adventure sports outdoors jan. 2012

AdventureSportsOutdoors.webs.comASOMagazine.com

January 2012January 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR! See You at the Sport Shows!HAPPY NEW YEAR! See You at the Sport Shows!

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©Copyright 1994

Published monthly by: Red Nose, Inc.Harry & Cathy Canterbury, Owners

TREMONT OFFICE1408 Downing Ct. • Tremont, IL 61568

(309) 925-HUNT (4868) • Fax: (309) 925-2308Home Office: (309) 925-7313Harry’s Cell: (309) 360-0487Cathy’s Cell: (309) 370-6922

E-mail: [email protected] Web: AdventureSportsOutdoors.webs.com

ADVERTISING & SALES:Call Toll Free: (877) 778-HUNT(4868)

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JAN. 2012 • ISSUE #182

Deadline for ASO editions is the 10th ofeach previous month.

Please send only digital media files.

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many did you shoot, buthow much fun did youhave with your friends.It’s nice to shoot a mess butthat is not the only thing that isimportant. Of course watchingthe birds in the evening by the thou-sands to feed and knowing they will bethere for the next generation of water-fowlers to follow is reassuring.

My dad told me many years ago, ifyou want to know a man spend some-time in the duck blind with him. He saidyou will know more about him in 30minutes on a good hunt than if youknew him for 10 years. It seems all of thegood and bad about a man are exposedwhen ducks are in the air. Things like,does he share, is he greedy, is he goodcompany, does he take turns and a lot ofother human traits. Over the years I havehunted with a lot of people and I can sayfor the most part they were all great folkswho loved the sport and enjoyed all ithas to offer.

It’s hard to get off the subject of duckhunting at least today. Your mind won-ders back to some of the people who aregone but still are special memories.Without the sport of duck hunting Iwouldn’t have known them.

Stanley Briney of Browning Illinoiswho passed away in 2004 was not onlyone of the best wing shots I ever met butone of the greatest men I ever knew. Itook Stanley duck hunting on ReelfootLake and saw him shoot his last duck be-fore he died of cancer. Like I said Stanand I shot a lot of ducks for years but thethings I remember were not so much thehunts and how many we shot, but whatkind of man he was. One time I met himat Anderson Lake to go hunting and Ihad my dog Pepper in the truck. He had

Canterbury Talessome normal weather patterns and thatis good news for waterfowlers up anddown the river. The Old Rednose GunClub is going strong after 82 years. Wehad very light shooting participation atthe club usually no more than fourhunters at a time, so we will be lookingfor four new members. If you think youwould like to join a grand old club likethe Rednose, call me at 309-360-0487. Just a reflection on the season last yearand how a lot of us look at that perfectseason. When I was young it was allabout how many did you shoot. It is stillfun to shoot a limit but the importantthing is what is all around you. Theevening before the hunt at the lodge isalways a great time to share a good meal;be with the guys who you consider yourbest friends, engage in good conversa-tion, everything from politics to what’sgoing on in their lives. Breakfast is myfavorite meal, with the smell of baconcooking on the stove, and the aroma offresh coffee perking in the pot. The rib-bing you get or give to one of the guysabout how he snored like a chainsaw,and the anticipation of a good morningon the marsh starts the day. I love ridingover in the boat on a cool morningwatching the sunrise come over the wa-ter, knowing there are just a few of uswho see this beautiful spectacle that Godmade. Watching my dog get into posi-tion on the ramp waiting for that firstduck down is great. He is really havingas much fun or more than we are.

It doesn’t get any better than seeingthe early morning birds flying across thewater against the morning sunrise, whiledrinking a cup of hot coffee waiting forshooting time. These are all part of thehunt and a very important part.

This thing we call duck hunting thatonly lasts for 60 days is not about how Cont’d. on pg. 8

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51 ......IDNR Conservation Police Activity Reports: OCTOBER 201155 ......Roland Cheek, Comes in the Ensemble 56 ......Kirby Schupp, How to Assist Your Gunsmith 59 ......Brodie Swisher, Bow Hunting Coyotes61 ......Experience Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill, Springfield, IL62 ......Ed DeVries, BAI News 64 ......Herman Kunz, Learn To “Tune” Your Panfish Jigs Properly! 66 ......Steve Welch, Winter Crappie at Shelbyville & Kentucky68 ......Dr. Dru Hauter, M.D., An Exercise Program for 201269 ......Gerald Sampen-Outdoor Connection, “NEWS” Letters and Updates 72 ......New Pheasants Forever Chapter Enrolled at Illinois State University 74 ......Glenn Savage, Muzzle Up for Safety! 75 ......Dr. Bill Armbruster This Dog Won’t Hunt, Part 376 ......Illinois River Hunting Retriever Club Early 201277 ......Jerry Pabst, Duck Hunting Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over! 78 ......M.D. Johnson, Deep Freeze Ducks80 ......Mike O’Bryan, Duck Gumbo & photos from the Field82 ......Gary Koehler, Modern Day Duck Boats83 ......Jon Deeter, Decoy Collecting 85 ......Keith Sutton, Duck-Stamp Trivia, How much do you know? 87 ......Hunizker’s Family 2011 Trophies88 ......Morgan’s Mississippi Huntin,89 ......J. Michael Klemens, Develop Rabbit Habitat For More Predators89 ......Predator Hunting Tip — Reflective Tape90 ......Terri Sweckard, Paws, Claws & Exotics 92 ......Cliff Bowers Three Generations of Hunters the Tradition Continues96 ......Keli Van Cleave, PinkOutdoors.com: Mule Deer Cover Photo 97 ......Anita Williams-She Hunts, Randy Kasal-He Cooks & They Travel…100 ....Marlene Odahlen-Hinz, Withdraw101 ....Tinley Park Show Feb 11-12, 2012102 ....A.K. Thompson, Dirt Church: Animal Shelter Rescue! 103 ....Kris Winkelman’s Kitchen 104 ....West Kentucky Boat & Outdoor Show Host Mr. Crappie, Wally Marshall105 ....Mary Ann Vance, Real Estate Chatter106 ....Bobber Anne, The Flicker BT™ and The Red Ball108 ....Dan Galusha, Ice Fishing Means Safety First 110 ....Dave Evans, MN Memoirs: Visions of Summer Past112 ....Abundance of Snowy Owls in Upper Midwest this Winter113 ....Bob Hendricks, Cross Roads 114 ....Jack Hart, Recreational Ground, Protecting Your Investment, Part 6115 ....RMEF Cheers Announcements on Great Lakes Wolves 116 ....2012 Sport, Boat & RV Show Schedule 118 ....TerraLUX Introduces Powerful New LED Flashlights 119 ....Controlled Pheasant Hunting at Eldon Hazlet and Wayne Fitzgerrell SRAs120 ....Richard Childress & Bob Ziehmer Bass Pro Conservation Partners

GUIDE TGUIDE TO O ASO WRITERSASO WRITERS7 ........Mom's Recipe: Ultimate Pheasant Recipes8-9......Canterbury Tales continues with Memories10 ......Norman V Kelly, Peoria: A Bawdy, Lusty Town 12 ......David Hart, Plan Now For Your Dream Hunt, Part 113 ......Court Sides with ISRA in Protecting Lawful Firearm Owners Identities 14 ......Terri Sweckard, ASO Updates with Paws, Claws & Exotics 16 ......John Ackerman, Representatives Responsibility to Communicate17 ......Trophy Buck Antlers Sized After Mich. Hunter Didn't Have License18 ......Mike Roux, The Last Flight20 ......Bob Murray, Meandering Murrays: Do Something Good21 ......JAKES Take Aim Program Gains Support from YSSA Agreement 22 ......January Outdoor IL Calendar of Events23 ......Some Tips For Buying A Boat At The Show 24 ......Bill Vaznis, Late-Season Bow Tactics 25 ......Dave Shadow, Electric vs Gasoline Off-Road ATV’s 27 ......Colby Simms, SimmsOutdoors.com Alaska Fishing Adventure29 ......Terri Sweckard, Holiday Reflections29 ......Aspen Ridge Furniture, Princeton, IL30 ......Dale Dunnerway, the Rather-Be-Hunting Guy™31 ......Bill Graham, More Than The Tail Is White On This Deer32 ......Candice Davis, CPOs agents wrap up firearms deer season poaching cases33 ......Bill Graham, Remember Prairies for Late-Season Quail Hunts34 ......Aimee Lehmuth, A Long Winter Nap35 ......Travis Dinsdale, Time to Build Next Year’s Covey Headquarters 35 ......Kory Graham, RTD Turkey Calls, the Best in the Field37 ......Jim Low, First-time Striper Angler Sets State Record38 ......Wayne Baughman, Buying an ATV 39 ......Illinois Firearm Deer Season Closes with Preliminary Harvest of 97,76040 ......John Neporadny Jr. Figuring Out Winter Warm-Ups41 ......Woo's Corner, My Theory On Catching Big Bass 42 ......Babe Winkelman, Get Real When Duck Hunting 43 ......Daniel Vinovich, Winter Blues45 ......Chad Morgenthaler, Its Always Best To Start with a Plan 46 ......Dave Herschelman, Our Time is Short 48 ......Downing trophy Deer Turns into Ordeal for Peru Teen49 ......Not a Buck, but a 30-point Doe

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DRUNKEN PHEASANT1 whole pheasant (skinned)1 stick of butterSeasoning to taste1 can of your favorite beer

Make sure bird has been cleanedand pat dry with a paper towel. Meltthe butter and seasoning in sauce panor over grill. Thoroughly brush birdwith melted butter. Drink about 1/2the beer. Make sure the grill is hotthen place bird over beer can (youmay need to buy a can grill holder) ongrill. Cook for about an hour or untildone throughout. The heat and buttermixture actually seals in the flavorfrom the evaporating beer.

SMOTHERED PHEASANT2 pheasants 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 cup flour 4 tablespoons butter, divided 1/4 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped onions 1/2 cup water, boiling

Skin, wash, and quarter your pheas-ant or grouse.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour and salt in a brown

paper bag. Shake the meat pieces inthe bag 2 at a time until coated.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skil-let. Sautee the celery and onion untiltender. Place them in a shallow bakingpan.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoonsbutter in the skillet. Add the flouredmeat pieces and brown.

Remove the browned meat to the

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baking pan. Add the boiling water andcover with wax paper.

Bake for 1 hour or until the meat istender.

Serve at once.

FRIED PHEASANT3 pheasants, dressed and cleanedsalt & peppernature seasoning brand seasoning 3 eggs 2-3 cups flour 2 cups cooking oil

Cut Pheasant meat from body. Rinse thoroughly and place in bowl.

Salt, pepper and season the Pheasantturning the meat over to make sure allgets covered.

Cover bowl and place in the fridgefor at least 4 hours.

In large skillet put oil and heat onhigh until ready to fry.

Retrieve Pheasant from the fridge. In a shallow bowl scramble eggs.

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WTVP Ch. 47 In another shallow bowl (or plate)

put flour in an even layer. Dip Pheasant pieces in egg first then

coat with flour. Place in hot oil and brown on either

side (lower heat to medium here so asnot to burn the oil).

The pheasant cooks REALLY fastand is SO tender and moist. Carrots and a green salad are an excel-lent addition to this meal!

Mom’s RecipeThanks to Ultimate Pheasant Hunting website

for these great recipes!www.ultimatepheasanthunting.com/recipes

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MARIETTA TAP112 W. Coal St. • Marietta, Il 61459 • Eddie & Lorrie

Your Friendly Neighborhood Tavern Where Its’ Easy To Enter…But Hard To Leave.

We Feature The Best Drinks In Town & TheColdest Beer Around.

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926-6901926-6901Hours:

Open SundaysM-F @ Noon

Sat. @ 10am Stop in For a Cold One This Upcoming Season!

Black TBlack Top Innop Inn10956 N. Manito Rd., Manito, IL • 309-545-9980

Home of the 1/2 pound Burger, Ice Cold Beer & Good Spirits!

TALES… Cont’d. from pg. 5

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THE REDNOSE GANG IS BACK…Sunday’s 7-10 a.m. on WOAM 1350 AM Radio & Streaming LIVE atwww.HomeTownPeoria.com

This is why we honor andsupport our troops…

The gravesite of LCPL Robert John Newton,

Pekin, IL

Bob Murray with Norm Kelly

& guest Stephen Nave

on the radio show.

Top:Dave Evans &Darrell Brown popping head

out of the blind.

Right:Al Johnson & Dave Evans after a goodday’s shoot.

Below:Goose Puddle…

Teddy waitspatiently in theblind ready to

retrieve!

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thousand teal all season and the mallardshooting was great too. Hope you all had asgood a season as we did.

The political season is coming soon and ashunters we, unfortunately, need to protectour right to own and use guns. There hasbeen a large effort from the left, especiallyfrom Chicago politicians, to take all ourguns away. So when you go to the votingbooth vote for the candidate who supportsour 2nd amendment rights. One thing youcan do to help is join the ISRA, Illinois StateRifle Association. The ISRA and the NRAare the only two organizations that work dayand night to protect your rights to ownguns.

Come to a fish fry fund raiser for PatSullivan who is running for state senate onJanuary 20th inside at O’Brien Field. Pat isa good friend, a supporter of the 2ndamendment, and we support him. Meetcelebrity ball players and have a lot of fun.See you there!

Be sure to take the whole family to asports show in your area. What a great daythe kids will have fishing and learning aboutthe great outdoors. Jan. brings the IllinoisFish & Feather Expo Jan. 27-29 at theInterstate Center in Bloomington. See page116 for a complete list of shows in Illinois.

As we begin a New Year let’s all remem-ber what is important to each and all of usespecially our families and friends.Godspeed to our fighting men and women,may they all come home soon.

Wishing everyone a prosperous andHappy New Year!

Keep your powder dry and your wormwet.

his old dog Drake with him. I did not wantto take Pepper if Stan had his dog out ofcourtesy. Well we had a great hunt and gotback to the landing. He saw Pepper in thetruck and said how come you didn’t bringyour dog, that’s terrible. I said I didn’t wantto make you mad. Stan said that dog wantsto hunt as much as you do, anytime youhave your dog, you bring him. That’s thekind of guy Stan was. He was thoughtfuland knew Pepper was there to hunt. I thinkabout Stan every season and how lucky I wasto have known him and others like himbecause of this sport we call duck hunting.

I was privileged to have taken a picture ofStan with his dog at Anderson Lake, thefamily had it etched on his head stone.These are the things that make our sport sospecial and that’s the people we share it with.I am sure you have a story. If you would liketo share it send it to: [email protected].

I have to thank my dad Jack Canterburyfor giving me this gift. He told me when Iwas 26 that he should have bought me a setgolf clubs instead of a shotgun when I was12. I am glad he didn’t.

My dog Teddy Bear was great this year.This was his first chance to experience adynamite season. The last few years we real-ly didn’t hit it too hard. But 2011 was theyear of the duck and he had a fun time.These retrievers really do love their work. Ifdogs could tell you how much fun they havehunting, I am sure they would.

We had thousands of teal all through theseason that gave us some great gunning. Thiswas the first time I planted millet and it wasfantastic. They ate 80 acres of it right downto the last stem. We had as many as 5-8 Harry

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DUCK DREAMby Richard “Rich” Waggoner

NOVEMBER AND THE MORNING WINDS TWISTED THE COTTONWOODS LONELY LIMBS THE HUNTER GAZED AT EARLY LIGHT LONGING FOR SOUNDS TO END THE NIGHT SOUNDS THAT SPARKED HIS EAGER HEART BEATING WILDLY IN THE DARK THE RASPING THROATY GHOSTLY CRYOF MALLARDS IN THE MORNING SKYTHE TEMPEST SWIRLED OUTSIDE THE BLIND STIRRING THOUGHTS IN HIS EAGER MIND THEN SOMETHING CRYED ABOVE THE SQUALLDISTANT VOICES HE GRABBED HIS CALLSOFTLY FIRST ON BENDED KNEE THEN LOUDER ROSE HIS SYMPHONYWITH WILD ABANDON THE MALLARDS HEARD THE HUNTERS FAR OFF CRYING WORD THEY HAD FLOWN ALL NIGHT AS SOUTHWARD BOUND A MILE ABOVE THE FROZEN GROUND MORNING BROKE AS THEY TUCKED AND FELLRESPONDING TO THE HUNTER’S YELLHIS LOYAL COMPANION BY HIS SIDE THE BLACK DOG WATCHED THE DEADLY GLIDE WITH WHISTLING FLOATING TWISTING JOYBOMBING AND DIVING THE DUCKS DECOYTHE HUNTER CHOSE WITH DEADLY EYE AND SOFTENED NOW HIS BATTLE CRYTWO SHOTS RANG OUT AND BOTH WERE TRUE THE REST WERE SAVED AND ON THEY FLEW MANY YEARS LATER AS HIS LIFE SLIPPED AWAYHE DREAMED THIS DREAM OF HIS HAPPIEST DAY

SEND YOUR OLD PHOTOS TO SHARE IN “MEMORIES”!

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LUSTY TOWNby Norman V. KellyFor thirty-one

years I haveresearched thebawdy, some-what seedy sideof Peoria,Illinois, andwrote books top e r p e t u a t ethose stories. Ibegan reading about us from therecords of 1845 all the way through1950, and believe me there is a lot ofhistory within those 105 years.

Beside the books and printed stories Iwrote at least a hundred or so talesthat I never tried to publish. Thetruth is I sought out those bawdy,murderous stories because I was cer-tain that folks would rather read thatmaterial than the bright side ofPeoria’s history. I thought that Iwould just pick the year 1913, sinceit seemed to be a typical year here inour town and fill you in on a bit ofhistorical facts about this great rivercity. Sorry gangster fans, but I’ll getback to murder and mayhem soonenough.

I was immediately struck by howorganized, sophisticated and cosmo-politan our city was way, way backduring the 1800’s. Think of it, Ibelieve that there are 32 other towns,villages or cities all along the IllinoisRiver that could have grown into amajor city like Peoria, but that neverhappened. We grew head and shoul-

ders above all the rest and it does nottake a historian to tell you that we didthat on the shoulders of booze andbeer. We became known as “Thealcohol capital of the world,” andwere proud of it. The ‘do-gooders’put a stop to all that duringProhibition, but they could not stopPeoria’s growth.

Peoria was for-tunate to havestrong leaders,among themMayor E.N.Woodruff whoserved the cityeleven differenttimes for a totalof 24 years. A lotof local writersdepict the mayorin a bad light but Iknow better. In1913 I found thegreater Peoriaarea to have atotal of 120,996souls, with 88,429 of those folks liv-

ing within the city limits. We hadeleven huge distilleries perking awayalong the Illinois River, and one ofthem claimed to be the largest in theworld. There were 5 major breweriesin town and our railroad system wasenvied by many large cities. Alongwith small manufacturers Holt wasmaking what would soon be calledCaterpillars and Peoria was abustling, bawdy town that was stillon the grow.

Folks from all over came to Peoriato shop and play. We had theaters andlive entertainment that centeredaround seventy-seven downtownrestaurants. Our hotels were amongthe most luxurious, and a GrandOpera House that was rated amongthe top most beautiful in the UnitedStates opened in 1882. Vaudevillewould soon become king in Peoria,and we reveled in being the center ofentertainment of all kinds. Farmershad a ready market here in Peoria,and they soon discovered that theycould sell every bit of produce theycould grow. The breweries and dis-

TTake a kid ake a kid fishing or hunting!fishing or hunting!Keep kids involved Keep kids involved

in the outdoors! in the outdoors!

Edward Nelson (E.N.)

Woodruff, Feb. 2, 1862 –Dec. 22, 1947.

(age 85)

010.qxd 12/20/11 9:57 PM Page 1


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tilleries paid top dollar for theirgrains, and life was good here in theheart of Illinois.

We had 177 doctors registered herewithin our city limits, along withdentists and every kind of profession-al known to mankind. If you couldnot find what you were looking forhere in town then we assumed youdid not need it. Would you believe wehad 100 music teachers listed in ourphone book along with 38 newspa-pers? That’s right, thirty-eight if youlist all of them, irrespective of their

size. I cannot imaginewhat Peoria needed with366 Notaries, but theywere here. We had adozen shoeshine parlorsand 38 shoemakers intown. Want a cigar? Wehad dozens of retailstores and 44 cigar-mak-ers in town. Do youthink Peoria could sus-tain 78 gardeners or 155poultry breeders? Well,

we did.Within a 25 mile circle of Peoria

we had 321 saloons, or taverns, bars,saloons, cabarets and dives, but theconcentration of them within our citylimits was unprecedented.

For you religious folks we had wellover a 100 churches and 10,000 kidsattended our fine schools. Thereappeared to be a grocery store onevery corner, adding up to close to400 hundred of them. Peoria’s down-town was a busy, busy place indeedand our entire population centered

their activities there. The shoppingwas incredible and folks would haveto travel to Saint Louis or Chicago toeven come close to the beehive ofactivity here in town. Streetcars cov-ered every square mile, and crossingthe street could be an adventure inand of itself.

Ninety percent of the folks thatlived here in 1913 were born inAmerica and we had the most diver-sified ethnic mix you could everimagine. Folks here loved their ‘Oldcountry’ foods and drinks and thelocal taverns flourished.

Peorians were hard-working, God-fearing loyal Americans and theyloved their country and their town.

Our park system, especially GrandView Drive drew folks from all partsof mid-America, and the weekendsfound them filled to the seams. Every

carnival, circus or traveling showmade Peoria a prime destination, andfolks flocked to them. There werehorse and dog racing, motorcars, andboating during the summer andPeoria welcomed them all. Our bicy-cle races were among the largest inthe United States, and drew thou-sands of people to our fair city. Wewere a boisterous, bawdy, lusty rivertown with a hometown flavor. Surewe had our vices, but believe mewhen I tell you Peoria was a gem… apearl along the Illinois River.Then…one by one the lights went outand Peoria’s great downtown simplydisappeared.

Editor’s Note: Norm’s books areavailable in the Peoria Public

Library and he welcomes your comments.

[email protected]

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weren’t there. By chance, I ran into anoutfitter from southeastern Illinois, andhe invited us down for a few days.

“It was incredible. I was surprised thatthe area had so many big deer, eventhough it’s never been featured on a tele-vision show or in some national maga-zine.”

When he’s researching a deer hunt forhimself or for someone else who plans onpulling the trigger, Stoltz will call wildlifebiologists to discuss trophy potential for aspecific area. He asks about hunting pres-sure, deer densities, approximate buck-to-doe ratios, the rut schedule and the overallpotential for at least seeing a big buck.He’ll also do some research on the habitatitself. Stoltz wants to know the primaryfood sources as well as the general look ofthe land. Is it heavily forested, a mix ofopen prairie and wooded draws andcreeks, or void of any trees? Not only willthose answers help him prepare for thehunt mentally, but knowing that informa-tion gets him fired up about the upcomingseason — even though he just wrapped upthe previous one.

Roll The DiceMany of the top trophy whitetail states

have such fantastic hunting because theylimit the number of licenses they sell. Lesspressure usually translates to older bucks.While resident hunters in states such asKansas and Iowa are virtually guaranteed atag, non-residents aren’t. That means thatin order to get in, you have to fill out

some paperwork, write a check, send it inand wait. Some states, Iowa for example,offer a preference-point system that allowsunsuccessful hunters to accumulate“points” each time they fail to draw a tag.The more points you have, the better yourchances of drawing the next season.Eventually you’ll get in. So even if youcan’t hunt this fall, it’s not a bad idea to atleast start putting some preference pointsin the bank.

Most states set application deadlines inlate spring or early summer, so you haveplenty of time to take care of the paper-work. However, don’t put it off too long.Those deadlines have a way of sneaking upon you. In a few states, licensed outfittersare given a fixed number of permits,which automatically removes the uncer-tainty that accompanies the general licenselottery. Those guaranteed tags might costyou more, but they certainly make plan-ning a hunt easier.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

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whitetail. Stoltz starts by selecting a stateor province that offers high odds of tag-ging a big buck.

Choose An AreaPlaces such as Texas, Kansas, Missouri,

Iowa and Saskatchewan are top destina-tions for traveling hunters for good reason.Take a look at the Boone And CrockettClub’s map of trophy whitetails and you’llsee sections of those states awash in red,the mark of an area that has surrendered ahigher number of book bucks than sur-rounding regions. Hunting such high-per-centage areas automatically increases yourchances of crossing paths with a monsterwhitetail.

However, Stoltz warns hunters not to betaken by those mythical areas that make allthe headlines. Sure, places such as Kansas’Unit 16 in the south-central region of thestate have a well-earned reputation for giv-ing up some bruiser bucks, but virtuallythe entire state has good deer. Considerthis: The top 21 typical whitetails takenwith a rifle in Kansas were killed in 16 dif-ferent counties. Seventeen countiesaccounted for the 20 best bow kills. Iowa,another state with a solid record-book rep-utation, is similar to Kansas. Althoughmost of the media attention is focused onsoutheastern Iowa, plenty of monsterwhitetails come from all over the state.

“I spent a week in Pike County, Ill., aplace that has produced some real whop-pers in the past, trying to film a hunt,”Stoltz recalls. “But the big deer just

PLAN NOW FOR YOUR

DREAM HUNT PART 1

There’s more to hunting out-of-state than simply wishing

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your hunt of a lifetime from becoming a nightmare.

By David HartYou’ve eaten peanut butter and jelly

sandwiches for a year. You’ve worked allthe overtime you can get. You’ve pinchedpennies here and squeezed dollars there, allfor the dream of chasing monster white-tails in some mythical place you’ve seen ontelevision. You’ve finally saved enoughcash to go on that ultimate deer hunt. Sonow what? It’s only January, but it’s timeto get serious about making plans.

“I start planning for next season as soonas this year’s hunting season is over,” saysSteve Stoltz, a long-time hunting videog-rapher. “The best outfitters fill up quickly,and it takes a lot of work to find a goodarea and a good outfitter.”

Stoltz has been to more states than hecan recall, so he’s got a pretty good idea ofhow to find a qualified outfitter in a placethat offers a real chance at a trophy-class

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EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR’S

REPORTby:

Rich Pearson


hibit the release of information contained inFirearm Owner ID (FOID) applicationsand Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program(FTIP) background checks. The ISRA ischaracterizing the issuance of this perma-nent injunction as a major victory for Illi-noisans concerned about their personal pri-vacy.

Judge Brandt’s order stems from a lawsuitfiled earlier this year by the ISRA against theIllinois State Police. The ISRA filed thelawsuit upon learning that Illinois AttorneyGeneral Lisa Madigan had ruled that FOIDinformation was releasable under the FOIAand that the Illinois State Police must hon-or a FOIA request for such informationfiled by a newspaper reporter. Lawfulfirearm owners were appalled and angryover the prospect of their private informa-tion being released to the media. In re-sponse, the ISRA successfully sought a tem-porary restraining order to halt the release offirearm owner personal information. Mon-day’s action by Judge Brandt makes the pro-visions of that restraining order permanent.

“Gun control organizations and theirfriends in the press have been trying foryears to get the names and addresses of

peace of mind among the state’s gun own-ers,” said Pearson. “No longer will theyhave to fear that Lisa Madigan will targettheir homes for burglary. They won’t haveto worry that gun control extremists will“occupy” their front yards or harass theirchildren on the way to school. Yes, thestate’s gun owners will be quite content inthe knowledge that the court has declaredthat the choice to own firearms is nobody’sbusiness but their own.”

The ISRA is the state’s leading advocateof safe, lawful, and responsible firearmsownership. For more than a century, the IS-RA has represented the interests of millionsof law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

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firearm owners,” commented ISRA Execu-tive Director Richard Pearson. “For somereason, they think that the public has a rightto know who in their city, town or social or-ganization owns guns. Thus, they wouldlike nothing more than to see the names andaddresses of gun owners along with detailedinventories of privately-held firearms plas-tered across every newspaper in the state.For years, the State Police correctly and suc-cessfully resisted calls for the release of suchinformation. Well, then along comes At-torney General Lisa Madigan.”

“Lisa Madigan is well known as a staunchsupporter of efforts to ban civilian firearmownership,” continued Pearson. “In fact,Madigan routinely receives recognition andawards for her anti-gun activities from Illi-nois’ largest gun control organization.Therefore, it should come as no surprisethat Madigan would break with traditionand direct the release of gun owners’ per-sonal information to the public. JudgeBrandt’s order has put the kibosh on Madi-gan’s abuse of power.”

“The most important outcome of JudgeBrandt’s order will be the restoration of

Court Sides with Illinois State Rifle Association in Protecting Identities of

Lawful Firearm Owners

PEORIA, IL - Lawful firearm ownersacross the state may rest a little easiertonight knowing that their sensitive person-al information is finally safeguarded fromrelease under the Illinois Freedom of Infor-mation Act (FOIA).

Earlier in December, the HonorableMichael E. Brandt, Chief Judge of the 10thJudicial Circuit of Illinois, Peoria County,signed an order permanently barring theIllinois State Police from revealing the iden-tities of the state’s 1.5 million law-abidingfirearm owners. This order extends to pro-

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egory then you should considergetting outdoors more. Being out-side is the best way I can think ofto get in shape to trim down at thesame time. It is a fun way to exer-cise and spend time with yourfriends and family at the sametime. Enjoy the outdoors everychance you get.

Some ideas for the outdoors areto go on hiking trails for a naturewalk with the kids or just take yourfavorite pet for a walk. How abouta fishing trip, or a sledding tripwould be a blast? Try a canoeingtrip this spring, anything outdoorsis more fun that just doing thetreadmill in your living room.

With spring weather approachingnow is the time to plan your fishingtrips & family outdoor activities.Don’t delay in making your reser-vations. The good places fill upquickly. Plan ahead, look aroundand get your reservation booked!

ASO has many options to choosefrom. Go to our website to findmany or our advertiser’s websiteswhich are linked. This is a greatway to find a place to visit withyour family. See: www.Adventure-SportsOutdoors.webs.com

In the meantime, winter is here tostay for a few more months. So,now that hunting season is nearingan end. Maybe it would be a goodtime to plan a getaway to relax af-ter the hustle and bustle of the hol-idays. A little R & R is good forthe sole and a great way to regroupfor the long cold days ahead.

Find a winter retreat or a FamilyFun Spot for the kids that has an in-door water park. Grizzly Jack’sGrand Bear Resort in Utica is agreat place for families of all sizes.Relax in a rustic cabin and warmup by the fireplace, your kids willenjoy the water park, sounds like awin win for everyone doesn’t it?With full kitchenettes, save on eat-ing out and cook up a good meal toenjoy some time together.

Many Resorts offer skiing, in-door water fun and great shoppingclose by. For you avid winter thrillseekers, consider some great placesin Wisconsin. Mercer CountyChamber, Hayward or BirchwoodWis. are some of my favorites forwinter fun. Snowmobiling is verypopular there.

This winter there are many sportshows coming up. What a greatway to spend the day with yourfamily & enjoy all that these shows

have to offer. Check out the showline-up on page 116. ASO will tryto attend as many shows as we can.If you see our booth, be sure tostop by & say hello.

As we start a new year, I wantedto thank all the sponsors that I havehad the pleasure of working withthis past year. I have been fortu-nate to meet a lot of great peopleand had the opportunity to visitmany cool places. I am excited tostart another year with ASO andlook forward to meeting manymore new people and visiting someof our favorite places again, as wellas traveling to new destinations.

April will kick off our RiverTrips again this year. It is my per-sonal favorite. I love to canoe andenjoy fishing & camping so ofcourse I am very excited to paddlenew rivers. I definitely will be vis-iting Wisconsin & Missouri again.I may even go to other states anddiscover other rivers. Of course Iwill be spending a lot of time onmy favorite, the good ole Macki-naw River.

I would like to give credit to agroup of people that have gone outof their way to help clean up somelittering & destructive problemsthat we have had on our MackinawRiver in my hometown. The Sonsof the Deer-Creek American Le-gion and some other volunteershave taken steps to catch some peo-ple that were destroying & trashingone of the few canoe access siteswe have. The violators were

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ASO UPDATES

by Terri SweckardHappy Holidays to All!Hello & Happy New Year!Most of us have some New Year

Resolutions that unfortunately willbe broken again this year like everyyear in the past. Many of us havethe same old resolutions year afteryear, try to be healthier and loseweight. If you fall into to that cat-

014.qxd 12/25/11 11:20 PM Page 1


caught & hopefully this destruc-tion will stop. We will be printingthe whole story in Feb issue ofASO. So please look for it. In themeantime, a big ASO Thank Yougoes out to this group for volun-teering your time for such a greatcause. These rivers are for every-one’s enjoyment & how daresomeone destroy something sobeautiful, just for what they mightthink is fun. I hope paying foryour crime is enjoyable, have fun.

Paws, Claws & ExoticsI went to an interesting place a

few weeks ago, Paws, Claws &Exotics Too. It is a very uniquepet store located on Route 9 justoutside of Tremont near Pekin. It isnow one of my family’s favoriteplaces to stop & shop. I went thereto find a pet for my son, Gage. Hethought he wanted a hamster orGuinea pig. Well after stopping atthis cool pet store he could not de-cide, so it took about three tripsbefore he decided on a Bunny. It isa Satin Bunny; he is the softest an-imal I have ever felt. His name isRoger after ‘Roger the Rabbit” andwe love the addition to our family.We also love the new pet store in

our area.Steve & Connie Tibbs are the

owners of this new pet store. Theyhave had a love for pets their wholelives and have been the owners ofmany exotic pets for about tenyears now. It all started whenSteve brought home a monkey forhis wife Connie for her birthday.She fell in love with it and their ex-otic pet affair has grown from

there. The Tibbsnow own fiveMacaques (a typeof monkey),which are verycute. They alsohave two Servalswhich is an exot-ic African-typecat, it kind oflooks like a chee-tah. Plus theyhave two Mar-mosets (a smallmonkey type)just to name afew of their per-sonal exotic pets.They are regis-tered dog breed-ers and licensedpet owners. In

Illinois it is illegal for you toown such a unique animalwithout a special license. Al-though they have some exoticanimals for sale, you mustpossess a special exotic animal

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Cont’d. on pg. 90

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ters to the editors concerning the top-ics of the day, I hope the citizens ofTazewell County see that I am mak-ing the effort to communicate tothem.

While everyone does not need tohave a website, Facebook page, orother communication tools, it is im-portant that they are making the ef-fort to communicate what they arevoting for and why they are doing so.If not, ask yourself how can they betruly representing you and yourneeds.

The 2012 Primary Election has of-ficial started as the candidates turnedin their petitions for elected officeearlier this past month. This is a rareelection in which every elected rep-resentative office is up because ofthe once-a-decade redistrictingprocess. Here in Tazewell County,each citizen is represented by sevenCounty Board Members. How manyof you can name each one?

Part of the issue may be you havenot taken the time to look into theCounty Board. Maybe you know oneor two members and feel that isenough. In the end the way I see it, itis not fully your responsibility to getknow your County Board Members.If they want to be representatives,should they not make an effort to let

you know who they are?We hear from our elected officials

during election time when they comeknocking on your door and askingfor your vote. Reaching out duringelection season is a step in the rightdirection, but the more importantstep is in continuing this communi-

cation once elected. Too many timeswe see individuals that make the ef-fort to be seen or heard when theyare up for election, but afterwardsthey could care less about what thepeople want.

In this day and time when the abil-ity to communicate is as readilyavailable and inexpensive, it is timewe hold our elected officials moreresponsible for continued communi-cation. After all, they chose to beelected as a representative of thepeople and a large part of that re-sponsibility is listening to what yourconstituents want. If good, clear, on-going communication with the elec-torate is not a priority with these in-dividuals, what is their main priority,other than getting elected?

In my last election, I pledged toimprove the transparency ofTazewell County politics. One step Itook to achieve this pledge was tofund my own website www.John-CAckerman.com to allow the citi-zens of Tazewell County access toseveral important documents regard-ing Tazewell County that are not cur-rently available elsewhere on the in-ternet. When you add to this websitemy Facebook page and frequent let-

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MDNR SeizesTrophy BuckAntlers After

MichiganHunter Admits

He Didn't Have LicenseLAPEER, Mich. — After his

hunting buddy missed, Jeff Kerr sayshe couldn't resist: He shot a 13-pointtrophy buck on his grandmother'sland in Lapeer County, a deer with agenerous rack.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime rackfor a deer hunter," said Lt. Dave Mal-loch of the Michigan Department ofNatural Resources.

But the antlers and the venison nolonger belong to Kerr. The DNRseized everything after learning thatKerr didn't get a hunting license untilafter he shot the deer on Nov. 20.

"I was wrong," Kerr, 28, saidThursday. "I'm not going to point fin-gers."

Lt. Dave Malloch of the Depart-ment of Natural Resources says itwould be considered a "once-in-a-lifetime" deer for any hunter.”

With a construction job going well,he doubted he would get a chance tohunt. Then a pal called and they wereoff to his grandmother's 40 acres inLapeer County's Marathon Town-ship. Kerr didn't have a license buthad a Remington shotgun.

"He missed it twice and I couldn'tlet it go again," Kerr said of the deer."I shot him at 10 yards."

He got a license and removed thedeer from the field the next day. Heput the animal in his pickup truck andposed for a photo at a shop in Lapeer.The picture was posted on a website,http://www.q1buckpole.com , wherepeople can see other Michigan tro-phy deer.

The DNR said it got a tip that Kerrdidn't have a $15 license when heshot the buck. He confessed after avisit from conservation officer KenKovach.

"I wasn't going to lie. There's no-body to blame but myself," Kerr said.

He could face fines of up to$1,500. The DNR plans to displaythe antlers during public talks onhunting laws.

In this Nov. 21, 2011 photo provided by Ray C's Extreme Store, JeffKerr is shown with a 13-point deer in Lapeer, Mich. Kerr has been

forced to give up the venison and the trophy antlers because he didn'thave a license. Lt. Dave Malloch of the Michigan Department of Nat-ural Resources says it would be considered a "once-in-a-lifetime" deerfor any hunter. The hunter, Jeff Kerr, said Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011 thatthe antlers measured out at nearly 182 points. A tipster told the DNRthat Kerr didn't buy a license until after he killed the deer on Nov. 20.

Kerr says he just couldn't resist shooting the deer after his huntingbuddy missed it twice. But Kerr admits it was wrong without a license.He could face fines of $1,500. The DNR plans to use the antlers dur-ing public talks on hunting laws. (AP Photo/Ray C's Extreme Store)

017.qxd 12/20/11 11:47 PM Page 1


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As 2010 drew to a close and I be-gan thinking about 2011 I got a callfrom good friend Harold Rosson.Harold owns and operates a first classoutfitting business in Hancock Coun-ty, Illinois. Besides some outstand-ing deer hunting he also guides wa-terfowl hunts. Warsaw BottomsHunting Club has property right onthe Mississippi River. Harold’s wa-terfowl blinds are on small lakes sep-arated from the river only by the lev-ee. He hunts ON the flyway.

Rosson called me to invite me tojoin him in a blind for the last day onthe 2010 Illinois duck season. Hetold me he had kept one of his potholes mostly free of ice with a waterpump he uses to keep the water in

motion so it cannot freeze. The dayhe called me his group killed fourmallards and two Canada geese. Heexpected similar results the next day.I gladly accepted his invitation.

When I arrived at the blind shortlyafter noon I met Harold and he intro-duced me to another of his huntingbuddies, Walter Davis. Walt is fromEast Peoria and he has been huntingwith hunting with Rosson for severalyears. As I was getting ready I lis-tened to their stories of what had hap-pened in the blind that morning.

It seems they knocked a goosedown but it managed to glide severalhundred yards from the blind. Haroldtook his Lab to search for the bird butthey could not recover it. Then Walt

told me about another goose thatcame in over the decoys with itswings set. “It was at point-blankrange and I missed it three times,” hesaid. “I still can’t believe it,” he end-ed. Harold said the geese were flyingmuch better than the ducks today so Iloaded with my FederalTungsten/Iron BB goose loads.

