Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

A good light goes hand-in-hand with camping (or just about any outdoor activity, really) and it’s important to keep one close by for the inevitable trip to the restroom in the middle of the night, to illuminate the picnic table during a late-night card game, or to simply provide a sense safety knowing you can see your surroundings in the dark. Fortunately, the advent of the LED bulb has helped manufacturers create lights that are brighter, more efficient, and inexpensive than ever before, but no two lights are the same. Here are a few things to consider before buying your next camp light.

Brighter is Better

GearLight LED Tactical Flashlight S1000 (GearLight/)

The great thing about LEDs is they're capable of producing a huge amount of light, which is typically rated in lumens—the higher the lumen rating, the brighter the light. Make sure you're buying one that's going to be bright enough to fit your needs, especially if it has different modes that allow you to dim the bulb when you don't need it running at full strength.

Light Everything Up

Vont 2 Pack LED Camping Lantern (Vont/)

If you think you'll need to cast a broad blanket of light over a large space, an LED lantern might serve you better than a flashlight. LED lanterns are just as energy efficient as LED flashlights, but rather than using one bulb to produce light, there are typically several pointing at various angles housed in a clear case. They're perfect for illuminating the inside of a tent, or hanging on a branch or hook over a picnic table or camp kitchen.

From June through september, squirrels do their feeding high in trees for buds, berries, and early mast. If simply getting a limit is your goal, blast the critters from the canopy with a shotgun. But you’re missing out on a lot of fun if you’re not sneaking in tight to head-shoot them with a .22. A rimfire saves you from picking lead No. 6s out of your squirrel tenders too.

Much of the challenge in this game is in finding a good field rest for your rifle that also allows a clear view of the squirrel through the leaves. Taking a post off a tree is best, but saplings don’t always grow where you need them. Shooting sticks work, but few squirrel hunters bother carrying them.

This shooting position, something of a reverse-prone arrangement, will work just about any time you need to shoot upward, and it requires nothing more than all four appendages arranged correctly. The diagram below details the sequence for right-handed shooters, but it’s okay for southpaws to enjoy squirrel hunting too. Just reverse things.

Read Next: Squirrel Hunting Basics

Use this position when you don't have a rest handy. (Clint Ford/)

Lie down, roll slightly onto your right side, and bend your right leg in. Rest your right foot flat and firmly on the ground.

Even the most experienced anglers have trouble figuring out all of the different hook sizes and styles. (Bob McNally/)

Hooks are the oldest tackle item in fishing. Walk into any tackle store, and you'll find a bewildering array of hooks that can confuse even the best guides, veteran anglers, and tournament competitors. They are available in a mind-numbing variety of sizes, shapes, configurations, materials, and colors, and are produced by companies around the world for countless types of fishing. Every year there are new hook designs (touted by manufacturers as the next best thing) devised by cutting-edge anglers who've created new and innovative fishing tactics. Here's a primer on hooks and how to select the right one for your fishing.

How to Choose the Proper Fishing Hook

As a general rule, hooks should be chosen according to the target fish, tackle, technique, and water.

For example, when you’re fishing for 5-pound bass in a stained lake with big soft plastic worms and 20-pound test line, you’ll need a bigger hook than the one used for 6-pound test and tube lures for stream smallmouths. Hooks used for muskies, pike, oversized largemouths, stripers, and catfish are a whole lot bigger and beefier than ones needed for trout, panfish, smallmouths, and even most walleyes.

Rods, reels, and line also dictate hook size and type. It takes a stout rod and heavy line to drive a hook into the maw of a 20-pound pike, striper, muskie, or catfish. If the hook is too small or made with inferior wire, it won’t hold well and can pull out or straighten during a grueling battle.

New studies indicate that mature bucks often shift their home territories in early- to mid-September—shortly after they’ve lost their velvet. (YAYImages/depositphotos.com/)

We contacted some of the top whitetail biologists in America. We dug through reams of white papers and articles by prominent deer researchers from across the country. And we came up with these nine tips, rooted in science, that will help you tag a buck this fall.

1. Key on the Buck Shift

Scouting and running trail cameras over the next couple of months will hopefully help you locate two or three nice 8-pointers and at least one big 10-point shooter in your hunting area. Will those target bucks still be around when the season opens?

Maybe, maybe not.

