34 minute read
A timeless stream
The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking residents who live in Chronic Wasting Disease management counties to help slow the spread and reduce the impact of CWD in Missouri, in part by observing feeding restrictions.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that infects only deer and other members of the deer family. The disease has no vaccine or cure and is 100 percent fatal.
It is spread from deer to deer, and the potential for transmission increases when deer gather in larger, concentrated numbers. Unnatural congregations of deer in places such as feeders and mineral licks substantially increase the chances of spreading the deadly disease.
“This disease threatens Missouri’s deer herd, hunting traditions, and many businesses supported by hunting,” said Franklin County Conservation Agent Ben Pursley.
FOLLOW THE RULES
To reduce the spread, MDC has issued special regulations for the CWD Management Zone. These prohibit the use, year-round, of grain, salt products, minerals and other consumable products often used to attract deer.
In the St. Louis region, the counties where the deer feeding ban applies include St. Charles, Warren, Franklin, Crawford, Washington and Jefferson.
The following exemptions are allowed: • Feed placed within 100 feet of any residence or occupied building. • Feed placed in a manner that excludes access by deer. • Feed and minerals used solely for normal agricultural practices. • Feed placed as part of a feral hog or CWD management effort authorized by MDC.
SOME DON’TS
• Don’t feed deer. Feeding deer causes an unnatural congregation of animals in one spot and increases the likelihood that an infected deer may spread the disease to others. Feeding of wildlife is permitted within 100 feet of a residence or occupied building, but it is recommended that any feed placed near your home is done so in a manner to exclude deer from accessing it, such as bird feeders six feet or more above the ground and/or feeders designed specifically to exclude deer. • Don’t put out mineral licks. Mineral licks such as salt blocks, mineral blocks, trophy rocks and other commercially produced consumable attractants increase the risk of spreading CWD. These types of products are prohibited by law year-round in Management Zone counties.
OUTDOOR
November-December 2022
GUIDE
MAGAZINE
HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING • BOATING • SHOOTING • TRAVEL
Volume 30, No. 6 • Published six times a year Office: 505 S. Ewing, St. Louis, MO 63103 News department — 618-972-3744 www.outdoorguidemagazine.com e-mail: carl@labortribune.com
COVER created by Kathy Crowe, graphic designer.
Carl Green, editor – carl@labortribune.com Bob Whitehead, editor emeritis – ogmbobw@aol.com Kathy Crowe, graphic designer John Winkelman, associate editor — ogmjohnw@aol.com Lynn Fowler, circulation manager
— Account executives — Dan Braun, marketing director 314-256-4136 Lauren Marshall 314-614-5175
Darrell Taylor Ray Eye Brent Frazee Brandon Butler — Regional and specialty editors —
Bill Cooper Thayne Smith Steve Jones
Bill Seibel John Neporadny Jr. T. J. Mullin Larry Whiteley Ted Nugent Ron Bice
– In Memoriam —
Joel Vance • Ron Henry Strait • Jared Billings • Charlie Farmer • Richard Engelke • Mark Hubbard • Spence Turner • Hank Reifeiss Kay Hively • Bill Harmon • Barbara Perry Lawton • Danny Hicks • Ron Kruger • TJ Stallings • John Sloan
— Staff writers —
Claudette Roper Kenneth Kieser Don Gasaway Tim Huffman Gerald Scott Terry Wilson Mike Roux Russell Hively Bill Keaton Bob Holzhei Craig Alderman Terry & Roxanne Wilson Charlie Slovensky Jeannie Farmer Randall Davis Michael Wardlaw Jerry Pabst Darrell Cureton Larry Potterfield Tyler Mahoney Ray Maxwell Jed Nadler Tom Watson Richard Aites
The Life Outdoors
Memory and a timeless creek
By RICHARD W. AITES
In September, I had an opportunity to fish with my youngest son. His unit was getting ready to ship to South Korea, so he was granted a week’s worth of leave before the nine-month deployment.
