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FEATURES
10 14 ALL THINGS ARE NOT EQUAL 18 PERCH PROWESS ON THE ICE FINDING HUNTING GROUNDPURCHASE, PUBLIC, KNOCK 22 LEASE, ON DOORS FISH THE BITE......ALL DAY LONG By Rod Woten By Earl Taylor By Ben Leal
By Joel Johnson
26 WHEN COYOTES WON’T COMMIT 30 TAKING INVENTORY By Troy Hoepker
34 TIPS FOR SIGHT FISHING SUCCESS 42 FUR FRIENDLY COYOTE ROUNDS 48 WHITETAILS 365 BRIDGE HOPPING FOR 58 SPRING BEAVER 62 KIDS ON THE ICE By Steve Weisman By Troy Hoepker By Tom Peplinski
By JD Rogge
By Todd Reed
By Ryan Graden
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DEPARTMENTS 53 GUNDOG CORNER 6 PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT THE SPORTSMAN SPORTSMAN INTERACTIVE 61 ASK 8 IOWA IOWA COOKBOOK MOON PHASES/ 66 SUNRISE-SUNSET 9 70 FISHING IOWA 38 AROUND THE STATE 46 TROPHY ROOM By Patrick McKinney
By Tim Mitchum
Panfish Recipes By Bob Jensen
Photos Submitted by Readers
ON THE COVER
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Welcome to the February issue of The Iowa Sportsman Magazine! On the cover this month is a photo of a man and woman holding up a big ol’ bluegill they pulled through the ice. While bluegills are small fish, they are a blast catching through the ice and also provide a challenge as well. If you want to try something new and challenging get out on the ice and drill a few holes this winter!
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The Iowa Sportsman
February 2018
PUBLISHER STATEMENT
PROUD PUPPY OWNER ONCE AGAIN!
Back in May I wrote about the passing of my dog Hunter. Hunter had been with me for 12 years and truly was my best friend. There isn’t a day that goes by that our family doesn’t think about him. The hardest part still is trying to explain to a five and three year old that Hunter can’t come down from heaven because he needs to stay up there and play with God’s puppies. Such is life though and while we will always be sad from his passing it is the memories he provided that allow us to remember all the good times we had with the ol’ boy. With Hunter being such a great dog we just weren’t sure we would ever want another dog. After all, how could we replace what we thought to be the best dog ever? My wife and I talked about it for a while and we decided we would just give it some more time and discuss it later. Fast forward seven months, after returning from a great bow hunting trip where I managed to put a tag on nice deer. I was greeted at home with my wife in the driveway holding an eight week old Vizsla. The first words out of my mouth were “Whose dog is that?!” She replied “It is ours!” The smile on my face has never been so wide. Lindsey had secretly bought a new puppy, from Schaben Vizslas, the same place I got hunter from 13 years ago. She had everything planned out to surprise me with a new addition to the family when I got back from hunting. So without further ado I welcome Bodie Buck McKinney to our family. First off I forgot how big of a chore it is to take care of a puppy! The biting, chewing, peeing/ pooping, and not listening can take its toll. I am not positive, but I think it was easier raising my two girls! At least they had diapers! Nevertheless Bodie is a great puppy and has really transitioned well. Our 13 year old Yorkie may disagree with that statement, as she is constantly fighting with him or playing if you ask Bodie. Bodie has been a blessing for the kids and all of us. Not that they ever stopped, but the smiles and happiness in the family are even more so now that we have another Vizsla in the family. My biggest fear with a new puppy was that it would make me forget the times I had with Hunter and in some weird way he would think I replaced him. Quite the contrary though. While the similarities between him and Hunter are shocking, they do have some of the same bloodlines. I now know that no dog can replace Hunter and thinking that way isn’t fair for Hunter or Bodie. Bodie is his own dog and shouldn’t have to live up to any expectations. He will make plenty of long lasting memories of his own with us and we will do the same with him. We will always remember Hunter and the gift that he gave our family, but it is now time to start making new memories with Bodie!
TWIN RIVERS MEDIA, LLC. 1517 3rd Avenue NW Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 877-424-4594
VOLUME 16 • NUMBER 2 • FEBRUARY 2018
Gale W. McKinney II, President & CEO Patrick McKinney, Publisher Audra McKinney, VP of Finance Dustin Hector, VP of Sales Aaron McKinney, Field Editor Brandon Peterson, Art Director/Graphic Designer Dawn Busse, Office Manager Shawna Nelson, Circulation Manager
OUTDOOR MARKETING SPECIALISTS
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Tom Peplinski, Rod Woten, Steve Weisman, Ryan Eder, Todd Reed, JD Rogge, Joel Johnson, Earl Taylor, Bob Jensen, Troy Hoepker and Ben Leal. The information and advertising set forth herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable and compiled with great care. Twin Rivers Media, LLC. however, does not warrant complete accuracy of such information and assumes no responsibility for any consequences arising from the use thereof or reliance thereon. Our advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their respective advertisements appearing in this publication, and Publisher shall not be responsible or liable in any manner for inaccuracies, false statements or any material in such advertisement infringing upon the intellectual rights of others. Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement or space reservation at any time without notice. Publisher shall not be liable for any costs or damages if for any reason it fails to publish an advertisement. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved.
Patrick McKinney
@TheIowaSportsmanMagazine
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The Iowa Sportsman
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INTERACTIVE PAGE
WHAT AM I
IOWA SPORTSMAN ONLINE POLL IF YOU SAW A MOUNTAIN LION IN IOWA WOULD YOU SHOOT IT? Yes No Depends on certain factors
(31.36%) (32.20%) (36.44%) 118 votes
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 Frank Debson. The answer was: beaver teeth.
Like us on Facebook! @ theiowasportsmanmagazine
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 26.
THE WINNER OF THE JANUARY ISSUE WAS KORBIN TENNERSON
PHOTO HUNT: CAN YOU FIND THE 12 DIFFERENCES ON THIS PHOTO?
Answers: Perch has an extra stripe, mans beard is different, womans hair is missing, perch tail is cut off, extra black button on womans jacket, womans zipper is darker blue, man has extra finger, mans coat zipper is gone, plane in the sky,Vexilar transducer is gone, part of fishing reel is missing, part of fishing pole is missing.
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The Iowa Sportsman
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MOON PHASES
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BY NOW MANY ice anglers are well aware of what is often referred to as CHANGE LOCATIONS ‘the golden hours” of ice fishing; those couple of hours that separate dawn from daylight and daylight from dusk when the sun is at the top of the trees and the fishing can be hand over fist. The change in light levels at these times of the day triggers a swarm of micro-bugs to suddenly fill the water column and a feeding frenzy ensues. The fishing can be so good at these times that many ice anglers head home as soon the golden hour ends. There is good fishing to be had at other times of the day as well, but rarely do they rival the bites during the golden hours. That being said, by changing things up a bit, there are ways to stay on top of a good bite all day long. I can’t imagine a better way to spend your time between the morning bite and the dusk bite than catching MORE fish. 10
The Iowa Sportsman
During these golden hours, the fish are actively moving so you usually don’t have to wait too long before fish will show up on your flasher. That means that these golden hours are a great time to set up on a spot and “camp out”…waiting for the fish to come to you. This tactic is much less productive during the day, however. Once the feeding frenzy is over, fish are not as willing to roam around chasing food. That means you will need to go to the fish rather than waiting for them to come to you. Grab your flasher, rod and an auger and start moving. Keep drilling holes over likely looking fish habitat and don’t spend too much time in any single hole until you find fish. Even when you do find fish, it probably won’t To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
last nearly as long as the bite did during the golden hours. Sometimes you might only find one or two active fish in any given hole, so as soon as a hole seems to slow down, it’s time to get moving again.
CHANGE SPECIES
Some fish tend to bite better when it is dark and some prefer daylight. Crappies and walleye are a prime example of two species that will bite very well in the dark. In some lakes, especially clear ones, the only way to catch walleyes is after dark. While it is still possible to catch walleyes during the day in most lakes, the bite is rarely as good
as it is after dark. Crappies are more likely than walleyes to bite during the day, but in lakes where there is an after dark crappie bite, there is rarely a good daytime crappie bite. In most lakes, bluegills and perch will only bite during the daylight. Knowing all
bluegills and perch would definitely be worth a shot. Pike are also a good daytime species to target. As afternoon becomes evening and the golden hour comes and goes and the perch, bluegill and pike bite dies off, it’s the perfect time to start chasing walleyes. One really popular tactic as darkness sets in is to set up on a well known walleye travel route and camp out to await the walleyes that will soon be traveling through the area.
I TYPICALLY LIKE TO FISH LARGE FLASHY BAITS WITH LOTS OF VIBRATION FOR WALLEYES WHEN IT’S DARK….JIGGING RAPALAS, CHUBBY DARTERS AND JIGGING SPOONS.
February 2018
of this allows us to easily switch species as dark become light and light becomes dark again. If you’re fishing walleyes and the bite dies off at dawn, crappies might be a good species to switch to. If not,
CHANGE DEPTHS
Some species are also known to move to deeper water as daylight takes hold. TheIowaSportsman.com
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FISH THE BITE.... ...ALL DAY LONG
Walleyes may be the species most well known for this, but the same behavior is also noted in crappies, bluegill, perch and pike. Sometimes they go to deeper water to find lower light conditions, but sometimes it’s to escape predators that can see their prey better in the daylight than they do in low light conditions. Sometimes, especially with bluegills, it’s exactly the opposite; they move from deep to shallow weeds to hide from predators. Whatever the case, going from deep to shallow or shallow to deep is a good way to stay on the bite all day long.
CHANGE PRESENTATIONS
I typically like to fish large flashy baits with lots of vibration for walleyes when it’s dark….jigging Rapalas, Chubby Darters and jigging spoons. When the walleyes are actively feeding they will attack these presentations. Once the sun is up, it’s much more difficult to catch walleyes with these baits. In fact, most of the daytime walleyes I catch come while I’m actually fishing for crappies or bluegills with small
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The Iowa Sportsman
panfish jigs. The same can hold true for crappies. Switching from jigging spoons to small jigs or even a dead stick setup with a
slows during the middle of the day is to cover water. One of the ways to do this is to become highly mobile as I mentioned previously. Another good way to cover a lot of water is to set out tip-ups or tip-downs. Each one you set out is like another angler on the ice. Iowa regulations allow you to buy a license for a third line, so you can use 2 tipups while you actively jig with the third line. This means you are covering triple the amount of water you would if you were just jigging alone. If you do this while staying highly mobile with your jigging line, the amount of water covered goes up even more. Another option is to set out three tipups while you fix lunch. After all, if you’re going to chase the bite all day, you’re going to need to eat lunch to keep your energy up. Tip downs seem to work especially well with lighter biting crappies as it only takes a slight tug for the rod to tip over and signal to you that
SOME FISH TEND TO BITE BETTER WHEN IT IS DARK AND SOME PREFER DAYLIGHT. CRAPPIES AND WALLEYE ARE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF TWO SPECIES THAT WILL BITE VERY WELL IN THE DARK. minnow may allow you to continue to catch crappies as dawn becomes daylight as will going back to a spoon as daylight becomes dusk. Even bluegills will attack a much larger profile jig during the golden hours than they will during the middle of the day. Sometimes it’s as simple as a switch from live bait to plastics or vice versa. Negative fish that are not actively feeding during the day may be more likely to eat something that actually smells and tastes like food, than they are a piece of plastic that may only smell slightly like food.
CHANGE TECHNIQUES
The name of the game when the bite
you have a fish, but they can be employed in the same manner as tipups would be for pike, walleye or perch.
CAN’T CATCH THEM FROM THE COUCH!
Just because the prime time bite of the day has passed is no reason to pack it in for the day. Sure, the action may not be as fast and furious as it was during the golden hours, but there are still plenty of fish to be caught throughout the day. Even during mid-day, the time of day most notorious for tough fishing and a slow bite, by simply mixing a few things up, you should be able to fish the bite all day long!
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FOREWARNING; IF YOU believe man and animals evolved from nothing, this article will not make much sense to you. There is a friendly banter amongst Iowa hunters about the hardest animal to shoot in the Hawkeye state. Each hunter believes the quarry he is chasing is the most difficult to harvest. When Noah opened the doors to his freshly built ark, all animals and birds marched in as equals; the lion was kittycat like; the deer was Bambi-like, the dog was Lassie-like, and the turkey marched in as if into a barn. There was no such thing as a predator. When the doors of the boat flew open 378 days later, it was every critter for himself; things have not changed over the past 5000 years. Before the flood, mankind was thought not to have eaten meat; there was no hunting or roasted lamb recorded in the early chapters of Genesis; everyone and everything was a vegetarian! With the first rainbow still in sight, God tells Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply. He also stated, “The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.” God also changed the eating habits of mankind with this statement: “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” And since that day, creatures have been running away from men with sharp spears, arrows, and bullets who now have an appetite for fresh meat. The docile animals from the boat left
their friendship on the boat; existence was now, flee or be eaten. It was run or get shot. The chase over the last five millenniums has only increased the level of the instincts. Every animal has keenly adapted to its surroundings and now uses every sense available to keep themselves alive. Self- preservation kicked into high gear. The deer and the antelope no longer were unafraid of the wolf. Every animal or bird concentrates on
Instincts transfer hereditarily; bad instincts die out, and good instincts are passed on to the next generation. When my county opened up a season to hunt turkeys in Iowa in 1980, the first few years I shot many dumb turkeys. After a few years, they smartened up considerably. New generations learned or they got shot or ate. Iowa hunters spend most of the time hunting pheasant, waterfowl, deer, turkeys, and coyotes; each animal has its special senses and abilities to escape and live. You can fool all animals and birds if you can sit still and properly conceal yourself; however, it is the nose that reveals the unseen hunter. It is the nose of the deer and coyote that can detect humans sight unseen. The fact that an animal uses its nose to survey the timber increases its ability to outwit the hunter. Deer and coyotes use their nose as their number one form of defense. Turkeys, pheasants, and waterfowl don’t use their ability to smell to keep them alive. Turkey’s eyesight is the best of all critters that we hunt, and their radar-like hearing is impeccable to pinpoint a fake hen call. And yet, with their keen ears and eyes, they appear to be stupid when it comes to approaching a plastic, fake decoy or a blind set up in an open field. A hunter can set up his blind in the middle of an open hayfield and still get a mature tom in close enough for a bow shot. Try to set up a portable blind without brushing it in, and the whitetail or coyote will spot it immediately; they avoid and remember. Make a mistake from a treestand, and an old doe will look up every time it walks
THE NOSE OF A DEER HAS 297 MILLION OLFACTORY SENSORS, WHILE THAT OF COYOTES HAVE 220 MILLION. HUMANS HAVE ONLY A MEASLY 5 MILLION SENSORS.
