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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

March Madness: Remington Model 700 is the F&S All-Purpose Whitetail Rifle Champ

Online Editors — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:01:56 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

Well I don’t think any of us can pretend to be surprised. (If we did a shotgun tourney, the 870 would surely win, too.) But getting here was fun, and in the end it came down to mystique vs. legendary accuracy.

Here in the northeastern big woods, where pinpoint accuracy is not paramount, I tend to favor mystique, which is probably why my cabinet holds a Rifleman’s Rifle in 7mm-08 (not to mention a Savage 99 in .300 Savage and a Model 94 in .30/30, among others). But I must say that I’ve long lusted for a Model 700 Mountain Rifle in .260. The 700’s incredible popularity and proven out-of-the-box accuracy make it a deserving winner, you must admit (although you’re welcome to complain about it below).

To see the championship game and final bracket, click here.

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

March Madness: The Final Four of All-Purpose Deer Rifles

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:20:35 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

So far this tourney has been like hanging with Gomer Pile: “Surpise”—the Kimber 84M gets booted in the first round. “Surprise”—the Ruger No. 1 makes the Final Four. “Surprise”—the Remington 700 obliterates the great Savage 99. I expected the 700 to win the last matchup, but not by such a wide margin?

Anyway, with the 700 and 70 predictably moving on, the Savage squeaking past the Weatherby, and the No. 1 upsetting the X7, our Final Four is set. So let’s tip it off. As usual, check out the bracket (you can click here to print out a copy if you want to fill it out by hand). Then vote for your preferred all-purpose whitetail rifle in each matchup below to begin the Final Four round and see which two guns will go head-to-head for the F&S All-Pourpose Whitetail Rifle Championship.

Division I Final Four
(1) Winchester Model 70: The rifleman’s rifle is back better than ever, and the Featherweight version is both easy to carry and deadly at long ranges. Jack would approve.
(2) Savage 11/111: One of several modern successors of the classic Model 110, this one features Savage’s proven AccuTrigger, the new AccuStock, and is nicely priced.

Division II Final Four
(1) Remington Model 700: Perhaps the most popular American bolt action ever made, even though it’s a push feed. Its time-tested accuracy has only been enhanced by the new X-Mark Pro trigger.
(7) Ruger No. 1: If you’re a really good hunter, this single-shot is all you need. A compact killer that looks as good as it shoots.

The Gun Nut Nation Survey 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:42:59 -0400

Sound off, Gun Nuts. Tell us what you love about today’s rifles and shotguns. Tell us what you hate most about the perception of gun owners in the media. Tell us about your hopes and fears concerning a certain election this November. Tell us about what makes you a Gun Nut in the following survey—a collection of questions about the politics, economics, and state of Gun Nut Nation. The results will be published in the July 2012 issue of Field & Stream. Thank you for participating.

Kentucky vs. Indiana: A Sweet 16 Record-Buck Showdown

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:50:39 -0400

Bona fide hoops junkies circled this game with the glitter pen the instant this year’s NCAA tournament brackets were revealed: Kentucky versus Indiana.

This pair of college basketball bluebloods squares off Friday night in the marquee matchup of the Sweet 16. Featuring two of the most hallowed traditions and rabid fan bases in the college game, the Wildcats (with seven NCAA championships) and the Hoosiers (with five) have claimed the tourney’s ultimate prize a combined dozen times. Judging by their thrilling battle in December (which Indiana won on a three-point buzzer beater), the rematch could go down as an instant classic, with the winner well on its way to hoisting the Wooden Trophy in April.

But that’s not the only trophy competition represented by this heated border-rivalry: Both states are big buck strongholds that vie for bragging rights in the deer woods as well as the hardwood.

So let’s take a look at Kentucky and Indiana’s all-time top tines, as recorded in the Boone & Crockett Club record book through the 2010 deer season, the most recent year for which complete stats are available. Here are the top four typical and top four nontypical bucks from each state—truly a Sweet 16.

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 180-Class Pending B&C World Record 8-Point Buck!

