Outdoor Traditions Fall 2013 by Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal

Fall 2013

Rigors of the Rut Early Season Bowhunting Go Shallow for Giant Muskies this Fall Prep for Trapping Success

Fall Walleye Strategies

Fall Bird Identification

Northern Fishing Tactics

Taste of the Wild Recipes

The Log Staff

Fall 2013

10 6

FEATURES Go Shallow for Giant Muskies this Fall • • • 6 By Tom Dietz

PUBLISHER

Everything you need to know to catch a trophy this fall!

Tim Bogenshutz

What’s Right About Trapping • • • 8

MARKETING/DESIGN Jess Vealetzek

COPY EDITOR Matt Erickson

ADVERTISING Dave Wentzel

By Trapping Supplies Review

Trappers, a small but dedicated group

Early Season Bowhunting • • • 10 By Bernie Barringer

Bag your trophy early this year!

Autumn Smallmouths Return • • • 18 By Dave Csanda

Fall is prime time to get on schools of smallmouths

Is A Quarterly Publication of the Brainerd Dispatch • For advertising opportunities call Dave Wentzel 218.855.5821 or 1.800.432.3703 find our publication on the web at www.brainerddispatch.com

Email your comments, suggestions or topics to jess.vealetzek@brainerddispatch.com or mail them to: Outdoor Traditions Brainerd Dispatch P.O. Box 974 Brainerd, MN 56401

DEPARTMENTS Rigors of the Rut • • • 12

Northern Tips • • • 22

Battle wounds from the field

New and superb outdoor gear

By Bill Marchel

By Jim Kalkofen

Fall Walleyes• • • 14

Memory Lane • • • 24

Bag your trophy early this year!

Camp Ripley archery hunt

By Bernie Barringer

By DeLynn Howard

Taste of the Wild • • • 16

Your Best Shot • • • 25

Recipes you just have to try!

Picture perfect outdoors photo

By Brainerd Dispatch

By Beth Switajewski

Fall Colors • • • 20

Fall Forecast • • • 26

Identification changes in fall

Keeping you up-to-date on outdoors

By Judd Brink

By MN DNR

Outdoor Traditions is a trademarked magazine published by the Brainerd Dispatch, P.O. Box 976, Brainerd, MN 56401. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. ®2010

Welcome I was born and raised in the Brainerd area, west of town in the woods and on the water. I loved the area with all the lakes and woods to fish and hunt in. My family owned and operated The Corner Store, bait and tackle, gas, groceries and eventually I started archery there for a few buddies and I and it just kinda took off from there. When we sold the Corner Store, I built a new store just east of Pillager. Almost eight years ago, I built exactly what I wanted; a 7500 square foot building with tall ceilings, lots of deer mounts and indoor shooting. We sell and service the best products on the market. I have also been fortunate enough to hook up with Intermedia Outdoors, so I get to travel around the midwest filming hunts for North American Whitetail television on the Sportsmen Channel. After growing up in retail I know that you have to take care of your customers and I feel that our service is the best in the industry. If we can’t fix it then it’s time for a new one. Mostly self tought, I have also attended Mathews Academy to learn everything I can about bows. We service everything on your equipment from complete string and cables, tuning, help sighting in, and whatever else you may need. We don’t just sell you a bow and send you out the door. We want you to have the best equipment that is tuned to you, along with the best experience that comes with purchasing a new bow. Don’t sacrifice your season by settling for second best! With the season right on top of us, one thing that guys overlook the most is string and cables. Your bow will shoot much better with good strings and cables. Strings that are stretched make your bow longer, change brace height and lower poundage. Get some wax on them so that they don’t dry out, as this increases the life of the string and keeps it water proof while hunting in the rain. A rain soaked string can slow your arrow down by 10 to 15 ft. per second,

making it shoot differently at longer distances. Another common thing we see is a mix match of arrows and broadheads, and even different weights of the points. It is important to practice with the same equipment you’re going to hunt with. This means the same arrow, same tip weight and same weight of the broadhead that your tip is. It is free to bring your equipment in to us and give it a once over. We can take a look and see what it may or may not need. Here at our shop you can come out and test fire any fixed blade broadhead and make sure they fly straight so you don’t buy the wrong head.

as well. We do offering Permit to Carry classes also (call for class information). We also work with lots of youth bows to get the new young crop of bowhunters set up and in the woods. We can help teach him or her to get set up and shoot straight. There are also a lot of great new bows and products that cater to the female hunter, from the Mathews Jewel, Hoyts Charger Vixon and much more. Lots of pink accessories and clothing are available as well. Whatever you may need, here at Beimert Outdoors we can and will figure out how to make you a much better archer and overall hunter.

What You’ll Find at Beimert’s We carry the best brand names in archery today: Mathews, Mission, Hoyt and PSE bows. We carry all the popular accessories like HHA, Fuse, Black Gold, Spott Hog, Axion sights, Rest QAD, Trophy Taker, NAP, and the Whisker Biscuit From Trophy Ridge. Along with those, we carry Ten Point and Mission crossbows, tree stands from Lone Wolf, Summit and Millennium. Other products we carry include the Ghost Blind, a mirrored blind that reflecks what ever you put it in, Easton, Carbon Exspress, and Victory arrows. Broadheads for these arrows include top brand names such as Rage, Muzzy, G5 Grim Reaper and many more. Scouting cameras from Covert and Plot watcher will help you maximize your pre-season efforts. Our clothing line is mainly Scent Lok. New to us this year is Under Armour clothing along with Mathews and Hoyt logo wear. We also do a lot of food plot blends from Frigid Forage, Antler King and in my opinion, the best seed product on the market for deer- Buck Forage Oats. We do also rent some ATV equipment to help you get your plots ready. We have muzzleloaders from Thompson Center and CVA, along with the accessories to go with them. We also have a Federal Fire Arms license

Coming Up The last weekend in February, we always have a huge expo to debut the new bows for the upcoming season with some huge sales! We also do antler scoring for those who were lucky enough to shoot a big deer this year, along with a professional knife sharpener and taxidermy display. This is a great time to get together and talk about last season and get ready for next season. It’s been a fun and exciting event over the years. Stop out to our shop on Hwy 210 west of Brainerd near Pillager. You can also look us up on Facebook or call us for anything you need at 218-746-4018. Thank you for doing business with us now and in the future,

