Adventure Sports Outdoors Feb. 2012

AdventureSportsOutdoors.webs.comASOMagazine.com

February 2012

Sports OutdoorsINSIDE:! Sports Shows! Predator Hunting! Ice Fishing! Great Buys on

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LISTEN TO THE REDNOSE GANG!

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2 ADVENTURE SPORTS OUTDOORS “THE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN” February 2012

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©Copyright 1994

Published monthly by: Red Nose, Inc.Harry & Cathy Canterbury, Owners

TREMONT OFFICE1408 Downing Ct. • Tremont, IL 61568

(309) 925-HUNT (4868) • Fax: (309) 925-2308Home Office: (309) 925-7313Harry’s Cell: (309) 360-0487Cathy’s Cell: (309) 370-6922

E-mail: [email protected] Web: AdventureSportsOutdoors.webs.com

ADVERTISING & SALES:Call Toll Free: (877) 778-HUNT(4868)

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FEB. 2012 • ISSUE #183

Deadline for ASO editions is the 10th ofeach previous month.

Please send only digital media files.

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ON THE COVER:Jason Mitchell with a nice

walleye caught ice fishing onDevils Lake in N. Dakota. Plan atrip today for great fishing yearround. See: DevilsLakend.com

only take you so far. Youneed to get out of the houseto go do something. Rightnow the only thing you can do ifyou live here in the Midwestwould be coyote hunting and icefishing. But with it only being 40 degreesat the end of January, ice fishing has beenput on hold. But there is also fishing op-portunities at Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee,where I hear the crappie fishing is just start-ing to turn on. You have to take advantageof this mild winter and taking a trip to theQuake Lake in TN might just be the an-swer to curing your cabin fever. There aretwo great places to go Eagles Nest Resort &Sportsman’s Resort that would love to ac-commodate your group. With a low costper person plus tax & license that coversyour lodging, boat, motor, bait, gas & icefor 3 days & nights. Check out their ads inthis month issue of ASO & book your triptoday. With these great offers, space won’tlast long so don’t delay in making yourreservations. This is an opportunity thatdoesn’t come around very often because ofthe weather. I have personally fished thislake many times and have found it to besome of the most productive crappie fish-ing in the USA.

If you are a cold weather enthusiast con-sider several places in Wisconsin. MercerCounty has over 214 lakes within a 30 mileradius. Go to their website for details onfishing reports as well as hotel accommoda-tions & availability. The snow mobiletrails are considered to be the best in thestate and the conditions are great or excel-lent right now due to the fact that theyhave the perfect amount of snow. Thingscould change quickly, so don’t delay inmaking your reservations.

Be sure to attend a sports show this win-ter. It’s something the whole family can en-

Canterbury Taleswork out very well. We need an aggressivetough president to pull us out of this reces-sion we are in. Americans are the most re-silient people on the face of the earth & Iam sure that they will make the right deci-sion come November.

If you’re like me, you’re getting a littlebit of Cabin fever. Cabin fever as definedis an idiomatic term for a claustrophobicreaction that takes place when a person orgroup is isolated and/or shut in a smallspace, with nothing to do, for an extendedperiod of time. Symptoms include restless-ness, irritability, paranoia, irrational frus-tration with everyday objects, forgetfulness,laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of any-one they are with, and an urge to go out-side even in the rain, snow or dark. Dis-tress or anxiety caused by prolonged con-finement in a small or remote place. Orig-inating in the West, this term at first allud-ed to being penned up in a remote cabinduring a long winter. Does this ring a bell?

Now if you have any of these symptomsyou yourself may be suffering from cabinfever.

• Watch the movie "The Shining" to seewhat cabin fever can do in its worst-casescenario. Use it as a guide to what not todo.

• Don’t stay isolated. Even if you justtalk to people on the phone, it’s imperativethat you socialize. Sitting around in yourown head often not only causes depressionbut makes you nuts.

• Beware of constant company. If youare stuck with someone else indoors for alengthy period, chances are you are goingto get on each other’s nerves. Before youend up killing each other, get out of thehouse or find something to do.

If you read ASO magazine chances areyou’re an outdoor person. We all havefond memories of our recent past hunting& fishing season. But those memories will Cont’d. on pg. 8

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55 ......Roland Cheek, Life Saving Credentials56 ......Kirby Schupp, The Stitch in Time Syndrome 58 ......Brodie Swisher, The Best of Brunton Hunting 60 ......Dan Hinds, Air Force Academy Deer Hunt 62 ......Ed DeVries, BAI News 64 ......Devils Lake Perch, Walleyes & Pike Biting Now! 66 ......Steve Welch, On-Line Store Up and Running 68 ......Dr. Dru Hauter, M.D., The Medical Benefits of Chocolate 69 ......Gerald Sampen-Outdoor Connection, Highly Successful 2011/2012 Specials 72 ......J.C. Munnell Getting Started in Reloading 74 ......Gary Koehler, Retrievers: Hazards Afield 75 ......Dr. Bill Armbruster, Prevention is the Best Policy76 ......Paul Lance, With a Little Bit of Luck 78 ......Ryan Falmier/David Lingle Memorial Youth Hunt80 ......Mike O’Bryan in the Field81 ......Jim Casada, Those Were the Days 83 ......Keith Sutton, The Duck-Stamp Dog86 ......Illinois DU Banquet Schedule86 ......DU Conservation Partners Oppose Changes to Conservation System in MO87 ......Brian Barton, The Importance of a Daily Fishing Log 88 ......Hennepin Marine Awarded Mercury Marine Service Award 89 ......Canoe Outfitters90 ......Terri Sweckard: Paws, Claws & Exotics Too, Pt 292 ......Illinois Native Named to Pheasants Forever's National Board95 ......Deer Hunters Gabrielle & Gracie Rademacker 96 ......Keli Van Cleave, PinkOutdoors.com: Extra, extra, read all about it... 98 ......Anita Williams spears a No. Pike-Randy Kasal Cooks Pike au Gratin99 ......MDC offers rabbit-hunting clinic for women100 ....Marlene Odahlen-Hinz, December Jewel 101 ....Where Will The Buffalo Roam?102 ....A.K. Thompson, Dirt Church: Shed Craft 103 ....Kris Winkelman’s Kitchen 104 ....DNR Fisheries Chief Debbie Bruce at Tinley Park Show Feb 11-12105 ....Mary Ann Vance, Real Estate Chatter106 ....Dan Gapen, Ruffo’s Mighty Churchill River 108 ....Dan Galusha, Ice Fishing Without Ice 110 ....Dave Evans, MN Memoirs: It’s All About the Ducks 113 ....Bob Hendricks, Cross Roads 114 ....Jack Hart, Recreational Ground, Protecting Your Investment, Part 7115 ....Las Vegas to Host World Elk Calling Championships 116 ....2012 Sport, Boat & RV Show Schedule 118 ....Field & Stream Deer/Turkey Expo in Illinois119 ....Don Laubach & Mark Henckel, Use a Siren to Locate Coyotes

GUIDE TGUIDE TOO ASO WRITERSASO WRITERS7 ........Mom's Recipe: Venison Recipes8-9......Canterbury Tales continues with Memories10 ......Norman V Kelly, Peoria: The Chicken Shack Murders 12 ......David Hart, Plan Now For Your Dream Hunt, Part 213 ......Rich Pearson, ISRA: ALERT-Chicago Machine is Coming For Your Guns 14 ......Terri Sweckard, ASO Updates & The Original Vanilla Bug Spray 16 ......John Ackerman, The First Aerial Bombing of Pearl Harbor 18 ......Mike Roux, The One that go away20 ......Bob Murray, Meandering Murrays: This ‘n’ That21 ......IDNR NewsBits22 ......February Outdoor IL Calendar of Events23 ......Traps Can Pose Threat to Hunting Dogs 24 ......Crow Hunting for Fun 25 ......Dave Shadow, Pizzly Bears Proved to Exist and Multiply27 ......Colby Simms, SimmsOutdoors.com Early Season Muskie30 ......Salutes Rockford Teen Angler for Catch of New State-Record Walleye 31 ......Young Male Mountain Lion Trapped, Released in Reynolds County 32 ......Joe Jerek, Missouri Firearms Deer Harvest Just Shy of 239,000 33 ......Bill Graham, Timber Management Boosts Wildlife and Preferred Trees 34 ......Bill White, See a Bird Dog Parade & Stroll Down Bird Dog Alley 35 ......Travis Dinsdale, Time to Build Next Year’s Covey Headquarters 35 ......Rockwoods Reservation’s Maple Sugar Festival Sat. Feb 4 36 ......John Perdun, RTD Turkey Calls will “Put’em in Your Lap! 37 ......Missouri Managed turkey hunt application deadline is Feb. 29, 201238 ......Wayne Baughman, Deer Harvest is Down in Illinois39 ......Missouri Muzzleloader Harvest Tops 15,000 40 ......Illinois Deer Harvest Totals 181,411 During 2011-12 Seasons 41 ......Woo's Corner, Locating Bass in February42 ......Babe Winkelman, Drop Shot Winter Panfish 43 ......Daniel Vinovich, I’m Coming for You!46 ......Dave Herschelman, Mighty Sampson 48 ......Ed Schneider, Termination Day50 ......Lee Gessner, Hunt North East Kansas51 ......CPO Reports through Week of Nov 16, 2011

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Bacon-Wrapped Venison RoastThis recipe is a pure treat sweet,

spiced, and full of autumn flavors, itstraditional American cuisine at itsbest.4 pounds venison roast1 teaspoon dried rosemary1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon black pepper1/4 teaspoon ginger1/4 teaspoon cloves6 thick slices bacon1 cup red wine2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.2) In a small bowl, combine rose-

mary, salt, sugar, cinnamon, pepper,ginger, and cloves. Rub mixture even-ly over venison roast, patting down toadhere. Wrap bacon slices evenlyover roast.

3) Place roast in a roasting pan; pour

wine over. Roast 2 hours 30 minutes,until meat is very soft and internaltemperature reaches 150°F. Removeroast from pan; transfer to a servingplatter.

4) Place roasting pan over mediumheat on stovetop; add remainingingredients and simmer, scraping tomix juices, until thickened. Pour overroast and serve.

Fried Venison Steaks Similar to the diner staple, yet with

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a leaner meat and more elegant flare,these fried venison steaks will warmup your chilliest dinner nights.2 pounds venison steaks1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 cup flour1/4 cup oil, as needed, for frying1/4 cup dry red wine1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1) Combine steaks and buttermilkin a medium bowl; soak 90 minutes inthe refrigerator. Remove steaks anddrain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper;tenderize until 1/2-inch thick.

2) Place flour in a medium bowl.Roll steaks in flour to coat. Set aside.

3) Heat oil in a large skillet overmedium-high. Add steaks and cookuntil browned on both sides, about 4minutes per side, adding more oil ifneeded. When cooked to doneness,

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We Feature The Best Drinks In Town & TheColdest Beer Around.

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Open SundaysM-F @ Noon

Sat. @ 10am Stop in For a Cold One This Upcoming Season!

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TALES… Cont’d. from pg. 5

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THE REDNOSE GANG IS BACK…Sunday’s 7-10 a.m. on WOAM 1350 AM Radio & Streaming LIVE atwww.HomeTownPeoria.com

Harry and his bagpipes with Michael Behrends and his trumpet at the Tremont American Legion a few years back. Mike was commander of the SAL for 6 years and he always

volunteered his time to help fundraising causes in the Tremont community. We just lost Mike to lung cancer, he was 54 years young.He was laid to rest on Jan. 7th at Miars Cemetery in rural Tremont.From his grave you can look out and see his home across the fields;

that is where is wanted to be buried. Mike was a great guy and a good friend. He will be missed by all who knew

and loved him, especially his wife Georgia. Our heart goes out to Mike’s family.

New Year’s Eve Buck! Congratulations to David Herschelman, ASO writer and good friend with a nice 8-pointer taken on

12/31/2011 with a bow in Brown County.

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son was the “walker,” or the person whoattempts to flush out deer for the others toshoot.

The son had scared two deer toward hisfather, who was located at least 400 yardsaway. The father fired at the deer butmissed and fatally shot his son once in thehead.

3. East Dubuque, IL- A tragic huntingaccident in East Dubuque claimed the lifeof a 44-year-old Inverness man and alsoinjured the man’s 15-year-old son. John P.Hanlon, 44, of Inverness was killed by asingle gunshot wound to the chest, and waspronounced dead at the scene. Hanlon’steenage son, was struck by the same shotand was treated and released.

Hanlon and his son were hunting onproperty located in East Dubuque whenthe incident occurred. Another hunterallegedly fired the shot that struck Hanlonand his son. The shooter and the victimswere not part of the same hunting party,but were hunting on the same property.

4. MOORHEAD, Iowa (AP) - AnIllinois man has suffered injuries to his lipsand teeth in a hunting accident in MononaCounty.

The Iowa DNR says 30-year-old manfrom Plainfield was hunting one Sundayafternoon near Moorhead with a group ofabout 10 others when he was hit with aslug fired by another in his party. The slugtravelled 167 yards and passed between hislips, injuring them and some of his teeth.The hunters were firing at a running deerwhen the accident happened. He was luckybecause the slug could have easily hit himin the face or neck. The victims injurieswere not life threatening.

For the most part, Illinois hunting safety

joy. ASO’s favorite picks for Feb. is TinleyPark’s show Feb 11 & 12 and The BoatShow in Springfield Feb. 24, 25, 26. ThenMarch is the Field & Stream Deer &Turkey Classic at the Civic Center indowntown Peoria Mar. 23-25. More newson this show will be in our March edition.

Usually Illinois has a fairly good safetyrecord when it comes to hunting & fishing,but this year not far from my home therehas been four tragic accidents which all ofyou should be aware of.

1. Allen D. Johnson, 50, of Galva, waspronounced dead after officials found himin 22 feet of water at Long Lake, south ofVictoria. Johnson and his son were fishingat the lake, before the son left the area.When he attempted to call his father 30minutes later, he did not receive a response.The son returned to the lake and called 911when he found his father’s small tent andfishing equipment submerged in the water.Rescue workers pulled Johnson’s bodyfrom the Murky water.

Reports said that a portion of the lakehad open water, and the ice near Johnsonwas only about three-quarters of an inchthick. With the temperature in the upper30s Johnson was the only person on thelake that day.

2. A 34-year-old Washington man waskilled in Jan. after his father accidentallyshot him while hunting deer in KnoxCounty. Steven Hayworth Jr., 34, was pro-nounced dead at the scene, while his father,Steven Hayworth Sr., 59, Trivoli, sustainedinjuries from a non-firearm related issue.The father and son were hunting with afriend about a quarter-mile from the road.A preliminary investigation determined thefather and friend were stationary, while the

record is probably lower than the other 49states. But accidents do happen and that iswhy they call them accidents. I mentionthese incidents in this editorial because wecould be writing about you next year or forthat matter me. Always be diligent andnever minimize gun safety.

I had an eye injury since my last editori-al. I was operating a bulldozer and gotstruck in the eye with a branch & sufferedcornea & lens damage. I most definitelywas not prepared to deal with such a trau-matic event. The prognosis for my eye isvery good but it will take at least twomonths to heal, then I have to have anoth-er surgery before I will regain my full

vision. So I guess the message I am tryingto relay to you is you can never be too care-ful.

Nearly two million Americans have diedto preserve this place we call home. One ofthe rights that these men & women diedfor was for you to vote and choose who youwant to run this country. Don’t diminishthe power that you have as an Americanbeing able to vote. Remember every votecounts.

Be sure to support our active and return-ing military men & women.

Keep your powder dry & your wormwet. Harry

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Great food including a full menu…Stop by today!NIGHTLY SPECIALS:

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SEND YOUR OLD PHOTO ‘MEMORIES’ TO ASO!CO-CHI 1

Charters out ofWinthrop Harbor

back in 1985,caught lots of fish

back then too!Capt. Mike Smith

at North PointMarina on

Lake Michigancan take you on

the trip of a lifetime! See his

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PEORIA:The ‘Chicken

Shack’ Murdersby Norman V. KellyO l d e r

Peorians likeme can tell youa lot aboutCabrisco ‘Bris’C o l l i n s ’Chicken Shackthat was locat-ed over at 4016New York inthe Heights. However, this story isabout two brutal murders thatoccurred there on September 20,1964. At six in the morning five peo-ple were sitting around a table play-ing cards. A man walked in thatevery one of them knew. As theystared at the unwelcome intruder hestrolled over to the jukebox anddropped in a coin. He then walkedover to one of the ladies and pointed

his finger in her face. “You have fourminutes to give me back my fortydollars.” He then left the businessonly to return three minutes later.This time he was holding a wickedlooking black, automatic handgun. Amoment later he fired the weapon ata point blank range into the foreheadof Dorrie Cooley. Her friend,Marjorie Hurd was next, as the gun-man fired two quick shots into herface and head. The other folks scat-tered, one even managed to escapeout the door. The killer slipped theweapon into his belt and calmlywalked out of the building.

Although we here in Peoria calledthe place the Chicken Shack, it wasreally The Peoria Heights Motel.

It didn’t take but a few minutesbefore the place was swarming withcops, detectives, unwanted onlookersand the coroner. Detectives quicklylearned from the survivors that theywere looking for a well-known mannamed Arthur ‘Shoeshine’ Anderson.Reporters wrote that according topolice Anderson had been arrested 66times during his forty years on thisearth. The folks in Peoria prettymuch had the same question on their

minds. “How did he ever get out ofjail to kill these ladies in the firstplace?” Good question.

Anderson hid out by the railroadtracks, then walked up to the Heightsand bought his supper. He then wentdown Prospect to a gas station as thepolice tried to track him down.Officer Funcannon pulled up to theClark station and approached a man.“Shoeshine you are under arrest forsuspicion of murder.” Later, in thecustody of Sheriff Trunk, Andersonsaid, “I ain’t got nuthin’ to say.”

THE CORONERThe venerable Coroner Horace

Payton held his inquest in front of apacked hearing room. The medicalexaminer’s report showed that bothwomen died almost instantly fromthe impact of the .45 caliber slugs tothe brain. The three witnesses,Shirley McDonald, AgnewMcDonald and Willie Venable testi-fied and then were ordered bonded inthe amount of $5,000.00. The prose-cutor knew that without themAnderson just might walk again.That was his way of assuring thatthey indeed would be there in thecourtroom when he needed them.

A HOT TICKET TRIALIt was a cold, February 1965, when

Judge Henry Ingram’s courtroom

filled to capacity. It took four days toget a jury picked, and sixty-five ofthose potential jurors were rejected.For the defense, Elmo Koos facedour State’s Attorney, GeorgeKennedy. They were both excellentlawyers, and the battle raged fromthe opening gavel. The witnesses didan excellent job, considering thatthey could not mention the murder ofMarjorie Hurd. The SA decided totry the Dorrie Cooley murder first,knowing that if he missed the firsttime he would have another shot atkiller Anderson.

Anderson became almost maniacalat times during the trial and it took alot of patience on the part of every-one to get the case concluded. Onceboth sides rested the final arguments began. Attorney Koos

Special thanks to ElaineSokolowski of the Peoria PublicLibrary for helping to find these

few photos from the PeoriaJournal Star.

010.qxd 1/25/12 1:26 PM Page 1


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told the jury that Anderson was inno-cent and that the witnesses had con-spired against his client.

On February 22, 1965, eighteendays after the trial started the jury gotthe case. After fourteen hours theyhad reached a verdict. Well…notreally, the jury of five men and sevenwomen were hung. Believe me whenI tell you the entire town wasstunned. No verdict? Impossible!Today we would have called that triala ‘slam dunk.’

ANOTHER TRIALSo, folks, on March 26, 1965, the

second trial against ShoeshineAnderson began. This time aroundthe witnesses would be allowed todiscuss only the murder evidence ofMarjorie Hurd. This battle raged evenmore furiously, but on April 2, 1965the jury reached a verdict. “We thejury find the defendant ArthurAnderson guilty on all counts.” I cantell you that we here in town wererelieved, but many of us were disap-pointed because he was not given thedeath penalty.

Judge Pucci sentenced Anderson toeighty-five years in the state peniten-tiary. Dorrie Cooley’s case was never

retried. Arthur ‘Shoeshine’ Andersondied in 1987 while still in prison. Youcan read more details in my book,MURDER IN YOUR OWN BACK-YARD, available in the library.

Editor’s Note: Norm is a Peoriahistorian, author and public speaker.

These stories were taken from hisbody of work available in the library.Comments welcome:[email protected]

Next Month: Norm will take us ona bizarre case that he calls, “ MUR-DER IN THE BASEMENT ”

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because thedeer are like-ly to moveall day, I’mgoing to dowhat hesays,” addsStoltz. “Onthe otherhand, if I’vesat in thesame standfor threedays withoutseeing somuch as aspike, I want the freedom to move to anew spot.”Prime Time

Stoltz is a hardcore bowhunter, but hewon’t hesitate to pick up a rifle if the situ-ation dictates it. For him, hunting deerwith archery tackle not only increases thechallenge and the reward, it gives him firstcrack at unpressured bucks. That’s impor-tant.

“If I had to choose, I’d hunt the firstdays of the season before the bucks getpressured by other hunters,” says Stoltz.“They will still be on their normal pat-terns and they are more likely to moveduring daylight hours. On the other hand,the outfitter might have enough land thatstands don’t get any pressure prior to yourhunt. If that’s the case, I’ll take whateveris available. I would also like to hunt thefour or five days prior to the rut when

bucks are really moving in search of does.”Of course, the best outfitter in the choic-est territory can only put you in the rightsituation. It’s up to you to hunt hard, stayfocused and make every opportunitycount. Remember all the sacrifices youmade to go on that hunt.

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Stoltz also asks lots of questions of theoutfitter himself. How much land does theoutfitter hunt, and how many huntersdoes he run through camp in a typical sea-son? More land is always better, but thehunter-to-acres ratio is a good indicationof overall hunting pressure. What’s thehunting style? Stoltz won’t hunt over bait,which is the main reason he has neverhunted Saskatchewan. Baiting is not onlylegal in Saskatchewan, but practiced byvirtually every deer camp in the province.Can hunters move if they aren’t happywhere they’ve been placed? A couple ofdays in the same stand can get old in ahurry. What exactly is included in theprice? What isn’t? Some outfitters willpick you up at the airport at no extracharge; some won’t.

“A good outfitter should be accommo-dating, but hunters have to have at leastsome faith in their guides. If my guideinsists that I stay in my stand all day

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If you plan to hunt next fall, you’d bet-ter start lining up an outfitter right away.The good ones fill up fast. Even Stoltzdoesn’t get in with the best outfits for theupcoming season because they are bookeda year, even two or three, in advance.

So how do you find a reputable guide?The recommendation of a friend is worthmore than perhaps anything, but Stoltzwill poke around the Internet and evenwatch television shows that profile aregion or a specific outfitter. Then he’llcontact the outfitter and ask for a currentlist of references. He’ll call successful andunsuccessful hunters and ask them abouttheir experience with the outfit. Even ifthey didn’t tag a monster buck, theyshould at least be satisfied with the campitself and the effort put forth by the outfit-ter and his guides. Of course, if an outfit-ter gives you only a limited selection of ref-erences, especially if they were all success-

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From theDesk of:

Rich Pearson,

ISRA ExecutiveDirector


THE MACHINE PLAN IS CLEAR –THEY WANT TO MAKE IT AFELONY FOR YOU TO EXERCISEYOUR 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS!These two bills are not just random at-tacks on your rights! They have beencarefully drafted and coordinated bysome of the Chicago Machine’s most ar-dent gun grabbers to include: Rep. Ed-ward Acevedo; Rep. Ann Williams; Rep.Greg Harris; Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie;Rep. Karen May; Rep. Carol Sente; Rep.Deborah Mell (Blago’s sister-in-law);and Rep. Marlow Colvin.

IF THESE BILLS PASS, YOU WILLHAVE 90 DAYS TO SURRENDERYOUR GUNS TO THE POLICE ORTHE POLICE WILL BE COMINGTO YOUR DOOR TO TAKE YOURGUNS TO THE FURNACE, ANDYOU TO THE PENETENTIARY.

This is the beginning of what could bea very bad year for law-abiding Illinoisgun owners. The Chicago Machine doesnot care about the 2nd Amendment andis dead set on taking your guns awayfrom you. They are not patriots; theyare not lovers of freedom; they are not

net blogs or bulletin boards to which youbelong.

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Americans. These people have no re-spect for our Constitution or the idealsof liberty and self determination envi-sioned by the Founding Fathers. Theyknow that private firearm ownership isthe bedrock of liberty and, if they cantake your guns away from you, then theywill be able to condemn you and yourfamily to a life of servitude – grovelingbefore the Machine for life’s necessities.DO NOT LET THE CHICAGO MA-CHINE BEAT YOU DOWN LIKE ADOG!

HERE ARE THE THINGS THATYOU MUST DO TO HELP PRO-TECT YOUR RIGHTS:

1. Follow the instructions below tocontact your State Representative andpolitely advise your Representative thatyou oppose HB1294 and HB1599 andthat you expect them to vote againstthose bills if they come to the Housefloor for a vote.

2. Pass this Alert along to all yourfriends and family and urge them to con-tact their Representatives as well.

3. Post this alert to any and all Inter-

URGENT ALERT – CHICAGO MACHINE IS

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has been a long time since I went ski-ing, so hopefully I won’t come homewith something broken. Wish me thebest.

I am gearing up for the Paddling sea-son of 2012. I can’t wait to visit newRivers and have new paddling adven-tures. I am going to be working on Riv-er Maps and information to pass alongto you. I hope those of you that enjoythis type of outdoor activity will try newplaces. For those of you that haven’t ormaybe it’s been awhile, get out thereand enjoy. Whether you are just float-ing, fishing or maybe even camping it issure to be a great time. People of allages can enjoy this outdoor activity.Contact one of our Canoe outfitters,they can help you plan a trip regardlessof how experienced you are; you willenjoy the beauty that these rivers haveto offer, and the fishing can be awe-some.

I have put together a map of IL Riversthis month on page 89. I hope to add a

few more states before the end of theseason. If you have a favorite River youenjoy canoeing or fishing on pleasesend along the information and photosto us here at ASO.

THE BESTTHE BEST BUGBUGSPRASPRAYY I HAI HAVEVEEVER USED, ITEVER USED, IT

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By Terri Sweckard

Donna Zimmerman of Pekin, Illinoishas created an awesome bug spray. Ifirst used it last summer and I wasamazed. It doesn’t feel sticky or greasy.It works on all types of insects. It is af-fordable and being Deet free, safe forchildren. I now have one in my tacklebox, camping tub & car. I also noticed itsoothed my sunburn not stinging mysensitive burnt skin.

VBS all started because of the peskybiting buffalo gnat. In 2007 Donna’sgranddaughters were being eaten alivewhen they went out to play. She justcouldn’t stand seeing them coveredwith those welts left from the bites. She

had heard thatkitchen vanillaworked so shetried it. It kept thegnats away, but italso attracted bit-ing flies! Theyhad to jump in thelake to get theflies to leavethem alone. Thatis when she de-cided to make herown spray. Itsmells like vanil-la but there is no Vanilla extract in it likepeople assume.

Her spray worked great on the buffa-lo gnats and it was safe for newestgrandbaby, Ella. Soon she found out itworked for all biting insects! Donnastarted making it for friends and family.That is when she learned even more ofwhat it could do. They were using it ondogs and cats for fleas, and one womanwas used it to get rid of ants in herkitchen! People were even sprayingpicnic tables to keep flies away duringbarbecues. She knew she had some-thing special.

Donna opened an antique and col-lectible shop in the winter of 2007, Cor-ner Curio, and then decided to sell thespray the following spring. She put alittle sign in the window and wordspread fast! She didn't even have aname for it yet. Donna laughed andsaid she changed the name 3 or 4 times.

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by Terri SweckardHello again everyone. How are you

doing with those New Year Resolu-tions? I myself am trying to get health-ier & stay more active. I usually don’tsucceed at diets very well but if I con-tinue to stay active, I should notice adifference come spring. I am headed toWisconsin for the last weekend in Jan totry my luck and skill on the slopes. It

Terri

014.qxd 1/25/12 4:29 AM Page 1


far as Montana. They trademarkedthe name of VBS, The OriginalVanilla Bug Spray in 2010. Theywere chosen as the Official BugSpray of the 2011 Hurricane JuniorGolf Tour which tours the SouthEastern United States. It has beenvery exciting for the Zimmerman’sand her husband John. They havecome a long way since that firstyear. Back then she was makingand selling 5-10 bottles a day. Nowthey are making 100-400 bottlesper hour on some days!

Donna still has her shop, CornerCurio 223 Derby (which I love),but it has gotten smaller every yeardue to VBS production continuallygrowing. As VBS productiongrows, the shop shrinks a littleeach year. They are hoping to ex-pand to a larger building within thenext year. Donna has worked hardto get this product up & going withthe support of her husband JohnGregory, sales are keeping thisfamily busy.

Donnas’ granddaughters are ahuge part of her life. They are herpride and joy an inspiration, al-ways helping her to think of new

ideas. Theirlatest cre-ation wasM o n k e yFarts. It isa bananaflavored lipm o i s t u r estick thatwent overreally wellat Christ-mas. Don’tworry ittastes betterthan its o u n d s .Brailyn is 8 and Kylie is 6.

The ingredient list for VBS is topsecret, like Coca-Cola and ColonelSander’s KFC recipe, but rest as-sured it is SAFE. No Deet, no al-cohol, no harsh chemicals, parabenand phlalate free, safe for sensitiveskin and pets. In fact, if your chil-dren should accidentally get it intheir eyes, rinsing with water is themost you need to do. It is safe, forpeople of all ages & pets as well.

VBS is really popular with folkswho spent time outdoors likegolfers and fishermen. Many fami-lies come to the shop for it becausetheir children insist ONLY VBSused on them! Many times womencome back for more cause hus-band/boyfriend took their bottle!

VBS is becoming more and morepopular in the horse world too. Itworks great for those pesky horseflies. It repels longer than mostother Non Deet products, so youdon’t have to re-apply as often. Itis very economical since you use itless often!! It sells for only $7.95per bottle.

Donna recommends spraying iton before going out. Be sure to getall exposed areas, they will find

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Yes, even those men who thinkthey need DEET, but don’t want touse the Vanilla girly spray, wellthey use it also, because it works!

I recommend getting some forthis upcoming bug season. If youlive in the area, stop by her shop itis very unique and you will find atreasure or two for sure.

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then rotated between sea and shore dutyuntil ordered to the aircraft carrier USSSaratoga in 1927. He served as captainof the carrier from her commissioninguntil 1928, when he received the rank ofRear Admiral. He served as Chief of theBureau of Steam Engineering and lateras Naval Adviser to the American delega-tion at the London Naval Conference in1930.

By 1932, Rear Admiral Yarnell wasbased at San Diego, California, whichwas then home base for the UnitedStates Pacific Fleet. Pearl Harbor was animportant base, but substantially smallerin size when compared to what it wouldbe nine years later as it ushered in WorldWar II. Pearl Harbor would not becomethe home of the fleet until the early sum-mer of 1940. He believed that the Navyhad more to fear from an aerial attackdelivered from the deck of a carrier, thanfrom ever larger confrontations betweenlarger and larger ships and deck guns.He pressed for the reduction in the roleof the battleship and the construction ofmore aircraft carriers.

Every year Pacific Fleet would partici-pate in War Games during which theSan Diego Fleet would engage the PearlHarbor Fleet. The San Diego Fleet waslarger and more diverse, with the newesttechnology and ships in the fleet. Admi-ral Yarnell’s pride was the aircraft carri-

On this day, Pearl Harbor lies sleepingquietly. The winter storms that typicallyhit the island chain of Hawaii are at itagain on this morning covering every-thing to the Northeast of the island withrain and low hanging clouds, obscuringthe horizon. But the skies over PearlHarbor are bright and clear.

Most of the military and civilian per-sonal on the islands are still working toget out of bed. Only a few are on theproud Naval Ships in the harbor, andonly a select few of them are doing any-thing close to duty on this peacefulmorning.

Suddenly, the clear sky is full ofbuzzing spots. As the spots begin divingat the harbor, they start strafing theground and dropping bombs on thepeaceful ships at harbor. The men

scramble desperately to get to battle sta-tions, shocked and unclear about whothis is and what is happening. This at-tack was a complete surprise.

As quickly as it started, it was all over.The mighty military force at Pearl Har-bor was no more. No ship in the harborhas been spared. The mysterious attack-ing aircraft disappear back into thestormy Northeastern horizon fromwhich they had come. All land safely ontheir carriers during the storm that ishiding the small fleet, while their admi-ral listened with satisfaction to reports ofthe damage. Called radical and dismissed

by some of his associates, this attackproved his most recently ridiculed anddisregarded proposal was in fact accurateand a decade ahead of its time.

The Date: Sunday, February 7th,1932.

The Admiral attacking Pearl Harbor?United States Rear Admiral Harry E.Yarnell.

The fleet in ruins in Pearl Harbor?The United States Pacific Fleet completewith the majority of the American Bat-tleships, eerily all lined up on BattleshipRow at Ford Island as they would benine years later.

The attack was just a war game thistime.

Harry E. Yarnell was born near Inde-pendence, Iowa, and entered the U.S.Naval Academy in 1893. He was servingon the battleship USS Oregon duringthe Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July3rd, 1898, served in the Philippines dur-ing the Philippine-American War andwith the Asiatic Squadron during theBoxer Rebellion. In 1902, he was pro-moted as the commanding officer of thedestroyer USS Dale. He moved on to thebattleship USS Connecticut at her com-missioning and sailed around the worldwith the Great White Fleet from 1907-1909. World War I found him on thestaff of Admiral William S. Sims atGibraltar and then at London. Yarnell

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think. In reality, the United States Admirals

and leadership disregarded this act as lit-tle more than an amusing fluke. Theyinsisted that had it not been a surprise,the battleships would have hunted thecarriers down and sunk them beforetheir aircraft could do any damage. Inthe years between the 1932 War Gameattack and the December 7th, 1941, at-tack on Pearl Harbor, the United Statesbuilt another twelve battleships whileconstructing only four aircraft carriers.

What few knew at the time was theJapanese Naval Leadership was payingattention to this particular war game.They studied the overall attack and usedit in planning their own future attack.Records later showed that the JapaneseWar College studied this attack in 1936,coming to the following conclusion:“incase the enemy’s main fleet is berthed atPearl Harbor, the idea should be to openhostilities by surprise attack from theair.”

If one example was not enough, in thewinter of 1938 then Rear AdmiralErnest King repeated Admiral Yarnell’sexample when he took just the aircraftcarrier USS Saratoga and a small groupof support ships and attacked the Amer-ican battleships and other ships at PearlHarbor during that year's War Game. In

ers. While he appreciated the possibili-ties this new weapon could have on thenaval battlefield, the vast majority of hisfellow admirals had little use for them.The majority of the admirals and muchof the United States leadership viewedthe gem of the Pearl Harbor fleet as theprized asset of the United States Fleet;the United States Battleships.

While smaller than the San DiegoFleet, the Pearl Harbor Fleet won theyearly war games time and time againthanks to these battleships. In past years,Yarnell’s ships in California would leavefor Pearl, “attacking” the battleships sta-tioned in Pearl. Every year the radio traf-fic between the massive fleet would beintercepted by Pearl, their battleshipswould leave harbor, and they would“battle” out in the open sea. The otheradmirals pointed to this past experienceas proof that the backbone of the UnitedStates Navy should still be the Battle-ships and that the Aircraft Carriers Ad-miral Yarnell prized where little morethan niche vessels which had limited us-es.

Admiral Yarnell decided that in 1932he would set out to prove the value ofthe Aircraft Carriers. He reduced his at-tacking force, taking only the aircraftcarrier’s USS Saratoga and USS Lexing-ton and three escort destroyers. All of his

ships observed his orders to maintain ra-dio silence. The course he ordered stayedaway from the traveled freighter lanes.

In planning the attack he sought anarea where they could not be seen by theradar towers on Hawaii and believed hehad found such a location to the North-east of the island. During the wintermonths, storms routinely happened nearOahu, and here, he would hide, knowingthe radar could not see them. To top itall off, he also decided to attack on Sun-day, a day he knew was the day mostsailors would be off duty, and also mostlikely to be off-ship.

The “bombs” and “strafing” fired bythe attack planes on this day were justflares and bags of flour, but the refereesof the war games judged that AdmiralYarnell’s attack had been more than suc-cessful, sinking every ship in Pearl Har-bor. In addition, he had also figurativelydestroyed every land-based plane inOahu. As far as the success of his hidinglocation, using what few battleships thePearl Harbor Team had at sea during thesimulated attack could not to locateYarnell’s small fleet during the next 24hours.

Rear Admiral Harry E. Yarnell had hisvictory. His prized aircraft carriers hadproved that they where the future andthe battleship the past. Or so you would

this second air attack, the result was thesame as in 1932; in a complete surpriseattack Admiral King’s small air unit suc-cessfully “destroyed” the ships at PearlHarbor and won the war game.

Following the pattern set in 1932 byAdmiral Yarnell and repeated in 1938 byAdmiral King, the Japanese Fleet trav-eled in radio silence, they traveled offthe well-traveled shipping lanes of thePacific, and they hid in the foul winterweather, and attacked just after dawn ona Sunday. On the day the Japanesepicked to attack, December 7th, 1941,they did not use flares and bags of flour.The results of this third attack on PearlHarbor by naval air units could nolonger be ignored.

As seen here with war, in politics to-day our leaders find it hard to see thevalue or insight of individuals who thinkoutside the box and embrace new tech-nologies and ideas. It is hard for many ofour leaders to see beyond what we per-ceive as the reality of today and move to-wards the changing future to come.When faced with something strange anddifferent, we need to give it a full review,especially when faced with strong factsto back it up. If this had been done in1932 for Rear Admiral Harry E. Yarnell,how different could the results of De-cember 7th, 1941, have been?

017.qxd 1/20/12 7:53 PM Page 1


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The afternoon was cloudy, but nottoo cold. Actually, for November itwas really pretty nice. The peak ofthe rut had passed by this Saturdayafter Thanksgiving, but the bowhunting was still good. As always,I was hoping for some earlyevening movement.

Isn't that about the way mostarchery deer hunting stories start?Well this one has a twist. No deerwere seen that evening and no ani-mals were harvested. This washowever, one of the most excitinghunts I have ever had.

As is my usual practice, I wasstill-hunting that evening. I wouldmove slowly and quietly fromplace to place, rattling and grunt-

ing. This method not only allowsme to hunt several locations, butdistinctly increases my odds of see-ing animals. Not just deer, but allthe animals in the woods.

The afternoon slowly tickedaway and at about four o'clock Isat-up on a ridge overlooking a cutcorn field. This ridge was a goodstaging area for deer entering thefield to feed after dark. I had justcompleted a short series of gruntswhen movement caught my eyefrom below me. Something wasmoving parallel with field edge,just inside the woods.

As I focused my binoculars, Icould make out the outline of acoyote. It was not running, but still

moving too fastto be hunting. Iquickly foundmy mousesqueaker. Iwould give thedog a couple ofsqueaks, hopingto lure it up thehill toward mefor a shot.

At the firstsqueak the coy-ote stopped andperked its ears.This stop couldnot have takenhalf a second.The coyote con-tinued on itsway, ignoringmy follow-upcalls. I watchedit go out ofsight throughmy binoculars.

With no deer activity on theridge, I moved down the slope,closer to the field. The coyote andmy thoughts of it had long sincepassed. I knew it was too early fordeer to be in the field, so I sat-upwatching the timber and the trailscoming from it.

Again I saw the subtle flash ofmovement. This time it was up on

the ridge, close to where I'd been ashort time before. Again my binoc-ulars identified a coyote. This timethe wild canine was in a stealthposture and stalking up the ridge."That's the same coyote," I thoughtto myself.

As I watched the hunter at work Icould not tell for sure if it was thesame one or not. All I could tell

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was that it was sneaking-up on myrecently abandoned position. Themouse squeaker had worked, I justwasn't patient enough. The experi-enced hunter had circled down-wind of its prey before starting itsapproach.

A quick glance all around con-firmed the fact that no deer werepresently visible. At that momentthe evening’s event switched to afull-fledged coyote hunt. I slowlyadjusted my position and made an-other call. This time the coyotedid react.

There was no doubt that the dogheard the squeak. He stopped, mo-tionless, in mid-stride. He actual-ly looked like a bird dog on acrouched point. His ears were stiffand erect and his tail was low, al-most between is hind legs. This istypical attack posture for a coyote.

I now had a very clear look at mynew adversary. He was a big dog,fully mature. His coat was high-lighted by lots of long silver hairs.His head was broad and his legswere long and muscular. He stoodlike a plaster statue, seventy-fiveyards away.

The contest was now on. Who

would make the next move?Should I call again or should I waitfor him to move? I was sure if Imade any sound or movement hewould make me in a split second.He too knew the advantage ofwaiting for his prey to becomefearful and try to escape.

Luck was with me at that mo-ment. A gray squirrel chased itsmate around an aging oak treecausing a huge racket about 15-yards to my left. The coyote re-acted to the noise by barrelingdown the hill toward the commo-tion.

The big dog hit his brakes as thesquirrels reversed their course andran back up into the safety of theirden. The coyote was only a bitover twenty yards from me. Hehad stopped behind an old blow-down. I could see his hips and tail,but his head, shoulders and chestwere behind the tangled brush.

This was not the shot I wanted.Even at twenty yards, a coyote'shind quarter is a small target, andthat shot could easily fail to belethal. I needed him to take threeor four more steps forward.

I moved very slowly as I quietly

placed my mouse squeaker in mymouth. I positioned it so that Icould bite the tiny call with myjaw-teeth, leaving the barrel ex-posed between my lips. I thenraised my bow, came to full drawand anchored. I would use the toppin on my sights. That pin is dead-on from 10 to 30-yards.

I took a deep breath. I wascoiled and ready to strike. I bit thecall. The coyote twitched, but didnot move forward. We waited,seemingly for hours. I bit the callagain and the canine flinched, butwithout a step. "Take the hipshot," I told myself.

I moved my bow until the whitehead of my pin centered on thedog's left hip. As I exhaled toshoot, the coyote bolted from thebrush like a sprinter leaving theblocks. I swung my bow ahead ofthe dog, saw the sight picture andtriggered the release.

My arrow hit a pitifully long dis-tance behind the coyote. He hadwon our battle of nerves, and forthe second time that evening Iwatched him run out of sight.

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This ‘n’ ThatIt’s February and I sit here writing this in

my blue jean shorts and a t-shirt whilemost all ya’ll are still freezing your tutu’soff. I won’t be any meaner thanthat…after all the ice fishing is way betterwhere you are. All I can say is that thecrappie are already jumping in the boatabout three miles north of where I am onthe Toledo Bend Reservoir.

The water has come up enough that youcan launch a boat again, and the adminis-trative bozo’s that manage this wonderfulfishery have decided that they are not goingto sell 2 billion gallons of water to Texas. Iguess they must have calculated that sincethey suck so badly at managing the lake asa fishery they may as well just sell the waterso they don’t have to worry about it anylonger. The uproar from the public wonthis battle.

