HUNT & FISH 2021

GROWING UP IN THE WILDS OF ALASKA

HUNT FISH & 30 2021

Essentials

Randy Newberg

Passionate Preservationist INSIDE

UPLANDS COAST TO COAST PREPPING HUNTING GROUNDS CAMPING HOW-TO GUIDE

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HUNT&FISH 2021

42

WILD IN ALASKA The Last Frontier is Brandon Cole’s playground

BRANDON COLE

Features 34

PUBLIC LANDS CRUSADER Randy Newberg inspires others to advocate for the outdoors

50

HEADING UPLAND Tips and tactics for popular regional game birds

1

HUNT&FISH 2021

94

Departments

Up Front 5

EDITOR’S NOTE

8

GEAR AND SUPPLIES

» Reasonably-priced rifles » Transformative Tungsten Super Shot » Submersible gear bags » Top-rated coolers » Backpack snacks

28

BEHIND THE BRAND

30

A COVID POSITIVE

High-Volume Hunting How to bag big numbers of snow geese

68

Doing the Groundwork Make game feel right at home on your range

76

Prepping Pups Training new dogs for the field and home

82

Culinary Connection Open-fire cooking elevates cuisine and camaraderie

88

Saddle Up Lightweight, portable gear makes tree hunting easier

94

Herd Management Controlled hunt for bison at the Grand Canyon

98 104

110 112

Duck Camp

Uptick in hunting amid pandemic

120

FISHING Women of the Water Anglers cast light on conservation Angling for Privacy Drop a line from these rentable islands

OUTDOORS Fan Favorite Wonders of Wildlife voted best aquarium Getaway Guide Excerpts from new camping primer

LAST WORD Outdoor Voices Give these podcasts a shot

ON THE COVER:

Randy Newberg PHOTOGRAPH:

Marcus Hockett

8 All prices and availability are subject to change.

2 HUNT & FISH | 2021

PROVIDED BY BRAD FITZPATRICK; DAWN VILLELLA/ASSOCIATED PRESS; RUGER

60

HUNTING

60

it’s more than a bag

it's your hanging helper available at

©2019 S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 300221885

HUNT&FISH 2021

Featured Contributors PREMIUM PUBLICATION EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jeanette Barrett-Stokes jbstokes@usatoday.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jerald Council jcouncil@usatoday.com

Brad Fitzpatrick is a freelance writer based in Ohio. He is a recipient of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers Bestof-Best award and a Professional Outdoor Media Association Pinnacle honoree. In this issue, he writes about the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on hunting license sales (page 30) and domestic high-volume hunting for snow geese (page 60).

Oliver Hartner spent his formative years afield in the Feliciana parishes of Louisiana and piney wood counties of southwest Mississippi, but now lives in Columbia, S.C. He covers sporting life subjects, culinary concepts and fine art features. In this issue, he takes us on an upland hunting tour (page 50) and profiles chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois (page 82).

Virginia resident Ken Perrotte is the conservation field editor for Turkey Call, a field editor for Ducks Unlimited and the outdoors columnist for the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star and Richmond (Va.) TimesDispatch. He writes how advances in shot have raised the .410’s profile as a turkey rifle (page 12) and offers tips for turning your land into a hunting habitat (page 68).

MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Washington mjwashington@usatoday.com GUEST EDITOR T. Edward Nickens ISSUE EDITOR Harry Lister EDITORS Amy Sinatra Ayres Tracy Scott Forson Deirdre van Dyk Debbie Williams ISSUE DESIGNER Hayleigh Corkey DESIGNERS David Hyde Debra Moore Gina Toole Saunders Lisa M. Zilka CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Matthew Brown, Jay Cannon, Jason Carter, Jonathan Chan, Brad Fitzpatrick, Cosmo Genova, Erin Gifford, Kyle Hamilton, Oliver Hartner, Gregory J. Holman, Shanti Lerner, Ken Perrotte, Nicole Qualtieri, Iris Samuels, Kristen A. Schmitt, Sarah Sekula

ADVERTISING VP, ADVERTISING Patrick Burke | (703) 854-5914 pburke@usatoday.com

Kristen A. Schmitt writes regularly about wildlife, adventure, sustainable agriculture and the outdoors from her home north of the Adirondacks. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Marie Claire, Outside and many other publications. In this issue, she profiles hunting multimedia star and public lands advocate Randy Newberg (page 34). Schmitt is at work on her first novel.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @USATODAYMAGS

4 HUNT & FISH | 2021

As an adventure writer, photographer and on-camera host, Sarah Sekula’s assignments have taken her to all seven continents. For this issue, she had the chance to write about what it’s like growing up in the wilds of Alaska (page 42), one of her favorite places in the world. Follow her adventures at @wordzilla (Twitter) and @sarahsomewhere (Instagram).

FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/usatodaymags

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Vanessa Salvo | (703) 854-6499 vsalvo@usatoday.com

FINANCE BILLING COORDINATOR Julie Marco This is a product of

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved herein, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or reproduced in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written consent of USA TODAY. The editors and publisher are not responsible for any unsolicited materials.

PRINTED IN THE USA

PROVIDED BY THE CONTRIBUTORS

Based in Montana, Nicole Qualtieri is the hunt and fish editor for GearJunkie.com and has been a voice for conservation since 2014, when she began working on the MeatEater TV show. An avid horsewoman and bird-dog aficionado, her first article for Hunt & Fish profiles female anglers who also are committed conservationists (page 98).

EDITOR’S NOTE An award-winning author, journalist and on-camera host, T. Edward Nickens is editor-at-large for Field & Stream and a contributing editor for Garden & Gun and Ducks Unlimited.

Fresh Takes

DUSAN SMETANA

W

hen you look through this issue of Hunt & Fish, one thing should be immediately clear: Hunters and anglers aren’t satisfied with the same old same old. They are constantly innovating and pushing the envelope with new gear and tactics to chase deer and ducks, bass and trout. From tree saddle hunting to submersible bags to pint-sized shotgun rounds goosed with enough punch to bring home a wild turkey, folks who are passionate

about the outdoors love to develop and try new and better ways to hunt and fish.

For most of us, hunting and fishing is a reflection of who we are as people — how we relate to the natural world and how we relate to friends and family. When you’ve cashed in time off from work and honed your skills so you can thread a spinnerbait through the lily pads or make the tough shot when the teal come in like a streak of lightning, you simply want gear that matches the passion you have in the field.

It all needs to come together.

This past hunting season, I found a goose swamp where the honkers piled up in a broad cove anchored by a beaver lodge in the bull’s-eye middle. There was exactly zero cover. And trying to fool dozens of pairs of goose eyeballs leaves little room for fudging.

My standard canoe was too big to hide, so I pulled out a new hybrid canoe-kayak, with a super-low profile and just enough cargo capacity for me, my gun and a half-dozen decoys. I paddled in early and covered the boat with camo netting I’d stomped into the mud to dull any hint of sheen. I hugged that beaver lodge like it was a long-lost friend and didn’t move a muscle until the birds were at 25 yards with wings set and landing gear down.

I’m convinced they wouldn’t have given my decoys a second look had I tried to hide a full-size canoe in the middle of their landing zone. I adapted my typical approach, and as a result I made my way back to the truck with geese piled so high in my lap I could hardly paddle.

I bet you know that feeling: switching things up, making them work and ever grateful when it all comes together.

That’s what this issue of Hunt & Fish is all about.

T. Edward Nickens, Guest editor

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GEAR

Bargain Hunters Bag a buck without breaking the bank

BY COSMO GENOVA

W

hile hunting can be an expensive pastime, owning a quality rifle doesn’t have to put a big dent in your wallet. The market is packed with fantastic firearms for every application and budget, and for less than $1,000, you can get an accurate, dependable rifle. Whether you’re buying your first firearm or adding to your collection, each of these hunting rifles deserves consideration for a spot in the gun safe:

1 Calibers: .22-250 Rem, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 Win, 7mm08 Rem, .308 Win, .30-06 Sprg, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag The B14 Hunter takes inspiration and features from Bergara’s custom shop and places them in an affordable production rifle.

With Bergara, it’s all about the barrel, and with this rifle you get exactly what you’d expect.

Built in Spain at Bergara’s highly automated barrel factory, the B14 Hunter is capable of sub minute-of-angle (MOA) all day.

But other features also stand out, including a super-smooth action and a great factory trigger and stock. The two-lug mechanism features a sliding plate extractor

8 HUNT & FISH | 2021

and a coned bolt nose and breech that are designed to provide smooth feeding and extraction of the cartridge throughout cycling.

The stock is made of a glass fiber-reinforced polymer that is further strengthened with solid steel pillars set into the stock during the molding process.

This creates a very rigid platform that holds the barreled action rock solid. B14 Hunters come with either a hinge plate internal

magazine or a detachable box magazine that holds four rounds (three for magnum calibers). At a hair over 7 pounds and an overall length of about 42 inches, it is a great size and weight for your dedicated hunting setup. $825, bergara.online/us

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TIKKA T3X LITE

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Calibers: .22-250 Rem, .223 Rem, .243 Win, .25-06 Rem, .270 Win, .270 Win short mag, .300 Win mag, .300 Win short mag, .30-06 Sprg, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm-08 Rem When shooters talk about a trigger breaking like glass, or an action that is smooth as butter, Tikka immediately comes to mind.

The Finnish gunmaker, now part of the Sako and Beretta family, updated its beloved T3 rifle with a redesigned stock and ejection port (and a few other small upgrades) several years ago, and the powerful T3x lineup was born.

While there are a number of stock and barrel configurations for the T3x, the T3x Lite is probably the best option for hunters on a budget who prefer a lightweight rifle and synthetic stock. With Sako quality guiding production, the T3x Lite is incredibly accurate; Tikka guarantees 1 MOA right out of the box. And at less than 6.5 pounds, the T3x Lite is a great choice from the treestand to the mountains.

The foam-filled factory stocks are rigid and customizable, and there are lots of available aftermarket stocks and accessories. Tikkas are available in a wide range of calibers from varmint loads to longrange magnums, and most rifles come with a three-round magazine. $679, cabelas.com

4 SAVAGE 110 HUNTER

Calibers: .22-250 Rem, .204 Ruger, .223 Rem, .243 Win, .2506 Rem, .270 Win, .280 Ackley Imp, .30-06 Sprg, .300 Win mag, .308 Win, 6.5mm Creedmoor, 7mm Rem mag, 7mm-08 Rem When Winchester’s New Ha-

10 HUNT & FISH | 2021

RUGER AMERICAN RIFLE

Calibers: .30-06 Sprg, .270 Win, .308 Win, .243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 6.5mm Creedmoor There’s a reason the Ruger American is on so many “best” lists. It’s an impressive rifle for around $500, and it can often be found for significantly less.

The American has a smooth three-lug bolt, a free floating barrel and an adjustable trigger.

Ruger claims 1 MOA; with common loads at moderate distances, the American is a dependable hunting and target rifle, and some people are even using these rifles to consistently hit paper targets at distances of 1,000-plus yards.

The American comes in most popular cartridges and a number of configurations. Other notable features are the rotary box magazine, the tang safety, the included Picatinny rail and the integrated bedding system.

The base version weighs a touch over 6 pounds, and there is a wide variety of aftermarket accessories and stocks.

While it’s by no means a refined shooting implement, the Ruger American is an excellent choice for beginners and perfectly adequate for more experienced hunters. $439 to $449, basspro.com

ven, Conn., plant closed in 2006, the Savage 110 eclipsed the Model 70 as the oldest continuously manufactured bolt-action rifle in North America. Sixty-three years after its introduction, the Savage 110 is still as relevant as ever, with a variety of models ranging from around $645 to more than $1,600.

The most recent iterations of the 110 feature the AccuFit system for comb height and length-of-pull customization, a user-adjustable AccuTrigger

that breaks cleanly and the AccuStock, which secures the action on three-dimensions along its entire length. The Savage 110 Hunter is built to extremely tight specifications, and the rifle’s precision barrel, floating bolt head and head space control provide accuracy and consistent feeding. It has a detachable box magazine with a capacity of four rounds, and the top of the receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. At 7.25 pounds, you might find it to be a bit more forgiving on your shoulder than the ultralight guns. $669.99, cabelas.com

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The .410 Grows Up Tungsten Super Shot is transforming turkey hunting

12 HUNT & FISH | 2021

is toward light and lethal.

Hunting with .410 shotguns, the smallest bore available and commonly seen as a kid’s first shotgun, is becoming more common. Hunters are cleanly taking turkeys with shot shells loaded with tungsten pellets in either size 7 or 9 shot at ranges previously reserved for much larger 12-gauge guns with conventional loads.

Pellet density is the reason.

Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) has a density of 18 grams per cubic

centimeter (g/cc); traditional lead shot comes in at about 11 g/cc. A No. 9 tungsten pellet has the approximate lethality of a No. 5 lead pellet when fired at comparable velocities.

Smaller pellets mean more shot loaded into the shell, meaning more pellets on target, given an appropriately patterned gun equipped with a tight choke tube.

Forty yards used to be the gold standard range for an ethical shot with a 12-gauge >

STEVENS 301 TURKEY

SAVAGE ARMS

J

ust a few years ago, many hunters were swearing allegiance to the largest magnum shotguns and ammunition loads they could manage in their quest to get wild turkey gobblers — despite the punishment those setups could inflict.

Some of the heaviest 3.5-inch shotshells can be jaw rattlers, strong enough to loosen fillings and crack molars.

Today’s trend, however,

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The author used a Mossberg 500 Turkey shotgun to take a Merriam’s gobbler in Nebraska this spring.

The gun features a tactical-style pistol grip and comes in multiple camo offerings.

All of these shotguns have some sort of sighting system along the barrel and are drilled and tapped to accommodate a Picatinny rail, which allows the addition of a favored optic.

I mounted a GPO SPECTRAdot red dot sight on my Mossberg 500. A well-zeroed red dot can be indispensable in ensuring maximum pellets are delivered to the point of aim, eliminating the variability and sighting errors sometimes encountered with fiber-optic sights or a simple bead at the end of the barrel.

Manufacturers of .410 shotshells loaded with TSS are steadily increasing. Federal began the .410 craze with its 2018 introduction of Heavyweight TSS No. 9. A 3-inch load contains 13/16th of an ounce of shot, equating

to about 290 to 300 pellets. A full-length wad is designed to prevent the harder-than-steel shot from directly contacting the barrel.

Apex Ammunition and Nitro Company Ammunition also make .410 tungsten turkey loads.

HEVI-Shot makes a variety of tungsten-based turkey loads in .410, including a 12 g/cc density No. 6 offering and an 18 g/cc density shotshell with either No. 7 or No. 9 shot.

Shot shells stuffed with TSS are pricey. To get started, consider getting a quality optic for your .410 and using cheaper, high-brass lead ammunition with comparable load sizes to get the gun patterning well. Then switch to tungsten loads, shooting first at 25 yards and then backing out to 40. Done properly, you should be able to zero your optic with a single box of ammo. l

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gun. Smaller guns like .410s topped out at 25 to 30 yards — and that was with premium ammo. New shotshells stuffed with TSS are making the .410 the new 40-yard gun; in turn, shotgun manufacturers recognize the new ammunition has changed turkey hunting and are making .410s with features previously reserved for larger shotguns.

Mossberg offers a 500 Turkey pump-action .410 shotgun ($549, mossberg. com) featuring an extrafull, extended choke and camouflaged in a mossy oak bottomland pattern. I used this gun to take three turkeys in Virginia and Nebraska this spring. All were shot at fewer than 40 yards, my personal cutoff for the maximum range I want to attempt cleanly killing a large turkey with a .410. Would a 12-gauge gun stuffed with TSS have extended my range? Yes, but that is not part of my turkey hunting ethos.