Brent Beimert

Extremist Group Publishes Manual to Sabotage Wolf Hunting and Trapping An extremist animal rights and environmental group known as Earth First! published a how-to manual for illegally sabotaging wolf hunts and traps this week. This was in response to a recently introduced federal bill to allow wolf hunting in most of the U.S. The Earth First! Wolf Hunt Sabotage Manual gives detailed instructions on how to sabotage traps and free trapped wolves. The 12-page manual also refers to trappers as “slob hunters” and “amateurs, a##holes, and part-timers whose techniques are crude.” The manual, written by a group referring to themselves as the Redneck Wolf Lovin’ Brigade, tells activists how to find addresses of trappers so as to follow them from their homes to their trap lines. The manual pro-

vides advice on how to secretly follow trappers and leave no trace of footprints nor fingerprints. It also instructs individuals to trip traps to render them ineffective. It also states that “any type of trap line interference is illegal, so you might as well do a thorough job and totally dispose of any traps you find, as this is no more illegal than simply tripping them and leaving them intact.” The Redneck Wolf Brigade is correct when they state that any type of trap line interference is illegal, as is hunter harassment in all 50 states. Over 25 years ago, USSA wrote the hunter-harassment language that was used by the majority of states when they passed laws protecting hunters, anglers and trappers from being able to enjoy their sports.

Wolf hunting is currently legal in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. USSA has helped lead the fight to gain the delisting of the Western Great Lakes Wolf from protected status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and has seen much opposition from animal rights groups such as Earth First! Take a moment to look over USSA’s tips on how to deal with anti-hunters and harassment. If you find your traps being tampered with or suspect any type of hunter harassment, please contact your local state wildlife agency or authorities immediately!

GO SHALLOW FOR GIANT MUSKIES THIS FALL

By Tom Dietz It was middle of September as I launched my boat into a vast sea of steam coming off of the lake surface. The first major cold front of the year had arrived in northern Minnesota, and the cold night air was showing its dramatic effect on surface temperatures by the presence of these vast steam clouds on the lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calm surface. Based on my experience over the years fishing across the Midwest, I knew that this time of year often produces one of the best surface bait bites of the season. As I carefully headed out to my first spot with the help of my GPS, I knew that muskies should be found in super shallow water areas typically made up of sand and sparse rocks and boulders under these conditions. I soon arrived at a favorite spot off of a main lake island, dropped my trolling motor and hooked up an old favorite Super Topraider of mine. I kept my Ranger positioned in five feet of water, firing long bomb casts towards shore to cover a lot of water. After five minutes, the quiet of the early morning was rudely interrupted by a vicious explosion as a nice musky inhaled my Super Topraider off the surface. After a 6

Go Shallow for Giant Fall Muskies

brief but violent tussle, the mid-forties inch fish was released to grow some more and fight another day. The steam on the surface early in the morning caused by this initial cool down in early September was once again my tip off to go super shallow and hit the sand flats inside the weed edges to score. Why do muskies go into these non-typical areas in late August or early September that have little or no structure or weeds? I can only speculate that it is mainly forage driven, and that during the after dark period they move up from the depths to feed on young of the year perch, shiners and/ or walleyes. I think these bait fish are drawn into shallower water due to the dropping water temperatures, and the muskies follow them. This pattern will often hold for two to three weeks or better, depending on water temperatures. Whatever the reason is that drives the muskies into these shallow sand areas, the fact remains that muskies will sit on these featureless flats in good numbers at the right time of year. The north end of Mille Lacs Lake here in Minnesota is famous for this sand pattern, and each year many anglers

catch some great fish in depths of five feet or less. On Mille Lacs, this sand bite can even occur earlier in the season like late July or early August. On other area lakes, however my most consistent sand bite still occurs in September. One giant key to success is covering the shallow water areas fast, looking for extremely active fish. This is why speed baits such as prop style topwaters and bucktails really shine under this run and gun approach. Most of these sand flat areas are quite vast in nature and unlike traditional structural spots such as reefs, weed edges, etc. it is vital that you make long casts and move along quickly. One of my best runs of sand is

“One giant key to success is covering the shallow water areas fast...” about a mile long and muskies can be present anywhere along the whole shore. It is not a “spot on the spot” situation at all here and you need to cover a lot of water to locate fish. Another key component of these shallow muskies is to play your prevailing winds right. I love when I have two to three days of heavy wind pouring into my spots and then attack these areas when the wind calms down and the lake is virtually flat. When fishing these areas, I really key on previous days’ wind direction as the most active muskies will congregate on the shorelines where the prevailing wind was driving baitfish into. I have had tremendous success on catching muskies during the initial fall cool down phase on top water lures or bucktails. In Minnesota this peak is usually in middle to late September. The catalyst for this peak is the major cooling down period of surface temperatures pri-

or to the lake turning over. The fish get extremely active and they simply devour high percentage baits thrown on top of them. I continue to catch plenty of these same shallow sand fish on bucktails each season. I prefer a bucktail that fishes fairly high in the water column due to the shallow water scenario such as a Dadson Blade Baits Musky Bullet. Bucktails also compliment top water lures because they are both high speed search lures designed to cover lots of water quickly and you and your partner(s) can give the muskies a onetwo punch using two different lure types. This fall, capitalize on the rapidly falling surface temperatures prior to turnover and go very shallow to score on some monster muskies!!!!! Tom Dietz is a Professional Musky guide, educator and author from Breezy Point, Minnesota. His website can be found at www.tomdietzoutdoors.com. Tom can also be contacted through Facebook on his page called Tom Dietz Outdoors.

