Montana Hunting & Fishing News - September 2015 by Western Hunting & Fishing News

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September 2015

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Decoying Pronghorns: Developing a Successful Strategy By Matt Palmquist Sponsored by: The Pope & Young Club Reprinted with permission from For more please visit www.bowhunting.net

I watched the pronghorn buck slowly move toward my position. To my dismay a satellite buck

was moving in on the herd from another direction. The herd buck looked at me and then at the live threat and decided that the other buck warranted his attention. I watched as the herd buck ran the small buck off into the distance. I decided to hold my position and see how things would unfold. I gave several bugle sequences toward the does that the buck had abandoned. Confused, they worked their way toward me while the buck was off showing he was boss. As the buck jogged back toward the herd of does, I hit him with a challenge bugle. The buck slowed as he approached the does and I hit him with another series of grunts. His aggression took over and he charged in my direction, stopping at less than 20 yards. As the buck turned to leave I drew my bow from behind the decoy and watched my arrow sail threw both of his lungs! This hunt opened my eyes to the effectiveness of using a decoy for rutting pronghorn antelope. Until this hunt I had experienced many fruitless attempts using a decoy and was almost convinced that they didn’t work. I have since shot several Pope and Young bucks from behind a decoy and have confidence that many more will be enticed into archery range. Through trial and error I have developed some strategies that have worked for me. Obviously, targeting aggressive herd bucks during the rut will dramatically increase opportunities. One of the most important factors to enticing a buck into range is being able to close the distance on the herd. Use the terrain and vegetative cover to penetrate the buck’s comfort zone. The closer you can get the better. I have tried using the decoy for cover in the past, moving while using the decoy as a shield. This can work if you need to cover a few yards in the open, but I have rarely fooled an animal when moving considerable distances behind the decoy. For best results, try to remain unseen before showing the decoy. Equally important from my experience is the use of a call in conjunction with the decoy. When a satellite buck ventures too close to a buck that is tending his herd of does, the dominant buck will sound off a series of grunts, or a challenge ‘bugle’. The bugle will consist of a longer note followed by 3-5 short notes (Pvrrr-pft-pft-pft-pft). Don’t confuse this with the single high pitched sound you will hear when they are on full alert and alarming the others. There are several companies that produce pronghorn calls including Primos, and Woods Wise. I have also used a crow call to imitate their sounds. During a past hunt I was able to use several of the tactics I have detailed above. I glassed a herd of antelope in a field that consisted of taller grasses and forbs. I lost sight of the herd and assumed they had bedded down on the back side of the small hill where I had last seen them. The tall cover was great to approach the antelope, but it was so tall that I was unable to pinpoint their exact location. When I felt I was within the buck’s comfort zone, I got into position with an arrow ready. I set up the decoy, and let out several challenge bugles. Within 30 seconds the buck had charged in and was standing broadside at 30 yards! The arrow found its mark and I was tagged out before noon on opening day. When conditions are perfect it can happen that fast. How to set up the decoy and get into position to shoot can vary due to personal preference. Typically an antelope will approach the decoy and circle on the downwind side. I usually sit on my butt with my feet extended straight out towards the stakes of the decoy. This allows me some separation from the decoy, and I can use my feet to help stabilize the decoy in the wind. Another option is to kneel down behind the decoy and shoot over the top when the buck approaches. Sitting on the ground conceals your movements better, but if the buck comes in where you don’t expect him to it can be difficult to quickly change position. From my experiences it is important to position the decoy so the buck will approach and circle on the side of the decoy where you feel more comfortable shooting. Being right handed I want the buck to approach from my left because it is easier to swivel my upper body that direction for a shot. Knowing when to draw your bow is a key component to success. I typically wait to draw after the pronghorn is in range. All of the bucks I have arrowed have stopped once they were close to the decoy and I have been able to draw my bow from behind the decoy at this time or when they turn to leave. I have friends that have been successful while decoying that prefer to draw early while the buck is charging in, allowing you to be ready to shoot when the opportunity arises. Both methods will undoubtedly result in success and failure. I prefer to wait in case the animal sees movement which causes him to stop short. There are several different antelope decoys on the market. Montana Decoy and Heads Up Decoy, both provide 2-D options made out of fabric. Other 2-D options are made of hard plastic and fold up for transport. There are models available from Mel Dutton, and Flambeau. Carry-Lite is also producing a 3-D hard plastic decoy that looks very realistic, but transport is more difficult. I prefer the fabric decoy options over the others because they are quiet, and lightweight, while looking very realistic. On a hunt in 2008 I located a lone buck on the back side of a ridge. A lone buck isn’t the best scenario for decoying, but I knew that I would be able to get close without being seen. As I approached the ridge top I luckily spotted the buck with his head down feeding. Quickly, I set up the decoy and got into position for a shot. After a few challenge bugles I still hadn’t seen the buck. I thought maybe he had spotted me setting up, but gave it several minutes before my impatience won over and I had to sneak a peek to try to relocate the buck. He was still there and headed my direction! I scurried to get into position again and the buck slowly made his way into 20 yards. As I drew my bow the buck froze, but it was too late, and the decoy had produced again! While aggressive herd bucks present the best chance for action, the hunt above shows that it never hurts to try any buck you see. This buck was alone and had nothing to protect, so the challenge bugles fell on deaf ears, but the decoy was still able to lure him into shooting range. Using a decoy can be frustrating at times, but when things come together there is not a more exciting way to hunt Pronghorn Antelope. TIPS FOR SUCCESS Try to close the distance to 100 yards or less before showing the decoy to the herd buck. Be ready to shoot before showing the decoy. Things can happen in a hurry when dealing with an aggressive buck. Use a challenge bugle to draw attention to the decoy and lure the buck to your position. Reference wind direction when positioning the decoy and mentally prepare for the shot as the buck circles downwind. For more please go to: P&Y Columns and The Pope & Young Club. September 2015

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t some point on a future elk hunt you’ll run into a major barrier: private property fence lines. I find myself continually challenged by game that retreats just across a neighboring property fence. If you find yourself in this barbed-wire predicament while bowhunting elk then you’ll either need to walk away or try a new strategy to get a bull to cross into your world, and on property you have permission to hunt. SCOUT THE ROUTE AND PLAN A STRATEGY

Don’t wait until archery season to discover that fences could foul your hunt. Take a stroll before the season starts to review any boundary issues that may arise later. Even better, be on the hunt for reasons that may attract elk to your side of the fence. The obvious list of reasons elk may wander back and forth are food, water and shelter. Locate a hot item and then begin scanning the fence for easy crossing opportunities. Elk are lazy by nature and the major reason landowners gripe about high densities. When elk cross a fence they oftentimes break the top wire or stretch it to the point where it provides no barrier whatsoever. Look for low spots, terrain that provides a step-stool effect, downed fence or broken posts resulting in sagging wire. Elk quickly find these locations and file them away for future travel ease. You can file them as well for locations to set up for calling or even ambush points. A well-traveled trail at a fence gap has the ingredients for a treestand or ground blind setup point. Once season starts you’ll likely be frustrated by bulls that stay across the fence and bugle, but they won’t budge. Once you determine this scenario it’s time to take your tune on the road. Push a bull’s buttons by turning your back and walking away while calling. If the bull sounds sheepish a sexy series of cow mews may ignite a hoofed response. If the bull has an argumentative side then use bugles as you walk the opposite direction. And if those options fail, combine the two to imitate the sound of a bull that’s snuck into the herd and stolen a cow coming into estrus. Don’t be afraid to make lots of noise as you move. Clatter rocks, break branches, mew, chirp and even stop to rake a tree. A herd of elk is a noisy lot and the more you make it sound like the real action is on your side of the fence, the higher the odds you’ll drag a bull your direction. 6 - Hunting & Fishing News

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking humans or elk, the sight or sounds of a fight can attract a crowd. To spike the testosterone interest of a lackadaisical bull fake an elk fight. You can do this easily by employing a series of high intensity bugles with two different tones to imitate two bulls. Make one a growler and use an extended chuckle on the other. Be creative in your own style, but ramp up the excitement in the calls. Next, be sure to pack along a set of raghorn shed antlers to duplicate the sounds of a fight. If you don’t want to pack along the extra pounds you can always make sounds naturally. Carry a single angler or pick up a dead branch and rake it on trees to imitate the sounds leading up to a confrontation. Bang, scrape, bugle and mew to make any elk in the area believe they are missing a George Foreman moment. After a few minutes have your bow at the ready and scan for a sneaky or brash bull to cross the fence-line barrier.

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Elk like to see other elk when they hear a call so when you make a racket on your side of the fence don’t be afraid to flash some hide in the form of a decoy. Montana Decoy manufactures the most popular, foldable, lightweight model, but several other companies also market similar options. You can also dress as an elk with the Be The Decoy elk getup, but regardless of your faux elk decision it can be a critical component to lure a bull across the fence. Look for areas where elk can see your decoy from 100 or more yards in either direction of the fence. Also be on the lookout for available terrain options to veil a move if you need to reposition. Reserved and subtle decoy movement can catch light and direct attention along with soft calls. If elk ignore the decoy wait until the target looks the other way and then duck out of sight, and move to another location to imitate herd movement. If all else fails you may have to say “uncle.” You’re not really giving up, but sometimes walking away and coming back another day may be the best answer. You’ll know from fresh elk sign if a herd has been on your side of the fence and if they’ve been there once they’ll likely repeat the pattern. Your goal in returning later is to allow the area to rest and give elk unpressured access. It can lead to peace of mind for the herd. They’ll have time to return and investigate across-the-fence options without bumping into you or smelling your presence. After a few days you may be able to catch them on the right side of the fence for the chance at an ambush. Lastly, as you consider all fence-hunting options be conscientious of the responsibility of hunting near property boundaries. An arrow-shot elk can run 100 yards or more, even with perfect double-lung placement. This should be your minimum setup distance from any fence. And any animal may escape back to where it just came from if it felt safe there prior to the shot. You may even want to talk with the adjoining property owners. Begin a relationship and make it clear you are a responsible hunter. Unforeseen events during archery elk season are the norm so knowing any landowners in the area could make a sticky situation go smoothly. Fence lines do create barriers, but it’s not an obstacle that can’t be dealt with. A bit of creative thinking goes a long way in elk country.

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Avoid These Top 10 Elk Hunting Mistakes: Part 1

Photos and article by Jason Phelps

Originally published at

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W hile some may find listening to other archery elk hunters talk about their failures boring or ”one of the downsides of owning a call company,”

I do not agree. Instead, I consider it being fortunate. Not only do I get the opportunity to listen to all of the “mistakes” other hunters make, but I can easily relate them to my own experiences. As much as I want to know what works I also want to know what is not working because that is how I am going to be able to avoid the same mistakes. “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work” – Thomas Edison The other thing to consider is… this is ELK HUNTING — where the only thing that is for certain is that nothing is for certain. What does not work one time may work flawlessly the next and what strategy has been working may all of a sudden fail. Below are some of the most recurring and common mistakes that I hear about:

1. Calling your way into elk and not getting close enough As an archery elk hunter, nothing fires us up more than letting out a bugle and getting a response. So why not do it again and again and again? Chances are the bull will continue to bugle back as long as you are in the same location, but as you move toward the bull in pursuit, resist the urge to bugle once you know the bull’s location. Instead, check the wind and try to get within 100 yards of where you think he is. Ideally, he will continue to bugle as you are moving in and allow you to pinpoint his location. If not, try to get to where you think he is before making another peep. (continued on page 44)

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3 Can’t Miss Fall Walleye Hotspots By Matt Straw

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T he line goes down. Straight down. The boat moves gently

along at .8 mph. The depth finder shows “hooks” hovering off bottom. A tap. The rod tip drops, the reel is engaged, the line tightens. The rod sweeps up and doubles into an arc. The line points straight down, toward something heavy that refuses to rise. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. Fall is the time walleye pros, experts and guides wait for all year. Walleyes gather in predictable spots. More importantly, they feed voraciously. With winter just around the corner, Mother Nature taps predatory fish on the head, reminding them they need calories to survive the coming cold. Of all the spots walleyes might use in fall, three stand out. Irresistible forces of nature bring stability and baitfish to these spots that will never fail you! The bottom on the depth-finder screen rolls downward, indicating a steep break. Where it levels off, at about 24 feet, the bottom reading turns from dark and substantial to weak and dark. Big hooks suspend 2 to 3 feet above bottom onscreen. Those are walleyes. A camera might reveal perch, crappies, crayfish and shiners hiding in the shadows near bottom -- hiding from certain death that hovers overhead.