Mossberg also makes the SA-410 Turkey ($629.99, cabelas.com) for hunters preferring the lighter recoil of a semi-automatic. It comes with a receiver mounted rail to allow adding scopes or red dot optics. The SA-410 weighs in at 6.5 pounds, has a 13.75-inch length of pull and features a 4+1 magazine chambered for 3-inch ammo.

Savage Arms has the single-shot, break-action Stevens 301 Turkey line ($199.99, basspro.com) weighing in at 5 pounds, sporting an extrafull choke and available in multiple camo patterns.

Tristar Arms’ Viper G2 semi-automatic shotgun lineup added a .410 baby bore turkey model ($770, tristararms.com) in 2019.

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THREE COLOR OPTIONS The Wetland shotgun case is available in orange, coyote and multicam.

1

Keep your gear dry in the great outdoors

BY T. EDWARD NICKENS

A

high-tech wave of fully submersible gear bags is a godsend to hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts who don’t let nasty weather keep them holed up.

Waterproof zippers and ingenious closing systems keep rain and slop from sneaking into bag interiors, and new, lighter fabrics allow manufacturers to build bags that are comfortable to carry, with pockets and closures that are far easier to manipulate than those of just a few years ago.

Fully submersible bags are expensive, but there’s an awesome side benefit to buying bags that can take a swim: They’re built tough enough to last until the cows come home.

2 MAG NAME 16 HUNT & FISH XXXXXXXXXX | 2021

WATERSHED WETLAND SHOTGUN CASE Shotguns get carried into the most inhospitable places — backcountry beaver swamps, snow goose fields with muck 2 feet deep — and they often get there in the bottom of a boat. Watershed builds drybags for some of the military’s toughest special-ops units, and brings that never-fail ethic to this waterproof, floating gun vault.

The Wetland shotgun case features Watershed’s signature double-

channel seal that functions like a zippered freezer bag. It shuts so tightly it will withstand underwater pressure down to 300 feet. All seams are double- or triple-layered and welded together, and will last for as long as you’ve got the knees to get into rough country.

You’ll need a light gun sleeve to help provide some extra padding, but otherwise this tote will probably be the last you’ll ever have to buy.

$119, nextadventure.net

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2 YETI PANGA 100 DUFFEL Bring that. And that. And three of those. With 100 liters of capacity and a shell tough enough for a dustup with a rhino, this duffel is the last word in adventure luggage.

A laminated, high-density nylon skin rebuffs every insult, from a drag across gravel landing strips to a brush with cactus thorns. An EVA-molded bottom keeps it sitting upright, while a removable shoulder harness makes it easy to tote backpack-style.

The Panga line is made to overstuff.

Fill it with fleece tops and rockclimbing hardware and strap it to a roof rack, raft frame or pack mule.

$399.99, yeti.com

SIMMS DRY CREEK Z FISHING BACKPACK Lightweight, submersible backpacks have kicked old-school fishing vests to the curb, and this one is jammed

$299.95, simmsfishing.com

3 FILSON SPORTSMAN DRY BAG This is one of the most versatile submersibles on the market. It can serve as an over-theshoulder kit bag that works well as a blind bag for duck hunting, a rugged camera bag, a boat bag that will swallow GPS units and radios and a get-to-it-quick tote for a raft or canoe.

The exterior shell is 840D nylon tarpaulin TPU — material used to make inflatable boats — with a fully waterproof main-compartment TIZIP zipper. Inside are customizable dividers so you can switch up the layout depending on the adventure, and an under-the-hood clear pocket for easy access to maps, documents and smartphones. The shoulder strap is removable for a more streamlined packing profile.

$350, filson.com

4 18 MAG HUNT NAME & FISH XXXXXXXXXX | 2021

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4

with fishing-friendly features. An exterior pocket allows for quick access to tippet, small flyboxes and other onthe-go accessories, and it’s built to double as a handy net holster for an instant grab when the moment of glory is at hand.

The 35-liter capacity swallows a rain jacket, insulating layer, lunch and enough gear for an all-day backcountry trek.

What makes it stand out is its solid harness for comfortable carry and an innovative, self-healing waterproof zipper that is easy to manipulate, lowprofile and arcs deep along the backpack’s sides so it opens the pack wide for easy access to the interior.

GEAR

Keep It Fresh Top coolers to take on your outdoor adventures

BY JONATHAN CHAN AND KYLE HAMILTON

20 HUNT & FISH | 2021

BEST OVERALL

OTTERBOX VENTURE 45 Cold hard facts: 45-quart capacity; includes dry storage tray and bottle opener; bear-resistant; limited lifetime warranty Pros: Great temperature retention; versatile mounting system; doesn’t leak Cons: Expensive The Otterbox Venture 45 was able to keep temperatures under 40 degrees, the point at which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says meat will spoil, for almost five days, 20 percent above average. It also has great versatility and usability. We found the latching lock system easy to use, and once engaged nothing leaked out no matter how much we shook the unit.

In addition, we appreciated the added mounting system on the front

and back for any attachments that you would like to place (eight in total).

The way the handles are built into the body of the cooler made us feel confident when moving the Venture.

When you decide to set up camp, you can use the side handles to tie down the cooler for extra security, though we also found the rubber feet to be well designed and sturdy on their own. When loaded with ice and drinks, Venture didn’t budge an inch after a swift kick from our boot, where some other coolers tipped over. After the fun was done, we popped the drain and watched the melted ice drain through the sloped interior.

If we had one complaint, it would be that the price is a bit high for anyone who doesn’t go on multiday fishing or camping trips.

$299.99, otterbox.com

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W

hen you’re unwinding outdoors, the right cooler makes all the difference.

Imagine going on a deep-sea fishing trip for a few days, only to find your entire catch has spoiled. Or reaching for a cold one on a camping trip only to find your drinks are warm.

You have a limited amount of leisure time; don’t let a bad cooler ruin it.

A good cooler is more than just an insulated plastic box that can keep your ice frozen.

What you need depends on the activity. For example, a fisherman would want a ruler on the lid of his cooler to make sure his catch is legal, but a bowhunter would want a model that’s bear-resistant to keep her basecamp safe.

And everyone benefits from a cooler with a built-in bottle opener.

After extensive testing of 15 top coolers, Reviewed’s favorite was the OtterBox Venture 45.

Offering great insulation, durability and customization, we think the Venture 45 will best serve the needs of the average tailgater, fisher and camper.

However, if you’re looking for a more affordable option, we’d suggest getting the Ozark Trail.

Walmart’s house brand may not keep food cool as long as the OtterBox, but it has more cupholders.

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BEST VALUE OZARK TRAIL Cold hard facts: 52-quart capacity; bear-resistant; limited five-year warranty Pros: Affordable; feature packed; includes a removable wire basket Cons: No mounting system The Ozark Trail has a built-in fish ruler, four cup holders, a bottle opener, a threaded plug and T-handles. It also comes with a removable wire basket. During our tests, it stayed cool a little more than four days before it hit 40 degrees. With extra features, this cooler is perfect for anyone taking a leisurely trip — think of all those cupholders! One drawback: It lacks any built-in method for mounting it to a truck or boat.

Because it didn’t ace the temperature retention tests, it did not get the top spot. However, given its price, we think the Ozark Trail is a solid value.

$137, walmart.com

Other top coolers in Reviewed’s tests:

PELICAN ELITE

YETI V SERIES

Cold hard facts: 50-quart capacity; built-in fish ruler, bottle opener and cup holders; lifetime warranty Pros: Good temperature retention; feature filled Cons: Expensive, bulky

Cold hard facts: 55-quart capacity; weighs 35 pounds empty; three-year warranty Pros: Stainless steel exterior; superior temperature retention Cons: Very expensive

Our testing showed that the Pelican Elite could keep meat and drinks cold for up to five days. Combine the high insulation with the huge interior, and you can easily carry enough food for two people for a long weekend.

During testing, we found it a bit cumbersome and bulky to carry around. We’d suggest this for road trips rather than backcountry camping. Overall, we found the Elite easy to maintain. It has a threaded stopper at the bottom to drain ice melt, and it has stainless steel parts for durability.

The Yeti V series is in a league of its own. During eight days of testing, the internal temperature never went above 37 degrees. It performed so well, we actually had to redo the scaling of testing. The stainless steel latch loop and vacuum insulated panels did their job to a degree we did not expect.

Why didn’t it take best overall honors? Because the V series is also in its own price bracket — nearly triple the price of its nearest competitor. We also thought the exterior was way too shiny, almost obnoxiously so in bright sunshine.

$299.95, pelican.com

$800, yeti.com

Reviewed is a USA TODAY content partner offering product testing and recommendations at reviewed.com.

22 HUNT & FISH | 2021

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Epic Original Hunter’s Recipe Venison with Beef Bites Made from 100 percent grass-fed venison and beef, these bites have 4.5 grams of fat and 520 mg of sodium and pack 11 grams of protein per 1-ounce serving. $55 for eight 2.5-ounce packs, amazon.com

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Planters Nut-rition Omega-3 Mix This blend derives its 4 grams of protein and 12 grams of carbs from a mix of cashews, walnuts, raisins and dried apples. $14.29 for a 5.5-ounce bag, amazon.com

26 HUNT & FISH | 2021

Power Crunch protein energy bar The proto whey protein blend in these triple chocolate bars provide 13 grams of protein with only 11 grams of carbs and 100 mg of sodium. $16.99 for 12 bars, amazon.com

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Upscale Outdoors Duck Camp is at home in the blind or on the town

BY COSMO GENOVA

W

hen Sim Whatley surveyed the outdoor apparel industry in 2016, he saw plenty of “tacticool” clothing and gear but not a lot that actually represented the essence of hunting. For him, the outdoors isn’t about the solitary man conquering the mountain, but about the people and camaraderie embodied in outdoor pursuits.

“I grew up hunting and fishing in Louisiana,” says Whatley. “From a young age, my dad and grandpa would take me along on the boat and in the blind, and there was always a social aspect to it.”

28 HUNT & FISH | 2021

THE BRAND appeals to those who believe the tailgate hang can be just as fun as the hunt itself.

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A fly angler stands on the bow of a Belizean panga searching for the elusive black-tailed permit.

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DUCK CAMP

A flooded field is an environment well-suited to the Early Season Wetland pattern.

Duck Camp founder Sim Whatley encounters a dove while chasing prairie chickens in Nebraska.

Whatley carried this passion and heritage for the outdoors with him into adulthood, and after 10 years overseas as a successful businessman, he returned to the U.S. on a mission to reconnect to his roots and create a brand that could better represent the outdoors as he knew it. He started Duck Camp with the intent of providing outdoor clothing that was not only functional, but dare he say it, fashionable.

It seemed only natural to Whatley that you’d want to hit the town with your buddies after a day of crushing ducks or hammering redfish.

The target, he says, was functional, attractive clothing and gear that didn’t scream “internet operator” or “fashion dork.” Launched in 2018, Austin, Texas-based Duck Camp started with a line of lightweight shirts but has rapidly grown into a substantial catalog of hunting, fishing and everyday wear.

Duck Camp’s hunting line and a few of the fishing pieces are offered in several proprietary camo patterns. The Wetland series features larger splotchy earth tones, with an almost digital hexagonal pattern throughout, perfect for breaking up your silhouette and minimizing glare. From the deer stand to flooded timber, the long, barklike shapes of the woodland pattern are designed to blend into the vertical

landscape of the forest.

Duck Camp also offers a number of items in a classic upland brown for the discerning bird hunter.

Because high-quality outdoor wear comes at a price premium, the brand asserts that it doesn’t make sense to store it in a tote container half the year. Duck Camp’s offerings are made to be worn.

While it’s certainly had to adapt in the face of COVID-19, Duck Camp has continued to enjoy steady growth.

“Around 80 percent of our business is direct to consumers through our website, and the remaining 20 percent we feature in small, hand-picked retailers,” Whatley says.

“This allows us to ensure a great experience for our customers.”

New products on the horizon include a line of layered waterproof fleece bibs and jackets designed primarily for bowhunters, as well as a camo version of its reversible DryDown jacket. Additional fishing products are also in the works, as well as an expansion of women’s offerings.

The company recently joined 2% For Conservation, an organization that earmarks a portion of a business’ time and profits for wildlife and habitat projects around the country. Duck Camp also plans to launch a conservationfocused ambassador program in the coming months.

29

ADVOCACY

An increase in hunting license sales means a boost in funding for wildlife conservation efforts.

A COVID-19 Positive Amid pandemic shutdown, the number of hunters grew last year STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD FITZPATRICK

T

he COVID-19 pandemic appears to have sparked increased interest in hunting, resulting in a spike in hunting license sales.

According to data collected by the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports and market research firm Southwick Associates, hunting license sales in 2020 were 5 percent higher than in 2019, and hunting license sales rose in 35 states. Nevada saw a 30 percent increase in hunting license sales and a 50 percent increase in hunter education class enrollment, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Maine sold a record number of deer hunting permits, and overall license sales in the state rose 9 percent.

30 HUNT & FISH | 2021

The state also saw an increase in the number of license purchases by women and young adults.

North America has a history of conserving wildlife populations and habitat using funds generated by hunters. Maryland was the first state to require a resident license for hunting waterfowl in 1872, and since then, every state has adopted a licensing system for hunters. The resulting funds help support conservation agencies, but the licenses also provide a financial incentive to preserve wildlife.

Hunters were often behind these funding initiatives, as was the case with the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937. More commonly known as the PittmanRobertson Act, this legislation

“America is still wild at heart.”

— MARK OLIVA, NATIONAL SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION placed an 11 percent excise tax on long guns and ammunition and a 10 percent tax on handguns, with portions of the proceeds directed to the creation and maintenance of wildlife habitat and for wildlife management research.

Through 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had disbursed nearly $19 billion in Pittman-Robertson excise taxes for conservation efforts. This doesn’t include funding generated by hunter-led organizations like Ducks Unlimited, the >

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32 HUNT & FISH | 2021

National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Delta Waterfowl and others.

“The explosive growth of hunters last year is a boon to conservation in America,” says Mark Oliva, director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “More men and women hunting in America’s woods, fields and marshes means everyone across the nation gets to enjoy a more abundant and sustainable variety of wildlife.”

Hunter-funded conservation is the cornerstone of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which views wildlife as a public resource to be managed by and for the American people through the allocation of licenses and tags in order to protect it for future generations.

“The growth in hunters is a beacon of hope for wildlife conservation,” says Oliva. “Last year’s reversal of slowly declining hunting numbers demonstrated that there is a passion in America for the outdoors and the sustainable wild resources we all enjoy.”

The increase in hunter participation is about more than just financial gain.

It’s also a strong indicator that more Americans are spending time outdoors in nature, which can foster both a concern for wildlife and habitat and an appreciation for the sport of hunting.

“America is still wild at heart,” says Oliva. “Hunters, both novice and seasoned, are enjoying the benefits of harvesting food by their own hand, providing clean and sustainable protein for their families and knowing what it means to ethically and responsibly take their place in the food chain.”

Disruptions in the food supply chain early in the pandemic may also have contributed to the increase in hunter numbers, and the growing popularity of cooking wild game has prompted an extension of the field-to-table movement.

“The benefits hunters provide extend beyond those who hunt, too,” says Oliva.

