Before you even start packing your backpack, the very first thing you’ll want to do is organize the gear that you’ll be taking with you on the trip.

Start by laying it all out on the floor to get a sense of everything you plan to bring along. This gives you the opportunity to take a quick inventory of your equipment and identify the things that might be missing from the collection, not to mention the items that aren’t necessary for that particular outing. It is also a good way to assess whether or not your backpack has the capacity to haul everything you want to take with you.

Once you’ve collected all of the gear that you’ll be using on your trip, the next step is to start putting all of it inside your pack.

Naturally that means starting at the bottom, where you’ll place the items that you’ll least likely need to access throughout the day or when you first arrive at camp that night. Those items generally include the following:

• Sleeping bag
• Extra camp shoes
• Any layers of clothing that you aren’t likely to need on the trail that day. 

To get started:

A. First place your sleeping bag at the very bottom of the pack. This helps give the bag some shape and provides a soft cushion where the pack rests against your lower back.

B. If you’re bringing an extra pair of shoes, place them on top of the sleeping bag.

C. Then stuff your additional layers of clothing on or around the shoes to help hold everything securely in place.

The middle section of your backpack is where you want to store heavier items that you won’t necessarily need while hiking.

This creates a good center of gravity, helping you to maintain your sense of balance on the trail, even while scrambling over rocks or up and down rough terrain. If bulky items are too close to the bottom they can cause the backpack to hang lower than it should, potentially causing discomfort. If those items are placed near the top, they can alter the center of gravity, creating instability. They would also just be in the way when trying to access items that need to be more readily available.

The gear that you’ll want to stash in the core section of your pack includes your:

• Tent
• Camp stove
• Cooking pots
• Any food that you won’t need throughout the day.
• It is also a good place to store extra clothing, fuel canisters, and a bear canister (for storing food) if one is required where you’ll be camping.

Finally, you’ll top off your backpack with the items that you’re most likely need to access during the day, as well as the things you’ll want close at hand should an emergency arise.

For example, if it starts to rain, you’ll want to be able to grab your rain gear as quickly as possible, so having a waterproof jacket in an easily accessible place is a good idea. The top of the pack is also a good place to stash your lunch, too, as you’re likely to stop somewhere along the way for a quick meal.

Other items that should be packed close to the top include:

• An insulated jacket
• First aid kit
• Any toilet supplies 

The top of your pack is also the perfect location for your headlamp, extra snacks, and a water filter, as those are important items you may need to grab while en route from one campsite to the next.

With the inside of your pack quickly filling up, you’ll find extra storage space outside of the bag to be a handy place to store smaller items. For instance, most packs have gear straps at the bottom that are perfect for attaching a sleeping pad. Lashing points are good for holding trekking poles and ice axes, or attaching a GPS device or compass via a lanyard for easy access.

External pockets are designed for holding tent poles, a water bottle, or a pair of shoes. A lightweight solar panel can even be connected to the pack for charging small electronics while you’re on the go.

Most backpacks have hip belts equipped with small zippered pockets, too. These are handy for keeping energy bars, a camera, or a smartphone within easy reach.

Once you’ve securely loaded all of the gear in your pack and made sure your footwear is in order, you’ll be ready to hit the trail. By following these guidelines, the weight load should be well distributed, and all of your equipment should be organized, too. This will make hiking with a full pack much more enjoyable and keep things simple when arriving at your campsite at the end of the day.

This means getting your base pack weight down to somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 to 20 pounds, while packing smart to bring the items to keep you safe and comfortable at the same time.

But getting started with ultralight hiking can be a bit daunting, making it difficult to know what you should and shouldn’t bring with you on a backpacking excursion. If you’ve been looking for ways to dip your toe in the ultralight pond, we have 10 tips that can help you get started. 

One of the first things you should do when looking to cut excess weight from your pack is to evaluate everything that you’re bringing with you. Chances are there are some items that you don’t actually need that are just taking up space and adding ounces.

For instance, one set of clothes that function as a good layering system is all that you really need to stay comfortable on the trail. It may be nice to have something clean to put on every day, but if you want to travel faster and lighter, that is a luxury you’ll have to learn to do without. 

When selecting the gear that you want to take with you, break out the scale and check to see just how much everything weighs. You may discover that items you thought were lightweight are actually heavier than you imagined. You’ll also gain a better sense of what is contributing to your overall pack weight, too.

A good backpack is essential to any hiking excursion, but if your pack is more than a couple of years old, or hasn’t been specifically designed to go ultralight, it probably weighs more than it should.

These days, a lightweight pack often tips the scales at less than two pounds, which is substantially lighter than most other bags on the market. For instance, Hyperlight Mountain Gear’s 2400 Southwest model weighs just 1.9 pounds and offers 40-liters of carrying capacity, making it a great choice for nearly any adventure.

Osprey’s Levity line (for men) and Lumina Line (for women) of ultralite packs is also an excellent option to consider.

Tents made of all mesh have replaced traditional shelters for many lightweight hikers, but there are several other options to consider as well. For instance, a lot of ultra-lighters prefer to use a simple tarp to keep wind and rain at bay, while others have taken to using hammocks instead.

With a weight of just 5.8 ounces, the ENO Sub6 is a popular option for hammock campers, while the Zpacks Hexamid Pocket Tarp is even lighter at 3.4 ounces. 

Rather than bringing a sleeping bag for the worst conditions that you could encounter, bring one that is designed for use in the conditions you are most likely to be camping in. That bag will naturally be smaller and lighter, but still comfortable. Should an unexpected cold snap hit, bundle up in some extra layers for added warmth.

Traditionally, hikers have worn rugged boots to keep their feet well protected on the trail, and while those shoes have gotten lighter over the years, they still tend to be heavier than what ultralight backpackers need.

Instead, consider switching to a pair of trail running shoes, which still offer plenty of protection and stability while also managing to cut a serious amount of weight. Altra’s Lone Peak 3.5 is a popular option that doesn’t compromise support while still weighing just 12.5 ounces.

While hydration reservoirs and Nalgene bottles are usually standard equipment on most hiking trips, they do add extra weight to your pack. A disposable 1-liter water bottle is inexpensive, refillable, weighs less than 6 ounces, and offers plenty of capacity to keep you hydrated on the trail. When you return home, simply recycle it.

Gear that can serve more than one purpose can save weight and make you more efficient. For instance, trekking poles are not only good for maintaining balance on tricky trails, but they can also serve as poles for your shelter, too.

Similarly, a Buff can be used as a hat, headband, balaclava, or even a scarf, while a multitool, like Leatherman’s Signal, can serve numerous functions, too. The more versatile a piece of gear is the more likely you’ll want to carry it. 

Buying new lightweight gear isn’t always an option, but you can modify your existing gear to save some weight. For example, remove excesses belts, straps, and buckles from your backpack to shave ounces or leave tent stakes at home in favor of a free-standing shelter instead.

Ultralight backpackers will go to great lengths to remove unnecessary weight, including cutting the handle off their toothbrush, crafting a stove from a cat food can, and taking a first aid kit with only the bare minimum of items. 

A smartphone can be incredibly useful on the trail, serving as a GPS device, camera, and entertainment center. But mobile phones and other electronic gadgets also require power to keep them working, otherwise they just become dead weight. That means you’ll also need to carry a battery pack, solar panel, or some other method for keeping the device charged in the backcountry. 

All of these items add extra weight to your pack that you don’t necessarily need. Besides, part of the reason we go into the wilderness is to escape those devices in the first place. 

Better yet, there’s no right way to car camp. There’s the couple with the tricked-out cargo van, and the gal sleeping in her Mazda hatchback right next to her mountain bike. There’s the family in the station wagon, the dudes on their motorcycles, and the retired folks piloting their R.V. around the country. Here are five top car camping spots around the country that deliver high adventure.

Best Time to Visit: Late June through August

What to do: Located about five miles from Crested Butte, an iconic Colorado mining-town-turned-outdoors-mecca, this campground straddles the Slate River and offers 360-degree views of the shark-toothed elk mountains.

World class mountain biking trails start from the campground. There’s also an abundance of fly-fishing, hiking, and stand up paddleboarding. July is peak wildflower season.

Essentials: When the sun goes down, the temperatures plummet. Bring a down jacket and warm hat so you can stargaze sans chills.

Contact: Campground info; Crested Butte recreation 

Best Time to Visit: This is a great summer car camping destination, but May is a prime month to visit, when more than 370 species of birds migrate through the area.

What to do: Birders will love the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival in mid-May. The park abuts the southern tip of Lake Michigan and offers world class beaches. Hikers should tackle the Three Dune Challenge, which involves climbing the three highest sand dunes.

Essentials: A proper sandal or camp shoe like the Oboz Footwear Campster to protect your feet from the ground is essential. Polarized sunglasses are also recommended, and a good set of binoculars like the Athlon Optics Midas ED.

Contact:  Indiana Dunes State Park; Visitor info 

Best Time to Visit: Mid-December through April, when the temperatures range from 70- to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

What to do: The park has an award-winning beach and historic bridge to an offshore island. Popular activities include snorkeling, kayaking (rent them at the marina if you don’t have your own), tarpon fishing and swimming. And Key West is just over an hour’s drive farther south.

