Inside Out Outdoors

With archery seasons (and gun in the lowcountry of SC) for whitetails, mulies and elk starting up in August and September across much of the country, I thought I'd start a multifaceted topic about some of the techniques the Inside Out team uses when it comes to scouting, particular when it comes to Odocoileus virginianus.  Each post will be short and sweet, trying to hit the core of each particular "practice" and if you the readers want more in-depth information or a detailed look at a certain thing we do, just leave us a comment so we can give you what you want.  With all that being said, let's dive right into what I think is a key principle to our whole process when it comes to scouting for any hunting season really:  When and where.

While some people focus on just pre-season scouting or putting miles on their boots after the season is out, we look at it as a year round affair.  We are looking for last season's rubs and just new areas (along with our regular spots) that look like good deer territory while small game hunting in January and February.  Then comes the weeks leading up to and the entire turkey season, during which we continue to check out both old and new areas, looking for last year's sign while chasing a wiry ol' Tom; maybe even stumbling upon a shed antler or two.  Then comes what I think is the "fun" part:  Summer.  We are out there in the heat of June, July and early August checking out creek crossings, trails, fields (where applicable), hardwood ridges, etc. getting an idea of the deer activity in those areas.  We look for any changes to habitat, become acquainted with the terrain in new spots and pick out, as well as set up, potential stand sites.  Then we like to give all the areas we have been in a month long break before the season starts, hopefully allowing mother nature to get back into her normal, non-human interfering routine and to wash away any of our residual scent.  Then it's time to hit the woods in our camo, weapon in hand, to try and put some meat or a trophy on the ground.  With that comes scouting while walking to and from stand sites or during midday hours when we have to get our legs moving.  And it's not just wood scouting that occurs during the season.  We'll change tactics not only based on what we are seeing while in stand or walking around, but also on what we are seeing while driving or what is being heard throughout the hunting community. 

It's a full-court press on understanding our quarry that leads us to take this approach and I have to say that it works.  These practices have lead to more deer encounters during the season and my two largest bucks on the wall have come directly from in-season scouting the day of or day before they were harvested.  So if you take anything from all this, remember that scouting shouldn't be just a one time thing, and definitely not just in one place.  Get out there and explore year round, the results might just surprise you!

-C.B.

As you know from my video the other week, I have a Go Pro HD Hero.  The little camera is awesome and will be our second angle cam during hunts as well as what I'll strap to me on my next Linville Gorge adventure.  Which brings me to the point of this post.  While browsing the internet earlier, I ran across a quick review of the Go Pro on a blog called Chinny's Convulsions and wanted to share it with you since the blogger lays a foundation by answering some common questions regarding camera selection and accessories before giving his final thoughts on the product.  Even though I've been thinking about typing up a review myself on the Go Pro, the post I found nails exactly how I feel about it and answers the same questions I had when searching for a P.O.V. (Point of View) camera earlier this year (Plus it gives me a chance to take the easy way out by not having to type up something that would sound pretty much the same; I won't lie, the path of least resistance is one I'll take in this instance!)  So give "My Life With a Go Pro" a read and hopefully you'll join us in using the HD Hero for filming your different outdoor activities.

