I killed my first black bear in southern Arizona. He was 260 pounds and just shy of 6 feet nose to tail. Photo: luv2huntThis was only my second time hunting! I was sitting in a tree stand on my dad’s lease in South Carolina when nine bucks walked into the field in front of me. We tracked the deer I had shot and found him laying about 200 yards deep in the woods. Photo: pauline4Last fall I’d taken on a major abdominal surgery, and one month after was hunting season. And so, determined to get out and feel normal again, I convinced my Dad to take me hunting. Facing the cold and a sore stomach, I sat in the snow while he made a deer drive for me on foot. My perseverance, stubbornness and his help landed my first set of antlers, and a time I’ll never forget. Photo: Deer_DraggerA good ole’ corn fed whitetail from Pennsylvania. Photo: Deerslayer34This is a photo of Elizabeth Schaefer (15) from Lee’s Summit, Missouri and the 180 pound hog she shot in Texas. This was Eli’s first animal ever taken. Elizabeth was hunting with a Mossberg rifle in .243 and topped with a Bushnell Elite scope. Photo: GGNYCThis was our second swan out of Bear River, Utah. Not really knowing the place too well, my buddy and I went out in the morning just to look. We ended up going back out that night for my swan. Turns out we were in the right spot for them. There were thousands. photo: waterfowler17My 6.6 pound bass from Michigan Photo: klaninessPersonal best: 34.2-pound, 41-inch king salmon caught in Oswego, New york on Lake Ontario. Photo: alwayzfishinMy son Chase and his first deer. A big five point. Walked in 15 minutes after daylight. He was back in the warm house, all happy and proud, by 9 a.m. I went back to the same treestand and got my buck around 11:30. Two big bucks, taken from the same treestand, with the same gun. It was a first day we will never forget. Photo: chasemallory2010 spring turkey from Montana Photo: cjohnsrudAfter a bad day of fishing, my luck changed. After a two-hour fight I hauled in this 52-inch black drum, my record ever on this species. Photo: Ray SoutoMontana Creek Pink Salmon. I caught this fish on an Egg Sucking Leech. Photo: EvershedKing salmon, This king was caught just two days before king salmon closed for the year. What a fun fish to catch, and I can’t wait to have it on the grill. Photo: EvershedHooked in to this 27-pound lake trout using a 10-weight Sage fly rod, in nine feet of water. I almost spooled out and had to chase the fish to get some line back. Photo: Point Lake N.W.TNine year old Robert Ives of Alaska was on a fishing trip to Valdez with his family. He baits his own hooks, lets line down, sets the hook, reels them in … this time was different. After 15 minutes, he pulled in the biggest yellow-eye they had seen, 25 pounds. Not an easy feat for a boy weighing 40 pounds! Photo: BobIvesMy brother caught this giant lake trout on Lake of the Woods in Nestor Falls, Ontario. It was the biggest fish we caught that week and made for one heck of a meal. Photo: erict8The Big 8: As the morning twilight began to wear off, we were able to identify the deer as the Big 8, 3 fork bucks, and 3 does. The Big 8 bolted toward the creek to run off a raccoon. They then headed our way. A fork buck fed within seven yards and almost busted us. The Big 8 hung up for five minutes before presenting a shot. Photo: countryboy777Six for 10 on summer bones in Biscayne Bay. If you ever need a fantastic guide, look up Capt. Carl Ball of AWOL charters. Photo: Aluminum Leader35-pound plus permit at first light in the bay. Photo: Aluminum Leader60-pound Roosterfish caught in Costa Rica Photo: dfieldAfter years of dreaming and planning I finally made it to Alaska, This coastal Brown was taken at 40 yards, on the second day of a ten day hunt., in May of 2010 .He squared at just over 9 feet with a skull of 25 and 3/16 inches. The animal was taken with a rifle chambered in .340 Weatherby. Photo: crowWhite is the rarest variety of black bear coloration. My Indian guide, Ty, and I took this trophy in Alberta, Canada. I have this trophy as a full mount in my home. Photo: labillHere’s my Texas blackbuck. Texas is becoming the equivalent of an international hunting location with the importation of almost every kind of plains animal.30-pound blue cat caught on Wheeler Lake with a minnow and 10-pound test line. Photo: leonidas5969It took four shots by my son Hunter bagged his first gray squirrel with a .22. Photo: paoutdoorsman2010Here’s my eight-foot Alaskan costal brown bear taken in Southeast Alaska. I Shot him at dusk on the beach, and the round went through and through both lungs. He still ran 200 yards into the brush. I Tracked him the next morning after staying up all night next to a fire. It’s the kind of hunt that makes a man feel old, tracking a brown bear in a rainforest. Photo: alaskadiverMy wife and her Columbia Sturgeon, she waited until our grandson, me and our friend Bob had boated our sturgeon, then knowing what she needed to beat us, she hauled in a great 46-inch beauty. The limit is one per person. Photo: oregoncurlyI caught this crappie in a private pond located in Gastonia, North Carolina. It was caught and released on April 15, 2010 around 8:30pm. Photo: JunemortonA nice 26 1/2-inch Mule deer I had the pleasure of taking last fall. My cousin’s kid was with me and it was the first big game kill he was in on. It was also the first time I had ever shot a horn off, as you can tell with my duct tape patch job (the danger of taking finishing shots). After the Taxidermist fixed the horn he scored 182 gross 177 net. Photo: idahooutdoorsI am six months pregnant and decided to go fishing with my husband. I threw a shatter bait in the middle of the lake, and had a bite. I Got him toward the boat when he jumped out of the water. I knew this was a good fish. Biggest fish I have ever caught in my life. My bass came in at 6 pounds 6 ounces. He is 22 inches long. It was a good day. Photo: mandylina17-pound gag grouper, Deep sea fishing in Madreia Beach Florida in July 2010 with my son and dad. Photo: Hunt76Caught this hawg whil fishing the West Branch reservoir in Ravenna, Ohio. He measured 51 inches. Photo: ohiodeerhunterAllen and chuck caught these fish after about five hours. They pulled in more than 100 redbellies, bluegills, shellcrackers and speckled perch. They threw most of them back, but saved these for the frying pan. Photo: cspredMy five-year-old daughter had a blast squirrel hunting for the first time. Makes mama proud! Photo: aluney