He wanted to spend some time with his grandparents, who still reside in the town that both his father and mother grew up in. The little hamlet is nestled in the Allegheny foothills of northwestern Pennsylvania.
My wife and I made the 10-hour drive from St. Louis to Pittsburgh to pick him up at the airport and then drove another 90 miles north to his grandparents’ place.
While there, the recently promoted Army Specialist (E-4) suggested we do a little fishing. We agreed to fish the creek that I frequented in my youth. A cold-water tributary of the Allegheny River, the creek is as large as some rivers. A celebrated trout stream, it also has a good population of smallmouth bass.
During the spring and early summer, when the water level is still elevated from the spring rains, it’s a dandy place to catch walleye. When things start to heat up around mid-June, the tasty fish retreat into the deeper, cooler waters of the Allegheny.
UNDER THE BRIDGE
Unfortunately for us, it was unseasonably hot for late September and, because of a lack of rain, the creek was well below its normal water levels. We still managed to get in an afternoon of fishing, but our spinners and jigs could not entice a fish into biting.
So we opted for one of my favorite fishing spots as a boy, which was near an old, rusty, train bridge. The shallow rapids above the bridge spill into large, swirling pockets below the structure’s piers.
It is in these deeper pockets where the larger game fish muster. In my younger days, I often fished this part of the creek with my own father.
It was here where I caught my largest smallmouth ever. That bronze-back was 22 inches long and weighed over 4 pounds. On that same early June day in 2011, I also watched my father land several nice walleyes, three of which exceeded 20 inches in length.
I remember praising him for being such a fine fisherman. But of course, he humbly gave the credit to his beloved yellow rooster-tails. That would be the last time I’d get to fish with him. Dad passed away in 2019.
IN THE FOOTHILLS
During the early to mid-80’s, I spent many afternoons and evenings after school, fishing this stretch of water. And most of my summer break was spent here. Depending on the season, if I wasn’t down here trying to land a mess of trout, I was usually hunting or exploring the surrounding countryside.
The Allegheny foothills that enveloped this section of the creek teemed with white-tail deer, ruffed grouse, and squirrels, while cottontails and swamp rabbits thrived in the brushy flats beyond the embankments.
Reflecting upon the 40-plus years since I first fished these waters, I was both fulfilled and saddened with the passing of time. In those four decades, I had served in the Marine Corps, married a wonderful woman, raised two fine young men, and recently retired after 26 years as a law enforcement officer.
Yet sadly, such as life can be, I’ve lost my grandparents, parents, and several other family and friends along the way.
A GREAT MEMORY
Recently, I lost one of my favorite boyhood companions. During the dog days of summer, Andy and I would foolishly climb atop the old bridge and straddle the narrow trestles that stood three stories above the water’s surface. Using recurve bows and old, discarded arrows from the local Archery Club, we would fling the fiberglass shafts at the big, copper-colored carp that were feeding in the shallows below. Every now and then we’d get lucky and stick one. Then we’d have to climb down from the bridge, wade into the knee-deep water, and recover the thrashing, cartwheeling, fish.
Since some of the invasive bottom-feeders weighed more than 10 pounds, I’m certain the raccoons that roamed the creek banks on those nights were delighted by the fish smorgasbord we left behind.
Shortly after graduating from high school in the mid-80’s, we both entered military service and would never hunt or fish together again. Andy would later serve in Desert Storm, and upon his discharge in the early 90’s, he relocated to North Carolina. In 2020, my friend, Andrew J. Harper, passed away at the age of 51. I miss him like a brother.
HAUNTED BY WATERS
One of the best fishing stories I’ve ever read was A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean, which was published in the 1970s. It contains one of my all-time favorite passages:
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops.
“Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”
Come prepared to process wild game
Photo and Text By BRANDON BUTLER
One of the first pieces of hunting equipment I owned was a Buck 102 knife. It had been my father’s. He gave it to me. Over the years, I’ve notched the sheath each time I took a deer. The line of notches extends the length of the leather blade protector.
