Come and join in the fun of a local National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Super Fund-raising banquet. The NWTF banquets are where you can buy exclusive merchandise, participate in live and silent auctions and have a great time with friends. All the while, you will be raising vital funds for wild turkey conservation and important programs that introduce the outdoors to men, women, children and the disabled.  Here is a list of banquets for the NWTF Chapters in Utah and some of the great conservation tags available:

March 3rd

Nephi, Lynn Worwood (801-368-5834) Tags…Central Mts./Manti Elk, Central, Northeast & Southern Turkey

Moab, John Smith (435-260-1495)  Tags…La Sal Mtn. Elk, Southeast Turkey (2) & Northeast Turkey

March 10th

Salt Lake, Mike Fowlks (801-243-8619)  Tags…Book Cliffs/Bitter Creek Elk, State Wide Turkey & Northeast Turkey

March 23rd

St. George, Kent Danjanovich (801-231-9838)  Tags…Monroe Elk, Southern Turkey (2), Mt. Dutton/Paunsuagunt Landowner Antelope (2)

March 24th

Ogden, Jon Leonard (801-721-7424)  Tags…North Slope/3-Corner’s Elk, Paunsaugunt Deer, Northern Turkey (2)

March 30th

Richfield, Gregg Abbott (435-896-3842)  Tags…Southern Turkey (2)

April 7th

Tooele, Ty Anderson (435-830-4660)  Tags…West Desert/Vernon Deer, Central, Northeast & Central Turkey

For more information on NWTF fund-raising banquets in your area, contact your NWTF Regional Director or call (800) THE-NWTF.

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A big chunk of professional athletes peak in their mid 30’s and remain competitive even into their 40’s. These aging athletes take care of their bodies when they’re young and adapt their training and lifestyle as they age.  To keep our outdoor dreams alive, we need proven strategies that will aid in the battle against father time.  None of us are getting any younger!

Don’t be uptight!
Loss of flexibility is a natural biproduct of aging, but it can be warded off through mobility work.  Log onto MobilityWod.com for free videos and exercisers to aid in improving joint alignment, translation, and functionality.

Free-Radical Fight
Free-radical damage, also known as oxidative stress, is now known to be one of the primary components of aging. Unfortunately, athletes are even more prone to free-radical damage than non-athletes.  For this reason, they need to be especially vigilant in consuming antioxidants, those vitamins and vitamin-like compounds that protect against and repair such damage. Vitamins C and E are especially helpful to athletes, as controlled studies have shown they can dramatically reduce post-workout muscle soreness in the short term, in addition to minimizing long-term oxidative stress.  Bottom line, up your fruit and vegetable intake and supplement your diet with vitamins.

Regenerate
The chances of performing intense workouts like you once did in high school are probably not realistic.  This isn’t to say that your workouts should be soft, but definitely listen to your body.  Older athletes need to allow themselves more time to recover between their most demanding training sessions. The extra time may be given to outright rest, active recovery, massage or a combination of both.

Post Workout Replenishment
Current research shows that consuming the right nutrients in the right amounts immediately after exercise can enhance recovery significantly.  Avoid appetite suppression after exercise and take in protein, carbohydrates, and fluids as soon as you finish your workout.  One easy method is consuming one of the sports drinks on the market that is designed especially for recovery.  Look for one with around a three-to-one ratio of carbohydrate to protein, as more protein will retard the flow of nutrients into the bloodstream and less protein results in a less pronounced insulin spike, hence slower restocking of glycogen stores.

Bang for your Buck
As an athlete matures, accumulated knowledge of one’s own body, particularly as it reacts to various types of training enhances. Simply put, more experience enables you to determine which workouts work well for you and which ones are less effective.  Take advantage and arrange your training program so it maximizes the goods that foster the greatest performance bang for the training buck.

Strength Training Priority
The older you get, the more important strength training becomes.  One of the more crippling effects of aging for athletes is the gradual loss of lean muscle and the strength that it enshrines.  Athletes in sports that don’t require tremendous strength are particularly susceptible, as they tend to try and get by without resistance training.  The outdoors and strength training are definitely married.  As you age, strength training becomes more and more invaluable.

Sleeping
Another thing that many athletes try and get by without is sleep. In fact, chronic sleep deprivation is an epidemic in U.S. society. Researchers have shown that sleeping too little leads to a host of problems from depressed immune function to decreased mental functioning.  Skimming on sleep is also harmful to athletic performance, due to the less opportunity for human growth hormone (HGH) to be released and do its job.  HGH is a powerful agent of recovery and adaptation to training released while you sleep.  Bottom line, less sleep means less HGH and therefore less freshness for the next day’s workout.
In closing, growing older doesn’t mean you cannot reach your peak physical preparedness.  You’ll need to ease into your new program more gradually than someone younger could.  Aging tendons and joints don’t adapt as quickly as they did when you were younger.  That doesn’t mean you can never lift heavy, but if you’ve been out of the exercise scene for awhile, spend your first few weeks of training with lighter loads and sets of higher reps.  Current research shows an increased perception of fatigue and muscle soreness and decreased speed of recovery in older exercisers.  You’ll need to plan easy days with fewer sets and reps and make time for active rest such as taking a hike and cross training.  You should make sure to take two to three full days off during the week.  Beyond this, there are no exercises you shouldn’t try because of your age, and no reason you shouldn’t be able to get into amazing shape even or even better than that of much younger folks.  Though it might take longer, you just have to listen to your body along the way.  Fighting the clock means not going over the hill so easily, in fact, if you stay on top of your fitness, you might just slow down the sands of time.

