Iowa Sportsman January 2019 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 10 AVOIDING TAG SOUP 14 DEAD STICKING ON ICE TO HELP YOU KILL THIS WINTER 18 10MORETIPSCOYOTES 22 LATE SEASON PHEASANTS & QUAIL WHITETAILS 365: 26 BUYING OR LEASING LAND 30 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE By Noel Gandy By Ben Leal

By Troy Hoepker By Mac Chilton

By Tom Peplinski

36 TIP UP FISHING 101 THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON TRAPPING 42 PUTTING By Nick Johnson

By JD Rogge

46 50 A DAY ON THE ICE WITH... ME! TO KEEP PUTTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER 54 HOW

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TAKING A KID DEER HUNTING. PART 1 By Jason Smith

By Rod Woten

By Joel Johnson

DEPARTMENTS 60 IOWA COOKBOOK 6 PUBLISHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STATEMENT 8 IOWA SPORTSMAN INTERACTIVE 62 AROUND THE STATE MOON PHASES/ 9 SUNRISE-SUNSET 64 GUNDOG CORNER TROPHY ROOM 34 67 FISHING IOWA By Patrick McKinney

Photos Submitted by Readers

Stew/Soup Recipes

By Bob Jensen

ON THE COVER

Welcome to the January Issue of The Iowa Sportsman Magazine! On the cover this month is a photo of a coyote with his nose to the ground trying to detect his prey in the snow. Coyote hunting is up and coming in popularity. As deer season and upland seasons come to a close coyote season is just starting. Not to mention these animals are extremely challenging to hunt. Do you have what it takes to match wits with a wily Coyote?

The Iowa Sportsman

January 2019

PUBLISHER STATEMENT

ARE WE CRAZY?

To Iowa sportsmen hunting, fishing, and the outdoor lifestyle is a way of life. It

seems so natural to us that we don’t think twice what we are doing seems completely insane to other individuals not privy to our rituals.

The night before a big hunting or fishing trip we will anxiously await for the alarm

clock to go off. Sleep would be great, but there is no time for that as we are already envisioning the adventures to come. There is no way we can fall asleep with so much excitement bouncing around in our minds. So we get little sleep, wake up or should I say get up hours before the sun rises and come rain or shine we head out into the great outdoors looking to fulfill our hopes and dreams of being successful in the timbers, fields, or waters of this great state!

To me that sounds like the perfect day ahead. Not for others though. They just

can’t wrap their minds around why on earth a deer hunter would wake up at 3am, drive two hours, then sit in the cold freezing temps for eight hours waiting on something

that may or may not come to fruition. Or what about pheasant hunters who will again

wake up early, get all their gear gathered and set out to walk miles and miles of Iowa countryside in hopes of shooting a three pound bird. Anglers are no different, we will

spend countless hours cruising around a lake day after day casting our lines into the depths unknown in hopes that something on the other end takes the bait. Possibly the

craziest thing to non-sportsmen is ice fishing. Who in their right mind would go out

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

VOLUME 17 • NUMBER 1 • JANUARY 2019

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 Donna Mobley, Circulation Manager

OUTDOOR MARKETING SPECIALISTS

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onto a frozen piece of water, drill a tiny hole, and sit and wait in sub-freezing temps

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waterfowl hunters, turkey hunters you are all crazy!

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

to catch a fish the size of a frying pan? I could go on and on….predator hunters, Are we indeed crazy? From the eyes of a person that hasn’t experienced what

Mother Nature has to offer, absolutely. We are crazier than a pet coon to them! You know what? If the above words makes us crazy, than I guess we are, but I wouldn’t change my state of mind for anything.

The real answer though is we are not crazy. What we do in order to be successful

sportsmen is in no way shape or form crazy, at least not to us. Waking up before the

crack of dawn and spending the entire day in the elements is our way of life, it is what we signed up for, it is in our blood, it is in our heritage, and it is what we love to do.

Someone else who has never experienced it or simply wasn’t built for this lifestyle they will never understand. To them we will always be crazy sportsmen, and that is just fine by me…they are the ones missing out!

So from one crazy sportsman to the next get out there and be crazy!

Donna Mobley - donna@twinriversmedia.com

Nick Johnson, JD Rogge, Noel Gandy, Mac Chilton, Troy Hoepker,Tom Peplinski, Steve Weisman, Ben Leal, Rod Woten, Joel Johnson, and 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 © 2019 All rights reserved.

Patrick McKinney

@TheIowaSportsmanMagazine

The Iowa Sportsman

The Iowa Sportsman was awarded the Niche Magazine Award for best consumer magazine in the nation!

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INTERACTIVE PAGE

WHAT AM I

IOWA SPORTSMAN ONLINE POLL HOW MANY SHOTGUNS DO YOU OWN? 0%: 1-3: 4-5: 6-8: 9-10: 10+:

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 Jack Thilges. The answer was: a Canada Goose Head.

Like us on Facebook! @ theiowasportsmanmagazine

7% 5%

13%

31%

37%

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 46.

THE WINNER OF THE DECEMBER ISSUE WAS DANNY CHURCH

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

Answers: The number 3 on license plate is gone, spindle on chair is half missing, spoon is missing from hanging pan, green bottle is blue on left, chunck of brick is missing from fireplace, yellow stripe is missing from shell, chair cushion is green, cup is missing from shelving on left, brown trim on crockpot, piece of firewood is green, gun is copper, lid is gone from thermos.

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The Iowa Sportsman

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By Noel Gandy

“MM! MM! GOOD!” Sound familiar? It ought to for it’s been a Campbell Soup slogan since the 1930s. Even though they make delicious and hearty soups that are great for this wintry time of year I bet even the good folks at Campbell’s cannot find a recipe for “tag soup” that seems tasty. Every year thousands of hunters end their deer season with nothing more to show than their unfilled tag. Recipe’s for “Tag Soup,” “Tag Stew,” and “Tag Sandwiches” are often issued as plots of humor to an otherwise humorless point in time. Whether time afield was slim, you had a shot and a miss, or a litany of any other reasons for not bagging a deer is your excuse, tag soup is never easy to swallow. Luckily, you are not the first and will not be the last to end your season without filling your tag. Fortunately, there are ways to increase your odds to filling the freezer before the end of Iowa’s deer season.

SCOUTING IS KEY

Think way back to August and September. In anticipation of hunting season many hunters burned up the back roads and hillsides of rural Iowa scouting and glassing in anticipation of finding a trophy deer to hunt during the season. Countless hours were likely spent checking trail cameras and formulating a plan to harvest your buck. When season rolls around though, much less time is spent scouting and we hit the woods. That’s very natural. However, we should January 2019

never give up on attempting to locate deer even in the midst of hunting season. The natural tendency during archery season is to locate a buck and wait for him to come to us during the early feeding patterns or the rut. Often times after a

Find food sources that the deer are hitting and hunt them immediately because they might not be there tomorrow! If you have the option to leave some crops standing or have a food plot of some sort, even better. Plan to hunt an active food source until it runs dry then move on to the next one.

WATCH THE WEATHER

Fortunately for many Iowa hunters the late season falls in conjunction with some of the holidays. Many of us have some extra time off that can be spent

THIS FINAL SUGGESTION MIGHT NOT BE POSSIBLE TO ALL BUT DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW IF TIME AND RESOURCES LEND ITSELF. MANY STATES, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF OUR COUNTRY, HAVE VERY LIBERAL DEER SEASONS. wearisome rut, pressure from hunters, and shifting food sources, deer will shift their home ranges. If you find yourself sitting in the same spots and not seeing deer this is likely the reason. As one old saying goes, “Adapt or die.” Taking time, even if it means missing a bit of hunting time, to find where deer are hanging out is imperative to a successful late season. As the temperature drops drastically and the breeding frenzy ends the deer are focused on one thing: food! Food sources are the key to survival for animals during the blustery weather of winter and deer are no different.

afield. However, others have to be more judicious with their time away from work and family. If that is the case, and you have to pick and choose your time to go hunting, then I suggest you watch for a drop in the temperature. Drastic drops in temperature, hikes in barometric pressure, and even fresh snow can often mean feeding frenzies for our deer herds. If you can find a combination of these factors: bingo! Whitetail deer, and any creature for that matter, are going to be hitting the excess food circuit regardless of the weather. There is a certain bit of magic to IowaSportsman.com

AVOIDING TAG SOUP the combination of weather elements that were mentioned above. I have experienced seeing more deer on their feet during legal shooting hours on high pressure blue bird days than I ever remember any other time. According to Outdoor Life magazine, “Deer like a pressure above 30.00 in. And if you want to see bucks, the ratio of bucks to does sighted when the pressure is between 30.00 – 30.40 is a staggering 1 to 1! When it drops and is between 29.8 and 30.00 there were a third as many deer spotted and with that figure your chances of seeing a buck drops to 1 in 3.”

DON’T NEGLECT YOUR EQUIPMENT

The Benjamin Franklin axiom that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is as true today as it was when Franklin made the quote. How often have we picked up a gun or a bow the night before a season begins and take it to the field with the assumption that “it’s still on?” Assumptions should never be made when it comes to our weaponry. Taking time to sight in your weapon and be proficient with it will cure a lot of heart ache of missing or misfiring during the cold winter months of the late deer season. Also, practice with the clothing that you’ll be wearing. It is likely that you will be dressed much differently during the late season as you were during the earlier

range or been harvested during the length of time between the mid season and late season. Having a sense of the inventory of your ground can help a weary hunter get the most out of his/her time.

AVOID MUCHO MACHO

This goes along with garnering expectations. My daddy, a notorious young buck killer, likes to justify taking juvenile deer with the saying, “you can’t eat the antlers.” While this mantra rings true there are more and better ways to fill your tag: namely, does! As the season winds down and you come to the realization that a mature buck might not be in the chips for you this year consider bagging a doe. In many areas doe numbers far outweigh buck numbers. Tagging a doe not only can help fill your freezer but can also help in herd management. This is in no way shaming for tagging young bucks. My motto is, “if he makes your heart go pitter patter then pull the trigger.” But, if we’re shooting deer just for the sake of meat then maybe taking a doe is the wiser choice.

HAVE TAG WILL TRAVEL

This final suggestion might not be possible to all but don’t be afraid to try something new if time and resources lend itself. Many states, especially those in the

IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO KILL A TROPHY BUCK THAT IS NOT THERE. BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE PUT IN THE TIME TO SCOUT APPROPRIATELY AND HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT YOUR FARM HOLDS. months of the Fall. Practicing how you will hunt will ensure that you are prepared when the moment of truth arrives. Speaking of clothing: dress for the weather, don’t dread it! I can imagine nothing more miserable than frozen fingers and toes. Be sure that you pack hand warmers, gloves, hats, and any other necessary clothing items to keep you comfortable while afield. The more comfortable that you are the more time you can spend actively hunting.