A knife plays an important role in the hunting process. It’s a link between the field and dinner table. Hunting seasons are open across the country. Big game, small game, waterfowl and upland hunters are collecting the bounty of fall.
The process of turning the game into table fare is, to me, nearly as much fun as the hunt. There are so many ways to use the healthy wild game for food – roasts with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and onions, steaks on the grill, deep fried turkey nuggets, baked whole birds with wild rice, sausages and jerky.
The process of butchering your own meat is, like most things in life, improved with experience. With enough practice, one becomes proficient. The basics are pretty simple, though. Be careful. Understand the process. Have the right equipment. Enjoy the experience. If you have the right equipment from start to finish, the process is going to be much easier and more enjoyable.
Buck Knives recently released a list of tips that I read and found to be spot on. I’m passing on those tips to you with my personal observation of each.
PACK THE RIGHT TOOLS
Different types of hunting require different gear. Most bird hunters are not processing game in the field, but big game hunters are. Big game hunters are gutting, skinning, quartering and caping game.
A single knife isn’t ideal for all this work. A bone saw is a big help. Ropes and paracord
Processing wild game is enjoyable when the hunters are properly prepared.
also work well and are helpful in the process, especially if you are alone. You can tie a leg to a tree, truck or rock to keep the animal in place while you work. A lightweight tarp to set your meat on through the process is nice to have. Game bags – cloth bags you put meat in – help keep meat clean and free of insects.
TAKE YOUR TIME
If your knife is as sharp as it should be, then you need to be careful while using it. This begins with not being in a rush. Make a plan and follow the process. As you work through the steps, stay keenly aware of what you are doing.
If you are working with someone else, never cut toward them. Knife blades slip all the time. Also, don’t pull the knife toward yourself either. If you get tired, take a break. It’s better to walk out at dark after a job well done than to cut yourself or your partner because you were in a hurry. If you are prepared and working wisely, accidents will happen. For this reason, you must carry a proper first aid kit with you.
BRING THE RIGHT KNIFE
You can gut a deer with about any knife. The right one makes the job much easier. My uncle has carried the same Buck 110 folding knife since the 1980s. There is no telling how many deer he has processed with that knife.
I use different knives for different processes. I carry a gutting knife and a skinning knife in the field. I also carry a folding bone saw. It has interchangeable blades, so it’s also my tree saw. I usually leave the caping to my taxidermist. Back-country hunters don’t always have that luxury. They need to carry a caping knife, moreso than an eastern deer hunter.
KEEP IT SHARP
A sharp knife is essential. Trying to process game with a dull blade is miserable. It begins with having a quality knife and taking care of it. There are all kinds of sharpening tools on the market that make it easy for hunters to keep all their blades sharp. My go-to at home is a small, sandpaper style sharpener made by Work Sharp. But you also need to carry a sharpener with you in the field. A little sharpening stone in your backpack is a must. During in-the-field processing, you can tune up your knife with a few seconds of sharpening.
Brandon Butler’s Driftwood Outdoors podcast can be found at www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.
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Page 9 That Show-Me deer may be waiting for you
Photo and Text
By DON GASAWAY
What makes ideal big buck habitat? A variety of areas qualify. The five essential elements are food, water, cover, minimal intrusion, and sanctuary.
There are two types of feeding areas.One is a hunting area that ideally goes back into timber where deer have the security of cover on all sides. They are usually kind of secluded. If you open them up, you can make them accessible to putting up your stands, where you remove the effect of prevailing wind conditions.
The other type of feeding area is important on a small tract of land. On a small tract, you are dependent to some degree on the tracts around you. You want to attract to your land the greatest number of deer that your land can possibly hold. Those are recruiting areas.
Recruiting areas must be in places where they attract the greatest number of deer.They will be out in the open.
Warm-season grasses make great cover. You cannot see through it, and it makes a tremendous fawning area. It makes really good dry bedding.
TIMBER & WATER
Select cutting of timber is another good way to create cover. When timber is cut, you end up with a thick, nasty area. It allows more sunlight into the forest floor, which allows for more under growth. That is what provides the cover.
