Montana Hunting & Fishing News - October 2019 issue

HUNTING & FISHING OCTOBER 2019

The Key To Successful Shooting...

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Photo courtesy Eric Voris

3 Tips For Overcoming Fear In The Backcountry By Eric Voris

Late To The Game Outdoors www.latetothegameoutdoors.com

o one likes to talk about it (or even admit they’ve N experienced it), but it’s real…very real! Something about hunting and the outdoors tends to bring out our most

puffed-out-chest, manly-man, I-can-handle-anything versions of ourselves, and so we minimize those parts of us that feel like we can’t handle anything. And because of that phenomenon, no one wants to talk about how frightening it can be to find yourself alone in the backcountry.

All by yourself, not another human for miles, just you and whatever you can’t see out there in the dark…I don’t care who you are, some part of you is going to be afraid.

I’ll never forget the first time I ever went truly solo on a backpacking trip…let’s just say that after the sun went down, I was anything but manly. (If you want to hear the story, you can watch me tell it below…trust me, it’ll make you feel much better about any fear you may have dealt with). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bt5c-6dkRs.

Now, that story happened on my first solo trip into the backcountry…surely, as the years have gone by and I’ve been on plenty of solo excursions, that kind of thing doesn’t happen anymore, right? Doesn’t the fear eventually just disappear? Well, you would think so, but I have found it likes to linger for a while. And since there aren’t a ton of people talking about this stuff, it can catch a guy totally off-guard when he gets out there for the first time. I’ll never forget the heart-breaking email I got from a guy who poured months of planning and money into his first-ever solo hunt, got out there the night before opening day, and had an intense wave of anxiety wash over him that had him back at his truck driving home that very night.

Listen, I’ve been there, and I don’t judge anyone who finds themselves in that boat. Fear and anxiety are very real, and they drive us to do things we don’t necessarily want to do (honestly, that’s why God built them into us in the first place).

But, I don’t want to see fear hold anybody back from chasing their dream. So, even though I still wrestle with this when I’m all alone in the backcountry, let me offer a few tips I’ve been using that help me settle down and get some sleep.

Because let’s face it, if fear keeps you up all night or convinces you to hike out of there…you’re not going to be all that successful as a hunter.

Tools of the Trade There are more than a few different items you can utilize that will help you sleep better and be more at ease in the backcountry, so spend the little bit of extra money or the extra couple ounces in your pack if it means less fear and better rest.

Good Sleep System As far as I’m concerned, sleep is the best remedy to fear.

If you can fall (and stay) asleep, fear is irrelevant because you’re not conscious to realize you’re afraid…it’s science.

And once that sun starts to peak over the horizon, it’s amazing how fear disappears altogether. We’ll talk about ways to get to sleep in a minute, but even if you use a bull

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tranquilizer on yourself (which I don’t recommend under any circumstances, for the record), it won’t make much of a difference if you’re sleep setup is so uncomfortable that you wake up to change positions every hour anyway. A decent pad and a warm enough sleeping bag are necessities!!!

We can have a whole conversation about the pros and cons of different pads another time, but if the one you’re currently using has you up half the night…get a different one.

Tylenol/Advil PM Okay, while I don’t recommend tranquilizer darts for yourself, I have become a big believer in a little bit of chemical assistance when falling asleep in the wilderness. Plus, after a long day of hiking and hunting with weight on your back, you could probably use a little bit of a pain killer as well. Why not take this particular Advil that will both reduce the inflammation in your knees and back, while also making you just a bit drowsy?

If something crazy does happen that you need to wake up and deal with (you know, your worst nightmare…a mountain lion riding a bear to come and kill you…or maybe that’s just my worst nightmare), the PM part of these pills is essentially just Benadryl. That means it’s potent enough to help you drift off to sleep, but not so intense that you’ll be unable to function if the situation calls for it. Ever since I tried them for the first time on a hunt, these are always in my med kit in the backcountry.

A BRIGHT Flashlight Most hunters utilize a headlamp as their primary lighting source in the backcountry, because many situations in hunting call for the hands-free ability to see what you’re doing in the dark. The problem is that most of these are designed for close-range illumination, and don’t do much to light up the woods 20-30 yards away or further. If you are hearing some terrifying sound out there and want to check it out, your headlamp won’t help unless you move towards said terrifying sound. That’s why I also always have a small, light, but extremely bright flashlight with me in the tent.

If things get weird in the middle of the night, I can throw that beam way out and see if it’s that pesky bear-riding mountain lion.

A Pistol Okay, this is a must-have for a lot of guys whenever they head into the wilderness, but I also know guys who have drunk deeply of the “ultra-light kool-aid” and choose to leave a sidearm at home in the interest of shaving weight. Here’s the truth: I have carried a pistol on every day of every hunt I’ve been on for at least the last seven years, and I’ve only ever used it once (to humanely dispatch a wounded deer at close range). However, I can tell you that every night in the field I have placed it (and my flashlight) right next to me in my tent, and I certainly sleep better knowing it’s there.

Earplugs I almost didn’t include these in the list, as I have never used them. Personally, I think I wouldn’t even be able to fall asleep knowing that I couldn’t hear what was going on around me.

But, I know plenty of guys have actually found much better sleep by popping earplugs in, and just accepting that if something sneaks up on them in the night, it must have been their time to go. To each his own, I suppose.

Okay, that’s the gear side…not super expensive, not a ton of extra weight. But, to deal with fear in the backcountry, we need to throw a bit more than stuff at the problem.

Be Predator Smart For one thing, most of us who find ourselves in the backcountry for a typical hunt will actually be the most dangerous thing in the woods at that point (which is part of the mental game we’ll talk about next). But, we can’t ignore the fact that certain hunts in certain regions will carry the risk of other predators who just may (in certain circumstances) pose a threat to humans. Simply taking a few precautions and being smart about your camp setup can help keep you out of danger and put your mind at ease.

The Three Amigos of good sleep in the backcountry.

Photo credit Eric Voris

Hang Food Most of us have heard this before, but if you’re in an area that has the potential for bear activity, don’t bring food into your tent with you. A bear wants nothing to do with a sleeping human (we aren’t typically on their menu), but he will certainly be interested in that open bag of beef jerky lying on top of your pack right next to you. It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to find a tree a fair distance from camp (most recommendations say at least 200 ft. from your tent), and hang your food (or even your whole pack) at least 15 ft. off the ground. This will not only keep bears out of your food, but if they do follow their incredible noses to your beef jerky, it’s not leading them right into your camp.

Check For Sign Before Setting Up Camp No one would intentionally set their camp up right in the middle of a field of bear scat or on a well-worn game trail filled with mountain lion tracks, but it can happen pretty easily if we don’t take a look around first. Whenever I pick a campsite, I always take a quick lap around the surrounding area looking mostly for tracks and scat. You probably don’t want to camp on an active game trail anyway (since that could disrupt the animals you’re actually trying to hunt), but you definitely want to keep an eye out for predator sign.

If you do find that your first choice of camp spot seems littered with bear scat, it’s worth moving at least a few hundred yards to a new location (if it were me, I might go a quarter mile or more for added piece of mind). I’m not saying a predator can’t travel that far, but if you are finding tons of sign, it’s a good indicator that you’re in that animal’s living room…I’d rather stay in his backyard if I have to be on his property at all.

Beating Fear in the Backcountry is 80% Mental and 40% Physical The movie Little Giants? Anybody??? 1994’s greatest family film about pee-wee football starring Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill??? Okay, maybe it’s just me…but you should check it out! Anyway, the point I’m making is that dealing with this fear is almost entirely a mental game. Yes, there are some physical things that can help (which we discussed in the first section), but if you can get your mind under control, it’s going to be so much easier to rest easy out there.

Prayer I’m a man of faith, so I do a lot of praying in my tent while I’m trying to fall asleep. This helps me focus my thoughts, reminds me that I’m not in control, and generally gives me a sense of peace. And I’m not praying these frantic, “God, please don’t let a bear attack me” prayers…I focus more on asking Him to help my mental state, to quiet my mind, and to reduce my anxiety. I pray for my family back at home, and pretty much anything else that crosses my mind.

Often, I fall asleep in the midst of prayer (thanks, Tylenol PM), and I wake up feeling fine. Wherever you stand on the whole God thing, finding a way to control and focus your thoughts while lying there in the dark will help. But personally, I say give prayer a shot…what do you have to lose?

(continued on page 38)

Hunting & Fishing News | 5

Bull of the Month #2 Montana Typical

other seasons, but experiencing the hunt for a mature animal is an incredible experience in these harsh conditions.

Whether you still have a late season tag in your pocket or are planning for 2019, these strategies will help you find success in hidden pockets when the temperatures drop.

Note: A lot of these strategies can be modified for late season cow elk hunts too.

STAYING COMMITTED

BOONE & CROCKETT Score: 419 4⁄8 Location: Ruby River, MT Date: 1958 Hunter: Fred Mercer

Above all else, the biggest piece of advice to be given for late season bulls would be to stay committed to your success.

