Innehållsförteckning för October 2024 från Game & Fish West

It’s only October, but the upcoming elections are on everyone’s mind. You are registered to vote, right? If so, read on for ways to fulfill your civic duty while making the most of your hunting and fishing time. If not, go to gunvote.org to register now. Many states still permit voter registration for the upcoming elections. There are a few things besides registering to vote that we must do in the coming weeks to ensure our participation in the elections. First, we should double-check our calendars to make sure any outdoor plans don’t interfere with exercising our right to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5. November is a busy month, especially for hunters. If you intend to hunt or fish and vote in person that day, work out a schedule now…

As a whitetail deer hunting fanatic, I find it hard to admit that there might be a better month than November. The fact is, however, October might be it. This statement does come with its share of caveats, including the biggest of them all: hunting pressure. As one who will spend about 90 percent of my time hunting public ground in an average year, hunting pressure dictates everything, including whether or not October is a better choice than oft-favored November. In areas of limited pressure, there’s no question in my mind that November is the month to hunt. It’s really not even a close contest when you consider the entirety of each month. Sure, the last week of October can be awesome, but it comes at the cost of three…

There is more carbon fiber in the Bergara B-14 Squared Crest Carbon than steel, which is a good thing for hunters who want a lightweight rifle that doesn’t sacrifice strength or rigidity. The Crest Carbon is built on the two-lug, push-feed B-14 bolt action, but the two other major components of the rifle—the stock and barrel—bring the benefits of carbon fiber to Bergara’s mid-priced line. Produced by carbon-fiber resin-transfer molding, the rifle’s stock is made by hand-assembling dry carbon fibers in a mold, which is then injected with resin. The result is a monocoque, all-carbon-fiber stock that incorporates a spine to provide more rigidity and strength. Rigid stocks tend to produce greater accuracy due to less flexing under recoil, and stronger stocks have more resistance to damage from drops, bumps…

My friend Dave Bryant is part mountain goat. Well into his 50s, he trains relentlessly, eats healthily and partakes in mountain marathons and bike races where the thin air leaves mere mortals gasping. As we were walking to the river with rods in hand one day, his pace quickened when he spotted a pair of anglers already down on the riverbank. “Take your time!” he shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared into the canyon. No need for the warning. I stopped trying to keep up with Dave long ago. As he disappeared down the bluff overlooking the Colorado River, I knew my best bet was to take my time and meet Dave at the river standing up. About halfway down the sinuous slope, my Lab Keifer came charging back…

Many hunters have recognized the advantages of cellular trail cameras, and manufacturers have been steadily improving the capabilities of these modern scouting tools. This includes two of the latest models from Spypoint, the FLEX-M and FLEX-PLUS, both of which impressed me with their performance in concert with the Spypoint app during testing. All FLEX series cell cams feature easy setup, mobile activation and remote firmware updates through the Spypoint app. Each model utilizes an optimized antenna for greater connectivity and Dual SIM technology that automatically selects the best cell service in the area. This ability to work through two carriers (AT&T and Verizon) alleviates much of the concern over poor signal, which can drain batteries or prevent transmissions altogether. FLEX series cameras are capable of photo (single shot or burst)…

GET READY FOR THE RUT! Our annual Regional Rut Update—exclusive weekly field reports on whitetail activity in each region—brings you timely info from pre-rut to post-rut. Look for reports beginning in mid-October. SNEAKY TACTICS Become invisible in the deer woods with Josh Honeycutt’s in-depth look at how to slip up close to a breeding pair of whitetails. Read “How to Stalk a Buck-and-Doe Pair During the Rut” for pointers. WE GET A LITTLE SALTY Season 5 of our “Beyond the Bait” series hits the saltwater off Jensen Beach, Fla., to share expert tips and strategies for success with hard-fighting gamefish. Find all episodes in the “Watch” section. BEILUE’S BEST FROM ICAST “Bass Crash Course” video series host Shane Beilue details the most interesting rods, reels and tackle he could find…

What is it, exactly, that I’m looking for in scrapes? There’s no magic or wizardry involved; I’m simply on the hunt for scrapes that are active. I’m looking for those scrape areas that are being visited regularly. They’re easy to spot—they’re cleared of leaves and debris, have an obvious licking branch and usually carry an aroma of deer urine. Finding an area with several active scrapes in close proximity is even better, and that’s a common scenario when hunting farm country. Standing cornfields are my habitat of choice in October. Those cornfields offer the very best bedding cover available and create a ton of natural edge. If I find several active scrapes in a 30- or 40-yard stretch along the edge of a cornfield, I’m wasting no time in getting…

One of the pillars of our North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is that we should avoid the commercialization of wildlife and their various parts. After all, it was the unregulated trade in furs, feathers and meat that led to widespread declines in wildlife as America industrialized a century and a half ago. That prohibition on “market hunting” is the primary reason you don’t find wild venison cutlets in your grocer’s butcher case and why it’s illegal to sell sausage from last season’s elk. There is a lively market for game in America, but almost without exception it’s not wild. The meat is sourced from game farms, where ear-tagged elk, bison and whitetails are treated like Herefords and Holsteins. But our consensus agreement that we shouldn’t sell wildlife parts is…

The first time I made Mississippi pot roast, I couldn’t believe the deliciousness that resulted from the unlikely combination of pepperoncini peppers and powdered ranch dressing. The meat wasn’t spicy but instead savory, and it quickly became a favorite of my household. The standard recipe calls for beef, but I use venison instead. A pronghorn hindquarter roast might be the best meat for the dish. Serve it over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or thick slices of bread as an open-face sandwich. INGREDIENTS • 3-4 lb. pronghorn hindquarter roast• 1 packet of powdered ranch dressing• 1 packet of au jus gravy mix• 1 stick of butter• 8-10 pepperoncini peppers• Fresh chopped parsley DIRECTIONS 1. Trim roast of exterior silver skin and place in slow cooker. 2. Sprinkle roast with ranch dressing and…

