The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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As I type up this article, we're counting down the days, hours, and minutes till the start of gun season! With bow and muzzleloader seasons underway, there's already been plenty of action for the avid outdoorsman, and the best part is still yet to come! I've had a few folks hunting with me during muzzleloader season, and they're seeing deer everywhere! Average field count is almost 40 deer a hunt! Between the cold weather, the lack of pressure, and a great crop of acorns this year, we should hav...
Grizzly bears have concave faces, a distinctive hump on their shoulders, and long claws about two to four inches long. The grizzlies have a life span of 20-30 years. The grizzly stand 6-8ft tall and males weigh 300-850 lbs and the females weigh 200-450 lbs. Both the hump and the claws are traits associated with a grizzly bear's exceptional digging ability. Grizzlies are often dark brown, but can vary from very light cream to black. The long guard hairs on their backs and shoulders frequently...
You know, it's getting later and later in the year, but that doesn't mean the fishing has let up any. In fact, right now is the perfect time to get out there and do some in-shore fishing for Speckle Trout, White Trout, and the big old Bull Reds! Just this last Thursday, myself, along with Bruce Lieberman and AB Smith, loaded up and made the 3 hour drive down to the Fowl River Bridge for a full day of fishing with Captain Chad Palmer. The Captain is a former blimp pilot who decided that life on...
Fishers, found only in North America, occur in the northern coniferous and the mixed forests of Canada and the northern United States. Their range extends from the mountainous areas in the southern Yukon and Labrador Provinces southward to central California and Wyoming, the Great Lakes and Appalachian regions, and New England. The fisher lives in thick coniferous or mixed coniferous and hardwood forests. It prefers habitats with lots of tree cover and lots of hollow trees for dens. The fisher...
It's that time of year when the weather's finally cooled off a little, the leaves are making a mess of the yard, and deer season has started again. On October 15th, the Northern Zone of Alabama began its bow season. And on the 25th, the Southern Zone, including Montgomery County, will start its bow season. As I've mentioned before, there's more than a few changes that have been made for deer season this year. Obviously, we've got the change in starting date between zones. Another big change is...
The wolverine is the mascot for the University of Michigan's football team and Michigan's state mammal. Wolverines look something like a mixture of a dog, a skunk, and a bear with short legs, long hair, and elongated snouts. Wolverines also have a distinctive mask of dark fur around their eyes and forehead, and a stripe of blond or ivory fur that runs from each shoulder to the base of the animal's tail. Wolverines are the largest of the weasel family. They are normally 26 to 34 inches from head...
For far longer than we've been around, man and dog have been a team in hunting as well as life itself. The bond of loyalty and trust between the two is a privilege and a joy that only those who raise a dog can know. Dogs are beyond clever and loyal when brought up with good hand, and their skills are definitely on display when hunting. For starters, there are a whole lot of ways to go hunting with dogs. Be it duck hunting, squirrel hunting, raccoon hunting, hog hunting, deer hunting, rabbit...
Disabled animals don't realize that they are handicapped: "I want to tell you a little bit about special needs raccoons (wildlife) and our disabilities. I have several handicapped raccoons, some are blind, and some are amputees, deaf and six with neurological (brain damage) from mild to severe. While working with these animals all these years I have come to the conclusion that we are a lot like them except it's harder for a human to accept disabilities and overcome them. The difference I see is...
Yes, it’s July, but that’s all the more reason to start getting ready for the hunt. And by getting ready, I’m talking about pre-season scouting, and I don’t mean just waiting till one week before the season gets started! Pre-season scouting, of course, is how you figure out where the best places to hunt ought to be. Remembering where signs were through-out the various hunts from last season, seeing different things while turkey hunting, or even just passing by and seeing the deer out feeding...
There are many things we think of when the word bat is spoken; such as Vampires, Dracula, rabies and diseases. Yes diseases are true but not as dramatic as is put out. All mammals can contract and carry rabies; however bats are not asymptomatic carriers of the disease. In reality, bats contract rabies far less than other animals. Less than 1/2 of 1% of all bats may contract the disease. A variety of wild animals (rabies vector species) can catch rabies, including foxes, skunks, raccoons,...
Summer's rolling along, and the weather's been plenty hot! True to Alabama, we can count on plenty of heat and humidity in the coming days, as it's always been. But this year, one thing that will be different is gator hunting. Now, the alligator hunting permit registration permit began June 2nd, and will run all the way through July 14th. Now, you get to put in for the lottery for permits for each zone at http://outdooralabama.com/registration-instructions, just like always. However, instead of...
The muskrat is a large rodent that is about a foot to two feet long. It has a stocky body, a rounded head and a long, scaly black tail that is 7 to 12 inches long. Its tail is laterally flattened, that means it is flattened vertically! Its tail works like a rudder and helps the muskrat maneuver in the water! It has thick, soft, glossy, reddish-brown to dark brown fur on its upper sides and paler fur on its undersides. It has a thick coat of fur under its guard fur that is waterproof. It may...
