The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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I don’t remember being so annoyed as I was the other day. There I was sitting with a friend, sulking about a lost opportunity to pull the trigger on a tom turkey. The night before, we had seen a gobbler and a hen move into a certain part of the woods. We surmised they would certainly roost there, so our plans were to be their wake-up call the next morning. The next day we were in place as the sun began to rise. The woods all around us were being filled with a chorus of gobbles. None of them, how...
Some of my most vivid memories come from the days of being on the lake. I can remember catching stripe bass as fast as I could cast but I can also remember being scared to death because I had not left early enough to beat the lightning storm. It seems we always think there’s enough time for one more cast. As I got older I began to value my life more. Now if there’s a storm within a hundred miles, I leave. There’s just something about holding a graphite rod in my hand in the middle of a lake...
I spent the afternoon looking for antler sheds. It’s really too early, but the weather was beautiful, especially for February. For about two hours I traveled the well-worn paths looking for any glimpse of the rare treasures left by an unsuspecting buck. I’m not sure if they know they are falling off or if they suddenly feel the release of their unique characteristic. Hunters name bucks according to the individuality of their rack. Without it, they are the deer version of John Doe. For sma...
A beautiful buck came out about sixty yards to my right. Just by the size of his rack, I knew he was a good deer – a definite ten-pointer. I didn’t have much time to gather myself for a good shot because he wasn’t going to stay around long. When I fired I wasn’t sure I had made a good shot, from the way he ran. But shortly thereafter I realized my shot was perfect. He was a beautiful animal with a wide rack. As I began to count his points, I discovered my ten-pointer was only an eight. I say ...
This time of the year, my preferred hunting location is close to a heater. That means I’m either in a barn or a blind. Since I’m either rifle or muzzleloader hunting, I can give myself a little leniency when it comes to smell. Not only will I fire up my heater, but a mug of coffee sure helps knock the chill as well. Add those with a comfortable chair and my shooting sticks, and I’m pretty much able to stay as long as needed. What I can’t do anything about is my inability to see in every directi...
Next week I’m going on my annual trip to Missouri. I’ve been deer hunting there for years and have some wonderful friends there. My memories are many. I think about everything from the times of extreme weather (one time I hunted without a shirt) to trying to find my lost deer with a famous deer dog, that happened to be a dachshund. I can remember seeing some monster bucks just out of range and missing some within range. But no matter what the past held; I still look forward to going back eac...
I made my way to the tree stand on opening day of Tennessee’s deer season. The weather was perfect, including a chance of light rain. I had prepared for this hunt by being meticulous about being scent-free as much as possible. I should have arrived a few minutes earlier, but all in all, everything was good. I was sitting on the edge of a field where deer normally skirt. If they came out, they would do so about 125 yards away and then hopefully make their way below me and maybe within the r...
Another Outdoor Truths Circle Event in the books. This was our second one on the North Fork River. Our cabin was only a few hundred yards from the Norfork Dam. Last year was my first time to experience the daily changing conditions the river offers. And its all about if the gates of the dam are open or closed and whether both gates are opened or just one. Each condition determines if fishing will be serene and confined or if as much effort will be given to maneuvering the boat as will be...
I have a favorite blanket. Don’t laugh. You probably do to. And if you don’t now, you once did. Deny it and I’ll just ask your momma, and she’ll show me picture after picture of you with your thumb in your mouth and your blanket over your shoulder. My own son was not only attached to a certain blanket, but he also had a favorite corner of the blanket. I can remember that blanket having to be restored several times and ultimately becoming a series of knots that simply held one piece to the other....
If you hunt or fish long enough there will come times you must give up your passion for other things. I can remember years ago opening a business during hunting season. The timing of the opening was not optional. You can imagine how often I got to hunt that year. Absence did make the heart grow fonder. Another year was nearly the same. I was trying to finish a Master’s degree. That, along with all the other things in life, made it late into the year before I was able to get in a treestand. I t...
One of the obstacles most hunters and fishermen dread is the wind. A light wind is not a factor – it’s even helpful, but a windy day is burdensome to the fishermen and causes most game to stay out of sight. Most of the time, I complain about the wind like everyone else. But there are a few circumstances where the wind adds excitement to the hunt and gives me the edge. One of those circumstances is when I’m turkey hunting. As turkey hunters know, this particular bird has excellent sight and can d...
I was with several other guys during my recent trip to Texas. We were all there for my Outdoor Truths Circle Event and to try our hand at downing a Rio gobbler. I look forward to this event each year. During that weekend most hunters arrive on Friday and begin their hunt that evening. My friend John is a great host, and his ranch has provided some memorable trips for both new and seasoned hunters. This year was no exception. While three toms were taken, the stories were all different. Don was...
