Jerkbait Browns by Darl Black

The Most Deadly Lure for Big Trout

I was flush with excitement when invited to join a party of outdoor writers on a visit to Arkansas’ legendary White River with lodging at the famed Gaston’s Resort in the Ozark Mountains. Friends who had previously fished the river advised me to expect exceptional catches. But an hour after departing the boat dock with a fishing buddy and guide in one of the classic White River drift boats, we had yet to connect with a trout.

“You should have been with us yesterday morning,” said Northland Fishing Tackle representative Eric Naig, who had arrived a couple days earlier than me.   “It was a trout on every cast along this very bank.  Not sure why they are not biting today.”

However, our guide wasn’t ready to offer excuses.  After glancing at his watch, he promised a turn around within 15 minutes.

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On our White River fishing trip, Eric scored a number of rainbow trout and our first brown trout with his "Pink" marabou jig. However, the larger browns came on suspending jerkbaits.

12″ Trout Began Gobbling our Bait

By the time we motored to our next spot and positioned the boat for a drift, the trout population had apparently undergone a change of attitude.  As if an “on” switch had been thrown, 9″ to 12″ rainbow trout began gobbling our live bait offerings.  Apparently at this time of year, rising river levels resulting from timed releases at Bull Shoals Dam are critical to turning on the trout.  The gate opening schedules are monitored closely by river guides who have realized it’s like ringing the dinner bell.

Catching trout on worms isn’t rocket science.  All species of trout relish small red wigglers.  It’s simply a matter of tying on a #8 lightwire hook and adding the right amount of weight so the worm bounces along the bottom.  Typically in small streams with light to moderate current, one or two split-shot are crimped on the line about 18″ above the bait.  However, in heavier current situations, such as on the White River, a different rigging is utilized with 1/8 or 3/16-ounce bell-style or pencil sinker on a separate leader attached to a three-way swivel.

The idea of using live bait for trout would not sit well with many upper-crust fly-fishermen I know.  And they would grimace at the idea of keeping a few trout.  However, on the White, legal-size rainbow trout are stocked in large numbers by the state fisheries department in order to satisfy fishermen who routinely come to the river for a take-home trout dinner.  Fishermen are literally expected to keep trout.

Eric and I had been tasked with providing fish for a creek side trout bake scheduled later in the day at Gaston’s outdoor pavilion for all the writers in our group.  It didn’t take long to secure sufficient number of eating-size rainbows for the feast.

A More Challenging Quarry – The White River’s Prized Brown Trout

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Brown trout are exceptionally beautiful trout.

Then our attention turned to a more challenging quarry – the White River’s prized brown trout.  Liberal harvest regulations apply to rainbow trout; however only 1 brown trout of at least 24″ may be harvested.  Although we had no intention of keeping any browns, I was salivating at the thought of catching a few of these beautifully marked fish for photographs.  Furthermore, stream-seasoned big browns certainly put up a better fight than stocked rainbows.

The manager of Gaston’s tackle shop had recommended marabou-body jigs for big browns.  Fortunately, Eric had a supply of Northland’s new 1/16- and 1/8-ounce Bug-A-Boo Jigs.

Fly-fishermen offer hand-tied insect-imitating creations to trout while preaching the discipline of specific hatches.  But the truth is this: big browns are basically meat eaters year round.  Sure, they may slurp bugs now and then as an appetizer, but for the main course they want crawfish or large creek minnows.  Marabou jigs are a good representation for both types of forage.

In an attempt to figure out the most productive color pattern for the day, Eric and I each fished a different color jig.  We quickly discovered that rainbows found Eric’s “pinkie” marabou to be a more interesting meal than my black marabou.  The pink marabou also scored our first moderate-size brown trout.  But we still lacked a hefty brown of at least 20 inches that would allow us to say to friends “This is a White River trout!”

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The Rapala X-Rap jerkbait performed well on the White River, accounting for numerous brown trout.

The Most Deadly Lure for Browns

So I reached into my tackle bag of tricks to come up with what I consider the most deadly universally effective lure for browns – a long-minnow stickbait.

