Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Game & Fish

I’ll just come right out and say it: August makes me anxious. Some of the blame goes to the godforsaken heat that comes with it. I grew up in the Northeast, where the end of summer was typically far more temperate than it is in my adopted home state of Kansas. If you know anything about late summer in the southern Great Plains, you know that the heat and humidity will conspire to make any time spent outside in the daylight hours fairly miserable.That doesn’t mean folks here don’t get out on the water or scout for deer. It just means we need to bring a lot of extra water and a change of clothes for when we sweat through the first. The other reason August makes me anxious is…

There was a time not all that long ago when I had a plan. Once August rolled in, I’d start running trail cameras, scouting travel corridors and checking for fresh sign. I’d block off a couple weeks in November and dive into my favorite tracts of public ground like they were my own personal playgrounds. Public land was my go-to for many years. It was accessible and productive. It wasn’t always easy, but it was rewarding. It was mine—not in a legal sense, of course, but in the way every hunter who puts in the miles and hangs stands in the dark eventually claims a little piece of wild ground as his own. Now, those days are over. WHAT CHANGED? Somewhere along the way, the game shifted. Drawing tags has…

“Use enough gun.” Robert Ruark coined that phrase and used it as the title of a book on African hunting, but the sentiment holds true today whether hunting the Dark Continent or North American big game. It especially holds true when elk are your target. Elk are big and tough and live in some of the roughest terrain of any of the deer species. They are the second-largest member of the North American deer family, trailing only the moose. Cow elk can push 650 pounds, while bulls can exceed 800 and even 1,000 pounds in some regions. For the sake of clarification, a “large” caliber is any in the .30 group (or very close). Top contenders include the 7 mm Remington Magnum, 7 mm PRC, .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum,…

A well-stocked topwater arsenal should include a variety of options to tackle different situations and conditions throughout the year. Preferred food sources change seasonally, and wind conditions and water clarity can change daily. Below are six types of topwater baits to add to your tackle box. WALK-THE-DOG LURES The classic topwater action is a zigzagging motion often called “walking the dog,” created by rapidly twitching the rod tip while slacking line slightly between each twitch. The classic lure for this is the Heddon Zara Spook, but the Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg and Berkley J-Walker also perform it well. POPPERS The Rebel Pop-R is everybody’s favorite, but also good is the Berkley Bullet Pop. Choose lures with a feathered or bucktail aft treble, which adds a bit of motion during…

Determining the part of a buck’s core area that he shifts to in the fall may seem straightforward. However, a variety of things must come together to form “ideal” second-stage areas. These three are the most important. 1. DIVERSITY: Working edges and terrain are a must. This includes old fields (early successional growth), cedar or pine thickets, hardwoods, oak flats or any dramatic habitat changes. Emphasize great bedding areas with consistent thermals that not only provide the buck with cover but also play to his advantage in terms of both sight and smell. 2. DISTANCE: The area must be “far enough” from accesses to escape most hunting pressure. Some pressure is fine, but we are attempting to get away from early-season—and sometimes, private-land—hunters pushing in on borders. 3. DOES: Doe…

Eyes, malevolent in aspect, sunken into a skull filled with razor-sharp, backward-leaning teeth, lend an evil characteristic to the pike’s demeanor. But pike aren’t evil. They’re just mean. And they need to be to keep that long, green fuselage of a body fed and healthy. Big numbers of big predators can’t occupy the same area for long, so by the beginning of summer, northern pike spread out into multiple patterns. Some stay relatively shallow, utilizing weeds to hide in ambush and feed on panfish. Some find offshore structure—reefs, humps and points—to hunt whitefish, ciscoes and other prey. And some utilize deep flats and breaks where they find bottom-dwelling suckers and sculpins. After years spent fishing with industry luminaries like Al and Jimmy Lindner, fishing guides from the Dakotas to the…

Kentucky Lake’s massive size can overwhelm some anglers. Guide Matt Carter recommends talking to someone familiar with the lake, picking up a map and drilling down on one area. Both he and guide Doug Wynn also warn inexperienced boaters or people in undersized vessels to be careful, particularly on windy afternoons. Wynn says 5- to 6-foot waves can occur, depending on wind speed and direction, and in these conditions small, shallow-draft boats should stick to protected bays or coves. He recommends every boater should have a GPS locator with structure maps and a cellphone to monitor weather reports. The Explore Kentucky Lake website (explorekentuckylake.com) has current fishing reports and a list of available guides. Fish the lake on your own if you like, but hiring a guide can dramatically flatten…