I was no less than amazed at thenumbers of ducks and geese workingthe river and surrounding grain fieldsthat day. Flocks of every size were

milling around the bottom and weknew it was just a matter of time be-fore open water would look good tosome of them. We sat in the verycomfortable blind and each sharedduck and goose hunting stories fromthe past. After about an hour Harolddecided the goose decoys in the cornfield behind the blind needed to beadjusted. He told Walt and me to sittight and he would take care of it.

With Harold behind the blind I sawtwo geese coming right at him and

THETHE LASTLASTFLIGHTFLIGHTBY MIKE ROUX

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Walter Davis and Mike Roux got the last limit of 2010 at WARSAW BOTTOMS HUNTING CLUB. (Photo by Matt Jones)

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very low. “Don’t move Harold,” Iyelled as low as I could. He had al-ready seen the pair coming and waswell hidden. I told Walter they werecoming and I grabbed my shotgun.

The geese had their wings set asthey glided over the blind with mereyards of us. I drew-down on the leftgoose and folded him in front of theblind. I waited for Walt to shoot theother goose but he did not fire. I hes-itated as long as I could but Walt didnot shoot. I moved on the secondgoose and dispatched it, as well. Itwas my first double on geese all sea-son.

“I’m sorry Walt,” I said to my part-ner. “I waited as long as I could.”“No problem,” Walt responded. “Ijust could not get my gun up fastenough,” he added. Harold reenteredthe blind and bragged on the goodshooting. “Mike got ‘em both,” Wal-ter told him. Harold’s dog retrievedthe geese and we were officially onthe board.

Not long thereafter a single goosecame to the decoys in the open water.It saw the spread and set it wingsway out over the river. “This is adead goose,” I said as Walt raised his

gun. One well placed shot splashedthe big bird smack in the middle ofthe floating decoys. With 90-min-utes of shooting time left I had mylimit of geese and Walter washalfway there. Harold was very hap-py to be the guide and do the calling.But still no ducks.

Now do not get me wrong, therewere tons of ducks in the air, theyjust wanted nothing to do with us.So this turned into a goose hunt andwe were all OK with that. As I wasshowing Harold and Walter myMOUNTAIN SCREAMER MIKEROUX SIGNATURE SERIESGOOSE CALL, five geese respond-ed and locked-up over the field.They made a wide swing and onlyone of them came into range. Waltmade a great shot and he too had hislimit of Canada geese.

We sat there until shooting hourswere over but had no more action. Itwas great way to end 2010 and eventhough the last flight of ducks didnot happen we did manage two lim-its of geese. I suggest you get in onsome this action by calling HaroldRosson at WARSAW BOTTOMSHUNTING CLUB at 309-337-5290.

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Do Somethin' GoodNo one has ever accused me of

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But, at the end of day she can stripand others can protest and throwblood on chicks wearing furs sotheir cause gets noticed while weplod along buying the license andthe stamp that supports real conser-vation efforts. We plop down a cou-

ple of "C" notes at a DU or NWTFbanquet to expand and protect oursport of choice.

Understand we...that's you andI...are at the top of the food chain.Now a chicken is truly a stupid birdand I am convinced that it reallydoes not know it is being abused.To the "huggers" way of thinking Iguess we just have to man up andassume that if we don't pack’em tootight in the coop and humanely turntheir lights out that means some-thing good in the BIG picture of thehuman/animal experience.

Ya'll its Walt Disney’s fault! Yes,I said it, that great innovator of ani-mation; creator of some of the mostfamous characters that ever gracedthe big or little screen is the person

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behind all the whoo haa about theanimals. And you say...whaaat?

Who put them in clothes? Whotaught them to talk and yes...sing?How did a mouse becoming thebiggest star ever, a duck in closesecond and a fawn the recipient ofmore tears than all the funerals inthe world? Walt Disney humanizedanimals to the degree that now aftergenerations of indoctrination wecan perceive a skunk as Flower, arabbit as Thumper and that darlinglittle deer as, yep...Bambi. Howmany times have you deer huntersbeen asked if you killed Bambi? Hedid it! If he had, not Pam wouldstill have her clothes on and my stepdaughter would probably still beeating meat.

Walt aside, what is the real differ-ence amongst those that for whatev-er motivation and to what degreedrives them to do what it is they do,and why they do it.

Since this is a sporting kind ofpublication we'll go first. Outdoorspeople, in my book are conserva-tionists. We want to, in the face ofurban sprawl and just the sheergrowth of humanity, managenature’s gifts. We, in effect strive tomaintain our resources and thewildlife therein.

In the next arena I am going to putthe preservationists, the most

famous of whom is probably TeddyRoosevelt and he is followed byanyone since that wants to advocatefor the preservation of flora, faunaand the habitat in which they live.Teddy was a big hunter but lookingat the big scheme of things he start-ed preservation through the estab-lishment of the National Park sys-tem. A good thing? I think so, butthe time between our 26th Presidentriding up San Juan Hill and now,has seen about as many treasurespreserved as is feasible. Good on yaTeddy! Let's make sure they staypreserved.

The rest of our population is ateither end of the spectrum with eco-terrorists at one end and the “whocares” crowd at the other end. Iblew that eco-terrorist thing by youpretty fast. What is are they?

020.qxd 12/21/11 9:16 PM Page 1


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Thanks to Wikipedia here you go:Individuals or groups that commitacts of violence or sabotage in sup-port of ecological, environmental oranimal rights causes, against individ-uals or groups perceived to be theperpetrators of human encroachmentand destruction of natural resources.

The "who cares" folks really don'tcare cause they generally hail froman urban area and are usually awedby real grass that doesn't come from apark that comes with a "hazardous toyour health" warning. Wildlife tothem is a pigeon that can score adirect hit from a hundred feet in theair into an open cup of $5.00 coffee.

So, preservationists don't havemuch to do with their stuff anymore,at least nothing that they don't have toget past congress and we know that'simprobable if not impossible. Theenviro/eco terrorists hopefully willbe doing 50 to life in Marion, and the"who cares crowd"...who cares.

That leaves conservation to us, andto the like minded people that arereally great.

In the New Year let's do somethinggood. Don't just buy a license or astamp or the Kincaid print. Here aresome ideas.

Call your local DNR and find out ifthere are programs for which you canvolunteer.

Get involved with the WoundedWarrior program.

Take a kid fishing or hunting orshooting. SAY WHAT! We do thatall the time. Ah ha! (Here is the dif-ference) At the same time plan to par-ticipate in an event that supports thesport you are doing.

Think! What can you do to makethe great outdoors better?

Do something with wheelin' sports-men.

Does the NRA or ISRA Have a pro-gram that supports your interests?

Contact White Tails Unlimited,Pheasants Forever, or QuailsUnlimited and find out what you cando to help.

Just get off your butt and do some-thing different.

In any case if you do something ornothing...Keep whatever you doclean, out in the wild or not so wild!Does that make me an environmen-talist? Hey! Happy New Year!

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The NWTF has reached an agreementwith the Youth Shooting Sports Alliancethat will supplement the NWTF's recentlylaunched JAKES Take Aim initiative tointroduce at least 150,000 youth to theshooting sports over the next four years.

Under the terms of the partnership,YSSA will provide firearms, BB guns andarchery equipment for JAKES (youth 17and under) events hosted by NWTF chap-ters. NWT F CEO George Thornton andYSSA president Cyndi F lannigan signed amemorandum of agreement to mutuallysupport the ef forts of both organiza-tions.

The JAKES Take Aim program presentsopportunities for youth to t ry targetshooting, clay target shooting and othershotgun shooting sports in a safe, funenvironment.

As of November 2011, the JAKES TakeAim programs provide 25 states withtheir own fully equipped shooting trailersoperating at events. Plans call for each ofthe contiguous 48 states to have fullyequipped shooting t railers in 2013.

Brenda and Larry Potterfield ofMidwayUSA made the program possiblewith the generous donation of the shoot-ing trailers.

"This partnership further ensures thatthe youth participating in JAKES eventswill have the finest, safest equipmentavailable for a great experience," saidTom Hughes, NWTF assistant vice presi-dent for education and outreach.

The JAKES Take Aim trailers, availablethrough state agencies and NWTF statechapters, can be used at events such asJAKES Days and wildlife expos, or in part-nership with other conservation organi-zations such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,National FFA Organization, 4-H,Trailblazers and Boys and Girls Clubs.

To become a member of the NWTF, joina committee or start a chapter, visitwww.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF.The NWT F is also atwww.facebook.com/theNWTF.

021.qxd 12/21/11 9:25 PM Page 1


LAKEZONE CONVENIENCELive Bait & Tackle • Shell Gas & Diesel Fuel

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JAN. 2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

From OUTDOOR ILLINOIS Magazine

Jan. 1First Day Hike, Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton,8:30am

Jan. 3Bald Eagle Days tour, Pere Marquette State Park,Grafton,8:30 am – Reservations required (one of se-ries of bald eagle tours on various dates); for detailsand other dates, check this link:dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/R4/Bald_Ea-gle_Days.htm

Jan. 7Final day of Canada goose hunting season, NorthZone; for more information, see Waterfowl Digest atthis link: www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Docu-ments/DigestWaterfowlHuntingRegulations.pdf

Jan. 8Conservation Order Light Goose Season opens, NorthZone; Rabbit, pheasant, quail and partridge seasoncloses, North Zone.

Jan. 10Final day of duck hunting season, South Central Zone

Jan. 11IL St. Museum Science Series program, Collections

bear country. U.S. Fish and Wildlife grizzly bear re-covery coordinator Chris Servheen says bears arepushing out in all directions from the Greater Yellow-stone Ecosystem. At last count, he said, there was anestimated 600 grizzlies in the ecosystem. Grizzlybears were once found across the West but the popu-lation declined because of intensive hunting andtrapping. When they received Endangered SpeciesAct protections in 1975, roughly 136 bears survivedin the Yellowstone region.

OREGON CIT Y TAKES AIM AT NUISANCE WILD TURKEYS

SALEM, Ore. The city of Dallas has permissionfrom the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department to kill10 nuisance wild turkeys that have been leavingmesses and chasing children and other people in anorthwest neighborhood. The city says agents willshotgun the birds Dec. 17 at dusk when the turkeysroost. It's not a public hunt. Assistant City ManagerEmily Gagner told the Statesman Journal(is.gd/joq984) about 30 turkeys live in the neighbor-hood. She says some problem birds were killed earlierthis year. The meat was donated to needy families. Astate wildlife official, Dave Budeau, says problemswith turkeys typically begin when people feed themand they lose their fear of humans.

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NEW JERSEY BEAR HUNT SHOWED DROP-OFFFROM 2010

TRENTON, N.J. State officials say New Jersey'ssecond state-sanctioned bear hunt resulted in 128fewer kills than a year ago. The state Department ofEnvironmental Protection says 464 bears were killedduring the six-day hunt in northern New Jersey thatended Saturday 12/10/2011. The 2010 hunt yielded592 bruins. More than half the bears were killed lastMonday, on the hunt's first day, 257 bear. DEPspokesman Larry Ragonese says preliminary examina-tion of the bears shows they are healthy overall andappear to be thriving on the acorns and berries foundin the northwestern part of the state. State wildliferesearchers will spend the next several weeks takingblood, hair and DNA samples to learn more about mi-gration and feeding patterns. New Jersey is estimatedto have about 3,400 black bears within its borders.

MONTANA GRIZZLY REPORTS INCREASINGBILLINGS, Mont. Wildlife biologists say that re-

ports of grizzly bears are increasing in Montana'sBeartooth Front, but it's difficult to tell if there aremore bears or just more bear sightings. Barb Pitman,wildlife biologist with the Beartooth Ranger District inRed Lodge, told The Billings Gazette (bit.ly/up3Iuy)it's not clear if there are simply more people exploring

and Research Center, 1011 East Ash, Springfield, 7pm

Jan. 13-15Late-Winter Antlerless Deer Season and Special CWDDeer Season (select counties); for more information,go to the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunt-ing/Documents/Late-WinterSHAHuntingPermitInfor-mation.pdf

Jan. 14-15Winter Wilderness Weekend, Starved Rock StatePark, Utica; more information at dnr.state.il.us/edu-cation/interprt/starved.htm

Jan. 15Archery deer season closes, statewide; Pheasant,quail and partridge seasons close, south zone

Jan. 20Red fox, gray fox, badger, coyote, raccoon, opossum,skunk, weasel, mink and muskrat trapping seasonsclose, north zone

Jan. 21 Dickson Mounds Museum Native American WinterGathering, Lewistown, 1-5 pm; for more information,check the Ill. St. Museum website atwww.museum.state.il.us/events/

Jan. 22Final day of duck hunting season in South Zone; Rab-bit season closes, south zone

Jan. 25Red fox, gray fox, badger, coyote, raccoon, opossum,skunk, weasel, mink and muskrat trapping seasonsclose, south zone

Jan. 28-29Eagle Watch Weekend, Starved Rock State Park, Utica

Jan. 31Final day of Canada goose hunting season in Central,SouthCentral and South zones; red and gray fox hunt-ing season closes

Feb. 1Conservation Order Light Goose Season opens, Cen-tral,South Central and South zones

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022.qxd 12/22/11 12:01 AM Page 1


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Shopping for a boat just got easier in southernIllinois with this year’s addition of the SouthernIllinois Boat & Fishing Show at The Pavilion,1602 Sioux Drive, Marion, IL. The show onFebruary 3 - 5, 2012 provides the family insearch of a boat, a chance to view all the differ-ent models and makes in one place. It is com-parison shopping for the boat buyer.

Boat buying tips such as those that follow canhelp shoppers find just the right craft for yourfamily. Approach your shopping trip to theshow with an open mind. Do not rule out a cer-tain kind of boat because of something you onceheard about that type of construction or model.Boat builders are all turning out quality prod-ucts. They want your business and strive toproduce a quality boat at the best price possible.It is wise to pay particular attention to the mate-rials and construction of the boat, motor andtrailer.

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17-foot craft. Moving up to the 18-foot boatusually means moving to a 150-hp engine andthe 19-foot boat works well with a 200-hpmotor.

Generally speaking, for every increase inhorsepower one gains about one or 2 miles perhour of speed. One can save money on engineprice and fuel costs by decreasing your demandfor horsepower. There really does not seem tobe much change in performance in either event.

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As you comparison shop, remem-ber to view all the boats you can atthe Southern Illinois Boat &Fishing Show. The dealers will behappy to answer all your questions.They also will have answers to thequestions you did not think to ask.

Admission to the show is free andin addition to the boats, there willbe displays of fishing tackle andseminars.

The show is produced byWilliamson County TourismBureau and Youth OutdoorEducation Foundation. For vendorinformation contact DwightHoffard at John A. Logan College,618-985-2828 extension 8208.

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for one reason or another prohibits hu-man intrusion can also harbor herds ofharried whitetails.

Finally, I look for deer to be beddedduring daylight hours in small out-of-the-way parcels that no one in theirright mind would think a deer could behiding such as small stands of sumac inthe middle of a large pasture, sparsehedgerows crossing open farm fields,small stands of cattails or a single large-diameter tree complete with unmowedgrasses and weeds in the middle of a cutcorn lot.

Find the FoodThe secret now is to locate their near-

est food supply, and intercept them asthey sneak back and forth betweenthese feeding grounds and their newdaytime resting areas.

In farm country corn fields, alfalfalots and hay mowings are all goodplaces to begin your search. Wherelarge forests dominate the scene, youcan bet the bucks will have been pusheda mile or more from parking lots andother access points. Nonetheless, theywill be attracted to abandoned apple or-chards, and if beechnuts and acorns areavailable, south-facing hardwoodslopes.

Take the ShotYou need to tip the odds in your favor

a bit. Remember these deer are stillsmarting from the gun season! Tree-stand hunters would do well to concealtheir stand in a thick fir tree, or on theopposite side of the tree you expect thedeer to approach from. If you can re-


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LATE-SEASON LATE-SEASON BOW TACTICS BOW TACTICS

How do you find deer aftergun season has made them

skittish? Here is where to look.

By Bill VaznisYou won’t get any argument from

me. The toughest time to arrow a buckis during the last week of the bow sea-son, especially in those heavily populat-ed states with lengthy firearms seasons.After all, whitetails are plenty skittishafter a month or so of steady huntingpressure, and all it takes is a slight wig-gle or an unnatural noise to send thempacking.

Find the BucksIf you want to get a crack at a late-

season buck, you must first sit back andthink where they could be hiding. Youcan start with private property that is offlimits to hunting, but do not overlookpublic or corporate property that pro-hibits the discharge of any weapon,such as parks, school playgrounds, golfcourses, water shed properties, airports,ski resorts, and wood lots adjacent to

manufacturing sites. Although you can-not generally bowhunt these buck hide-outs, careful glassing should reveal thepresence of deer to you. And with thisknowledge half the battle is won.

Next, study topographical featurescarefully. Steep ravines, brush-chokedcreek, thick mucky swamps, precipi-tous hillsides, the rocky bottoms oflandslides, logging slashings, uncutcorn lots, windstorm-damaged blocksof timber, Christmas tree plantations,overgrown fields of multi-flora rose,and any other chunk of real estate that

main seated and shoot after the buck haspassed by, then so much the better.

Finally, keep in mind that you aremore likely to see several deer thunderby your stand than you are a single deer.Prepare yourself mentally for this even-tuality, and don’t flock shoot!

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for this situation.

024.qxd 12/22/11 12:54 AM Page 1


Outdoor TV shows seem to be promotingat least one off-road all terrain vehicle (ATV)on most programs. Some of which are con-ventional gasoline and/or diesel powered andsome of them are all electric, battery-poweredversions. Actually, I saw one advertised as adual-fuel model that runs on electric until bat-tery power wanes, then switches to gas andperforms as a conventional model while also

recharging the battery. I have not seen one ofthese, but would sure like to. Each providerdeems his product to be the best design, thebest built and the best performer.

How do you decide which is best for you?After all most of these start in excess of tenthousand dollars and by the time you add afew “options”, most of them run in excess ofthirteen thousand. This is not the time tomake a bad decision and wish you had yourmoney back.

I certainly do not purpose to make that de-cision for you since your particular use andyour budget have a big effect on this decision,buy I have used both and have some observa-tions. Having used a gas-powered four-wheel-er for many years, I’m a bit prejudiced, but Irecently set-up a lower priced electric modeland simply love it also.

When looking at the initial price, mainte-nance costs, advantages and disadvantages, Ican’t decide which one I would do without ifit were necessary. The gas models requiresmore tune-up and oil-change type mainte-nance visits since there are simply more mov-ing parts, but the eventual upgrade to newbatteries on the electric model may match orexceed those costs.

Again the manufacturers don’t agree on av-erages for these costs, but I guessing that itmay be a trade-off.

The conventional four-wheeler will gomore places in the woods than the newer side-

by-side models in either gas or electric. This isan advantage in many of the places that I huntand would probably greatly affect my decisionif I had to do with only one model. Converse-ly my electric is so much quieter than thegas model that I feel comfortable gettingmuch closer to my hunt areas than I dowith the gas model. Although my electricis an upgraded golf cart it has adequateground clearance, power, and tire tractionto go most anywhere. It also has a winchthat can be switched for front to backmaking it pretty hard to stop. The camofinish makes it easier to hide from the game atmy hunting destination also.

Now, most of us need the exercise of walk-ing to our hunting areas, but there are somedisadvantages to walking especially in warmerweather. Since odor control is essential to suc-cess the ability to reduce sweating is very im-portant. This ability to travel closer to yourhunt spot in the electric model is especiallybeneficial in sweat reduction and odor con-trol.

My electric also has a bigger rear bed forgear and for giving the deer a ride back to thetruck. I have rigged up a snatch-block or ca-ble/pulley combination on both rigs to enableme to load a large deer with the winch withvery little effort. Some of the dedicated side-by-sides, especially in the gas/diesel versionsseem to be more dedicated to farm or con-struction work and expensive options while

others are geared more toward the huntingand sporting markets. Your use should quick-ly determine which is best among these mod-els.

The electrics that are “born” to be off-roadhunting vehicles are certainly superior to theconverted karts, like mine. However, there is afantastic cost difference and so far I am totallysatisfied with the cost/performance ratio ofmy electric unit. By controlling the cost of theunits and sacrificing some of the features ofthe dedicated models, I can own both andcover more of my needs with less out-lay ofcash. The downside of that is that Rosaliethinks I have too many ”toys”. But we allknow that is impossible. You simply can’thave too many toys!

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Illinois State Fairgrounds • Richard Orr Building

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025.qxd 12/22/11 1:00 AM Page 1


Located in the beautiful Piney Region of Central Missouri. It's really Hog Heaven! Beautiful lodging accommodations!

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Congratulations to Keith Shedlbauer of Mattoon for taking this really nice whitetail deer with a bow.

It has at least 18-points and is expected to score about 180.What's more important is its mass and beauty!

Wow…great hunting Keith!

Thanks to ASO writer & friend, Dave Shadow, for sending photos of Keith’s trophy!

Congratulations toGlenn Foreman,

for taking thisbeautiful

Missouri whitetail.Glenn had a verygood hunt takingthe buck on the

first day, 5 minutesbefore dark -

chasing a doe.About a 140 yard

standing shot, he scored a

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026.qxd 12/22/11 8:10 PM Page 1


I have a new favorite place. As a full-time sport fishing pro and media per-sonality, I get to travel to the best of thebest fishing vacation destinations thisplanet offers. It was tough to pick a fa-vorite until I traveled north to fish withmy friend and Simms Outdoors TeamMember Captain Rafael Ramirez-Ruiz(Raf), on Prince of Whales Island inSoutheast Alaska, with Ray and GloriaSimms of Simms Outdoors, who alsohappen to be my parents. They had al-

ways wanted to make the trip to Alaska,and when I told them about the Junemedia event that I’d worked into theschedule, they began counting the days.

*An Experience Like No OtherJust try to imagine catching so many

big fish that you physically feel like youjust can’t land one more, all the whileseeing whales breaching, otters feedingand sea lions playing, right next to theboat, in one of the most magnificently

ALASKAN FISHING ALASKAN FISHING ADVENTUREADVENTUREUNBELIEVABLY INCREDIBLE FISHING AND SO MUCH MORE

By: Colby Simms with Ray Simms & Gloria SimmsPhotos by: The Simms Outdoors Teamwwwwww .SimmsOutdoors .com.SimmsOutdoors .com

Cont’d. on next pg.

beautiful places on earth. That is justpart of the adventure.

*World Class Sport FishingPrince of Wales Island (POW) is tru-

ly an angler’s dream. This kind of fish-ing offers exciting sport that keeps evenseasoned pros drooling, yet the methodsused are simple, and even people brandnew to the sport can catch countless bigfish. This is the ultimate fishing experi-ence for everyone, from veterans tochildren. The oceans and rivers teem

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with four species of salmon, king, sil-ver, chum and pink. There may be nobetter place in the entire world to fishsalmon that POW. Kings are my fa-vorite, the largest weighing nearly 100pounds! These are an absolute blast tocatch, a most exciting sport fish. Theypull like freight trains and make spec-tacular leaps into the air. Of course allsalmon are all excellent eating fish, butyou’ll be amazed how much betterthese fish taste than salmon from themarket. On POW you can walk thebanks of the countless streams for bigsalmon, but the saltwater fishing is evenmore amazing. You can venture out in-to the mighty Pacific, an experience un-like anything else. Or, you can fish thecalm protected waters inshore, a seriesof bays, islands and channels that offerthe same amazing sport fishing andwildlife watching, in flat calm waters.

Big halibut are found in incrediblenumbers in this special place. Halibutcan surpass 400 pounds, but the actionfrom these flat fish can be fast and furi-ous. It’s true that there aren’t manyplaces in the whole world where anglerscan experience this kind of fishing. An-glers can also tangle with massive lingcod, large sole, big black sea bass, huge

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027.qxd 12/22/11 8:59 PM Page 1


are used to take the many species thatlive in these cold, rich waters, but asimple method called mooching is of-ten best. This easy technique is nomore than dropping a baitfish downto the bottom and slowly reeling backup. Baitfish, in about the 4-8” range,are cut behind the head at an angleand set on a double hook rig. Thiscauses the offering to spiral as it’sreeled up, and all species of fish at-tack it with reckless abandon. Stan-dard vertical fishing with heavy jigscan also produce at times when moreweight is needed to get to the bottom,

yellow eye and other rock fishspecies, and even have the chance togo a few rounds with a big shark.This area has it all. As part of thepackage, anglers can bring 100pounds of fish fillets back home withthem, in two 50 pound boxes per per-son. The fish are cleaned, vacuumpacked, frozen and boxed for trans-port, all included in the package.You’ll leave Alaska with photos andmemories of the best fishing of yourlife, as well as the chance to fill yourfreezer with the best tasting fish inthe world. Summertime weather ismild, and anglers can often fish in teeshirts, while looking up at snow cov-ered peaks far overhead.

A wide variety of fishing methods

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or a larger presentation is preferred.Raf relies on top quality tackle, in-cluding 8.5’ Lamiglas SalmonMooching rods, while opting for themore standard short and stiff modelsfor big jigs. The hottest fishing meth-ods will take most or all species, sosuccess is that much greater, and so isthe excitement, because you neverknow what you’ll hook up on next.We had countless doubles, with twopeople fighting big fish at once, andeven had Ray, Gloria and I all fight-ing big fish at the same time. The firsttriple header had Ray going toe to toe

with a massive jumping king salmon,while Gloria and I wrestled a pair ofbig halibut out of the depths! Fishingjust doesn’t get much more excitingthan that.

*Other Adventures & SomethingFor Everyone

In addition to the fishing, there areall kinds of other activities and ad-ventures available, something foreveryone. Scenery and wildlife pho-tography is popular here, in one ofthe wildest of places. POW is NorthAmerica’s third largest island, whilealso being one of the least populated.It’s a true nature lover’s paradise.Majestic snow covered mountainsfall down to the rocky coastlines ofthe north Pacific, places too awe in-spiring for words. Crystal clear riverswind their way through dense foreststhat are so green you’ll think you’rein Ireland. In addition to the hump-back whales, sea otters and seals,pods of orcas roam these waters too.Also called killer whales, these myth-ical creatures can even be seen far upthe inshore waters in the shallowsnear shore. Large bears roam theforests and coast lines, includingsome of the biggest black bears any-where. Wolves howl in the distance,

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ADVENTURE…Cont’d. from previous pg.

Classic Alaska capturedthrough the lens as a

humpback feeds.

Ray Simms of Simms Tackleshows off one of many big

Pacific king salmon.

Simms Outdoors Team MemberRafael Ruiz with a monster ling

cod and its giant teeth filled jaws.

028.qxd 12/22/11 8:57 PM Page 1


thousand islands, bays and streams,where it’s not unusual to limit outevery day for every species. Theseclear, rocky, sheltered waters arehome to a fishing experience unlikeany other. This is the best place forfishing buddies to wet a line, for cou-ples on a romantic getaway, forwildlife photographers to fill the al-bums, or for the ultimate family fish-ing vacation, POW has it all, butmost of all, fishing that you’ll thinkof fondly every day for the rest ofyour life. To book this fishing vaca-tion of a lifetime, call Simms Out-doors L.L.C. today at 618-521-0526or 573-358-5948 or [email protected] and besure to log onto the web sitewww.SimmsOutdoors.com andcheck out the Alaska page of theGuide Services & Vacation sectionfor more incredible photos and infor-mation.

*Get Up ThereAll serious anglers owe it to them-

selves to make a fishing trip like thisto Alaska, the final frontier, andPOW is the best that Alaskan fishinghas to offer, truly one of the world’sbest fishing vacation destinations, soget up there…

COLBY SIMMS is an international-ly renowned professional angler &media personality, working as a televi-sion host & guest star, guide, outdoorwriter & photographer, championtournament angler, promoter, tackledesigner and speaker. He is theFounder & Owner of Simms OutdoorsLLC, operating one of the largestguide service & outfitting operationscovering the United States, Canada &Mexico, a fishing lure company withall American made products, an onlineoutdoor sports magazine, a profession-al promotions business, and muchmore. For more information visitwww.SimmsOutdoors.com , call 618-521-0526 or 573-358-5948 or [email protected] .

Get top quality American Made Lures, findArticles, Reports, Photos & More and bookGuided Trips & Fishing Vacations in the Unit-ed States, Canada & Mexico with SIMMSOUTDOORS L.L.C. at: www.SimmsOut-doors.com: 618-521-0526 / 573-358-5948 [email protected] .

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while eagles soar overhead. The is-land’s bald eagle numbers practicallyrival those of the squirrel in the Mid-west, and they are everywhere, prac-tically right at your feet, whetheryou’re running the coast or strollingthrough town. Blacktail deer areabundant, and with little fear of hu-mans you can walk right up to them.They’ll practically pose for a photowith you.

Craig is the largest town on POW, apicturesque fishing village that willhave you contemplating a change ofaddress, within minutes of arrival.

This quaint little place has everythingthat you need, including a gorgeousview from most of the homes andbusinesses found there. The warmand inviting hospitality of the localpeople makes you feel completely athome. The richness of the local cul-ture is evident in the native totemcarvings found around Craig andneighboring Klawock, home to oneof the largest collections of totempoles in the world. There are manyexcellent restaurants in and nearCraig, everything from fine gourmetdining with breathtaking views, tosmall cafés with down home countrycooking and breathtaking views, tofaster food joints with breathtakingviews. See a trend here? A trip to thenorthern end of the island offers thechance to explore the most remotearea on POW in the the famous Ton-gass National Forest, including Alas-ka’s largest cave, El Capitan. BeaverFalls trail is a good stop along theway. Other area activities include gla-cier viewing, big game hunting,shopping and festivals.

*Fishing Vacation Of A Lifetime &Contact

POW supports one of Earth’s rich-est fisheries in this archipelago of a

The raising of a barn door as a huge Alaskan halibut comes

to the surface.

029.qxd 12/22/11 8:55 PM Page 1


Mel’Mel’s Spors Sporting Goodsting Goods• Custom Built Bowstrings• Pro Shop• Indoor Range• Computerized Video Simulated Hunting

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ABOUT DALEDUNNERWAY,

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For hunters everywherewho find themselves“workin’ for the man, huntin’when they can,” Dale Dun-nerway is more than just thehunting obsessed hero of twocult classic comic books.He’s a role model. Bringingto life the voice of hunterseverywhere who work toomuch, speak too honestly,and who never seem to getout hunting enough, the DaleDunnerway Talking Bobble-Head ($24.95) is the perfectgift for that “special” out-doorsman on your list.

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030.qxd 12/26/11 1:05 AM Page 1


Quality Tackle • Fishing PermitsLive Bait • Ammo • Reloading

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BUZZY’S BUZZY’S TTACKLEACKLE

More Than theTail is White On This Deer

By Bill GrahamKANSAS CITY MO, Michael

Utt watched for two quarries fromhis hunting stand during the recentfirearms deer season, an all-whitedeer for his camera and a white-taildeer for the freezer. Utt baggedboth.

A Sugar Creek resident, he washunting near Lake of the Ozarks onNov. 13 when a white deer movedthrough the woods. He knew sucha deer was in the area and was car-rying a camera just in case, so heshot some photographs. Later, hefound the deer in another location

and took more photographs.Utt was hunting on a friend’s landand some area residents had report-ed a white deer in the woods.

“I wasn’t sure I believed them,”Utt said.

Now he has the photos provingthey were right. The pictures aretaken from a distance but it’s clear-ly an all-white deer, a doe, andpossibly a true albino with pinkeyes. Albino deer possess a reces-sive gene trait. Their white colormakes them more vulnerable topredators.“I decided not to shoot this deer,and hopefully we’ll see it againand it will have some offspring,”Utt said.

Albino deer are rare but some aregenerally spotted each year in Mis-souri. At least two other cases werereported to the Missouri Depart-ment of Conservation (MDC) dur-ing the recent November firearms

deer season.Conservation Agent Tammy

Pierson confirmed an all-whitedeer shot by a hunter in Ray Coun-ty. Although that deer had blue

eyes rather than the pink or redeyes that would make it a true albi-no. A hunter killed an albino deerin Texas County that was also con-firmed by conservation agents.

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Photo Courtesy Missouri

Department of Conservation.

031.qxd 12/22/11 11:01 PM Page 1


Our Cabins Feature:• 1/2 mile from Boat Ramp & Marina• Modern Fully Furnished Cabins• Indoor Pool, Private Lake & Gazebo• Satellite TV. Heat & A/C, Carpeted • Restaurant within Walking Distance

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Conservation agentswrap up firearms

deer season poaching cases

by Candice DavisConservation agents in Mis-

souri’s Southeast region issued 225citations and 238 written warningsfor Wildlife Code violations duringthe 2011 fall firearms deer season.

According to the Missouri De-partment of Conservation (MDC),the cited violations included hunt-ing without a deer permit, refusinginspection by an agent, attemptingto take deer from a public roadwayor motor vehicle, baiting, failure towear hunter orange and other vio-lations. Twenty-two violationswere not deer related.

Ken West, Protection Divisionsupervisor for MDC’s SoutheastRegion, said finding wildlife viola-tors is a rewarding task for conser-vation agents.

“Poaching is not hunting and ouragents work hard to sort out thepoachers from the ethical hunters,”West said.

West said citation numbers areabout the same this year as in pre-vious years. The noticeable changewas in the number of warnings,about 50 more than average, whichwere given for tagging violations.West said this was due to somegrace the agents gave in regards tothe new “bag it-tag it” permit sys-tem.

“Some of those were honest mis-takes, most were not,” West said.“We choose to give warnings thefirst year of a regulation change,but next year there won't be validexcuses for failure to properly tagdeer.”

MDC coined the phrase “Bag it.Notch it. Tag it. Check it.” this yearto help hunters remember whenthey harvest a deer to first notchthe date on their deer permit, thenput the permit in a clear plastic bagand attach the bagged permit totheir harvested deer.

West said agents will give cita-tions, not warnings, for tagging vi-olations in the near future. He saidit is the duty of the hunter to be in-formed of Missouri’s WildlifeCode and ensure their hunt followslegal methods.

“Hunting ethically and legally is

not only about staying out of trou-ble, but also setting a good exam-ple and being a good steward ofconservation,” West said. He addedthat there’s nothing better thanlegally harvesting a deer and show-ing off that success.

“The vast majority of hunters wecheck are law-abiding, safe sports-men,” West said.

Deer season will continue withthe Muzzleloader portion Dec. 17-27 and a late youth portion Jan. 7-

8, 2012. Copies of the WildlifeCode and the 2011 Fall Deer andTurkey Guide are available at nocost anywhere permits are sold, atMDC offices and online atwww.mdc.mo.gov.

The MDC’s Southeast Regionspans 16 counties reaching fromthe eastern and southern borders ofthe state as far north as Ste.Genevieve and St. Francis Coun-ties, and west to Wayne andReynolds Counties.

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Conservation Agent Brian Towe.Courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation.

032.qxd 12/22/11 11:08 PM Page 1


REMEMBER PRAIRIESFOR LATE-SEASON

QUAIL HUNTSby Bill Graham

KANSAS CITY MO -- Prairies and related grass-lands offer a late-season hunting opportunity forbobwhite quail hunters willing to walk further and indifferent patterns than they did in the old days.

For decades, quail hunting mostly meant follow-ing pointing and retrieving dogs down a fence rowor a brushy draws among crop fields. That was espe-cially true as farmers finished the corn and soybeanharvests, leaving fields mostly bare. Quail loafedunder brushy cover between feeding times. Birddogs and hunters still trace a path along fence rowsbecause of past success, and the approach stillworks, sometimes.

But those habits are not as effective on MissouriDepartment of Conservation (MDC) wildlife areaswith prairies or native grass and wildflower restora-tions. The upside is management to boost prairieplants also helps birds such as bobwhite quail. Theyevolved on the state’s grasslands. Prairie manage-ment increases the potential for a conservationarea to hold good-sized quail coveys. The birds alsohave the shelter they need from weather and preda-tors. But the challenge for hunters is that ratherthan the quail-friendly cover being lined out down a

fence row, the quail can use entire fields for feed-ing, resting and hiding, said MDC WildlifeManagement Biologist Kyle Hedges.

“There are many places where you can miss birdswhen you’re hunting,” Hedges said, as he gazed outover the Stony Point Prairie Conservation Area, a960-acre tract in Dade County that’s mostly nativegrasses and wildflowers, scattered plum thicketsand a few brushy draws. “This is more the grasslandmodel for wildlife rather than the crop field model.”

However, Hedges said, there will often be morequail per acre on a managed grassland system thanin crop fields, but they can be harder to find.

“They’re just as likely to be out in the middle of afield or in a plum thicket as they are in a draw,” hesaid.

Missouri’s quail populations have declined inrecent decades, although the MDC wildlife areaswith prairie components have remained a strong-hold for quail even in years when cold, wet weatherhas hurt nesting and brood-rearing success. Thisyear, dry conditions during the last nesting seasonin late spring and early summer helped quail num-bers in western Missouri where the majority of thestate’s public prairies or native grassland restora-tions are located.

“Our covey numbers are down but the sizes ofour coveys are bigger,” said Frank Loncarich, anMDC wildlife management biologist who managesareas with native grasses such as the Robert E.Talbot Conservation Area in Lawrence County.

Finding those quail is the challenge.Hedges and Loncarich are also quail hunters. Their

tips for hunting success onpublic wildlife areas man-aged for grassland plant andwildlife species:Hunt off the beaten pathincluding walks across theinterior sections of a grass-land field. Early seasonhunters are drawn to anybordering fencerows orbrushy draws, and the pres-sure prompts quail usingthat cover to move out intograsses and small plum thickets.

Circle back through a good looking area orapproach it from a different angle. Quail will holdtight in dense cover and let you walk past, if thedogs miss them. Also, a covey will hear crunchingboots and voices and run from the approach. Asground nesting and feeding birds, they’re adept atgiving hunters the slip without flushing.

“You walk by a lot of birds you never see,”Loncarich said.

Adding a few more hunters and bird dogs to thehunting party, and spreading out during walks,increases the chances for locating quail on large,grassland areas.

Don’t bypass prairie areas with shorter grasses.Managers use prescribed fire to control woody plantinvasion and boost the native grasses and wildflow-ers that evolved with wildfire. But they also use cat-tle to add grazing in a rotational system that leavestall grasses, mid-level grasses and short grasses.

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That gives grassland birds the variety of cover theyneed for nesting, brood rearing and protection fromharsh weather or predators. Grazed areas can bepreferred hangouts for quail because they can moveabout easier in the shorter grasses.

Missouri’s quail hunting season is open throughJan. 15. Sometimes winter snows can reduce coversomewhat and make quail easier to find on prairies.The MDC online Conservation Atlas athttp://bit.ly/1h2XwO will let you search for conser-vation areas and review their wildlife habitat.

Enjoy the walk amid prairie scenery and observethe varying plants in autumn hue or a tiny creektumbling over stone ledges. Just like a forest, aprairie opens up in winter and reveals interestingdetails. Only small remnants of Missouri’s once-vast prairies remain. The challenges posed by hunt-ing quail on MDC-managed prairies are equaled bythe rewards.

Quail hunting on the prairie.Photo Courtesy MissouriDepartment of Conservation.

033.qxd 12/22/11 11:16 PM Page 1


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time doesn’t mean it is hibernating.Instead of hibernating, many enteraestivation, a form of dormancy inwhich the animal falls into a deepsleep. When aestivation occurs, theheart rate and body temperatures donot drop sufficiently to qualify as hi-bernation. Like many species inwhich this form of dormancy occurs,the animal will sleep a great portionof the summer, or in the bears’ case,the winter, and can be easily awak-ened. When bears are aroused fromthis deep sleep, it is not to eat, drinkor defecate, but rather to give birth orbecause they or their habitat was dis-turbed. Just like you or I, bears do notlike to be disturbed during their win-ter nap and often awake grumpy, sobeware. After learning all of this about aesti-vation, my mind started to wonderabout what hibernation actually isand if any Missouri animals actuallyhibernate. I found out that like aesti-vation, hibernation is a form of dor-mancy. There are some Missouri ani-mals that do hibernate, including

chipmunks, groundhogs,and mice, to name a few.To be considered a truehibernator, an animalmust be in a state of in-activity and metabolicdepression, such as low-er body temperatures,slower breathing andlower metabolic rates.For humans it would likebeing put under anesthe-sia. Before they enterthis phase, the animalswill constantly eat in or-der to store energy in fat deposits thatwill help them survive the winter,when their food sources are scarce.They slowly burn their energy re-serve during hibernation which caus-es the slowing of the metabolic rate.This causes the reduction in bodytemperature and the weight loss ofmany of the animals. Unlike bears,true hibernators are not easily roused.For example; if one were to pick upone of these hibernating critters theywould not wake. Just don’t forget,you should not disturb wildlife in anysituation. It is not uncommon forthem, however, to awaken and feedfor part of a day when their energyreserves becomes too low.