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:46:12 -0500

On December 1, 2011, on the opening day of the second shotgun season in Illinois, Jason Sanders tagged what will likely be the largest 8-point whitetail in the Boone & Crockett record books. Sanders, a 38-year-old farmer and veteran deer hunter, was hunting on his home farm when he set his sights on this world-class buck of a lifetime.

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 Cure For Buck Fever? Take A Practice Shot With The Safety On

Sarah Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:36:43 -0500

by Scott Bestul

I’m the first to admit that I’m no rifleman. I've always lived in shotgun-only country. While I've taken my share of deer with a gun, all have been at close range. What's more, for many years now my primary weapon has been a bow--either recurve or compound. All of this adds up to one simple fact: Deer beyond 70 or 80 yards seem a long way out there to me.

So when I was invited on a rifle hunt in Alabama last week, I did what I always do on a rifle hunt--pray the deer stay close. Oh I know what a centerfire rifle is capable of, but I'm just not enough of a rifleman to let the weapon realize its potential. On the last morning of the hunt I proved it, whiffing on a buck that was an easy target.

Simple analysis? I got buck fever and didn’t concentrate on all the easy little basics that would have helped me make the shot. Or in this case, shots. There, I admit it; I airballed not one, but two shots. And I admit that even after almost 40 years of hardcore deer hunting, I can still get a little buck fever, especially when armed with an implement I'm not wholly comfortable with.

So I had a little talk with myself before the afternoon hunt, reminding my rattled ego that I knew the basics of shooting a rifle accurately; I just needed to remember them at crunch time. So when the buck in this picture stepped out at 96 yards with an hour of shooting light left, I held a little practice run. I settled the crosshairs behind his shoulder, got my breathing nice and steady, and pulled the trigger--while purposely keeping the safety on. Then I did the drill again. The buck was relaxed and feeding, I had plenty of time to make the shot, and I wanted to hold a little dress rehearsal before committing to the real show. When I finally did, I made a perfect shot that tipped him over.

So, for what it's worth, there's one rookie rifleman’s method for dealing with buck fever.

Giant Illinois Buck Is Potential World-Record 8-Pointer

Sarah Smith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:11:41 -0500

by Scott Bestul

The term “world-record whitetail” gets tossed around so much these days that it’s easy to ignore. But the buck pictured at left may well be the real deal.

On December 1st of this year, Illinois hunter Jason Sanders shot this gorgeous, high-tined monster, a deer that will likely appear in the B&C record books as the largest main-frame, typical 8-pointer ever shot by a hunter. Sanders’ buck nets 183-1/8 inches; the current world-record typical 8 (actually two are tied at the top) scores 180-3/8.

I learned about this deer through my good friend and veteran B&C measurer Tim Walmsley, who has measured some truly giant whitetails in his lifetime and readily admits that he can get pretty numb to big deer. This buck, however, has Tim truly pumped up. For more, check out his blog at Heartland Outdoors. To be honest, this picture, taken from above, does not quite capture the enormity of this buck’s rack. But stay tuned, as we will be covering this tremendous whitetail in greater depth soon.

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

Can Lyme Disease Threat Lead to Increased Acceptance of Hunting?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:14:13 -0500

--Chad Love

Is the threat of Lyme Disease opening the door for more deer hunting opportunity and acceptance?

From this story on boston.com:

Beth Webb knew there was more to her boy’s stiff neck and fever than met the eye, but only when his temperature jumped to 107 degrees and he wound up in a hospital emergency room did she spot the telltale red bull’s-eye of a tick bite on his chest. Then more appeared. “As we were sitting there, bull’s-eyes were just popping up all over his body,’’ Webb said. Her son, Ashton, 7, went home from Newton-Wellesley Hospital with antibiotics and appears to have fully recovered, but the Dover family’s battle with deer ticks - and the Lyme disease they carry - remains in full swing.