10 - Hunting & Fishing News

Transitions

Transitions are spots where one type of substrate gives way to another. Where rocks, gravel, or clay border softer substrates like sand, muck, or silt, panfish and baitfish find the creatures that live in both areas. Insects and crayfish that cling to rock and those invertebrates that burrow in soft bottom are found just a yard or so from each other, providing a potpourri of dining opportunities. Walleyes take advantage of those feeding perch and shiners. Transitions exist near the base of all main-lake structures like reefs, humps, islands and points. Depending on the lake and overall depth, transitions can exist anywhere from 12 to 50 feet down or deeper. Hunt for them with sonar by zig-zagging above the areas where those structures meet basin flats, looking for “hard,” dense bottom readings in close proximity to “soft,” less substantial reports. Perch, crappies, and other baitfish begin filtering down to these deeper spots as waters cool below 60°F, just after “turnover,” when lake temperatures almost equalize top-to-bottom then flip. The best way to fish transitions is by vertical jigging with 6-lb line and live minnows on relatively heavy jig heads. Staying vertical is key, but jigheads should be matched to depth. On shallower transitions, ¼-ounce jigs with soft-plastic bodies like the Lindy Fuzz-E-Grub and Watsit Jig provide a full, natural profile up where light penetration is high and walleyes can see best. A little deeper, down to 20 feet or so, the same jigs can be used without the bodies for a quicker drop. On deeper transitions, heavier jigs will be required—up to ½ ounce. On windy days, a ¾-ounce Lindy Jig might be in order, especially at depths of 40 feet or more. In most situations a 3/8-ounce jig is optimum. Minnows should be lip-hooked so they turn and keep up with the slow progress of the boat without dragging behind.

Main Lake Points

Walleyes tend to evacuate bays in lakes, except when following shad into creek arms. Otherwise, main-lake spots tend to be best places to find fall walleyes. And the best main-lake spots are big shoreline points that jut out into the main basin of the lake. All lakes have currents. The bigger the lake, the more pronounced those currents become. Currents are driven by the gradient of the land but affected by heat convection, wind and creek or river inlets and outlets. Out in the main basin of the main lake, currents carry plankton along and baitfish follow. When those currents intercept main-lake points at whatever depths the baitfish are using, walleyes find perfect ambush points nearby. They lurk in the shadow of steep drop-offs where current is broken by structure, or they hold on the up-current side of the structure where a cushion of water forms, creating a current void. Walleyes sit just off the current ready to intercept anything the lake brings past. That could be smelt, shiners, ciscoes, alewives or any other pelagic species. Find the best spots quickly by trolling. Walleyes will be structure-oriented, meaning bottom-hugging tactics will find them faster. Backtrolling (running the boat in reverse with a small kicker motor or transom-mount electric) at .8 to 1.4 mph with a Lindy Rig or Floating Rig is a classic approach. Choose the Minnow Hook varieties to present relatively large chubs, suckers or shiners. Minnows are best in fall, and a 6-incher is not too big. In cloudy water and on dark, windy days, opt for some flash with an Old Guide’s Secret Willow Rig. The willowleaf blade allows quicker trolling speeds — up to 2 mph or even faster. Tip the size #4 hook with a fathead minnow for quick coverage. Another great option is the Lindy Lil’ Guy — a crawler harness with a neat twist. Instead of a spinning blade, it offers a wobbling, crankbait-style body that draws walleyes with vibration. Tip the two-hook harness with a pair of fatheads or shiners to create the illusion of a school of minnows. Either rig is best presented on a 3-way rig at this time of year. Tie a 2-ounce bell sinker to a 2- to 3-foot dropper line. Tie that to the bottom of a three-way swivel, tie the main line to another loop on the swivel and the 36-inch leader that comes with the Lindy Lil’ Guy or Willow Rig to the final loop on the swivel. The same rig can be used to present floating minnowbaits like the Smithwick Rogue for even faster coverage of the area.

Once you find the fish, pitching or vertical jigging with Watsits or Fuzz-E-Grubs becomes more efficient. When walleyes really concentrate in a small area, tipping these plastic-body jigs with minnows will no longer be required.

River And Creek Mouths

Rivers that empty into large lakes, reservoirs, bigger rivers, and Great Lakes, entertain a fascinating phenomenon every fall. The early or “false” spawning migration is a fairly universal occurrence in these environments. Walleyes often spawn in rivers and creeks. All spawn in spring, right around ice-out in 40°F water temperatures. But many walleyes run early, and those that don’t run will begin to stage early—usually at some point in October. Running and staging walleyes hold near the mouth of the river before moving on up. When walleyes spawn in creeks, they all stage before running during the ice-out thaws. And here’s a fact few walleye anglers seem to be aware of: Shoreline spawners in lakes and reservoirs also tend to have a “false run,” visiting the shallow spots where they will spawn in spring before ice cover takes over those areas. And that’s one of the great things about staging walleyes: They hold in relatively shallow water much of the time. At night, they move right up into 2- and 3-foot depths. During the day, they’re often active in depths shallower than 12 feet. For anglers that would rather pitch and cast to walleyes, fall staging areas are awesome places to be. Position the boat upwind of a creek or river mouth in 20 feet of water and fight the autumn winds with Lindy Fisherman Series Drift Socks tied off at the bow and transom. Make each drift a little shallower until everybody hooks up. One angler should pitch a crankbait like the River Rocker on 8-lb braided line with a 3-foot, 10-lb monofilament leader. Another should pitch jigs like the Lindy Watsit or Fuzz-E-Grub tipped with small minnows. Work both options fast and hard, the cranks with occasional sharp triggering snaps, the jigs with high, 3-foot hops. Fall walleyes are aggressive. Strikes are more of the rip-the-rod-away variety, with less of those tippity-tap-tap bites of summer. When it comes to presenting lures and jigs, treat fall walleyes more like bass or stripers—especially on the spots outlined here. On these can’t miss spots, competitive feeding is the rule, so hold on tight. September 2015 11

COUNTRY WHITETAILS By Jason Mitchell

The author Jason Mitchell with an archery buck from 2014 harvested in early September.

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Further east where the landscape is much more wooded, the population’s densities of deer are much higher. Deer live in a much smaller area and there are more deer per square mile. In many places, eighty acres is plenty of land to hunt deer on but as you get out into much more wide-open terrain, you typically need more land to hunt on as the deer roam so much more and the deer population densities are much lower. Wide-open fields of cropland are broken up with wood lots; tree rows or slough bottoms that provide cover and the deer that live in this environment have a much larger home range.

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Because of the terrain to the east, scouting is often done over food plots cleared in the woods or using trail cameras on pinch points. Trail cameras are an invaluable scouting tool but in some ways all a camera tells you is that the deer is alive and you might be able to figure out what direction the deer is coming from at what time. There are still a lot of clues missing when it comes to trying to kill a particular deer. (editor’s note: check your state regulations regarding the use of trail cameras)

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One painful lesson I have learned is that I can never assume anything with deer in regards to where they are bedding or the route they are taking from point a to point b. I guess wrong ninety percent of the time. Now I have gotten into the habit of using cameras to scout and finding a specific deer and I also use a camera to monitor a specific spot when I get ready to hunt but the information I can gather from

scouting with optics is really how I can put a solid plan together.

When I was younger and more inexperienced, a common mistake I made was to assume a bedding area or travel route just from the Intel gathered from trail cameras and unintentionally hunting with wrong or compromised winds. Now I am a lot more methodical and patient.

I don’t move in on a deer until I know enough details and I bide my time until the wind is right and I can get in without any detection. A gamble I sometimes struggle with is whether I can get

out or get winded by deer after they pass my location so there are times when there are high risk high reward situations where you have one good chance to kill a particular deer but if you don’t kill that deer that night, you compromise the spot. When I am in doubt, I sit on a hill and scout. There are many challenges to hunting this wide-open terrain but one advantage more hunters should capitalize on is to rely less on trail cameras and more on a spotting scope. (continued on page 43)

Hunting Safety From NorthWestern Energy F all is upon us and for many Montanans, it’s an exciting time. Thousands of state residents will take to the field, bows, rifles and shotguns in hand, in search of upland birds, waterfowl and big game. Hunting is a deeply rooted tradition across Montana.

NorthWestern Energy’s Montana service territory covers nearly two-thirds of the state and many hunters will cross paths with our utility lines and poles, signs, substations and transmission structures. NorthWestern maintains more than 17,600 miles of electric distribution lines in Montana and an additional 6,700 miles of transmission lines. Add in more than 7,000 miles of natural gas distribution and transmission pipeline, and the net result is that there is a lot of NorthWestern infrastructure spread across Big Sky Country. The electric and gas infrastructure is what allows us to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to our nearly 354,000 Montana customers. Unfortunately every hunting season, some pieces of this infrastructure are damaged by weapon-toting vandals. The cost of this damage, whether it’s to power lines, signs or substations, quickly adds up. Ultimately, it’s all of our customers who pick up the tab for the damage caused by a few. Often times, the cost of repairing or replacing damaged equipment is passed along in charges on utility bills. © Paul Jantz | Dreamstime.com

Help us help you. Please don’t shoot at power lines, insulators, signs or any above-ground natural gas equipment. Such acts are senseless and lead to unnecessary expense and even service outages. The vast majority of hunters who head to the hills and fields of Montana are conscientious, law-abiding folks who value their opportunity to hunt and enjoy the outdoors. Just as these people would report poaching or other illegal hunting-related activity to authorities, we ask that you act as NorthWestern’s eyes and ears in the field and keep a watchful eye for those who might inflict damage on utility infrastructure. Making note of vehicle descriptions and license-plate numbers of suspected evil-doers can greatly assist law enforcement and NorthWestern in finding those responsible for vandalism. Please call 911 to report illegal activity to law enforcement. Call NorthWestern Energy at (888) 467-2669 if you spot damaged electrical or natural gas lines. Please remember to keep a safe distance from any NorthWestern infrastructure that appears to be damaged or unsafe. Fall is a wonderful time in Montana. With your help, we can make it even better. For more information on NorthWestern Energy, visit us on the Web at www.northwesternenergy.com. Or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@NorthWestern_MT). September 2015 13

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Bowhunting September Whitetails By Bob Humphrey

Yamaha Outdoors Tips

In many states, September offers hunters their first crack at wily whitetails.

If yours is among them, here are a few tips that might help tip the odds ever so slightly in your direction.

Scout - Early-season whitetails are often very regular in their routines but are also very

susceptible to disturbance. Trail cameras and plot watchers provide a less intrusive means to keep tabs on their daily routine. Checking cameras by ATV rather than on foot might also be a better idea, particularly if you ride through the area on any kind of regular basis.

Think Food - They don’t move much, but when they do it’s usually associated with food. Find concentrations of early fall food. Favorites include crops like soybeans, soft mast like apples or persimmons or hard mast like white oak acorns, which are often the first to fall. Hunt the Peaks - Deer are most active at dawn and dusk throughout the year but this is particularly true early in the season.

Most of the activity will be within the first and last hour of daylight. Hit the peaks now and save the longer sits and days off from work for later in the season.

