~ Tips On Archery Fishing Hunting Camping ~ And Now Find All the Top Gear - Hunting Equipment - Fishing Tackle - Camping Supplies                          Jul 6, 2008  

So you've never hunted turkeys with a bow? It's okay. In fact, it's really not that hard. Of course, it's not easy either, which is exactly why so many sportsmen are giving up their shotguns for bows and arrows during spring turkey hunting seasons.

The beginner must learn to look with eyes that see. Occurrences of apparently little importance at the moment may, after consideration, assume proportions of great value. The taking of an insect, for instance, may mean nothing more than a rising trout; but the position occupied by this fish may indicate the position taken by others in similar water.

Who wouldn't want to go on top-notch guided hunt after guided hunt? I would love to have that opportunity someday, but currently as any other budget conscious bowhunter, I simply cannot pull it off. This means either I don't hunt or I set up my own hunts, which is what we like to call, Do-It-Yourself bowhunting. There are other differences besides the obvious monetary consideration when comparing guided to DIY trips. The thing I like about on your own hunting is that if I kill it is because of me and if I don''t kill it is because of me. In the field, making all the decisions in the heat of the battle is how many of us like it. Plus, the feeling of accomplishment after a successful DIY outing is indescribable.

Much has been written about deer movement in hunting magazines and I have been intrigued by differences in deer activity over the years myself. We have all been in the woods or maybe just while driving to or from work and noticed large differences in deer activity. You will have some days when you see many deer from your tree stand and other days when, from that same stand at the same time of day, you won?t see a single deer. It is also most obvious when you drive to and from work at similar times each day and see large swings in deer activity. After thinking about these changes in deer activity, reading several articles and my hunting observations over the years I've found several situations that effect deer movement.

The deer management techniques that we use on our property have changed a lot over the past thirty years in relation with the changing deer herd. Whitetail deer numbers in the entire state of West Virginia have grown considerably and our land has been no exception.

God must be a watercolorist. The life-size canvas was a rugged granite canyon in southeast Oklahoma. He splashed scarlet amongst the gold and rose leaves of autumn. Brown tree branches, dappled in fall splendor, stretched out over the rushing, lurching rapids and occasionally let loose a brittle leave spinning down into the water. A mustard-colored leaf danced and swirled in the playful currents giving clues to the movement of food to the trout. The water was painted dark gray with a broad brush and spirited efficiency. The water was liquid energy pulsing over striated rocks and rough bottom. Twisting and folding currents were vividly painted white. On closer inspection - neither from the trails beside nor from the bridges above the river, but only by standing knee-deep in the current ? the water became increasingly transparent though still deceptive. An artistic vista into an underwater world we barely know and do not truly understand. Watercolorist indeed.

Let's face it, we dream in Technicolor of size 10 green drake hatches or Hexagenia Limbata as big as beavers - but the reality is Winter Time Is Midge Time. Often the only bugs on the frigid water are so small; they challenge most anglers to consider LASIK. And as you already know, much of the eating is under the surface.

A long time ago I read an article by Doug Swisher about "reading the water". I''ve put that information to good use over the years and added to it with my own experiences. In this tip I?d like to impart some of that learned and hard won wisdom.

"The water is high; must be generating at the dam." These words might be the bane of a long anticipated fishing trip. But it doesn?t have to go that way. As they say in the sea, "you can?t change the direction of the wind, but you can change the direction of your sail". Time to go against the grain.

Trout have amazing powers of smell. For humans, trying to understand smell underwater is rather difficult since we can't do it. However, trout have no difficulty smelling underwater, so it is worth an anglers time to make sure that they aren't introducing foreign smells into a trout stream (which can warn a trout to a lurking danger such as a fisherman.)

And yet, here I am in Bavaria ? the home waters of the German Brown Trout ? staring endlessly at the casual dining of Browns in clear water no deeper than a couple of decimeters. Total exposure. The big trout near the grassy point easily fans in the current looking upstream for his next meal. The white of his mouth gives away his almost effortless feeding. His dinner table is constantly flowing toward him. He is the picture of efficiency.

Where Did The Deer Go?, Early Season Thoughts..You have worked all spring and summer keeping your feeders filled, building new deer stands or fixing old ones, planting food plots and planning hunting strategies for your first fall hunt. Each time you checked your feeders, food plots or game trails, you were encouraged by new deer sign, fresh tracks, rubs, scrapes and other signs that deer continue to use the area. But, now that archery or early gun season opening day are here, you?re not seeing the deer you expected to see and now you may be asking yourself, "where are the deer?" or, "what did I do wrong?"

How many times have you wondered what's on the other side of that mountain or what's beyond the next river bend?
Sure, topo and road maps provide part of the picture, but to get a real sense of a particular area, I find it easier to use a combination of topo and aerial photography maps. For hunters, anglers, 4-wheel, camping, hiking, and other outdoor enthusiasts, Google Maps provides a great perspective on the outdoors with its new satellite imagery maps.

Saltwater fly fishing is all the rage these days. This excitement is quite understandable because there?s hardly anything more thrilling to a saltwater fly rodder than a bluefish blitz, a tailing red drum off the coast of NC, or a bonefish battle on the flats of south Florida waters.