In my experience, big browns are in many ways similar to river smallmouth bass.  Present what appears to be a big injured minnow close to their hide, and they cannot refuse it.  Nothing says ‘injured baitfish’ better than the rhythmic pull-pause of a suspending jerkbait.  I figure if it works on the streams of Pennsylvania, it will work on the streams of Arkansas.

I started with a 3-1/8” #8 Rapala X-Rap in Hot Pink – the jig color which was working so well for Eric.  Following an initial long first cast, I turned the reel handle several times to drive the jerkbait to its suspending depth.  Then I paused for several seconds to let the bait hover while I rubbed a little feeling back into my chilled fingers.  Suddenly, I felt the unmistaken jolt through the line of a fish inhaling the lure.

Caught more or less napping at the stick, I failed to deliver an appropriate hookset.  The energetic fish decided grabbing air was the best way to throw the object-that-wasn’t-prey from its mouth.  However by throwing the lure in such a spectacular way, it clearly showed itself to be a nice brownie.

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Eric battles a brown trout from a traditional White River drift boat controlled by a guide.

A few casts later – another hit.  This time I was properly in tune to perform a side-sweep hookset.  The second brown’s spectacular air show did not result in an escape this time.

The brown trout is one of the most beautiful members of the trout family.  Brownish in overall tone, the dark brown or gray-brown color on the back and upper sides fades into a rich creamy yellow on the lower sides.  Large dark spots are outlined with pale halos on the sides, the back and the dorsal fin, with reddish-orange or yellow spots scattered on the sides.  Browns are truly a magnificent fish.

The Hot Pink X-Rap produced several more trout before Eric also switched to a jerkbait.  When he started catching them on a different color and different model, it became evident that color wasn’t the trigger as much as the jerk-pause of the stickbait.  Later in the day I switched to a 5-1/2″ Xcalibur Jerkbait and continued to catch brown trout.

The trout fishing remained exceptional during the remaining days of this wintertime fishing trip, although it did require a rise in the flow to trigger the strongest bite.  Live bait and small jigs certainly produced the greatest number of small trout.  But each day it took a jerk to haul in trophy-size browns.

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Larger size jerkbaits often draw strikes from larger brown trout.

Which Jerkbait for Trout?

On a river (as opposed to a smaller stream), a 3″ to 4-1/2″ jerkbait is a good choice. The bait will hang in the water around the 3′ to 4′ depth making an easy target for a fat lazy brown trout. My favorites include a Rapala X-Rap Slashbait; XCalibur Xt3 Twitch Bait; Sebile A-Cast Minnow; or Lucky Craft Pointer 78. For typically clear water, my color picks are natural baitfish patterns and fingerling trout patterns.

However, should the water be dingy due to runoff or a dam release, you may want to jump up to slightly larger profile bait, and select a pattern with some chartreuse or hint of a bolder color in it. I recall one day on the west branch of the Delaware River with stained water, when an XCalibur Xs4 (4-1/2″) jerkbait in Sour Grape caught trout after trout, when nothing else produced. Few trout anglers would consider that large of a stickbait in such a wild color.

If you’re fishing a stream composed mainly of shallow water runs and holes that rarely exceed three or four feet, go with a 2″ to 3″ jerkbait to match the size of smaller baitfish. Sometimes, a floating stickbait would be a better choice to reduce the chances of snagging the bottom. Among the smaller baits to consider are Yo-Zuri Pins Minnow Magnet; Rapala Flat Rap; and Lucky Craft Humpback Pointer.

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Brown trout are outstanding fighters and deserve the right to be released.

Baked Trout in Foil

An easy, minimal-mess recipe for Outdoor Cooks who want less time in the kitchen and more fishing time

–       4 trout (9 to 12 inches in length)

–       1 package of onion soup mix

–       1 stick margarine

–       ground black pepper

–       four strips bacon

(Easily adjust the recipe for more trout by including another package of soup mix/butter stick and additional bacon strips)

Clean trout and remove heads.  Place each trout on individual sheet of foil.  Place one strip of bacon and a couple shakes of pepper inside the cleaned cavity of each trout.  Prepare soup mix by first melting one stick of margarine, then adding the dry soup mix to create soupy consistency.  Pour about ¼ of the mixture on each fish.  Wrap fish tightly in foil.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Alternative to oven: the foil wrapped trout may be cooked outdoors on a charcoal grill.

