paul butski of

MARCH 2014
PAUL BUTSKI OF
TURKEY
THUGS TV
CHOOSING A FLY ROD
TOP SMALLMOUTH RIVERS
OSCEOLA TURKEY AND MORE
www.brockshuntincabins.com
S portman’S
cabin
• 4 x 8 White Pine, borate treated (for
wall and gables)
• 2 x 6 T&G SPF for main roof and
porch roof
• Gasket, caulk and 9” lag screws
• 2 x 10 ridge board
• 2 x 8 rafters
• Log blocking between rafters
• 6 x6 porch posts
• Rafter collar ties
• 4 x 4 wall stiffener posts (for 12 x 16
and 16 x 20 models)
6 SIZES AVAILABLE
[email protected]
205-625-5473
MARCH 2014
PAUL BUTSKI OF TURKEY THUGS TV
BASSRESOURCE.COM
CHOOSING A FLY ROD
TOP SMALLMOUTH RIVERS
OSCEOLA TURKEY
TURKEY HUNTING VIDEOGRAPHY
PUBLISHER
Brock RAY
EDITOR
Rusty FAULK
ART DIRECTOR
Dennis JOHNSTON
IT DIRECTOR
Jason GORDON
ADVERTISING
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Shane KENNEDY
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CIRCULATION
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the trail is free of large branches that
may snap under my feet, that there is
no man-mad noises that may spook the
turkey and to make sure that my own
personal gear is no creating racket of
it’s own. It is important to remember
that turkeys have a much keener sense
of hearing than we do, so you will need
to keen on listening for the smallest
things such as swishing of clothes,
heavy boots and equipment noises.
FROM THE DESK OF OUR
This should also be taken a step further
C.E.O RUSTY FAULK
once you are in your hunting position.
Spring is right around the corner,
Star by checking your gear and how
meaning it is time to start preparing
it sounds once you begin reaching for
for warmer weather, sunny skies
them. For instance, does your camo
and of course turkey season! I often
pockets have Velcro or zippers that may
find myself sitting at my office desk
cause for noise? These are small things
daydreaming that I was out in the
that can slip a hunters mind when the
woods instead, and turkey season is the
adrenaline of turkey season is pumping
perfect reason to call in “sick”.
through your blood, however it can
With a few weeks left before we
also be the difference in coming home
are calling the toms into view, it is
with a tom and coming home empty
important to start preparing for the
handed.
season to make sure you are bringing
Call of the Wild
in the big birds come opening day. So
You have heard me say it a million
without further ado, here are my top 3
times, and you will hear me say it a
tips on preparing for turkey season.
million more. Nothing will ever be more
Pretend You Are In A Library
important that practicing your craft,
In other keep it quite! This not only
and that includes the call of the wild.
goes for you but for noises that may
You need to start brushing up on your
spook the birds in the woods. Spend a
turkey call weeks before the season
few days before heading to your spot
even begins, to ensure that you are
to check for anything that may be a
ready to hit the woods. If you can’t call
potential threat. I like to do something
in “sick” then make the best of your
I call a ‘test run’, which is simply putting
slow workdays or lazy days around the
on my gear and heading into the
home. The internet has made hunting
woods as I would if it were opening
much easier as there are videos on to
day. This allows me to make sure that
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become better at everything hunting
involves. Surf video sharing sites to
watch professionals give tips on the
best way to call turkeys, and the best
part is you get professional help for
free! Use the information highway to
better understand what calls you are
best at, and then practice the ones
you need help. This will prevent the
turkey to ever thinking that there may
just be an imposter in the woods.
Scouting The Area
Scouting the area you will be
hunting all season is something we
have talked about here at Pursuit
Channel every issue. But why do we
continue to add it to our list of top
things to do every season? Because
it is the most single important aspect
of the seasons, and it changes with
every animal you hunt. The best way
to scout is to out into the woods and
avoid calling all together, which may
go against everything that you have
ever heard. Making birds aware of
your calls to early can cause them
to grow accustomed to the call and
stop responding all together, which
would seriously harm your hunting
strategy. In fact by calling early, you
run the risk of spooking the bird
and making them call shy all season.
Instead, start by finding a high point
in your hunting land and just listen
and wait until you hear that glorious
sound: gobble gobble. Make a note
at where the roosting tree is on your
cell phone, with a mark on the tree or
a flag and then quietly head in that
direction. You will know that you are
in the correct spot when see feathers
and dropping beneath the tree, and it
is best to come back to this spot a few
times before the season starts to verify
their pattern.
If you are planning to hunt in the
afternoon, look for a “Strut Zone”.
These are the spots that can be found
in an open area, where a tom spends
his afternoons, and can usually be
found along power lines, logging
roads and food plots. However a
sure sign that a tom is strutting is the
drag marks in the dirt. As always let
technology take care of the hard part
so you can enjoy the hunt. Use trail
cams to watch patterns and to find the
best positions for your hunt to bag the
bird without risking spooking them.
The last thing we want to happen is
for them to change patterns that you
have been studying for the weeks
leading up to the season.
If you follow these three steps,
they should help you become one
happy hunter come opening day. We
suggest after you finish reading this
months issue of Pursuit Magazine that
you get to work! Pull out your gear,
start practicing your turkey calls and
creeping through the woods because
turkey season will be here before you
know it.
-Rusty Faulk
www.pursuitchannel.com
What’s
Turkey
Thugs
TV
with
Paul Butski
by John E. Phillips
www.pursuitchannel.com
www.pursuitchannel.com
Paul Butski, right, is a member of Mossy Oak’s Turkey Thugs. On the “Turkey Thugs TV”
show, you can learn how to find, call, and if you’re lucky, how to take gobblers all over the
nation.
Editor’s Note: Paul Butski of Scio, New
York, is the sales manager for GSM
Outdoors, the owners of Stealth Cams,
Walker’s Game Ear, Cyclops Lighting,
American Hunter feeders and Maestro
Game Calls. Butski’s also one of the
nation’s premier turkey callers and turkey
hunters, having won three Grand National
Championships, six U.S. Open turkey
calling championships, the Levi Garrett
All-American Open twice and more than
250-other turkey-calling contests.
The Turkey Thugs are a group of turkey
hunters from all over the country that
have at least 30 years of turkey-hunting
experience and have hunted all the races
of wild turkeys in the USA. Each spring,
we take veterans and wounded warriors
turkey hunting to give back to the men
and women who have helped defend
our nation, as well as their wives, who are
survivors also.
The name Thug is an acronym for Turkey
Hunters United for Good. We donate
a portion of the money raised from
Turkey Thug Call sales to several different
veterans’ benefits. The Turkey Thugs
don’t claim to be the world’s greatest
turkey hunters. On our show, we teach
how we call and take turkeys, and you’ll
see veterans hunting with us and taking
gobblers. We want our viewers to learn
new tips and tactics to help them be more
successful as turkey hunters.
I’m often asked what the biggest mistake
is that most turkey hunters make. I think
it’s calling too much. Once a tom gobbles
back to your calling, you need to quit
calling and get ready to take the shot.
That way the turkey won’t know exactly
where you are and will come to you,
looking for the hen that’s called to him.
The gobbler knows if the hen can see
or hear him that she’ll come to him. So,
calling less may prevent a gobbler from
stopping just short of gun range. Patience
is your friend and takes more gobblers
than great calling.
Another question I’m often asked is,
“Which call should a beginning turkey
hunter use?” The friction calls like the
box call, the slate call or the glass call are
the easiest for a person to learn to use.
