Innehållsförteckning för February 2021 från Game & Fish West

Free-range aoudad hunts aren’t for the faint of heart or wimpy gear, as the terrain is unruly and unforgiving. I carried a Ruger Hawkeye Hunter chambered in .300 Win. Mag.($1,099; ruger.com) and loaded it with Hornady Precision Hunter 178-grain ELD-X ammo ($49.99 per 20 rounds; hornady.com). It proved to be a winning combination, offering a muzzle velocity of nearly 3,000 fps and plenty of power to down a hefty ram. The Hawkeye’s one-piece, stainless steel bolt features a non-rotating, Mauser-type controlled-round-feed extractor, which makes cycling rounds foolproof. A hinged, solid steel floorplate allows easy unloading without having to chamber each cartridge. The free-floated, cold-hammer-forged stainless steel barrel has 5R rifling and precise headspace to ensure tight groups downrange, while a radial-port muzzle brake significantly reduces felt recoil. As smooth and…

Perhaps nothing has advanced more in my 52 years of winter steelhead fishing than the rods used to catch them. When it comes to fishing in high water, my rod of choice is a G.Loomis E6X 1145-2S STR. This 9-foot, 6-inch rod is long enough to handle a range of presentations, and the medium-heavy power and fast action make it very versatile. For high-water steelhead, my mainline of choice is 15-pound P-Line CXX X-Tra Strong in moss green. This line is tough and abrasion resistant, and it’s the best performing copolymer I’ve used fishing for steelhead in a variety of ways in multiple river settings. My high-water steelhead leader of choice is 12-pound CXX. A great, all-around spinning reel is Shimano’s Stradic CI4 3000FA. Fished with mono, copoly or braid,…

There’s no denying that technology has revolutionized bass fishing in recent years. Today’s electronics provide incredibly precise underwater views. The materials and engineering of rods and reels make them exponentially more efficient and effective than tackle introduced just a decade ago. Lures are made to cast farther and more accurately than ever before and feature actions and finishes that make them virtually indiscernible from the living creatures they are meant to mimic. But not all productive baits are newfangled contrivances; sometimes the key to success these days comes from the distant past. Comprising natural or manmade materials tied around a weighted hook, hair jigs are one of the original artificial fishing lures. Their lifelike movements and silhouette can resemble almost anything in a bass’s diet, but especially darting baitfish and…

When most folks think trekking into the backcountry on a big-game hunt, they think of elk or sheep. As majestic and iconic as both of these hunts can be, they come with a price tag just as stunning. Hunting in the United States is not a sport limited to royalty like it was for our European ancestors, but some hunts require significant savings for sure. Thanks to Adam Beaupré of Horse Creek Outfitters (HCO), wilderness dreamers like me have a more affordable option. HCO is based out of Challis, Idaho, and operates on roughly 300 square miles of public land. A respected outfitter in Idaho for more than 20 years, HCO offers guided opportunities for elk, deer, moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion, coyote, wolf and bear. HCO…

For a Western hunter or angler, February is a cruel month. Big-game seasons are either a fond memory or an expectant future, dependent on tedious paperwork. Turkey seasons are still a couple months away, and unless you’re a predator hunter or an ice-fishing zealot, this is a good month to catch up on your fly-tying, reloading and applying for hunting permits that will sustain you the rest of the year. Or, take a cue from these suggestions, and get out of the house for some surprisingly productive outings. 1 OREGON STEELHEAD The single best month to tie into an ocean-fresh steelhead is February. Legendary Oregon streams such as the Alsea, Clackamas and Nehalem are filling with fish this month.The best source for run strength and season details is Oregon’s…

I pointed to the water in the hole we were setting up to fish. The river was high, but the water in this particular section was relatively slow. “This isn’t very deep here, is it?” I asked Todd Harrington, owner of Living Waters Guide service. “Nope, seven feet, to be exact,” Harrington said. “Let’s go ahead and let the plugs out.” Soon my wife, two sons and I had our lines in the water, plugs barely moving in the shallow current. A few minutes later Tiffany was battling the first winter steelhead of the morning. Before she could get her fish to the net, our son, Braxton, was fighting a second feisty steelhead. Harrington shot me a wink. We both knew it was going to be a good day—not just…

Today, the very best hunting in the West for trophy-class animals occurs in limited-entry units where the available tags are tightly controlled and season and weapons restrictions apply. The exceptions are landowner permits (tags issued to landowners based on several criteria, including how much land they own and the local game population, among others), and auction or special governor’s tags that go to those with pockets deep enough to pay for them. Maximizing your chances at drawing as many of these coveted tags as possible over your lifetime requires focus, dedication and a knowledge of how to play the odds. I’ve been playing the game for 30-some years, during which time I’ve drawn some really good tags. Most years, of course, I get two or three of the easy-to-draw kind.…

While there are plenty of quality hair jig options on the market, tying them yourself can be enjoyable and easy, and it allows you to create custom versions for your local waters and bass. The components list is short: jig heads, thread, body materials and head cement. You also will need scissors, a whip-finish tool and a basic vise that accepts large hooks. Practice and patience will help your tying expertise, so don’t despair if your first few hair jigs look rough. You’ll be turning out refined ones soon enough. STEP 1: Wrap the Shank Once you’ve chosen a head, clamp it hook down and with the shank parallel to the table. Hold a spool of thread—140 denier or thicker—in your hand or with a bobbin. Starting just behind the…

Looking back through my journals, 13 seems to be the magic number. When a call set hits the 13-minute mark, that is when I expect a coyote to come bouncing through the sagebrush. Perhaps the most memorable 13th-minute coyote was an adult female that charged in from between two buttes on a dead run, leaped over the electronic call and snapped its jaws on the motion decoy. A motion decoy can be as simple as a feather hung from a branch and allowed to twist in the breeze, but there are a number of more sophisticated commercial decoys to choose from. Since I prefer woodpecker distress calls over rabbit sounds, I try to use bird decoys or small animal decoys like the Decoy Bird Topper or Fuzzy Wuzzy Decoy Topper…

One constant that has held us all together and given us hope for a brighter future through unprecedented times is our collective love of the water. As ice begins to fade across the northland and waters warm throughout the South, our attention turns once again to boats—especially new boats rolling into marinas—as well as the powerplants and accessories that make fishing from a new boat a true joy. While the fundamental acts of fishing—presenting a lure and coaxing a strike—remain unchanged, the specific features and functions that we look for in a new boat may vary widely depending on where we fish and what we’re fishing for. Indeed, the boating needs of a halibut angler plying the waters of coastal Alaska will not match those of a crappie enthusiast in…

There’s a sweet new line of gear—including killer grinders—on the block for DIY meat processors. Aptly named, MEAT! has established an attractive brand across social media during the past year. But it’s not all just flashy marketing; MEAT! products have proven to be ultra reliable among at-home processors, restaurant chefs and even commercial butchers. Perhaps the most alluring part of the MEAT! brand is that its products are sold online, direct to consumer, removing middleman markup and allowing working-class ladies and gentlemen to get more (and better) gear for less cash. I’ve been using most of the new equipment from MEAT!, including the 1/2-horsepower grinder ($350; meatyourmaker.com). It grinds meat faster than I can cycle the bolt on my rifle. This model includes sausage-stuffing accessories and a handy drawer to…

Since aoudad can be hunted year-round in Texas, Steve Jones of Backcountry Hunts (backcountryhunts.com) gives clients the option of combining the species with whitetail and mule deer during a single trip. Jones offers a $500 discount when hunts are combined (a $315 license is required). He prefers hunters take rams with horns larger than 27 inches, and most clients’ rams measure an impressive 28 1/2 to 30 1/2 inches. The hunter success rate is high; most years Backcountry Hunts enjoys 100 percent success on aoudad.…

Hunting season is over and your freezer is (hopefully) full of venison. Your camo has been washed and put away and your bow has been stored until it’s time to start shooting again this summer. But wait! Why let that expensive gear hang when you could be improving your shooting skills, learning to maintain your equipment and having great archery fun throughout the winter? Now is the perfect time to start making your bow a bigger part of your recreational life, especially if you have an archery pro shop and range nearby. Archery is growing rapidly as a recreational outlet for families, and most pro shops offer excellent training programs for adults and kids alike. Most archery shops host indoor target and 3D evening leagues throughout winter that offer friendly…

Arizona Unit 13A, Mule Deer: The famed Arizona Strip is huge, and so are its bucks. Draw odds are low and the hunting tough, but for a DIY trophy hunt, this is hard to beat. California Unit 406, Cache Creek Tule Elk: A unique opportunity to hunt a unique elk species on the 2,300-acre Cache Creek Wildlife Area. Colorado Units 7/8 & 191, Moose: Want a moose? This is the best chance in the Lower 48, with populations growing. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime tag, so start applying now. Idaho Unit 40, Early-Season Rifle Elk: Possibly the most coveted elk tag in the state, hunting is done in lowland desert-like terrain. The unit is 83-percent public land. Montana Unit 410, Bull Elk: This Montana unit has big bulls and lots of public…

Two hours. A matter of time. I would sit this stand until a coyote showed. It was pronghorn country, and this was the only water hole for miles. Then I heard ravens off to the east, downwind, croaking as if something had caught their attention. I thumbed the remote to a woodpecker distress call, and within 13 minutes a dirty brown coyote trotted into view. Downwind, where the ravens said it was, the dog held up at 147 yards, partially screened behind a clump of rabbit brush. We are in the midst of a rapid growth of predator populations across the West, as the number of trappers dwindle and less money is allocated to predator control, even in cattle and sheep country. The conservation imperative is to control coyotes, and…

In the past several decades, wild hogs have spread across America like ants at a picnic. Today, estimates place the current number in the U.S. at about 5 million pigs in 45 states. Populations exist as far north as Michigan, North Dakota and Oregon. This range expansion is mostly a result of illegal trans-location of pigs by humans—hogs are not native to North America, but they come equipped with the ability to eat a wide range of food and to reproduce at a tremendous rate when they have enough to eat. They are also a challenge to hunt, and all but the biggest boars are fine eating. Although hogs have the same needs and habits wherever they live, the best hunting for them in the West is in California, where…

Some dreams subside with time; others remain, prowling your soul, even though they seem as unobtainable as the fountain of youth. As a boy hunting whitetails in the Allegheny Mountains, like many Easterners I dreamed of packing into the wilds of the West on a big-game hunt. At the half-century mark I managed to drag that dream from a coal-mine-like hole of my memory and make it come true. I saddled a horse and rode into Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains with a rifle. Ten miles from civilization, I tensed in the saddle as my mount negotiated a tight trail above Horse Creek. The terrain was so steep I could almost lean in the saddle, reach out and touch the ground on the uphill side. I felt like I was in…

Certain companies become so established in the minds of consumers that even their one-word brand names are synonymous with entire product categories. Count Coleman among them, as the mention of its name conjures a venerate line of outdoor lighting products. There’s no telling how many hunting camps have been brightened by Coleman lanterns, how many blood trails have been exposed in the darkness or how many nighttime fishing docks have been illuminated. The company has sold more than 50 million lanterns during its 120-year history, and the brand continues to embody quality and dependability today. William Coffin Coleman grew up in Parsons, Kan., and eventually became a part-time traveling salesman to augment his teacher’s salary. On one of his sales trips he was introduced to the pressurized gas lamp. Impressed…

Shane’s uncle and his family from St. Louis were visiting, and 10-year-old cousin Marcus was keen on going hunting. Though he didn’t hunt, Marcus’ father knew Shane had an impeccable safety record. He also knew that at 18, Shane had already taken several great bucks. His uncle could think of no one better than Shane to take young Marcus afield, and Shane was glad to do it. “So what do you want to hunt, buddy?” asked Shane as soon as the luggage was unloaded. “Umm, I don’t know. Anything really,” said Marcus. “What’s the most fun?” “Well, I really like hunting deer—big bucks,” Shane replied. “Why?” asked Marcus. “It’s challenging. A mature buck is a wise animal with a nose like radar,” explained Shane. “If you can kill an old…