Innehållsförteckning för Fall 2019 från Outdoor Life

CARRYING I dropped these Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide 12x50s when I was guiding in Indiana. My hunter had shot a nice 9-point buck, and in the post-hunt confusion, my binos ended up in the mud. Of course, I ran them over with my truck on the way out… and every time I went back to that property over the next week. It rained, frosted, and even snowed a little before I finally figured out where they were. I found them where they fell, half-buried and soaked. I wiped off the lenses and looked through the glass. Still clear as a bell. They look rough today, but I love ’em. —Matthew Every, associate online editor CASTING I prefer to throw flies to stripers on the flats near my home, but when…

Travel to some place often enough, and you begin to look forward to the subtle differences that distinguish it from home. It takes a long drive or a plane ride for me to get “out West.” Most of the time, I’m going there in the fall to chase some critter. I notice things immediately: cool mornings like I haven’t felt in months. Aspens that don’t grow anywhere near my home but, nonetheless, have bright-yellow leaves that scream hunting season. Mule deer and pronghorns standing within plain view of the roads. Whitetails, clustered by the dozens in riverbottom alfalfa fields. But I really know I’m back in the West when I notice the dust. It’s on the roads and in the hills, and it’s so fine that it coats everything smooth:…

CLOVER IS PROBABLY the best all-around food-plot plant there is. There are several varieties, but the most popular types, like ladino, are attractive and nutritious for deer, turkeys, rabbits, and pollinators like honeybees. Clover is a legume, so it puts nitrogen back into the soil instead of robbing it. It’s also practical. Clover is easy to plant, and some varieties will last for years with little maintenance. But it’s not foolproof. It’s possible to spend money on clover seed and fertilizer, and still grow nothing more than a field of weeds. The good news is that even a failed clover plot can probably be fixed. The bad news is it’ll take work—and maybe even replanting. But if you know what causes clover to crash, you can usually prevent it from…

FANS OF EARLY hip-hop acts might remember Whodini. The group’s 1984 hit “Freaks Come Out at Night” has always been a personal favorite, if not something of a mantra for walleye guys who live for sunset in the fall. This time of year, the big fish move shallow after dark for one reason: to gorge on large baitfish before winter sets in. The only problem is, everything is more complicated and takes longer in the dark, which is why only the diehards are willing to brave chilly nights to score. If you want to join their ranks, preparation is the first step. Once you’ve got the boat in night mode, a few tweaks to your daytime program are all it takes to start landing those “freaks.” PREP TALK In daylight,…

“IF I COULD BE REINCARNATED, I’D COME BACK AS A USEDCAR SALESMAN,” RAMSEY RUSSELL SAYS TO ME. It’s 5 a.m., and we’re barreling down a dark highway in Obregon, Mexico. Russell, 53, is explaining how it would be easier to sell used cars than the international waterfowl hunts he deals with in his current gig as a booking agent (though he hates that term). I’m pretty sure he’s only half kidding. “People go in to buy a car, and they know what they want,” he says. “Me, I’ve got to sell the experience.” Later that morning, a handful of other writers, some reps from Benelli, and I enjoy the most epic pintail shoot I’ll ever be a part of. Drakes in their breeding plumage, long sprigs trailing behind, float out…

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 54 million Americans are suffering from joint discomfort. This epidemic rise in aching joints has led to a search for alternative treatments—as many sufferers want relief without the harmful side effects of conventional “solutions.” Leading the way from nature’s pharmacy is the new “King of Oils” that pioneering Florida MD and anti-aging specialist Dr. Al Sears calls “the most significant breakthrough I’ve ever found for easing joint discomfort.” Biblical scholars treasured this “holy oil.” Ancient healers valued it more than gold for its medicinal properties. Marco Polo prized it as he blazed the Silk Road. And Ayurvedic practitioners, to this day, rely on it for healing and detoxification. Yet what really caught Dr. Sears’ attention is how modern medical…

SHELDON CIESLAK HAZEN, NORTH DAKOTA WRITE US! IF WE USE YOUR STORY, YOU’LL GET THIS BOOK! “This Happened to Me” has been a fixture of OL since 1940. We’ve compiled our readers’ most hair-raising misadventures in a single volume. You can pore over the 183 pages of this action-packed book knowing you’re in good company. Copies are also available for purchase at outdoorlife.com/THTMBook. » We publish true adventures. Send yours to THTM@OutdoorLife.com. Only those used will be acknowledged.…