With summer winding down and the baseball team eliminated from the tourney, Shane suddenly found himself with one last free week before school started. He planned to make the most of it. “Mark,” said Shane into the telephone, “losing might have been a blessing.” “What do you mean?” replied Mark. “Have you looked outside lately?” “It’s nice. Much cooler than usual.” “Exactly,” said Shane. “And it’s supposed to hold for the next few days.” “What are you getting at?” “The fish will be hammering. Plus, most of the other schools started back this week, so when we hit the river for a couple nights of camping, we might have it all to ourselves.” “You thinking Smith Fork?” “Yup,” said Shane. “You in?” “Yup,” said Mark. “I’ll bring my canoe, you…

FOR THE RECORD BOOKS What’s the heaviest crappie or bass caught in your state? See the latest updates on records for freshwater and saltwater fish under the “Fishing” section. RANGE REPORT: MARLIN MODEL 1895 Get the full report on Marlin’s reintroduced Model 1895 lever-action rifle. Find the rundown on the rifle under the “Gear” section. GO HOG WILD WITH BURRIS THERMAL OPTICS As boars become more nocturnal during the hotter months, Burris’ economically priced thermal units provide hunters the ability to control pig populations. WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NEWS Check out the latest in conservation efforts and issues, including voter initiatives, fair-chase ethics and best practices for using public-land resources under the “Hunting” section. AROUND THE OUTDOORS If you’re looking for the latest in hunting, shooting and fishing content, you can find…

Randy Ferguson describes deer hunting as a social service. He’s not talking about hunters’ mutually beneficial relationship with farmers in his native Pennsylvania, or the social and economic fabric that’s knit by hunters and their traditions in rural communities around the country. Instead, he’s talking about the million pounds of venison that Pennsylvania hunters have donated to public food banks in the Keystone State over the last 5 years. “We’ve been breaking records every year with the donated portion of the deer harvest,” says Ferguson, executive director of Pennsylvania’s chapter of Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) program, now in its 34th year. “Last season, hunters donated 262,000 pounds from about 6,900 deer. That’s an all-time record for us, topping the 235,000 pounds from the year before. When you compound the…

August is one of the hottest months of the year, and days on the water or in the field can be brutal. However, there are ways to beat the heat. Fishing in cooler northern waters, like Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, the south shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin and the Black Hills of South Dakota, is one such option. The fishing is great, temperatures are usually cooler, and the scenery isn’t too bad either. Targeting cooler times of the day is another possibility. Gigging frogs after dark is great fun and produces some delectable delicacies. Meanwhile, anglers can chase schooling spots at dawn with topwater baits. A float trip for white bass is another way to keep cool while also experiencing solid fishing. Regardless, there are plenty of…

While fishing for smallmouths on the Upper Mississippi River one day, my companions and I found ourselves suddenly scrambling for panfish gear when a squad of immense bluegills surged past the boat, leaping clear of the water. Our 7-foot ultralights were soon snapped into tight arcs as 4-pound line slipped off the spools. Thanks to those willing bluegills, it ended up being a very memorable day on the water. River panfish are tough customers. They battle current and develop muscle that their lake-bound cousins don’t. Bluegills, already known for their pugilistic qualities, become downright difficult to land in moving water. Anglers who’ve only experienced still-water crappies are often surprised at how sporty they can be in rivers. Much of this great panfishing action happens in or around backwater areas, which…

In summertime, the living may be easy, but the bass fishing is anything but. The easy options are either long gone or weeks away. You won’t have much success burning lipless crankbaits across flats or winding spinnerbaits and squarebills through blowdowns or along riprap. You can try dragging a Carolina rig across points. You’re likely to pick up a few fish but probably nothing to brag about—nothing to get you fired up to come back tomorrow or next week. All those things paid dividends in the spring, and they’ll likely pay off again in the fall. However, if you’re doing them in-between—during summer—you’re either wishing for fish or passing up on some of the most exciting and productive fishing of the year. It’s time for bass fishing’s version of hand-to-hand…

Dawn came over the vineyards, the air fresh and crisp and carrying just a faint hint of the distant Pacific Coast. I checked the chamber of my rifle and set it in guide Ryan Newkirk’s pickup. In every direction stretched vast fields of verdant green vines loaded with grapes. Perfectly ordered rows roller-coasted over the undulating hills. I felt like I was hunting in Paradise—a far different experience than the hardcore backcountry territory I usually hunt. Full morning light was upon us as we climbed into the truck, dropped it into gear and slowly motored away from Steinbeck Vineyards’ headquarters. Turning into a lane bordered on either side by grapes, we eased up the road, looking carefully down the length of each row of vines. I was astonished at how…

