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Page 1: Indiana Outdoor News

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TRAPLINE PIKEPAGE 18

PHEASANT HUNTINGPAGE 15

GONE AFIELDPAGE 17

INDIANA'S CHOICE FOR OUTDOOR NEWS AND INFORMATION • SINCE 1994

Vol. 2010 • Number 12 W W W.IN D I A N AOU T D O O RNEW S.N E T December, 2010

THE GHOST BUCKPAGE 16

LATE SEASON DEERPAGE 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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COHOS STOCKED IN INDIANAWATERS OF ST. JOE RIVER

WATCH THE WEATHER FORQUALITY WATERFOWLING

ION STAFF REPORT --While harvest numbers for

this year’s firearms season arenot yet available, DNR deer biol-ogist Chad Stewart says Indianais on track for another record ornear-record season.

“With the dry fall we had, thecorn harvest was vastly accelerat-ed compared to last year, whichmeans less potential cover fordeer”, said Stewart. “I anticipate arecord or near-record harvest, andobviously, the firearms season isa major component of that har-vest.”

While an early harvest hashelped bowhunters and firearmshunters alike so far this season,the weather has cooperated aswell.

As with last year, favorableweather conditions were presentduring opening weekend of thisyear’s firearms season -- a factorwhich historically points to anincreased number of hunters afieldand good hunter success.

Favorable weather condi-tions were a factor in hunters

INDIANA DEER HARVESTESTIMATES REMAIN HIGH

COMPLIMENTS OF:

DNR REPORT --Indiana is about halfway

through its various waterfowl sea-sons, and IDNR WaterfowlBiologist Adam Phelps says heexpects this year’s overall water-fowl harvest numbers to be upover last year -- provided theweather cooperates.

Phelps said the low duck har-vest numbers last year were mostlikely due to statewide bitter coldand frozen conditions during theheart of the South Zone's season.

“Duck breeding populationsthis spring were about the sameas last year, with better water con-ditions on the prairies, so repro-duction should have been good,”he said.

Phelps said that dry weatherso far this season has concentrat-ed birds in the places where therestill is water, so hunters who canfind marsh areas that have watershould do well -- depending onthe weather, of course.

The key to the number ofwaterfowl available, as in anyother year, is the weather, specif-ically cold fronts from the northor northwest. “Those of us in themid-latitude states are completelydependent on weather to pushbirds to us and not by us,” he said.

killing 35,898 deer on the open-ing weekend of firearms season in2009, an increase of more than4,700 over the first two days ofthe 2008 firearms season, when aweather system went through onopening day bringing rain, sleet,and freezing rain to much of thestate.

Aside from good weather onopening weekend, weather condi-tions were generally favorablethroughout much of this year’sfirearms season -- a factor expect-ed to boost overall deer harvestnumbers even further.Preliminary reports from huntersand check stations indicate goodhunter success during firearmsseason throughout most areas ofthe state.

Harvest composition onopening weekend is typically anapproximate 60:40 split favoringantlered deer, but more antlerlessdeer are typically harvested thanantlered deer by the end of thefirearms season. It is too early totell if this season’s antlered deerharvest is up or down.

DNR REPORT --Indiana DNR stocked approx-

imately 11,000 coho salmon intothe St. Joseph River nearVeterans Memorial Park in SouthBend in late November.

The coho salmon were thefirst produced and stocked intothe St. Joseph River by Indianasince the trout and salmon stock-ing program began on the river in1984.

The fish were part of a smallsurplus that was recognized afterthe completion of stocking intoTrail Creek and the Little CalumetRiver, where 242,000 cohosalmon were stocked from Bodineand Mixsawbah State FishHatchery.

The fish put into the St. Joewere approximately 6 inches inlength and will migrate to LakeMichigan after a short time in theriver.

Brian Breidert, Indiana’sLake Michigan biologist said heis pleased to add this species tothe St. Joe program. “I feel wewill see benefits to the riveranglers beginning a couple ofyears down the road, but we willalso see some benefit to our LakeMichigan anglers as early as thespring of 2012, since cohosalmon congregate each spring insouthern Lake Michigan.”

Breidert said the Lake

Michigan stocking team had beenlooking at adding coho to the St.Joe program since early spring.“Plans are underway to add thisspecies to our suite of stockingsinto the future,” he said. “We havereceived support from local sportfishing groups such as theMichiana Steelheaders, HoosierCoho Club as well as theNorthwest Indiana Steelheadersjust to name a few. There has beena decline in the past few years ofour steelhead returns and the man-agement team has been lookingat reasons behind the declines butalso looking toward anotherspecies to supplement our steel-head program while still main-taining our important Skamaniabrood stock program on the St.Joseph River”, Breidert stated.

Ducks Unlimited’s NorthernIndiana Regional Director, DaveNeal, retrieves two healthy mal-lards during a recent hunt atKankakee State Fish and WildlifeArea near North Judson. For moreinformation on DU projects inIndiana, as well as upcoming DUevents throughout the state, visitwww.ducks.org/indiana. JoshLantz photo.

Coho salmon like this one return totheir stocking locations during thefall after 2-3 years spent in LakeMichigan. ION photo.

Megan Smith Photo

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JOSHLANTZ

It’s nice to have friends topick us up and keep us on track.

Chris Jennings is an Indianaboy from Terre Haute who nowlives in Memphis doing commu-nications work for DucksUnlimited. Chris knows my lovefor waterfowl hunting. He alsoknows the sad truth that I hadn’tbeen duck hunting since 2008.

Chris set-up a couple ofhunts with Indiana DU staffers,Dave Neal and Jim Blitz, recentlyand insisted that I come along.

I’m so glad I did.We enjoyed a couple of great

mornings. The first was an open-water diver shoot on LakeMaxinkuckee. The second was a

reserved hunt in the corn atKankakee FWA. We shot a lot ofbirds on these two near-perfectoutings, and I quickly remem-bered everything I was missing --the camaraderie with kindred spir-its in the pre-dawn darkness; thesunrise; the joy of an awesomedog.

I can’t thank Chris, Dave andJim enough. I cooked my birdson Thanksgiving and ate themwith my family as appetizers.They were delicious.

The whole experienceinspired me to call my old water-fowling partner, Jay, two dayslater. We see each other regularly,but it had been over two yearssince we had hunted together.

Jay and I hit the 4:30 AMdraw at Kankakee on a particular-ly cold and windy morning -- thekind of weather that brings downthe ducks and brings out the duck

hunters. We drew number 66 of 66hunting parties.

Lacking a blind at Kankakee,our backup plan involved puttingout a mega-spread of 200-somedecoys on an area lake to temptthe vast numbers of birds Jay andI were sure would be migratingthat morning. We set the decoysout an hour after legal shootinglight. It was eighteen degrees.My waders leaked.

We sat until noon that dayand didn’t see any migratingducks. We saw a few local birds,but didn’t decoy a single duck orgoose. The boat broke downwhile we were picking up ourspread. The experience was cer-tainly very different than the twohunts I’d experienced earlier thatweek -- yet much was exactly thesame.

Honestly, I can’t say which Ienjoyed more.

A Tale of Two Duck Hunts

This months answers From

Puzzle on Page 8

Give the gift of hunting, trapping and fishingA new way of giving is available for lovers of the outdoors,

with the option of purchasing gift certificates for Indiana hunting,trapping or fishing licenses.

You can purchase or redeem a gift certificate online atwww.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/5330.htm, and at DNR properties thatsell hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses. The gift certificatesdo not expire.

Ducks Unl imitedReleases iPhone App

Want to know the loca-tion of a Ducks Unlimitedevent in your area or an areayou plan to visit? DucksUnlimited has an app forthat.

Want to identify water-fowl in the field throughphotos and sounds theymake? DU has an app forthat.

Need hunting and cook-ing tips, including morethan 360 DU YouTubevideos, along with science-based conservation informa-tion about wetlands andwaterfowl? DU has an app forthat too.

Ducks Unlimited’s offi-cial iPhone app features anextensive waterfowl IDgallery of photos and soundsfor the most popular speciesof waterfowl in NorthAmerica. The app alsoallows DU members tobrowse a state-by-state list-ing of all DU events acrossthe country and provides alink for event details andcontact information.

The DU iPhone app canbe purchased through iTunesfor $1.99. Proceeds from appsales will help fund DU’smission.

For more informationgo to www.ducks.org/iphoneapp.

DU Communications Specialist,Chris Jennings, with a tasty pair ofmallards. Josh Lantz photo.

The Gift of Fishing

We challenged IONreaders last month to tell usthe story of how theyreceived the gift of fishing.We received several greatstories. Our winner wasAngie Stanley fromChandler, IN. Read herstory on page 11 .

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 5

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Volume 2010 • Number 12

Publisher: Brian E. SmithAssistant Publisher: Mark C. Smith

Editor-in-Chief: Joshua D. LantzSportsmen’s Rights Editor: Rick Story

Field Editor: John Martino, Central IndianaField Photographer: Bill Konway

Graphic Design: [email protected] Manager: Shannon E. SmithAdvertising Sales: (877) 251-2112

E-Mail: [email protected] Site: www.IndianaOutdoorNews.net

Business & Publication Office:Mailing Address: P.O. Box 69, Granger, Indiana 46530

Phone: (877) 251-2112 • Fax: (800) 496-8075

INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS® is the official publication of Raghorn Incorporated, and is pub-lished monthly at the address listed above. For home delivery and subscription rates, look for thesubscription card in this publication. Editorial contributions may be submitted to the aboveaddress. No material can be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope.Photographs are accepted and greatly appreciated. All materials submitted become the propertyof Raghorn Incorporated and are subject to editing to meet the objectives of this publication. Theviews and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors, not the edi-tors, staff or any other representative of RAGHORN’S INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS orRaghorn, Inc. “Raghorn’s Indiana Outdoor News” is a registered Trademark of RaghornIncorporated. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be used or copiedwithout prior written consent of Raghorn Inc. Violation of copyright laws will be prosecuted.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RAGHORN’S INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS, P.O.Box 69, Granger, Indiana 46530.

