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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

UK Boy Finds Live WWII-Era Grenade on Easter Egg Hunt

Online Editors — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:48:06 -0400

--Chad Love

When I was a child, I had a really terrifying shopping mall Easter bunny experience. I'd rather not talk about it, but the haunting memory of those few horrifying moments perched atop that giant rodent's lap spurred two things within me: A subsequent intense and cathartic desire to take up rabbit hunting, and the firm belief that the Easter bunny is pure evil. And now I have my proof...

From this story on ABCnews.com:

A 3-year-old British boy on an Easter egg hunt Saturday morning discovered a live hand grenade. The device was on the side of a busy road next to the field where families were conducting their Easter ritual in Holford, Somerset. According to reports in the British press, the boy was actually standing on the device when an adult spotted him. “We were beginning to count up the eggs at the end of the hunt and I saw a boy of three standing on an object. ‘It was brown and about four inches high. It looked like an Easter egg, but it was a hand grenade,” Stuart Moffatt told the Daily Mail. ” I was shocked. The boy who was standing on it thought it was a rock.”

Moffatt is an engineering consultant who was attending the event with his wife and their three young children. About 25 children were reportedly in that field on the Easter egg hunt. This is Somerset reported that the device was destroyed in a controlled explosion. The Mail says the grenade is believed to have been a relic from World War II.

"A relic from WWII." Yeah, right. I know the truth. Anyone else with me on this, or am I "crazy" and have "bunny issues" like my therapist claims?

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.

NY Rabbit Hunter Struck and Killed By Train

Sarah Smith — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:25:52 -0500

--Chad Love

Trains aren't generally what first come to mind when listing potential threats to hunters in the woods, but that's exactly what happened this week to a New York state hunter who was tragically struck and killed by a train while rabbit hunting with a group of friends.

From this story in the Jamestown (NY) Post-Journal:

A hunter was killed by a train Tuesday morning in the town of Portland. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office was called to East Forest Avenue at 9:20 a.m. after a train hit a person walking on the tracks. According to Sheriff Joseph Gerace, Giovanni Faso, 68, of 206 Heat St., Tonawanda, was hit by the train while hunting. The collision threw Faso almost 30 feet from the tracks. Gerace said five hunters from the Tonawanda area were rabbit hunting near the Norfolk and Southern train tracks at the time of the accident.

"Three of the five were off in the brush north of the tracks," he said. "The victim and another hunter were along the tracks, closer to the tracks, as a train was approaching from the east." Gerace said witnesses reported the train was blowing its warning whistle at the time. Faso was reportedly looking in some brush north of the tracks when he was hit. A friend also reportedly yelled at Faso several times to get further from the tracks, but Faso didn't move. "The victim was standing near the tracks, and didn't move, didn't step off the tracks, and the train struck him and killed him," Gerace said.

Has anyone ever had a close call with a train while out hunting?

Mr. Mac and The Bushytail Gang: A Squirrel-Dog Revival in South Carolina

Online Editors — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:26:12 -0500

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

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

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 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.

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 Tree Squirrel Slam: How a Small-Game Biologist Tagged All 8 U.S. Bushytail Species

Online Editors — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:21:27 -0500

Johnathan O'Dell is a small game biologist in Arizona, which helps make him one heck of a squirrel hunter. In this story, he talks about the individual characteristics of all eight native squirrel species in the U.S. and explains the tactics he used to tag one of each in a single season.

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.

Canol Trail ATV Adventure: A Busted Winch, Broken Trailer and Fine Backcountry Meal

Sarah Smith — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:00:01 -0400

High in the Mackenzie Mountains, we spent two nights in the same camp. It was a hard, but necessary, decision to make.

We had been on this adventure less than a few hours when I wrecked my winch. Winding it in without tension quickly formed a bird’s nest of heavy steel cable. Our trailers were also looking a little worse for the wear. Rated to 2,000 pounds, I figured they could take all Canol could throw at them. I was sorely mistaken. Only a few days in and the rubber bins were bending, the axel welds were coming apart and the dump truck-like release in the hitch was completely broken.

We’d need two days at the same camp just to manage these repairs.

Fixing the winch took the better part of the day. I snapped a cheap P.O.S. wrench in the process and almost had to abandon the whole job. I found a workaround and learned a lesson about trying to save money on tools. These tools--or the lack of them--after all, could make or break the trip.

Burning up so much time, we gave the trailers less attention. We shifted some weight, made a few adjustments at the hitch and hoped for the best.

High in this mountain country vegetation was sparse. We passed dwarf willows, which seemed a favorite hideout for ptarmigan and ground squirrel. The upland birds out of season, we settled on the ground dwellers. More than once we stopped the quads, loaded the shotgun, and stalked off into the bush in search of a better dinner.

Funny enough, that old oil pipe that litters the side of the Canol Trail is what made the meal. Two squirrels, scared by the noise of our ATVs, raced into the pipe for cover. I turned to Mike: “Time for an old fashion smoke out!”

In a few minutes I had a small fire burning on one end. Mike camped out on the other with the 12-gauge. We ate those squirrels pan-fried and spit-roasted. It felt like some kind of reward for fixing all our busted and broken gear.

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership And The $1 Trillion Question

Sarah Smith — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:42:01 -0400

by Hal Herring

This morning, I received a press release from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership about a new study defining the economic benefits and effects of outdoor recreation, conservation, and historical preservation efforts in our country. It reports that “the great outdoors and historic preservation generate a conservative estimate of more than $1 trillion in total economic activity and support 9.4 million jobs each year. “

I hope people will take the time to actually read and ponder what is revealed here. So much of it, if we think about it, is common sense-- we all know (or are) someone who owns or works in an outdoor store, or as a guide or outfitter, or who has recently bought a boat or upgraded fishing tackle or guns. The money is there, it’s moving through the economy, and it is dependent on having healthy and protected lands and waters to use that tackle or shoot those guns (imagine the miniscule percentage of the economy in France, or China that is generated from hunting and fishing- then look at the US figures in the linked study).

We take it for granted that our homes don’t flood, never really looking upstream at all the wetlands that soak up those floods before they get to us, never imagining that someone might just decide to fill those “useless” swamps to build a new parking lot, and send that torrent right down on us.

Those wetlands have a value as flood control (even if the owner won’t let you hunt the ducks that use them, and even more so if they will), and so do the woods where the trail camera snapped a photo of that giant whitetail buck, or that mysterious cougar-like creature that inspired you to buy four more trail cameras. At its most basic level, it’s called ecosystem services, and it is why we have drinking water, why it does not flood us out every time it rains, why we have everything from crappie to a 20 ounce ribeye cut from a cow that grazed public land somewhere.

We have logging. We have coal mining. We have the wonderful Bakken Oil and Gas Field, we have the Barnett Shale boom, the Marcellus, the promising Haynesville. We are pumping more domestic energy than at any time I can remember in our history. Those are good, concrete sources of economic vibrancy, plenty of good jobs and more to come, lots of supply and demand in everything from trucks to work gloves.

We have these great sources of wealth and energy security, and we’ll continue to develop them. But to deny, as we see political leaders do every day, as I see reasonably intelligent people that I know very well, doing, that protecting lands, waters and habitat costs money instead of saving and producing money is simply incorrect.

I am weary of the talk of trade-offs. This is a time and place in history where in essence, we have it all. And we can keep having it all, have even more of all of it, if we know what it is worth, and demand that, as citizens, we do not allow the ignorant or the short-sighted to murder Peter on the false promise of raising the money to pay Paul. To me, that’s what this study can help us avoid. It’s non-partisan. It’s knowledge. Check it out.