OutdoorHub
Alaska Man Shoots, Kills Aggressive Bear with Hi-Point Pistol
Jim Landess and his 17-year-old son woke early on the morning of July 7 to the sound of a brown bear attempting to break into their home in Sterling, Alaska. According to the Peninsula Clarion, Landess looked outside his window and found a nine-foot bear knocking on the walls of his home, apparently trying to get inside. Landess began yelling at the animal from his home and caused it to retreat towards the nearby forest. Jim Landess used the opportunity to retrieve a firearm from his truck...
Branson Linder and His Largemouth Bass
This is a story about a big fish. But this one didn’t get away. It’s a woulda, coulda, shoulda tale of a largemouth bass, one of those that people deem a whopper, a jaw-dropper when they see the mount.
Since 1987, Thomas Burgin’s 16-pound, eight-ounce bass that was caught at Mountain View Lake in Shelby County has reigned atop the Alabama Freshwater Records Book.
There may have been a fish as big or bigger caught in Clarke County earlier this year, but inquiring minds will never know.
Branson Linder, a 15-year-old who attends Clarke Prep in Grove Hill, Alabama, caught the...
Video: The Science Behind a Fish Bite
Getting a fish to bite is one of the most important aspects of angling, but how exactly does a fish eat? Fish jaws are much different from our own; the simple act of taking a bite is the result of a heavily coordinated movement that involves a number of fused bones called an operculum. This bony flap is what allows fish to take a gulp of water and flush it back out through their gills in one fluid motion.
Smarter Every Day and Dr. Jamie Seymour of James Cook University take a closer look at the mechanics of a fish bite in the following video.
http://youtu.be/Wq48opvHsNI...
The BAREBOW! Chronicles: The Bowling-ball Ram
After two unsuccessful hunts on Todagin Mountain (one as a nonresident in 1986 and one as a resident in 1991) I was convinced I finally understood the terrain and the habits of the local stone sheep population well enough to be able, with a bit of luck, to outsmart one of the many resident rams. The real challenge, as always, was going to be finding and outsmarting a legal ram. There were plenty of barely-sub-legal rams around, but finding and identifying a legal one had always been the difficulty on Todagin Mountain. This meant either eight years of age, or having horns that met the...
New Michigan State Record Black Buffalo Wins Bowfishing Tournament
Anglers know that record-sized fish are not always guaranteed to win fishing competitions, but few things are more exciting than bringing a history-making catch to the weigh-in. Bowfisherman Josh Teunis, 20, surprised a crowd in Muskegon on June 16 when he brought out a behemoth 41.25-pound black buffalo. It was the first black buffalo that Teunis ever caught, but it was enough to land him in the state record books.
"As soon as I shot, we knew it was by the sheer size," Teunis told Read more »
Groundbreaking Study: Elk May Eventually Adapt to CWD
For the past five decades chronic wasting disease (CWD) has spread like a cancer through the nation's cervid population. Without any form of effective vaccine or cure, the disease poses a serious problem for the country's elk, moose, and deer. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, CWD has been positively identified in at least 22 states and several Canadian provinces. For a long time many biologists were concerned that the disease, which purportedly boasts a 100 percent fatality...
Starr’s South African Safari, Dispatch Two: More Hunts and an Elephant-back Excursion
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. Here are a few highlights from days four, five, and six of our hunt.
Zebra
Day four started with my hunting partner Michelle Whitney Bodenheimer shooting a blue wildebeest in the Fort...
NRA Freestyle’s ‘Media Lab’: Quick Draw
In movies, the quick draw looks like a sudden movement, but there is a careful plan thought out before the gun is even touched. In Media Lab Episode 11 “Quick Draw,” Dom Raso breaks down a scene from Rambo to show why analyzing a situation before reaching for a gun is crucial.
...
A Fishing Guide’s Day Off in the Grand Traverse Bay
Ever wonder what a fishing guide does on his day off?
Chris Noffsinger, who'd been guiding bass fishermen virtually every day since the catch-and-release season opened the last Saturday in April, decided he wanted to set aside his son's ninth birthday in early July to spend the day with his boy. So what do you suppose the youngster wanted to do with his dad?
You guessed it.
Noffsinger invited me to tag along. And though I didn’t want to be a fifth wheel, I’m not about to turn down an invitation to fish with one of the state’s best bass anglers on some of the Michigan’s best...
Video: Jerry Miculek Dual Wields AR Pistols
Dual wielding any firearms, much less two Sig Sauer M400 AR pistols, is a lot more difficult in real life than it is in video games and movies. While it may look efficient in the hands of Hollywood action heroes, the act of firing a semiautomatic firearm in each hand is bound to have dramatic impacts on your accuracy and speed.
If there's anyone who could make a nigh-impossible shooting feat look easy, however, it's Jerry Miculek. With the help of two SB15 arm braces, Jerry even manages to run through a v-drill in three seconds.
http://youtu.be/b7G-sOC3-sQ...