As you can seen we've been a little slack these past 6 days, having not posted anything for your reading pleasure.  The culprit, as you probably guessed already, is work...again.  I am busy on the road trying to keep up with my more experienced co-workers while also researching new laptop options so I can get up hunting videos this fall as fast as possible.  Our goal is to launch our webisode series based on public land hunting and I've been hard at work trying to figure out how to spend my money so we can get the best possible product up here for your viewing pleasure.  I haven't forgotten about the stories I promised you of each of my four bucks "on the wall", I just need good weekend weather to get some great pics of them "off the wall" and placed on a tree outside.  I also need some help from my lovely fiance (who loves sleep; I don't know if I'll ever be able to take her on a morning hunt).  When it comes to Paul, I just always assume work has him confined to his computer 12+ hours a day.  I know we are lucky to have the readership that we do and the number one way to keep you around is content, so be on the lookout for some entries later this week.  And once deer season starts up for us in September, you'll pretty much have a new hunting story to read just about every other day.  I do want to point out that in the near future we will be having a monthly drawing for some sort of prize and it will all be based on comments on our blog posts.  It basically works like this:  Post a comment and your name gets entered into the drawing (you can get your name entered once a week with a maximum of 4 entries per person).  At the end of the month we'll put all the names into a hat (or name generator if we want to go "new school") and whoever's name is pulled wins the prize.  We'll try to have some decent items, you know, things you actually WANT to win.  Maybe a bow release, a pack of broadheads, a gun cleaning kit, a backpacking stove, a sharp knife, etc.  Anyway, that gets you caught up on what's happening in the world of the Inside Out team.  Now someone just needs to help us calm down the work side of our lives.

-C.B.

As you know from my blog post Saturday night, we were out stomping around a section of the Butner-Falls of Neuse that morning and  I decided to take advantage of us putting some miles on our boots to get some video with my Go Pro.  So without further ado, here is our first short video for the year.

-C.B.

The J-Plug has long been one of my favorite trolling lures.  This plug comes in multiple color combinations (that can be found here) as well as come in three different varieties:  Rattling, lighted and everglow, which gives you a lure for every kind of fishing you can think of from daytime to nighttime trolling.  They also come in lengths from 4 inches to 5 1/2 inches. They are unique in a couple of ways:

1) They have a very cool darting action that really catches the attention of a variety of fish.  I've caught bass, trout and even Northern Pike on these plugs.

2) Also, the lure has a hook harness that I have not seen with other lures.   These harnesses usually have two treble hooks and thread through the nose of the lure where they can be attached to a swivel or tired directly to the line.

I've usually fished these in combination with a Lurh Jensen Dipsy Diver, which I'll detail below.

These Dipsy Divers are really a very nifty gadget!  They give any fisherman the ability to fish lures including J-Plugs and spoons at a variety of depths very easily!  You can fish from just below the service to the bottom by varying the size of the diver and the amount of line you let out. You can also vary the angle of dive to have these "plane" out to one side or the other.    These divers can be found at Bass Pro and Cabelas, just do a search for 'Dipsy Diver' and you'll see the variety that is available.  The larger 4-7/8" divers will go to about 100 feet and the smaller 2-1/4" will dive to about 20 feet. I use the following depth chart as a guide.  Oh, did I mention that these come in different colors as well and can be matched to the water color in order to act as an attractant as well? Not everyone has the money to invest in down riggers and this gives you an easy and budget friendly way to troll, with prices ranging from $9 - $15.

The setup is simple.  You'll want to use a sturdy trolling rod and reel such as the following Dipsy Diver Model from Cabelas.  I usually use 20lb test mono on the main line that will be tied from the rod to the Dipsy Diver, just as you would tie a lure to the end of your line.  You then just need to add a leader to the back of the diver, I usually use 15 lb test but this can vary depending on the size and type of fish you are going after.  To the other end of the leader you tie your lure, such as the J-Plug I detailed above. 

Once you have your rig set up, you are ready to hit the water and do some fishing! The only other note I have is that there is a release, much like that of a down rigger.  When trolling, your rod will be bent quite a bit (this is normal due to the tension the diver applies); once a fish bites and is on the line, the added weight and fight of the fish will "throw" the release and the Dipsy Diver will stop diving and you can easily fight your fish to the surface.  If you need to check your line for weeds, etc while trolling, you can give a good tug (just like you were setting the hook on a fish) to "throw" the release manually.  This will allow you to retrieve the diver rig.  Don't try to reel in the diver without doing this as it will be quite difficult!

If you've used either of these, please let us know of your success stories as we would love to hear what color combinations you favor!

