A Self-Professed ‘Fly Snob’ Shares His Guilty Pleasure of Bait Fishing for Colorado’s Largest Sport Fish

At 7 a.m. on a sunny May morning, the fun begins: “Clang!” The empty Dr. Pepper can supporting my fluorocarbon line topples and crashes down the rocky bank toward the water. The clatter of the makeshift strike indicator disturbs the tranquil Lake Granby shoreline and rouses me from my early morning stupor.

I jump from my folding chair, spilling my coffee and hurry across the bank to rescue my spinning rod from its metal, v-shaped holder. Line races from the reel’s open bail, and my anticipation soars — the first “run” of the morning is always the most exciting.

With rod in hand, I allow the fish to swim freely a few more seconds. Then, with a subtle “click,” I close the bail, put the reel in gear and stop the fugitive before it strips me of both line and bait. The fish hits the tight line like a dog reaching the end of its leash, bending my rod into a deep arch. The resistance pushes the circle hook through the fish’s jaw, and the battle begins. Three minutes later, I land a fat 5-pound “Mack” — not huge, but a terrific way to kick off this outing.

During the next four hours, pop cans fall like targets in a shooting gallery. My friend Karen Krueger and I land eight fish in the 2- to 7-pound range and miss half as many more. By noon the action is over and we are enjoying a relaxing lunch on the beach. Krueger, who just experienced her first “Mack”-fishing trip, is grinning ear to ear. “That was a blast,” she says with childlike enthusiasm. I nod in agreement, while biting into my turkey sandwich and doing my best to ignore the foul stench of sucker meat on my fingers. We spend the rest of the afternoon basking in the warm sun. And although I’ve experienced days just like this one countless times throughout the years, I’m reminded again of how much I enjoy bait fishing for one of Colorado’s supreme sport fish — lake trout.

Okay, I admit it: I enjoy bait fishing for lake trout. As a self-proclaimed “fly snob,” it’s not easy confessing my fondness for bait fishing to my fly-fishing peers, particularly when that style of bait fishing involves soda cans and sucker meat. But a few times every year, I happily leave the fly rod at home and load my bait-fishing tackle into the Jeep — never once feeling an ounce of embarrassment about the cooler of sucker meat that’s sitting on my back seat. (Well…maybe just a little.)

Like most anglers, I began my fishing career drowning worms and salmon eggs for brook trout, rainbows and the occasional suburban-pond sunfish. But nothing captured my youthful imagination like bait fishing for lake trout. The nearly magical combination of catching large — sometimes enormous — fish and the almost methodical setup involved made fishing for “lakers” the ultimate boyhood adventure.

As I grew older, however, my angling interests transformed completely when I received my first fly rod — a transformation that soon became a life-long passion. And for the last 25 years or so, I’ve joined that haughty fraternity of anglers who fish almost exclusively with artificial flies. But as much devotion and love as I have for fly fishing and all its highbrow qualities, I occasionally feel the need to return to my bait-fishing roots.

In addition to being just plain fun, there’s a nostalgic quality that draws me to this simple, unpretentious style of angling. Bait fishing takes me back to those Huck Finn days of my youth, when I wasn’t concerned about the intricacies of fly casting, tippet weights or “matching the hatch” — only catching fish on minimal tackle and sharing those prized moments with family and friends. Isn’t that really what fishing is all about? As an adult, I find there’s also something intrinsically relaxing about fishing with bait. It’s a chance to give your casting arm a rest while idly enjoying the mountain scenery and a cold drink from the comfort of a lawn chair. I can’t think of a better way to spend a spring or fall day in Colorado.

According to surveys conducted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), nearly half of the state’s anglers fish with bait. So, in addition to divulging my “guilty angling pleasure” to the masses, I penned this article to present all those “worm dunkers” out there with a new challenge. And to challenge my fellow lure-and fly-fishing brethren to rediscover how much fun you can have with a spinning rod, bait hooks and dirty hands — and I do mean DIRTY hands.

Sucker meat, the primary bait for lake trout, permeates your skin with a fishy odor that no amount of same-day hand scrubbing removes. My hands, cell phone, fishing gear — even the steering wheel on my Jeep — smells of sucker meat for a couple of days after a successful lake trout fishing trip. Wearing rubber or latex gloves while baiting the hook solves this problem, but the only thing worse than getting caught handling sucker meat by one of your fly-fishing buddies is to be sporting a pair of rubber dishwashing gloves while you’re doing it. Dirty hands are just part of the bait-fishing experience — a rite of passage, so to speak, for every aspiring angler who has enough courage to bait his or her own hook. If nothing else, fishing with sucker meat will get you to stop biting your fingernails faster than any other remedy. And the possibility of catching a heart-stopping lake trout is definitely worth all of the stinky side effects.

Lake Trout: What’s in a Name?

There’s likely no other freshwater fish possessing more names than lake trout; the fish has more aliases than Jesse James. In Colorado, anglers often refer to them as lakers, Mackinaw or Macks. In the Great Lakes, Alaska and Canada, where lake trout are native, fishermen call them grey trout, lake char, paperbellies, leans, siscowet and salmon trout. But perhaps the most appropriate and descriptive moniker is found in the fish’s Latin name: Salvenlinus namaycush. Namaycush, a Native American term, is said to mean “tyrant of the lakes” or “dweller of the deep.” Either translation is apropos to anglers, as lake trout are Colorado’s largest predatory sport fish, inhabiting some of the state’s coldest and deepest waters.

Characterizing lake trout as “tyrants” is fitting. They are voracious predators that feed almost exclusively upon other fish. They also get big — really big. Unlike most trout species that rarely surpass the 15-pound mark, lake trout can grow to mammoth proportions. Mackinaw in the 20- to 40-pound range are fairly common in Colorado, with anglers landing monster specimens exceeding the 40-pound mark annually. The state-record lake trout, taken from Blue Mesa Reservoir in 2007, tipped the scale at a whopping 50.35 pounds — now that’s a fish worthy of being called a tyrant! Although most lake trout caught from shore typically range in size from 2 to 20 pounds, the possibility of catching a leviathan is always present. And it’s the excitement and uncertainty of never knowing what’s lurking on the other end of your line that makes lake trout fishing so addictive.

In addition to their tyrannous ways, lake trout are truly deep-water dwellers, spending most of the year at depths of between 60 and 200 feet — that’s uncharted territory for most other freshwater fish. And it’s this preference for deep, cold water that keeps lake trout safe from the lines of most fishermen. Only anglers fishing through winter ice, or those fishing from boats equipped with sonar and downriggers, are able to get lures and jigs deep enough to reach lake trout during the summer and winter.

But during the spring and fall months, the tyrant briefly abandons its deepwater haunts and moves within reach of shore fisherman. In early spring at “ice-off,” lake trout move into the shallows to feed and remain there until water temperatures exceed 50 degrees, usually occurring around the second or third week of June at most high-mountain reservoirs. As summer progresses and water temperatures warm, the fish return to deep water and remain off limits to shore anglers until late October, when they come back to the shallows to spawn. Although the window of opportunity is narrow, early spring and late fall is when bait fisherman should fish hard and fish often.

Gearing Up

One of the best things about bait fishing is that it doesn’t require a lot of expensive or sophisticated equipment, and fishing for lake trout is no exception. Chances are, if you are nothing more than a weekend-warrior angler, you already have the necessary rods and reels in your garage to pull off a successful outing.

For lake trout, I prefer medium- to heavy-weight spinning rods. A fairly stiff, 6- to 7-foot rod is ideal to ensure effective hook-setting and to provide enough backbone to land larger fish. Some Mackinaw fishermen prefer huge saltwater surf rods, which allow them to zing bait long distances off shore. Either setup works fine, but I prefer the fun and finesse of using lighter-weight equipment. Medium-size rods cast well and can handle lake trout of all sizes, and playing fish on lighter rods is immensely more enjoyable.

Match the rod to a medium-capacity, open-faced spinning reel spooled with 6- to 12-pound test line. I prefer “clear” fluorocarbon lines, but standard monofilament or braided line like Spiderwire are fine options. Braided line works best when tipped with a 3- to 4-foot monofilament/fluorocarbon leader above the bait hook. The added leader helps conceal the more visible braided line from wary fish.

Regardless of line selection, drag adjustment is critical. The reel’s drag should be set loose enough to allow large fish to strip line from the reel without snapping it. A properly set drag can mean the difference between landing and losing the fish of a lifetime.

Sucker Soaking 101

Because lake trout are predators with a voracious appetite for other fish, one of the most effective baits is whole, dead suckers or sucker meat. Frozen suckers, sold at most bait dealers and sporting goods stores, are convenient and are generally available in a variety of sizes.

When I can find them, I prefer small, 4- to 6-inch minnows or chubs. My favorite technique is to fish these whole, threading a size 5/0 or 6/0 snelled saltwater circle hook through the minnow’s body from head to tail (see photo slideshow below). Once the hook is threaded, I attach the snell (loop end) of the hook to the main line with a snap swivel. The benefit of fishing with whole minnows is that they cast well and sink to the bottom without adding lead weight to the line. This allows the minnow to move naturally in the current, closely mimicking a dead baitfish.

The key to fishing with whole minnows is to keep the bail open on the reel after casting. Most often, lake trout will grab the dead minnow and continue swimming without stopping. Fishing with an open bail allows fish to continue moving without resistance from the rod, line or reel. Here’s how to set this up: Cast the minnow and allow it to sink to the bottom. Once it settles, reel in some of the excess line and remove most of the slack. Then, reopen the bail so the line peels freely from the spool.

Soda Can Strike Indicator

To detect strikes with an open bail, run the loose line around the lip of an empty soda can. The can serves as a strike indicator and topples when a lake trout takes the bait and swims away. To prevent false alarms on a windy day, set a small stone on top of the can to add a small amount of weight. Once a fish grabs the bait, I usually allow it to run for approximately 20 seconds before closing the bail and “setting” the hook. This allows enough time for the lake trout to take hold of the minnow, increasing successful hook-ups, but does not give the fish enough time to completely swallow the bait. On rare occasions, fish may drop the bait before the time has elapsed. If this happens, reel in the line, check the bait and recast. As they say, you win some and lose some.

‘Cutbait’ Night Crawler Rig

A standard bait-rig consisting of a sliding sinker, snap swivel and snelled circle-hook is effective when fishing with pieces of sucker meat.

If sucker minnows are not available, the second-best option is to fish with meat or “cutbait” from larger suckers. When using cutbait, I prefer a traditional night crawler bait rig, equipped with a sliding sinker, snap swivel and larger-size snelled circle hook. It’s important to cut sucker meat into bite-size strips or chunks. Baiting the hook too heavily or with excessively large pieces of meat may obscure the hook point and prevent a clean hook-set. With cutbait, keep the reel’s bail closed and set the hook when a strike is first detected. To spice things up a bit, try adding a night crawler and a salmon egg to sucker meat. I dub this smelly combination “triple delight.” It works great when cutbait by itself isn’t enough to tempt finicky “lakers.”There are some caveats when fishing with sucker meat: Make sure to store suckers in a cooler of ice until you are ready to use them. Once sucker meat gets warm, it turns mushy and falls apart, which makes it nearly impossible to keep on a hook when casting. If frozen, make sure the meat has thawed completely before use. Thawed meat produces a stronger scent, making it more likely to attract fish and it also sinks to the bottom more effectively than bait that’s still partially frozen.