“When wildlife is preserved, it’s not just for the hunter. It’s also the bird-watcher, the hikers and backpackers, the trail riders and kayakers that benefit from conserving our wild and sustainable resources.” l

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Hunter-conservationist Randy Newberg inspires others to advocate for the outdoors

BY KRISTEN A. SCHMITT

34 HUNT & FISH | 2021

MICHAEL PARENTE

Randy Newberg with a mule deer taken during a 2019 hunting trip to Wyoming

35

MARCUS HOCKETT

36 HUNT & FISH | 2021

og lifts with the slow burn of the sunrise

PROVIDED BY RANDY NEWBERG

exposing wide-open sky streaked with pastel pinks and blues. The soft lap of water against marsh grass is the only sound except for the quiet exhales of Randy Newberg and his son, Matthew.

It’s waterfowl season in Montana, and they’re ready for their quarry, hunkered down among the cattails as Matthew calls them in. For father and son, it’s one of their favorite ways to spend time together, especially since Matthew now lives in Oregon while Newberg and his wife, Kim, have made Big Sky Country their home for 30 years.

But they aren’t getting ducky for the camera. This isn’t a hunting trip that thousands of viewers will watch later. Instead, it’s one of the few Newberg takes solace in throughout his busy year of filming and producing his TV shows, Fresh Tracks on Amazon Prime and On Your Own Adventures on the Randy Newberg, Hunter YouTube channel — part of the outdoor media ecosystem he says he created “almost by accident.”

“I was frustrated with the notion that public-land hunters were not having much voice,” says Newberg.

“So, me and a small handful of friends decided we would try to change that

Newberg scans the horizon while hunting elk near his home in Montana.

and started these platforms to do so.”

These platforms include the TV shows as well as the long-running Hunt Talk web forum and Hunt Talk podcast.

“I had no idea that someday I’d end up with 10 employees and wouldn’t have the time to be a CPA anymore,” Newberg says.

“But we get up every day to promote self-guided public land hunting and create advocates for that cause.

That’s our mission. And it’s fun to do.”

RURAL BEGINNINGS Newberg’s hunting education was one of homegrown immersion, part of his upbringing in rural northern Minnesota.

Family members, business owners, schoolteachers — everyone within his

Newberg and his son, Matthew, have long bonded over hunting.

immediate circle hunted, and it was all Newberg wanted to do.

He remembers a time when he was 5 years old and his father brought home a freshly harvested spike whitetail buck. “My dad put it on the table,” says Newberg. “The first thing he did was take the tenderloins out, and my mom put them on the stove, and within 15 minutes, we’re eating those.”

That early memory helped establish what he calls an “honest relationship with my food.” As a preteen, Newberg took to the woods and wetlands surrounding his house, >

37

PASSION FOR PUBLIC LANDS “Before Randy had a platform to talk about these things, he was getting involved and active on the ground level,” says Mark Kenyon, host of the Wired To Hunt podcast. “Whether it was meetings with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks or speaking at various different legislatures or

Newberg and son, Matthew, pose with a trophy elk.

38 HUNT & FISH | 2021

being a part of the grizzly bear management planning committee ... he’s been in the thick of it from the beginning.”

Newberg credits his wife for pushing him down the advocacy path. As newlyweds, the couple moved to Montana, attracted to millions of acres of public land where they could hunt and fish.

“We started noticing some erosion of the public access, gates being blocked, trails being blocked,” says Newberg. Kim encouraged him to start volunteering with Ducks Unlimited (DU) and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) — groups dedicated to conserving and protecting the lands the Newbergs were using.

Newberg soon became involved with both organizations and with the state legislature to make sure the voices of public land hunters were being >

Campfire Stories Randy Newberg’s easygoing nature makes him a fun hunting buddy — on or off camera.

Janis Putelis, director and executive producer of Netflix’s MeatEater and co-host of the MeatEater podcast, reached out to Newberg when he first moved to Montana, curious if he would offer any hunting locations. Instead, Newberg invited him to a whitetail hunt.

Brady Miller, digital content manager for goHUNT.com, recalls a post-hunt hangout at a rental house in Arizona, where stories were shared alongside amazing wild-game dinners. One night, someone made javelina burgers — a game meat that often gets a bad rap. “Randy said that if everyone right now knew how good this javelina tasted, javelina would be extinct,” says Miller.

For Wired To Hunt podcast host Mark Kenyon, one of his memorable hunts with Newberg resulted in no harvest. “We spent two or three days sitting on the side of a mountain glacier for black bears, and we didn’t see a single one.” Regardless, the experience was enjoyable, and Kenyon says the relationship has evolved into a friendship “with a lot of great chats.”

PROVIDED BY RANDY NEWBERG; GETTY IMAGES; MARCUS HOCKETT

20 gauge in hand, a hunter-in-training who valued the access he had to acres of public land filled with “grouse and rabbits and all the things that inspire or touch the dreams and imagination of a 12-year-old.”

“If not for the public lands I could walk to as a boy, I wouldn’t be here,” says Newberg. “Public lands are absolutely critical to getting people outdoors, whether they’re hunting, fishing, bird-watching, hiking — whatever it is.”

Newberg says educating the public on conservation issues is his most important job.

39

MARCUS HOCKETT

40 HUNT & FISH | 2021

The party for this elk hunting trip included pack llamas. Newberg says he gets up every day “to promote ... public land hunting and create advocates for that cause.”

heard. Over the last two decades, he has served on multiple conservation and nonprofit boards and spoken at hundreds of events.

“I think most of the hunting community is raised on the ethos that we try to give back more than we get,” says Newberg. “I feel it’s important for me and people with platforms like mine to give the information hunters need to become advocates because, in the last 20 years, if there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s how many of our topics have been brought into state legislatures or Congress when we’re way behind the curve. We’re not very good at the political game.

“I feel part of my job, if I’m going to create advocates, is to show them how the system works,” Newberg continues. “How do you comment on public policy? How do you engage?

How do you take that next step that goes beyond just buying the fishing license or the hunting license? Even though our food videos, our advocacy, our conservation and our access videos are our lowest-viewed content, we’re still doing it because that’s the important part. That’s our ‘why.’ ” It’s that driven approachability that allows Newberg to connect and

GETTY IMAGES

Road Warrior

engage with both new and established advocates for public lands. In fact, his sentiments are what he calls a “shared ethos” across the outdoors community, especially by those who recreate where the majority of public lands are located: the West.

“He shows that anybody can get out there, that there’s opportunities for everyone,” says Remi Warren, co-host of the Outdoor Channel’s Solo Hunter. “We’re conserving these things for everyone to use. It’s a public resource, and Randy shows the public how to have access to it, why it’s important to everyone — not just hunters.”

“Public land is owned by everybody here in the United States,” agrees Janis Putelis, director and executive producer of Netflix’s MeatEater and co-host of the MeatEater podcast.

“Limiting access limits opportunity to that public land, whether it’s hunting, fishing or any kind of general recreation use. It should be there for everybody because we’re all stakeholders.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out more of those stakeholders than ever before, which is why Newberg recently added another component to his educational platform: public lands etiquette.

“Just because someone doesn’t hunt doesn’t mean they don’t share the same concern (for) clean air, clean water, productive landscapes,” says Newberg. “I can’t tell you how much trash we picked up last

Randy Newberg is on the road 80 to 100 days from Aug. 15 to Jan. 15 for hunting/filming for his TV shows, and another 30 days a year promoting public land access.

“We try to film 12 to 16 adventures a year. Whether we’re successful or not successful, it doesn’t matter,” he says. “We show them regardless of the outcome. We don’t have any street cred (to worry about) so people get to see us do stupid things. And the comments on YouTube are always funny.”

year, how much impact we saw on landscapes ... and the people had no idea. They didn’t even realize they were on public land.”

Newberg notes that developing outdoor advocates also means creating public land stewards; those who will share their knowledge and teach rather than discourage others from experiencing and appreciating what the roughly 640 million acres of public land have to offer. While groups like RMEF and DU are huntercentric, other organizations, like the Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy, are also trying to create more access, which Newberg believes is a great way to spread the message to a wider audience.

“Whenever we lose acres to development or new ownership, that does not bode well for the wild things out on the landscape or the people who want to enjoy those landscapes,” says Newberg. “So, the question to me is: Are we collectively, as a group, going to put our shoulder to the wheel and push this conservation and access wagon up the hill?

“We’re a society that’s racing towards 400 million people,” he says.

“If anything, that just amplifies the need to conserve and improve access for future generations.”

ACCESS FOR ALL Newberg’s quarry might change from season to season, but his persistent advocacy never wavers.

“Randy is never afraid to interject his support for public land access and voice how he feels things should be in the West,” says Brady Miller, digital content manager for goHUNT. com. “He wants more people to have opportunities, more people to come out and have fun and enjoy everything that we have out here.”

“When I look at Randy, I see a leader,” adds Kenyon. “He uses his megaphone to spread the public land message. That, combined with his approachableness, his humbleness … I see a mentor, someone who has done a lot to help, teach and guide. He’s definitely left a legacy, and thousands have learned from his example.” l

41

GROWING UP WILD IN

ALASKA T H E L A S T F R O N T IE R I S COLE ’S PL AYGROUND N O D N A R B

BY SARAH SEKULA

BRANDON COLE; PROVIDED BY BRANDON COLE; GETTY IMAGES

I

BLACKSTONE BAY

t’s day three of a hunting trip on Raspberry Island northwest of Kodiak, Alaska, when Brandon Cole hears it: the eerie shriek only a massive bull elk can make. The rest of the harem joins in. Suddenly, there are multiple high-pitched squeals combined with low-pitched grunts.

As most things in Alaska go, however, it’s both startling and wildly exhilarating.

There they are, 40 to 50 elk in the distance.

But Cole and his father, Brent Cole, are about 3 miles from camp. Harvesting one animal would mean packing it up and hauling it back over a mountain.

Since one Roosevelt Elk can tip the scales at more than 1,200 pounds, that’s a definite no.

“After a few hours, I walked to the far side of them and did my best to lightly spook them back toward our camp, hoping that after harvest it wouldn’t be as long of a pack out,” Brandon recalls. “As the sun started to set over the mountains, we hiked back, getting to the tent in the shade of the trees to make dinner.”

The next morning they awoke to more bugling. Much to their surprise, the best possible scenario was playing out; the herd was perfectly positioned in the bay where they were camping.

“We quickly got up into position, even with them on the ridge, and after an hour or so of waiting, they walked right up on us and my dad pulled the trigger,” Brandon says. “It was his first elk and he was the happiest man on Earth.”

They got to work field dressing it. With some help from new friends camping nearby, they packed it the half-mile back down to the beach in two hours. That night, they dined on tenderloin by the fire while watching seals and sea otters chase fish in the bay.

The next day, they lugged home 250 pounds of meat.

For many, this would be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. But for this father-son duo and the rest of the Cole family, such epic encounters in the wild are quite common. Brent Cole has lived in Alaska since 1959. And Brandon, who is now 27, was born and raised there.

“I cannot imagine living anywhere else besides Alaska,” Brandon says. “I have seen a bit of the lower 48 and have yet to find a place that compares. There is something special about being able to drive a half-hour and completely escaping into the wilderness. I also love the diversity of landscapes up here, from the rainforest to the big mountains of the Alaska Range.” >

43

ALASKA Brent Cole has been hunting since he was 8 years old. It started with ducks and geese, then he shot his first moose at age 11 and shot a Dall sheep at 15. It was just natural for him to pass his knowledge along.

“I really tried to involve my kids in fishing and hunting activities from the time they were young,” he says. “We bought some property on a lake tied to a salmon stream, and all the kids have fished from early ages. Most of the time though, I spent untangling and setting up fishing rods — about the time I would get one done, another would be tangled.

“I felt and hoped that these adventures would leave strong, positive imprints in their minds of the importance of being outdoors,” Brent says. “I am a strong believer that being outdoors builds strong character. I can honestly say, though, that my enjoyment being with them in the outdoors has grown immensely as they have grown older. The fact that each of them has returned to Alaska and are all actively involved in outdoor activities speaks for itself.”

Brandon went away to boarding school his senior year of highh school and then to Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., where he took an internship at an investment firm. He quickly realized two things: The East Coast was not for him — he was seriously missing the Northern Lights — and spending the best years of his life trapped in a cubicle would just be wrong.

After graduating with a degree in economics, Brandon made a beeline back to Alaska and started working at Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a luxury retreat about 60 miles west of Anchorage. On any given day he might be working on the power grid or helping with marketing. In the summers, he’s also an adventure guide, taking people hiking among glaciers, climbing jagged cliffs and heli-biking in the mountains.

Alaska also happens to be an outstanding place to perfect his photography skills.

Brandon captures everything from the Northern Lights to wildlife to wintry slopes shot from a helicopter. It seems he’s on to something; his photos have struck a chord with the more than 35,000 people who follow @alaskanadventures on Instagram.

44 HUNT & FISH | 2021

“Without light pollution out here, the sky is incredible, as stars fill every square centimeter of the sky when the moon isn’t out,” Brandon says.

Here’s how his intrepid year plays out: Whenever he’s working at Tordrillo (late January to late April, then late May to September), he lives at the base of the mountains in a dry cabin on Judd Lake that his father built in 1997. The rest of his time is spent in Girdwood or traveling around the lower 48 while studying for his pilot’s license.

It’s a pretty idyllic setup. Take his annual trip to King Salmon, for instance. Each October for the past three years, he and three buddies load up their fishing gear and fly over from Anchorage. There’s not much to this spot: It consists of a defunct military base from the Cold War era, an airport, two bars, a church, grocery store and fishing lodges. Lots of fishing lodges.

Their sights are always set on the wild Naknek River that runs through town. In the fall, the river can teem with up to 3 million salmon.

“That many fish spawning in the river leads to massive rainbow trout, and that is what we target,” Brandon says. The Naknek has fast-moving water, and most folks fish from the comfort of their boats. Brandon >

FISHING KING SALMON

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

ADVENTURE 24/7

PROVIDED BY BRANDON COLE (2); BRANDON COLE; GETTY IMAGES

BRANDON COLE WITH DALL SHEEP

HUNTING ON RASPBERRY ISLAND

ALASKA

KAYAKING WITH SALMON ON JUDD LAKE

and his posse prefer to wade in to hipdeep water, through rapids, to score the best fishing holes. They don’t care how many fish they snag. Instead, it’s a competition to see who can capture the largest fish.

They’re out until sunset, then pile all the gear in the skiff and navigate the river back to the truck. Then it’s back to the bunkhouse to rustle up dinner, recap the day and down some beers before going to bed and doing it all again the next day.

Stewart Rhodes, the chef at Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, has been on the trip the past two years. “It gives us something to look forward to during our long summer season,” Rhodes says. “The fishing is world class, but the guys on the trip make it even more special.”

“Seeing the respect Brandon has for animals and the outdoors and the way he shares that through his photogra-

46 HUNT & FISH | 2021

“There is something special about being able to drive a half-hour and completely escaping into the wilderness.”

—BRANDON COLE

phy is amazing,” he says. “A highlight for me on these trips is looking at the pictures that he takes each day.”

WILDLIFE, PARKS AND SEAPLANES Brent Cole relishes in the fact that his offspring appreciate the outdoors as much as he does. Having the freedom to explore remote places

with his family is part of the reason he became a pilot in 1996.

“I would fly every day if I had the time and money,” he says. “Being a pilot in Alaska is not easy, though, because of the remoteness, weather and terrain. I have been very fortunate over the years to avoid mishaps, but I understand and appreciate the risk associated with doing what I do. But like I say, there are no easy flights in Alaska.”

When Brandon was around 9 years old, he accompanied Brent on a work trip to Brooks Camp inside of Katmai National Park and Preserve. They flew in on Brent’s Cessna 185, which has been in the family for nearly 45 years.