A LONGA LONGWINTERWINTER NAPNAPby Aimee LehmuthWe just had our first snow of the

season. If you're like me, the onlything you wanted to do that day wascurl up in bed and sleep. In fact, if wecould hibernate all winter long, I betmany of us would. Not only would itdo away with the cold weather blues,it’s also a great weight loss program,especially after the “holiday gather-ing poundage” most of us put on. Itwas during one of these holiday gath-erings that I found out somethingquite shocking. Bears do not hiber-nate! I was as taken aback as you areright now. How could bears not hi-bernate? All the bedtime tales I lis-tened to growing up said a bearwould sleep all winter long. That’shibernation isn’t it?

Well, just because an animal issleeping for an extended period of

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034.qxd 12/22/11 11:25 PM Page 1

TIME TO BUILDNEXT YEAR’S COVEY

HEADQUARTERSby Travis Dinsdale,

Area Biologist, St. Joseph Quail use escape cover throughout the year. It

shelters them from predators and protects themfrom the elements. Also known as covey headquar-ters, escape cover is often identified as a limitingfactor on many farms in Missouri. Covey head-quarters consist of woody shrubs, low-growingtrees (3 to 12 feet tall), downed tree structuresand feathered edges. Quail will spend a large partof their day loafing in covey headquarter typehabitat.

Make a PlanNow is the time to create next year’s quail cov-

ey headquarters. Plan to locate your covey head-quarters next to weedy, nonwoody cover with plen-ty of bare ground and distribute them across theentire farm. Research conducted during the win-ter months in Missouri found that the average dis-tance between known quail locations and woodycover was only 70 feet. A great reference to assistyou in choosing and planting your shrubs is theNRCS Quail Covey Headquarter Job Sheet, listedunder “External Links” below

To complete your plan, choose three or four ofthe following species to plant: wild plum, blackber-


ry, shrub dogwood, aromatic sumac, hazelnut, el-derberry and false indigo bush. Or you can just or-der the state nursery’s Quail Cover Bundle, whichincludes most of the species I just mentioned.Plant shrubs on a 3-by-3-foot spacing, covering a30-by-50-foot area. It takes 167 shrubs to fillthese dimensions.

Order Your Quail Cover Seedlings ASAPYou can’t beat the state nursery for affordable

conservation seedlings. The Quail Cover Bundlegives you 15 each of five preferred species for$35. Or you can put together your own mix ofseedlings. You can get a seedling order form fromyour local USDA Service Center, MDC office, or or-der directly online. Orders are filled on a "first-come, first-served" basis, so it is a good idea toorder early for the best selection of species. As ofthis writing, there are already a couple of treespecies sold out.

Seedling bundles range from $4 to $35. Pricesfor each species and special bundles are listed onthe order form.

Sales tax of 5.725 percent will be added to allbills unless you furnish a tax exemption certifi-cate.

A handling charge of $5 is added to each order.Do not send payment or credit card information

with your order. You will be billed later. This pre-vents you paying for items that may have sold outbefore your order is received.

You can plant conservation seedlings as long asthe soil is warm enough to work. If you can’t get

your seedlings in the ground due to rain or snow,DO NOT store them in a bucket of water. Check tomake sure their roots are damp and store in thepackage in a cool location out of the sun.

The GEORGE O. WHITE STATE FOREST NURSERYnear Licking offers Missouri residents a variety ofseedlings for reforestation, windbreaks, erosioncontrol, as well as for wildlife food and cover.Seedlings are...

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RTD Turkey Calls…the Best in the Field

By Kory GrahamIn the 17 years I had turkey hunted, I

had never experienced anything like thespring of 2010. I consider myself anaccomplished turkey hunter and guide.I began calling turkeys during the 1996spring Illinois turkey season. I was 10years-old. That spring I called in sixlongbeards for friends, family, andmyself. I was very proud of myself whenthat spring season ended and I thoughtnothing could ever replace the feeling Ihad after calling in my first longbeard.

I was hunting with my cousin andfather on a chilly April morning. On theride to my great-uncle’s farm my father

informed methat I would bedoing the call-ing and hewould only callif I did some-thing wrong.That was anawful lot ofpressure for a 10year-old boy.As the morningsky began toilluminate withbright pinks andblues, a pair ofwood duckssliced throughthe fog abovethe creek thatran through the property.

Seconds later, a thunderous gobblerang through the treetops behind us.The old tom had roosted at the edge ofthe timber overlooking the white pinesand cut cornfield. I softly began makingtree yelps on my slate call. The gobblerquickly fired back. I knew he was aloneand our chances of harvesting him weregood. I didn’t make another call forwhat seemed like an eternity. The long-beard began double gobbling; pleadingfor what he thought was a hen to tell

him her loca-tion. I was con-fident I had hisattention, so Idid a series ofquick, short cutsimitating a henflying from herroost. He shotback three gob-bles, and thenexploded fromhis limb.

The swampywoods fell quiet,except for thewhistle of thewood ducks onthe creek. Ibegan purring

and clucking softly. I was shocked tohear a loud thumping sound. I thoughtone of the neighbor kids were listeningto a speaker system with the bass turnedup. I remember thinking they weregoing to scare away my gobbler when hesuddenly appeared out from behind alog. It was the tom making that sound.I had never heard a tom spit and drumbefore that encounter. The gobbler thenseen out decoys and the rest was history.I do not know which one of use was theproudest that morning, but it is a hunt I

will never forget.In the spring of 2010 I witnessed

something unbelievable. I had got a newdiaphram call made by a local hunterthat started making his own turkey calls.I met Ryan at a calling contest inGrafton, IL where I asked him to make adiaphram call for me with a cut that Ihad always used. I got a phone callabout 3 nights later at almost 11:00 p.m.It was Ryan saying that he thought hehad accomplished that cut for me andthat he wanted me to try it with his twiston it. I thought anyone who is workingon calls in his basement at 11 o’clock atnight has got to be serious about hiscalls.

I remember running the call in hisbasement and being amazed at how real-istic it sounded. I knew it would be avital tool during the upcoming springseason. During the youth season I hadhunted a total of an hour and a half intwo days. I successfully called in twolongbeards for two youth hunters, bothof their first birds. On the opening dayof third season in Illinois, I hunted anewproperty in Jersey County. I had beenout the night before to roost a gobblerwith no success. That morning a buddyand I walked into an area where I hadseen turkeys from the road in the fall.We sat down and as it began to break

Kory Graham

036.qxd 12/23/11 12:50 AM Page 1

Janurary 2012 ADVENTURE SPORTS OUTDOORS “THE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN” 37

daylight a gobbler erupted about a hundred yards away.Quickly we moved up the hill and set up. I called to theturkey about15 or 20 times before I shot him at 20 yards. Iwas off to my best start turkey hunting ever. Three birds inless than 3 hours. I saw 11 different turkeys fall to the RTD turkey call that Ryanmade for me.

Since Ryan has started making calls for me, I have witnessed 17 turkeys being har-vested in two years. I have also placed in three calling contests, including a first placeat Grafton, IL after finishing 13th out of 15 the year before. I finished second at theIllinois State Hunter Division contest after losing a call-off, and a third place finish atKirksville, MO. RTD turkey calls have improved both my calling in the woods andon stage. That is why every spring my turkey vest will be filled with RTD Turkey calls.They put ‘em in my lap!

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Kory Graham & Ryan Decker

Kory Graham with Ryan Decker’s son Trenton

Kory Graham, RTD Calls Team Member

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037.qxd 12/23/11 12:47 AM Page 1


TT HE HE MM ORNING ORNING

IS MINEIS MINEBy: Wayne Baughmanw e d a n c e 2 @ p i ke n e t . n e t

ATV MarketToo much

k n o w l e d g ecan be bewil-dering.

First somebackgroundinformationto help youunde r s t andwhere I amgoing.

My wife and her siblings are now in pos-session of some land on the northern edge ofPike County. In addition there is one blockof land in Brown County. It is remote andaccessible only by a mile long steep accesstrail that meanders through dense, nativetimber. The trail is crisscrossed multiple

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times with small streams that drain the sur-rounding woodlands. After walking downand back the lane I determined that it wouldbe impossible to carry any equipment thatdistance for maintenance of the area.

With that need in mind I decided anATV would be the solution to access theland and to carry in what was needed totend the property.

We already own a John Deere Gator thatI purchased some 7 years ago to do cattlefarm chores. I learned very quickly that itlacked the horsepower to carry much of aload into the rolling pasture land. Further ithas only about 5 inches of ground clearanceand being only a two wheel drive it boggeddown in muddy conditions or when at-tempting to cross even the smallest ditches.Although I might get the machine down thetrail to the isolated plot of land, I wouldnever get it back to the main entry point. Itworks great as a lawn/garden machine and ismy wife’s little workhorse for those purpos-es.

In giving consideration to what brand andmodel of ATV would be best suited to meetour needs to access the new property as wellas my local land I have talked to a numberof ATV owners. Typical of all us that makevarious product purchases everyone of themsupported the decision they made. Thus I

didn’t really glean much from those conver-sations.

My next step was to visit half a dozen dif-ferent brand ATV showrooms and look atwhat is out there in the marketplace. Now Iam really confused. I have looked at ArcticCat, Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, Yamaha anda Chinese version. With the exception of theChinese version every manufacturer hasmultiple models to choose from. For exam-ple; Yamaha has a dozen different modelsplus another 7 models for racing or for kids.Polaris has 10 regular models ATV, 10models with carry all boxes and rollover barsplus another dozen or so racing or kid’smodels.

The difference in models begins with thesize of motor stated in cc-s. Often the small-er units have carbureted engines while thelargest models usually have electronic fuelinjection. Some brands are belt driven whilesome feature direct drive shafts. There is thechoice of 2 or 4 wheel drive although mostunits now feature” on the fly” four wheeldrive. The latest accessory is power steering.If not included in the original package otheraccessories include, winches, windshields,brush guards, carry all boxes, some brandshave a fold down seat to accommodate apassenger and some have snow blades avail-able. Most of brands and models I lookedover had 4 ply tires however I did noticesome of cheaper models had 2 ply tireswhich in my opinion is far to inadequate formost field applications. Most brands includea 6 month warranty on their machines.

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Virtually all of brands have an odometer,hour meter, speedometer that are digital.

Now to the bottom line, price. I amshocked when I look at the price tags. Thecheapest machine I looked at was a 350 ccunit priced out at $5600.00, a 550 cc unitranged from $7265.00 up to $7700.00, and800cc unit runs from about $7500.00 up-ward. The price of units with bench seats,roll over bars and a box in back fall in the$11 to13,000.00 range.

I have checked out some used units buteverything I have seen to date has been overthe hill way to many times with scratchesand dings to prove it. Well, here I sit with-out a clear cut decision. Just too much in-formation and I need some time to get overthe sticker shock.

The firearm season in Pike County cameto conclusion just as I had predicted with asmall decline in total harvest. We tallied atotal of 2958 deer harvest for both segmentsof the season which was a modest decreasecompared to 2010. The weather was agree-able for most of hunting period with somerain that slowed hunting during the secondseason.

We had large number bucks harvestedthis year compared to prior years and manyof them had impressive spreads.

When the final hunting seasons are over Iwill do a more in depth evaluation.Happy New Year!

038.qxd 12/23/11 11:17 AM Page 1


IllinoisFirearm Deer Season Closes with Preliminary Harvest of97,760Deer Hunting Continues with Archery, Muzzleloader, Late-Winter/CWD Seasons

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Firearmdeer hunters in Illinois took a pre-liminary total of 97,760 deer dur-ing the seven-day firearm deerseason on Nov. 18-20 and Dec. 1-4, announced the Illinois Depart-ment of Natural Resources (ID-NR). This year’s preliminaryfirearm season harvest total com-pares with the 98,944 deer takenduring the 2010 firearm season.

The preliminary second-season(Dec. 1-4) harvest total was31,259, compared with the 30,907deer taken by hunters during thesecond segment of the season in2010. This year’s preliminaryfirst-season (Nov. 18-20) deer har-

The seven-day split Late-WinterFirearm Antlerless-only Deer Sea-son and Special CWD Deer Sea-son are Dec. 29, 2011-Jan. 1, 2012and Jan. 13-15, 2012.

Permits for both the Late-Winterand Special CWD seasons arenow available over the counterthrough DNR Direct license andpermit vendors. Archery and re-maining muzzleloader-only per-mits are also available over thecounter from DNR Direct ven-dors. Vendor locations by countyare available on the IDNR websiteat this link: http://dnr.illinois.gov/DNRDirectMonitor /Ven-dorListing.aspx

For detailed information on theLate-Winter and CWD deer sea-sons, including information sheetslisting open counties and permitlimits, check the IDNR website atthis link: http://www.dnr.illi-nois.gov/hunting/deer/Pages/Res-identHunting.aspx

This table includes preliminarycounty harvest totals for the firstand second portions of the 2011firearm deer season, the prelimi-nary total firearm harvest for 2011,and the comparable county harvesttotals for 2010. (Table cont’d. on next pg.)

vest was 66,501, com-pared with a first-seasonharvest of 68,037 in 2010.The preliminary harvesttotals include deer takenin all counties in whichfirearm deer hunting ispermitted, as well as atChain O’Lakes State Parkin Lake County.

“The first two days ofthe second season provid-ed excellent hunting con-ditions, and harvest totals

on those days reflected that,” saidIDNR Forest Wildlife ProgramManager Paul Shelton. “Steadyrain was the story of the day onSaturday in the north and west,and on Sunday in the south andeast. This depressed harvestsomewhat on those days, but thereis still a lot of deer hunting oppor-tunity to be had with the upcom-ing Muzzleloader, Late Winter,and Special CWD deer seasons.”

Preliminary harvest reportsshow the top five county totals fordeer taken during the seven-dayfirearm season were Pike (2,958),Fulton (2,581), Adams (2,393),Jefferson (2,314), and JoDaviess(2,267).

The Archery Deer Season in Illi-nois continues through Jan. 15,2012.

039.qxd 12/23/11 12:10 PM Page 1

Figuring Out Winter Warm-Ups

by John Neporadny Jr.


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angler from Eldon, Mo. “A lot of timesthe first fish to move up there are thegood ones (especially after a couple ofwarm days) and most people don’t evenrealize that.”

Prime timesThe longer the water is exposed to sun-

shine, the warmer it gets and the moreactive bait and bass become during awinter warm spell.

During foul weather winter tourna-ments, Fitzpatrick still catches bass on aMegaBass suspending stickbait, but hehas struggled to catch bass on the samelure when bluebird skies and calm condi-tions prevail in a winter warming trend.“On those high pressure days they willget off of that stickbait unless there issome breeze,” he warns.

So in recent winters Fitzpatrick haschanged his strategy and developed atimetable for selecting lures based onlight intensity throughout the day. Duringthe lowlight hours of morning, the localangler starts with the stickbait that he

The weather has been frigid and blus-tery most of the winter and you’ve beencooped up in the house far too long. Thenalong comes a break from the winter dol-drums with a couple of balmy days thatgive you the chance to relieve your cabinfever. With all that sunshine on a calmday, you figure the water should bewarming quickly and the fish should bebiting, so you hook up the boat and raceto the Lake of the Ozarks.

Various factors determine how bassreact to a winter warm-up at the lake.Water clarity and time of day are keys tofiguring out how to find bass when win-ter briefly turns balmy.

Water colorWater clarity dictates how much the

water temperature will climb on a sunnywinter day. “A lot of times that dirtywater will warm up a lot faster,” saysRoger Fitzpatrick, a veteran tournament

slowly works around banks with mixedrock (gravel and large chunk rocks).

When the sun is at its highest pointaround noon; Fitzpatrick switches to ajig-and-craw combo that he pitches alongrock banks, shallow brush and the shal-low sides of boat docks. The wateraround all three of these types of coverusually warm up quicker in the afternoonsunshine.

His favorite bottom-bouncing combofor winter warm-ups is a 3/8-ounceOmega Baby J Finesse jig tipped with aZoom Critter Craw (a mixture of brownand green pumpkin hues for the jig andcraw). Since the water temperature isusually still in the low to mid 40-degreerange, Fitzpatrick wants his jig to fallslowly and maintain bottom contact as itcrawls along the bottom. When he feelsthe jig touch a rock or limb, Fitzpatrickavoids hopping or jerking it over theobstacle. Instead he barely pulls it overthe snag and lets it fall to the bottom.“When it falls back is usually when thebite comes” he says.

For information on lodging at theLake of the Ozarks or to receive a free162-page vacation guide, call the Lakeof the Ozarks Convention & VisitorsBureau at 1-800-FUN-LAKE or visitwebsite at funlake.com.

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HARVEST TABLE…Cont’d. from previous pg.

040.qxd 12/23/11 1:33 PM Page 1


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My Theory On Catching Big BassI was looking through the

Bassmaster magazine the other dayand went to where they show the pic-tures of the big bass that were caughtand sure enough my theory holdstrue. I believe 9 of the 10 fish werecaught on a Zoom plastic. I can’tremember in over 20 years not seeingat least three or four big bass eachmonth being caught on a Zoom plas-tic. I would bet if you added all thephotos up over the past quarter cen-tury 85% of the big bass were caughton plastic baits and 60% of thosewere Zoom lures.

What this tells me is pretty simple.If I want to catch a big bass I betterbe throwing a Zoom plastic bait.Now this could be a Fluke, OldMonster worm, Big Brush Hog,Magnum 11 worm, and my favoritethe Centipede and of course theLizard.

I have always said big bass like aslow moving baits so they don’t haveto exert a lot of energy. This gives thehuge edge to plastic lures becausethey can be fished extremely slow

My next observation on big bassbeing caught is they like heavycover. With the exception of the jigthere is no other bait that you canfish down in heavy cover like a plas-tic bait. When fishing a life like baitlike a Zoom worm, lizard, brushhog, etc. you can cover every limb ofa tree or brush pile really slow. Youcan jig a lure up and down countlesstimes in one place and make a bigbass bite. You just can’t do this withany other lure effectively.

If you are fishing a grass lake orriver again the plastic baits can befished efficiently so much better thanany other lure. When I catch a bigbass in grass it’s almost alwaysunder a mat. Here we go again thereis nothing like a plastic worm orcreature type bait that will workdown in the grass .

I am not saying you can’t catch abig bass on any lure because if youthrow it enough the law of average isgoing to catch up with you. There aretimes when an XPS jerk bait, anXPS Nitro crank bait, or an XTS topwater bait are good but these are nor-mally short periods of time duringthe seasons. Day in and day out yourodds are 100% better throwing aplastic bait.

Pick the seasons and go with crea-ture baits, in early spring and latespring go with a lizard or brush hog.In the summer I like either a

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Centipede or Old Monster worm, inthe fall I go with the Magnum 11 andthe Magnum Finesse worm. If youcan only afford to buy two colors Ithink you should buy green pumpkinand watermelon/red. Darker water ordarker times of the day go with greenpumpkin. Clearer water and brighterdays go with watermelon/red. Youjust can’t go wrong when you stickwith Zoom baits.

Hope this is your best fishing yearever and get all your favorite tackleat Bass Pro Shops. Please be sureand thank a soldier for their supportwhen you pass them in your travels.

May God Bless you and your fam-ily.

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and still give a life like look to abass. When I am fishing in my NitroZ8 in southern waters like Floridaand Texas I love to dead stick a plas-tic lure. Simply cast out and let it goto the bottom and just let it lay there.With just a little wind or current,even though the bait is laying there,the tail and little legs will move justenough to make a big fish suck themin. Big fish really don’t like to chasebaits. Whether you are Texas rig-ging, dropshotting or Carolina rig-ging you can fish ever so slowlythrough and around cover where bigbass like to hide. Most any other lureyou use has to be moving fairly fastto generate action. This means thebass has to exert energy to get thelure and only has a couple seconds todecide if he wants it or not. Believeme if it is a Big bass he’s going topass it up 99% of the time.

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GET REALWHEN

HUNTINGDUCKS

While doing some afternoon fallfishing on a lake near my home inMinnesota, I noticed some duckhunters who were set up on a longcattail point. They were quite a dis-tance away, so my presence didn'taffect their hunting one bit.

As I fished, the hunters called andcalled every time a single or smallbunch of ducks flew by on the hori-zon. When I say they called, I meanTHEY CALLED! They blew long10- to 15-quack highballs, feedingchuckles, you name it. Every timethey did, they never got the ducks to

respond or come in.In addition to their enthusiastic

calling, the waterfowlers had alsoworked hard to put out somewherebetween 90 and 100 decoys. Theyhad mallards set up downwind in adonut pattern on the inside turn of thepoint they hunted. Out off the tip ofthe point, a classic J-hook pattern ofbluebill decoys bobbed in the waves.And downwind of the diver dekes, adozen Canada goose decoys swam inlazy zig-zags.

I fished and shook my head, feelingsomewhat sorry for those two gun-ners who had put so much effort intotheir hunt, but had yet to fire a shell.It got me to thinking about the effortsus hunters take to attract our prey.And how we sometimes go too far.

Why "too far" you ask? Becausewhat those hunters were depicting toevery duck flying by was not authen-tic. It wasn't real. The first reason itwas unreal was in the number ofdecoys they had in their spread. Youcould drive around this area ofMinnesota all day and not see ONElarge flock of feathered friends con-centrated in one area like that.Instead, what you'll find here is sin-gles, pairs or small bunches of ducksscattered here and there on a wetland.

So as ducks fly by and see a hugedecoy spread, they must think tothemselves "hmmm, that seemsstrange... I think I'll go over hereinstead."

Those same ducks might also think"so odd that those mallards downthere are mixing with divers andgeese." When there are ducks loafingon a particular lake or pothole,they're almost always hangingaround with their own species. Theydon't mix much. Mallards stick withmallards. Teal with teal. Bluebillswith bluebills. Geese with geese. Youget my meaning.

And let's think about calling. Inreality, when distant ducks fly by, theducks on the water don't scream theirbills off. I have never, ever heard amallard issue a 15-quack highballlike you hear in duck calling compe-titions. They highball in 5- or 6-quack sequences. Live ducks don'tcall at the top of their lungs either.They are very soft. And feedingchuckles are softer still, occurringmostly in those early sunrisemoments when ducks seem groggyand happy to have that first bite of theday. Midday feeding chuckles aren'tnearly as common.

So for these hunters, what theducks saw and heard was very unnat-ural. Who could blame them for fly-ing along on their merry way?Especially when it's later in the sea-

son and those ducks have seen count-less spreads and have heard their fairshare of fake quacks.

If you're gearing up for an upcom-ing duck hunt, think about the reali-ties of a duck's world and try to dupli-cate it. That might mean putting out 6decoys instead of 60. It might meankeeping your lips off your call andonly speak when spoken to. The bestcalling scenario is when a live duckcalls to your decoys and you answerback with that exact same call. Thisestablishes an authentic conversationbetween two ducks. It's believable tothe duck, because it's real.

I guess what I'm saying here is thatsometimes less is definitely morewhen it comes to duck hunting. Thisis particularly true when you're deal-ing primarily with singles or smallgroups of cruising birds. To them, adozen colleagues are just as calmingand inviting as 100. Maybe moreinviting.

Good Hunting!Babe Winkelman is a nationally-

known outdoorsman who has taughtpeople to fish and hunt for morethan 25 years. Watch the award-win-ning "Good Fishing" and "OutdoorSecrets" television shows on Versus,Fox Sports, Texas Channel andmany local networks. Visitwww.winkelman.com for air timeswhere you live and be sure to checkus out on Facebook.

BABE’SBABE’SMONTHLY COLUMNBy Babe Winkelman

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042.qxd 12/23/11 1:38 PM Page 1


The warm February sun was beating downon the ice like a heat lamp. You could feel alight breeze rippling the surface water on thetop of the ice creating small holes in thefrozen lid covering the lake. Snow geese tor-nadoed into a field looking for leftover grainto fuel their long migration back north. Thefirst hints of spring were all around. It wouldnot be long before the ramp was open and mylanding net would once again be wet!

My mind wandered as I stared out acrossthe slushy lake surface trying to vision justwhere the big female muskies would set upthis year. Off that point where the pad stemsmeet deep water……boy, that spot stayed hotall spring. I could still see the little pod ofstems in my head. Most fishermen blew rightby it, never tossing a bait. I would watch thembeat up the main edge and around 10 a.m.every morning, I would slide in and myself ora client would always stick a fish! It’s amaz-ing how pressure moves fish, a lesson I hadlearned many years ago while running on thepro circuit.

Most people don’t know how pressure canpush fish into areas they would not normallygo, but believe me it does. Think of yourselfsitting in a busy room, people in and out, theiridle chatter working on your last nerve. Sud-denly, something snaps. You work your wayover to a corner, just out of the main flow, toan area that provides a little more security andpiece of mind, not far off the beaten path, but

just enough. Over to the right

of the little pile ofpad stems was ashallow hump, anopening no morethan 30 yards in di-ameter. It was voidof fish 90 percentof the time, but ifyou got a northwind to break upthe light penetra-tion, the muskieswere sure to movein. We put 18 fishin the boat last sea-son from that littlehump. The mid-lake channel is a fa-vorite of every boatthat fishes ice outmuskies. The shal-low channel worksits way across thelength of the lakeproviding a high-way to muskiesmoving in and outof the main lake.Last year, it onlyproduced fish thefirst week the ice

was off, but boy were they some good ones. “Come on,” Ithought to myself. “Give me a hard north wind, one thatwould take that 58 degree water from the springs and pushit toward the center of the lake and down to the boat ramp.”

WINTERBLUES!


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I looked skyward and pleaded for alittle wind. My book was almost fullof clients chomping at the bit to geton the lake, and I was also eager toget in the boat to swap a few lies andreconnect with the clients I hadn’tseen since last spring. It’s not onlythe muskies that put me on the waterthis early every spring, it’s a chanceto catch up with old friends and swaplies with some new ones. If only myTracker Targacould talk......boy, couldit tell somestories!!! Mybook is fillingfast, so if you want achance for

some big fish in my boat, you betterget on the list because I will startbooking trips the first of January. TheIce-Out period can start as early asthe first week in February, so Get onIt! Book now ‘cause it’s a great wayto CHASE AWAY THE WINTERBLUES!!!

Don’t forget, I will be doing semi-nars around the mid-west at sportshows and, of course, at Bass Pro

Shops inBolingbrook,Illinois thisspring. If youget a chance,stop out andsay hello. Ialways wel-come a goodbatch ofslightly exag-gerated sto-ries!!!

BLUES…Cont’d. from previous pg.

ICEOUT

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If you are interested in booking a trip for ICE-OUT MUSKIES, you can contact me by

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the muskies go cold, so book now and HIT ‘EM WHILE THEY’RE HOTTTTT!!!

SEE ‘YA ON THE WATER!

044.qxd 12/23/11 8:37 PM Page 1


way from the mouth to theback of the cove.

If the vegetation is scat-tered I’ll tie on 3/8-oz HawgCaller Sexy Shad spinnerbaitwith double or triple willowcombination #4 blades inchrome and gold. I also likeExcalibur XR50 and 75 serieslipless crankbaits in shad pat-terns of chrome and blue, orthe Rayburn Red crawfish pat-tern. For the thicker vegeta-tion the Spro Bronzeye frog ismy first choice. Last but notleast is the soft plastic creature baits such asReaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in hematoma orCalifornia 420.

The Spro frog works great around all types of vege-tation. I like to work it using a “walk the dog” retrieve.

In heavier vegetation and isolated mats I use theSweet Beaver coupled with a Tungsten weight that’sjust big enough to penetrate the mat. I pitch to theseareas no more than 3-foot apart, or more than 6-inch-es in from an edge. Allow the bait to fall to the bottomthen bring it back up to the bottom of the mat. Pausethe bait anywhere from two to 15 seconds beforeallowing it to drop again.

As I work my way through the cove I’ll use the spin-nerbait when I come to lanes or cuts. These isolatedpatches create great bass ambush areas. This time ofthe year I like to wake the spinnerbait - stopping thebait allowing it to flutter two or three times during the

It’s Always Best to Start with a Plan

by Chad MorgenthalerWhen fishing the winter months in the Midwest and

the water temperature is above 40-degrees it can bedifficult to determine a pattern. At this particulartime of year with the water on a cooling trend fishoften scatter using varying depths and areas of thelake. Historically I have had the most success whentargeting bass in water shallower than 8-foot.

I first begin the day by determining what type ofcover the lake has to offer. If vegetation is plentiful Iscout the entire lake to determine type, location anddepth.

A good electronic mapping system coupled with aHumminbird 1198c SI is a tremendous time saver. Ican scout quickly and efficiently without missing anypossible productive nooks and crannies. As I ridethrough I’ll mark a good looking area with a waypointicon so I can return later.

Once I’ve searched the lake, I begin the day in thearea that offers the most available cover and theclearest water.

Vegetation is always my first choice, so I start myplan of attach at a weed line keying in on any irregularfeatures while paying particular attention to isolatedmats, points, bends and water depth.

I have four “go to” baits that I like use as I work my

retrieve. In the back of the cove where

the bottom flattens and shal-lows out I bring on the liplesscrankbait to fan cast forroamers. Roamers are fishthat are not relating to coverinstead they search of schoolsof bait fish in open water.Bass tend to roam a lot duringthe fall and winter monthsespecially during bright sunnydays.

It’s really important to iden-tify and “key in” on the mes-

sages the fish are sending. There are reasons why theyare where they are. For instance, fish hold in a partic-ular location for a reason, bait fish, cover and securi-ty are some of those reasons.

The other productive type of cover that I like to fishin the winter months is hardwood and rock. When a lake has hardwood cover I will always give it therespect it deserves. There have been hundreds ofthousands of fish caught on stumps and laydowns - thewinter months are no less productive.

For the visible hardwood cover I start with balsasquare bill crankbaits. Balsa wood has great floatingcapacity and the bait glances and deflects off of hard-wood very well without getting hung-up.

Depending upon the thickness of the cover and themood of the fish, Lucky Craft 1.5 and 2.5 in theAmerican shad or splatter back series are great choic-es. Making precise casts and varied retrieval speeds

are the key to working this bait. Always target cover that is closest to the boat and

work to the furthest point. By approaching structurein this manner you are less likely to spook other fishwhen you catch one.

If the fish are holding tight to cover and don’t reactto a moving bait, I will follow-up with El Grande Lures 4-inch tube in blue gill or shad colors, or a Lunker LureLimit Series jig in ?-ounse Cumberland craw tippedwith a Zoom Super Chunk in green pumpkin.

I use very precise pitches and a slow presentationto increases catches when the fish are in a negativemood.

Typically I work these baits very slowly in a “yo-yo”retrieve pattern. I’ll allow the bait to set in the initialpitch position up to 30 seconds before starting theretrieve.

When fishing in the winter just remember to keepan open mind because conditions can change very rap-idly. Pay particular attention to the clues and piecetogether a pattern that’s working for that particularday. Once a pattern is established try to duplicate it insimilar areas around the lake and regardless of theoutcome, have a great day on the lake!

A special “Thanks” to all of my sponsors: JasperEngines and Transmissions, Phoenix Boats, MercuryMarine, Lunker Lure & Hawg Caller, E21 Carrot Stix,Minn Kota, Humminbird, El Grande Lures, Plano, SolarBat, Svanda Chevrolet & Snapper Boat Latch.

Make sure and log on to my web site www.chadmor-genthaler.com and signup for my fan club. E-newslet-ters are forwarded monthly and one lucky winner eachmonth receives a prize.

045.qxd 12/23/11 10:11 PM Page 1


As my 20 year olddaughter, Kristen,Madison, my soon tobe six year oldg r a n d d a u g h t e r(Laurens’ daugh-ter), my Spouse,Kelleye, and I hikedthe AppalachianTrail in the SmokyMountains, I wasoverwhelmed with the beauty, history and justhow short our stay on this earth really is! I ad-vised Kristen that the next 25 years would makeup the core of her lifetime and those years willaccelerate and quickly become her history.

I began to remember people during my life-time who were special – I will mention a few andone in particular who shared my time in the Out-doors. Each individual deserves a full volume ofpraise and credit, if I live long enough, I will

comprise such a history. But for now, I will doc-ument only a few moments in time.

My schoolmate, Pat Murphy, soon determinedwe shared a common love of the outdoors. Webicycled our way to carp shooting on the OhioRiver floodwaters and the Bayou Creek. I shotmy first duck on a hunting trip with Pat at theHovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area. Pat was thebest duck hunting partner one could ever askfor and when I left our childhood haunts on theWabash, Ohio, White and Patoka Rivers insouthern Indiana due to a career move, I did not

OUR TIME IS SHORT!by Dave Herschelman

realize the importance of leaving a truly greathunting partner. Years later, in the year 2000,Pat and I hunted geese together on the WabashRiver, we filled our limit of four Canada Geesethis morning but one of the four birds sailed andwas proving difficult to retrieve. Pat was up tothe task and chased the bird across the river, tofinally retrieve the bird. Upon returning, he ad-vised the bird was banded and in typical fairfashion, Pat agreed to flip a coin for the posses-sion of the band. I won. I would like to think, Iwould have offered the same opportunity if Iwould have retrieved the bird!

Life has had its’ ups and downs for all of usbut with Pat retiring at the end of this year fromhis career as a Carpenter and although the ad-ventures of our youth can not be duplicated it ismy hope we will get more chances to hunt to-gether in our remaining years!

Upon moving to central Indiana, I soon wasbefriended by co-worker, Bob Griffith. Bob in-troduced me to real whitetail hunting. He alsowas a mentor at work during my first away fromhome experience. He was with me to celebratemy first bow and gun kills on the whitetail. Ihave documented Bob’s expertise in previousarticles as a gentleman and true outdoorsman.Although, both Bob and his lovely wife, Jan, arenow gone, I proudly display a few of Bobs’ trophymounts in my home and in the corner, his oldPSE Bow and camouflaged army hat remind meof his patience and training in the way of thewhitetail.

When I get a particular tough whitetail sce-nario, I think of what Bob would have suggested.I was an honor to have hunted with him!

My next tour for my work was in central Illi-nois. Prior to moving, I had already had phonecontact with the only duck hunter in the new of-fice, Bruce Bluhm. We were planning our firstduck hunting adventure for the fall prior to mymove to the new location.

Opening day, Bruce was dressed in a huntingcoat and hat older than I was and his shotgunwas an over and under double! I had never hunt-ed with anyone shooting this type of gun? Aflock of blue bills flew over the decoys and Iemptied my pump gun with no damage done, on-ly to hear the report of two well spaced shotssoon thereafter from Bruce. Three stone dead

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Pat Murphy onDeadman’s Island,

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Bob Griffith witha Colorado Mule

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Deer in 1985.


Deer in 1985.

046.qxd 12/23/11 9:44 PM Page 1


blue bills were retrieved by Bruce’s lab. I wasimpressed!

Bruce was avery experi-enced water-fowl hunterhaving hunt-ed the bigspreads onL a k eM i c h i g a nand shootingover decoysat Gump’smarsh! Wetook overthis LakeS h e l by v i l l e

using the expertise from both of our backgrounds.Bruce, an Army veteran with expertise in Korea asan interpreter was as cool and calm under pres-sure as any individual I have ever met. Bruce grewup in a small town, Camp Point, IL. He would takeme deer hunting to this area in Western Illinoisintroducing me to my future in Whitetail huntingand thank God I recognized the opportunity!

On many of occasion we would limit out ourpoints on greenheads and the few low pointers inminutes. Being of much weaker fortitude thanBruce, I would ask Bruce to allow me to taketomorrows’ limit today, since I was not huntingtomorrow. As always, he would not allow it and wewould case our guns and watch the activity untilwe had enough of the duck pornography in incom-ing birds!

Bruce’s career took him on to other locationsbut with my introduction to the Parn family (hisAunt, Ethyl Mae and Uncle, Owen Everett andCousin, Bob) in Western Illinois would lead totwenty-five seasons of Whitetail Hunting by yourstruly. Bruce, like many of us, has experienced theups and downs of life. His Christian example willalways stand for those fortunate to have met andhunted with him.

In my work travels during the early 90’s, I metHarry Canterbury. I instantly recognized Harry asthe greatest salesman, I have ever met! I haveover 30 years in the automotive and banking fieldand I will stand by this statement. Harry epito-mizes the old adage “he could sell ice to theEskimo or water to a sailor”. I do not mean this ina derogatory way. Harry truly has the ability tofind common ground with anyone and will work toget your commitment for a sale with your bestinterests in mind. A trait not found often in thisworld. I think business owners are often afraid ofthose who are better at their game than they areand particularly if the customer gets the edge!

Harry got me reinvigorated with duck huntingwith a club he owned on Quiver Beach just north ofHavana, IL. On opening morning, many years ago,we had a great hunt shooting our limits on mal-lards with three of them banded. I claimed to haveat least participated in shooting one of them. Heunselfishly gave the band to me with the promisethat I provide a case of beer. This act cemented

our friendship forever as far as I was concerned. Harry was and is a great wing shot. His calling is

second to none! His understanding of the birdswas handed down from his father, Jack Canterburywho like my father was taken too early in life.

Harrys’ entrepreneurial spirit has served himwell during his career in the “Outdoors Business”.Harry is a mover pure and simple. He can not sitstill for the time necessary to wait it out for awhitetail stand hunter but for a duck hunter look-ing for success in the next slough or over the nexttree line, it serves him well as he will shoot fiveducks to my one.

Harry is gregarious, unselfish and willing to helpas witnessed by his support for our troops and thefundraisers he has organized. Harry is a mover nota stand sitter (how he shot that 170 inch buck

from his tree stand) still befuddles me? I amtighter than “nuts on a new bridge” wherebyHarry will freely expand on a new opportunity. Ican spend hundreds of hours on a deer stand if thechance of success is present! I must talk Harryinto sitting still during our Turkey Hunts togetheras his mentality is to run and gun! Harry can closeon three customers at once will fielding phonecalls in between. I on the other hand, can notremember your name in a group of two or more!

Our age and backgrounds share commonalityas we both have experienced the hardness of lifeat times. His advice has kept me out of trouble oncertain occasions and my introduction to some ofthe friends of Harry has provided great insightinto my Outdoor questions. State Champion Duckcallers have attempted to give me the proper

techniques and others have provided support andexpertise in building a barbed wire fence!

My life has been enriched by my associationwith Harry and Cathy Canterbury and their family.His oldest son, Jeff, a family man who served ourcountry during the Gulf War, his next son Scott, atrue individualist mountain man outdoorsmanwho can read a piece of whitetail or duck proper-ty better than anyone I have ever met and theiryoungest son, Billy who has served two toursoverseas (Iraq and Afghanistan) with theMarines.

As we ended our hike on that portion of theAppalachian Trail, I realized how fortunate I havebeen to be blessed with my family and the honorto have good friends on this too short of trekthrough my lifetime.

Bruce Bluhm onLake Shelbyville

in 1986.

047.qxd 12/23/11 9:45 PM Page 1


that Illinois Conservation Police wanted to see thedeer. A game warden contacted Eric and wanted tomeet with him. He said he told them he would, but hedidn’t want to climb down out of his deer stand im-mediately on the opening day of shotgun deer sea-son. He said they were welcome to look at the deer inthe garage, and they did.