Water is the lifeblood of every animal. Water can also be like a feeding area. Where found, it effects where you can intercept deer as they approach the water holes. There are some watering holes called rut watering holes. That is when the bucks are chasing the does. She has to go to water and he will follow.
Place your stands in relationship to the water holes to which the bucks are chasing the does and in relation to the field where the deer are feeding. If the ground seeps and does not hold water very long, a plastic liner covered with some dirt will allow you to hold water for a long time. Another way is with a child’s pool and some dirt in it, stuck in the ground.
Deer seem to prefer that stagnant water rather than going to the creek. In winter, if you break a hole in the ice, the deer will come to drink. For your area to be the core of a deer’s range, it has to have water of some sort.
MINIMAL INTRUSION
When it comes to holding deer, minimum intrusion is the key to holding them yearround. If you are in there all the time, the deer will not stay.
Minimal intrusion means no
Big deer like this one are harvested every year by a select few hunters who are successful because they pay attention to details of their hunts, and not because they go storming through the brush.
ATV or recreational vehicle use. If you consistently are to harvest big bucks, stay out. It also means no coon hunting on the property. Deer and dogs do not get along. The dog is a predator and deer are prey.
The reality is that some deer will leave and some will come back, but that old 7-year-old buck will stay if there is minimal intrusion.
Minimal intrusion also means no timber cutting, no 3D range, no sighting in of rifles, no hiking, no biking or other uses. If your goal is to hold and grow bucks on a small tact, you cannot do all those things. It also means creating a sanctuary area in the center of the property – and never, ever going into it. Every time you bump a deer, it reduces the chances of harvesting a deer in that location. It may not affect them at all. But it may reduce your chances of seeing them again in that location. When you bump a doe, she will blow at you. The next time she will be looking for you at that location. She will either follow your track or maybe she will circumvent you. Where bucks go and what they do during the rut depends upon what those does are doing. So if the does are circumventing you, so too will the bucks. The biggest fear is that you push that buck over to the next farm. We have to be careful not to bump them over there.
CAMERA INTRUSION
Minimal intrusion also is important in the placement of trail cameras and collecting the cards from them for examination at home. Cameras need to be in places where we can get into the area and out again with the least amount of intrusion.
When you place cameras, it is important not to do so in a bad wind, just like when hanging a stand. Watch from a distance rather than going into the area to scout. Sometimes that is not possible. But when possible, use binoculars instead of walking into your hunting area.
Try to monitor which bucks are visiting which places. Attempt to determine what conditions exist as to wind direction, etc., and at what time of the day they are using the area. Monitor everything. Check the direction they enter and leave the area as well as moon conditions. Write it all down for future reference.
If you are just hunting deer, you need to be out in the field. But if you are hunting big bucks, you need to hunt less but more strategically. Do not over-hunt an area.
FRINGE AREAS
Early in the season. hunt the fringe areas and save your best areas for those times when they are most active with big buck movement. That way you do not burn your best spots before they are prime locations for hunting.
One of the ways to hunt fringe is from a box blind. Another is to hunt the fence rows. The deer will follow them looking for a way to cross over.
When using scent attractants, it is important to put it in a container and take it with you on each trip. Otherwise, do not use them. Most scent attractants will eventually contaminate your area if you leave them out too long. As scents begin to break down, they take on an odor of ammonia. Deer do not want to be around that smell and eventually it will drive out all the deer.
Rattling in a small area should be used sparingly. Your chances of being spotted are too great. Most of the time, a buck approaches the sound of two bucks fighting from downwind. Most hunters will not even know they have been caught. Try to set up in a position where your back is to some type of cover where you cannot be surprised.
Big deer are out there and some hunters find them. If you want to find them, plan your probe into their territory with some of these tips.
Don Gasaway is a freelance outdoor writer from Marion, IL. Author of over 1,000 magazine articles, he can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#1/DonGasawayWriter and at www. facebook.com/Don’sJournal. Comments and reviews are welcome.
