Author: Idaho State Journal v2.60 Count-20 Total:1779

11SEP

Deer hunting in Idaho

This summer I received two letters from out-of-state hunters who had read my column on the decline of mule deer because of aspen grove loss and other factors such as harsh winters and wanted to know where to go in Idaho to have the best chance at getting a deer this coming season.

I suppose I could have just told them that I was asking myself the same question, but I tried to give them a couple of ideas without mentioning where I was going to hunt. Besides, I’m just going with my best guess because I don’t have a monopoly of knowledge as to where to find deer.

A few days ago, I received an email newsletter from Idaho Fish and Game telling me and other subscribers that the 2018 deer season should be one of the best in years, and that Idaho’s hunters with over-the-counter tags and tags for controlled hunts have access to some of the best deer hunting in the West.

I don’t really wish to rain on Idaho Fish and Game’s parade because there are certainly a number of hunters who get a deer each year. I also realize that the more excited hunters there are buying licenses, tags, rifles, ammo, bows, etc., the more money fish and game departments have to do research, buy or improve habitat, and manage wildlife.

However, all across the West, deer numbers are declining because of harsh winters, loss of habitat and loss of Aspen groves

Mule deer are the most common large mammal in Idaho and average about 250 punds. The last one I harvested was a well-fed, four-point that was closer to 300 pounds. Mule deer are wide spread in the central mountains, in rocky, brushy areas, open meadows, pine forests, Aspen groves, close to waterways, and steep mountain slopes where they can see you long before you see them.

Most people who buy a general tag can expect to see deer a little smaller than the average, while those who are successful in Idaho’s draw or controlled hunts have the best chance at seeing larger, mature, trophy-size bucks.

So get excited by Idaho Fish and Game’s excellent out look for the coming season, and buy your license, tags and gear for the hunt. You just might get your deer and have a story to tell for years to come.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

06SEP

There are some weirdly designed knives out there

A knife is a tool. You’ll need a different designed knife for each of your tasks. Just like you don’t only own one screwdriver because of different jobs that you’ll encounter, it’s the same with knives. You’ll need various designs of knives for your various outdoor tasks.

I write a weekly Knife Product Review for Ammoland.com. I also do knife-related seminars from Texas to Alaska. So I get to test a lot of knives. What totally puzzles me is some of the bizarre designs I see.

When you buy a knife, you need to consider two things: quality and design.

A knife needs to be of good quality so it will hold up to our tasks. But equally important, it has to have a functional design. To verify what I’m saying on the design topic, go to any popular outdoor store and look at the knife selection. Ninety percent of them are of some Rambo/Star Wars/gothic-type of design. They may catch the eye of a young buyer but they’re nonfunctional in our outdoor world.

Even some decent companies that have ventured into producing knives make weirdly designed knives. They’re a good quality company but they don’t have a clue what us outdoorsmen need. Why wouldn’t they ask us? A few years ago I got invited by a popular outdoor company to the big unveiling of their new knife line at their presentation in Vegas. They had some good quality knives but they were some weird designs. If they didn’t know anything about knives, why didn’t they ask us outdoorsmen what we favor? I’m lost. I don’t understand it at all.

To further drive home this point. Just this year at the SHOT Show, a company told me that they were going into the knife business. I got talking to them about designs and it soon became apparent that they didn’t have a clue. How can you go into the knife-making business and not have a clue and — worse yet — not even get a consultant? In about 10 minutes they asked if I would design their knives for them.

It puzzles me how many people go into a business and don’t have a clue. And it’s not just in the knife-making business. I’m helping a guy in another venture right now that sank $16 million into a venture of which he knew nothing. I see this in all avenues of business.

So when you go out to buy a knife, I’d advise you investigate your purchase from two angles. First, only look at knives from manufacturers that produce good products.

So what if they make a knife that has superb designs if it is a cheap piece of junk from China? I can name a popular knife company that has great designed knives, but they are all produced in China. I challenge you to show me a top-notch knife produced in China.