Little about the SIG Sauer Cross bolt-action rifle is classic in form. Indeed, not a lick of wood or blued metal can be found on the gun. However, after extensive range testing and in-the-field use, I’m confident even my late grandfather would appreciate what the Cross offers hunters. While not a typical bolt-action hunting rifle, the Cross offers undeniable capability. If you enjoy lightweight rifles that get on target quickly, feature a sub-4-pound match trigger, a fully adjustable folding buttstock and a threaded barrel, and are chambered in a round that punches above its weight, you’d be wise to consider the SIG Cross. THE CHAMBERING With personal defense, law enforcement and military-centric products such an integral part of SIG’s business model, many were surprised when the bolt-action Cross, a blend…

The .22 Long Rifle cartridge has been training new shooters and satisfying everyone else for well over a century. But as prolific and perfect as the .22 Long Rifle cartridge might seem, it has a design flaw—one that, in the world of modern cartridges, limits its performance. Winchester designed the .21 Sharp to correct that flaw, and you could argue it’s also partly the product of government regulations. But is the .21 Sharp a cartridge you need, and should you ditch your favorite .22 Long Rifle for one? Let’s take a closer look. AN UNFORTUNATE FLAW Have you ever looked at a .22 Long Rifle cartridge beside a .22 Magnum or .17 HMR cartridge? There’s a distinct difference. The bullets on the .22 Magnum and .17 HMR cartridges are smaller…

With my hand behind my back, motioning for my pal Joe to stop, I whispered hoarsely at a barely audible volume. “Don’t move.” Joe likely thought I had momentarily gone insane since we were walking slowly in total darkness, and seeing anything ahead to stop abruptly for was questionable indeed. If that was his thought, he was wrong. By nature’s design, my eyes were dilated and the photoreceptor cells in my retinas were already working overtime to pierce the darkness. What they detected were the two tan forms standing out in the otherwise complete black of the Wyoming backcountry. I lifted my binocular to my eyes in slow motion and whispered my next insight to Joe. “Bulls.” I had spied the bulls while summiting a small rise ahead of Joe.…

All bass anglers love the excitement of a heart-stopping top-water explosion. However, enticing a strike can sometimes be challenging. Fortunately, topwater success can improve with good timing, a little fine-tuning and a few tricks. TIME IT RIGHT First and foremost, fish topwater lures when bass are looking up. When fish are deep and the water is cold, topwaters aren’t the way to go. But once fish go into pre-spawn across the Midwest—typically when water temperature reaches about 60 degrees for largemouths and about 55 degrees for smallmouths—topwaters can come into play. Many fish move toward shallow water then, and most will remain there through the spawn and post-spawn nest guarding period, as well as into early summer as they feed on baby bluegills and other fry. MATCH THE HATCH Throwing…

Kentucky Lake has long lured anglers with its diverse fish habitat spanning more than 160,000 acres. Created in 1944 when the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impounded the Tennessee River for flood control and hydroelectric power generation, it’s the largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi River. Its sprawling coves, bays and creeks border 2,064 miles of shoreline. Like many large reservoirs, Kentucky Lake has seen its ups and downs, and the decade between 2010 and 2020 was especially difficult. A burgeoning Asian carp population made angling risky, with the large fish constantly leaping from the water whenever boat traffic neared. Simultaneously, fluctuating water levels during spawning season hampered bass and crappie recruitment. Today, anglers have fewer issues with invasive carp, as aggressive commercial fishing has dramatically reduced their numbers. And,…

To hunt in California, you are required to use ammo loaded with a lead-free projectile. That’s okay; there are plenty of good copper/alloy options available. Time was short, but a bit of shopping turned up exactly what I wanted: three boxes of 150-grain .308 Winchester Copper Impact ammo. With a muzzle velocity of 2,810 fps, these loads hit hard, penetrate deeply and expand aggressively—qualities ideal for these vineyard deer. The rifle I chose for this hunt was a compact and handy Mossberg Patriot chambered in .308 Win. For stalking through vines and crawling along the rows, this choice proved excellent. Most shot opportunities were expected to be 200 yards or less, so I zeroed the rifle two inches high at 100. After smacking a vital-sized steel plate several times at…

For a long time, low-power variable optics, or LPVOs, were usually 1–4X riflescopes. But time and technology march on, and the magnification range of LPVOs increased to 1–6X and then 1–8X. LPVOs typically have an eyepiece and a straight tube at the objective end instead of an objective bell, keeping them more compact but also limiting the size of the objective lens. As such, these sometimes stubby looking telescopic sights are great on rifles used for close-range hunting, AR-15s, lever-action rifles and even shotguns. This brings us to the latest addition to the Trijicon Credo HX lineup, a 1–10x28 riflescope in the LPVO configuration. This newest Credo HX is a little powerhouse of a scope, giving shooters a functionally true 1X at the low end, a sizable mid-range and 10X…