It’s the question we deer hunters want to have answered each fall: When’s the best date to hunt the rut? Well, I think I have the answer—NOW!
Trail cam photos over the past week were the first indication, but this morning’s tree stand report has…
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November 7th, 2011
It’s On—NOW!
October 30th, 2011
Perfect Storm II: A Rut Game Changer
It’s still early enough in the season that we welcome the snow—a few inches maybe, but not two feet! Ironically, on the 20th anniversary of the Perfect Storm came another fairfly rare fall snowstorm that has buried much of the Northeast in a foo…
Go to Perfect Storm II: A Rut Game ChangerOctober 26th, 2011
Missouri Zombie Alert!
The Missouri Department of Conservation is warning outdoorsman about the potential dangers from encounters with non-native species including mountain lions, snakes, zombies and bears. Ummmmm… huh? Zombies?
In a special “Flesh Afield” blog, the MDC a…
September 10th, 2011
Food Plots and Memories of 9/11
Mohammed Atta gunned the throttles of Flight 11 over 25th Street and 5th Avenue. I know that because I was directly beneath it on September 11. The roar of the engine is stuck in my ears 10 years later—I can’t forget it, don’t want…
Go to Food Plots and Memories of 9/11September 10th, 2011
Food Plots and Memories of 9/11
Mohammed Atta gunned the throttles of Flight 11 over 25th Street and 5th Avenue. I know that because I was directly beneath it on September 11. The roar of the engine is stuck in my ears 10 years later—I can’t forget it, don’t want…
Go to Food Plots and Memories of 9/11July 27th, 2011
DNA Testing Shows Dead Connecticut Mountain Lion Came from South Dakota
In what has to rank as one of the most bizarre yet fascinating outdoor tales we’ve heard of in years, biologists have now confirmed that the mountain lion struck and killed by a Tucson in Connecticut was originally from South Dakota! Confused? Okay, let’s back up.
In early June, I reported on a spate of reported mountain lion sightings in Fairfield County Connecticut. Before the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and state police could even get rolling on their investigation, a mountain lion turned up dead on the Wilbur Cross Parkway—run over in the dead of night by a motorist in a Hyundai Tucson. Considering that the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut was a century ago, the DEP was quick to conclude that the cat was likely someone’s pet that had somehow escaped captivity. When their search for mountain lion permitees turned up nothing, the hunt for a better explanation as to the cat’s origins and movements was on. The long-awaited necropsy results tell an incredible tale.
Go to DNA Testing Shows Dead Connecticut Mountain Lion Came from South DakotaJune 11th, 2011
Mountain Lion Killed In Connecticut
The tales of mountain lion sightings seem to take on mythical status anywhere east of the Mississippi, but especially in the Northeast where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March declared the eastern cougar extinct. Well it seems as if someone has some explaining to do. First, residents of the tony Fairfield County community of Greenwich reported a big cat roaming their woods late last week and now Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection officials report that a mountain lion was struck and killed by a car in Milford.
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April 21st, 2011
A Hunter’s Heartbreak
Anyone who hits the woods with a bow can tell you that it’s a wild rollercoaster ride of extreme highs and gut-wrenching lows. Bowhunting basically boils down to a strategic game of mere inches, yards and the tiny mistakes that can leave you second guessing yourself for an eternity. At some point, every bowhunter will inevitably hit rock bottom and suffer through their first heartbreak. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to my son James last September during a close encounter with a beautiful high-racked buck in our home state of Kentucky.
February 23rd, 2011
Are Your Deer Dying?
Winter can take its toll on wildlife and this year has been especially hard on some species, and we’re coming into the most critical time period with as much as 30 days remaining in some areas before melt off. I did some regional checkups on numerous states WSI(Winter Severity Index) and here are the results:
January 22nd, 2011
Crumley a Winner!
From the “It-couldn’t-happen-to-a-nicer-guy” department comes word that Jim Crumley of Trebark camouflage fame has won the Virginia Lottery’s Millionaire Raffle.
Crumley, who compared the adrenaline rush with spotting a big buck from a treestand, plans to spend the money to boost retirement savings and sponsor a family trip.
December 15th, 2010
Horns And Heartache
Just a few years ago almost to the day, I eagerly awaited the first tracking snow of the season. I’d seen several great bucks in my hunting area, but all by the light of a full moon. When a few inches of snow finally fell, I took a few days off from work to muzzleloader hunt. I’d barely gotten through the front door that first morning when I spotted something odd lying in the snow. Excitement turned to misery in an instant. There lay the perfectly matched set of a great 8-pointer. I was bumming hard. Just got this e-mail from hunting buddy, George Hamilton. He’s bumming a bit, too.