Guinea hens, which eat ticks, patrol their yard. Tick checks have become part of the routine at soccer fields and playgrounds. And the Webbs are on the front line of a growing effort to curb the spread of Lyme disease through deer hunting. Not only does their yard back up against the Noanet Woodlands, a reservation once closed to all hunting but now included in Dover’s bow-hunting program, but the Webbs have allowed two hunters to set up tree stands on their property. “I have never been for hunting before. Not ever. But it has to be done,’’ Webb said. Now she serves on the town’s Lyme Disease Committee, which is considering asking the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to expand hunting in Massachusetts, even as the accidental shooting of a woman by a hunter in Norton rekindles the debate over its place in such a heavily populated state.

Thoughts?

Bruce: A Hodgepodge of Rut Action

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:22:22 -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.

Things are heating up in some areas of theSouth, others are slow, while others are hoping for just a little action before the season is over.

Typically the rut should be getting cranked in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi in January. The problem with predictions is that deer herds can vary so much from one county and region to another. Some portions of a state may be experiencing rutting frenzy while others have already had their rut come and go.

In Florida, particularly the panhandle, the deer are in pre-rut while it’s over in some parts of the state. Trevor Fitzgerald operates Southern Arrowhead Outfitters in the Florida panhandle and says that “our deer are in pre rut. They are rubbing and scraping a lot. It won't be long before it kicks off. Here is a picture of one that was killed last week just after he made a rub.”

Just across the stateline in southwest Georgia’s Decatur County, hunters are seeing some increased rut action. Apparently the southwestern Georgia deer are more in line with the Florida rut times that the rest of the state of Georgia, which sees a mid-November rut. A Decatur County hunter reports seeing about one-third of the scrapes in his hunting area freshly reworked after a recent rain. Another saw two bucks running does and is seeing lots of good bucks on their feet now. Still another hunter harvested a good buck this week that had dark smelly tarsal glands.

In Mississippi, a hunter in the Arkabulta area, the northwest portion of the state, is also seeing fresh buck sign and increased movement in the area. The Alabama rut should be heating up now but some are seeing unusually slow action, particularly the southeastern part of the state around Midland City. Much of it boils down to your specific deer herd in your area, their health, food sources, and buck to doe ratio. If you’re seeing increased movement and buck sign, the rut is close.

For those areas of the south where the rut has already occurred, there is still the possibility of some second rut action. Georgia State Wildlife Biologist Don McGowan says “it can vary by local herd and conditions. If there is a decent buck to doe ratio, it will be minimal. However if the ratio is skewed with more does, you’ll see more late action. It’s mainly adult does that missed being bred the first time.”

The best way to tell if you’re going to see any second rut action is to look for buck sign. “Bucks play off of does if they’re in estrus. Bucks will display rut behavior if does are in heat,” McGowan said. “It’s mainly a reaction to estrous does. A doe-in-heat is a ‘releaser’ which will cause a buck to exhibit rut behavior.”

Wherever you hunt, if you’re seeing buck rubs, scrapes, and movement, that is when and where you should be hunting.

VT Teacher Suspended 6 Weeks for Allowing a Student to Hunt During School Hours

Sarah Smith — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:17:42 -0500

--Chad Love

Here's one that's sure to elicit some interesting discussion: a Vermont teacher has been suspended without pay for six weeks after allowing one of his students to go home, grab his muzzleloader and shoot a deer during school hours.

From this story in the Burlington Free Press:

A St. Albans high school student bagged his deer, but his teacher has been suspended without pay until next month. The school district did not publicize the school-day incident a month ago or its decision to suspend the educator. "...St. Albans police said preliminary reports indicate a group of Northwest Tech students last month were at or near a building trades job site approved by the school when a deer was spotted. It was during muzzle loading season, which ran Dec. 3-11. One student, who lived nearby, was allowed to go to his home and bring back a firearm, Chief Gary Taylor said Monday. The deer was shot dead by the student, the chief said.

He said a photograph of the class with the dead deer was taken and later posted on Facebook. The chief said he did not know if a school vehicle was used to transport the deer. There were several safety concerns, including the fact the students were under the supervision of a teacher and the shooting happened at a building trades site, which is considered an extension of the schoolyard, Taylor said.

Your thoughts?

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.