New York Announces 2019 Bear Harvest Totals
New York State bear hunters took 1,505 black bears during the 2019 hunting seasons according to state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Black bears are thriving in New York, and bear hunting seasons are a critical part of our...
Oyster Shucking Knife Drawing At SEWE 2020
All exhibits at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, SC, open Friday where you can enjoy the finest wildlife art and everything from fly fishing demos to signature galas and sales. Sporting Classics will be there too, and we’re giving away a...
Managed Waterfowl Hunts At Tuckahoe WMA Planned
A plan presented by Division staff to implement the state's first managed waterfowl hunts at the Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area (WMA) was authorized in September by the Fish and Game Council. This new opportunity comes on the heels of a cooperative, five-year...
South Dakota Chance At A Hunt Of A Lifetime
The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (GFP) Department is offering outdoor enthusiasts the hunt of a lifetime with their Hunt for Habitat “super tag” raffle. The raffle offers two prize options for 2020 with four total prize packages available. Three winners...
New State Record Yellow Perch
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently recognized Tyler Halley of Maryville for catching a new state record yellow perch. Halley was fishing on a private pond in Nodaway County when he caught the 1-pound, 14-ounce fish using the pole-and-line method....
Tooth & Claw: A Valentine’s Tale Of Love And Shame
“This is going to be the day! The best Valentine’s Day ever!” I yelled as I entered the room, breaking up the hunting video game marathon in progress. “Look alive, boys, I’ve finally done it: the perfect gift!” The youngest boy shook his head and didn’t even glance...
Women’s Winter Ringneck Challenge
Pheasants Forever Montcalm County, Michigan, is sponsoring a fun pheasant hunting event for beginners and experienced hunters. The day includes clay shooting and a guided hunt with teams of four women, with lunch and prizes following the hunt. Cost is $35 per person,...
New WMA In Georgia
More than 6,300 new acres at the Canoochee Sandhills Wildlife Management Area, located in Bulloch and Bryan Counties, is now available for southeast Georgia outdoor enthusiasts, thanks to the partnership efforts of multiple agencies and Foundations. “Securing this...
Sawfish: What To Do When You Accidentally Hook One
When I started graduate school at Florida State University, I had never seen a sawfish in the wild, but I was excited to be part of the recovery of a species I had been so awestruck by in aquariums. The smalltooth sawfish, the only sawfish found in Florida, has been...
Pride And Regret
Carl Lear loved hunting grouse and fishing for trout. So when the opportunity came for him to go north from Virginia to hunt grouse in classic autumn Michigan, he stashed his old fiberglass fly rod in the truck as well, on the off chance that he might come across a...
It’s Not About The Trophy
If a man marries a girl infected with the decorating bug, he has to learn to put up with minor annoyances—a house littered with paint samples, rug samples, wood samples, granite samples, tile samples, fabric samples—and to always look twice before sitting down,...
Sweet Soul of the Smokies
Maggie “Aunt Mag” Williams (1863-1961) In the halcyon days of childhood, most of us had the distinct privilege, although we might not have recognized it at the time, of being in close contact with older folks who merited the description of being “a genuine character.”...
Utah Reintroduces Bighorn Sheep To Antelope Island
A year after a contagious respiratory disease decimated a bighorn sheep herd at Antelope Island State Park, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources successfully reintroduced a new herd of 25 bighorn sheep to the island on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Bighorn sheep existed on...
Rigby Launches North American Gun Configurator
London gunmaker John Rigby & Co. has launched an exclusive version of its popular gun configurator tool for use in North America, enabling U.S. clients to design their own dream rifles at the click of a button via Rigby’s website. The move allows North American...
Pursuing The Alpine Ibex
A once-in-a-lifetime hunt amid the lofty peaks of the Swiss Alps. Nearly a decade ago, I stayed in an Austrian castle, its walls adorned with architectural-looking alpine animal skulls. Perhaps the most intriguing of those was a goat-like creature, its...
MDC Reports Final Deer Harvest More Than 285,400
Missouri's 2019-2020 deer-hunting season ended Jan. 15 with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reporting a preliminary total deer harvest of 285,483. Of the deer harvested, 133,914 were antlered bucks, 27,931 were button bucks, and 123,638 were does. Top...
Michigan Youth Small Game Hunt March 28
A youth small game hunt is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 at Crane Pond State Game Area 60887 State Highway M-40, Jones Youth hunters will be put into small hunting groups and assigned a mentor. Hunt participants must be under 18 years old, have a valid hunting...
