OutdoorHub
The BAREBOW! Chronicles: “Tenting It” in the Land of Giant Bears
The hunt this story recounts will forever stand out in my memory for one reason in particular: the nighttimes were far more interesting and exciting than the daytimes.
In late November 2005, immediately after returning home from my successful hunt with outfitter Scott Mileur on Kodiak Island, I placed a call to my good friend David Widby. Dave had just retired after 30 years of working for the US Postal Service in the Anchorage area. He is a veteran bowhunter with several dozen Sitka blacktail bucks to his credit, and I had promised to give him a report on the hunt that served as a basis...
5 Essential Items for the Trapper
Growing up in rural Oklahoma, I can remember stories told by my grandfather about my great grandfather living among the Cheyenne Indians on the Cimarron River and trapping to supplement a very rugged and meager lifestyle. Stories like this and many others that centered on trapping, hunting, and fishing unquestionably helped lead to my great love of the outdoors and the decision to spend most of my life working in wildlife conservation.
The benefits of trapping are numerous. An author could write several articles explaining how trapping is good for biodiversity, conservation, sustaining...
9 Simple Tips for Improving Your Hunting Photography Skills
Soon we’ll be back in the field with our shotguns on our shoulders. Snow goose hunters really get after it beginning in March. Southern turkey hunters begin hunting just after the official declaration of spring.
While the external “goal” of hunting is always to put a bend in the meat pole, the true pursuit is the collection of memories: good ones, funny ones, inspiring ones. Every hunting trip, even every scouting trip, produces memories you’ll want to keep. Photographs, films, and, most recently, unfathomably-easy-to-shoot-and-store-video make those memories last longer and stay...
Michigan DNR Fights Federal Court’s Wolf Protection Decision
On Friday, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that it filed an appeal in the December 2014 federal court ruling that returned the state's wolf population back to the endangered species list. That decision, which was made by US District Judge Beryl Howell, came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United States against the states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. All three states had their wolf populations restored to either endangered or threatened status, which effectively blocks state wildlife agencies from pursuing their current...
Video: A Twist on the Live Deer Cam
When you hear the words "live deer cam" you're probably picturing footage from a trail camera or live video from a feeder. What you probably didn't expect was a doe sitting on a bed overflowing with stuffed animals. Well, meet Dillie the deer. Dillie is a blind farm deer that was rescued by veterinarian Melanie Butera in 2004 and now lives with her adopted family in their house in Canal Fulton, Ohio.
“She was supposed to live in the barn, but she was afraid of the horses,” Butera told the Akron Beacon...
Video: 5 Cheap, Unconventional Ways to Sharpen Your Knife
The odds are that if you own a knife, you have already perused the different knife sharpeners out on the market today and probably balked at their prices. $150 for a Japanese water stone, or double that for a belt sharpener? Surely there has to be a better---and most importantly---cheaper alternative. Whether you use your knives for hunting, fishing, or bushcraft, you don't exactly need an edge that can slice through atoms. All you need is something that will get the job done. So below are five inexpensive---practically free---methods of putting an edge on your knife without spending the big...
Inquisitive Bear Chases Family of Hikers, Ignores Warning Shots
For Robert Hughes and his family, a routine hiking trip to Alaska's Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday took a turn for the worse when they found themselves followed by a bear in the dark. The bruin was so persistent that it ignored several warning shots from Hughes, instead shadowing the hikers at a distance of 15 to 30 feet all the way back to their car.
“We generally carry a shotgun as well as a .44 but... we weren’t really thinking that we were going to see something,” Hughes told the Read more »
Russian Hunters Discover 10,000-year-old Frozen Woolly Rhino in River
Paleontologists are calling a recent find in the Russian region of Yakutia a "sensation." Last September, Aleksandr Banderov and his hunting party were traveling near the Semyulyakh River when they uncovered the preserved carcass of an adolescent wholly rhinoceros, a species that roamed the frozen landscapes of Europe and northern Asia during the last Ice Age. The hunters initially thought it was a reindeer frozen in the ice, but quickly realized it was something much older.
"We were sailing past a ravine and noticed hair hanging on the top of it,' Alexander told Read more »
Video: 7 Uncomfortably Close Encounters of the Deer Kind
People often seem to forget that deer are wild animals, and despite their looks, they can be very dangerous if provoked. Just because they are herbivores doesn't mean that deer can't get rowdy, and in some cases, even aggressive.
Here are seven videos that show that getting within petting distance of a cervid could end in a lot of running and a lot of cackling laughter from your friends.
Warning: these videos contain some profanity.
1. They might not want to be photographed
http://youtu.be/kpl0u-nB6EE
2. They might mistake you for a...
Video: Russians Use Auger to Carve Out Ice Raft
For most people, being adrift on a piece of ice is generally a bad thing. Not for this group of adventurous Russian youths, however, who intentionally cut a section of ice away from shore with an auger. Riding downriver on a makeshift ice raft does look like fun, but rest assured that it's more dangerous than it looks. The group was even audacious enough to start a small barbecue fire on the floating island.