Through the years, Dr. Grant Woods, a highly regarded biologist from Missouri, has conducted extensive preseason censuses of herds throughout the Midwest and South. His data show that some 50 percent of mature bucks may spend the spring and summer months at one end of their home range, but then shift to a different area for the fall and winter. Woods’ records indicate that the shift typically occurs around the time that bucks shed velvet, or roughly September 1-20.

Sonny McFarland has disappeared. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The East Tennessee region where he made his name is notoriously insular, with a history of bootlegging and moonshiners who took great pains to hide themselves from revenuers.

Multiple anglers who learned the art of making balsa crankbaits at Sonny’s knee said they didn’t have his number. A noted remaining contemporary likewise demurred. One day “he was just gone,” said another former friend. Even Rob Cochran—who has known McFarland since he was 8 years old, virtually grew up in his shop, and effectively inherited McFarland’s business—can’t get his mentor to answer the phone. When I repeatedly pressed Cochran for a number, he ended the conversation by saying, “I’m not supposed to give it out. He would kill me if I did.” McFarland started his lure company in 1974. It’s been nearly a decade since he’s produced a crankbait for sale. One rival suggested that his sudden disappearance was an attempt to escape from the law, or creditors, but without further substantiation, it might simply reflect that he got tired of pouring his heart and soul into a craft that paid poorly and left him with little more than callused hands and the perpetual aura of paint fumes. By leaving his tools to Cochran, he provided a treasure map and little more. The fact is that no one is getting rich off of balsa, but in a world of disposability, many bass fishermen still value tools with a distinctive regional imprint. Plastic baits are cheaper, more durable, and catch fish, but for many anglers, balsa inspires a confidence that cannot be mass-produced. The Carolinas and a few other states contribute to the cult and have their own respected builders with their own devout followings, but the biggest strongholds in the craft remain in East Tennessee and the Ohio River region.

“It’s just something we grew up doing here,” says Wesley Strader, a bass pro, lure-maker, and son of McFarland’s contemporary, Bud Strader. “It was part of the culture here in Tennessee, like country music.”

As with country music, though, some of the innovators are being forgotten and replaced by imitators—some competent, others watered down. As legendary lure-makers fade away, it leaves those still in the game wondering if the balsa embers will burn bright enough to light the path for the next generation.

Elite Series bass pro and balsa addict Bill Lowen in his Indiana garage. (Matt Nager/)

Magic Touches

Whether you’re a hunter, angler, shoot, camper, or just someone who enjoys spending time away from the trailhead, your gear can make or break a trip. We know you want to buy the best gear you can afford, which is why we created Bargain Hunter. Our team is working directly with some of the best outdoor brands in the business to bring you good deals and discount promotions—including some exclusive offers you won’t find anywhere else. We hope this helps you get the gear you want without breaking the bank.

Bookmark this page in your browser and check back every week to see a new list of discounted gear. Here are the deals for the week of July 15 through July 21, 2019.

Save 20 percent on YETI Hopper Two 30 soft-sided coolers. (YETI/)
Select the Percussive Shooting Filters or the Earplug Pro Pack (or both) and enter the code FIELDST20 at checkout for 20 percent off. There is no order limit, and the offer is good through July 25th, 2019. (Decibullz/)
Save money on Stio's most popular styles of men's and women's shirts, pants, and shorts during their Summer Collections Sale. (Stio/)
Enter promo code P190715 at checkout to receive 10 percent off purchases over $100. (Natchez/)
Receive 35 percent off 5.11 Tactical MIRA 2-in-1 Women's Backpacks. (5.11 Tactical/)
Enter the promo code VEL at checkout to receive $20 off and free shipping for orders of $200+. (Brownells/)
Save 40 percent on Leatherman Cam tools. (Leatherman/)
Save 15 percent on Nikon Aculon Laser Rangefinders. (Nikon/)
Save 10 percent on all Lapua Ammo and brass, 5 percent on all Berger Bullets, 5 percent on all SK ammunition, and enter code OUTDOORS for free shipping (no minimum purchase) on anything from Creedmoor Sports. (Creedmoor/)
Amazon's greatest parade of bargains for 2019 will appear on July 15th and 16th. Visit outdoorlife.com for updates on huge discounts for the best outdoor gear available. (Amazon/)

Outdoor Life may receive a commission from the sale of items listed on this site. We do NOT accept money for editorial product or gear reviews.

