The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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One of the obstacles most hunters and fishermen dread is the wind. A light wind is not a factor – it’s even helpful, but a windy day is burdensome to the fishermen and causes most game to stay out of sight. Most of the time, I complain about the wind like everyone else. But there are a few circumstances where the wind adds excitement to the hunt and gives me the edge. One of those circumstances is when I’m turkey hunting. As turkey hunters know, this particular bird has excellent sight and can d...
I was with several other guys during my recent trip to Texas. We were all there for my Outdoor Truths Circle Event and to try our hand at downing a Rio gobbler. I look forward to this event each year. During that weekend most hunters arrive on Friday and begin their hunt that evening. My friend John is a great host, and his ranch has provided some memorable trips for both new and seasoned hunters. This year was no exception. While three toms were taken, the stories were all different. Don was...
Another turkey season is just around the corner. Even though I’m excited about the possibilities, I’m reminded again of my distaste for the characteristics of this bird. Yes, he’s beautiful. Yes, he’s hardy. And yes, he’s a wily competitor. But his best contribution is his shining example of all that I don’t want to be and all that I detest in seeing in others as well. His pride is evident and that ought to be enough to make me want to blow his head off. But there are other problems I have with...
The bass fishing tournaments are getting ready to start with a vengeance. Once they begin, each weekend will offer another opportunity to fish for money. All bass tournaments have pretty much the same rules. Two fishermen, one boat, and the five biggest fish by weight, win. Some men will literally come to blows in pursuing first prize. And first prize can be worth lots of money, even in the smaller tournaments. As I have said before, these types of events touch both the competitive and...
By Brian Grossman Food Plots are Typically Small Most deer hunters don’t have the time or resources to plant more than a few acres of food plots every year. And while even a small plot can serve as a place to ambush a deer, it won’t improve the overall health of your deer herd. Even if 10 percent of your overall acreage is planted to food plots, if that’s all you’re focused on, then 90 percent of your property is likely not reaching its full potential. Food Plots are Expensive to Plant and Mai...
The African lions are large, muscular, barrel-chested cats. They have a rounded head, round ears, short fur, and a long tail with a tuft of hair at the end. Male lions grow a luxurious collar of long hair, called a “mane,” around their necks. Lions are competent predators that work together to bring down prey. They have several distinctive behaviors and adaptations that help them survive in the harsh African savannah. African lions’ famous mane begins to grow when the male lion reaches one y...
New research out of the University of Georgia Deer Lab is providing unique insight into the rate at which white-tailed deer process visual images and how they perceive their environment. It appears that deer actually receive visual information at a much faster rate than we do, making them more sensitive to movement. Any movement to them will appear to be in slow motion, which, of course, allows them to react more quickly. And, while this finding is true at all times of the day, it is at sunrise...
Aardvarks are small pig-like mammals that are found inhabiting a wide range of different habitats throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. They are mostly solitary and spend their days sleeping in underground burrows to protect them from the heat of the African sun, emerging in the cooler evening to search for food. Their name originates from the Afrikaans language in South Africa and means Earth Pig, due to their long snout and pig-like body. Aardvarks are unique among animals as they are the...
White-tailed deer are the most important game species in North America. More hunters pursue whitetails than any other species, and whitetail hunters contribute more financially than any other hunter segment. Collectively speaking, whitetails are the foundation of the entire hunting industry. That’s why each year QDMA gathers data from state and provincial wildlife agencies, the nation’s leading deer researchers, and other sources to provide the only “State of the Whitetail” available: our Whi...
Madagascar is a large island nation located off the southeast coast of Africa, where some extremely unique creatures live. The fossa, a close relative of the mongoose, is Madagascar's largest predator, and the only animal to regularly and successfully hunt the islands largest lemur species. The fossa looks very much like a small, brown cougar, but it is not a cat. Fossa’s are small animals at about 15 inches at the shoulder. They are rarely more than 30 inches long, not including the equally l...
Conservation. It's a word with a whole lot of different meanings to different people. While the general idea might be the same, it's a distant after thought for many Americans. To those of us in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking or camping, conservation is a constant effort to maintain the precious resources we have. As a member of QDMA, conservation is one of my primary goals. After all, you can't go deer hunting if there aren't any deer left! The amount of research and education we...
Bennett's wallabies, sometimes called red-necked wallabies, are medium-sized marsupials found along the eastern coast of Australia, and on the island of Tasmania. They are members of the macropod marsupials’ family, which also includes kangaroos and wallaroos. Though they may be best known for hopping, wallabies, kangaroos and wallaroos can also crawl and swim. In general, wallabies tend to be smaller than kangaroos and wallaroos and can be distinguished by their darker muzzle and paws. Its n...
Conservation. It's a word with a whole lot of different meanings to different people. While the general idea might be the same, it's a distant after thought for many Americans. To those of us in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking or camping, conservation is a constant effort to maintain the precious resources we have. As a member of QDMA, conservation is one of my primary goals. After all, you can't go deer hunting if there aren't any deer left! The amount of research and education we...
