The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Ringtail cats are not related to the cat family but are members of the raccoon family, Procyonidae which also includes Kinkajous, and Coatimundis. Ringtails are cat sized animals that resemble a mix between a fox and a raccoon. The face is fox-like, with a pointed snout, and the body is raccoon-like and elongated. The top side of the animal is yellow to dark brown or black, and the underside is a whitish buff. The ears and eyes are large and the eyes are ringed by white fur. The tail is very...
Turkey season has kicked off now in Alabama, and yes I was very fortunate to kill an opening day gobbler. I’ve seen plenty of action while helping hunters and huntresses chase after those elusive birds. Now, while some folks have started the season with a big bang, knocking down turkeys well before the mornings really started, there are also folks out there who just can’t quite get the rascals to fly down from the roost in the right direction. Some of these birds have been talkative, and som...
The Tayra is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae), which also includes otters, skunks and minks. It is the only species in the genus Eira. The Tayra, also spelled “Tiara”, is sometimes called “swamp or bush dog” and its Creole name is Haka. Tayras can be found in the neo-tropical forests of Central and South America, and ranges from Mexico, south to Bolivia and northern Argentina and also on the island of Trinidad. In these areas they live in tropical, deciduous and evergreen forests...
Finatics Fishing Charters offers every kind of fishing you could think of in and around the Gulf of Mexico and the Mobile Bay system. With that being said we cut our teeth and continue to target SPECKLED TROUT more than any other fish. Along with being a wonderful fish for the dinner table, it is a great fish to target whether you’re a novice or a seasoned fisherman. They can be caught all year long and have a 10 fish per person limit in Alabama. In this post I am going to be focused on the n...
Well, we finally made it to the month of February and we only have 6 days left in deer Season. But in February in Alabama another subject comes to my mind and that is the subject of Prescribe Burning. The following article is from one of the premier land managers in our state, Mr. Ted DeVos Of Bach and DeVos Forestry and Wildlife Services. Images and thoughts of woodland fire are typically that it is bad! However, this is probably because most people are not familiar with the benefits of...
November 7, 2018 | By Kip Adams This simple shot placement technique will help you make more effective shots this season. It happens to every hunter at some point in his or her hunting career. They hit a deer with a marginal or poor shot, and then must endure a long and difficult recovery, or worse yet, they’re unable to find the deer. Losing a deer is a terrible event and has caused countless sleepless nights for hunters. What percentage of wounded deer aren’t recovered, and more imp...
The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal and Burma. The Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim.. Red Pandas look quite different to the Giant Pandas, they more resemble the appearance of a raccoon or weasel type animal. The Red Panda is also known as the ‘Lesser Panda (Wah), Cat Bear’, or ‘Firefox’. Being called a ‘Wah’ is because of its distinctive cry. Red Pandas are most closely related to the raccoon and are now in a family...
I know a lot of you folks have deer on the brain for just about every waking moment, and I can say that I’m no different. I’m always thinking about all the different things that go with it, and with my work at QDMA, I’m also looking at what hunting means to us as both individuals and as members of society at large. Ultimately, I’m also thinking about what will lead to maintaining deer hunting as one of our great heritages that we can proudly pass down to the next generation. For starter...
Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth and are also known to be extremely intelligent. They have characteristic long noses, or trunks; large, floppy ears; and wide, thick legs. A group of elephants is called a herd. The herd is led by a matriarch, which is the oldest female. Females, as well as young and old elephants, stick together in a herd. Adult males tend to wander. Elephants also have certain rules. For example, when they are meeting each other, they expect the other elephant to...
It’s that time again, folks. The weather’s cooler, the air feels more crisp, and football’s on the TV again; it’s time to get back out in the woods and do some deer hunting. Right now, Alabama Bow Season is in full swing, and the deer are moving! Of course, Gun Season’s just a few weeks away as well, so I hope all of you are just as geared up and ready to go as I am! Naturally, if you’re going out into the woods, you want to be prepared. Any seasoned deer hunting veteran knows that hunting is...
Common genets, also called small-spotted genets, are related to civets. They are common in Africa, and a few are found in western Europe. Genets live alone or in pairs, resting by day in sheltered spots or abandoned burrows. They feed at night, hunting for small animals in a range of habitats, from dense forest to open grassland. They climb trees to prey on roosting birds or silently stalk victims on the ground. These genets are adept at climbing and hunting off the ground. Their sharp claws whi...
By now, most of the Summer planting has been completed. As for me, I’m not really into Summer planting, as the areas I like to hunt all ready have a rather large amount of browse for the deer to go through later in the year. But in some areas, that extra bit of green thrown in there can make a huge difference in improving deer habitat. Of course, aside from the usual Summer planting, there’s another option that eludes most hunters; establishing soft mast in your neck of the woods. Soft Mast Som...