First Gun
For most boys of my generation, certain milestones immediately went into the treasured files of memory. They were destined to remain there permanently. “Firsts” were particularly important in this regard—first squirrel, first trout on a fly, first rabbit, first...
MDC Now Requires Landowner Registration For Free And Discounted Permits
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds Missouri resident and nonresident landowners who qualify to receive free or discounted deer and turkey hunting permits to register their properties in MDC’s new Landowner Permit Registry either online or by...
Brays Island Plantation Completes Remarkable Renovation to Historic Inn
The Inn and Carriage House at Brays Island Plantation reopened following a six-month renovation. The circa-1930 brick Georgian-style mansion, along with an adjacent carriage house, serves as a landmark property of the 5,500-acre residential sporting community situated...
Wisconsin Ruffed Grouse West Nile Virus Results
A final report examining the results from 2018’s ruffed grouse West Nile virus sampling effort has been posted. This report summarizes only 2018 data. Samples collected by hunters during the 2019 season were received by the laboratory and a second-year report will be...
Michigan DNR Seeks To Fill Vacancies
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is soliciting applications for open volunteer positions on the Eastern Upper Peninsula Citizens Advisory Council. The council is designed to advise the DNR on regional programs and policies, identify areas in which the...
Volunteers Needed For Bighorn Sheep Survey
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and Society for Conservation of Bighorn Sheep (SCBS) are seeking volunteers to assist biologists with a bighorn sheep count in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties on Feb. 29 and...
Betsy & Boo-Boo
“Alright cub scout, close your eyes and hold out your hand.” I heard cabinet hinges squeak open and Frank rustling through some clutter above his reloading bench. It was evening in late July and we were in his garage. The overhead doors were open, and a drop of sweat...
CWD Control Permits
Landowners in specific townships in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula chronic wasting disease management zone can apply for disease control permits to help manage deer populations on their properties. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer,...
Jim Thorpe, Hunting Dogs, and the Half-time Show
Green Bay, New York, Chicago, San Fran and LaRue, Ohio: what do they have in common? NFL franchises. But it was the rural Ohio team that was perhaps the most unusual. Its legacy lives on in the halftime show—a show rooted in marketing hunting dogs. LaRue native...
The 7mm-08 Rem. Bests The .308 Win.
A popular and knowledgeable gun writer online recently published a weak embrace of the .308 Winchester as his choice for an all-round, do-everything rifle cartridge. Like the groom at a shotgun wedding, he said, “I do” more out of a sense of self-preservation than...
Horses I Have Known: Pack Train Broncos
Not all horse trouble comes from the animals you actually ride. In a pack train, horses are tied to one another with bailing twine so that if all hell breaks loose, the twine will snap and the animals will not get all tangled up—at least in theory. Helping to move a...
Applications For Oklahoma 22nd Annual Wildlife Youth Camp
A week full of fun outdoor activities, conservation education and camaraderie is in store for up to 35 lucky teens selected to attend the 22nd annual Wildlife Youth Camp. Applications are now being accepted for this summer's once-in-a-lifetime event. "Campers...
Passages
Passages is an unprecedented compilation of the best quotations from hunting, fishing and conservation books, magazine articles and poetry and it's yours free for subscribing. All of these excerpts, which run the gamut from poignant and insightful to delightful and...
NH Coyote Tests Positive For Rabies
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department reminds residents and visitors that wild animals should be left alone, one reason being the possibility of rabies. The NH Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Laboratory recently confirmed that a coyote...
A Dozen For Down Under
The 2019/2020 fire season in Australia has been catastrophic. The latest figures estimate 46 million acres have burned, 36 people died and a mind-boggling loss of 1 billion animals including some species that are on the brink of extinction. These numbers are growing...
The Rhinoceros: Its Bird Guardian, And How It Is Hunted
The Bechuana of Southern Africa, if he be rich enough, purchases a gun wherewith to attack the dauntless black rhinoceros, much preferring, as any one who has a chance of seeing Borele in all his savage grandeur will at once understand, to send the messenger of death...
Venison Stew
Years ago, I fell into the habit of boning out all of the deer I was lucky enough to drag out of the woods. My Uncle Elton loved venison, and I always made sure he had a good supply in his freezer. Elton lived alone with two big dogs to keep him company – an...
