEW GEAR BY WILLIAM KENDY
Rinehart Goes Big with the New Big Jim Deer Whitetail Target
The new Rinehart Big Jim whitetail target is crafted with lifelike sculpted features with a solid FX Woodland foam construction and a replaceable foam core. Measuring almost three feet high at the shoulder and close to four feet long the durable Big Jim can take whatever the strongest and fastest bows can dish out and is ray and weather resistant. Suggested Retail Price: $299.99 www.rinehart3d.com
Weston Vacuum Sealer Extends Frozen and Refrigerated Food Life
The Weston Professional Advantage vacuum sealer can extend the life of frozen meats for up to three years and vegetables for almost two years. Sealed and refrigerated fruits can last for up to two weeks and cheese for as long as four months. The Weston Advantage can seal bags up to 11 inches wide and offers four separate modes and an easy-to-use control panel. Suggested Retail Price: $199.99 www.westonbrands.com
See the Light with the HEADSPIN Convertible Lighting System
The HEADSPIN Outdoors convertible lighting system includes lighting modes allowing users to turn the light off and on, adjust intensity and activate flood, spot or flash mode. The system includes the light, headlamp mount, flashlight mount, rail mount, wall-changing station and is equipped with a magnetic base for easy attachment to your boat or any metal surface all housed in a tough and portable case. Suggested Retail Price: $135.95 www.headspinoutdoors.com
Leave the Boring Camp Food at Home
Stryve beef Bilton is an all-natural lean but tender meat snack from South Africa and is perfect as a “pick-me-up� on any fishing, hunting, camping or outdoor adventure. Stryve Bilton offers 50% more protein than beef jerky, contains no sugar, nitrates or preservatives, is gluten free and Paleo and keto friendly. It is available in original, hickory, zesty garlic and spicy peri peri flavors. Suggested Retail Price: $6.99 www.stryve.com
Cook and Charge Off the Grid
The BioLite Campstove 2 burns small amounts of wood and twice and generates a hot enough flame to not only cook your dinner but also charge your cell phone and other electronics. Weighing in at only 2.06 pounds the Campstove 2 can boil one liter of water in 4.5 minutes and produce three watts of power. It hosts an on-board battery, LED dashboard, aluminum legs and more. Suggested Retail Price: $149.95 www.bioliteenergy.com 46 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
NEW GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN
Athletic shoe agility meets rubber boot utility
The Lacrosse Alpha Agility was designed to move you much further and much faster thanks to its lightweight, flexibility, and comfort. It begins with premium hand-laid rubber over 5mm of naturally insulating neoprene, so you know they’ll be waterproof and durable. And of course, our signature adjustable gusset fits any size calf snugly and securely. Now available in Mossy Oak Greenleaf pattern. Suggested Retail Price: $130.00 www.lacrossefootwear.com
Gamakatsu Announces New Octopus Outbarb Circle Hook
Tests have shown that when an outbarb is combined with the Garmakatsu’s circle hook design it results in deeper penetration and a higher hoot retention rate. Garmakatsu’s new Octopus Circle Outbarb hook is 1X-strong and perfect for techniques like jigging, chunk baiting and bottom fishing. It is available in NS Black in sizes ranging from 3/0 to 12/0 and packs of 3, 5 and 6. Suggested Retail Price: $4.52 to $6.86 www.Gamakatsu.com
Spyderlok Rod Pod Offers Solution for a HandsFree Single Rod Hold
The Spyderlok Rod Pod design keeps the rod in place with secure locking angles and it swivels a complete 360 degrees and 180 degrees vertical for ultimate versatility and adjustability. It features anodized aluminum construction, a low glare finish, stainless steel hardware, a durable rubber boot to protect the rod handle, easy two knob removal and no tools required for use. Suggested Retail Price: $89.99 www.millenniummarine.com
St. Croix Mojo Bass Glass
Available for both spinning and casting, the St. Croix Mojo Bass glass rods offer sensitivity, balance and backbone and are 15% lighter than previous models. They feature super-premium 100% linear S-Glass construction making for strong, lightweight rods. They feature Kigan 3D guides with slim, strong aluminum-oxide rings and black frames and other highquality components and deliver top performance and the variety of models cover the bass waterfront. Suggested Retail Price: $140.00-$160.00 www.stcroixrods.com
HatsanUSA Introduces Escort .22 LR Bolt Action
The Escort 22LR is available in a Turkish walnut stock and another in a black, synthetic stock. It sports a hardchrome finished steel receiver with a 24.8-inch threaded barrel. It comes mounted with sling swivel studs and has a grooved receiver for optics and comes with a five and ten round magazine. The synthetic model’s stock has a magazine store lot. Suggested Retail Price: N//A www.escortshotgunsusa.com. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 47
Snapper Anglers Get to Fish Memorial Day Weekend
Alabama is known worldwide for its red snapper fishing, and it just keeps getting better. For the first time in several years, Alabama’s recreational saltwater anglers will be able to catch and keep red snapper on Memorial Day Weekend. Thanks to an extensive effort by Governor Kay Ivey, Senator Richard Shelby, Congressman Bradley Byrne and others in Washington as well as the work of the Alabama Marine Resources Division (MRD), regional management of the red snapper fishery became a reality this year.
BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council passed Amendment 50 last year to allow the five Gulf states to manage each state’s red snapper fishery, and the Secretary of Commerce made it official with his signature earlier this year. During the previous two snapper seasons, the Gulf states operated under an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), which allowed temporary state management for the 2018 and 2019 snapper seasons. The success of state management through the EFP provided the needed justification by the Gulf Council and Department of Commerce’s NOAA Fisheries to approve a permanent solution through Amendment 50, which will allow Alabama and the other Gulf states to manage the red snapper fishery into the future.