Essentials: Snorkel and mask, sunscreen, and fishing gear.

Contact: Bahia Honda State Park and The Florida Keys and Key West 

Best Time to Visit: September in Maine is ideal; most tourists have gone home, the daytime temps are warm, and the ocean is still warm enough for (quick) swimming.

What to do: This ocean-view campground is a water lover’s paradise. With canoe, kayak, and paddleboat rentals (the paddleboats are relegated to an old quarry), opportunities to float abound. There’s also a heated pool, playground, and 50 miles of bike-friendly carriage roads. More than 120 miles of hiking trails are in striking distance of the campground.

Essentials: Sturdy hiking boots, camp chair and Thermocell for your campsite since there are still lingering mosquitos in early autumn in Maine.

Contact: Somes Sound View Campground

Best Time to Visit: This high desert destination in Central Oregon is most pleasant spring and fall.

What to do: Smith Rock State Park is home to several thousand rock climbs, the four-mile Misery Ridge Trial, and the 7.5-mile Summit Trail. Though primarily a draw for rock climbers, the park also allows hiking and mountain biking, and offers stunning views of the Three Sisters, defunct volcanoes that define the Central Oregon horizon.

Essentials: A reliable hydration pack and a sturdy sun hat are essential for staving off the high and dry climate.

Contact: Smith Rock State Park; Visitor Info 

Typically, these waterways are hidden gems. Some of them are snubbed because they take some work and time to access, or they’re surrounded by so many well-known larger fisheries that they stay in the background. But they’re all bass fishing meccas that few people fish and deserving of your attention if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

The St. Regis flows out of the Adirondacks into the St. Lawrence River and is a hidden gem among Northeast bass fisheries. In fact, it shares that distinction with two other nearby St. Lawrence feeders, the Raquette River and the Grasse River.

Though the St. Regis can’t be described as remote, its best fishing lies within the boundaries of the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation – part of the larger Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne. Those who fish with a tribal member or tribal guide aren’t required to purchase the $40 annual permit; otherwise, the permit is available through the St. Regis Mohawk Council Conservation Program. Contact Conservation Officer Taylor Mitchell at 613-575-2250 Ext. 2412 for more information.

Fishing season begins right after ice-out on the reservation, with smallmouths – and lots of them – available in the shoal waters of the St. Regis. Downstream, at the mouth of the river where it meets the St. Lawrence, largemouths predominate. Expect to catch a few northern pike and perhaps even a muskie while casting the standard bass baits.

There are plenty of places to stay and eat in Hogansburg, which is the home of a popular casino. The best bet is to book a local fishing guide such as William Clute of Mohawk Trails (518-358-4373) before setting out on the St. Regis.

Depending on when and where, exceptional bass fishing can be experienced in New England, though perhaps more so because fishing pressure there is relatively light as compared to other regions.

Chalk Candlewood up as one of those underutilized fisheries, even if it is smack dab in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.  The 5,400-acre impoundment is surrounded by Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford and Sherman, Conn., and lots of marinas and guide services are available.

Smallmouths are the main course here, with fish topping 3 pounds on average being plentiful. There are also plenty of largemouths in the 3- and 4-pound class, but some over 8 pounds have been caught in recent years.

To get pointed in the right direction, visit the Candlewood Lake Authority

Lake Erie, Mille Lacs, Lake St. Clair, Chequamegon Bay – there are so many great smallmouth waters in the Upper Midwest that Charlevoix often goes overlooked. Suffice it to say it is one of the best fisheries in the country for giant brownies and lots of them.

This 17,260-acre lake is in the northeast corner of Lake Michigan between Mackinaw City and Traverse City and has the sort of habitat that produces smallmouths that are fat and aggressive. Charlevoix forks about midway into a South Arm and East Arm – the former more popular in late spring and early summer during the spawning season. The deeper water of the East Arm is a useful laboratory for fishermen who want to improve their drop-shotting techniques. The primary bass forage is crawfish and gobies, so crankbaits – lipped and lipless – produce a lot of fish early. Later, in the summer and fall, finesse baits shine.

This is one of those lakes where you don’t have to worry about running out of fish. Charlevoix is connected to Lake Michigan by Round Lake at the town of Charlevoix, so it gets replenished on a regular basis. It’s also a good place to get out of the gales that sweep down from Canada in late summer.

For more information, start with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources  and Visit Charlevoix.

This mountain lake was a sick puppy in 2011. That’s when the TVA impoundment hit rock bottom at 43 feet below normal pool, so repairs could be made to its Wolf Creek Dam. Lake access became a problem and consequently kept a lot of bass from chomping down on lures.

Now Cumberland has bounced back to its full 65,530-acre size and fishes like a new lake full of jumbo hungry bass. As far as numbers of big smallmouths are concerned, Lake Cumberland would give the more famous Dale Hollow to the south a run for its money. Though certain areas are known for their predominant populations of largemouths, smallmouths and spotted bass, the feeder creeks in the lower end of the lake harbors good populations of all three.

For more information regarding local accommodations and a list of lake guides, visit Lake Cumberland’s tourism site.

Once you partake of the gorgeous sweeping views of the southern Appalachians in all directions, you might not care if the fish are biting are not. The scenery surrounding this 7,500-acre lake that sprawls from its dam near Hayesville, N.C. southward to Hiawassee, Ga., can be distracting, but actually the fishing has been coming on strong in the last few years. Mainly that’s due to the increase in the spotted bass population, though at the expense of the native smallmouths.

Largemouth bass are available in good numbers, and spotted bass grown fat on blueback herring are the main course. There are still a few smallmouth bass in the lake, especially on the southern end, but spots have all but replaced them elsewhere.

The late, nationally known bass fishing guru, Doug Hannon, rated the lakes and ponds within Central Florida’s Ocala National Forest as his favorite destination for humongous Florida bass. He also considered it the likely home of a new world record that will beat the current mark of 22 pounds, 4 ounces.

The ponds and lakes range in size from a few acres to several hundred acres. Of the 40 or so lakes that are fishable here in the southernmost national forest in the country, about half have boat ramps, though some of these are suitable only for kayaks or small johnboats transported in with 4-wheel-drive vehicles.

The effort is usually worth it, however, especially if you’re the type of angler who likes peace and quiet while you’re fishing. Typically, the lakes and ponds are shallow, tannin-stained and support a variety of aquatic vegetation. Take along plenty of weedless soft-plastic baits such as frogs and worms, and be advised: This is no place for light lines and light tackle.

The Forest is flanked by Daytona Beach on the east, Ocala on the west and Gainesville to the northwest, so finding all the comforts an urban area provides isn’t difficult. Also, there are a number of campgrounds in the Forest that take reservations (877-444-6777) and fees range from $4 to $20, depending on services and locale. A few cabins are also available for rent or you can rough it, as primitive camping is allowed in designated areas except in gun hunting season.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, though 18,700-acre Lake O’ the Pines is not huge compared to such giants as Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend.  Similar to a north Florida lake, Lake O’ the Pines has an average depth of about 13 feet, with stained waters and a reputation for quality fishing in early season. Though Lake Fork is the undisputed leader when it comes to producing big Texas largemouths, Lake O’ the Pines isn’t too shabby either, as the lake record is just over 15 pounds. It was caught in late March 2010 on a Rat-L-Trap.

If you want big lakes and the company of lots of other bass fishermen, target famous Arizona fishing holes such as Apache Lake, Navajo Lake or Havasu. If you want to enjoy a getaway far from the madding crowd, though, Black River is the place.

The West and East Forks of the river start in the alpine setting of the White Mountains of northern Arizona and downriver from where they meet offers some of the best smallmouth fishing in high desert country.

The lower part of the Black produces numbers of 2- to 3-pound smallmouths and the occasional larger fish. Spinning tackle rigged with inline spinners, small jerkbaits, jigs and the usual mix of smallmouth baits work well, though fly-fishing gear and crawfish patterns, Dahlberg Divers or Wooly Buggers arguably see more fishing time here.

Plan to fish out of canoes or kayaks but be forewarned: the upper Black River has a few stretches of rapids and shoals and isn’t a waterway for beginning paddlers. The terrain gradually flattens farther downstream and the Black broadens to take on more of the characteristics of a lowland river.

As the Black River is the boundary between the San Carlos Apache Reservation and the White Mountain Apache Tribe Reservation, fishing access permits are required, depending on which side you fish or put in on. On the San Carlos side, a daily permit costs $10 while on the White Mountain side, it’s $9. Annual permits are available too, as are camping permits. There are a number of other fishing permits available that cover other lakes and rivers on the reservations.

Access points are numerous, but usually involve unpaved roads. Still, it’s the remoteness that makes the Black River a fishing destination in a league of its own.

Who goes to Big Sky Country to fish for bass? Hardly anyone, but maybe they should. The waters of this 7,700-acre impoundment on the Clark Fork River near Trout Creek in the northwestern corner of Montana are teeming with largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Noxon Reservoir hosts a few tournaments in the summer months, but except for the random weekend angler from Kalispell or Missoula, it practically goes unnoticed. The fishing here is first-rate, however, as are the knockout views of surrounding mountains.