Perhaps they should have had some life jackets on?
http://youtu.be/HU9sHcnRjNM...
Experimental Teal Season in Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin a Success
In 2014, the states of Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin held an experimental teal duck season with authorization from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). With the first-year report concluded, biologists from the three states confirmed that the 2014 season was a great success and may even lead to an early teal season in additional states.
"The early teal season provided Wisconsin hunters with a new opportunity and our first year results give us confidence in promoting this opportunity for hunters' again next season." said Read more »
Australian Angler Hooks 100-year-old German Grenade
What is the most dangerous thing you have ever pulled in on a rod and reel? According to Western Australia Police, an angler fishing off the Applecross jetty in Perth pulled in a 100-year-old German grenade made during World War I. Although it is unknown exactly how the fisherman managed to snag the device, police immediately responded to the scene and cordoned off the area.
"Defense personnel were also called and determined the item was a 1915 World War 1 German Granatenwerfer grenade that had no fuse," stated Western Australia Police on Read more »
Tournament Angler Catches Possible World Record Spotted Bass in California
A Nevada angler may have gone home with what could be the world's largest spotted bass after a fishing trip to California's Bullards Bar Reservoir. Lou Ferrante, a co-angler in the Rayovac FLW Series, caught the massive bass while fishing in a 19-boat tournament on Saturday. According to FLW, the fish was initially weighed at 11.2 pounds, but the tournament had no certified scale available. Instead, Ferrante had to race to a supermarket in Truckee to get an accurate measurement. At 10.95 pounds,...
5 Knives You Should Purchase with Your Tax Refund
Like many Americans, my fear of tax season is offset in a small way by the promise of a refund. It's the added incentive that many of us need to file taxes early---or at least before the post office closes down on April 15. As I wait for the refund to deposit itself in my bank account, I find myself daydreaming about how I'm going to spend it. Of course, fiscally-responsible options are about at the bottom of my list, but I also don't get carried away. After all, the majority of us won't be able to afford a new yacht on their tax refund. So why not invest in an upgrade to the one outdoor...
Video: Why You Shouldn’t Limp Wrist a S&W 500
A limp wrist and sloppy grip on an semiautomatic pistol could mean malfunctions, but when it comes to the world of big bad revolvers like the Smith & Wesson 500, it could mean an injury to your face. This shooter, whether through over confidence or simple inexperience, decides to one-hand the massive revolver on his first try. Needless to say, it doesn't end well. Not only is his stance begging for imminent embarrassment, it is also supremely dangerous.
If you're ever considering to teach someone how to shoot a hand cannon like this one, at least teach them the basics beforehand. Not...
Video: Grisly Bear-on-bear Killing Caught on Trail Cam
We outdoorsmen and women are well aware of the violent and unpredictable nature of the outdoors, but sometimes the things that remote trail cams capture shock even the most veteran sportsman.
Bears have almost no natural predators, and in many areas they can comfortably lay claim to being the most powerful creatures in the forest. Yet, cubs and yearlings are still vulnerable, especially to older males, which have been known to practice infanticide. Without the protection of their mothers, bear cubs can succumb to any number of dangers---including death by the claws of one of their own....
The 5 Best Nontraditional Concealed Carry Methods
When you stop and think about it, all forms of concealed carry represent a compromise. Unless you’re stumbling through life carrying your gun at eye level, like characters on The Walking Dead, you’re always going to have to sacrifice some degree of speed, concealment, and/or gun security with any carry method.
Let’s be clear about the carry methods discussed here. If you subscribe to the popular assumption that belt carry is the most accessible way to carry a gun, by definition, all of the methods discussed here are even more of a compromise. I get it. Belt carry is the best...
Moose Went “Out of Its Way” to Trample Woman in Colorado
The popular ski resort town of Steamboat Springs is well-known for its hot springs, skiing festivals, and abundant moose population. Visitors are often warned to give the area's resident moose a wide berth, but sometimes the animals have ideas of their own. According to CBS4, a dog walker was injured on Sunday when she was trampled by a spooked moose.
The victim, who has been identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) as Katharine Hash, sustained serious injuries during the...
FedEx Refuses to Ship Personal “Ghost Gunner” CNC Mill
3D-printing pioneer Cody Wilson wowed DIY enthusiasts and home gunsmiths alike last October when he unveiled a personal CNC mill that could complete 80 percent AR-15 lower receivers. Marketed for the comparatively low price of $1,200, the portable toaster-sized mill was named the "Ghost Gunner," a jab at the term that some lawmakers use for firearms that are homemade or otherwise self-assembled. Though interest in the mill has been high, Wilson and his company Defense...
Video: Hunting Wild Boars with Monkeys
We are not entirely sure of the context of this video, but it appears to show hunters in Africa using a unique method of harvesting wild pigs. The hunters toss monkeys at a pack of wild pigs, which are eventually caught and "ridden" by the monkeys---whether this is done to slow the pigs down, confuse them, or otherwise drive them toward the hunters is unclear. The pigs are then captured by the hunters with nets. This certianly seems like a lot more work than using a rifle, bow, and a whole host of other tools, but as the old saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix...