SPRING DOODLES – SCOUTING FOR WOODCOCK IN THE OFF SEASON By Edgar Castillo It was a gloomy, overcast day. There was a bit of chill in the air, enough where I had to zip up my jacket even further to keep the chilly breeze out. My boots trudged along the worn path without purpose as we walked past tangled messes of saplings. Patches of red sumac swayed gently in the wind, as Mallards could be heard in the distant background, and crows overhead squawked at our uninvited presence. It was late February, and they were all but subtle reminders of a bird season that had ended roughly four weeks pri ..read more

The Scott Fly Rod Company is pleased to announce their new Swing series of fly rods. To catch steelhead and salmon, you need to swim the fly at the right angle, the right depth, and the right speed. The right rod can help solve that puzzle. But steelhead and salmon are the fish of a thousand casts, so preferences also play a big role. You can fish the same fish in the same water with a single-hander, a short two-hander, or the very longest rod. You can fish floating line, sinking line, dry flies, wet flies, traditional swing, riffle hitch, nymph and indicator. The variations are endless. The t ..read more

There are a number of culprits that can stress a dog out, such as separation, unfamiliar visitors, a change in weather, loud noises or novel sounds. Sporting dogs, in particular, could demonstrate anxious behaviors over a disruption in routine or location, whether it be due to travel or going to a new trainer. “One of the biggest stressors for bird dogs especially is inactivity,” says pro trainer Ike Todd of Todd Kennels in Somerville, Tennessee. “A dog’s anxious behavior is best controlled by regular physical and mental stimulation. Anything you can do to keep your bird dog active, such as r ..read more

For the Pro Plan team, business is personal As outdoorsmen know, there are few experiences as peaceful as walking the uplands with your dogs. Watching the mist rise over the fields at dawn, listening to the birds and wildlife begin to awaken, takes us to a place that we have always known. A place that calls to us when we are away and welcomes us when we return. This deep reverence for the outdoor lifestyle is not only understood but lived by the field team at Purina. It’s the inspiration behind Pro Plan Sport Performance formulas that keep dogs strong and energized in the field, and it’s the f ..read more

Wild Food – Gordon Hamersley Last fall my friend Jon and I hunted during the throes of a stormy New England day: 37 degrees, persistent rain, and driving wind. We didn’t love it, but Jon’s springer pup didn’t mind at all. The New Hampshire covert we were hunting was dense and dripping with the pelting rain. A narrow game trail cut through stands of thick alders that at times made it seem like we were hunting in a tunnel. We walked single file: I in the lead as it was my turn to shoot with Finley quartering to both sides of the trail. Things were slow in a spot where we usually find birds. We w ..read more

Thomas Reed Does one enjoy getting continually lashed in the face by willow switches in the grouse woods? Perhaps. Is it fun to log countless blistering and fruitless steps on wild prairie dodging rattlesnakes and straddling barbed wire in search of Huns and sharptails? Or slopping through cattail stench and olive thorn to flush a cursing rooster pheasant into a cold west wind that exfoliates your tear-streaked face with the ruthlessness of an unfeeling planet?  Passion drives the human soul and our undaunted canine companions into the strangest situations and the most far-flung places. T ..read more

Winter is here, and we have the gear for it, including an innovative and functional French Press for travel, a packable jacket, an attractive and durable gun sleeve, and a skinning knife that’s a work of art. Hunting and fishing gear reviews in every issue.Klean Freak Body Wipes These 11-inch by 11-inch antibacterial wipes are touted by the maker as a “shower in your pocket.” We probably wouldn’t go quite that far, but they do smell good, kill germs, and remove a lot of dirt. They come individually packed, which we find very convenient, and are sold in various-size bundles, the most popular be ..read more

by Michael L. Neiduski My breath wasn’t slowing down any time soon. Not after the 230-yard fast-walk/slow-run I’d just woven around the pecan trees that bordered the field edge, and certainly not with ears and eyes and antlers staring back at me as I steadied myself and my rifle against the hard bark of the tree. But I knew my sequence, I knew the rifle, and I knew that the .260 round would hit where I held the crosshairs. The Remington Model 7 that sat tucked into the crook of my shoulder and welded to my cheek that morning came a long way to be on that Texas pecan farm; considering I hated t ..read more

Keith R. Crowley   If you press him hard enough, Damian Wilmot might tell you he’s a pretty fair fishing guide on a pretty fair trout stream in northwest Wisconsin. He’ll likely also tell you he’s an itinerant trout bum and bird hunter. He may even mention some of the incredible fur-trade era artifacts he has pulled from the Bois Brule, a river that was crucial to French voyageurs three centuries ago. But he will surely tell you about his meticulously restored Joe Lucius Guide Canoe. Wilmot is immensely proud of that boat, and he should be. He spent two years resurrecting the 100+-year-ol ..read more

by Edgar Castillo The traveling wingshooter’s vehicle is his or her mobile office, carrying the hunter across the uplands in search of tailfeathers. For those of us who call ourselves DIY public land hunters, our hunting rig is a crucial part of our gear, and whether you own a pickup truck, SUV, car, or something in between, the vehicle must have a great view of the road and a place to gather at the end of the hunt. As I crest over a hill on a dirt road, a spectacular view of the Kansas landscape lies before me through my windshield. Endless rustic fields bordered by rolling prairies. I am eng ..read more