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Duck Hunter Killing time Rather than Killing Waterfowl California is typically No. 2 or 3 in terms of numbers of ducks killed each season. The only state that beats us consistently is Louisiana, home of the infamous Duck Commander crew. So to someone who doesn't speak duck, one might think that we California sportsmen kill limits every morning we slide into our waders. As avid waterfowlers know, that simply ain't the case. Our sunny California weather plays a huge role in why we don't kill limits every day at Colusa, Sutter Butte and Gray Lodge refuges. Blue bird days...

A Roman Catholic diocese has taken down the Facebook photo of a nun with a 10-point buck she bagged after the posting drew criticism, some of it vulgar, by anti-hunting and animal rights activists, the diocese said.

Since 2000, hunting participation by females has risen dramatically in the U.S. In the first year of the new millennium, 5,264 females passed the mandatory hunter education course. The course is required of every hunter born on or after Sept. 2, 1971. By 2010, 8,500 females, 20.3 percent of all students, passed hunter education. In 2014, 16,534 females took the course. Females represented 23 percent of last year's 72,015 hunter ed students. "We've been encouraging women to try hunting and shooting sports through our outreach programs," said Nancy Herron, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's outreach and education director. "There's...

I've been fortunate to hunt in North America for more than 30 years, mostly in Wisconsin but also in Alaska, Montana, Canada and Mexico, and have many treasured experiences. The 2015 Wisconsin deer season, however, brought an unwelcome first in my world. A buck I shot Nov. 2 in Richland County tested positive for chronic wasting disease. I learned about the test result on Wednesday. The meat from this buck, which I deboned, wrapped and stored frozen, will be thrown in the garbage. The 30 pounds of sausage made from trimmings will be tossed, too. Destroying the venison goes against...

This is how imagine it will go.....

Doing some additional homework and traveling the extra distance can often yield private-land results to public-land whitetail huntersHunting public land can be very frustrating when it comes to deer hunting. It's difficult to be cruising social media and see private-land hunters talk about how many deer they saw during a recent hunt. On public land, you're sometimes lucky to even see a deer over a week's period of time. With all the frustrations and challenges, it is not impossible to harvest a buck on public land. In fact, I've had opportunities to take a legal buck every season for the...

Before you read this story I would like to put emphasis on a couple of points. First and foremost, if you go hunting (especially in a remote area) always go with a partner. If something happens to you, the chances of getting out of trouble increase by having a buddy go with you. I would never go hunting alone, it's just too darn dangerous. Secondly, if you do hunt alone, always take a satellite phone, or a GPS locator with you. If you are hurt and cannot get back to civilization, at least you can let someone know exactly where...

RattlingWhen they were first introduced to the national hunting community, these novel methods for bringing in bucks were considered unconventional at best, and harebrained schemes by most. Now deer hunters everywhere use these tried-and-true tactics. We take a look back in our archives to when these trusty standbys were still considered downright bizarre. The brush-country hunters of Texas and New Mexico were crashing antlers together for decades before the trend caught fire in the rest of whitetail country. Although native hunters likely developed the technique, legend has it that an old market hunter accidentally discovered the phenomenon: "He was coming...

Here's a clip from WildTV Hunter Troy and Jack Link of Jack Links Beef Jerky, They're in northern California hunting down this monster Tule elk. Key takeaways from the Link boys is that thinking ahead and waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger, patience and precision was the key for a successful hunt. See the video here.

Waterfowlers have proven to be some of the most resourceful of all sportsmen throughout history, with their combined approach of calling, decoying, and plain old woodsmanship. Here are six old-school tips worth remembering as you prepare to hit the water for ducks and geese this fall. Add motion - Before motion decoys, hunters used jerk strings and pumped their legs in the water to send ripples through their spread. Another great trick is to mount an electric trolling motor to your blind or on a wood frame painted to blend in, set it near your spread, and let the propeller...

If you want to find deer sheds but don't have time to search, build your own antler trap. There are many benefits to walking through the woods and searching for deer sheds. You can get a better lay of your land, you can see where the deer were most recently moving, and shed hunting is a great way to introduce hunting to a youngster. But for many hunters there is just not always enough time to get in the woods and hunt sheds. But with just a few dollars and a little bit of time you can build an antler...

Everyone loves to champion those 10 plus pointers, phenominally they say one in 4,500 doe have antlers. But, this one hunter bagged a 30 point and that buck is a doe! Rest of the story here.

Monday morning question of the day, while hunting if you come across a buck and a doe mating, would you shoot them after they're done, or during?Go here to see the video of what this hunter did.

A blogger named Wes Siler criticised Ted Cruz for carrying a shotgun in the fashion in the photograph.  I am not sure if the critique was in jest,or serious.  It is not clear that Wes Siles is a liberal.  His favorite president is Teddy Roosevelt.  One of Wes' tweets advise on 16 ways to avoid being  "modern man" by the NYTs famous list.  Wes was soon corrected about shoulder carry, and rightly so. Shoulder carry, as exemplified by Senator Ted Cruz in the Picture, is explicitly suggested as a means of safely carrying a shotgun or rifle.  It is...

The mystical, magical whitetail rut. It's what many of us wait feverishly to experience all year long—anticipation that builds into both blessing and curse. Especially when it comes to smart stand selection at go time. Obsess over most anything for a good length of time and, eventually, you can experience near-absolute clarity of thought. Seconds later, you can be trapped in a wicked tailspin of second-guessing. This is the dark side of our obsessive behavior. To help ensure your focus (and success) during the fast-approaching rut, we've tapped a trio of die hard whitetail fanatics, guys who seem to have...

When it comes to deer hunting bullets, expansion is usually the name of the game. Some of the most widely-used hunting bullets were designed 50 and 60 years ago, when deer hunting was much less prevalent than it is now (simply because we didn't have very many deer). These days, deer hunters as a group wield the most sway with major manufacturers of rifle ammo. We buy the most ammo and demand performance from it. If it fails, we tell everyone about it and buy someone else's product. Enter Winchester's R&D department and a new approach to a hunting bullet....

The guide for every man on exactly how to show a lady a miserable time in the woodsWomen are joining the hunting ranks at a faster rate than men. But, we ladies still encounter a few problems when it comes to learning the sport. The No.1 problem for women going afield is trying to find places to hunt. The No. 2 problem? You guessed it. It's you guys. Don't get us wrong. We're not trying to man-bash. We love that you're willing to take the ladies in your lives hunting. But, sometimes you guys make mistakes big ones that may...

This video highlights a hunter not being careful while dressing this bull elk. Tip is, always guide the blade with your fingers so as to push the gut bag away, and make sure that the knife point isn't close to the bag. Anyone have this problem or accident before? Watch the video here.

She was a big old doe, with that long head and thick, squared-up body; she conducted herself with a caution and attention not seen in the younger deer. She was alone with no trailing fawns; they had been weaned and were off seeking their own way, and she was only concerned with the white oak acorns at her feet. Hidden in a pile of brush, just an odd-shaped stump, nothing to worry about here, I watched her, had been watching her, as she had first appeared and while she worked the thicket, first out of range, now closer, now close...

I’ve always been fascinated with snakes. I will admit that as a youth they absolutely terrified me. While I ran around catching lots of lizards and frogs, whenever I bumped into a snake, I did less catching and more running. As I got older and learned more about them, I began actually seeking snakes out in the hopes of seeing them up close and capturing them. I’d carefully handle the nonvenomous ones, take a few photos and then release them. I did get bit a handful of times, but for the most part the encounters were interesting and educational. Every...