The Gift
The spaniel had lived beyond her time. But strangely – to the last – she had acted almost as a puppy. He had felt the turn of the tide three years before. Felt it more than in the 73 years before them. It pulled against him now, receding rather than rushing in. He...
A Deadly Polar Plunge
The explorers planned to sail their balloon over the North Pole and land in Canadian waters – an adventure that quickly proved to be pure folly. The tiny Swedish contingent had gathered in Danskoya at the northern tip of the Arctic island of Svalbard. They were happy...
Snow on the Brim
He had worn that old hat from Alaska to Florida. But he could hardly ever bring himself to wear it back to its original home in New Mexico. Christmas morning. The high country was covered with a foot of new-fallen snow that had come as an unexpected gift during the...
Package-Deal Puppies
Purchasing a hunting puppy is typically a joyous occasion for a family...but it should automatically come with a few additional items as a standard package. Not long after my wife Kat and I became the proud new owners of an 8-week-old Labrador retriever puppy named...
When to Report a Wildlife Sighting
Animal sightings in Utah have increased, but in what scenarios do these encounters need to be reported to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources? Utah's growing population and expanding developments have increased the number of wildlife encounters across the state in...
The Pond in Winter
A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye, looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. “Home is the sailor, home from the sea.” Whether the voice hails from the salty ocean, a great lake, trickling...
14 Key Tips for Game Cookery
If you are planning to include wild game recipes in your Thanksgiving menu this year, The Derrydale Game Cookbook offers a few tips to bring out the best flavors in your game meat. 1. An old guard of a game bird has no other place in cookery but to be used either for...
New York “Why I Hunt” Photo Essay Contest
Photos and essays submitted will be used to support DEC's ongoing efforts to introduce more New Yorkers to hunting and trapping. State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced a new statewide photo and essay contest for...
The Do-It-All 12 Gauge
All the gauges are useful for some purpose or other, and I love ’em all. But a twelve? A twelve will do damn near anything! A while ago, I reviewed Remington’s 12-gauge, V3 Tac 13. Despite its short barrel and abbreviated stock, I found it to be a truly versatile...
How to Feed Your Dog
Feeding is not as simple as dumping food in a bowl–putting the extra care into your dog’s diet will help keep him healthier to hunt with you. SPONSORED CONTENT Feeding your dog might seem simple: Get out the bowl, fill it with food and let Rover scarf it down....
Feeling Guilty
It seems to add up that men and women, no matter what their age, who take a great deal of pleasure in the out-of-doors, at the very least discover something about themselves. The talk had turned in the dwindling hours of the early morning into the sort of conversation...
Hunting with the Historic Burnside
To get a historic gun firing again is a special joy. To have it fulfill its purpose once again, after a lapse of perhaps a century, makes the joy that much greater. I was beginning to identify with Ahab, though instead of a white whale, I was seeking a whitetail....
The Pittman-Robertson Act Came at the Right Time
Carl Shoemaker was a fulcrum of sorts who heaved the Pittman-Robertson Act into law. The resulting industry-state-federal partnership has been a boon to wildlife conservation and people across the country. It seems odd to say this, but Ohioan Joseph List may have...
Frenzy of Wildlife Poaching in Oregon Causes Concern
A decapitated black bear joins a growing list of animals from a frenzy of poaching in Lane County, Oregon in recent weeks. The crimes appear to be random and opportunistic, and officials are looking for leads in multiple cases. Oregon State Police Senior Trooper Josh...
How 45 Million Hunters and Anglers are Aiming To Bypass Hollywood
A crowd-sourced film that celebrates life in the heartland is coming to a theater near you. The ideological fault lines running between the coasts and the American heartland, turning red and blue to code words, are manifesting in everything from politics and religion...
Michigan Man Confesses to Killing Deer with a Hammer
Potterville, Michigan man confesses to killing a deer with a hammer after Snapchat video is posted. It only took about one hour for an off-duty Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer to identify and locate a suspect featured in a disturbing...
How to Define a True “Trophy” Buck
This question might sound simple, especially to those of you that have just begun your whitetail hunting career, but take it from me, it’s a question that has kept deer hunters awake at night. After almost 60 years of "taking to the whitetail woods," I think I am...
Giveaway of the Week: Win a Pair of Hikers Bootlamps!
Each Monday, Sporting Classics Daily subscribers new and current have a chance to win one of our weekly giveaway prizes! So far we've given away stellar products you won't find anywhere else, including a custom Woody Gent's Field Knife, a signed copy of Mike Gaddis'...