Be Prepared - Early season can be warm and buggy. Warm temperatures call for extra attention to scent control. Wash yourself and

your clothes with odor killing soap, then spray everything, including equipment with odor-reducing solution. You may also want to carry a small spray bottle with you and apply regularly in the field. Meanwhile, a ThermaCELL will keep biting insects at bay without alerting deer. 14 - Hunting & Fishing News

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Cold Calling to Fall Turkeys By Steve Hickoff Yamaha Outdoors Tips

If you’ve heard fall turkeys don’t talk, you’ve got some bad information. Cold calling for fall turkeys—whether on foot or from a blind—is a tactic to locate or pull in birds you don’t see. You’ve likely picked a spot where you’ve found fresh turkey sign, or even seen and heard birds. Photo: Steve Hickoff

HOW TO DO IT When on foot, you can kee-kee, cluck, hen or gobbler yelp to strike a bird. Think of this as fall locator calling. In such situations, a variety of “wild turkey sounds” can draw a response. Often enough too, you might simply hear birds in the woods or fields while listening intently when you’re not calling. As safety goes in either-sex fall turkey states, lean against a tree as you make a call, or even temporarily set up on the ground as you might in spring. BLIND SETUPS The typical stationary ground setup these days often includes blinds. These “hides” are often erected in areas where turkeys are on the move. A pinch point with a game trail in the woods, or entrance to a field, might be likely locations. As mentioned, ideally fresh turkey sign is nearby. It’s also important to put your blind somewhere between the roost and food source, especially in fall. Calling to birds you strike can pull individual turkeys or the entire flock your way. Making contact as they approach can also help you determine when a shot opportunity might come. FINAL THOUGHTS Wild turkeys call every day of their lives. The mistaken idea fall turkeys don’t is just that—an error in “spring turkey hunter” logic (or lack of). The trick is to think like a turkey. Call sparingly or enthusiastically—on foot or in a blind. Adapt your calling once the age and sex of the autumn turkey that responds is clear. Then call that bird into range. 16 - Hunting & Fishing News

Changes in Weather Often Mean Changes in Lures

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lthough cold fronts and other weather changes in the autumn months are seldom as severe as those occurring later in the winter, they can still change bass behavior very quickly. That’s why Yamaha Pro Marty Robinson always has several rods with completely different types of lures rigged and ready to cast whenever he goes fishing this time of year. “The cold fronts in the autumn normally don’t change the water temperature that much,” notes Robinson, “but they often change the wind speed and direction, and that seems to be what changes the fish. “I know from experience that whenever a front changes the wind direction from the south to the north, for example, the fishing is going to slow dramatically.” One of Robinson’s favorite fall lures, and a favorite of bass fishermen everywhere, is a topwater buzz bait, a noisy lure with a rotating blade that churns and clatters through shallow cover and often attracts big bass. It seems to produce best when the wind is blowing from the south, but a change to a north wind all but eliminates the bite. Robinson’s solution is to change to a lure he can fish close to the surface but not on top of the water. His favorite choice is a spinnerbait, which he retrieves fast, or “burns,” just below the surface. If the spinnerbait doesn’t produce, he then changes to jigs or soft plastic creature baits and worms. “I’ve really caught a lot of fish burning the spinnerbait over submerged cover like stumps, laydowns, rocks, and vegetation,” continues the Yamaha Pro. “The bass still seem to be very active and they strike reactively, but they apparently don’t want to actually break the surface. Sometimes, just a simple presentation change like this is all that’s needed to start the fish biting again. “Other times, slowing down and fishing specific targets more thoroughly may be what’s needed. This is when I start pitching and flipping a jig or some other bottom-bumping lure, and instead of just making one or two casts to a log or stump, I’ll make five or six and fish much slower and tighter to the cover.” When fishing really slows, Robinson frequently changes his fishing targets as well as his lures. Instead of concentrating on stumps or laydowns, he looks for thick vegetation, such as milfoil, hydrilla, or other greenery in shallow water. “During the autumn months, vegetation will be the thickest it’s going to be all year,” he explains, “and it will attract both baitfish and bass and hold them well into the winter. In some lakes where the vegetation forms a mat at the surface, you can bring fish up with plastic frogs, but flipping jigs and soft plastics may produce even better results. “I’ll work along the edge of the matted vegetation, and flip into little holes and to any irregular points, let the jig reach the bottom, and just hop it once or twice. If a bass is there, it will usually strike pretty quickly.” The Yamaha Pro also pays attention to the late afternoon rain showers that often come with autumn weather changes. Immediately before the rain starts falling, the fishing can be excellent, but once the bass stop biting, it may take as long as 24 hours for them to really become active again. “Part of this is caused by a changing barometer,” concludes the Yamaha Pro, “but you can fish your way through it. When the barometer is falling, as it usually is as a storm approaches, the bass are nearly always more active and will really hit spinnerbaits and crankbaits, but they stop biting once the barometer starts rising immediately after the front passes. When you know this is happening, you just have to slow down and fish more carefully with more target-specific lures until the barometer settles again. “That’s why I think it’s important to have a variety of lures rigged and ready to use during the fall months. The bass can change their behavior very quickly, but you can still catch them.” September 2015 17

The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes sponsor

Finley Point State Park on Flathead Lake

2015 FALL MACK DAYS LAKE TROUT FISHING EVENT ON FLATHEAD LAKE Sept.25th

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Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays are Competitive Mack Days with lottery, prizes, tagged fish, and bonuses. Pick your 15/24 best days Friday-Sunday to count for the lottery, bonus, top angler, and other prizes.

NEW: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday will be bonus days and tagged fish onlyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;45 total days

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Flathead Lake, as seen from West Shore, MFWP

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Top ten angler prizes $700-$200-best 15/24-days count last day is separate Every 10 entries gives anglers a special ticket for a Yeti Cooler-Tundra 65 drawing Captains $250-(4 prizes), Smallest lake trout $250-(2 prizes), Largest lake trout-$500 Top lady anglers $300, $200, $100 - $100-totals used Youth anglers - (17-13) 1st-$200, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$75, 4-5th-$50 (12 & under) 1st-$100, 2nd-$75, 3rd-$50 will also be entered in the lottery drawing Weekend Prizes-$300 and $200 will be announced each week Golden Angler Award (70 & older) $200 & $100 3 days of Single/Team-heaviest 4-fish 10/9-Friday, 10/24 Saturday and 11/8-Sunday Last Day: $300, $200, $100

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ocated on the south end of Flathead Lake in a secluded, mature pine forest, Finley Point offers 16 campsites with water and 30-amp electric hookups and two walk-in tent sites. All campsites have a fire ring and grills, and picnic tables. The site has disabled access. The park also has boat slips, boat mooring, and a boat sewage dump, flush toilets and drinking water. Firewood is for sale onsite. Full service camping is available from May 1 to September 30, limited services camping and the boat ramp are open through mid-November. Boat Ramp, Finley Point MFWP Please note: There is one ADA accessible campsite at this park. Also, most campsites are reservable from Memorial Day through Labor Day. This park and the southern end of Flathead Lake are located on the Flathead Indian Reservation, so you will need a Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe fishing license to enjoy the excellent fishing here. Directions: Located 11 miles north of Polson on Montana 35, then 4 miles west on county road. Contact information: (406) 887-2715

Pick your 15 best days to count for the lottery & top angler prizes. The last day is separate.

Fish Fry for participants & families - Nov. 15th at Blue Bay 3:00 Awards Ceremony at 4:00 Entry forms will not be mailed out.

Enter online at www.mackdays.com or pick up entries at local sporting good stores - or you can even enter when you check in your fish at the check in stations during Mack Days. It is easier if you enter before the event begins.

We remind you to follow all fishing regulations. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have a special $12 fishing permit for the south half on Flathead Lake that is available wherever fishing permits are sold.

Sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 18 - Hunting & Fishing News

MFWP Map

WALLEYES ON TARGET

LUND

The Ultimate Fishing Experience

By Jason Mitchell

Television host Jason Mitchell offers some insights on how to catch more late summer and fall walleye on classic structure.

o many situations come late summer and fall where if walleye are present, they are going to show up on electronics. When walleye start stacking up on rock reefs, deep points and classic structure that is between fifteen and forty feet of water, you are going to see fish on the screen. Bare spots that are void of life are usually a waste of time. No arches, no clutter, no bumps on the bottom often means no activity. A proven strategy for fishing classic walleye structure is to drive up and down over structure until you see fish on the screen. Keep driving and looking until you mark fish. What often gets lost however is just exactly what to look for. Eliminating dead water is relatively easy. Determining which marks are indeed walleye and exactly which locations to fish takes a little more intuition. On many lakes and reservoirs, there is such a wide variety of biomass. The fish that show up on the screen could be catfish, suckers, tullibee, whitefish, drum or some other fish that isn’t a walleye. I have beat my head against the wall wasting a lot of time trying to catch “perfect” marks that were not the intended species. What makes target identification even more subjective is that each body of water has it’s own personality. There are some lakes where if solid targets show up on certain locations a foot to three feet off the bottom, there is a high likelihood that those marks are walleye. The same screen on a different body of water however can completely fool you. Large white suckers in particular often lay across hard bottom breaks and often look just like walleye and you can spend a lot of time fishing for an unintended fish. The surest way to gauge and judge what is below you is simply time on the water on that particular fishery. So often with walleye fishing, if it looks too good to be true… it usually is. Some anglers stop and fish where they see the most suspended fish on the screen or numerous stacked arches coming off a point only to realize later that the fish are whitefish or something else unintended. There are no hard fast rules with fishing and there has to be exceptions but usually, walleyes come across the screen one at a time. You might have five marks on the screen depending on how fast the boat is moving and how fast your scroll speed is set but walleyes often seem to set up in loose formations. Over deeper water, fish might sometimes overlap more but don’t make the mistake of looking for too much because when you find too much, the targets below the boat are often not walleye from my own experience. When picking apart structure, I can’t tell you how many times I would mark a fish or two going a particular direction and then completely miss the same fish with my electronics when coming back along the same path but from the opposite direction. With a lot of rock reefs and deeper structure that has dips and crevices created by larger rock and boulders, there are blind spots in your electronics where fish get lost in the bottom if they don’t get hit with the cone angle of the sonar so that they can separate from the bottom. So often, if you mark a handful of fish, there are often more that got missed. Fish that are really tight to the bottom in rocks can often look just like smaller rocks if there isn’t enough separation. There are times when these really tight to the bottom fish will bite but often, the fish riding a foot to three feet off the bottom are the biters. Look for targets where there is good separation between the fish and the bottom and those are usually the fish that make you look good. They key for catching walleye this time of year on so many lakes is to get into the rhythm where you know what depth range to search and also know what to look for. Remember as well that as we get later into the

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summer and fall, fish movements can tend to be more horizontal than vertical. What that means is structure that has a wider range of depth that say tops out in five feet of water often gets used less than a similar reef or hump that tops out at the depth fish are using. If most of the fish are holding between twenty and thirty feet of water during this time of year, look for structure that tops out at that depth versus structure that comes up much higher and fishing the twenty to thirty feet of water available on that particular spot. This is a general rule of thumb that I believe plays the odds and here is why. Later in the year, when fish are holding at a particular depth, they are often simply sliding out over open water to eat and when they move, they don’t move up or slide shallower but simply move out. Spots that top out at the right depth often hold more fish. Not to say that you won’t find fish using the sides or the wall on much shallower structure because you will but usually there are fewer fish and they are not as concentrated. With many deep structure fish, there are often windows where you catch seventy percent of your fish. When walleyes are gorging themselves on the swarms of tullibee, smelt, ciscoes or shiners that are often available in late summer, they often make you look bad because they are only active for short amounts of time. As a result, you can go back and forth over these fish fighting to get a bite and than for half an hour or so they open up. I have often felt that if I could get a fish an hour, I would hang in for the long haul as there is often some window where the fish open up for you. You might average a fish or so per hour for a five-hour window and than get an hour where you catch seven. As a result, fishing this time of year is often very methodical and calculated. You have to trust your electronics and put yourself into position to be successful. Find the right fish and wait them out. Usually, when the marks start to lift off the bottom and separate, those are your active fish and that is your window to strike. This entire strategy however will unravel if you spend the entire day focusing on the wrong targets and the easiest way to get on the right track is get intuition into what to look for and learn to distinguish situations or marks on the screen that are a waste of time. Ignore the flat that has five solid feet of the water column filled with marks indicating fish because chances are, the marks on the screen are not walleyes. September 2015 19

Say Hello To Success: Where to chase the Fish this Month Brought to you by

eptember’s cool mornings will bring fish out of their deep water hideouts now, as they start to fatten up for the winter months ahead. Cooling water temperatures will trigger a feeding frenzy not seen since last spring. Lakes and reservoirs are ideal to target now, as the walleye, bass, northern pike and all species of trout stop their summer sulking and start smashing baits near the top of the water columns once again. You can fish for browns and rainbows on most rivers and streams as the summer turns into fall, and they will be eager to take your offering. Trophy fish of all species are waiting to be scooped out of our lakes, rivers and streams from now until freeze-up occurs this winter. Take advantage of the cool morning temperatures and the outstanding scenery that is created by the magic of Autumn. Here are just a few spots around Montana to check out.