Final Tips

Similar to most other angling or hunting pursuits, lake trout fishing is an early morning endeavor. In both the spring and fall, lake trout are most active in the early morning from sunrise until 12 p.m. Fish continue feeding throughout the day, but generally, fishing past noon is spotty at best.

Before heading to your favorite fishing destination, pay a visit to the area’s sporting goods store. Local shops are a great place to purchase bait and other last-minute supplies. Most importantly, shop owners can provide information to help make your fishing trip more successful. When fishing from shore, it’s helpful to know which areas of a reservoir are most productive. This is particularly important when fishing exceptionally large waters like Granby or Blue Mesa. Shop owners know all the particulars of local waters and are usually more than happy to share “inside” information with their customers.

Even if bait fishing is just not your thing, or it’s been years since you’ve “drowned a worm,” I encourage you to give lake-trout fishing a try. You’ll never have more fun watching a soda can topple and line race from your fishing reel. And who knows? You just might end up catching the fish of a lifetime. Or better yet, you may rediscover those simple, childhood- angling pleasures that got you “hooked” on fishing in the first place.

NOTE: Colorado fishing regulations prohibit the use of live fish as bait east of the Continental Divide above 7,000 feet, and west of the Continental Divide, excluding Navajo Reservoir. Therefore, anglers fishing for lake trout must use previously frozen or packaged baits to ensure compliance with regulations. Colorado Parks and Wildlife encourages anglers to keep smaller-sized lake trout. Check the fishing regulations for bag and possession limits.

Compiled by DU Magazine Editors

The fall Canada goose migration is one of the grandest spectacles in the natural world. Flying south in large V formations, these big, garrulous birds capture the attention—and the imaginations—of folks all across the country. Hunters in particular look forward to this fall flight as honkers gather in great numbers on migration and wintering areas. Resident geese are also part of the show, and together these birds offer waterfowlers plenty of exciting hunting opportunities.

Over the years, Canada goose hunting has become a highly specialized sport. It takes a combination of hunting savvy, good equipment, and persistent effort to consistently outwit these challenging game birds. Here are 40 tips from some of the nation’s top Canada goose hunting experts to help you bag more geese this season.

Calling

Follow this sound advice to become a more effective goose caller in the field by Wade Bourne

1. Choose the Right Call

Canada goose calls come in three basic styles: resonant chamber, flute, and short-reed. Resonant chamber calls are the easiest to use but are limited in the range of sounds they can make. Flute calls, which take more skill to blow, produce a broader range of sounds and are more realistic and mellow in tone. Short-reed calls produce the widest range of Canada goose sounds and are the handiest calls for expressing excitement and aggression. They are also louder than other calls and require less air to operate. Learning to blow a short-reed call effectively does take some practice, but this call’s versatility makes it well worth the effort for serious goose hunters.

2. Seek Proper Instruction

The best way to learn to call geese is to work one-on-one with an experienced caller. An expert can help you develop proper calling techniques and avoid some of the pitfalls and bad habits that can plague novice callers. The next best way to learn is to watch an instructional DVD or online video. These resources offer plenty of how-to instruction and tips for improving your calling.

3. Start with the Basics

To imitate Canada geese you need to learn four basic calls. The first and most identifiable sound is the honk, which is typically a relaxed, contented call. A cluck is a shorter, faster honk with more intensity and excitement. A murmur is the sound that geese make while feeding and loafing. A moan is a universal call. Sometimes it signals contentment, other times excitement—and it’s typically made by geese in flight or on the water. All other Canada goose calls consist of combinations or variations of these four fundamental sounds.

4. Pour It on Distant Birds

When geese are passing at long distances, hit them with a “wall of sound.” That is, call with loud, continuous honks, clucks, and moans. Produce as much excitement as possible. Do so with a loud, high-pitched call that cracks sharply between low and high notes. Continue hailing the geese with this rapid, loud calling style until they turn your way or fly out of earshot. The goal here is to capture their attention and convince them to come to you instead of flying on to their intended destination.

5. Ease Off When You Turn ’Em

Once Canada geese turn in your direction, shift from loud calling to “ground talk”—contented calls that geese make on the ground. These include murmurs, moans, and occasional clucks. At the same time, be careful to gauge the birds’ reactions. If they start sliding away, revert back to more excited, aggressive honks and clucks. As soon as the flock turns back toward your calling, tone it down again. The more experience you gain, the better you’ll be at adjusting the mood and tempo of your calling to match the reactions of the geese.

6. Convince Them with Comebacks

When Canada geese approach a decoy spread and suddenly veer away, try using comeback calls to convince the birds to return. Many callers believe that only excited moans should be used in this situation. In fact, just about any form of enthusiastic calling can be used to persuade geese to turn back. One very effective comeback routine is a combination of moans, clucks, and spit notes blown loudly and rapidly. The idea is to use excitement and forceful calling to overcome the departing birds’ timidity and pull them back toward the decoys.

7. Synchronize Your Calling

Multiple callers can frequently exert more “pulling power” over a flock of geese than one caller alone. The notes are doubled or tripled, thereby increasing the excitement and attraction to passing birds. Remember, though, that there’s more to it than simply making more noise. Callers should work together to sound as natural as possible. For example, one caller might blow a flute call to produce mellower notes while his partner blows a short-reed call to make higher, sharper sounds. Having a lead caller who sets the tone for others by telling them when to ease off or pour it on is also helpful. Callers should practice calling together to synchronize their cadences and learn to avoid piling notes on top of each other. Be mindful that too much calling can spook geese. If a flock shies away, one or more callers should quit calling to reduce the pressure.

8. Call Carefully on Big Water

On big rivers, lakes, and marshes an abundance of water gives geese plenty of potential landing spots. Catching the attention of flocks passing at long distances and steering them toward your spread is essential in such situations. If the wind is high or the geese are flight birds, call loudly and continuously, toning it down as they draw closer. When the wind is calm or if the geese are local birds coming off a nearby refuge, reduce the noise and call with more discretion than force. In this latter case, use a call that’s deeper pitched and softer.

9. Build Your Skills in the Field

After mastering the four basic calls, practice making them until they become second nature. Learn calling routines that communicate a range of emotions—from calm and relaxed to excited and aggressive. Visit areas where Canada geese rest and feed, and observe how their calls match their interactions. Finally, spend as much time in the goose pit or blind as possible. Experience is one of the best teachers in goose calling. Learn what works best in different hunting situations, and enjoy the success that will come as your calling skills improve.

10. Don’t Overdo It

The biggest mistake most goose callers make is overcalling. Too many callers mistake speed and volume for emotion. Calling geese is more art than science. There’s a definite feel to it. You have to learn to read how the birds are reacting to your calling and make adjustments as you go. Call with a “message” instead of blowing a lot of fast notes. As mentioned earlier, there’s a lot more to goose calling than simply making noise.

Decoys

Set a better goose spread with these tips from the Avery Outdoors pro staff by Bill Buckley

11. Set Decoys Near Good Cover

Keep concealment in mind when you are placing your decoys in open fields or pastures. You will almost always bag more birds by hunting where you can hide, even if it puts you 50 to 100 yards off the X. Look for rows of tall grass, piles of crop stubble, or a dip in the terrain where you can conceal layout blinds. Use online satellite land-cover maps and apps to find good concealment spots that you may not see from ground level. —Casey Self, Kansas

12. Avoid Getting Stuck in a Rut

Hunt the same area with the same spread day after day and it won’t take long for local geese to recognize and avoid your decoys. As the season progresses, give your spread a fresh look by varying the number of decoys you use as well as the configuration. Watch how the birds react. If they’re not decoying the way you’d hoped, change up your spread. Otherwise your luck isn’t likely to change. —Kevin Addy, Pennsylvania

13. Don’t Mix Up Your Decoys

Each type of decoy creates a certain illusion. This is true whether you’re using full-body decoys, shells, wind socks, or silhouettes. Mixing these different decoy types can give your spread a mismatched look, which can keep geese from finishing like they should. Full-body and shell decoys of the same brand are the exception to this rule because they are similar enough in appearance to be used in the same spread. In almost all other cases you’ll see better results if you stick to using one type of decoy in your spread. —Mike Bard, New York

14. Balance Your Spread

Whatever the size of your spread, it should consist of roughly 80 percent feeder and 20 percent “active” decoys. Group most of the feeders upwind of where you want the birds to land, near the spread’s center. Then place the active decoys downwind of this group to look like birds that just landed and are walking toward the feeders. Position some actives around the outside of the spread in small bunches of three to seven decoys, keeping in mind that it’s normal for geese to have their heads up when they first land. You can also position lines of feeders to mimic geese that are competing for a concentrated food source. Watch birds in the fields when you’re scouting and set your spread to imitate them. —Vance Stolz, Colorado

15. Be a Contrarian

If everyone else in your area is hunting in the middle of cornfields, try setting up somewhere else, such as a pasture pond, river bend, field edge, or anywhere that geese are not accustomed to seeing hunters. If other hunters are using big spreads of full-bodies, try a significantly smaller spread of highly realistic fully-flocked decoys. The goal is to make your spread look different from what the majority of hunters in your area are using. —Ben Cade, Minnesota

16. Scale Down Your Setup

You can deploy the best decoy spread in the country, but you won’t fire a shot if you don’t have adequate concealment. The more layout blinds you use, the greater your chances of being seen by incoming geese. If you have six hunters, try setting out three layout blinds and then rotating shooters among them. Escaping detection by decoying geese should be your number one priority. You can also control the hunt better with fewer blinds. Communication is easier. And it’s also easier to call the shots when the geese are coming straight into the decoys, which can result in higher-percentage shooting. —Travis Mueller, Iowa

17. Spread Out Decoys and Hunters

As the season progresses, geese get wise to rows of layout blinds and masses of decoys. By spreading out hunters (always with safety foremost in mind) and hiding them in clusters of decoys, you accomplish several things. First, birds conditioned to looking for rows of blinds will have a harder time spotting danger. Second, setting decoys in scattered family groups mimics a natural, relaxed flock and gives you a bigger footprint and more drawing power. And finally, flagging and calling locations are also dispersed, making you look and sound less like a group of hunters and more like an actual flock of geese. —Ben Cade, Minnesota

18. Get Out of the Way

Late-season geese are adept at spotting suspicious rows of bumps—telltale signs of hunters lying in wait. Setting up with your blinds facing downwind—and therefore directly in line with the birds’ approach—only invites trouble. To reduce the likelihood of being detected, place your blinds 10 yards to the side of the landing hole or parallel to the wind. Now the geese will see nothing but decoys in front of them, and your crossing shots will likely be at backpedaling birds. —Mike Bard, New York

19. Bring High Incomers Down

Few situations are more frustrating than high-flying geese coming straight over your spread and seeing your blinds, as often happens on days with little or no wind. To prevent this from ruining your hunt, grab six decoys and walk 50 to 60 yards downwind (or in the direction the geese are coming) and place them in two groups on either side of your spread. While this will certainly position these decoys beyond gun range, the whole idea is to get approaching birds to lose altitude. When the next flock approaches, the geese will likely focus on these decoys and start dropping. Don’t call until the birds commit, and then be prepared to call and flag aggressively to prevent them from short-stopping. Once you pull the birds past the downwind decoys, call only as much as is needed to keep them on a string. —Casey Self, Kansas

20. Keep Frost Off Your Decoys

Frost presents a real challenge for goose hunters on cold, clear mornings. Even fully flocked decoys can frost up quickly under such conditions, and when the sun rises they’ll shine and flare geese. To reduce the chances of your decoys frosting up, brush up your blinds and organize your guns and gear first, then set out the decoys right before shooting time—as late as you can without missing the first flight. The less time the decoys have to collect frost before sunup, the better. —Arliss Reed, New York

Strategies

These time-honored tactics are sure to improve your goose hunting success by Wade Bourne

21. Find the “X”

In the morning, Canada geese will typically return to the spot where they were feeding the previous afternoon. This is why scouting is crucial. When you find a feeding flock, wait until the birds fly back to roost before going into the field to pinpoint their feeding area. Check the ground for fresh droppings, and when you locate them, take a GPS reading or mark the spot so you can return to it the next morning in the dark.

