Striped bass fishing is not an activity for those with addiction issues. The true striper faithful never fully recover from losing their minds during the season. The off-season is essentially one long hangover waiting for spring migration’s ...
Hunting & Fishing
7 Kick-Ass Fly Fishing Boots That’ll Get You There and Back
When it comes to fly fishing boots, most anglers’ first experiences with river footwear are wading around for summer bass in soggy sneakers or pulling on a pair of hip waders when the water temps run frigid in the early spring or late ...
Oklahoma Joins Other States in Tightening Spring Gobbler Regs
Spring gobbler seasons are right around the corner; the turkey hunting faithful are poring over their gear for the umpteenth time, torturing the family dog with clucks, purrs, and kee-kee runs in the garage and selling their plasma to buy a fresh box ...
Eastern Turkeys: The Loudest and Most Paranoid Birds of All
Other than the deep, guttural bugle of a bull elk, nothing rattles my bones and sends chills running up and down my spine like the gobble of Eastern turkeys. God gave these birds remarkable voice boxes, and they know how to use them. If you've been ...
New Wildlife Commissioners Kill Hope for Washington Spring Bear Season
During this period in our history where very little surprises us anymore, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has managed to find a way to do just that by serving up yet another shit sandwich to the hunting, conservation, and wildlife biology ...
Turkey Hunting Gear: New Stuff You Just Have to Have for the Spring
Turkey hunting is a gear-heavy habit, and I love it. Over the years, I’ve amassed more than enough turkey tackle to take on birds anywhere in North America. Each spring, however, I seem to find an item or three — new gear releases or old ones I ...
Hunting Coyotes From Helicopters – Death From Above
My dad was a Green Beret back in the day, and he had some pretty cool experiences jumping out of planes and helicopters. When I told him I was going to be hunting coyotes from a helicopter to manage the predator population on a ranch that was losing ...
Stone Blinds and Bows: How Ancient Hunters Killed Reindeer in A.D. 600
Bowhunting for reindeer takes a good amount of skill and stealth in the 2020s. Ancient hunters 1,700 years ago in what is present-day Norway had to have Marine Scout Sniper-level skills. Now, there is well-preserved physical evidence of exactly how ...
Wildlife Board Upholds Utah Hunting Trail Camera Ban
In January, the Utah Wildlife Board voted 4-3 to ban the use of trail cameras during the state's hunting season. The decision ignited enough pushback from hunters that the board held an administrative rule appeal hearing on March 12. Even with dozens ...
WTF is FRA? The Origin Story of Free Range American
The best ideas are born in the mountains around a campfire, over coffee, before or after a hunt, a fishing trip, or a range day with friends. Free Range American is no different. It’s a community of like-minded adventurers, born — it turns out — from ...
Court Declares New Mexico River Access a Constitutional Right — Again
Anglers in the Land of Enchantment notched a big win in a stream access fight that saw private landowners attempt to bar the public from using waters that flow through their property. In a ruling on March 1, the state Supreme Court unanimously ...
Study Shows Elk Leave Public Land For Private During Hunting Season
A recent study from Brigham Young University (BYU) put some science behind elk movement during hunting season on the Wasatch Front, validating the importance of Utah private land elk hunts. When the broadheads and bullets start flying, more than ...
Axis Deer Hunting in Texas Should Be on Your Bowhunting Bucket List
Bowhunters are finaglers. We’re always scheming, thinking outside the box, and looking for ways to extend our hunting season by going on one more adventure. You know it’s true. If you’re looking for a summer big-game getaway, look no further than the ...
Vermont May Issue More Moose Tags to Combat Winter Tick Menace
Winter tick numbers are exploding in the Green Mountain State, and Vermont moose are carrying the weight of the load — literally and figuratively. This isn’t just a nuisance thing. Winter ticks, aka moose ticks (Dermacentor albipictus), are a ...
Brown Trout: The American Badass Jekyll and Hyde of Gamefish
Brown trout in the US are two fish trapped in the same body, switching from one to the other, like Jekyll and Hyde, depending on their mood. One minute they’ll be gently sipping mayflies from the surface like they’re holding up their pinkies at ...