What’s Right

About Trapping

By Trapping Supplies Review

I have been a trapper for many years and along the way I have learned quite a bit about this sport. It is among the most challenging and rewarding of all outdoor sports, and an important tool of wildlife conservation. I’d like to outline some of the basic reasons why trapping is important and how it is often misunderstood. First, trapping is often misunderstood and misrepresented. Animal rights activist have targeted this sport for its supposed cruelty, and many folks who have no experience with trapping seem to have false notions of it. People envision suffering animals caught in steel-toothed traps and dying a slow death. Really, this is a grave misconception. Animals caught in foothold traps (the proper term) rarely suffer any damage or pain and can be released unharmed if the trapper so desires. I know; I have done this many times. In fact I have arrived at a number of trap sets only to find an animal sleeping, clearly not in any pain. I’m embarrassed to say that I have caught my fingers many times in foothold traps. My pride was hurt, but my fingers were fine. The idea that trapping is cruel and painful to animals is the biggest misconception surrounding this sport. The second misconception is that trapping is unnecessary. Furbearer populations need to be kept in check for many reasons, most of all to ensure a healthy population. Overpopulation of species like

raccoons and foxes invariably leads to the spread of ravaging diseases like mange, distemper and rabies. I believe we have a responsibility as stewards of our environment to manage the population of furbearers in order to keep them healthy, maintain their population levels to suit the available habitat, and to avoid human-animal conflict as much as possible. This is basic, responsible conservation. Fur is an important commodity in the clothing industry, especially in Eastern Europe, Russia and China, where winters are bitter cold and fur is still culturally acceptable. Furtakers in the U.S. typically sell their pelts to auction houses who in turn sell them to garment makers overseas. While fur garments are less popular in the U.S., other people groups consider them a necessity, and I don’t believe that we should be judgmental toward the customs and clothing of other cultures. Still, consider how much we also depend on animal products for our garments and accessories in the U.S. I once talked to a woman who angrily told me how cruel and un-

necessary it was to use animal products for clothing purposes while all the while she had a leather purse slung over her shoulder. I just smiled. In her mind, leather products just came from the department store, and she clearly gave no thought to the matter beyond that. Trapping is a sport with a magnificent heritage. The West was explored and settled by the great “Mountain Men” of the early 19th century, and it was trapping that lead them to discover and cultivate those uncharted lands. Even today, trapping is one of the most challenging of all outdoor sports. A trapper must be an excellent woodsman, know how to scout for animal signs, read their habitats, and interpret patterns of animal movement and behavior, all to guide him to the precise location where the animal will step! Trapping is the greatest challenge for any sportsman, especially going after a wary species like the coyote. That brings me to trappers themselves. It’s a small but dedicated group, and I mean dedicated. You will rarely find a half-hearted trapper. Many of them enjoy the sport to the fullest. I have attended several state and national trappers conventions and I am impressed at how kind, friendly and down to earth trappers are. They are familyoriented, working class people who are always ready to help, love to chat, and keep friends for life. I’m proud to be part of this group, and I’m not ashamed of our sport or our way of life. Some folks may not like trapping for whatever reason, and some may not really understand it, but I’m thankful that this long-established sport still has a place in the American landscape.

It’s a small but dedicated group, and I mean

dedicated.

Early Season

Bowhunting

By Bernie Barringer I don’t love the mosquitoes that often accompany an early season deer hunt, but I do love the opportunity that early bowhunting presents. Deer are in very predictable patterns during the early weeks of Minnesota’s archery season in September. Whitetail bucks are in velvet until about the first of September. In fact, the bucks in this area lose their velvet almost always within a week of September 1. Up until that time, the bucks are generally bunched up into what we often refer to as bachelor groups. These are usually three to six bucks of all ages that are traveling, bedding and feeding together. You can find them quite easily with a pair of binoculars in August; just start snooping around the alfalfa and soybean fields and they’ll turn up during the last hour of daylight. The shedding of velvet and the corresponding rise in testosterone begins to break up these groups over the first couple weeks of September, and by October 1st, bachelor groups are mostly a memory. But that gives the early-bird bowhunter a crack at bucks in a predictable pattern for about two weeks. During the late summer and early fall, the living is easy for whitetails. Food is literally everywhere and they don’t have any hunting pressure to affect their daily activities. They hang out in the bedding areas chewing cud and lounging around in the shade. Then when the shadows get long, they begin a leisurely stroll over to the nearest food source, which is most likely a farmer’s crop field, and feast for a couple hours. Many times they bed down right in the fields at night and chew their cud. They may eat some more before making the trip back to the bedding area during the early morning hours. Some 10 Early Season Bowhunting

may wait until daylight to make their way back to the bedding area, but many of them start heading back before legal shooting hours. This makes the evening hours the most productive time to hunt them in the early season. While the morning hunt may turn up some sightings, the majority of the deer make their moves over the course of several hours. Contrast that to the evening, when empty stomachs trigger a more predictable move. So it stands to reason then, that the best time to be in a treestand with a bow is during the last two hours of daylight, and the best place to be is on a travel corridor between the bedding and the feeding area. Finding the feeding area is easy. Whitetails love the high carbohydrate and high protein farm crops such as corn, soybeans, alfalfa and, to a lesser degree, oats. You see the deer out there feeding in the evening, you have found the food source. Finding the bedding area is not as easy, it takes a little legwork. Follow the trails the deer are using to enter the field until you kick up the deer and you have found at least one of the bedding areas. It doesn’t hurt to bump the deer once, they will be back, but if you do it too often, you risk moving them out of the area. Carry a trail camera with you and when you bump the deer, move back down a trail towards the food source and put up your camera. Let it sit there for a at least a week then sneak back in and check it without spooking the deer. The information contained on that camera will help you understand which deer are using the trail and when. Now it is time to find a good location for a treestand. I like to put in two stands, one for winds that are primarily easterly and one for winds that are primarily westerly. Try to

avoid putting your stand right on the edge of the field. We all like to be able to see out into the field and observe the deer, but that leaves you no option for escaping the stand and sneaking out at last light. Better to be back off the field so you can sneak out undetected. Mature bucks often hang up off the field 20-50 yards and wait until the deer in the field seem unalarmed before exposing themselves. A treestand well off the field will give you a better chance at those wary bucks. Under no circumstances will I hunt the stand until the wind is right. You can blow the whole deal by getting too aggressive. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put too much stock in scent control clothing or devices. We have good tools for scent suppression at our disposal but NONE of it will totally eliminate your scent. There is no excuse for ignoring the wind and not practicing good woodsmanship. Wait until the wind is right and the first time you hunt that stand is your best chance to bag a big one during the early season.

