Resident honkers often haven’t seen much pressure. Sometimes smaller spreads work fine. These family group setups, say 4-6 decoys spaced evenly near your blind, can work early on. (Courtesy photo, Travis Mueller, Avery Outdoors, Inc

Honker action can be hot early on: literally and figuratively. The sight of early-season geese moving across the late-summer skyline still lifts your heart the same way it did back in winter, even if it feels just a little different now.

More geese can be a good thing — for us waterfowlers, and a challenge for landowners as population surges can foul lawns and wreck habitats. As a result, these seasons are staged around the country in late summer; many begin in early September (check your current regulations).

Assuming you’re armed with a reliable shotgun, loads, and proven calls, here are some other basics.

Due to availability, resident geese are much more likely to munch green grass (in addition to certain planted crops) than agricultural leavings; at least early on.

As a result, you’re often better off finding their roost (where geese loaf at night, often on water), and where they like to hang out by day, be it a corner pasture that hasn’t been planted (check with your landowner first), or any other available spot, including where you might call them out of the sky on their way from point A (the roost) and point B (where they feed and/or linger during the daytime). As fakes go, you should use the best you can afford. Add new options to the old reliable mix. If you hunt hard as many of us do, take care of your gear to and from your hunting spots. Decoy bags are a must. Some guys even put full-bodied fakes in individual bags. Clean decoys with a bristle brush and water. This is a 24/7 lifestyle. No shortcuts. Do what it takes. It’ll put more geese in range.

Early-season geese usually haven’t been subjected to as much hunter pressure. Sometimes smaller spreads work fine. These family group setups, say 4-6 decoys spaced evenly near your blind, can work now. You can bring out the 100+ deke spreads later, using your four Yamaha wheels to haul them, as the pressured honkers grow tougher into fall and winter. Your spread (the arrangement of your goose dekes) should reflect the situation you’re hunting. Full bodies. Shells. Silhouettes. Motion stakes for realism. Mix and match, or stick with one style. If you’re like me you favor natural vegetation for early-season blinds if possible. Standing corn. Land forms. Shadow and sunlight for concealment. Blinds, layouts or otherwise, need to blend in with the natural landscape. It goes without saying that once you’ve set up, you hide inside that (ahem) “invisible” structure until honkers wing into range. Early-season hunts for “resident geese” (and early migrators) are often liberal. Highly edible, dining on wild game extends the memories. Can’t eat everything you take? Don’t hesitate to pass along the bounty to the landowner as a gesture of good will. Want to spread the love? Throw a game dinner. Ask any hardcore goose hunter when he starts scouting and he’ll likely say: “I never stop.” Find the birds now. Watch them. When do they leave an area? Where do they go? Soon enough, just a few days or weeks depending on where you live, you can get on these early honkers. Hop on your four wheels and ride.

The 2010 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades or ICAST as it’s commonly know was held in Las Vegas recently, giving manufacturers the opportunity to introduce what’s new for the angler.

My daughter Cassie and I were on hand for this year’s convention, spending g three days working our way through isle after isle of new products.

This year, there were hundreds of new products with everything from fishing tackle to clothing and everything in between.

Here are a few of the items that caught our eye at this years show.

Humminbird

Humminbird’s 998c GPS Fishing System side imaging unit allows you to see everything that’s below your boat and the water around it.

It’s side imaging sonar uses a super thin beam, taking a sonar snapshot of the area not just below you, it can cover an area up to240 feet to the left and right on either side of your boat, giving you an incredibility accurate picture of what’s on he bottom and to either side of your boat.

Reading the screen is easy as the dark blue in the middle is what’s directly below you and off to the left and right side are your side images.

The Humminbird 998c allows you to see trees, rock piles and any other object on the bottom just as if you were looking at a photograph as anything on the bottom or off to the side appear as they are.

When put together with the new LakeMaster chips, the Humminbird 998c will put you on the spot, helping to make locating structure and fish much quicker and easier.