Copyright© 2010

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Lifetime license holders asked to provide updated address information

Ducks Unlimited presents Gov. Daniels with conservation award

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The DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife asks that lifetime license holders update their current mailingaddress in the DNR’s online license system.

If you possess a lifetime license of any type (basic fishing, basic hunting, trapping, comprehensivefishing, comprehensive hunting or comprehensive hunting and fishing) we need your current address. TheDNR uses the lifetime license address database to communicate with license holders and select participantsfor wildlife surveys. These surveys help establish hunting seasons and bag limits, and help to monitor andproperly manage the wildlife of Indiana.

Lifetime license holders can access and confirm or update their address and other information atwww.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/6315.htm through Dec. 15, or by following the steps in the table below.

Lifetime license holders without Internet access can call (317) 232-4200, Monday through Friday, 8:30a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or call their area’s DNR Fish and Wildlife Regional Office (765) 473-9324; (219) 285-2704; or (812) 789-2724 to update their information.

LINTON --Ducks Unlimited presented Indiana Gov.

Mitch Daniels with a Conservation LeadershipAward recognizing the governor’s efforts to makeIndiana a leader in public land conservation. Theaward presentation took place at Goose Pond Fishand Wildlife Area during a celebration attended byconservationists to acknowledge the acquisitionand ongoing restoration of the more than 8,000-acre property.

”Long after no one can remember who wasgovernor or what else got done in our era, GoosePond and our other major projects will be there forthe protection of Indiana’s natural beauty and theenjoyment of the Hoosiers who follow us,”Daniels said. “Of all the changes we’ve made andprojects we’ve made happen, none will ever mattermore to me.”

Goose Pond FWA had been drained and ditchedfor agricultural use during the beginning of the lastcentury. Recent efforts have focused on restoringthe once thriving wetland to high quality habitat.The area has become a destination for birders whoenjoy viewing an especially diverse list ofspecies.

“The nice thing about working at Goose Pondis that we’re continuing to add productive acres forwildlife and people to enjoy,” Mike Sertle, DucksUnlimited regional biologist, noted. “We’ve beenworking here for years, slowly restoring the areato a real showcase.”

Indiana DU State Chair Curt Lee gave remarksrecognizing the value of partners in effectivelydelivering valuable habitat. He also discussed theIndiana PRIDE program (Putting Resources IntoDucks Everywhere) and the potential for local pro-tection and restoration.

“The reason we can dedicate properties likeGoose Pond is the commitment of so many part-ners to the task,” Lee said. “Without the combinedresources of all of our partners and DU supporters,we wouldn’t be able to enhance this productivearea. We benefit from the support of the governor,too. They’re all pieces in the conservation puz-zle.”

DU partnered with the Indiana Department ofNatural Resources, the North American WetlandsConservation Council and 11 other conservationpartners to acquire and restore the property. TheGoose Pond FWA was acquired through a NorthAmerican Wetlands Conservation Act grant, andrestored through both the Wetlands ReserveProgram and additional smaller NAWCA grants.With more than 6,000 acres of emergent, scrub-shrub and forested wetlands and 2,000 acres ofrestored native prairie and hardwood forests,Goose Pond FWA is one of the premier conserva-

Pepsi on verge of giving $250,000 to HSUS?

The country’s largest anti-hunting group, the Humane Society ofthe United States (HSUS), appears to be on the verge of getting a$250,000 grant from Pepsi Cola. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance(USSA) and others are working to inform Pepsi about HSUS’ true, ani-mal rights agenda.

Pepsi will award $250,000 to the top two vote getters in an onlinegrant program it developed to provide funding to a variety of projects.Currently, HSUS is leading.

The program, called the Pepsi Refresh Program, was started inJanuary of 2010. According the rules, it is: “an online grant programwhich makes available millions of dollars to be granted to projectswhich are intended to improve communities through an online, demo-cratic voting process…”

Up to 1,000 ideas can be submitted each month by individuals,companies and non-profit organizations. Thirty-two of those ideas willbe approved for funding based upon the number of votes received fromregistered online users. Of those thirty-two; two will receive$250,000 and ten each will receive grants of $5 thousand, $25 thou-sand, or $50 thousand.

The Pepsi Refresh Program rules indicate that no proposal seekingfunding can involve lobbying for the changing of laws.Consequently, the HSUS proposal that leads in the current round of vot-ing claims its goal is to “rescue animals who are suffering from extremeneglect.”

However, as the USSA has argued many times, this simply frees upexisting resources for HSUS to continue engaging in public policy bat-tles. That means battles against sportsmen.

The USSA has drafted a letter to Pepsi describing HSUS’ history ofstanding against outdoor traditions and conservation funding.Another group, the Animal Agriculture Alliance, which represents manyfarmers, has also sent a letter to Pepsi. Their letter describes theattacks HSUS has leveled against them.

“We are very concerned that Pepsi, like many other companies, hasbeen misled about the real mission of HSUS,” said Doug Jeanneret,USSA vice president of marketing. “They believe the money will be tohelp animals when, in reality, the grant will merely free up HSUS todeploy their already vast resources to attack hunting, farming and mostanimal use. It is important that Pepsi hears from sportsmen and otherresponsible citizens about this group”

Sportsmen nationwide should do two things in response to this sit-uation: 1) register at the Pepsi Refresh Program website, www.refre-sheverything.com and vote for a more worthy proposal and; 2) contactPepsi through their consumer phone number, 1-800-433-2652 or goto“Question or comment about the Pepsi Refresh Project” from thedropdown menu at the “Contact Us” page on pepsi.com. Please askPepsi Co. not to support the HSUS. Explain that HSUS is the numberone anti-hunting organization in the United States and has opposedsportsmen on many issues for years. Tell them that if HSUS is success-ful with its agenda, hunting would be a thing of the past. Additionally,billions of dollars in wildlife conservation would be placed at risk dueto the loss of the funding provided through the taxes paid by sportsmenon their gear.

Pass this message along to a friend and make sure they take action.Also, ask any friends to join the battle today by signing up for theUSSA’s NO COST Sentry Program! Just visitwww.ussportsmen.org/beasentry , register and they will begin receiv-ing alerts just like this one.

tion success stories in Indiana.Among conservation efforts under Daniels’

leadership:• The state launched a major conservation initia-tive to acquire 43,000 acres of river corridoralong 94 miles of the Wabash River and SugarCreek in west central Indiana and another 26,000acres along the Muscatatuck River in southernIndiana. Ducks Unlimited is a partner in the proj-ect. • Protected more than 34,000 acres of sensitivehabitat through the Indiana Heritage Trust pro-gram• Developed and opened the Wabashiki Fish andWildlife Area near Terre Haute• Initiated a proposed land exchange betweenCamp Atterbury in Johnson County and land inPutnam County near the PutnamvilleCorrectional Facility that will result in an addi-tional 800 acres of recreational land for publicuse• Began cleanup of the Grand Calumet River’sWest Branch in northwest Indiana

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conservingNorth America's continually disappearing water-fowl habitats. Established in 1937, DucksUnlimited has conserved more than 12 millionacres thanks to contributions from more than amillion supporters across the continent. Guidedby science and dedicated to program efficiency,DU works toward the vision of wetlands suffi-cient to fill the skies with waterfowl today,tomorrow, and forever.

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Page 6 INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© December, 2010 Edition

Indiana officials decided tonot stock walleyes in the St.Joseph River this year, but notall is lost.

The Michiana WalleyeAssociation and the Indiana DNRhave planted walleyes the pastfew years in the river betweenElkhart and Mishawaka.

Biologist Neil Ledet saysresults of his spring and fall sur-veys indicate high survival ofwalleyes stocked last year and hedoesn't want to overload the riverwith too many additional mouthsto feed.

Compared to previous years,Ledet's 2010 spring assessmentshowed nearly triple the numberof walleyes that survived the win-ter from last fall's stocking.

“If we get too many in there,we may put the steelhead andsmallmouth at risk, so we decidedto back off this year,” Ledetnoted.

Nearly 15,000 6- to 8-inchwalleyes were stocked by theDNR and MWA in October, 2010.The fish were purchased from

Gollon Fish Farm, Dodgeville,Wisc. “The first winter is criti-cal to the little fish,” Ledet said.“The fact that so many survivedbodes well for the fishery.”

Although the fish are plantedupstream, walleyes are notoriousfor filtering over the dams andinto other sections of the river.That's why so many fish arecaught below the Twin Branchdam and how the walleye popula-tion has spread throughout theriver.

The concern this year, saysLedet, is that the young walleyeswill compete for food with theyoung smallmouth and steelhead.He doesn't believe skipping ayear will impact severely giventhe strong survival of last year'splant.

A key reason those fish didso done well compared to earlieryears is because the DNR andMWA purchased and stocked larg-er fish. Walleyes that the DNRpreviously acquired fromMichigan were considerablysmaller and survival was muchlower, therefore they had to bestocked in higher numbers. WhenMichigan could no longer supplyIndiana with fish, other sourceswere sought.

