OutdoorHub
100 Percent of Wingshooting is 95 Percent Mental
Famed New York Yankee Yogi Berra and chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer couldn’t be two more different people. What are the odds they’d both espouse philosophies applicable to hitting a flying target with a shotgun? Well, so they did.
Berra is known for saying “…90 percent of the game is half mental.” Fisher once said, “I give 98 percent of my mental energy to chess. Others give only two percent.
Wingshooting, done properly and successfully, is primarily a mental endeavor. Once you collect the mental pictures of what it takes to hit a goose, grouse, or clay target and train your...
The BAREBOW! Chronicles: The “Hail Mary” Ram
November, 1994. I had not yet been bitten by the Super Slam bug. The idea of trying to harvest with my bow one of each of North America's 28 big game species still had not infected the tissues of my brain. That was not to happen till 1998. On the other hand, the dream of taking the so-called Grand Slam of our continent's four wild sheep was now well on its way to becoming my first, true hunting obsession. After arrowing my Dall ram in 1984, and my Read more »
Video: Couple Saves Chubby Prairie Dog Stuck in Hole
For prairie dogs, having a burrow is absolutely necessary to their survival. Filled with ventilation ports, nursery chambers, observation posts, and up to six entrances, these luxury homes act as a fort against the elements and predators. Prairie dog burrows are also built so they can be evacuated quickly. Unfortunately for one chubby critter, it found out that it was just a bit too wide to fit through the entrance.
In this recently released video, a couple driving along in Russia's Olkhon Island discovered a prairie dog in need of some aid. Despite the animal's frantic attempts to free...
Ohio Town Considers Paintball Guns for Nuisance Deer
Hunters in the Ohio town of Avon Lake rejoiced last month after a new ordinance allowed year-round bow hunting for the purpose of managing the deer population. However, City Council member Dave Kos recently introduced a new alternative that has come under criticism by wildlife officials: using paintballs to scare the animals away.
“It’s been discussed with Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that shooting a deer near the hoof with a paintball gun will get them to scatter,” Kos told The...
Massive Red Tide in Florida Causing Offshore Fish Kill
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is keeping tabs on a large bloom of Karenia brevis---the organism that causes red tide---in the Gulf of Mexico, where it has lingered for about a month. The recent event is decribed by experts as Florida's largest bloom in over a decade, and it could wash closer to shore in the coming weeks. The FWC has received numerous reports of a significant fish kill 10 to 15 miles off Dixie, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, including signs of respiratory irritation in fish.
"It...
California Mountain Lions are Increasingly Isolated, Becoming Inbred and Violent
A new study recently published by researchers from the National Park Service (NPS) found that mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains are becoming dangerously isolated by urban development. Penned in by freeways and neighborhoods, the population is now in danger of losing their genetic diversity. Perhaps even more worrying, experts say the cats have become much more violent.
"So far, National Park Service biologists have monitored more than 30 mountain lions with GPS radio-collars, enabling them to learn a lot about the animals' ecology and behavior," the NPS stated on its Read more »
Video: Bass Does Not Want to be Released
Chris Ellenburg was fishing in Lake Belton in Texas when the most peculiar thing happened to him: he caught a fish that didn't want to be released. In this strange video Ellenburg tells GrindTV.com that he attempted to release a white bass that he had caught when the fish decided it liked the angler's hand better.
“He swam around me for a minute then between my feet. I reached down and he came up to my hand," Ellenburg told GrindTV. "Then he swam off about 10 feet then swam back. After...
Family Obligations Lead to Broader Fishing Horizons
Sometimes you choose which lake to fish and other times life chooses it for you. Either way, as long as you wet a line, you’ll be all right.
Until a recent Monday, I’d never been on Lake Wissota in west-central Wisconsin, and hadn’t heard much about it because it’s a half-state away from home. I do recall, however, that Leonardo DiCaprio mentioned it while talking Kate Winslet off the brink in Titanic, only to have the reference become a movie blooper.
Most local fishermen know Lake Wissota didn’t exist when the great ship sank in 1912. Wissota is a reservoir. The...
Louisiana Hunters Harvesting More Deer after Decade of Decline
A recent report released by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) shows that hunters are seeing---and harvesting---more deer after nearly a decade of decline. Hunters still say they are frustrated by the lack of deer in the Bayou State, but LDWF officials estimate that sportsmen and women bagged a total of 166,200 deer during the 2013-2014 season, a number much higher than recent years. Hunter interest seems to be up, as more than 270,000 turkey and deer tags have been issued last year.
"The deer harvest improved during the 2013-14 season," the LDWF stated in the Read more »
Michigan Conservation Act Passed, Wolf Hunt Protected
Conservationists and hunters declared victory in Michigan on Wednesday as the state Legislature voted to pass The Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. The citizen-initiated act, which among other things protects the state's wolf season from attempts to stop the hunt, automatically became law after it passed the state House and will take effect next year at the earliest. While the 65-43 vote by House members on Wednesday was cause for celebration from those that supported the hunt, it was a shock to the animal rights organizations that opposed the season.
“What the Legislature...
