Subscribe now | Current Issue | Shop Online | About Fur Fish Game | Contact Us

Team Fur News - Sep24

Are We Better Off? Technology vs. Skill

By FUR-FISH-GAME Editor, John D. Taylor

Everything in this photo, from the bolt rifle to the Stormy Kromer cap to the duck call, was a
product of the turn of the 20th century. Some things stand the test of time.

Outdoor gear catalogs crept into my mailbox last month, where they apparently bred and began multiplying – clearly a case of junk mail overpopulation. So, I culled the herd, tossing them all into the recycling bin to find new life wherever recycled paper in my neck of the woods goes.

I didn’t always feel that way about catalogs. Years ago, when L.L. Bean’s fall catalogs came, I’d develop a nasty case of the galloping want-mes for stuff. I was already hunting everything while wearing Bean boots. (Still do, but I switched to Schnee’s version because they fit more like cowboy boots, and that just feels right.) Yet I coveted a loden green wool cruiser jacket; a new birdshooter vest; another pair of expensive, tight-fitting, leather birdshooter gloves that colored my hands when they got wet; and wool-like Worsterlon shirts for grouse hunting. Several styles of pants and sweaters also caught my eye. On and on it went...

Trouble was my meager income didn’t allow for extravagances. So, the galloping want-mes went largely unrequited. I’m thankful for that today.

Curious, I thumbed through some recent catalogs before tossing them. Things sure had changed, or was it me?

One catalog led off with an 800SX Tracker Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) for a mere $14,000 and a Tracker four-wheeler for $6,000. You could buy lesser vehicles cheaper, if you were a skinflint and obviously not cool.

Yuck, I thought... I don’t want that. If you’ve ever slept in a cold truck, risen several hours before sunrise, gulped down a cold oatmeal breakfast, and hiked several miles into a Rocky Mountain drainage to hunt elk, thinking you’d enjoy solitude and unpressured elk, only to have some idiot roar up the trail on an OHV, you might understand why I loathe them. They have their place on a ranch, farm or worksite. But it seems to me outdoor TV celebrities have brainwashed a couple generations into believing they must ride, rather than walk (or better yet, ride a horse) into their hunting area, even if they’re just going half a mile to a Midwestern woodlot deer stand.

And if you're a person who struggles with mobility issues I'm not talking about you. You deserve every advantage you can get.

A couple pages later, scent-free, super-duper, extra waterproof camouflage gear in 14 shades for different types of terrain appeared. Price tag: a mere $500. Each camo pattern cost a separate $500. So, if you hunted deer in the woods on Saturday, and in grasslands on Sunday, you’d need at least two, $1,000. But you gotta have that or deer will see you, right?

Next page featured “puffy” outerwear. I laughed. Back in the Cretaceous Era, we called them down jackets and vests. Good stuff for cold weather. But these new ones were (supposedly) scent and ultra-violet light free and didn’t have that peculiar nylon swish when you moved (a good idea) like they used to. Now you could stalk right up to a rutting 10-point wearing this, assuming he didn’t hear you cruise in on your OHV.

The carnage continued: $500 brand-name boots stuffed with Primaloft insulation, encased by Gore-Tex and hawked as gotta-have by outdoor celebrities. They’d certainly send you up the steepest mountainside in style, provided you could lift your kinda heavy feet. Noisy nylon gaiters covered the boots to look TV guy cool. Compound bows featured gizmos certain to make your arrow fly straight into vital zones – who needs practice? Six duck decoys sure to pull the wariest mallards cost what several dozen did a decade ago. No one repaints decoys anymore?

In the back of the catalog, came bionic binoculars that could find a bedded muley buck in the densest sage patch and hyper-modern rifles that looked like they came from Star Wars or a video game. Why put a heat shield on a bolt rifle? How many shots would it take to heat up that barrel beyond touch, especially in deer season? So, it’s no longer one and done any more?

Since hunting season was upcoming, that stuff appeared first in the catalogs. But fishing wasn’t ignored. Boats costing more than my first house offered techno-sonar fish finder units that practically guaranteed to put you over the biggest school of walleyes in any lake. Connected lures were more like “smart” missiles that sought out the biggest bass in the lake, attacking them, instead of the angler finessing it. Rods and reels almost guaranteed no fish would be lost – assuming you could cast them and hook the fish.

