After the Shot. How to Keep the Meat Fresh
I love oversized antlers. And big bucks in general. All of that. But as I grow older, the most satisfaction I get from any hunt that comes in a tangible, touchable form is the meat. There is something about peering into my chest freezer and seeing dozens of pounds of meat that makes me feel like things are alright.
Vertical Fishing for Walleyes
Walleyes seem genetically programmed to react to rising and falling prey. One of the easiest meals for any predatory fish is crippled or dying baitfish. They often dart upward erratically, only to lose momentum and drift downward. This up-and-down movement draws attention. For this reason, vertical lure motion is fundamental to walleye fishing.
Finding Walleyes
If there’s one thing you learn in over 30 years of walleye fishing, it’s that good spots are good spots, sometimes even independent of the season. Along the location trail, it’s common to uncover spots that look appealing on a lake map, but don’t attract walleyes because they lack baitfish, vegetation, or other critical habitat; or sometimes it’s as simple as the structure is in the wrong part of the lake; or it’s not exposed to the right current or wind.
Deer Hunting Mistakes Guaranteed to Ruin the Rut
The rut is the Super Bowl of whitetail hunting. Bucks that typically behave like ghosts are suddenly vulnerable, and your chances of tagging a wall-hanger are at their highest. But whitetails are still whitetails—always cautious and rarely pushovers. So there are plenty of ways you can go wrong. Here are ways you can turn the annual breeding season into a surefire flop.
Tips for Tracking Deer When the Blood Trail Ends
If the obvious blood trail ends after you shoot a deer, don’t give up hope. Trailing may become tougher but you can still find the deer with determination and understanding why the blood stopped.
Muskie Fall Fishing Secrets
Few freshwater experiences rival the adrenaline rush you get when a monster muskie shadows your lure to the boat. But this addictive surge of epinephrine can make it hard to focus on the best course of action to convert follows into strikes and, more importantly, get the fish in the boat.
Late Season Means Bigger Fish in Smaller Water
Last year featured our first extended fly fishing seasons in Wisconsin. Early trout fly fishing season here opens on the first Saturday of January, and you can now fish through to the 15th of October. For many years, our season typically ended September 30th, but state fisheries biologists determined that our spawning trout would not be adversely effected by adding 15 days to season.
Drop Shot Smallmouth
Drop-shotting smallmouth bass has come of age, no longer a niche finesse fad, but a mainstream tactic as critical as crankbait mastery or flippin’ in many situations. Even dedicated power fishermen acknowledge the facts and always have a spinning rod or two on board.