Indholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2025 i Game & Fish West

Some of my fondest childhood fishing memories involved floating the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania with my grandpa and brother in an aluminum jon boat. Float trips were a big deal, a highly anticipated adventure, each summer—mainly because they meant we’d be fishing for most of the day rather than just a few hours. For my brother and me, a float down the Susquehanna brought aspirations of catching smallmouth bass (and maybe even a muskie!) in what we considered nearly uncharted waters. Grandpa made sure the trips almost always included a section of river his grandsons had yet to fish in their young lives, and the unknown fostered a giddiness for days before any float. Like most trips I’ve embarked on, even as an adult, one of the best parts…

Just as sure as beads of sweat will roll down your forehead and sting your eyes, the heat of summer will spark terrific inshore fishing in many areas. Down South, for instance, popular targets like redfish, speckled trout and snook are characteristically active as water temperatures climb, feeding aggressively in preparation for their summer or fall spawning. In the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, striped bass and bluefish embark on epic feeding frenzies as they gorge on schooling baitfish. Whether you’re chasing limits of eating-size fish or a trophy for a viral photo-op, this is truly the time to tap into the inshore action. When faced with such apparent bounty, however, many anglers encounter a significant speed bump that can derail any outing before it begins. It’s precisely the number of choices…

For decades, Montana hunters have gotten the opportunity to relive their big-game season months after it ended when contracted phone surveyors call to learn whether hunters were successful. The surveyors don’t call every Montana hunter. Instead, they phone a subset of hunters that’s large and randomized enough to be considered statistically valid. The information they glean is used by wildlife managers to estimate total harvest, key data that helps them recommend bag limits and seasons for the year ahead. Critics of the phone survey have slammed Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) for what they consider an antiquated system that collects dubious data, and discontent with the system escalates when big-game populations drop but hunting seasons aren’t adjusted accordingly. That very dynamic is happening now, with mule deer populations crashing…

To become proficient with a traditional bow, there are six accessories that you will use every time you shoot. A bow stringer will allow you to easily and safely put the limbs under tension to string and unstring the bow. Once strung, use a bow square to check your brace height, which is the distance between the grip and the string. Adjust the brace height by unstringing the bow and twisting the string tighter to increase or untwisting to decrease. A shooting glove or tab and arm guard address protection from the string on the fingers and forearm during shooting. With proper form, an arm guard will only be necessary to ensure bulky clothing does not interfere with the bowstring. A handful of Judo points from Zwickey Archery are essential.…

I got excited when a buddy in Wyoming sent a trail camera photo of a mule deer in late June. Not only was the buck shaping up to be a solid four-point, but a drop-tine was starting to grow on each side of its rack. A few images captured in July showed the drop-tines were developing nicely. An early-season pronghorn hunt found me in the same area as the muley. It took a couple days but we found the drop-tine buck less than a mile from where the last trail cam images were captured. On opening day of the general mule deer season, I was back in Wyoming. By mid-morning we’d located the buck. A stalk through tall Ponderosa pine trees found me looking at the buck through a riflescope…

For information on permits for the Salmon River and all required equipment, go to recreation.gov, or contact the Salmon-Challis National Forest River Office at sm.fs.salmonriver@usda.gov or 208-481-2625. Contact Idaho Fish and Game for fishing license Information at idfg.idaho.gov, licenses@idfg.idaho.gov or 208-334-3700. All watercraft must be clean, drained and dry upon arrival at the launch site. Each boat must have an appropriate Idaho Invasive Species sticker. Information can be found at parksandrecreation.idaho.gov or by calling 888-922-6743.…

THE GREAT DIVIDE OVER NEW DEER CARTRIDGES Are the new and latest deer loads any better than the tried-and-true ammo from the past? From the standbys of .308 and .30-06 to the 6.5 PRC and 6 mm Creedmoor loads, here’s a look into how these cartridges stand up to each other. Check out our “Gear” section for more. SUMMER CAMPING GUIDE From helpful how-tos on campsite tasks and family-favorite outdoor recipes to the best gear and destinations, our Summer Camping Guide sets you up for success in the great outdoors. LONG-RANGE MATH Take a deep dive into the three most common methods for compensating for bullet trajectory and wind when shooting at long distances. Find this how-to under the “Learn” category. YIPPEE KI-YAY While e-callers are great at getting the…

