This week is the SHOT Show, the firearms industry trade show, so it’s announcements galore for companies in that biz. Unfortunately, because the hunting side of the gun industry is dominated by deer, there’s not a whole lot of bird-related stuff. But judging from the gun and its new website, Franchi (believe it’s owned by […]
First, this doesn’t seem to be an epidemic, not even a local one. Second, regardless of your feelings about trapping, trappers are good people – if sometimes odd. (This means you Dan! Lol.) But let’s face it: Any beloved hunting dog or non-hunting pet – and they are all beloved – killed by accident is […]
Ah the UK, the land that gave the world 17 pieces of silverware on the table, animal rights and other questionable stuff. Okay, it wasn’t all bad – that’s where our bird hunting came from too. But it’s different here…or there, depending on your perspective. Here’s some recent bird news plus some interesting vids. Katie […]
Lone Star Outdoor news recently carried an article on a speech given by Dr. Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch near Rotan, Texas. Seems that a major threat to quail, at least in the Lone Star state, may be an eyeball worm. News to us! Highlights: > Especially mysterious were the continued […]
An article by the awesome Dennis Anderson in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (which again has by far the best bird hunting coverage of any newspaper on planet Earth) paints a picture of a very grim future for South Dakota pheasants – and by extension, pheasant and maybe quail pops in other ag states. The culprit: […]
We want to hunt Gambel’s quail. You know, those quail with the topknot that run around the desert and hop on cacti. Jay in particular wants to do it because he still carries images of his head of when he was out in the country around Phoenix one time, and saw “hundreds” of quail running […]
[Here’s the second and final part of contribution by Serious Canadian grouser Jeff Laberge on his season and lessons learned in winter grousin’. We continue with the rest of lesson 2 (hunting grouse on snow) as well as a wrap-up. Thanks Jeff!] Theoretically the birds would stay in thick cover until the sun hit the […]
[This is contributed by Jeff Laberge, a Serious grouse hunter from Sudbury, Ontario – an area known for hard rock mining, a big nickel, and Saturday Nights (search Sudbury Saturday Night). He hunts along the North Shore of Lake Huron, apparently one of the best-kept secrets of Serious grousers.] In my book, Dec. 15 is […]
The 100th Anniversary of L.L. Bean is next year, and you better believe this iconic American outdoor company is going to do a bunch to celebrate. (Unfortunately, our idea of free Setters for everyone wasn’t embraced by Mr. Bean….) One thing they’re doing is producing a variety of 100th Anniversary heritage products, including a canoe, […]
We make it a point to try not to get suckered by political hoo-ha, so that’s not what this is about. We ran across a blog post on the Discovery-owned treehugger.com titled “Why Does Congress Hate Pheasants?” and a related one, “Do Tea Party, Heritage Foundation Oppose Hunting?” Interesting stuff, written by the same gent, […]
I (Jay) had never seen nor head of a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever until the 2011 Pheasant Fest last winter. In fact, when the guy I was talking to about the dog told me, I thought he was yanking my chain. Who in their right mind would give anything that long a name? And […]
‘Tis the season of gifts and giving, and as you might have noticed we’ve mentioned a few ideas and wants recently. Here’s another, this time penned by C.H. Judson of internet retailer Wood & Metal. Why? Because C.H. is a bird-hunter who only sells quality, battle-tested stuff. In fact, if we got his story straight, […]
Just like the title says, here’s some stuff we want for Christmas – “we” being Jay and Sean, Brendan’s brother. Apparently Brendan has all he wants…not really but he didn’t type something up in time for this post. So here goes – with two disclaimers: 1. Thanks to the exploits of our Pheasants Forever brothers […]
Did you see the article titled “Cold Weather and Shotshells” in the Nov/Dec issue of Shooting Sportsman? Interesting stuff. Makes us think we really need to pattern our guns when it’s cold out. Never thought to do it. Here are some quotes…and check out that cover below. Does that Lab look huge or what?! > […]
As posted waaay back on Nov. 29, Wood & Metal decided to give away two pairs of its custom-made-by-Geier Glove Co. goatskin gloves to a couple Serious hunters. We found it a bit odd that so few folks entered, but hey, if that means you’re happy with your gloves, great. Then again, as Jay said […]
As the title says, here’s the second and final part of our Q&A with the guys who went on Pheasants Forever’s (PF) recent and 2nd annual Rooster Road Trip. Quick review: 5 states in 5 days, all public land, they find birds. Serious. Here we go, some good info. SBH: Which one place you hunted […]
