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By Taxidermists Bill Joseph & Dave Elliott This information is updated regularly |
Home Outdoors Niagara Exclusive!
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By Taxidermists Bill Joseph & Dave Elliott This information is updated regularly |
"Straight From The Field" is brought to you by Bill Joseph & Dave Elliott of Nature's Way Taxidermy. Joseph & Elliott both combine with over 50 years Taxidermy skills. The editorials on this page is from their own perspectives and viewpoints. Both are experienced not only in Taxidermy but both are lifetime outdoorsmen and know the wants & necessities of our outdoors people. On these pages Bill & Dave will bring these to the forefront and answer many of your "Straight from the Field" questions. You can contact them via email @ Bill Joseph or by phone at (716) 731-4215 2285 Lockport Road Sanborn NY 14132 ~ Or post your questions on the Outdoor Forum HERE Your question will help everyone!
| Introduction by Bill
Joseph: Hi. I'd like to take a minute to introduce myself and my business partner, Dave Elliott. My name is Bill Joseph. I've recently joined forces with Dave Elliott of Nature's Way Taxidermy in Sanborn. Dave and I have a similar story. We've both been in the taxidermy business our whole lives. We are both avid outdoorsmen. And, we are both hunting and fishing guides. We decided to set up this forum as a way to share some of our knowledge and views. |
| INDEX OF "STRAIGHT FROM THE FIELD" |
| BIG BASS
ON THE COAST GUARD DRIFT
What drives the big bass into the river is wind, hard north-easterlies, which means bad weather. The high winds will destabilize the water temperatures in the lake, pushing the big bass into the river. So what I do is watch the weather and fish hard during and a couple days following the weather front. The big bass will quickly move out to deep water once the lake stabilizes. Now, how do you catch them? First, you have to find them. I'll start in front of the South Fort boat launch, doing the typical drift out into the lake. Keep trying different depths until you hook up. Most of the big bass will be in about 30 feet of water, where the river meets the lake, just past the coast guard base. This spot will not be a nice place to be with North winds. The rigs I use are the typical 3-way swivel rigs. With a shiner, worm, or - I'll share a little secret that my good friend Captain Tony LaRosa shared with me about 5 years ago - Jumbo Peeled Cooked Shrimp. Big bass love them! And if the fishing is slow, you can eat them for lunch! The most important thing about drifting the coast guard drift is staying on the bottom. If you're not snagging up 50% of the time, you're not doing it right. So, when everyone's home watching fishing on TV, because the weather is bad, you'll know where to find me. Good luck, Bill Joseph |
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How to Tag a Niagara County Turkey As you know, there are turkeys everywhere in Niagara County. So, it
should be easy to get one. But the fact is, with so many birds, and the
sport becoming so popular, it's become harder to tag a mature bird. Big
Toms have so many hens, that there is no need for them to gobble or come
to your calls. And when he does sound off, hunters are everywhere, setting
up in that 10-acre hardwood you're hunting. So, after 20 years of chasing
turkeys, I've learned a few things. For now, I'll talk about scouting. Here are some things to remember when scouting: 1. Get out a couple weeks before the season opens and pattern the birds. This doesn't mean walking all over the area you plan on hunting. 2. Scout from a distance. 3. Get out at sunrise. 4. Set up in a hedgerow or across the field from where the turkeys like to roost. 5. Listen and watch - no calling! See where the turkeys want to go. Just remember, in Niagara County, the wood lots are small and the land is flat. You can't just walk around without a plan. You'll just bump the birds out of your hot spot. Hope this helps! Get out as much as possible and BE SAFE!
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| Got a Wall
Hanger? - Now what!
One of the big questions taxidermists get is, "I got a big fish or deer, now what do I do?" So, I thought I'd post some tips. When it comes to fish, the first thing is, don't let the fish flop around damaging itself. Next, get the fish out of the sun, into a plastic bag and into the freezer. If you want to release the fish and have a reproduction made, you need to measure the length, girth, and take a picture. Now, deer hunters. DON'T TAG YOUR DEER THROUGH THE EAR! DON'T DRAG THE DEER ON HIS SHOULDER OR NECK AREA! And NEVER TIE A ROPE AROUND HIS NECK!..... Immediately get a hold of your taxidermist, because deer capes are touchy, especially if it's warm out, or the deer is wet. This is true for all fur-bearers. Whatever you harvest, bird, deer, fur-bearer, or fish, needs to be frozen as soon as possible. This will ensure a beautiful mount that will last forever. Good luck, Bill Joseph |
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Post
your questions on the Outdoor Forum HERE |
| Spring Turkey
Hunting - Part II
Now that you've done some scouting, and you've been practicing your calling (driving everyone in your house crazy), here's a list of some things you may need:
When it comes to your gun, you have to get out before the season and shoot it. Put up some turkey targets and see how your gun patterns. You may have to play with different loads to get a desired pattern. In regards to calling, you don't have to be an expert caller to get a turkey. I strongly suggest watching some good turkey hunting videos. This will help, but remember, videos only show the good stuff! Here are some of my Golden Rules:
Hopefully some of these tips will help you get started. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail.
