Game & Fish Midwest

Every month in Game & Fish, you'll discover the best hotspots throughout your region for hunting and fishing. We'll also bring you your state's latest outdoor news, plus plenty of how-to tactics and special strategies designed to make you a more successful hunter and angler.

HOLDING OUT HOPE

Game & Fish Midwest

GAME & FISH ONLINE • TIPS, TACTICS, GEAR, NEWS AND MORE AT GAFMAG.COM

MOON TIMES

CHASSIS CONSIDERATIONS • CHASSIS-STYLE RIFLES OFTEN OFFER EXCELLENT ACCURACY AND MORE FLEXIBILITY WITH FIT AND ACCESSORIES, BUT DO THEY MESH WITH YOUR HUNTING STYLE?

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER? • LATE-SEASON DEER HUNTS CAN BE SUCCESSFUL ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT LEVELS.

Proclamation EXASPERATION • IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED A LAW DEGREE TO DECIPHER HUNTING REGULATIONS, YOU’RE NOT ALONE—BUT THERE’S HELP.

DOWN TO THE WIRE • PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF WHEN PURSUING MATURE MIDWEST WHITETAILS, EVEN IF IT MEANS HUNTING TILL THE VERY LAST MOMENT.

STRAIGHT-WALL SETUP • These three pieces of gear were clutch in Illinois’ deer woods.

Borderland BUCKS • A HUNT FOR DEER AS UNIQUE AS THE LAND IN WHICH THEY THRIVE

CREATURE COMFORTS • Cibolo Creek Ranch is not your average hunting camp.

NEXT-GEN GLASS • A pair of rangefinding optics loaded with techy features

AROUND THE MIDWEST • A SAMPLING OF THE REGION’S BEST HUNTING AND FISHING OPPORTUNITIES THIS WINTER

SAFE SETS • HARVEST MORE RACCOONS THIS SEASON, WHILE REDUCING INCIDENTAL CAPTURES, WITH DOG-PROOF TRAPS.

RIVERS OF PLENTY • WHEN FRIGID WINTER TEMPERATURES LOCK UP LAKES, SLOUGHS AND SWAMPS, HUNT OPEN WATER ON FLOWING RIVERS FOR SOME OF THE SEASON’S HOTTEST WATERFOWL ACTION.

LATE LOADS • Six hard-hitting shotshells to stone winter ducks and geese

Smokepole SHOWDOWN • THOSE WHO STILL HAVE A TAG CAN FIND GOOD OPPORTUNITIES AT MATURE BUCKS DURING LATE MUZZLELOADER SEASONS.

MODERN MUZZLELOADER GEAR • Upgrade with new, innovative equipment to boost your late-season success.

Patrolling for PERCH • ADOPT A MOBILE APPROACH TO FIND AND ICE MORE YELLOW PERCH WHEN FISHING THE HARD WATER.

ICE ESSENTIALS • Elevate your ice fishing with the best new hard-water gear.

ODDBALL OPTIONS • GLAMOUR SPECIES LIKE WALLEYES, CRAPPIES AND PIKE GET THE GLORY, BUT OTHER, OVERLOOKED PROSPECTS MAY OFFER SOME OF THE SEASON’S BEST HARD-WATER ACTION.

CORNHUSKER Cornucopia • NEBRASKA OFFERS UPLAND BIRD HUNTERS WILLING TO BRAVE THE COLD EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES AT A MIXED BAG OF SPECIES.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO • Key considerations when planning a late-season Nebraska upland hunt

SAIL ON! • PACIFIC SAILFISH ARE THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF COSTA RICA’S CROCODILE BAY, BUT TUNA, ROOSTERFISH AND A VARIETY OF INSHORE SPECIES ADD TO THE TROPICAL ADVENTURE.

CROCODILE BAY COMFORTS • Lodging and dining at Botánika Osa Peninsula

JUNGLE IMMERSION • Ecotours offer an up-close look at Costa Rica’s wildlife.

BURRIS BTC35 V3 • THIS CLIP-ON UNIT PROVIDES COMMITMENT-FREE THERMAL IMAGING FOR LESS THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

Bushnell R5 BINOCULAR • DEER HUNTERS GET ALL THE FEATURES THEY NEED—ALONG WITH SEVERAL UPGRADES— IN AN OPTIC CARRYING AN IMPRESSIVE WARRANTY AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE.

TAKE A SHOT • NOT TRYING CAN BE WORSE THAN MISSING.