Peanut the Turtle will celebrate anti-litter efforts
Bring the kids to Powder Valley Nov. 19
Peanut the Turtle is turning 38, and the Missouri Department of Conservation is throwing her a birthday celebration. The birthday partying takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood, free and open to all ages.
Peanut the Turtle has attracted attention all over Missouri, along with national and worldwide fame, as an anti-littering mascot. At a young age, the red-eared slider wandered into a discarded plastic six-pack ring, and it stuck around her shell.
As her shell grew, it was constricted by the plastic ring and developed an unusual, figure-eight shape. In 1993, she was found in the St. Louis area and brought to the Saint Louis Zoo, where the ring was removed.
They named her Peanut because of her shell’s shape and gave her to staff at MDC. Peanut has been under the care of MDC since, where she has served as a popular ambassador for litter awareness. Peanut’s permanent home is now at the nature center.
In the spirit of Peanut’s message, participants can help with litter pickups in and around Powder Valley during her birthday celebration event. “We’ll provide trash bags for participants, and for each bag of trash they collect, they can enter a raffle to win prizes,” Naturalist Shelly Co-
This is how Peanut looked when she was first discovered.
latskie said. Participants can also qualify for the raffle by sending photos of themselves picking up litter at other places in the area.
The nature center will also serve birthday cake in honor of Peanut’s big day. Educational programs will help make visitors aware of the environmental challenges that plastics pose and inform them about ways they can help prevent Peanut’s fate from happening to other wildlife. Activities will also include information on Missouri Stream Teams, crafts, a chance to see live animals and to meet and greet Peanut herself.
The event is free but MDC asks visitors to preregister online at https://short.mdc. mo.gov/4pm.
Peanut the Turtle has been featured in numerous TV stories and newspaper articles, made public appearances at venues like the Missouri State Fair, and even been highlighted internationally on websites like Dodo.com
Powder Valley Nature Center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road in Kirkwood, near the intersection of I-270 and I-44.
Claudette’s Cottage
Dressing brings them back for more
By CLAUDETTE ROPER
Bob said, “I hate sage and I won’t eat anything that has it in it!” His wife whispered,“he’s serious.” More on Bob later.
A few years ago, Mountain Man and I decided to serve a Thanksgiving meal open to all in our community – those who had no family, couldn’t cook a meal, or just didn’t want to cook a turkey for one or two. We rented a hall, did a lot of cooking, baked three turkeys and a new yearly tradition began.
Someone asked me, “When are you having it?” and when I gave them that look my boys all know well, I realized what a hypocrite I was. That’s not how to react to people you are concerned for when being asked a “duh” kind of question! Yes, it’s on Thanksgiving – that’s the whole point.
Oh my, that is close! I haven’t even begun to make and dry noodles and don’t have enough bread cubes dried either. The leftover hoagie rolls and hot dog buns that someone gave me were cut into cubes, dried and then packaged for storage. Once thoroughly dried, they last a long time.
It takes a lot to feed 50 people though, so I’ve been visiting my various grocery store bakeries to check out their clearance items to make more. Not only is it cheaper,
Bob didn’t like sage but came back for more dressing.
– New York Times photo
but I heard they were almost impossible to find last year.
TRIED AND TRUE
The dressing recipe that follows has been my go-to for over 40 years. That doesn’t prove it’s good – only that I’m old! Part of what makes it so good is that I use a homemade turkey broth that has cooked for hours. I often cheat and cook up chicken broth well ahead and freeze it – so far it’s gone undetected.
My quantities could be iffy, so this next part is more important than the recipe. You may have a recipe that tastes just right, but the texture is always a little off, so consider applying these principles to your own recipe.
If your bread cubes are less dry, they will absorb less liquid, and your eggs may be bigger or smaller. Here’s how I deal with these variables:
Ideally, put this together the night before. Mix it in a large bowl and store it in the refrigerator. The next day, take it out and press down on it. Is it dry or squishy wet? If it’s dry, add a little more broth and stir lightly.
