Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

Because emergency blankets are so small and lightweight, you should keep a few in your bug-out-bag in case you need to build an impromptu shelter. (Arcturus/)

An emergency blanket should never be considered the first line of defense against the elements. But as a hedge against worst-case scenarios in the woods or during natural disasters, a basic survival blanket could be the difference between staying alive or perishing. Hypothermia is one of the top killers in the outdoors, and a Mylar or Mylar-coated blanket reflects body warmth back to the individual, dramatically reduces heat loss and increases the chances of survival. In addition to keeping you warm, there are countless uses for an emergency blanket, depending on its weight and construction. Here are but a few.

Rain Shelter

Most survival blankets are waterproof. While a blanket with grommets can be strung up like a tarp, even a non-grommeted blanket can be wrapped like a shawl or worn as a makeshift poncho to help weather the worst of any storm.

Tent Footprint

A 5x7 heavy duty survival blanket is about the ideal footprint for a two-man tent. It creates a waterproof barrier between the tent floor and the ground, and with the Mylar side up it will reflect body heat away from the ground to keep you warmer at night.

Folding saws are inexpensive, but invaluable when you’re far from the tool shed. (Hooyman/)

A folding saw is one tool that no outdoorsman should be without. Whether you are clearing shooting lanes from a tree stand, processing firewood at camp, or just clearing brush from around the house, a folding saw will handle every cutting task that falls between the capabilities of a pocketknife and a chainsaw. They are compact, portable, and unmatched in whacking through wood up to about 6 inches in diameter. Here are several options to consider when searching for the perfect folding saw.

Lightweight

On the lighter end of the spectrum, a folding saw of about 8-inches long or less and small enough to pack anywhere you travel, but still musters an amazing amount of cutting power. Look for a brand with replaceable blades, each of which should last for several seasons of hard use before needing to be replaced.

Heavy Duty

For tougher chores, sacrifice some portability for power. A quality 10- to 15-inch folding saw is wicked efficient. The secret is in the curved blade, which takes a savage bite out of anything from firewood to construction lumber with every stroke.

Not only does a heavy sled-style rifle rest keep your rifle from jumping around after a shot, it saves you from shoulder pain that comes from round after round of shooting (Caldwell/)

The best way to improve your shooting accuracy is to practice, and the best way to practice is with a rest. Whether you are slinging lead downrange at a club, at deer camp, or on the back forty, a commercial rest will limit the variables that affect accuracy. Stabilizing baseline elevation and windage with a rest allows you to focus on the weapon, the round, and the technique you are trying to hone. With a rest, you can confidently and quickly acquire the target, manage your trigger pull, and reduce flinching from repeated recoil. One of these types of rests will cover just about any type of shooting you want to do.

Bench Rests

A bench-mounted shooting rest offers the ultimate stability for range practice. Anchor your rifle or shotgun on the first shot, and then walk the muzzle and scope onto the bullseye without worrying about repositioning the rest after every round.

Shooting Bags

Two-piece shooting bags operate on the same principle as the bench rest by stabilizing the fore-end and buttstock, but without moving parts. These multifunctional stabilizers are relatively light, yet solid enough to establish a bench-quality rest anywhere there is a level surface.

A waterproof bag will keep your smartphone dry, and the trapped air inside might also help prevent it from sinking. (Hiearcool/)

Smartphones have become so indispensable that we tend to take them everywhere. That exposes our valuable electronics to all manner of outdoor elements, especially moisture. There are plenty of waterproof cases on the market for every model of smartphone, but they are expensive. If you prefer your everyday designer case yet still need extra protection for the lake, river, or beach, the most affordable option is a universal waterproof pouch or dry bag. In addition to sheltering your phone, a small dry bag is also useful for storing a passport, wallet, cash, or credit cards. Here’s what to look for in a universal smartphone dry bag.

Size Matters

Despite the fact that most waterproof phone pouches are marketed as universal, many are specific to certain categories or size ranges of phone. Read the product specifications carefully to make sure the bag will accommodate your phone and its everyday case.

Run a Test

Before committing your expensive phone to the briny depths or torrential rains, run a waterproofing tested. Seal up some tissue paper or other absorbent material in the case and submerge it for thirty minutes or so to verify that the seal and the case itself are both performing as advertised.

