The Iowa Sportsman December 2018 by Twin Rivers Media

THE IOWA SPORTSMAN • 1517 3rd Ave NW • FORT DODGE IA 50501 • 877-424-4594 Presorted Standard U.S. Postage

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FEATURES 12 THE LATE SEASON DILEMMA 16 FIRST ICE 20 GO TO SETS FOR IOWA FURBEARERS MADE BY SHOTGUN HUNTERS 24 MISTAKES ICE FISHING 2019 PREDICTIONS 28 MAKE A RETURN TO SOUTHERN IOWA 32 QUAIL By Ryan Graden By Ben Leal

By JD Rogge

By Jason Smith

By Rod Woten

TO DO IN THE IOWA GREAT LAKES 36 PLENTY ICE FISHING SCENARIOS 46 FALL TURKEY HUNTING? 50 TO DO OR NOT TO DO? 365: LATE SEASON HUNTING 54 WHITETAILS TRAIL CAMERA PICTURES 58 FROM READERS By Steve Weisman By Nick Johnson

By Aaron Stonehocker

By Tom Peplinski

By Troy Hoepker

DEPARTMENTS 62 AROUND THE STATE 6 PUBLISHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STATEMENT 10 IOWA SPORTSMAN INTERACTIVE 64 FISHING IOWA MOON PHASES/ GUNDOG CORNER 11 SUNRISE-SUNSET 66 TROPHY ROOM IOWA COOKBOOK 44 68 By Patrick McKinney

By Bob Jensen

Photos Submitted by Readers

Venison Recipes

ON THE COVER

Welcome to the December Issue of The Iowa Sportsman Magazine! On the cover this month is a photo of a man drilling a hole into the ice with his auger. Ice fishing has quietly become one of the most popular pastimes of Iowans. It is no longer a sit on your bucket and wait for a bite sport. There is a lot of technology that has advanced this industry and sport into a major passion for many Iowans. If you would like to try something new and fun, then put on the warm clothes and go ice fishing this winter. 4

The Iowa Sportsman

December 2018

PUBLISHER STATEMENT

DON’T CHEAT YOURSELF

I have been hunting and fishing in Iowa for over three decades now! Depending on your age that may seem like a lot of time or possibly not very much at all. Nonetheless those 30 odd years have taught me a lot and I consider myself a pretty good outdoorsman. Not by chance or pure luck though, I have had plenty of humbling moments over the course of time to teach me I don’t know everything and never will. The old adage “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me” rings true in the world of being a sportsman. Failure and mistakes are okay, it is what we do to turn those mistakes into successes that really matters. That is what I like about hunting and fishing! Just when you think you have everything figured out is the moment you are dead wrong. That is what makes it exciting…if hunting and fishing were something you could master then it really wouldn’t be worth pursuing for me. I like to learn and be a student of the game. As a student of this passion, probably the biggest thing I have learned over the course of my 30 some odd years of being in “class” is to not cheat myself. Now I am not talking about doing anything unethical or break any laws. Rather I am talking about doing things the right way to maximize your potential. Recently I reflected back on some of my most memorable times while out hunting and fishing, both the good and the bad. After reminiscing about those memories something popped into my head. The times where I was successful I seemed to do everything in my abilities to make it a success. I didn’t take any shortcuts, I stuck to my plan, and I executed that plan accordingly. On the flip side when I wasn’t successful or made a bonehead mistake was when I cheated myself. I would take shortcuts or simply do things the lazy way thinking that the details didn’t matter. Well in most instances those details did matter and left me with a bad taste in my mouth and a lost chance at success in the field or on the water. For example, the memory that sticks out in my mind the most is when I was a few years into my bow hunting career. It was a slow morning during the prime of the rut. I was restless in the stand and honestly down right bored. So I decided to get up and stretch my legs. Well in the world of bow hunting whitetails there is a right way to stand up and a wrong way to stand up. I chose the wrong way, the quicker way….okay the lazy way. I stood up abruptly without checking my surroundings. The moment I did that I heard a twig snap directly behind me. I turned and looked and there stood a magnificent 10 point buck not 50 yards behind me staring directly at me. That was the end of that, he bolted off in a matter of seconds and that foul taste was in my mouth. Had I taken the time to do things the right way, and been alert, check my surroundings, and stood up very slowly I might have had a shot at a Boone & Crocket deer. It was no one’s fault but by my own. I cheated myself and I knew better than that. From that date on I have always remembered to look around and stand up slowly in the stand. I have learned from that mistake. I could go on and on about my mistakes or failures over the years, but I think you get the point. When we take shortcuts or don’t do things the way they should be, we risk the chance of success. So take the time and think before you make a decision to make things easier for yourself when hunting or fishing. 99% of the time the hard way is the correct way when being a sportsman! In the event you do make that bonehead decision, which we all will no matter what at some point in our future excursions, make sure you learn from that decision and never be fooled twice.

Patrick McKinney

@TheIowaSportsmanMagazine

The Iowa Sportsman

TWIN RIVERS MEDIA, LLC. 1517 3rd Avenue NW Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 877-424-4594

VOLUME 16 • NUMBER 12 • DECEMBER 2018

Gale W. McKinney II, President & CEO Patrick McKinney, Publisher Audra McKinney, VP of Finance Aaron McKinney, Field Editor Brandon Peterson, Art Director/Graphic Designer Teri Marsh, Graphic Designer Dawn Busse, Office Manager Robert Reedy, Controller Shawna Nelson, Circulation Manager

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Nick Johnson, JD Rogge, Ryan Graden, Troy Hoepker,Tom Peplinski, Steve Weisman, Ben Leal, Aaron Stonehocker, Rod Woten, Bob Jensen. The information and advertising set forth herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable and compiled with great care. Twin Rivers Media, LLC. however, does not warrant complete accuracy of such information and assumes no responsibility for any consequences arising from the use thereof or reliance thereon. Our advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their respective advertisements appearing in this publication, and Publisher shall not be responsible or liable in any manner for inaccuracies, false statements or any material in such advertisement infringing upon the intellectual rights of others. Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement or space reservation at any time without notice. Publisher shall not be liable for any costs or damages if for any reason it fails to publish an advertisement. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved.

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December 2018

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INTERACTIVE PAGE

WHAT AM I

IOWA SPORTSMAN ONLINE POLL FOR $1 MILLION DOLLARS (TAX FREE) WOULD YOU GIVE UP HUNTING AND/OR FISHING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? Yes: No:

CAN YOU GUESS THE OBJECT IN THE PHOTO?

Please send your guesses to The Iowa Sportsman at 1597 3rd Ave. NW Fort Dodge, IA 50501 or email to info@twinriversmedia.com. Answer will be given in the following month on the interactive page.

WHAT AM I WINNER

The winner of last month’s “What Am I” was Daniel Wright. The answer was: Black Powder Pellets.

Like us on Facebook! @ theiowasportsmanmagazine

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FIND THE MISSING ANTLER We need your help readers! The antler in The Iowa Sportsman logo has come off and we need your help to bring it back! This antler could be anywhere, but most likely it will be hiding in a photo, so it will not be easily found. If you find the missing antler in this month’s The Iowa Sportsman magazine, send in your guesses via email to info@twinriversmedia. com or by mail with the page number and a brief description of where the antler is found. A reader with the first correct answer will be listed in next month’s magazine. Good luck! The antler last month was located on page 36.

THE WINNER OF THE NOVEMBER ISSUE WAS JEFF CONNORS

PHOTO HUNT: CAN YOU FIND THE 12 DIFFERENCES ON THIS PHOTO?

Answers: 2x4 board has chunk out of it, framed artwork is tilted, candle is red, handle on safe is turned the other way, hook on the lure mailbox is missing, tail is cut off from pelt, leg from bar stool is missing, back of chair piece is different color, part of turkey fan is missing, one boot is bigger, one drawer is gone from tool box, fishing pole is gone.

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MOON PHASES

November 2018 18 Visible: 77% 19 Visible: 85%

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December 2018

Sunrise: 7:39 AM Sunset: 4:49 PM

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31Visible: 29%

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IT’S NOW THE LATE SEASON. You’ve hunted hard all fall and winter and yet you find yourself sitting here in the timber with an open tag. The snow is deeper, the cold wind is biting, and maybe you’ve spent too many hours away from your “honey do” list at home. Ending the season with an empty tag is not where you thought you’d be. So what do you do? What are your options? How can you still fill your tag to prove to your family that your time outside was all worth it? The late season, like other seasons, offers it’s own unique challenges. Honestly, as hunters, if there weren’t challenges to the season, everybody would be doing this. The challenges are what keeps us sharp and keeps us going. Having a goal to accomplish is why hunters continue to endure all that mother nature will throw at them. So don’t give up! Assess your situation, your area, and what’s going on around you and come up with a new plan that just might give you the advantage you need to bring home something you’d be proud of.

TIP #1: THE POST-RUT

Remember, even though November has come and gone and the days of the seasons are counting down, there are some bucks out there that are still interested in does. They may not be pursuing them with the intensity that they had during the rut, but their interest may still be perked if they come across a doe who is in a later estrous cycle. If you know that this is happening or could be happing in the timber where you are hunting, perform some of the tactics that you’d be doing during the peak of the rut in November in hopes that you might lure an interested buck into range. Continue to put out some scent. I have had some amazing success with using doe urine on drip rags. Remember, you don’t need to buy the most expensive things on the market to do this with. Find an old t-shirt (wash it in scent free wash) then cut it into strips. Don’t be afraid to hang these near your stand, refreshing them with new application from time to time. That scent will travel the miles that you can’t. With any luck, that buck will track

December 2018

that smell right to you. Vocalizations are still an option too in the post-rut. Using a grunt call from time to time is certainly not out of line. Especially when you see a good buck in the distance. Sound off a few challenge grunts in hopes that it will trigger his dominance and he might make the trail to you. Using a doe bleat is also something to be considered. The combination of scent and a doe bleat are always a good combination. If a buck first smells something interesting and then hears the bleat, you can bet there’s an excellent chance that he’s going to come and investigate.

TIP #2: THE WEATHER

Throughout the different times of the season, the weather will do a lot to dictate the movement and activity of deer in an area. A good hunter should always be checking the weather before they head out to hunt for many reasons. You need to know where the wind is blowing from, what the temperature will be doing, and if there is any drops in the barometric pressure. Wind speed and any precipitation will also be vital information in planning your hunts. During the late season here in Iowa, you can expect some nasty weather. Heavy snows, and cold temperatures will be at the top of the list and this is often times what keeps us hunters out of the woods. And why wouldn’t it? Who wants to be out in conditions like that? Well, sometimes, the deer will be. One of the most “certain” hunts that I was ever on was with my cousin a few years back. He had a doe tag to fill and

one night to do it. I had been hunting the nights before without much luck. The weather was cold, but fair and the deer did not seem to move too much. When I checked the forecast, I saw that although it would be calm at the beginning of our hunt, a front was moving in with high winds and blizzard like conditions. After seeing that weather report, I told him, “If you want to fill that tag, tonight is the night!” As we watched the radar on our phones and knew what was coming, the deer seemed to know the same thing. When the previous nights were slow, this one was not. The first doe came out, presented the right angle, and he made a great shot. As we tracked her in the snow, the blizzard like winds came in and before we knew it, we were driving through the field back to the road not being able to see more than 5 feet off the bumper. Was is smart? Probably not. Was I certain that the deer would move because of the impending front? Yes. In the late season, if you can physically endure some of these things, you’re going to see some great action. Temperature drops, barometric pressure changes, and even wind will dictate the perfect conditions for an active night. Translate the weather patterns and you’ll be in good shape.

TIP #3: TRAILS AND TRACKS

This tip is something that I believe very much in. In fact, I spend quite a bit of time after the seasons in the late winter paying attention to these as I begin to shed hunt. Discovering the travel patterns of the deer on the property that you hunt is vital to you hunt. It will tell you where to hang your stands, what time of day the deer are coming and going, and which deer are showing up where. Spending time on this tip will give you a huge advantage throughout the season, especially during the late season when the snow is on the ground! Deer trails are probably the greatest script that a hunter could read. With luck, by the late season, deer have begun to move into a new, somewhat steady routine

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THE LATE SEASON DILEMMA of sleeping and feeding. The majority of the rut is finished and the bucks as well as the does are in “survival mode”. Sleeping and feeding are going to give them the nourishment and stores to make it through the rest of the Midwest winter. Along with these needs comes routine. Deer trails in the snow are a great sign for you to pay attention to. A trail that is used over and over again will show when you compare it to other trails. They will be worn down and wider, which will indicate the routine that the deer are following. If you put a trail camera up, you might just gain the confirmation you need. If a trail is showing that kind of use, trust me, they are there. You could also tell who is using the trail and what time of the day that they are using it. It’s true! There are certain things that can tell you which specific deer is traveling on this trail. That is, if you’re familiar with a few that you’ve been watching over the season. When I was in college I read a book called, “Big Bucks the Benoit Way” and it changed my hunting forever. The Benoit family has been following these tracking facts for years and they have become experts at finding tracks, discerning them,

The Iowa Sportsman

and following them to accomplish some amazing record book harvests. The Benoits suggest watching for tracks that sidestep low hanging branches indicating that the buck might be carrying a large rack. They suggest taking notice of the spread of the split hoof as well as the depth of the dew claws in the track. The direction of travel (to the plot is the evening trail, away from the plot is the morning trail) and so much more. If you see some of this on a regularly used trail, key into that area. You will have a good chance at a trophy buck in those last days of the season.

