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| Ice CapadesBear these five tips in mind to stay safe on the ice this winter. |
The appeal of fishing from shorelines, breakwaters, and piers around the Great Lakes starts with the fact that you need just a rod or two, a small selection of tackle, and maybe a bucket to sit on, and it culminates with fresh fillets for the fryer or smoker. In between is the relaxing wait for a bite, interrupted by the adrenaline-pumping fun of catching fish—sometimes really big ones. Give these dry-land hotspots a try this season. [ 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:
It’s known as “The Land of 10,000 Lakes” and Minnesota now has a strategic road map for looking after its vast waterways. Addressing the fish-rich tapestry of lakes, rivers and streams, the state’s Department of Natural Resources recently launched a new fisheries habitat plan aimed at maintaining the abundance.
Dirk Peterson, who heads up the Minnesota DNR, said that while the state has done well with stocking and regulation, the new plan will place a long overdue emphasis on habitat protection and restoration. Complementing attention to aquatic habitat, the DNR will also focus its effort on the broader picture of watershed dynamics – ensuring clean water flows into those lakes, rivers and streams. [ Read Full Post ]
Its time for planting food plots and one of the most common questions I hear is: “Can I use my left over seed from last year?”
It seems like just about every foodplotter out there has a half bag or so of last year’s seed and is wondering if he can plant it. Nobody wants to plant “dead” seed; you waste hours of valuable time and can get a poor stand or no stand at all. On the other hand, just because it’s old doesn’t mean it won’t grow. Some seeds will germinate and grow for up to 5 years after the date they came from the field. And, at the price of quality food plot seed, it’s worth a second look.
It depends upon what kind of seed it is, how it was cared for, and how it was stored. Seed should be kept cool, dry, and clean and protected from pests and insects in some sort of protective container. [ Read Full Post ]
The “mils” in a mil-dot scope refer to milliradians, which is a measurement of angle. If you picture a mil as an ice cream cone, with the tip originating at the shooter’s eye and an open end that gets ever wider the farther out it goes, you get the idea. So if the mouth of our imaginary cone is 1 mil in diameter, making it 3.6 inches across at 100 yards, it would grow to 36 inches at 1,000 yards.
Learning the principle behind mils (see illustrations), coupled with some homework on your part, can yield remarkable benefits to your shooting.
For instance, mils allow you to hold over (or hold off) a target without the need to adjust your scope turrets for elevation and windage. With a come-up at 375 yards of 15 clicks, for example, you can hold the crosshairs 1.5 mils high on the target for a direct hit.
It takes time, but once you master it, the mil-dot system is lethal and fast. [ Read Full Post ]
In late November, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which oversees the Chippewa tribes' treaty rights in Wisconsin, voted to authorize night hunting for deer by tribal members.
To participate in the after-dark hunt, tribal members would be required to pass a marksmanship test. According to an Associated Press report, 74 members met those requirements but, thus far, none have applied for a night-hunting permit.
But they might. And that has hunters and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials concerned. [ Read Full Post ]
Top-flight shooting instruction has never been easier to come by, particularly with the proliferation of long-range precision rifle schools, most of which have been strongly influenced by modern sniper techniques. One of the keys to being more effective at long ranges is to get the most out of your riflescope, binoculars, and spotting scope.
Here's three tips from the pros. [ Read Full Post ]
Celebrity survivalist Bear Grylls tweeted yesterday: "Our man vs wild producer suffering from a brutal snake bite -- fighting the injury with courage,” with the gut-wrenching photo shown below.
Since then, the photo (which shows the skin rotting away from producer Steve Rankin's foot) has gone viral and is creating quite a stir in the social media world. [ Read Full Post ]
Beef has taken a beating lately. Biblical droughts in the Heartland last year have prices on the rise, new research suggests that bacteria in the human digestive system could make red-meat eaters more prone to heart disease, and health-conscious consumers from Seattle to Brooklyn are demanding "grass fed" and "free range" fare.
And the flaws in beef only seem to highlight the qualities of venison. With the latest (and strongest) trend in dining being all about eating organically and locally, there should be no meat trendier than deer right now. Not to mention that the whitetail deer population, approximately 15 million in the U.S., has never been larger than it is today.
As hunters, we like to brag about the qualities of wild venison: "Most people can't even tell the difference between a beef steak and a venison steak;" "It's way healthier than beef is;" "I haven't bought beef from a grocery store in years;" and on we go.
But is eating wild venison truly better than eating beef? Or is that just something we say when we feel the need to justify killing deer? I conducted an objective (and partially subjective) investigation to find out. [ Read Full Post ]
When you think about bow fishing, you might naturally jump to the idea of shooting harpoon-tipped arrows attached to a reel of line. Sure, that’s how most folks do it, but there’s another fish bow out there. This one isn’t for arrows, but in fact, it’s an improvised spool to store your fishing line. [ Read Full Post ]
According to a poll published on April 29, five senators -- including four Republicans -- who voted against the Manchin/Toomey compromise background check bill on April 17 could face a backlash by voters back in their home states in 2014 elections.
Public Policy Polling, a Democrat-leaning consulting firm based in Raleigh, N.C., surveyed constituents of five senators who opposed the measure: Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Dean Heller of Nevada, and Democrat Mark Begich of Alaska.
The PPP says its surveys found 60 to 72 percent public support in each state for expanding background checks to require them in sales at gun shows and on the Internet. [ Read Full Post ]
A dog that suddenly stops carrying out a command could be confused. Or he could be subtly undermining your authority. Here’s how to tell the difference
A rowdy canine, like an obnoxious child, rarely displays its resistance to your authority suddenly. Instead, it’s usually a slow degradation of standards, brought on by the failure of the owner to pay attention to subtle cues and hold his dog accountable.
Yawning, scratching, shaking, sniffing, licking, or rolling over are just a few of the displacement behaviors your dog might use to delay performing a command. It’s likely he will have at least two or three favorites. [ Read Full Post ]
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) plans to re-introduce the gun control bill he co-sponsored with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that was shot down in the Senate on April 17.
“I’m willing to go anywhere in this country, I’m going to debate anybody on this issue, read the bill and you tell me what you don’t like,” Manchin said on Fox News Sunday on April 28, confirming his intention to bring his measure back to the Senate floor.
He did not say when he will re-submit the measure, which calls for criminal and mental health background checks for gun buyers at shows and online. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has shelved gun legislation for the foreseeable future. [ Read Full Post ]
The best riding pants I’ve found were designed by arborists as a hybrid between standard canvas pants and rock climbing pants. Meet Arborwear’s Original Tree Climber, made from 12.5 ounces of prewashed canvas that’s soft to the touch, and tougher than hell.
What makes these pants so ideal for riding is the unique Arborwear cut in the crotch and contour of the pants. The fit keeps them in place and allows you to lift your leg higher with much less pulling. The cuffs are tapered so they won’t hang on obstructions and you can actually get them inside a pair of rubber boots— something I can’t do comfortably with most Carhartt’s. [ Read Full Post ]
The whitetail deer breeding industry has been getting more than its share of headlines lately. It seems deer breeders and captive whitetail hunting operations are working hard at loosening restrictions on deer breeding operations. They want state wildlife agencies to hand regulation responsibilities over to state agriculture departments. They believe that state agricultural departments will be better for business and will be more willing to ease “excessive” restrictions like curtailing deer transport, identifying and monitoring unique deer for disease, and double fencing to prevent wild deer from contacting captive deer.
Case in point---deer breeders in Missouri recently attempted to have the classification of captive whitetails changed from “wildlife” to “livestock.” They lost, but the battles continue elsewhere.
[ Read Full Post ]
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