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27 Articles

THE OFF-SEASON?

What do nilgai, ocellated turkeys and Lahontan cutthroat trout have in common? They all represent opportunities for great adventure in February. That’s why this issue includes features about each of these species; they’re surefire cures for cabin fever. As Andrew McKean explains starting on page 26, the exotic nilgai hails from Eurasia but has been a resident of Texas for more than 100 years. It’s a wary antelope with great-tasting meat that’s sure to fill any freezers that remain open after typical hunting seasons have closed, and you can chase them around the Lone Star State in February. You’ll have to travel farther south for the ocellated turkey. They live among the Mayan ruins on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and are without a doubt the most colorful turkey on this continent. It…

THE OFF-SEASON?

GAME & FISH ONLINE

WHAT’S UP OUTDOORS? Find out what Game & Fish fans love online, from hunting and fishing how-tos, to trophy successes, to the best and newest gear. “Trending” is updated every week on gafmag.com. GUNS AND BOWS The newest hunting firearms, bows and accessories will take center stage at the annual ATA and SHOT shows. Our coverage of the latest and greatest begins in January. FISH ON ICE If you’re into hardcore ice fishing, we have you covered this winter. Valuable info on tactics, gear and locations is just a click away. Find all you need to be successful under “Fishing.”.” GET A BASS FIX Marine electronics aren’t the only advancements impacting the bass world. Our new video series, “Tackle Junkie,” reviews high-tech rods and reels just introduced to anglers. SLEEK AND MODERN Savage’s new Impulse KLYM rifle delivers superb…

GAME & FISH ONLINE

THE TERRIFIC .22s

Traditionally, we’ve used .22-caliber centerfire cartridges for varmint hunting, a task at which they all excel. But, just as with cartridges in other calibers, there has been—and continues to be—a push to increase reach. Initially, we did this with more gunpowder, which produced faster velocities. More recently, we’ve been hitting at longer distances with faster twist rates and sleeker bullets with higher ballistic coefficients. This also allows us to launch heavier and stouter bullets, and the .22 centerfires we once only thought suitable for varmints became deer-, pronghorn- and feral hog-capable. Several new .22 centerfires have been introduced in recent years which offer some unique capabilities, but let’s see how they compare with a few of the most popular .22 centerfires and then differentiate between them all. .22 HORNET The .22 Hornet…

THE TERRIFIC .22s

THE WINTER-TO-SPRING TRANSITION

No matter what we fish for and where, there’s one thing we all look forward to every year: the end of winter. Whether the cold is already waning in your area or it will take a few more weeks, now is the time to update your marine electronics with the latest software, lube your reels and respool them with fresh line, and add the latest and greatest lures to your tackle box. For those chomping at the bit to get on the water, there is already a number of excellent options in various parts of the country. For instance, the first opportunities to tangle with bass and crappie this year will occur as those fish begin their predictable movements from their wintering areas to the shallows. So begin your research and…

THE WINTER-TO-SPRING TRANSITION

ARE HUNTERS BECOMING TOO EFFECTIVE?

My rifle’s scope has a custom elevation turret, which in seconds I can dial to the specific distance to the target. I get the distance from a laser rangefinder, connected via Bluetooth to a ballistic app on my phone to help me understand bullet dynamics at different ranges. With inputs for my bullet’s ballistic coefficient, plus wind, humidity, temperature and even barometric pressure, I can remove most of the guesswork from long-range shooting. When I miss it’s because I’m the weak link. Our technology is getting so sophisticated that, by applying the right gear to the right situations, it’s a cinch to hit a deer-sized target at 500 yards with a scoped rifle. Or to place an arrow in an elk-sized target at 100 yards with a tricked-out compound. The question…

ARE HUNTERS BECOMING TOO EFFECTIVE?