Hands-On Mountain Man History Lesson: DIY Tanning Beaver Tails
A few weeks ago, my landlord came knocking at my door on a Tuesday morning. When I answered, he said, “I’ve got a dead beaver out here. You want it?” What are you supposed to say to that? “Sure, I’ll take it!” The words fell out of my mouth ...
Rooster Fish: Get Tropical and Be Ready for a Fight
Out of the gate, I blew three shots. We rose and fell in and out of 8-foot troughs as the mate idled the boat parallel to the shore. We were about 200 yards outside the breaking surf off the coast of Todos Santos, Mexico. The captain had just cast a ...
Shed Hunting Tips From the Nebraska Whitetail Master
Diehard whitetail hunters eat, breathe, and sleep all things deer hunting, 24/7/365. In many locales across North America, deer seasons are over; and hunters in places where there are still a few more days on the deer-hunting calendar are burning the ...
Wolf Fight Heats Up As Judge Restores ESA Protections
A Feb. 10 court ruling has overturned the 2020 delisting of wolves in the Lower 48, placing them back on the Endangered Species List and fueling the ongoing wolf fight between animal rights groups and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In Oct. ...
Bonefish Junkies: Pharma Contamination Drugging S. Florida Fisheries
A recent study in South Florida discovered 58 pharmaceuticals in the blood and tissue of bonefish in Biscayne Bay and the Keys ranging from antidepressants and painkillers to blood pressure and prostate medications. OK, first of all, ...
Virginia Hunting License Scam Highlights National Problem
State wildlife agencies across the country are warning residents to watch out for fake websites pretending to sell legit hunting and fishing licenses. Gone are the days when hunters and anglers could just stroll into their local bait shop or ...
Wolves in Northern Minnesota Helping Moose, Eating Beavers
When it comes to keeping their friends close and their enemies closer, research shows moose in northern Minnesota are seeing a life-saving benefit by co-existing with wolves. On the other hand, beavers in the north woods are becoming a favorite wolf ...
Bill That Would Gut Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board Up for Public Comment
Next week, the Vermont Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy will hold a virtual public hearing on a trio of Senate bills that could reduce the size and power of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board, ban hunting coyotes with dogs, and ban ...
Sporting Dog Restrictions Fail in NH, Falter in MD, Progress Elsewhere
The rabbits are on the run again in New Hampshire, and sporting dog owners and clubs in the Granite State couldn’t be happier. On Jan. 25, the state’s House Committee on Fish and Game and Marine Resources voted down a bill that would have ...
Anti-Hunting Orgs Targeting Big Cat Seasons, Bear Seasons, and Trapping
Anti-hunting organizations are ramping up their game and could make headway in several states and possibly on the federal level in 2022. Their victories will be measured in the number of hunting and trapping seasons that can be banned or canceled, ...
Colorado Mountain Lion Hunting Ban Is Dying, but It’s Not Dead Yet
Update – Feb. 7: A bill that would have banned the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats in Colorado died in committee last week. The bill was postponed indefinitely by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in a 4-1 ...
Predator Calling Contests Under Attack From Virginia Lawmaker
Predator calling competitions are currently under fire in the Commonwealth of Virginia, creating concern among some hunters about the future of their sport after a state delegate labeled such contests as violent, gruesome, and purposeless and said ...
Shed Hunting Tips From Connor Clark: How to Rule the West
The annual antler drop — a remarkable few months when antlered critters drop their headgear — is a time period that’s as eagerly anticipated as the mule deer and elk ruts. For many shed hunters, the time of year is all about family and friends; large ...
Everglades Restoration Gets $1.1 Billion Boost, But Where’s it Flowing?
Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ beloved river of grass is getting a fresh bolus of support to aid in its recovery. Thanks to a nearly $1.1 billion allocation from Congress, the US Army Corps of Engineers will be able to expedite some projects in 2022 that ...
Will New Wolf Hunting Regs Kill Yellowstone-Area Tourism?
Since their reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995, gray wolves have been a blessing and a curse, depending on who you ask. The population's strong recovery and subsequent removal from the endangered species list in ...