TIP #4: BEDDING AREAS

If you are at this point in your challenge to fill your tag before the season closes, I would call this type of hunting spot-andstalk. (Which is my favorite way to hunt the late season.) Over the years, I have had some amazing success at spot-and-stalk hunts in late January. The skill that it takes to sneak into an area for a shot at a good deer will cause your heart to pump when you finally get close enough to take a shot. If you have done your homework, you will know the general areas that deer are bedding and where you hunt. If those

bedding areas are still on the property that you have permission for, you’re in good shape. There is just a few things that you need to think about. First, pay attention to the wind. In a spot-and-stalk situation, the wind will be your greatest enemy! You have to make sure you are approaching your bedding areas with the wind in your favor. Also, make sure you have a little wind! A little wind does a lot for covering up the excess noise that you might make. Pay attention to the snow. Is it fresh, soft, fluffy, and quiet? Or is it older and crunchy from a slightly melted thin frozen crust. Pay attention to your visibility. Are you hidden? What do you need to do to keep yourself hidden as long as possible? Be ready to duck, crawl, or even pull yourself on your belly in order to move in for the right shot.

TIP #5: DEER DRIVE

This brings me back to my roots. A good ‘ol deer drive is still a late season option for you if you can line it up. Here in Iowa, most deer drives are done during the shotgun seasons in early December. Groups of hunters will line up their “posters” while the others walk the timber towards them. Deer drives, if done in the right way and in the right area, will present the hunter with a good, but fast, opportunity to make a harvest. By this time in the late season, you will be using a muzzleloader or bow for your hunt. If you are using a bow, this might not be the best option. If you are using a muzzleloader, you will have a chance to make a shot although it wouldn’t be your traditional muzzleloader situation. Find the few other guys who also have open tags and put a drive together. What do you have to loose? With that in mind, practice some moving muzzleloader shots. Do what you can to prepare your mind as well as your body to make your one shot count! The pressure will be great to make sure you connect, but if you have your lead right and your distance calculated, you should have skills needed to make a successful harvest. Whatever the situation you choose remember, just because you haven’t had success yet, it doesn’t mean you need to give up! Take the days that you have left and try something new? Come up with a new plan. And never throw in the towel until the last minute has come and gone. Give it a good Midwest effort and I’m sure you’ll have something to be proud of. Good luck! To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

December 2018

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AHHHH…NOTHING LIKE your first trip out to the ice. Days prior to your first trip you go through the list, Vexilar battery…check; auger…check; load new line on your ice rods…check; ice jigs and bait…check; ice shack…check; lantern and heater tested…check; everything seems to be in order and ready to go. As I was walking through this self-made equipment checklist I realized that I had failed to take the time to load up new line on my new ice rod, one that came prefilled. Truth is, you should always remove the line that came with the reel and load new. There is no telling how long that line has been there, and the line that is loaded is usually not the best quality. Take the time to go out and get some good ice fishing line, you’ll thank me later. I’ve gone with Polar Ice, Suffix, and Trilene Micro Ice by Berkley. Clam has recently released some phenomenal ice fishing line, Frost Ice, and it’s loaded on several of my reels. Finally, first ice also requires some caution. Don’t venture out alone if you’re unsure of how thick the ice is. Early ice tends to be inconsistent so it’s important to be wise when hitting the ice. In general here is a short list of guidelines that are common throughout ice fishing regions: • Two inches of hard ice can support a person on foot. • Three inches of ice is sufficient for two or three people as long as they aren’t concentrated in a small area. • Four inches of ice will generally safely support small groups of people. • Five inches of ice will support an ATV or snowmobile. • Eight inches of ice will support a small car, but generally, there should be at least ten inches of solid ice to support a full-size pickup truck or SUV. Remember it’s always best to err on the side of caution. If you like punching holes in the ice that is two to three inches thick take along a set of floating ice picks and wear them around your neck. That way if you happen to go through you can jab the picks into the December 2018

ice to help pull yourself out. Also, never go alone, take a length of sturdy rope that can be used to help pull you or your fishing partner to safety, like the CLAM Emergency Throw Rope. Let someone know where you are fishing and when you are expected to return. Early ice fishing can be some of the most productive fishing of the season, make sure you’re home to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

THE FIRST BITE

WHeres a quick tip and time saver for first ice outing. Ice tends to be typically pretty clear, so rather than punching a bunch of holes in search of fish, bring along a small bottle of water. Once you’ve found what you think will be a productive area, pour some water on the ice, set your sonar transducer on the ice in the water and turn it on. The water

my first bite. As with any ice angler, anxious to get that first fish, I yanked on the rod like I was trying to set the hook on a marlin. I felt a fish briefly, but my severe hook set likely ripped the hook clean out of its mouth. So, calming down a bit, I lowered my bait back down, a couple of more bounces and a slow lift of the rod, feeling the weight of the fish I set the hook, fish on!

STRATEGIES FOR EARLY ICE

In most cases when you’re talking about early ice, it’s going to be clear virgin ice and usually will not have any snow accumulations on it. Remember that if you do have some snow, the ice there will typically be a little thinner and weaker. Snow acts as an insulator and ice will not harden at the same rate. With the recent advent in technology, especially the use of a smartphone, we can download and use area lake maps to find our way on the ice. These are great tools for deciding where to fish first ice. Quite honestly, the best place to start are those areas where you were pulling fish out in the fall. With clear ice, you’ll still have

IF YOU ARE USING A MAP APPLICATION ON YOUR PHONE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE WAYPOINTS, MARK PRODUCTIVE AREAS SO YOU CAN COME RIGHT BACK TO THEM. acts as a conductor and you can shoot right through the ice in search of active fish. Once you’ve found them, you punch one hole and start fishing! Hitting the ice for an early morning excursion, I grabbed a rod that was new to me last season, but one that I had not caught a fish with and I tied on a Dave Genz DropKick Jig tipped with a wax worm. As I was lowering my offering down to the fish I could see marks moving in and out of the transducer’s range, I came to about the 12foot mark and stopped there. Bouncing the jig a couple of times; it wasn’t long before I had

good weedbeds that will hold the baitfish and consequently the fish you’re chasing. Look for shallow points that drop off into deeper water as well as creek channels with shallow shelves alongside them. Scouting on early ice is easy and you won’t have to punch a bunch of holes to find active fish. The early morning bite was pretty exciting. Fish after fish took our offerings; I was out with a good friend, and again for safety reasons we were partnered up. Fishing was consistent for the first couple of hours. Then just like a light switch, the fish disappeared, and the fishing slowed. Like IowaSportsman.com

FIRST ICE

open water, you must move and find the fish. I found a drop off in the lake that went from about 13 feet down to 16 feet, all within five feet. I tried fishing shallower first, after about ten minutes with no activity, I decided to move. Dropping my bait down a deeper hole, I saw some fish move in as soon as the jig hit about 15 feet. Watching my spring bobber dip, I set the hook on yet another nice bass. Ironically enough and without surprise, every time I hooked a bass out of this area I wouldn’t see

and as the snow started to drop, the fishing changed. In general, here are some tips on how barometric pressure changes affect the fish. • High pressure, clear skies – fish slow down, find cover or go deeper. • Rising pressure – clearing or improving – fish tend to become slightly more active. • Normal and stable – normal fishing. • Falling, degrading weather – most active fishing. • Slightly lower, usually cloudy - Many

IN MOST CASES WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT EARLY ICE, IT’S GOING TO BE CLEAR VIRGIN ICE AND USUALLY WILL NOT HAVE ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ON IT. REMEMBER THAT IF YOU DO HAVE SOME SNOW, THE ICE THERE WILL TYPICALLY BE A LITTLE THINNER AND WEAKER. a bluegill for a while, go figure huh? Those pesky predator fish… I’ll take one any time. I spent the balance of my day there, right at the bottom of the drop-off. As I stated, there were times when there were no fish, but suddenly a very bright red line would appear in my Vexilar, hover next to my jig, and take the bait. If you are using a map application on your phone that allows you to create waypoints, mark productive areas so you can come right back to them. It’s not a bad idea to log the fish you catch, location, type of bait and depth. There are some free online apps such as Fishidy, that have built-in logs for each fish you catch. Probably easier with a pen and pad, but this is an option for techsavvy anglers. Also, take note of what the barometric pressure is doing. We had a weak front that was moving through that day

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fish will head away from cover and seek shallower waters. Some fish will become more aggressive. • Low, rainy or stormy – Fish tend to be less active the longer this period remains.

A GREAT DAY…

We concluded our day at about 2PM. As we were packing up our stuff there were several other anglers that had made their way out to the ice to try their luck. I took home several keeper bluegills for supper and my co-angler also took a bunch to share with his family. I caught fish on a variety of small jigs tipped with a wax worm, on two-pound test line. There is nothing quite as challenging as landing one of those bigger fish on such light tackle through an eight-inch hole. Be safe on the ice and tight lines all!

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SIMPLE YET VERY EFFECTIVE… sets are the backbone of any successful trapline. I often read articles in print or online describing sets that seem unusually complex and time consuming to construct, which always makes me wonder how efficiently the author’s line runs. The fact is that successful trappers don’t spend unnecessary amounts of time making overly complex sets, when they could take the same amount of time making multiple simple, effective sets. The following are examples of simple yet highly effective sets that you can use on your trapline.

THE SMEAR SET

The Smear Set is the king of trapline speed and efficiency when targeting Raccoon, and is also effective for other water furbearers. The Smear set is used anywhere along a body of water which contains vertical structure, and animal sign. Vertical structures can consist of a rock or log sticking out of the water, or my favorite, a vertical bank. The Smear set is constructed by bedding your trap securely six inches in front of your vertical structure, staking it securely, then simply smearing about a tablespoon of a good loud sticky paste bait on your vertical structure. When bedding your trap, make sure to “screw” your trap down into the mud, so there is no movement if a coon steps on the edge of the trap, if they step on something and it moves they will pull at the trap until they flip or snap the trap. Another tip on bedding is to push the chain down into the mud, so they don’t find something on the creek bed to pull on. I generally like to have at least 1” of water over my trap but I’ve caught coon in this set with the trap under 6”+ of water. A big plus to the Smear set is the fact that it is a very discreet set. The smear set is easily hidden, and most passers by won’t notice it if they’re looking down the creek December 2018

bank. The smear set can also be made almost anywhere, regardless of the bank type. If you have a flat featureless bank that the raccoon are working, shove a stick in the water, bed and stake your trap 6” in front of the stick, and smear some good bait on the stick. Congratulations… you’re coon trapping, it doesn’t get much easier or more effective than that! I have seen a variation of this set used on beaver, with a good castor lure on the bank and an appropriate piece of beaver iron bedded 8”-10” out from the bank.

spade’s blade, and as tall as the spade’s blade, and about 12” deep. The mouth of the pocket can be scraped out so that water runs into the pocket so that your trap will be submerged, but I take my spade and make a shelf in the back so that my bait is out of the water. Bait in my pockets usually consists of a chunk of carp that I toss in the hole, then use my tile spade to jam the carp firmly into the shelf at the back of the pocket. I then set my trap, usually a 1 ½ coilspring, in the mouth of the pocket firmly bedded, with the chain pushed into the mud. A 1 ½ coilspring fits the pocket perfectly if it’s dug the dimensions of the tile spade blade, this is an important detail to keep from missing mink which are notorious for hugging the edges of a pocket. If your pocket is too wide and you don’t use any guiding you can easily miss mink. For staking on your pocket sets, I prefer to run everything on a 5’ slider/drowning rig. I do this even if I don’t have sufficient water depth to drown my catch, as it will preserve my pocket for future sets and speed up my remake tremendously. You can certainly

WHEN BEDDING YOUR TRAP, MAKE SURE TO “SCREW” YOUR TRAP DOWN INTO THE MUD, SO THERE IS NO MOVEMENTIF A COON STEPS ON THE EDGE OF THE TRAP, IF THEY STEP ON SOMETHING AND IT MOVES THEY WILL PULL AT THE TRAP UNTIL THEY FLIP OR SNAP THE TRAP. THE POCKET SET

The pocket set is an all around set for any furbearer that frequents the water. To construct a pocket set, I find a vertical bank with good sign that it is being frequented by my target furbearer. Next I take my digging tool, and dig a hole or pocket straight back into the bank at the waters edge. I use a tile spade to dig my pockets as I want my pocket as wide as the

stake solidly at the pocket itself, but your first coon catch will turn your carefully dug pocket into a large bomb crater. The pocket set is a simple effective set, and I can think of few furbearers that it won’t take.