In 2015, Amazon.com kicked off an annual celebration to commemorate another year in business. In the few years since then, Prime Day has become almost as popular as Black Friday, and is one of the most anticipated events of the year. In 2019, Amazon Prime members will once again have 24- to 48-hour access to several thousand special offers and discounts on just about anything you can imagine—which can be a little overwhelming.

To help you sift through the sheer volume of products, we snuck a sneak peek at what's available and listed a few of the more "attractive" bargains below. The great thing about Prime Day is that Amazon loves to announce additional bargains on a whim, so be sure to check this page often for as-it-happens announcements on great outdoor gear.

YETI Flip 18 Portable Cooler—Now $250 (was $300) (YETI/)Traeger Renegade Pellet Grill—Now $490 (was $750)PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder—Now $127 (was $190)AmazonBasics Tent—Now $54 (was $90)Breville Precision Brewer Coffee Maker—Now $200 (was $300)Save up to 40 percent on CamelBak, Marmot, Columbia, Pure Fishing, and ExOfficioSun Joe 2000 PSI Electric Pressure Washer—Now $92 (was $144)
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Combo—Now $49 (was $70) (Shakespeare/)Pelican Storm iM2750 Case with Padded Divider Set—Now $423 (was $610)Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro Knife—Now $45 (was $68)Carpathen Campfire Telescoping Roasting Sticks—Now $15 (was $18)Klymit Hammock V Sleeping Pad—Now $85 (was $140)Victorinox Swiss Army Evolution—Now $20 (was $33)
Berkley Fishing Cart—Now $175 (was $250) (Berkley/)Marmot Voyager 55 Mummy Sleeping Bag—Now $47 (was $80)Save 20 percent or more on Coleman's best selling itemsHoppe's No. 9 Bore Cleaner—Now $15 (was $17)Moultrie A-40i Game Camera—Now $80 (was $110)Moultrie Pro Hunter Hanging Deer Feeder—Now $59 (was $70)
Thermacell Radius 2.0—Now $40 (was $50) (Thermacell/)Berkley Fishing Rod Rack—Now $7 (was $10)Intex Challenger K1 Inflatable Kayak—Now $55 (was $65)Plano Extra Large Series Four Pistol Case—Now $20 (was $25)Bear Archery's Karnage Apocalypse Crossbow Package—Now $230 (was $265)Kijaro Single Pack Hammock with Nylon Ripstop Straps and Carabiners—Now $45 (was $55)
Columbia Men's Wayfinder 2-strap Sandal—Now $32 (was $46) (Columbia/)Marmot Unisex Kompressor Plus—Now $39 (was $46)Fin Nor LT40—Now $80 (was $145)Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Hatchet—Now $25 (was $50)NOCO Boost Max GB500 20,000 amp UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter—Now $1,200 (was $2,000)
Pflueger President XT Low Profile Reel—Now $52 (was $80) (Pflueger/)Insta Pot DUO Plus 60—Now $56 (was $130)Garmin Handheld GPS 64SC—Now $56 (was $130)Gerber Dime Multi Tool—Now $11 (was $20)Generac 2,200 watt Portable Inverter Generator—Now $427 (was $600)Save up to 40 percent on Anker Portable Chargers

Whitetail biologists from around the country are predicting a very good deer season this fall. (brm1949/depositphotos.com/)

Hunters often fall into the trap of longing for the good old days, when, according to legend or conventional wisdom, things were supposedly better.

One look at America’s current deer hunting scene makes you realize we’re experiencing some pretty good days right now. Coast to coast and border to border, opportunities abound, from tracking big-woods whitetails in the Northeast, glassing for ghost-like mule deer in the Southwest, shivering on a treestand while attempting to ambush a thick-necked Midwest brute, and more.

What's even better is that those adventures are only weeks away. You’ve been shooting your bow, right? Got your cameras set up and shooting lanes cut?

Don’t wait. Get ready. Get out there. Meanwhile, here’s our 2019-’20 deer season guide to get you started.

Scroll through, or use the links below to jump to your state:

When I think of emergency fire starters, I imagine being soaking wet, freezing, and needing to get a fire going immediately. A flint striker and classic options are great for their longevity, but when you're losing dexterity and can't feel your fingers, you need a fire now. That's when these three options can potentially save your life. The only thing better than having one of these is having a couple of them on hand.

