Volume 20 Number 2 - February 2013

FEATURES:

	Beagles and bunnies: Good dogs, good land and good hunters usually means lots of cottontails in the bag After deer season ends, lots of private land becomes available for hunters to turn loose their packs of beagles. After deer season ends, lots of private land becomes available for hunters to turn loose their packs of beagles.Meanwhile, a group of nine hunters, dressed warmly against the early morning chill, listened intently. About 10 minutes ... Craig Holt

	Follow the ‘Wolfe pack’ to Cape Fear winter reds Father-son guide team looks for deep holes in otherwise shallow backwaters for schooling puppy drum. In North Carolina, February often plagues anglers with bone chilling cold, but the adventurous angler with warm clothes and an appetite for redfish can “endure” double-digit days in in the divine waters of the lower Cape Fear River system. Jeff Burleson

	Gangs of New River: Onslow County's New River is full of winter puppy drum - and they'll bite, too The bays and creeks off the Onslow Look for warmer water, slow down, and put more fish in the boat. Scanning the water across a creek near Sneads Ferry, Capt. Allen Jernigan spotted the telltale ripples made by a small school of red drum milling about. The fish were moving slowly, and it wasn't really a series of wakes but a spot experienced ... Jerry Dilsaver

	Mine the mother lode of cold rockfish: Trolling is a great way to catch Lake Tillery’s winter stripers Alabama rig, umbrella rig, tandem bucktail rig will put Lake Tillery stripers in the boat. After the Revolutionary War, a young Hessian soldier found a yellow rock lying in the bed of an almost dry creek that was part of the Yadkin River drainage. As the story goes, the soldier took the stone to his cabin and used it as a ... Craig Holt

	North Carolina hunters tagged some giant bucks during 2012 season November was a month to remember for many Tarheel State hunters. The 2012 season showed that North Carolina continues to produce outstanding whitetail deer, with a tremendous number of trophy bucks reportedly taken from across the state, even though the number of bucks on the extreme high end of the spectrum ... Craig Holt

	Swamp Busters: Running raccoons is some of the most fun North Carolina hunters can have after dark Learn more about guns, dogs and other equipment raccoon hunters take into the woods at night. The meeting took place at a travel center in Rocky Point, located just off I-40 at the NC 210 exit. Pickups parked side by side, David MacCallum, Vernon Eakins and Mike Milam walked to the counter in hip booats to buy snacks and soft drinks. Mike Marsh

	Top-Notch Trout: However you like to fish for trout, Wilson Creek has something for you Top-drawer Caldwell County stream has pools, riffles, runs and pocket water Wilson Creek is one of the jewels of North Carolina’s trout-fishing crown. Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Caldwell County, it is tucked in among the mountains of the Pisgah National Forest and supports, in various stretches, delayed-harvest and ... Tim Mead



	Flip to page 17 to find out how North Carolina's biggest bucks were killed last fall. Also, winter redfish are on the prowl this month. Photo By Robbie Bennett

COLUMNS:

Backlashes
Sick economy sparks more trout troubles
Craig Holt

Greener Pastures
Pour the feed to ’em
Jeff Burleson

Head for the Mountains
The other Nantahala
Robert Satterwhite

High Tides and Tall Tails
It’s Showtime!
Jerry Dilsaver

Livewell
Lexington men win Komen
Tony Garitta

Lunker Lines
Try a jerkbait this month
David Fritts

Lure Review
Bass Kandi’s Coastal Crippler
Don Shoopman

Marine Electronics
Is there an electric outboard in your future?
Allan Tarvid

The Shootist
Repeating Derringer...
Gordon Hutchinson

To read everything from the February 2013 issue of North Carolina Sportsman Magazine, download the digital edition today.

DEPARTMENTS:

New Products

Tide Guides

Reports

Classifieds

Merchants