Field and Stream - Other Species RSS

State in Western India Allows Guards to Shoot Tiger Poachers On Sight

Online Editors — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:58:54 -0400

--Chad Love

If you're a tiger poacher in India, you might want to invest in some body armor, make sure your will is up-to-date, or maybe just give it up altogether, because you're likely to get shot.

From this story on npr.org:
A state in western India has declared war on animal poaching by allowing forest guards to shoot hunters on sight in an effort to curb rampant attacks on tigers and other wildlife. The government in Maharashtra says injuring or killing suspected poachers will no longer be considered a crime. Forest guards should not be "booked for human rights violations when they have taken action against poachers," Maharashtra Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam said Tuesday. The state also will send more rangers and jeeps into the forest, and will offer secret payments to informers who give tips about poachers and animal smugglers, he said.

According to the story, tiger poachers have become increasingly bold in India's tiger reserves, where guards are often armed with nothing more than sticks. There are only about 3,200 wild tigers left in the world, and India has about half of them. Fourteen tigers have been killed just this year, and eight of those have been killed in the province where it's now legal to kill poachers.

Wanted: Samples for DNA Testing to Prove Bigfoot's Existence

Online Editors — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:31:04 -0400

--Chad Love

Are you in possession of a suspected Bigfoot turd? Maybe a giant fingerprint? Perhaps a clump of fur or some other bit of physical or forensic evidence from the time when that group of suspected Sasquatches broke into your cousin Earl's single-wide while he was gone, drank all his Natty Lite, ate everything in the fridge, tore up the place and then left a big, steaming parting gift on his coffee table before disappearing back into the woods?

If you (or your cousin Earl) do happen to have evidence of The Hairy One's existence, then Oxford University wants to talk to you...

From this story on Wired.co.uk:
Supposed yeti remains are being put under the microscope in a collaboration between Oxford University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology. The Oxford-Lausanne Collateral Hominid Project has been created to try and entice people and institutions with collections of cryptozoological material to submit it for analysis. Anyone with a sample of organic remains can submit details of where and when it was collected, among other data.

Once a reasonable database has been collected, the team will select the most interesting samples (hair shafts are particularly desirable, apparently) and ask the owners to submit them for rigorous genetic analysis. The results of these analyses will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

According to the story, the project seeks to determine, once and for all, whether Bigfoot, Yeti and company truly exist, and they want your evidence to help them do it. So if you've got that unidentified "spoor" sitting on your mantle in a baggie, British scientists would love to put it to the sniff test. For more info, visit the project's website. Have anything to donate to science?

Is There Room For Wild Bison on Montana's Public Land?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:44:01 -0400

--Chad Love

Is there a more iconic species of the great American frontier than the mighty bison? Many people would argue no, and many are now arguing that this prairie scion should stop being what amounts to livestock and once again become a wild animal, at least in Montana.

From this op/ed in the Great Falls Tribune:
Most ranchers feel that the "no livestock grazing on public lands" position espoused by some environmental groups is extreme. Those of us at the National Wildlife Federation agree. But we conservationists feel that the "no bison on public lands" position taken by the livestock industry is equally extreme.

Saying there's no room for wild bison anywhere in Montana's 147,000 square miles defies common sense. Bison — once one of North America's most plentiful and, arguably, most valuable animals — escaped extinction, but have survived almost exclusively in captivity.

Slaughtered by the millions in the 19th century, bison today are raised by ranchers as livestock or corralled as a sort of shaggy exhibit behind high, solid fences as at the National Bison Range in Moiese. No bison can be found in their native prairie habitat anywhere in the United States. That's about to change. Montana has begun the process of restoring at least a modest herd of truly wild bison. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks has begun holding a series of meetings statewide as the first step in developing an environmental-impact statement and comprehensive plan for managing wild bison.

Would you love to see wild, untamed, un-ear-tagged bison thundering across the prairie? More importantly, would you love to get the opportunity to hunt those wild, untamed, un-ear-tagged bison?

The 35 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round II

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:15:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, began, March 12, and closed on April 12. Round II ran from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 14 to June 14. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congrats to users luna, mod70 and Semibald, who each have won a Trophy Cam for their shots in Round II.

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND III of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

Gun Test: Rock River Arms LAR-15 Fred Eichler Series Predator

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:51:48 -0400

by David E. Petzal

Here’s a good reason not to be a coyote, or any other objectionable form of animal life. Mr. Eichler, who is a varmint hunter of note, has collaborated with Rock River Arms to produce a totally cool MSR with all the right bells and whistles. There are a great many specs here, so let’s get to them.