My three favorites are Wetfire, UCO Sweetfire matches, and a standard road flare. Wetfire is a trioxane-like fuel, but comes in individually packaged, lightweight cubes. Like the name suggests, it ignites easily when wet, and burns for several minutes. The Sweetfire matches are super convenient, as they combine ignition and fuel in a foul-weather resisting match. You do need to protect them somewhat, as the ignition coating can flake off, but they are fast and convenient. Finally, a road flare is one of my favorite emergency fire starters. They are cheap, and they ignite and burn hot in just about any condition. It essentially gives you a blowtorch to start your fire, and even a cut-down flare burns long enough to get damp wood to burn.

Using firebreaks, the wind, and portable sprayers keeps big blazes in check. (Natalie Krebs/)

Prescribed fire has newfound popularity among wildlife habitat managers because it produces both a flush of new growth and a mosaic of food and cover that are beneficial to deer, turkeys, and small game. It can be used strategically to kill undesirable vegetation too, without soaking the landscape in herbicides.

Learning to burn can be daunting (and stories like the prescribed fire that raged out of control in Florida last June, consuming 36 homes, should make you cautious). But you don’t have to light 30 acres of overgrown field for your first burn. Smaller fires are easier to manage and a great way to learn to use the wind to your advantage with various firing techniques. A small, late-summer burn can work wonders for your early bow season too.

Bow-Range Burns

Marcus Lashley is an assistant professor of Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University, and prescribed fire is his area of expertise. He’s conducted extensive research on how deer utilize blocks of habitat both before and after a burn, and he found that on a large scale—hundreds of acres—deer temporarily avoid burned areas ­because the cover is gone. But on a small scale, adjacent to good cover, they treat a burn much like a food plot, thanks to all the new growth.

Recently, Lashley has been experimenting with what he calls “bow-range burns.” “We were burning quarter-acre sections, which have a 30-yard radius,” he says. “I had areas where I’d monitored deer use with trail cameras for years. We went in and burned half of them, and then measured how much the deer usage changed relative to burning. What we found is that during the opening month of bow season here in Mississippi, those small burns increased shot opportunities by about 13 times over.”

The knife that started it all. Top, a KA-BAR USMC combat knife and bottom the same model as made by Pal Cutlery. Both are WW-II issue weapons. Pal is one of the rarer contractures for a USMC knife. (Steven Dick/)

Strange as it may seem, the U.S. Marine Corps entered the jungle campaigns of World War II without a decent combat knife. Their first attempt was a double-edge dagger based on the British Commando knife, but it quickly proved to be a very poor utility blade for infantry combat. Going back to the drawing board and working with Union and Camillus cutlery companies, they came up with an all-purpose sheath knife, the USMC Knife/Fighting-Utility Model 1219C2. Camillus is said to have made the first deliveries to the Marines on January 27, 1943. Maybe “Knife/Fighting-Utility 1219C2” was just too big of a mouthful, and Camillus just didn’t have much of a ring to it. In any case, Leathernecks quickly unofficially labeled all knives of this pattern “kabars” after the trademark stamp of Union cutlery. (From this point on in the article “KA-BAR” is a cutlery company, “kabar” is a generic knife pattern.) A legend was born that continues to this day!

A pair of USN MK-II knives. Both were made by KA-BAR (Union Cutlery) but one is blade stamped and the other guard marked. (Steven Dick/)

The basic design of the new combat knife was a blade (1095 carbon steel) 7-inches long by .18-inch thick, with a fully sharpened 2.25-inch false edge and Bowie point. The generously sized handle was made of stacked leather washers later treated to prevent rot under wet conditions. On the end of the handle was a flat, steel pommel well suited to light pounding chores. Even better, from an overloaded infantryman’s perspective, was the fact the knife only weighed 14.5 ounces in the leather sheath. (The Navy also adopted the knife as the Mark-II and later added a plastic sheath to make it a better dive knife during UDT operations.) The knife soon proved itself to be a great all-purpose tool for living and fighting on one Pacific island after another. And by the end of the war, practically every civilian back home had seen photos of Marines carrying the kabar through fiery hells, including the legendary flag raising on Iwo Jima. Of course, many Marines brought their kabars home with them after the war. As a kid, I can remember hearing the knife commonly being praised by combat vets as their favorite hunting blade.

