Field and Stream - Hunting RSS

Cast Iron Contest: Our Dutch Oven Winner & A New Skillet Up For Grabs

Online Editors — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:40:29 -0500

by Colin Kearns

We had a bunch of terrific entries for the Dutch oven contest. As I read them today, I kept getting hungrier and hungrier. If nothing else, you all proved that the best-tasting and most memorable meals are often enjoyed outdoors.

But, there was one meal that I wanted try more than any other. And it came from Beekeeper:

About 10 years ago on a coastal feral hog hunt, I used my old Dutch oven to make one of the best gumbos I've ever made. A half hour at low tide with a castnet provided fresh white shrimp and five or six blue crabs. I also picked up and shucked out oysters from a small shell bar. Back at camp a simple broth was made from the shrimp heads and shells while I was making a nice dark roux.

Bear Attack Leads Florida Woman to Stolen Champion Hound

Online Editors — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:13:21 -0500

by Chad Love

A Florida woman whose champion Plott hound was stolen and sold to an unwitting bear hunter now has her dog back, thanks to that hunter's honesty and a bad encounter with an angry bear.

From this story on jacksonville.com:

The frightening picture gave Joi Hosker both hope and despair. Hope because it meant her champion show dog had been found. Despair because it showed him hooked up to IVs and near death after being attacked by a bear. For eight fruitless months, she had searched for George, her Plott hunting dog whose registered name is “Hosker’s Georgie Boy.” It’s a lost-and-found story with a tall “tail” of an ending.

"...In late 2009, Hosker boarded George with a hunter/trainer in Columbia County while she traveled to Lake Charles, La., to visit her seriously ill mother and her husband was out of town on a job. When she returned home after her mother’s death, Gary Hosker broke the news that he feared George might be dead. The kennel owner had told him George had escaped.

The Inanimate Objects Are Against Us!

Online Editors — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:06:35 -0500

--Chad Love

Do you have a piece of gear that you just don't get along with? You know, the one that you can never seem to find, and when you do find it, it never seems to work the way it's supposed to? Do you sometimes feel like the thing is actually trying to irritate you? Like it's got some life of its own, and the purpose of that life is to tick you off? That may not be as crazy as it sounds...

Resistentialism (ri-zis-TEN-shul-iz-um) noun: Resistentialism is a jocular theory in which inanimate objects display hostile desires towards human beings. For example, objects that cause problems (like lost keys or a fleeing bouncy ball) exhibit a high degree of resistentialism. In other words, a war is being fought between humans and inanimate objects, and all the little annoyances objects give people throughout the day are battles between the two.

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Why Shorter Rifle Barrels May Be Better

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:27:18 -0500

by David E. Petzal

A couple of generations ago, before there was a chronograph lurking under every loading bench, gun makers used barrels of sensible lengths. If you got a .30/06 or a .270, most likely you got a 22-inch barrel. If you bought a magnum, it was probably 24 inches. Over the years, however, barrels have been getting longer, possibly because manufacturers are afraid their guns/ammo won’t deliver advertised velocities.

I’ve never feared shorter barrels. They are handier to use, weigh less, and often are more accurate than the longer ones. And as a rule, you lose very little velocity when you lop off some steel.

As proof of this, ace Texas rifle maker Charley Sisk recently published an experiment where he barreled six rifles with 27-inch tubes and chronographed them, cutting each one back an inch at a time. Space doesn’t allow me to list all the figures, but I can give you the totals.

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Can You Put a Price Tag on Hunting With Your Gun Dog?

Online Editors — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:48:57 -0500

by Chad Love

There was an interesting article last month in a Texas A&M University publication called Agrilife Today, which sought to put a monetary value on the bobwhite quail.

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Research: Parasites Possible Cause for Declining TX Quail Pops

Online Editors — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:55:52 -0500

--Chad Love

Where did the quail go? That is the question that everyone in quail country, especially Texas, is asking. Even with the recent drought, many Texas quail hunters reported seeing quail early in the year, especially in 2010, when weather was favorable--only to then discover those quail were gone come fall. As in completely gone. Roanoke Island gone.

