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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.

The Best Shotguns of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:43 -0500

These are the best new shotguns of 2012.

The Best New Rifles of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:41:18 -0500

The Best New Rifles of 2012.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 3

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:48:52 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 2.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:34:22 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 2.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day I

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:48:40 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 1.

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From 2011

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:15:14 -0500

The 60 best photos submitted by readers in 2011.

Field & Stream's Best Photo Galleries and Blogs of 2011

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:53:52 -0500

The 25 best online stories from F&S in 2011.

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From December 2011

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:44:10 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of December.

First Shots Photo Collection

Online Editors — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:59:48 -0500

A collection of jaw-dropping hunting and fishing photos from Field & Stream's "First Shots" magazine section.

Only One Bear Killed in South Carolina’s First Bear Hunt Since 1950's

Sarah Smith — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:09:29 -0500

--Chad Love

The state of South Carolina just conducted its first coastal black bear hunt since "Leave It To Beaver" was a hit, but apparently someone must have tipped off the bears beforehand.

From this story on heraldonline.com:

The bears did better than the hunters in the first black bear hunting season on South Carolina's coast in more than a half-century. Only one of the 30 hunters who drew tags to hunt bears this month in Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties managed to bag one. A 197-pound female was killed Wednesday in an agricultural field in Georgetown County, said Deanna Ruth, a wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Bear Found Sleeping In NJ Basement

Sarah Smith — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:29:38 -0500

--Sarah Smith Barnum

New Jersey bears have been a hot topic in the news lately. People are grappling over whether to spend money on non-lethal management methods, or to earn money in a tight economy with a bear hunting season. Tough call.

Today is no different. A NJ cable TV repairman found a bear sleeping in his basement. At least the seal from New Zealand made it to the couch.

From this story on NBC New York:
A cable TV repairman had his very own Goldilocks moment Wednesday when he found a sleeping bear in the basement of a home in Hopatcong, New Jersey, NBC New York reported.

NJ Bear Hunt for Sport or Management?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:58:57 -0500

by Sarah Smith Barnum

The New Jersey bear hunt is over and people are trying to figure out whether it was a good choice or not. Groups such as the New Jersey Sierra Club, the APLNJ and BEAR Group contend that hunters are killing the bears purely for sport--not management--and that there must be a more effective management plan.

The proposed plan suggested public education to teach people how to better handle their garbage disposal, but if suburban sprawl continues to eat the land bears call home, then the locals better get used to bruins in the trash or hunters managing the population.

From this controversial story on Northjersey.com:

...Black bear sightings have increased in regularity from 1995 to the present, according to the DEP. There have been black bear sightings in every county in New Jersey, with the bears making their way into more and more densely populated residential areas, the DEP said.

The 75 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From November 2011

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:13:59 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of October.

NJ Groups Sue for Right to Protest Check Stations During Bear Season

Sarah Smith — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:32:36 -0500

--Chad Love

Animal rights groups in New jersey are suing for the right to protest at check stations during New Jersey's six-day bear season, which kicked off this morning.

From this story in the Wall Street Journal:

Animal-rights advocates will head to court to seek permission to stage daily protests during New Jersey's six-day bear hunt, which gets under way Monday. Doris Lin, an attorney who represents the Animal Protection League of New Jersey and similar groups, said a state Department of Environmental Protection official had given them verbal approval to protest at the Franklin bear check station. But Ms. Lin said the DEP then formally denied the protest request late Friday afternoon, instead offering two alternative sites that the groups declined because they offered "much less visibility" than the check station. The activists also want to be at the station so they can document how many bears are killed.

Is It Time To Remove the Grizzly From the Endangered Species List?

Sarah Smith — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:52:36 -0500

--Chad Love

With a record number of nuisance grizzly bears being trapped in Montana, some are asking if it's time to remove the grizzly from its listing under the Endangered Species Act.

From this story in The Missoulian:

The number of grizzly bears captured in Montana's Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem set records this year, prompting discussions among state wildlife officials about a new era in grizzly bear management.

Conflicts between bears and humans soared during the 2011 season and kept grizzly bear managers extremely busy, particularly in northwestern Montana. In the past 10 days alone, six additional bears were removed from the wild, according to John Fraley, spokesman for Region 1 of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Washington Widow Files Wrongful-Death Suit Against Hunter and Landowner

Online Editors — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:40:57 -0500

--Chad Love

A Washington state woman whose forest worker husband was shot and killed by a bear hunter is now suing the hunter and the timber company who owns the land on which the accident occurred, claiming the company should not have let hunters and forestry workers in the same area.

From this story on thenewstribune.com:

The widow of a man fatally shot by a hunter who mistook him for a bear has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the hunter and three Western Washington companies, one of them headquartered in Tacoma. Marta Gomez-Mendoza contends Gerald Aldrich “failed to exercise reasonable care to identify his target” before he accidentally killed her husband, Carlos Pablo-Carrillo, in the Mason County woods in September 2010.

