Table of contents for May 2017 in Field & Stream

ANY OUTDOORSMAN WHO’S had a memorable hunt on public land understands how, over time, the land evolves from being the setting of that hunt’s story into a main character. One of those places for me is Hunt Area 52, near Saratoga, Wyo., where I once enjoyed a D.I.Y. pronghorn hunt with a buddy. Years later, so much of that landscape has stuck with me. I remember the quaking aspens that bordered our campsite. I remember stalking through draws choked with sagebrush. I remember the coolness of the flat boulder where I rested prone, peering through the scope, and the country’s silence after the rifle blast. Most of all, I remember how we had that place entirely to ourselves. It was as if we owned the land. Which, of course, we…

Last November, duck hunter Krit Krutch aiyan, 50, was wading through the Everglades outside of Weston, Fla., when a 7-foot alligator attacked. ? My buddy Roberto and I loaded our kayaks with gear and headed out at about 1:30 that afternoon. Where we hunt, you have to wade through shallows covered with hydrilla and cattails to reach open water. Roberto suggested I go first, and I didn’t hesitate—I’ve hunted that spot for 13 years. I was dragging the kayak along just fine when I bumped into what seemed like a submerged limb. Before I could take another step, an alligator clamped down on my left thigh. “That thing bit me!” I yelled, but I was in such shock that I couldn’t feel any pain. I instinctively hit the gator on…

David E. Petzal answers your questions about guns, shooting, hunting, and life Q: Will my grandfather’s old .35 Remington pump be enough gun for my first black bear hunt? —LUKE SEEDORFF, BATTLE CREEK, MICH. A: The .35 Remington is one of the most effective cartridges around, and you need have no worries about bashing a bruin with it. Q: Can I use my .270 Win. on elk out to 300 yards? —DEVON MATHEWSON, KANSAS CITY, MO. A: You can use a .270 on elk out to 301 yards, or a lot farther than that if you want. I killed an elk in Wyoming at what was probably upwards of 500 yards with a .270. I say probably because the snow was chest-deep and we couldn’t pace off the distance. Q:…

For context on just how big a 10-pound bass is, here are some items that’ll tip the scale at 10…

Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association’s Concealed Carry magazine (USCCA.com), certified pistol instructor, and activeduty law enforcement officer, recommends carrying the same gun, in the same way, every day— whether you’re in the woods or in town. “We suggest people carry their defensive firearm on their strong- side hip,” he says. “It’s easiest to access there, and it’s the safest draw stroke. Shoulder and cross-draw holsters require you to draw across your body, and when you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to forget trigger- finger discipline.” Just as crucial as picking the right gun or holster is understanding the implications that come with armed selfdefense. Self- defense laws differ from one state to the next, and you need to know them if you’re traveling for a…

A Value Anglers are watching their wallets these days, and manufacturers are responding with quality gear at reasonable prices. Rods like the Okuma EVx B-Series Musky combine quality components and excellent craftsmanship from a trusted name, all without asking anglers to break the bank. B Weight Loss More and more rods are unimaginably light. Super-high- modulus graphite certainly brings down weight, but manufacturers are finding other ways to shave ounces, including smaller guides, innovative reel seats, and split grips. Take the St. Croix Legend Glass. Fiberglass is a heavy rod material, but with the right components and design, the 7-foot 11-inch model is a mere 5.8 ounces. C Specialization While not a new trend, the number of technique-specific rods has never been higher. We have drop-shot rods, jerkbait rods, spinnerbait…

SPECIAL BONUS SECTION CUTTING-EDGE STRATEGY FOR THE FISHING FANATIC Nothing gets a bass angler more fired up than spotting a patch of lily pads in late spring and early summer. The spawn is over, and now is the time when heavy fish start taking up residence in this lush cover. Throwing topwater frogs is a blast, but serious bass fishermen know that a jig flipped into the pads entices more big girls more often. The perfect flipping presentation, however, is a skill that takes some time and practice to master. If you’re ready to set down the frog and probe the pads for a true trophy, these tips from top tournament pros and guides will help you determine exactly where to flip and how to come tight after that jig…

Artist Rich Metzger carved the trophy bass featured on our cover and in the largemouth package, “10!” (p. 30). CK: So how long did this fish take? RM: I’d say between 70 and 80 hours for this fish. CK: What was the most difficult part? RM: Deciding what I wanted to incorporate. Since I wasn’t trying to imitate one specific fish, I found myself looking at lots of photos, thinking, I like the tail on that one, the head from this one, the body on this one… CK: What kind of wood did you use? RM: Basswood, of course. CK: What’s the most interesting fish mount you’ve ever carved? RM: I recently completed a northern snakehead.* CK: What’s the best spot for a fish trophy? RM: Well, if you have…

