The bond forged between a hunter and his dog runs far deeper than the typical pet-and-owner relationship. If you’ve ever shared a duck blind with a good retriever, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Hunting is complicated. It’s about ...
Birds
The 12 Gauge Shotgun: Do You Really Need Anything Else?
There isn't much one can be sure of in this world, but you can be certain that, at close range, there is no better gun than a 12 gauge shotgun for wolverines (see below). Also, for wombats, wigeons, wapiti, wobble trap, or woodcock — and that goes ...
28 Gauge: Why a Few Still Believe in Its ‘Magic’
Within the limitations of its light payload, the 28 gauge shotshell drops small game birds and crushes clay targets with authority and a soft kick. You can shoot the 28 gauge out of lightweight, scaled-down guns that are easy to carry anywhere. ...
The Break Action Shotgun: Why It Will Never Die
Compared to a modern semi-auto shotgun, with all its firepower, a break action gun looks archaic — obsolete, even. And it’s true; break actions have changed very little in the past 100 years. But 100 years from now, they will still be here. Break ...
A Rock-Solid Turkey Vest Carries More Than Calls and Shells
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. I first hit the turkey woods in the mid-1980s, trudging along in too-big boots and mismatched camo, trying to keep pace with my dad as he moved through ...
The Turkey Shotgun: What You Want in a Dedicated Gobbler Getter
Shotguns have a well-deserved reputation for being jacks of all trades. They are probably the most versatile firearms on the planet. When paired with the right ammo, a single good scattergun can drop everything from tiny upland quail to big burly ...
The Over Under Shotgun Is Not As Old As You Think
The over under shotgun dominates the break-action category today. The majority of hunters and all but a very few target shooters prefer the narrow-sight picture of an O/U to the wider view down the barrels of a side-by-side. Over unders are ...
Vet-Owned Apex Ammo Drops New TSS Turkey Shells for Spring
Apex Ammunition is offering Mossy Oak Greenleaf Turkey TSS Blend, a new line of shotgun shells, just in time for spring turkey season. This new ammunition is available in 12-gauge 2 1/4-ounce and 20-gauge 1 5/8-ounce loads; both are 3-inch shells. ...
New Mossberg Turkey Guns: Red-Dot Ready M500s, 835 Ulti-Mag
New Mossberg Turkey Guns: Mossberg is expanding its hunting lineup to include three new turkey shotguns from the pump-action 835 Ulti-Mag and 500 lines. These new gobbler getters are available in 12-gauge, 20-gauge, and .410 bore. The 12-gauge ...
Ballsy Indiana Duck Hunters Set Up Near Downtown Riverfront
Two gutsy Indiana duck hunters apparently gave zero fucks about pissing off riverfront dog walkers. In a serious case of thinking outside the typical duck blind, the hunters trolled along the Jeffersonville, Indiana, waterfront and anchored up to ...
10 Gauge Shotgun: Is There a Reason for it to Still Exist?
There are definitely a few reasons to get a 10 gauge shotgun before they're all gone, and yes, they truly are vanishing from the shotgun landscape like an endangered species. That's not to say every hunter should get one. Let's break that down a ...
How To Be a Mentor to a New Hunter This Waterfowl Season
Not everyone is as lucky as I am; my father introduced me to hunting and the outdoors at an early age. He made sure my sister and I took the requisite hunter’s safety courses, then continued to show us the ropes over the years while chasing Valley ...
U.S. Waterfowl Hunters Issued Warnings as Bird Flu Cases Soar
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 ...
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 Lands
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 ...