Hit the road and have your best deer hunt of the year. (John Hafner/)

You would think that 10 months of planning and prep work would be more than enough time. And yet here I am, just a few hours away from heading West for a week-long whitetail adventure, and I’m scrambling to get everything packed and loaded. I’d like to say this is abnormal behavior. It’s not. This is how it seems to go each and every fall. And, to be honest, I’m not sure I’d have it any other way.

One special thing about deer season, perhaps the most special thing is the fact that no matter how bad a day is, it will be followed by another sunrise. And that sunrise could bring the best whitetail day of the entire year. A week filled with nothing to do but see what each of those sunrises bring... well, I’m not sure what could be better.

I try to hunt several different states every deer season. Most of those outings are simple weekend, whirlwind affairs. But once a year (twice if I’m particularly lucky), I’ll take a full week-long road trip.

I’ve been taking these out-of-state hunts for about 15 years. These are DIY hunts all the way. I’ll generally hunt public land, but I won’t hesitate to knock on a door or stop by a farmer’s shop to ask permission if an area looks particularly promising. I’ve found some awesome areas and some really crappy ones. I’ve stayed in tents, campers, RVs, cabins, rental houses, and crashed in my truck in Wal-Mart parking lots. Along the way, I’ve ironed out a pretty good system for planning, prepping, and making the most of my time. Here’s how I do it.

1. Map It

Shane Mowery took this great Kansas buck while hunting over a mock scrape. (Tracy Breen/)

Hunting over deer scrapes has been a hotly debated strategy in camps across the country for decades. While some hunters barely give scrapes a second look when passing them by through the woods, others take painstaking steps to set up mock scrapes in multiple locations from early September right through late season. Regardless of what side of the argument you might find yourself, the odds of killing a buck over a scrape are small. However, according to deer hunters such as Doug Roberts from Conquest Scents, they are high enough that deer hunters should always build mock scrapes near their hunting blind or stand.

“There is no question that a lot of scrape activity happens at night,” says Roberts. “But when the rut kicks in, bucks are on their feet a lot during daylight hours and will often visit some scrapes during that time.”

Indeed, scrape hunting has paid big-buck dividends often enough to make it a viable tactic from September through December….Here are seven ways to raise the odds during the whitetail rut.

1. Start Early

Although the prime time to hunt over scrapes is limited, Roberts believes that mock scrapes should be made long before the rut.

A folding shovel should be somewhat lightweight and easy to store in your vehicle or among your gear. (Tyger Auto/)

When considering the panoply of gear essential to the outdoors, a shovel isn’t usually at the top of anyone’s list. But it’s one of those tools that can make otherwise tiresome tasks a breeze. Trenching a rain gutter around a tent footprint, excavating stuck vehicles, or digging a latrine are all made easier with a proper shovel. When searching for an entrenching tool, consider whether you need only a simple spade or a full-blown tool kit with interchangeable handles. The range of shovels and super-shovels these days is wide enough to meet every lifestyle.

Simple Folder

If all you need is to clear out a fire pit or have a shovel on hand for unforeseen emergencies, a simple military-style folding shovel should suffice. It packs up small enough to carry on a waist belt or backpack and adheres to the old military principle of KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.

Multi-Functional

For a wider range of camp tasks that might call for, say, a pickax or a knife blade, a folding shovel with interchangeable bits will expand your preparedness and minimize the number of other tools you need to complete your mission, whether that’s a survival trek or a weekend at deer camp.

A French press is likely the easiest way to make your favorite cup of coffee when you’re on the go. (Bodum/)

There has been a revolution in coffee making over the past decade, with one’s choice and style of java becoming about as personalized as his or her fingerprints. Whether you take your espresso straight or Americano, or just want the perfect latte, a French coffee press is the best way to get exactly what you desire at home or in camp. They’re small enough to travel with and offer ultimate control over your morning Joe. To get every day started off right, consider these key features when searching for a coffee press.

Glass Beaker

A glass beaker is the standard for French coffee presses because glass is so resistant to the rapid temperature changes involved in coffee making. Glass also offers the clearest view of the press in action to help you develop the perfect pressing speed and technique for extracting the best flavor from your grind.

Press Volume

The great thing about a French press is you can make barista coffee just for yourself or for a house full of guests. A press with a 1-liter beaker will make up to eight 4-ounce cups.

The Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah. (U.S. Forest Service/)

The Tongass National Forest in Alaska is getting most of the publicity around a pending exemption from the Roadless Rule, which prevents new road building on certain Forest Service land. But in the Lower 48, Utah officials might have found a better option than exemption from the Roadless Rule. They're working through a Shared Stewardship Pact with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To be clear, Utah is still looking to get out of the Roadless Rule even though the state has signed a four-year, $20 million Shared Stewardship agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But for now, Utah officials seem satisfied with allowing their Shared Stewardship pact to play out.

“For now, our official stance is that the Roadless Rule petition has not been withdrawn and is still pending, but we are focusing on the Shared Stewardship agreement and not focusing on the roadless rule petition,” Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (PLPCO) lead counsel Jake Garfield said in late October.

The frozen petition would seek to expedite projects within the state’s five national forests. Utah officials say more road access is necessary to reduce fire hazards and they want to lift Roadless Rule protections on 3.5 million of the states 4 million roadless acres.

Utah’s petition was geared to address “urgent challenges, among them catastrophic wildfires, invasive species, drought, and epidemics of forest insects and disease,” but Garfield said the state is willing to see if the pact can resolve its fire-mitigation priorities.

The federal Roadless Area Conservation Rule was established in 2001 to protect more than 50 million acres across the country from development, logging, mining and grazing.

Consider terrain, habitat, and distances you might hike during your four to five decades of hunting. A lighter cartridge and rifle might work to your advantage. But if you mostly hunt elk, moose, eland, kudu, and big bears, you might be better off with a heavier rig. (Ron Spomer/)

Can you do all your hunting with one gun? Yes, but within limits.

The limits are determined by what you hunt. And at what ranges. The perfect rifle at 100 yards might not be so ideal at 400 yards.

If you want one gun to rule them all, you have to make it a 12-gauge shotgun. Why? Because it can shoot pellets for upland birds, waterfowl, small game, and even—with buckshot—predators and deer. Load that 12-gauge with slugs and you’re ready to tackle any big game short of an elephant. And I wouldn’t bet against the 12-gauge on that, either.

But I don’t think most of us want to be stuck with just a short-range shotgun. What we’re really interested in is one big game rifle to rule them all. You know, the “deer rifle” that is also suitable for taking the odd varmint or coyote yet quite capable of handling elk, moose, bears, and African plains game.

If you want to stop reading and start hunting, get a .300 Winchester Magnum and forget about it. This famous belted magnum, around since 1963, can do it all. But, if you’re curious about recoil, trajectory, energy, price, and similar details that keep hunters arguing, keep reading. Because the .300 Win. Mag. is not the only horse in this race. Equally convincing arguments can be made for many 7mms, .338s, and even .35s.

Even a moderately-sized roaster can allow you to cook a lot of food for a lot of people at once. (Cuisinart/)

Feeding a full camp of hungry hunters requires not only culinary know-how, but also the right cookware. A roasting pan isn’t something you need every day, but for certain camp tasks, you’ve gotta have one. Here are a few ways that a bona fide roasting pan can expand the repertoire of any camp chef.

Making Bone Broth

If you do your own game processing, making bone broth is the final step in using the entire animal. Crack the bones to expose the marrow, coat with a little tomato paste, and roast uncovered for about twenty minutes. Then add water, celery, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, and a bay leaf or two, and simmer covered for several hours. The result is a nutritious and delicious broth great for sipping or for use as a stock in preparing other meals.

Camp Casseroles

A shallow roasting pan can easily do double duty as a casserole or lasagna dish. With a shallow wire rack, it can be used for everything from preparing roasts to drying and smoking small batches of jerky or fish.

Even a few inexpensive improvements can make your trailer safer and easier to operate. (Gorilla-Lift/)

A utility trailer is one of the most useful “luxury” toys any outdoorsman can own. From removing yard waste to hauling tree stands, coolers, tables, and other essentials to deer camp, a utility trailer literally pulls its own weight every single time you use it. But it’s also heavy and cumbersome to manage. Here are three trailer accessories that will make using your trailer easier and safer every time.

Install Gate Lifts

A trailer gate is basically a giant mousetrap waiting to smash whatever is under its swing. Lowering the gate doesn't have to be a tap dance to get out of the way. Just install a gate lift. They are available for mounting on a single rail or both, but either way they make raising and lowering a heavy trailer gate easy and safe.