The lake is sandwiched between the Kaniksu National Forest on the north and the Coeur d’Alene National Forest to the south. Chances are you’ll spot deer, bighorn sheep and elk watering while you’re fishing down the bank. Start your

It might seem odd to pick an entire region over just one lake, but there are so many good, underutilized fisheries in northern California that the entire region deserves mention. For instance, 30,000-acre Lake Shasta is a great spotted bass fishery and Whiskeytown Lake (3,458 acres), near Redding, produces lots of trophy spots as well as largemouths and smallmouths.

For a number of years, Trinity Lake, northwest of Redding, was known for producing the state-record smallmouth bass of 9 pounds, 1 ounce. In 2017, 4,700-acre New Bullards Bar Reservoir in North Central California, near Yuba City, yielded the world record spotted bass of 11 pounds, 4 ounces – and plenty more in the same weight class. A Google search will provide the names and website addresses of plenty of guides at any of the lakes.

Understanding the engineering that goes into today’s specialized loads (and why some loads fetch such a high price) takes some education. We’ve done the legwork to gather six of the best loads out there to help you determine just the right load to use this spring when you head into the turkey woods along with some tips about sighting in and chokes that will put you right on target.

The core of today’s specialized loads is “hard” lead pellets. Lead, by nature, is a soft metal, but by alloying six-percent antimony the lead becomes harder. Thin copper and nickel plating adds some additional hardness, but more importantly, these platings add lubricity to the pellets as they slip and slide around when violently launched down the barrel. All turkey-specific loads, lead or tungsten alloy, retain plenty of downrange killing energy long past the practical shooting range of a turkey. 

The broad spectrum of shells available, mainly for the 12, but also the 10 and the increasingly popular 20 gauge, are all effective gobbler-getters. Below are some of the more expensive, feature-laden loads available. Depending on the complexity of the load, costs run from about .80 cents a shot to nearly $8!  However, budget-conscious turkey hunters need not feel like they’ve been left out. There are plenty of less expensive shells available that will also do a good job on gobblers. Just shop around and you’ll quickly discover just how wide an assortment of great shotshells are available for turkey hunting this spring.

Specs: 2 ¾-, 3- and 3 ½-inch. No. 4, 5 and 6, velocity 1,200 fps. 

Details: This load uses Winchester’s Shot-Lok technology that encases the pellets in a shot-protecting resin that disintegrates upon leaving the muzzle. 

Price: $17.99 - $23.99 | 10 rounds

Specs: 2 ¾-, 3- and 3 ½-inch., velocity 1,250 fps. 

Details: Federal’s 3rd Degree load utilizes three different pellets; 20% No. 6 Flitestopper, 40% No. 5 copper-plated lead and 40% No. 7 TSS Heavyweight contained with a FliteControl wad that releases the shot charge farther down range. The premise is that the Flitestopper pellets with their circumferential band will spread providing a wider patter at close range while delivering more downrange lethality. 

Price: $17.99 - $20.99 | 5 rounds

Specs: 2 ¾-, 3- and 3 ½-inch. No. 4, 5 and 6, velocity 1,210 fps. 

Details: A standard-style load using Nitro Mag extra-hard lead shot with a polymer buffer in a Power-Piston wad. Remington suggests 80-percent patterns at a bargain price. 

Price: $7.99 - $15.99 | 10 rounds

Specs: 2 ¾-, 3- and 3 ½-inch. No. 5, 6 and 7 blend, velocity 1,200 fps. 

Details:  Hevi Shot, products known for their heavier-than-lead tungsten-nickel pellets, uses a moly coating in this triplex load of three different-sized pellets to product a “cone of lethality.” 

Price: $22.99 - $26.99 | 5 rounds

Specs: 2 ¾-, 3- and 3 ½-inch. No. 4, 5 and 6, velocity 1,285 fps. 

Details: Diamond Shot employs extra-hare lead shot that is polished and then coated with a proprietary material that provides excellent down-range patterns. Mainly used in their competition target loads, its extension to turkey shells is a good move. 

Price: $7.99 - $8.99 | 10 rounds

Specs: 3-inch. No. 5, velocity 1,300 fps. 

Details: Old timers will remember the Herter’s catalog that paved the way for Cabela’s, who now own the Herter’s trade name. Loaded in Italy, these are bargain-priced loads for the cost-conscious hunter and will bring ol’ Tom to the dinner table and still leave some dollars in your wallet to celebrate with. 

Price: $7.19 - $7.99 | 10 rounds

Specs: 3- and 3 ½-inch. No. 7 ½, 8 and 9. 

Details: Apex TSS turkey loads use a tungsten-blend pellet with the increased density of 18.0 gr/cc as opposed to 11 gr/cc for lead. This allows the use of much smaller pellets thereby increasing pattern density. Be advised that at this writing, their website states they are completely sold out of ammunition, but they promise to have a supply soon. 

Price: $39.99 | 5 rounds

No matter which ammo you choose, it is absolutely critical that you know how your shotgun will perform both where and then how it shoots. 

At a safe place to shoot, measure exactly 16 yards and set up a target about 30-inches square at eye level and mark the center. Then, standing at the 16-yard mark, fire three aimed shots. If they impact dead on, fine, but if they deviate even a bit, measure from the center of the aim point to the center of the pattern. For each inch off the center, your stock needs to be adjusted 1/16 of an inch. For example, if the impact is two inches low, you need to raise the stock’s comb â…› inch. To put this into perspective, if the pattern is two inches low at 16 yards it can be as much as a foot or more low at 40 yards.

Once your shotgun is properly sighted in, you can move to determining what choke/ammo combination works best for you. The industry standard is 40 yards, but if you consistently lure birds to within 30 yards, then set up for that distance. Target sheets should be about 40 inches square, but because we’re looking for 80 percent of the pellets to be in the head and neck region, smaller sheets will work. (You can buy them ready made from Hunter John.) 

Shooting from a solid rest, like sand bags, a rifle pedestal or Lead Sled, fire a shot, then change the target and fire another for a total of three targets. If the shot appears to be all on the paper, three may be enough. If there’s any doubt, shoot two more for a total of five. Then carefully look them over. You want the concentration of shot to be heaviest around the center of the pattern. 

Keep in mind that extremely tight choke tubes can deliver devastating pellet numbers to a turkey’s head and neck, but . . . often times a more open choke will deliver a more even pellet distribution. Only you can decide how you want your shotgun to deliver the shot to the bird. When you get there, you will have all the confidence in the world that when a love-sick Tom eyes your decoy, he’ll be headed to the oven.

For many Western hunters, this challenge is literally part of the landscape. West of Nebraska, public land is abundant and accessible. Hunting opportunities are varied and plentiful. And while outfitters do good business, most hunts are open to anyone with a tag and a willingness to learn the country and the animals, and who can take care of themselves in landscapes with few signs of human development.

But a Western hunting trip is seldom as easy as loading up the Suburban and pointing it toward the sunset. Many big-game tags require years of going through the application process before you draw. Season dates, bag limits, and hunting-unit boundaries often change from year to year. And then there’s the scale of the country. It’s big and wild, and often requires specialized gear. Sound intimidating? It is, but don’t let that scare you away from an awesome adventure. Here’s a way to get started.

These five hunts represent classic Western public-land adventures, but they don’t require years of planning and license preference-point accumulation. And all are easily accomplished with basic gear. Best of all, you can do them right now!

The clock is ticking on the largest native upland bird of the West. Sage grouse are a perennial candidate for listing as an endangered species, mainly because of habitat loss. Hunting opportunities for “bombers,” as sage grouse are often called for their ponderous flight, have been restricted over the years. Currently, only a couple of states offer sage grouse hunting.

Wyoming has the most abundant sage grouse population in the West, but the season runs for only a fortnight in the best area, called Hunt Area 1, which basically covers the western half of the state. The season runs Sept. 16-30 this year, and hunters can bag two sage grouse a day and keep four in possession. Nonresident hunting licenses cost $74 for the season (allowing you to also hunt sharptail grouse, partridge, and pheasants), or $22 per day. There’s also a nonresident youth license, which costs $40 per season and is a good incentive to bring young hunters on this classic Western bird hunt.

GO HERE: The Cowboy State’s best sage grouse area is the expansive sagebrush sea along the historic Mormon and Oregon trails, from Casper west to South Pass. Almost all this land is public (managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and you can camp and fish on much of these federal properties. During late September, hike riparian washes and areas with tall, shady sagebrush, where the birds will seek shade and bugs on hot autumn afternoons.

Sky-darkening flocks of waterfowl, abundant public access and one of the most varied bags in the West are all within sight of metropolitan Salt Lake City. Waterfowling Utah’s Great Salt Lake is one of the most accessible and productive hunts in the West.

Even better, it doesn’t take a lot of planning or gear to bag ducks here in this sprawling inland sea, surrounded with abundant public marshland. For good pass-shooting and decoying with small spreads, head to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on the northeast shore of Great Salt Lake.

GO HERE: Set up on dikes on Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, where a small boat will get you away from the crowds and allow you to decoy diving species like redheads, buffleheads, ringnecks, and even the mighty canvasback, the trophy bird of American waterfowlers.

For season rules, license fees, and open (and closed) hunting areas, check out the annual Utah Waterfowl Guidebook.

Drawing a Montana nonresident deer or elk tag can take years of preference-point accumulation or you can buy a bear tag over the counter and hunt the same public areas as you would for antlered game.

