OutdoorHub
Iowa Upland Bird Population Explodes, Hunters Can Expect a Good Season
Iowa wildlife officials predict a successful season for bird hunters after a recent survey recorded population booms in the state's three most popular game bird species. The August Roadside Survey, conducted every year by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), found a statewide average of 17.4 pheasants per 30 mile route. Compared to 6.9 per 30 miles in 2013, the DNR said the count represents a drastic increase. Quail and partridge saw a similar increase in density by 142 and 147 percent,...
NRA Freestyle’s ‘NOIR’: LaSorte’s Last Stand
Stuck in his tactical ways, LaSorte struggles to comprehend the idea of athletic shooting. In an effort to bring him into the light, Colion and Amy realize the easiest way might be to show him.
...
Fly Fishing the Flint River for Michigan Smallmouths
Dirk Fischbach wrote the book on fly fishing for smallmouth bass on the Huron River. Literally; The Fly Fisher’s Huron: A Practical Guide to Michigan’s Blue Ribbon Smallmouth River sold out its original press run (3,600 copies) and will be reprinted soon.
But when I contacted him recently to set up a day’s fishing, Fischbach recommended we try some place else. Instead of his home water, we wound up going to the Flint River.
“The Flint River has established itself as an outstanding smallmouth fishery,” said Fischbach, a 52-year-old writer, musician, and fly fishing...
Deer and Tomatoes
Long ago, our forefathers---George Washington, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, and so many others---could not conceive of the idea of a grocery store. A trading post was the closest they would ever come, but at that time the wheels of socioeconomic evolution were hardly set for supermarkets that allow us to buy everything from meat to butter. Today, we can still live off the land to a certain extent, though many, myself included, are spoiled by the ability to just ordering pizza when cooking seems too arduous a task.
I hardly remember cleaning my first deer, though I know it was...
Thirteen-year-old Girl Reels in North Carolina Record Green Sunfish
Victoria Navaroli, a 13-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, can now claim that she has a fish in the state record books. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the young angler was fishing with her older brother Jack Navaroli in July when she landed a one-pound, 15-ounce green sunfish. The catch measured a neat 12 inches and outweighed the previous state record by just one ounce---although it was almost never documented.
“We were planning to eat the fish and [Jack]...
Video: Angry Ram Knocks Drone Out of Sky
Experts generally advise people observing wildlife to avoid getting too close to their "targets," with an eye toward personal safety. Given the footage captured by YouTube user Buddhanz1 and embedded below, it may make sense to extend the same caution to unmanned aerial vehicles, too.
http://youtu.be/pfLCb4ewDDc
Ram enthusiasts may recognize the animal (known as "Rambro") from a previous video that went viral roughly a year ago, which depicted the sheep confronting a dirt...
Video: Pennsylvanians Rescue “Bucket Bear”
For several weeks a strange creature has been roaming through Clarion County, Pennsylvania. According to KDKA, residents would occasionally catch sight of a young bear with a bucket-shaped bag over its head. Disoriented, hungry, and virtually blind, the Game Commission received numerous calls regarding the bear. Finally over Labor Day weekend, a group of residents decided to take matters into their own hands and track down the unfortunate animal themselves.
The bear was easy enough to...
California’s “Ghost Gun” Bill Heads to Governor
Last week the California state Senate and Assembly passed Senate Bill 808, which is known to some as the "ghost gun" bill. Sponsored by Senator Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), the legislation would require homemade or self-assembled firearms to be registered with the Department of Justice. The bill would also mandate the inclusion of a permanent metal component in 3D-printed firearms so those guns can be picked up by metal detectors.
"This bill takes a modest approach to address these new threats to public safety and further serves as a model for the entirety of the United States as gun...
Swim Jigs: A Simple, but Detailed Presentation
A combination of a technique and lure that has grown in popularity got its start in the Midwest on the Mississippi River. Tournament bass anglers began crafting their own swimming jigs after they realized that the jig, a proven bass-catching lure, worked well when it was swam back to the boat.
The anglers that were on the forefront of this new technique racked up countless tournament wins and heavy limits of bass. Tackle companies wanted to create the perfect swim jig and offer it to all anglers across the United States. A swim jig is not just a lure, it is a technique---and like all...
Mississippi Alligator Record Broken Twice in Four Days
Mississippi's brief public alligator season has only just begun, and hunters have already broken the state record twice in four days. On August 30, one day after the hunt opened, Robert Mahaffey of Brandon and two friends caught a massive 756-pound, 13-foot and 1.75-inch gator in the Mississippi River. Officials from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (DWFP) confirmed it as a new state record, but it did not last long at the top. On September 2, three friends from Starkville harvested a...