Ledet said other concernsentered into his decision. WhenI&M announced it would dropwater levels to conduct repairs atthe Twin Branch dam, he felt it

Saint Joseph River Walleye Stocking on Hold

LOUIESTOUT

was prudent to not put the stockedfish at risk. The work was sched-uled to be done around the timethe walleyes would have to beplanted.

“We had to make a decisionwhen the fish were to be orderedin the summer, so I decided we'dbest err on the side of caution,”he explained.

The good news is thereshould be another good stockingnext year. Money the DNRreceives annually from I&M hasbeen bankrolled and earmarkedfor a fall of 2011 plant. Thatwould include last year's money,next year's money and whateverthe MWA can provide through itsfund-raisers.

“Oh yes, we will definitelybe kicking off fund-raisers formore fish starting Jan. 1,” saidBarry Ukele, MWA member andone of its founders. “We have anongoing project of collectingaluminum cans (for recycle) fromour members and we'll be puttingcoin buckets out on the countersof area retailers.”

The club also will be solicit-ing donations from individuals,clubs and businesses.

Ledet said last year's fish arenow averaging between 12 and 13inches and will likely be of legalsize (14 inches) by next summer.

“It appears as though theyaren't growing as fast as they didin the early stocking years, but

Lead sinkers safe. . .The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced

it is denying a petition that called for the ban of lead tackle inU.S. waters.

The EPA was petitioned in early August by a handful of envi-ronmental groups to ban lead nationally, which threatened the useof the majority of jigs and sinkers used by anglers.

In denying the petition, the EPA stated that petitioners didnot demonstrate that “the requested rule was necessary to protectagainst an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environ-ment as required by the Toxic Substance Control Act.”

Credit the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) fororganizing anglers who wrote more than 43,000 letters to the EPAurging it deny the ban.

they seem to be doing fine,” heexplained.

Ledet said his shocking stud-ies also turned up some older,larger walleyes but not as manyas appeared a few years ago whenstocking numbers were higher.

“Given all the problemswe've encountered getting fish,the river walleye fishery is stilldoing well,” he added.

Ukele agrees. He said walleye

fishing on the river was betterthan expected last year despitethe stocking cutbacks of a fewyears ago.

“I think it's going toimprove now that we're putting inbigger fish and the survival rateis better,” he said. “Our clubcaught a lot of small fish thisyear which indicates the future isbright. And there were some bigones caught, too.”

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 7

Brent Wheat of Lebanon took this tall 8-pointer during the firearms sea-son in Boone County. Photo provided.

Although it was three in theafternoon when I stepped out ofthe warm Suburban, the cloudysky and cold air reminded me itwas late December as I headed tomy stand. The stand was in a largeoak along a deer trail that most ofthe bucks in the areas used as arub route. I had noticed severalscrapes along the trail during theNovember rut. Now, with the sec-ond breeding phase over, thescrapes were only a vague depres-sion in the snow. I was sure thedeer would still be using the trailhowever, because it led to theonly field in three miles that stillhad standing corn, purposely leftto feed the deer.

Before I got to my stand Iknew I was too late. The big eightpoint buck was there. Althoughhe was only an eight pointer heoutweighed the aging ten pointbuck I saw standing near him by50 pounds. The eight point buckwould score about 150, the tenpoint would be just under 170.

Realizing there was no way I

could get near the field withoutalerting the deer I decided to sitand watch. Within minutes therewere seventeen does and fawns inthe corn, but neither of the buckspaid attention to any of them. Iassumed they were all bredbecause I had seen both buckschasing does in November. As Iglassed the field I noticed aneleven point non-typical I hadnever seen before, although oneof my hunters had taken a shotand missed the buck while it waschasing a doe in late November.

Temperature & WindIn the Midwest, when the

temperature, dewpoint or wind-chill drop below 20 degrees, deermovement is often restricted toheavy cover, downwind sides ofhills, low lying, or other protect-ed areas where deer can escapewind-chills. My research indi-cates that wind-chill is the deter-mining factor in deer movement.Although I often saw deer duringthe day when temperatures wereabove 20 degrees I rarely saw deerin the open when wind speedsreduced 20 degree temperatures towind-chills below 20 degrees. Itdoesn't take much of a wind to cre-ate a low wind-chill. A five mileper hour wind at 20 degrees pro-duces a 16 degree wind-chill. Aten mile an hour wind at 20degrees produces a 4 degree wind-chill.

High wind-speeds alsodecrease deer movement. Strong

Late Season Deer Tactics

T.R.MICHELS

winds make it difficult for deer tohear properly, and if the deer arein wooded areas the wind blowsscent around, bouncing it offtrees, making it difficult to deter-mine the source of the scent. Inmost areas wind-speeds between10 and 20 miles per hour makedeer nervous and cause them tostay in protected areas, or seekareas where there is less wind.Deer in the plains states, wherewind speeds often average 15miles per hour are more tolerantof high winds than woodland deer.

Food When food sources are

scarce, especially after agricultur-al crops have been harvested,grazing plants have been depletedand mast and berries are gone,deer are forced to rely primarilyon browse. If other preferred foodsources are available deer will usethem until they are depleted, thensearch for another source. Limitedfood sources in late fall/earlywinter often concentrate the deer -- including older trophy classbucks -- on the food sources.

Post Rut BucksAlthough early winter creates

harsh conditions in Indiana withlow temperatures, rain and snow,it is one of the few times duringthe year when bucks carrying tro-phy racks may be seen together.Because the rut is over the bucksare no longer antagonistic towardeach other, and they often begin

to reform the bachelor groupsthey were in before the rut. Theyare also in search of high qualityfoods in order to gain back theweight they lost during the rut.This combination of factors pro-vides late season hunters theopportunity to see several bucks,

including some that are trophyclass, together on a regular basis.

The Right Area The key to hunting late sea-

Continued on Pg. 20

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Crossword Answers

on page 4!

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 9

JIMBIDDLE

are hot at the hole-in-wall out ofPastrick Marina, off the reef atthe Port of Indiana and at CalPark near the state line. Theseperch are going for large fat-heads and baby roaches.Walleye are coming on strong atWolf Lake. Use a size 8 or 10Rapala Husky Jerk. Crappieseem to be hitting everywhere.Salt Creek and the Little Cal areproducing steelhead on spawn,shrimp and spinners.

North Central IndianaDave Garber at Ye Old Tackle

Box in North Webster reportshot crappie action in the area.Musky are starting to providesome good action on Webster,The big and little Tippy and theBarbie Chain. Wawasee is agood bet for perch and crappie.Dave says the action should onlyget better as the water continuesto cool.

Smokey’s Wawasee Landingin Syracuse may not be open butthey have bait outside 24/7available on the honor system.

Northwest IndianaPenny Boisvert wants to

remind everybody thatGreenwood Bait Shop will beclosed until March 1st .

Jessica Waller from A & LTackle in North Judson tells methere is a good crappie bite onMaxinkuckee. Jessica saysthey’re using a night crawlers ona jig for the best walleye action.

Lake Guide Services inBrookville tells me the fish-ing is pretty much the sameas last month -- good. Thecrappies are hitting on jigsand minnows. Thewalleyes like blade baits andspoons. The striped bass aretaking shiners or chub min-nows and they are takingsome catfish on blade baitsas well. The large and small-mouth are still biting well.Sounds like Brookville isthe lake to be on thismonth.

West Central IndianaTerry Rains at Twin

Lakes Fish & Game sayscrappie are hitting minnowsand the small and large-mouth bass are taking crankbaits. Your best bet is to fishbelow the Norway Dam andin Lake Shafer near the bigmonon ditch.

Southwest IndianaDedra Hawkins from the

Fishin Shedd in Bloomingtonsays to fish around the underwa-ter structures if you want crappieor bluegill. Crappies always gofor minnows, but they also seemto go for chartreuse jigs.Bluegill still like those red wig-glers and bee moths. Trytrolling a night crawler to hookyourself a wiper. The walleyesand wipers are moving into theshallows, so that’s where you

need to fish.Well, here we are at the end

of another year. I hope it wasgood for you and yours. This isprobably a good time to dig outall your ice fishing gear and getready, as it won’t be long beforewe have ice. I hope you haveenjoyed my columns this pastyear and remember what Ol’ JBalways says at this time, “Have aMerry Christmas and a HappyNew Year.”

Horse Shoe Bend near LaCrosseis still providing some goodfishing.

Saint Joseph RiverDick Parker from Parker’s

Central Bait & Tackle says fish-ing has been quite slow on theriver. You might get a littlewalleye action, but it is kind ofhit or miss. Dick says thingswill probably stay slow until weget ice.

Central IndianaEd McCalla at the Bait Barn

in Indianapolis tells me thebluegill and catafish are provid-ing most of the action in thearea. You can still get crappiesusing a minnow.

To take the catfish, usenight crawlers or shad guts. Ifyou want the bluegills, usebemoths or red wigglers. The hotspotss are by the dam on Geist,upper Fall Creek and on theWhite River behind the stadium.

East Central IndianaEd Gipson at Peacepipe Bait

& Tackle at Andrews tells me thecrappie and catfish are hittingjust about everywhere. Fisharound stumps and brush with aminnow or jig for the crappies.The water level is pretty low andthe only usable boat ramp is theDora ramp.

South East IndianaTag Nobbe at Brookville

I hope you enjoyed yourThanksgiving. Wasn’t that napgreat after eating that turkey din-ner with all the trimmings?