22. Follow the Leader

Every goose hunting party should have a recognized leader. The job should typically go to the most experienced hunter or caller. The leader watches the geese work and determines not only when to call and flag based on the birds’ reactions but also when to shoot. By directing the calling and shooting for the group, the leader helps ensure that other hunters stay concealed and that the hunt progresses smoothly and safely.

23. Don’t Forget to Flag

Flagging goes hand in hand with calling and should be used primarily to gain the attention of passing geese. Several hunters waving flags intermittently can help pull birds in by simulating a flock of geese landing among the decoys. When the geese turn toward your spread, however, only the lead caller should flag, and he or she should stop flagging when the birds fully commit and are on their final approach. If the geese veer away, resume flagging and calling to regain their attention and turn them back toward the decoys.

24. Hunt without Decoys

While most Canada geese are taken over decoy spreads, pass-shooting and jump-shooting are also effective hunting methods for these birds. Pass-shooters should scout to see where geese are entering and exiting a feeding field, then position themselves in cover beneath these flight lanes. Try to hide as close to a feeding area as possible to intercept low-flying birds. Sometimes a call can be used to entice geese (especially singles) to fly directly overhead. Jump-shooters should use cover such as thickets and fencerows and other topographical features to slip within range of feeding geese and shoot them when they flush. Success with both of these techniques requires sound strategy, patience, and good concealment. Like all waterfowlers, pass- and jump-shooters have an ethical responsibility to not take shots at geese at marginal ranges.

25. Get Low in Small Spreads

Not all hunters can deploy dozens of full-body decoys that offer enough concealment to hide several layout blinds. If you’re using a small spread of three to four dozen decoys, a good way to make layout blinds disappear is to dig them in (with the landowner’s permission). This helps lower a blind’s profile, making it much harder for geese to spot. It takes only a few minutes to dig a shallow “grave” to conceal a layout blind. With mud or sand filled in around its edges and camouflaged with natural vegetation, you will be virtually invisible to incoming birds.

26. Don’t Limit Layout Blinds

Layout blinds aren’t just for field hunting. These portable hides can also be used effectively in other locations, such as on river sandbars, mudflats, pond edges, and sheet water collected in fields after a heavy rain. Some layout blinds can even be equipped with waterproof tubs that allow them to be used in water up to a foot deep.

27. Mind the Details

Pay attention to small details to make your hunting setups as natural looking as possible. For example, when camouflaging layout blinds in a cornfield, use stubble gathered onsite. Add additional stubble to blinds as needed during the hunt. Also, be sure to pick up spent shotgun shells and keep your eyes open for anything out of place that might alert geese to danger.

28. Take it Easy with Young Retrievers

Retrieving a full-sized Canada goose can be a daunting prospect for a young duck dog. You can avoid an unpleasant experience that might dampen a retriever’s enthusiasm for goose hunting if you start your dog out on doves and ducks, and introduce him to geese only after he has a year of duck hunting behind him. If your dog shows some initial reluctance about retrieving a goose, go out into the field with him, pick up the bird, and encourage him to take it from your hand. Soon he should overcome his hesitancy and retrieve geese with gusto.

29. Hunt the Afternoon Flight

In bitter cold weather, Canada geese often adjust their daily routines to conserve energy. One of the ways the birds do this is by spending the morning on the roost and flying out to feed when the temperature peaks during the afternoon. At these times, scouting is essential to determine exactly when and where the geese are feeding. Once you have the birds patterned, get to the field early to make sure you have plenty of time to set up before the first flights arrive.

30. Get Real in the Snow

Grainfields covered in snow can provide productive goose hunting, but you usually have to put in some extra effort to ensure success. For example, you can make your spread look more realistic to approaching geese by using rakes and shovels to expose large areas of dirt and stubble both downwind of and among the decoys. These disturbed areas, which look as if geese have been rooting under the snow to find food, are visible to birds in flight from a good distance. Conceal layout blinds with snow covers and Avery Real Snow Spray to blend in with the white background.

Shooting

Here’s how to make every shot count on your next goose hunt by Phil Bourjaily

31. Angle Blinds for Better Shots

If you shoot right-handed, position your layout blind slightly to the right of the landing hole. You can swing much farther to the left than you can to the right, so this will provide you with more shooting opportunities than if you were facing directly downwind. Position any left-handed shooters on the right end of the line, so they can intercept any geese that slide off on that side.

32. Use Leverage in Layout Blinds

If you have trouble sitting up to shoot out of a layout blind, dig a depression under your seat so you’re partially sitting up when you recline. Alternatively, you can scoop some dirt out from under your feet, which will allow you to dig into the ground with your heels to help you sit up.

33. Carry Lighter Loads for Cripples

If you hunt without a retriever, keep extra shells in your pocket while you’re goose hunting so you’ll have ammo on hand if you need to dispatch crippled geese. Steel 2s or 4s will do the job just fine at about 15 yards.

34. Be Clear on Shot Calling

Agree beforehand who will call the shot and what types of shots the group should take. Although one person should call the shot, there’s nothing wrong with talking it over as the birds approach and reaching a group decision about when to take ’em. Positioning the blinds fairly close together so the whole party can communicate helps everyone stay on the same page as well.

35. Focus on the Head

To ensure clean kills, try for a head shot when geese are decoying at close range. The distinctive black-and-white markings on a Canada goose’s head make it a highly visible target. It’s a good size as well, comparable to the body of a mourning dove. A close-range shot to the head will bag the bird cleanly without leaving a lot of pellets in the breast.

36. Don’t Pass Up Good Shots

When geese hang right over the blinds on a calm day and look down at you from 30 yards up, you might as well shoot. The birds’ vitals are exposed, offering a good killing shot if your gun is loaded with BBs or larger pellets. There’s a good chance those birds are going to see you, especially on windless, sunny days when there are shadows on the ground around the blinds. In my experience, geese rarely commit under such conditions so don’t hesitate to take a good shot if you have one.

37. Slow Down When You Shoot

One trick for successfully shooting geese, especially at longer ranges, is to move the gun more slowly than you think is necessary. Swing slowly through the bird from behind, and pull the trigger when you see some daylight between the barrel and the goose’s head. Most people swing too fast and try to shoot too far in front of geese. Slow down and watch them drop.

38. Be Sure of Your Pattern

The best all-around steel pellet for hunting large Canada geese is BBs, while BBBs and Ts are better at longer ranges. Whatever shot size and choke you choose, your pattern should deliver a minimum of 60 pellets in a 30-inch circle at the longest range you plan to shoot. Anything less lacks the pattern density to ensure multiple pellet strikes in a goose’s vital areas.

39. Get the Gunk Out

To keep semiautomatic shotguns running in the very cold conditions that make for great goose hunts, strip all the oil out of the action and moving parts with something like Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber Firearm Cleaner. It’s a messy, smelly process, so you’ll want to do the stripping outside. Spray the solvent into the action until it runs out clean, then lightly lube all the moving parts with Break-Free CLP. Be sure to give the magazine tube the same treatment.

40. Always Wear Earplugs

All waterfowlers should take precautions to protect their hearing. Goose hunters in particular are vulnerable to hearing loss from shooting magnum guns with heavy loads. I wear earplugs whenever I hunt. I can hear surprisingly well with them in, and I can still hear today because I wear them.

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Knowing what basic turkey talk sounds like and being able to mimic these sounds will make the difference between a fan bobbing over your shoulder and tag soup.

by Scott Haugen

As I write these words, spring turkey season is only a few days away. Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, it’s believed to be our most harsh spring conditions since the early 1980s. I’m scouting for turkeys daily, and what I see is far different from last season.

Many hens and juvenile birds are still in large family flocks. Several toms are in bachelor flocks of the same age class, and their strutting and gobbling have been very subdued. We’re supposed to have freezing temperatures and snow the next few days, which may further delay turkey courtship and breeding activity.

Knowing this, I plan on hunting on opening day in some extensive stands of Douglas fir timber. We’ve had constant rain for days, and this is where many of the turkeys have been seeking shelter. The hens spend a lot of time preening, and because they’re in family flocks, the birds are vocal when there’s a break in the weather.

On opening day, I plan to emulate what I hear from turkeys, such as soft hen yelps with more kee-kees than I usually use this time of year. I’ll also use deeper-sounding tom yelps, which I’ve detected on my Stealth Cam trails cam video clips lately. For my decoy setup, I’ll use a new Preening Hen from Dave Smith Decoys and possibly an Upright Hen if birds hang out in big numbers and the rain continues to fall.

I’ve been fortunate to hunt turkeys in many places around our great country, and I base much of my calling on what the birds do at the time and place I’m hunting.

One season began in Florida in 80-degree temperatures, and I also hunted on a 16-degree day with snow in Washington state a few days later. Knowing what sounds turkeys make, and more importantly, what they mean, has dramatically impacted my nearly 40 years of turkey hunting.

While turkeys are vocal all year long, here are some sounds to tune into this spring.

Hen Yelp

The hen makes the most commonly heard sound in the turkey woods, called a hen yelp or plain yelp. Toms and jakes also yelp, but it’s louder, raspier, and usually more drawn-out than that of hens.

The hen yelp is an introductory call and the most straightforward sound. I’d say 80 percent of the toms I’ve called in — and seen called in — have come to a hen yelp. These sounds are usually delivered in a series of one-note tunes and occur when turkeys are within sight of one another. It sends the message that everyone is safe and lets one another know where they are.

Yelps can range from three to seven notes, even up to nine or ten as hens get more excited. The pitch and volume remain constant, with three to four notes created per second and each burst lasting up to .10 seconds. The sequence is simple and resembles a chirp, chirp, chirp, or a yup, yup, yup sound.

Yelps are easily made with box calls, slates, diaphragms, and push-pull calls. The yelp is a good call to bring birds in close, whether you can see them or not. Should birds appear edgy, plain yelps can help calm them. Yelps will also bring in hens, and toms will likely follow them.

The Cluck

The cluck is one of the most basic sounds in the turkey woods, but it still carries a strong meaning. The one to three-note sequence goes like tuck…tuck,…tuck. Its purpose is to get another bird’s attention or reassure an approaching tom that a hen is waiting. It’s a pleasing, attention-grabbing, simple, yet powerful sound when bringing in a tom.

Clucks are made up of one to three single, staccato notes, usually separated by two to three seconds. A cluck’s sharp, crisp sounds are mainly used when an approaching tom hangs up in sight of your setup.

Often, hens are called in with clucks, and I think this is because when turkeys cluck, they like hearing others respond in the same way; it’s their way of saying, “I’m here, and all is safe.” This is true with hen yelps, too. Clucks are not as intense or abrupt as putts, which is an alarm call.