48 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
MRD Director Scott Bannon announced in March at the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board meeting that Alabama’s potential 35day red snapper season will start May 22, the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, earlier than the traditional June 1 starting date. The season will for the first time include a fourday weekend for snapper fishing, which will be Friday through Monday. The Department added Mondays to our traditional weekend season in response to many requests from anglers who wanted more weekday access. The Monday fishing days will allow anglers to head out into the Gulf when the boat ramps and public artificial reefs are less crowded. Alabama’s success with red snapper management is directly tied to anglers’ compliance with the Red Snapper Reporting Program, otherwise known as Snapper Check. Although we at the Department won’t be satisfied until we have 100% compliance with Snapper Check, the reporting rate by snapper anglers has continued to rise and this past season’s reporting was the highest yet. The two years under the EFP provided proof that Snapper Check, which allows for almost real-time harvest data, is crucial to ensure that Alabama stays within its quota.
FROM THE COMMISSIONER Alabama has only three percent of the shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico, but because of our state’s great history as the top destination to catch red snapper, our red snapper quota is 26.2 percent of the total catch for the Gulf. The reason we have such great red snapper fishing is because Alabama’s unparalleled artificial reef zone provides ample access to anglers who can easily catch a limit of two red snapper with a minimum length of 16 inches, weather permitting, of course. I am passionate when I get to talk about the artificial reef zones and the artificial reef work we have in Alabama. When I go places and tell people that Alabama has the largest artificial reef program in the world, I see a surprised look on many faces. Many people don’t realize what a great coastline we have in Alabama with its white sand beaches, not to mention the great fisheries we have inshore, nearshore and offshore. Our world-leading reef zones encompass more than 1,100 square miles of artificial reef habitat with an estimated 15,000 individual artificial reefs deployed off the Alabama coast. These feature a variety of reef structures, including ships, barges, bridge rubble and other reefs constructed specifically to enhance marine habitat. I remember vividly the Gulf Council meeting in Orange Beach when the result of our extensive reef work was recognized by NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Director Dr. Roy Crabtree, who acknowledged that the red snapper fishery is rebounding at a much faster rate than expected. “The recovery of red snapper has been very robust,” Crabtree said. “There’s no evidence that it’s not going to continue. It’s a remarkable success story.”
During the 2018 season, the first under the EFP, MRD set an optimistic private recreational season of 47 days. What transpired during the 2018 season was an enthusiastic group of anglers was blessed with ideal weather conditions and the harvest rate far outpaced expectations. Because MRD was able to monitor the harvest through Snapper Check, the season was trimmed to 28 days to ensure that we did not exceed the quota. During the 2019 snapper season, the weather reverted to more normal patterns and the harvest rate reflected that several days were lost to inclement weather. Thanks to Snapper Check, MRD officials were able to add three weekend extensions to the 2019 season to come as close to the quota as possible without going over. The Alabama quota for the 2020 snapper season has been set at 1,122,662 pounds and increased compliance with Snapper Check is crucial to stay within that limit. Remember that red snapper must be reported before the fish leave the water, either on the way in from the trip or at the dock before the fish are off-loaded. That also includes fish caught by anglers who otherwise might be exempt from having a fishing license. The easiest way to comply with Snapper Check is to use the Outdoor AL smartphone app. It takes 30 seconds or less. Also, don’t forget that anglers who fish for reef fish off the Alabama coast are required to purchase a Reef Fish Endorsement. Visit www.outdooralabama.com/saltwater-fishing/saltwater-reef-fishendorsement for a list of fish species the endorsement covers. Snapper Check allows MRD to actively monitor the harvest rate, while the Reef Fish Endorsement provides needed funding to continue red snapper research so Alabama can remain the best place to hook one of the premier species in the Gulf.
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!
CALL FOR PRICING & QUANTITIES DISTRIBUTED BY:
Liquid Food Plot Fertilizer Plus Calcium
Clark’s Plot Nutrients is a true liquid fertilizer that is designed to not only provide fertilizer to your food plot, but also supply calcium. Calcium is vital to the development of deer antler growth and egg shell strength in turkeys.
ENDORSED BY:
Chris & Kelley Grantham Elba, Alabama
334-233-2687 ALFandSupply@gmail.com www.alfandsupply.com
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 49
The Golden Eagle Project
The Nongame Wildlife Program focuses research on many fascinating critters in Alabama.
BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)
Alabama offers diverse habitats for numerous wildlife species, including the bald eagle and the golden eagle. While most people know bald eagles occur in Alabama, few are aware the state has a wintering population of golden eagles. Unlike bald eagles, golden eagles are closely related to hawks and winter in Alabama’s forested ridgelines, foraging along small forest openings abundant in their primary food source which are small mammals and carrion. Due to their preference for forested landscapes, golden eagles are rarely sighted while bald eagles can often be seen soaring over open fields and water. As its name implies, the golden eagle has a patch of bright gold on the back of its head and nape, with a black beak, dark brown body, and brown feathered legs all the way down to the tops of its feet. Immature bald eagles are often misidentified as golden eagles, as they also have a black beak and dark brown head and tail, but if one pays close attention to key characteristics, it is possible to differentiate the two. Juvenile golden eagles have a solid white patch underneath each wing and the base of the tail, while juvenile bald eagles have a spattering of white underneath the wings. An
50 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
immature bald eagle will also appear to have a piebald, mocha, or even cream-colored stomach as it goes through various white-belly plumages before reaching maturity, whereas golden eagles’ bodies remain dark as they age. It is also important to consider the time of year that the bird is seen. Golden eagles only occur in Alabama during the winter while bald eagles can be seen year-round. Although very elusive, golden eagles have been a longtime occurrence in Alabama with records dating back to the early 1900s. For a period, it was believed that these individuals were a part of the western population, but in the 1930s researchers identified a separate population of golden eagles that primarily winter and breed in eastern North America. Golden eagle sightings in Alabama have increased over the years. By 2011, 110 golden eagle sightings had been recorded from 36 different counties in Alabama. In 2012, the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division Nongame Wildlife Program partnered with 15 other states to monitor golden eagles throughout the Appalachian mountain range using game cameras baited with roadkill deer.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Since the implementation of the golden eagle project, 19 camera stations have been monitored throughout the state, and we have acquired more than 30,000 eagle photos from eight of those sites. In conjunction with the game camera surveys, 19 eagles have been captured and tagged with cellular transmitters within the state. Currently, eight transmitters are still active and three of those birds were tagged this past January. Each year, these eagles make tremendous journeys, traveling anywhere from 1,700 to 2,200 miles from their breeding sites in Canada to their wintering sites in Alabama. In early November 2019, five of the eight eagles actively being tracked with transmitters began their long trek back down to Alabama, but it wasn’t until mid-December that one showed up on camera. The first to return to Alabama was “Coosa,” a female tagged in January 2019 at Talladega National Forest. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 51
OFF-SEASON
WING SHOOTING In Alabama, You can hunt crows 12 months a year!