Hopefully you followed Pheasants Forever’s (PF) recent and 2nd annual Rooster Road Trip. It’s a cool idea, where several of the walk-it-like-they-talk-it PF guys hit the road to hunt pheasants on public land in five different states – in five days. Since the states are pretty dang big west of Ol’ Miss, that’s no small […]
Regardless of whose theory you buy or what label you want to put on it, weather patterns are changing. Don’t think anyone can say how long that’ll last, but in the short term one effect of it – which also happens to be a symptom of a generally warmer climate – is more precipitation. For […]
Have to admit one reason we bird-hunt is to get our butts kicked – and not just by the birds! Being wiped-out tired after a day of hunting is part of the fun, and that’s one reason we really, really want to go out West after the wily ol’ chukar birds. A little daydreaming about […]
Well how ’bout that? Minnesota just released a draft long-term management plan for ruffies and wants your comments on it. Pretty cool considering Minnesota is one of the top grouse states in the country…meaning they want to keep it that way. Here are some things that stood out for us: Plan/Goals > Among the goals […]
Just read this article on hunting ruffies in MN this year. So much of it, while well-intentioned, is wrong. Here goes: > The good news is, counts were up 34 percent this spring in parts of northern Minnesota. Counts remained stable in southern Minnesota. This COULD mean that there’s more easy birds (young ones) early […]
Lessons from 2012 Maine-NH Hunt
Don’t know if we’ve fully recovered yet from our not-quite-a-week of hunting Maine and New Hampshire for ruffies and woodies. We all actually bailed 2 days early, having put in 5 consecutive days instead of our usual 7. Felt like wimps about it, but hey, we were BEAT…from 5 days of the most brutal hunting […]
No Grouse Comeback in SW Penn?
Sounds like ruffed grouse will never be as much a part of the landscape of southern Pennsylvania as they once will. “Never” sounds ominous. Permanent. But that’s the conclusion of an article by Bob Frye in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Why should you care if you don’t live or hunt in PA? Reasons: > Pennsylvania is […]
Hey: All Ruffies Drum Differently!
Did you know that? Not until now…. This info won’t help us hunting, but it’s interesting – and makes sense. Here’s more, from newscientist.com: Male ruffed grouse are the first animals known to make unique non-vocal sounds. Humans and many other animals, particularly birds, can be identified by their voices. But no one had looked […]
Ran across this quote from an article about Iowa’s pheasant count: > “I haven’t even gone pheasant hunting the last couple of years because the birds just weren’t there,†said Tim Wolf, a 61-year-old bank president who lives in Waukee. YES THEY WERE! They most definitely were there. Maybe not like this… > “But I’ve […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Across the Pond Bird Follies, Vids
Ah the UK, the land that gave the world 17 pieces of silverware on the table, animal rights and other questionable stuff. Okay, it wasn’t all bad – that’s where our bird hunting came from too. But it’s different here…or there, depending on your perspective. Here’s some recent bird news plus some interesting vids. Katie […]
Do Congress, Tea Party Hate Pheasants?
We make it a point to try not to get suckered by political hoo-ha, so that’s not what this is about. We ran across a blog post on the Discovery-owned treehugger.com titled “Why Does Congress Hate Pheasants?” and a related one, “Do Tea Party, Heritage Foundation Oppose Hunting?” Interesting stuff, written by the same gent, […]
Quail, the most beleaguered of our beloved gamebirds, is getting a helping hand in Kansas. Or rather, a bigger helping hand. The state just announced that it’s “launching a new quail restoration initiative aimed at making a difference in declining bobwhite quail populations at a landscape level.” Here’s more: > Includes the designation of two […]
Worms and Birds: What Else Don’t We Know?
Believe we’ve talked about this at least once, but a recent Wall Street Journal article on the plight of Texas quail got us thinking about it again. Here’s the applicable stuff: …Rolling Hills Quail Research Ranch, a 4,700-acre spread an hour west of Abilene. Last month, researchers there found that the levels of parasitic worms […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Lone Star Outdoor news recently carried an article on a speech given by Dr. Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch near Rotan, Texas. Seems that a major threat to quail, at least in the Lone Star state, may be an eyeball worm. News to us! Highlights: > Especially mysterious were the continued […]