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Coyote hunting can be one of the most exhilarating experiences one will ever face!  Think about it – You’re making sounds to mimic a dying animal and this predator is coming to eat you!

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy being in the outdoors and really love hunting.  I’ve found that since I can’t always be chasing big bucks and bulls every day of the year, I needed to find something to fill my hunting void in life. Coyote hunting is a great way to keep those big game hunting skills at peak performance while also doing some scouting for the upcoming deer or elk hunt, not to mention the importance of keeping the predator numbers down to help insure healthy numbers for our big game herds.  Whether you’re looking to improve those sniper skills or just looking for a rush with some up close and personal action, this is a hunt for you.

While driving down a forest service road on a recent hunting trip with a friend, we spotted a knoll that was about 200 yards from the edge of a heavily timbered area that looked like good cover for some coyotes.  After pulling over and checking the wind direction, we put a game plan together and started sneaking over for a try.  I like to find elevated ground whenever possible; It helps me spot any coyotes as they approach, which in turn I think will help the success rate for any hunter go up.  One thing to remember while hunting coyotes is try your best to be stealthy and use the terrain to conceal your approach as much as possible.

After a 10 minute hike, we settled into position and picked out our shooting lanes.  I usually like to take a couple of minutes and glass around before I start my calling sequence in case something is in the open and just as we had hoped for, there was a coyote on the edge of the tree line pouncing from one spot to another looking for rodents.  I started off with a very faint rabbit distress call and that was all it took! Our so called prey was on a dead run heading straight for us, but the coyote stopped at about 150 yards as if to try and hone in on where the noise had come from.  Once his eyes locked in on our Fox Pro decoy, we had this dog’s full attention.  It was off and running like a greyhound at the race track. The coyote started to move towards us at an angle like it wanted to come into the decoy from downwind.  I made a squeaking sound with my mouth imitating an animal distress sound and the coyote was back on track running straight at us again.  With the wind at our face I knew this was going to make for a close encounter.

The coyote only took what seemed like a few seconds to close the gap between us. As I steadied my rifle on the target I realized it wasn’t stopping and was going to be within five yards very soon. I attempted to stop the coyote with a couple of barks, but that had no effect. It seemed as though this coyote had our decoy on its mind which apparently was on its breakfast menu! Luckily I had my trusty 12 gauge shotgun on my lap.  I took aim and hit the coyote square in the chest, stopping it just seconds before I was about to have a face to face “Meet and Greet” with this large alpha male. When the fur cleared the air I checked my pants, after nearly being run over. I stood up only taking one step to pick up the dog – Talk about a rush!

Encounters like these don’t happen all the time, but they do happen more than you think.  I’ve had coyotes come from behind and jump over me. I’ve even known a few guys that have had a coyote bite a shaking boot while calling with mouth calls.  They are very sneaky animals that stay alive by being stealthy.

Some people may think the hardest part of hunting coyotes is deciding what calls to use.  Well, I would have to disagree. 90% of the time I will use a rabbit distress call. The other 10% I will use howls and barks to call in coyotes during mating season. While there are a good variety of calls and distress sounds out there that will work and I know we all have our own preferences, this is just what I have found works best for my area of the country.  I enjoy using mouth calls in the daylight hours and lately have found great success using electronic calls during the night, where nighttime hunting is permitted and also in thick or flat country. Electronic calls are a great advantage when you can’t see very far and they keep your targets from sneaking up for a personal encounter that’s too close for your comfort level.  I really like the Fox Pro electronic calls and use their decoy along with it. I’ve had the best luck with Fox Pro and find they are simple to use and have great sounds that can really reach out a long ways to any old “Wiley Coyote”. Check out www.foxpro.com or stop by any Sportsman’s Warehouse for a hands-on look at these calls and see the quality and craftsmanship for yourself.

Another important thing to remember about coyotes is concealment. Always try to set up so you have the high ground over your prey.  It doesn’t need to be anything crazy, just try to get a little elevation.  I have even used a wooden ladder in flat areas.  This will allow you to spot anything a lot further out and get set up in the right direction for a quick shot. If possible, I will sit with my back to a tree or even sit inside a sage brush for added concealment.  I think camouflage is very important. Get something waterproof, windproof, warm and dang near silent for those cold days. Make sure you’re covering everything that could create a reflection and not look natural to an arriving coyote, right on down to your gloves.

Another tips is, never have the wind blowing at your back.  I prefer a side wind or one blowing into my face.  Most coyotes will always try to circle downwind at about 150 to 300 yards if they can, so make sure your vehicle is concealed too.  And the final tip that can help make your hunt that much better would be to try and have the sun at your back.  Think about driving into the sun – It’s not fun and your vision is limited.  That’s what we want from a coyote. They have good eye sight, amazing hearing and the nose of a blood hound!  Just when you think you have them figured out, they do the complete opposite. It keeps me coming back time and time again.

Coyote hunting can make for some great stories and can be a great benefit to the ecosystem, which is a subject to which more hunters should pay attention.  Coyotes are predators and even though a large part of their diets consist of small rodents, they don’t stop there. Coyotes can also be a major problem for livestock. Millions of dollars are lost throughout the western states due to the loss of sheep and other livestock to predators. You can imagine what kind of impact coyotes can have on deer fawns, elk, antelope and other young game animals we enjoy as a sportsman.

Coyotes aren’t the only problematic predator, but it’s a start. With most states the hunting restrictions are usually a lot looser on these animals because of the problems and dangers they can cause.  With minimal restriction in most areas, this gives hunters something to look forward to in the off season with a way to sharpen their hunting skills and help reduce predator numbers. If coyotes become over populated in an area, you could see a dramatic change in turkey, elk, deer, antelope and many other animal numbers. By hunting coyotes and other predators, you will help keep the food chain balanced with appropriate amounts of predator and prey.