- Paul Nicolucci

After work on Friday, I headed East down I-40 towards good ol' Raleigh, NC to meet up with Paul.  Beers were drank, venison burgers were eaten and laughs were had at The Hangover II.  Then it was time to get a little rest before our early morning appointment with Mother Nature.

We had planned this all out a few weeks ago: I'd come in for the night so we could hit the woods to scout an area of Butner-Falls of Neuse Gamelands where Paul was fortunate enough to use a bow and harvest his first North Carolina whitetail last September, a gorgeous doe (who was delicious as could be last night).  With the morning dew still hanging on every blade of grass, we set out down the dirt road towards the area we hunted last year.  You see, we had never even been in the area until just a few hours before Paul shot last year.  We technically hunted the place sight unseen, using Google Earth to pinpoint places to "scout" as we went in for the afternoon hunt.  Fast forward to this morning and our goal was simple:  Head towards a large creek and scout every acre of woods and bottom lands in that area as possible.  And scout it we did.  All while fighting horse flies and using my Go Pro HD Hero to film as much as I could.

We ended up putting 10 waypoints into our buddy Chris', who we forced to join us (ok, so maybe we didn't force him but we strongly encouraged him to put some miles on his boots), GPS.  From a swamp to a waterhole, oak flats to creek bottoms, we found enough places that we could basically never hunt another area this upcoming season and still not look at the same trail twice.  Some of you might think, "June?  Why are you scouting in June?  North Carolina's season doesn't even start until September!".  Well the main reason for us being out there today was just to get outdoors and enjoy doing something we love.  Plus it's a great time to get ready for the season without being rushed, being afraid of pushing deer out of an area and also finding those spots well off the beaten path.  The next trip in July will be to set some stands (yes it is legal, with restrictions) and put out a trail camera.  Until then we just have to live with the early stages of hunting fever setting in.

-C.B.

I had the pleasure of getting out on Owasco Lake while I was home in New York last weekend and my girlfriend Jackie and I had a very successful 3 hour fishing trip.  She had not been fishing in many, many years so I was being tested.  We only had about four hours of daylight left and this would be our only chance to fish during the weekend.  I started the trip by making a stop to the local bait shop at the South end of the lake; we purchased 18 Mooneye Minnows to use as bait.  We then traveled back to the dock, packed the boat and headed out.  Being under the gun for time, I went to a  "honey hole" that my Grandfather has taken me to for as long as I can remember, and we placed four poles in the water, all baited with lively minnows.  After about 10 minutes, we decided we should eat our sandwiches before the fishing consumed all of our time.....well one bite in and the fishing took over!  We had 9 hits in three hours, hauling in 6  Lake Trout (the limit in NY State is 3 per person, per day ), all of which were over 20 inches in length.  We were fishing in about 80 feet of water and all but one of our hits were on the bottom.  It has been my experience that the Lake Trout prefer the deeper water and usually cruise the bottom.

The largest of the 6 ( pictured above, was caught by Jackie ) was a 26-inch trout with an estimated weight of about 7 pounds!  Quick tip:  If you don't have a scale available to you, as long as you measure the length and girth of the fish you can estimate the weight quite accurately here.  Once we had our limit, we headed back to the dock to show off our catch to our family who was quite surprised at our quick success. 

This trip goes to show just how successful you can be if you know where the fish are during a certain time of year from past experiences and know the diet of the fish you are going after. Of course we had some luck on our side, even given all the perfect circumstances you are not guaranteed a successful trip!  I was able to share this trip with my girlfriend and the smiles and excitement she had made it the most rewarding part of the trip for me.  Even if I did not catch a thing, just seeing her with that Lake Trout with a smile from ear to ear made the trip well worth it for me.  We all need to remember that sharing the outdoors is just as rewarding as experiencing it on our own...if not even more rewarding!

I've attached some of the pictures from our trip to this post and also added them to our Media page.

