Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i Game & Fish East

We hope you’ve already filled a bow tag this season and tasted backstraps again. If not, you’ve still got time to get in on the action. Turn to page 11 to take a look at some of the latest hunting firearms for 2018. We inspected chambers, pulled triggers and checked accuracy on a bunch of fine options. It might be time for you to up your game and spring for a new deer or coyote gun. Or you might just want to see what’s out there. Either way, we’re sure you’ll be triggered to get out in the woods, field or treestand.…

OCTOBER 27 - NOVEMBER 24 WILD TURKEY SEASONS OPEN WMU 1B – Oct. 27-Nov. 3; WMU 2B (shotgun; bow and arrow) – Oct. 27-Nov. 16 and Nov. 22-24; WMUs 1A, 2A, 4A and 4B, – Oct. 27-Nov. 3 and Nov. 22-24; WMUs 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C, 4D and 4E– Oct. 27-Nov. 10 and Nov. 22-24; WMU 2C – Oct. 27-Nov. 16 and Nov. 22-24; WMU 5A – Nov. 1-3; WMU 5B – Oct. 30-Nov. 1; WMUs 5C and 5D – Closed to fall turkey hunting. NOVEMBER 11 & 25 VETERAN FAMILY FLY FISHING PROGRAM Held at Spring Creek at Fisherman’s Paradise from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Veterans Family Fly Fishing Program is sponsored by the Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited. One-on-one fly…

EXPERIENCED DEER hunters know that the post-rut period can be as dull as the rut is exciting. It is a bit of a shock to go from seeing dozens of actively pursuing bucks every day at the peak of the rut to few or none just a few weeks later, but that is the nature of the beast. The rut never really ends till early December in most whitetail states because there is always an estrous doe somewhere, and the randiest of bucks will never stop looking for them. While there is a noticeable lull in buck activity following the first rutting period, there are two facts hunters must keep in mind as they work to unravel the post-rut mystery: Those bucks are still in the woods, and they are…

ORDER OUT OF CHAOS During the rut, deer movements reach their peak, and deer, especially nice bucks, are more apt to be moving during shooting hours. But the rut is a double-edged sword: The deer may be moving around more, but in the height of the chase period their movements are far harder to pattern. Bucks you carefully patterned before the season, and perhaps saw but couldn’t get a shot at in the early season, just stop showing up with any predictability. Orderly patterns are replaced by seeming chaos. In extreme cases, a big buck that has been using your hunting land for months will simply disappear suddenly. Typically, hunters conclude that the buck they’d been hoping to put on their wall was taken by another hunter, and that’s why…

OF COURSE, not all trout anglers are fly-casters. So how do spinning aficionados cope with the conditions for pursuing trout in November? The same factors apply when it comes to spin fishing: Get the lure down deep, fish it slow and offer a sizeable bite to the trout. But, in fact, spin-fishers have one advantage. Many of their offerings incorporate the ability to entice the fish into a strike. Those take the form of flash and vibration, which can catch the trout’s eye and alert its lateral line sensors. The wiggle of a small crankbait fits those characteristic, as do in-line spinners. When picking that crankbait, a small to medium version is probably better than a really big one. The best choice is one that has a slow wobbling action.…

Next to shotguns, decoys are the most important tools waterfowl hunters have. Over the last several decades, more than any other type of waterfowl gear, decoys have undergone a fantastic evolution. My first decoys were made of compressed paper pulp, and old-timers once made their own decoys from wood, cork or canvas. Most modern decoys are plastic, a material so adaptable that commercial manufacturers have created species and styles for every conceivable purpose. All this allows hunters to tailor decoys to targets, mix species properly, change the size of spreads and use confidence decoys. SPECIES-SPECIFIC SPREADS Most puddle-duck hunters use mallard decoys. Most diving-duck hunters set scaup decoys. These species are great for beginners’ setups. However, as they progress, hunters want to expand their take to include other species that…