THE FLAT SET

The flat set is one of the most versatile IowaSportsman.com

GO TO SETS FOR IOWA FURBEARERS sets in trapping, which will take nearly any land animal, with literally hundreds of different variations. To construct a simple flat set I’m first looking for animal sign to set on, always set on sign no matter what you’re trapping for. For this scenario lets say we are talking about a ½ mile fence line corner in the center of a section, a classic location. The first thing I will look for is a backing to my flat set. Your set’s backing can consist of a large tuft of grass at the field edge, a cow pie, a rock, a log a cow skull, etc. The backing that you choose should be something that stands out at the location, something that will grab the furbearer’s eye and cause them to investigate further. The primary purpose of the backing is to get the target animal to work the set from the side that you want them to, as well as being a lure holder. For this example my backing will be a cow pie. I will place my cow pie near the intersection of the fencelines, and near my sign(tracks, turds, etc). I will then dig a bed for my trap in front of my backing so that I can bed my trap approximately 9” in front of my backing. The trap must be staked and bedded firmly, so that after bedding if I push on any portion of the trap(frame, levers, etc) the trap MUST NOT move in the bed. If the trap moves in the bed you will have digging problems, and once this starts it becomes very frustrating very quick. The trap should then have a pan cover put on and be covered with dirt lightly, and blended. An important part of a flat set is blending, it shouldn’t look like anything is buried in front of your backing when you’re done. I use a small whisk broom to blend the edges of your trap bed. I then add lure of my choice (gland, food, curiosity, etc), to the front edge of the cow pie, sometimes a small squirt of urine, and I’m on my way.

THE FAKE SLIDE CASTOR SET

The fake slide castor set is a great

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beaver set all year around, but it really shines in the spring. I prefer to use a snare as the method of take for this set, but it also works with a foothold trap, or a conibear. When I construct this set, I use my tile spade to dig/scrape a fake beaver slide approximately 2-3’long by 10-12” wide on a river bank. I will then slick the slide with water so that it looks like something has been crawing out on it. I slap a scoop of fresh mud at the top with two sticks at the top edges with castor lure on them. I set a short heavily loaded snare just up the slide from the water’s edge, with a 10” wide loop and the bottom of the loop 3” off the slide. With this snare setup I get a large percentage of neck catches. I then attach the snare to a sliding drowner cable which is firmly anchored in deep

water. When the beaver smells the castor lure, and sees the slicked up slide they advance up the slide into the snare. When the beaver realizes they’re caught they retreat to the water and down the drowner cable. Simple, and a very effective beaver set. I usually set at least one if not two of these sets on each side of the river, that way whichever way the wind is blowing the castor smell is finding it’s way out across the water. These are just a few of my favorite sets for Iowa furbearers. If you make these simple effective sets, and set on sign you’re sure to be successful this season. Take a kid trapping this year, they are the future of our sport. Happy Trapping!!

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December 2018

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GOODNESS WHERE TO START… I cut my teeth on shotgun hunting when it NOT KNOWING THE TERRAIN came to hunting deer in my beautiful home state of Iowa. I joined my father’s first season hunting party when I was 14 years old, and I probably had around 15 years of shot-gunning under my belt before I ever picked up a bow or a muzzleloader. This coming shotgun season will my 30th. Wow! It kind of blows my mind to say that. Hmm, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, and I’ve seen or heard about plenty of others that make me realize that we’re all human. In no particular order, here are a few mistakes that I think are noteworthy enough to write about.

NOT AIMING

I know, it sounds like a no brainer, but it happens. Shotgun hunters can be completely out of practice when the season rolls around. They may not have touched a shotgun since they cleaned it and put it away following last season. I’ve met a few old timers who were crack-shots no matter what the situation. It was like muscle memory for them. For me, and I’m sure a few others, sometimes the shotgun is shouldered and fired easy enough, but the vital step of actually placing pins or crosshairs on the vitals is completely skipped in there somewhere. Slow down, breath, get on your target and squeeze the trigger. It’s that easy. Oh, and don’t look at the antlers. A good technique I’ve used, since taught in my youth, is a few weeks out from shotgun season, I place deer pics on the walls around my office and practice aiming at their vitals with my ‘empty’ December 2018

shotgun. It sounds kind of lame, but try it out leading up to the next season and see how much it changes how you aim in the field. I will admit that once I took up bow hunting, this pretty much quit being an issue for me, unless I get

Every year that my party has had a new member join, somebody got lost at least once throughout the season. Thank God for cell phones and good cellular coverage, because we never would have found a couple of them. Studying aerial maps helps. Scouting helps too, but many shotgun hunters don’t have the luxury of free time to do much scouting before the season rolls around. It’s pretty much a learn-as-you-go experience. With that said, pay attention to your veteran party members. They’ve been there and done that, and I can honestly say that after 29 seasons of hunting some of the same timbers, I’m confident that I could be blindfolded and dropped in the middle of any one of them, and within a few seconds to a minute or so, I’d be able to tell you exactly where I was. Knowing the terrain doesn’t just keep

THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO FUTURE PUSHING / POSTING STRATEGIES, AS LONG AS YOU SET A PLAN AND STICK WITH IT BEFORE YOU PUT THE PLAN INTO ACTION. REALLY excited and turn all goofy. Bow hunting helps teach you how to truly aim every single time. One shot. One kill. Of course, the flip side of that is that I have passed on taking shots I could have easily made with my shotgun because I’ve bow hunted so much, and I end up kicking myself for it after the deer trots over the horizon.

you from getting lost, it also helps you to hunt the ground more efficiently and effectively. Deer tend to take the same routes in and out of areas, year after year. Knowing where those points are, along with pinch points, and other significant structures/features, you’re going to increase the success rate of yourself and the rest of your party. TheIowaSportsman.com

MISTAKES MADE BY SHOTGUN HUNTERS

NOT BEING IN SHAPE

I’m not saying you’ve got to be in Boston Marathon condition, but you owe it to your party to at least be in similar shape as the other party members, and you owe it to your family to not drop dead of a dang heart attack while traipsing through the woods. I personally sit on my butt behind a computer screen at least 40 hours per week, so I’m speaking from experience. No Bueno… At my age, if I didn’t exercise on a regular basis, it wouldn’t take long for my legs and back to atrophy to the point that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy hunting the way I like to hunt when the season rolls around. Go for walks on a regular basis. Blow the dust off that bike in the garage, air up the tires, and take it for a weekly or daily spin. Buy a gym membership and use it. Play fetch with your dog or wrestle with your kids or grandkids. Anything to get you moving. You’ll find that you can get in shape just as quickly as you got out of shape. I’m a bit of a gym rat myself. I’ll probably lift free-weights in some capacity until the day I die or can’t move, or whatever, but that’s me. It’s what I enjoy. I ride my bike to the gym, bust out a good workout, and then ride my bike back home. I’ll admit I’m not breaking any weight lifting records, but

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I feel great after I get home and showered up, and I’m keeping in good enough shape to tackle just about anything that comes up, even at a moment’s notice. Plus, it’s a great stress reliever and the endorphins can elevate even the crummiest of moods.

NOT STAYING PUT

When shotgun hunting in a party, it’s important to know where your other party hunters are. With that said, posters, or people who stay in one place toward the end of a drive, should really stay where they’re originally posted. There are a few reasons for this, but the ‘Safety-First’ reason is because the other party members pushing

there in the first place. It’s because it’s probably a known spot of where deer funnel out, and maybe because the terrain helps to keep you out of harms way, or it gives you the best vantage point, etc. Whatever the case, it’s best to stay put and hunt the drive out. There’s nothing wrong with making adjustments to future pushing / posting strategies, as long as you set a plan and stick with it before you put the plan into action.

NOT TAKING TIME TO ENJOY THE COMRADERY OF FELLOW PARTY MEMBERS

This used to be my shotgun party when I was a young guy. We would all eat breakfast

A GOOD TECHNIQUE I’VE USED, SINCE TAUGHT IN MY YOUTH, IS A FEW WEEKS OUT FROM SHOTGUN SEASON, I PLACE DEER PICS ON THE WALLS AROUND MY OFFICE AND PRACTICE AIMING AT THEIR VITALS WITH MY ‘EMPTY’ SHOTGUN. timber toward your location shouldn’t shoot in the general area of where you’re supposed to be. I say shouldn’t because there’s always that one wing-nut in the party that you just never know about. If you don’t know who it is, it’s probably you… There’s also a reason you’ve been posted

on the drive in, meet up at zero dark thirty, get set, push it HARD from just before sunrise until noonish. Break for a quick random packed lunch in our cars, maybe try to dry our clothes out a bit and maybe nod off for a few minutes. Then back at it HARD again until just past sunset. For 5 days in December, we were more machine than we were human. Sure, we harvested plenty of deer, but at what cost. We were all good and burned out when it was all over. Many of us would miss an extra day of work from being exhausted and needing to recover. They say wisdom comes with experience and age. That rings very true when it comes to deer hunting. Today, two or three of us bring Casey’s donuts and sodas or something for others to share in the mornings as we congregate to jaw jack and go over the first drive of the day. Sometimes we won’t get set and going until well past sunrise, and nobody complains. We still push it pretty HARD, but when lunch time rolls around, we go to lunch as a group. It helps support the local economy, and gives us all a chance to catch up. Some of us haven’t seen or talked to each other since last season, so there’s plenty to catch up on. And let’s face it, bagged lunch doesn’t hold a candle to a heaping plate of steaming hot fresh mashed potatoes, roast beef, and sweet corn, all covered in beef gravy. If it takes two hours to finish lunch, so what. We’re shotgun hunting because we enjoy it for what it is. All of it. The entire experience. It’s not just about the hunt or harvesting deer. Comradery is a BIG part of it. Slow down and enjoy the time together. You never know who might be hunting with you for their last season, this season. To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

December 2018

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BELIEVE IT OR NOT we are officially over the hump and inching closer to walking on hardwater every day. With this unseasonably warm weather we’ve been experiencing it’s hard to believe that the lakes will ever cap over again, but I can assure you they will for the majority of the state. No matter how warm the fall is, or how late into the year it gets without ice, sooner or later we will get at least some amount of ice. Depending on where you live, it may only be for several days, several weeks or even a couple of months. This is also the time of year when you start to see all the “guess the date for first ice” polls on social media, so you know that lots of Iowa anglers are beginning to look forward to chasing fish on the hard water.

THE WEATHER

Every year ice anglers everywhere eagerly await the winter forecast that The Farmer’s Almanac releases well in advance of any hints of winter-like weather. Many claim that the almanac’s predictions are more reliable than any weather forecaster. Some years it is…even in the face of conflicting “professional” forecasts. My guess is that the law of averages applies even to the Farmer’s Almanac and it is wrong just as often as it is right. With that being said, many ice anglers look to the almanac for a ray of hope every year…especially when its specifics mean a long ice fishing season for Iowa. So, what exactly does that Farmer’s Almanac say about winter 2019? It calls for “teeth-chattering” cold in the Midwest, especially by the time February rolls around. If that holds true, that’s good news for us Iowans, because the temperatures in February often determine if we will hang onto our ice late into winter or if it will be an early ice out. In fact, the Almanac also goes so far as to specifically call for winter weather that lingers into early spring. The Almanac also calls for above normal precipitation for the Midwest. This can be good or bad, depending on the December 2018

timing, but the Almanac does not go into great detail about when to expect this precipitation. If we can get significant snowfall BEFORE the lakes ice up, it will help keep the day time temperatures lower which will kick-start ice up. Conversely, if we get lots of snow as the ice is forming it will weigh the ice down which causes water to rise through cracks and create massive slush pockets on top of the ice. It will also insulate the adolescent ice, which will drastically slow its thickening. The snow is less detrimental to the ice if it doesn’t accumulate until the ice has grown to thicker dimensions…something like 8 inches or more…but still makes for less than ideal conditions. While I’d absolutely love for the forecast from The Farmer’s Almanac to be correct, I’ve witnessed too many winters in a row now that are to the contrary. Unfortunately, I think the new normal of late ice up and early ice out is here to stay. I know it seems illogical for a “professional” ice angler to harbor an opinion like that, but I am also a realist and would much rather plan for the worst case and then celebrate if reality exceeds that. Now don’t think that I’m ALL doom and gloom. While I do feel that our ice up will

be later than what we are traditionaly used to seeing, I do think there’s a good chance that we could be on the ice around Christmas in central Iowa. The last few winters it has been around the first of the year before I was on the ice and that was usually somewhere in the northern 1/3 of the state. I am very concerned, however about snowfall. Our drier than normal summer has turned into a wetter than normal fall. If this continues into early winter, there’s a good chance that an early significant snowfall could create poor ice conditions for us before the season even builds up a head of steam. The line between getting significant snow fall before the ice forms and as the ice forms is so razor thin that I’m not even going to attempt to predict that but suffice it to say that I’m very nervous about it. We’ve had at least a couple of winters in recent memory where an early snowfall dealt a blow to our ice conditions that we never really recovered from that until well into the season. I also think that the shorter seasons we have seen the past few years is part of the new normal, so I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I’m predicting that by the end of February ice fishing will be almost done in central Iowa. Areas of northwest and north-central Iowa, as they typically do, will last into March, but I’d be very surprised if the passing of March sees anyone on the ice anywhere in Iowa.

