For those of us who join the flock of waterfowl hunters without an experienced mentor, it’s a long, bumpy road full of absent-minded mistakes and embarrassing mishaps. I’ve made my share of them and I hope that others can avoid getting into the same sticky situations. Now I am not here to willfully endorse going into any hunt without a plan to retrieve killed and wounded birds, but I wholly understand that situations do arise at times, especially for the greenhead greenhorn and first-time ‘fowler who just doesn’t know any better.

Your best bet will always be to have a plan to retrieve birds over open water. You need to bring a dog or a feather-fetching vessel, even if it’s your sister’s hot pink sit-on-top kayak or your kid’s prized pool floatie. It’s our responsibility to make every effort to recover all downed birds. So now that I’ve outgrown my own dunce cap days, I hope to share some hard lessons with three of the worst best bird-saving techniques I’ve come across, should you ever find yourself in a similar situation when every other effort fails.

Wade For It

When I first got into duck hunting, I loaded up on used, budget-friendly gear which included a set of secondhand waders, used and abused decoys, and a hulky, hand-me-down 12-gauge Wingmaster. It was far from perfect, but what this bare minimum, low-cost lot offered me was the freedom and opportunity to start my wingshooting wanderings.

My first hunt was full of wonder all right and it also filled my waders with water. I stood in the cattails as the morning brought the first flight and with it, a single greedy green wing drake that came close enough for me to drop him with a Hail Mary third shell as he sailed to the other side of the marsh. As I made my way over to retrieve the bird, I learned a lot about beaver lodge construction. I went from walking knee deep to the next step that sunk me up to my armpits and tried to waterlog my waders. Turns out beavers like to clear out subterranean tunnels to make their underwater entries and exists a little easier.

Since this first foolheaded episode, I’ve seen many others who have gotten in over their heads when attempting to recover dead birds with only their waders. Before hunting any new spot without a dog or boat, wade around and scout it out to become familiar with the various depths and any challenging places where you might get wet and compromise your bird-retrieving efforts. Getting soaked sucks, but remember, we need to recover our birds. This is even more important on larger ponds and lakes that could drop off just a few feet from shore. When you knock one down, walk out in your waders as far as you can. Otherwise, you better be ready to back out, strip down, and swim out to duck dog it yourself—just don’t be too hard-mouthed when your buddy sneaks a snapshot for the memory bank.

Hooking Up

I would later migrate from the small marshes to the bigger open waters of Lake Champlain after learning about the abundance and opportunity for late season divers. There’s a steady stream of bluebill, ringnecks, buffleheads, and “whistlers”—or goldeneye as known in these parts. I learned to build and hunt from rock blinds and hide in the outcroppings along the rugged shoreline of “the big lake.”

After testing the waters and finding relatively shallow shoreline depths, I was confident that I could drop these birds in range and snatch them up easily, with a little added help from the wave action that would wash them back to me, should they fall a little beyond the wading level.

By now I was a little more prepared for retrieving birds with a backup plan to stay high and dry—I brought a telescoping fishing pole and a few large crank baits. If I couldn’t catch them by hand, I’d cast out and retrieve them with rod and reel. It worked, but just because something works, doesn’t mean it should be relied upon. If you absolutely need a Plan B, bring a pole, and keep a few extra hook-heavy baits in your blind bag so you don’t have to start fishing for fowl with nothing but a long stick and a prayer.

Commandeer a Craft

I always head to Champlain for the late season diver action, but also because the lake sees fewer visitors and inhabitants. The busy summer cottages and “camps” are abandoned and left vacant for prime shoreline hunting. Most waterfowl hunters around here are hung up on mallards anyway, making it easy for me to get into the overlooked and underrated divers.

After growing a bit tired and frustrated with the aforementioned alternative retrieval techniques, I knew there had to be a better and more effective way. I spent one morning with luck on my side and the first two birds falling straight into the spread of fakes, but then the wind picked up and the waves rolled in a little faster. The next bird fell and bobbed slightly out of reach and without wanting it to drift away, my mind floated back to the sun-bleached, stashed-aside canoe I noted on the walk in. Sure, I had secured permission from the property owner to access the lake, but I was also sure the out-of-sight owners would never learn of my haphazard hijack to pick up my bird. After this successful but shortsighted strategy, I packed up my gear, counted my blessings, and called it a day.

There’s never been a worse feeling for me, than not being certain I would be able to recover my birds. Many states also have wanton waste laws—and I’m not going into legal advice or a regulation discussion—but it’s our duty as duck hunters to make an ethical attempt to recover all shot and wounded birds.

Now I can assure you that these three makeshift recovery methods do indeed work, but I wouldn’t ever rely on them for retrieving your birds, that’s not the intent of this instruction. They’ll work in a bind, but don’t make them commonplace. I’ve since upgraded to dragging a kayak around to setup my spread and collect downed birds with a next step to bring home a four-legged fetcher to pass on the hard work to. I hope in time you will expand your limits of possibility too.

Native Region and Habitat Growing Needs for Sycamores

The American Sycamore is prevalent throughout the United States and is native in 32 states. The tree can grow in many kinds of soil but is best grown in rich, moist, and well-drained soil. They’re best planted in spring or fall. Sycamore tree maintenance is relatively easy.

Sycamore trees are highly susceptible to drought and are prone to insect and pest infestation when not watered regularly.

How To Identify a Sycamore Tree

Most sycamore trees are easy to identify, regardless of the season, if you know where to look.

Sycamore Tree Leaf Identification

Sycamore leaves are sometimes similar to those of some maple trees but have more shallow lobes and are arranged alternately. They’re sharply toothed and mostly kidney-shaped in outline.

They vary from 5 to 8 inches in size. They emerge from the bud plicate and are pale green.

When mature, they’re bright yellow-green above and paler on the bottom. Like other deciduous trees, come fall, they turn brown and wither before falling off the tree.

Sycamore Tree Bark

An American sycamore tree is easily identifiable by its mottled bark that flakes off in large portions and leaves the tree surface greenish-white and brown. The bark of all tree varieties gives way to the expanding trunk by splitting, but the sycamore exhibits the change more visually than most other trees.

The reason is because of the bark’s rigidness which isn’t as elastic as the bark of other tree varieties. It can’t stretch to accommodate the growth of the trunk it covers and thus peels off in uneven slabs.

Sycamore Tree Flowers

The sycamore tree flowers are small and exist in densely round clusters that grow from stalks that grow with the leaves in April and May. The flowers are monoecious (both male and female)and, because of their small size, can pollinate with the wind. The male flowers are red. They wither and fall off the tree after the pollen is dispersed.

Related Reading: Willow Tree Guide, Oak Tree Guide, Dogwood Tree Guide, and Cherry Blossom Tree Growing Tips

The female flowers are yellow and morph into fuzzy fruits.

Sycamore Tree Fruit (Sycamore Tree Seeds/Sycamore Tree Balls)

The sycamore tree fruit matures in small, brown balls that dangle from the branch. The ball, which isn’t a single fruit, is instead a collection of many tiny seed-like fruits called achenes, which have dense hair-like structures attached. The balls are light as a feather and can float on water, which is useful in dispersal. Their lightness also lets them ride the wind.

Birds and mammals can sometimes also help in the scattering of seeds when they eat and transport the fruit.1

How to Grow Sycamore Tree: Care Tips

Western Sycamores are a resilient bunch and quite easy to grow, except they need tons of water. They should be planted by a stream or pond, for if not, they will need lots of supplementary water about once a week.

