Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i Game & Fish South

What do nilgai, ocellated turkeys and Lahontan cutthroat trout have in common? They all represent opportunities for great adventure in February. That’s why this issue includes features about each of these species; they’re surefire cures for cabin fever. As Andrew McKean explains starting on page 26, the exotic nilgai hails from Eurasia but has been a resident of Texas for more than 100 years. It’s a wary antelope with great-tasting meat that’s sure to fill any freezers that remain open after typical hunting seasons have closed, and you can chase them around the Lone Star State in February. You’ll have to travel farther south for the ocellated turkey. They live among the Mayan ruins on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and are without a doubt the most colorful turkey on this continent.…

No matter what we fish for and where, there’s one thing we all look forward to every year: the end of winter. Whether the cold is already waning in your area or it will take a few more weeks, now is the time to update your marine electronics with the latest software, lube your reels and respool them with fresh line, and add the latest and greatest lures to your tackle box. For those chomping at the bit to get on the water, there is already a number of excellent options in various parts of the country. For instance, the first opportunities to tangle with bass and crappie this year will occur as those fish begin their predictable movements from their wintering areas to the shallows. So begin your research…

From the sidelines, one can hear all the hype around live sonar and view it merely as an electronic cast net. But that’s really not the case. This spell-binding technology equips and enables anglers like nothing ever seen before. Yet, when it comes to catching fish, can any amount of electronic enlightenment really deliver “easy” consistently? Indeed, this relatively new technology, commonly called forward-facing sonar (FFS), is a game changer; however, it still isn’t a “gimme.” “Forward-facing sonar gives you bait awareness,” says Bassmaster Elite pro Patrick Walters. “It lets you see a vertical stream in the water column to a desired range, typically within 100 feet, and gives you a detailed look at your bait’s position and at what else is in the water column. But it doesn’t tell…

Many companies make lightweight watercraft ideal for squirrel hunting. For instance, the Discovery 119 Solo Sportsman by Old Town ($1,299.99; oldtown watercraft.johnsonoutdoors.com) offers the simplicity of a classic canoe and the stability and handling of a kayak for folks who wish to hunt bushytails solo. Meanwhile, the company’s Saranac 146 ($899.99), which incorporates a pair of contoured seats with backrests and a small center bench seat with storage, is perfect for double-teaming squirrels and bringing along a child. Bass Pro Shops also sells some great options for reasonable prices. There’s the Ascend H12 Sit-In ($849.99; basspro.com), a hybrid kayak for solo hunters with generous storage and a tunnel hull that affords extraordinary stability. The Ascend 15 DLX ($699.99) is another great offering. It’s a canoe that accommodates up to three…

When Benchmade launched its Water line of knives last year, the company included models that can cover just about any situation an angler faces. There are two sizes of filet knife, of course, and a pair of fixed-blade designs that serve well on a boat or strapped to a pack when hiking in to a hidden hot spot. However, the two folders in the Water line—called the Adira and Mini Adira—may be the most convenient for everyday carry and fishing. Both are built with Benchmade’s Axis Lock mechanism that utilizes stainless steel springs for easy opening and secure deployment. Benchmade uses CPM-MagnaCut stainless steel for the knives’ drop-point blades for excellent corrosion resistance and edge retention. In addition, their Grivory handles are tough and ergonomic. The Adira has a 3.6-inch…

WHAT’S UP OUTDOORS? Find out what Game & Fish fans love online, from hunting and fishing how-tos, to trophy successes, to the best and newest gear. “Trending” is updated every week on gafmag.com. GUNS AND BOWS The newest hunting firearms, bows and accessories will take center stage at the annual ATA and SHOT shows. Our coverage of the latest and greatest begins in January. FISH ON ICE If you’re into hardcore ice fishing, we have you covered this winter. Valuable info on tactics, gear and locations is just a click away. Find all you need to be successful under “Fishing.”.” GET A BASS FIX Marine electronics aren’t the only advancements impacting the bass world. Our new video series, “Tackle Junkie,” reviews high-tech rods and reels just introduced to anglers. SLEEK…

My rifle’s scope has a custom elevation turret, which in seconds I can dial to the specific distance to the target. I get the distance from a laser rangefinder, connected via Bluetooth to a ballistic app on my phone to help me understand bullet dynamics at different ranges. With inputs for my bullet’s ballistic coefficient, plus wind, humidity, temperature and even barometric pressure, I can remove most of the guesswork from long-range shooting. When I miss it’s because I’m the weak link. Our technology is getting so sophisticated that, by applying the right gear to the right situations, it’s a cinch to hit a deer-sized target at 500 yards with a scoped rifle. Or to place an arrow in an elk-sized target at 100 yards with a tricked-out compound. The…

With warmer days ahead, we sportsmen find ourselves in the middle of a familiar shift. For the South, this time of year is truly special. While much of the country is still frozen, lovers of the outdoors from North Carolina to Texas relish mild temperatures, uncrowded landscapes, untested waters and a fresh start. A few select hunting seasons still promise excitement, small game remains active and fishing opportunities increasingly emerge. Whether your sights are set on waterfowl, late-season upland birds, whitewater blow-ups on the fly or offshore big game, now’s the time to regroup while pursuing what’s left of previous ambitions. 1 ALABAMA LING FLING With spring slowly creeping in, so are schools of cobia, aka ling, along Alabama’s coast. On their way to the oil platforms near Louisiana and…