It wasn’t cold, and I didn’t have a favorable wind. Still, my trail-cam check the week before told me my target buck had walked in daylight twice. That was all the intel I needed. It was Oct. 23, 2023, and after slipping into my ground blind situated over a pond I had dug myself, I stood the Hoyt on the Go-Stix and waited. An east wind forced me to the ground blind. I badly wanted to be in my lock-on only 20 yards away. I could shoot the pond and my small winter rye kill plot from that stand. From the blind, it was the pond or nothing. Over the years, I’ve honed my hunting strategy, setting up my spots with multiple hunt options. This way, I can adapt to…

Rarely will you find something that is less expensive today than it was five or 10 years ago. Although technology does have the potential to lower the cost of manufacturing and components, better technology usually produces goods that come with more features or greater benefits, which in turn carry higher price tags. There is an exception, however, and it comes in the form of the inertia-operated shotgun. Semi-autos built on inertia operating systems have established themselves as workhorses among bird hunters because they can handle a wide range of loads and shoot them day in and day out with little maintenance. They may never win a beauty contest, but there is something to admire about one gun that can go from dusty, 90-degree Texas dove fields to icy, 30-degree Maine…

There are plenty of things that can kill a man in the woods,” Shane’s father told his son, “but three in particular worry me the most because they are particularly unforgiving. Luckily, all are things we can usually control.” Shane, who was gearing up to go bowhunting by himself for the first time, stayed quiet because he knew the answer was forthcoming. “Guns, boats—especially while duck hunting in cold water with waders on—and treestands. With all these things, it just takes one little slip—one split-second of complacency—and your life can be snatched from you in the time it takes to think, I wish I’d worn my life vest. “I knew one poor fella who fell out of his treestand—an old, rotted board in the crotch of a tree—and broke his…

The 8-point was standing under the feeder and a raccoon was dishing out corn as fast as the buck could eat it. He was only 69 yards off, but his chest was behind a big white oak tree. We watched him for 20 minutes, and finally something spooked him. He jumped out into the open, slightly quartering away. I whispered, “Shoot,” and my daughter pulled the trigger. The buck mule-kicked like he was heart shot, ran a tight circle, wobbled like a drunk, dropped and went still. When we got to where he’d piled up, there was nothing but blood. He was gone, and we never saw him again. My daughter is a decent rifle shot. Just six months before shooting this whitetail buck, she’d completed her first African safari.…

Somewhere in the darkest corner of the continental U.S., we slowed then pulled over beside the pickup, its hood flying like a white flag of surrender. Later that day, my wirehair limped toward us as we jawboned about the climb and cursed the chukars that streaked down the hill we’d just ascended. Both situations—broken-down pickup and hurt dog—were quickly remedied with stuff in my truck, vest and pockets. Over the thousands of miles I’ve walked and driven during bird hunts, I’ve managed to overcome dozens of serious or merely inconvenient problems because I was prepared with some basic items, organized in my truck or on my person, to deal with mishaps. They got us back to the hunt, truck, nearest veterinarian and, in a few cases, hospital emergency room. In…

Important decisions must be made on every hunting trip. Some require immediate action while others may take hours or even days of consideration to reach a determination. The one at hand, which I was intensely mulling over in the cab of Chad Schearer’s pickup, was stretching into two or three minutes. It’s a good thing no one was behind us in the drive-through line at Sip’s Coffee. Just off a plane, I was set on a café mocha when Chad said, “You know, you really ought to get one of these vanilla chai lattes.” The last three words were terminology that I’d never heard come from Chad’s mouth before, and we had been friends for almost 20 years. We had usually talked about bolt-action rifles, muzzleloader bullets, pronghorn antelope and…

I only caught a glimpse of tan as it melted into the tangle of brush that lined the small waterway. I was sure it was an elk but had no idea if it was a cow or a bull. I motioned for my hunting partner to come over. Quietly, he shifted his position on the canyon caprock and steadied his bino on the elk’s last known whereabouts as I let out some loud, sexy cow talk from my reed-style call. “Bull,” I heard him say seconds later. As I lifted my own bino, I spied not one, not two, but three bulls, all of which were marching across the sage-sprinkled flat, their gaze focused on our location. From our vantage point, there was no easy way to descend the treacherous…

Fishing for whitefish is no different than fishing with nymphs for trout. Whitefish are demersal feeders, meaning they stir the bottom with their pectoral fins and tail to dislodge insect larvae, amphipods, crustaceans and nymphs. Because their diet is quite diverse, imitations used to tempt them don’t have to be too precise. Impressionistic patterns like the Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear, Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail Nymph, Copper John and any number of soft-hackle flies work equally well.…

The tall 8-point emerged from thick brush and walked slowly toward the field edge. I’d seen him cross a small gap in the dense cover minutes earlier, but he’d melted back into the thicket before I could get on him. Now, it seemed, I might get a shot. Some luck, given I was hunting the final day of Illinois’ second firearm deer season with less than 20 minutes of legal shooting light remaining. If I didn’t get a chance here, an unfilled tag was all I’d be bringing home. I cocked the hammer of my rifle, a Henry Single Shot Steel. The deer must’ve heard me shift in my stand because he turned a bit, going from quartering away to broadside. Framed between two trees in the fading, golden light,…