The roots will grow downwards in search of groundwater near patios or urban environments. They tolerate a wide variety of soils and grow best in full sun. They’ll quickly grow to 30 feet in five years provided they’re watered plenty.

Planting

Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball. Place the sapling in the middle of the hole. Make sure the top of the root ball is a bit higher than the soil line. Fill the hole with water before placing the soil around the root ball.

Related Reading: How to care for Magnolia Tree types

Allow the water to soak in, then add the soil and water extensively. Place three inches of mulch around the sapling. That will reduce the tree’s water needs. Ensure the soil is moist with regular watering for the first three months.

This will make sure the roots are solid and grow deeply.

Care

The sycamore is very adaptable and grows best in full sun. Feed this tree with a slow-release fertilizer5 in early spring. If it needs pruning, do so when it’s dormant in winter or early spring. This hardy tree adapts to pollution, and drought, and is salt tolerant.

Sycamore Tree Pests And Diseases

Although the tree is very hardy, there are some pests and diseases to be aware of.

Sycamore Lace Bug

The sycamore lace bug is named for the pattern seen on the adult bug’s wings and head. The bug is only an eighth of an inch long and white with brown spots.

Adult bugs last through the winter beneath the peeling bark of the sycamore tree. They get busy in the spring when the leaves start to grow. The female lays her eggs on the leaf undersurface. The eggs attach to the leaves with brown sticky sap. The nymphs hatch a few days later.

They are wingless, darker than adult bugs, and covered with spines. Both adults and nymphs nourish on the leaves. Their piercing/sucking mouthparts are used to remove sap from the leaves.

The leaf turns yellow around the feeding areas. By late summer, the surface of the leaf is covered with dark spots of waste material and the shed skins of lace bugs. The trees aren’t seriously damaged but growth can be reduced under heavy infestations.

Plane Anthracnose Disease

The American sycamore is prone to plane anthracnose6 disease, a fungus found naturally on the Oriental plane,7 and which has developed resistance to the disease. Although rarely killed or seriously harmed, the sycamore is partially defoliated8 by the disease and dethroned of the natural good looks specimen it is.

At times confused with frost damage, the disease attacks in early spring. The new leaves wilt while the older ones turn brown at their base. Infected leaves shrivel and fall, and come summer, the tree regrows its foliage.

Cankers develop on the twigs and branches near the sick leaves and spread the disease by producing spores that weaken the tree. The cankers restrict the flow of nutrients causing the afflicted twigs and branches to expire.2

Folklore, Significance, And Medicinal Qualities of Sycamore Tree

Sycamore trees have an illustrious history in folklore that goes back to ancient Egyptian when the Holy Sycamore was said to be a conduit connecting and bridging the abyss that separates the dead and the living.

This massive tree looms over the eastern gate of heaven and from where the sun emerges to rise each new morning.

Perhaps it’s their bizarre-colored trunks that are mottled with stark patches of white and gray when the bark peels off that give them the mysterious allure.

Ancient Greeks and Persians considered the sycamores as the most handsome trees and planted them everywhere. In Sparta, the sycamore was attributed to the goddess Helen and was decorated with lotus flowers. It’s also dedicated to extra-handsome men like Apollo, Dionysus, and Hercules, who all sat beneath the canopy of the ancient sycamore while the Greek philosopher Socrates expounded philosophically with his disciples.

In the Seventeenth century, Georgian Tsar Irakli II, sat under the sycamore when he made the fateful decision to plead with the Russian Empire for protection and patronage.

One Bible prophet, Amos, was a farmer who cared for sycamore trees before delivering messages to the northern kingdom.3 In the Book of Luke, Jesus was recorded going to the home of Zacchaeus, a tax collector, who climbed into the sycamore fig tree so he could watch as Jesus passed by his house. When Jesus saw him, he called out and ended up eating with him under the sycamore tree.

Medicinal Qualities

Sycamore trees have long been used for homeopathic remedies, especially the inner bark, which acts as a disinfectant.

It has been used for everything from coughs to rashes and arthritis pain.4

History and Use of Sycamore Tree Wood

The wood from the Sycamore tree is good for many applications. Its many purposes include barber poles, wine barrels, butcher blocks, cabinets, shelves, cartwheels, flooring, a variety of furniture, interior paneling and trim, and violin backs.

Native Americans and French traders constructed canoes from sycamore lumber. Most dugouts were about 30 feet long but some were longer than 60 feet.

Because sycamore wood rots quickly when in contact with the ground, it wasn’t used for fence posts or railroad ties. The European settlers used hollowed trunks to shelter from rain or snow. Some early European settlers even acquired them as shelters until their log cabins were constructed.

They then converted the hollowed trunks into barns, silos, and stables. Smaller hollowed trunks were cut and used as troughs and tubs. Even the sycamore fruit had its use. After the ball harboring the fruit had split apart and the nutlets floated off, the core of the fruit ball, as well as the stalk and a twig, were constructed into buttons.

The button makers needed to make sure the tufted hairs of the nutlets had all dispersed because they would irritate the skin and respiratory tracts of potential clients.5

The sycamore is as sturdy and resilient as they come. It grows in cold climates, relishes the snow, loves the sun, and needs little to survive for centuries, making it excellent carbon offset trees when planted in it’s native habitat and protected by carbon offset companies working to eliminate carbon footprint from emissions. It flourishes in its native habitats and has served society in gracious and numerous ways.

So, the good news is that the Sycamore tree isn’t going anywhere in the foreseeable future and isn’t on any endangered lists.

Wild Leeks, also known as Ramps (Allium tricoccum) are a favorite of foragers in the Northeast, and they often make their way into farmer’s market stands throughout the region. Learn how to find, identify and use wild leeks, all while foraging them sustainably.

Ramps are incredibly popular with foragers and home cooks, perhaps because they’re some of the earliest spring greens. Not the earliest by far, as they in close competition with many other spring wild edibles like homemade maple syrup, marsh marigold, Japanese knotweed, dandelions, chickweed, morel mushrooms, and many others.

I imagine part of their appeal is that they’re what’s called a “spring ephemeral” which means they’re a plant that comes up early for a quick 6-8 week burst, and then they die back for the rest of the year. The foraging window is short, which makes them all the more appealing.

Add in the fact that they’ve seen a lot of press in recent years in high-profile places like the new york times, and you have an incredibly popular tiny onion…

Yes, they are more or less tiny woodland onions. Their intense peppery green onion flavor is distinctive and delicious and makes some of the best darn pesto around.

Rams are only available native to the Northeastern US, and growing up in California I’d never heard of them, but a neighbor took me foraging for Ramps shortly after I’d moved to Vermont more than 15 years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since.

You’ll often see bundles of them for sale at farmer’s markets and natural food stores in the spring (late April to Early May), where they’re sold whole (bulb and all). They’re also available online from D’artagnan and from a few shops on Etsy.

These days, with their increase in popularity and slow growth rate, it’s recommended that you only harvest the greens (leaving the bulbs to come back next year).

The leaves are by far the tastiest part, so it’s a better strategy anyway.

What are Ramps?

Ramps (wild leeks) are a slow-growing native wild edible plant that’s found in the northeastern US. They have a unique growth habit, sprouting in the early spring for a quick burst of growth before dying back for the rest of the year.

They’re known as a “spring ephemeral” which means they’re only around for a short time. They grow under mature hardwood forest canopies, and they’ll sprout before the trees have leafed in for the season. During these early few weeks, they’ll soak up as much sunlight as they can before the canopy fills in, leaving them in deep shade.