Gray four-eyed opossums (Philander opossum) are Neotropical marsupials with a range that extends from northeastern Mexico in Tamaulipas, to southeastern Brazil. Within this range, they may be found from Brazil's Atlantic coast, west-ward into Peru and Argentina and throughout Central America in tropical lowlands and the Amazon and Parana basins. They are found mainly in tropical forested areas such as tropical evergreen, secondary growth and gallery forests. These opossums generally prefer damp...
Since the dust has settled from this turkey season, I want to tell the amazing story of an accomplished young turkey hunter. Her name is Mari Grace Brooks from Grady Alabama, and she is 13 years old. Mari Grace successfully completed the double Grand Slam in a single season. This is totally unheard of and possibly the first 13-year-old female ever do such an unimaginable task in one year. Honestly, I know only a handful of grown men that it took a life time of hunting to accomplish one Grand...
Ringtail cats are not related to the cat family but are members of the raccoon family, Procyonidae which also includes Kinkajous, and Coatimundis. Ringtails are cat sized animals that resemble a mix between a fox and a raccoon. The face is fox-like, with a pointed snout, and the body is raccoon-like and elongated. The top side of the animal is yellow to dark brown or black, and the underside is a whitish buff. The ears and eyes are large and the eyes are ringed by white fur. The tail is very...
Turkey season has kicked off now in Alabama, and yes I was very fortunate to kill an opening day gobbler. I’ve seen plenty of action while helping hunters and huntresses chase after those elusive birds. Now, while some folks have started the season with a big bang, knocking down turkeys well before the mornings really started, there are also folks out there who just can’t quite get the rascals to fly down from the roost in the right direction. Some of these birds have been talkative, and som...
The Tayra is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae), which also includes otters, skunks and minks. It is the only species in the genus Eira. The Tayra, also spelled “Tiara”, is sometimes called “swamp or bush dog” and its Creole name is Haka. Tayras can be found in the neo-tropical forests of Central and South America, and ranges from Mexico, south to Bolivia and northern Argentina and also on the island of Trinidad. In these areas they live in tropical, deciduous and evergreen forests...
Finatics Fishing Charters offers every kind of fishing you could think of in and around the Gulf of Mexico and the Mobile Bay system. With that being said we cut our teeth and continue to target SPECKLED TROUT more than any other fish. Along with being a wonderful fish for the dinner table, it is a great fish to target whether you’re a novice or a seasoned fisherman. They can be caught all year long and have a 10 fish per person limit in Alabama. In this post I am going to be focused on the n...
Well, we finally made it to the month of February and we only have 6 days left in deer Season. But in February in Alabama another subject comes to my mind and that is the subject of Prescribe Burning. The following article is from one of the premier land managers in our state, Mr. Ted DeVos Of Bach and DeVos Forestry and Wildlife Services. Images and thoughts of woodland fire are typically that it is bad! However, this is probably because most people are not familiar with the benefits of...
November 7, 2018 | By Kip Adams This simple shot placement technique will help you make more effective shots this season. It happens to every hunter at some point in his or her hunting career. They hit a deer with a marginal or poor shot, and then must endure a long and difficult recovery, or worse yet, they’re unable to find the deer. Losing a deer is a terrible event and has caused countless sleepless nights for hunters. What percentage of wounded deer aren’t recovered, and more imp...
The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal and Burma. The Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim.. Red Pandas look quite different to the Giant Pandas, they more resemble the appearance of a raccoon or weasel type animal. The Red Panda is also known as the ‘Lesser Panda (Wah), Cat Bear’, or ‘Firefox’. Being called a ‘Wah’ is because of its distinctive cry. Red Pandas are most closely related to the raccoon and are now in a family...
I know a lot of you folks have deer on the brain for just about every waking moment, and I can say that I’m no different. I’m always thinking about all the different things that go with it, and with my work at QDMA, I’m also looking at what hunting means to us as both individuals and as members of society at large. Ultimately, I’m also thinking about what will lead to maintaining deer hunting as one of our great heritages that we can proudly pass down to the next generation. For starter...
Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth and are also known to be extremely intelligent. They have characteristic long noses, or trunks; large, floppy ears; and wide, thick legs. A group of elephants is called a herd. The herd is led by a matriarch, which is the oldest female. Females, as well as young and old elephants, stick together in a herd. Adult males tend to wander. Elephants also have certain rules. For example, when they are meeting each other, they expect the other elephant to...
It’s that time again, folks. The weather’s cooler, the air feels more crisp, and football’s on the TV again; it’s time to get back out in the woods and do some deer hunting. Right now, Alabama Bow Season is in full swing, and the deer are moving! Of course, Gun Season’s just a few weeks away as well, so I hope all of you are just as geared up and ready to go as I am! Naturally, if you’re going out into the woods, you want to be prepared. Any seasoned deer hunting veteran knows that hunting is...