• THE SEASON • ASK PETZAL • THE WILD CHEF • SPORTSMAN’S NOTEBOOK • FISHING • THE TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN • SHOTGUNS “GET OUT.” That’s the only thing Brandon Hart says as the nose of the rubber Zodiac slams against the face of a boulder the size of a pole barn. Before I can protest, he cuts me off. “Get the #$%& out!” I sling the rifle over my shoulder, wait for an incoming wave to lift the bouncing boat higher, and jump. Somehow my fingernails find purchase on the sea-battered stone and with some scrambling, I manage to save myself from a swim in the Gulf of Alaska. To be fair, Hart put the boat right where I’d asked him to, just around the point from a big black bear…

Vitello tonnato is a classic dish from Italy’s Piedmont region that, frankly, sounds patently insane: veal slices dressed in a creamy sauce made from canned tuna and capers. The brain may say no, but the mouth disagrees. The savory-on- savory combination is terrifically INGREDIENTS 1 wild turkey breast (about 2 lb.), boneless and skinless 2 Tbsp. plus 1⁄2 cup olive oil, divided Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 3⁄4 cup chicken stock 3⁄4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. dry white wine, divided 1 lemon, halved, with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice reserved 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed One 5- or 6-oz. can chunk tuna in olive oil 2 tsp. anchovy paste (or 2 tsp. minced anchovies) 1 tsp. capers Thinly sliced radishes, watercress, and halved cherry tomatoes (optional) IN VINO…

I ’VE DEFINITELY COME closer to dying in the woods, and passing a kidney stone hurt a lot worse. But I’ve not had a tougher day in wilderness. We were halfway into an eight-day unguided paddle trip through Wabakimi Provincial Park in northern Ontario, a massive 2.3-million-acre swath of boreal forest, river, and lake ribbed with soaring ridges of Canadian Shield granite. We’d hopped a train that dumped us out at a river trestle where an old Hudson Bay Co. trading post moldered in the woods. With our first paddle stroke we were in total wilderness. We had a rough itinerary to make it to a floatplane pickup, a schedule that hinged on one single, monstrous mid-trip day—more than 20 miles of paddling, three portages around thunderous falls, and a…

GLORY: LANDING A 10 “Back in 2007, we were long-lining crankbaits and pulled up on a hump where I’d already caught 15 fish over 8 pounds that year. My customer sticks a fish and it weighs 10.09 pounds. After high fives all around, we release her and go back over the hump the other way. He sticks a fish and says it’s big. I tell him to get her up because there are trees down there, and he says, ‘I can’t.’ When we first saw it, I thought it was a giant carp. When we realized it was a bass, our jaws hit the boat. That fish weighed 13.5 pounds when we got it certified for the Texas ShareLunker program. In 2013 it happened again. Right after boating a 10,…

Each dog in a cast of four is awarded points (100, 75, 50, and 25) for the order in which its barks indicate it “struck” or “opened” a coon trail. A dog is also awarded points (125, 75, 50, and 25) for the order in which its bark changes to indicate that it has “treed” the raccoon. Points are “minused” for mistakes, ranging from quitting a trail to treeing a “coon” where there clearly is none, to fighting with another dog. Points are “circled” when proper scoring can’t be determined, such as when there might be a raccoon in a tree, but it cannot be seen. If two dogs are tied when time is called and all other factors are equal, the dog with the most circled points wins.…

When F&S fishing editor Joe Cermele and I tested 53 new fishing rods for last year’s annual test, I remember thinking, We’re never going to do that again. And we didn’t. This year, we tested 57. First, we sorted rods into five categories based on target species: bass, catfish, muskie, panfish or trout, and walleye. Then Cermele and I began the arduous task of testing every last one for casting ability, quality of blank and components, sensitivity, and feel and finish. Next we narrowed the rods down to just five finalists per species group, and finally picked the best overall performer and the best value for each. Here are the results. The Winning Sticks BEST OF THE TEST: BASS G. LOOMIS GLX The star of the G. Loomis lineup for…

1 At your congressman’s next town hall meeting, ask him about public lands and film his answer with your phone. “Post the video on social media and tag the congressman’s name,” Tawney says. “It’s one way to keep him accountable.” 2 Invite your congressman to a meeting at your conservation chapter, so he can learn why these lands are so important. “Even better,” Tawney says, “invite him to a wild-game barbecue, so he can enjoy wild game from public lands.” 3 “This thing about how we all own 640 million acres,” Tawney says, “a lot of people don’t have any idea about that. Outdoorsmen are great storytellers, and spreading the word about public lands within our own ranks is vitally important.”…

