Game & Fish West December/January 2021-22

We’re all looking forward to a little downtime around the holidays, but it’s a shame to fill it with cheesy movie marathons. If you’re not able to get into the field or on the water, tap into adventure by accessing top hunting and fishing content through MOTV. The video-on-demand service caters to the outdoor lifestyle, and it’s available through mobile phones and tablets, desktops and laptops using an Internet browser, smart TVs and other devices. For a limited time, MOTV is offering Game & Fish readers 25 percent off an annual subscription. Claiming your discount and receiving access to MOTV’s great programming is simple. Go to app.myoutdoortv.com or scan the QR code on this page. Click the “Start Your Free Trial” button, select “Choose Annual,” and then enter the promotional…

PUT A BOW ON IT Find a Christmas gift for the picky hunters and anglers on your list. Our annual Hunting and Fishing Holiday Gift Guides highlight dozens of perfect ideas. FLOCK KNOWLEDGE Waterfowl hunting is in full swing nationwide, and we have the info you need to bag a limit. Pull down the “Hunting” menu to “Waterfowl” for advice. NICE FOR THE ICE Advancements in rods, reels and electronics have made ice fishing much more effective. Read “Best Ice Fishing Gear 2022” to see the “coolest” new stuff. HARVEST TIME The tastiest deer is the one you shoot, given the right care. “The Best Venison is What You Harvest” provides handling and cooking tips. BINGE ON BASS Take a winter break from bass fishing, and learn with “Beyond the…

Although .30-caliber cartridges are perennial favorites and 6.5 mm rounds now get a lot of attention, cartridges that fire 6 mm bullets are ideal for many American hunters. They offer low recoil and flat trajectories for varmint and predator hunting, and they have enough punch for deer-sized game. This dual suitability has been a defining characteristic of 6 mm rifle cartridges, and they can even be effective on larger game if partitioned, bonded or mono-metal bullets are used. (In 2014 my wife used a .243 Win. to take a gemsbok and wildebeest in Africa with one well-placed shot each.) Let’s look at the progress of 6 mm rifle cartridges, which continues today for good reason. In 1955 Remington introduced the .244 Rem. cartridge. It was based on the .257 Roberts,…

With another bow season soon to wrap up, it’s time to take a look at the season that was ... and the ones that will be. One of the parts I enjoy about bowhunting is the constant evolution of the game. I like to learn and consider myself to be a lifetime learner. I make plenty of mistakes every season and try to learn from them. I’m always interested in new technologies, patterns or tactics that can help me see more deer in the woods. Some of these advancements don’t always live up to the hype. Others have turned out to be incredible additions to the hunting experience. I find it worthwhile to pay attention to trends because I might learn something. There were several that dominated the 2021 season,…

I once threw a party and no one came. I had reserved a banquet room with seating for 50. I had bought cookies and perked coffee. I had sent out invitations far and wide in my role at the time as information officer for Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. But besides me and a half-dozen of my colleagues, only two guests came to the party, which was a biennial season-setting meeting for my region of the state, the opportunity for the public to comment on proposed regulations for deer, elk, pheasant and turkey seasons. One guest mistook my meeting for a book club. The other wanted to know why game wardens had ticketed his son, and few of his comments were useful, or even printable in a family…

Meetings of state wildlife agencies aren’t the only places to express your thoughts, and hear perspectives from other hunters, regarding game management and hunting regulations. If you’re interested in furthering the connection between hunting and wildlife conservation on both a national and global scale, make plans to attend the International Hunters’ Convention hosted by Safari Club International (SCI) in Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 19 to 22. The convention, which will feature more than 1,000 exhibitors and guest speakers such as Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump Jr., will celebrate SCI’s 50 years of defending the freedom to hunt and supporting wildlife conservation worldwide.The Mandalay Bay Convention Center will host the events, which also include informative seminars as well as special auctions to support hunter advocacy and the SCI Foundation’s conservation and…