February 2018
five things: food, frolic (sex), fellowship, fight or flight. Much that is called instinct feeds one of the five inherent drives. Figure out how to overcome and intercept these instinctive actions and the hunter’s success rate increases dramatically. Animal scientists describe instinct as: “an inherent behavior: a fixed action pattern that is unlearned. Animals are born with certain instincts which are common to all those of their breed. Some instinctual behaviors require a certain amount of maturation before they begin.” Think mature buck compared to a button buck; the mature buck has learned additional survivor skills.
TheIowaSportsman.com
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ALL THINGS ARE NOT EQUAL past that tree. Deer appear to have a long memory. According to the scientific definition, the fight or flight response is called hyperarousal - a physiological reaction that protects both man and beast. Have a treestand squeak while trying to move into a position to shoot and your quarry reacts. Sometimes they freeze and try to understand the noise, but more often, they turn and run, saving their lives. Just as humans react to a sudden surprise, deer, turkey, coyotes, and pheasant react the same. Scientists write that the chemical reaction brought on by surprise is a chemical reaction that activates muscles, breathing, and heart rate is all there to create a burst of energy to accomplish the escape. Animals need to feel safe and in control. They run on instinct rather than logic. Man can always get control over all animals because of the use of logic; logic allows analysis and then the creation and the execution of the plan. There is only one way to suppress fear, and that is with food. Feed a dog, and it becomes a pet. Make a dog find his food, and it becomes coyote-like. Providing food is the key to taming the wild. The same sensory ability a dog demonstrates as a drug-sniffing dog is evident in the
DEER AND COYOTE ARE THE HARDEST ANIMALS TO KILL BECAUSE THEY CAN SMELL. CCS Surplus Store IN NEARLY 40 YEARS OF 641-874-5909 Corydon, IA BOWHUNTING, I HAVE ONLY Call Jake 320-630-1079 for Long Prairie, MN HAD ONE COYOTE GIVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOOT HIM, WHILE HUNDREDS OF DEER HAVE WALKED NEAR MY STAND. 5x5 6x6 octagon
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The Iowa Sportsman
coyote; nothing gets past the coyote’s nose. The fact that the coyote relies on its total use of all senses in order to eat has created the craftiest of all animals; his sensory perception is his only means of providing the next meal. Man has learned the only way to get a coyote into the open and in range is to fake its next meal; a squealing rabbit is all it takes for a coyote to let down his guard. The nose of a deer has 297 million olfactory sensors, while that of coyotes have 220 million. Humans have only a measly 5 million sensors. More brain effort is used to analyze smells with deer. Watch a deer follow a doe in heat, and it
can analyze the smell and determine the direction the doe is heading The pheasant is just a nervous bird; years and years of predators in the air and from behind have made the bird keenly aware. They rely on their ears and eyes, but they also have sensors on their feet to feel vibrations on anything approaching. Waterfowl use its eyes over all five senses. With their eyes located on the side of their head, waterfowl can see a panoramic view, and with a broader spectrum of colors; their eyesight is superior in catching motion and color variations. The wrong decoy setup or a shiny gun barrel can spook low flying flocks. The turkey’s downfall is their lack of smell to warn them of danger. Their eyes and ears are superior to deer and coyotes, but with no nose to interpret danger, a quiet camouflaged hunter can set up anywhere regardless of the wind direction. The turkey’s eyesight is its primary defense mechanism. The test that determines which Iowa critter is the hardest to harvest needs tested at 30 yards and not 300 yards. We all could shoot almost anything easily at 300 yards. Put a scoped 270 in my hand, and suddenly a standing deer way across a field is easy pickings; put the same deer on the trail directly below me, and I have to put several things together quietly to harvest the animal. Deer and coyote are the hardest animals to kill because they can smell. In nearly 40 years of bowhunting, I have only had one coyote give me an opportunity to shoot him, while hundreds of deer have walked near my stand. For me, the coyote almost always gets the upper hand when close and personal. All animals have their Achilles heel; there is a chink in every animal’s armor that allows a man to win out consistently. Offer turkeys and deer an opportunity at frolic, and you can win. Offer waterfowl fellowship, and they will land amongst your decoys. Offer a coyote an opportunity at a wounded rabbit, and he will come out of hiding. Plant a food plot and a pheasant will move in next door. Know that it is ok to be fooled by an instinctual critter; the next time that a wary turkey gets the best of the hunt, just remember God put this fear in the turkey to ensure that there would be turkeys in the future; blame Him.
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The Iowa Sportsman
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IOWA’S ICE ANGLERS have a love-hate relationship when it comes to panfish.
out on the ice chasing after these fish. Decide which hole pattern will work for you and as we discussed, if fish aren’t present in the hole you’re checking, keep moving until you find them. You’ll have a few quick bites or maybe the school will settle in and you’ll have some very active fishing for a while. Be prepared to pick up and move though, there is no way to predict when the perch will move off again.
Crappie, bluegill, white bass, yellow bass, and perch are among the most soughtafter fish, both during open water and hardwater seasons. All of these fish can and do bring hours of enjoyment as they are brought up through the ice, and top among them is perch. The Yellow Perch lives in lakes in Iowa and reaches its greatest abundance in the natural lakes. It is rarely found in large numbers in flowing water TO GO with the exception of the Mississippi River, where it is common in some places. They WHERE There is no doubt that West Okoboji Lake are also found in some man-made recreational lakes and river impoundments in is a very popular ice fishing destination for anglers throughout Iowa. This lake covers southern Iowa, but seldom approach the abundance found in natural lakes. approximately 3,847 acres and is located in Why the love-hate relationship you ask? Some of these panfish are easy to pattern, and can in some ways be predictable. The yellow perch, on the other hand, …well these nomadic schooling fish can create hours and days of non-stop action followed by hours or days of head scratching, “where did they go”, eyebrow-raising questions.
the minnows begin to move off or the weed beds die off they will begin to move. By the time February rolls around the bigger fish have moved off into deeper water. Focus your search
Dickinson County. The cities of Arnold Park, Okoboji, West Okoboji and Wahpeton sit on its shores. The gin-clear water offers anglers a chance to not only catch quality perch, but bluegill and crappie as well. A unique aspect of this lake is that you can see all the way through the water column and sight fish and watch them as they take your bait. Big Spirit Lake has experienced some phenomenal perch fishing over the years. The size and quality of the fish are most definitely cyclic. In 2009 the Iowa Department of Natural Resources predicted some of the best fishing they had seen in a while. The following year was no exception and in typical perch fashion, numbers and size began to dwindle. Part of the reason has to
FOR ROD AND REEL COMBINATIONS I’D RECOMMEND A LIGHT TO MEDIUM LIGHT ACTION ROD PAIRED WITH A GOOD SPINNING REEL LOADED WITH 2, 4 OR 6-POUND TEST LINE.
WHERE TO LOOK
During the early ice season, these fish will hold near healthy weed beds and lakes and bays, slow tapering drop-offs near those weed lines, and soft bottom areas or flats. Like all predatory fish, they will rely on their food source and as February 2018
on structures like bars, flats, and points for mid-winter perch. Be prepared to cover a lot of water to find these fish. Keep your auger handy and punch a lot of holes in the ice. Use your electronics to locate active schools. Last month in an article about hole patterns we talked about a variety of ways to make the very best of the time you have
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PERCH PROWESS ON THE ICE do with the dynamics of the perch population itself. First, they are the main forage for most predator fish in Big Spirit. Plus, they are cannibalistic predators of themselves. So, everything, including the big perch, makes a meal of those tiny perch. It is only when the oldest perch in the population comes to the end of their life cycle that a batch of the young fish class has the chance to become the next big perch year class. Big Spirit Lake is located one mile North of Spirit Lake and covers 5,684 acres with a maximum depth of 24 feet. This lake is a big basin type of lake with a large amount of flat bottom to cover. There are areas of the lake that have some defined features, with points and underwater peaks, but for the most part, it’s wide open. This lake is a perfect example of where you need to be prepared to move as schools of perch swim through the area you’re fishing. “These larger lakes up in the IGA’s are a great place to look for perch”, said Cold Water Guide Service owner and Ice Team Pro Rod Woten. “But there are a few of what I call “shallow potholes”, that offer great perch fishing at times. They are shallow and subject to freeze out but typically bounce back in three to four years”. Rice Lake is located in Winnebago County and is one mile South of and one mile East of Lake Mills. It covers approximately 1,000 acres but averages only 10 feet. A couple other smaller lakes recommend by Woten are Trumbull Lake as well as Silver Lake. These are but a few of the places in Iowa where perch can be found, but the abundance of perch in the IGL region makes this area one of the top spots for ice anglers.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Okay so now we’ve given you a few of the where to look recommendations as well as where to go. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to get these fish on the ice. One of the most effective ice fishing presentations is jigging. Jigging is basically raising your rod tip about a foot, then dropping it back down to its starting position. A very effective method is to raise and drop the tip, wait 5-10 seconds and repeat. Jigging your rod tip up and down quickly can also entice the fish to come in for a meal. Another technique that I’ve used is to drop the jig to the bottom of the lake and “pound” the bottom a few times. This mimics a fish that might be feeding off of something that is on or near the bottom and perch will come in to investigate. Baits that are used in conjunction with a jigging spoon or minnow type bait are minnow heads, spikes (maggot larvae) and wax worms. Live minnows work very well of course, but keeping them active and alive on the ice, especially when it’s very cold can be a challenge. Smaller jigs also work well 20
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especially when the fish are tight-lipped and are not aggressively taking your bait. To work ice jigs, slowly lower the bait towards the bottom. Be sure to work the bait down the water column using small hops and pauses to make it dance like a tiny aquatic morsel. When you spot a fish signal on your sonar, drop your jig and stop it just above the fish. Commence the seductive dance by hopping and pausing the bait. Once a perch is interested (as per a strong signal on your sonar) keep up the jigging sequence that intrigued it. While you’re doing this slowly raise the rod or reel in a small amount of line. The objective here is to get the fish to follow the bait. For rod and reel combinations I’d recommend a light to medium light action rod paired with a good spinning reel loaded with 2, 4 or 6-pound test line. Fenwick, St. Croix, Clam Outdoors, Berkley, and Frabill are but a few recommendations. Over the last several years level wind reels have become more and more popular with ice anglers. One of the main reasons for using these reels is that it helps avoid line twist which spins your jig as it hangs in the water column. In many cases, this will scare fish off rather than entice them to bite. Clam Outdoors improved on the original level wind reel with a new Genz 200 Ice Spooler Reel. This has a longer reel arm which allows an angler to grip the rod and reel in a typical ice fishing manner. It also has an improved drag system that helps reel in those large and sometimes unexpected catches.
SAFETY FIRST
At the time of this writing, Iowa has been experiencing a very warm winter to date. In mid-December, most of Central Iowa still had open water for the most part. Northern reaches of the state had some ice, but warm days in the 50’s created concerns for venturing out on the ice. Truth is, there is no “safe ice”. As temperatures cool and ponds and lakes begin to ice over, the thickness can vary. Use a spud bar as you walk out on to the ice, testing the surface. Strike the ice firmly with a spud bar twice in the same location, and if the integrity of the ice remains solid, you’re safe to step to that location. Also never go alone, wear a PFD, and take a length of sturdy rope that can be used to help pull your fishing partner to safety. Let someone know where you are fishing and when you are expected to return. It’s always better to err on the side of caution than not. Enjoy the resources we have here in Iowa, take a new angler fishing, young or old and share the passion with others. Get involved in the outdoors, teach your kids to be good stewards because it is to them that we’ll pass the torch, leaving a legacy for them to pass as well. Tight Lines All! To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
with common maintenance chores they can develop long lasting relationships and secure hunting access for generations to come. Although private land has significant benefits, it has its share of issues as well. Very often private lands are smaller, less developed, and lack specific wildlife focus. In addition, sometimes food and water sources can be few and far between. Incidental brush, wood lots, weedy fence rows, and picked fields can support multiple game species, but these places rarely produce or sustain the number of animals that dedicated CRP or other intensively managed lands can under similar hunting conditions. Securing access to private land can be extremely frustrating and seem like an exercise in futility. However, when you shake that first hand and come home with a full game bag or trophy buck, the time invested knocking on doors, making phone calls, writing letters, and networking at shows will be worth it.
hunting acres. That translates to .1 acres per person to hunt in our great state. Consequently, even though public hunting areas can be quite large compared to private lands, the level of competition is intense. This fact is especially true near larger cities and urban centers. While these lands have habitat designed and dedicated specifically for hunting, they experience maximum pressure on weekends as well as during the week. Moreover, access is generally uncontrolled and determined on a first-come-first-serve basis. Case in point, my best friend’s acreage is located on the edge of a sprawling public hunting area in Greene county. Even with hundreds of acres to utilize, it is common to have hunters parked in every available parking lot before 5:00am on opening day to secure a spot. If you are blessed to find a place to park on opening weekend or during the week for that matter, you still have no idea how many times the place has already been hunted. With all that being said, public hunting areas do have advantages. For example, other than license fees, stamps, and shotgun shells, there is zero financial or sweat equity investment required. In addition, these areas are managed to maximize wildlife production and often contain the best habitat and food sources available in the surrounding sections. As a result, these places can be extremely productive later in the season when cold weather, deer season, and ice fishing distract the majority of bird hunters. You can bet the day after the first winter storm of the season, me and my buddies will be found trudging through frozen cattails and dense plum thickets on public land in our area.