This short growth window means ramps grow very slowly, and it takes around 7 years for a ramp to reach seed-bearing age. They tend to grow in dense carpets under hardwood trees, slowly expanding the colony each year.

Native Range for Ramps

While ramps are well known throughout the US thanks to positive press, whole foods markets, and fancy food blogs, they are really only grown in the northeast. It is possible to cultivate ramps, provided you have a mature hardwood forest ecosystem with a reasonably cool winter.

(You can buy sustainably harvested ramp seeds here, if you’re interested in starting your own patch.)

That said, their native range is limited to hardwood forests of the northeastern US. They’re also found in some locations in the southern and central US (range map – zoom for detailed view by county).

Identifying Ramps

Wild leek is pretty easy to identify in my opinion. It all starts with seasonality and location. They’re only around for a short window in April and May, and will only be found under hardwood trees.

Ramps can’t compete with other plants in full sunlight, but when hardwoods provide dense shade during most of the growing season, ramps eke out an existence by soaking up all the early spring sunlight before the canopy closes.

Start by looking in hardwood stands in April and May, and they’ll usually grow in dense clusters since little else can live in this dense shade environment.

Ramp plants each have 2-3 leaves with a bright yellow/green color coming out of a red stem. Each plant is small, but it’ll look like a carpet as they grow close in colonies.

The image below shows the base of a wild leek with three leaves, along with the bright red stem leading into the ground. Below ground the perennial bulb is white (but you should leave it there).

If you do try to pull the bulb up by hand, you’ll find it’s almost impossible without a trowel. Ramps are really well-rooted and they don’t give it up easily. The tissues right at the soil level are delicate, and if you touch you can feel the outer layers slip off (like an onion with very thin layers).

Pull a bit harder and the ramp bulb will almost always break off at the soil line (unless you dig it up). That’s part of the plant’s defense mechanism, as they’re predated by deer which could easily pull them up if they didn’t break off with a gentle tug.

That ramp has worked for at least 7 years to make that bulb, so it doesn’t want to give it up easily, to humans or other animal predators.

(I mention this for practicality’s sake since it is honestly an unholy pain to harvest the bulbs, which don’t have nearly as much flavor as the leaves anyway. Stick with the leaves, it’s a more sustainable option, tastes better and it’s a lot less work!)

If the winter was relatively mild, you’ll often find ramp seed heads from the previous year still sticking up on browned stalks. The seeds themselves are shiny, black, and hard in clusters at the top of browned plant material from the previous year.

The seeds can be harvested if you want to start your own ramp patch on wooded land. (They can also be purchased here, harvested sustainably in Vermont.)

The plant’s flower after the leaves have died back, and you’ll see white flowering umbels sticking out of the ground in early summer. They usually set seed by mid to late summer, and you can go back to the ramp patch to harvest seed if you hope to establish a colony elsewhere.

Generally, the seed doesn’t travel far, and each seed head will eventually tip over to land about 8 to 12 inches from the mother plant. That’s one reason for their dense colonies, though they are spread by small mammals too.

The seed is slow to germinate, often taking well over a year, possibly because it’s often held on stiff dead seed stalks for a year or more before it eventually tips over. It’s almost as if they’re sticking out there begging something to come along, scoop up the seed and establish a new patch somewhere else.

Nonetheless, when the seed pods are persistent, it’s an easy way to help identify them. It doesn’t happen every year, and if there’s particularly windy fall weather, intense storms, or just a bad winter they may well all have hit the ground before the next foraging season comes up the following year.

The last identifier is smell…ramps have an intense onion/garlic smell that’s impossible to miss. Gently tear a leaf and it’ll be unmistakable (and your hands will smell like garlic all day).

Ramp Look-Alikes

I’ll put it out there…ramps are pretty easy to identify.

They are a low-growing green plant found under hardwoods with 2-3 bright green leaves, a red stem, and an intense onion-y scent. There’s very little that matches that description, especially in the early spring in the northeast.

That said, every spring plant identification forums are inundated with pictures asking, “Are these ramps!?!?!”

The answer most often is no…because optimistic foragers are really just hoping that anything low growing and green this time of year is actually wild leeks. I’ve seen pictures of hostas…like literally garden hostas in grandma’s flower garden misidentified as ramps (thankfully, hostas are edible too).

There are a number of early spring plants that are toxic though, so you will want to be careful.

There’s a lot of greenery out there in the early spring, more than you’d think looking at lackluster brown lawns in the suburbs that haven’t started re-growing yet. The woods are quicker to rebound, and most of the greenery out there isn’t ramps.

I’d be particularly on the lookout for Lilly of the Valley and False Hellebore, both of which are deadly toxic.

They also look a bit like the Canadian Mayflower, which has edible berries later in the season and is closely related to Solomon’s Plume, and the berries taste much the same. (I have no idea as to the edibility of the leaves in the spring, but it’s a nice thing to come back to later in the season).

Sustainable Ramp Harvesting

Ramps are incredibly well adapted to their growing niche, and they’re still quite common here in Vermont. You’ll see dense patches of them driving around country roads in the spring, especially near sugarbushes.

That’s not the case everywhere though, and in many places they’re over-harvested. They’re actually threatened in Quebec, and their harvest is regulated in some areas.

They’re relatively easy to identify and expensive to buy, so it makes sense to just take to the woods and find your own.

The problem is, you never really know how many other people are foraging a patch (even in the most remote areas). A patch might look huge, but it’s being foraged by dozens of people each year and it’s slowly shrinking given its slow growth rate.

Remember that if you pull up the whole bulb, it’s going to take a seed around 18 to 24 months to germinate and then another 7 years to mature. Pull bulbs every year and you’ll have a problem, especially if many people are harvesting the same patch.

The most sustainable way to harvest ramps is to simply harvest the leaves, and no more than one leaf from each plant. The plants each produce 2-3 leaves a year, so you’ll be able to look as you harvest to make sure there are 1 to 2 leaves remaining so that this slow-growing plant can continue to thrive.

Beyond the pure sustainability angle, there are actually a good number of reasons to harvest just the ramp leaves. The most convincing, in my opinion, is that the leaves are the tasty part.

The bulbs are fine too…but honestly nothing special. They’re more or less like a shallot, mildly onion-y with a bit of crunch. The leaves though, they’re magic. An intense flavor that’s like nothing else, and bright green color to liven up any dish.

For flavor’s sake, harvest just the leaves and then pick up a few shallots at the farmer’s market if you have a dish that calls for cooking with whole ramps.

I’m hoping that a combination of laziness (given that they’re hard to pull), sustainability concerns, and flavor would help convince you to just harvest the leaves. But if you’re still not convinced, there’s one more incredibly good reason to leave the bulbs behind.

Many of the places where ramps grow are pristine wilderness…but some aren’t!

Listening to a podcast interview with Arthur Haines, he explains yet another good reason to exercise enlightened self-interest and leave the bulbs behind:

“Many of the major rivers where wild leeks grow are also home to industrial discharges because there are factories, mills, and other such industries along with them. And many of the things that are produced for these environmental pollutants from the mills turn out to be lipophilic, in other words, they are attracted to fats. And the first place that these environmental pollutants meet up with fats in a plant is in the cell membranes of the roots. There is a lipid by-layer there. And so things like dioxin, and polychlorinated by-phenols, two great examples…they are concentrated in the soils and in the underground storage organs, which includes things like bulbs, corms, roots, and rhizomes of the plants.

Interestingly, things like PCBs are poorly translocated to the aerial portions of the plants. With a couple of exceptions, that means they’re mostly confined to the underground storage organs. Where I’m going with all this, is if you don’t know where those wild leeks were collected, it’s actually a real health insult to you to eat those bulbs because they probably represent the highest level of pollution of that plant.”

