With early goose, teal, and dove seasons opening in many places across the country, waterfowl hunters are being encouraged to handle birds carefully to prevent the spread of bird flu. The highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) has a ...
Birds
Hunting Forecast 2022: Extreme Weather Could Be Bad For Hunting
Sweltering heat waves, devastating droughts, extreme flooding, and destructive wildfires throughout the country could point to a brutal hunting forecast this fall. Mule deer, elk, wild turkey, and waterfowl hunters specifically could feel the impact ...
Chene Gear: Great Waders and Giving Back With Free Duck Stamps
Chene Gear is a young waterfowling gear company out of Memphis, Tennessee, that began with waders: the base of every hardcore waterfowler’s gear list. This summer, the company is celebrating its one-year anniversary. As part of that ...
HOUSES Act Aims to Build Apartments on Public Hunting Grounds (This is Not a Joke)
If you think you've heard it before, it's because you have. A trio of western Senators have picked up a bill that's died two or three times, brushed it off, given it a catchy name, and are trying to peddle it yet again. Meet the newly-minted Helping ...
Duck Camp Drops New Zip Waders for Waterfowlers
Duck Camp Zip Waders • Easily adjustable suspension system• Quiet, durable outer material• Asymmetrical zipper allows for passthrough chest pocket• Chest panel and side daisy chains feature MOLLE webbing• Integrated, removable knee and shin pads• ...
A Deep Dive Into the Redesigned Sitka Jetstream Jacket and Vest
Sitka’s Jetstream collection has been on the top of the company’s sales charts since it was introduced 14 years ago. The jacket and vest are hailed as one of Stika’s most versatile pieces of gear, and for good reason: They're warm, durable, block the ...
Ohio Man Shoots Bald Eagle, Tosses Away Dead Body
An Ohio man has confessed to shooting a bald eagle and then tossing its dead body into the tree line of a neighboring farm. On Tuesday, June 21, David B. Huff, 79, of Dover, pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Carmen E. Henderson in ...
TN Revamps Turkey Hunting Regs, States Adapting to Declining Numbers
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission recently took significant steps to reverse the downward trending turkey population in the state. In a decision that seems in step with national conservation momentum, the 2023 Tennessee turkey season will ...
Got a Few Million to Blow? Check Out These 7 Dream Hunting Properties
If you do any sort of hunting, the dream of owning a patch of wild game heaven has absolutely crossed your mind. Whether you’re a diehard whitetail hunter in the East or Midwest, if you chase elk and muleys in the West, or if you haunt cut corn and ...
U.S. Turkey Super Slam: How a Hunter Bagged Mature Toms in 49 States
Chip Davis hit the road in 1992 with the goal of bagging a mature tom in each of the 49 states that have a huntable turkey population. After 30 years of windshield time and a lot of patience, over Easter weekend this year, he punched a tag in West ...
Why Hunters Pattern Their Shotguns: Dialing-In Your Turkey Killer
Many hunters go their entire lives taking the just let ‘er eat approach to shotgunning. And they never truly know where their shot is flying. These are the hunters who routinely whiff on gobblers that go scuttling off to roost another night. Then ...
Modern Turkey Loads: Worth The Money, Maybe
Turkey hunting can be described in one of two ways: awesome or brutal. Sometimes you get a tom to commit, and the deal goes down just like you planned. No matter how great your hide or calls are, birds will come in and get hung up in thick ...
Hunting the Mountain-Dwelling Merriam Turkey
A nomadic wanderer with a beefy body and tail feathers with tips painted white, the Merriam turkey inhabits some of the most awe-inspiring places on earth and is a must-hunt wild turkey species. You’ve probably read or heard tales spun about ...
The Many Sounds of the North American Wild Turkey
While giving a seminar on public-land turkey hunting, a gentleman asked me, "What's so great about hunting a big, black-feathered bird? He'd never hunted turkeys before. The ivory on his necklace, ring, and belt buckle, along with a hat branded with ...
Getting Gobblers: Hunting the Rio Grande Turkey
The Rio Grande turkey is a hard-gobbling aggressive subspecies of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) that inhabits a wide range of habitats. If I had to choose one wild turkey subspecies to hunt for the rest of my days, the Rio Grande would top my ...