HOLTER LAKE

The Missouri River system all through Montana will be primed to fish now. September anglers working Holter Lake up through the Gates are bound to pull up big rainbows and browns now by working the deeper mid-section of the lake. The strongest bite should come from around the Split Rock and Oxbow Bend areas. But you can expect excellent fishing in any feeder stream that drops into the system. Target these points or any rocky drop-off edges for plenty of action through the fall. Trolling a Fire Tiger pattern or black/silver combo Rapalas will attract big trout. Brown trout patterns will also work great. For the walleye, drop

a jig tipped with a nightcrawler down close to the bottom for success. Night fishing for walleye can be very productive as many anglers fish after dark now. This is an excellent time to camp along the shores of the lake. You’ll have to pack everything in your boat to get to these spots, but what a fun way to spend a few days fishing.

HEBGEN, QUAKE, & HENRYS LAKES

Hebgen Lake is located in Southwest Montana. All the area lakes and streams here should be packed with rainbows and browns eager for a fight. Angler pressure should drop off a bit as the tourist season subsides, giving you a lot more stream access to roam. Located 20 miles west of West Yellowstone sits this 12,000 acre lake that is one of the premier stillwater fishing lakes in Montana. The lake has a healthy population of browns, cutthroats and rainbow trout and is an exceptional early fall fishing destination. Penetrate the full depths of the lake to find the bigger fish now, then work your way around the shorelines for good action in the shallows. These cool evenings will produce good top-water action. You can camp around the lake as well. Quake Lake is located about 24 miles from West Yellowstone and is stocked yearly with cutthroat and brown trout. A massive earthquake in 1959 formed this gorge lake. Plenty of big lunkers lay in wait for you this fall. Henrys Lake in Idaho is also located near the West Yellowstone area, 15 miles west. Henrys Lake is a high-mountain lake that is well known for it’s extraordinary fishing. Anglers can land brook trout,

Expect fantastic trout fishing in September. Walleye/Trout Hunter Outfitters Photo on Facebook at Walleye/Trout Hunter Outfitters

rainbows and cutthroat or cutthroat hybrids in this system. The lake has a boat launch, cleaning station and cabins available to rent, as well as spots for camping. It is located along Hwy. 87 north of Island Park, Idaho. You can call 208-558-7532 for more information on cabin rentals. This area is loaded with many outdoor opportunities, and there is no better time than now to explore it.

DEADMAN’S BASIN

Deadman’s Basin is a 1,954 acre irrigation reservoir that is host to numerous bird species along with trout, Kokanee and more than a dozen types of warm-water fish. The most recent Montana State Record tiger muskie, a 38.75 lb., 50-incher came from Deadman’s Basin, September 2, 2012, caught by Leo Cantin.

Methods for catching a monster muskie in September include using a spinnerbait. Spinnerbaits usually always outperform bucktails and crankbaits in weed-beds simply because they come through cover better. Green, chartreuse or orange/black colors mimic the perch that muskies love to feed on in the fall.

CAMPSITES AT DEADMAN’S BASIN IMPROVED. In June, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) greatly improved the camping spots at it’s Deadman’s Basin Fishing Access Site northwest of Ryegate. MFWP crews graded and added gravel to roads and 25 camping spots in the 101 acre site along the south side of the reservoir. Fire rings and picnic tables were also installed this summer. Camping fees do exist on these improved sites.

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FORT PECK

Troll for them with bright spoons and sinking Rapalas in shallow water, or you can jig them. Plenty of action abounds here for those who seek it.

This behemoth body of water will be a prime lake to fish this fall. You can target smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and chinook salmon in good numbers in September. Hell Creek Marina or the Rock Creek Dry Arm are best known for walleye, bass and pike fishing, but you can also fish toward the eastern end of the dam and try your luck landing a big salmon. You’ll want to fish a bit shallower now, from 60 to 40 feet of water, as the fish tend to go shallower, because of cooler water temps and their spawning urge kicking in. Put your time in trolling along the 6 mile face of the dam. You should pick up some line-stripping, near 20 pounders this fall. Flutter spoons or squid and flasher combos in green, orange and blue are all good colors for Fort Peck salmon.

STEELHEAD HARVEST STARTED AUGUST 1 ON LOWER CLEARWATER RIVER

RESERVOIR

FLATHEAD RIVER & FLATHEAD LAKE

The Flathead River, located in Northwest Montana, feeds Flathead Lake and is the destination for many anglers looking to fill their buckets with Lake Superior Whitefish, which crowd the river from mid-September through November. Knowledgeable anglers bounce lime-green and dark green jigs along the gravel to pick up these scrappy whitefish. Anchor above a deep fishing hole and let the current take your jig through the school. Bank fishing is very effective if you don’t have a boat. The best public access is at Teakettle, Sportsman’s or Old Steel Bridge FAS. There is a lot going on around Flathead Lake this month, depending on your preference. Perch, whitefish and lake trout will be on the menu for most anglers in the Northwest part of the state. Good places for whitefish include Metia Island, Bull Island, Rocky Point, and Woods Bay. Perch seekers should head for Polson Bay, Big Arm Bay in the Elmo area and Ski-doo Bay. Rig up a two-fly set-up and fish them above the weeds in 35 to 40 feet of water. Chum with corn, fish food or bits of perch meat to draw them in. Perch fishing should be good all the way through October. Once you’ve found the whitefish and perch, lake trout won’t be far behind.

It’s Fishing Season!

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he steelhead harvest season opened on about a two-mile stretch of river from its mouth to the Highway 12-95 Bridge in Lewiston, also known as the Memorial Bridge. Anglers can only keep steelhead with a clipped adipose fin. The limits are two per day, six in possession and 20 for the fall 2015 season in the Clearwater River drainage. Any steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be released unharmed. Anglers are reminded that this early catch-and-keep opportunity does not include the Snake River. The mouth of the Clearwater River is officially recognized as a line from a posted sign on the north bank due south to the westernmost point on the south bank. Most of the remaining sections of the Clearwater River system are open to catch-and-release angling for steelhead, and harvest season opens in most of those sections on Oct. 15. During summer and early fall, the majority of steelhead that cross Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River seem to be attracted to the cooler water of the lower Clearwater. “These early fish are more than likely smaller A-run fish waiting to move up the Snake, Salmon, Grande Rhonde, and Imnaha rivers,” said Sam Sharr, Anadromous Fisheries Coordinator for Idaho Fish and Game. Sharr expects a good steelhead run this year. Fisheries managers are forecasting 129,000 A-run fish and 29,000 B-runs will return to Idaho this year, which is smaller and under last year’s return of 133,000 and 33,000. The Salmon, Little Salmon and Snake rivers open to harvest September 1. For exact fishing boundaries on rivers, opening and closing dates and other rules, anglers should consult the 2013-15 Idaho Fishing Seasons and Rules, or go to fishandgame.idaho.gov. For more information on steelhead fishing, including steelhead counts at Bonneville and Lower Granite dams, look on Fish and Games website under the “Fishing” tab for “Steelhead.”

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Scouting Deer: Best Buck Sign By Mike Hanback

www.mikehanback.com

RUBS: From September 20 on, a cluster of big trees/saplings (5 inches or more in diameter) that bucks have rubbed fresh to the inner bark with their antlers tells you a shooter buck is probably using a fall core area nearby. Good places to find concentrations of rubs include oak ridges where acorns fall; draws and ditches thick with cover; field edges; and in creek and river bottoms. Look for high concentrations of rubs and then hunt in the area. DEER TRACKS: Two to 3-inch prints tell you little—could be an adult doe or a buck. Deep, splayed tracks 3 to 4 inches long are what you are looking for. A buck with some age and heft left those tracks, though the size of his rack size is anybody’s guess. SCRAPES: In late October and November, scout for 20 or more freshly pawed scrapes on a ridge or in a bottom. Every serious scrape will be near thick cover and have a chewed, broken “lick branch” hanging above it, where a buck worked it to leave his saliva and scent. Look around the scrapes. Big, thrashed trees (rubs) near scrapes (and possibly huge hoof prints in the moist dirt inside a scrape) are telltale sign of at least one mature buck in the area. DEER TRAILS: The wider, muddier and more prominent the path between thickets and fields and/or mast sites where deer feed the better. Bucks prowl on, across and downwind of major doe runs throughout the fall and especially when the rut cranks. You can never go wrong by hanging a tree stand and watching a well-used and fresh trail. 22 - Hunting & Fishing News

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Read the owner’s manual before operating Honda Power Equipment. Connection of a generator to house power requires a transfer device to avoid possible injury to power company personnel. Consult a qualified electrician. Not all dealers carry all products. Consult your local Yellow Pages. © 2015 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. www.powerequipment.honda.com 24 - Hunting & Fishing News

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ou can find and take more doves each season if you learn how to hunt doves instead of merely shoot doves and use Hunter’s Specialties’ dove-hunting products and camo accessories. You also can bag doves by hunting alone instead of going on organized shoots. You’ll find doves very patternable, particularly if you’re hunting in the South, and especially during the early season because most of these early-season doves have their year-round homes there. Generally mature doves feed, water, gravel and roost in certain areas during the early spring. They’ll build their nests close to these spots. When they raise their young, they teach the young birds where to feed, water, gravel and roost in these same regions. Once hunting season arrives, these birds usually will follow these same patterns until hunting pressure or cold weather causes them to move.

If you’ve ever wondered why doves are in one place and gone from there the next day or week, Keith Guyse, a wildlife biologist, explains that, “Only a 2- or a 3-degree change in temperature can cause doves to migrate in September and October. Oftentimes the temperature change is so slight that hunters don’t even notice it. That’s why you may see a field full of doves before the season, and then if that area has a temperature change a day or two before the season comes in, a large percentage of the birds will be gone by opening day. Doves are extremely temperature-sensitive.” Part of your success for dove hunting includes wearing camouflaged clothing and using Hunter’s Specialties’ convenient Color Camo Compac Make-Up Kit to camouflage your face and keep from spooking doves. Also plan to wear a jersey headnet or a net 3/4 face mask with adjustable nose bridge and eyehole and camo gloves from Hunter’s Specialties.

Doves have to feed and water every day, and that’s why dove hunters hold their shoots where they do - near food. Dove hunters therefore will experience the best shooting at daylight or an hour or two before dark during the cool part of the day when the doves will feed the heaviest. However, after the sun climbs high into the sky, you may find hunting for doves slow

and boring, if you don’t know how, where and when to hunt water holes.

Doves do have to water every day and often will water more than once a day, but not just any water hole will do. Extremely wary, doves have a highly-developed fear of predators and understand their vulnerability while on the ground. When a dove leaves the air and comes to the ground, the bird has to make sure first that he doesn’t spot any predators. Doves frequent water holes with clean banks and little or no foliage so that the birds can light and see predators coming. So, you’ll often see doves using water troughs where cattle and horses water or farm ponds for cattle and horses. (continued page 34) 26 - Hunting & Fishing News

September 2015 27

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he Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have finalized an agreement to collaborate on conservation projects that improve mule deer and black-tailed deer habitat on BLM-managed lands. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ annual meeting held this year in Reno, Nevada. The five-year agreement establishes a framework for cooperation on projects that sustain and enhance the productivity of mule deer and black-tailed deer populations.

