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Spring 2015
FINDING THE SWEET SPOT PUTS
MORE BASS IN THE BOAT
by John N. Felsher
IN THE COURT OF THE
BACK-COUNTRY KINGS
by Shane Townend
“Cold fog hangs white like muslin over the Juneau
morning, masking the waters of the Taku River.”
FIELD TEST REPORT:
LEICA ULTRAVID HD
8x42 BINOCULARS
by Mike Hungle
WATCH, LISTEN AND ADAPT
FOR SEASON-LONG TURKEY
HUNTING SUCCESS
by Josh Lantz with Eddie Salter
“Over nearly 50 years of observation, Eddie Salter has refined his skill set
through trial and error to learn what works in the turkey woods and why.”
ALASKA BROWN BEAR
by Ty Cary
“If you’ve never experienced the incredible wild Alaska, I highly encourage you to
put it on your to-do list.”

By John N. Felsher
Just about any angler can pull five bass from
a good spot on any given day, but the best
competitive anglers consistently find and catch
five solid fish in any conditions.

An old adage states: “90 percent of fish live in 10 percent
of the water.” For tournament fishermen, that ratio probably
comes closer to 99 percent of the bass they need to catch
stay in one percent of the water. Finding big bass to put
into a livewell typically comes down to interpreting various
factors, reading signs and discovering “sweet spots” where
fish congregate.
temperature extremes. In the fall, bass often return to the
shallows to hunt abundant baitfish and other morsels.
However, to complicate matters, some bass stay deep all
year long and some stay in extremely shallow waters all
year long.
Also consider daily factors that determine where bass want
to stay at any given minute. Bass need four things to survive
baitfish unless you can physically see
them schooling.”
Winds can help anglers find that 10
percent where fish concentrate. Nobody
wants to fish in a gale, but anglers who
run for shelter along the lee shorelines
or head to protected coves many also
Kevin VanDam, a professional
bass angler from Kalamazoo,
Mich., unhooks a bass he
caught while fishing at Lake
Amistad near Del Rio, Texas.
(Photo by John N. Felsher)
“A sweet spot is just something different,” explained Bill
– food, oxygen, cover and acceptable water temperature
run from the fish. Waves aerate water by
Dance, a legendary professional angler and television
ranges. Take away one of those factors and anglers might
trapping and dissolving oxygen, adding
personality from Collierville, Tenn. “It could be a change
as well look elsewhere.
a crucial fishing-finding factor. Winds
in the bottom composition. It could be one rock with algae
growing on it that attracts minnows. Little subtle changes
could produce big results. Any type of transition could be
a key spot.”
“When looking for keeper bass, I look at the water
temperature, but shad is the key to finding big fish,” said
Kevin Rake, a bass pro from Columbia, S.C. “Find the shad
and you’ll find bass. If baitfish are up around a point, bass
may also regulate water temperatures
and blow cover toward the shoreline,
adding two more factors.
Winds blowing across a lake also
For starters, consider seasonal factors. In the spring,
won’t move far from that point. In the fall, bass mostly key
concentrate plankton on the windward
largemouths typically go shallow to spawn. In the
on shad or herring, not bluegill or crawfish because shad
shoreline. Shad, minnows, shiners and
summer and winter, many plunge to the depths to escape
and herring put weight on them. Use electronics to find
other baitfish gather to feed upon the
microscopic plankton pushed there.
Currey Holley with Always Gone Fishing
Guide Service in Pulaski, Tenn., shows off a
largemouth bass he caught on a shaky head
jig tipped with a worm while fishing along a
rock wall on Lake Wilson, part of the Tennessee
River near Muscle Shoals, Ala.
(Photo by John N. Felsher)
With plentiful food, enriching oxygen,
cover and comfortable temperatures,
bass along a windward shoreline find
everything they need.
“Often, bass feed best when the wind
blows,” said Mark Davis, a former
Bassmaster Classic champion from
Mount Ida, Ark. “When I fish points or
other structure, I always fish the windy
side first. Wind creates current. Fish
usually position themselves facing
into the wind or current to look for bait
coming toward them.”
Winds not only create water flow on the
surface, they also create submerged
currents that could position bass.
Water crashing against a shoreline
“mushrooms” like a bullet as it bounces
American OUTDOORSMAN
American OUTDOORSMAN