A Vietnam period Camillus knife carried by the author while serving as a paratrooper in the 82 Abn Division in late 1969 and ’70. Camillus made the vast majority of the knives during the ’60s. (Steven Dick/)

Vietnam

When the Vietnam War started, the military made the wise decision to make the kabar pattern knife a service-wide standard issue item. The “USMC” and “USN” stamps were dropped and the knives were simply marked “US” with the maker’s name below. Camillus Cutlery Company produced the vast majority of the knives during this period of time. Outside of the Marines, the demand for the knives always exceeded the supply reaching the real troops on the ground. In my own Ranger Company about the only teams equipped with kabars were those that had spent time cross-training with Marine Recon units. The limited number of the Camillus knives that did reach our own supply system always seemed to end up in the hands of officers and senior NCOs. Special Forces teams did manage to find better quantities than we did, and the knife was available on the civilian market if you were willing to take the time to mail-order one. Still, this was the one model knife that most ordinary ground pounders wanted, but had a hard time obtaining throughout the long war.

The bottom knife is the current USMC model as produced on contract by Ontario Cutlery Company. The top knife is a civilian variation with a sawback, also from Ontario. Frankly, I haven’t much use for the sawback beyond scaling fish! (Steven Dick/)

While I admit I never carried a kabar during my tour in Vietnam, as soon as I returned stateside to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg I bought one from the Smoke Bomb Hill gift and book shop. If I remember correctly, the price was around $5. Strapped to the side of my boot, that knife made many a jump over the next 18 months with the 505th Parachute Infantry. I even cleaned a large catch of bluegills and yellow perch (plus one unlucky copperhead snake) I caught while on a survival training project with the knife. So much for those who say the knife is too large for ordinary field chores.

It might seem like space-age technology, but spark rods have actually been around since horse and buggy times. (Tim MacWelch/)

Spark rods are fun to use and reliable in wet, cold, windy weather conditions. There’s no shortage of makes and models on the market, either. To help you pick the best option, I’ll dive into the origin and composition of these remarkable gizmos, and we’ll look at the pros and cons of eight popular spark rod products.

History

Spark rods (aka ferrocerium, firesteels, flints and ferro rods) have been around for more than 100 years, and while the exact recipe varies, all versions of this synthetic alloy can make a shower of hot sparks when scraped with a rough surface or sharp edge. Created in 1903 by the Austrian inventor Carl Auer von Welsbach, ferrocerium is still called Auermetall in Europe as a nod to its creator. Typically composed of 21% iron, 42% cerium, 24% lanthanum and roughly 4% each of praseodymium, neodymium, and magnesium – this magic metal owes its pyrophoric powers to the low ignition temperature of cerium (igniting between 302 and 356 degrees Fahrenheit). Once this element starts to burn in a thin metal scraping, the other elements begin to burn and the resulting shower of sparks can exceed 5000 degrees. Now that you have a little info on the history and composition of spark rods, let’s look at a few ways to make this tool work more effectively.

These tools won’t light every type of tinder, but a hot shower of sparks can light many different materials on fire – when you use the right technique. (Tim MacWelch/)

How to Properly Use a Spark Rod

First off, the spark rod is only as good as the tinder you have chosen. Natural plant materials that are fluffy and dry are usually your best bet as the initial fuel for your fire. These materials can be store-bought items like cotton balls, or fibrous plant matter collected directly from nature (like cattail seed down and shredded inner bark from certain trees). Just make sure your tinder has lots of surface area, comes from the plant kingdom and is stored in a water-tight container for dryness. Secondly, it’s important to direct the sparks with the right technique. If you hold the scraper still and pull the rod away (imagine you’re pulling the cord to start a chainsaw or push mower), you won’t hit your tinder with the scraper. You’ll still get your shower of hot sparks, without flinging your tinder all over the place by moving the scraper forward. Finally, don’t be stingy with your sparks. It may take many strikes in quick succession to light stubborn tinder, so don’t be afraid to get after it.

Getting up close to a bonefish caught on a Crazy Charlie. (Brian Grossenbacher/)

I was staring at the water in front of a long stretch of mangroves, trying not to breathe through my nose. A large raft of rotting grass extending several hundred yards offshore floated near our boat and had stained the water brown, turning the normally crystal-clear Caribbean into murky tea while giving off a stench that was pure sewer. This wasn’t the picturesque Belize that draws scuba divers from around the globe.

