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TOP STORIES

Public Land Problem

Understanding and fixing the public land deer hunting problem takes reevaluating our public forests and our role in them. It takes correcting some very wrong popular views.
0 | Read More

New Fish Faces

The bite is on in warm waters around the country. Check out the latest and greatest fish babe shots from Instagram and our friends at Salt Water Sportsman.
80 | Read More

The Great Shed Hunt

Each spring, hundreds of hunters converge in Jackson to search for elk antlers on opening day of Wyoming's shed hunting season.
1 | Read More

Charged by a Bull

Gayne C. Young spent 3 weeks in Botswana to witness the country's last elephant hunting season. While there, he got up close and personal with an angry bull.
2 | Read More
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May 9, 2008

Top Picks

  • Expert tips from the OL editors on how to purchase, evaluate, and hunt with optics.

  • We found the entry hole of a spring fox den and set up a trail cam to record the kits' activity. Here's what we came up with.

  • A look at how—and why—six different companies are providing the world's outdoorsmen with American-made sporting equipment.

  • The votes have been tallied. Here are the 10 finalists in the annual Outdoor Life Fish of the Year contest.

Daily Blogs

  • April 17, 2013

    We Stand with Boston: A Search For Normalcy In The Turkey Woods - 0

    For many, Monday’s horrific reports from the streets of Boston spurred recollections of September 11. I was on the streets of Manhattan that morning, the first plane roaring directly overhead as I walked to the office. The ensuing mayhem was as much disorienting as it was frightening. I watched along with several co-workers as the second plane hit, and the towers fell, and people died. We knew that nothing would ever be the same. And, for hours, we were trapped like proverbial rats in NYC with no way out.

    It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that we got word that city officials had lifted the Manhattan lockdown. I managed to squeeze onboard the first train out. Inexplicable though it was on that day, I just had to get on that first train out … and I just had to get to the woods. Somehow my gut was telling me that if I did, things would be okay again. And so I did. [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 17, 2013

    Crazy Video Series: Turkey Hunter Befriends Wild Hen - 3

    I'm not saying that these videos are legit, only that they exist. The rest is for you to decide.

    The clips were shot by Bruce Evans and uploaded to YouTube on April 15th. They document his day of hunting with his new friend. Evans and his sweetheart, set up on a gobbler, take a walk in the woods, ride in a golf cart, and hang with the family. The first video (above) shows Evans sitting at a tree with the hen dawdling over his right shoulder. Fast forward a bit and you'll see the hen give Evans a peck (dare I say a kiss?) on the arm. [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 17, 2013

    UTV Maintenance: Get Your Side-By-Side Ready for Planting Food Plots - 0

    Getting a good strong side-by-side for work around the hunting property is great, but making sure it will last is the key to a happy season. Using plowing and seeding implements behind your UTV will help you turn out spring food plots, but it will also put strain on your machine. Here are some things to keep in mind before you get planting. [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 17, 2013

    Turkey Hunting: How to Get Closer to Spring Gobblers - 0

    The old-school drill goes: “Set up 100 to 200 yards from a roosted gobbler, then work that bird.” But sometimes it pays to get full-choke tight to the birds. Here’s how.

    1. X Marks the Spot
    When scouting, don’t simply make a bird gobble and then head to the next spot. Spend time with a gobbler and the flock this bird struts with. Watch and listen to what they do and where they’re heading as you scout to find out precisely where they roost. Quietly make your pre-dawn setup in that exact spot. [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 17, 2013

    Bass Baits: Better Options for Dropshot Rigging - 0

    Next time you dropshot for bass, don't drop without considering how you're hooking the bait. Standard rigging puts a hook through the tip of the bait's nose – nothing wrong with that, but other options exist.

    If fish are just nipping at the rig, or grabbing the tail of your bait without committing to the hook, you have three options: 1) Use a shorter bait style (maybe a Roboworm Alive Shad instead of the straight tail worm); 2) Cut off an inch or so of the bait you're using; or 3) Thread the hook through the bait and out the back. This puts the point farther back in the bait's profile. Ideally, those short-striking fish will slip up and get too close to the hook. [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 17, 2013

    Sunglasses Review: Best New Fishing Glasses 2013 - 3

    Once considered a luxury, polarized sunglasses are now within reach of most anglers, and the amount of science and technology that goes into building a pair of quality polarized fishing sunglasses is incredible. Modern high-end shades are a combination of components that have been refined through bioengineering, anthropometry (design based on human physical characteristics), and quantum electrodynamics. 

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 16, 2013

    Deer Hunting: How to Test Your Food Plot Soil - 0

    Last week our phone and website came alive with foodplotters placing their spring seed orders. Sadly, few inquired about the most critical aspect of growing a successful food plot: soil testing.

