Blog

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

A quick thank you to everyone who has visited the site this month.  We had over 12,000 unique visitors to our site and over 35,000 page views in October.  A tremendous Thank you to each of you!

Please come visit our outfitters as they are the bread and butter that keeps us live!

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 04:37 PM | 2 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Saint Paul, Minn. – October 31, 2007 – Pheasants Forever (PF) national board member and outdoor writer/photographer Berdette Zastrow of Columbia, South Dakota, recently received a pair of honors in the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) 2007 Awards in Craft competition.

Held at the AGLOW national conference in Niagara Falls, Zastrow received a first place award in the "Best of Hunting" newspaper category. Her story, "A 48-Year Tradition," appeared in the Hook & Bullet section of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader on November 8, 2006. The story chronicled the Bowar/Halbkat family and their South Dakota west river mule deer hunts over a four decade period.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 11:56 AM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

RIDGWAY, Pa. - It's furry and walks on all fours. Beyond that, about the only thing certain about the critter photographed by a hunter's camera is that some people have gotten the notion it could be a Sasquatch, or bigfoot. Others say it's just a bear with a bad skin infection.

Rick Jacobs says he got the pictures from a camera with an automatic trigger that he fastened to a tree in the Allegheny National Forest, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, hoping to photograph deer.

What do you think???? 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 10:48 AM | 2 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

We have some great new pictures from Sandy River Outfitters to share with you.  A great Bear hunt with Randy DiCello and a great archery deer hunt with Michael Moore.  Please take a look at the pictures and if you want a great guide for whitetails and bears you need to check out Sandy River Outfitters.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 10:04 PM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

This hunting tip was so good I wanted to highlight it right here on the blog!  Christopher Hadley is a school teacher in Indiana and a heck of a hunter.  He has been doing some writing for us and his tips have been fantastic insights.  I am forever grateful for his contributions and I am getting to learn more and more about Chris from his writing... Get on those comments folks and welcome Chris and tell him what a great job he is doing!

Hunting Tip 130

Improvise: Use Your Surroundings To Your Advantage When Hunting

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 08:39 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Safari Club International (SCI) has filed extensive comments opposing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed listing of the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 05:25 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Bart Semcer is an avid outdoorsman who has dedicated his life to conserving the world's wildlife and wild places. Bart currently serves the Sierra Club as its Washington, DC Representative for Fish and Wildlife Policy and Hunting and Fishing Programs. In this position his responsibilities include developing and executing government relations strategies on issues related to the management of endangered species, public lands and the perpetuation of America's outdoor heritage.

I felt it would be incredibly important to interview Bart for our readers here.  Bart is advocating a strong bond between environmentalists and Conservationists to work on the things we do agree upon in saving our wild places and protecting our planet.  I think you will see from the following interview that Bart is working extremely hard on all of our behalf and while some may view him on the wrong side of the fence, he is an avid hunter and is working hard to make changes from within.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 12:45 AM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Here is a really quick story from the NRA-ILA newsletter about some people I know in the industry that I think you should all know about.  Steve and Annette Elliott are friends of mine and we are all working together to bring to the Washington Metro Area one of the greatest outdoor and Sportsmen's shows this area has ever seen but currently they are under attack in Roanoke Virginia for putting together a gun show in that area.  Please let the folks in Roanoke know about your displeasure.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 11:51 AM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Friday, October 26, 2007

Greenbrier County officials are scouring the woods near Cold Knob after receiving multiple reports that a lion -- an African lion, not the mountain variety -- is on the loose.

"We're treating this pretty seriously," said Robert McClung, the county's senior animal-control officer. "Right now, we're trying to confirm the initial report. Once we do that, we'll figure out what we're going to do about it."

A local hunter, 72-year-old Jim Shortridge of Frankfort, was bowhunting for deer Oct. 17 when the lion reportedly approached him.

"I watched it for more than 40 minutes," said Shortridge, who owns the parcel of land he was hunting on. "I watched it from my vehicle and from my hunting blind."

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 02:28 PM | 2 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Friday, October 26, 2007

As many hunters in the Midwest know, a disease called blue tongue (BTV) has overwhelming swept in to their favorite hunting spots.  Southern Indiana, Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and parts of Tennessee have been the hardest hit this year.  Blue Tongue otherwise known as catarrhal fever, is a viral disease carried by biting insects that is transferred to sheep, deer and possibly other animals. Biologists have been trying to figure out the dynamic behind this depressing disease. There are some conclusions biologists have reached.  A biting insect called a “midge” is responsible for carrying the disease.  Once the midge infects a deer, the deer begin to have noticeable symptoms.  Some of these symptoms are high fever, hemorrhaging of the brain, and inflammation of muscles.  The deer literally go crazy due to the high temperatures of their bodies.  In the above Midwestern states (and possibly others), numerous sightings of deer standing in pools of water, ponds, lakes and rivers have been reported. The deer get overwhelmingly hot and travel to the nearest source of water to cool themselves down.  Unfortunately in many cases, this does not happen and the deer die near these sources of water.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 12:18 AM | 2 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Friday, October 26, 2007

Pictures?  We need them and you all have them! Send us your photos!!