Bernie Barringer is a freelance writer living near Pine River. He divides his time between hunting muskies and hunting big game with a bow across North America. You can view his website at www.bowhuntingroad.com.

By Bill Marchel

Rigors of the Rut

In the world of the white-tailed deer, autumn is the breeding season. It’s called the “rut” by deer hunters. It’s when bucks meet does and romance is on their minds. It’s also the time when bucks meet bucks, head on. On a dreary November afternoon I witnessed an all out battle between two big evenly matched whitetail bucks. Both animals carried antlers with eight points. It was neither a sparring competition nor a playful test of strength often displayed by two immature deer. Instead the engagement was a knockdown drag-out confrontation among adult bucks, a fight to the death if either animal should be afforded the opportunity. The buck brouhaha lasted roughly 10 minutes. During that time four antler tines were broken between the combatants. One warrior had watery blood dripping from the corner of his mouth; the other fighter sustained a gash below his right eye. The outcome appeared to be a draw – an unusual occurrence - and ended when both bucks walked away, mouths agape gasping for breath. The images on these pages depict some of the war wounds whitetail bucks sustain during the fall rut when the urge to breed sends them into battle. 12 Rigors of the Rut

The author heard two bucks fighting and arrived on the scene only to see this monarch chasing the other buck away. He rattled antlers to lure the already tired combatant into camera range. Note his freshly torn left ear.

It is difficult to know for sure if the neck injury sustained by this buck happened during a fight, but the wound has obviously affected his health. He is very thin for a November buck.

This buck was hot on the trail of an estrus doe when it was photographed. Note the panting buck has sustained a nasty wound in front of its left shoulder, which likely occurred during a brawl for breeding rights.

Bill Marchel is a wildlife and outdoors photographer and writer who lives near Fort Ripley. His work has appeared in many regional and national publications and he writes a monthly column for the Brainerd Dispatch. He can be reached at bill@billmarchel.com

Fall Walleye Strategies By Bernie Barringer In October, most outdoor types are chasing grouse, bowhunting, getting ready for the annual deer camp, or even getting their ice fishing tackle sorted and ready for first ice. Put your boat in the water at many of the area lakes and you might be surprised to find that you are one of only a small handful of boats on the lake. The pleasure boats and jet-skis are put away for the year and the lake is all yours.

Well, yours and the walleye’s.

In fact, the post turnover period from early October until ice-up is one of the best times of the year to catch walleyes, and the bigger fish are more vulnerable at that time than at any other point in the open water season. First allow me to quickly give you a science 101 lesson in turnover so you understand why this period is important. During the warm summer months, cooler water drops and warmer water rises. By mid-summer, a fairly distinct barrier has set up called the thermocline, which is where the warmer surface water meets the cooler deep water. The cooler water has little oxygen so it is poor fish habitat and there is generally no food available below the thermocline. The thermocline forms on most area lakes between 22 and 30 feet, depending on depth, clarity, wave action, current and summer temperatures. In the fall, cold nights and cooler days allow the surface temperature to cool down. When it reaches the same temperature of the deeper water, the thermocline dissolves and we have what is called turnover as the entire lake’s water becomes mixed. This allows the fish to use all the lake. 14 Fall Walleye Strategies

The walleyes and the food they chase tend to go deep in the fall. In fact I have made big catches of large walleyes in 60 feet of water on some lakes during the fall. Guess what they are feeding on? They spit up bluegills the size of my thumbnail in my livewell. Dozens of them. I could see the schools of bait on my depthfinder, but I didn’t know what the bait was until the walleyes brought it up and spit it in my boat. I have almost entirely quit fishing these ultra-deep fish because they tend to be the large specimens that are the ones we prefer to return to the lake to maintain the lake’s brood stock. The first time you catch a fish from water that deep you will know what I am talking about. They are bloated from the pressure change and they are unreleasable. I have caught plenty of walleyes in 2230 feet of water during the fall and I am satisfied with the great catches that can be made and the opportunity to release the large females. The basics of how to catch these fish is actually very simple. If I had but one word to characterize location for these fall fish it would be “steep.” These fish like steep drops and the steeper the better. They tend to be well off the edges of the weeds and on breaklines that drop quickly from 20 feet into the depths. I believe they like to push schools of bait up against these steep drops, which gives them an advantage in catching their meal. A good depthfinder is key in finding these fish. If you slowly cruise the breaklines, you will learn what to look for. Pods of bait will have arcs nearby, those are your walleyes and northern, and occasionally bass. Active walleyes will appear as arcs a few feet off the bottom

and may be in groups of three to ten. Keep in mind that the deeper the fish, the wider the cone of your transducer so you are seeing a wider area, which may include more fish than you are accustomed to seeing in the summer when you most often are fishing in 16-18 feet of water. Inactive fish will appear to by lying right on the bottom but they are still catchable. These fish feed quite heavily as their body is telling them to put on fat for the winter. Get the right bait in front of a walleye sitting right on the bottom and he is likely to suck it in. Speaking of the right bait, one particular bait is preferred by serious fall anglers and most of the area guides for fall fishing and that’s the redtail chub, and they like them big. Three-inchers are on the small side and five-inchers are on the large side but anything in between will get put on a hook in most boats. Shiners are used in the fall with some degree of consistency, and they are a lot easier to keep alive in the fall’s cool waters. Shiners are fragile baitfish and often shunned because of this; but when the water temps are in the 40’s and 50’s, the shiners will, well…shine. Using a bait this large of course calls for specific tactics to increase your hooking percentages. The rig I like consists of a #4 hook tied to a Flourocarbon leader about four feet long with a swivel and a 1 1/2-ounce Lindy No-Snagg sinker. The sinker probably seems large but I like a fairly heavy sinker for two reasons, number one, it keeps the bait on the bottom without letting out a mile of line when I am fishing down to 30 feet. Secondly, keep in mind that a large chub can lift a smaller sinker right off the bottom when swimming strongly. The line slides right through the sinker, which is key to getting a good hookup.