A frigate bird circled overhead, easy to identify by its forked tail and broad wings. Like me, it was scanning the shallow water along the edge of the matted grass for fish. But whereas it was in search of a beak full of baitfish, I had something bigger in mind.

“Over there, mon. Forty yards. One o’clock.”

Perched behind and above me on the platform that straddled the skiff’s outboard, guide Alton Jeffords was leaning into the push pole, trying to move us to where he’d just seen a tarpon roll. In his island accent, “forty” came out as “fohr-tee.”

I checked the coils of line at my feet to make sure all was clear and started to cast. After three full days of fishing, I could tell my form was going to hell from the heavy 11-weight. If any of my former striper fishing buddies had seen me, I know they would have been merciless, taunting me that my years in Montana chasing “sissy bug-eating fish” with 5-weights had made me soft. Given the stabs of pain in my shoulder and elbow, I’d probably agree.

A snap shot of state trust land in the northeast corner of Colorado. (Colorado State Land Board/)

Colorado is a robust hunting state with the largest elk herd in the nation, but hunters there are still scrambling to level the playing field when it comes to accessing nearly 3 million acres of state-owned trust land.

The good news is Colorado hunters seem to have an ally in Gov. Jared Polis when it comes to opening more lands to recreation.

"Coloradans truly understood that a vote for me was a vote for public land, was a vote for fun, was a vote for our heritage, and was a vote for the jobs that the outdoor industry sustains across our state," he said at an Outdoor Retailer conference.

States like Idaho, Wyoming and Montana all have large state holdings of trust lands – and have policies that generally allow the public to hunt on most of those lands. In Montana, for example, two-thirds of the state’s 4.76 million acres of trust land are open to public hunting, according to the Denver Post. Colorado, however, does things its own way. A way that has historically left hunters short.

First, a bit of history about "state trust lands." When western states were created back in the late 1800s, Congress typically granted those fledgling states land scattered in a grid pattern within their new border (see a map of current state trust lands here). The idea was that the new, sparsely populated states could use those lands to raise money for schools, roads, and the like. As in other western states, Colorado trust lands are managed under a Land Board.

The author shows off a bruiser buck taken on a spot-and-stalk hunt. (Courtesy of Chuck Adams/)

When archers discovered the shovel, pronghorn hunting got easier. About 40 years ago, bowhunters began setting up for antelope from covered pit blinds near water holes. They found that these keen-eyed prairie dwellers could not clearly see from bright sunlight into a shaded blind, and the result was point-blank shots at relaxed animals. Today, most bow­hunters use pop-up blinds for antelope.

I have taken several antelope from blinds, and it’s effective. But unless a steady parade of critters is crossing in front of you, sitting in a blind is about as thrilling as watching a TV with the power turned off. I prefer bowhunting antelope on foot. It’s never easy, but I love the challenge—and you can do it regardless of water or weather conditions.

Perfect Country

You need suitable terrain for stalking antelope, which means plenty of ridges, gullies, and extra-tall sage. Flat ground is tough.

Light-colored camouflage is necessary to help you hide in pronghorn habitat, but camo alone won’t do the trick if you try to move in the open. If you can see an antelope’s eye, the animal will certainly see you move, even from several hundred yards away. You cannot sneak close or draw your bow unless your target’s head is completely hidden behind a bush or solid ground. And be sure your bow is quiet; antelope can jump the string like no other critter in North America.

Have you ever seen a buck with a full set of velvet-rimmed antlers—in December? How about a black whitetail, or a buck with protruding canine teeth? Here are eight freak-of-nature deer that are so odd, piebalds might seem commonplace by comparison.

A South Carolina deer with parasitic twin deformity. (Photo Courtesy of QDMA/)

This is true, I swear, though you might have a better shot of hitting a $400 million Powerball than ever seeing this animal alive in the wild. Just imagine for a moment how much you might freak out if you ever spotted a deer with a fifth leg jutting out of its backbone near the back of its neck! Well, it happens.

According to the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), it is called the “parasitic twin” phenomenon. Twin fawns begin to grow inside a doe, but the embryos do not completely separate, and one of them stops developing normally. The somewhat macabre extra leg is the remnant of the twin fawn that didn’t fully mature. Most of the misplaced fifth legs that have been documented are short and small, with tiny hooves attached. That fifth leg is most often located on the deer’s shoulder or back.

