Field and Stream - Bird Hunting RSS

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.

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.

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."

Recipe: Dutch Oven Stuffed French Toast

Sarah Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:59 -0500

by Colin Kearns

If you haven’t had breakfast yet, you might consider this delicious morning meal, courtesy of new Lodge Cast Iron Cooking cookbook. And, if you haven’t shared your favorite Dutch oven meal, get on it! The Wild Chef reader with the best-sounding dish will win a brand new Lodge Dutch oven.

Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients
- 1 French bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 dozen large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1⁄3 cup maple syrup
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes and softened

Valentine's Day Soup Recipe + Contest Winner Announced

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

by David Draper

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.

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.

Dog is Only Cure for 13-Year-Old with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:37:08 -0500

--Chad Love

Anyone who's ever owned or been around them knows that dogs are a Swiss army knife for the soul. No matter what's troubling you, no matter how bad things are, or how bad they may get, the presence of a dog just seems to make things better. How do they do it?

Who knows, but if Big Pharma could somehow extract, replicate and synthesize into pill form, the effect of a dog's love on the human soul, it would immediately render all other forms of therapy and treatment obsolete.

But they haven't, thankfully, which is why we still have stories like this one from the New York Times Magazine about a young boy suffering from the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome and the dog that helped him when nothing else could.

3,500 Acres In Utah May Go To Coal Mine, Threatening Sage Grouse

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:05:34 -0500

--Chad Love

Three different federal agencies are among those opposed to a BLM plan to lease 3,500 acres of public land for a coal mine near Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park. Federal biologists say the proposed mine could wipe out the nation's southernmost population of sage grouse, a gamebird facing survival challenges in other parts of its range as well.

From this story on standard.net:

Federal biologists say a strip mine at the backdoor to Utah's storybook Bryce Canyon National Park will wipe out the southernmost population of sage grouse, even as their agency resists a broader effort to protect the bird across the West. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is among three federal agencies that have registered opposition to the lease of 3,500 acres of public range land sought by a coal mine that got its start on 440 acres of private land.

Turkey Hunting: How Danger Helps Keep You Safe

Sarah Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:13:09 -0500

by Phil Bourjaily

My post about the Haint gobble call made me think about turkey hunting safety. When I started turkey hunting back in the 80s it had the reputation for being very dangerous since it is an activity where you hide in the woods and make sounds like a turkey while others are doing the same. While you would think the use of gobble calls and strutter decoys might increase the danger, I’m not sure they do. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, turkey hunting keeps getting safer. Accidents occurred at a rate of 8.1 per 100,000 participants in 1992 and had fallen to 2.95 per 100,000 by 2005.

I think turkey hunting is safe precisely because we know it’s dangerous and act accordingly. Hunters tend to be on their guard and most follow the rules of turkey hunting safety that have been drilled into our heads: don’t wear red, white and blue, be sure of your target, sit against a tree wider than your shoulders, and so on.

The Best New Knives of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:04:49 -0500

These are the best new knives for outdoorsmen available in 2012.

Learn How Traps Work: It Could Save Your Dog's Life

Sarah Smith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:34:55 -0500

--Chad Love

There are any number of things that can go wrong, sometimes horribly, when we take our dogs into the field. They can run through a fence and get torn up, run through a cattle guard or hole and break a leg, run into a porcupine or skunk, inhale dangerous seeds, get bitten by a snake, trampled by a cow, run over by a car, get overheated, dehydrated or completely lost, the list is pretty much endless in terms of potential dangers.

All you can do is take it on faith that those things won't happen while hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. That's why most of us do things like carry first-aid kits on all our hunting trips and plugging the phone numbers of local vets into our cell phones.

But here's one more thing that every one of us should familiarize ourselves with: what to do if one of our dogs gets caught in a body-gripping trap. Here's an absolutely heartbreaking story from last week's Minneapolis Star-Tribune about a rash of dogs dying in traps.

From the story:

Doug Snyder won't forget the day he loaded a .22 rifle and shot his dog at point-blank range. He and his two teenage sons were walking along a forest road near their cabin east of Hinckley in late December when Polka Dot, their 9-year-old setter-Lab mix, suddenly howled in distress. Bolting headlong into the woods, Snyder found his dog 60 yards away with its head and neck caught in a deadly body-gripping trap. "She was standing there, bleeding from the snout," he said. Frantically, Snyder and his 16-year-old son struggled to free their pet before it suffocated. But two powerful springs held the trap's jaws tightly closed. "We fought like hell to get it off, and we couldn't," he said. "She was melting away."

Happy 75th Anniversary Ducks Unlimited!

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:33:58 -0500

by Chad Love

This past weekend marked the 75th anniversary of that most venerable (and venerated) of sportsman-based conservation groups, Ducks Unlimited. What began as a small group of Depression-era hunters trying desperately to save our dwindling waterfowl populations in the depths of the Dust Bowl has grown into one the largest, most recognizable and respected conservation brands in North America.

From a DU press release:

"DU's 75th anniversary is a monumental moment in conservation history," said Dale Hall, CEO of Ducks Unlimited. "This anniversary˜and the last 75 years of science-based, on-the-ground conservation work across North America˜would not be possible without the dedication of our volunteers and supporters, as well as the partners who time and time again helped us succeed in our mission. This celebration is as much theirs as it is ours."

Contest: What’s Your Best Super Bowl Snack?