I have to admit in Novembermy thoughts stray from fishingand I head to the woods to getsome venison for the freezer. Idropped a ten pointer earlier thisseason and my grandson, Jacob,shot a doe. As I write this, theseason is nearing an end and I amhopeful my grandson and I willget a couple more and fill thefreezer to the brim.

We are getting into the timeof year when fishing requiressome fortitude, as the weather inDecember is a whole lot differentthan the weather in July. I knowmany of you are looking forwardto some ice fishing. Well, thetime for that is just around thecorner. In the meantime, get outthere in the open water and hookwhat you can. This reportshould help you with the whats,wheres, whens and hows.

Lake MichiganGlen Tagewski at Mik-Lurch

Tackle in Hammond says perch

December can be a great muskiemonth. Bud Cameron of FortWayne caught this nice tigermuskie last month, although he’snot saying where. We’re thinkinga certain small lake in NobleCounty? Photo provided.

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How do you make consistent-ly accurate shots with your bow?By being consistent. Whichmeans having the same anchorpoint, release and follow throughevery time. However, sometimeseven the world's best shootersbecome inconsistent, and two ofthe main reasons are torque andimperfect anchor.

Torque in archery means ten-sion imparted by the bow hand onthe handle of the bow, whichbasically “twists” the weapon.Holding a bow too tightly cancreate torque. The looser the grip,the less possibility for unwantedtorque.

When it comes to anchorpoint, it's absolutely critical thatthe release hand and bowstringcome back to the same exact posi-tion every time. If it's even a frac-tion of an inch off, it can effectthe placement of your arrow.Something as simple as wearinggloves vs. not wearing them canchange your anchor point.

These inconsistencies mightnot seem very noticeable in shotsranging from 10-20 yards. The

BABEWINKELMAN

misses might only be a coupleinches off the mark. “Still a deaddeer” you'll say. But when youhave the same torque or anchorinconsistency at 30-40 yards, themisses grow exponentially andcan result in non-lethal shots onanimals. Stretch outthose shots to 50-60yards and shootinginconsistency canmean missing yourtarget by feet ratherthan inches. And thisis with a bow that'sperfectly tuned andsighted in!

Never before hasthere been a way toregister whetheryou're exertingunwanted torque orpracticing inconsis-tent anchoring. Nowthere is, and it's builtright into a bowsight.The sight is called theI.Q., and it has whatthe inventors call“Retina LockA l i g n m e n tTechnology.” It helpsput you in perfectshooting alignmenton every shot, which will dramat-ically improve your proficiencyand increase your effective shoot-ing range with a bow & arrow!

Retina Lock is a small round“lens” mounted above the sightpins. It glows green when youlook at it at full draw. Within thatgreen lens is a “floating” black

dot. After you get your bow set upperfectly for your size, anchorpoint, shooting style, etc., thatblack dot should appear in thedead center of the green lens.Torque your bow even the slight-est bit; or deviate from your

anchor position in any way; andthe dot will stray away from cen-ter (or disappear completely).This means stop! Don't releasethat arrow! Relax your bow handto eliminate any torque… achieveyour perfect anchor… and whenthat black dot is centered in thegreen “Retina Lock,” then put

your pin on the target and release!

If you do this with an I.Q. sightand make a smooth release, yourshots will be perfect - whetherthey're from 10 yards or 100.Does it take practice? Naturally it

does. Being proficientwith a bow and arrowrequires dedication topractice. Now, with anI.Q. sight, you areassured that you'repracticing in theRIGHT way! Duringyour time at the range,taking a quick look atthe Retina Lock quick-ly becomes automatic.You won't even thinkabout it. In a veryshort amount of time,you'll learn how youwere imparting torqueon your bow and willtrain yourself to stop.

To easily under-stand the effects ofthis torque, do this…At full draw, purposelytorque your bow whilekeeping your pin ontarget. Pay attentionto your arrow. You'll

see how it tweaks one way oranother. This proves there ismore to accurate shooting than aproperly placed pin! Torque is theenemy. And, something as simpleas reducing your grip pressure caneliminate bow hand torque.

Most of us practice on arange or in the backyard under

Eliminate Torque and Become a Better Archer

perfect conditions, lightlydressed. Yet we hunt in coldweather wearing bulky clothesand gloves and shoot from awk-ward positions after sitting forhours and with adrenaline pulsingthrough our veins. This can affectour torque and anchor point,which both affect accuracy as I'vealready said. I.Q.'s Retina Lockprovides instant feedback thatalerts you to imperfect alignmentunder all shooting conditions.Just center the dot before theshot!

Since using my new I.Q.sight, my shooting form hasimproved dramatically. I'm moreconsistent than I've ever been andam more confident on longershots. This season, that means Ican take more shot opportunitiesthan I felt comfortable with in thepast. If you want to improve yourshooting and get more chances atanimals from greater distances,then eliminate hand torque onyour bow and train yourself tocome to the same anchor point onevery shot. The new I.Q. sightwill help you do it!

Good Hunting!

Babe Winkelman is a nationally-known outdoorsman who hastaught people to fish and hunt fornearly 30 years. Watch his award-winning “Good Fishing” and“Outdoor Secrets” televisionshows on Versus, Fox Sports Netand many local networks. Visitwww.winkelman.com for airtimes where you live.

Duane Hensley took this great 11-pointer with his bow atWinamac FWA on November 9. Photo provided.

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 1 1

Angie Stanley shows a nice bass caught from her “Little Green Boat”. Angie was selected by Indiana Outdoor Newseditors as the winner of our “Gift of Fishing” story competition, as introduced in our November issue. We thinkAngie looks great in her designer shades, but a serious angler needs serious fishing glasses. Angie will receive abrand new pair of Costas courtesy of Costa Del Mar sunglasses for sharing her great story with our readers. Didyou miss out on sharing your story? No worries. Go to www.costadelmar.com and submit your story on theirScrapbook link.

The author’s husband, Chad Stanleywith a nice bass.

THE GIFT OF FISHING

Four years ago I got a crazyidea to move out to the country.My husband, as always, wentalong with my newest venture, sowe moved one mile away from afish and wildlife reserve. Soonafter, I decided we needed a fewhorses. Again, my husband wentalong and saddled up. We needed abigger barn; my husband built usone. I wanted an Alpaca; he wentwith me to pick up the strangebeast. I bought an old john boatto go explore the lakes; my hus-band made it sea worthy.

The lakes around us are beau-tiful, wildlife abundant, and mylovely herons are always stand-ing majestically in the shallows.When I saw fishermen I wouldalways think, “I just don’t get it,that looks horribly boring and awaste of time”.

I was five years old the firsttime I went fishing. My dadtook me along and he sure didcatch a big one! She weighedforty pounds, had little piggytails and was hooked in the eye-lid. Needless to say, I believe thatwas the last time my dad ever tookme fishing.

Even though I didn’t like tofish, I couldn’t wait to get that lit-tle boat in the water and goexplore. My husband threw in acouple old fishing poles and asmall tackle box just in case wemight like to cast a few lines onour adventure. After several timesout on the lakes, I still hadn’tcaught one single fish. See? Awaste of time, indeed.

So there began another goal,to catch a fish. My husband knewthe basics of fishing. He taughtme how to tie on the hook andhow to cast, but still there were

no fish hopping into our littlegreen boat. I talked to some-one who gave me a few tips onlures and so we went again withour “special” lures, fancier tacklebox and new obsession. Afterabout three casts it happened; Igot that tug, that feeling, thatadrenaline rush as it splashed andfought, and in amazement I reeledin a six pound bass! It was myfirst fish ever and wow, was Iexcited.

Suddenly, I got it. I under-stood why those fishermen wereout there; why when everyoneelse was sitting on the couchwatching television, they were atthe water’s edge. They werepatiently sitting there waiting forthat tug, that heart racing antici-pation, that prize on the otherend of their line.

Now, after I have cooked din-ner I have a dilemma. Shall Iwash dishes or go fishing?Fishing wins every time.

My husband and I have spentcountless hours on the watersince that first fish. We havefished until 2 in the morning, in100 degree weather, in the rain, inthe mud, and most definitely onevery full moon since late spring.I have braved bats, seaweed,wind, and mosquitoes for our newsport. We have upgraded ourpoles, our reels, our tackle, andeven our boat. After we catch afish, it gets a quick measure,weighed, a photo, then releasedback into the water.

Fishing has brought a newset of goals for me. I want to bemore diverse in the type of fish Icatch. So far, I’ve caughtbluegill, catfish, and my favorite,the large mouth bass. I would love

to hook into a muskie. I’ve beentrying to catch a crappie this fallto no avail. I think a picture of mewith a 50 pound blue cat would bepretty nice, and those carp hidingin the Ohio River seem to be call-ing my name too. I’m sure myhusband will help me achievethose goals and much more.

I would have to say fishingmay be one of the best gifts myhusband has ever given me. Ittakes a special man to take hiswife fishing. He has unbelievablepatience with me. He has helped

untangle my line, bait my hook,and even given up his side of thebank when the fish were bitingbetter over there. He never gotangry when I’d rock the boat toomuch, lost his fish due to my hor-rible netting skills, or even whenI had to cut the line on his brandnew lure. When I look over at himstaring into the water quietlywaiting for that next tug, I know Iam the luckiest woman in theworld.

My husband took me fish-ing.

