I just returned from a four-day bow hunt in the big woods of northern Wisconsin, where I learned a killer scouting tip from my good friend and veteran bowhunter Tom VanDoorn. As most big woods hunters know, locating prime mast crops are a huge part of…
Go to Use Your Ears! Find Mast Crops By Listening For Birds And SquirrelsAuthor Archive
September 19th, 2013
In the Presence of Death
One of the things I talked about on this season’s Gun Nuts is an (apparently) common ritual on many of the TV hunting shows. When hunter and guide (or whoever) walk up on some poor dead beast the likes of which you and I will never see, and which…
Go to In the Presence of DeathSeptember 16th, 2013
Would You Buy Saddam Hussein’s Ruger M77?
Last week I made my first visit to the nation’s largest firearms auction, the Rock Island Auction (rockislandauction.com) in Rock Island, Illinois, which holds its biennial “premiere auctions” in April and September. I went on previe…
Go to Would You Buy Saddam Hussein’s Ruger M77?September 13th, 2013
Gun Fight Friday: Handi-Rifle vs Marlin 983
Today’s Gun Fight pits two small game/varmint rifles against one another: Frequent commenter FirstBubba’s NEF Handi-Rifle against Mark Brown’s Marlin 983. The break-action single shot Handi-Rifle is a great gun in terms accuracy for …
Go to Gun Fight Friday: Handi-Rifle vs Marlin 983September 13th, 2013
Miss Kansas: Beauty Queen is a Bowhunter
I have almost zero interest in beauty pageants, but I’m already rooting for Miss Kansas in the upcoming Miss America pageant. Theresa Vail, who’s representing the Sunflower State, is an avid bowhunter and according to this story was appare…
Go to Miss Kansas: Beauty Queen is a BowhunterSeptember 9th, 2013
The Need for Speed, Continued
About a month ago, I qualified in a 600-yard rifle match which was, as they say, a learning experience. There were about 20 shooters, and all were veterans, and far better shots than I. They included at least one Distinguished Expert, a national record…
Go to The Need for Speed, ContinuedSeptember 9th, 2013
How To Pattern A Shotgun: Always Count Your Pellets First
During the testing for “The Truth About Shotgun Ammo” I learned it’s important to count pellets in a shotshell before you pattern.
Before we patterned any load we took three shells from the box, cut them open and weighed the payloads …
September 6th, 2013
Gun Fight Friday: S&W 17 K-22 vs Ruger Single Six
This week we’ve got two .22 revolvers facing off in a double-action vs. single action gun fight. Both guns are classics. The S&W Model 17 K-22 was first offered in 1930, much later designated the 617, and is available from S&W again as t…
Go to Gun Fight Friday: S&W 17 K-22 vs Ruger Single SixSeptember 5th, 2013
Things I’ve Learned Over the Years About…Hunting Pants
I am all for pants, or trousers, whichever, and think that all hunters should wear them unless they are Highland Scots or Greeks.* Here some things I’ve learned about pants over the years.
There are few things worse than tight hunting pants. If y…
September 3rd, 2013
Are Elk Really That Tough?
I read in one of my “Ask Petzal” answers that elk are big, tough animals. Since I don’t believe anything anymore, no matter who says it, I wondered: Are they?
Let’s do big first. As ungulates go, Cervus canadensis is what you ca…
August 30th, 2013
How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: Trail Cam, Pack, and Knife
Okay, this being the fourth installment of the series, I’m dispensing with the long lead-in. If you don’t know what I’m up to at this point, start here and follow the links. And now, for the last three of 12 essential deer-gear items,…
Go to How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: Trail Cam, Pack, and KnifeAugust 30th, 2013
Gun Fight Friday: Makeover Edition Ruger 10/22 vs Remington Model 700 .308
Today we have a Makeover Edition of Gun Fight Friday. We’re starting with two modern classics, the Ruger 10/22 and the Remington 700. Granted, they don’t have much in common except that almost everybody owns at least one of each, and there…
Go to Gun Fight Friday: Makeover Edition Ruger 10/22 vs Remington Model 700 .308August 29th, 2013
Video Caption Contest: Win This Cabela’s Pack
We’re tossing in a little twist with this caption contest. Instead of a photo, we’re asking you to write a caption for the video below. The deer aren’t whitetails and the place is Japan, but it’s some pretty entertaining footag…
Go to Video Caption Contest: Win This Cabela’s PackAugust 29th, 2013
Guest Shoot Me Down: Headshots on Deer Are Contemptible
A couple weeks ago, I yelled, “Spare Me the Heart-Shot Photo” and invited you to “Shoot Me Down.” The reader who did the best job of it, who offered the most compelling argument—however wrong, of course—was Whitetai…
Go to Guest Shoot Me Down: Headshots on Deer Are ContemptibleAugust 29th, 2013
What Difference Does it Make?
