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May 9, 2008
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A new generation of wild-turkey researchers is seeking to answer questions about turkey population declines, habitat preferences, and geographic distribution. Their findings will influence turkey management for decades to come. But hunters can learn from them right now about where and how to hunt our most evasive gobblers.
Turkey biologists aren’t quite calling it a crisis, but significant population declines in some regions of the country have them wondering why, after decades of growth, turkey numbers are flat or nose-diving. What they are finding is that, in some areas, the trend is predictable: After filling all available habitat, turkey populations have reached a sustainable plateau. [ Read Full Post ]
Canine mortality has crossed my mind more often then I would care to acknowledge—I have a 13-year-old English bulldog, and after Kona's cancer scare. Then I saw a post on Facebook about dogs going to heaven and greeting us when we get there. The caption asked: "Do you believe our dogs go to heaven?"
I'm conflicted when I think about this topic; emotion and logic run headlong into each other and it combines with a good bit philosophy, too. [ Read Full Post ]
When Connecticut legislators passed Senate Bill 1160 on April 4, they essentially outlawed an industry that employs 3,000 state residents and generates $1.75 billion annual taxable revenues.
The state's firearms manufacturing industry, which includes Hartford-based Colt, Southport-based Sturm, Ruger and Co. and New Haven-based Mossberg & Sons, warned lawmakers all winter that if they adopted Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy's gun control package, they would move their operations elsewhere.
The first gunmaker to follow up on that threat is Bristol-based PTR Industries, which announced on April 9 on its Facebook page that it will take its 40 jobs and $50,000 weekly payroll to another city in another state. [ Read Full Post ]

Before Dave "Cozz" Cozzolino began hunting turkeys at age 16, no one ever suspected he had attention deficit disorder. He had no more trouble staying seated at his desk than other students and was no less attentive than the other boys. No, it was the sound of gobbling that stirred Cozzolino too deeply to stay put. Instead of calling and waiting like most turkey hunters, Cozzolino routinely makes hen talk as he moves in on gobbling birds. In fact, he argues that because of his aggressive style, he regularly dupes savvy gobblers that have evaded more patient hunters.
Here are some of Cozzolino's favorite aggressive tactics. Try them where you have room to maneuver. [ Read Full Post ]
2013 Suzuki King Quad 400ASi
MSRP: $6,499-Flame Red & Terra Green; $6,899-True Timber XD3 Camo
Final Thoughts + Key Specs at a Glance
I had the opportunity to spend two epic days aboard the 2013 Suzuki King Quad 400 ASi in a place nearly too beautiful to describe. My journey took me across California’s Mojave Desert, where the sand and rock miraculously transform into the gorgeous marble peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. At 10,000 feet, the high elevation was the perfect place to test out many of the 400 ASi’s key features. [ Read Full Post ]

Commercial fishermen in Western Australia accidentally netted this 13-foot great white shark just 100 meters off a popular beach earlier this week. The big shark died in the net because it was unable to move water over its gills.
Cheyne fisher Dumpy Wheatcroft (yeah, apparently his first name is Dumpy) told thewest.com that tourists flocked to watch the shark being loaded on to a forklift. [ Read Full Post ]