Yes, I said it is a wonderful fishery andyes, I said they suck at managing it. Thatwould be in spite of their efforts it is still agreat place to fish. All they would have todo is reduce the limit from eight to maybefour or five, or better yet put in a slot limitand this would be a true trophy lakeinstead of just a good lake to fish. I knowa lot of people hate the idea of a slot limitbut it works and over time, will producebigger and better average catches.

I get a newsletter from a lodge inCanada that is the only lodge on a chain ofthree lakes. About ten or twelve years agothey instituted a slot limit on walleye andnorthern pike. After the first few years youcan actually look at a chart and see thegrowth of the average catch brought in bytheir guests. The fact that Canada onlyallows 2 or 4 fish, to be “exported” has

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probably helped, the number depends on ifyou buy a regular license or a conservationlicense.

I can remember back in the good oldbad, old days coming back from Canadawith a culled catch of six per person perspecies and we would get back home andput on a fish fry for the whole family, andI come from a really big family. So now,with a two fish limit on what you can bringback…why bother it’s not enough to evenshare, so eat your fill while you’re there anddon’t worry about freezing four filets thatyou have to hide when your friends findout you have Canadian walleye.

It is a bit of a sacrifice for individual fish-er-people but at the end of the fishing daythose kinds of regulations will provide abetter future for next year and years tocome. I believe fishing is going to have togo the same way that our game birds andsmall and large game animals have gone.Think about it. How many of us can justpick up and go hunting anymore?

Ducks Unlimited, Whitetails Unlimited,Pheasants/Quail Forever, Quail Unlimited,National Wild Turkey Federation all aregreat organizations trying to preserve insome manner shape or form the huntingheritage of a particular species. We areeffectively “managing” the resources thatwe love. I certainly don’t think we candepend on respective departments of natu-ral resources to do it for us any time soon,as they seem to universally be some of thefirst budgets to be cut in this economic

calamity we live in today. In essence weneed to do the same thing for our favoritefish as we do for our favorite game animals.I generally don’t see the willingness on thepart of tournament fishermen as I see withhunters to support necessary long termpolicies that will promote growth of a par-ticular species. No, I don’t think that shortterm stocking programs are a solution. Itmay be fun to catch trout on the CurrantRiver in MO but why can’t we do some-thing that is long term?

If our economy doesn’t come back soonI personally feel that both fishing and hunt-ing will take a severe hit, as previously lawabiding sports men and women wink at thelaw in favor of feeding their families. Badtiming would also see fish and wildlifeenforcement man power cut in the DNRranks across the country, thus compound-ing an already poor situation.

My unfounded opinions only folks; let’shope the ding-a-lings in Washington canagree on some aspects of economic move-ment that can benefit the country insteadof their party egos. Maybe then we canlook back at this and accuse me of beingover reactive.

Hey! Keep it clean out there.

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I D N R N E W S B I T S2012 Illinois Licenses Now Available: Illinois fishing,hunting and sportsman’s combination licenses for2012 are now available from DNR Direct license andpermit vendors, online through the IDNR website:www.dnr.illinois.gov/online/Pages/default.aspx or bycalling 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648). The sys-tem is available 24 hours a day. The 2012 licensespurchased now will be valid through Mar. 31, 2013unless otherwise noted.

Spring Turkey Applications: Resident and non-resi-dent hunters may apply for 2012 Illinois Spring WildTurkey Season permits online. The link to the onlinepermit application can be found on the IDNR websiteSpring Turkey page: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/turkey/Pages/SpringTurkeyHunting.aspx

The application deadline for the 2nd lottery wasJan. 11th. Youth Spring Turkey Special Hunt Areaonline permit applications are accepted now throughFeb. 20. For more information on 2012 spring turkeyhunting: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/turkey/Pages/SpringTurkeyHunting.aspx

IRAP Youth Turkey Hunting: IDNR will offer expandedyouth hunting opportunities during the 2012 SpringWild Turkey Season through the new federally-fundedIllinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP).Interested youth turkey hunters should download anapplication for an IRAP Youth Turkey Hunting permit

through the IDNR website athttp://www.dnr.illinois. gov/conserva-tion/IRAP. Hunters will need to choosethe county in which they wish to hunt anda random drawing may be held for eachcounty/site. Youth hunters can requestup to two turkey IRAP permits for theupcoming spring season. Check the IDNRwebsite to see which counties have IRAPyouth turkey hunting available. For moreinformation on IRAP, contact TammyMiller at [email protected] or goto IRAP website at http://www.dnr.illi-nois.gov/conservation/IRAP.

Pere Marquette Bald Eagle Programs: Enjoy watchingbald eagles on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers nearPere Marquette State Park this winter by participat-ing one of the park’s popular Bald Eagle Days tours.The site interpreter at Pere Marquette presentsinformative programs about bald eagles on selectdates through early March. All programs begin at thePere Marquette Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 1, 4,5, 8, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28 & 29. Reservations arerequired and may be made by calling 618/786-3323.

Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet: Tickets are nowavailable for the annual Illinois Outdoor Hall of FameBanquet, the evening of Thursday, Feb. 9 at DruryLane in Oakbrook Terrace. Proceeds from the Hall ofFame Banquet assist in funding IFC youth scholarshipsand other ICF initiatives to encourage youth participa-

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tion in outdoor recreation and naturalresources protection. For reservationsor more information, contact the IllinoisConservation Foundation, One NaturalResources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271, phone 217/785-2003, or checkthe ICF web site at www.ilcf.org.

Camping Reservations: Campsite andshelter reservations for many IDNR sitesfor 2012 can be made online throughthe Reserve America website atwww.reserveamerica.com using a Visaor MasterCard. For more information,

check the IDNR website at:http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/programs/camping/camprsvp.htm

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Snowmobile Reminders: Snowmobile owners arereminded that changes to the IL SnowmobileRegistration and Safety Act approved in 2010 havetaken effect. Fees for all new snowmobile registra-tions, transfer renewals, and renewals are $30 (oldregistration application forms will be accepted as longas the new fee is remitted). The amended Act alsorequires that non-residents purchase an annual snow-

mobile trail use sticker for $25 if the snowmobile isnot registered in IL. Trail passes are available at DNRDirect license vendors throughout the state. The lawalso includes a mandatory liability insurance provi-sion. For more details, check the IDNR website:http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/recreation/snowmo-bile/Pages/Information.aspx

Earth Day in the Parks: School teachers are encour-aged to apply now for the 2012 Earth Day in the Parksprogram from the IDNR. Applications will be acceptedthru Feb. 28. Earth Day in the Parks is a naturalresources stewardship event for students held atIllinois state parks. The application form is online athttp://dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/EDITPinstruct.htm.

Grants from the Illinois Conservation Foundationand Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund help to fundEarth Day in the Parks.

OutdoorIllinois: For a summary of feature magazinearticles, listen in on monthly podcasts atwww.dnr.state.il.us/OI. OutdoorIllinois is a great toolfor learning about Illinois' natural, cultural and recre-ational resources and a bargain at only $15 for a one-year, 12-issue magazine subscription that includes aninformation-packed annual calendar in the Decemberissue. Visit dnr.state.il.us/OI or call 1-800-720-3249 to subscribe. VISA and MasterCard are accept-ed. For information on advertising in OutdoorIllinois,call Michelle at 217/785-8610 or e-mail [email protected].

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JAN. 2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTSFrom OUTDOOR ILLINOIS Magazine

FEB. 1• Conservation Order light gooseseason opens, central and southzones

FEB. 4• 2012 Eagle Trek, Kaskaskia Lockand Dam, Modoc, ILh t tp : / /www.swi rcd .o rg /Mee t -ings_&_Events.html

FEB. 9Deadline to apply for third lottery for• Illinois spring turkey permitshttp://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/turkey/Pages/SpringTurkeyHunting.aspx

FEB. 10• Raccoon and opossum huntingseasons close, north zone

FEB. 11• “Get the Beat – Super Saturdays”youth event, Illinois St. Museum,Springfield, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.http://www.museum.state.il.us/events/

1ST BOBCAT VERIFIED IN NORTHWEST OHIO For the first time, wildlife officials have verified

a bobcat in northwest Ohio, in Williams County.This animal is known to inhabit southern Ohio,

where the bobcat is the mascot of Ohio University.The state Division of Wildlife says previous reportsof the wild cat in the northwestern area of thestate could not be verified.

District wildlife supervisor Scott Butterworthtells The Blade of Toledo a young male bobcat wascaught in a raccoon trap set by local fur trappers.He says it died when it was sedated by a humaneofficer after being taken from the trap.

Butterworth says the species is very sensitiveto being tranquilized. He says the bobcat have mi-grated from southern Michigan or northeast Indi-ana, where bobcat populations have been expand-ing.

7 WOLVES KILLED DURING WISCONSIN DEER HUNT

State wildlife officials say people illegally killedat least seven wolves during the gun deer seasonlast month.

The DNR says four of the wolves were beingmonitored with radio collars. Hunters found theother three dead and reported them. The shootingsare under investigation.

A total of 31 wolves have been killed illegallyduring November deer hunts between 2006 and2011.

The DNR has called for the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService to remove the wolf from the federal endan-gered species list in Wisconsin. The agency esti-mated the state was home to at least 782 wolveslast winter, far surpassing the state managementgoal of 350.

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MOUNTAIN LION HUNTING SEASON UNDERWAYIN SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota's mountain lion hunting seasonhas started. The season ends March 31 or until 50female mountain lions are taken or 70 total moun-tain lions are taken.

The state's Game, Fish and Parks' departmentkeeps a tally of the number of mountain lions har-vested on their website, www.gfp.sd.gov. Hunterscan also keep track by calling 1-866-895-9067,texting "SDGFP lion 2012'' to 368638 or visitingthe Game, Fish and Parks' Facebook page. SouthDakota has had a residents-only mountain lionseason since 2005.

NEW HAMPSHIRE CONSIDERS MAKING GUN LICENSES OPTIONAL

New Hampshire could become the 4th state toeliminate the need for a permit to carry concealed,loaded guns anyplace not prohibited by law underlegislation before the House and Senate.

The House could vote as early as this week on abill to make the permits optional so gun ownerscould travel to states with reciprocal permitagreements. It also would increase from four tofive years the length of time a permit is valid. Thebill also would make it legal to transport unli-censed guns.

The House passed a similar bill last session, butthe Senate postponed action on it until this year.The bills would not change exemptions in the law,such as for felons carrying weapons. Vermont, Ari-zona and Alaska don't require a permit.

FEB. 15• Squirrel hunting season closesstatewide• Raccoon and opossum huntingseasons close, south zone• Deadline to submit Hunter HarvestCards for Illinois state hunting sites

FEB. 17• Illinois Endangered Species Pro-tection Board meeting, Midewin Na-tional Tallgrass Prairie, Wilmington,10a.m. http://dnr.state.il.us/espb/

FEB. 19• History of Blues program, IllinoisState Museum, Springfield, 2-4 p.m.http://www.museum.state.il.us/events

FEB. 25• Celebrate Cultural Diversity, Illi-nois State Museum, Springfield, 11a.m.-3 p.m.http://www.museum.state.il.us/events

FEB. 28• Crow season closes statewide

For more info visit:www.dnr.illinois.gov

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hundreds of years. We need to force trappers to stop doingthis. They have alternatives.

"It's basically the dumbing down of trapping,'' he added of220s. "Anyone with a bucket and a 220 can call themselves atrapper. The 220’s are very effective.''

Reynolds enjoyed hunting grouse with Penni, who wasabout 2, and brought her to work with him all the time,spending "24 hours a day'' with her.

"She meant the world to me,'' he said in a recent letter tothe editor in the Brainerd Dispatch.

He and Noska both said they plan to "replace'' their dogs— someday.

"I wouldn't have sold her for $10,000,'' Noska said of Sue,who he said was about 6 years old.”She was at her peak. Shehad another five years of hunting.''

Noska said of the day that Sue died in the trap, "We spentfour to five hours hunting and the dogs flushed 18 birds. Sueflushed 16. A hunting dog like Sue is a once-in-a-lifetime deal,if you're lucky.

"I don't know when I'll go out again. Probably not thisyear...I want to go out again someday, but I don't want to haveto worry about this (traps). I wouldn't wish this on anyone.''

Traps Can Pose Threat to Hunting Dogs

BRAINERD, Minn. Gerald Noska said it was a perfect dayto be grouse hunting. Sunny and in the mid-30s, only a traceof snow covered the ground on Noska's property about 10miles south of Staples.

But there would be no hunt that day, and probably not anyday soon. That's understandable, even for a hunter who saidhe spends 30 to 60 days a year afield with his two dogs, hunt-ing ruffed grouse.

There is only one dog now. And while Noska said it's agood dog, a good hunter, he is still mourning the loss of hisprized hunting dog, Sue, an English setter killed in a traprecently at the Dry Sand Wildlife Management Area north ofStaples.

While that's fairly rare in the greater Brainerd lakes area,Noska's dog was the second killed by a trap in north-centralMinnesota in less than 10 days. John Reynolds of Merrifieldsaid he lost his Springer Spaniel, Penni, to a trap near EmilyLake on Dec. 17.

Noska and Reynolds both said they have trapped in the past— Reynolds in the last year, and have nothing against trap-ping. It's the type of traps being used that ``terrifies'' both asdog owners.

Both dogs were reportedly killed by Conibear 220 traps,which are commonly baited and set inside a 5-gallon bucket,which in turn sits on the ground. A lightweight and compactbody-gripping trap with a jaw spread of 7 inches, it's popularfor trapping bobcat, fishers and otters in this area — CrowWing and Cass counties were among the trapping harvestleaders for each of those species in 2010-11, according to theDNR. The traps can be placed almost anywhere on countyand state land. The fisher season ended Dec. 4; the bobcat andotter seasons run until Jan. 8.

"I'm absolutely terrified,'' Reynolds said of the traps.”Ispend a lot of time out in the woods. It's my favorite thing todo. I go out at least once a week from fall to spring. But I'm

seeing those buckets with the traps and seeing evidence ofmore and more every year.''

Reynolds, who said he's heard of four dogs being caught in220s — and only one surviving — in Crow Wing County inrecent years, said he had seen the traps while out with his dog,but never in the area it was killed.

"We had been past that spot two or three times, but thewind was in the wrong direction and didn't bring the scent ofthe bait to her. That day it did.''

Noska said he never even thought about the traps when outwith his dogs.

"It never entered my mind,'' he said.”I didn't think thiskind of stuff was legal. It terrifies you.''

Jason Abraham, season setting/fur bearer specialist for theDNR in St. Paul, said he's only had seven reports of dogskilled by traps since 2007, although "I'm sure there have beenmore that haven't been reported.''

"We're sympathetic toward the dog owners,'' Abrahamsaid.”We definitely understand it's no fault of their own. It's ahunting situation. But on the other hand, you have trapperswho are legally trapping on state property who bought alicense who expect and deserve the right to enjoy their sport.

"These things happen. I know a lot of trap-pers. I set traps. If it happened to me (a dogkilled in his trap), I'd feel terrible. Two usergroups in the woods can cross over and theresults can be tragic.''

In 2010, Abraham said the DNR enactedrules restricting the placement of 220 body-gripping traps near houses and buildings occu-pied by livestock and said the DNR will con-tinue to discuss regulations aimed at limitingaccidental catches of pets.

According to Reynolds, it's the traps them-selves, not the rules that pose a problem.

"I'm not against trapping. I'm absolutelyagainst taking unnecessary risks with some-one's family member,'' Reynolds said. "This220 trap is not necessary. There are footholdsand snares. The alternatives have worked for

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023.qxd 1/24/12 1:53 PM Page 1

decoys, and another $10 for thecrow call and you're ready to go.

One additional item crow huntersshould look into is one of Carry-Lite's Great Horned Owl decoys.There are two sizes, one measuring16 inches tall and the other 20inches tall. Either will work fine.Crows and owls are mortal ene-mies, and the addition of the GreatHorned Owl decoy in your mix willextend the length of time the crowshang around.

The owl decoys feature a smallloop at the top of the head for theattachment of strong fishing line orsmall-diameter cord. Attach aweight to the end of the cord or lineand throw it over a limb. Pull theowl decoy up and position it whereit can easily be seen. Or, simplyplace the owl on the ground in themidst of a few crow decoys.

"You take the first shot sinceyou've only got one," Wheeler saidto me, motioning toward myKnight TK2000 muzzleloadingshotgun. I had decided to make itmore interesting by using thesmokepole. With a loud boom andmuch smoke I started our crowskirmish and dropped a bird.Wheeler followed with a double,and after a brief intermission inwhich I reloaded, we shot a fewmore birds before heading intotown for lunch.

Crow hunting is fun and a greatway to get some practice in or sim-ply keep your shooting eye sharp.Plus, it's inexpensive and availableto nearly everyone.


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My friend Glenn Wheeler shiftedhis body behind the big oak as thefirst big, black bird wheeled intosight. I growled another raspyfighting crow sound on my Knight& Hale Magnum Crow call, Wheel-er answered with his call, and soonthe northern Arkansas sky wasspeckled with crows like freckleson a country girl's nose.

Prior to starting to crow call weplaced three Carry-Lite crow de-coys in the brown grass of an openpasture, then pulled back into thecover of the adjacent treeline. Wefitted another crow decoy into thewedge of a tree limb over ourheads.

We were crow hunting near Har-rison, Arkansas after a morning ofsquirrel hunting. Crows are avail-able to nearly everyone. Normallycrow hunters can get several shotopportunities at each hunting area.The action will last 10 to 20 min-utes or so before the crows wise upand leave the area. This makescrow hunting the perfect way towind up a day of hunting other

species, such as a squirrel hunt inthe morning and crows just beforelunch, which is what Wheeler and Iwere doing.

Liberal seasons and limits are thenorm and not only is crow huntingfun; it's also excellent practice forupland bird hunting or waterfowl-ing. Crows present all types ofshots, and normally there will beplenty of birds so you can work onthe shot giving you trouble -crossers, risers, incoming - whatev-er. With decoys set on the groundout front, waterfowlers simulateducks settling into the decoys.

Unlike waterfowling, however,crow hunting takes only a minimalinvestment to get set up for crowhunting. A twenty dollar bill willset you up with a couple of crow

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024.qxd 1/21/12 12:27 AM Page 1


It may not be a Pizzly Bear. It may be aGrolar Bear or if you’re in Canada, it may becalled “Nanulak”, taken from the Intuitnames for each parent. The size and physicaldominance of these beautiful animals is sim-ply awesome. We have all known about Griz-zly Bears and Polar bears for years but they al-ways seemed to be two separate animals. Nowwe’re seeing critters that have some of the

characteristics of each and DNA testing hasproven it’s existence – now what to call it.

Never-the-less it’s a hybrid bear descendingfrom a Grizzly bear and Polar bear. This suc-cessful inter-breeding was not a prevalentthing until just recently and still is not an epi-demic. However it is expected to continueand probably accelerate due to some extenuat-ing circumstances. The reason that inter-breeding has not been prevalent in the past isthey simply weren’t in the same places. That isnow changing and either species can be the fa-ther or mother of the offspring.

Contrary to other animals that sometimesbreed and produce sterile offspring, these “sec-ond generation” descendants are also capableof reproducing. We would think of a horseand a donkey that produce sterile offspringdue to chromosome differences. A horse has64 chromosomes and a donkey has 62. Whenthey mate the chromosomes don’t match upproperly causing the sterility etc. Not so in thecase of the bears. They come from very simi-lar genetic backgrounds, causing a very goodmatch.

These bears are showing up farther souththan the Polars are usually found and it is the-orized that global warming is causing themelting of the ice cap, causing them to ven-ture father south. The bears have some im-portant differences that are rather interesting.The Polar bear has hair on the bottom of itspaws and the Grizzly does not. This has

evolved fromthe Polar bearliving mostlyon the ice.Grizzly bearshair is mostlysolid where Po-lars are some-what hollow.The Pizzly’shave some ofeach character-istic as well aslonger necksthat come from the Polar bear parent. Behav-ioral characteristics also vary and some of eachare passed on to the hybrid offspring. For in-stance, Polar bears tend to stamp on their sur-roundings since this practice may be used totest or break the ice. Polars also tend to hurl orthrow their prey instead of simply catching itas do the Grizzlys. The offspring tend to belarger than the Grizzly parent and some havebeautiful creamy-colored coats.

Jim Martell, a hunter from Idaho reported-ly shot a grizzly-polar bear hybrid near SachsHarbour on Banks Island, Northwest Territo-ries, Canada, on April 2006. He was huntingwith a Polar bear license and a guide whichcost him $45,450 when he killed what hethought was a polar bear. Officials took noticeof some differences and problems pursued. Ithink he eventually got the bear back and was

proved to be a proper hunter. If testing hadproved it to be a Grizzly, it could have costhim a big fine and maybe a year in a Canadi-an jail. Genetic testing proved it to be a hybridfrom a Grizzly father and Polar mother.

Running off on a tangent here: One place Ihunted had signs indicating the importance ofknowing the difference between Black bearsand Grizzlies and how to react or prepare foreach. It was noted as a good idea that carryingpepper spray and wearing little bells was rec-ommended. When in bear country examiningthe “stool” or “scat” was a good way to tellwhich species was present. The Black bear fe-ces tends to be much smaller than the Griz-zlies and the Grizzly bear “scat” tends to smelllike peppers and have little bells in it! – Just alittle humor.

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Polar Bears live in the Arctic and Grizzly bears live in Canada and never the twainshall meet… or should they? That’s what was on everyone’s mind when a Pizzly Bear (or if you prefer, a Grolar Bear) turned up in 2006 in the Canadian Arctic. Apparently, the melting snow caps caused these bears’ habitats to overlap, and

consequently resulted in their unlikely offspring.

025.qxd 1/21/12 1:12 AM Page 1


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Christmas Deer • Courtesy of Dave ShadowTaylor Reynolds, my wife Rosalie’s granddaughter, is shown preparing to field dressand skin a nice whitetail deer harvested by her father on Christmas morning, 2011.Deer hunting is an important part of the lifestyle for the Gary Reynolds family nearGays Illinois. As soon as the Christmas morning activities were under control Gary

slipped down the road to a new deer stand. Obviously it was a successful morning andas of the time of this writing Taylor was of the opinion that she was going to fill her

tag that afternoon. At fourteen Taylor is an accomplished archer and hunter. She notonly enjoys the outdoors and shoots well; she participates in the dressing and process-ing of the proceeds of the hunt. I’m thinking that when her “knight in shining armor”rides up to whisk he away to her wedding day, he better be in a 4x4 pickup truck and

have his bow handy. Congratulations to Gary and Taylor!

This is from Harry’s 1st

cousin GwenHilst…

Her brothers,Eric & Peter,

found this non-typical buck skull

in the CRP land area rushing

deer on Dec 5th at the

Chandlerville family farm.

Thanks forsharing this

cool skull photo!He was a

really nice buck!

026.qxd 1/21/12 1:21 AM Page 1


While northern states have closedmuskie seasons to protect spawningfish, most southern waters have un-successful muskie spawns, and areentirely dependent on stocking ef-forts. Early season muskie fishing inthe south can be fantastic, especiallyfor big fish. Fall usually offers betterweather conditions and much fasteraction, but most of the biggest fish ofthe year are usually taken in earlyspring. There are certainly plenty of

big muskies caught in the fallmonths, but they’re heavier for theirlength in the pre-spawn stage ofspring. Both males and females havegained a lot of weight from mid fallthroughout winter and into earlyspring, in cooler waters, but they re-ally put the feed bag on as the waterswarm again in the last four to sixweeks before the spawn. Most south-ern muskies are plump at this time,but the females are massive, fat with

EARLEARLYY SEASON SOUTHERN MUSKIESSEASON SOUTHERN MUSKIESMUSKIE FISHING HEATS UP FAST IN THE SOUTH

By: By: Colby Simms with Ray Simms & Chris Shannon

Photos by: The Simms Outdoors Teamwwwwww .SimmsOutdoors .com.SimmsOutdoors .com

Cont’d. on next pg.

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*Early Season LocationEarly season muskies generally

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move from deep water main lake typestructures in winter, to the shallowprotected backs of creeks and bays inspring. In the early portion of pre-spawn these fish can be found in tran-sition, migrating from one area to thenext. In the height of the pre-spawnand during the spawn itself, these fishare mostly found in the shallows, farfrom deep main lake areas. In muchof the southern muskie world, pre-spawn begins in early to mid Febru-ary and continues on into early April.When fish are migrating, moderateand steep sloping irregular shorelinebanks and points on the main lake aregreat, when they’re near bays andcreek arms. So are the islands, humpsand saddle areas close to theseplaces. Rock and wood cover here isa plus. Migrating fish will follow thebreak lines or channels and use thesekinds of areas into the lower half ofthe bays, creeks and river arms dur-ing early pre-spawn. Once they arrivein the shallows, in the upper half ofthese places, they prefer flats, shelvesand gradually tapering banks, with orwithout cover in them. Look for con-centrations of schooling baitfish likeshad, the preferred prey of the

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027.qxd 1/22/12 1:31 AM Page 1


Natural are the best choices tomimic gizzard and threadfin shad,basically the muskie equivalent ofchocolate. When the waters arevery dirty, brighter colors can bemore effective, although we tend tochoose patterns like ChartreuseShad, a combination of white andchartreuse, a solid Hot Chartreusepattern, or something like Black &Chartreuse. In low light conditions,or when the water is really dirty,we switch to gaudy patterns likeFire Tiger, Hunter Orange or Hal-

muskies.

*Presentation & Lure SelectionIn early pre-spawn, in water tem-

peratures hovering from the low tomid 40s, a slow steady presentationis usually best, while a faster andmore erratic retrieve can often bebetter later, when water tempera-tures range from the upper 40s tothe mid 50s. Offer the fish some-thing that looks like the shad theyfeed on and get ready for action.Lure choices at this time of year in-clude minnow plugs, crank baits,spoons, swim baits, glider stylejerk baits and jig & plastic combos.The key when picking these kindsof lures is to choose sizes, stylesand colors that resemble shad. Fa-vorite lures, that have a better shadprofile and action in these cate-gories than most, include theTyrant Czar, Tackle Industries Su-per Cisco, Simms Tackle RattlinScale and Swim N Shad, PhantomSoft Tail, as well as big jigs withpaddle tail shad style swim baittrailers. White and similar colors,like Pearl White, Cisco and Super

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loween Shad, or dark colors likeMidnight Black, and these are greatin those situations. It’s simply thatwe try to mimic shad as closely aspossible whenever water condi-tions and sunlight penetration al-low.

Spinnerbaits have always beenthe best lure choice for southernmuskies in spring. Inline buck tailspinners are usually not effectivethroughout the spring season in thesouth, but multi-blade long armsafety pin style spinnerbaits with

silicone skirts are a sure bet. We re-ly on the 3, 4 and 5 blade SimmsTackle School N Shads and 3 bladeSimms Tackle Hatchet Shads fromSimms Outdoors (www.SimmsOut-doors.com) for most of our earlyseason southern muskie fishing,and these are the lures that ourviewers and fans see us catching somany muskies with on our regionaland national TV shows throughoutthe south and beyond. These luresare a dead ringer for schoolingbaitfish like shad and ciscoes. Thehottest sizes for most of the earlyseason fishing are the 1.5oz Babyversions and the 2.5oz Originalversions. With all the blades, thesilicone skirts and swim bait trail-ers, they perfectly mimic a schoolof baitfish and look more realisticthan any other lure. Early seasonmuskies hit these lures hard andthey’ve produced record breakingand award winning fish catches inthe south.

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MUSKIES…Cont’d. from previous pg.

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Muskies Inc Member Milan Recman caught this 47"

muskie on a guided trip with Colby Simms.

028.qxd 1/21/12 10:00 PM Page 1


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80s, because it’s too stressful onthese cold water fish and they die tooeasily. Still, we can fish from Sep-tember through June during mostyears, usually right through the win-ter months, as we get very little ice onthese southern waters. Late winter,and early to mid spring in the southoffer the chance at one of the biggestand fattest muskies you’ll ever en-counter anywhere. Our guides putour clients on countless trophies atthis time of year and there’s still timeleft to get a southern muskie huntbooked. Don’t let cabin fever get thebest of you, get out and catch somemonster muskies before most peopleeven start to think about pulling theboat out of the garage. Life passes by

all too quickly. Make the most of itand get out there…

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Attend the Milwaukee Muskie Ex-po, the world’s original and oldestevent for muskie fishing, February10-12 in Wisconsin, to visit theSimms Outdoors & Simms Tacklebooth, chat with numerous SimmsOutdoors Fishing Pros and hear aColby Simms muskie fishing seminar“TRIP THE TRIGGER” to learnmore about this incredible sport andhow to become a more effective an-gler. Visit www.muskieexpo.com orcall 608-445-4645 for more informa-tion.

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029.qxd 1/21/12 9:59 PM Page 1


catching a beautiful fish and com-mend this young man and his fatherfor being alert to the fact that theyhad a big one that might be a record-setter,” said Sallee. “Nick’s fish eas-ily erased a more than 50-year-oldstate record for walleye, and this

catch speaks to the fun families canhave while fishing in Illinois.”

For more information on catchingfish, state-record fish and fishing op-portunities in Illinois, go to the IDNRwebsite at www.dnr.illinois.gov/fishingor check out www.ifishillinois.org.

IDNR Salutes Rockford Teen

Angler for Catch of New State-Record

Walleye!

ROCKFORD, IL – The Illinois De-partment of Natural Resources (ID-NR) Division of Fisheries salutes 15year old Nick Tassoni of Rockfordfor catching a new state-record wall-eye. The fish was caught on Jan. 7,2012 on the Pecatonica River be-tween Rockton and Harrison in Win-nebago County. Nick Tassoni caughtthe fish while fishing the river withhis father, David Tassoni.

IDNR Division of Fisheries Re-gional Administrator Dan Sallee re-ports the fish weighed in at 14pounds, 12 ounces and was 31 inchesin length with a girth of 20.25 inches.Nick Tassoni’s fish topped the previ-ous state-record walleye, a 14pounder caught on the KankakeeRiver in 1961.

Nick Tassoni, a freshman at Rock-ford Auburn High School, reportedcatching the fish with a Rapala Min-now Rap lure on Berkley Trilene BigGame 10 lb. line, using a Falcon Car-olina Lizzard Dragger rod and Am-bassadeur 5000 reel.

“We congratulate Nick Tassoni on

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Young Male Mountain Lion

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By Jim LowCENTERVILLE–The Missouri

Department of Conservation(MDC) has examined and releaseda male mountain lion trapped by aprivate citizen in Reynolds County.Reynolds County CommissionerWayne Henson called ConservationAgent Eric Long this morning andreported catching the 122-poundmountain lion on Wednesday. Hen-son said the cat entered a large,cage-type live trap that he set onMark Twain National Forest land tocatch bobcats, coyotes, raccoonsand other mammals.

Henson brought the mountain li-

on, still alive and in the cage trap,to Centerville this morning. AgentLong and MDC Resource ScientistJeff Beringer took possession of theanimal and transported it to CurrentRiver Conservation Area, whereBeringer could examine the animalwithout disturbance. After weigh-ing and measuring the cat and col-lecting DNA, Beringer released itto the wild, in keeping with MDC’sestablished policy for such cases.

Beringer estimated the cat’s ageat 2 years. He said it was in excel-lent physical condition and showedno signs of having been held in cap-tivity.

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031.qxd 1/21/12 10:52 PM Page 1


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Missouri FirearmsDeer Harvest just

Shy of 239,000By Joe Jerek

JEFFERSON CITY MO – Huntersage 6 through 15 checked 2,193 deerduring the late youth hunt Jan. 7 & 8,bringing the total harvest for the2011-2012 firearms deer season to238,921 compared to last year’s totalof 231,513.

The harvest total for last year’s lateyouth weekend was 1,292. Thisyear’s combined early and late youthseason harvests total 18,585 com-pared to 14,555 last year. Top coun-ties during the late youth hunt wereMacon with 52 deer checked,Franklin with 51 and Lincoln with 45.

Of the 238,921 firearms season to-tal, hunters checked 570 deer duringthe urban portion, 16,392 during theearly youth portion, 190,089 duringthe November portion, 14,439 duringthe antlerless portion and 15,238 dur-ing the muzzleloader portion.Missouri had a record firearms deerharvest of 280,856 in 2006. The 10-year average firearms deer harvest is252,029.

According toMissouri Depart-ment of Conserva-tion (MDC) Re-source ScienceDeer Biologist Ja-son Sumners, thereduction infirearms harvest isindicative of re-duced deer num-bers in many partsof rural centraland northern Mis-souri that have re-sulted from in-creased harvestpressure on doesthrough the liber-alization of hunting regulations andimplementation of antler-point re-strictions.

“There are simply fewer does in thepopulation today than there were sixor eight years ago,” Sumners said.“This means that the doe harvestdoesn’t need to be as high to managepopulation numbers as it was severalyears ago when deer populations inmany parts of Missouri where grow-ing rapidly.”

He added that MDC has been tryingfor the better part of a decade to stabi-

lize deer numbersin many parts ofMissouri.

“We have beenworking to bringdown deer popu-lations to reducecrop damage,deer-vehicle acci-dents, and otherdeer nuisanceproblems, andwe’ve made goodprogress in thoseareas,” Sumnerssaid. “Now ourchallenge is find-ing ways to fine-tune deer num-

bers and hunting pressure at the locallevel, which means that future reduc-tions in the availability of firearmsantlerless permits may be necessary.”In contrast to central and northernMissouri, deer numbers in southernMissouri continue to slowly increaseand opportunities to harvest antlerlessdeer are likely to increase over time.

“Regardless of your location in thestate, the combination of hunter num-bers, hunter access, and regulationsdrives the size of the local deer popu-lation,” said Sumners. “Landowners

and hunters throughout the state havea tremendous effect on the deer popu-lation and ultimately determine localdeer numbers. Additionally, the avail-ability of antlerless permits for a spe-cific county doesn’t mean that MDCfeels there are too many deer. Theyare a simply a tool available tohunters and landowners to managedeer numbers if they need to harvestadditional antlerless deer.”

He added that 93 percent of Mis-souri’s land is in private ownership soprivate landowners and cooperativeefforts by neighboring landowners tomanage for deer and other wildlifecan be very beneficial.

MDC staff work with tens-of-thou-sands of private landowners aroundthe state to help them improvewildlife habitat on their property.MDC encourages landowners to con-tact local MDC staff to learn more. Tofind local MDC staff, visitwww.mdc.mo.gov and search under“Who’s My Local Contact.”

More than 500,000 hunters spendmore than $690 million directly relat-ed to deer hunting in Missouri eachyear. Deer hunting in Missouri annu-ally generates more than $1 billion ofoverall business activity and supportsmore than 11,000 jobs.

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TIMBER MANAGEMENTBOOSTS WILDLIFE AND

PREFERRED TREES by Bill Graham

Maysville MO -- John Anderson enjoyshunting in woodlands. But he also wantsa healthier white-tail deer herd and per-haps a return of bobwhite quail at hisDeKalb County farm. So he gave hisproperty the chainsaw treatment to boostbucks and birds.

Down came honey locust and smallshingle oak trees in carefully selectedareas. Still standing amid those cuts arewhite oaks and the healthiest black oaks.But by thinning timber he’s made roomfor the most desirable trees to grow biggerand stronger, such as oaks that produceacorns. Native grasses and wildflowersalso get enough sunlight to grow. Deerand wild turkeys eat acorns and greens,and birds like quail feed on bugs on flow-ers.

“Instead of just a tree canopy overheadand leaf litter on the ground, you’ll getplants that grow after they get enoughlight,” said Audrey Beres, a resourceforester for the Missouri Department of

Conservation (MDC). “It’s not just foodfor deer. You get plants that help song-birds and gamebirds. There are a lot ofwildlife benefits from thinning and open-ing the woods.”

But Anderson, of Kansas City, didn’tstart cutting trees at random.

Beres helped him develop a long-rangeforest stewardship plan for his property.First they walked the farm and did aninventory of trees. They found softwoodssuch as elm and locust along with hard-woods such as hickory and oaks. In someplaces, thick stands of ironwood treescrowded out hardwoods. Then theyselected areas where openings could becreated or where small and less desirabletrees could be removed near mast-produc-ing trees such as oaks.

“To have somebody walk the propertywith me who has expertise was a big help,”Anderson said.

Any property owner can learn moreabout MDC assistance with forest man-agement at the http://1.usa.gov/zRdly2.

MDC also offers a “Call Before YouCut” program with guidance on best prac-tices for timber harvest. More informationis available at http://callb4ucut.com.

Besides guidance, Beres also helpedAnderson obtain a cost-sharing grant froma program for wildlife habitat improve-ments on private lands. That money

helped pay for costssuch as fuel or the her-bicide sprayed onlocust tree stumps tokeep them from re-sprouting.

Woodlands andforests change continu-ally, Beres said. Forestmanagement directschange to benefitwildlife and trees.

Anderson’s long-range plan also calls forsome native prairiegrass restoration. Onlya portion of Anderson’s108-acre farm is wood-ed, and much of thetimber is on hillsidesnear a creek. Therolling-hills country-side was originally prairie with trees andwoodlands on slopes and near streams. Heplans to switch some pastures on his farmwith non-native fescue to crops for a fewseasons. Eventually he will put someacreage into native grasses that are friend-ly to wildlife.

Anderson may see some immediatewildlife benefits from selective tree cut-ting and management changes on hisland.

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“People are sometimes afraid to cuttrees because they’re afraid they’ll lose thedeer,” Beres said. “But sometimes theseopenings are the best place to hunt.”However, trees grow slowly. The mostbenefits from forest management will bereaped in decades to come.But that’s okay with Anderson.

“I’ve got two boys,” he said, “and Iwant to pass this on to them 20 or 30years down the way.”

FOREST MANAGEMENTThinning trees in a woodland can boost wildlife

and the most desirable trees. MDC ResourceForester Audrey Beres, left, helped John

Anderson develop a forest stewardship plan forhis farm to achieve those goals. Photo Courtesy

Missouri Department of Conservation.

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Forever, National Pheas-ant Fest has topped the20,000 attendance markeach of the last sixevents. The Quail Clas-sic portion of the 2012event will be a first aswell, representing thestrong tradition of bob-white quail hunting andconservation found inKansas, Missouri and across theGreat Plains and southeast UnitedStates. Both the Kansas Depart-ment of Wildlife and Parks and theMissouri Department of Conserva-tion will be participating in theevent.

Howard Vincent, Pheasants For-ever, Inc.'s National President andCEO, says it's time to bring the or-ganization's premiere event toKansas City. "Kansas is one of theelite states for pheasant huntingand wildlife habitat conservation,and Missouri has positioned itselfas a clear leader in efforts to restore

bobwhite quailp o p u l a t i o n s , "

Vincent said,"Kansas Cityis the perfectm e e t i n gplace to have

fun celebratingboth great game birds."All things bird dog-re-lated have been thebiggest attractions atprevious NationalPheasant Fest events,and that's expected tobe the case at the inaugural appear-ance in Kansas City. Upwards of40 different sporting dog breedswill be represented, dog trainingseminars will occur throughout the3-day weekend, and attendees willhave the opportunity to meet face-to-face with breeders, trainers, anddog kennel and club representa-tives. A "Youth Village" is anotherpopular show attraction, wherekids and teens can participate inarchery and air rifle ranges, a cast-ing booth, Laser Shot and more.

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ROCKWOODS RESERVATION’SMAPLE SUGAR

FESTIVAL UNLOCKSTHE SECRET

SWEETS OF TREESSAT. FEB. 4THBy Dan Zarlenga

St. Louis -- Winter may not be everybody’s fa-vorite time of year, but many might be surprisedto learn that trees are actually pretty sweet on it.

For about six weeks, from mid-January to theend of February, Mother Nature cooks up her ownsweet treat within sugar maple trees as the sapbegins to flow, ready to be tapped for making sug-ar and syrup. The Maple Sugar Festival at the Mis-souri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Rock-woods Reservation offers the chance to see thishistorical process first-hand.

The Maple Sugar Festival takes place Saturday,Feb. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to thewhole family. Visitors will discover how NativeAmericans and early settlers harvested this sug-ary delight. See how the process demonstratesgood conservation at work.

“The Rockwoods Maple Sugar Festival is an ex-cellent opportunity for people and families to ex-perience nature at its finest,” said MDC Interpre-tive Center Manager Kevin McCarthy. “They'lllearn skills to collect, boil and create their ownmaple syrup or sugar.”

Visitors will find out how to identify and tapsugar maple trees. They can also take guided hikesto see sap collection in action and witness first-hand how settlers made the sap into sugar.

Tasting the sugar and syrup is one of the mostpopular attractions. Kids will also delight in tryingsugar on snow, a unique treat created when maplesap meets the winter white stuff.

The art of maple sugaring was discovered byNative Americans, who would set up “sugar


camps” near a stand of sugar maples each year tomake sugar. Sugar maple sap has the highest sug-ar content – about 3 percent – and produces themost sugar per gallon of sap collected. Still, ittakes 40 gallons of sugar maple sap to yield onegallon of syrup.

Native Americans taught the process to earlycolonists. Settlers eventually developed a systemof drilling small holes in the trees and placing hol-low taps to draw the sap into wooden buckets.Back at the “sugar shed”, the sap was boiled downin large copper pots over an open fire. It’s a slowprocess, requiring almost 40 hours of boiling toproduce a gallon of syrup.

Depending on how long the sap is boiled, a vari-ety of products can be made, from hard sugar tosyrup. The most common product was maple sugarblocks, because the sugar could be shaved off andused all year – or even traded for other goods. By1890, cane sugar became cheaper to import as asweetener so maple sugar production shifted tosyrup instead.

In Missouri, February is prime maple sugaringseason because it produces the right weather con-ditions. According to McCarthy, “February has the

perfect combination of below freezing tempera-tures at night and above freezing temperaturesduring the day that causes the sap to ‘flow’." Thegreater the night-to-day temperature difference,the more the sap flows. But come March, chemicalchanges in the sap end the sugar production sea-son.

There’s no denying the taste of maple sugar is adelight, but it also represents sweet success whenit comes to living in harmony with nature.

“Conservation means smart use,” said Mc-Carthy. “Maple sugaring is a prime example of thissmart use because trees are not harmed, they canbe tapped year after year, and only a small amount

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of sap is taken.”The Rockwoods Reservation Maple Sugar Festi-

val offers a fun and educational outing for the en-tire family. McCarthy sees it as an opportunity forpeople “. . . to connect to the natural world aroundthem and have fun at the same time.”

The Conservation Department’s RockwoodsReservation is located at 2751 Glencoe Road, offHighway 109 in Wildwood. For additional informa-tion on the Maple Sugar Festival, call 636-458-2236. To learn more about backyard maple sugar-ing, including step-by-step instructions, seeMDC's maple sugaring webpage athttp://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/how/maplesugaring.

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035.qxd 1/22/12 3:41 PM Page 1


RTD Turkey Calls will“Put’em in Your Lap!”