Harvesting Ramp Leaves

So even if you don’t buy the sustainability reasons to just harvest the leaves, or quite frankly, just don’t care…there are still really good reasons to stick with leaves.

• Taste better
• Easier to Harvest
• Easier to Clean
• More likely to be Free of Contaminants

Sustainably Harvesting Ramp Bulbs

Does that mean harvesting ramp bulbs is unsustainable? Not necessarily…

Not everything is quite so black and white.

If you’re harvesting a patch on your land that you know for a fact is not harvested by anyone else, and that patch is healthy and thriving, then it’s totally possible to harvest wild leek bulbs sustainably. That’s a lot of ifs…

Even still, given their low reproduction rate, sustainably means harvesting no more than around 5% of the patch on any given year. That may sound like nothing, but ramps patches can be huge.

I know someone whose been farming the same land for 50 years, and it includes a large sugarbush completely covered with wild leeks. He harvests literally hundreds of bundles each spring and sells them at the farmer’s market each year.

The patch has grown over the past 5 decades, and now he’s retiring and turning the farm (and the managed ramp patch) over to his daughter, healthier than when he started.

Just because you see whole ramps at the farmer’s market doesn’t mean they’re necessarily unsustainable, and sometimes it’s best to reserve your judgment. For all you know that vendor has been carefully managing the patch for decades, carefully stewarding it for the next generation.

Ramp Recipes

Ramp leaves have an intense flavor that’s absolutely unforgettable. If you’ve found wild ramps (or just picked them up at the local farmer’s market), you’ll want to make the most of this short-lived wild spring green.

Their spicy green flavor goes well when balanced by fats and rich dishes, and my absolute favorite ways to preserve ramps is by turning them into ramp compound butter and ramp pesto.

Beyond blending the leaves with fats in butter or olive oil-rich pesto, you can honestly use them anywhere you’d use either fresh or cooked green, or anywhere you’d like a garlic-y flavor.

Try any of these tasty ramp recipes:

• Ramp Pasta ~ The Mom 100
• Potato Salad with Ramps and Radishes ~ Relishing It
• Pizza with Ramps & Wild Mushrooms ~ Saveur
• Ramp Lasagna ~ Local Kitchen Blog
• Ramp Jam ~ Saveur
• Bacon and Ramp Viniagrette ~ Saveur
• Ramp and Mushroom Tart ~ Saveur

Ramp Bulb Recipes

If you do happen to have access to sustainably harvested whole ramps, these recipes make use of the whole plant (including the bulb).

• Grilled Ramps ~ Serious Eats
• Ramp Risotto ~ Serious Eats
• Pickled Ramps ~ Practical Self Reliance

Spring Foraging Guides

Ramps are one of the first wild edibles of spring, but they’re not the only tasty thing to find this time of year!

• Spring Foraging: 20+ Wild Edibles to Find in Spring
• 60+ Dandelion Recipes
• Foraging Morel Mushrooms
• Foraging Chickweed
• Foraging Marsh Marigold
• Foraging Plantain Herb
• Foraging Yarrow
• Foraging Nettles
• Foraging Burdock
• Foraging Japanese Knotweed

The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .30-30 Winchester vs .308 Winchester ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .30-30 Winchester or .308 Winchester rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .30-30 Winchester and .308 Winchester ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance.

Caliber Type Velocity (fps) Energy (ft-lb) .30-30 Winchester Rifle 2370 1890 .308 Winchester Rifle 2680 2620

Velocity

As illustrated in the chart, .30-30 Winchester rounds – on average – achieve a velocity of about 2370 feet per second (fps) while .308 Winchester rounds travel at a velocity of 2680 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .30-30 Winchester bullets travel 2.7 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .308 Winchester bullets travel 3 times that same speed.

Various calibers

Energy

Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .30-30 Winchester round averages out to 1890 ft-lb, while a .308 Winchester round averages out to about 2620 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .30-30 Winchester round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 1890 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .308 Winchester round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 2620 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power. Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .30-30 Winchester or .308 Winchester cartridge you’re looking at purchasing.

Please click the above links to take a look at all of the .30-30 Winchester and .308 Winchester ammo we have in stock and ready to ship, and let us know any parting thoughts in the comment section below.

Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.

We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.

We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings.

Morel Festivals of Midwest

It’s soon to be spring in the Midwest and with spring comes urgent need to get to the woods and beat out the crowds for the coveted morel mushroom. With hundreds of thousands of morel enthusiasts competing for diminishing hunting grounds and urgently checking morel maps and forums to see if morels are fruiting locally, communities with prime hunting grounds are planning entertaining and educational festivals. Most festivals are replete with carnivals, parades, grand forays with prizes for the largest haul, and morel auctions there’s fun for the entire family.

Simply put, Morels have an incredible, meaty flavor and are the most sought after mushroom in the US. Many folks begin hunting morels and then move on to other mushrooms, but most continue to only hunt this special fungi. If you’ve never hunted them, this is your opportunity to get out there and learn, while meeting professional foragers and learning from some of the best.

Some festivals, Like Illinois’s Midwest Morel Festival in Ottawa, Illinois concentrate on mushroom picking education through their Morel University classes, others like Wisconsin’s Musconda Morel Festival offer free rides back to your hotel for those that over indulge. All festivals stress the educational and recreational experience that a good day in the woods brings.

Each festival is put together by dedicated folks who enjoy the outdoors and are committed to others having good experiences. Whether you’re a beginning morel hunter or a seasoned pro, there’s always something to learn and great folks to meet at these fantastic events.

There have been countless books written on Morel Hunting, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find a few at each festival, but the real deep seated knowledge comes from doing and learning from some of the best is not only possible, but highly achievable by attending one of these fests.

Please click the title of each festival to go directly to that festivals website.

Mansfield Village Mushroom Festival – April 29th – 30th, 2017

Where: Mansfield Village – Parke County, Indiana

When I was a young lad my mother’s first brand new car was a 1967 VW Transport. My earliest memory is traveling with my parents and seven kids and two dogs to go to family reunions in Crawford County, Indiana. My older sisters would lead the singing, “We’re going, we’re going, we’re going to Marengo, Indiana, We’re going, we’re going we’re going to Marengo, Indiana!” was the constant refrain.

Always from Chicago we’d hit 65 to Indy and then 37 south and turn left toward English, Indiana, the county seat. Each summer we’d take a few extra hours, often to my fathers chagrin, to travel Parke County and hit the many covered bridges on the way back after a long weekend of too much food and too much play down on the farm.

This festival pairs the best family entertainment, a judged car show, and mushroom hunting. There’s nothing better for a spring weekend than to roll into town and put up for a decent show of oldies music, good beer, and decent food, all while checking out the best in central Indiana’s antique cars. One thing you won’t find here is a guided hunt. There’ll be people to tell you where to go (whether you believe them or not is up to you) but there are prizes for every category.

Don’t miss the daylong Morel Auction on the steps of the Red Barn beginning promptly at 10:00 am on Main Street. Yeah, seriously, the Old Red Barn in Downtown is a feature and important part of this community. Hit it up, hang out and let this mushroom fest connect with you and your family.

And of course I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend that you and yours would travel the county and see each of the 31 different covered bridges.

Irvine, Kentucky – April 29th – 30th – Mountain Mushroom Festival

Nestled on a peninsula of land surrounded by the Natural Bridge Resort State Park, Irvine is about 30 miles South/Southwest of Lexington, Kentucky. The Mountain Mushroom Festival features about 100 booths of arts and crafts and vendors. A parade, and carnival will also be ongoing, a 5k fun run, mushroom auction, tractor show, antique car show and cake decoration demonstration and contest are in the works.