These hunts are not easy and having a strong mental game will be key. We all know the local guys who have bumped into their bull of a lifetime, but the simple fact is that the key to consistently punching tags on mature bulls requires a good familiarity with being cold, miserable, and lonely. On a recent hunt, we averaged ten miles per day of hiking with an additional three to five hours of glassing on top of that and it still took five days to find success. The simple fact here is to stay steadfast to your goals and embrace the process.

The hours of hard work and sweat only make the story that much sweeter.

View 720-0819-003

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TIPS FOR HUNTING LATE SEASON MIGRATORY ELK

By Dave Barnett Originally published at

www.goHUNT.com

the first to admit that elk hunting is tough. It’s not always Iare’llthebemany glam show that is portrayed on social media and there hours during a hunt spent wondering just what in

the hell you have gotten yourself into. Still, the possibility of success at the end of a very rough road is enough to keep bringing those that are elk obsessed back into the woods every year. Out of all of the different elk hunting endeavors available, one of the hardest has to be hunting late-season migratory elk.

During the late season, elk are on a full-on food chompin’ mission. After a long and exhausting rut, the bulls are looking to pack on precious fat as they prepare for the approaching winter. Along with this, bulls will actively seek out the most rugged and reclusive country they can find and dig in for the winter. I’ve spoken to biologists in western Montana who have observed mature bulls via satellite collars that stay within a 300 yard radius for an entire winter. With thousands of public land acres, this is the equivalent of finding a needle in a stack of needles.

Locating late season bulls can definitely test the mettle of any hunter, but success is attainable to those willing to work. Those simply looking for a legal bull will find easier success than those looking for a mature bull, as with most

6 | Hunting & Fishing News

Staying warm during late season elk hunts. Photo credit: Brady Miller

COLDER WEATHER, HEAVY GEAR

Along with mental and physical struggles, hunters will also be faced with cold, wet and, at times, straight up brutal weather conditions and having the correct gear with you can drastically reduce the time you spend wishing you were home.

First and foremost, clothing selection will be number one.

The biggest struggle I’ve faced in this category was finding the happy medium between staying warm and not packing ten extra pounds of clothing. Late season clothing selection can be a daunting task but really is pretty straightforward.

A Seek Outside titanium stove is a gamechanger on late season hunts. Photo credit: Brady Miller

When backpack hunting, you will also be forced to fend off the frigid temps with the added weight of heavier sleeping bags or even ultralight backpacking stoves. Warm food or drinks aren’t a necessity, but a small pack stove provides a serious morale boost that easily negates the weight penalty. Be flexible in your approach to your pack and don’t be afraid to try new things. Everybody’s needs are slightly different and we all want or need something different.

THE LOCATION

This whole thing is going to boil down to location and finding the right area for late season bulls is usually characterized by long hikes and sore legs. Every elk is different and will “winter” different, meaning that while you might find pockets of bachelor bulls in areas, there are also bulls out there who would just assume go it alone and live like a hermit.

Really, elk can winter in a number of areas throughout a unit and hunters need to be willing to stay flexible and mobile.

After being pressured for the past few months, many of the mature bulls are going to retreat into some dark hole in a place that is no fun to hike into. Bulls at that time of the year are interested in three primary things: cover, water, and food—all of which must be in very close reciprocity.

I will generally look for north facing slopes with rough access in the form of steep ridgelines, rock fields, blowdown, and so on. These are the types of areas that will make a bull feel secure while consequently keeping most other hunters out.

These areas can be close to roads or deep in the backcountry; the primary factors are finding the right ingredients for a good hidey hole more so than distance from the road.

Snow levels in the high country will really dictate where most bulls are found. Usually, the areas plus or minus 500’ vertical from snow line can be safe bets to start with, but don’t be surprised to see bulls in snow deep enough that their chest is dragging or down in the low country living it up with the cows. Sometimes, if the country is open enough, it’s possible to glass into drainages from a distance, but, generally, the best way to establish a good starting point is to hike into the high country while making notes of elevation bands where sign is found.

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Large herd of late season elk. Photo credit: Dave Barnett

Escaping crowds can be difficult at this time of the year, but savvy hunters should be able to find mostly unpressured elk with a little bit of effort. I like to look into weird or out of the way areas that may often get overlooked due to closeness to roads, the difficulty of access, or simply that the country is ugly. Steep climbs, river crossings or unpleasant conditions can all make for hidden gem areas. In some areas, livestock use may be much higher and simply avoiding areas accessible by horse trails can make all the difference in the world.

I always go back to the old adage of “elk are where ya find ‘em.”

We all want to kill the bull on the gorgeous high mountain face, but, sometimes, it has to be in the downfall invested creek bottom full of devil’s clubs and grizzly tracks.

We are the unfortunate servants to the elk in this game and adapting to the knowledge gained each day can put you into elk faster.

(continued on page 34)

Photo courtesy Eric Voris

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8 | Hunting & Fishing News

THOUGHTS FROM MY FREE TRIAL

By Eric Voris Late To The Game Outdoors www.latetothegameoutdoors.com

f you’ve paid any attention to the world of Western Big IThis Game Hunting lately, then you’ve surely heard of goHUNT. is the subscription service that gives you access to

buckets of information for any state you could want to hunt in the West, whether your hunt plans involve grizzly bears or monster bucks…draw odds, trophy potential, success rates… how they pull all these stats together is the greatest blend of hardcore hunting and number-crunching nerdery I’ve ever seen! I’ve watched from afar for a couple years, but never justified the added expense in my mind.

Sure, these things would be nice to know, but do I really need to have the assurance that I’m getting drawn this year?

Or should I just keep waiting for my card to get hit on draw-day like a kid at Christmas? (A kid who more often than not gets disappointed by socks and church-slacks). So, if you’re the average hunter who knows some stuff, but would certainly like to know more about hunting opportunities that are out there…is goHunt worth it?

Well, goHUNT is currently offering a 30-Day free trial!

It’s not a limited use thing – you get access to ALL the information – you just have to put in your credit card info and remember when your 30 days is up or you’ll get automatically signed up for their yearly subscription (if I had a nickel for every time I accidentally got charged for a free trial, I’d definitely have a few nickels). But, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to determine once and for all if the goHunt subscription (currently $149/yearly) is worth the money. So, I’ve been playing around with “The Insider” for a couple weeks now, and here is my take on the situation…

If Hunting Multiple States…of Course!

If you’re a guy who is already hunting multiple states across the West, you’re probably already using goHUNT…you’ve also probably stopped reading by now. But, if you aren’t using goHUNT and you are (or want to be) hunting multiple states, I don’t know how you’d do it without this tool! You can filter an entire state so specifically tailored to what you’re looking for, it eliminates so much of what would otherwise be searching for a needle in a giant, far-away haystack. You can tell the software exactly what you’re looking for (or what you care about most) in terms of trophy potential, amount of public land in the unit, and harvest success. You can also select specific seasons/weapons, or – what I have found extremely eye-opening – leave that set to ANY, and then you can see the different draw-odds available if you’re willing to be flexible on seasons and weapons.

Having all this information at your fingertips, you can now better plan-out your Fall from year to year. If you’re coming up on 100% draw odds for two conflicting hunts, you can know to just put in for another point in one of those (so you don’t draw two overlapping tags and find yourself forced to choose…possibly losing all those points you had built up).

More than the planning side, I think goHUNT is an amazing tool for seeing what opportunities are out there. I found myself getting lost looking at moose statistics in CO or ID, and comparing out of state Elk odds to the Over the Counter opportunities that already exist. I could see how if time and money were no object, I could easily end up with more tags than I could possibly hunt in a year just pouring through the options that are out there (and there is A LOT of opportunity out there).

Okay, that’s great for the ambitious types that somehow have time and money to spend their whole Fall traveling all over the West hunting, but what if you just want to hunt a few species in your home state as often as possible…should you really pay $149 every year for all this info?

If Hunting One State…Still Really Helpful!

Short answer: goHUNT offers a ton of value for the single-state hunter! I’ve spent hours every year pouring over the regulations, draw tables, and anything else I could get from Game and Fish for my home state of AZ. Ten minutes into exploring the goHUNT Insider, and I was already finding hunts or stats I had never noticed before. For instance: I realized that if I ever want to hunt antelope in my lifetime (despite currently sitting on 11 points), I’m going to need to look to archery. For about a decade now I have waited to draw a speed-goat tag, and never even come close…but in about 3 years or so, I should be all but guaranteed an archery antelope tag in a couple units. If I keep putting in for the same old spot with the same old rifle tag, my odds don’t leave the low-single digits for another decade (and I’m just not lucky enough to keep rolling those dice).