After finding the right combination of
cover, oxygen, temperatures and baitfish,
anglers frequently land a quick limit, but
not necessarily the best tournament fish.
Consider this combination of factors the
“10 percent.” To narrow down to the 10
percent, fish this area with a variety of fastmoving
search baits, such as buzzbaits,
spinnerbaits and crankbaits to locate fish.
“When fishing a tournament, I want to
put five bass in the livewell and then go
looking for big fish,” Rake explained.
“When I’m looking for fish, I throw a small
crankbait or a Rat-L-Trap. Early in the
morning in the fall, I like to catch them
on top. I’ll throw a Sammy, Spook or a
Pop-R.”
Mike Iaconelli, a former Bassmaster Classic champion from
Runnemede, N.J., shows off a bass he caught on a jig.
(Photo by John N. Felsher)
off hard objects and flows away from the shoreline beneath the waves. On the
surface, bass may face away from the shoreline, but look toward it five feet
below the surface. Running a spinnerbait, with blades that mimic the flash of
baitfish, from the shoreline toward the boat puts it right in the strike zone.
“The harder wind blows, the better bass bite spinnerbaits,” said Alton Jones, a
former Bassmaster Classic champion from Waco, Texas. “One of my favorite
techniques is to run a 1/2- or 3/4-ounce spinnerbait as fast as possible along
a steep rocky bank. I like white and chartreuse with double No. 4 and No. 3
gold willow-leaf blades. I reel fast and steady. When bass hit, they practically
knock the rod out of my hands.”
After finding a concentration of fish, probe
the area thoroughly to find that magic
one percent. This calls for more subtle
and usually deeper baits, such as Texasrigged
worms, shaky heads, football jigs or
Carolina rigs. Work these slowly through
every inch of fish-holding water or cover.
“A shaky head is a good way to find bass,”
Rake recommended. “I use a finesse
worm or a 6-inch trick worm with it. I’ll
throw it around points on lighter line. If fish
aren’t really aggressive, they’ll come out
after a shaky head with a trick worm more
than a big crankbait. Sometimes, I just let
it sit on the bottom and shake it a little.”
After finding the one percent of water
where fish want to stay, try to figure out
what they want to eat and why. Analyze
each strike to establish common factors,
American OUTDOORSMAN

such lure color, size or action. Also look at the environment.
Where did the fish hit? How deep was it? What was the
water color? What was the closest cover? Try to verify
and repeat the pattern. Once anglers can figure out the
best patterns for that day, they can eliminate unproductive
waters and lures to concentrate on what works best.
“I constantly analyze what’s happening,” advised Denny
Brauer, a former Bassmaster Classic champion from
Camdenton, Mo. “An angler must be in total awareness of
where the bait is and what’s happening. Know how deep
it is and how it’s running in relation to the cover. When
the bite happens, add up all that information and find the
common denominators. People who find a place and an
action that duplicates those common denominators catch
more and bigger fish.”
Once an angler figures out the sweet spots that hold bass
and what the bass want a lure to do on that particular day,
then he or she simply needs to put the right bait where
the bass wants to find it in order to earn a big check. The
trick comes in making that determination -- and that often
involves considerable experimentation, scouting and
knowledge of how to find those sweet spots. n
Kevin VanDam, a professional bass angler
from Kalamazoo, Mich., fights a bass he
caught at Lake Amistad near Del Rio, Texas.
(Photo by John N. Felsher)
American OUTDOORSMAN

old fog hangs white like muslin over the Juneau
morning, masking the waters of the Taku River. To
the Native Tlingit, “taku” is “salmon.” The river has
long been central to the lives of people here and it’s one of
the most important salmon fisheries in the world. An hour
bush flight up the watershed runs the glacier-fed Tatsatua
River in the northwest corner of British Columbia, B.C.
This stream is known by few. And, the salmon are plentiful,
gorgeous, and gear-busting big!

It’s a gray, west-coast morning in August, but “Let’s try it,”
says my bush pilot Dennis Lozier of Juneau Alaska’s Ward
Air. Ahead stands the Coastal Mountains, the Stikine Ice
Fields, goats and grizzlies, and pristine North-American
wilderness. He hands me earplugs and stows an overnight
bag and a sat phone – just in case.
I strap into the co-pilot’s seat and laugh at the prospect.
The only switch in reach reads, “Do not turn off in flight.”
No worries there. “Tick, tick, tick”, Dennis flips a dozen
switches. The growl of the single-prop de Havilland Beaver
fills my chest. Denis looks over and nods. The prop blurs
then disappears, pulling the floats through the chop and
then skimming the river’s surface.
We are up and catching half-glimpses of the wilderness
below. The thickening curtain forces us downward. We fly the
river toward Tatsamenie Lake where I hope to rendezvous
with the largest Pacific salmon, the chinook, Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha: the king.
It’s mid-August. King, coho, and sockeye are on the last
30-day leg of a life’s journey. There’s the odd steelhead
thrown in for good measure. They’re slipping from the
Pacific into the Taku, pushing up the Sheslay, and bullying
American OUTDOORSMAN
up current and stony falls of the Tatsatua toward their
spawning grounds.
For me, this is a trip of firsts. It’s my first float plane, on my
first salmon trip and I’m one of the first anglers to fish this
run. Sure, I fly fish. But, I’m a hot-water guy from Texas.
I grew up pulling bass from cow ponds on fiberglass
rods and Styrofoam poppers. I learned the roll cast by
trying to get poorly tied mayflies to Red Creek sunfish.
And, while one of my favorite pastimes
is sight casting flies to skinny water reds
in saltwater, I’ll fish with hand-lines and
hammers if need be.
Soon we’re skating across the lake to
camp on Greg Williams’ johnboat with his
rabbit-hounding beagle Tuffy riding the
bow. Greg is “the” guide for non-residents
on a 5-million-acre roadless wilderness.
Most of his quests are Americans, but
Canadians remain an important part of his
customer base. Today, he has hunters on
the mountains; but I’m one of two anglers.
The other is renowned conservationist
Shane Mahoney.
At camp, Shane and Greg explain their
partnership in Wild Forever Alliance,
a membership organization that they
hope will fund conservation and make
wilderness hunts accessible to average
people. I’m intrigued and eventually I sign
up, but for now I’m itching to fish.
I sneak off, assemble my spinning gear,
and get to the river as soon as I think can
pull it off without being rude. Yeah thanks
for having me, where’s the damn pie! I
zing an in-line spinner bait across a crystal
backwater. A red blur swoops in. I set the
hook. First cast. Yes, no hammers necessary.
I wrestle it in, remove the hook, and
admire the 5.4 kg (12-lb) sockeye. She
swims away. Awesome. First sockeye.
That’ll hold me over until tomorrow.
The 9 p.m. sun hangs low. We all sit on
the hand-hewn porch and talk traditions
and conservation. We watch a moose
swim the lake. And, we talk fish.
“The streams are full of salmon and trout. They grow big here,” Greg says,
“and no one fishes them.”
In the morning, that’ll change.
FIRST FLY CAST
At 5:55 a.m. sunrise glares from a snowy peak and lures me from my bunk.
At 6:15 I’m crouched in the dew-wet grass. Fog sits on the river and hides
American OUTDOORSMAN