Parasitic twins have been documented in many animal species, and are surely the rarest of the rare whitetail oddity.

Eddie Stevenson with his Texas Hill Country black deer. (Photo Courtesy of Eddie Stevenson/)

One day down in the Texas Hill Country, a buck stepped out of the brush in front of my buddy Eddie Stevenson. He did a double take—not because of its rack, but rather its color. The deer was mahogany-colored all over, with an even darker head and face. Eddie shot the buck, and the one-in-a-million mount now hangs on his wall.

An American soldier takes aim during World War I. (FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images/)

Long-range shooting competitions are all the rage, but the amount of gear required can be pretty daunting to anyone new to the sport. Likewise, service rifle matches, where you use historically accurate military equipment (meaning open sights), can be tough if you don’t have 30-year-old eyes.

Back in 2011, I worked to combine the best of both types of shooting and eliminate those drawbacks. This led to the inaugural Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Vintage Sniper Rifle Match (VSRM) at Camp Perry in 2012.

A little background: When the Gibbs Rifle Company introduced its replica 1903A4 sniper rifle in 2011 (sadly, no longer made), I had to have one. I was a big-time World War II buff because my father was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne. After I got my 1903A4, I showed it to my dad and asked if he ever ran into one during the war. He had never said much about his time in the service, so I was absolutely floored when he said, "Yeah, I jumped into Holland with that rifle. I was the first scout for 506th I Company." Incidentally, that's the same regiment that E Company—of Band of Brothers fame—was in.

For many years, I had been an avid John Garand Match and CMP Games shooter, but after finding out my father went to war with a 1903A4, I thought it would be great to have a CMP match with vintage sniper rifles. I worked with Alan Coors, board member of the CMP and then president of the NRA, to hammer out the rules and legal equipment.

Easy Does It

The only thing better than living the adventure of a lifetime, is the ability to capture the event on video so you can relive it over and over again for years after. Just ask Uncle Rico—if coach had put him in during the fourth quarter of 1982's big game, the team would've been state champions (sorry, 2019 marks the 15-year anniversary of Napoleon Dynamite, so I couldn't resist). But with so many makes and models of action cameras on the market these days, it's sometimes tough to know which one suits your hunting or fishing free-for-all. To help you dial in on the camera and features you'll need in the field, here is a quick look at four different recorders tailored specifically for the outdoors.

Tactacam 5.0 (Tactacam/)

When it comes to self-recording, simple is better, and operating a camera doesn't get much simpler than it does with the Tactacam. Attach this unit to a bow or gun, and start and stop recording with the push of a button. Or, if you're technologically savvy, the 5.0 model comes with a remote control, or you can take command with the Tactacam smartphone app. It records in 4K resolution, has a low-light sensor, and captures 360-degree audio. This camera truly shines tucked under the barrel of a shotgun or extending from the riser of your favorite bow. However, a word of caution—try to avoid camera convulsions. It's easy to get excited in the moment, forget you're filming, and point the business end of the camera in all sorts of directions. The result is a video that's barely viewable. Done poorly, you'll see the moments leading up to a shot, a tremor from the shot, and possibly a second or two of well-framed footage after the shot, before the film looks like earthquake footage. This style of camera is great for keeping your hands free and recording a first-person perspective, but if you aren't mindful about recording moments outside that window, expect to be nominated for a Golden Razzie.

GoPro HERO7 Black (GoPro/)

Let's face it; GoPro set the standard in action cameras. Before GoPro, filming first-person narratives of fishing and hunting adventures was a convoluted mess of batteries, digital tape, handheld cameras, and poor image quality. Wnd with each iteration, GoPro's cameras continue to get better and better. They're not the cheapest action camera on the market, but you know you're getting what you pay for. The Hero7 is the latest-and-greatest from the company and it has the ability to do things no other camera has been able to do before—like accept voice commands and live stream footage so you can share your story as it happens on Facebook Live. The video quality isn't anything to sneeze at either. It can shoot up to 4K60 video, and snap 12MP photos. Other filters include TimeWarp, which increases the film speed up to 30X, and 8X slow motion, to relive unique moments in all their glory. Its waterproof housing makes it safe to depths up to 33 feet, but go beyond that and you may be out a camera and several hundred frogskins.