“This is an important agreement that sets the stage for our chapters and staff to work on BLM lands to make a difference for our western deer herds,” said Miles Moretti, President/CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation. “With a similar agreement already in place with the U.S. Forest Service, our volunteers can now also partner with local BLM land managers to help them actively manage habitats in a way that will enhance and restore mule deer and black-tailed deer habitat on thousands of acres of public lands across the West.” The MOU outlines a series of specific partnership activities where MDF and BLM could work together. This includes supporting projects and research that will help inform and implement science-based management of public lands. Specific activities could include vegetation restoration and enhancement; population assessments; inventorying and monitoring habitat; and conservation education. The parties will develop an annual work plan that will identify and document the activities planned for each year and spotlight the collaborative efforts from the previous year. “This MOU continues our longstanding, positive relationship with the Mule Deer Foundation,” said Steve Small, the BLM’s Chief of the Division of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. “This MOU also sets the stage for the BLM and the MDF to strategically address habitat needs through annual coordination meetings.” “In these difficult budget times, the federal and state agencies rely on partnerships with organizations such as ours to ensure the health of their federal public lands,” MDF President/CEO Moretti added. “I am pleased that we are able to establish this partnership with BLM to expand on the work we already do with the Forest Service. The combined efforts will really make a difference for mule deer and black-tailed deer.”

28 - Hunting & Fishing News

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family and the U.S. Forest Service to permanently protect 317 acres of prime elk habitat in Montana’s Elkhorn Mountains. “We are grateful to the Williams family for their desire and commitment to protect and conserve this inholding within the Elkhorn Mountain Range,” said Blake Henning, RMEF vice president of Lands and Conservation. “This is crucial elk winter range that is also home to mule and whitetail deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, bear and a wide variety of other wildlife and bird species.” The property is about 14 miles west of Townsend in the Missouri River-Canyon Ferry Lake Valley. It is also located in the southwestern section of the Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit which is well-known to sportsmen and women as a prime area for trophy bull elk. RMEF supervised the purchase of the land and will convey it to the Helena National Forest for public use. “The Jenkins Gulch property, as it is called, has never been open to the public but now it will be accessible year-round for hunting, hiking, camping and other recreational outings. More importantly, since it is now permanently protected, there is no longer a potential threat of development which could have led to a loss of habitat,” added Henning. Aside from the Williams family, conservation partners and supporters include the Land and Water Conservation Fund through the Helena National Forest as well as the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust (MFWCT), Mule Deer Foundation, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Broadwater and Jefferson County Commissioners, and Elkhorn Restoration and Working Groups. “The Montana Fish Wildlife and Conservation Trust is very pleased to be a part of the Jenkins Gulch critical inholding acquisition. This parcel was our flagship project for 2015 and helps to ensure that the Forest Service can manage habitat, wildlife, access and recreation for the benefit of the public,” said Bill Orsello, MFWCT chairman. Since 1985, RMEF and its partners have completed 862 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Montana with a combined value of more than $149 million. These projects have protected or enhanced 781,157 acres of habitat, of which 228,519 acres have been opened or secured for public access. If you have questions about the RMEF or are interested in receiving background materials or arranging interviews please contact:

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REGIONAL NEWS Fall Chinook Fishing To Open Sept. 1, Coho Could Be Added

Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopted a fall chinook salmon fishing season to open Sept. 1 on parts of the Snake, Clearwater From Idaho Fish & Game 8/3/15

and Salmon rivers, and Idaho could see its second-ever sport fishing season for coho salmon on Sept. 1 pending commission approval in August. Commissioners approved opening dates for fall chinook fishing boundaries and rules during their meeting in Pocatello on Thursday, July 30.

The 2015 fall chinook forecast is 37,000 hatchery and naturally-produced fall chinook to the Snake River basin. Last year’s run was 59,000 fall chinook. Fall chinook fishing on the Snake River will be open from the Washington-Idaho border upstream to Hells Canyon Dam. Fishing on the Snake River from the Idaho Border to Cliff Mountain Rapids (about a mile downstream of Hells Canyon Dam) is scheduled to be open until Oct.31, but could be closed sooner depending on the actual number of fish that return and the amount of harvest. The stretch between Hells Canyon Dam and Cliff Mountain Rapids is scheduled to remain open until Nov. 17, or until further notice. Other areas opening for fall chinook fishing on Sept. 1 are: - The Clearwater River, from its mouth upstream to Memorial Bridge. Open until Oct. 31, or further notice. - Salmon River, from its mouth upstream about three-fourths of a mile to Eye of the Needle Rapids until Oct. 31 or further notice. A valid fishing license and salmon permit are required to fish for fall chinook. Only adipose-clipped salmon may be kept. The daily bag limit is six adult fall chinook salmon, the possession limit is 18 adult fall chinook. There is no season limit on adult fall chinook. Only adult fall chinook (24-inches and longer) must be recorded on the angler’s salmon permit. There are no daily, possession or season limits on fall chinook jacks (those less than 24 inches).

Coho fishing

Although fewer coho are expected to return than last year, Idaho Fish and Game and the Nez Perce Tribe are expecting enough to provide a tribal and non-tribal sport fishery proposed to start September 1. Fish and Game commissioners were scheduled to vote on the proposal during their regular meeting August 11. The proposal is to open a non-tribal coho fishery on September 1 in the mainstem and Middle Fork Clearwater River from the mouth upstream to Clear Creek, near Kooskia and the North Fork Clearwater River below Dworshak Dam. If approved, the daily limit will be two fish per day and six in possession. Because coho populations don’t have early maturing males, or “jacks,” to help biologists forecast returns, it’s difficult to know how many coho will be available for anglers. Most coho will arrive in Idaho in late September or early October. State and tribal managers will modify the fishery based on updates of the coho run as fish come through the Columbia and Snake River dams. 30 - Hunting & Fishing News

REGIONAL NEWS Idaho Angler Shatters Washington Tiger Trout Sport Fish Record

elly Flaherty of Priest River, Idaho, has set a new state record for the largest tiger trout caught in Washington, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) confirmed today. The 53-year-old angler caught the 18.49-pound fish measuring 32.5 inches on Cinco de Mayo, May 5, while bait fishing with a worm and egg at Bonaparte Lake, near Tonasket in Okanogan County. “The fish skyrocketed out of the water,” said Flaherty, who was fishing from a boat launch. “As soon as I hooked it, I was whooping it up, while a crowd gathered around the whole time.” Flaherty estimates it took him 15 minutes to land the fish from the time he set the hook until he pulled his prize onto the boat launch without a landing net. According to WDFW, the new record exceeded the previous record tiger trout record by 3.45 pounds. The previous record was held by Kirk Herrin on a fish caught in Roses Lake, Chelan County in 2012.

Kelly Flaherty of Priest River, Idaho, holding up the new state record tiger trout caught in Washington state on May 5, 2015.

Plenty Of Bucks For Archers To Pursue B

iologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources say the hunt should be a good one. Utah’s herds have plenty of bucks. And the overall number of deer in the state is the highest it’s been since the early 1990s. To find the bucks, it’s vital that you scout before the season starts. Utah has received lots of rain this summer. The rain has provided deer with plenty of water to drink and vegetation to eat. The abundant water and feed have scattered deer across their mid and high elevation ranges. It’s vital that you scout before the season starts so you can find the areas the deer are using. DWR biologists provide the following Photo by Scott Root reports: http://wildlife.utah.gov/wildlife-news/1700-archery-hunters-have-plentyof-bucks-to-pursue.html September 2015 31

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Decoy Doggin’ Coyotes By Troy Adams

Al Morris, Troy Adams and Ted the decoy dog.

y heart raced with anticipation as the coyote came charging in hard from 800 yards out. With every second the ground between us diminished as the coyote ran towards me and the FoxPro CS24C electronic caller.

At about 60 yards she saw the dogs; Gritta, Ted, and Spot. She spun around and headed back the way she had just run in from. For a moment, I have to admit, my heart sank thinking I would never see her again. Then I saw the three dogs were in hot pursuit and right on her tail. They chased her for several hundred yards, then turned around, and headed back towards my stand. This time the coyote was the one doing the chasing. The coyote came in howling and barking all the way. She was ticked off and wanted everyone on that hillside to know it! She paused at 100 yards to continue her vocal tirade. My heart was racing once again. A coyote howling and barking its head off only 100 yards away is a major adrenaline rush. I paused to make sure I had a clear sight picture, and that the decoy dogs were all out of the line of fire. I lightly applied pressure to the trigger of my Ruger 77 Hawkeye Predator in 22-250, and watched, as the Hornady 50 grain Vmax bullet acted like the Hammer of Thor on the unsuspecting coyote. It was nice to restore silence on the hill. 32 - Hunting & Fishing News

The three dogs we were using were a mix of different breeds. Gritta is a pure bred Mountain Cur, Ted is a Cur-Jagd Terrier, and Spot is a Cur-Catahoula cross. Despite the mixed variety of breeding all three had one thing in common. They all love to chase and be chased by coyotes. Using dogs to decoy in wary coyotes has been around for quite some time, although not a well known method. Now that coyote hunting has become more popular, decoying has been gaining more and more interest the last few years. Coyote hunters are beginning to recognize just how extremely effective it can be. My introduction to “dogging coyotes” came through my friend Al Morris of FoxPro game calls. The first time we hunted together he brought out his dogs Gritta and Ted. Make a single mistake on a coyote stand and usually the coyote is out of there. A slight movement, a glint off a scope or watch lens, and Mr. Coyote vacates the area in a blink of an eye. With that said, I was amazed at how bold coyotes would become when one added coyote decoy dogs to a calling stand. I was completely floored (and hooked on decoy dogs) when I missed a relatively easy shot at a large male coyote, only to watch him run out to about 100 yards and come right back in to confront Gritta and Ted. I did not miss my second shot at him. Minutes after killing him his female partner came running in to see what all the fuss was about. She saw the dogs and stopped. It was the last thing she did that morning as my rifle completed a nice “double” on that stand.

Hunting with coyote decoy dogs isn’t for everyone. For those that love working with dogs, and love to coyote hunt, it is a great way to stay in the field during the spring and summer months. Using the dogs in the fall or winter is generally not as affective because the coyotes aren’t as territorial during that time of year. However, once the coyote’s pair up during breeding season in February, all bets are off! They become extremely territorial and have zero tolerance for canines of any kind in their territory.

Troy Adams with a coyote double thanks to the dogs Gritta and Ted. A lot of different breeds can be used for coyote decoy work. Some of the more popular breeds are Curs, Catahoula, and various terriers. However, the main thing is that the breed be big enough and aggressive enough to chase the coyotes, but tough enough to handle tangling with the coyote if one ever got a hold of them. Using the family’s little Maltese is probably not a good idea. The inverse is true as well, using large dogs such as German Shepherds, Labradors, or larger will likely result in spooking off most coyotes. There is just far too much to cover in one short article when it comes to using coyote decoy dogs. For those that would like to know more, there is quite a bit of information on the Internet, as well as, a number of YouTube videos. My friend Jeff Writer has posted a number of YouTube videos using his dog Spot who was mentioned at the beginning of this article. As I mentioned before, this type of hunting is not for everyone. For those of us that enjoy it, it can quickly become an obsession. If you want to see coyotes react in ways you never imagined, or you just like working with dogs while hunting, then it just might be a great fit for you. Either way, it is an over the top adrenaline-rush like most predator hunters have yet to experience. An avid big game hunter, Troy Adams has been hunting big game for nearly 30 years. Combining hunting and photography has helped him preserve many great memories. When not hunting, photographing, writing, or spending time with his family, Troy is usually found working on his wildlife art drawings. Visit his website at: http://www.thehunterslife.com/ADAMSART.htm Jeff Writer, with his dog Spot, with another female coyote that stood around too long watching the dogs.