My final thought, watching the catalogs plop into the recycle bin, was how far have we really come in our quest to experience the outdoors since those Bean catalogs, since my grandfather’s generation? What kind of gear did they use? Was it better, or has technology overtaken outdoor skills?

Our technology would probably shock my grandfather’s generation. Grandpa Taylor was born in 1906, four years after famed outdoor writer Jack O’Connor. One of O’Connor’s quests was for the ultimate lightweight mountain rifle. In 1935, four years before he became a gun editor, he hunted Mexico’s Sonora coast for desert sheep. His rifle wasn’t the Model 70 in .270 Winchester he was known for. The first Model 70s were produced in 1936. Instead, O’Connor toted a 10-1/2-pound .30-06, with a 26-inch barrel, sporting a heavy German scope. Humping this rig up and down those hot mountains didn’t cut it.

O’Connor came to the Model 70 through his gun editor work later. In 1954, he believed he had the ultimate lightweight rifle, a custom Model 70 in .270. He’d taken Wyoming elk, Indian blackbuck, and Iranian red sheep and ibex with it. He also used this rifle for gun tests and load development. He decided to acquire a duplicate to ease rifle No. 1’s burdens. No. 2 was another Model 70, in .270, stocked in French walnut, sporting a Leupold Mountaineer 4X scope. It weighed 8 pounds.

O’Connor likely had a harder time finding sheep or other game, because his optics, even spotting scopes, didn't compare with modern optics. Also, lacking a laser rangefinder, he guesstimated range. He hunted in heavy (by today’s standards) wool and cotton clothing; climbed the same nearly vertical mountain slopes still there today in heavy leather boots that likely had Vibram soles (1937). He slept in a canvas tent, on a cot, in a canvas bedroll lacking polyfill, waterproofing, and other conveniences modern mountaineers take for granted.

By comparison, today’s mountain hunter totes a synthetic-stocked rifle weighing just 5 to 6 pounds. His bullets are far more aerodynamic and travel at speeds somewhat faster than the .270, which means more accessible accuracy, especially when paired with a ballistically calibrated lightweight scope. His breathable, waterproof, camo clothing weighs ounces not pounds. He uses a rangefinder to determine exact distance, and finds game with lightweight, fog-proof spotting scopes. He might reach the top of the mountain on foot or horseback but is more likely to be driven or flown a whole lot closer than O’Conner ever was.

Fred Bear, born in 1902, popularized bowhunting, beginning in the 1940s, and manufactured archery gear. He came to bowhunting in his 20s, thanks to a film featuring Art Pope, of Pope and Young fame, arrowing game. He later connected with Art Young, the Young in that equation. Together, he and Young manufactured recurve bows, wood at first, then fiberglass laminated recurves. Bow production jumped from 7,500 bows in 1947, to more than 360,000 conventional, glass and compound bows by 1976. Bear also invented a broadhead, shooting glove and quiver. His exploits using recurves to hunt everything from North American grizzlies to Africa’s Cape buffalo are legendary. Bear’s legacy lives on: Bear recurves, longbows, compounds and crossbows are still being manufactured.

Yet modern compound technology, a far cry from Bear’s recurves, longbows or even a 1976 compound, would probably astound Fred Bear. Recurve and longbows are all about hand-eye coordination. You practice, practice, practice until you can put your arrows where you want them. Modern compounds – if archers are honest – are much easier to use, sporting lighted sight pins for various yardages, even scopes; stabilizers; limbs made of modern materials, not wood; and many other gizmos. Arrows are no longer wood, but aluminum, graphite and other materials. Broadheads, no longer fixed, sport names that suggest violence, and have become mechanical devices that flick razor-sharp blades open to create enormous wound channels.

Then there’s all the “spy gear” hunters use to find and monitor big game: Game cameras link to cell phones to give hunters a live “peeping tom” view of deer, elk or other big game life. Drones – many states don’t allow them – offer aerial intrusions. Also, specialized foods and scents lure deer into range.

Anglers are no different. In Grandpa’s day, they relied on topography, a sense where fish might be and how to fish for them to catch fish. Today, sonar technology practically drives the boat to fish, reels wind themselves and tell you how much line is out, lures don’t just mimic fish prey but have the feel and scent of prey. There’s hardly an excuse for not catching fish.