But now researchers with the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch (RPQRR) in Texas may have discovered a potential (and partial) explanation for the bobwhite's troubling disappearance. It's gross, but fascinating.

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Camp Basics: How to Bake In a Dutch Oven

Online Editors — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:26:25 -0500

by Colin Kearns

One of the things I like about the Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook is that it is more than just recipes. The book includes a lot of helpful cooking tips, which is beneficial to we cooks because let’s face it, cooking with cast iron is an art and requires skill. Here is a list of guidelines for Dutch oven cooking, plus a handy chart to help you keep the oven at the correct temperature.

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British Police on Lookout for Wolfman

Online Editors — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:05:44 -0500

--Chad Love

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Animal Rights Activists Will Use Drones in SC to Film the "Horrors" of a Pigeon Shoot

Sarah Smith — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:33:00 -0500

--Chad Love

Apparently, drones aren't just for taking out terrorists and spying on citizens any more. An animal rights group says it will launch a remotely-piloted helicopter to videotape the unspeakable horrors of a South Carolina pigeon shoot.

From this story in the (Orangeburg, SC) Times and Democrat:

Live pigeon shoots scheduled this week at a private plantation near Ehrhardt are ruffling the feathers of two animal rights groups. Press releases put out by SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) say the Broxton Bridge Plantation event, scheduled for Feb. 9-12, should be halted. They have called upon Gov. Nikki Haley and both the Colleton and Bamberg County sheriff's departments to intervene to stop it. Steve Hindi, president of SHARK, said investigators from his agency will be videotaping what he called the "cruel and inhumane live pigeon shoot."

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Write a Caption, Win a $100 Bass Pro Shops Gift Card!

Sarah Smith — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:40:17 -0500

by Scott Bestul

If you’ve been following this blog, you may remember that one of our most popular caption-contest photos ever featured a kid hauling a deer on his shoulders as he rode a bike down the street. You gave us a ton of good captions for that one, but of course only one person could win. When I stumbled on this picture a couple of days ago, I though of all you poor folks who came oh-so-close last time but still wound up with nothing.

So here’s your second chance with a deer-on-a-bike photo. Go ahead and have at it; if the judging team (Hurteau and I--plus whomeever we wind up calling to settle our differences) chooses your caption, you’ll win a $100 gift card to buy some swag from our friends at Bass Pro Shops.

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Pres. Announces CRP Open Enrollment but High Crop Prices Have Farmers Opting Out

Sarah Smith — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:22:24 -0500

by Bob Marshall

The Obama Administration's decision last week to hold open enrollment for the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays landowners not to farm marginal croplands, has earned cheers from sportsmen's groups.

The impact of the program's 30 million acres over several decades on everything from waterfowl to upland birds, deer, fish and water quality has earned it the title as the most successful conservation program in U.S. history.

However the program has been stressed in recent years. The sky-rocketing value of corn and other farm commodities has many farmers opting out when their 10- to 15-year contracts expired, while some others have campaigned the legislators to give them early exits. Meanwhile, some in Congress have proposed cutting funding for CRP.

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The 180-Class Pending B&C World Record 8-Point Buck!

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:46:12 -0500

This 8-point buck is a shoe-in for the B&C world record.

NC Officials Consider Coyote, Feral Pig Night Hunt

Sarah Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:41:14 -0500

--Chad Love

Coyote hunters in North Carolina might soon be able to go nocturnal for 'yotes and feral pigs if a proposal being considered by the state wildlife commission passes.

From this story on charlotteobserver.com:

Coyote-haters, here's the news you've been waiting for. North Carolina wildlife officials are considering expanding the time when coyotes could be hunted. At a time of increasing complaints from urban residents across the Southeast about the increasing coyote population, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is proposing that coyotes -- along with feral pigs -- could be hunted at night. It is not clear how the proposal would affect residents in Charlotte and other urban areas, where the use of firearms and archery equipment is limited by law. Coyote hunting is legal in North Carolina, with no limits, except that it must take place during daytime.