By Jason Ott

http://www.black-bear-hunting.com/hunting-black-bears.html

Tip: When spotting a sow with cubs, leave them alone as the mother can get aggressive if you get too close or if she feels the cubs are in danger. Tip: In the spring, black bears will eat grass in damp areas and along old forest service roads. Tip: How to spot a mature bear: Ears - They will appear to be small and on the side of the head (small bears appear to have big ears on the top of the head). Walk - They will have a rolling, slow, deliberate step. My hunting partner, Sid, with a Head - They will have a round head. trophy bear. Notice the distance between the bearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ears and the Tip: To avoid detection of scent, always move down wind of the bear you are stalking. Bears have a keen sense round melon-like appearance of of smell and will leave immediately if they sense something is wrong. the head. That is a distinguishing feature of a mature black bear. Tip: When shooting up a tree, do not aim for the yardage following line of sight. Use the actual distance of you from the tree. Tip: To make an effective kill shot, always anticipate the path of the arrow after it hits the target. This will ensure you send the arrow through the vital area even though the animal may be quartering away. Tip: Only shoot when you are relaxed and completely confident of where the arrow or bullet will hit. Do not shoot out of your effective range. Tip: Look for bear droppings, claw prints, and scratching posts for good bear hunting spots. Written by Justin Ott, author of the Black Bear Hunting Encyclopedia www.black-bear-hunting.com Montana Black Bear Fall Hunting Season starts September 15 and goes through November 29th, 2015. As always, check the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Black Bear Hunting Regulations before heading out. www.fwp.mt.gov September 2015 33

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(continued from page 26)

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34 - Hunting & Fishing News

Birds of habit, doves generally will pinpoint one or two trees immediately on the edge of a pond or a pasture with a water trough that they can fly into, land in and watch the water hole. Although doves will fly straight to water, often they fly to some type of vantage point where they can light and survey the water hole for a few minutes before they fly down to drink. To hunt a water hole effectively, scout the area first. If you can determine the trees that the doves use to light in before they fly down to the water, you’ll have a perfect place to set up a stand and take doves. Dove hunters agree that the trees the doves use as lookout stations before they fly in to water will provide better stand sites than their taking stands right at the water hole. If you set your dove stool up at the water hole, and the dove flies into a tree away from the water hole where it can see the water hole, the dove probably will spot you before you see it. Then the dove won’t come in to water. However, if you take a stand near the tree where the dove plans to fly into, then the dove will have its attention focused on the tree where it wants to light. The dove won’t expect to encounter you under or to the side of the tree.

Hunting around lighting-in trees also will help you get much better shots at the doves than you’ll have if you set up by the water hole. When the doves come to light in the trees, they’ll sometimes hesitate in the air like a duck coming in to light in a decoy spread. Then they’ll slowly ease themselves down to put their feet on the limbs. A dove stopped in the air and fluttering down to the limb presents an easy shot for the gunner. However, some hunters prefer to let the doves light before they shoot.

Too, you can use decoys successfully at water holes. And, you can set decoys in a tree near a lighting-in tree before and watch high-flying doves spot those decoys in the trees and come in as though you’ve got them on a kite string. Decoying doves while you hunt water holes can increase your success by at least 50 percent.

September 2015 35

Conservation and Management Deer Hunts By Dr. Jim Clary, Ph.D.

www.ammoland.com

Everyone who hunts has dreamed about that monster trophy buck that we hope to get a crack at some day. However, have you ever given any thought as to how they get so big? While studying wildlife management in college many years ago, I was intrigued by the predator/prey relationship and how it affected the populations of animals. Left to their own devices (i.e., without human intervention), animal populations are subject to significant cyclic variations. As the prey (deer) increased in numbers, so did their predators (wolves, pumas, etc). Then, as the predators continued to multiply given the abundance of food, their food supply (deer) began to dwindle. With the decrease in their food supply, a decrease in predator numbers followed. These cycles were often wild in their fluctuations and rarely resulted in a stable population of either deer or predators. In the absence of predators (including hunters), deer populations will still undergo substantial cyclic fluctuations. This time the cycles occur when population numbers which exceed the carrying capacity of the environment. Under those circumstances, starvation and disease devastate the population and numbers drop drastically; e.g. the Kaibab deer in Arizona. The point of both examples is that deer populations (elk, antelope, etc), when left to the tender mercies of nature are never stable. The numbers fluctuate from unsustainable highs to unacceptable lows. Enter scientific wildlife management techniques.

Predator Prey Cycle Game ranches and hunting reserves, in the United States and Africa, utilize wildlife management techniques designed to maintain populations at the highest sustainable levels without wild cyclic fluctuations. To accomplish this, the herds are “culled” on a regular basis. This management process requires the harvest of excess animals (both trophy and non-trophy) to insure that the remaining herds are healthy and have sufficient food and habitat to survive. In the absence of natural predators, there are only two choices: Pay professionals (with taxpayer money) to cull excess animals, or let sportsmen buy hunting licenses, clothes, rifles, etc. The latter puts money into the economy, rather than taking it out. In short, hunters are an essential part of scientific wildlife management. If the anti-hunting fanatics of the world had their way, wildlife populations would fluctuate wildly and be subject to regular disease outbreaks and starvation. The “good” (and I use that word very loosely) intentions of these misguided and ignorant folks are founded on junk science and ignorance. They probably went to school with the anti-gun crowd who believe that disarming law abiding citizens will reduce crime, although statistics clearly show otherwise. License quotas in most states are based on the best information available to the management biologists (i.e., the number of animals which can/should be harvested to maintain a stable population). In addition to their regular trophy tags, game ranches and hunting reserves across the globe often have regular management hunts. These hunts are designed to harvest excess animals (usually non-trophy) to maintain the health of the overall population. The hunt for these animals is every bit as challenging as for a 170+ whitetail deer, except their antlers won’t make the record books. Even so, their racks make fine skull mounts to preserve the memories of your hunt. So, the next time that you head out for a fall hunt; remember, harvesting a “non-trophy” deer is just as important to the overall welfare of the population as taking that monster wall hanger. The three whitetails pictured above were taken by my wife and daughter during a management hunt in south Texas. The decision was made by the ranch manager that their genetics were not desirable, hence the management hunt. Mary and Susannah had a wonderful four-day hunt, taking the three whitetails and a surplus cow elk. Our freezer is full of meat for the winter and the herd is better off. James R. Clary, Ph.D. Contributing Editor, Guns & Shooting Online Field Editor, Universal Hunter Magazine Associate Editor, N.A. Muzzleloader Hunting Assoc. 36 - Hunting & Fishing News

Mary H. Clary, B.S., R.N. Women’s Editor, Guns & Shooting Online Associate Editor, N.A. Muzzleloader Hunting Assoc. Field Editor, Universal Hunter Magazine

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THE 6 BEST DAYS TO DEER HUNT By Mike Hanback www.mikehanback.com

t’s a tired old cliché but I’ll use it anyway: The best day to hunt for a buck this fall is any day you can get off work. But knowing that some days will be better than others we went through the calendar, analyzed the moon phases, and predicted when the weather and rut conditions will be best in the 2 big months of October and November. Plan your time off to include one or more of the top 6 days we came up with and get ready to tie your tag to a bruiser. October 1 Why we like it: Opening day of bow season in any state is one of the best. Want recent proof? Last October 1 in Ohio, Mike Rex ACCURACY THAT GOES THE DISTANCE arrowed a 218 6/8-inch non-typical with 30-inch main beams. Two days later on the first day of the Illinois season, Brent Van Hoveln shot a 28-pointer that scored 229 2/8. If you’ve scouted hard with binoculars and/or trail cams, you know exactly where one or more shooters are feeding and bedding. You won’t know that another day all fall, because from now on the hunting pressure will keep building; the deer will catch on fast. Bucks haven’t been hunted ▼ Battery-free illuminated reticle for 9 months so they’re vulnerable to an early surprise attack. Some summer-fat big boys will waddle around for an hour after sunrise ▼ Superior light transmission and again an hour before dark. Be out there. ▼ Precise windage and elevation adjustments Optimum conditions: It will be hot most everywhere in the U.S., with daytime ▼ Quick focus eyepiece highs in the 60s to 80s and warm nights. Don’t sweat it, just hunt. Of course the cooler it is with light winds the better. A light rain that knocks down ▼ Long eye relief some of your scent and quiets the walk to your stand couldn’t hurt. Moon is waxing toward full, but that won’t have nearly as much impact Available in 1-4x24, 2.5-10x56, 3-9x40,5-20x50 on deer movements now as they will later this month and in November. in red, green and amber crosshairs with Try this stand: Rex arrowed his giant in the type of habitat that many BAC Triangle Post Reticle, Standard Duplex Crosshair Reticle, of you hunt: small, broken acreage diverse with crop fields, a couple of MIL-Dot Crosshair and German #4 Reticle (1-4x24 only) food plots, browse thickets, weed pastures, and woodlots...sneak in from the south and hunt from a stand hung on a ½-acre food strip or thicket of green browse 50 to 100 yards off an agricultural field and back in the woods. In a hidden spot like this an old deer likes to stage, grab a bite, and watch and smell other deer before he lumbers out to the nearby crops at dark. Hunt this stand for a couple of hours the first morning, too. A lot of deer going to bed in the woods will cut back across the plot or through the Standard Duplex Standard Duplex MIL-Dot BAC Triangle Post thicket. A southeast crosswind that blows out of the woods and away from Crosshair Reticle Crosshair Reticle Crosshair Reticle Reticle the feed fields and main trails is best for this setup. Amber Green Amber Red October 21 Why we like it: This is the unofficial first day of the “hard” pre-rut. After weeks of clover-munching, acorn-gobbling, bedded-for-hours downtime, bucks necks blow up with testosterone. They begin to move more, and they crank up their tree rubbing and scraping. Also, if you look at the historical “rut curves” assembled by biologists for the northern two-thirds of the country, you’ll see that the first 5 to 7 percent of a herd’s does come into estrus and are bred around the 21st. Good things can happen when: 1) mature bucks just start to prowl hard in daylight; 2) they chase the first few receptive does; and 3) there’s still little pressure as compared to the November or December gun chaos to come. Optimum conditions: If it is Indian summer, sunny and warm, bucks should move marginally well. But if you’re lucky and one of the first cold snaps of fall blows in from the northwest and drops the temperature 10 to 30 degrees, you’d better risk a speeding ticket roaring out to your stand. Lows in the Purchase yours today at 30s and highs in the 50s would be prime for great deer activity. With the Bob Ward’s Sports & Outdoors new (dark) moon, bucks should move especially well at dawn and dusk. (continued on page 48)

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It’s a Track Meet: Dealing with Thin Cover and Running Roosters

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ou had to see it to believe it. Scrub, an 80 lb. German wirehaired pointer with a head like a moose and paws the size of bobwhites, taught himself to block running roosters. Fortunately, over the years we had witnesses, so this wouldn’t become one of those unbelievable brag-about-your-dog tales. Working down a shelterbelt or through a field of milo, Scrub would quarter back and forth until he corkscrewed into a point. If the bird held tight, he wouldn’t move. If it started running, Scrub would bolt out the side of the cover, race at top speed to the end then whip around and lock back on point facing into the brush with the rooster heading right toward him. The rooster would either freeze, flush or start zig-zagging. If the latter, honest to gosh, Scrub would side step, crisscrossing his legs, keeping parallel to the bird, pinching it until the hunters got close enough to flush the rooster and shoot. Surely there are other fine bird dogs who have learned this on their own, just as many grouse, quail and woodcock dogs have learned to circle around and pinch a bird between themselves and their hunters. In most cases, though, those aren’t running birds. Teaching a dog to relocate and block a running pheasant would be difficult, especially since many of us train our dogs to run down and retrieve crippled birds. Nevertheless, there are skills dogs can be taught and handling techniques that can help with the frustration of running ringnecks.

