Outdoor Life Online Editor

Bikini Icefishing '10

KristenKeys — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:08:17 -0500

January too cold for you? Heat up with the Bikini Icefishing Team. They're back with all new photos for 2010!

Sneak Peek: Rifles

KristenKeys — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:00:00 -0500

The countdown to the 2010 SHOT Show is on. Here's a look at this year's new battery of rifles primed for introduction.

Best Of Fall

KristenKeys — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:51:44 -0500

Our Fall Foliage Photo Contest is over, but we thought some of these photos were worth a second look. We've compiled OL staff's favorites.

Top 50 Photo Galleries

KristenKeys — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:12:35 -0500

Welcome to Outdoor Life's 2009 Year in Review! Here are the top 50 stories as chosen by our readers (in no particular order).

A Redneck Christmas

KristenKeys — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:44:28 -0500

'Tis the season for hunting and fishing decorations, ornaments and cards! Some are downright hilarious, while we're rushing out to buy the others.

2010 Arctic Cat 700 MudPro

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:54:35 -0500

Looking for the best hunting and fishing ATV? A sneak peak at Arctic Cat's 2010 ATV and UTV early releases which can do everything!

Winners Announced: The Strike

outdoorlife-editor — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:42:17 -0500

Want to win The Strike for Xbox360? Just submit a fishing-related question by Jan 1st. The 2 best questions (as chosen by editors) will appear in a future Outdoor Life issue and win a copy of The Strike. Submit as many times as you want!

Late-Season Deer Tips

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:08:19 -0500

The East

1. Put Your Best Foot Forward: In the Northeast, late-season deer hunting kicks into high gear once the snow flies, and you can count on that happening anytime after Thanksgiving. The very first flop of snow—6 inches or more—seems to make things happen.

2. Find Food: Foot-deep snowfalls will force deer into full survival mode. Now’s the time to get back to that nut-laden red-oak flat or fruit-filled abandoned apple orchard you tucked into the back of your mind during early season. And it’s critical to be there waiting the first late afternoon following a storm. Deer will be on the move early.

Does will likely be the first to arrive, so be patient and hold your shot until the waning hours of legal shooting light. If the does act nervous around the food source, bucks may be approaching.

3. Hunt the New Rut: Unbred does re-enter estrus approximately 28 days after the peak of the primary rut. If you’re expecting to see the frenetic chasing activity of a month ago, you’ll be disappointed.

However, when the second rut kicks in, do your utmost to find a hot doe and shadow her. How? You can identify a doe in heat by the red droplets of blood she leaves in the snow upon urination. Track her with an ever-vigilant eye out for bucks who might be trailing her.

4. Timberrrrrr: Ideally, you should hatch this killer late-season tactic in spring. If trees on your deer lease need thinning, cruise the property as the leaves pop in April and May. Mark the trees—poplar, ash, maple—with spray paint  and leave them standing until late fall.

Once late deer season snow hits, wait until midday and knock down a couple of the marked trees. The tender treetops provide prime forage, and deer will flock to your homemade hot spot.

5. Quiet, Please: Bucks pattern hunters by sound as well as sight and scent. If you’ve been driving your ATV within a half-mile of your favorite tree stand, stop. Instead, give yourself a few extra minutes to walk in. Chances are the weather will be a lot cooler and your scent won’t be  dispersed as readily in the colder, thicker air.

6. Drive Right: While you might shun deer drives during the rut or general firearms season, you’d do well to consider them as the clock ticks down—with one major caveat. Deer have been pushed hard for the past couple of months. Loud gang-drives now are likely to chase both bucks and does into the next county.

Better to orchestrate soft nudges in pocket thickets than long pushes in big pieces of cover. Two hunters still-hunting through a pocket of brush toward a lone stander is an awesome late-season tactic.

7. Check Your Tracks: There’s a good chance there will be snow on the ground during the late deer season in the Northeast, making it critically important to discern fresh sign from old.

Experience is the greatest teacher, but lacking that, use your own sign as a guide. Snow conditions can change hourly, so take the time to check out your own tracks for such things as definition and melting. You’ll have a better gauge to judge the age of deer tracks.

Caption Contest: Win Collectibles!

KristenKeys — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:19:23 -0500

They're classic and collectible for a reason! The old Heddon Punkinseed is a highly sought-after collectible lure, and this Christmas the angler or lure collector in your life can hang a dozen or two on his Christmas tree with the new Collectible Punkinseed Decorative Ornaments. These hand-painted Punkinseeds are replicas built to original specifications and feature dual hanging options by either the mouth or back. This is Collector’s Edition 1, and only 5,000 will be made.

Fall Foliage Contest

outdoorlife-editor — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:20:22 -0500