January’s outdoor outlook

Outdoorsmen can look forward to big bucks, hot squirrel action, monster smallmouths and sheepshead

January is another month of transition with many veteran hunters harvesting late season trophy bucks as they become vulnerable due to late season secondary ruts, food shortages and daylight activity.

Jordan Blissett, a Primos videographer and successful hunter, shares a few tips and techniques on how to find late season bucks in “Jump into January bucks.” Blissett hunts around the country videoing monster bucks as well as shooting a few. His love of deer hunting was established right here at home and he’ll tell his own monster buck story and show you how you can find and harvest your own trophy.

“Bad weather for big bucks,” by John Phillips, gives hunters a refresher in locating bucks during the late season. Rainy days, cold days and windy days are often times when hunters don’t hunt. Phillips believes mature bucks know more about hunters than we’ve learned about those bucks – especially those 3 years old or older. In this article, he’ll explain how to take advantage of the times when mature bucks are more likely to move during daylight hours.

Squirrel hunting

“Puttin’ on the dog” takes us into the woods with well-known Quitman dog trainer Gary Rodgers and shows us how he hunts squirrels with his famous Mountain Cur squirrel dogs. Rodgers is an expert trainer and hunter who takes kids and first-time hunters and gets them hooked on the fast-paced, action-filled hunts with his cracker-jack dogs. I have hunted around the state with Rodgers over the last 25 years and can attest to how much fun can be had when you get into the squirrels during late season.

Fishing in January

In late winter, big sheepshead gather around bridges, dock pilings and other barnacle-encrusted structures to spawn. Powerful fish, sheepshead can provide anglers with incredible action on light tackle. Find out more in “Light biters, big fighters” by John Felsher.

Want to fight ferocious smallmouth bass? Pickwick Lake offers some of the best smallmouth fishing in the South. “Small mouths, big action” by John Felsher will tell how, where and when to catch smallmouth bass in the winter.