NINE TIMES out of 10 when I hunt ducks solo on public waters, I’m doing so out of a 10-foot fiberglass Aquapod skiff. The Aquapod allows me a greater range as opposed to simply walking; I can go farther, leaving more hunters behind, and I can access places bigger boats can’t. Yet a skiff allows me to carry everything needed to be successful alone. This includes multiple species of decoys, my blind, which consists of four 6-foot, 1x1 stacks and a 4x8 piece of netting to which I tie swatches of grass and foliage. Now all-mallard rigs are not only boring, but ducks have seen countless spreads of them by late season. Given that, I mix mallards with a variety of puddlers, such as pintails, widgeon, shovelers, gadwall and a…

“WHY AREN’T YOU hunting today?” my wife Dawn asked. That was an unusual question for her during deer season. Normally, the question was, “You’re not really going hunting again today, are you?” “I think I’m losing interest,” I said, in my best feigned-discouragement voice. I was planning to hunt some nearby farmland in the afternoon after taking care of errands in the morning. “Lie down, I’ll call the doctor,” she said. “No, an ambulance would be quicker. If you’re not dying to go hunting, you must be just dying. Literally.” “No, I’m okay. It’s simply that it’s not as much fun when you don’t have a hunting partner or two.” “But if you go,” she said, “maybe today’s the day you’ll catch a deer.” “I doubt I could run fast…

Interactive Online Map Expanded to Offer More Information WORKING IN cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is rolling out an expanded interactive map that adds state game lands to a website already increasingly popular with hunters and other visitors to state woodlands. The map shows viewers areas of timber harvests and various habitat types as well as state forest boundaries and DMAP areas approved by the commission. Other map overlays include bear check station locations, elk management zones, and normally gated roads that will be opened in the fall. The map can be viewed at maps.dcnr.pa.gov/bof/huntmap/index.html. 2018-19 Pocket Guide Available Online TO ENSURE they’re informed before heading afield, those purchasing Pennsylvania hunting or furtaker licenses receive a complimentary pocket guide that summarizes seasons,…

BOLT-ACTION › BROWNING X-BOLT HUNTER .30-06 Springfield, $899 WHAT WE LIKED: It improves upon a classic A-Bolt design, features a free-floated barrel, extremely crisp trigger and a wide variety of cartridges for whatever game you’re pursuing. WHAT WE’D CHANGE: The proprietary bases and scope rings can be tricky to find. LAUNCHED IN 2008, a little over 20 years after the A-Bolt made its public debut, the X-Bolt made an impact on the bolt-action rifle market. Some of its more noteworthy features are the 60-degree bolt throw, detachable rotary magazine, bolt unlock button, and its recoil inflex technology that helps mitigate recoil by pushing the stock down and away from the shooter’s face. The feather trigger is crisp and can be adjusted from 2 to 5 pounds. Contrary to the classic…

CREEKS ALWAYS influence deer movement, but how they do so depends on the size of the creek. Generally, the bigger the stream, the less inclined deer are to cross it. Larger creeks or rivers usually have a pronounced deer trail along the side of the stream, as do even small creeks if they have a steep cut bank. If there are good food sources such as oak trees along the stream, that trail will see a lot of doe traffic and bucks will check it periodically. Brush- and tree-lined creeks winding through fields are also great travel corridors for bucks, not only because does use these areas to travel and bed, but because the buck can cross the field without being seen. Pick a sturdy tree along the creek to…

WHEN IT COMES to hunting bears in the northeast, states in northern New England generally get a lot of the attention. With lots of bears, long seasons, plenty of prime bear habitat and hunting licenses that don’t cost a fortune, the attention is well warranted. Which begs the question, how does Pennsylvania stack up? The answer? Quite nicely, thank you very much. LOTS OF BEARS Back in the 1970s Pennsylvania’s bear population was estimated at about 4,000 animals. Since then, the population has increased five-fold to about 20,000, one of the largest not only in the northeast, but east of the Mississippi. According to recent Pennsylvania Game Commission reports, bears are now found in most of the commonwealth’s available habitat, including the so-called fringe areas, and densities are increasing, nearing…