Story ByAngie Stanley

Fishing Wins Every Time

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When you hit fifty you real-ize that life is catching up withyou. You begin to wonder if youcan still make it anymore. Howmany more days will you be ableto get up at 3 AM? How manymore mornings will you spend inanticipation, waiting for thesound of a tom turkey echoingdown the canyon, or the bugle ofa bull elk on the next mountain.How many more evenings willyou wait for a bear or a whitetailbuck to appear out of the woods?How many more mornings willthere be spent listening to the

sounds of the forest awakeningaround you; the small stirrings asthe woods come to life; the tap-ping of a downy woodpecker inthe oak, looking for it's firstmeal of the day; the questioningcall of a chickadee; the scoldingof a blue or Steller's jay; the callof a cardinal and a squirrelrustling leaves or throwing pinecones down from the top a sprucetree.

You begin to wonder howlong the hearing will hold out.How long will the eyes that haveserved you so well still be able topick out the flick of a deer's ear inthe dim light of a fall morning?How long will you still be able tosee an elk at the forest edge a mileaway, or a pronghorn, scarcelyvisible on the prairie?

Then one day somethingwonderful happens. You have anew set of eyes and ears, a newappreciation of everythingaround you. You have a new hunt-ing partner.

He doesn't have the experi-ence you have, or the memoriesyou have, but he stirs the oldmemories in you, a hunting part-ner like so many hunters beforeyou have had. Not a friend or adog but something much morewonderful, a son or daughter.

When my son Dallas turnedfive he went on his first goosehunt. The geese didn't fly that daybut he had fun playing in the "tun-nel" between the cornrows. Justlike I did when I was his age. To

me a cornfield is a place to huntpheasants. Or to hunt geese afterit has been picked. To him it is afort where uncertain heroes andvillains reside.

We set out a hundred decoysin family groups and faced theminto the wind. He asked about theworn Remington 1148 I wasusing and wondered when he couldhave his own goose call. I gavehim one of my old calls. The skywas clear, the wind didn't blowand we didn't even see a goose.Still he had fun in his fort. I washoping to shoot a goose so hecould experience the thrill of thehunt, so he would understand oneof the reasons we were there.

The next hunt was for ducks.Before the hunt he helped mecheck the decoys for broken cordsand lost weights, and we patcheda few holes He made me promiseto wake him up early for huntingthe next morning. He helped pullthe canoe through the jungle ofcattails on the way to the slough.He dug excitedly into the decoybag as I threw the blocks into thewater and he laughed when theyoung lab jumped overboard andgot tangled in the decoys.

He was proud of his new cam-ouflage outfit, an old Hodgemanraincoat with sleeves rolled upand pockets that reached to hisknees. He felt pretty importantwhen told he was in charge of thedog so it wouldn't jump back inthe water and mess up the decoys.Again nothing flew and nothing

The Rites oBy T.R. Michels

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 1 3

was shot. He got a little moreimpatient this time, asking theage-old question, "Is it time to gohome yet?" and "When are yougoing to shoot something?" Thatwas the extent of his hunting thefirst year.

The next year I took him withme on the first day of day of thegoose season. I had sixteenhunters going out with threeguides. He played with theLabradors, set out the decoys(reminding me to face them intothe wind) and he made some newfriends. By this time he hadlearned to use his goose call andhe helped bring in the first flockof geese to the decoys. As thegeese swung low there was apounding of guns and he watchedin amazement as they fell. "Dad,they dropped right out of thesky!" he said.

I watched as he tried to drag aten pound goose into the alfalfaso he could get his picture takenwith the hunters. He had finallyseen something get shot and wehad some meat to take home. Nowhe understood what we weredoing, why we hunted. I felt hisexcitement and it made me happy,even made me feel young again.

I began to remember myhunting experiences. The firstduck I remember being shot land-ed in the canoe I still use manyyears later. When my dad fired,the hen mallard crumpled andplummeted from the sky, almosttaking my head off as it landed six

inches behind me. Even at fiveyou're not likely to forget suchand experience.

I remember the excitement ofopening the box of Herter'sdecoys Dad got for Christmas. Ihelped tie the cords to the decoysand the strap weights to thecords. I remember sitting onDad's shoulders as he sloshedthrough the cattails and "loon-stuff" with a gunny sack full ofdecoys in one hand and the auto-matic in the other.

The next year he went scout-ing with me for the archery deerseason. There were still too manyleaves on the trees, and the windwas blowing too hard, but I hadpromised, so we went anyhow. Wedidn't see any deer and because wewere scouting nothing was shot.He did learn how to walk quietlythrough the woods and whisperwhen he wanted to say some-thing. he learned to recognize thetracks of deer, fox, rabbit and rac-coon. I pointed out deer drop-pings and he saw his first rub andscrape. I showed him how the deerwalked inside the first row of cornor skirted the edge of the meadow,just inside the trees. I showed hima trail crossing and where the deerstand was, and I explained whythe stand was in that particularlocation.

Later that year he sat on astand with me as a big eight pointbuck followed the does into thecornfield, and he watched inamazement as I blew a fawn dis-

tress call and a doe left her fawnsto come to our stand to investi-gate. He was there when I broughtthe first deer home that year. Heheld the legs while I skinned theanimal, explaining how to holdthe knife and pull the skin awayfrom the carcass as I went. Ishowed him where the differentglands where and told him howthey were used by the deer. Thenhe watched as we pan fried theback straps in butter. Later thatnight he enjoyed his first taste ofvenison.

I realized that I was teachinghim and he was learning, but notjust to hunt. He was learning tounderstand the ways of nature,learning how animals survive,where they eat, sleep and drink.he learned that we don't hunt dur-ing the summer so that the younganimals have a chance to matureand why we don't over harvest sothat we leave animals for thefuture. He was learning to respectnature and the animals, and thelaws that govern them, both natu-ral and manmade.

He also learned to enjoyhunting for the same reason I did.He made new friends and enjoyedtheir company and their experi-ences. He learned to enjoy thesport of hunting because itbrought him closer to nature andthe Great Creator. And he learnedto enjoy sharing his huntingexperiences with his new friends.

He learned that hunting isnot about shooting something, it

f Passage

is about love of nature, sharingand tradition -- a tradition thathas been passed on from father toson from the beginning of time;the rites of passage.

I'd like to thank my fatherand my son for sharing nature,and their hunting experienceswith me. I hope it's something wenever lose. Thanks Dad, thanksSon.

This article is an excerpt from thebook Musings and Memories; AHunter's Thoughts by T. R .Michels. For a catalog of booksand other hunting products con-tact: T.R. Michels, TrinityMountain Outdoors, E-mail:[email protected], WebSite: www.TRMichels.com.

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One of the biggest wildlifecrimes is poaching. Mostpoaching is not done by someonetrying to feed a hungry family.Many poachers are out for mone-tary gain. Unbelievably, there isa market for trophy proportionantlers for people that want toclaim that they harvested a tro-phy deer. Some poachers arehunters that get caught up inantler envy and feel they mustharvest a bigger rack to provetheir hunting ability. A fewpoachers are in it for the thrill.The excitement of clandestineurban and rural hunting smacks ofspecial ops missions. It is like avideo game to them, only thereare real ramifications for theiractions.

In 2008 the deer herds aroundLittle York, Indiana were beingdecimated by poachers.Countless deer carcasses werebeing found, most of which weremissing their antlers with themeat left to rot. Sometimes thedeer were shot in urban areas.Some of the poachers were sobold as to kill the deer while feed-ing in residents’ yards at night.“It was amazing some of theplaces these kids were going,”Gary told me. “They were doingit late at night when most folkswere in bed.” In many cases theshot was never heard above thesummer sounds of air condition-ers running or TVs playing, cou-pled with having all the windowsclosed. Even if a shot was heard,there rarely was a second shot,

and the event was soon forgotten.The Indiana Conservation

Officers working the case finallygot a break when a concerned cit-izen called in on the poachinghotline 1-800-TIPIDNR. Usingthe information from the tip,ICOs Gary Pennington and JimHash set up surveillance on thehome of one of the major sus-pects. Their fear was the sus-pects would dispose of the evi-dence. Staying into the morninghours with no action, they finallylocated and questioned several ofthe individuals believed to beinvolved. As they interviewedthe suspects, one started confess-ing and the scope of the deerslaughter became staggering.

The poachers were a party ofa dozen juveniles and youngadults ranging in age from 13 to1 9 . “A couple of them weregoing out on a nightly basispoaching deer,” Gary said. “Theone boy had supposedly killedover fifty deer himself that onesummer.”

Peer pressure was one of themain motivators to recruit newpoachersto the ring. The two orthree main instigators would talktheir friends, both boys and girls,into spotlighting deer with them.Traveling about Scott,Washington, and HarrisonCounties at night, the juvenileswould shoot the deer using a rela-tively quiet .17 WMR caliberrifle. “Honestly, some of thekids had done enough poachingthat they were very good shots.”

If the poachers felt safe andthe deer dropped quickly, theywould cut off the rack as a trophy,and then leave the area quickly.If the deer ran off to die or theyfelt in danger of being discov-ered, the juveniles would leaveand look for easier prey. “Wefound numerous dead bucks thatthey couldn’t find,” Gary told me.“They were afraid of someonecalling in on them and gettingcaught.”

The fear of getting caughtjust added to the excitement of thepoaching. “The biggest reasonfor doing it was the adrenalinerush,” Gary said.

Along with confessing, oneof the poachers led the ICOs tothe areas where much of theirpoaching had been done. As aresult, they found many more deercarcasses, but not all of them.“We knew there were other deerthat were killed that we couldn’tlocate,” Gary said. “We pho-tographed the carcasses we couldfind and cut off the racks as evi-dence.”