Send them to Kevin@huntinglife.com and we will post them up on the blogs and in the photo gallery.  Best Hunting picture sent between now and November 30, 2007 will be eligible for a free membership(paid for by HuntingLife.com) to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation or the National Wild Turkey Foundation(your choice).

Get out there and send the pictures our way!

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 11:13 AM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Belmont, Miss. ˆ October 25, 2007 ˆ Residents in Tishomingo County have formed a new Quail Forever (QF) chapter in the state of Mississippi, the Bear Creek Chapter of QF. The new chapter joins the Metro Jackson chapter in the Jackson area, the Whistling Pines chapter out of the McComb area, and the Golden Triangle chapter based out of Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties as Mississippi QF chapters.

"You can walk all day and not find any quail," said Alan Williams, a longtime quail hunter from Dennis and the Bear Creek chapter's newly-elected president,"  I think through Quail Forever, things can be done that make a difference."

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 02:18 PM | 17 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I cant tell you how excited I was to open up my November issue of National Geographic and get to see they had an article about the North American Conservation Model.  I have been a member since I was about 5 years old of National Geographic and the story was absolutely fantastic.  The pictures are great and the story is of the quality that one can expect from such a fantastic magazine.

Read more... 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 11:17 PM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Monday, October 22, 2007

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (October 19, 2007) - The season of giving starts early in Georgia's hunting circles. Months before the canned foods are collected and the winter coats are dispersed, hunters have already hit the woods for a good cause. The Georgia Hunters for the Hungry (GHFTH) program begins each September with the start of deer season, offering hunters across the state an opportunity to donate low-fat, low-cholesterol venison to benefit those in need. Participating processors collect and prepare the highly nutritious venison for distribution via the Georgia State Association of Food Banks. Over the past 15 years, participation has steadily increased and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) proudly recognizes a recent donation on Sat., Oct. 13, representing the one-millionth meal to be served through this successful program.

"This recent donation of a harvested deer, which will give us the ability to make the one-millionth meal, marks a milestone in Georgia's Hunters for the Hungry Program," says WRD Director Dan Forster. "On average, over the past 15 years, this program has provided more than 65,000 meals per year to hungry Georgians."

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 10:56 PM | 3 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Monday, October 22, 2007

Richmond, Virginia - The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) are urging hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to use extra caution while in the woods. Extremely dry weather conditions have prompted Gov. Tim Kaine to issue a statewide open air burning ban beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, October 19. The ban will remain in effect until conditions improve with significant rain and/or snow.

The Early Archery Deer Season is underway statewide and the Muzzleloader Deer Season and General Firearms Deer Season will be opening in November.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 03:48 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Monday, October 22, 2007

UBLY -- To Randy Rutkowski and some of his neighbors in the Thumb, the excitement of deer hunting season was waning.

Year after year they would see plenty of deer: does mostly, and a few smallish bucks. What they really wanted was a better chance to harvest a bigger-antlered, mature buck.

That's when the concept of Quality Deer Management began to take root. It has been eight years since Rutkowski and Co. got involved with the Quality Deer Management Association, and the results, he says, are impressive.

"Some of my own family members said this would never work, but they're starting to see the bigger deer we're taking, and they start to become believers," he said.

But Quality Deer Management isn't just about shooting big-racked deer to hang on the wall. Proponents say it's about shaping a deer herd that's not only more enjoyable to hunt, but also smaller and less likely to cause the crop damage and car-deer collisions that plague Michigan. And some hunters say Michigan is ignoring an opportunity to create that type of herd.

Read More.......

REPRINTED with Permission of Jennifer Chambers The Detroit News 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 03:15 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Saturday, October 20, 2007

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation laid off 15 employees late last week, and has opted not to fill eight more vacant positions.

It's the third time since 2001 the foundation has laid off part of its Missoula work force. The first time, 33 jobs were affected; the second time, four.

Interim president and CEO Walker S. "Buddy" Smith Jr. said Thursday the latest cutbacks were part of a "realignment," and will help the RMEF "balance our mission with the reality of the marketplace."

Read More.....

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 11:24 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Saturday, October 20, 2007

In a move opposed by SCI, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law on Saturday banning lead centerfire ammunition in the range of the endangered California condor.

