Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

Just like open water fishing, success on hard water requires using the right tools for the job. (Dr. Jason Halfen/)

No different than in open water, each trip on the ice is unique: we fish at different depths, with different lures, for different species, each time we venture on the ice. As a result, every angler should own a basic arsenal of ice rods and reels that will cover the typical contingencies they may face during the hardwater months. Let’s begin by dissecting the issues surrounding rod, reel, and line selection for ice fishing.

Ice Rods 101

Picking the right ice rod, reel, and line requires you to think carefully about your target species, water depth, and lure weight. (Dr. Jason Halfen/)

Just as when fishing open water, the variables we need to consider when picking an ice rod are length, power, and action. Of these, length may be the most significant difference between soft- and hardwater rods; while a long rod for bass fishing might extend into the eight- to nine-foot range, the longest rod you’re likely to ever string up for ice fishing is 48 inches long, and most will be significantly shorter. To a certain extent, rod length correlates with your target species: most panfish rods fall into the 20- to 30-inch range, walleye rods are frequently 32- to 36-inches long, and apex predators, like pike and lake trout, are often best pursued with rods that are 40- to 48-inches long. A secondary consideration is whether you plan to fish in a shelter or outside, exposed to the elements. Most shelter-bound anglers will select rods on the shorter end of the typical species range, simply because of the limited real estate available within the confines of a flip-over or hub. In contrast, high-mobility fishing outside of a shelter poses no rod length restrictions.

Power and action are often used incorrectly as synonyms, because in reality, these terms describe two fundamentally different rod characteristics. The power rating of a rod - such as light, medium, or heavy – describes the typical weight that will cause a rod to flex. Thus, a rod with an ultra-light power rating, which an angler might select for presenting tiny tungsten jigs to shallow panfish, will be flexed by far less weight than would cause a medium or heavy power rod to bend. The typical lure weights listed on the blank are a good indication of that rod’s power. The action of a rod describes the position along the blank where the primary bend or flex will occur. Think about action in terms of the rod’s “backbone” – a fast-action rod will have its primary flex point close to the tip, and as a result, possesses a long, stiff backbone for powerful hooksets. In contrast, a rod with moderate action will have its flex point farther down the blank, closer to the handle, where a less substantial backbone can act as an effective shock-absorber to deal with unpredictable surges from larger predators.

How To Pick The Right Rod and Line

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist looks for dead mussles in the Clinch River. (USFWS/)

The Clinch River, which stretches through 300 miles of Appalachia, has a mussel problem. In Kyles Ford, Tennessee, scientists are trying to determine the cause of a massive die-off of freshwater pheasantshell mussels.

Mussels are critical to any river, filtering the water of metals, algae and silt, making it more hospitable for all inhabitants, including fish and aquatic plants. People who secure their drinking water from rivers (that’s a lot of folks) also benefit from the filtration.

According to a story in USA Today, U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist, Jordan Richard, said that since 2016, 80,000 pheasantshells died on a 219-yard stretch of the Clinch (estimated mussel populations on the river dropped by 50 percent). The Nature Conservancy has labeled the Clinch River basin the No. 1 hotspot for imperiled aquatic species, including 19 varieties of fish. Similar die-offs have taken place in other rivers across the country. In Europe, 26 countries have reported up to 90 percent declines in mussel populations, according to a story in National Geographic.

No one has been able to determine the root cause on the Clinch, though there have been instances on other rivers in which mussels are believed to have died due to habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. The scientists studying the Clinch suspect an infectious disease.

“It can affect the ecosystem on a lot of fronts because mussels are important filters for maintaining clean water,” said Dr. Helen Neville of Trout Unlimited. “(Die-offs) cause murkiness in the water a lot of fish can’t live with, and the shells provide shelter for some fish as well.”

It’s never too early to begin planning for next season. If you’re looking for a do-it-yourself hunting opportunity in a place you’ve never been to before—or for a species you’ve never hunted before—we’ve come up with some prime DIY hunts to consider. Here are six of our top picks.