The day before we had arrived at the ranch in Harper, Texas around noon. We ate lunch and around 3 pm we headed out to the deer blind. The deer population in the Texas hill country is exploding. In the 2 to 3 hours we were at the blind we saw at least thirty deer. Most were does but there were a few bucks there worth a second look through the binoculars. When one nice looking eight pointer ambled by I told Jason to get ready for a shot. It's not easy for a grown man to sit still when a big buck walks by let alone a nine year old on his first hunt. Jason held up his gun and aimed, waiting for the perfect shot, for what I'm sure felt like an eternity. Finally he pull the trigger and let off a shot. When we looked to see the result we found that Jason got himself a tree instead of that nice eight pointer. He was disappointed and I'm sure it fueled his anxeity about getting his first deer. I consoled him and told him about the many times I missed a deer, more than I'd like to say. I reminded him that this was only the first day and that we would be here for four more days.

I started keeping a fishing calendar this past year. My thinking was that I would somehow get to fish more. I was applying the business proverb of  that which gets measured gets done . Apparently this doesn?t work as well on the home front. Actually, MOST of the leadership tactics I bring home from work become useless when they pass between my lot lines. Kind of a Bermuda Triangle of management principles I?d say. I?ll share more on this once I fully understand the phenomenon. In the meantime, I?ve learned it?s best to just go with the flow most of the time and try not to get underfoot of the wonderful women in my life.

I walked down to the Guadalupe River in front of our cabin at Rio Raft. This was one of the few places we were able to approach the river to fish. Apparently there was very little public access along the river; however, the folks at The Guadalupe Chapter of Trout Unlimited had leased many great spots. We vowed to not return to this beautiful river without investigating and investing in a TU lease membership. Since this is the southernmost sustaining trout fishery, it was certainly a treat to have access at all. There is something very intriguing about fishing for trout near cypress trees. It had rained during the night, but now there remained just overcast skies and dewy grass. I was early to rise this morning - prompted by the garbage truck doing its weekly duty near my window. Probably a good thing it was noisy enough to wake me, the beer had tasted pretty good the night before. Dan and his dad planned to fish right out in front of the cabin. Why not, hadn?t the ?legends? Scott Graham

At one of my favorite rivers there is an amazing Secret Hole. I?m sure you have a "go to" spot on your favorite water as well. A spot that when all else fails it is still likely to produce. Some anglers will vaguely describe their honey hole, while others keep it so guarded that the legend will surely die with them. Let?s face it - anglers keep secrets very close to their vest. I?ve even heard of successful fishermen putting "decoy" lures on the end of their line at the end of the day, to foil other curious anglers. (As in - "yep, them trout must be patriotic, they was hittin? on red, white, and blue flies".) Call me unorthodox; but I?m going tell you about my secret hole! You wouldn?t tell anyone anyway - right?

Can you really catch a fish with a book? Well, sort of... The BEST way to become a better fly angler is to get real honest-to-goodness time with wet feet and a wet line, preferably with someone knowledgeable on that particular piece of water. That being said there is a wealth of literature to be discovered on the topic. From where I sit typing this, I am eyeballing a full shelf of books specific to fishing and fly-fishing. Soft cover and hard, in every shape and size - mine have weathered pages and worn bindings from frequent use.

I left Saturday morning about 5:30 am. I had my tent and the camp set-up and was fishing by 10ish. I camped just downstream of Evening Pool. I caught four fish that morning on tiny (size 20) olive midge dries and droppers I had tied the night before. I was fishing Section A of Spillway Creek (above the upper bridge), great little riffles and plunge pools. Sight fishing with my polarized specs on. I probably hooked a half dozen more, but didn't land them with the tiny midges and the three weight. Some of these fish were 12 inches or better. I broke for lunch and went to the bottom of section B on Spillway Creek. I went up and fished Shug's pool above the bottom bridge. There were 15 or so fish in there. I could see them, and unfortunately I think they could see me. Couldn't get them to hit anything. Goofed around for a while and then headed back up to the upper bridge

In talking with hunters all over the US, I have found that even some great hunters still hold on to common myths of deer hunting. In this article I would like to expose what I consider to be the top ten myths of deer hunting.

This article is an overview of fly fishing flies, and mostly fly fishing flies used primarily for trout. Although we will touch on other species as well. When you browse a fly shop, a catalog or an online fly shop, you will see flies organized into a few broad categories. And then perhaps sub-divided again into smaller categories. But lets us first look at these broad categories. Generally you will see Nymphs, Dry Flies, Streamers and nowadays probably Beadhead Nymphs or just Beadheads. First off all these are common trout flies, and many can be used for other species as well, streamers are especially useful for virtually all game fish.

Tucked into the southwestern corner of Arkansas is one of the best hunting experiences you'll ever have. My son Jason and I made the short trip from Dallas-Fort Worth to check it out. The idea for our trip started during the middle of deer hunting season last year. My son Jason and I were at the Hunter's Extravaganza in Fort Worth. That's when Jason, who is an avid fan of the Saturday morning outdoor shows said "Dad, I would really love to go elk hunting someday."