By John PerdunI remember like it was yesterday,

going with my dad on opening day ofturkey season. We would meet hisfriends at the hunting shack on our farmfor an early morning breakfast to discussour game plan on where we’d all huntthat morning.

I was a young kid at the time and mydad took me to the woods every chancehe could. It did not take long for me toget hooked on turkey hunting. I watchedmy dad and his buddies kill numerousturkeys as I grew up. My dad taught meeverything he knew about turkey hunt-ing.

I remember trying to learn how to usea turkey call. I got a diaphragm call andpracticed all the time. I’m sure thosefirst few years I drove my family nuts.One day while practicing my dad toldme that it did not sound half bad. Afterthat, when we went out hunting hewould let me do the calling occasionally.

I will never forget the first time Icalled in three Jake’s. I know my dadcould have waited and got his Tom thatseason but chose to take one of themJakes because it was the first bird I had

ever called in. From thatpoint on I knew turkeyhunting was going to be apassion of mine.

During those young yearsI became friends with RyanDecker. He to would gohunting with me, my dadand his friends. Ryanbecame addicted to thesport of turkey hunting justmuch as I did. As we grewolder we began to under-stand more the art of callingturkeys and enjoyed manysuccessful seasons.

One day Ryan came upto me and said “I want toshow you something”. Hehad made his own

diaphragm call in his basement. He ranit for me and it sounded unbelievable.He told me to come over and he wouldmake one for me. A few days later Istopped by and he had one ready for me.After running it for the first time I wasamazed and I knew I would be able tocatch an old Tom’s attention with it. We were both excited for the up comingseason. Ryan began to tinker with morecalls and would eventually even build aslate call. It seemed like the more he tin-kered with them the better they got and

RTD turkey calls were born. Ryan called me one day and asked if I

would sign up for a local calling compe-tition and use his calls. I must admit thethought of calling on a stage in front ofa bunch of people made me nervous butI told him I would give it a shot. Thatfirst competition I did not do so wellcalling in front of a crowd, it was noth-ing like being in the woods with yourbuddies. Since then we have been in sev-eral competitions where we’ve done verywell.

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We have killed many turkeys using theRTD calls. Ryan hand makes every callin his basement and the realism is amaz-ing. Since when Ryan and I were youngkids the turkeys where we live have got-ten tougher to hunt. There seems to bemore pressure on them with morehunters in the field and it also seems likethere are more predators after theturkeys.

Using Ryan’s hand built calls theToms just can’t seem to take the realism.I believe these calls have made us moresuccessful hunters. I urge any one read-ing this story to give them a try. I believethey will make your turkey hunt moresuccessful.

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MANAGEDTURKEY HUNTAPPLICATIONDEADLINE IS FEB. 29, 2012MDC’s 19 spring 2012

managed turkey hunts includeones for youth and people

with disabilities.Turkey hunters have until Feb. 29th to

apply for managed hunts during Mis-souri’s 2012 spring turkey season. All 19managed turkey hunts are listed in the“2012 Spring Turkey Hunting Regula-tions and Information" booklet. Thebooklet, along with other information on

spring turkey hunting, is available onlineat: www.mdc.mo.gov by searching“Spring Turkey Hunting.” The bookletand website have application instruc-tions, outlook information on Missouri’sturkey population, conservation areaswhere turkey hunting is allowed, relatedregulations and more. The print versionof the booklet will be available fromhunting permit vendors and at MDC of-fices in mid-February.

In addition to 11 hunts open to allfirearms turkey hunters, this year’s offer-ings include a managed hunt for archers,five hunts for youths age 11 through 15and two hunts for people with disabili-ties. Managed hunts will take place dur-ing the youth turkey season, March 31 toApril 1, or regular turkey season, April16 through May 6.

Hunters may apply individually or ingroups of up to three for most hunts.Youth hunts accept applications only forsingle hunters or pairs. An individual ap-plying as a member of a party has thesame chance of being drawn as someonewho applies alone. Successful applicantswill receive notice of their hunt dates and

other information by mail. Drawing re-sults will be posted March 14 throughMay 6 at www.mdc.mo.gov/hunt/turkey.

For the youth hunt and hunt for peo-ple with disabilities at Smithville Lake,applications should be made by phone bycalling 816-858-5718. To apply for thehunt for people with disabilities at BoisD’Arc CA, call 417-742-4361. Applica-tions for other hunts should be made on-line atwww.mdc.mo.gov/hunt/turkey.

The number of hunters allowed to takepart in each managed hunt ranges from10 to 40. Participants in some huntsmust complete a pre-hunt orientation.Hunters should not to apply for thesehunts if they cannot attend the orienta-tion.

The bag limit for managed hunts isone male turkey or turkey with visiblebeard. Turkeys taken during a managedhunt count toward the season limit oftwo. Hunters who shoot a turkey duringa managed hunt before April 23 may nottake another turkey during the first weekof the regular turkey season. All-terrainvehicles are prohibited on areas withmanaged turkey hunts.

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TT HE HE MM ORNING ORNING

IS MINEIS MINEBy: Wayne Baughmanw e d a n c e 2 @ p i ke n e t . n e t

Deer Harvest in Illinois Down

Yogi Berraonce said “Itain’t over tillits over”.

For all prac-tical purposesthe 2011 deerseason is overeven throughat the time ofthis writingarchery season is still open.

I always consider the two segments of thefirearm season as the main determinates inmeasuring the over all success of the annualdeer harvest. For the 4th year in a row wehave recorded a decline in total deer takenfor the firearm season. We had a 5% drop

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this year in Pike County compared to 2010.Our peak year was in 2006 when 3795 deerwere checked in. Comparing the 2011 killto 2006 figures out to be a 22 % decline.

Some of the decrease can be credited to aslight up tick in archery hunting but cer-tainly not 22%! Pike is not alone in experi-encing a decrease in deer taken. The coun-ties surrounding Pike have also noted a dropin firearm harvest.

There is no single answer to the reductionin the harvest; rather I believe it is a combi-nation of factors. Based on my own observa-tions and expressions from others who mon-itor the field, I believe is a decrease in herdsize. I checked with our highway mainte-nance folks and learned they have picked uponly half as many road kill deer this year asthey four years ago. I have talked with nu-merous hunters that said they saw fewer deerduring their time in the field.

Hunters certainly couldn’t blame theweather. Hunting conditions were about asideal as one could ask for. Out of the 7 daycombined seasons only one day was lost topersistent rain. There were strong windsduring the second season that spread hunterscent all over the countryside but it was justas bad for the deer. They couldn’t be certainwhere the hunters were nor could they relyon hearing hunter movement with every leafand blade of grass being whipped by the

wind.Many of the observers still believe the out-

break of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease(EHD) that occurred some four years agohad a big impact on deer numbers. I detailedthat topic last year and won’t address thesubject this year.

There is one absolute that definitely had abearing on hunter success this past seasonand that was the ideal conditions for cropharvest. The long stretch of dry weather dur-ing the harvest season allowed farmers tocombine their crops; shred the corn residueand then chisel plow the fields in prepara-tion for spring planting this year. I think itis a fair estimate that 85 % of cornfields inthe area have been chiseled. This processeliminated a primary food for the deer thatmoved to the few fields that had not beenchiseled. Those hunting in areas where thefields were cultivated saw few animals thushad quite limited opportunities to score.Hunters that had the good fortune to be inareas that had not been plowed did benefit.

I am also convinced that we actually hadfewer hunters in the field much the same asin 2010. Last year we noted a decline in outof state hunters and this year we had a simi-lar experience. Those with the financial ca-pability are still coming to the county. It isinteresting to note that quite a few of theseindividuals however are now contactinglandowners seeking personal lease arrange-ments to avoid the expense of going throughan outfitter. I have been contacted by sever-al guys wanting to hunt my land in 2012.

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MISSOURI MUZZLELOADER HARVEST TOPS

15,000By Jim Low

JEFFERSON CITY–Hunters shot15,238 deer during the muzzleloaderportion of Missouri’s firearms deerseason, the second-largest muzzle-loader harvest on record.

Top harvest counties were Oregonwith 314, Franklin with 285 andCallaway with 281.

This year’s muzzleloader harvestwas up 18 percent from last year andfell just short of the record 15,907deer checked during the 2009 muz-zleloader hunt.

Missouri Department of Conser-vation (MDC) Resource Scientist Ja-son Sumners said this year’s in-creased muzzleloader harvest con-tinues a long-term trend.

Missouri held its first muzzle-loader season in 1988. Back then,hunters had to declare if they intend-ed to use a muzzleloader or a center-fire rifle. If they chose a muzzle-loader, they had to use a muzzle-loader during the firearms season inNovember but also could hunt dur-

seasons, putting the muzzleloaderhunt in the last half of December toprovide a better quality hunt formuzzleloader hunters. The muzzle-loader harvest increased by 55 per-cent that year, surpassing 15,000 forthe first time.

“Topping the 15,000 mark thisyear isn’t a surprise at all if you con-sider the changes in permit use, tim-ing and participation,” said Sumn-ers.

Changes in muzzleloader technol-ogy also have contributed to thesport’s increased popularity. WhenMissouri had its first muzzleloaderhunt 23 years ago, most commer-cially available muzzleloaders weretraditional caplock and flintlocktypes, and muzzleloader season wasa practical exercise in hunting histo-ry. Today, most hunters use in-linemuzzleloaders, often with telescopicsights. Modern propellants and bul-lets have changed dramatically fromblack powder and round lead balls,leading to improvements in ballisticperformance. The loading processremains essentially the same as inpioneer days, but the accuracy ofmodern, in-line muzzleloaders issimilar to those of single-shot, cen-ter-fire rifles.

ing the muzzleloader season. Thatfirst year, the muzzleloader seasonwas three days long.

Since then, many of the originalrestrictions on muzzleloader huntinghave been relaxed. In 1999, MDCeliminated the separate muzzle-loader deer permit, allowing huntersto buy one permit and hunt withmuzzleloaders during the muzzle-loader season and with center-fire ri-fles during the November andantlerless portions of deer season.By then, muzzleloader season wasnine days long. Now it runs for 11days.

“Those increases in opportunity tofill firearms deer permits led to in-creased participation in the muzzle-loader portion,” said Sumners. “Themuzzleloader harvest more thandoubled between 1999 and 2002.”

In 2009, MDC reversed the orderof the muzzleloader and antlerless

Two whitetail does stand in icy field.Photo by Noppadol Paothong

039.qxd 1/22/12 8:24 PM Page 1


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to last year,” said IDNRForest Wildlife ProgramManager Paul Shelton.“Slight declines in thearchery and firearm sea-sons were virtually offsetby increases in the Youth,Muzzleloader, and LateWinter/Special CWD sea-sons. Deer populations inmany parts of the statehave been brought downto levels that are more inkeeping with population goals, andin the coming months biologistswill be studying available data todetermine changes to implementfor the 2012-13 seasons.”

During the just-concluded 2011-12 Archery Deer Season, hunters inIllinois took a preliminary total of61,852 deer (Oct. 1, 2011-Jan. 15,2012), compared with the archerydeer harvest of 63,570 in the 2010-11 season.

The combined preliminary har-vest total for both the Late-WinterAntlerless-Only and the SpecialCWD deer seasons was 14,931,compared with a harvest of 14,884deer taken during those seasonslast year. The seven-day split sea-sons for the Late-Winter and CWDhunts were Dec. 29, 2011-Jan.1,

Illinois DeerHarvest Totals181,411 During2011-12 SeasonsSPRINGFIELD, IL – Hunters in

Illinois harvested a preliminarytotal of 181,411 deer during all2011-12 seasons. Illinois deer sea-sons closed last weekend ashunters concluded the ArcheryDeer Season and the last segmentsof the Late-Winter and SpecialChronic Wasting Disease (CWD)deer hunting seasons on Jan. 15.

The total preliminary deer har-vest for all seasons of 181,411compares with a total harvest forall seasons of 182,270 in 2010-11.During this year’s deer seasons,hunters took 49.2 percent does and50.8 percent males. Illinois’ recorddeer harvest occurred in the 2005-06 season, when 201,209 deer weretaken. For a historical perspective(in ten-year increments), the 2001-02 total Illinois deer harvest was152,768; 1991-92 was 101,418;and, 1981-82 was 22,570.

“Hunters experienced harveststhis year that were almost identical

2012 and Jan. 13-15, 2012.Hunters in Boone, DeKalb,Grundy, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, McHenry, Ogle,Stephenson andWinnebago Counties andKane County west of Ill.Rt. 47 participated in theCWD season, while anoth-er 66 counties were openfor the Late-Winter sea-son. The Special CWDseason is used to assist in

controlling the spread of chronicwasting disease in the Illinois deerherd, while the Late-Winter seasonprovides additional harvest oppor-tunities as a deer population man-agement tool.

Hunters took a preliminary totalof 97,886 deer during the 2011Illinois Firearm Deer Season (Nov.18-20 and Dec. 1-4, 2011), 4,886deer during the 2011Muzzleloader-Only Deer Season(Dec. 9-11, 2011), and 1,856 deerduring the 2011 Illinois Youth DeerSeason (Oct. 8-9, 2011).

Preliminary county harvest totalsfor all the 2011-12 Illinois deerseasons are detailed below, fol-lowed by a table of comparable fig-ures for the 2010-11 seasons.

For a complete list of deer har-vest results by county please visitwww.dnr.illinois.gov/news/Documents/deersummaryjan2012.pdf

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Locating Bass in February

Here we are and it’s alreadyFebruary. If the weather holds consis-tent with the way it has been going thisshould be a great fishing month. I canremember many years ago when wehad a mild winter like this and fishingin the south was fantastic especially forbig fish. I had some of the best daysthat year catching big bass and severaldays of numerous big fish.

I have received several pictures ofbig stringers of nice bass caught rightat Christmas. Two from a buddy inSouth Carolina fishing on SanteeCooper and one e-mail from a buddy inMichigan fishing on Lake Sinclair,which is usually frozen over this timeof year. He has been catching 100smallmouth a day on Zoom greenpumpkin tubes. With a lot of 70degrees days this late in the season it issetting up to be just right for fishing.

I always like to start out in the morn-ing with a Bass Pro Shops XTSMinnow a sleek jerk bait and fish it onBass Pro Shops’ fluorocarbon 10 lbstest or even 8 lbs. Sometimes I will addjust a tad of weight to the hooks and Ialso change my hooks to Mustad Triple

difference will turn them on. I can’t tellyou the tournaments I have fished inearly spring and fisherman would goback in the flats early and not catch asingle fish and leave at noon andsomeone would come in there onehour later and get the mother lode.This time of year you always look tothe coves and banks the sun shines onthe longest for your best fishing.

This is also a great time to use crankbaits. Especially the lipless baits likeBass Pro Shops’ XTS lipless vibrator,Rattletraps, and Redeye shad willshine for you. I like the little crankbaits Zoom makes because of the tightwiggle. Something about cold waterthat makes a bass want a lure with atight wiggle, no big wobbly baits thistime of the year. When fishing a liplessbait in early spring I like to use apumping retrieve looking for strikes tocome on the fall. With the crank baits Iuse a stop and go retrieve. Use fluoro-carbon line for the fall because you geta lot of subtle strikes. Red seems to bea really good color in early springalong with sexy shad and blue/chrome.

If you get a three to four day warm-ing trend it’s time to throw a Zoomlizard on a Carolina rig. I almostalways use the six inch lizard in earlyspring and 8” in later spring. I’mgoing to dye the tail chartreuse or red .This will really increase your strikes inearly spring. Use a 1/0 or 2/0 Mustadoff set round bend hook. You want a

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Last but not least jigs and spinnerbaits are killer lures this time of theyear. The spinner baits especially ifyou have wind. My last tip is to findthe warmest water with wind blowingon it and you will find fish.

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grip to get the lure to suspend. I use anBass Pro Shops’ Extreme light actionrod. You really want a light tip thistime of year so you can keep the lure inone place a lot longer and give it just aslight quivering action. The sloweryou can fish the lure once you jerk itdown, the more fish you can catch.The old timers used to have a saying.Jerk it down, light up a cigarette smokeit then move the lure. You don’t haveto be that slow but you almost want tobe. My favorite two places are pointsthat drop into deep water and any kindof rocks. Rip rap, boulders, rock piles,rock ledges, concrete, you get the pic-ture.

Now as the day warms up I find thebass will go to the back of coves wherethe sun is shining and the water isgoing to warm up quickest. The basswill go super shallow to get the heatand just a few degrees of temperature

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DROP SHOTWINTERPANFISH

There are numerous baits and presenta-tions that catch sunfish and crappiesthrough the ice. Whether you're floating ajig & waxworm under a slip bobber orquivering a jigging spoon on a straight line,you'll typically manage to catch fish ifthey're beneath your hole.

But there are certain times when, forwhatever reason, the fish are there but are

very tight-lipped and difficult to catch.When that situation presents itself, it's aperfect time to try a drop shot rig.

What is a drop shot rig?Summer bass fishermen have long

known the effectiveness of a drop shotpresentation, because it keeps the bait inthe "strike zone" so well. That same rea-soning makes it a smart choice for ice fish-ing too. From the rod tip to the end of yourline, a drop shot rig goes like this: the linegoes down to a bait tied with a palomarknot. Beneath the bait, the tag end of yourline goes down to a splitshot sinker. So,while fishing with a drop shot, the sinker ison the lake bottom while the bait is aboveit at a chosen distance (typically 1-3 feet).

No spin.Why is drop shotting so effective on pan-

fish that are in a negative mood? One of themain reasons is that a drop shot rig elimi-nates a spinning bait. When you dangle ajig under a straight line, it will almostalways spin round and round because ofline twist. If a panfish is in a non-aggressivemood, he will react negatively to a jig that'sspinning in circles. He's much more apt to

hit a non-spinning bait that's either barelymoving or not moving at all.

Because a drop shot rig allows you topresent the bait on a taut line (with thesinker on the bottom), it eliminates thespinning and helps you catch more fish.

Adjustability…There is routinely a "sweet spot" in the

water column where fish are most likely tofeed. By using a split shot sinker with yourdrop shot rig, it's quick and easy to adjustthe distance between your sinker and yourbait. I mentioned earlier that the distance isgenerally between 1-3 feet. Sometimes themagic distance is more. For that reason,leave a generous amount of line beyondyour bait so you can either have your baitway down deep or suspended wherever itneeds to be in the water column.

Why a palomar knot?With any drop shot rig, you want your

bait exactly perpendicular to the line andsticking straight out. A palomar is the bestknot to achieve this. If you don't knowhow to tie one, NetKnots.com has an easy-to-follow diagram to teach you.

Proven equipment…For winter drop shot panfishing, begin

with monofilament line in 2-4 pound test.Since we're discussing fish in a negativemood, smaller baits will outperform largerones. So try really small hooks like #12s or#14s. These are hooks fly fishermen use totie tiny nymphs and emergers.

On your hook, I recommend threading amicro plastic body with a dangling, quiver-

ing tail. Many tackle manufacturers likeNorthland, Lindy and Berkley make excel-lent mini grubs. Live bait like waxworms orEurolarvae work great too. Crappie min-nows perform wonderfully too. Lip hookthe minnow, keep your drop shot line tautand that minnow will constantly fight toget away - and attract the attention of crap-pies and sunfish.

Multiple depths…In states that allow more than one bait

on a single line, you can rig multiple baitsat different depths on your drop shot rig.Having not one but two big crappies orbluegills battling you simultaneously is areal thrill, and a fast way to fill the pail fordinner.

When panfish are active and aggressive,it's fun to pluck them from the school withjigs and spoons. But when the going getstough and it just doesn't seem like they'lleat, give drop shotting a try. It can makethe difference between going home happyinstead of empty handed.

Good Fishing! Babe Winkelman

Babe Winkelman is a nationally-known outdoorsman who has taught peo-ple to fish and hunt for more than 25years. Watch the award-winning "GoodFishing" and "Outdoor Secrets" televi-sion shows on Versus, Fox Sports, TexasChannel and many local networks. Visitwww.winkelman.com for air times whereyou live and be sure to check us out onFacebook.

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see the darnest things sometimes. Thetinted green water was clear, but it wasnot clear. I could see the bottom, but itseemed distant, not like the 3 foot ofdepth I was used to. I could see bottom ifI looked straight down, but it quickly fad-ed away as I moved my eyes farther intothe lake.

I moved the rods, loaded the big net in-to its holding position, and fired up my9.9 Mercury. I pointed her toward the cen-ter of the lake and headed out. This wasthe 3rd week of the Ice Out Bite on SpringLake. The madness at the ramp hadslowed. The lake once again seemedpeaceful. I looked out over the big flat ex-pecting to see the big flotilla of Muskieboats rippin’ traps, jerk baits and swappinlies, but all that was there were two hugeswans fighting over a small piece of real-estate.

I had done really well the first fewweeks. My clients and I had averagedaround 5 fish a day, the biggest at 42 inch-es coming out of the middle of a pack ofboats you could walk across, but the pres-sure had scattered the fish sending theminto small out of the way areas void ofpressure. Today was not about guidingclients or catching up on the he said, shesaid crap that always seems to followlarge groups of fishermen. I had seen afish, or, at least, I thought I saw a fish,

and brother, shewas a good one!She had slowlyfollowed a Phan-tom out of thelarge pod of padsstems the secondtrip of the year. Isaw her again aweek later. Onceagain, she fol-lowed slow anddeep, sliding thatfat belly of hersalong the softIllinois mud. Shehad been aroundfor awhile, theproverbial donethat, seen that.The Lord onlyknows howmany times shehad been hookedor netted by theDNR and otherfishermen.

I always leavea day or twoopen during thepre-spawn sea-son to do a littlescouting and try

out the year’s best new baits, and boys, did I have somenew baits. The Muskie shows had been good to me. Ihad been given and purchased some awesome stuff. Iwas like a kid in a candy store waiting for the door to

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The thin sheet of ice slowly slid into the dock asmy Targa floated off its wheeled launching plat-form. I quickly jumped from the truck andgrabbed the mooring rope and tied her off. She satmotionless. The reflection from the morning sunmade it look like she had a twin lying beside her.Funny how different light angles can make you

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open. The new baits sparkled in themorning sun. The rainbow of col-ors almost overloaded my brain asI quickly fondled each new bait,feeling its weight, design, and tex-ture.

Quickly, I separated the tangledmass of hooks, laying each baitdown on the deck in order to seehow it needed to be rigged. Theline weight, leader size, and rodaction need to be considered to getthe best possible action out of eachbait. Some of the baits were oldstandbys, just different colors,while others looked like they hadbeen transported out of an old sci-fi flick from the 70’s. I needed thisday with clear water and no wind.It was not going be much of a

Muskie day, well atleast not right now.The weather man hadpromised me a cloudywindy afternoon, justright for a little pighunting. But, for now,I need a little down-time to figure outthese new baits.

I spent most of themorning running eachnew bait on differentrods, with differentline weights and lead-ers. By noon, I feltgood about a halfdozen of the new baits. They weregoing to be, what I call, moneybaits! They were shiny and new.Now all that is missing are a fewteeth marks. Yes, teeth-marks. Thesign of a good bait is not its coloror action, but how many sets ofteeth marks that covers its body.With the clouds moving in, it wastime for me to fire up the 9.9 andhead for the weed beds.

I had a stretch of the flat that hadbeen good to me and my clientsover the last few weeks. Each dayit had given us the opportunity tostick a fish or 2 or 3, even 5 one

day. With a good wind blowing andsome cloud cover restricting thelight penetration, Mother Naturehad announced the coming ofanother front. It was time to getsome scars on these new additionsto the boat. I pointed the bow intothe wind and eased up on the weedline. Dropping the big MinnKotainto the water, I began firing cast atthe drop. No looks from the firstbait. The second the same, but onthe 4th cast of the 3rd bait I caughta glimpse of a tail rolling over thebait. Quickly, I fired another shotat the clump of stems. I worked the

YOU!…Cont’d. from previous pg.

ICEOUT

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LUV THEM FAT GIRLS!

OUT OF THE GREENTINT SHE COMES…

044.qxd 1/24/12 12:16 AM Page 1


myself as I lit a cigar a client hadleft in the glove box. Tomorrowwas another day, clients in the boatfor the next 7 straight. It was goingto be a good spring. I turned andlooked dead into the snow trying tosee the pod of pad stems she hadcome out of. With a point of myfinger and a loud hoorah, l let herknow, Tomorrow…I’M COMINGFOR YOU!!!

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bait back towards the boat with alittle more speed. The fish rushedthe bait. It was no giant, but it wassure hot.

I had another bait rigged with thesame action, but a different color. Iquickly grabbed the rod and firedanother cast. By the third jerk, a fatpre-spawn Muskie came to the sur-face, shaking the bait trying to freeherself from the little baitfish shetried to eat that just bit back. Ieased her into the net and took aquick pic on my phone to send outin a text to the lure designerannouncing that he had made awinner. The wind had picked upand the weather threatened to getbad, but I pushed the nose of myTarga into the wind and kept toss-ing the baits. Fish after fish cameto the net.

It was like somebody had rangthe dinner bell. Light snow waslaying a thin layer of white overmy boat, announcing to me it wastime to trailer her and head to thebarn, but the fish kept followingand busting my baits. It really didnot matter what I threw. These fishwere nuts. They pounced on thebaits like bluegills fighting over acricket. A quick glance over myshoulder toward the ramp provedthat the little snow squall was get-ting a little bit heavier as I could nolonger see the ramp. Too cool. Itlooked as if I was fishing in acloud, no other boats, no scenery,only the sound of the netting hit-ting the gun wail of the boat asanother muskie tried to dislodgethe bait.

Looking once again towards theramp, I figured it was time to getoff. It would not be long before theevening traffic would be gettingbad, and I sure did not want some-body in a hurry to see AmericanIdol sliding into my boat. I pulledthe MinnKota, fired up the 9.9, andturned her toward the ramp.Halfway back, I thought about thatbig fish or shadow laying just 200yards to the north. Was she there?Was she feeding like the otherschool of crazed muskies I had justleft, or had she moved to anotherarea? It didn’t matter. The newbaits had scars on them, and I had awhole batch of new stories to tellmy clients on the upcoming trips.

I had not had a day like this in acouple years, 16 follows, 12 fishhit with 9 coming to the net. Notbad. Not bad at all, I thought to

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His tending dutiesaccomplished, themassive animal sep-arated from his mat-ing partner, he knewhe had sacrificed hissafety through hismating activity andwas a long distancefrom his day bed andthe stream of lightgrew brighter each second. He moved directlybut cautiously with the wind quartering from hisleft side back. Suddenly, the aroma from the in-ter-digital gland of the doe caught his atten-tion! She had stomped the ground in this areaprobably minutes ago! Then the scent of doeurine was detected – not as from a moving ani-mal but strong as if pooled on the ground! Thiswas unnatural in presentation and actual smell!His mothers teaching’ and his natural instinct

reacted instantly as he wheeled and ran back in-to the territory from where he came fast! Hesnorted more to clear his olfactory organ thanas a warning and was in high gear quickly!

The hair flew as if cut with a razor on his rearhind quarter, a slight burning sensation andthen the sound of the large boom! Hyper speedwas now in order for the next few hundred yardssacrificing his large swath of scenting capabili-ty for the line directly in front of his nose – hemust make the large swamp now! The shotgunslug had cut through the hide on the top of hiship but no permanent damage was done!

He was fortunate to have been raised by thematriarch of his species. His mother had a longnose and long eyelashes and a mature size forher species having born him in her fourth year.She trusted nothing, what could not be con-firmed was avoided! They never traveled in thesame path and never nullified the use of theirsenses – Never! Darkness was their friend. Anychange must be avoided – the sound of a truckdoor slamming, the aroma of a last Marlboro andthe sound of a quad runner spelled danger. Forthe species making these sounds and smellswere from his enemy – the tall toads.

The tall toad seemed to be totally unaware ofhis presence for most of the year. They were al-

MIGHTYSAMPSON

by Dave Herschelman

most comical to observe as they were very slowand cumbersome, noisy in their movement andhad an observable change in hide coloration totree branch or brush coloration or even brightorange later in the year. They grew a stick armlater in the year and climbed trees creating bigblobs on the skyline. Their presence or evidenceof their presence was treated with paramountconcern as this seemingly non-dangerous crit-ter was to be avoided!

The river ridge and low swamp he called homewas three and one half miles long with at least aquarter mile width – stretching to over one halfof a mile in certain sections with the large laketo the south border and river to the north. Hehad taken refuge in this area since his thirdyear! The growth was almost impenetrable forhim – the tall toad could not navigate this areaat all and would create an ear deafening sound ifattempted!

At the age of three, he was a powerful speci-men. He followed his strong instinctual urgeand testosterone induced breeding ritual as na-

ture had intended when he was interrupted by arival! His maniacal urge would not allow him toretreat – although the rival was larger and moreheavily beamed he made no notice! He was notto be denied – unfortunately the interloper wasmerciless, he drove him to the ground and hisshoulder was punctured by one of the long tinesfrom his enemy! His skull’s eye socket wascrushed on a frontal impact between the two!Pain now overrode his instinctual desire – hemust retreat! The swamp had been his refugesince this encounter. He healed slowly andwould display a right eye slightly offset from theleft but he regained his strength but not his con-fidence after this encounter. For the nextbreeding season, he subdued his desire for thesafety of the swamp and no breeding was done!

This experience was very traumatic in hislearned behavior, his birth mother could notconvey the danger of the mature male specimenof his species, although she had chased him offor vacated quickly any encounter to protect himfrom harm from this most dangerous of animals.

The winds of change blew through the swampin his fifth year. Leaves dropped from the treesand the hormonal changes would override hisdesire for safety – he was the alpha of hisspecies and nature would work within the in-stinct of his kind! He would leave the swamp on-ly after hours of darkness and return well beforeany light pervaded the land! Now he could notresist the power of his being!

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046.qxd 1/24/12 1:07 AM Page 1


lowed their instinctual pathway as his statureand rack size easily signified to his mating part-ner that he was the one designated for this pur-pose! They would soon learn to leave his impen-etrable swamp to seek greener pastures wouldbe not be allowed through force if necessary!

Rivals would approach but physical domi-nance was present in all of his visual features.His testosterone heavy scent spelled danger - norival would risk the potential dethroning of hisposition! He would exert maniacal force againstany potential rival – none would seriously chal-lenge!

For a month straight – he performed hisintended duties for the betterment of the herd.The soft earth provided the only sign of his pres-ence, the large prints he left as he pursued hisbreeding duties. A month before, he had swumthe river after dark to feed in the corn fields tothe North, a duck hunter whose motor had diedwas attempting to fix it as he floated down theriver, in the moonlight, he saw the huge head-gear protrude from the mirror smooth river onthis windless night as he crossed one hundredyards distant.

My doctor explained the new course of treat-ment we would take to battle my adversary. Irecognized his explanation and body languageas code to mean the current treatment was notbeing successful. These are words no one wantsto hear! I had gotten over the “Why Me?” phaseof this battle and had resigned myself to meetmy adversary straight on with all of myresources but the futility of struggling on wason my mind. I would maintain the fight as thiswas nature’s intended way! I had seen woundedanimals fight to the end to survive – it was myintention to do the same!

I had seen the prints on the levee leading outto the lake south of the river ridge! They were asbig as I had ever seen. My years in the woodstold me the maker of these prints would live inthe river ridge swamp and to take him, I wouldneed the utmost of skill and mostly good luck!The duck hunters’ story told in passing only con-firmed what the prints told me – I was dealingwith a big mature specimen!

I tried to do what I have always done duringthis season but the anticipation and zeal of thehunt was missing, I would conserve my huntingto just a few days in order to maintain mystrength level. Entry into the swamp would needto be very secretive and limited – my scent leftbehind would betray me – I hoped luck would bein my favor! I found solace in the woods,learned from my youth, when I learned to liveand hunt alone. This solace now was a doubleedged sword for it provided the atmosphere tothink of the past and the future, a future fastbecoming less distant. I was not to give intodefeat and stay home but go as I had hunted fordecades!

The time was right, the phase of the breedingseason should be at the peak and the weatherwas perfect not too cold and not too hot! I couldnot bear the mosquitoes that seem to survive

long into the fall and almost winter before thedormancy of death overtook them. I crossed thefirst slough with my canoe then portaged overinto another body of water that took thirty min-utes to cross. At this point, I must cross anoth-er levee to get the main lake south of the riverridge. I could not approach from the river sideas the sound of an outboardwould nullify my stealthyapproach. I crossed the lakesilently and the stars shone in alltheir splendor – my energy wasbeing used up, but for a momentI did not dwell on my personalsituation. As I approached thelakes edge, the millet tops drugon my canoe bottom making nav-igation dif ficult – light wasbeginning to overtake the lakejust as I had planned as walkinginto the swamp in the dark woulddestroy any stealth advantage! Islipped into the water, stillwearing my waders for this pur-pose, and pulled the canoesilently through the growing mil-let to the willow line for hiding.As I tied the canoe to the willowtree within the edge of the riverridge swamp and lake to my rear,I had to rest for a moment togather my strength.

As I rested, I heard the splashof water that sounded like mal-lards rising from the water afterbeing flushed by a predator! No,this was not rising ducks but amature doe running through thefoot of water in the duck weedjust inside the willow line! Mydetermination was that she wasunaware of my presence. Igrabbed my bow as experiencetold me the only reason shewould be in this state of motionwas evading a predator or beingchased by a male suitor!Suddenly, the coarse gutturalsound of a tending grunt hit myears – soon the large bodyapproached on a more subduedspeed of travel! The outline ofthe headgear was stupendous –the wind was perfect, the line ofapproach would bring him withintwenty yards of my position and Iwas within the willow trees pro-viding a high level of camouflagebackdrop! I drew my bow wellbefore he was within my range,the splashing of his feet, theslight wind was enough to maskmy drawing movement andsound – I held in anticipation! Icould not believe my good for-tune – was this to be my great-

est bow hunting achievement on possibly thelast season of my life! Maybe there is justice inthis world! The animal was on target with onlythe formality left to accomplish! His reactionwas quick – he sensed the coming of daylightand his exposed position! Out of his peripheralvision he noticed the additional log on the water

to his left – my scent did not betray my positionbut his sixth sense told him to look – he stoppedand looked at my outline holding the bow at fulldraw. His eyes told the story – he had just com-mitted a fatal error and he knew it!

What happened in the next split second wasinexplicable – it was if my senses were

047.qxd 1/24/12 12:43 AM Page 1


I pulled my pickup alongside theranch fence atop of a divide and hitthe siren. I gave it about a minuteand flipped the switch off and as thesiren ran down in sound I could hearseveral coyote howls coming fromvarious locations across my area. Itlooks like I was about to have a goodday. I continued driving down themile and a half fence line and pulledinto the ranchers drive and unloadedthe ATV and made sure it was loadedfor bear!

I refilled my clip on the Marlin 22caliber rifle with Remington hollowpoint shells and then added a few inmy pouch for good measure. The daybefore I laid steel in a couple ofprime areas and was looking forwardto what awaits. Not expecting a catchin the first 24 hours is for rookies andself help books. When I lay steel I ex-pect to have a catch the first time acoyote passes!

I loaded the 4 wheeler with a fewfresh traps along with my predatorlure called Last Stop, and gland scentPants Down. I drove through theranch gate and headed through a tim-ber road and up the first hill leadingtowards the plains. My first set wasan O’Gormanmafia set anda nice yotewas pounding450 pounds offorce into myBridger Modi-fied number 3trap. The trapis anchoredwith a 12 inchpogo stakewith an inchand a halffender washerand the coyotedidn’t have a

chance. Following the dispatch I skinned

the coyote while he was still steam-ing and remade the set for the nextpelt. I checked a couple of more setsa long the two track road and no freshsign. Apparently they didn’t get thisfar. I broke from the two track andheaded towards a Rich Thurman duffset I made in a mowed blue stemprairie grass field and found a stakepounding yote hammering my steelwhile another coyote that was travel-ing with it took off down the nearbycoulee.

After the skinning and remake I

enveloped within another dimension. I had wait-ed for this opportunity for my entire life and nowit was happening but had I earned the right totake this animals life? Was I, by virtue of my su-perior technology and reasoning worthy of sucha tremendous specimen, after all I was just atall toad with my end nearing! I let the bow re-lax – he turned and ran forgetting about the fe-male he was chasing! Good Luck mighty Samp-son we will do battle in the deep swamp on theother side some day!

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drove to water structure and foundmy first double catch of the day. Bothwere caught in two separate CharlieRobbins dirt hole sets. After snap-ping off a photo I finished the job andnoticed I was starting to run a littlebehind so I will forgo any furtherskinning for now and just get thecoyotes out of traps and get the setsremade for tomorrow’s catch.

I was running the Kawasaki Prairie400 hard across the field to get to thenext location a quarter mile awaywhile dodging locust and sage alongwith a few cattle trail washouts. Ihad a couple of sets sit empty on a

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saddle crossing and continued head-ing south west to a calf kill location.A couple of rouge coyotes made a killon a calf being born and I made acouple of sets nearby along with afew snares built with kill springs andcam locks.

As I approached I wasn’t rewardedtoday with yotes but further down thedraw I set up a couple of trench setsone of them was a double trench andanother was a single leading towardsa oval shaped bush about 15 incheshigh. The double trench lead towardsa single 4 inch hole while the singletrench had some bait I made a yearearlier called Abcession smeared onthe limbs of the bush and a t-boneplanted at the base with MissouriBreaks inserted into the hole of the T-bone.

When I pulled up I could see my2nd double of the day! Both coyoteswere testing my equipment to themax and were losing! I will be glad totell the rancher his calf killers are fin-ished. With both trench sets ruined Imodified them into Charlie Robbinsdirt holes. I then headed down a deepravine into a major draw where Imade an O’Gorman big hole set and aCharlie Robbins set.

Rounding an Osage orange thicket

heading forthe draw Icould seethere was thebiggest coyoteof the season!A very niceSand hills typecoyote stooddwarfing myBridger modi-fied number 3weighing in at57 pounds!He hadn’th e a r d ,smelled, orseen me yet as he was working hardto chew threw my forged steel to noavail. Once he did pick up on mypresence his hair stood up on theback of his neck and commenced in-to a growling defensive attack posi-tion. I now know what a prey such asdeer feels like before the end of theirlife seeing this predator.

I got off the Kawasaki and grabbedmy Marlin and my camera. Once Idid this offensive move he changedhis mind and decided to see if hecould get the hell out of here! Isnapped a photo and dropped himwith my hollow point. That was my

last set of the day and following a re-make I made the one and a half milejourney back to the trailer with a loadof predators to show the rancher.

I could see his face brighten into asmile when I pulled through the laststock gate where he came to meet meout of working some calves. That’s26 out of here so far I told him and hesaid. I’ve had trappers here beforebut nothing like this! From now onI’m going to call you the Terminator! CONTACT ED: 660-641-3682

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Nov. 2ndREGION I

A District 7 Officer received a complaint that an outfit-ter client had ventured off of their lease and was sitting in atree stand on the neighboring property. Investigationshowed that the client had just gotten into town and wasgiven a map of the property and expected to find the properstand in the dark. The outfitter was cited for the violationand the unknowing hunter was issued a written warning.

A CPO received a complaint of possible deer poachingfrom a local police dept. According to a sergeant for thedepartment who complained, he was made aware of a pick-up truck that drove off the roadway, down along a localriver. Curious as to what they might be doing, the sergeantwaited for them to exit the river bottom area. Upon the sus-pect’s departure, the sergeant stopped them. The sergeantissued the suspect two citations for IVC violations. The fol-lowing night, the sergeant heard two gunshots from thesame location and while responding to an unrelated “shotsfired” call and leaving the area of the suspected poachingcomplaint, he observed the same suspect vehicle pullingdown to the river bottom area.

A complaint of hunting without permission was called into a CPO in Winnebago County. After several attempts byfamily members to catch the hunters in the 5 illegally placedstands, the family requested the CPO seize all 5 tree standsand check the 50 acres property during routine patrols fortrespassing and/or illegal hunting.

A CPO assisted in the service of a search warrant inHenry County on an illegal hunting outfitter.

REGION VA CPO responded to a complaint of a rifle shot in South

Hamilton CO. The CPO stopped a white van with one maledriver. The man said that he had been coyote hunting. The

CPO located an uncased 30-30- rifle in the front seat of thevan. One citation was issued.

A CPO responded to a hunting without permission com-plaint in rural Williamson CO. The landowner showed theCPO where someone had put a deer stand up on his proper-ty. The CPO returned the following morning and found thestand was not being hunted. The CPO decided to leave theproperty a different way and located 2 other deer standsthat did not have permission to be on the property. It isunder investigation.

A CPO issued a Creal Springs man a citation for feedingdeer by use of corn in a feeder. The subject told the CPO hehas not hunted it yet as he has not had time.

A CPO received a report of a Creal Springs subject usinga motor vehicle to hunt deer from. The subject has beenunder investigation for the last few years and was arrested5 years ago.

A CPO responded to 2 hunting without permission com-plaints in Union County.

A CPO responded to a shooting from the roadway/shiningcomplaint Union CO. No contact was made with the suspect.A CPO located 2 subjects who were trespassing to harvestGinseng and Golden Seal. They came upon a bow hunter whohad confronted them before about the same activity in thepast. When the hunter said something to them from thestand, they ran off into the timber. The hunter called theCPO and he responded to the area after getting the descrip-tion of them and the vehicle they drive. As he arrived in thearea the first vehicle he encountered was the suspect. TheCPO made a traffic stop on the vehicle. The CPO noted thatthey were in possession of ginseng and golden seal whichthey had trespassed to harvest. They did not have ginsengharvester’s licenses and the driver’s (who had a lengthycriminal history) driver’s license had been expired for 4years. Citations were issued and they were processed and

highway. Locating tags on the traps, the CPO went to thelocal trapper’s residence. Making contact with the trapper,he admitted to being frustrated by the raccoons at thatlocation. The CPO seized the traps and issued the trapper acitation.

A District 1 CPO met with a concerned landowner whohad called the Target Illinois Poachers hotline. The landown-er had found a large bodied buck with its antlers cut off. Thebuck appears to have been shot with a small caliber rifle. An officer investigated two separate cases of permit fraudin District 7. Two individuals illegally obtained freelandowner deer permits.

A CPO responded to a call of an injured eagle. With assis-tance of a DNR employee, the CPO was able to capture it andplace it into a crate. The eagle appeared to be sufferingfrom a broken wing and was taken to the local veterinarian(also a federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator). The veteri-narian called CPO wire the next day and confirmed that thewing was broken. The veterinarian also informed the CPOthat the eagle had been shot. There were approximately tenpellets still lodged in the eagle. Due to the bruising, it wasestimated that the eagle had been shot four or five daysprior. An investigation is still pending. The local crime stop-pers and humane society have a combined reward, up to$3,500, for information leading to the arrest of the individ-ual that shot the eagle. The eagle is expected to make a fullrecovery.

REGION IVCPOs were working waterfowl hunters on Coffeen Lake.

They setup surveillance on a group of hunters that morningCont’d. on next pg.

a

eNOV. 2011 ACTIVITY REPORT

bonded at Union CO Sheriff's Office.