the spruce. The glacial water runs fast, cold, and gin
clear along a roller-coaster track of gravel and sand,
peaking high near the surface and scooping into holes. In
hydraulic pockets and seams across the river, big salmon
lay in stacks as red and tight as bricks.
I tie on a big Dolly Llama fly and cast up and across
stream. The cone head drags the strips of rabbit fur down
through the water column. The current sweeps the fly
along, bouncing it across gravel and sand, tinsel shining,
furry strips dancing burlesque. Everything about the fly is
meant to aggravate the hell out of big salmon.
It tails out and disappears. The line sucks “sheoooo” when
I set the hook. The fight’s on. In time, a dark mottled red
coho comes to the bank. At 4.5 kg (10 lbs) or so, my first
coho is no giant, but she’s a fine fish. She swims off to
finish her journey and lay her 2,500 eggs.
A rule of fishing is don’t leave fish to find fish. But I do.
I’m looking for kings. I ease along, studying the water and
swinging the big fly.
A meaty rainbow slams the fly, cuts somersaults, launches
one meter into the air in a water-slinging flail and gives me
every bit of hell he can muster. A 53 cm (21-inch) rainbow
with balls enough to bust a king salmon fly and put a deep
bend on a 9-weight rod is something to experience – and
a first for me.
KING’S COURT
7:20 a.m. I spot them and freeze. Dark, log-sized phantoms
are resting off the main current and cruising in singles and
pairs. One comes near and I’m doing math and hoping to
get it right. If you’ve sight cast to redfish or cruising pike,
you know what happens next.
Nine meters upstream, 3 meters past him, I hope that’ll drop
the fly on his nose. His body flares. He bolts across the
Wild Forever Alliance
Wild Forever Alliance is the brainchild of Greg Williams the Owner of Golden Bear
Outfitting, a BC conservationist, guide and outfitter for more than 30 years. His
goal with partner Shane Mahoney, well-known Newfoundland conservationist and
speaker, is to keep the average hunter in the game with chances at spectacular
hunts of a lifetime. Greg’s motivating fear is that the spectacular hunting and
fishing that were once within the reach of middle-class Canadian and America
outdoor enthusiasts is becoming the exclusive territory of the wealthy.
Membership in the organization costs $365 + GST (plus admin. fee $99 +
GST, one-time for new signups only). Members become eligible to enter into
24 hunt draws and qualify for discounts on hunts, clothing and gear.
Golden Bear Outfitting offers its four-days-on-the-water fishing excursions from
the first week of August until the season closes August 20. The $3800 U.S. price
tag includes air charter out of Juneau Alaska, accommodation, meals and guide
service. The experience will be limited to 16 anglers in 2015 at the Tatsatua site,
but Greg is currently developing opportunities on other spectacular BC rivers.
www.goldenbearoutfitting.com
www.wildforeveralliance.com
river. I’m dialed in tight. The fly disappears and his weight
reminds me to set the hook. In half a second he’s on.
“Pop, pop, pop,” the reel beats my knuckles and “siiiiiings.”
He tears down stream. Back and forth he goes. He bursts
out of the river, sails through the air, and crashes, time after
time. I try to turn his head toward the bank. I tighten the
drag, hoping to push my luck, not break it. Ten minutes later
he’s at the bank. “Swoosh” – he charges back out.
Everything stops. In slow motion my fly line pops free and
sails out. Before I have time to consider flooded waders,
I dive and manage to catch the line. I slosh to my feet,
holding on for dear life with right hand and stripping line
with my left. I’m begging the fishing Gods. He cinches the
line tight into my hands. Then we play a strategic tug of war,
testing tensile strength and angles.
He surfaces and alligator-rolls his thick body. He’s huge.
And, I think I’ve got him. I back up toward the bank. It’s
going to happen. Five minutes later and he’s almost in.
“Whoosh”, he turns. Everything goes slack. He swims off.
I’d like to say I take it well. But I string together every slur,
slander, and swear I can call up. I may have set free a
man tear. Then I take it well. I slurp water from the river
and wash my face. I study the broken hook and laugh at
myself. Tomorrow.
Fresh baked bread and mountain goat stew is waiting when
at the cabin. I’m sure no one will believe me; but I tell them
American OUTDOORSMAN
American OUTDOORSMAN