Small game and predator hunting haven’t escaped technology, either. Advances in shotguns, chokes, shotshells and clothing make Grandpa’s double-barrel, canvas coat and leather boots “obsolete.” GPS dog collars track your hound. And bird hunters just ain’t cool unless they’re wearing a strap vest with 4,000 pockets and a hydration bladder for Fritz, the German wirehair.

Trapping is about the only outdoor pursuit that despite some advances – foothold trap design, coon cuffs, bodygrip traps, snare design and anchors – remains much as it was in my grandfather’s time.

So, are we better off for all this?

Some argue yes. Deer hunters point to intense competition, especially in the East, on small plots of land, as the necessity for game cameras, scents, food plots, etc. Archers say compound bow technology helps them take big game more effectively. Ducks and geese get smarter every year, hence waterfowler’s need for decoys that flap and move. And so on.

But I’m not so sure.

Seems to me technology has become a crutch, replacing real, hard-earned outdoor skills. Consider GPS, it locates you via satellites. I own one, use it to make sure I’m not trespassing on private property. But I still rely on land navigation skills I learned in Boy Scouts to find my way around. I’d sooner “read” water than rely on sonar to find fish, and I like my paddle-powered canoe, boots or a horse over a roaring bass boat or OHV.

I love my laser rangefinder. But in the end, it’s my stalking skills and the aim of my .25-06, now considered “obsolete” compared to anything Creedmoor or PRC, that drops the buck or pronghorn. I shoot a recurve or longbow equivalent to a compound, probably because it’s a lot like shotgunning. My pointing dogs wear beeper e-collars so I can find them in tall grass and to keep them safe from stuff like rattlesnakes or roads. But they also hunt mostly within sight.

Call me an iconoclast 19th century hillbilly if you like. The shoe fits. But I earned my skills, I didn’t buy them from a catalog. Therein lies the problem with technology. We – me included – far too often want immediate gratification instead of earning something the hard way.

Sources:
• Jack O'Conner Perfect Model 70
• Jack O'Conner Wikipedia
• Jack O'Conner
• Model 70 Wikipedia
• 12 Lightweight Rifles
• Fred Bear Wikipedia
• Bear Archery

Wisconsin Ruffed Grouse Numbers Up

A ruffed grouse. Photo: WDNR/Ryan Brady

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (WDNR) annual Roadside Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey says bird numbers are up in the Badger State. The survey, conducted by WDNR, the U.S. Forest Service, tribal partners and volunteers, measures ruffed grouse drumming activity heard along roadsides throughout Wisconsin each spring. This year showed a 57% increase in statewide drumming compared to 2023. WDNR attributed abnormally dry conditions that resulted in prime nesting and brooding conditions, and the birds entering in the up phase of their 10-year population cycles, for the increase. The 2024 survey showed a 41% increase in drumming in the central priority area, 60% in the northern priority area and a 56% decrease in drumming in the Driftless priority area. For survey results, visit WDNR’s Ruffed Grouse Hunting webpage https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/ruffedgrouse

North Dakota Pheasant Counts Up

A ringneck pheasant. Photo: Ilona Huuskonen/Unsplash

The number of roosters heard crowing during North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s (NGFD) 2024 spring pheasant crowing count survey was up 37% statewide from last year. “This is really good news but expected, considering we had such great production last year and the mild winter we had certainly wasn’t hard on birds,” said RJ Gross, Department upland game management biologist. The primary regions holding pheasants showed 28.8 crows per stop in the southwest, up from 19.5 in 2023; 21.5 crows per stop in the northwest, up from 16.6; and 16 crows per stop in the southeast, up from 12.8. The count in the northeast, which is not a primary region for pheasants, was 5 crows per stop, up from 3.3 last year. Barring untimely heavy rains, cool weather or hail, Gross expects more good news after the peak of the pheasant hatch. “The residual cover this year was great … with timely rains, the habitat for nesting looks great,” he said. “We should be setting up for a good fall.” Pheasant crowing counts are conducted each spring. Observers drive specified 20-mile routes, stopping at predetermined intervals, to count the number of roosters crowing over a 2-minute period. When compared to previous years’ data, trends are revealed.

