At that time, I didn’t own a boat and my only alternative was to fish the river from shore, which sounded like a good idea at the time.

There’s nothing wrong with shore fishing, except that I had never been a river fishermen, little alone one that fished a river from shore.

Needless to say, I wasn’t equipped to fish from shore and was loosing more tackle each week than the local bait shop stocked.

Good for them, bad for me as I’ve never been a quitter and refused to quit trying until I came up with a better plan.

The only alternatives that I could come up with were to:

1. Somehow, figure out how to fish the lakes, the larger bodies of water without a boat.

2. Find some smaller bodies of water that would allow me to fish from shore.

I like many other people think that order to catch big fish; I needed to be fishing huge bodies of water such as Lake Oahe, Lake McConaughy or Waubay Lake.

The truth is you don’t need to have thousands of acres of water to have a trophy fishery.

Some of the largest fish I’ve ever caught came from small lakes such as Lake Yankton, gravel pits, farm ponds and stock dams.

Year in and year out, in the upper Midwest, there are more state records/master angler fish taken from smaller bodies of water than there are taken from the larger lakes and reservoirs.

These smaller bodies of water weren’t built originally as recreational pond; they were built primarily as a water supply for livestock.

Once they were built, somehow fish found their way into the ponds.  The Game, Fish & Parks stocked some, while landowners and neighbors stocked others.

The ponds that were stocked by or with the help of the Game & Parks and the D.N.R. usually have a good balance between predator and the prey fish.  In these ponds you’ll more than likely find largemouth bass, bluegill and catfish.

The bass and the catfish are the predator species while the bluegill become the prey.

If you don’t have the correct balance on a pond, you’ll end up with stunted fish, as there just isn’t enough food (prey fish) to feed the predators.

Once this happens, the bluegills will become the predator, attacking the bass nest gobbling up the eggs and the small fry.

There are some ponds, especially those out west that contain good numbers of perch, crappies as well as northern pike.

An ideal trophy fishpond would be one that has both shallow and deep-water areas.  The shallows would be used for spawning, while the deeper water gives the smaller fish a place to escape the prey fish and to move to once winter sets in.

Structure is another thing that a trophy pond must have!  It doesn’t have to be much, just something changing the configuration of the bottom.

It can be downed trees, brush piles, rocks or weeds, all of which helping to make the pond more productive.

The structure gives smaller aquatic life, places to live; this in turn attracts minnows and smaller fish. They’ll attract the larger fish, giving them a place to look for food, to hide and keep from becoming food for larger fish.

When I come across a pond that has deep water with structure adjacent to the shallow water, I’ll spend a little time casting the shoreline and probing along the structure trying to temp a fish into biting.

I’ll start with something small, such as a 1/8th or 1/32nd-ounce jig, tipped with a piece of worm or a small minnow.

You’ll ant to put your bait down in the water as gently as possible. You should be able to tell the depth of the water and what’s type of structure lies there by slowly working your bait along the edge of the brush or the weed line.

If the shallow water drops off quickly into the deeper water, try using a small slip bobber above the jig and let it bob along the edge of the weeds.

If the water looks “Bassy”, I’ll go to a jig and pig combination or plastic worm o work the pockets, along the trees and brush piles.

When casting a larger jig, you’ll want to present it as gently as possible so as not to spook the fish.  Hop the jig back to shore or along the edge of the weeds, keeping a tight line at all times.

Bass don’t always hit like a freight train, as at times, they’ll simply suck the bait in and without a tight line, the fish will spit it out before you knew he was there.

If your line moves to the side or your line goes slack before it reaching the bottom, rear back hard to set the hook because a bass has picked up your bait on the way down or is moving off to the side with it.

Remember as an old friend of mine once said, “jerks are for free and if you don’t jerk hard and set the hook every time your line slows or moves off to the side, you just might be missing a fish.”

In the spring, these smaller ponds are really productive, as the bass have moved shallow to spawn and can be caught from the shore using a plastic worm, jig and pig or live bait.

As the water warms, the fish will move deeper where the water temperatures are cooler or along the edge of the weed line where oxygen levels are higher.

When the water warms try fishing ponds with shallow diving crankbaits, jig & pig or live bait early in the morning or in the evening.

Fish will move from the deeper water into the shallows when the shallow water is cooler to feed on insects and other shallow water critters.

As it warms up go deep.  You’ll need to use baits that will get down to where the fish are. Try deep diving crank baits, Texas rigged plastic baits or jig & pig, fishing them along the weed edge or deeper submerged brush and trees where the fish will be holding.