PUBLIC LAND
PURCHASING YOUR OWN LAND
WHEN MY BROTHERS and I were kids, we never had land of our own to hunt. Back in the ‘80’s we spent weekends road hunting; scanning fields, walking ditches, and exploring railroad tracks for pheasants and rabbits in North Central Iowa. As the Caprice Estate woody rambled down the gravel, every so often one of us would call out, “…there’s one!” from the back seat; interrupting Jim Zabel, Wayne Larrivee, and the obnoxious AM radio static. Dad would gun the wagon’s V8 over the next hill, execute a perfect 10 point turn, and drop one or more of us off to walk the ditch while he roared past the bird; setting up the blockers. Sometimes these tactics worked, and other times they didn’t, but I have countless warm memories scouring the backroads of Story, Hamilton, and Hardin counties with my Dad and brothers. If you were born and raised in the city like we were, you probably had the same hunting access issues we did. If you were lucky, relatives in rural areas had land to hunt or neighbors willing to give permission. For those without similar connections, public hunting and fishing areas were the only option. Fast forward 30 years, and the effort to secure quality hunting land has only gotten more difficult. Loss of habitat, farm consolidation, social media all-stars, the “pro staff” movement, and big-money trophy hunting have combined to significantly reduce already precious resources. So what is the best option for securing a place to hunt?
PRIVATE LAND
Locating and securing permission on private land in Iowa is like winning the lottery. Individuals with private land to hunt benefit from reduced hunting pressure, consistent availability, and a simple handshake or sweat equity arrangement. Often, if folks respect the landowner’s wishes and are willing to help February 2018
Iowa ranks 45th in the nation for public
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FINDING HUNTING GROUND - LEASE, PURCHASE, PUBLIC, KNOCK ON DOORS option for securing quality hunting land is to buy your own. When we were kids my Dad used to say, “…get a good job, marry a girl that likes to hunt and fish, and buy your own piece of land. They aren’t making any more.” Truer words have never been spoken, and they echo in my head every time I see land auction notices in the convenience store and newspaper. The benefits of owning your own property are obvious, and in my opinion the ability to control access to the property is the most important. Managing hunting pressure and animal harvest come in a very close second. When you own the property, you have the freedom to design and implement habitat improvements. You can decide where the best place for a food plot may be or if the land could support and benefit from installation of a pond. The development of the land is only limited by your budget and creativity. A wise person once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” As a property owner, this couldn’t be truer. Purchasing your own land requires maximum up front and ongoing financial investment. Maintaining even a small farm requires considerable time and effort. If you have children that play sports, sing in the choir, or enjoy other hobbies, nights and weekends may be the only time you have to complete chores and projects. If you’ve purchased land in a remote area, it is critical that you establish a regular presence to discourage trespassing and other illegal activities. The paperwork and accounting required for CRP contracts can also be a drain on your time and require costly professional services. Finally, and most disturbing, some friends and family members may feel entitled to hunt your land or use guilt as a tool to pressure you into giving permission. Finding the ideal property requires equal parts hard work and luck. Start by researching available properties online, check-in with local and regional realtors, take time to read auction notices, network with property brokers at sports shows, and don’t forget to discuss opportunities with friends and family members. Peruse the classified sections on your favorite hunting boards, and make sure to pick up the phone and call prospective sellers to arrange a visit rather than simply texting or sending an email.
LEASING HUNTING LAND
Hunting leases are a common concept outside the state of Iowa. In many states, leases and hunting clubs go back generations and are a cherished family tradition. However, in Iowa, leased hunting is still frowned upon in many areas by local hunters. For example, investors and non-resident 24
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celebrities have created a stir in Southeast Iowa in the last 10 or 20 years. This part of the state is known for consistently producing world class whitetail bucks, and many professional trophy hunters have seized the opportunity; seducing landowners into profitable long term lease agreements and eliminating access to thousands of acres of prime habitat. The advantages of leasing land are very similar to purchasing your own property. Hunters enjoy reduced/managed hunting pressure and consistent availability. Depending on the size and quality of the lease, hunters only face a moderate financial investment to maintain control over the property, and may not need to contribute to maintenance efforts. Most importantly, hunters that lease ground often secure access to the highest quality areas designed to maximize hunting and fishing success. Leasing land comes with discrete disadvantages in addition to negative perceptions. Landowners sometimes require complex legal agreements that protect their revenue and shift liability to the lessee. In some areas, competition to have the best lease can create artificial demand and drive up local land prices. One-upmanship and machismo can create conflict when leased or paid hunting is introduced into an area. Removal of vast acres of prime habitat creates barriers and limits success for young hunters that are just starting out and may not have financial resources to lease their own land. Everybody’s situation is different, and we are all motivated by different objectives. Finding a quality piece of land to hunt can be a challenging endeavor, and sometimes you may get more than you bargained for in the deal. My hope is that this article provides some food for thought and gives folks pause before they decide what option is best for them. My brothers and I still don’t own any hunting land. We don’t lease any property either. Instead, we prefer to do things the way Dad taught us. After all, if you knock on the door, the worst that can happen is the guy says “no”. However, if you are polite, treat him with respect, and maybe offer to help fix fence, work cattle, or clean out a building, the next time the answer may be “yes”. Until then, leverage your relationships with friends and family and don’t overlook public hunting areas, especially later in the year. If you live in an area where competition for hunting land is intense, maybe partner with a few buddies to secure your own lease. We are blessed to live in a state with abundant wildlife to satisfy our need to hunt. Finding a place to hunt can be a challenge, but like anything else, you will get out of it what you put into it. To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
February 2018
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THEIR HOWLS CUT through the cold air with fresh exuberance but they held their advance stubbornly at the ridgeline to my west. Darkness was approaching on that cold winter’s afternoon that found me deep in the heart of a large tract of some of Iowa’s public hunting land in pursuit of a coyote. I had found a nice little bowl of CRP grass nestled in the middle of the timber that looked like a perfect ambush zone and hoped a coyote would soon be by. My howls were answered and answered repeatedly but it seemed the pack was only budging slightly. From howl to howl, I could tell the group was on the move, and mostly getting closer but I worried they’d stall long enough that darkness would hide their approach. Time was my enemy and with light fading fast, I tried more purposeful howling in order to get them on a more direct path to my position. Late January was ideal for domain howls and pushing the intimidation factor to the max. It certainly worked up a couple within the group and I could just envision their guard hairs raised across their backs as they answered my calls with defiant howls of their own. I was under their skin now but the clock was ticking. Now as light was fading away only the dark shadows of existing brush dotted the ground in front of me. Every form in my mind’s eye seemed to take the shape of a coyote, the point at which imagination takes over reality. Only movement across the snowy patchwork of bare ground in front of me would reveal a coyote’s deceptive lurk and I knew it. Still, I waited. And as time slipped away one more round of howling from my adversary confirmed that they still had ground to gain to reach my location. Defiantly I gave up the ground and made a hasty escape instead of educating these coyotes for another day. As I approached my pickup in the darkness
almost a half-mile away, they arrived. The loud and bold howl I heard confirmed that at least one coyote was right where I had been. “I do love it!” I whispered out loud as I held at the door and listened to the last notes of the coyote’s voice trail off before getting behind the wheel and shutting the door. “I’ll be back,” I muttered! Countless times over the years I’ve called to coyotes that I knew were there but never
For starters we have to be the best students possible of our prey. Educating ourselves on coyote behavior, coyote vocalizations, good set up positions and local coyote territories is the best we can do. That involves a good deal of work but nobody ever said coyote calling was easy right? First let’s talk about coyote behavior and why coyotes hang up. We only know a coyote is hung up if we can see them outside of gun range or because we hear them not all that far away. Coyotes become tentative for a variety of reasons. They may have seen something that they don’t like or are suspect of. They may have heard something they don’t feel comfortable with. They may be uncomfortable to travel the terrain between them and you, or they may know that they are at the far reaches of a territorial boundary. Lastly, they may already have a food source where they are or be interested in companionship of a nearby coyote. Anytime you are dealing with coyotes stubborn to commit, a good coyote caller will quickly assess the situation and figure out which one of those reasons their present situation falls under. Is you’re position too exposed and maybe you are too noticeable? Is there too much open ground around you or downwind of your location? What sounds have you already thrown at them and could that be the reason? Are there multiple coyotes that you are dealing with? Is there a creek, a lane, a fence or a hill between you and them? Our gut instinct is what we rely on out there, so trust it and make your decision accordingly. There are a couple of things we can do to up the odds. The first is to move on them if possible, and that’s always a tricky proposition. You have to make sure that there is no way they will detect your movements.
A COYOTE THAT ACTS THAT WAY CAN BE CALLED IN CLOSER. IF YOU FEAR THAT YOU’VE MADE A COYOTE REACT THIS WAY, GO TO SOMETHING FRIENDLIER IN NATURE.
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would commit to showing themselves. Many of those times, just at dusk. I’m sure some of you reading this have had the same thing happen to you and it will, if you spend very much time at all attempting to call coyotes into gun range. It’s frustrating and can even get to the point of maddening at times. What can we do to move a stubborn coyote or trigger them to come when for whatever reason, they don’t seem interested or you need to stimulate them to move to you before darkness encroaches?
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WHEN COYOTES WON’T COMMIT The second is to change the sounds we are using. The thing I always try to do successfully before I ever start calling is to make sure I have the best possible set up position available to me on that particular piece of ground. I’ve found that if I’ve chosen the best spot, then rarely do I ever have to reposition on coyotes. The spot I choose to call from should be located deep enough into the section that the coyote feels comfortable enough to come to the call but not so deep that I’ll be spooking any coyotes within as I walk. It has to be a place that puts the wind in my favor and makes a coyote feel as though it can get to me. Lastly, the area needs to have some available cover for the coyote to use to travel along and I like to have an elevated position for visibility. You can eliminate some coyotes from hanging up in the first place by choosing good set up locations to begin with. Know what coyotes like. They want to follow into the wind to search for prey. They don’t like to be exposed and vulnerable for long periods of travel. They are curious to all things that sound like prey or other coyotes. Consider these things when choosing a spot to sit. If you’re experiencing hung-up coyotes, it could just be a change in your location that is needed to break them loose. It’s hard to know where local coyote territories overlap. Sometimes you’ll get lucky enough to discover heavy coyote toilets along a two track, a fence, a ridgeline or a river that may give you an idea, and if coyotes seem to hang up on a regular basis when approaching such structure then you can sometimes form a guess. Otherwise, it’s a mystery most of the time. It takes a lot of ground work that includes night listening to howling packs, a lot of calling attempts, and paying attention to where coyotes are coming from on a regular basis in such areas to really get an idea. Most of us don’t have time for that kind of dedication so anytime you may suspect a territorial boundary as a reason a coyote won’t come closer I simply suggest trying to call that spot from a different location the next time out. Or, if time and conditions permit, relocate your position while you know where the coyotes are located. I’d always rather have a vocal coyote to deal with than silent ones. If a coyote is vocal, he is giving you information. He’s giving up his location, his distance from you and his disposition. All of those can be used against him. Especially his disposition, if you know what you are listening for. Coyotes have a variety 28
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of social howls that have different meanings. Some are territorial in nature, some inviting and friendly, and some are submissive or dominate. A lot of coyote callers unknowingly put some coyotes on alarm right from the beginning of their set or during the set with the sounds they may choose to use. It all depends on the type of coyote that hears your sounds. If a submissive yearling for example, hears you imitating a dominant howl, a challenge or an interrogation howl for example, even if he was on his way to you, it may have been a game changer. Now that same coyote will approach differently than it might have. It may skirt your area giving itself a wider buffer between you and them. It may turn downwind or it may cease coming altogether. That’s just one example of how important the inflection of your calling is. If you’ve ever saw a coyote approach your set up, but it stays just out of gun range, consider the sounds you’ve previously used as the possible reason. Submissive coyotes are tentative in nature but they sometimes can’t resist getting a look. A coyote that acts that way can be called in closer. If you fear that you’ve made a coyote react this way, go to something friendlier in nature. Submissive whines, or an invitation howl might do the trick. Or pour on a few more distress sounds along with some confidence sounds like crow or blue jay. The reason being is that submissive coyotes come to the call of distress for the meal a higher percentage of the time. Dominant coyotes will come to the sound of distress for the meal or out of territorial defense. Dominant coyotes want to know that it’s not another coyote eating prey in their territory. You’ll know the difference if a coyote howls before arriving, if you’re lucky enough to have it happen. If you hear one lone, deep howl that rises in pitch only slightly and then stops abruptly without tailing off or yodeling while you are in the middle of distress sounds, than odds are you are dealing with one of the local dominant pairs. What you’ve heard was that coyote warning you that the area is theirs or trying to bait you into responding if you are another coyote. Any aggressive howl that you give them back will likely expedite their approach to you. Continuing on with your distress sounds can work as well although less of a guarantee and in some cases their arrival will happen much slower. Sunset is the time of day you’ll hear the most vocal coyote activity. Interpreting the sounds you hear is vital to knowing how to call them. A lot of times you’ll hear a coyote To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
sound deep in pitch with a howl that sounds more like a car horn than a high pitched siren. If you direct your sounds at that coyote with a challenge or a domain howl of your own, it might be the only chance you have of getting a coyote to you before light fades away. If you choose to challenge a coyote and are doing so with a mouth call you’ll want to start out with several short, aggressive, sarcastic barks that lead straight into a short howl that quickly changes in pitch from low to high. End it abruptly and then start the whole thing over again. It reminds a person of the sounds of a car engine trying to start. The barks are quick and sharp and so is the howl following the barks immediately. Repeat the sequence several times and wait. If you’ve shot at a coyote or even killed one don’t give up yet. Often there is another coyote nearby especially this time of year. Even when you’ve seen the other coyote leave, you can still successfully call them back. I’ll wait for several minutes and then begin a series of invitation howls. You can opt for a series of elongated howls with a friendly bark that gets them going, leading straight into a howl that rises in pitch, yodels a little in it’s duration and
February 2018
then tapers off at its higher notes. Repeat several of these and wait. Or you can offer four or five howls that begin with one, two or three longer, deeper barks that lead into a yodeling howl that is not elongated but shorter than that of a lone howl type sound. The howl is of medium length that rises rather quickly in pitch while featuring some yodel as it changes octaves. You’ll end the howl by hitting it’s high point and quickly bringing it back down to a deeper tone as it trails off within a one count. This is the sound of a coyote trying to locate its lost mate and has to be made with a howler by mouth. One of the hardest situations is calling to a pack or group of coyotes that you’ve heard merely giving their territory group singing. They are announcing to all where they are and they can be hard to get moving. If the distance is great between you and them and you can safely accomplish the task, try cutting the distance by moving toward them. Then after you’ve gotten sat down, hit the pack with a pup distress sound and follow it with submissive whines, and ki-yi sounds. You’re trying to get the entire pack to change their mentality and intrigue them or the alpha leaders of the pack enough to
move in your direction now that they know you aren’t far away. A lot of times we hear the group singing right before or after dark so time is of the essence. You’ve got to be aggressive or you’ll be left empty handed. If you continue on with distress or many of the other vocals it simply won’t work in time before darkness hits. You’re trying to trigger an instinct within them. If their group howling isn’t far away, skip moving on them and get into your playlist. Lastly, if you have a vocal coyote howling at you and you’re simply just not sure what to do, mimic their sounds. Try to sound just like them. It’s not only good practice but you’d be surprised how often it works. An invitation howl answered by an invitation howl is a trigger. A domain howl answered by a domain howl is a trigger and so on and that’s why it can work. It’s a good beginning education into learning how to speak the language. The coyotes we get that were a challenge to outsmart, are the ones we remember most. It’s not always easy to lure in a coyote that is hesitant in the first place for whatever the reason, but if you do, it’ll be a battle you won’t soon forget!