When birds feed, clucks are often made in conjunction with purrs. Clucks and purrs send a message that all is safe and the birds are content, especially in a flock situation. Clucks and purrs, together, sound something like tuck, tuck, errrrr…..tuck, errrrr…tuck, tuck, tuck, errrrr, tuck. Using the cluck and purr together is natural and convincing if looking to pull in wary toms or hens. They’re also good, calm sounds to stop a tom for a shot.

The Purr

As with the cluck, purrs can easily be made on slates, box calls, and push-pull calls. Purrs are tougher to make with diaphragm calls but are worth mastering when you find yourself in the open and need to call hands-free to bring a tom in closer or stop him for a shot.

Purrs are relaxing, almost bubbly sounding, reassurance calls. They send the simple message that birds feel safe. When a flock of birds spreads out, feeding in early spring, purrs can continually be heard. Purrs are soft sounds that roll in a smooth, calming fashion, thus, are not very loud. The purr is a single, drawn-out note that sounds like, errrr. This is a great call to offer when toms are close, especially if they seem nervous.

Kee-Kee

The kee-kee is a call commonly associated with fall turkey hunting. But I’ve had great success with it early in the spring when conditions are cold and wet, and birds are in large flocks. The purpose of the kee-kee is to reassemble broken flocks, and the sound is largely made by young birds who’ve lost track of the congregation and are looking to reassemble with adult birds. Adult birds, primarily hens, also make variations of these sounds, and this is what toms will often respond to.

The kee-kee is usually made up of three relatively coarse and somewhat unevenly spaced kee, kee, kee sounds that, in total, last just over a second. The key to making this call work is sticking to the magic three-note sequence, not extending it. As birds mature, the kee-kee sounds become slightly raspier, which is what you’ll hear in early spring.

The Cutt

Cutts are a series of loud, insistent, fast-paced, single-note sounds turkeys use to announce their presence, often hoping to hear another turkey’s response. It says, “If you hear me and are ready to breed or simply socialize, come find me.”

Cutts are easy sounds on a box or slate call, but diaphragm users may find it challenging due to the complex, stop-start, and rapid pace. Cutts are made in fast bursts of two or three notes, usually followed a second or so later with more of the same. The sequence sounds something like; tut…tut….tut, tut, tut, tut…tut…tut…tut…tut. tut. tut, tut, tut. The sequence varies widely, so if offering these sounds, don’t feel like they have to be exact.

Many hunters like using cutts to locate toms by getting them to shock gobble early in the morning. I use cutts any time of day, all season long, because they are natural turkey sounds used to announce their presence and because they are loud and carry well in the big terrain of the West where I do much of my hunting.

There are other sounds turkeys, and turkey hunters make, many more. But the ones we’ve looked at here are the basics hunters should be able to recognize in the woods and create on their own at any moment.

This turkey season, listen closely to the birds in your area. Know that their sounds — especially in the early season — can vary daily, even hour to hour on those stormy days with momentary sunlight breaks. Being equipped with the right calls, and making the right sounds at the right time, can make a big difference when bringing in a boss tom.

Now that whitetail season is over, a lot of hunters will be heading out to chase coyotes so they can pass time until spring. Just like with deer hunting, there will be some guys who get really hardcore, but the majority of the folks in the field will be your average Joe schmo. There is nothing wrong with that, but it does mean your success will depend on how you hunt.

Covering lots of ground this time of year will be your best strategy in the woods.

Often times you will see an electronic call on top of a pickup with guys standing around the truck. While this may sometimes work for them, a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while, and if your goals are higher than a couple chances every year, you will need to put some miles on the boots. My favorite setups are crick/river bottoms. Coyotes love traversing across frozen bodies of water as they can see distances and travel is relatively easy.

In this setup, we are blowing our call across the open water and anticipating a coyote to circle in between us and the water’s edge.

When you first set up, try doing some sort of a lip squeak or mouse squeak. If you’re walking quietly, you could surprise yourself on how close you can set up. If nothing comes in, use a variation of a coyote locator howl, and then transition to a prey distress call. Probably the most common distress call is a cottontail in distress. This call can be a great sequence to pull in curious song dogs, but it may also not work on some high-pressure areas. My favorite distress call to use is a woodpecker in distress. You can learn how to do this call on a softer open reed with a little practice, and it is also found on most electronic calls.

At this point, if you haven’t enticed anything in, switch it up and go with a fox or raccoon fight followed by a coyote distress call (usually some sort of pup distress). The goal here is to paint the picture that a young coyote came in to the dinner bell, and now is getting his butt kicked by an angry fox or raccoon.

Learning to call with an open reed will give you more variation and life-like calling sequences.

After your last call, wait for 10-15 minutes and keep your eyes peeled. Just like turkeys, some coyotes will come screaming in to the call, and some will sneak in without a noise. Those aggressive screamers would have likely already come in, but the ones who are going to tip toe in will pop up now. If you’re not on your toes, these wary responders may bust you quickly, or get too close for you to move before you have a chance to get your weapon on them.

Now, there’s a couple of very important things to keep in mind before you start your vehicle and grab your gun.

1. Wind is everything. Coyotes will almost ALWAYS circle downwind of where they hear the calling from. You can use that to your advantage and setup where you can predict them to circle. Fence lines, drop-offs, water dams, frozen bodies of water, etc, are all good travel routes, and you can also use factors like open bodies of water to pinch down the distance a coyote can circle away from you. The goal here is to get coyotes to circle as close as possible to you, and then take your shot before they get down wind.
2. Blend in. Coyotes can see very well. If there’s snow on the ground, you will stick out like a sore thumb in an open area with regular camo on. Snow camo bibs and a coat are a good idea, but if you’re on a budget, a couple of white bedsheets can definitely do the trick with some redneck ingenuity.
3. Stay mobile. Try to stay around the half hour mark with each setup. Wait a few minutes between each different call in your setup, and make sure you give coyotes enough time to come in, but don’t make the mistake of staying in one spot too long. Covering a lot of ground will be the most crucial factor to your success.
4. HAVE FUN. It will be cold and windy, and you will probably be walking a lot, but we are supposed to have fun and enjoy being outdoors. Hunting shouldn’t be a grind. If it gets to that point, you will burn out quickly, and your success will plummet.

Can’t get enough coyote hunting content? Checkout our podcast Calling all Coyotes. Looking for some tips on improving your rifle accuracy? Checkout our blog series on Why You Missed that Deer.

Photos by Ted Zangerle

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By GunSpot

There is nothing more frustrating that having a really great gun on hand and no way to shoot it. That’s been the case for us with the Model 2020 Waypoint rifle we’ve been using (see GunSpot’s pieces on taking the Waypoint out on a hunt and also running the rifle through the NRL Hunter Match), as it has been very difficult to acquire ammo — something we know all of you are facing as well.

Recently, we were fortunate to be able to acquire some Deer Season XP 125-gr. 6.5 Creedmoor rounds from Winchester Ammunition, and could not wait to get it and the Waypoint rifle out to the range. We wanted to know if this was a legitimate long-range hunting round.

Fuel for the Fire

The Deer Season XP loading has been specifically designed for deer hunting, to take down an animal as quickly and humanely as possible. The loading is offered in a variety of chamberings, ranging from .223 to .30-06 to 7mm Magnum. Bullet weights range anywhere from 64 to 250 grains.

The projectile itself features an “Extreme Point” with an oversized impact diameter. The means more energy transfers to the target which is better for taking down deer. The round has a large diameter polymer tip as well as a tapered jacket for the flat-based projectile.

In 6.5 Creedmoor as tested, it has a muzzle velocity of 2,850 feet per second, while the energy is 2,254 ft-lbs. When we went out and shot our first groups at 100 yards, we hooked a Magnetospeeed to our rifle and only had a 7.4 feet per second standard deviation, which is very, very impressive.

Palpable Performance

This round is clearly built to deliver energy on target and put down an animal, but the real question is, how does it fly? Is it accurate? We started zeroing our Model 2020 Waypoint with this bullet and we ended up with a very tight group at 100 yards. Was it as tight as match ammo would produce? No, but it’s still a very accurate round. And remember, this is a round designed to take down an animal first and foremost.

But how accurate is it? To really wring it out, we decided to test it out over some long-range distances. Frankly, most hunters on average probably never shoot farther than maybe 250 yards on a deer. You can shoot farther for sure, but I’d imagine most hunters in the country don’t feel confident past 300 yards. So, we figured this round has probably never been tested by reviewers at 1,000 yards. We decided to give it a shot.

Now, we did have some doubts about this bullet and the reason being that it has a flat base. Flat-based bullets will deliver plenty of impact, but they don’t fly as well as boat-tailed bullets. As a result, we went in with relatively low expectations, expectations that were soon proven wrong.

After we got the rifle zeroed, we first decided to try a target at 405 yards. Grant hit this with no problem. Then we moved on and hit targets at 617, 760 and 1082 yards. Once we moved on from the 1082 yard mark, we noticed the bullet was harder to predict.

For a flat-based hunting round to be accurate out to nearly 1,100 yards is no small feat. We were pleasantly surprised by how well this round performed at distance. Grant felt comfortable enough that as long as the shot was well-placed, he could definitely hit a deer-sized target consistently at 600 yards and put it down.

Conclusion

All in all, we were excited to get the chance to test some ammunition during this ammo crisis. The 6.5 Creedmoor Deer Season XP is an awesome cartridge that any hunter would be lucky to use. And now we know as long as the hunter is skilled enough for the shot, it could be used to take down deer effectively out to 600 yards. Is it the best long-range hunting round? We hope to find out this fall!

Just remember to get out and practice shooting long distance as much as you can. Even though the round is capable, you might not be. It is unethical to take a shot at an animal that you are not confident in. So, practice, shoot smart and be a good steward of conservation. And pick up some of this ammo as we can assure you it will do its part!

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Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter, and Outdoorsman.

The bugle call of an elk is a distinctive sound. There are multiple ways that a hunter can use this noise to their benefit. You can use it to track the movement of the elk. Or you can mimic their calls to attract them to the area. But will the elk bugle all year?

Elk will be most active during the rut. This occurs during the fall, usually between the end of September to the middle of October. But they will continue to bugle during the year. The bugle is their primary way of calling out potential challengers and controlling their herd.

Understanding the elk bugle is crucial for hunters. Keep reading to learn more about elk bugle calls and how you can put this information to use when hunting.

When do Elk Bugle

Elk will bugle throughout the year in North America. But the amount that they bugle will vary throughout the year.

They will be most active during the rut. This occurs during the fall months. They use this call to help them attract a mate. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for bulls to bugle most of the day. As we’ll discuss later, they will be more responsive to calls made during this time.

The breeding season will depend on where you live. Usually, though, you should start to hear bugling at the beginning of September. This will continue until mid to late October. But you might still be able to hear bugling towards the end of November.

You will be able to hear bugling throughout the rest of the year. But it will be occurring less frequently. Because of this, you will need to listen more carefully to identify the elk. Later, we’ll go more in-depth about the type of bugles you should be listening for.

What Time of the Day are Elk Most Active?

During the rut season, the best time to listen for elk bugling will be during the night. The twilight period will bring an increase in bugling activity. They will bugle most frequently during the rut. Sometimes, they can call out so much that they become hoarse.

The way the elk behaves will depend on the time of the day. During the sunrise and sunset, they will tend to be more active. This makes morning and evening hunts most productive.

