OutdoorHub
Wyoming Hunter’s Elk Harvest Certified as New World Record
Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest is widely considered one of the best public lands in North America to hunt elk, yet few people expected a world record to emerge from those woods. Albert Henderson of Burlington did not expect it either, yet by the end of his hunt on September 17, he found himself standing over a bull with a rack more than four feet wide. Safari Club International recently confirmed that the elk scored an astounding 426 1/8 points---408 points using Boone and Crockett's scoring system---and easily took the record for the largest elk ever harvested by crossbow.
“This...
Video: Longtime Trapper Sticks His Hand in Trap to Prove It Isn’t Cruel
Donnie Leonard runs a 30- to 40-mile trap run in Northern Utah during the winter season for coyotes, bobcats, fox, beaver, and mink. He traps because it gets him outdoors and connected to the wildlife, though not all of his friends understand it.
When he posted about trapping on Facebook or talked about it at work, some friends gave him a hard time. They called it “cruel” and accused Donnie of being “a caveman.” Some said they hoped he would “get caught in his own trap.”
So he shot a video putting his hand in a trap to show everyone it wasn’t cruel. The video has received...
4 Things That Most People Get Wrong about Silencers
As gun suppressors are covered by the nearly-ancient 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA), there’s a lot of mystery surrounding them. When I haul suppressors out to my local range, I continue to be amazed by the number of people who still don’t know that they are legal to own in most states.
To me, using suppressors isn't just fun, it’s polite and safe. Yes, the shooting experience without the normal muzzle blast is highly addictive on its own. When you consider the positive side effects of hearing protection and reduction of environmental noise, use of a suppressor becomes a...
7 Bucket List Hunts You Can Start Planning Right Now
If you have a dream hunt, you can start planning it now at the SCI Convention being held here in Las Vegas February 4 through 7. The options range from modestly priced adventures to the extreme, like a half-a-million-dollar Big Five safari. Every hunter has those "some day" fantasy trips on his or her bucket list, and here are seven that can be life-changing events.
1. Wyoming mule deer
A trophy mule deer may be the most difficult trophy to bag no matter how much money you spend. Fortunately, if you are willing to condition yourself for the...
NSSF Infographic: More and More Women Hunting and Shooting
There's no denying it: more and more women are buying guns. Women are now the fastest growing segment of the shooting sports industry. According to a recent study commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), surveyed women who purchased at least one firearm in the past 12 months spent an average of $870 on guns, and more than $400 on accessories.
“The women’s market is a force in our industry, and manufacturers, retailers and shooting ranges are making changes to their products and services to satisfy women’s tastes and needs,"...
Photo: Extremely Rare Red Fox Sighted in Yosemite
Officials with the National Park Service (NPS) confirmed last month that remote cameras in Yosemite National Park have captured images of a Sierra Nevada red fox, one of the most rare and endangered mammals in North America.
Sierra Nevada foxes are so rare that every discovery of these small critters is cause for excitement. This is especially true in Yosemite, where the fox has been absent for nearly 100 years. Fewer than 50 of these foxes are believed to still exist in North America. The largest concentration of Sierra Nevada foxes remain near Lassen Volcanic National Park, although...
“Huge” Droves of Jackrabbits Invade North Dakota Town
The area around Fargo, North Dakota has always been known as a decent area to find jackrabbits, yet residents are now complaining that especially large droves have moved in and seem determined to stay for a while. According to homeowners like Kayla Straabe, the hares are destroying park foliage and leaving droppings all around South Fargo.
"It's been about three months of them," Straabe told WDAY. "Right away I thought they were really cute and now they're becoming a big nuisance and...
Video: This is Why You Never Leave Fish Alone on the Ice
Other than ethical reasons, there's a good point to why many ice fishermen don't just leave fish on the ice. If you're going to walk away and rifle through your gear for some pliers, at least make sure the fish isn't going to re-enact The Great Escape while you're gone. In fact, this acrobatic fish's dash for the hole was so perfect, we're wondering if the footage has been doctored.
Otherwise, let's hope that this angler wasn't too attached to the idea of a fish dinner.
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Mountain Lion Attacks Canadian Pipeline Crew, Fought Off with Bare Fists
Perhaps nowhere else is the term "safety in numbers" more apt than in the wild. Very few animals, from the cunning coyote to the massive mound of muscle that is a grizzly bear, will attack groups of humans without provocation. However, a pipeline crew operating 55 miles south of Grande Prairie, Alberta found out that there are exceptions to that "rule." According to the Edmonton Journal, a mountain lion stalked and ambushed a crew of pipeline workers in a...
Indiana Court Rules Against DNR in Dispute over High-fence Hunting
On Monday the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not have the authority to prohibit high-fence deer hunting, or the hunting of captive animals. This decision is a new wrinkle in the decade-long fight between wildlife officials and private breeders to either ban or allow captive hunts.
In 2005, the DNR ordered more than a dozen high-fence hunting facilities in the state to shut down, due in part to worries over the spread of infectious diseases like chronic wasting...