What Do Wild Turkeys Eat? Find the Food, Find the Birds
Every subspecies of wild turkey has different behaviors. They all populate a variety of landscapes, live in different weather, and are hunted by different predators — all of which shape their overall behavior. One thing every wild turkey has in ...
The Osceola Turkey: Only in Florida!
The Osceola turkey, also known as the Florida turkey, is unique, and that uniqueness isn’t due to coloration, build, or vocal nature. What makes the Osceola a super-special bird is its location. There are many go-to states for Merriam, Rio Grande, ...
Oklahoma Joins Other States in Tightening Spring Gobbler Regs
Spring gobbler seasons are right around the corner; the turkey hunting faithful are poring over their gear for the umpteenth time, torturing the family dog with clucks, purrs, and kee-kee runs in the garage and selling their plasma to buy a fresh box ...
Eastern Turkeys: The Loudest and Most Paranoid Birds of All
Other than the deep, guttural bugle of a bull elk, nothing rattles my bones and sends chills running up and down my spine like the gobble of Eastern turkeys. God gave these birds remarkable voice boxes, and they know how to use them. If you've been ...
Where The Light Shines In: A US Marine’s First Turkey Hunt in Montana
“Should we take the bird to the truck and start cleaning it; maybe get ready for the guys to return?” Andy asked me. “How about we just sit here and look at Montana,” I said. The thought of it being okay to be in the moment caused half a ...
Turkey Hunting Gear: New Stuff You Just Have to Have for the Spring
Turkey hunting is a gear-heavy habit, and I love it. Over the years, I’ve amassed more than enough turkey tackle to take on birds anywhere in North America. Each spring, however, I seem to find an item or three — new gear releases or old ones I ...
New SITKA Turkey Hunting Gear for 2022
SITKA Gear just released a long-awaited clothing system for turkey hunters: the brand new Equinox Turkey Collection. The new product line includes a minimalist vest for run-and-gun turkey hunters, plus a hoodie, pants, and gloves with built-in insect ...
Is There Still a Reason for the 10-Gauge Shotgun to Exist?
Everyone should get a 10-gauge shotgun before they’re gone. Well, not everyone. Let me qualify that a little bit. The following people should grab a 10-gauge: Waterfowl hunters should get one if they want to go after geese and swans at ...
The ‘Freakin’ 12-Gauge’: The Only Gauge You Really Need
Don: “Hey, Napoleon. What did you do last summer again?” Napoleon Dynamite: “I told you! I spent it with my uncle in Alaska hunting wolverines!” Don: “What kind of gun did you use?” Napoleon: “A freakin’ 12-gauge! What do you ...
Escarole and Beans With Smoked Wild Turkey Wings
Italian greens and beans is a dish that feels like home. This hearty Italian dish is a soup of bitter greens, aka escarole or endive (think swiss chard), and white beans, mopped up with a good piece of bread, is exactly what I want in the ...
What’s Behind the Supposed ‘Magic’ of the 28-Gauge
Within the limitations of its light payload, the 28-gauge shotshell drops small game birds and crushes clay targets with authority and minimal recoil. You can shoot the 28-gauge out of dainty, scaled-down guns that are a pleasure to carry. Grouse, ...
Duck Boats You Should Totally Buy, From Functional to Fully Tricked Out
Duck hunting presents three big problems to overcome: getting to your duck spot, retrieving the ducks you shot, and hiding from the ducks still circling overhead. Duck boats typically solve the first two problems, but some badass boats solve all ...
Goose Hunting: How to Kill Late-Season Canada Geese on Public Land
I cut my hunting teeth decoying Canada geese in the ag fields that surrounded my Colorado home. Not including the frostbite, and not having the right gear (which always sucks), I can't think of any better way to have spent my high school and college ...
Dozens of Duck Hunting Deaths and Near Misses Reported This Season
It’s been a rough season for duck hunters. During another year of changing migrations, extreme weather conditions have led to lots of close calls and even a few fatalities for duck hunters trying to tag out. It’s also led to some tight spots and ...
Ohio Turkey Hunters May See Major Cuts to 2022 Fall Season
Ohio turkey hunters could see a major cut to their 2022 fall season. At an Ohio Wildlife Council meeting on Jan. 12, wildlife biologists with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources recommended shortening the Buckeye State’s fall turkey ...