THE LAKES

While I’m not very rosy on the outlook for a long ice fishing season in Iowa I do feel that, depending on the body of water you choose, there should be some VERY good fishing in the state this year. West Okoboji is one of my favorite places to ice fish and I think it will definitely have a very good year. For the past couple of winters, the perch population has incrementally improved and I expect that to continue. Look for the perch IowaSportsman.com

ICE FISHING 2019 PREDICTIONS to be more widespread than last winter and the size of fish should be better than last year as well. I think the bluegill population on West Okoboji is getting ready to explode as well. The size of bluegills has been getting better each season for the past couple of winters now, and I expect there to be a good population of 9” or better bluegills available. I also believe the overall numbers of bluegills will continue to increase as well, so it will be a good winter to fish for Bluegills on West from both a quantity and a quality standpoint. I also believe that for the first winter in recent memory, the water in West Okoboji will remain clear throughout the winter so the sight fishing this winter should be excellent. I also believe that several of the prairie potholes in northeast and north central Iowa will yield quality catches this year. Lakes like Rice, Trumbull, Crystal, Silver, Cornelia, etc., can all be very cyclical and many of them seem to be on the upward swing, which I expect will pay big dividends this winter. Pay close attention to the DNR stocking and netting reports and target the ones that are showing consistent size growth, because I expect those trends to continue this winter. These are the kinds of bites you want to take advantage of because they can be boom or bust. Once any given body of water hits its peak, it will begin to cycle back downward, and it may be several more years before it cycles upward again. Big Creek is a lake that can be very humbling, but it is also a lake that can contain some BIG panfish. I expect there will be quite a few 8” to 9” bluegill caught from Big Creek this winter. In typical Big Creek fashion, they won’t be widely distributed and might be tricky to find. There is so much manmade structure in that lake and some of it will hold those big sunfish, but not ALL of it will. The ice anglers that keep moving and checking structure until they find those bluegills are the ones that will reap the rewards. The crappies in Big Creek are true heart breakers. Big Creek has never been

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known for BIG crappies, but it has produced some that border on that classification. In the glory days of five to ten years ago, Big Creek was known for producing lots of 10” “eater” sized crappies. Unfortunately, those gravy days are things of the past. There are still crappies of that size in there, but certainly not in those numbers. There are still some bigger crappies in there as well, but they are few and far between. Only the anglers that stay mobile and try to stay on top of the small pods of crappies that roam Big Creeks depths will bring home some for the table. On a positive note, while the crappies situation at Big Creek isn’t nearly what it used to be, I do look for it to be a slight improvement over last season. I do expect the walleye ice bite to be pretty good this season at Big Creek. Catches of desirable sized walleyes have gradually increased for the past 5 or 6 years. Catching a keeper sized walleye out of Big Creek used to be a once in a season type of thing, but each year in recent memory the numbers of desirable sized walleyes coming out of Big Creek has increased. I only expect that trend to continue and anglers should be catching fewer “cigars” and more keepers. Clear Lake is another lake that should have a productive ice season. Every year I hear rumors about the yellow bass population being in decline, but I just am not seeing that. What I AM seeing is that the average yellow bass size is significantly larger than 3 or 4 years ago. I think part of the reason that the rumor of yellow bass declining in Clear Lake as that many of those 7” to 8” yellows that used to be everywhere aren’t nearly as numerous now. There are still lots of yellows there, but they are schooled up tighter in groups of larger sizeclass fish. That means you will need to drill more holes to land on top of these schools, but once you do, it’s GAME ON! I expect walleye fishing to be good in Clear Lake as well. After being in a slump 3 or 4 winters ago, it has started to bounce back nicely and that should continue through this winter. Crappie fishing in Clear Lake should be good as well. 5 years

ago, there weren’t enough decent crappies in Clear Lake to make fishing for them worth your time, but water quality projects have definitely paid off. About three years ago, ice anglers started to consistently catch crappies through the ice, but sizes were generally on the small size. Nowadays, 10” crappies are not at all uncommon and fish even significantly larger than that are being caught on a limited basis, and this is a trend that I see continuing for several years. Brushy Creek has been in a downward cycle for the last couple of winters, but I see it starting to bounce back this winter. During the winter before last anglers were fairly disappointed both in quantity and quality of bluegills and crappies caught from Brushy Creek. But I think that started to change a little bit towards the end of last season. While not widely distributed, anglers did start finding a few quality specimens of each. I expect this winter to be a continuation of that. I think Brushy Creek bounces back quickly because there is SO much cover in the lake. That equates to more forage for fish and more hiding places from predators. That means year-classes survive predation better and grow faster which equals quick turnarounds from down years.

GLASS HALF FULL?

While my predictions for ice fishing conditions may not be the rosiest, I do believe that the quality of the fishing when we do have fishable ice will help to make up for it. I wish I could be more optimistic about the weather portion of the ice fishing equation, but I’ve seen the same scenario played out for the past several winters now. I’d much rather plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when thing end up better than expected. Too many times I’ve planned for the best only to have my heart broken when things don’t go as well as planned. Don’t get me wrong either, while these predictions are what I EXPECT to happen, I would love to be proven wrong! See you on the ice!

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RED DISAPPEARED OVER the embankment and into the small creek below crossing the rugged ditch and bounding up the other side effortlessly in seconds. Even though I would have preferred to hunt out the very small patch of horseweeds left on my side of the creek before crossing, Red had the look of a bird dog getting a little birdy and so I decided to trust in his instincts and follow, especially since he was headed with his nose into the wind toward good cover. For me however, crossing the ditch wasn’t quite as graceful as my four-legged friend. After a couple moments of tribulation mixed in with a few colorful words I scratched and clawed my way up the embankment on the other side to catch up to Red. I could hear him but couldn’t see him working his nose through the tall cover of water hemp and foxtail on the edge of the cut cornfield and the creek ditch. I entered the tangled mess behind him thinking to myself that this dog had better be on to something for all the work I was going to entrusting his tail wagging behind! Unseen most of the time, Red continued to work the unfarmed field edge weeds thoroughly by the creek as I followed the sound of his movements through the cover to no avail. We swept into a waterway separating cornfields that lead away from the ditch and I was relieved to transition into the shorter smooth brome grasses and rye grasses the waterway afforded with sight of the dog once again. The pace quickened as Red zigzagged across the waterway. He still seemed birdy, sticking his nose into grass clumps and bulldozing that European blockhead of his through and under the various rolls of grasses that leave hidden little travel paths for escaping upland game underneath along the way. As the drainage narrowed a tad, Red worked up to a small, lone, renegade tree growing unabashed in the waterway and I determined it was better to let Red work the area out before getting stuck too close to a tree that might obstruct my shot should a bird get up. It turned out a wise decision, as moments later off to my right I heard the light buzz of December 2018

wings taking flight! Red had bypassed the bird but possibly the noise from Red nearing past him made him nervous enough to open his wings but that was secondary to the importance of the shot at hand! Even though I knew the sound I was hearing wasn’t a pheasant it was still a pleasant surprise to see the little bobwhite gaining 15 feet and then leveling off quickly to make a low level escape above the landscape. Time slowed down a bit as I shouldered the gun with the turn and set my feet, as the clear sight of the airborne quail became central focus beyond the bead of the barrel. In disbelief, after the shot the single bird folded under the bluebird sky and crashed on his way to escape back to the area we had previously walked! I never could get that darned lab to ever bring me a bird! He hunted okay, but he never liked feathers in his mouth so sometimes finding downed birds in heavy cover could be a bit of a challenge. Finally, after a bit of looking I found that little bob hidden in the grass. I had seen a nice sized covey on that place before the hunt and

decided that if given the chance, I’d go ahead and take a bird or two out of the covey. I never did run into the rest of the covey that day and wondered if perhaps there had been a covey rise when the dog had been in the tall grass moments earlier when I couldn’t see well or see the dog’s location well? But I’ll never know. I did know that I was glad to be seeing quail again and furthermore, a huntable population of them! If it’s been a while since you’ve went bird hunting or you remember the good ole days of hunting quail along with your pheasant hunts in Iowa, then it’s certainly time to relive those memories in Southern Iowa in respect to the northern bobwhite quail again. From the Missouri River to the mighty Mississippi, once you get to about I-80 and continue traveling south to the Missouri border your chances of finding quail increase exponentially. The familiar whistle of bobwhite across this southern Iowa region could be heard frequently once again this summer and coveys can be seen this fall with regularity. Numbers from the annual 2018 August Roadside Survey conducted by the Iowa DNR were favorable for quail indicating that over the last 4 years, Iowa’s quail index has been the highest it’s been in the last 20 years! This year saw significant gains in numbers of birds witnessed by roadside counters in many areas across Southern Iowa from even last year’s survey totals. The Southeast region of the state in particular saw a drastic jump in numbers during the survey from last year going from 1.80 birds per route in 2017 to 3.05 birds per route in 2018. Still, Southwest and South Central Iowa quail numbers appear to remain higher than that of the Southeastern part of the state as they mostly always have but the increase in this region may indicate a more uniform population all along the southern part of the state east to west this year. The South Central region went from 5.41 to 3.86 birds IowaSportsman.com

BOBWHITE BOOM per route and the Southwestern region went from 4.50 in 2017 to 4.06 in 2018 respectively. Good numbers across the board from the survey standpoint, and boots on the ground confirm good numbers. Landowners, famers and ranchers and outdoorsman in the southern part of the state have all noticed the increase in quail in recent years and are glad to see it! Bobwhite populations really suffered during hard winters and wet springs for years but recent population improvement shows that the habitat is still there for them in southern counties if they can endure nasty weather. The farther southern counties still hold more of the type of habitat quail prefer. Farming practices of clearing land for more row crop, eliminating fencerows, mowing waterways and leaving no cover behind have decreased the habitat for quail to gain a foothold in many areas of the state but in the south, you’ll find enough cover to give quail a good home. In the last several years, winter snowfall has been relatively light in Southern Iowa and springs fairly mild giving them good nesting seasons resulting in their ability to reproduce rapidly. Quail have a reproduction rate that is faster than pheasants. Close to a quarter of males on average will actually incubate a nest while the female seeks out a new nest for a new brood. If a female has up to 2 or 3 nests a season, (which does happen) you can see why quail numbers can improve so rapidly if nesting season weather cooperates. They are a resilient little bird. Brushy fencerows, hedgerows, weedy shelterbelts, and stiff grasses alongside crop food sources are good places to spend your time looking for quail. Quail are an “edge cover” kind of bird and can usually be found in places where row crop borders a brushy habitat. Anything that gives quail good overhead cover from predators while allowing travel under the canopy by sparsely populated growth is a great sanctuary. In winter months quail need shelter structure from heavy snows in an environment that can give them high-energy food sources nearby without extensive travel. CRP fields of large clumped high stemmed native switch grasses give stability to their surroundings in winter while also providing good hidden nesting cover in the spring so predators have a harder time locating them. Quail can be found during the fall hunting season in the same places you’ll find pheasants as well but in general, these brushy areas are preferred. Getting a shot on a quail can be quite different than that of a pheasant. Quail often take flight in bunches and they do it fast and sweeping. Often times they’ll behave differently in flight as well, staying close to the ground or scattering in all directions. A covey rise in front of a first time quail

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hunter can usually result in escaped birds. It can be an overwhelming flurry that makes the heart beat fast! To help with this, quickly pick out and focus on a single bird, not the flock. Flock shooting results in missing, so single in on one bird and begin tracking it and following through that one bird as you pull the trigger. Worry about downing a second bird after feathers fly out of the first one if there’s still time. I’ve always felt pointing dogs are best suited for quail hunting. They give you that extra little bit of time to prepare for the shot over flushing dogs at least in some cases when birds are willing to sit a little tight. Quail flush fast and when doing so in front of the nose of a flushing dog, they’ll sometimes catch you unprepared for the shot more often. Once you’ve gotten quail up they can be down right hard to get up again. For one, they run very fast with those short little legs and secondly they can get hunt shy very quickly, holding even tighter as you approach time after time. Added to that, consider the fact that each time they fly, the covey gets more and more dispersed most of the time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched quail land somewhere and still fail to find them once I got to the spot. Keep in mind that quail can present some unsafe hunt situations for your party and your dogs. Always knowing where each member of your hunting party is has never been so important as when a covey rises. When they scatter this way and that, guns are swinging every direction and birds can pass right between hunters head high. It’s a good idea to remain in line with each other as you move across the fields or ditches behind quail. Quail also have a reputation for staying low after they’re in flight, which can put your loyal hunting dog in jeopardy. So stay safe out there and know you’re background before pulling the trigger. Pheasant numbers in the south may not be quite as great as the central and northern regions of the state but when you consider the opportunity of a mixed bag hunt in the south to take both pheasant and quail on the same hunt, the southern region gains appeal to the upland bird hunter. If you’ve never hunted quail before you may even find yourself more excited about a covey rise than a pheasant flush. Not to mention the delicious table fair of a quail breast wrapped in bacon after the hunt! The quail season here in Iowa also stays open longer than the pheasant season, a fact that I think some hunters overlook. You can hunt quail in Iowa until January 31, 2019. When your pheasant hunting season is over, if you’re still not ready to be done hunting upland birds, head to Southern Iowa for some quail opportunities.