If you want your boat to deliver more tomorrow than it does today, it’s time to enter the spin zone, because getting your propeller dialed in is the number one way to attain the performance you’re looking for. And if you haven’t tried swapping props in the past, chances are the one you’ve been using is no longer in optimal condition and is robbing you of fishing time and money at the gas pump. IMPORTANCE OF PROP SELECTION Why don’t all boats come with the perfect prop in the first place? Because the ideal choice depends on a number of variables, including the hull’s design and dimensions, the weight of the boat and its load, and the performance aspects on which you place a premium. Top speed, fuel efficiency, hole-shot…

The big rainbow finned lazily in a lava-rock slot in 3 feet of water as clear as a dry martini. The prospect of catching the fish was intoxicating as I watched it move right and left, up and down, like a picky diner at a buffet ignoring everyone in line behind him. I faded backward into a nearby pine thicket for a better look and a re-rig. Nothing short of a double cheeseburger with fries would get that bruiser to the surface, so I changed tactics, and after a few dozen casts, watched him slide left and daintily inhale one of my nymphs. You read that right. When things slow, I’ll often plop two nymphs into the depths where big rainbows hang out. Doubling the number of flies expands more…

Ken Mah looked as relaxed as I’d ever seen him. Comfortably perched with a foot on his trolling motor pedal, he made pendulum swings toward a broad hyacinth mat, occasionally reaching high to place his bait exactly where he wanted it. Over and over, the seasoned angler from Elk Grove, Calif., repeated his patiently diligent routine as casual conversation broke the tension. If you didn’t know better, you might call the whole thing kind of boring. Then, without warning, Mah’s posture dramatically changed. He took a big step back, reeled down and did his best to break the 7-foot 11-inch, heavy-power rod in his hands. Mah punched, a big bass punched back and the fight was on. “With the exception of the dead of winter, punching is always something that…

OPTICS: The goal of scouting is locating animals without them knowing you’re there. For this reason, quality optics are a must. Invest in the best glass you can afford. A 10x42 binocular and powerful spotting scope are invaluable. My go-to brand for summer scouting missions is Swarovski. TRAIL CAMS: When scouting areas where there’s cellular coverage, I like running Moultrie Edge and Edge Pro series trail cameras. In non-cell areas, the quality of Stealth Cam DS4K trail cameras is excellent. Set all cameras on video mode in order to hear and see what animals are doing. Check cards once a week until animals are patterned, then visit them less frequently. WEARABLES: I’ve logged countless hours in Meindl’s Comfort Fit Hikers, both when scouting and on early-season hunts. They’re durable, supportive…

There’s no shortage of amenities in Pacific City, so when the day’s done and you’re off the water, the choice of where to grab a good meal and a cocktail before bunking down for the evening is entirely up to you. The Anchorage Motel on Pacific Avenue has recently updated rooms, along with small cottages for larger groups and/or longer stays. The Surf & Sand Inn on Brooten Road is conveniently located just a block from Pacific City Fishing’s headquarters, while the beautiful Raines Resort in nearby Cloverdale sits on the banks of the Big Nestucca River and offers some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest scenery. Hungry after a day of fishing? Guide Mark Lytle recommends either the Oar House Bar & Grill, touted as having Oregon’s best clam chowder,…

If you like lever-action rifles, we can be friends. If not, how long have you been a member of the communist party? Jokes notwithstanding, lever-action rifles are a practical choice for hunting and are also exceptionally fun. When it comes to rimfires, however, our current era is dominated by semi-autos, which may make lever guns seem at least antiquated if not irrelevant. Nonetheless, no other type of rifle has the heralded form factor and ergonomics, as well as the nostalgia, of the lever action—rimfires included. The new Savage Revel .22 LR checks all these boxes. I was predisposed to being unimpressed with this rifle. I heard it had an aluminum receiver, thought it would feel cheap and didn’t expect much from this affordable lever action. That was before I handled…