What you’ll need to remember when fishing these smaller bodies of water is to not over fish them.  The predator/prey balance is extremely important in these smaller ponds.

Once this balance is thrown off, you’ll end up with a large population of prey fish and to small of a population of predators needed to keep them in check.

A good rule of thumb to follow in order to keep the predator/prey balance in check would be; for every one pound of predator fish (bass, pike, catfish) taken from a pond, you should remove about four pounds of prey fish (bluegill, perch, crappie).

Catch and release, especially when it comes to the predator fish is very important in these smaller bodies of water.

Give these smaller bodies of water a try; you’ll be surprised how many big fish call these small bodies of water home!

The 7th annual Northeast Nebraska Whitetails Unlimited banquet was held Friday March 19th at the Wausa Fire Hall.

Whitetails Unlimited (www.whitetailsunlimited.com) is a national conservation organization promoting deer hunting and other outdoor activities, which headquartered out of Sturgeon Bay, WI. established in 1982 with over 100,000 members.

Approximately 425 people attended this year’s event where attendees had the opportunity to win numerous prizes including 40 guns and bows.

WTU banquets are family orientated events aimed at involving the entire family.

Our youth are very important to WTU, as they are the future of deer hunting and all outdoor sports.

Because of this, there are special promotions and contest held at the banquet designed especially for the youth.

WTU offers its members an avenue to raise funds to support common interests such as preserving the hunting tradition and educating the public on the importance of conserving our natural resources

At this years event, $48,000.00 was raised, much of which will remain in the area, being used for conservation and youth programs.

Funds raised from these WTU events, one half of which stays locally, is donated to numerous area activities.

In 2009 the Northeast Nebraska WTU donated  $20,906.00 to conservation related activities. Included in these were; donations to area schools, 4-H groups, hunter’s education, handicap hunters programs, archery clubs, area communities, conservation organizations and for state game & park projects.

Nationally, WTU has expended over $49.7 million d on projects which include: college scholarships, assistance to wildlife agencies, research, habitat enhancement, public education, hunter safety, anti-poaching measures as well as cooperative projects with other conservation organization

Chris Carlson, Wausa, NE. has handled the duties as the President of the Northeast Nebraska WTU since its inception seven years ago

The Northeast Nebraska WTU has 386 members from throughout Northeast Nebraska.

Northeast Nebraska Whitetails offers two $250.00 scholarships for those interested in going into an outdoor conservation related program in college.

Applications for these scholarship are due by April 15th and can be obtained by contacting N.E. Nebraska WTU President Chris Carlson @ the number listed below.

There are currently six WTU chapters in our area, those being Wausa, Emerson, Norfolk, In Nebraska, Yankton, SD and Anton, IA.

For more information on becoming part of the Northeast Nebraska WTU you can contact Chris Carlson, Wausa at 402-640-7053.

Hunting Season is upon us once again and the members of Team Outdoorsmen Adventures wishes you the best season of all!

North Carolina Archery Season has begun with many other states opening soon. A bow hunter is someone who gets to know his prey up close and personal. He is of the land and knows the patterns and movements of the game he intends to harvest.

This is what makes a great hunter out in the woods. “Make No Mistake About It!” That is exactly the key element in a bow hunters mindset he must be mentally ready and prepared for the shot.

The hunt starts before season when he picks his bow up each year. It makes sense to not take the shot if you have not completed your homework.

The first task to cover is to inspect our bow for damages. Inspect it anyway, even if it has been locked in your case for the past year. If your string looks worn, it’s time to replace it. I like to replace my bowstring every two years regardless of the wear and tear on it. Strings will stretch over time. Inspect your arrows and anything else on the bow. Look for cracks, a bent arrow, torn or bad fletching or anything than could cause an arrow to fly incorrectly.

Make sure you oil movable parts of your bow with scentless oil. Wax your string each time you practice. Proper care of all bow hunting equipment is essential to success in the field.

Once all this has been accomplished you are ready to shoot again. Practice everyday no less than a month before season. I feel if you’ve put in shooting time every night till the opener you’ll be prepared physically and mentally for you shot at a game animal.

By this time your shot should become a repetition of steps that you do automatically without thinking.

Even at this point, here in North Carolina with a longbow season practice should be performed periodically during season to ensure your form and shot have not went south.

When the game animal is in front of you the less thinking you do the better. This brings me to a point on the many sights that are on the market.

Sights

Pin sights are nice because you have a pin for each 5-yard increment. In my opinion a pendulum site is better yet. They’re very accurate from 0 to 30 yards, compensating for the yardage and height, eliminating the thinking for you.

I’ve used these sights in the past and they’re easy to use. Savage makes one of the most user-friendly pendulum sights I know of.