Also as a bonus, coyotes are one of the only animals I know of that you can get paid to shoot and who doesn’t like a free hunting trip.  But this is only for certain areas of the country that have a bounty on them, so you’ll need to check and see if this is available in your area.  A lot of the time your local Fish and Game will have info on bounties. I would encourage everyone to try it. All it took was one trip and I was hooked!  Keep your calling simple, watch the wind and go have some fun!

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Deer season brings with it an aura that can’t be found anywhere else.  The Dethlefsen household  is no exception to this rule.  There is an attitude change in the members of our tiny clan as the time stretches on into the fall, closer and closer to the rifle deer season.   Every year brings with it a plethora of memories that will undoubtedly last a lifetime.  Though we kids are slowly leaving the house in pursuit of lives of our own, deer season is one of the constants that bring us all back together year after year.  The 2011 Nebraska deer hunt is without a doubt one of the most memorable to date.

Ryan, Josh, and Lisa Dethlefsen after the hunt.

It is our yearly tradition for Dad and his two boys to head up to the hunting grounds a week before the hunt, a  sort of cap on our preseason scouting.   The drive up  feels a lot like the adult version of trying to sleep the night before Christmas morning.  Everyone in the truck is tense, and the talk is all hunting.  We review with each other what kind of bucks we have seen in the preseason, and each of us sets a sort of goal for ourselves as to what style and size of buck would be ideal for that given year.  Dad usually doesn’t say much, as he seems to get the most pleasure from seeing his two boys and wife get nice deer before he will even think about taking a shot.

As we pull into the opening pasture of the fifteen thousand acre ranch, we don’t have a lot of hope of seeing anything special as all the deer will likely still be off in the broken hills.  As expected, we don’t see much on the first five pivots.  As I hop out of the truck to unlatch the western style barbed wire gate that will lead into the final pivot, something  catches my eye.  There on the far side grazing are about 20 deer.  It is impossible to see much from this distance, so I quietly latch the gate and hop back into the truck.  As we make our way as silently as possible along the fence line that surrounds the pivot, it becomes clear that there is a buck in the herd worth looking at.  Glassing the landscape, the big buck is unmistakable.  There are a few other bucks present, but nothing that comes close to the giant that is clearly the boss hog of the group.

The author with his 2011 buck.

His antlers are snow white, and he has an incredibly dark grey, almost black body.  I make a comment that his antlers are white as a ghost, and the name sticks.  From this point forward, this goliath buck is dubbed  the “Ghost buck.”  It isn’t immediately clear that this name will soon mean more than just the color of his antlers.  As we pull out of the pasture for the night, we begin to discuss the buck we had just seen.  We talk, and come to the realization that we had seen the Ghost the previous year as we were pulling out of the ranch on the final night of season with all our tags filled.  On that night, the Ghost made his way down a draw and right out into the open pivot of alfalfa and looked across at us as if he knew without a doubt that there was nothing we could do about it.  Even a year younger, the Ghost buck sported an impressive stark white set of antlers that would make the mouths of most mule deer hunters water.  As night fell on our long road home, my father vowed right then and there that if he was able to find the Ghost in the broken hills the  next morning, it would be his last rifle buck.  After that, he said, he would focus on a new found passion; muzzleloader hunting.  By the time we arrived back home, we were all in agreement that the Ghost buck had to be at least 27 or 28 inches wide with great mass and a few stickers on each side.  Perhaps the most impressive attribute of this buck, however, is that from front to back, the rack had to be at least two feet deep.  For the Sandhills of Nebraska, this is indeed a trophy.  We estimate that the ghost would score somewhere around 185 if not higher.

As we made the extremely early morning trek to the broken hills and alfalfa pastures of our hunting grounds on opening day, the whole family seemed to be sitting on the edge of their seat.  Every member of the family tags along on these hunting trips, which consists of my mother, father, older brother, and younger sister.  The strategy is usually to get to the pivots and see if anything is out and about early in the morning, and then take the Argo, which is an 8 wheeled amphibious deer hunting machine,  up through the broken hills until we find a suitable spot to start glassing and walking.

Older brother Josh's buck from 2011.

As we pull into the first pivot, we see no trace of deer.  As we weave our way through the valley, pivot after pivot turn up empty.  Finally, on the third to last pivot, we catch sight of what we think is the ghost.  We park the truck, and hop out as quietly as humanly possible.  My father and I slink along the fence line to within shooting distance of where the buck will cross the fence on his way up a deep cut draw to his shady bed.  As we get within shooting distance, I tell Dad “I don’t think that’s the Ghost!”  He isn’t convinced, however, and leans over to use the barbed wire fence as a rest for the shot.  As he squeezes the trigger, the crack of the shot from his Remington VTR in .308 echoes up and down the draw and the buck hunches over, slowly making his way toward the hill that he thinks will be his salvation.  Dad lets another shot ring out and the buck turns and looks right at us as if to say “is that all you’ve got?”  As we make our way closer to the supposed “Ghost” buck it becomes clearer and clearer to me that this buck is not the Ghost.  At about fifty yards, the buck is still looking at us with a look of pure hatred.  I keep one finger on the safety of my Howa .270 just in case the old boy decides to make a downhill run at us.  One final shot from the .308 craters the old buck, and Dad has his deer.   As we walk up to him, Dad finally concedes that this isn’t the Ghost.   Regardless, however, it is a beautiful buck that ends up scoring out at just over 174 inches and Dad’s largest mule deer to date.

