Testing Black Beard Fire Starters
Black Beard offers two different types of fire starters as well as several ignition sources.
Black Beard offers two different types of fire starters as well as several ignition sources.
One of the barracuda turned and started swimming towards me then opened his mouth full of pretty intimidating teeth. The game had just changed.
There are some companies that are just not given the credit deserved. Take for example, optics manufacturers Meopta.
Today the growth of new shallow-water mud or swamp motors is gaining the attention of wetland hunters
Where predator or big game hunting typically revolves around getting one perfect shot on an animal, hunting wild pigs in the US is more about extermination.
For those looking to find an affordable rifle chambered in the formidable 7mm PRC, Mossberg has you covered with the Patriot Predator.
The 80’s were an interesting and important time period for how elk were hunted.
Having worn an older version for years, I was curious to see if the design and material of Sitka’s new and improved Jetstream Jacket hold’s up to my expectations.
I had a 2022 love affair with a pair of Hoyt bows, and when you fall in love, it’s hard to make the change. Hoyt’s new VTM 31 made switching worth it.
The Freedom Arms line carries guns on a similar level as custom guns.
A young hunter is presented with a make-or-break long-range shot at a big bull elk. The pressure is on and time is short. Will he take the shot?
Technology advances our waterfowl hunting. Lucky Duck knows this and their new HD 2.0 Remote increases the field of options now available to us duck hunters.
The perfect gift for the hunter can be a daunting task, especially if they are well-equipped with gear and seem to have everything.
There are an ever-growing number of companies making knives, and it can be frustrating to wade through the marketing and lingo so let’s break it down for today’s hunter.
Be sure to go into each setup during the daylight and trim any low-hanging branches to keep from getting hung up or making unwanted noise.
Evaluating your gear before you head afield will help to ensure that you have a more comfortable and hopefully successful hunt.
When I heard that Slumberjack was making packs, I expected high quality and great design and I was not disappointed.
Many hunters considered the 16-gauge a near-perfect gauge and it’s making a comeback.
As with everything, choosing a cartridge for suppressed hunting is full of good, better, and best options. 375 Raptor is the cartridge that I would place in the “best” category.
An experienced hunter gets a close opportunity at a good bull elk, but the vitals are covered and his shooting position is unsupported. Will he take the shot?
Beginning in 1935, with what at the time was the first waterfowl census, the International Wild Duck Census began to take a look at the population.
Basically, it’s an egg-rich dish baked in the oven. You can add powdered sugar and butter for a sweet breakfast, or make it savory style with sausage or bacon and other additions for a tasty meal any time.
Injuries and health issues are a part of life, and I know I’m not the first hunter to suffer an injury less than a month out.
. Sports drinks like Gatorade, energy drinks and pre/post workout powders are everywhere but it’s hard to know what works and what might be actually wrecking our bodies. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry and common sense tells us that not all the players have everyone’s best interests at heart.
. Sports drinks like Gatorade, energy drinks and pre/post workout powders are everywhere but it’s hard to know what works and what might be actually wrecking our bodies. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry and common sense tells us that not all the players have everyone’s best interests at heart.
Shaun had a laundry list of things he wanted to improve on: nutrient-rich ingredients, balanced macros, quicker cook times, and a higher caloric count.
Most people who spend their free time in the mountains chasing game know the importance of good footwear.
This is not something small or a ducktail painted to look like a goose, rather this is a full-size goose tail with a powerful pump capable of moving a lot of water.
Sadly, bad things can happen on hunts, especially when roaming the backcountry.
Today, we can use something called a Solunar table to help predict periods of activity outside of the normal crepuscular behavior of game animals. Most animals fall into one of three categories: Diurnal means
A Hard-core hunter has a shot opportunity at a great public-land bull elk. He’s shooting a 6.5PRC rifle, which some consider too light for elk. Should he take the shot?
While having no previous experience with a straight-pull rifle before testing this Savage, I have grown to love his design.
Most will agree in the early season and with those hunting ducks further north, spinners are indeed a must.
It’s of utmost importance to know what to look for in a camp site. Read on for some tips on safe and successful locations to maximize your days afield.