Sometimes a wing shooter wants to sharpen his skills but shooting clays or skeet just doesn’t get his adrenaline going. After all, “it’s just not the same” as live birds. There is a great alternative however. In Alabama, it is open season on crows all 12 months of the year since they are not classified as a game bird. Crow hunting can be exciting, fast-paced and a great way to keep your wing shooting reflexes at a high level during the off season.
BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney
modified choke and have stayed with a pump or autoloader since then for crow hunting. Today’s hunters are much better off when they buy a shotgun because of the minimum of three choke tubes that come with most shotguns making it easy to change chokes in the field. Crow hunting beginners tend to over-choke their shotguns much to their detriment. A modified or improved cylinder choke tube will handle most situations hunting over decoys. If pass shooting crows, a more powerful load such as the Federal Premium Hi-Bird 12 combined with a full choke are desirable.
FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION Any shotgun can be used for crow hunting but some will be better than others. I started hunting crows in my teens and the only shotgun I had at the time was a 20-gauge double barrel choked improved cylinder and modified. It worked. Soon, however, I realized a autoloader or pump action would be better to use because of greater shell capacity and crows may come in larger numbers and shooting can be fast. Also, a 12-gauge with its larger shot capacity would be of benefit also.
When calling crows, field loads or high velocity loads can be used to hunt crows with field loads being the most popular among crow hunters. Number 6 shot is probably the most popular size but number 7 1/2’s or 8’s will do the job also.
To that end I purchased a 12-gauge, Ithaca PumpAction shotgun with a 26-inch barrel, and a fixed
CAMO AND CONCEALMENT Never underestimate the eyesight of a crow.
52 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
THE GUN RACK some of your full bodied decoys in the trees around your set-up as well placed on ground within gun range in front of you. Motion decoys, whether wind powered or battery powered, add movement and realism to your spread of decoys. For best results, use a motion decoy as part of your stationary decoy spread. A FEW TIPS Take a dove stool in case you get tired standing in your blind. A limb trimmer or machete will be helpful to remove any limbs around your cover that could restrict your shooting. Bring plastic bags for your hulls and dead crows. Carry your decoys in a camo decoy bag or pack. Arrive early (pre-dawn) and watch how the crows start their day. If possible, set up in areas of lower growth, such as corn, brush, young pines for instance, rather than tall trees which seem to keep the crows flying higher. Be ready to shoot as soon as you start calling since the crows usually respond very quickly to calls. If you decide to crow hunt regularly, regular scouting will help you be more successful as their habits can change like other game. If you hunt land where you have garnered permission, always thank the landowner for the opportunity. Seriously don’t do it! Crows have remarkable eyesight and are quick to spot you if you are not wearing camo clothing including facemask and gloves. The facemask and gloves are particularly important since those are the body parts moving when you are shooting at the crows. Cover of some type is equally important. It could be no more than backing into some tree branches. If your shotgun doesn’t have a matte or camo finish, use some camo tape to cover the bright bluing or high-gloss stock finish. If you hunt turkeys or ducks, the shotgun you use for those birds will be great for hunting crows. CALLS AND CALLERS Hand calls are easily carried, in-expensive and easily mastered by most anyone. Constructed of hardwood or plastic, they use a metal or plastic reed to create the sounds. Calls with a movable reed as opposed to a fixed reed allow you to tune the call from a lower pitch to a higher pitch which could make a difference when calling to younger or older birds. Crow calls are inexpensive so it is a good idea to carry another call or two with you in case of a call failure. Electronic calls have progressed from portable phonographs to cassette recordings to today’s chip based digital callers which operate on batteries. Digital callers allow the hunter to combine his mouth call with the recorded calls to create a very versatile and effective way to bring the crows into range. DECOYS Stationary decoys, made from plastic, are full bodied and very realistic but may be cost prohibitive to some when you may need 12 or more decoys to have a realistic spread Realistic full bodied decoys are the most durable and easy to set up quickly. Sometimes having an owl decoy to set out with your crow decoys is just the ticket to generate some fast action. Be sure to put
Shotgunning for crows is a lot of fun and a great way to improve your wing shooting skills. Also, it is a great way to introduce a youngster to wing shooting before bird season in the fall.
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4500 Hwy. 77 · Southside, AL 35907 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 53
Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
“Bull” redfish are a fairly common catch from the beach piers in May.
“In May you just never know what will happen (or swim by) next.”
BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton
THIS MAY BE IT? Of all the months of the year along the “Emerald Coast”, May usually offers the most to shorebound anglers. Our spring weather is often outstanding, with a full slate of fish species available to keep folks guessing what will swim by or bite their line next. Coastal water temperatures rise through the 70s to 80 by the end of the month. This makes for more comfortable wade fishing and gets the fish more active. Many fish species are spawning this month, gathering in large schools that provide bait and catches for eager anglers. The beach pier fishermen are well occupied by opportunities from cobia, jack crevalle, king and spanish mackerel, redfish, bluefish, flounder, little tunny (“bonita”), ladyfish (“skipjack”), and blue runner (“hardtails”).
