Field and Stream - When to Bow Hunt Whitetail Deer, Turkeys, Bear, and Big Game RSS

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

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.

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.

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

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

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

Bruce: Lessons from Deer Season

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:32:57 -0500

Rut Reporter Eric Bruce has been writing about hunting and fishing for newspapers and magazines for 25 years and hunts deer all over the South, including near his Georgia home. States covered: AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, FL.

Another season has come and gone. I was able to get out and hunt about 70 times this fall. Some were successful, some finished without ever seeing a deer. A few hunts were only an hour long; others included public land hunts, an island hunt and an out-of-state hunt. Here are some of the things I learned along the way.

#1 - Helping someone achieve success can be as enjoyable as experiencing it yourself:
I had the fortune of being with my two sons when they bagged bucks this season. I sat on the ground besides my 13-year-old son, Tucker, when he nailed a handsome six-pointer with his .243. A few weeks later, when he was in a stand by himself, he bagged a spike on the same property. When I approached after the shot, he stood there with his arms held high in jubilation, and that feeling was shared.

I took my hunting buddy and his brother-in-law, who had very limited bowhunting experience, on a morning hunt in late October. An eight-pointer followed a doe by his stand. Though no shot was taken, he was ecstatic from seeing such a nice buck up close, and my buddy thanked me over and over for providing him that encounter.

The state of Georgia hosts an adult/child quota hunt on Ossabaw Island off the coast below Savannah. I went with my son and another father and son duo that had never taken a deer. On the second morning of the hunt, I was with the boy, Robbie Stroup, when he raised his rifle and took his first deer. I'll never forget the sheer joy on his face when he looked back at me after the shot and exclaimed, “I got him!” The photo above shows my son Tucker (on the left) with Robbie and their Ossabaw Island deer.

After returning from the island hunt, I went bowhunting with my older son on a Sunday morning. After seeing several does and small bucks, a good eight-pointer stepped out between us and walked toward my son. I heard him shoot so I called him. “Did you hit him?” I asked. “Yeah, I saw him go down,” he responded. “Let's go get him,” I said. We inspected the buck, his biggest so far, after I gave him a bear hug. The buck was in the back of our truck when we went to church later that morning. I would have liked to take that buck myself, but I was much happier and prouder knowing that my son took it. Such is the case when you share a hunt or harvest with a family member or friend.

#2 - There's something special about hunting a place for the first time:
I was able to secure permission to hunt a new property this season. The land appeared to be thick with deer and not used by other hunters. During my first hunt in that property in early October, I saw about 10 deer and killed a doe and an 8-pointer with my bow. I called my son to see how he was doing and he replied, “I've killed two so far!” He took one more to make a total of five bow kills that morning. I returned in early December with a friend and sent an arrow into an eight-pointer right after dawn. I called my friend later in the morning and he replied, “I've killed two so far!” That hunt yielded three kills for a total of eight archery kills in two morning hunts. Got to love hunting a new area.

#3 - Know your laws and make sure you have permission:
Hunting in suburban areas, I am sometimes confronted by law enforcement and have to prove my permission. I had several encounters this year, again. Even if everything is in order, it is important to have written permission letters on hand, and to know the property lines and local regulations. On one occasion, I had three campus cops flash the blue lights on their cruisers at my truck when I came out. They clearly did not know the regulations concerning hunting despite me repeating it to them several times. Having my permission letter from the landowner helped me with that situation. Now I leave the permission letter on my truck dashboard when I'm in the woods.

#4 - Calls and scents can work:
I rattled up bucks on four occasions this season, which is highly unusual for me. But it can work given the right conditions, so keep a rattle bag or antlers with you. I also incorporated scent bombs in my stand setups. I clipped three deer scent filled canisters to branches around my stand before climbing up. Bucks would come into my area, and they seemed to hang around longer than usual, which provided excellent shot opportunities.

I also learned that urinating from your stand does not seem to have a detrimental effect. While this topic may be controversial, I personally had bucks around my stand that did not seem alerted by human urine. I also sprinkled a few drops of deer scent afterwards, but there may be some validity to the notion that all urine smells like ammonia after a period of time. I've known of some hunters who urinate in scrapes, and bucks still visit them.

As you reflect back on your deer season, I’m sure you also had your share of successes, failures and lessons learned along the way. And while we may grow weary after the long season, I'm sure that you, like me, are already looking forward to next season. I can't wait for September.