During the day, they will tend to bed down. Often, they will move into thicker woods, making them more difficult to locate and hunt. It’s best to look for food and water resources.

Why do Elk Bugle

There are a few reasons why elk will bugle. Often, it will be their way of attracting a mate to the area. They might also use it to establish dominance and keep other men out of the area. Sometimes, it can be a way to alert fellow elk to danger in the area.

There are two main reasons why an elk will bugle. These are:

1. When an elk is bugling during the rut, it is often a way for the bull to attract a cow to them, so they can mate. Because of this, they want to make sure that their call is louder and more attractive than other bulls.
2. They can use their bugle as a way to establish their dominance. They want to make sure that other males stay out of their way. Because of this, they might use their bugle as a sign of aggression, acting as the precursor to a fight.

Other Ways Elk Attract a Mate

The bugle is just one way that an elk will attempt to get a mate. Some of the other ways they can get a mate’s attention are:

• Rubbing. During the rut, elk will rub themselves against trees and other objects. This is their way of showing their dominance. It also allows them to get old velvet out of their skin.
• Wallowing in mud and urine. This is designed to increase their scent making them more attractive.
• Hanging vegetation off their antlers. Sometimes, you will find that elk are hanging vegetation from their antlers. This is used to show their dominance.

Other Types of Elk Calls

Like humans, elk use their bugles to help them communicate their emotions. Some of the reasons why they might want to make a bugle call include:

• Warning of danger. The elk have a finely tuned sense of smell and have good hearing. If they sense a potential threat in the area, they will make noises to alert other group members. This lets them flee to safety.
• Calling for help. Sometimes, a young elk will make a call. This is often calling out to their mother or seeking some other type of help.
• Anger. Sometimes, the bulls will make a call to let other elk know how powerful they are. This can bring other bulls into the area, keen to defend their territory.
• General communication. When traveling an elk herd, elk have been known to make quieter calls to each other. This ensures that they are all moving together.

As an elk hunter, it’s essential to know the difference between each of these calls. If you know why the elk are making the bugling call, you’ll know the best way to respond to them. This will help you encourage them to get close enough to take a shot. We’ll talk about how you can do this a little later.

What Does an Elk Bugle Sound Like?

Many people are familiar with the most common elk bugle call. This will start as a low-pitched growl. But, as it goes on, it will transform into a high-pitched scream. This sound will carry long distances, so you might hear it echoing through mountainous terrain. You can listen to the bugle noise here.

Other Types of Elk Bugles

While this is the most famous type of bugle, elk will change their bugle depending on their situation. Some other kinds of bugles include:

• Locator calls. This is done throughout the year by the herd’s dominant bull. It’s their way of finding out if any other males in the area could challenge their dominance. If they don’t get any responses, they will continue on their way. Sometimes, they will stay in the same place when sending out these bulges. You can use this to your advantage, allowing you to pinpoint his location.
• Challenge bugle. Sometimes, there will be rival bulls in the area. They send out this bugle when they think their dominance will be challenged. At the end of these bugles, they will add a few chuckles.

Other Types of Elk Calls

While elk are known for their bugle, it isn’t the only sound they will make. Some of their other calls include:

• Mew. This is similar to the meowing that a kitten will make. It’s how the calves will communicate with their mothers.
• Chuckles added to the end of a bugle. This is a way for the bull to demonstrate its dominance and power. The more chuckles, the more powerful it is.
• Drum sounds. Sometimes, you’ll hear deep noises, like the banging of a drum. Because they are so deep, this sound will travel over a long distance. This is another way for the bull to prove its dominance, challenging any surrounding males. It’s most common during the elk rut.
• Bark. This is the sound no hunter wants to hear. Like a dog’s bark, the elk will use this noise to signal danger in the area. This is the herd’s cue to get out of the site.
• Chirping. This is a high-pitched noise. It’s often used within the herd to ensure the group stays together.
• Clashing. If you are elk hunting, you might hear the sound of elk clashing antlers. This is their primary way of establishing dominance, showing that they are the most muscular male in the area.

Using Bugle Calls to Track Elk Movements

Now that we know more about what a bugle is and why elk will make this noise, we can use it to our advantage when hunting. The first thing we can do is use the bugles to locate where the herd is. They will even bugle when they are bedded down.

But using a call to locate the elk can be a difficult task. It can echo off mountains and rocks, making it hard to pinpoint the cause of the signal. The good news is that you don’t need to rely on it during the rut season.

First, you’ll want to look at the trees. See if you can spot any signs that they have been rubbing on them. It’s also a good idea to look for things like droppings or tracks. This tells you how recently the elk were in the area.

Like all hunts (mule deer, red deer, moose), you’ll need to consider how the elk will react to stimuli. If there are a lot of humans around, the elk will often want to avoid that area. You should also look at a map. Look for signs of water, food, and other wildlife. The elk will want to move towards these areas.

This article goes into more depth about how you can locate both bull elk and cow elk during your hunt.

Using a Bugle to Attract Elk

Another way to use the bugle to your advantage is by replicating the call. This will bring the elk to you. Let’s look at how you can do this.

Making a Realistic Bugle Noise

The first thing that you need to do is learn how to make a realistic bugling noise. You will need to build or buy an elk bugle to do this. This is a tube that will allow you to replicate the call of the elk. This video shows you how to develop your bugle. Alternatively, you can find them in hunting stores.

How to Call for Elk

Once you have your bugle, it’s time to go hunting. Once you have located the elk, you’ll need to decide what type of bugle you want to employ. This will depend on the type of call the elk is providing.

Sometimes, you will get a more tentative call. In this case, you might need to wait until you are closer to start getting aggressive. This will help you force the elk into the open, where you can get a shot at them.

On the other hand, you might be able to get aggressive from the start. This will force the elk towards you so that you can get a good shot. Here are a few other tips that you can use:

• Be in control. You want to make sure that the elk respond to your calls rather than you reacting to them. If you can do this, they will want to come to you.
• Elk have two emotions. There are two things that the elk will respond to. They will respond to love. This is especially important during the rut, as they bugle to attract a mate. The other emotion is anger. This is what happens when you are going into their territory and start challenging their dominance.
• Understand the emotions. Many people can get caught up in trying to replicate the call perfectly. But this is often less important than reading the emotions of the elk that you are communicating with. The elk will come if you can make the right call at the right time.
• Keep practicing. Like all skills, your elk calling will improve the more you practice it. If you want more tips on what you should focus on, check out this video with champion caller Corey Jacobsen.

Why Do Some Elk Run From a Bugle Call?

Most of the time, the elk will go towards a bugle. They want to face their challenger and prove their dominance. But this won’t always be the case.

Sometimes, they will gather up their herd and leave the area. Among hunters, this is called bugling and running. There are a few reasons why this might be happening.

Sometimes, it might be a young elk. They might be too inexperienced and concerned about the prospect of going up against a bigger animal. Because he doesn’t want to lose his harem, he might want to move his cows out of the area before losing the challenge.

On the other hand, bigger bulls can also bugle and run. They might have a lot of cows who are coming into estrous. At this time, he will often be more focused on breeding than proving his dominance.

Third, the hunter might have made a mistake. If a hunter has already spooked the bull, he will be warier. If he can sense danger in the area, he is unlikely to go towards the sound. He’ll just want to gather his herd and move away from the threat.

The good news is that bugling and running are rare occurrences. In most cases, if you make a good call, the elk will come to you.

Final Thoughts

Bugling for elk is one of the essential tools that a hunter will have at their disposal. If you can understand why they are bugling, you’ll be able to respond appropriately. When done right, the elk should come to you, giving you plenty of opportunities to shoot them.

Though this will be most effective during the rut, elk will bugle all year. As a result, a good caller will always be able to attract elk into the area.

Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.

Sources

• https://blog.nwf.org/2014/11/5-intriguing-fall-elk-rut-behaviors-videos/
• https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/elk-bugling-wica.htm
• https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/learn-the-right-elk-calls/
• https://targetcrazy.com/hunting/elk-sounds-meanings/
• https://elkhuntersguide.com/locating-elk/

Throughout the history of hunting, we have never had a deer send a lasting shockwave through the entire community like the Rompola buck. Splitting the industry in half and creating more questions than answers. This infamous buck sits center stage when it comes to the most controversial whitetails ever to surface.

Whether you think it is fake or it is real, there are several aspects when it comes to the deer and Mitch Rompola himself that are quite contradictory. We narrowed it down to 3 facts about the Rompola Buck saga that stand out.

Listen to the full discussion:

#1 – Mitch’s Numerous State Records

Mitch was synonymous with one of the hunters that looked up to the challenge of hunting Northern Michigan. His friends had called him Swampaster and he had a reputation for shooting big whitetails on a consistent basis.

It’s even reported, he held the Missouri state archery record, and then he topped his own record again after a few years. Although after doing some digging, I cannot locate any literature to confirm these records.

The former Commemorative Bucks of Michigan state record was also shot by Mitch Rompola in Grand Traverse County in 1985. That buck scored 181 7/8 B&C, but On November 2, 2012, Robert Sopsic topped that record by 2/8 of an inch for the new state record archery buck. It was clear Mitch had a reputation for being a successful big-buck hunter.

What are the odds of a singular hunter having not one, not two, but three state records and a world record to his name. a quick glance at any whitetail record buck shows a list of names, but very few names on those lists have multiple records. In a state like Missouri, it could be possible but highly unlikely, but to do it in a high-pressure, low-age class state like Michigan? it seems a little fishy to me.

#2 – Mitch’s Desire To Be A Left Alone

Less than a week after the reported kill, Mitch got an unlisted phone number and dropped out of sight. Two of his most vocal critics in Michigan each had put up $10,000, which they said Mitch could collect if he’d just have the rack X-rayed and enter it into B&C. But not even that could spur the man into action.

What’s contradicting about this is the fact that before Mitch killed the infamous buck, he was building a reputation in the industry with magazine articles and making partnerships with manufacturers in the outdoor industry. He was mentioned in several books listing the top whitetail hunters in the nation and had a deal with a deer scent company as well.

You would figure after shooting a buck like that (that tops the previous world record by 3″), Mitch would have laid claim to the title of world record. Instead, mitch went from climbing the ladder for whitetail greatness with sponsors, magazines, and books to completely disappearing off of the face of the earth after shooting the “New World Record” and even signing a deal with Milo Hansens business associate to never enter the buck into B&C and stop calling it the world record.

#3 – The Rack Supposedly Was Lost To A House Fire

***Disclaimer***

***The below information was obtained using free public use programs, websites, and apps.***

Soon after the news broke of the buck, Mitch shut out the outside world and dropped off of the face of the earth. It is rumored that during this time period, the rack was destroyed in a house fire.

With the numerous public resources on the internet now, I was able to go into google earth and look back at historical imagery at Mitch’s actual house. The furthest back satellite image on google earth was from 1985. It is a little blurry, but you can make out the outline of the house and the image gets clearer as the years progress.

As you thumb through the different years, you will notice that the house stays exactly the same, even to this day. If a house fire did happen, it did not get bad enough to disfigure the exterior of the house, meaning it wasn’t an overly big fire if it did happen at all.

The melting point of bone is roughly around 3,000 degrees farenheight, so for the rack to be destroyed in a house fire, the fire itself would have had to engulf the entire house to reach those temperatures.