54 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
There is also the element of ‚surprise‘ as near shore pelagics may visit at any time. It is not uncommon to see dolphin fish (“mahi”) caught this month, or occasionally even a blackfin tuna or sailfish, or tarpon. And every now and then something really unique happens; like the pygmy sperm whale (about 30 feet long) that swam by Navarre and Pensacola Beach Piers on May 11th, 2004. Even huge ocean sunfish (“mola mola”) may venture by the piers briefly, along with the ‚usual suspects‘ like dolphins, sea turtles and huge rays. In May you just never know what will happen (or swim by) next. Unfortunately for long term vacation planners to the Gulf State Park Pier, the same can be said for their fishing prospects this month. At press time, still no definitive plans or
FISHING OUTLOOK dates have been announced about possible closures to refurbish the deteriorating pier deck and facilities. We will just have to wait and see. Trusting the planners will make the best decisions available to them and hoping that won‘t interfere with your plans. Meanwhile in Navarre Beach, replacement of the pier deck (started in mid-February) should well be completed by May. So, there is another option available to resourceful anglers, especially those willing and able to make the drive. Historically speaking, May is a great month for pier fishing from Panama City Beach Florida east to Gulf Shores, Alabama. This is particularly true in Alabama, where speckled trout invade the surfzone in the spring before moving up into the estuaries as salinity and water temperatures gradually increase. Pier anglers, as well as those in the surf have ample opportunity to target speckled trout with live bait or lures. While live shrimp is the bait of choice from the pier and jetties, but they can also be caught wade fishing with a variety of lures. Topwater plugs are a favorite for calm, early mornings. At that time trout may be shallow, near the beach in just a few feet of water. Later as the fish move deeper with increasing sunlight, topwater lures are replaced by sinking twitch baits and swim baits that cover more of the water column. Anglers should do well along drop-offs where the deeper water falls to the 5 to 10 foot deep range. Shoaled areas along both sides of the Fort Morgan peninsula and Dauphin Island are ideal for this type of fishing.
out of the surfzone and offshore to spawn. The ¾ ounce pompano jigs are still quite popular for beach fishing. But the tandem Doc‘s Goofy jig or Silly Willie rigs can be even more effective at times when pompano get ‚finicky‘. Sometimes just tipping the jig with a sand flea or piece of peeled shrimp and dragging it along the bottom will entice those stubborn fish to bite. Besides pompano, these anglers can expect to catch occasional redfish, black drum, bluefish, ladyfish and even flounder. Again, you just never know what might bite! Such a variety of species and venues make May such a special time all along the coast. And when you add in the usually very pleasant mild weather and clear water it‘s easy to see why this month has become a favorite for many anglers as they get away to the beaches and enjoy their great days outdoors.
Catching trout limits has been common and should be even more so this year with the tighter creel and size limits in place. Alabama anglers are now allowed to retain six speckled trout in the 15” to 22” slot, with one trout over 22” allowed each day. Flounder also become more numerous this month as they move from the deeper gulf waters toward the beaches and bays to spend the warmer months. They can be caught (at times) from any of the beach piers by anglers using live bull minnows, live shrimp or on a variety of jigs. The “Old school” method was to simply use a ¾ ounce white jig with a strip of fresh LY, mullet or stingray belly bounced along the bottom around the pier pilings. But a tandem combo of Gulp shrimp (one weighted and one unweighted) can be even more effective. Along the gulf beaches anglers can find flounder along those same drop-offs they might target speckled trout, redfish and black drum. Flounder also have tighter restrictions now, so be sure to check the regulations for the area you are fishing. As well, each beach pier has slightly different rules to keep the peace and provide for the safety of and best possible experience for their angler clients and sightseers. Some piers will not allow certain types of fishing activity at all. Such as no trolleys, float fishing or overhand casting. Or may allow some activities along certain parts of the pier like no sabiki fishing on the end, no snagging, no bottom fishing between the lines. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with these rules, especially if you are ‚new‘ to the sport or haven‘t been to the pier in a while. The rules do change sometimes. Also be familiar with certain ‚unwritten‘ rules of etiquette for each pier. Anglers should almost ALWAYS cast perpendicular to where they are standing to minimize crossing others‘ lines and not ‚tie up‘ rail space. There is room for all as long as everyone is working together. MAY BE THE BEACH IS YOUR THING? Anglers fishing from the gulf beaches can still target pompano. Not just with ‚set rigs’ but casting jigs and moving along the beach. This method can be especially productive this month as more pompano are moving
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 55
Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook
A monster Red Grouper on live bait for Team Aquatic Charters out Panama City, Fl Photo courtesy of Capt. Harris Scruggs
With the spring/summer transition coming to an end, May‘s longer days and warmer waters lead to great action with a variety of targets both inshore and off. ALABAMA Alabama anglers expectations are often high this time of year and for good reason. Surf fishing will be in full swing, with pompano, whiting, redfish, flounder and speckled trout making up the bulk of catches for those throwing both baits and lures. BY CHRIS VECSEY
Just off the beaches, trolling action with Spanish and king mackerel should be red hot. Pulling spreads of diving plugs, cigar minnow/duster combinations and spoons will keep rods bent. Look for birds and feeding fish on the surface as well as bait schools on your depthfinder. Trolling over artificial structures will also produce mackerel.