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Valentine's Day Soup Recipe + Contest Winner Announced

Online Editors — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:12:35 -0500

by David Draper

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Ohio's Deer Harvest Numbers Down by 20,000 Since 2011

Online Editors — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:07:36 -0500

--Chad Love

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Jack O'Connor's Legendary No.2 Rifle

Online Editors — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:08:59 -0500

by David E. Petzal

In 1959, Jack O’Connor bought a Winchester Model 70 .270 Featherweight in a hardware store in Lewiston, Idaho. He had bought his first Winchester .270, a Model 54, in 1925, and in the ensuing years had made the cartridge synonymous with his name. He already had several .270s, but as we all understand, one or two of anything is never enough.

The new gun—O’Connor called this the No. 2 rifle--turned out to be very accurate (MOA or just under, which in 1959 was sensational), and so O’Connor took it to his favorite custom gunsmith, Al Biesen, of Spokane, to give it a level of elegance befitting its performance. Biesen completed the work in 1960. Biesen was not only a first-rate craftsman, but had a very good feel for ergonomics. All his stocks had a very slim pistol grip that belled toward the bottom, and they have a very distinctive feel. You can mount a Biesen rifle blindfolded and pick it out of a bunch of rifles.

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Boone & Crockett: Whitetail Record Entries Have Increased 400% In Past 3 Decades

Online Editors — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:12:38 -0500

by Scott Bestul

I grew up hunting deer in Wisconsin. I distinctly remember how much I yearned to take a trophy buck. And while I occasionally pine for the hunts of my youth, the truth is that my odds of tagging a wall-hanger are far better now than they ever were when I got my start in the 1970s.

According to a recent press release by the Boone and Crockett Club, whitetail entries in the B&C book have skyrocketed in recent years, rising some 400 percent across whitetail range in the past three decades. And some states, Wisconsin in particular, have made incredible jumps. Badger State hunters registered 40 bucks in the B&C book from 1980-85. That number soared to 383 animals from 2005-2010, an increase of 857 percent! Illinois’ jump for that same time period is even higher at 896 percent. And Ontario went from a single deer during the 1980-85 period to 41 from 2005-10—an incredible 4,000 percent gain!

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Got a Question For Interior Secretary Salazar? Ask It Today at 1 p.m. EDT

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:22 -0500

by Hal Herring

Over the past fifteen years, more and more of my bird and antelope hunting has been done on Bureau of Land Management public lands. Every year, I buy a pass to Glacier National Park, and our family hikes and rambles there are some of the finest experiences of my life so far. For me, and for millions of other American outdoorspeople, no public agency has as much potential or actual effect on hunting, fishing and just the plain freedom to roam and camp and shoot as does the US Department of Interior.

Watch live streaming video from interior at livestream.com

On February 7th at 1 pm EDT, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will be taking questions and discussing conservation and the economy in a live webchat that should be both interesting and informative. The sportsmen and women of the US need to have their voices heard on issues that range from wolves and energy development to the restoration of the Mississippi Delta- this is a chance to make that happen. Please don’t miss it. Click here to watch it on the Department of Interior site.

Here’s a quick list of agencies under the Department of the Interior, which should inspire participation--because every one of us has a stake in here somewhere:

-Bureau of Indian Affairs
-Bureau of Land Management
-Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
-Bureau of Reclamation
-Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
-National Park Service
-Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
-U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
-U.S. Geological Survey

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Fewer Snow Geese In Texas, Fewer Hunters

Sarah Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:43:00 -0500

--Chad Love

Hunter participation in Texas' post-season conservation order snow goose hunts has plummeted, as the number of birds wintering in Texas has declined dramatically.

From this story in the Houston Chronicle:

During the 2000 snow goose conservation season, almost 28,000 waterfowlers went afield in Texas. They took, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department surveys, a little more than 102,000 geese. The next two years, participation fell a bit, to about 18,400 in 2001 and 21,700. Then things changed, drastically. In the early 2000s, the number of snow geese coming to the Texas coast nose-dived as the birds began a major shift in wintering grounds.