Conclusion:

Did the fire actually happen or was it a cover for Mitch hiding the rack? What made Mitch go from a hunting industry personality to a hermit? Did the multiple state records actually happen? The world may never know.

As is with every article ever written on Mitch Rompola and the Rompola Buck, there are more unanswered questions than answers. With the recent sale of the Milo Hansen buck and the even more recent discovery of the Rompola Buck’s score sheet, I think that the answers to some of these questions could possibly be just on the horizon.

Written by: Lucas Jones

[PLEASE NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Jan. 2021 print issue of Firearms News. The ammunition prices mentioned herein are not current.]

I have been a Garandaholic since I was a teenager in the ‘70s. My interest in this great battle rifle was spurred by my father’s memories of his World War 2 service. Like many vets of World War 2 and Korea he spoke of the M1 with reverence. The only source for G.I. surplus M1s in my youth was the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM), the forerunner of the current Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). I recall the DCM selling them for $99 each. The catch was that the buyer had to be an NRA High Power Rifle competitor and I didn’t start shooting in rifle competitions until over a decade later.

On December 11, 1975 I walked into a local gun shop and found a Garand for sale. It was built on a rewelded receiver and the barrel had been fabricated from a 1903A3 barrel, although I wasn’t aware of those things at the time. My fate was sealed. From that point on I would always have M1s. That first M1 remained in a closet during my tour with Jimmy Carter’s Army and I never really started shooting it until I became interested in High Power Rifle competition toward the end of the ‘80s. I re-barreled it to .308 for logistical reasons. The Maine Army National Guard marksmanship team issued me 7.62 NATO for practice and that beats buying ammo.

.308 Garands shoot quite well, but most of the rifles out there will still be found in .30-06. This old cartridge has been around for over a hundred years and it is still popular with hunters and military rifle shooters. The Garand, due to its gas-operated action, is easy on the shoulder compared to a bolt-action rifle firing the same round and it comes equipped with the best sights ever issued on a battle rifle. An old-school rifleman who appreciates wood and steel blasters will find the M1 a pleasure to shoot.

A concern of M1 shooters is finding the correct ammunition. But, you say, .30-06 ammo is everywhere. True, but a lot of the ammo commercially available today is not loaded to the original pre-World War 2 military spec for which the Garand was designed. The gas system was configured to operate efficiently and reliably with the military issue Caliber .30 Ball Cartridge M1 (and later M2). The gas port size and internal dimensions of the gas cylinder were optimized for the military powders of that era resulting in the correct bolt velocity as it travels rearward after unlocking. Excessive bolt speed can damage the weapon and in extreme cases the rear of the receiver may fail. One can only imagine the discomfort experienced by the shooter who is whacked in the face by a high-velocity receiver heel! For decades M1 shooters fired military surplus ammo with no worries but that supply is gone now. Luckily for Garandaholics, several commercial manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and offer specific loads tailored for the Garand gas system. The purpose of this article is to sort through current offerings testing them for accuracy, velocity and function so you can determine what product best fits your needs and budget. If Consumer Reports did ammo tests they would read something like this.

Test standards: All loads were fired for accuracy at 100 yards. Obviously, the heavy bullet loads would shine at longer distances, but my home range is 100 yards and considering the many man-hours spent testing a couple thousand rounds traveling to another range simply wasn’t feasible. Rifles were fired from a bench rest. I used a CTK Ultimate Shooting Rest for the M1s. The Savage bolt gun was fired from a bipod. As much as I would like to think of myself as a human machine rest I am just an old man who likes M1s but this was a pretty solid setup.

Targets were the IBS Hunter Rifle target with six bullseyes. I fired six five-shot groups with each type of ammo from each rifle and averaged the four best. Why five-shot clips? Because Firearms News test standards for rifles are based on five-shot groups so if you are comparing Garand accuracy to some other rifle we keep test standards uniform across the board. Five-shot clips are available for Garands (Brownell’s 901-000-004). I feel that averaging the groups of many targets results in a trend that reveals the most accurate loads. Shot groups were measured center to center with a caliper as accurately as possible.

To reduce human error, I fitted the M1 rifles with scopes. Heresy, you say. I agree, but the point of this test is to rate the accuracy of available ammo, not my marksmanship. Scopes reduce human error. Due to the top-loading design of the rifle, a scope cannot be positioned directly over the receiver. However, a “scout” scope with eye relief of approximately 9-1/2 to 10 inches mounted just forward of the receiver works fine. I used the Mini Scout Mount from Amega Mounts (AmegaMounts.com) which clamps to a standard profile M1 barrel replacing the rear handguard. The mount never loosened during testing.

I employed two different scopes: a Hi-Lux 2-7x BDC and a Burris 2-7x 32 Scout. All testing was done at 6x. The Burris was a bit brighter with a finer reticle but also cost over twice as much as the Hi-Lux. The first Hi-Lux I mounted failed after several hundred rounds. The manufacturer replaced it. If you shoot a lot, you know scopes will fail occasionally. If the manufacturer stands behind their product its nothing to worry about.

The rifles: All test rifles were from my personal collection. These are not match-conditioned rifles, but they were inspected for mechanical issues that may cause inaccuracy such as loose gas cylinders, poor op rod fit, little to no stock compression, etc. and corrected as needed. I guess you could say they were “blueprinted.” About halfway through the test, guns #2 and #3 stopped grouping. The actions were loosening in the stocks. To tighten them I inserted a short piece of 1/16″ walnut veneer under the forward end of the receiver rails. These pieces of wood served to lever the barrel upward slightly increasing pressure between the stock ferrule and lower band. Tensioning the barrel through shimming or bedding results in increased accuracy from M1s and M1As. After this simple modification, our test guns started shooting again.

Rifle #1 is a Korean War era M1 produced by H&R. I re-barreled it with a Fulton Armory standard weight barrel a dozen years ago. Aside from the commercial barrel it is a standard issue infantry rifle. When fed ammo of the correct spec it will function reliably and shoot accurately all day. The barrel probably had less than 200 rounds through it at the beginning of testing. This is one of my best shooting rifles.

Rifle #2 is from Springfield Armory and was produced in 1944. I purchased it from DCM in 1991 for $165 and it was shipped to me registered mail from Anniston Army Depot. It came equipped with a G.I. Springfield Armory barrel dated 10-63 and at the time this test commenced had approximately 2,000 rounds down the tube. It is 100% G.I. in issue condition. This rifle does not shoot as well as rifle #1 but with good ammo it will shoot almost as well. This is a beautiful weapon and I will probably never modify it.

Rifle #3 is another beautiful Garand purchased from CMP in 1999 for $400. This one sports a G.I. Springfield Armory barrel dated 12-65 with about the same wear on it as Rifle #2 as indicated by a G.I. throat erosion gage. The rifle went through a rebuild in 1966 at Red River Army Depot and probably didn’t see much use after that. Like the previous two rifles it is unmodified G.I. issue in excellent condition. This rifle was also used to chronograph all loads.

Rifle #4 is a Savage 110 Police Tactical rifle produced in the late ‘90s. I bought it used and I have no idea how many rounds it has digested but it is a reliable shooter producing slightly under 3/4 MOA groups with good ammo and I thought it would be interesting to throw a bolt gun into the mix to judge the accuracy of the loads if, for instance, you will be shooting a vintage sniper match with the same ammo. I did not have a 1903A4 available for testing. The Savage was bolted into a Bell & Carlson M40 style stock and equipped with a very nice 2.5-16×42 Bushnell Elite 6500 scope. One thing I noted about the Savage was from the first cold bore shot to the last shot from a smoking hot barrel the point of impact didn’t wander. The action has been blueprinted by Larry Racine, one of the great bolt rifle mechanics of our time.

Over 2,400 rounds were fired during this test. It took months to complete. 60 to 90 rounds were fired during each visit to the range and the rifle bores were patched out in between trips. Obviously, weather conditions varied.

The Ammo

A few comments are in order about the ammo I tested. Please note that any ammo purchased was pre-Wuhan Virus so ammo prices have increased compared to those I list in the ammo cost chart.

Black Hills

Black Hills has been a manufacturer of premium quality ammunition for many years. I have evaluated some of their offerings in 5.56mm, .308 Winchester and .45ACP but I was unfamiliar with their .30-06 ammo. I didn’t even know if it was compatible with the Garand gas system. I contacted them, and they assured me it was and sent test samples loaded with both 155 and 168-grain Hornady ELD-M projectiles. The accuracy of the Black Hills rounds was stunning. While testing the 155s I shot one five-round group that measured 1/2″ center to center. Amazing. And remember, I’m shooting G.I. issue grade rifles, not match rifles. The only downside to factory ammo this good is cost. At $2/round it simply isn’t practical for most of us to shoot it a lot. That being said, I will keep some Black Hills .30-06 ammo on hand for occasional use to impress my friends who think M1 Garands don’t shoot well. I love to prove them wrong…

Creedmoor

Creedmoor is the house brand ammo for the Civilian Marksmanship Program and is specifically loaded for Garands and vintage sniper rifles. I obtained it directly from CMP. The 150-grain FMJ-BT load consists of Hornady brass and bullets. Averaging less than 2 MOA in all three Garand test rifles and costing less than a buck a round this load would be a good choice for a rifleman who wants decent accuracy without taking out a second mortgage to pay for ammo. The second Creedmoor load I tested was loaded in Lapua brass (!) with Lapua 167-grain Scenar bullets and was a bit more expensive. I had high hopes for this load but at 100 yards it didn’t shoot better on average than the 150-grain load although the bolt gun liked it. The higher ballistic coefficient of the 167-grain bullet would be an advantage at longer ranges. At 100 yards I would stick with the 150 FMJ load for less money.

Ethiopian Surplus

I saw this Ethiopian ball for sale at SG Ammo. It was loaded in eight-round clips and packed in bandoliers, obviously loaded for Garands. I was not aware that Ethiopia manufactured their own ammo but the experts of the International Ammunition Association assured me they did in fact produce this stuff. The manufacturer’s code on the clips appeared to be French. The cartridge cases are Berdan primed and the primers are crimped. I experienced a few malfunctions in the Garands with this load and the Savage bolt action rifle would not chamber it. Closer inspection revealed the size of the cases (base to shoulder) was larger than what SAAMI would consider normal. Accuracy was not exceptional. Based on my experience with this load I cannot recommend it.

Federal American Eagle

I have shot a ton of Federal American Eagle AE3006M1 ammo in rifles I rebarreled for customers. It shoots quite well in new barrels with short throats but not so well in a G.I. barrel with a couple thousand rounds down the pipe. I believe this situation is caused by the short overall length of the round. For instance, the traditional OAL of the .30-06 cartridge in reloading manuals is 3.34 inches. A sample G.I. (LC72) M2 ball round I pulled out of my pile measured 3.33 inches. The Federal cartridge is 3.1 inches. The base to bullet ogive length was .128 of an inch shorter than the G.I. ammo from Lake City. This means the Federal bullet has to jump 1/8 of an inch farther before it engages the rifling. Looking at the accuracy chart, the Federal load shot great in Garand #1 with a fairly new barrel but really choked in the G.I. guns with throats that were farther forward. I like this round. It functions great in any Garand and the cost isn’t stupid. I just wish the bullet wasn’t stuffed so far down in the case.