Setting itself apart from other festivals an agate and mineral hunt is scheduled for the Mountain Mushroom Festival has, a canoe and kayak 6 mile run and a mushroom photography show. Daniel Spicer won last years men’s 5k race, Ashley Hood-Morley snagged the women’s best time fir the Fungus 5k footrace.

The Mountain Morel Festival is the only known to have a beauty and talent pageant, from 6 months to 21 years, boys and girls.

Ottawa, Illinois – May 6th – Midwest Morel Fest

On the banks of the Illinois River about an hour and a half from Chicago and about a fifteen minute drive from Starved Rock State Park and it’s famous lodge, the Midwest Morel Fest will be a large draw, featuring a “Learn to Hunt” Guided Foray by Morel University, and the Championship Foray on Saturday. The Fest also features a morel museum, a home made craft fair and tours of the local and beautiful Reddick Mansion.

The Ottawa, Illinois Midwest Morel Fest has been the place to be since 1996, and Ottawa is it’s third home, originally begun in Magnolia, Illinois for ten years it had a great run. The Henry, Illinois Chamber of Commerce organized it for several years until the economic downturn, and now the fine folks in Ottawa do the hard work of organizing it.

Sure to delight will be the home brew beer tasting and home brew seminar during their Morel Mash Up a silent auction and of course, the Morel Auction.

This years festival is a one day spectacular beginning at 7:30 am for registration, 8:30 Morel University “How to hunt Morels” class. Guided hunts and the Championship Hunt beginning at 9:00 am, prizes awarded at 2:00. Beer tasting begins at 12:30, the annual Morel Auction kicks off at 1:00pm

Tom Nauman, the fests founder tells me, “Last year was a fantastic success, morels started a couple weeks early and stuck around a couple weeks after the fest, 2016 was such a huge success. With the warm winter it seems we’ve got the perfect weekend picked and we’re anticipating a lot of repeat attendees so sign up early!”

The 2016 Illinois State Morel Mushroom Hunting Championship awards were presented to: Largest Morel went to Randy Dedecker (length plus girth at 12.5 inches) and the Grand Champion with the most found was Randy Dedecker, again, as usual. Lisa Walner, the woman’s champion snagged 17 morels.

Wyoming, Illinois – May 6th – Stark County Morel Fest

This one day Morel Festival is actually set for the first Saturday in May every year, by county decree. This festival is is halfway between Moline and Davenport, Illinois and features a morel auction and the usual round up of excellent middle American festival fare such as pork chops and sausage sandwiches as well as a round up of kids activities like ring toss and hay rides.

The new home for the fest is Catalpa Grove, five miles due west of Wyoming on route 17. The Rock Island Trail abuts the Catalpa Grove, and the and the Spoon River flows through the grounds, but don’t tell anyone, this might just be the best kept secret for small mouth bass fishing, according to the locals.

Duke Frisby, the Stark County Morel Fest founder is a stalwart in the Morel Mushroom hunting community in Central Illinois – The history of how this festival got started is really the method to get things done anywhere – whether it be a small community or large. – during a meeting with county officials regarding putting in new canoe ramps to further recreation and tourism the county decided to send it to die in the Road Department. During the same meeting and without skipping a beat Duke decided to punt and get some yardage for his community, he suggested that the county host a Morel Mushroom Festival to bring in tourists, and spur the local economy. They bit the bait and it’s been nine years of very successful Stark County Morel Festivals.

Duke Frisby told me via secured communications that a group of rabble rousers from Missouri way are going to hit the low Montana plains and score a several hundred pounds of morels between them, at least 100 pounds of which are coming back to the auction and a morel fry up at the Festival.

The Catalpa Grove Inn will be the Morel Auction Headquarters beginning at 2:00 pm, with space for overflow bidders sheltered outside it should be a full house. Rumor is that there will be a poker run that culminates at the Inn if the weather is right, so bid early and bid often! In previous years the Lions Club hosted a Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast, as of press time we were unable to find confirmation on the biscuits.

Richmond, Missouri – May 4th – 6th – “The Mushroom Capital of the World” Morel Festival

“The Mushroom Capital of the World” Morel Festival kicks off May 4th through the 6th. Attracting upwards of 5,000 people it features a kids hay ride, grand parade, carnival and a 5k run, the festival is in it’s 24th year. Organizer Natalie Lamar, a fourth generation morel hunter says, “The morel season kicks off next week, I find it a little odd that there have been morels found to the north, usually they’re fruiting here first, but with a few cool nights and warms days we’ll see a fantastic crop.”

In its 37th year the festival that began as a sidewalk sale in 1980, promises to add more food vendors to feed the over 5,000 expected attendees. Apparently the Society for Creative Anachronism also attends this festival.

Mesick, Michigan – May 12th – 14th – Mesick Annual Mushroom Festival

The Mesick Morel Festival lies just outside the Manistee National Forest and Mesick is located about 15 miles south of Traverse City, Michigan . The Fest features a flea market, an antique car show and three days of carnivals – moms ride free with kids on Mother’s Day. This fest also features a magic show, beer tent and horse pull. Sponsored by the local Lions Club the Mesick Fest also features a Softball Tournament, a 5k run, Grand Parade and a carnival. After Saturday’s Parade there will be a “Mud Bog Competition” in which 4 WD racers will compete in a mud track race.

The Mesick Chamber of Commerce concludes that Mesick is the Mushroom Capital of the Midwest, as well as being a small town with a big heart. I do know that they run a heck of a parade!

This Festival has too many activities to list, the days are packed whether you want to spend time on rides and games with the kids or want to sneak away into the woods, it’s got something for everyone.

Lewiston, Michigan – May 13th – Lewiston Morel Mushroom Festival

The Lewiston Morel Mushroom Festival is a one day event with morning guided forays, mushrooms tastings, an arts and craft show as well as an outdoor equipment show featuring archery, hunting and equipment. Lewiston is in Eastern Michigan in the Center of Grayling State Forest, about 30 miles north of Huron National Forest. The Grayling State Forest is home to some of the largest morels found.

Boyne City, Michigan – May 17th – 21st – “National Morel Mushroom Festival“

Up the glove in Michigan, spot on Lake Charlevoix the Boyne City Morel Fest is in the heart of Michigan’s Morel Country. A Carnival Midway is set up for the fest, with Music Friday and Saturday Night. The Grand Championship Foray is on Saturday, on private grounds, with participants bused over to the undisclosed location.

“I’ve been going since I was a youngster,” says Ashleigh Harris of Michigan Mushroom Marketplace, “And this is the seventh year as the sole mushroom vendor. This fest has not only cooking demonstrations but a tasting and cooking competition,” says Harris.

Ashleigh and Ken Harris, her co-owner of MMM, lost their retail shop in 2016 due to an electrical fire and have since focused on wholesale to restaurants across Michigan of both foraged and cultivated mushroom and wild foods. They’ll be opening their retail shop in 2017 and again feature prepared foods, pizzas and ready to go soups and compound butters. The entire mushroom community is anxiously awaiting their new store, myself especially because she owes me a pound of compound butter.

Muscoda, Wisconsin – May 20th – 21st – Morel Mushroom Festival

The Musconda, Wisconsin morel festival, in it’s 34th year, the festival is sponsored by the local American Legion. The Town of Musconda is nestled in state forests on the Wisconsin river halfway between Madison and Prairie du Chien, and attracts folks as far away as Chicago and the Quad Cities attracting about 3,000 people. The prime morel spots west of Lake Michigan happen to be right around Musconda.