I like to use a spinning reel spooled with FireLine because of the line’s ability to translate the slightest twitch of the minnow. I keep the bail open and hold the line in my finger while slowly moving along the breakline with my electric trolling motor. I often can sense when I am about to get a bite because the redtail starts struggling. Then comes that tell-tale thump and corresponding weight on the line. I quickly drop my finger and let line out. The sinker lies on the bottom while the fish moves off with the bait. I tell people that they should wait until it seems long enough and then wait ten seconds more before setting the hook. Walleyes often catch the redtail from the side and then turn it around in their mouth to swallow it. Ideally, that’s when you want your hookset to come. Reel up the slack until you feel the weight again and hit them hard. I have tried hooking the redtail below the dorsal fin, in the tail and in the mouth. Frankly, I can’t tell much difference in hooking percentages but I do know they seem to be active longer when hooked in the mouth. Once you find out how much a dozen four-inch redtails cost you will see why that is a consideration. Try to keep them alive as long as possible, but make sure you have active bait on at all times. This year, instead of putting the boat away after Labor Day, take some time out of your hunting schedule and put some fall walleyes on the table.

Grilled Wild Game Steaks Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 3 lbs. wild game steaks 12 oz. beer 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 1 1 1

tsp. tsp. tsp. tsp.

Yield: 4

black pepper meat tenderizer garlic powder onion powder

The lakes area offers some of the most diverse bounties anywhere in the Midwest. What has changed through the decades is that while these bounties and the way they were prepared were once the norm, today they are more of a specialty or delicacy. Though these recipes still exist, they seem to surface only when outdoor enthusiasts get together. Our intent was to solicit these unknown chefs and ask them to share their recipes and publish their mouthwatering gems for everyones’ enjoyment. Our goal was to keep these Outdoor Traditions from disappearing. Our desire was the offer all of you this tremendous collection of wild game recipes to stimulate and enlighten your taste buds. Look for more amazing recipes in each edition of our Outdoor Traditions magazine and stop by the Brainerd Dispatch to get your own copy of the Taste of the Wild, Northwoods Cooking Traditions Cookbook today!

Soak steaks in beer for 2 hours. Drain. Combine seasonings and rub on steaks. Let steaks rest for 1 hour to absorb seasonings. Grill and enjoy! Recipe provided by Laura Lodermeier (Little Falls, MN)

Venison Marinade Prep Time: varies

Ingredients: 1 cup salad oil 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. dried marjoram 2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed 1 tsp. pepper

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Garlic powder, to taste 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley 2 green peppers, diced 4 lbs. venison

Combine all ingredients except venison. Mix well; add venison, cover and marinate overnight. When ready to serve, drain venison and disgard marinade. Grill marinated venison to desired doneness. Let stand a few minutes after removing from the grill to let the meat rest. Recipe provided by Diane Hoglin (Baxter, MN)

Taste of the Wild

Do you have an wild game recipe that you want to share with others? If so, please send the recipe to outdoors@brainerddispatch.com with the subject being “TOTW” and we will let you know if yours will be published. Other submissions can be found by going to brainerddispatch.com/outdoor_traditions.

Return of the Autumn Smallmouths

First up, smallies tend to roam a variety of depths in spring and summer, breaking up into loose groups to feed. But in fall, these groups tend to join together into mega-schools, with the fish dropping deeper into very selective locations in preparation for winter. Second, smallies school so heavily in fall that they become susceptible to overharvest. That’s why the state of Minnesota enforces a catchand-release season for smallmouths, which kicks in on or about September 10, and extends until the bass season reopens in spring. So you can catch 20 or 30 bass a day—but you can’t keep ‘em. Third, fishing patterns change as autumn fades into mid-fall. Early on, smallies are on the move as they begin shifting toward their deeper wintering areas. Moving fish are active, and prime to be caught using simple coverage tactics, like tossing spinnerbaits and crankbaits. But by mid-fall, once smallmouths school in earnest, you usually need to switch to slower, more precise tactics like jigging, dropshotting or livebait rigs better suited for straining small spots.

Rivers

By Dave Csanda Among anglers, the Brainerd Lakes Area is a mecca for walleyes and pike. Exceptional fishing for largemouth bass and panfish back up the headliners, and diehards with a fair combination of patience and persistence can even take a whack at muskies. Smallmouth bass, however, tend to slip through the cracks, and remain unknown to most visitors and locals alike. We have some of the best bronzeback fishing anywhere literally at our doorstep in the Mississippi River that flows right through downtown Brainerd. Nearby Mille Lacs is loaded with smallies, many of them big, mean and feisty. And select area lakes—Hubert, Round and Sylvan, for example—offer a fair shot at these bronze beauties as well. Fall is prime time to get on big schools of big smallmouth bass, for a number of reasons. Here’s why. 18

Fall Smallmouths

During summer, family groups of smallmouths spread throughout countless miles of shallow river habitat, some here, some there. But in early fall, they begin moving to areas with deeper water and slower flows to find safe spots to spend the winter. The fish instinctively desert shallow stretches where they might be trapped in ice, in favor of deep holes located below dams or at river bends, or the reservoir sections above dams where current dissipates and deeper water is abundant. In early fall, with water temperatures in the 50 Fs, it’s not unusual to see packs of 10 to 20 smallmouths swimming downstream across shallow sand flats as they move toward deeper water. When you see this, it’s a signal that fish are on the move. You need to move, too, in order to locate them, because they’re here today, gone tomorrow.

September is prime time to cast shallow-diving crankbaits like Rapala DT 6’s, which dive about 4 to 6 feet deep. Get on the electric trolling motor and go, firing casts toward every fallen tree, rocky patch or shoreline point that might temporarily hold moving groups of smallmouths. Every so often…you intercept a pack, and it’s bang, bang, bang. Then it’s time to move again. On Rice Lake, the stretch of the Mississippi above the dam in Brainerd, smallmouths moving downstream also group on the upstream and downstream ends of wild rice patches that break current flow. Same deal. Cast crankbaits in these areas, and you’ll find and feel small “sweet spots” with exposed rock that draw smallmouths like crazy.