There is a catch; you have to take a simple bear-ID test to prove that you can tell the difference between black and grizzly bears, which often share the same habitats in western Montana. The other thing you should know is that bear hunting in Montana is entirely spot-and-stalk. Neither baiting nor hound hunting is legal here. Those restrictions actually improve the hunt; black bear hunting is so similar in locale and style to deer and elk hunting that a bear hunt is a great primer for hunting antlered game.

GO HERE: National forests and wilderness areas from Bozeman to Kalispell offer the best bear hunting. Specific forests include the Lewis & Clark, Flathead, and Lolo. For a directory of each forest, as well as maps showing public-land boundaries, contact the Region 1 office in Missoula, Mont.

A trophy mule deer buck tag for Arizona is one of the most coveted permits in America. But the Grand Canyon state offers abundant hunting opportunities for both mule and Coues deer for hunters who use archery gear.

Many units are open for late-season bowhunting on over-the-counter tags (OTC). And there are few better ways to escape the winter blues in the rest of the nation than spending late December and January in Arizona’s deer country. Both mule deer and Coues deer are huntable on these OTC tags, and because the season corresponds with the Coues deer rut, this is one of the best times to see numbers of the gray ghosts in the desert mountains.

Tags are reasonably priced—$160 for the nonresident hunting license plus the $300 deer tag (resident prices are $45 and $57, respectively)—and units are as varied as Arizona’s terrain. Arizona’s online hunt planner is a great way to identify open units and plan for the mix of terrain and season types that each offer for deer hunters.

GO HERE: For Coues deer, hunt the southern mountains, especially units east of Tucson and near the New Mexico border. Mule deer and Coues deer roam the units along the Mexican border east of Nogales.

With the largest elk herd in the nation, over-the-counter tags and abundant public land, Colorado is an elk-hunters’ destination. Problem is, all that opportunity can lead to frustration unless you do some solid homework and plan to hoof it to get away from access roads and the crowds they attract.

Plan on either the 2nd or 3rd rifle seasons, which run Oct. 20-28 and Nov. 3-11 this year. During these periods, snowfall isn’t too extensive, and elk are still fairly well distributed on public lands. The tough thing is that a big high-country snowfall could certainly change your plans overnight.

GO HERE: For planning, a great starting point is the state’s digital hunting atlas, which shows unit boundaries and game-management unit designations. Cross-reference that information with harvest statistics from Colorado’s Craig region, available from the Division of Parks & Wildlife’s excellent hunting guides, and you should have a good idea of where to find both public land and huntable elk.

The rest is up to you, and your gear. People assume that with over 300,000 head of elk, there’s a wapiti behind every tree. The reality is that to have consistent success in Colorado, you need the ability to hike hard, spend long days in the field, and have the flexibility to move up or down in elevation, or deeper in the backcountry, as conditions dictate.

On a recent antler hike my six-year old twin girls eagerly flanked my wife and I as we walked up a snow-covered two track on a neighborhood farm. The landowner was nice enough to give us permission to look for shed deer antlers, and the girls were ready to fill up my backpack. My own expectations, after a couple of decades of antler hunting, were a bit lower than theirs, but a shed hunt isn’t just about collecting bone. 

On this particular day, temperatures in our area of Minnesota reached into the 40s, and it was simply a nice day to take a wooded walk in March. We hiked along the edge of a pond and then up a cedar-dotted hillside while the girls checked out every deer bed. They also kept an eye on our black Lab to see if she, too, might find an antler, which is a task that any dog with retrieving desire can be trained to do. 

It wasn’t until we were half an hour into our hike that I saw three inches of something white periscoping up through the leaves beneath a stubby red oak. I wasn’t sure if it was a tine, but I sent my daughter up ahead on the trail anyway. She was bug-eyed at the size of it and excited by the fact that, at least to her, she had found something so cool on her own. 

After that we scoured a picked soybean field and a few more potential spots, but never found another antler. We did make plans to take another Sunday afternoon to sweep that farm, or one of the many parks near our house in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. As it turns out-and as the girls are learning-there are a lot of places in which a person can roam to hunt for deer antlers. 

While I won’t turn down a chance to shed hunt private ground, most of my hunts occur on public land-and most of yours probably will as well. There are many kinds of land open to the public including State Parks, County Parks, Park Preserves, and plenty of other open spaces, all of which are good options for the willing shed hunter. 

A quick search on your smartphone will reveal nearby areas that will allow you to hike either for free, or for the cost of a daily pass. That same smartphone will also allow you to look at maps of a given property as well as aerial photos. I’m a big fan of walking wherever my whims take me, so I don’t plan out much of a route when I’m taking the family shed hunting. However, it’s nice to know where certain trails lead and where the property boundaries are. OnX offers a great app for this purpose.

Deer spend most of their time either on food sources or where they bed. If the land you’re roaming has a picked cornfield or other agricultural field, that’s a natural place to begin your antler hunt. Bedding areas tend to be in the thicker cover, or often along wooded ridges. The trails that connect the two are also great places to walk. 

Overall, the absolute best spots to look are those where you see the freshest sign and the most well-used trails. That’s why I head out with a loose plan on where to look for antlers and end up spending most of my time wandering wherever the sign takes me, which is also part of the fun. 

Finding shed antlers is exciting, but it’s not easy. If you expect to slip into a woodlot in your neighborhood park and find enough bone to necessitate extra trips out of the woods to spread out the load, think again. If you cover enough ground and follow enough miles of deer trails through the landscape, you might find one. If you do, mark the spot and take a good look around the area. A buck that has dropped one side of his rack will often lose the other within a couple of hundred yards, and finding a matched set is pretty special. 

Of course, many of the times you and the family go shed hunting, you’ll come home empty-handed, but that’s OK. Studies have shown that one of the best ways to boost mental health is to simply take a hike in nature. If that happens to result in a really cool souvenir that only a few weeks before was attached to a buck’s head, then that’s a bonus. 

Fortunately, there are now a number of great solutions available for charging our electronic equipment while on the go. So, whether you’re heading out for just the day or for weeks at a time, these are the best ways to prevent your devices from running out of juice and becoming nothing more than dead weight in your pack.

Even if you’re just going out for day hike, it is always a good idea to take a portable battery pack with you just in case. Sometimes you find yourself hiking for far longer than you expected and the last thing you want is for your smartphone or rechargeable headlamp to die on you just when you need it most.

There are literally dozens of compact battery packs to choose from, but if you’re going to be spending a considerable amount of time in the outdoors, you’ll want one that is rugged and built to withstand the elements. 

Lifeproof’s LifeActive Power Pack ($79.99) fits that description nicely, offering enough power to recharge an iPhone more than three times and featuring a durable case that is both water and drop-proof. The LifeActive includes a quick-charging USB port for rapid refills and bright LED lights that allow it to be used as a flashlight or emergency flasher, too. 

If you are camping or traveling for a few days at a time, a higher capacity battery pack is likely in order. On longer getaways you’re more likely to be carrying extra electronic gear with you, such as a camera, GPS device, or Bluetooth speaker. You’ll also need to keep your smartphone running for extended periods of time too, which can be a challenge in and of itself. 

The RAVPower Exclusives Solar Power Bank ($52.99) stores enough energy to recharge a smartphone as many as ten times and it comes with a built-in flashlight too. It is also dust, drop, and waterproof, has multiple USB in and out ports for rapid recharging, and is equipped with its own solar panel to help keep its internal battery topped off as well.

An extended camping trip lasting a week or longer could involve a considerable amount of electronic gear. Not only will smartphones, cameras, and GPS devices be a part of the mix, but tablets, laptops, and even drones may come along for the journey too.

In those circumstances, you’ll need a much larger power source, typically moving away from compact battery packs in favor of portable power stations instead. What these devices lack in portability they make up for with batteries that are much higher in capacity. They’ll also offer more options when it comes to charging ports too.

The Jackery Explorer 240 ($230) is a great choice when choosing this type of portable power station, bringing a nice mix of size, capacity, and charging options. With 240 watt-hour of battery life it can recharge an iPhone more than 15 times, or a laptop as many as 2-4 times.

And since it features an AC wall outlet built right in, it can be used to power just about anything, from LCD televisions to small appliances. It also includes two quick-charging USB ports and a 12-volt DC port too. On top; of that, it can even be recharged in the field using Jackery’s 50-watt solar panel. 

For those who spend extended periods of time in the backcountry and need power in a base camp setting, a larger power station is likely in order. Not only will you need more capacity, you’ll definitely want more charging ports and outlets too.

Compatibility with a solar panel is a must too since you’ll need a way to recharge the power station over an extended period of time. With the right set-up, you could theoretically stay off the grid indefinitely and keep your electronic gear charged the entire time. 

For these long-term needs, Goal Zero’s Yeti 1000 Lithium is the perfect choice. Not only does it offer more than 1000-watt hours of power, but it includes two AC wall outlets, a 12-volt DC port, and four USB ports, all in a package that weighs just 40 pounds. It is also compatible with the company’s Boulder 100-watt portable solar panel for convenient charging anywhere. 

February is usually a gloomy month for outdoorsmen. Waterfowl and whitetail seasons have recently closed.  It’s too cold to go fishing, and cabin fever seems to be a common illness. However, this time of year offers the best chance at getting a jump-start on killing a spring gobbler. 