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HUNTING, FISHING, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and hiking…how is that for winter activities to do all in the same area? That’s right! The Iowa Great Lakes is truly the destination for the outdoors enthusiast. As a resident of the Iowa Great Lakes area for 40 years, I will be the first to tell you, I love it all. I actually have the best stay-cation you could ever ask for. For those wanting to visit, there are lots of lodging opportunities from which to choose. Let’s take a look at these activities.

HUNTING

Take your pick: pheasant, Canada geese and deer. The good news is Dickinson County has lots of state ground on which to hunt, and when you include the adjoining areas of Emmet, Clay and Palo Alto, we are talking more than 20,000 acres of public hunting ground. The pheasant season runs from Saturday, October 27 through January 10, 2019. Many of these areas are at least 700 to 1,200 acres, and some exceed 3,000 acres, so you had better have a good pheasant dog! Although there is a lot of hunting pressure in the early season, by early to mid-December, the diehard pheasant hunters are the only ones around. It might take extra walking, but with a good hunting dog, you will definitely bag a ringneck or two. One of the challenging hunting opportunities come mid-December and running through January 12, 2019 is the Canada goose late season. Usually the sloughs are frozen over and only the larger bodies of water remain open. These include East and West Okoboji and Big Spirit Lake in Dickinson County. These big waters can hold thousands of migrating Canadas. Most of the hunting will take place in harvested cornfields. Each morning and late afternoon flocks of geese will leave the water heading December 2018

for the field. It takes scouting to find these fields and then to locate the landowner for permission to hunt. This takes a lot of work, which means only the most devoted waterfowlers go to this trouble. At the same time, some pass shooting does occur as the geese leave the water. However, it is important to know the boundaries and places to hunt. As for deer hunting, the late muzzleloader season and the late split archery season both run from December 17 through January 10, 2019. Although deer are frequently associated with forested areas, they are very adaptable and will

growth cycle. Although around 1000 deer are harvested in the four-county area each year, the numbers are nothing like counties in the northeast and southcentral parts of the state. By going to the Iowa DNR website, you can find the public hunting areas in this four-county area. You can also check with the Iowa DNR upland biologists at the Spirit Lake Hatchery at (712) 3361840. If you don’t have a lot of time for all of the scouting, then you might consider contacting area hunting guides.

ICE FISHING

The Iowa Great Lakes, including West Okoboji, East Okoboji, Minnewashta, Upper Gar and Big Spirit Lake, is known for its awesome ice fishing. There have been times when we have been on the ice by Thanksgiving, but the last 3-4 years, safe ice for foot traffic has often been into mid-December. It’s really a progression, with Upper Gar freezing over first, followed by Minnewashta, Big Spirit, East Okoboji and West Okoboji. Bays on Big

CRAPPIES CAN BE FOUND ON MINNEWASHTA, EAST, WEST AND BIG SPIRIT. ON MINNESWASHTA AND ON EAST, THE BITE WILL BE A MIX OF BLUEGILLS, CRAPPIES AND YELLOW BASS. utilize many different types of habitat as long as the area provides adequate cover. Examples of these types of areas include brushy draws and fence lines, marshes, and grassy areas like those provided by the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Standing corn also provides ideal habitat for part of the year since it provides cover and food during portions of the

Spirit, East and West Okoboji will freeze prior to the entire lakes. As for species, the choices are many: bluegills, crappies, yellow bass, perch, walleyes, northern pike and even bass. Bluegills and perch are probably the most sought after species with the best bluegill locations being on the bays of West Okoboji (Millers, Emerson, North TheIowaSportsman.com

PLENTY TO DO IN THE IOWA GREAT LAKES and Smiths) and Anglers Bay and the Grade on Big Spirit. Perch are most prevalent on Big Spirit with the best bite taking place for schools that are wandering the main basin. A deep water bite (over 40’) takes place on West Okoboji, but anglers are warned that they must keep what they catch, because the perch will die. Crappies can be found on Minnewashta, East, West and Big Spirit. On Minneswashta and on East, the bite will be a mix of bluegills, crappies and yellow bass. Look for crappies to be in the bays on West and also suspended off of points, while they can be found in Anglers Bay, Hales Slough and the Grade on Big Spirit. Minnewashta and East Okoboji are known for their yellow bass populations, although the average size is larger on East Okoboji. They are wandering fish, so it’s either wait for the schools to come through or punch the holes and find the fish. Walleye fishing can be good on East and West Okoboji and Big Spirit. However, Big Spirit is the most popular lake to fish. Early morning, late afternoon and night are prime walleye times. Try the rocky points, underwater bars and rock piles. For many anglers, northern pike are

Oh Shucks on HWY 86 on the southeast side of West Okoboji and Kabele’s Trading Post on Hill Avenue on the north side of the town of Spirit Lake. All three provide fish cleaning and all three can offer both fishing suggestions and the ice conditions. Kabele’s does have lodging adjacent to the baitshop. As with the hunting, hiring a guide for a day can set you up for the rest of your stay. I know the guides, and they all cater to their clients. Good contour or topo maps can help you pinpoint specific areas to target on each lake. the bonus fish, while they fish the bays for panfish. Put out a tip-up with a large minnow or chub and look for the flag! Largemouth bass are prevalent in all of the bays. As I fish for panfish, I find the largemouth are wandering through and often take a liking for my tiny panfish baits, like Clam’s Dingle Drop jig tipped with plastic, silver wiggler or a wax worm. However, fishing with two-pound test makes landing the largemouth bass a challenge. There are several excellent baitshops in the area: Stan’s Bait and Tackle in Milford,

SNOWMOBILING

Dickinson County has over 100 miles of trails that crisscross the county. Groomed trails include ditches along primary and secondary roads, and portions of the bike trail. Trails are signed annually by the Dickinson County Snowhawks Club. You can go to their website and click on the link to download a printable trail map. The lakes are all great places to snowmobile. However, each winter there are accidents with snowmobiles breaking through thin ice areas. Stay away from bridges and moving water and be careful of ice heaves. It seems, especially on West Okoboji and Big Spirit that the ice is always changing and moving causing watery areas and new heaves. Again, local baitshops can fill you in about ice conditions.

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING

Cross-country skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts can use the extensive trails and woodlands at the Dickinson County Nature Center. The multi-use Iowa Great Lakes Trail provides local citizens and visitors a safe place to snowshoe and cross-country ski. The trail winds along rural, community and nature areas in the heart of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, including Spirit Lake, Okoboji, West Okoboji, Arnolds Park, Milford and Lake Park. The “spine” of the system is a 14-mile trail. There are also groomed trails for cross-country skiing at Brooks Golf Course and Marble Lake.

ICE SKATING

The lakes, themselves, offer ice skaters with lots of ice to skate on. However, wind during the freeze up making the ice rough and snowdrifts can cause skaters plenty of problems. The Boji Bay Ice Arena offers an indoor alternative. It is located north of the Bedell Family Y in Spirit Lake. There is open skating on Friday and Saturday nights from 7-9:30. The Lakes Area Hockey Association has its own website at

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lakeshockey.com.

2019 UNIVERSITY OF OKOBOJI WINTER GAMES – JANUARY 24-27

Yep, the Iowa Great Lakes celebrates winter and all it has to offer with the annual University of Okoboji Winter Games. Everything outdoors and indoors comes together during this four-day celebration. You can go to http://uofowintergames.com/ to see the schedule of events. The Winter Games began in 1981 and the festival has been getting bigger and better every winter. And, NO, the Winter Games have never been called off-no matter the weather! It really is a happening with people coming from all over the country, and I am not exaggerating that several thousand will be part of the celebration! It’s a good idea to get lodging taken care of well in advance. To learn more, call the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce at (800) 839-9987 or visit their website at www. vacationokoboji.com. Yes, there is plenty to do in the Iowa Great Lakes during the winter. The cool part is there is something for everybody, and it can be a great winter family vacation destination. Yes, you have all of these outdoor activities, but if you don’t like the cold, there are excellent shopping areas, a YMCA with lots of indoor activities and some of the finest eateries in the Midwest. I think you can see why every day is a stay-cation for me!

December 2018

Photo courtesy of Stu Bernu

Winter Fishing in Minnesota, No Ice Required By Joe Albert

ce fishing has a devoted following in Minnesota, where towns of fish houses pop up each winter across the state’s thousands of lakes. Thanks to advances in equipment and the availability of rental fish houses, it’s never been easier to get started in the sport. But fishing through an 8-inch hole in the ice isn’t the only way to hook a trophy. For anglers seeking a little more variety in their winter-fishing program, Minnesota offers a number of options for open water fishing, even when the majority of lakes in the state are frozen solid. Like during other times of the year, winter anglers targeting open water can do so from a boat or the shoreline. Whatever their approach, safety must be the key consideration. The water temperature may not be low enough to freeze, but falling in can result in a life-threatening situation. Life jackets are essential. Assuming you’ve taken the proper precautions, and are dressed sufficiently warmly, it’s time to learn firsthand how enjoyable it can be to spend a winter day on the water. Following are three great places for doing so.

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LAKE SUPERIOR

There are shore-fishing options along the Lake Superior shoreline from Duluth all the way to the state’s border with Canada. While Lake Superior freezes over from time to time, it’s a rarity. As a result, anglers can fish the lake all winter long. The lake is home to a variety of trout and salmon species, though winter shore

anglers focus primarily on steelhead rainbow trout, which are native species, and Kamloops rainbow trout, which are stocked for anglers to catch. Both species remain relatively close to the shoreline throughout the winter, putting them in reach of shore fishermen. For anyone who wants to learn more about winter shoreline fishing on Lake Superior, look for winter shore

Photo Courtesy of WriteOutdoors Ron Hustvedt

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river can be extremely productive and produce multiple species of fish.

TROUT STREAMS

casting clinics offered by the Minnesota Steelheader group.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

While backwaters of the Mississippi River freeze during the winter, the main river remains open and provides yearround open-water fishing options to boat and shore anglers alike. From Lock and Dam 1 in Minneapolis all the way south to Lock and Dam 8 in Brownsville, anglers target walleyes and sauger throughout the winter months. The fishing is quite similar to summer river angling in that jigs and minnows fished around wing dams and other structures tend to be productive. Anglers who aren’t picky about what they catch can cast out from shore and catch fish ranging from sauger and walleyes to sheepshead and smallmouth bass. Places where warm-water discharges enter the

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The bluff country of southeast Minnesota is beautiful at any time of the year, but it is especially picturesque when there’s snow on the ground and the streams are running cold and clear. Few of these streams are big enough for boats (though canoes and kayaks can be used in some areas), so anglers either fish from the shoreline or don a pair of waders and walk in the water. Southeastern streams are known for their fantastic fishing for brown trout, though anglers should note they aren’t allowed to keep any fish from the streams during the winter months. Check the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fishing regulations for season dates. The DNR also offers maps that show where winter anglers can fish.