The rest of the 10 day season was spent searching high and low for the Ghost, but none in the family ended up finding him.  As the days waned on it became increasingly hard to hold out for the giant, especially as we passed up buck after buck that would surely spike into the 150 class.  My brother ended up taking a beautiful buck with long sword-like tines and an extra kicker that scored out at 161 and some change, and my mother took a beautiful buck that scored out at a dead even 146.  The deciding factor in taking this buck was the body size.  It easily had the thickest neck of any deer we had taken.   I held out as long as possible for the ghost, but ended up taking a fine typical buck on the last morning we had to hunt that scored right around 166 inches.  This buck was extremely tall and the points all curved outward, which made him very unique.  At this point, I was convinced that the ghost had been taken by another hunter somewhere along the line.

More than a month later, while  still on Christmas break from the University of Nebrsaska-Kearney, my father and I took a late afternoon trip up to the old hunting grounds to see what we could see.  We saw some nice new bucks as we made our way through the valley of the ranch.  As we got to the very last circle, up on a hill looking out over the wide valley that is undoubtedly his kingdom, stood the Ghost.  His beautiful snow white antlers which contrasted so perfectly with his gray-black body gleamed in the amber sunset.  It was then and there that the meaning of his name came full circle.  He was indeed the Sandhills Ghost.  The search for the Ghost will undoubtedly resume next year.  My only hope is that somehow, in some way, one of us can outsmart the old buck, which would surely end up being the trophy of a lifetime.

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Southeast Alaska is truly a fishing mecca and Prince of Wales Island sits right in the heart of some of the best fishing waters in all of Alaska.  In fact, the fishing is so good, when you let out your line, you just never know what might take a bite of your bait and proceed to give you the run of your life!

Fellow Sportsman’s News Pro-Staffer, Rick Rosenberg joined me on our adventure to Fireweed Lodge last July.  I had heard a lot about the Ketchikan area, but this would be the first visit for either of us to this inner passage fishing and tourism hot spot.  After arriving on the island runway in Ketchikan, we hopped on the transport that took us across the bay and headed for the Inner Island Ferry depot.  We checked in and purchased our tickets for the ferry that would take us to Prince of Wales Island and then made our way across the street for our first Alaskan breakfast of the trip.

Colorful yelloweye rock fish are plentiful in the waters of southeast Alaska.

Since this was our first trip to the area, we decided to grab a ride downtown to see some of the sights since the ferry makes only one run to Prince of Wales Island each day at 3:30pm.  This port city is full of sites, restaurants, souvenir shops and a ton of sightseers bustling around from the many cruise ships that make Ketchikan one of their regular stops.  At about 2:30pm we headed back to the ferry and boarded for our three hour ride.  You can also catch a ride with one of the local flight services, but we didn’t mind the leisurely ferry ride, since we wouldn’t be fishing on this first day anyway.

We were met at the gate as we exited the ferry by a member of the staff from Fireweed Lodge and we jumped in the Yukon and headed for the town of Klawock, about a 20 minute ride to the western side of the island.  We soon found ourselves at the front door of the Fireweed Lodge, our home for the next four days.  Bob Anderson, the owner of the lodge, met us inside, set us up with a room and told us to get settled in and then come back over for some dinner.

The lodge is a mix of hotel style accommodations, along with three newly built cabins that can house groups of four guests.  The room that we were in was very comfortable, with two double beds and an adjacent twin bed , along with a full bath, sitting area and satellite TV.  After washing up, we headed over to the main lodge, just a few steps away and found our way to our appointed table.  Upon arrival, our hostess presented us with a heaping bowl of fresh crab legs as an appetizer (A treat that was standard every night) and then offered us a choice of a fresh crusted halibut creation or a braised pork entree with all of the fixins’.  A soup and salad bar was also available, along with a layout of scrumptious desserts, that is if we still had room to make it that far!

Our next morning found us at breakfast at 4:45am and after a quick stop at the sandwich bar to make a sack lunch, Rick and I headed down to the dock to jump on our boat with our captain, Steve Ellison.  Steve’s motto is “First on the water, first on the fish” which proved to be right on during the next three days of fishing.  This first day found the waters a little rough and the king bite a little off, but we still managed to catch a couple along with a keeper halibut each.

Kent Danjanovich and Rick Rosenberg with two great examples of what’s in store when you book your next trip with Fireweed Lodge.

Day two brought more favorable conditions and found us heading to the outer reaches  near Granite Island and yes, we were the first boat there!  We each quickly had our lines headed for the bottom.  Steve set us up with a double hook set-up along with a 4-ounch banana weight and a cut piece of herring.  The technique we would be using would be a little different than I had used before.  We would be fishing in about 200 feet of water and after we let our lines out to the bottom, we immediately started to slowly reel our lines back to the surface.  The variation of mooching would prove to be very effective, since we would be working the whole water column and finding the fish at a number of different depths.

I quickly found the rhythm and the right “quick popping” hook set and soon I found myself fighting my third king salmon of the morning.  Rick and our fishing partner for day, Chris, soon hooked into our first double and Captain Steve found himself with his hands full, netting, de-hooking and then re-baiting our rigs as we spent the next two hours hauling in 15 nice king salmon, all in the 18 to 30 pound range.  We decided to keep our third fish, as the word was getting out that we had found the hot spot and about a dozen boats had worked their way into the area.  We started up the big motor and headed across to one of Steve’s favorite lingcod and yellow eye holes.

