by T. Edward Nickens

A little bit here and a little bit there. You keep your eyes open. That’s how you learn. You pick up a new knot from a new fishing buddy, or try a decoy trick you saw in a magazine. You make mistakes. And if you’re lucky, like I was, there will be a mentor along the way. An unselfish someone who cares enough about you that he wants you to know everything he’s ever learned.

That’s the good thing about hunting and fishing and camping: You can never know it all, and you’re never as good as you could be.

Over the years, I’ve learned from the best—mentors, buddies, guides, story subjects, and some of the most dedicated outdoor-skills competitors this world has ever seen. Put them together, and they’ve got a half dozen different ways to shoot a double or cast a fly rod. Here’s the best of what I’ve learned from them, and on my own, in 35 years of hunting and fishing. And this is what all sportsmen should do with such knowledge: Pass it on.

by Dave Hurteau

Bestul should have done these videos. He introduced me to the nutty, nutty method called hang-and-hunt, which seems to be so popular with the bowhunting kids these days. When he told me—oh, ten years ago—that he routinely goes into an area, hangs a lock-on stand, hunts, and then breaks it all down immediately afterward, I said, “You’re a freaking nut.”

by M.D. Johnson

The turkey hunter’s mantra, and the reason behind the creation of the turkey vest, is simple: It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Given that there are approximately 1,001 items of gear available to hunters, it can be daunting 
to figure out exactly what’s necessary for a trip into the woods. Here’s what I carry. Oh yeah, 
I also bring my shotgun and some shells.

1. Cellphone My iPhone is always fully charged and ready for emergencies…and for when I need help passing the time between in-the-field naps. It also takes great photos.

2. Decoys and Stakes I have two Avian-X LCD decoys, with an extra stake, as I’m prone to losing things.

3. Pot & Peg Call I have two pots: a crystal over glass surrounded by purpleheart wood from the now-defunct Backwoods Game Calls and a crystal pot from Freddie Zink. Both play in any weather, sound fantastic, and offer great versatility. I keep two Woodhaven Custom Calls Purple Heart strikers at hand, and a full acrylic striker from Hunter’s Specialties for those rainy mornings.

by Phil Bourjaily

It has taken a while, but Winchester’s Super X3 semiauto has danced its way into my heart. I was a fan of the hefty, retro-styled X2. When Winchester lightened it, gave it a makeover (an ugly makeover IMO) and called it the X3, I was underwhelmed.

I was also wrong. The X3 is a winner.

The particular model of Super X3 that changed my mind is the Sporting Clays version. Winchester sent me one on loan to review a year ago for Best of the Best for 2011. It was high school trap season at the time and I gave it to a girl on our team who was struggling. Her scores went from single digits to low 20s. Since then I have used it as a loaner for several kids and everybody who picks up the X3 shoots it well.