Innehållsförteckning för December/January 2021-22 från Game & Fish West

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…

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,…

As we put our third winter steel-head in the boat, my buddy loudly proclaimed through a big, toothy grin, “We really hit the hot spot this morning!” I shot him a confident wink. The truth is the “spot” was no secret and only partly responsible for our success. Seven other boats fished the same stretch of water, and they didn’t hook a fish on their plugs, jigs, beads and side-drifting gear. We rotated through, fishing the same 75 yards of prime water before motoring back upstream to do it again. The big difference between us and them was we were using freshly cured eggs from fish we’d caught a few days prior. IT ALL STARTS ON THE WATER Obtaining well-cured eggs begins the moment a fish is caught. Before lifting…

At some point you’re just collecting thoughts in the twilight as eiders and scoters weirdly chatter and zoom overhead. Your shotgun is loaded and set, ammo box open and positioned by your thigh for quick access. Clothing is adjusted and readjusted because you’re in thick layers sitting on your bottom in a two-man boat. You and your boatmate make sure you can shoulder your shotguns and swing with a couple of practice moves. You check the clock for the fourth or fifth time, making sure your phone is in the zippered chest pocket of your parka. All this finally ends, and then you and your boatmate sit quietly, listening, watching big birds flying, thoughts wandering in myriad directions. During that time, if you’re realistic, you think about being in a…

Veteran guide and U.S. Coast Guard captain Reilly McCue of RPM Outdoors (rpmoutdoors.com) runs trips out of harbors along the Northeast coast. He takes into account his scouting, weather, tides and what his hunters want to accomplish. McCue is stringent about safety, licenses and limits. He enjoys a good hunt but doesn’t tolerate tomfoolery or unsafe actions. I suggest staying at Lamie’s Inn and Old Salt Restaurant (OldSaltNH.com) in Hampton, N.H. This charming inn welcomes hunters, as does the town, and has long been a part of the area’s history. Rooms are comfortable, clean and quiet. At the Old Salt, be sure to get a cup of clam chowder, slab of haddock, and lobster mac and cheese. Wash it down with a Smuttynose Finestkind IPA or Old Dog Brown, an…

One Saturday Shane’s buddy John Jackson invited him for a round of skeet at Oak Hill Sporting Club, where John’s father was a member. Shane had never shot skeet, nor did he know his town had a “sporting club.” But if it involved shooting, Shane figured it had to be fun. When they arrived, however, Shane felt out of place. The men he saw looked like they were dressed more for business meetings than for fun. There was no camouflage anywhere. His apprehension increased as John and his father uncased their shotguns. John’s was an over-under with long, deeply blued barrels that glinted in the sun like an ocean wave. The gun’s silver receiver was engraved with the word Beretta and the initials J.C.J. underneath. John broke the shotgun open…

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…

This was going to be easy. The big coyote had broken out of the low sagebrush and was heading up a shallow ravine at a dead run. My calling had convinced him a free meal was nearby, and he was rushing to take advantage. I anxiously waited for him to close the distance, my heart thumping in excitement. He seemed destined to come right into my setup, and I clicked off the safety on my .243 Winchester, ready to deliver a shiny, 100-grain spitzer bullet. Then things went wrong. The coyote suddenly stopped short just over 100 yards away, partially screened by weeds and brush and refusing to take one step closer. I had no clear shot, and I watched his eyes search the area. Fully camouflaged and perfectly tucked…

Curing recipes run the gamut from wild to mild. How you cure your eggs will become a matter of personal choice once you’ve run a few batches. Here are two of my favorite cures, both guaranteed to help you catch more fish next time out. THE KOOL-AID CURE • 1 cup borax • 1/2 cup salt • 1 cup white sugar • 1 packet unsweetened Kool-Aid (orange or raspberry) This is a quick, simple recipe that’s popular with many winter steelhead anglers. 1. Mix the sugar, borax, salt and Kool-Aid in a bowl. 2. Cut the eggs to desired bait sizes. 3. Mix the eggs and the cure in a plastic bag. Gently rotate the bag so all parts of the eggs are covered in cure. 4. Once covered, gently…

Ruger Hawkeye rifles are the latest incarnation of Ruger’s famous Model 77 bolt-action centerfire rifle design. The origin of the name “Hawkeye” is found in early American literature. It was the nickname of fictional hero Natty Bumpo, the lead character in James Fenimore Cooper’s “Leatherstocking Tales.” (Remember “The Last of the Mohicans?”) Today, “Hawkeye” is commonly used to describe anyone who is an exceptional rifle shot. This all makes it a fitting name for an American-made hunting rifle. I recently tested the newest rifle in the Hawkeye line. Called the Predator, it is available in four chamberings: .204 Ruger, .223 Rem., .22-250 Rem. and 6.5 Creedmoor. One version comes with an adjustable length of pull, and all but the .223 Rem. Hawkeye Predator have 24-inch barrels. Ruger gives the .223…

I could tell Shawn Skipper was excited, and it wasn’t because he had just returned from a successful elk hunt. (I think it was elk. Skipper hunts so much that it’s difficult to keep track.) “Big news from us,” he said, “and you’re going to like it.” By “us,” Skipper meant Leupold. He serves as the company’s industry relations manager and therefore keeps me abreast of the latest product developments coming from headquarters. “We’re giving the VX-3i line a bunch of upgrades and calling it the VX-3HD,” he dutifully reported. “I know you’re a fan of the VX-3i, but these new HD scopes are even better—” I interrupted him with a groan. Recently I’d come to notice that scope “upgrades” meant larger main tubes and objective lenses. Several VX-3i scopes…

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,…

Over the past few years, long-range shooting, and in turn long-range hunting, has become all the rage. However, it’s one thing to attempt to bang steel plates at 1,000 yards and quite another to take long shots at live animals. At a recent long-range training school hosted by Trijicon’s Tom Maciak—a highly accomplished long-range competition shooter and hunter—he shared his expert tips on becoming a proficient long-range shooter with myself and a handful of ex-special forces and S.E.A.L. team combat professionals. Here’s his 10-step program for success. 1. GET A RIFLE THAT FITS “You have to know your rifle. Shouldering it should feel like hugging your teddy bear,” Maciak says. “It has to fit you like a glove.” That means you need to customize the cheekpiece and length of…

Winter is an especially unforgiving time for hunters, and it requires certain preparations and, sometimes, specialized gear. APPAREL: Extreme cold—and the bitter wind that often accompanies it—requires clothing suited to the task. Multiple pairs of gloves, insulated waders, facemasks and beanies or bomber-style hats are mandatory. DECOYS: Rivers—often some of the only water open at this time—can be particularly dangerous for hunters. Icy fog and mist can freeze to about everything.And hunters should use extreme caution when wading. With decoys, consider using heavier-than-normal weights to hold in the faster current. Scoop- or claw-type anchors work better for holding than other types. Also, use heavier cord, which is easier to wind with icy gloves. DOGS: High-energy retrievers are a godsend for recovering downed and crippled birds, but take extra precautions with…

Give me a jig with hair, Long, beautiful bucktail. Shining, gleaming, Streaming, waxen, flaxen. Won’t you give me a hackle tail? Four inches or longer? Here marabou, there flashabou, Everywhere, giant bass love hair! If you sing that to the tune of the 1969 hit “Hair” by The Cowsills, you’ll not only have an idea of what you want in a quality bucktail jig, but you just might crack the Billboard Top 100. Hair jigs are that hot. Bucktail jigs, preacher jigs or whatever you want to call them may have gone out of style among many in the trend-conscious bass world, but they’re back with a vengeance because they never stopped catching fish—and they never will. WHY SO SPECIAL? First of all, let’s talk about hair and what the…

Amenities on the Colorado prairie are few and far between, but two good bases of operation are Sterling, Colo., and Sidney, Neb. Sterling is located near the middle of Logan County and is within easy driving distance of Colorado’s best pheasant hunting. It offers a variety of lodging opportunities, including everything from national chains like Super 8 to small mom-and-pop places that cater to hunters. North Sterling Reservoir attracts thousands of Canada geese in the fall. Public access can be gained via North Sterling State Park. Waterfowlers pass-shoot the geese coming off the reservoir at locations around the park and hunt geese in the fields, so pack your waterfowling firearm if you want to add honkers to your bag. North Sterling Reservoir is famous for its walleye and crappie fishing,…

To me, the lever-action rifle will always be the quintessential deer gun. Whether it’s chambered for .30-30 Win., .45-70 Govt. or even .35 Rem., a lever gun belongs in the woods come deer season. I suppose those feelings come from growing up in the East and toting a Winchester Model 94 through the hardwoods and hemlocks during my formative years as a deer hunter. A lot has changed about rifles, cartridges and deer hunting since then, but the iconic lever action continues to be favored by a whole lot of hunters—and not just in the Appalachians. Federal Premium (federalpremium. com) recognized this when, working with Henry Repeating Arms, it set out to develop a new line of ammunition specifically tailored to up the performance of lever-action rifles. The HammerDown line…