GARNER YOUR EXPECTATIONS

It is very difficult to kill a trophy buck that is not there. Be sure that you have put in the time to scout appropriately and have a good idea of what your farm holds. Many will slurp the proverbial tag soup because they were holding out for a certain class of deer. Maybe the farm held a bruiser buck during the rut. That’s great! It’s not unrealistic to think that he has shifted his 12

The Iowa Sportsman

southern portion of our country, have very liberal deer seasons. If time has run out for you here in Iowa there are still some opportunities to put venison on the menu in other areas. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and many others not only have deer seasons that run into the end of January and even February, but also still have rutting activity. Granted, this option is not conducive for all, it’s still an option. The most anticipated phases of deer season have come and gone and many hunters have unwillingly found themselves with nothing but “tag soup” in their freezers. Don’t quit yet! With some time left and cold weather on the way, the pieces could be falling into place to experience the best deer movement yet. Stick with it and maybe you can avoid “tag soup.” Remember, October 1 is a long time away. Enjoy the time the Good Lord and Iowa DNR have given you to harvest a deer this year! To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

January 2019

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WHEN THE ICE FISHING season gets well underway fishing begins to slow down a bit. The much colder water will slow down the metabolism of the quarry we are chasing. They also move out into deeper haunts of the lake, suspending in schools waiting for tasty morsels to swim by. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll move out in search of dinner when they are ready, but like us when it gets cold, they’ll slow down. Dead stick fishing for walleye, crappie, perch, bluegill, and larger predator fish is a great technique for finding those finicky fish that really are looking for that easy 14

The Iowa Sportsman

meal, especially when conditions dictate. Dead sticking is used to present lively minnows attached to a jig, jigging spoon or weighted hook so it struggles against the

line and rod being used. The best rod to use for dead sticking is one with a very limber tip, something that the minnow can pull against as well as allowing the fish you’re chasing to take the bait before the hook and line are felt.

WHEN TO DEAD STICK

Quite honestly, any time is a good time to dead stick. Often when I’m fishing alone I’ll drop a second line down an adjoining hole that I’m fishing. While I’m jigging away with the rod in hand, I’ve got another To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

rod sitting on my bucket with some sort of live bait simply sitting there. It’s a great way to increase the odds of catching dinner, but it also can tell you something about fish activity in general. In a perfect world, we’d have fish coming up to crash any presentation we drop through the ice and our flashers fill with red marks as fish compete for the offering. Fish, like us, are affected by changes in the weather. Days that are cloudy with little breeze feel better to us, snowsuits keep us warm aided by shelters and warmers. Clear January 2019

blue skies the temperature usually dips and we notice the difference. Fish, well they may not notice the temperature difference but the barometric pressure has the same effect, sorta. When it’s clear and cold out it’s typically when a high-pressure system moves in and clears the skies. Fish slow down, find cover and move to deeper water. They’re not going to be aggressive, chomping on our presentations as we drop them and they will be less likely to show much interest in bait that’s being jigged. Here’s a scenario

where dead sticking can increase your odds of success. Don’t get me wrong, keep the jigging rod in hand but as I noted before, have a second rod set up dead sticking.

GEAR

When it comes to leaving a bait sitting idle waiting for a hungry fish to come by, using a rod with a fast or medium fast action works best. Anything that has some backbone to it will telegraph to the fish that something is attached to their snack. Soft tips that bend easy allow the fish to take IowaSportsman.com

DEAD STICKING the bait, giving you a chance to notice said take and reach for the rod. What you’re targeting will determine the type of reel you use as well as the line. Larger game fish will require large line i.e., walleye maybe 6 to 8-pound test, crappie, bluegill and perch you can go as low as 2-pound test line. Finicky fish tend to be line shy too, so smaller in many cases is better. The first few years that I was on the ice, when dead sticking, I would simply set my rod and reel on the ice and strategically prop it up on the reel handle or ice cone surrounding the hole. In the years since I’ve learned that there are quite a few devices that allow you to leave your rod unattended, or at least not in hand, without having to set it on the ice. We all carry buckets with us when we’re on the ice. We put our fish in them, fill them with gear and use them to set our flashers on. Rod holders for buckets are very inexpensive and allow you to set the rod down right next to you within arm’s reach. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and a quick Google search and you’ll find them. Tip-Up – at the mention of those two words we automatically think of the typical tip-up we use for chasing after those toothy critters called northern pike. A versatile system that you can use for your rod and reel is the HT Ice Rigger; a dead stick system that combines an adjustable rod holder with the classic tip up signal flag. No automatic hook set mechanism so this is legal pretty much everywhere. Tip-Down – These devices are actually really useful when you’re sitting in an ice shack and you’ve got one rod set up for dead sticking while you’re jigging with another. One such system is the Clam Arctic Warrior tip-down. This also comes with a flag; however, you may not need to use it if it’s sitting right next to you. I’ve used one that simply “tips down”, gives me a clear indication that my baits been taken and I can reach for the rod. Easy to set up and easy to use. All of these products are great for dead sticking. One thing to keep in mind, especially if your using live bait is to avoid the traditional marlin hook set. You are more apt to pull the bait right out of the fish’s mouth as it’s trying to consume that tasty morsel. Grab your rod, lift up until you can feel the rod load and then set the hook. It’s also not uncommon for the fish to do most of the work for you as they take off after a vicious attack on your bait. Another reason for having your rod close at hand keeps the fish from taking off with your 16

The Iowa Sportsman

equipment down into the cold depths of the pond or lake you’re fishing.

PRESENTATION

Most common in presenting your minnow when dead sticking is to simply hook a minnow with a jig head and lower the bait down to the appropriate depth. A lot of anglers will slide the hook through the eye socket of the minnow, however, a better option is to slide the hook into the minnow just behind the dorsal fin. This allows the minnow to swim a bit better and you’ll notice your rod tip moving a bit more when something is eyeing your offering. A secondary way to hook a minnow is to use a bent design jig with a stinger. The single hook penetrates the fish, again behind the dorsal fin with the stinger hook riding free just below the jig. Great option when fish seem to be short striking the bait. Crappie, for instance, will feed up, so as they rise to take the minnow, possible missing the hook on the initial take, the stinger will come in to play. One of the benefits of placing your tipups or tip downs outside is that wind can actually create a jigging motion, just subtle enough to make that bait a bit livelier. For anglers that like to move around a bit and jump from one set of holes to another, this is a great option for having two lines in the water at the same time. Some of the other baits that I’ve used, wax worms and spikes for instance, really don’t require a whole lot of action when dead sticking. I’ve jigged for trout while leaving a rod loaded with bait in my rod holder and have had pretty good success with both. Just a word of caution when ice fishing for trout; when they take the bait, whether jigging or dead sticking, they take the bait. Keep a keen eye on that second rod. Dead sticking can be a very useful alternative when the fish are being incredibly finicky and are not crashing the baits as we drop them. High-pressure systems and the ongoing winter, especially if there is a lot of snow covering the ice will make them a bit lethargic. Remember to be good stewards of the resources we enjoy in our State. Keep what you can eat, practice selective harvest and CPR those trophy fish so we can keep that gene pool in the fishery. While the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is working hard to improve our fishing experiences in Iowa, we need to do our part by stewarding the resource. Tight Lines All!

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January 2019

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WITH WINTER LOOMING heavy ahead of us and other hunting seasons soon CAN’T CALL “EM WHERE THEY AIN’T coming to a close, more and more hunters turn their attention to hunting coyotes as the weather turns colder and the deer seasons are in the rear view mirror. Few animals are more cunning than the coyote but in turn, few animals will fine-tune your hunting skills more than the devoted pursuit of this wily critter. Here are ten tips you can put to use this winter to help you drop the hammer on Iowa’s toughest predator! 18

The Iowa Sportsman

Number one on the list is finding properties and places to call and hunt that hold good coyote numbers on a regular basis. This one seems pretty obvious but putting yourself in good spots is step one to success and simply can’t be left off the list nor ignored. Naturally this includes good scouting! If you devote the time To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

to scouting just like you would for deer, waterfowl, or turkey season your odds of success jump up dramatically. Some of the best scouting tools in your bag are easy enough to do but it’s about putting in the time to do them. Take a nighttime drive to locations you seek to hunt or you think hold promise and get out the howler or crank up some howling on your e-caller at night from the roads. Give coyotes plenty of time to answer the bell. Sometimes they won’t howl back right away. Sit and listen for 10 or 15 minutes after howling before moving on. Other times they won’t howl back at all for whatever reason, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t there either. Keep attempting this nighttime howling route night after night or on some kind of regular basis for a while. It’ll give you January 2019

the opportunity to hear coyotes that you otherwise may have not known were there and helps you establish a pattern of location on coyotes that respond night after night. Note the times of night where

repeatedly also familiarizes yourself with coyote sounds and helps you duplicate them with a howler. Get boots on the ground! Once you’ve found a place that holds coyotes you

I SUGGEST INVESTING IN A GOOD VOICE HOWLER WITH PLENTY OF PRACTICE TO DUPLICATE COYOTES. E-CALLERS CAN GET THE JOB DONE AS WELL, BUT A HOWLER LETS YOU MAKE THE EXACT SOUND YOU WANT TO MAKE. they howl from and if you do this enough times you can form an educated guess as to their travel patterns and may even be able to have a good guess on where they tend to be at last light and first light each day. Hearing their vocalizations

still need to figure out how they use the property. Scout into it and look for tracks. Some places are just natural highways. Look at two-tracks, fence lines, rightof-way crossings, pond dams, waterway fingers, and field ditch crossings the IowaSportsman.com

10 TIPS TO HELP YOU KILL MORE COYOTES THIS WINTER farmers use. Some places hold coyotes at night but the same coyote doesn’t necessarily live there during the day. You’re trying to establish that. Look for good rabbit habitat, secure cover in the middle of sections and water sources. These are great starting points. Lastly talk to the farmers, ranchers and landowners to hear what they have to say about the local coyote population.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SETUP

The next most important thing in my opinion is how you setup on a property once you know it has coyote potential. You’re not going to kill one of these elusive creatures no matter how thick their infestation is unless you have some common sense about how to make a decent setup. Before hunting a place, take a look at a topography map of the land. See where the natural choke points are, where the cover is, where the hills are and your travel route in and out of the place. After you’ve selected a few likely spots get out there and look at them in person. Find a spot with some elevation for yourself as well as some concealment. Don’t hide yourself so well that you can’t see out, just something that breaks up your outline

will do. Walking in, try not to silhouette yourself on top of any hills and park far enough away that you won’t spook coyotes. Find an approach that doesn’t let yourself be seen from a good portion of the cover you’ll be calling towards. Keeping the sun at your back is also a good idea. Select the location of the hunt as if you were looking for a good ambush site. Give a coyote some cover to travel to get to your location if you can. It makes them feel safe and gives them confidence to come in. Don’t select an area that is too wide open. Coyotes like to circle wide if you give them the chance. Let yourself dictate the hunt, not the coyote.

MAKE THE WIND YOU’RE FRIEND, NOT THEIRS

Wind goes hand in hand with a good setup and is a crucial part of the setup’s success. If you don’t use the wind properly from the spot you choose to call from the best setup location in the word is doomed to fail. Here’s a rule of thumb to live by; setup with a crosswind if you can first; a wind in your face secondly and a wind coming from behind you last. A crosswind out in front of you keeps your scent from drifting to the

land you’re calling to and helps you get a coyote to approach where he won’t smell you until it’s too late. Coyotes like to use the wind and approach from the downwind side when they can. The area directly downwind of you should be an area where you can see quite a ways. A crosswind also helps the coyote think he can get around you to scent the source of the sound he is hearing making him more likely to respond to your call. If a crosswind isn’t an option, call with the wind in your face. Just make sure there isn’t an overabundance of cover directly behind you where a coyote can get to easily and get educated. Lastly, if you choose to call with the wind coming from behind you, make sure you do it from a spot where your downwind carries your scent to an open area you can shoot to with cover off to the sides of your scent cone. Oftentimes, it’s better to just choose another spot to go hunt instead of risking broadcasting your scent to your calling area on the walk in or from your calling spot.