To beat the February blues, I like to grab my .410 for squirrels and rabbits, and lace on a good pair of hiking boots. Boots on the ground is one of the biggest factors in setting the table for spring gobbler success as knowing the lay of the land is critical. The foliage is off the trees this time of the year, which makes a walk through the woods fairly easy. The snakes and ticks usually haven’t made their warm weather debut quite yet, either. And since whitetail deer shed their antlers this time of year, you can keep a lookout for sheds while you search for turkeys. 

Before I set foot in the woods, however, I use satellite imagery to locate roads, ridges, hollers (the bottom of deep hardwood ravines), edges (where pine trees and hardwoods meet), and crop fields, which are all prime places to find turkeys. Once I begin walking, it’s important to keep an eye out for tracks, droppings, dusting sites, and feathers. If I find a track or feather, I’ll come back later in the spring and have a listen. 

For thousands of years, fires have been used as a tool to regenerate the forest floor and activate growth that directly benefits the wildlife that calls the understory home. On public lands all across the country, there are seasonal prescribed fires conducted by professionals to enhance the ecosystem. Since these areas are normally open to hunting and other outdoor activities, fire warnings, burn areas, and fires breaks are usually visibly marked with signs for safety. Since professionals conduct these burns, forestry agencies keep detailed maps and records of burn areas and fire breaks for logistical and safety reasons. 

Visit the forestry office that manages the area where you want to hunt and ask to see these maps. Foresters are usually willing to share their knowledge of the woods. Once you have located fresh burn areas, finding a turkey is usually not very difficult as these areas draw turkeys like a magnet.

Firebreaks provide easy trails to sneak along and call in search of a willing gobbler, but they also create edges within vast tracks of timber. In my experience, gobblers love to strut and feed along the edges of these burned areas. Fire exposes many dormant seeds and produces new green growth at turkey level, providing a natural food plot. Unfortunately, every year there are uncontrolled forest fires across the country that burn with devastation, but they also have a positive effect on the ecosystem. The same tactics can be applied to finding and killing a long beard in these areas where natural burns have occurred.

Successful public-land turkey hunters all have their own unique tactics that set themselves apart from other hunters. Sometimes finding birds requires going farther than most hunters are willing to go. When looking for new areas to find turkeys, water sources of all kinds are an excellent starting place. 

Turkeys love to roost over rivers, creeks, swamps, sloughs, and lakes because of the safety water provides from predators. Fortunately for us, most of the water sources turkeys like to roost over are fairly easy to navigate with a kayak, canoe or jon boat, allowing for a somewhat silent approach to gobblers off the beaten path. Even a set of waders or hip boots can be worn to quietly walk up creeks and ditches to get close to roosted turkeys. 

When thinking back through my years of successful turkey hunts, nearly half the birds I’ve taken died in the afternoon. In the peak of the breeding season, hens will leave gobblers in the late mornings and afternoons to go sit on their nests, leaving gobblers lonely and looking for love. I prefer to tackle afternoon hunts in one of two ways. 

The first is covering as much ground as possible, walking and calling loudly or using various locator calls (crow, owl, or red tail hawk) to strike up a lonely tom. Oftentimes, if a bird gobbles in the afternoon, they will come quickly and willingly to the call. The second method emphasizes patience. 

When I have located or established a pattern on a tom and I know the general area he likes to strut, roost, or feed in, I will quietly sneak in to those locations, set up, and softly call every 20 minutes. The openness of the terrain and the hunting pressure in a given area will usually determine whether I use a decoy or not.  A lot of hunters normally hunt the roost and once gobbling activity shuts off for the morning they pack up in frustration and leave the woods.  That’s a mistake. Take advantage of the afternoons because they are often the most exciting and rewarding times to tag a turkey. One word of caution, however.

Hunting public land can be extremely gratifying, but it also presents a certain level of danger. Always be cautious of other hunters when hunting public land. I rarely use a decoy on public-land hunts. If the situation calls for one, I only use a hen decoy to lessen the chance that another hunter might confuse it with a gobbler and accidently fire in my direction.

After a successful hunt, wrapping my dead bird in a blaze orange vest and simply wearing an orange hat and vest for the walk out are two precautions I take to ensure safety in the turkey woods. 

Ultimately, success on public land requires time afield, so step outside and go explore our wild public lands. They are teaming with turkeys. 

Here are five ways for you to determine the best times to head out for a day of fishing where you live.

Generally speaking, the warmer the weather, the better the fishing. No matter where you fish, the two best seasons to fish are spring and autumn. Spring is when bass shake off their winter doldrums and fatten up for spawning season. In postspawn, they pack on the pounds for their annual growth spurt.

In the fall, bass take advantage of the presence of young-of-the-year prey and add some weight to help them survive the lean times of winter.

Additionally, aquatic vegetation, such as hydrilla and water lilies, become way stations for fish moving shoreward. This is the peak time to fish such cover with soft-plastic frogs and toads.

Early morning and late evening are regarded as prime times for fishing during the warm-weather months, but why? A number of factors are at work:

Morning

• Various aquatic insects hatch at sunup and activate the food chain for everything from minnows to muskies.
• Shad gather and spawn at daylight, too.
• Phytoplankton and algae photosynthesis get a boost from the rising sun. This process both stimulates the daily feeding cycle and enhances dissolved oxygen content, which also energizes fish.

Evening

• As the day wanes, the water temperature is likely optimal and fish metabolism is still conducive to feeding.
• The cover of darkness makes fish such as bass feel more secure moving around in the open and in shallow water where baitfish tend to gather.
• Then, too, nightfall is one of the environmental allies that help predatory fish ambush prey. Conversely, times when the sun is high in the sky cause fish to reposition in deeper water, get under the cover of aquatic vegetation, bridges and docks, or move into submerged trees and brushy cover. Bass go where they have to in order to find food and feel safe.

Scientists aren’t exactly sure what it is about current in a lake or river that activates feeding among predators, but there’s no question that it improves fishing. Depending on how strong it is, current tends to gather forage fish together in tighter schools and makes it more efficient for bass and other species to feed on them.

Current – whether caused by hydroelectric generation, flooding or wind – causes bass to move to ambush points such as wood cover, shady banks, current funnels and seams, eddy edges or bottom structure including points, humps or sandbars. The steady water movement also generates more dissolved oxygen, which stimulates feeding action.

Dial in the Best Times to Fish With Solunar Predictors

The jury is still out regarding whether the position of the sun and moon in relation to the earth directly affects fishing success. One thing is certain: Local factors such as the weather, hold the trump card.

Many anglers rely on solunar prognostications such as John Alden Knight’s Solunar Tables, which are found in magazines or newspapers as well as on various websites. Certainly, when the moon and sun rise and set has an impact on fish as it relates to light duration and visibility. For instance, some fishermen believe that an early moonrise in the evening prolongs feeding activity.

Photograph Courtesy of Datasport, Inc.

Many anglers are convinced that the position of the sun and moon relative to the earth influences bass movement and feeding. One thing is for sure: such positive reinforcement makes us fish harder and with more diligence at the peak fishing times.

 

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Make up your own mind. Keep a journal that includes water and weather conditions on the best and worst fishing days you experience. Make note of when you catch fish and the circumstances, and how they match up with “best fishing times” suggested by solunar predictors such as The Original Doug Hannon Moon Clock. Over time, keeping such records will provide useful fishing information and help guide expectations.

Abrupt or gradual changes in the weather affect fishing for better or worse. For instance, barometric pressure drops as a summer thunderstorm approaches. As a result, fish become more active and feed aggressively.

Conversely, as a front moves on, the barometric pressure rises, and fish tend to sulk or become less active. Typically, they move offshore or into heavy cover such as aquatic vegetation. When the barometric pressure is more or less stable, it plays a reduced role in fish activity.

Bass and inshore saltwater fish, such as redfish and flounder, flourish in coastal areas where river deltas create a smorgasbord of freshwater and saltwater forage. Typically, incoming tides allow fish to roam areas that are normally too shallow and feed in emergent bank cover such as reeds, and submergent vegetation such as eelgrass.

Conversely, outgoing tides “pull” fish away from the banks into bottom depressions or channels. Either way, feeding opportunities also create fishing opportunities for anglers.

When the tide is flooding, fish closer to the bank; when it’s running out, fish deeper areas offshore. Fish generally become lethargic during periods of slack tide. 

There is as much variety to bird hunting across the country as there are regional accents and distinctive foods. Local traditions can vary even across county lines, which means a roadtrip for birds is really an exploration of the texture and variety of America. Here are some destinations to consider for consistently hot action on birds and some very distinctive local hunting—and culinary—cultures.

By December, this is the throat of the duck funnel across the interior West. Orange-legged northern mallards by the thousands are dropping into the wetlands along the northeastern shoreline of this mammoth salty sea, but that’s hardly all. This may be the best place to go for fully plumed pintails and canvasbacks, and for layout-boat hunters with long blocks of diver decoys, redheads, ruddy ducks, shovelers, and ring-necked ducks fill out mixed bags.

