It was a clear Arkansas morning in early January. The sun was slowly making its approach on the eastern horizon. Shooting time was still five minutes away and felt like an eternity. The timber was still and the whistling of wings could be heard as hundreds of ducks, of all species, headed out for their morning feed. Flock after flock passed overhead, much too high for a clear shot. Shooting time came, and as the morning progressed, ducks slowly began making their way back from the fields looking for a spot to rest.

Fooling nature is something that we as hunters take great pride in. One of the greatest feats in waterfowl hunting is calling a flock of geese right into your decoy spread. The sound of 25 geese talking back and backpedaling as they prepare to land is something that a hunter will never forget. To fool a flock of geese into landing especially later in the season takes a great deal of skill and determination, not to mention the know-how of using a goose call

effectively.

In lakes, the trout will roam open water over structures such as sunken islands or humps coming up from deep water. Rainbows and browns in lakes usually prefer water temperatures between 60 and 68 degrees F so locating this temperature zone may also locate the depth at which the fish are lurking. Trout will also cross this temperature zone in search of food.

The sport of bowfishing has been around since man invented the bow but its popularity has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past decade. More and more people are enjoying it as a sport and also to keep their archery skills honed in the off season. Bowfishing can be done during periods of no ice and even year round fr some states. You can bowfish  just about anywhere; rivers, lakes, streams, and spillways to just name a few.

Another morning on the water mid-summer has found me asking myself, why aren’t the walleyes in their usual locations along drop offs and muddy to rocky deepwater flats? Sure a few fish are there, but not in the numbers like they are in the spring and late fall. A mental note is taken as to the water temperature and conditions. The water is quite clear and the temperature stable around the low to mid 70s. The forecast is usual for July in Minnesota with a slight breeze and a 20 percent chance of rain.

The best times I have found for pre-season preparement are in the two months prior to the local season dates. Yeah it’s a little early to be determining where geese and ducks might be moping around for the afternoon after they have left their roosts but it still does not mean that you cannot go out and start gaining permission from land owners.

Often an overlooked fish, the Rock Bass is frequently caught fishing for other species such as largemouth, smallmouth and crappie. They inhabit many waters of the north country and put up a scrappy little fight for their size. The reason they are overlooked or looked down upon is often a mystery but one myth is that they are very bony and difficult to clean. People often throw rock bass back like an undersized crappie when caught because they don’t want to clean them.

With the fall and winter hunting seasons having concluded and the first hints of spring and warm weather upon us, many outdoors men and women are eager to take part in outdoor recreation again to fight off cabin fever.  Being too early to hunt turkeys or pick morels, many whitetail deer enthusiasts use this time to look for shed antlers from the bucks they chased last fall. 

It’s no big secret that big live baits catch big muskies. The time honored tradition for muskie fishing has always been throwing artificial baits in anticipation of luring one of these elusive esox into biting. A simple alternative to artificial bait for catching the fish of ten thousand casts involves patience and only a few casts. This is the first of more articles to come where I will stress the effectiveness of large baits for large predatory fish.

Finding white bass in rivers can be challenging at times but knowing the locations of key structures such as dams, log jams and current breaks can greatly improve your odds. Fish the breaks as you would bass or pike, keeping the bait off of the bottom slightly or even a few inches beneath the surface. White bass roam for prey more than they lie in wait so fishing different levels of the water column can be beneficial.

Do you want to know something crucial, yet heartbreaking, about bow hunting white-tailed deer? There are certain mistakes that you WILL unknowingly make, and these are usually accompanied by the sight of a large rack jogging away.  Firsthand experience in the field is generally your best teacher, but if you are a novice, that advice does not really help in this situation. In an effort to help, here are a few mistakes that I have made so that other hunters, novice to expert, might be able to avoid them themselves.

Winter in the upper Midwest offers anglers an exciting time to explore new lakes and locate fish in new areas.  While many anglers are content fishing near a large group of ice houses, there are often better fishing opportunities elsewhere on the same body of water.  These large groups of ice houses create intense fishing pressure in small areas, and fish in these areas are often reluctant to bite.  On your next fishing trip, try venturing out on your own. Here are a few tips to get you started.