Read more... 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 10:28 PM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Donnie gets a big Salmon almost bigger then his lovely daughter! 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 10:10 PM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Thursday, October 18, 2007

2007 Legends Dove Hunt
On September 7th and 8th, The Texas Trophy Hunters Association (TTHA) participated in and donated a Platinum Lifetime Membership to the 2007 Legends Dove Hunt in Abilene.  This event benefits the Children’s Miracle Network, helping to insure the best healthcare possible for sick and injured children in the Texas Midwest. Go to www.legendsdovehunt.com for more information regarding this event. 

2007 Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo

On October 6th and 7th, TTHA exhibited at the 2007 Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo in Austin.  This was a one of a kind event.  Visitors had the opportunity to fish, shoot, kayak, rock climb, mountain bike, see and touch wildlife, learn about recreation in the great outdoors and see and buy the latest in outdoor gear and services.  Best of all, the event was free of charge.  The weather, although hot, cooperated very well, and kids and adults had the opportunity to play and learn at the same time.
 
Texas Hunting License Sales Booming
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, from August 30th –September 3rd, Texas hunters and fishermen purchased over 385,000 hunting and fishing licenses.  On August 31st, more than 136,000 licenses and other documents were purchased, resulting in the biggest sales day on record.  This is great news to hunters and the hunting community.  The sales of these licenses and other documents resulted in approximately $12 million to Texas Parks and Wildlife accounts that benefit hunting and fishing programs exclusively, reports the Houston Chronicle.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 07:34 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Thursday, October 18, 2007

I want to encourage every one of you to get out there and vote for Just Kill'n Time on The Sportsman Channel Viewers Choice Awards.  The show is great and we are a full fledged sponsor of this show and they need our support!

The Sportsman Channel   Click on the banner on the left and get out your vote for Just Kill'n Time for best hunting show!

Max Rowe and the team need you!! 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 07:28 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Thursday, October 18, 2007

WHITEFISH, Mont. — William P. Foley II pointed to the mountain. Owns it, mostly. A timber company began logging in view of his front yard a few years back. He thought they were cutting too much, so he bought the land.

Mr. Foley belongs to a new wave of investors and landowners across the West who are snapping up open spaces as private playgrounds on the borders of national parks and national forests.

Read More....

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 07:22 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Thursday, October 18, 2007

CSF Teams with Richard Childress Racing to Champion Sportsmen’s Issues
Teaming up for a winning event, CSF and famed NASCAR legend Richard Childress celebrated America’s outdoor traditions of hunting and fishing at “Wine, Wheels & Wildlife” at the Childress Vineyards in Lexington, North Carolina.  The event served as a platform to bring two common constituencies together and to underscore the importance for sportsmen to have a voice on the political playing field.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 06:36 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Steve Croft sent me this really great story of his Son in Law's Moose Hunt!

Read more.. and Enjoy the whole story! 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 01:46 PM | 24 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Monday, October 15, 2007

Regnery Publishing, Inc sent me a copy of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting about 30 days ago and asked me to review it online for all of you.  This particular copy is going to be donated to a local chapter of the RMEF to use in one of the many silent auction packages they have at their local banquet.

The book was written by Frank Miniter who was a senior editor at Outdoor Life and is currently the executive editor of American Hunter magazine.  He has hunted on five continents and has won numerous awards for conservation and outdoor writing.

read more about my thoughts on this book..... 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 10:53 PM | 6 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Monday, October 15, 2007

On November 1, NRA is launching a new Web site devoted to hunters' rights. All factors that affect your freedom to hunt, and the future of the sport itself, will be addressed at www.nrahuntersrights.org.

The site will not tell you how to hunt, where to put your tree stand or what the best guns and loads are for your favorite species. Many Web sites and magazines can already tell you all that.

The site will alert you about threats to hunting and NRA's efforts to combat them -- our direct lobbying efforts at every level, our hunter recruitment and instruction programs and our funding of conservation and range improvement projects.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 01:19 AM | 3 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Thursday, October 11, 2007

(Sept. 24, 2007) Missoula, Montana — When Bernie Lemon joined the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in 1986 he had seen enough of his favorite hunting grounds in Colorado consumed by roads and houses that he was ready to do something about it.

The next year he launched the Elk Foundation’s first Wisconsin chapter in Milwaukee.  That chapter has since raised more than $1 million for the Elk Foundation’s mission – to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat. Lemon can take a lot of credit for that accomplishment. He made it happen through grit, charisma, kindness and tenacity.

The man who is perhaps the Elk Foundation’s best-loved volunteer and who can also  take credit for re-establishing elk in their native habitat in Wisconsin, has been named one of four finalists in the Budweiser Conservationist of the Year program. If he wins the $50,000 grand prize, he will dedicate the funds to the state’s elk management program.

Read more...... 