Too, the push button box call is the one
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call that a beginning hunter with about
5 minutes of instructions can use to go
into the woods and call in a turkey. The
push button call also produces a different
sound than many of the other calls, which
is why many seasoned turkey hunters
keep one in their pockets.
When I’m asked to name the toughest
turkey I’ve ever hunted, I immediately
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remember the Red Gate Turkey. I was
guiding at Southern Sportsman Hunting
Lodge near Selma, Alabama. Most of the
guides had tried to kill this gobbler that
usually answered a call three times in the
morning, never called again and then
seemed to vanish. One morning I had
guided a hunter, and we had failed to take
a bird. I told him, “Let’s give the Red Gate
Gobbler a chance to ride home with us.”
I called to the bird three times, and
he answered me. But something was
different about the way he was gobbling.
We set-up facing the direction we
expected the gobbler to approach us. I
didn’t call aggressively but clucked softly
and purred every 10 minutes.
We’d been sitting for about 10 or 15
minutes, when my hunter said, “That
gobbler isn’t going to come in, so let’s
go eat.” I whispered, “Sit still. I’m fairly
confident we can take this bird.” Twenty
minutes later the Red Gate Gobbler
showed up, and my hunter took him. This
turkey had a 12-inch beard and 1-1/2-inch
spurs and was a 5-year-old tom.
When the gobbler heard the call, he
waited a long time – perhaps looking for
any movement that would give away the
hunter’s position. The turkey also knew
the length of time a turkey hunter would
wait, before he got up and moved. So, he
waited longer before showing up. This
turkey re-taught me that patience takes
more turkeys than fancy calling does.
For more information, go to “Turkey
Thugs TV”.
www.pursuitchannel.com
BassResource.com
Named Official
2014 Big Bass World
Championship Online
State Leaderboard
Partner
Partnership will send one
BassResource.com Member to
Championship Tournament
Bixby, Okla. - Feb. 18, 2014 – Bassin’
Magazine’s Big Bass World Championship
(BBWC), presented by Pursuit Channel,
recently announced that BassResource.
com, the largest online bass fishing
website, joined the family of BBWC
sponsors for 2014. As part of the
sponsorship, BassResource will offer its
members a chance to compete in the
Championship.
"This is incredible. I remember the
inception of the Big Bass World
Championship nearly two decades
ago, and to be part of event in 2014 is
amazing to me,” said Glenn May, CEO of
BassResource.com.
The big news for BassResource.com
members is that the partnership will
send one BassResoure.com member who
signs up for the 2014 BBWC to the final
championship event expected to take
place fall 2014 at an undisclosed location.
Complete details regarding this special
promotion are posted at BassResource.com.
“I know the members of BassResource will
benefit from the partnership. To be the
official online state leaderboard website
is very exciting. One of our members will
get to fish in the championship event this
fall. This is a great partnership and will be
wonderful for our fishing community,"
May said.
BBWC participants can go to
BassResource.com to check the state
leaderboard, read articles, participate in
forums, watch videos and find out what
anglers across the country are doing to
catch big bass.
Participating in the event is easy:
1. Sign up for just $25 at
www.BassinOnline.com.
2. Fish anytime, anywhere from now until
Aug. 15, 2014. Land the heaviest bass in
any state and you qualify as one of 49
anglers to fish in the final championship
event. Or participate in the BassResource.
com promotion and win the 50th and final
invitation to the championship event.
Go to the BBWC section posted at www.
bassresource.com/bbwc for more details.
3. Land the heaviest bass in the 2014
BBWC Championship event and you can
win up to $50,000 and a brand new boat,
motor and trailer.
Visit BassinOnline.com for event details
and rules.
"Big Bass World Championship is
committed to helping BassResource.
com grow its membership with unique
benefits,” said Brad Uhl, owner and
publisher of Bassin’.
“We are pleased to announce the
partnership and want to reward one
BassResouce.com member, by giving him
or her the final spot in our championship
event. With no returning champion this
year, there was no better fit than to award
it to a member of BassResource.com who
also entered the BBWC.”
Sponsors and partners of the BBWC
include: Pursuit Channel; Bassin'
Magazine, The Official Magazine of the
Weekend Angler; F&H Decals, Official
Ruler Supplier; and BassResource.com,
Official State Leaderboard.
www.pursuitchannel.com
www.bassinonline.com
www.fhdecals.com
www.bassresource.com
For more information about the
event, advertising opportunities and
sponsorships, please contact Brad Uhl at
[email protected],
918-364-4210 x 132 or visit
www.BassinOnline.com.
FlyRod
CHOOSING A NEW
“Now more than
ever the perfect fly
rod for you is out
there without going to a custom rod
maker.”
by Don Kirk
www.pursuitchannel.com
F
ly rod making has changed a lot over the last
125 years. In the beginning there were only
split cane bamboo rods, which fell from favor
after the fall of China in 1949 when supplies
of Tonkin bamboo disappeared. Next came a generation of willowy fiber glass fly rods which didn’t seem
able to make anyone very happy. Graphite and boron
fly rods came on the scene in the late 1970s. In successive generations, these composite rods have utterly
dominated the world modern fly rods; although it is
interesting that there are probably more makers of custom bamboo rods now than ever before.
When contemplating the purchase of a fly rod, cost and
d
application largely determine what you
end up buying. With so many choices in every aspect of design and capabilities, it can
be confusing. There are no fewer than two
dozen makers of high quality rods. Most of
these companies offer scores of options on
their rods. Locating the right rod for you is
under the three basic principles of fly rod
construction. These are the rod’s weight,
length, flex, and number of pieces.
Type of water you fly fish largely determines the rod weight which is suited for
you. A standard measurement used by fly
rod manufacturers for noting the backbone of a rod. The smaller waters where
creel size trout are caught require lighter
rod weights. Bigger waters and bigger fish
require progressively heavier fly rods. If
fly fishing trickles and rivulets or the stepacross tributaries are larger streams waters,
choose a rod somewhere between a 1 to 3
weight. If much of your fly fishing for small
and largemouth bass, big trout, or salmon,
8 to 12 weights rods are recommended.
Wide rivers and tailwaters where large trout
lurk is best fly fished with a. 6 to 8 weight
rod. Unless you are highly specialized, an all
round fly rod may be your best choice. This
would be a 6 to 8 weight fly rod.
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Length of cast is another consideration
when fly rod shopping. The farther you
need to cast to catch fish, the more line
your rods needs to be able to handle.
Longer rods enable longer casts. If you
are like me, most of my fly fishing is for
trout in small to mid-size creeks. At such
waters casts of 10 to 20 feet. Some people still recommend short, 6 to 7.5-feet
fly rods for short range casting. I do not. I
recommend an 8.5 to 9-feet 3 to 4 weight
rod. These same rods are perfect for use
a spring creeks and streams with long
stretches of smooth water such as tailwater rivers. If you are primarily a bass bugger,
make sure you have at least 9 to 10 weight
fly rod for streams and lakes.
Your casting skill level is the third key component of making a great purchase. Beginning fly casters benefit from rods that flex
throughout most of their length because
such fly rods are forgiving of most common
mistakes made by neophytes. The greater
the flex of a fly rod, the larger and smoother the casting loops it makes. Under favorable conditions these fly rods work well,
but if you need distance or wind troublesome, high flex rods are impractical. Stiffer,
or so-called “fast rods” enable tight loops
which make longer casts possible while
also cutting through the wind. These typically are more costly and are
engineered for casters who have mastered
throwing far more line out on the water.