Big game is on waterfowlers’ minds, too. For those who drew tundra swan tags, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge offers almost guaranteed shot opportunities. Farther south, there’s great public access in the Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area, and for those with big fan-powered airboats, the phragmite marshes in the shallow interior of the lake offer wonderful shooting, especially just after a cold front blows piles of northern birds into the Salt Lake basin.

Local Flavor: The best way to end a cold, wet day on the Great Salt Lake’s duck brine is over a plate of chicken-fried steak at Maddox Ranch House Restaurant in Brigham City. The warm, buttery rolls are legendary.

The economy of greater Aberdeen is so reliant on, and happy for, pheasant hunters that a local group has worked to open access to private farmland to welcome more hunters. The result is quantities of wild birds, abundant access, and one of the most hunter-friendly towns you’ll ever visit.

And the pheasant hunting ain’t bad, either. By December, the easy roosters have been picked off, and the veterans are wild and wise. They’ll head to thick cover at the first hint of hunting pressure, so bring your A-game: be stealthy, keep your dogs in check, and use a combination of post-and-push hunting and working heavy cover like cattails. Your reward will be heavy straps of long-tailed roosters.

There’s decent access around Aberdeen through the state’s Walk-In Hunting program, but the best way to find private land that’s open to hunting is to check out the website of the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition and check out its directory of enrolled properties. Not all will be rooster factories, but they’re good places to start hunting to see the patterns of pheasant behavior. To tilt the odds even more in your favor, hunt just after a heavy snowfall. The snow will make the birds hold tight in dense cover.

Other ways to increase your bag: bring a tightly choked shotgun and heavy field loads to reach out to wild-flushing birds, bring a dog that’s happy working cattails, and place your blockers before the flushers start to push a field. After you’ve limited on pheasants, hit Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge for mallards, but remember to leave your lead shot in the pickup.

Local Flavor: The Brass Kettle does a whole bunch of dishes right, but it’s hard to go wrong with the ultimate comfort food—brisket mac & cheese—to take the edge off a cold day chasing long-tailed roosters.

Across much of the Midwest and Southeast, bobwhite quail are about as rare as one-owner Parker shotguns. But in Oklahoma’s Panhandle and across parts of adjacent northern Texas, coveys are large and abundant for hunters willing to stretch their legs.

One of the biggest contiguous pieces of quail country is the Black Kettle National Grassland, more than 30,000 acres of rolling sand hills and brushy draws located near the town of Cheyenne. The property is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and it’s almost all accessible for hunters, though there are some property-specific rules to follow.

You’ll almost certainly see other hunters, but if you’re willing to work the rough interior of the grassland, you’ll find good numbers of quail. Take good notes where you see turkeys and come back in the spring for some excellent public-land Rio Grande gobbler hunting.

If you’re interested in straying from the Panhandle, consider knocking on doors around Amarillo, Texas, and working fields for sandhill cranes. The birds aren’t especially beloved across the Panhandle, and access is more likely for these “flying prime ribs” than for quail or deer.

Local Flavor: Ode’s Drive-In in Cheyenne is a favorite spot for locals, and lunchtime is so busy that you might have to wait a bit for your burger-and-fries. However, the wait is worth it for huge portions of classic diner fare. Alas, it’s not open on weekends.

Most national discussions of New England upland hunting focus on Maine’s North Woods and for good reason: it’s big and mostly accessible, and it holds good numbers of not only ruffed grouse but woodcock as well.

But the North Woods also gets hammered along its access points. To escape the crowds, look just west of the Maine border, to northern New Hampshire, for great public hunting without all the crowds. The Connecticut Lakes Wildlife Management Area and nearby state forest offer classic big-woods grouse hunting—plus bonus snowshoe hares—and virtually limitless opportunities to explore.

For grouse, look to regenerating softwood timber stands and head-high brush. Some of the best mix of habitat is around both First and Second Connecticut lakes in the center of the area. Both are accessible off U.S. Highway 3.

Another option is to head up to either Big Brook Bog or Scott Bog for decent riparian-corridor grouse. Woodcock are seasonally abundant, but by December they will have likely moved to lower elevations and around seeps and other open water.

This forested property on either side of Pittsburg is New Hampshire’s largest block of public habitat, and you may need to drive around a bit to find out seasonal small-game use. Because the habitat rises to over 3,000 feet, snow depth will likely determine not only your ability to cover ground but also where you’ll find grouse. Try hunting the elevations just below the heavier snow line for good bird action.

Local Flavor: You can’t go wrong with a name like the Buck Rub Pub, and the food and staff at this Pittsburg institution are just as welcoming to hunters as you’d expect. Great pub fare and a wide-ranging chophouse menu.

There’s a very good reason that Louisianans kill more ducks than hunters in any other state. This is where nearly all the birds in the Mississippi Flyway end up. Over the past 13 years, The Sportsmen’s State has accounted for fully 10 percent of the annual U.S. waterfowl harvest, according to Ducks Unlimited. Half of all the ducks in the Mississippi Flyway are bagged in Louisiana, and the state’s hunters take over 30 birds per person per season.

The reason is latitude, of course. This is where birds are wintering, but the other reason is habitat. Dabbling ducks like mallards and teal love the fresh and intermediate salt marshes along the shoreline, plus there’s abundant rice and other grain production in the area to keep birds fed as they transition from south to northward migration patterns.

State and federal agencies, realizing the wealth of waterfowl possibilities in the bayou, have established a number of public properties where you can bag your share of birds. Among the best: Pass A Loutre State Wildlife Management Area on the very tip of the Mississippi River delta and the 44,000-acre Sherburne Wildlife Management Area closer to metro New Orleans.

Local Flavor: There is no shortage of excellent Cajun fare across the state. In fact, just about any crossroads café will have memorable etouffee, jambalaya, and po’ boys. But here’s a local tradition that’s worth a look: drive-through daiquiris. One of the best is Iguana’s Daiquiri Express in Buras, a little fishing community on Highway 39 between New Orleans and the end of the earth at Pass A Loutre.

If you want to prolong your wingshooting season, then consider following the northbound migration of snow geese as they move with the receding snowline. The Central Flyway is your spot, but more specifically, you’ll be hunting refuges and adjacent grain fields along the Missouri River from about Kansas City north to Sioux Falls.

This is a moveable feast, because the best spots will change from day to day and even hour to hour as the winds and hunting pressure bump birds from one township to the next. If you’ve seen videos of snow-goose cyclones, where the sky turns monochromatic with the beating white-and-black wings of snows, then you have an idea how good the action can be here. This is unplugged shotguns, no bag limits, and electronic calling. It’s high-volume wingshooting at its best.

Some hunters do well freelancing this season, but if you’re a first-timer, consider hiring a guide service like Minnesota-based Top Gun Guide Service. You’re paying for the use of hundreds of decoys and top-notch calling, sure, but the real value of a service is that they’ve done all the preliminary scouting and have a good idea where to set up, saving you at least as much time as you’ll spend hunting. They have also handled the permission side of the private-land hunting equation, another time-saver.

Local Flavor: Some people call snow geese “flying carp” for their ability to make a living off the leavings of agriculture and their general unpalatability. If you want to taste real carp, however, hit Joe Tess Place in Omaha, where they are famous for their fried-carp plates.

As an example, a couple of years ago my buddies and I stumbled on a few brook trout streams in northern Wisconsin while bowhunting for deer. We’ve fished them nearly every month of the season since and have almost never run into another angler. It seems as if all of the lakes and larger interior rivers soak up most of the pressure, and the knee-deep trout streams are largely left untapped. 

This isn’t the case everywhere, of course. And even if it is where you live, there is still the necessity to find decent water. This starts with a bit of research, whether you’re looking to fish by yourself for an afternoon or take a couple of youngsters out for their first trout-fishing adventure. Here’s how to find the best trout waters near you along with some simple strategies for anyone interested in catching a few trout for fun or the frying pan.

How you can access rivers and streams for opening day varies widely by state, so you need to understand the laws before setting out. Some states are very angler- and public-access friendly when it comes to moving water, while others are not so inclined. Generally, if you have trout streams (especially a concentration of trout streams), in your area, there will either be easements or some other access programs in place. In some areas, trout haunts flow their way through vast tracts of public land, which are open to anyone. 

To find good trout waters, start with the state game agency’s website where you want to fish. Simply search for the trout section on their website. Most of them have all of the rules and regulations in place, along with interactive stream maps. These will show which streams are open to access and what kind of access is available. Step Outside’s own interactive fishing map is another good source for those searching for great places to wet a line, as is Trout Unlimited’s map. 

Attention to detail is important during this step, especially if you plan to take youngsters with you for the trout opener. Wild, deep-in-the-wilderness streams with overhanging brush and plenty of streamside obstacles might not work so well for six-year olds. But, you might also find a stream that meanders through a pasture (or a city park) that allows easy access, easy casting, and a more pleasant fishing experience. 

You don’t need to be an angling expert to catch trout but knowing some of the basics will help you get into the action more quickly. Trout generally live in clear water, which means you’ll want to consider how you present your lures and bait. Monofilament line in the four- to eight-pound category will work just fine, as does fluorocarbon line, which disappears even more readily in the water than mono. 

Spool up a spinning reel and mount it on a six - or six-and-half foot medium-action rod, and you’ll be good to go. Six-foot-plus rods might seem like overkill for catching 10-inch fish, but they’re not. You’ll be trying to cast small, lightweight lures as far as possible, and the extra leverage a longer rod provides is a major benefit.