Nov. 9thREGION I

A District 7 Officer located a vehicle with out of stateplates that appeared to be deer hunting. Point of Saleshowed the registered owner had just purchased a non-res-ident hunting license that morning, but had no valid deerpermits. After a short walk in the woods, the Officer locat-ed a subject deer hunting. When asked about a deer permit,the hunter stated that it was up in the truck. At the truck,the out of state subject produced a “Property Only “permitthat was issued to his mother-in-law who is an Illinois resi-dent. Appropriate citations were issued.

A District 1 CPO is investigating a fish kill on a feedercreek to the Yellow Creek in Jo Davies CO. An undeterminedamount of fuel oil drained out of a tile coming from a resi-dence, into the feeder creek, causing different species offish to die. Clean up on the creek was ordered and inprocess. Investigation is underway by ILEPA and IllinoisConservation Police.

A CPO investigated the complaint of possible illegal deerhunting activity when a resident of the Somonauk areacalled and advised him that a deer carcass had been dis-posed of along a rural road. The CPO located the hide andremnants of a deer that had been butchered along withother garbage in a box. The CPO searched the box and founda deer leg tag belonging to a local hunter. The deer had beenlegally harvested and reported to the Dept. Charges fordepositing garbage on public property under the LitterControl Act against the Somonauk hunter are pending.

While on ATV patrol, a CPO located three traps set on the

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POLICE… Cont’d. from previous pg.

and they observed them shoot at and harvest birds on thewater. Due to the fog that morning, they were unable toidentify the birds from their location. While the hunterswere retrieving the birds, the officers moved in closer to thehunters. They observed the hunters the rest of the morninguntil they began to pack up for the day. The officers madecontact with the subjects and began a compliance check.When asked what they had harvested they stated Coots. Theofficers observed a pile of birds between the two huntersthat consisted of, not Coots, but six Pied-Billed Grebes. TheGrebes were recently removed from the threatened specieslist and are not legal to harvest. The appropriate enforce-ment action was taken.

A CPO responded to a poaching complaint in RandolphCO. Witnesses stated that a vehicle driven by two men hadshot a deer from the road with a gun. The complaint came inas ongoing and units from Sparta Police Department andRandolph CO Sheriff’s Office responded but the suspectvehicle could not be located. The case is still under investi-gation.

A CPO responded to a complaint regarding the son of anoutfitter in Randolph CO. The complainant stated the sonhad purposely run over a deer south of Chester along Rt 3.The CPO investigated the situation and inspected the sub-ject’s truck at the Chester High School. He found deer hairand blood on the front driver’s side and observed brokenantlers in the seat. He also observed an uncased bow in thefloorboard of the passenger location and a mineral block inthe bed of the truck. The CPO interviewed the suspect withhis father and the other subjects involved. It was clear thatthe subject was not being truthful as his story was not con-sistent with the other 3 boys involved. The CPO was con-tacted the next evening by the father, and outfitter, regard-

ing the situation. He told the CPO he had spoken with his sonand that his son had something to tell him. The CPO met withthe father and son and the son admitted to purposely run-ning over the deer. He also admitted to hunting over themineral block the evening before. The appropriate enforce-ment action was taken.

A CPO responded to a TIP complaint of a subject in pos-session of a fawn whitetail deer. He made contact with thesubject and found he had purchased the deer from alicensed game breeder. The subject did not possess suchlicense himself and therefore received a citation.

While patrolling Monroe CO for deer hunters, a CPOlocated several stands baited with corn. The CPO spoke withthe hunters on the property and obtained confessions to theplacement of the corn to attract deer.

A CPO was patrolling Peabody River King Fish andWildlife Area. He observed a subject fishing at Beaver Lakeand initiated a compliance check. The CPO found the sub-ject in possession of 4 crappie under the posted lengthlimit.

REGION VA CPO stopped a vehicle in Hamilton CO during night

patrol with two male subjects. The CPO issued a citation fora loaded, uncased firearm.

A CPO closed a 2010 Hamilton CO case that involvedunlawful possession of a stolen firearm by a convicted felonand several conservation offenses. The subject receivedtotal fines in excess of $4,500.00. The CPO was also able toreturn the stolen firearm to the owner that was stolen in2008.

A CPO caught a bow hunter in Jefferson CO without ahunting license or a habitat stamp. One citation and warn-

ing was issued.A CPO caught 3 subjects in a pickup truck “shining” the

deer decoy in Jefferson CO. After making the traffic stopthe CPO found no firearms but discovered an open bottle ofvodka. Appropriate enforcement action was taken.

A CPO cited an Alabama hunter for falsification and mis-representation to obtain a hunting license and permit.

A CPO cited a Louisiana hunter for failure to tag deerimmediately upon kill.

Nov. 16thREGION I

A District 7 Officer responded to a boat accident inLacon. Two Chillicothe subjects attempted to boat up riverin high winds and waves in a narrow/shallow 16 foot boat.Waves came over the bow and stern swamping the boatwhich then capsized. The 2 subjects remained on top of theboat paddling with their shotguns for nearly an hour untilthey were spotted by a Marshall County Deputy who wascrossing the Route 17 Bridge. After being treated forhypothermia both subjects were released from the hospital.The water temperature was 40 degrees at the time of theaccident.

A District 1 CPO issued citations and written warnings toa Morrison man for taking, and attempting to take, an overlimit of Canada Geese in the Rock Creek bottoms ofWhiteside CO. This was the result of an investigation for ahunting without permission complaint in which the appro-priate enforcement action was also taken.

While patrolling in Rock Island CO, a CPO passed a truckwith 2 dead bucks lying in the bed. Going back to the vehi-cle the CPO made contact with the “lucky hunters”. In dis-cussing the deer with the hunters, only 1 hunter wasanswering most of the questions. Separating the hunters,the CPO found that 1 of the hunters had killed both bucks.The hunter called his friend at work and asked him to getdeer tag and tag one of the deer. The CPO seized both deer

and the hunter’s bow as evidence. Both hunters were citedfor their violations.

A District 7 CPO cited a McDonough CO subject for mul-tiple counts of deer and turkey permit fraud with regards toobtaining free landowner deer permits.

A District 7 CPO responded to a deer complaint of 2buck deer freshly killed by an archery device, field dressed,and not tagged within the city limits of Peoria. The CPOwaited on the hunter to return and claim the deer. Thehunter said he left to go home and get his buck permits.However, the CPO found out the hunter had one antler-lessonly archery permit at the time he killed both bucks andthen went to Walmart to purchase his either-sex archerypermits. Items were seized and numerous citations wereissued. The hunter was also wanted on a $10,000 out-standing warrant and booked into jail.

A CPO in Boone CO was notified at home by a landownerof a complaint of unknown individual(s) driving throughtheir farm field and shooting a rifle at wildlife from a dieselpickup truck. The investigation revealed 2 juvenile suspectshad unlawfully ran down and shot a coyote with a high pow-ered rifle out of a pickup on property without permission.When the landowner learned the suspects were sons ofneighboring farmers, she withdrew her hunting without per-mission complaint. Charges are being reviewed by theBoone CO State’s Attorney’s Office for unlawful transporta-tion of a loaded/uncased firearm in a vehicle and unlawfultaking/pursuit of wildlife by aid or use of a vehicle or con-veyance. Charges are pending.

A CPO in Winnebago CO was in marked uniform patrolchecking shore fishermen along the Rock River at FordamDam. He observed a man and a woman fishing for walleyeswhile jumping up and down in an effort to stay warm in the35 degree snow flurried day. It was discovered neither sub-ject had a fishing license, and the woman was wanted onwarrant (beyond geographic limits) for prostitution out of 6Chicago land area counties.

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CPOs were checking waterfowl hunters on the IllinoisRiver. During their patrol they observed 2 boats travelingupstream, one was a boat blind used for waterfowl hunting.As they approached, 1 of the individuals threw an object intothe river. When the officers got to the boats’ location theyobserved a dead goose floating next to one of the boats. TheCentral Zone was closed to goose hunting. In the 2 boatsthere were four waterfowl hunters. During a hunter compli-ance check several violations were found. The violationsincluded two uncased guns, possession of toxic (lead) shot,possession of cannabis <2.5 grams, possession of drugparaphernalia, unlawful taking of waterfowl during a closedseason, and possession of freshly killed species (goose)during a closed season. 2 more violations were found duringa boat safety inspection. During the compliance check theofficers also found evidence of an illegally taken deer. Aninterview was conducted, it was determined 1 of the individ-uals had shot the deer 13 days prior and failed to report theharvest. The hunters were issued 11 citations and 2 writtenwarnings.

A CPO closed a case that started on October 29th 2011.A fisherman on Mississippi River Pool # 16 at the mouth ofthe Andalusia Slough complained he had a heated verbalaltercation with waterfowl hunters. The fisherman statedthe hunters caused about $100.00 in damage to his fishingequipment and broke a fishing pole. The fisherman statedhe was about 125 yards away from the hunters. The huntersstarted yelling at him to get away. A shot was fired by ahunter. The fisherman stated he got down behind his wind-shield in case the shot was fired at him and he didn’t see anyducks or geese in the area. The fisherman left the area forabout an hour. The fisherman then returned to the areabecause the fishing was good and it was about 10:00 a.m.and he figured the hunters were gone. The hunters (stillhunting) yelled at him again. The hunters picked up theirhunting equipment and drove their boat blind over to thearea the fisherman was trolling for walleye. The hunters cir-cled the boat a few times within 12 feet while they wereyelling at the fisherman. This action caused all the fisher-man’s lines and a pole to break because they got tangled upwith the hunter’s boat. The fisherman became enraged andengaged into a verbal argument with the hunters beforethey left the area. The hunters were identified and an inves-tigation took place. The fisherman did not realize he was inviolation of a 250 yard rule he must maintain away from anoccupied blind in a DNR management area. The fishermanwas also trolling with 3 poles (State wide rule) as opposedto 2 poles (site specific rule). Taking into consideration thetotality of the circumstances, the fisherman was issued twowritten warnings for his violations. The hunter stated he

was shooting at a wood duck. He did admit he operated hisboat over to the fisherman and caused damage to his linesand pole. The hunter stated he didn’t intend to do damage.The hunter was informed he was the operator of the boatand was responsible for what happened. The hunter wascharged with careless operation of a watercraft and has amandatory court date in Rock Island CO Court. The hunterwas informed he should have called Illinois State Police andasked for a Conservation Police Officer to handle the situa-tion and not handled it himself.

REGION IIIn 2010, a CPO received information on a subject brag-

ging about road hunting with a crossbow. It was the samesubject the CPO arrested 5 years prior for the same thing.Surveillance was set up, but he was not caught last season.Last week the subject was at it again. CPOS utilized thenewly acquired decoy, purchased with money collected fromthe Illinois Conservation Foundation, which resulted from anuisance trapping case a CPO worked last year. The decoywas set up where the subject was last reported hunting. Hepulled up as the CPO operated the decoy with a remote con-trol. The subject then shot the decoy with his crossbow andhit it. The CPO emerged out of the woods and the subjectsped away in his truck. Another CPO was waiting down theroad and stopped him. He was issued several citationsincluding hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, huntingfrom the roadway, uncased crossbow, no hunting license,and no habitat stamp. The subject was in possession of acrossbow permit, which the CPO will seek to revoke. Thesubject was laughing and said he saw this type of thing onTV, and told the CPOs "you guys are pretty sneaky".

A CPO completed an investigation into deer huntingwithout permission and other deer hunting violations. AnAlgonquin man was arrested for shooting a buck deer andnot tagging the deer with his deer permit. Instead, heremoved the deer from the field and purchased a permit forhis father, then attached his father's permit to the deer.The deer was reported as a harvested deer under his fatherpermit. The hunter was charged with several deer huntingviolations and was given several other warnings.

REGION III A CPO responded to hunting without permission com-

plaint near Monticello. A subject was located and issued acitation for bow hunting deer without permission.

A CPO cited a Burbank man for failure to tag a deerimmediately upon kill in Shelby County.

CPOs and District Sergeant cited a Macon CO subject forillegal possession of hawk parts after the subject was dis-

covered to have made an advertisement wanting to pur-chase raptor wings and talons to make jewelry.

A CPO, while working upland hunters in Iroquois CO,issued 2 citations for no blaze orange while upland hunting,1 citation for hunting with an unplugged shotgun and a writ-ten warning for failure to maintain separate bag limits tothe same subject.

A CPO responded to Champaign County to assist aChampaign CO Sheriff’s Deputy with a deer carcassdumped outside a trailer park. Investigation revealed anUrbana man unlawfully took a 6 point whitetail buck in PiattCO while only in possession of an antlerless only archerypermit. The subject was further cited for failure to tag andfailure to report harvest. The 6 point buck was seized.

CPOs cited an Oakley man for failing to tag and failing toreport a harvest in Shelby CO. The subject was also cited forthe same violations he committed in Macon CO.

A CPO cited a Mattoon man archery deer hunting nearLovington in Moultrie CO for hunting while his privilegeswere suspended, no hunting license, no habitat stamp andno archery deer permits.

A CPO arrested a Decatur man archery deer hunting onthe Shelbyville Wildlife Management Area for possession ofdrug paraphernalia, possession of 2.5 - 10 grams cannabis,no hunting license, no habitat stamp, no archery deer per-mits and a written warning for no site permit.

A CPO cited a Moweaqua man for unlawful harvest of awhitetail buck without first harvesting a doe first asrequired in Wolf Creek State Park. The subject was also

issued a written warning for falsification of deer harvestrecords. The man falsely reported a doe harvest from hisdeer stand after shooting a buck. A 9 point buck was seized.

CPOs arrested a Macon CO subject who failed to check intwo archery killed deer that he had shot in Macon CO. Afterreceiving information on 1 of the archery kills, the officerswere able to determine the deer had not been checked in.The additional untagged deer was discovered during theinvestigation.

CPOs investigated a turkey hunting complaint. TheMacon CO subject was issued citations for unlawfully apply-ing for turkey permits.

A CPO arrested a DuPage CO subject for the unlawfulpossession of a hen pheasant. The CPO also cited aLaGrange resident for hunting without permission inLivingston CO.

A CPO arrested two subjects for hunting without permis-sion in Dewitt CO.

A CPO arrested a subject for unlawfully archery deerhunting without a permit in Dewitt CO. The CPO encoun-tered the subject as he had exited the field from hunting.

A CPO arrested a Vermillion CO man for unlawful posses-sion of a firearm without a valid FOID card. The CPO checkedthe subject as he was pheasant hunting.

A CPO arrested an outfitter operating in Iroquois CO. Thesubject was not properly maintaining records as requiredand several of his customers failed to have the requiredpaperwork to legally hunt in Illinois.


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POLICE… Cont’d. from previous pg.

A CPO is continuing his investigation into an unlicensedOutfitter providing hunts in District 19.

A District Sergeant recovered a stolen car in MoraineView State Park. The subjects who were in the vehicle werearrested for possession of a stolen car and underage con-sumption of alcohol.

A Belvidere man was arrested for possession of a deerwithout reporting it as a road kill. The man was observedstanding on the road in Barrington Hills, dressed in camowith a bow in his hand. He was just getting ready to shoot adeer on private property. When the man saw the CPO, heput the bow in his truck. When asked what he was doing, hesaid nothing. In the bed of the pick-up truck was an 8 pointdeer head. The man said it was a road kill from a weekbefore. The subject was charged with failure to report aroad kill and hunting from a roadway.

REGION VDistrict #14 officers worked opening weekend waterfowl

details on Rend Lake and private property. Several water-fowl citations and warnings were written.

CPOs continue to work the “outfitter” investigationthat is being referred to the USFWS. The USFWS and theOutfitter’s lawyer are currently meeting.

A CPO conducted waterfowl patrols in Perry CO openingmorning. 3 citations and one warning was issued to hunterson private and public areas for various waterfowl violations.

A CPO investigated a large buck poached that was shotwith a slug in Union CO.

A CPO worked a private waterfowl hunting area on thesouth/central opening day in Perry CO. Upon inspection,after surveillance on a private hunting area, multiple viola-tions were documented. Citations were issued for licensingviolations and transport of uncased firearm.

A CPO located 2 bow hunters from Alabama. One sub-ject had an uncased bow in a vehicle, the other subject washunting without tags or license in possession. Neither had ahabitat stamp to hunt deer. Citations were issued for theviolations.

A CPO, while on patrol in Pyramid State Park, wasobserving a subject digging frantically with a shovel nearGoldeneye Lake from a distance. There was also a subjectwearing blaze orange that was with the digger for a time buthad walked away toward a road. The CPO guided anotherCPO into the area to locate the blaze orange man to find outwhat was going on. The CPO located the 80 year old subjectwho advised him that his favorite bird dog "Suzy" had goneinto a small diameter drain pipe yesterday while he wasquail hunting and was stuck in the pipe about 20 ft fromthe opening and had been in there all night. The CPOs hikedto the scene with the gentleman. He had dug down about 4ft. to locate the pipe. The CPO finished up digging the holefor him and he sawed a hole in the pipe. After the cut outwas removed the dogs head appeared and she was pulledfrom the pipe. The dog got a drink, then started huntingagain. The owner was very appreciative. The Site superin-tendent was notified of the incident and the necessity ofrepair to the pipe.

A CPO is investigating bulldozing work of wetland areawithout proper permits, the construction of levee and dis-ruption of tributary stream to Mermet Lake in Massac CO.

A CPO, acting on a TIPS complaint, caught a deer hunterfrom Louisiana hunting in a Nature Preserve. After ques-tioning the subject, it was discovered that 3 others fromthe hunting party also hunted in the Preserve on earlierdates. All hunters were eventually found and issued cita-tions.

A CPO was contacted by the Massac County Sheriff'soffice about a possible timber theft case. The case hasturned into a wrongful cutting incident. The suspect hadcut 25 trees without the landowner's permission. The caseis under investigation.

A CPO located deer hunters from Alabama that were notaware of the laws pertaining to transporting bow and arrowdevices on ATV's. They also were not aware that ATV's couldnot be driven on public roadways and that they wererequired to have habitat stamps when hunting deer. A cita-tion and written warnings were issued.

A CPO is investigating a hunting withoutpermission/trespass case in Johnson CO. The landownerhas documented the case very well with pictures and videoof the hunters crossing over a boundary cable and "no tres-passing" signs. The hunter in the photo was recognized bythe CPO who had arrested the same subject a couple ofdays earlier for hunting without permission/trespass on adifferent landowners property in Pope County.

A CPO responded to a hunting without permission com-plaint in rural Williamson CO. The offender was a 31 year oldfederal prison guard, and his father arrived who is a retiredfederal prison guard. The father became angry at the ideahis son was going to be charged for the violation. The CPOtold the subject he needed to stay level headed and stay outof the situation. The father stated "they have him charged,they will have an enemy out here they don't want". The CPOcharged the prison guard with hunting without permission

of the land owner. Two days later the CPO was called by thesheriff's department as they had arrested the father(retired federal prison guard) for unlawful use of a weaponas he purported to drive by two hunters on the property inquestion and fire two rounds into the ground in their direc-tion.

A CPO responded to three spotlight complaints inWilliamson CO with no contact made to this point. The areais under heavy patrol.

A CPO is working three deer stands on private propertywhere no one has permission to hunt.

A CPO and two USFW officers worked a complaint for aspotlighter in eastern Williamson CO. The violator did notshow up as expected, no contact was made but the area isunder patrol.

A CPO arrested a Herrin man for hunting on privateproperty without permission and damaging private proper-ty. The CPO arrested this same subject a decade ago for thesame and more (including felony theft of deer stands andhunting over bait).

A CPO took a call from a Williamson CO hunter. Thecaller reported that he was up in his tree stand and had afull body deer decoy out below his stand. The caller statedthat a man dressed in camo exited the woods and shot fivetimes at this decoy with a high powered rifle. The decoy washit three times. The Sheriff’s Deputies whoresponded did not come up with a suspect, but the CPO hasa suspect that will be a target of investigation.

A CPO is working an abandoned boat case that has so farpassed four persons hands with none applying for registra-tion or title. The case is under investigation.

A District Sergeant trained two CPOs on the operationof the sonar boat at Kinkaid Lake.

District 16 CPOs attended waterfowl training at RendLake. The course was an all day training event. A District Sergeant is investigating a hunting without per-mission that occurred in Alexander CO.

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the center of the Bob MarshallWilderness, minding my own businesswhen my saddlehorse chanced tobump into a party of which Georgewas a member. It was hard not to bumpinto these guys because their camp wasscattered all over the trail. The reasontheir camp was scattered all over thetrail was because they didn't get off themountain and into the valley until wellafter midnight, the night before.

The reason they didn't arrive in campearlier was because one of their horseshad rebelled at being ridden in theblack of night along a trail infestedwith "boulder-bears." In an attempt tofrighten away one particularly scary"boulder-bear," the horse had thrownGeorge headfirst at it. The man's pointof contact was where his hat normallysquats.

That they made it down off themountain with George at all seemedmiraculous. That the 70-year-old manwas up that morning, running aroundcamp with more swaddling clothes onhis head than the baby Jesus had in Hismanger was even more astonishing. "Isthere a doctor in your party?" one ofhis group asked.

I shook my head, fighting my ponywho, all the while, wanted to stand meon my punkin' head because of all the

strange sleeping bags, pop-up tents,and assorted duffel scattered in thetrail. "What's wrong?"

"Got a man hurt. Hit his head on arock. Looks bad."

Just then George trotted into view.He did indeed look bad; what I couldsee of his head (the lower half) wasblack and blue. What lay under theswaddling cloth re: turban, one couldonly imagine. Appalled, I said, "GoodGod! You should keep that man quiet."

"We can't keep him down," the mansaid. "We've been trying ever sincedaylight. But he won't stay still."

My horse continued to prance. So didall the other ponies in our party. "Whatwill you do?" I asked.

"Ride out for help, I guess. What elsecan we do?"

Just then John Montagne (nowdeceased, but then Professor Emeritusof Geology at Montana StateUniversity and my party's geologicalinterpreter) spoke up: "I've got a hand-held radio. We may be able to establishradio contact with the outside fromsome high point, and summon a heli-copter."

The long and short of it is that it wasJohn who helped save George Peacock,not me; John and the half-dozen GreatFalls area ham radio buffs who pieced

CAMPFIRE CULTURE:

LIFE-SAVING CREDENTIALS

by Roland Cheekwww.RolandCheek.comIt was January when George

Peacock called from St. George, Utah.The first time he called was in Augustof the previous year -- 1982. That timeGeorge called from a hospital bed tothank me for saving his life. Actually Ididn't save George's life, but I figure itcan't hurt to have somebody thinkkindly of me, whether they have reasonor not.

The way I'm supposed to have savedGeorge's life goes like this: I was ridingalong a trail south of Brushy Park, near

together John's garbled transmissionfrom the top of Pagoda Mountain, thenrelayed the 9-1-1 message that a mandesperately needed medical assistancein the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

The reason George made his secondcall to the guy he still believe hadsomething to do with saving his life isthat he wanted to tell me he reads mycolumn and to order three of my books.

Hmm. Maybe it's not so bad that theguy continues to believe I have a mod-icum of life-saving credentials.

Next month? Another walk on thewild side.

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055.qxd 1/26/12 12:38 AM Page 1


A gunsmith can sometimes (and often expects to) find some undisclosed problem or potential con-dition that could be helped by early attention; in other words, a stitch in time saves nine, as it were.These situations may be well hidden inside the mechanism or just waiting for a closer exam of theassembly, and naturally are also able to concurrently exist in both realms. Of course, once these situ-ations come to the attention of the shooter, they are then left to decide on the remedial course ofaction being followed now, or left to wait for a blatant problem to arise and surprise in the middle of ahunt or competition.

Firearms of basically decent design can have two broad categories of degradation: age-related, useor abuse, and possible combinations working in concert. A combined effect might include repeatedlyapplying an inferior lubricant that doesn’t age well. A singular aging effect could be some loss of ham-mer (or other) spring tension from remaining compressed during years of storage. Another examplecould be wood shrinkage, warpage, and/or cracking of furniture due to excessive humidity/tempera-ture conditions that change over time. Some possible blame, in those cases, could be assigned toimproper drying or sub-par sealing of finish.

This crack in the wood finishhas started to expand into a“checking” phase, where thecrack expands to follow alter-nate paths in proximity to eachother. The photo has a contrastenhancement paired to improveclarity. Since no other appre-ciable defects can be foundnearby that suggest any othercause, the blame seems likely due to the humidity/temperature variations working over a period oftime. This wood may be 50 years old, and such time frames are sufficient for modest problem condi-tions to produce results - and in some cases, may be almost unavoidable.

Here is an example of a problem thatcould be spotted from the surface. Thefirst time pulling on the extractor tippushed the plunger back, but the gunkpresent overall inhibited the return toresting position. The first time back, theplunger actually stuck in place - and wouldmake the loss of the extractor a distinctpossibility. Notice that the remaining crudis mostly forward of the arrow, and theadjacent bare section has the scrapedflake of varnish lying atop the plunger. Canyou see the scraped arc underside of theextractor with the build-up crud ridgeenlarged in the second view? This is remi-niscent of old dried thick molasses inJanuary.

Once the extractorwas removed, theresidue inside the pock-et was so heavy that theplunger would not slidethrough and exit the slot.This was one of the fewtimes that tools would be needed to force the plunger removal. This picture pair is enhanced to showthe crud by the plunger hole, and also the buildup that coats the entirety of the recess.

These extractor parts views show that plenty of crud remains after being rubbed dry. This amountand quality of residue might have been reduced by solvents, sprays, and soaks, but whatever could beapplied while assembled would be unable to make much headway in problem reduction inside (forexample) the blind recess hole for the plunger and spring. The minimal gap between the bolt slot andextractor would have limited the cleansing results there, too. Solvents and aggressive solutions arebetter avoided in typical home environments to help reduce skin and fume exposures, and it should be

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THE STITCH IN TIME SYNDROME

056.qxd 1/24/12 10:07 AM Page 1


apparent that comprehensive cleaningrequires full disassembly that shouldbe performed whenever practical. Iftemporary cleansing is a necessity,avoid solvent spray splashback thatcan damage eyes and sensitive skin ofthe face. Typical spray lubes may bepreferentially sufficient to temporarilyfree sticky parts until professionalservicing is sought, since they are lessoffensive to the skin and lungs com-pared to carburetor and brake cleaner etc. sprays/fluids – plus the lubes do leave some lubricant inplace after application (unlike the cleansers).

The previous problem situationcould inhibit extraction of car-tridges either fired or unfired, butthis next issue could play havocwith the firing of the shells. Thepictured firing pin has a coatingof thick lubricant residue similarto grease consistency. This mate-rial can congeal even more withage, and colder conditions willincrease the travel bind enough tocause misfires at some point. Some bolts have even longer firing pin channels, and any similar residuein those conditions will make problems much earlier than in this modern Remington. Designs withtighter tolerances and/or longer adjacent channel walls or flat surfaces can make this problem intooperational failure – without question of “if”, just “where” and “when” and what shell is harder toignite. The same cleansing problems exist in these close quarter situations as in others already men-tioned.

Once past the failures to function and then failures to fire, can things get worse? This next minoraccumulation coating both sides of the sear could top the other two issues - combined. A sticking searmight first make the trigger pull get increasingly heavy, but if the sear stuck in just the right place, thehammer could fall off the edge due to insufficient contact. A slight shock to the mechanism or even

the act of closing the actionmight induce firing, and thatcould happen even with the safetyapplied in this design type.

Some effort was expended tomanually remove the sticky coatingon the disassembled parts, andsome varying degrees of successcan be noted. The firing pinresidue, mainly being not quitesolidified, could mostly wipe offwith some solid remainders,but the extractor and boltparts had less liquid/moresolid. The bolt locking blockgroove, seen with a brownishglint on the right portion of theleft picture section, was fairlycovered with dried sticky gunkthat is also somewhat presentalong the mated side of thelocking block shown in theother picture section on theright. That dark tarry residueconsiderably impedes smooth motion of the locking block action, as might be expected, and these portionsof unresolved cleaning made use of the professional cleansing bath imperative to renew the reliability ofthe assembled parts.

Realize that if there is some similar problem in progress, there should be some evidence in the way theaction feels, how it functions during feeding or extraction, or has an occasional misfire typically startingwith the economy shells (if varieties of loads are used in the same mechanism). This condition may gradu-ally occur and be difficult to notice due to that gradualism, and any different or unfamiliar mechanism mayhave such a situation go unrecognized just because of that unfamiliarity. Once a malfunction arises, thenthe shooter has the opportunity to enlist the efforts of a knowledgeable craftsman to make things right.

See the asomagazine.com online archives to read previous articles back to 2006.

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At a recent tradeshow I had the chanceto check out some of latest and greatestfrom Brunton Hunting. If you don’t al-ready know, Brunton has targeted thehunting industry like never before and isnow offering some of the greatest gearavailable to help you hunt harder, further,and more successfully than ever before.This month we’ll take a look at some of thetop products from Brunton for 2012.

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loy frame eases long hours of glassing,lightens the load of full-size binos, andwithstands the scrapes and bumps of con-stant use. All covered by Brunton’s uniqueHalo warranty that immediately replacesany Icon, for any reason, anywhere, for life.Icon will never let you down.

Spotting ScopeBrunton also introduces their

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Features of the Icon Spotting Scopeinclude:SD Glass – (Super Low DispersionFluorite)Available w/ 20-60x or 25-50x Wide AngleeyepiecesSuper Flat Light Multi CoatingMulti-Step Twist-up EyecupWaterproofNitrogen filled/fogproofPolymer Frame w/ ergonomic body armorGun sight alignment systemTripod AdaptableExtendable Sun-ShadeLocking center ring allows for multipleviewing angles.Unconditional Halo Warranty

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Portable Power

One of the slickest tools to come alongin a long time for the backcountry hunteris the portable power packs from Brunton.The Impel, their most potent renewable-battery system, charges nearly any electron-ic device through built-in USB, 12v, 16vand 19v outputs. Building on the award-winning Solo® platform, the Impel deliv-ers similar power and capability with halfthe size and weight. The unit connectsdirectly to your music, GPS, smart or satel-lite phone, computer and more. Powerstorage capacity: 13,000 mAh Outputs:USB, 12v, 16v, 19v

GPSGPS units are nothing new. But when it

comes to compact, user-friendly units at anaffordable price, Brunton offers the perfectsolution. Their Get-Back GPS unit quick-ly shows the way back to your startingpoint by the shortest, most direct route.Instead of retracing your steps at the end of

a long day, youcan head straighthome, as the crowflies, always oncourse. Pointsdirectly back toany of threepoints, adjustingdirection as youmove, showing theroute by arrow andthe distance in feetor kilometers. TheGet-Back can also be used as a digital com-pass, with or without satellite coverage. It istough, indispensable, and not a toy. Feelcomfortable no matter where the hunttakes you. The GET-BACK will get youback.

HeadlampLight up the trail ahead with a Brunton

headlamp. The Glacier 320 boasts 150lumens of path-finding brilliance, and a320 foot directional beam that will revealupcoming curves in the single track or lightup the foot-trail ahead. Powered exclusive-ly from Brunton power packs, the hours of

run time can be supplemented with a solarpower during the daylight on extendedtrips, and the power pack doubles as anauxiliary power source for your USB elec-tronics like smart phones and mp3 players.

These are just a few of the many newproducts from Brunton that are sure to notonly make your next hunt more enjoy-able…but more successful too. Be sure tocheck out the complete line of Bruntonproducts at www.bruntonhunting.com.You can also visit them on Facebook to seeall the latest in the world of BruntonHunting.

Brodie Swisher is a world championgame caller, outdoor writer, and

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059.qxd 1/24/12 2:24 AM Page 1


After applying to Colorado for deer license forseveral years last summer I found out that I fi-nally was drawn for a permit for area 512 other-wise known as the Air Force Academy. Manypeople are surprised (even the guards at thegate) that you can hunt not only on this proper-ty but other military holdings as well. Sure youhave to jump through some hoops but you do forother hunting as well.

Ten hunters would be hunting for doe deerwhile I and four others would hunt for buck deer.

We were all given a safety briefing together at0600 and then paired up with various govern-ment workers that would see to it that we avoid-ed certain areas on the grounds that were offlimit to the hunters.

They wisely did not wish to turn loose a groupof individuals of unknown background withloaded firearms in a military instillation withoutan escort. My companion for the hunt was Lieu-tenant Kyle that had recently graduated andwas waiting for further training in INTELL at a

base in Texas. As luck would have it he was afellow hunter and had an idea of where somegood bucks could be found.

As the rest of the hunters headed to the southwe headed north. I already like this. We cut anew track in the fresh snow as we followed theroad between two prominent ridges. At somepoint in the early morning while chit chatting ofour respective backgrounds I told him to stop asI had spotted a good one! With that we bothglassed a bedded mule deer on a shelf about ahalf mile away.

The words of the morning preview to not shootthe first buck you see came to mind but we bothagreed this was indeed a good one. It was nowup to us to plan a stalk and get into good shoot-ing position. As the case in many situations thedeer had been here before and had a command-ing view of his domain.

The stalk found us climbing the same ridge asthe deer with the idea to approach from down-wind and at the same elevation as the deer.When we got to where the deer had been beddedhe had given us the slip and was some 200yards away trotting directly away from us.

Hoping to get a shot I sat down and promptlystood right back up. It seems as if the snow hadhidden a cactus that I managed to sit on. Notime to wimp out now as I sat back down and setup for a shot that never came. As luck wouldhave it he never slowed down or stopped inshooting range. We continued to watch him andafter a half mile he settled down near some pine

trees. With the snow background it was somewhat

easy to relocate his new bedding spot. The gameplan this time was to approach from the oppo-site side and get within reasonable shootingrange. This time instead of a high perch lookingdown at everything he was located under a cou-ple pine trees next to some buck brush.

With the advantage of a constant wind in ourface and the snow cover I managed to get up towithin 100 yards undetected. At this point Ifaced a dilemma as I could see the rack quitewell but still had no shot. Not wishing to ap-proach any closer and possibly having it boltaway I decided to whistle.

With that he stood up and looked back fromthe location of our previous stalk offering me anoffhand quartering away shot at a little under100 yards.

The .270 found its mark and the deer ran on-ly a short distance before piling up. Not wishingto take any chances on it getting up and runningoff a finishing shot was taken. The first shot wastrue to the mark however entering just in frontof his right rear leg and exiting his left frontshoulder. I had loaded Nosler 140 grain Ac-cubond bullets just for this situation.

I had used this bullet to take elk with my300WSM and felt on big bodied deer they wouldoffer the penetration and accuracy that mightbe needed. While I’ve take other mule deer onother hunts this would prove to be my best andfully met all of my expectations.

Air ForceAcademyDeer Hunt

By Dan Hinds

060.qxd 1/24/12 11:03 AM Page 1


Following the usual congratulations andhero shots with my camera we got down to themore mundane job of field dressing and drag-ging it out to the truck. Back at headquartersI skinned out the deer and prepared the head

to take to a local taxidermist. Once I got to my son’s house I took off the

loins for Sunday dinner. I’d like to say that af-ter marinating and cooking on the grill the

steaks were delicious but would be less thatthe truth for sure. Nope they had the consis-tency of a hockey puck and tasted like an oldgym sock. I decided then to have the rest of

the steaks and meat ground into burger. Wehave a lot of chili and tacos in our future. Aswith many of the good things in our life theyare over all too quick.

PawneeGrasslands

Antelope

In early October Dan Hinds withthe help of his oldest son Davidbagged this buck antelope in east-ern Colorado hunting on thePawnee Grasslands. At first lighton opening day the first two stalksof the morning were unsuccessful.This buck along with two does wasspotted by David from a ridge some

two miles away. A stalk and gameplan were quickly implemented andthe hunt was on.

Carefully picking his way throughthe sage and cactus to a distance of288 yards his tag was filled. The shotwas made with a Ruger model 77 in.257 Roberts’s caliber firing reloadedammo and utilizing Speer bullets.

Contrary to popular opinion the an-telope is excellent table fare compa-rable to Midwest whitetail. While thehunt itself was brief is still proved tobe a very rewarding experience for fa-ther and son.

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061.qxd 1/24/12 11:09 AM Page 1


BAI NewsBy Ed DeVries

JANUARY BOWFISHING INNORTHERN ILLINOIS

When one thinks of winter activitiesin northern Illinois, bowfishing is usu-ally not one of them. But this year itwas for many bowfishers across thestate. An unusually warm fall and win-ter made bowfishing possible, and moreimportantly comfortable, for manybowfishers who had the urge to get outon the water. A record “first fish of the year” honorwent out to five bowfishermen for tak-ing a fish on January 6th! While mem-

bers Frank Pauliks, Tim and Tom Bey-er and Ed DeVries all did well on theBig Basin area of the Des Plaines River,Rick Urban had all the shooting he

than the temperatures outside, were thefish. Common carp, buffalo and shadcould be harvested by the hundreds asthey swam in the shallow flats areas ofthe rivers. Many bowfishers do bowfishin the winter as it is truly on of the besttimes to be on the water.

BAI PHEASANT HUNT 2Winter did finally come back to Illi-

nois on the second week of Januarywhen we had our first significant snow-fall of the year and the coldest tempera-tures since last February. So we put thebows away and grabbed the shotguns

could han-dle on theIllinois River near Ottawa. Even better

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FrankPauliks Jan.Harvest

Rick Urbantook this

mixed bag on the

Illinois RiverJan. 6th. Results from BAI Pheasant Hunt 2.

062.qxd 1/24/12 11:37 AM Page 1


the kids to do, casting, bow shootingand slingshot shooting to name a few.And there were some big name out-doorsmen giving seminars, Hank Parkerbring one, as well as local outdoorsmen.We set up a nice bowfishing info boothand talked bowfishing with hundreds ofpeople and gave out many manufactur-er and supplier catalogs. About a dozenbowfishers joined up with the BAI andgave us some great info on areas to holda local shoot. We look forward to beingpart of the Kankakee Outdoors showfor many years to come!

This month you can visit with usat the Sandwich Outdoor Show in

Sandwich IL. See us at theSouthern Illinois Outdoor Showat The Pavilion in Marion Feb.

4th & 5th, and look for us at theworld famous Tinley Park

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Tinley with all the latest bowfishing catalogs available in

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for our second club pheasant hunt of2012 at the South WilmingtonSportsman’s Club in Essex Illinois.

Fourteen BAI members met up at theBraidwood McDonalds before sunupfor a little fuel to warm us on a chillyday. Chilly as it was, it turned out to bea fantastic day afield. Low winds andabundant sunshine made the huntingfun and comfortable for the humans;while the dogs seemed to appreciate thecold temps and hunted strong through-out the day. Around thirty birds wereharvested and we all had a great time.Pheasant hunts and outdoor shows arejust a couple ways BAI members keep intouch during the off season.

The South Wilmington Sportsman’sClub is one of the best places we havefound to hunt pheasants. Good pricesand none of the uppity attitude you getfrom so many pheasant clubs that wehave dealt with. There is no member-ship fee and anyone can go hunting for$60. For that you get use of the field forhalf a day, three birds released andunlimited scratch birds. And there areplenty of scratch birds in the fields.Give them a try, Im sure you will havea great time!

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IT’S SHOW TIME!The 2012 outdoor show season got

off to a great start early in January at theKankakee Outdoor Show. This is thethird year the show has been held andthe first year it was held on bothSaturday and Sunday. This was our sec-ond year attending the show and we hada good time. There is a lot of things for

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Tim Beyer with a nice earlyJanuary Buffalo.

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063.qxd 1/24/12 11:38 AM Page 1


ever, come and enjoy it.”Last week one of Feldner’s clients landed a 29-

inch walleye that weighed 11 pounds and nineounces. The walleyes will be caught in randomorder, from 10 inches to 29, with many in the 20-inch range. The shoreline breaks from 6 to 10 feet(sand to gravel) where almost imperceptiblepoints stick out from shore seem to be concen-trating the walleyes. Tip-ups with fathead min-nows are effective, as are Darters. “Have a dead-stick with a minnow next to your Darter hole,” hesaid. In North Dakota, ice anglers are allowed fourlines.

Other reports from Devils Lake professionalangler Johnnie Candle echo what Feldner and otherfishermen are finding. Candle said, “Walleyes aremuch shallower than past years, but limits everyday in a few hours up to 22 inches are the rule forme.” He said after 30 pike one day, he was tired ofrunning. “You don’t need four tip-ups to get allthe exercise you want,” he said. Local fishermanAl Freidig said, “The eaters from 13 to 16 inchesare everywhere, but the bigger ones are mixed inwith them. I’ve been from 12 to 30 feet, andcaught walleyes in every spot.”

walleye fishing in the past seven years.”Of the lake’s popular perch, Feldner said,

“They’re much shallower than usual, under 20-feet, and feeding actively. Yes, my guides movearound, but perch have been on the sand flats, inthe wood, and on the breaklines early and late.”Of the voracious and huge northern pike, he said,“They’re on fire.” Photos backing up his words canbe found on his website, www.percheyes.com, andon the websites of many guide services and theDevils Lake Tourism Bureau,www.devilslakend.com.

Most of the Devils Lake bays and connectinglakes are covered with 14 to 16 inches of solid icewith no snow covering as of mid-January. Even themain lake has 12 to 14 inches of ice. This is theexact opposite of last winter when travel was allbut impossible due to massive back-to-back snowstorms. Feldner said, “We should have 20 goodinches of ice by Jan. 20. This is the best winter

DEVILDEVILS LAS LA KE PERCH,KE PERCH,WW AA LLELLE YY EE S & PIKES & PIKE

BIBI TT ING NOING NO W!W!By: Jim Kalkofin, JK Outdoorsfor Devils Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

Anglers are smiling, guides are booked, travel issafe (and easy), and the fish are cooperating rightnow on North Dakota’s most-talked about fishery,Devils Lake. In fact, one of the top fishing guides,Jason Feldner said this week, “This is the best

Perch seem to be in two distinct groups. Thefirst group feeds like walleyes, biting best earlyand late in the day, while the second group feedslike “gentlemen,” biting best from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. Feldner’s perch secrets are Lindy jigs withred plastic (imitating larvae) with a spike orwaxxie (flutter them in place). The other presen-tation is the Lindy 1/16th ounce Flyer spoon with aminnow head. He uses what he calls a “shimmy-shake,” and vibrates the spoon in place with hisrod tip. “Fish this close to the bottom, and stay ina spot even if they move; they’ll be back in 15 min-utes or so,” he said.

Pike anglers are setting tip-ups baited with her-ring or smelt from the shoreline shallows of 4-feet,out to about 10-feet. When flags fly from onedepth, concentrate all tip-ups at that depth. A40-incher was squeezed out of a hole last week.

The on-ice fishing reports are backed up byRandy Hiltner, Northeast North Dakota DistrictFisheries Supervisor, who has been in charge ofDevils Lake for 20 years. He said the test-nettingefforts this past fall reflected the fourth highestwalleye abundance in two decades. “Many arefrom the 2009 year-class, the best ever in histo-ry. What we’re experiencing is a rising natural lakethat’s good for spawning perch and pike, but thewalleyes are doing very well also,” he said.