Another turkey season is just around the corner. Even though I’m excited about the possibilities, I’m reminded again of my distaste for the characteristics of this bird. Yes, he’s beautiful. Yes, he’s hardy. And yes, he’s a wily competitor. But his best contribution is his shining example of all that I don’t want to be and all that I detest in seeing in others as well. His pride is evident and that ought to be enough to make me want to blow his head off. But there are other problems I have with...
The bass fishing tournaments are getting ready to start with a vengeance. Once they begin, each weekend will offer another opportunity to fish for money. All bass tournaments have pretty much the same rules. Two fishermen, one boat, and the five biggest fish by weight, win. Some men will literally come to blows in pursuing first prize. And first prize can be worth lots of money, even in the smaller tournaments. As I have said before, these types of events touch both the competitive and...
By Brian Grossman Food Plots are Typically Small Most deer hunters don’t have the time or resources to plant more than a few acres of food plots every year. And while even a small plot can serve as a place to ambush a deer, it won’t improve the overall health of your deer herd. Even if 10 percent of your overall acreage is planted to food plots, if that’s all you’re focused on, then 90 percent of your property is likely not reaching its full potential. Food Plots are Expensive to Plant and Mai...
The African lions are large, muscular, barrel-chested cats. They have a rounded head, round ears, short fur, and a long tail with a tuft of hair at the end. Male lions grow a luxurious collar of long hair, called a “mane,” around their necks. Lions are competent predators that work together to bring down prey. They have several distinctive behaviors and adaptations that help them survive in the harsh African savannah. African lions’ famous mane begins to grow when the male lion reaches one y...
New research out of the University of Georgia Deer Lab is providing unique insight into the rate at which white-tailed deer process visual images and how they perceive their environment. It appears that deer actually receive visual information at a much faster rate than we do, making them more sensitive to movement. Any movement to them will appear to be in slow motion, which, of course, allows them to react more quickly. And, while this finding is true at all times of the day, it is at sunrise...
Aardvarks are small pig-like mammals that are found inhabiting a wide range of different habitats throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. They are mostly solitary and spend their days sleeping in underground burrows to protect them from the heat of the African sun, emerging in the cooler evening to search for food. Their name originates from the Afrikaans language in South Africa and means Earth Pig, due to their long snout and pig-like body. Aardvarks are unique among animals as they are the...
White-tailed deer are the most important game species in North America. More hunters pursue whitetails than any other species, and whitetail hunters contribute more financially than any other hunter segment. Collectively speaking, whitetails are the foundation of the entire hunting industry. That’s why each year QDMA gathers data from state and provincial wildlife agencies, the nation’s leading deer researchers, and other sources to provide the only “State of the Whitetail” available: our Whi...
Madagascar is a large island nation located off the southeast coast of Africa, where some extremely unique creatures live. The fossa, a close relative of the mongoose, is Madagascar's largest predator, and the only animal to regularly and successfully hunt the islands largest lemur species. The fossa looks very much like a small, brown cougar, but it is not a cat. Fossa’s are small animals at about 15 inches at the shoulder. They are rarely more than 30 inches long, not including the equally l...
Conservation. It's a word with a whole lot of different meanings to different people. While the general idea might be the same, it's a distant after thought for many Americans. To those of us in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking or camping, conservation is a constant effort to maintain the precious resources we have. As a member of QDMA, conservation is one of my primary goals. After all, you can't go deer hunting if there aren't any deer left! The amount of research and education we...
Bennett's wallabies, sometimes called red-necked wallabies, are medium-sized marsupials found along the eastern coast of Australia, and on the island of Tasmania. They are members of the macropod marsupials’ family, which also includes kangaroos and wallaroos. Though they may be best known for hopping, wallabies, kangaroos and wallaroos can also crawl and swim. In general, wallabies tend to be smaller than kangaroos and wallaroos and can be distinguished by their darker muzzle and paws. Its n...
Conservation. It's a word with a whole lot of different meanings to different people. While the general idea might be the same, it's a distant after thought for many Americans. To those of us in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking or camping, conservation is a constant effort to maintain the precious resources we have. As a member of QDMA, conservation is one of my primary goals. After all, you can't go deer hunting if there aren't any deer left! The amount of research and education we...
Gray four-eyed opossums (Philander opossum) are Neotropical marsupials with a range that extends from northeastern Mexico in Tamaulipas, to southeastern Brazil. Within this range, they may be found from Brazil's Atlantic coast, west-ward into Peru and Argentina and throughout Central America in tropical lowlands and the Amazon and Parana basins. They are found mainly in tropical forested areas such as tropical evergreen, secondary growth and gallery forests. These opossums generally prefer damp...
Since the dust has settled from this turkey season, I want to tell the amazing story of an accomplished young turkey hunter. Her name is Mari Grace Brooks from Grady Alabama, and she is 13 years old. Mari Grace successfully completed the double Grand Slam in a single season. This is totally unheard of and possibly the first 13-year-old female ever do such an unimaginable task in one year. Honestly, I know only a handful of grown men that it took a life time of hunting to accomplish one Grand...