As far as a simple fishing strategy, the best bet for not spooking fish is to work upstream and retrieve your lures or let your bait float back toward you downstream. The trout will be actively looking upstream for food to come down the current toward them, so you’ll spook fewer fish with this approach and your presentations will look much more natural. 

Where to Fish: Generally speaking, even during peak feeding times in the mornings and evenings, the deeper and faster the water, the better. If you see a set of rapids that dumps into a deeper run, you’ll probably find fish. The same goes for river and creek bends where the current has undercut the bank. Trout love having overhead cover and some depth to work with, so consider this when you’re trying to read the water. 

Baits: The simplest way to catch fish is to pick up a dozen nightcrawlers and float them downstream into the deeper holes. If you can get away with using a small hook and maybe only a single split-shot sinker, your presentation will drift through naturally. Watch your line for a twitch or a jump and get ready. Just be sure the waters you want to fish allow bait to be used for trout fishing.

Lures: If you prefer artificial lures, you’ll see plenty of options using small spinners, crankbaits and jig/twister tail combinations. Classics include in-line spinners, like Panther Martins, spoons, like the original red-and-white Dardevles and stickbaits, like floating Rapala’s, that imitate baitfish. All will work but remember that trout are meat eaters and they don’t necessarily shy away from larger lures. In fact, sometimes it can be better to buck the typical trend and either downsize your lures from average-sized offerings or upsize them to lures more typically associated with walleye or bass fishing.

Match and Catch: It’s also important to remember that the flashy lures that might litter the deck of a typical bass boat will be too gaudy for most stream-dwelling rainbow or brown trout. Subdued natural colors, like black and gold or black and silver are good choices. The trout in your neighborhood creek are probably eating young chubs, shiners, suckers and other trout, none of which will be too colorful in the minnow stage. Try to match your lures to what the fish are most likely eating and you’ll have better success.

It’s almost viewed as a crime to keep and kill a trout in some fishing circles, but that’s a holdover from when a lot of our streams weren’t as healthy as they are now. If you want to eat a few fish in most places, you shouldn’t feel guilty about that. 

You should, however, check the regulations. Trout limits vary by state, species, stream and timing of the season. Before you slip a 12-inch brown into your creel, make sure it’s perfectly legal to do so. Many states have catch-and-release seasons, while some bodies of water don’t allow any fish to be taken. 

The same advice applies to what type of lures and baits you use. Some streams are under barbless hook regulations, while others might stipulate the use of only one hook (no crankbaits or jerkbaits). This may sound daunting, but it’s not. Oftentimes, in addition to the regulations being readily available online, there will be signs posted at public access points that will outline individual-water regulations. 

Trout fishing is simply fun. It’s fun on the opener, and even more fun as the season progresses for a few weeks and the crowds die down. If you’re into taking kids fishing, or simply want to spend a few hours trying to catch a couple of brookies for the frying pan, there are many options out there just waiting for you. 

However, if that action includes taking a variety of fish with the possibility of maybe catching a whopper, then they will enjoy fishing all the more. Getting kids into bigger fish takes a little effort, however, as a recent outing with my girls taught me.

Our choice was either to fish off of the dock or take my twin three-year olds into the boat with my wife and try to find a more interesting spot to fish. It would have been easier to stay on the dock, but I had a hunch we could find a place that would provide better action than the small panfish that congregate near shore. 

With the whole crew in the boat, we idled to a point of pencil reeds that mark the inside of an old river channel. A slight current moved through the reeds, and a nearby drop-off provided some depth. In addition to finding sunfish, I thought we might catch a few other species. We did.

Not only did we find bluegills tucked into the pockets between the reeds, but we managed to catch perch, rock bass, crappies, small northern pike, and a bonus 21-inch walleye. Since that experience, I’ve looked at fishing with kids in a whole new way.

The scenario above sounds simple enough, but it took some careful consideration. Here are three key factors to consider that will put your kids onto fish and maybe, onto a monster to boot.

Simple is good when you’re fishing with kids, which is why I like to start kids out on bobbers and bait. (Kids love watching those bobbers twitch when fish come calling.)  Most often, parents will pick up a dozen nightcrawlers and call that good enough. The thing about that is, nightcrawlers are deadly on panfish and perch, but they’re not the best choice for other species. It’s a much better idea to pick up a variety of baits, so pick up some leeches or minnows as well. 

Personally, I’ll take a scoop of fathead minnows over anything else. These minnows are large enough to take some abuse, but not so big that nearly any fish out there can eat them. And fish ranging from crappies to bass to walleyes and northern pike love minnows.

With one setup using a nightcrawler and the other using a minnow, you’re now greatly increasing your chances of catching different kinds of fish. Leeches, which always fascinate kids, are another choice that will increase the odds of diversity.

Change the depths at which you set the bait below the bobbers to find the sweet spot. Oftentimes with worms, the closer to the bottom you can get, the better. With minnows, having them suspended a foot or two off of the bottom might be a better bet.

Naturally, it doesn’t matter how deep your bait is set if you’re not in a good spot, so you’ll have to figure out where to fish that might offer multi-species action. 

To find a great fishing spot for kids, try locating waters that may not get as much attention as super popular lakes near you. Then look for areas on those lakes that offer as many options as possible. For example, picture a rocky shoreline that is dotted with a few lily pads. That might look good enough, but was does it offer the fish? Probably not much.

Now, follow that shoreline for a while until you get to a point that juts out into the lake. There, you’ll see the same rocks and lily pads, but also a potential current break (if there is any current). The point also probably extends into deeper water, which is always good. This spot, while it might not look much different than the rest of the shoreline, is most likely, better.

Perhaps you want to fish a shallow bay that is full of pencil reeds and lily pads. One section will undoubtedly look as good as the next, so where do you start? In such situations I like to see if there is a beaver dam or some other kind of wood structure in the water. That added bit of habitat can change a sunfish morning, into something that includes largemouth bass or maybe crappies just by fishing closer to one extra type of cover. 

The added bonus to this type of fishing with kids is that it puts you in the spot to maybe catch something bigger, and believe me when I write this, kids want to catch something big. It doesn’t matter if it’s a smallmouth, a dogfish, a carp or whatever, the bigger the better.

Getting familiar with a map of the area you’re going to fish before you head out can save you a lot of time. Mark a few places that offer any of the suggestions above and head there first.

The right bait and a great spot will go a long way toward a memorable fishing trip, but you can hedge your bets even further by knowing in advance what times are best for fishing. I like to fish at sunrise and sunset, and while my little girls don’t like getting up at 5 AM to fish, when they do, they love it because they usually do pretty well. Get them out there in the morning or the evening when the temperatures are tolerable, and the fish will be biting. 

If you’re fishing plenty of weeds and wood cover, plan a trip when it will be sunny to take advantage of the fish tucking themselves into the shade. If you’re fishing a rocky point or island, wait for an overcast day if you can. 

Fishing with kids can, and should be, as simple as you can make it. But that doesn’t mean you should not plan to catch fish, especially multiple species of fish. It takes a little planning to do it right, but one good experience where fish of all varieties pull their bobbers below the surface will do wonders for keeping your kids’ attention and excitement levels up. And if they catch a big one, well, you can consider it a job-well-done. 

No matter how timid a puppy seems, or how overtly aggressive a puppy is when compared to its littermates, you won’t be able to make a great call one way or another. By that point in the process, the only decision you’ll really be making is on looks.

The true method for picking a perfect puppy is to start long before it’s born by studying its pedigree.

One of the most common bird dog legends involves the shelter dog, or the accidental farmhouse Lab, that grew into a bird-hunting machine. We love those stories because they give us hope that any old dog can be amazing in the field. The truth is, those dogs are outliers and their field prowess likely benefits from a bit of storytelling license.

To get an amazing hunting dog, or at least hedge your bets, you need to dig into bloodlines. Whether you’re looking for an English setter to hunt quail with, or maybe a golden retriever with a nose for roosters, you need to research not only the parents, but the grandparents of the litter. This serves a couple of purposes, the first being health.

Dog breeding in America is an unchecked, unregulated business. That’s why so many breeds have reputations for coming down with cancer or developing debilitating joint issues. A well-bred dog will have all of its health checks in place, and that is a major reason for going this route.

The same kind of dog, with pure lines and, hopefully, a history of hunt tests, will not only be healthy but will also be smarter than average. Any dog that comes from generations of hunt-test or field-trial winners has problem-solving skills built in, mostly because dimwits don’t excel at tests. This is a great way to hedge your bets with an easy-to-train dog whether you’ll ever run a field trial yourself or not.

And any dog that sports a solid pedigree will likely possess plenty of drive and athleticism. These two assets are extremely important to hunting ability. If you want a dog that can hunt the big woods of northern Wisconsin for ruffed grouse all day, you want a dog that has some athleticism in his background. 

This is the tricky part. The main focus of reading a pedigree will be to look at the parents and the grandparents of any prospective litter. Any generations beyond that are a bonus, but the biggest genetic contributors tend to be the latest two generations. Every reputable breeder will have a website, as well as the pedigrees of all sires and dams, so finding the base information should be easy.