Brent was checking in on clients — as an attorney, he represents big-game guides, outfitters and the like — so they spent a week jumping from lodge to lodge during the day and nights at Brooks Camp inside the confines >

BRANDON COLE; GETTY IMAGES

NORTHERN LIGHTS OVER COLE FAMILY CABIN

of an electric fence meant to keep the bears out.

Katmai — a land of volcanoes, legendary salmon runs and among the highest concentrations of brown bears in the world — has drawn Brandon back ever since. On one particular day, Brandon and Brent watched 20 or 30 bears catching fish for hours. As they walked down the trails, the bears trotted by seemingly without a care.

On the way back from that trip, they landed in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve where they went cliff jumping into the deep turquoise water.

“What I love about all these parks is that they are so remote that there are no visitor centers or through roads and the only way to see them is by getting dropped off somewhere in a bush plane,” Brandon says. “If there are roads, they don’t lead very far into the park, making these parks truly wild.”

Inside Katmai, they’d explore the

Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes where you can see Novarupta, site of the largest volcanic explosion of the 20th century. When the mountain erupted in 1912, it filled the vast expanse with thousands of feet of ash, drying up nearby rivers and forcing evacuation of the village. Over the years, the rivers have carved canyons through the ash, and the cauldron still smokes as you walk across the valley.

“Closest you’ll get to Mars, probably,” Brandon says.

On another fly-in trip to Katmai, a park pilot hosted four couples on his private runway on the edge of the park. Everyone brought tents and camped on the landing strip. At night, they’d barbecue, sit around a fire and tell stories.

One day, all four planes flew down the Alaska Peninsula in search of a walrus haulout on the Bering Sea coast. They landed about a mile away,

hiked to a bluff and peered over the edge at a couple hundred walruses.

“Keeping our distance in order to not spook them, we stood around watching them for an hour or so, keeping track of the extremely slow movements and in awe of their skin turning almost transparent in the water,” Brandon recalls.

It’s easy to see why the Coles choose to live, explore, hunt and fish in Alaska: It’s a land of never-ending adventure.

“The weather can be harsh, the lack of daylight can be maddening, the bugs miserable, the trails insufferable and the animals uncooperative,” Brent says. “But like anything, you get what you put into it. I feel very fortunate to have earned a good living, met great friends, raised a great family and had many great adventures here. I still find the benefits of living here far outweigh the hardships.” l

47

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HEADING

BY OLIVER HARTNER

Tips and tactics for popular regional game birds Upland bird hunting holds a special spot among sporting-life pursuits. Every hunt is a lively event full of constant motion, and each element plays off the other like musicians in an orchestra. North America has a huge variety of upland game birds across all habitat types — from the poplar forests of New England to the deserts of California. We caught up with six knowledgeable and notable upland hunters to discuss pursuing birds in their locales.

50 HUNT & FISH | 2021

Matt Libby of Libby Camps, left, and Phil Monahan of Orvis hunt for grouse.

GETTY IMAGES; PROVIDED BY REID BRYANT

KING OF THE NORTH WOODS Though some in New England call them partridges, the ruffed grouse’s reputation as “The King of Game Birds” remains ubiquitous.

Outdoor writer and Orvis Endorsed Operations Manager Reid Bryant pursues game birds across the continent and beyond, but still delights in flushing grouse close to his Vermont home.

Bryant describes classic New England grouse cover as derelict farmsteads where natural woods encroach abandoned fruit orchards.

“If you drive around rural parts of New England, you might peek through a hedgerow and see an old apple orchard. Those apples will tell you there’s a great source of food with cover nearby.” Bryant also named poplar and quaking aspen as alternative indicator species for identifying habitat.

When it comes to cover, the thicker the better. “If you see something and think, ‘I don’t think I could ever get through there,’ then go,” he says.

The season begins in late September and runs to the end of December. Leafy limbs during the early season might make it difficult to find an open shot, Bryant says, but if you know where they roost on lower tree branches you could concentrate there for a successful morning hunt.

“Everyone has their preferences for footwear, but I hunted grouse for several years in knee-high rubber boots,” Bryant says. “Those made with natural latex are less prone to cracking.” Clothing needs to be thick, warm and layered for busting brush while also being comfortable during cooler months. And, “You need gloves. Berry bushes will destroy most things less (durable) than leather, and they can’t be too thick because you need dexterity to shoot.”

Bryant suggests a lightweight short-barreled shotgun with open chokes and No. 7 or No. 8 shot shells.

For gun dogs in the grouse woods, “A lot of it comes down to (personal choice),” Bryant says. “When I picture the quintessential New England grouse hunt, there’s a Brittany spaniel on point. However, many successful grouse hunters around here tend to use flushing dogs that work close and squeeze into tight cover.” >

51

HEADING UPLAND

TIMBERDOODLE DANDY When the weather turns cooler, Mike Neiduski, southeast regional development director for the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society, chases woodcock in North Carolina and throughout their southeastern range. “They’re migratory birds and weather in the northwoods pushes them down when the ground freezes because earthworms are their favorite food source,” he says. Most southeastern states have a season beginning in December, and avid woodcock hunters can chase the migration.

52 HUNT & FISH | 2021

Low-lying areas near a body of water are a good place to search for southeastern woodcock cover. “If I’m going somewhere new, I’m going to seek a big water source, then find streams and creek beds running from it,” Neiduski says. “I’ll hunt the muddy slope because if they’re in the area, that’s probably where they’ll be.” He adds that a woodcock defecates when it flushes, leaving “splash” or “chalk” on forest foliage that looks like dried flour water.

Neiduski recommends waterproof boots, brush pants and leather shooting

gloves. “If you’re not walking through thick understory, you’re probably not in the right place.” A light shotgun with a short barrel would be optimal, but take whatever shoots best and use cartridges loaded with No. 7 or No. 8 shot.

“Woodcock have excellent camouflage, and having a dog increases your chances of success,” Neiduski says.

“Any continental pointing breeds are useful, but a flusher such as an English cocker (spaniel) or Boykin spaniel would be helpful for getting into tight cover and retrieving downed birds.”

MIKE NEIDUSKI; GETTY IMAGES

Having a dog assist in the hunt for woodcock can greatly enhance chances of success.

“At first, wear and shoot whatever you have.

There’s plenty of time to upgrade gear.”

PROVIDED BY EDGAR CASTILLO; GETTY IMAGES

— EDGAR CASTILLO

Bobwhite quail are particular about their cover — not too thick and not too thin.

HEARTLAND HUNTING Both northern bobwhite quail and pheasant are found in abundant numbers on the Midwest’s grassy steppes. Wing shooters travel from across the globe to experience this region’s hunting opportunities, many of which are on public land.

Edgar Castillo, an outdoor writer and retired law enforcement officer, has hunted bobwhite quail in his native Kansas since he was old enough to accompany his father. He uses dove season as an opportunity to scout for them. “We’ll mark those coveys during dove hunts and return when quail season opens in mid-November. They don’t range far, so they’ll likely still be there,” he says.

When identifying habitat, “Focus on plum thickets, fence rows and tree lines providing cover from avian predators and the elements,” Castillo says. “If grain fields are nearby, those places can be productive during feeding times.” Bobwhite quail are generally found in dense cover, but nothing so thick that an escape route would be choked off.

Castillo enjoys introducing newcomers to upland hunting and recommends waterproof boots, thick pants for busting brambles, a thick shirt and a shotgun that you shoot well. “At first, wear and shoot whatever you have. There’s plenty of time to upgrade gear.” He also recommends loading No. 7 shot during the early season and perhaps No. 6 later in the season.

Flushers or pointers are suitable dogs when searching for Kansas quail. “It depends on whether you like to hunt behind a dog that ranges far or works close,” Castillo says. “Since I take a lot of new people, I advise having an experienced pointing dog for the safety of the dog and other hunters.”

Marissa Jensen, education and outreach program manager for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, describes herself as an adult-onset upland hunter. “I didn’t grow up hunting and never saw myself being involved with it, but it’s a huge part of my life now, to say the least.” When she isn’t raising awareness for conservation, she’s recruiting people into the sport and hunting the habitat she helps preserve.

When identifying pheasant habitat, she says, “Look for crop fields surrounded by diverse grasses with water nearby. If I see bluestem grasses around a crop field near a pond, I’m headed for it.” She mentions that pheasants prefer running to flying because of avian predators, and suggests hunting waterfowl production areas in the later months of the season.

When to go, Jensen says, “depends on what challenges you’re willing to face. Different parts of the season have their own pros and cons. Birds are less educated by hunters in the early season but it’s hot, while late-season birds are more >

53

HEADING UPLAND

Hunting later in the chukar season leaves more scent on the ground for dogs to follow.

54 HUNT & FISH | 2021

20 gauge loaded with nontoxic shot whenever possible. “I’m often near waterfowl production areas, and don’t have to worry about switching cartridges in my vest,” says Jensen, who uses No. 6 and No. 5 steel for bringing pheasants down while being mindful of the resource.

When it comes to dogs, “I’m team German shorthaired pointer all the way. I wasn’t always a fan of them, but now I’m hunting behind a pair. They range pretty far and will also retrieve

on land or water. They’re also less prone to heat injuries.”

DESERT DWELLERS When the going gets tough, the chukar hunter keeps going. These game birds thrive in the harshest and most desolate areas of the arid west.

Travis Warren, known by his handle Upchukar, runs upchukar.com and a Project Upland podcast dedicated to chasing chukar. “One of the great things about chukar hunting is >

GETTY IMAGES

educated but it’s colder. Early December has that sweetspot where birds hold tighter and it’s not so cold you can’t feel your fingers.”

Clothing needs to be hardy and comfortable, and Jensen “errs on the side of orange,” saying, “I wear more than the minimum because I want people to know where I’m at in thick cover.” Waterproof boots with pliable soles and ankle support are also musthaves. She wears a backpack-style strap vest and shoots a side-by-side

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Travis Warren

that it mostly exists on public land,” he says. “The flipside of that coin is the difficulty of getting to the birds.”

Warren says the elevation for ideal habitat “will be between 4,000 and 6,000 feet with steep mountains rising from a valley floor. They roost in bands of rim rock on the valley walls, and they’ll be tied to a water source. It’ll likely be a creek or river in the early season, and pockets of rain puddles or snow melt in the late season.”

Chukar feed on leaves and seeds from annual and perennial grasses such as cheatgrass.

Nevada’s chukar season typically

56 HUNT & FISH | 2021

runs from mid-October through the first weekend of February. Warren suggests late November to early January, when there is “more scent on the ground for the dogs, and less heat for the rattlesnakes!”

Chukar hunting requires more thought and preparation than most upland wing shooting. “It starts with assessing your physical fitness level,” Warren says. “A medical emergency means life or death out here.” Light lace-up boots offering ample ankle support and sturdy soles for climbing are required. Light clothing made of breathable synthetic fibers are also

advised. “You’ll need a decent pack — not a hunting vest — to carry extra clothing, food, water, ammunition and a first-aid kit.” A light gun in 12 or 20 bore loaded with No. 5 or No. 6 shot will do the job.

Many chukar hunters go without dogs, but they can be an asset in the field. “I like a versatile long-ranging pointing breed that will also retrieve a bird if required,” Warren says.

Matthew Rawlinson, owner of Owens Valley Wing Shooting in eastern California, says the California quail or “valley quail” he hunts is something of a misnomer “because this species is also found outside of valleys, as well as outside the state.”

Rawlinson cites waist-high sagebrush and willow trees as good indicator species for these birds. “They like brushy draws with a source of water and lots of cover, and they roost in willow trees. If the cover is choked with grasses beneath the sagebrush, they can’t run through there, and it’d be wise to move along.”

Rawlinson suggests going earlier in the day to catch them off the roost but advises against chasing larger coveys.

“A lot of people get excited when they see a large covey, but large coveys wild flush and run on you. You’ll have greater success hunting coveys of 20 to 30 birds and going for singles.”

The weather gets hot and shade is scarce, so sunscreen and comfortable clothing should top the packing list. “A good pair of twill jeans or reinforced hunting pants will do fine,” Rawlinson says. “You’ll have a light jacket on in the morning and be down to a T-shirt by midday. A pair of leather boots with laces should suffice for footwear.” His gun of choice is a 28-gauge side-byside because of the flatter sight-plane and light weight, but any well-fitting shotgun will work. One nonnegotiable requirement is nontoxic shot to comply with California law. “I recommend bismuth No. 7 shot, but if you plan to shoot steel, use a No. 5 or No. 6.”

Rawlinson suggests a close-working pointing or flushing dog. “It’s also important to consider a heat-tolerant breed given the climate,” he says. l

PROVIDED BY TRAVIS WARREN; GETTY IMAGES

HEADING UPLAND

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TRACK S A N A M ERICA N PATH IN OUTDOOR CLOTHIN G Ex-Olympic Snowboarder & FORLOH Ambassador Scotty Lago duck hunting in Exposed camo.

It’s no secret that the majority of clothing and garments Americans wear are made overseas. It didn’t start that way, though. In the early 20th century, virtually every piece of clothing worn by Americans was made domestically. By 1990, the amount of clothing manufactured in the U.S. made up about 50% of Americans' wardrobes. By 2000, that was down below 30%. Today, just 2% of all clothing worn by Americans is made in America. Hunting garments are no exception. Virtually none are made here.

Andy Techmanski wasn’t interested in doing what other apparel companies do. Just the opposite, actually. He was too busy building his apparel company around an American supply chain. “‘Made in America’ isn’t just about where we make our garments,” said Techmanski. “It’s about integrity, do what you say and say what you do.

To us, America is about that entrepreneurial spirit, the ‘getting the job done,’ mentality. It’s the backbone of this country, and our company ... and that’s why it was important for FORLOH to be the first company in our industry to source and manufacture everything here in the USA.”

An American supply chain lends itself to inherently higher operating costs, and ultimately increased prices for consumers. To offset that challenge, FORLOH has dedicated itself to creating premium technical apparel that features innovative new technologies no other company can offer.

One example is how Forloh worked with American HVAC filter companies to create a coat with a built-in cooling system, or how it partnered with American manufacturers to produce a jacket that includes search-and-rescue reflectors. Finding, developing, and offering features like that is only possible if the supply chain partners can support the rapid innovation and production necessary to make it work. The American supply chain offers unique opportunities and flexibility, and Techmanski and his team understand and take full advantage of it.

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"We're setting the bar high," said Techmanski. "If you wear our clothing for a demanding hunt or outdoor activities, you can expect it to exceed your expectations for performance. Furthermore, we back all our products with a lifetime guarantee and provide repair services. It should be the last outdoor apparel you’ll ever need. We knew that we needed to put our money where our mouth was with our products, and thanks to our manufacturing and sourcing partners from around the country, that’s what we’re doing.”

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FORLOH's American made apparel is available at FORLOH.com, at their flagship Whitefish, Montana store, and at their recently opened retail location in the Northside Domaine in Austin, Texas.

Techmanski is founder and CEO of FORLOH (For the Love Of Hunting), an outdoor clothing company that makes premium garments, products, and gear for every type of outdoorsman or woman. What makes the Whitefish, Montana-based company unique is their supply chain: FORLOH uses 100% American materials, technology, production, and labor. Every single thread for every single garment is sourced and produced here in the United States. That’s why to FORLOH, the phrase “Made in America '' is more than just a catchy slogan; it’s central to their business model, built on the steadfast belief in “doing what you say and saying what you do.”

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Lacey Kelly and other female anglers are as passionate about conservation as they are about fishing.

