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Once upon a time men were made of sterner stuff. They hunted in wool, used iron sights and, by god, they hit what they aimed at. Handwarmers? Rangerfinders? Optical magnification? A second shot? Please.
And, they had superior gun handling skills, as this photo plainly shows. This paragon of manhood not only keeps three rifles in the air, but does so with bayonets fixed and with a saber on his hip. Is he biting his lip anxiously or dripping with sweat while worrying about taking one of those blades through his rib cage? Hell no. He’s cool as the flip side of a pillow.
So the next time you’re struggling with your dry fire practice because you can’t keep your reticle from wobbling around like a soused bridesmaid at a wedding, think about this guy. Then take a deep breath, put on your big-boy pants and keep that reticle as still as a spider sitting in the middle of its web. [ Read Full Post ]
We recently asked readers to post photos of their hunting or fishing camp on Instagram with the hash tag #olcampcontest. We sorted through dozens of great entries and chose the photo above, submitted by @andybidz, as the winner. It's got it all: rustic charm, hunting buddies, and a big ol' gobbler. For submitting the winning photo, @andybidz will receive a Husqvarna 440e chainsaw. [ Read Full Post ]
A tragic tale comes to us from Arizona this week, where a man was found dead Monday evening, still hanging in his climbing harness on a mountain south of Tucson. He had apparently been attacked by bees while rock climbing and stung hundreds of times, according to authorities.
Steven Wallace Johnson, 55, of Tucson, had been rappelling from a cliff on Mount Hopkins. He was an experienced hiker and climber who had gone to the mountain on Friday, said Lt. Raoul Rodriguez of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department. Johnson's dog was also attacked by the bees, and was found dead on top of the ridge from which Johnson was rappelling, Rodriguez said. The Pima County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of Johnson’s death, and determine whether it was a fall or the bees that killed him. [ Read Full Post ]
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 started off with 24 finalists, and we're now down to eight. 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...
This year Botswana officials announced that sport hunting would end in the country after the 2013 season. The decision was an emotional (not scientifically-based) one made by President Ian Khama, who stated: "The shooting of wild game purely for sport and trophies is no longer compatible with our commitment to preserve local fauna as a national treasure, which should be treated as such."
This decision was met with much criticism as the country has no formal wildlife protection plan. Some experts say the move will hurt wildlife (with some estimating that certain species will decline by 75%) thanks to the ever growing threat of ivory poaching and poaching for meat. Both types of poaching are currently being curtailed by hunter dollars. Wanting to see what the closure of sport hunting would mean first-hand, I stayed in Botswana for three weeks last month and was fortunate enough to tag along on elephant hunts for two of those weeks with Ivan Carter of Johan Calitz Safaris. [ Read Full Post ]
Oh great. Another bass species I’ll have trouble catching...
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission scientists have announced the discovery of a new bass species. The Choctaw bass first caught the attention of anglers and scientists in 2007 when the fish was pulled from the Chipola River. [ Read Full Post ]
Last week, I had the pleasure of being a guest in the home of a truly fascinating person and a master at his craft. Rod Morey is a locally renowned herbalist and knife maker in the Virginia panhandle, and he was gracious enough to spend a day with me to share some of his wild medicinal plant secrets.
I have long been a dabbler in medicinal plants, curing bee stings with plantain leaf and mending scratches with yarrow. But my focus has always been plants that can be used to make a friction fire and good-tasting wild plants. I had always steered away from deeper studies in medicinal plants because there was so much bothersome stuff associated with the trade. [ Read Full Post ]
David Lewis, 35, is a college librarian who lives in Amherst, N.Y., not far from Buffalo. He is a licensed pistol-owner who enjoys target-shooting. He has no criminal record and has never issued threats or done anything that would cause concern about his access to a firearm.
Although there is no evidence of any mental instability, for a short time, Lewis was taking anti-anxiety medicine. And that, apparently, was enough for anti-gun zealots in Erie County to use New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s newly adopted SAFE Act to pull his pistol permit and demand his firearms be confiscated.
New York's gun control measure adopted in January includes a provision requiring mental health professionals to alert authorities when a gun owner might be a danger to himself/herself and others. [ Read Full Post ]
Check out this awesome clip posted on Youtube by Ben Biber on May 4. There was no information included with the video, but the footage speaks for itself. [ Read Full Post ]
Timothy Beck took this outrageous buck last fall in Indiana. The deer was officially accepted by the Boone & Crockett Club earlier this year with a net score of 305 7/8 inches. It's the fourth largest nontypical in history and one of only five bucks to break the 300-inch mark. "This is one of those deer that come along so rarely, it makes you pause and marvel at the wonders of nature and modern conservation," Richard Hale, chairman of the B&C's records committee, said in a press release.
To celebrate this incredible whitetail, B&C rounded up the only 5 whitetail bucks that boast more than 300 inches of antler. [ Read Full Post ]
It's no secret that castable umbrella rigs hold big-bass potential, but when Pflugerville, Texas angler Donnie O’Neal cast his YUM Flash Mob Jr. into Lake Austin on April 28, his rod loaded up with what he thought was the stud he was seeking for the Texas Sharelunker Program, which recognizes bass over 13 pounds.
Bad news: It wasn't a baker's dozen bass. Good news: The catch weighed 19.6 pounds. Cool news: It was a massive double-header that included a 7.8 and O'Neal's personal best bass that weighed 11.8. Both were released after O'Neal's big catch photos. [ Read Full Post ]
Matt Watson captured this footage while shooting The Ultimate Fishing Show off the coast of New Zealand. This from the Youtube video posted earlier this month: "After battling a huge swordfish to the surface on his trusty handline out off the coast of Northland, New Zealand, Matt Watson finds himself in a race with a gigantic mako shark to secure his prize catch and get it aboard his little boat in one piece!" [ Read Full Post ]
Bears, believed to be intoxicated, have killed eight and injured dozens of others within the past week in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.
Villagers and forestry agents say the bears have become violent after gorging themselves on flowers from mahua trees, which are used by locals to brew alcohol. At least one bear was killed when Kotpad villagers chased it down and beat it to death. Forestry Minister Bijayshree Routray has placed forestry agents armed with tranquilizers in villages for protection in case the bears return, according to the BBC. [ Read Full Post ]
The popularity of shed hunting has grown greatly over the last several years, and many trainers are developing programs to teach dogs to search out and find antlers. Three years ago, Tom Dokken started developing products to use in training, and then a hunt-test-like program to inject some fun and competition into the scene.
This year, on April 13 and 14, the third NASHDA World Shed Championship took place in Northfield, Minn. The North American Shed Hunting Dog Association runs qualifying events just like a retriever or pointing dog hunt test, with pass/fail standards. “The whole idea is for events to be fun, for people to run their dogs and create good camaraderie,” said Dokken. “Most people are more than happy to share training tips and offer encouragement. In qualifying events, you’re not competing against anyone; you just have to find six antlers in 15 minutes.” [ Read Full Post ]
If you want to know whether your hunting optics are worth a spit, then look at them through the business end of a flashlight. A simple penlight – the smaller and brighter the better – will reveal flaws in coatings, indicate whether your optic was made in a competent facility, and whether you are getting your money for the glass.
This visual inspection is a skill that sharpens with repetition, but here’s how to get started. [ Read Full Post ]
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