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Can anything beat a cold brew on a quiet terrace at the end of a hard day?WE'VE BEEN TRAPPED inside for months, perfecting our techniques in sweaty halls through the long, dark days of winter. But now that spring is finally here, we're prepared to test our strengths outside, in full view of the wider world. Make no mistake: I'm not talking about runners or cyclists. I'm talking about those of us who really know how to put warm weather to good use. I'm talking, of course, about beer drinkers. By extension, I'd include all al-fresco sippers, from the Southern...

Footage of a family of beavers filmed in a Devon river is believed to be the first sighting of its kind in up to 500 years A family of wild beavers has been seen in the England countryside in what is believed to be the first sighting of its kind in up to 500 years. Three European beavers (Castor fiber), believed to be adults, have been filmed together on the River Otter in east Devon and can be seen gnawing at the base of trees, grooming themselves and playing together. Experts said the sighting was "highly significant" as it strongly...

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is marking the 20th anniversary of its Becoming an Outdoors Woman program this year. The DNR has just released its 2014 catalog of events for the program, which offers a wide range of hands-on learning opportunities for women and their families who want to learn how to hunt, fish or develop other outdoor skills.

BROOKLYN, MI – Marc Melson plans to use part of his ice fishing prize money to go on vacation with his wife “somewhere warm” -- far from the ice and snow. Melson and cousin Joe Thornburg won first place in the 2014 Midwest Open Ice Fishing Tournament, taking home the grand prize of $20,100 for their winning catch of 7.99 pounds. This was the first year the duo competed in the tournament, but they’ve been fishing for as long as they can remember. “We’ve been ice fishing since we were kids,” Thornburg said. “It’s a family tradition.” Fishermen from nine...

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation(NRK) has put up some striking photos of water off the coast of Lovund, a small island off of Norway. Though it was “only” -7.8°C (18 °F), a sharp eastern wind was enough to freeze a large quantity of fish in place. The translation tools used to understand NRK’s article don’t exactly remove all language barriers, but it seems that Aril Slotte of Havforskningsinstituttet, a marine research institute, believes that the fish might have been chased by a predator, and that’s why there were so many grouped together that closely. Ingolf Kristiansen, who happened upon the scene,...

Former U.S. vice presidential candidate, governor, best-selling author and original “Mama Grizzly” Sarah Palin returns to series television on Sportsman Channel to host a new show – the first part of the network’s “Red, Wild & Blue America” programming plan – for the fast-growing outdoor lifestyle network. Titled “Amazing America with Sarah Palin,” the weekly series will premiere in April 2014. The announcement was made today by Gavin Harvey, CEO of Sportsman Channel. Amazing America with Sarah Palin is an anthology of stories that explore some of the most original, interesting – and sometimes inspiring – people, places and pastimes...

“If some animals are good at hunting and others are suitable for hunting, then the Gods must clearly smile on hunting.” - Aristotle Last week the animal right activists went into full doofus mode when the happy huntress, Melissa Bachman, posted pics on Facebook and Twitter of a lion she shot on her recent safari to South Africa. Being the most unhinged bipeds sucking air right now on God’s green earth, the anti-hunting lunatics, in a full-on hissy fit, demanded that Bachman be banned from South Africa for legally hunting a lion and stimulating their needy economy. In addition, they...

At the Beach Sand grains magnified 110-250 times reveal each grain is unique. grains of sand The tip of a spiral shell has broken off and become a grain of sand. After being repeatedly tumbled by action of the surf this spiral sand grain has become opalescent in character. It is surrounded by bits of coral, a pink shell fragment, a foram (a type of protozoa) and volcanic material. Photo copyright Dr. Gary Greenberg.

Outdoor Channel Blacklists Colorado Over Gun Control Laws Posted on March 12, 2013 by da Tagliare Filed under 2nd Amendment, Business, Economics, Gun Control, Jobs, Politics, State Laws Living in the Southwest for most of my life, I’ve seen just how many people go to Colorado to hunt, fish, ski, hike, camp and sight see. Combined together, these activities generate millions of dollars for businesses as well as the state government. Yet, the controlling Democrats are willing to lose a large portion of that revenue and place many businesses in jeopardy, just to push Obama’s anti-gun policies. A couple of...