Starting at the muzzle, the Predator has a tuned and ported muzzle brake (Why does the rifle in the photo not have one? We will get to that shortly.), a 16-inch, stainless, medium-heavy, lapped, cryo-treated barrel, low-profile gas block, free-floating handguard (whose vent holes are in the shape of paw prints, which I find almost unbearably cute), mid-length gas system, all sorts of rails, a truly superior (3.5 pounds, dead clean) two-stage trigger inside an oversized trigger guard, Hogue pistol grip, and a choice of an adjustable or non-adjustable stock. The barrel has a Wylde chamber, so it can use either civilian .223 or military 5.56 ammo. Twist is 1-8, and it handles 55-grain to 77-grain bullets just fine, although I found the rifle had distinct preferences about what it liked and didn’t like. Weight is 7.6 pounds, and overall length with the non-adjustable stock is a highly compact 36 inches. Excuse me; I need to catch my breath.

RRA guarantees that this rifle will group in ¾-inch at 100 yards. I found that with match ammo I could equal that, and with 77-grain Federal Match ammo, I could get ½ inch. However, the Predator will not shoot everything well; with some brands of ammo it didn’t like it would group in 2 inches.

Two things about the Predator jump out at you: First, it’s a very high-quality gun that’s put together with a lot of care. A collection of parts it ain’t. Second, you won’t have to go tearing off components and substituting other stuff. What’s on here, works, so leave it alone.

Now, why did my rifle not have a muzzle brake when it’s standard equipment? Because under the weird specs New York State imposes on MSRs, a muzzle brake would probably be illegal on this rifle. Or maybe it is legal. No one really is sure, so RRA acted on the side of caution. New York State assumes that if a semi-auto rifle with a muzzle brake fell into my hands I would be come a menace to the public. What can you say about that kind of thinking? In any event, if the rifle did have a muzzle brake, it would undoubtedly shoot even better than it did, and kick less, which was hardly at all.

The Predator lists for $1,395, which is fine. I look beady-eyed at the prices on a lot of MSRs, but not this one. It’s obvious where the money went. Also, Rock River Arms informs me that there is a wait on the order of 6 to 8 weeks for these guns. They can’t keep up with demand for any of their firearms, and the Predator is no exception. But I like this little rifle tremendously; it’s worth the wait. Rockriverarms.com

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from April 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:49 -0400

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

The 50 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round I

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:22:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, starts today, March 12, and closes on April 12. Round II runs from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 12 to June 12. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congratulations to users Kim Doucette Kelly, Isham C. Shelby and Stephen Schimacher who each will receive a camera for their entries in Round!

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND II of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from March 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:00:43 -0400

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

Enter The 2012 Spring Trail Cam Photo Contest to Win a $323 Camera from Bushnell!

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:59:09 -0400

The 2012 Spring Trail Cam Photo Contest

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95)!

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, started March 12, and closes on April 12. Round II runs from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 12 to June 12. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR PHOTO IN ROUND I!

Meanwhile, click through this gallery of the best photos from last year's Spring contest.

Guide Charged With Illegal Trapping of Mountain Lions in Utah and Colorado

Online Editors — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:28:01 -0500

--Chad Love

A Colorado hunting guide has been charged in federal court with trapping mountain lions for his clients to shoot.

From this story in the San Jose Mercury News:

A hunting guide has been charged in federal court for allegedly conspiring to conduct illegal mountain lion hunts in Colorado and Utah. According to a charging document, Marvin Ellis worked with four other hunting guides to track and trap mountain lions and bobcats days before bringing clients in to kill the animals. On two occasions, according to the court documents, Ellis and the other guides trapped mountain lions in leg-hold snares to ensure the lions couldn't escape before a paying client could be brought to hunt them. In one of those instances, a guide also shot a mountain lion in the leg to keep it from fleeing, according to the court filing.

In three other instances, Ellis and the other guides are accused of holding bobcats and a mountain lion in cages before releasing them for a customer. Ellis and the guides are also accused of taking clients on mountain lion and bobcat hunts without the proper licenses and on one occasion working to sneak the carcass of a mountain lion illegally hunted in Utah back into Colorado. It is legal to hunt mountain lions and bobcats in Colorado and Utah with the proper licenses. In both states, though, animals treed or trapped must be killed immediately or released. It is against Colorado law to use leg-hold traps on public land. Ellis is charged specifically with conspiring to violate the Lacey Act, which makes it a crime to transport across state lines any animal hunted in violation of the originating state's law. He could face up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

At a time when mountain lion hunting has been in the news a lot lately, things like this certainly don't help the cause. If true, how high on the disgusting scale does such behavior fall?