Ray: Planning for Next Season

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:52:41 -0500

Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.

I'm already thinking about next year's deer season before the current one ends. And as we prepare to say adios to the 2011-2012 season, here are two things worth doing.

Because of drought across the region in 2011, winter forage is even more reduced than normal in the southern and middle sections of the region. In the northern extremes, where crops like wheat often help deer through the winter, production is way down. To help deer, and specifically rut-weary bucks, through the cold and stressful days of a long winter, I keep my bait areas and corn feeders running until spring.

Right now, I have four such locations running. I feed whole corn and alfalfa hay at all these locations. The feed is expensive and costs more this year than past years – 50 pound bags of whole corn are selling for $10-13 each and bales of alfalfa are going for $12-14 each – but I think it’s money well spent.

I keep a trail camera at each one of these sites, running into early February, to keep track of which bucks survived the season. More on that later.

The free feed obviously helps does, fawns and bucks through the winter, but I think it also encourages mature bucks that might have otherwise drifted to other properties to stay put. And when feral hogs find the feed, hunting wild pigs gives me something to do to keep my skills sharp when deer season is over.

The other thing I do every year, post-season, is to make a list of survivors: bucks that will likely be big and old enough to be considered shooters during the next season. I start with my number one and number two picks and work down from there. Using notes from my journal, I jot down what time of the season I saw those bucks most often, morning or evening, and where I specifically saw them. This information is invaluable come next season.

Most of the big bucks I’ve killed over the years were the result of a multi-season campaign. All that data compiled from two to three years of sightings helped me to pinpoint when and where to target a certain buck. Maybe he was most visible in the early season and then disappeared later. Better hunt that one early. Or maybe he was nocturnal early in the year and then showed himself come the rut. This information becomes more obvious through multiple years of observations. It works.

While you ponder these thoughts, I’m headed to the stove to stir my venison stew. I can’t wait for next season!

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day I

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

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.

The NBA Has A Hunter: Hornets Center Chris Kaman

Sarah Smith — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:50:34 -0500

--Chad Love

We all know there are a ton of professional football and baseball players who love to hunt and fish, but what about the NBA? Are there any professional basketball players who are also avid hunters? There's at least one, according to this story in USA Today:

Seven-footer Chris Kaman was acquired in the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers. Kaman, from Grand Rapids, Mich., with dual citizenship in Germany (he has grandparents from there), has the most NBA seniority on the Hornets' roster and is the only All-Star (2009-10). He played in only 32 games last season and 31 in 2008-09 because of left foot injuries. Kaman talked to USA TODAY's J. Michael Falgoust: During the lockout you spent a lot of time hunting and posting pictures.

Hunting is something I really enjoy. It's not for everybody. A lot of the guys give me a hard time about it. We have a lot of fun about it. I can relax, sit out there and have my time to reflect and enjoy myself. My dad used to take us when we were little and my brother has been a hunter in the last 15 years.

Did you hunt more this year? There's no hunting during the NBA season because hunting season starts right when the NBA starts. I spent six days in Illinois at this deer camp. I had a great time there. In Michigan I'd go up for the weekends and my buddy's in-laws have a place there. My parents have property, my sister has property, so I'm all over the place. What do you use when you hunt? When I'm hunting for white tail (deer) I use a bow. It's not as much sport with a rifle up where I'm from. There's so many hunters, the deer run in front of me, the next guy and the next guy, they don't have a chance if we use a rifle. The bow makes it a little more challenging. You have to get a lot closer because shots are 25 to 35 yards. It's more intense to be that close to the animal and not have him know I'm there, and then take my shot when I'm ready.

Do you know of any other NBA players who love hunting and/or fishing?

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From December 2011

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

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

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, updated with the most recent shots.

Ray: Hunting Through the Weather Extremes

Online Editors — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:38:07 -0500

Here is more proof that the weather and the rut can be at opposite ends of the spectrum in Texas. Last week, on Dec. 20, it was 25 degrees in the Panhandle town of Amarillo. The wind was out of the north at 25 mph and the wind chill was nine. A blizzard came through northeastern New Mexico, the top of Texas and western Oklahoma the night before, dropping up to 10 inches of snow in some parts. If you were hunting bucks at the top of the region then, you should have been hunting the food.

