HuntingLife Blogs

Alabama State Parks Honor Veterans By Free Admission

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST

Montgomery, Ala. - On National Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2009, Alabama State Parks will waive park entrance fees for veterans as a way of honoring all living Americans who have served their country in a branch of the U.S. Military. Anyone who indicates they are a veteran will be admitted into the park day use areas without charge on Wednesday only. No identification will be required.

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner M. Barnett Lawley said, "This is just a small tribute to those who have helped give us the freedom to enjoy our way of life."

The 22 Alabama State Parks are located across Alabama, from the mountain ranges of the north to the pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Park offerings include comfortable accommodations, camping, golfing, fishing, boating, hiking, biking, swimming, and much more. For more information about Alabama State Parks visit www.alapark.com.

Another Tactic for Hunting the Rut, Hunt the Does by Mitch Strobl

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:36:00 EST

It is a long-standing belief among hunters that the rut is one of, if not the best, phase of season to be in the woods. The Rut is when the big boys abandon their vigilant instincts and have one thing on the mind, does. I would like to throw some very basic tips your way in order to improve your chances this rut.

Initially, there is no set way to hunt the chaotic rut; you have the basics of hunting scrape lines, rubs, rattling, calling and using scents. Another method that I incorporate into my strategy is simply hunting the does while being in the woods as much as possible. I find that it never fails to return to the basics when deer hunting. As I stated earlier, during the rut bucks have one thing on their mind, does. Thus it makes sense to simply hunt the does. In the preseason when you are scouting the deer on your property, take thorough notes on the does as well. You can use these notes to develop a plan for the rut. Once love is in the air, it is a sure bet that bucks have abandoned their normal routines. This is when you should immediately switch to hunting doe patterns.

Ohio Youth Deer-Gun Season November 21-22

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:22:00 EST

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Ohio's youth deer-gun hunting season will be held Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

"The youth deer-gun hunting season provides young hunters the chance to experience the challenge of hunting and enjoy the outdoors with their families," said David M. Graham, chief of the division.

Young hunters killed 9,852 deer during last year's two-day season. The Division of Wildlife anticipates more than 40,000 young hunters will participate in the upcoming hunt.

Successful Season For Vermont Moose Hunters

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:10:00 EST

WATERBURY, VT - Vermont moose hunters had a successful hunting season according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

"A preliminary count shows that by November 4 the department had received reports of 516 moose being taken with 1,230 hunting permits issued for the 2009 split season," said Cedric Alexander, Vermont's moose project leader. "It is likely there are still more than 50 moose reports that will come in from other reporting agents. Some agents send them in later with deer season reports."

Vermont's moose hunting season was held October 17-22 for moose of either sex, and October 24 -November 1 for antlerless moose.

Fall offers different approach to turkey hunting

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:25:00 EST

With the excitement of deer season and the onset of seasons for several other species, such as quail which opens November 14, Oklahoma hunters may overlook the unique opportunity to hunt turkeys this fall.

With generous bag limits and the chance to harvest a turkey with a firearm, the fall turkey season opens doors for sportsmen to get serious about gobbler hunting or to take a more opportunistic approach and watch for them while participating in deer season. Regardless, a wild turkey dinner during the holidays is sure to be worth a hunter's efforts.

During the fall and winter, turkeys can often be found foraging for acorns and other seeds. One method successfully used by hunters to harvest fall turkeys is to break up a flock and, while waiting in the general area from which they departed, use lost calls to draw the group back together. In the fall, hunters can use a range of calls, such as lost calls, purrs and the kee kee run.

Dispose of Deer Carcasses Properly

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:16:00 EST

With deer firearms season starting November 14, Indiana hunters, if they are successful, need to be aware of the proper way to dispose of deer carcasses once the meat has been removed.

"A hunter's responsibility, both ethically and legally, doesn't end until the carcass is disposed of properly," said Lt. Mark Farmer, public information officer for the DNR Division of Law Enforcement.

Professional meat processors have legal means of disposing of carcasses. Successful hunters who do not use professional processors have a few different options for proper carcass disposal, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH).

Goose Hunt: Part 1 by Josh Morrissey

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

October 20th. Finally, it was here. I had been looking forward to that day since last spring when it was set up for the Winona State Ducks Unlimited Chapter to go on a goose hunt in Rochester, MN with Premier Flight Outfitters. Everything came together. My alarm sounded off at 4:00 AM. I woke up Justin and got my gear together. It felt like a perfect morning for a waterfowl hunt; just a steady breeze and overcast. The forecast was rain for the morning, but we were prepared. Justin got the camera gear together and we went on our way to meet up with the rest of the crew. A total of 12 hunters and a cameraman were planning on experience this great opportunity, but as usual, a couple people had something come up and were unable to make it.

4:30 AM came around and we found ourselves in the Walmart parking lot where we all planned on meeting. I did a head count and came up with only 9 of my fellow classmates. We were missing 2 people that hadn't told me they couldn't make it. Luckily, I was able to wake at least one of them up! We waited in that parking lot for about an hour for my other buddy, but he never showed, so we got a hold of the owner of Premier Flight, Dean Tlougan. He told us to meet him at good old McDonald's in Rochester.

Dean explained everything to us and made sure we all were licensed and had the proper gear and then brought us out to the field he had picked out for us to hunt. He had never hunted this field before, so we were the guinea pigs. We had about a twenty minutes before the sun was going to show itself, so we got the decoys all set up so the geese would land right on top of us, and that's no exaggeration! It wasn't long and the geese were in the air. We were all in pit blinds, which are basically holes in the field that we can stand in so we are level with the field. Let's just say the geese don't even have a chance with us shooting.

Another Great Hunting Story

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:50:00 EST

Here is another fantastic story from one of our HuntingLife fans!!

Day before yesterday..........rained like a big dog most of the morning...and the day before that too. Prolly more than 6 inches total.

You got to understand I live on the prairie really....and H2O runs off fast and the little creeks get to rolling like BIG WET SNAKE MONSTERS, .....Very dangerous.

Indiana Hunters Take Aim At Healthy Deer Population

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST

Indiana's annual firearms season for white-tailed deer opens November 14. During the 16-day season, which ends Nov. 29, hunters are expected to kill an estimated 86,000 deer.

"In 2008, hunters killed 86,454 deer during firearms season. I expect the numbers from 2009 to reflect a similar total," said Chad Stewart, Indiana DNR deer biologist.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Indiana DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife white-tailed deer reintroduction project. The opportunity to hunt white-tailed deer in Indiana represents a major success in wildlife restoration.

Georgia Hunters For the Hungry Taking Statewide Donations

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:35:00 EST

SOCIAL CIRCLE, GEORGIA - Hunters are generous people. This fact is best showcased in the continued support of the Georgia Hunters for the Hungry program, through which sportsmen and women can donate deer at specific drop-off locations and the meat is processed and donated to Food Banks in the state. Since 1993, hunters in Georgia have donated more than 1.25 million meals of venison.

In addition to the 15 participating processor collection locations available now through Jan. 15, three weekend collection sites will be available on the weekend of Nov. 7-8, 2009 making sharing the harvest with those in need even easier.

New this year, the GHFTH program has extended donation opportunities to include the "Drop Back a Pack" program. This new opportunity allows hunters to donate some of their processed venison when they visit the processor to pick up their meat. All participating GHFTH program processors will have a freezer indicating where hunters can "Drop Back a Pack" for those in need.