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Black Powder Cleaning Strategies by Chad Schearer

How to Clean Your In-Line Muzzleloader for Storage at the End of the Season

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Muzzleloader Glassing

This is important. Every year thousands of hunters head to the mountains, the woods, the plains, the tundra and the swamps in pursuit of whitetail deer, mule deer, antelope, bears, elk, moose, caribou and other big game critters with their muzzleloaders. These hunts can be long and exhilarating, and successful or not they leave us excited about doing it all over again next year.

What many hunters do not realize however, is that after the hunting season closes it is necessary to clean your muzzleloader properly before you store it in a gun cabinet over the winter months. Bad things can happen to your favorite blackpowder rifle if you neglect this operation. Here are a few examples of what can go wrong.

First by not taking care of your muzzleloader it will lose its value.  Secondly, corrosion and rust in your barrel can result in inaccuracy.  Thirdly, your breach plug could get stuck making your gun inoperable.  Fourth, you could have a firing pin stick causing your gun not to fire, or worse, become a safety hazard.

The below information will help you properly clean your muzzleloader for end-of- season storage.  However, always consult your owner’s manual first for proper cleaning instructions.

Equipment You Will Need

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Assortment of Cleaning Supplies

You can purchase cleaning components individually, or if you want to simplify things you can purchase a good cleaning kit that has everything you need.  Several sporting good stores like Cabela’s carry these kits.

 

A Range Rod

Though your muzzleloader comes with a ramrod, they are typically just the length of your barrel and make the job of cleaning difficult.  Even if you unscrew the tip of the ramrod to lengthen it or add a cleaning jag to it is still not as convenient as a range rod.  A good range rod will be around 36-38 inches in length (including the handle) allowing you to swab your barrel from the muzzle to the breech.  Most modern muzzleloaders have barrels 26-30 inches so the range rod is just the right size to effectively swab and brush the inside of the barrel.

BEFORE YOU START CLEANING, ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR MUZZLELOADER IS UNLOADED

Do I Have to Clean My Stainless Steel Muzzleloader?

Many hunters who purchase a modern in-line muzzleloader that is stainless steel need to realize that they still have to clean them like a blued muzzleloader.  Keep in mind a stainless steel muzzleloader barrel is not typically made out of surgical grade stainless steel, and they can corrode if not cleaned properly.

Removing Your Breech Plug

Depending on the muzzleloader you own will depend on how you remove your breech plug.  Most muzzleloaders come with a breech plug removal tool unless you have one of the new CVA muzzleloaders with the new Quick Removable Breech Plug.  Those guns require no tools to remove the breech plug.  Consult the manufacturer’s customer service department if you have questions regarding this.

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Parts Soaker with Breech Plug

Let Your Breech Plug Soak in the Parts Soaker

After removing the breech plug place it in a parts soaker.  The parts soaker is used to soak breech plugs to save you time scrubbing them.  The longer you let it sit the easier it will be to clean.  If you do not have time to let it sit you can always clean it with hot soapy water however I prefer using a product like Barrel Blaster Wonder Gel solvent.  The solvent is an ammonia-based cleaning gel that keeps the cleaner right where you need it for the removal of lead, copper and plastic fouling.

Option 2 for Cleaning Your Breach Plugs

If you are fortunate to have children like I do, I make cleaning the muzzleloader a family activity.  Since my boys were very young they have always wanted to help me when I clean my muzzleloader.  I furnish them with a bowl of warm soapy water and a small nylon bristled brush.  They have a contest to see who can get the cleanest breech plug.  Yes, there hands will get a little dirty, but the time spent together is worth the extra effort it takes to clean their hands.  (They are 8 and 9 now and I would put them up against any adult when cleaning a breech plug.)