about the big rainbow and the hook-breaking salmon. They all
nod something like, “Sounds about right.”
“Yeah,” says Greg, “biologists say our sockeye are 25 per
cent bigger here.” The kings are huge, too. Tomorrow there’ll
be proof.
My eyes pop open at 5:45 a.m. I set the unverified Guinness
Book world record for wader donning. I run, walk to the river,
whistling to keep bears and elephants away. At 6:00 I’m fishing.
I work down river catching good coho, sockeye, and roughneck
rainbows. But, I really want another chance at a beast.
SECOND CHANCE
Tuffy’s voice rings down the river. He’s the only beagle in a
valley full of rabbits. I can relate. Right now I could be the only
one fishing a wilderness six times the size of the Delaware and
Connecticut combined. My muscles ache from fighting fish.
And, I think there’s a shadow holding deep up ahead. After
four or five swings, the dance of the pink and purple
Dolly Llama gets a response.
The strike sucks out the slack. I strip set the hook and
pull my hand from the reel after a couple of good raps.
The fight is almost a carbon copy of yesterday, so I know
he’s big. But, the backing holds. I pray hard to the fishing
gods and play him as long as I can stand it. Eventually I back
from waist-deep water to the bank. When his dorsal breaks
the surface, he turns and bolts into the current. Something
“cracks”. Everything goes limp. I’ve lost him. The 9-wt rod
hangs in two. Shit. I should’ve pointed the rod and let the
reel do the work. “Weeen”, the drag sounds. He’s still on. I
jump and grab and again I’m hand lining.
For the next 15 minutes or so, I strip line, pray, tangle myself,
hope, run up and down the river, try Tibetan throat singing,
churn out Gregorian chants, and otherwise do everything I
can to not blow it. Finally, he tires and I bring him in. He’s
not as big as the one yesterday, but he’s a 96 cm (38-inch)
beast – by far the biggest fish I have ever landed on a fly. I
grip as far around his tail as I can and lift him by his thick,
dark belly. The fly dangles pink from his olive head. I slip
the hook out. It takes a minute for him to recover. And, me
too, honestly. Eventually, he snaps to and eases back out
to await his chance to spawn.
For several more weeks salmon will gather here. They’ll
sweep gravel clean and beat the hell out of anything that
gets too close. They’ll give short chase to the rainbows and
dolly varden that lay among them to feed on the eggs. Then
the salmon will die.
The eggs will hatch. The tiny alevin will live in the gravel
until they’re big enough to take on the currents as fry. The
strong fry will grow to smolts and turn downstream toward
the Pacific. For up to five years, they’ll cruise the seas
and mature.
Next year, a new generation of spawning adults will move
through the Taku and the Sheslay and bully up the Tatsatua.
At Tatsamenie Lake, they’ll stack tight as bricks and protect
their redds with everything they have. The salmon will be
there. I will too. And, I’m bringing a bigger rod. n
American OUTDOORSMAN
American OUTDOORSMAN

Mike Hungle
Seeing is believing, something I confirmed while
testing a pair of Leica Ultravid HD 10X42 binoculars.
Thanks to the crystal-clear images I saw through
these binoculars I was able to distinguish between twigs
and deer antlers while glassing distant tree lines and to
confirm that far off black dots in a stubble field were
goose heads and not weeds.