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:08:53 -0500

by David Draper

There are a lot of great ways to get wild on Super Bowl Sunday. You could paint yourself in team colors, go streaking, and post the resulting video (and arrest) on YouTube. Or you could just dip into the larder and cook up a fish or wild-game inspired dish to share with your friends during the game. I’m not going to encourage you to do the former, but I will help you along with the latter by throwing a Super Bowl Snack Contest.

Post your favorite fish or game dish below in the comments section below, along with a few sentences on why it’s the perfect food for this year’s Super Bowl party. The most creative idea will win a box of assorted cooking/food-related goodies from Camp Chef, Hi-Mountain Seasonings, Cabela’s, and other generous folks. To be eligible to win, post your entry by Saturday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. MST. I’ll announce the winner next week.

New Gear for Waterfowl, Turkey and Upland Bird Hunting in 2012

Online Editors — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:25:15 -0500

Here are the best gear items for bird hunters for 2012.

The Debutante Hunters Documentary Shows The Best Side of Hunting

Sarah Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:11:07 -0500

by Hal Herring

(Editor’s Note: The Debutante Hunters won the Shorts Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival after this post was written.)

Sometimes it seems to me that conservation in the American West is like a Rocky Mountain river, wild with snowmelt, tumultuous and dramatic, with some new, obvious, challenge every second. But Southern hunting and fishing, and the conservationist ethic they spawn, seem more like a southern river, broad and slow and deep, shadowed with history and tradition.

National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic: A Hunting Expo Worth Attending

Sarah Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:11:51 -0500

by Chad Love

The noted French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once famously opined that “Hell is other people.” As a lifelong misanthrope, I’ve found that little gem to be not only a great way to kill conversation at dinner parties, but a wholly satisfying life philosophy. It’s not that I don’t like people; it’s just that I try to avoid large numbers of them at all costs.

So when the website informed me that I would be attending SHOT this year with some 65,000 of my closest friends, and that I would even be allowed to wander the show floor unsupervised, I questioned the decision as either a gracious but misguided act of charity or the result of a lost bet.

I took pains to point out to my editors that in matters of tact, wit and other social graces I’m roughly on par with Bat Boy from the Weekly World News. I reminded them, too, that, frankly speaking, I prefer the company of dogs to outdoor industry types, and that as a preferred destination for the third week in January I’ll take a CRP field in Kansas over Las Vegas, Nevada, oh, about ten times out of ten.

Recipe: Super Bowl Duck Spring Rolls

Sarah Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:53:02 -0500

by David Draper

I know there are a lot of football fans who really care which team wins this Sunday’s Super Bowl. But me, I’m just in it for the food. While the rest of America roots for Peyton Manning’s less-funny brother or the guy who’s married to Gisele, I’ll be grazing the spread of cheese dips, bacon-wrapped goose bites, and sliders at the back of the room. I’ll also be judging friends’ reactions to my contribution to the party’s potluck: duck spring rolls.

I first had a version of these at our annual wild game feed and have been looking for a good excuse to make them myself. The recipe I’m passing along calls for fresh duck breasts, but I’ve found spring rolls are also a great way to use up the crispy-skinned leftovers of a roast duck. The recipe also works with goose, venison, pheasant, or any game meat with just a little modification.

Randolph Engineering: How to Choose the Right Tint for Shooting Glasses

Online Editors — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:47:59 -0500

Randolph Engineering has a variety of tints for its shooting glasses. Learn how to choose the right lenses for your next hunt or shooting competition and check out the company's new HD lenses.

Trijicon TARS: A Powerful Scope for Long-Range Shooters

Online Editors — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:07:31 -0500

Trijicon's Tactical Advanced RifleScope is a power optic that can be used for a variety of applications, especially big game hunting and long-range target shooting.

End-of-Season Reflections: Looking Back and Ahead

Sarah Smith — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:38:42 -0500

by Chad Love

It's always been hard for me, as a bird hunter, to get very reflective around New Year's, simply because most upland and waterfowl seasons are still in high gear. But as we inexorably creep toward February, that starts changing. This is the time of year when waterfowl and upland seasons begin to wind down for many of us, which I think is as good a time as any to reflect on the past year and look toward the next.

For me, this past weekend marked the end of duck season, and in about three weeks I'll no longer be able to walk mile after fruitless mile in vain pursuit of the bobwhite quail, a bird which I'm told is rumored to inhabit this area. Of course, I've also been told leprechauns inhabit this area, too, and I haven't seen any of them, either.

The Best Shotguns of 2012

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

These are the best new shotguns of 2012.

Dimensions by Jeromy Holmes: One of a Kind Rifle Paint Jobs

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:45:04 -0500

So you have your rifle. There are many like it but this is your own. Now add a paint job by artist Jeromy Holmes and you can ensure no rifle will ever look the same as yours. And his work is not just for looks, it's functional beauty.

Olympic Medalist Kim Rhode on Prep for London Games

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:40:43 -0500

Kim Rhode will be competing in the Olympic Skeet event in 2012, where she hopes to break an Olympic record by winning five medals in five different Olympic Games. She talks with Phil Bourjaily about her practice routine and prep work leading up to the London games.

Do-All Outdoors: Have Fun Shooting These Targets

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:30:35 -0500

Bored shooting the same targets over and over? Try blasting an orange prairie dog or any of these reusable targets from Do-All Outdoors.