Hiltner said the continual flooding provides agreat nursery for young-of-the-year fish and thetrends are positive. Devils Lake contains fourmain game species, perch, walleye, pike and whitebass; all are at or above their long-term averages.“Anglers catch good numbers of fish consistent-ly,” he said, “Anyone can tie into a really big wall-eye or pike at any time. Pike numbers and sizeskeep increasing,” he said. His research alsoshows that the late-fall perch test-netting catchrate was the highest since 2003, with fish to 151/2 inches.

For info on Devils Lake ice conditions, activities, guides, orlodging and restaurants, check

www.devilslakend.com, or call theDevils Lake Convention & Visitors

Bureau at 1-800-233-8048.

Photo courtesyof Perch EyesGuide Service

064.qxd 1/24/12 12:03 PM Page 1


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same day.Those lures became so popular

that anglers were waiting for meto get to the boat ramp before theywould launch to buy them out ofmy truck’s backseat. I even saw agroup of guys from Indiana pullup to us and ask us why we werecatching so many more fish thanthey were and my clients simplysaid you don’t have any Candys-tripers they are like magic. Theyasked where they could get themand we told them the bait shop atBo-Woods had them. An hour lat-er they were back. They tied theirboat to shore and walked twomiles to that bait shop to get some.

Like I said we have three differ-ent sizes for various depths. If thefish are up on top or in less thansix feet of water I use the tiny3/8oz. If I need to hit suspendedfish out over a drop I like the1/2oz. because I can pop it and letit freefall back while retrieving. Ifa straight retrieve right on bottomor in extremely deep water I usethe 5/8oz. We also tie a dressedtreble a foot above it to catch twofish at the same time. Most use asmall jig but I like the dressed tre-

On-Line StoreUp and

RunningBy Steve Welch

Over the years I have experi-mented with just about every fish-ing lure known to man and finally

I know what works for me, makeyour own. So then folks that weregoing with me on guide tripswanted them so my on-line storecame to life.

I always liked fishing a tail spin-ner type lure for white bass butfound something slightly wrongwith each one. So the Candystripercame to life. I experimented withseveral blades until I got what Iwanted and now I have a bait thatyou can pendulum fish, you canburn it across shallow water, oryou can pop it right off bottom andlet it fall back. I make it in threeweights and four colors to accom-modate many depths and watercol-or.

When I came up with this bait Iintended for it to be a white basslure and it is a very good one.What I didn’t know is how manyother species love it. I caught a tonof crappie on it this summer fish-ing bridge piers and standing tim-ber by flipping past the structureand pendulum it back. With thetreble hook you wouldn’t want tofish it in dense cover but on piersand standing wood it is hard tobeat.

I knew walleye would love thislure as well and it quickly becamemy go to lure for just about any-thing I fished for during the sum-mer. I had two days this past sum-mer that my clients and I caughtover thirty legal walleye and manydays we had twenty or more. I gotmy biggest Shelbyville walleyethis summer a nice 28-inch eight-pound fish. All caught on the Can-dystriper. We also had four fishtopping in at five pounds that

www.LakeShelbyvilleGuide.com

ble it is lighter so your bait castssmooth without trying to flip endover end.

My experiences down on Ken-tucky Lake caused me to learnhow to fish a jig vertically verydeep and I quickly learned thosefish had no problem with a 1/4oz.jig so my next lure was born. TheDeep Ledge Jig. My partner is aMechanical Engineer and a verygood fisherman as well so togeth-er we came up with a perfectlybalanced jig with deep inset eyesand a small light wire number fourhook. Everyone on Shelbyvillenow loves them. Folks were skep-tical at first so we made three oth-er weights for the non-believers.We have a 3/16oz, 1/8oz, and a3/32oz. and I use them for otherapplications but not in winterwhen the fish are deep.

To love the Deep Ledge Jig youmust first learn the whole process.I use a very stout eight-foot rod.You simply don’t see them instores so I have a buddy of minecustom make them for me. Awimpy rod won’t do. If I get hungup with the heavy jig I simplysnap my rod tip and between thebraided Fireline Crystal line I useand the small number four hookand the stiff rod my jig just popsfree. This and the extra feel youget with the heavier jig makesfishing deep fun.

I have also learned a totally dif-ferent way to work a jig when ver-

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066.qxd 1/24/12 12:33 PM Page 1


you pop you have a half-second tohit them back and wood feels dif-ferent than a pop.

I also use a shorter rod so I canwatch my jig on my LowranceHDS 10. This is also critical; weline up our jigs with suspendedbranches on down trees or right ontop deep brush. Bottom depthmeans nothing because on Shel-byville we might be in fifty feetfishing treetops down just ten-feetunder the surface.

Since the birth of the Candys-triper and the Deep Ledge Jig Ihave sold thousands just this yearand now I have them in Chip’s Ma-rine & D & M Sporting Goods bothin Sullivan and the Atwood Ar-mory located just north of Atwoodas well as my on-line store. I amglad I get great local support ofthese lures and constantly get greatreviews from those that use them.

I am back guiding full time againthis year and presently takingreservations for the upcoming year.I fished 257 days in 2011 and let’smake 2012 even better. So just goto my website at www.LakeShel-byvilleguide.com, check out mynew store and while you are therejoin our fishing forum called Illi-nois Fish Talk. It is loaded with upto date fishing reports, some verygood electronic gurus and I am onthere every day as well.

Attend Seminars by Steve at theTinley Park Show Feb. 11 & 12and the Elmwood Show March 3 &4.

Matt Rocke holding up a 4-man limit of 60 crappie that

were caught on Shelbyville thiswinter. WOW now that’s

some good eatin!

Donate to the USMC SAT Phone Fundwww.FriendsofCentral

IllinoisMarines.comor mail contributions to:

Friends of Central IL MarinesPO Box 14, Lacon, IL 61540

309-696-1105General donations are welcome tohelp support local Marine Families.

BOOK YOUR FISHING TRIP WITH STEVE TODAY!

217-762-7257 Cell: 217-840-1221 LakeShelbyvilleGuide.com

tically fishing. With the heavy jigand the superb feel of the braid Ihold my rod very still and try andbump it into branches then drag itover them because the crappie willjust hammer your jig once it gets tothe other side. I am very good atslightly moving my boat back andforth and getting my clients and Istrikes. I tell them the fish pops

Rep. Wayne Rosenthal IL, 98th DistrictSupports the ISRA, NRA & YOUR RIGHT TO CARRY!

Springfield Office: 242A-W Stratton Office Building

Springfield, IL 62706(217) 782-8071

District Office: 324 North State StreetP.O. Box 38 • Litchfield, IL 62056

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The photofeatured herein January

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067.qxd 1/24/12 12:29 PM Page 1


I am tiredof the flip-flopping ofpoliticians inan effort of togain supportof more vot-ers. I ameven more tired of hearing about thenew medical studies showing that thethings we do or the foods we eat arebad for us. Occasionally a study willflip-flop to say something is actuallygood for us. I like to focus on thosethings good for us that I already en-joy. Coffee, whisky and sex havecome full circle and have now beenshown to be good for us. Now addchocolate to the “good for you” list.

Chocolate is made from plants,which means it contains many of thehealth benefits of dark vegetables.These benefits are from the antioxi-dant flavonoids. An antioxidant pro-

bang for the buck. Look for pure darkchocolate or dark chocolate with nuts,orange peel or other flavorings. Avoidanything with caramel, nougat or oth-er fillings. These fillings are justadding sugar and fat which erasemany of the benefits you get from eat-ing the chocolate. Many people eattheir chocolate with a glass of milkbut milk could prevent the antioxi-dants being absorbed or used by yourbody.

So eating chocolate can improvecholesterol, lower blood pressure, de-crease diabetes risk, lower heart at-tack and stroke risk, decrease depres-sion and improve sexual function.

Stay healthy!Dru Hauter, MD

Industrial Park

“bad Cholesterol”) as much as 10%.Obesity is a worldwide epidemic

and now one out of every 5 people inthe world will develop “MetabolicSyndrome.” Metabolic syndrome is aset of conditions that increases therisk of developing diabetes or heartdisease. These conditions include, el-evated blood pressure, mild centralobesity, elevated cholesterol and mildelevated blood sugar. Chocolate maybe the ideal treatment with metabolicsyndrome as it lowers bad cholesterolas much as 10% and has been shownto reduce the risk of diabetes by 31%.

This information doesn't mean thatyou should eat a pound of chocolate aday. Chocolate is still a high-calorie,high-fat food. Most of the studiesdone used no more than 100 grams, orabout 3.5 ounces, of chocolate a dayto get the benefits. A bar of darkchocolate has around 400 calories. Ifyou eat half a bar of chocolate a day,you must balance those 200 caloriesby eating less of something else. Cutout other sweets or snacks and re-place them with chocolate to keepyour total calories the same. Darkchocolate has far more antioxidantsthan milk or white chocolate. Darkchocolate has 65 percent or higher co-coa content and gives more benefit

tects the body from aging. Darkchocolate contains more antioxidantsthan milk chocolate and nearly 8times the number found in strawber-ries. Flavonoids also help relax bloodvessels and lower blood pressurethrough the production of nitric ox-ide. Chocolate can improve a man’ssexual function by increasing nitricoxide. (Viagra works by increasingnitric oxide.) Chocolate also stimu-lates endorphins which is a hormonethat gives us a feeling of pleasure.Chocolate contains serotonin that cangive a satisfied feeling and the in-crease in serotonin can act as an anti-depressant. Chocolate is energizingand can open up the bronchial tubesof the lungs to ease the work ofbreathing.

Chocolate has some fat but onlyabout one third of the total fat is badfor us. In a 2011 study from Paris bythe European Society of Cardiology,British researchers found that individ-uals who regularly ate chocolate had37% lower risk of heart disease and a29% lower risk of stroke. This studydid not differentiate between, Dark,Milk, or White Chocolate. DarkChocolate has been shown to reduceyour low density lipoprotein (LDL or

THE MEDICALBENEFITS OFCHOCOLATE

by Dru Hauter, MD

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Dru Hauter, MD is an avid sportsmanand Central Illinois native. Dr. Hautergrew up in San Jose, Illinois and hashunted upland game in Logan and Ma-son Counties and waterfowl on the Illi-nois River for the last 40 years. His wife,Marcia, and his children, Emily andBen, help him run Sunny Slope HuntClub and Lodge. Dr. Hauter practicesOccupational Medicine at the IllinoisWork Injury Resource Center (IWIRC)in Peoria, Illinois. He can be reached [email protected]

TOP CA$HFor Fishing Reels • Lures

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068.qxd 1/25/12 6:40 PM Page 1

THE END OF A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL YEAR & ANTICIPATING THE SAME FOR

THE NEXT PLUS 2012 SPECIALSYEAR END REPORT & 2012 FORECAST BY A WORLDCLASS ALASKA OUTFITTER (AH4) 2011 Season Report

The final spring hunter was Art A. a repeat from2010. This time Art brought his wife Charlotte alongto enjoy some riding through the mountains but unfor-tunately, our nasty spring pattern caught us againwith almost 6 days of gray and rain. The good thing wasthe bears finally decided to wake up and we foundnumerous tracks and a few dens and intercepted Art’sbear on their only real day out hunting. Art andCharlotte made the best of it while the rest of us weregetting a little stir crazy.

Dave H. was my first Cape Pierce hunter in about 5 Cont’d. on next pg.


OUTDOOR CONNECTION

By Gerald

A. Sampen

or 6 years. Rick dropped us off at myfavorite beach and we saw seven bears

the first night with a sow and two cubscoming right into camp. I spotted abear from camp about 7:30 the firstmorning and true to form, he lay in

the bushes all day and didn’t show him-self until 9:30 PM. After a mile walk

down the beach to get crosswind, we made ahalf-mile stalk up to the base of the mountain andcaught him coming out of the brush about 10:30. Hedied in a small creek and for the first time, I had totake all 4 legs off to get the beast skinned, which took2-1/2 hours. Carrying him out was the easy part. Rickpicked us up the next day and later on saw a huge trackon the beach near our campsite.

Jason, Lyle and Aaron were back guiding in theBrooks Range and I replaced Gary with Les B., who alsoguides moose and bear for Rick G. out of Dillingham.Jason and Les guided brothers Per (England) and HansB. (Sweden) at the upriver camp. Per finally got agreat ram and Hans took a caribou and bear after I

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moved him over to the Colleen River. Les and Hans hadtried for sheep a few days and made a few stalks butnever got close enough for a shot.

The float hunters on separate trips were BrandonK. (Missouri) with Lyle, and Fred M. (Arizona) withAaron. Brandon took an old, broomed sheep and Fredgot a 40-incher. Brandon also came close to bagging agrizzly. Fred had booked a hunt in the Arctic Refugebut his guide had lost the area. Fortunately for us bothI needed a replacement for a cancellation.

For the 2nd hunt, I took Jason and Les over to the

Colleen and they had an excellent hunt with Miles W.and his son Adam from Chicago. Both father and sontook grizzly and caribou and had no shortage of crit-ters around them.

Lyle floated with Nathan S. from Utah, and on the4th and 5th days he bagged a good sheep and big, malegrizzly. About the same time, Aaron’s hunter, Mark S.(Minn.) got a big sheep close to 40 inches.

Toward the end of August, Thomas A., from Wy,showed up and got a nice grizzly on the 1st day and hiscaribou on the 2nd day. Both he and Jason left the fieldthat same day, definitely early, but satisfied.

Since Aaron had to leave after his 2nd float to guidemoose in so. Alaska. I hired new guide, Julia H., fromHaines, Ak. I met Julia on the Kongakut where she wassuccessful in taking a few sheep hunting with friends.Though she works as a doctor, she told me she wouldlove to guide other female hunters. As luck would haveit, I had booked Patti H. from Neb. so Julia guided herto a nice grizzly and wolf both on the 2nd day. The cari-bou were starting to migrate into my area from the

069.qxd 1/24/12 9:28 PM Page 1


making this another great year!

Forecast 2012 Most Federal Refuge permit holders like me are

working on our prospectuses, due in February 2012for the next 10 year period, which will start in 2014.That makes 2012 and 2013 the last years guaranteedto us. Obviously I am hoping to retain my 3 areas.

Hunting and game populations were excellent thepast season, though we didn’t get a good feeling forthe moose numbers as I pulled out of the Brooks Rangeearlier than normal. The air taxis have agreed to limitthe number of drop offs on both the Colleen andSheenjik Rivers and this should be a healthy thing fornumbers of bull moose.

It seems it was a somewhat tough winter (2010-11) for sheep though the majority of the rams we gotwere 11-13 years old and a fair number of lambsappeared to have survived.

Since most of this last decade was good for sheep,we can assume hunting will remain excellent. A 45-inch sheep was taken by a resident hunter either in myarea or just adjacent. Though we saw fewer bears thannormal in 2010, grizzlies were plentiful this year.

The Porcupine caribou herd was surveyed at170,000 and I’ve heard rumors that Fish and Gamemight push the bag limit up to 2 bulls for non-resi-dents. Because of a difficult survey a few years ago,the limit had been changed to one bull for non-resi-dents and now it appears that may have been unnec-essary. Brown bear numbers appear to be as strong asever in my area. Moose are doing well though non-res-idents are not allowed to hunt them as of yet. The

Bristol BayMy exclusive guide area in SW Alaska (Bristol Bay)

is located in the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge(TNWR). The area covers over 3000 sq. miles. Thecentral section of the TNWR is exclusive to me and Iam limited to 6 brown bear clients per year. TheRefuge is mostly open tundra with alder brush andsome birch along the rivers. Both areas receive largeruns of salmon, which is the main source of food forthe large brown bear population. Although currentlythere is no moose season in the Togiak Refuge, theherd is increasing and a season for nonresidents islikely in the future.

About Bristol Bay OutfittersI am a master professional guide and have guided

in Alaska more than 30 years, hunted Alaska for 40+years and have hunted around the world. I’m a pilotwith over 10,000 hours and 37 years flying experi-ence. In the 'off' season, I’m a commercial fishermanfor salmon, halibut & black cod with my family inBristol Bay.

I am not a high volume outfitter that only takes afew hunters for each species each year to ensure thegreatest opportunity for a successful hunt. Three tofour assistant guides help on the Brooks Range, whichallows me to check on camps in my Super Cub, haulmeat and trophies, as well as the client, out early ifthey desire. Under the U.S. Fish & Wildlife system, Ihave limited myself to no more than 10 sheep huntsper year, booking 6-8. Normally only 3-4 moose and6- 8 grizzly clients per season. I have found this givesus the best chance for a successful, exciting wilder-

O.C. … Cont’d. from previous pg.

Yukon while they were there, and they took a small oneon the 8th day.

Steve K. from Ind. came back again for caribou withhis 2 sons, Chad & Clem, all 3 got their trophies on the4th day.

For the fall brown bear hunt, I decided to float ariver new with Gene R. from Butte, MT. This particulartrip required packing all our stuff about 2/3 mile fromlake to river. Another 1/4 miles pack around a water-fall was also fitted in. We caught some nice rainbows,dollies and silver salmon, but hoped for better num-bers of those. The river was full of big, fat grayling. Thewind, or lack of it, messed us up early on some stalksand Gene finally got a wolf on the 6th day and a bigmale grizz on the 8th and last day of the hunt Jasontook Charles S. (CO) and they got a nice salmon-eater.

On his last hunt, Jason guided Lyle W. to a big bruis-er near their camp. They also got into some wolves thatwere hanging around a moose kill but didn’t connect.My final hunter was John B. from Mich. We had numer-ous bears up close the 1st night and got a nice, oldermale, probably 8.5 feet, just before dark. We had to tieit up to shore overnight and wrestle it part way out thenext day to be able to skin it.

My son Ben and I were very fortunate to be invitedto SD to hunt pheasant and fish for walleye with friendand past client Jeff L., from Yankton. Though numberswere down, 50-80 percent for the birds, we did getour limit of both. Jeff and his son, Jonathan, are plan-ning a sheep, grizzly float trip for next summer. Many Thanks to all our guides & to all of our clients for

Mulchatna caribou herd is still nowhere to be seen. Weare seeing wolves regularly and the health moosenumbers must be the reason.

Most years I would like to take one or 2 spring bearhunts on the beach near Cape Pierce and the bulk ofmy 6 permits will be on the lakes in the fall. I am look-ing forward to another great season and hopefully allmy guides will be returning in 2012.

The Hunting AreasBrooks Range

I have two exclusive guide areas in the NE corner ofthe Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), oftencalled the last great wilderness remaining in No.America. The area is 100 miles by 60 miles. ANWR isexcellent sheep habitat as well as home to healthygrizzly and moose populations. It is also seasonalbackyard for the Porcupine caribou herd. The majorvalleys have thin stands of spruce and willow below2700 foot elevation, above, to 7000 foot peaks,mostly rock and tundra sheep meadows. The sheepinhabit a fairly small home range and the grizzly andmoose move around quite a bit. The caribou are thereal gypsies. They calve on the north slope of theBrooks in June and gradually migrate south and eastduring July, Aug & Sept ending up in Oct mostly in theYukon Territory for the remainder of the winter.

The Brooks Range generally has the best weather inthe state, with temperatures averaging 55F in theearly season, and 40 in the late season. Snow startsat the higher elevations in Sept. A raft hunt forsheep and/or grizzly is very exciting and includesexcellent arctic char fishing.

070.qxd 1/24/12 9:27 PM Page 1


ness experience. In Bristol Bay, I am limited to 6 brown bear clients

per season in my exclusive area of the Togiak NationalWildlife Refuge. We have been close to 100% success-ful the past years. I leave my airplane behind in the fallbecause this is amphib-float plane country, and weutilize the numerous, large lake and river systems.

If clients want to get some world-class fishing induring their hunt, then a float hunt in the ArcticNational Wildlife Refuge or the Togiak National Wildliferefuge is excellent.

Sincerely, John

Now is the time for booking: Ice Fishing, Turkey,Spring Bear, Hog, Argentina Dove Hunting, warmstates & countries hunting & fishing as well as sum-mer fishing, also a great time for polar bear viewing ata lodge we represent at Churchill, Manitoba.(MBH1/MBF5)

SPECIALS: NEW FOR 2012 Big Game COMBO Hunt

Manitoba Monster hunting just got better for2012! Book a Moose hunt in 2012 and get a freeupgrade to a Combo 3 for 1 hunt! That’s right huntMoose, Black Bear and Wolf all for the price of onegreat price!

In late fall the big bruins are out and beefed up fortheir winter hibernation, and wolves are on the prowl,giving you the best chance of the year to harvest all 3species in one great hunt.

Opportunities are limited for 2012, so book earlyand do not miss out on this fantastic opportunity tohunt at the true home of the Manitoba Monsters.

100% success in 2011 & 2010 it does not get bet-ter than that!

If you are looking for a hunt in 2012 and be a partof a select group of Trophy Hunters then call today toreserve you limited COMBO Moose, Bear Wolf hunt tripfor 2012. (MBH5/MBF3)

Argentina Dove Hunt

3 Night/3 Day, 6 Hunts-$1785April 20-23, 2012, other dates available as well.

Dove shooting in Cordoba has no closed season.These challenging, high flying birds produce up to fivebroods per year and do not migrate like other birds,which is why this outfitter has a strong and stable dovepopulation in this area. During the dove hunt guests

a priority on trophybulls and highhunter successrates. Float planeaccess to 1000s ofsq. miles of unhunt-ed Nunavut wilder-ness. The perma-nent camps are comfortable with diesel or propaneheat, running water, showers, home cooked meals,satellite phones and knowledgeable Inuit guides thatknow the animals and the land. 5- day hunts are basedon a maximum of 8 hunters. (NUH1)

Get your pond or lake ready for Winter!

If you are interested in any of the adventures highlighted in this article or in themany other adventures Outdoor Connection of fers, give us a call. These adventures

make great gif ts. Now is time to get your name on the books for 2012 now.

Your Outdoor Connection Agent: Gerald & Jeanne Sampen421 Olive St. • Emden, IL 62635


are accommodated in a private lodge, that hosts up to16 hunters, located within walking distance to thehunting fields.

Package includes deluxe double occupancy lodgingwith private bathrooms, meals (breakfast, lunch anddinner with fine Argentine wines), open bar includingpremium liquors, service of a professional hunter-guide and bird boys, gun cleaning, all ground trans-portation. Hunt does not include airfare to Cordoba,shells, gun rentals, gun permits, dove license and gra-tuities. (AGH1)

Quebec Fishing3 Day, $575 per dayDates open throughout the summerThe Ottawa River is a long winding river that coversover 300 miles. It’s natural beauty and surroundingmountains make it one of nature’s natural beauties. Itis one of the last fisheries with a natural reproducingmusky fishery. Over the years, the Ottawa River hasproduced some of North America’s largest releasedfish, including 3 world-class releases. The Ottawa andthe St. Lawrence have every type of fishing available –from top water fishing to spinner bait fishing. Fishingbegins the 3rd Saturday in June and runs untilNovember 30th. June through August is casting timeand top water fishing in early morning and evenings.September and October is Big Fish and Trophy Time.During this period, the percentage is high to catch abig fatty. For casting you may use your own equip-ment. In the fall, they provide all the equipment, butyou may bring your own if you wish. They release all oftheir fish. They highly recommend graphite mounts.Pictures and video can be taken during your trip.(QBF3)

Nunavut Caribou$5,950 - 2 Caribou Hunt

Aug 31-Sept 4, 2012 - 7 openings

Sept 6-10, 2012 --2 openingsSept 12-16, 2012 - 1 opening

Hunt price does not include $775 charter fee(charter from Churchill to camp), licenses, tags or 5%GST. The little known Nunavut Territory offers some ofthe most prestigious and unique No. American big-game trophy animals. This family has been in businessfor over 30 years in the NWt Territories and Nunavut.Combining this with lifelong hunting/fishing experi-ences and that of their staff, they will treat you to aworld-class arctic adventure. Featuring comfortablepermanent camps for when the caribou cooperate,mobile tented camps, for when they don't. They place

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071.qxd 1/24/12 9:24 PM Page 1


GETTING STARTEDIN RELOADING

Why reload? Economy, betterammo, and more practice are

the most common answers. And it can be fun!

by J.C. MunnellOld reloading fogies like me have a ten-

dency to forget that not all readers arereloaders. We also forget how much confu-sion and trepidation existed when we start-ed. For would-be reloaders, I’ll try to makesense out of what many non-reloaders viewas a black art.

Why reload? Economy, better ammo,and more practice are the most commonanswers.

Economy (although once a moot point)is again becoming paramount. The price ofcomponents, brass, lead, powder andprimers, has skyrocketed in the last fewyears, causing the price of factory ammuni-tion to go up even higher. Some ammuni-tion now retails for over $100 a box and

even the “economical” stuff is $20. Today,more than ever, it pays to reload.

While on the subject, “bargain base-ment” ammunition (not the “white box”stuff put out by the major ammunitioncompanies, but foreign military surplusand non-reloadable junk) is bad stuff to beavoided. A lot of it is unsuitable for targetpractice or hunting.

The argument that a handload can besuperior to factory ammunition is not asvalid as it used to be. “Premium” factoryammunition is as accurate as most hand-loads, and the bullets used in premiumammunition are often the best that can bebought anywhere. Still, for those who wantto hunt predators with a .32 WinchesterSpecial and don’t want to ruin the hide,handloading is the way to go. Or, if youwant a full-metal-jacket load for Pap’s .218Bee, a varmint load for a .270 Winchester,or a wildcat-chambered rifle load or one inan obsolete caliber, well, you get the drift.“Specialty” loads are strictly the handload-ers’ province.

Handloading allows you to practicemore. Cast bullets are fairly inexpensive, asare bulk bullets. When carefully loaded,

rifle brass can be reloaded up to 20 times.Since brass is a major part of the cost of fac-tory ammunition and getting more expen-sive every day, not having to buy brassevery pull of the trigger allows for a lotmore practice.

How to get started reloading? First, buyand read two current reloading manuals,preferably one from a bullet maker and onefrom a powder maker. This gives you two

slightly different perspectives on the sci-ence and art of reloading. Then, talk to afriend or a member of a shooting club andask to watch a reloading session. Mostreloaders will happily spend hours explain-ing what they are doing, and why and howto use each piece of equipment. Use whatyou learned in the manuals to help under-stand what your reloading “mentor” is say-ing, and to hopefully sound intelligentRJB Marine & Gun, Inc.

(formerly Shipman’s)310 Derby St. • Pekin, IL 61554

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All the basic tools – except the press – needed to begin reloading. Thetwo .325 WSM cases on left cost about $10.00 per box of 20, while abox of factory ammunition can be as much as $60.00. The former

can be used many times by a reloader, but the latter only once by a non-reloader.

Roland Rich Ford-Mercury, Inc.Route 122 East • Delavan, IL 61734

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1 9 9 4 J e e p C h e r o ke e 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3 0 0 01 9 9 4 F o r d F 2 5 0 X LT S u p e r c a b 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3 6 0 01 9 9 5 F o r d F 3 5 0 X LT C re w c a b D u l l y 4 x 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6 0 0 01 9 9 6 F o r d F 1 5 0 X LT Re g u l a r c a b 4 x 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2 3 5 01 9 97 F o r d F 1 5 0 X LT Re g u l a r c a b 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 4 9 5 01 9 97 G M C 1 5 0 0 S L E E x t . c a b 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6 5 0 01 9 9 9 F o r d F 1 5 0 X LT Re g c a b 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6 9 8 01 9 9 9 C h e v y 1 5 0 0 S i l v e ra d o LT E x t . c a b 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 8 9 8 01 9 9 9 F o r d F 2 5 0 X LT S u p e r c a b 4 x 4 d i e s e l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6 9 0 02 0 0 0 F o r d F 1 5 0 X LT S u p e r c a b 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 8 3 3 02 0 0 0 F o r d F 2 5 0 Re g c a b 4 x 4 w / S n o w P l o w . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6 9 0 02 0 0 2 C h e v y S 1 0 C re w c a b 4 x 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 79 5 02 0 0 2 D o d g e R a m 2 5 0 0 Re g c a b 4 x 4 g a s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6 9 0 02 0 0 2 G M C 2 5 0 0 H D C re w c a b 4 x 4 g a s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 1 4 , 5 5 02 0 0 3 F o r d F 2 5 0 L a r i a t S u p e r c a b 4 x 4 d i e s e l . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 1 5 , 9 3 02 0 0 3 F o r d F 2 5 0 X LT S u p e r c a b 4 x 4 w / T o pp e r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 9 9 8 0

LARGE INVENTORY OF LATE MODEL TRUCKS & SPORT UTILITIES!

072.qxd 1/25/12 9:10 PM Page 1


when asking questions. Acquire the knowl-edge first; the equipment comes later.

Hornady, Lee, Lyman, RCBS andRedding all make “starter kits” with thebasic equipment needed to get started. It’swise to purchase one of these kits. The indi-vidual tools that comprise the kits are basicitems that will give you many years of solidwork. I personally like the Hornady andRCBS starter packages.

Basic equipment needs are: press, dies,shell holder, powder scale and case lube.Basic components are brass (new or firedfrom your gun), the bullet you would liketo use, primers and at least one can of suit-able powder. That’s it – that’s all you need.There are other items you’ll likely want asyou obtain experience, but this is all youneed to get started.

A simple, single-stage basic “C” or “O”-type press will be suitable for most reload-ing. After 40 years, I still use my originalsingle-stage press for 75 percent of myreloading. The press in a basic starter kit isjust fine.

Any major die manufacturer producesfine reloading dies. I suggest beginningwith a full-length die set, which will consistof a sizing die and a seating die for bottle-neck cases and a third “expander” die forstraight-walled cases. Although “benchrest” dies are nice, they are not necessary

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can be sprayed on or put on with fingers, orthe cases can be rolled across a lubed inkpad. Whichever method you use, lubricatesparingly or the cases will become hydrauli-cally dented. For all I know, the first bottle-necked case I ever tried to size—withoutlube—is still stuck in the die. Stuck casetool kits are available, but I didn’t know itback then.

As to components, first study the manu-als you bought. Consider the cartridge yourgun is chambered for and obtain the correctcases. Also, keep in mind the size of the ani-mal you are likely to be hunting and, if it’sa predator, whether or not you want to savethe hide. Consult a reloading manual to seewhat loads it recommends. Some books,such as Lyman’s, list an “accuracy load”and a “factory duplication load,” which canbe a big help. Primers are either standard ormagnum and are made in both small andlarge size, both for pistols and rifles. Usethe one suggested by the manual.

That’s it. Basic reloading can be verydetailed or very simple, depending uponyour requirements. The most importantitem needed is the consistent application ofbrainpower. Use caution, common senseand work on increasing your knowledgefirst, and you’ll do just fine. Given today’shigh cost of ammo, your initial cost willsoon pay for itself.

until your reloading skills are ratheradvanced and your gun is capable of consis-tent sub1-inch groups at 100 yards.

You need a shell holder designed to fitthe rim of the particular round you’re goingto reload. Several cases can share the sameshell holder. Often, shell holders areincluded with the die set, but be sure thatthe shell holders you buy will fit in yourpress.

A powder scale is essential. A single bal-ance-beam scale is slow, but completely suf-ficient. Electronic scales are more costly,but easier and quicker. Whichever you get,be sure it is placed on a level surface and ina draft-free area.

I don’t believe a powder measure is need-ed, especially at first. There are two basictypes available—bench or press-mountedand electronic. Both are time-savers, butnot vital to get started. Later, you canupgrade.

Even if your press has priming capabili-ties, buy a handheld primer tool. Hornady,RCBS and Lee make simple, efficient andinexpensive tools, often included in thestarting kit.

The final piece of equipment is vital.Some method of lubricating each casebefore even partially neck-sizing in any full-length sizing die is mandatory. Without it,you will soon stick a case in a die. The lube

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suspect your dog is suffering fromhypothermia, warm the dog slowly.

Fortunately, everyone does nothave to deal with ice or extreme coldon a regular basis. Each region of thecountry, however, has somethingbesides errant gunfire that adds anelement of danger or discomfort toyour retriever's health and well being.Here is a look at additional perils thatyour retriever may encounter.

SKUNKS There's a double threatat hand when it comes to skunks.First, the horrible, lingering odor thatthey inflict when they spray a dog—or a person, for that matter. Thenthere's the issue of rabies. Scientistsagree that skunks are among the pri-mary rabies carriers throughout thenation. If your dog gets bit by askunk, you may have a major prob-lem.

On the odoriferous side, forgetabout the old tomato juice bath. Thatdoes not work. Instead, get a largebucket of water and add one quart of3 percent hydrogen peroxide, one-quarter cup of baking soda, and oneteaspoon of liquid dish soap. Rinseoff the dog before working this solu-tion deep into its coat. Leave the solu-

RETRIEVERS: HAZARDS AFIELD

Retrievers may confrontany number of potentially

dangerous situations

By Gary KoehlerDuring the late season, the most

likely hazard your retriever mayencounter is ice. Ice can be lifethreatening. Veteran trainers and han-dlers take no chances. If they are notcompletely sure that the dog will besafe, the retriever is not sent. Simpleas that.

Pulling a struggling dog from ahole in the ice can be a nearly impos-sible task. Drowning is a very realconcern. But so are canine hypother-mia and frostbite. Dogs unsteady ontheir feet while traversing ice are alsoat risk of hip injuries and ligamentdamage.

Dog vests are a sound investmentfor cold-weather hunts. These gar-ments not only help keep a dogwarm, but also protect against iceshards that could cause cuts. If you


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tion on for five to 10 minutes. Besure to wear rubber gloves whenapplying this fumigator, and be care-ful not to allow the liquid cleaner toget into your dog's eyes, ears, ormouth. Rinse the dog again. Certainparts of the dog's body may need arepeat application to get rid of thesmell completely. Dispose of thesolution in an appropriate manner.And do not store any of this mix in asealed container. The contents willbecome pressurized and mayexplode.

PORCUPINES If your retrievergets stuck with a large number ofquills, or if some of the quills arenear the dog's eyes, mouth, or in its

ears, you would be well advised tovisit a veterinarian for assistance.Removing quills yourself is risky, asmissed quills could migrate insideyour dog's body and cause infectionsand other complications. Try to keepyour dog from rubbing its face whileen route to the vet's office. If not,quills could break, making extractionall the more difficult.

Be careful out there.

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074.qxd 1/24/12 10:38 PM Page 1


PREVENTION IS THEBEST POLICY

Over the last two months, we havebeen discussing hip dysplasia andarthritis of the hips. We have dis-cussed the treatments and the differ-ences between dysplasia and arthritis.In this month’s article we will coversome of the prevention strategies forboth of these conditions. As we haveall heard, prevention is the best poli-cy, and this holds true for hip dyspla-sia and arthritis also.

The first place to start is with ge-netics, and doing our homework be-fore we ever pick out our new dog.Most breeders should be able to pro-vide information about the history ofboth the dam and the sire. Hopefully,they should be able to provide breedrecords as well from both sides. Aslong as both pedigrees are relativelyfree and clear of any known issues,this should provide us with quite a bitof confidence. The chances of havingissues, primarily with dysplasiashould be greatly reduced, but notcompletely eliminated. Part of the in-formation that should be providedwould be both parents’ OFA certifica-tion. This certification is done off ofradiographs when the dog is approxi-

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mately twoyears old.These radiographs are then evaluatedby independent radiologists to give anestimate of the quality of the dog’ships. Research has been shown thatthese evaluations help reduce the inci-dence of dysplasia in puppies withparents that have good results. Aneven better test is the Penn Hip certi-fication.

The next area to focus on is withnutrition. This area has gained quite abit of attention over the last severalyears. The research shows us thatproper nutrition can do wonders inpreventing problems from ever hap-pening. As we know most all of ourhunting dogs are larger breed dogs.The research shows that if we use thelarge breed puppy diets, we willgreatly reduce the incidence of arthri-tis and other growth problems, suchas OCD. These specialized diets low-er the protein level, but increase theprotein quality so that we get goodmuscle growth but don’t have exces-sive protein that gets converted to en-ergy and then fat in the dog. Or theprotein needs to be processed by thedog to excrete it. These diets alsohave a lower energy (carbohydrate)level to avoid unnecessary weightgain. They also have a lower calciumpercentage. Extra calcium above

active all year long and not just dur-ing the hunting season. Activityburns calories and helps to preventweight gain, but it also keeps the dogin good physical shape. Just by keep-ing the dog in good shape helps tomaintain muscle strength and mass.This goes a long ways in helping tomaintain healthy joints. Secondly,we need to feed a diet that is relative-ly restricted in calories to help pre-vent packing on the pounds. This isespecially true if your dog has beenspayed or neutered. Not only do weneed to pick a good diet, we need toportion control how much is beingfed. The best way to do this is byfeeding meals. Often times, we seeowners putting out food free choice.If given to the dog, it will be eaten.This of course leads to weight gain.Measure out with a measuring cup ateach meal how much the dog shouldbe getting. Once it is gone, then thatis all they get to eat.

As you can see, there are severalthings that can be done to try and pre-vent problems before they ever start.As mentioned in previous articles,there are things that can be done onceproblems come up, but again preven-tion is the best medicine.

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what the puppy needs has beenshown to cause some issues with thebones. Even with these diets, wewant to make sure that the puppydoes not become overweight. Pre-venting the puppy from getting fat isfar better that trying to get that addi-tional weight off later on.

The next area of focus is after thepuppy stage. By far and away, the ab-solutely most critical thing to do isavoid weight gain. There is verygood data out there that shows that ifwe maintain an ideal weight andgrowth pattern while a puppy andkeep them in their ideal body condi-tion that we can prolong their lifespan and have a higher quality life.In fact, one study showed dogs thatwere fed this way from birth on livedtwo years longer than their littermatesand had fewer medical and orthope-dic problems. As I stated in the firstarticle, one of the things we see alltoo often is a dog that is overweighthaving some sort of orthopedic prob-lem. If this weight gain had been pre-vented in the beginning, we may nothave had an orthopedic issue.

We can prevent this weight by fo-cusing on two areas nutrition and ex-ercise. We need to keep these dogs

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that each dog had to complete. On average a testmay take the dog 5 minutes to complete. They mustsit, watch the birds be shot and upon commandretrieve them. At times there may be up to 6 birdsthe dog must retrieve. Dogs have to have the abili-ty/desire to retrieve through all types of terrain like:

hills/valleys, change in ground cover, from no coverto sage grass, obstacles such as fallen trees in thewater.

As you can imagine, not each group finished its193 dogs in one day. So here is where the little bit ofluck comes in. The first two days of the event it was50 degrees and periodically raining. The rest of theweek was sunny and 65 degrees. So if the weather

WITH A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK…

By Paul LanceWith anything there has to be a little bit of luck on

your side. It may be running a race, competing in agame or even running dogs in an AKC MasterNational Hunt Test.

That luck can be related to the type of weatherconditions, like a bright sunny day, the wind direc-tion/speed, the condition of you as a handler or theability to sit on a duck blind bucket and to be able toget up out of a layout blind to handle the dog. Thishas to do with the condition of the dog; are they inshape, the level of training, even the attitude anddesire the dog has to do the job.

This year at the AKC Hunt Test Master National forRetrievers, Lance Kennels had that little bit of luckthat was needed at the right time. This year’s eventwas held near Cambridge Maryland.

Of the 735 qualified dogs, the 561 participatingdogs were broken into 3 groups for a week of judging.Dogs are judged on their ability to retrieve ducks orpheasants that they see being shot; retrieveducks/pheasants that they don’t see being shot, aredirected through hand signals to retrieve and theirability to sit/honor near other working dogs.

There were 5 duck/pheasant hunting scenarios

conditions were favorable, wind blowing across thefield and your dog ran down wind of the bird, theywould find it quickly. Now with these changing condi-tions the test could change for the rest of the dogsonce the weather changes.

Another factor to take into consideration in thisevent is they start testing the dogs around 7:30a.m. If the test is set up facing the south, manytimes there is a period of time when the sun is shin-ing in the face of the dog & handler. I am sure manyof you hunters have faced this problem and nextthing you know the birds have landed in your decoys.Or you see the birds coming in and when it is time toshoot, guess what? The sun is right in your eyes. Soyou let the flock pass, the sun moves and the nextflock that comes in you shoot a few. Well that allsounds good however due to the time frame andnumber of dogs that needed to be tested the judgesdon’t halt the test for “sunshine in the eyes”. Sothere may be about 20 dogs that have to deal withthis condition, some succeed and others don’t. So alot has to do with the time of day you and your dog aretested.

Lance Kennels was able to deal with these condi-tions and qualified 6 out of 8 dogs. In this game,dogs are given a qualifying score; there is no 1st or2nd place. Many of these dogs are experiencedretrievers that have been to this event in past years.Two of the dogs earned the Master National Huntertitle; meaning they have qualified at 3 of theseevents. Lance’s Da You Wanna Dance, MH owned byGeorge Anne Daly of Rochester IL and Metis Pchit ofBuckshot owned by Paul & Dee Lance. Another 2 dogs

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076.qxd 1/24/12 10:58 PM Page 1

received their second qualifying, Dutch Hollow C ZarAugustus, MH owned by George Anne Daly and HRCHCur-San’s Sacagawea Sage, MH owned by BethTrudel of Neshkoro WI. An additional 2 dogs receivedtheir first qualification, Meadowmere’s Lex, MHowned by David & Nancy Corkum of Dunnellon FL andHR/Ch Anubis Treasured Bettis, MH owned by BethTrudel. Of these dogs there were four Labradors, 2 of

tions, here is the biggest example of having a littlebit of luck on your side, having a dog that is willing totrain and work as a team with the handler.Lance Kennels is located in Wisconsin &

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which are show bred. It is not common to have showbred retrievers succeed in this game at this level.The other two qualifiers were Chesapeake Bayretrievers.

Along with the dogs that Lance Kennels handledduring the event, the following dog owners/handlersthat make up the training group also received a qual-ifying score:

Renloz Chey, MH owned by Tom Zoellner of RiponWI

Aero-Jett Garden Party Kate, MH, CDX, RA ownedby Carol Reed of El Paso IL Candlewoods PattonPending, MH owned by Kyle Morgan of Mayville WI

Marsh & Glen’s Tasmanian Devil, MH owned by EdWojciechowski of Monticello FL

In addition to having favorable hunting condi-

Bettis owned by Beth Trudel of Neshkoro, Wisconsin

Kate owned by Carol Reed of El Paso, Illinois

077.qxd 1/24/12 10:55 PM Page 1


Ryan Falmier/David Lingle Memorial Youth Hunt

ASO Reader Shares HuntingFun in Southern Illinois:Mike McIntyre of Peoria

Last summer my 11 year old grandsonAndy Heinz from Benton IL took hishunter safety course down in Mariontaught by Tom Horn. This hunting sea-son was Andy's first year to use his owngun. After the course testing was com-pleted, names were drawn for either aguided youth dove and or goose/duckhunt. Andy got drawn for thegoose/duck hunt along with six otheryoungsters.