Man’s Best Friend, COYOTES’ WORST ENEMY

Looking down, a smile spread across my face as my border collie Sage stayed in step right beside me. The hike into the mountain foothills had been long, and in some places the snow deep, but Sage was always ready to accompany me on any coyote hunt. Despite my joy in having her along, I could see something was different about her. Instead of racing ahead, a common characteristic of border collies, she often stayed by my side now. Age was catching up to her. Besides her slower pace, her eyesight and hearing were also deteriorating. For more than a dozen years Sage had joined me on coyote hunts, learning along the way. I remember her first close encounter with a coyote, an adult female. Sage reluctantly left my side without…

Man’s Best Friend, COYOTES’ WORST ENEMY

PROTECT THOSE SENSITIVE EARS

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). Your dog doesn’t understand that, so it’s up to you to protect him from the noise of a rifle’s report. A suppressor is a necessity to guard against his—and your—hearing loss. The report of most modern centerfire rifles exceeds 140 dB. For example, a rifle chambered in the common .223 Rem. has a report of around 160 dB, depending on barrel length, load and environmental conditions. The Occupational Safety and Health Organization (OSHA) categorizes sound at 140 dB and above as harmful, especially when repeated. Unprotected, your ears and those of your dog risk hearing loss when exposed to gunfire. Fortunately, by adding a suppressor to a .223 Rem., the report drops to below the 140 dB threshold. Suppressor models and rifle configurations differ on the…

PROTECT THOSE SENSITIVE EARS

If the idea of hunting coyotes with a dog intrigues you, but the cost and care of a dog do not, fake it. Purchase a coyote decoy to serve as a fake “dog.” Backcountry coyote hunts require lightweight gear, so I opt for 2-D decoys. My favorite is the Montana Decoy Company Sitting Coyote ($69.99; montanadecoy.com). This decoy invokes the personality of a calm, yet inquisitive, coyote waiting to sniff noses with a real one. A decoy needs to “talk” to other coyotes, and for the most realistic coyote vocalizations, use your own lungs. Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls sells a variety of howlers. My favorite is the Stealth Yote Howler ($27.99; buglingbull.com) that operates with a mouth diaphragm call. If you gag on diaphragms, consider the Stealth Yipper Yapper ($24.99) that…

IN THE LAND OF THE BLUE BULLS

You can read the boot-tough leather of a nilgai hide as a kind of map, recording encounters with rival bulls, thornbrush stickers and wire fences that run around and through this South Texas ranch. There’s a healed puncture wound on one shoulder, presumably from a rut-season battle. On the opposite flank there’s the four-claw signature of a bobcat or cougar that tried to take down this anvil-stout antelope. And finally, there’s the red frothing bullet hole that converted the bull into hundreds of pounds of delicious wild meat.. Maps are also key to understanding why this Himalayan animal shares space with longhorn cattle, bobwhite quail and white-tailed deer. The official history of New World nilgai says that in the 1920s the sprawling King Ranch released zoo stock on its property that…

IN THE LAND OF THE BLUE BULLS

A PERFECT PLACE FOR THE 7 MM PRC

When Hornady introduced the 7 mm PRC (for Precision Rifle Cartridge) in 2022, I joined plenty of other hunters thinking about the perfect hunting situation for what’s been described as a “21st century 7 mm Mag.” Elk came immediately to mind, given the longish distances at which wapiti are often taken and the size of a mature bull. The 175-grain ELD-X bullet seemed ideally suited for Western bulls, but other benefits are the 7 mm PRC’s ability to load in a standard-length rifle action and its relatively low recoil. After my hunt for South Texas nilgai, I’m revising my assessment of the cartridge: it’s perfectly suited to these dense blue bulls of the brushlands. The ELD-X expands at lower velocities beyond 400 yards, but it quickly dispatched my bull inside 50…

A PERFECT PLACE FOR THE 7 MM PRC

AROUND THE MIDWEST

Many people avoid going outside in February, which is why it should be a favorite month among outdoorsmen. Woods and waters packed during other months become uncrowded. Rabbit hunting can be highly productive, as can running traplines for furbearers. Pre-spawn crappies are often biting on large, open-water reservoirs, catfish are active in big rivers and trout feed on small streams that are as deserted as they’ll be all year. Truly special hard-water destinations can draw crowds, but ice-fishing isn’t typically an endeavor in which elbow room is in short supply. In the Midwest, February is a low-pressure time to catch one’s breath between seasons while also enjoying many available outdoor opportunities. 1 LAKE WAPPAPELLO CRAPPIES Missouri’s Lake Wappapello is renowned for crappies—mostly for numbers but also the occasional big fish, like the…