The world of hunting rifles tends to be relatively stable. We have single shots, bolt actions, lever guns, and a few semi-autos. Nothing crazy, and most hunters don’t seem to want anything crazy anyway. Well, Savage decided to shake things up with the Impulse. The Savage Impulse is a bolt action rifle but isn’t your traditional rotary bolt. Instead, Savage went with a straight-pull bolt.
After 24 years of applying, a hunter finally draws a Limited Entry elk tag in Utah. A big bull comes to the call and stops head-on. Should he take the shot?
Bone broth is very simple to make and you can use it in all kinds of recipes that call for stock or broth.
I took this raccoon roast to Sunday Dinner at a friend’s house. 16 people ate it and they all agreed that it tasted like a beef roast — what do you expect when it eats the same things as cows each day?
I took this raccoon roast to Sunday Dinner at a friend’s house. 16 people ate it and they all agreed that it tasted like a beef roast — what do you expect when it eats the same things as cows each day?
I took this raccoon roast to Sunday Dinner at a friend’s house. 16 people ate it and they all agreed that it tasted like a beef roast — what do you expect when it eats the same things as cows each day?
I’ve been addicted to archery pronghorn hunting for 25 years, and my favorite method is duping a buck with a decoy.
The Rico MK1 384 thermal riflescope from iRayUSA features a rugged, waterproof, construction with a base 4x magnification making it ideal for long range nighttime hunting. It’s driven by a 12μm sensor with a 50hz refresh rate. It features the new optimized MATRIX III image algorithm software for sharp image resolution.
Factory ammo is available in cast or jacketed, with bullet weights from 325gr. to 410gr., and velocities running 1200fps to 1350fps.
Factory ammo is available in cast or jacketed, with bullet weights from 325gr. to 410gr., and velocities running 1200fps to 1350fps.
A young hunter gets a hard-won opportunity at a magnificent mule deer buck. It’s a long shot in challenging, windy conditions. Should he take the shot?
“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Steve Jobs I am a punctual person. From my… Read More »The Smartest Watch for Shooters and Hunters
Alaska is known as a land of extremes, and the men and women who successfully live and hunt there are rather particular about what does and doesn’t work.
Perhaps the only thing better than learning from your own mistakes is learning from someone else’s.
If I find myself needing some factory ammo to hunt with I’ll be looking for Accurate, Deadly, and Dependable; Hornady Handgun Hunter.
The most used and popular calibers, and those associated with handgun hunting, the 44’s and 45’s.
The variety of camouflage possibilities in today’s waterfowl market is huge. What to wear and what to choose are both based on what store carries what and what you can get sight unseen on the internet. For this article, I will focus on waterfowl camouflage used primarily from October to February in marsh and timber settings. As well as fabric in most of these patterns is available allowing one to make their own outer gear.
I’ve been a fan of razor blade knives since the first time I used one. I was excited to see that Liberty Game Calls is making one they call the Switchback
This recipe is seriously hearty and the perfect thing after a long day hunting. Stroganoff is credited as being a Russian dish, and I gotta believe making it with bear meat is more Russian than using beef. Plus, you gotta save the cows to make all the sour cream you’re going to need.
That is the reality with pistols. You can carry one your whole life and never need it, but when you do need it, you need it desperately.
When you draw a coveted tag you’ve waited a lifetime for, the preparation starts the day you pull the tag.
I watched helplessly as the struggle carried them closer to the trail’s edge and a long drop below.
After running the Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50 for around 6 months through many nights out in the field, I will share some of the features and my experiences with this optic. animals, thermal is king.
I dropped down onto the other side of the ranch gate and onto the saturated soil. I was hunting private property south of Longview, Texas, in early April 2021, and it had been raining much of the last 24 hours. It had been raining pretty steady for the last three days of my time here in East Texas, which made the fields and pastures even more inviting to the feral hogs that so love to root up the ground.
One of the best ways to break the routine, sharpen your bow shooting skills, and prepare for a freezer-filling fall is to pen the dotted line and enter a few (as many as you can) 3-D shoots.
This is going to be a 3 part article of calibers suitable for handgun hunting feral hogs and we will deal with those calibers that are typically used in revolvers. I will attempt to cover each group of calibers sufficiently and provide some good examples and information.