When Josh went to the check station at BuffaloRock State Park to check in the deer before 8 p.m.on the day it was taken, as required, conservationpolice told him he needed to take the deer to an Ot-tawa veterinary clinic to have it X-rayed.

Eric said though it was aggravating to have todrive the deer all over La Salle County, it was educa-tional to see a deer X-ray and to see a sort of mini-autopsy performed on the buck.

Josh said what the veterinarian found was leadand a legal slug.

“People said they saw me shoot it with a rifle, butI didn’t use a rifle,” said Josh, adding that he used aMossberg 12-gauge shotgun with a Winchester rifledhollow-point deer slug.

“It was a pretty long ordeal with the DNR,” hesaid.

In the end, he’s proud of his accomplishment andwill take the deer to a taxidermist. He said the deernot only was large but had a “non-typical” rack.

“It’s got three drop tines and 31 points going in alldifferent directions,” he said.

He said he has been hunting since he was 9 andit’s the biggest buck he has taken and one of thebiggest he’s seen.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deer,” he said.

Eric said he twicemissed a deer thatlooked just like thisone last year, and Joshmissed him during bowseason. Eric said afriend, Kye Kaszynski,found the antlers adeer had shed thispast spring when hewas mushroom hunt-ing, and on Saturdayhe gave the “shed” toJosh.

Eric said it was dis-appointing for his sonto have to be ques-tioned after takingsuch an “exceptional”deer. He said Josh is astraight-A student anda member of the foot-ball team, and he’sproud of him.

One nice thing thathappened after the or-deal with the conser-vation police happened at a chili supper for deerhunters at Tonica, where Josh’s deer won the Chief’sChoice Award, said Josh’s mom, Kim Riggs of Peru.

Sgt. Hank Frazier of Illinois Conservation policesaid officers had to check out claims people made,but everything was fine and the deer was remark-

able.“Any time somebody shoots a record deer the ru-

mors go crazy; I don’t know if it’s a jealousy thing orwhat,” Frazier said.

Thanks to News Tribune in LaSalle for this story.See more: www.newstrib.com

DOWNING TROPHY DEER

TURNS INTO ORDEAL FOR PERU TEEN

By Craig Sterrett A 15-year-old sophomore downed what he called a

“once-in-a-lifetime deer” and then had his day com-plicated by social media and a possible prank.

Josh Riggs, a La Salle-Peru Township High Schoolstudent, was hunting Friday on his father’s 80 acressouth of South Bluff Golf Course when he took aimand downed at a 31-point buck with a large and un-usually-configured rack.

The Peru resident took the 175-pound deer toTime on the Water Outdoors in Spring Valley to haveit scored — unofficially at 185 and an eighth — tocheck if it was a record.

To celebrate, photos and comments went up onFacebook.

In turn, according to Josh and his father, Eric,three people — perhaps anonymously — contact-ed Illinois Conservation Police and told them Joshshot it illegally with a rifle rather than a shotgun.

“We have an idea but we don’t know who did,”Josh said of who spread misleading informationabout him.

Eric resumed hunting and said he received a textmessage from friend and state trooper Craig Graham

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Not a Buck, but a 30-POINT DOEWEST SALEM, Illinois: A true “freak of nature” was taken west of West Salem,

Illinois, during the second shotgun season that ended Dec. 4, Richard Lomas, afarmhand for George Knackmuhs, shot this 30-point doe on the late Richard

Knackmuhs Farm. The deer, which features a non-typical rack, a drop antler stillin velvet and no evidence of male genitalia, also does not appear to have ever given

birth. Locals estimate the deer to be about 4-5 years old. This story is from the Olney Daily Mail, photo courtesy Edwards County Times

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October 5thREGION I

While on the Lake McMaster Jon boat patrol, elevenwatercraft inspections were completed by a CPO. A writtenwarning and a watercraft registration inspection form wereboth completed for the owner of a kayak that had no regis-tration. Another written warning was completed for expiredregistration that the owner claimed to have renewed on-line. He had no proof of the renewal. A final warning wasissued to a boat operator whose wearable personal flotationdevices were not in good condition, they had become dry rot-ted from being left on the seatbacks.

A CPO is working an ongoing investigation regarding ille-gal netting of game fish at the Rockton Dam in WinnebagoCounty. Reports indicate that they are illegally nettingstriped bass at the base of the dam during weekdayevenings. After repeated surveillance, the investigation isstill ongoing.

With the assistance from an off duty Region 2 CPO, aDistrict 1 CPO arrested a Fulton man for depositing wastemotor oil along a public roadway next to an IllinoisWaterway, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife refuge property.

A District 6 CPO conducted an investigation of pollutionin Rock Run Creek, located in Stephenson County. TheIllinois EPA is the lead agency investigating this pollutioncase along with IDNR Office of Law Enforcement and IDNRFisheries. It was discovered that approximately 15,000-20,000 gallons of contaminated soy milk product leaked,causing an estimated 5,000 gallons of product to enterRock Run Creek. The stream continues to be monitored forany negative impact caused by the spill. This case remainsunder investigation.

A CPO responded to a complaint of an illegal squirrel

hunter. The 15 year old youth was hunting without a licenseand did not have an FOID card. He was issued a couple ofwritten warnings, given a hunting digest and had the lawsexplained to him.

A District 1 CPO patrolled DNR hunting sites and checkeddeer hunters. Vehicles were checked for site specific wind-shield permits on sites which require them. Sign in sheetswere also checked to confirm hunters were signing in andout properly. Hunters were checked for hunting license,habitat stamp and archery deer permits. No violations werenoted.

A District Sergeant worked a four month investigationinvolving Wakeen’s Family Boating Center. The investiga-tion began with a complaint advising a subject had notreceived his watercraft registration. During the investiga-tion, it was determined registration paperwork and taxeswere not remitted and/or property filed by Wakeen’s on 47watercraft. One of the business owners pleaded guilty tofour counts of selling a watercraft without a certificate oftitle. She was placed on two years conditional discharge andwas assessed fines and costs totaling $7,500.00. Theowner’s of Wakeen’s Family Boating Center also paid$53,666.00 to the Illinois Dept. Of Revenue for taxes owedon watercraft they sold prior to the investigation.A CPO worked an eight month investigation involving MilanLicense & Title (a business that files paperwork for vehicletitles, registrations, and taxes). The investigation beganwhen the CPO was conducting watercraft inspections on theMississippi River. He checked the registration paperworkprovided by two boat operators. The CPO noted the opera-tors appeared to have been overcharged for registrationfees. The CPO uncovered 44 cases involving alleged theftsby deceptive practice. He also uncovered cases where tax

REGION VA CPO checked several archery deer hunters over the

weekend which resulted in four citations for no huntinglicense; and two citations for no valid deer permits.

CPOs investigated a personal injury hunting accident inWhite County involving an archery deer hunter who fell outof a tree stand and injured his back. The hunter was airlift-ed to Evansville hospital.

A CPO apprehended two Carbondale subjects fishing in aclosed/restricted area of Crab Orchard refuge NWR, bothwere cited for the offense.

A subject apprehended by a CPO was digging ginseng onUSFW at Crab Orchard and the information was sent to theRefuge Police for federal charges.

A CPO issued four warnings to fishermen trespassing onmine property that adjoined Pyramid State Park. The sub-jects thought they were fishing on public property.

A CPO worked a prospective Ginseng digger on ShawneeNational Forest in Alexander County. He conducted surveil-lance on the subject’s vehicle. He made contact with themwhen they exited the timber. One man was in possession ofGinseng roots and an over limit of squirrel. The man wascited for the offenses.

October 12th & 19thREGION I

A CPO patrolled Lake Storey in Galesburg and SnakedenHollow over the past weekend of nice weather. Many boatsand shore fishermen were checked. The operator of an


e

h

et

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OCT. 2011 ACTIVITY REPORT

forms and bills of sale had been allegedly altered. The ownerof the business pleaded guilty to three counts of theft bydeceptive practice. She was placed on two year’s probationand assessed fines and costs totaling $45,427.00. Thefines included restitution to the Illinois Department ofRevenue in the amount of $36,580. Also included in thefines was restitution to the theft victims in the amount of$2,997.00.

REGION IIIA CPO cited a Decatur man for hunting over bait in

Shelbyville Wildlife Management Area near Bethany.Another CPO had discovered the area baited after receivinga tip from a concerned sportsman.

A CPO cited a Sullivan man for hunting over bait in EagleCreek State Park. CPOs had discovered the area baitedafter receiving a tip from a concerned sportsman.

A CPO received a call from the Illinois State Police advis-ing that a subject was stuck in a sink hole on a trail atWalnut Point State Park. Upon arrival, the CPO discoveredthe subject was not on a trail and had actually left a footpath and crossed a dry finger of the lake. Not knowing thelake has springs, he made it about two thirds of the wayacross when he broke through the crust and sank to hiswaist in muck. The subject was able to use his cell phone andguide emergency responders to his location where it tookfive firefighters to pull him out. His fishing poles, tackle box,bucket and catfish were also salvaged and returned.

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POLICE… Cont’d. from previous pg.

unregistered kayak was issued a written warning for anunnumbered watercraft. A registration inspection form wascompleted and a registration application was provided toenable the owner to obtain the proper registration. Anotherboat operator had no personal flotation devices (PFD’s) onboard. He was issued a citation for no wearable PFDs. Hewas also issued written warnings for expired trailer regis-tration and no throwable type IV PFD. At Lake McMaster,Snakeden Hollow, a boat operator was issued a citation forviolating the no wake restriction while operating an out-board above the 10 hp limit. A fisherman was issued a cita-tion for no valid fishing license. Another fisherman wasissued a written warning for fishing on a closed site onColumbus Day morning. The site is closed to fishing activitytwo weeks before the opening of Goose Hunting Season.

A District 1 CPO handled TIPs complaint of raccoon hunt-ing without permission in Whiteside County where coonhunters were running their Blue Tick Coon Hounds on prop-erty they did not have permission to be on. The CPO spokewith both parties and it was decided that no complaintswere going to be signed.

A District 7 CPO was on a patrol checking a lake for fish-erman who did not have permission. He observed two sub-jects fishing; neither subject had a fishing license or per-mission to be there. They were issued appropriate citations.

A CPO received a complaint from the Springfield Officeregarding a Boone County citizen who had purchased a livewoodchuck in Iowa and brought it into the state of Illinoiswithout procuring a furbearer possession permit. Once thecomplaint was validated, it was learned that the man hadalready released the woodchuck on his property.

Appropriate enforcement action was taken to address thisviolation.

A CPO was in marked uniform patrol in Boone Countywhen he met an archery deer hunter walking out of thewoods onto the roadway towards his parked vehicle. TheCPO completed a license and permit inspection to the bowhunter and reminded him that it was the youth firearm deerweekend and he needed to be wearing a hat or cap andupper garment of solid blaze orange clothing, same as if hewere hunting the muzzleloader firearm weekend or latefirearm deer weekends. Appropriate enforcement actionwas taken to address this violation.

A District 6 officer was checking fishermen on theIllinois River. During the compliance check a 10 inch large-mouth bass was found in a fisherman’s possession. There isan 18 inch size limit for largemouth bass on that portion ofthe Illinois River. The fisherman was issued a citation.

REGION IIA CPO arrested a subject at Moraine Hills State Park for

criminal trespass to State supported lands after recogniz-ing the individual as someone he had arrested back in 2005for public indecency. The subject indicated that he forgotthat the officer had gone to his house and handed him offi-cial notice from the State that he was forbidden entry to allstate supported property and lands. The subject was trans-ported to the local jail and his vehicle was towed

A CPO received a complaint of waterfowl hunters huntinga day prior to the open season. He encountered two hunterspicking up decoys at the location. Enforcement action wastaken.

A CPO cited a waterfowl hunter for hunting with anunplugged shotgun on Dunn’s Lake.

REGION IIIA CPO cited a Findlay man for hunting over bait in Eagle

Creek State Park.A CPO, acting on a tip and using information he gleaned

from a social media website, cited a Moweaqua man for fail-ing to report harvest of whitetail deer for 2010 hunting sea-son. The man was also advised that the picture of himselfurinating on a CPO squad on his Facebook page was not agood idea.

A CPO cited a Moweaqua man for improperly reporting aharvest of a 6 point buck as an antlerless deer.

While checking fishermen at the Clinton Lake spillway, aCPO arrested a Piatt county subject that was wanted on awarrant from the late 80's out of Piatt County.

A CPO arrested two subjects that were illegally takingtrout from Kickapoo State Park. The fish had just beenreleased and the trout season had not opened yet.

A CPO arrested a Piatt County subject that was wantedon a warrant out of Champaign County. The CPO encoun-tered the subject while he was fishing at the Clinton LakeSpillway. This subject’s vehicle was the only one in the park-ing lot at the time, so the CPO ran a check on the registra-tion. The computer showed the registered owner was want-ed out of Champaign County for possession of child pornog-raphy.

REGION VA CPO is investigating three deer that were dumped

along a roadway with only the back straps removed.A CPO stopped a Louisiana man and his young daughter

from hunting whitetail deer with no blaze orange clothing.The CPO had seen them leaving their truck and walking into

the woods. The father stated that he and his daughter hadbeen told by a female clerk at Dick's Sporting Goods thatthey did not have to wear the orange clothing that they hadon the counter at the check-out. The father was given aHunting Regulation Digest and advised to read the regula-tions himself as opposed to taking the word of a sales clerk.He was issued a written warning.

A CPO responded to a hunting without permission call inWilliamson County. The complaint was un-founded as theowner of the truck arrived and advised that the truck hadbroken down the night before and he left it on the privateproperty..

A CPO is investigating a dead Bald Eagle recovered inUnion Co. The cause is unknown and is under investigation.

A District Sergeant had a court appearance on a felonydrug case involving bath salts, probable cause was found onthe case and a first appearance set.

A CPO is investigating an archery hunting accident inPulaski County. A man fell from a tree stand and fracturedhis pelvis. The cause of the accident is still under investiga-tion.

District 16 CPOs attended fall firearms training at 10Mile Creek State Park.

A CPO is investigating a spotlighting complaint inJohnson County.

A CPO responded to a complaint at Hamilton CountyConservation Area and discovered five (5) archery deerhunters with untagged deer antlers. Appropriate enforce-ment was taken.

A CPO investigated a false/deceptive application for freelandowner firearm/archery deer permits in Jefferson andFranklin Counties. The father was cited for a Class A misde-meanor of providing false/deceptive information allowingrelatives to receive free permits. The relatives were writtenwarnings and the 12 permits were confiscated.

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October 26thREGION I

District 7 officers conducted a 2-day detail at ArgyleLake State Park on the opening weekend of the fall troutseason. Numerous fishermen and boaters were checked forcompliance. One citation was issued for expired boat regis-tration. Several written warnings were issued for boat reg-istration and equipment violations. Several fishermen werechecked with limits, but no citations were issued for over-limits. A similar detail was conducted last year with severalover-limits and boating violations.

A District 1 CPO arrested two Savanna men for wantonwaste on opening day of the north zone waterfowl opener.The two subjects were observed hunting waterfowl over aperiod of a few hours on a wetland near Savanna. Both sub-jects were observed shooting wood ducks and then not mak-ing an attempt to retrieve them. The wood ducks driftedaway into some nearby railroad tracks. The District 1 CPOthen repositioned behind the hunters and watched themshoot at Canada geese, pack up their gear, and begin walk-ing back towards the road. The two hunters walked past theCPO, in the opposite direction the wood ducks were left.Contact was then made with the hunters and a compliancecheck was conducted. The check revealed one of thehunter’s FOID Card had been expired for a year and a half.The hunters told the CPO that they were going to go backand get the ducks that they had shot hours earlier.Appropriate enforcement action was taken.

A District 1 CPO patrolled Centennial Park in Rock Fallsbefore the trout season opened to ensure compliance of theset date.

A District 1 CPO received two separate TIPS complaintson possible deer poaching in Whiteside and CarrollCounties. Investigations are pending.

A District 6 CPO conducted an investigation into thepossible falsification/alteration of social security numberin obtaining a fishing license while blocked from buying alicense for child support. This investigation initiated inSpringfield where the possible violation was detected. Aninvestigation was conducted which resulted in the arrest ofa Boone County man for falsification in obtaining a fishinglicense, a Class A Misdemeanor.

A father and son returning to the Banner Marsh Checkstation discovered that one of the ducks that the son hadshot was a cormorant. Based on both the father and sonbeing first time duck hunters, appropriate enforcement wastaken.

While traveling into Boone County to arrest a subject for

unlawful possession of live woodchuck, a CPO observed anSUV parked along a back road, adjacent a large tract ofwoods known to have hunting activity by this officer in pastyears. Due to the fact it was near the end of archery huntingtime for that evening, the CPO waited for the archery deerhunter at his vehicle in the road to complete a routine com-pliance check of their license and equipment. As the hunterwalked out onto the road from the woods, the CPO noticedthe archery deer hunter was not wearing the required blazeorange clothing required for that weekend’s hunt because itwas also the statewide youth firearm deer hunting weekend.The hunter, an admitted 18 year archery deer hunter, knewabout the requirement but argued with the CPO that the lawshould not apply if there are not any firearm deer huntershunting the same land as the archery deer hunter. The CPOexplained the law to the hunter and took appropriateenforcement action.

A CPO in Winnebago County received a complaint ofskunks doing damage in an area subdivision. A list of DNRlicensed nuisance trappers were provided to the citizen aswell as the option of obtaining a nuisance trap from thedepartment if he wanted to trap the skunks himself.

A CPO in Winnebago County assisted MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources in investigating a com-plaint of illegal Black Bear Guiding without a license. TheCPO interviewed four Illinois residents who were customersand witnesses to the illegal guiding activities, obtainedwritten statements from each person, and then forwardedthe information back to Minnesota for further investigation.

While working waterfowl hunters, a CPO located ahunter with lead shot in possession. On the blind floor theCPO located the spent lead shells from the previous day. Thesubject was cited for the violation.

While working dove hunters in September, a CPO locat-ed baited deer stands on an area property. Working thestands, contact was eventually made with the landowner.The landowner admitted to using “Buck Jam” and was citedfor the violation.

District 1 CPOs worked a plain clothes detail at ProspectPark for the opening day of fall trout season. A Rock Islandman was arrested for taking over the limit of trout in whichhe possessed ten over the legal limit. Several fishermenwere also in violation of the inland trout stamp requirement.

A CPO cited two subjects for illegal take of short crappiewhile checking fisherman at Spring Lake Fish & Wildlifearea.

In the late afternoon, a District 1 officer was patrollingCentennial Park in Rock Falls on foot. The officer was look-

ing for illegal fishing activity ahead of the fall trout programwhen he discovered an unconscious subject lying in a pool ofblood next to his bicycle. The subject regained conscious-ness but was disoriented. The CPO and a responding RockFalls Officer stabilized the injured cyclist until EMS arrived.The subject was transported to a nearby hospital with anapparent head injury.

While conducting a hunter compliance check on twoarchery hunters, a District 1 CPO discovered one of thehunters did not have a hunting license. The hunter had allother required tags and stamps but did not make sure thevendor sold him a hunting license as requested. The hunterwas issued a written warning for his violation.

While checking waterfowl hunters, a CPO saw a boatoperating near Barto Landing at Spring Valley, IL. The boatwas overloaded. A safety inspection was conducted andfound to have an invalid registration, insufficient number ofPFD’s, and a bad fire extinguisher. The subject was issued acitation and written warning for the other violations.

District 1 CPOs did a plain clothes enforcement detail atProspect Park in Moline IL. Prospect Park was stocked withtrout for the Department’s “Catchable Trout FishingProgram”. Fishermen are required to possess a fishinglicense and purchase a “trout stamp”. The money collectedfrom the trout stamp helps fund this program. Most fisher-men were found to be legal and left after they caught a limitof 5 trout. One group of fishermen was caught with 10 troutover the limit. Several people did not pay the $6.50 to pur-

chase a trout stamp. One person did not even possess afishing license. Appropriate enforcement action was taken.Several legal fishermen thanked the CPOs as they were writ-ing citations and warnings for the violations.

A CPO worked multiple areas along the Mississippi Riverthe weekend of October 15th and 16th checking fishermanas well as waterfowl hunters. A subject at Sylvan Island inMoline was asked if he had any keepers. The subjectresponded “one”. A check of the subject’s minnow bucketrevealed one legal bass and one short bass. Since the anglerdemonstrated he knew he was in violation he was issued acitation. An Iowa resident was caught fishing at Lock andDam #14 near Hampton IL without a non-resident fishinglicense. A citation was issued to this subject. No waterfowlviolations were detected.

REGION IIA CPO arrested a subject for attempting to snag fish in

the Fox River. A subsequent check of the individual indicat-ed a $2000 warrant out of LaSalle County for failure toappear for illegally snagging fish. He was transported to thecounty jail and issued a citation for snagging.

CPOs assisted Crystal Lake Police and McHenry CountyAnimal Control on an anonymous complaint of an individualpossessing an alligator and caiman. The subject was in pos-session of a 10 foot American Alligator and a 5 foot Caiman.The reptiles were living in his basement as pets. In addition,


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POLICE… Cont’d. from previous pg.

he had 6 pythons and an Aortic Fox living in his house withhim. He was charged with possession of an endangeredspecies and possession of a dangerous animal.

CPOs cited two hunters for waterfowl hunting in LionsPrairie Nature Preserve. The subjects did not see the signsin the early morning fog and darkness but said the area wasso good to hunt that they were surprised no one else washunting in that area.

A CPO cited three subjects in McHenry County for failingto maintain a separate bag limit of ducks. They wereobserved dividing Mallards and Wood Ducks between them-selves. Upon conducting a compliance check one subjecthad five Mallards in his bag. He had only shot two of theducks. There were a total of seven hunters.

A CPO cited a subject for fraudulently purchasing a resi-dent fishing license. The subject is suspended for ChildSupport. After making three attempts to purchase a licenseat Wal-Mart, the subject went to K-Mart. He changed hissocial security number and used an address belonging tothe City of Zion.

REGION IVA CPO responded to a complaint call at the World

Shooting Complex regarding two subjects in a boat takingcrappie over the posted limit. The CPO located the subjectsat their campsite. They were preparing to clean 36 crappie.The posted limit at the Complex is 10 crappie at 10 inches inlength. The subjects were cited for 16 crappie over the limitand for possession of 7 under the legal length limit. Thecrappie were seized as evidence.

A CPO responded to a complaint of hunter harassment inMadison County. Apparently, a subject took offense to

hunters near his subdivision. The subject blocked thehunters from leaving the area and verbally assaulted thehunters with explicit language. The subject even tried toprovoke a fight with one of the hunters and physicallytouched the hunter. When confronted by the CPO andCounty Deputies, the subject became hostile toward themand was subsequently taken into custody.

A CPO was patrolling for fishermen at the old LitchfieldLake when he observed three male subjects fishing on thenorth bank. He checked the subjects and two of them did nothave their licenses in possession. The CPO escorted thesubjects back to the parking lot and ran them through ISPDist 18. Two of the subjects were wanted on a total of fiveoutstanding warrants. They were taken into custody and,with the help of an ISP Master Sergeant, transported toMontgomery County Jail.

A CPO was patrolling for coon hunters in MacoupinCounty. He heard dogs barking near Eagerville and proceed-ed to their location. The CPO slipped thru the woods and setup approximately 25 yards from the dogs and hunters. Heobserved the three subjects with the dogs. One subjectmade a phone call and requested another subject to bringhim more shells for his .22 rifle because he ran out and hadtwo coons in a tree. One of the subjects with the dogs wentback to their vehicle and retrieved an unknown article. TheCPO moved closer to the subjects and learned the articlewas pellets for a pellet gun. The CPO observed one of thesubjects shoot at the coons 12 times. The subject com-mented several times that the pellet gun was hurting thecoon. The CPO reported he could hear the pellets hitting thecoon and it made the coon growl each time it was hit. TheCPO then made contact with the subjects and seized one

.22 rifle and a pellet gun. The subjects were arrested forillegal possession of the rifles during closed season and forattempting to take coons out of season.

A CPO responded to a complaint of a shiner while work-ing a night shift in Montgomery County. He was not far fromthe complaint area so he proceeded to the location. Helocated a small fawn deer in the field that had been recent-ly shot. With the assistance of Montgomery County andHillsboro officers, they located the suspect vehicle andobtained confessions. He seized a Savage .17 caliber riflefrom the subject. The subject stated he didn’t like cats andhe was shooting them with the rifle.

CPOs were patrolling Cahokia Mounds State HistoricSite for ATV’s and deer hunters. They located a vehicleparked on the levee along Interstate 255 on the southeastof the Historic Site. They took up position on the vehicle andobserved a hunter returning to the vehicle after sunset.They made contact with the subject and found he and afriend had been hunting illegally on the site. One subject hadalso harvested a deer that morning on the site property.

CPOs all responded to calls of illegal deer hunting/tres-passing in St Clair County near New Athens. Two subjectshad been illegally dropped off on private property. The“pickup” vehicle was apprehended at the location whileattempting to pick up the illegal hunters. They had beenscared by another vehicle and were attempting to leave thearea. The hunters fled from the scene on foot. After exten-sive efforts, the subjects were located and arrested fornumerous hunting violations.

CPOs worked a case involving the illegal possession/saleof venomous snakes in Illinois. With the help of a state biol-ogist they were able to obtain search warrants for the sub-ject’s premises. They also were able to buy a venomous bushviper from the subject. They executed the search warrantand obtained four more venomous vipers from his resi-

dence. The subject received five charges for the unlawfulpossession of life-threatening reptiles in Illinois.

A CPO investigated a personal injury hunting accident inPike County. The subject was in a climbing stand and notwearing a harness. The cable broke and the subject fell. Thesubject fractured his back.

A CPO arrested a subject for spotlighting, shooting adeer with a rifle, and several other violations in CalhounCounty. The Pike County Sheriff was investigating the sub-ject when he found blood and hair in the bed of the subjectstruck and called the CPO.

CPOs and the Adams County Sheriff's Departmentinvestigated a subject trapping out of season and commit-ting acts of cruelty against animals. The subject postedthese acts on U-Tube.

A CPO was checking hunters in Batchtown Fish andWildlife Area in Calhoun County. After checking the huntershe was walking through the decoys when he observed wheatscattered on top of the ground. The blind builder admittedto placing the wheat out.

CPOs and a District Sergeant investigated a fatal boataccident on the Mississippi River between Iowa andEnterprise Island in Calhoun County. Five subjects weredrifting in a boat and jug fishing. One subject was urinatingoff the bow when he fell in and drowned. The watercraft wasrated for four people.

REGION VA CPO completed an investigation of an archery hunting

accident in Pulaski County. The cause was determined to bea step that had been left in the tree for years.

District 16 CPOs responded to six spotlighting com-plaints within the District. No arrests were documented.

A CPO arrested a Perry County man for hunting withouta license and valid deer permit.

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054.qxd 12/24/11 12:43 AM Page 4


friend would cruise so blissfully and effortless-ly away, leaving a member of their groupbehind to flail like two handcuffed spiders ina steeplechase.

It wouldn't be so bad if my fluid-drive"friends" would just go and let me flog alongbehind, following their twin tracks at my ownsloth-like pace, maybe sending a taxi to pickme up when I stumble out to a road a coupleof days later. But no! They pride themselveson pausing every so often to prop indolentlyon their ski poles until I heave (and I do mean"throw up" heave) into sight. Then they'llglide away, decoying me like an ignoranthound after a rabbit. Or worse, they'll ski backto check on me, arms and legs synchronizedso beautifully they resemble the fine-meshedinnards of a crafted Swiss watch. They usual-ly find me in a crumpled heap, all solicitousabout my well-being, apparently oblivious tomuttered curses and baleful glare. And theywon't even be breathing hard.

I'll tell them (gasp, gasp) that I just stoppedto admire a (puff, puff) set of chipmunk tracksin the (wheeze, wheeze) snow. And to throwthem off further, I'll (uhh, uhh) tell 'em Imust've inadvertently mussed the tracks upwhen I laid face down to examine them moreclosely. But they were (pant, pant) clearly dis-tinctive because this particular chipmunk hadone (groan) toe missing on his left hind.

Naturally they'll glide away back up-trail,disappointed that they'd not been more

observant. And they'll leave me red-faced andpanting in the lurch once more.

They do it so easily! Snow never sticks to thebottoms of their skis. They never inadvertent-ly thrust a ski pole into a deep hole left by thehoof of a blundering, trail-crossing moose.They never wear out, wind down, or give up.Whereas I do 'em all, in combination, usuallyseveral times during the same ski outing.

But (heh, heh) I've discovered their secret atlong last:

It's in their attire. Most of the really goodNordic skiers I've observed looked as if theystepped right out of the fashion pages of SkiMagazine. The ladies are uniformly tall andwillowy, with tanned faces and a healthy glow-- which certainly belied what I believe to betheir anorexic dispositions. Their ensemble isclose-knit stretch pants that hugs 'em like I'dlike to if my wife Jane wasn't already one oftheir group. Their windbreakers all sport col-orful racing stripes and both men and womenare dressed in sportswear so tight my knobbyknees would stand out like handlebars onkiddy trikes.

My problem, now that I've identified it, isI'm not dressed right. Most of time I wear Levijeans, or, when it's downright chilly, baggywoolens. The only place my hip-huggers hugis around my middle. And from there the restof my ensemble hangs like loose sails from aderelict's yardarm. On top of that, I stick to acheckered wool jacket because racing strips on

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Success Comes in the Ensemble

by Roland Cheekwww.RolandCheek.comIt's finally came clear to me why I'm so

klutzy when I strap a pair of barrel staves tomy feet -- Jean Claude Killy I'm not. Not thatI'm planning, in any event, to speed lickety-split down a mountainside with wild aban-don. Nope, I'm klutzy enough as it is on cross-country slats without risking life, limb, andmortgage on any hill with a tilt. Jean Claude notwithstanding, there are peoplewho actually appear graceful while skiingcrosscountry. This I know because some ofthose folks profess to being my friends. I donot believe them, however, because no real

me runs wrong to make me look thin and wil-lowy. Ain't no wonder I encounter so muchwind resistance with most of my apparel hang-ing like as if from a basketball with legs.

Now that I understand the problem, it'sobvious most of the folks in my class on the skitrail are also in my class when it comes to theircross country trousseau. No wonder ain'tnone of us can ski even as good as a hog couldskateboard through a mudhole!

You'd think a person would have enoughtaste and refinement not to take up a sportunless he can dress properly.

Next month? Another walk on the wildside.

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055.qxd 12/24/11 12:49 AM Page 1


Realize that a proper gunsmith attitude is to provide needed and wanted service and help the shoot-er avoid unnecessary expense. A parallel line of reasoning will be to assist the shooter in avoidingunwise choices in accessories or add-on attachments that may fail to work properly or have poor eco-nomic reality (cost/benefit too high). This attitude can also extend into advice concerning mainte-nance or tips that help prevent deterioration. A shooter helps the gunsmith by reducing avoidableproblems, and if some unavoidable exposure has occurred, promptly seeks the attention of a profes-sional that can mitigate the extent of the reaction.

Many unpleasant surprises found inside a malfunctioning firearm are related to excess dirt, fouling,old lubricants, and moisture. Some variants would include bird feathers, blood, and fur bits fromcleaning game in the field. If any blood happens to incidentally smear onto some steel (blued or not),there is a high likelihood of rust corrosion and blueing loss - and if afflicted, binding of moving parts.For example, some magazine tube feed problems have been traced to inserting shells contaminated byfeathers, blood, dirt, and water from dirty hands, so keeping a spare rag handy in the blind might beprudent.

It pays to reiterate the notion of avoidance or at least reduction of rain exposure, since sometimesstorms come out of the blue. A strategic trash bag might provide rapid and sufficient coverage toreduce the liquid infiltration, and the second one can become the emergency raincoat. Those won’ttake much space in the corner of a day bag. Initial coverage can be more important than an alternatewipe-down soon after exposure, due to the fact of capillary action that gives liquids the tendency toremain in restricted areas, such as between close adjacent surfaces or inside recesses and blindholes.

A recent arrival had an admitted series of minor exposures to rain over some time period withoutbenefit of proper disassembly and remediation. An overlay outline of the scope base that had been inplace is visible as remnant minor corrosion pitting and serves as a demonstration of the retentionprocess described. The rust color line borders the heaviest rusty spots pictured (before decontamina-tion) in the first view section, and the central part of the view shows the black outlined area formerlycovered by the scope base. The white speckles are the pits that remained after removal of the rustbloom. A fair amount of the edge (especially toward the lower and right section) was more affectedthan the rest of the frame surface under the base.

Corrosion vulnerabilities are just one of the limitations noticed applicable to the bases (like oneseen at end of the first view set) that have all retention and fixturing provided by replacement of thepins (shown). Substitute screws then clamp the base to the frame side(s) to prevent scope shifting.The problem with the clamping action is that many frames deform when the screws are tightened andwedge or pinch operating parts inside the frame. The trigger assembly components were, after all, notdesigned to act as a shim or spacer block. Some frames that have a solid steel or robust metal triggerhousing do not suffer from these limitations of pinching (such as the Browning A-5, for one), but thosewith a plastic trigger plate or hollow pin sleeves crosswise sliced for retainer clips (such as theRemington type shown here) are more easily inadvertently deformed. Then the choice becomes eithera securely positioned scope or a functioning mechanism, but not both at the same time.

The multiple rain exposures noted earlier had created concealed problems inside the syntheticstock that worsened with the passage of time and each subsequent exposure. Previous articles havecovered this type of problem, but this one was unique in creating a deposit of rust dust that was“puffed” from the action spring tube with each stroke of the mechanism and is seen marked by thebracket. Such evidence does not accumulate in short order, and neither does the surface rust alsoseen rapidly appear. Notice there is some evidence of dried rusty water spots present, too. The retain-ing nut is severely corroded to the spring tube and washer stack, and only by repeated application offorce and penetrant was the assembly unfrozen, which in many cases would have required a chisel andgrinder. The nut and washer stack are seen at the end view after removal, and the residue speaks of

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HOW TO ASSIST YOUR GUNSMITH

056.qxd 12/27/11 10:37 AM Page 1


the mistreatment endured.If blood is unintentionally applied, it can aggressively attack the steel and very quickly pit and dete-

riorate the surface. In this image, the first mark of FULL for the choke should also be visible in the center image under

the white arc, but the pitting has practically obliterated any recognition of lettering ever being pres-ent. In the last image, the “M” has a serious loss of definition.

The pair of views (different lighting angles to improve level of detail recognition on a curved surface) helpsillustrate the blueing loss from incidental blood contact on this top frame surface. Notice that the scatteredblotches have full loss of color. The end view is of the frame side just below the first pair of top frame views, andhas rather heavy pitting to show for that corrosive contact and lack of cleanup.

One way to deduce the aggressive nature of the corrosive compound is to spot delineations anddemarcations that are created by minor contact. In the first case shown, the ridges of a fingerprintcan be discerned with a few unmolested bits of original surface still intact by the arrow point. The sec-ond part of the view shows the grid remnant of dampened canvas or other tight weave material thatwas not so sufficiently soaked to make a solid rust spot. Only the slightest amount of residue musthave been present to allow such tiny bits of original surface to remain, as with the fingerprint exam-ple.

The ongoing advice given here for steel protection from moisture is to have some car wax appliedregularly to form a moisture-resistant barrier and renew the application on schedule. The protectionmay vary due to quality of wax, so a premium liquid polymer synthetic may be preferable to a classicpaste wax. The wax is meant to be applied to the metal, not the wood, and with a thought of keepingany excess or liquid runoff from entering the mechanism components or recesses that might poten-tially be compromised by residues. Multiple light wax applications with a lint-free Viva paper towel etc.may work better than one heavy slathering for your firearm protection plan.

The conclusion raised by the views provided should be worth noting that some heavier levels of cor-rosion could materially reduce the inherent and needed strength of a firearm part. Thinner sectionswould be more vulnerable; for instance, some examples would be light weight barrels of a classic dou-ble or a repeater’s magazine tube or box. Springs, screws, and minor-sized parts may be rendereddefective or stuck, and removal of heavily corroded parts is a challenge most gunsmiths would ratherhave remain few and far between. All shooters should hope to do themselves and their gunsmith a favorand carefully consider the details provided.

See archive articles online at asomagazine.com

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sens& ASOpointt oneason.to gock!

Here are some really cool photos taken this summer of Hummingbird Moths, alsoknown as the Carolina Sphinx. They come out after dark and love flowers as you can

see here in the petunias. The moths have two antennas and retract their double tongueabout 4-inches into the flower to get the nectar. Linda had about a dozen flying

forward and backwards around her flowers, just like a hummingbird. Thanks to Linda Derry of Astoria for sharing these neat photos!

David Cassens, owner of Cassens Bait & Sporting inGrafton & ASO sponsor with a beautiful 12-point

buck taken in Jersey County on Oct. 1,opening day of bow season. Congratulations Dave,

way to go on taking this monster buck!

058.qxd 12/24/11 9:55 PM Page 1


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BOWHUNTINGCOYOTES

By Brodie SwisherThe distress cries of a cottontail gasping for

life had barely penetrated the deep woods whenI caught movement out of the corner of my eye.A coyote sneaking through the woods still bringsa rush of adrenaline, no matter how much I tryto anticipate its arrival. With nature’s ultimatepredator already in bow range and already clos-ing the distance, I squeezed the grip on my bowand tried hard to control my nerves. The windshad changed, and the bristled-up coyote wasnow approaching from behind my right shoulder.

I prayed that the coyote’s attention wasfocused on the decoy to my left and not on mytrembling body. At twenty yards his pace cameto a crawl; its body close to the ground as heapproached the unsuspecting decoy. I knewshot opportunities would be few and far betweenwith the thickness of the swamp-bottomsaround my setup. It was now or never. And withone untimely movement on my part, the oppor-tunity was blown…or so I thought. On a dime,the coyote turned making a hasty retreat. Igrabbed my calls and made a series of squeals,letting him know the invitation for dinner wasstill open.

Moments later my disgust quickly turned toexcitement as I encountered not one, but twocoyotes doing the mean-walk towards my decoy.Over and over I questioned my ability to makethe shot. Two of nature’s ultimate predatorswere close enough to smell their musky stench,

yet I was trying to muster up the energy to drawmy bow with my now violently shaking hands.Yote fever? I didn’t know there was such a thinguntil this point. With coyotes too close to drawmy bow, I waited. I knew then I was immersed inan excitement unlike any other critter couldprovide. The opportunity to draw never came,and swirling winds helped those coyotes live tosee another day. But it’s the memory of thatsingle bowhunting quest for coyotes that hascontinued to fuel a passion for hunting one ofnature’s wariest of creatures.

In this issue we’ll take a look at a few of myfavorite tactics for getting coyotes and preda-tors in close for in-your-face bowhunting actionlike nothing else.

Concealment for PredatorsThat first feeble attempt at taking coyotes

with a bow taught me a valuable lesson in theunforgiving eyes of these crafty canines.Following that hunt, I realized that to take coy-otes with a bow, I would have to raise my huntingprowess to the next level. I had to come up witha way to get to full draw, even with predators inbow range.

It was about that time that portable pop-upground blinds came on the scene in the huntingindustry. No matter what game animal youseek, blending in with your environment isessential. Whether its coyotes, turkey, deer, or

elk, the use of a portable blind will help tip theodds in your favor when trying to get the draw onunsuspecting game.

A make-shift blind can be made relativelyquickly by simply pruning a few branches andstrategically placing them in such a way thatallows you concealment when trying to drawyour bow in the presence of a coyote. However,coyote hunting requires multiple setups andcalling stands. That’s where a portable blind isworth its weight in gold.

The Primos Double Bull blind is my blind ofchoice for such endeavors. Features I look for ina ground blind when hunting coyotes include awindow system allowing for ample viewing andshooting opportunities, black backed interior,ease of transport and setup, and blend-ability.Primos Double Bull ground blinds have allthis…and more. The ground blind will allow youto come to full draw on a coyote facing yourdirection at less than 20 yards…a task rarelypossible in the wide open.