DON’T DISTRESS ABOUT THE SOUND OF DISTRESS

Most new coyote callers ask a lot of question about what distress sounds to use but here’s a little secret…Coyote calling has little to do with what sounds you select. Most sounds of rabbit distress, bird distress, etc. on e-callers all have the capability of intriguing a coyote and getting them started your way just fine. If you’ve made a good setup and are playing the wind right, you’ve made a coyote feel comfortable to come to the call. Never forget that. The sound of distress is just the tool used to lure and many of them work just fine. The other reason I say not to worry about the sound is because it’s too easy to become distracted with the remote control of your caller in search of some magic distress sound and call too much or worse yet, spend too much time looking at it and not at the terrain around you to see the coyote when and if he does come. It usually doesn’t take a whole lot of calling to get a coyote coming as long as one is within hearing distance and he feels safe to investigate. Just choose sounds that sound good to your ear, include some rasp with higher-pitched squeals or wails and mix in a confidence sound or two such as crow.

LEARN TO HOWL

While a variety of distress sounds may work equally as well, learning different coyote vocalizations are sounds that can be a difference maker. Whether appealing to territorial instinct, breeding desire or 20

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maternal instinct, vocalizations have their place amongst the most important tools in the bag for a coyote caller. After distress sounds have failed, vocalizations can be that trigger to bring a coyote in. I suggest investing in a good voice howler with plenty of practice to duplicate coyotes. E-callers can get the job done as well, but a howler lets you make the exact sound you want to make. Depending on the time of year, different sounds can really work. Pup distress appeals to maternal instinct, coyote lone howls, female invitations and whines and whimpers appeal to lone coyotes, and interrogation howls, domain howls and challenge barks and howls appeals to the territorial instincts of a coyote. All of the previously mentioned can also peak a coyote’s interest out of curiosity alone as well. I think most people would be surprised what a simple howl or two and some patience can accomplish.

KNOW THY RIFLE

Everything can go perfect. You can choose the perfect spot, call in multiple coyotes and they can present themselves on a platter before you but if you aren’t familiar with your rifle the perfect hunt is then ruined by a miss. It’s hard enough to call up a coyote, don’t let a lack of familiarity of your firearm be the failing factor. Shoot paper at different ranges and see where your point of impact lands. Shoot in wind and witness what it does to your load. Experience with these things lead to a confident shot when the moment of truth arrives with a real coyote. Caliber, bullet weights, powder charges, bullet types and barrel twist, just to name a few are variables that make a bullet’s impact point change. The worst feeling in hunting is missing the shot, because you missed.

“PATIENCE YOUNG GRASSHOPPER”

We know that patience is a virtue when

January 2019

hunting and that couldn’t be more true than with calling coyotes. Patience comes into play in many aspects of a coyote hunt. First off, have the patience to let your calls work. It takes time for a coyote to get to you. If you get too antsy, you’ll be in the act of calling when the coyote arrives and get busted or you’ll throw out another sound that puts a coyote on alarm as he arrives. It can get boring out there when waiting for a coyote to show up. The boredom leads to extra movement and fidgeting and it takes discipline to remain patient, but coyotes are always locked onto their game. You have to be also. When a coyote is spotted it sends the heart pounding having a predator seeking you out! Don’t rush the shot if you can. Remain patient and let the coyote make the mistake. That means only moving for a shot when the coyote is moving and not taking a running shot if possible. Lastly have the patience to sit there for a halfhour minimum. You’ll hear plenty of advise on television and in magazines that tell you if you haven’t called anything in 15 minutes to get up and go but in Iowa, give coyotes a little more time than that.

BODY LANGUAGE BETRAYS THEM

If coyotes have one weakness it’s probably that they are sometimes predictable by the way they act when approaching a call or running away from it. It’s fairly easy to tell when a coyote is tentative coming in. He might slowly take his time and might stop and look frequently. He’ll spook quickly if he senses anything amiss. Once a coyote is on alarm he’ll hang up and maybe even turn away slightly. Once they don’t like something, it’s time to kill them. Shoot them then or if you aren’t on them, let them trot away and move the gun when they are leaving. If a coyote hasn’t been shot at, he’ll likely take another look back at some point before

he’s out of sight. Wait for that moment or bark them to a stop. Recognize their body language and trust it.

BE THE HUNTED

Hide the caller in some sort of cover. It doesn’t have to be much. A coyote’s ability to pinpoint sound is exceptional and when they know the sound is coming from the wide-open field you sat the caller in, they’ll hang up because they see nothing there where the sound is originating. If it’s in cover, they’ll come until they can see the source of the sound. The further they travel and more they have to search, the more they make themselves vulnerable. Let them make the mistake that kills them. Don’t make it easy for them. Make them hunt you!

CHANGE YOUR RECIPE

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Those words have been credited to Albert Einstein. Whether he was the first to use that quote or not is irrelevant but with coyote hunting it holds truth. A coyote hunter needs to be versatile and come at a property differently, mix up the sounds used and change up what you do on the same property or location if you call it very often at all, especially if you aren’t killing a coyote every time visiting the place. Coyotes learn our habits very quickly. Don’t believe me? Spend some time visiting the spots you’ve called a day after you’ve called them. Go to the exact spot where you sat or placed the caller. Once in a while you’ll find that coyotes have left you a calling card right where you were. They come to investigate at times even if it’s long after we’ve left, say at night. Coyotes pick up on routines we get into. Using the same sounds from the same place regularly is a sure fire way to not see a coyote. Give coyotes credit and be one step ahead of them by varying your routine.

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PHEASANT AND QUAIL hunting at ground or a secluded piece of public land. snowfall. Birds are highly pressured, and any point during the season has its ups and downs and poses various challenges to even the most experienced hunters. Early season hunts usually come with traditions, camaraderie, and hopefully abundant bird numbers. These hunts can be some of the most exciting if you’re on private 22

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However, most public lands that hold any amount of birds, will more than likely be packed to the brim with an orange army the first few weeks. Fast forward a month or two and the hunting has changed drastically. Late season hunting is filled with cold temperatures, brisk winds, and

have hunters patterned down to a “T.” These birds are extremely hard to come by, but with a little effort birds can be killed. I’ll give you the information that you’ll need to know to overcome these late season pheasant and quail for this season and seasons to come. To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

COVER

When I think about early season pheasant hunting, I think about a line of hunters spread across a field of knee to waist high grasses, working big areas of ground. This is not the norm when it comes to finding late season birds. That’s not to say birds won’t be found in these areas, but if you want to have more opportunities, I would recommend getting into the thick, nasty areas, where nobody else wants to go. Cattails are the obvious habitat in this situation. When snow falls, and winds pick up, cattails will lay over, providing great protection for upland species. Other terrain features that I am looking for during this time of year are willow patches near “typical” pheasant habitat. The willows act as a snow and wind barrier to protect birds January 2019

as well. You can also find birds in low lying areas next to creeks, where there are thicker, clump grasses. For quail hunters, you will want to focus most of your hunting on “typical” quail habitats. Hunting close

if you are near a food source, your chances of success are automatically higher than if you are not. Obvious food sources for late season pheasant and quail are typically standing seed bearing crops. If crops have

LATE SEASON PHEASANT AND QUAIL HUNTING CAN BE EXTREMELY REWARDING, ESPECIALLY ON PUBLIC LAND, AND ESPECIALLY IN IOWA. IT’S NO SECRET THAT BIRDS IN IOWA CAN BE PRETTY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN IN CERTAIN AREAS. to brush piles, hedge rows, fence rows, or any overgrown areas will likely result in the rise of multiple coveys.

FOOD

It doesn’t matter what you are hunting,

not been cut or harvested it provides two benefits to upland game. The first thing it does is keep the seeds up off of the ground so they don’t get buried under the snow. Birds will dig to find seeds, but if they don’t have to, they won’t. The second thing IowaSportsman.com

LATE SEASON PHEASANTS AND QUAIL

standing crops do is provide additional shelter for those windy, cold days. These crops include corn, sorghum, soybeans, millet, rye, wheat, and sunflowers. It can also include weeds that stand upright and hold seed, such as ragweed. Crops that have been harvested or cut will also act as food sources, but the birds have to dig and expel energy if the snowfall has covered the seeds. Loss of energy during the cold winter months can be harsh on these birds if they lose enough.

STEALTH

When I’m not bird hunting in the fall, I’m usually in a tree stand trying to fill my deer tag. If you are familiar with bow hunting or bows in general, you may have heard of Mathews Archery. They are a well-known name in the archery industry, and not so long ago they coined the term, “Stealth is Lethal.” It’s a phrase that has really stuck with me, and it’s something that I try to incorporate into all of my hunting endeavors. It’s also something that can be key for putting down late season birds. Pheasant season in Iowa generally runs for about 10 weeks. If we’re just focusing on late season birds, we’re looking at somewhere around the last 3-5 weeks of the season, depending on how you look at it. So on public lands that means other hunters have been hunting the same ground, walking the same route, for the past 5-7 weeks. This all equates to having weary, pressured birds, the kind of birds that flush 100 yards in front of you before your dog has even picked up on its scent. Unfortunately, there isn’t just one solution to prevent this, but you can 24

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take multiple precautions to help your cause. The things that I would recommend would be to park anywhere other than the “usual” parking lot and start somewhere where others would not. Don’t slam the truck doors, birds have heard this noise for the last 50 days, and they know that it’s usually followed by the bang of a shotgun a few minutes later. A dog that is trained to hand signals or a whistle would be ideal, but not totally necessary. If possible, don’t yell when giving commands, this is just alerting your potential dinner to where you are at. Walk slow and quiet, and pause every now and then. If a rooster knows something is nearby, but can no longer hear where it’s at, it could provoke the bird to flush, giving you an easy shot. If you are on private ground, birds probably won’t be pressured as much so this may not have the same effect on you. However, you should definitely be aware of these things if you have hit one property a lot during the first part of the season.

CONCLUSION

Late season pheasant and quail hunting can be extremely rewarding, especially on public land, and especially in Iowa. It’s no secret that birds in Iowa can be pretty few and far between in certain areas nowadays. However, with the help of a good dog and the knowledge to key in on certain areas, these birds can be found and can be harvested. To put it all together, look for the late season cover, find the food, and remember that stealth is lethal. When your hard work comes to fruition, the feeling you get can be unmatched. Good luck, and happy hunting! To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

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THIS MONTH, I have a question coming from Linda in Wayne County Iowa

The family farm isn’t quite big enough to hold us all as the hunting pressure seems to be pretty intense. That’s not the worst of it all. Every year we disagree more and more about how we should be hunting the farm, who should pay for things like food plots, and this year is no better. We would like to move on and are debating whether we should lease a farm or buy. We can most likely lease more acres than we can afford to buy. And, we are considering buying or leasing so that we can have more control over the land we hunt. Any thoughts? Thank you.”

concerning buying or leasing land for recreational use. Every year, at season’s end, there is always a spike in the interest around buying hunting land or finding a hunting lease. This isn’t a coincidence. Hunters having bad seasons often reflect back on them this time of year in an effort to change their outcomes for the following year. I do this myself every year so that I can make plans to improve. Linda was looking forward to next year back in October when I first got her question. Linda asks, “Hey Tom, my husband and I have been avid archery hunters for many years. We share hunting on an old family farm with several of TO BUY OR LEASE RECREATIONAL LAND my nephews, my brother, and a couple family friends. Hunters looking to gain access to hunting

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grounds where they have some or all control over what happens on them often turn to buying or leasing. There are advantages with both of course but usually hunters looking to have more control over their hunting grounds dream of the day of owning their own property. Recreational land is not cheap, so leasing can be a viable option for many hunters who can’t afford to own land, but have a few extra dollars to afford a lease. Linda is asking for advice because it is probably the case that they are caught in the middle of this predicament themselves. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to buying or leasing recreational land. There are some very distinct differences though and each has potential pros and cons. All I can do for Linda is break down what my experience has been with hunting the “family farm”, leasing, and then becoming a landowner myself. Maybe through explaining my experiences it will help Linda and her husband decide what is best for them.