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HUNTING

BAGGING BIG NUMBERS You don’t need to go to South America for a high-volume bird hunt

BY BRAD FITZPATRICK

The author holds a snow goose in a field of decoys.

60 HUNT & FISH | 2021

toward our spread. Most were white snow geese, but on the far left was a large blue-phase snow goose, commonly called an “eagle head.”

The birds made a narrowing circle overhead. On the first pass, a couple birds dropped out, then another on the second pass, but by the third turn over our spread nine birds (including the eagle head, still on the left) cupped their wings and set their legs to land.

“Take them if you can!” Kelso shouted, and the members of our hunting party burst through the doors of our coffin blinds. The geese made an abrupt turn and Keith Heinlein, product manager for Stoeger Industries, killed a bird, and behind it came another that I shot at, missed, and then hit with my second shot. Up and down the row, shotguns roared until six of the nine birds were on the ground and the echo

of shotshells was lost in the cacophony of the electronic snow goose calls.

SNOW STORMED When we think about high-volume bird-hunting locales, places like Argentina may first come to mind. To curb their overpopulation of doves (and appease farmers who were suffering near-total losses to massive flocks), the Argentinian government allowed hunters to bag unlimited birds, which contrasts greatly with the tightly regulated harvest of migratory birds in the United States.

In the late 19th century, commercial hunting of migratory birds took a heavy toll on waterfowl numbers in North America, but the passage of the Lacey Act in 1900 limited commercial hunting, and in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order >

PROVIDED BY BRAD FITZPATRICK

T

he first flock of snow geese that passed over my head numbered more than 100 birds. They flew in an extended V-formation, a cackling silver cavalcade against the cloudless Missouri sky, and as they passed I leaned below the waving white sock that was positioned to prevent the birds from seeing the shine of my face.

With my head low and eyes upturned, I watched the geese pass until my guide, Keaton Kelso, hit the speaker remote, and all sound was drowned out by the electronic echo of a thousand snow geese.

Most of the birds continued on, but a handful dropped out of the group and sailed toward our decoy spread. Four birds committed, then a fifth and sixth, and eventually a dozen birds broke from the high-flying flock and turned

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HUNTING overgrazing by light geese had destroyed 35 percent of the habitat along a 1,200-mile stretch of coastline along Hudson Bay and James Bay, and that another 30 percent of the remaining habitat had been severely damaged by the birds. Likewise, overwintering light geese have outcompeted other waterfowl species, such as sandhill cranes, which rely on the same waste grain the geese use for winter forage.

A welltrained retriever is always beneficial on a goose hunt.

that named Pelican Island in Florida as the nation’s first bird reservation.

A decade later, the first comprehensive migratory bird law was passed by Congress, and in 1916, the U.S. and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada) signed the first bilateral treaty for the conservation of migratory birds. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was signed into law

by President Woodrow Wilson. In 1991, lead shot was banned from waterfowl hunting nationwide.

These conservation efforts worked, and waterfowl numbers increased dramatically during the 20th century. Each spring since 1955, biologists have been conducting aerial surveys of waterfowl breeding grounds to determine the quantity of a variety of waterfowl species, and the 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) waterfowl populations survey indicated that there were roughly 10 million more

62 HUNT & FISH | 2021

birds that year than when the survey began 60 years earlier.

Of course, not all species recovered at the same rate. While many waterfowl populations remained stable or increased slightly over the last several decades, the number of “light geese” — a general term that refers to lesser and greater snow geese and Ross’s geese — has increased by more than 300 percent since the 1970s. The increase began when marshes in the southern United States were drained for agriculture in the 1970s, and these new agricultural lands offered a bounty of waste grain left behind by farmers.

This forced adaptation turned out to be a boon for the birds, but it has been a disaster for farmers and for the Arctic nesting habitat that light geese use in the winter.

Ross’s and lesser snow geese nest extensively along the vulnerable Hudson Bay Lowland.

In 1996 scientists estimated that

To help combat the damaging effects of snow and Ross’s geese overpopulation, FWS issued a light goose conservation order in 1999. A conservation order is a special plan put in place to help control populations of specific species when traditional management methods do not work.

Under the 1999 order, light geese could be hunted during special extended seasons, shotguns did not have to be plugged to hold three shells (although nontoxic shot was still required) and electronic calls may be used.

In addition, hours were extended and there were no bag limits for light geese.

The light goose conservation order offers hunters a chance to extend their hunting season while helping reduce light goose populations and preserve Arctic nesting habitat that is vital for other birds.

Snow goose hunting looks different than most other waterfowl hunts. For starters, most every hunter wears white to blend in with the decoy spread, which may number more than 1,000 full bodies, silhouettes and socks.

That type of a goose spread takes a long time to set out — typically three hours, if everything goes smoothly. Why go to so much effort? Because snow geese gather in huge numbers. A “small” >

BRAD FITZPATRICK

CURBING LIGHT GOOSE POPULATIONS

M E TA L D E T E C T O R S

www.minelab.com/vanquish

flock contains 1,000 birds, while an average flock may consist of 10,000 or more. Setting out a few dozen dekes typically won’t even draw a glance from a passing flock of snow geese.

IF YOU GO Most light goose hunts take place in agricultural fields where the birds may land and feed for hours, so expect to lay out from well before dawn.

And while you can hunt until a half-hour past sunset, it’s been my experience that the action slacks considerably as midday approaches.

Toward evening, the large flocks fill the sky, and one of my most breathtaking moments as a hunter came while hundreds of snow geese circled overhead in a spiral of white. The sound of it all was fantastic, and the sight of so many birds was disorienting and made picking a single target challenging.

You’ll have slow days snow goose hunting, but when the

64 HUNT & FISH | 2021

action is hot, this is highvolume hunting at its finest.

Being lost in a twisting cycle of white bodies is unlike anything else we do as hunters, and if you want to take part in the experience, I suggest you hire a competent guide.

On my last hunt, I used Kansas-based K&K Outfitters.

The Kelso brothers haul an enclosed box trailer filled with decoys and electronic calls to the field and set everything up for the hunters, which makes the process much more relaxing for their clients.

Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Illinois and Nebraska are among the best states for high-volume snow goose hunting. Keep in mind that these birds are migratory, and great flocks that cover fields in your hunting area might vacate overnight. Our hunt was originally scheduled for Nebraska, but because the Kelsos watch the migration and have access to hunting leases in other

Most snow goose hunters wear white to blend in with the decoy spread, which may number more than 1,000 full bodies, silhouettes and socks.

states, we were able to call an audible at the last moment and transition to Missouri.

The gear list for client hunters is short: You’ll need an unplugged shotgun (usually a semi-automatic), hard-hitting goose loads, a white or earthcolored camo outfit and perhaps a coffin blind if your guide doesn’t provide one.

Licensing rules vary by state and can change rapidly, so it’s best to check with the state department of natural resources prior to your hunt. Most light goose seasons begin in February and run until mid- to lateMarch, coinciding with the migration period for the region.

If you aren’t using a guide, hunting light geese is much more challenging. You’ll need decoys and an electronic call, and a well-trained retriever is always beneficial. Most importantly, you’ll need land. Most light goose hunts happen on private land, and if you’re lucky, you may find a farmer who will offer you the lease rights to hunt birds on his or her property.

Hunting light geese is a lot of fun, but it also conserves vital nesting habitat. By transitioning swampland to agricultural fields, we have unwittingly provided light geese with an almost endless winter food source, and as a result, great sections of the Arctic have been overgrazed and the habitat destroyed.

Over the course of a successful three-day snow goose hunt, you can help stem the damage caused by light geese and fill your freezer with enough meat to last throughout the year.

Snow goose pastrami is one of my favorite wild game dishes, but I’ve had smoked goose and marinated goose steaks that were equally delicious, and the meat makes excellent jerky — and a lot of it, if you have a successful hunt. l

BRAD FITZPATRICK

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HUNTING

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SHOTGUN: STOEGER M3500 SNOW GOOSE

MOUTH CALL: ZINK SNOW STORM

Most serious snow goose hunters use e-callers, but almost all use mouth calls on occasion. Why? A quality mouth call allows a serious snow goose hunter to instantly deliver a variety of different vocalizations to coax wary birds from the sky. Snow Storm, which was designed in collaboration with legendary snow goose caller Scott Butz, allows the caller to accurately mimic a variety of clucks, honks, cackles, murmurs and barks and might be just the tool you need to make wily birds commit to your spread. $127.99, zinkcalls.com

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AMMUNITION: FEDERAL MEATEATER BISMUTH

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This nontoxic load hits harder than steel and costs less than tungsten. With a density of 9.6 grams per cubic centimeter, bismuth approaches the density of lead pellets. The Flitecontrol Flex wad helps ensure consistent patterns, and because bismuth is softer than tungsten or steel it works in older guns.

Federal Premium MeatEater available in 12 and 20 gauge. $62.99 to $71.99 for 25 rounds, federalpremium.com; Federal Premium Blackcloud with Flightcontrol Flex available in 12 gauge $249.89 for 250 rounds, cheaperthandirt.com

With its optional distressed white Cerakote finish and 10-round extended magazine tube, the M3500 is built for chasing snow geese. With a full magazine tube this gun tips the scales at under 10 pounds, and that significantly helps reduce recoil with magnum loads.

I fired more than 75 rounds during my last hunt and never had a single issue with cycling or feeding. I especially like the oversized controls and extended chokes. $669, stoeger industries .com

This e-caller comes with 37 snow goose, nine crow and 29 predator sounds pre-recorded and can store up to 300 calls. The unit is powered by a 11.1 lithium battery pack and can accommodate up to four speakers (two 10-watt external speakers are included). The unit is USB programmable and includes a remote control. Snow Pro calls are great for light geese, but can also call in foxes and coyotes in winter and crows during the spring and summer. $599.95, gofoxpro.com

66 HUNT & FISH | 2021

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FISHING

HUNTING

DOING THE GROUNDWORK Diverse features are essential to making game at home on your range

BY KEN PERROTTE

S

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

o you bought a piece of land that you want to transform into a hunting paradise, the type of property to which deer and other species gravitate. For many hunters, the simple solution is creating a food plot: disk up some ground, plant clover and start reaping deer.

If only it was that simple. >

68 HUNT & FISH | 2021

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HUNTING

Native vegetation suitable for deer to browse should be a core element of any year-round hunting habitat.

70 HUNT & FISH | 2021

goal. Finally, give yourself a timeline.”

Management planning is important whether you own 50, 150 or 500 acres.

Travis Sumner, hunting heritage and habitat manager for the National Wild Turkey Federation, offers land-management advice related to a multitude of wildlife species.

“When it comes to properties for deer management, no matter the size, you still conduct the same habitat management practices. The key is creating some diversity with the property and keeping hunting pressure low,” Sumner says.

A HEALTHY DIET Hopefully, your property has a ready water source, whether it is a perennial stream, creek or pond. Availability of water is a key consideration in any property where wildlife management is the first objective. >

GETTY IMAGES

Assuming you are in it for the long haul and not just a deer or two over a single food plot, it’s best to tailor your property so deer see it as a home for all seasons. Diverse habitat management that considers the essentials — food, water, cover — is the key. Even better, habitat improvements rarely benefit just a single species. And nongame species such as songbirds and pollinators also can benefit from work that improves deer hunting.

Matt Ross, director of conservation for the National Deer Association, says landowners can systematically establish a management plan.

“First, sit down and develop a list of wildlife species you are managing for and measurable goals related to those species,” Ross says. “These need to be realistic and have a metric associated with them so you can tell if you achieved it or not. Then, outline how you best plan to accomplish each

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HUNTING

Native grasses abutting a food plot and transitional habitat make deer feel welcome.

» Planting

supplemental food plots, such as clover and wheat, gives wildlife a nutritional boost.

» Something

Next comes food sources, both natural and created. Food plots have a role in providing nutritional diversity. Sumner advises planting brassicas, clovers, wheat and oats for the fall, and a mix of sorghum, peas, corn and forage soybeans in the spring if you want to attract deer throughout the year.

“A rule of thumb is that at least 10 percent of the entire acreage should be in some type of food plot or wildlife opening,” Sumner says, with “locations spread out across the property while avoiding plots near property lines.”

Wildlife openings, essential to a variety of animals, should be one-half acre to 1 acre in size, Sumner says. Irregularshaped food plots can help create pinch points that facilitate better hunting.

Any wildlife habitat must include “edge” habitat, places where different types of vegetation come together. Sumner says edges along wildlife openings can be created by planting native grasses or summer annuals like sorghum or Egyptian wheat. He also recommends fallow disking these areas in the winter — a form of land disturbance that promotes growth of native vegetation that will be used as a food source and cover.

Transitional edges, such as Sumner describes, often flow into a wooded environment. Here, sound timber management practices help create woods that are useful to deer and other wildlife year-round at all stages of the animal’s life cycle.

“Having uneven age-class timber areas will create and provide cover and shelter areas through thinning and clearcut areas,” Sumner says. New-growth timber also creates

72 HUNT & FISH | 2021

healthy browsing areas for deer.

Native vegetation suitable for deer to browse also merits consideration, especially on properties too small for a network of food plots. Sumner cites honeysuckle as a prime example.

“There may be areas that have an abundance of honeysuckle that could be fertilized and provide native plants that deer would use as a food source,” he says.

Adding small fruit tree orchards or hard mast crop trees such as sawtooth oaks is also beneficial. Sumner says planting five to 10 trees in key spots around a property offers additional nutrition, giving deer one more reason to hang around.

Ross agrees that food plots have a place in a comprehensive wildlife habitat management scheme. “They can elevate the nutrition, attractiveness and harvest success of a hunting property — that is, if they are managed correctly, evenly distributed and the person managing them considers variation in seasonality, wildlife needs and how those fit into their management goals,” he says.

Beyond that, though, Ross says he is “a big fan” of prioritizing work on the forested and other early successional vegetation areas of a property.

“There is often more of it in volume compared to areas you may put into food plots, and by managing them first you can have a greater influence (on) changing the dynamics of entire wildlife populations,” Ross says. “These places can also sometimes help generate revenue from the natural resources found on the property, instead of being a cost.” >

KEN PERROTTE (2); NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

every deer hunter likes to see is a big scrape near an acorn-producing oak tree.

Dedicated to wildlife conservation and hunting since 1973 In our nearly 50-year history, 2 .

But our work is far from over. . your.nwtf.org/USAToday

HUNTING

UNDER PRESSURE Deer need a sense of security and sanctuary, and edge habitat helps create that sense for deer entering wildlife openings, Sumner says. Cover for bedding areas can be enhanced by controlled burning at prescribed times of the year, planting native grasses, fallow disking and hingecutting in timber stands. Hinge-cutting involves felling trees without cutting completely through them. The treetops, now resting on the ground, retain some vegetation, giving deer a safe hiding and bedding place. Sumner advises locating these areas within the center of the property.

Ross and Sumner agree that creating and nurturing key habitat elements for deer and regulating hunting pressure will keep deer predisposed to remaining on or near a tract of land, even if it is a smaller parcel. Still, hunting pressure affects deer movement, and Ross says some researchers have tried to measure it.

At a rate of roughly one hunter per 75 to 100 acres, “hunting pressure can negatively influence deer movement and vulnerability,” and it can take “about three or more days for deer to return to what they were doing previously,” Ross says. “In terms of practical advice regarding managing hunting pressure, hunt smart, spacing out your visits and hunts as best as you can.”

SCALE Ross suggests specific actions landowners should consider based on the size of their properties.

For properties 40 acres and smaller, offer deer something that is more limited on the broader landscape — perhaps young, regenerating forest, quality mast crops or superior cover.

If your property is 40 acres to 150 acres, target connecting travel corridors and complement the habitat around you.