For more information on this and other Humminbird products check out www.humminbird.com

The Gear Grabbar

How many times have you changed lures, only to have the one you replaced stuck in carpet of your boat or thrown on the dash only to have it fall off as your running from point A to point B or wasted time looking for your pliers to unhook a fish?

Well here’s the answer to you prayers, Magnetic Marine Products Gear Grabbar is a new lure and tool holder that mounts in your boat allowing you to magnetically organize your lures and fishing tools.

It’s an innovative product that holds your lures and pliers using powerful magnets that automatically grab onto your lure, allowing you change lures quickly, giving you more time for fishing and less time trying to locate a lure or your pliers.

Simply place your lure or pliers nest to the Gear Grabbar where the powerful magnets will grab. When you’re ready to use the lure or pliers, the Gear Grabbar allows you to safely remove the lure, as there’s no need to touch the hook.

For more information on the Gear Grabbar go to www.geargrabbar.com

SpinTech Hooks

After years of extensive research and engineering, SpinTech introduced the worlds first rotating treble hook at this years ICAST show.   SpinTech’s treble hook greatly reduces the chances of losing fish that spit out the hook. When hooked, fish will fight aggressively, subjecting the lure and hook to a lot of stress.

Typical treble hooks attached to lures are fixed and will lock up in multiple positions and giving the fish extra leverage and torque, prying hooks out of fish’s mouths. SpinTech’s unique ability to rotate in either direction eliminates this problem completely.

The SpinTech rotating treble hook reposition itself spinning with the struggling fish, improving positive hook set while providing more control over the fish, no matter how hard they fight.

For more information on Spin Tech hooks check out www.basstarbaits.com

Fishouflage Clothing

If your looking for high quality, good-looking clothing that lets people know what your sport is, then check out Fishouflage Clothing.

Not your standard hunting camo, this is camo for the angler, not camo to hide you from the fish, just great underwater patterns including your favorite species of fish whether it is bass, walleye, crappie or muskie.

These great looking patterns are also available on tackle bags, rods, reels, boating accessories as well as boat and vehicle wraps.

For more information on Fishouflage check out www.fishouflage.com

These are just a few of the new products introduced at ICAST, in the following weeks, we’ll look at some of the other products that will make your next trip more enjoyable

Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal.

A few weeks ago, on South Dakota’s Enemy Swim Lake, I stepped back in time nearly 70 years.

I laid down my fine graphite casting rods and, instead, picked up a five-and-one-half-foot handmade split bamboo casting rod.

My nod to the past stopped with the rod. I was using a modern free-spool casting reel spooled with 10-pound-test mono.

I tied on a two-and-a-half inch Big O in Smokey Joe color, my favorite bass crankbait, and fired out a cast.

The lure literally flew over the boulder-studded flat and I thumbed the reel a bit to avoid overcasting the target.

The rod performed just as it had when lawn casting. Bamboo, I found, loads quickly and literally throws the lure for you, something a graphite rod does not do.

I made three cranks of the rod handle when the lure just stopped.

The smallmouth did what they usually do when caught in shallow water. It came up, one, two, three times in quick succession, and then avowed to slug it out.

Smallmouth never come to hand easily, and this one was no exception.

I finally was able to slip my thumb into his mouth and lift him from the water. He was nearly four pounds and was to be the largest of over a dozen smallies I caught on the bamboo rod that day.

I also landed a few largemouth, some of them over three pounds.

The rod performed admirably. It didn’t break. It didn’t take a set. It was more than strong enough for the job. It was a pleasure to use.

The rod, however, was not the clunky, stiff old bamboo rod you might remember from your grandpa or great grandpa. In the 1940s and 50s, the market was flooded with cheap rods imported from China or mass produced in production shops here.

Most of these rods were worse than worthless.

Rods made by “named” makers, however, were different. Among the production makers Heddon was one of the best. South Bend and a handful of other companies also produced a few good ones.

But the best came from the small shops of men who made their living making and selling fine bamboo fly rods. Casting rods, and later spinning rods, were made in much smaller numbers and sold to the few dedicated anglers.