AROUND THE MIDWEST

THE SCIENCE OF SNARING

The cold wind moaned across the edge of the woods as I followed an old logging road. Crunching through crusty snow, I made my way toward my first canine set. The support, a slender steel rod, looked forlorn and empty, and the thin steel cable was twisted in a patch of buckthorn. At the end, a giant male red fox was waiting. The simple snare had paid off again. The use of snares predates recorded history, with early man utilizing bark, leather, hair and other materials to capture wild animals for food and clothing. Although the materials relied upon have certainly evolved over time, the concept remains the same. At its core, a snare is nothing more than a simple noose used to catch furbearers. Today’s snares, obviously, are much more…

THE SCIENCE OF SNARING

Drilling for BRUISER BROWNS

The wind swirled mightily all across the icescape as tiny spears of wind-driven ice peppered our suits like darts. Brown trout could’ve been anywhere out there, as far as the eye could see. Or they could’ve been directly underfoot. Standing over 60 feet of water, I jigged with one rod while a second rod rested in a holder on a bucket. On the flasher, the little jig on the dead-stick rod registered as a thin red line. I looked away to watch an eagle soar overhead, then looked back. Suddenly, there was a big red line. The lure twitched when I touched the rod, which immediately doubled over. The spool on the reel blurred as it spun. The resulting battle persisted for some time. “My grandmother would have landed it by now,”…

Drilling for BRUISER BROWNS

BEHEMOTH BEST BETS

Midwest anglers seeking large browns in winter have plenty of places to consider. Three Great Lakes—Superior, Huron and Michigan—provide some incredible hard-water fishing for these fish, as do some of the tributaries found on these big bodies of water. While there are many places for anglers to explore on the ice, these are some of the top destinations. SWEET SHEBOYGAN Running into Lake Michigan in Sheboygan, Wis., between Milwaukee and Green Bay, the Sheboygan River offers a unique ice fishery that holds thousands of browns and steelhead all winter. Ice is usually thick by New Year’s Day, and safe ice lasts until a couple weeks before St. Patrick’s Day most years. For gear and guidance, check out Chris’s Fishing Tech LLC (@CFTechs on Facebook). KILLER KEWAUNEE Just south of Green Bay, Wisconsin’s Kewaunee River…

BEHEMOTH BEST BETS

HIGH-TECH SLABS

The last time I joined Kyle Schoenherr to hunt crappies on southern Illinois’ lakes Egypt and Kinkaid, 12- and 14-foot rods reached like arachnid legs from four-spread, bow-mounted rod holders. Schoenherr, with team partner Rodney Neuhaus, had amassed an impressive tournament record that included three national titles, numerous top-three finishes and an Alabama state title, among other accolades, before retiring from tournament competition in 2018. He then became a full-time guide (allseasonscrappie.com) on prime crappie waters near his southern Illinois home. He’d lost none of his crappie-fishing passion in those intervening years, but a Garmin LiveScope screen had replaced the rod holders of his spider-rigging days at the bow of his 22-foot Ranger. “Forward-facing sonar has changed the way I fish for crappies,” Schoenherr says, “It’s changed the way I guide…

HIGH-TECH SLABS

The advent of live sonar has brought about major changes when it comes to crappie fishing tackle. Among the most prominent is the need for a jig-and-plastic combo that shows up well on forward-facing sonar. The following jigs and baits are all designed to do just that—while still remaining attractive to hungry crappies. JIGS 1 Z-Man Fishing Products Micro Shad HeadZ Available in four sizes (1/32-, 1/16-, 1/8- and 3/16-ounce), this minnow-shaped jig head with 3D eyes ($4.99/4-pack; zmanfishing.com) distributes more of its weight laterally. The jig head pairs well with buoyant crappie plastics like the Z-Man Baby BallerZ, StingerZ and more. 2 Leland’s Lures Eye Hole Hammer Head Jig Brandon Smith’s open-eye jig ($3.99/5-pack; troutmagnet.com) presents an FFS screen-friendly image that’s easy to track on live sonar. The jig also includes a space to…