Spyoint Xcel HD2 (Spyoint/)

If you're not keen on dropping several hundred dollars on a camera with features you'd rarely use, but still want something that records in 1080, then the Xcel HD2 might be what you're looking for. If your flat screen doesn't broadcast in 4K, you likely have little need for such a high resolution setting in an action camera. What's more, if a camera still captured photos up to 12MP, and included a remote control that works up to 120 feet away, why spend the extra money on other frills and functions you don't need? This little unit from Spypoint is shaped similar to a GoPro's Hero7 "blocky" profile, and it uses the same mounts and attachments. There is a 2-inch viewing screen on the back, a zoom function that allows you to take it from a 170-degree view up to a 140-degree view, a time lapse mode, and the waterproof housing keeps it safe and dry if you plan to explore underwater worlds.

Akaso Brave 4 (Akaso/)

One of the things I love about Amazon is that when you begin searching for a specific item, you can get lost in a wormhole of similar but equally good (sometimes better) products. That's how I found the 4K camera from Akaso. At first glance, it looks and feels much like a GoPro, and when it comes down to features, it's tough to beat—4K video resolution, 20MP photos, a 170-degree viewing angle with a 5X zoom that can take it to 70 degrees, image stabilization, and a 2-inch viewing screen. In it's waterproof housing, it's protected to depths of 100 meteres, and if you have the Akaso app, you can relay everything to a smartphone. There's even a remote wristband so you can start and stop recording without putting a finger on the camera. But what makes this unit truly stand out is the price—you can get a complete setup for less than a Benjamin.

The author fights a redfish in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, where a damaged water system has fishing guides in for a fight of their own. (Matthew Coughlin/)

Capt. Billy Rotne is quietly freaking out. He’s stabbed his finger on the sharp dorsal fin of a redfish that bucked just as he released it. Now he’s bleeding. It’s not much, maybe a drip every five seconds, but as Rotne rummages through the forward hold of his flats boat for his first-aid kit, his urgency elevates this from a garden-variety fishing prick into something more critical.

He finds his medical kit, but the Neosporin, in a squeeze packet that looks like takeout mustard, expired last year.

“Better than nothing,” Rotne says as he slathers his finger with the medicinal ointment. “I know this seems silly, but I don’t mess around with the chance of infection. Who knows what’s in this water.”

If anybody should know, it’s Rotne. For the past 14 years, he’s worked as a registered fishing captain, guiding anglers around northern Florida’s premier inshore destinations. His favorite place—and method—is poling redfish anglers around Mosquito Lagoon, putting them on the biggest bull reds of their lives.

I’m a beneficiary of his expertise. He anchors beside a spreading shoreline palmetto and tells me to punch my blue crab into the south wind. A short soak later, the line twitches, as if Rotne had scripted it. The rod loads, and after a bicep-numbing fight, a holy-hell 40-pound redfish poses in my arms for a quick photo.

Get in on the hottest shoots of summer. (Jonathan Bartlett/)

If you’re not careful, you’ll use up a whole summer eating barbecue, drinking beer, and fishing. Too much of that stuff will soften your shotgun swing as much as your belly. Next thing you know, it’ll be opening day of duck season, and you’ll make an ass of yourself by tearing through three boxes of shells and not cutting a feather. Picking up a shotgun in the off-season does you good.

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Fortunately, there's a world of wingshooting opportunity available all summer long, from feral pigeons and invasive Eurasian collared doves to crows and early-season geese. The action can be intense, and once it's over, some of the birds are pretty good to eat. Which brings us back to beer and barbecue. It is summer, after all. —W.B.

These birds raid summer fields and drive farmers crazy. (Jonathan Bartlett/)

Crows

Back in the 1930s, crow shooting was as popular as hot dogs at the ballpark. There were so many birds that fish and game agencies gave farmers free shotgun ammo to defend their crops. In Oklahoma, there was a full-on propaganda campaign to promote crow as a healthy and delicious game meat. Crow-hunting clubs popped up around the country. But eventually the Great Depression ended, and crow fell off the menu for most folks. Wingshooters moved on to more glamorous pursuits, and these days calling and decoying crows is done by a relatively small but dedicated group of bird hunters. Which means there’s plenty of room for you to get in on the action.