I made my casting rod from scratch two years ago. It is made from six strips of Tonkin cane, hand planed and glued together to make a blank. Guides, reel seat and cork grips are in keeping with rods produced in the 1940s.

The taper came from an old book written by George Leonard Herter entitled “Rod Building Manual and Manufacturer’s Guide.”

Here’s how the rod was described by Herter:

“Rod used by famed Mr. W. W. Clerihew, expert Texas tournament caster. Mr. Clerihew uses this rod to cast both 5/8-ounce and 3/8-ounce lures.”

The book provides measurements of the rod taken every 6-inches of its length.

I duplicated it and when I finally applied the last of three coats of dipped varnish and cast it on the lawn, I was much impressed.

After using it on the Enemy Swim trip, I am even more impressed.

Jason Lucas, fishing editor of Sports Afield during the ‘40s and ‘50s, and my personal fishing hero, said it best in his book “Lucas on Bass Fishing.”

“There is something individual about a really fine bamboo rod that appeals to the veteran angler…”

Now, after fishing this rod, I really understand what he was talking about.

Shooting at a target butt 15 or 20 yards away is great practice for becoming more familiar with your equipment, correcting errors and building muscle tone and memory.  It’s also the right kind of practice for competitive archery.  But if you plan to hunt with your bow it’s not enough.  Experienced bowhunters know the best practice is that which most closely simulates a hunting situation, and that means a 3-D range.

If your local pro shop has a 3-D range you’re all set.  You should be able to shoot a round for around $5 – $10. Or, if you belong to a sportsman’s club they

probably have a range that members can shoot for free, and guests can shoot for a small fee – if they don’t; they should.

Or, you can get together with a few buddies and build one.  This is better as a group activity anyway.  More hands helps spread out the labor and costs.  It’s also more fun to shoot with a group.  One of the groups I shoot with meets once a week and after we shoot the targets, we grill burgers and dogs and shoot the bull.

Obviously, you need a place to shoot.  The more ground the better, but you can build a decent course on as little as 1/4 acre.  If you don’t own it, recruit someone who does into your group, or consider asking permission of a landowner whose ground you hunt on, particularly if you lease that ground.

For equipment, you need whatever is necessary to clear shooting lanes, and the targets themselves.  In most cases that means simple hand tools like saws and loppers, though you may need a chain saw for some of the larger stuff.  Most any 3-D targets will work.  It helps if they represent the animals you hunt most, but it’s not critical.

Most of the courses I shoot are along woods roads or ATV trails.  That makes setting up the course and getting from station to station much easier.  If you have a large course, you can even spread the stations out farther and ride from one to the next.  With an ATV you can also carry extra gear like tools and perhaps a cooler with snacks and soft drinks, or even portable stands.

Speaking of stands, you should include several in your course.  Most 3-D courses are shot from the ground, but most archers hunt from an elevated stand.  (Remember the purpose of our 3-D course is to simulate real hunting situations).  You can sometimes take advantage of changes in elevation to simulate a stand – shooting downhill.  Ladder stands are probably the most practical style for a 3-D course.  Whatever you use, always, always wear a safety harness.

Hauling along a portable climber not only gives you a chance to mix things up, it also provides an opportunity to practice using your stand in a non-hunting situation (so you’re not fumbling around in the dark on opening morning of bow season because you never actually used your climbing stand before).

Have fun setting up and shooting your stations.  Mix up the distances from station to target, and don’t allow rangefinders.  Making shooters estimate range is good practice.  Set up in a variety of habitats, topography and cover.  Targets may appear closer or father away depending on whether they’re in thick woods or an open field, and compensating for steep angle shots can be tricky.  Be creative.  Think of the places you hunt, then try to build stations that simulate them.  Then practice, practice, practice.

The Antlerless Deer Hunter Program allows hunters to register online and landowners to scan the database for hunters in their area, then contact them by telephone or e-mail.

This program is available at OutdoorNebraska.org. Click on Hunting, Programs and then Antlerless Deer Hunter Program to access it, or go directly to http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting/programs.asp.