We were only a few days into February, a time when many anglers along the Gulf Coast usually post up in deep, winding bayous and manmade canals to toss soft plastics in hopes of eliciting strikes from a few apathetic speckled trout still in winter mode. But the marshes we fish in South Louisiana were in the midst of a relatively warm spell. Daytime highs climbed above 60 degrees and the lows at night barely kissed the 40s, promising conditions for targeting big trout with an equally large appetite suddenly awakened by the temperature rise. Chris Macaluso and I wondered if some gator trout, as large speckled trout are often called, might have fanned out over a grass flat in a lake near some productive winter spots, and decided to…

Although it has been one of the most well-known firearm brands for more than 150 years—developing and producing guns that played significant roles in the Wild West (the Single Action Army), both World Wars (the M1911) and many other conflicts (the M4)—Colt has rarely focused its efforts on hunting. Sure, the Colt Woodsman pistol has taken squirrels and rabbits, and the Python and Anaconda revolvers have filled deer tags, but none of these can be classified as staples among hunters. The company has included bolt-action hunting rifles in its lineup—the Colt Sauer Sporting Rifle and Colt Light Rifle being the best examples—but both were manufactured by other entities and only marketed under the Colt name. While each had attractive qualities, neither became as popular in the field as bolt guns…

Traditionally, we’ve used .22-caliber centerfire cartridges for varmint hunting, a task at which they all excel. But, just as with cartridges in other calibers, there has been—and continues to be—a push to increase reach. Initially, we did this with more gunpowder, which produced faster velocities. More recently, we’ve been hitting at longer distances with faster twist rates and sleeker bullets with higher ballistic coefficients. This also allows us to launch heavier and stouter bullets, and the .22 centerfires we once only thought suitable for varmints became deer-, pronghorn- and feral hog-capable. Several new .22 centerfires have been introduced in recent years which offer some unique capabilities, but let’s see how they compare with a few of the most popular .22 centerfires and then differentiate between them all. .22 HORNET The…

Looking down, a smile spread across my face as my border collie Sage stayed in step right beside me. The hike into the mountain foothills had been long, and in some places the snow deep, but Sage was always ready to accompany me on any coyote hunt. Despite my joy in having her along, I could see something was different about her. Instead of racing ahead, a common characteristic of border collies, she often stayed by my side now. Age was catching up to her. Besides her slower pace, her eyesight and hearing were also deteriorating. For more than a dozen years Sage had joined me on coyote hunts, learning along the way. I remember her first close encounter with a coyote, an adult female. Sage reluctantly left my side…

While the recoil from a shotgun might not always be severe, your shoulder can definitely take a beating given certain circumstances, even if you don’t hunt waterfowl or shoot turkeys with magnum loads. And the painful memory of recent shotgun-induced soreness can have negative effects on your shooting. Your accuracy may suffer, for instance, particularly when you have time to think about each shot. While there’s no question that putting heavy payloads pushed by lots of powder on target improves hunting success, the increase in your shotgun’s felt recoil is often too high a price to pay. That extra kick can cause you to flinch or slightly alter your shooting routine, ultimately resulting in more misses. And if you can’t hit what you’re shooting at, using bigger loads is simply…

Palmettos, slashing briar vines, low-growing foliage and a layer of thick, sucking mud blanketing the Delta swamp would have made walking both noisy and quite exhausting. Instead, we slipped slowly and silently over the shallow water in the faint light of a new morning, listening and looking for signs of squirrels. Soon, I spotted a tree trunk with an odd-shaped knot. As we got closer, that knot suddenly hopped up on a branch to reach an acorn. Our first bushytail had been sighted, and though a scant 20 yards from us, it remained completely unaware of our presence. The acrobatic rodent presented my son Daniel with a clear shot, and a moment later his shotgun shattered the stillness of the swamp. “You missed! Now, he’s running up the trunk,” I…

At the convergence of the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, in the state of Mississippi’s unique and history-rich Delta region, lies Vicksburg, a city of 22,000 best known for its significant role in the Civil War. Founded in 1811, Vicksburg is a place shaped by water, agriculture and the environment. Vicksburg’s geographical location made it an ideal center for the early steamboat and railroad industries, thereby turning the town into a strategic target coveted by both the Union and Confederate armies. The “key to the South,” as Abraham Lincoln referred to Vicksburg, prompted a pivotal battle that resulted in the isolation of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, and heavily influenced the outcome of the Civil War. Today, the area’s numerous rivers, oxbow lakes and vast hardwood bottomlands make Vicksburg a hub for…

Standing on a 4-foot ladder with waves lapping at the soles of my boots, I am surrounded by a world of gray. Gray sky, gray hills with gray rocks and gray brush, gray water over a gray bottom ... even my waders and gloves are shades of gray. The fluorescent orange dot floating on the water’s surface 50 feet from my perch glows in this otherwise monochromatic environment, a spark of bright color that draws my eyes and forbids them to look elsewhere. For nearly two hours it has ridden the chop, always drifting to the right, keeping my hope afloat with it. Then it disappears, pulled into the gray. For a heartbeat I feel like something very important to me has suddenly gone missing. When I raise the rod…