Cleaning the Inside of Your Breech Plug

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Using a Nipple Pick on a Breech Plug

To get the inside of your breach plug you will need two things for a thorough cleaning.  A nipple pick and flexible breech plug cleaners. A nipple pick is a small tool with an extractable wire tip that allows you to clean the breech plug flash hole.  It is critical to make sure that there is no fouling creating any blockage at all.  Primers produce heavy fouling and it is imperative to clean the inside of the breech plug.  After soaking and cleaning the outside of your breech plug you need to clean the inside of your breech plug where your primer sits.  One particular cleaning accessory that works really well is a flexible breech plug cleaner.   These pipe cleaners have stiff bristles imbedded in the material for extra heavy duty cleaning in hard to get to places in the inside of the breech plug.  Use them in combination with your nipple pick.

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Using Barrel Blaster Foam

Cleaning the Barrel

Years ago soap and water was the norm when it came to cleaning muzzleloaders.  Today we are fortunate to have so many more options.  If you are not pressed for time the easiest way to clean your muzzleloader barrel is by using a foaming bore cleaner.  There are several on the market including Cabela’s Barrel Blaster Foaming Bore Cleaner and CVA’s Barrel Blaster Foam.  Just spray the foam into the barrel and allow it to sit for about an hour; then swab foam out of the barrel and you are done.  It usually only takes 4 to 5 patches and your barrel is clean.  If you shoot sabots instead of PowerBelt bullets you will experience more plastic fouling in your barrel.  Plastic fouling is the residue left in your barrel from sabots melting with each shot.

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Barrel Blaster Foam Working in Barrel

If you are pressed for time or need to do a field cleaning start by using a cleaning brush on the tip of your range rod. Use the CVA Barrel Blaster Wonder Gel solvent and liberally apply it to your cleaning brush.  Make sure it is the right caliber size for the gun you are cleaning.  Run the ramrod up and down the barrel several times breaking the fouling loose in the barrel.  Then cover the brush with a cleaning patch and start removing the fouling from the barrel with patches containing cleaning solvent.  You may also use pre-saturated patches containing Barrel Blaster Solvent that you can purchase for quick easy cleaning. You will need to repeat this process and it may take several times to get the barrel shiny clean for storage.

Removing the Firing Pin and Oiling

When talking with a leading muzzleloading manufacturer’s customer service representative I learned about a problem people have when not cleaning there muzzleloaders prior to storage.  If a shooter doesn’t properly clean the firing pin it can result in major problems, especially in a break action muzzleloader. Number one the firing pin may not work properly.  If it is rusted or corroded it may not fire. Or worse, it may fire one time and stick in the firing position. If a shooter does not realize this, when they reload and prime their muzzleloader it can become very dangerous if they try and close the primed muzzleloader.  Your muzzleloader could fire upon closure which is very dangerous.  Many modern muzzleloaders have a firing pin that is accessible for removal.

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Anti-Seize for Breech Plug

Care for Your Breech Plug

One of the final steps is putting your breech plug back into your muzzleloader.  Make sure to use lubrication on the threads.  Some people use breech plug grease.  I have found that Anti-Seize works very well and have personally never had a breech plug get stuck with this product.

Additional Help on Keeping Your Barrel Rust Proof

There is one tool that will help your muzzleloader last and keep rust from forming in the barrel.  This tool really helps in humid parts of the country.  CVA sells a Barrel Blaster Rust Blaster Plug for under $15.00.  Just slip it in the end of each of your muzzleloader barrels while in storage and it will keep your barrel from rusting.

 

Preparing Your Muzzleloader for Storage

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Using Pre-Saturated Patches

After you have completely cleaned your muzzleloader you will want to wipe it down with a light coating of oil or you can use a product that also prevents rust called Barrel Blaster Rust Prevent patches.  This product is less messy and is very helpful to use on the inside of the barrel.  You can also use them on the outside of the muzzleloader.  These patches are covered with a substance that protects the inside of your barrel from rust.

 

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Applying a Light Coat of Oil

Prior to Your Next Hunt after Storing Your Muzzleloader

First make sure that the muzzleloader is not loaded.  After making sure it is unloaded, fire a few primers.  This will help remove excess oil from the barrel and also work as a safety check that your firing pin is working properly.

Properly cleaning your muzzleloader at the end of the season will preserve your investment and keep you shooting accurately for years to come.

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International Sportsmen’s Expo Havalon Knife Winner

Congratulations to Victoria Hom-Roan of California!