Cinda Johnson is one of the folks that help organize the fest, Cinda says shes been coming to the festival for over 20 years, “I love being outdoors in the woods, I love the possibility of finding that honey spot.” As usual she says, “the mainstage music will be at the firehouse, but this year they’re having a DJ at Mushroom Head Quarters.”

The festival funds the local American Legion Hall’s activities, including local little league teams.

Minnesota! Black Morel Hootenanny – May 19th – May 21st Superior National Forest

This is a semi-private event, ticketed event – part camping trip, part music and food festival, part certification course. Located north of Duluth, Minnesota this trip is sponsored by Gentleman Forager, a company that specializes in full day and weekend forays throughout Minnesota.

The chefs the Gentleman Forager wholesale to come out and lead cooking demonstrations and cook most the meals. Local musicians set up and put on professional shows. The location is the real star though, and if you’ve ever wanted to see “God’s Country,” look no further.

This is certainly an a-typical morel mushroom event, camping, guided mushroom foraging, chef driven meals, certifications, and a slight edge of roughing it, this may not be for everyone, but if you’ve got the steel, then you should check it out.

Sometimes there are lesser events that don’t really include a festival. If you’re in the area, they’re really worth checking out, though may not be a family destination. These I list below.

St. Louis area – Pere Marquette Morel Festival – April 23

Pere Marquette Morel Festival is at one of Illinois most beautiful State Parks, with a lodge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s in the Arts and Crafts style. Arts and craft vendors will be selling attractive handmade merchandise, and I predict there will be plenty of “backroom” morel sales in the parking lot.

This will be a great day for people from Saint Louis to Peoria. If the season is early it’ll blow away other festivals with large blondes, if it’s late then your practically guaranteed to go home with the great black morels that blanket the area!

Come for the festival, and stay in the lodge! You can rent a cabin, stay in the “Modern Wing” (circa 1988) or the Historic Wing which has the best views. With phenomenal fried chicken dinners the lodge’s restaurant is a mandatory stop after a day of morel hunting. Stop by the lodge’s winery (yes, the State Park Lodge has its own winery!) for a tasting and bring a few bottles home. You can rent a boat, a bicycle or even a horse!

This festival includes prizes for the smallest, largest and most gathered during the great hunt that kicks off at 1:00 pm. Don’t blink because you might miss this one, it starts at 11:00 and and ends at 3:00 pm. Prizes include a nights stay in the lodge!

Brown County, Indiana – May 3 – Nashville, Indiana

On Saturday, May 3rd, 2014, Brown County State Park will celebrate the 8th Annual Morel Mushroom Sale & Festival! Cooking demonstrations, kid’s coloring tents, and prizes for the largest morel.

There will be a noon cooking demonstration, morel sale at 1:00 pm, as well as local musical acts. 3:30 pm is the largest, smallest and most prize awards.

Brown County, Indiana – On Hiatus – “Simply Music, Simply Morel Fest”

Unfortunately, as of this writing, the “Simply Music, Simply Morels Festival” is not being organized for 2017. We’ll update you as soon as new information is known.

Beautiful Brown County is about an hour from Indianapolis and about four and a half hours from Chicago. Rolling hills and beautiful scenery of this driftless region, along with the abundance of recreational forest land make this a truly special part of the Midwest. The people in Brown County will welcome you and make you feel like you belong. Brown County is home to Brown County State Park, Yellow Wood State Forest as well as parts of the Hoosier National Forest.

With the emphasis on education the fest has in the past booked great mushroom hunters to lead forays, Folks like Leon Shernoff of Mushroom, the Journal, Eric Osborne of Magnificent Mushrooms, Andy Methven co-author of 100 Cool Mushrooms and UI Mycologist, and Thomas “The Mushroom King” Weipert from Lewiston, Montana comingto to lead forays, cooking demonstrations and giving lectures on tree identification. Rob Poe (me) spoke in 2015, with Dave Gold of Odd Produce in Chicago about how to make a living foraging ethically full time.

Now with almost every weekend over the next month and a half booked, all I can say is, have fun! And save some for me!

Feel free to contact me to add your festival to the list

All morel hunters should take a look at the Morel Fact or Fiction Game!

Your fishing reel is one of the most essential aspects of your gear. When you are targeting catfish, it becomes even more important! Catfish fishing reels are often a much-debated topic amongst anglers who love to chase these amazing fish. Using the wrong type or size of reel could be catastrophic and lose you a fish when you least expect it.

It is important to know what features you need in a good catfish reel and what kind of power you need out of it. After all, catfish can grow to enormous sizes and put some very serious strain on your equipment. By carefully selecting the right type of fishing reel, you can save yourself plenty of time, money, and trouble in the long run.

The first thing to consider is the species of catfish that you will be after. There are many different species out there, and each one is different. You should also consider what size of catfish you intend to catch from these species, as they can be very small (one to ten pounds) or extremely large (50+ pounds). Again, catfish are strong fish and the size will factor into your fishing reel selection.

There are three main species of catfish that anglers will be fishing for, blue catfish, channel catfish, and flathead catfish. These fish are all very different from each other. All of them, however, are very powerful and can grow to tremendous sizes. Because of this, you need the right type of reel. But which type should you select?

Among the many types of fishing reels that are available, there are two, in particular, that stands out when it comes to catfish. These are conventional reels and spinning reels. Let’s take a look at spinning reels, to begin with.

Spinning reels are one of the most popular types of fishing reels, and for certain situations, can be great for catfish. Spinning reels utilize a wire bale across the top of the reel that flips back and forth when you are casting. This makes them much easier to use and cast with than others like baitcasting reels. Because of their ease of use, they are very widespread and come in many different shapes and sizes.

Spinning reels are great for small to medium-sized catfish. If a catfish is too large, it can damage or even break the spinning reel with its power due to its design. If you are targeting truly large catfish, you are better off using the other type of reel: conventional reels.

Conventional reels (sometimes known as baitcasting or saltwater reels) are the best option for big catfish. These reels are bigger, heavier, and stronger. They are made to handle large fishing lines and weight and feature great drag systems for fighting heavy fish. For this reason, they are the number one choice amongst anglers chasing large saltwater fish or big catfish.

Both spinning reels and conventional reels are great choices for catfish depending on your style and the fish you intend to catch. Both will have their own unique advantages and disadvantages, but both are the best options for catching the elusive catfish. There are many great options of both types out on the market today, but with so many to choose from, where do you begin? Luckily you have come to the right place! Let’s take at some great fishing reels that can aid you in your next catfish fishing trip.

KastKing Rover Round Baitcasting Reel

The Rover Round baitcasting reel by KastKing is a conventional reel that is extremely tough and durable. It is reinforced with thick, hard anodized aluminum in the side plates and uses a CNC machined spool to be as strong as possible. All of the various gears are precision cut and made of high-quality metals, ensuring that they offer the best durability and are resistant to corrosion. With a carbon fiber drag system, you can enjoy up to 30 pounds of silky smooth drag. So how does this help catch catfish? With how tough it is, even the largest catfish will not be able to break this reel. The Rover Round by Kastking is available in many different configurations and options, allowing you to get the exact model you need for your style of fishing. With a fantastic design and high-quality build, this fishing reel will last you for years to come.