This is going to be a 3 part article of calibers suitable for handgun hunting feral hogs and we will deal with those calibers that are typically used in revolvers. I will attempt to cover each group of calibers sufficiently and provide some good examples and information.
I recently discussed waders and the many options available for purchasing the right wader. Once you have a new pair reality sets in that all waders will leak sooner or later. Aside from warranty to make the repairs, often you are forced to make the repairs yourself after the warranty has expired or to prepare immediately for another hunt. This is how to make the best effort at repairing those waders.
I recently discussed waders and the many options available for purchasing the right wader. Once you have a new pair reality sets in that all waders will leak sooner or later. Aside from warranty to make the repairs, often you are forced to make the repairs yourself after the warranty has expired or to prepare immediately for another hunt. This is how to make the best effort at repairing those waders.
I’m a bit of a backpack fanatic and I’ve tested piles of them over the years. One of the things I’ve learned is there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each adventure — from the whitetail woods of the Midwest to the elk-rich Rockies — requires a particular pack.
Handgun hunting tends to make every animal a memorable trophy. Although I personally prefer to take my handgun game at more sedate or reasonable distances. Knowing that the XP is capable of making solid hits on game at rifle distances allows me to carry it as a backup for those rare instances where getting closer isn’t possible.
If you are like me you tend to buy calls, use them, like them, hate them and move on to the next one. Calls take a ton of abuse and often we pay little or no attention to taking care of them both for maintenance and for adjustments. I sat down with a good friend and someone that calls as well as anyone I know, to discuss the call components and how anyone can disassemble, adjust, and rebuild just about any call with a few spare parts.
If you are like me you tend to buy calls, use them, like them, hate them and move on to the next one. Calls take a ton of abuse and often we pay little or no attention to taking care of them both for maintenance and for adjustments. I sat down with a good friend and someone that calls as well as anyone I know, to discuss the call components and how anyone can disassemble, adjust, and rebuild just about any call with a few spare parts.
When I show up to a public-land hunt area, even if the location seems to be void of other hunters, I treat the dirt and the birds on it like they’ve been hounded to death. I’ve used what I learned to harvest pressured public-land birds with my stick-and-string. Here’s what you need to know.
The Bering Optics Hogster Stimulus is no question fantastic for the dollar, if you are on a very limited budget. At $1599, you would be hard pressed to find something that will hang with it as far as capabilities go. But what if you have a little more in the tank? To answer that question, we took a look at the Stimulus side by side with Hogster R-35.
In five days we killed five bears, for three of the hunters it was their first. This will keep a few extra elk calves alive through the spring, provide a pile of meat to the hunters, and make some fine memories.
If you are looking at an exotic destination for vacation and want to spend a couple of days hunting, look no further than the Hawaiian Islands.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, is reporting an incident where a wolf belonging to a known wolf pack attacked a dog in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
I don’t shoot hogs from a blind here in Texas so I often find myself shooting from strange angles or on uneven terrain. Last year I did a review of the BogPod DeathGrip carbon fiber tripod and while it provided excellent stability…. its 7.5 pound weight made it cumbersome to pack up and carry across different pastures thru the night. I wanted to explore how much of a tradeoff I’m willing to make between stability and maneuverability.
I’d never heard of the 25 Sharps until I walked across the aisle at SHOT one year to the little booth occupied by the Sharps Rifle Company.
Our limited understanding of the history of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) only goes back to the 1960’s in Colorado where a captive deer at a research facility became the first animal where the disease was detected. Read that sentence again.
That was one of the furthest shots I’ve even made with a thermal optic, at night, on a hog. My guide and fellow hunters were cheering my shot, and I certainly felt good about it. But I also knew the REAP-IR made the shot possible.
I love a good ground blind set for springtime toms. A semi-brushed-in hub-style blind paired with some realistic turkey fakes will create some solid in-your-face action. However, being cloaked in ninja gear huddled in a blind’s back corner while you work a bird with seductive hen talk isn’t the only way to skewer a spring longbeard.
I’m all for making food from scratch, and this column is normally all about crafting tasty meals from the animals you kill. But when you’re planning to add the challenges of backpacking on top of the challenges of hunting, I think you should keep it simple.