56 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Many anglers will head further offshore to tangle with wahoo, mahi and other pelagics around areas such as the Nipple, Spur and Steps and others will be heading to platforms beyond the shelf with yellowfin tuna on their minds. Subscribing to a good satellite imaging provider like Hilton‘s Realtime-Navigator removes the question of „where?“ in terms of the best conditions. Alabama anglers fishing inshore will be seeing spots and dots with May being one of the best months for redfish of all sizes and big speckled trout. Capt. Mike Peek of Reaper II inshore Charters primarily runs out of Orange Beach, but will follow the fish wherever they take him. “My main focus will be on grass beds and shallow structures through the month. Finding potholes, troughs and working sand edges is a key to success when fishing grass flats. Prime
FISHING OUTLOOK structures will consist of drops and pilings in two to six feet of water,” Peek said Peek fishes both live and artificial baits while covering these areas. “I‘ll start using more croakers, mullet and other larger baitfish choices along with suspending and topwater lures.” If you want to catch fish, then it makes sense to fish where the fish are, and biting. That frequently means changing boat positions and even the whole angling game plan. On calm days, Peek will often move outside of protected water and run the beaches. “I‘ll work inside troughs between the sandbars for pompano, speckled trout and redfish. I‘ll use suspending twitchbaits and pompano jigs and live bait with croakers and other baitfish. When the water is clear enough, you can sight fish the larger specks in those troughs just off the beaches,” Peek noted. MISSISSIPPI May is a big month for anglers fishing Mississippi’s inshore waterways. From the marsh to the barrier islands, there are plenty of opportunities with various species. Captain Kyle Johnson of Coastal Waters Outfitters in Biloxi pays close attention to his logs from past seasons along with current water temperatures to choose the right pattern and right targets. “The water temperatures have been slightly above average for the past couple seasons which has altered the normal time frames and patterns. We’ve been seeing tripletail and cobia earlier and the speckled trout and bull redfish bite around the barrier Islands has been red hot sooner than usual,” Kyle pointed out. “May is prime time for hitting the barrier islands by boat and by wading. I like to fish a falling tide off the beaches and focus on variances in the bottom like troughs and drop-offs. I like to have baits that cover the full water column and prefer lures with larger profiles.” Johnson talked about a variety of different bait and lure choices but his top three picks are large topwater lures, suspending and floating twitch baits like the Mirrolure DD and four-inch swimbaits like the Vudu Shad. “I like to have baits that cover the full water column and prefer lures with larger profiles,” he said. To and from the barrier islands, Johnson keeps an eye out for floating debris and crab trap buoys that may hold tripletail.
Although bottom fishing will make up the bulk of his May trips, Harris will pick up pelagics like king mackerel, cobia and others fairly regularly. “With the large bait schools that are showing up, you can always expect good numbers of mackerel along with them.” Mahi and wahoo will also make showings through the month and are often picked up while trolling weedlines or on driftlines while bottom fishing. Harris also says May is a great time for sight fishing schools of bull redfish just off the beaches or around the inlets. Regardless of boat size or location, May offers plenty of chances for all Gulf anglers.
Important Contact Information Coastal Waters Outfitters Captain Kyle Johnson 228-669-3553 www.fishcoastalwaters.com Reaper II Inshore Charters Captain Mike Peek 251-233-1461 Team Aquatic Charters Captain Harris Scruggs 850-532-5458 www.teamaquaticcharters.com fishtalquin@gmail.com
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“I keep a rod rigged with a Vudu Shrimp for tripletail opportunities“ says Johnson who credits his largest tripletail catch to the lure. “For cobia I like a variety of lures and jigs but my favorite is a large, pink bucktail with a white curltail. I keep these rigged at all times.” FLORIDA PANHANDLE Florida and Alabama anglers will have a lot of the same opportunities this month and often share many of the same fishing grounds and many of them will spend a lot of time hitting bottom. “Amberjack, grouper and vermillion snapper are my main targets. I‘ll start out my trip by loading up on live baits and also use fresh dead baits like bonito strips. I will fish spots in a wide range of depths, from 100 to over 350ft,” says Captain Harris Scruggs of Team Aquatic Charters based out of Panama City.
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457 Dauphin Island Parkway “At the Loop” Mobile, AL 36606 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 57
TANDEM KAYAKS CAN TWO BE BETTER THAN ONE?
Hey Dad- this kayak is fun! Let’s do this again!
For many kayak anglers, the ability to take someone else, a buddy, a spouse, or a younger kid along on paddle fishing adventures seems like a very good idea. Tandem kayaks, that is, kayaks designed and built to seat two people safely and comfortably, make these double-up kayak trips possible.
are still quite usable for car-topping use with easily mounted car roof top kayak carriers. In fact, having two people to load and unload a tandem kayak can be much more effective than one person struggling with a single.
A number of kayak manufacturers build and sell tandem kayaks, so finding a tandem paddle-boat isn’t hard.
Of course, in addition to being larger and longer than singles, tandems are more expensive when purchased new. Here’s a comparison of current popular single vs tandem kayaks. Wilderness Systems makes some great kayaks. Their Tarpon 120 single kayak sells new for about $959. Their Tarpon 135 Tandem will set a buyer back $1,159.
Although single and tandem kayaks are basically the same kinds of boats, there are some differences that potential tandem users need to be aware of.
BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
CHARACTERISTICS OF TANDEM KAYAKS Both single and tandem kayaks offer some great opportunities for fishing use, and both singles and tandems are pretty easy to load and transport. Tandems tend to be longer and heavier than singles, but they
58 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Hobie sells their pedal-drive Mirage Compass fishing kayak for $2,099. The Mirage Compass Duo runs $3,249.
PADDLE FISHING So a tandem kayak will cost a buyer more than a single, but keep in mind that one tandem will cost considerably less than two singles. If getting a couple of folks on the water and fishing at the lowest cost is a consideration, a tandem might be the best call. Now, to be honest, the worst kayak I ever tried to paddle and fish from was a horrible tandem kayak my wife and I thought we’d like to spend time in. This particular tandem was heavy, hard to paddle, and very difficult to maneuver. This tandem was so difficult that when it was stolen off the porch, I didn’t even report it as stolen. I kind of feel bad for the fool who took it. However, most modern tandems are much better than that awful old tandem, and most tandems are in fact very nice boats for paddling and fishing. Perhaps the best kind of tandem kayak is one that can be converted quickly and easily from single to tandem. I have an old Kajun Custom sit-on-top kayak that comes with a removable front seat so the boat can go from a first-rate single fishing kayak to a two-seater in just a few moments, and it’s a very good kayak for fishing use. GOOD FOR FISHING? Tandem kayaks can be quite effective fishing craft if the anglers involved understand the limitations of two people fishing from one kayak. First, it is hard for both anglers to fish at the same time from a kayak. Most of the time, one angler, usually the one in the back, will be responsible for control and placement of the kayak for the person in front to do the fishing. If the person in back is good with this, it can be a lot of fun.
anglers, usually the one in front, can cast to good cover. The paddler not fishing can hold the kayak in position or slowly move the boat down the shoreline. This can be extremely productive. Tandem kayaks are great for situations where the angler in back is experienced and has a bit of knowledge and the person in front is a beginner in the kayak fishing game. This allows the beginner to get advice, direction, and in some cases recovery from errant casts from the more experienced person in back. This is a much safer arrangement for kids when they’re just learning to fish from a paddle boat. Also, the paddler in back can help re-rig and get a less experienced angler back in the game when hang-ups and lost lures and bait happen. Sometimes in the paddle fishing world, two can be better than one.