LEAVING THE FAMILY FARM

Very early in my hunting life, I felt hunting the family farm just wasn’t giving me the return I wanted from my hunting experience. Each year I looked forward to hunting with my dad, uncles, cousins, and also my grandpa’s longtime friends. We would all pack into my grandpa’s 120 acres for archery and gun seasons. Hunting pressure was intense but none of us ever cared….it was about filling tags. It didn’t take long and I was starting to push the boundaries of what was normal for that time…putting in food plots, letting smaller bucks go, trying to put less pressure on the deer. Being one of the youngest hunters in our group, I didn’t exactly have too much say in what went on. My dad backed my desires as much as he could but that 120 acres, with that many people hunting it, was

January 2019

Owning your own farm is one of the most rewarding things any hunter could ever do. Here is the author posing on their first farm they’ve ever owned.

never going to be what I wanted. So, reluctantly I moved on. First, I sought out public hunting in areas with less hunting pressure. I had zero money only ambition. Public hunting was a bit better but the pressure was still intense. This was all in my teens and early twenties while I was still in school and just starting my first full time job and a young family of my own. With very little expendable money in hand, but still a ton of ambition, I sought a lease in an area of the state that offered great hunting.

THE PROS AND CONS OF LEASING

If Linda wants more control over their hunting grounds, leasing a piece of property can be a great option. Leasing allows the hunter to access ground in an area they can only dream of owning land in. Lease prices can vary greatly depending on the area and the type of ground you lease. I personally know of ground in Iowa being leased anywhere between 5 and 20 dollars an acre. I’m sure in some cases it’s even higher. To lease 120 acres at $20/acre would cost Linda $2400 every year. Her return for that investment is knowing she has a place to hunt of her choosing. She can walk away when she wants to, or she can stay if the land is a great place to hunt. If her relationship remains positive with the landowner this could provide many years of great hunting. At the end

of ten years though, Linda will have spent $24000 on her hunting and will only have some mounts and memories to show for it. That’s not bad just something to consider. I can think of a lot of worse things to spend your time and money on! Not all leases are created equal though. Some landowners can have very restrictive rules regarding who can hunt the lease, if you are allowed to hang tree stands or put in food plots for example. Very few landowners will allow you to do hinge cuttings on their property or other improvements you wish to take up. Many leases are not exclusive and the landowner will continue to hunt or may have their own children for example that will continue to hunt the property. Of course, there is no telling when a landowner will decide to cut firewood, or spread manure, or have the timber on their property harvested. Sorry to point out the obvious, but the landowner still owns the land. Any improvements you make to the property in terms of habitat, plantings, etc. will ultimately be to the benefit of the landowner. As a hunter, you’ll experience ownership in a simulated fashion, but the land is not yours. When I leased land, I was always torn between the reality of knowing the land was not mine, and my desire to treat it like it was. For example, I always wanted to put in some more permanent type box blinds

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WHITETAILS 365 so that we would be more comfortable during cold sits on stand, especially during the gun seasons…but I was torn spending the money and time installing permanent blinds on land that was not mine. I always wanted to plant apple trees, or create fence jumps, interior plots, and other land improvements. Some of these improvements we did invest in, but looking back we only got the short-term benefits as we no longer use that property. What I’m trying to say is, leasing has the illusion of ownership, but make no mistake, it is not owning the property. Short term positive results in your hunting experience can be real and great, but they are in fact short term. Leases end, land gets sold, and you as the hunter leasing the land has to once again find new ground to hunt. Leasing hunting ground is very similar to renting a home, it has its advantages but it’s not your own. To sum up leasing, in my experience, leasing can fill a short-term void in any hunter’s experience. It is affordable for most hunters especially when going in with other like-minded hunters. But if I had to do it all over again, I would have spent less money on a smaller lease with

Leasing ground to hunt on has its limitations. If you want to put in interior plots or habitat improvements, make sure to address this when signing your lease

fewer people involved. When I leased, it was a group of 5 hunters and we had all the same problems Linda described in her original question. My suggestion, if you are going to lease, keep your lease affordable enough so that you can have your own exclusive lease and make sure to address any questions or concerns upfront with the landowner. Get your lease in writing and always remember the land is not yours.

OWNING YOUR OWN LAND

Owning your own hunting land is the crown jewel of hunters. I don’t know of many hunters that don’t dream of one day owning their own hunting land. When I went through my progression of hunting the family farm, to leasing, to now owning my own farms, I never took my eyes off the prize. There is nothing wrong with hunting the family farm with a bunch of other hunters, then sharing ground on public land, and leasing your own little piece of ground. But nothing quite compares to owning a farm. Because land values in my lifetime have never decreased (over the long term), and the ability to buy income producing farm land, I personally can’t see any negative with pursuing owning your own piece of ground. Don’t make the mistake however of purchasing ground in an area that doesn’t offer you the management practices you desire or your hunting won’t improve all that much. Hunting land can have a long-term investment return of 7% or greater too if you find land that has cash income from tillable acres and the land appreciates in value. A great long-term investment combined with recreational value and owning your own farm seems like a no brainer. Linda, all I can say is this…leasing hunting ground can fill a void in your hunting experiences on the short term, but in many cases, leases won’t give a die-hard hunter the true fix they want or desire. By all means, lease land now if that’s what you can afford, but don’t take your eyes off the prize! Make sure to send in any questions or ideas for an article you would like written for the Whitetails 365 column to tapeppy@gmail.com. Thank you.

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January 2019

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TROPHY ROOM

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS!

TROPHYROOM STACY THORPE

JACOB STURTZ

Want to share a photo of your recent harvest or catch? Submit your hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor photos to The Iowa Sportsman Trophy Room and you could be in an upcoming issue! To Submit: E-mail a high-resolution photo along with your name and where you are from to: patrick@twinriversmedia.com or directly mail them to: The Iowa Sportsman, Attn:Trophy Room, 1597 3rd Ave NW, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.

Show Off Your TROPHY!

BOB BENDLIN

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TO SUBMIT, SEND TO: PATRICK@TWINRIVERSMEDIA.COM * Photos are placed in the order they are received

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Lake McConaughy With 35,700 surface acres and over 100 miles of shoreline, Lake McConaughy is Nebraska’s largest reservoir and a popular year-round fishing and outdoor recreation destination. Famed for its walleye, Lake Mac boasts the Nebraska state record fish at 16 lbs, 2 oz. The walleye spawn at Lake McConaughy begins around the middle of April, and continues through the first part of May. From the middle of May to the Fourth of July, anglers target walleye and wipers using live bait or casting jigs to the shoreline. Success with white bass, and small and large mouth bass can generally be found from May through the end of August casting jigs or lures to rocky points. Walleye and wipers are targeted through August trolling lures and spinner baits. Walleye and wipers are usually found off the face of Kingsley Dam or in bays off rocky points, although walleye are caught throughout the lake. Yellow perch can be caught all summer throughout the lake using worms and wax worms. Northern pike may sometimes be found at the west end of the lake casting lures and spinner baits. Rainbow trout, brown trout, and tiger trout can be

caught in Lake Ogallala all summer, as well as in the river and supply canal. Anglers find success casting off boats or the shore as well as trolling. From Labor Day weekend through Thanksgiving, anglers slab for walleye and white bass on Lake McConaughy. Before the bays are iced in, success can still be found slabbing by Martin Bay or near Lemoyne. Catfish can be caught year-round, especially at the west end of the lake. Built on the edge of the Nebraska Sandhills, Lake McConaughy boasts beautiful white sand beaches. Beach camping is a unique and popular feature of the lake in areas not set aside for wildlife habitat or day use. See ilovelakemac. com for lodging, camping, and other area information. The Lake McConaughy app is available for download in the App Store or Google Play.

Photo courtesy of Lake Big Mac Spoiled Guide Service

Lake McConaughy, Nebraska • Ilovelakemac.com 800-658-4390 • facebook.com/LakeMcConaughyNE January 2019

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WHEN YOU BREAK ice fishing down to a minimal level, a tip-up is about as simple and straightforward as it gets. This style of fishing dates back an awful long time and has, if anything, gained in popularity over the past two decades. Tip-ups come in a wide variety of styles ranging from homemade chunks of wood to seemingly high-tech devices which hold a rod and allow you to fight the fish on rod and reel when the flag trips. They can be used to target virtually any species and add a tremendous level of excitement to the sport. The most common species targeted by tip-up anglers you could argue would be pike, followed by walleye. In Iowa we have a few great places to target pike, namely the Iowa Great Lakes region and a handful of other lakes and potholes along the upper tier of counties as well as the Mississippi river backwaters and various other pike stocked gravel pits and ponds. You can also use tip-ups to very effectively catch largemouth bass and even catfish. When using a tip-up, you get the added bonus of soaking live or dead bait for a big predator while poking around and fishing as you normally would. Or if you just want to get a bunch of family or buddies together and set tip-ups and hang out while you wait for a bite that is also a lot of fun. If you’ve tip-up fished before then you have at least a general understanding of how they function and how to use them. The operation and concept is simple but with anything in fishing, there are some key tips and tricks that can help improve success with a given strategy.

THE RIG

The type of rig you go with depends a lot on the target species in mind. What doesn’t change or shouldn’t have to change is the braided line you use to fill the spool with. If the tip-up doesn’t come pre-spooled with tip-up braid, most tackle shops should carry some through the ice season. In my opinion, 30 pound is more than enough to handle any fish you intend to tackle in the upper Midwest through the ice. Since you generally want to run some type of leader, this moderate braid January 2019

doesn’t matter a whole lot to the fish and gives a fisherman enough to grip when fighting. What matters the most is what’s on the end of that braid presenting the bait. In a walleye, bass or even trout scenario I will usually tie a small barrel swivel on the end of the braid and then attach 3-4 feet of 10-pound fluorocarbon leader to present the bait. If targeting pike, I will run the braid to an 80 or even 100-pound fluorocarbon leader, or simply a pre-rigged sucker harness. Make sure to read the regulations on this however depending on which state you are fishing. Multiple treble hooks on a rig may not be allowed. Generally, I run just a single treble hook regardless, placed into the back of the baitfish I am using. Use enough weight to slowly sink the baitfish down but not too much in that it impedes the bait or possibly drags after a predator grabs the bait and swims away. Some anglers like to use a slip sinker but I’ve had equally good luck just crimping an appropriate sized split shot a foot or two above the bait. Be sure to size the hook to the bait you are using and make sure those barbs are sharp! Keep in mind what you want the baitfish to do also. In most cases I like to hook the baitfish just behind the dorsal fin with a single treble hook, leaving the other two exposed. If you are fishing with dead bait for pike, hook the bait so that it hangs horizontally when at rest.