If you ever find yourself out on Owasco Lake, remember the rigs and bait I detailed in previous posts and hopefully that gives you a jump start on the competition!

The Egg Sinker Rig is a popular rig among lake fisherman. This rig is not only easy to tie, it also provides a couple of other benefits:

1) This rig can be fished at all depths including the bottom, with great ease.

2) The rig allows the fish to take the bait without feeling any resistance.

The rig is tied by first taking the end of your line and tying on what ever type of hook you prefer.  When I'm fishing for trout or bass using live bait, I  prefer a size 10 or 12 treble hook when using live bait.  The smaller size hook allows the fish to more easily take the bait without feeling it.  Usually letting the fish "run" for a couple of minutes before setting the hook ensures that you will have good hook placement. If you plan to do catch and release, a larger circle hook allows you to hook the fish quickly in the mouth and allows for a better chance of release after the fight and catch.

The second step to tying this rig is to cut about a 12 - 18 inch leader above the hook, leaving you with 12-18 inches of line with a hook tied at the end of it.  Set this aside for now.

Now take your egg singer and slip it onto the line attached to the rod/reel.  I then usually follow the sinker with a plastic bead to ensure that the sinker does not drop over the barrel swivel.  Once the egg sinker and bead (if you choose to use one) are in place you can tie one end of the barrel swivel below the sinker and attach the hook/leader to the other end of the swivel.

The knot you use is up to you but I use the Improved Clinch Knot.  The Improved Clinch Knot is very easy and quick to learn and tie.  Once you have the rig tied, you can place your bait on the hook and lower the rig into the water.  The bait fish are free to swim on their 12-18 inch leash and when a fish grabs them they won't feel an instant resistance.  Another point to note here is that if you let your fish run, the egg singer often times falls to the bottom of the lake and the fish can pull line through it freely, however when you go to set your hook ensure that you have any slack in the line tightened otherwise the fish could be straight in front of you and your line is pointing someplace else due to the placement of the sinker.

I hope this gives you some good insight into the Egg Sinker Rig.  If you have any questions on the uses or details of tying this rig please let me know.

- Paul Nicolucci

The Mooneye is one of the most common bait minnows in the Upstate NY area.  We use this minnow for many species including Bass and Trout.  It is technically referred to as the Alewife  minnow, but Mooneye is a slang term (I'm not sure of the origin). 

Pictures and information about the Mooneye can be found here. These bait fish are very common in the Finger Lakes of NY.  Often times they school and can be seen at dusk skipping the water's surface; if you are lucky enough to see this you have a hot fishing spot near you.  Find the edge of the school and cast with a stick bait and you are likely to catch one of the fish that are feeding on the bait fish.

- Paul Nicolucci

The Messy Reality of Wolf reintroduction

Part three of our series brings us to the 1990's.  Allow me to set the stage.  Boys II Men were topping the charts, Jim Kelly was still the Bill's quarterback and a passing fad called "the Internet" was beginning to sweep the country. 

Meanwhile, it had been six decades since anyone in the lower 48 had seen a wolf outside of the zoo.  Several generations of sportsmen grew up without ever seeing a game population that had been subject to natural predation.  In the absence of apex predators, game herds grew significantly larger than they had ever been before human intervention, though hunting pressure kept them from reaching Kaibab-esque ecological meltdown levels.  The sportsmen from three generations all came to expect these inflated elk and deer populations, as though they were "normal".  Similarly, several generations of Western ranchers became acclimated to an environment where their livestock faced essentially no threat from predators and came to expect that condition as though it were the norm.

When the movement we discussed in part 2 succeeded, those six long, wolf free decades came to a comparatively rapid halt.  The wolves took hold quickly in their native habitat and the reintroduction program was a resounding success.   As anyone who thought things through could have predicted, ranchers saw a noticeable rise in predation rates on their livestock.  Sportsmen also noticed that big game herds were down (though it's unclear how much of the later can actually be attributed to wolves).