KastKing Kapstan Elite Saltwater Spinning Reel

Although the Kapstan Elite is designed to be a saltwater spinning reel, its excellent construction and design make it one of the best catfish spinning reels on the planet. Because it was made to be fished offshore, it features waterproof rubber rings to ensure no water, mud, or debris gets into your reel to mess it up. The carbon fiber drag system has a giant drag for the size (depending on the model you get) and the oversized spool disc allows you to use any size of fishing line that you need. An all-aluminum body and solid construction mean you can reel in any catfish you want. Available in a few different options, the Kapstan Elite is one of the best spinning reels out on the market, especially if you intend to catch large catfish.

KastKing ReKon Line Counter Fishing Reel

Last but certainly not least, the KastKing ReKon Line Counter fishing reel is another big conventional reel that has high durability and high-quality parts to ensure any size of catfish can be handled. It features an accurate mechanical line counter that allows you to know where to keep your bait so that you can target the zone where you are catching fish and know how much line is left. This large reel can hold plenty of lines, and the all metal parts ensure it is resistant to corrosion while out on the water. No matter what type or size of catfish you are after, the ReKon line counter reel by KastKing is an exceptional choice!

UPDATED 17 MAY 2024

by Eric Bartlett

If you’re thinking about getting a new trolling motor, it’s important to get an overview of the different trolling motor brands, as well as their most important characteristics.

In this article we’ll walk you through the most important trolling motor brands, and what you can expect from them in terms of quality and pricing.

What are the different brands of trolling motors?

Here is a list of the most important electric trolling motor brands currently on the market:

• Minn Kota
• MotorGuide
• Rhodan
• Lowrance
• Garmin
• Newport Vessels
• Watersnake
• Haswing

Now let’s take a closer look at each of these brands, and discuss where they are made, what types of trolling motors they produce, and at what price range they typically sell.

Minn Kota trolling motors

Minn Kota is the oldest electric trolling motor company in the world, and was founded in 1934 by O. G. Schmidt, who invented the first electric trolling motor earlier that same year.

This explains their long and rich history in the trolling motor industry, and why they have been a market leader in this space for many decades.

The parent company of Minn Kota is Johnson Outdoors, which also owns Humminbird.

As a result of this connection, Minn Kota trolling motors are generally compatible with Humminbird boat electronics, and in fact their high end models are built to network seamlessly with Humminbird units.

Where are Minn Kota trolling motors made?

Minn Kota trolling motors are designed and manufactured in Mankato, Minnesota.

The fact that their motors are proudly handcrafted in the USA explains why it can be difficult to get Minn Kota trolling motors, since their plant in Mankato sometimes struggles to keep up with the constant high demand.

What types of trolling motors does Minn Kota make?

Minn Kota makes a wide variety of freshwater and saltwater trolling motors, ranging from small, basic units with tiller steering, all the way to high end spot lock trolling motors with built-in transducers.

Their most high end model is the Ultrex, which is currently one of the best GPS controlled trolling motors on the market.

In addition to trolling motors, Minn Kota also makes electric outboard motors, shallow water anchors, and battery chargers.

At what price range are Minn Kota trolling motors usually sold?

$ to $$$ – Minn Kota trolling motors come in all prices, starting just over $100 for the cheapest models, and going up to over $3,500 for the most expensive high end models.

MotorGuide trolling motors

Oklahoma based MotorGuide is one hundred percent specialized in trolling motors, and provides a high quality alternative to Minn Kota at a more affordable price.

Where are MotorGuide trolling motors made?

MotorGuide trolling motors are made in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This reliance on US based production is one reason for their high quality motors, but also explains why it can be hard to get a MotorGuide model of choice.

The parent company of MotorGuide is Brunswick Corporation, which also owns a wide range of other boating and marine brands.

What types of trolling motors does MotorGuide make?

MotorGuide makes a wide variety of saltwater and freshwater trolling motors, including hand controlled units, cable steer trolling motors, as well as high end GPS controlled units.

Their most high end model is the Tour Pro, which was developed specifically for the bass pro circuit.

At what price range are MotorGuide trolling motors usually sold?

$ to $$ – High end MotorGuide models are generally cheaper than high end Minn Kota models, and rarely exceed the $2,000 price point.

Their cheap models, on the other hand, are similarly priced, and start between $100 and $200.

Rhodan trolling motors

Sarasota based Rhodan Marine Systems vies with Minn Kota for the title of best high end trolling motor brand made in the USA.

Where are Rhodan trolling motors made?

Rhodan trolling motors are designed and built in Sarasota, Florida. In addition to manufacturing locally in the USA, they are also famous for their world class customer support if one of their units is defective.

What types of trolling motors does Rhodan make?

Rhodan specializes almost exclusively in making GPS controlled trolling motors that are primarily used by saltwater anglers.

In addition to trolling motors, they also make and sell a wide range of accessories and spare parts of trolling motors.

At what price range are Rhodan trolling motors usually sold?

$$ to $$$ – Rhodan GPS anchor trolling motors are definitely at the expensive end of the scale, and come at a higher cost than Minn Kota high end models.

Since they only make GPS controlled units, they don’t provide any low cost or entry level options.

Lowrance trolling motors

Tulsa based Lowrance is primarily known for their fish finders and other boat electronics, but in 2019 entered into the trolling motor market when they released their Ghost trolling motor.

The nice thing about this is that the Ghost integrates well with Lowrance fish finders and mapping devices, and is built to network with them.

Where are Lowrance trolling motors made?

Lowrance trolling motors are designed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and built in Ensenada, Mexico.

What types of trolling motors does Lowrance make?

Lowrance currently only makes a single trolling motor model, the Ghost. The Ghost is a high end GPS controlled unit with built-in transducer, and was designed to compete with the top spot lock trolling motors on the market.

At what price range are Lowrance trolling motors usually sold?

$$$ – The Lowrance Ghost is currently one of the most expensive trolling motors on the market, and costs upwards of $3,300. At this price point it competes with the most high end spot lock models of Minn Kota, Rhodan, and Garmin.

Garmin trolling motors

Olathe based Garmin makes a wide range of consumer and marine electronics. Just like Lowrance, they entered the trolling motor market in 2019, when they released their Force trolling motor.

Where are Garmin trolling motors made?

Garmin trolling motors are built in Olathe, Kansas, and Taiwan. Since Garmin also produces a wide range of fish finders and mapping electronics, the nice thing about this is that the Force trolling motor is compatible with other Garmin boat electronics.

What types of trolling motors does Garmin make?

Garmin currently makes a single trolling motor model, the Force. And similar to the Lowrance Ghost, the Garmin Force is a high end spot lock trolling motor that comes with a built-in Garmin transducer.

At what price range are Garmin trolling motors usually sold?

$$$ – The Garmin Force is currently among the most expensive trolling motors (second only to the Lowrance Ghost), and costs upwards of $3,100. In this price category it competes head to head with the Lowrance Ghost, Minn Kota Ultrex, and MotorGuide Tour Pro.

Newport Vessels trolling motors

Newport Vessels is relatively new to the trolling motor market, and specializes in entry level models that are competitively priced.

Where are Newport Vessels trolling motors made?

Newport Vessels trolling motors are made in China. In addition to trolling motors, they also make electric outboards, boats, and a range of marine accessories and parts.

What types of trolling motors does Newport Vessels make?

Newport Vessels specializes in making basic electric trolling motors for small boats, kayaks, and pontoon boats.

At what price range are Newport Vessels trolling motors usually sold?

$ – Newport Vessels models are all in the low cost end of the price scale, with the cheapest trolling motors starting around $150, and going up to $470 for the most expensive model.