Video: Young Crossbow Hunter Bags Two Feral Hogs with 1 Shot
While hunting in Langley Ranch in Centerville, Texas, Marcus of Hunting with Marcus and Chris managed to land a lethal shot on two hogs. Two-for-one shots are always unique and exhilarating---akin to a feat of athletic prowess---but sportsmen and women are careful to make sure it is an ethical shot as well. According to the hunters, both hogs died shortly after the incident and were harvested.
"The first hog was hit through both lungs and ran approximately 20 yards before expiring," Chris and Marcus...
Drastic Decline in Alaska Dall Sheep Closes Hunting Season
Officials from Alaska's Department of Game and Fish (ADFG) have implemented an emergency order to close all sheep hunting in the western Brooks Range after a recent survey found that sheep numbers had plummeted 50 to 70 percent from 2011. The unexpected results have biologists searching for answers in what they call an unexpected crisis.
"I think they had an inkling that the numbers were down, but I don't know if anybody expected such a drastic decline," Chris McKee, a wildlife division supervisor for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), told Read more »
A Big Little Surprise from Smith & Wesson: The M&P22 Compact Pistol
Yeah, I know, .22 LR ammo is impossible to find. But the situation is getting better, and shooting the fun new Smith & Wesson M&P22 Compact is a great way to celebrate that fact.
If you keep up with the .22 LR pistol market, you know that Smith & Wesson announced the original full-size M&P22 pistol way back in 2011. That original model was an adopted child through a partnership with Walther. The pistol was made by Walther in Germany and imported and marketed by Smith & Wesson.
Since then, the companies have moved into more independent ventures (amicably, I might...
Deer Hunters: Put a Bear Bowhunt on Your Bucket List
Most bowhunters get their start chasing deer, but when the interest in taking a second species flares up, one big game animal gets more attention than any other: the black bear. If you’re a bowhunter who has been thinking about doing a bear hunt, think no more and start acting.
Back in the 1990s, I had more than 20 years of deer hunting experience with the bow, but I had always had a hankering to shoot a bear. I knew about the excitement and adrenaline a bear hunt can provide, and I finally took the plunge. I booked a hunt with Chris Ford in north-central Minnesota. I had it...
Experts Say $1 Million Asian Carp Barrier in Iowa is Successful
In 2011, heavy rain events caused flooding in the Iowa Great Lakes, bringing an unexpected and unwanted guest: Asian carp. With increased water levels, invasive silver and bighead carp swam into East Okoboji Lake and were poised to threaten a $300 million commercial and sportfishing industry. In response, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) raised funds for a $956,000 barrier to keep any more fish from entering the lake. According to the Read more »
Florida Officials Confirm First Ever Wild Crocodile Attack in the US
Trappers working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are now searching the waters of a canal in Coral Cables after a crocodile attack on Sunday. According to WSVN, Alejandro Jimenez, 26, and Lisset Rendon, 23, were attending a house party in the upscale neighborhood when the two decided to take a late night dip in the nearby canal. Rendon was the first to encounter the 9-foot crocodile, which promptly bit her in the shoulder. Rendon was able to escape but that only drew...
2014 Polaris Sportsman 850 XP ATV
Polaris has been making the Sportsman ATV line for many years and it is one of the most popular sport/utility vehicles on the market. As Polaris has evolved, so too have the Sportsman ATVs. For 2014, the Sportsman 850 XP has proven to have just about everything an ATV rider could want.
I have had the great fortune of spending a good amount of time aboard the Sportsman 850 XP and it rapidly became one of my favorite machines. Great power, suspension, handling, and ergonomics, along with the...
Video: “No Handed” Shooter Practices Mag Swapping
Meet Hunter Cayll, a spirited young marksman who calls himself an amateur defense shooter. Known to his friends lightheartedly as "Nubbs," Cayll can often be found at the range shooting a wide assortment of firearms. Not surprisingly, he's pretty accurate. There is a catch however---Cayll has no hands.
He doesn't let that stop him from what he loves. Even with a lack of fingers, Cayll manages to run his firearms with dexterity and grace. You can watch him do a mag swap below.
http://youtu.be/A2EFAfsP9HY
Here is another video of Cayll shooting a rifle and...
Study: Burst Swimming Causes Mortality in Salmon
Even on paper, the process of a salmon migration is daunting. Despite being in peak condition, the gamut of predators, rapids, and strong currents can tax the most resilient of salmon. Frequently, the fish power through turbulent waters with "burst swimming," a behavior that scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) say is not unlike sprinting for humans. Unfortunately, researchers found that this energetic form of swimming is much more likely to result in the salmon's demise before reaching its spawning grounds.
According to a study recently published in Read more »
NPS Considers Restoring Grizzly Bears to the North Cascades
Last week the National Park Service (NPS) announced that it will begin a three-year process to restore grizzly bears in Washington's North Cascades. The Environmental Impact Statement will explore the feasibility of bringing back the grizzly, and provide wildlife officials with a variety of options in doing so.
“This is the first stage of a multi-step process to help inform decisions about grizzly bear restoration in the North Cascades ecosystem,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis in a press release. “The...