Important Contact Information Kajun Custom Kayaks gaines@kckayaks.com Wilderness System Kayaks 888-525-2925 www.wildernesssysems.com/us Hobie Kayaks www.hobie.com 1-760-758-9100
Tandems can go basically anywhere singles can go, so the fishing locations for tandems is not limited, and two paddlers can move a kayak a long way if they can paddle together and coordinate their efforts. A tandem kayak can be very good when it comes to fishing deeper structure, too. As the boat handler keeps the kayak in position over the reef or the log or whatever is below and holding fish, the angler in front can present a bait to the fish and not have to worry about keeping the kayak in position. This can result in some big fish being caught. Tandem kayaks can be good when used to fish around docks. Shooting small jigs up under docks can best be done from a low position which is what a kayak offers and a tandem can be slowly and silently moved along the dock structure so the lure can be put before unaware crappie. A pair of anglers in a tandem kayak can really mop up on crappie holding under dock structure. Also, a tandem kayak can be very good when a big fish is hooked and needs to be landed. The angler in front can handle the rod and keep things under control while the person in back works to safely lip or net the big fish and get it aboard or prepared for in- the- water release. Some big bull redfish in the Gulf and some large bass in heavy-cover lakes have been safely landed and released from a tandem kayak that I’ve been involved with. BEST USE FOR TANDEMS Probably the best use of a tandem kayak for fishing occurs when the pair of anglers work the kayak slowly down a shoreline so one of the
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 59
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
ALABAMA WATERS
LAKE WILSON/PICKWICK LAKE Both Lakes Wilson and Pickwickthese lakes will be hot for cats throughout the month and they will be feeding heavily in the days leading up to spawning. Fish can be caught from 2 to 70 feet of water this month depending on where you want to fish. To locate shallow fish, check out logjams in cuts along the main river bank on both sides of the river. Logs stack in the backs of these pockets and cats seek their cover for spawning. “I fish these areas by rigging spinning tackle with 14 lb Vicious mono and a 3/0 Mister Twister Keeper red worm hook. I place a 1/16 or 1/8 oz sinker about 8 to 10 inches under the hook creating a dropshot rig,” says fishing guide Captain Brian Barton. Cast your bait up against or just under the floating logs and hold steady keeping a tight line. Worms, shrimp, shad, and skipjack all work well with this application. For larger fish, seek out 15 to 40 feet of water in the mid to rear potions of sloughs on the south end of the lake. Fish will be on top of and along river ledges as well as the tops and backs of humps and mounds in the river channel. Blues will be staging heavily at the base of Wilson Dam this month. It’s not uncommon for local anglers to catch 50 to 75 fish each day along the tailrace. Eddy pockets and any slack water areas downstream of the dam are likely to be holding cats. “A favorite spot of mine this month is to fish the knees of cypress 60 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
As crappie leave the beds, anglers can find them on spider rigs in open water.
trees from Seven Mile Island downstream to the Sinking Creek area,” Barton shared. Channel cats will often load up in droves under these trees for spawning. I cast worms, prepared baits, or chicken livers underneath the trees to catch the fish.” SIPSEY FORK The trout bite at Sipsey Fork will, as always, be weather related, and if typical spring weather occurs, a caddis fly hatch will come off in May, and also lots of terrestrial bugs, especially ants, will be on the trouts’ menu. Randy Jackson from Riverside Fly Shop points out that toward the end of May going into June, the first mayfly hatch should come off, and these will be larger mayflies. Dry fly fishing should be quite good. Anglers can target the size of trout they seek by focusing on different parts of the river. Up close to the dam, the oxygen levels are higher and there are lots of smaller bugs, and the trout tend to be smaller and somewhat easier to catch. As anglers move downstream away from the dam, the trout tend to get larger, more like wild trout, and they eat larger bugs. At any point along the river, anglers can expect to catch trout from nine to sixteen inches long, with the bigger fish farther downstream. If the skipjacks come up to the dam in good numbers this year, they should still be around in May, and they are loads of fun to catch on flashy, fast-moving flies.