Watersnake trolling motors

Australian based Watersnake Motors belongs to the Jarvis Walker group of companies that produce a wide range of fishing, boating, and marine electronics products.

Where are Watersnake trolling motors made?

Watersnake trolling motors are made in Dandenong South, Victoria, Australia.

What types of trolling motors does Watersnake make?

Watersnake produces several basic trolling motors for kayaks and small boats, as well as a high end GPS controlled trolling motor model.

At what price range are Watersnake trolling motors usually sold?

$ to $$ – Most Watersnake trolling motors are at the low cost end of the price scale. They start around $150, and go up to around $550.

The main exception to this is the Geo-Spot trolling motor, which comes with GPS anchor and costs about $1,500.

Haswing trolling motors

Chinese based Haswing Outdoor produces some of the most affordable trolling motors with GPS navigation functionalities.

Where are Haswing trolling motors made?

Haswing trolling motors are made in Yantai, Mainland China. In addition to trolling motors they also provide a range of spare parts and accessories.

What types of trolling motors does Haswing make?

Haswing makes a handful of basic transom and bow mount trolling motors, as well as a sophisticated GPS controlled unit that integrates with a mapping app called Helmsman.

At what price range are Haswing trolling motors usually sold?

$$ – Haswing specializes in middle of the range pricing with most of its models, with prices starting around $300, and going up to $800.

The main exception to this is their Cayman GPS model, which costs around $1,170, and is second only to the Minn Kota PowerDrive as the cheapest spot lock trolling motor on the market.

What trolling motor brands have spot lock?

The following trolling motor brands make models with spot lock:

• Minn Kota
• MotorGuide
• Rhodan
• Lowrance
• Garmin
• Watersnake
• Haswing

In addition to this, Minn Kota and MotorGuide enable you to retrofit some of their models by adding spot lock functionality to them after market (even if they originally did not have spot lock).

What are cheap trolling motor brands?

The following trolling motor brands make cheap models:

• Minn Kota
• Newport Vessels
• Watersnake
• Haswing (Cayman GPS series)

Interestingly, Minn Kota not only makes some of the best and most expensive trolling motors on the market, but also provides some of the most competitively priced models (including cheapest trolling motor overall, as well as the cheapest spot lock trolling motor on the market).

Final remarks

This concludes our discussion of the top trolling motor brands.

While trolling motors have become increasingly popular over the years, most trolling motors are made by just a handful of brands that are dominating the global market.

Note that in addition to these, there are several other trolling motor brands made by companies that don’t specialize in producing trolling motors, but instead make a wide variety of other products, which we did not include here.

If you’re currently debating what kind of trolling motor to get for your boat, check out our article on the pros and cons of 12V vs 24V trolling motors

Sighting an adjustable three-pin archery sight on a compound bow will ensure success on early-season hunts. The windage and elevation are covered, as well as adjusting the sight for longer ranges in the field for longer shots. Pin gaping will also be explored to ensure the best results for a three-pin sight.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of sighting in a bow with three pins. We’ll explain how it works, and then take you through a detailed step-by-step process.

How Does Sighting in a Bow with 3 Pins Work?

The three-pin archery sight takes the guesswork out of the arc an arrow flies after leaving the bow. The bow sight pins’ distances are set at exact distances, letting the hunter concentrate on technique while drawing and releasing the arrow.

By sighting the pins in the archery sight during the off-season, target acquisition is faster and more accurate for the hunter. Sighting the three pins on a bow takes time, patience, and practice, but the payoff is a successful hunting season.

How to Sight in a Bow With 3 Pin Bow Sight Distance: Step-by-step solution

Step 1: New three-pin bow sight

If this is a new three-pin bow sight, mount it to your bow. Check your attachments and hardware if you already have the three-pin sight mounted. When the three-pin bow sight is mounted, it is time to go to the practice range.

When you mount the three-pin bow sight to your bow, you must expose it to various conditions so the bolts stay tight. After your mount it on the first day, leave the bow in the garage overnight, then tighten the bolts if needed. The next day leave it in the house, and so on until the bolts do not back off their tension.

Step 2 : Set up your own range

It is best to set up your own range, if possible to sight in the three-pin bow sight. You are going to spend many hours and multiple visits to get the three-pin bow sight squared away. Start your sighting at the ten-yard line. Before you set the pin height, you need to get the windage set correctly.

Step 3: Aim at the target

Aim at the target, but leave the bowstring in place. Point the arrow shaft directly at the center of the target, sight along the arrow for this part. Look at the end of the three pins in the sight. The end of the pins must be aligned with the arrow’s shaft. If the end of the three pins is off the midline of the arrow shaft, the shot will go right or left accordingly.

Adjust the bolt to move the pins left or right until they align perfectly with the arrow shaft.

Step 4

Now, it’s time to shoot. Pull the bowstring back, sight with the top pin end in the center of the target, and let it fly. At this time, do not worry about the elevation; you are making sure the windage, the left and right are correct.

This is the part where patience will be your best tool. Since this is not a bench rest rifle, you must shoot this target at this range twenty times. You will see if the arrows are grouped in the correct windage or not.

If you have to move the three-pin bow sight to adjust the windage, always remember if the arrow is shooting left, move the three-pin sights to the left. The same goes for arrows shooting to the right.

Step 5 : Set the bow sight pins distance

Once the windage is dialed in, it is time to set the bow sight pins distance.

Step back to the 20-yard line. This is the standard three-pin bow sight distance for the top pin. Take an initial sighting, and make sure the three-pin bow sight distance will not shoot over the target.

Place the end of the pin right in the middle of the target, and let loose. If the arrow hits a little high or low, that may be the shooter. Take a short rest, let the muscle fatigue relax, then take another 20 shots.

When the 20 shots are finished, you will know the average grouping of arrows, and the three-pin bow sight distance can be adjusted.

Step 6

When you get the top pin of the three-pin bow sight distance at 20 yards and all of the arrows land in the bullseye to your best ability, it is time to move back to the 30-yard line.

The middle pin is the one you use now to square away the three-pin bow sight distance at 30 yards. The yardage is automatically adjusted for the arrows arc by the manufacturer of the three-pin bow sight.

Again, shoot the twenty shots into the target; after twenty shots, you will know the three-pin bow sight distance at 30 yards is dialed in.

Step 7

Now back up to the 40-yard line. This is the same drill as the other two distances, so I will not repeat it. The 40-yard pin is the bottom pin, which is a bit different. The sighting is the same, but the bottom pin is the only pin in the three-pin bow sight distance used when adjusting the sight in the field for a longer shot.

If your three-pin bow sight can adjust, the sight will have a scale along the mounting plate. The three-pin bow sight will adjust downwards, the scale will show the new distance; this distance is only good for the bottom pin.

The top and middle pin for the three-pin bow sight distance use is gone when moved from the original set point. To use the top and bottom pin again, return the sight to home and you are good to go.

Pin Gap

This is not a true pin or aiming point in the three-pin bow sight, it is the “pin gap.” This means you use the gap between the pins of the three-pin bow sight for a distance shot of, say, 25 yards. Since the top and middle pins are set for 20 and 30 yards, put the target right between the two, and let the arrow fly.

Pin gap shooting will take even more practice than sighting in the pins, but you don’t want to miss the target due to lack of practice.

FAQs

Conclusion

In this article, we walked you through a detailed step-by-step guide explaining how to sight in a bow with three pins.

When you use a three-pin bow, sight distance will become less of a hurdle, so you can focus on other archery hunting skills, like stalking, calling, and camouflage.

Sighting in a three-pin bow sight will take many trips to the range, and long days of practice, but it will pay off in the end.