Michael Waddell to Chair National Hunting and Fishing Day

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Outdoor television star Michael Waddell has been selected as honorary chairman for this year’s National Hunting and Fishing Day, set for Sept. 27.

In the volunteer role, Waddell becomes the official spokesman for the annual commemoration’s key message: Conservation succeeds only because of America’s 34 million hunters and anglers. In fact, through license fees and excise taxes, hunters and anglers generate $100,000 every 30 minutes for fish, wildlife and habitat programs. Read more

Fair Chase Is Ethical

Think for a moment about the title of this article. I have heard that simple statement repeated unendingly it seems and there is never a shortage of places to read about it either. Many who espouse to the feel-good title of an ethical hunter do so because they deem themselves to be one who believes in fair chase. The two main ingredients to look at in the title are “fair chase” and “ethical”. What is fair chase? Or in more brevity, what is fair? What does that four-letter word mean? And what about “ethical” or ethics, sometimes replaced with the word morals?

“It’s easy to define fair chase!”, I have heard repeatedly. “It’s hunting while affording the game every reasonable opportunity to escape.” And who is defining reasonable? Boone and Crockett has taken it upon themselves to define fair chase. Read more

“Undue Burden: The Real Cost Of Living With Wolves”

Are you looking to get a different perspective on wolves other than the Disney version or one that is perpetuated by the mainstream media? Now is your chance. Western Institute for the Study of the Environment says: Read more

Colorado Anti-Hunting Bill Dead….For Now

A bill that was sponsored by Colorado democrat Rep. Debbie Stafford and supported by the Humane Society of the United States, to end hunting in enclosures died in the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee on February 6, 2008.

HB1096, a bill that many said was poorly worded and very vague, was suspended indefinitely in the Colorado committee and many hope it is never revived in any way but you can be assured Coloradoans have not heard the last from at least the Humane Society of the United States whose aim is to stop all hunting. Read more

“The Mountains” On Seeing Deer

“And I don’t see how you can ever bear to shoot them.”

“Don’t you?” said I. “Well; suppose you’ve been climbing a mountain late in the afternoon when the sun is on the other side of it. It is a mountain of big boulders, loose little stones, thorny bushes. The slightest misstep would send pebbles rattling, brush rustling; but you have gone all the way without making that misstep. This is quite a feat. It means that you’ve known all about every footstep you’ve taken. That would be business enough for most people, wouldn’t it? But in addition you’ve managed to see everything on that side of the mountain - especially patches of brown. You’ve seen lots of patches of brown, and you’ve examined each one of them. Read more

When Do Wolves Become Dangerous To Humans?

Many of you have probably read several times or perhaps even heard me on my radio show talk about George Dovel and his ongoing efforts to reach people and educate them with facts about wildlife, etc. through his print publication, “The Outdoorsman”. (If you would like to subscribe to Mr. Dovel’s publication, you can write to this address: The Outdoorsman, P.O. Box 155, Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, 83629)

In the latest issue of the Outdoorsman, Dovel presents to his readers some background history on how our media, often times influenced by fish and game personnel and wildlife biologists, react to and present written information about human and wolf encounters. As part of Dovel’s presentation, he includes a great deal of information that he received from one of our very renowned wolf experts. Read more

Disappearing Act

By A. Sayward Lamb

This is another instance to substantiate the fact that it is possible to have a deer in your rifle’s sights, and still not get a shot at it. This happened to me one year, in early November, when I went hunting at Sanborn Valley, in South Woodstock. The ground was bare, and it was a crisp morning, with no wind. Just a nice quiet morning for still hunting. I chose to hunt up the mountainside along a ridge that runs parallel to Sanborn Brook. Read more

North Texas Success

By Chris Cobbett

Northwoods Adventures TV
Sometimes I think Texas gets a bad rap. So many people assimilate Texas with the small bodied high fence deer of the southern part of the state. Those people are overlooking one of the best sleeper hunts in the nation. Myself, Nate and two of our friends Devon and Chris packed up last week and headed just north of Amarillo to hunt with Skillet Creek Outfitters. The owners Frank Sparling and James McClellan are great pals of ours and come up every year to chase fall bear. I discovers this jem a few yearsback and have been hooked ever since. The guys only take a few people a year, they don’t charge trophy fees (shoot the biggest badest mother you can find), and they are affordable at 1800 for a 4 day hunt meals and lodging included. Read more

The Glutton or Skunk Bear

(Otherwise known as the Wolverine)
By Denny L. Vasquez

Order; Carnivora
Family; Mustelidae
Subfamily; Mustelinae

Growing up in the southwestern portion of the US, I often heard tales about the fierce and wild creatures that inhabited the snow and ice covered reaches of the far north. I remember reading the hunting magazines of the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s as they talked about such ferocious denizens of the north as the man-eating timber wolf, which chased it’s prey in vicious packs, before tearing them apart. Or the hump backed, silver haired monster grizzlies that seemed to kill for the pure pleasure of it. Read more