DOMINATE THE DARK

Nighttime coyote hunting offers some advantages and challenges that make it both effective and thrilling. Although coyotes can move any time of day, they’re especially active at dawn and dusk and overnight. And during the breeding season—roughly late January through early March—they’re even more active at night. This makes night hunting an ideal method for those seeking higher success rates. Beyond the increased activity, nighttime hunting affords hunters the added cover of darkness—and coyotes that are less wary of potential ambushes than they might be in daylight. To effectively hunt these elusive predators at night, hunters require the necessary equipment and an understanding of fundamental techniques. From thermal devices and night-vision scopes to effective calling strategies, the key to success lies in preparation and in grasping the nuances of night hunting. BE…

DOMINATE THE DARK

NIGHTTIME NECESSITIES

Nighttime coyote hunting requires the right gear to enhance vision in the dark and improve your chances of a successful hunt. While there are many great products to assist with this, I have six personal-favorite night-hunting essentials. Equipped with some of these items, nighttime coyote hunters can enhance their effectiveness and maximize their chances of success under the stars. 1 N-VISION OPTICS NOX35 THERMAL SCOPE This advanced thermal imaging scope ($6,795; nvisionoptics.com) provides superior clarity and range, allowing hunters to detect coyotes in total darkness. With its compact design and user-friendly interface, the Nox35 enables precise targeting and enhances your overall hunting experience. 2 COYOTE LIGHT PRO The Coyote Light Pro ($499.99; coyotelight.com) is a powerful predator hunting light with long-range visibility up to 1,000 yards. It features adjustable brightness and focus, and multiple…

NIGHTTIME NECESSITIES

Winter steelhead anglers trod many miles alone when in pursuit of their target. After all, who willingly accompanies the mad? Who goes wading when snow flies horizontally or when immobile fingers turn new shades of purple from freezing temperatures? Honestly, that’s the point. There’s beauty in walking to a favorite pool—one that steelhead use every winter—and seeing only your own footprints from three weeks prior in the snow. In winter, cold water concentrates big rainbows in very specific environments. When the water registers 38 degrees or colder, your most important tool resides between your ears, not in your vest or backpack. Good anglers rely on their knowledge of where steelhead congregate in cold weather, and in doing so, they experience more battles with one of winter’s feistiest fish. Steelhead are more aggressive…

THE BEAUTY OF BEMIDJI

Statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox—folklore heroes in the northern United States and Canada—greet visitors to Bemidji, Minn., at a visitor’s center at Lake Bemidji. The town of Bemidji is one of several locales billed as the birthplace of Bunyan and Babe, and the pair welcome visitors to a region filled with forests, rivers, lakes and more, offering tons of outdoor adventure. For anglers visiting in winter, though, the big draw is the incredible ice-fishing. With 400 lakes within 25 miles of the city limits, anglers will run out of time to fish long before they run out of places to fish. Brady Laudon is Visit Bemidji’s assistant director of tourism, but he’s also a fishing guide who spends ample time each winter plying the ice on area…

THE BEAUTY OF BEMIDJI

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Bemidji has nine different hotels, plus several resorts and bed-and-breakfasts situated on surrounding lakes. The restaurant scene offers a variety of options, including Bar 209, Tara, Slim’s Bar and Grill and Lazy Jacks. Check out the concert lineup at the Sanford Center, or, if you’re feeling lucky, head out to gamble at Northern Lights, Cedar Lakes, Seven Clans or Shooting Star casinos. Take in a college basketball or hockey game at Bemidji State University or try some recreational axe throwing downtown. If snow sports are your thing, you’re in luck. Bemidji has more than 80 miles of challenging and scenic cross-country ski trails spread across nine different trail sites. The North Country Snowmobile Club runs groomers on nearly 400 miles of snowmobile trails in the Bemidji area, too. Bemidji is the…