TIPS FOR STAYING WARM

Whereas fish houses can keep ice fishermen warm, open-water winter anglers have no such option. One of the best ways to beat the cold is to stay active, by walking up and down the shoreline, or by taking time to participate in another activity altogether. Geocaching, for example, can be done throughout the year, and no matter where people are fishing, there’s likely a cache to be found nearby. People who really want to have a winter adventure can incorporate winter camping into their fishing trip. Sign up for Explore Minnesota’s weekly fishing reports all year long, and find fishing guides and equipment rentals at exploreminnesota.com/fishing.

MINNESOTA ICE FISHING FESTIVALS

Take your ice fishing to the next level and participate in an ice fishing festival. From small community contests to festivals that draw 10,000 people and give out $150,000 in cash and prizes, there’s an ice fishing event for every style of angler. Here’s a sampler of festivals happening across the North Star State this winter; find more at exploreminnesota.com/events.

JANUARY

• Loon’s Landing Ice Fishing Contest (Talmoon), Jan. 12 • Owatonna Bold & Cold, Jan. 18-27 • Spicer Winterfest, Jan. 18-Feb. 10 • Celebrate Chisago Lakes Winter Blast, Jan. 24-27 • Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza, Jan. 26 • Fairmont Lakes Foundation Ice Fishing Tournament, Jan. 26 • Lake Benton Sportsmen’s Club Ice Fishing Tournament, Jan. 26

FEBRUARY

• Scorpion Homecoming and Ice Fishing Contest (Crosby), Feb. 2 • American Legion Community Ice Fishing Contest (Park Rapids), Feb. 2 • Mad Bobber Ice Fishing Contest (Madison Lake), Feb. 2 • Sleep Eye Ice Fishing Derby, Feb. 3 • Otter Tail Co – On Ice!, Feb. 8-9 • Ham Lake Snowbowl, Feb. 9 • Ice Castle Classic (Montevideo), Feb. 9 • Get Hooked Ice Fishing Derby (Luverne), Feb. 9 • Cass Lake Winter Challenge, Feb. 9 • Wintercade’s Veteran Appreciation Ice Fishing Contest (Litchfield), Feb. 9 • Ducks Unlimited Ice Fishing Contest (Garrison), Feb. 16 • Fishing for the Cure (Alexandria), Feb. 16 • International Eelpout Festival (Walker), Feb. 21-24 • Grumpy Old Men Festival (Wabasha), Feb. 22-23

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IT’S EASY TO THINK of life below the ice as a cold, stoic environment, unchanged by the outside world. Creatures living life at a slower pace, biding their time until the spring thaw comes. While some of this is true, and maybe even more true for certain species, the general notion is quite false. In fact, life under the ice for many fish species is dynamic and constantly evolving. Where you find fish one week may change at the snap of a finger the next. There are so many variables that influence winter fish patterns including forage patterns, weather, fishing pressure and spawning preparation just to name a few of the heavy hitters. These types of influences are most often observed in lakes and larger bodies of water; however, ponds still experience changes throughout the ice season, most notably weather related. The topic of discussing ice fishing scenarios is pretty open ended because of the differences in the species being targeting and how they interact with the environment at hand. Let’s take a dive into some topics to aid in the quest for icing more Iowa game fish.

THE THREE SEASONS

I like to look at ice fishing in terms of three seasons, meaning early, mid and late ice. It can be tough to determine the exact timing of the transitions but in general terms, early ice runs from the start of freeze-up through about early January. Mid ice goes from this period through mid-February and late ice from there on out. Of course, this all depends on mother nature and without question, keeping safety in mind especially on the early and late portions. Early ice in my opinion is a dynamite time for panfish and walleyes. Species like bluegill, bass, perch and even walleye can December 2018

be found in shallower water relating to the edges and pockets of still green weed growth. The fish are in these areas to feed on baitfish and aquatic insects that also relate to the weed growth. You will also find crappie here along with fish holding deeper in basins. An

the deepest section first and move around from there. In lakes, any type of main lake structure is worth a look. Deep breaks, the edges of humps, points, deeper inside bends, rock piles and sunken timber become focal points for many species. Crappies for instance become very basin oriented meaning they will relate near the deepest water in a given basin whether suspended or near the bottom. Lots of information out there on this topic so definitely do some digging. Late ice in a sense mimics early ice to a slight degree. Certain species respond to this change by moving shallower again for various reasons. For species like bluegill, perch and even crappie, they move up to forage on minnows and aquatic insects. The larvae of certain aquatic insect species who spent the winter rooting around in the sediment begin

UNLESS YOU ARE FISHING FROM A PERMANENT ICE HOUSE, IT GENERALLY PAYS TO BE MOBILE IN THE QUEST TO FIND FISH. I USUALLY HIT THE ICE FULLY EXPECTING TO DRILL 20-50 HOLES IN SEARCH OF A GOOD BITE. underwater camera is a great tool for locating this vegetation and fish. One important thing to note for those who fish into late fall, the locations where you caught walleye, crappie or other species will often still hold those fish into early ice. Mid ice has a reputation for being a little more difficult to locate and catch numbers of fish, notably in lakes and larger water bodies. As the vegetation dies off, fish previously relating to this kind of resource now move around a bit more and locate themselves deeper in many circumstances. I tend to fish more ponds this time of year and focus on

to emerge which in turn draws in minnows and predatory species. Bigger predators like walleye, bass and pike will also capitalize on the smaller fish in response. In addition to the available forage, walleyes, pike and perch are also staring down their spawning season so they bulk up on food in preparation. Not all species will be shallow however so depending on the species, look for the first deep transitional location to shallow water or spawning habitat.

WEATHER

It’s no secret that weather affects fish in IowaSportsman.com

ICE FISHING SCENARIOS open water but it also greatly affects their behavior under ice. This was surprising to me when I learned this many years ago but it makes sense. The best fishing often occurs during periods of stable low-pressure weather leading into a front, and even during the frontal event. Where the fishing becomes tough is during those cold, bluebird high pressure days post front. This pattern cycles many times throughout the winter and it really pays to watch the forecast and barometer when planning a fishing trip. Even in ponds where the fishing may be excellent all season you will notice this change. Some of my absolute best days of ice fishing have occurred when mother nature is dishing out her worst. Don’t be afraid to fish during a snowstorm either! Something about this weather change triggers predatory fish to feed and become active. Take for example any given day out ice fishing and when the most bites happen. Morning and evening, right? This is because predatory species are more successful at hunting prey in lower light conditions. Now translate this into weather fronts where the skies are gloomy or even falling snow and you capture a feeding window that may last for 24 hours or more.

ANGLER PRESSURE

We are blessed in Iowa with thousands of farm ponds but many of those are not accessible to the average angler. Unlike our neighboring states to the north, Iowa has a relatively small density of publicly accessible lakes and ponds to fish which can sometimes bring an added amount of pressure to those systems. Fish feel this pressure and locations that would normally be a hot spot for the given time of season get wiped out and force those fish to change their patterns or avoid popular angling tactics. For whatever reason I generally cringe at the idea of fishing with the pack where you have a multitude of shacks positioned over a specific spot. Unless the spot is fresh I have not had great luck chasing the crowd in this regard. This added pressure and noise may push fish off a location so look for secondary options such as a bottom contour that either dips or rises 100-200 yards from the “pack”. Even a change as miniscule as a foot or two could be enough to congregate some of these fish. If there are no elevation rises or dips to pinpoint, look for the nearest inside or outside contour bend, possibly even a change in bottom composition such as mud to hard bottom and don’t hesitate to drill around until you find fish. Another option here when fishing a pressured hot spot is to try something different from what local lore is saying about 48

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what fish are hitting on. This may be scaling back the presentation to a finesse option, or being more aggressive and pounding the bottom to elicit a strike. You can try these and see what works and you can also think outside the box and fish to the fish’s attitude. Think about what a group of fishermen leave behind. Dead minnows and minnow heads that sink to the bottom. Walleyes and other species are most certainly not afraid to capitalize on this food resource. Having a dead stick rod with a minnow head or live minnow on the bottom can be a deadly pattern to employ in a situation like this.

BE MOBILE

Unless you are fishing from a permanent ice house, it generally pays to be mobile in the quest to find fish. I usually hit the ice fully expecting to drill 20-50 holes in search of a good bite. Some days you strike gold right off the bat, other days it takes a grind to find the location of active fish. This generally is a good practice after the morning rush when the bite dies off and you are left empty handed for an hour or better. I don’t like to wait that long however, I’ll get up and move, using the Navionics lake map on my phone and start punching holes. Fish for 10-15 mins and if nothing comes in on the flasher I’m up and moving again. Look for transitions, isolated structure, anything that would draw fish in and concentrate them from an adjacent area.

USE A CAMERA

Not everyone may have space in their budget for an underwater camera but these days a basic handheld unit, which is all you need for scouting, is pretty affordable. I have used mine with great success locating weeds, bottom composition, edges and fish. It’s also a fun tool if you take the kids ice fishing for them to watch their lure and fish interact. When the fishing gets tough this tool can help monitor the attitudes of the fish coming by your strike zone. You will be able to notice subtle changes in their behavior in response to varying your presentation such as bouncing the bait off the bottom, dead sticking our changes in jigging cadence. The overall subject of ice fishing scenarios is so broad and diverse and even changes from lake to lake so this topic could be discussed in grave detail in many directions. Keep a focus on the weather and changes of the season. Don’t be afraid to explore and drill lots of holes and use the tools you can afford along with local knowledge to your advantage. Think outside the box too! Good luck on the ice this season.

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December 2018

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I WILL NEVER forget my first turkey harvested with a bow. It was my first year of archery hunting. I spent the entire year fine tuning my accuracy on paper targets strapped to hay bales at Mrs. Carol’s farm. As fall season approached Pat, a family friend, offered to take me out to his farm in search of giant Iowa whitetails, an opportunity I was not about to turn down. He had two pieces of advice for me before the hunt: “If you shoot a buck, it had better be something you are paying to hang on the wall. Oh, and you had better buy yourself a turkey tag because this farm is loaded with them. Got it Red!?” Outside the truck before heading into the early morning darkness, Pat offered a couple stand options to me but when I realized I forgot my safety harness, we elected it best for me to sit a ground blind on the edge of a CRP field. Not long after sun-up I spotted antlers bobbing through the CRP breaking the skyline of the hill in front of me. I got myself up in the seat, bow to full draw, and waited for him to show enough of himself to take a shot. The buck crested the hill, turned broadside, and locked onto the blind. Shaking from adrenaline and fatigue, I tried desperately to quickly determine yardage, shot placement on a halfway CRP concealed animal, and if that rack was “big enough” to mount on my wall...or at least if Pat would consider it big enough for me to mount on my wall? With mixed emotions, I eventually elected to let down my draw at about the same time the buck disappeared back the December 2018

way he came with a short snort and a swift tail wag. (About now I know you are probably looking back at the first sentence of this article, or if you weren’t, you just did, because this article is about my first archery turkey hunt remember?)

for opportunities to abound. About that time, I started hearing scratching coming through the woods behind the blind. I froze, clutching my bow with release attached to my string, as adrenaline filled every inch of my veins. I started to hear a very unfamiliar purring sound mixed with lots of scratching and fluttering as whatever it was started to close the distance to the blind. I strained my neck to catch a glimpse of what it might be out of pin holes in the back window of the blind. Is it a raccoon? Coyote? Bobcat…? I slowly eased my head back to the front where I caught a glimpse of movement revealing the identity of the creature that was now surrounding me, a flock of Jakes! I could barely believe what I was seeing as I watched them excitedly for a second before remembering that tag I had in my pocket that was good for a super-

ALL IN ALL, FALL TURKEY HUNTING IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WON’T FIND ME MISSING OUT ON EACH YEAR THAT I CAN MUSTER UP THE EXTRA TWENTY SOMETHING DOLLARS WHEN I GO TO BUY MY DEER TAGS. I felt defeated for not shooting at that buck (one I would have been proud to take even to this day) but kept trying to boost my confidence with the notion that I had enough smarts to decide against taking a shot when I was pinned down, couldn’t see the full target, and wasn’t 100% on my yardage. Afterall, the day was young and was already promising

size order of turkey nuggets. I quickly targeted the biggest one, drew my bow, and let the first arrow fly... right over the birds back. I don’t know what was crazier: the fact that I just blew a 7-yard shot or the idea that the birds didn’t spook? They simply looked up, checked their surroundings, and went right back to milling around. I grabbed IowaSportsman.com

FALL TURKEY HUNTING? TO DO OR NOT TO DO?