2020 Wyoming Outdoor Hall Of Fame Awards
Three individuals who have made significant contributions to the Wyoming outdoors will be inducted into the 2020 Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame. Helen Roylance, Richard Guenzel and Duaine Hagen will join 63 past honorees. The induction ceremony takes place Friday, March...
Learn The Art Of Hunting
Did you know sportsmen and women play an important role in wildlife management? They advocate for conservation policies and fund a majority of wildlife conservation efforts. But fewer and fewer are engaged in the great outdoors. That’s why Tennessee Wildlife...
Extraordinary Makinson & Son .600 Nitro Express Available
Extraordinary Makinson & Son .600 Nitro Express, 1,100 hours of engraving by Adone Pozzobon, serial 600, 900-grain, one of the finest double rifles extant. As is sometimes the case with unique and valuable firearms, a degree of speculation and unintended...
Beware: Georgia License Site Scam
A scam license website has been detected by the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division. This site appears to be active in both North Georgia and on the coast. This scam website appears as an advertisement during a Google Search for “Georgia Fishing License.” The site...
Sporting Classics with Chris Dorsey Reaches Nearly 6 Million Viewers in First Season on Outdoor Channel, Moves to Syndication
Officials from Dorsey Pictures, the world’s largest producer of outdoor adventure television and the only production company with outdoor DNA named to Real Screen magazine’s annual Global 100 list, announced that Sporting Classics with Chris Dorsey reached more...
North Dakota 2020 Spring Turkey Season Set
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering 6,230 wild turkey licenses for the 2020 spring hunting season, 205 more than last year. Seven of the 22 hunting units have more spring licenses than in 2019, five have fewer and nine remain the same. Unit 21...
Tahr In The Other Land Down Under
Tahr abound among the towering peaks of the other “Down Under,” New Zealand. The challenge is getting close enough to make the shot. There is another “land down under.” Not the one you’re thinking of. It is, by any measure, far, far away from anywhere that you might...
Always Have A Predator Call
Q: Larry, I’ve often heard you say you never go hunting without having a mouth-blown predator call with you. Do you use it only to try to attract coyotes and the like, or, do you use it to call up other “critters”? A: What you heard is correct. I do indeed carry a...
The Appended And Annotated Gaddis-Webster Dictionary Of Sporting Lexicology
Noah Webster was obviously a learned man, dedicating his life to language, his name synonymous with “dictionary” in America, especially the “modern” Merriam-Webster version, published inaugurally within that notable ring from the human cambium, 1828. In the process,...
27 Nosler Cartridge Redefines .270 Performance
Nosler has taken the venerable .270 rifle caliber to a new level with the introduction of the all-new, 27 Nosler. Conceived as a 21st century upgrade to existing .270 calibers, the 27 Nosler delivers previously unobtainable downrange ballistics by pairing the...
Horses I Have Known: The Leaner
These are actually affectionate animals who like nothing better than to lean their full body weight against you as you are trying to mount, adjust their tack, load paniers, etc. Usually a friendly shove will set things straight. The difficulty occurs when the horse...
Public May Rent Hunting Equipment At University Of Nebraska-Lincoln
Hunting equipment now is available for rent by the public at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Outdoor Adventure Center. Rental has been offered to the university’s students for about a year, and recently expanded to allow the public to rent the equipment,...
Baptizing A Mule Deer Hunter
The cathedral of Utah’s game-rich mountains provides hallowed ground for a father-son foray into the heart of the game. The gentle foothills and mountains in this stretch of Utah are home to all manner of the state’s big game—elk, mule deer, black bear and mountain...
2020 Michigan Junior Duck Stamp Contest
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting entries for the 2020 Michigan Junior Duck Stamp Contest administered by the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw. Entries must be postmarked by March 15. The USFWS has hosted the contest in Michigan since 1995...
Apply Online For MO Spring Managed Turkey Hunts
Missouri turkey hunters can apply online during February for 2020 spring turkey managed hunts through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website. Drawing results will be posted starting March 15. The spring turkey hunting youth weekend will be April 4 and 5...
Record Number Of Anglers Achieve Cutt-Slam
A total of 144 anglers completed the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Cutt-Slam in 2019. Established in 1996, the Cutt-Slam challenges anglers to catch the state’s four subspecies of cutthroat trout — Bonneville, Colorado River, Snake River and Yellowstone — in...