As a hunter, I’ve killed a lot of bears, but I’ve never had to shoot one that was trying to chew on me. I’ve also done a lot of hunting with handguns and have conducted a lot of terminal ballistics evaluations. However, few things are as valuable as first-hand experience, and Tim Sundles, who owns Buffalo Bore Ammunition, has had a lot of firsthand and up-close experiences with bears and handguns. Anyone curious about protecting themselves from bears with handguns would be wise to hear his thoughts on the subject. Before I share Sundles’ advice, though, I want to tell you about Ian McMurchy, who had more experiences with bears—black bears, brown bears, little bears and big bears—than anyone I’ve known. Ian retired from the Saskatchewan Department of Wildlife in…

In three summers of guiding at Cree River Lodge, Terrell Steels (above) and Cliff Salisbury have seen the good, bad and ugly from anglers who fish the remote northern Saskatchewan waters. They sat down on the last evening of our four-day trip to discuss common but easily avoided mistakes. 1. NOT BEING READY TO FISH. “On this river system there are so many tight little spots where I pull in,” said Salisbury, “and if you’re not already casting as we’re coming in, you’ve blown the spot.” 2. CHANGING LURES UNNECESSARILY. When you’re changing lures, you’re not fishing. Change when moving from spot to spot, and ask your guide’s opinion. “Let me know when you’re changing and I’ll stay off the spot until you’re ready,” Steels said. A pet peeve: “People…

The last elk I harvested with a compound bow was at 13 yards. That experience initiated a quest to get it done with my longbow, so I dedicated myself to practicing all off-season. The following fall, my son, who was 9 years old at the time, came to elk camp for the first time and was treated to some incredible action on our first morning of hunting. The kill spot near camp is a trail hub halfway up the mountain on the way to the elks’ day beds in the downed timber. Spend enough time there and you will kill one. On the morning in question, we arrived just as the herd was coming through. My son was on the Hoochie Mama and I had the job of kicking the…

Growing up on the banks of a well-known smallmouth bass river in West Virginia, I have been fishing for that species nearly my entire life. My introduction to fishing was a simple affair—a walk down to the riverbank when Dad got home from work with a closed-face reel to cast a worm I gathered by flipping rocks along the way. My fishing career trajectory was boosted when float fishing replaced bank fishing, utilizing canoes and running sections between bridges that provided easy access to the river for put-ins and take-outs. Learning to paddle the shoals and minor rapids was a learning curve; doing it correctly kept us dry and prevented the canoe from sinking and losing our gear. It took many years to become efficient at running the river, competently…

The Weatherby Model 307 bolt action introduced in 2023 reminds us that the Weatherby family gene of doing things their way is still present in their DNA. But why would the company take on another bolt-action product line with the Model 307? The defining Mark V introduced in 1958 and the Vanguard in 1971 would seem to have the market covered. However, after 50-plus years, Weatherby felt it was time to introduce something new. The 2019 move from California to Wyoming facilitated onsite machining and engineering resources so Weatherby could consider a fresh design and more importantly the manufacturing capacity to make the Model 307 at the new Sheridan headquarters. By the way, 307 is the area code for Sheridan—a nice way to pay homage to Weatherby’s new community. Weatherby’s…

“Ever been night fishing?” asked Marvin McGhee, owner of McGhee’s tackle shop, as he wiped a stream of sweat from his forehead and sighed. Although his shop was air-conditioned, it was just enough to prevent the plastic worms from melting together in their packages. “Nope, never really even thought about it,” Shane replied. “I figure the fish have to sleep sometime, too.” “It’s the way to go, especially right now with this wretched heat wave,” said Marvin. “It’s nice and cool at night, and it’s when the big ones feed. Yessir, I caught my two best bass at night.” Shane’s head began to spin with possibilities as he swirled his lawn money around in the pocket of his Levis. Now that he could drive, he could fish every night of…