OutdoorHub
“Selfies” Stress Out Idaho Bull Elk
Idaho Fish and Game officials successfully relocated a bull elk last week after the animal ran amok through a Garden City neighborhood. According to a press release, officials say that the young elk was first reported foraging in a vacant lot when a crowd gathered. The first conservation officer on the scene, Bill London, stated that bystanders were attempting to take pictures of the animal, and even getting close enough to the elk to take "selfies." Not surprisingly, the bull elk soon became stressed and...
Starr’s South African Safari, Dispatch Three: Another Zebra and a Sunset Finale
Greetings from South Africa! For the past few days my “to do” list has read, “Go to Africa. Hunt. Make memories,” and I’ve been doing just that. I’m leading a group of five female hunters in the Eastern Cape with Starr & Bodill African Safaris, of which I am a co-owner along with my father Dwaine Starr and professional hunter Louis Bodill. Unfortunately, our time here has come to an end. Here are highlights from the last three days of our hunt.
Michelle’s Burchell’s zebra
If it seems as if Michelle and I both spent...
Bowfisherman Lands 544-pound Mako Shark
A Father's Day fishing trip last month found Patrick Eger of Big E TV facing down a 544-pound, eight-ounce mako shark with his Xcentric bow. The 10-foot shark outweighed the previous bowfishing world record noted by the Bowfishing Association of America (BAA) by over 300 pounds, and the crew was admittedly nervous when the fish began bumping the boat.
"As the massive shark made its way through the chum and sized up the boat on several passes, the crew and Eger determined that it was large enough to harvest and should claim the record they were looking for. On several passes the killer shark...
Teen Angler Attacked by Barracuda in Florida
A father-son fishing trip nearly took a fatal turn on July 20 after a barracuda landed a 13-year-old angler in the hospital. According to CBS 4, Parker King and his father, Irwin King, were fishing about 20 miles off the coast of Central Florida for red snapper when they spotted the five-foot barracuda. Both avid anglers with previous barracuda experience, the pair thought nothing of it when they decided to try and catch the large fish. The barracuda, however, had other plans.
As the teen...
2015 Can-Am Outlander L 500 DPS
It’s no secret that I like ATVs, and testing them out is a lot of fun. I grew up riding machines from "another brand," but I’ve been very interested in Can-Ams for quite a while now. There are quality machines coming from Canada-based Bombardier Recreational Products (of which Can-Am is a subsidiary), a large and far-reaching company that makes everything from snowmobiles to boats and more. Their personal watercraft line, Sea-Doo, recently took the market by storm with a feature-packed budget machine called the Spark. Can-Am has their own budget-friendly, entry-level machine in the...
How to Catch Hot Catfish Now
Attention, anglers: with enough effort, you can catch plenty of hot-weather catfish right now. You’ll encounter very little fishing pressure on catfish at this time of the year, because most catfishermen are hugging their air conditioners and drinking glasses of ice-cold sweet tea. Your best information on where to catch the most cats where you want to fish is to contact the state fisheries biologist who oversees that area. Here are some places you almost always can find Mr. Whiskers now.
Tailraces
When current is being pulled through the lake and is used to run hydroelectric...
Video: 500-pound Grouper Breaks Rod Designer’s Pole in Half
Testing out a new rod is not usually a dangerous affair, but it can quickly turn into one when you have a 500-pound grouper on the line. Anglers Alex Stevens and Joshua Jorgensen were filming off the coast of Florida when Stevens decided to try out a new rod with a stand-up harness. Stevens is best known as the founder and designer behind Beserker Rods, a custom rod company based out of Pennsylvania.
The rod Steven had on-hand was custom-built specifically for the harness, but that mattered little against the awesome power of the grouper. In the video below, you can see Stevens straining...
Minnesota to Set Most Conservative Deer Season in Two Decades
Minnesota hunters may not be surprised to hear that the 2014 season will be the state's most conservative in the last 20 years. On Wednesday, Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that chances to hunt anterless deer will be restricted and that bag limits have been slashed.
“Hunters should check the 2014 hunting regulations closely because only one deer can be harvested in 95 percent of the state,” said the DNR's big game program chief...
Study: Moose Spit Counteracts Toxic Fungi
A team of researchers at Canada's York University recently discovered that moose spit can make some types of fungi less toxic and grow slower. The report was recently published in Biology Letters after researchers applied moose and European reindeer saliva to colonies of E. festucae fungus and found that in 12 hours, fungal growth slowed significantly.
How much fungi do moose actively eat? Well, the fungus used in the study was actually on a species of grass called red fescue. Many plants,...
Mossberg 464 SPX
The first time I saw the Mossberg 464 SPX, my reaction was "Now I’ve seen everything." The 464 SPX is a "tactical" version of your grandfather’s deer rifle. It’s a lever-action .30-30 with high-visibility open sights, an M4-style telescoping stock, Picatinny rails on three sides of the forearm, and the end of the barrel is threaded and sports a flash suppressor. In addition to the exposed hammer, the 464 has a tang safety, located exactly where the safety on a long gun should be.