When reading it, look for designations like MH (Master Hunter) or FC (Field Champion) after a dog’s name. Both are good.

You may also see NFC (National Field Champion, AFC (Amateur Field Champion) or SH (Senior Hunter), which are all indicative of dogs that have titled and are likely to be passing on the right genes.

If you see CH anywhere, pass. That is a show dog designation, and not what you’re looking for in a hunting dog. Show breeding is all about looks and has been disastrous to many of our once-popular sporting breeds.

Keep in mind that it will be easier to find a good pedigree in a popular breed than it will be for a more obscure breed. The same goes for color. A lot of people want a chocolate, a red, or a silver Lab these days. The problem with many of these dogs is that they have been bred for color and nothing else, which is very similar to show breeding.

Dig into the pedigree and look for the right field trial or hunt test designations before worrying about color—you won’t regret it.

Don’t be afraid to ask any prospective breeder about:

• Health guarantees.
• What the parents or grandparents were used for if it’s not clear from the pedigree.
• How many litters did the parents produce a year?

The best dogs often come from small operations that are meticulous about their breeding, which means they might only produce a couple of litters per year. If there is a waiting list and an interview before you can put down a deposit, this usually means there has been some investment into the lineage. That matters.

Well-bred dogs are worth a lot but convincing the average sporting-dog owner of that is not so easy. This is because they are usually more difficult to find than any run-of-the-mill dog, and they are more expensive.

These days, if you want a golden retriever that is field-bred (no show breeding) and boasts a pure pedigree and all of the health checks, you’ll spend at least $1000 and most likely, quite a bit more. You can find goldens all day long for half that price, but they’ll be a total gamble. 

Well-bred dogs are more expensive, and they are harder to find. However, look at it this way: you’re making a commitment that should hopefully last about a dozen years. Spending twice what you would for a questionable dog amortized over the lifespan of a dog you’re going to be very happy with is not much more of an additional investment. Factor in the likelihood that you’ll have a much better hunting dog and the idea of “buying up” is even easier to accept.

A lot of people will still scoff at paying that much, and the typical justification is that they only hunt a couple of times each year, so who really needs an in-field rock star? The answer is, they do. And you do, too, probably; even if your days in the field are very limited. 

The thing about bird dogs these days is that even when a diehard upland hunter or waterfowler owns them, they only spend a small amount of time actually hunting. Most of their lives consist of being house pets. This means that while hunting skills, instinct and drive are all important, overall trainability and temperament are even more critical.

A well-bred dog that comes from a line of thinkers will be much easier to train.

My current Lab, Luna, comes from a solid pedigree. She’s a machine in the field, but at home she is incredible as well. It took me two days to house train her, which was a relief because I’ve never had a dog take to that task so quickly. I also had her sitting the first day we got her as a puppy, which I wouldn’t have believed possible until I experienced it myself.

None of this came from exceptional training ability on my part, but instead was the result of paying up for a dog that carried the right stuff in her genes.

Well-bred puppies are expensive, but they’re worth it. If you’re paying for genetic potential you’re hedging your bets against a litany of issues that might crop up, not the least of which is health and overall abilities in the field and at home.

Forget what you think you know about picking a puppy and start researching litters. If that task is too much, enlist the help of a professional trainer. If you do, you’ll most likely end up with a dog that exceeds your expectations at home, and in the field.

And who can put a price on that? 

Bass can be caught year-round, but spring is the best season to fish for them, which also means it’s the best time for novice anglers to get started in the sport. After sulking through winter, bass are on the move in spring – fattening up for the annual spawn and generally heading toward the shorelines where they fan out their nests and lay their eggs. After the spawn and a short recuperation period, they start roaming the banks and feeding on shad, sunfish, crawfish and various other forage before they begin to migrate toward their summer haunts offshore. 

Here are a few tips to get bass tugging on your line this spring.

Bass can be caught from boats and kayaks in giant lakes and rivers. But they can also be caught by fishermen walking the banks at ponds in dairy farms, city parks or golf courses. Geographically speaking, lakes in Florida, Georgia, Texas and other Deep South states produce the best fishing early in the season. Wherever the lake is located, bass start moving in successive waves from the depths toward the shallows where they spawn when the water warms into the 50s and 60s.

A caveat: because of the relatively shorter season when northern waters warm to optimum spawning range, some states, such as New York and Minnesota, regulate bass fishing by imposing seasons or catch-and-release requirements. Be sure to check a state’s online fishing regulations before planning a trip there.

It’s been said that 90 percent of the fish occupy 10 percent of the water. Relatively speaking, that’s true, which is why it’s advisable to hire a guide for at least a day when fishing a large lake for the first time. Hiring a guide will also get you into the action quicker, which is critical if you have youngsters along that you want to start catching fish as soon as possible.

To find a guide, Google the name of the particular lake that you plan to visit. The site will have links to all sorts of useful information, including various guide services.

To attract strikes, some lures, such as jigs and surface baits, require the angler to impart action to them with the rod. Other lures, such as spinnerbaits and lipless or square-bill crankbaits, have built-in action; cast them out and wind them back in. Certain topwater baits, such as Arbogast Jitterbugs and River2Sea Whopper Ploppers, also require no manipulation beyond a steady retrieve. The theory is that, like a cat that sees a mouse running by and pounces on it whether it’s hungry or not, bass will react the same way sometimes when a lure swims by.

Natural shapes that mimic shad and crawfish, and colors, such as pumpkinseed and watermelon, are popular throughout spring, but when sight-feeding smallmouths are targeted in the clear waters of northern lakes, crankbaits in wild colors such as hot pink, chartreuse and hot orange are productive.

In a manner of speaking, there are three bass seasons in the spring— prespawn, spawn and postspawn—and they overlap somewhat in terms of the best lures to use and where to fish.

Prespawn: Concentrate on mid-depth to shallow water. Bass might be positioned at the mouth of spawning coves, a third of the way in or halfway – it depends on the water temperature. Be sure to fish around and under docks thoroughly and use lipless crankbaits, square-bill crankbaits, suspending jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and soft-plastic swimbaits that mimic minnows.

Spawn: Look in shallow coves on the north side of a lake that gets afternoon sun, or anywhere there’s not a lot of bank shade. Scattered aquatic vegetation, submerged horizontal trees and brush and woody bank cover are bass magnets. Try unweighted plastic lizards and worms, jigs that imitate crawfish, buzzbaits and topwater lures.

Postspawn: Bass will stay close to shorelines or in intermediate depths, depending on their food sources. Find pockets where bluegills are spawning, and ravenous bass will be close by. If threadfin shad are present, look for bass around spawning shad schools at daybreak. Otherwise, fish secondary drop-offs near the banks, bridge pilings and shoreline riprap, submerged points and docks. Spinnerbaits, topwater lures, jerkbaits, buzzbaits, topwater propbaits, mid-depth square-bill crankbaits and a variety of soft plastics will produce now. 

The reason the best bass fishing is usually in the spring is because the fish move to the shallows to feed and spawn. In the prespawn period when the water is just beginning to warm, larger female bass typically return to staging areas such as flooded creek bends, under docks and alongside submerged points that extend from deeper water or humps and sandbars.

Being cold-blooded, the body temperature and metabolism of a bass is regulated by the surrounding water temperature. The females’ eggs are incubated by the heating water, which is why females move away from their spawning beds near the bank when a spring cold front passes through and wait it out until warmer weather returns.

Male bass are comparable to young bucks that often make rubs and scrapes well before the does are ready to breed. If you start catching small bass in a cove that is warmed by the afternoon sun, chances are they’re aggressive males trying to rush the season. It also might indicate that you’re in a prime area to catch a bigger female shopping for a suitable partner.

Approach a shallow cove as closely and quietly as possible. Wear a good pair of sunglasses with lenses tinted to bring out contrasts, such as amber or copper. Scan the water ahead of you and watch for bass swirling in the shallows as they chase bream away from their spawning nests. If possible, approach the shoreline from an angle so that the sun doesn’t cast your shadow on the water ahead. A bed will appear to be a small crater or fanned-out area that is lighter than the surrounding bottom. Cast well beyond the bed and bring the bait by it. Don’t overdo it; sometimes it pays to leave a reluctant bass on a bed after a couple of casts and return when it is in a more aggressive mood.

Though baitcasting tackle is the most popular type of gear for bass fishing overall, it can be a big turnoff for fishing newcomers because these reels require some practice to master. Beginners can be frustrated by backlashes, and the monofilament or fluorocarbon line used in spinning reels can snarl. Push the thumb button on a spincast reel, release it in the forward motion, and you’ve made a cast. Over time, the user will develop the skills necessary to use baitcasting tackle, which is better for more sophisticated presentations such as pitching and flipping and facilitates more accurate placement of lures around and under bass-holding cover.

Zebco, Abu Garcia, Pflueger, Daiwa and Shakespeare are among the best-known companies that provide inexpensive spincast reels and rod-and-reel combos through fishing tackle stores and departments.

Monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line in 6- to 10-pound test also is readily available. Typically, spincast reels are sold with their spools already filled with the line that the manufacturer recommends for that particular model and size. The major difference between nylon monofilament and fluorocarbon is that the latter tends to sink quicker than mono – an important distinction if you’re fishing a subsurface lure.