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 01:00 PM | 4 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Edgefield, South Carolina -Quail Unlimited (QU) in cooperation with their field staff and state wildlife agency biologists has compiled a fall quail population outlook for most areas of the country. Even though quail populations and other grassland bird species have been steadily declining over the last three or four decades, there are some great success stories in several areas of the U.S. Most of these successes have been in areas either with existing or enhanced habitat conditions that have allowed the birds to flourish.

Those interested in viewing the quail forecasts for individual states should go to the Quail Unlimited website at www.qu.org to obtain information about the harvest outlook for the upcoming fall quail season. There is also a wealth of information available in the forecast section giving QU chapter accomplishments for each state.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 01:04 PM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -From books about hunting wild turkeys to fly fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains to telling the life stories of outdoor legends Archibald Rutledge, Robert Ruark and many others, Jim Casada has been sharing outdoor tips, tactics and tales for much of his professional career.

During the annual Southeastern Annual Press Association (SEOPA) conference, Oct. 3 to Oct. 6, in Little Rock, Ark., Casada was presented with the National Wild Turkey Federation's Communicator of the Year Award.

"Jim has been a friend to the NWTF and to the outdoor community for many years and through his articles has shared a lifetime of outdoor adventures," said Rob Keck, NWTF CEO. "He has helped us put a white hat on hunters and has grabbed our attention over and over to keep us excited about the outdoors. He is very deserving of this prestigious award."

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 12:42 AM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

LIVERMORE, Colo. – The Cherokee State Wildlife Area (SWA) in
Livermore, Colo., encompasses more than 28,000 acres and provides habitat to mule deer, elk, black bear, moose, coyotes, rodents and birds. The property was recently “adopted” by the Northern Front Range Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF).

In the spring of 2004, MDF members opened a dialogue with Jacob Frank, Wildlife Technician for the Colorado Department of Wildlife (CDOW), who has been responsible for management of the Cherokee SWA for the past 12 years. Frank was in the process of developing a water/spring system for the property in order to maintain a continuous water source to support wildlife throughout the year.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 12:05 AM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Saturday, October 6, 2007

All I can say is it was HOT!  Not the good kind, more like the muggy, disgusting kind and the deer were not moving and I think I killed the biggest Wolf Spider known to man crawling across my legs while I was napping... UGHHH

On the way out tonight I had two does at about 20 yards but it was way past shooting light and I was on my dead head hike to the car.  I got to catch up with some old friends today and realized that I have been neglecting the things that matter the most.. Will have to make more time to hang out at the farm and catch up more often.

Kevin

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 08:36 PM | 6 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Thursday, October 4, 2007

WASHINGTON, October 1, 2007 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Acting Secretary Chuck Conner announced last Friday that there would be no penalty-free early releases from Conservation Reserve Program contracts. The decision will help maintain critical waterfowl, upland bird and other wildlife habitat.

“We are thrilled that Secretary Conner has affirmed the administration’s support for conservation by not allowing these early releases from CRP contracts,” said Ducks Unlimited Executive Vice President Don Young. “This will keep more habitat on the ground for waterfowl, as well as providing economic, and soil and water quality benefits for farmers and ranchers.”

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 09:35 PM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The business of setting up HuntingLife.com has taken its toll on me the last few months and I have not been able to keep up on my reading of all of the great blogs out there but over the last week I have been slowly catching up on some of my reading and I came across some great posts but this one particular post really hit me as one of the greatest I have read in the last several months of reading blogs.  Othmar Vohringer is a dedicated outdoors writer and his blog is excellent.  He is soon to be a hunting education instructor and is a founding member of the OBS. 

Please go check out this blog post of the month at:  Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 11:05 PM | 4 COMMENTS | LINKS TO THIS POST

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

In 2004, fundraisers at Ducks Unlimited quietly began soliciting funds for an extraordinarily ambitious new campaign. The goal: save North America's wetlands, grasslands and waterfowl. The cost: $1.7 billion. The lofty goal and even loftier price tag is the boldest campaign yet for the wetlands conservation not-for-profit. But with a mere 25-person fundraising staff, DU raised hundreds of millions of dollars even before announcing the "Wetlands for Tomorrow" campaign in May 2006, when it began raising funds publicly. So far, the campaign's coffer totals more than $900 million, and organization executives confidently expect the remaining $700 million-plus to arrive by 2010.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 09:48 PM | 0 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

More than 4,000 wild game birds were snatched from American hunters as they headed home last weekend from Saskatchewan, Canada. Critics say it was an overreaction by U.S. officials to an outbreak of avian flu on a chicken farm in the province.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture misinterpreted its rules banning Saskatchewan poultry, forcing U.S. customs agents to confiscate coolers filled with game birds at border crossings during the peak of hunting season.

POSTED BY KEVIN C PAULSON AT 10:52 PM | 1 COMMENT | LINKS TO THIS POST