Casting skills dictates the flex of the fly rod
which is appropriate for you.
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My name is Fred Cox and my venture in offering turkey calls started in
1995. What started as a hobby has blossomed into a full scale business,
so please if I can help you, do not hesitate to contact me.
- Happy Hunting
2012 NWTF, CHAMPION CALLMAKER,
WINGBONE DIVISION
336-451-9420
www.grandslamturkeycalls.com
,
AMERICA S TOP
Smallmouth
Rivers
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h
by Ed Rivers
America has a number of blue-ribbon-class smallmouth bass streams
and rivers, found from New England in the East, to Washington in the
West, and Alabama in the South. Everyone has their own “top fishing
spots” list. Here’s mine. Email the editor with yours. He said if anyone
had a better list, he would cut my pay.
Tennessee River , Alabama
Many anglers make a good argument that, for size, the Tennessee River
below Pickwick Landing Dam is NumeroUno for smallmouth bass.
An all tackle world-record smallmouth bass came from the swirling
waters of this northern Alabama river. Downstream from the dam’s
towering wall of concrete, the sprawling Tennessee River is perfect
habitat for the cool-water-loving bronzeback. Great fishing is found
from the tailrace to over ten miles downstream. This is a fantastic
year-round fishery, but the currents can be pretty tricky to navigate
safely. Newcomers to these waters are strongly advised to hire a local
guide. I strongly recommend Steve Hacker’s Pickwick Lake Smallmouth
Services, Inc.
For more info visit www.smallmouth.co
New River, Virginia
Great for wade or float fishing, the New River in Virginia is one of the
country’s most exciting smallmouth bass fishing hot spots. A rugged,
free-flowing river, the New has everything from Class I to IV rapids,
boulder-strewn runs, and cobbledshoals. There is an abundance of
mid-river ledges where the biggest brownies stake out ambush spots.
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The New flows across three states,
and sports a number of major rapids,
especially in the West Virginia Gorge,
where there are Class III- to IV-plus
rapids. Interestingly, the New River is
believed to be the oldest river in the US,
and the secondoldest in the world.It is
also the only river that originates at the
Appalachians that does not empty into
the Atlantic Ocean.
For more info visit www.
greasycreekoutfitters.com
www.pursuitchannel.com
Snake River, Washington & Idaho
At the mention of the Snake River,
most anglers think of trout and salmon
fishing, which is great throughout this
watershed. However, it’s a little-known
secret that this Rocky Mountains riveris
also a top tier place for catching lots of
smallmouth bass, including a fair share
of five- to seven-pound leviathans.
Impounded in places, the Snake has a
variety of smallmouth habitat. For river
rats, the river up and downstream from
Hells Canyon is of particular interest.
Another hot spot in the ten-mile stretch
near Lewiston, Idaho, and Clarkston,
Washington. The river flows north along
the border with Oregon and Washington,
before joining the Columbia River near
Pasco, Washington.
For more info visit www.
snakeriverguides.com
Little Pigeon River, Tennessee
An unlikely-looking trophy smallmouth
bass fishing hot spot, the headwaters
of this eastern Tennessee flow drain the
highest mountains in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. After leaving
the confines of this federal sanctuary,
the river passes through Gatlinburg,
then on through Pigeon Forge (home of
Dollywood), and finally Sevierville before
entering the French Broad River. During
the spring the river has an incredible run
of five- to eight-pound smallmouth bass
from downstream Fort Loudoun Lake in
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Knoxville. Easily waded and blessed with
lots of deep, bass-holding pools, one
of the great ironies of fishing the Little
Pigeon is that you could park at a Pizza
Hut to fish one run, then at a shopping
mall to fish yet another.
For more info visit www.mypigeonforge.
com
Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania &
New York
The Susquehanna is one of the nation’s
most popular bronzeback fishing rivers.
Fishermen can wade portions of New
York’s North Branchin Bradford and
Wyoming counties, and these sections
have gently sloping gravel bottoms.
In Pennsylvania, anglers can run bass
boats above Sunbury, while canoes
and johnboats arerecommended
downstreamof City Island in Harrisburg.
The Susquehanna has it all:ledges
and fluctuating depths with rocks,
grassbeds, and deadfalls that harbor
feisty brownies. Over 400 miles long,
it drains a large watershed within the
Allegheny Plateau of the Appalachian
Mountains on its way to the north end of
Chesapeake Bay.
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For more info visit www.
bassfeverguideservice.com
Crooked Creek, Arkansas
“The blue-ribbon smallmouth bass
fishing stream of the state” in Arkansas
is Crooked Creek. Found way up in
the north-central part of Arkansas, it
originates near Dogpatch in Newton
County, flows north and then east
through Boone County, and continues
east across Marion County, where it
empties into the White River. Along the
way, it passes through the communities
of Harrison, Pyatt, and Yellville, but
most of its journey is through rural
countryside. From source to mouth is a
distance of about 80 miles. The stream
itself is characterized by deep pools,
fast chutes, and clear water, chockfull of
hard-fighting smallmouth bass.
For more info visit www.ozarkmtns.com
Osceola
Stalking The Elusive
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a Turkey
by Buck Wilder
They call Florida the Sunshine State. Last March,after an unusually cold winter
in the mountainsof my home state of Virginian, the balmy, 75-degree sunny
Florida weather was a welcom respite.I had traveled there to hunt the elusive
Osceola turkey in order to complete my first Grand Slam.
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The first afternoon,I did a swamp buggy
tour of the ranch’s wetlands, and then
rode the miles of dirt road that weave
endlessly through its many thousands
of acres, which alternate between
palmetto-dotted savannahs, grand oak
hammocks, and slash pine forests. The
Osceola turkey has adapted to life in
swampy areas and is also found in flat
pine woods, and oak and palmetto hammocks.
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The distribution of these birds is currently disputed.The Osceola turkey is a
native of Florida, but some wildlife biologists note that this breed’s current range
also includes Georgia to Louisiana. Other
wildlife experts say that once you move
north of south-central Florida, the socalled Osceola turkeys you encounter are
at best hybrid products with no shortage
of Eastern wild turkey lineage.
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Also known as the Florida turkey, the
Osceola turkey is smaller, slimmer, and
darker than the Eastern turkey. It has a
very thin, white barring on its primary
feathers and no barring on the secondary tail feathers. The Osceola gobbler’s
fan feathers are tipped with brown. Another difference in the Eastern and the
Osceola turkeys is that the latter has
exceptionally long, slender legs.
During courtship, alongbeardedOscelagobbler will spread his tail in an impressive display.
The Osceola subspecies is as quick to
strut as its closest cousin, the Eastern,
and is just as vocal. These wild turkeys
are classic homebodies, rarely leaving
the home range where they hatched,
although on occasion the will migrate
short distances when motivated by seasonal shifts in their food supply.
The Osceola turkey frequently interbreeds with other turkey species, creating hybrids at the edge of its range. As a
result, an Osceola turkey hunt in one of
the areas sporting pure strain Osceola
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turkeys is one of, if not the most, difficult
turkey hunts tobook. Nearly all hunting
for these birds occurson privately owned
land, and it is not uncommon for outfitters offerings these limited hunts to have
all of their openings booked as much as
three years in advance.
Through the Palmettos
I had waited a long time for this hunt.