1. Colorado Elk

The Colorado elk herd is thriving and tags are available over the counter. (Jace Bauserman/)

Everyone needs to hunt elk at least once in their life and there may not be a better place for your first do-it-yourself trip than Colorado. The Centennial State boasts the world’s largest elk herd and offers over-the-counter licenses for both archery and rifle hunters. Bowhunters can purchase either-sex tags for elk in 137 of Colorado’s 184 game management units. That number is similar for the rifle crowd during the state’s second and third rifle seasons, but those will be bull-only tags.

In addition to its over-the-counter tags, Colorado gives the willing-to-wander elk hunter plenty of room to roam. The state harbors 11 National Forests comprised of 13 million acres of public land. In addition, unlike some western states, you don’t need to hire a guide to access any of Colorado’s 41 Wilderness Areas. Wilderness access is a great way to escape the masses.

“Over-the-counter units in Colorado get a bad rap,” says elk hunting veteran J.C. Navarro. “We run into lots of people every year, but we consistently kill elk. This past season, we killed two bulls in less than 36 hours. Each was killed less than a mile from the truck, and we had hunters all around us. Our key is to study maps hard and hit a lot of hellish country that is close to trailheads and jeep roads. We look for access that requires an immediate steep ascent or descent. Lots of guys and gals walk by incredible elk country just because it’s close to a trailhead or access road. We highlight lots of these locations on our maps prior to our hunts.”

The author with a Zebra he shot in South Africa. (Tyler Freel/)

The first time I heard about calamari was probably in 7th grade. I remember seeing the word and photo in a Spanish class textbook and upon learning it was squid, decided it wasn’t for me. I was a Hamburger Helper, meat and potatoes kid, and carried that mindset into adulthood.

Eventually, I tried calamari…and loved it, so much so, that to this day, I will not pass up the opportunity to indulge. We all can relate to a food we presumed wouldn’t appeal to us because of a preconceived bias or notion that it tasted awful. In the context of hunting, I thought of Africa in the same light.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to experience Africa (there are some hunters who think they have an aversion to going, getting wrapped up in their own hunting world or finding it difficult to see the draw—I hope this article changes those perceptions). Living in Alaska, I became spoiled with hunting opportunities, and going to Africa remained on the fringe. That changed abruptly after an invite to hunt plains game in South Africa with Norma’s new Bondstrike bullets.

I cut my teeth hunting Alaska, picking my way up rocky ridgelines to slip above an unsuspecting Dall ram, listening to the hermit thrushes echoing through the woods at night on a bear bait, and straining to get the first glimpse of a bull moose thrashing in the brush. We all have a picture of what hunting Africa looks like, positive or negative, but every experienced person I knew said I would love it. Still, I found it hard to get excited about hunting animals I had no experience or exposure to. I think this is very common amongst hunters. We enjoy our comfort zones, often pigeon-holing ourselves into a mindset of disdain for anyone who doesn’t do things the way we do. So, I decided to set all my pre-conceived notions and stereotypes aside, and do my best to learn and enjoy the experience.

In Africa, hunting sustains animal populations. (Tyler Freel/)

Hunting Drives Protection and Management

10. Deer Hide

The hide and hair of a deer are there to offer the animal protection, but can offer us even more. (TIM MACWELCH/)

A thick deer hide provides warmth, and the raw material to make many different kinds of leather goods. From a “hair-on” hide that can be used for insulation to scraped rawhide that can be used for cordage and containers, hides are versatile. For general processing, stretch out the fresh hide by nailing it out flat to a barn or shed wall (flesh side outward), or piercing holes around the edge of the hide and tying it into a wooden frame with thin rope. Using a round bladed scraper or being careful with a knife, scrape off all meat, fat and connective tissue, leaving the flesh side of the hide whitish and clean. You’ll likely need to wet it with water several times to make it easier to scrape. Then allow the hide to dry and you’ve created “hair-on” rawhide. This can be used as a shelter door, rug, mattress pad or anything else that fits the qualities. You could also scrape the dried rawhide and simmer the shavings in water to create glue.

9. Hooves

The world’s oldest surviving bow is around 10,000 years old and hoof glue was used in its construction. This age-old formula is simple. Chop the hooves into small chunks and simmer them in water until they have virtually melted. The resulting liquid can be thickened by reducing the liquid further or adding extra ingredients. This water soluble glue can be used fresh, or dried for storage and reactivated with hot water. It has been used for carpentry, fabrics, and even as a pottery finish.