The hunt Andy was going to be onwas scheduled early in the season butwas canceled and re-scheduled to a laterdate because of a lack of geese and ducksdown south. So the hunt was finally setfor Sat. Dec. 17th and I made the trip tosouthern Illinois so I could participate

given away. The ten kids all received camo jac-

kets, hats, camo gun cases box of shells. TimGrounds donated a call bag loaded with

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after hitting the buffet line a coupletimes an introductory meeting was heldand then prize drawings for all the kidswith items from all the sponsors were

with my grandson. We attended a pre-hunt meeting in

Marion the night before the hunt. Weall met at the Sizzlin Steakhouse and

078.qxd 1/24/12 11:21 PM Page 1


cool stuff like a beanie skull cap, lanyard,and one of Tim’s excellent duck calls andmuch more for each of the kids. DennisDunn, Dunn’s Sporting Goods in Mari-on donated a box of shells for each of thekids. Special thanks to Ron Doering ofThe Hunt Club in Percy for hostingmany kids over the years. The biggestprize awarded was the HUNTING EX-PERIENCE and friendship shown by allinvolved in putting the event together.

The next morning we all met andAndy was one of three kids that were as-signed to be in the pit with TimGrounds and another guide, namedMitch. Well, because everything wasflooded in the area for miles around withall the recent rain, nothing was flying.Tim and the other guide were able topull a couple speckle bellies out of asmall bunch, they worked and worked toget the pair down and a goose was final-

ly shot. Thanks to Tim & Mitch’s excel-lent calling abilities for getting a goosewithin range for a shot!

This is the 6th year Falmier’s HuntingClub has hosted the youth hunt. Every-one gathered at the club after the hunt toclean the birds, share stories, food & en-joy a big bonfire. My grandson had agood time as did the other kids there,but it wasn’t just the shoot, it was theopportunity to be involved with this

great group of people. Max Falmier, his family and friends all

want to send out a big thank you to TomHorn & the Crab Orchard WildlifeRefuge for helping to put this youthhunt together. Tom has been a pillar inthe hunting community all of his life andhas helped many young folks get intohunting. Folks like Tom encourage andsupport the hunting tradition to contin-ue.

079.qxd 1/24/12 11:17 PM Page 1


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Bill Langan & CJ (out of retirement) with another

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Rocky hanging out in the blindcovered in snow, but waiting for

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Dr. Jim Lucas with a Canada & speckled goose shot at

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Greg Peterson from Galva witha couple of geese shot at

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080.qxd 1/24/12 11:37 PM Page 1

January 2012 ADVENTURE SPORTS OUTDOORS “THE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN” 81

species — they were scarce to non-exis-tent in the North Carolina high countrywhere I was raised. Today they are, asmy Grandpa Joe used to say about some-thing that was ordinary or plentiful,“common as pig tracks.”

On the other hand, when it comes towaterfowl, with the notable exceptionsof domestic Canadas and snow geese,calling back yesteryear truly does take usto the “good old days.” As the title of aninteresting and entertaining book on thesubject by Ed Muderlak puts it, that wasa time “When Ducks Were Plenty.”What follows is a short journey, throughthe medium of armchair adventure,down darkening avenues into a delight-ful world we have largely lost. Ourguides are some of the great chroniclersof waterfowling’s glory days — men whoknew the magic of untold thousands ofwhistling wings at dawn and the joy of

sound conservation.Mr. Buck was a prolific writer, pro-

ducing hundreds of magazine pieces overthe course of his long career. While someof these are now available only throughthe pages of forgotten, dust-laden maga-zines, many of them formed the basis forhis books. These include “De ShootinestGent’man,” “Mark Right,” “TatteredCoat,” “Game Bag,” “Old Miss,” “BloodLines” and “Hallowed Years.” All havebeen reprinted multiple times andremain comparatively easy to find (inex-pensively) on the out-of-print market.Buckingham knew how to weave a talewith rare verve, and to read of his greatdouble-barrel Bert Becker magnum, “BoWhoop;” to hear the exploits of hisfaithful boat poler and sidekick, Ho’ace;or to join him for the first flights of mal-lards on a blustery winter day in storieswith memorable titles such as “Recall to

vast bevies of ducks silhouetted againstthe rosy dusk of a December day as theyflew to roost.

Nash BuckinghamTake, for example, one of the finest

outdoor writers America has produced,the legendary Nash Buckingham. “Mr.Buck,” as he was widely known, spentalmost his entire life in the Americanheartland of the Mississippi Flyway, andto read his tales of duck hunting at hisbeloved Beaver Dam Hunt Club is toknow vicarious waterfowling at its best.To his credit, Buckingham was one ofthe first to realize the problems beingwrought by overshooting, market hunt-ing, habitat destruction, overly liberalseasons and limits, and the like. Heacknowledged his own culpability in astory entitled “The Prodigal Years,” andhe deserves credit for being one of thestaunch proponents of strict limits and

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Those Were the Days

by Jim CasadaWhen you’ve gathered decoys in the

darkness of the season’s last day, turn tothese pages for some armchair adventure.

One of the most prevalent and wide-spread of human tendencies, particularlyas we age, is to harken back to the “goodold days.” In many cases, even in sport,those times in yesteryear were actually farless appealing than the current situation.Take, for example, the sagas of theAmerican wild turkey or the white-taileddeer. As a boy growing up in the 1950s,I had no opportunity to hunt either

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Van Campen HeilnerIf one were to select the single most in-

fluential book on American waterfowling,Van Campen Heilner’s “A Book on DuckShooting” would certainly be a leadingcandidate. In fact, its only serious compe-tition would be George Bird Grinnell’s“American Duck Shooting,” a book whichHeilner’s work largely superseded. Al-though he wrote several books on saltwaterangling, this was his only volume on wa-terfowling. Heilner loved the solitude ofthe duck blind, the sweet sounds of ducksflying by before dawn brought light to thesky, and the biting winds and slate hori-zons of a howling nor’easter. When hewrites of miscellaneous waterfowlingmemories, he says his mind “goes back toendless wind-swept Autumn days, to thehowl of wind and the beat of rain, to icelocked estuaries, to geese flighting in to thefields at dawning, to the whisper of wingsover some pond at sunset, to a thousandand one days and nights in near lands andfar.” Yet Heilner evokes more than sightsand sounds. From a more practical stand-point, you will search in vain for a finergeneral primer carrying you from Alberta’sgrain fields to Mexico’s salt marshes andembracing all the vast waterfowling para-dise in between. Then too, there’s theadded bonus of wonderful art work by theincomparable Lynn Bogue Hunt anddozens of photographs.

Eugene Connett And ColleaguesIf Van Campen Heilner’s book stands in

a class by itself, Eugene Connett must bereckoned the single most important figurein the literature of waterfowling when onelooks at him as an author, editor and pub-lisher. As the scion of the famed DerrydalePress, he published books by great water-fowling writers such as Buckingham,Roland Clark, Joel Barber, Lynn BogueHunt, Horatio Bigelow, and others. Hewas also a prolific author in his own right,but for present purposes it was his editingand compiling of two massive anthologies,“Wildfowling in the Mississippi Flyway”and “Ducks Along the Atlantic Tidewa-ter.” The contributors to these two booksread like a who’s-who of writers at the timethe two books were published (in the late

elaborate blindsand ornate de-coy spreads.Rutledge’s sto-ries are scatteredthrough scoresof books, almostall of them nowquite scarce, butyou can get

something of the measureof the man in one of sev-eral anthologies I havedone on him, “Huntingand Home in the South-ern Heartland.”

Gordon MacQuarrieWhen it comes to flat-

out entertainment mixedwith a solid undercurrentof information, perhapsno one rivals the water-fowling writings of Gor-don MacQuarrie. Thisstaunch son of the upperMidwest is often ac-claimed as America’s firstfull-time outdoor writerfor a newspaper (the Mil-waukee Journal). Thatmay or may not be thecase, but certainly the arti-cles he wrote on water-fowling for the major na-tional magazines of hisday place him well to theforefront of our reveredwaterfowling writers.Most of these were anthol-ogized in a trilogy com-piled and edited by ZackTaylor and published un-der the titles “Stories ofthe Old Duck Hunters,”“More Stories of the OldDuck Hunters” and “LastStories of the Old DuckHunters.” Taylor was alsothe editor of another an-thology, this one not lim-ited to waterfowl but in-cluding several duck-hunting stories, “Mac-Quarrie Miscellany.” Alsoof note for any seriousMacQuarrie fan (and ifyou haven’t read his stuff,you have a treat awaitingyou) is Keith Crowley’sbiography, “Gordon Mac-Quarrie: The Story of anOld Duck Hunter.”

Eden,” “Opportunity Flies but Once,” or“Great Day in the Morning” is vicarioussport at its best.

Archibald RutledgeA contemporary of Buckingham’s was

perhaps the most prolific sporting scribe ofthe 20th century, Archibald Rutledge.

“Old Flintlock,” as Rutledge’s family styledhim, wrote about a whole host of huntingsubjects and is probably best rememberedfor his stories of deer and turkey. Yet hiswaterfowling stories, which take us back toa simple time when paddling ’em up oreven walking creeks for jump-shootingwere commonplace, are written in a warmand winsome way which reminds us thatthe sport can be one of simplicity instead of

DAYS… Cont’d. from previous pg.

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1940s). You won’t find the same memo-rable and moving passages provided bysome of the others mentioned here, butfor a general picture of duck and goosehunting as they were in the middle of the20th century, you can do no better.One of Connett’s stable of authors who

published under the Derrydale Pressimprint was Roland Clark. He is todaybest remembered as a great wildlifeartist, but he was also splendid when itcame to capturing the ethos of water-fowling’s appeal. His books, “StrayShots” and “Gunner’s Dawn,” are right-ly recognized as classics, and when hewrites of his “thoughts moving with thewind” or “feeling the icy spray as itdrives across my sinkbox,” you feel as ifyou are at Clark’s side.

Robert RuarkThe waterfowl-related stories of the

individual I personally consider thegreatest of all American outdoor writers,Robert Ruark, shouldn’t be overlooked.The scope of Ruark’s coverage in hisenduring tales of a wonderful youthspent on the North Carolina Coast,“The Old Man and the Boy” and “TheOld Man’s Boy Grows Older,” rangewidely, but as is the case withBuckingham, his duck- and goose-hunt-ing experiences stand well to the fore-front.

The Duck-Stamp Dog The amazing story of KingBuck, a champion retriever

and the only dog ever featuredon a federal duck stamp.

by Keith Sutton King Buck, a black Labrador retriever,

was the only dog ever featured on a federalduck stamp. He appeared on the 1959stamp in a watercolor painting by MaynardReece, the most prolific duck-stamp artistof all time. This is Buck’s story.

In 1959, Reece learned officials with theFederal Duck Stamp Competition wereencouraging artists to enter designs featur-ing a retrieving dog. The government feltthis would emphasize the dog’s role inretrieving wounded or dead ducks thatwould otherwise be lost.

It had been eight years since Reece won

his second duck-stamp competition. Hewanted to try again. While doing research,he stopped at Nilo Kennels near Brighton,IL, and there he found the ideal subject —a retired hunting dog named King Buck.

King Buck was born with seven litter-mates in Iowa on April 3, 1948. All thepups were sold that fall, with one malegoing to Robert Howard of Omaha, Iowa

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In his story “You Got to be Crazy tobe a Duck Hunter” (and who would dis-agree?), Ruark goes right to the heart ofmatters when he describes freezing feet,ears on fire with cold, and half-frozendroplets hanging from his nose, thensays “I was never happier in my life.” Hethen quotes the Old Man (his maternalgrandfather) on their status at themoment: “Just look at the pair of us.Froze stiff, probably going to die ofpneumonia, wet, muddy and miserable,and both of us grinning at each otherlike Chessy cats. We’re crazy as loons,but then you got to be a little crazy to bea duck hunter.”

Or consider his description of goinggoose hunting by himself, carrying a pairof double-barrels, and knocking fourhonkers from the heavens. “I couldn’tbegin to describe the emotions. Whenyou’ve got four dead Canada geese onthe ground at once, you don’t knowwhich one to pick up first. I ran fromone to the other like a nervous old lady.The guns, I thought, had a new dignity,because I had never met anybody whohad killed four Canada geese in onesalvo. It was as if I had shot four ele-phants.”

There are other writers of note — lotsof them. William Bruette, HerbertGardner, William Barber Haynes, AlbertHochbaum, Ray Holland, KipFarrington and Bert Claflin, among oth-ers, come to mind. So when you’ve gath-ered decoys in the darkness of the sea-son’s last day, when roseate hues haveturned to black and another annual cycleof waterfowling is at an end, turn tothese pages for some armchair adventureand join some grand old gunners for aliterary reminder that those truly werethe days.


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The 1959 federal duck stamp byartist Maynard Reece, featuring

King Buck of Nilo Kennels.

083.qxd 1/25/12 12:47 AM Page 1


edge of Buck’s potential that caused him tosell because he couldn’t afford to run thedog in top-flight trials and give Buck a realchance to prove himself. Before he was 2years old, King Buck had won a first, twoseconds and several third places in variousMidwestern field trials. He still had wilddays, however. Just after his third birthday,for example, Buck was running an open all-age stake at Lincoln, Nebraska. A triple-mark retrieve was set up, and Buck toreover most of the field for each bird pickedup. After the trial, a judge told Howard,“That dog is nothing but a runner and willnever amount to anything. If you’re smart,you’ll get rid of him.”

That sterling bit of advice plagued thejudge ever after. It’s doubtful some dogmen in the Corn Belt circuit ever will for-get it.

Two weeks after that trial, Buck won theopen at Eagle, WI, displaying a breathtak-ing ability to “take a line.” One well-known trainer later remarked that if KingBuck had “taken a line” to England, theAtlantic cable could have been laid alonghis course.

Buck’s instinct for retrieving soon caughtthe eye of John Olin, developer of Win-chester’s Super-X Shotshell and founder ofNilo Farms and Kennels at Brighton, IL.Olin was dedicated to the sport of duckhunting and was looking for good retriev-

ers to stock his new kennel.Grunwald already had refused several of-

fers for Buck, including one for $5,000,quite an appreciation from the $50 paid foran ailing pup. But when Olin topped thetop offer by a satisfactory amount, Grun-wald accepted. In June 1951, the dog wasdelivered to T.W. “Cotton” Pershall, man-ager of Nilo Kennels.

The dog had an uncanny insight intocompetition, as Pershall described:

“He seemed to have some power ofknowing when the competition was reallyrough, and he always came through. Hewasn’t a big Lab, but he had great style. Al-ways quiet and well-behaved, not excitable

for $50. Unfortunately, the pup caught dis-temper. Howard took it into his home andplaced it in a basket by a furnace.

The little retriever showed no improve-ment. Howard was advised to put himdown. For a month, the pup was too sick tostand. No one understood how he man-aged to live.

Mrs. Howard tended to the puppy, andher loving attention finally turned the bat-tle.

“One night I went downstairs to have alook at him,” Robert Howard said, “and hemanaged to stand in his basket and greetme. I knew he was going to make it.”

Acting on the optimistic hunch that theconvalescing puppy might someday rankhigh in his class, Howard named him“King Buck.” At the time, it was a hopefulidea. No one knew it was a prophecy.

When he reached 18 months, Buck be-gan his first real field hunting. He talliedsome impressive early victories in field tri-als but still lacked a champion’s polish. Hemarked so poorly at times, Howard sus-pected bad eyesight caused by the distem-per. But Buck continued improving andplaced in several more derbies.

Howard sold Buck to Byron “Bing”Grunwald of Omaha for $500 in Decem-ber 1949. He said it was growing knowl-

nor flashy. He just went steadily aheadwith his job, series after series, whether onland or water.”

Under Cotton’s expert hand, the matur-ing King Buck realized his potential. Inspring 1951, the Lab won a first, two sec-onds and a third. That fall he took anotherfirst, a third and a fourth, and completed10 of 11 series of the 1951 NationalChampionship Stake, placing high amongthe nation’s top retrievers. He made a slowstart in 1952 with a first and a third inspring. In autumn, however, he won a first,second and a fourth.

In November 1952, Buck was entered inthe “National” at Weldon Springs, MO.And, as always, Buck bore down when itcounted. He obeyed superbly, respondedsharply to commands and made direct, per-fect retrieves. Right down to the final test,when he completed the tenth series with a225-yard water retrieve, he performed likea champion. He had never been sharper.At the beginning of the trial, King Buckhad just been another dog in the pack.Three days later, he was officially the bestretriever in the nation.

Soon after the trophy was awarded, Olinand his dog left the well-wishers and head-ed for Arkansas. Olin wanted to see if Buckcould perform as well in flooded timber ashe did in front of a gallery. As it turned out,the dog could and did.

DOG… Cont’d. from previous pg.

Famous trainer Cotton Pershall sending King Buck to a

fallen bird. Pershall worked tirelessly to develop strong assetsin Buck, like the dogs ability to“take a line” without wavering.

084.qxd 1/25/12 12:45 AM Page 1

trait of perhaps the greatest duck dog ofthem all: King Buck. That was the winningentry. The 1959 duck stamp was a paintingof old Buck with a mallard drake in hismouth, set against a backdrop of flaringducks. It was the first time a dog ever ap-peared on a United States stamp.

Whitening about the muzzle, King Buckruled Nilo Kennels for over a decade. Ingood weather, he sunned himself on thelawn or walked with slow dignity throughthe big exercise yard with other dogs racingabout him.

When Buck was almost 14 years old, hishealth began failing. He died on March 28,1962, and was interred in a small cryptnear the entrance of his home, Nilo Ken-nels. A statue of him stands over his grave,a monument to one of the greatest duckdogs that ever lived.


When Olin and his dog arrived inStuttgart, “The Duck Hunting Capital ofThe World,” the National Duck CallingChampionship was just ending. Buck re-ceived a booming ovation by hundreds ofthe nation’s finest waterfowlers when hewas introduced as the new national cham-pion.

John Olin walked into Stuttgart’s Rice-land Hotel that evening with Buck at heel.Buck was the center of attention and wasoffered champagne in his silver trophybowl. A champion athlete in training, hesensibly abstained. Olin poured out thechampagne and filled the bowl with water,and after Buck had quenched his thirst, thebowl was refilled with champagne andpassed through the guests as a communaltoast to the great dog.

One man refused the toast, saying “I’ll

not drink from that bowl after a dog hasused it!” At that time and place, the remarkshowed a signal lack of discretion. UnderOlin’s withering glare, the guest was askedto leave the festivities and seek more anti-septic surroundings. For a moment, therewas a possibility he might find such a germ-free climate in the local emergency ward.

The next day, Buck was taken to floodedtimber for his first adventure with wildducks, and he came typically to life. Theducks were plentiful and working well,King Buck was the only dog in the party,and he did all the retrieving for several gun-ners. He handled the wild mallards as effi-ciently and cleanly as field-trial birds, re-sponding sharply to commands and takingobvious pleasure in his work.

Of King Buck, Olin said: “He was one ofthe finest wild duck retrievers I have everseen. In spite of his intense field trial train-ing, he loved natural hunting. He used hishead in the wild, just as in field trials. Thatfirst wild duck shoot was his day, everyminute of it, and he made the most of it.He was beautiful to watch.”

During the drive to Stuttgart, as Bucklay on the front seat beside Olin, the tireddog rested his dog his head on his master’sleg — the first real affection he ever showedtoward the man. It was that moment, afterBuck’s first duck hunt, that sealed a bondbetween Olin and King Buck.

That night, Buck didn’t sleep on thefloor of Olin’s hotel room; he jumped upon the foot of his master’s bed and spentthe night in style. And it’s said that duringthe long years of field-trial campaigns,whenever Buck and Olin were on the roadtogether, it was always the same. Where themaster slept, the dog slept.

A steady performance won King Buckthe title of the nation’s finest field-trial re-triever again in 1953. He remained activein field trials for four years after that, stillcompeting fiercely with younger dogs andestablished champions. As late as 1957,when he was 9 years old, he not only qual-ified for the National Championship Stakebut also completed 11 series out of 12 inthe National and nearly won another title.During his years, he finished 83 nationalseries out of a possible 85. To this day, noother retriever has ever completed morethan 62 successive national series.

King Buck’s royal name was finally givenits due in 1959. That year, the federal duckstamp commemorated the work of retriev-ers and their contribution to waterfowlconservation. And Maynard Reece, the fa-mous Iowa wildlife artist whose work hadalready appeared on two duck stamps,came to Nilo and painted a watercolor por-

King Buck and John Olin withsome of the Lab’s many trophies

King Buck was an extraordinary retriever, always showing championship form…

Olin atKing

Buck’sGrave

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years—it has stood the test of timeand proven itself. Established in ourconstitution, the four commissioners,balanced by party with staggeredterms, have provided the broad-base,inclusive oversight that our state nat-ural resources require, and that repre-sents all citizens extremely well."

DU and other hunting, angling andconservation groups in Missouri wor-ry that this switch from the "forest"perspective to that of the "trees" willnegatively impact the commission'sability to sort out conservation issuesacross the state.

"One just needs to look at ourneighboring states to see the prob-lems and issues from regional repre-sentation," LaRue said. "That systempits portions of a state against eachother, creating division and fragmen-tation—that's something our preciousresources do not need."

DU Regional Vice President andState Public Policy Chair Jim Talbertrepresented Ducks Unlimited alongwith LaRue. They are among themany DU staff and volunteers speak-ing out against SJR 27 and seeking tomaintain the Missouri ConservationCommission's existing structure forthe next 75 years to come.

www.Ducks.org

Central Kane County DU DinnerFriday, March 2nd6:00 PM - 11:30 PM Riverside Receptions, 35 North River Lane, GenevaPhil Eggen, 630-232-0629

Sangchris DU Annual BanquetSaturday, March 3rd5:00 PM - 10:30 PM Kincaid American Legion, KincaidGalen Johnson, 217-725-3154

Bartonville DU BanquetSaturday, March 3rd 4:00 PM - 9:30 PM Bartonville American Legion, BartonvilleTony Galletti , (309) 369 - 8733

Kewanee DU BanquetSaturday, March 3rd5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Kewanee American Legion, KewaneeRod Johnson , (815) 853 - 8769

Rend Lake DU Annual BanquetSaturday, March 10th5:00 PM - 10:00 PM Holiday Inn, Mt. Vernon Gordon Ellis , (618) 242 - 7494

Cordova Gun Bash Saturday, March 31st 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Cordova Civic Center, CordovaTom Tomlinson, (309) 523 - 2626

1st Annual McHenry Fox Flyway Thursday, February 16th6:00 PM - 11:30 PM D'Andrea Banquet Hall 4419 Northwest Hwy, Crystal LakeBrian Diedrich, 815-355-0803Gordon Rudd, 847-871-7439

Chester DU Annual BanquetSaturday, February 18th5:30 PM - 10:00 PM St. Johns Lutheran Church Gym, Chester Randy Campbell, 618-826-4777

Illinois DU State ConventionSaturday, February 18th6:30 AM - 10:00 PM Par-A-Dice Hotel, East PeoriaJanet Holland, 618-226-3555

Sauk Valley DU BanquetSaturday, February 25th4:30 PM - 9:00 PM Dixon Knights Of Columbus Hall, DixonBob Slain, 815-440-0531

Northshore DU - 4th Annual BanquetThursday, March 1st6:00 PM - 11:30 PM Kenilworth Club 410 Kenilworth Ave., KenilworthJoe Boehm, 847-736-4252Scott Martin, Chapter Chairman, 312-961-2908

DU, ConservationPartners Oppose

Changes To SuccessfulConservation System

In Missouri While Ducks Unlimited looks for-

ward to its 75th anniversary later thismonth, another organization with 75years of conservation success is fac-ing some major structural changesthat could negatively influence its ef-fectiveness: the Missouri Conserva-tion Commission.

Historically, the commission hasbeen run by four commissioners,each representing the entire state. ButSenate Joint Resolution 27, intro-duced by Sen. Munzlinger on Dec. 1,would add four more commissionersand assign each to represent one ofMissouri's eight regions mapped outin 2011.

In his testimony on behalf of DucksUnlimited, Director of Fundraisingand Volunteer Relations Troy LaRueremarked on the success of the exist-ing commission. "The structure of[the Missouri Department of Conser-vation] and its commission hasworked extremely well for 75

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The Importance of a Daily F ishing Log

by Brian BartonAs sportsmen sometimes our memories, es-

pecially long term are not as accurate as wesometimes think they are. Depending on the daywe are having on the lake, our catches cansometimes be exaggerated or reduced in ourmines. For instance, if I have a had a long andstressful week at work prior to a fishing trip,even a moderate day on the water produces asweet memory just for the fact the timing of thetrip provides much needed relaxation. Becauseof this and the fact I want to provide the mostfactual information possible in my area lake re-ports and to my clients I started keeping a dailyjournal several years ago.

A journal can be a simple as some notes writ-ten on a piece of paper, or as detailed as someof the ones sold at retail outlets and bookstores.Some anglers now create spreadsheets on theirPC to actually trend fishing data that they col-lect. As for me, I simply typed a sheet with somebasic information and then photocopy and keepin a three ring binder. Today I am briefly going tolist the information I track and provide a briefexplanation as to why.

The first piece of information I record is thedate I’m fishing and the times I am on the water.

There are certain areas where I fish that there isa definite morning and evening bite and this al-lows me to track the best times to fish each lo-cation. Secondly, I record the location I am fish-ing. Not just the lake or river, but specific sites,water depths, any related underwater struc-tures, etc. In this category I also list my fishingpartner(s) for that day. There have been times apartner may remember specifics about the tripthat you have forgotten or did not log.

Thirdly, I list the water temperatures and airtemperatures for the site I am fishing. I recordboth air and water temperatures when I startthe day and when I finish my fishing. Many pat-terns can be derived from comparing the activi-ty periods of the fish with either the rising orfalling of the temperature.

Other environmental factors I track are wind(direction and speed), barometric pressure,dew point, humidity, and sky conditions. Nowthis is where things get interesting. You may bethinking how can the dew point or humidity ef-fect fishing? Alone I’m not positive they do, butwhen tracked with other factors sometimes theydo. A case in point, in April 2006 I fished threestraight days under very stable weather condi-tions; there was very little barometric move-ment, temperatures were steady, and windswere south southwest all three days. The onevariable that did change throughout the day washumidity. The humidity started each morning at25 to 30%. By early afternoon it reached ashigh as 70%.

We started out fishing for catfish on the bot-tom in 40 to 50 feet of water and the fish weretight to the bottom. By watching our electronicsand moving our baits up in the water column wefound that the fish positioned themselves 5 to10 feet of the bottom as the humidity began torise. Whether it was actually the humidity rais-ing that brought the fish up or some other factorI’m not sure, but by logging the humidity dataalong with other factors I now know where tostart searching under similar conditions with arising humidity.

For catfisherman like myself, a detailed lureor bait log is not that important. I use skipjackherring or shad for 90% of my fishing. It is im-portant to note bait size, fresh or soured, etc.For bass, crappie, and other sport fish anglersthis is very important. Years ago, when I crappiefished regularly I always made notes on the col-or(s) used, type of lure(s), and specific presen-tations for that day. By tracking water claritywith the colors that you caught fish on a partic-ular outing it will help you eliminate guess workin the future. It’s also a good idea to make noteof the size and type of lure you caught the fishon.

On Wilson Lake, in North Alabama, local bassfisherman start the early spring with 3 & 4 inchplastic offerings until the surface temperaturereaches the low 60’s then most go to 6 or 7 inchofferings. By mid summer when water tempsreach the 80 degree mark many anglers startcasting 10 & 12 inch plastics. This is another


situation where tracking your lures along withenvironmental conditions over a period of timewill eliminate a lot of guesswork and trail anderror.

Lastly, I like to record the number of eachspecies of fish I catch each trip. As I stated ear-lier our memories are not always accurate interms of how good or bad a day was. Whensomeone says, “we really tore’em up today” I al-ways wonder if they caught a limit or just caughta few and really enjoyed their day on the water.Keeping a record of your catch will also let yousee trends for when you need to plan vacationtime or just go fishing.

On my local reservoirs the crappie spawn oc-curs in about a two week period when the sur-face temperature reaches about 64 degrees. Byrecording new data, and studying my journalsfrom years past, I can usually hit the spawn atthe right time and get fish for the freezer in afew trips. If you are not keeping a journal of yourhunting and fishing trips you are truly missingout. When you sit down and review your notesit’s like a video comes on in your head of tripspast. Some of my best moments come when I flipthrough the pages and read of a deer hunt withmy father who is no longer here, or read a notewhere my son caught a big fish when he wasyounger. A journal is truly like having a highlightreel of days gone by.

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monitored by Mercury Marine. Afterwarranty work has been completed,Mercury sends out a Service CSI sur-vey to the consumer, asking him orher to rate the service received. To beeligible for the Service CSI Award, adealer must maintain a score of 90 orbetter out of 100 in the Service CSIsurvey. These surveys ask consumersto rate their overall service satisfac-tion with the dealership, rate their sat-

isfaction with the Service Advisor atthe dealership, and also indicate ifthey would re-visit the dealershipagain in the future.

Tracking Service CSI scores is away Mercury evaluates the effective-ness of its individual dealers and ofits own policies and training pro-grams. Dealerships that score high inMercury’s Service CSI surveys arerecognized through the awards pro-gram.

Congratulations to Hennepin Ma-rine for being the only Illinois deal-er to win this award every year it hasbeen available 6 years, and is 1 of 18dealers in North America to win itall 6 years. So customers know theywill receive great service after thesale.

Mark your calendars to attendHennepin Marine’s Open HouseMarch 2, 3 & 4. Find great savingsthroughout the store on new &used boats. Get special financingrates for customers during openhouse. Enjoy food & refreshmentsplus over 40 boats on display in theheated showroom. Located rightby the Illinois River at 112 EastHigh ST in Hennepin. 815-925-7216, www.HennepinMarine.com

HennepinMarine

AwardedMercuryMarine ServiceAward

Mercury Marine presented Hen-nepin Marine of Hennepin, Illinois itsprestigious Service Customer Satis-faction Index (CSI) Award for 2011.

Mercury Marine’s Service CSI Pro-gram measures the satisfaction ofconsumers after having service workdone on their Mercury outboard orMerCruiser Sterndrive or inboard.Hennepin Marine won the Service

BOAT COVERS NOW AVAILABLE!

• Bimini Tops• Mooring Travel Covers• Full Enclosures• Camo Fabric Available

Peoria Awning Company509 NE Adams • Peoria, IL 61603

(309) 674-1128www.PeoriaAwning.com

CUSTOM DESIGN COVERS & REPAIRS

See you at theIllinois Fish &Feather Show!

Bloomington, ILJan. 27-29, 2012

Congrats to Maureen Smith, ofPeoria for shooting her first deer

at 6:45 a.m. on opening morning of the first firearm

season in Fulton Co. Great job!

WOW what a catch! Tom Smith,of Peoria, caught &

RELEASED this 8 lb. bass at aKnox Co. strip pit last summer.Might be a fish of a lifetime!

Thanks to the Smith’s for sharingtheir trophies with ASO friend &sponsor Pat Sullivan who sent it

right over to us!Visit the best place to eat &

party in Peoria…Kelleher’s IrishPub & Eatery on Water St.

Great food, drinks & atmosphere!

[email protected]

088.qxd 1/26/12 12:40 AM Page 1


ArArea 52 • Mackinaw Riverea 52 • Mackinaw River • Canoe Rental• Canoe RentalPick up & Drop off available.

Can accommodate large groups. Call: (309) 359-5252 Fish Species For The Mackinaw River: The Mackinaw River is home to

66 species of fish, 31 kinds of mussels, and 9 species of crayfish.. The fishing is said to be good on the river and a creel

survey will likely yield catches of smallmouth, white and rock bass, channel catfish, drum, and suckers.

Reed’Reed’s Canoe s Canoe TTrips •rips • Kankakee RiverKankakee RiverCanoes & Kayaks, Canoes & Kayaks, TTrips rips

Available 7 days a week!Can accommodate large groups.Call: (815) 932-2663

Fish species for Kankakee: Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, Northern Pike, Rock Bass,

Smallmouth Bass, Walleye. Kankakee River State Park is located along the river northwest of Kankakee & is a

tributary of the Illinois River.

Larson’Larson’s Landing Outfitters • Kishwaukee Rivers Landing Outfitters • Kishwaukee RiverCanoes & KayaksCanoes & Kayaks

Pick up & Drop off available, On-site rustic camping, catered box lunches, Can accommodate large groups. Call: (815) 505-3466

Fish Species For Kishwaukee: Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp,Large Mouth Bass, Northern Pike. The Kishwaukee River, sometimes locally known as simply "The Kish", is famous for its high number of

bridges that cross within its 100-year floodplain.

TT.J’.J’s Canoe Rental •s Canoe Rental • Rock RiverRock River • Canoe & Kayaks• Canoe & KayaksPick up & Drop off available, Can accommodate large groups.

Call: (815) 732-4516Fish Species For Rock River: Black Bullhead, Black Crappie,

Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Nassau Grouper, Sauger,

Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Warmouth, White Bass, White CrappieThis area is an excellent spot for channel catfish, the most

abundant species in the river. Northern pike also are taken with early spring, being the best time to catch them. Northern reaches

of the stream are best for this species, especially below dams and where tributaries enter.

Canoeingthe Riversof Illinois

Canoeing the Rivers of Missouri

Huzzah Huzzah VValley Resoralley ResorttHuzzah RiverHuzzah River

Canoes, rafts, kayaks, & intertubes. 2 & 1/2 miles of

River frontage camping on site as well as lodging. Great

smallmouth bass fishing & scenic trail rides. 1-800-367-4516 Steelville, MO

Harvey’Harvey’ss Alley SpringAlley SpringJacks Fork RiverJacks Fork RiverCanoes, rafts, kayaks, camping & lodging available, Can accommodate large groups. 1-888-96-FLOATThe Jacks Fork offers 67 species of fish (including several species of gamefish such as chain pickerel, shadow bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and warmouth), 19 species of mussels and 5 species of crayfish for anglers. Eminence, MO

Harvey’Harvey’ss Alley Spring • CurrAlley Spring • Current Riverent RiverCanoes, rafts, kayaks, camping & lodging available,

Can accommodate large groups. 1-888-96-FLOAT. Inthe Current, there are 17 fish species, 10 species of

mussels; 4 species of amphibian, 5 species of crayfish, 7 species of insects, and 1 snail species.

The most prominent game fish species within the watershed include the brown trout,

chain pickerel, grass pickerel, largemouth bass, rainbow

trout, shadow bass, smallmouth bass,

walleye, and warmouth. The Current River

isn't like any other trout

stream in the state. Dry fly fishing

can also be excellent

on the Current.

TTrading Post rading Post Pigeon RiverPigeon River,,Canoe Canoe Kayak & Kayak & CampgrCampgroundoundMongo, INLg groups, camping & lodging, transportation available. Trout season opens Apr. 28Fish sepecies: Rainbow Trout, Brown trout, sm mouth bass, lg mouth bass , Northern pike, blue gill, rock bass.

089.qxd 1/25/12 9:50 PM Page 1


you must possess a special exotic ani-mal license from the state to purchasethe animal.

In Jan 2011 the state of Illinoispassed a law making it illegal to ownprimates, Lemurs & certain Exoticanimals. Unfortunately the massmajority of voters did not know aboutthis so therefore they did not have thechance to vote. Even many of thepeople who posses these speciallicenses didn’t know about this. Hereis what I found when researching thisnew law…

Effective at the beginning of 2011,a ban has been placed in Illinois onowning chimps, monkeys, gorillasand orangutans. Primate owners whowere licensed before the law wentinto effect can keep their pets, but nonew ones can be purchased legally.

Monkeys used for therapy or help-ing disabled people are exempt fromthe new law. “As cute and cuddly asmonkeys can be people should nothave them as pets,” What legislatorwas referring to are attacks made bymonkeys on their owners. It doesn’thappen often, but the damage can besevere.

Some people say that pet monkeyshelp with health issues. For example,

Paws, Claws& Exotics Too

By Terri SweckardThe Tibbs

Family nearP e k i nIllinois hasr e c e n t l yopened avery uniquepet store.Located onRt. 9 justpast Tremont

as you travel west, is where you willfind one the most unique type of petstores. Steve & Connie Tibbs openedtheir store in Nov 2011. It continuesto grow each month with new addi-tions. They are also a full servicePurinea Dealer and have food for alltypes of animals, pets as well as agri-cultural.

The Tibbs have had a love of ani-mals their whole lives. It all startedwhen Steve purchased a Monkey forhis wife Connie for her birthday. She

fell in love with it and has since pur-chased a total of five Macaques.They also have two Servals and twoMarmosets. Since my last visit to thestore they have increased their vari-ety of exotic pets. They now havetwo Canadian Lynx, a Kinkajou, anda Lemur. They continue to add totheir collection of unique animalsthat they sell & share with their visi-tors.

They are registered dog breedersand licensed pet owners. In Illinois itis illegal for you to own a primatewithout a special license. Althoughthey have some Primates for sale,

a woman who suffers from an anxietyproblem says with a small monkeyaround her constantly, her bloodpressure is lower, and she has fewerpanic attacks. The monkey recog-nizes them starting before she does.

Capuchin monkeys are often usedwith quadriplegics to help them get abeverage, or any other item they can’treach for themselves. The firstcapuchin helper monkey was trainedand placed with a paralyzed person in1979. Monkey Helpers still trainsmonkeys to help people with healthproblems that require assistance. Youcan watch a video about the MonkeyCollege.

Even service monkeys, however,can and do bite their owners once ina while. In March a man was bittenby his monkey after he accidentallystepped on its tail. Perhaps the mostwell known primate incident in thelast several years was the attack on awoman by an adult chimp that disfig-ured her face and nearly killed her. Now with that being said, I alsofound some other interesting infor-mation.

In 2010 there were 34 fatal dogattacks in the USA. More than350,000 dog bite victims are seen inemergency rooms every year.Approximately 800,000 victimsreceive some form of medical atten-tion annually. Based on data collect-ed in the USA between 2001 and2003, the CDC concluded that therewere 4.5 million dog bite victims per

Welcome ALL Pet Lovers!Puppies • Kittens

Small MammalsBirds • Fish • Reptiles

We are the new Dealer in Town!

19764 IL Rte. 9 • Pekin, IL

(309) 925-3111Hours: Tues. 12-6

Wed.-Fri. 11-7 • Sat. 10-6Sun. 12-6 • Closed Mon.

www.pawsclawsandexotics.weebly.com

WILDLIFE TAXIDERMYWilbur Yoder, Owner

Offering the FINEST in Professional TaxidermyBig Game • Birds • Fish • Small Game

583 N CR 250 E. • Arthur, IL (3.5 miles So. of Garret)

(217) 543-3866

090.qxd 1/25/12 8:13 PM Page 1


year.Seems to me that like anything, you

have to take responsibility for the an-imal you own whether it’s a primate,a dog or any other animal. Peoplecan be killed when thrown off a horseas well. Regardless, what is done isdone, the law has been passed.Thanks to the Tibbs we can still enjoywatching these animals when visitingtheir store.

Notice the poster I took a picture ofwhen visiting their store. Animalslike this run the risk of going extinct.I agree that not just anyone shouldown an animal of this nature, howev-er if people like theTibbs family arewilling to learn & care for these ani-

mals then they should have the rightto. We all can benefit from familiesand organizations to help preventthese animals from going extinct.

In Illinois you can own a Kinkajou,prairie dog and with a permit even afox.

There will be some exciting newadditions to this store in the comingmonths. The Tibbs plan to open anoutside petting Zoo in the late spring.Complete with Goats, Alpaca’s, PotBellied Pigs, Miniature Horses, &Horses. They will even have horserides for the children to enjoy. On oc-casion they will offer the chance toget your photo taken with baby bearcubs & baby tigers.

They plan to get involved morewith horses and even hope to havehorse training, tack auctions and offera full dog grooming and training fa-

cility.I am excited to enjoy all that Paws

Claws & Exotics Too has to offer thepublic. Thank you Tibbs family foropening this unique pet store & shar-ing your exotics with us. I encourageall of you to help support this store.

They have Purina food for justabout any animal you need to feed.Please make Paws, Claws, & Exoticsyour one stop for Purina pet & live-

stock food & supplies. It takes a lot to keep a store like this

open. We all need to support thisbusiness then families will be able tocontinue enjoying the benefits ofhaving this type of store in our com-munity. If you haven’t had a chanceto visit, it is a must for you and yourfamily. The kids will love it!

PRIME TIME DATES: MAR. 11 - MAY 24

3 NIGHTS (3 FISHING DAYS)$249 PER PERSON

(minimum 2 people)

4 NIGHTS (3 FISHING DAYS)$274 PER PERSON

(minimum 2 people)

FEB-AUG-NOV SPECIAL!

Terri

091.qxd 1/25/12 8:08 PM Page 1


ILLINOIS NATIVENAMED TOPHEASANTS FOREVER'S NATIONALBOARD OF

DIRECTORSSachs excited for

National Pheasant Fest& Quail Classic 2012

in Kansas City February 17, 18 & 19

Pheasants Forever and Quail Foreverannounce Leonard Sachs of Peoria, Illi-nois, as the newest member to the orga-nization's national board of directors.The 18-member board meets quarterlyand oversees the operations of PheasantsForever and Quail Forever, the nation'slargest upland conservation organization.

Originally from the suburbs of Chica-go, Illinois, Sachs grew up with an ap-preciation of the outdoors, but it wasn’tuntil he completed his studies at theUniversity of Illinois College of Law andtook a job in central Illinois that he wasable to fully dedicate his free time to theoutdoors and conservation. That dedica-tion eventually led to his nominationand selection as a Pheasants Forever andQuail Forever national board member infall of 2011.

“I am humbled to serve on the nation-

al board of directors for Pheasants Forev-er and Quail Forever,” Sachs said, “Sinceattending my first Pheasants Foreverbanquet nearly 10 years ago, I have al-ways been struck by the passion thatPheasants Forever and Quail Forevermembers convey, as well as the organiza-tion’s grassroots model. The PheasantsForever board and staff are the most gift-ed, talented, committed group of peoplein the conservation community, and Iam looking forward to working withthem and our partners to make an im-pact for future generations. Given thisteam’s enthusiasm and creativity, I re-main confident that our best days are yetto come.”

“We are honored and thrilled to haveMr. Sachs as the newest member of thePheasants Forever Board,” says BruceHertzke, Chairperson of Pheasants For-ever’s National Board of Directors, “Hebrings a wealth of talent and passion toour midst that will make our organiza-tion an even greater presence in the con-servation community.”

A true conservationist, Sachs, throughhis local conservation club, recently ini-tiated a project in partnership withPheasants Forever and the DNR to con-vert his farm in Knox County, Illinois,into a showcase example of what is possi-ble through active conservation manage-ment and participation. When he is notpracticing labor and employment law atHoward & Howard, Sachs can be foundvolunteering with a number of differentnonprofit organizations, including serv-ing on the board of the Heart of IllinoisUnited Way and the Central IllinoisChapter of the American Red Cross, allin an effort to give back to his commu-nity.

Illinois is home to 44 Pheasants For-ever chapters, 19 Quail Forever chaptersand over 10,000 Pheasants Foreverand/or Quail Forever members. Formore information, please contact RehanNana, Pheasants Forever and Quail For-ever Public Relation Specialist, at (651)209-4973 / Email Rehan.