“The close focus range was listed at 9.8 feet, however, in my
testing I was able to focus down to 8 feet which made it fun
use around the yard while checking out small songbirds.”
a steep hill. As my testing proved, the binoculars will also
survive falls off a truck seat when slamming on the brakes
to check out something in the distance.
The units are 100 per cent waterproof to a depth of 5 m. and
the internal optical system is not subject to fogging even
under harsh weather conditions or in times of high humidity.
Never once did my test binoculars fog up, not even when
I’d took them from my warm truck out into the cold.
One of my favorite features of the binoculars is the of
the locking eyepiece cups that can be easily adjusted for
use with or without glasses. While this may seem like a
strange feature to be a highlight on quality optics, I found
the eyecups very easy to set and once locked into place
they didn’t move out of position. It’s a common complaint
that I’ve had with many other types of binoculars. It took a
simple twist clockwise to turn the eyepiece caps in while
wearing glasses or anti clockwise to turn them out while not
“The units are 100 per cent waterproof to a depth of 5 m. and the internal
optical system is not subject to fogging even under harsh weather conditions
or in times of high humidity. Never once did my test binoculars fog up, not
even when I’d take them from my warm truck and out into the cold.”
Leica’s new line of Ultravid HD binocular models incorporate
top-performing fluoride lenses that provide users crystalclear
images with superb color and contrast. The images
seen through the binoculars are bright, clear and have
extremely sharp detail resolution. To further enhance the
viewing, these binoculars are fitted with an anti-reflective
coating on lenses and reflective layers on prisms, which
provide increased light transmission. The end result is
excellent viewing throughout the day, including the low-light
periods at dusk and dawn.
Part of my testing included scouting for waterfowl. During
these times I was afield early in early morning and late
evening. With the aid of these binoculars, I was able to
locate flocks of distant birds in low-light conditions and then
move in closer for a better look. As well, when scanning
the skies for extended periods of times, I never got dizzy,
experienced headaches or blurry vision thanks to the clarity
of these binoculars.
The Leica Ultravid HD binoculars are designed to handle
the rough and tough abuse that hunters can give them.
They feature an outer layer of rubber armoring that is both
protective and easy to grip under all conditions. However,
it’s not just the rubber armoring that does all the protection.
The binoculars feature hermetically-sealed and nitrogenfilled
magnesium housings that will withstand bumps into
trees or gun stocks while you stalk through trees or hike up
American OUTDOORSMAN
American OUTDOORSMAN

wearing my specs. One neat feature of the eyepiece caps
that I liked is that they are easily pulled off the binoculars
when the eyepieces are in the fully unscrewed position. It
allowed me to give them a very good cleaning when they
got dirty.
Another feature of the binoculars that I found pleasing is
that the focusing mechanism moved smoothly and was
easy to operate with or without gloves. In addition, my
testing revealed that once I focused on distant objects, the
focus ring would not slip or move, allowing me to lower the
binoculars from my eyes and then have them focused when
I wanted to look back again at the same object. The 8X42
model has an advertised twilight factor of 18.3 and a field
of view of 130 m at 1000 m (389 feet at 1,000 yards). The
close focus range was listed at 3 m (9.8 feet), however, in
my testing I was able to focus down to 2.4 m (8 feet) which
made it fun to use around the yard while checking out small
songbirds..
The Leica Ultravid HD binoculars are available in 8X50,
10X50, 12X50, 7X42, 8X42, 10X42, 8X32 and 10X32
models. All models feature roof prisms, and the company’s
High Durable Coating (HDC) and hydrophobic AquaDura
coating on outer lens surfaces and their High Lux System
(HLS) and phase-correction coating P40 on the prisms.
Internal focusing is via a central focus device and they
have diopter compensation of +/- 4. The binoculars come
with front lens covers, eyepiece cap cover, a contoured
neoprene neck strap and Cordura carrying case. n
American OUTDOORSMAN

y Ty Cary
If you’ve never experienced the incredible wild Alaska,
I highly encourage you to put it on your “to-do” list.
The views are absolutely breathtaking, the land goes on
forever, and if you’re a hunter or simply just a nature lover, the
abundance of wildlife there is unlike anywhere in the U.S.

