OutdoorHub
How to Choose the Right Treestand for Your Hunting Needs
There are several styles of treestand to choose from. Picking the right stand for the situation will make your hunt more comfortable and productive.
I have been fortunate to hunt in many states. Each fall, I travel to two to four states to bowhunt whitetails with a load of equipment in the back of my truck. Some of the most important equipment, of course, is a treestand and attendant climbing gear. Going to a new area can present a hunter with some unforeseen obstacles when it comes to get perched in the right tree, and I admit I have found myself unprepared on occasion.
Take my...
A Duck Dilemma—What Would You Do?
Several seasons have slipped into muted memory now, yet one incident several years ago still stands out to me. Some nights I lose sleep over it---when something’s important to me, it tends to lodge in my synapse, recalled too easily and too often. I guess that’s called conscience. I will probably always wonder if I did the right thing.
It began as a simple local duck hunt less than a five-minute drive from home---just the dog and me. The weather was unseasonably warm; the flight was slow. I managed to bag a couple of mallards on a public hunting area by slogging deep into the oxbow...
Video: Spearfisherman Headbutted by Whale Shark
One hazard of spearfishing is that you occasionally have to watch out for opportunistic sharks. A net full of tasty fish is a tempting target for many of the ocean's top predators, but spearfisher Chris Coates hardly expected to get blindsided by a whale shark on one of his recent outings. The spearfisherman was filming a fellow diver off the coast of Ascension island in the South Atlantic Ocean when the incident occurred. Unfortunately for Chris, he was completely oblivious to the shark's approach until he was warned by the other diver, but by then it was too late. The bumbling whale shark...
Photos: “Alien” Deep Ocean Fish Found
There are plenty of strange creatures in the deeper parts of the world's waters, but few are as sinister looking as this one. Photographs of this bizarre-looking deep sea critter were posted online by reddit user wolfboyx last month, who claimed to have found the fish while researching sperm whales in an undisclosed location. Experts have subsequently identified it as a black dragonfish.
Greatly resembling a cross between the chestbursters of the Alien universe and...
Colorado Officials Seeking Hunters’ Help to Control Aspen Bear Population
Last month the US Forest Service closed down 11 campsites at Crater Lake near Aspen. The closure came after increased reports of bears destroying tents and stealing food. It was not too long ago when drought conditions and few food sources drove bears into the City of Aspen, causing a record 1,040 bear conflict calls in 2012. To avoid a repeat of the crisis two years ago, state wildlife officials have increased the number of bear tags offered to hunters over the past few years, and are considering offering more.
“There’s a lot of people out there that want to hunt bears,” Kevin...
Video: California Bear Takes Break from Drought Heat in Pool
California continues to languish under a historic three-year-long drought, which officials say may be causing some unusual wildlife behavior. Experts say that a lack of food may have played a part in a mountain lion attack on a six-year-old in Santa Clara County earlier this month. Drought conditions are known to cause animals to encroach on human neighborhoods, and bears are especially known for making the best of dry conditions while rummaging through unsecured trash. The black bear...
Michigan Goose Hunting is a Dream Come True
The geese---a flock of about 30---came from upwind, flying toward our decoy set from behind us. They seemed fixated on our dekes, ignoring the well-grassed, A-Frame blind the four of us occupied.
As they lost altitude, Joe Robison, the ramrod on this early season goose safari in Southeast Michigan, offered that perhaps we should take them, rather than allow them to swing wide and turn into the wind to land, as geese are wont to do.
When they drew even with the blind and were no more than a few yards in the air, Robison called out to take them. We did; I squeezed off three shells and...
Report: California Lead Ammo Ban Could Spike Prices by 300 Percent
Last October, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a controversial bill that prohibited hunters from using lead ammunition in the state. The law may not take effect until July 2019 while it is pending additional review from state wildlife officials, but California hunters voiced concerns that the law could raise ammo prices. Earlier this week, the National Shooting Sports Foundation released Read more »
Video: Bull Elk Picks Fight with Ground
As the rut nears, bull elks start acting a bit strange. As their internal body temperatures rise, male elk will begin seeking out pools of mud to cool off and add an intimidating layer of dirt. The older, more confident bulls will start to gather harems and fend off younger males trying to butt in. Younger males rarely have a chance, however, and generally spend them the time sparing with other bulls their own age.
During this time the animals also shed the last of the velvet covering their antlers, either by rubbing them on trees, rocks, or even the ground itself. For the observer, these...
The 5 Most Expensive Firearms in RIA’s September Auction
For three days in September, thousands of the rarest and strangest firearms available to collectors were up for grabs by the Rock Island Auction (RIA) company in Illinois. The myriad collection of Colt revolvers, finely engraved Winchester rifles, tiny derringers, and other historical antiques or curiosities raked in $11.6 million in sales. Amid it all, five particular firearms managed to steal the show.
"Two sayings come to mind after Rock Island Auction Company’s September 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction: 'The best never goes out of style,' and 'What’s old is new again,'" stated RIA...