FISHING OUTLOOK To make trip planning easier for anglers, the generating schedule for the Smith Dam is posted every day on the Riverside Fly Shop website, or a call to the shop will provide current conditions. LAKE EUFAULA The topwater bite for bass at Eufaula should be very good in May. The frog bite in particular should be good. Fish around the grass and other growing structures. Don’t be afraid to throw a weedless frog into the roughest cover possible and keep in mind that some big bass will be up in the shallows. According to Captain Sam Williams from Hawk’s Guide Service, at Eufaula in May, bass anglers need to start each day with gold colored lures. For whatever reason, Eufaula bass seem to prefer gold colored lures. Crappie can be very good in May at Eufaula. Anglers can find the slabs with small jigs in a wide range of colors. Start with chartreuse and then work other colors to see which color the crappie prefer on particular days. It’s always a good day to go catfishing at Eufaula, and May is one of the best months for catfish. Big chunks of cut bait fished on the bottom where feeder creeks run into the main lake are great spots to find some big cats. WEISS LAKE “May is about the tail end of crappie spawning, and this means that we’ll be shooting deeper docks as the crappie pull off their shallow water spawning waters and head out toward deeper open water,” says Captain Lee Pitts who specializes in crappie and bass fishing. For about two weeks in May, the crappie will be stacked up under certain docks. Anglers may have to look around a bit to find the best deep docks, but when located, the crappie will be thick For bass anglers at Weiss Lake Pitts tells us that May is the kickoff of a great spinner bait bite and is the time when the top water bite really gets going. The bank grass at Weiss along the shallows will hold lots of bassand Pitts points out that anglers can catch bass just about anywhere on topwater lures- especially soft plastic frogs. There will be hot jig and trailer bite on the grass, too. Pitts recommends the Gene Larue Wheeler Punchout Craw as a trailer on jigs. In May, bass anglers can’t go far wrong by fishing very shallow water. The bass will be found in water much shallower than most anglers think possible. When the trolling motor starts throwing up mud, the angler is getting in good territory for Weiss Lake bass. LAKE GUNTERSVILLE According to Captain Jake Davis from Mid-South Bass Guide Service, in the middle and later parts of the month, the shad will start their spawn, and this really gets the bass feeding. Throwing light colored willow leaf spinner baits over the flats where the shad gather to spawn is a good bet. Bass will be found on the main channel docks, and emerging grass beds will be places to find bass on the feed. For the top water bait, anglers can try buzz baits or Spooks. Throw over emerging grass or along weedlines for good top water action. The middle sections of the lake should be very good. The Goose Pond area can be hot in May. Crappie will be back in the deeper creek mouths, and anglers looking for some real light tackle fun can find big shell crackers bedding up on deeper hard bottom areas and shell banks.
MILLER’S FERRY Crappie will be out of bedding areas and in five to twelve feet of water. Crappie can be caught on Road runners and tube jigs vertically jigged around stumps and other wood cover according to Dunn’s Sport Shop’s Joe Dunn. Many of the crappie will be taken on drop-shot rigs baited with live minnows out on the main river channels. Trolling the larger creeks will produce crappie in May if the angler uses live minnows and jigs.
Using stink bait and pond worms, anglers can expect some good eating size catfish. Work water in six to twelve foot depths for best catfish action in May. Bass at Miller’s Ferry will be off the beds by May, and anglers should look around shallow grass with spinner baits. Major lake channels will be hot for bass when fished with crank baits and soft plastics on Carolina rigs. A key point for Miller’s Ferry anglers looking for success is to try and plan trips around moving water. When the dam is releasing water and there’s some current in the lake, the bass just bite better. Anglers can call the Miller’s Ferry powerhouse at 334-682-4896 to get water release schedules for each day.
FLORIDA WATERS
LAKE TALQUIN Bream fishing will be very good as the bream really get going on the spawning beds in shallow water says Jeff DuBree of Whippoorwill Sportsman’s Lodge. For both bluegill and shell crackers, anglers who throw Beetlespins on light tackle will have success. Live crickets always work for bream here. Working the bream on full moon times can be very effective.
“The bass will be post spawn in May, and there will be some schooling action. Bass anglers will want to fish main lake points early and late. The bass will move into deeper water in May, and anglers can catch them on crank baits and jigs if they work the sandy points,” DuBree said. The white bass in Talquin will still be scattered, and anglers can look for diving birds which will show where whites are chasing shad in open water. Make a quick run to the birds and throw shad-look lures into the feeding area, and the whites will respond. Catfishing on Talquin will be good in May. Using stink bait and pond worms, anglers can expect some good eating size catfish. Work water in six to twelve foot depths for best catfish action in May. APALACHICOLA RIVER SYSTEM Some good tips for May fishing in the river system comes from Tony Poloronis of Outcasters Bait shop in Apalachicola. “First, a lot of the saltwater fighters such as redfish, trout, and flounder will be making their way up the river past the town of Apalachicola, and freshwater anglers should not be surprised to find these fish taking lures and bait sent for freshwater fish,” Poloronis advised. Poloronis said that that bass anglers will find some good bass near cover using soft plastics, spoons with some flash, and especially 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MAY 2020 61
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
Important Contact Information Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy 43, Thomasville, AL Captain Sam Williams Hawks Guide Service 334-687-0400
What could be nicer than springtime and fishing for crappie?
Snagless Sally spinners. These should be worked close in. If an angler can find some large minnows or shiners, the bass will jump all over them. Shellcrackers will still be on the beds in places in the backwaters, but many of the big bream will have pulled back to deeper open water. Live worms are good when fished near the bottom. SEMINOLE LAKE Catfish anglers can fish drop off sand ledges where the catfish will collect in ten to twelve foot water after their spawning is complete. All kinds of live bait and prepared stink bait will work on the cats in May. “Bass fishing is good. The fish are mostly post-spawn with some fish still spawning. There is also a shad spawn going on all over the lake. Target main lake grass lines with a ½ oz. Buddha Blade in sexy shad- the new one with serrated blades puts out more flash and seems to attract more strikes,” says Seminole Lake fishing guide Captain Matt Batty. “Also, a 3/8 oz. Buddha Bait buzz bait in white with silver blade works well for early morning top water shad spawn bites,” he added. There are also fish suspended in the timber in Spring Creek. Use a Lowrance Down Scan to locate schools of bass suspended next to stumps in the creek. A good bait to catch the suspended bass is a five-inch Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad in pearly shad pattern.
62 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Brandon Jackson/ Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 17027 Hwy 69N Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 Riversideflyshop.com Captain Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.leepittsoutdoors.com Captain Brian Barton 256-412-0960 brianbartonoutdoors.com Captain Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 msbassguide@comcast.net Jeff DuBree Whippoorwill Sportsman’s Lodge Lake Talquin 850-875-2605 fishtalquin@gmail.com Captain Matt Baty 229-726-0153 bassinboots@yahoo.com Tony Poloronis Outcasters Bait and Tackle 631 Hwy 98, Apalachicola, Florida 850-653-4665
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PHOTO of the MONTH Peggy Weinzirl with her Lowndes County 8 Point taken Jan 2020
Brenton Godwin with a very nice pier fishing caught cobia.