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Recipe: Cast-Iron-Skillet Fried Catfish

Sarah Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:30:06 -0500

by Colin Kearns

Like just about every eater (and imbiber), I have my weaknesses: cold fried chicken, bacon, backstrap, bourbon, fish tacos, sharp cheddar and pretzels. And catfish—preferably fried.

So when I saw the recipe for Deep-Fried Catfish in the new Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook, I asked the folks at Lodge if I could have it to share with Wild Chef readers. They obliged, bless their hearts. Enjoy.

Deep-Fried Catfish

Ingredients:
- 1 gallon canola oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 5 pounds catfish fillets, all cut to about the same size
- Garnish with lemon wedges.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small jar yellow mustard
- Lemon wedges for garnish

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Virginia May Lift Its One-Handgun-Per-Month Restriction

Online Editors — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:15:46 -0500

--Chad Love

The state of Virginia may lift its long-standing ban on purchasing more than one handgun per month.

From this story in The Washington Post:

Virginia is poised to lift a 19-year-old limit on handgun purchases, with the Republican-controlled state Senate expected to do away with the one-gun-per-month cap in a final vote Friday. With the purchase limit likely headed for extinction, Richmond appears to have grown friendlier to gun rights since Republicans took control of the evenly divided Senate last month, pro-gun and gun-control activists agree. This week, the Senate passed a bill prohibiting localities from requiring that people seeking concealed handgun permits submit fingerprints as part of their applications. The House passed a bill allowing government employees to store guns and ammunition in personal cars parked in workplace lots, including those at child-care centers and parks.

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The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:52 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of January.
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Contest: Win a New Cookbook and a Dutch Oven!

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:02:26 -0500

by Colin Kearns

Every day this week the Wild Chef will feature recipes and tips from the brand new cookbook, The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook. We'll also be giving away some great prizes, including copies of the book, a Lodge cast-iron skillet, and Lodge cast-iron Dutch oven.

How’s this for a day: The other turkey hunters and I crawled out of our tents around 4 a.m. The stars in western Nebraska hung so low, you were tempted to reach for one. My hunting partner, Jim, and I teamed up with Phillip Vanderpoole to hunt from a blind on the edge of an alfalfa field. I killed a tom at 7 a.m. A few hours later, Jim shot a gobbler of his own. We were back at camp by 11 a.m., where the kitchen crew had prepared a champion’s breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and sausage.

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How a Sporting Chef Fights Hunger with Wild Game

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:49:11 -0500

by David Draper

If you’re even the least bit interested in wild-game cooking—and I assume you are if you’re reading this blog—you’ve probably heard the name Scott Leysath a time or two. Better known as The Sporting Chef, Leysath has built his 20-plus-year reputation on creating delicious and original fare from fish and game.

In addition to appearing on the Hunt Fish Cook and Ducks Unlimited television shows, he also writes the cooking column for DU’s magazine and contributes recipes and cooking advice to a number of other outdoor outlets. Lately, Leysath has been polishing his sterling reputation by hosting HuntFishFeed events, where the Sporting Chef and a team of volunteers prepare donated game meat for the less fortunate.

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The Cure For Buck Fever? Take A Practice Shot With The Safety On

Sarah Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:36:43 -0500

by Scott Bestul

I’m the first to admit that I’m no rifleman. I've always lived in shotgun-only country. While I've taken my share of deer with a gun, all have been at close range. What's more, for many years now my primary weapon has been a bow--either recurve or compound. All of this adds up to one simple fact: Deer beyond 70 or 80 yards seem a long way out there to me.

So when I was invited on a rifle hunt in Alabama last week, I did what I always do on a rifle hunt--pray the deer stay close. Oh I know what a centerfire rifle is capable of, but I'm just not enough of a rifleman to let the weapon realize its potential. On the last morning of the hunt I proved it, whiffing on a buck that was an easy target.

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