The weather was a bit different in the town of Pearsall in South Texas, where the high was 65 degrees with sunshine. Pearsall is the headquarters for Los Cazadores, one of the biggest deer scoring contests in the state. I talked to one of the clerks at the store in Pearsall. Most of the crew was out hunting, and the clerk said, “The bucks are chasing and the rut is on down here! Big bucks are coming in at a steady pace to be scored for the contest.” If you want to see pictures of some of the biggest bucks taken in South Texas this season, including some 200-inchers, go to www.loscazadores.com. It’s prime time for bagging an old buck in the thorns.

If you need some inspiration to get yourself off the couch and in the woods this month, consider John Bain’s story.

John broke his neck playing in an alumni football game on July 18, 2010. He was 20 years out of high school football. The injury was totally unexpected and his left side was paralyzed. Thankfully, it was just temporary. He said, “After four days in the hospital, two artificial discs, two other repaired discs, a carbon fiber plate, three screws, great doctors and a true blessing from God; I walked out of that hospital.”

John is no whiner. He is as fit as most guys half his age, and he got to work getting back in shape immediately. The main motivation for his recovery: shooting a bow come opening day of deer season that was just two and a half months away.   He first started with short walks, and worked his way up to four miles per day. Then he did some light weight lifting, and was eventually able to shoot his light draw turkey bow, a 60-pound Mathews.

On opening morning of the 2010 bow season, John punched a well-placed broadhead through a fancy 156-inch buck, a main-framed 9-pointer with 13 total points. It was the biggest buck ever taken off the eastern Texas Panhandle lease. And it was the biggest buck of John’s hunting career!

And then, despite a tough early and mid season in 2011, John did it again. This time, he arrowed a fine 120-inch management buck in early December, the buck in the photo above. This 8-point buck was taken from an elevated stand near a corn feeder. John had been playing cat and mouse with the buck for most of the season. John seemed just as excited about the smaller buck this year as his giant from last season. When you’ve had an accident that could have ended your bow hunting days completely, success of any kind is suddenly that much sweeter.

After his accident last year, John appreciates the sport of bow hunting now more than ever. When he recounts the story of his accident and his long recovery, it’s understandable why he gets a tear in his eye. Fate could have certainly gone a whole other direction. The simple task of drawing a bow or shooting a rifle should never be taken for granted. Neither should deer hunting. John has had two good back-to-back seasons. May the road to recovery continue my friend!

The 75 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From November 2011

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

Submit your photos here!

Here are the monthly Best Reader Photo Galleries of 2011:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October

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

Here are the editors' picks for the 50 best entries in the second round of our 2011 Fall Trail Cam Photo Contest. Congrats to Dufhuntin who took first place with is "Owl spooking a doe" shot and will receive a Bushnell Trophy Cam; and to second-place winner, Bull80, who gets a Hide 'N Hunt Blind from Hunter's Specialties.

Don't forget to vote for the readers choice winners in Round II. The top three will each win a Freeman Guide Folding Knife from Gerber. And keep entering your great trail cam photos in Round III for more chances to win. You've got until Midnight on December 8th to enter.

A 170-Class Louisiana Typical: From Trail Cam to Cape

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:06:47 -0400

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."

David Ramsey of Unicoi, Tenn., was named Field & Stream's Conservation Hero of the Year for his extraordinary effort in securing the 10,000-acre Rocky Fork Watershed for public use as a wildlife management area. "I am completely overwhelmed by this award and this event," said Ramsey.

Ramsey spent 15 years brokering relationships between sportsmen’s groups, government officials, and conservation organizations to permanently protect the Tennessee watershed for public use. A sporting-goods store manager and wildlife photographer, he used his photographs of the pristine mountain land in presentations about its heritage in an effort to grip listeners. With the help of the Conservation Fund, Ramsey’s efforts finally paid off. The land was purchased away from developers, and people are using it the same way they always have.

The ceremony honored seven finalists for their efforts to salvage river and forest ecosystems, educate local youth, and manage natural resources that impact game.

Secretary of the U.S. Interior Ken Salazar was a surprise guest at the gala, taking the podium to point out that volunteerism is the backbone of conservation in the outdoors.

Dan Ashe, the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was a speaker at the event, thanking the finalists for their extraordinary contributions to their communities. He also lauded the Hero for a Day volunteer program, which took place in six locations across the country this spring.