Keeping the Dog Close & Managing Speed Eric Johannsen, owner of Johannsen Farms Outfitting, a fourth generation family farm and hunting ranch in South Dakota, guides and hunts with Labrador retrievers, some of which have had over 5000 birds shot over them. These are experienced gun dogs, seasoned on wild birds. Despite the fact that they have far more bird exposure than most dogs, Eric gives them a strong training foundation for their field work. His methods are similar to that of waterfowlers, teaching his dogs to stop on a whistle and look to him for direction. That, along with teaching them to work within gun range gives him the control and obedience needed for the best results on running roosters. (continued next page)

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It’s a Track Meet: Dealing with Thin Cover and Running Roosters (continued from page 41)

“The main thing with wild pheasants is to keep the dogs within a 40 yard range and keep their speed consistent. If the hunters’ and dogs’ speeds vary, slow down or speed up too much, the pheasants will get nervous and flush out of range,” Eric explains. “Even if you are hunting a cornfield with a blocker at the end, hold the dogs at a steady pace until both the walkers and blockers are in range.” Dan Bailey, Pheasants Forever’s Montana regional representative, hunts with wirehaired pointing griffons. He agrees with Eric that keeping the dogs close is critical. Dan uses the buzz feature on his e-collar to handle his dogs in the field. “When I can tell that my dogs are working a running bird, I use the buzz on my e-collars. I can keep them ranged in close with that. It is essentially a whoa command without having to yell whoa,” he says. “Both of my griffs seem to do a slow sneak on running birds which is nothing I taught them. They will slink up 20 yards and stop, then continue that until the bird either flushes or it holds,” Dan adds. That sneak can be taught, however. Blaine Carter, professional dog trainer and owner of Merrymeeting Kennels, has been training gun dogs for over 40 years. He primarily hunts the ruffed grouse woods of Maine but travels to the Midwest with his German shorthaired pointers each year. His dogs work running roosters the same as they do running grouse or woodcock – tracking and moderating their pace in response to “whoa” and “easy” commands. “The dog needs to follow the bird at a speed that doesn’t encourage a foot race,” Blaine says. “The dog needs to respond to ‘whoa’ and ‘easy.’ With those, the dog can be kept in tracking mode and not accelerate into a faster, wider search mode which will push the pheasants to the point that they blow out of the cover beyond gun range. Controlling that speed and distance may give a pointing dog an opportunity to point and it may not, but either way the closer range will give the hunter a chance to move up and shoot.” 42 - Hunting & Fishing News

As Blaine points out, tracking speed is hard to teach. First the dog must respond well to a basic “whoa” command. Then, working with flightless (wing feathers pulled or taped) pen-raised chukars, he develops the “easy” command to control the dog’s desire to chase. A bird is released in cover that will encourage it to run a bit then hold under brush. When the dog finds and points the bird then chases it when it runs or is flushed, Blaine gives the “whoa” command. The dog stops, then the “easy” command is given, usually in a calm lower tone, to release it. The dog can then resume tracking, usually somewhat more slowly. The dog may speed up, shifting back into a search mode until it locates the bird again, so the scenario is repeated until the dog stays more cautious on the easy command in anticipation of the “whoa.” Neither Eric or Dan use voice commands to handle their dogs, relying on the whistle or buzz to communicate. As with hunting into the wind to mask the sounds of the hunters and dogs, keeping as quiet as possible helps to not alarm the birds. “If you prefer to use a whistle instead of a voice command, ‘whoa’ and ‘easy’ can be taught with a one toot and two toots,” says Blaine. Foundation training paired with control in the field can go a long way towards successful dog work on running roosters. The odds will improve even more with some savvy field management. Hunt into the wind and keep quiet. Try to plot your attack to take advantage of natural breaks – the end of a corn row, a cross field ditch, or the back boundary of a shelter belt – where the birds will be reluctant to flush into the open. Strategizing some shooter placement can help, too. “When a bird is really moving in thin cover, it is usually when we are working a coulee that is thinning out towards the top. I have watched a lot of birds take off well out of gun range when that happens. If you are hunting with partners without a dog, having them walk the high ground about a gun length ahead often gets them shots when the birds decide to flush. The shooter is out in front, away from the dogs, so it provides a safe, clear shot,” Dan recommends. Like Scrub, some dogs have a knack for teaching themselves new tricks, but most pups benefit from focused training. Eric believes in understanding his dogs’ strengths and weaknesses, then helping them to build on their strengths. “You can’t micro-manage them in the field,” Eric says. “Running roosters can be challenging. Dogs will push pheasants and some will flush out of range, but I don’t want to over correct the dogs. They learn a lot through ‘real world’ experience. It’s all about teamwork.”

FARM COUNTRY WHITETAILS

(continued from page 12)

What is fascinating especially during the early half of the season is how much these bedding areas get influenced by bugs like gnats and mosquitoes. Much of the heavier cover is around water or is wet. An example would be a slough bottom or drainage. The cover can be really thick and look good but if the bugs are bad, deer will often bed up higher where the wind can blow through. Fascinating how deer have different personalities and preferences. Some specific bucks will prefer to bed in standing corn for example when it is really hot. Other bucks seem to be more sensitive when their antlers are in velvet and seem to stay away from anything that touches their antlers. These preferred bedding areas can change or shift through the season. Food sources can also change but you really can’t go wrong focusing on soybean fields if they are available at least until the leaves yellow. Small grains and crops that flower like canola can also get hit. Corn is sometimes used as a bedding area early in the season but what becomes really interesting is the travel routes deer choose. How deer move from point a to point b can be somewhat predictable in that they always take the path of least resistance and they like to feel hidden. Ravines or dips that hide deer in the terrain or edges that create easy walking are often the preferred route. One thing I have found when checking trail cameras is that if I check the cameras too often and create a trail to my camera, I can actually disrupt the route I want the deer to travel because they begin to follow my route to the camera. This can create a few challenges when planning a fast and quiet route in and out of your stand or blind. If you make a trail, remember that deer will also begin to follow that trail. Because of the wide openness of this terrain, we do get our share of wind so the best thing I have found for getting into location is to go in during the middle of the day and use the wind to cover my noise and stay away from the easiest route. Picking through heavier cover or taller vegetation without breaking or beating down the vegetation to form a trail has been my most effective strategy. The age-old challenge of harvesting a mature buck is catching a deer on its feet during daylight or shooting time. The further you are away from where a buck beds, the later the pics are going to be. When I first started bow hunting, I would get pictures of impressive bucks on camera at night and hope that if I hunted that location long enough I would get a chance during the day. Far shot and the more you hunt a spot the worst it gets. What also happened was that I would get daytime shots of a buck during the summer scouting and than as the summer progressed, the deer would become “nocturnal.” I don’t believe that anymore. These deer that tease you in the summer and become nocturnal aren’t changing their time line, they changed their bedding locations and one of the reasons deer often shift where they bed is human activity. If you want to make that deer go “nocturnal,” check the trail camera often and make your presence known. The deer still moves before dark but now instead of bedding one hundred yards away, he is now three hundred yards away or a mile away. This is why the spotting scope is so invaluable when scouting. Mature bucks are self aware enough to know and detect human intrusion so the key to killing a deer in my mind is to hide your presence. With that being said, disguise your presence with farming and ranching activity. The worst thing to do in my mind is to try sneaking in and out on foot. If you do, spray down and wear rubber boots. What works best however is a loud obvious vehicle. Don’t try to hide or be sneaky if you have to mow a shooting lane or check a trail camera. Drive up if you can and drive out. The less your feet touch the ground the better. The reality is that there are people spraying crops all summer. There are people driving ATVs checking fence, there is a certain amount of human activity that deer get used to. Remember that the landscape goes through changes. Don’t over think the deer about clearing a shooting lane or trimming branches. Somebody could drive right by your stand with round bale hayer and deer will be walking by the bales the next day. Deer know what tractors are. If you try to sneak around too much, you smell different and offer an intrusion that the deer aren’t used to. Become more obvious and use a vehicle whenever possible. With that being said, I like to drive as slowly and as quietly as possible in areas that are really secluded and I always like to do my work in regard to setting up blinds or checking cameras in the middle of the day. Wind or rain makes the intrusion even more hidden. The biggest challenge of this open terrain is the lack of trees. I hunt out of a tree stand whenever I can because there are many advantages. Good field of view, great for watching around you so that if you are in the wrong spot, you gather additional Intel as you sit and watch. Good for blowing your scent away from the area. Movement is out of the line of sight. With that being said, good luck finding the right tree in the right spot. So often, I have to rely on ground blinds. The versatility of ground blinds makes them a valuable tool for farm country whitetails. Don’t worry about hiding it or trying to make it blend in, just put it exactly where it needs to be to kill a deer. The deer see it and after passing the smell test, they determine that it is just another bale or anhydrous tank. I often leave ground blinds out for long periods of time so for that reason I like to use the heavier duty Clam Elite Hunter Blind. This terrain creates some challenges but also offers advantages. Ground blinds like the Clam Elite Hunter There are great deer available in these habitats and while whitetails hold up well in strong winds and are durable will always offer ample doses of humility, enough to leave out for long periods of time. these deer can also be figured out with the right strategies.

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Avoid These Top 10 Elk Hunting Mistakes

(continued from page 8)

Why does this not work? Imagine you are sitting in the back of a restaurant with your wife and some loud mouth guy walks in the door and starts yelling at you from across the room. You may choose to reply back at first, but as he continues to get closer and you feel he is a threat, you have the ability to walk out the door and leave, avoiding conflict. But if that same guy walked across the room and did not say a word until he was in your face, you are left with no choice but a confrontation. Elk act in a similar way. The bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number one goal is to keep as many cows through the estrus cycles as he can. Avoiding confrontation when a bugling elk or hunter is approaching is his strategy to make sure that happens. Most of the time, bugling your way in results in chasing or shadowing a herd. The elk are faster than we are and it is obvious they are going somewhere predetermined. In my experience, it is difficult to kill a bull you are shadowing. Instead, I try to quietly get in front of them or, if the pressure is low in the area, wait in order to try to get in front of them the next day. It is important to resist the urge to bugle once you have located a bull. Make your best guess to his location, check the wind and try to get within 100 yards of where you think he is. Ideally, he will continue to bugle as you are moving in, which allows you to pinpoint his location.

2. Reluctance to change strategy

You have spent countless hours dissecting Google Earth. You have picked the perfect spot to set up the wall tent, found the perfect spike out locations and the drainage where you are going to kill your bull â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all before season has even arrived. The only problem is when you get to your selected spot, you cannot turn up an elk. Maybe the same spot the year before was loaded with elk and now there is nothing!

What are your options? Many hunters do not like change. They like the comforts of an area they know and they do not like the hassle of having to find a new location. The only problem with this plan is that you cannot force elk to be where they do not want to be. Elk are where they are and it is our job to find them. Finding elk may be as simple as a change in elevation within the same drainage or it may be as involved as moving camp and heading to the other side of the unit. Regardless if there are not any elk in the area, I move after a day or so to find an area that is currently holding elk. By staying mobile and lightweight, we are never tied to one area and can easily move to an area that is currently holding elk. Do not get fixated on hunting a specific area. Knowledge and finding elk... What elk need: Elk need food, water and bedding (security/cover) to survive. It seems simple enough. Find a spot with south facing slopes or meadows for food, creeks or springs for water and a couple of timbered or brushy benches for bedding areas and you should have a perfect recipe for elk. Unfortunately, just because it looks like it could attract elk, it does not mean it is going to. You must also read the available sign (rubs, tracks, scat, bugles and any other information you can uncover) to figure out where the elk are and determine their routine. 44 - Hunting & Fishing News

Moon phase: Every year, I hear of hunters planning their hunt around the moon phase and cutting their own opportunity. The rut is triggered by the declining photo-period so it will typically be at the same time every year regardless of what the moon phase is. While understanding how the moon phase affects elk behavior, do not let it solely determine how many days you hunt. I only have so many days available and I am going to be hunting as many as possible. The moon will change elk behavior. When the moon appears “fuller,” the elk tend to do the majority of their breeding and become more active through the night. I understand that this is important information to have as a hunter, but the “fuller” moon also affects how much time I have to hunt, resulting in less time in the morning and evening when the elk are transitioning between feeding and bedding. How do you get the knowledge and experience to become better? There are no shortcuts. The best way to learn is to get out in the field as much as possible. Develop and try tactics to see what the outcome is: live and learn it. There are some ways to expedite the learning process. One of the best ways is to listen to successful elk hunters. Listen to as many as possible in order to get an idea of their strategy and tactics. This will enable you to pick out the similarities and common tactics used in order to incorporate them into your own style. Read elk hunting articles and books. The very best way to take years off the learning curve is to hunt with someone who is successful and willing to mentor you. This gives you the ability to see everything from how they move through the woods, look at sign, call, move on elk, etc.

