Field and Stream - Finding Elk, Bears, and Other Big Game 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.

Can High-Fence Hunting Save the Scimitar Horned Oryx?

Sarah Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:59:18 -0500

--Chad Love

Can hunting endangered African species help save them? That's the question the news segment that aired last night on 60 Minutes is asking.

From this story on cbsnews.com:

The scimitar horned oryx . . . the addax . . . the dama gazelle - three elegant desert antelope that you'd hope to see on a journey through Africa, except that their numbers are dwindling there. Which is why Lara Logan went to Texas -- yes, Texas. There, on large grassland ranches, some exotic species that are endangered in the wild have been brought back in large numbers. But there's a catch: a percentage of the herd is hunted every year by hunters who pay big money for a big catch.

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.

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.

Scientists Find More Evidence in Lake Huron Pointing to Prehistoric Hunting Culture

Sarah Smith — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:41:57 -0500

--Chad Love

Scientists have discovered what might be a "Lost World" of prehistoric caribou hunting culture on the bottom of Lake Huron.

From this story in the Montreal Gazette:
The recovery of a mysterious wooden pole at the bottom of Lake Huron is fuelling excitement among U.S. and Canadian researchers that they have found more evidence of a "lost world" of North American caribou hunters from nearly 10,000 years ago.

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.

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.

Gray Wolf Hunting and Trapping Season Expected in Minnesota

Sarah Smith — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:42:36 -0500

--Chad Love

Could Minnesota hunters get the chance to hunt wolves next season? It's starting to look that way.

From this story in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

A wolf hunting and trapping season could begin in Minnesota as soon as next fall, following Wednesday’s news that the state’s gray wolves will be removed from the federal government’s threatened species list and management returned to the state within 30 days. But details of a wolf season have yet to be worked out, Department of Natural Resources officials said Wednesday.“We’re considering a season that would involve both hunting and trapping,’’ said Ed Boggess, DNR Fish and Wildlife Division director. “It could be in effect this fall; it may take longer.’’

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.

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!")

Idaho Officials Nab Aussie Hunters For Taking Antlers, Leaving Meat To Rot

Sarah Smith — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:10:02 -0500

--Chad Love

Thanks to a group of wildlife officers who tracked their movements for days, three Austrialian hunters who used the idaho backcountry as their personal no-limit killing ground and garbage dump have been banned for life from hunting in Idaho.

From this story in the UK Daily Telegraph:

Dressed in camouflage, the three officers from Idaho Department of Fish and Game were deep undercover in the rugged mountains, living on rations, camping rough and for nine days intently watching their quarry: A group of Australian hunters. The game wardens were aware that Anton Kapeller, 58, from central Tasmania, had for 20 years been bringing other Australians and New Zealanders to Idaho to hunt elk, deer and wolves. They had long suspected him of illegally hunting elk out of season. But what really motivated them was that Kapeller left his camps, high in the beautiful mountains, littered with rubbish.

There was also a suspicion he was committing the ultimate sin: Taking antlers and leaving the meat to rot.