Stop Dreaming, Start Hunting: Overcoming the Excuses Keeping You from a Dream Whitetail
Outdoor television's exploding popularity in the past 15 years has caused some significant changes in the landscape for hunters. No doubt it has created a surge in popularity, and outdoor TV has also launched some products that wouldn’t have seen the same quick growth if they didn’t have the mass medium of TV to get their message to the masses.
Another noticeable impact of hunting television shows has been the eye-opening revelation about what’s available when it comes to deer hunting across the whitetail’s range. Hunters from the East Coast, the Southeastern United States, and...
Correcting 7 Common Myths about Quail and Pheasant Hunting
There are number of misconceptions regarding quail and pheasant hunting. Like the items described in our deer hunting myths list, most of these upland hunting falsehoods are harmless. However, wildlife experts stress that some of these so-called facts can detract from the crisis facing upland birds today: the problem of adequate habitat. Biologists say that habitat is the number-one factor when it comes to the prosperity of these birds, and the success of the hunters who chase them.
Here are...
5 Great New Products for Women from SHOT Show 2015
As I speed walked through the New Product Center at SHOT Show this year, electronically scanning interesting items to have specific information emailed to me at a later date, I made note that roughly 10 of the 600 products on display were women-specific. Not a large percentage by any means, but more than I’ve seen in past years.
The actual show floor is where I saw an overwhelming amount of women’s products displayed. I could hardly make it down two aisles before I was stopped in my tracks by a gun, piece of gear, or some other shiny object that caught my eye. I’m not surprised....
Video: Check Out This Six-year-old Bowhunter’s Big Bag of Trick Shots
Logan "Bowshootin'" Miller is only six years old, but he already knows his way around a bow like a professional. While he may just be at the very start of his "career," Logan's family said he has been around bow shooting and bowhunting since he was three years old. His young age only makes the number of tricks Logan pulls off all the more impressive---and may be a testament to his unending quest for perfection.
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Oregon Wolf Population Meets Threshold, Officials Could Consider Delisting
Just seven years after wolves began reappearing in Oregon, the state's wolf population has hit a major threshold. According to Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), the latest census has found that there are at least seven breeding pairs of wolves in the state, which each produce at minimum two pups that survive to the end of the year. In accordance with the state's wolf management plan, officials are now moving into the second phase of the recovery process, which could include removing the species from the state's endangered species list.
“This is an important step for...
Massive South Dakota Buck Could Unseat Two State Records
Mike Mettler, a seasoned bowhunter from Eureka, South Dakota, says he does not get buck fever as often as he used to. Yet last November, Mettler felt that familiar tingle when he finally got within range of a massive buck that he had been following for more than a month. That buck is now under evaluation by two record-keeping bodies for both the state archery whitetail record and the overall typical whitetail record by any weapon.
"I knew the buck was nice, but I didn't know it was that nice," Mettler told OutdoorHub.
The former Marine said that the official score came to 194 1/8...
Quebec Ultimate Destination: The Super Bowl of Hunting Sweepstakes
While football fans were experiencing another kickoff heard ‘round the world on Sunday, the hunting world enjoyed the kickoff of the sixth annual Quebec Ultimate Destination Sweepstakes. February 1 was the first day to enter the 2015 edition of this unique sweepstakes in which entrants pick the exact hunting or fishing grand prize they want to win. This is the sixth Quebec Ultimate Destination Sweepstakes (or “contest,” as they call it in Canada).
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Video: Hunter Downs Three Ducks in One Shot
What was your greatest duck hunting moment? For Robert Arrington, this three-duck shot may count as among his most memorable. According to the hunter, the shot was taken at about 38 yards and nailed all three of the birds pretty good.
"We just got done with an epic, late season, South Florida duck hunt!" he wrote in the video's description. "After killing my first 3 drake Black Belly Tree Ducks with my first 3 shots, I then kill a triple with just one shot, using Sarah's Youth Model Escort 20 Gauge!"
Robert also specified that he was using Kent Fasteel #4s.
http://youtu.be/gkfr76hIHx4...
Video: South Dakota Trapper Releases Ticked-off Mountain Lion
All Dan Casey wanted to do was teach his two sons a bit about trapping, but he ended up catching something bigger than he expected. The Rapid City native usually finds foxes or other small mammals locked up in the trap, which sat about 300 yards from his house, but earlier this month he discovered that he had accidentally caged a mountain lion.
"I wasn't so much nervous, in all honestly I was more worried about getting the lion too nervous," Casey told KEVN. "I didn't...
Florida Officials to Hunt Down Northern African Pythons
In its native environment, the Northern African python preys on antelopes, wild pigs, and even domesticated goats. In Florida, however, this invasive species dines on just about anything it can wrap its body around. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced earlier this week that it will be moving to exterminate the species from the region. Unlike the much more entrenched Burmese python, Northern African pythons are far fewer in number and only reside in one Florida County.
“Focused efforts by the FWC and partners to locate and remove these invasive snakes...