This week, I once again joined the host of Trijicon’s The
pack. If we saw a bear, I wanted to be prepared. Suddenly,
We headed down the beach a ways, before
Hunt, and good friend Scott Haugen, on an adventure in
there was chaos upstairs. Down came the assistant guide,
we went into the bush after this big bear.
the Alaskan bush that most only dream of experiencing. We
George, frantically telling us, “Get ready, we have a bear
Once again, I held back to get awesome
were going after giant brown bear and the stakes couldn’t
be higher. Scott had gone on this same hunt four years
before, with registered guide Bruce Hallingstad, in search
of the rare 10’+ brown bears that are seldom seen, let
alone taken by hunters. Although he didn’t encounter such
a giant, he had filled his tag on a very respectable boar.
This time, we are here with high expectations and a goal
of producing a filmed hunt that would keep your adrenaline
pumping as you view it from the comfort of your couch!
When preparing for a trip into the Alaskan wilderness, it’s
never a good idea to skimp on necessary survival gear.
For example, I always pack warm clothes for cold and wet
weather conditions, even if I’ll be in the middle of summer,
as weather can change dramatically in a matter of hours.
Also, it’s always a good idea to pack extra flashlights and a
knife. Even though I was not hunting on this trip, I planned
to take my survival kit, flashlights, knives, and extra clothes
every time I set foot in the bush.
Prior to arriving in Egegik, Alaska at Bruce’s home, we
had received reports that the bears were just not showing
themselves, and that the weather was incredibly warm for
this time of year, pushing 80º F the entire week. We began
to question how this hunt we’d prepared for so long would
go. Undeterred, we kept our hopes up and continued with
the journey. Upon arrival, temperatures were still reaching
high 70ºs, we loaded up the boat and headed across the
bay to his cabin on the south spit of Egegik, where we set
up camp for an expected ten days of bear hunting, filming,
and glassing for nearly twenty hours a day from the highest
vantage point on the inlet... “the crows nest” upstairs in the
cabin… allowing us to see many miles on a clear day.
spotted!”
It couldn’t have been ten minutes since we arrived in camp.
So, Scott and I put on our waders, gathered camera gear
and hurried after our guide, Bruce. As I followed not far
behind them, filming all along, I heard everything they said
as each wore a microphone. But they couldn’t hear me. Mind
you, I was without any bear spray or pistol for protection if
there were to be a dangerous situation. Honestly though,
knowing myself, I think I would have kept filming up until
that bear was in my face before I would think about survival
tactics. Besides, I trust Scott with my life, so I was never
worried. Shortly after making our way towards this bear, still
easily two miles away, the wind switched at our backs. We
decided it best to back out and let him be until he showed
himself again; no sense in risking him winding us.
Back at camp, I continued to film everything I could--- clouds,
grass, birds, tide change, time lapses, as much scenery
as possible, along with camaraderie in camp amongst the
crew. Hours and hours passed before this big bear showed
again, and this time we were all settled in and prepared for
another stalk. Now, he was a little bit closer, but heading
the other way. As a cameraman, I try to remain calm and
capture every important moment on any hunt, even when
everyone is running all over getting ready to head out. I
try to always use a tripod, so that I’m much happier with
the quality of footage later on when I review it. Often, I run
my cameras in manual, whether I’m using a large video
camera or a DSLR, so I can adjust as needed when there
is a dramatic light change during recording, such as occurs
when going from an outside shot to a pan back inside
shot. Also, audio is extremely critical, so I always wear
perspective shots with Scott and Bruce
in frame with the bear, staying anywhere
from 30 to 70 yards behind them most of
the time. Only when I knew Scott wanted to
talk to the camera, or if we had to stay tight
to close the distance on our prey, would I
be right behind them. I only do this if the
situation allows me to do so without ruining
the stalk. This large bear kept getting
bigger and bigger the closer we got to
him. Now, 500 yards from him and closing,
the footage was incredible. He staggered
and swung his head side to side, like in
slow motion, giving me the opportunity to
display his natural movement on camera,
though unaware of our presence.
We kept our heads low in the open tundra
and advanced in his direction every time
he faced away. With our waders on, we
were sweating like crazy and trudging
through the mud and muck, battling
permafrost holes and creeks too large to
cross. Nothing could stop us from getting
within range of this once in a lifetime
animal though…except wind…which was
in our favor the whole time, along with the
setting sun at our backs. Not going to lie,
my heart was starting to race just a little
out of pure adrenaline and excitement.
It was now 11pm with plenty of light out, the
bear was just over 300 yards away, and
we were in position. I found a good spot
third of the frame, with the bear in the upper right third, I gave Scott the go
ahead. Even in the heat of the moment, a cameraman has to be positive
everything is perfect with their equipment; audio levels aren’t spiking, iris
isn’t too dark or too hot, focus is crystal clear, battery level is plenty, camera
is level on the tripod to name a few, and most importantly...the record button
is on! A cameraman must be so efficient that the hunter never has to worry
or question a single thing, so they can focus on hunting--- almost as if you
aren’t there. True to this, Scott zeroed his Trijicon scope on this bear with his
green Accupoint and pulled the trigger on his rifle. Big bear down! Emotions
Now just after noon the first day, I was downstairs in my little
headphones no matter how hot it is outside or how wet I
over Scott’s right shoulder, about 40 yards
burst from all of us. This was a team effort and every move we made to this
room unpacking and getting all my camera gear put into my
am getting. It’s virtually impossible to re-do audio correctly.
behind him. Framing him in the lower left
very moment had been calculated. It all came together perfectly.
American OUTDOORSMAN
American OUTDOORSMAN

Most of my memories and visions from hunts I film are
remembered through the lens, and it’s seldom that I look
up to fully take in the experience live with my own eyes.
But this time, the way it all played out, I was able to not only
make sure my camera captured everything, but I was able
to watch Scott pull the trigger and drop this magnificent
monster brown bear. Pretty cool really! Filming Scott
and Bruce walk up to it was awesome. All our jaws were
dropped in pure shock at the size of this old bear. Quite an
adventure, that’s for sure.
Back at camp, we were able to square and measure his
skull. It squared a whopping 10’ 9” in length, and a skull
measuring 29 1/4”, making it easily Boone & Crockett;
very impressive and our expectations were far exceeded.
Eventually finding out this bear was over 26 years old with
not too many years left on his card.
I’ve been all over the world with Scott, filming him take some
magnificent animals and making some incredible shots, but
I have to say, I won’t soon forget the details of stalking an
animal with such power and potential danger. Every step
we got closer to this giant bear was a rush, and to have it all
come together with epic footage, well, it’s just what we do!
Ty Cary is a professional cameraman out of Eugene, OR
and owner of Standing Buck Productions, LLC. Currently
filming for multiple major TV shows in the outdoor industry,
he’s had the experience working all around the world, but
his heart remains in the Pacific Northwest where he is able
to train & chase elk and big game in the high country. n
American OUTDOORSMAN