When set up in open country, a ground blindwill often be overlooked by an approaching coy-ote and seen as nothing more than a hay bale,

farm equipment, or other structure. If it’s notmoving, and they don’t smell you, the groundblind will not typically present a threat to anapproaching predator. When in tighter cover, Ilike to try and break up or blend in the blind withbrush, pine boughs, etc. The ground blind canalso be quickly and easily blended into a snowylandscape with the use of a white bed sheet.

Bring Them Closer with DecoysLong-range shooting is gaining popularity

with each passing year, and coyote huntingseems to be the perfect outlet to put long-rangeskills to the test. But for the bow-packin’ pred-ator hunter, the challenge is cranked up consid-erably. Shots at 60-600 yards are not whatwe’re after! We must bring them closer. This isaccomplished with the use of a decoy.

Few hunting experiences compare to that of acoyote charging hard to the decoy. With properdecoy placement, shots within archery range arenot uncommon. One of my closest encounterswith a coyote came as I videoed a buddy killing acoyote charging the decoy at just 8 yards! The


059.qxd 12/24/11 10:13 PM Page 1


key to such success is greatly attributed to amotion-style prey decoy.

I’ve found that few predators can resist a mo-tion decoy once they lay eyes on it. A motion de-coy will not only get the predators attention, buthold its attention making shot preparation mucheasier. The motion decoy also allows the hunterto direct the coyote’s path of entry to a pre-de-termined area for the kill. They never take theireyes off of it! When hunting coyotes, bobcats,or fox, make sure to put the decoy where youwant your shot to be. With the use of a motiondecoy, you can literally “place” the predatorwhere you want it for the shot. I like my decoysset up at just 12-15 yards in front of my setup. Iplace the decoy on the highest terrain availablefor maximum visibility in every direction possi-ble.

An extensive new line of predator decoys isnow being offered by the folks at Primos Hunt-ing (primos.com). Everything from rodent de-coys to fawn decoys are in the lineup, all featur-ing lifelike motion. When hunting in a clean, un-obscured agriculture field, I like hunting with asmaller rabbit or rodent-style decoy. They arevery easy to stick in your pocket or pack. ThePrimos Sit’n Spin Crazy Critter and Whobblin’Whabbit are perfect for such sets due to theirsmaller size and packability. However, whenhunting in fields where the terrain featuresground cover, brush, or growth, I like to switch

to a fawn-style decoy like the Frantic Fawn orWooly Bully that are easily adjusted for greatervisibility in taller landscape. These decoys aresure to grab the attention of approaching pred-ators from great distances.

Quick Tips for Hunting Predators with a DecoyPlace the decoy where it is visible from multi-

ple directions (elevated ground, fence post,etc.)

Place the decoy exactly where you’d like forthe predator to be standing for the shot. Unlessyou booger things up, a coyote will quickly closethe distance to the decoy in an effort to get tothe decoy.

Leave ample shooting opportunities down-wind of your decoy…coyote’s will likely ap-proach from the downwind side.

When necessary, add color to your decoy tomake it stick out from the surrounding land-scape. Add a white rag to a brown or grey decoywhen hunting in a dead (brown & grey) land-scape.

Whenever possible, add motion to the decoy.A still decoy will often go unnoticed…and don’tforget extra batteries!

Glass the surrounding country around you be-fore walking out into the open to place your de-coy. Coyotes will often be sitting at the edge ofthe timber waiting for an easy meal…if theysee you approach, the game will be over.

Over the years I’ve heard hunters say,“That’s no longer a challenge for me,” or “It

just doesn’t do anything for me anymore,” whentalking about various forms of hunting. And myguess is they just haven’t tried hunting preda-tors with a bow. Want a lesson in humbleness?Leave the rifle at home and take a bow, decoy,and ground blind on your next predator hunt.When you get the draw on a coyote in bow range,

you’ll know you’ve matched wits with nature’sultimate predator.

Brodie Swisher is a world champion gamecaller, outdoor writer, and seminar speaker.Check out his websites at www.RealityBowhunt-ing.com and www.BroOutdoors.com.

Predator DecoysCOYOTES…Cont’d. from previous pg.

060.qxd 12/24/11 10:11 PM Page 1


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061.qxd 12/24/11 11:12 PM Page 1


BAI NewsBy Ed DeVries

Greeting once again to all from theBAI, and Happy New Year! We wish youall the best in 2012 and hope 2011 was agood year for all. 2011 was truly a banneryear for the BAI, to say we were busywould be an understatement. In 2011 weheld the largest tournament the state hasever seen, took part more outdoor showsthan ever before including the largestbowfishing display ever at an outdoorshow that we know of, gained moremembers in the club and introducedmore people to the sport of bowfishingthan ever before. Lets take a quick lookback at the BAI in 2011!

JanuaryAfter kicking the year off in December

with our annual meeting and Christmasparty we hit the outdoor shows full steamin January. We started the show seasonwith the Outward Bound Show in Kanka-kee. This was the first time we took part inthis show and it turned out to be alot offun and a good show to recruit new bow-fishers and new members.

Next up was the Americas OutdoorShow (formerly the Chicagoland OutdoorShow) in Rosemont. The Rosemont showis the largest most attended show in thenorthern part of the state, with 19,000confirmed attendees in 2011. We set upwhat we believe to be the largest bowfish-ing display ever at an outdoor show fillinga 300 square ft. area withbowfishing dis-plays, bowfishing boats, a bowfishing geararchery range and tables loaded with allthe latest bowfishing gear. Out of the19,000 visitors 18,999 shot a bow at therange. Well, it seemed that way after 5days of non stop shooting. Our goodfriends at AMS Bowfishing even drovethru a snow storm to bring their new AMSBowfishing boat to add to the display. 40+BAI members helped promote bowfishingat this show and it was a great success.

FebruaryNext up were two new shows, both on

belas events.We kicked off the bowfishing season

last March with our annual Spring KickOff Shoot. In the past this shoot has beenheld in some very cold and windy condi-tions, but we were lucky in 2011 and hadsome cool but comfortable weather forthis early shoot. March also signaled thestart of the BAI’s Innerloc Big Fish Con-test.

April

Time for the Lasalle N/W IndianaChampionship at the Lasalle F&W Area.In 2010 we had great weather, warm, sun-ny and loads of fish. No such luck in 2011as participants were treated to a day full ofhigh winds, falling temperatures and freez-ing rain. Many fish were still harvestedand a good if uncomfortable time was hadby all.

MayThe waters began to warm in May and

we had some excellent bowfishing at theAnnual Cabelas 3 Rivers Championshipin Wilmington. We hold this shoot where

the same day! The Great Outdoors Showat the Timber Creek Inn in Sandwich Illi-nois and the Southern Illinois OutdoorShow in Marion Illinois. Both shows werealot of fun and many new members joinedup with the BAI. Another first was thebowfishing range we set up in the hotelsswimming pool! Yes, show goers were ableto take shots at submerged targets in thehotels swimming pool. Later in Februarywe returned to Tinley Park for the TinleyPark Outdoors Show. This is a real mem-ber favorite and all its proceds benefit theTinley Park HS sports programs.

MarchWe completed the winter outdoor show

season with our yearly visit to the Ham-mond Ind. Cabelas for their Spring Out-doors Event. Cabelas is a great supporterof all outdoor sports and we feel lucky tohave them as a BAI sponsor. Each yearseveral new members join up at the Ca-

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storms, sinking boats, bats and bugs, weall had a fantastic time shooting manygood sized silver and bighead carp andlook forward to next years shoot.

We also held another fun shoot on theDesPlaines River in August bringing in 26teams, a new record for a fun shoot.

SeptemberWhile the bowfishing season came to a

close for many the BAI decided to haveanother daytime fun shoot on the Illinoisriver out of Ottawa Illinois. 23 teamscame out to enjoy a day of great bowfish-ing where many silver, grass and bigheadcarp were taken. September was also thestart of the fall outdoor show season. Intwo weeks we attended four outdoorshows setting up on water bowfishingranges at the Essex Women In TheOutdoors event, Northern & SouthernIllinois Hunting & Fishing Days ShowsAND another Cabelas/NorthwoodsOutdoor event. The two Hunting &Fishing days shows and Cabelas show wereall on the same weekend. Over forty fiveBAI members spent a good part of theirweekend at these events teaching bowfish-ing to literally thousands of show goers.

OctoberThe season long Innerloc Big Fish

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the DesPlaines and Kankakee Rivers joinup to form the Illinois River. The area is afavorite of many bowfishers in the N/Epart of the state,. Grass carp in excess of40lbs are a common occurrence, goodsized bighead carp, longnose gar in the 40-50in. range and loads of common carp arefound inthe flats and backwaters of theserivers. This year we held a split day/nightcompetition.

JuneTime for the AMS Grass Lake

Championship held in the Chain of LakesSP in Antioch. It seems every year we haveperfect weather for this shoot and 2011was no different. Bright sunshine, lowwinds and plenty of good size commoncarp were to be found, including a newstate record common. We also teamed upwith Cabelas in June for theCabelas/Northwoods Outdoors Eventwhere we set up an on water bowfishingrange for kids and adults to enjoy and trytheir hand at bowfishing for foam targets.

JulyThe Direectors Shoot/Innerloc State

Championship was held in July and wasthe largest tournament held in the state ofIllinois ever,and the second largest held inthe country in 2011 with 54 boats attend-

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AugustIn August we traveled to the town of

Rosiclare on the Ohio River for our firstannual Muzzy Ohio River Championship.Even though bowfishers battled a night of

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Contest came to an end in October. Whilemany bowfishers turned to hunting manystill hit the waters for some fine late seasonbowfishing thru November.

December

The BAI’s 2011 concluded inDecember with our annual pheasant huntheld at the S. Wilmington sportsmansClub and our annual BAI ChristmasParty. Both events were a great time and abig success.

Its going to be hard to beat 2011 but weare going to do our best. We again wouldlike to invite all who read this column tojoin us and join the fun. The club is free,has been and always will be. In 2012 weplan on holding several new events such asa shoot on Lake Shelbyville and we will beteaming up with the IDNR at conserva-tion world at the State Fair. We can alwaysuse help spreading the word of bowfishingso come join us.....and join the fun!

063.qxd 12/26/11 12:05 PM Page 1


are pretty accommodating…the smallerones anyway. But, if it is consistentcatches of dinner plate sized fish you areafter maybe it’s time to re-think your jigpresentation tactics.

The #1 mistake that I see repeatedly isthe way many fishermen attach thetwister tail to the jig hook. To me, this lit-tle application is probably the mostimportant and the least paid attention towhen rigging a jig and twister tail combi-nation. If you learn nothing else from thislittle column…please learn this!

A jig and twister tail must run “true” inorder to look like something alive. Just “hanging” atwister tail on a hook and casting or jigging it aboutwill cut down your success drastically, especially withthe larger more predatory panfish. Take a good look atyour twister tail. This lure comes out of a two-partmold, and although the seam is inconspicuous it isthere.

Now when you attach your twister tail to the jig, theutmost attention must be paid to where the hookcomes out of that twister tail. If done properly, thehook should come out exactly on the seam of that tail.This will allow the tail to run true and straight insteadof “dog tracking” to the left or right.

The 2nd part of this process is to see that you havethe proper amount of “meat” on the hook. By that Imean, if the hook is set to deeply into the twister bodyyou will get an unnatural humped back affect and if itis too short it will not come up and sit on the collar ofthe jig without stretching and tearing. This doesn’tsound like much but there have been times that I havehad the fish “tearing up tails” and when I hurriedlyreplaced the bad twister with a fresh one, the bite“quit!”

After a careful evaluation and a re-adjustment ofthe tail placing the hook into the seam where itbelonged, all was well again and the fish started snap-ping! So as minute as this little action might seem atfirst thought it is the most critical.

That’s right there are correct ways and incorrectways to present or tune your panfish jigs properly.Learn to do this with your ice jigs now that 2012’s icefishing is here. Preparing your tackle for now and thecoming season should be a number one priority, any-one that uses jigs and twister tails or jigs, minnows orjigs will be well informed to read this article.

When it comes to “tuning” baits, the bulk of theattention usually goes to the bigger game fish luressuch as those used for bass, walleyes, etc., but the wilyMr. Panfish can get a little persnickety too at timesespecially through the ice. It is those times that theabsolutely correct presentation of the jig can make thedifference. Many things should be taken into accountwhen fishing for panfish, the color of the jig head, thecolor of the twister tail or tube, the size of the jig, etc.Remember, you are trying to present artificial bait in afashion that will make your target think that your pres-entation is alive and something good to eat. Mosttimes you don’t have to be so critical, panfish as a rule

Learn To “Tune” Your Panfish Jigs

Properly!

By Herman Kunz

Tail up or tail down? You can flip a coin on this one;either way seems to produce fish as long as the lure istracking properly, although with the tail pointed downthere are fewer tendencies for the tail to foul on the jighook between casts.

How about the size of the jig head? Most panfishapplications should be between one sixty-fourth andone-sixteenth ounce in weight, although somewhatsmaller for ice fishing, although jigs up to 1/8 ounce insize for panfish are not uncommon in “soft water”.The depth that the fish are holding at will be more of adetermining factor here.

As a rule, for panfish the shallower the fish, thesmaller the jig head. Of course the shallower the fishare holding the longer the casts that you will need inorder not to spook the school. This can be difficult withthe lighter jig. To get a proper presentation here,adding a slip bobber measured to the correct depthwill usually solve that problem. This method will alsowork for deeper schools of fish. By adjusting your bob-ber stop so that your hook sits within inches of thestructure you are fishing, you can keep picking off fishas they come out of the cover for a snack.

When using bobbers in the way I have mentioned,another factor of presentation comes to mind…theangle at which the jig sits suspended below your float.To present your bait properly with this method, theknot that you have tied to the jig must be tight andplaced at the back of the hook eye so that the bait sitshorizontally and does not hang down with an unnaturaldangle. This is also true when using tube jigs, if thelure is hanging down at an angle, many times the morewary larger fish will shun this type of unnatural pres-entation.

As far as the size of the tail itself, usually anythingbetween 1 & 1/2 inches to 2-inches can pretty muchget the job done.

Color is probably the least important part of a jigand twister/tube combination. I have seen plain leadheaded jigs work just as well as the brightly coloredones, and at the end of a days fishing, when comparingnotes with other fishermen, good catches of fish cameon a variety of colors. That is not to say that on somedays some colors will work better than others. Onthose days it will be up to you to experiment and findout what they really want.

Many times a particular fishing spot or lake willhave a color or two that is standard for that body ofwater…start there, and change colors until one suitsyou, or the fish. Finally, if you have done everythingright, and have the angle of the dangle where it shouldbe, you can have plenty of fish!

064.qxd 12/24/11 11:26 PM Page 1


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fish in deep water.Like I said I guide some 225 days

in just nine months on Lake Shel-byville and will guide right onthrough the winter if the lake isopen. If it is frozen and all I can dois travel south for some big slabsthen Paris Landing on the southend of Kentucky Lake is my homeaway from home. From mid De-cember until mid March I go everychance I get. I carry a non-residentTennessee license every year. Youare actually about ten miles intoTennessee fishing on KentuckyLake.

I have really invented myself as agood deep-water structure fisher-man and I have my boat all set upfor just that. I have a special threeman seating system to allow us tofish right over the nose of the boat.That way we can all watch the bigten-inch Lowrance HDS system Ihave on the nose which also hasboth down scan and side imagingas well as typical 2-d sonar. Thisallows me to travel over a deepbrush pile with the down scan andlocate the fish hiding within thebrush and I get a real life like pic-ture of that brush or stake bed.

Winter Crappieat Shelbyville &

KentuckyBy Steve Welch

Crappie unlike most species stayvery active during the winter andthis is also the time of the year that

they bunch up and you can catch aton of them from a small area. Thelake that I guide on up here in cen-tral Illinois will freeze some win-ters and some not. When it doesn’tI like to fish the deep river chan-nels on the main lake. When theyflooded it that left giant standingtrees out in the channels in as deepas fifty feet. Of course there is alsoa ton of down trees that reach outin very deep water where the crap-pie live for the winter. They willjust suspend in these trees and riseup to feed and feel the warmth ofthe sun.

I never knew these trees existeduntil I got my Lowrance HDS sys-tem. You can motor over them withthe down scan and they show everybranch and you can clearly see thefish hiding within the branches.Then with the GPS you can throw awaypoint on the school of fish andget an exact depth as well. At win-ter pool on Shelbyville this is adeadly pattern and few ever fishthis way, mostly because they likeme never knew these trees existed.

We use a shorter rod so I can seemy jig on the trolling motordepthfinder. That is a must if youare to catch these suspended fish.We came up with a special jig de-signed to make it easier to see onyour depthfinder and with it’ssmall light wire hook you can sim-ply bend it and get your bait back.The jig has a big aspirin shapedhead with very square edges andsunken prism eyes. We call it theDeep Ledge Jig and it has reallytaken off as the go to bait for bothLake Shelbyville and KentuckyLake and really any lake that you

www.LakeShelbyvilleGuide.com

In order to watch your jig on thescreen we use shorter rods, eightfoot in length which puts your rodtip right in front of the trolling mo-tor thus allowing you to see yourjig on the screen. The Deep LedgeJig we invented has a big aspirinstyle head on it but it also has verysquared edges which reflect a sonarimage very well. The fish like tohover right over the top of thebrush or stake beds and if you can’tsee your jig on the screen you willsimply go past them and drop to thebottom and you will miss mostlikely the biggest fish on the pile.

In winter at either Kentucky Lakeor Lake Shelbyville we are typical-ly fishing in 20-30 feet of water soGPs is a must to return to the exactspot. I have 1302 waypoints onShelbyville and nearly 800 on Ken-tucky Lake. This really helps meday to day since I like to run thirtyor forty piles a day and not repeatmyself for several days to allowmore fish to build back up on thepile.

Both of these lakes are flood con-trol lakes and during the winterdraw down you must be very care-ful as not to run a ground clear outin the middle of the lake. This iswhere Navionics mapping comesinto play. All your channels anddeeper water is colored in whiteand your shallow areas in darkblue. All your points are alsomapped as is all your river chan-nels with all its bends. This gives

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066.qxd 12/26/11 12:16 PM Page 1


most likely twenty or more will betwo pounds. We catch thirteen-inchfish like the ten-inch fish we catchat my home lake. All day long.Since it is two hundred miles clos-er for me over going to Grenada Ican go more often and besides theyreally drop those lakes during thewinter draw making it almost im-possible to use a boat.

To anyone interested in going toeither lake I would suggest watch-ing the weather. You want seasonalweather with calm winds and fullsun in the winter and that doesn’tmean a warming trend because thatbrings wind. The fish will positionthem selves on top of the brush orout on the ends of standing trees.During cold fronts they bury downin the brush or bunch up next to thetrunks of standing timber. We thenhave to work harder at getting themto bite by down sizing and goinglighter on line and jig weight.

I have done very well in Januaryon Kentucky Lake in daytimetemps in the thirties and forties aslong as the wind doesn’t cut rightthrough you. Down there you areout in the middle of the lake noplace to hide. That is why I likeShelbyville with it’s high banksthat drop off into deep water youcan tuck under one of them andnever know the wind is blowing.

I will be at several instate fishingshows this winter starting with theCollinsville Show and the Bloom-ington Show so stop by and see meand check out my seminars.

Here is Svetlana Harrell hoisting 3-person limit of crappie that were caught

fishing with Steve on Shelbyville on 10/25/11.

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217-762-7257 Cell: 217-840-1221 LakeShelbyvilleGuide.com

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you good starting points becauseall species of fish use channelbends and points.

Most of my buddies like to godown to Mississippi to crappie fishpartly because they don’t like tofish deep but not me I love it andbesides at Paris Landing on a threeday weekend we will catch close totwo hundred crappie and out of that

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Dale Knox of Forest City

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067.qxd 12/27/11 2:29 AM Page 1


Let’s start theNEW YEAR outright! Let’s starta routine exerciseprogram shown tohave many med-ical benefits.

(Read on asthis article is not the same ole New Year’s exercisecrap!)

Many studies have been done on the benefits ofsex. This is not just benefits toward a relationshipbut toward a man’s and a woman’s overall health.As Boomers age and approach 60, the populationof older adults is now the most rapidly growingsector of Americans. More studies are being doneon the importance of sex and the frequency of sexas we age. One study stated that 75% of all peo-ple 75-80 years of age remain sexually active.

Could sex be contributing to people livinglonger? The British Medical Journal reports that“having regular and enthusiastic sex…confers ahost of measurable physiological benefits, be youmale or female.” Another report followed 1000

real answer, for those not just skimming this arti-cle looking for Ted Nugent’s article, is that semi-nal fluid contains zinc, calcium and other mineralsshown to reduce tooth decay. (Description of Min-eral delivery omitted).

-IMPROVED POSTURE. For women, sex firms thetummy and buttocks, and thereby improves pos-ture. For men, any guy getting sex three times aweek will stand taller and have that extra spring inhis step.

Well finally a useful medical article. I hope themen reading this can share this with their partner,for health sake of course. For the women readingthis, Trust me, I’m a doctor! And besides, I couldnot make all this good stuff up because I am a manof science!

Happy 2012!Sincerely,Dru Hauter, MD.

Industrial Park

session burns 200 calories. (about the same as15 minutes on a treadmill or an active game ofracquetball)

During sex the heart rate increases from 70 to140 beats per minute. Muscles worked in sex in-clude the pelvis, thighs, buttocks, arms, neck, andtrunk. Testosterone (Baseball steroids) are pro-duced naturally by sex and stimulate muscle pro-duction and bone strength. “Men’s Health” mag-azine has called the bed the greatest piece of ex-ercise equipment ever invented.

-REDUCED RISK OF HEART DISEASE. Having sexthree or more times a week has been shown to cutheart attack and stroke risk in half.

-REDUCE THE RISK OF CANCER. The prostateand the seminal vesicles concentrate chemicalstaken from the blood like zinc, citric acid andpotassium. Toxins in the blood are also concen-trated and if stored for long periods can increasethe risk of cancer of these structures. It has beenshown that decreasing storage time can decreasecancer risk. (More ejaculations) This does notmean more sexual partners as multiple sexualpartners can increase the risk of cancer in menand women by 40 %. What is the take home mes-sage? It is just like the patient I prescribed Viagrafor, when he asked if it worked alone. I informedhim yes he would not need any other medication.He replied; “Doc, you don’t understand my ques-tion”. …I then answered, “yes”.

-BETTER TEETH. A sexual encounter usuallystarts with each partner brushing their teeth. Thishas a great effect of decreasing tooth decay. The

middle-aged men of comparable circumstancesfor 10 years. The study showed that the men whohad the highest frequency of sex had half thedeath rate as the others.

In my review of different scientific articles onthe benefits of sex, I tested the firewalls andparental control devices on all my computers. Ihave confirmed this list of proven benefits fromsex:

-PAIN RELIEF. Orgasm causes the hormone oxy-tocin to surge which causes release of endorphins.Endorphins have been shown to relieve headache,arthritis pain and even pain from migraines. Inwomen, sex also stimulates production of estro-gen which reduces the symptoms of PMS. (techni-cally a decrease in “pain” for men and women).

-DECREASE COLDS AND FLU. Sex, even just 2times a week, raises the level of the antibody Im-munoglobulin A as much as 30%. This is known todirectly boost the immune system.

-REDUCED DEPRESSION. Prostaglandin, a hor-mone found in semen, is absorbed in the femalegenital tract. This tends to be a mood stabilizer.

-BETTER BLADDER CONTROL. The set of mus-cles that help to control the bladder are “workedout” during sex. This is the same set used to stopor slow your stream of urine (Kegel exercises)

-IMPROVED SENSE OF SMELL. After sex thehormone prolactin increases. Prolactin stimu-lates the formation of new neurons in the olfacto-ry bulb, the smell center.

-WEIGHT LOSS. Sex is exercise! An average

AN EXERCISEPROGRAMFOR 2012

by Dru Hauter, MD

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068.qxd 12/25/11 12:24 AM Page 1

W E G E T “ N E W S ” L E T T E RS A N D U P D AT ES

NOVEMBER NEWS FROM SHEBOYGAN WISCONSIN Welcome Aboard!

We would like to wish our friends a HappyThanksgiving from the Shore ofSheboygan. This fall has been fantasticthe river swelled with King salmon ofrecord size and numbers. The air nowhas the chill of late fall, the waterfowlmigrations are just starting to peak dueto the mild weather in the North Countryand the rains have again brought theSteelhead & Coho now into the riverpools. The Northwesterners have theducks winging down by the hundreds Cont’d. on next pg.


OUTDOOR CONNECTION

By Gerald

A. Sampen

and the table is set for one heck of aNovember-into-December hunt. We

now have four boats put away for theseason but our Phowler boat still hasthe Pro-drive just warming up. Marshhunts, or open water for a trophy

diver duck such as Old Squaw or Eiderare getting prime. The new Frabill ice

shelters are being worked on in any sparetime we have as we know Old Man Winter will be turn-ing the lakes hard very soon. Those first ice walleyesright after the holidays.....now that's a stockingstuffer!

Family & Friends-Thoughts & CheersAs you travel & gather for that special hunt or

Thanksgiving dinner cherish the memories of outdooradventures gone bye and make time to bond with oursports-people of today & tomorrow (our youth) on ariver bank, a boat on the open water, enjoy the smell ofthe pine needles, the feel of the cool air rushingthrough your hair, watching a brace of darting

Greenwing teal hit the decoys, hear thesound of the drag on the reel smoking witha King Salmon. Now think of days ahead,and know we’d be proud to create a newmemory this Holiday season.

Field ReportsThis work horse won't see the barn and

fresh straw for another month or so ? Theflocks are building and so is the challengeof a late season trophy Waterfowl hunt for

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that four curled Drake Mallard or the monster BlackDuck that has been loafing on the Northern prairiesand waiting for the Northwestern to glide them in gun-ning range. She and Captain Pat have joined forceswith and her "New big sister "a 24 ft Custom PhowlerTender Boat along with the Captains of Big WatersOutdoors to provide some of the best Marsh Mallard &Open Water Sea Duck hunting east of the MississippiRiver. Yup this should be you on the Adventure of aLifetime!

King Salmon on theSheboygan -----Diving Ducks on Pond!

When we saw thesize of our KingSalmon this seasonwe were amazed! Isaid that last month,but whow this is a year

to remember, now the Steelhead and Coho are movingin and the waterfowl on the open water hunts havebeen unstoppable!

VIABLE FALL/WINTER ADVENTURES!Marsh & Open Water Duck Hunts, Ice Fishing

The Bay and Lake Michigan are now producing somegreat open water hunts but it won’t be long and theywill be producing some great limits of Whitefish,Browns & pole bending Northern Pike. O’Boy it’s allcoming so quick!

October duck season is listed to be the best onrecord!

Ice fishing is a Main stay with us…Enjoy the wintermonths in style, we have all the best, field-testedequipment your group will need. (WIF3/WIH5)Captain Roy

ADVENTURE LODGE2011 Season Wrap

What a "great seasonin Sitka", with goodweather and greatclients. There were newfaces as well as thosethat have fished with usin the past. We enjoyboth, as we like to getcaught up with thosethat have been comingback for years and wereally enjoy getting to know the new guests, which we

069.qxd 12/26/11 1:23 PM Page 1


ty to catch Kings. The abundance was favorable for thefishermen. We enjoyed catching them right up untilthe first week of September, which made for a greatseason of "King Salmon Fishing!"

Silver Salmon Fishing:The Silver Salmon were a bit elusive this season;

they were out there, just had to get through all the KingSalmon to catch them. We had very favorable days forthe Silvers and clients were able to bring them to theboat to take home with them. As always they are fun tocatch as they twist and jump while on the end of theline, bringing them to the boat is a welcome challengeby all.

Halibut Fishing:Our Halibut Fishing was successful, despite the size

restriction that was imposed just prior to the start ofour season. Our Captains searched the best areas forthe right size halibut and were successful in doing justthat. Of course some fishermen did get a few largeones on the end of their line and reeled them up to theboat to snap a picture of the big one prior to releasing.We encourage everyone by giving out "Big HalibutCatch and Release" pens with an award for being sucha great sport despite the restrictions.

Lingcod/Rock Fish Fishing:The Lingcod fishing was great this year and you had

extra opportunity to catch one in August as extra dayswere add to the season. Plenty of the Lingcod fit theslot size and were in the clients boxes heading homewith them. The fishing for the other rock fish was good,plenty for all the fishermen to reel in, they are mightytasty too.

ing at 50% off, this is a great time to treat your son ordaughter to some hunting after school is out for thesummer.

Our Dangerous Game Stopping Rifle Clinic is May12 & 13. This is a must experience course if you areplanning on doing any big bore rifle hunting in Africa.Check it out and combine it with our spring bear hunt-ing!

Drop us a note if you have any questions on ouradventures or want to get dates lined out for 2012! We wish you the best through the fall hunting and fish-ing season! (IDF1/IDH3)

ILLINOIS WHITETAIL PIKE COUNTY LODGE UPDATEDear Marc,

We are having an awesome start to the whitetailseason! Check out some of the amazing hunts below:

Kirk S. took a monster whitetail during Illinoiswhitetail archery sea-son in mid October.This mature whitetailweighed over 280pounds and scored157" as a 9pt!Congratulations Kirkon an awesome buck!!

Our good friend Ed T. from New Mexico harvested anice 143” 15pt buck. Ed shot him on October 25th andrecovered him the morning of the 26th. After a badshot, the deer only went about a 100yrds and beddeddown. It pays not to put any pressure on a deer afterthey have been shot.

Our new friend Dwayne M. used a drag rag to bringan awesome 146” 10pt whitetail to within bow range!(ILH3)Sincerely, Gary H.

O.C. … Cont’d. from previous pg.

hopefully get to know better in the future. Fishing wasgood in Sitka, with plenty of Kings for everyone. TheKing sizes averaged in the mid 20lb range, with a fewbig ones to keep you interested. Our biggest KingSalmon was caught by Sharyn A. of Washington Statewho fished with her husband; hers’ weighed in at awhopping 45lbs! Good Job Sharyn!

We also had another good size King Salmon broughtin by Greg C. of Las Vegas, NV which weighed in at41lbs. It was his first time fishing with us and we arehoping to see him again at our Lodge next year.

How was the fishing...King Salmon Fishing:

We started out catching Kings right away in May.The weather was gorgeous for the month of May andwe took every opportunity to be out on the water.Kings were averaging 22 to 24lbs during that time.June rolled around and it was even better king fishing,wow, and we still had some great weather. Clientswere happy with the size and availability and it didn'thurt that you were allowed to keep 4 Kings a year as anon resident, made that 4th day of fishing a real treat.July and August continued to provide ample opportuni-

Thank you for fishing with us in 2011. If you fished withus in 2011 or if you did not have an opportunity to fishwith us in Sitka now is the time to book for the 2012Season as dates are going fast! (AF7)

IDAHO OUTFITTER NEWSLETTER

Greetings!We are right in the middle of our busy season here atthe ranch. The birds are flying strong, the steelheadare biting and whitetail deer rut is just about to kickin! We thank everyone who has visited us this fall andshared some great outdoor memories! Here is a list ofsome upcoming trips and events to add to the calen-dar!

December & January: Wingshooting Season offer-ing group discounts of 6+ hunters!

Mountain Lion Season starts in December and goesthrough February. We have dates available!

February: A favorite month for our Cast-and-BlastTrips ! The steelhead are biting and the wingshootingis excellent, especially for huns and chukar!

March/April: A great time of the year to come outto get your dog on some birds and do some training.There are a lot of birds at the ranch this time of yearand sun is usually shining! Turkey Season opens April15! Our first spot-and-stalk Bear camp packs in onApril 7th.

May/June: Bear, Turkey, and Salmon fishing areunderway during these two months. With youth hunt-

070.qxd 12/26/11 1:22 PM Page 1


“BOO” SEASON UPDATE, FROM NORTHERN MANITOBA LODGEFamily Hunting At Our Famous Caribou Camp

Our 2011 season saw a lot of family hunts--fathersand sons or daughters, and a few husband and wifeduos! During our very first week of caribou hunting,we hosted two great father/son teams.

Ross and Jason R. booked their hunt after speakingwith our Sales & Operations Manager. Jason was veryexcited about the prospect of shooting two bulls on thetrip and the fact that he could hunt for these majestictundra monarchs with his father. We're happy toreport that the experience did not disappoint!

Our second pair, Gerald and Jeremie K. also eachgot 2 great bulls.

During our last week, we hosted a father/daughterduo. Due to poor weather, their hunt got off to a bit ofa late start but they still had plenty of time to get theiranimals. They even had a chance to see some polarbears while in Churchill!

Then there was Crystal who joined her husband onthe hunt as a last-minute replacement and left withthis year's records for both the closest and farthestshots taken to land trophy bulls. Way to go, Crystal!

NOTE: Canadian Government Eliminates Long GunRegistry - The Conservative government, in powersince 2006, have tried in the past to do away with theintrusive and unnecessary registry but due to a minor-ity government situation, they were unable to get itdone. Now, with a landslide victory in 2010 and solidmajority under their collective belts, they announcedlate last month that the wheels are being set in motion.The efforts of hunters, industry organizations like theManitoba Lodges & Outfitters Association (MLOA),and Conservative MPs, finally seem to have paid off.We are rapidly booking up for 2012. (MBH1/MBF5)Sincerely, W.S.

NOTE:Time to get your 2012 Outdoor Adventure Booked!!!

SPECIALS:COSTA RICA FISHING (CRF2)4 NIGHT/3 DAY FROM $2,795 PER PERSONINCLUDES AIRPORT RECEPTION, ACCOMMODATIONS,MEALS, 3 DAYS FISHING, ALL TACKLE, OPEN BAR ANDLAUNDRY SERVICE

ALASKA DALL SHEEPWas $18,000 NOW $12,000August 8-20, 2012

Hunt does notinclude tags, licensesand air charter to camp(approx. $1,000)

This outfitter is one of only a handful of outfitterspermitted to operate in the Arctic National WildlifeRefuge. Understand that the Arctic Refuge is the lastgreat untouched wilderness on earth. It is whatMontana must have been 200 years ago. This areastretches from the continental divide to the ArcticOcean. You will see no one else; you will see no otherhuman footprints; you will hear no gunshots that are

Mountain lion hunts can be physicallyand mentally demanding, but you willfind this hunt one of the most excitingand rewarding hunts of a lifetime. Theyprovide all hunters with a hearty, homecooked breakfast and dinner and a sacklunch for your time out in the field.Mountain lion hunting begins in the earlymorning and can last until dark. (IDH2)

Get your pond or lake ready for Winter!

If you are interested in any of the adventures highlighted in this article or in the many other adventuresOutdoor Connection offers, give us a call. These adventures make great gifts for graduations,

weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Now is the time to get your name on the books for 2012!

Your Outdoor Connection Agent: Gerald & Jeanne Sampen421 Olive St. • Emden, IL 62635


not your own. The area boasts the farthest north pop-ulation of dall sheep in the world and is as close tounhunted as it gets these days. Hunters must fly intoDeadhorse (Prudhoe Bay), Alaska and then take theair charter to camp. Hunt includes 1x1 guide service,camp accommodations, meals, field care of trophyand meat. Caribou can be added for an additional tro-phy fee of $3,000, plus tags. (AH13)

FLORIDA HUNTS1 Day Hog Hunts $275 - single hunter; $250 if two or moreMultiple day hunters get a $20 per day discount!Osceola Turkey 3 Day/1 Bird - $1,875, Lodging includedAlligator-3 Night/2 Gator - $2,7502 Night/1 Gator - $1,650Includes tag (License of $52 not included)

Looking for some greatdeals on hog, alligator orturkey hunts in Florida?This outfitter is offeringsome special pricing forspring 2012 hunts. Hoghunts will be offered inwest central Florida forsingle or multiple days.There will be a two hog limit and no trophy fees forthese hunts. Osceola turkey hunts are three day huntswith lodging included. The outfitter only takes a limit-ed number of hunters so he can properly manage theland for mature gobblers. Alligator hunts run threenights and are fully guided with all the equipment youwill need to bag two gators. They also offer a two night,one gator hunt that includes tags. Lodging is availablefor all hunts.(FLH5)

IDAHO MOUNTAIN LIONWas $6,200 Now $5,5007 Day HuntDates Available: Dec 10 - March 1, 2012Includes: transportation, license, tag, taxes, food,

lodging and guides.Hunt for Two People:$8,000 - 12 Day

If you are looking for an exciting andfulfilling hunting experience, the thrill ofa mountain lion hunt is for you. Yourguide, along with their die-hard pack ofhounds, will work as hard as they can tolocate and tree a trophy lion for you.

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071.qxd 12/26/11 1:21 PM Page 1


NEW PHEASANTSFOREVER CHAPTER

ENROLLED AT ILLINOISSTATE UNIVERSITY

Chapter dedicated to educating fellow students and community on benefits of wildlife habitat

conservationNormal, Illinois – Undergraduate stu-

dents from Illinois State University haveformed the newest Pheasants Forever chap-ter in the nation, and the fourth-everPheasants Forever or Quail Forever colle-giate chapter. Known as the Illinois StateUniversity Pheasants Forever chapter, thegroup will provide future land stewardswith conservation experience through edu-cation, fundraising and hands-on youthwork.

“Being a college chapter, one of our goalsis conservation education,” says AshleyBishop, the chapter’s first president andIllinois native who previously served as aPheasants Forever youth ambassador, “Weplan on using the university’s five-acre hor-ticultural center to showcase native Illinoisgrasses with walk-through signs explaining

the importance of the forbs to not onlypheasants, quail and other wildlife, but toour environment and daily lives.” Bishop,who has been involved with her father’sPheasant Forever chapter since she was sixyears old, notes the college chapter will alsobe partnering with the McLean CountyPheasants Forever chapter, located inBloomington, Ill., with their youth men-tored hunt, “When being introduced tohunting and the outdoors, it helps to havesomeone closer to your own age that youcan relate to, and all of our members arelooking forward to helping foster anothergeneration's passion for the outdoors.”

As a Pheasants Forever chapter, IllinoisState University Pheasants Forever willhold annual fundraising events, and thenuse those funds to accomplish wildlifehabitat projects and public awareness forconservation. The Illinois State Universitychapter will function like all PheasantsForever chapters. Pheasants Forever pro-vides its local chapters the ability to decidehow 100 percent of their fundraised dollarsare spent. This local control gives chaptersand members the ability to make thingshappen for wildlife in their communities,

while belonging to anational organizationadvocating forwildlife and conserva-tion in policy discus-sions in Washington,D.C.

“The Illinois State University chapter isa great example of the next generation'swillingness to grab the baton and lead thecharge in conservation and outdoor educa-tion,” says Tim Caughran, PheasantsForever and Quail Forever’s RegionalWildlife Biologist in Illinois, “Many of themembers are from Pheasants Forever fami-lies, so they have hit the ground running,and we are anxious to see the great thingsthis chapter will accomplish in the comingmonths and years.”

The Illinois State University chapter hasalso elected Stacy Durbin as Treasurer, andLeslie Annis as Public Relations andRecruiting Officer. The chapter’s FacultyAdvisor is Dr. Rick Whitacre. The chap-ter’s next meeting will be announced onthe Illinois State Pheasants Forever chap-ter’s Facebook page.

For more information about the chapter,including upcoming meetings and events,Email Ashley or (217) 313-107.

Illinois is home to 64 Pheasants Foreverand Quail Forever chapters and more than10,000 combined Pheasants Forever and

Quail Forever members. For informationon "The Habitat Organization" in Illinois,contact Tim Caughran, PheasantsForever’s Regional Wildlife Biologist, at(618) 467-2586 / Email Tim. For all otherinformation, contact Rehan Nana, PublicRelation Specialist for Pheasants Foreverand Quail Forever, at (651) 209-4973 /Email Rehan.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Foreverempower county and local chapters withthe responsibility to determine how 100percent of their locally raised conservationfunds will be spent - the only national con-servation organization that operatesthrough this truly grassroots structure. As aresult, chapter volunteers are able to see thefruits of their efforts locally, while belong-ing to a larger national organization with avoice on federal and state conservation pol-icy.