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SO THE HUNTING SEASON is finally over and you are stuck with your thoughts. For some of you, that might be scary! But let me, hopefully, give some direction to your thoughts so they are more productive in your preparations for next year’s season. Remember, it is only 10 months until the next deer season opener. There’s still lots to do if you are going to make sure that next year is better than the last.
HINDSIGHT’S 20/20
At the end of every season, for me at least, I think back at all the moments that I had during my time in the timber. I think of the deerstands that I sat in. I think of the deer that I saw. I think of the travel patterns that they took. I think about the effects that the weather had on deer. I think of the moments of failure where I messed up bad. I also think of the moments of success where everything 30
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went as planned. Thinking through the season is more important than you know. Let’s start with our least favorite thoughts. The mess ups! Nobody ever likes to talk about it. Frankly, depending on the situation, these moments can be ones that you would like to forget forever. It sometimes burns to know you “blew it” and you very likely will never get that chance again. I can remember back in my teenage years, my dad and I would join our deer
party for our annual deer drives during the 1st shotgun season here in Iowa. We had permission for quite a few properties that were mostly cattle pasture with wooded draws within them. Sometimes you might see 30-40 deer moving through these pastures all heading to our “posters”. Soon the shots would ring out. The harvest never seemed to match the number of gunshots that you heard. But hey, that’s how it goes! One year I had the luck of being one of the guys on post. I watched as a herd of deer were running toward me and the other guys that were posted up in the timber. This herd had been running towards us for the last 500+ yards and when they came close, one stood out! He was on a path that was going to come out of the draw of timber at about 70 yards to my left. To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
This big guy was MOVING! So I did my best to calm my nerves and take the shot. Boom, boom, boom, and boom went my Remington 1100 as I watched him run into my memories. A 180” deer there and gone and all I was left with was empty shells. One of the guys in our group asked, “Why didn’t you run closer. He was on his path and he wouldn’t have veered to any other direction. You could have had a better shot.” He was right. Thinking back, he was following the entire herd. He wouldn’t have varied his course and I could have had a 20 yard shot instead of a 70. Ahhhhhhh! If I could just get that moment back! It still haunts me to this day. However, I have learned from it and have had success in the same situation since then. In every mess up, screw up, and failed February 2018
situation take the time to think through what just happened and make some mental notes. Only a fool doesn’t learn from his mistakes. Trust me, we’ve all been there and if you haven’t, it will happen! Come to a conclusion telling yourself, “Next time I’m going to do it this way.” And make sure that “next time” you follow through with that! Also, take the time to review your success too. As the A-Team used to end their show with, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Have the same thought and allow it to sink in for future situations. Notice the details that made your success. The right wind, the right kind of stand, the right food source, the right time. All those things are ingredients to a successful hunt. They may not work EVERY time, but they have enough value to use again.
AFTER THE CURTAIN FALLS
Some guys might fall into the stage of depression or cabin fever when the seasons close and there is nothing to hunt for a few months. (Keep in mind, turkey season is coming!) Cheer up! Although you may not be chasing anything with a bullet or arrow, you can still be “on the hunt” as you gather vital information for next year’s success. Late winter and early spring is no time to be sitting inside feeling down and out. No! Get out there and get to work! A few of the late winter/early spring tasks that I do is tracking deer and finding sheds. Let’s start with tracking. Understanding the basics of tracking is going to go a long way in setting up for the next season. As long as there are not any monumental disturbances in the TheIowaSportsman.com
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TAKING INVENTORY lay of the land you hunt (earth moving or construction), and the deer’s food sources are somewhat the same, you can bet that finding their favorite trails at this time of year will lead you to them when it counts in the Fall. When Iowa has a little bit of snow on the ground, that’s when I begin my timber walks. I usually pack a small bag of supplies, water, and sometimes a notepad and I head out to the woods where I hunt. Now, this walk should not be a loud and obnoxious one. You are still “hunting” in a sense and whatever you see can tell you important information. Some of the items you should be looking for are trails, the direction of tracks, bedding areas, and deer. Deer trails are going to be the most evident. You might even have a good idea of where to find some of these. With at least a small amount of snow on the ground, you will be able to get a lot more information for the trails you find. Information like, which direction are they tracks going? Are they towards a food source? or away from it. Are they both? If they are toward a food source, chances are that’s a trail that you’ll want to watch in the evening. Away from it, be there in the morning as they go back
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to their beds. If you’re not seeing many tracks it might mean that the trail is not used to often by too many deer. If it’s trodden right down to the dirt, you’d better make some plans to hunt nearby! Bedding areas, again, are easiest to see when a little snow has fallen on the ground. These will be small oval circles in the snow usually melted down to the leaves underneath. Most of the time, if you find a small group of them together, you can bet you’ve discovered a small group of does or yearlings. If you are finding a solo bed, there’s a good chance that you’ve found a buck. Don’t be afraid to check them out closely. If they are still wet and “icy”, you can tell they are fresh. If a dusting of snow has fallen back in there, they could be days old. Regardless, if deer are bedding there, it’s a safe area to them and it’s worth making a note of. As you are out in the timbers on these types of hikes, keep your eyes peeled (especially in late January and February) for shed antlers. Shed antlers are usually found in a few places. Feeding areas, bedding areas, and the trails between the two. When you find a shed antler, if you know your herd, you might be able to tell the exact buck it came from. You’ll be able to tell how old it is, that it’s still alive,
and generally how it might look next year. Sheds are often times found in a bucks “home area” too. Another hot spot for sheds is food sources. Deer, especially if it’s cold, will spend lots of time eating in order to maintain calories in order to stay warm. Finding sheds in food plots, hay fields, or regular fields will usually give you a good idea of late season food sources. Finding a few in one area should tell you another spot to focus your hunting on next year.
TAKING INVENTORY
As you are out and about jotting down these findings and making plans for next year keep your eyes up! It’s still a good time to be looking for deer. When I’m in the timber at these times, I nearly always will run into some bedded deer. Sometimes they are right where I’d expect them to be and other times, it’s a bit of a surprise. But when it happens, I always hunker down and watch. I want to see if I’ve seen the deer before. Maybe you recognize the antlers. Maybe they are new! Maybe this deer has a different chin and neck pattern. Maybe they have a limp or tear in the ear. Try to find some distinguishing features. Now why would you want to do this? Good question. We’ll let’s put it this way. If you want to have more success next year, you need to know a little bit about the routine of your deer. Especially if you’re going after a specific deer. You need to know what they look like in order to begin to see them in their pattern. It’s kind of like that snoopy neighbor lady who knows your every move. Knowing your deer on a more personal level allows you to see them where they are and make a mental note as to what they do, where they are living mostly, and what patterns they might be forming. Finding sheds also tells you who made it through the hunting season, who most likely made it through the winter, and who is officially big enough to be on your “hit list” next fall. That depends on what type of hunter you are I guess. If you want big bucks on the wall, you have to be wise with how you are hunting. Letting them grow is the only way to get them bigger. So don’t be down and out at the end of the season. Just take a different perspective and go out and “hunt” in preparation for next fall. Make notes, collect what you find, and then sit down and figure it out. Use the summer to prepare and I’m sure, next fall, your plan will come together! Good luck!
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I STILL REMEMBER when I moved to northwest Iowa in 1978. I saw the chain
weedbeds and on up to the 18-20 foot deep weedlines.
of lakes called the Iowa Great Lakes, and I knew this was where I wanted to be. Although I have had great fishing on all of these lakes, it is West Okoboji that has TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE Let’s start from the beginning. First, become my favorite lake and also my toughest challenge. Why? Well, it has to do to find the panfish, you need to find a good weedbed. Some of the weeds may with its gin clear waters where for much of the year you can see anywhere from 12- be down, but if you can find a mix of 20 feet down. Often times in the shallows, Big Spirit can offer clear water conditions standing weeds, that will be best. I try to use weedbeds that worked for me in the too, and, certainly, there are other bodies of water and ponds in the state that have summer and into the fall. To sight fish, you must come equipped good water clarity. To me, especially when it comes to ice fishing season and I can with a good portable shelter that will use my portable shelter to block out the light so I can see the world under the ice… block the light so you can see down the hole. I have both a Fish Trap Pro when well, it just doesn’t get any better than that as I pursue bluegills, crappies and perch. I go by myself and a Yukon TC when I
A LEARNING CURVE: GOTTA LEARN
I do have to share my first year of unsuccessful clear water fishing. Here I was coming from South Dakota, where we used six-pound test and fairly goodsized tear drops. I was used to dropping the lure down the hole, jiggling the bait and catching panfish. Was I ever in for a surprise when I tried that on West Okoboji. Here were the locals catching all of these bluegills and crappies, and there I was catching one here and there or even worse getting skunked. I thought I knew what I was doing, but, wow, was I ever wrong! I had to swallow my pride and go over to those anglers catching all of the fish and see what they were doing. Luckily, they didn’t laugh me off the lake, and they were willing to share some basic information. First off, I found that they were using much lighter line and way more sensitive rods. Basically, they told me to get rid of the rope! Since that time, I’ve gone to two pound and even one-pound test. I also found that they were using tiny February 2018
jigs, like anywhere from 1/32-ounce to 1/80-ounce jigs. Much different than my big tear drops. Now, some of them were using tiny bobbers and rolling the bobber to get the jig to subtly move or a light spring bobber to do the same thing. However, that was only the beginning. Just because I now had the right equipment that did not mean I would be catching more fish. I had to learn the right presentation. To that point, I had been fishing outside, but I had no idea what the lure was doing when I jiggled it and how the fish were responding. I saw others using portable shelters, so I began using a small handmade shelter so I could see down. That’s when my sight fishing lessons really started, and I began to learn what works and what doesn’t work. Even though I have learned a lot over the past 39 years, there’s always more to learn… that’s what I like the most about sight fishing…the challenge and the successes and failures that go with it! I’ve gone head to head with these fish for the past 39 years! We might be in the 3-4 foot shallows, the deeper 10-12 foot
fish with a partner. With the darkness, the underwater world becomes like a huge television screen. Now, when the fish come in, we will see exactly what they are doing and how they respond to the presentation. If enough fish are in the area and enough are attracted to our bait, we begin to see a pattern establish itself. If we pay close attention, we can soon refine our presentation to get a majority of the fish to strike. The important thing to remember is that these bluegills and crappies are sight biters. The presentation must be just right to fit their mood. If it’s not, they will just go on by or back off. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t use anything heavier than two-pound test line and small jigs. These jigs have changed over the years. I’ve gone to using the smallest Dave Genz Drop and Dingle Drop Series of tungsten jigs. They are tough, can get to the bottom quickly, and yet fish light. As for bait, it’s your choice. Some anglers have to use live bait: wigglers or wax worms. I do sometimes, but I also use plastics. Maki Soft Plastics and Berkley’s powerbaits both work well. The presentation is what I call the TheIowaSportsman.com
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TIPS FOR SIGHT FISHING SUCCESS “Okoboji jiggle.” It’s not a jerk; it’s not a jig. It’s a quick paced consistent jiggle, jiggle, jiggle…sometimes harder, sometimes softer…Don’t worry; the bluegills will let you know if you are jiggling correctly or not. Each day, each hour can be different. So you let the fish tell you what they want. However, do not and I repeat DO NOT let the jig spin. A spinning jig is not something that panfish want. Using the new flyrod options help eliminate this spinning. However, a spinning reel can cause spinning issues. To make sure this doesn’t happen, I will let out line, put it in my fingers starting at the rod tip and putting pressure on the line, I will run my thumb and index finger down to the lure. It’s amazing how the jig will spin and spin until I get to the jig. This will effectively eliminate the spin. If not totally gone when the lure is down at the fishing level, I will actually take the line near the rod tip and slowly twist it against the direction of the spin. To give you an idea of what to expect, here are a few typical scenarios that I have experienced many times each ice fishing season. Although there are times when it seems as if they will bite anything you throw down the hole, more often than not,
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it’s much harder than that. Also, don’t wait to set the hook until the jig is in the mouth. That is too late, and the fish will spit it out before the hookset. Set the hook as it is entering the mouth!