8. Bones

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“Man, that deer is going to make some great candles!” Said no one ever.

After a successful hunt, the backstraps, tenderloins, and juicy venison steaks all get careful consideration. The fat? Not so much. But utilizing as much of the animal as possible is a respectable goal for all hunters, and that includes the fat.

The practice of rendering deer fat into tallow candles has been around for hundreds of years. My dad taught me how to make them when I was a kid. He grew up fairly poor and he showed me knock out these coffee-mug candles without spending a dime (he was making them out of necessity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it). They are an easy DIY gift idea that use items you probably already have at home.

You’ll Need:

The author with a large wolf pelt. (Tyler Freel/)

I’m a firm believer that every outdoors person should at least try their hand at trapping. Many write trapping off as an obscure pastime, but even in areas lacking in high-dollar fur, there is a great deal you can learn about the woods and the animals in them by running a trapline. Although I haven’t been as active on the line for a couple years—and at best, I was a recreational trapper—it has greatly impacted my understanding of the outdoors.

In fact, every one of the most knowledgeable outdoorsmen I know trap, or have been trappers at one point. If you’re just starting out, you’ll likely find it much more difficult than you anticipated, with many lessons to learn. Here are 10 things I have picked up over the years that will help just about any budding trapper.

1. Get the Right Traps

The right gear for the job is critical. Pictured is an Alaskan #9 wolf trap. (Tyler Freel/)

If you don’t already know it, running a trapline is a ton of work. And it can be fruitless work if you choose the wrong gear. You want traps or snares that are the appropriate size, and will work for the conditions on your trapline, so the traps you need to pick depend on your target species as well as the environment you’ll be trapping in.

For example, for foxes, a proper foothold trap is something with a #1 ½ to #2 size coilspring. They are easy to hide, strong enough to hold a fox, and cause minimal damage to the skin. If a trap is too small for the target animal, you will have more misses and toe catches. A larger, #3 or #4 trap—that works great for coyotes—will catch and hold a fox, but there’s a greater chance of causing skin or bone damage.

If you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer, all you need to remember is one word with two syllables—LifeStraw. (LifeStraw/)

I’m a hermit during the holiday shopping season. The crowded stores, the street traffic, the amazing ability to search for gifts that are always out of stock... Who needs it? I’d rather be chasing deer or dropping geese from the sky. If that sounds like you, you’ve probably pushed off your holiday shopping duties longer than you feel good about. But if you want to avoid sitting in the penalty box with me (seriously—my wife puts me in time out so I can think about my actions), then you’d better get moving.

To help, here is a short list of the most popular outdoor-related products from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as a sprinkling of the most popular hunting, fishing, and camping gear of 2019. Take a look, remember to request two-day shipping, and you’ll have plenty of time leftover to get back outside before the big man slides down the chimney.

Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room

Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room; Price: $120 (Coleman/)

In recent years, it’s become more difficult to sneak away with my boys on a quick, two-night camping trip. School, sporting events, and other obligations seem to be soaking up the vast majority of their Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Thankfully, we’ve been able to adapt by overnighting in the backyard—and it’s a blast! I don’t have to haul gear all over Hell’s half acre, the “outhouse” conditions are five-star, and if the weather turns rotten, we don’t have to suffer through it. We’ve also discovered a big tent, like Coleman’s Dome Tent, makes a big difference. It’s easy to erect and take down, there’s enough room inside for us to move around our cots, and the cost didn’t burn through my gear budget. If there’s someone in your family looking for a solid car-camping shelter, or a kid just begging for more time under the stars, the Coleman Dome is a terrific option.

Black Diamond Storm Headlamp - Price: $50

Bass anglers are notorious gear junkies, always convinced they’re just one special lure or one better-performing rod away from records, fame and glory. The truth is that while there’s no magic bullet, each year the industry produces new products that make a day of chasing little green or brown fish more productive and enjoyable. Here are 10 that will enhance any bass angler’s game from coast to coast.

