A few weeks ago, my landlord came knocking at my door on a Tuesday morning. When I answered, he said, “I’ve got a dead beaver out here. You want it?” What are you supposed to say to that? “Sure, I’ll take it!” The words fell out of my mouth ...
Hunting & Fishing
Rooster Fish: Get Tropical and Be Ready for a Fight
Out of the gate, I blew three shots. We rose and fell in and out of 8-foot troughs as the mate idled the boat parallel to the shore. We were about 200 yards outside the breaking surf off the coast of Todos Santos, Mexico. The captain had just cast a ...
Shed Hunting Tips From the Nebraska Whitetail Master
Diehard whitetail hunters eat, breathe, and sleep all things deer hunting, 24/7/365. In many locales across North America, deer seasons are over; and hunters in places where there are still a few more days on the deer-hunting calendar are burning the ...
Wolf Fight Heats Up As Judge Restores ESA Protections
A Feb. 10 court ruling has overturned the 2020 delisting of wolves in the Lower 48, placing them back on the Endangered Species List and fueling the ongoing wolf fight between animal rights groups and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In Oct. ...
Bonefish Junkies: Pharma Contamination Drugging S. Florida Fisheries
A recent study in South Florida discovered 58 pharmaceuticals in the blood and tissue of bonefish in Biscayne Bay and the Keys ranging from antidepressants and painkillers to blood pressure and prostate medications. OK, first of all, ...
Virginia Hunting License Scam Highlights National Problem
State wildlife agencies across the country are warning residents to watch out for fake websites pretending to sell legit hunting and fishing licenses. Gone are the days when hunters and anglers could just stroll into their local bait shop or ...
Wolves in Northern Minnesota Helping Moose, Eating Beavers
When it comes to keeping their friends close and their enemies closer, research shows moose in northern Minnesota are seeing a life-saving benefit by co-existing with wolves. On the other hand, beavers in the north woods are becoming a favorite wolf ...
Bill That Would Gut Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board Up for Public Comment
Next week, the Vermont Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy will hold a virtual public hearing on a trio of Senate bills that could reduce the size and power of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board, ban hunting coyotes with dogs, and ban ...
Sporting Dog Restrictions Fail in NH, Falter in MD, Progress Elsewhere
The rabbits are on the run again in New Hampshire, and sporting dog owners and clubs in the Granite State couldn’t be happier. On Jan. 25, the state’s House Committee on Fish and Game and Marine Resources voted down a bill that would have ...
Anti-Hunting Orgs Targeting Big Cat Seasons, Bear Seasons, and Trapping
Anti-hunting organizations are ramping up their game and could make headway in several states and possibly on the federal level in 2022. Their victories will be measured in the number of hunting and trapping seasons that can be banned or canceled, ...
Colorado Mountain Lion Hunting Ban Is Dying, but It’s Not Dead Yet
Update – Feb. 7: A bill that would have banned the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats in Colorado died in committee last week. The bill was postponed indefinitely by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in a 4-1 ...
Predator Calling Contests Under Attack From Virginia Lawmaker
Predator calling competitions are currently under fire in the Commonwealth of Virginia, creating concern among some hunters about the future of their sport after a state delegate labeled such contests as violent, gruesome, and purposeless and said ...
Shed Hunting Tips From Connor Clark: How to Rule the West
The annual antler drop — a remarkable few months when antlered critters drop their headgear — is a time period that’s as eagerly anticipated as the mule deer and elk ruts. For many shed hunters, the time of year is all about family and friends; large ...
Everglades Restoration Gets $1.1 Billion Boost, But Where’s it Flowing?
Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ beloved river of grass is getting a fresh bolus of support to aid in its recovery. Thanks to a nearly $1.1 billion allocation from Congress, the US Army Corps of Engineers will be able to expedite some projects in 2022 that ...
Will New Wolf Hunting Regs Kill Yellowstone-Area Tourism?
Since their reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995, gray wolves have been a blessing and a curse, depending on who you ask. The population's strong recovery and subsequent removal from the endangered species list in ...
Washington 2022 Spring Bear Hunting Season May Be Resurrected
Everyone thought Washington state’s 2022 spring bear season was dead for good, but now, it looks like the hunt has a chance at resurrection. The state fish and wildlife commission decided Friday, Jan. 22, to reconsider the cancellation, which ...
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 ...
Activists Say Grizzly Delisting Will Create “Targets for Trophy Hunters”
Anti-hunting groups are pushing back against a petition to delist grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and open the doors for new hunting seasons, saying grizzly population numbers aren't what they appear to be. The process of ...
First-Time Hunter, Grandmother Tags Bull During Wisconsin Elk Season
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recently wrapped up its fourth annual lottery elk hunt, which proved to be a rousing overall success; nearly every hunter who drew a tag killed an elk during the 2021-2022 limited hunting ...
Goose Hunting: Kill Late-Season Public Land Canada Geese
I cut my hunting teeth decoying Canada geese in the ag fields that surrounded my Coorado 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 ...
Hunter Ed: Piebald Deer and Other Whitetail Genetic Anomalies
Any whitetail hunter knows that deer can move through the thickest brush or crunchiest leaves without making a sound, appearing or disappearing like smoke. Stealth is what helps that wobbly fawn eventually become a 4 1/2-year-old stud. Not so for ...
CO Rejects Blaze Orange for Bowhunters Proposal Spurred by Shooting
Colorado bowhunters will not have to remember to stuff an orange vest and hat into their packs this hunting season. State wildlife officials recently rejected a proposal that would have forced bowhunters to wear blaze orange during the period when ...
Chris Bee Q&A: How Archery Competition Improves Bowhunting Accuracy
If you pay attention to social media, perhaps you’ve noticed that some of the deadliest bowhunters are also competitive archers. Folks like Levi Morgan, John Dudley, Brady Ellison, and Chris Bee shoot tons of arrows all year round. They constantly ...
Coyote Calling: Match Prey Sounds To Kill More ‘Yotes
When I first started coyote calling some 15 years ago, my go-to was the Superjack distress call on my Johnny Stewart electronic caller, and it was money. I'd turn it on — softly at first — then boost the volume for a few minutes. Then, I'd hit the ...
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 ...
How a Pennsylvania Whitetail Hunter Arrowed a Public Land Booner
As a Pennsylvania whitetail hunter, you just don’t expect to shoot a Boone and Crockett deer. Pennsylvania is far from both Iowa and Wisconsin, but since the state implemented an antler point restriction in 2002, it feels like that distance has ...
Wild Hunting Tactics: How 7 Apex Predators Do What They Do Best
As all hunters know, putting meat on the table requires patience, skill, know-how, and a healthy dash of luck. That formula isn’t exclusive to human hunters. All of Nature’s best hunters, the apex predators, possess these same traits. Some ...
Cold Weather Trout: 4 Tips and Tactics for Winter Trout on the Fly
Standing with a fly rod in a cold, free-flowing stream full of hungry trout without another angler in sight: that’s the beauty of cold-weather fishing. Fair-weather anglers are at home warming their toes by the fire. They believe winter trout fishing ...
‘Alarming’ Wolf Hunting Tallies in Yellowstone Not Alarming At All
Wolf hunting in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho in areas bordering Yellowstone National Park has legally taken 20 gray wolves this season, causing concern for the future of the park’s iconic canines and some alarmist headlines, despite thriving ...