Wildlife Research Center Trail Cam Photo Contest

WRC poster for contest.

Wildlife Research Center, a leader in hunting scents and human scent elimination products, has launched the company’s 2024 Trail Cam Photo Contest. The contest runs through December 31, 2024, so there’s plenty of time to get your best trail camera photos entered for a chance to win bi-weekly prizes or the Grand Prize Package. To enter the contest, simply submit trail camera photos throughout the season that include one of Wildlife Research Center’s popular scent kits – the new Golden Rope Scent Rope Kit, the Active Branch Mock Scrape Kit, or the Scrape Dripper. Visit the Trail Cam Photo Contest page, https://shoot-on.com/wildlife-research-center-photo-contest/, and upload one photo per day throughout the contest period. The $3,000-plus Grand Prize Package includes products from Wildlife Research Center, a crossbow, crossbow scope, Cuddeback trail cameras, broadheads, a hunting/skinning knife and boots. In addition to the grand prize, 10 successful entrants will win a bi-weekly prize package valued at $233. Visit Wildlife Research Center’s offerings at Wildlife.com.

Black Bear Euthanized After Multiple Montana Conflicts

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says it easier to prevent conflicts with bears than to
resolve a conflict. Photo: Michael Anfang/Unsplash

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) trapped and euthanized a female black bear in southern Carbon County after multiple conflicts in the area this summer and last year. FWP received reports of and observed this bear in the area during the last two years. The bear repeatedly got into both secured and unsecured attractants such as garbage, approached people and spent significant time lingering near homes. Hazing efforts proved ineffective, so the bear was euthanized due to food conditioning, habituation and human safety concerns. Food-conditioned and habituated bears have obtained unnatural foods, destroyed property or displayed aggressive, non-defensive behavior towards humans. Once a bear is food-conditioned, hazing and aversive conditioning are unlikely to reverse its behavior. The female black bear, estimated to be 5 to 7 years old, had two healthy yearling cubs that were captured and taken to FWP’s Helena wildlife rehabilitation center, to be released. FWP notes that avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with conflicts. Bears are curious and food driven. Securing attractants, like bird feeders, garbage cans, grills, fruit on trees, and other items can greatly reduce bear conflicts. For more information on living with bears, visit mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear/be-bear-aware/living-bear-country.

New F-F-G Cap

Brown and cream cap is made in the USA.

Every once in a while we freshen up the products we sell. And here's a fine example of that. A newly designed cap. 6 Panel-Structured. Mid to Low Crown. Washed Cotton Twill. Pre-curved Sandwich Visor. Hook/Loop Tape Velcro Closure. Contrasting Stitching. The losure matches the front panel color. Embroidered FUR-FISH-GAME Logo. Made in the USA. Only $13.95. Check out all our new products here: F-F-G New Products.

Minnesota to Transfer 80,000 Acres of Boundary Waters Canoe Area to Feds

Minnesota wants 89,000 acres of BWCAW school lands into fedral lands to benefit schools.
Photo: Lucas Canino/Unsplash

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the Minnesota Office of School Trust Lands, and the U.S. Forest Service - Superior National Forest (USFS) are working on a deal to transfer 80,000 acres of school trust lands within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) to federal ownership. This will benefit Minnesota's public education system, MDNR says. The state, USFS and The Conservation Fund (TCF) were working on a proposal to exchange school trust lands inside BWCAW for lands outside BWCAW. That process, despite being underway since 2012, never yielded an outcome. So, DNR recently withdrew its land exchange proposal, USFS will cancel the Environmental Impact Statement for the original deal and a new proposal was put forward. Under this effort, MDNR would remove school trust land designation from 80,000 acres of state lands inside BWCAW, and the federal government would purchase those lands from MDNR using federal Land and Water Conservation Funds. Money from the sale would be deposited in the state’s Permanent School Fund, which supports 850,000 students in K-12 public education by distributing revenue to every public and charter school in the state. Also, TCF is also proposing to sell some 15,000 acres within the Superior National Forest boundary, outside BWCAW, directly to USFS. MDNR is evaluating TCF lands in consultation with USFS, counties, and tribes to identify parcels suitable for acquisition. Funding will be needed for MDNR to purchase TCF lands outside the BWCAW. For more information about these proposals, visit https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/school_lands/school-trust-lands-projects.html.