SETTING THE FLAG

This may seem elementary but it’s worth a quick mention. After you send the bait down to the right depth you will set the flag under IowaSportsman.com

TIP UP FISHING 101 a trip spindle. On most traditional tip-ups you will see two grooves, one on either side. One will be thin and shallow and the other much deeper. The shallow groove is designed for light baits and light biting fish and the deep groove is designed to offer more resistance against tripping for larger active baits. If the larger groove isn’t enough resistance for your bait and the flag keeps tripping from that you can go an extra step further and tilt the whole spool assembly a little so that it sits slightly beyond a 90-degree angle to the tip-up frame. This will cause the trip spindle to work into the flag creating additional resistance. This can be a critical trick when fishing with big lively bait.

SETTING THE HOOK AND FIGHTING

When and how and angler sets the hook can become a big topic for debate and really what it boils down to is what you see and feel when you get to the tip up and begin to handle the line. First things first though, we’ll start off with what you should do when you get to the tip up after a flag has tripped. The flag trips, you run to it and the excitement is high. This is the time to take a deep breath and watch the spindle top to see if it is spinning or staying still. Wait for it to spin if it isn’t already and grab the body of the tip-up in one hand and carefully start to extract the whole assembly from the water. Once the spool clears the water, grab the line in your other hand. If the fish is running let it continue to take the line and set the tip-up down on its side with the spool facing the hole. If the fish is still running go ahead and give a good hook set in an upward motion fully extending your arm if possible. If the fish has stopped, you can either do two things, slowly put tension on the line to check for weight and then set the hook or wait for the fish to move off with the bait again and then set. If I’m targeting pike I generally don’t like to set the hook on the pause unless I find a flag that has been tripped for quite some time that somehow got missed. Sometimes when a pike stops they will reposition the bait in their mouth and setting the hook can rip it right out. If you do find a flag that has been tripped for a prolonged period of time, use the same caution when removing the tip-up from the water and set the hook if tension from the weight of a fish is felt once the line is brought tight. When fighting the fish if you are right handed, use your left hand as your drag tension and pull the line through with your right. Keep constant pressure on the fish and be prepared to allow it to run if it wants to. The opposite naturally for left handers. You can also use both hands to bring a fish in if you quickly determine its not large enough to need line given in a hurry.

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SUB-FREEZING

Undoubtedly the bane of tip-up anglers is dealing with holes that freeze back over when its super cold out. This can be a real pain when a flag finally trips and you must break ice to get the spool out of the water, not to mention a potentially large fish. There are a couple tricks to use to help with this. The first would be to use a round tip-up that covers the entire circumference of the hole and lightly pack snow around it. This will prevent wind from carving through the hole and help to utilize the temperature of the water rather than the ambient air temp to insulate the hole. A step further than this would be a round style tip up with foam insulation built in. This further helps to keep the temp between the tipup and the water just barely above freezing. A third option would be to use round flexible foam cutouts that you can purchase from tackle shops or make yourself that the tip-up shaft slips through and the tip-up body sits on top. Pack snow around the edges of these mats as well.

NOISE

Where this topic really comes into play is when you have a group of people out on the ice running a pile of tip-ups in shallower water. Everyone is having a good time as they should, maybe you have a grill going and some tunes rolling, just an excellent time. One thing I’ve learned from friends who are big time into this is to avoid having folks walking around too much and creating footstep noise in the proximity of tip-ups. Noise above the ice transfers very well below and this can be enough to spook predatory fish out of an area. Something to keep in mind anyhow.

SETTING THE BAIT

Last thing to mention is what depth to set a bait at. Naturally for walleyes you will want to be at or near the bottom with a bait and the same goes for catfish. Pike, bass and especially trout however can be caught anywhere in the water column depending on the circumstances. If you are out with a group running nothing but tip-ups or at least more than a couple, put a few baits down 4-6 feet below the ice even in water that may be 15 feet or deeper. You’d be surprised at how far up a pike will travel to eat a baitfish and in clearer water these baits are highly visible from a distance. Keep these simple tips in mind when venturing out to set tip-ups and be strategic in where you set them focusing on depth breaks, inside bends and weed lines as you normally would when fishing rod and reel. Good luck on the ice this season and stay safe!

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January 2019

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January 2019

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TRAPPING SEASON in Iowa begins each year on the first Saturday of November at 8AM, and runs through until the last day of January. On opening day trappers take to the fields, creeks, and ditches in numbers, excitement is high, and trappers are working hard to fill their trucks with fur. Statistics would show that the vast majority of fur in Iowa is caught during the first two weeks of the season. Depending on the year, water trappers often only get a few weeks of open water to trap prior to freeze up.

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In the early season trapper’s production is high, furbearers are plentiful, moving well nightly, and there are many, many productive techniques that work very well early in the season. As the season wears on a few different dynamics face the trapper that traps deep into the season, but with the proper strategies, and knowledge, there’s a lot of fur to still be caught late in the year. The first difference for the late season trapper is competition. During the first week of season, I have crossed lines with as many as 16 different trappers, many of those trappers are running lines before or after work, or using vacation time to trap. Generally after the first two weeks of season trappers have gone back to their day jobs, or tired of burning the candle at both ends by running early or late. The trapper that pushes past the first two or three weeks of the season will usually find little competition, except of course for an uptick in activity during the longer holiday breaks. Locations are another factor that will somewhat shift as the season goes on. The furbearers we pursue need three basic things for survival, with a fourth playing a part late in the season. The first three consist of the obvious food, water, shelter, with the fourth and often overlooked breeding drive. Shelter areas become very important late in the season as the winter weather becomes harsh. Shelter areas to take notice of late in the year consist of farm buildings, abandoned or not, brush piles, hollow trees, culverts, den holes, junk piles, etc. Water also becomes scarce when Iowa becomes a deep freeze. Any fast moving water which stays open during the freezing temperatures becomes a magnet for furbearers. Locations such as running tiles, ripples at rocks or beaver dams, springs, etc, are excellent late season locations for coon, mink, and otter. Seeking your late season furbearers at food sources also gives you a lot of options to trap where the critters are concentrated. Late season coons can be found hunting any open water, farm buildings or confinements especially where livestock feed is present to be scavenged, silage piles, corn cribs, etc. Coyotes in the late season often hunt brushy areas, terraces, farm groves, scavange dead piles at livestock sites, etc. There is an old saying, “where there’s cattle, there’s coyotes,” they find easy protein sources late in the winter near cattle. Coyotes will even eat cattle feces for the leftover feed in it late in the year, as well as cleaning up afterbirth during calving season. Breeding season, for coon in particular, presents some interesting opportunities. January 2019

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FINISHING YOUR TRAPLINE STRONG Raccoon breeding season runs from late December through January, and the large boars run very hard during this time. During the coon rut, the boars are aggressively seeking out mates and are highly attracted to any glandular smell. Coon gland lures work well during the rut but fox, coyote, cat gland smells work just as well, and any coon set I make during this time of year gets a smear of gland lure of some kind. Trapping techniques also change when the winter cold sets in. Coon techniques for me turn to trapping near farm building sites, den trees and other denning areas, and any open water. Dog proofs are my preferred tools around the building sites and dens, baited with Drybait and lured with a smear of gland lure. In areas of open water I prefer the Fish Stick set, as late in the season the banks are often very difficult to dig into. Predator trapping in the late season comes with its own challenges, most of those challenges consist of freeze proofing sets, and staking. Common methods of freeze proofing predator sets consist of bedding in peat moss, or waxed dirt, or using salt as a freeze proofing agent. I don’t prefer salt do to its corrosive effect on my gear and its tendency to attract deer to paw at the area. In my opinion waxed dirt is the best bedding material

cold coyotes are on the move, and it you’re lucky enough to have snow, they will show you exactly where they’re

THE TRAPPER THAT PUSHES PAST THE FIRST TWO OR THREE WEEKS OF THE SEASON WILL USUALLY FIND LITTLE COMPETITION, EXCEPT OF COURSE FOR AN UPTICK IN ACTIVITY DURING THE LONGER HOLIDAY BREAKS. to freeze proof sets, though it isn’t as readily available as some other methods. Snaring can be one of the most effective methods for taking coyotes late in the season. When the weather turns

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going and where to set for them. Late season also brings another type of opportunity for Iowa’s trappers, a marketing opportunity. The Iowa Trappers Association fur auction will be

held at the Boone County Fairgrounds on January 5th 2018, with the doors opening at 7:00am and the auction starting at 9:00am. There is usually around 10-12 buyers at the auction to bid on your furs, and I have always been very happy with the prices that I have received. Anyone interested in selling at the ITA auction can contact the ITA for more details. The late season can be an extremely productive time to be on the trapline in Iowa, focus on the basics the furbearers need for survival, stay motivated, and you can have success.

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January 2019

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I WAS 14 WHEN I first went deer hunting with my Dad’s shotgun party. I thought I was pretty young to be deer hunting, even at 14, because I didn’t know my way around in the woods, wasn’t completely comfortable with knowing exactly where everyone was, and to be honest, I was a bit of a scatterbrain kid. And I’d been pheasant hunting for at least a season or two by that time too.

THAT WAS MANY MOONS AGO

A few years back, my family and I belonged to a home church group. All of the families had children that ranged from babies to 7 year olds. One of the 7 year olds, Elijah, was always such an inquisitive soul. He’d ask questions about just about anything, and some of them would really make you think before you responded. Earlier that year, Elijah’s family had been over to our house and saw a deer mount that we had on the wall. I could just see the gears turning in Elijah’s head when he saw that mount, and soon enough, the questions began to flow. “Who got that?” “You did?” “How’d you kill it?” “Is that a male or a female deer?” “What did you kill it with?” “Where were you hunting?” “Is that a big deer?” “How big do deer get?” Etc. Etc. I had a lot of fun answering his questions, but didn’t imagine he would give any of it a second thought after they left. Man, was I wrong. For the next few Sunday evenings when our church group would meet, that kid would barrage me with more questions about hunting. He even started writing his questions down in a notebook during the week so that he could ask me from it, come Sunday evening. He wanted to know everything there was to know about whitetail deer and deer hunting. Because Elijah was so inquisitive and January 2019

persistent with his questions, around late summer, I asked his parents if they would be cool with me asking him if he’d like to sit with me during bow season, so he could get some real-world deer hunting experience. They thought it would be a great idea, so I asked him. That kid was on cloud 9. He almost couldn’t believe that he would be able actually to go hunting. I told him that I had a book or two that I would lend him to read up on whitetail deer before season began, and that in order

Elijah loved the books I lent him. I believe he even gave a small school presentation on them if I remember right, but I could be off on that one. On Sunday evenings, he’d now sprinkle in facts he’d read about whitetail deer, in between his questions. I absolutely ate it up! I can’t tell you how excited this kid was. It was truly something to see. Temps began to drop and leaves started changing. Fall was in the air. I’d picked up a small safety harness for my little hunting partner and didn’t want to spend a ton on full camo for him, so I bought some camo mesh like fabric and cut a hole out of the center that he could put his head through and wear it like a poncho. Just enough to cover his street cloths up with camo, and keep the bugs off of him. I’d prepared him as well as I could with talking. I had set up a few different

