Innehållsförteckning för October 2025 från Game & Fish West

Wy wife Elaine and I try to use as much of any deer I kill as is practical. Like many hunters, we save the heart and tongue and occasionally the liver, but we also make broth from a deer’s hind legs. Here’s how you can do the same, as well as some recipes using the broth. BREAKING DOWN THE BONES Because of their larger size, we prefer the thigh bones for making broth. After removing most of the meat from them, I use loppers to cut them into three roughly equal sections. The bones will shatter and connective tissue and bone marrow will be exposed, but that’s a good thing as it adds nutrition to the mixture (any bone fragments will be removed during the straining process). And don’t worry…

Throughout the West, there’s no shortage of places to hunt ducks on opening weekend. The 70-mile-long Great Salt Lake and it’s many marshes are a known spot for breeding waterfowl, thus offering good early-season hunting opportunities. Sixty miles east of Reno, the Stillwater NWR is Nevada’s most popular waterfowling hotspot, hosting roughly a quarter of a million puddle ducks throughout the season. California continues to be one of the best waterfowling states in the country, and its many state and federal refuges offer plenty of opportunities. Learn more about many great options in the Golden state at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web sites. Oregon’s Klamath Basin, including the Klamath Wildlife Area and Upper Klamath Lake, offer good duck hunting, as…

While you can sometimes locate sharpies without dogs, a well-trained canine can help find more birds and locate downed ones. However, when afield you will possibly encounter different threats to your dog: porcupines, prairie rattlers and cacti. During warm, early-season days, rattlesnakes are serious threats in many high-prairie regions, especially around rock cliffs. You should always expect a porcupine encounter, so look for gnawed trees and brush as indicators that a porcupine has been feeding there. Forceps work great for pulling quills, but do be prepared for a vet visit in case you dog has a reaction after the encounter or gets a quill in an eye. For cactus thorns, pull them out and watch for feet problems such as bleeding or swelling. It’s a good idea to also take…

To get to Ah-Di-Nah campground, drive south from McCloud Ranger Station on Squaw Valley Road to McCloud Reservoir. Turn right on Forest Road 38N53 and follow signs to Ah-Di-Na. It’s only 18 miles but will take at least an hour if you value your tires, undercarriage and drive shaft. In addition to Ah-Di-Nah, there are plenty of other Forest Service campgrounds in the area, as well as a few RV parks and motels and dining in McCloud, Burney and the surrounding area. Friday’s RV resort is the closest to the Conservancy water. The majestic and charming McCloud Hotel offers a peek at the town’s glory days. Toast the big one that got away at Siskiyou Brew Works in McCloud, and definitely order a pizza. Old town McCloud is worth a…

We all wondered what was in store for Marlin after Ruger purchased the company in 2020. Many feared that the near 150-year legacy of one of the most iconic firearms manufacturers was in jeopardy. What we soon discovered is that Ruger might be the best thing to happen to Marlin. The lever-action rifles Marlin is producing today are some of the best lever guns the gunmaker has ever produced—maybe that any manufacturer has ever made. One of Marlin’s newest lever guns is another version of their Trapper, but it’s outfitted with a stock and forend from Magpul—and it’s one of my favorites. With its 16-inch barrel, the Trapper lever gun is a short, fast-handling carbine. Currently, Marlin is offering Trappers in the Model 1895 (chambered in .45-70 Government), Model 336…

GET RUT READY! G&F’s annual Regional Rut Update gives hunters the most up-to-date information from each region to provide them with the needed intel on what to expect when they hit the field. See each weekly update under the “Hunting” tab. FALL FISHING FRENZY Just because it’s fall doesn’t mean it’s time to put the fishing rods away. See the latest on the hottest bites, from bass to trout to inshore species, under the “Fishing” tab. GETTIN’ BIRDY Fall is full of upland opportunities. From ruffed grouse in New England and Great Plains ringnecks to Hungarian partridge in the Rockies and quail hunting in the South, our “Upland” section is a must-see. GEAR UP FOR BIG GAME Big game seasons are in full swing in many states. Check out the…

My kids called it my “SS” talk, and they don’t recall it particularly fondly. The acronym stands for “self-sufficiency,” and I reliably trotted out a lecture on the topic just about any time my kids failed to demonstrate it. When they forgot their pocket knife and asked to borrow mine, I scolded them for their lack of SS. When they ran out of gas and called me for help, I reminded them of the value of SS. When they asked me to bait a hook or tie a knot, they got a brief lecture in self-sufficiency. I’m not proud of my too-frequent return to the topic, especially since my kids are mostly grown and now way too self-sufficient for my liking. But the idea of self-reliance has been back in…

The taxidermy adorning my home and office represents special times and memories with close friends. Every time I look at them, the mounts transport me to unique moments that have occurred throughout my life. If you’ve been hunting long enough, you might have a substantial amount of money invested in your taxidermy, so why not take care of it? Mounts can last well beyond our own lifetimes if they are crafted by a quality taxidermist and adequately maintained. Most don’t require a lot of upkeep, but periodic cleaning and dusting can enhance their appearance and longevity. As with anything, you get what you pay for when it comes to taxidermy. Master taxidermists know how to properly flesh and prepare the skin, ensuring it stands the test of time, so shop…

While sharp-tailed grouse meat can taste like liver to some, proper cooking can eliminate any of that gamey taste. Once the breasts are clean and ready to cook, drizzle them with freshly squeezed lime juice as a marinade and let them rest from in the juice for anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. Next, wrap the breasts in a strip of bacon held in place by a wooden toothpick. Cook those bacon-wrapped breasts on a 375-degree grill until the bacon is browned and the breast meat is to your desired temperature. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice. If you’re in a hurry, try using an Insta-Pot pressure cooker. First, sauté green and/or red peppers and onions in the pot with a little cooking oil. Next, remove those and sauté…