For tracts larger than 150 acres, aim for diversity and work on providing everything deer need related to habitat (food, cover, water) within blocks of 40 to 60 acres.

Regardless of the size of the property, Ross recommends working with neighbors. Most movement studies show that, even on large tracts, deer will use adjoining properties during most of the year.

“At virtually any scale of land ownership, working with — or against — your neighbors can also influence the management outcome,” Ross says. “However, if you cannot or do not (work with the neighbors), all you need to do is be flexible and realistic with your expectations. It’s that simple.”

Deer are wide-ranging animals. Providing everything they need on a single property can be a challenge, but by developing and executing a plan, landowner efforts will be rewarded. l

74 HUNT & FISH | 2021

Planning Resources

Planning and professional help can improve any habitat project.

LANDOWNERS DO NOT have to go it alone when it comes to developing and implementing habitat management plans.

State agencies (forestry, natural resources departments, extension agents, etc.) can provide technical assistance on habitat management. Local biologists and foresters can provide step-by-step instruction for creating wildlife management plans. Beyond governmental agencies, groups such as the National Deer Association and National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) can also provide technical assistance. For example, NWTF employs regional biologists and foresters who are specifically chartered to work with private landowners.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, can offer landowners costshare funds for certain habitat management practices. Landowners usually apply through a local office. Such programs include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program.

Private consultants, ranging from foresters and timber management professionals to wildlife managers, will work (for a fee) with landowners. Make sure any forester understands your aim is to manage for deer or other wildlife.

For effective management planning, a quality mapping tool can help you assess the topography of your land, identifying where to focus habitat improvements.

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

Managing for desirable plant species that benefit wildlife also involves removing or controlling undesirable vegetation, including invasive species that compete with desirable native vegetation. Identify plants that your target species prefer, Ross says, and manage for that species.

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LABEL HUNTING

PRACTICAL PUPPY PREP How to strike the balance between a hunting dog and a family pet

BY JASON CARTER

76 HUNT & FISH | 2021

you set, including how to settle and control its emotions.

Jerry Holden Jr., director of operations for the southern region of Ducks Unlimited, refers to a hunting dog’s transition from field behavior to home life as “The Switch.”

Inside, the dog becomes an extension of the family. Focusing too much on field training while neglecting home training puts a strain on the household and can be problematic for both the family and the animal. The more refined and reliable the pup is with basic commands and socialization, the more rich its life will be because it will get to do many things with the family that are not associated with field work.

PICKING THE BREED AND BREEDER In the wing-shooting community, the Labrador retriever is revered for its tenacity and versatility in the field. Combined with its house-friendly demeanor, it makes an ideal choice for many hunting families. German shorthaired pointers, German wirehaired pointers and the wirehaired pointing griffon are other fine hunters known to have an “off switch” in the home.

If it’s a smaller dog you’re after, many would agree that the English cocker spaniel will steal your heart in the field and at home. Among >

NANCY ANISFIELD

A

well-bred hunting dog is much like a Ferrari in overdrive. So how do you get your hunting dog to idle quietly in your home? The answer lies primarily in your own preparation and mental attitude.

The pandemic-related changes to many of our daily lives meant less time commuting, less time in the office and more time pursuing our passions in the field. The stay-at-home lifestyle undoubtedly brought a rush of new puppy owners. For sportsmen and women, this raises an age-old question: Can you live with your hunting dog? Does bringing your hunting dog indoors steal the hunt from it — and can hunting dogs make good pets?

In the hunting community, it has only recently become generally acceptable to cohabitate with our field dogs. The results have been exceptionally rewarding. Inviting dogs into the domestic setting strengthens our fundamental understanding of how they think and act, allowing us to adapt training to the character of that puppy.

The home environment helps establish the trainer as the pack leader and fosters a trusting partnership. With the pup spending more time with its trainers, learning becomes ongoing. The animal gets used to living within the boundaries

Pudelpointer pups join their owner in the field. The breed is a good choice for a combination gun dog and house pet.

77

HUNTING

on your pet the rules it will live by.

As long as your will is stronger, the dog will quickly learn to accept your leadership. Don’t waiver.

Begin training as soon as the puppy comes home, and provide a consistent, structured environment.

Include all family members in the training and decide on house rules: Will the puppy be allowed on the furniture or in the bed? Will it be fed leftover scraps from the table or be asked to wait quietly on its bed during mealtimes?

Most field commands overlay well into the home environment and help keep the dog safe and manageable.

For example, if you drop and break a glass, a dog will almost always run to the sound to investigate the noise.

Having a “stay” command to freeze the dog in place while you sweep up the mess can protect it from harm.

Another example is the “leave it” command. This can be used to deter a dog from chewing on household items.

Build a relationship with your puppy and find what works best for you and your dog.

larger breeds, the spinone Italiano is popular for its mild-mannered temperament and reasonably paced hunting style.

Selecting the breed with the genetics that marries well with your lifestyle is first and foremost. But the breeder is an important part of the equation. As A.J. DeRosa, founder and creative director of the film series “Project Upland” and creative director of Northwoods Collective explains, “It is so important to properly vet the breeder, breed and bloodline before getting a dog.

Often, the more popular the breed, the more chance (of) some puppy mill turning out bad genetics, which can result in neurotic dogs. There is no fix for that.

People need to put time into that selection process.

There are certainly some breeds and bloodlines that are a better fit for family dogs than others.”

ESTABLISH RULES AND SET LIMITS Establishing limits early is key to teaching the puppy to accept constraints and to live within the boundaries you set for it. You are helping to imprint

78 HUNT & FISH | 2021

MANAGEMENT

Preparing the home for your new pup will reduce the chances of inconvenient and potentially dangerous incidents. Puppies have an uncanny knack for finding trouble, but with advanced planning, you can prevent most problems.

Maintain a regular house-breaking routine by taking the puppy outside every time it wakes from a nap or starts sniffing or circling an area. Keep a leash, flashlight and container of treats handy near exits and in vehicles to get the puppy out and back as efficiently as possible.

Decide if you want your puppy to sleep in a crate or contained area like an exercise pen. Use a crate when the dog is left home alone. A crate is also a safe space away from children. Find a quiet area where it won’t be disturbed. “Consistent, diligent use of the crate is the most important item. Feed them there, have them sleep there. A crate is a home, not a prison,” says Holden. >

NANCY ANISFIELD

German shorthaired pointers are fine hunters known for having an “off switch” in the home.

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Due to its size and athletic ability, the vizsla is a great field companion but requires clear parameters at home.

Place dog beds strategically around the house to provide comfortable resting spots if you don’t want your puppy on the furniture. Keep chew toys readily available in the crate and on dog beds to occupy busy mouths.

TRAINING

ELISE WRIGHT

Research various training systems and decide what methodology best aligns with your philosophy.

Spend some time investigating whether a professional trainer or local mentor would be helpful.

Organizations like the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association can also provide guidance and resources.

Follow a continuous training regimen. A puppy only knows what you teach it; the mistakes it makes are due to lack of exposure and understanding.

Keeping your dog active and working will encourage it to settle in your home. As DeRosa explains, “It really comes down to a couple things. The first and foremost is a tired dog is a good dog. More impor-

tantly, it’s about the dog getting the exercise that’s properly needed. Keeping your dog conditioned with regular running provides both physical stimulation and mental stimulation. These breeds are smart and are not your standard house pets when it comes to energy. As an owner, it’s your responsibility to provide those outlets.”

Utilize toys, play, food, touch and praise to motivate your dog. Food can be a strong motivator. Start by hand-feeding meals from day one using the food to teach basic commands.

Be playful: Making drills motivational and fun will build your dog’s bond with you. Keep training sessions short and frequent.

Julie Griswold, director of testing for the North American Deutsch Kurzhaar Club, cautions owners to “remember that all puppies learn at different rates and in different ways. Build a relationship with your puppy and find what works best for you and your pup.

Putting in the work when the puppy is less than a year old will make for years of enjoyment later on.” l

80 HUNT & FISH | 2021

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HUNTING

CULINARY CONNECTEDNESS

Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois enjoys cooking around an open fire with his hunting companions.

Open-fire cooking elevates cuisine and camaraderie

H

unting and fishing link outdoor enthusiasts with the natural world by inserting them into the life cycle of game animals. Cooking over an open

82 HUNT & FISH | 2021

fire provides another avenue for expanding that intimate connection.

Many hunters use the most advanced technologies and techniques, such as electric smokers, infrared grills and

heavy ceramic kamodo grills, to prepare harvested game.

These appliances often wind up being set apart from the main gathering taking place around the glow of a fire pit.

The cook must tend to the >

SIMON CARLSON

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food away from everyone else, or must excuse himself or herself when a beep or buzz indicates that duty calls. But by cooking over the same fire used for gathering, culinary expert and avid outdoorsman Jean-Paul Bourgeois combines the light and warmth around which people congregate with the hearth he uses to prepare delicious food.

Bourgeois’ path to cooking over an open flame was born from a confluence of cul-

84 HUNT & FISH | 2021

tural significance and necessity.

Growing up in south Louisiana exposed him to cooking over fire during social gatherings called “cochon de lait.” During these events, “a suckling pig is roasted on an iron cross. Many other cultures, including Cajuns, have been doing this for several centuries, and that was some of my earliest exposure to fire cooking,” Bourgeois says.

After earning notice for his work as an ambassador for Cajun food and culture,

Bourgeois lived for a while in Brooklyn, N.Y. Time spent in the city sent him on a deep dive into the world of fire cooking due to limited apartment space.

“I didn’t want to cook in such a small kitchen that wasn’t ventilated, so it was both cleaner and safer to cook outside.”

Keeping overpowering food smells out of the home was one thing, but he also needed to keep himself and his guests warm and entertained with the limited space available. >

SIMON CARLSON

HUNTING

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HUNTING

86 HUNT & FISH | 2021

Tips for Cooking Over an Open Fire Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois offers some advice to help open-fire cooks prepare great meals while being present in the moment:

» Find the flavor in the flames

“Don’t pay as much attention to the spices or sauces. Pay attention to the liveliness of that fire and allow it to give back to you. Allow those early flames and smoke the opportunity to kiss the food you’ve got on the grill before the fire gets too hot, then move the food farther away from the flame for cooking. That’ll seal in a lot of delicious flavor.”

» Watch your distance

“Let’s say I’m cooking a tenderloin. I’m not going to put it all the way down to the embers because it won’t cook through. Start it high on the grill over the flame, and let it warm and slow cook there. Then, lower the grill closer to the flame so it can caramelize for the finish. Take it off the flame and let it rest before slicing and serving.”

» Remember why you’re there

“Hopefully you’re going to be sharing whatever is cooking over that fire with people gathered around you. So pouring yourself into that food is going to make the meal that much more impactful because you’ll be that much more a part of it. You’re making something special with your hands and you don’t need to be a professional to experience that kind of satisfaction.”

BREEO

Fortunately, he had a backyard and a good friend with a solution.

“About six years ago, another passionate outdoors enthusiast and fire cook introduced me to the Breeo fire pit, and I saw it as the next logical step for me. It provides both a place to gather and a place to cook, keeping you involved with your (guests) instead of apart from them,” Bourgeois says.

With practice, he learned to bake scratch-made biscuits and mulberry corn cake by burying a cast-iron dutch oven in the embers. “I even simmered a pasta sauce with venison meatballs over open flame,” he adds.

Instead of hauling around his fire pit, Bourgeois often packs the lighter Breeo Outpost as a cooking station while he’s afield.

“It offers enough control to cook over an open fire without taking away from the experience.”

Cooking over an open flame is simultaneously simple and complex. “You can adjust the distance of ... food relative to the flame, and you can control how much wood you’re feeding it. But that’s it. There aren’t any knobs to turn ... no ‘set-itand-forget-it’ ... no covering for your mistakes,” Bourgeois says.

“You’ve got to pay attention and be more a part of whatever you’re preparing.”

Bourgeois cites the people gathered around the flames as one level of connectedness and the game being cooked as another. But he also views the element of fire itself as being an integral part of the meal.

“That flame is alive, and it’s contained ... but it’s not tame,” he says. “You can feed it or starve it of air and wood — the things it needs to survive.

The fire itself and those raw elements are further sources of connectedness with that meal.” l

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HUNTING

SADDLE UP Lightweight, portable gear makes tree hunting easier

BY T. EDWARD NICKENS

88 HUNT & FISH | 2021

GETTY IMAGES

I

f Spiderman was a deer hunter, this is how he’d roll: Shimmy up a tree, quiet as a caterpillar. He’d tether to a stout branch or bole and sit back in comfort, enveloped in the forest canopy.

No clanky climbing stand. No bulky chain-on platform. Just melt away into the leaves, still, until it’s time to let the arrow fly.

That describes a popular and fast-growing hunting tactic known as tree saddle hunting. It’s gained a serious following among archers, and it’s making its way into the gun-hunting ranks as well, thanks to an emphasis on light, strong and stealthy equipment that’s as easy to pack into the woods as a water bottle.

“What started this trend is that hunters wanted to be more mobile, especially when hunting public land,” says Jason Redd, a passionate North Carolina deer hunter and founder of Timber Ninja Outdoors, which makes the industry’s first-ever carbon fiber climbing sticks. “With a tree saddle system, you’re not tied to that one tree you’ve prepped for a stand, or limited to straight trees with no branches. You can put one of these up in the most crazy-limbed live oaks and hunt safely.”

A tree saddle is essentially a climbing harness fine-tuned for deer hunting. Instead of sitting or standing on a bulky, solid platform that has to be hoisted into the branches, hunters rest in a comfortable nylon and webbing saddle that is tethered to the tree trunk, and rest their feet on a small platform. The effect is like sitting in a hammock, with a safety line attached. The equipment is minimalistic: The saddle and its components, lightweight tree-climbing sticks, a lineman’s belt and the small foot platform.

There are three primary reasons tree saddles have come on so strong, says Redd. >

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HUNTING

“With a tree saddle system, you’re not ... limited to straight trees with no branches.”

» Safety. The beauty of a tree saddle, says Redd, is that the hunter is fully protected from falls at every step. The lineman’s belt used to ascend a tree prevents falling during the climb, and the tether used to hold the hunter aloft prevents a tumble of more than a few inches. Redd has worked as a fall protection specialist for industrial companies for two decades, and he’s sold on the saddle as a safety device. “Even if you do slip, the saddle holds you upright and facing the tree,” he says.

» Maximizing minimalism.

Tree saddle components are far smaller and lighter than traditional tree stands. Redd’s entire saddle kit weighs less

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than 10 pounds. That not only makes it easier and quieter to move through the woods, but changing hunting locations is a snap. And that helps hunters keep up with deer whose movement patterns shift during the season due to changing food sources and hunting pressure.

» Vanishing act. Since the components are less bulky, the saddle allows hunters to get into trees that are twisted, forked and full of branches — just the kind of cover that helps hide a hunter’s silhouette. Climbing sticks have become increasingly low-profile, too, for added concealment. And because hunters are tethered directly behind the tree trunk, it’s easy to use the trunk to hide your silhouette as

you watch game approach and then draw a bow or lift a rifle.

Still, deer hunting Spidey-style takes some getting used to. Like rappelling, says Redd, those first few times leaning back into the saddle can be unsettling. He suggests a few sessions at ground level first, to gain comfort and confidence in the equipment.

“You don’t want to be messing with ropes and carabiners for the first time in the dark,” he says. But it doesn’t take long to learn to trust the saddle system and move around the tree trunk with ease, and learn to lean out for shots at various angles.

