Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Game & Fish

Game & Fish lost a well-traveled angler, dedicated editor and sincere friend when Chuck Smock passed in June. Chuck first served on the Game & Fish staff as an editor for a brief time in 1997 before moving on to his role as communications specialist at Cabela’s, where he worked with many top outdoor writers and served as editor of Cabela’s Outfitter Journal. We were privileged to see Chuck return to the Game & Fish staff in 2021 as Western Regional Editor. “I am an editor and a writer who just happens to love hunting, fishing and camping. I am not an outdoors enthusiast looking for a way to cash a paycheck working his passions.” That statement was at the top of the resume Chuck submitted when he applied for…

We worked our way up the ridge through several inches of fresh snow. This was the kind of morning we hope for in early fall in the Rockies: everything clean and new, all tracks fresh, the calm after the storm. I’d spent a day with friends in Steamboat Springs, Colo., under clear blue skies. Clouds piled up in early afternoon, and the first snowflakes began hitting as I started up Rabbit Ear Pass. It was a near whiteout long before I got to the top. With almost no visibility and the road getting icy, I crawled down the pass and took it slower yet on the narrow, winding blacktop to Walden. Although I’d never been there, I knew Walden was the epicenter of Colorado’s Shiras moose population, and that was…

Grouse seasons open in mid-September across the northern tier of Great Lakes states—Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan—but hunters eager to jump into the new season will find difficult hunting conditions then. Foliage is thick and abundant. Temperatures can still be summer-like. Cover abounds, and anywhere you can find second-growth forest, it will harbor grouse. If you’re lucky, you’ll encounter some broods that are still intact, but otherwise you’ll hear a lot more birds than you’ll see. With the abundant habitat and cover, an alternative is to hunt food sources likely to concentrate birds. Grouse have a diverse palate, but they especially love fruits and berries over other forage types when they have their choice. Regardless, they’ll often home in on the most abundant resources no matter the time of year. To…

Although dry leaves are now falling from the trees and many anglers are swapping rods and reels for rifles and bows, fishing is not over yet—not by a longshot. Some of the most consistent walleye and sauger fishing of the season is happening right now on major river systems across the Midwest. Although the spawning period is many cold months away, our favorite perciform predators must build substantial fat reserves now to help their reproductive tissues mature during the lean, icy period ahead. As a result, they are driven to feed—heavily—before water temperatures bottom out in early winter. The savvy angler recognizes this annual window of opportunity and builds in a couple more trips to places like the Mississippi, Missouri, Rainy and Wisconsin rivers before putting the boat to bed…

South Dakota’s traditional pheasant season opens on Oct. 21 and extends through Jan. 31, 2024. Prairie grouse season opens Sept. 16 and runs through Jan. 7, 2024. Nonresident licenses cost $121 and are good for two, five-day periods or 10 consecutive days of hunting. Validate your license with a $25 habitat stamp. Most small towns in western South Dakota do not have many amenities, so check ahead of time. You’ll likely find fuel at smaller stops, but lodging and dining could be in short supply. Favorite dining outlets include Rick’s Café in Mobridge, The Cattleman’s Club in Pierre and the R Bar in Lemmon. South Dakota lies north enough in the country that snow can fly up to nine months out of the year. It is also prairie country and…

Soaked in sweat from brushing in a panel blind with scraps of driftwood and sandy Johnson grass, we peeled off waders and coats, hoping the wind would cool us before the evening flight began. A longtime friend was finally showing me a coveted spot along one of the many fast-moving, shallow river systems that cut through the Central and Mississippi flyways. Several of these rivers offer hundreds of miles of public access. Depending on where you go, competition from other hunters is often non-existent because finding groups of waterfowl—mainly mallards, wigeon, gadwalls, the odd pintail and Canada geese—is hard. There are so many bends and breaks and hidden pockets on these rivers that locating birds can be tough. Navigation is also usually treacherous due to the low water depth and…

The cool rain lands squarely on my upturned face, runs across my forehead and sluices along my eyebrows, sheets over my cheeks and finally trickles down my neck, diluting the sweat soaked into the shirt beneath my rain jacket. I don’t care enough to turn my head. I only shut my eyes and try to ignore my aching shoulders and back. The ocean is in sight, but I’ve learned the views on Kodiak Island are deceiving. There is still a mile of alder and tussock to go, and as I lie surrounded by 2-foot-tall yellow grass, I question whether I am going to make it. I can think of no better way to invite a brown bear into my lap than by slowly carrying who-knows-how-many pounds of bloody caribou on…

I took game on Kodiak Island at ranges that averaged a little less than 250 yards, but the chance exists for shots at twice that distance. Wise hunters will take a reliable scope that permits quick, precise adjustments in case the blacktail buck of a lifetime appears on a hillside several football fields away. After spending a couple months getting to know the new Burris Veracity PH, and then hunting with the scope for a week on Kodiak, I was impressed with the ease at which it enables fast and accurate elevation corrections. The main features of the Veracity PH are a digital heads-up display (HUD) in the upper sixth of the scope’s field of view and an elevation knob that combines a digital sensor with a mechanical turret that…