I also found a couple ideas I never would have really considered if I wasn’t poking around all the species and hunt information. For instance, I typically draw a rifle deer tag in a nearby unit every other year (and I focus on OTC archery when I don’t draw). However, the particular area that had previously brought us so much success has had some predation issues, and it’s not much of a productive hunt anymore. As I’ve debated what to do about this in my long-term planning, goHUNT helped me realize that if I shift my focus, I’m guaranteed an archery tag in the Kaibab within 2 years!

I’ve always been intrigued with the legendary monster bucks that come out of that unit, but never really looked into the odds…I just figured it was out of my reach. After seeing the numbers for myself, I can guarantee my application strategy for deer is changing next Spring!

The bottom line is this: if you’re the type of hunter that likes your spot in your unit and the hunt is really more about the camaraderie and the experience in your favorite place, then you don’t need goHUNT. Just put in your applications for the same hunt you and your buddies want to go on, and when you draw - you draw, and you’ll have a great year! If, however, you want to go hunting as much as humanly possible, and/or you really enjoy exploring new units and turning up animals in unfamiliar terrain, then goHUNT can SERIOUSLY help you with that pursuit (even if you never plan to leave your state).

Now, goHUNT will probably never make my list of absolute necessities when it comes to hunting expenses. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved my time with it! I just mean if someone has a really tight hunting budget, there are probably other pieces of gear, gas, food, or tags that they need to prioritize.

However, if you’re on the fence and could scrape together the money, here is one more reason I think it’s worth the cost… (continued on page 30)

Scope out powerlines.

This hunting season we urge you to follow our important safety tips. Look up and look out for overhead power lines. Aim away from power poles, overhead power lines and transformers. And if you see a downed line or damaged electrical equipment, call 911 immediately.

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expect deer to move from daylight until 9:00a.m. or so…get on stand extra early and hunt especially hard that first hour.

November 4, 2019 First-Quarter Moon: Looking back to my notes and all the research I’ve done over the years it is fact that many huge bucks are killed every year during the seeking phase of the rut November 6-10. This is always a good week to take off work and hunt.

Week of November 11, 2019 Full Moon: November 8 through 16 could be good for midday deer movement, especially if it’s cold. Movement from, say, 10 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. …spend all day in a stand, you never know when a mature buck will come by.

©schlag|depositphotos.com

BIG DEER 2019

Moon-Rut Hunting Guide

By Mike Hanback

Big Deer Blog www.bigdeerblog.com

his year I teamed up with Outdoor Life digital for T the 8th annual BIG DEER rut guide, with specific tips on planning your hunting vacay this November. ...below are some highlights:

New moon this rut cycle begins on October 27… expect deer to be most active at dawn and for 30 minutes thereafter...

Week of November 18, 2019 Last-Quarter Moon: deer movement should be good to great from November 19 through about the 24, especially around food sources…if you are going to hunt the last hour of the day anytime this season, you should do it during the last-quarter phase.

Good luck whichever week you take off to hunt the rut!

One more thing: If you have the flexibility to wait until late October to plan your rut-hunting week do it.

Study the long-range weather forecast for November, pick a cool to cold week when bucks will move best and factor in the moon advice you read here for a killer game plan.

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Hunting & Fishing News | 11

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hen I was growing up, the idea of processing my own deer never even occurred to me. As a matter of fact, it was tradition for my mom to gut any deer that my family harvested. So while I was the one pulling the trigger and taking an animal’s life, the rest of the process was pretty hands off for me. But, now, I can’t imagine not doing it all myself. The opportunity to be in control from scouting the animal to eating it—and not missing a single step in between—is a highly rewarding experience that I wouldn’t trade.

While I now think butchering an animal is hard to mess up, it can be a daunting and intimidating task if you’ve never done it before. There is nothing wrong with bringing your meat to a commercial processor, but if you’ve never tried doing it yourself I highly recommend you give it a shot and see if it’s worth the extra effort for you. For this article, I am going to focus strictly on the processing part and assume that the animal has already been skinned, gutted and/or quartered.

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No matter what part of the animal you are working with, it’s important to start by picking off any stray hairs that may have gotten stuck to the meat along with any pieces of dirt or debris from the field. Then, once you’ve done that you’re going to want to trim away any pieces of fat from the meat.

When I was butchering my first deer, I didn’t know this and mixed the deer fat in with my burger. It is a really waxy type of fat that tastes like eating a candle so I definitely don’t recommend it.

So, go ahead and trim away all of the fat and tissue that isn’t meat. Make sure you’re careful not to go too overboard on this step because you can end up wasting a lot of meat if you do. Once it looks like something you are ready to serve to a guest, then it’s probably good. One exception to this rule is the silver skin that you will find on some of the roast pieces. You can fillet it off, but I actually prefer to leave it on as another layer of protection to the meat and then simply remove it before cooking.

THE BIG CUTS

The great thing about processing your own animal, is that you have total control of what you want to turn it into so that it is recipe-ready depending on how you prefer to cook.

There are numerous different variations of what you could do (and I will cover a few different options), but this is by no means an exhaustive list.

For packaging these cuts, I like to wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of butcher paper. This has worked well for me, but there are definitely other ways to package them like a vacuum-sealer.

LOINS

One of the most highly prized cuts of meat is the loin (or backstrap) that runs along each side of the spine from the hip all the way up to the neck. Once this is removed and trimmed it can be left whole, cut into smaller sections, or sliced into steaks right away. I generally like to cut a backstrap into two or three pieces, which allows me to cook it whole or cut it into steaks at a later date.

Similar to the backstraps are the tenderloins, which are found along the underside of the spine. These are popular to eat fresh, but can be packaged and thrown in the freezer as well. Although some say that they are susceptible to drying out and recommend eating right away.

FRONT LEGS

There are a few options when dealing with the front legs of an animal. Generally, these tend to be tougher than the hindquarters, so they are conducive to grinding into burger.

So you simply could grind all of the front leg meat, but another popular option is to cut them into bone-in roasts for the crockpot or a dutch oven recipe. To do this, you simply use a hacksaw or reciprocating saw and cut the shoulder horizontally into three or so large pieces, going through the meat and bone.

Below the knee is what is referred to as the shank. Again this can be trimmed from the bone and thrown into your grind pile. These pieces have a lot of tendon tissue and are also conducive to slow-cooking. A popular option is to use it for a dish called Osso-Bucco. This is when the shank is cut into discs and slow cooked. You can either freeze the shank whole or cut it into discs before freezing.

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The neck can also be a tough piece of meat. I’ve kept the neck whole with the bone in before and cooked it in the coals of a fire. Although, with CWD on the rise, this might not be something that appeals to you. Another option is to keep the neck whole, but trimmed away from the spine to be used as a pot roast. And, of course, the last option is to just throw the neck in with your grind pile and make it into burger.

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HIND LEGS

Now, the hindquarters are my favorite part to butcher. These yield some of the most delicious and tender pieces for the grill. While the shank can be treated the same as on the front legs, the roasts above the knee should generally not be ground. Of course, it’s your animal and you get to choose what you do with it, depending on what you like best.

Butchering the hindquarters is actually really simple.

Like drawing a picture by connecting the dots, you just have to follow the lines. What I mean is that the hindquarter is already broken into multiple muscle groups and is just attached by thin tissue. As a result, there are multiple seams that separate the different cuts. All you really have to do is cut along these seams and it just starts to naturally fall apart. Once you get started, you can actually do a lot of the work with your fingers just pulling the pieces apart.

Then you just have to fillet those pieces off of the bone.

You should end up with three huge distinct chunks of meat.

The sirloin is the one that Hank Shaw in his book Buck, Buck, Moose named the “football roast” for obvious reasons. I like to freeze this piece whole, but, again, you can cut it into steaks now if you want. The other two large pieces of meat are commonly referred to as the top round and the bottom round. I personally cut these into smaller sections that are an appropriate size for my family. Attached to one of those second roasts is a smaller piece that looks like a tenderloin and is appropriately referred to as the hidden-tenderloin.

(continued on page 23)

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Tracking Deer After Your Shot:

A Guide to Recovering Arrow-Hit Deer

By Erik Jutila Outdoor Empire www.outdoorempire.com

n a perfect world, every deer you shot with your best hunting Inever bow would go down where you could see it and they would get up. However, hunters quickly learn that while this

happens from time to time, it is often not how it plays out.

Sometimes, they only go a short distance but out of eyesight and other times they manage to go quite far, even while terminally hit.

Most hunters will experience some amount of anxiety and doubt as the animal runs off, even if they are pretty certain they hit the deer well.

The longer you have to track your deer or the more trouble you have finding signs of where the deer went, the more that anxiety grows.

Knowing some tips on tracking and recovering your hit deer will do a lot to alleviate that anxiety and increase your odds of a quick recovery.

Watching Your Shot The recovery process starts as soon as you release your arrow and what you see as the arrow impacts the deer will make a difference in how you go about tracking the animal.

Bright fletchings or vanes on your arrow are a big help for watching the flight and seeing where the arrow hits the deer.