A tree saddle may not lead you to give up your climbing or lock-on stand permanently — but you might have to dust it off the next time you use it. l

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HUNTING

Gear Guide TREE SADDLES ARE commonly sold in a bundle that includes the saddle, lineman’s rope, tether rope and the assorted carabiners and other mechanical parts that make it all work.

You’ll need to add a platform and a means to actually climb the tree.

Here are some of the finest components on the market today:

TETHRD PHANTOM Even with an adjustable waist that goes from 28 to 40 inches, the Phantom tips the scales at a modest two pounds. The fit around your bottom can easily be modified for all-day comfort, and a new Amsteel bridge system offers nearly 30 inches of customizable length so hunters can fine-tune their position on the tree. $249.99, tethrdnation.com

TIMBER NINJA C1 CARBON FIBER STICKS

OUT ON A LIMB RIDGE RUNNER XL While some hunters rest their feet on a device called a “ring of steps,” most choose a saddle platform. These function like a down-sized lockon stand, with a textured footbed for solid traction. The Ridge Runner XL is built with a large leveling knob that makes it easy to customize the platform’s angle on the fly. $179.99, outonalimbmfg.com

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PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

The industry’s first carbon fiber climbing stick, these altitude aids come in 20- and 24-inch versions, and nestle quietly for maximum concealment while you’re hoofing it into the woods. Third-party tested with a 300-pound rating, they are crazy light. The 20-inch stick weighs a paltry 1.2 pounds, with the 24-incher just a couple ounces more. $120 for 20-inch; $140 for 24-inch, timberninjaoutdoors.com

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HERD CONTROL

A dozen hunters will be allowed to take bison in Grand Canyon

BY SHANTI LERNER AND JAY CANNON

94 HUNT & FISH | 2021

T

he first controlled bison hunt inside Grand Canyon National Park is scheduled to take place this fall.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department received more than 45,000 applications from hunters seeking to participate in what they are calling a “lethal removal” exercise to reduce the area’s bison population by 200. From that group, 12 volunteers who met a series of criteria were chosen by random lottery. >

RUSS JACOBY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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HUNTING

One of the requirements: Hunters must be able to haul the carcass without motorized assistance.

The hunt will take place over four, five-day periods between Sept. 20 and Oct. 29, though each volunteer is only eligible for one session.

The 300 to 500 free-ranging bison at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim are descendants of 86 buffalo brought to the area 115 years ago by rancher Charles Jesse “Buffalo” Jones, according to the National Park Service. And the non-native animals have long been a nuisance in the area.

Over time, the expanding herd has damaged water sources, trampled vegetation and harmed archaeological sites. Bison disturb flora with their trails and wallows, which are shallow ruts made when the animals lie down or bathe. They also reduce the height of plants by grazing, which damages the ecosystem.

“Areas are really taking a hit,” says Alicyn Gitlin, the Grand Canyon program manager for the Sierra Club’s Arizona chapter.

“Twenty years ago, I remember going up to the North Rim and just being overwhelmed with the beauty

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of all these wildflowers and meadows and rare plants,” Gitlin says. “When I went back around 2014, it was heartbreaking to me because everything looked like a cow pasture.”

The lethal removal of bison from the Grand Canyon has been a yearslong point of contention between the park and Arizona wildlife officials, and the initiative has some advocates worried that hunting could soon become more commonplace inside national parks.

In 2017, the National Park Service conducted an environmental assessment with the goal of reducing the bison population by 200 animals using two methods: Lethal removal, which allows qualified individuals to hunt bison, and the transfer of the animals to other parts of the United States.

Since 2019, 88 bison have been transferred to Native American tribes in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota through a partnership with the InterTribal Buffalo Council, which represents 69 tribes in 19 states. In September 2020, the National Park Service and Arizona Game and Fish agreed on a plan to

hold a controlled hunt at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. And while the move is expected to create ecological and cosmetic benefits to the park, some experts are concerned it could establish a precedent for similar activity in other national parks.

That’s the primary concern for Gitlin, who says she would have preferred that the park made a greater effort to humanely round up and transport the animals — a process similar to the partnership with the Native American tribes — before resorting to hunting.

Miranda Terwilliger, a wildlife biologist at the park, monitors bison from the ground and air. A primary concern she hears from Native American tribes in the area involves damage to natural and cultural resources.

“They have great concerns, knowing that some of their very sacred sites are getting trampled. Huge wallows are being made in them,” Terwilliger says. l — SHANTI LERNER writes for The Arizona Republic; SHAENA MONTANARI of The Arizona Republic contributed to this story.

BRYAN MAUL/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Bison are penned at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim prior to relocation to native tribal lands in 2019.

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FISHING

WOMEN OF THE WATER

These anglers are casting a light on conservation

F

ishing, for some, is simply a pastime.

For others, it’s a way to put food on the table. But for the three anglers highlighted here, it’s a passion, a profession and a way to teach conservation ethics.

Whether they’re guiding, educating or fishing for fun, these sportswomen embrace angling as a platform to maintain and improve their home waters.

HEATHER HARKAVY Anglers worldwide benefit from the positive energy that radiates from Heather Harkavy.

As director of operations for Denver-based nonprofit Fish for Change, Harkavy uses fly-fishing as a platform to better the planet.

Through student programs, she proselytizes the organization’s tenets of connection, education, conservation and exploration to groups in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

“We hope to inspire a generation of fly fishermen that are stewards of their environment,” Harkavy says. “We team up with local nonprofits working on projects such as coral reef restoration, fish tagging, mangrove restoration and coastal cleanups.”

She’s no stranger to the water. Growing up in South Florida, Harkavy chased world record fish alongside her father Jeff, a founding member of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a group that works to conserve and restore saltwater flats fisheries through research and education.

She fishes onshore, offshore and on the fly, challenging herself by pursuing many of the most challenging fish.

“As I got older, my foundation as an angler

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sparked a need in me to find like-minded peers and help create the space for people to come together,” she says. In college, she worked with nonprofits and brands including Trout Unlimited, Captains for Clean Water, Costa sunglasses and Tropic Star Lodge in Panama. “Through this effort, I was exposed to a lot of different routes to turn my passion into my career, landing me with Fish for Change. And it’s my absolute dream job.”

Harkavy’s life as an angler intersects with some of fishing’s most lauded names.

“I have a 9-weight 3-TAND Winston setup that was gifted to me by Joan Wulff and Stu Apte years ago,” Harkavy says of her favorite rod-and reel combo from a pair of fly-fishing legends. “If my house was on fire, it would be the only thing I would grab. The history of it makes it the kind of rod you should probably just shadow box in your home, but instead it comes everywhere with me.

And because of that, it’s the setup I have caught most of my favorite fish on.”

Warm and vivacious, Harkavy turns competitive when permit are on the docket. And though she travels to some of the world’s most coveted fishing destinations, it’s the people that matter most. In her mind, fishing with a fabulous group of folks beats a dream destination any day.

Harkavy has high expectations for the growth of fly-fishing. “I hope the future of this sport is inclusive, diverse and people dig into their why when it comes to fishing,” she says. “And I want to see fishing continue to be used as a tool to inspire great change. For me, it’s the foundation of friendships that can change the world, and I hope it continues to be my source for a social life, passion and career.” >

PATRICK DUKE

BY NICOLE QUALTIERI

“I want to see fishing continue to be used as a tool to inspire great change.”

— HEATHER HARKAVY

99

FISHING

“Taking care of these spaces ensures they’re there for generations to come.”

CHLOE NOSTRANT If you walk into George Anderson’s Yellowstone Angler and find Chloe Nostrant behind the counter, consider yourself lucky. If you’re looking for something fishy, you’re in for a treat, because Nostrant knows fly-fishing gear like the back of her hand.

“I primarily work in the fly shop,” Nostrant says, “but I do guide in Yellowstone National Park, and I’m also an outdoors writer and photographer.”

It’s Nostrant’s Jill-of-all-trades vibe that makes her a standout in Montana’s bro-centric fly angling culture. She might be on a photo shoot for an outdoor brand one day and guiding anglers for Yellowstone cutthroat trout the next. And the day after that, she might cast more than three dozen rods as part of Yellowstone Angler’s annual rod shootout.

“Every year we decide on a weight, and we take as

100 HUNT & FISH | 2021

many rods as we can,” Nostrant says. “From there we whittle it down to do full writeups. We test under similar conditions on the lawn for three distances — close, medium and far. And from there, we set up rods with the best lines for optimal performance.”

Over the years, she’s cast a lot of rods. These days, she’s partial to Scott’s latest lineup of Centric and Sector rods, if you’re looking for a recommendation.

In her time off, you can find Nostrant upland hunting with her Gordon setter, Hiatt. Both hunting and angling tie her back to the land and water.

“My job depends on conservation,” she says. “And it’s so important because Montana is one of the last open spaces.

We’re really lucky to have it, and we need to realize it’s not an infinite resource. Conserving, protecting and taking care of these spaces ensures they’re there for generations to come.” >

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FISHING

“Being able to help folks disconnect has become more and more important.”

LACEY KELLY Captain Lacey Kelly is the very image of an outdoorswoman. For 15 years, the multifaceted and multitalented Florida guide has coached anglers through fly- and lighttackle fishing, and hunters seeking deer, hogs, turkeys, alligators and more.

She’s done just about everything, from getting her captain’s license as a teenager to spearfishing in Florida to working in a fly shop in Belize. But as a fifth-generation Floridian, she’s most deeply connected to the endangered native landscape. She’s been working as a guide, manager and wearer of many hats for Florida Outdoor Experience (FOE) for seven years.

“The lodge I manage has over 1,600 acres of property that the owner, Gray Drummond, has moved into a conservation easement to ensure it will never be developed,” she says.

“I’ve seen firsthand in my short lifetime of 36 years how the rapid development in the Sunshine State has crippled our natural resources.”

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Florida’s conservation issues are wide ranging, and Kelly sees herself as part of a large team effort to combat the threats at hand.

“Protecting shorelines, oak hammocks, cypress swamps and everything that makes Florida wild is at the heart of our operation at FOE,” she says. “I’m surrounded by incredible folks, and we are fighting the good fight together.”

Connecting her clients to the incredible wildlife and resources that Florida offers is part of her work to conserve and protect.

“The quiet spaces of being on the flats or in an oak hammock that I share with clients are truly special. It’s so easy nowadays to get caught up in our digital lives from social media to Zoom calls and the bottomless pit of emails.

“Being able to help folks disconnect has become more and more important in my 15 years of guiding,” Kelly continues.

“As much as technology has helped develop us into more successful anglers, it still can’t account for fish being fish.

That’s the beauty in what we do on the water.” l

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FISHING

ANGLING FOR PRIVACY Drop a line from islands you can call your own

BY ERIN GIFFORD

VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK, MINN. At Voyageurs National Park, every campsite is accessible by water, and all sites require a camping permit. Some islands

104 HUNT & FISH | 2021

have just one campsite, while other larger islands have multiple options.

Many of the most sought-after island campsites are on Kabetogama Lake, one of four major chain-of-lakes at Voyageurs. Echo and Moxie islands each have just one campsite, while Sphunge Island has two sites — one east, one west.

The islands are not far from the kayak launch area, but may still require an hour or two of paddling, depending on the weather and other variables.

Every campsite has food storage lockers, picnic tables, a fire ring and an outhouse.

“The most important thing to know is the kind of landing. Not all islands have sand landings, but that’s what you want,” says longtime paddler Barry Brahier, from Roseville, Minn., who has camped on the islands at Voyageurs more than a dozen times.

Voyageurs is renowned for having some of the best walleye fishing in the country and some of the best smallmouth bass >

Fishermen take to the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H., on the opening day of landlocked salmon season.

JIM COLE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

L

ooking for a fishing getaway that can please the entire water-loving family? Whether you prefer tents and sleeping bags or climate-controlled cabins with toilets and electricity, there’s an isolated island adventure for you.

Kayakers paddle near one of the islands available for rent on Lake George, which offers some of the best bass fishing in New York.

fishing in the state.

When they’re not biting, paddle to islands that allow for exploration, like Cutover Island, also on Kabetogama Lake. Near the lake you’ll find the 2-mile Locator Lake Trail. Keep your eyes open for beavers, bald eagles, loons, red squirrels, swans and other native wildlife.

LAKE GEORGE ISLANDS, N.Y. In New York’s Adirondacks region, Lake George is one of the state’s best bass fishing spots. It’s stocked with landlocked salmon annually and is also a good place to catch lake and brook trout.

It’s also home to several clusters of state-owned islands that can be reserved for paddle-in day-use activities or overnight camping. The Lake George Islands can be reached by canoe, kayak,

106 HUNT & FISH | 2021

motorized boats and sailboats.

Book your campsite at ReserveAmerica.com or take a chance on one of the first-come, first-serve options, which can only be reserved in person at the ranger station. All islands have at least one toilet, a fire ring and a picnic table.

The Glen Island Group is a favorite with more than two dozen islands, including single-site islands such as Perch and Little Gourd. Hermit Island is a top pick given its proximity to Glen Island, which is home to a ranger station and a general store for live bait, firewood, groceries, ice cream and other supplies.

POSEY ISLAND MARINE STATE PARK, WASH. The San Juan Islands are a draw for anglers seeking halibut,

rockfish, salmon and other saltwater species and have long been revered by outdoor enthusiasts, thanks to a multitude of camping, hiking and paddling opportunities. Paddle-in campsites can be found on islands, peninsulas and state parks along the Cascadia Marine Trail in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

For a remote paddle-andcamp experience, look to small marine parks like Posey Island Marine State Park. With just two campsites, it’s possible to have the entire 1-acre state park to yourself. Walk the perimeter to study time-worn yew trees and brightly colored wildflowers.

During the day, kayak north to Spieden Island to see — from a distance — sika deer, horned mouflon sheep and other safari animals grazing on the >

ALDEN PELLETT

FISHING

Pawleys Island | Murrells Inlet | Litchfield Beach | Garden City | Georgetown | Andrews

The Hammock Coast is famous for its miles of pristine beaches, ąƧƟɔĹƟɊƓɔêŏƓťɔƿĔŏŏɔŌŚťƿŚɔĬťƋɔƟĴĔɔƿťƋŏčȽĆŏêƓƓɔąêƓƓɔǚ ɔƓĴĹŚĭɔ ąƧƟ ĹƟɊƓ êŏƓť ƿĔŏŏ ŌŚťƿŚ ĬťƋ ƟĴĔ ƿťƋŏčȽĆŏêƓƓ ąêƓƓ ǚƓĴĹŚĭ tournaments held in our rivers and bays, not to mention the ƟŏêŚƟĹĆɔzĆĔêŚɔǚ ɔƓĴĹŚĭɔĆĴêƋƟĔƋƓɔêƾêĹŏêąŏĔȧɔcĔêƋŚɔŘťƋĔɔêąťƧƟɔêŏŏɔ ƟŏêŚƟĹĆ zĆĔêŚ ǚƓĴĹŚĭ ĆĴêƋƟĔƋƓ êƾêĹŏêąŏĔȧ cĔêƋŚ ŘťƋĔ êąťƧƟ êŏŏ our outdoor adventures at HammockCoastSC.comȧ

DROP A LINE inUpcountry South Carolina

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FISHING beach. Breakfast basics like fresh fruit, cereal, oatmeal, coffee and tea are provided, but you’ll have to pack in the rest of your provisions. The cabin is also stocked with cleaning supplies, paper products and firewood.

“Guests who come to the island for a vacation want to stay on the island,” says Holli Lathroum, marketing manager for MountainPlex Properties, which operates the cabin. “They want to kayak around the island, go fishing, listen to the river and not do a lot of anything, just relax.”