Donning snakebite-proof boots, I
reached a raft of palmettos without any
matching holes in my legs. Once there,I
hunkered down to await dawn, when
our quarry should fly down from the
safety of their twilight roost. When they
descended with wings spread wide from
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their roost, they flew overhead so close
that I was able to pick out the ones I
wanted. I was just as pleased that it was
now light enough to see where your feet
were on the ground—and what might
be coiled up next to them.
Osceola turkeys are a bit more shy and
nervous than Rio Grande turkeys, and
perhaps even more than the Eastern. I
only know that I’ve never yet hunted a
wild turkey gobbler anywhere that did
not strike me as being super shy and
neurotically nervous. It took about 45
minutes of calling to convince my gobbler that I was a hot, but reluctant to
rendezvous, hen. The old tom eventually
showed himself. I was well concealed
from the bird’s eyes, which scanned the
area in lightning-fast blinks as the longbeard emerged into view at 50 yards. As
he stepped into the light green grass of
the savannah, the old tom swelled like a
hot air balloon into a full strut. This bird
was proud to be there and was putting
his best foot forward.
This was my first turkey hunting trip
with my new 12-gauge Browning Citori
over-and-under. It was sporting turkey
chokes and hadNumber 6 shot Winwww.pursuitchannel.com
chester Extended Range Turkey Loads
crammed into both barrels. When I first
began turkey hunting many years ago,
a 50-yard shot was not possible, even if
you were feeling lucky. However, prior to
making this trip, I had shot this Browning
scattergun many times, and was confident that this combination of ammo and
barrel would dispatch the gobbler at that
range. When I squeezed the trigger, the
recoil of the shotgun jarred my shoulder,
but dropped ole horny right where he
stood.
If all turkey hunting was like this trip, I
am pretty sure “Turkeyitis” would have to
be included in my medical records.
WILD
TURKEY
Videography
HUNTING
“Great wild turkey hunting footage is worth the effort.”
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U
sing a video camera to get
quality real time hunting
footage is one of the
toughest undertakings
any videographer can undertake. I am
not talking about getting footage of a
South Dakota ringneck pheasant hunt or
a rabbit hunt where all the camera man
has to do is be alert for flushes or when
the beagles bring a bunny back within
shotgun range.
I am talking about hunting where
hunters must set-up to either call in an
animal, or wait to ambush it. This type
of hunting typifies most spring bear
hunting, whitetail hunting, predator
hunting, and even most elk hunting. If
these animals spot or wind you or the
hunter, they will exit your location so fast
you might even question yourself that
they were ever there.
As tough as these sharp eyed, keen
nosed, wary mammals are get on video
them being successfully hunted, they
usually are not nearly as challenging
as getting great wild turkey hunting
footage.
During the spring mating season
when hunting occurs in most areas, a
longbearded gobblers transcends from
the status of village idiot in the woods, to
temporarily become some sort of super
genius wizard. Wild turkey have the best
eyes of any game animal found on the
continent and are constantly suspicious
of their surroundings during the mating
season when they are hunted.
The biggest keys to consistently getting
good wild turkey video footage are
being prepared and good plans. When
outdoors in conditions where exposing
your camera to the weather, it is not
a problem keep you video recorder
near you with plenty of fresh tape and
fully charged batteries. When taping
wild turkey or the hunt itself, do so
on with your camera mounted atop a
tripod whenever it is possible. However,
because of the incidental way many wild
turkey hunting taping opportunities
occur, it is often necessary to shoulder
and shoot at a moment’s notice.
Generally, you have to take lighting as
it comes rather than positioning for
optimal exposure. If lighting conditions
are not what you wish they were, such
as early morning in dimly lighted woods,
expose to what is most pleasing or
interesting to you at the moment. For
example, you see a gobbler along a ridge
that is back lit by the rising or setting
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sun. Rather than set the aperture of the
video recorder to put the bird in correct
exposure, accept a silhouette that can
be quite dramatic and pleasing to view.
If you are shoulder shooting with your
video recorder, when and wherever it is
possible for you to do so, lean against
a tree or something to help you steady
your efforts.
One of the biggest mistakes many
people make when video recording wild
turkey hunting is zooming too quickly
and in a jerking fashion. Fortunately,
most modern video recorders have wide
angle to telephoto capabilities that make
them well suited for wild turkey hunting
photography. Remember, when a video
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recorder is at its maximum
focal length (or telephoto
setting) it is most likely to
show the telltale effects
of shaking than when at
other time. Also, when
video recording wildlife,
strive to avoid creating fast
zoom-in and zoom-out
footage. Take your time.
Lightly feather the zoom
button for a slow, subtle zoom sequence.
Much the same is true of panning on
wildlife. Do so slowly.
if you want to learn more about outdoor
videography or how to make a living
at this craft, I operate a school, and
also offer a home study version of the
weeklong “Brock Ray Videography
School Home Study Course for $49.99
(plus a shipping and handling cost of
$10.00). To see more visit my website
www.outdooruniversity.com. To order
contact me you call reach me at (205)625-5473; or by mail at Brock Ray’s Home
Study Course; PO Box 64; Oneonta, AL
35121
www.pursuitchannel.com
c anine
c are
How to Choose the Right
Veterinarian for Your Dog
by Marty Smith, DVM
provided courtesy of Drs. Foster &
Smith, Inc.
Choosing a veterinarian who is right for
you and your dog is not always easy. You
want to find a veterinarian with whom
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you and your dog can feel comfortable
and can build a trusting relationship.
And you want to find that veterinarian
before you get a dog—the veterinarian
may be able to help you select a pet that
will fit your expectations and lifestyle. If
you have moved, or for some other reason need to change veterinarians, find
www.pursuitchannel.com
c anine
c are
a new veterinarian before your dog becomes ill.
Different types of veterinary practices
exist. Those that provide care to companion animals include the following:
Small Animal Practice
These veterinarians work mainly with
dogs and cats. Many also care for pocket
pets, reptiles, ferrets, and birds.
Mixed Animal Practice
These veterinarians are commonly found
in more rural areas, as they work with
pets as well as horses, cattle, and other
farm animals.
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Emergency Clinics
These clinics are very helpful in the event
an emergency occurs outside of your
veterinarian’s regular office hours. They
do not typically handle routine checkups, vaccinations, or spays/neuters.
Emergency clinics may also see patients
who need 24-hour care or exams with
specialized equipment that veterinarians
in the surrounding area may not have in
their facilities, such asexams requiring
ultrasonography or endoscopy.
Speciesl Specific Clinics
These veterinarians limit their practice to
one species of animal, such as dogs only
c anine
c are
or cats only.
The veterinarians that limit the species of
patients to which they provide care, such
as “dog-only,”’ are able to devote more
time to learning about that particular
species. This allows for more in-depth
knowledge of disease processes in that
species. In many multi-doctor practices,
the doctors have individual interests
which they pursue. They are available to
consult with other doctors in the clinic
on those subjects.
Where do you find a veterinarian for your
dog? Start by asking friends, family, and
co-workers who have dogs. Where do
they take their pets and why? Do they
like the location? Is the staff friendly and
do they seem knowledgeable? Does the
doctor fully explain the diagnosis, treatment plan, and expected outcome of a
disease? Are they comfortable asking
the doctor questions?
If you have a certain breed of hunting
dog, breed and hunting clubs may be a
good source of information when looking for a veterinarian. This is very helpful if you have plans to breed your dog,
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since a knowledgeable veterinarian is
a great asset.If you go to dog training
classes, ask the instructors and other
participants which veterinarian they
useand why.