EVERY YEAR, HUNTING CAMPS are rife with new stories about big bucks and old bulls that eluded a hunter’s best shots. Maybe you’ve got some of your own. Don’t despair. Here are three drills that will help you put killing shots on every big-game animal you draw down on. All you need are two steel plates, one 10 inches in diameter and the other 15 inches across. The 10-inch plate represents the vitals area on a mule deer or whitetail, and the 15-inch plate represents the average vitals area of an elk. If you can hit those, you can kill deer and elk. The awesome thing about shooting steel is that you get immediate feedback in the form of a ringing, swinging target. It’s either a hit or a miss.…

Anatomical change, like bankruptcy, happens gradually and then suddenly. Years go by with small tweaks—to a metatarsal bone or a savings account—and then a bad break can undo them both. The same can be said of our sporting optics; this year, there are some tiny, useful evolutions of both internal and external anatomy, and some quantum leaps in design and performance. We declared the death of the duplex reticle last year, and before that, the demise of the 3X–9X riflescope. A decade ago, we cheered the departure of the porro-prism binocular, replaced by the compact and durable roof prism. What optical trend is in its twilight this year? The simple and the modest are on life support, replaced by scopes with gee-whiz reticles and uber-turrets, and binoculars with integrated laser…

More is more, or so we seem to believe. Just spend a few moments browsing social media and the feeds of Insta influencers. You’ll find plenty of virtual vomit from users who shout, “Look at me and all my stuff!” And you’ll see one comparison after another: John’s buck is bigger than yours. Shane’s camo cost more. Jeff ’s truck has bigger tires, and Karen’s bow is newer. That world can get tiresome, and there’s a growing legion of hunters who have but one thing to say about it: Enough. Minimalism is a devilishly simple concept of redefining what you need versus what you want. For minimalist hunters, the result is a tight collection of specialized gear that weighs less, is simpler, and fosters a hunting style that’s mobile and…

As we loaded our gear into the bush planes, Bruce Werba offered one last piece of advice. “Be sure to use all 44 stakes. It’ll get windy up there—I guarantee it.” I’d spent enough time in the Alaskan backcountry over the years that he wasn’t going to get an argument from me. Our squadron consisted of three Super Cubs with tundra tires. I folded myself into the cramped space behind the pilot where the rest of my gear was stored, my shoulders touching both sides of the fuselage. We lifted off the gravel runway that’s the primary connection between the 160 souls who call Holy Cross, Alaska, home and the rest of the world, and banked over the wide and muddy Yukon River before my pilot, Matt, put us on…

Ask The Expert Love, Marriage, and Sex After 50! A Secret Any Man Can Use… This month I got a letter from a reader in Texas about a “little secret” that has renewed her sex life with her husband! Tina writes: Dear Karen, For years my husband and I had a wonderful love life, but when he reached his 50s, he lost some of his old spark, especially in the bedroom. He tried every product available, but nothing worked. For the past few years, it’s felt like we were roommates, not husband and wife. Well, last month he came home from a business trip in Europe and shocked me with more energy and passion than he’s had in years. He took me in the bedroom like we were newlyweds and…

Let me tell you a secret: You can cook wild game with no motivation whatsoever other than dinner. You don’t have to post it to Instagram, or even take a picture of it. In fact, if the only person impressed with your dish is your 5-year-old, that’s okay. Sometimes, it’s just a Wednesday night, and what that kid would like is one of Dad’s Sloppy Doe sandwiches: ground venison cooked in bacon grease with a can of Manwich and diced sweet pickles. He wants it on a bun with a slice of Velveeta and a bag of chips, and he wants it right now because there’s an hour of daylight left and a toad outside that needs catching before dark. This is what wild-game eating actually looks like in a…

The buck on our cover might not look all that impressive compared to the deer you’ve seen on our past issues, or compared to the gigantic bucks with hulking non-typical racks you might see in other hunting magazines. But to me and a whole lot of other hunters out there, this wild 8-point backlit by fall foliage is the very picture of deer season in the real world. In my early 20s, I lived in New York and did most of my bowhunting in the Catskills. The hunting in those low, hardwood-covered mountains was outstanding—as long as you weren’t trying to kill a giant. There was public land to roam, and plenty of small bucks and does to fill a freezer. If I’d seen a Catskill buck even close to…

THE WATER LOOKED like chocolate milk, and the musk of elk urine hung in the air. Nearby pines oozed sap—a sure sign of antler abuse. The grass was painted with tarry mud, and the trails were littered with droppings. It was the kind of wallow you pray to find, on the edge of a meadow surrounded by dense timber. I wasted no time hanging a stand. WAIT HERE Bulls begin to wallow as their testosterone rises ahead of the rut. They spray urine into the wallow and then roll around in it like a dog. Bulls hope the resulting stench will catch the interest of a cow. Wallows are great places to ambush a bull. Treat them like a turkey-strut zone. Put in your time, and something will show. Typically,…