Renters of The Cabin on Coney Island can relax on the porch after a morning chasing bass or catfish in West Virginia’s New River.

savannalike grasses. The private island was a game park for a short time in the 1960s.

Stepping foot on the island is prohibited, but wildlife can be seen from the water.

In the afternoon, savor the sweeping views from the Posey Island shoreline. There is no electricity or potable water source, but there is a composting toilet on the island. Sites can be reserved online through Washington State Parks.

THE CABIN ON CONEY ISLAND, W.VA. Coney Island may be part of the name, but this retreat is not even close to Brooklyn. It’s actually inside the New River Gorge National Park, recently redesignated as a preserve in the national park system. Here, you’ll find The Cabin on Coney

108 HUNT & FISH | 2021

Island, a climate-controlled shanty that can sleep up to 10 people between two bedrooms and a loft with three twin-size trundle beds.

Coney Island is located at the confluence of the New and Greenbrier rivers in Hinton.

The New, in particular, offers excellent opportunities to catch bass (smallmouth, largemouth, striped and rock), bluegill, carp and channel and flathead catfish.

The cabin features amenities like flush toilets, a full kitchen, electricity and air conditioning.

It’s a quick paddle, too; it’s the length of a football field from the boat launch to the island. An in-town outfitter can also taxi you over to the island.

Beyond a well-appointed cabin, you’ll find 7 acres of hiking trails and a small sandy

Little Whortlebury Island is one of only a handful of private islands for rent on Lake Winnipesaukee. There is no cabin or abode of any kind on the 4-acre island, so plan to bring your own tents and sleeping bags.

This does not mean the island is free of amenities. In fact, the island is stocked with cooking utensils and tableware. There is also a large dining table, a stone barbecue pit, food prep tables, tent platforms and a composting toilet.

Bring your own boat or rent one from Melvin Village Marina for the short hop to Little Whortlebury Island. Spend your days fishing for bass, perch, trout and landlocked salmon or tuning in to the haunting calls of the majestic loons. Make time to paddle or motor out to Liliuokalani’s Ice Cream Shop for a scoop or two.

Staying on Little Whortlebury truly allows you to get back to basics, like blueberries. “One of the great things about the island is that there are tons of wild blueberries to feast on, especially in August,” says Sabra GandhiSellers, daughter-in-law of the island’s owner, noted American architect David Sellers. l

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WET AND WILD

Fan-favorite museum and aquarium is a must-see attraction

F

or the third time in four years, Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Mo., has been voted the best aquarium in USA TODAY’s 10Best Reader’s Choice awards.

Wonders of Wildlife celebrates hunting, fishing and conservation through immersive galleries and a 1.5 milliongallon aquarium. Some 800 species are on display, including zebra sharks, sea turtles and freshwater sport fish.

The aquarium also features a collection of historic boats used by fishing legends and celebrities, including singer Jimmy Buffett and renown authors and outdoorsmen Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey.

Wonders of Wildlife was founded by Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, in partnership with more than 40 leading conservation organizations, including Ducks

110 HUNT & FISH | 2021

Unlimited, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation and National Wild Turkey Federation.

After 10Best readers voted it the best new attraction in 2017, Wonders of Wildlife was named best aquarium in 2018 and 2020. 10Best notes that Morris’ conservation-related efforts have “solidified his place alongside such remarkable environmentalists” as Theodore Roosevelt and famed 19thcentury nature photographer William Henry Jackson.

In a statement congratulating Wonders of Wildlife for the achievement, Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam called it “the most important natural history museum to open in more than a century” and “the single-handed greatest effort to celebrate the true spirit of conservation.”

— GREGORY J. HOLMAN writes for the Springfield (Mo.)

News-Leader.

JOHHNY MORRIS’ WONDERS OF WILDLIFE NATIONAL MUSEUM & AQUARIUM

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Lakes Marion & Moultrie cover 171,000 acres Boating & world class fishing year round

13 Championship golf course that you can play year round 1. Wear your life jacket 2. Take a boating safety class 3. Carry all required safety gear 4. Use your engine cut-off device 5. File a float plan 6. Be aware of weather and water conditions 7. Boat sober, and be considerate of others

Exit 98 off I-95 Santee, South Carolina For our visitors guide call 1-800-227-8510 www.santeecoopercountry.org

OUTDOORS

GET AWAY FROM IT ALL New how-to camping book celebrates the outdoor lifestyle

M

y wife and I knew we’d done at least one thing right when our daughter hollered down from her upstairs bedroom: “Mom! Am I going to potty outside or inside?” She was maybe 8 years old, and we were all

112 HUNT & FISH | 2021

packing our clothes and personal gear for a weekend away. And she needed to know: Was she sleeping in a tent, or in a hotel room? When nature called, would she trudge to a certain tree, or have access to a real toilet and running water? She could handle either option.

“In the woods, sweetie!” Julie sang

out. “Pack for camping.” Our eyes met and we grinned. “That’s just good parenting,” I said.

In fact, Markie and her younger brother, Jack, have a lot to do with my love of camping — a passion that has added new levels of possibility to my hunting and fishing exploits. The fact >

GETTY IMAGES

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OUTDOORS

Hunt & Fish guest editor T. Edward Nickens’ book is on sale now.

114 HUNT & FISH | 2021

that they grew up loving to camp meant that our family slept under the stars frequently on summer vacations, spring breaks and long holiday weekends.

Camping is woven into our family identity. We share memories from campfires that flickered from Florida Keys beaches to Rocky Mountain lakeshores to sequestered campsites in the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. Markie and Jack never complained when their friends went to Disney World while we flew to the middle of nowhere to drive even deeper into the back of beyond, all for the pleasure of sleeping on the ground and waking to a wild world scented with fresh fish frying for breakfast. I hope they’ll agree with me about the most wonderful aroma in the world: pajamas that smell like wood smoke.

I’ve pitched tents from the Arctic to equatorial Central America. I camp on fishing, hunting and canoeing trips and just for the heck of camping itself. I think there’s great value in learning to

be comfortable in the cold, to go a few days without an honest shower, to know how to cook a meal on a fire of your own making, to rig a tarp and tie a trucker’s hitch — and to potty in the woods, if there’s no bathhouse nearby.

More and more people are discovering the astonishing possibilities that await those willing to pitch a tent or hammock — or park a pop-up camper or an RV with satellite TV and air conditioning.

Public lands are a portal to some of the most inspiring landscapes on the planet with world-class fishing and hunting opportunities, and they are yours for free, or rarely more than $20 a night. You might not get turned-down sheets and a mint on your pillow, but you’ll warm yourself in your own personal beam of sunshine coming through the treetops, and season each meal with views of woods and streams and mountains. And fresh fish and game.

Sound good? I sure think so. Let’s start prepping. >

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OUTDOORS

HEAD FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS This land is your land — national forests, national parks and other national treasures that comprise the 640 million acres of federal land in the United States.

Camping on public lands is an American birthright. It’s inexpensive, and often free.

It’s your gateway to the wildest corners of the country and the best hunting and fishing on the continent. And it’s yours, so act like you own it.

National parks. There are more than 85 million acres in the U.S. National Park Service system, and while hunting is limited, most parks are wide open to fishing.

While the wilderness experience is a huge draw, most national parks offer superb frontcountry camping and fishing for those who like their nature with a side dish of electricity and running water. A fishing/camping combo trip in a national park is a formative experience for many, kicking off a lifelong quest for adventure.

And the variety of fishing experiences is as vast as the landscapes. You can surf fish from the Outer Banks beaches of North Carolina, go deep into the Yellowstone backcountry or plug for bass in ponds and streams.

National forests. U.S. national forests make up the biggest backyard of all: 193 million acres, most of which are open to camping, fishing and hunting.

While there are designated campgrounds in numerous national forests, many of the system’s 4,300 campgrounds are dispersed through the forest unit, offering an opportunity for self-sufficiency. A major draw of national forests is the ability to pitch a tent outside of an established campground — along old forest roads and in primitive campsites tucked into the woods. You won’t find staffing and activities as you would at a national park. But you can find yourself in blissful solitude — and in

116 HUNT & FISH | 2021

1. MAKE A NEST The specific placement of the tent is critical to a good night’s sleep. Prep the ground where your sleeping bag will be. >

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STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE For more information about camping on public lands, visit nps.gov, usda.gov, fws.gov or blm.gov

most national forests, you won’t have to pay a dime.

National seashores and lakeshores.

Think of the nation’s 13 national seashores and lakeshores as national parks at the beach, where you can wake up within two steps of casting your line for saltwater species or freshwater trout and bass.

National seashores preserve some of the most wildlife-rich coastlines in the country, so there are plenty of opportunities to fish for dinner and try your hand at duck hunting. Run by the National Park Service, national seashores and lakeshores offer a mix of designated campgrounds and deep wilderness backcountry.

National monuments. While national parks are created by the U.S. Congress, national monuments can also be created by the president to preserve important natural and cultural sites.

National monuments can be managed by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, among others, so you’ll need to check with the appropriate agency for camping opportunities and regulations about hunting and fishing.

Bureau of Land Management. If you don’t live in the American West you may not be familiar with the Bureau of Land Management, but this federal agency manages 245 million acres of public lands for outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development and energy production.

The biggest draw to most BLM properties is the chance to strike out and make camp far from the next nearest human. There’s almost as much BLM land as there is in national parks and national forests combined, and just about all of it is open to hunting and fishing.

Now that you’ve decided to get away from it all, allow me to offer some tips to keep you comfortable.

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OUTDOORS Form a bight in the standing part of the rope below the loop, then pass the bight through the loop, pulling it tight to form a knotted loop in the standing line. Pass the working end of the line under the anchorage point, up through the loop and back down. Pull down on the line to get the pulley effect, and cinch the load as forcibly as you like. Lock the hitch in place with two or three half hitches to a solid point of anchorage.

3. STAY WARM IN A SLEEPING BAG

First, make your bed. Pace off the ground that will be under the tent and clear it of rocks and sticks. Then fill the divots. Scrape leaves or loose soil into any divots and small holes under the tent space. Now dig a “booty hole.” Dig or tamp down a slight depression in the ground — a couple inches are plenty — where your pelvis will be once you lay down. If you sleep on your back, this reduces painful pressure points on the small of your back. If you’re a side-sleeper, your hip will nestle in the hole, keeping your spine aligned for a more restful snooze.

2. GET KNOTTY WITH A TRUCKER’S HITCH Also called the wagoner’s hitch, this is a “tension hitch,” great for cinching down a load and for maintaining or adjusting any kind of tight line. Use it for tying anything down to vehicle racks or when rigging guylines for a tent.

Although this hitch lets you tighten down a load with cracking force, it’s fast and easy to untie.

To start, twist a loop in the standing part of the rope, above the point of anchorage (for instance, the bar of a vehicle rack, a bumper or a saddle ring).

118 HUNT & FISH | 2021

— Excerpted from Field & Stream’s The Total Camping Manual, one of Hunt & Fish guest editor T. EDWARD NICKENS’ two new books out this summer. The other is The Last Wild Road: Adventures and Essays from a Sporting Life, a gripping, often hilarious and deeply meditative journey through the heart of the outdoors in the modern world. The collection includes the best of Nickens’ nearly 20 years of work for Field & Stream.

PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

A quality sleeping bag is important, but don’t skimp on a solid sleeping pad.

There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night with the shivers, so do what you can to make sure your sleeping system is toasty for the long haul. Here are five ways to sleep like a warm log all night long: Bottle service. Place a hot water bottle in the sleeping bag 30 minutes before you turn in.

Fleece your feet. Stash soft, dry clothing such as long underwear and a fleece vest in the sleeping bag’s foot box. The garments will absorb foot moisture throughout the night and insulate your lower body. Bonus points: You’ll have warm undies in the morning.

Establish ground control. The cold ground can chill an air mattress, which, in turn, chills you. Add a layer of protection by covering your sleeping pad with a blanket before laying your sleeping bag down.

Pull on a jacket. Zip up your winter coat and pull it over the end of the sleeping bag to keep your feet warm.

Don’t hesitate — insulate. Don’t wait until you’re shivering to pull on a layer of long underwear or dig your beanie out of the pack. Layer up before lights out. l

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LAST WORD

OUTDOOR VOICES Hunting around for a podcast or two? Give these a listen

BY COSMO GENOVA

ANCHORED WITH APRIL VOKEY April Vokey is a wellknown Canadian fishing guide who began the Anchored podcast as a way to catalog conversations with the interesting people she meets. Her guests come from a wide range of professional backgrounds, but all talk revolves around hunting, fishing, foraging and homesteading.

At 180 episodes and counting, Vokey asks pointed questions in a gentle and honest way, and isn’t afraid to delve into murky cultural and political waters or play devil’s advocate with her guests. New episodes drop every two to three weeks on average.

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platform has become a favorite for hunters and anglers looking to dive into complex topics in detail. With a nearly endless supply of offerings, it’s difficult to create a “best” list, but a few stand out from the crowd:

BHA’S PODCAST & BLAST WITH HAL HERRING

JAY SCOTT OUTDOORS WESTERN HUNTING & FISHING

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers’ (BHA) podcast features interesting guests from across the outdoor spectrum, including writers, biologists, policymakers, wilderness outfitters and industry professionals.

Podcast & Blast is hosted

by Field & Stream contributing editor and award-winning journalist Hal Herring. New episodes are released every other week and often pertain to current events, cultural conversations and ongoing policy decisions that affect sportsmen and women. Like BHA, the podcast brings people from a wide range of political and social backgrounds together in conversation over common ground.

If there is one thing that can be said about Jay Scott, it’s that he’s absolutely relentless. His podcast has clocked more than 770 episodes and claims more than 55 million downloads.

Scott and his business partner, Darr Colburn, run Phoenixbased Colburn and Scott Outfitters, which offers hunting and fishing trips in the U.S. and Mexico. They also operate a real estate business in Phoenix.

New episodes of Jay Scott Outdoors drop every few days on average, featuring a diverse guest list of professionals in the outdoors world. Episode themes often follow the seasons, offering relevant information to help you in the field.

THE MEATEATER PODCAST Like its TV show companion, the MeatEater podcast has tackled everything you can imagine relating to the natural world and hunting and fishing. Its wide appeal has made it one of the most popular podcasts in any genre, not just among the hook and bullet crowd.

Steven Rinella’s nearencyclopedic knowledge of history and literature, as well as an endless supply of stories, guides the discussion.

The show can be intellectual and anthropological, but also has a conversational tone that Rinella and his co-hosts have crafted over hundreds of episodes, and the long format lets them delve deep into their topics.

PROVIDED BY THE PODCASTS; GETTY IMAGES

W

hether you’re looking for education or entertainment, there’s a podcast for just about everything. This

Be a Hero by Supporting Heroes

Started by NASCAR Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski in 2010, the Checkered Flag Foundation honors and assists those who sacrifice greatly for our country and communities.

The Checkered Flag Foundation celebrated 10 years of giving back to American heroes in 2020. Over the past decade, CFF has worked hard to provide for veterans, active military, g: first responders and their families including: • Providing service • Offering at track canines to veterans experiences for in need injured veterans • Assisting in the build • Honoring military of Michigan’s first families through Fisher House efforts on and off the track • Partnering with local first responders to provide disaster relief

Help us continue serving those who serve us by making a tax-deductible donation.

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SERVING THOSE WHO

SERVE US

We believe nobody deserves the American Dream more than our nations heroes. That's why Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors has been building injury-specific, accessible, mortgage-free homes for critically wounded veterans since 2009.

Scan the QR code to donate and together we can build #AStrongFoundation for our veterans.

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