y Josh Lantz with Eddie Salter
vergreen, Alabama’s Eddie “The Turkey Man” Salter is one of the world’s
most experienced turkey hunters. Over nearly 50 years of observation,
Salter has refined his skill set through trial and error to learn what
works in the turkey woods and why. Most of the time...
Turkey Man TV videographer, Mike Miller, works a
diaphragm call in conjunction with Salter’s calling to locate
a late season tom.
“Old Tom Turkey plays by his own rules,” says the Plano-
Synergy pro, who may hunt a dozen different states each
spring. “Just because I can puff out my chest after fooling
one doesn’t mean the next one’s going to come the same
way,” he continues.
Yes, the Turkey Man is quick to admit that no single strategy
works 100% of the time. It’s what keeps him coming back to
the field spring after spring, searching for the next unique
experience or observation that will make him an even better
hunter the next time out.
Humility is an important trait in any hunter, and Salter
maintains his through ample lessons from the birds he
loves, as well as a sincere appreciation for the opportunity
he’s been given to hunt turkeys for a living and to share his
knowledge with others.
I had the opportunity to shadow Salter and his cameraman,
Mike Miller, on a challenging hunt in the hills of central
Kentucky during filming for Salter’s popular Turkey Man
television series last spring. Two things quickly became
apparent over the course of our two-day hunt. First, Salter
never gives up. If there’s a tom in the neighborhood, he’ll
work that bird ten different ways until he either puts it
down or pushes it into the next county. Second, Salter – a
two-time world champion – is the finest turkey caller I’ve
heard. His ability to effectively vocalize all manner of turkey
sounds – with or without an actual call – is truly remarkable.
Miller is an incredible caller as well, and the team worked in
tandem to light up every bird within earshot.
“Calling is an important skill a turkey hunter needs to have,”
says Salter, “but it’s more important to know when to make
those sounds. Anyone can learn to call, but if you want to
kill turkeys with regularity, you’ve got to listen to those hens
and jakes and toms in the field and watch how they interact
together,” he adds. “There’s no substitute for experience.”
While every turkey-hunting situation is different, the Turkey
Man has strong views on how hunters can, and should,
adjust their strategies throughout the spring season.
American OUTDOORSMAN

2015 spring turkey season. “Go to areas with a lot of sign
that you know birds are using and try to deer hunt them a
bit,” he says. “Use a couple decoys and try a little calling,
but don’t be surprised or concerned if they don’t gobble,”
he advises. “Have patience and move on to a different
location after an hour or so. Pack a lunch and hunt all day
if your state allows it. You’ll probably stumble up on one,”
concludes Salter.
When it comes to early season decoy strategies, Salter
prefers a single Avian-X breeder or feeder hen and a single
Flextone Thunder Chicken jake. “I don’t like big, fluffed up
decoys or a lot of them,” says Salter, who appreciates the
relaxed posture of the Avian-X hen’s head, and the featherlike
fan that moves in the wind on the Thunder Chicken
jake. “Those small details help put birds at ease and can
make a big difference whenever you hunt,” he says.
Deciding how much or how little to call can only be learned
through experience, and is a critical consideration during
the early season. “When toms are sorting out their pecking
order during the pre-breeding period, you can have great
success with aggressive calling,” says Salter. But it’s
important not to overdo it right out of the gate. “Guys have
a tendency to keep hammering away, especially when
turkeys aren’t gobbling, but that isn’t always what the birds
want to hear,” adds Salter.
Tenzing’s unique TZ TP14 Turkey Pack allows turkey hunters to set up anywhere and remain comfortably
motionless while working birds – without the need for a tree or stump to lean against.
EARLY SEASON
Most turkey hunters believe the opening days of the
spring turkey-hunting season offer the best chances at
taking a bird. This is probably true in most cases. Turkeys
that haven’t been hunted in months can up the odds for
success, but an abundance of weather-related variables
can easily turn what should be prime turkey killing days into
disappointing outings that often leave less-experienced
hunters scratching their heads.
If opening day arrives on the heels of typical spring weather,
hunters can expect toms to be fired up for breeding yet
frustrated by hens that aren’t quite ready. These are great
conditions for the turkey hunter, as toms will be close to
the hens and establishing dominance. These are birds that
can be expected to respond favorably to effective calling –
especially the less-dominant toms.
American OUTDOORSMAN
“You’re mostly hunting satellite toms in the early season,”
says Salter, who often hunts from a portable ground blind
during this period. “You’ve got a lot less cover at the start
of the season, and a blind is a key tool,” he continues.
Turkeys are often less vocal now, too. “Silent birds can be
on top of you before you know it during the early season,”
he says. “A good blind set up is going to conceal your
movement when repositioning your gun towards the old
tom that seemed to pop out of the ground right next to you
like a mushroom,” he concludes. Of course, a ground blind
also provides welcomed comfort and protection from early
spring’s unpredictable weather.
Most seasoned hunters agree that weather is the single
largest variable in early season turkey hunting. “So many
times in a cold early season, the birds don’t crank up
when you want,” says Salter, who recently experienced
this very challenge during the opening days of Alabama’s
There’s no substitute for experience. Salter and Miller were successful on this late season Kentucky
hunt, not solely because of their expert calling, but because they adapted their calling to what this tom
wanted to hear.
American OUTDOORSMAN