Conservationists Urge Action as Mule Deer Dwindle in Colorado
In 2013, Colorado wildlife officials determined the state's mule deer had hit a record low. At only 384,000 animals, the Centinnel State's muley population is 200,000 short of the official target number and 36 percent less from almost a decade ago when 614,000 roamed across Colorado. The dramatic drop has many conservationists calling for immediate action to reverse the trend. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials will be holding a summit next month to meet with the public, and hopefully find a solution that will stop the mule deer decline.
"Across the Western US, state wildlife...
Cookin’ in Camo: Bacon-wrapped Venison Backstrap with Chimichurri
Editor's note: This recipe is the first in a series of several provided by Tyler Viars, a dedicated "forest to fork" hunter and professional chef. Read on to learn the culinary secrets of one of America's top home cooks---and get excited for deer season.
The buck in the picture above was bitten by my Hoyt Spyder on November 12, 2013. Now I get to reap the benefits of this beautiful animal through a process I like to call "forest to fork," with the end result being a delicious bacon-wrapped backstrap with charred serrano-scallion chimichurri. How's that for "organic?"
Serves...
Need to Know What Your Fish Weighs? There’s a Net for That
Chase Innovations is not the first company to design a fishing net with an integrated scale, but the start-up company does hope its product will be the first one to catch on. The Lochsa is almost identical to a conventional net except for the brightly-lit LCD display on its handle. At the push of a button, the net gives you the weight of whatever fish you just scooped up.
"You can now easily track the weights of your fish from the day and accurately determine your all-time records," the company states on its Read more »
Emerald Ash Borer and Your Hunting Land
Like many of you, the area I deer hunt has a mix of hardwoods bordering some open ground that I’ve set up food plots in. The hardwoods have been a mix of maple and ash, with a few others mixed in. The ash trees have been around the longest and have provided the biggest, straightest trees for attaching stands to. Thanks to a pesky bug, things are changing for me this fall.
A new pest was detected in Southeast Michigan back in 2002: the emerald ash borer (EAB). In its adult form, the borer is a metallic green beetle that is roughly one half-inch in length, munches on ash leaves, and is not...
Illinois Governor Throws Support Behind New Gun Control Bill
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced on Sunday that he will be supporting the Illinois Public Safety Act, a bill that calls for stronger gun control laws in a state already known for being tough on firearms. If passed into law, the Illinois Public Safety Act---Senate Bill 3659---will ban the possession, sale, purchase, and transport of firearms the state considers to be "assault weapons." The bill will also outlaw any magazine capable of holding more than 15 rounds and all .50-caliber rifles...
Film Festivals and the Future of Outdoor Recreation
Films, television, and video in general are the primary storytellers of our times, and stories are a prime force in creating and changing culture, including how people view outdoor sports and conservation. There is a definite need for more mainstream TV and films that show outdoor sports in a positive way. One way to encourage more positive stories about outdoor sports is through awards shows and film festivals that support filmmakers, as well as entertain and educate.
You may think that mainstream media award shows and festivals are probably biased against hunting and fishing. Not so....
ICAST 2014 Now Underway
The International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) kicked off today in Orlando, Florida. Considered by many to be the largest trade show in the recreational fishing industry, ICAST hosts 10,000 industry professionals every year in a showcase of the newest innovations, gear, and accessories set to hit the market.
The schedule for ICAST may be filled with business education seminars and shows, but the true draw of the convention is the hundreds of exhibitors eager to draw attention to their wares. For the next few days, ICAST will be home...
Wisconsin Court Ruling Allows Hunters to Train Dogs for Wolves
Last Wednesday, a state appeals court ruled that Wisconsin hunters can once again train dogs to track and hunt wolves. The decision comes after another court ruling last year allowed the use of hounds in tracking wolves, but forbade training dogs specifically to hunt the predators. According to the Associated Press, the appeals court found that Wisconsin residents have a common law right to hunt and the freedom to train hunting dogs stems from that right, therefore invalidating last year's ruling...
Video: Homeowner Saves Fawn as Doe Watches On
Todd Dierdorff of Colorado Springs found himself in the role of a rescue worker recently when he found a deer fawn trapped in his window well. With its mother still nearby and anxiously watching events, Dierdorff knew it was up to him to retrieve the helpless animal. According to WFLA, the homeowner called a local animal rescue group for instructions on how to handle the baby deer.
After speaking with the rescue group, Dierdorff was able to lift the fawn out and put it back on solid ground.
"After...
Florida Teenager Discovers Lionfish Can Survive in Freshwater
Lauren Arrington, 13, is being credited for a breakthrough discovery after she found that lionfish can survive in low-salinity water and even pockets of freshwater while working on a science fair project. Arrington and her father, ecologist and fish expert Albrey Arrington, conducted a series of rough experiments last year that inspired a more comprehensive study by researchers at North Carolina State University and Florida International University. The results of that study were recently published in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes.
"Sometimes it takes someone outside...