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How to Hunt Bears from Boats

There are pro’s and con’s to hunting spring bear from a river. You know how bird hunters say the reason they do it is for their dog? The reason I hunt from a river is for the river, not because it’s the more effective way to hunt, because it isn’t. Everywhere you can hike is going to be straight up, and thermals start rising in these river canyons very early in the day and don’t start coming back down until dark.

Leupold BX-5 Santiam HD Binocular

Leupold & Stevens—long famous for their rock-solid riflescopes—have stepped up their game of late, and their BX-5HD binocular offers an incredible value.

Simple Gourmet: Sweet & Sour Mountain Lion

Cougar, mountain lion, puma, catamount, painter — whatever you want to call it, if you get a text from a buddy who guides hunts for Felix concolor that reads, “Do you want a mtn lion backstrap?” you should answer affirmatively, and then beg for the hams, too.

Turkeys: Public Land Diplomacy

We have all looked in the rear-view mirror while driving at 3:30 in the morning on the way to the local parking lot, only to get that sinking feeling in your gut when you see headlights. This is when you know that the race is on and your day just went from exciting and hopeful to competitive and rushed.

Top 5 Tips for Baiting Bears On Public Land

As a hunter and conservationist, harvesting bears is an important aspect of sound wildlife management practices. Having the ability to construct a bait site on public land- where it is legal, is a great way to hunt bears. Below are my top 5 tips for baiting bears on public land that have worked for me.

Springtime Coyote Strategies

With spring fever running rampant throughout the outdoor community, it’s easy to get caught up in the hoopla of open water and thundering toms. But for those who didn’t get their fill of coyote hunting this winter, spring can provide some fantastic opportunities with some added benefits. Throughout this article, I’ll discuss the ecological benefit of hunting coyotes in the springtime as well as effective strategies for calling coyotes this time of year.

Shed Hunting – Tips For Success

As the hunting season comes to an end in late January, many hunters plan for the long drought of game and wait for the time when they can apply for next year’s tag draws or plant food plots. For many, the only oasis in this time period is turkey season. However, there is another way that we can pass the time “hunting” that serves a few purposes. I can promise that it will get you out into the woods before turkey season and it will help you see if the bucks and bulls, which you chased through the season, made it. An exciting and productive pastime that has become very popular for many outdoorsmen and women is shed hunting.

5 Tips For Baiting Bears

Hunting black bears using bait is a fun and effective way to sustainably pursue and harvest black bears. Before you load up and head out to your next bear hunt, be sure to first read my top 5 tips for baiting bears.

Simple Gourmet: Beijing Bear

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If they hunted bears in China, this might be how they’d eat it…or at least, if bear was on the menu at Panda Express, this is how it would be served. Bear meat goes so well with sweet recipes, and this one works well to tenderize even the toughest cuts.

Field Tests: Sitka’s Stratus Jackets

Last fall, Sitka Gear released a new hunting jacket, the Stratus, in two versions: one in Blaze Orange, the other in Sitka’s Optifade Elevated II camouflage pattern. I have been on some chilly hunts with first-rate results!

Turkey Scouting: Key To Success!

With a few quick scouting trips to a potential new turkey spot using these three simple signs, you can greatly increase your chances of taking a tom.

Building the Perfect Turkey Gun

I have known hundreds of hunters over the years and I have to say turkey hunters are the most passionate, focused group of hunters I’ve ever encountered.

See in the Dark: Hunt Like a Ninja and Shoot Like a Sniper

No matter what kind of hunting you do, working more effectively in low light can make your hunt better. The more light you use, the more you need. Know the law, some game regulations prohibit night shooting, but you can still get more hunting day by working in reduced light. Optimizing your biology and selecting appropriate technology can make every hunt better.

Desert Deer: A Week of Adventure

Coues deer make their home in the Southwest and provide a unique opportunity for serious deer hunters who are willing to spend hours behind their optics and brave vegetation that pokes, cuts, or stings, warm temperatures, and ghost-like deer habits under the semblance of fun.

High and Dry: 5.11 Duty Rain Shell

For less than $100, the 5.11 Duty Rain Shell is everything I was looking for in a jacket to use while enjoying my firearms while also not breaking the bank.

Destination Hunting In COVID Times

The desire to adventure while exploring new terrain and hunt big game species can be satisfied with embarking upon a destination hunt. And, there are many adventures to be had even during times of COVID.

Simple Gourmet: Corned Elk in Your Ninja Foodi

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Who doesn’t enjoy corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day? Especially when it seems like winter is dragging. Making it with your game meat is another great way to share your hunting experiences.

Dove for a Lifetime: Argentina Bucket List Hunt

Like many others, I have heard for years about the droves of roosting doves in Argentina and groups shooting thousands of birds a day. To a guy who has sat for hours in an Alabama dove field waiting for enough dove to fill a 15 bird limit, this seems unfathomable – the stuff of legends, hunting folklore if you will.

CZ-USA’s Upland Ultralight All-Terrain (20 ga OU)

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One of the updated models is the Upland Ultralight All-Terrain, which I’ve been using in 20 gauge. It’s lightweight, it’s beautifully constructed, and it comes up on-target every time game flushes. Read on for a close look at all the features as well as a few things that could be better.