Next, be sure the large casserole dish you cook it in is well buttered. No, I don’t stuff the turkey, because chances are one will get over-done before the other is done. That one is your call, but please use a meat thermometer on the dressing if you’re relying on one of those little pop-ups to tell you the turkey is done.
If you choose a sage sausage, you may want to cut back on the sage in the dressing to only 2 teaspoons. I’m generous with sage in cooking my broth and am not stingy in the dressing. Last Thanksgiving, Bob came back for two helpings of dressing and grinned, “This is the best dressing ever!” So much for hating sage.
BREAD DRESSING • 8 cups dried bread cubes • 1 1/2 cups chopped onions • 1 cup chopped celery • 5 minced garlic cloves
• 1 pound sausage (your favorite), browned
• Half or 3/4 cup real butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3-4 cups turkey broth • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon pepper • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika • 2 tablespoons dried parsley • 1 tablespoon dried sage
After browning the sausage, place it in a large bowl with the spices and stir. Add bread cubes. Depending on how much grease is left in the pan, use all or part of the butter to sauté the onions and celery until softened. Add garlic at the last minute and stir before adding to the bowl.
Add the eggs and give a light stir. Gradually pour in 21/2 to 3 cups of broth until moist. Stir very lightly – don’t compact it if you want a light, fluffy dressing.
The next day, follow the instructions above the recipe and bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 60-70 minutes. If you don’t want it crispy on top, bake it covered with foil. Test the center – it must reach 165F. Enjoy!
GIVING THANKS
Regarding Thanksgiving: Let’s never forget that in order to give thanks, we must have someone to thank – the source of all that we are grateful for. Give thanks more than once a year in November. Make it a daily practice – it makes life better.
On Aug. 14, Mountain Man left this world to be with His Lord and Savior. I’ll continue to give thanks for how blessed I was to live life with him.
Page 11 Game for waterfowl hunters: ‘What If?’
Photo and Text By JERRY PABST
I don’t know if you ever played it when you were a kid, but “What if?” was a game we played when we couldn’t think of anything better to do.
It was a simple way to pass time and required nothing more than a fertile imagination – a component that it seems every kid possesses in abundance.
The game went like this: One youngster would ask a provocative question and others would devise answers, some possible, some not so much.
For instance: “What would happen if Babe Ruth had grandly pointed to the center field bleachers and then struck out?” (He actually hit the home run famously remembered as “Ruth’s called homer.”)
With my youthful imagination only dimly visible in the rear-view mirror, I won’t even try to compete in this kid’s game, but I will issue a “What If?” challenge for adults to try.
“What if you traveled to a famous duck hunting area and the birds didn’t come?”
Now by “didn’t come” I don’t mean they just didn’t fly, for any number of reasons, on the day you were there. I mean they just hadn’t migrated to where they had always gone.
What if?
Well, you could sit optimistically in your blind all day and work on your tan. You could spend the day in deep discussions about current affairs, excluding politics and religion, of course.
WHAT IF THEY
DON’T COME BACK?
While all of these remedies will pass the time, none will bring the ducks.
The only thing that will improve your fortunes is a good old-fashioned snowstorm several hundred miles north of you – where the ducks are! But that isn’t likely to happen these days. Not with global warming, climate change or whatever they call it, altering the weather patterns and disrupting the fall migration.
Whatever your thoughts are on climate change, hold on, don’t flip that page, and remember, we are just playing a game here. So, “What If” climate change is true?
Personally, I have seen enough and read enough hunting reports from around the country to convince me that something is going on with the weather. I don’t know what is causing it, how long it will last or how much change will occur, but the waterfowl know it, too.
What’s more, waterfowl hunters are getting the same message and reacting the same way the birds are. They are heading north, where the ducks and geese are.
HALF A MILLION GEESE ON THE RIVER
I am old enough to remember the halcyon days in southern Illinois, when as many 500,000 Canada geese spent their winters in the three big refuges along the Mississippi River, and hunters flocked into the famous hunting clubs by the thousands. I remember too when, within the span of five or six years, virtually all those big honkers shifted their wintering grounds 400 miles to the north, to the Illinois-Wisconsin border, and never returned south. Warming winters and abundant waste grain lured them in, and they stayed.
