OutdoorHub
Experts Forecast Best Salmon Return in Years for Washington State
Washington wildlife officials expect more than three million Columbia River Chinook and coho salmon to return to the state, making for one of the best fall forecasts in recent decades. Anglers are already anticipating the highest number of chinook salmon in the Columbia River since 1938---over 1.6 million. According to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), the strong surge of salmon could boost ocean fisheries and elevate summer fishing to the best anglers have seen in well over a decade. The ocean abundance for coho is also expected...
In-depth Trolling for Michigan Panfish
“Trolling for bluegills? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” the guy in the canoe said across the water after I told him what I was doing.
He was busy tossing bass lures along the shoreline of the little lake while I was out over the 30-foot depths of the basin, pedaling my Hobie kayak, two ultra-light rods in the water. At the business end of each was a pair of small Worden’s Spin-Glos, each with a No. 6 Tru-Turn long-shank hook. One was baited with two waxworms; the other had a one-inch Gulp! Pinched Crawler, made by Berkley.
Normally this body of water, accessible only to...
Mosquitoes Suck: How to Avoid Getting Bit
Everything on the planet has a purpose, right? It may be hard to imagine, especially after watching the evening news, but everything has to have some particular niche that it fills, some role in the great scheme of life on the planet Earth. Okay, I may have watched way too many documentaries on the Discovery Channel. I can almost envision David Attenborough narrating this story. But seriously, can you tell me what role the mosquito fills?
I’m sure at one point in history, the mosquito did something important, be it to transport some virus, or serve as a food source. Today I think they...
Catching Your Own Summer Baits
While they're the most popular target of backyard collectors, worms and nightcrawlers aren’t the only live baits anglers can catch on their own. As we enter summer, accessibility to many DIY-collected live baits actually increases---as does the productivity of using them.
Like using your own hand-tied flies or crafted lures, there’s something gratifying about using bait you’ve harvested firsthand that makes any catching especially fulfilling.
Catching minnows
The easiest way to gather a bucket of your own fresh minnows is to catch them in a trap made for the purpose. Most minnow...
Leaders of Conservation: BHA Executive Director Land Tawney
This interview with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Executive Director Land Tawney is part of OutdoorHub’s Leaders of Conservation series, in which we sit down with leaders of the North American conservation movement to learn more about the stories behind their organizations and people.
For many, the word "backcountry" invokes a deep, somber image of untamed wilderness and clear waters. For those who love the backcountry, it is a symbol of freedom, self-reliance, and strength tempered by an undercurrent of ever-present danger.
“There is a delight in the hardy life of the...
Video: Deadly Puff Adder Strike in Slow Motion
Puff adders are among the deadliest snakes in the world. These medium-sized vipers are known for having a venom so potent that it is suspected to carry a 52 percent mortality rate and can cause rapid necrosis. But you are not likely to run into one of these dangerous critters in North America.
Puff adders live across a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa and are known for causing more deaths than any other snake on the continent. Despite their ability to kill large prey, these adders restrain their diet to small mammals and birds. Puff adders attack by coiling their body and then striking...
Smith & Wesson SW1911TA E-Series Pistol
There’s always something appealing about a nice 1911. While carrying a full-size, all-steel .45 ACP 1911 isn’t always fun, shooting one sure is. The particular SW1911TA E-Series model I've had the pleasure to review is a blend of traditional and modern innovation. Like the original Government model, it’s got a five-inch barrel, single-stack magazine, and single-action trigger. Unlike the original, it features Tritium night sights, a tactical...
Joggers Caught in Tense Confrontation with Alberta Black Bear
Bears are inquisitive creatures, but sometimes that curiosity can turn lethal. Two joggers in Alberta are counting themselves lucky after they escaped a lengthy face-off with a young black bear. According to CTV News, Bruce Allan and Greg Armour were running through a wooded trail near Fort McMurrary on June 5 when they picked up an unwanted companion.
"The moment that I met the bear it was an instant ‘turn around, don’t make eye contact, walk away,’ and that...
The Top 10 Guns for Hog Hunting
Wild pigs are tough, surly, and currently running out of control across the country. Here are 10 rifles suited to quell the swine rebellion.
Any bullet and rifle combination you’d use for deer hunting will kill a hog deader than dollar gas, but then again, you can pound a nail with a monkey wrench if that's all you have. Since surly wild boars can weigh 300 pounds and grow tusks the size of small Soviet sickles, I prefer a firearm of adequate caliber---.260 or better---that’s capable of delivering multiple rounds in rapid fashion. In short, some hog guns are better than others....
Vanishing Paradise to Partner with SportingDog Adventures to Raise Awareness on Restoring Mississippi River Delta
SportingDog Adventures TV and Vanishing Paradise are pleased to announce they have formalized a partnership that will begin with the 4th season airing of the show in 2014.