North Carolina Marks Record Turkey Bag

North Carolina hunters tagged a record 24,000-plus wild turkeys this spring.
Photo: Tyler Jamieson Moulton/Unsplash

Results from North Carolina’s Wildlife Resources Commission’s (NCWRC) 2024 Wild Turkey Harvest report show that hunters tagged 24,074 birds statewide in 2024, up 8%, including 2,372 birds taken during the youth season. This is 15 fewer turkeys than last year’s record total, making the 2024 Spring Turkey season the second-highest year on record. Both the Mountain and Coastal ecoregions reported increases in harvest numbers compared to the 2023 season. To put thing in perspective, Hannah Plumpton, NCWRC’s upland game bird biologist, compared this year’s harvest to the average harvest of the last three years. Each season was five weeks, including one week for youth hunters. The results said youth harvest increased by 11%, the coastal region bag was up 13%, the mountain bag was up 8%, piedmont 2%, game lands bag was up 5%. The adult gobbler harvest was up 11%, and 10% fewer jakes were tagged. The top five counties were Duplin (872), Pender (694), Halifax (612), Columbus (598) and Brunswick (589). Four other counties had more than 500 turkeys harvested. When considering the size of the counties, the top five counties for the number of turkeys harvested per square mile were Duplin, Franklin, Northampton, Halifax and Chowan.

Record North Dakota Walleye Production to Boost Fisheries

North Dakota’s 12 million walleye fingerlings for stocking should yield good results for
anglers when the fry come of age later. Photo: Zab Consulting/Unsplash

North Dakota’s walleye fingerling stocking wrapped up in late summer with Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery setting a record just short of 12 million fingerlings produced. Distribution trucks traveled more than 12,000 miles over a two-week period to stock the fish, according to Jerry Weigel, North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF) fish production supervisor. When combined with fingerling production from Valley City National Fish Hatchery, 177 waters were stocked, providing a great boost in developing future fishing prospects across the state. “Traditionally, on large production years, significant numbers of walleye fingerlings would go to big systems like Lake Sakakawea, Lake Ashtabula and Stump Lake,” Weigel said. “This year, no walleyes went to those waters, given very strong survival from last year’s stockings. Just over 10 million fish went to up-and-coming smaller systems to enhance those fisheries along with taking advantage of rising lake levels at many prairie lakes due to the very wet spring.” “Stocking conditions in 2024 were optimal given the wet spring and early summer, and cooler than normal temps,” Weigel said. “The receiving waters were rich in invertebrates, critical food for the survival of the newly stocked walleye. Conditions are favorable for good survival and growth of young walleyes, which will continue to provide good fishing opportunities across the state for years to come.”

Suspected Nevada Wolves Were Coyotes

Nevada’s Department of Wildlife determined three suspected wolf sightings near
Elko were actually coyotes. Photo: Hanna May/Unsplash

After receiving results from two independent genetic testing labs, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) has determined three suspected wolf sightings near Merritt Mountain, north of Elko, were actually coyotes. DNA analysis of hair, fecal and urine samples collected along with suspected tracks in the snow revealed with 99.9% certainty that samples are from coyotes. In mid-March, a helicopter crew contracted by NDOW for a moose collaring project observed three animals that resembled wolves. After the crew reported the sighting, NDOW biologists followed up with a helicopter search, then with ground surveys via snowmobiles. Following tracks through the snow, biologists collected hair, fecal and urine samples. Two independent labs analyzed the samples and test results showed coyotes not wolves. Nevada, not historically known as wolf habitat, does occasionally see wolves crossing state lines. NDOW remains committed to monitoring wildlife populations and ensuring public safety.