Return to the Mighty Seven
It was the 6.5 Creedmoor of the 1960s. Flying off the shelves. Everyone was chambering it. Everyone who didn’t shoot it wanted to. Or they pretended they didn’t. Remington’s 7mm magnum blew Winchester’s 264 magnum right off the plains and into early retirement....
What Your Dog is Really Thinking
Because of developments in brain imaging technology, scientists are beginning to see evidence of “love” for humans within the canine brain. Dog lovers have a tendency to claim they know exactly what their dog is thinking based on certain behaviors. Even a graying...
Building From the Base Up: Your Under Armour Ridge Reaper System
When the temperature drops and hunting season is upon us, choosing the right clothing is just as important as your rifle, shotgun or bow setup. SPONSORED CONTENT When the temperature drops and hunting season is upon us, choosing the right clothing is just as important...
A Gift of Water and Wind
Three-fifths of the world is water and the wind courses over all of it. So when Pappy gave me that 10-foot bateau, he gave me the world. The first swell smacked the port quarter, sent green water clean over the wheelhouse. Aboard Maggie C, a 26-foot Maine Lobsterman,...
“Best of the Best” with Krieghoff’s Bespoke Side-by-Side
If it is mastery of the art of gunmaking that qualifies “Best Guns,” German gun manufacturer, Krieghoff, has crafted a gun that fits the bill. SPONSORED CONTENT When you think of “Best Guns,” what comes to mind? Where do they come from? England, Italy, Spain…places...
Père David’s Deer Back From the Brink
The intriguing survival story of a deer species discovered in China more than 150 years ago. When I was a small boy I started digging a hole in the backyard. My dad came out and asked me what I was doing. “Digging a hole,” I answered. He smiled broadly. “If you keep...
Skills of Successful Wingshooting Guides
Being a hunting guide might seem like a dream job, one we would all like to have, but there is a tremendous gap between the dream and the reality. There is a famous anecdote, possibly apocryphal, about Fred Astaire’s first screen test for RKO Pictures. Apparently, the...
Mid-Season Tune-Ups for Your Retriever
None of our dogs are perfect. Here are a few of the most common issues that retriever owners frequently need to address during the season. SPONSORED CONTENT Hunting season! Time for all your summer training and hard work to pay off. Thankfully, your waterfowl dog is...
The One-Stop Shotgun Shop: Fabarm U.S.A.
Fabarm offers a plethora of shotguns crafted with bird hunters in mind, running the gamut of semi-autos to side-by-sides, from shooting trap to waterfowl and everything in between, all in one place. SPONSORED CONTENT Have you ever known a true shotgunner to own only...
Columbus Man Wins Boat in Take ’em Fishing Challenge
Freddie Leibhart's mom introduced him to fishing when he was young. Now, the Columbus man is doing the same for his children. Better yet, he now can take them fishing in the new boat he won as the grand prize in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Take 'em...
Russell Chatham’s Roasted Duck
The hill’s contour was pink with slanting light, so much like a Russell Chatham painting. I looked down at the large gray breast of the mallard and thought about the meal to come. I rounded a bend of a winding, western Montana creek, and the heads of two mallard...
Idaho Fish and Game’s Project WILD Goes Virtual with WILD About Turkeys Workshop
With many learning opportunities shifting to online formats, it only made sense for Fish and Game to go virtual with its popular WILD About Turkeys workshop. Idaho Fish and Game’s Project WILD workshops have traditionally been a great way for educators to discover fun...
NFL Legend Bert Jones: A Bird Dog Man?
It might surprise you to know that NFL legend Bert Jones and his father Dub are hard-core quail hunters and bird dog men. Joe Augustine, who happens to be a friend of mine, is one of the handful of sportsmen who’s bagged every species of upland gamebird in North...
Peak Performance Through Nutrition
The diet you choose to feed your dog can have a big impact on their ability to perform at their peak. SPONSORED CONTENT Hard charging performance dogs—like pointers, setters, Labs, English cockers, GSP’s and many, many others— are wired to work. Their work requires...
Move Over Jimmy Buffett, Meet the Coolest Salt of the Sea
Wherever the currents of time find Pallot, you can bet the fish will be biting and he’ll make room in the boat for you—whether in person or vicariously. What could be cooler than that? For 15 seasons a lanky poet with the central casting name of Flip Pallot poled a...