Arrow Rests

There are also numerous types of arrow rest out there with a drop away rest being one of the most popular. I use one on my bow and like the fact that they do not interfere with the fletching or vanes of your arrows. This means you are have a better-tuned bow and consistent shot pattern over and over. I’m also a fan of the whisker biscuit. This arrow rest holds your arrow in place in any position for a shot. You do not have to worry about the arrow falling off in a hunting situation.

Noise Reduction

Noise reduction rubber components can be applied to help reduce vibration and shock of the bow, making it quieter.  Some bows have these installed when you buy them. Although you may not consider reducing the sound made by your bow a big deal, but it would be a major mistake if you don’t, especially on the slower bows.

If you have a bow that vibrates and makes a lot of noise when you shoot it, can scare the deer, as the noise made by the bow is what causes the deer to jump or duck when you release the arrow.   By cutting down the noise made by your bow, you’ll have a better chance to bag a deer and less of a chance of wounding one or missing a good deer.

Peep Sights

A peep sight is an inexpensive and very important piece of hunting equipment, one that every hunter should use. Peep sights allow you to line your eye with your bow sight, providing a 3-point reference aligning your eye, bow sight and the game animal.

Practice Targets

To fine tune your shooting before the hunt, it’s a good idea to shoot at game target such as a deer or turkey. Shooting at a lifelike game target mentally prepares you to shoot for vitals.

So, get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot!

Bow hunting has been a rewarding part of my year-to-year season for many reasons. Each time I harvest a good buck with my bow. I have an immense sense of accomplishment by taking game with archery equipment that I don’t get when hunting with a gun.

Learning about the game I’m after and getting this close to a deer creates some of the greatest hunting memories you will ever experience in your lifetime.

If your not a bow hunter and would like to start I’d recommend that  you visit a pro shop and have them set up a bow fitted to you.

Archery pro shops can help you find a bow that fits you perfectly and give you advise on what bow would work best for you.

If I could make one recommendation it would be to get a short bow that’s light in weight, which will make your shooting much easier as well as more relaxing. Allowing you to practice a little longer and in time, make you a better shot.

The reason for this is simple; they can be found almost everywhere. These animals are very adaptable and can live in close proximity to man.

No matter where we’ve went there have always been deer around, both whitetail and mule deer.

One thing that I figured out a long time ago is that deer are like any other critter, including man, as they will take advantage of anything that makes their life easier.

I found this out the first couple of years while hunting near my cabin.  The deer, especially the bucks seemed to always come out in a certain area while avoiding others.

Unfortunately, the area they were using was impossible to hunt unless you sat on the ground as there was no place to conceal a ground blind and no trees big enough for a tree stand.

The next summer and early fall, I spent a lot of time in the woods, trying to figure out why one trail would be used more than others as all of the trails eventually led to their bedding area which were all in the same area.

Let’s look at the difference between these trails so we can understand how to make the deer come out in front of you instead of the other side of the valley.

Trail # 1 where I had a deer house ran along a fence line, through some brushy area down into a heavily wood draw.

Trail # 2 was towards the middle of the ridge, running through heavy cedar trees, this is where I had my two-man deer house.

Trail # 3 ran along a heavily wooded ridge coming out just below the north fence line, this is where I had a brushed in ground blind.

Trail # 4 came from a cornfield, across an open valley then headed up towards the ridge, eventually joining with the trails that came out on the ridge. This is were I had my Cabela’s Tri-Pod Stand set up.

After stumbling around, checking out each trail, it became pretty evident why the deer and especially the bucks where coming out on one main trail.

Trail # 1 was along a new fence line where a lot of trees had been pushed into a pile out of the way of the new fence.  These trees blocked almost all of the trails that had lead to the ridge.

To make this site, more attractive to the deer and easier for them to follow, I’d need to spend a couple of days opening up trails and trimming the low hanging branches.

Trail # 2 had two trails that ran down through the cedars and earlier that year, since this was the trail that seemed to get the most action and was the easiest to work on, I’d trimmed back the cedar trees and low lying branches on the other trees making it easier for both the bucks and does to get through it.

Trail # 3 would need a lot of work in order for it to be one that the deer could easily use as it came out of a cedar lined valley and then along a ridge with numerous other cedars.  I’d opened the area in front of the ground blind and hunted turkeys from this blind in the spring.

Trail # 4 was fairly well open from the gate at the cornfield out about 30 yards when it went into a brush and weed infested bottom.  To make this more attractive and open it up, I used a piece of mechanics or stove pipe wire and pulled the top wire of my gate down 6” to 8” inches, making it easier for the bucks to cross.