Many states have now legalized lighted nocks, which also help you see where the arrow hits, especially in low light conditions.

If possible, you want to observe not just where the arrow hits, but also how deep the arrow penetrates. A well-placed shot just behind the shoulder should be a double-lung shot and the deer will likely not go far before expiring.

If you are sure you have done that level of damage, you can start the tracking process a little sooner. If you think you may have hit farther back, only clipped one lung, or not gotten ideal penetration, you should wait longer before starting to track the deer.

Even if a deer is hit in a somewhat marginal spot, it will often not go far before bedding down. It may take it some time to expire, and starting to track it too soon may cause you to bump it from its bed.

Deer that are able to get back on their feet after being bumped have been known to travel for considerable distances, and it can often turn into a drawn-out tracking process.

You should also observe the reaction of the deer after the shot, which can give you some clues about what kind of hit it has taken.

Obviously, deer behavior will differ, so you should use deer reaction in conjunction with other indications to form your best guess as to where the deer is hit: - A deer that has suffered a double lung injury will often run hard and fast for one or two hundred yards before falling dead.

- If the deer is hit in the heart, it is common for them to jump and mule kick before taking off on a fast, erratic run, which usually does not cover the distance of a lung-hit deer.

- A deer hit far back in the guts, intestines or liver may flinch at impact and then run a short distance with its head down before slowing and eventually bedding down.

14 | Hunting & Fishing News

- If you hit bone you will likely hear a distinct sound and may observe the deer favoring the leg you hit if that is the case.

- An alert deer that bounces off with its tail waving high, stopping and looking back to where it came from is often indicative of a clean miss.

Scouring the Location of the Shot If you think you hit only a single lung or hit the deer too far back, it would be wise to not advance your location at all until some time passes.

Even moving the distance from where you shot to where the deer was could be enough to bump the deer if it bedded down inside of 100 yards.

Some hunters will wait several hours if the deer is hit far back, some will back out of the area and return the next morning.

Whether you have waited hours to go check the area, or whether you are confident in a good hit and waited just a short time to go check the scene, make mental notes of where the deer was when you shot it.

Walk to that spot and start looking for signs like blood, hair, bone fragments and your arrow. You should combine what you find here with your observations so far to start forming a better idea of exactly what the shot did.

Arrow – If you find your arrow, you can examine it for the type of blood and matter that is on it. You can also see how much of the arrow has blood on it to determine how far it penetrated.

An arrow that is covered in blood, including the fletchings or vanes, was a complete pass through. An arrow with no blood, hair or guts on it was a clean miss. If the arrow has blood on 20 inches of the shaft, that is how far the arrow penetrated.

Blood – Whether it is on the arrow, the ground, or surrounding brush, the blood itself will also give you some hints about where the deer was hit.

Pink and foamy blood is a good indication of a lung or a heart shot. If the blood is very dark colored, it is likely a liver shot.

Lack of blood but presence of brown and watery fluids are signs of a gut shot. You should also be able to smell the stomach contents if you hit it too far back.

Hair – The hair you find can also help indicate where the deer was hit. If you find longer brown hairs you probably hit the deer forward near the vitals.

If the hair is shorter and brown, there is a better chance you hit it farther back. If you find white hairs and not much blood, you may have hit it low or forward, superficially.

Following the Trail The new hints you found may alter how long you wait before continuing on the trail. If things are pointing to a paunch-shot deer, some people will wait 12 hours or more for the animal to die.

Even on a heart shot deer, some hunters wait an hour unless they actually observe it expiring. This is going to differ a little with each hunter and a lot by scenario. We will discuss some of the external factors to consider a little later.

After the wait is over, it is time to start tracking the deer.

At this point, it never hurts to have friends there to help, especially if you are concerned about how well the deer is hit.

Even if the recovery is quick, at least you will have friends there to help with the work of getting your deer out of the woods or field.

The most obvious sign to follow is the blood trail. If you are able to continuously find drops of blood, that will be the easiest way to track the deer. Even if the trail starts out very obvious, make sure to mark your path with flagging, toilet paper or some other system so you can circle back to the last known spot if you lose the trail.

(continued on page 29)

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Hunting & Fishing News | 15

Fishing tips brought to you by

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Boulders and Structure Fishing

Photo courtesy Jason Mitchell Outdoors

Ten Tips For Fall Walleye

By Jason Mitchell

www.jasonmitchelloutdoors.com

ots to like about fishing for walleye in the fall.

Lseason Traditionally some of the very best fishing of the entire particularly for trophy class fish. Great fishing, big

fish and less people… Always amazes us that more people don’t fish in the fall.

Fall fishing can be easy and fall fishing can mean big fish but fall fishing can also be difficult. Conditions can be brutal.

Long boat rides can be bone chilling. Ironically, the nastier and tougher the conditions in the fall, the better the fishing can be. Fall fishing patterns however can also be random and frustrating when warm water temperatures push late into the season. There is no one size fits all pattern in the fall but there are some general guidelines and patterns that seem to emerge on a wide range of fisheries each year.

The following are some of the most valuable lessons we have learned over the years when trying to target fall walleye.

Warming Trends Seem to Scatter Fish

We can pile on the accolades of fall fishing but there is often that period before these fall patterns set up where the fish can seem really scattered. Unusually warm falls or even a week of warm weather in the fall can really unravel some good fall patterns. When the water temps start to rise for consecutive days or if the water temps are still hanging above sixty degrees, we often find that we must simply cover a lot of water and fish through several spots in a day to keep contacting fish. You might not ever find a big concentration of fish doing one thing. Establish a milk run of good spots and fish through the spots fast and be willing to leave a spot after catching a few fish.

The Power of Current

Could be water moving between islands or an incoming feeder creek. Other good locations can include moving water around bridges and causeways. Current attracts walleye in the fall especially. Many rivers also turn on in the fall. In some situations, fish leave a lake or reservoir to follow a shiner migration. Shiners will often accumulate

16 | Hunting & Fishing News

Walleyes will relate to boulders and structure through the open water season, but these locations often just get better and more predictable come fall. Deep structure and rock that protrudes out of the primary basin or off the old river channel in a reservoir is classic fall walleye fishing. If the contour is big, trolling crankbaits can work well. If the spots are small, classic live bait rigging with chubs or fishing vertically with jigs or glide baits like the classic Jigging Rap or Salmo Rail Shad can be deadly. Sharp breaking structure is often the key but there must be some character to the break. Small ledges, fingers and shelves located within the sharp break often hold fish. Boulders also seem to hold a lot of walleyes in the fall. Could be the edges of shallow water hazards or deep rock over a basin.

The best rocks are often round and range in size from six feet in diameter to the size of a bowling ball. Rock piles are good but big rock piles often show up on everybody’s contour map. What can be just as good is scattered rock or a field of rock that might be as small as half an acre.

These rock fields often don’t jump out to anglers on a map chip and can be deadly locations for finding fall walleye especially if they are over deep water or are close to a fast-breaking contour.

Tough Conditions Adjustments

Some of the very best fall fishing often seems to line up with brutal conditions. Expect frost on the gunnel and even snow in the boat. An entire day on the water come late fall can be bone chilling cold. In fact, I would argue that late fall fishing can be much colder and harsher than any ice fishing adventure. We often find ourselves bundled up in ice fishing gear. You will probably have to learn how to fish with gloves or choppers. Wear a life jacket when the conditions get brutal. We often find ourselves using presentations that fish well with a rod holder just so we can stay warm enough to last the duration. When the conditions do get nasty, focus on boat control and put your rods in the rod holder. Great presentations include trolling tactics with crankbaits or simply rigging with heavy bottom bouncers or three-way rigs. There are of course situations where you have to hold onto the rod and jig but frigid temperatures and rough water can make standing up all day in a boat much more difficult.

Big and Slow

When the water temperatures start to plummet in the fall, we often find that we are much more successful if we tone down our speed. What is interesting is that fish are typically much more aggressive in the fall when comparing water temperatures and how fish react to what we see with the same water temperatures in the spring. With that being said, we seldom find situations where we catch more fish by speeding up like what we so often see in July and August. Don’t be afraid to knock your speed down in the fall. You can still jig aggressively and catch fish

but we often seem to catch more fish when we are trolling crankbaits if we hang between a mile and two miles per hour.

We often find as well that we often catch more fish by trolling up against the current in the fall where there is a period in the summer and sometimes spring when we catch a lot more fish trolling with the current. As a rule of thumb, we might cut our normal boat speed in half as we get late into the fall.

Another overall trend worth noting is how effective bigger body baits and lures seem to work in the fall. If you are rigging chubs, get the biggest chubs you can find that range between six and ten inches. If you are jigging, bulk up your jig with soft plastics or use two minnows to bulk up your jig.

Bigger crankbaits like the Salmo Freediver 12 are money in the fall. Use the bigger profile.