    Before planting, it’s of the utmost importance to analyze your soil to make sure that the soil composition is conducive to growing the seed you’re about to sew. Most parts of whitetail country suffer from soils with a low pH; somewhere in the 4 to 5 range. That means they are acidic in nature and most food plot forages won’t do well in them. The solution is simple. Adding pulverized lime to the soil will sweeten the soil making it less acidic. You are looking to raise your soil’s pH into the 6 to 7 range with 7 being ideal. [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 16, 2013

    Maine Hermit: How Did He Do It? - 4

    How long could you live in the woods? A year? 10? 30? If you have a large tax bill to pay today, disappearing into the wilderness and living off the grid may seem a little more appealing than it ever has before, but would you ever choose that kind of life? One man did make that choice and had been at it for the past 27 years, until he was arrested for stealing supplies from a Maine camp last week.

    Christopher Knight, 47, is currently being held on $5,000 bail on charges of burglary and theft after tripping a surveillance sensor set up by a local game warden. Knight was detected while stealing supplies from a camp for people with special needs, but that was far from his first offense. For more than a decade, locals have told stories of thefts and cabin break-ins, giving rise to the local legend of the "North Pond Hermit." [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 16, 2013

    Battle of the Bucks Contest: Northeast and West, Round 2 - 0

    Each year, we round up photos of the country's biggest bucks and most thrilling hunting stories for the Outdoor Life Deer of the Year contest. Now, we're calling on you to help us pick America's best buck. We've selected the 24 finalists and divided them by region.  Today we feature matchups from the Northeast and the West. The overall winner will be awarded a Cabela's gift card and a Weaver range finder in addition to eternal bragging rights. Select your favorite buck from each match-up and then hit the submit button at the bottom to enter your votes.

    Today's Matchups...

    [ Read Full Post ]

  • April 16, 2013

    Turkey Hunting: 8 Lessons Learned the Hard Way - 3

    Experience in the turkey woods will teach you plenty of things. Chief among them: turkeys don’t read rule books. After years of chasing longbeards, I’ve learned some lessons the hard way and overruled some ‘rules of thumb.’ But it doesn’t take a lifetime of turkey hunting to hunt like a veteran. Start here, by putting these 8 turkey hunting misconceptions to rest. [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 16, 2013

    Contest: Write the Best Photo Caption, Win ArmaLite Gear - 139

    ArmaLite wants to give you free gear, and all you have to do is write the funniest caption for this photo (yeah, that's a gun cloud).

    The contest runs from now until May 15. Armalite's total prize package is worth $250 and includes: [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 16, 2013

    PETA Goes Drone Shopping, Hopes to Spy on Hunters - 3

    PETA, the organization that labeled fish “sea kittens,” publicly asked 1980’s band extraordinaire Pet Shop Boys to change their name to Rescued Shelter Boys, produced a “vegetarians have better sex” Super Bowl ad, promoted their belief that drinking cow’s milk causes autism, and called on ice cream maker Ben and Jerry's to start using human breast milk instead of cow’s milk in its frozen desserts has announced its intention to buy some drones.

    PETA states on its webpage that it will use the drones to "monitor those who are out in the woods with death on their minds." Among the illegal activities the animal rights organization says it will be looking for are hunters drinking alcohol while hunting, utilizing bait, or breaking game laws. PETA says it will also begin using the remote-controlled aircraft to monitor factory farms, popular fishing locales and "other venues where animals routinely suffer and die.” [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 15, 2013

    NASCAR Noncommittal on Future NRA Race Sponsorships - 2

    The NRA paid $1 million to sponsor April 13's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. It was the first time that the organization sponsored a NASCAR event since it underwrote a Nationwide Series race last year at Atlanta.
                    
    Despite objections from some critics -- primarily media mouthpieces with little interest in, and no knowledge of, NASCAR -- Texas Motor Speedway officials say they'd welcome an offer from the NRA to sponsor the race every year.
                   
    "Our customers are hunters, so demographically, we match up very well" with an NRA-sponsored NASCAR race, TMS President Eddie Gossage told USA Today on April 12. "This isn't a political rally. There will be nobody stuffing NRA leaflets in your hand or making any speeches. That's why I say it's a sports marketing platform. It's not a political message platform." [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 15, 2013

    Turkey Hunting: 10 Tips for Tough Toms - 0

     

    In lightly hunted territory, when toms are gobbling hard and hens are scarce, turkey hunting can be--dare we say it?--easy. In these areas birds respond to calls, strut regally and march boldly into range.

    But then there's the other 95 percent of turkey outings. Birds hang up just out of range, walk the other way, get henned up--you know the drill. To overcome these real-world experiences, we've rounded up the following 10 tricks. Use them at your discretion.

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • April 15, 2013

    Would You Shoot a Bearded Hen? - 6

    I saw her again last weekend and I’m not gonna lie—I really want to call her in, shoot her and take her to the taxidermist. Or at least I think that I do. She’s a triple-bearded hen that I’ve now seen three springs running and a totally legal turkey (of course) to take come opening day of turkey season in a couple of weeks.

    I’m truly not a “trophy hunter” by any means nor can I really afford the taxidermy bill, but I’d surely get her mounted. She’s just an awesome-looking bird. I’ve intentionally hunted her two fall seasons in a row without seeing her, but feel as if, given the opportunity this spring, I’d try to take her. [ Read Full Post ]


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