Now that we're in the last few days of spring, we've had a few great days for weather, and a few days with some heavy rain. But the days I've found a chance to slip out and fish have been the best of the bunch, and with any luck, we'll have more good weather ahead of us, as we're steadily getting into proper fishing season. Just about everybody knows I enjoy catching some bream, as they're easy and fun to fish for. And sure enough, in the many lakes and ponds in our state, we have plenty of plac...
The porcupine is the prickliest of rodents, though its Latin name means "quill pig." There are about two dozen porcupine species, and all boast a coat of needle-like quills to give predators a sharp reminder that this animal is no easy meal. Some quills, like those of Africa's crested porcupine, are nearly a foot (30 centimeters) long. The North American porcupine is a large rodent it is actually North Americas second largest rodent the beaver is the largest. They have stout bodies and short...
For many hunters in Alabama, it's been a great few weeks of turkey hunting! The season has just ended, and hopefully everybody had a good, safe time. For many folks that enjoy spending their time in the outdoors, camping, fishing, and boating are some of the things they get to look forward to this time of year. But don't put those shells down just yet; there's still another sport to look forward to. Trap shooting is the most popular shotgun shooting sport in the US, with a vast following. Trap...
Squirrels are familiar to almost everyone. Yes, our cute squirrel friends are in fact part of a huge family of Squirrels (Sciuridae) which also makes them cousins of prairie dogs, the woodchucks, the amazing flying squirrel and both tree and ground squirrels. The Squirrels are pretty widespread too because their kin can be seen all over the trees, parks and woodlands across the globe- Australia, Asia and the Europe. There are more than 200 squirrel species live all over the world, with the notab...
Our great state of Alabama is loaded with all types of hunting and fishing opportunities that we all can truly appreciate. Right now we have turkey season in full swing with birds strutting and gobbling and the action is wide open. There is no doubt this is my favorite time of the year when it comes to the hunting action. There is one downside to being a dedicated turkey hunter - you miss the best time to wet a hook. Alabama has water in every direction that you can travel. Lakes, ponds, rivers...
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) cannot easily be confused with any other North American wild mammal. The armadillo's body is covered with an armored carapace or shell. The carapace is a double layer of horn and bone, segmented into three main divisions: an anterior scapular shield covering the shoulder; a posterior pelvic shield covering the hip region; and a middle section comprised of a series of bands connected by soft, infolded skin between the bands. The head and legs are...
Now, if you've been listening to me for any bit of time, you've probably guessed what my favorite hunting season is; turkey hunting! Starting March 14th for everyone, and March 7th and 8th for youth season, turkey season is just around the corner. This year, the season's starting a bit earlier than we're used to, but that suits me just fine! Since we're pretty darned close to the start of the season, make sure your shotgun or bow is in great working condition. Keep up with your ammo, gear, and...
As human society grows, animal habitat goes, and our homes are not just our own castles anymore. Looking for a place to raise their families, industrious raccoons, squirrels, and other small creatures gnaw and claw their way into roofs, attics, basements, vent pipes, and chimneys. They ask for so little: shelter from the elements, sustenance for their babies, a soft spot for nesting and nursing. The raccoons, squirrels, skunks, and other wild animals who find their way into the cracks and...
Ladies and gents, the end of deer season is nigh upon us. We're in the home stretch of what's been an up and down season, with weather changing nearly every day. I've seen just about every season of weather Alabama's got in the past couple of months, and let me tell you, we've had a feast or famine hunting season to go with it. But don't you worry about the end of deer season, for our friends in the northern zone. While the rest of us lucky sons of guns in the southern zone get our 10 day...
I was recently reading an article in the advertiser one morning and came upon some very interesting information that shows that we Alabamians are very giving. The article stated that Alabamians donate a larger slice of their income than those in almost any other state and the typical Alabama donation is bigger. Alabama ranks number 3 in highest percentage of donated income the study found. Only Mississippi and Utah ranked ahead of us. The National Financial Advisory site WalletHub.com also...
How many people know that in 2006 the Alabama State legislation designated the black bear as Alabama's official state mammal. The black bears, one of my all time favorite animals is very intelligent, shy, and secretive animals - actually seeing a bear in the wild is a very rare experience. Black bears are not always black - there are cinnamon, white (known as Spirit bears), beige, and "blue" (slate gray) black bears. Adult black bears vary considerably in size they can stand up to 6 feet tall an...
As I type up this article, we're counting down the days, hours, and minutes till the start of gun season! With bow and muzzleloader seasons underway, there's already been plenty of action for the avid outdoorsman, and the best part is still yet to come! I've had a few folks hunting with me during muzzleloader season, and they're seeing deer everywhere! Average field count is almost 40 deer a hunt! Between the cold weather, the lack of pressure, and a great crop of acorns this year, we should hav...
The Bobcats are a very adaptable animal that appears to be living in the urban environment due to human expansion; they are very reclusive and hardly ever seen. The adult male bobcats weigh 20 to 30 pounds and average 3 feet in length. The females are considerably smaller and may weigh less than a large house cat. Bobcats can be various shades of buff and brown, with dark brown or black stripes and spots on some parts of the body. The tip of the tail and the backs of the ears are black. They...