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072.qxd 12/26/11 1:53 PM Page 1


SIGN-UP TOBEGIN FOR

YOUTH TURKEYHUNTERS

Additional LocationsAvailable this year

due to IRAP

The Illinois Department ofNatural Resources (IDNR)announced expanded huntingopportunities for youth turkeyhunters next spring thanks to theIllinois Recreational AccessProgram (IRAP). The programlaunched last month by IDNRallows the department to use feder-al funds to lease property from pri-

**More sites are being addedweekly so it is important to checkIDNR website.

Other public access activities forwhich IRAP is leasing propertyare:

•To allow for fishing in ponds,rivers and streams, creating moreplaces for families to fish.

•Creating additional accesspoints along public rivers toenhance access by non-motorizedwatercraft

•To have places for nature loversto explore, bird-watch and photo-graph wildlife.

IRAP’s goal is to promote out-door activities for youth and fami-lies in hopes of educating andrecruiting additional outdoorenthusiasts, as well as to expandpublic access throughout the state.

For more info on IRAP, contact Tammy Miller at

[email protected] go to IRAP’s website athttp://www.dnr.illinois.gov/

conservation/IRAP

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Interested youth turkey huntersshould download an application foran IRAP Youth Turkey Huntingpermit through the IDNR websiteat http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/con-servation/IRAP. Applications andother information may also befound at many county Soil andWater Conservation Districtsoffices throughout the state.Hunters will need chose the countyin which they wish to hunt and arandom drawing may be held foreach county/site. Youth hunters canrequest up to two turkey permitsfor the upcoming spring season.For example, they can request tohunt the Spring Youth TurkeySeason and Season 4.

Not all counties will have youthturkey hunting available. Checkthe IDNR website to see whichcounties have IRAP youth turkeyhunting available as well as howmany hunting sites there are percounty. Currently, there are morethan 6,000 acres enrolled in IRAPin the following 14 counties:Adams, Bureau , Fulton, Iroquois ,Lee, Macoupin Mason, McLean,Morgan, Pike, Sangamon,Schuyler, Shelby & Woodford

vate landowners in Illinois to makeavailable additional hunting andpublic access areas.

“One of the great things aboutIRAP is the opportunity to getyouth involved in the outdoors bysigning up landowners who arewilling to lease their property forspecific public access use,” saidIDNR Director Marc Miller. “Theresponse has been fantastic so far,and I would encourage morelandowners to take advantage inthe coming months and years asour effort to expand public accessin Illinois for recreational opportu-nities continues.”

One such activity is youth turkeyhunting. Three spring turkey sea-sons in 2012 will be available foryouth hunters through IRAP:

•Spring Youth Season, whichgives the kids a head start onturkey season, will run March 31-April 1 (Southern Zone) and April7-8 (Northern Zone)

•Season 3, April 21-April 25(Southern Zone) and April 27-May2 (Northern Zone)

•Season 4, April 26-May 2(Southern Zone) and May 3-May 9(Northern Zone)

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073.qxd 12/26/11 2:17 PM Page 1

Dear Lou, The first most important rule of

firearm safety is: Always keep thefirearm pointed in a safe direction. Bykeeping the firearm pointed in a safedirection, dogs and humans are alwayssafe.

Keep your firearm pointed in a safedirection by using a two handed carry(one hand on the firearm grip and oneon the fore stock). Always keep themuzzle (where the shot comes out) ele-vated above head height.

There are some other safety rules youshould follow when you are hunting inthe field.

Keep your finger off the trigger. Keep the safety on. Know what is beyond your target.

Dennis McCammack of CrannieMack Bird Hunting cautions hunters tonot shoot at landing birds (a dog mayrun between you and the bird orbeyond) and do not take low shots.

When the guide flushes a bird or abird flies spontaneously the “Sequenceof Shooting” (FSSFSF) at the flying tar-get should take over. The act of movingthe feet, shouldering the firearm, takingoff the safety, putting the finger in the

Muzzle Up for Safety!

Dear Boomer, I plan to take my fourteen year old

daughter Lucy, to the Donnie BurtonMemorial Hunt Jan. 6, 7 & 8, 2012.Lucy is a safe target shooter but the huntis for pen raised birds, there will beother people in the field, with dogs topoint and retrieve the birds we shoot.Do you have any safety tips for Lucyand me?

Signed,Lou Best


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trigger guard, getting a sight picture,and firing all have to take place in lessthan a second in order to hit a target. Allof these steps are taught in WingShooting 101 offered at CrannieMackBird Hunting.

How is the Sequence of Shooting(FSSFSF), your two handed carry, andMcCammack’s warnings related?

As you are walking, evaluate yourpath for obstacles such as holes andsticker bushes. Identify your field offire. When the guide prepares to flush abird, face the guide. You have pre-eval-uated your field of fire. When the birdflushes, turn in the direction the birdflies.

NOW IS THE TIME TO DECIDEWHETHER THE SHOT IS SAFE ORNOT.

Now, FSSFSF takes over and you cansafely shoot your bird. If at any timeduring FSSFSF you feel, see, or hearanything coming in to your field of fire,do not pull the trigger.

Some think the FSSFSF sounds com-plicated and slow? I agree it soundsthat way but it takes no more time to doFSSFSF than it does to hit a baseball.The key is practice. Think how manytimes it took you to learn to hit a base-ball or to tie your shoes. You had topractice until the sequence becameautomatic. You should practice FSS-FSF in the privacy of your own homeuntil it becomes automatic.

Since you won’t have to clean yourfirearm after FSSFSF practice, you will

have time to take a rib eye steak, cookedrare, to your favorite bird dog.

Get coached in FSSFSF by DennisMcCammack or one of his designees atCrannieMack Bird Hunting at noexpense to you. You will be coachedbefore and during a ten bird hunt paidfor by Montgomery County PheasantsForever. Space is open for the DonnieBurton Memorial Shoot, call Dennis at217-556-1712 for reservations.

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"high ready", the field of fire issafe and it is time for FSSFSF.

074.qxd 12/25/11 12:41 AM Page 1


This Dog Won’t Hunt PT. 3

Last month’s article talked aboutthe treatment and management ofarthritis and hip dysplasia issues.This month continues with diet andmore treatments for these condi-tions.

If feeding a different diet is notsomething that you think the dogmay not take to or are happy withwhat you are currently feeding, werecommend using a joint supple-ment. The one with the most re-search behind it that has been clini-cally proven to work is Dasaquin orCosequin. They are made by thesame company. Cosequin has glu-cosamine and chondroitin in it, andDasaquin has both of those as wellas ASU and MSM. Glucosamineand chondroitin have been shown tohelp with cartilage repair. ASU and

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MSM havebeen shown toreduce inflammation within thejoint. Therefore, these products cangreatly benefit a painful dog. Thereare many other products out there,but they may not be absorbed by thedog nearly as well.

Weight loss and nutritional modifi-cation can go a long way in helpingthese dogs, especially if we combinethis with some physical therapy.Therapy can be something as simpleas controlled walks to swimming tounder water treadmill work. Again,early intervention is best and work-ing with your veterinarian an effec-tive plan can be designed.

As things progress over time, oth-er treatments will have to be added.Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)will be used to help control the jointinflammation and then the pain.These can be added at any stage of

may include things like Tramadol,Gabapentin, Amantadine, and sever-al other drugs. Work with your vet-erinarian to work out the best ap-proach for your dog.

Other approaches that are gainingpopularity are acupuncture and chi-ropractic treatments. Both of theseare usually combined with some ofthe other previously mentioned op-tions.

There also can be some surgicaloptions depending on exactly whattype of condition the dog is suffer-ing from. Again this can be workedout with your veterinarian or referralsurgeon. Obviously, this may notbe for everyone, but can be of greatbenefit for individual cases.

As you can see there are many op-tions for treating your dog onceproblems arise. Next month, wewill talk about prevention. Untilthen, Happy New Years to everyone!

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the progression of the arthritis.There are several different NSAIDSavailable for use in dogs. What wedon’t want to do is use ones indicat-ed for people, e.g. Tylenol, aspirin,ibuprofen. These drugs have toomany side effects to be safely used.Many times the NSAIDS for dogscan be used and then the dosageweaned down to the lowest effectivedose. They can then be increasedlater on if needed. Another drugthat has been shown to have verygood benefits is Adequan. Adequanis an injection that is given to helpthe cartilage to repair itself. It isgiven as a series of injections andthen a maintenance schedule de-pending on each dogs needs.

Over time, these drugs may not beall that is needed to keep the dogcomfortable and there are now othermedicines that can be added to helpwith pain control. These medicines

Dr. Bill Armbruster,DVM

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075.qxd 12/26/11 2:36 PM Page 1


will be drawn throughout theafternoon.

We will present informationabout the Hunting RetrieverClub Hunt Test and how it canbenefit your hunting dog. Wewill be running videos of hunttests so you can see the dogs atwork.

During the afternoon therewill be a free informalObedience seminar 1 p.m. to1:30 p.m. by Certified dogtrainer Julie Colins. Julie will be coveringbasic obedience and applying it to HuntTest / Hunting applications.

Visit with club training coordinatorsabout our upcoming training opportuni-ties. Last year Illinois River held its firstLadies Dog Handler Retreat and Seminar,

the seminars chairperson willbe on hand with a presentationfrom the seminar.

Illinois River club memberswill be on hand to talk to youabout the Annual AwardsBanquet, Trap Shoot and SteakFry, mock Hunt Test andother club sponsored events.

For more details on theorganization see the IllinoisRiver website at: www.illinois-riverhrc.com

March & April 2012 calendar of trainingdays and other events:

• March 3 IL Annual Awards Banquet• March 17 IL River Training Day

Banner Marsh• March 31 IL River Training Day

IL RIVER HUNTINGRETRIEVER CLUB

ACTIVITIES INEARLY 2012

Illinois River will be starting the yearSunday February 12th with our AnnualBusiness meeting at RTA clubhouse inLake Camelot in Mapleton .at 1 p.m. Wewill be electing 2012 officers and dis-cussing upcoming plans for the year. Ifyou are interested in joining the club pleaseattend.

Saturday February 18 IL River HRC willhost an open house at Presley’s Outdoorsin Bartonville from 12 noon to 3 p.m.When you arrive be sure to sign up for oneof the four $25.00 Presley’s Gift cards that

Banner Marsh• April 14 IL River Training Day

Trailer clean up location to be announced• April 28 IL River Training Run Mock

hunt test Banner Marsh All meetings are scheduled for the 3rd

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076.qxd 12/26/11 2:49 PM Page 1

DUCK HUNTINGAIN’T OVER

‘TIL IT’S OVER! By Jerry Pabst

By now all the duckhunters in Illinois’Northern and CentralWaterfowl Zones havestored their boats,hung up their decoybags, and rinsed themuck and mire offtheir waders. Heck, some of the moreambitious may have even cleaned theirshotguns and stacked left over ammunitionin anticipation of the long and dreaded offseason.

Well, if you have had enough fun in themud, those chores were just the right thingto do. But, if your passion for the sight ofmallards settling into the decoys has not yetbeen satisfied perhaps you should keep you

WWAATERFTERFOOWLWL 20201122January 2012 ADVENTURE SPORTS OUTDOORS “THE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN” 77

gun and ammo handy for a while.Remember, duck hunting may be over inyour area, but it is alive and well in Illinois’southern waterfowl zone, which some arenow calling, “The New Arkansas”.

In fact, southern zone duck hunting goeson until January 23, 2012 and the goosehunt doesn’t end until the end of themonth. Plenty of time remains for you toenjoy some prime waterfowling before thefinal curtain comes down.

And, here is the best part of it; you canget in on some of the hottest action with-out towing a boat, deploying sacks ofdecoys in frigid water, or even building anddressing a blind. You won’t have to makedecisions on where to set up in an unfamil-iar area, or worry about finding your wayaround a wetland in the dark. In fact, allyou are really going to have to do is getthere, and bring the three essentials ofwaterfowl gear with you.

Getting there is not a problem. Thethree essentials for any waterfowl hunterare: gun, boots, and shells. All the periph-eral equipment is already in place waiting

for you. Now tell the truth, after twomonths of working your butt off trying tokill a few local ducks, haven’t you earnedthe right to simply go duck hunting? At theduck clubs of southern Illinois that is allyou have to do; hunt ducks.

Here is how it works. After a goodnight’s sleep in a local motel you drive afew miles to the club of your choice, arriv-ing about an hour before shooting time,which isn’t too early at this time of theyear. I have yet to visit a club that doesn’thave a fresh pot of coffee brewing and a fewboxes of sweet rolls on hand. (You’ll findplenty of near-by restaurants open forbreakfast if your appetite calls for more.)

Once at the club house you’ll meet yourguide for the day, and change into appro-priate foot wear. In most cases rubber kneeboots will suffice, but have a pair of waders,or at least hip boots with you, just in caseconditions require them. Also, bring somerain gear; you never know.

With the hot coffee warming yourinnards, your group will be transported to

Duck decoys in flooded cornhave replaced goose decoys indry stubble fields on most ofSouthern Illinois’ waterfowl

hunting clubs. The results havebeen spectacular. Jerry Pabst photoCont’d. on next pg.

077.qxd 12/26/11 6:32 PM Page 1


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an assigned blind or pit. You may go ona truck, in a van, or at times tucked ontoa 4-wheeled vehicle, but in any case yourwalking will be minimal. Now and thenyou may have to slog through a shortstretch of shallow water, but if that is aproblem simply let the club mangerknow and he will put you in a more eas-ily accessible hide.Once settled into your blind enjoy a sec-ond cup of coffee while your guiderearranges the decoys depending onwind direction, and makes sure the blindcovering is adequate. And then, just likeduck hunting anywhere, you wait.

The guides at the southern Illinoisclubs have grown up with duck callsaround their necks, and they know theirbusiness. They know exactly where theducks are roosting, what direction theywill come from, and when to call theshot. All you need do is sit back andenjoy the show. Hey, you may evenlearn something.

Later in the morning, if the actionslows, you can return to the club houseto eat lunch, take a secret nap, and thenget a ride back to the blind for the after-noon flight. This is enough to spoil aguy.

Here are a few clubs I can recommend

from personal experience.At Crab Orchard, near Marion: Pike’s Hunting Club, 618-997-1124Burn’s Goose Club, 800-554-3356,www.burnsgooseclub.comD&M Hunting Club, 618-993-8914,(Specialize in geese)At Union County: Grassy LakeHunting Club, 618-833-7890At Horseshoe Lake: WorthingtonHunting Club, (Timber Mallards), 618-776-5673

At Rend Lake: Southern OutdoorRecreational Services: Todd Gessner,618-513-0520, www.toddgessnerout-doors.com

For more information about southernIllinois waterfowl hunting call:Williamson County Tourism,800=GEESE-99Southernmost Illinois Tourism, 618-833-9928If you prefer to do it yourself, theIllinois Dept. of Natural Resourcesmaintains dozens of quality public hunt-ing areas throughout the southern zone.They are all listed in the free Digest ofHunting and Trapping Regulations,available at all DNR offices and retaillicense vendors. Or on line at;www.dnr.state.il.us

Illinois waterfowl hunting ain’t overuntil it is over, and it ain’t over.

Deep Freeze DucksBy this time, it’s freezing

cold out and the ducks haveseen and heard it all. So

how do you keep killin’ em?

by M.D. JohnsonDecember, 1987. For days, the

temperatures had ranged betweenzero and nothing. Everything aroundthe capital city of Columbus, Ohio,was frozen solid; everything, that is,except the Scioto River, and that wasbeing keep open by thousands of lit-tle orange duck feet. Weather bedamned! It was time to hunt!

The morning came bitterly cold.Three of us set decoys and, huddledaround a coffee can filled with flam-ing charcoal briquettes, settled backto await the birds’ arrival.Fortunately, we didn’t have to waitlong.

A small flock of mallards was first,and we dropped two. My black lab,Maggie, splashed into the frigidwaters for the first, and with icealready forming on her undercar-riage, wisely refused to retrieve the

second. Tom’s autoloader was thenext casualty. A dousing with hot cof-fee revived it, at least for one morevolley, and then it was done.

Birds came and went, the three ofus sharing the two still-functioningpump-guns until a full limit of green-heads lay in the snow. With Maggiewatching from the relative warmtharound our improvised heater, wehurriedly picked up the flash-frozendecoys and headed to the truck.

“Doc,” I explained the next day, “Idon’t know what this is. All I know iswe hunted ducks yesterday, and whenI got home, my hand started tin-gling.” This, it seemed, was the mostinteresting shades of grey I’d everseen, a color the good doctor agreedwas not normal. Severe frostbite, heexplained. “You’re probably going tohave some sensitivity in that hand forthe rest of your life,” he said. “Oh,and by the way,” he added, “You real-

OVER… Cont’d. from previous pg.

078.qxd 12/26/11 6:51 PM Page 1


ly shouldn’t have been outside yester-day. Didn’t you hear the weather ad-visories warning people to stay in-doors unless it was absolutely neces-sary?”

Smiling, I thought of all those mal-lards. “But it was necessary, Doc. Itwas necessary.”

My point is this — if you tough itout until the end of the season, re-gardless of what Mother Naturethrows at you, there’s a good chanceyou’re going to experience some phe-nomenal hunting; however, there’s al-so a good chance that that actionwon’t come easy. Still, with determi-nation, and a couple of tricks, puttinga limit of ducks on your strap at the

buzzer might be-come a little lessthe exercise in fu-tility it may havebeen in the past.

Experimentation= Experience

Traditionally, therule of thumb re-garding decoyswas simply to in-crease the numberof blocks as theseason progresses.

The problem with this theory is thebirds have learned about this throughrepetition. Instead, throw them acurve and use a dozen of your best-looking decoys set in an ultra-realisticpattern. Remember, too, the late sea-son usually coincides with a peak inmany species’ breeding cycles. Youmight want to be sure that eight ofthose 12 mallard decoys are hens.

Two final notes about late-seasondecoy spreads. Realism, as I’ve men-tioned, is paramount now, and there’snothing more realistic than move-ment. Certainly, that modern marvel,the spinning wing decoy, can add thatmovement; however, in those stateswhere they’re legal, everybody and

his brother hasone. My recom-mendation? Ajerk-cord. Jerkcords can be ex-tremely effectivetools for the late-season gunner,and one which,due to the influxof battery-pow-ered motion-mak-ers, the birdshaven’t seen everyday.

And finally, The Coot Rig. I’ve puttogether a spread of two dozen Green-head Gear coots, and won’t hesitate touse those alone. When running a cootspread, I’ll do two things. First, I’ll setthree or four magnum mallard decoys,widely spaced, downwind of the cootdecoys. And secondly, I use an all-black decoy in my jerk cord. Cootsare constantly in motion, and a bob-bing coot in the spread not only im-parts motion, but looks natural.

Calling in the ColdA mediocre caller myself, I can

hang during the early season; howev-er, I’ll make some changes as the sea-son winds down. First, if I’m hunting

with a good caller, I’ll let him do thecalling. Secondly, I’ll use a mallardhen call very sparingly, and then onlyas an attention getter. Once I have thebirds’ attention, I’ll change to some-thing other than a hen mallard — PhilRobertson’s drake mallard and hispintail/widgeon being two of my fa-vorites. These soft subtle calls, whencombined with a jerk cord, can makethe difference.

Late-season waterfowling can befrustrating. The birds are educated,the weather’s often less than perfect,and you’re at your wit’s end as towhat to do. Well, folks, it’s really nosecret as to what to do with these birdson ice — do something different.

22 Years of Professional Duck & Goose Guide Service…

Your trip to Pluck-A-Duck is all inclusive of guided duck &goose hunts, lodging & meals!

This year we expect to have the best hunting this season in North East Arkansas’history. The Duck Counts are at an all time High of 45 MILLION DUCKS!

Unlike other hunting areas we were not affected by severe drought & flooding.There is plenty of water and crop production is at an all time high.

Enjoy Home Cooked Meals with wireless Internet & Big Screen Satellite TV and lots of southern hospitality.

COME EXPERIENCE ARKANSAS DUCK HUNTING LIKE YOU’VE NEVER BEFORE!

Arkansas 2011-2012 Waterfowl Season DatesDuck: Nov. 19-27, Dec. 8-23, Dec 26-Jan 29, 2012 - Daily Limit is 6.

Goose - Canada: Nov. 19 - Jan. 29, 2012 - Daily limit is 2.Goose - White-fronted (Specklebellie): Nov. 19 - Jan. 29, 2012 - Daily limit is 2.

Goose - Blue, Snow, Ross: Nov. 5, 2011 - Jan. 29, 2012 - Bag limit is 20.

RESERVE YOUR HUNTING DATES! 1-800-545-5944 [email protected] • www.Pluck-A-Duck.com

Mail Deposit to: Duck Killers Inc., LLC • PO Box 844, Wynne, AR 72396

079.qxd 12/26/11 6:50 PM Page 1


DUCKGUMBO By Mike O’Bryan

1-2 lb. Of andullie sausage (available atSchnuck’s & Alwan & Sons Meats on WarMemorial Dr. Peoria) otherwise you canuse Italian or Chorizo if you like it spicy.2 ducks, fillet the breast meat from thebone and cut into bite size pieces2 cans of tomato soup1 pack of Zataran’s gumbo mix3-4 sticks of celery1 green pepper3-5 slices of onion

1) Cook the sausage, save the grease anduse some of it to sauté the vegetables, therest to brown the duck meat.

2) Add all the ingredients, including thegrease, go into a pot along with the tomatosoup and 6 cans of water.

3) Add the Zataran’s and bring to a boil,follow the directions on the box, but I usu-ally let it cook at low heat for an hour

4) Add Cajun spices or Louisiana RedHot sauce to taste after the Zataran’s isadded.

5) If gumbo is too watery, add rice.See Mike cook this recipe on ASO TV!

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Mike O'Bryan & Rocky with a nice Christmas goose.

Rocky retrieving a pintail. Good job Rocky!

Rocky retrieving the goose.

Mike & Rocky on Nov. 19with some mallards.

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080.qxd 12/26/11 7:47 PM Page 1


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Rocky hanging out with more geese.

Johnny (age 10) & Joey (age 7) Glennon with Johnny's first "official" Greenhead!WAY TO GO!

We had a good day of duck hunting!(by Bobby Waldschmidt to Ducks.org)

This Mallard pair comes in fast on a cold January morning.

(by Billy Houghton to Ducks.org)

081.qxd 12/26/11 7:45 PM Page 1


brothers, John and Roger, will never be con-fused with boat-building neophytes. TheWard family began building boats in 1945.Their grandfather and great-uncle, in fact,were the first in the nation to build a weld-ed-seam aluminum johnboat. Their fatherhas been involved with the industry forsome 50 years.

"We are always looking for ways to im-prove, for innovations," Mike Ward says."We've got several different models of john-boats, and we can add our accessories to allof them. All of our boats are sold throughdealers, but if people let the dealers knowwhat they want, we can put it together."The War Eagle Boats lineup ranges from14-footers to mammoth 20- and 23-foot(Model 2372; 72-inch bottom) johns largeenough to accommodate just about anyhunting party. The Model 2372, in fact, hasenjoyed an extraordinary boost in populari-ty during the past several months.

"You look at it, and it is huge," Wardsays. "But if you've got a lot of guys, and youare going to be on big water, this is a goodchoice. One of the options on this one is acompact galley that has a two-burner stoveand an ice chest."

War Eagle Boats has covered all the basesin its quest to satisfy the most discriminatingwaterfowl hunter. The accessories list in-cludes duck blinds by Avery, console steer-ing, drink and shell tray, running lights, gunbox, Lab step, Bubba step, and a number ofseating options. In addition, camouflagepaint options include Advantage Wetlands;Realtree Hardwoods; and Mossy Oak'sBreak-Up, Treestand, Shadow Grass, andBottomland.

"Our cap rail is specially designed formounting our accessories," Ward says ofwhat he calls a T-lock system. "That way, allof our accessories match all of our boats.There is no guessing." War Eagle Boats canbe ordered fully rigged-out or in their mostbasic design. Those who choose the simplermodels can add on accessories as time and fi-nances allow, or as needed.

Editor's NoteFor more information about War Eagle

Boats, phone 870-367-1554, or visit thecompany's Web site at www.wareagleboats.com.

nationally, manymanufacturers of-fer upgraded mod-els that can legiti-mately be de-scribed as cus-tomized rigs.Which accessoriesare added is left tothe whim of the buyer. One gun box won't

do? Have another one putin. Need the boat wired forlights? No problem. Acamo paint job? Done.

"A segment of our cus-tomer base uses the sameboat for fishing as well asduck hunting," says MikeWard, president of WarEagle Boats, the OfficialAluminum Boat of DucksUnlimited. "You rig ajohnboat the way you wantit, and you don't have to goout and buy a $30,000 bassboat to go fishing. A lot ofpeople can't afford both abass boat and a duck hunt-ing boat. They recognizethe versatility that a john-boat provides."

Based in Monticello,Arkansas, in the southernreaches of the MississippiFlyway, War Eagle Boatslast fall moved its manufac-turing facility across town.The new headquarterslends itself to an aggressiveplan to provide a variety ofboat styles-all built for safe-ty as well as utility.

War Eagle's welded hullseams are water-tested atthe plant. Structured ribsare uniformly spaced andwelded in place to elimi-nate built-in stress. Thegeometrically designed"wings" transom increasestransom strength. Flotationmaterials are installed un-der all seats, decks, and rearpods. And those are just thebasics.

"We take pride in pro-ducing products that willbe safe and that will standup to the demands ofhunters and fishermen,"Ward says. "The flotationwe use, for example, canexceed that required byU.S. Coast Guard stan-dards."

Mike Ward and his

Modern Day Duck BoatsWhether you buy the complete package

off the showroom floor or build it yourself one piece at a time, your duck

boat can be something truly special.

By Gary Koehler

Make no mistake: This is not your grand-father's johnboat. Just as today's waterfowlhunters have ready access to clothing madeof space-age fabrics, extremely efficient shot-guns, warm waders, top-of-the-line gamecalls, and a wide array of shotshell options,this once-homely watercraft is now availablewith seemingly all the bells and whistles onecould desire.

Because of the popularity of the johnboat

Ducks.org

082.qxd 12/26/11 8:19 PM Page 1


Decoy CollectingBy Jon Deeter

Decoys were made in America, priorto about 1960, from both wood, corkand paper mache. Today they havebecome very collectable. To celebrate thecollecting of this artwork, there are noworganized auctions, collectors clubs andshows nationally every year.Understanding the history of decoys andtheir makers is the first step to under-standing the collecting demand.

Decoy carving is distinctly a NorthAmerican art. The earliest know exam-ples were discovered in 1924. A rig of2000 year old floating canvasback decoyswere found in a cave in Nevada’sHumboldt Range. They were obviouslytools of Native American Indians.

Decoys were first considered displayworthy as utilitarian objects in 1876 at

duress and was possibly headed toextinction. Through the efforts oforganized sportsman and politicians theUS Congress ratified the Migratory BirdTreaty in 1918, which stopped markethunting and established seasons and baglimits by species.

Demand for wooden carved andpainted decoys stayed strong from about1870 – 1950 but there were changes dueto the new regulations. The sport hadmoved from an unregulated environ-ment to a very controlled and heavilymonitored sport as it is today. Many ofthe carvers that provided decoys formarket gunners turned to the sportsmanfor their livelihood. Some carvers actu-ally retired from making working decoysbecause they found that the demand for“decorative bird” carvings was moreprofitable.

The most famous carver to make thistransition was Elmer Crowell of East

Harwich, Massachusetts. Elmer was acranberry farmer who was managingduck hunting clubs for wealthy sports-man at the turn of the last century. Hewas most proud of his ability to train liveducks, called tollers, which were used tohelp lure wild ducks within range for hishunting guests. After the game lawsbegan to change he began carving wood-en decoys but around 1905 he realizedthat the tourist trade on the cape had akeen interest in his carvings, which com-prised of miniature and full size ducks,songbirds and shorebirds. He wouldstamp or brand them with his name. Itwasn’t long until demand was greaterthan supply so Crowell was taking ordersfor his carving. Sometime around 1920his son Cleon joined him in the familybusiness, which they continued untilaround 1945. The Crowell team pro-duced thousands of carving which are

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the U.S. Centennial fair in Philadelphia.They then achieved the status ofAmerican Folk Art in 1932 while onexhibit at the Museum of Modern Artwhere they were valued for their sculp-tural qualities.

Why were the decoys made?Traditional waterfowling started on theeast coast around 1850 and quicklygained steam as the thirst for fresh gamein Americas growing cities blossomed. Inthe early days ducks and shorebirds wereplentiful but as the demand began toincrease so did the need for markethunters and sportsman alike to owndecoys. Ducks were getting smarter andluring them with decoys was much easi-er that just pass shooting or sneakingthem on potholes. This period inAmerican waterfowling known as the“Golden Age” and was vastly unregulat-ed. Fortunately, sportsman began to takenotice that their resource was under

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083.qxd 12/26/11 9:43 PM Page 1


1912. Both brothers were talented atboth carving and painting and at times,they both worked on the same decoy.They produced thousands of decoys dur-ing their working period, which lasteduntil the 1970’s. Examples of their workcan be found in popular art museumsaround the country including TheAmerican Museum of Folk Art in NYC,The Shelburne Museum in Vermont andthe Abbey Aldrich Museum in Virginia.

The Central Flyway, which followsthe Mississippi and Illinois River Valley,has a rich history of waterfowling anddecoy carving. The area was heavily pop-ulated with waterfowl and demand fu-eled by the growing population ofChicago restaurants in turn, created de-mand for carved wooden decoys to in-sure hunter’s success. Some of the mostpopular carvers resided in Illinois andmuch has been written on them over theyears.

Robert and Katherine Elliston fromBureau, IL started carving decoysaround 1880 to supply the exclusivegunning clubs of Illinois and Wisconsin.Another popular carving team fromHenry was Charles and Edna Perdew.Perdew’s Life is still celebrated to this

day through the existence of the PerdewMuseum located in Henry.

A number of books have been writtenon the Duck Hunting Clubs of those ar-eas as well as individual carvers. See thelist below.

As you can imagine, decoy collectingcan be educational, socially fun, visuallyrewarding and often wise for the invest-ment portfolio.

A few tips for the new collector wouldbe:

First look at decoy books to see whereyour interests lie before taking a finan-cial plunge. Do you want to learn moreabout decoys from your area, did yougrow up in a popular waterfowling areaand would you like to know more aboutthat or do you just like the look of a cer-tain carver or species?

Try to visit collections both privateand public. The Lakeview Museum inPeoria IL, is a great place to start. Re-view auction catalogs. Our companysells past auction catalogs, which aregreat resources for looking at full colorphotos of around 1000 decoys and relat-ed carving. The guaranteed descriptionsand educational comments will help youlearn about carvers, regions and especial-ly prices as each past auction catalogcomes with a price realized insert.

treasured today and can usually be foundin one of our three auctions per year.The carvings range in price from about$700 to a world record price of$800,000 for one of his best examples,which is a world record price for any de-coy at auction.

You might wonder why one decoycould be worth almost a million dollarsand why one would only be worth $700or much less, say $50. The answer issimple, THIS IS ART, it’s really no dif-ferent that the great impressionist flat artthat gets sold at Christies and Sotheby’s.The best examples made by the most de-sirable artists bring the most money. Thedecoy world has sorted it self out in thesame way. There are thousands of decoysavailable but most are in poor condition,have repairs are not made by “importantcarvers” or just don’t have a good look.There are also imposters or fakes, whichis why I suggest that if you want to col-lect, start slowly and do your homework.

Other notables include the carvingteam of Lem and Steve Ward from Cr-isfield, MD. Occupational barbers theWards started carving decoys around

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Decoy collecting is a well-organizedhobby with national gatherings ofshows; educational seminars, auctionsand buy/sell swap meets annually. TheHenry Decoy Show is Sun. Feb. 12,2012; many well know decoy carvers willbe represented. Guyette & Schmidtholds 3 annual auctions per year; April26 & 27 is in conjunction with the Na-tional Antique Sporting CollectibleShow in St. Charles’ Pheasant Run Re-sort. July’s decoy auction is atPortsmouth, NH and in November anauction ties in with the Easton, MD Wa-terfowl Festival. A full color catalog withguaranteed descriptions and color pho-tos is produced for each sale.

At all of these events decoys can be ac-quired for all interest levels starting withthe beginner looking to spent $50.00 upto the serious collector looking to puttogether a investment grade collection.It’s quite common for antique dealers tofrequent these events, as they are a greatplace for show inventory.

If you would like to know more aboutdecoy collecting, obtaining a free ap-praisal for something you have or knowmore details about any of the eventsmentioned, you can check our websiteat: GuyetteandSchmidt.com or call JonDeeter at 440-610-1768.

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084.qxd 12/26/11 9:43 PM Page 1

Valuable First StampDarling purchased the first stamp,

signed it and gave it to postmaster W.Mooney. Mooney later sold his stampcollection to George Elam for $50. Elamthen sold the duck stamp for $10,000 toBob Dumaine, author of The DuckStamp Story.

Dumaine offered the stamp to twodealers for $12,000. They passed, butthat didn’t stop Dumaine, who foundthe top seven stamp collectors in theU.S. and offered it to them. Mrs.Jeanette Rudy of Nashville, Tenn.bought the stamp for $275,000.

More About The Early YearsHunters were not required to sign

their duck stamps the first year of issue.In fact, it was illegal to deface the firststamp. Since 1935, however, a signaturehas been required so a stamp cannot beused by more than one hunter.

In 1934, a hunter purchasing a duckstamp was required to answer a shortquestionnaire asking the number of dayshe hunted the previous season, in whatstates, the number of waterfowl shot andif the hunter was a member of a huntingclub. This was the government's first at-tempt to estimate the nationwide water-fowl kill.


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Duck-Stamp TriviaHow much do you know about

duck stamps?

By Keith Sutton If you enjoy hunting ducks and geese,

you probably recently purchased a duckstamp. But how much do you reallyknow about duck stamps, their historyand the people who created them? Prob-ably less than you think.

The BeginningAmerica’s waterfowl were in trouble in

the early 1930s. Loss of habitat, years ofmarket hunting and a drought had dev-astated populations.

Fearing many waterfowl were near ex-tinction, a group of conservationists, ledby Jay N. “Ding” Darling, an avid duckhunter and famous editorial cartoonistwith the Des Moines Register, beganlooking at ways to provide money forhabitat protection and restoration.

Darling was appointed in early 1934by President Franklin Roosevelt to headthe U.S. Biological Survey, the forerun-ner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice. With his help, on March 16, 1934,Congress enacted the Migratory Bird

Hunting Stamp Act. Popularly known asthe Duck Stamp Act, this legislation re-quires all waterfowl hunters 16 years andolder to possess a valid federal duckstamp. Revenue purchases wildlife habi-tat for the National Wildlife Refuge Sys-tem. This was the first dedicated sourceof funding for wetlands conservation.

The First Duck StampDarling, a prominent conservationist,

won two Pulitzer Prizes for his editorialcartoons, but he’s best remembered asthe nation’s first duck-stamp artist. Pres-ident Roosevelt asked Darling to designthe stamp. Darling later wrote, “I tooksix sheets of cardboard and made six ex-perimental sketches of what I thought aDuck Stamp might look like.” He thengave them to an assistant. When Darlinginquired about the stamp’s progress dayslater, he was told one had been selected,and the stamp’s engraving was under-way. “Every time I look at that proof de-sign of the first Duck Stamp I still wantto [re]do it,” Darling wrote.

That first year, 635,001 federal duckstamps were sold. In 1984, the 50th an-niversary of the Migratory Bird HuntingAct, the Postal Service issued a com-memorative reprint of Darling’s 1934stamp design. More than 123,575,000of these 20-cent (then first-class) stampswere sold. The sales of these two stampsmake Darling’s mallard image one of theworld’s most widely published and rec-ognized examples of wildlife art.

Darling not only designed the firstduck stamp, he purchased the first oneas well. The stamp was sold to him by3rd Assistant Postmaster General C. B.Eilenberger on August 22, 1934.

Artist/conservationist Jay N. "Ding"Darling was selected by President

Franklin Roosevelt to head the U.S.Biological Survey in 1934, the same year Darling designed the

first federal duck stamp.


085.qxd 12/26/11 9:57 PM Page 1


land, Minnesota, New York,Texas and Wisconsin, to sellstamps electronically throughtheir individual automated licens-ing systems, providing a specialreceipt as proof of purchase. Morethan 9.13 million federal duckstamps have been sold in Min-nesota since 1934, more than anyother state. Other states in the topfive in sales are California (8.18million), Texas (7.59 million),Wisconsin (6.78 million) andLouisiana (5.72 million). Thestate with the fewest sales? Hawaiiwith sales of only 8,752.

Buck was the featured subject onthe 1959 federal duck stamp, theonly time a dog has appeared inthis role.

1970 was the first year coloredartwork was allowed in the federalduck stamp competition and thefirst year a stamp was issued in fullcolor (Edward Bierly’s Ross’geese). In earlier years, limitedcolor was added on stamps, butthe original artwork was black-

The second year of the federalduck stamp program accountedfor the fewest sales: 448,204. Salespeaked at almost 2.5 million in1971-72. Recently, annual saleshave been around 1.6 million.

Cost of the 1934 federal duckstamp was $1. The price increasedto $2 in 1949, $3 in 1959, $5 in1972, $7.50 in 1979, $10 in1987, $12.50 in 1989 and its cur-rent $15 cost in 1991.

More Duck Stamp FactsSince 1934, more than 119 mil-

lion federal duck stamps havebeen sold. Proceeds producedmore than $700 million dollarsused to purchase more than 5 mil-lion acres of habitat.

Mallards and canvasbacks havebeen featured on federal duckstamps on more occasions thanany other species — five timeseach.

The Labrador retriever King

and-white.The 1975 duck stamp featured a

canvasback decoy illustrated byJames Fisher. Mr. Fisher had afascination with old decoys andwent to a Maryland decoy show in1973. There he met Mr. R.G.Biddle III, a collector who let himborrow decoys for painting. Fishdecided to paint a weathered oldMason canvasback drake for hisfirst and only entry in the annualDuck Stamp contest. This was theonly stamp to depict a duck de-coy. Rules subsequently changedto require living waterfowl be fea-tured.

In 1977, the official name of thefederal duck stamp was changedfrom Migratory Bird HuntingStamp to Migratory Bird Huntingand Conservation Stamp to en-courage nonhunters to contributeto waterfowl habitat acquisitionand maintenance. In 2007, theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicestarted a three-year pilot programallowing the state fish and wildlifemanagement agencies of Arkansas,Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Mary-DECATUR BATTERY

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Since the first duck stamp was print-ed in 1934, funds from the sale of

the stamps have been used to purchase critical habitat for

waterfowl that becomes part of theNational Wildlife Refuge System.

The 1975 federal duck stamp wasthe only one to feature a duck decoy.The canvasback decoy was painted

by artist James Fisher.

086.qxd 12/26/11 9:56 PM Page 1


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Congratulations to Art Hunziker on

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Thanks for sharing these great photos with

ASO readers!

Chad Hunziker with his big Macoupin Co. buck! Chad is

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Congratulations Mike Garner of

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10 pt buck killed byDavid Eckert of Mississippi, during an afternoon drive on a hot and windy Saturday Nov. 26thjust before the coldfront. This buck was taken on Bill Morgan's land inMoreville, Mississippiabout 10 miles east of the Tupelo home.

Marcie's son Dave shot this

10 pointer at the

Tupelo home Sun.

Dec 18, 2011.

His niece little MacyDillon of Tupelo

wanted to petUncle Dave’s

deer. Sheclimbed right

up on thebuck’s backand grabbedhold of the

antlers just asUncle Daveinstructed her (as grandma ordered uncle Dave not to tell her the deer was Rudolf.) She is 2 1/2 and will be hunting

with him before long.