Study: Deer Respond to Cries of Human Babies
Human parents will instinctively respond to the cries of their child, so it is not so strange that other animals behave the same way toward their offspring. However, the distress call of a newborn fawn can also have the same effect on us, despite it being a member of a different species. It is something that we as humans like to attribute to our unique emphatic nature, but scientists recently discovered that some deer will also show the same protective tendencies toward human infants. These findings were the result of a study by researchers into interactions between mule deer and their...
Hawaiian Anglers Swim to Shore after Boat Capsizes at Night
For many saltwater anglers, there are few fears worse than being stranded in the ocean. Being both stranded and injured at night, however, may just take the cake. For more than four hours on Sunday, Zack Romanak hung on to the floating underside of his boat off the coast of Niihau, alongside his 10-year-old son Noah and friend Brad Warren. The three anglers had been fishing in the area when a powerful wave struck the 19-foot boat and caused it to capsize. In the chaos, Warren was flung into the side of the boat, shattering both his femur and prosthetic hip.
"I tilted my head back to get...
Keep Your Duck ID Skills Sharp with These Tips
"Don’t shoot! That’s a Can---" is not what a duck hunter wants to hear from his buddy in the blind as he pulls the trigger. Duck hunters may be a small niche subset of the hunting population, but this unique group of folks live, eat, and breathe the passion. Not all duck hunters are as famous as the Robertsons from Duck Dynasty, but a few of the avid duck hunters I talked to recently all get super excited to duck hunt every chance they can. The "avids" take duck identification to a completely new level, and woe unto the unprepared who cannot tell the difference between a mallard...
NRA Freestyle’s ‘NOIR’: NOIR’s Strongest Man
How important is strength in shooting? After preparing with some exercises led by David Vobora at Performance Vault, Colion and LaSorte put Branch Warren to the test in NOIR Episode 11, "NOIR’s Strongest Man."
...
7 Questions with Professional Shooting Instructor and GRITS Founder Elizabeth Lanier
Elizabeth Lanier, owner of Lanier Shooting Sports, is a National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) Level III shooting instructor and an all-around lover of all things wingshooting and clay shooting. I recently had the opportunity to chat with her about how she was introduced to the sports, and her advice to women who are interested in becoming involved.
Britney: Please tell us about your background in upland bird hunting and clay shooting. How did you get started?
Elizabeth: Years ago I gave a guy who was an avid wingshooter his first...
Steiner GS3 2-10×42 Riflescope
A few years ago, a friend and editor of a major firearm publication and myself were sitting around having a campfire discussion about the value of putting good glass atop your rifle. A scope has two basic functions: it must remain on target to keep your rifle accurate and it must be clear enough to allow you to be absolutely sure of your target and what's behind it. Higher-end scopes are rock steady shot after shot, and are crystal clear. The Steiner GS3 riflescope does all this and more.
My test scope from Steiner...
AR-15 Hacks: How to Clean Your Rifle Like a Boss
While no one really knows for sure, industry sources estimate that there are more than 10 million AR-type modern sporting rifles in the United States. That’s a lot of rifles, a lot of ammo, and a lot of cleaning!
Inspired by the popularity of the modern sporting rifle and its many variants, and the fact that I just like them, it’s time to embark on a series of AR-15 hacks. Over the next month or so, we’ll take a closer look at all sorts of tips and tricks that will help you clean, maintain, use, and customize your AR-15.
To start things off, let’s take a closer look at...
Wildlife Agencies Converge on Lake Erie to Prevent Asian Carp Incursion
A coalition of 10 US and Canadian wildlife agencies took part in a field exercise in Lake Erie last week to test methods of stopping a possible Asian carp invasion. Although experts believe that no reproducing populations of Asian carp currently exist in the lake, officials say that the Lake Erie drainage basin is vulnerable. There are four connection points between the Ohio River---where Asian carp have already been detected---and Lake Erie, putting the lake on the high on the list of entry points for carp into the Great Lakes.
“Once aquatic invasive species get into a system where...
Video: Shooting a 3D-printed Black Powder Pistol
The use of 3D printing technology has caused no shortage of controversy recently, but designers remain undeterred in their quest for a safe and reliable plastic firearm. YouTube user zimrkn posted this video where he shoots a homemade black powder firearm. Of course, being in its early stages the firearm is still wildly inaccurate and shoots only a small BB ball.
"This pistol is of my own design," zimrkn wrote in the video's description. "It uses a high voltage power supply to electrically ignite the black powder. The barrel is made...
Iowa Man Creates “Water Walker” to Help Duck Hunters Stay Mobile
Duck hunters let very few things stand between them and hunting season, so when Robert Axtell found himself confined at home due to a knee injury and his upcoming surgery, he decided to take matters in his own hands. The 56-year-old resident of Muscatine, Iowa describes himself as an addict of the outdoors. His ailment meant that taking the trip out to the marshes was a challenging proposition.
"I knew if my knee was hurting me on solid ground, it was going to be excruciating trying to pull my leg out the mud with every step while I was hunting, but I didn’t want to miss a day of my...