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Lessons Learned: Premium or Standard Construction Bullets?

Bullets have evolved considerably since their first use from homogenous pure lead to homogenous copper and brass. Along the way, velocities have increased from a few hundred feet per second (fps) to a few thousand feet per second. For the most part, hunters have strived for complete penetration on whatever game animal they are pursuing.

Study on Game Meat Skips Science

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It’s hunting season and that means it’s also time for the pseudo-science cautionary news articles claiming traditional ammunition is a health threat.

Late Season Still Hunting Elk

It was great to take such a unique bull in conditions that do not provide many opportunities for success, using a technique that is so high risk. So many times, hunters are restricted by weather and are helpless. In this situation, I was able to draw on experience and a little luck and make something out of nothing.

Whitetail: Go Deep … Then Go Deeper

This season, when you’re hunting public land, take a risk. Push past the perimeter sign. Move-in on bedding areas and put yourself in a position to kill a big buck.

Late Season Mule Deer – Ultimate Predator Decoy Review

I drew a premium deer tag in Colorado this year, which just so happened to coincide with the mule deer rut. I had seen many advertisements for the Ultimate Predator decoy on television and social media and believed that this tag would be the perfect opportunity to see if the product was all that it was cracked up to be.

Top 5 Deer Rifle Slings

If you’ve ever been on a spot-and-stalk or a long hunt toting a rifle without a sling you have probably found yourself realizing just how useful they can be. Check out our top five deer rifle sling picks.

DIY – Building Waterfowl Blinds: Pit and Surface

You finally have the property that will allow you to put in a more permanent blind so you want to do this right. Your site inventory has provided you with wind direction, sunrise and sunset, water levels and proximity to the decoy spread. If you have done your homework this is your time to get the blind in while it is dry and more importantly so you can blend it in, in the late summer and fall to conceal as best as possible.

Simple Gourmet: Bear & Broccoli

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This recipe is perfect for meat that is less tender or coarse. Velveting the meat with the marinade is the first step, and it’s one way restaurants make thin-sliced meat feel tender and smooth in your mouth.

Updating Your Gun with Hydro-dipping: How To

Guns are meant to be used but require the same concealment as we do when hunting in tough conditions. I hunt waterfowl and know barrel flash, shiny things, and moving a gun around that is not concealed can cause birds to flare.

DIY Colorado Elk: My Experience

This hunt area doesn’t allow any motorized vehicles so you either walk, bike, or horseback it into your area. The area is very much a DIY and muscle power area.

Gear: Sitka’s Flash Shelter

Best known for its hunting apparel, Sitka jumps into the emergency shelter market with its new Flash Shelter 8’x10,’ a tarp that packs light but rolls out large enough to provide cover for two people. For the backcountry hunter, the Flash Shelter is made to provide quick concealment, and shelter from rain, wind, and snow.

Elk Hunting: Don’t Make It Miserable!

hunting on public land isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a grind. Regardless of the weapon you choose to tote, you can expect pressure from other hunters, daunting terrain and days where the lenses of your binos detect no hide. In short, elk hunting public dirt can suck.

Browning X-Bolt Western Hunter in 28 Nosler

The Browning X-Bolt Western Hunter 28 Nosler is not your grandpa’s huntin’ rifle. There’s no wood anywhere. Rather, it’s a sleek, smooth, and lightweight magnum that is capable of the longest shots. That’s not to say it’s not attractive. It is.

The Worst Antelope Hunt Ever

I was recently on a public land antelope hunt in Colorado. Like most Colorado tags, I had waited several years to draw this tag; five to be exact. I was very excited and enthusiastic about getting out and chasing around some speed goats.

Simple Gourmet: Cast Iron Demystified

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When I take my grandkids hunting, I expect they’ll inherit from me a gun and a cast iron skillet. I’ll teach them to kill and cook all in the same trip.

Assembling an Alaskan Hunting Rifle: Part Two

While I gathered information and advice from different people throughout the last several months, from lifelong Alaskan residents to gun writers, I tried to follow the old adage: Get the best you can afford.

True Grit: Hunter’s 2019 Pronghorn

The does turned and resumed their march in our direction. The buck stopped broadside at 223 yards and the rifle thundered. The wallop of the bullet exploding the heart was clear, and after taking a few steps the giant tumbled to the ground.

Meet the Rat Hunters of New York City

New York City has a big rat problem. Thankfully, there is R.A.T.S. – a canine -led rat hunting outfit dedicated to the destruction of those unsightly little pests.

Assembling an Alaskan Hunting Rifle: Part One

Once I had picked up the rifle from a local sporting goods store, it was time to add a scope and the various accouterments to turn it into a legitimate all-weather hunting rifle, capable of holding its own no matter what Mother Nature throws at it.

Lesson Learned the Hard Way

Hunting in the West is full of unique challenges that need to be prepared for. Here are a few lessons I had to learn the hard way.

Archers: Beat Target Panic!

Are you tired of not being able to go to the range with your buddies? How about being sick of missing and wounding game? If you want to rid yourself of target panic and have the most successful fall of your life when it comes to making clean, ethical kills, read on.

Gear Review: Kestrel Monopod, A Must-Have Glassing Tool

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The real genius of the Kestrel is its floating carriage. The frame your binos mount to is suspended on the shock cord that runs through the poles. That means that you can freely slide the binos up and down the pole. The shock cord takes all the weight off the binos so that they feel weightless in your hands.

Frog Cleaning

I have processed many different types of game and fish from bluegill to bull elk and everything in between. I will say that cleaning frogs is by far one of the most challenging for me to this day.

Frog Gigging

Frog gigging is a great way to spend some hot summer nights. Although they task delicate and refined, the act of gathering them is just about as far from that as possible.

Benchmade 496 Vector – Field Tested

Benchmade does make a great knife. The 496 Vector is no exception. This knife is reliable and dependable each time you reach for it. It is comforting to have something that won’t fail in your pocket in a world full of uncertainty around us.

Simple Gourmet: Bear Kabobs

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Kabobs are a terrific way to share meat. They’re fun to eat, everyone likes them and you can make them on the grill, over the fire, or in the toaster oven.

Onx Maps App

Since we are so limited on the amount of time that we get in the field each year, it is crucial that we get to know an area as well as we can to maximize our chances of being successful. The OnX App can greatly help with that.

Taking Hogs: Exit Wounds

Even though they’re pigs, they still deserve a humane death, besides, the less time you spend looking for a hit pig is more time spent looking for more pigs!

Field Test: QAD Integrate MX

When my new-for-2019 Mathews Vertix arrived with a QAD rest attached to the face of the riser and not mounted to the bow’s Berger hole, my mind was truly blown.

Danner Thorofare Boot Review

You wouldn’t buy a sports car then outfit it with discount tires, the same should go for your feet; footwear is literally where the rubber meets the rocks. Enter the Danner Thorofare.

Waterfowl – All Those Batteries

If you are like me, you have a myriad of batteries that run most of what you use throughout the waterfowl season. I have 6-volt, 12-volt maintenance-free sealed lead acid batteries. In addition, I have Lithium Polymer and Lithium Ion in multiples of 3.7-volt cells.  Each has attributes worth knowing for use, safety, and storage.

1,000 Yards from a $500 Rifle – Ruger’s American Predator

When I unboxed the Predator, I found a skinny little tapered barrel, a light composite stock, and a surprisingly smooth action. I say surprising because there was really nothing remarkable about the rifle other than the action. Admittedly, I did not have high expectations for the predator. It is a deceptively modest gun. Can a rifle that retails for less than $500 makes hits at 1,000 yards?

Knife From A Champion: The WR Fighter From Wolf River Forge Reviewed

As a gun nut, one of the things I take for granted is the value of a good blade. Because I am also an avid hunter, I am reminded yearly of this very thing. I have spent years of my life testing various blades, and most of them have left me wanting more from a knife. My current opinion is that a person needs many for a variety of applications, outfits, and events. You know, for specific tasks and fashion demands.

Squirrel Hunting – How to Do It

Most small game hunters start chasing squirrels only when the leaves fall off the trees and they are easier to locate in the canopy. I too love to chase these fuzzy tailed critters in the winter months, but if you want a challenge and some early season fun, I would suggest you get into the woods when the leaves are still on.

2020 Gift Guide For The Father Who Loves To Hunt

Have a special someone in your life that loves to hunt? Father? Husband? Shirttail relative? Here’s a list of items that range from inexpensive to costly, little to big, subtle to showy. All are geared toward the serious hunter. All are awesome. Listed in no particular order.

Simple Gourmet: Smoked Bear Ham

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All this meat can be served hot or chilled. If you have a food slicer, it’ll make terrific sandwich meat. Smoking is a good way to prepare a lot of meat for use later.

How I Killed A Bear With A BB Gun

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I felt sore and disappointed and all kinds of things. I worked with hounds and horses, the same way humans have always done. It all leads up to the two-tenths of a second it takes a bullet to fly straight into my next meal.

Field Test: SEVR 2.1 Titanium Broadhead

I’m always a bit skeptical when a new broadhead arrives on my doorstep for testing. Though I loved the packaging — these heads had a lot to prove to live up to the hype surrounding them.

The Worst April Fools Joke Ever

I froze in place and looked right at the fiercest predator in North America and I was sure he was looking straight at me. His yellow eyes were wide and sharp and his ears were forward. I didn’t breathe.

Baits and Lures for Feral Hogs

Pigs are not the dumb animal many think they are, but they are creatures of habit. Find the areas or foods they like and use it to your advantage. Change up the baits you use to lure them in and it can lead to more pork in the freezer.

Serious Punch! 50 Caliber Airforce Airguns’ Texan LSS .50 CF – Reviewed

Airguns are not limited to what they used to be: guns for training children on gun safety. These days, airgun technology is advancing to the point where we can shoot heavier projectiles faster than ever before out of production rifles. Because of this, they are a great option to take out hunting! This Texan LSS .50 CF will produce up to 750 ft./lbs of energy, which is as much as a .357 Mag or 44 Mag in some cases. Yes, this is hard to believe, but not when you are holding a 600 grain slug in your hand.

Pandemic Scouting

With all the free time we seem to have, some in-home scouting can provide optimal preparation for the next time we can get out and do what we love. While we are confined to our homes, there are a few great resources that you can take advantage of to plan for the fall season.