Our 22-foot Olympic, one of ten in the Fireweed fleet, made quick work in getting us to the spot and on our first let down, Rick hooked a nice lingcod.  Steve hoisted the pre-historic looking fish over the side, slipped the hook out and released him back into the water (Lingcod had a slot limit in the Prince of Wales area for 2011 as follows: Nonresidents, one per day, one in possession, 30 inches or greater in length and less than or equal to 40 inches in length or 55 inches or greater in length with an annual limit of two lingcod, one of which is 30 to 40  inches in length and one that is 55 inches or greater in length).  Chris and I soon hooked up with a yellow eye double and Rick was soon hauling up a nice 20 pounder of his own.  With our one-fish-each limit of yellow eye and a lingcod each in the slot as well, we headed for another spot to fish for some more kings and hopefully a few silvers as well.

The day had been so full of excitement, we all realized that we hadn’t even taken a break to down our sack lunches or replenish our fluid supply.  So as we worked our way to our next spot, we each made quick work of our lunches and soon found ourselves again letting our lines out in hopes of hooking into a big southeast Alaska king.  The next couple of hours netted us a nice mixed bag, as we boated another half dozen kings along with a few silvers and we even managed to each catch a nice keeper halibut.  That is one of the unique things that you will find when fishing in these waters with Fireweed Lodge.  Because of the techniques that they use, you just never quite know what you  will find at the end of your line when you reel in!  After another unbelievable meal, we hit our beds for the night in preparation for our final day on the water.

We again headed out to the outer reaches, but we found that the fish had pulled a quick one on us and moved out of the area.  So, Steve got on the radio to check with a couple of the other boats from the lodge to see if anyone had found a honey hole.  The rest of the day found us hitting spots throughout the Island dotted area and seeming to find a fish or two every time we stopped. Our last stop ended up being a very good one, as I not only managed to hook into the biggest king of the trip, a solid ball silver ball of muscle approaching 40 lbs. and we also found this stop to be a halibut hot spot and each of us boxed a nice ‘butt (Short for halibut and a common term used by fishermen in Alaska) for the dock hands to make quick work of cutting, trimming, boxing and flash freezing for our return trip to the lower 48 the next morning.

Believe me, every aspect of the operation at Fireweed Lodge on Prince of Wales Island is first class!  Bob and Jeanne Anderson and their staff have truly succeeded in putting together an Alaskan fishing experience that is second to none.   The lodge overlooks a beautiful, pristine bay that can captivate your view as you take a soak in their oversized hot tub or while putting in a little time in their fitness room or game room after a perfect day on the water.  We are extremely proud to have them as one of our prestigious Platinum Approved Outfitters and we hope you will give them a call to book your next great outdoor adventure.  Fireweed Lodge,  In-season – 907-755-2930, Off-season – 206-910-7702 and you can visit them on the Sportsman’s News website or at www.fireweedlodge.com.

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North Idaho Antler Dogs is a labrador retriever breeder, specializing in trained shed antler hunting dogs. These dogs are not just running around accidentally coming across an antler. They have been taught to work for you, searching and retrieving sheds. They are trained to use their nose as well as their eyes. They know their job and they know it well and they enjoy every bit of it.

It’s fascinating to watch one of these well trained dogs work the wind, trying to catch the scent of an antler. The moment he sniffs the correct scent, you can see him working it, zig-zagging back and forth until he zeros in on the antler. He then picks it up and retrieves it back to you.

North Idaho Antler Dogs will go through the thickest brush, down into the deepest ravines and up the steepest hills in search of a shed antler for you. They will cover 2-3 times the ground you or I can. With their keen sense of smell, they can find sheds hidden in brush or buried deep in snow or grass.

North Idaho Antler Dogs take pride in offering healthy, problem free dogs that are AKC registered and come only from OFA/CERF certified parents that are clear of EIC and CNM hereditary diseases. Their dogs have been bred for exceptional noses and trainability. They are a very versatile, multi-purpose, family friendly dog. The bloodlines have been used for search & rescue, agility, hunt & field trials, therapy, dock jumping & diving, obedience and many kinds of special needs, such as: dogs for the blind, detection dogs for bombs, drugs, diabetics, cadaver, etc. With these bloodlines and great personality, the possibilities are endless.

The North Idaho Antler Dog  program consists of 4-6 trained shed hunting dogs a year. We start them out as puppies at the beginning of the year and are finished with training just in time for the following shed hunting season, usually January through April. At this time they are ready to work for you finding shed antlers. They have also been introduced to 4-wheelers, crates, the back seat of a truck, all kinds of terrain and noises, water, strangers, children, other dogs and have even learned a few house manners too. Occasionally, we train a few started pups for the people that want to do the finish work on their own. The started pups are usually 4-6 months old when they are ready to go to their new homes.

Deposits are taken on these dogs as newborn puppies. This holds your dog in your name until the completion of his training.

There are two planned litters due February 15th and 17th 2012, where there will be blacks, chocolates and yellows available. From these litters, 4-6 of them will be chosen for the 2013 shed antler season, the remaining will be sold as puppies from proven shed hunting lines.

So if you are really serious about shed antler hunting or maybe just do it for fun, North Idaho Antler Dogs will up your odds of finding antlers. Best of all, you will have the perfect partner to do it with.
For further information you can visit our website at www.northidahoantlerdogs.com or contact us at kevin_diane24@hotmail.com or call 208-464-1117.

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Good things come in small packages, so the adage goes. To prove that point, Springfield Armory has taken all that is great about the 1911 and shrunk it down into a subcompact that retains all of the features we love and eliminates all that we dislike about the 1911.