HE WANTED TO GET DOWN AND SEE HER RIGHT AWAY, BUT I TOLD HIM WE NEEDED TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES FOR HER TO EXPIRE, AND THAT THERE WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER DEER WALKING IN. for him to go with me, he would need to sit very still and be extremely quiet for an hour or more at a time. He wasn’t sure he could do it, but was willing to try. Personally, I had my own doubts about a 7 year old boy being able to sit still and keep quiet in a treestand, but I figured it would be an adventure giving it a go. I know I sure wouldn’t have been able to do it at the age of 7. At this time, I had children of my own, (5, 3, 1, and another one on the way), so I hadn’t yet taken any of them hunting, and I’d never taken any other kid before either. So, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting myself into.

double sets of hang-on stands in the woods behind my house. The time had come to take this little guy hunting. Now, please keep in mind, he was only sitting with me while I bow hunted at this point. He was 7 years old, had never done any type of hunting before, and had such a big heart. He was far from being ready to actually hunt yet. We all have to start out crawling before we learn how to walk or run. So, the evening came when Elijah was able to join me for his first hunting experience. His mom brought him over and we got him dressed in his safety harness, a camo mesh facemask, and my homemade poncho. Then sprayed him IowaSportsman.com

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TAKING A KID DEER HUNTING (PART 1)

down well with scent killer. I believe he was wearing high tops and blue jeans too, so he looked like quite a little deer hunter in the making. He brought a couple of big print kids’ books to read in the stand to keep him entertained if we didn’t see any deer. And off we went to make the trek over the hilltop to our stands for the evening. I live relatively close to city limits, so the deer are pretty desensitized to people as compared to places I’ve hunted that are miles from civilization, where they run for the hills as soon as they hear a car door shut

clean shot on her. Elijah watched the arrow strike and continued to watch as she ran a few yards and collapsed. He then turned to me with a huge smile beaming across his face, (that I could actually see through the facemask), and huge wide eyes, and said, “That was SO COOL!”. His response made my month. Maybe my entire year. He wanted to get down and see her right away, but I told him we needed to wait a few minutes for her to expire, and that there was the possibility of another deer walking in. So, 10 antsy minutes

PERSONALLY, I HAD MY OWN DOUBTS ABOUT A 7 YEAR OLD BOY BEING ABLE TO SIT STILL AND KEEP QUIET IN A TREE STAND, BUT I FIGURED IT WOULD BE AN ADVENTURE GIVING IT A GO. or catch even a hint of human scent. This makes my place a perfect small spot to take a kid hunting because it allows them to goof up a bit and not completely bust you and ruin the entire hunt. Not that I had to worry about that with Elijah, because that kid was a phenomenal hunting pupil. I got onto my stand platform, hung my bow onto its hanger and tethered my safety harness to the tree. Then I helped Elijah into his stand and got his safety harness tethered to the tree. We whispered back and forth for a couple of minutes before he pulled out a book and started reading. It wasn’t long, maybe 20 or 30 minutes before a doe came into view. “Pst. Hey Elijah.” I whispered and pointed. Instead of jerking his head and body around in excitement, he did just as I’d instructed him to do. He slowly turned and saw the doe coming towards us. He kept his eyes locked on her, and as soon as she gave me the opportunity, I stood up and made a 48

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passed and we’re both down out of the tree, making our way to the doe. I gave Elijah a few minutes to look her over and touch her. He was extremely curious. I then told him that I had to field dress her and that he didn’t have to watch, but that if he wanted to learn, this would be a great opportunity for it. He didn’t think he wanted to, and said he’d look away at any point that got too gross, but that kid was mesmerized with the entire process. He soaked it all in, talking and asking questions the entire time. Little did he know he was going to get a hands-on biology lesson that day. Elijah sat with me several more times that season and the following bow season, and when he turned 9, I got to sit with him during his first youth deer season. I’ll write all about that in Part 2 within the next issue. “That was SO COOL!”

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January 2019

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The Iowa Sportsman

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ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I hear several times every ice season as I’m presenting seminars or making retail in-store appearances is, “what’s it like to be an Ice Team Pro?” Simply put, it is AWESOME! I get to travel the ice belt and talk about ice fishing with others that are as passionate about it as me. I get to fish some of the premier fisheries in Iowa, Minnesota, The Dakotas, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Illinois. I also have the luxury of knowing no matter where I go in the ice belt, chances are pretty good that I have a fishing buddy nearby that knows the local waters very well. All that being said, I am just a fisherman like anyone else. I have good days and bad days, I have frustrations and I have things yet to learn. I’ve had lots of experiences fishing many different types of waters and tournaments during the winter months, but even as an Ice Team Pro I am continually learning. Much of my learning has come through observing and fishing with anglers like Dave Genz, Tony Boshold and the late Jim Hudson, just to name a few. Learning in this manner is especially effective because not only can they tell me what they are doing, but I can SEE them putting it into practice and see the end results. Since I can’t take every one of you out on the ice with me, I thought I would share what a typical day on the ice would be like with me.

DOING MY HOMEWORK

Every trip to the ice for me begins at home and I like to call it “doing my homework”. A large part of my homework consists of going over lake maps trying to identify the structural features that I think will be holding fish. Based on the time January 2019

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A DAY ON THE ICE WITH…. ME! of year and the species I will be targeting, I look for contours that might hold weed beds, drop-offs, inside corners, transitions in bottom composition, funnel areas…any of the typical topographical features of the lake that anglers like to seek out. Based on the areas I find, I put together a plan for which areas to cover first, which to cover second, which to cover third, etc. If I can have a plan like this ready to go as soon as I’m on the ice, I don’t have to waste precious fishing time putting a plan together then. I also spend a fair amount of time preparing my tackle. If we’re chasing basin crappies I load one set of rods to my rod locker; if we’re after shallow bluegills it’s a different set that gets loaded and different sets still for perch on the mud flats or walleyes on rock reefs. I want to make sure that I have the rods with exactly the right action and exactly the right type and poundage of line spooled on them. I also make sure that I have the exact jigs, spoon and lures tied on that I want to start with so I’m not wasting time rigging once I’m on the ice.

GETTING STARTED

I typically like to get on the ice right around sunup and will often fish until dusk. At each end of the day, right around sunrise and right at dusk, there is a one or two-hour window where conditions are just right and fish go on a feeding frenzy. During these magical hours, light sensitive aquatic insects in the water, some of them microscopic, wake up from the state of suspended animation they have been in and flood the water column with activity. This stimulates the baitfish, as well as bugeating panfish, and gets them feeding and the baitfish also stimulate the larger gamefish and gets them feeding as well. It’s because of this flurry of activity that ice anglers in the know insist on being on the ice at dusk and sunrise.

ANTS IN MY PANTS

Once we are on the ice, you’ll quickly discover that I don’t like to sit still for very

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long. I get bored very easily when my electronics aren’t showing any fish below me. When that happens, I’m very eager to move on and try a fresh hole. Part of this is because I subscribe to the “first drop” philosophy. If you’re paying attention while you fish, you’ll notice a pattern of the biggest fish to come out of any given hole are among some of the first fish caught right after the hole is drilled. This makes sense if you think about it. The bigger fish are the more dominant fish, so they will be the first ones to eat. After all, they didn’t get to be the biggest fish by being late to the supper table. Once those bigger fish are picked off, the size only decreases from there. That’s why I get SO excited about a first drop. I can’t wait to finish up fishing the hole I’m currently on to get the first drop on the next hole. The more you move around the more first drops you’ll get on any given day. I also REALLY like to drill holes in the ice, which goes hand in hand with my first drop philosophy since you can’t get a first drop until you drill that fresh hole. Drilling holes in the ice is not the back-breaking task it used to be either. The cordless drill setups that many guys are using today are so light that it doesn’t feel like work at all. All you have to do is work the math…drilling 100 holes with a 25-pound gas auger means you’ll have lifted 2500 pounds by the time you’re done fishing. Now consider using a 15-pound cordless drill setup for those same 100 holes and you’ve

saved yourself from lifting 1000 extra pounds by day’s end!!! That’s pretty significant if you ask me. Today’s cordless drill setups are also super powerful and lightning fast so it’s no big deal to quickly zip open a dozen holes and start fishing them. It’s almost hard to believe that a little cordless drill is making that hole through the ice so quickly and effortlessly. I still feel a small sliver of disbelief every time I punch a fresh hole, which I think is part of the reason I find drilling holes through the ice to be so much fun. Because I like to move so much, you’ll also notice that I don’t set out a lot of “anchors” when I fish. Anchors are those things you set on the ice and then must pick up and move every time you relocate to a new hole. Your heater, an underwater camera, a dead stick, your flasher, even your fish house can serve as anchors and the more anchors you have out the harder it is (and the less likely you are) to move. I rarely use my fish house unless I’m sight fishing or the conditions are downright miserable. Even when it’s super-nasty out and I am in my fish house, it’s got to be pretty cold before I break out the heater. There are several reasons I use a 1-man fish house almost exclusively. Not only are they lighter and much quicker to deploy and stow, but since there is not a lot of extra volume inside a oneman fish house, they heat up fairly well with just my body heat. I can move quickly from hole to hole with my Vexilar in one hand and my cordless drill auger setup in the other. In the rod holders attached to my Vexilar are 2 rods; one with a search lure and one with a “finesse” lure. With this setup, I can toss a small jig box or spoon in each pocket of my Ice Armor and have everything I need as I move from hole to hole looking for fish.

THE ABILITY TO MAKE BIG MOVES

Sometimes those ants in my pants want me to move further than the next set of drilled holes. When fishing dictates it, I am not only

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able but willing to make big moves. Big moves are moves to a different part of the lake, or even another body of water entirely. Any time you are contemplating a move that you would not be willing to walk to would be considered a big move. Obviously, this will require some sort of mechanized travel and the two most popular options are ATVs and snowmobiles. I have one of each but overwhelmingly prefer the snowmobile because it gets around the best in the worst of winter conditions. My snowmobile will even run on glare ice with some simple precautions, whereas my ATV will not go in the deepest snow conditions where my snowmobile excels. Any number of things could necessitate a big move. Probably the most common scenario for me is as I work through each of the plans I had laid out while “doing my homework”. Sometimes my plan “A” does not yield the results I had hoped, so that usually requires a big move to put plan “B’ into effect. If plan “B” falls short, it’s often a big move for Plan “C”, etc. By being able, and willing, to make big moves, I can cover the widest ranges of structures, depths, bottom content or any other factor that could concentrate fish until I land on the one that is producing on that day. Without that ability, I am forced to work and over-work essentially the same area that largely contains very similar structure, bottom content, yadda yadda yadda…and the same negative fish. Sometimes a big move is required just to get away from the crowds. It’s amazing how quickly you attract other anglers if they see you having a good day. In no time at all there can be so much fishing pressure being put on a small area that the bite shuts down and the fish move. This is a prime candidate for a big move because it may mean the difference between fishing the community spot with everyone else or being the FIRST angler to discover the NEXT community spot. Both of my machines are rigged to allow me to move and fish quickly. My shelter is

January 2019

elevated in a rack in order to protect my rods, reels, tackle and electronics that are within. Should the weather become nasty enough for me to want to fish within the comfort of my shelter, I simply lower it down from its rack, have a seat and flip it closed over me. My auger is securely locked into its own rack to prevent it from colliding with more delicate items in my shelter and breaking them. This rack is so secure that I can travel across the lake at as high a rate of speed is permissible without fear of it flying off or breaking components during especially rough trips. Why do I need to go so fast, you may ask? For the same reason that open water anglers like to get the hole shot at the start of a tournament. It allows me to cover vast expanses of water in a relatively short time and spend less time traveling and more time with my line in the water.

