Mountain turkey hunting can make a bird sound much closer than it really is. A gobbler answers from somewhere across the hollow. The call…
HuntingGear
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Hunting
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Hunting
Roosevelt Elk Don’t Need Open Mountains—Find the Wet Timber, Clearcut Edges, and Hidden Meadows They Use in the Rain
by rootby rootRoosevelt elk country does not always look like classic elk country. There may be no giant alpine basin. No open ridge covered in bugling…
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Hunting
Aoudad Live Where the Canyon Gives Them the Advantage—Glass the Ridges Before You Start Climbing
by rootby rootWest Texas canyon country looks empty until something moves. Red rock. Dry grass. Steep ridges. Broken cliffs. Long drainages cutting through miles of desert…
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Hunting
Blacktail Deer Live Where Young Clearcuts Meet Dark Timber—Rain Makes Their Country Better and Harder at the Same Time
by rootby rootPacific Northwest blacktail country rarely gives hunters a clean view. Rain falls through fir branches. Fog sits inside logging cuts. Salal and blackberry hide…
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Hunting
Sika Deer Disappear Into Marsh Grass—Find the Tidal Edges, Islands, and Dry Ground They Use Between Floods
by rootby rootCoastal marsh country looks too open to hide deer. Tall reeds. Mud. Tidal creeks. Small islands of higher ground. Water reflecting the sky for…
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Hunting
Fresh Snow Makes Coyote Country Easier to Read—Follow the Tracks, Wind, and Winter Food
by rootby rootWinter changes coyote country. A grassland that looked empty in November suddenly becomes covered in tracks after one night of snow. A narrow line…
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Hunting
Late-Season Pheasants Don’t Disappear—They Move Into the Thickest Cover Hunters Hate Walking Through
by rootby rootOpening-week pheasant country looks easy. Grass fields. Corn edges. Roadside cover. Birds running across open ground. A hunter walks a CRP field and hears…
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Hunting
Spruce Grouse Rarely Need to Leave the Conifers—Find the Right Forest Age, Ground Cover, and Wet Edges
by rootby rootSpruce grouse country can feel almost too quiet. Black spruce. Jack pine. Fir. Moss. Wet ground. Narrow forest roads cutting through miles of dark…
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Hunting
Mountain Quail Hide in the Steepest Brush—Find the Creek Canyons, Shrub Edges, and Vertical Escape Routes
by rootby rootMountain quail country can look like an upland hunter’s worst idea. Steep slopes. Brush-covered hillsides. Creek canyons. Young forest. Loose rock. Wet grass. A…
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Hunting
Sharp-tailed Grouse Live in Big Prairie—But the Birds Usually Concentrate Around the Smallest Habitat Changes
by rootby rootSharp-tailed grouse country looks endless. Grass. Rolling hills. Brushy draws. Crop edges. A few scattered trees. Nothing seems capable of hiding an entire flock.…
