Find Food, Find Bucks

As the rut winds down, whitetail bucks switch their interest to survival and gaining back some of the weight eaten away by the rut’s frenzy. Therefore, to find the bucks, find their food sources first, says Mark Kayser of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team. Whitetail bucks generally will be found near consistent food sources void of human or other danger. Scout high-energy food sources such as cornfields and acorn-bearing oak trees. Food plots also lure in hungry bucks affected by winter weather.

Bodie’s Fishing Tips

Here are some fishing tips from Bodie McDowell, dean of outdoor writers and a member of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team. After you cast a floater lure, go ahead and pour yourself a cup of coffee. If fish were spooked by the splash of the lure, they’ll return when things quiet down. Fish the intersection of 'either-or' spots like shallow and deep, dark and light, clear and dingy, warm and cool, and shadow and light. If you note a patch of calm water surrounded by rougher water, fish it. That’s water upwelling from a major depth change or an underwater spring and fish will be congregate there for comfort and food availability.

Chisel that Ice, Angler

Outdoor TV host and journalist Ron Schara recommends that ice fishermen use what he calls the “chisel rule” when checking out the thickness of fresh ice on a lake. Use an ice chisel to pop a hole every 15 feet or so. Three inches or more of ice will normally stop a heavy chisel, and that tells you it’s safe to drill your fishing hole. Schara, who lives in the land of 10,000 lakes, is host of television’s Backroads with Ron & Raven and a long time pro on the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team. Another bit of advice from Ron: “I always keep a couple pairs of portable ice cleats in my winter tackle box. Slip the cleats over your boots and you’ll have plenty of traction, even on the slickest ice.”

Fish “Wood” for Crappies

When it comes to taking slab-sided crappies in the snow belt, the prime time is just after ice out. Ron Tussel of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team advises anglers to focus on one natural feature – wood. From beaver caches to brush piles and dock pilings, wood attracts the early spring heat from the sun. Zooplankton respond to the warmth of the sun which, in turn, attracts minnows. And when there are minnows, crappies will not be far behind. So find the wood. Fish the wood. And, by the way, have a great dinner.

Heel Walking for Deer

To avoid making noise while stalking deer, walk on your heels as much as possible and avoid lowering the forward half of your foot. That’s the motion that makes the most noise, typically, says Larry Bozka of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team.

Enemies: Sand, Surf

Surf fishing is great fun and highly productive. If you’ve been there and done that, you also know that the sand and surf is sheer torture on fishing tackle. Here’s a tip from Texas Coastal Angler Larry Bozka of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team. Bozka takes two five-foot lengths of 2-inch PVC pipe which he drives into the beach sand. They become his rod holders, keeping his rods generally free of the sand and salt. Nevertheless, says Bozka, when fishing is over be sure to give your reels a freshwater bath and a light coat of lubrication

Calling Winter Coyotes

When calling coyotes in subzero weather, use a mixture of distress and confidence calls. That’s the word from national hunting writer Mark Kayser of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team. Kayser starts with a coyote greeting howl, which is a mellow, drawn-out howl that tells other coyotes, ‘I’m here.’ Then he switches to a range of howls, barks, yips and whines to communicate. Kayser does not make a barking sound because that represents a warning. About 5 to 10 minutes after making the initial calls, Kayser begins a series of prey-in-distress calls, favoring the dying cottontail and jackrabbit in distress calls.

Sootless Camp Cooking

Here’s a tip for keeping the soot off of the bottom of your campsite cooking pans. Ron Schara of Minneapolis, a member of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team, says simply rub in a small amount of dish soap on the outside of any pan that goes over your campfire. When it’s time to clean up, the soot will wash right off your pots and pans.

Active Moon – Active Deer

Bowhunters looking for a big buck will do well to plan their hunts during the rise or fall of the moon. An active moon usually means active deer. Here’s why: the big bucks will be on the move when they are seeking does, says Pennsylvania Sportsman Ron Tussel of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team. They are most likely seeking does three or four days on either side of the second full moon after the autumnal equinox when the female deer’s reproductive cycle is peaking.

Lip Balm Fishing Bonus

When fishing temperatures drop below freezing, fish open water using spinning reels because the smaller guides on plug casting reels tend to freeze up. Minnesotan Ron Schara of the Wrangler ProGear Outdoor Advisory Team says you can apply a bit of lip balm to the rod guides to help keep them free of ice. Don’t forget to dress warmly and with layers. It’s cold out there on the water.