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Maddie Maddox, 4, with her first fish, a 1lb bass caught at a friends private pond where she caught four more that day
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Clayton Kilpatrick 13, got his 1st turkey in April in Walker County, AL. Clayton was shooting a 20 gauge Remington 1100. The tom weighed about 20lbs, 10” beard and 1” spurs
Haven Godwin, 15, with a keeper pompano.
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FISHING TIP
May is Bream Month on Lake Wilson
BY: BRIAN BARTON May is the best month of the year for bream fishing. While I concentrate on Wilson Lake for big bluegill and shellcrackers, fish can readily be caught all month from most north Alabama reservoirs and lakes. Most spawning activity occurs three days before to three days after the first full moon in May or April if the full moon is after the 25th. Best locations for bedding bream are pea gravel or chirt banks along the main lake or major feeder creeks. Shoals Creek, McKernan Creek and Town Creek produce nice shellcrackers and gills. In the main lake look for gravel bars on flats that drop quickly into deeper water. One of my favorite spots where bream bed every year is along a main lake shoreline where my boat sits in 65 feet of water while I’m casting into two to four feet of water. Bream like the quick access to deep water to avoid predators.
The presence of wood or grass is not necessary for good bream bedding areas but it’s always a bonus. Bream will bed in openings in weed beds and along the outside edges. Many times spawning will take place on the leeward side of a log jam. As far as baits and lures go, keep it simple. For baits my preference in the following order are: red worms, mussel meat, cut up minnows, crickets, and shrimp. For lures go, if a black/yellow Baby Beetle Spin or 1/32 ounce black, yellow, or pink hair (Maribou) jigs won’t catch them they ain’t biting. Always use the lightest gear possible. Ultralight tackle with sixpound test line or smaller is the best choice. Captain Brian Barton 256-412-0969 brianbartonoutdoors.com.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2020 73
A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS
The Sun Also Sets You can have fun at night watching other outdoorsmen when fear strikes. For instance, I once camped under an oak tree with a fellow who jumped every time an acorn fell on the tent. I’m sure my grabbing his arm and screaming had nothing to do with it.
BY JIM MIZE
Darkness settles on outdoorsmen like a cloak of dread. Whether you’re wandering in the woods looking for your truck, trying to reassemble your outboard by starlight, or driving tent pegs as the moon distances itself from the horizon, the view is the same; you couldn’t spot a bear in a blaze-orange vest. Worse yet, deep down, you have a hunch the bear can see you.
Fearful tales make good conversation amongst the rugged. Most outdoorsmen have a near-miss story, even if their greatest danger was being trampled by a scared friend. And they were probably running from some creepy crawler conjured from their imaginations for just that purpose. I’ve discovered that we need not invent things to fear; there’s plenty of real stuff to worry about. One nocturnal nemesis that’s always concerned me is the skunk. Shuffling about panhandling for whatever they can grub up, skunks occasionally wander into places they shouldn’t, as do you. The only difference is that they don’t pay a cover charge.
Outdoorsmen court fear, inviting it on themselves by taking up sports that leave them outside at night.
An old wives’ tale claims snakes like to curl up next to campers at night. This is totally unfounded. How could anyone prove what a snake likes?
We’re uncomfortable outdoors at night partly because we’re taught to be afraid of the darkness in childhood. Around the campfire, my childhood friends told me so many scary stories about the bogeyman that I wondered why we moved into his neighborhood. Probably because the housing prices were lower.
Bears certainly rumble around after dark, popping lids on garbage cans and scooping up leftovers around campgrounds. Maybe that’s why bears look so overweight; in pitch blackness, they couldn’t possibly read the nutritional labels.
If you have one worry-wart in the crowd, you’ll also soon discover that fear can be as contagious as an outbreak of kissing disease on the Love Boat. In too many instances, your nervous sidekick not only invites disaster, he gives it a road map. On a canoe trip before dawn, who wants a wiggly partner? Just as you’re about to gig a frog, who wants to have the light swing 180-degrees when a twig snaps? And if you’re in a tight squeeze trying to come up with a game plan as a large carnivore growls only feet away in a dark thicket, the last thing you want is someone behind you dousing you with Worcestershire.
Perhaps even more intimidating are all the night noises. Either the woods are full of nocturnal critters or one of them owns a really nice stereo system. Of all the pursuits that place you outdoors after dark, the most common is probably camping. Here we confine ourselves within the tent’s walls, all the time secretly hoping that whatever shows up is allergic to mildew. Even the things campers say to each other at bedtime can trigger a nervous reaction, like the phrase, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Up until then, they probably hadn’t even thought about bed bugs. Perhaps fear is the reason most campgrounds are laid out in circles. In fact, some of those
74 MAY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
new tents sort of resemble covered wagons. Many campers unconsciously stoke their campfires at bedtime, like an all-natural nightlight. This never reassured me; I always wondered what would happen if my sleeping bag caught fire. About the worst thing to happen while camping at night is to see a spider in your tent, then when you turn to grab a shoe to squash it and turn back, it’s gone. And you can never find them. I think spiders do this on purpose. Toss in a rainy night and the camper’s imagination kicks into high gear. Drips sound like footsteps; campfires sputter and burn dimly. All it takes is one suggestion and you’re ready to check into the Bates Motel even if Hitchcock himself greets you at the counter. Still, some night-time pursuits beg for more trouble than others. Take frog gigging. Frogs inhabit pond edges as do every other nocturnal creature that stings or bites. In shallow water after dark, I’m more nervous than a possum in a used car lot. Finally, over the years, I’ve found there is a cure for the discomfort fear brings. I’ve grown more comfortable with the night having discovered I can put other people’s fears to good use. You see, the night-time is the right time for pranks. My favorite is to tie a fishing line to a bush on the edge of camp, keep it out of sight on the ground, and then shake the bush whenever my buddies go near it. You can set back twenty years of toilet training with this trick. Given time, the outdoors can feel just like home. The key is to convince yourself there is nothing outdoors to fear but fear itself. Well, that and buddies who believe in getting even.
JIM MIZE Jim Mize has a lot of buddies who would like to get even. You can find his award-winning books of humor at www.acreektricklesthroughit.com
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