The first problem many shooters have with a 1911 is that it is big, heavy and hard to conceal. With a 3-inch bull barrel, 6.5 inches overall length and weighing a mere 26 ounces unloaded, this gun is small and light enough to conceal even for those small framed folks. The additional Extreme Carry Beveling makes sure the gun won’t hang up or dig into your body by smoothing out sharp spots typically found on 1911s.

Another complaint about 1911s is that the grip is too large for many shooters. The Micro Compact .45 has reduced the grip size to the perfect balance between too small to adequately control and too large for shooters with small hands. The gun feels amazing in the hand and is a natural pointer.

On the upside of the 1911, the gun retains all of the familiar controls and the same manual of arms as 1911 shooters are used to. The ambidextrous thumb safety adds versatility, while the grip safety and magazine release are right where you expect them to be. Disassembly is familiar as well, requiring no additional tools other than a small retainer clip on the recoil spring to field strip the pistol.

Overtravel adjustable, skeletonized trigger and delta  lightweight hammer add to the professional and modern look of this gun. On top, a pair of Trijicon ramped tritium night sights provide snag free drawing with easy aiming in all kinds of light. Inside, a titanium firing pin, flat recoil spring, beveled ejection port and smoothly polished parts make this gun a real operator. It flawlessly performed with any kind of .45 ACP ammo I fed it, from the most expensive personal protection rounds to the cheapest target loads.

While the two magazines that come with the pistol are stainless steel 6-rounders, the gun will accept standard sized 7 or 8 round 1911 magazines, though they do protrude about an inch out of the grip. If I have to reload, the gun will be in my hand and not on my hip and that extra inch means up to two more rounds, which doesn’t bother me in the least.

The gun is small enough to conceal, but pretty enough that you will want to carry it in the open. Its bi-tone coloring of black and stainless is enhanced by genuine cocobolo hardwood grips that make the Micro Compact .45 a stunning pistol.

With an MSRP of around $1,100 this pistol isn’t cheap, but it is another fine product out of Springfield Armory, the company George Washington founded. Check one out at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse gun counter.

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By Jason Campbell

Wow, I just can’t believe that we are in the middle of another show season and spring is just around the corner! I have been talking to our WTA outfitters and they seem to all be doing well and have caught up on the missed sleep from last fall. We are very busy this time of year booking trips for our clients and what I’ve been hearing is that most of you are tired of trolling the shows looking for hunts. What a crap shoot that is. I appreciate the feedback from all of you about how much you appreciate the hard work we do for you in the decision making process to book your next trip. It does make a difference that we have been in the field with our outfitters as full paying clients. Because of this, we had our best booking season last year of all time! Of our entire bookings, we had ZERO customer complaints in 2011! We are confident that this year will be even better. Those of you that haven’t tried us, really should.  WE DO THE CONSULTING FOR FREE! I just can’t say it any louder than that.

As I have talked to many of you at the shows, a couple of questions keep coming up; When is the magazine coming out and when is the television show debuting? Sorry guys, we just thought we could get them done faster. With the new Joint Venture with Sportsman’s Warehouse came a number of responsibilities, including installing our IN-STORE-PRESENCE in each of the store locations nationwide. This has taken up most of our free time this past year, but the good news is that the installs are almost complete. We moved into the new office and have been writing the most comprehensive software in the industry. While very expensive and time consuming in development, this software will allow Worldwide Trophy Adventures to handle more customers and still keep the level of personal service that so many of you have come to expect as part of the superior customer service that we offer. Josh and I are very proud of these new tools and are excited to introduce even more of them this year that will help each of you in planning your future trips.

One of the brand new tools that we are proud to offer is called HuntDraws.com. This reminder tool is FREE for GOLD MEMBERS of Worldwide Trophy Adventures. And, it’s the deal of the century for those of you that are not members. For the incredible price of only $2.99 per state, HuntDraws.com will notify/remind you of the application period dates for almost every species application period in that state, SIX times for each application period, that’s three texts AND three emails for a total of six reminders for each application period. In some states there are up to nine different draw periods. For these states, you will receive up to FIFTY FOUR notifications for the very low price of only Two Dollars and Ninety Nine Cents ($2.99)! Uh huh! You read that right! $2.99 per state!
So here’s how it works:

HOW MUCH DOES THIS SERVICE COST?
HuntDraws.com charges $2.99 per state with unlimited application period selections for each state. Whether you select one species or application period or all of them, it only costs $2.99 PER STATE!

HOW FREQUENTLY DO I RECEIVE MY NOTIFICATIONS?
You will receive your reminders according to the following schedule:
(1) HuntDraws.com notification on or about the day the hunt application period opens.
(2) HuntDraws.com notification on or about 7-days before the hunt application period closes.
(3) HuntDraws.com notification on or about the day the hunt application period closes. This will be the final HuntDraws.com notification that will be sent during the final hours of the application period.

IF I SIGN UP AS A MEMBER OF WORLDWIDE TROPHY ADVENTURES DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS SERVICE?
NO! All states and notifications are included in the annual membership fee as a Gold Member of Worldwide Trophy Adventures. If you sign up as a member of Worldwide Trophy Adventures as a Gold Member, please contact us and we will set you up for this service for you. This advantage is only applicable as long as you are a Gold Member!

CAN I CHOOSE TO RECEIVE ONLY EMAIL OR TEXT ALERTS INSTEAD OF BOTH?
Yes and no. Email notifications are required upon signing up for HuntDraws.com. Text notifications can be turned off at your discretion.  However, we strongly encourage you to do both Email and Text. Email has problems that surface that include spam, maybe your email provider has a problem or the notification is accidentally deleted and you can’t recover it. Having two different notification avenues allows you to double your chances of not forgetting to apply.