“...you’ll find and feel small “sweet spots” with exposed rock that draw smallmouths like crazy.” But once again, it’s only temporary. The good thing is, after one group leaves, another may soon take it’s place. By October, as water temperatures drop into the low 50 Fs, heavy schooling may draw hundreds of bass into areas with immediate access to deep water, yet just out of the current flow. Shallow humps, the downstream sides of shoreline points, or other structures that drop into perhaps 15 feet of fairly calm water are best. At this time, switch to slow, precise, vertical tactics. Walleye systems like

jigs and minnows or livebait rigs tipped with minnows are obvious choices. So are subtle bass lures like marabou jigs, jig & pork combos, or dropshot rigs dressed with 4-inch plastic worms.

Lakes

Clear natural lakes in our area see the same kind of fall movement, but within much smaller areas compared to the miles of fall movement common on rivers. For instance, a typical smallmouth home area in a lake will be a large mixed sand, rock and gravel bar with perhaps a couple of rock humps reaching near the surface. Fish roam all over these areas in summer, often relatively shallow. But in early fall, smallmouths shift toward the farthest offshore extensions reaching out to deep water. Casting spinnerbaits or crankbaits atop these areas excels until the fish begin dropping deep. At that point, fishing for smallmouths becomes a lot like walleye fishing, probing the drop-offs off the tips of points or edges of humps, again with jigs or livebait rigs. But with one important distinction: Smallmouths tend to prefer structures that drop down to a basin depth of maybe 35 to 40 feet*, and large schools of fish will hug the transition at the base of the break where the hard bottom of the dropoff meets the soft basin of the lake. Importantly, structures that drop deeper into 50, 60 or 70 feet of water are more likely to hold walleyes than smallmouths. When fishing for deep smallmouths, don’t necessarily expect them

to hit the first time your bait passes by their noses. For example, it’s not unusual to drag a 4- to 5-inch live chub on a livebait rig, and have the chub suddenly begin struggling and wiggling, causing your rod tip to dip repeatedly. A “nervous chub” indicates that something big is inches away, eyeballing the bait. The longer you hover right there, dancing the vulnerable chub in the fish’s face, the more likely it is to bite. Once again, calm, sunny afternoons tend to be best for the mid-fall smallmouth bite in deep water. Cloudy or windy days tend to be poor. Smallies like a little sunshine at this time of year. Fishermen do, too! *Mille Lacs is an interesting exception to these depth levels, because we seldom catch smallmouths deeper than 10 feet on Mille Lacs. You’ll find them quite shallow on Mille Lacs compared to most other waters, even after they drop down and school heavily in wintering areas.

Dave Csanda is a veteran outdoor communicator/TV cohost who works at Lindner’s Angling Edge Television in Baxter. He is also president of the Brainerd Lakes Area Chapter of Let’s Go Fishing (www.lgfwsbrainerdarea. com), a Minnesota-based non-profit volunteer organization that takes seniors, youths and veterans fishing for free.

Fall Bird Identification

By Judd Brink

On just about any fall day one could say what is that little brown bird or that one over there. During the fall bird migration starting in August and lasting through November many of the colorful birds are now only found in their nonbreeding plumage. This can be the most challenging time of year to correctly identify birds, even for the experts. Your field guide book combined with very popular birding apps are helpful, but learning to identify the field marks will ultimately help you determine what you are observing. I hope to offer some birding tips that will help you identify the birds in the fall and at any other time of year. Most of our neo-tropical migrant birds that winter in Central or South America are generally more colorful than our resident birds. These neo-tropical birds include Tanagers, Warblers and Vireos. Most of them are very colorful when they first arrive in the spring. One group of birds that I really enjoy watching and showing others on bird watching tours is the Warblers. If you are not familiar or don’t have the patience to observe these fast moving birds as they flit from branch to branch you’re not alone. But their brilliant color and song might keep you engaged just long enough to get a good look. Each spring we can expect to see almost 20 species of warblers, most often all at one location, so it’s really important to learn how to identify them by sight and sound. I find their contrasting colors very fascinating, such as the Black-throated Blue Warbler or the Chestnut-sided Warbler which are named based on their field marks. The peak spring migration is usually the month of May and is the best time to observe and indentify warblers and the many others that arrive. Trying to identify these birds in the fall can often be confusing, as is stated in many field guides where a page or two are devoted to “confusing fall warblers”. Why does the same bird in the spring look like a different bird in the fall? Most birds will go through a molting process between migrations. Molting is just the process of replacing worn feathers with new ones. Most wa20 Fall Bird Identification

terfowl (ducks, geese and swans) are the only groups that become almost flightless for a period of time to do a full molt. The safety of water from land predators is probably the evolutionary reason why they can go flightless, unlike others who need the capability of flight for food and escape from predators. As the colorful songbirds go through a season, their feathers naturally wear and the pigments start to fade and than ultimately molt into their much duller winter or non-breeding plumage. It should be noted that the

spring colors do play a role in mate selection and courtship as do their songs. In many of the songbirds the males are more colorful than the females, but as we near fall many of them look very similar in color. To make things even more challenging, especially for the warblers, is that the immature birds that were born in the spring will look like females of several species and are very dull and drab in color. So when looking at fall warblers it can be overwhelming trying to

identify each one. The immature birds won’t molt until the following year just prior to arriving on their spring territories wearing their new and brightly colored coats. Field marks are helpful markers found on birds that aid us in the correct identification. When identifying birds with the same color and shape, it’s important to know the field marks that separate them. Some are very obvious, such as a

brightly colored wing patch or wing bars, while others can be faint or difficult to notice even at a close distance. The four main field marks used for bird identification include head, body, wings and tail. Some examples of birds with their field marks include wing bars (Golden-winged Warbler) throat patch (white-throated Sparrow) tail (Red-tailed Hawk) and breast color (Red-breasted Nuthatch). Each field mark category has a list of specific marks that can further help in identifying the bird in view. My first field guide was the Peterson’s and one that I still use today 25 years later. The drawings use arrows to point out some of the more obvious field marks. This is a great way to learn how to identify birds. Once you know and understand how to use field marks, it makes identification much easier and faster. Most field guides will show diagrams of birds and their field marks with examples on how to indentify birds in your area. One of the best ways to learn how to identify birds only by their field marks is to practice with the common birds found in your backyard. Take a closer look at the head, body, tail and wings and you will soon discover more details and clues that you can use when you’re away from home and viewing unfamiliar birds. Happy Birding! Judd Brink is the owner of MN Backyard Birds offering birdscaping using bird feeding stations to attract more birds for your enjoyment. Installs and maintains bird feeding stations for commercial and residential customers in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Judd also leads bird-guided walks and tours in the area. He can be contacted at jb@mnbackyardbirds.com.