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

STUDYING THE SLAM

Our unique and successful North American Model of Wildlife Conservation gives us access to millions of acres of public hunting land. Many Americans don’t need to own land or travel to have a good place to hunt. Culturally, this is why many of us do most of our hunting close to home for locally available game. Whether mule deer in the West or whitetails everywhere else, we take fall deer hunting for granted. In the spring we hunt turkeys, often with little thought to which kind of turkey lurks in the local woods. Which bird roams your area depends on where you live. There are four distinct subspecies of the wild turkey in the United States: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande and Merriam’s. Several spill over into Canada and Mexico. Plus, two…

STUDYING THE SLAM

The Secrets of PYRAMID

Standing on a 4-foot ladder with waves lapping at the soles of my boots, I am surrounded by a world of gray. Gray sky, gray hills with gray rocks and gray brush, gray water over a gray bottom ... even my waders and gloves are shades of gray. The fluorescent orange dot floating on the water’s surface 50 feet from my perch glows in this otherwise monochromatic environment, a spark of bright color that draws my eyes and forbids them to look elsewhere. For nearly two hours it has ridden the chop, always drifting to the right, keeping my hope afloat with it. Then it disappears, pulled into the gray. For a heartbeat I feel like something very important to me has suddenly gone missing. When I raise the rod to…

The Secrets of PYRAMID

FISHING FOLDERS

When Benchmade launched its Water line of knives last year, the company included models that can cover just about any situation an angler faces. There are two sizes of filet knife, of course, and a pair of fixed-blade designs that serve well on a boat or strapped to a pack when hiking in to a hidden hot spot. However, the two folders in the Water line—called the Adira and Mini Adira—may be the most convenient for everyday carry and fishing. Both are built with Benchmade’s Axis Lock mechanism that utilizes stainless steel springs for easy opening and secure deployment. Benchmade uses CPM-MagnaCut stainless steel for the knives’ drop-point blades for excellent corrosion resistance and edge retention. In addition, their Grivory handles are tough and ergonomic. The Adira has a 3.6-inch blade,…

FISHING FOLDERS

Colt CBX TAC HUNTER

Although it has been one of the most well-known firearm brands for more than 150 years—developing and producing guns that played significant roles in the Wild West (the Single Action Army), both World Wars (the M1911) and many other conflicts (the M4)—Colt has rarely focused its efforts on hunting. Sure, the Colt Woodsman pistol has taken squirrels and rabbits, and the Python and Anaconda revolvers have filled deer tags, but none of these can be classified as staples among hunters. The company has included bolt-action hunting rifles in its lineup—the Colt Sauer Sporting Rifle and Colt Light Rifle being the best examples—but both were manufactured by other entities and only marketed under the Colt name. While each had attractive qualities, neither became as popular in the field as bolt guns…

Colt CBX TAC HUNTER

Nosler WHITETAIL COUNTRY

Whitetail ammunition requires a careful balancing act on the part of the manufacturer. Deer hunters need reliable performance, of course, but they also demand affordable ammo. A bullet that could fly around a couple trees, automatically home in on a deer’s heart and immediately drop a buck in its tracks would do most deer hunters no good if the cost of a box of ammo cost more than a tank of gas for their pickups. They still ain’t buyin’, not when Dad has killed 16 deer with the same box of shells he bought 23 years ago for $11.99. Thus, ammo makers have to produce loads that cleanly kill whitetails in a variety of situations and, just as importantly, are sold at attractive prices. In today’s economy this isn’t an easy…

Nosler WHITETAIL COUNTRY

RABBITS AND TROUBLE

The snow started around lunchtime, and by the time he got home from school it blanketed the town and countryside. While most of his friends geared up for sledding and snowball fights, Shane thought only of hunting rabbits. He put on his hunting jacket, hat and boots, grabbed his shotgun and two handfuls of No. 6s, and left a note on the counter that read: “Went hunting at Uncle Fred’s. Be back at dark.” Once he made the corner of Uncle Fred’s property, Shane walked the fence line until he came to a brush pile. Holding the Remington low and ready, he kicked the pile, and sure enough a rabbit scampered from beneath the brush and into the sticky snow. Shane shot twice but was behind the rabbit both times. Shrugging, he…

RABBITS AND TROUBLE

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