Outdoor Life — The Source for Hunting and Fishing Adventure

The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors yesterday officially approved the addition of a bass fishing tournament as an IHSA activity.

With the historic action, Illinois has become the first state in the nation to sanction competitive fishing as a sport in its public schools.

(See “Varsity Bass,” in the February 2008 Outdoor Life SnapShots section.)

The Board, acting on a recommendation from executive director Marty Hickman, unanimously approved fishing “as an IHSA activity beginning in the spring of 2009, provided that adequate sponsorships are secured in advance for the tournament.”

Hickman and other supporters of intra-school tournaments have indicated that numerous sponsors and volunteers have already stepped forward to offer their support for the program.

“The level of support for a bass fishing tournament, from both our membership and from other non-school groups, has demonstrated clearly to our Board that this event is one with potential tremendous value to our schools,” Hickman said after yesterday’s announcement.

“Implementing such an activity will enable our schools to provide another opportunity for students that will enrich their educational experience and keep with the Association's mission,” Hickman said.

While the news of the... [ Read Full Post ]

An unexpected chemical reaction is causing 2008 Oregon Hunting and Fishing Licenses to vanish.

Like, disappear. No fooling.

As part of a new license design implemented by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Department, the 2008 license is printed on a high-tech synthetic material intended to resist water and wear.

That’s a good thing.

On the downside, some of the 500,000 Oregon hunters and anglers who bought their 2008 thermo-paper combo license and placed it in the plastic holder issued at the time of purchase found that the writing on the paper, uh, disappeared in a few weeks.

Poof! Like magic, a vanishing license!

Imagine how sportsmen reacted when they removed their license from its holder and discovered a blank piece of paper—or, in some cases, a license that was considerably faded to the point of being illegible.

“I’m not a chemist,” said Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Doug Juergensen, “but the new paper somehow reacts to plastic.”

Addressing the problem as only a state agency can, ODFW issued a press release last month instructing license purchasers not to place the document in the plastic holders or... [ Read Full Post ]

“You know there’s never a time when I’m not fishing—just days when I can’t do it on the water.”

-Jay Hill
The Gentleman’s Society of Angling, 2002 [ Read Full Post ]

It was once said that a family who hunts together typically stays together. Recently, I spoke with Dave Forbes, owner of Hunter’s Specialties and he was telling me about a very special hunt that took place this past gun season that proves this point. Dave Forbes is very fortunate to have the opportunity to hunt all across the nation, but his favorite hunting spot would have to be his farm in Missouri, where Forbes field-tests a lot of the H.S. products long before they hit the stores. The property is strictly managed for whitetails and turkeys and Forbes has put a great deal of time and work in managing his farm.

Forbes loves hunting his property in the fall with his family and it allows him to escape a very demanding schedule. In fact, the Forbes family is extremely close and tries to spend every moment they can together in the woods. This past deer season, Dave along with his wife Carman, granddaughter Morgan Michels, and son-in-law Tony Michels were all able to drop the hammer on some nice Missouri bucks. This hunt... [ Read Full Post ]

It can be extremely tough for a workingman to spend the time in the woods needed to connect with a monster buck. Sometimes a hunter just gets lucky and is at the right place at the right time. However, I would much rather make my own luck and put the time in that it takes to tag a giant. To me scouting and trying to pattern a crafty buck is what makes deer hunting so addictive and challenging. Dedication and discipline is exactly what it took for police officer Jason Harvison of Tennessee to finally get a shot at a buck he had spent two solid years scouting and hunting.

After countless hours spent glassing the buck during the summer months and hundreds of trail camera photos, Harvison finally arrowed this monster during the opening weekend of the Tennessee archery season. Harvison’ dream buck boasted a 25-inch inside spread with 10 points and gross scored around 160. At the conclusion of the hunt, Harvison left the woods with mixed feelings. 

“Over a period of time, I had developed a personal relationship with this deer,” says Harvison. “I had spent... [ Read Full Post ]

Hunting and the outdoors have always been a big part of my life. As a young boy, my father kept me in the woods or on the water, which created a strong bond that we still share today. Cool, fall-morning squirrel hunting trips with my dad that started my addiction to the outdoors and enabled me to fine-tune my skills in the woods. My entire family hunts, fishes, and usually schedules vacations along with occasional sick days around hunting season. I grew up hunting the tough and rugged mountain country of southeastern Kentucky. Here a hunter simply doesn't have the luxury of guides, foodplots or fences. In fact, there are not a lot of agricultural areas in the mountain country and just about everyone hunts making it extremely difficult to connect with a wall-hanger. I mainly hunt high-pressured tracts of public-land in the fall and love matching wits with these hard-to-handle whitetails.

Like most hunters my personal schedule is very demanding and sometimes it's tough to spend the time you need in the treestand to consistently tag mature bucks. Being... [ Read Full Post ]

By now, New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has become a familiar personality to most everyone. But long before he stomped out the Patriots in the Super Bowl, Strahan was stomping through the hills and ridges of western New York hunting wild turkeys. Click here to see our exclusive photographs of the hunting Hall of Famer.

— Gerry Bethge [ Read Full Post ]