Then I used my riding lawn mower and brush whacker to cut a clear trail through the briars and brambles, making a nice easy trail that would lead the deer right to trail # 2.

By doing this, I had two opportunities to take a deer; depending on which direction they were traveling.  In the mornings I could set up in the Tripod stand, catching them when they’d make their move from corn field where they’d fed that night or at night in my two man blind catching them as they went from the heavily wooded ridge down through the valley back into the cornfield to feed.

To eliminate any chance that the deer might use the other trails, I blocked several of them with cedars that I’d cut from the other trails.

This worked extremely well as we knew the deer would take the easiest route and by opening up the area, they’d be there until winter really set in when they moved out and herded up down along the river.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of time to make your hunting area more attractive to deer and other wildlife, just look for their travel areas as they are creatures of habit and make it easier for them to get to where you want them to go.

Enjoy the fall weather and have a productive and safe hunting season!

It had come down to a simple trigger pull from success.

A bighorn ram stood on a mountain side 536 yards away.

Sixteen years of applying had finally yielded a $2,266 sheep tag for Tim Delance of Early, Iowa.

He teamed up with good friends and longtime outfitters Justin and Sandra Wright of Mule Shoe Outfitters at Pinedale, Wyo.

They set up base camp a full day’s ride from the trailhead in the Wind River Range. Sandra stayed to manage the camp and take care of the pack mules.

Justin and Tim, with Justin’s dad Earl and wrangler/guide T.J., remounted and set out for another day’s ride where they set up a spike camp.

From here, they glassed the mountainsides for two days.

On Sept. 1, opening day of sheep season, a group of rams had been sighted and a stalk begun.

The rams, however, disappeared into the rocks and were gone.

Yet, a quick look through the spotting scopes revealed this ram, a nice trophy, 500-plus yards up the mountainside.

And now, Tim tried to regain his breathing 13,000 feet up in the thin mountain air. He settled the crosshairs above the ram and his 300 Winchester Mag sent out a missile.

The mountains reverberated with the sound of the shot echoing between the valleys.

“Shot under him,” Justin advised.

The ram, not able to pinpoint the origin of the shot began working his way down the slope toward the hunters.

Tim fired again.

Another miss.

“I was thinking ‘holy crap, I cannot believe this. There goes my chance,’” Tim said last week in his trophy room in the basement of his home.

The ram still could not find the hunters and boiled down the mountainside.

The ram disappeared behind some rocks. Tim changed position, and waited for the sheep to appear.

“He came out, and I got one in him there,” Tim recalled. “He came at us again, and I kind of moved around a boulder, and he was alongside of us about 40 yards.

“We could see that he had been hit high,” Tim said, “so I fired again.”

And managed to miss again.

“What am I doing?” I thought. “I got my wits together and shot and killed him at 30 yards.”

What started out at over 500 yards had ended right in their laps.

“Most of my hunts seem to have a wild side,” Tim smiles. “We tend to joke about it.”

They had spent most of the day climbing for the sheep. It was now about 4 p.m.

They had to field dress the ram, skin him out for a full body mount and bone and wrap the meat.

It was clear they would be spending the night on the mountainside.

“We put on as many clothes as we had, tied space blankets together and tried to find a flat spot,” Tim said. “I saw the moon come up, the moon go down and the sun come up. Didn’t sleep much.”

The full-bodied sheep mount will join several elk, a moose, an antelope and mule deer heads and a full-bodied mountain goat mount and a couple of mountain lion rugs and a bear rug in Tim’s basement.

All the trophies have been take on hunts with Mule Shoe Outfitters. See their web site at: www.muleshoeoutfitters .com.

Tim and his wife Heather have four children with two still at home.

“I’ve been able to do a lot of hunting over the years,” Tim said. “I have to thank Heather for that. I’m fortunate to have an understanding wife.”

He may not go back to Pinedale next year. A sheep hunt is pretty expensive, he says.

“We’ll have to see,” he adds.

But right now his thoughts are leaning towards the Iowa bow season and early muzzleloader season for deer.

His once in a lifetime opportunity realized, he now turns his attention to what is perhaps the most difficult trophy of all.

A monster whitetail deer.

Fords Hunting
Guide Service

Chris Ford, has been guiding bear hunters since 1995. Today he also guides for deer and fish on Lake of the Woods as well as offering island transport and tours.

He typically puts out 110 to 120 bear baits and narrows that down to only the best ones come hunting season.

The first week of this year’s season he had 11 clients and nine of them took bears with 18 opportunities. The second week five hunters had five opportunities and killed three bears.