“Conservation has always been a central theme on SportingDog Adventures,” says Jeff Fuller, Host and Executive Producer. “The generational aspect of hunting is another theme we stress, but without everyone first making a commitment to preserving our country’s natural resources, there won’t be anything to pass on to those future generations.”
“We are very excited about this opportunity,” says Steve...
NRA Freestyle’s ‘NOIR’: Where Are the Gun Celebs?
In NOIR Episode 6 “Where are the Gun Celebs?” Colion and Amy discuss the lack of mainstream gun celebrities and dream big for their ultimate “Gun Fest.”
...
Black Bear Spotting in Illinois Generates Renewed Interest
Black bears effectively disappeared from Illinois in the late 1860s, but residents are now reporting sightings of a young male wandering across the western stretches of the state. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced last week that there are no plans to capture the animal, although homeowners were advised to secure their trash bins and keep pet food inside for the time being.
"The recent sighting of an American black bear in northwest Illinois...
Video: An Elk “Scoop n’ Run”
It's not often that conservation officers will remove a calf from underneath the nose of its own mother, but sometimes the animals find themselves in odd places and need to be given a helping hand. As recorded in the video below, a young elk calf wandered into a townsite near Canada's Banff National Park in Alberta. Naturally, its mother followed along, aggressively charging people on the streets. Elk commonly take shelter near the structures to escape predators. After a while, the elk grow accustomed to the human presence and decide to settle permanently---much to the agitation of the...
Wyoming Whitetails Push into Muley Territory, Officials Mull Expanded Hunt
Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials are proposing offering doe-fawn licenses in areas of the state's northwest in a bid to halt the expansion of whitetail deer, which are moving up from the Teton Range and putting pressure on the area's mule deer population. According to the Jackson Hole News and Guide, biologists are seeing a decline of mule deer in the west slope of the Tetons, where the whitetails have moved in.
"A...
The BAREBOW! Chronicles: Todagin Mountain, 1986
As the reader discovered in an earlier chapter, my former wife, Jeanne, and I had shared a truly fantastic adventure, in July 1984, hunting Dall sheep in the Liard Mountains of the Northwest Territories. By the late fall of 1985, however, our marriage had come to an end, and I began to dream about (and plan for) my first Stone sheep hunt.
The majority of the Stone sheep that had been taken by bowhunters up until that time had come from a mountain named Todagin in northern British Columbia. It was situated about an hour’s drive south of Dease Lake, just east of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway...
‘Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Pro Hunts’ for Xbox 360
A little while back, I was sent a copy of Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Pro Hunts for Xbox 360 from Activision's PR company, Sandbox Strategies, to review for OutdoorHub. Not only did I receive a copy of the game, but I also...
KA-BAR Combat Kukri
Don't let the word "combat" in KA-BAR's latest kukri offering throw you off, this is a versatile knife that can be used for just about anything. In truth, I've been wanting to try my hand at a kukri-style knife ever since I had the chance to borrow a kukri---or khukuri if you want to be more accurate---made by the metalsmiths at Himalayan Imports. The last time I used a kurki it was a 20-inch beast with a water buffalo bone handle and a scabbard so big it might have comprised the rest of the...
Are Minnesota’s Muskies Too Large? Officials See Fewer Small Fish
Anglers are flocking to Minnesota seeking another season of trophy-sized muskellunge, but Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials are saying that fishermen might find fewer fish this time around. An unexpected phenomenon has cropped up in the state's waters: muskies are growing larger, but the overall population appears to be declining.
According to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, a recent survey in Lake Bemidji found only 500 to 600 adult muskies---a low number...
Carping for a Wooden Shoe
“It has happened to most everybody who ever fished,” the bricklayer from Greencastle, Indiana waxed philosophically with his downstate Hoosier twang. “They get a fish on and it takes drag, really puts up the best fight they’ve ever experienced and they’re all excited thinking they have a huge bass or something and then they see it’s a carp and they’re disappointed and maybe a little mad.
“We enjoy catching carp,” he said, nodding in the direction of 16 other members of the Carp Anglers Group (CAG) spanning the Kollen Park seawall on Holland, Michigan's Lake Macatawa, their...
An Inspiration: Rick Casillo’s Battle Dawgs
When Rick Casillo heard the stories of the wounded veterans around the campfire in Alaska, his awe and respect for the soldiers grew to great proportions. “I wanted to be in the Marines so badly out of high school,” said Casillo. “I was turned down five times because of all the inner-ear surgeries I had as a kid.” Though his medical history precluded him from a military career, his patriotism and respect for those who serve never waned.
Mark, an amputee veteran and senior citizen, sends Rick $20 a month to support his dog racing in Alaska’s Iditarod. Casillo thought of him and all...