another arrow and let her fly...right over the birds back again. A third...same result followed by the same reaction from the flock that was now about 15 yards from the blind. I had one arrow left. Now, more frustrated with myself than enjoying the wonder of what was happening to me on my first ever archery hunt, I knocked the arrow, took a deep breath, and adjusted to compensate for what happened on the first three downs of this drive. I sent the arrow sailing towards the bird and this time it connected right on the money, taking out one leg and one wing, dropping the bird

by giving more funding through the tag purchases. Not to mention one more reason to be in the woods a few more days each year creating lasting memories to share with friends and family. The birds are typically following a routine: moving from roost, to food, to dusting grounds and shade before they repeat the steps in reverse for the evening. This allows hunters a better chance to connect on a flock that is likely using the same food sources as the deer and other game we are chasing in the fall. The birds typically roost in the same

FALL TURKEY HUNTING ALSO OFFERS SPORTSMEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER SUPPORT THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS OF OUR STATES DNR BY GIVING MORE FUNDING THROUGH THE TAG PURCHASES. immediately and killing it moments later. While the rest of the birds decided that it was time to get away from whatever had just taken out their buddy, I sat there smiling with excitement, relief, and relishing in the fact that I had just taken my first turkey with archery equipment on my first ever archery hunt, on the same farm I harvested my first Iowa long beard earlier that year with a shotgun. Most hunters think about turkey hunting in Iowa as a spring only chase, but I think they are falling short by not capitalizing on yet another opportunity to put fine food on the table in the fall. Turkeys are just as much fun to hunt in the fall as they are in the spring, with the only exception being the type of calls one would expect to fill the morning air. Fall turkey hunting also offers sportsmen the opportunity to further support the conservation efforts of our states DNR 52

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locations on a property, so your best option is to find a spot between a good roost location such as an oak stand or maple bottom and a good food source such as young mast crops, fresh cut fields, or areas with lots of bugs for them to eat. Food plots are becoming more popular, which are also great places to find birds looking for nutrient dense plants to fill their crops with in the fall. All in all, fall turkey hunting is something that you won’t find me missing out on each year that I can muster up the extra twenty something dollars when I go to buy my deer tags. I love doubling my chances at bringing home the bacon to my family, and I know that it benefits both me and the state’s efforts to keep our hunting traditions alive and well. Good luck this season, and hopefully you will have an extra tag burning a hole in your pocket! To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

R & R Sports 3250 Fields Drive • Bettendorf, IA 52722 563-243-4696 www.randrsportsinc.com Fin & Feather 125 Hwy 1 W • Iowa City, IA 52246 319-354-2200 www.finfeather.com Palo Outdoors 1204 1st Street • Palo, IA 52324 319-851-5290 www.palo-outdoors.com No Limits Outdoors, LLC 212 11th St SW Plaza • Spencer, IA 51301 712-580-7000 www.nolimitsspencer.com Sommerfeld Outfitters 330 N Main St • Lidderdale, IA 51452 712-822-5780 www.shopsommerfeld.com The Iowa Outdoors Store 1597 3rd Ave NW • Fort Dodge, IA 50501 515-955-HUNT (4868) www.iowaoutdoorsstore.com December 2018

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THIS MONTH, I’m trying to help year, I’ll only be able to hunt weekends over. I ask this because some years it out Rick from Wayne County Iowa. Rick writes “I love hunting the late muzzleloader season each year. But, because of limited vacation, I usually rely on hunting around my work schedule and on weekends. Some years, I get lucky and my work schedule allows me to hunt evenings and weekends. This 54

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and mornings until about noon for the late muzzy season. Do you have any ideas on how to take a mature buck on a morning hunt this time of year without harming my evening hunts? Should I give up hunting the mornings and only hunt the evenings on the weekends? I do have standing soybeans to hunt

seems like when the weekend comes, and it happens to be warm out or raining I don’t see much, then during the week it gets cold so I’m missing the good hunting. I’ve heard more than one professional hunter say to not hunt mornings this time of year. Any suggestions?” To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

Rick’s situation is not unique at all. Most hunters don’t have unlimited time off from work where they can pick and choose every day they hunt…waiting for the “best” days and not hunting the marginal days or times. I get frustrated when I hear professional hunters tell the masses to not hunt mornings or only hunt a cold front. For me, I recommend only hunting evenings during this time of year if you have all season to hunt or you have a target buck patterned on an evening feeding pattern. Under those two scenarios, you probably should consider hunting only the evenings this time of year. But Rick has a very valid concern… if I wait to hunt only the prime times of evening hunting over food or when the weather is right, I risk not being able to hunt at all. So, what are some late season options for a hunter that finds themselves in these shoes? I can best answer this scenario by describing my son’s 2016 late muzzleloader hunt in Wayne and Decatur counties in southern Iowa. In over 30 years of chasing whitetails, I never learned as much about late season hunting as I did on this hunt. Going into his hunt, we knew we had nine straight days to hunt over his one week of vacation he took. The long-term forecast showed the week would start off warm with rain and end with cooler temperatures. We made the decision to hunt mornings on my farm in Wayne county where we could hunt food to bedding travel from a distance; and hunt the farm in Decatur county for our evening hunts overlooking standing beans and corn. The evening of day one brought cooler than expected SE winds with rain and drizzle. Even though it was cool out it was still warm and balmy for this time of year. The farm hadn’t been hunted since mid-November, so our thought was even though the weather wasn’t perfect, we could still catch deer on their feet during daylight. We did. Our target buck showed up just before quitting time, but Forest couldn’t get a shot in the standing corn. The evening of day two brought similar weather and similar results with some deer sightings only this time no mature bucks showed up. The deer movement was lethargic at best. Even the deer we did see came out late and didn’t show any real signs of urgency with their feeding pattern. Day three brought our first morning sit. We were able to get in between their nighttime feeding and daytime bedding only because those two locations were close to a half mile apart. Deer were December 2018

bedding on a southern sloped switch grass field intermixed with cedars and feeding a half mile to the east in a standing beanfield. There were a ton of deer using that beanfield and traveling back to bedding making it difficult to get into position without bumping deer. To make matters worse, there was no clear path these deer liked to take walking back to bed…they were spread out over several hundred acres using a draw, some tall grass and weeds, and open hay ground for their travels. We got into position well before sunrise and watched most of the deer including three big bucks pass

give us a chance? The thing to note here was these deer were only using my farm for travel. The beans were on a neighbor’s farm to the east, and the bedding was on a different neighbor’s farm to the west. Day three evening was much the same as the previous two in that deer movement was mild at best and all during the last few moments of the day. The weather stayed warmer than usually with low pressure and dreary conditions. Throughout the nine days of hunting, deer movement was entirely predictable. Every time the temperatures dipped, and high pressure snuck in for a day deer

DAY THREE BROUGHT OUR FIRST MORNING SIT. WE WERE ABLE TO GET IN BETWEEN THEIR NIGHTTIME FEEDING AND DAYTIME BEDDING ONLY BECAUSE THOSE TWO LOCATIONS WERE CLOSE TO A HALF MILE APART. by us before legal shooting. In fact, had it not been for our optics, most of these deer couldn’t even be seen by the naked eye. As the sun finally came up, only a few stragglers passed by during legal shooting. The three shooter bucks had made it well into their bedding before sun up as we watched them from a distance spar around before laying down like bachelor group bucks do. Would they come back just a bit later one morning to

movement spiked…noticeably. Morning hunting became a cat and mouse game as we moved around a bit trying to put ourselves in position to cut off those shooter bucks before they got back to their bedding cover. We never pulled it off during the morning. We saw those mature bucks several times but each time it was using our optics before sunrise and legal shooting. If we had access to that bedding ground, there is no doubt

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WHITETAILS 365 we could have made a play on those large bucks…but we didn’t have that access. This made it for us, impossible to harvest those animals. However, had we gained access to that property by asking permission, or that property was ours to begin with, it was clear to me that setting up close to that bedding area would have resulted in a morning mature buck kill during late muzzleloader season. So, this is what I learned about morning hunting for a mature buck during that time of year. Being brutally honest this is the only method I know of (besides driving deer) that could get you a shot at a mature buck during late muzzleloader season in the morning. And, here it is….if you have a scenario where a main food source like standing beans or corn is quite a distance from a mature bucks preferred bedding, AND you have a way to get close enough to this buck’s bedding area without actually going into his bedding, you can have a very legitimate chance of killing a mature buck during a morning hunt in the late season. In fact, after what I saw in 2016, it would be quite easy to pull off. The two keys are the distance between food and bed, and your ability to get close enough for a shot without going all the

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way in. I want to be clear here too that I only say you can’t go all the way into their bedding because in my opinion, if you do, you stand the chance of blowing up the whole setup your very first time as many

of these deer were already in the bedding area each day before we stepped out of the truck. In our scenario, the preferred bedding was old CRP mixed with some trees…so we could see into their bedding from a distance making a longer shot the preferred approach. Rick, my advice to you is simply this… if you can get into their bedding area close enough for a shot while not spooking those bucks getting in and out, that’s your ticket for a morning hunt! If you have bedding cover right up to their food source, the chances of this happening aren’t that great. If there’s a decent distance between that soybean field and where they bed, get in early and make a play on those deer! If, on the other hand, there is a good pattern of a target buck using the soybeans during daylight, hold off for a bit and try to first take him on a weekend evening hunt. This whole chess game is what makes chasing big whitetails fun! I had intended on covering one more questions about buying land or leasing, but this late season question posed by Rick took me too long to explain. I can be long winded sometimes. Next month starts off the 2019 year, and with it I will cover the buying/leasing topic I had intended on covering in this issue. 2019 will once again be covering reader questions and I might just have some content of my own I’d like to cover. If you have any questions or a topic you want covered in 2019 for this column, please send them to me at tapeppy@gmail.com.

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Jared Hefler 2nd place

Jeremiah Manken 1st place

Adam Walderbach 3rd Place

Ben Grangaard 1st place

Daniel Johnson 2nd place

Steve Hanson 3rd Place

RECENTLY WE did a Facebook contest for our followers asking them to share their trail camera photos with us. We divided the contest into two categories; whitetail and other wildlife. Above are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of each division. On the following pages are all the entries we received. Thanks to everyone that submitted a photo!

December 2018

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2018 TRAIL CAMERA REVIEW

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December 2018

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AROUND THE STATE

FALL COMMUNITY TROUT STOCKING STARTS OCTOBER 19 By Steve Weisman

Seventeen lakes across Iowa are gearing up to receive trout this fall. The Iowa Department of Natural

Resources (DNR) will release between 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout at each location as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer months. “Grab your neighbors, friends and kids and try trout fishing this fall,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau. “It’s time well spent. The fish are here, easy to catch and good to eat.” The fall community trout stockings are a great place to take kids to catch their first fish. A small hook with a night crawler or

corn under a small bobber or small simple spinners such as a panther martin or mepps is all you need to get in on the fun. Bringing trout to cities and towns offers a “close to home” option for Iowans who might not travel to northeast Iowa to discover trout fishing. A family friendly event is often paired with the stocking to

help anglers have success and fun while fishing. The popular program is supported by the sales of the trout fee. Anglers need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10. Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.

2018 FALL COMMUNITY TROUT STOCKING SCHEDULE

Oct. 19, Sand Lake, Marshalltown, Noon Oct. 20, Lake of the Hills, Davenport, 10:30 a.m. Oct. 24, Lake Petocka, Bondurant, 11 a.m. Oct. 25, Banner Lake (South), Summerset State Park, Indianola, 11 a.m. Oct. 25, Big Lake, Council Bluffs, 2 p.m. Oct. 26, Ottumwa Park Pond, Ottumwa, 11 a.m. Oct. 27, Discovery Park, Muscatine, 10 a.m. Oct. 27, Wilson Lake, Fort Madison, Noon Nov. 1, Moorland Pond, Fort Dodge, Noon Nov. 2, Prairie Park (Cedar Bend), Cedar Rapids, 10 a.m. Nov. 2, Terry Trueblood Lake, Iowa City, 11 a.m. Nov. 7, Bacon Creek, Sioux City, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 9, Heritage Pond, Dubuque, Noon Nov. 9, North Prairie Lake, Cedar Falls, Noon Nov. 16, Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake, Ames, Noon Nov. 17, Scharnberg Pond, Spencer, Noon Nov. 21, Blue Pit, Mason City, 11 a.m. Find more information about trout fishing in community lakes on the DNR trout fishing webpage. 62

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LAKE SHAWTEE BECOMING NOT-SO-SECRET PHEASANT AND QUAIL HUNTING SPOT

A 1,200-acre grassland in northeast Fremont County has been hosting pheasant and quail hunters since the late 1980s. Positioned in southern Iowa’s quail belt, Lake Shawtee is in the region with the highest quail counts in the state, and that saw its pheasant counts rise to the second highest in a decade. This corner of Iowa is well positioned for a busy hunting season. While Lake Shawtee will eventually be home to a lake, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is managing it as a grassland and, with help from the Fremont-Mills Pheasants Forever chapter, is working to improve pheasants and quail numbers. The partnership with Pheasants Forever has resulted in improving quail habitat along field edges and plum thickets to increase survival. The technique is to cut and leave trees and brush along row crop field edges. The area is allowed to grow up with seed-producing annual weeds. Weeds provide quail food and additional cover right in the brush.