SCENARIO #1
Often the bluegills and crappies will swim right in, right toward the bait and then slow down and stop… and stare and stare at the bait less than an inch away. Remember, they are sight eaters, so everything that happens in their lives happens in clear water. Keep doing exactly what you were doing when they come into view. To change, to quit, to go faster will often just send them off. Keep doing what you were doing! That will work, most of the time. However, there are times (especially during the middle of the winter) when they are so lethargic that the jiggle must become barely perceptible.
SCENARIO #2
It’s easy to miss a bite. I’ve had this happen many times, because the point of the hook is not turned in the direction of the incoming fish. They can inhale the jig and spit it out, and you’ll never
touch them. You have to make sure that the point of the hook is facing the fish. If it’s not, slowly turn the jig (but don’t spin the jig), so that the hook faces the fish as it approaches. However, keep jiggling the jig exactly as you did when you first saw them. They will stare and stare and stare…don’t change anything. Case in point, there are times when the bluegills are very finicky, almost lethargic and only come through in singles. They move slowly, and approach the bait almost hesitantly. They will come right up to it and stare and stare and stare. If I change my presentation (a tight jiggle, jiggle, jiggle), they stop and just hover there…and then they slowly fin back and away, moving at an extremely slow place. I have found, however, if I continue the same jiggle, and I do not vary it, they will very slowly come…nose to bait…and then inhale it. Sometimes, however, it is only the tip or maybe it is the middle or the head of my tiny jig. So, I have to also adjust to that and set the hook at exactly the RIGHT time. Sometimes, yes, sometimes, no! Of course, it’s always the big fish that seem to do this, which makes it even harder to keep the presentation going the same.
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Author with a gill taken sight fishing on West Okoboji.
SCENARIO #3
Sometimes things change. I’ve seen it happen where the panfish are lethargic to begin the day and then after a period of time, everything changes. Here I am using the same bait, the same jiggle. Then as if a switch is flipped, a gill or a crappie will appear, come straight toward the bait and inhale it. They just plain turn aggressive (almost making me think I know what I am doing!) At times, many gills come from different directions right toward my jig. Exciting, you bet. However, it also causes troubles. They sometimes cut each other off at the pass. Sometimes they even bump into each other in their desire to get to their “food.” When that happens, it kind of sends a shock wave through the bunch, and they will just sit there, trying to decide whether they should continue toward the bait or not. Sometimes one or more than one will continue on. At other times, they will all move away. Sometimes one single gill will come rushing right toward the bait so hard and fast that it misjudges its approach and slides right on by. Sometimes, it will swing around and come back, but at other times it just continues on. Still, the presentation must be consistent with what brought them into the strike zone. Any change or even stopping will shut them down right now! Then suddenly, as if on cue, the fish change their entire attitude. They now want something totally different, and it’s our job to figure it out!
GOTTA LOVE IT
That’s the way I look at every time I am on the ice sight fishing for panfish. Whether the fish win or I win, I feel that the mission has been accomplished, because I have been able to battle wits with the finicky bluegills on the gin clear waters of West Lake Okoboji. February 2018
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AROUND THE STATE
CATFISH UNIVERSITY RETURNS TO IOWA Nationally known catfish guide, author and educator Brad Durick is bringing his Catfish University back to Iowa March 17th 2018. It will be located at the Adventureland Inn, 3200 Adventureland Drive, Altoona, Iowa. Check in will begin at 8am with the first seminar starting at 9. This eight hour event will be very different than previous Universities as it will be an entire day-long event covering topics such as advanced catfishing, catching channel cats in lakes and rivers, flatheads, ice fishing catfish, catfishing from a kayak, using advanced electronics in your catfishing and the day will end with a round table of all five speakers. Presenters for Catfish University are: Captain Brad Durick- Catfish Guide on the Red River, Ted Ellenbecker- Renowned flathead and structure expert, David WynerIowa Catfish Guide specializing in Drifting and Trolling catfish, Spencer Bauer- Flathead and kayak catfishing expert, Troy HansenCatfish ice fishing specialist Catfish University was started in 2010 by Brad Durick. The university has been conducted in North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Montana. Generally it is an all-inclusive seminar to help anglers better understand catfish, how conditions affect them and how to put more and bigger fish into the boat. Catfish University has also teamed up with Scheels stores. It partners with local experts to make a more all-inclusive learning environment. The cost for this catfishing event is $65 per person. $50 per person if registered before February 1, 2018. For more information and to register go to www.catfishuniversity.com
CONTACT INFORMATION Brad Durick • 701-739-5808 braddurick@gmail.com
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ANNUAL WINTER BIRD SURVEY NATIONAL TEST KIT SHORTAGE DELAYS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE RESULTS OPENS DEC. 14 The annual Christmas bird count ON IOWA DEER TISSUE SAMPLES begins across Iowa with volunteers working with count coordinators from the Iowa Ornithologists Union to identify one day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 to count every bird – seen or heard – in their designated area. The Christmas bird count began in 1900, and has been called the original citizen scientist project. In fact, enough data has been captured over the years that various scientific organizations have been using the results to document changes in bird populations. “This has become a winter tradition for hundreds of birders,” said Bruce Ehresman, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program. “When the weather is good and we have open water, volunteers often document more birds, including one year when more than 100 different species were documented at the Saylorville count area.” Last year, there were 35 different areas in Iowa where Christmas bird counts were run. Each count is held during one complete day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, 2018. Interested volunteers should visit http://www. iowabirds.org/Connections/CBC.aspx to find an area and then contact the count coordinator.
Test results on Iowa deer samples for the presence of chronic wasting disease will likely be delayed until after the holidays, due to a national shortage of available test kits. Officials at Colorado State University (CSU) notified the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that a shortage of test kits at labs from around the country has caused an unexpected increase in the testing requests at the CSU lab. CSU initially agreed to process 1,200 samples from the 2017-18 deer season, but that number is expected to increase. The Iowa DNR is seeking approval from the Natural Resource Commission at its Dec. 14 meeting to increase the number of samples for testing at CSU. The Iowa DNR worked with CSU to process samples in 2015. Iowa State University’s Veterinary Lab has been the primary lab for testing Iowa samples for CWD, but it has not been able to conduct tests on submitted samples since Nov. 17 due to the national shortage. The Iowa deer tissue samples are part of the Iowa DNR’s chronic wasting disease monitoring effort. Staff with the Iowa DNR wildlife bureau will continue collecting deer tissue samples from specific areas within target counties.
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February 2018
February 2018
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IT ALL HAPPENED in an instant! The coyote exploded out of the ditch and through the heavy grass on a direct path straight at the caller! Only minutes earlier I had hung my caller from a tree limb and took a seat elevated on a pond dam overlooking CRP grass with a deep timbered ditch running through it. I pressed play on the remote to begin the sounds of the bunny blues and it was as if I had also pushed play on that coyote at the same time. She had been bedded down in the ditch close! I caught glimpses of her as she ran through the grass and quickly turned on my camera. As soon as she stopped 15 feet from the caller, I snapped a quick picture and then focused on the job at hand of killing her. She moved in again, convinced that there must be a tasty meal hidden in the low branches of the cedar tree in front of her. She basically stuck her nose right on the caller as it was still blaring full blast. It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to stop the caller. As she came by the cedar she whirled around the entire tree like a barrel racer at the rodeo and then with a whiff of something she didn’t like I’m sure, or too much sound and not enough prey, she shot straight back the way she had came! It took two barks from my voice to get her to stop but I managed to thread a bullet through the limbs between us. At impact, she February 2018
bounced like a top for a second and then tried in vain to run before dumping herself into the nastiest entanglement of multifloral rose bushes you’ve ever seen. The .223 round had killed her quick at only 40 yards catching both shoulders but leaving her hide intact, albeit tangled by a few rose thorns. Fast forward four days later, and I found myself tucked into a fencerow overlooking a small patch of timber surrounded by crop stubble where I knew a bobcat was calling home. This time it would take a little longer thank goodness and after about twenty minutes of calling I spotted something sitting out in the bean stubble just to the south of cover ahead of me. In typical bobcat fashion, it was just there, seemingly materializing out of nowhere and I hadn’t seen it arrive. He started a slow walk towards the cover just as I acquired him in my scope and I feared he’d go into the weeds.