Shimano Curado DC Baitcasting Reel

Shimano Curado DC Baitcasting Reel • $250 (Shimano/)

Backlashes and “professional overruns” have been the bugaboo of bass anglers since baitcasting reels were first introduced. Whether you’re a rank beginner or seasoned pro, the idea of using one to throw a light lure into the wind can be daunting. Shimano’s Curado 150 DC casting reel adds a digitally-controlled braking system to a time-tested frame, making it substantially harder (but not impossible) to backlash. It comes in three different retrieve speeds and both left- and right-handed models.

Abu Garcia REVO MGX Spinning Reel

Abu Garcia REVO MGX Spinning Reel • $300 (Abu Garcia/)

With increasing reliance among all levels of bass anglers on finely-tuned finesse presentations, spinning reels are experiencing a resurgence even among the Bubba set. Abu Garcia’s REVO MGX is ultra-lightweight, features a total of 12 bearings, and a butter smooth drag to subdue a cartwheeling largemouth or a bulldogging bronzeback. Both 20- and 30-sized reels weigh less than 7 ounces, so you can fish all day without fatigue.

Kayak fishing is more popular than ever. Even bass fishing pros like Mike Iaconelli are fishing from kayaks. Some like the way a fishing kayak makes you fish a spot more thoroughly, while others like how they’re able to sneak closer to fish. But just about everyone that fishes from a kayak just likes the gear and gadgets.

If you’re wondering what you can gift the kayak angler in your life, here’s a short list of the latest kayak fishing gear, new kayaks, safety equipment, and accessories to get them ready for next season.

Old Town Topwater 120 PDL

Old Town Topwater 120 PDL Angler Fishing Kayak • Price: $2,150 (Old Town Canoes & Kayaks/)

I test drove the new Topwater 120 PDL this past season, and Old Town has created a dependable kayak that does the job every time. The pedal-drive system is as easy as riding a bicycle and pushes the kayak in either direction, forwards or backwards, to keep you in the sweet spot.

It can cruise against a strong tide and is well balanced, even while standing up and rocking in the wake of a passing powerboat. It has just enough storage space that’s easy to access, like the rear tankwell, front hatch, and inside the pedal drive, but Old Town didn’t go crazy and create hatches everywhere it could. Anytime a friend without a kayak joined me on the water, this is the boat I loan out because I knew it would surprise them. When they wanted to go kayak fishing again, they always made a point to request the Topwater 120 PDL.

Warm ups after a quick, hard freeze are ideal times to hunt reverse migration mallards. (Ryan Askren/)

A north wind, skeins of greenheads riding it south, breaking from on high at the cut of your call, and falling into the decoys. Buddies jump up with shotguns pointed at fluttering mallards…those are mornings every duck hunter lives for—Migration Day.

Now reverse that. Mallards headed north on a south wind, racing back to the breeding grounds (so they think), but first they have to make stops along the way to feed, water, and rest. They are incredibly susceptible to being killed during this small window. Hungry and anxious to get home, tough late-season mallards turn into fresh birds.

When to Expect the Reverse Migration

How can you get on a hunt like this? Reverse migrations of mallards and geese can occur just about anywhere you get a hard freeze followed by a quick warm up. If you live in a state where that kind of weather occurs regularly during the season, then you are likely going to see greenheads and geese funnel back from the south. I’ve seen it happen from October in South Dakota to January in Kansas. Hell, one of the best Canada goose flights I’ve ever witnessed took place during a sunny morning on Long Island, New York, two days after the temperature dipped below freezing and a foot of snow fell.

Be ready for the birds trickling back north, because the window to hunt them is going to be short. (Ryan Askren/)

How to Prepare Your Hunt

Congratulations, you finally convinced that friend, partner or family member to try hunting. Now give them a Christmas gift that’s meaningful and functional. We’re assuming that your new hunter already has a subscription to Outdoor Life. [If not, well, here’s the link.] But once that’s covered, we’ve lined out perfect gift options for a newbie hunter that will help ensure that first hunting season leads to another, which leads to another. From penny-saving (and also life-saving) orange caps to engravable folding knives to inspirational hunting books, we’ve got you covered.