“We hear from many hunters who have difficulty finding land to hunt,” said Kit Hams, big game program manager with Game and Parks. “We also hear from landowners who say hunters only want to shoot bucks or they do not feel comfortable telling hunters to shoot does. This program has the potential to address both problems with a mutually beneficial solution.”

Hunters provide the following when they register: name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, counties and months in which they are willing to hunt, preferred weapons, and the number of deer they want to harvest.

Landowners search the database by county and can see the hunters’ first name, contact information and hunting preferences (county, month, weapon).

“With 136 days of deer seasons and 250,000 permits and bonus tags that allow antlerless deer harvest, we have more than enough days and permits to control deer herds,” Hams said. “This is one more tool to help.”

What would it be like to have the desire to participate in these things, but because of disabilities, believe that it was just a dream, something that others would be able to do, but you couldn’t?

Well, in a year past that’s the way it was, but not anymore.  There are individuals and groups determined to share the opportunity to hunt with youth whom without their help wouldn’t have these opportunities.

There’s a group headed up by Dean Rasmussen in the small community of Clark, S.D. population 1,285, who are making these dreams come true for disabled youths throughout the state.

The PDR Youth Hunt is named for Payton Dean Rasmussen, grandson of Dean Rasmussen.  Payton passed away from by spinal meningitis in 1999.

It was Dean’s vision that would enable disabled youth the opportunity to be part of a true South Dakota deer hunt. He and other volunteers obtain landowner permission, locate guides, build blinds/shooting platforms, provide housing, meals and plan other activities for the guardians that accompany the kids.

He wanted this to be a real hunt, a hunt like any other deer hunt with the kids in the blinds before sun up.

Dean brought his idea to community, local school and area leaders and a board was formed, holding their first hunt in 2008 with three kids.

The small but energetic group knew what they were taking on would be a huge task. Through determination, hard work and numerous hours, their dream has become a reality.

As with any endeavor, getting the event off the ground would be the toughest part as they were starting from square one. They starting out slowly, making sure they would be doing it right. An event like this isn’t something that can be put together hastily as disabled individuals have special needs.

Obtaining land to hunt and finding volunteer guides was the easiest part as the folks around Clark supported the group whole-heartedly.

Everything that would be involved would need to be handicap accessible, which includes the blinds where the youth would be hunting. Local individuals constructed blinds with the high school kids from Clark sewing the camo strips that would be used to conceal the hunters. Not only did the school kids help with the blinds, they also developed and built the organizations web site  www.pdryouthhunt.com

The group also knew that some of the participants might not have the ability to hold a rifle, so special equipment needed to be obtained. Several devices, including a Zero Recoil Machine were donated anonymously, which allowed the youth at the event to use the rifles. The Dakota Territory Gun Collectors Association and the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks donated the rifles for the hunt.

The Game & Parks also helped with a grant allowing them to purchase a scissor lift, which gives the youth the opportunity to shoot from elevated stands.

Various motels, restaurants and catering services, donated the housing and meals for the event.

Deer taken by the PDR Youth Hunt participants are processed at no charge by the locker plant in Clark. The hunt takes place during the S.D. youth hunting season, an antlerless deer hunt.

Funds are raised through donations and other methods, to support the event and make it bigger and better each year.

It was obvious while talking to Dean that the event had changed his life as well as others in the community.  They were dedicated to the event and as he spoke his emotions were obvious.

We are looking forward to being part of the 2010 PDR Youth Hunt as our television crew will be on hand this year to film the event. The show will air during Outdoorsmen Adventures 2011 season.

It makes my heart feel good to see that there are individuals like Dean and his group who will go the extra mile to bring the enjoyment of outdoor activities to others.

If you’d like more information on the hunt or to donate towards it, go to HYPERLINK “http://www.PDRyouthhunt.com” www.PDRyouthhunt.com

Link: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/events/dynamicevent/2/1260/yamaha_outdoors_tip_of_the_week.aspx

Camps always have a set of unspoken rules, etiquette if you will, that reflect the practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority. It’s a pecking order thing. No matter where you lay your head in camp after a long day of fishing or hunting, it’s important to identify: (1) Who acts like they’re the camp boss, and (2) Who really is.