3. Resistance to do what it takes

When you are tired or burnt out, are you the guy that talks yourself out of an opportunity? The mental part of the hunt is as real as the physical. Are you the guy asking questions, like what time is it? How far away are we from the truck? How bad is this pack out going to be? I wonder if there is a closer bull? If you constantly ask these types of questions, then understand that they will keep you from opportunity. In our hunting party, we have made it a point to no longer ask these questions — no matter what. Of course, this means that you need a bulletproof and mentally tough elk hunting partner. Any partner that is able to breed doubt will almost always be able to talk you out of going up or down the mountain after a bull. Because of this, we try to be the hunting partner that will never let you pass up on an opportunity on a bugling bull or a bull that we have located with optics. Make sure that everything you do is for the benefit of your success. If you aren’t in elk, don’t take a nap during the mid-afternoon. Use the afternoon downtime to explore new basins or different levels and elevations in the basin that you are hunting. You should always be trying to do everything you can do toward notching that tag.

4. Overthinking your calling

The bulls that you are trying to kill are thinking about two things: cows and fighting. The herd bull is focused on breeding as many cows as possible and keeping all the other bulls away. The satellite bulls are trying to steal as many cows away as he can and not get whipped in the process. That is the bottom-line of elk. It is straightforward and simple. You should try and feed off of those emotions that will get those bulls fired up and into archery range. Without hunters interrupting nature, the bulls will typically advertise themselves and cows will go to them. If we use cow calls alone we are trying to reverse nature and call the bull to us. This can work with satellite bulls as they have nothing to lose. With bigger herd bulls, they can be reluctant to leave their herd to come check on one new cow advertising herself. That bull risks potentially losing his herd to another bull in the process. Instead, when trying to kill a herd bull, bugling is a great tool to lure that herd bull into range. We need to feed on that aggressive side of the herd bull and paint the picture that we are a bull inside the red zone and challenging him for his cows. Bugling can also work on satellite bulls as they are attracted to the action… From 1999 to 2003, I spent countless hours just watching elk during the rut and taking notes. I wanted to know what the herd bull was doing when there were other satellites around and I wanted to see what a herd bull was doing when no other bulls were around as well as what the group of feeding satellite bulls were up to. My 4” three-ring binder full of notes and research concluded the following: ”Elk do and say what they want to without any rhyme or reason when it comes to calling.”

My strategy is simple and requires very little thought: Get in tight enough to make yourself one of his cows. Make an estrus whine to let the bull know you are there. Next, let out a challenge bugle that tells that herd bull that you are there to breed/steal his cow. It may seem boring, but outside of location bugling those are the calls I use 95% of the time.

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Photo: AmmoLand.com

Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley –

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ipsey’s, nationally renowned firearms distributor, announces the addition of two new Ruger revolver exclusives. New to the lineup are the Super Blackhawk Bisley chambered in 480 Ruger and 454 Casull. Lipsey’s is no stranger to Ruger revolver collaborations but this is the biggest in the truest sense. For years, the partnership has yielded some of the most sought-after revolvers on the market and this is no exception. With this particular venture, bigger is in fact better. This pair of hard hitting single actions both feature 6.5” barrels and stainless steel construction with five shot unfluted cylinders. The popular Bisley grip frame is used to help tame the recoil. Ruger has also incorporated two new features unique to these models; a locking base pin to prevent it from walking out while shooting and recessed chambers to ensure the loading gate is fully supported. Previously, there has been a void in the market for large bore Ruger single actions that are easy to carry and provide the capacity to handle any situation. Lipsey’s Product Development Manager, Jason Cloessner, explains why this project has been high on his list for some time. “For those who are serious big bore handgun shooters, the Ruger Bisley has always been the best platform for handling the big calibers. With the addition of the 454 Casull and 480 Ruger, Ruger’s single action offerings are now very well rounded. We wanted to

put something in the hands of hunters and outdoorsmen that had power, practicality and price point in mind.”

Located in Baton Rouge, Lipsey’s was originally formed as a wholesale hunting and fishing distributor in 1953. Today it is one of the nation’s most prominent wholesale firearms distributors. The company, which sells exclusively to federally licensed dealers, has received a number of awards and accolades for its industry leadership. Moreover, Lipsey’s is recognized for its dedicated team, excellent relationships with customers and top firearms manufacturers and exclusive product offerings. For more information about Lipsey’s, please visit www.lipseys.com. 46 - Hunting & Fishing News

September 2015 47

The 6 Best Days to Deer Hunt

(continued from page 38)

Try this stand: A 50- to 75-acre point of timber near a river or stream is an awesome spot now. The edge of the grain field and the waterway will pinch lots of deer through the point where your stand is located. The muddy doe trails that parallel the river will look like cattle runs, blazed with rubs and scrapes. In this situation, a southeast to southwest wind that carries your scent back across the water is best for either a morning or evening sit. Hang your stand tight enough to the riverbank so that most deer will show up off to either side or out front and not come in behind you. Access is best from the north. Ford the river, hide behind the bank, ease up, look and listen for deer, and sneak to the stand and climb up when the coast is clear. Good entry like that is critical no matter where and when you hunt. Halloween Why we like it: “October 31 is a big trigger for us, historically kicking off some of the best action of the year,” says one of our most trusted sources, Iowa big-buck hunter Mark Drury. On this day every season he sees one or more behemoths on the move—like the 280-pound, 6-year-old 9-pointer his brother, Terry, arrowed at the bewitching hour a couple of years ago. During the two hours before he shot the beast, Terry spotted 20 does in various stages of near-estrus with 1- and 2-year-old bucks on their heels. An 8-point stud rolled out into the field, ran off the teenagers, ripped two scrapes and bore for the does. Just as Terry was fixing to draw on him, the huge 9-pointer trotted 35 yards beneath his stand, stopped, grunted and offered a perfect shot. That hunt pretty much sums it up: On Halloween, all sorts of cool stuff goes on, so dress up and go for it. Optimum conditions: A high-pressure weather system, a rising barometer (preferably above 30 inches), a light north or northwest wind, and temperatures in the 35- to 45-degree range. “If all those things just happen to come together, you’ll see deer moving and rutting all over the place,” notes Mark Drury. Unseasonably warm heat will knock things back a notch (true every day of the rut from now on). With the moon waxing toward full on November 5, deer should move well early and late in the day. Try this stand: Hang a stand on a thick break-line like this where a weed pasture or CRP field abuts a block of hardwoods and hunt it morning and afternoon. If there are soybeans, alfalfa or corn nearby, better yet. A creek funnel/crossing makes the spot complete and is a perfect hub for your stand. A lot of bucks and some big ones will run that break-line, rubbing and scraping like mad. Some does and bucks will cut out across the weeds—watch for white tines bobbing out in the brush. Grunt and/or rattle to any bucks you see. Calling will remain a hot and viable tactic for the next 3 weeks. November 8 Why we like it: Regardless of how hot or cold it is or the phase of the moon, most does in the northern two-thirds of America will be bred between November 5 and Thanksgiving—this year, next fall, in 2008 and so on. Historically, November 8 has been and will continue to be one of the top big-buck days within this window. Get this: A whopping 15 Boone and Crockett bucks were killed on November 8, 2003, by far the most of any day that fall. Why so good? Well, in two or three days most of a herd’s does will pop into heat. For these two or three days prior, the horny big boys lug around in a daze and wait for that to happen. Optimum conditions: Ditto from Halloween—the cooler the better, with a light to moderate wind out of the north or west. But since the bucks are out of their gourds and the lure of the near-estrus does is so powerful, this is the one day when you’ll probably see a big deer even if it’s in the 60s or 70s. With the moon full and deer rutting like mad in the night glow, climb into a stand before first light and hunt it till 2:00 p.m. (if you do that, you might as well hang tight all day). Some deer that bed down after a long night in the woods will move again sometime at midday. Try this stand: The pasture to the north and the cut corn south create a classic rut pinch in this strip of timber, which will stay pocked with fresh rubs, scrapes and doe trails for the next 3 weeks. Many of the resident bucks in the area—as well some cruisers from 2 or 3 miles away—will swing through this funnel, if not on the 8th, then on the 9th or 10th. The point is, if the northwest wind stays right, hunt here for 2 or 3 days in a row. I’ll put down money you’ll see a shooter. TIP: If you’re hunting with a muzzleloader or rifle, set up in the east end of the woods...If you’re still bowhunting, move your stand tighter to the creek funnel. November 12 Why we like it: Even though the rut has progressed to “lockdown” in some places—the phase when older bucks hook up with older does and seem to go underground to breed for 3 or 4 days—we still think this is a great day to hunt. From one of your best stands, you might catch a 10-pointer that just finished with one doe and gone looking for another…or a subdominant 3-year-old 8-pointer (a shooter!) running around and trying to steal another buck’s cooped-up doe. Or you might be able to change tactics and pull off a cool stalk... Optimum conditions: Ditto for November 8. Now you can start thinking about snow, which will make things better yet for seeing deer and piecing together their tracks and trails. With the last-quarter moon waning to new, the dark nights should make for good to great early-morning deer movement. Try this stalk: Some pairs of breeding deer quit the woods and head out into grasslands, marshes, CRP fields, clear-cuts, and the like to get away from all the chasing, grunting, and fighting bucks in the woods. Glass as many does as you can from a ridge, hillside or bluff; near one of those gals you’re apt to see a good buck standing with his head down, drooling. If you circle downwind and use terrain and cover like a fence row to your advantage, you should be able to sneak within easy gun range or perhaps even arrow-slinging distance of the pair. (Be careful and watch the doe; she’s twice as likely to bust you as the goofy buck!) When you get as close as you dare, set up and wait. The doe might move and drag the buck past you. If not, try grunting or a short, soft rattling volley to make a buck stand up or turn for a shot. Fun! November 22 Why we like it: By now most of the does have been bred, and lockdown ends. But mature bucks that have survived battles with other males, not to mention the gauntlet of hunters’ arrows and bullets, go back on the prowl for a few days for the last 10 percent or so of gals that are still receptive. This is a great time to whack a monster, like the 22-point, 221 4/8-inch Iowa giant that Brian LaRue got with his bow last November 22. The buck crossed a field, hit the woods, and cut through several thickets, rubbing as he cruised for the sight or smell of a last hot doe. Brian put an arrow in the deer’s boiler room as it swung 20 yards behind his stand. The world-class buck was 4½ and weighed less than 200 pounds. Sometimes due to weird genetics the old guys don’t weigh much. Plus, that buck had shed pounds chasing and breeding does for weeks. Optimum conditions: Pray for daytime highs in the 20s to 40s, with lows in the 20s or teens. Cold and snow will make the thin, tired bucks move hard and early in the day near crop fields or green plots. They still want to hook up with does, but they gotta eat. The dark moon should make for perfect hunting conditions. Skittish bucks feel comfortable moving under cover of darkness and at dusk and dawn. Try this stand: You’ll probably have a cold west to north wind, so hang a stand on the east side of a hillside where you can cover a wide swath of woods or pasture. If there’s good late-season food like soybeans or corn farther to the east or north, great, a lot of deer will move toward and past you going in that direction. Watch for a bruiser cutting from one thicket to the next, hoping to run across a last hot doe holed up in one of them. If he gets lucky you might too. If he finds a gal and runs her close to your stand, shoot straight and tag out on the last best day of the season. 48 - Hunting & Fishing News

September 2015 49

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