Field and Stream - Other Species RSS

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Special NJ Nighttime Coyote Hunt Starts Next Monday

Sarah Smith — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:53:25 -0500

--Chad Love

Hot on the heels of New jersey's contentious, litigious and largely successful bear season comes the Garden State's first special nighttime coyote hunt.

From this story on newjerseynewsroom.com:

First it was the black bears, now it’s coyotes. Beginning next Monday, New Jersey will permit hunters to shoot the wolves on the spot for a special hunting season. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife estimates more than five thousand coyotes are running wild around in the Garden State. Biologist Andrew Burnett says they usually prey on rodents and rabbits, but can easily attack small pets, alarming many residents and pet owners.

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.

Five BC Bighorns Dead: Work of Wildlife Serial Killer?

Online Editors — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:46:41 -0500

--Chad Love

Someone is killing British Columbia's bighorn sheep, and wildlife officers have no idea why.

From this story in the Globe and Mail:

In his 26 years as a conservation officer, Steve Wasylik says he's never before seen the brazen thrill-killing that has recently targeted bighorn sheep near Kamloops. "There was simply no effort to recover the animals," Mr. Wasylik said. "They weren't trophy animals." Over the past week, five Californian bighorn sheep have been shot dead in two separate incidents. Two rams were found near Lytton, about 150 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, on Dec. 13. The second incident occurred three days later, when two rams and a ewe were found shot dead on a ranch in the Big Bar area near Clinton, 120 kilometres northwest of Kamloops. There have been no further reported incidents.

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.

DNR Warns Wisconsin Hunters of Cougar Roaming Local Woods

Sarah Smith — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:08:08 -0500

--Chad Love

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is warning deer hunters in one part of the state to be on the lookout for a mountain lion roaming the area.

From this story on todaystmj4.com:
A word of caution for hunters from the Department of Natural Resources. They say there's a cougar on the loose. And they want everyone to keep their eyes open. This is the latest trail snapshot of a cougar roaming around Rusk-Taylor County line - east of Hawkins. Evidence deer hunters aren't alone this hunting season. "Cougars you know are stalkers. They would size me up if they're interested in taking me down," Jim Fetters, a longtime hunter says. DNR officials say there are only 13 documented cougar attacks on humans in the last 100 years.

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

Ohio Bowhunter Tags Back-To-Back Boone & Crockett Bucks

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:10:44 -0500

For the second year in a row, Ohio bowhunter J.T. Kreager dropped a record-book buck on his first sit.

Sometimes, You Don't Shoot

Sarah Smith — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:59:35 -0400

by David E. Petzal

Twenty years ago or so, Keith McCafferty wrote a great story for us called “The Quality of Mercy,” in which he described watching a doe that was lying curled up underneath some pines, gently eating snowflakes as they drifted down. His freezer was empty, but he couldn’t bring himself to shoot her.

This past September, I watched a young Utah bull elk come down to a pond for his mid-morning drink. He trotted into the water up to his chest, sucked up a couple of gallons and then did something I’ve never seen an animal do before. He splashed his left antler--he was a 5x5--in the water, giving it a good soaking.

Forty-Four Wolf Tags Filled In Montana So Far

Sarah Smith — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:33:06 -0400

--Chad Love

Montana hunters have been busy during their state's wolf season, with Big Sky hunters tallying 44 wolves so far.

From this story in The Billings Gazette:

Hunters through the second weekend of the rifle season for wolves bagged 44 of the large predators throughout the state. By Monday, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks had checked 44 wolves in the 14 districts statewide. Biologists said that signifies a steady kill with roughly four weeks of deer and elk hunting and two full months of the wolf season remaining. "Having 44 wolves killed at this point in the season and the sharp increase of harvest we had at the start of the rifle season is encouraging," said Mike Thompson, FWP Region 2 wildlife manager in Missoula.

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.

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

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:12:58 -0400

The 50 best entries from Round 1 of our 2011 Fall Trail Cam Photo Contest.

Hunting MN Bison In The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:05:23 -0400

--Chad Love

Will Montana hunters someday get the opportunity to hunt wild, free-ranging bison in Montana's Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge?

From this story in the Billings Gazette:

Jim Posewitz is confident he will see a huntable herd of free-roaming, wild bison somewhere in Montana in his lifetime. "We'll have to hurry, though," he said, smiling. Posewitz is 76. A Montana conservationist, hunter, author and promoter of hunter ethics, Posewitz has lent his voice to the National Wildlife Federation's push to have bison restored to the 1.1-million-acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Montana. "What better place, what better species and what better time?" he said.