Now, ducks and geese, while both are classified as waterfowl, are programmed differently. It takes an extended period of freezing weather and snow-covered fields to push geese along on their migratory path, and they will quickly return north on a thaw.
Ducks, on the other hand are inclined to migrate south with a north wind on a moonlit night, and they won’t be back until spring.
Only now, with warmer temperatures, more open water and plenty of food, the ducks, as the geese did before them, are hanging up much further north than we can remember. The pattern over the last few seasons has seen the majority of ducks spend the winter months pretty much on a line running through central Nebraska, Missouri, Tennessee, northern Kansas and southern Illinois.
This is bad news for duck hunters, guides and hunting club owners in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, where, if experience with changing migration holds, these folks will go through painful periods of denial, accusation that the big refuges north of them are planting crops to shortstop “their” birds, and finally grudging acceptance their party is over.
DUCKS ‘UNHUNTABLE’
It isn’t especially good news either for hunters in the new areas where the ducks have settled down for the winter. These birds will quickly become “stale” by learning where it is safe to feed and where danger lies. They will become blind shy, call shy, spinner decoy shy, and often start feeding at night and not stirring off the refuges by day. In short, unhuntable.
The last thing to consider about “What If” climate change in the real world is, “What about the millions, possibly billions, of dollars being spent by various governments and conservation groups to conserve, restore and improve wetland habitat in areas of the flyways that are falling into disuse?”
They have done wonderful work, without doubt, but if the ducks relocate their wintering grounds, then what? Back to square one?
The author (center) and two other hunters celebrate a successful hunt.
Always Take the Scenic Route!
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Your Guide to GREAT GEAR
WheelyBird trap tosser is light and portable but flings with power
There is no better way to learn trap shooting than with an automatic-feed trap thrower such as the Champion WheelyBird Auto-Feed.
It has lightweight construction on a two-wheeled frame with a pull handle, plus a safe-release switch for operating and disarming.
While it is small and light enough to fit into a vehicle, it can fling targets up to 55 yards away.
The 2-second cycle time provides continuous action, and it uses either 108 or 110 millimeter clays. The foot release is on a 25-foot cord to accommodate varying shooting positions.
Adjustable launch angles mean the shooter can change the shot on the range. It can hold up to 50 clays, meaning fewer reloads.
The WheelyBird lists for $383.96, but some models cost less. Champion traps can be seen at Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shop, Wal-Mart, Midway USA or go online to championtarget.com.
Ratinator catches up to 21 rats without poison
A rate infestation sounds like the end of the world, but there’s something you can do about it. The Ratinator, from Rugged Ranch, is a sturdy, multiple-catch live rat trap that can hold up to 21 rats.
It weighs only 9 pounds, but this is no toy. It can catch a swarm of rats in a few hours. After critters are enticed into either of the two doors, there’s no way they can get out. No poisons are needed.
And if rats aren’t your problem, there are models available that will catch squirrels, mice or chipmunks. An easy-open top lid allows users to release the animals –somewhere far away!
The Ratinator is available at Rural King and from Amazon, where it was priced at $98.97.
Korkers clamp onto your shoes to provide traction on ice
When temperatures fall, you don’t have to. Stride across icy, snowy surfaces with confidence when you have the lightweight, easily packable Korkers Ice Walker traction devices on your shoes.
Features include 22 replaceable push-through steel spikes that provide durable ice-biting traction.
Dial in the perfect fit and easily adjust on the fly when needed with the Boa L6 lacing system that it wraps from all angles for a fluid fit.
And guess what? Korkers neatly compress to fit into your pockets when they’re not needed. And they’re guaranteed for life.
Small size fits men’s shoe size 6-8 and women’s size 7-9. Medium fits men’s 9-11 and women’s 10-12. Large fits men’s 12-14 and women’s 13+. They weigh only 10 ounces.