RELATED: Buy Your Hunting Mentor a Gift They Will Treasure Forever

Badlands Gear Pursuit Backpack

Bigger packs are nice if your new hunter plans on carrying a load of gear or sleeping in the backcountry, but for now, go with a bag that does it all and weighs in at just under 2 pounds. (Badlands/)

Unless you intend to go on every hunt with your new recruit, and carry enough supplies for the both of you, think about gifting the Pursuit backpack. It’s light, durable and has just enough pockets to keep gear organized, but it’s also simple enough that nothing will get lost. It’s as handy for chasing rabbits as it is elk. The pack has a reservoir for a water bladder, that will keep your newbie hydrated. Bigger packs are nice if your new hunter plans on carrying a load of gear or sleeping in the backcountry, but for now, go with a bag that does it all and weighs in at just under 2 pounds.

Buck Knives 110 Folding Hunter Knife

Fred Zink success in a shallow-water marsh. (Plano Synergy/)

Ask Fred Zink for tips on decoying waterfowl and you’d better be ready because he can unleash a torrent of information that he’s gleaned from his experiences as a champion caller, decoy and hunting blind designer, and founder of Zink Calls. I asked, and here’s what came through the floodgates.

1. You Have to Get Right on the X

Know the precise location of where ducks and geese want to be is key to setting up on the X. (Plano Synergy/)

The most important aspect of decoying ducks and geese is location, says Zink. But you’re going to have to be more specific than that if you want to consistently take waterfowl.

“Knowing the exact spot is important, but just part of the whole puzzle,” he says. “There is always an exact location where ducks and geese want to be because of available food or cover—whether it’s ducks in shallow water or geese in a field. There are areas in that field that are fed out and there are areas in that field where there’s still food. Those birds, whether they be ducks or geese, want to be right there. That is where you set your decoys.”

2. Plan For Hunting Traffic Birds

Bigger shells mean more pellets. However, that might not necessarily translate into the best gauge to use. (Ron Spomer/)

The 12-gauge shotgun is the most versatile, effective one-gun solution for all hunting — but that doesn’t mean it’s ideal for all shotgunning. Sometimes a 20 gauge and even a little 28 gauge can be the better tool. Let’s see if we can figure out why.

How Shotguns Perform

First, a few basics. Unlike rifles, shotguns do not generally use rifled barrels. You can put a rifled barrel on them and shoot single projectiles, called slugs, but in this article we want to investigate shotguns for hunting flying birds. That means throwing shot, a bunch of small pellets. And that requires a special shot shell.

Fundamentally, a shotshell consists of a hull with a primer in the bottom. You pour powder atop the primer, push a plastic wad over it to keep the powder isolated from what comes next — the shot. The plastic “over-powder” wad these days includes a shot cup which holds most of the pellets and protects them from scraping the steel barrel walls on their trip out. Seal the end of this shell by folding it over and there’s your ammo.

When you fire a shotshell the firing pin strikes the primer and detonates it. It shoots a small flame into the main powder charge. This oxidizes (burns) and expands so much and so quickly that it shoves the payload of shot out the barrel, usually at around 1,200 feet per second (fps) to as fast as 1,700 fps.

Michael Hunsucker sets up a Dave Smith deer decoy on private land in Iowa. (Heartland Bowhunter/)

How many times have you been in a treestand, seen a shooter buck in the distance and thought, “man, I hope that deer comes my way?” If the answer is never, you’re a dang liar. All of us have been in that scenario. And if you are a new deer hunter, you soon will be. The buck you’ve been watching on trail cams for months steps out of the timber with a group of does and there’s no way to bring him into bow range. Or, hell, a booner you have never set eyes on suddenly shows up in the field and stays out in the middle of the cut corn, feeding, and then disappears into the woods forever.

What if you could have more control of situations like these? Heck, have a fighting chance? With a buck decoy, you can. It’s just a matter of know-how and when to use one (don’t use it on public land or during rifle season). Josh Tatum, a Kansas hunter and cameraman, and Michael Hunsucker of Heartland Bowhunter have been utilizing decoys for years with success. Whether you are shooting cull bucks or targeting a monster whitetail, these tips can bring more deer into your stand.

The Right Way to Set a Decoy

Tatum has been hunting the Flint Hills of Kansas his whole life. It is a unique mix of wide-open spaces, timber stands and river bottoms. You can have enough open country to watch a deer walk a mile one day and be sitting in an oak tree the next in the thickest thicket. A deer decoy can work in both scenarios.

