By Chad Love

Out of deference (and fear for my job) to the numerous Field & Stream editors who call New Jersey home, I will not write a New Jersey-based "Swamp People" parody joke about this next story. But I sure hope that some of you will.

From this story on nj.com:

A young alligator’s idyllic summer in a Kingwood creek ended on Saturday afternoon, July 28, after a few hours of hide and seek. Herk Rodweller, who lives just south of the Highlands Gourmet Market on Route 519, was taking out the garbage at about 10:30 a.m. on July 28, when he saw the 3-foot reptile in a creek about 30 feet from his garage. “At first I thought it was a big stick,” he said. “Then it moved.”

According to the story, firefighters were called in to pump out that section of creek, the fearsome beast was eventually captured and will probably be sent to an educational facility out of state. Authorities believe the juvenile alligator was an illegal pet that got dumped into the creek when it got too large. Either that or it's the spawn of the... [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

Recently, at the rifle range, a friend of mine who is full of years and wisdom was shooting a brand-new lever-action chambered for the horrifying .454 Casull. The rifle is built on the lines of a Winchester Model 92, and has a small buttstock with a lot of drop to it, and not a lot of weight.

My friend took three shots and put the gun away. “This thing is killing me,” he said, “the next time I shoot it I’ll have a wool coat on.”

Despite the fact that the Casull does not have the power of, say, a .577 T-Rex, it still generates enough steam to hurt in a rifle that delivers punishment at both ends. Many a shooter would have kept right on firing that evil rifle with nothing between it and himself but a T-shirt, and they would have paid.

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By Chad Love

You may recall the massive Kansas deer poaching case from last year involving two Texas men running an illegal guiding operation in south-central Kansas.

The case has resulted in dozens of guilty pleas and lengthy jail time for the two ringleaders. Recently three more men were sentenced, bringing the total number of convictions involving Camp Lone Star to 25

From this story in the Sacramento Bee:
A major investigation into illegal deer hunting in Kansas has snared three more out-of-state hunters. The U.S. attorney's office says three customers of a hunting camp called Camp Lone Star pleaded guilty and were sentenced Monday on misdemeanor charges of interstate transportation of wildlife taken in violation of state law. 

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--Chad Love

Would you be comfortable with a corporate sponsor for your state wildlife agency? That's what the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking into...
 
From this story in the Houston Chronicle:
 
In a first for the state, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is seeking corporate partners to use the agency's well-known logo and brand in exchange for hard currency, the agency announced this week. The move provides a much-needed revenue stream as the department grapples with major budget cuts coupled with devastating droughts and wildfires. While other state park agencies have dabbled with similar ideas or struck corporate sponsorships deals for specific projects, industry officials believe this would be the first time a department that oversees a state's natural resources actively seeks contract-based partnerships. [ Read Full Post ]

By David Draper

After reading all the entries in the Wooly Mammoth Cooking Contest, one thing is evident: Wild Chef readers are undaunted by a challenge. In addition to suggesting classics like smoked ribs and backstraps, reader recipes included great ideas for making a meal out of the mega-fauna, including reader TM who assures us he’s a meat hunter—not a tusk hunter.

He solves the dilemma of marinating mammoth in an above-ground pool and reminds us, “leftovers make good sandwiches in the pterodactyl blind.” Maybe combine that with B0whunt3r’s idea of picking up some giant veggies from the state fair (along with an ostrich egg) for a delicious MBLT (Mammoth Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) with some Ostrich Egg Mayo.

Other honorable mentions include dutchkas’s Beer Keg Mammoth, and Gtbigsky’s paleolithic take on the Turducken:
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By Phil Bourjaily

It’s as if Lego made a shotgun. You snap some parts off, put some on, swap barrels, and your duck gun is a deer gun. Or a turkey gun. Or a home-defense gun or a tactical riot gun. You can change the stock, fore-end, and pad of Mossberg’s Model 500 Flex pump action in less than two minutes, without tools. Available in 11 base models, with 16 accessory parts, the Flex represents the ultimate expression of Mossberg’s shooting-system approach.

Having tied the company’s success to the Model 500 in 1962, Mossberg has since marketed its budget pump to be the one gun a shooter could use for every conceivable purpose. Over the years the company offered accessories and countless extra barrels to make the 500 extra versatile.
[ Read Full Post ]