Anticipation and elation rapidly gave way to worry as the blood trail petered out. My daybreak shot had created a frantic scene, with does leaping and fleeing and the targeted buck seemingly vanishing. We originally wondered if the 10-pointer dropped where it had stood. Nope. But ample, frothy blood at the point of impact seemed to indicate a quality hit, leading to expectations of a dead deer close by. Wrong. Mostly, anyway. From our elevated blind, my young guide, Eli Arends, and I watched the buck sneak in just before legal light, approaching a couple of does and fawns. “Is that Tres?” I whispered? Arends raised his binoculars, then looked at me and nodded. The hunting crew at Lowrance Ranch, a 43,000-acre working cattle operation in North Texas, closely monitors…

Shane often daydreamed of hunting elk out West, and finally, after holding the winning raffle ticket for an elk hunt at the local Ducks Unlimited banquet, he was in the thick of it, somewhere deep in the dark timber of a Montana mountain. It was the peak of the rut, and bulls were bugling all around as Shane clutched his bow and tried his best to tell whether they were real bulls or other hunters. A moment later his question was answered. Six cow elk ran right past him, cutting across the logging road where Shane stood before galloping up the mountain as if they were being chased. In another instant Shane’s heart leapt as he saw the ivory tips of a big bull’s antlers seemingly float through the timber…

We were high on a ridgeline overlooking a lot of flat and wide-open Wyoming countryside. The FoxPro electronic call had been playing for about 10 minutes, and we’d seen nothing. Just as we were about to call it quits, a lone coyote appeared started heading our way. Finally, he stopped and began looking around in an attempt to pinpoint the dying jackrabbit. We were probably 200 feet above the coyote, and he was a bit more than 300 yards away. I held dead on and dumped him. Many hunters get all worked up when they must shoot uphill or downhill. Angled shooting does affect bullet flight. When you shoot up- or downhill, you need less trajectory correction. Gravity is the force that all bullets must reckon with, and it starts…

I slipped, skidded and stumbled before crashing to a stop at the mountain’s base. It wasn’t a wicked fall, but it hurt. I worried more about my rifle-and-scope combination than my bruised 19-year-old ego. Thankfully, neither the scope nor the rings appeared to be loose, and aside from a heavy scratch running the full length of the rifle’s maple stock and a handful of nicks and dings on the barrel and receiver, the 7mm Rem. Mag. seemed fine. I wouldn’t have known what to do if it wasn’t. I was as green to elk hunting as one could be. A Colorado native, I grew up in a non-hunting family. If it weren’t for the man who brought me on the trip, a big game hunt would’ve remained a pipe dream…

Two hours before shooting light, Dad and I were set up. Two dozen duck decoys were in place, complete with a jerk cord attached to four swimmers and a pull-string wing decoy. Thick rushes made for an easy hide. As daylight broke, we reminisced about this magical marsh. Dad first hunted it in 1952 when he was 12 years old. I hunted it when I was 12, in 1976, as did my son when he was 12, in 2012. But this time was different. Ten minutes before shooting light, two hunters moved to within 50 yards of us. We kindly asked them to move, pointing out they were way too close. They did, but only another 20 yards. Two minutes before shooting light, another pair of hunters pushed their way…

I was hustling across a harvested northern Montana wheatfield because I could see Cameron, my hunting Weimaraner, on point at the field’s edge. When I neared his location, I slowed my pace and keenly searched the adjacent weeds and brush. Suddenly, numerous sharp-tailed grouse exploded into the air. There were so many birds flying, in so many directions, that I rushed to pick out a single bird. At the report of the Browning Citori, however, two birds spiraled to the ground. The other departing grouse sounded as if they were laughing—an audible clue that it is sharpies and not hen pheasants in the air. Cameron soon rounded up the feathered prizes. SHARPIE KNOW-HOW While many upland hunters know pursuing ring-necked pheasants as a leisurely hunting event, hunting sharp-tailed grouse is…

The streamside trail was obliterated by a thicket of white fir and vine maple, a vegetative wall between me and fly-fishing glory … or so I thought. There was no choice but to belly-crawl toward the sunlit opening a dozen yards ahead. A few yards in, I was met by a coiled rattlesnake, its malevolent eyes cast my way. I froze. He licked the air, uncoiled and slithered downhill toward the river. I scrambled, cautiously, until I could stand again and get my carotid artery out of harm’s way. As I learned on that first of many trips to California’s mighty McCloud River, the reward is worth the risk. This muscular stream harbors chunky, feisty rainbow trout pursued by titans of industry in the past and schlubs like you and…

The Trijicon Huron line debuted in 2020. The original configurations included a 1–4x24, 2.5–10x40, 3–12x40 and 3–9x40. In January 2025, Trijicon launched two additional models, the 4–16x50 ($985) that I used on the hunt and a 1–6x24 version ($735). Between the six models, Trijicon covers a wide swath of hunting options. The affordable scopes feature Trijicon’s “BDC Hunter Hold” reticle, with simple, easy-to-see crosshairs and windage and elevation cross markings. The 4-16x50 model I used is an increasingly “go-to” option for hunters pursuing whitetails and other North American game. “That 4-to-16 magnification just gives you a little bit more capability to reach out there,” Trijicon Marketing Director Josh Lyall says. “You get a good field of view at the 4x setting, while the 16x is plenty [of magnification] for any…