OutdoorHub
Scientists Identify Rare Pocket Shark, a Bizzare Mix of Shark and Kangaroo
This rare and minuscule shark sat in a freezer for more than three years before it was finally identified by researchers. In 2010, biologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collected it during an expedition to study sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Not sure what to make of the specimen, scientists sent it to a lab in Mississippi and put it on ice. There it sat in a freezer alongside other unidentified specimens until NOAA fisheries biologist Mark Grace pulled it out and let it thaw. It turns out that the tiny critter is a pocket shark, and it is only the...
Video: Hate Leeches? Stay Away from This “Leech-nado”
Here's one place you don't want to skinny dip in.
If you've ever come out of the water with one of these bloodsuckers on you, then odds are you're not a big fan. One thing most people will agree on is that leeches are downright nasty. In addition to being slimy and incontestably ugly, leeches can also transmit disease and inject harmful bacteria into their victims. The best way to avoid leeches is simply to bypass infested waters, but that's not always possible.
The video below shows a gathering of leeches in a wetland junction near Green Bay. The concentration of swimming leeches is so...
Man Survives His Second Bear Attack in Four Years
A Washington man is now recovering after a brutal bear attack last week that left him with more than 40 bites and lacerations. Surprisingly, the man still carries the scars from another bear attack less than four years ago. According to the man, who only identified himself as "Bob," it was a terrifying sense of déjà vu.
"He was definitely after my head. So I was trying to protect everything up here and I was holding onto that stick and that was about the only thing that saved me," he told Read more »
Video: Ice Fisherman Pulls in a Massive Sturgeon by Hand
Have you ever wondered if the hole you cut in the ice was too small? That thought may be especially true if you have a massive sturgeon on the line. These dinosaur fish might have not changed much in the past few million years, but that does not mean they are sluggish in the water. Far from it, sturgeon are known for their fighting prowess and can be plenty tough. For this angler, it takes skill and a bit of patience before he's able to pull his prize through the hole.
This video is a bit long, but the result is worth it.
https://youtu.be/5XmA3TxYc28...
5 Easy Fishing Pranks to Agitate Your Friends
So sometimes the fishing is slower than you bargained for, and you get it in your mind to artificially create some excitement. Well, there are the kind of pranks that can cost you a friend---and possibly get you bass-slapped---and then there are these. Here are five harmless pranks that are easy to pull off and hilarious to see in action.
Just be sure you pull them on the right people.
1. Never give them something they can beat you with
https://youtu.be/YMaAPy1Xvy0
2. You just got spooled
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGN9aRmmqtg
3. The proper way to bond with your...
Wildlife Officials Train Fish-sniffing Dogs to Use as Secret Weapon Against Poachers
Poachers beware, there is a new dog in town and it has a nose for fish. According to WFSB, Connecticut wildlife officials recently unveiled their newest program to train dogs to detect illegally-caught fish.
In conjunction with a state police K-9 unit, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) successfully trained three dogs to sniff out fish like trout, striped bass, and black fish. While wildlife-detecting dogs are not exactly anything new, these specialized fish-sniffers...
Christian Laettner: Basketball Star and Muskie Fisherman Extraordinaire
Basketball star Christian Laettner has fished muskies at every opportunity since retiring from the NBA 10 years ago, but he still laments four “wasted” years early in his pro career when he golfed instead of fished on days the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t require his presence.
He jokingly blames that misspent time on Sol Brandys, the T-Wolves’ longtime strength and conditioning coach. During Laettner’s first four years in the Twin Cities, 1992 to 1996, he regularly lifted weights with Brandys and then joined him for a round of golf.
That changed in 1996 when Brandys invited...
Buffalo Herd Charges Through Arkansas Town, On the Run from Police
A group of six buffalo entered the central Arkansas town of Hot Springs last week, and they quickly made it known that they were up to no good. According to KTHV, officials believe that the bison may have escaped from a nearby farm on April 16 and entered the town shortly afterwards. While buffalo are mostly docile creatures, police received reports of the animals running through backyards, grazing in the local woods, and one even struck a car. At more than 2,000 pounds, the...
Video: This Spider Crab Pyramid Will Make Your Skin Crawl
Those with arachnophobia, or a fear of spiders, may want to skip watching this video. After all, spider crabs look just like giant spiders---albeit with claws, a tougher exoskeleton, and apparently the ability to form giant pyramids in the bottom of the ocean.
One scuba diver managed to record this massive pyramid of spider crabs near Melbourne, Australia. It's one of the creepiest things we've ever seen.
https://youtu.be/R8EXO-DN3ac...
Turkey Hunting Success and Safety on Public Land
For many of us, it’s a reality of hunting. We hunt public land, or we don’t hunt.
Out West, public land can mean areas where you hike miles into the wild to set up a tiny, primitive camp from which to base your hunt for elk or big mulies. On a hunt like that, you’re on public ground, but chances are you won’t encounter another human.
Sadly, that’s not the kind of public land most of us know. We hunt on wildlife management areas close to major metropolitan areas. These areas receive significant hunting pressure. Most days, especially on weekends, you see vehicles overflowing...