CAN I TURN OFF MY NOTIFICATIONS?
Yes. Go to the Contact Us section of the HuntDraws.com website and fill out the contact us form. In the notes section of the Contact Us form you can list which notifications you would like to adjust or turn off.

WILL HUNTDRAWS.COM SUBMIT MY HUNT APPLICATIONS FOR ME?
No, BUT WAIT! We have a solution for this! HuntDraws.com sends its customers to Worldwide Trophy Adventures to take advantage of their state of the art Application Service. Worldwide Trophy Adventures has a dedicated application service manager that runs this part of their business using cutting edge technology and they do the entire process for you. By using their service you will have the peace of mind that you are being applied for in every state that you want and won’t have to so much as pick up a pen or log onto the internet. They do it all for you! More states are adopting a variation of the point system and your best odds in these states will start with having the most points possible. Don’t miss these up-coming opportunities! Some states are considering dropping or severely modifying the system that they have had in place for years and years. This will change the draw process and impact the draw odds and Worldwide Trophy Adventures can help you capitalize on these opportunities.

HOW CAN WE DO IT FOR SUCH A LOW PRICE?
The truth is, we have invested in custom software that allows us to handle thousands of notifications automatically. While our initial investment is high and on its own HuntDraws.com is a low profit company, we feel that it complements our Booking Agency and Application Service. The fact is that HuntDraws.com will expose a number of customers to the pitfalls of doing their own applications and we will be in position to help them by introducing them to the WTA Application Service. We are also counting on continuing our relationship with you, the client after you draw by helping you to book your hunt or fishing trip. We have honest intentions to be a profitable company that is based on superior customer service. These tools are part of that customer service that has made us the successful company that we are.

WHERE DO I SIGN UP?
SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE! EASY, EASY, EASY! Just log onto HuntDraws.com and follow the simple and easy directions to receive your notifications. The website is designed to be SECURE and FAST.

HuntDraws.com uses one more example of the cutting edge software that Josh and I are investing in. No one else in the industry seems to be keeping up with cutting edge technology like Worldwide Trophy Adventures and its partners. The true winners are you, the clients. Our tools all support and complement each other. For example: if you choose to use HuntDraws.com and are successful in drawing a tag in any state, you can then can call Worldwide Trophy Adventures to have us consult you on the trip for FREE. We will book you with one of our outfitters that we have spent time in the field with as FULL PAYING CLIENTS. That is completely FREE. It just doesn’t make sense to troll a show or to pick an outfitter out of the back of a magazine when you can book with one of our proven WTA certified outfitters and take advantage of these cutting edge tools.

I truly do wish you all a great year and hope to see your success photos and stories when you return from the field. And remember to take your children hunting, they are our outdoor future!

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It’s funny how dreams formulate in each of us.  Now I know some dreams are way more important than others, but each one finds a place in our psyche and just keeps working us over until we have an opportunity to live out that dream; Sometimes successfully and sometimes not!

I have had the chance to hunt and fish in many parts of the country and the world over the years and during that time, I have caught and bagged many great trophies.  For me, it has not always been the size of the fish or animal that determines the level of success.  Sure it’s nice to have a big elk mounted on the wall or the picture of a giant rainbow hanging in my office, but ultimately I come away from those experiences with many more precious memories of the hunt and those I had the experience with more than anything else.  Now back to THAT dream!

Brian Bachman and Donovan Huehl of Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters join Me for some photos with my first black bear.

For the last seven years,  I have developed a fascination with black bears.  During many of my trips covering guides, outfitters and lodges around the world, I have had the opportunity to observe bears in their element and of all of the creatures that I come in contact with, black bears have become very special to me.  I love their nonchalant attitude, their heighten senses and their demeanor.  They are smart, but quite vulnerable at times.  Hey, doesn’t that line sound a little too familiar?

My first hunting adventure for black bear was in Ontario, Canada.  Ontario only allows fall black bear hunting, but the use of bait is allowed.  My seven day hunt did not end with a downed bear, in fact I didn’t even have the opportunity to draw my bow back, but I did have the chance to add more intrigue to my quest.

The next stop in my black bear journey was to northern Idaho.  Of course, as luck would have it, spring came in a little late and snow, ice and big run-off made for a pretty tough hunt to say the least.  Again, my bow and I were ready and willing, but there would still be no black bear hanging in camp for me.

2009 would be my next opportunity, with another trip north of the border to Manitoba.  Again, spring crept into summer and although we finally made our way to our destination, three weeks later than planned, my dreams of bagging a black bear again would not come to fruition.  Now, 2011 arrived and preparations were made with one of our Platinum Approved Outfitters, Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters, located in Brimson, Minnesota.  Would this finally be the time that the jinx would be lifted?

Fellow Sportsman’s News Pro-Staffer, Kevin Orton and I loaded our gear into the rental car in Minneapolis and set the Garmin for our final destination, about 200 miles to the north.  We found the skies clear, but the temperatures above normal.  In fact, the summer of 2011 was one of the hottest on record and the normally cool fall temperatures were nowhere to be found.  Daytime temps were in the mid-80’s and nighttime temperatures fighting to get below 60 F.   Our spirits were still high, but I will have to say, the perspiration on our brows was not just from the heat.  Our thoughts were clearly clouded by the possibility of another failed adventure in pursuit of black bear.

We soon found ourselves arriving at Arrowheads’ lodge in Brimson, about 30 miles west of Lake Superior.  Owners Brian Bachman and Donovan Huehl welcomed us into camp and introduced us to the other hunters from across the country that had ventured to Minnesota with our same intensions in mind.  After unloading our gear, we all headed to the main lodge for lunch and orientation.