Take Advantage of the Last Full Moon Cycles

Some of the very biggest walleyes caught each fall are caught after dark during full moon cycles. Trolling shallow running stick baits or jerk baits like an original floating Rapala, Husky Jerk or Salmo Rattling Sting are deadly after dark on clear lakes over rock or around current.

There are also great opportunities that emerge on some lakes where you can either cast from shore or wear waders to fish breaker walls at the mouths of rivers or around current areas. If somebody were to put a gun to my head and told me to go out and catch a ten pound plus walleye and I got to pick the day… or night, this pattern would be it.

The Last Green Weeds

Many weeds begin to break down around the end of summer and turn brown. Brown weeds still standing can still hold fish more than what some anglers would imagine if there is good water circulating in these dying weeds but what can hold a tremendous amount of fish especially early in the fall before some of the primary fall patterns really take hold are still green weeds. Could be tufts of cabbage or deeper

weeds like coontail. Weeds that are next to rock are often better but if you can find a few areas that still have green weeds come late summer and fall, they almost always have some fish present. For numbers of fish come fall, particularly larger schools of eater class fish, it might be tougher to find a better overall pattern than the last green weeds left on a fishery.

Cold and Nasty Community Spots

By the time deer season rolls around, you will find most parking lots next to boat ramps void of other anglers and many people just give up fishing for the year. As fall progresses, don’t overthink the obvious as there is usually some tremendous fishing on very well-known community spots. These spots get so good because nobody is left fishing them. Most community spots are big, obvious and are good but the number of boats that fish these locations the rest of the year can make these locations deterring.

Some of the best fishing on so many fisheries however happen on many of these locations late in the fall after all the boats leave. Could be the most obvious reef or point on a lake that has dozens of boats on it all summer. Might be a mouth to a tributary or feeder creek. Perhaps a flooded roadbed. Big community spots are often at their very best come fall.

Ciscoe Curtain Call

One of the very last big fish patterns on many lakes particularly in northern Minnesota, Fort Peck Reservoir and parts of the Canadian Shield coincides with the tullibee or ciscoe spawn. Like other members of the whitefish family, ciscoe spawn late in the fall over shallow rock and boulders.

The ciscoe often spawn well into November when conditions are difficult, but this activity often attracts big predators like big walleye and musky. One of our favorite ways to fish these locations is to cast a big soft plastic or swim bait up onto the rocks. (continued on page 30)

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Hunting & Fishing News | 17

2019 FALL MACK DAYS

LAKE TROUT FISHING EVENT on FLATHEAD

September 20

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Fish The Entire Lake

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CASH & PRIZES

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday are competitive Mack Days that include lottery, prizes, tagged fish, and bonuses.

Pick your best 15 days out of 24 possible, Friday-Sunday, for top ten angler prizes. The last day is separate.

Tagged Lake Trout-(1) $10,000-(3) $5,000-and (5) $1,000 plus over $9,000 with values from $500-$100 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday are bonus days. Eight $50 lottery drawings plus if you turn in live lake trout to the tagging boat you receive tickets for a special lottery drawing for (2) $500 prizes plus cooler tickets (1 for every 10 entries) Lottery Prizes: $1,000 to $400 (thirty-two drawings) Fri - Sun Top ten angler prizes $800-$300-Fri-Sun-(except last day, 15 best days of possible 24 days) Captains $250-(4 prizes), Smallest lake trout $250-(2 prizes), Largest lake trout $500 Top lady anglers $300, $200, $100. $100 -by total fish entered Youth anglers- (17-13) 1st- $200, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$75, 4-5th-$50 (12 & under)-1st-$100, 2nd-$75, 3rd-$50 Fri-Sat Weekend Prizes 5@$100 per weekend Golden Angler Award (70 & older)-$200 & $100, by total fish entered Bucket Days-3 days of single/team-heaviest 4-fish - 10/4, 10/19, 11/3 Last Day Only Drawings: $200, $150, $100 & Heaviest Mack weight under 30”-$200 & $100 ALL ANGLERS WHO ENTER ELEVEN OR MORE LAKE TROUT QUALIFY FOR BONUSES The higher your total, the higher your bonus. Every day counts: Tues-Sun (45 days)

See www.mackdays.com for complete rules We ask that all boats from out of the Flathead area be inspected for AIS.

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MADISON RIVER FLY FISHING: 5 TIPS FOR THE FALL

By Montana Angler For a guided fly fishing trip call 406-522-9854 or www.montanaangler.com In Bozeman at: 435 E. Main Street

adison river fly fishing is possibly at its best in October.

M The river is nearly empty as tourists have gone home and many locals are in the woods hunting. This is also a

time of the year when some of the largest trout of the year are landing including a few fish each year in the 28-30” class.

Dry fly fishing can also be great. Here are 5 good tips for fishing the Madison in the fall.

1) Try the lower river Although the Upper Madison near Ennis is the most famous part of the river, the Lower Madison from the Warm Springs access to Three Forks is also a great fishery. Trout numbers are highest near the exit of Bear Trap Canyon and this is also the section that gets the most angling pressure. In the fall, fishing pressure is very light despite the great fishing. Because this section is too warm to fish for most of the summer, it doesn’t get the same publicity that the more famous upper river does.

Despite its lack of fame, it produces some of the largest trout in the river.

2) Fish bad weather Your best chance at catching a truly monster trout is on cloudy, rainy and snowy days.

Big browns hate bright light and often feed after dark on bright sunny days. When the weather turns sour the big boys go on the feed. This is the time to pull giant streamers and swing for the fences. The baetis hatch also comes off very thick so don’t forget about the great dry fly fishing.

3) Fish hoppers Just because it is October doesn’t mean you should put your hopper box away. October often produces some gorgeous weather and on nice sunny days in early October the hopper fishing can be awesome.

4) Fish bees Bees and hornets get a little punch drunk in early October as winter is fast approaching. The insects slow down and frequently stumble into the water. I recently saw over a hundred honey bees staggering around the bank of a small stream that I was fishing and saw several in the water.

A yellow double humpy is a good imitation. Fishing the bee on a warm October day can be very productive on the Madison.

5) Fish the main runs Remember that the big browns are on the move so they will be working their way threw the main runs vs. little side channels. Working large main runs with big nymphs trailed by beads is a very effective way to hang a fish of a lifetime.

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Seasons Come & Seasons Go

By Mark Romanack Fishing 411 www.fishing411.net

A

t Fishing 411, spring is my favorite season. In a typical year there are so many places to fish and so many species to target, we as a TV production crew can’t even scratch the surface...

In short, spring is a productive time of year for fishing because almost everything with fins is biting in April and May. The down side to Spring fishing is the unstable weather that often spoils the fun. The spring of 2019 will go down as one of the worst when it comes to bad weather and bad fishing conditions. ...In the game of fishing weather is the great equalizer and lately it has seemed almost like Mother Nature is determined to keep us from catching any of her children.

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TIPS FOR DEALING WITH THE WEATHER Back in my tournament fishing days I actually hoped the weather would turn ugly prior to and during an event.

I discovered pretty quickly that most guys are not mentally prepared to fish in rough water, wind, rain or snow.

By doing nothing more than coming prepared to fish in lousy weather, I made myself more comfortable and better able to keep a positive attitude. Having clothing that keeps you warm and dry is as important in fishing as owning a good assortment of rods, reels and lures in my opinion.

The adage that suggests “layering” is the best way to stay warm is true, so long as those layers make sense.

I recommend using a polyester or wool base layer next to your skin, followed by a fleece pull over or wool sweater, topped with a fiberfill vest. The outside layer I wear depends on the temperature. If it’s down right cold I’ll be wearing my ice fishing parka and bibs. If the weather is mild, I’ll finish out my clothing layers with a breathable rain parka and bibs.

A warm and waterproof hat, waterproof and warm boots and several pairs of gloves complete my foul weather set up.

The beauty of layers is you can always take one off or put one on to regulate your body temperature and comfort level.

Carrying a waterproof stuff sac in the boat is a great way to keep your layers handy and dry when you need them.

I’m a firm believer in that you get what you pay for in this world. When it comes to foul weather clothing I insist on quality gear that isn’t going to let me down when I need it most.

Considering the cost these days of boat, motors, electronics and such, spending a few hundred dollars to properly outfit your body isn’t a bad investment. In fact, quality foul weather gear is ultimately the equipment that will determine if you fish hard enough and long enough to be successful when facing weather like the spring of 2019.

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The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, in coordination with Lewis and Clark County, the Dan Barrett family, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and many other partners, is thrilled to announce 442 acres of prime wildlife and riparian habitat along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front are now permanently protected and in the public’s hands. Called the Falls Creek project, it greatly improves access to more than 26,000 acres of public land containing prime elk habitat beyond it.

The property is primarily forestland and grassy meadows. It is located about 30 miles southwest of Augusta. Its entire eastern boundary is bordered by more than one mile of Falls Creek, including the scenic Falls Creek waterfall at the back of the acreage, while the western and northern boundaries are bordered by private lands and the Dearborn River.