STAYING ON THE CUTTING EDGE

One thing that will become evident very quickly if you were to spend time on the ice with me is that I am a gadget-geek. I love putting the latest and greatest fishing technology to the test. You will notice that I rarely use live bait because I have jumped into today’s cornucopia of ice fishing-specific plastics with both feet. They allow me to match the hatch, have unbeatable action that I have control over, come in a dizzying variety of colors, shapes, scents and sizes and they won’t freeze or die on me. My jig boxes contain all tungsten jigs because they fish heavier than lead which gets me back down to the fish quicker and allows me to detect bites more easily. I use mapping chips to do my homework which allows me to save waypoints for areas I want to fish on both my machine-mounted GPS and the Navionics app on my smartphone and go directly to those spots once I’m on the ice. It also allows me to make notes and save waypoints for particularly productive areas while I am on the ice. I use the top-of-theline Vexilar FLX28 because it allows me to

find fish in the widest range of conditions and has settings and filters that allow me to adapt it to virtually any situation I might encounter. I sometimes use an underwater camera to confirm things that my Vexilar is showing me or to scout for fish from afar without disturbing them or tipping off other anglers as to what I may be seeing. I wear cutting edge Ice Armor outerwear because it is designed specifically for ice fishing, it keeps me warm and dry and allows me to fish outside of my shelter because it’s like I’m WEARING my shelter.

KEEP CONSERVATION IN MIND

Something else you’ll notice when you spend a day on the ice with me is that I release almost everything I catch. Although I love to eat fish, my busy schedule doesn’t leave me very much time for cleaning fish. I’m often beginning the 4 or 5-hour drive back to Stuart very late on a Sunday evening and the last thing I want to do when I get home is clean fish. There are exceptions, obviously, and sometimes I do bring home a few panfish for the supper table…. especially if I get into a mess of perch! In those instances, however I would much rather limit my catch than catch my limit. It doesn’t take a lot of fish to make a good meal for Laura and me and if I bring home a half-dozen to a full dozen fish for us that’s plenty for a couple of good meals. You will also notice that I don’t keep the biggest fish when I catch them. I realize how important it is to leave those superior genetics in the breeding pool and would much rather take home the medium-sized fish instead. That, in a nutshell, is what a day on the ice with me would be like. It’s time to load the Bearcat up one last time, head back across the lake to trailer it and head for home. If you do see me out on the ice sometime, please don’t hesitate to stop over to introduce yourself and ask me any ice fishing questions you might have. I love to catch fish, but I love sharing my ice fishing experiences with others even more.

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By Joel Johnson

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FOR MORE than 20 years, my friends and family have been “putting the band back together” at least twice every year. As a rule, our trips include a spring fishing outing coupled with a fall pheasant hunt. However, when schedules allow, we manage to sneak in a summer catfish float, winter rabbit hunt, or weekend camping adventure. The “Bluesmobile” for these missions never included a ’74 Dodge with a 440-cubic inch plant, cop shocks, or cop tires. However, various makes and models of pickup, station wagon, muscle car, minivan, hatchback, and even a Cadillac Sedan Deville have carried us to and from the field. Who hasn’t put bird dogs in the trunk

January 2019

of an Olds ‘98 or hauled a Pope and Young buck in the hatchback of a Ford Escort? A combination of commitment, planning, understanding, and flexibility is required to stay in touch and maintain the tradition. Trying to get schedules lined up even once a year for 10 guys that live up to 300 miles apart is a small feat on its own. Getting

those same guys together twice in a year can be nearly impossible! For this to work out, we acknowledged years ago that nobody is going to be able to attend every outing. Sports, vacations, holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, health issues, and difficult work schedules combine to make successful scheduling an art and a science. However, there are a few things that everybody can do to improve the odds of getting together every year.

PLANNING

It’s important to start planning the next outing during the previous trip while everyone is still together. Having a captive

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HOW TO KEEP PUTTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER audience ensures guys are engaged in the process. Because we typically get together in the spring and fall, our group starts looking at dates approximately 6 months out; reserving June for fishing and December for bird hunting. This approach provides more than enough notice to request time off at work and at home. Next, we immediately eliminate any dates that don’t work for the majority. For example, in June we always plan around the last day of school, so our kids are available to participate and to reduce the burden on spouses. In December, the obvious scheduling conflicts are deer season, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Over the last several years, our crew has acquiesced to pheasant hunting one of the weekends of the second shotgun season. While this requires a small sacrifice for a few of the deer hunters in the group, they still have 7 days to tag a buck. Also, by this time the weather is colder, and there is a good chance for snow; bunching the birds up in heavy cover and increasing odds of a good harvest.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Each outing must have one or two informal “project managers” responsible

for identifying, managing, and ensuring completion of vital tasks. Our group rotates this critical role based on the location of the trip; assigning it to individuals that are residents of the area whenever possible. Doing so maximizes our ability to leverage

local relationships to gain access to private hunting and fishing land and to act on the most recent intelligence. The project managers are also responsible for logistics. For example, confirming the head count to understand requirements, soliciting feedback to develop the itinerary, and identifying supplies to create the grocery list. Having a couple of guys responsible for “herding the cats” greatly improves the efficiency and overall enjoyment of the trip for everyone.

COMMUNICATION

When these outings began in the mid1990s, nobody had a cell phone. Trips were planned and executed over long-distance landlines and face to face conversations. However, times have changed, and cell phones have become an invaluable tool. While texting and instant messages are no substitute for real conversations, they are convenient means of providing rapid updates to the entire group without having to repeat the message multiple times. If your crew isn’t already using technology to optimize communications and planning, I encourage the luddites in your group to pick up a cheap Trac phone from Walmart. Not only will this improve collaboration and coordination of your outings, it will also allow the group to capture photos of important moments.

PICTURES AND VIDEOS

Make sure that you intentionally and deliberately memorialize your time together. Our crew didn’t take enough pictures in the last 20 years and most of * Continued on Page 58

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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

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HOW TO KEEP PUTTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER

the photos from the early days are fuzzy Polaroids or grainy reproductions. The cameras included modern mobile phones take amazing pictures and people always have their phone. Take advantage of this technology and make taking pictures a priority. Most importantly, don’t just leave those pictures on your device or computer. High quality prints from Walgreens are cheap! Get the best ones printed out and post them conspicuously in your home or

trips also usher in the next generation of hunters and fishermen. Many of our sons and daughters have participated for several years now, and they are the future of the sport. I hope the suggestions in this article inspire folks to plan that bird hunt, fishing trip, or camp out that they’ve always talked about but never done. In addition, I hope that first outing kicks off a new tradition of getting together at least once

TRIPS WERE PLANNED AND EXECUTED OVER LONG-DISTANCE LANDLINES AND FACE TO FACE CONVERSATIONS. HOWEVER, TIMES HAVE CHANGED, AND CELL PHONES HAVE BECOME AN INVALUABLE TOOL. office to help you look forward to the next trip. In the early days, our outings were all about quantity. How many fish could we catch? How many pheasants could we shoot? How many hands of Euchre, Cribbage, or Pitch could we play? However, as time has passed, and our lives have changed, we realized that the quality of our time together was always the most important thing. Putting the band back together provides opportunities to reconnect and reminisce about good times spent with lost friends and family. The campfire stories and memories keep their legacies alive and well. These

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a year. For some people its bird hunting on Thanksgiving morning, and for others its crappie fishing on Memorial Day weekend. These don’t have to be big, elaborate, or expensive outings. Follow the KISS principle, be present for the group, and make sure to memorialize your time together. *This article is dedicated to my friends, family, and the loved ones we lost before their time. Rest in peace Roger Johnson, Richard Hanson, and Bill Groby. We miss you every day.

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IOWA SPORTSMAN COOKBOOK

FRENCH VENISON STEW INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds venison (cubed) • 1 cup yellow onions (or white onions, chopped) • 3 medium carrots (cut into 1/4-inch slices) • 1/4 cup celery (finely chopped) • 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper • 2 teaspoons dried parsley • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary • 1 cup dry red wine • 3/4 cup beef stock

• 5 slices bacon (chopped) • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon tomato paste • 1 1/2 cups cleaned mushrooms

DIRECTIONS • Put the venison, onions, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and the herbs in a glass bowl or casserole dish. • Pour the red wine and beef stock over the venison and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight. • Drain the liquid marinade and reserve it for use later in this recipe. • In a large saucepan over high heat, cook the bacon until it turns crisp. • Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. • Pour all but 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in the bacon grease for 5 minutes, until the vegetables turn soft. Transfer them to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set it aside for a moment.

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• Toss the venison with the flour and brown it in the remaining bacon grease. • Once all sides of the meat are browned, stir in the tomato paste and cook the mixture for 1 minute. • Add the mushrooms, cooked vegetables, crisped bacon, and reserved marinade liquid into the pan with the browned venison. • Cook the mixture over low heat, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour.The venison stew is done when the meat and vegetables are tender and the sauce is thickened. • Serve the casserole with simple, fresh, green vegetables and a spoon or two of lovely mashed potatoes to soak up the juices.

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VENISON ENCHILADA SOUP INGREDIENTS

• 1 venison roast • 2 cans of diced tomatoes • 1 can of corn • 1 can of black beans

• 1 can of enchilada sauce • 2 cups chicken broth • 1 large diced onion • 2 bay leaves

• Garlic powder • Cumin • Pepper • 2 cups Mexican cheese

• Fresh chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS • Place thawed venison roast into a crock pot with two cups of chicken broth, one can of diced tomatoes, and one large diced onion. • Add in the two bay leaves as well as pepper, cumin, and garlic powder to taste. • Turn the crock pot to a low heat and forget it for about eight hours. • Once the meat is done, use two large forks and shred the venison

roast inside the crock put until all the meat is stringy. • Pour in the can of corn, black beans, chopped cilantro, cheese and enchilada sauce. • Stir everything together and cover on high heat until all the cheese is melted and everything is hot.

PHEASANT AND QUAIL STEW INGREDIENTS

• 4 quail breasts (bone-in) • 2 pheasant breasts (bone-in) • 5 or 6 mushrooms, diced • 2 celery stalks (sliced) • 3 carrots (sliced)

• ½ white onion (sliced) • 1 8-ounce can chicken stock • 1 8-ounce can beef stock • 1 8-ounce can mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

• 1 8-ounce can sweet peas (drained) • 2 chicken bullion cubes • Garlic powder • Onion powder • Seasoned salt

• Black pepper • Poultry seasoning • Vegetable oil • Flour • Water

DIRECTIONS • Heat some vegetable oil in a large pot and add mushrooms, carrots, onion and celery stalks. • Season to taste with garlic and onion powders, seasoned salt and poultry seasoning. Cook for about 10 minutes. • Once the vegetables are tender, add both 8-ounce cans of stock, bullion cubes and the quail and pheasant breasts. • Cover with enough water to submerge the breasts by about an inch. Season the mixture again with the garlic and onion powders, seasoned salt and poultry seasoning.