Now here's where things start to get sticky.  You know how sticky a New York politician's hands get when they're inside someone else's pocket?...Well this isn't quite that sticky...but it's close.  It's understandable that those sportsmen and ranchers would be upset.  They'd had  several generations of comparatively easy, wolf-free living and they saw no immediate problem that needed to be solved by reintroducing wolves.

Unfortunately, many of our brothers to the West fell back into that 19th century mindset that I discussed in the first post.  Peruse the comment section of any article on this topic and you will see a legion of posters calling the wolves an "invasive species" and saying that we need to kill as many of them as possible to "protect" the deer and elk herds.  This is where I get the title for this series of articles.  Sadly, the Internet battle cry of those opposed to wolves became the "three S's",  standing for "Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up".  In other words, encouraging people to illegally poach wolves and then bury the bodies and not tell anyone in order to avoid law enforcement.  I cannot think of a worse solution to the problem.

Environmental groups like the "Sierra Club" and the "Defenders of Wildlife" are already opposed to hunting in general, as well as most of the other types of outdoor recreation that we enjoy.  These well-funded organizations were likely already predisposed to oppose any wolf hunting.  However, these vocal calls for poaching, along with their perception of the wolf as a symbol of nature in general and the success of the environmental movement in particular, solidified that position.

By the 2000's, the wolf population had recovered that it could no longer be considered "endangered" in the biological sense of the word.  This point is generally agreed upon by both the state and federal governments as well as the various advocacy groups involved.  So, the feds removed the wolves from the endangered species list and they were promptly sued by environmental groups who were looking to stop the wolf hunting that would begin as soon as the wolves were de-listed.  The feds lost in the courtroom and the judge issued a court order mandating that the wolves be re-listed.  The fish and game agencies set about addressing the judge's concerns and the cycle begins again.  Our tax dollars have been dancing this cyclical dance for the better part of a decade now.

Unfortunately, one of the most powerful arguments that these groups have had in court is this "19th century mindset" that I have been talking about.  For instance, in one of the early court cycles the judge ordered the wolves be re-listed because the state game agencies did not have management plans in place for the wolves in order to ensure they do not become endangered again in the future.  In response, Wyoming passed a "management plan" (big time air quotes) wherein any wolf could be shot on sight by anyone at anytime in any place.  No bag limits whatsoever... as you can imagine, we sportsmen were laughed out of court on the next go-round.

What needs to happen is simple.  First, we need to get widespread acceptance amongst the sportsmen community that the wolves are here to stay, and that this doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Second, we need to work with the state fish and game agencies to set up wolf management plans that handle the animals more like a valuable game species than like rapidly reproducing "varmint" species.   This will remove the  last remaining cogent argument against wolf de-listing, and hopefully the courts will then allow the process to go forward.

The benefits of de-listing will be numerous.  Firstly, ranchers will be able to cull "problem" animals who target livestock and domestic pets (currently, wolves can only be shot if they are in the act of attacking a human).  Secondly, each state will be free to choose a balance between their wolf and big game population that best suits their needs, so long as that balance maintains a sustainable (read: non-endangered) wolf population.  This is obviously preferable to game management decisions being mandated from Washington DC, a thousand miles away.  Finally,  population estimates say that there are only a few thousand wolves spread across the American Rockies.  This will mean that there will only relatively limited number of tags issued in any given state.  Elusive game animal, beautiful trophy furs, opportunity to bolster the elk herd, hard-to-get lottery-drawn tags...sounds like a recipe for a wildly popular  hunting season to me.  And that is really the best news of all for the wolves, because no game species has ever gone extinct in modern times.  There is no stronger constituency that a wildlife species can have than a community of hunters eagerly awaiting the next hunting season.  Just ask the wild turkeys, migratory waterfowl, and ringneck pheasants.

-K.M.