The forest really does hum with life. Though often too low or too high for human ears to detect, insects and animals signal each other with vibrations. Even trees and plants fizz with the sound of tiny air bubbles bursting in their plumbing. And there is evidence that insects and plants "hear" each other's sounds. Bees buzz at just the right frequency to release pollen from tomatoes and other flowering plants. And bark beetles may pick up the air bubble pops inside a plant, a hint that trees are experiencing drought stress. Sound is so fundamental to life that some...

Unpredictable snowfall patterns and drought are prompting the multibillion-dollar industry to consider cost-effective alternatives. After a dismal start to the season for the second straight year, Colorado's ski resorts are finally getting the snow they depend on. Colorado Ski Country USA reported total skier visits at its 21 member resorts dropped 11.5% during the first period of the ski season, which ranges from opening day through New Year's Eve. The marketing research firm IBISWorld reports that while the economic recovery is expected to bring more people to the nation's slopes, climate change is straining operations at many resorts. When natural...

September 22 marked National Hunting and Fishing Day, which dates from 1972 when President Nixon signed it into law. "I urge all citizens to join with outdoor sportsmen in the wise use of our natural resources and in insuring their proper management for the benefit of future generations," wrote President Nixon at the time. Alas, nothing was heard from our current President regarding National Hunting and Fishing Day. But then “people who cling to guns” are not particularly popular with this administration. And speaking of President Nixon’s recommendation, long ago my family found that among the very wisest uses...

A friend of mine from a previous life has been lobbying me to move to Idaho before TSHTF. If I could only afford to retire, I'd take him up on it. But I'm gainfully employed now and need the income.Next, he sends me a transcript of Idaho Primary Election Results to prove even the lowest vote candidate in most GOP primaries still gets more votes than all total votes in the Democrat primary. How can a state so big and so geographically dispersed have such uncommonly common sense?

Ok so yesterday as I'm driving along I look up and I see a face in the clouds. It's very defined. You can see eyes, a nose, cheeks, etc. First I'll post a picture below without the face circled to see if you can spot it. Next here's a link with it circled for those not able to see. Click here to see the face circled.

Good evening friends. I recently received a gift of a Garmin GPS 60CSx to replace my old model-t Magellan handheld unit which finally went toes up last week while on a fishing trip. It seems to be a good unit, perhaps a bit more complicated than I am used to. I was wondering if someone could recommend Mac compatible topographic map/software. It doesn't have to have tons of bells and whistles...it will be used primarily to mark spots for duck hunting, deer stands, fishing, etc. Thanks in advance for advice

Outdoors advocate & defender, Judge Bob Moon, 60 Popular Hamilton County (Chattanooga, Tenn.) General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon, known for his outdoors advocacy and strict dealings with game law violators, died Wednesday from an apparent heart attack. He was 60. In 2008, Judge Moon made national headlines when he advised a woman who had been pulled from her car and beaten in the head to "purchase a weapon, obtain a gun permit and learn to protect yourself." He will be missed. Richard Simms at Nooga.com.

Even the elders in Pakistan's Sindh province admit they've never seen anything like it: whole trees encased in webs by millions of invading spiders. The mysterious phenomenon may be an unexpected result of the devastating floods that swept over Sindh in 2010, reports Wired. According to scientists, the spiders likely collected in the trees after fleeing from the rising floodwaters. At their height, the floods covered as much as a fifth of the country and displaced as many as 20 million people. One unexpected blessing from the bizarre post-flood event is that the hungry spiders seem to be significantly reducing...

Tuesday was a day that started with a stunning sunrise, as seen above in this photo by Associated Press photographer Elaine Thompson. The day was bracketed with another stunning display of color at sunset, courtesy of our dryer than usual December. Rain is expected to return later in the week.

My brother and I are taking our first steps on the Appalachian Trail in 2015. We will start in Georgia and complete the trail in Maine. Any Freepers ever done a thru-hike? Would like any advice/stories anyone may have.