After you’ve settled on a few top manufacturers to choose from, the next thing to look for is a good design. I’ve written numerous articles on this topic but in the outdoor world, there’s only five designs to consider. (Granted, if you’re filleting fish on the coast, you’ll need a couple more than I’m listing here.)

I can pretty much do anything with either a 4-inch clip point or drop-point skinning knife, caping knife, a 6-inch boning knife and an 8-inch breaking knife. That is my knife list for outdoorsmen. Some of the top manufacturers are Knives of Alaska and Diamond Blades, and in the boning/breaking knives category, check out the Dexter Russell Don’t Tread on Me knives.

If you’re talking about survival-type of knives, then I’d recommend a straight-blade, heavy duty, 6-inch knife that can endure chopping, prying and opening canned food.

I’m not a tactical guy, so I can’t give you any advice on that angle.

So as we close, if you don’t get anything else out of this article, learn to look for two things when buying a knife. Look for a quality made knife and the proper design. This advice applies to any kind of knife that you buy, not just outdoor knives.

Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.

27AUG

Dove hunting is here — almost

Dove hunting is right upon us. If you’ve never dove hunted, you are missing out on a great bird hunt plus some great eating. I’ve dove hunted since I was 6 years old. We had great hunts as a kid; speaking of, it’s a great hunt to take your kids on to introduce them to hunting.

What’s not to like about it? The weather is warm, you don’t have to be stealthy and quiet like when big game hunting, and there is a lot of shooting going on. Sounds like the ingredients for a great day to me.

So how do you dove hunt? Scouting is important. Doves do well with agriculture so the first obvious spots to check are milo fields or sunflower patches. If you see a lot flying around or setting in dead trees and on telephone lines stop and ask for permission to hunt.

You’ll want to set along tree lines or fence rows. They have what I’ll called preferred flyways. If you’re not getting any shooting, move. If they’re out feeding, go do some jump shooting. If you have other people with you, this will get them moving around and help them out, too.

Especially on dry years, but any year really, hunt near water sources. They like to water at ponds, sloughs and slow-moving creeks and rivers. We hunt these at daylight and dark. I’ve had some great hunts on water sources.

I’ve dove hunted in multiple states but probably my most unique spot to ever hunt doves was in Nebraska. The marijuana fields were great. They love the seeds. It grew wild there and there’d be 20-foot-wide by 100-yard patches in draws. There’s be hundreds of doves feeding in them. It seemed to make them stupid and sometimes they’d fly right up and land in front of you waiting to be shot. Let that be a lesson for you. Do marijuana, and you’ll do stupid stuff.

So you’re convinced. You’re ready to jump in. So what gear do you need? It’s really pretty simple. Because of the high-speed shooting, you’ll want a shell vest with a game pouch in back. On 90 percent of your dove hunts, you’ll be sitting in one spot, so really the game pouch is used to carry boxes of shells. You’ll want a vest with plenty of shell-holding capabilities on front and two lower pockets to fill with shells.

Using decoys will definitely help you out. There are a few options for decoys. Mojo makes a decoy with rotating wings and a Dove A Flicker decoy. There are also plastic decoys that you can clip onto fence lines or tree branches. Decoys will help.

For a shotgun, any style will work but you’ll be happier with a semi-automatic. For decades as a kid, I used a double-barrel but if you have a semi-automatic you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get off three shots, especially if you shoot like I do. Remember: You have to have a plug because you’re limited to three shots.

For ammo, Aquila low-base 8s are the ticket but many hunters use 7 ½s. Luckily, they’re not hard to kill so low-base shells work great. If not, because of all of the shooting, your shoulder would be black and blue. As kids, my brother and I once shot more than a case of shells in two afternoons and that’s when there were 20 boxes in a case.

A chair is almost a necessity and especially if you’re older. There are a lot of options on the market. They offer actual fold-up chairs but another popular option are the padded swivel top 5-gallon buckets. Many have a canvas pouch around them to hold shells as well as inside. That about sums up the gear.

We don’t have room to go into good dove recipes, so I’m going to refer you to a cooking recipe my brother did since he’s a better cook than me anyway: ronspomeroutdoors.com/blog/dove-dinner.

Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.