CALLING IS part-and-parcel of the art of waterfowl hunting. However, in certain situations, silence is golden. One of them occurs when calling both ducks and geese. You have attracted the attention with greeting calls and the birds responded. They are circling, looking over the decoys, while you coax them with confidence calls. Suddenly, the birds go silent. They may be circling behind the blind, out of sight. They could also be hovering, but have not moved away in another direction or shown other signs of alarm. This is a true test of a great caller because the hardest thing to do is to go silent. The birds know the decoys are there and are making up their minds. Something may not look just right to them, but as long as…

Game & Fish readers are hardcore sportsmen, and don’t all sportsmen have an opinion? You bet. We want to hear your thoughts on our fishing and hunting stories, our gear coverage and how the magazine is laid out. Is there something we’re missing? Can we do a better job? We know you have an opinion. Let’s hear it... CONTACT US EMAIL: todd.kuhn@outdoorsg.com INSTAGRAM: @gameandfishmag FACEBOOK.com/gameandfishTEXT: 404-934-8928 MAIL: Todd Kuhn / GAME & FISH 3330 Chastain Meadows Pkwy., Ste. 200, Kennesaw, GA 30144…

IN 1967, Thompson/Center offered the first Contender: a single-shot, hammerfired pistol that could be easily converted to a rifle, a shotgun or a muzzleloader. Although it looked like nothing else on the market at that time, shooters and hunters immediately fell in love with Thompson/Center’s new handgun. In particular, competitive silhouette pistol shooters favored the T/C’s lengthy barrel and robust grip as well as the fact that the Contender could be modified to fire a variety of cartridges. Many of those silhouette shooters were also hunters, and the Contender became one of the top options for handgun hunting. In 2013 Thompson/Center dropped the Contender from their line, but within two years the company brought back a new, sleek, modernized version of the pistol. The modern T/C G2 Contender looks very…

Lost while out hunting? No problem. Wonder whose property you’re on? Still not a problem. OnX is a hunting app that lets you know exactly where you stand — literally. With onX, property boundary lines and who owns the land are prominently displayed on an aerial map. Additionally, while in the field, onX pinpoints your physical location on the map. With the topographical overlays, you can read the lay of the land while plotting a course or searching for a candidate hunting area. Specifically for Pennsylvania hunters, the app offers layers for public and private lands; possible access points and lands that the state manages; and state forests. It also includes fishing access locations and boat ramps; recreation sites; and weather and radar. Worried about losing your signal? OnX works…

I’ll be honest. I didn’t always waterfowl hunt on public ground. In fact, I’d hunted ducks for probably a dozen years or more before ever stepping foot on a state-owned wildlife management area. Back when I slipped into my first set of chest waders, we were still hunting land that my father had grown up hunting. BUT THE times changed. Owners passed away, property was sold, and slowly I found myself spending more and more days on public ground. Some of the experiences were incredible, others not so much. But good or bad, birds or no, one thing has always remained a constant when it comes to public ground — the learning curve. The hunters who are successful on public ground are constantly learning. They roll with the punches and…

PERFECTION. Every archer wants to achieve it. But does the “perfect shot” even exist? “That’s the interesting thing about archery,” says Guy Krueger. “You’re always competing against perfection. And perfection, whether you’re shooting at a target or an animal, or you’re talking about your technique, really isn’t attainable. We’re human, and no matter how close we get to the center of the target, the shot can always be a little bit closer. Really good? Yes. Excellent? Yes. Perfect? No.” Krueger has been immersed in archery for more than 30 years now. He serves as the education and training manager for USA Archery, a position he has held for eight years. A Level 5-NTS Certified Instructor, he has worked for Team USA as the women’s head coach, assistant national head coach,…