Marcie Morgan'snephew Michael Eckert, a LouisianaCoonass killed this190lb 7 pointer whilevisiting his cousinDave. He also killed a big doe and hisbrother Andy got a doe too.

Marcie's Grandson,Ian, 9 shot this

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088.qxd 12/26/11 10:21 PM Page 1


PREDATOR HUNTING TIP —

REFLECTIVE TAPELosing gear in the darkness is

something that happens to all of us, unless you

know the trick.by Andrew Lewand

Place reflective red tape on electroniccalls, shooting sticks and chairs. Thetape, originally intended for taillight re-pair, is inexpensive, and you can pur-chase it at any auto store or auto depart-ment.

Place a strip of tape on the antennaeof your electronic call, and you will al-ways be aware of its location whilescanning with lights. This is handy be-

DEVELOP RABBITHABITAT FOR MORE

PREDATORSBy focusing your efforts on

attracting more food, you can increase your odds of killing

more predators.by J. Michael Klemens

For trapping sets and predator call-ing, I use a great homegrown fear re-mover that works equally well in snowas in dirt. I use the droppings, urineand hair from domestic rabbits as afear remover, a curiosity scent, and adistracter.

You can easily collect the items. Themost difficult part is finding someonewho raises rabbits. Ask around at feedstores, and you’ll find a source. Betteryet, raise some yourself and have sometasty meals as well. One rabbit yieldsmore material than you need.

To collect droppings and urine, usetrays or pans beneath the cages. On adaily basis, empty the pans of urine in-to small screw-top bottles, leavingroom for freeze expansion. You canplace the pellets in plastic baggies,which is the amount you’ll need for aset, then freeze them. To obtain loosehair, check the fluffy nests made by thefemale for her nest. You can also cutstrips of hair from the dried skin ofbutchered rabbits — domestic or wild.Bag loose hair and hair strips. Set urineand pellets out to thaw the night beforea hunt. Don’t microwave or heat tothaw.

For predator callers, the rabbit partsserve a unique purpose. You need to at-tract, distract and occupy the attentionof the animal that believes it is movingin for an easy meal. A strip of rabbithair suspended and moving with thewind helps fulfill all these needs.

On the anticipated line of approach,choose a site or two for scatterings ofpellets, urine and loose hair to giveyour prey something to hone in on.Scatter some around your remotecaller and/or decoy to add absolute re-alism to your set.

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fore and after a calling session.Prior to calling, locate the call in the

red glow of the spotlight and adjust theintensity of the light beam accordingly.Light beam intensity needs to varyfrom night to night, depending on at-mospheric conditions. It is nice to havesomething with which to “test” yourbrightness before calling.

After a calling session, shine yourlight, and the tape will act as a beaconfor quick call retrieval. No more wast-ing time and precious battery lifesearching for remotely placed calls.

You should also place reflective tapeon your shooting sticks and seat. I’llbet I’m not the only hunter who hasraced across a field after hearing thetell-tale “whump” of a predator justshot, only to realize that I couldn’t get

back to my stool and shooting sticks.Oh sure, you eventually find them, butyou lose precious minutes of huntingtime due to the search.

Reflective tape ensures quick equip-ment retrieval and prevents wanderingaround wasting battery life and givingany game in the area a look at yourflashlight waving around while tryingto locate gear.

089.qxd 12/26/11 10:47 PM Page 1


great state of Illinois. Just another reason why I love

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license from the state of Illinois topurchase the animal. If you’reinterested in getting an exotic, be

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090.qxd 12/25/11 11:19 PM Page 1


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3 GENERATIONS OF HUNTERS

The Tradition Continues…

By Cliff Bowers

Now the 3rd generation continues theBowers hunting tradition. I called mydaughter to get the boys lined up for firstshotgun season hunting. Corbin 10 andWyatt 8 had to play hookie from schoolFriday for opening day. This would beCorbin's first time to be able to shoot sincehe had taken the hunter safety course.Corbin took the class in the spring, butWyatt can’t take for a couple more years. Ihave helped with hunter safety courses forthe last 12 or 13 years.

The boys slept over that night but

Corbin could not sleep because he was soexcited about going deer hunting, and I wastoo. So I had him make a list of the thingshe thought we might need for tomorrow toput in our day pack. He was up for thatsuggestion so we packed three of everythinghe could think of. We packed the pspgames just encase they got bored. He wasnot going to leave out his little brother; he

is very thoughtful for only being 10. Where we hunt sometimes gets flooded

and we had a lot of rain lately, so I got upextra early to check but it was so foggy thatI decided to put up a ground blind in an-other spot to be safe.

I went back to get the boys and sat in theblind for 3 hours but never saw anything.The fog finally lifted enough so we couldsee to get to our one man and two little fel-la tree stands. About 2:15 Corbin spotteda doe and set of twins that we have watchedall summer. I told him this time of yearthere should be a buck soon to follow andthen 15 minutes later a nice 8 point buckshowed up. Corbin carefully aimed andwith one shot had put his first deer on theground.

I think that I was more excited than he

was; it weighed 190 pounds field dressed.Both the boys helped me with the fielddressing and loading it on the four wheeler.The boys were a great help with the wholeprocess.

They teased their mom because she did-n’t get a deer. Corbin was the only one ofus to get a deer this year. Their mom and Iboth had tags but didn’t get the opportuni-ty to get them filled. My daughter Rhondahas hunted with me since she was 13 andhas killed five (5) deer that have fielddressed over 200 lbs. She is a good hunter,but no luck this year.

So I passed on the tradition of hunting,first to my daughter, now to my two grand-sons. I look forward to participating as theadventure continues.

~ (PAPA) Cliff Bowers

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092.qxd 12/27/11 12:21 PM Page 1


093.qxd 12/23/11 1:43 PM Page 1


Delacroix Trout Smackdown Continues

By Andy Crawford It was drizzling when I stepped out of my truck

at Sweetwater Marina early Monday (Dec. 5), thefirst signs of a front that was barreling throughthe state. I just shook my head, wriggled into myrain suit and headed to meet the two guys I’d befishing with that morning.

I had told Scott Walker that I didn’t want towaste a day out of the of fice because I wasslammed, and he had promised me it wouldn’t takelong to fill our limits of speckled trout.

His confidence was more than braggadocio. Iwas back at the dock barely more than two hourslater, loading up an ice chest full of speckled troutand heading back to the office. Walker, aka “nightfisher” on the LouisianaS-portsman.com forum, had set up the quick tripwith buddy John Gremillion, better known as “HolyMackerel” on the site. The two have been fishingtogether for some time after meeting through thewebsite.

Just after 7 a.m., Gremillion’s boat slid out ofthe Pencil Canal and into Pointe Fienne. He soonpowered down at the mouth of a cut, using hisTalon anchor to hold the boat in place.

Walker was first on the bow, popping a plasticlure under a cork. He was wrestling a chunkyspeck to the boat before I even had my cork rig

ready to go.As I made my first cast, Gremillion was finishing

hooking a live shrimp.My cork disappeared on the first pop, and I set

the hook on what turned out to be a 19-inch trout.John quickly set the hook on a bass.

Walker snickered, and the smack talking be-gan.

“We’re supposed to be catching trout,” Walkerchided.

Gremillion threw the bass in the box, rebaitedand sent his shrimp-under-a-cork back out towardthe center of Pointe Fienne.

Walker landed a couple more trout, and I evenput another one in the boat. When Gremillion fi-

nally stuck a speck, itturned out to be a barelylegal specimen.

“I told you: Artificialscatch bigger fish,” Scottcalled.

It was apparent the twobuddies were a little on thecompetitive side.

Af ter picking up onlyfive or six fish – including a redfish that Walkerseemed embarrassed to hook – Gremillion pro-claimed that the bite was too slow. He pulled an-chor, and we moved into the cut about 150 yards.

“Did you see that bait?” Gremillion askedWalker as the boat slid to a stop near a point.

The anchor quickly was set, putting us prettymuch between Pointe Fienne and Bay Jack Nevette– two of the recent hot spots that have filled withtrout.

It took the first cast to learn trout were in thecenter of the canal in about 6 feet of water, andthen it became apparent why.

“There’s a current line,” Walker said.Sure enough, as we began loading fish into the

box the current break in the center of the canalbecame more and more distinct.

And that turned out to be the real teaching mo-ment of the trip: How to maximize fishing efforton a day when tide is trickling.

On this morning, there was supposed to be a .9of a foot outgoing tide but a stiff southeast windslowed the movement significantly.

“In the middle ofthis bay, when westarted out in PointeFienne, we didn’thave a lot of tide,”Gremillion said. “Sowe moved into anarea where it chokeddown a little bit.Your tighter areas,your smaller areas, the water’s going to have a lit-tle more concentration; it’s going to be flowing alittle harder.”

We never moved again. By 8:45 a.m. we put thelast two fish in the box and headed back to thedock.

Although John used some of his “pet” shrimp,most of the three-man limit of trout was caught onplastics, either under a cork or just tight-lined.

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094.qxd 12/26/11 11:44 PM Page 1


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Congratulations to Krista Muselman for shooting this nice buck Friday Nov. 18

on opening shotgun season. She has been deer hunting for about 11 years and usually gets a deer or

two every year hunting on her family's farm just west of Dilllon.

This 8 point buck did not get on a scale but was heavy with a big body

and looked pretty old. Her 20 ga. slug hit his heart and he didn’t go

very far after the shot. Krista is from Tremont and works at

1st National Bank, an ASO sponsor.

Thanks to proud husband Steve Muselman for sending in Krista’s buck photos and thanking ASO for the magazine and our support of the US military!

WAYTO GO

KRISTA!

095.qxd 12/26/11 11:51 PM Page 1


Two more hours went by and we still were100 yards away. Luckily, he seemed to bebedded for the afternoon. Another hourlapsed and we were finally in place. A short44 yards away and we could barley see thisbuck bedded. I looked through my binoc-ulars until my eyes were sore. At one point,

They say a picture is worth athousand words. Die-hard deerhunters know that searching fora picture-perfect buck oftenturns into a lifetime endeavor.Only a few of the state's nearlyone million hunters actuallyscore what would be considereda Boone and Crockett or a Popeand Young contender while the vast major-ity of deer hunters continue their endlesssearch for that elusive "perfect rack." 2011turns into that year…

As every hunter who has a large muledeer walking their direction would, Igrabbed my video camera! I’m not surewhy that came first, but thankfully I alsograbbed my father’s attention as we sizedthe situation.

The buck stopped and bedded down inthe dry land corn at approximately 1,000yards away. I only caught a glimpse of hisbeautiful rack. He started rubbing hisantlers on the corn, shaking the stalks,

by Keli Van Cleave

I wasn’t sure if we were actually seeing abuck or if this was dead corn stalks thatlooked like a rack.

The buck finally stood up slowly for astretch. 8 hours after we started our stalkand we finally saw him up close. He walkeda couple yards and turned toward us. Hewas at 42 yards and left us an opening.

At full draw I remember thinking thatthis day was picture perfect. My father andI were together hunting; the weather wascooperating. Our deer was broadside at 42yards. I was looking through my sight andeverything was perfectly aligned with hisvitals. I remained focused intently on whatneeded to happen next. I did not see theshot in flight, but heard it hit the buck.

I looked through my video camera andrealized that it was still on record. Aftertaking a few moments to record Dad’s ex-citement and my thoughts, which were allrooted in the sheer enjoyment of just seeingthe most beautiful deer, I called Mom.

We waited nearly two full hours to begintracking. As anyone who has ever shot amonster mule deer can attest, those hoursare some of the most gut-wrenching youcan experience. You go through everythingin your mind 1,000 times and try to recallany clues that will help in the recovery. Al-

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which allowed us to keep our Alpen opticsin his direction. I kept the video rolling andsomehow managed to take a few still pic-tures of the area in case we lost sight ofhim. If he came out of that corn and re-mained broadside, we would need to be at50 yards or less. Dad and I got ready toclose the distance.

The wind was perfect for us to walkdown the neighboring Milo field to seehow close we could get. It took us an hourto creep within 500 yards. The buck wasstill bedded and the wind was still in our fa-vor, but slowly changing. We moved downthe corn rows toward this buck slowly.

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though it took us more than 8 hours to har-vest this deer, it took us even longer to findhim.

I’ve experienced ground shrinkage in thepast. This is my first ground growage!When we got to this buck, he had pointscoming out of his main beams, his tineswere longer than I remembered and he car-ried a wide rack. He was truly a remarkabledeer.

I’m trulyblessed. I’vebeen able tohunt severalnice bucks inmy huntingcareer, yet Irecognize thatthis deer is a“ o n c e - i n - a -lifetime” kindof deer situa-tion. This wasthe best sixdays of hunt-ing with myfather of mylife.

My friend Mark Tempinski(www.UpstreamImaging.com) truly madethis hunt picture-perfect. These photos arejust a few of the hundreds he took of thismagnificent buck.

If you’ve ever spent any time at an oldhouse or a cabin in the country, you prob-ably know the joy of sitting on a porch andwatching wild game. If you have beenlucky enough to have experienced that, youknow it is one of the simple pleasures inlife.

This land in eastern Colorado is farm-land, over 60,000 acres of private propertyand owned by one of the nicest families we

know. Every year they put in for antelopeand either-sex deer landowner tags. Theyalso are allowing a select few to put in fortags in March 2012 for a minimal trespassfee. If you would like the opportunity tohunt the Eastern Plains of Colorado in2012, please let me know and I will behappy to send you the information.

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35 inch axle-to-axle PSE VendettaXL creatively placed inside the

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Congrats to Shannon Bushmanof Groveland! She nailed her

first deer during her first hunting experience ever! She

took her buck in Livingston Co.& used a .50 cal. muzzleloader.Way to go Shannon! Thanks toproud hubby Tom for sharinghis wife’s trophy with ASO!

“Now that I know she can shootI have to take her a little more

seriously! She’s now hooked onhunting. We had a great time sitting together in the blind!”

097.qxd 12/27/11 12:16 AM Page 1


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Anita Williams & Randy KasalSHE HUNTS, HE COOKS

AND THEY TRAVELMy travels in September took me 765 miles

west. I landed deep in antelope country, where myquest for the fastest running mammal in NorthAmerica would begin. The pronghorn antelope canreach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and wouldprovide an adequate challenge for my bow and ar-row.

Gillette, Wyoming is thick with wild game andherds of antelope can be seen running together.Their plump white bellies protrude beneath acamel tan colored upper body.

This change in color will come in handy when

placing my arrow behind the front shoulder justwhere both colors converge. The hook shaped hornknown as a prong have a cutter that extends fromthe base and provide nice mass to the black hornmade of hair-like fibers. Both male and femalepronghorn antelope may have horns although themales have remarkably larger racks.

I sat in a portable camouflaged blind overlook-ing a watering hole. My best chance for a 15-30yard shot for my arrow.

I arose long before the sun and sat in the darkblind and waited for the heat of the day to set inand beckon a refreshing drink for thirsty antelope.By 10:30 a.m. the first goats could be spotted onthe ridge two miles away. The speedy goats arecurious but also have amazing eyesight and with aview to see predators for miles there would be lit-tle room for error.

I picked up my water bottle to sip the wet re-freshment and my water bottle made a creek...lit-tle did I know that an antelope was about 200yards behind the blind and heard the sound andstartled. The buck ran off never to be seen again.I was disgusted with myself. I had been told tobring only a Gatorade bottle as it is made sturdyand would not make a sound when touched.

Would my chance at a buck be over that day?The animals have a way of alerting the others todanger and I prayed that the hot sun would provide

strong motivation to bring the antelope my wayonce again. I was blessed later in the day when acouple of bucks came running my way. I was excit-ed, yet doing everything I could to not be detectedthis time ruining my chances once again. I couldhear my heart thumping almost in my throat, andbeads of sweat dripped down my golden locks ontomy face. The buck came into range at 15 yards andI pulled my bow back, took a deep breath and letmy arrow fly right into the Wyoming sky. My buckran about 20 yards and piled up! The hunt was asuccess.

The next day Igrabbed a fishingpole and headed tothe reservoir for abit of trout fishingto relax after twointense days ofhunting. The WildWest had provided agreat adventure!

098.qxd 12/27/11 12:43 AM Page 1


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before completion and stir to mixevenly.

Serve with apple quarterssautéed in butter.

* Bouqet Garni - Combine pars-ley branch, 1/8 cup thyme, andtwo bay leaves in a cheeseclothand tie so the ingredients do notescape. Remove before serving.If desired, you may also include 2tblsp each chervil, rosemary, pep-percorns, savory, and tarragon.

Baked Trout with Garlic Butter This simple recipe from Eastern

Europe takes about 10 minutes toprepare and about 20 minutes tocook.

Ingredients:2 crushed garlic cloves2 ounces (1/2 stick) softened butter4 medium scaled and dressedwhole trout with heads and tails Fresh squeezed lemon juiceSalt to tasteFresh ground black pepper to tasteFlat-leaf parsley

Preparation:Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly coat a large, shallowbaking pan with cooking spray.The pan should be large enough sothe fish can rest flat without rest-ing on each other. Make the garlicbutter by mixing garlic and butterin a small bowl, and set aside.

Rinse trout and pat dry withpaper towels.

Pour lemon juice inside and out-side of fish and then season totaste with salt and pepper.

Melt the reserved garlic butterand drizzle half lightly over fish.

Put fish in prepared pan andcover loosely with foil. Bake 10minutes.

Remove foil and bake an addi-tional 5-10 minutes or until fishflakes easily when the tip of aknife is inserted.

Place fish on warmed servingplates. An easy tip to warm platesis to set an oven at the lowest set-ting and place dinner platesinside.

Drizzle remaining garlic butterover fish.

Garnish with lemon slices orwedges and flat-leaf parsley.

This recipe pairs nicely with adry German or French white wineor a German wheat beer.

RECIPESby Randy Kasalwith Anita Williams

Antelope with Blackcurrant SauceServes 6 to 8 Ingredients: 2 lbs antelope cut into even slices of about 9 oz. each1 carrot1 onion1 bouquet Garni*10 juniper berries3 tbsp red wine vinegar2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil4 tbsp red wine. Use only wine that you would drink4 tbsp unsalted butterPinch of sugarCornstarch for thickening4 oz. blackcurrant jelly or jam

Preparation: Dice the onion and carrot. Combine the sliced meat, onion,

carrot, spices, herbs, vinegar andoil in a non-reactive bowl. Evenlycoat the meat in the marinade

Marinate under cover overnight

in the refrigeratorRemove the meat, dry thorough-

ly with a paper towel (so the meatwill brown and not steam) andbrown evenly in a Dutch Oven inthe butter

Do not crowd the meat. Once browned, remove the meat

from the pan and add the solidsfrom the marinade. Use moreolive oil if required andcaramelize the solids

Add the liquid from the mari-nade and scrape up any brownedbits from the bottom of the pan.You may use additional water orstock if required

Add the meat back to the mix-ture and cook covered in the ovenfor three hours at 200F. Removethe meat from the Dutch oven.Strain the liquids in the Dutchoven through a sieve into a saucepan on the stovetop.

Add a tsp. of cornstarch to asmall cup with COLD water andmix thoroughly Add the corn-starch slowly to the saucepanwhile whisking until the saucethickens. Put the meat back in thesauce and simmer covered for tenminutes. Add the blackcurrantjelly or jam a minute or two

099.qxd 12/27/11 12:42 AM Page 1


gives methat “fix” Iso desper-ately need.I forgetwhat animportantand largepart hunt-ing playsin my lifeuntil Ican’t hunt.

Some weekends are just made for goingback to my hunting spots and looking forsheds. Finding a nice pair or even just onegives me something to daydream aboutduring the long months that lie ahead. Ittells me that if the winter isn’t too severeand he survives I may have a chance toactually see him through my peep sight inthe fall.

What also helps to fill the void is beingable to pull out some BioLogic seed cata-logs and plan what to plant in my foodplots once the snow is gone and the soilwarms up. I sit an imagine how the deerwill love that new growth of clover when itstarts to grow and dream about the bucksthat belonged to those “found” shed aregetting even bigger.

I always join an archery league andshoot indoors starting the first of the year.

just in case I missed some archery accesso-ry that I can’t live without.

Housework takes me forever.When the weekend arrives it just doesn’t

seem right to not be wearing somethingcamouflage. But the laundry sure comesalive with color and smell once I’ve packedaway my hunting clothes and put theScent Killer detergent back on the shelf.

Dining out on Friday evenings now usu-ally means having our name put on a listand waiting thirty to forty-five minutesbefore we get seated at a table. Duringhunting season I’m so exhausted at the endof the day when I get back from beingafield that sometimes I don’t care if I eat ornot. Ten o’clock only comes once a daythen.

Grocery shopping is terrible on theweekends because I know most of themetro population is shopping at the samestore I’m in—or so it seems. Forget goingto the malls because the same people clog-ging up the isles with their carts apparent-ly have followed me there. Of course, nomatter where I go I can never find a park-ing space. After the solitude and serenityof the woods, it is really hard to cope withthe city once again.

Rabbit hunting gets me over the worstof the withdrawal I experience in January.Just being able to drive to southernMinnesota on a Saturday to chase rabbits

As I look around my house it is obviousto see the areas that have been neglectedsince hunting season opened. How couldso much ironing have accumulated?When was that corner table replaced withthat huge stack of papers and magazines?Where did I last see that vacuum cleaner?It’s all so overwhelming – WHERESHOULD I BEGIN.

I usually start with turning on one of thehunting programs. The idea is to listen tothem as I do my housework. But let’s behonest, how can you hear anything whenthe vacuum is running. If I’m dusting, Iusually have to sit down and watch theprogram because I don’t want to miss any-thing. I feel at this point if no one haswritten me any notes in the dust it won’thurt to go just one more day before“Pledging” the furniture.

After that program is over you know it isfollowed by another one that is just moreinteresting than the one I just watched.Next thing I know the day is more thanhalf over and I’ve done next to nothing onmy house cleaning.

When I decide to attack that stack ofpapers, I get as far as the first hunting mag-azine. There always seems to be at least acouple of interesting articles to read that Ididn’t have time to get to when the maga-zine arrived. Also, before I can toss outany catalog, I have to look through it again

WITHDRAWAL

By Marlene Odahlen-HinzLike many of you hard core bowhunters,

when season ends, I feel somewhat lost andat the same time, overwhelmed.

Since mid-September, I knew that everyFriday afternoon, when my office closed, Iwould be heading north a hundred milesto our hunting shack for the weekend.During the week, I was able to hunt closeto the metro area at least a couple of after-noons a week. So, for almost four monthswhen I wasn’t in the woods, I was at work.

Now suddenly all my mornings and lateafternoons become open. Thursdayevenings are no longer set aside for packingthe truck, organizing the weekend menu,stocking the cooler and laundering hunt-ing clothes. It seems unusual to have somuch time on my hands.

ColbySimms

RaySimms

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Marlenefinding a shed.

100.qxd 12/27/11 12:52 AM Page 1


The TinleyPark Outdoor

ShowCelebrates Its19th Year!!!

The Tinley Park Fishing andOutdoor Show invites all sports-man and their families to come outand celebrate our 19th Anniversaryon February 11 and 12, 2012 at theTinley Park High School, 6111 W.175th Street, just east of Ridgeland,in Tinley Park, Illinois. Sponsoredby: Cabela’s Mercury Marine,Plano, Cortland Line, BedfordSales, and Chauncey’s GreatOutdoors Radio Show on ESPNAM1000.

The Tinley Park Fishing andOutdoor Show has grown to over120,000 sq. feet of exhibition space,making it one of Chicagoland’sLargest Outdoors show, but it’s theonly show where families feel wel-comed. They can then plan theirnext outdoor adventure or vacation,and find fishing and hunting guides,retailers, lure manufactures, Lake

Not only does it keep my skills sharp, butI can talk about the successes and failuresof the past season with other hunters.Attending public archery tournamentssponsored by area clubs also helps to calmfrazzled nerves.

Thank goodness in February and Marchthe sports and hunting shows come totown. Talking to outfitters about possiblefuture hunts really gets my blood movingonce again. I can almost feel the energygenerated by having so many exhibitorsand sportspeople together in the sameplace. I can tolerate these crowds becauseI know most of them are bowhunters. Thedeer and turkey expos are my favoritebecause they give me the opportunity tosee what’s new in archery tackle. It is greatto be able to see and admire the mountsdisplayed at each show. But, it still seemsas if September will never come.

Before I know it will be spring and I canhunt turkeys. You can bet that my calen-dar was clearly marked last year as to whenI needed to get my applications in to theDNR. If I couldn’t be out hunting for thespring turkey season I’d be one krankywoman so I pay attention to deadlinesbecause they have a way of sneaking up ona person.

After turkey season ends and dependingon the temperatures I know I’ll have bow-fishing to look forward to. Having a hugecarp to reel in is the perfect medicine to getme over that hump.

Finally the summer leagues begin and Ican focus on getting in shape for fall bearhunting. Because I hunt in Ontario I’ll beback in a tree mid-August. Now I knowI can then make it to September and thewhitetail opener with no problem.

Until next month, don’t forget to takeyour daughter, granddaughter or niecebowhunting.

Michigan charter boats, fishingclubs, Canadian and Americanlodges and fun activities for the kids.

Our seminar room will havenationally respected professionalanglers and a Fishing Hall of Famemember teaching us how to catchmore perch, crappie and otherspecies.

See our web site for more infor-mation www.TinleyParkFishingShow.com.

Our “Wonders of Nature” stageprogram will bring birds of prey,dog trainers and reptiles of all sizeson Saturday only. On Sunday, TheForest Preserve District of CookCounty will take over the stage from

9am to 3pm with 4 of their naturecenters Sand Ridge, SagawauEnvironmental Learning Center,Little Red Schoolhouse andTrailside Museum with displays,animals, and informative programsfor kids to participate in.

The Tinley Park Fishing andOutdoor Show will be an excitingplace for sportsman and their fami-lies to come to. Admission to theshow is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 forseniors, and $3.00 for kids 7 to 13,and Parking is FREE!

Little anglers age 6 and under stillget into the show for free.

For more info:708-444-0921 [email protected]

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101.qxd 12/27/11 12:59 AM Page 1


S h a rS h a r e t h e G re t h e G r e a t e a t O uO u tt d od o oo rr s w i t h a s w i t h a S h e l tS h e l t e r Re r R e s ce s c u e !u e !

By A.K. ThompsonA large part of

my Dirt Churchexperience hashappened with mydogs, and they havea lot to do with howI understand andlook at the greatoutdoors. Forinstance, I mightnot hike as slowly and notice the little things hap-

they went into a dumpster, and now they are rot-ting along with all of our trash at the city dump.

So why does this happen? Well it happensbecause a lot of people are irresponsible with theirpets. For one, everyone should have their petsspayed or neutered, and for two, if you get a dog orcat you have to make a commitment to that animalto be its protector and caregiver for life. A dog orcat can easily be a 10 – 15 year commitment, if notlonger. Animals are not to throw-away, but unfor-tunately not many folks understand this.

Being a country person, and having always had adog (or sometimes 5 at a time) sharing my homeand my backyard, I find it impossible to understandhow so many of these fine creatures end up in themany cages at the shelter. A particular Pit Bullcaught my eye a few weeks ago. He must haveweighed 130 pounds and was the most beautifulchocolate brown I’ve ever seen. I’m certainly not a“Pit Bull person,” but I couldn’t help but think(dare I say know), that with just an ounce of TLC,this guy would have been a great hiking partner.When I opened the kennel to feed him he didn’tjump, he simply wagged his tail, licked my hand andate politely. How awesome would it be to take a dogthat big and bouncy on a camping trip deep intothe Shawnee?

Sadly, he was one of the dogs that ended up inan industrial-sized garbage bag, along with therest. This happens to about 70% of the nearly 300dogs and cats that are brought into the sheltereach month. You can go ahead and do the math – inour little southern neck of the woods, thousands of

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pening around me if big Joe Buck didn’t stop every20 feet to smell something interesting. I also sim-ply wouldn’t get out as much if these dogs didn’tneed the out of doors. Taking them for their bed-time potty break has given me a few minutes tostand in the yard and admire the moon and thestars…their early morning potty time has allowedme to see many a beautiful sunrise on the dayswork calls me from bed too soon.

But I’m not going to write about my dogs thismonth. I’m going to write about dogs in general –the dogs you don’t hear about. Last month I start-ed a new job at the Humane Society. Since I’vebeen without gainful employment for nearly sixmonths, this part-time minimum wage poop-scooping job was a God-send. However, there isone part of the job that has a nasty bite, and it’snot the dogs. It’s the fact that many, many ofthese dogs (and cats) are euthanized every weekto make room for the countless other animals thatcome into the shelter as strays or owner-surren-dered pets.

Of course I knew this happened, but you don’treally know something like this until the morningthat the 10 barking, tail-wagging strays that werein the kennel the night before are gone. Where didthey go? Well, they went into the euthanasia roomand then they went into a garbage bag and then

dogs and cats die each year because humans don’tknow how to be responsible—because a greatmany of us don’t care. It’s a crying shame.

So, what’s my point in writing this? I’m certain-ly not writing this to tisk-tisk any of you. I knowyou are all outdoors men and women, and I thinkwe tend to have a much deeper and greaterrespect for every creature. What I would like to sayis that if you, or anyone you know, are looking for apet, please try your local shelter first. Buying adog from a breeder is not only incredibly expen-sive, but you run a great risk in purchasing a dogwith many health problems. Buying from breedersalso keeps the chain of unaltered pets going, mak-ing more and more dogs for the shelter to worryabout.

Now I also know a great many of you probablyuse specialty breeds like Retrievers, Spaniels,Hounds, and the like to assist in your favoritehunting activities. If you must get a purebred,make sure you are giving your money to a reputablebreeder, not a mall pet shop where more than like-ly the dog came from a puppy mill. You can findpurebred dogs at shelters though—just call andask what they’ve got, or better yet—come in andlook around. I personally prefer the mixed breed’scharacter—the Heinz 57 variety of dog. The per-fect hiking buddy dog is waiting for you at yourlocal animal shelter—and the purrfect nose-nuz-zling kitty is waiting there as well!

Friend Dirt Church on Facebook! Questions/comments please email A.K.!

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102.qxd 12/25/11 2:59 PM Page 1

Party Pan Fish Having Super Bowl

party this is the ticket fora great hors d' oeuvre toserve to your family andfriends. It's quick andeasy. Just fill a tray, putthem out and watch yourcrowd scramble to the table. You may garnishthem with olives or a little piece of cheese. 1 Stick butter1 Small bunch green onions (chopped)1/2 Cup fresh parsley (chopped)2 Tbsp flour1 pint heavy whipping cream1/2 pound grated Swiss cheese1 Tbsp Sherry Wine2 Cups cooked pan fishRed Pepper to taste Salt to taste

Melt butter sauté onions & parsley. Blend inflour, cream and cheese until cheese is melted.Add other ingredients and then gently fold in fish.Serve with Melba toast.

Venison with GravyWith everyone’s busy schedule the slow cooker

is your best friend. In the winter months minenever leaves the counter. This recipe can be dou-bled to feed a larger family. Sometimes your veni-son can be a little on the tuff side so this recipe isthe way to go or you can use the best cuts of meat.Serve this over mashed potatoes or rice.

6-8 Venison, elk chops or steak pieces1 cup waterSeasonings: garlic, seasoned salt and yourfavorite grill seasoning10 oz can of cream of mushroom soupPearl onions (1/2 bag or 10-15 onions)Mushrooms fresh or canned8 oz sour cream1/2 cup water with 1 tbsp cornstarch, mix untilsmooth.Salt & pepper to taste

Place steaks in slow cooker with water, onionsand seasoning. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours.Add to slow cooker cornstarch mixture, soup,mushrooms, sour cream and heat. Serve overmashed potatoes.

Mule Deer Taco SaladWe love taco salad at our house so with all that

ground mule deer in our freezer I had the perfectidea to try ground venison instead of ground beef.When my family saw that I was making Taco Saladwith ground venison they were thrilled. When Iturned around to say dinners ready they were atthe table with fork in hand saying let’s eat.1 1/2 cup Thousand Island Dressing1 pound ground mule deer

2 pkg taco seasoning (any brand)1, 11oz salsa1/3 cup sugar1 onion (chopped) Save half for frying and half raw1 tomato (chopped)1/2 green bell pepper (chopped)1 cup cilantro (chopped)Jalapeno peppers fresh (seeded & chopped)Shredded LettuceNachos crushedBlack Olives and sour cream to garnish

Fry ground mule deer, 1/2 onion and 1 packtaco seasoning in fry pan until onions are trans-parent. Place in large bowl lettuce, tomato,cilantro, onions and green peppers, add meat mixwell. Place mixture in taco shell bowls, sprinkle ontop jalapenos, black olives. Mix 1 pack taco sea-soning, salsa and sugar for dressing for oversalad.

Kris Winkelman's "Ultimate Wild Game and F ish Cookbook"

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Hearty Blue Gill Soup Nothing like a warm kettle of soup to warm your

heart. I am sure everyone has a package or 2 offish filets in your freezer from the summers catch.I used bluegills in this recipe but you can use justabout any kind of fish. I also like to use fresh orfrozen vegetables in this soup, the colors are a lit-tle more vivid and the taste is amazing. 2 Tbsp unsalted butter1 large onion (chopped)2 med Leeks (chopped)1 1/2 cups vegetable stock3 med potatoes (peeled & chopped)1 Tsp curry powderSalt & pepper1 1/2 to 2 cups bluegills flaked1 cup skim milk1/2 cup shredded carrots2 garlic cloves (minced)

In large soup kettle over medium heat melt but-ter, add onions, leeks, carrots and garlic. Cookuntil soft add stock potatoes, curry, salt & pepper.Cover and simmer until potatoes are soft. Addbluegill and milk. Serve with warm rolls.

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103.qxd 12/25/11 3:04 PM Page 1


West KY Boat &Outdoor Show Host

Wally Marshall, Mr. Crappie

Wallace Edwin (Wally) Marshall, akaMr. Crappie, will be presenting 2 seminarsat the upcoming 2012 West KentuckyBoat & Outdoor Show. The show will beJanuary 20 to 22 at the CFSB Center in

In 1985 Marshall became the masterplumber and plumbing superintendent forthe Garland Independent School District.Working for the school district gave himplenty of time to spend hunting and fish-ing. Quail hunting became his hobby andcrappie fishing was his new dream. Mar-shall’s professional career began in 1987when he and a co-worker won a Crappi-ethon at Cedar Creek Lake. Besides beingthe first Crappiethon ever held in Texas,the event at Cedar Creek Lake was the firsttournament Marshall had ever entered.For the next several years, Marshall startinghoning his fishing skills and began to pro-mote crappie fishing to the fullest. In1992, Marshall began fishing with JeffHeuman and together they have traveledover 1 million miles fishing in tourna-ments.

Marshall’s first sponsorship was withBlakemore Lure Company in 1988 and in1989 Ranger Boats became his first boatsponsor. In 1997 Marshall received a callfrom Bass Pro Shops and the next year theWally Marshall signature series crappierods and reels were released. Additionally,Marshall trademarked the name “Mr.Crappie” for crappie fishing products. Hecontinued to design all kinds of productsunder the Mr. Crappie name.

In 2002, with his Mr. Crappie productsflying off the shelves, Marshall decided itwas time to end his career at Garland Inde-pendent School District and pursue hisdreams: fishing in crappie tournaments,designing products and promoting crappiefishing. In December of 2010 ventured

out to design and promote the Wally Mar-shall “Tuxedo Black” signature Series crap-pie rods and reels. He has teamed up withthe Lew’s company and is back workingwith Lynn Reeves, who brought Marshalland Bass Pro Shops together. Visit the Mr.Crappie website at www.mrcrappie.com tolearn more about their products.

Marshall’s accomplishments are manyand include being named the 2002 Anglerof the Year, winning the 2003 NationalCrappie Champion and being inducted in-to the Legends of the Outdoors Hall ofFame in 2008. He has won 27 nationaltournaments and has been the nationalchampion runner-up 4 times.

The West Kentucky Boat & OutdoorShow along with Fisherman’s Headquartersand Lew’s is delighted to bring Mr. Crap-pie, Wally Marshall, to Murray, Kentuckyfor the 28th Annual West Kentucky Boat &Outdoor Show. In addition to presentingseminars, Marshall will be in the Fisher-man’s Headquarters booth during showhours on Friday and Saturday.

Experience the FLW Outdoors FantasyFishing Simulator at The West KentuckyBoat & Outdoor Show! ~Family Friendly Show~Win $10,000 with Grab The Cash!~Outdoor Seminars~Kid's Area~Women’s Area~Kid's Fishing Pond~FREE Admission!

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Murray, Kentucky. Marshall will be pre-senting his seminars on Friday, January 20at 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, January 21at 2:00 p.m.

Born in California in 1956, Marshall’sfamily moved to Texas when he was a smallboy. He grew up in Garland, Texas andplayed sports through-out his school yearsand dreamed of playing professional base-ball. When Marshall finally realized thatplaying in the ‘bigs’ wasn’t going to hap-pen, he started working on obtaining hismaster plumbers license. In 1978 Marshallbecame friends with Jack Caldwell, a Gar-land resident who loved to crappie fish.Caldwell introduced him to crappie fishingand Marshall was hooked!

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Jan. 27-29, 2012Jan. 27-29, 2012Machinist's Hall, 170 Tables!

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104.qxd 12/27/11 1:18 AM Page 1

requires a higher setting. Savings are 7-11 percent of water heating costs.Insulate the first 5 feet of pipe comingout of the top of your water heater or thewhole length until the pipe goes into thewall.

Seal up the leaks. Caulk leaks aroundwindows and doors. Look for placeswhere you have pipes, vents or electricalconduits that go through the wall, ceil-ing or floor. Check the bathroom,underneath the kitchen sink, pipesinside a closet, etc. If you find a gap atthe point where the pipe or vents goesthrough the wall, seal it up. Caulk worksbest on small gaps.

Consider replacing your old gas appli-ances with an ENERGY STAR® waterheater or furnace. If your gas waterheater is more than 12 years old, consid-er replacing it with a newer, more effi-cient model. The best indicator of awater heater's efficiency is the EnergyFactor (EF). The higher the EF, themore efficient the water heater. if yourfurnace is over 15 years old, considerreplacing it with an newer ENERGYSTAR rated model that is about 15 per-cent more efficient than standard mod-els.

A Reminder to Keep Safe ThisWinter:

Do not resort to using a BBQ or campstove for heat. Such equipment isdesigned to be used only outdoors andpresent significant safety hazards whenused in any enclosed or partiallyenclosed setting. Besides the obvious firehazard, they can produce high levels ofcarbon monoxide (CO). Remember thatyou cannot smell or see CO.


Real Estate ChatterBy: Mary Ann Vance

I hope everyone had awonderful holiday sea-son!!! We are now start-ing a new year…Welcome to 2012! Wewant everyone to staywarm and safe this winterand want to give you some tips on howto do that.

WINTER TIME ENERGY SAVING TIPS

Five Action Steps to Cut Natural Gasand Propane Use:

Turn down your thermostat to 68degrees. For every degree you lower yourheat in the 60-degree to 70-degreerange, you'll save up to 5 percent onheating costs. Wear warm clothing like asweater and set your thermostat to 68degrees or lower during the day andevening, health permitting. Set the ther-mostat back to 55 degrees saving 5-20percent of your heating costs (heatpumps should only be set back 2 degreesto prevent unneeded use of backup stripheating).

Replace or clean furnace filters once amonth. Dirty filters restrict airflow andincrease energy use. Keeping your fur-nace clean, lubricated and properlyadjusted will reduce energy use, savingup to 5 percent of heating costs.

Reduce hot water temperature. Setyour water heater to the "normal" set-ting or 120-degrees Fahrenheit, unlessthe owner's manual for your dishwasher

If you start to feel sick, dizzy, or weak,get to fresh air RIGHT AWAY. DONOT DELAY. Carbon monoxide canrapidly lead to full incapacitation anddeath. If you experience serious symp-toms, get medical attention immediate-ly.