December 9th, 2010
Great Hunt For A Buck
Some of you veterans may remember Ralph Stuart’s byline from Outdoor Life many years ago. Nowadays, Stuart is the editor of Shooting Sportsman magazine. Although the magazine is largely about fine shotguns and winged game, Ralph dearly loves hunting whitetails and he’s damn good at it. Here’s his muzzleloading-season tale from yesterday.
December 2nd, 2010
Something Rotten In The Deer Woods
I interrupt our cavalcade of monster bucks for this special report: This deer season has sucked! Okay, I won’t take credit for that rather frank description of the hunt thus far, but I do agree with my friend, George Hamilton’s assessment of things—at least in some areas of the Northeast.
November 24th, 2010
Great Day In The Woods
Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan—we here at the Big Buck Zone have brought you dozens of stories about hunters and their monster bucks taken in those states, but sportsmen in the Northeast are cracking some nice bucks, too. One of the best-kept secrets in the world of top-end bucks is the state of Connecticut. Witness this bruiser shot by Doug Heppleston while hunting with his 13-year-old son, Matt.
November 18th, 2010
Crazy Kansas Buck
Crazy Kansas Buck:
Sometimes the best you can do is a grainy cell-phone photo, but there are those times when a grainy cell-phone photo is enough. Check out this gnarly-headed Kansas beast. It apparently–and sadly–killed on the Kansas turnpike near Eldorado and has 47 points! More details as they emerge.
November 1st, 2010
Deer Forecast Nov. 1-7
Departure Temps:
Northeast
A break between systems and high barometer (1034) on Tuesday should make for some good deer activity. Light rain in many areas will persist, creating good cloud cover and below normal temperatures through the end of the week. The pressure should bottom out on Friday (996) and begin to rise making Saturday and Sunday great. Best days 2nd, 6th and 7th.
Southeast
June 30th, 2010
Black Bear Attack!
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Timothy Scott was attacked by a bear while on a hiking trip Sunday, marking the first recorded black bear attack ever in Kentucky history, according to the Associated…
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Go to Black Bear Attack!June 25th, 2010
Looming Disaster
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As millions of gallons of oil continue to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, another potential ecological disaster is now looming at the other end of the Mississippi River.
A…
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Go to Looming DisasterJune 21st, 2010
El Cheapo Food Plots
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It’s no national conspiratorial secret that the nation’s economic recovery is as sluggish as Animal House character John “Bluto” Blutarsky after an all-night toga party. Few…
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June 16th, 2010
Bigfoot Alert!
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Self-proclaimed North Carolina mountain man Tim Peeler told Cleveland County authorities he was using his homemade predator call to attract some coyotes within shooting range when a…
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Go to Bigfoot Alert!June 16th, 2010
Coyotes For Deer Control
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As a simple country boy, it’s very difficult for me to even watch the evening news anymore without blowing a fuse! However, sometimes things become so out of whack that…
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June 16th, 2010
Are Ducks Doomed?
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I’m not exactly sure why the thought didn’t occur to me until I sat down with D.U.’s Mike Checkett last week in Buras, Louisiana, but what about the…
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Go to Are Ducks Doomed?May 18th, 2010
Scent Lok Showdown
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The long-awaited ruling regarding allegations of false advertising by ALS, the manufacturer of Scent Lok clothing, has been issued in U.S. Federal Court. The law firm of Heins, Mills…
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April 23rd, 2010
Gulf Horror
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When you tuna fish the offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, talk inevitably turns to the escape pods which hang precariously off the sides of the rigs.
“Dude? It’s just got…
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Go to Gulf HorrorApril 22nd, 2010
The OL 25
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Outdoor Life is looking for a few good men—and women. More specifically, we’re looking for outdoorsmen and women who have helped change the face of the hunting, fishing and…
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Go to The OL 25April 21st, 2010
Ben Roethlisberger—So Maybe I Was Wrong
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It was just a few short weeks after the Pittsburgh Steelers had won the Super Bowl that I interviewed the game’s most valuable player Ben Roethlisberger for Outdoor Life’s…
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Go to Ben Roethlisberger—So Maybe I Was WrongMarch 31st, 2010
Welcome to New York II
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By all appearances, three members of a Brooklyn, New York family were victimized by the city’s harsh and unmerciful firearms laws this week, after police executed a…
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Go to Welcome to New York IIMarch 31st, 2010
The Price Is Wrong
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For years, game show host Bob Barker concluded each episode of “The Price Is Right” by advocating the spaying and neutering of pets. He has always been outspoken about his…
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March 30th, 2010
Bass Myth Exploded
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Despite the widely held notion that catching aggressive bass off nests during spawning season can deplete largemouth populations, a new University of Florida study published in a…
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Go to Bass Myth ExplodedMarch 25th, 2010
The Real Spring Break
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Thank God it’s spring. You and I are not the only creatures on the earth grateful the Spring Equinox arrived over the weekend. Take a look at these photos from my friend Cody…
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