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-

January 2019

• Bring the water to a boil and continue to cook on medium heat for about an hour (the water level should be about on the same level as the breasts). • Remove the breasts, debone them and return to the stew. • Add the cans of mixed vegetables and sweet peas, seasoning the stew once more according to taste. • Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so and then add some pre-mixed flour and cold water (very gradually until the liquid thickens). • Once the stew reaches the desired thickness and seasoning levels, it’s ready to serve!

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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AROUND THE STATE

IOWA GREAT LAKES FISHING GUIDE JOHN CAMPBELL CHOSEN TO THE FRESH WATER FISHING HALL OF FAME By Steve Weisman

Among the list of 2018 inductees into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame is longtime fishing educator, tournament angler and local fishing guide John Campbell. Campbell says with a smile, “It’s exciting and a great honor. I have always admired those who have made the Hall of Fame and enjoyed reading about their contributions to the fishing world.” Located in Hayward, WI, the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame is the international headquarters for education, recognition and promotion of fresh water sport fishing. Along with its museum of historical fresh water sport fishing artifacts, the Hall seeks to recognize persons, organizations and institutions that have made significant and lasting contributions to the sport and heritage of fresh water fishing. Over 30 years ago, Campbell and his wife visited the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, WI. “As we walked around and looked at all the historical artifacts and saw the photos of legendary anglers, guides, manufacturers and inventors, I said to my wife ‘It would really be something if I could make it someday’ It is quite something to achieve this honor now.”

IT ALL BEGAN ON A DOCK ON WEST OKOBOJI

Campbell’s life story revolves around fishing. “I grew up in the Chicago area, but from the time I was little, my family would come and stay at Methodist’s Camp.” Located on the northeast shore of West Okoboji, it is there that Campbell began his fishing at age two on a Methodist 62

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Camp dock. “Well, as much as you can fish when you are two years old,” the 61-year-old Campbell says with a laugh. “When I was older, my dad would rent a wood row boat, and we would go perch fishing. I remember at age 12, I caught my first walleye casting off the Methodist Camp boat dock.” Much of the year, though, Campbell lived in Chicago and began to fish the nearby streams and rivers. “Of course, mostly we caught carp, but there was one we called Old Moe, and I caught (and released) him.” Still, the waters of the Iowa Great Lakes kept drawing him back. Although attending college at the University of Illinois kept him away for a while, Campbell and his dad, along with Ted Takasaki, also a tournament angler and a current hall of famer, went together and bought a Ranger 681 tiller, and they soon spent lots of hours on the road leaving the suburbs of Chicago to fish the Iowa Great Lakes. Campbell says, “To help us learn the waters, we hired legendary fishing guide Jim McDonnell and Perry Parks, whose dad owned White Oaks Bait Shop in Arnold’s Park.” Soon, Campbell and Takasaki embarked on their highly successful tournament fishing venture. For Campbell, the 25-year tournament To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

career was somewhat of a juggling act, as he also had a highly successful sales career.

THE TOURNAMENT WORLD

Campbell’s 25-year tournament career featured success at the highest level: the MWC, the PWT and the FLW circuits. “In 1991, Ted and I won the MWC Team of the Year title. It was the only walleye circuit around, so all of the top tournament anglers were a part of it.” Campbell also won a couple of major titles along the way. Consistency was Campbell’s trademark, and he made the championships 24 straight years! His consistency has made him one of the top money winners of all time. To go along with the tournament trails, Campbell spent much of the off season offering seminars all around the Midwest from Bismarck to Minneapolis, to Milwaukee and to Chicago. “I also spent a lot of time doing interviews on radio in the Chicago area and wrote syndicated fishing how-to articles in both major and regional fishing publications.” Finally, after 25 years as a professional angler, Campbell knew the wear and tear was getting to him,

John Campbell with a stringer of walleyes. Photo courtesy of Vacation Okoboji. https://vacationokoboji.com)

WINTER FISHING WITHOUT THE ICE

Since 2014, Campbell has taken his guide service to Marco Island on Florida’s southwest coast. “I actually started fishing myself down there in 2000.” He entered several local/regional tournaments over the years and learned the subtle nuances of the tides and

CAMPBELL ALSO WON A COUPLE OF MAJOR TITLES ALONG THE WAY. CONSISTENCY WAS CAMPBELL’S TRADEMARK, AND HE MADE THE CHAMPIONSHIPS 24 STRAIGHT YEARS! HIS CONSISTENCY HAS MADE HIM ONE OF THE TOP MONEY WINNERS OF ALL TIME. and it was time for a change. So, he left both the sales position and tournament angling for a guiding career on the Iowa Great Lakes.

GUIDING ON THE IOWA GREAT LAKES

With no guiding experience, Campbell began Campbell Fishing Expeditions in 2013. “I started with 12 guide trips the first year and doubled it in the second year. Now, in 2018 I have been booked almost full.” Campbell guides from May through October with two goals in mind: to teach clients how to become better anglers and to create an atmosphere of fun and excitement. “In the summer months, I get more families going, while the early and late months are often more often that of the veteran anglers.” Bottom line? Have fun and ensure clients enjoy the trip. January 2019

currents. Campbell works the backwaters surrounding the Ten Thousand Island National Park targeting redfish, tarpon, snook and spotted sea trout. “I really like sight fishing, and I have found that once you understand the fish, there are a lot of similarities between, say, walleyes up here and snook down in Florida.” To say fishing is a passion for John Campbell is an understatement. Since age two, he has pursued the sport and turned it into both his vocation and avocation. As for his induction, Campbell takes great pride in what has brought him to receive this honor. “It has taken a lot of hard work, but I have enjoyed all aspects of fishing from being a kid fishing off the dock on West Okoboji, to the 25 years of tournament fishing and all of the seminars in the off season to the past five years of guiding. It’s been a lot of fun!”

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GUNDOG CORNER

ELECTRONIC COLLARS FOR YOUR DOG When it comes to

electronic collars for training your dog, there are all kinds of resources available to help you find the right product. Electronic collars come in several different varieties, from many different manufacturers, and can very quite a bit in cost as well. The purpose of this article is to bring forward some basic yet important factors to consider when it is time to introduce the e-collar to your dog. Please remember that while an electric collar is a fantastic tool to help train your dog, they are used for reinforcement of a command or behavior the dog already knows. This is important, actually vital, to understand before using the collar in your training or hunting efforts. For example, if your dog ranges too far while hunting and you choose to put an e-collar on the dog to correct the problem, you will likely cause more issues than you bargained for. Think about this from the dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective; he or she has been allowed

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to run at this distance with little to no correction, and one day while hunting they receive a strong level of stimulation from this collar. The dog does not know why he or she is receiving this stimulation and will associate it with the surrounding environment. There have been times where I have seen a frustrated dog handler use the collar on their dog in the field as a bird flushes. Guess what? Your dog now associates that stimulation from the collar with birds. Another classic example is a younger

dog that retrieves bumpers or birds, but does not want to come back to the handler. The handler decides to solve the issue with an e-collar. Now, when the pup retrieves the bumper or bird, but does not come straight back, they correct them with stimulation from the e-collar causing the dog to now associate that pressure either with the act of retrieving, that particular area of the yard or field, or even bumper or bird. This is obviously not a good problem to have when trying to train a hunting dog.

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It is crucial to teach your dog before reinforcing commands and behavior with an e-collar. Things like obedience and proper range need to be taught on lead and check cord before the e-collar even enters the training regimen. Once your dog knows their basic obedience you can then collar condition your dog using the commands he or she already knows. Collar conditioning is very important to ensure that they respond positively to the collar, and it is used to aid you in training rather than scare the dog into doing something. E-collars have multiple levels of stimulation, that is, the intensity of the correction can range from lighter/softer correction, up to a more intense stimulation. It is important to remember each dog is different and will react differently to levels of stimulation. Always start on the lowest level of stimulation possible and

January 2019

work your way up until you find a level that the dog responds to (blink of an eye, slight twitch, etc.). If the dog is vocal or excessive in their reaction, you are using to high of level of stimulation. The goal is not to hurt the dog, which should never

of stimulation, and using it to reinforce commands the dog already knows are the most basic elements of proper collar conditioning, but if not done correctly, can have a very negative outcome for you and your dog. All too often people throw

THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE I HAVE SEEN A FRUSTRATED DOG HANDLER USE THE COLLAR ON THEIR DOG IN THE FIELD AS A BIRD FLUSHES. GUESS WHAT? YOUR DOG NOW ASSOCIATES THAT STIMULATION FROM THE COLLAR WITH BIRDS. be the case no matter how frustrated you may be, but rather provide a stimulation that lets them know what they are doing is not correct. You will not be successful with an e-collar if it is not introduced properly to your dog. Finding the correct level

the collar on their hunting dog and correct things they have not been properly taught with basic obedience, leads, check cords, and yard work. Again, trust me, this is a sure fire way to ruin any progress you have gained in the training process and will only create more work in the future.

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FISHING IOWA

GIVE’EM WHAT THEY WANT HOW THEY WANT IT By Bob Jensen

Whether you’re after fish in open water or through the ice, your lure presentation is one of the most important considerations for success. Since ice-fishing season is fast approaching in many areas, now is a good time to think about lure presentation as it applies to ice-fishing. Open water fishing and ice-fishing are similar, but very different as well. As far as differences think of this, in open water fishing we’re either casting or trolling: The bait goes by the fish pretty quickly. They aren’t going to have much of a chance to look at it: They either eat it or it’s gone. When ice-fishing, the bait is almost stationary. We move it up and down a little bit, but mostly, the fish have a chance to take a pretty good look at our bait. At times in the winter the fish will be very selective. This is when we really need to pay attention to lure detail and action. The electronics used for ice-fishing today are remarkably sensitive. Vexilar is the pioneer in on-ice sonar, and continues to produce sonar that, simply put, will help you catch more fish. They’ll show a tiny splitshot on your line and will reveal to you

January 2019

when a fish is looking at your bait. If fish come in, look, and leave more often than they eat your bait, you need to change your presentation, either a little or a lot. The first thing you should change is the action you’re putting on the bait. If you’re moving it slowly, try moving it a little faster. If you’re moving it fast, slow down a bit. If changing the lure action doesn’t get them to bite, go to a smaller or larger bait. Often, when the fish are being finicky, a change to a smaller bait will get them to bite. Tungsten has really changed jig dynamics. A tungsten jig, such as Northland’s Mooska Tungsten Jig, is smaller in physical size than a lead jig of a similar weight. Because of this, we can effectively fish a smaller looking tungsten jig in deeper water. Remember, fish see

size, not weight. If changing the action or size of the bait doesn’t work, try a color change. Sometimes color doesn’t matter, but much of the time it does. There are more times than you might think that the fish respond better to a certain color or color pattern. Keep switching colors until the fish reveal what color they want on that particular day. And, every now and then, there are times when the fish under you don’t want to eat. Look for another group of fish, but don’t forget about the school of fish that you’re leaving. At some time during the day, they’ll probably turn on. When that happens, you’ll want to be there. Show them the bait they want and how they want it and you’ll increase the odds of catching them.

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