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The Ice is Coming
The Ice is Coming By Dan Galusha Ice fishing season is upon is getting closer, and that means getting the tackle and equipment out from storage long enough before the first day it is to be used. Once it is pulled out a lot of us will say, “I don’t remember putting that away in that mess.” In some cases it may not have been, as critters, water, dampness, heat and mold can take its toll on anything. The first thing to check is the shelter. If there is damage to the canvas then it will have to be replaced or repaired. This can often take some time if it needs ordered, or there is a back up at the [...]
Whitetail Black Ops: Operation Nocturnal Bruiser
Whitetail Black Ops: Operation Nocturnal Bruiser By Aaron Stonehocker There is very little the modern hunter does not have at his disposal when it comes to tools, weapons, and attractants, that will help to even the odds between the hunter and the hunted. Each year, state of the art equipment makes scouting, patterning, and harvesting a mature whitetail more realistic for anyone, not just the Drury Brothers. With all our modern technology, it may seem that the odds are stacked against the prey, however, there is one tactic that whitetails have mastered to stand the test of time against a well-equipped adversary: going nocturnal. As a former U.S. Airman, I can say that hunting terrorists in the dead of night [...]
Buck Fever Follies
Buck Fever Follies By Jason Smith Growing up, my father was an avid deer hunter, but putting food on the table was his top priority and taking time off from work was nearly impossible for him, so he’d schedule PTO nine months in advance and squeeze all of his deer hunting in during first season shotgun. For as long as I can remember, he always had one old majestic mount hanging on the wall of our living room. My older brother named it Rocka. I would LOVE to hear Dad tell the story about how Rocka came to reside in our home. Dad had an out-of-town hunting buddy (Gary) who would stay with us for the five day season, and [...]
Horsin’ Around With Redhorse
Horsin’ Around With Redhorse By Nick Johnson I can remember it like yesterday, sitting along the bank of a creek with my friend Dave drowning worms in pursuit of anything, really. We were young kids at the time, enjoying our freedom, not yet feeling the obligations of a summer job. The dry heat was enough to keep the bugs at bay and my hands were covered in slime from numerous bullhead, carp and small catfish that had been taking our baits on a regular basis. We were fishing in a deep pool of the stream and the bite was pretty good considering it was mid-day. My line began to twitch and I could tell something was worrying with my bait. [...]
Whitetail Sidearms: Choosing A Handgun for Deer!
Whitetail Sidearms: Choosing A Handgun for Deer! By Michael Ware, CEO Controlled Chaos Arms The best handgun for deer hunting you ask? Wow. That’s a tall order. A question like that depends on so many variables there is no correct answer that is truly universal. As you know this really hinges on things like your comfort and confidence with a particular firearm. Of course there are natural pitfalls to some weapons based primarily on their inherent characteristics. All in all you need to know those and just as important you need to know the ranges in which you’ll be shooting. Add a healthy dose of ‘cheating’ as I call it and you’ll help yourself immensely. When I refer to ‘cheating’ [...]
Become A Better Blood Tracker
Become A Better Blood Tracker By Nick Johnson It was late October, three years ago. I received a phone call from my good friend Josh Sievers and his voice sounded like someone had just let the air out of his sails; not typical for Josh. “I need your help walking a blood trail with me tomorrow morning if you are free”, Josh says. “How big is he”, I ask. “He’s in the 160’s, good mass and real tall”. Josh had apparently arrowed the bruiser a little low, gave him plenty of time and then proceeded to blood track. After about 400 yards the blood trail faded and that’s when he backed out and called me. The next morning I met [...]
No Vacation? No Problem! 5 Tips to Early Season Success
No Vacation? No Problem! 5 Tips to Early Season Success By Ryan Graden Deer season is nearly here! That’s right! Very soon, big bucks will be on the move and you will be in a tree waiting for them. Of course, we all know that the more time you could spend in that tree, the better our chances are to see a wall hanger. But, with limited “free time” and “vacation hours” for hard working folks during the rut, that isn’t always a possibility. Trust me, if most hunters could store up their vacation hours for hunting season, I’m sure they would! So what can you do? Hunt earlier! You heard me! There are some things that you can do [...]
Following the Number for Ringnecks
Following the Number for Ringnecks By Tim Ackarman Introduced to Iowa in the early 1900s, ringneck pheasants were the premier game species across most of state from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Beginning in 2007 habitat loss, changing agricultural practices and several consecutive years of unfavorable weather sent populations spiraling downward. Meanwhile deer, turkey and waterfowl populations were all stable or growing. Many hunters abandoned ringnecks in favor of these opportunities. New traditions arose. Although the “glory days” of pheasant hunting haven’t (and may never) return, populations have bounced back somewhat in recent years. Hunters have taken notice, and many are once again learning (or relearning) how to pursue Iowa’s one-time King of Gamebirds. Distilled to the essentials pheasant [...]
Straight Walled Rifles: Expanding Your Arsenal Season
Straight Walled Rifles: Expanding Your Arsenal Season By Aaron Stonehocker I have always scoffed at the claims made about Iowa’s landscape. While there are places where you can see for miles in any direction, most of the state is blanketed with rolling hills, scattered timber stands, sandy hills, and limestone bluffs. The “Iowa is Flat” rhetoric has kept high powered rifles from among the tools used to harvest whitetails, with only a minor exception in the southern two tiers of counties for a couple of years. This was also an arguable concept, due to the dates of the season and antler drop timing for bucks…but I will stick to my point. The bar has officially been raised by our State [...]
Encountering Iowa Bobcats
Encountering Iowa Bobcats When Bret Paulsen filled his archery tag with a 155 inch, eleven point bruiser of a buck in mid November, some would call it a very successful fall already. What he didn’t know at the time was just how incredible his month of November for 2011 was yet to be in Iowa’s great outdoors! With his tag full, Brett decided to try his luck at something else that peaked his interest, predator calling. Armed with a new furharvester’s license, a single shot NEF rifle chambered in .204 caliber and a Johnny Stewart Preymaster 4 electronic caller, he set off for a farm he’d hunted in the past, tucked away in Southeastern Iowa and beautiful Van Buren county. [...]