I centered the crosshairs on the walking cat and sent the 50-grain Hornady critter-gritter through the air 125 yards to its intended target. Upon impact, the cat leaped three or four feet into the air and stumbled into the cover a few yards in front of his nose and out of sight. He was in thick cover and for the first 20 minutes of looking, I was having zero luck finding him. Usually when I’ve shot coyotes that jump like that on impact, it’s a good shot but I was starting to wonder? Finally after retracing my steps I found him only twenty feet from where I’d shot him in the first place. The load had preformed perfectly and the cat had no exit wound after the bullet caught the kitty just behind the shoulder. The .223 load that I hunt with was designed partly for this exact purpose. I loaded and test fired a lot of rounds to find just the right combination that would be the most accurate out of my particular gun, have the velocity and energy to effectively kill coyotes while still being as fur friendly as possible. I settled on a 50-grain Hornady V-Max bullet pushed by 23.5 grains of 2015 Accurate powder with CCI small rifle primers and Winchester brass with a cartridge overall length of 2.235. It travels in the neighborhood of 3200fps. Those two different animals shot in the same week, both at different ranges, offered little to no pelt damage on those valuable hides and left me extremely pleased with the round. Kill them with a 30-06 or a .22 long rifle, dead is dead and for many that’s all they want. Many others however, sell the hides they collect and for those of you that do, you’ll want to use TheIowaSportsman.com
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FUR FRIENDLY COYOTE ROUNDS the most fur friendly ammunition as possible without sacrificing so much that coyotes survive their wounds and get away far enough that they are never found. It’s a fine line and as well an age old question that has been debated and argued thousands of times over the years. Now I’m not going to tell you that my load combination has never torn up a coyote hide. It certainly has before. But for the most part it’s performed extremely well on coyotes at over 300 yards and coyotes at less then 30 and that’s what you’re after. A load that will kill instantaneously at different ranges yet still be forgiving enough at those ranges to induce minimal hide damage because we never know how far out the next target of opportunity will be when it presents itself. Before getting into coyote sized calibers and non-Swiss cheese causing ammunition, let’s talk a little about the other factors we have some control over that help with pelt damage. First and foremost would be shot placement. Regardless of what you shoot, a full frontal chest or headshot have a higher likelihood of a nonexit wound. So whenever that shot is possible and you have the confidence to take it do so, especially when larger calibers are concerned. I’ve taken predators of the coyote, fox and bobcat variety with headshots and usually have good luck so long as I’m not lobbing howitzer
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shells at them. When considering broadside and quartering angled shots things get a little tricky. You can fire the most fur friendly thing known to man but once that projectile hits a rib bone or other bone, then all bets are off. Bone fragments being shattered and sent helter-skelter all over the interior of an animal’s vitals can blow big holes through the exit area of the bullet. Alternatively, one has to be careful punching through thicker bones such as the shoulder as well. Most hunting bullets in calibers designed to hunt coyotes effectively smash through even the thickest of bones a coyote has to offer but go too light and too fast with your bullet selection and you can actually “splash” the shoulder which means a high velocity round actually ricochets off the shoulder and never penetrates. I like a velocity and bullet weight combination that smashes through the shoulder bone on entry and expands and slows with enough resistance that it doesn’t smash through the opposite shoulder with extreme damage. The faster the bullet, the greater its energy and in earlier days extreme speed likely meant damaged fur. Nowadays, polymer tipped bullets made from many manufacturers are designed for speed and also designed to either explode violently on contact or penetrate with controlled expansion. Our lust for speed must still be taken with a grain of salt however as it’s
important to research any type of bullet your considering so you can tailor your round to your exact desires. Even factory ammunition has a broad array of choices available to the predator hunter. But reloading ammo yourself is the ideal way of custom tailoring the perfect load. Pairing velocity with expansion and kinetic energy is achieved much easier by reloading. Strong penetration is the first vital step. After initial penetration, the next thing you want is a bullet designed to expand or even fragment (in some cases) in a rate of deceleration that provides the perfect amount of hydrostatic shock to the internal organs and fluids without causing tissue separation that protrudes to a great degree to the opposite side of the animal’s external membrane. Full metal-jacketed bullets leave pinpoint sized entry and exit holes but often times just don’t deliver enough internal damage to anchor a notoriously tough coyote. While the wound from a FMJ round might be lethal and fur forgiving, too often the coyote will run for long distances after the hit and with little blood loss leaving you little to track. Smaller calibers such as .22lr, .22 mag and .17 HMR can certainly kill a coyote sized animal with the right shot and are fur friendly, but are generally considered undersized, especially for shots of considerable distance. More popular coyote centerfire calibers include everything between a .220 all the way up to a .270. The .220 Swift and .222 Remington provided hunters of the 1950’s and for decades after the extreme speed they craved with great accuracy and for the most part, did well on hides. Handloading for these calibers can provide a round designed for effective killing and minimal fur damage as well as longer barrel life if loads of the .220 Swift in particular are backed down. I wouldn’t shy away from these calibers even today. Possibly the most popular of all coyote calibers is the .223. It’s my favorite of all calibers for the purpose of calling coyotes and the average distance of the shot for such a hunting method. It has an effective range for longer shots combined with the many possibilities it offers in load selection. I sell fur and I’ve found the .223 to give me the best combination of coyote killing power and fur friendly consistency at varying ranges. As I stated, I load a 50-grain Hornady V-Max bullet with 23.5 grains of Accurate powder because my rifle shoots great groups and it’s forgiving on fur. Your mileage may vary however and I certainly would recommend trying the 50 or 52-grain Sierra BlitzKing or Varminter bullet as well. I’ve used both with good success. A 55-grain bullet can also deliver comparable results as far as fur damaged is concerned. These bullet weights are made by several manufacturers and are popular for good To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
reason. Rivaling the .223 in popularity is the 22.250 and it offers the same lot of .224 diameter bullet weights as the .223 only with greater case capacity maximizing velocity. You can customize your charge and back down the speed if so desired. Currently I shoot a Sierra 52-grain hollow-point boat tail with a charge of 35 grains of IMR 4064. Over the years, I’ve shot coyotes with various bullets in the 22.250 offering out of multiple guns and fur damage results have varied. I’ve found the load I use currently shoots well out of the gun I presently own and even though the Sierra MatchKing isn’t necessarily recommended for hunting applications, I’ve found that for coyotes, it seems to have an upside when considering fur damage. Although, knowing me and my never-ending tweaking with this caliber, I’ll likely be in search of something even better in the future. One thing to consider is the method in which you take the majority of your coyotes. If most of your shots are taken at running animals as you take up the chase then velocity becomes more of a factor. Increased speed translates into increased pelt damage. So you must find that fine line or choose one over the other in such cases. A boat tailed bullet likely polymer tipped or highly frangible bullet designs might be something to
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experiment with in the 22.250 and or the .243. The .243 is considered by some as too much gun for coyotes, but when reloading for it, you can help its reputation of being hard on fur. Staying away from maximum “hot” loads can greatly help it and other larger calibers when it comes to tearing up hides. I shoot an 85-grain Sierra hollowpoint with 42 grains of IMR 4350 powder. But there are lots of choices for it. Some coyote hunters swear by a 100-grain bullet backed down on speed while others think a lower bullet weight such as a 58-grain bullet is the way to go with a mid-range powder choice. There is certainly an argument to be made for either side. The lower bullet weight at similar velocities to that of the 22.250 or even the .223 makes good sense while at the same time a 100-grain bullet backed down on speed can certainly anchor a coyote with the lower velocity decreasing the bullet’s energy at impact. For me, since the 58-grainer didn’t shoot as well out of my Remington 700, I decided to go more “middle of the road” and choose the 85-grain bullet. I also shoot a .204 and it has become a very popular coyote cartridge. The 40-grain Hornady V-Max proved to be tack drivers out of my Savage when joined with 25.5 grains of 2230 powder. Even this tiny bullet can blow up a hide on occasion though when you hit a
rib bone. It’s screaming along at such extreme speed that it can tear things up in the right circumstance. Along with these calibers, there are other smaller choices such as the .17 Predator, .17 Remington, .218 Bee, and the .22 Hornet. These calibers would be great on hide damage and certainly have the velocity needed to kill a coyote although effective killing range of the shot might be an issue. Larger calibers including the .270, 7mm, 30-30, .257, 25.06, etc. can certainly enter the conversation but you would need to handload for these calibers to begin to achieve consistent desired results when skinning animals. Shooting these larger calibers at close range to a coyote often times leads to a gaping hole. This year coyotes are one of the few wild animals that remain strong in price, but prices are only good if you’re bringing in pelts that aren’t all shot up. There’s nothing worse than having a successful hunt turn sour as you walk up to the coyote you’ve just taken and discover the sight of a gaping exit wound on the animal. It takes money out of your pocket or causes you a lot of extra work to sew up. And I for one am no seamstress. Do yourself a favor and shoot the best fur friendly round that you can. Your furbuyer will thank you too!
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TROPHY ROOM
SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS!
TROPHYROOM N GABRIEL SHERMA
LEDGER SMITH
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!
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TO SUBMIT, SEND TO: PATRICK@TWINRIVERSMEDIA.COM * Photos are placed in the order they are received
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Palo Outdoors
1204 1st Street Palo, IA 52324 319-851-5290 www.palo-outdoors.com
R & R Sports
3250 Fields Drive Bettendorf, IA 52722 563-243-4696 www.randrsportsinc.com
Southern Archery
325 11th St SW Spencer, IA 51301 712-262-7213
Fin & Feather
125 Hwy 1 W Iowa City, IA 52246 319-354-2200 www.finfeather.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.iowaoutdoorstore.com
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THIS MONTH, we have a question from Dan on how to improve your hunting grounds on a limited budget. Dan Thilges asks, “What are some ways that I can improve my 40 acres that will encourage more deer to visit my property? I must mention I have little to no surplus budget to use for land management. Thanks for the help.” I love these kinds of questions for two reasons. One, most hunters don’t have vast amounts of private land to manage and hunt making this subject relatable to almost any hunter. Second, most hunters don’t have unlimited supplies of money to spend on their hunting…and you don’t need to spend a lot to get great returns. In fact, the best things you can do on your hunting grounds to improve the likelihood 48
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you’ll hold and see more deer require very little money at all. Across all of the Midwest and certainly in Iowa, the best whitetail hunting always occurs on the properties with the best habitat and the least amount of pressure. These are two things any hunter has in their control and you don’t need unlimited resources to do it. Unfortunately, to perform even the
most basic habitat improvements on your hunting property will require some resources in time and money. I don’t consider my time as being free, so any amount of effort I put into my hunting grounds I consider as being an investment of resources…but for just a little cash I can help keep deer on your farm. Dan didn’t give a description of his property but I have to assume there is at least some timber on it. If your property has any timber on it the best, easiest, and most cost effective way to improve the habitat is to either harvest some timber on the property, or to hinge cut some of the timber. A timber harvest would actually generate some money for you while improving the habitat…this is accomplished by opening up the forest To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
canopy to the sun allowing vegetation and smaller woody browse to grow. If a timber harvest isn’t an option, then doing small pockets of hinge cutting is a great option. If you’re not familiar with hinge cutting it is a method of cutting a tree that only partially cuts through the tree just far enough to allow the tree to fall over… yet the tree stays attached to its base, bark attached, so that the tree can continue living. (The topic of hinge cutting is a huge topic in and of itself. To familiarize yourself with how to hinge cut, just go to You Tube and type in hinge cutting and start watching.) I like hinge cutting as a method to improve habitat because a hinge cut tree provides overhead and side cover that deer like. And, even though the tree is still alive, because it is now down it has also opened up the canopy allowing for sunlight to hit the forest floor. Hinge cutting actually provides better habitat than a timber harvest because the hinged tree provides instant and long lasting cover and the new growth provided by the more open canopy will generate woody browse or natural forbs that deer also love. An inexpensive chainsaw can do a lot of work for you in a day’s time when hinge cutting…but if you don’t have access to one or can’t afford to buy one, a tree hand saw will also do the trick on smaller trees for quite a bit less. A premium hand saw like the Silky Zubat (I think that’s what it’s called?) can cost upwards of $100… but you can buy a less expensive and less quality saw that will also do the trick for 50 bucks or less. When hinge cutting trees there’s no need to cut hundreds of trees to be effective. In fact, in many cases hinging less will actually be better. I like to hinge
cut in small pockets around food sources if I’m looking to create bedding cover for doe family groups. 3-5 trees hinge cut in a group…and then moving 30-50 yards and hinge cutting another 3-5 trees in a group. This allows for small pockets of cover for does and fawns to bed near each other while providing them with a natural food source right where they bed. Using a chainsaw you can cut some larger trees to accomplish this but if you are only using a hand saw you’ll want to stick with smaller trees maybe no larger than 3-5 inches in diameter. A good way to hinge cut is to drop the biggest tree out of the group
WHEN IT COMES TO HUNTING PRESSURE, DO AS MUCH NECESSARY WORK ON YOUR FARM DURING THE OFF SEASON AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
February 2018
first…then drop the others onto that first tree. This creates a really nice pocket of cover deer can bed around and under. For bucks, I like to create additional hinge cut pockets a few hundred yards away from primary food sources if that is possible. I use the same method as described above but I might space my pockets out a little bit more. Instead of 30-50 yards apart, I might go 50-80 yards apart creating these same 3-5 tree pockets of cover. Again, I’ll drop the largest tree first and then try to drop the other trees on top of the first. Creating hinge cut pockets of cover throughout your farm as described above will greatly improve the amount of deer using and staying on your farm. The best trees to hinge cut are the least valuable trees in terms of timber prices. In Iowa, I like to hinge cut shagbark hickories and
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box elder. Each farm has its own makeup of trees so a good idea is to consult with an expert on exactly what trees to hinge cut. With a little work each year you’d be surprised at just how much you can improve the habitat on your 40 acres without spending very much money at all.
PRESSURE
The next thing any hunter can do that can vastly improve the amount of deer that visit your farm (without spending a dime) is to limit the hunting pressure…all pressure as far as that goes. The smaller the property, the more important this actually becomes. On Dan’s 40 acres, it is likely that only a small handful of stand/ hunting locations will exist that allow for entrance and exit into those spots without bumping deer. Then, while on stand, it is equally as important that deer are not busting you or getting downwind of you. Every time a deer busts you, you are putting pressure on those deer. Every time you hunt you are unknowingly putting pressure on the deer. If you check cameras, scout, hang stands…every time you are entering your hunting grounds you are putting pressure on the local deer herd no matter how cautious you are. Even non hunting pressure like walking around or taking atv rides is not a good idea. When not necessary-stay out. If you have bedding cover on your property (like those hinge cuts) you should avoid those areas like the plague. Some of the best hunting grounds I’ve been witness to in my life, that just didn’t hold deer were because of the pressure put there on the local deer herd. 50
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When it comes to hunting pressure, do as much necessary work on your farm during the off season as you possibly can. All of your scouting, hinge cutting, tree stand hanging, clearing of shooting lanes, etc. should be done in the winter, spring, and summer months. A heavily browsed timbered cow pasture will hold more deer in its briar thickets than a thick timbered farm if that pasture gets no hunting pressure and the thick farm gets pounded with pressure. Less pressure=more deer! For hunters on a limited budget hoping to improve the amount of deer they see on their farms, creating thickets and making a serious effort to reduce human pressure on the deer herd are great ways to start. In fact, these two things alone will do more to improve your conditions than most other things you could do overall. Superb natural habitat and low hunting pressure will give you great hunting if you are willing to do the work and take extreme measures to avoid pressuring the local deer herd. Good luck, Dan!
HAVE A QUESTION? If you have any questions, or content you would like covered please submit your questions directly to me at my email address provided. Please include as much information you can relevant to your questions so that I can answer them to the best of my ability. I will do my best to answer as many questions as I can in coming issues of Iowa Sportsman Magazine in this column. Please submit all questions to tapeppy@ gmail.com Thank you to all the readers of this column; it has been a pleasure writing it for you!