Questions you need to ask when visiting
a veterinary clinic include what are their
regular office hours, what times are the
doctors are available for appointments,
and how are emergencieshandled during business hours. Also ask how are
emergencies handled after hours and
on holidays and how long does it take to
get an appointment for a wellness exam
versus a “sick pet” appointment?
Don’t make cost your determining factor when choosing a veterinarian. It is
very difficult to compare costs for medical services, because every veterinarian
practices differently. Expect to pay a fair
price for the services received. In a critical situation, cost is usually not your first
concern, so choose quality care above all
else. Your dog is more than a financial investment—it’s a member of your family.
For more information, visit www.drsfostersmith.com.
MAY 2013
Antelope
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Spring’s coming or already here which
means more fun for all outdoor families
this month. We’ve included some of our
favorite recipes for you for the turkeys
you’ll take and the fish you’ll catch. Enjoy
spring’s outdoor bounty in your kitchen.
a bottle of soy sauce over the turkey, and
cover the top of the roasting pan. Place
in a 325-degree oven for 15 minutes per
pound. After the allotted cooking time,
take the top off, pour off all juices, and
brown the top for 15-30 minutes at 350
degrees. Usually the juice will have made
Aunt Bettie’s Soy Sauce Wild Turkey
gravy. But if that gravy isn’t as thick as you
This recipe from my late sister-in-law is the prefer, add cornstarch to the juice you’ve
easiest I’ve ever prepared for cooking wild placed in a skillet, whisk the mixture, cook
turkey yet probably is the yummiest with over high heat to form thicker gravy, and
the most amazing aroma.
then simmer for about 3-5 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 cleaned turkey (see end of recipes to
Crappie Croquettes
learn how to care for and clean a wild
This recipe is also delicious made with
turkey)
leftover bream, bass and/or catfish and
Bacon strips
is one our family has enjoyed for many
Bottle soy sauce
years. Even people who don’t like croPreparation:
quettes enjoy these when served with
Criss-cross bacon strips on the turkey’s
various sauces, including cocktail sauce,
breast with toothpicks, since a wild turkey honey mustard and others.
has so-little fat, as compared to a storeIngredients:
bought turkey. Put in roasting pan, add
2 cups flaked, cooked crappie or other
1/2-cup of water to bottom of pan, pour
white meat fish
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start with the best fishing guides.
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1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon parsley
Dash of pepper and paprika
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons shortening
1/2-teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
Cracker crumbs
Preparation:
To make croquettes, mix first 5 ingredients until well-blended. In a skillet, make
a white sauce by melting shortening. Add
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salt and flour to make a paste. Then add
1 cup milk, cooking on simmer until the
mixture is thickened. Cool. Next combine
white sauce and fish mixture. Then chill
mixture. Beat 2 eggs with 4 tablespoons
of milk. Make croquettes or balls with
hands, and dip the meat mixture into the
egg/milk mixture. Roll the croquettes in
cracker crumbs, dip them back in the egg/
milk mixture, and roll them once more in
the cracker crumbs. Drop the croquettes
into hot oil in a Dutch oven, or use an
electric fryer, cook until brown, and dry on
paper toweling.
Crappie Cocktail
This colorful recipe is another innovative
way to use a small amount of freshwater
fish, including catfish and bream, to give
your family an enjoyable and tasty, hearthealthy dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound crappie fillets or other freshwater
fish, including catfish and bream
2 cups chicken broth
1 bottle (8 ounces) lime juice
1/3-cup celery, thinly sliced
1/3-cup purple onion, chopped
2 tablespoons green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup chili sauce
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
3 to 4 drops hot sauce
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
cubes
Lettuce leaves
Garnishes: parsley sprigs and lime slices
Preparation:
Cut the fish fillets into 1-inch pieces, and
set aside. Bring the chicken broth to a
boil in a medium saucepan. Add the fish,
cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes,
or until the fish flakes easily when tested
with a fork. Drain. Place fish in a glass or
a ceramic bowl, pour lime juice over the
fish, cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Drain. Combine celery and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. Add
the fish and the avocado, and toss gently.
Serve on lettuce leaves and garnish.
Crappie Nuggets
This unusual way to prepare crappie is
always a hit with all ages at our house.
Ingredients:
2 pounds crappie fillets (can substitute
catfish, bream or bass)
1 cup round cheese crackers, finely
crushed
1/2-cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4-cup sesame seeds
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/4-teaspoon pepper
1/2-cup butter or margarine, melted
Ingredients for Sour Cream Blue Cheese
Dip:
1 carton sour cream (8 ounces)
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1/4-cup finely chopped onion
1/4-teaspoon salt
Fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Preparation:
Cut fillets into 1-inch cubes, and set aside.
Combine cracker crumbs, cheese, sesame
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outdoors
kitchen
seeds, salt and pepper in a small bowl,
and set aside. Dip fish cubes in melted
butter, and roll in cracker crumbs. Place
fish cubes 1/2-inch apart on aluminumfoil-lined baking sheets. Bake uncovered
at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the
crappie is golden brown. Serve with dip.
To prepare dip, combine sour cream, blue
cheese, onion and salt in a small mixing
bowl. Cover, and refrigerate. Garnish with
chopped parsley, if desired.
Saltwater Fish Spectacular
This heart-healthy dish looks and tastes
great and is a different way to prepare the
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saltwater fish you’ve caught in March or
April or that you have in your freezer.
Ingredients:
3 pounds saltwater fish fillets (particularly
good prepared with grouper)
1/3-cup lemon juice
1 medium-size green pepper, diced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 medium tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2-1/2-cups (10 ounces) Mozzarella cheese,
shredded
1/2-cup black olives, sliced
Preparation:
Place fish fillets in a shallow container.
Pour lemon juice over fish, and refrigerate
for 2 hours. Sauté onion and green pepper
in margarine for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes,
and cook mixture an additional 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, and set aside. Remove
fish from lemon juice, and place skin-side
down in a lightly-greased 13x9x2 inch
baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30
minutes. Spoon vegetable mixture over
fish, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350
degrees for an additional 15 minutes, or
until fish flakes easily when tested with a
fork. Sprinkle with olives.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4-cup flour
1 cup chopped onion
1/2-cup chopped celery
1 minced garlic clove
1/4-teaspoon red pepper
5 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes, undrained,
cut-up
1/2-cup cooking wine
2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 bay leaf
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/4-teaspoon saffron
Gulf Coast Bouillabaisse
Drop of Tabasco sauce
Our family enjoys this recipe that feeds
Preparation:
a number of people, because there are
Remove any skin from fillets. Cut each
so-many variations on it, and they all taste fillet into six or eight portions. Melt the
delicious. We like to serve it with a green
butter in a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven. Then
salad and thick, crusty bread. This dish is
add olive oil, and blend in flour. Cook, stirone you have to watch while you’re cook- ring constantly, until the mixture is light
ing it, just like you do gumbo.
brown in color. Add onion, celery and
Ingredients:
garlic. Cook again, stirring constantly, until
2 pounds saltwater white-meat fish fillets the vegetables begin to brown. Gradu1/2-pound shrimp (preferably fresh wild
ally stir in the water. Add tomatoes, wine,
Alabama shrimp, not frozen)
parsley, lemon juice, bay leaf, salt, saf1 pint oysters
fron, red pepper and about 1/4 of the fish.
