Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i Game & Fish East

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

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

Considering the fact that Pennsylvania’s squirrel season is open for nearly half the year, running from mid-September through the end of February, you’d think there’d be more squirrels harvested in the Keystone than there are. It’s not like they’re an unworthy quarry. When they hunker tight against an oak tree and slowly shimmy around to the other side to avoid a hunter, just getting a clear shot can be a challenge. And it’s not like they’re not tasty. Since squirrels love to eat nuts, you’d be nuts not to love eating squirrels. While that may be a play on words, it makes a serious point: squirrels really are delicious. They fatten up eating acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts and more, and that makes for sweet meat. That’s why, once upon a…

For die-hard anglers, cold temps and piercing winds can’t dim the thrill of being on the water. In fact, when lakes freeze over, the bite can really heat up for a number of top-tier game fish—especially white and yellow perch. While perch are abundant in lakes, ponds and rivers across the Northeast, we’re lucky to have a handful of spots that serve up trophy-sized fish at a jawdropping rate. So, fire up the auger and get ready to experience some of the best fishing action the region has to offer. SUPER STRATEGIES Most Northeast states allow anglers to use up to five lines while ice-fishing, giving you the flexibility to combine tip-ups and jigging to effectively explore a body of water. Be sure to check local regulations, though, as line…

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

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

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

There may not be any smoke on the water, but Lake Anna is on fire right now. At least that is how Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources fisheries biologist John Odenkirk describes the action in the 13,000-acre impoundment spread across parts of Virginia’s Louisa, Orange and Spotsylvania counties. The lake, located about 30 miles southwest of Fredericksburg, is owned by the Dominion Power Company. Completed in 1972 to serve as cooling water for the North Anna Nuclear Power Station, it is divided into two sides separated by stone dikes. The larger public side, often called the “cold” side, spans 9,600 acres. The public side has the lake’s only marinas, boat launches and public access points. Only property owners and North Anna Power Station employees can access the private side Water…

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

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

Looking down, a smile spread across my face as my border collie Sage stayed in step right beside me. The hike into the mountain foothills had been long, and in some places the snow deep, but Sage was always ready to accompany me on any coyote hunt. Despite my joy in having her along, I could see something was different about her. Instead of racing ahead, a common characteristic of border collies, she often stayed by my side now. Age was catching up to her. Besides her slower pace, her eyesight and hearing were also deteriorating. For more than a dozen years Sage had joined me on coyote hunts, learning along the way. I remember her first close encounter with a coyote, an adult female. Sage reluctantly left my side…

A lot of hunters can probably say that their first successful hunt was while pursuing rabbits. Whether you prefer to chase cottontails behind a brace of beagles or hunt them on-on-one, use these tips to fill a vest with bunnies this month. 1. TIME IT RIGHT Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dusk and dawn. One way to maximize shot opportunities on rabbits is to simply not sleep in too late, or to get a quick hunt in before the sun sets. I have run home from work, gone afield for the last hour of daylight and brought a daily limit home for the freezer. It is a great strategy during the work week when an all-day hunt isn’t possible. 2. FIND THE ZONE Location is critical.…

Biologists estimate that the current snow goose pop-ulation in North America is somewhere between 10 million and 20 million birds—more than twice as many as the estimated 7 million Canada geese on the continent. Every spring, thousands of these birds fly through New York’s airspace as they mi-grate from their wintering grounds in Delaware and Maryland back to their Arctic tundra breeding grounds where they’ll spend the summer. As they fly overhead, they provide an incredible opportunity for hunters to have amazing days in the field. SHIFTING MIGRATIONS Joe Austin, owner of D.O.A. Outfitters (doaoutfitters.com), started hunting snow geese when he was 24 years old. Now 70, he has accumulated almost 50 years of experience. Austin says he’ll typically start seeing big flocks of snows move through New York in…