Havalon KnivesShe won a complete set of Havalon Knives (twelve knives including extra blades and holsters) from the drawing at the ISE in Sacramento.

If you would like a chance to win a free Havalon knife, register your email address at www.havalon.com, one winner is drawn each month.  Also, you could have a chance to win a complete set like Victoria if you visit and register at the Havalon booth #2417 at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA Feb. 5th-13th.

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Post Season Scouting: A Key To Next Year’s Bowhunting Success by Brad Herndon

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Fence crossings can be productive, as can creek crossings where bucks may make a hard landing that will loosen antlers.

Steve Knebel was up early as usual, well before daylight. He fixed a thermos of hot coffee and was soon on his way to one of his big buck hotspots. After a short walk he settled into a small, timbered high spot, a location that is somewhat rare in the flat land of northern Indiana where he lives.

During the course of the morning he saw several deer crossing the fields that lay before him. Two of those whitetails were mature bucks following doe, but they were well out of range, even with a firearm. Interestingly, Steve Knebel didn’t have a bow, or a firearm in his hands. Several days before he had filled his bow tag with a great buck going over 150 inches gross.

On this day, which was during the firearms season, he was already scouting for next year’s archery season. He was actually sitting on the ground, glassing and sipping coffee, taking in all the action that would reveal to him the bucks that survived, and what their movement patterns might be.

Post Season Scouting Starts Now!

Indiana allows only one antlered buck per year, so in effect Knebel’s buck season ended when he harvested his deer early in November. Knebel is a stickler for details and loves to deer hunt, so he keeps right on scouting throughout the fall and winter. Without doubt, his attention to detail is what makes him one of Indiana’s best, and most consistent, trophy hunters.

I like to use similar methods. For instance, in 2009 I tagged a 4-1/2 year old buck early in November. On and off I

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Post season scouting is a great time to discover where each deer trail is located and what each trail connects.

would continue to hunt and scout and in late December during cold, snowy weather I walked a ridge top on a property I hunt and found and incredible bedding area. Interestingly, it appeared these deer dropped off of this ridge to the east, using various trails, and then headed to fields to the north.

I again tasted success early in 2010, but my wife Carol had not. So when December hit and with it one of our snowiest, coldest Decembers in history, I sat in the east side of this ridge top, down low to see if the deer would use the region the same as they did in 2009. I snuggled against a tree in some brush near the base of the hill around 4:00pm, not intending to shoot a doe, and simply watched to see what would happen.

At 4:18pm deer started dropping off that ridge top in various spots, all within my viewing distance. I ended up seeing between fifteen and twenty deer, and five of them were bucks! Even more amazing was the fact three of them were 3-1/2 year old bucks. No monsters, mind you, but nice bucks.

Of course I told Miss Carol about my results and she was able to hunt there when the wind was right a few times before the season expired. She too, had some great hunts and saw several bucks, including some 3-1/2 year olds. None suited her standard, however, so she passed on them. The good news is all of these bucks survived and will be true 4-1/2 year old shooters next year.

This shows the importance of scouting even within hunting season after your tag is filled.

Scouting When the Seasons Are Over

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Finding a shed antler is exciting because you know the buck you want to hunt next fall is alive and well.

Several years ago two of my friends and I were walking down a gravel road in a nearby county when they went completely ballistic. They started running and screaming, pushing each other, and arrived at a nearby barbed wire fence at about the same time. I thought they were insane until they both picked up separate, sizable deer antlers. Obviously the buck had shaken them off when he landed after jumping the fence.

As you know, antler hunting can definitely be exciting and knowing a mature buck survived in your region certainly kicks the bow hunter’s confidence up for next year. Fence crossings can be productive, as just noted, as can creek crossings where bucks may make a hard landing that will loosen antlers. In bitter cold winters, pine thickets will be productive since they shelter deer from the wind, thus they will spend considerable time there. The south facing side of a woods can also be good for shed antlers since bucks will stand there in the warming sun in late afternoon.

Bedding areas, trails, fields and food plots will also produce sheds, but if you want to find every shed antler, you must use the grid system of shed hunting. This is the system we like to use and it’s best carried out using two, three or four people. We take a section timber, line up on one end about 20 yards apart and walk to the other end of the timber. We then swing around and make another sweep, continuing the pattern until the woods is covered.

