Slowly, what little slack was in the line grew taught, and when my son Kazden set the hook, there was no give. Instantly, line spooled off the reel, Kazden’s rod bent and he was locked into fighting position. When the monster sturgeon jumped, everyon

The guys in the shiny red boat above represent more than 120 years of bass-fishing experience. They’re all smiling because they have just wrapped up a week-long evaluation of four dozen new rods and reels—the core of the annual Game & Fish Tackle Tes

The Platonic ideal of a Western sportsman’s weekend is to knock off work early enough on Thursday to get out of town, call in sick on Friday, and then find something to hunt and anything to catch until obligations call you back either late Sunday or

Waist-deep in a shady pool, I wrestled a particularly squirmy trout for possession of my last bead-head Prince nymph. When my eyes wandered to the sandy bank, the rattler woke from his doze and stuck his tongue out at me. If he had hands, he would ha

The Henry rifle helped us begin our love affair with the lever-action rifle more than 150 years ago. It brought fast and repetitive fire to the American shooter and was often described as a rifle you could load on Sunday and shoot all week. It wasn’t

Sturgeon fishing is a specialized sport that takes place on big water. If you’re looking for guided options this spring and summer, these are people I’ve fished with and recommend. Jody Smith (jodysmithguideservice.com) is based out of Astoria, Ore.,

Despite the fact that I was in one of the most predator-rich realms of public land in the Lower 48, I hadn’t spotted a bear in two days of hunting over a baited barrel. So I decided to see if I could attract any unseen bears by appealing to their sen

1 Oregon’s Deschutes River has a prolific hatch of goldens and salmonflies that peaks in late May. Consider a multi-day, overnight trip through scenic canyonlands for the Deschutes’ famous redband trout. 2 The South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho o

In Colorado this fall, voters could decide to outlaw hunting for mountain lions and bobcats. That’s on the heels of a controversial reintroduction of wolves—mandated by another Colorado ballot initiative—last December. In Washington two years ago, an

Turkey hunters are still chasing longbeards in many areas, and we’ve been telling readers all about it. Our weekly Regional Strut Update reports continue through late May with top local info on gobbler activity, strategies, hunt videos and more. The

It rained hard all night and the temperature had dropped considerably. Hoping things would dry out by the afternoon, I didn’t head into the woods until 1:00 p.m., but foul weather wasn’t the only reason for the late start. Predators were thick, and c

My native Kansas didn’t have a deer season until I was a teenager, so my first real whitetail lessons came when I was stationed at Quantico. Those deep-woods Virginia deer kicked my tail. My main takeaway: I didn’t know nothin’. Later, I hunted white

If you go to fish the Donner und Blitzen, plan on being self-sufficient; you’ll pretty much be off the grid. Find the river 65 miles south of Burns, Ore., and 394 miles north of Reno. To get there, turn east just south of Frenchglen, a small hamlet w

If I had to pick one month for a four-week vacation, with my only responsibility being to fish as long as possible each day, I would choose May. No matter where you live in the U.S., fishing during May can be as good as it gets. Up North, ice has bee

Each spring the small town where Shane lived held a trout derby. In years past, participants were encouraged to keep the fish, which would then be fried in the park pavilion that evening for everyone to enjoy. But this year was different. There was a

Early summer is stonefly season in the West, and as the snow-melt-driven runoff drops into stable river flows, hordes of large salmonfly nymphs crawl toward the shoreline, amassing for their annual emergence. Like bull elk during the rut, big trout l

After chasing bass for nearly 40 years, I’m aware of my proclivity to jeopardize any fishing trip as a weather jinx. When extended the offer to captain the 2024 Game & Fish Tackle Test in sunny central Florida, I jumped at the chance to try all the b

Powered By The moon’s phases are listed as New, First Quarter (First Q), Full and Last Quarter (Last Q). Times listed represent the peak activity times for game and fish each day. For your own 2024 Doug Hannon’s Moon Clock, go to moontimes.com

The natives were getting restless. Eleven Boy Scouts were whining and shivering as we trudged through crusty snow toward the halfway point on our hike. But I had a secret weapon in my pack, ready for deployment at the turnaround. They muttered and sh

I had no idea how long the bird had been standing in the field, listening to our calls but refusing to gobble. My hunting partner Mark Sidelinger and I were tucked into the woods on the edge of the field, and the terrain had prevented us from seeing

If someone mentions Colorado fishing, it’s only natural to automatically think of trout. The Centennial State is home to some of the most famous trout waters in the world—the North and South Platte, Gunnison, Frying Pan, Roaring Fork, Arkansas, and C

The 600 series is a new generation of rifles from the Czech Republic-based gunmaker CZ that combines innovative technology, top-notch materials and creative design. One of five variations in the line, the CZ 600 Alpha features a cold-hammer-forged ba

Shooting at longer distances has become popular, and many hunters like the idea of having added reach. This preference has spawned a new breed of precision rifles light enough to carry into the backcountry. It’s also produced a new strain of variable

April can go sideways just as fast as it flies straight ahead. It’s the month that the West reawakens from the madness that is ice fishing and winter nymphing. Gobblers are feeling the sun, trout are looking to the surface, salmon are nosing up coast