The total number of deerkilled was shocking. “We recov-ered a total of thirteen deer racksfrom one of the main instigatorsof the poaching party,” Gary said.“After getting a confession fromone boy, we seized a mounted deerrack from his bedroom wall that

The Little York PoachersALANGARBERS

he had poached the year before.”Since most of the poachers

were juveniles and they cooperat-ed with the investigation, onlyone spent a day in jail. The restreceived probation and smallfines. In most cases like this,any firearms used would be con-fiscated, but like everythingabout this case, there was anothertwist. “Yes, we did seize the .17cal. rifle but it was given back tothe subject by court order!”

Amazingly, while devastat-ing our wild resources, some ofthe teenagers had higher aspira-

tions. “The funny thing about itwas that two of them wanted tohave careers as IndianaConservation Officers,” Garylaughed. “One even asked if thiswas going to affect his chances atbecoming one.”

Who knows? Crazier thingshave happened.

Indiana Conservation Officers,both active and retired, areencouraged to contact the authorat [email protected] with theirown true stories from behind thebadge.

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 1 5

OUTDOOR DESTINATIONS Father and Son Help Others Enjoy the Outdoors at Bremen Hunt Club By Lance Davidson

Backwoods Preserve Co-Owner Lee Fritz (L) and son, Cody, with Cody’s bigtom from this past spring. Lee and his father, Charlie (not pictured) start-ed Backwoods Preserve in 1999 to offer quality pheasant hunting inNorthern Indiana in a preserve setting. Photo provided.

Another enjoyable hunt at Backwoods Preserve. Photo provided.

Lee Fritz started huntingwhen he was eight-years-old. “Iwould follow my dad into thewoods and, as commanded, Iwould not make a sound”, recallsLee, who has since hunted biggame all over the North AmericanContinent and even worked forseven years as a Colorado huntingguide. “My dad taught me theskills I needed to become a greathunter”, he says.

Charlie Fritz, Lee’s father,has hunted for over 50 years, andtreasures the fond memories ofcountless hunts from Alaska toVermont -- many of which werespent with Lee.

In 1999, the father and sonFritz duo started BackwoodsPreserve near Bremen in order tooffer a quality pheasant huntinglocation and experience inNorthern Indiana.

With approximately 400acres, 300 of which consist ofnatural grasslands and woods,Backwoods Preserve offers uplandhunting enthusiasts enjoyable yetchallenging wingshooting forfast-flying pheasants andchukars. Guided and non-guided

hunts are available, depending onone’s preference. Bring your owndog, or treat yourself to a huntbehind one of the preserve’sexpertly-trained pointers or flush-ing dogs.

One of the best things about apreserve hunt at Backwoods isthat it extends hunting, shootingand dog training opportunitiesbeyond the specific season datesspecified by the State of Indianafor hunting wild birds or even put-and-take hunts on state proper-ties. “This year’s Indiana pheas-ant hunting season is November 5through December 19”, saysFritz. “But the preserve huntingseason runs from September 1through April 30, which givesfolks a full 8 months to come outand enjoy a hunt”, he continues.

The benefits and opportuni-ties associated with a preservehunt are many. Early in the sea-son, it is a great way to hone yourshooting skills for all of yourupcoming fall hunting seasons.It is also a great way to get yourdog into peak hunting condition.Later in the season -- say Januarythrough March -- a preserve hunt

becomes one of the best ways toshake off cabin fever. “Therearen’t many real sporting oppor-tunities during these months”,says Fritz. “Getting outside andshooting some birds for the freez-er can be great therapy”.

Whatever time of year youchoose, upland hunting preservesare great places to introduce kidsor new hunters or shooters to areal hunting experience in a safeand controlled environment.Backwoods Preserve is no differ-ent. As a matter of fact, Lee andCharlie have held several organ-ized youth hunts through theyears. Be sure to check their web-site or give them a call to find outwhen the next one will take place,

Another benefit of preservehunts concerns the number andtype of birds you can take homefor the freezer. Bag limits don’tapply to upland hunting pre-serves, and you pay for your huntby the bird. Backwoods Preserveoffers many different combina-tion hunts for pheasant andchukar. You can choose a singlespecies or go after them all. For anominal fee of only $2 per bird,the Backwoods staff will evenclean and bag your birds at the endof the day.

Backwoods Preserve canaccommodate hunting parties ofas few as two and as many as tenhunters. Looking for a truly chal-lenging and unique hunt for a larg-er group of up to 20? Ask aboutBackwoods’ European-style towershoots. These challenging shootswill test the ability of even themost skilled shooters.

Just as Charlie Fritz madetime to take Lee hunting, Lee is

now experiencing the joys of tak-ing his own kids afield. DaughterCassidy, age 6, is still a bityoung, but Lee’s son Cody, 9,took his first turkey this spring.Lee is also taking Cody deer hunt-ing this fall. “My kids may ormay not choose to make huntingtheir careers, but I hope to givethem all the same opportunities

my dad gave me”, says Fritz. Unlike some upland hunt

clubs that require membership,Backwoods Preserve is open tothe public. Hunting takes placethrough the end of April. Formore information, go towww.backwoodspreserve . com.Call 574-298-3831 to book yourhunt.

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( L to R ) Adam Wasson and Aaron Ault pose with the deer featured in this month’s Field and Stream Magazine.Ault collected the “Ghost” buck last year on Halloween day. Photo Provided.

Halloween 2009 was a dayAaron Ault will never forget. Hegot a treat lasting much longerthan any bag full of candy.

It was on that day he arrowed abruiser whitetail buck sporting afield-dressed weight of 251pounds. That's not mentioningthe mammoth body carried a racksprouting 10-massive pointsscoring 176 inches of antler.This isn't just large, it's recordbook big.

Growing up in Galvestonnorthwest of Kokomo, Ault hashunted since he was able to. Athree season sportsman, heprefers the challenge of deerhunting with his bow. “It's moreup close and personal and theweather can be downright beauti-ful,” he stated. “I love being inthe woods during the earlyarchery season.”

The fact he took his biggestbuck ever on Halloween caughtthe attention of Field and StreamMagazine. The national, month-ly publication is considered theHoly Grail for outdoorsmen, theSports Illustrated for hunters.

An employee of GeneralMotors in Kokomo, Ault huntswith his brother Greg and theirgood friend Adam Wasson. “Theyare great guys and I am fortunateto have them as hunting part-ners,” he said sincerely.

“The three of us had watchedthat particular deer for severalyears,” Ault explained. “We sawhim on several occasions and hadhim on our trail cameras.” Thenlast year, for some unknown rea-son, the big buck just disap-peared. “We thought for sure he'deither been hit by a car or taken

by another hunter,” Ault said.Fortunately, after the earlyarchery season opened, one ofAult's hunting partners saw thebig deer. “We nicknamed him the“Ghost” Ault added, “because ofthe way he could just vanish.”

On October 31, Ault finallyhad the chance he'd been waitingfor. Arriving at his treestand wellbefore the first hints of daylight,he spent the morning watchingseveral other deer, but not the onehe hoped to see. “It was a littleafter 10 and I was just about readyto get down for a while,” he stat-ed.

Then, right at the moment hecontemplated lowering his equip-ment, Ault looked up in time tosee the big 10-pointer step out ofa neighboring woods. The hugebuck began trotting across apicked corn field heading hisdirection. “He was coming indownwind and I thought for surehe'd wind me and spook,” Aultexplained. “I was wearing Scent-Lok clothing but, as you know,it's not foolproof,” he added.“There is no doubt it knew I wasthere but didn't want to take thechance of exposing itself com-pletely again by going backacross that open field.”

When the deer cautiouslyclosed the distance to 26 yards,Ault drew his Mathews bow. Asthe buck turned sideways hedumped the string sending theThunderhead broadhead on itsway. Even though the buck quick-ly faded into the thick under-growth, he knew his arrow had hitthe mark.

After 30 minutes Ault, withthe help of Wasson, began track-

ing the deer. They followed it to asmall creek where previous rainshad turned it into a raging tor-rent. “When we saw it made it tothe water I was worried we'd loseit,” he said. After considerablesearching they eventually trackeddown the huge deer. “It had float-ed downstream and we found itwashed up against a log jam,”Ault said thankfully. “Adam and Ihad to wade in and get it and itwas all we could do to get it to thebank.”

Once the deer was taken to alocal check-in station word

BIG BUCK PROFILE Ghost Buck -- One for the Record By John Martino

quickly spread and the internet litup like the Las Vegas strip withaccounts of the trophy buck. Thisinitially led to Ault being con-tacted by the hunting editor ofField and Stream.

“They wanted to use aHalloween theme so they askedme to find an old cemetery wherepictures could be taken,” heexplained. “They sent a photog-rapher from California and anoth-er one from Chicago.”

After taking the photogra-phers to the cemetery they toldAult he could leave for several

hours while they set up theirequipment. “When I came back Icouldn't believe it,” Ault said inamazement. “It looked like theywere shooting a movie,” headded. “They had tons of cameras,lights, reflectors and thingshanging 20-feet in the air.”

“So how's your deer huntingseason going this year afterdoing what many hunters onlydream of?” I had to ask. “Not sogood,” Ault added with a drylaugh. “I've been hunting fivetimes and all I've seen is onedoe!”

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 1 7

Cade and his dad & great uncle bagged 6 nice pheas-ant, on Nov. 6 on a Benton County youth hunt.

Photo submitted by Bill Gilbert of Peru.