German Surplus by MEN

I picked this stuff up on a whim. It was packed in 20-round cardboard boxes marked “.30 Browning.” I have no way of knowing if it is loaded to the correct pressure curve for M1s but if the label refers to the .30 Browning machinegun it should be ok. MEN is Metallwerk Elisenhutte GMBH, Nassau, Lahn, Germany. The number 67 probably refers to the year it was loaded. West Germany did employ M1 Garands after World War 2 to some extent. The brass is Berdan primed and the ammo functioned ok in the M1s. Accuracy was average. The bolt gun did not particularly like it. Cost was equal to the Privi Partizan and Sellier & Bellot offerings, but the brass is not reloadable, so I probably wouldn’t purchase this ammo again. Velocity was the highest of any ammo tested prompting me to worry about excessive bolt velocity in the Garands.

Greek Surplus Ball

The CMP sold this stuff for years with various headstamp dates packed loosely, on clips or in sealed metal tins. They have since run out of it and there is no source for it in quantity as far as I know. Some lots were better than others. Suitable for the weekend blaster or a highpower shooter practicing offhand, the brass is reloadable. Fifteen years ago, many of the choices we enjoy in commercial ammo loaded for Garands today didn’t exist and Greek was one of the few alternatives to handloading. That being said, I wouldn’t pay a premium for it today. Some of the Greek clips seem to be a bit out of spec in my experience. Like the Federal load, it seemed to do well in a new barrel but not so great in a used G.I. barrel.

Hornady

Hornady 168 grain A-Max is a load that has been discontinued. I had enough on hand to test it in 3 out of 4 rifles. It shot well but on average no better than the new ELD load.

Hornady 168 grain ELD Match was my second load from this manufacturer (Hornady.com). Cost, availability and accuracy considered, this was probably the best ammo of the whole test. Averaging over $.50 per round less than the excellent Black Hills load utilizing the same bullet, it was equal in accuracy. If I were buying match ammo to shoot out to 600 yards this would be the stuff. Hornady introduced this product and an earlier (slightly more expensive) version loading the A-Max bullet specifically for the Garand and vintage sniper rifles. Velocity is similar to the original M72 military match load. More expensive than the common M2 ball clones, but not excessively so, this product is a winner. In all three rack-grade rifles it averaged only 1.33 inches. My handloads aren’t quite that good but I’m working on it.

Lake City

I was fortunate to have stashed a quantity of LC 68 M72 Match which is an original military sniper load from years ago. Originally developed by Frankford Arsenal in the late 1950s, and standardized as Cal. 30 Match M72 in 1958, this load featured a 173-grain boattail full metal jacket bullet. Production appears to have ceased in late 1968, or thereabouts, so this particular lot may have been one of the last loaded by Lake City. Interestingly, it was still available to the Army National Guard into the 1990s. According to the History of Modern U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition, Vol. 3 by Hackley, Woodin and Scranton (2015), M72 components (casings and bullets) continued to be produced into the 1970s for use by military teams with the last cases headstamped LC 78. In the unlikely event you can acquire a quantity of this ammo for a reasonable price keep in mind it shoots about 2 MOA in rack-grade guns. It may have been considered match grade 50 years ago, but times have changed, and bullets have improved in the interim. Your money will be spent more effectively on modern fodder such as the Hornady ELD load. That being said, the LC .30 cal. Match brass is very nice to reload if you can find some. My sample batch was loaded in 8-round clips, 264 rounds per .30 cal. ammo can.

LC 72 U.S.G.I. issue M2 ball ammo is where it all started. M2 ball ammo was approved as the U.S. issue rifle cartridge in 1940, replacing the previous M1 ball cartridge. Although the M1 rifle (adopted in 1936) was developed for M1 ammo, testing proved the new M2 round actually improved the performance of the Garand and M1 ball was phased out. The main difference between the two cartridges was bullet weight. M1 ball (standardized in 1926) was loaded with a 173-grain boattail bullet while the new M2 sported a 150-grain boattail bullet. Although corrosive priming was standard during wartime M2 production, non-corrosive primers were developed during the war and incorporated into M2 production by the early 1950s. During World War 2, M2 ball was replaced by M2 AP (armor piercing) for combat use in 1943 but the standard ball round remained in production into the early 1970s. The sample lot I tested was, in fact, produced at Lake City in 1972. Primers were crimped, creating an extra step for reloaders.

Prvi Partizan

Produced in Serbia, with boxes clearly marked “For Rifle M1 Garand,” Prvi Partizan 150-gr. FMJ is designed to mimic M2 ball (PrviPartizan.com). The brass is boxer primed and the primers are not crimped. Expect accuracy to be in the 2-3 MOA range. The main attraction of this product is its relatively low cost of approximately $.70 per round. For a shooter that wants reliable ammunition with the correct Garand pressure curve for weekend plinking this is a good choice. On a whim, I took some of this ammo to a machinegun shoot and fired it in an original M1919A4 BMG. The BMG and the Garand fired the same ammo, so it should work. We plowed through 100 rounds loaded on a cloth belt without incident. Function was perfect. Some of my handloads tested for this article were loaded using PPU brass.

Sellier & Bellot

Sellier & Bellot 150-gr. FMJ is made in the Czech Republic and marketed as part of S&B’s Tactical Ammo line (SellierBellot.us). The 20-round boxes are clearly marked “FOR M1 GARAND.” This is good. No confusion as to its intended purpose. The brass is boxer primed and reloadable. The primers are not crimped, and the primer pockets were nice and tight when I reloaded some once fired cases. This ammo outshot some of the expensive “match” loads which is pretty impressive considering it cost $.65/round. I would absolutely recommend it as a best buy. The higher BC loads would beat it at distance, but at 100 or 200 yards S&B is a good choice.

SIG Sauer

I shot some pretty decent groups with SIG Sauer’s 175 gr. HPBT Match (especially with rifle #3). It probably wasn’t optimized for Garands although SIG said the pressure curve was suitable. The Savage bolt gun really liked it and I’m betting this load was developed in and for bolt guns. The only reason I would avoid it for Garands is cost: $.35/rnd more than the Hornady 168 ELD load which shot better.

Steinel

Steinel M2 ball, 150 FMJ is a relatively new product from Steinel Ammunition in Ohio. It is intended for M1s and is part of their Vintage Military Ammunition line which includes some interesting hard-to-find cartridges like 6.5 and 7.7 Arisaka and several flavors of .45/70 ammo with a couple intended for safe use in old Springfield Trapdoors. My samples were loaded in federal brass, but the CEO informed me that by the time you read this they may switch to Starline brass now that it is available. As far as commercial M2 ball goes, this Steinel load ranked behind S&B and Creedmoor in performance but it is still a solid choice. You can buy cheaper imported ammo, but it may not shoot as well as domestic products. I wish this new ammo company luck in the future. Steinel ammo is packed in very nice re-useable slip-top plastic boxes (reloaders take note).

Winchester

Winchester USA 147 gr. FMJ is a low-cost offering in Winchester’s “white box” line, the Garands didn’t like it. I doubt it was ever intended for use in M1s and I wouldn’t recommend it for that purpose when just about every other type of ball ammo shot better. Stick with the next product if you want to shoot Winchester.

Winchester .30 cal. Ball M2 X3006WW2 is a new offering in World War 2 packaging, even including brown military-type cardboard boxes, this is a decent ball load for M1s. Not the best or the worst, it is under a buck a round and designed for use in Garands. More accurate than some imports, domestic offerings Creedmoor and Steinel were slightly more accurate for a bit more money. Cost and accuracy considered, this would be a solid choice for the Garand owner.

Handload #1

I have a long history with the 168 BTHP match bullets. I have shot literally thousands of them through M1 Garands and M1As. They are solid performers. In recent years this bullet has been eclipsed for long range use by the new generation of low drag, high BC products offered by seemingly every bullet maker. I don’t care about that. I no longer shoot in competition and almost all my ammo is expended at 100 yards. I know this bullet will do the job out to 600 yards and I still have a pile of them, so they are my choice in M1s and M1As. In fact, Lake City loaded the 168 BTHP in their excellent M852 7.62mm match ammo which eventually became the military sniper load after someone in the legal arm of DoD determined the “hollow point” in the bullet was not designed for expansion and therefore didn’t violate Geneva Convention references to “Dum Dums.” Handload #1 was 46 grains of IMR 4064 under the aforementioned bullet in a PPU or S&B case sparked by a Winchester Large Rifle primer. Common components, excellent accuracy.

Handload #2

Same load with different powder. 46.5 grains of Hodgdon H4895. I used H4895 in match loads for years shooting M1As. It meters super smooth in my ancient Pacific powder measure. I don’t think load #2 shoots as well on average as load #1 so in the future I will stick with IMR 4064.

Everyone is looking for a bargain and the hard reality is that good .30-06 ammo will be much more painful to the wallet than bulk 5.56mm (especially these days). Generally speaking, I think any ammo that consistently shoots under 2 MOA in most guns is worthy of consideration. But, as far as surplus ammo goes, forget it. The price isn’t cheap, and the accuracy of G.I.-grade ammo will not impress. The best bang for the buck will be imported ball such as Privi Partizan and S&B. Personally, I prefer not to buy imported ammo during times when American ammo companies are laying people off (call me a hater), so I would lean toward the slightly more expensive Creedmoor 150 FMJ and Steinel M2 ball. If I was looking for the best deal in match ammo I would choose the Hornady 168 gr. ELD load (especially for longer ranges) and possibly the Federal 150 FMJ for testing freshly rebuilt guns with new barrels. I am quite fond of the Black Hills 155 ELD load but with a cost of $2 a round (during normal buying times) and limited availability I won’t shoot a lot of it.

I think most people will be impressed with how well a 60-year-old battle rifle will shoot if fed decent ammo. Bench rest rifle? No, but certainly adequate for most other purposes.

The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .223 Remington vs .30-30 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 .223 Remington or .30-30 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 .223 Remington and .30-30 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) .223 Remington Rifle 3150 1250 .30-30 Winchester Rifle 2370 1890

Velocity

As illustrated in the chart, .223 Remington rounds – on average – achieve a velocity of about 3150 feet per second (fps) while .30-30 Winchester rounds travel at a velocity of 2370 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, .223 Remington bullets travel 3.6 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .30-30 Winchester bullets travel 2.7 times that same speed.

Various calibers

Energy

Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .223 Remington round averages out to 1250 ft-lb, while a .30-30 Winchester round averages out to about 1890 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 .223 Remington round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 1250 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .30-30 Winchester round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 1890 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 .223 Remington or .30-30 Winchester cartridge you’re looking at purchasing.

Please click the above links to take a look at all of the .223 Remington and .30-30 Winchester ammo we have in stock and ready to ship, and let us know any parting thoughts in the comment section below.

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There are many different types of fishing, yet which is the most effective? In this guide, we will explain everything you need to know about fly fishing, including whether you will catch more fish and how to catch as many fish as possible. We believe that fly fishing can be one of the most productive forms of fishing.

One of the unique things about fly fishing is that every detail of your cast can be customized to specifically target the sort of fish you’re aiming for. You can utilize a general-use fly rod, or you can opt to purchase a rod that has been designed to assist you in specific ways. Combined with the endless amount of techniques and combinations it gives you the most optimal approach at catching large amounts of fish.

What is fly fishing?

Before we delve deeper into fly fishing and just how effective it is, it is essential to explain what this method involves. When fishing via traditional means, a cast is made that will use some sort of bait or lure, which is attached to the end of the line. The line is typically one of the newer braided lines or a monofilament.