You may have a guy who acts like he runs the camp show, but it might be his wife or girlfriend who actually does. Who is in charge of breakfast, lunch and dinner? That counts too. Figuring out the true camp boss often doesn’t get cleared up until the actual trek to the fishing or hunting locations begins (much small talk goes on then), and almost always it’s in the pre-dawn dark.

You can learn a lot in the pre-dawn dark on your way to some of these places.

Apart from figuring out who’s really in charge (and it might be a fluid deal, depending on who is in the truck), there are some basics of camp behavior that almost always apply no matter where I’ve been.

Listen more than you talk-at least at first.

Take your muddy boots off at the door, just outside or inside, depending. Some camps are actually houses, with lace-fringed decor, even bed-and-breakfast establishments in the off-season. Treat these places like your own.

Trust your guide-discuss any conflicts with an open mind.

One-on-one landowner contacts improving delivery and speed of conservation
Brookings, S.D. – August 16, 2010 – Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist program, which provides conservation service to landowners through one-one-one consulting, launched in South Dakota in 2003. In just seven years, the program has worked to improve soil, water and wildlife habitat quality on more than 500,000 South Dakota acres. Pheasants Forever looks to add to that total during the current Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up.

The Farm Bill Biologist program is a partnership of Pheasants Forever, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Since 2003, South Dakota’s seven Farm Bill Biologists have made more than 13,000 landowner contacts, working a combined 100,000 hours to evaluate 508,890 acres for conservation improvements.
Primarily, the biologists work to accelerate and enhance enrollment in CRP and other Farm Bill conservation provisions that work with farm operations. With the first CRP general sign-up in four years under way, Farm Bill Biologists continue working conservation’s front lines with more acres and landowners than ever before.

“Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist program is especially suited for South Dakota,” says Matt Morlock, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist based out of Brookings, “There is lots of land and lots of landowners in need of the service we’re providing.” Two years ago, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologists in South Dakota helped drive interest in the CRP’s State Acres For wildlife Enhancement program (SAFE), then a brand-new continuous CRP practice. The initial demand was so great that it helped secure an additional acreage allotment for the state; that demand continues to grow.


With just short of 150,000 South Dakota CRP acres slated to expire from the program on September 30th of this year, Morlock says the state needs to do two things during the current CRP general sign-up. “First, we need to offset the acres that will leave CRP this year due to contract expiration,” he said, “Second, we need to showcase the demand for CRP, so that it’s not another four years before the next general sign-up period.”

CRP General Sign-up 39
During the sign-up period, farmers and ranchers may offer eligible land for CRP’s competitive general sign-up at their county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Check out Pheasants Forever’s CRP signup page for more info.

Contact a PF Farm Bill Biologist in SD

Mike Blaalid
Mitchell
SD
mblaalid@pheasantsforever.org
(605) 996-1564 x3
Emmett Lenihan
Webster
SD
elenihan@pheasantsforever.org
(605) 226-3360 x3
Matt Morlock
Brookings
SD
mmorlock@pheasantsforever.org
(605) 881-8258
Amanda Richardson
Faulkton
SD
arichardson@pheasantsforever.org
(605) 598-6237
Jim Ristau
Chamberlain
SD
jristau@pheasantsforever.org
(605) 734-5413 x3
Marcus Rock
Huron
SD
mrock@pheasantsforever.org
(605) 796-4476 x111
Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologists
Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist program is designed to provide wildlife technical assistance to farmers and ranchers – through one-on-one consulting – about the benefits of conservation programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program), as well as assisting farmers and landowners through program implementation.
Pheasants Forever first began employing Farm Bill Biologists in 2003 and now has more than 60 biologists working in 11 states – Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Farm Bill Biologists have contacted and consulted with over 35,000 landowners, resulting in the improvement of over 1.4 million acres of land for wildlife.

Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.
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Well, let me tell you that it can be done, because this, mature dog, I don’t like the word Old, recently learned a new trick that will not only catch walleyes, it will catch “Big” walleyes.

Last week, our film crew made a trip down to Lake McConaughy in southwestern Nebraska to film the 2010 Cabela’s Regional Walleye Tournament.

First of all, let me tell you a little about McConaughy, it’s back and no longer the largest beach in Nebraska as the water levels were so low that the lake looked more like a huge beach with a small lake in the middle than Big Mac.

According to the Central Public Power and Irrigation District, Big Mac is up 30’ since last December with the lake that is now over 20 miles long.

When we headed for the lake, we knew it held large walleyes as the state record walleye; a 16 pound 2 ounce lunker came from the lake.

The two person teams in this tournament had to qualify by finishing in the top twenty-five in their respective state.

Anglers from the Kansas Walleye Association, Colorado Walleye Association, Nebraska Walleye Trail and the Wyoming Walleye Stampede were represented in the tournament that paid $10,000.00 first place.

One of the neat things about this tournament was that there were several father-son, husband-wife teams, helping to make this a family event.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that this was going to be a big fish tournament as there were numerous six plus pound walleyes weighed in early,  forty minutes into the tournament.

What amazed us was what a lot of the anglers were using to take their big fish was spinner baits that would be the downfall for the big fish on McConaughy in this two day tournament.

Not walleye spinners, but ¾ and 1-ounce bass safety pin type spinner baits with two and a half inch willow leaf blade up front and a smaller willow leaf below that , the ones bass anglers use to pull largemouth out of the brush and submerged structure.

They were pitching them into and along the weeds and newly submerged trees, which were mostly cottonwoods or trolling them on lead core running about 120 foot of line behind the boat that was running about 2 MPH.

The design of the spinnerbait is perfect for fishing in or around trees and weeds as the shape of the bait along with its large spinner blades allow the bait to push grass and limbs out and away from the bait.

Well, I was seeing it, but finding it hard to believe, until our boat went out to get some shots on the water, where we saw several boats land “Big” fish on the baits.

Those contestants that were on fish, were banging big fish with the one fish over 22” long that each angler was allowed coming into the boats easily as we watched some of the contestants released several fish over 9 pounds because they’d already weighed their big fish earlier.

I was seeing it, but finding it hard to believe, so we had to try it.

Team Outdoorsmen Adventures member Steve Isom, Valentine, NE. who’d used them to catch walleye on Merritt Reservoir, took Team member Bill Christensen and I out to show us how it was done.

We started out by  throwing 3/8th ounce white double willow leaf spinner baits up into the submerged cottonwoods.

It didn’t take Steve long to take his first fish, a fat seven pounder, followed by a big four-pounder.

A few cast later both he and I connected on a double of healthy 4 pounders while Bill did a great job of handling the net and double scooping both fish at the same time.

Steve popped another four-pounder and then lost the skirt on his Strike King spinnerbait to a big walleye right at the boat.

Now, I was a believer and couldn’t wait to get back home to try it on our lakes and river.

The key is to try and match the spinnerbait color and blade design to the forage fish in you area.

Since we have shad, I’d think a white or chartreuse spinnerbait with a double willow leaf blade.  The outside larger blade should be silver with the smaller inside blade being gold, which should give off more vibration and a combination of color flashes that should attract the fish.

This bait will also attract white, smallmouth and largemouth bass as well as other species.

We watched as one boat that we were shadowing catch a nice channel cat using a spinnerbait.

Areas where there’s vegetation along the shore or areas where shad are being chased would be a great place to pitch these baits.

I’m also going to try trolling them along the old river channel in the reservoir to see what might take a whack at them.

What this trip has taught me is to think outside the box, just because the packaging says bass, walleye or striper, as it doesn’t mean it’s the only fish they’ll catch.

On your next trip, try something different; pitch a bas spinnerbait as you may catch a big fish like the contestants did at McConaughy as the biggest fish to come to the scale, a twelve pound two ounce beauty was taken on a bass spinnerbait.