I had just missed my third consecutive shot at a 600-yard, man-size steel target when Rifles Only shooting instructor Jacob Bynum tapped me on the shoulder.
“Unload the gun,” he said. I was about to chamber another round, but I followed his direction and emptied the rifle. “Now shoot.”
I did. Click. “Do that until you’re ready to hit what you’re aiming at.”
This is why his advice works. [ Read Full Post ]
As we’ve blogged about on numerous occasions, the Gulf of Mexico's red snapper management has long been a contentious (the understatement of the decade) issue for recreational anglers lamenting severe restrictions based on faulty data. A prized food fish of great sporting value, red snapper is one of the main offshore species that drives fishing-related expenditures, which significantly contribute to coastal economies throughout the Gulf.
Short seasons in federal waters – this year's set at 12 days for Texas, nine for Louisiana, 28 for Mississippi and Alabama, and 21 for Florida – not only limit recreational enjoyment of the resource, but also the economic impact on bait/tackle shops, charter services, marinas and the hospitality industry. War cries and battle whoops have been heard from all sides. Now, it’s the governors’ turn. [ Read Full Post ]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) evoked the mercy rule Thursday and threw in the proverbial towel on behalf of bewildered gun control proponents by withdrawing their hotly rejected gun control bills from further consideration — that is, for now.
When, or if, Senators will again see gun-related legislation remains a topic of speculation in the wake of Reid's decision to untangle them from quagmire on gun control and move onto other pressing issues, such as immigration reform.
On Wednesday, the Senate rejected all seven proposed amendments to the first gun control bill debated on its floor since 1994, prompting President Barack Obama to vow to continue lobbying for gun control. [ Read Full Post ]
Oregon authorities, along with search-and-rescue crews, have been looking for an Oklahoma teenager who is believed to be in trouble in a remote area of southeastern Oregon.
Dustin Self, 19, decided that he wanted to live off the land after watching the movie Into the Wild. A dedicated vegetarian, Self reportedly wanted to see if he could live in a wilderness area subsisting only on wild foods, other than meat. The teen had also mentioned that he wanted to investigate some “churches” that practice a South American religion that uses a hallucinogenic tea as part of their religious practices, one of these groups being in Oregon. [ Read Full Post ]
There are times when politicians agree. It usually takes something so obviously positive that it cannot be denied. Such is the case with Maryland's angler access legislation which was signed into law by Governor Martin O'Malley on April 9.
The bill requires that state and local transportation departments to provide "reasonable and cost-effective" access to lakes, rivers and streams in all future roadway construction projects -- including repairs to existing points of potential access. [ Read Full Post ]
When your morning setup on a roosted gobbler doesn’t work out as planned, it’s time to make a decision. You can sit patiently and call for a few hours with the hope that the bird will return, or you can make some strategic moves with the hope of striking a longbeard that is more motivated by your calling efforts. Now’s not the time for aimless woods roaming. Make a midmorning hunt plan and stick to it, because the next gobble you hear may come from the bird that fills your tag.
[ Read Full Post ]

Is it just my imagination or are an awful lot of folks on the trail, at the shooting range, and at hunting camps wearing some kind of parachute cord bracelet nowadays? What started a few years ago as a practical way for soldiers, firefighters, and outdoor adventurers to carry some extra 550 cord has mushroomed into a multi-million dollar business serving fashion-conscious urbanites and true wilderness aficionados alike.
Since bracelets and jewelry were invented, they have been worn mostly for looks. Decorative wear typically doesn’t usually do anything. But a few years ago, Survival Straps came into the market. Standing apart from most bracelets in human history, these bracelets actually do stuff, and the company has grown from a family business which began at a kitchen table in Florida to become an industry leader in survival bracelets and a staunch supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project and American law enforcement, fire, EMS, and military personnel. [ Read Full Post ]

When you get cut out in the field, it can be hard to tell just how bad the injury is until the bleeding subsides. After applying pressure for a few minutes, and once you can actually see the nature of the wound, you’ll probably be wondering if the wound needs stitches or not? It’s a simple question, but it opens up a big gray area in field medical care.
The first advice I would give is the obvious advice, find a medical practitioner to make the call about either using stitches or simply bandaging up the wound. But if you are hell and gone from any normal medical care, or you are away from your group’s medic, you may have to make your own assessment. Just don’t “Rambo” your way through the wound’s care, trying to use fishhooks and foolishness to stitch yourself up. Make sure you have a proper suture kit and the knowledge to use it correctly. [ Read Full Post ]
If you're keeping score at home, here's what your proposed background check bill scorecard should look like:
- Sen. Charles Schumer's (D-NY) Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 struck out before reaching the floor.
- Sens. Joe Manchin's (D-WV) and Pat Toomey's (R-Pa.) Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act failed to gain the 60 votes necessary to break a GOP filibuster in a 54-46 roll call ballot on April 17.
- Next up: The proposed Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act of 2013 co-sponsored by Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas). [ Read Full Post ]