To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
R & R Sports 3250 Fields Drive Bettendorf, IA 52722 563-243-4696 www.randrsportsinc.com Fin & Feather 125 Hwy 1 W Iowa City, IA 52246 319-354-2200 www.finfeather.com Palo Outdoors 1204 1st Street Palo, IA 52324 319-851-5290 www.palo-outdoors.com 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
February 2018
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GUNDOG CORNER
THE TRUTH ABOUT CANINE SUPPLEMENTS
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE SUPPLEMENTING YOUR DOG By Tim Mitchum
ARTICLE SPONSORED BY
One of my favorite movies of all time is “The Unforgiven”. It starred Clint Eastwood among other greats (Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman). It was about a retired old west gunslinger,William Munny (Eastwood), who reluctantly takes on one last job with the help of his past partner and this new young gun. The climax of the movie comes down to a scene in an old west saloon. William Munny, who had been sober for years, slammed a bottle of whiskey after finding out his buddy Ned had been killed by the local sheriff. Brutally beating him to death. Looking for retribution, William Munny rode into town, walked past his best friend’s dead body (which had been put on display) straight through the swinging doors of the dusty old saloon. After stepping inside, Munny slowly raised his fully cocked double barrel, and asks for the owner. Reluctantly, the owner identifies himself and Munny proceeds to tell everyone behind the unfortunate proprietor that they might want to clear out and then proceeds to shoot the man. Shocked, the sheriff (Gene Hackman) says: “Sir, you are a cowardly “SOB”, you just shot an unarmed man” Munny calmly said under his whiskey soaked breath, “He should have armed himself.” I digress a bit with that movie reference, but that part of the movie always rings a bell with me when I find myself in the clouds February 2018
about something. Not the gunsligning part, but rather just not armed with the knowledge I should be on certain topics. I am betting it rings true for many of you with the topic of this article as well; Canine Supplements. As dog owners and bird hunters, maybe we can better arm ourselves with information about supplements for our dogs so that we can get the most out of the hunt, extend the
1. NUTRITIONAL VERSUS BIOLOGICAL SUPPLEMENTS?
Nutritional supplements are designed to fill in the gaps of nutrition. Think vitamins and minerals that are meant to supplement the diet of the dog. They come in all forms but generally pills, chews, and some are powder based. Biological based supplements are a little
THE PRICES DO RANGE BUT LOOKING INTO SOME OF THE MORE COMMON BRANDS, BOTH ON THE NUTRITIONAL AND BIOLOGICAL SIDE OF THINGS, I HAVE FOUND THAT PER DOG (20 LBS OR MORE) YOU SHOULD PLAN ON INVESTING AROUND $1 PER DAY FOR A 30 SUPPLY. hunting years, and really understand what makes sense for our dogs without wasting money. 90% of the people I talk to have little to no idea what the benefits of canine supplements are and do. Here are five things to consider before buying supplements for your dog.
different in the fact they are created around animal blood proteins. They are designed to stay in the gut and work biologically to combat inflammation. Kind of like having a little Elite Navy Seal team deployed and ready for battle when inflammation from stress, overwork, or outside toxins invade your dog.
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4. WILL MY DOG LIKE TO EAT THEM?
2. HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GIVE IT TO YOUR DOG?
It all depends on what the activity levels are. But in general you should consider giving gut health/immunity supplement on a daily basis. The gut is considered the 2nd brain and having the gut optimized to boost immunity will result in tighter stools, less poop and pooping less often, healthier skin and coat, clearing up of eye gunk, sore spots and open wounds, more energy, and a better appetite. The world is different now than it was 30 years ago. It’s staggering the amount of toxins, pathogens, and bad stuff our dogs sniff in, step in, and swallow on a daily basis. After a foundational immunity/gut health supplement, others are typically added on an as needed basis. Most trialers, hunt testers, and weekend warriors will supplement with a training/ recovery supplement. Great results can be had by front loading your dog before the event or hunt, feeding normally during, and then slightly offloading them. For dogs starting to reach age 5+ you may consider giving a joint health supplement on a daily basis. This has a real chance to extend the hunting life of
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your partner. What’s it worth to you to even get just one more year, one more jump from the box, and one more jump into the truck? There are tons of other supplement uses out there but these seem to be the most important: Optimize the gut to boost the immunity, then supplement as needed for specific issues, activities, and or age requirements.
3. HOW QUICKLY WILL YOU SEE RESULTS?
It depends on the type of supplement, Nutritional versus Biological (Blood Proteins). Nutritional supplements you should see results in 60-90 days based on their recommendations. With blood protein supplements you can see results within just a few days. Since they are attacking inflammation, the change can be dramatic and fast. Of course if there isn’t a problem to solve like stiffness, soreness, loose stools etc, then you may not notice anything. But if you really pay attention, regardless you should see changes in energy, appetite, or overall spunk.
An important factor to consider when choosing a supplement is the ease of dosing or feeding. If they don’t get into your dog’s gut then they won’t do any good. They come in all shapes and sizes. Pills, powders, chews, and treats (hard and soft). So it’s really up to you. But soft chews have started to really gain popularity due to the ease of feeding both at home and in the field. A common challenge with pills, as we all know, is the time spent trying to trick our dogs by hiding them in peanut butter or cheese. Doesn’t take long for them to figure that out. The powder forms can be messy and dependent on mixing them into their food. And at the end of the day, getting the tired hunting dog to eat a full bowl of food can be challenging and frustrating to say the least.
5. HOW MUCH WILL THEY COST?
The prices do range but looking into some of the more common brands, both on the nutritional and biological side of things, I have found that per dog (20 lbs or more) you should plan on investing around $1 per day for a 30 supply. Some manufactures have larger pails, buckets, or bags and if you buy this bulk route then you get even greater value. Pails and buckets can work great to leave at home or throw in the back of the truck. $1 a day, per dog (or a little less) seems to be the overall common investment range. Canine supplements can be used for prevention as well as treating specific issues. Finding the right supplement(s), (used the right way) can add great benefit without wasting money. So whether you choose to use supplements or not, nutritional or biological, my hope is that you feel a little better armed when thinking about what supplements are right for your dog.
To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
February 2018
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BUSINESS PROFILE
PREMIUM FLAX PRODUCTS
ONLY THE BEST INGREDIENTS By Bob Jensen
A dog lover is just that; a lover of dogs.As a dog owner you would do anything for your dog to extend his or her life, to decrease pain from disease or injury and enhance his/her well-being and performance.There wouldn’t be anything that would be TOO MUCH! What if there was ONE thing you could do that was NOT too much? In other words, it was very SIMPLE!! Sammy’s Shiny Coat is that SIMPLE! It is a dietary supplement that contains NO fillers and is 100 percent virgin flax oil. There are no additives. It is cold-pressed at Stengel Oils, a family-owned, processing plant/business located in Milbank, South Dakota, the heart of the nation’s flax production area. The major reason Sammy’s Shiny Coat is an excellent dietary supplement is the Omega-3s it provides to your dog’s diet. Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) allow cells to function efficiently and are building vitamins and minerals throughout the body. Dogs need up to 10 times more oil than humans to achieve a balanced diet. Most dogs lack the correct amount of fat in their diet because the fats are incompatible with the production of processed DOG/PET food. These fats are replaced by soybean oil instead. And if you think your dog food already has Omega-3s in it, read the ingredient list again. A common pet food ingredient is fish oil or meal which only contains approximately 30 percent Omega-3s. That is NOT an adequate amount of Omega-3s for your dog. By adding flax oil to the diet, (Sammy’s Shiny Coat contains 55-60% Omega-3s), your dog will receive an excellent source of Omega-3s for all of his/her needs. There are a wide scope of health issues 56
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of which flax oil/Sammy’s Shiny Coat may impact your dog/pet. Again, Sammy’s Shiny Coat is 100 percent flax oil and high in Omega-3s. These Omega-3s are a type of polyunsaturated fat, responsible for basic cellular health in ALL body tissue, but unfortunately are not produced by the body. They MUST be added through your pet’s diet. By drizzling one half teaspoon of Shiny Coat on top of a dog’s daily food, you are assuring he/she is receiving all the Omega-3s needed for that day. “You don’t have to change their initial diet or how much of what they are eating,” said Cal Stengel, Stengel Oils president. “It is a simple top dressing and the pet is getting the benefits of the Omega-3s from that right along with eating their regular meal.” An animal’s health impact varies with each one, as in humans. Aging and extremely active dogs, such as hunting dogs who are subject to the elements year after year, may benefit more. Also, those animals that suffer from excessive allergies will benefit. The following are only SOME of the health issues dogs have had in which flax oil/Sammy’s Shiny Coat have shown a positive impact:
*Suppress auto immune disorders, allergies and some unusual skin conditions *Clears excessive dry/flaky skin and shedding *Slows and reduces inflammation from arthritis *Helps prevent heart conditions *Slows the development and spread of certain cancers As noted earlier, the amount drizzled on top of the dog’s food should be one half teaspoon for every 10 pounds of dog weight. Using Sammy’s Shiny Coat, costing 10 cents per half teaspoon, means a person is able to supplement food (one feeding) for a dog weighing 30 pounds at a cost of only thirty cents per day; a supplement that has the potential of aiding all the afore mentioned health issues. Sammy’s Shiny Coat does NOT need to be refrigerated but doing so does prolong its shelf life. If bought in larger quantities, it is also able to be frozen. Sizes available include 16 oz., 32 oz., 1 Gal. and 5 Gal. Cubit. Sammy’s Shiny Coat may be purchased by calling Stengel Oils at 605-432-4900 or accessing the company’s website, www. StengelOils.com. Credit cards and Pay Pal accepted. Orders are shipped the next day.
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LATE JANUARY BRINGS an end of season for the majority of Iowa’s fur bearers; the lone outlier is beaver. Beaver provide opportunities for the motivated trapper to take fur well into April. Spring beaver trapping not only provides trappers with more outdoor opportunities, but helps secure permission for the next fall by helping farmers with problem beaver. Beavers are the farmers’ nemesis, and very seldom will you be denied permission to trap them; more frequently farmers will seek out your services, and often times repay your help with permission in the fall. In the spring beaver are on the move expanding territories and seeking out new territories, new food sources, and mates. Beaver are extremely territorial in the spring and will aggressively defend their territories against wandering beaver. Beaver mark their territories with a gland called castor which they secrete onto a mound of grass/mud known as a castor mound. This aggressive reaction to the odor/sign of an intruder is just the advantage a beaver trapper should be looking to exploit. When I set up my spring beaver line I use a tactic usually used by coon trappers in the fall known as bridge hopping. Bridge hopping is basically stopping at all the bridges along a stretch of road line, February 2018
and in the spring I set every bridge with a sizable enough body of water underneath to hold beaver. Even if I don’t see beaver sign under a particular bridge, if the creek under it ties into a larger creek/river that I know holds beaver I set it knowing that during the spring dispersal beaver will move down it.
off the ground. This setup and loop size gives me a lot of neck and high shoulder catches. When I’m using footholds I use #4 Duke 4 coils or some old #4 Victor double long springs. Another fine beaver trap is the MB 750 which is an excellent, although expensive trap. When I use conibears/bodygrips I use 280’s and 330’s of various manufacture. When you’re beaver trapping one thing that you absolutely can’t skimp on is staking. Beaver are an incredibly powerful animal, which can reach 60-70lbs. They have some serious horsepower, especially when they’re snared and have all 4 feet to pull with. When I’m snaring beaver on dry land high bank trails, I use 24”
BEAVERS HAVE AN EXCEPTIONAL NOSE, AND WILL CHECK ON A FOREIGN CASTOR SMELL FROM A GREAT DISTANCE, BUT IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE SET IN AND THE WIND IS BLOWING THE WRONG DIRECTION THEY’LL NEVER SMELL IT. The equipment I use on my spring beaver line is very snare heavy. I do use some footholds, and conibears, but snares are my go to piece of equipment. I prefer a short (40”) heavily loaded snare made from 1x19 5/64 cable, with either a slim lock or a cam lock. With a snare setup such as this, I use a 10” loop set 3” high
cable stakes (pogo’s, berkshires, EZ’s), or a 30”x1/2 rebar stake. I generally lean toward the cable stake due to their tremendous holding power. When I’m running drowners on beaver, which I prefer to do, I use one of three different drowning systems. The first is a standard cable drowner, 8’ of 7x7 3/32 cable with a TheIowaSportsman.com
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BRIDGE HOPPING FOR SPRING BEAVER
loop at the top end for a rebar stake, and a Berkshire disposable at the bottom end. The lock on the cable drowner is a standard L shaped drowner lock with a small Sleep EZ spring hook to make switching snares easy. The second type is a re-rod drowner I make which has a cross stake unit on the top side, and a large washer at the bottom end which can be shoved deeply into the mud as an anchor. I weld the #9 support wire on the top side near the cross stake and uses a square conduit lock. The third type of drowner, and probably my
Dobbins Backbreaker, and my own blend Little Sioux Special. This set creates the illusion of a territorial marker that any passing beaver will check out. When I stop at a bridge I will put at least one of these sets on each side of the bridge to take advantage of whatever wind direction I have. Beavers have an exceptional nose, and will check on a foreign castor smell from a great distance, but if you only have one set in and the wind is blowing the wrong direction they’ll never smell it. Do yourself a favor and set both sides, and
WHEN YOU’RE BEAVER TRAPPING ONE THING THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN’T SKIMP ON IS STAKING. BEAVER ARE AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL ANIMAL, WHICH CAN REACH 60-70LBS. favorite, is chain drowners. I make my chain drowners 8’ long from short link #2 machine chain, with swiveling points on the top and bottom sides, with the same conduit lock I use on my rod drowners. The chains are very durable, they lock up extremely tight, and are easily portable. I run my spring beaver line by mapping out bridges along creeks and rivers that I know hold beaver. This is where the bridge hopping comes into play, I run the line and set the bridges whether they have beaver sign or not, knowing that the beaver will move down these bodies of water when either dispersing or defending home. My go to set in the spring is the fake slide set. The fake slide set is made by using a tile spade to cut a fake beaver slide/crawl out into the bank. I slick the slide up with my boot to make it appear well used, and place a scoop of mud as a castor mound at the top of the slide. I then put a snare at the bottom of the slide just out of the water with a 10” loop 3” high. At the mound at the top of the slide I dip a stick in a good castor base lure and place it in the mound. Castor lures I’ve used with good success include Sweetwater Flattail, 60
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while doing so put different castor lures on each side. Another observation I have made about spring beaver working the fake slide set is that it pays to gangset. A few years back I put a trail camera on a slide set to get some video of beaver being caught in snares. The results taught me a lot about not only my catches, but also my misses. One night in particular I set the camera on a fake slide. Around midnight that night a beaver came up the slide, got caught in the snare, and dove down the drowner. Sounds like a successful story, right?? What happened next taught me much more. From midnight until 5:30AM four more beaver came up that slide to check the mound, had I gangset the slide I would have had multiple catches. I now set two snares on drowners at each slide and doubles are common. The beaver’s aggressive attitude in the spring time creates great opportunities and just a lot of good fun for the trapper willing to put in the work. This simple set, and bridge hopping technique will put beaver in the back of the truck this spring. Good luck and get after those flat tails! To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
ASK THE SPORTSMAN
ASK THE SPORTSMAN DEAR IOWA SPORTSMAN, WHEN SHOULD WOULD A PROPANE HEATER IN MY I PLANT FOOD PLOTS FOR WHITETAIL? GROUND BLIND SPOOK DEER AND BE Jake, Chariton ILL-ADVISED DURING LATE SEASON? I am certainly no expert when it comes to growing food plots, but the best advice I can provide is to first figure out what you want your food plots to do for you. Do you want them to be summer forage options, fall kill plots, or late winter nutrition plots? If you can first answer that all important question then you can key in on when to plant your plots. Typically plantings for early plots or row crop plots should take place after the fear of frost happens. In Iowa that is usually in late April. Fall and winter food plots can go in late August and possibly all the way up to October. Keep in mind too that not every variety of seed is suitable for every season. Make sure you are planting seed that will grow in the season you want it to. Lastly, establishing a good food plot takes planning, time, knowledge, and a certain amount of monetary investment. If you really want to have a good plot, one that accomplishes your goals then you have to be willing to put in the effort. Don’t let that scare you off though. Arm yourself with the knowledge needed and go establish some good food sources on your property.