“One of my best setups is to set a treestand where a buck cannot get behind me,” Tatum said. “I’ll set the decoy facing me about 20 yards away with the wind blowing in my face.”

You hear it all the time: Buy the most expensive optics you can afford, and then plunk down an additional 50 percent. The reason is that with sporting optics—riflescopes, binoculars, and spotting scopes—price is a pretty good proxy for quality.

At least, it used to be. I’m happy to report that the price tag of an optic is no longer a reliable barometer for its quality. Improvements in manufacturing processes have evened the quality of the glass and coatings that are the heart of an optic as well as the gearing, housing, and finish that make an optic pleasant to operate.

You can pay several thousand dollars for a European binocular, and expect best-in-class performance. But you can also pay a fraction of that price and expect a very good optic that was made in China, or Malaysia. The market is also awash in junk, products that might wear the logo of a premium brand but are manufactured in facilities that produce worst-in-class products for a wide variety of brands.

What does this all mean to you? Buyer beware. Educate yourself on how to differentiate good optics at a fair price from brands that might also sell premium products at premium prices as well as subpar products at elevated prices. But don’t dismiss products simply because their price is too good to believe. This gift guide features those optics that deliver excellent performance for a fair price.

Leupold Freedom 3-9x40 • $199

The price of guns has risen over the years, but it’s mostly due to inflation. (Tyler Freel/)

There’s a story my uncle is fond of telling, in which as a young man, he asked his uncle something about “the good ol’ days.” His uncle, who grew up in a mountain cabin during the depression, replied by pulling a McDonald’s senior citizen free coffee card from his wallet. “You see this?” He asked. “I can go into McDonalds any time I want and get a free cup of coffee,” he added. “These are the good ol’ days.”

We live in a time of amazing technological advances, and guns are no exception. The price of those guns has also advanced, and it leaves many folks feeling that the normal working man can’t afford many of them. This sentiment is boldly apparent in the digital content of today. Look at the comments on just about any gun review or roundup, and you are likely to see some discontent expressed as to the cost of said guns. We know that prices in the past were much lower, but does that really mean many of these guns have gone beyond reasonable prices? To objectively figure that out, we must take into account inflation, median income levels, and also the quality of the products we’re talking about.

We know that gun prices over time have gone up, but to get a reasonably accurate look at whether or not they are more expensive to the buyer; we need to track that over time. I dug through some old issues of Outdoor Life, looking for gun ads with a retail price listed. I looked for guns that still have an equivalent model in production today for a more accurate comparison. Granted, some of the guns have undergone significant changes in that time, and some may be considered not as well-made, but in theory, it’s as close to the same gun as we can get. Compare prices then and now, and compare it to what the old price would be at today’s inflation rate, and you have a crude idea of whether or not that gun has become more expensive.

Let’s start with one of the classic deer rifles, the Marlin 336C in .30-30. In 1949, this lever gun was advertised for $61.45, creeping up to $89.95 in 1965, and $694 today. It seems like quite the drastic increase for the same rifle, but that $61.45 in today’s dollars is right around $704. In 1957, a Remington 870 Wingmaster would cost you $85.95, going up to $847 today, a bit over the inflation adjusted price of $787. Another American Staple, the Ruger 10/22’s price tag read $54.50 in 1965, that’s $445 today, but you can pick up the same model carbine for $309.

Just as in the past, there are now higher end, or more specialized (and expensive) rifles. A Winchester model 70 African was $295 in 1957, while the equivalent rifle in 2019 is $1,559. If we went by the rate of inflation, that rifle should cost $2,078. A modern higher-end production rifle like the Browning X-Bolt Pro Tungsten will cost you a hefty $2,219, which would have been $272 in 1957. Considering the performance and quality of manufacturing you’re getting, you can’t say it isn’t a competitive price (in either era).

They taught you how to hunt, the right gear to use, and even how to walk quietly through the woods. What will you give them this holiday season?

It’s a pretty good bet your mentor didn’t introduce you to hunting for any material reward. They did it to pass on their knowledge, and probably because they recognized something in you that encouraged them that you’d perpetuate the tradition. Still, it’s more than a nice gesture to get your mentor something for the holidays. It’s a recognition that you appreciate all the time and attention they poured into you.