Don’t Neglect the By Jim Kalkofen

Northern Fishing Tactics

Consider giving pike a shot in the next couple of months. This article is about why my boat never sees the storage barn until the snow flies. I love fall pike. On lakes where muskies lurk (Mille Lacs, Rainy, Lake of the Woods, Cedar, Alexandria, Shamineau, Cass, Leech, Winnibigoshish, etc.) fishing for pike means catching a bonus musky or two. Expect giant walleyes and pike, also. Northern pike and I became good friends because they bite. They fight. And, the quality fish really show themselves every fall. Pike gear is relatively inexpensive, easy to use all day, and can double for other purposes. My 7-foot medium heavy spinning rod with a 20-series reel doubles for fishing largemouth bass in the slop, casting large cranks for walleyes or top-waters for smallmouth bass. A soft rod tip is preferable for twitch baits, but a solid backbone is essential for hooksets and whipping a big fish. I generally use 14-pound FireLine for 90-percent of my pike fishing. Only when I’m throwing big wood will I use a heavyduty rod/reel set-up. Where to fish depends on food. Pike are not picky eaters. Many of the deeper lakes with ciscoes and tullibees grow the biggest pike. Big pike live where these soft-rayed fish spend most of their time – deep. Come late fall, these species move onto rocks to spawn. Pike are not far behind. Other treats for pike include trout in the nearby iron ore pits. Pike feast on suckers. Perch are a mainstay. Anything that moves could be food. Some ways to catch pike this fall include the following. Deep flats out to 40 feet hold pike. With electronics, it is not unusual to see several big fish on the screen in a short distance. When I see what I think are big pike at these depths, I mark it on the GPS, and keep circling the general area. When more appear, I move upwind and drift through them, using a jig and chunk of plastic. Jigs should be about 3/8ths of an ounce to an ounce. Go heavier as water depth or wind increases. A bass-style flipping jig with a stout hook is important. The six to 10 inch plastic (large bass worms or lizards with curly tails) are good. Pop, drag, pause, hop the jig. Sometimes, reel three or four times really fast and stop until the jig hits bottom. You will know when pike are home, because they will bite. However, the bite will be a “tick,” not a mad, slashing strike. Sometimes, the line will “jump” as the pike grabs hold. Whenever in doubt, rare back and set the hook – hard! Jigs and plastic draw pike out of weedbed edges. If fishing in weeds, use a jig with a weed guard. The bass guys have perfected this style jig. On the edges, especially in dark water lakes where the weed edge only runs out to 10 feet or so, consider a lighter jig head (but with the same heavy hook). Good plastic (or PowerBait or Impulse) colors are white, yellow, glow, purple, blue, red and black. Main lake points running from the shoreline, or coming off islands are pike hotspots. Start at the weedline and proceed deeper,

Fish with Lots of Teeth this Fall criss-crossing the point. Jigs could be used, but this is a time to toss spinnerbaits like Northland’s 3/4ths ounce or 1 ounce Bionic spinnerbaits or a Mepps Musky Killer. When going deeper on a point, from 15 feet and down, try a deeprunning crankbait that will dive down and touch the rocks. Strike King, Rapala, Matzuo, Bomber, Flicker Shads, Bagley are familiar, but about 25 years ago Rapala made a lure called the Risto Rap. I treasure those lures for large pike every fall. Just because other anglers didn’t buy them and they were discontinued doesn’t mean I have to stop using my Ristos. A key spot on any main lake point is where weeds exist. These are usually broadleaf weeds referred to as “cabbage.” Most will remain green long after other weeds die down. These secluded patches don’t have to be very big to hold pike. I return many times a day to fish these areas. Glide baits – my favorite is a # 14 Husky Jerk -- won’t run more than three or four feet under the surface I use it

over weeds, over rocks and alongside structure that is less than 10-feet deep. This lure can be worked on the heavy duty spinning rod/reel described earlier. If pike have moved shallow, Gramma baits, Reef Hawgs, Suicks, and “big wood” work well. They require

much heavier casting gear. These lures are snapped forward with the rod tip, paused while slack line is taken up, and snapped forward once again. Develop a cadence that fits your mood. Jigging spoons – heavy-metal spoons (1/2 to 1 ounce) – should be cast out, pumped about 3 or 4 feet, and dropped to the bottom on a tight

line. Keep it moving, with only a second or two on the bottom. Vertical jigging these spoons also works: drop, snap the rod tip two feet, and let the spoon fall on slack line. Locate and check out mid-lake humps that top out at less than 20 feet. Fish these the same way as points. When approaching humps, watch the graph, because pike could be holding at the deep break. Three tips: First, use a wire leader. If in doubt, tie Tyger wire or Cortland Critter wire direct or use a snap for cranks and glide baits. Or, purchase some ready-made, but don’t buy the cheapest brands. Second, release big pike. Third, take a camera, and be ready to shoot when the pike comes out of the net. Release quickly.

Jim Kalkofen has been around boats all his life. He has been director of the largest walleye tournament circuits for two decades, and was inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.