Yellowstone National Park Plans to Remove 900 Bison
Officials from Yellowstone National Park announced last month that they recommend the removal of 900 bison from the area, primarily through hunting. According to the park's summer bison population estimate, the cull will account for nearly 19 percent of the area's 4,900 bison. Other methods of removal include agreements with local Native American tribes to ship the animals off to slaughter, or transport them for research purposes to the Stephens Creek facility.
According to the Read more »
Cookin’ in Camo: Bison Heart Anticucho
Heart is one of my favorite cuts on an animal. It’s highly underestimated and overlooked. Its rich, deep, meaty flavor stands up to any steak. Along with that, have I mentioned my obsession with peanut butter? It would make my boot edible. In this preparation I combine peanut butter with spicy red curry and sweet hoisin to create the perfect "heart topper." From the first bite, this dish will be everything your heart desires!
Note: Tradionally anticuchos are skewered pieces of grilled meat. However, I love the sear that a cast iron...
Essentials for Your Bird Dog Survival Kit
A sporting dog can be an invaluable tool in the field, and also an important part of the family. Most hunters I know are prepared to service a minor injury to themselves (or I would hope they are, at least) and carry a small first aid kit while afield, but what happens if your four-legged friend is injured during a hunt?
Below are suggestions for an upland bird dog survival kit, and other ways to help your dog, should an emergency arise.
Medical supplies
My friend Brian Koch of Ultimate Upland spends more than 100 days a year afield with his...
Four Reasons Why You’re Not Shooting Bucks on Your Food Plots
You’ve gone to a lot of work to plant and maintain your food plots, but for some reason, you aren’t seeing the bucks in them during the fall hunting season. Here are four things you may be doing wrong.
I have a small property compared to most people who plant food plots to attract deer. However, my small piece of property is surrounded on three sides by a large state park that allows no hunting. This gives me a distinct advantage in some obvious ways, but because I have a very limited space to plant food crops for deer, I have to choose my plantings carefully and there is...
Video: The Math Behind a 300-yard Pistol Shot
Not surprisingly, there is a bit of math behind something as audacious as a 300-yard pistol shot. Equipped with some metal targets, a spotting scope, some big brains, and a Beretta Px4 Storm Compact pistol chambered in 9mm, Stuart of Panther Ridge Training sets out to make some long range shots. After giving a short explanation of the equations that they will be using to calculate the shoot, Stuart manages to land a round on the 200-yard target after two shots and the 300-yarder after four. Overall, still very impressive---when was the last time you needed a spotter while shooting a...
Top New Shooting Gear from the Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun Invitational
One of the highlights of the annual Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun Invitational (M3GI) is schmoozing time with the match sponsors. With more than 40 different companies present, I had many company reps to pester. Unlike chaotic events like SHOT Show or the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits, the M3GI has plenty of daylight hours (shooting is only at night, remember), and the folks are captive at the remote location. Sponsors can’t run or hide, they simply have to tolerate my endless questions and make the best of it.
Let’s take a look at some of the more...
South Carolina Coyote Population Stabilizes at a New High
Officials from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) say that the coyote population has leveled out over the past few years, but at a much higher number than before. Although there is no accurate estimate of how many coyotes live in South Carolina, The State reports that hunters harvest about 30,000 of the animals annually, compared to less than 20,000 roughly a decade ago.
“People just want DNR to make the coyotes go away,” said Emily Cope, DNR deputy director...
Louisiana Hunters Bag More Feral Hogs than Deer
Over the course of the 2013-2014 season, Louisiana hunters harvested significantly more feral pigs than deer, something that came as no surprise to state biologists. This is because the invasive hog population, referred to by some experts as one of the most worrying environmental issues for the state, directly impacts the deer population.
"Hogs continue to be a primary concern," stated the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in its Read more »
Alaska Angler Discovers Huge Mammoth Tusk
Last month Andrew Harrelson took his fiancee and two daughters to Alaska's Fish River for some salmon fishing. It was a nostalgic trip for Harrelson, who grew up in the nearby village of White Mountain and now lives in Nome. Harrelson had spent his childhood near the river fishing and hunting, and remembered vaguely how his own parents once met here in the search for trout. About 22 years ago, Luann and Daniel Harrelson were fishing near a bend in the Fish River when they dug up a large fossilized mammoth tusk. Little did their son know he was about to make a similar discovery.
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Five Reasons Why Michigan is the Best State for Hunting Woodcock
Upland hunters often aspire to bag the American woodcock, one of Michigan’s most challenging birds to hunt. Woodcock, or "timber doodles" as they are nicknamed, are small birds that inhabit cover similar to that of the ruffed grouse. Michigan is prime breeding ground for woodcock and as such, is a true hunting destination for those up to the challenge. There are some great reasons to chase doodles this fall across Michigan.
1. There’s lots of them
Woodcock numbers are stable according to data reported to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). According to hunter surveys from...