Known for their awe-inspiring and challenging habitat, sheep are becoming increasingly popular to hunt so maximizing one’s opportunity if given the chance to pursue them is key.
One does not have to live through a day of waterfowl hunting on snack cakes, candy bars, apples, and jerky. I know cooking in the blind can be a full course meal as seen in some magazines, but here, we are talking about something good to eat, easy to pack in, easy to clean up and typically gets folks to ask for more.
It is said a dry duck hunter is a happy duck hunter. For the many that hunt marshes, ponds, lakes, and rivers the need to enter the water is inevitable. Depending on the depth of the water you may opt for knee boots, waist waders, hip waders, or chest waders.
If you’re a hunter, the SnipePod can be a crucial piece of gear. It gives you a stable yet flexible base to take sitting shots over brush and grass, and it significantly less than any other sitting bipod on the market (and less than many prone bipods as well). For $145, that’s not a bad deal.
Sheep hunting. Merely the words conjure up images of loopy-horned rams against a rugged backdrop of mountains carved into valleys by silty glacial runoff or clear mountain streams. Written and dreamt about by generations of outdoor enthusiasts, it’s easy to see why hunters’ love affair with the species only gets stronger over time.
If you live in a place with snow, you better be able to navigate it, otherwise your hunts are going to be restricted to places awfully close to home, or worse yet, put on hold until the season changes. er of options available today for methods of efficient travel over snow and I’m going to take you through the pros and cons of each that I’ve experienced.
The 26-year-old and her father bagged 13 coyotes over the two days of the contest, enough to earn both the championship and the prize for most coyotes killed.
The innovation of decoys starts with an idea. We all have ideas and often act on those ideas with designs of our own, but in this instance, Lifetime has moved to an outer orbit with their lineup of FlexFloat decoys.
There are so many possibilities and rigging your decoys should provide you years of service with little or no frustration. Time should be spent hunting not untangling decoy lines.
Ideas for finding the perfect gift for the outdoorsman or outdoorswoman.
Ideas for finding the perfect gift for the outdoorsman or outdoorswoman.
Donald is crediting Alex’s quick thinking for saving his life. While the pair was in the field Donald started have problems breathing, then collapsed.
Lunging for my rifle where it leaned against a bush, I slammed a cartridge home in the chamber. A big broken-horned kudu bull broke from the brush, racing full speed from right to left. Swinging with him, I watched my crosshairs catch up, swing through, and pass his vitals. My finger closed on the trigger
Over the years I have experienced a wild variety of waterfowl clothing. Starting with those old cotton waffled long johns you can buy at the farm and home store. Not sure those ever kept me warm or dry.
Dakota Decoys are a product of the Midwest and Missouri River Valley. Bill Willroth, the owner of Dakota Decoys and an avid hunter and media personality orchestrates their design and development. His show The Grind is a great way to learn and enjoy waterfowl hunting.
The author gets a surprise opportunity at a big mule deer. Full of adrenaline, his hands (and everything else) are shaking. The deer is close. Should he take the shot?
I work with youth and competitive sport shooting and often get the opportunity to hunt with them during the waterfowl season. In my state, we have a youth waterfowl opener that is a week ahead of the annual opening day. My good friend Scott offered that he had a young hunter, so we began to prepare for that first hunt.
practice of patterning a shotgun. This article provides some great advice for every shotgun enthusiast that wants to be a good competitive shooter.
It was the sixth day of an Alaska bison hunt that had thrown numerous challenges at us requiring an ever-evolving plan; we’d blown through Plans A, B, and C and were currently throwing a Hail Mary as our days afield came to a close.
This article is the second of two on thermal optics. In part one I discussed night vision, how I decided to invest in thermal optics, and profiled the iRay MH25 thermal scanner. In this article, I cover the Bering Optics Super Hogster thermal riflescope.
Elk are great movers, and during the rut, bulls will cover massive amounts of terrain in search of love. Be ready to traverse terrain and make a quick shot if you want to head home with horns for the wall and backstraps for the grill.
The first of a two part series, this article covers the scanning portion of thermal night hunting with a review of the IrayUSA Mini MH25 thermal scanner.