The 45 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of February 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:46:15 -0500

Submit your photos here!

Here is the gallery of the best reader photos from January 2012.

CA Game Commission Pres. Catches Heat For Idaho Mountain Lion Hunt

Sarah Smith — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:40:30 -0500

--Chad Love

The president of the California Fish and Game Commission, where it's been illegal to hunt lions since 1990, recently traveled to Idaho for a mountain lion hunt, where it's been legal to hunt lions since forever. Said president of California Fish and Game Commission had a successful hunt, and shot a nice lion. In response, California-based wingnuts go apoplectic...

From this story in the San Jose Mercury News:

One of California's top wildlife officials found himself in the political line of fire Friday, after a photo surfaced showing him holding a dead mountain lion he killed in what appeared to be a recent big game hunt. Daniel W. Richards, president of the California Fish and Game Commission, shot the lion in Northern Idaho.

The photo was posted on the website of Western Outdoor News, a hunting and fishing publication. Mountain lion hunting has been illegal in California since 1990, when voters passed Proposition 117. Within hours of the photo appearing, callers deluged the state Fish and Game Commission office, and the Humane Society of the United States urged Richards to step down.

"It's not illegal. But he's thumbed his nose at the people of California," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society. "He's supposed to be representing the interests of all California citizens. It seems like such a tone-deaf action. What part of 'no' doesn't he understand?

I'd like to ask Wayne Pacelle to point out what, exactly, he means by "what part of 'no' doesn't he understand?" No what? No, you shouldn't be able to travel to another state to engage in a perfectly legal and socially-accepted activity? I know that California has a political climate that sometimes seems hostile to sportsmen, but it's not that bad yet, is it? Tone-deaf? If I were a California resident Danial Richards would be representing my interests with perfect pitch.

What say you, Golden State hunters?

The 50 Best Shots From The 2011 Field & Stream Fall Trail Cam Contest

Online Editors — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:03:25 -0500

Here are the editors' picks for the 50 best entries in our 2011 Fall Trail Cam Photo Contest. Congrats to KSwhitetails who took first place with his "Bobcat catches a turkey in flight" shot and will receive the grand prize: a pair of Steiner 10x42 Predator Xtreme binoculars.

Congratulations to all this year's winners and thanks to everyone for the hundreds of great submissions.

You can check out the top photos from each round of the contest here:
ROUND I
ROUND II
ROUND III
ROUND IV

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

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

Submit your photos here!

Here are the monthly Best Reader Photo Galleries from last year:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

NY Hunter Pays $300K for Montana Bighorn Sheep Tag

Sarah Smith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:57:51 -0500

--Chad Love

How much is a Montana bighorn sheep hunt worth to you? For one New York hunter with deep pockets, it was worth a cool $300,000.

From this story in the Great Falls Tribune:

A New York hunter paid $300,000 for this year's Montana special auction license for bighorn sheep at the Wild Sheep Foundation convention in Reno, Nev., in January. The price, while not a record, ensures that the bighorn sheep tag continues to be the high interest big money tag of all the special auction tags Montana offers.

James Hens of East Berne, N.Y., bought the tag. He will be able to hunt a sheep in any Montana bighorn sheep hunting district this fall. Last year, James Liautaud of Champagne, Ill., owner of the Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shop chain, paid $295,000 for the same tag. The year before, Liataud bought the tag for $275,000. The highest price ever paid for the bighorn tag was $310,000 in 1994.

Montana offers several big game tags for auction by groups who make pitches to the FWP Commission to sell the tags. The groups get 10 percent of the money the tag brings in and the rest goes to FWP for research and habitat improvement for the species. So far this year, the bighorn tag is the only one to sell. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will sell the elk and moose tags when it holds its annual rendezvous in Reno. The Mule Deer Foundation will auction the mule deer tag and the Great Falls Safari Club International will auction the mountain goat tag at its annual spring meeting.

So here's the question: Is this really fair? Is the entire idea of these special auction tags antithetical to the fundamental tenants of our cherished and unique North American model of wildlife conservation? Should our state governments be in the business of giving away, to the highest and wealthiest bidders, a precious public resource that belongs to all of us? Or do the economic benefits these special auction tags bring to cash-strapped wildlife agencies and conservation groups outweigh that perceived unfairness?