Plenty of rain, plenty of heat, plenty of humidity, and plenty of reasons to love the other seasons in Alabama; Summer is here and in full swing. Aside from endless grass cutting and edging, there's some good fishing to be had this time of year, as well as the usual road trips and beach stays. That's fine and all, but I'm still ready for the cooler months to get here, because that's when hunting starts to really kick back into gear. And maybe football. A lot of football. Of course, Deer Season...
I hope all of you fine folks had a wonderful 4th of July! The heat's been cooking us all this month, but it's still only the start of Summer. Make sure all of you stay hydrated, stay in the shade, and stay cool! Over the last year or two, I've gone out of my way to mention all the nasty sort of things deer and other critters have to deal with in order to survive. Between the obvious stuff like habitat loss, disease, predators, and the lovely Alabama weather we get from time to time, there's also...
We have just bought a new place in the country so we can expand our small educational zoo and take in more disabled, special needs, abused and unwanted wildlife and exotics. We have been asking for donations and help. We need new enclosures, toys , play skool houses, dog igloos, blankets and dog food. Anything we could use. Its not the moving for us that is hard, it's relocating all of our animals and setting up with new accommodations for them. There is a lot of work that goes into owning a...
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...
An American Badger, are they considered fearless and vicious as we have portrayed them for years? The answer is they are no less vicious than any other animal when it comes to cubs, food or dens. However, there is another badger species that carries that title with full respect of all species. It’s the Honey Badger, considered the most fearless and vicious of all badger species. The American Badger is a brown fur-covered mammal with short legs and low profile. The head appears pointed and s...
My last article seems to have kicked off a firestorm of discussion! From all around the South, I've had fellow turkey hunters confirm exactly what I had been experiencing; a severe shortage of turkeys! The big 3 reasons, to me, were predators, habitat, and baiting. All 3 of these are tied together, compounding each individual problem into something worse. Of course, I'm not a biologist, so I got in touch with the real deal, Ted DeVos. Asking for his views, this what he sent me. I believe your 3...
The Capybara is a large, semi-aquatic rodent that is found inhabiting the water-logged regions of Central and South America. Closely related to other South American rodents such as Chinchillas and Guinea Pigs, the Capybara is the largest rodent in the world weighing up to 145 lbs and measuring nearly 4 feet long. Despite their enormous size though, these mammals have adapted well to life in the water and have a number of distinctive characteristics that aid their amphibious lifestyle, including...
As we approach the end of the 2018 spring turkey season, I look back and cannot recall a season as rough and tough as 2018. This past season I only killed one gobbler and had a miss on video. I did not call in any birds for other hunters for the first time in a long time. What happened to the turkeys in 2018? I did not hear or see the number of birds that I have seen in Alabama in the past, but I'm not by myself. According to the wonderful world of social media, all my fellow turkey hunters are...
What to do if you encounter a raccoon out in the day. If you see a raccoon, no matter what time of day, leave it alone it's a wild animal. Never try to feed it or approach it. Seeing a raccoon out in the day isn't an immediate cause for alarm. There are many reasons why this nocturnal animal might be out and about. If you live in an urban setting, or if the year has been bad for food, raccoons will change their habits to fit when food is most available. If you always put your garbage out in the...
Turkey season has kicked off now in Alabama, and yes I was very fortunate to kill an opening day gobbler, I've seen plenty of action while helping hunters and huntresses chase after those elusive birds. Now, while some folks have started the season with a big bang, knocking down turkeys well before the mornings really started, there are also folks out there who just can't quite get the rascals to fly down from the roost in the right direction. Some of these birds have been talkative, and...
The Raccoon dog, also known as Magnut or Tanuki, is a type of Asian wild dog it is very much a member of the dog family. It is considered to be one of the earliest species that other dog species have evolved from. Neither a raccoon nor a dog, but it does belong to the canid family, which is a lineage that includes dogs, wolves, and foxes. There are 5 subspecies of raccoon dogs that can be found in the eastern Asia and Europe. These animals inhabit dense forests and live close to the water. Numbe...
This past week, the Black Belt Branch of QDMA spent a day with some of our military men and their children on a pheasant shoot at Great Southern Outdoors in Union Springs, Alabama. "As the president of the Black Belt Branch, I am honored to show our love and respect to those who sacrifice so much for our freedom and safety!" said, Mike O'Malley branch president. "Our board of directors works diligently throughout the year to generate opportunities for our members to give back to our...
The fascinating Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous, semi-nocturnal creature, whose aggressive nature and wild hissing, growling and screaming earned it the name. Tasmanian devils live in Tasmania, a large island just south of Australia. In fact, Tasmania is the only place where they are found in the wild. Though Tasmanian devils can live anywhere on the island, they prefer coastal scrublands and forests. Tasmanian devils’ life span in the wild is about seven to eight years. The Tasmanian devil i...