“Mix it up, and wait different periods of time between calling.
purrs, clicks and yelps,” says Salter, who carries and uses
Hens have a lot of personality, so put feeling into your own
a pack full of calls during this period. “I like to try a bunch
calling,” he suggests.
of different calls later in the season… just for variety… to
Salter’s point about each hen being – and sounding –
different, was proven on our Kentucky hunt last spring.
try and find that one he’ll key in on,” he adds. “If I can get a
tom to answer, then I’ll stick with that one call he likes, but
won’t be too aggressive.”
We were set up on a ridge of oaks attempting to call in a
stubborn tom from the next ridge over. Salter and Miller
were each working slate and mouth calls simultaneously,
playing off of each other and the live birds in the area with
the precision and artistry of Duane Allman and Dickey
Betts jamming the bridge to Jessica in 1972. During a brief
pause, the world’s worst turkey caller started yelping down
Gobbler calls can also become effective hunting tools during
the late season. Such a call can be used for shock gobbling
birds on the roost, but also excels when used in conjunction
with a mating yelp. It’s a deadly combination that can bring
a jealous old tom running in to look for a fight. But gobbler
calls can serve another purpose in the late season as well.
Salter uses several different calls during the late
season to try and find that single note a particular
tom will respond to. “If I can get a tom to answer,
I’ll stick with that one call he likes, but won’t be
too aggressive,” Salter says.
Instead, Salter suggests starting with three or four little
notes and building up gradually. “Wait a minute after those
soft initial purrs or yelps, then apply a little more pressure,”
he says. Salter will repeat this process a couple more times,
getting louder and extending his sequence each time. “By
the fourth time, I’m screaming 10 to 12 notes at them...
feeding calls and throwing some cuts in, too,” says Salter,
who often rustles leaves with his hand or a branch between
slope from us and out of view.
Out of cadence and more grunt than yelp, the calls sounded
like someone working very hard to sound like a hen turkey,
but failing miserably. The three of us, moderately amused,
looked at each other with stunned faces. Thirty seconds
later, a live hen turkey – completely normal by all other
accounts – cleared the ridge and proceeded to continue
with her unconventional and entertaining yelping. She
busted us and ran away when someone began laughing.
LATE SEASON
Conditions change in the late season, and hunters should
adapt their set-ups and calling strategies accordingly.
Breeding is winding down at this time, and many dominant
hens will be nesting. But while these older gals are laying
and sitting, a number of younger hens will still be out and
about broadcasting their availability to suitors. Those are
the birds hunters need to observe and mimic. The toms are
listening. Are you?
Salter says it’s usually a good idea to tone down your
calling during the late season, but recognizes that hunters
should continue to let the birds tell them what they want. “If
“Gobblers will switch gears at some point late in the season
and look to buddy up again,” says Salter. “A call like
Flextone’s Thunder Gobble is underutilized, especially late
in the game when toms become more interested in each
other’s company again,” he says.
The physical hunting environment also changes throughout
the season. An increasing amount of foliage on the ground
and on the trees makes visibility – for both turkeys and
hunters – more challenging as the season progresses. But
the heavier vegetation can also be an asset. “We often need
to cover more ground in the late season, and the increased
cover makes mobility and concealment easier,” says Salter,
who recommends leaving the ground blinds at home at this
time of year.
“I’ll work paths, trails and clearings where I can see more,
but tuck into available cover using my turkey pack,” says
Salter, referring to his Tenzing TP 14 Turkey Pack, which
has a fold-down padded seat and unique spring-loaded
legs to create a comfy backrest. “I can set-up anywhere
with that pack in seconds and don’t need a tree or a log to
lean against… It’s been a real game-changer, for me and a
lot of other turkey hunters,” he continues.
A portable blind excels at concealing movement
and keeping hunters comfortable during
unpredictable early season weather.
turkey hunter, the importance of which cannot be overlooked.
There’s simply less competition from real hens.
“If you find a tom that isn’t henned-up, he’ll likely be sucker
for the proper calling and set-up,” says Salter, who tends to
stick with his hen and jake decoy set-up throughout the late
season. “Toms seem to make more mistakes during the late
season,” he says, “and seeing that single jake with a hen is
just something he’s not going to be able to brush off. He’s
coming in; so let him make the mistake, not you. Watch
what he likes, then keep doing it and you’ll get your bird.”
The most successful turkey hunters avoid mistakes
by watching, listening and adapting their strategies
accordingly – throughout the course of a single hunt and
over the changing conditions and circumstances of an
entire season. Still, everyone makes mistakes. The key is
racking up enough experience to realize errors right away
and make immediate adjustments.
Spend enough time in the woods and the birds will show
calling sequences to simulate scratching and add realism.
they aren’t doing a lot of calling, I’ll stick with those softer
The late season provides another key advantage for the
you what they want. n
American OUTDOORSMAN
American OUTDOORSMAN