Korkers list for $59.95 at REI, in either black or green. A version for runners is $69.95.
Farmer’s Almanac for 2023 is already available
If you’re one of those folks who rely on the Farmer’s Almanac for the kinds of information that you can find only on its pages, there’s no need to wait until next year.
Farmer’s Almanac 2023 is available now from Amazon.com for $7.96 in paperback and $15.26 hardbound for the old-timey Trade Edition or $7.99 for the modern edition in paperback only. They’re even offering used versions as low as $5.24 and it’s $5.95 on Kindle – although it seems odd to read an old-timey booklet on such a new-fangled contraption.
It’s the 231st publication of the almanac, which dates back to 1792, when it was established by Robert B. Thomas. Farmers across the nation rely on its weather forecasting, useful information and old wives’ tales.
Ariat makes rugged but comfortable boot for women outdoors
Women who want rugged but comfortable hiking boots should check out Ariat’s lineup of stylish hikers, such as the Terrain.
The prices range from $94.95 to $104.95 at ariat.com, more than some, less than others. The boot provides comfort and support in a lightweight package for all-day comfort, and durability.
Features include a lightweight forked shank for support, full grain leather uppers, removable all-day cushioning insoles, a lightweight midsole for shock absorption, a Duratread sole for maximum wear and a padded top collar.
Colors include walnut/serape, taupe, distressed brown/ cheetah and cordovan.
The Terrain and other Ariat boots are available at ariat. com. Men’s sizes are also available.
Gift your dog with a monthly selection of toys and treats
Barkbox Dog Toys & Treats will send a Barkbox to your dog every month, each with two toys, two bags of all-natural treats, and a chew.
The boxes even follow unique monthly themes. You can select the toy size and exclude certain meats if necessary.
Barkboxes already go to more than a million dogs each month after launching in 2012.
They pledge: “If your pup isn’t happy with their BarkBox, we’ll work with you to make it right.”
A Barkbox Toys and Treats subscription is $35 a month, but 6-month and 12-month plans are available for less. Go to barkbox.com. For individual items, go to barkshop.com.
Oster Roaster Oven keeps turkey moist with selfbasting lid
Hark the herald, there’s no avoiding it –the turkey roasting season is coming right toward us. Be ready this year with the Oster Roaster Oven and its self-basting lid.
The stainless steel roaster is made of alloy steel and handles up to 22 quarts.
The electric roaster cooks turkeys of up to 26 pounds. It can either bake, slow cook or roast and be used to serve. It measures 15.6 inches deep, 23.3 inches wide and 11 inches high.
The lid recirculates moisture to keep meats tender and juicy. Afterward, the pan and rack are removable for easy cleaning.
Oster Roaster Oven is currently available for $117.94 at Amazon.com.
Inflatable owls protect garden fruits and vegetables
Need a gift for the gardener who has everything? She may not have the Gardeneer Natural Enemy Inflatable Owl Scarecrow, which is just a few breaths away from protecting the fruit and vegetables in her garden from birds and other pests.
The owls come in a package of three for just $27.99. They work against birds, rabbits and chipmunks without needing pesticides, using bold brown, yellow and black shades instead, with an intent gaze and upright ear tufts.
Each owl is 22 inches tall and has a way of moving in the wind for realism. They fit on poles or square posts or can be hung with string through each ear tuft. They can be repositioned easily to stay effective for years.
The package of three Inflatable Owl Scarecrows is just $27.99 from BestNest.com with free shipping if you order three packages.
Buck Knives’ folding fillet knife uses titanium, steel
Buck Knives is offering something you don’t see every day that may be very useful – a folding fillet knife, called the 220 Silver Creek.
The flexible and lockable blade is titanium-coated steel and measures 6½” inches. The handle is glass-reinforced polypropylene with TPE rubber and a stainless steel guard. A large lanyard loop is provided for carrying. The knife measures 7¼” closed.
The blade can be locked open. Closing requires two hands.