For more information about his hunts, go to www.fordshuntingguideservice.com

BAUDETTE, Minn. —  The forest had gone dead quiet. The camp robber jays had disappeared. The red squirrel which had been prancing back and forth in front of our ground blind for the past hour was no where to be seen.

I thought I saw movement in the brush behind our bait pile, a hole filled with donuts and pastries covered by logs.
And then it was there. A black bear and it was a shooter.

I nudged Gary and pointed, turning on the video camera at the same time.
He brought his Escort .270 mounted with a 3 X 9 scope to his shoulder and waited.

The camera was running and the bear stepped into view broadside a mere 25 yards away.
I heard Gary slide the safety off…and so did the bear. He was gone as quickly as he had appeared.

We were disappointed but it was only 5:30 p.m. There was plenty of time for another chance.h

We were hunting with Ford’s Guide Service out of Williams,  Minn. Our headquarters was Zippel Bay Resort where Chris Ford pus up his bear hunters.

Chris had said we were on a good bait so we were confident there would be another bear that evening.
But the real story happened in another ground blind a few miles away.

There Terry Ubben, Ankony, Iowa, was sitting alone watching his bait when there was a noise behind him.
He turned and saw a big bear poking his nose into the back window. He also noticed the bear’s paw  under the blind.
Then the bear tried stick his head under the blind.
Twice.

Terry sat there, heart pounding, gun at the ready. And he didn’t move.
The bear left the blind and went to a tree in front. He stood up and looking back at the blind.

For 20 more minutes the bear stalked through the area before offering Terry a broadside shot.
Later, in camp, Chris told us the bear would have had a live weight of abut 210 to 220 pounds. It ended up dressing at 162.

“That’s a very good bear,” he said. “The Minnesota average is  130 pounds dressed.

“I’ll give Terry a lot of credit,” Chris continued. “It took a lot of nerve for him to stay tight and not blow it.”

Our next chance came later that evening. Gary saw the bear approach from our left. I soon had him in the viewfinder. The bear walked directly to the bait. He stood broadside to us, head down.
Gary fired.

I head the bear ‘woof’ and then stumble as it ran out of view.
Later we checked for blood but couldn’t find any.

As instructed we stayed in the blind waiting for Kevin Olson, Chris’s partner. It’s too easy to get lost in these big woods.

It was dark now and we were whispering back and forth. I looked out the shooting window and saw a bear standing looking direct at us no more than 30 feet away.
Then he heard Kevin’s pickup and without a sound was gone.

We couldn’t find any blood, although three of us with flashlights scoured the area.

We decided to come back the next morning and continue the search. We did but it had rained over an inch that night and there was no blood trail.

Reluctantly, we gave up hoping against hope that it had been a miss.

We sat on that stand for two more nights but never saw another bear, although the bait was hit each night.

Game Camera Photo by Scott Ulrich

Game cameras are a great and invaluable tool for the hunter today. A hunter using a camera has several extra advantages giving the hunter clues that he wouldn’t have even if you are an avid woodsman.

Cameras give us that extra edge when were trying to figure out the deer herd or scouting for that trophy buck. Cameras give you the actual time an animal arrives at a certain spot as well as the date and temperature reading, giving the hunter the ability to hunt twenty-four hours a day seven days a week without having to be in the field.

Another thing the game camera can help you with is to show you the direction animal is traveling. This is especially true if you have know where the game trails are and what direction they are going.

In a short period of time, a game camera lets the hunter know if there’s a game in the area he plans on hunting.
They’ll tell us if there are trophy bucks in the area and give us an idea as to the number of deer that are using the area.

Lastly the camera can help person with a trained eye to determine the approximate age of the deer. Game Cameras are one of the greatest tools or innovations to come, helping deer hunters to become more successful.

The woods still give us clues that are very important to our hunt. I believe a hunter that takes his trophy solely through woodsmanship is the man or woman withthe greatest sense of accomplishment.

Today there are many cameras on the market that run from seventy-five dollars on up to several hundred dollars.

Some cameras have the capability to take only a few pictures, while others shoot hundreds. There are cameras on the market that take videos. There are other cameras that can send you pictures through the internet right to your computer.
This technology allows a hunter to eliminate going into the woods and leaving their scent in the woods.

I recommend that all hunters consider using one of these cameras which will give you that extra edge in the field. They’ll help you plan your outing and create a great portfolio for years to come to share with you buddies.

Jeff Wade is an Award winning craftsman the creator of the custom made Roost’em turkey box calls. He’s an avid hunter and a member of Team Outdoorsmen Adventures. For more in formation on his products got www.roostem.com