Largemouth Bass Breaks 37-Year-Old New York State Record

James Britenbaugh, a Pennsylvania angler, reeled in a 12-pound, 6-ounce, Cayuga Lake
largemouth breaking a 37-year New York state record in July. Photo: NDEC

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NDEC) says a 12-pound, 6-ounce Cayuga Lake largemouth bass has set a state record. On July 11, James Britenbaugh, a Pennsylvania angler, reeled in the record-breaking bass while fishing in preparation for an upcoming bass tournament. Britenbaugh’s catch surpasses the previous 37-year-old record largemouth, caught in Buckhorn Lake in 1987 by 1 pound, 2 ounces. During 2024, New York landed five lakes on Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 100 Best Bass Lakes in the country. This included the St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), ranked as the best bass water in the nation, along with Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, ranked as the seventh-best water. Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake and Oneida Lake also made the list. The largemouth record also came shortly after a state record for longnose gar was smashed. On June 21, Chuck Zimmerman of Hilton, New York, reeled in a 15-pound, 14-ounce longnose from Butterfield Lake in Jefferson County.

West Virginia Bear Harvest Up 64%

West Virginia’s bear harvest was up by more than 1,700 bears last season,
a 64% increase. Photo: WVDNR

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) says archery and firearms hunters harvested 2,830 black bears in West Virginia last fall, up 64 percent – or 1,727 more bears – from the previous season. WVDNR biologists projected increased black bear harvests for the state due to favorable mast conditions. Hunters harvested 1,898 bears during the firearms season and 932 bears during the archery and crossbow season. The top five firearms counties were Boone (152), Nicholas (144), Randolph (133), Pocahontas (124) and Kanawha (124). The top five archery counties were Fayette (83), McDowell and Wyoming (71), Nicholas (62), Raleigh (59) and Greenbrier (55).

Upcoming Events

West Virginia Trappers Convention - The West Virginia Trappers Association will hold their 55th Annual Trappers Convention on September 20 - 21, at the Gilmer County Recreation Center, located at 1365 Sycamore Run Road, in Glenville, West Virginia. Admission is free. Gates open at 9 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday. For a list of vendors and more information, visit www.wvtrappers.com or contact Jeremiah Whitlatch (304) 916-3329.

Minktoberfest - Mink trappers will want to make the trek to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, October 3 through 6, to participate in this event, which offers a “peer learning experience” for trappers. Pre-registration is required, and the cost is $325, with meals included. Attendees are responsible for their own accommodations. Hip boots or waders are recommended. For more information or to register, contact Don Powell at (814) 938-3031.

Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters Association Fall Rendezvous – The Texas Trapper and Fur Hunters Association will hold their Fall Rendezvous October 18 and 19, at the Gatesville Civic Center, 301 Veteran’s Memorial Loop, in Gatesville, Texas. The event includes demonstrations, live auction, and more. For more information, visit www.ttfha.com or call Matt Carter (830) 505-0033

Maine Fall Fur Auction - The Central Maine Chapter of the Maine Trappers Association will hold its annual Fall Fur Auction December 15, at the Palmyra Community Center, 768 Main St. Palmyra, Maine. Doors open at 7 a.m. For more information, contact Ted Perkins at 207-570-6243.

Coming in October

Features
• The Thomas Buck - Jason Thomas shares how he arrowed Buckmasters’ Ohio state record, the No. 2 whitetail behind the Huff buck.
• Sage Grouse - Jim Zumbo looks at sage grouse, North America’s largest grouse, their conservation and hunting them.
• Mallards and Millennials - Can teacher Bruce Ingram learn to hunt ducks from his students? His answer is yes and here’s what he learned.
• Coon Trails - Jeffrey Miller looks at finding and trapping raccoons on their trails in a variety of settings.
• Mothers and Fishing - Trevor Hubbs writes about how Dad isn’t always the person who teaches kids how to fish. Sometimes Mom steps into that role.

Other Stories
A Trophy Shot – Lucas Byker goes moose hunting in Alaska, hoping for big antlers. He comes away with a winter’s worth meat for the freezer.
Cabling Beavers – Andrew Zysek explores beaver trapping rigs.
On Becoming a Smallmouth Convert – Fred Prince explores his conversion from brook trout aficionado to smallmouth lover.
Fur Pockets – Pat Donnelly share how to find pockets of fur and trap them.
Staying Found: Life-Saving Navigation Skills – Chris Ingram looks at developing land navigation skills that could save your life.
Brush Pile Cottontails – C.T. Smith shares how to find and hunt cottontails in brush piles on public land.
Coot Shoot – Phil Goes grew up shooting coots and he still enjoys hunting mudhens.
Dawn on the River – David Darlington and his black Lab chase ducks on the Platte River, discovering meaning along the way.