Fast and Free: Cutting back unnecessary energy use

is an easy way to keep your hard earnedmoney in your pocket. Here are somesuggestions you can do at home, atabsolutely no cost to you.

Let the sunshine in. Open drapes andlet the sun heat your home for free (getthem closed again at sundown so theyhelp insulate).

Rearrange your rooms. Move yourfurniture around so you are sitting nearinterior walls - exterior walls and olderwindows are likely to be drafty. Don't sitin the draft.

Keep it shut. Traditional fireplaces arean energy loser - it's best not to use thembecause they pull heated air out of thehouse and up the chimney. When not inuse, make absolutely sure the damper isclosed. Before closing the damper, makesure that you don't have any smolderingembers. If you decide not to use a fire-place, then block off the chimney with apiece of rigid insulation from the hard-ware store that fits snugly into the space(dampers don't shut fully without someleaking).

Eliminate wasted energy. Turn off

lights in unoccupied rooms. Unplug thatspare refrigerator in the garage if youdon't truly need it - this seemingly con-venient way to keep extra drinks coldadds 10-25 percent to your electric bill.Turn off kitchen and bath-ventilatingfans after they've done their job - thesefans can blow out a house-full of heatedair if inadvertently left on.

Shorten showers. Simply reducingthat lingering time by a few minutes cansave hundreds of gallons of hot water permonth for a family of four. Showersaccount for 2/3 of your water heatingcosts. Cutting your showers in half willreduce your water heating costs by 33percent.

Use appliances efficiently. Do onlyfull loads when using your dishwasherand clothes washer. Use the cold watersetting on your clothes washer when youcan. Using cold water reduces yourwasher's energy use by 75 percent. Besure to clean your clothes dryer's linttrap after each use. Use the moisture-sensing automatic drying setting on yourdryer if you have one.

Put your computer and monitor tosleep. Most computers come with thepower management features turned off.On computers using Windows, openyour power management software andset it so your computer goes to sleep ifyou're away from your machine for 5 to15 minutes. Those who use Macintoshcomputers look for the setting in your

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105.qxd 12/27/11 1:29 AM Page 1

to an old favorite, The Flicker™.Dan Gapen, Sr. had created the original

Flicker as a vertical jigging lure for summerand winter both. This new lure idea cameabout while working whitefish on SturgeonBay, a bay off Lake Michigan. The Flickerin a gold finish had been deadly on white-fish and perch. Its red treble hook alwaysseemed to trigger more strikes than regularbronze-colored hooks. However, whenDale Stroshein, Dan’s whitefish guide,added a #12 red treble and a tiny piece ofBerkeley gulp to the line 12 inches abovethe Flicker it seemed to gather up twice asmuch perch action as did the Flicker byitself.

The question arose, “Was it the redhook, or was it the gulp or was it the pres-ence of these two tied off by themselvesaway from the lure that created the action?”Today’s tests should prove out whichmight be the real factor.

Rather than extend the added treble andscented bait above the Flicker, why not sus-pend it below on a fine wire. See photo ofFlicker.

Why wire? Because the Flickers in theirglow and holographic finishes attract agreat deal of attention from any northernpike in the area you fish, wire is needed toprevent line cut by pike teeth once one ishooked.

Dan, a man who is always creating new


energy costs. Increase ceiling insulation. If your

ceiling is uninsulated or scantily insulat-ed, consider increasing your insulationto up to R-38 to reduce heating costs by5-25 percent.

High-efficiency windows. If you areplanning to replace your windows,choosing ENERGY STAR windows canreduce your heating and cooling costs byup to 15 percent.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAYOne resolution I have made, and tryalways to keep, is this: To rise above thelittle things. ~John Burroughs

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The Flicker BT™ and The Red Ball

By ‘Bobber’ Anne

Twenty feet under the 12 inches of sur-face ice perch, walleye, cisco and other pan-fish could be seen milling about. Thedrilling of ice holes above them hadn’tseemed to bother them. It was as if thecrunching of the cut ice was almost anattractor. Lake Huron was gin-clear even in40 feet of depth. Where the first test holewas drilled the bottom was easily noted.

With the collapsible fabric ice shantyproperly placed over the 4 holes the threeanglers readied gear to approach the fishbelow. Today they’d test a new lure, not acompletely new one, only a new extension

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Control Panels called "Energy Saver"and set it accordingly. When you'redone using your computer, turn it off(see next tip). Do not leave it in sleepmode overnight as it is still drawing asmall amount of power.

Plug "leaking energy" in electronics.Many new TVs, VCRs, chargers, com-puter peripherals and other electronicsuse electricity even when they areswitched "off." Although these "standbylosses" are only a few watts each, theyadd up to more than 50 watts in a typi-cal home that is consumed all the time.If possible, unplug electronic devicesand chargers that have a block-shapedtransformer on the plug when they arenot in use. For computer scanners,printers and other devices that areplugged into a power strip, simplyswitch off the power strip after shuttingdown your computer. The best way tominimize these losses of electricity is topurchase ENERGY STAR® products.

Install a programmable thermostat. Ifyou have a heat pump, select a modeldesigned for heat pumps. Set-back ther-mostats can save up to 15 percent on

‘Bobber’ Anne witha pumpkinseedcaught on a Flicker with a Red Ball.

106.qxd 12/27/11 1:40 AM Page 1


ideas for the fishing industry had beenplaying with an idea of adding anise-scent-ed eggs, not only to winter jigs but summerlures as well. As you read further keep inmind anise is the main attractant in mostscents which supposedly attract fish. Dan’sgrandfather, a fly tier and fisherman,always suggested his guests dip their flies inanise oil for a better attracting device whenthey were fly fishing. In the 1900s throughthe 1920s the use of anise wasn’t eventhought of as a way to attract fish. But oldJesse Gapen was often seen visiting his localRexall Drug Store to purchase a 2-1/2

ounce bottle of anise oil that women usedas skin medication. In those days the costof such a purchase was less than 5 cents.

Add this factor to the belief of Dan’sgood friend Bob Kook who swore that ared round egg addition to a perch lure, nomatter its size, would increase your catchon perch significantly.

This soft plastic red egg proved to be amajor factor when Bob increased his catchthreefold over Dan and I one winter daynot long ago while fishing perch on Bob’sfavorite perch lake, Simcoe northeast ofDetroit, Michigan.

After mulling these facts over for a cou-ple years Dan came up with a new idea. Ifred treble hooks can entice all fish speciesto strike and round red objects do a num-ber on perch and anise scent as a fish attrac-tor, why not put all three together into acreation? Adding to this the experienceDan learned while angling whitefish henow came up with a new lure from the dis-cards of several others. So it was that theFlicker BT was born. Addition of the anisescented red ball egg completed the package.It was now time to test the creation. Thethree anglers were Dan, Bob Kook and Iwho fished the ice on the lake that day. Ofcourse Bob disagreed with the idea of aneed to scent the red ball in anise. His hardplastic bead had always done the trick. Iwas first to drop a 1/16 oz. Flicker BT

loaded with a red ball. Asit settled a nine inchperch inhaled the redball and was in the housemoments later. Severalother fish scurriedtowards the ice surface asI retrieved my first fish,including a 2 poundwalleye and a 7 poundpike. The questionarose—“did that pikewant the Flicker baitedwith a red ball or was heafter the perch?” Thequestion was answeredlater when that samepike fell victim to my Flicker BT and itsred ball.

Dan brought up the next fish, a fat 12inch perch. Then I caught a small walleyeand a second perch. Finally, Bob caught aperch on his hard plastic red ball but notbefore Dan snared another fish, this one acisco about 10 inches long.

So far the test was proving in favor of thenew creation. Dan expressed his delight bykidding his friend, Bob, “you better getthat slab grabber going Robert. So far theBT and red ball egg has you down in fishcount badly.” Bob’s reaction was to snortand grumble a bit.

During that winter day when we first

tested the new Flicker BT (BT stands forBaiter) we managed to collect 21 perch, 3ciscoes, 7 walleye and 1 pike. On the otherhand Bob only collected 6 perch and oneskinny 12 inch walleye.

It had been a good day, the first of manytesting days to come.

Look to your local sporting outlet or goto Gapen’s website at www.gapen.com toselect a winter assortment of this new hotlure. It works in winter and summer both.

Until next time this has been ‘Bobber’Anne for the Ol’ Man suggesting youRELAX, SAVOR and ENJOY our GreatOutdoors. It’s yours to protect and save forfuture generations.

MICHAEL O’BRYAN & “ROCKY”

Unlimited Commercial

Call Michael O’Bryan309-687-5069Cell: [email protected]

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Gapen’s new Red Ball Anise-scented Egg.

Assortment of Flicker-caught panfish kept for supper.

107.qxd 12/27/11 1:41 AM Page 1

Another device, which will help extract aperson from the water, is made with twohandles and spikes. The two handles slidetogether and cover the spikes for protection,or have retractable point guards. This is thendraped around the neck with a cord, where itis readily accessible. They should also float incase a pair of the picks has to be tossed to aperson.


ICE FISHING MEANS SAFETY FIRST

The old saying “safety first” stronglyapplies to ice fishing. There are many con-cerns related to the sport, ranging from icethickness to keeping warm.

When ice safety is mentioned most anglersimmediately think of ice thickness. This isthe first thing that should be checked when-ever venturing out. A basic guideline fromthe Iowa DNR says good, clear-blue ice thatis two inches will support one individual onfoot; three inches will support a group ofpeople while moving; five inches will supporta snowmobile; seven and one half inches willsupport an automobile (two-ton gross); and12 inches will support a heavy truck. My rec-ommendation is to have at least three to fourinches before going on the ice with all of thefishing equipment normally used.

The strongest ice comes after a prolongedperiod of freezing temperatures. Still, therecan be weak spots. Snow cover will insulateice and not allow it to get as thick. Areas withcurrent, such as in a river, will be 15-percentweaker. Routes of repeated travel, warmwater discharges and underwater springs will

also weaken ice. Icewill be weaker, andthaw quicker aroundobjects sticking abovethe ice, especially rocksand those made ofconcrete, which warmsquicker with the sun.Sheltered ice, as is mostoften found under a bridge, is normallyweaker.

Some warning signs of dangerous, orweakened ice are dark spots, water on topand flowing through cracks, and a honey-combed texture. I’ve found honey-combedice 6 to 9 inches thick that has brokenthrough, and have heard of as much as 15inches giving away under the weight of a per-son.

To check the thickness drill a pilot holefairly close to shore. Drill other holes furtherout, and check thickness throughout the day,especially during a thaw. Some anglers haveactually waited too long and found their wayback to shore had melted to the “danger”point.

People walking together should stay atleast 10 feet apart, and one should walkslightly ahead. Single file formations are

often best.It is advisable to carry a rope (at least 30

feet long is recommended) in case one of theparties falls through. If a rope is not at hand,improvise with whatever is readily available.A belt will work, but don’t stand near thebreak when using it to pull the person fromthe water. Lay flat on the ice and toss the endto the person in the water. If there areenough people a human single-file chain canbe made to pull the person from the water.Remember, to keep it single-file - too muchweight by the break can result in more peo-ple breaking through.

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Our gloves were off while in theFrabill Trekker shelter, but theday still required Bill Blomgren

(right) and me to wear oursnowsuits and other layers

to stay safely and comfortably warm.

DAN’S FISH ‘N’ TALES®

By Dan Galusha

This chunk of 6-inches thick“rotten ice”, easily cut from a

hole with a Mille Lac Chisel, islike a honeycomb or bunch of

crystals, and could breakthrough easily under the

weight of an angler.

108.qxd 12/27/11 11:33 AM Page 1


Hand drills provide the perfect opportuni-ty for over-exertion. This combined with thecold temperatures may cause a heart attack.To avoid this possibility take frequent rests.Also, it will help to use as small a diameterdrill as possible.

A power drill will eliminate most of thehard labor, but there are other factors to con-sider. First, and the most obvious, is thewhirling auger and blade, which should bewatched very closely, and not allow someoneto walk into it. Review operator manualsthoroughly, don’t let children operate thedrill, and be sure that any adult operating thedevice is fully instructed first. Shut the drill’smotor off whenever it is not being used todrill holes. Never carry it with the motorrunning.

Since most power drills are run on gasolineanother concern is present - fire. Here aresome good rules to follow as put forth byJiffy Ice Drills: never set the drill or fuel con-tainer near an open flame or heater; use anapproved fuel container for storage; don’tremove the fuel cap or add gasoline to a run-ning or hot engine; fill the fuel tank only out-doors; and wipe up any spilled gasoline.

If using a propane model, such as the JiffyPro4, make sure the propane cylinder is fas-tened properly, and that the drill is set withthe correct side up, which is indicated on thedrill.

With some models reopening an old hole

To extract yourself from the hole take ahandle in each hand and jam the spikes intothe ice, alternately, to hand walk out of thehole using short reaches in a swimming typemotion. Too long of reaches will not onlyexhaust a person quicker, but also make itpossible for a large chunk of ice to be brokenoff, resulting in the loss of a safe edge to use.

After reaching a safe/solid edge continuepulling with the spikes and crawling untilsafe ice is reached. Never stand up tooquickly, as this could result in another break,which many times is much more difficult toget out of.

Once the person is out of the water it isextremely important to get him or her into awarm enclosure, dry clothing and drinkingwarm liquids (NOT ALCOHOL) as quick-ly as possible. Hypothermia will set in quick-ly, and as everybody knows this is a criticalsituation.

Drills also provide hazards. One which iscommon to both hand and power models isthe blade. Blades are extremely sharp andshould be kept covered when not in use.Several stories have been heard of anglersfalling on an exposed blade, causing seriouscuts. One such occurrence was a gentlemanwho trip on a hole, slipped, and then fellwith his face striking the blade of a handdrill. It slit his face from the corner of hismouth to his ear, resulting in several stitchesto close the wound.

caught a long distance out on any body ofwater, not to mention for getting back homeonce shore is reached and you are back in thevehicle.

Never let your guard down when on theice. Remember, “safety first”. As has beensaid many times on the RED GREENSHOW, “keep your stick on the ice”.

If you have any questions about this, orany other fishing subject, drop me a linethrough the Dan’s Fish ‘N’ Tales® websiteat www.dansfishntales.com, which providesa link to the ASO website.

Until next time, get out on the ice, andhave a safe and great day of fishing.

with a power drill can be very dangerous..The auger can catch and jam into the oldarea, throwing the handles out of the opera-tor’s hands and possibly causing injury. Itcan also damage the drill.

Slipping and falling injure many people.The use of some type of “ice creeper” is high-ly advisable. These are also very important tobe worn when drilling a hole on smooth ice,as they will provide safer footing.

Hypothermia was mentioned earlier inconjunction with falling through the ice, butthis same condition can take place in the per-son who is not dressed properly. The bestsystem is to wear layers of clothing. As aguideline this is my list of clothing items:thermal underwear; hockey socks; chamoisor flannel long-sleeved shirt; thermal jeans;hooded sweatshirt; down-style vest; snowsuitor parka and bibs; pack-style boots; water-proof Thinsulate gloves; and stocking hat orinsulated winter cap. All of my ice fishingclothing consists of Vexilar and Frabill sweat-shirt, parka, bibs and gloves, which are someof the best on the market, and will providewarmth even in below zero temperatures.I’ve even worn my Vexilar parka and bibs ina freezing drizzle without getting wet.

Along with the normal equipment itwould be a good idea to add a weather radio,as with any fishing. This can alert you to anysevere weather approaching, as heavy snowand high winds can be a major hazard when

Frabill produces a kit of safetyitems, which consists of ice

creepers, retractable point icepicks and a whistle.

109.qxd 12/27/11 11:31 AM Page 1


hunt, while Doug and Kristi Sampson,Jerry and Marlene Janssen and I attend-ed an outdoor pig roast cook-off at theGreen Lantern.

I launched our boat on May 1st with32 degrees and a dusting of snow, butthe “Welcome” sign was out for anotheryear.

When most of the ladies gathered fora “Here’s to summer” toast, the weatherwas more like summer, but May andJune will still produce cool tempera-tures, strong winds, nasty wave action,and horizontal wind socks.

As summer doesn’t officially beginuntil June 21st, the real warm weatherdoesn’t develop until then. By July 4thwe had summer and our annual potluckand bass tournament. Katie partneredwith me this year and earned honors forthe biggest fish.

Of course, Katie spent much of hertime planting and nurturing her gardensaround the cabin and along the

journey “Up North” was strictly for cel-ebrations: Bob’s and Garrison Wildlife’s.

I know the May opening was causefor celebrationas LeewardShores wasofficially inaction for thecoming sum-mer months.Bob and Muffenjoyed a suc-cessful turkey

MINNESOTA MEMOIRSbbyy DDaavvee EEvvaannss

““VV iissiioonnss ooff SSuumm mmeerr PPaasstt””Nearing the first day of winter,

Christmas, and the New Year, I amreminded that summer “closed” inMinnesota during the first weekend ofOctober and will not open again untilthe first weekend of May. So we’re stillcloser to the end than to the beginning.The middle of January provides the tip-ping point at which we begin lookingahead with less time before us thanbehind us for Nokay adventures. Notknowing, of course, what the new seasonwill bring, I’ve decided to reminisce,mostly with images, of the summerrecently past. Having spent most of thelast seven weeks in a duck blind at theRed Nose Gun Club, some reminders ofwarmth may help prepare for the realwinter yet to come.

Actually my Minnesota season beganearly with an April trip for the GarrisonD.U. sponsor dinner. This coincidedwith Bob Johnson’s birthday, so my first

110.qxd 12/27/11 12:07 PM Page 1

closing from opening, and we have duckseason and the Thanksgiving and Christ-mas seasons to help us through the firstthree. January is tough. February isusually dreary, but short. March andApril bring some dim light at the end ofthe dark winter tunnel. And suddenlythe ice is off, the loons are back, and westart all over again! 2012 will bring meback for the 59th year. For having thegood idea for a lifetime of extraordinarymemories, Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Copyright: 2011

You can reach Dave and Karen at [email protected] how special a place like Nokay Lake

can be.W h e n

the earlysigns of au-tumn be-gin to ap-pear, andthey do ap-pear early,we gatheragain forthe closing.

But on-ly sevenm o n t h ss e p a r a t e


L a n d m a r k s ,and enjoyedgood companywith goodfriends. Harrytalked me intogoing bull-headin’ for thefirst time inmany years andrekindled aninterest in re-peating thefun. Katie andI went again inS e p t e m b e rwhen fishing time is earlier and the mos-quitoes are not life threatening.

We joined Doug and Kristi for aMille Lacs “northern pike hunt,” but on-ly Doug was successful.

Our nieceJoanna andher specialfriend ChrisPerry visitedin Augustand sharedsome of Min-nesota’s sun-sets with us.

A new generation is growing up onthe lake and learning, as we oldsters did,

lakeshore. She and Kristi Sampsonshared hours in their gardens and onKristi’s paddleboat.

We enjoyed a nostalgic trip to AK-SAR-BEN Gardens on Tame Fish Lake,a place that had not been open to thepublic for years.

The most special week of the summerwas the first week of August when Harryand Cathy finally came for a great visit.We fished, ate well, visited Minnesota

111.qxd 12/27/11 12:05 PM Page 1

may be the result of a decline in itsforage base and a productive breed-ing season. The snowy owl migrationbegan this October and the birds areexpected to remain in portions of theUnited States until late winter/earlyspring.

Unlike many owls, snowy owlsthrive in open grasslands, nest on theground, and hunt mainly during theday. They feed on small mammals,waterfowl, birds and fish, and, theircoloring, large size, unique huntingbehavior and remote habitat distin-guish them from other owl species.

“Since snowy owls tend to remainin the Arctic year-round, we are for-tunate to have the opportunity to seethem in the upper Midwest this win-ter. I encourage people to get outside


Service alertspublic to

abundance ofsnowy owls inupper Midwest

this winterSnowy owls originating from the

Arctic tundra are migrating south towinter in regions of the Great Lakesand Midwest plains, according to mi-gratory bird biologists with the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service (Service).The species’ rare southerly migration

and add seeing this owl in the wild totheir life list,” said Midwest Region-al Director Tom Melius. “However,as these birds tend to be in open areasand active during the day, please beaware and respectful so these Arcticvisitors can return home in thespring.”

Although many adult snowy owlsare thriving on their winteringgrounds in the upper Midwest,younger birds appearing weak, thinor flightless may be emaciated fromtheir long migration over the borealforests of Canada. Members of thepublic that see a snowy owl in thiscondition should contact their localwildlife rehabilitator.

Snowy owls are protected underthe Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Under

the Act, taking, killing or possessingmigratory birds is prohibited. Viola-tion of this Act warrants arrest, jailtime, penalties and fines under the ju-risdiction of the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service.

The mission of the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service is working with oth-ers to conserve, protect and enhancefish, wildlife, plants and their habitatsfor the continuing benefit of theAmerican people. We are both aleader and trusted partner in fish andwildlife conservation, known for ourscientific excellence, stewardship oflands and natural resources, dedicat-ed professionals and commitment topublic service. For more informationon our work and the people whomake it happen visit www.fws.gov

BUY – SELL – TRADEGUNS • JEWELRY • ELECTRONICS

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photo by Brian Howkes

112.qxd 12/27/11 12:51 PM Page 1


I can hardly believe that it isJanuary already and a New Yearhas begun. Gone is the old yearand new is the promise of the com-ing year. Maybe the last year was agood year for you. In which casethank God for his blessings.Perhaps the last year was not sogood for you, in which case againthank God for his blessings.

There is a saying that God isgood all the time and he is. Youdon’t have to look around very farto see that you have it better thanmany others. Some would say yesbut some others have it much bet-ter than me. Really? How do youknow, can you see within theirhearts and lives, the parts nobodysees? Not all prosperous peopleare prospering in their personallives and not all poor people are

poor in their personal lives in factsome of the happiest people I haveknown had very little in their mate-rial possessions but were superrich in love and peace of mind, nei-ther of which can be bought.

It is all in how you measure yourlife. If your tape measure is basedon a material scale you will alwaysbe wanting, the next possession,the next good time only to be leftwith an empty heart at the end ofthe day.

If we measure our lives on a spir-itual scale we measure it with ourpersonal relationship with our sav-ior Jesus Christ. We thank him forour trying times as well as ourtimes of blessing. We seek ways inwhich we can conform our imageto that of our savior after allChristians are the only Bible some

CROSS ROADS

By Bob [email protected]

will ever read. We strive to bemore Christ like and in doing sowe take on his mission to lead oth-ers to him as their savior to be hishands on this earth while we arehere doing what he has command-ed us to do in his holy word theBible.

Let us live this New Year on thespiritual scale giving thanks foreverything and reaching out to oth-ers with the love and compassionof Jesus Christ. Being not ashamedto share him with our friends andfellow workers and people in allwalks of life we come in contactwith. In doing this when this yearends we can look back and knowin our heart that this was the bestyear of our life. It’s a simple spiri-tual concept whatsoever a mansoweth so shall he reap, the Bibletells us. If we are sewing seeds oflove and kindness and living underChrist’s direction for us we can sayit was a very good year.

God bless you my friends andmay this year be the best year forus all!

“As the deer pants for streams ofwater, so I long for you, O God”

Psalm 42

113.qxd 12/27/11 12:59 PM Page 1


Recreational Ground…To Buy or Not To Buy? PT. 6F I N A N C I N GBy Jack L. Hartph. 309-888-4071

The ef fort toobtain financing forthe purchase of the30 acres of timberground that you havefallen in love with canbe very frustrating.Obtaining financingfor the purchase ofrecreational groundis very similar to that

of purchasing your residence. There are numerousquestions that will be asked by the loan officerthat you must be prepared to answer. The answersgiven by you will determine whether or not you aresuccessful in obtaining the money needed. I canremember my 17 years of working as a commercialloan officer at a big bank in Bloomington, IL. Whena customer came in seeking financing, I wouldalways have one hundred and one questions for himor her. I always told my friends that the only otherperson that knew more about our loan customers

would be their family doctor because we wouldknow everything.Some of the questions that will be asked are:How much money are you wanting to borrow?What will this money be used for?How long do you need to borrow this money? Howmany years?If purchasing recreational ground is there a resi-dence on it? Any buildings? Is any of the ground tillable?Has the ground been surveyed?Who owns the ground? What is the price per acre?How many acres being purchased?Is there good access to the ground? Is it locatedon or near a hard surface road?Are there any neighbors near by? Does the ownerlive on or near the ground?How much money do you have available for thedown payment? Do you have a job? If so who do you work for? Howmuch annual income do you have?Are you married? If so does your wife work & if so,where & for whom?Why do you want to buy this ground? Is anyoneelse involved in the purchase?Do you have a personal financial statement?Do you have copies of recent tax returns?These are just a few of the questions that will beasked. What is most important to the loan officerand to you is:

1. How much money do you have available for the

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down payment? Most financial institutions aregoing to require at least a 20% down payment. Inother words, if the asking price for the 30 acres is$2,500. Per acre or a total purchase price of$75,000. You will be required to come up with$15,000.

2. What is your annual income and that of yourwife if she works? In other words, is there suffi-cient cash left after paying all monthly bills thatwould enable you to make the monthly mortgagepayment. The loan officer will tell you that if youcan come up with the $15,000. down payment theloan of $60,000. At 4.5% amortized over 20years would result in you having a monthly mort-gage payment of $380.02.

There is a lot involved when it comes to borrow-ing money in today’s economy. The amount ofground purchased will, of course be determined bythe asking price & your pocketbook & whether thefinancial institution considers you to be a goodcredit risk and whether the property will appraiseout at a value equal to or greater than the askingprice. The location of the property, type of prop-erty and whether or not it has good access will playa large part in its appraisal value.

Next month I will talk more about financing and what other factors are involved.

21st Annual McleanCounty Sportsman's

AssociationWild Game Banquet

Sat. Feb. 4, 2012Doors open 3:00

Dinner served 4:30Interstate Center

Rte 9 WestBloomington, IL

Appetizers: Hot wings, Meat balls,Venison chili, Summer sausage,

Cheese tray, Veggies and dip Dinner menu: Pheasant

Stroganoff, Roast Turkey, Elk Tips w/gravy, Fish

Live and Silent Auctions, RafflesTickets may be obtained at

Smiley's Sport Shop, ChucksHarley Davidson, Darnall Printing,

& Erickson's Auto ServiceDonations of $25.00 in advance

or $30.00 at the door.

Western Illinois Hunting & Farm LandTrophy Buck Haven 200A Hunting / Farm 100 a Timber, 73 a Tillable

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Goose & Duck Hunting on Carthage Lake Gulfport, IL• 486 Acre Grain Farm – Good Cash Rental Income (+$125,000)• +1200 ft of Lake Frontage, 11 acres water + wetlands. $2,787,444• Located 2 miles Across the Mississippi River from Burlington, Iowa

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www.IllinoisPrimeProperties.com

114.qxd 12/27/11 1:17 PM Page 1


MISSOULA, Mont.--The RockyMountain Elk Foundation todaycheered federal delisting of wolvesin the Great Lakes states, as well asthe State of Wisconsin's rapidmovement toward implementingits own science-based wolf man-agement plan.

Both actions help pave the waytoward predator populations thatare in better balance with elk, deerand other species commonlypreyed upon by wolves.

"Barring any legal holdups fromanimal rights activists, we shouldsee science-based wolf manage-ment and control measures go intoeffect by February, and that's greatnews for conservation overall inthe Great Lakes region," saidDavid Allen, RMEF president andCEO.

On Dec. 21, Secretary of theInterior Ken Salazar announcedthat gray wolf populations in theGreat Lakes region have recoveredand no longer require the protec-tion of the Endangered SpeciesAct. The U.S. Fish and WildlifeService is publishing a final rule inthe Federal Register removingwolves in Michigan, Minnesota

and Wisconsin,and in portionsof adjoiningstates, from thelist of threat-ened ande n d a n g e r e dspecies.

Upon theannouncement,W i s c o n s i nGovernor ScottWalker ordered the Department ofNatural Resources to begin imple-menting the state's wolf manage-ment plan. The agency will issuepermits to landowners experienc-ing wolf-caused losses beginningFeb. 1, 2012.

There are more than 4,000wolves in the three core recoverystates in the western Great Lakesarea, a total that far exceeds recov-ery goals. Minnesota's populationis estimated at 2,921 wolves, whilean estimated 687 wolves live inMichigan's Upper Peninsula andanother 782 in Wisconsin.

Each statehas developed ascience-basedplan to managewolves afterfederal protec-tion is removed.

About theR o c k yMountain ElkF o u n d a t i o n :RMEF is lead-

ing a conservation initiative thathas protected or enhanced habitaton over 6 million acres--an arealarger than Yellowstone, GrandCanyon, Glacier, Yosemite, RockyMountain and Great SmokyMountains national parks com-bined. RMEF also is a strong voicefor hunters in access, wildlife man-agement and conservation policyissues. RMEF members, partnersand volunteers, working togetheras Team Elk, are making a differ-ence all across elk country. Join usat www.rmef.org or 800-CALLELK.

RMEF CheersAnnouncementson Great Lakes

Wolves

FULTON COUNTY DEER ANDTURKEY HUNTING PROPERTY

• 180 Acres on the Spoon River• 36 Tillable acres with

Income of $4,500-$5,800/year• Additional 11 acres for food plots by river• Includes cabin with electricity!

[email protected]

115.qxd 12/27/11 1:31 PM Page 1


2012 SPORTS, BOATS & RV SHOW SCHDULE

116.qxd 12/27/11 1:47 PM Page 1


Congratulations Grant Thompson,12 years old, for taking his first

buck! Grant was hunting with his dad Greg in Perry County

on Nov. 18, first season. Thanks to Kim Moore,

ASO friend from Mann & SonSporting Goods in Pinckneyville

for sharing Grant’s trophy with ASO! Stop by Mann & Son to pick up supplies for hunting,

fishing & other sporting activities!

Congratulations to Alex Houston,age 11 for shooting his first buck on Friday, November 18, 2011. His father Mike Houston shot a nice 8 point buck and was

field dressing it when Alex shot his first 8 point buck. This all happened

within 20 minutes! It was a great family memory made that day!

Thanks to one proud dad for sharing this great hunt story with ASO!

117.qxd 12/27/11 1:56 PM Page 1


TerraLUX IntroducesPowerful New

LED FlashlightsLightStar 300 and LightStar 80 offer unique features for a

variety of work conditions

TerraLUX Inc., an industry leaderthat designs, patents, manufactures, anddistributes LED-based lighting solutionsfor portable and general illuminationapplications, has introduced two newmodels to its LED flashlight productline.

All TerraLUX flashlights are weather-resistant, utilize the latest high-bright-ness LED technology, and are made ofaircraft-grade aluminum. The two latestflashlight models being introduced byTerraLUX are the LightStar 300 and theLightStar 80.

The LightStar 300 is designed specifi-cally for users who need high light out-put, but use their lights at close range.Features of the LightStar 300 include:dual mode 300/100-lumen output, awide spill beam pattern with broad “hotspot” in the center, and a easy clickon/off tap button to switch modes. The6-inch long, 5.3 ounce LightStar 300 hasa 3-hour battery life in high beam mode

and a 24-hour battery life in low beam.The light comes with 2AA alkaline bat-teries, pocket clip, and attached wriststrap. Available in Titanium Grey orHigh Visibility Orange, the MSRP ofthe LightStar 300 is $54.99

The smaller LightStar 80 is the idealpenlight for jobs in tight spaces andthose that require the use of both of yourhands. The LightStar 80 is designed tomeet the needs of professionals with aunique, warm, high CRI (color render-ing index) LED color spectrum thatbrings colors to life unlike any otherLED light. In addition to a strong clipthat can stand up to being attached toyour hat, and most importantly a rubberBiteGrip so you never have to scrapeyour teeth on a metal handle again. TheLightStar 80 is 5.5 inches long andweighs a mere 2.4 ounces. It has a 5-hour battery life runtime and comeswith 2AAA alkaline batteries and a hightension, reversible pocket clip. Featuringa single 80-lumen output, the LightStar80 is available in titanium grey or highvisibility orange and has an MSRP of$29.99.

Technicians, law enforcement officers,military personnel and hardcore out-doorsmen all appreciate the durabilityand reliability that comes with owning aTerraLUX light. TerraLUX flashlights

4.66 ACRES FOR SALE 4.66 ACRES FOR SALE IN SCHUYLER COUNTYIN SCHUYLER COUNTYProperty has many beautiful trees & plenty of DEER and

TURKEY to hunt on your own land. PLUS a well and power on property. ONLY 1 mi. from SANGANOIS Conservation

Area and 15 min. from ANDERSONLAKE. There is a 385 acre ATV and Dirt bike riding area just

minutes away.PRICE REDUCED! $25,500PRICE REDUCED! $25,500

Call Jeff: 309-261-1514Call Jeff: 309-261-1514

GREAT AFFORDABLE GETAWAY LOCATION:2 large lots For Sale near Lake Chautauqua. Located Next

to Arrowhead Campground. Secluded Area. All Timber.Great for Camping or a Cabin/Home site. Each Lot 73 ft.

wide. Both Lots Sacrifice $3,000! Call 309-360-0487

are designed with the pros in mind but sold without the profes-sional price tag, and there are no bulbs to replace and no expensivespecialty batteries to buy. TerraLUX flashlights can be purchasedonline at www.batteryjunction.com and at retail locations nation-wide.

About TerraLUX Inc.TerraLUX Inc., headquartered in Longmont, CO, invents,

designs, patents, manufactures, and distributes innovative highpower LED solutions for general illumination, industrial, commer-cial, medical and portable applications. TerraLUX produces fullyintegrated LED Light Engines and Modules to replace incandescentbulbs in commercial lighting as well as many popular flashlightsand lighting tools. LED lighting is energy efficient and mercury-free, and can provide significant relief from current energy con-sumption.

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Elusive Wildlife

Technologies Products…

NOW AVAILABLE!

The Kill Light(GREEN LED'S)

Portable Hog LightSystem With Built In

Photocell ONLY $49.99

GREEN Kill Light XLR250 (Extreme Long

Range Tactical Rifle Light System)

ONLY $139.99and many more items!

THE SHARPESTKNIFE YOU WILL

NEVER LOSE!

The Havalon Piranta-EDGE with Blaze Orange Handle

The Havalon Piranta-Z Black Zytel

Pro Skinning Knife

MANY HAVALONKNIVES TO CHOOSE

FROM STARTING AT $35.95

FULL COVER CAMO FOR YOUR OFF-ROAD MACHINE!

SERIOUS CAMO FOR THE SERIOUS HUNTER!

PRICES START ATONLY $25.00!

STOP IN OUR STORE TODAY!ESPY MOTO Sports2452 Washington Rd. Washington, IL (Sunnyland)

Phone:

(309) 698-3068

IDNR Extends ControlledPheasant Hunting at Eldon Hazlet andWayne FitzgerrellSRAs

The Illinois Department ofNatural Resources (IDNR)announced that the controlled pheas-ant hunting seasons have been ex-tended at Eldon Hazlet State Recre-ation Area in Clinton County andWayne Fitzgerrell State RecreationArea in Franklin and Jefferson coun-ties.

Five days - Wednesday, January 11,2012 through Sunday, January 15,2012 – have been added at both El-don Hazlet and Wayne Fitzgerrell.These season extensions are possiblebecause the IDNR Wildlife Propaga-tion Centers have had a better thanexpected pheasant production seasonin 2011.

Hunters are encouraged to use theonline Controlled Pheasant HuntingReservation System at www.dnr.illi-nois.gov to secure permits for these

additional hunting opportu-nities. Reserved permits en-sure hunters will have theopportunity to hunt. Standbypermits are also available ateach site, although standbyhunting opportunities may belimited.

To access the reservationsystem:

1. Click on the "Hunt-ing/Trapping" button on thetoolbar on the IDNR Home

Page 2. Then click on the Pheasant Icon 3. Then click on "Controlled

Pheasant Areas" under the “QuickLinks” heading

Hunters are reminded that the dai-ly permit fee for controlled pheasanthunting is $25 for resident huntersand $35 for nonresident hunters. Thedaily permit fee applies to eachhunter. Reserved Permits are paidfor via credit card during the applica-tion process. Completing a permitreservation online can be accom-plished as late as 24 hours before anavailable hunt date and takes lessthan 5 minutes. Standby huntersmust pay daily permit fees in cash atthe site hunter check station on thehunt date.

Jerry Johnson and friends had a great two hour hunt over some Quail Unlimited managed ground.

Cody Barnes,age 14 went hunting at

Johnson SulkTrail in Illinoiswith his UncleLarry Barnes and his dad

Danny Barnes.They took 3

roosters, 1 hen &had a great day

hunting!

119.qxd 12/27/11 2:14 PM Page 1


NASCAR’S Richard Childress &

Missouri Dept. of ConservationDirector Bob Ziehmer NamedBass Pro Shops Conservation

Partners Of The Year

Springfield, MO- Bass Pro Shops has namedRichard Childress, president and chief executive offi-cer of Richard Childress Racing and Bob Ziehmer, Di-rector of the Missouri Department of Conservation astheir “2011 Conservation Partners of the Year”.

Both men were presented their awards by Bass ProShops founder Johnny Morris at the company’s annu-

al Christmas luncheon for associates held at their na-tional headquarters in Springfield, Missouri.

Childress, a former NASCAR driver, heads upRichard Childress Racing, a 12-time NASCAR champi-onship-winning organization. Together with racinglegend Dale Earnhardt they established RCR as one ofthe premier teams in all of motorsports. Another great passion Childress has is big-game hunt-ing and the conservation and preservation of wildlifehabitat in the United States and throughout the world.He currently serves on the board of directors of theNational Rifle Association and the Congressional

Sportsmen’s Foundation.“Richard is a long-time friend and hunting buddy

who loves racing and has used his platform in racing topromote many conservation causes. I have had somegreat times sitting around a campfire with him onhunting trips and during that time discovered thetrue heart this man has for conservation,” statedBass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris.

Morris also felt that Missouri Department of Con-servation Director Bob Ziehmer was most deserving ofa Bass Pro Shops Conservation Partner of the YearAward during this 75th anniversary of the agency.

Ziehmer assumed the role as Director on January15, 2010 and is the eighth director in those 75 years.

He believes that in-put and involve-ment are critical toconservation.

“All of us atBass Pro Shops areproud to honor Boband the MissouriDepartment ofConservation foreverything theyhave done for all ofus as Missourians to protect our right to hunt and fishas well as for their conservation efforts that help pro-tect the wildlife and their habitat,” continued Morris.“Their work has gained them recognition as the na-tional conservation leader that other states try tomodel”.

Past winners of the Bass Pro Shops ConservationPartner of the Year Award include Wayne LaPierre ofthe National Rifle Association, Rob Keck of the Na-tional Wild Turkey Federation, Jeff Trandahl of the Na-tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation and John Hoskinsof the Missouri Department of Conservation.

About Bass Pro Shops® :Bass Pro Shops® operates

58 retail stores in 26 statesand Canada visited by over112 million people annually.

Bass Pro Shops® also conducts an international

catalog and internet retailingoperation, American Rod &

Gun® wholesale division sellsto over 7,000 independently

owned retail stores worldwide. Outdoor World®Incentives also sells Bass Pro

Shops® gift cards throughover 132,000 retail outlets

across America. The Bass ProShops® restaurant division

with 28 locations. The company’s Tracker Marine

Group® (www.trackerboats.com) manufactures

and sells Tracker®, Nitro®,SunTracker®, Tahoe®,

Grizzly® and Mako® boatsthrough Bass Pro Shops® retail stores and over 400

dealers worldwide. The Resort Group (www.big

cedar.com) includes BigCedar Lodge® and other

resort properties includingrestaurants and golf courses.

For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops®store locations, products orspecial events, please visit

www.basspro.com. To request a free catalog, call 1-800-BASS PRO. Follow us

on Facebook at:facebook.com/bassproshops.

RichardChildress

BobZiehmer

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