Statewide MS Archives - Page 338 of 385

The real key to trophy management is allowing deer to reach 5½ to 6½ years of age. Patiently learning how to age deer on the hoof makes it a lot easier to know which bucks should and shouldn’t be killed. The payoff comes with deer like this 160-class buck killed by Paul Meeks near Port Gibson.

Soil Saga

July 27, 2010 Andy Crawford

The buck eased through the woods, nipping at greenery and moseying along the edge of the slough before turning and slowly crossing the depression. The animal moved along a trail a couple of does had used hours before, without so much as a sniff of the ground. […]

W.H. Covington takes soil samples with a soil probe and a soil-testing box in a food plot he is preparing to plant ball clover, oats, and ryegrass.

Lucky Charm Plots

July 27, 2010 Cliff Covington

When it comes to planting wildlife food plots, everyone seems to be searching for that magic seed that will provide everything a whitetail needs — large amounts of highly nutritious forage over an extended period of time. This elusive plant would grow in sun or shade, thrive in a desert or a swamp, reseed itself, stand up to heavy grazing and have the palatability of white-oak acorns. […]

Mike Adlam of Soldotna, Ak., traveled all the way to Mississippi to try out topwater bass fishing. After he caught this nice fish on a Smithwick Devil’s Horse (at midday nonetheless), he was hooked on topwater fishing.

Top Heavy

June 24, 2010 Cliff Covington

Casting topwater plugs in the middle of a lake with the scorching rays of the July sun beating down isn’t what the average angler would consider an ideal day of bass fishing. […]

Colby Byrd of Brookhaven shot this respectable 4 1/2-year-old buck in Claiborne County on property following Quality Deer Management guidelines. This buck was harvested four years after a failed culling program had been discontinued by the landowner. By protecting younger age-class bucks and harvesting large numbers of does, the landowner was able to reverse the negative affects of culling in a relatively short period of time.

To Cull or Not to Cull?

June 24, 2010 Cliff Covington

The practice of deer management has grown by leaps and bounds in the Magnolia State over the past few decades. Most whitetail enthusiasts understand that there are three primary factors that have an impact both on body size and antler quality — age, nutrition and genetics. […]

Cover: July 2010

June 24, 2010 Mississippi Sportsman

Sure it’s hot, but the bass are biting. Fish the edges of daylight, and you’ll have a summertime blast. […]

Bogs Blaze MT Boots

June 24, 2010 Mississippi Sportsman

The new Blaze MT boots from Bogs were designed to give the wearer maximum comfort in a rugged, durable rubber boot that is both waterproof and breathable. […]

Neat tools are available from marine and auto-parts stores that make pulling, testing and inserting panel-mounted fuses hassle-free.

Amp of prevention worth pound of cure

June 24, 2010 Allan Tarvid

A bass fisherman recently posted a plea for help on a marine electronics forum I frequent. The GPS part of his fish-finder/GPS combo unit suddenly stopped tracking his position and displayed the warning, “GPS Not Responding.” […]

Paul Elias likes to fish the Mann's HardNose Swim Toad when the bass are really active. Those legs kick a lot in the open holes and really draw attention from the bass under the pads.

Fish frogs at Ross Barnett

June 24, 2010 Paul Elias

You can’t beat fishing the lily pads with a rubber frog at Ross Barnett in July. The lily pads provide shade and cover for the bass. Since Ross Barnett’s a fairly shallow lake, the bass have to utilize the shallow-water cover in the hot summer months. Also, the bluegills that the bass will be feeding on will be under the pads. […]

That's more than 5 pounds of crappie on the author’s back deck. These Barnett slabs hit at the same time while he was trolling five cranks behind his boat. Catching multiple slabs at one time is not uncommon. The crappie are suspended, and when you run through a good school, you're likely to hook up with more than one at a time.

Tips for more crankbait crappie

June 24, 2010 Paul Johnson

I admit it. I’ve gone crankbait crazy. Look, I’ve fished for crappie every which way I’ve ever heard of, and, right now, I love to pull crankbaits for crappie.

[…]

The Biloxi Marsh will be loaded with redfish this month.

Oil spill reduces competition for fish

June 24, 2010 John E. Phillips

Currently, no one knows what effect the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will have on the fishery. But fishermen certainly will have to adapt to the changes, study maps and make test runs to new waters, if they’ll continue to fish the Gulf of Mexico this summer. […]

Mickey Aldridge shows what drew him up to St. Clair, Mich.

Why are bass where they are?

June 24, 2010 Hal Schramm

Mickey Aldridge and I were off on a bucket-list fishing trip. Destination: Lake St. Clair, Mich. The mission: pre-spawn smallmouth bass. […]

Even in the heat, Jason Pope managed to take a Delta hog in the offseason.

Wily varmints there for summer fun

June 24, 2010 John J. Woods

The 4th of July has traditionally been as hot as a firecracker. The whole month is a sweltering powder keg of heat and humidity. Who in their right mind would be thinking about hunting now? […]