Memory Lane

By DeLynn Howard

Deer hunting has been apart of my life for as long as I can remember. I have many memories of my dad and various family members traipsing through the acres of woods near my parents’ house, finding their way to that “perfect spot” in hopes of shooting the big one. Now, as an adult, I’m part of another group who lives, breathes and sleeps deer hunting — my husband and his family. While I don’t consider myself a hunter, there was a time when I thought it would be something I’d do every single year but that changed after “the incident.” I was about 14 or 15 years old and decided I wanted to try my hand at deer hunting with my dad. He had a great tree stand built about 8-10 feet in the air, nestled in among some birch trees. It was big enough for the both of us, which was ideal as I was excited but unsure about hunting alone. Licenses and hand warmers were purchased. Guns were sited in. Game plans were made. It was time. And off we went to our tree stand in the sky. It was early morning. I remember it was cold but not so cold you couldn’t think straight. It was peaceful, sitting in the tree, listening to the wind blowing, the birds chirping. But every snap, crackle and pop I heard made me think it was a deer. Leaves would rustle and I would assume the big one was going to appear in front of us at 24

Memory Lane

any moment. We’d been sitting there for a few hours and hadn’t seen a thing. Realizing my hands were getting colder, I remember I laid my gun across my lap so I could readjust my hand warmers inside my gloves. My glove fell off my lap and onto the floor of the deer stand. I leaned down to pick it up and as I did, I turned my head to the left, and there down below the stand, staring at me, was the most beautiful and amazing creature I’d ever seen — a deer. As I stared back, I realized just how perfectly he blended in to his surroundings. It seemed as if I had been hunched over for hours as I contemplated how I was going to get my dad’s attention (he was to my right), pick up my gun and shoot this deer without scaring him away. Luckily, my dad spotted the deer the same time I did, but he whispered, “Shoot him! The deer started to move through the woods. I followed him with my gun and again, my dad said, “Shoot! Shoot!” I remember saying, “I am, Dad! I am,” as the adrenaline pumped through my body while I squeezed the trigger. From my dad’s perspective, it looked like we were going to miss our opportunity so he took a shot as well. I pulled the trigger at the exact same time. My dad, so excited about the idea of his daughter getting her first deer, accidentally tripped on a little ledge in the deer stand. In all the excitement, I barely

remember that happening but my dad said he remembers the fear he had in thinking he was going to push me right out of the stand. He stood up and got his bearings. I looked at him and said, “I got it! I got it! Dad, I shot the deer!” My dad said, “I shot too but I don’t think you even fired your gun.” Confused, I handed my gun to him. He ejected my shell. For those of you familiar with guns probably know what I did, or rather, didn’t do. I took the deer hunting cardinal rule of “Safety first” a little too far. Yep. You guessed it. I got so excited about the idea of my first deer I forgot to take the safety off of my gun. I looked at my dad. He was tearing up. I asked him what was wrong. He told me he felt guilty for having shot the deer. He wanted me to get my first deer so bad but the avid hunter in him took over. But he also didn’t want us to miss the opportunity to have venison in our freezer that winter. I didn’t care. I was so excited to have been apart of this experience with him. Would I have liked to be the one to make the kill shot? At the time, yes, because that was the whole point of me going hunting with my dad, to have that experience with him. But looking back on it now, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Your Best Shot Photo Submitted by Beth Switajewski

Beth captured this image of a Boreal Owl in her front yard near Pine River, MN. She is 35 years old and her passion in life is photography, capturing moments that are unexpected...in the moment...the beauty and art in natural surroundings... “I feel at peace, comfortable, and safe when I am behind the camera.”

How She Got the Shot

Tiptoeing closer to this unknown, foreign owl, I begin shooting several dozen images with my 250mm f/5.6, hoping to capture the shear beauty of what appears to be the cutest bird in the entire world! It’s eyes were shut, as if it was asleep or bored or unaware of the Blue Jays harassing it. I crept within 10 feet and it never even glanced at me...I proceeded to shoot more frames, when a family member of mine decides to put a piece of steak onto a pole to reach up to the owl to see if it is hungry. Within 10 seconds of the meat getting closer to the owl, it finally begins to open an eye. Then both eyes open, and there is two bright yellow eyes with two black “tear drop” marks and a face framed in black. Immaculate white spots dot the forehead. Its light yellow colored beak began to open and took the piece of steak from the pole and started to tear it apart and began to eat it. I was absolutely amazed at how the owl didn’t fly off. It sat there on the birch tree branch, only feet away, letting me continue to snap shots with my camera. The whole time staring at this creature, I know that my dreams of photographing an owl finally came true. After about 15 minutes of observing this magnificent creature, it decides to fly away, and I stand watching it in complete awe. *Read Beth’s full story at brainerddispatch.com/outdoor_traditions.

Canon EOS REBEL T1i AWB Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS 3168 by 4752 3.8 MB JPEG ISO 400 250mm 0 EV f/4 1/200 Would you like to see your photo published in the next edition of Outdoor Traditions? Please end files or photos with subject “YBS” to outdoors@brainerddispatch.com by November 15th, 2013. You will be notified if your photo will be published. All other submissions can be found at brainerddispatch.com/outdoor_traditions. Minimum file size required is 2MB; visit brainerddispatch.com/outdoor_traditions for specific requirements.

September

Fall Forecast

Mourning Dove season Bear season Early Canada Goose season Snipe and Rail Hunting season

Antlerless Deer and Special Hunt Lottery Deadline

Smallmouth Bass - 2013 Catch and Release season only (statewide)

Sandhill Crane season-NW zone Stream Trout (Fall) SE - 2013 season Catch and Release season only

Waterfowl season opener-Tentative

21-22

Take-a-Kid Hunting weekend

Fall Turkey season

October 12

Pheasant season

Deer Hunt- Special Youth Deer season

Raccoon, Red Fox, Gray Fox, Badger & Opossum (north & south) Hunting & Trapping

Furbearer Trapping- Beaver- north zone Furbearer Trapping- Mink & Muskrat- north zone Deer Hunt- Camp Ripley Archery Hunt- 1st season Furbearer Trapping- Otter- north zone

November 2

Furbearer Trapping- Beaver- south zone Furbearer Trapping- Mink & Muskrat- south zone Deer Hunt- Camp Ripley Archery Hunt- 2nd season Furbearer Trapping- Otter- south zone

Fall Forecast

November 9

Deer Hunt- Firearm season- 1A, 2A & 3A Wolf- Early Season Hunting (100 & 200 series area)

Deer Hunt- Firearm season- 3B

Fisher & Pine Marten season Bobcat- Hunting & Trapping season Deer Hunt- Muzzleloader season Wolf- Late Season Hunting & Trapping

December NO SEASON OPENERS