Most of us never forget our first deer. We’re betting13-year-old Shawntel Selby of Connersville won’t

forget her’s either. Her first deer was a Fayette Countywhitetail with a 24” spread and 18 points.

Congratulations, Shawntel. Way to go, girl!

ION reader John Roach of Saint Louis travelsto Indiana to hunt deer each year. John tookthis nice Marshall County 10-pointer during

this year’s firearms season.

Study the rack on this super buck taken byKarlin Salyer of Culver and be prepared for some

serious buck envy. Like kickers and stickers?He’s got them -- along with triple brow tines.

Great buck, Karlin! Is that an ION business cardyou are holding?

Steven Voyak of Wheatfield had a great time on hisvery first pheasant hunt with his dad.

Gone Afield monthly photo contest. . .It’s EASY! It’s FUN! Fill out this form and send it in with your favorite outdoor photograph.

A winner will be randomly selected each month to win a great outdoor prize!

Entry Information:

Person submitting the photo:

Name(s) of person(s) pictured:

Other information describing the photo:

If I’m selected as this month’s random winner, please send my prize to:

Send your photos to:Gone AfieldP.O. Box 69

Granger, IN 46530E-mail submissions welcome at: [email protected].

If mailing photos, please include a SASE if you’d like us to return them to you

CONTEST RULES: Raghorn, Inc. shall retain the right to publish or not publish any images submitted inany of it’s media outlets. Winners chosen at random. Prizes are subject to change and contest may ceasewithout notice.

Dylan Bockerich of Plymouth took his very firstdeer during this year’s Youth Season. Dylan took

this nice doe with his muzzleloader.

This deer was 65-yards away and was headingstraight for his rattling when Ryan Groceman ofChesterton decided to snap a picture. “The deerstopped, turned, and ran”, says Ryan. “I guess hewas camera shy!”

Page 18: Indiana Outdoor News

Page 1 8 INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© December, 2010 Edition

ICE FISHING

There's something satisfyingabout setting a well-planed net-work of tip-ups across the icyexpanse of a frozen lake.Strategically placed “fish-traps,”each rigged with a robust, friskylive baitfish, lure and snare fresh-water predators like nothing elseunder ice. Get a bunch of dudestogether, throw a pile of Pro-Thermals in the 5-gallon pail, andsaturate the ice with baited flags,as luscious to pike and walleyesas low-hanging fruit. Best to baitin the big 'uns on spacious openflats or along lengthy sections ofa drop-off-places where fish wan-der far and wide in search of food.With six or more buds along, eachempowered to run 2 or more linesapiece, you can put livebait infront of a lot of toothy grins.That's trapline fishing on ice, andit's deadly effective.

On a long point or drop-off, awise strategy places one group ofanglers at each end of the“trapline,” with additional fisher-men spaced evenly between. Ifyou're going in cold-turkey,searching a big area for the firsttime, perhaps you set one tip-upevery 30 to 40 paces, a pickuptruck or snowmobile parked everyso often to serve as a mobile base-camp. Better yet, set out a largepop-up style portable shelter,such as Frabill's cavernous ver-sion of a basecamp, which theycall the Headquarters.

Setting out on foot, groupsof trapline anglers work best inpairs. First run through, one dudedrills, while the other followswith a sonar, dipping the trans-ducer in each new hole. Sonar guy

keeps driller guy on target withdepth, as he also checks for fishwith a portable unit, such as aShowDown Ice Troller. When hesees something that looks like agood fish, sonar guy might alsotrace an “F” or “BF” (big fish) inthe snow, which assures thatthey'll X-mark-the-spot with atip-up next run through.

At the end of an ice-trollingrun, each fisherman grabs a buck-et. If one of your buddies happensto be the original Ice-Troller, aceMinnesota fishing guide, TonyRoach, you're in for a good day.From first ice in December, allthrough a lengthy Northcountrywinter, Roach uses hisStrikeMasters to chew more icethan a snow-cone factory. “Whenwe're tip-up fishing for pike orwalleyes,” says Roach, “we use asystematic approach. First,you've absolutely got to have theright gear, and you've got to havea plan. For my guides and I, noth-ing works better than the 'bucketsystem.'

“There's really nothing elseout there that better serves ourneeds as tip-up specialists thanthe equipment made by Frabill.We can take one of their 1409 size6-gallon buckets and fill it with atleast six round Pro-Thermal tip-ups. The other bucket, another1409 Aqua-Life Bait Station getsused to house our tip-up 'soldiers'-wild live suckers, golden shinersor chubs. We want bait that reallykicks; the critters that swim inhuge arcs below the ice, pullingin predators like lab working afield for pheasants. The BaitStation keeps minnows happy.

It's insulated and aerated. Waterwon't freeze, and the micro-bub-bler infuses the water with ener-gizing oxygen-like steroids forminnows.”

Beyond robust bait, whichdrives his tip-up system, Roachhas also discovered a number ofslick new items that simplify yetboost the presentation. “We'veplayed with loads of differenttypes of wire leader materials overthe years,” he continues.“Stranded wire, heavy fluorocar-bon, single-strand- you name it,I've used it. None of these materi-als did everything I wanted it todo. After a fish or two, most ofthem kink. And kinked wire isuseless in my book. Throw itaway and start from scratch. But Ihate tying new leaders, especiallyif I'm in a pinch on the ice.Crimping, twisting, dealing withtiny wire sleeves. Not going tohappen with cold fingers.”

Last year, Roach and crewdiscovered a new product calledKnot2Kinky-an amazing leadermaterial that is kink-proof, aswell as tieable and knotable. Thereal kicker is, the material actual-ly stretches, proving a valuableshock-absorber for powerful fish,such as pike and muskies. A spe-cial super-heat process hasendowed the material with a 10-percent stretch coefficient-some-thing you have to experience tofully appreciate. Knot2Kinkystretches, stops, then recoverswith zero kinks or coils and noloss in tensile strength. It isundoubtedly the most advanced,fishing-friendly wire materialever developed. “This stuff is a

Trapline Pike

tip-up angler's dream. Using aclinch knot or perfection loop, Ican tie up a new leader in under aminute. Thing is, though, it'salmost impossible to get the stuffto kink, so we'll often run thesame leader on a tip-up for days,or weeks on end.”

For most medium to heavypike applications, Roach relieson 25-pound test Knot2Kinky,which is surprisingly thin andpliable-perfect for allowing anactive baitfish to swim andmaneuver without effort. It's thesame rationale behind his use of aslick new neutrally buoyant main-line to leader connector, theInvisaSwivel. Made of a materialcalled Fluoro-Clear, these swivelsare the ultimate in subtle bait rig-ging. They, too, are pliable. In

fact, InvisaSwivels pivot 180-degrees in any direction andalways spin as freely as a standardball-bearing swivel. It's just onemore recent terminal tackle inno-vation that has elevated tip-upfishing to the next level.

To the end of his “trapline”rigs, Roach runs either a #1 widegap or Kahle hook such as anEagle Claw Lazer Sharp 141, or aMustad Power Pike Hook, whichis an English style double hook-also known as a quick-strike righook-that couples well with largedeadbaits.

In either case, it's always arace on ice to reach the flag first.Most of the time, especially withlarger pike, it just isn't necessaryto let fish run long. Quick hook-sets usually tag more pike, andcertainly harm far fewer of them.In the meantime, it's a game ofwaiting. Lean on a tailgate, crashin a lawn chair. Pour a cup of cof-fee. Talk a little smack. The win-ner's always the first dude to theflag. Unless you're playing “tack-le tip-ups,” in which case, you'vejust got to be the best at sackingthe QB.

By Ted Pilgrimwith Tony Roach

Photos courtesy of Frabill

“Tip-Up” the Odds with Advanced New Tackle

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December, 2010 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© Page 1 9

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Page 2 0 INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© December, 2010 Edition

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G.Loomis NRX: The Ultimate Fishing Rod

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The editors here at Indiana Outdoor News have been fishingG.Loomis rods for years, and we didn’t think there was any way toimprove the company’s GLX line of rods. We were wrong.

Using what the company calls “Nano-Resin Technology”,G.Loomis has married stiffer, lighter and higher density carbon mate-rials with a Nano Silica resin system to create rods that are stronger,more durable and at least 15% lighter than equivalent G.Loomis GLXmodels. Keep in mind, folks, this isn’t a comparison to rods fromsome other manufacturer, this is a comparison of the NRX to themighty GLX -- a rod widely held to be the finest fishing rod in theworld.

Aside from its high-tech materials and construction, NRX rodsare dressed with the finest components available, from the cork usedin the handles to the reel seats to the guides. Tip to butt, the cosmet-ics of this rod are simply flawless.

We’re not alone in our enthusiasm for the new G.Loomis NRX.The series was named “Best New Freshwater Rod” and overall “Best ofShow” winner at the 2010 ICAST Show’s New Product Showcase com-petition, produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA).

G.Loomis currently offers the new NRX in 16 different modelsfor fly fishing, 8 casting models and 5 spinning models. For the flyfisherman on your list, we recommend the NRX 1087-4. It is a 9’ 7-wt. rod that is perfect for steelhead andbass here at home, as well as Alaskanrainbow trout or redfish and bone-fish on any saltwater flat. Not afly fisherman? Any anglerwill appreciate the NRX11937-01. It is a 7’-1”medi-um power spinning rod ratedfor 6-12-lb. line -- a versatilechoice suitable for bass, walleyeand many other species. The NRX1087-4 fly rod retails for around $750,while the NRX 11937-01 spinning rodsells for around $475.