1 cup crabmeat (fresh, not canned)
Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2 tablespoons butter
Then add the fish, and cook
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5- to 8-minutes longer. Add the shrimp,
and add 1 pound wild pig meat pieces or
oysters and crabmeat. Cook another 3 to 5 smoked pork sausage, stewed pork and
minutes, or until all the seafood is done.
barbecued pork. Let boil slowly in an iron
pot for 2-1/2- to 3 hours. Add 1 can RoWild Pig & Bean Soup
Tel tomatoes, onion, garlic and juice of l
This hearty and health-conscious soup
lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for
that’s heavy on fiber is so delicious when
30 minutes more. Or, if you want to use
prepared at the hunting camp, if someone your crockpot, you can place the mixture
in your group has taken a feral pig.
of beans, veggies, pork, etc. in a crockpot
Ingredients:
and cook on LOW for 3-4 more hours. Too,
2 cups dried beans or more in any comthe soup may be kept in the refrigerator
bination of beans (black, red, pinto, navy, in a covered container, and its flavor imsouthern, lentils, split peas, black-eyed)
proves with age and reheating.
Water
1 tablespoon salt
Italian Stewed Venison
2 quarts water
With venison in your freezer from deer
Hambone
season, here’s a very simple-to-make veni1 pound wild pig meat pieces
son stew that smells so good, the aromas
1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes
will entice your family or the hunters at
1 onion chopped
the hunting club to eat with you.
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
3-1/2-pounds venison that has had all its
Salt and pepper to taste
white membranes removed, soaked in
Preparation:
heavily salted water to cover overnight in
Wash bean mixtures, and cover with wathe refrigerator, washed carefully to reter. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, and soak
move all salt and cut for stew
overnight. Rinse the beans carefully, being 2 cans (14 ounces each) Italian-style
sure to discard all water in which you’ve
stewed tomatoes with juice
soaked them or rinsed them. Put the
rinsed beans in 2 quarts of fresh water,
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4 cups water
4 large cloves garlic
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Stir
and cover. Cook for 1 hour on HIGH, and
then 8 to 10 hours on LOW. When the
venison is fork-tender, turn off heat, and
serve, or cool to store. Beef may be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to
3 months. If you prefer to cook this dish
on your stovetop, bring the ingredients
to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the
heat to simmer on low, watching the liquid levels for 4 hours or until beef is fallapart tender. Add water as necessary.
How to Care for and Clean a Wild Turkey
John has been hunting turkeys for 50
years, and I’ve been cooking them for
about 45 years. Here’s how we care for our
wild turkeys we plan to eat. Field dress the
gobbler. Cut a small hole around the anal
area. Reach inside the turkey. Pull out all
the entrails, being sure to remove all the
red, spongy lung material, which can spoil
very quickly. Don’t wash the inside of the
carcass, since water will increase the bacteria build-up inside the bird.
Decide whether you’ll pluck or skin the
bird to prepare it for cooking. If you
choose to skin the gobbler, do it in the
woods when you’re field dressing him.
Pluck the turkey as soon as you arrive
home. Because of the warm weather in
during spring throughout much of the
country, the best method to get a turkey
home from the field is to take a 100-quart
cooler with you in your truck. Also keep
on-hand in your vehicle 30-gallon trash
bags that you can put the turkey inside,
pull the drawstrings tight around the
tom’s legs, and place the bird in the cooler.
Skin a Turkey: To skin a turkey, tie one or
both feet to a limb, and use your fingers
to tear the feathered skin away from the
flesh. The cut made in the anal area where
you’ve removed the entrails is a good
place to begin the skinning process. Use
a trash bag carried for that purpose to
hold unwanted parts of the bird to keep
the woods clean and to throw away once
you’ve returned home. The turkey’s skin is
tender when the bird is freshly-dead and
will come away in large tears. Once the
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outdoors
kitchen
skin and feathers are removed,
use a knife to cut the breast
away from the back, cut-off the
wings at the joint and cut-off
the legs, as well.
Pluck the Turkey: Once you arrive home, if the gobbler’s still
warm, the feathers probably
will come-out easily. But if the
bird has cooled, a wet plucking is preferable. Dunk your turkey into steaming-hot
water. A big pot on the stovetop works, or
some people heat-up water on a Coleman
stove outdoors or a turkey fryer. Allow
the bird to soak about 2 minutes. Slosh it
around to make sure it gets completely
wet. Remove it from the water. Then begin to pluck it in the same direction the
feathers grow - from the neck toward the
feet. Don’t pull the feathers backwards,
which may tear the skin. Next, singe your
turkey to make sure you have removed all
the pinfeathers. A pair of tweezers may be
needed to do this properly.
If you plan on cooking the turkey in a day
or so, then store the bird in the refrigerator. If it is to be frozen for cooking later,
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triple wrap the parts of the bird using
clear plastic, then foil and then freezer
paper, eliminating any air. A wild turkey
tastes best if cooked within 2 months of
the kill, but it can last as long as 1 year in
the freezer.
To learn more about cooking wild game,
seafood and freshwater and saltwater
fish, go to John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBook,
“The Best Wild Game & Seafood Cookbook
Ever: 350 Southern Recipes for Deer, Turkey, Fish, Seafood Small Game and Birds,”
click here, or, go to http://www.amazon.
com/kindle-ebooks, type in the names of
the books, and download them to your
Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for
your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.
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lawrence bay lodge
WELCOME TO LAWRENCE BAY LODGE!
Lawrence Bay Lodge sets new standards
of excellence for the best northern pike
fishing in Canada, northern pike fishing
guides, Canada fishing lodges and
service. Saskatchewan walleye fishing and
northern pike fishing on Reindeer Lake,
in northern Saskatchewan, at Lawrence
Bay Lodge has never been better! For
your additional comfort, while northern
pike fishing in Canada, we have added 18’
deep transom boats and 40 horsepower
Mercury motors.
pike, walleye, arctic grayling and lake
trout fishing in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Reindeer Lake, with its thousands of
islands, is home to HUGE Northern Pike
and our Saskatchewan fly-in fishing
lodges make the ideal place catch these
amazing fish. Catch your Walleye on
Reindeer Lake or hop in a float plane and
fly out to one of our many day lakes. With
an average depth of 100 feet, Reindeer
Lake is loaded with Trophy Lake Trout! The
Arctic Grayling make a beautiful “trophy”
and are known to put up a good fight for
their size—a true fishing adventure!
REINDEER LAKE
Located on Reindeer Lake in Northern
FIRST CLASS!
Saskatchewan, Lawrence Bay Lodge offers Our Cree Indian fishing guides, float
some of the best fresh water northern
planes, fishing boats and equipment are
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first class. Our cabins are fully modernized
and we serve breakfast, lunch and
dinner. Lunch is a shore lunch, prepared
by your guide—an experience in and
of itself. This allows you to catch up on
your morning fishing experiences. We
have float planes for access to remote
lakes in Saskatchewan. The fishing
guide experience and versatility makes
Lawrence bay rank among the best flyin fishing lodges in Canada. Lawrence
Bay Lodge, a Northern Saskatchewan
fishing lodge, offers a great experience for
everyone.
So, if you’re on the hunt for fishing lodges
in Saskatchewan, check out Lawrence Bay
Lodge. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a
better fishing adventure!
EQUIPMENT AND TACKLE TO BRING
Some Saskatchewan fishing equipment,
needed on a fishing trip to Lawrence Bay
Lodge, should include a medium heavy
6-7 foot casting or spinning rod equipped
with 8-20 lb. line.
Rain Gear is also a good idea.