The awards were hosted by chart-topping country music singer Craig Morgan, who also hosts All Access Outdoors on Outdoor Channel. “The conservation work of these heroes paints all outdoorsmen in a positive light,” he says. “People don’t realize the environmental impact hunters and fishermen have, not to mention the financial impact. It’s important that we as conservationists continue to get involved and educate the community on what we bring to the table.” Morgan is involved with the National Wild Turkey Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the Whitetail Institute. He ended the night with an acoustic set of hits and a preview of his yet-to-be-released new album, including the single "This Ole Boy."

Each Hero of the Year finalist received a check for $5,000 to contribute to their projects, and Ramsey was also awarded the grand prize: a new Toyota Tundra.

Video, Interview: Mountain Biker Clobbered by Charging Antelope

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:31:20 -0400

by Dave Maccar

Charging wildlife isn’t the first thing on a mountain biker’s mind in the heat of a race, but the animals don’t know that.

Evan van der Spuy was racing in the 38 km Time Freight MTB Express mountain bike race at Albert Falls Dam, 20km outside the city of Pietermaritzburg in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa for Team Jeep South Africa over the weekend.

His teammate, Travis Walker, was in third place with a GoPro camera mounted on his bike, and captured this amazing footage below of Evan, who was in second place until this red hartebeest (a member of the antelope family) had something to say about it.

Yes, the hit was as hard as it looks. Evan was stabilized with a neck brace and taken to the hospital for overnight observation. He sustained a minor concussion, whiplash and some bruising on his head where his helmet imploded on impact.

F&S spoke to Evan today to get his take on the events behind this video, which is rapidly going viral.

Evan said he is recovering well, and feels extremely lucky.

“Luckily I walked away with just a bit of whiplash and a concussion, considering what happened,” he says. “I saw the animal moving to cross the road in front of me, but when I saw how close it really was, I was shocked. Then, from the moment it hit me I was unconscious. I actually don’t know what happened from then.”

The first thing Evan says he remembers is the ambulance ride to the hospital.

“I know my teammate helped me to the ambulance, but I don’t recall any of that.”

After he began to recover, he was amazed to see his accident captured by his teammate’s GoPro.

“I was shocked. I was just shell-shocked. A few people had told me what had happened, but I never knew how big it really was. I hadn’t realized how hard I had really been hit and how lucky I really was to just walk away with the injuries I have,” Evan says.

When he saw the state of his helmet after the accident, he felt even luckier.

“My brother actually had a good look at the helmet afterward. The helmet was virtually in half. There were just a few strands holding it together, so the photos don’t actually do it justice. I’m really lucky.”

“I’ve never been close to being hit by an animal at all. Maybe a monkey or something, but nothing as big. You’re always aware of the animals around you. You always watch for anything out of the normal when you’re racing, but this is a freak accident that will never happen again.”

Evan is healing up and hopes to be back on his bike in the next couple of weeks.

In case you were wondering, the animal was totally fine after the collision. It got up and trotted off. According to Max Cluer of Sports Marketing, the event organizer, the animal is part of a small herd of red hartebeest that reside at the Albert Falls Resort and Game Reserve.

A big thanks to Max Cluer of Sports Marketing and Team Jeep South Africa for providing the footage and to Evan van der Spuy for talking to us through a concussion haze. And, of course, to GoPro South Africa, without which we all would not have this awesome clip.

Archer Takes Potential Connecticut State Record Buck

Online Editors — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:29:15 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

While the hunter remains nameless and details are sketchy at this point, this much seems to be true: the buck in this picture will likely shatter the Connecticut state record for a bow-killed non-typical whitetail. This massive buck was shot near Haddam, Conn. last week. It was allegedly green-scored by a taxidermist/measurer who came up with a net score of 226-7/8 inches.

The current archery state record for non-typical whitetails is a buck scoring 201-7/8 inches that was shot in 2000 by Henry M. Konow Jr.

Connecticut is not a state that produces a lot of trophy bucks; there are only four non-typical entries and 12 typicals listed in the Boone & Crockett books. We’ll be tracking this story and providing more details about this tremendous whitetail as they become available. In the meantime, congrats to the hunter!

Pro Skier Tags 200-Class Colorado Velvet Muley

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:30:08 -0400

Professional free skier Drew Rouse tagged this 200-class Colorado velvet mule deer in late August. Rouse shares the details of his remarkable hunt, which capped both a 7-year odyssey to kill a big muley and his recovery from a serious skiing accident that could easily have ended the 32-year-old’s life.