Ever give someone a gift of something thatis the finest in the world? Put a G.Loomis NRXSeries rod under the tree this year for the angler in yourlife and find out what happens. See your G.Loomis dealeror go to www.gloomis.com for more information.

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son trophy bucks is to be in anarea where trophy bucks abound.The hunt I described earlier in thisarticle took place in a lightlyhunted region of southernMinnesota, where hunting is byprimitive methods only. Becauseof the hunting restrictions andthe cold weather, hunting pres-sure is always minimal, and thereare several bucks scoring between140 and 170 in the area, makingit easy for a persistent hunter tosee trophy bucks.

When you are hunting lateseason deer you need to knowwhere the food sources are, andknow the trails the deer use duringdaylight as they move to and fromthe fields. The easiest way to findthe food sources is to regularlyscout the area by driving the farmcountry roads to locate fields thathaven't been harvested yet, andby locating small pockets of foodand trails while scouting on foot.

Once you've located the foodsources, determine where thebucks are traveling by lookingfor rub routes and scrapes thatmay still be visible. If neitherrubs nor scrapes can be foundlook for evidence of bucks alongdoe trails, because the bucks maybe traveling with the does at thistime. After you locate the trailschoose a hunting site well awayfrom the food source where youhave adequate cover for a treestand, portable blind, or whereyou can stand and wait for thedeer.

Right Place, Right Ti m eWhen you are hunting in the

afternoon or evening, the fartherfrom the food source you are,without getting too close to bed-ding areas, the better yourchances of seeing deer during theday. Even though the deer mayarrive at the food source wellbefore dark, they are most alertnear the food sources, where youmay be detected. And, becausebucks generally travel later thandoes, you will have a betterchance of seeing them in protect-ed areas, well away from the foodsources, in the early afternoon.

When you are hunting in themorning try to position yourselfbetween night resting areas/earlymorning food sources, and day-time bedding areas. Your huntingsites should be located alongtrails leading to buck beddingareas so you have an opportunityas the bucks return to their beds.

I often see deer bed and feedin overgrown fields of brush andsaplings on the downwind side ofhills in the morning. They oftenstay in these areas until daylight,then, as the sun rises, move toareas of deeper cover. When thishappens you can setup downwindor crosswind of the trails the deeruse as they leave. You can alsosetup near known buck beddingareas, provided you get therebefore the buck returns.

The time to hunt late seasonbucks is when the conditions areright. When foods are scarce, or apreferred food is available; andwhen there is cloud cover and thewind-chills drop, expect to seedeer earlier in the evening andlater in the morning than normal.After a winter storm lets up, orafter it has been cold and windy,or there has been heavy precipita-tion for more than a day and a halfcausing the deer to miss two ormore feeding periods, and thenthe wind dies down, or the wind-chill factor rises, you can expectdeer to begin feeding; and to con-tinue feeding for the next coupleof hours.

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Continued From Pg. 22

able propane cylinders (or theycan be adapted for use with 20pound, refillable tanks.) We hada Roadtrip Grill, designed by PaulJr. of American Chopper TV fame,an insta-start two burner stove, adeep fryer and what Coleman callsthe “All in One Cooking System”which features a stove top, grilltop, griddle, stock pot and slowcooker. Coleman coolers, cups,dishes, flatware, skillets and potscompleted our kitchen.

I was very impressed withThe All in One package as themost unique appliance. With allthe available options, a nearly

Late Season Tact i c sWith the rut over and most of

the does bred, bucks are not aswilling to respond to calling, rat-tling, scents and decoys as theywere during the rut. But, as longas a buck carries antlers it'stestosterone level is still elevat-ed, and it may respond to estrusscents and doe calls, which can beeffective when used along rubroutes and scrape lines; and neardaytime staging areas, foodsources and buck core areas.Because bucks are not travelingas much, or as willing to respondat this time, the key to attractingbucks is to be in or near areasbucks use during the day.

Estrus scents can be placedso they spread out downwind ofyour hunting position to attract

the buck as it approaches a foodsource. Estrus can also be used ona scent line by leaving drops ofscent on the ground along a linethat crosses a deer trail and leadsto your location. Although scien-tific research suggests there is nodoe estrus call the "social grunt,"which is used by does when theyare trying to locate each otherwill get a buck's attention at thistime. When a buck responds toscents or calls it may not bebecause of rutting urge, it maysimply be because of curiosity.

Because deer, includingbucks, are looking for food atthis time of the year the combina-tion of tarsal scent and deer urineon the ground leading to a foodscent can be very effective. Thetarsal and urine are non-threaten-

ing and may arouse the buck'scuriosity, the food attractant thenbrings it within range. Thesescents may also attract does,which may be followed by bucks.When using scents choose thosethat are particular to your area.Corn, apple and acorn scentswork well in most areas.

T.R. Michels is a nationally rec-ognized game researcher/wildlifebehaviorist, outdoor writer andspeaker. He is the author of theWhitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose,and Turkey Addict's Manuals. Fora catalog of books and otherhunting products contact: T. R .Michels, Trinity MountainOutdoors, E-mail:[email protected] , WebSite: www.TRMichels.com .

unlimited menu could be plannedand prepared on this single appli-ance.

The most fun product was thedeep fryer which has now replacedthe electric model in my homekitchen–and will go with me onfuture hunting and camping trips.

The outcome of the competi-tion was close! I’m not going tobe so crass as to insinuate anyjudging bias, but the scorers wereall Wisconsin residents and Daviswas wearing a Packer apron. (Iwore a Bears sweatshirt.) Couldthat account for my second placefinish by a mere half point?

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Page 2 2 INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2010© December, 2010 Edition

I’ll readily admit I’vebecome a “foody.” It used to bejust Rachel Ray and her 30-minute meals, but now I’d almostas soon watch the next episode ofChopped or Iron Chef America assettle in for Monday night foot-ball.

Perhaps it’s because though Ican’t go out and play footballanymore, I can go to the kitchenand play “chef.” In fact, a fewweeks ago I played chef and actu-ally competed in head-to-headcompetition with anotherwannabe cooking wizard.

A few years ago at the annualconference of the Association ofGreat Lakes Outdoor Writers(AGLOW), the ColemanCompany began sponsoring anamateur outdoor cook-off basedloosely on the Iron Chef televi-sion show. It has become anopportunity for a pair of the mostculinary minded members ofAGLOW to show off their abili-ties. It is a chance for other mem-

Coleman Cooking Challenge

bers to observe, photograph andtaste the concoctions these out-door chefs are able to prepare,then write stories for their ownreaders, back home with recipeshunters, fishermen and camperscan use to deviate from the usualcamp stew and weiners. It is agreat opportunity for Coleman,one of the leading maker of out-door “kitchen” products, to showoff their top sellers and spot lightnew products.

On the shores ofChequamegon Bay in Ashland,Wisconsin, the teams were set.Jeff “Cheesehead” Davis,Whitetails Unlimited editor (andPacker-backer) from Green Bay,Wisconsin and myself -- a devoutChicago Bears fan, dubbed “IronMike” -- squared off to preparedinners featuring cocktails, appe-tizers, entrees and deserts for thejudges: Ashland’s mayor and localmedia members.

Instead of a single secretingredient as is featured in the TVversion of Iron Chef, the AGLOW/ Coleman Cooking Challenge

has a theme. This year’s :“Wisconsin Cuisine,” which tome includes cheese, beer,bratwurst, fish and cherries.

Servings from my outdoorkitchen included a beer-based,Bloody Mary I called a WisconsinSunrise. I served a fresh moz-zarella/tomato salad with beer-based dressing; deep fried salmonballs; a beer, brats and mushroomcasserole; German Spaghetti andgrilled angel food cake for desert.Cheesehead Davis served a bacon-infused Bloody Mary, a cheesecurd soup, bison burgers, a strudeland other dishes.

The Last ThoughtMIKESCHOONVELD

I left the competition withtwo different and distinct impres-sions. First, a renewed admirationfor the TV chefs who are able toturn out a variety of dishes in anincredibly short time frame. Itseemed I was into the challengeonly a few minutes when Ichecked my watch and saw I hadless than 20 minutes left. I wentfrom cool and confident to panicmode.

Secondly, I learned today’sColeman outdoor cooking prod-ucts are a far cry from the “white-gas” stoves used in the past. Allof our appliances ran on dispos-

(Left) The author goes into panicmode with only 20 minutes to go.(Right) Jeff "Cheesehead" Davisplayed the game well, scoring afew Packer points with the allWisconsin judges.

Iron Mike’s German Spaghetti

• 4 bratwurst sausages• 1 large can (or 1 pint ofhome-canned) tomatoes• 1 envelope of French’sSpaghetti Sauce mix• 1 medium onion, coarselychopped• 2 cloves of garlic, mashedand minced• 4 cups of shredded fresh cab-bage

Grill bratwurst until about2/3rds cooked through.Remove from grill and sliceeach sausage into 4 or 5chunks. Add tomatoes andspaghetti sauce mix to a saucepan, then add bratwurstchunks. Bring to a simmer andallow to cook for 15 minutes.While the sauce is cooking,add a bit of olive oil to a 10-inch skillet, saute onionsuntil just translucent, then addgarlic and shredded cabbage.Cook cabbage, stirring fre-quently until it’s mostlycooked, but still slightlycrisp. The cabbage is thepasta or spaghetti. Plate thecabbage first, then cover withbratwurst/spaghetti sauce.

Continued on Pg. 21

Outdoor Cookoff on the Shores of Chequamegon Bay Lives up to its Name

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