My apologies for using this space to write about Hillary Clinton instead of something useful like nodes of vibration or powder burning rates, but I seem to be the only one not doing it, and I feel…left out. Mrs. Clinton is important to us b…
Go to What Difference Does it Make?August 28th, 2013
Dove Hunts: How To Answer the "Can I Bring My Dog?" Question
With dove seasons opening and the rest on the way, hunters and their dogs are off the couch and back in the field. If you are putting together a hunt, you will have to face the question: “Can I bring my dog?” Eddie Nickens passed along thi…
Go to Dove Hunts: How To Answer the "Can I Bring My Dog?" QuestionAugust 26th, 2013
Odd Firearms: Russia’s Underwater ‘Assault Rifle’ Dart Gun
The Internet is full of videos of guns firing underwater these days, but the one below is different: the Russian APS (pictured above) was made to be fired underwater. Introduced in 1975, it was meant to give Russian frogmen an offensive weapon underwa…
Go to Odd Firearms: Russia’s Underwater ‘Assault Rifle’ Dart GunAugust 26th, 2013
How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: The Optics
In case you missed the first (click here) or second (click here) installment, I’ll point out again that the September-issue cover story “Deer Hunting in the Real World” included a large sidebar called “Hunt for Years on $2,000,&…
Go to How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: The OpticsAugust 26th, 2013
Perfect Rifles: My Custom John Noveske .280
In my post of Aug. 21, I mentioned that a .280 of mine, built by now-departed riflesmith John Noveske, was a perfect gun. Reader R. Peterson, who is obviously a person of taste and culture, asked if I would write a bit about the .280 and run a photo. …
Go to Perfect Rifles: My Custom John Noveske .280August 23rd, 2013
Gun Fight Friday: Browning Sweet 16 vs. Remington 870 Special Field
Finally, a shotgun Gun Fight—and it’s not just between any two shotguns, either. We have the most popular shotgun in history against a classic bird gun. Remington made the short-barreled Special Field version of the 870 from 1984 to 1995, …
Go to Gun Fight Friday: Browning Sweet 16 vs. Remington 870 Special FieldAugust 22nd, 2013
Over-The-Top Tactical: Bulletproof Couch Sports Hidden 30-Gun Safe
I thought last week’s post on the Loudener would be hard to beat in the over-the-top-tactical category. That was before my older son called my attention to a tactical couch called the Couch Bunker. It not only conceals a gun safe with a 30-gun c…
Go to Over-The-Top Tactical: Bulletproof Couch Sports Hidden 30-Gun SafeAugust 21st, 2013
How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: The Treestands and Climbing Steps
Click here if missed the last installment. To recap, the September issue cover story “Deer Hunting in the Real World” included a large sidebar called “Hunt for Years on $2,000,” featuring 12 essential deer-hunting items totaling…
Go to How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: The Treestands and Climbing StepsAugust 21st, 2013
Big Game Hunting and Rifles: "Good Luck"
At the camp where I hunt in northern Maine with 10 or so other geezers, we have a small ritual. As I’m heading out the door at zero dark thirty to spend a day freezing, they say “Good luck.” To which I reply, “Luck has nothing t…
Go to Big Game Hunting and Rifles: "Good Luck"August 20th, 2013
Pre-Season Bird Hunting PSA: It’s Time to Check Your Magazine Tube Plugs
Part of your preseason preparations should be to check the magazines of your pump or semiauto shotguns and be sure they are plugged—that is, if you plan to hunt migratory birds (or deer and turkeys in some states) with them. If you make your own…
Go to Pre-Season Bird Hunting PSA: It’s Time to Check Your Magazine Tube PlugsAugust 19th, 2013
Sometimes People Vanish
On July 23, a 66-year-old woman from Tennessee, Geraldine Largay, was supposed to meet her husband at a point on the Appalachian Trail in Maine, and when she failed to make the rendezvous, he declared her missing. Largay was an experienced hiker and in…
Go to Sometimes People VanishAugust 19th, 2013
How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: The Rifle, The Bow, The Muzzleloader
You may have noticed that the September issue cover story, “Deer Hunting in the Real World,” included a large sidebar called “Hunt for Years on $2,000.” In it, I wrote that the 12 bargain gear items featured (all totalling less …
Go to How to Hunt for Years on $2,000: The Rifle, The Bow, The MuzzleloaderAugust 16th, 2013
Gun Fight Friday: Winchester/Savage vs. Savage/Winchester
Sometimes we will pair up similar guns in Gun Fight Friday (per last week’s Weatherby Mark V vs. Remington 700 brawl). Sometimes we won’t. The rifles in this week’s matchup don’t have a whole lot in common other than that one i…
Go to Gun Fight Friday: Winchester/Savage vs. Savage/WinchesterAugust 14th, 2013
Guest Shoot Me Down: Quartering-To Shots Shouldn’t be Taboo for Deer Hunting
Now that I’ve got you all frothy-mouthed and howling from my last Shoot Me Down, it seems like a perfect time to throw Will Brantley, F&S contributor and redneck troublemaker, to the pack. Brantley detailed how to make a clean-killing bow sh…
Go to Guest Shoot Me Down: Quartering-To Shots Shouldn’t be Taboo for Deer HuntingAugust 14th, 2013
Oh Give Me a Home Where You Never Shoot Prone
Prone is a conundrum. On the one hand, it is the steadiest of all positions. On the other, you hardly ever get a chance to shoot prone when hunting, so people don’t pay a lot of attention to it. Over the past couple of decades, I’ve done a …
Go to Oh Give Me a Home Where You Never Shoot ProneAugust 12th, 2013
The Perks of Buying Used Guns
My Beretta 391 waterfowl gun just came back from the Beretta specialists at Cole Gunsmithing, where they fixed its balky action for about $80. Although the gun had never malfunctioned in the field with heavy loads — or even dove loads — I …
Go to The Perks of Buying Used Guns