Black Bear Population On The Rise, Many States Expand Hunting Season

Online Editors — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:25:43 -0500

--Chad Love

Are the bears coming for you? Black bear populations are on the rise pretty much everywhere, and it's causing a big spike in human/bear conflict, according to this story in the Wall Street Journal:

Forty years after being hunted to near-extinction in many parts of the U.S., black bears have become so plentiful that they are causing trouble for their human neighbors˜ripping open camping tents in Colorado, attacking dogs in New Jersey, even breaking into a home in Florida to nab a birthday cake from the kitchen counter.

Bear populations have surged so much that several states, including Nevada, Oklahoma and New Jersey, have started or expanded bear hunting seasons. Texas is circulating a brochure that tells hunters what to do if a bear wanders into camp. ("Talk in a calm manner...Do not run!...Do not play dead!")

Day One: Exploring Idaho’s Clearwater Basin

Online Editors — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:00:58 -0500

by Hal Herring

Hunting Amidst Grizzlies: Always Respect the Bruin, and Remember Your Bear Spray

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:05:38 -0500

by Hal Herring

Hunter shoots charging griz in Badger-Two Medicine area
By Karl Puckett

A Kalispell elk hunter shot and killed a charging grizzly bear in the Badger-Two Medicine Area of the Rocky Mountain Front on Wednesday. It was the third instance of hunters shooting grizzly bears in self defense on the Front — and at least the eighth in northwestern Montana — since big-game rifle hunting season began three weeks ago.

In an interview, Ben Laster, 28, described the shooting of the female grizzly as "the worst thing I've had to do in my life."

I was hunting just east of the Scapegoat Wilderness boundary, about a week ago. In the half-light before dawn, the tracks in the snow on the game trail looked like they might be human. As the light came up, though, it was clear that they were grizzly tracks, the improbably huge mitten-like print with the perfectly round toes, the frozen steep ground scored by the big diggers, like a badger print blown up, a badger from an old black and white Godzilla movie. Most of the tracks were blurred—there was more than one bear traveling here, and it looked like we were all going to the same place, a little pass about a mile and half off.

Grizzly That Attacked 3 Montana Hunters Not To Be Euthanized

Sarah Smith — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:45:49 -0500

--Chad Love

A grizzly bear sow that attacked two Montana hunters did nothing wrong and will not be euthanized, according to Montana FW&P officials.

From this story on kxlf.com:

A grizzly bear that attacked two hunters in Madison County over the weekend appeared to be acting in self-defense, according to a Fish, Wildlife and Parks official. "There are no plans to do anything with this bear just because this was a surprise encounter. This bear was doing what a bear does, she was defending her cubs. And there's just nothing that needs to be done in this case," FWP spokesperson Andrea Jones said.

The 50 Best Photos from Round II of the 2011 F&S Fall Trail Cam Contest

Online Editors — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:51:21 -0500

The Best 2011 Round 2 Trail Cam Photos

Bears, Cheetahs, Tigers Escape Preserve, Shut Down Ohio Town

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:33:43 -0400

Owner of Private Reserve Found Dead, Animals Being Shot

--Chad Love

If you live in the vicinity of Zanesville, Ohio, you might want to grab your trusty double rifle and your copy of "Use Enough Gun" or maybe "Death in the Long Grass" before you step outside today. You're gonna need it, Bwana...

From this story on abcnews.com:

An Ohio town is under lockdown as dozens of wild animals including bears, wolves and tigers have escaped from a private preserve are and are on the loose after the owner of the preserve has been found dead.Terry Thompson of Zanesville, Ohio, was found dead of unknown causes inside the preserve while the animals cages were found unsecured. Thompson, 61, was recently released from prison after serving one year on federal weapons charges. According to investigators he has been cited in the past for animal abuse and neglect. Speaking on "Good Morning America" Wednesday Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said that they will not have a count on how many animals have been killed until daylight arrives in Ohio.

Heroes of Conservation Winner Announced!

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:58:38 -0400

At a time when the U.S. government is being asked to do more with less, conservationists all over the country are doing more without waiting to be asked. These efforts were recognized at the sixth annual Heroes of Conservation awards gala, sponsored by Field & Stream and Toyota. "It's a critical time, budgets are tight, and it is possible that essential projects to restore and protect America's wildlife and lands will be shelved due to lack of funds," F&S Editor Anthony Licata said at the Washington, D.C. event. "But there is hope. We are humbled by and incredibly grateful to people like our heroes, who are willing to work even when there isn't a budget."

NJ Woman Kicks Dead Bear After it Attacked Her Llamas, Breaks Toe

Sarah Smith — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:37:10 -0400

--Chad Love

Here's one from the "Don't Kick Them When They're Down" files, or maybe the "Don't Make Me Angry. You Won’t Like Me When I'm Angry" files. A New Jersey woman who was defending her llamas against an aggressive black bear ended up receiving a broken toe in the melee after repeatedly kicking the now-dead bear's head in a self-described "hissy fit."

From this story on lehighvalleylive.com:

Lydia Chiappini was asleep on a couch in her art studio when she awoke to the screams of one of her llamas being mauled by a bear. But she didn't think too much of it at first. "I thought he might have been wrestling with another llama because they make the same noise, you know?" Chiappini said Monday. She quickly, however, found herself between her llama and the bear, an intruder police ended up shooting.