Temperatures average 66 to 78 degrees
in June, July and August, with September
temperatures in the mid 50’s. Reindeer
Lake fishing tackle and License are
available at the lodge. Some Canada
fishing tackle to consider bringing up
with you is the new Slugo type bait,
which is a large single hook plastic lure.
Floating lures are also very productive,
like the Rapala’s and Heddon’s and also try
crankbaits like Rapala’s Rattle traps and
Storm’s Hot n’ Tots. Bucktail and Mepp’s
minnow lures work very well also.
Last, but certainly not least, for important
Canada fishing equipment, is the old
Standby spoons (such as Daredevil and
Len Thompsons) which work very well for
Big Northern Pike and Lake Trout. Also, if
you are a fly fisherman, make sure that
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featured
outfit ter
you bring your fly rod to Saskatchewan as
well. Fly rods have been working great for
the big Northern Pike, which love the new
presentation of the flies.
would like to learn more about the fish
found in Reindeer Lake, check out our
pages covering Northern Pike, Walleye,
Lake Trout and Arctic Grayling.
GREAT FISHING
When it comes to fishing in Saskatchewan,
there is no better destination than
Lawrence Bay Lodge. Surrounding our
lodge is Reindeer Lake, an expansive
body where you will find everything from
Northern Pike to Walleye. This lake is also
home to Lake Trout and Arctic Grayling.
Whether you have been fishing for
decades, or you have never fished before,
Lawrence Bay Lodge is the perfect place
for anglers of all experience levels.
The fishing at Lawrence Bay Lodge is
tremendous and looks to stay that way
due to the modified catch and release
program we have used for more than 25
years. We return all of the large trophy size
fish, ensuring they will be here for you to
catch on your next vacation.
We take pride in the great fishing
opportunities we offer our guests. If you
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Contact Lawrence Bay Lodge today if you
have any questions about our premier
fishing in Saskatchewan, or to book your
next trip!
Our Canada trophy pike fishing, trout
fishing, grayling more will give you
the fishing experience you’ve always
imagined!
ABOUT THE HUNTING in Saskatchewan
The moose hunting in our area of
Saskatchewan has been remarkable
for at least the past five years. In fact,
approximately 90% of our hunters have
had the opportunity to take a bull moose.
This kind of success is no accident; we
have quality guides, a large hunting area,
access to remote lakes by floatplanes and
a willingness to relocate hunters to ensure
success.
Accommodations of the Hunt
Hunters should be prepared to stay
overnight at a tent camp or at one of our
outpost cabins. You may also return to
the main lodge, if you prefer. After you
have your bull, there are several other
great experiences at Lawrence Bay Lodge,
including fishing trips on Reindeer Lake.
Keep in mind while fishing guides cost
extra, the local flying, food and moose
licenses are included with your stay.
Gear to Bring
bag, warm clothes (including good boots
and gloves), a white or orange outer suit
and flashlight. The average temperatures
in the area range from 20 to 60 degrees
Fahrenheit.
If moose hunting in Canada sounds like
your idea of an exciting vacation, we
would love to have you stay with us.
While we can’t promise everyone will
bag a moose, with our success rates,
you can expect plenty of opportunities.
Beyond hunting and fishing, we promise a
relaxing stay at Lawrence Bay Lodge.
Regardless of what type of trip you are
planning, head to Saskatchewan for
an unforgettable experience. For more
information about booking your stay,
contact us today for additional details!
Bring a familiar rifle, a reliable sleeping
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CHEVY’S SILVERADO
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Redesigned to be big, bad and brutish...
by Andy Lightbody
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It’s been seven long years since Chevy and
GM have freshened its lineup of full-size
pickup trucks, and for 2014 the Chevrolet
Silverado 1500 Z71 4WD LTZ CREW has
very fresh, heavy-duty looks… while now
sporting one of the longest names in our
pickup truck dictionary! Gone are softer
and flowing sheet metal lines, only to be
replaced by a more standup and chiseled
look.
In truth, the Silverado looks like a work/
outdoor truck, and that’s a good thing.
And yet on the flipside, these looks can
be deceiving. And that’s a good thing as
well. In addition to sporting that “rough
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and ready” exterior, the truck’s interior
and comfort appointments actually rival
that of a luxury car with plenty of interior
room, spaciousness and appointments
in terms of fit-and-finish that are as fine
as we’ve seen in those “high brow” cars.
Take a look at the nearly $50,000 list price,
and many pickup truck lovers are sure to
gasp at the sticker shock. However, when
you consider the number of crossover
SUVs and luxury cars in the same price
range, the Silverado is a lot of truck for the
money and offers versatility for hauling
your camping equipment, transporting
big game trophies or towing upwards of
For getting out and enjoying the out of doors with a trailer or a boat, the new
Silverado with the 5.3 liter V8 engine and the 4WD package has a towing
capacity in excess of 9500 pounds. Opt for the larger 6.2 liter V8 and that
towing capacity jumps to 11,800 pounds.
a 9500 pound boat or trailer for your next
outdoor adventure.
Walk around the Z71 LTZ crew cab (5’8” or
6’6” bed length) .and several features are
sure to catch your attention. Wheel wells
have been squared out and look for aggressive than the older rounded tire wells.
On the 4WD tester, you can see the Bilstein shocks, and there is plenty of wheel/
tire space and travel when bouncing
around on the back roads and off road. On
the truck bed, Chevy has put in an integrated bumper step that makes it much
easier to access gear while loading or
unloading. In addition, they’ve added an
internal tailgate dampening system that
allows the big and heavy tailgate to be
lowered without it slamming down. And
finally, you’ll find a unique bed lighting
system with under-bedrail LED light strips!
Way cool for unpacking all your gear in
the dark!
Crawl your way into the crew cab, and
you’re going to be amazed at the interior
room that awaits. Its spacious both front
and rear. Seats up front are power, power
everything and include heaters and cooling features. Power outlets abound and
include 12V, USB, SD card, auxiliary audio
input, and a 110 volt household outlet.
wheels
afield
Under the massive hood, you get a
choice of three power plant offerings-a small V6 (4.3 liter) , and two larger
V8s (5.3 and 6.3 liters). The V6 and
the smaller V8 are Flex Fuel compatible – regular unleaded or E85, while
the big V8 is regular unleaded gasoline
only. And yes, that means that all three
engines work on regular unleaded, no
higher priced premium gas needed. All
feature GM’s Ecotec3 technology, which
is techno-babble for being direct fuelinjection, with cylinder deactivation and
a variable valve timing system. In plain
English…. When you reach your cruising
speed and are under light engine-load
demands, the V6 turns off 2-cylinders,
and the V8s turn off 4-cylinders to increase fuel economy. Truth? In our test
truck with the 5.3 liter V8 that kicks out
355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft pounds of
torque, it was virtually impossible to feel
when the 4-cylinders kicked in or out at
the higher freeway speeds.
All the engines are mated to a 6-speed
automatic transmission that performs
fairly well, however with so many other
competitors offering the latest in 8-speed
tranny technology, GM may want to rethink this offering somewhere down the
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line. The drive was acceptable when the
truck bed was loaded, however when
we hitched up a heavy-duty two-place
snowmobile trailer loaded up with our
“snowbs,” ice-fishing huts, target shooting gear, ammo/gun cases and camping
equipment (6,200 pounds), the truck’s
tranny was not near as smooth when negotiating the icy roads and unpaved trails.