BUDGET-BREAKING BOWS, THE COYOTE OVERLOAD, SKUNK-BRAINED FISHING TIPS, AND A GATOR CHOMPS A DUCK HUNTER COMPOUND INTERESTS I enjoyed all of the Fire Issue, but Will Brantley’s “The Bow Bubble” (Hunting) was unprecedented. I’m a big-time archery guy, but I had no idea the $1,000- plus price tags of many compound bows were affecting local bow shops, and driving some out of business, as Brantley reports. Thanks for teaching me something new with every issue. Jeff Kacena, Valparaiso, Ind. “The Bow Bubble” touched on important issues facing bowhunters, especially the high cost of flagship bows. Within one year, those bows are “outdated,” so you can’t sell them for anywhere near what you paid. I love archery, but the high prices and low returns have forced me to return to guns…

Remington’s Model 700 AWR, the American Wilderness Rifle ($1,150; remington.com), is ideal for an Alaska bear hunt. Moderately lightweight at a little over 7 pounds, even when chambered in bear-stopping calibers such as .300 Win. Mag., it carries easily on long vertical hauls. Just as important, the 24-inch stainlesssteel barrel has a corrosion-resistant black Cerakote finish that protects the rifle should you drop it in the surf, as I did as I loaded my bear into the boat.…

HEARTBREAK: LOSING A 10 “Grandma is a true giant who lives around an old abandoned dock in a narrow cove on a public Georgia lake. She’s tortured me since 2014. On our first encounter, I hooked her with a 9-inch Bull Shad and lost her at the boat. During that battle she lost a chu On the second cast, she nailed it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a boat where I could control her, and she wrapped me around the lead dock piling and broke me off. Another heartbreak! Guess what my 2017 New Year’s resolution is?”…

case study THE RAW DEAL A RECENT EXAMPLE OF HOW STATES CASH IN AND SPORTSMEN LOSE OUT in october 2016, Utah’s Trust Lands Administration put 3,700 acres of state property on the auction block. With no mineral or energy opportunities, the lands had little leasing potential; the state knew, however, that selling the tracts could generate a hefty sum. The lands included prime parcels, like a scenic 200-acre Cave Valley tract adjoining Zion National Park. That plot, called “the best of the best” by auctioneers, brought $1.74 million, with Under Canvas, a resort-style “glamping” company, losing a bidding war to the Lyman Family Farm, a corporation owned by Utah entrepreneur Joe Hunt. Other tracts that sold included 1,240 acres on Diamond Mountain, home to Uintah County’s best big-game hunting, and…

A decade ago, it was illegal in many states for a bowhunter to carry a handgun to the stand. The rationale was that if a deer walked by, we couldn’t be trusted not to shoot it with a pistol and then stick an arrow into it to cover our tracks. Times have changed. Fish and wildlife agencies have realized that broadhead holes and hollow-point holes look different—and people inclined to poach are probably going to poach regardless. Legal carrying of concealed, defensive firearms has gained massive acceptance in general over the last decade, too, with all 50 states now allowing it in some form. It makes sense that a person who packs heat to Walmart would also carry to the deer stand. There are plenty of reasons to carry a…

Each of the following test categories was worth up to 20 points, for a maximum total score of 100: Casting For each species category, we matched the rods with the same appropriately sized reel and casting weight. Then Cermele and I took numerous throws with every rod, rating each for how well it loaded up and how far it cast. Components We carefully inspected the handle material, guides and inserts, reel seats, and wraps and gave each rod a cumulative score for the quality of its hardware. Sensitivity Cermele and I repeatedly cast and dragged weights across grass, concrete, macadam, and mud to test how well subtle signals were transmitted through the rod. Blank Quality We assessed initial blank quality and overall performance. Feel and Finish Taking into consideration weight,…

B ETWEEN THE AGES of 40 and 60, men age steadily but slowly, like the wine stain from a glass you didn’t realize you’d knocked over. True, you lose a step, but you are—for the most part—still in the game. You cease to register on the radar of young women you pass on the street, except when they hold doors open for you. And, no longer immortal, you count the life preservers on the boat before you leave the dock and check your treestand harness twice before ascending. But if you work out, you can still manage most of what you’ve always done. Just not as much of it. I’ll be 62 next month. Those AARP invitations—death’s way of asking if we can be pen pals—keep arriving but have no…