The previously inaccessible Falls Creek trailhead and trail open to the public on August 28 and will provide access for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, horseback riding and other non-motorized travel and recreational use.

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A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PROCESSING YOUR OWN WILD GAME MEAT (continued from page 13) Now that you’ve trimmed, cut and packaged all of your steaks and roasts, the remainder can be ground to be used for a limitless number of recipe applications.

THE GRIND

I love coming away after the season with a solid amount of ground meat. There are countless applications and recipes that call for it so I enjoy being able to turn less-desirable pieces of meat into something delicious and extremely versatile.

For this part, you are obviously going to need a grinder or find a friend with one. If you are planning to butcher multiple animals every year, I’d recommend getting a more commercial grinder, which is going to save you immense amounts of time. But, if not, I used a $100...grinder for several years and it did just fine.

Now, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to add beef or pork fat to your grind. A lot of people do this because they claim that it helps bind the meat together; however, I also know a lot of people who curse at the idea of mixing beef or pork with your organic wild game meat. If you do choose to add some, a popular standard is a ratio of around 10 to 20%.

You’re going to want to cut the meat into small cubes or strips that will easily fit down the throat of your grinder. Depending on your grinder, you might be able to keep chunks larger, but you will just have to experiment for what works best.

You will want to clean up and trim away any remaining pieces of debris or silver skin. But, again, don’t go too crazy with this part. My grinder handles some tissue and silver skin without any problem so I just trim away anything that I wouldn’t want to eat.

Before grinding, it’s a good idea to try and keep everything as cold as possible. If your grinder gets too hot, it will start to clog up and not run as efficiently. I like to throw my meat in the freezer for a while along with the metal pieces of my grinder.

Then, when it’s actually time to grind, I run my meat and fat through a first grind with a 3/8” plate, followed by a 3/16” plate for a second finer grind. For packaging, I use premade wild game freezer bags that you can pick up at most outdoor stores, but you also can use a vacuum sealer with butcher paper to package your ground meat.

While butchering your own meat takes time and effort, I think it is well worth the reward of being a part of every step of the process. As you continue to do it, you will get faster and more efficient, learning new tricks and what works best for you. I’m no expert butcher and I continue to learn every time I process an animal. I hope this basic guide is enough to give you the confidence to get started and give it a shot.

Hunting & Fishing News | 23

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FWP Releases Study On Elk Movement In The Elkhorn Mountains MFWP ...A study released today looked specifically at the impacts of mountain pine beetle on the way elk use their habitat in the Elkhorns. The research also revealed important information about the forage and security cover in beetle-infested forests

and raised questions about how elk use private and public land within the Elkhorns mountain range.

The study was completed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in partnership with the Helena – Lewis and Clark National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Montana Department of Military Affairs, Cinnabar Foundation, Montana State University, and the Elkhorns Working Group. The Elkhorns Working Group is a local group of interested citizens that provides collaborative recommendations to the federal and state agencies involved in management of the Elkhorns and its wildlife resource. The group was integral to getting the mountain pine beetle project off the ground.

The research study was led by FWP wildlife researcher Kelly Proffitt and involved radio collaring 60 elk (35 cows, 25 bulls) and following their movements over the course of four years.

Although the mountain pine beetle infestation resulted in only a relatively small, short-term decline in canopy cover, elk used the impacted forest areas less during the summer and fall than they did in the 1980s when a previous elk study in the Elkhorns was completed prior to the pine beetle infestation. While pine beetles reduced canopy cover to some degree, canopy cover in pine beetle-infested forests remained higher than Douglas fir and ponderosa pine forests, according to the study. Canopy cover is an important component in defining elk security. Although elk used pine beetle-affected areas less than prior to the infestation, these forests provided valuable security during the hunting seasons.

The GPS-collared elk that used public lands during the archery and rifle hunting seasons selected security areas with a minimum canopy cover of 23 percent and located a minimum of 1.1 miles from motorized routes. The research offered new recommendations for defining security habitat on public lands to provide adequate security for cow and bull elk during the hunting seasons and discourage elk redistributions to private lands. Similar to many areas in Montana, private land surrounding public land can be a beacon to elk when the hunting pressure increases on public lands. Elk in the Elkhorns are using public land less now then during the 1980s study, which may in part be attributable to the difference in hunting pressure between public and private land and the lack of adequate security on public land.

From an elk standpoint, the Elkhorn Mountains are unique. The Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit, which comprised a significant portion of the study area, is the only Forest Service wildlife management unit in the country. The mountains are entirely contained within Hunting District (HD) 380, which is managed for larger bulls and is the most difficult elk permit to draw in all of Montana. The HD also has limited opportunities for antlerless elk, and hunters can harvest spike elk with a general elk license. HD 380 was the first hunting district in Montana with this sort of regulation structure. This and HD 380’s proximity to three of Montana’s population centers – Helena, Bozeman and Butte – have led the hunting district to be the most heavily hunted in the state.

Ultimately, elk management in the Elkhorns, like many places in Montana, is complicated, said Mark Deleray, FWP supervisor in Bozeman.

“It always involves public hunters, private landowners, various land management agencies and changing habitat conditions,” Deleray said. “This study gives us important information on habitat and the needed security to help keep elk on public lands during the hunting seasons.”

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THE IMPORTANCE OF RIFLE DRY FIRE PRACTICE AT HOME AND WHILE YOU’RE HUNTING

By Brady Miller Originally published at here’s something to be said about a T perfectly executed rifle shot. You know, the one where everything just...clicks;

your bubble is perfectly level on your rifle, your body is in a comfortable position and your crosshairs are dead still.

Everything is ready. Then you take a few breathes, utter a few words to help you focus and your shot naturally breaks.

After the dust settles you just made the perfect shot on the animal of your dreams after a grueling four days on the mountain.

Sounds like a dream situation? Well, you can easily make that scenario more of a reality. All it takes is a little discipline at the range, a few minutes of practice several times a week at home or, just a few practice “shots” before you put a live round in while you are hunting.

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Dry fire rifle practice is a great way to get extra comfortable with your trigger, work on your breathing techniques and overall, it’s the perfect way to develop an unanticipated shot with your rifle.

Note: It should go without saying, but the utmost safety should be taken whenever handling a rifle. You MUST ensure your rifle is unloaded for this type of practice!

To me, dry fire practice is an easy (and very cheap) way to practice that perfect shot, over and over again.

I like to think of these dry fire practice sessions as an additional way to work on my shooting form and breathing techniques because the entire time I’m dry firing my rifle, I am working on calming myself down, controlling my breathing and executing a perfect break of the trigger.

Just as in archery, I feel that to accurately execute a shot over and over again with precision, you need to practice and shoot a lot to fix bad habits that might inhibit our shooting. We want the trigger squeeze (or push a button as I was instructed by

www.goHUNT.com

Bob Beck of Extreme Outer Limits at a long-range shooting school this past spring) to become sort of subconscious as we focus on aiming. My dad taught me that if you have to think about the trigger...your probably wrong and/or too late as your sight picture has already moved.

He’s one of the best shots while hunting that I know of. You put an animal or target out in front of him and he will hit it!

A simple test to do with your friend

One of the best tricks/tests out there is to get your friend to take a shot with your gun or better yet, their gun, and get them to take the “shot” with no round in the gun to test their flinching. It should go without saying, doing this, you should be out in the mountains or some random chunk of public land. I say this to reinforce a safe shooting environment.

What you need to do is get set up for a shot at a target, and then randomly mention to your friend to jump down and take the shot instead. You could do this with your gun, or even their gun. Let your friend know the gun is currently on safe and you already loaded a round. This is the true moment when you will see how much they flinch when they pull the trigger with no round in and react to squeezing the trigger. You can even go one step further and mention that you are going to film their impact with your phone through your spotting scope. But instead of filming the shot, you film your friend. Once they break the trigger, you will instantly see if they flinched and anticipated the recoil.

Or if they broke the shot cleanly.

STEPS FOR DRY FIRE PRACTICE

The steps for dry fire practice are extremely easy. They are so easy, that I regularly dry fire practice in the comfort of my living room. Also, because dry fire practice is so quick and easy, I highly recommend taking a few dry fire shots while hunting during random downtimes, or even before you take your animal if the animal doesn’t know you are there.

This is a great way to knock the nerves down.

What you will need to do is get into your shooting position and get your scope lined up on a target. I prefer to do this from the prone position. If you’re in a hunting situation, you could practice at anything, a tree, a rock (keep in mind you are pointing a rifle at something, so always be sure of where you are aiming and that your rifle is unloaded). (continued on page 35)

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Abundance Of Deer Prompts Increase In Quotas, Many Licenses Are Available In Surplus MFWP

re you looking for more hunting opportunity this year?

A Due to the abundance of both mule deer and white-tailed deer, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 6 biologists

elected to increase antlerless quotas in many of the hunting districts (HDs) in Region 6.