Hard-core anglers spend tens of thousands of dollars on electronics, rods and reels—not to mention a bait collection that would impress most tackle-shop owners—in the name of performance. Whether it be sonar that helps them more easily find fish or a scientifically developed lure with a look, action and feel that makes it difficult to distinguish from the real thing, the most devoted anglers are constantly on the lookout for the latest advancements. Of course, dedicated anglers’ boats are among the most expensive investments of their lifetimes. Many spend more than a little extra money to get top performance out of their rigs. As the multi-species fishing boat increases in popularity, tackle collections grow and so does the need for cutting-edge chart plotters and other accessories. That in turn means…

Even as hunters seek rifle cartridges with more reach, some short- to moderate-range cartridges are trending. This is because several states have loosened restrictions recently on legal deer hunting cartridges. Some states that only permitted slugs now allow straight-wall cartridges with limited range. Ammo makers have responded with better loads for older straight-walls and new cartridges built especially for straight-wall laws. A straight-wall cartridge is one without a shoulder. The case—though slightly tapering in diameter—is straight, from the rim or base to the case mouth. Common for old single-shot and lever-action rifles, it’s also the case design for revolver cartridges. Recently, the concept has been applied to AR-15 compatible cartridges. And Remington debuted a new straight-wall cartridge for lever-action rifles, too. If you deer hunt in a straight-wall state, which…

Mention the federal Endangered Species Act almost anywhere outside the beltway or its expanding orbit, and you can expect to see eyes harden and jaws tighten. The act, which is considered by many to be America’s landmark environmental protection law, is intended as a backstop to prevent the extinction of diminishing populations of animals and plants. But its very purpose has demonized it in many of the places where these rare species live, as well as among the humans who hold the keys to recovery or disappearance. Along with Internal Revenue Service agents, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has come to symbolize unwelcome and intrusive expression of federal oversight. But the ESA, which turns 50 years old this year, is a lot more complicated, and a lot less draconian, than…

Hunters and anglers wait all year for October, as few months compare when it comes to outdoor activities. Fishing is good throughout the Midwest, with most species feeding heavily in preparation for the coming winter. Archery deer seasons are open across the region. Small-game, fall turkey and waterfowl opportunities are abundant. Upland bird hunting for quail, pheasants, grouse and woodcock is another popular option. The only problem with October is the number of great hunting and fishing pursuits to choose from. There simply aren’t enough days in the month. 1 INDIANA ARCHERY DEER Indiana’s bow season begins October 1 and is the official start of deer season for Hoosier hunters. Right now, deer are still on feeding patterns. If you see a mess of acorns in the timber, hang a…

Zach Simon has one of the most unique—and functional—custom duck boats built specifically for shallow-river hunting. Loaded down with 10 dozen duck and goose silhouettes, three to four dozen full-body mallard floaters, blinds and guns, the 16-foot boat can transport two hunters and a dog. It’s powered by an electronic, fuel-injected Mercury Jet outboard. If you’re not familiar, jet-drive motors have no prop, so there’s no chance one can get caught in underwater obstructions, making for a smoother ride. The ribs of the boat, located on the underside of the sled, are longitudinal instead of the traditional horizontal you see on most v-bottoms and jon boats. This adds to the overall durability because duck boats undergo so much punishment. An electric winch, operated by pressing a button under the front…

Like an urban commuter contemplating which exit to take to avoid a traffic jam ahead, the whitetail buck paused on the sandy riverbank to mull trail options. Dawn was breaking, and the deer had been feeding all night on a lush alfalfa field just across the river. As the leader of a trio of bachelor bucks, his decision would either lead the group away from my stand or right into the trap. Although bachelor groups were disbanding as the October days passed, this group remained intact, albeit with dominance on display. Their prevalent sparring, pushing and laid-back ears all pointed to a brotherhood ending as they traveled from the field to the bedding cover entrance where I waited. Then, as if on cue, a younger buck took the lead and…

South Dakota stands alone in the world of ring-necked pheasant hunting. Last season, hunters harvested 1,158,000 roosters in the Mount Rushmore State. In this same time, its northern neighbor reported 286,970 birds harvested. To the south, hunters in Nebraska and Kansas shot an estimated 122,016 and 258,729 birds, respectively. Meanwhile, during the 2021-2022 season (the most recent figures available at the time of this writing for some states) hunters harvested 373,000 and 210,275 roosters, respectively, in Iowa and Minnesota. All solid numbers, for sure, but none approach South Dakota’s. The state holds a special place in my heart. My first rooster came from a right of way on a desolate stretch of road in eastern South Dakota. At 12, I could not have been prouder showing off the bird to…

Deer season was still a few weeks out when Shane asked his father if they could shoot their rifles. He’d saved his money to buy a box of Federal Premium ammo for his .308, and he wanted to check the gun’s zero. Shane’s father liked to shoot, too, and so they loaded up a portable shooting bench, their rifles, ammo and targets before driving to a makeshift range behind a pond dam. “I read some articles that explained why zeroing 3 inches high at 100 yards is best,” said Shane, matter of factly. “I’m going with that this year.” “Why?” asked his father. “So I can hold on the target from 0 to about 265 yards and hit it without adjusting the scope.” “Yeah, I’ve heard of that—it’s called maximum…