The addition of the factory spray-in bed
liner, integrated trailer-brake control and
Silverado 4WD packages can be outfitted with running boards and heavy-duty
Bilstein shocks that are mated to a heavy duty suspension system that is ready
to hit the off road trails on your next outdoor adventure.
the back-up camera did make hauling and additional vertical pillar, as well as super
towing the big loads much easier.
sound-deadening insulation, it really is
near a “whisper quiet cab.”
Overall ride and handling characteristics
of the truck, both on and off the road
Fuel economy is improved and is rated
are exceptional. The steering is tight and
at 16 mpg city/22mpg highway with the
responsive, with very little slack or over
4WD package. Our combined totals were
steer. At idle speeds and all the way up to an honest 18mpg combined. And best of
70 mph highway cruising, the Silverado
all, they were fun miles on a new design
is unbelievably quiet! Gone is the tradithat is sure to please the outdoor and
tional engine noise and road rumble. With sporting marketplace user.
the truck’s cab re-engineered with an
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what
’s
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KUIU INTRODUCES THE
SUPER DOWN SLEEPING
BAG FEATURING
HYDROPHOBIC
QUIXDOWN™
KUIU has developed the
most technically advanced
water-resistant down
sleeping bags yet to hit the
market. Each bag in the
Super Down Sleeping Bag
line has been certified by
the International Down and
Feather Testing Laboratory
(IDFL) for a Fill Power of
865, 95/5 down-to-feather
ratio, and an EN Lower
Limit Rating of 0º, 15º,
or 30º. The Super Down
Sleeping Bag raise the bar
for sleeping bags across
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the globe with superior
ingredients by Toray, who
set the standard in the
textile industry for superior
technology developments,
and a design conceived
specifically with the hunter
in mind.
Each bag is filled with
Quixdown™ by Toray
originating from geese in
the finest down producing
region of the world, Eastern
Europe. The largest high
quality down clusters are
separated, and feather
content minimized, to
produce an 850+ fill
power with a 95/5 downto-feather ratio. Through
nanotechnology, each
individual plum of the
down cluster is treated to
repel water with the most
durable, longest lasting
water repellant treatment
on the market. Through
the use of Quixdown™, the
Super Down Sleeping Bag
will retain warmth and loft,
even when wet from rain,
sweat, and condensation.
The down is encased
in down proof Stunner
Stretch™ by Toray, a
stretchable micro-ripstop
12 Denier textured nylon
that provides a luxurious
feel against the skin.
Each individual thread of
Stunner Stretch™ is treated
with Toray’s industry
leading Kudos® Durable
Water Repellent, keeping
you dry and extending
the life of your bag. The
noteworthy vertical baffle
design of the Super Down
Sleeping Bag utilizes flow
gates to keep the down
from shifting, eliminating
cold spots, and maximizing
loft.
The Super Down
Sleeping Bag will be
available in 0º, 15º and 30º
temperature ratings and
will be offered in regular
and long sizes. Regular
sized bags will fit persons
with a height of up to 6’0”
and the long sized bag
up to 6’6”. The bags are
available for preorder now
and shipping is expected
to being in mid-April. Cost
will range from $449.99
to $749.99 depending on
rating and size.
In its illustrious 67year history, the original
fishing boat company has
put more time, effort and
engineering into fishingfocused tiller model
designs than anyone
else. While progressive
steering-wheel boats
remain popular, Lund
RETURN OF THE TILLER
Product Manager Rory
LUND’S REMARKABLE
Wiebe has recently noted
208 PRO-V GL TILLER
a resurgence in demand
REVEALS RADICAL
for back-trolling style tiller
ENGINEERING IN A
boats. The 208 Pro-V GL
FIBERGLASS HULL
Tiller represents the next
The sportfishing nation
generation of fiberglass
celebrates once again, as
tillers—including the
Lund unveils its newest
largest fishable platforms
fiberglass tournament-tough and largest available
tiller—the 208 Pro-V GL.
engines.
“Even at the design
table, fishing is never far
from our minds,” Wiebe
admits. “We’re a tightknit group—anglers and
engineers— who work
closely with the best
anglers in the country. The
Lindners, Gary Roach, Ted
Takasaki, and numerous
others continue to provide
keen ideas and design
input that we take from the
water to concept, and then
back to the water again.”
The result of this
collaboration, Wiebe says,
is unmatched boat design,
quality and performance,
each apparent in Lund’s
newest glass model—and
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what
’s
ne w
further evidence of the
Minnesota-based boat
builder’s proficiency with
the fiberglass hull material.
The 208 Pro-V GL Tiller is
built on Lund’s benchmark
IPS2 fiberglass hull. At
20-feet, 8-inches in length,
the 208 Pro-V is built like
the classic athlete—long
yet muscular, broad yet
light on its feet. Rated for
up to a 250 hp Mercury
outboard, this amazing
new back-troller handles
and maneuvers effortlessly,
thanks to standard power
tilt steering.
“The 208 Pro-V is the
best laid out, roomiest tiller
boat I’ve ever experienced,”
Lindner recently affirmed.
“And the level of boat
control this rig offers is
phenomenal—no matter
if you’re backtrolling on
calm seas or power rigging
in 5-footers. It’s stable,
comfortable and extremely
maneuverable.”
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Integrated Side Tackle
Tray Storage
Lindner says anglers
can’t truly appreciate this
boat’s comfort, ‘fishability’
and spaciousness until
they’ve personally
experienced it in one of
its four Pro-Ride / Air Ride
seats.
Inside the 208 Pro-V GL
Tiller, you have an array of
fishing features: a specially
designed Tackle Storage
Center, Lockable Command
Console designed to house
and protect the latest in
wide-screen sonar/GPS
mapping units, cargo nets
all around, integrated tool
and cup holders, and an
optimized Center Rod
Storage System with room
for up to eleven, 7- to
8-foot rods.
Lindner: “Everything is
integrated yet within easy
reach—including tons of
storage space, livewells,
and bait wells. The amount
of ‘stretch-out’ space in
this boat is incredible,
too. If you’re a serious
walleye angler, guide or
tournament fisherman,
this truly is your dream
machine.”
For more information
on the new 208 Pro-V GL
Tiller, or to shop Lund’s full
selection of fishing boats,
visit lundboats.com.
Tenzing TZ TP14 Turkey
Pack
An army of Tenzing’s
knowledgeable marketing
and product engineering
staffers worked
tirelessly over four days,
demonstrating these and
other high-tech Tenzing
packs to hundreds of
buyers, retailers and highprofile members of the
outdoor media, including
representatives from Field
& Stream, North American
Hunter, the National Wild
Turkey Federation and
unit for maximum
utility
many more.
Tenzing’s new TZ CF
Legend commanded
enthusiastic responses
– if not full-blown lust –
from the SHOT Show’s
backcountry hunting
community. Building
on the popularity and
practicality of the bestselling Tenzing TZ2220
daypack, the CF Legend
marries a stand-alone
TZ 2220 to a proprietary
carbon fiber frame pack
suspension to create the
ultimate hunting pack
that can be worn in three
separate configurations:
daypack only for short
forays from camp; frame
pack suspension only
for sheer load-carrying
capability; or as a complete
Radical Rod Design
Puts Surf Casters in
Their Place
New Legend Surf
spinning model
fishes in tighter
spaces, yet still casts
to far-away places
But then again,
you aren’t holding
the newest long
rod in the St. Croix
Legend Surf series - a 12foot spinning model that’s
filling the racks of finer
tackle shops right now.
This rod has just the right
action so your feet can
stay planted firmly to their
perch while sending your
bait soaring. And we mean
soaring…
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Program Guide
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MAY 2013
Antelope
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