Make Your Own Kydex IWB Pistol Holster: An Instructable

The reason you are here is because you want to make your own pistol holster. By literally taking things into your own hands you can save money, add features, or further simplify to your liking. For my purpose I chose to use Kydex, a thermoform plastic, due to it’s great retention and ease of forming.

The Blind Bag – More Than You Need & Never Enough

I just don’t remember having the need, or the thought that perhaps, I might use more than shells and calls in my early days of hunting. But today we haul a ton of stuff simply because shell bag designers have put great thought into styles. Some use a backpack and others a bag, but whatever you use I know there will be some discussion about what you might consider hauling in for a hunt.

Lucky Duck’s New Agitator

Over the years of hunting waterfowl, I have become a huge fan of water moving decoy motion. Lucky Duck’s newest decoy product is the compilation of ideas that provide waterfowl hunters an answer to stale, calm, and quiet spreads.

Tips For Winter Hound Hunts

If it is adventure that you seek, then you will find it hunting mountain lion, bobcat or lynx in the winter months. These hunts can be extremely physical and being well-prepared can certainly enhance your experience.

New Savage Impulse Straight Pull Rifle – First Look

A straight-pull rifle is cycled by just two motions, backwards and forwards on a linear path. This differs from a traditional bolt action where four motions are required- rotate bolt, pull back, push forward, rotate down. The result is speed, accuracy, and reliability.

How to Dress a Duck – It’s Easy

I was probably five or six when I got my first duck and then of course the right of passage required I clean the duck. I had watched my father who I can only assume learned from his father but I still today, do it as he taught me way back then.

Simple Gourmet: Game-Stuffed Pumpkin

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This is a great dish for a cold Sunday in January. It’s rich and creamy with spices for the season. Prep it in the morning, pop in the oven and go to church or take the dog for a walk in the woods and it’ll be ready when you get home.

January Is a Great Time to Hunt Squirrels

This time of year offers a great opportunity for one of my absolute favorite small game species: Squirrels. The leaves are off the trees, but these crafty little survivors can be quite difficult to get on the ground this late in the season.

Pro-Tips for Thriving in the Cold

A lot of hunting is waiting. Hunting season in most of the country comes with cold weather. Hunting can be exciting, there is nothing like finding the buck or shooting the duck, but when you have to sit in the cold it can lose some of its luster. Let’s beat the cold and harvest that game.

Why Not Texas?

Your thoughts are turning to spring adventures. You’re planning a turkey hunt or two, of course, but what else? My advice: Look to the Lone Star State.

Browning’s New Wicked Wing Maxus – Shadow Grass Blades

At some point, any waterfowl hunter is attracted to the guns that have some type of wet fowl-weather durability. Browning’s Wicked Wing meets that tough demand with their Cerakote Burnt Bronze finish, synthetic stock and forearm, and a fully chromed bore.

Calling All Coyotes: MFK Game Calls

If you’re a hardcore coyote hunter odds are you don’t just use e-callers. They’re a tried-and-true method for creating awesomely realistic sounds in real-time. You can even mix it up by using e-callers and diaphragm calls together. Interested? Then you should check out MFK Game Calls.

New CZ 557 Eclipse — Just $659!

CZ-USA just announced the updated Model 557 Eclipse bolt-action rifle, with a simplified, lower-priced packaging that still brings a whole lot of features to the table.

Simple Gourmet: How To Make Sausage 101

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Once you enjoy breakfast with your own links and a delicious sandwich at work made with your own salami, you’ll be shopping for a grinder and looking for more meats to grind in no time.

A Hunter’s Holiday Wishlist ($20-$1000)

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These are some of the tools I found myself reaching for again and again this season. Use these to ignite your imagination for your own list or to shop for the hunters in your life.

Review: Kenetrek Boots

Your feet matter. There’s no reason to go through a hunt miserable from foot pain or to risk infection or injury. Invest in Kenetreks and you’ll not only be a happier hunter but your feet will thank you.

Top Ten Tactical Christmas

With ever-present threats looming prominently all year, 2020 taught us that preppers aren’t so whacky after all. Take a look at this year’s Top Ten Tactical Christmas list for gift ideas to make yourself and your loved ones more prepared in 2021.

Knives for the Outdoorsman

Fixed blade or a folding knife? 5 inch blade or a 10 inch blade? When it comes to choosing a knife to venture outdoors with here some things to consider.

Mountain Goats and Hurricanes

Steep country and mountain goats go together. The goats are built for rocky cliffs where few other animals can maneuver. Their feet are much more square than a deer or elk, and besides a hard edge

Renew Your Boots

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It’s too bad that the waterproofing on the leather and nylon outside your boot wears off so quickly. This is the waterproofing that you need to renew to keep your feet dry.

Simple Gourmet: Knife-Ground Meat Meals

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If your season is going like mine, then you’re up to your elbows in meat processing. I was fortunate to kill a mule deer doe late in the archery season and I just killed my first elk, a cow, last week. In less than three weeks my freezer is overflowing.