The gift you select will be as individual as the relationship with your mentor, but here are some ideas that any hunter, especially one who has spent a lifetime in the field, will appreciate.

onX Digital Map Subscription • $119 (per year)

onX Digital Map Subscription • $119 (per year) (onX Maps/)

What better gift can you give a hunter than the gift of bearing. An annual premium subscription to onX provides state-specific maps that detail public-land boundaries, private landowner names, and overlays like hunt-unit boundaries, CWD areas, and even the dates of forest fires, so you can target elk and deer in succulent green-up areas. Make sure you buy a subscription to the correct state!

The author with a great post-rut Oklahoma buck. (Michael Hanback/)

A few years ago in North Dakota, the entire month of November was warm, with hardly any snow. “Needless to say, the rut was tough,” says resident bowhunter Derek Plautz.

Plautz hunted hard for weeks without seeing a shooter buck. But in early December, the weather cooled down, snow flew, and the deer started moving. With two days left in the season, Plautz checked his trail camera. Finally, a big 10-point.

He didn’t have a tree stand in the area, so he built a little brush blind behind a fallen tree and climbed in for the evening hunt. Deer started moving and soon here came Big Ten, bronze antlers glinting in the fading light. When the buck crossed at 30 yards, Derek let fly. The deer kicked like a mule and ran, but it didn’t go far.

“What a great way to end a weird season,” Derek says. “I got to hunt for weeks and then cap it off with a big buck at the very end!”

A hunt like Derek’s is becoming the norm rather than the exception across North America. My observation and theory: As temperatures have gotten warmer in late October and November, deer patterns are gradually changing. While does and bucks still breed in mid-November as they always have, they tend to move less in daylight and more during cooler nights.

Editor’s Note: Bjorn Dihle is a hunter and writer based out of Juneau, Alaska. This fall, he and his hunting partners made a film about deer hunting in the Tongass National Forest, which could become exempt from Roadless Rule protections. The comment period on removing the Tongass from Roadless is open until 12/17. Leave your comment here.

At the beginning of a Sitka blacktail deer hunt last August, I followed a well-worn brown bear trail to a salmon stream on Chichagof Island in northern Southeast Alaska. I was hunting with my close friend Forest Wagner and filmmaker Ben Hamilton. The watershed we were in was part of the 26,000-square-mile Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest left on Earth. A bear appeared beneath the root wad of a fallen spruce. It walked closer, lifting its nose and trying to catch our scent before sauntering away. We studied a nameless mountain rising into the swirling gray clouds. Tomorrow we’d climb to the alpine with the hopes of shooting a buck or two.

That night Ben, Forest, and I sat near a fire listening to the ocean lap onto the beach. I’d agreed to be part of this film after it became clear the U.S. Forest Service, under orders from the Trump administration, was about to abolish the 2001 Roadless Rule in the Tongass. Stripping Roadless Rule protections would open up 185,000 acres of Southeast Alaska’s last old growth rainforest for clear-cut logging and destroy critical habitat for bears, salmon, and deer. If it happens, hunters and fishermen for generations to come will lose the opportunity to pursue their way of life. I grew up eating Sitka blacktail and salmon, the lifeblood of the Tongass. Now, I feed these same foods to my nine-month-old son. Without the Roadless Rule, the woods and mountains my family have utilized for three generations may no longer be huntable.

The author hunting blacktail deer in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. (Ben Hamilton/)

I’d chosen the mountain we were hunting for two reasons. One, much of the area around it had been logged. To open its remaining stands of old growth trees to clear-cut logging would essentially make it so people could not hunt the area in the decades to come. Two, some biologists believe it’s one of the most bear-dense mountains in the Tongass. Brown bears are the soul of this country. It had been no small thing for Forest to agree to be part of this project. A fellow lifelong Alaskan, he’s the only person I know who has fought a brown bear while falling off a mountain and survived. He’d never talked about it to the press, although reporters from media stations around the world had hounded him. It was much easier for Forest to venture into dense brown bear country than talk about the attack. With the future of the Tongass in jeopardy, however, he made an exception for this film.

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