A Great New Book by Sporting Classics Senior Editor Dr. Lloyd Newberry
Wings of Wonder is a great new book by Sporting Classics Senior Editor Dr. Lloyd Newberry For four decades Dr. Newberry has been writing hunting and fishing stories chronicling his many adventures in 67 countries and provinces. Three of his prior books include Pages...
From Field to Freezer: Tips for Processing Big Game
Here's the basic cheat sheet: Gut it, skin it, keep it clean and keep it cool. You successfully shot a deer, elk or other big game animal. Now the work begins. You want to properly process the animal so you get many healthy, enjoyable meals from it. But you should...
Lynn Bogue Hunt: Angler, Hunter, Artist
Great Holiday Gift! $25 Hardcover with Dust Jacket, 180 Pages. Angler, hunter and above all artist, Lynn Bogue Hunt was America’s most popular and prolific outdoor illustrator of the mid-20th century. He painted a record 106 covers for Field & Stream;...
The Unpredictability of Hunting…and Life
No two hunting stories are the same. This may explain why those of us who hunt are rich with a bank full of distinct memories. No two hunting stories are ever alike. For good reason. Ruffed grouse roosted in the aspens never take the same flight path. A whitetail buck...
Nebraska Changes Deer Checking Process
Nebraska deer hunters can expect a big change in how this year's firearm deer season will be conducted. This year, Nebraska Game and Parks will not run check stations during the Nov. 14-22 firearm deer season; instead, all deer must be checked electronically via...
Tips on Preparing Waterfowl for the Table
Excerpted from The Remington Cookbook, Jim Casada offers a few tips and tricks for preparing delectable duck and geese recipes. Do it Easy or Do it Right: Skinning versus Plucking Visit any waterfowl camp or sit with several buddies in a duck blind and sooner or later...
Down the Writer’s Rabbit Hole
What is writing, if not the sharing and resharing of life itself? It’s done. Finished. Written and designed; printed, bound and finally shipping out to a host of readers, both old and new...this latest book that’s been growing from my head and heart and fingertips...
The Silent Woods
Treat the earth well; it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. The woods are mostly silent now. As the old man’s boots disturbed the dry autumn...
Want To Help The Environment? Then Start Cutting Trees.
One conservation organization warns aging forests could spell doom for many species. With forest fires raging across the West, there’s been a renewed call to reexamine our nation’s forest management policies. Nearly 46,000 wildfires have burned more than eight million...
Casting Call: The Newest Fly-Fishing Book and Film from Dorsey Pictures
Wild River Press and Dorsey Pictures are releasing the first book and film production to celebrate the world of fly fishing like never before. From one of the world’s most widely traveled fly fishermen and the largest producer of outdoor television in history comes...
Snow Days
I was thinking about the coming season a few days ago and, as usual, it occurred to me that I might have a chance or two to hunt in snow. It’s still hot in Georgia, but snow is coming. Dear Lord, do I love to hunt in snow! I guess it’s a little surprising to hear a...
“Sporting Classics with Chris Dorsey” Announces Increased Distribution
The world's most watched outdoor TV series adds even more reach on CarbonTV, Caliber Video and Waypoint TV. Dorsey Pictures, the world's largest producer of outdoor adventure programming with series airing on ten national networks and with affiliates across the globe...
A Creel Full of Fine Angling Reads
The richest of the various veins of sporting literature almost certainly is that devoted to angling in general and particularly fly fishing. It has a long, venerable history, dating all the way back to Dame Juliana Berners late 15th century work,...
The Life-Saving Labrador
Why would a man come to disavow the story of how his gundog saved his life? The man had grown up in a family of hunters, in a place where the sport is woven deeply into the cultural fabric. It’s celebrated, embraced. Blaze-orange “Welcome Hunters” banners are such a...
A Bucket-List Wingshooting Trip
This week on Sporting Classics with Chris Dorsey... It's a wingshooting bucket-list trip to two of the finest upland and waterfowl destinations in North America in this week's episode of Sporting Classics with Chris Dorsey as Chris heads to South Dakota to hunt...
Whole-Dog Nutrition
If we want top performance from our dogs, we need to feed them a diet that nourishes the whole dog, and not just one particular body part. SPONSORED CONTENT As hunters, we are always striving to take our passion to the next level. We spend time at the range...
In the Penumbra
Eyes night-blind from the dashboard light you plunge Into the swamp to please the dog, walk By feel between trees and tangled vines, feet Seeking the hardness of the path, following. She trots ahead and stops, tail Slapping briars as she turns, impatient. Blindness...