I’m...
Two California Men Arrested for Diverting Stream, Endangering Salmon to Grow Marijuana
California's worst drought in years has affected every kind of industry in the state, and that appears to include illegal marijuana cultivation as well. State wildlife officials say that two men have been arrested for diverting water from the lower Vicente Creek, the lowermost salmon stream in California, to grow plants on private land. Experts are still investigating the amount of damage and pollution done to the waterway, which supports a population of steelhead and endangered Central Coast Coho salmon.
“Illegal marijuana growers steal substantial amounts of water, exacerbating our...
Hunting Michigan’s Antlerless Whitetail Deer
Whitetail deer hunting in the Great Lake State goes back well before there was a Mackinac Bridge, an auto industry, or even statehood. Each fall hundreds of thousands of Michigan hunters take to the woods during the youth, archery, firearm, and muzzleloader seasons. With such a tremendous responsibility to the heritage of the sport, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has to work carefully to manage the herd, ensuring that future hunters have the opportunity to harvest a Michigan deer.
One of the tools used by biologists is the antlerless deer harvest, done by draw permit...
Video: Great White Shark Chokes on Sea Lion Near Australian Beach
The great white shark is indisputably one of the most well-known predators in the world. Few people have seen a great white up close and fewer still would like to. Every once in a while a saltwater angler may find themselves fighting an unusually strong shark, getting a rare chance to tag and release one of the ocean's most ferocious carnivores. Few great whites, however, suffer the indignity of choking on their own food. According to the Western Australia Department of...
Massive Wisconsin Mayfly Swarm Caught on Radar
For the residents of the western Wisconsin, last Sunday started off a normal day like any other. For millions of adult mayflies, however, it was a time of frenzied mating after months spent underwater. Employees at the National Weather Service office in La Crosse, Wisconsin were stunned over the weekend when the insects swarmed across nearby cities and towns. The mass of mayflies was so large that the insects could be seen on radar.
"The radar detected the flies about 845 pm, emanating from the [Mississippi] river (the source) with echo values similar to that of light-moderate rain (35-40...
Expert: Giant Snake in New Jersey Lake Possibly an Anaconda
Animal control officials have been searching for weeks in New Jersey's Lake Hopatcong hoping to get a glimpse of what local residents called a giant snake. According to CBS News, the snake was first spotted earlier this month and reports of the creature describe it anywhere from 15 to 20 feet long. Reptile expert Gerald Andrejack, who saw the snake firsthand, specified that the snake may in fact be one of the largest snakes in the world: an anaconda.
"It's a green anaconda,"...
New York Angler Catches New State Record Drum
Lake Ontario has a reputation for being full of freshwater drum, and on June 14 James VanArsdall reinforced that reputation by pulling out a 26-pound, nine-ounce fish to break the New York state record. According to the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, the 33.5-inch drum surpassed the previous record by over two pounds.
VanArsdall's catch marks the second New York state record fish in the past three months. In May, Eric Lester brought in the Read more »
Cookin’ in Camo: Porcini Dusted Catfish with Corn Puree
This recipe is adapted from chef John Currence's Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey.
Before you get working on this "pole to plate" offering, there's two important preliminary steps to follow:
Pour yourself a glass of bourbon, wine, or your drink of choice (this should be step one of any recipe---remember, cooking is fun)
Put on your favorite music playlist. The mood has to be perfect. My playlist has it all---Hank Williams, Jr., Michael Bolton, Elton John, Adele, and more.
Once you've completed both those steps, you can get to the dish!
Porcini-dusted seared...
Snakes Are Easier to Respect Than Love
In all likelihood, I nearly stepped on the big garter snake while carrying my load of birdseed to our feeders during a recent lunch break.
I just didn’t notice the snake until returning minutes later. As I rounded the southeastern corner of our Wisconsin home, I suddenly halted as if spotting a land mine in our lawn. There it lay, coiled in the midday sun, stirring slightly as it sensed I wasn’t just passing by again.
After the split-second needed to identify the serpent as a common garter snake---our state’s most abundant and widespread snake---I relaxed and studied it more...
Transforming an AR-15 into a Home-defense Rifle
A few weeks ago, I discussed my plan of using the upcoming Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun Invitational to choose, equip, and practice with guns I’d use for home defense. Since then, I’ve decided to use a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 OR for the rifle. It’s a standard AR-15 design with a notable exception: instead of the classic A2 fixed front sight and gas...
NRA Freestyle’s ‘Media Lab’: S.P.E.A.R. System
Tony Blauer joins Dom in Media Lab Episode 12, "S.P.E.A.R. System" to break down a scene from The Bourne Identity and show how your body responds to sudden violence. A basic understanding of physiology and natural reactions will help to defend yourself during an attack.
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