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Need a new duck hunting spot? Open a map. See those blue lines? They're rivers.
Gallery
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Late-Season Freeze
Find a pocket of open water and you’re in business. Sean Hammock of Big Sean's Outfitting, who hunts and guides the St. Joseph River in northern Indiana, widens the hole until the ice will support 50 to 100 rester and sleeper goose decoys. Ducks will also work the spread.
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Small Rivers and Big Creeks
You can still achieve good visibility with a small spread if you add a little motion. Tim Herald, host of "The Zone TV" on the Sportsman Channel, places his spread at the edge of a riffle and adds two spinning-wing decoys.
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Early- and Mid-Season
Before the freeze, visibility is key. Even if Field Hudnall, Avery pro staffer and founder of Field Proven Calls, is duck hunting, his favorite spread (see sidebar, above) consists of 90 to 120 floating and full-body geese plus a dozen ducks.
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Deep-Water Divers
Captain Bob Wetherald, pro staffer for Benelli and Final Approach, uses two gang-rigged lines of bluebill decoys to form his V-shaped spread. The “V” points toward the current. A sandbar is an ideal location.
I grew up hunting whitetails in the Midwest, and while I thought I was in “elk shape” on my first western hunt, I quickly learned that chasing elk at high elevation requires an entirely different level of fitness. You’ll likely hike for hours, oftentimes at high elevation, and many of trails you’ll follow are filled with deadfall and uneven rocks. If you’re fortunate enough to fill your tag, the real work starts.
On Oct. 13 Ruger issued a memo to distributors informing them that after an exhaustive internal review of its product portfolio—that weighed demand, manufacturing expense and complexity—production of four revolvers has been halted. Pending orders were cancelled.
Hornady's Precision Rifle Cartridge series has been a hit among hunters and target shooters alike, and within the lineup, the 6.5 PRC and the 7mm PRC have proven to be extremely popular. Let’s take a closer look into what makes this pair tick, and which might make the best choice for you.
On Sept. 17 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—working with the New Mexico Livestock Board and New Mexico Department of Agriculture—announced that a horse was identified with a New World screwworm (NWS) infested wound in Grant County, N.M, which borders southern Arizona.
Smart optics are changing the way hunters and shooters approach distance, accuracy and confidence in the field. Rangefinding riflescopes, dial-up turrets and integrated ballistic systems are no longer gimmicks. They work, but only if you take the time to understand them and use them to their full potential.