Use a Trailer Dolly

Even an empty utility trailer is heavy enough to present problems moving by hand, and no one likes to hitch up to the truck just to move a few feet. Solve the problem with a trailer dolly. They are not only helpful with moving a full utility trailer, but also boat trailers as well.

A grill topper can allow you to do things that would normally require a gridle or fryer. (Weber/)

A gas grill need not be limited to its traditional uses for charring and searing over grates. A wide variety of grill-top accessories opens up an array of cooking styles to the outdoor chef. From experimenting with Japanese Teppanyaki cuisine (think birthdays at Benihana) to smoking vegetables or whipping up fried eggs and pancakes, a grill topper gives you options limited only by your creativity. Here are a few styles to choose from.

Griddles

A full-sized grill-topper is as versatile as any indoor griddle. It heats evenly, sears the entire surface rather than just on the bars of a grate, and imparts the perfect combination of crust and tenderness that is hard to achieve with a traditional grill grate.

Pans

A miniature grilling pan is perfect for smaller or more delicate foods, such as fish filets. It won't take up the entire grate surface, leaving room for traditional grilling techniques that allow you to bring the entire meal together at once.

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 November 3 through November 10, 2019.

Survival Frog—An Outdoor Life Exclusive

Leupold

Cabela's

Mike Hanback with a great Montana buck that he rattled in during the rut. (Michael Hanback/)

It’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned in more than 30 years of studying and hunting whitetail deer across North America: Don’t overthink it. You don’t need a grand plan to kill a buck, especially when the rut is on in November. Just go out and have fun, hunt every hour that you can, and use these time-proven pointers to your advantage.

Check the record books, and you'll see that more giant bucks have been shot November 7 to 12 than any other days. With the moon waxing to full on November 12, that window will be prime this year. Can you get off work?

Did you know? Studies show that one mature buck may blaze as many as 1,200 rubs from late September through November, or some 17 rubs a day.

Which rubs are the best sign? Look for antler-blazed trees as thick as your bicep. All bucks rub saplings, but only mature bucks work trees 4 to 6 inches in diameter or larger.

A copse of antler-mangled saplings or cedar branches are sign of an aggressive buck— the kind of beast you want to hunt because he's apt to move in daylight.

A good rangefinder can make the difference between whether your next big game hunt is a successful one or you go home empty-handed. Truth is, many times hunters miss game animals with bows and guns because they miscalculated the range to the animal. Because of the phenomenon described by Sir Isaac Newton way back in 1687, the instant a projectile—arrow or bullet—leaves your bow or gun, it begins to fall. If you know the ballistics (amount of drop) for your weapon at different distances, all you need to know to be accurate is the exact distance. That’s where a rangefinder comes in handy. Here are 10 things to consider when shopping for a laser rangefinder.

Buy Now

Laser rangefinders have come a long way since they first came on the hunting scene about 25 years ago. Now, many can give accurate readings within a yard or two all the way out to a mile or even farther. Even at the minimal end, there are few rangefinders on the market that won't range accurately out to about 300 or 400 yards—farther than most hunters will ever shoot at a big game animal. If you're mainly a bowhunter, you probably don't need a rangefinder that'll tell you the distance of an object a mile or more away. But for bowhunters who think that there's an outside chance they might travel out West to chase antelope or elk with a rifle someday, opting for one that'll range out to 1,000 yards is probably a good idea.

Buy Now

Another important consideration when selecting a rangefinder is magnification. This factor is critical since many times hunters range animals a very long distance away, and it's nearly impossible to see them, much less range them, without magnification. On a 6x rangefinder, the object you are trying to get a range on will look six-times larger than it looks with your normal vision. So, putting the aiming point on the object is easier. Note that some companies now make binoculars with built-in rangefinders. These are handy because they usually have a high magnification of 10x or more. Consequently, getting the range of an animal at a very great distance isn't as difficult because of the magnification. These units are typically very expensive, but since they take the place of two tools, some hunters find them worth the money.