Every two years, FWP considers changes to all hunting seasons, proposes changes from the previous biennium, and encourages public comment before the Fish and Wildlife Commission makes its final decisions. Part of this process includes setting the license quota ranges for species in their respective HDs for the following two hunting seasons. All HD’s have different quota ranges and those ranges must be commission approved.

Within those commission-approved ranges, biologists can adjust the quotas annually before the license drawing.

For instance, in HD 670 north of Glasgow, 600 licenses were “listed” as available through the drawing in the 2019 hunting regulations for antlerless mule deer. However, prior to the drawing in July, the area biologist proposed to increase the quota to 1,000 licenses.

“The ability to adjust the hunting district quotas after spring surveys allows biologists to closely track what the population trend is showing on an annual basis,” said Ryan Williamson, Outlook-area biologist. “This allows us to lower quotas if we come out of a bad winter or increase quotas if we have above average reproduction…instead of waiting every two years to respond.”

In region 6, the following license changes took place: Mule deer: 600-01 from 400 to 600 licenses 611-01 from 300 to 500 licenses 620-00 from 300 to 500 licenses 640-00 from 400 to 800 licenses 641-01 from 100 to 200 licenses 650-00 from 300 to 400 licenses 651-00 from 200 to 400 licenses 670-00 from 600 to 1,000 licenses 680-00 from 350 to 500 licenses 690-00 from 550 to 700 licenses White-tailed deer: 699-00 from 1,000 to 3,000 licenses As mentioned earlier, this may lead to a lot of harvest opportunity for hunters. Up to seven antlerless deer licenses can be held during the license year in any combination, including licenses that were acquired through the drawing, or licenses that were purchased as surplus....A full list of available surplus licenses can be found on the fwp.gov website through a link on the home page.

In addition, due to the detection of CWD north of Hwy 2, FWP encourages hunters to get deer tested for CWD if they came from any district in the CWD Management Zone, which includes all HDs north of Hwy 2 in Region 6 and other HDs in other areas of the state. To prevent the spread of CWD from areas in Montana known to be infected, which is any CWD Management Zone, the whole carcass, whole head, brain or spinal column from any deer, elk or moose harvested within a CWD Management zone may not be removed from that Management Zone. Instead, hunters must quarter or “bone out” their deer prior to leaving the management zone...

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Tracking Deer After Your Shot: PREMIERE WILD GAME PROCESSING A Guide to Recovering Arrow-Hit Deer For Over 39 Years

(continued from page 14)

Of course, the blood trail is not always that obvious. If there is not a lot of blood, you will have to look for other indications like tracks, disturbed dirt, and leaves, broken branches, etc.

If you have multiple people looking, a couple guys scouring the identified trail and a couple grid searching the flanks of the trail may be helpful.

As you follow the trail, keep some things in mind. The direction of the deer’s travel should be indicated by the pointed end of the blood drops on the ground if they form that way.

Many hit deer go downhill or head for thick brush if they are going to bed down. A gut shot deer is very likely to try to find water, so keep that in mind if you end up having to guess which direction it headed.

Remember to not just stare at the ground while you track.

Scan everything from very close to farther away. This gives you a chance to spot the deer farther out or see signs of its movement that may be tricky to pick out at close range.

If the Trail is Lost If you lose the blood trail or tracks, you are definitely going to want help if you can get it.

Your best bet at that point is to go to the last known location (hopefully marked by flagging or perhaps your GPS) and start making circles from there of increasing size.

While the temptation may be to continue moving farther away from the initial shot location, do not discount the areas back where you came from.

It is not uncommon for animals to circle back, double back or for you to miss a turn they made earlier in the tracking process.

Other Tracking Factors As mentioned before, there are other things that will play into your ability to track the animal and how long you can afford to wait before starting the process.

Weather is a huge one of these factors...

You may also have to take into consideration predators in the area...

In other situations, you might want to give the deer extra time to expire where it is presumably bedded because the harm in bumping it is exasperated by the potential for it to move onto adjacent property that you do not have access to.

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that could go into the recovery process and you should make sure to think through them as the situation transpires.

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Hunting & Fishing News | 29

Ten Tips For Fall Walleye

(continued from page 17)

Trolling shallow running stick baits is another option if the spots are big enough. Shallow rocks that have some wind blowing in are often the best. The peak of the spawn will often happen right before ice up so the conditions can be brutal, but these baitfish will often move up and stage near these shallow rocks through the fall. There will be big walleyes wherever there are staging and spawning ciscoe.

Sunshine Bump

Fall fishing can so closely resemble spring fishing with some of the locations and presentations and as the temperatures drop during the fall, we so often find that we can struggle during the morning and see the bite pick up as the water temps climb a few degrees during the day when the sun comes out. Typically, each consecutive morning water temp will be a little bit colder as the fall progresses and many solid traditional patterns form. Each day however, you will see the morning water temps rise a few degrees through the day.

On many shallow weed and rock patterns especially, we often catch way more fish after lunch. Because we often must wait for these fish to turn on, our fishing is often methodical and we often find that we must be patient with some locations. Our best fishing is often in the afternoon and late in the day.

There are exceptions to every rule of thumb and some patterns and generalities contradict each other. Each ecosystem is entirely unique and figuring out fish on different bodies of water is what makes fishing so fascinating and fun.

These ten tips or guidelines are just observations from our own experiences. Fall fishing is a personal favorite and there is plenty of room!

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(continued from page 9) They Serve the Hunting Community = Worth Supporting!

I love when a company goes out of their way to serve their customers. Yes, every company wants to make money (and they need to…it’s how they keep the lights on and feed their families), but when I see a company provide what seems like an exorbitant amount of free content to the community they serve (whether they purchase from them or not), it gets my attention...

When I see a company that adds value to those who have never (and may never) give them a dime, it makes me a whole lot more inclined to give them my business.

If you’ve been considering becoming a goHUNT Insider for a while, spend some time perusing all the content they provide, and I bet you’ll feel like you’re getting quite the value for your hard-earned cash.

The Inside(er) Scoop (See what I did there?)

Here’s the truth: goHUNT didn’t ask me to write this…they don’t even know who I am or that this is going live on the interwebs. But, I am committed to helping you guys make the best possible decisions for your hunting efforts, and I’ve talked with several guys who (like me) were unsure about if paying for the goHUNT Insider was worth it.

You’ve heard my arguments, and you can now make a slightly more informed decision. I think for anyone wanting to hunt out West who cares more about finding opportunities to hunt than they do sticking close to what is familiar, it’s absolutely worth the cost! They’ve made a believer out of me, for sure! That 30-Day Trial is still going on…head on over, create an account, and start looking at some hunts.

I’m positive you’ll see some opportunities you’ve never considered before, and will probably have a busier hunt-calendar next Fall as a result!

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TIPS FOR HUNTING LATE SEASON MIGRATORY ELK (continued from page 7)

At the end of the day, the main things I’m looking for are: • Tough access points.

• No roads, trails, etc.

• Dark timber on north facing slopes.

• Small pocket meadows or open ridgelines.

• Nearby water source; running water generally stays open longer.

• Generally thicker and nastier terrain (blowdowns, steep, rocky, etc.)

GLASSING

Among all things, your optics will likely be one of the most important gear choices for the hunt. Finding key glassing points can turn six hours of physical hell into thirty minutes of a relaxing glassing session.

Even in the late season, mature bulls will tend to bed Glassing for bulls in dark timber.

Photo credit: Dave Barnett early in the morning and not move very much until the last hour or so of daylight.

Reaching glassing points before daylight as well as staying at them until last light can make a huge difference.

As grazers, elk cling to a mostly grass diet for as long as possible before moving to browse foods. Pocket meadows and windswept ridgelines and faces can be excellent places to begin glassing during the first and last hour of daylight. Pay close attention to treelines as mature bulls tend to hang close to cover. Sometimes bulls can be found in meadows the size of your garage so being meticulous, even in the timber, will be important. Binoculars mounted on a tripod can make a world of difference over glassing off your knees when picking apart timber. Watching over large and prominent saddles can also be good places to catch elk as they transition between bedding and feeding areas. Sometimes bulls may not present themselves during daylight for a number of reasons and hunters will need to shift tactics accordingly. Often this is going to mean gaining a bunch of elevation and glassing down into north-facing slopes.

Depending on the vegetation cover in your area you will more than likely be spending a large portion of your day living behind your spotting scope or binoculars.

Having good glass will not only help you spot more game in deep shadows and behind cover, but also save you from some nasty headaches due to eye strain.

Some types of country may even require higher power binoculars. The main thing to keep in mind is that being patient and glassing over an area will usually yield far more animal sightings than wandering blindly through the same area.

In areas where elk herds migrate heavily, there’s a lot of merits to simply sitting on glassing knobs and watching prominent ridgelines and saddles all day. The days following a good snow storm can be excellent for this.