Video: Shooting a .45-70 Derringer “Little Hand Cannon”
As one of the most powerful derringers in the world, the M-4 Alaskan Survival in .45-70 is stretches the definition of what a pocket pistol is. Reportedly designed for Alaskan rangers as a versatile back-up gun in the wild, the M-4 fires .45-70 Government from its top barrel and .45 Long Colt or .410 shells from its bottom barrel. As a tiny "hand cannon," the M-4 sure packs a punch in the recoil department.
If you're wondering what kind of pocket you can actually stuff this monstrous "derringer" into, keep in mind that it has a four-inch barrel and weights about 16.5 ounces. Should you be...
Quiz: Can You Identify These Saltwater Fish?
How good are your fish identification skills? You may need to whip out your field guides for this quiz, it can get pretty hard! Let us know how well you do!
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Video: How the RMEF’s Habitat Stewardship Program Protects American Wildlife
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) recently released a video detailing the organization's efforts to conserve wildlife and protect their habitat---to the tune of nearly a billion dollars in projects around North America. It's worth a watch, if only to learn just how great an impact groups like RMEF have had on American hunting heritage.
https://youtu.be/nBMTlRatLzk
One of those projects is opening access to more than 13,000 acres of Oregon elk country in the headwaters of the John Day River. The RMEF headed up a collaborative effort to purchase the land and convey it to the US...
The 5 Best Michigan Trout Streams
Michigan boast some 12,000 miles of trout stream---more than most anglers could hope to take advantage of in a lifetime. Some are tiny, jump-across creeks. Others are wide, deep, and fast-flowing rivers. Options are unlimited.
Trout season traditionally runs from the last Saturday in April through the end of September and the bulk of the state’s streams (approximately 1,400 of them) follow this regulation. However, there are numerous streams (190) that are open year-round, so trout season never really closes in Michigan. A number of the year-round streams have gear restrictions, so it...
Coast Guard Uses Helicopter as Ice Breaker to Clear a Path for Trapped Anglers
In a stunning display of ingenuity, US Coast Guard rescuers off the shore of Holland, Michigan used their helicopter as a makeshift ice breaker to free two trapped anglers earlier this month. According to officials, two anglers in a 16-foot boat on Lake Michigan became trapped on April 11 when strong winds pushed them a mile and a half offshore. The wind also brought in thick chunks of ice that surrounded the boat and rendered the anglers unable to reach land.
"The aircrew arrived overhead at about 11 a.m. to find the fishermen and their 16-foot boat surrounded by a vast ice shelf...
New World Record Woodland Caribou Confirmed, Wins Coveted Ishi Award
Every two years, the Pope and Young Club holds its Biennium Awards Banquet and Convention to celebrate North America's rich bowhunting heritage. Of course, one of the highlights of the convention is the official announcement of new world records, and during last week's 29th gathering in Pheonix, Arizona, one especially stood out.
A woodland caribou taken in 2013 by Newfoundland hunter Jeff Samson was announced as the new archery world record in its category, overtaking a record that had stood since 1966. To add to that, on Saturday Samson was bestowed the Ishi Award, the Pope and Young...
Florida Man Tries to Kiss Cottonmouth Snake, Hospitalized after Bite
One Florida man learned the hard way that water moccasins do not make the best kissing partners. According to Fox 13, 18-year-old Austin Hatfield of Wimauma was hospitalized last Saturday after being bitten by a cottonmouth while attempting to kiss it.
Friends said that Hatfield had captured the snake from his girlfriend's yard several days before and was keeping it in a pillowcase. Hatfield occasionally took the snake out to kiss it on the mouth, but on...
Wild Game Meat Debate: Bartering, Selling, and Other Uses for Hunter-harvested Items
More and more people are becoming concerned about what’s in the food they eat. Even city dwellers are reconsidering the value of wild game meat in their lives. Here’s what it means to today’s hunters.
Read the label on just about any package of food these days and it will make you scratch your head. They sport long lists of words with letters that looked like they were dumped out of a bucket, and they mean nothing to the average consumer. Many ask themselves whether the substances present are things that we should be putting in our body. There is not enough space in this...
13 Signs That You Might Be a Redneck Genius
Sometimes you just have to make do with what you got. After all, necessity is the mother of invention, and who could fault you for wanting to improve something while on a budget? Sometimes, your innovative ideas practically border on genius.
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The term "redneck" may be considered derogatory to some and a source of pride for others, but for the purposes of this list, we are defining it as someone who wisely uses the resources at their disposal while retaining a down-to-earth...
Video: Turkey Hunters Spot Ultra-rare Florida Panther in the Wild
There's no lack of wildlife in Florida, and depending on where you hunt, you're likely to run into anything from alligators to Burmese pythons. Finding an endangered Florida panther, however, is an incredibly rare occurrence. In the 1970s, the panther was considered nearly extinct, with just 20 animals living in the wild. Since then, conservationists and state officials redoubled their efforts to protect the cat's habitat. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that there are currently 100 to 180 of these animals in the wild, and you're about to see one of...