December 2018

Grass growing among plum thickets is sprayed to allow the area to come up in weeds with the similar food and cover goal. With a significant focus on managing for northern Bobwhites, Lake Shawtee is one of 23 National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative focus areas in the nation. Wildlife biologist Matt Dollison, and the technicians at the Nishnabotna Wildlife Unit, conduct quail and pheasant call surveys from specific locations at specific times and the results can be compared to all of the other focus areas that follow the same survey protocols. While most hunters come from surrounding counties, Lake Shawtee does host a few hunters from the Des Moines

area, and from Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina who likely found Lake Shawtee from its participation in the quail initiative. Lake Shawtee likely isn’t the only destination for hunters, as Fremont County has more than 16,000 acres of land open to public hunting and neighboring Mills County has nearly 6,000 acres. “Use on the area has picked up beyond the first two weekends, extending longer into the season,” Dollison said. “While we don’t have the pheasant numbers that north central Iowa has, our pheasant numbers have increased steadily since we started the counts in 2014, and we have quail, whose numbers have almost doubled in that same time.”

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FISHING IOWA

BIGGER BAITS FOR BIGGER FISH IN THE FALL By Bob Jensen

It’s autumn throughout the Midwest. In some areas the trees are alive with color, in more northern reaches the trees are losing their leaves. A sweatshirt feels good in the mornings, we’re several games into the football season, and the early migrating birds have pretty much left. And, best of all if you like to catch fish, now is an outstanding time to do so. They’re instinctively fattening up for the winter, so if you can put a bait in front of them, chances are good they’ll bite. If you want to increase the chances for getting a big one to bite, you need to use bigger baits. Here’s why the fish like bigger baits in the fall, and a couple of ideas for using bigger baits. There are a couple of reasons why big baits are usually more productive in the fall. First, the days are getting shorter and the water temperatures are going down. This seems to signal to the fish that it’s time to put some fat on. The fish seem to prefer to eat one large meal instead of several smaller ones. It requires less energy for them to eat once than it does for them to catch several small meals. Also, the baitfish that were spawned in the spring are at a larger size now, and some baitfish that are fall spawners are more accessible to the predator fish. It seems that the larger predator fish are more interested in eating the size baitfish that are more abundant this time of year. If walleyes or smallmouth are your quarry, you can’t beat a big redtail chub on a live-bait rig. Redtails are expensive, and they can be hard to find, but if you can get some, the walleyes and smallmouth really like them. If you just want to get bit and aren’t looking for truly big fish, a fathead minnow on a FireBall jig is about as good as it gets.

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Another option for smallmouth is dropshotting. I’ve had some memorable autumn days dropshotting for numbers of smallmouth and some big ones. The Dream Shot from Strike King is an outstanding plastic to use while dropshotting. Lew’s makes a dropshot rod in their

ordinary blade and tipped with large plastic. However to cover water and still appeal to bass, a crankbait is hard to beat. There are lots of crankbaits out there, but the 5XD that Strike King makes runs deep and true and is available in the best colors. I’m usually fishing clear water in the fall, so I like a bait

IF YOU’RE AFTER LARGEMOUTH BASS, YOU’LL WANT TO TRY THE DEEP WEEDLINE. OUT HERE YOU’VE GOT SEVERAL OPTIONS FOR BAITS, BUT REMEMBER TO GO BIG WITH THE BAITS. Custom Speed Stick Series that is very sensitive but also has the power for good hooksets. Add a Lew’s spinning reel spooled with 6 or 8 pound test CX Premium P-Line and your set. If you’re after largemouth bass, you’ll want to try the deep weedline. Out here you’ve got several options for baits, but remember to go big with the baits. A rubber-legged jig with a big bulky piece of plastic will be good, and so will a spinnerbait with a larger than

that’s natural in color, something that looks like a bluegill, a perch, or a shad. Autumn is a great time to be on the water, and if you use big baits, you have the opportunity for a truly memorable fishing experience. Find that out for yourself in the next few weeks. To see new and older episodes of Fishing the Midwest television, new and older fishing articles and fishing video tips, go to fishingthemidwest.com To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

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GUNDOG CORNER

KEEPING YOUR DOG ENERGIZED IN THE FIELD:

NUTRITION AND HYDRATION

It is that time of year again where we work as a team with our gun dogs and look forward to another year

of bird hunting. Gun dogs are athletes. Like all athletes, a proper diet and right amount of hydration is critical for maximum success in the field. This article will cover the essentials for you to consider this season when feeding your hunting partner.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR DOG FOOD:

Like humans, your dog’s activity level will determine the proper balance of protein, good fat sources and carbohydrates they require in their diet. For example, higher levels of simple carbs are just as important as protein and fat levels for optimal performance during high-energy activities. Here are the top three energy sources you should pay attention to in your dog’s food: Protein (1st Ingredient) – Active dogs need protein to repair and rebuild muscle

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that is broken down during exercise. Fat (2nd Ingredient) – Canine athletes use fat for energy more quickly than an average family pet. Fat contributes up to 75 percent of the energy demand during prolonged aerobic work during endurance training. Carbohydrates (3rd Ingredient) – In the early stages of moderate exercise, carbohydrates provide 40 to 50 percent of the energy requirement. Dry dog food is viewed as an essential tool in providing proper growth and development, stamina, health, longevity,

endurance and recovery during training and conditioning. The best dog foods provide the list of nutrients below that are essential in reaching your personal goals for your canine athlete: • Protein – Amino acids to build, repair, and replace body proteins. • Carbohydrates – Energy source and body maintenance. • Fats – Energy, coats, structural functions, and nervous system. • Vitamins – Growing, reproductive, and immune system for all growth and life stages.

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• Minerals – Micro and macro forms Everyone has heard the term “you are what you eat”, and that also applies to our canine athletes and companions! Proper diet management practices can affect the results as much as the quality of food we select. To get the most nutritional value out of your dog’s diet, a feeding regime providing a consistent number of feedings per day must be established to help train your canine athlete’s body to burn and not store nutrients. We recommend two feedings per day. Proper spacing of feedings and timing is everything to maximize nutrition in your dog’s diet. Feedings can be given after exercise with a minimum four hour time period before the second feeding. Once the body is cooled down and rested, it will support rebuilding of muscle tissue used during exercise while offering the additional benefits to recover. If it is not possible to feed your canine companion twice a day, we recommend feeding after exercise and before bed. Whenever you can avoid feeding a dog pre exercise is best. This can lead to stress stools and dehydration, taking away any nutritional benefit of that feeding. Always remember that dog foods are nothing more than a tool formulated for the world’s dog population. As a

December 2018

consumer, you should try to find the tool that works best for your dog, which will often include supplementation of hydration and recovery products as well. • Hydration – There is no question that nutrition is one of the most important elements when caring for our dogs. That being said, hydration is the single most important nutrient your dog can have. They can survive for weeks without food, not the case without water. Dogs are made

body fluids, it can be fatal. If your dog begins to show signs of fatigue, dehydration could be setting in. The dog will appear visibly tired, carrying on at a reduced speed. If you pinch the skin on their back, a hydrated animal’s skin will immediately return to normal shape. If it is slow to return to normal shape, the dog is showing obvious signs of dehydration. The most extreme signs of dehydration are when the dog appears

CANINE ATHLETES USE FAT FOR ENERGY MORE QUICKLY THAN AN AVERAGE FAMILY PET. FAT CONTRIBUTES UP TO 75 PERCENT OF THE ENERGY DEMAND DURING PROLONGED AEROBIC WORK DURING ENDURANCE TRAINING. of 80% water. This means that if a dog weighs 50 pounds, they have five gallons of water in their body. It has been said that a dog can lose 6% of its body fluids (approximately 6 cups) before it will stop what it is doing to drink. Having water available during training and the hunt is very important for this reason as they lose fluids through the increased physical activity – sweat, breathing, urine, feces etc. Respiration alone can potentially cause a dog to lose up to 40% of their body fluid through exercise. Once a dog loses 10% of their

weak in the hind end and is wobbling with unsteady feet. Always have water available to your dog in the field. It can be lifesaving and will help your dog maximize their performance. With a better understanding of what to look for in your dog’s food, how to account for calories being replenished and knowing how water is used by your dog to perform, you are now ready to provide the best nutrition and hydration for your hunting partner.

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IOWA SPORTSMAN COOKBOOK

VENISON CROCK POT RECIPES

VENISON CROCK POT LASAGNA INGREDIENTS • 1 lb ground venison • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage or ground beef • 1 onion, chopped • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 4 cups homemade tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup water • 1 tsp kosher salt • 1 tsp oregano • 1 tsp Italian dressing • 1 tsp basil

• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente’ • 2 cups ricotta cheese • 2 beaten eggs • 1 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced • 1 lb parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS In a skillet, cook venison and sausage/ground beef with the onion until no longer pink. Add garlic and drain. Stir in tomato sauce, water, salt, oregano, Italian seasoning and basil. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Spread 1/4 of the meat sauce mixture on the bottom of an ungreased

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5-qt. crock pot. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce, then 1/3 of the parmesan cheese, and then 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat - ending with the mozzarella cheese on top. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

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SMOKEY VENISON CROCKPOT CHILI INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb venison shank steaks • 2 lb venison - ground • 3/4 lb Bratwurst • 12 medium tomatoes or 2- 28 oz whole peeled cans • 1 can Red Beans 15.5 oz can • 1 can Navy Beans 15.5 oz can

• 1 can Whole Kernel Corn 15.25 oz can • 2 large Red Bell Peppers • 1 large Yellow Bell Pepper • 1 large Orange Bell Pepper • 2 packages Sazon Goya Seasoning • 3 Tbsp Chili Powder • 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

• 2 tsp Ground Smoked Paprika • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce • 3 dash Tobasco • 1 can Tomato Paste 6 oz can • 12 Jalapenos (optional) • Salt and Pepper • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS • Using a large frying pan, sauté the steaks and brats on medium heat. • If using garden tomatoes. Preheat oven to 350. Cut tomatoes in half and place them cut side down onto oiled cookie sheet. Drizzle oil onto tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Roast in oven for 20 minutes. • Remove steaks at medium doneness leaving the brats and juices. Sautee the ground venison until medium. • Cut steaks into 1/2” pieces and put into crockpot. Add ground venison and all the cooking juices. (Venison is very lean so it is juices not fat). Leave alone for 10 minutes so the meat reabsorbs the juices. • Sautee brats longer until slightly charred.Then slice into 1/2” pieces and

add to crockpot • Take tomatoes out of oven. Using two forks, so you don’t burn yourself, peel skin off and discard. Pour all juices and tomatoes into crockpot. • Chop the peppers into 1/2” pieces and put into crockpot. Drain beans and corn and put them into crockpot. • Add remaining ingredients except paste and stir till combined. • Heat on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. I enjoy this chili over a slice of corn bread. • After halfway cooking you can add paste if chili is too thin. Also can add jalapenos and/or your favorite hot sauce to heat things up.

VENISON STUFFED FIESTA PEPPERS INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb thawed ground venison • 4 each bell pepper • 2 cup cooked rice • 1 package taco seasoning • 1/2 cup shredded cheese • 2 cloves pressed garlic • 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped • 1 each any brand jar of spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS

• Cook rice according to package instructions and set aside • Cut the tops off of bell peppers to form bowls, then de-vein centers. • Mix ground venison, chopped onion, pressed garlic, cooked rice, cheese, and taco seasoning in a large bowl • Add venison mixture to insides of pepper bowls • Place peppers into a slow cooker, pour jar of spaghetti sauce over their tops until covered • Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4 hours • When done cooking add grated cheese over the tops of peppers and let cheese melt.

WE WANT YOUR RECIPES! We want to see what our readers are cooking up, more importantly we want to taste what you are cooking. Please send us some of your most tastiest wild game recipes and we will publish them in the Iowa Cookbook Sec-

December 2018

tion. You can send recipes to patrick@twinriversmedia.com or mail them to The Iowa Sportsman, 1517 3rd Ave NW, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.

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Lake of the Woods

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Marketplace A stable, quick-connecting rail system that easily connects to docks and decks!

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December 2018

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Classifieds DEER PROCESSING/ MEAT LOCKER

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2018 Shows

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WE DO NOT COMINGLE DEER. So the deer you bring in is the deer you get back!

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December 2018

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