(continued on page 36)

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THE IMPORTANCE OF RIFLE DRY FIRE PRACTICE AT HOME AND WHILE YOU’RE HUNTING (continued from page 26)

If I’m practicing in the field, I will range the target, adjust my scope to the correct MOA, check my scope level and set my bipod to get it level, get my body in the correct position, and then double-check my level. Those are steps I do in a real hunting situation, so I want to re-enforce that in any practice session.

Next, I will calm myself down by focusing on my breathing.

This is when I’m all about focusing those crosshairs on the precise spot I want to hit on the target, here I will focus on my breathing techniques again and squeeze the trigger until it breaks. Once the trigger breaks, take note on the amount of movement of your crosshairs. If they moved a decent amount, you were not steady enough with squeezing your trigger, had a bad shooting position, etc. Repeat this several more times. What we are doing here is building muscle memory and reinforcing proper habits.

Another way to dry fire practice at home is to take a laser (boresight or similar product) and aim it at a wall in your house.

You might not be able to exactly see the laser in your scope, but you can see it if Photo credit Brady Miller

you let your eyes see it around the side of the scope. Then execute a shot (again, with an unloaded gun!) and see the amount the laser moves as you break the trigger.

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Is dry fire practice safe for your rifle?

Dry firing a centerfire rifle is actually perfectly safe for the gun. But excessively dry-firing a rimfire type rifle is not good for the gun.

Work on breathing techniques while dry firing Rifle dry fire practice also allows you to practice breathing techniques. My dad explained to me that I needed to execute a shot between heartbeats if I wanted to make the best shot possible. My resting heartbeat averages a fairly low 41 beats per minute, so even when I’m excited, I have a decent gap in-between beats to execute a shot. You can really see the impact of your heartbeats in your riflescope if you are looking through your scope at max power and have the rifle against your shoulder. What you’ll start to see is the reticle is moving up and down from your heartbeat (also your breathing). So my dad always told me to take a deep breath, slowly exhale, take another deep breath, slowly exhale and relax to the point when that last bit of air is just about to be pushed out on the exhale (roughly 50 to 75% or your breath). At this point, you will be at a point when you’ll notice your body gets really calm to the point that you can actually feel your heart beating. The rest of your body is perfectly still, but you can feel the exact beats of your heart.

That is then when you will take your shot between the small pause of your heartbeats. Now some people might say this is taking things a little too far and complicates things, in my mind, it can’t hurt to practice.

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Hunting & Fishing News | 35

Pepper Jack Venison Steak And Onion Sandwich Recipe By Lindsey Bartosh

A 12 Gauge Girl www.huntingandcooking.com Ingredients: 1 lb venison backstrap or tenderloin, cut into small thin slices 1 12 oz bottle of Stubb’s Chicken Marinade, Citrus & Onion 8 slices of Pepper Jack Cheese 8 slices of Flowers or Sunbeam white Texas Toast 1/4 cup butter, 1 large yellow onion, sliced, 2 tsp. olive oil Instructions: First, fix the small thin slices of venison backstrap or tenderloin.

Place them in a bowl and add Stubb’s Chicken Marinade, Citrus & Onion and mix it well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Then drain the liquid from the tenderloin slices. Preheat a large electric skillet to 350 F and add 1 tsp. of olive oil. Fry the deer slices for no longer than a minute per side--just long enough to be done. When done, remove them from the heat and place them on a paper towel lined plate for later. Take a few paper towels and clean the pan using your spatula. Heat the pan to 250 F and slice the onion and add 1 tsp. of olive oil to the pan. Lightly fry the onions, which should only take a few minutes. Set the onions aside for later. Again, wipe the pan with paper towels and then preheat it to 300 F. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and once it’s melted, lay two pieces of Texas Toast in the pan, making sure each piece is in butter. Next, layer the ingredients on one piece of the toast as follows: 1 full slice of pepper jack cheese, tenderloin, onions, 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese, tenderloin, onions, and then the other 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese. Then place the other piece of Texas Toast on top with the buttered side out and put the lid on the skillet so the cheese will melt nicely. Leave it for about 2 minutes. Use a spatula and lift up the corner of the sandwich and look to see if it is nicely browned. If so, gently turn it over and brown the other side, which should take about two minutes as well. When done, place the sandwiches in a platter lined with paper towels. This will keep them from getting soggy and will remove any excess butter.

TIPS FOR HUNTING LATE SEASON MIGRATORY ELK (continued from page 34)

Staying mobile With conditions constantly changing during the late season, a big factor to keep in mind is that the elk could be continually moving and it will be important to follow suit. If I have good snow and put in a solid day of covering and or glassing a bunch of country and come up with little or no sign I will move on. If these areas looked promising even with the lack of sign I may return in the following days so I still like to keep these marked in my GPS. Before leaving on your hunt try to have three to four solid hunting spots laid out in case Plan A doesn’t work out.

Getting sneaky When conditions are just not conducive to glassing or bulls are staying treed up, a very effective, but more intense option, is still hunting through dark timber patches. This usually entails locating tracks or seeing elk from a distance in a given area and then slowly trailing the animals. Hunters will need to continually monitor the wind and move very slowly, glassing every few steps or so.

This can be an awesome way to hunt with fresh snow and is actually very fun. When conditions are just right, it is surprisingly easy to sneak up on elk, even when bedded.

ENJOYING THE HUNT

This will be one of the hardest hunts out there to stay motivated. Some days, you might find ten bulls and other times you may not see an elk in ten days. Keeping your head in the game can be very difficult. A good hunting partner is invaluable for these types of hunts, but even small creature comforts can really help. Pack foods you like, take warm clothes and build fires during the slow times of the day.

I’ve recently begun investing more of my time in photography and have found this as a fun way to take a 20 minute break from staring at the world at 10X. It’s always easier said than done, but, really, this hunt is all about slowing down and embracing the suck. This hunt will test you to the core, but the reward will be something like no other.

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3 Tips For Overcoming Fear In The Backcountry (continued from page 5)

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Mindset There are a few things I like to remind myself while trying to sleep in the backcountry. If I’m not in a predator-heavy environment, I tell myself repeatedly that I’m the most dangerous thing out there right now. I am big; I have thumbs, weapons, and training; and I can handle anything that might show up that night.

I’m also a firm believer in statistics, so I often can calm myself down reminding me of what is true instead of what I feel. For instance, in the last 20 years, there have been only 25 fatal black bear attacks. Of those, a whopping ONE was in the state I live and do most of my hunting in.

And mountain lion attacks are so rare that I can’t even find recent statistics on them (an average of 5.6 per year throughout North America from 15 years ago). In the places I typically hunt, that’s as dangerous as it gets. I should be more worried about some rancher’s cattle stomping through my camp in the night than a predator eating me like a burrito in my sleeping bag. While it may feel like every bump in the night is something dangerous, statistically speaking, it’s almost definitely not.

The Ability to See This may bleed over into the gear conversation, but I think it’s more a part of my mental game.

I have discovered that part of the anxiety I can experience is the inability to see what is around me once I’m zipped in my tent with the rainfly on. If I hear something in the bushes or walking by my tent, I would have to climb out of my sleeping bag, unzip the door, and if it’s on the other side of my tent, climb out and stand up to see what’s out there. On a cold night, that seems like way too much work for peace of mind, so I just lay there waiting for it to eat me (it never does).

That’s why if the night is warm enough and rain doesn’t seem likely, I’ll leave the rainfly off altogether. For my particular tent, this leaves me surrounded by mesh with a 360-degree view if I’ll just raise my head a few inches. If I’m awakened by some rustle in the bushes, I can grab my flashlight, sit up, look over, and see what’s up. Most of the time I don’t even see whatever is making the noise, but simply seeing that it’s obviously nothing I should be concerned about helps me take a deep breath, lie back down, and go to sleep.

Wrapping It Up Guys, it is okay – and quite frankly, totally normal – to experience some fear and anxiety while camping solo in the backcountry. I have found it lessens a bit over time, but at least at this point in my experience, it doesn’t totally go away. But, with a little bit of preparation and a few mental tools at your disposal, it doesn’t have to keep you out of the field. You may have a few nights of less-than-great sleep as you get used to it, but at least your adventure won’t be ending prematurely.

If I could give one piece of practical advice, it would be this: if you’re going out for your first solo trip, camp far enough from the truck that you’re stuck there for the night. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but I think it’s the best way to get through this. I know that first night when I was freaking out, I would have absolutely hiked out in the dark had I been closer to my rig. But, the fact that I was 7 rugged miles from anywhere helped me feel “stuck,” and forced me to power through the night no matter what. Worst-case, you endure a long, sleepless night, and hike out in the morning. But, once the sun is up, you won’t be scared anymore, and you’ll probably think, “I made it through that night, I can make it through this next one” – which will keep your adventure going. Fear is normal and fear can be good, but let’s learn how to manage it in the field so that we can spend the daylight hours doing what we love.

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