Renowned holistic physician David Brownstein, M.D., knows most men feel embarrassed to talk about their prostate. However, if you’re a man over 40 or 50, your prostate is probably talking to you — and it’s time to listen. “With aging, your prostate gland can swell,” warns Dr. Brownstein. “This pressure begins to affect urinary control, forcing you to look for a bathroom wherever you go. You may have difficulty sleeping because of multiple nightly bathroom trips.” Rogue Testosterone Starts Attacking Around Age 40 Once you hit middle age, your body begins to secrete the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. This causes your normal “manly” testosterone to turn into a rogue testosterone compound called DHT (dihydrotestosterone). The build-up of DHT is a primary reason why prostate size increases as you age — and is…

I drank the false albacore Kool-Aid my senior year of high school. I was on the tip of the right North Jersey jetty at exactly the right time when a wolf pack of them suddenly began ripping through a brown cloud of anchovies within casting range. A small Hopkins metal scored that inaugural eat, and I watched in amazement as line dumped off my reel. No bluefish or striper I’d ever caught came close to matching that speed. The following fall, I switched my focus to landing one on the fly, and I made it happen. All these years later, when I hear the first reports of albies inshore, I’m still fraught with anxiety until my fly reel screams again, because I know they won’t be here for long. On…

IN COASTAL SOUTH FLORIDA, the native music is salsa, or maybe Buffett if you cross a few more bridges. In the northern part of the state, you’re listening to country, or maybe Skynyrd. But at every inland tackle shop from Pahokee to Pensacola, the sweetest music around is the soft, sputtering bubbles of an oxygenated tank keeping precious finned gold alive. Bass purists throughout the rest of the country have retreated from night-crawler dirt, cricket baskets, and minnow buckets, but the Sunshine State still holds a vibrant live-bait culture, and native golden shiners are its currency of choice. Unlike the tournament competitors who race at 70 mph to get to a spot first, veteran Central Florida guide John Leech says the shiner guides are remarkably calm and composed. “I ride…

This is a test of sporting optics, so our evaluation mimics real-world conditions where possible. Those tend to be situational and subjective. But this is also a test of optical quality and mechanical precision, and those attributes are scored through objective investigation. Taking the latter point first, we test the optical resolution of every submission using the industry standard, a black-and-white 1951 Air Force Resolution Target. This test reveals the quality of the glass, precision of the optical design, and richness of the image, but also flaws such as aberrations or insufficiencies in coatings that can show up as flaring or distortion in the field. Because having optics that perform well at first and last light, when animals are most active, is a priority for hunters, we test the low-light…

1. UNDER ARMOUR COLD GEAR I don’t know what magic is in these compression shirts, but they keep me warm like nothing else. 2. BROWNING HELL’S CANYON HELLFIRE-FM SPEED PANTS These pants are one of the few items to survive the purge. I love the stretch fabric, and they’re weather- and windproof. 3. SITKA STRATUS JACKET It’s the ideal weight, quiet, and well-made. I wear it through most of October and November. 4. CARHARTT ROCKLAND COAT This may be the best bowhunting jacket I’ve ever owned. It keeps moisture at bay, blocks the wind, and is lined with Sherpa fleece. 5. ACCESSORIES A down-filled vest can be paired with the Stratus jacket for moderate temps or over the Carhartt for really cold sits. Pair it with Sitka’s fuzzy-lined neck gaiter,…

Moose are big animals, but they aren’t especially difficult to bring down. Even moderate cartridges work well on them. In Sweden and Canada, more moose have been killed with the 6.5x55 Swede and the .303 British than anything else, and neither are punishing to shoot. As always, shot placement and bullet construction are the key factors. On this hunt, Jason and I were both carrying .30/06s. My rifle (above) was built for the elements. I used a stainless Shilen DGR action and Shilen barrel with a Manner’s EH-1A stock and topped it with a 2.5–15x44 Maven RS.1. The rig handled the cold and wet without any problems. One reason I went with the .30/06 was to try out some of Federal’s new loads. After several years’ hiatus, Federal is working…

Every hunter knows that itch. It starts when buddies invite you hunting, but you have to pass because of work. It gets worse when they text pictures of their limits. It becomes unbearable when your bird dog starts sighing and whining. Because when the weather is right, the season is open, and you’re not hunting, doing anything else is torture. But these three hunters have discovered how to break free and hit the open road when bird season arrives. And even better, they’ve done it with permission from their colleagues and families. Here’s how they pull it off, and fill limits to boot. —N.K. RUFFED GROUSE David Kuritzky Mahopac, New York Occupation: President of Kuritzky Glass Company Time on the road per year: About 60 days Rig: GMC Denali 3500HD,…