The Best Shotguns of 2012

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

The Best New Rifles of 2012

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

There were more exhibitors and more atendees at this year's SHOT Show than ever before. That means more guns than one could ever see, but we did our best to find the best. Here are David E. Petzal and John Snow's picks for the best rifles from the show floor.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 3

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

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

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

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day I

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

Lessons Learned and Soliciting Queries for SHOT Show 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:15:08 -0500

by David E. Petzal

This past year was an unusually active one for me. I dragged my rotting carcass across both oceans and to a number of states, and took 11 head of big game, with big game being defined as a wild swine or larger.

Looking over the whole business, a number of things stand out. The longest shot I took was at an elk. It was 160 yards. The two shortest--at a red stag and a mule deer--were around 30 yards. The average for everything was 80 yards. None of this is long-range shooting, and leads me to wonder, where are all these 500-yard shots everyone is obsessing about? During the whole season, one person I was afield with took a long shot--400 yards--at an elk, hit it and was unable to find it. In the real world, at least from my experience, things still happen well inside 200 yards.

Second, of the shots I took, six were offhand. This was a lot; usually I can kneel or find a rest of some sort. And it points out that you should get the hell away from the benchrest and practice shooting on your hind legs, because not infrequently, you are going to have to do it for real.

Finally, in every single case but one, I had to shoot fast. This was because what I had in the crosshairs was either very close or already on the prod and if the wind had shifted or someone farted, it was going to leave quicker than you can say “vanishing hindquarters.” More often than not, shooting at game is something you do as fast as you can positively identify the target and get your gun up. Be advised.

And now for something completely different: In a week I will be going out to the SHOT Show, and the folks who put this website together have asked me to ask you if there is anything you would like me to look for and report on. And no, that does not include booth babes. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From 2011

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

Every month readers submit hundreds of photos to our Trophy Room. They include everything from grip and grin shots of some beautiful animals and fish to remarkable nature shots taken on fishing and hunting trips. These are the web editors' picks for the best reader photos of 2011.

Our Trophy Room is always open, so Submit your photos here!

Here are the monthly Best Reader Photo Galleries of 2011:

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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

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

A lot of interesting stories came across the web desk at Field & Stream last year. These are the web editors' picks for the 25 best stories of 2011, in both photo gallery and blog form. Click through this gallery to see what you missed or take another look at a personal favorite.

For all past blogs, click here.

For all past photo galleries, click here.

Missouri Mountain Lion Released Back into the Wild

Sarah Smith — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:32:54 -0500

--Chad Love

A mountain lion trapped earlier this week in Missouri was released after state biologists confirmed it was a wild lion.

From this story on kctv5.com:
A mountain lion caught in a trap in Southeast Missouri on Wednesday has been safely returned to the wild. The Missouri Department of Conservation reported that a private citizen in Reynolds County trapped the 122-lb. male mountain lion after the cat entered a large, cage-type live trap that the man set on Mark Twain National Forest land.

The man had set the trap to catch bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and other mammals. The mountain lion, still alive and in the cage, was brought to Centerville, MO, Friday morning, where wildlife experts could examine the cat before releasing it. After measuring, weighing, and collecting DNA from the cat, wildlife experts released the cat in the Current River Conservation Area located about 120 miles south of St. Louis, MO. The cat's age was estimated at two years. The cat was in excellent physical condition and showed no signs of having been held in captivity, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Thoughts? Correct move on the state's part?

South Dakota Ranch Hand May Get Ticket for Shooting Mountain Lion

Sarah Smith — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:10:24 -0500

--Chad Love

Authorities in South Dakota are debating whether to let a ranch hand keep a mountain lion he shot out of a tree, or ticket him for it.

From this story on therepublic.com:

South Dakota wildlife officials are deciding whether a Harding County ranch hand can keep a mountain lion he killed while working on another rancher's land, in a complicated case that has the president of the state Wildlife Federation wondering if the shooter should actually get a ticket. Shannon Secrest of Buffalo told wildlife officers he discovered the lion in a tree last November when his dogs began barking. He shot and killed it, and reported the incident to the state Game, Fish and Parks Department. Secrest now wants to mount the big cat for display, but officials are trying to iron out several matters in the complicated case including whether Secrest properly killed the cat out of season.

Secrest had a lion permit that is good throughout the year for landowners on their own property and for lease holders on property they lease. Using that permit, landowners and lease holders can keep animals they shoot. However, the .22-caliber rifle Secrest used is a lighter caliber not allowed for lion hunting in South Dakota. There also were dogs involved, though Secrest said he was not using them to hunt lions, the Rapid City Journal reported. The use of dogs is prohibited for lion hunting in South Dakota.There also are other questions in the case, including whether the cats posed a threat to livestock that Secrest grazes on landowner Clark Blake's property

Thoughts? Should he be able to keep it, or should he get a ticket?