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It must be said -
Venting We have some real problems. Let me start by saying that I'm not against the crossbow, I've been bowhunting for 25 years and my shoulders are starting to hurt also. But legalizing the crossbow does nothing for the future of hunting in New York. The last thing we should be talking about is adding another weapon to harvest deer that are not there. Now I'll talk about horn restrictions, first it does not work. Secondly, you cannot protect inferior blood lines, you're asking for a train wreck. Just talk to some PA hunters. Now, you guys whining about the Saturday opener, take your Monday and Tuesday off and get out there and hunt 4 days instead of 2. That's what your out there to do, right? The only issues that should be discussed is first, we need our deer herd back. We need to cut our doe permits and go back to one buck per hunter. Then when NY smartens up and drops the minimum age for big game hunting, the kids can see some deer. Our future depends on this, not the other stuff. Opinions are of the writer |
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SPRING TURKEY - TO DECOY OR NOT TO DECOY? Some hunters depend on decoys too much, and spend more time setting them up, when they should be sitting down and staying still. Last year, I harvested a big old Tom as a direct result of using a decoy. I'd been hunting this bird for two years with no success. He was call-shy. If you called to him at all, he would shut up and go the other way. So, after two days of watching him strutting in a field, I was able to pattern him. On the third day, I waited. Knowing how dominant this bird was, I knew he would not tolerate a Jake and Hen decoy set-up in the field he had been going to for the last two days. So I waited without calling, and at 8:00 he showed up. He entered the field, saw the decoys, and ran over for a fight. There are a million turkey situations you will face. Decoys can help, but don't be too quick to use them. They are not always necessary. Good luck - Bill Joseph. |
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No Boat, No Problem
So, if you'd like to give this a try, here's how:
The best spot will be where the creek flows into the lake. You will not believe the fish that are out there: brown trout, lake trout, rainbows, coho salmon, northern pike, bass, and even carp. All attracted by the warm water coming out of the creek. Cast out as far as you can into the lake. Count to five, and start your retrieve. That's all there is to it. This exact technique will also work anywhere along the shore of the lake and the lower Niagara. Some other good shore-fishing spots are: Youngstown Village docks, Fort Niagara beach, Art Park, Whirlpool and Devil's Hole State Park, and Wilson and Olcott piers. Have patience, they're out there. It will be worth all that casting when you hook up with a giant brown trout! Good Luck! NOTE: For more shore fishing tips visit THIS PAGE on Outdoors Niagara |
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your questions on the Outdoor Forum HERE |
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HOME 
It's
time to start bass fishing, and the coast guard drift is the hot spot.
Trust me, you don't have to go to Lake Erie to catch big bass. This drift
will produce numbers of smaller bass all season long, but if you want bass
in the 5-pound class, you'll need to know a few tricks about this drift.
The big bass are not always there. They spend most of their time in deep
water in Lake Ontario, making them hard to target. 
With
spring turkey hunting just around the corner, one big question keeps
coming up - decoys. When it comes to decoys, I have mixed feelings. They
have cost me some birds, and they have gotten me some. Decoys work well
if turkeys can see a long way,
like in open country. My experience has been, that if a turkey is coming
to your call in thicker habitat, such as Niagara
County, a turkey will sometimes spook when he pops out into the open. I
think you're better off letting the Tom look
for the hen that's been calling to him, instead of him seeing a
motionless decoy. Decoys also work well if you're setting up,
like deer hunting, and just periodically calling to quiet birds. The
reason is, that you don't know the direction of an approaching
quiet turkey. The decoy can take the attention off you and give you a
chance to take a shot. This works
well when hunting with kids, for the same reason. Decoys work well if
you spot a Tom strutting in an open field. I like to belly crawl,
holding the decoy in front of me, and placing it at the edge of a field.
I've had Toms see me crawling with the decoy and come running even
before I had the chance to set the decoy up. 
In
spring, Niagara County is the place to be. When water temperatures along
shore hit 45-50 degrees, this means that the trout and salmon will be
within casting range of shore. 25 years ago, before everyone had a boat,
casting spoons was the way guys caught trout and salmon. The mouth of
Four-mile Creek was the hot spot. Back then, you couldn't even find a
spot to stand. Today, you'd be lucky to find anyone there. But, this
doesn't mean there aren't any fish there. Note: A popular spoon
that is still cast today is the Acme "Little Cleo" lure as pictured
here. Silver with the blue stripe, silver/green or the color shown works
best in the 2/5 ounce size.