Pheasants Forever, including its quailconservation division, Quail Forever, isthe nation's largest nonprofit organiza-tion dedicated to upland habitat conser-vation. Pheasants Forever and QuailForever have more than 130,000 mem-bers and 700 local chapters across theUnited States and Canada. Chapters areempowered to determine how 100 per-cent of their locally raised conservationfunds are spent - the only national con-servation organization that operatesthrough this truly grassroots structure

Dealer for…

Miller’s Art & Gift GalleryMiller’s Art & Gift Gallery1532 N. 8th St. • Pekin, IL • (309) 347-7571

Open 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tues. – Sat. (Call for an Appointment)

UP TO 50% SAVINGS ON FRAMED PRINTS…BIG SELECTION! UP TO 50% SAVINGS ON FRAMED PRINTS…BIG SELECTION! NEW Rose Mary Mi l l e t t ’ s Works Just Arr ived ! ! !NEW Rose Mary Mi l l e t t ’ s Works Just Arr ived ! ! !

Terry Redlin’sNewest Print

“MorningShores” Beautiful Decoys!

Rose Mary Millett’s“Sitting Pretty” &“Rustic Outlook”

Deer Creek American Legion Post 1276

Feb 3Pork Chop Dinner & Jer Dog

Comedy. Dinner 6pm-7:30 Show 8 p.m. $20 for dinner

& show, $15 at the door for show only

Feb 5 Breakfast 6:30-10:30 a.m. Super Bowl Party 2 p.m.

Feb 11, 12 & 26 Turkey Shoot starts at 11am

Feb 18Steak Fry 5pm-8pm

$15/plateNew Roll Out 3 Band at 8 pm

31956 AMERICAN LEGION RDMACKINAW

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093.qxd 1/25/12 6:15 AM Page 1


“If you are going to fish, fish where the fish ARE…Fish Louisiana”

COME FISH BEAUTIFUL LOUISIANA WATERSwww.fishlcba.com

“Because who you fish with is as important as where you fish”

“If you are going to fish, fish where the fish ARE…Fish Louisiana”

COME FISH BEAUTIFUL LOUISIANA WATERSwww.fishlcba.com

The Louisiana Coast is vibrant and alive…Fish are plentiful and our guides are ready to take you or help you any way that we can.

CHOOSE FROM ANY OF OUR LIST OF CHARTER BOATS COVERING THE

ENTIRE LOUISIANA COAST!The Louisiana Coast is by far the best saltwater fishing destination in the US.

Find the most liberal catch limits on the Gulf Coast. Blue water action available just miles off our coast.

YEAR ROUND fishing due to our semitropical weather.

“Because who you fish with is as important as where you fish”

Fish forspeckled trout,

flounder & red fish

Inshorefishing

charters are closerto shore

in bays &estuaries.

Off Shore Chartersfish for 100’s of species…

Travel up to 150

miles out

in the Gulf.

Keith Graham owner of Graham Outdoor Adventures in Carlinville, Illinois and his son DerekGraham with two trophy bucks taken in fall 2011. They are team members of White Knuckle Productions. Quinn Reiker is also a team member. They produced a TV show of Derek taking

this magnificent buck in the field for White Knuckle Productions. Keith took this beautiful buck with a bow on Dec. 23, 2011 at 4:50 p.m. at 12 yards on the edge of a field.

Congratulations to Keith and Derek for taking these fabulous trophy bucks!

Keith will take you hunting or fishing for just about anything!217-854-9394 • [email protected]

www.grahamoutdooradventures.com

Father&

Son2011

ArcheryKills

KeithDerek

094.qxd 1/26/12 9:16 PM Page 1


WOWWOWAdventure Sports Outdoors' Exclusive Section For Women...

Taking The Outdoors By Storm!

Women’s Outdoor WorldWomen’s Outdoor World

LADIES! Send Your Photos to: Email: [email protected]

Mail: 1408 Downing Ct., Tremont, IL 61568

Hamm’s TavernHome to Generations of Hunters & Fishermen

Located on Rt. 100Near Anderson Lake Conservation Area

Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner! 7 Days a Week • Open 12noon on Sun.

New Owners: Donnie Hamm & Geno Saal

Call: 309-759-4100

Great Family Fun... In The Heart Of The Qzarks • Enjoy Tent or RV Camping, or stay in

some of our lodging • We have 2 1/2 miles frontage on the River • Float the crystal clear Huzzah River

(Canoes, Rafts, Kayaks or Innertubes) • Great Smallmouth Bass fishing! • Scenic Trailrides, Horsedrawn Hayrides

970 E. Hwy 8 • Steelville, MO 655651-800-367-4516 • 573-786-8412

www.huzzahvalley.com

Congrats Rademacker Sisters!(left) Gabrielle Rademacker, 13 years old,

got her first deer, a button buck during October 8th Youth Season in Tazewell County.

She made an 80 yard heart shot. using a 20 gauge H & R Ultra Slug Gun! NICE SHOT!

(right) Gracie Rademacker, 9 years old, shot her first deeron opening day of shot gun season. The 9 point buck

was taken in Tazewell County on November 18th with herdad Kevin. She made a 71 yard heart shot using a 20 gauge H & R Ultra Slug Gun. NAILED HIM!Jerry Payne of Timber Wings & Waters Taxidermy

is mounting her buck.

Thanks to proud parents Mindy & Kevin from Green Valley for sharing the girls’ trophies with ASO.

They process their own deer and will have a freezer full for the year!

Thanks to ASO sponsor Derek Vestal of City Coal & Asphalt in Pekin for sharing ASO’s email address with the girl’s mom, Mindy so she

could send us these awesome photos!

095.qxd 1/25/12 10:47 PM Page 1


shoe for the after outdoor hours. CamoFormal calls this heel the "Celine.” It’s asnow lace synthetic with 3 1/4” heel. Itcomes with 4 Multi-Colored Scarves andlooks great with jeans or any Camo formaldress. All their dresses can be seen in BradPaisley’s video Camouflage.

It’s no secret that Rage Outdoors makesmy favorite PINK turkey hunting broad-head. This year they introduce the mostlethal broadhead to ever hit the market:The Rage X-Treme with a 2.3-inch cuttingdiameter, the sweeping blade angle on the

Extra, extra, read all about it...For those who don’t get the opportunity

to attend the early shows to see what is newfor 2012, I thought I would put togethermy line-up of creative must have productsfor my fellow huntresses.

The Ladyhawk from Irish Setter hasbeen my boot of choice for years. They arebuilt on a shadow trek sole with a 1000gram Thinsulate®. The Ladyhawk has alowered calf height to accommodate awoman’s leg, smaller heel volume, properarches and lighter over all weight. It’s myboot of choice during hunting season.

by Keli Van Cleave

new X-Treme maintains kinetic energylonger and penetrates deeper than any oth-er blade. You will see it produce a larger en-try and exit wounds for even better bloodtrails.

This new broadhead is uniquely de-signed with a single-bevel blade that im-proves bone- and tissue-cutting perform-ance on even the toughest of prey. For de-pendable blade containment and deploy-ment at all times, the Rage X-Treme hasbeen designed with the newly patentedShock Collar. This new design will ensurethat your blades will remain in place untilthat ultimate moment of truth.

Limbsaver’s new innovative FletchPodmakes my list of must have products forthis season. The unique FletchPod easilysnaps onto your arrow and protects yourBohning vanes from the common bending,tearing, creasing, crushing, and curling. It’sa simple snap-on installation to protectyour arrow fletches. The new FletchPod isdesigned to be universal and fits a widerange of arrow shafts and fletching sizes.

• STREAM LINE DESIGN.• DOES NOT OBSTRUCT

YOUR LINE OF SIGHT.• SECURE FIT ON ANY HAT.• HANDS-FREE• SHOCKPROOF• LIGHTWEIGHT• ULTRA BRIGHT

www.MasterVisionLight.com1-877-LED-NRIT(533-6748)

PinkOutdoors.comPinkOutdoors.com

In the heart of historic Menard County,IL, RiverBank Lodge offers a unique andmemorable lodging experience. Locatedon the southern edge of Petersburg, Illi-nois, on the banks of the Sangamon Riv-er. We are very close to Abraham Lin-coln’s New Salem State Historic Site, aswell as the Jim Edgar Panther CreekState Fish & Wildlife Preserve.

RiverBank Lodge522 S. 6th St. • Petersburg, IL

[email protected] 866-459-3040

(217) 632-0202

www.riverbanklodge.com

This yearIrish Setter adds thenew SnowHound insulated boots to theirextensive line of cold weather boots forhunters, ice anglers, and snowmobile rid-ers. SnowHound Pac Boots feature a10mm removable felt liner, 400 grams ofThinsulate® insulation surrounding thefoot and a thermoplastic rubber shell. Thisshould be a very warm boot in our coldColorado months.

Camo Formal has my next must have

RIFLES – SHOTGUNS – P ISTRIFLES – SHOTGUNS – P IST OLS OLS BUYBUY – SELL– SELL – SPECIAL– SPECIAL ORDER ORDER –– CONSIGNMENTSCONSIGNMENTS

Cleaning • Scope Mounting • Bore Sighting Gun Bluing • Repairs • FOID Cards

Tues – Fri. 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. • Sat. 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.Owners: Jeff & Cody Bookers • 520 N. 7th St. • Riverton, IL

Office: 217-629-7449 • Jeff: 217-836-7498 • Cody: 217-816-7419

Keli relaxing with her Irish Setter Ladyhawk Boots off

096.qxd 1/25/12 11:09 PM Page 1


PEPSI SUPPORTS WOMEN IN THE OUTDOORS!

Meatsaws • Grinders • Stuffers • Freezer PaperJerky & Summer Sausage Seasonings • Casings

Anything & Everything for Home Deer ProcessingWE HAVE IT IN ALL STORE LOCATIONS!

ILLINOIS: Macomb, Monmouth, Canton, Galesburg, KewaneeIOWA: West Burlington

WWW.FARMKING.COMSHOP NOW AT:

www.BuckGirl.com

“BUCK GIRL offers camouflage clothingdesigned for women BY WOMEN!”

• Designed with a woman's body in mind, the pants do not come up to your chin and the shirt doesn't fit like a potato sack.

• Finally great-fitting comfortable 100% camouflage from Buck Girl!

• Shirts available in XS - XXL; Pants sized 0/2 - 12/14.

• Pink stitching along the shirt and pant seams gives a little Buck Girl touch!

Check out all of our great new products and get yourself oryour loved ones the best women's camo on the market!

Check us out on Facebook!www.facebook.com/BuckGirlsCheck us out on Facebook!

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(.25” - .35” diameter arrow shafts and .55”fletch height and 4.2” fletch length.)Besides being another cutting edge productfrom Limbsaver for 2012, they are offeredin a beautiful transparent PINK.

Another Limbsaver creation for 2012 isthe Broadhead Pod. This new product willeliminate any catastrophic sting collisionwhile carried in a case as well as protectagainst any accidental broadhead injuries.This lightweight simple product will fitmost 3-blade fixed broadheads. Limbsaverwill offer an expandable pod soon.

Alpen Optics specializes in binoculars,spotting scopes, rifle scopes and accessoriesoffering some of the best value in theindustry today. However, they are offeringsomething very valuable to the consumerfor 2012. A No Questions Asked, NoFault, No Problem Product Warranty. Nostore receipt is required. Customers cansimply contact Alpen to receive a returnnumber and then send the product toAlpen for repair or replacement free ofcharge.

Contact Keli at: [email protected] www.PinkOutdoors.comwww.kelivancleave.com

Congratulations toAbby Kammeyer, age 9

of Manito who tookthis 8 point buck the2nd day of shotgun

season in BrownCounty. Shot at 65

yards with a 20 gauge.Abby’s been huntingfor 2 years and this isher 2nd buck. Way togo! Thanks to proudgrandparents Pete &Karen Jacobson for

sharing Abby’s trophy!Congrats to Kelly

Buschschulte, 11 ofPinckneyville for

taking this button buckin Williamson Co. on10/9 while huntingwith Grandpa Rod

Starkweather. This isKelly’s 2nd year

hunting & she justloves it! Thanks togood friend Kim

Moore & ASO sponsorMann & Son SportingGoods for the photo!

097.qxd 1/25/12 11:42 PM Page 1


[email protected]

For a Free Catalog, Call: 217-376-3873

Gerald & Jeanne Sampen421 Olive St.

Emden, IL 62635

RENEGADE CATFISHINGExperience Missouri Extreme Catfishing…

BOOK YOUR TRIP

TODAY!!!Ed SchneiderWaverly, MO

(660) 641-3682 [email protected]

www.renegadecatfishing.com

Anita Williams & Randy KasalSHE HUNTS, HE COOKS

AND THEY TRAVELANITA SPEARS A NORTHERN PIKE & RANDY PREPARES PIKE AU GRATIN

Beautiful sun rays cast a slippery glow upon thenewly frozen lake as I make my way to the darkhouse on Pokegama Lake in Northern Minnesota. Iclutch my spear and step gingerly onto the barelake. Normally I would see three feet of snow bynow, though my gaze reveals only a spattering ofthe white stuff in formations piled by the wind.Spear in hand, I open the door to a dwelling re-ferred to only as ‘The Shack’. Northern Pike swimten feet below unaware they will provide my

evening meal.Twelve inches of ice form a solid foundation for

this temporary dwelling. I am comforted as myguide directs me to sit on a little bench in front ofa pool of water two feet by three feet. Days earlierhe chopped a hole, which now needs to be clearedof floating ice chunks. He fires up the heater and

instructs me to look for movement in the water,careful to stay back far enough to not frighten theswimmers.

I gaze into the clear pool and see a perch swim-ming. My pulse quickens as I hang my coat on ahook and prepare to settle in. The decoy is hang-ing from a string and my guide lowers the woodenfish into the water and gives it a jerk upward send-ing the bait into a swirl of passion. We are afterNorthern Pike and soon one comes into my viewfrom underneath the frozen floor of The Shack. Ilistened intently to my instructor. “Stand up andplace your body directly over the hole” I quickly

stood as he spoke with assuring guidance “Nowplace the spear into the water directly above thefish and let it go.” My spear sailed directly into itstarget! A giggle of delight escaped my lips as Iwatched my northern pike rise through the icyhole. I had landed my first northern pike takenwith a spear. I had five more pike swim past methat afternoon, none connecting with my spear.Nothing else mattered: I landed a fish! The smileon my face and the plan for fresh pike that eveninggave me all the satisfaction I needed. I am blessedwith great friends and an open invitation to spearagain.

Fish Port of Grand Haven, MIfor King Salmon, Coho, Lake Trout, Steelhead,Brown Trout & Perch!

Corporate & Group Charters Welcome!

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Ingredients:3 cups mashed potatoes1.5 to 2 pounds white fish filletsWhite pepper1-Lemon4-Tbsp. Butter1 cup fish or chicken stock1 cup light cream1/2 cup chopped fresh dillGrated Scandinavian white cheese or parmesan as a substitutesalt to taste

Preparation:Prepare mashed potatoes as you normally would. Preheat oven to 425º. Season fish fillets with salt and white pepper. Place in a buttered casserole or gratin dish. Sprinkle with

lemon juice and a Tbsp. of butter. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour to make a white roux. Do not let the roux brown.

This roux will thicken the final product. Gradually whisk in the fish or chicken stock. Whisk in the cream.You may substitute with half-and-half. Add the dill, some lemon zest to taste, the white pepper and salt totaste. Simmer for ten minutes.

Remove fish from oven. Increase the heat to 475º. Spoon the mashed potatoes around the edges of the casserole dish leaving some of the fish exposed in

the middle. Pour the sauce on top of the fish within the mashed potato outline. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Return to oven and bake until lightly browned. About 10-15 minutes.

Pike au GratinAnita Williams with Randy Kasal

098.qxd 1/25/12 11:48 PM Page 1


Customer Service Index #1 at Watkins Marine for ‘08, ’09 & ’10!

attend the event.For more info contact MDC Outdoor Skills

Specialist DeeDeeDockins at

573-290-5730.

MDC OFFERSRABBIT

HUNTINGCLINIC FOR

WOMEN Cape Girardeau - The Missouri

Department of Conservation (MDC)is presenting “Discover Nature-Women Rabbit Hunting with BeaglesClinic” at Duck Creek ConservationArea on Sat. Feb. 11, 2012.“Discover Nature-Women” is a seriesof outdoor skills trainings designedfor women. The clinic will consist ofa one-day training session and a guid-ed hunt.

The morning session will combineclassroom and hands-on training inthe field. Topics will include the his-tory and biology of eastern cottontailand swamp rabbits in Missouri, rab-bit hunting with beagles, equipment,

regulations and shotgun shootingtechniques. Lunch and equipmentwill be provided to participants.

The afternoon hunt will team par-ticipants with local rabbit huntingexperts on privately and publiclyowned areas near Duck CreekConservation Area.

Applicants must be at least 16years of age and are required to pur-chase appropriate hunting permits. A$25 pre-registration fee must beincluded with applications. This pay-ment will be returned to the partici-pants at the clinic on Feb. 11.

Applications and pre-registrationfees should be delivered to the MDCSoutheast Regional Office in CapeGirardeau by Feb. 3. Applicants willbe notified of the results of the selec-tion process. Applicants born on orafter Jan. 1, 1967, must complete aHunter Education Course or purchasean Apprentice Hunter Authorizationin addition to their regular smallgame hunting permit in order to

SPORT CITY OF JACKSONVILLE • 217-243-64021010 N. Main • Jacksonville, IL 62650

www.SportCityJacksonville.com

10 point, Jersey Co. bow kill! VERY NICE!

Congrats to Christa Perkinson

of Grafton for taking this very nice buck!

Thanks to Cassens Bait & Sporting Archery Range in Grafton

for sharing Christa’s trophy!

Illinois River ValleyPheasants Forever

24th Annual BanquetSat. Feb. 25, 2012

Countryside Banquet Hall off Rt 8 in Washington

Doors Open 5pm, Dinner 6:30, Auction at 8pmOrder your tickets early, call

Rick Ripley: 309-444-3416 or Gary Courtright:

309-676-2628

099.qxd 1/26/12 8:28 AM Page 1


factured by Mathews. When I firstbegan bowhunting I had few choic-es but now things have changed.Mathews has been ahead of thegame by designing bows specifi-cally for women. What I like aboutthe Jewel is that it weighs less than4 pounds and has an 80% let off.Since I had breast cancer I loststrength in my bow arm so gettingto a bow weight of 45 pounds hasbeen difficult. I was eager to seehow the Jewel performed for meunder hunting conditions so thisTexas trip couldn’t come soon

Cantrell’s ranch consisting ofover 1,000 acres is divided into twoareas. The largest section is wherethe bigger animals, such as bison,yaks, water buffalo and even someelk graze. All the exotics here areof trophy quality and deserve aprominent space on any hunter’swall. Cantrell also offers a smaller300 acre plot where more econom-ical animals like hogs, goats, sheepand several doe species can behunted.

This year I splurged and got anew bow. I chose the Jewel manu-

winter break for schools is in fullswing for families with kids. Myplan was to drive to Chico, TX theday after Christmas and hunt withPaul and Chris Cantrell, owners ofNorth Texas Outfitters. The routefrom St. Paul, MN couldn’t be anyeasier—take Interstate 35 south forabout 930 miles then turn right atGainesville, TX for another 50miles or so. When the roads aregood it is the perfect getaway toenjoy some good company, milderweather and excellent huntingopportunities.

December Jewel

By Marlene Odahlen-HinzMy whitetail season ends when I

fill my buck tag and this year thathappened at the end of November.Hunting into December is tough forme mainly because of the weather.Gone are the days when I enjoy sit-ting in a treestand when the tem-peratures dip to the single digits.This year, however, I decided Iwould continue to hunt inDecember, but not in Minnesota.Texas would be where I wanted tofill the rest of my freezer space.

The week between Christmas andNew Years is the perfect time toarrange some vacation time sincemany employers give their employ-ees a few extra days off and the

ColbySimms

RaySimms

SIMMS OUTDOORS L.L.C.10263 Old St . Louis Rd. • Val les Mines, MO 63087618-521-0526 • 573-358-5948www.SimmsOutdoors.com

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HATCHET SHADSare the hottest new lures for muskies, lakers, pike, stripers and all big game fish. The Wild Turbulence and Baitfish School Effectputs trophy fish in the net like nothing else and is already responsible for countless giants!

100.qxd 1/26/12 12:26 AM Page 1


During lunch back at the lodgeCantrell and I discussed how best tostalk the Watusi. It was currentlykeeping company with severalIndian water buffalo and it was nec-essary to wait until they separated.The woods at the edge of the openarea offered the concealment I need-ed to close the distance for me toshoot. These animals are used tomotor vehicles but once they identi-fy a human figure they go on alertand act accordingly. In other wordsthey know when they are beinghunted so I made my approachdown wind, with caution using thetrees to cover my advance. The ribson animals like bison and elk can be1 – 1.5 inches wide so it was impor-tant for me with my lower poundageto hit the space between each ribs to

enough.From previous visits to North

Texas Outfitters I knew the accom-modations would be extremelycomfortable and the meals deli-cious. After unpacking Cantrelltook my husband, Jerry, and me fora “drive-about” to see the availablestock. The black bucks and aoudadswere impressive but stayed wellbeyond the 20 yard distance I shootcomfortably and accurately at.Even the Catalina goats with theirimpressively long horns were waryof our approach.

I selected an African bovinecalled a Watusi I felt would provideus with enough meat to get usthrough the winter and to donate aportion to our local NWTF chap-ter’s fundraising wild game dinner.

be most effective. If my arrow hit arib I might only get one lung. Whenthe Watusi finally turned broadsideI was able to place my arrow behindthe front shoulder and puncture bothlungs. The Jewel did the job and Iwas very pleased.

The next day my husband and Ispent some time in the “Outback”stalking the animals there. The reddeer does and the various sheepwere very illusive. The deer espe-cially were constantly lifting theirnoses to scent check the wind sousing and reapplying Scent Killerwas a must if we hoped to tag one ofthem. All the tactics we tried did-n’t seem to work so we decided toturn our attention to the pigs alsoavailable. Since we were after an“eater” I felt a sow would offer the

best quality meat. I finally saw andtook a black and white sow that Iestimated to be around 200 pounds.She would certainly fill the remain-ing shelves in our freezer and pro-vide even more meat for the NWTFchapter dinner.

My Jewel proved to live up to myexpectations and I look forward tohaving it perform just a well duringthe 2012 whitetail season. I alsocan’t wait to get back to NorthTexas Outfitters. They treat youlike friends and do all they can tomake every hunt successful. It’s agreat way to get away from aMidwest cold winter.

For more information on NorthTexas Outfitters call Paul Cantrellat 940-567-2302 or visit their web-site at www.ntohunt.com.

Mel’Mel’s Spors Sporting Goodsting Goods• Custom Built Bowstrings• Pro Shop• Indoor Range• Computerized Video Simulated Hunting

520 S. Elm • Flora, IL 62839

618-662-8663618-662-8663

HOURS:M-F 10am-4pm & 6pm-10pm

Sat. 9am-4pm

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WhereWill TheBuffaloRoam?

Could be in Will County, Illinoisin the near future. Officials recent-ly announced a plan that includesthe introduction of a herd of bisonto the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie inWilmington. The initial herd couldinclude up to 75 bison managed on1,000 acres. But they could expandthe area and the size of the herdover time.

Most of the Midewin property iscomprised of open prairie, grass-land, savannah and some timber

along several creeks — perfecthabitat for bison. According to theplan, they will be completelyfenced in for public safety.Eventually there may be observa-tion platforms and a 12-mile tramwhere the public can come safelyview the bison. The plan could takeup to 5 years before it comes tofruition.

Located about 40 miles south ofChicago, Midewin NationalTallgrass Prairie has over 20,000acres with 7,200 acres and 22 milesof trails open to the public for hik-ing, biking, horseback riding andhunting. The property is also rich

in history. It was formerly home tothe Joliet Army Ammunition Plantthat produced TNT and variousmunitions during WWII, theKorean War, and Vietnam Conflictsand at one time employed 12,000people.

Certain areas have trails wherevisitors can actually walk insidethe bunkers where the ammunitionwas once stored. Midewin is actu-ally part of the Federally-managedNational Forest System, and wasthe very first official NationalTallgrass Prairies to be establishedin the country. The master plan hasalways been to restore the propertyto its native state of open grass-lands and prairie. What better wayto restore a natural prairie thanwith bison — a majestic symbol ofthe Great American Prairies.

To learn more about Midewin,visit their official website:http://www.fs.usda.gov/midewin

49 STATES ARENOT WRONG!

2012Illinois Gun Owners

Lobby Day

March 7Springfield, ILFor more info:igold.isra.org

101.qxd 1/26/12 12:25 AM Page 1


SS H EH E D C R AD C R A FF TTBy A.K. Thompson

Welcomeback to shedseason! Ifyou’re any-thing like me,you have ahuge pile ofsheds some-where in yourhome. Forme, it’s a cas-cade ofantlers spil-

met! When I showed my family what wehad made they were all very impressed. Mymom even said that something like thatwould probably sell for $20 or more in anoutdoor store. So perhaps antler craft canbe a nice hobby for some extra money inthese economic hard times if you’ve got apile lying around.

Another very, very cool antler craft Ifound was in a cabin we rented out in theSeattle, Washington area. While everyoneelse in our party was ooing and ahhing thelandscape I was freaking out about THECOOLEST TOILET PAPER HOLDER IHAD EVER SEEN! What was in the bath-room of our quaint little A-frame was anantler toilet paper holder. And isn’t italways the case that you run out of paperbecause you don’t know how much youhave under the sink? Well, this potty-paper-rack could hold multiple rolls and

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ling out of an old Remington Ammunitionbox that I got from my grandfather’s sport-ing goods store which closed in the 1950’s.It makes a great decoration and quite theconversation starter, but there are otherways of utilizing shed antlers to make themeven more special than just a collection.

A few years ago I found a shed that waseaten up by those lovely tree rats prettybadly. The only solid part of the shed wasthe base, and it was very thick with a neatlittle brow tine. The chewed parts of theantlers were so sharp you could practicallycut yourself on them like a paper cut—therodents certainly have sharp little cutters intheir mouths! So, that said, I wasn’t surewhat to do with the shed. Just plink itdown in the box with the rest?

Then I got an idea. I had been to a fleamarket earlier in the year and purchased aneat bottle opener that was made from thetip of an Elk shed. BINGO! I had my idea.So, along with my best friend Jenny, wedrilled a hole in the cut-off portion of thebase (where we had sawed off the chewedantlers) and simply twisted a bottle openerinto the hole. If I do say so myself, it is themost handsome bottle opener I’ve ever

was just plain awesome! Basically all youhave to do is sacrifice one of your biggersheds and saw off the base to be in-linewith the wall at the correct angle and justscrew it into the wall.

You can also use sheds to make doorhandles for the kitchen cabinets or thescreen door. Be creative! Shed craft is anespecially nice when to use the sheds inyour collection that are really chewed up. Ifyou’re really talented you can even usethem to make knife or other utensil han-dles. As always, happy shed hunting thisyear and be creative with what you find!

Friend Dirt Church on Facebook!

Questions/comments please email A.K.!

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Midwest Gun Collectors Association

Feb. 4 & 5Sat & Sun. 9-4pm

The East Peoria Convention Center at the Oaks, on Rt. 8

BUY • SELL • TRADEPer Federal & State Law

Modern & Antique Guns • KnivesCoins • Cartridges • Antique Items

For Info Call: 309-274-2977FREE Parking • $5 Admission

GUNGUN SHOWSHOW

102.qxd 1/26/12 1:04 AM Page 1

and 1/4 cup water andblend with sauce in saucepan bring to a boil and cookfor 2 minutes until thick-ened pour over goose.Serve over rice.

PERFECT SALAD Some days I just can’t decide what I want to do for

a side dish. I like to mix it up and not do the same oldthing. So I decided to put my family favorites in to asalad and came up with the Perfect Salad. It was a hit!Get together with your family and see what soundsgood to them. It's nice to have some of the burdentaken off you once in awhile so you don't get in thesame old rut serving and the same old thing with yourwild game.2, 15 oz cans black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)12 oz Monterey jack cheese (sliced thin strips)1 med red and yellow pepper (sliced thin)1 med tomato (chopped)1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped)1/2 cup red onion (chopped)1/2 - 1 cup Italian dressing5 cup torn lettuce (greens mixed or Romaine)

In medium bowl gently mix all ingredients exceptlettuce, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving in a large bowl place lettuce,then stir gently in blackeyed pea mix just enough tocover lettuce. Great side dish with all your wild gamefavorites.

TANGY SLAW/ FISH SIDE DISHEverybody has their own secret recipe, tried and

true, true blue and the old stand by for slaw. I thoughtI would share mine with you. This tangy slaw goes greatwith fish of any species. I love this recipe it has a littlezip and a great taste. I make a large amount so I haveleftovers, I serve in small bowls and then sprinkle thealmonds on just before serving. Then I can refrigeratethe other half and do the same thing the next day. It'sa great dish to take to a potluck dinner! People will behunting you down to get your recipe.1 Small head red cabbage1 Small red onion (sliced thin)1 Small red pepper (sliced thin in strips)1/3 cup cider vinegar3 tbsp honey1 tbsp brown mustard1/2 tsp caraway seeds1/3 cup olive oil1/2 cup sliced almondsSalt & pepper to taste

Cut cabbage in thin shreds, combine with onion andpepper. In a small bowl combine: vinegar, honey, mus-tard, caraway salt and pepper. While whisking addolive oil. Toss with cabbage mixture, cover and refrig-erate for 30 minutes. Just before serving addalmonds. Great side dish with fish.

WALLEYE AND PEA POD TOSSI love to try new things with walleye and this is one

of them I am a big fan of snow pea pods. We eat themas a snack, so I decided I would try to incorporatethem in to our next meal. My hunch was right my fam-ily loved it. It has the walleye and pasta in it and alsohas that crunch of fresh vegetables that we love.1/3 pound whole wheat linguine noodles1 small head broccoli 1/2 cup vegetable broth2 tbsp soy sauce2 tbsp ketchup1 tbsp sugar1/4 tsp hot sauce1 1/2 pound Walleye1 can water chestnuts sliced1 tsp sesame oil1 package snow pea pods1/2 cup diced red pepper

Cook linguine, following package directions. Addbroccoli 5 minutes into cooking time. Drain. In a skil-let stir together broth, soy sauce, ketchup, sugar, andhot sauce and simmer. Add fish and water chestnutsand simmer 4 minutes or until fish flakes. Remove addoil, pasta, broccoli, pea pods and red peppers to mix-ture and serve immediately.

Kris Winkelman's "Ultimate Wild Game andF ish Cookbook" is available for $10 plus s&h!

www.winkelman.com • 1-800-333-0471


Dolphin Cove1111 Sunset Dr.

East Peoria, IL 61611River Mile Marker: 167.8

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Hours: Kitchen: 11am-10pm Daily

Bar: Closes at 1am

Made to Order Pizzas after 10amDaily Lunch Special $4.00

Specialty Sandwiches:Dolphin Dip • Hot Italian Beef • Broken Wing

ASIAN GOOSEThis is one of the best slow cooker recipes I have

tried. It is so simple to do. Your family will really enjoythis hearty meal. This can be served over rice ormashed potatoes. Go all out break out your breadmachine and serve slices of warm bread and honeybutter. 2/3 cups light brown sugar1/2 cup soy sauce (light sodium)2 tbsp sesame oil2 tbsp rice vinegar2 tbsp ginger (fresh minced)4 cloves garlic (crushed)1 tbsp red pepper flakes2-3 goose breasts (cleaned and cut into bite sizepieces) 2 tbsp cornstarch1 bunch green onions (sliced)Sesame seed3/4 cup water

In small bowl blend sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil,vinegar, garlic, and red pepper.

Place goose in slow cooker, add sauce cover andcook on high for 6 hours or until tender. Transfergoose to platter and strain sauce. Combine cornstarch

Inugay Watch •Jewelry RepairInugay Watch•Jewelry Repair

101 W Walnut St. • PO Box 1102 • Tremont, IL 61568

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ILLINOISCope Marine, O’Fallon: 888-276-0847 or 618-632-6353

S&R Marine, Beardstown: 217-323-2730

IOWABob’s Marine, Bellevue: 563-872-4055

MISSOURICope Marine, Table Rock: 417-272-1277

Current River Marine, Doniphan: 573-996-7610Troutt & Sons, St. James: 800-843-9677

Smithville Marine, Smithville: 816-532-4000154 Marine, Perry: 573-565-2052

Anglers Port Marine, Warsaw: 877-280-7440 or 660-438-4600

Boat Dealers

103.qxd 1/26/12 1:10 AM Page 1


Illinois DNR Fisheries ChiefDebbie Bruce to Speak at

THE TINLEY PARKOUTDOOR SHOW

growing up near theMississippi River. Shealso likes salmon char-ter fishing on LakeMichigan and walleyefishing is her favorite.Debbie joined the Illi-nois DNR 17 yearsago and worked justas long as a biologistfor two power compa-nies in the state. Shewill speak on the ac-complishments of thefisheries division, pro-grams, stockings and the future and chal-lenges that the IDNR faces with an ex-tremely strapped budget.

The Tinley Park Fishing and OutdoorShow invites all sportsman and their fami-lies to come out and celebrate our 19th An-niversary on February 11 and 12, 20129am to 5pm both days at the Tinley ParkHigh School, 6111 W. 175th Street, justeast of Ridgeland, in Tinley Park, Illinois.Sponsored by: Cabela’s Mercury Marine,Plano, Cortland Line, Bedford Sales, andChauncey’s GreatOutdoors on ESPNAM 1000

The Tinley ParkFishing and OutdoorShow has grown toover 120,000 sq. feetof exhibition space,making it one ofChicagoland’s LargestOutdoors show, butit’s the only showwhere families feelwelcomed. They canplan their next out-door adventure, vaca-tion, find fishing and

hunting guides, retailers, lure manufactures,Lake Michigan charter boats, fishing clubs,Canadian / American lodges and fun activ-ities for the kids.

Admission to the show is $5.00 foradults, $4.00 for seniors, and $3.00 for kids7 to 13, and Parking is FREE! Little anglersage 6 and under still get into the show forfree.

For more information call Rich Komarat: 708-444-0921 or Email:[email protected]

The Tinley Park Fishing and OutdoorShow is proud to announce that DebbieBruce Chief of the Fisheries Division of theIllinois Department of Natural Resourceswill be one of the many fine speakersscheduled for the Tinley Park Outdoorshow on February 11 and 12, 2012. Deb-bie holds two degrees from the Universityof Illinois, a bachelor's in general biologyand a master's in environmental science.She has long enjoyed fishing, especially

Hotline 24-hours daily

314-846-0751

St. Louis Weapons Collectors 2012 GUN & KNIFE SHOWS

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MAR. 17 & 18, 2012MAR. 17 & 18, 2012St. Charles Convention Center

One Convention Center Plaza • St. Charles, MOOVER 500 TABLES! ST. LOUIS' LARGEST SHOW!NEW & USED RIFLES, PISTOLS, SHOTGUNS PLUS MUCH MORE!

Hours/Public: Sat: 9am-5pm, Sun: 9am-3pm Admission: $10 • Children under 12 are free with parent

Dealers Set-Up: Fri: 9am-6pm, Sat: 8am-9am

104.qxd 1/26/12 1:19 AM Page 1

• 3 to 9 wood plies glued &laminated together• plank thicknesses vary from 3/8" to about 9/16"• top finish veneer may be domestic or exotic woodspecie• plank widths vary from 2-1/4" to about 7"• glue, float, staple, or nail-down on all grade levels• wood subfloors or dry concrete slabs• glueless engineered wood floors install similar tolaminate floors• dimensionally stable, most may be net fitted to ver-tical walls.• less effected by humidity changes than solid woodfloors• Unfinished hardwood floors (also called job-site fin-ished).

o with a job-site finish they sand the floor smooth,less chance for overwood

o custom stained colors, generally 2-3 coats addedof finish

o this can be fairly messy, takes several days• Pre-finished hardwood floors (also called factoryfinished).

o usually installs in less than a dayo less messy than job-site finisho limited to manufacturer's colorso manufacturers can apply 7-10 coats of finisho factory finishes are extremely wear resistanto some manufacturers add aluminum oxide for

additional durabilityo today's factory finishes are much easier to care

for than the old waxed finishes.o prefinished trims are not an exact match to the

floor.• Wood accents available to create unique looks andpatterned designs.• Never clean or wet mop a hardwood floor withwater. Water can dull the finish and permanently dam-age the wood floor.• All hardwood floors can be scratched. Scratches inthe finish layer are fairly easy to repair.• Areas with lots of direct sunlight may affect the


Real Estate ChatterBy: Mary Ann Vance

WOW! Can you believe it isFebruary!!! As of this writing,we’ve only had a small amount ofsnow. Snow removal and tow com-panies are hurting, but we ARE verycomfortable! The Mason Countyfarmer starts planting peas themiddle of March. Will that happen?? Spring IS justaround the corner!! I am writing my article this monthon Hardwood vs. Laminate as that seems to be a bigquestion in the industry today.

HARDWOOD OVERVIEW The richness of natural hardwood flooring can add

unmistakable charm to any room. Today's hardwoodfloors come in more species, widths and colors thanever before and are more durable. With proper careand maintenance hardwood flooring can last morethan a lifetime and will add real value to your home.

Some hardwood floors are now offered with a click-lock, glueless tongue-and-groove locking system. Nomessy glues or nails needed. We will probably see evenmore in the near future. • Wood floors are a natural, non-allergenic product• Hardwood floors can add real value to a home• 2 Basic types of hardwood floor construction:

o Solid Wood Floors (prefinished & unfinished)• cut from tree as a solid piece of wood• plank widths vary from 2-1/4" to about 12"• plank thicknesses vary from 7/16" to about 3/4"• will react to changes in humidity• recommended for above grade installations• nail-down installation to a wood type sub floor• solid wood needs proper expansion allowancesalong vertical walls

o Engineered Wood Floors (prefinished & someunfinished)

wood color over time• Most hardwood floors can be used over radiantheat with some limitations• Wood floor finishes can be used to restore thefloors original beauty• Mostly used for: living rooms, dining rooms, bed-rooms, dens, and great rooms.

LAMINATE OVERVIEWLaminate floors combine a realistic impression of

real hardwood, stone and tile with an extremelydurable finish. These floors have become a popularalternative to real hardwood and vinyl floors. • Laminate floors are NOT real wood floors • Laminate floors are extremely impact, scratch,sunlight fade and stain resistant• Although laminate floors are extremely tough, theycan be scratched by big dogs or dragging heavyobjects across the floor.• Laminate flooring come in 3 types:

o Installer has to apply special glue• Special glue is applied manually to the tongue &grooves of each plank.• floating floor installation • Not very common anymore

o Glueless floating laminate floors• No glue, just click, or snap-fit lock planks together• Most laminate floors are of this type

o Factory pre-glued, floating laminate floors• The glue is applied at the factory. Just moisten theplank tongue and insert into adjacent plank.• Some laminates use this method, not many• Trims and moldings are available for laminatefloors. Moldings are laminated over a fiber core sothey match the floor, or the moldings can also be madefrom real wood and color coordinate with the flooring.

• Laminate flooring uses the floating installationmethod, which means:

o Laminate floors just rest on top of the subfloor.They are never secured or fastened to the substratebelow. Instead they just lay on top of the substrate.Specially designed tongue-and-groove interlockingsystems to secure planks together.

o Float entire floor over a variety of sub floor mate-rials, such as plywood, OSB, existing vinyl flooring,concrete slabs, etc...

o You never have to glue-down, staple down, or nail-down laminate flooring.

o Even though these floors are floated the sub floorstill must be level for locking planks together.• Most laminate floors can be used anywhere withinthe home, including wet area (but may not be war-rantied).• Laminate floors do not need a wax or polish.• Excessive moisture may affect a laminate floor'sinner core and overall performance• Laminate planks are not easily repaired. There aretouch-up kits and chip repair kits, but difficult to find.• Laminate floors require a thin, special paddingunderneath the planks so they can move freely.• Laminate floors can be fairly noisy when walked on.Special underlayment paddings are made to helpreduce the noise level.• Glueless laminate floors are a very good do-it-your-self product• Highly resistant to the effects of sunlight• Most laminate floors can be used over radiant heat-ed concrete slabs• Mostly used for: family rooms, living rooms, diningrooms, bedrooms and dens.

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105.qxd 1/26/12 2:09 AM Page 1

Ruffo’s MightyChurchill RiverBy: Dan Gapen, Sr.

The drive is a bit long from my house nearMinneapolis, Minnesota to Lac La Ronge,Saskatchewan but I must say, well worth it.

Even if the trophy pike had a case of lockjaw whenBob Kook and my partner, ‘Bobber’ Anne were there,the trip was well worth it.

Why? Because the 2 to 5 pound walleye were on a


species, finishes and construction types and that it isvery difficult to place them all in one general category,so pre-finished engineered hardwood flooring is usedfor this comparison. See your local flooring store foradditional advice and recommendations.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAYOpportunities are usually disguised by hard work,

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VS… Cont’d. from previous pg. Please watch for weather changes and drive care-fully as we proceed through the winter months.

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rampage. Besides that, Ruffo and Maxine Schindlerwho run Ruffo’s Sportsman Lodge where we stayed areprobably one of the nicest, most cordial lodge opera-tors in the north. Their motto, “NO PROBLEM” justifi-ably best typifies their attitude as they deal with thedozens of fishermen and hunters that visit their campeach summer.

Within an hour of arriving at the wilderness town ofLac La Ronge we were off in a twin turbo Otter on a 40minute float plane ride into the main lodge. Eventhough it was late a three course meal of ragitto,chicken breast and whole kernel corn along with asalad and dessert awaited us in the log lodge’s maindining room. Maxine runs a tight ship and specializes

106.qxd 1/26/12 2:14 AM Page 1


in keeping her guests comfortable with full stom-achs.

Flying in with us was a group of fifteen fromDallas, Texas, Chicago, Illinois and Oklahoma City,Oklahoma. In all, the plane held 18 anxiousanglers.

On day one we did the normal tourist routineand traveled the 30 miles up to Black Bear Lakewhere walleye fishing was great. Each time one ofus dropped a yellow, chartreuse or crawfish-col-

ored Ugly Bug to bottom we came up with a walleye.Like all fishermen experience at noon, a tastyshorelunch of fried walleye fillets, American friedpotatoes and canned beans as well as Africanblack boiled coffee was served. Such a shorelunchis a staple on all outings during a day of fishing upnorth. Our guides, Wilson and Roger did an excel-lent job as I’m sure they do every day at noon dur-ing the summer tourist season.

But, it was day two that thrilled me the most.Ruffo had told me of a walleye hole at the north end

of McIntosh Lake which his resort sits on that car-ries hundreds of hungry fish where I could filmunderwater footage to my heart’s content.This was my main reason for coming to Ruffo’s, notonly could I film a hot show on walleye and laketrout fishing but, in a sense kill two birds with onestone. Our company, Gapen Co., Inc., needed toproduce a DVD showing the public how walleye areattracted to our Ugly Bug jig, how and why it

works.In three hours of underwater shooting we not

only got what we wanted but succeeded on puttingon film how pike feed on walleye, how they also T-bone walleye, work them around to swallow themand when the walleye is too big for the feeding pikehow they reject them by a pulsating regurgitationof stomach and throat muscles.