February 2018
Ben, Norwalk I would venture to say that the deer will probably smell the heater running. Whether or not that spooks them I am not sure. A few guys in the office run them religiously during late season when the temps dip below freezing and they have harvested deer, with little concern about the heater spooking deer. I think your biggest concern would still be your own scent. I could be wrong but it would seem that deer would be far more alarmed with human scent versus propane scent. At the end of the day, if it helps you sit in the blind longer then by all means go for it. As always play the wind as best you can to eliminate any scent from reaching deer. Also try and wait until daylight to spark the heater. The light given off from the heater will illuminate your blind and give away any movements you make.
I WANT TO TRY MY HAND AT WRITING HUNTING AND FISHING ARTICLES. IS IT POSSIBLE TO SUBMIT SOME SAMPLES TO THE IOWA SPORTSMAN?
Danny, Estherville Absolutely! We love when our readers
contact us about possibly writing in the magazine. A lot of the writers you see today in the magazine started out that very way. That is pretty much the platform the magazine was created on, having actual everyday Iowa folks provide the content of the magazine. If you are interested in doing so simply send some sample work or just contact us at info@ twinriversmedia.com. Patrick McKinney or someone from the office will get back to you.
WHEN SHOULD I START SCOUTING TURKEYS FOR THE SPRING SEASON?
Cameron, Pleasantville Ideally you could scout all year just to keep tabs on the birds. However that probably isn’t possible for most people. I would suggest to start dialing in your scouting around mid-March, when birds start moving from their wintering locations to their breeding locations. This should give you plenty of time to hone in on their habits before the season starts. Remember the goal of scouting is to simply locate and pattern. Do most of you scouting from a far and do not call to the birds. There is no sense educating them before the season.
HAVE A QUESTION? If you have questions for us to answer please send them to info@twinriversmedia.com or mail them to 1517 3rd Ave NW, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.
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TAKING KIDS FISHING has always been a fun thing to do. There is nothing BUSY
like seeing a youngster struggle to reel in a 6-inch bluegill. The excitement a fish brings to a child is a great thing to witness. However, like many activities with young kids, we as the adults must plan ahead to make the trip a successful one. I hope these tried and tested tips help you to make the next ice fishing trip with a youngster one that will leave them with happiness.
SAFETY
Anytime we involve kids in the outdoors safety has to be at the top of the list. This elevates as we enter into the ice fishing scene. Not only do we have to consider the weather elements but we also have to keep our mind on the ice and let the kids know the dangers. If kids are presented with the dangers they will help to look after themselves. One error I have witnessed by a couple of parents was a child’s’ foot going through an ice hole. This was a quick end to the outing, and certainly left the child feeling afraid of the frozen pond. The child was never warned of the holes and accidents happen. Be upfront with the kids, before entering the ice show them things that will be hazards. This should help keep them safe. As always have all your ice fishing safety gear out and ready to use, especially as the ice melts away.
LOCATION
Catching fish is important on any fishing trip, so choosing a place that has a high population of fish is important. Kids will remember any fish they catch. Catching a 12-inch crappie
We can never plan on fish biting, so you will have to be creative to keep the kids busy. No one wants to hear, “I’m bored” when you have only been there 15 minutes. Kids under the age of 10 have an attention span under 20 minutes on a good day, the younger the kid, the shorter the attention span. Keep them busy with scooping out holes, filling buckets with snow or ice chunks, anything to keep their bodies moving. If fishing has lost their interest then have them build a snow fort if there is enough snow, perhaps a friendly snowball fight will pass the time. Anything that will divert their attention a bit and allow them to have and create some fun on the ice will extend the trip and give them another focus besides just fishing.
AN UNDERWATER CAMERA INSIDE A SHACK WILL KEEP THEM OCCUPIED AND THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD BENEATH THE ICE.
February 2018
SNACKS/DRINKS
is the same as an 8-inch crappie to a young kid, they will love it no matter what. Private ponds would probably be the best choice, after that small county conservation ponds can offer high populations of fish too. Check the DNR website for those closest to you. If you live close to a bait shop or guide service, most will point you in the right direction to help a kid have a good ice outing.
Enough said... you can’t have too many of these whenever you involve kids. Hot Cocoa is always a favorite, fruit snacks, granola bars and licorice always make for a good snack break.
EXTRA CLOTHES
If kids are playing around the ice and water they will get wet. I always try to carry an extra pair of gloves for them and a stocking hat to get them warm if their TheIowaSportsman.com
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KIDS ON THE ICE
original set get wet. No one can have a lot of fun if they are wet, and cold.
ELECTRONICS
The more the better. Kids enjoy watching the Vexilar, creating that movement on the screen as their jig goes
FISH
At the end of the adventure out onto the ice the child is probably going to remember the other things they experienced rather than catching a few fish. This is fine, but just in case they do
NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THE WEATHER ELEMENTS BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO KEEP OUR MIND ON THE ICE AND LET THE KIDS KNOW THE DANGERS. up and down. It becomes a video game as fish swim into the area. An underwater camera inside a shack will keep them occupied and they can learn about the world beneath the ice. Both of these are learning tools in the game of ice fishing, be sure to introduce them to the kids, you might be surprised at how quickly they catch on!
get to catch one, have that camera ready for the shot of the day! Ice fishing is an activity that all ages can enjoy. If you plan to introduce a youngster to the sport, pick a day that is conducive for outdoor play. Keep the kids’ interest first and you will have many days of ice fishing ahead of you!
TIMELINE
As ice anglers ourselves, we need to take a step back while we introduce kids to the outdoors and this great winter sport. A multi-hour trip on the ice is probably not in the cards when taking young kids. Perhaps someday it will be when they become of age, but in the meantime let the kids give you clues as to when they are ready to go. You don’t want to wear them out on the first trip, or bore them so they don’t want anything to do with it anymore. It is a fine line to walk, but some days the timeline may be short, while other days it could be much longer. Focus on the kids and you will have many more successful trips with your youngster.
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February 2018
Franzen Family Tractors & Parts, LLC 1218 49th St. Monmouth, IA 52309 563-673-6631 mahindratractorsia.com
Glenwood Farm Equipment 209 Coolidge St Glenwood, IA 51534 712-527-3155 www.glenwood farmequipment.com
Fenton Repair, LLC 32742 Crystal Rd Strawberry Point, IA 52076 563-933-4321 www.fentonrepair.com
Armstrong Tractor, LLC 1937 Hwy 218 Donnelson, IA 52625 319-835-9830 armstrongtractor.com
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IOWA SPORTSMAN COOKBOOK
CREAMY DIJON PERCH FILLETS INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound firm, skinless, boneless, perch fillets. • 1/3 cup mayonnaise. • 2 Tablespoons Dijon-style mustard.
• 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. • Black pepper to taste.
DIRECTIONS • Preheat broiler with oven rack in proper position. • Grease broiler pan with oil to prevent sticking. • Rinse the fillets, pat dry and place on a broiler pan. • In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, cheese and pepper.
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• Spread this mixture evenly over the fish fillets. • Broil the fillets for 4-7 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the fish, or just until the fish flakes with a fork. • Do not overcook or the fish will be dry.
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PARMESAN CRAPPIE FRIES INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound of boneless crappie fillets. • 1/4 cup skim milk. • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. • 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning.
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes. • Dash of salt to taste or Old Bay seasoning. • 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
DIRECTIONS • Rinse fillets. • Put milk in a small bowl or dish. • Mix cheese and seasonings (except oil) on a plate or in a shallow bowl. • Heat olive oil over medium to medium high heat.
• Place fillets in milk and then coat them individually with the cheese “breading.” • Place parmesan crusted fillets in hot oil and brown about 3 minutes per side. • Serve with lemon wedges if desired.
POACHED BLUEGILL WITH LEMON-CHIVE SAUCE RECIPE INGREDIENTS • 2 cups water. • 1 bay leaf. • 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• 1 lemon. • 1 ½ pounds bluegill fillets, skin removed.
LEMON-CHIVE SAUCE INGREDIENTS: • 1/3 cup margarine or butter. • 3 Tablespoons snipped fresh chives. • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel.
•1/4 teaspoon salt. •1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
DIRECTIONS In a skillet, combine water, bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice squeezed from the lemon. Bring to a boil over campfire coals. Add fillets. Move to a cooler part of the fire, and simmer, covered, for 3 to 5 mins, or until fish is firm and opaque and just begins to flake. Drain and discard poaching liquid. Cover fish to keep warm. Set aside. In another skillet, melt margarine. Add remaining sauce ingredients. Cook for 2 to 3 mins, or until mixture is hot, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over fish.
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 Section. 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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The Dakota’s Section
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February 2018
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FISHING IOWA
WALLEYES ON SPOONS
THROUGH THE ICE By Bob Jensen
Another ice-fishing season is underway across many parts of the Midwest, and many of the anglers that hit the ice this winter will be after walleyes. Walleyes will eat a lot of different presentations. A plain hook and split-shot under a bobber works, as does a jig like we would use in open water. But perhaps the most popular presentation for walleyes involves a spoon: Walleyes really like spoons. Keep these spoon ideas in mind and you’ll increase your odds for walleyes under the ice. There are a bunch of different types of spoons available to walleye anglers. Although they may look similar, there are some differences, and there are a few things you should consider when you’re deciding what spoon to tie onto the end of your line. Here are some of those considerations. Is the water clear or cloudy? In cloudy water, a noisy spoon like a Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon is the way to go. The rattling noise coming from the spoon will help walleyes find the bait easier when their sight is limited. In clear water the rattling noise isn’t as necessary, but it still doesn’t hurt. However, if you’re fishing clear water and see fish on your sonar come in and look at your lure but not eat it, and if you’re using a rattling lure, switch to a spoon that doesn’t rattle. A quiet lure, at times, will be more productive, especially in clear water. Consider the color of the spoon. Again, clear or cloudy water will have a bearing
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on what color to start with. Clear water: Something natural in appearance. Cloudy water: Go with something brighter, something that will be more visible in limited visibility conditions. If you have a “glow” lure, give it a flash of light and put it down there. I’ve seen lots of times when a “glow” lure out-produced anything else. And, again, if the fish are looking but not eating, try something else. Sometimes bright lures perform very well in clear water. If you’re fishing walleyes that have been getting a lot of fishing pressure, try something way different. Fish become conditioned to a particular presentation. If everyone is doing the same thing and it’s not working, try something else. Think about the physical size of your lure. In stained water a larger spoon will be easier to see, so a large lure will often be more productive. Maybe go with a bulkier spoon made of metal, something like the Buck-Shot
Flutter Spoon. This bait flutters as it falls, so it falls slower and puts out more vibrations, making it easier for the fish to find. When the fish are finicky, a spoon that’s smaller in appearance will often be better. Also consider the line you’re using. In deep water a no-stretch line like P-Line XTCB Braid in about 15 pound test will provide outstanding sensitivity and hooksets. In shallower water 8 pound test Floroice in very good. It’s invisible and has very low stretch, so it also provides good sensitivity and hooksets. Something that adds taste and smell is usually hung on the spoon. A minnow or an Impulse Minnow Head will usually increase your bites. Spoons catch walleyes as well was perch and crappies and pike. Give them a try this winter. If you haven’t tried spoons, you’ll maybe find a new friend.
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Lake of the Woods
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Marketplace
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Holiday Shores Marina 3901 River Rd Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965 608-254-2878 www.holidaywatersport.com
Harbor Recreation Inc 807 Harbor Rd Milton, WI 53563 608-884-6007 www.harborrec.com
Millers Sport Center Inc 24565 Zier Rd Lanark, IL 61046 815-493-6401 www.millerssport.com
Iowa Falls Marine 324 S. Oak St. Suite B Iowa Falls, IA 50126 641-648-7393 www.iowafallsmarine.com
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Northeast Minnesota
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DOGS FOR SALE
GUN SHOWS
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Classifieds
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