If we go north to south the first time, a couple of weeks later we’ll come back and hunt this section east to west. This gives us a different look at the terrain, plus waiting two weeks means more antlers may be on the ground. Here in southern Indiana antler hunting gets productive around February 16 and we’ll keep looking for antlers right up until spring fishing time or thereabouts.

Other Methods of Post Season Scouting

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Surveillance cameras will let you know what deer are still alive, and what area they are using.

Years ago shed hunting was the primary way of discovering whether a buck survived or not. This unfortunately, has all changed with the emergence of numerous surveillance cameras now on the market. Immediately after season ends, trail cameras can be strategically placed to monitor deer movement, and the pictures will even reveal when the bucks start shedding their racks.

While camera placement is usually limited during hunting seasons in order to avoid disturbing the deer being hunted, in post season the sky is the limit. You can place the cameras in bedding areas on any trail you desire, on various types of crossings, and in food plots and fields. If you have enough cameras, you can even determine buck movement over a large area. By using a map, you can mark the locations where the bucks show up most often and put this valuable information to good use next archery season.

While what I have mentioned thus far is crucial to post season scouting, there is still more to be learned immediately after seasons end.

Productive Oaks, New Trails, and More

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By marking a topographical map you can determine where rub lines are during post season scouting.

Carrol and I took a four mile walk in a public hunting area in early winter this year. We had a bumper crop of acorns in the fall of 2010 in Indiana, and with a good snow on the ground we pinpointed all of the oak trees where the deer were pawing out acorns. We marked these on a topographical map and in years to come we’ll know where these acorn trees are located which the deer favored.

In addition to marking hot oak locations, we also paid careful attention to deer trails.

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While post season scouting, always look for locations where deer have been feeding. Whitetails have been pawing out white oak acorns in this location. Mark the spot on a map for future reference.

We walked a ridge top for a couple of miles and when we came to a saddle we would carefully note where the deer trails crossed each saddle. Many of the trails were exactly where we expected them to be since we had hunted the region a few years back and had tagged some good bucks in the are. One saddle, however, produced a surprise.

In past years the deer trail had been near the bottom of the saddle, but since then a new, heavily used trail was evident closer to the top of the hill. We followed this trail a short ways and found a sizable pine tree that had been shredded by what was obviously a big-racked trophy buck. I wondered why the deer trail location had changed, and by walking the ridge top for another few hundred yards I received my answer.

The state foresters had sold off some mature timber on an east facing hillside a few years earlier and it had grown up into a nice thicket. At the bottom of the huge thicket there was a fire trail the local deer hunters often used, so the deer were simply filtering out the top of this thicket, then coming around the hillside on the high side and easing through the saddle on the new high trail we had discovered. Interestingly, a friend of mine saw four different mature bucks in this general area of the the hills during the late 2010 December season. Obviously his sightings have me mighty excited about placing a stand over this trail in 2011.

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Always look for hot terrain funnels while post season scouting. Take along a compass to determine the best wind directions for each location you discover.

One other thing I like to do while post season scouting is to carry a map, a compass and a powder bottle with me. On my map I mark numerous rub lines I discover, feeding location information, plus bedding regions and trail locations. In prime terrain funnels, such as saddles, I’ll use my compass to note exactly what wind directions I need to hunt each location. I’ll also use the powder bottle to see how the wind “works” in each spot.

In closing, if you put in the time and effort to do quality post season scouting you should fill your bow tag with more mature bucks than you ever have before. Add in the benefits of good exercise and having a great time with family and friends and you will find winter to be a time of expectation…of once again putting your Havalon Piranta to good use….not a time of boredom.

Has post season scouting helped you find your trophy?  Tell us about it here:

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December Email Winner!

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Michael Angelo, December Email Winner


Havalon Knives is pleased to announce that Michael Angelo of Nevada has won a free Havalon knife set.  Mr. Angelo was eligible because he subscribed to our email news during the month of December.   His choice of prize:  a Havalon Piranta-Z.  He will receive the knife, a set of replacement blades and a knife holster.

If you want to be eligible to win, just sign-up for our email news on the home page of our website.  Good luck!

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