Nowhere else had any of us seen these naturalfeeding methods done by others who do suchinstructional fishing DVDs.

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‘Bobber’ Anne with a better thanaverage walleye caught on an

Ugly Bug.

Like always The Ol’ Man catches the small one.

Fried walleye fillets and beans arealways the mainstay of Canadian

shore lunch.


107.qxd 1/26/12 2:11 AM Page 1

Floats are anoth-er key element isthis type of fishing,especially sincemost is done bycasting from shore.A sensitive floatlike those pro-duced by Mick Thill is the top choice.These are balanced (weighed) so thatthe slightest of strikes can be detect-ed. Another choice would be aweighted float for longer casts, andwhen there are very windy condi-tions.

A slight breeze, which will make amild chop on the water, is an idealcondition. The wave action willbounce the float, resulting in a jig-ging action. The best way to fish thiscondition is to cast up wind, andallow the rig to float over, or on thedeep side of the fish holding area.Keep adjusting depths until the rightone is found.

On a windier day cast slightlydown wind, and slowly retrieve therig over the area. The best way to


PIKE PERFORMING. It’s being produced as you readthis article.

Just go to our website at www.gapen.com clickon: DVDs available and choose the one called, UglyBugs & Walleye in ATTACK OF THE PIKE.

Though we have done some magnificent under-water fish striking DVDs this has to be the best. Itcosts $9.99 each or if you wish to purchase a cou-ple more they sell 3 for $24.99 plus S&H.

How did the rest of the four day stay atSportsman Lodge end up? Just Super!

We hunted pike and larger walleye on day 3 withnot as much success. Mid-August often sees thepike turn of f. But we did catch some veryrespectable walleye.

Once again on day four Lady Luck was with us.Knowing Ruffo’s lake that his resort sits on wasfull of lake trout with crystal-clear water the threeof us decided to challenge the lakers.

Anne and I rigged up with a 10 oz. Bait Walker,36 inches of drop back and a 6-1/2 inch, sucker(glow) Flub Dub. Our locator showed lake trout at60 to 80 feet over 90 feet of depth. It was a goodsign. When lake trout rise off the bottom in varyingstages it’s a sign they are feeding. Were all ofthem flat on bottom, you might as well go else-where.

Anne was first to drop her rig overboard and fiveminutes into the troll her hook was set into a 10pounder, a good start.

As I suspected the cold water of McIntosh Lakeproduced hard-fighting fish. At this point I must

explain Sportsman Lodge rests off the southernshores of McIntosh Lake which drains into themighty Churchill River. Thus, anglers booking atRuffo’s have hundreds of miles of fish-infestedwaters to work.

During our 4 day stay we filmed dozens ofeagles, white pelicans, waterfowl and a rogueblack bear that decided to show off for the cameraby standing on his hind legs as ‘Bobber’ Annefilmed him.

Bob Kook in the camera boat took laker number2, a four-pounder then came my turn, an eight-pounder, then Bob again, a 6-pounder, then Annethree more times with 10, 13 and a 15-pounders.

Once again readers she did it to me again. Iguess I’m just too good a teacher.

Our last day saw the three of us returned to thewalleye hole where we punctuated our final daywith numerous walleye on a slip bobber bonanza.

If you’d like to try a few days of hot/hot walleyefishing with a few lake trout for dessert and thenadd trophy pike for topping I suggest you give mybuddy, Ruffo “No Problem” a try. You’ll find himat:

Sportsman’s Lodge Ltd.Ruffo or Maxine Schindler

Box 22157, SteinbachManitoba, Canada R5G 1B6

Phone: (800) 668-4558 * Email: [email protected] next time, this is The Ol’ man requesting

you RELAX, SAVOR and ENJOY our Great Outdoors.It’s yours to protect for our future generations.

G a p e n . c o m

“Ice Fishing Without Ice”Each year ice fishing is growing

more popular, but this year, as withsome of the warmer winters in thepast, several areas have unsafe iceand open water. Because of thisanglers have to adapt to a differentstyle of fishing – “ice fishing withoutice”.

Although there is open water, fishare still holding to their winter areas.Remember, it may be warmer, butnature still knows it is winter, sospring movements won’t be found.Target the same submerged brushpiles, drop offs, points, and so on thatwere being fished when there wasice.

Lures and baits that are used for icefishing are also the best choice. Ilean towards Custom Jigs & Spins’Ratfinkee, Ratso, Gill Pill andDiamond Jig, and a small lead headwith a 1” Gulp Alive Minnow as thebody. I tip the ice jigs with CrappieNibbles in white, chartreuse andpink, white Gulp Waxies and livewax worms.

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RIVER… Cont’d. from previous pg.

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108.qxd 1/26/12 2:27 AM Page 1


strikes are still difficult to find, aRatfinkee is used with a wax worm.

There are days when a mixture ofconditions will be faced. It can startout windy, go calm, and then back towindy. These changes will alsochange the fishing. During the windytime the fish, especially crappie, willhit more frequently. As it calms thebiting will back off. In a situation,such as this, I will start with same jigsas mentioned before, and when thewind calms add bait. If this doesn’twork, then I’ll switch to the Ratfinkeewith a wax worm. A further change

control the retrieve is to point the rodtip up wind.

Calm days are all together different.The angler must create the action bybouncing the float with rod tip action,using a slow steady retrieve, orpulling the float a foot or two at atime, which pulls the jig up, andallows it to drop back down.

While the previously mentionedlures are used in all conditions, baitfor tipping may be used at differenttimes. To start I use a plain Ratso orjig head with the Gulp Minnow. Ifthere are no strikes I will add aCrappie Nibble to the Ratso. If

boat.If you have any questions about

this, or other fishing subjects, dropme a line through the Dan’s Fish ‘N’Tales® website at www.dansfishn-tales.com, which also provides a linkto the Adventure Sports Outdoorswebsite.

Until next time get out on the water,and enjoy a great day of fishing.

would be to drop a size or two inlures.

The best way to approach “ice fish-ing without ice” is to think about howa spot would be fished if there wereice. Then set depths accordingly, andfish over the normal wintering area ina technique as close as possible tonormal ice fishing. This can be donefrom shore, or if the water allows, a

A mild winter with unsafe icewill still provide support forgeese, but it is best for the

anglers to find a way tofish the available open water.

While fishing a normal winterfish holding area with a jig headand 1” Gulp Alive Minnow as a

body, under a float in openwater, caught several crappie

like this one.

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Congratulations to BrianBowen of Savannah,

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Thanks to Cassens Bait & Sporting Archery

Range, 1446 W. Mainin Grafton for

sharing Brian’s trophy with ASO!

109.qxd 1/26/12 2:26 AM Page 1


be able to enjoy the almost indefinablelove affair between the duck hunter andhis ducks. With increasing efforts, dol-lars, and success, DU’s reach has almostexceeded its grasp in a conservationeffort that aids hundreds of speciesbeyond the beloved waterfowl.

While many DU supporters, spon-sors, and volunteers do not hunt ducks,the vast majority of members will goforth each fall with shotguns, decoys,and in some cases, thousangarrisonds ofdollars invested in efforts to shoot andretrieve ducks. Any attempt to explainthe duck hunter’s passion would befruitless. The “I just don’t get it” feelingruns to all endeavors of human activity.

Katie and I have committed to DucksUnlimited. While we contribute regu-larly to what we consider to be otherworthwhile needs, DU is our priority.We were Bronze Sponsors for over twen-ty years, and have upgraded to LifeSponsors and now Diamond LifeSponsors. “It’s all about the ducks” andperipheral beneficiaries.

An all of this has what to do withMinnesota Memoirs? One connectionoccurs every time I’m hunting ducks.Because we feed and watch ducklingsgrow all summer at the lake, I wonder ifI’m somehow seeing any of those whichwere almost pets and under our protec-

tive eyes. Observing first the strings oftiny swimmers follow their mothers toour offering of cracked corn, we come tocount and know each brood. We watchthe maturing process from the exercisingof tiny wings to early morning andevening flights into the bulrushes. Bysummer’s end many are gone or arepreparing to leave. The have survivedpredation to face the unknown fates ofmigration. And the mystery resurfaces.How can we kill the birds which inspiresuch affection and awe? How can welove it? But we do!

Now may I offer a transition/connec-tion to this year’s duck season? This fallI enjoyed hunting at the recent reincar-nation of the Red Nose Gun Club.Long-time reader’s of Adventure SportsOutdoors, those who have viewedHarry’s monthly television show, andlisteners to the Red Nose Gang on radio(now on WOAM – 1350 Sunday morn-ings, 7AM – 10AM), should be some-what familiar with the R.N.G.C. TheClub originated near Mapleton in 1929and has been operating at various loca-tions for most of the years since. Themost famous location was Duck Island –twice, but whether at Quiver Beach, ornear Crane and Stewart Lakes, the RedNose has been a significant part ofIllinois River duck hunting for most of

“It’s All About the Ducks!” So readsthe expression on one of my virtuallycountless Ducks Unlimited shirts, caps,jackets, prints, and other assorted para-phernalia. The Worldwide Leader inWetlands Conservation, with over 3.3billion dollars raised and contributing tothe conservation of more than 12.4 mil-lion acres of wildlife habitat in all 50states, Canada, and Mexico, is “allabout” much more than ducks. “Some900 species of wildlife live and flourishin DU projects, including many threat-ened and endangered species.” Thus, asI quote from DU’s mission statement, Ishare in the celebration of DU’s 75thbirthday.

In 1937 a small group of avid water-fowlers formed Ducks Unlimited to helprestore waterfowl populations devastatedby drought and wetland drainage.Perhaps the “singleness of purpose” wasto ensure that future generations would

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Dave with some Red Nose mallards…

a great prize of the hunt.

110.qxd 1/26/12 3:05 AM Page 1

several thousand fishermen hardy andwilling to endure the Minnesota winterfor the ducks. Lake Mille Lacs, only tenmiles from our cabin, will once againprovide a scene worth seeing. By thenthe ice should be thick enough to sup-port all the participants and vehicles.Last year the chapter distributed$75,000.00 worth of prizes and earned aplace in DU’s Presidential Elite. Notbad for a town of 250 but with a net-work of generous and energetic donorsand workers.

The leadership for the Garrisonmega-event includes the four guys pic-tured: Legendary Past Regional Direc-tor, Dick Burch; Greg Erickson; PaulErickson; current Regional Director,Scott Anderson. When I attend theevent his year, I hope to take a largergroup picture of committee members

side – My side – Wait – Take ‘em – Notyet – Now – How many down? – Arethey all dead? – Cripples – Send Teddythere – Here come some more – Are wedone? – Find the swimmers – Did welose any? What a day!

One day during the arrival of newducks in a field of ripe millet, Harry, AlJohnson, and I stood in the rain foreight-and-a-half hours, foregoing lunchbecause we were afraid we might misssomething wonderful. Good choice, butthen duck hunters are “different.”

If we can solve the few “glitches” ofthe new R.N.G.C.’s first season, nextseason should be even better. I can’twait! And I will again wonder if any ofour prey fed at my shoreline during thesummer.

The final connection to MinnesotaMemoirs returns me to Ducks Unlimit-ed and the Garrison Wildlife Chapterwhich I featured in a story last spring(May A S O). I described their Fishingfor Ducks event which was also includedin the most recent issue of the DU mag-azine (pp. 46-47), “Here’s to the Volun-teers.” I’ve decided to skip the IllinoisState Convention and trek north to wit-ness one of the great fund-raisers in thenation.

This year February 18th is the daywhen 6 thousand holes will be drilled for


to hunting shack as mansion is to shed.Way too nice for a bunch of duckhunters! Privacy, comforts, amenities,etc. A place to call home. The huntingacreage is as good as it gets, or will bewhen we make adjustments after somefirst year growing pains. I celebrated thebest hunting season of my life!

Utilizing for the most part GoosePuddle and 85 acres of millet, after aslow start the second half of the seasonwas extraordinary! We hosted ducks inclouds to rival some of those blackbirdcongregations which form every fall.Sometimes we saw more ducks in onehour before sunset than most huntersmight see in a season. They came in10’s, 20’s, 50’s, and 100’s from all direc-tions! Exhilarating! Frustrating. Awe-some – and I am very reluctant to usethat word lightly. Turn this way – Thatway – Here – There – In front – Your

over eighty years. When the state tookDuck Island in 2002, the Club limpedalong at various locales. This year marksa triumphant return, perhaps to rival theglory years of yesterday.

Last spring nine of us purchased thelodge and 770 acre duck club which hadbelonged to baseball’s Mark Clark.Much of Stewart Lake, the Goose Pud-dle, and Burr Oak Island became thenew Red Nose Gun Club. The lodge is


111.qxd 1/26/12 3:05 AM Page 1

Where did the last 3 ? months go? Willthe next 3 ? pass as quickly? Only if onestays busy and active. Joseph Addison,in his essay “The Adventures of aShilling,” wrote convincingly that a lifeof lethargy is much more difficult than alife of productive activity. So we mustdo something more than mark days andevents on the calendar. “Time flieswhen you’re having fun!” Or whenbusy. Anything to take us more quicklyto the opening turn onto Nokay LakeRoad and “It seems like only yesterday!”So does 1953, sometimes. Thanks,Mom and Dad!

Copyright: 2012You can reach Dave and Karen

at [email protected]


and volunteers. I can’t think of any oth-er reason to drive to Minnesota in themiddle of winter, and I hope that theweather does not prevent my travels. Iwill go back at the end of March or ear-ly April for the Sponsor Dinner. Twoyears ago I “enjoyed” lots of snow. Butthen, “It’s all about the ducks!”

By the way, go to “fishing forducks.org” for full information about theevent. Perhaps some hardy Illinois DUmembers, hunters, or avid ice-fishermenwould relish the challenge.

As I prepare this memoir, we are ap-proaching the mid-point (Jan. 15th) be-tween the October closing and the Mayopening for another season at the lake.And we haven’t had any real winter –yet. With a winter weather advisorylooming for tomorrow (Jan. 12th), per-haps the snow blower I prepared for serv-ice in November will finally be pressedinto service. No ice-fishing for Illinois –yet. We had only one tough ice day dur-ing a duck season which ended here onDecember 20th. Last year we had ourworst storm from Jan. 31st – Feb. 2ndwith 16+ inches of blowing snow. Per-haps the best/worst is still to come.

Anyway, duck season and the holi-days now seem to have passed in a blur.

Illinois River Valley PheasantsForever 24th Annual Banquet

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S p e c i a l N e w M e m b e r R a f f l e !B r i n g a K i d a n d g e t F R E E Ri n g n e c k s

m e m b e r s h i p w i t h g u e s t t i c ke t !T o p G u n R a f f l e … O N LY 3 W i n n e r s !

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Order your tickets early, call ASO friends Rick Ripley at: 309-444-3416 Gary Courtright at: 676-2628

MN… Cont’d. from previous pg.

BUY – SELL – TRADEGUNS • JEWELRY • ELECTRONICS

LOANS • MUCH MORE…

Dave’s dad Warren Freidingerwith Karen on a visit to the Red

Nose lodge.

Dave’s two favorite ladies, Katie & Maudie

112.qxd 1/26/12 3:03 AM Page 1


I was taught from an early age totake care of my toys and this train-ing has carried on to my presentage. Having not had the luxury togrow up with every bell and whis-tle I learned early that if I didn’ttake care of something that when itgot broken because of my neglectthere would not be a replacement.

Everything I have been able toenjoy I thank God for becausewithout him I wouldn’t even havemy next breath. I appreciate themany blessings from the Lord; theblessings of family, friends, myhome and the very food that I eat.All would not be possible withoutGod providing it whether it is giv-ing me the ability to earn it orsomeone else’s generosity.

I thank God for my truck, myboat, my bow, my shotgun; yes

these are things to thank God fortoo. We would have nothing if hehad not first given us life. Howoften do we take these things forgranted?

I thank God for my hunting dogGrace and the days he gives usafield hunting pheasants, or thetimes on the lake fishing for bass.

You see God is not a God thatstays behind stained glass win-dows, but he is a personal God thatis concerned with all aspects of ourlife. He cares how you feel, yourhurts, your cares and yes even yourjoys in life. He is your daddy andhe loves you more than you couldpossibly ever know. He knows youbetter than you know yourself. TheBible says he knows the very num-ber of hairs on your head, now thatis what I call a personal God.

though we were ashamed of him?The most valuable possession

you have right now or ever willhave is your salvation throughJesus; this is what pays for yourticket to fellowship with God andyour eternity in heaven. WithoutJesus, there is nothing but tempo-ral fleeting things that will neverlast.

You take good care of your pos-sessions, how are you taking careof your relationship with Jesus?

May God bless you my friendsand enjoy the great outdoors.

CROSS ROADS

By Bob [email protected]

He has never withheld any goodthing from us that was for our owngood. No he does not give useverything we ask for but somethings would not be good for usand he in his infinite wisdomknows this. He didn’t even with-hold the greatest thing he has andthat is his son Jesus Christ. Hegave his son to be crucified on across so that our sins would be for-given and we could have full fel-lowship with God our daddy inheaven.

The question is how are we tak-ing care of what he has given us?Do we selfishly think of ourselvesnever giving to others in need? Dowe take our salvation throughJesus lightly as a Sunday onlything and not carry it through outour lives and tell others of thegreatest gift God has given us?How much value do we place onour relationship with God? Do wetake care to nourish our relation-ship with him, to talk to him daily,to ask his guidance before wemake decisions? How are we tak-ing care of our salvation? Do welong to tell others of Jesus andwhat he has done for us or do wesilently keep quiet about Jesus as

McLean County Sportsmen’s Association

21st Annual Wild Game Banquet

Sat. Feb. 4th Bloomington’s

Interstate CenterBuy Tickets at Smiley’s

Sport Shop on Ireland Dr. Or contact: Bruce Schenkel at:

309-454-8194McleanCountySportsmen.org

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Recreational Ground…To Buy or Not To Buy? PT. 7F I N A N C I N G P T . 2By Jack L. Hartph. 309-888-4071 [email protected]

“Yes, Brenda,my son and I canbe at your officeon the 29th.”This phone con-versation tookplace in March of2010. Brenda wasthe loan officer ata bank located inHavana & we had

just agreed upon the date & time for myson & me to meet with her to sign the nec-essary loan papers to provide us with themoney to enable us to purchase the 30 plusrecreational acres in Fulton County. Wehad already previously submitted to her ourpersonal financial statements showing ourrespective net-worth. We had already

informed her of the amount of the downpayment given to the real estate agent tohold the ground for us & that we had thecash available to make up our required20% of the purchase price. The bankwould finance the remaining 80%.

The loan documents provided to us atthe time of the closing disclosed that theinterest rate was variable. In other words, itwas subject to change every 3 years over thelife of the loan which was 20 years. This isa common requirement with most financialinstitutions. They simply won’t lock in theinterest rate for the life of the loan becauseit is too risky for them. The interest rate onour mortgage loan was subject to changeevery 3 years. The rate every 3 years couldnot increase by more than one-half percent.

If you are interested in purchasing yourpiece of heaven, be sure to do your researchon what the financial institutions willrequire of you. Requirements may vary alittle from one bank to another. You needto get the answers to the following ques-tions:

1. How much money do I have tocome up with?

2. How many years will you financeit?

3. Is the interest rate locked in? If

Keltner Auction ServiceFARM LAND • REAL ESTATE

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1. Interest rates are at a historic low. 2.The value of recreational ground has soft-ened due to the recession. “Jack, in myopinion based on recent sales of recreation-al ground, the value is down by about 20%.I have seen ground sell within the last yearor so from $1,800 to $2,500 per acredepending on location.”

“The financial institutions, however, arenow requiring a greater down payment &some are requiring as much as 30 to 40%down but interest rates are good and mayrange from 3.5 to 4.5%.”

This information was given to merecently by a realtor in Havana who hasdealt with recreational ground for years.Remember, you can’t beat real estate as aninvestment, especially recreational ground.Buy as much of it as you can financiallyafford. Buying recreational ground is likeputting money in the bank. The only bigdifference is that you will get a much,much better return on your investment.

not, how frequently is it subject to change& by how much?

4. Are there closing costs & if so howmuch?

5. Does an appraisal have to be done& who pays for it?

6. What will be the approximate realestate taxes?

7. What will be my monthly mort-gage payment?

8. If I am approved for the loan, willI receive a copy of all documents at thetime of the closing?

9. Will you do a credit check on me& how important & critical is my creditscore?

10. If the property has not been sur-veyed will I be required to have it surveyed?If so, who pays for the cost of the survey?

11. Is there any debt outstanding onthe property & how do I know I will haveclear title to the property? Do I need tosubmit a personal financial statement?

Purchasing recreational ground is not assimple as one might think. There is a lotinvolved & you must do a lot of the gruntwork regarding the research that must bedone to determine, first of all, if you canafford to buy it & what will be required ofyou by the financial institutions. As I saidlast month, in my opinion, now is a verygood time to buy recreational groundbecause:

114.qxd 1/26/12 12:41 AM Page 1


"This event is always a spectacle," said DavidAllen, president and CEO of RMEF, a conservationorganization focused on conserving and stewardingelk habitat. "It's been featured by The New YorkTimes and CBS Sunday Morning, and now we'repleased to introduce this competition to a city thatappreciates spectacles like no one else."

"If a bull elk shows up and rips the doors off theLas Vegas Convention Center, at least you'll knowwhy," he joked.

Competition is held in six divisions: professional,men's, women's, natural voice, youth (age 11-17)and pee-wee (age 10 and under). Amateur-levelcallers have 30 seconds to make general cow elksounds, followed by bull sounds. Professionals arerequired to make specific calls such as bugles andbarks. Most callers blow across a latex reed placedinside the mouth. In the natural voice division, how-ever, no reeds are allowed. A variety of plastic tubesare used like megaphones, giving the sounds realisticresonance.

Judges--biologists, naturalists and hunters--scoreeach competitor anonymously.

Prizes and cash ranging from $500 to $2,500will be awarded for first- through third-place in all sixdivisions.

Prize sponsors include Leupold, Block Fusion,Cabela's, Horn Hunter Packs, Hoyt, Kershaw Knives,Montana Decoy, Montana Silversmiths, New ArcheryProducts (NAP), Remington, Schnee's andTraditions Performance Firearms.

Defending world champions: Professional

Division--Corey Jacobsen, Boise, Idaho; Men'sDivision--Dirk Durham, Moscow, Idaho; Women'sDivision--Misty Jacobsen, Priest River, Idaho; NaturalVoice Division--Michael Hatten, Elko, Nev.; YouthDivision--Greg Hubbell Jr., Belmont, Calif.; Pee-WeeDivision--Colton Crawford, McMinnville, Ore.

To compete in the 2012 RMEF/Leupold World ElkCalling Championships, see complete rules, registra-tion info and entry fees posted at www.rmef.org.

Preliminary rounds of competition begin Fri., Feb.3, at 10:00 a.m. Finals begin Sat., Feb. 4, at 9:00a.m., followed by awards and crowning of new worldchampions.

Spectator seating is included with daily admissionto the RMEF convention and expo: $12 per person,free for youth 15 and under, and free for active mili-tary with military ID.

The expo includes attractions, displays and activ-ities for the whole family, plus 385 exhibiting com-panies in booths filled with outfitted hunting & fish-ing opportunities, art, gear, firearms and everythingelk & outdoors.

Hourly seminars led by authorities detail huntingstrategies, destinations & gear; urban & wildernesssurvival; fishing; travel nearby or around the world.Cabela's will sponsor game-calling clinics.International Sportsmen's Expositions, which pro-duces America's premier hunting, fishing and travelshows, is managing the exhibit hall and expo.

Expo hours: Thurs. & Fri., Feb. 2 & 3, 10:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m. * Sat., Feb. 4, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

The convention, expo and RMEF/Leupold World Elk

Calling Championships help raise awareness andfunding for conservation. In 2011, RMEF passed the6 million acre-mark in habitat conserved orenhanced for elk and other wildlife. In Nevada alone,RMEF has completed 190 different conservationprojects affecting 275,870 acres.

Another Record Year for RMEF MembershipMembership in the Rocky Mountain Elk

Foundation has swelled to an all-time high of184,135. That total, posted at the end of December,is 6,135 members more than year-end 2010. It is the4th straight year that RMEF has set a new member-ship record.

"We're grateful for the growth," said David Allen,RMEF president and CEO. "I think it's a strongendorsement that RMEF is becoming more and morerelevant in the variety of issues important to elkhunters today."

He explained, "Elk country is more than a prettylandscape. It represents a lifestyle. And when an elkhunter's way of life is threatened--as it is now withhabitat loss, overgrown forests, too many predators,hunting access problems and more--you can betthey'll find a way to respond. RMEF gives them a wayto fight back, while enjoying the fellowship of otherelk hunters from around the nation."

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation leads a con-servation initiative that has protected or enhancedhabitat on over 6 million acres. Join us at:www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

LAS VEGAS TO HOST WORLD ELKCALLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Grunting and squealing, growlingand screaming, America's best elkcallers are headed to Las Vegas to

vie for a world title.

The 2012 RMEF/Leupold World Elk CallingChampionships will be held as part of the RockyMountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) convention andInternational Sportsmen's Exposition, Feb. 2 - 4, atthe Las Vegas Convention Center.

The raucous event is open to the public.Elk are the most vocal species of No. American

deer. The signature call is a "bugle," a loud, high-pitched whistle or scream used during mating seasonby bulls trying to attract cows and advertise theirdominance to other bulls. Bulls also grunt at cowsstraying from their harem. Cows bark to warn of dan-ger, mew to keep track of each other and whine to sig-nal distress. Calves bleat when they are lost.

Mimicking these sounds has been a competitivesport for almost 25 years, but 2012 will be theRMEF/Leupold World Elk Calling Championships' firsttime in Las Vegas.

FULTON COUNTY DEER ANDTURKEY HUNTING PROPERTY

• 180 Acres on the Spoon River• 36 Tillable acres with

Income of $4,500-$5,800/year• Additional 11 acres for food plots by river• Includes cabin with electricity!

[email protected]

Father & Son Looking for 80 - 200 Acres

In Schuyler, McDonoughor Fulton Co. to Lease

for the Full Hunting Season in 2012.

Call Allen:217-322-8231

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2012 SPORTS, BOATS & RV SHOW SCHEDULE

FARMLAND & HUNTINGGROUND AUCTION

120 +/- ACRES in TWO TRACTSTRACT I 80 +/- ACRES • TRACT II 40 +/- ACRESMALONE TOWNSHIP, TAZEWELL COUNTY, ILFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012 • 10am

AUCTION TO BE HELD First United Methodist Church, 100 W Main St., Green Valley, IL

TRACT I PI# 20-20-03-300-001 in Section 3 consists of 80+/- acres, 48.41 acres tillable, remainder in timber

TRACT II PI# 20-20-10-100-001 in Section 10 consists of 40+/- acres, 26.45 acres tillable, remainder in timber

LOCATION OF PROPERTY 2 mi south of Green Valley on RT29 to Nichols Rd, turn west & go .8 mi, Tract I is on the north side &

Tract II is on the south side. This property is known for very gooddeer & turkey hunting as well as producing good crops. Contact

auctioneer or visit our website for more information.OWNER: Robert Zimmerman

ATTORNEYS: Jason W. Proehl Of Kuhfuss & Proehl P.C., Pekin, Illinois

NEHMELMAN AUCTION COMPANY • GREEN VALLEY, IL309-352-4231 • 309-657-0297 • topauctions24-7.com/nehmelman

IL LIC#4400000465

Feb. 3-5, Great Outdoor Expo, Sandwich, IL 630-273-8000Feb. 3-5, SO IL Boat/F ishing Show, The Pavilion, Marion, IL 618-985-2828 Feb. 8-12, St. Louis Boat & Sport Show, St. Louis, MO, Stlouisboatshow.com Feb. 11-12, Tinley Park F ishing & Outdoor Show, Tinley Park, IL, TinleyParkF ishingShow.comFeb. 12, Henry Decoy Show, 8am-2pm, Henry-Senachwine High School, Rt. 29, Henry, IL, 309-364-4104 Feb. 15-19, Chicago RV & Camping Show, Rosemont, IL, ChicagoRVShow.com Feb. 16-19, QCCA Outdoor Show, Rock Island, IL, QCCAexpocenter.comFeb. 17-19, Rockford Boat, Vacation/F ishing Expo Rockford, IL, ShowTimeProduction.net Feb. 17-19, The Big Outdoor Show, Paducah, KY, 270-534-2203 Feb. 18-19, ECA Show, McLean CO Ag Expo Rt. 9, Bloomington, IL, 618-495-2572Feb. 17-19, Pheasants Forever National Festival, Kansas City, MO, PheasantsForever.org Feb. 24-26, The Boat Show in Spring field, IL, Fairgrounds, Spring field, IL, TheBoatShowinSpring field.comFeb. 24-26, QCCA RV & Camping Show, Rock Island, IL, QCCAexpocenter.comFeb. 24-26, Madison F ishing Expo, Madison, WI, Madfishexpo.comFeb. 24-26, Iowa Deer Classic, Des Moines, IA, Iowashows.com Feb. 25-26, ECA Gun & Knife Show, K of C Hall, Ef fingham, 618-495-2572Feb. 25-26, Great Outdoors Show, Cape Girardeau, 1-800-467-1007Mar. 2-4, Central Illinois Rec. Show, Peoria, IL, www.eventsltd.org Mar. 3-4, Great Outdoor Expo, Woodstock, IL, GreatOutdoorsExpo.netMar. 9-11, Eastern Iowa Sports Show, Cedar Falls, IA, Iowashows.com Mar. 16-18, Circle M Whitetail Classic/Antler Auction, Dubuque, IA, Iowadeer.com Mar. 17-18, St. Louis Weapons Collectors Firearms & Military Show, Convention Center, St. Charles, MO, Stlweaponscollectors.comMar. 23-25, Illinois Deer & Turkey Classic, Peoria Civic Center, Deerinfo.comMar. 23-25, Spring field RV & Camping Show, Spring field, IL, Eventsltd.org Mar. 23-25, Rockford RV Show, Rockford, IL, ShowTimeProduction.net Mar. 30-Apr. 1, Wisconsin Deer & Turkey Classic, Madison, WI, www.deerinfo.comMay 12 & 13, Schuyler CO Fairgrounds, Rushville, IL, John: 217-322-7621

116.qxd 1/26/12 12:45 AM Page 1


John Hill with granddaughter

Avery, 11 years old, who went hunting

antelope in Montana. Avery could have shot

this antelope, but didn’t want to do it,

so Grandpa got the job done!

Avery likes to shoot skeet and trap. On her 5th time to the skeet line she shot 35 out of 50 with her Mother’s

Browning gun that she never got to shoot before she passed.

Grandpa John is very proud of Avery.

Mounted longhorn cow at the hunting lodge in Montana.

Thanks for sharing your

memorable hunt with ASO!

117.qxd 1/25/12 11:41 AM Page 1


WHAT’S NEW...Several new features highlight the 2012 Field &

Stream Deer & Turkey Expos/ILLINOIS, formerlytitled the Illinois Deer & Turkey Classic, ScheduledMarch 23-24-25 at the Peoria Civic Center inPeoria.

New Features Include:• Trail Cameras seminars and demonstration

area. A hugely popular, and helpful scouting tool,much has changed in the trail camera world and isstill changing. Les Davenport has put years of workinto using and evaluating trail cameras. He will tellyou the points you need to know to get most valuewhen you buy, then he will tell you how best to usethem for best results and not spook the deer.

• Predator Calling &?Hunting seminars by GaryClancy, a Minnesota-based long-time predatorhunter. He will detail productive Midwestern tech-niques and talk about weather, clothing you will

need, optics, firearms and bows. He also willanswer your individual questions at the predatorhunting table in the Tech Information Center.

• New owner of the Classic and a new name.Expo producer Glenn Helgeland explained that thefour Midwestern deer and turkey expos previouslyowned and produced by his company, TargetCommunications, in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois andWisconsin have been purchased by Field & Streamand Outdoor Life magazines. The expos have beenrenamed the Field & Stream Deer & Turkey Expos,presented by Remington. “The Field & Stream Deer& Turkey Expo events are the largest and mostcomprehensive of their kind,” said Jay Miller, FGIBrand Manager. “The events attract thousands ofpassionate hunters. We’re very appreciative of theopportunity and we're excited to be part of thesemust-attend events for sportsmen."

Outdoor Life magazine will sponsor the seminarseries at each expo. The expos will continue to beproduced and operated by Helgeland’s manage-ment team from Target Communications. Expoquality and content depth you have come to expect

by Outdoor LifeMagazine.

• Women’sH u n t i n gApparel &Related GearArea, includinga fitting roomto try-on vari-ous huntingapparel and anarchery shoot-ing area forladies to tryshooting vari-ous bows madefor women.

• Hunting Dogs & Puppies, with a seminar onbuying a puppy and the first six months of training.

• U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance raffles, sweep-stakes and Sentry program. Participants can winnearly 200 prizes of various hunting gear andaccessories.

• Byron Ferguson, archery trick shot, performsSaturday and Sunday, March 24-25.

• Two photo contests (Outdoor Photo Contestand Trail Cam Photo Contest).

• Live game animal and live predators display;get your picture taken with a bear cub.

• Hands-on shooting areas (archery, airgun,laser firearms).

• Flint knapping demonstrations; see stonearrowheads and knife blades made.

www.deerinfo.com4.66 ACRES FOR SALE 4.66 ACRES FOR SALE IN SCHUYLER COUNTYIN SCHUYLER COUNTYProperty has many beautiful trees & plenty of DEER and

TURKEY to hunt on your own land. PLUS a well and power on property. ONLY 1 mi. from SANGANOIS Conservation

Area and 15 min. from ANDERSONLAKE. There is a 385 acre ATV and Dirt bike riding area just

minutes away.PRICE REDUCED! $25,500PRICE REDUCED! $25,500

Call Jeff: 309-261-1514Call Jeff: 309-261-1514

GREAT AFFORDABLE GETAWAY LOCATION:2 large lots For Sale near Lake Chautauqua. Located Next

to Arrowhead Campground. Secluded Area. All Timber.Great for Camping or a Cabin/Home site. Each Lot 73 ft.

wide. Both Lots Sacrifice $3,000! Call 309-360-0487

will continue.Returning Highlights Include:• More than 350 exhibit booths, many with

products for sale.• Tech Information Center. Talk with individual

subject specialists on firearms, archery, slug guns& muzzle loaders, hunting clothes & footwear,optics (scopes & binoculars), and food plots, plusdeer hunting and turkey hunting.

• New-products special display area is near themain entrance. Examine products without a salesperson at your elbow.

• Two & one-half days of how-to seminars, withmore than 40 presentations on a dozen topics.See the schedule at www.deerinfo.com, then clickon the Illinois icon and then on Seminars.Seminars are free once you have your generaladmission ticket. This seminar series is sponsored

Larry Martelle, ofAncona is a memberof the deer contest

record-keeping crew.

118.qxd 1/25/12 11:56 AM Page 1

blast the siren. My hunt-ing partner, Merv Gris-wold, and I often go outin the late evenings anduse the siren to locatecoyotes for the follow-ing day. There’s stillenough daylight left tosee, but not enough toshoot. When we hear acoyote answer, if we’reclose to the vehicle, wejump in and get out ofthere fast. You don’twant them to see you.You can destroy the set-up by having the coyoteanswer and then come into you. Just come backthe following morning.Simply put, sirens workgreat night or day, andcan be effectively usedat either time.

Basic Siren StrategyWe’ll get on a high point so we can

see a good distance, as the sound willcarry well. If we’re on flat terrain, weget up on the vehicle to give us a lit-tle advantage. Any high elevationwill allow you to hear better.

If there are a couple of hunters, one


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USE A SIREN TOLOCATE COYOTESStop calling blindly. Use asiren to locate coyotes for

your next hunt.

by Don Laubach and Mark Henckel

Rumbling across the vast, wide-open prairies of eastern Montana in afour-wheel drive can be intimidating.There’s so much country, you can al-most see forever. Somewhere in thesagebrush, grasslands, deep cuts orbig open flats, there are usually coy-otes. Figuring out where they are toset up for calling is the biggest prob-lem hunters face in wide-open coun-try. You can do a lot of unproductiveblind calling if you don’t have a goodidea where to start.

Luckily, coyotes in the wild aremuch like the dogs in town. Whenpolice or fire sirens blast in town,dogs will often bark at them. Whencoyote hunters blast a siren, coyotesbark and howl at them, too.

It’s a good way to learn how manycoyotes are in the area. In fact, state

wildlife agencies sometimes usesirens to census coyote populations.For a hunter setting up to do calling,a siren is a valuable tool. He can gointo an area he’s never been before,hit the siren, locate them and thenmove in to call.

In the old days, hunters would getold police and fire sirens, pop thehood on their vehicle, and touch thewires to their batteries to set them off.Today’s hunters have more options,and much easier to use.

There are two types of sirens andboth are portable. One is a long-rangesiren that reaches about four miles.Then there is the mini-siren. The mi-ni is more practical for most areas,with a range of one to two miles. Welike the mini-siren because we canhear the coyote answer. If they’re outfour miles, you can’t hear them, andbeing able to hear the coyote reply isthe object.

How Effective? Sometimes, TooWell.

We’ve had coyotes come in just tothe siren. Why they do that, I don’tknow, but it happens. If we’re check-ing an area during the day where wethink coyotes are close, we’ll take ourrifles with us, and set up before we Cont’d. on next pg.

guy gets a good distance away so hecan hear while the siren is going. Ifyou’re by yourself, a coyote mightanswer and you won’t hear it becausethe siren is still going. I wouldstrongly recommend the person run-

119.qxd 1/25/12 12:20 PM Page 1


ning the siren wear earplugs. It’s avery loud sound. As you get some dis-tance away from it, the sound isn’t sobad. One caller looks one way, theother in the opposite direction. Ifthere are three hunters, we cover threedirections. Human hearing is direc-tional, so there is an advantage to hav-ing more than one set of ears.

Selecting the correct point to sirenfrom is fairly critical. If it’s a big, longdrainage or canyon, commonly foundout West, you want to be at the headof the drainage. The best advice is touse your siren just as if you’re settingup to do some calling. Have the vehi-cle out of sight. If coyotes come up toa ridge, you don’t want them to spotthe vehicle.

Remember, coyotes only answer asiren once. They might carry on for along time in their answering, but theywon’t answer a second time. Themore coyotes in an area, the better thesiren works. One group will answer,then another. Soon, they’ll be talkingto each other. That’s the best.

If you hear a coyote, the rule ofthumb is that it’s twice as far away asyou think it is. The ability to deter-mine how far away the sound is com-ing from is something gained fromexperience.

You can hear coyotes answer out tothree to five miles, depending on theday.

When wind is blowing, we havevery little success. Windless days orthose with little wind are best. Usual-ly in early morning and evening, thewind dies down and it’s prime timesfor locating coyotes with sirens.

A Good Set-Up Is EssentialIf you’re out in the early morning

and it’s breaking daylight, be sure tohave a really good binocular. Often,even if the coyote doesn’t answer, it’llcome to a ridge top just to investigatewhere the sound is coming from. Al-so, realize that it may take a while forthe coyote to get to the ridgetop.Glass all the ridges around you.

The results of the first siren blastwill inform what you do next. Afterthe initial blast, and if we don’t get ananswer, one hunter can answer thesiren with a coyote howl. After aboutfive minutes, the other hunter answershim with a howl of a different pitch. Itsounds like a pair of coyotes answer-ing each other. You might carry on fortwo or three howls. Often, that will

kick a coyote into answering.Once coyotes answer and you know

where they are, it’s up to you to do agood job of calling and bringing themin. If you call and nothing comes in,carefully move closer to where youthink the coyote that responded wasand start calling again.

Another word of advice: if you geta response to the siren, and don’t havea good setup on the coyote, it’s betterto leave the area and come back in adifferent spot and then try to work theanimal. You must have a good setup.When you don’t have a good setup,leave and come back another day.

You can use a siren all year longand use it throughout the day. It won’tscare coyotes out of an area, but as isthe in hunting for any species, coyotesquickly get wise to such tactics. If youand perhaps other hunters have usedsirens repeatedly in the same area, thecoyotes will quit answering. That’sespecially true during the day. Theymight answer more readily at night,but don’t count on it. A siren is a veryeffective one-shot tool, so use it wise-ly.

Make Sure Sirens Are LegalThe siren really works great when

pups are up out of the den, becausepups answer immediately. You canusually tell when the adults get backto the den. They’ll make the young-sters stop answering. The ability toget pups to answer is extremely valu-able when undertaking predator con-trol for a rancher or farmer.

As in all coyote hunting, patience isyour greatest ally. Go through yoursiren blasts, go through your coyotehowls—even siren-shy coyotes willanswer a howl—but be sure to givethe coyotes enough time to answerand give away their location.

Sirens extend a coyote hunter’sreach when the dogs are out there along way. Some answer fast—someslower. Use your ears and binocular.Locating coyotes first gives you a bigadvantage in calling.

One final word on the use ofsirens—check local regulations andwith your state authorities on sirenuse. If you’re hunting on private land,let the landowner know what you’redoing. If you go out at night and blowa siren near a rancher’s house, you’regoing to see the lights go on and thatmight be the only action that happens.No matter how effective a siren mightbe, disturbing a rancher’s sleep orscaring him during the day is no wayto get invited back to hunt coyotes.

COYOTES…Cont’d. from previous pg.

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121.qxd 1/18/12 11:46 PM Page 1


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OPEN HOUSE in the next issue of ASO!

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BURKDELL MULCH, CARBONDALE: (618)549-2211DOWNTOWN AUTO SALES, HARRISBURG: (618)252-7717EAST SIDE FURNITURE, SALEM: (618)548-2420HALL BROTHERS, PINCKNEYVILLE: (618)317-2233MAXEDON, EFFINGHAM: (217)868-2636 POORBOY PORTABLE BUILDINGS, WORDEN: (618)633-2702

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[email protected]. 7:30am-5pm • Sat. Appts.

SHOWCASE FURNISHINGS, MT. VERNON: (618)244-3333SKELCHER’S CONCRETE PRODUCTS, CARBONDALE: (618)457-2930SOUTH SIDE LUMBER, HERRIN: (618)942-3111THE BACKYARD SHOPPE, MARION: (618)579-5565TNT ENTERPRISES, GREENVILLE: (618)664-4868WRIGHT’S BUILDING CENTER, MURPHYSBORO: (618)687-1702

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SEE MODELS ON DISPLAY AT THESE FINE DEALERS!

12x20 QuakerCabin with Log Siding Garages

Available Any SizeUp to 16x40!

16x28LodgeCabin

16x36 Premier Cabin

14x16KentuckyCabin

16x32Cabin

2-Story& Lots

of ExtraOptions

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Adventure Sports Outdoors Feb. 2012

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Transcript of Adventure Sports Outdoors Feb. 2012