One thing that is noticeable about this type of setup is that the line is a lightweight and very thin material, with the bait or lure being the heaviest part. This makes it so that when the cast is let loose, your bait or lure is what will carry momentum through the air, trailing the lightweight line behind.

Now, if you were to cast an object that was light in weight, you would have noticed that making the cast go very far is a challenge! In all traditional types of fishing, it is the weight of the lure that is vital.

Traditional Lure Casting Method

If you have ever seen someone fly cast, you will have probably noticed some distinctive differences between traditional lure casting and fly casting. Specialized fly fishing equipment is used by the angler to achieve this cast. This includes a purpose-built fly rod, as well as fly, tippet, leader, and a fly line.

The main difference when it comes to fly casting is that the artificial flies utilized to catch the fish are very lightweight. Even when you use much larger flies for pike or bass fishing, the weight is going to be minimal when compared with traditional bait, such as casting a spinning lure.

Fly Casting Method

With this approach, the key to getting the fly out to where the fish are is with the right fly line. In this casting method, the fly line is the weight. Through the use of a casting method that enables the fly line and the fly roof to work in unison, the weight of lined is utilized for carrying the fly out in front of you through the energy being transferred that has been built up in the line, down through the line, and out toward the end of it.

The most important aspect of fly fishing is knowing how to fly cast. There are some specific techniques in fly fishing that are not going to need much casting. However, the vast majority of what you will do in fly fishing will incorporate casting.

So, now let’s get into fly fishing and what it actually is. This revolves around the presentation of an artificial lure called a fly to a fish, which will typically imitate some sort of insect. This is the basic concept of fly fishing. The aim here is attempting to mimic the natural food base for a fish, getting them to take the fly. You are mostly trying to trick the fish.

The flies that you use for this can vary to insects that live under the water’s surface to those that float on the surface, from caddis to mayflies. Different approaches to fly fishing are required based on the type of fly you use. Some of the materials that tend to be used are as follows:

• Feathers from birds, such as pheasants and ducks
• Hairs and furs from animals, like moose, elk, deer, muskrats, and beavers
• Wires, tinsel, and other types of ribbing materials
• Tungsten beads, brass, and glass
• Artificially created synthetic materials

The Main Differences Between Spin Fishing and Fly Fishing

In order to give you a true reflection of the differences between spin fishing and fly fishing, we have put together the main differences in a table below.

Differences

Spin Fishing

Fly Fishing

Lures vs. flies

Spin fishing utilizes heavier lures, which frequently imitate fish.

Fly fishing uses flies – including streamers, emergers, nymphs, and dry flies – to imitate all of the different types of food that fish feed one.

Rod type

Spin rods are used. They are heavier lines, which are cast monofilament lines that have a single cast.

Fly rods are used. These use false casting to cast the line, which is lightweight.

Lakes vs. rivers

Spin fishing tends to mainly be done on Stillwater.

Fly fishing tends to be done on moving water. However, it can also be done on Stillwater as well.

Line type

A monofilament line or another sort of line is used to cast lures that are heavier and do not require a heavier line to cast.

To cast the lightweight flies, a fly line, tippet, and leader are used.

Presentation

Spin fishing works effectively when imitating crawdads or baitfish. They are presented in the water at all depths, after which they are retrieved and then brought to you.

Fly fishing enables you to have a stealthier and upstream presentation. When you are fly fishing, you can also work in tighter quarters.

Some other differences do exist between the two types of fishing. However, we hope that the table above will help you to clearly understand the main differences between the two.

Does Fly Fishing Catch More Fish?

While each of the fishing styles is different, they all offer unique advantages in specific situations. However, there are a number of reasons why people believe that you can catch more fish with fly fishing, so let’s take a look at them below…

You can customize your fishing experience.

One of the unique things about fly fishing is that every detail of your cast can be customized to specifically target the sort of fish you’re aiming for. You can utilize a general-use fly rod, or you can opt to purchase a rod that has been designed to assist you in specific ways.

Once your rod has been personalized, this gives you the ability to customize your line. The weight, style, and length can be adjusted. This means your line is going to more significant meet your needs; you can amend the tippet and the leader. With fly fishing, you can quickly achieve a shorter or longer leader.

When it comes to tippets, there are several different styles of tippets that can be utilized with your line. The leader and the tippet are utilized so that the line is virtually invisible to the fish. They also make it a lot easier for the flies to be attached and detached from your line, enabling easy and quick transitions between casts.

One of the most customized parts of fly fishing is the flies. There are a number of different flies that you can buy that can help you with attracting the sort of fish you want to catch. You can do some research, watch your surroundings, and tie your own flies. This means that your fishing experience is ultra-customized, and it also means that you are going to be able to increase your chances of catching as many fish as possible.

The fly is delivered to the fish in a manner that is inconspicuous

Aside from the benefits that have been mentioned so far, there are a number of other advantages that are associated with fly fishing that tend to make it more beneficial. This includes the fact that the fly is delivered to the fish in a manner that is inconspicuous when the cast is done properly. The fly will be cast against the current, and then it is allowed to drift for a distance, in the same manner, that a typical bug falling into moving water would. Your goal here is to make sure the fly is delivered in a manner that the fish does not think there is something unnatural about it. If you are able to fool them, they will take a bite on the line.

You can catch a wide range of species

Last but not least, another reason why people believe you can catch more fish with fly fishing is that you will be able to catch all types of species. This includes bluegills, bass, trout, and many more.

Some of the main species of fish that fly fishing are successful with are as follows:

• Bonefish
• Tuna
• Tarpon
• Carp
• Panfish
• Bass
• Pike
• Salmon
• Grayling
• Trout

How to catch even more fish with fly fishing

As discussed, there are a lot of different characteristics that are associated with fly fishing that result in it being more successful than conventional fishing. However, this is only going to be the case if you get your technique down. With that being said, below, we are going to reveal some of the different tips that you can use in order to catch more fish with fly fishing.

Watch the bugs

The first step you need to take when fly fishing is to be observant and watch the bugs! Before you begin to cast away, you need to pay attention to the bugs that are near the water or on the water. Take a look at what kind of bugs the fish are eating. By doing this, you will be able to determine what sort of fly is going to be the most effective and result in you catching the most fish. You also need to think about what trout could be eating under the surface of the water. Try some of your wet flies or nymphs that match the most common underwater snacks. Simply choosing a fly without thought is not the way to go if you want to catch as many fish as possible while trout fly fishing!

Test the length of your leader

The next tip to ensuring you catch as many fish as possible when fly fishing is to test the leader’s length. Depending on the technique and fly you use, you may want either a shorter or longer leader length. For wet or dry flies, try using a longer leader. This should be anywhere between 12 and 20 feet. A shorter leader is going to be more beneficial if you are utilizing a streamer, so go for something between seven and eight feet. It is more than okay for you to try out different lengths on your leader so that you can figure out which is going to be the most effective for you and the fish you are trying to catch.

For more information on leader length check out our full article here:

Approach fish carefully

When you are stalking fish, make sure you approach low and make the most of any cover that you can, for example, bushes and long grass rushes. If you can, make sure you keep a low profile, especially when you are on a high bank with the skyline behind you. Remember, when a fish is deep, it is going to be able to see you from further away than fish that are close to the surface. This is because of the way in which fish see. They have an impeccable vision. They have the ability to uniquely adapt their vision to distinguish predators and locate food. This is why you need to do everything in your effort to blend into your surroundings. You may not think so but wearing bright clothes is only going to lower your success rates.

Walk softly and be as quiet as possible

Once you are in pole position, it is important to walk softly and to be as quiet as possible. This is something a lot of people take for granted. Nevertheless, fish are as sensitive to vibration and noise as they are to visual warnings. If you walk softly on the banks of the river and you try to wade as quietly and slowly as you can, you will definitely notice better results. Of course, trout don’t have ears, but what they do have is lateral lines that they use for detecting vibration and movement in the surrounding water.

Avoid overcasting to the fish

This is one mistake we see a lot of people make when it comes to fly fishing. Catching a fish does not always demand that you use a long cast. After all, you never know what fish could be right in front of you, do you? Before you attempt to catch any fish that are further away, make sure you check the area close to you. Not only do you never know what sort of fish are going to be near you, but it is going to be a lot easier for the hook to be set from a shorter distance rather than one that is far away.

Use the entire rod

Another tip that is important when it comes to fly fishing success is to use the full rod. A lot of fishermen think that they are more likely to win a fight against a fish if the rod is as straight in the air as possible. However, the outcome is not usually a positive one when this happens. Instead, the line either breaks, or the rod does. Instead, you should make sure your rod is nearer to a 45-degree angle instead. This will mean that you are not just using the tip of the rod; you are going to be using the entire rod. When it comes to fighting a fish, it is not all about strength. In fact, it is skill that is most important.

Stay safe

We also have to stress just how important it is to stay safe! After all, if you hurt yourself, you are not going to be able to catch as many fish as possible, are you? There are lots of different steps that can be taken here. For example, you need to wear a hat and some sunglasses so that your eyes are protected. When spotting fish, premium quality polarized sunglasses are always going to provide you with help. Plus, only wade if you need to, and make sure you are always careful when you do. Use a wading belt as well; this is a must.

Cast from your elbow and wrist

Last but not least, our final tip when it comes to getting your technique right in order to catch as many fish as possible is to make sure you cast from the elbow and wrist. A good cast does not mean that the whole arm must be utilized. Instead, it focuses more on the movements of your wrist. Your wrist needs to be straight, yet it should also be relaxed. It is the rod that needs to be doing the vast majority of the work for you. It takes a lot of practice in order to get the perfect cast. Therefore, the best thing that you can do in this regard is to practice, practice, and practice some more!

More Fish, and More Consistent Results

Not only do you have the potential to catch a greater number of fish with fly fishing but you can expect more consistent results as well. This comes down to the tactics that are involved in fly fishing. When you are spin fishing, the lure, whether it is biological or artificial, is put into the water’s depths in order to try and allure the fish into biting it. The lure needs to look like a source of food in order to tempt the fish so that they bite it. Some people have stated that the fish need to be in a certain type of feeding mood in order for this type of fishing to be successful.

When it comes to fly fishing, the end goal is to try and trick the fish into biting a fly that looks like one of their food sources. This can be a fly, as mentioned, or another type of aquatic insect. This is done on top of the water, at the bottom or anywhere that the fish are feeding. The key here is to try and mimic the natural behaviors of the food source as closely as possible, so that is presented in a way that fools the fish and they take the bait.

If you have ever tried fishing before, you will have probably experienced the instance whereby your lure is presented and the fish end up being spooked on the impact of the lure entering the water. This is something that does not happen with fly fishing because the presentation is on the water and above the fish. Because of this, you are unlikely to spook the fish, and this is how you end up with results that are a lot more consistent.

Other Reasons Why Fly Fishing is More Productive

Aside from being able to catch a greater number of fish, because you can personalize your fishing experience, there are a number of other reasons why fly fishing is considered better than spin fishing, and so we are going to take a look at these below.

You will enjoy the experience

Not only can you customize your fishing experience to ensure you catch more fish but there is no denying that fly fishing is much more experienced orientated as well. There are more factors that go into fly fishing and a lot of different things that need to be considered. This is why fly fishing is more fun. It can also be more challenging and more practice is needed in order to get it right. However, isn’t this what the thrill of fishing is all about?

It’s extremely rewarding

The former