The author and his trusty Browning X-Bolt got the job done on this nice Minnesota black bear.

Brian quickly had all of our attention as he worked through our schedules for the week and schooled us in the facts of bear hunting success.  Although the temperatures were a little high, the group of hunters  that had just left had managed to down 16 bears during the first week of the hunt and with 110 baits located throughout their hunting area, trail cam photos supported the fact that there were plenty of bears available, if we were lucky enough to hit the time just right.

Each of us loaded into a vehicle with our guides at about 2:30 pm and headed out to our tree stands.  I would be on the spot first, with my Browning X-Bolt in hand and anticipation running , as you can guess, HIGH!  Kevin would be on the camera, filming for an upcoming edition of Sportsman’s News Television.  Donovan led us into our stand and after we were situated, dumped a bucket of sweet offerings on the ground about twenty yards away from us and then made his way back to the truck.  Unfortunately, our first night in the stand was quiet, with no bears showing up during our sit.  Donavan picked us up at 8:30 pm and we headed back to the lodge for a great meal and then hit our beds for a good night’s sleep.

For those of you that have not hunted black bear, almost all hunting is done in the evenings.  There are some areas that you can do more spot-and-stock hunting, but the terrain in north central Minnesota is way to thick to use those tactics.  With the black bear population in Minnesota approaching nearly 30,000, trail cam photos usually show that bears form a pattern and the hope is that they will hold to that pattern and frequent the baits sometime from late afternoon to just before dark.  The only problem with this routine is that you have way to many hours to pass between tree stand sits, so sightseeing, fishing and a little lounging around come into play every day during your hunt.

Our second night had us back at the same stand.  We found that the bait was wiped clean, a good sign, so we again climbed into our stand, dumped the bait and started the wait.  Three o’clock turned to four and then quickly to five.  The only thing that kept us perky was the constant hustle bustle of the resident squirrels and chipmunks.  Five-thirty passed and I looked over at Kevin and he had nodded off with his head resting on the safety bar of his tree stand.  A few minutes later, it all began!

Charlie and “Hilly” Huehl with a another great Minnesota black bear taken by Charlie during our trip.

I don’t know quite how to describe it, except to say that all of the sudden I felt a presence.  There was no crunching of leaves or branches, really no sounds at all.  But I knew something was there.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a black patch, now only about 20 yards below me to my left.  I slowly tapped Kevin on the shoulder and he looked my way as he clicked the camera on in anticipation.  It was finally happening.  My dream had come to life.  Time seemed to be in limbo as MY bear worked his way to the bait.

He quickly worked his way around the bait below us and then promptly laid down on the side of the bait pile, offering no shot at his vitals.  Now the waiting game began.  What seemed like an eternity was really only a couple of minutes.  Fortunately I had decided to use my rifle instead of my bow and I had options.  Brian had talked to us all about this scenario and that if we didn’t have a vitals or shoulder shot, if the bear was looking at us straight-on to place our shot at the base of the skull on the back of the head.  Kevin gave me the nod that he was ready with the camera and that the bear was a shooter and I slowly brought my Browning to the ready position.  A click of the safety had me ready for the shot.

My bear lowered his head one last time and I eased the trigger back.  Now, I had taken a little heat for using my 375 H&H on this hunt, but with our Pro-Staff scheduled for a couple more big game hunts throughout the fall, my business partner, Mike Deming told me to order a big gun and then made this statement that would be confirmed very shortly, “You want to use a gun that will knock that bear on his A_ _ “!  The report of the shot was loud and almost earth shaking as my shot hit its mark.  My trophy was down for the count and I have to say, I felt a true sense of accomplishment because it was a clean kill and the animal didn’t suffer what so ever.

As quickly as the whole sequence seemed to start into action, it was over.  With no more movement from the bear, Kevin and I climbed down from our stands and over to the downed bear.  After a couple of high-fives, Kevin positioned himself for the recovery filming and my job was done.  We worked as quietly as possible, since Brian and Donovan had told us that a number of bears had been working this bait and that Kevin may also get an opportunity for a shot.  We moved my bear away from the bait and quickly switched tree stands.  But, we had no other visitors that evening.  At about 8:30 pm we carried our prize the short distance out to the logging road and waited for our ride back to the lodge.

When we arrived back at the lodge, another hunter had also had success that night, as well as a number of the guests experiencing close encounters.  During the last three days of our hunt, four more hunters bagged nice bears.  Kevin almost got the job done on our last night, but his bear never worked his way into a position that I could film the shot and Kevin reluctantly held off.  If you don’t get the kill shot, you don’t have a show.

My beautiful black bear weighed in at a respectable 160 pounds and at a solid six feet.  With the amount of available food down a little for winter fat build-up, the weight of most bears was down about 20% but all of the bears that were taken were in very good condition and their coats were exceptional.  And speaking of exceptional, Brian, Donovan and their great staff did an excellent job in every aspect of our hunt.  Both their Minnesota black bear and their Kansas whitetail and turkey operations are first class and we are proud to have them as part of our exclusive Platinum Approved Outfitter family.  Both lodges offer full service, all inclusive packages and you will be staying in permanent structure lodges, not tent camps.  If you are looking for a great hunt for hunters of all genders and ages with tons of opportunity, give them a call today and they will start the process for you.  April is the deadline for applying for points in Minnesota for black bear and they will take care of all of the application work for you and the service is free of charge (There is no charge to apply for preference points).  It is a given that we will be back for more action and we hope to see you there on our next visit.  Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters:  218-330-1353 and visit them on our website or at www.ahwoutfitters.com.  Remember at Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters, “You come as a client, but you will leave as a friend”!

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