Deer season is fleeting. Here's how to make it count. (John Hafner/)

You don’t have to spend much time on social media (or sitting around a deer camp) to realize, there’s not much we hunters all agree on. But there is one universal truth amongst us: There’s never enough time to do all the things we want to do. This is a malady that seems compounded in November.The greatest deer hunting month of them all is upon us. And, no matter how much we plan or how hard we wish, each day still lasts but 24 hours and each week is comprised of just seven days. Five of those days, if you’re like just about every other American hunter, are spent on the job. That means you’ve got damned little time to spend in the woods. Toss in a youth football game here, a dance recital there, some time spent doing things that keep you blissfully married and the hours available for hunting dwindle in a hurry.

So how can you make the most of every minute, to pack a year’s worth of whitetail wonder into a ridiculously limited period of time? Like this...

1. Be Uber-Efficient

Time wasted is time lost. I didn't coin that phrase but I certainly try to live by it. Earlier this year, I wrote a piece about my decision to greatly simplify my approach (and, in large part, my life) by adopting a more minimalist approach to hunting. Less gear means less hassle. Fewer things to forget. Less time to pack. More efficiency.

Let’s look at a common after-work scenario. Even if you are able to sneak out of work a little early, the only way this hunt happens is if you’re highly efficient with your time. If you stop at home, look around a bit for you boots, your release aid, you grunt call, etc. and you’ve lost about 15 minutes. Now you’re rolling into the stand late and that’s starting to cut an already close setup even closer.

A ranger with the Bureau of Land Management, which has received the bulk of the harassment (Bureau of Land Management/)

Abuse and threats go hand-in-hand with being a forest or park ranger in 2019, according to a new report recently released by the Government Accounting Office.

Rangers for the Forest Service, National Park Service and other land management agencies catch the brunt of everything from hostile language to threats with weapons to domestic terrorism, says the report, breathlessly titled Federal Land Management Agencies, Additional Actions Needed to Address Facility Security Assessment Requirements.

The investigation was requested by Congress and reviewed threats against public land managers from 2013-17.

“Data from the four land management agencies … showed a range of threats and assaults against agency employees, ranging from telephone threats to attempted murder,” the report said. “Employees may not always report threats because they consider them part of the job.”

The report also reveals that the FBI initiated “under 100” domestic terrorism investigations, involving threats to federal land management employees.

The buck with antlers shaped like flames. (Alex Robinson/)

My rangefinder was out of batteries, and I had forgotten to bring my water bottle, binoculars, and bow rope. It was 3:30 on a late-October afternoon, and I was hustling to get to a stand that was hung in the south corner of a drying cornfield that was ringed with beans.

I’d pulled the trail camera card on this stand just a day before, and I was thrilled to see a big buck appearing semi-consistently during legal shooting hours. He had a crazy brow tine that looked like a double main beam jutting out from the base of his rack. Another brow-tine-like point poked forward in front of his face. I texted the photo to my hunting buddy who accurately replied: “It looks like he has flames coming out of his head!”

The next day, the wind was right, it was a cool afternoon, and most importantly … I just had a good feeling about it. So I left work early, blew off a bunch of other obligations, and rushed to my stand to get in a few hours of hunting that afternoon. This would be the first time anyone had ever sat in the stand.

I didn’t see any deer for the first two hours of my sit, and I fought the urge to respond to the emails that were piling up on my phone. But about 15 minutes before sunset, I heard the unmistakable crunching footsteps of a deer headed toward the field-line I was hunting. I grabbed my bow and slowly stood up in the stand as the crunching came closer. To keep myself from getting overexcited, I thought, ‘There’s no way this is going to be the buck,’ but I got ready anyway because well, I had a good feeling. And then the crunching reached the edge of the field, and sure enough, it was the buck with the crazy flame rack standing 60 yards upwind (or that’s at least my guess without my rangefinder).

I couldn’t believe it, and at the same time … of course it was the buck. It had to be.

A Cooper Firearms .50 caliber Model 22ML with a nice buck taken at 223 yards, with a Harvester Muzzleloading saboted 300-grain polymer-tipped Scorpion PT Gold bullet. (Toby Bridges/)

In November of 2016, after six days of hunting, I finally managed to catch up with a very good Montana 12-pointer. After a 100-yard crawl, I rested the forearm of my Cooper Firearms .50 caliber Model 22ML on a cedar fencepost. I had ranged the buck at 223 yards, and I knew that the 120-grain charge of Blackhorn 209 and saboted 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold would drop 12 inches at that distance. I held the crosshair above the facing shoulder and tightened my finger on the trigger. The rifle belched loudly, and that mature, big-bodied buck literally dropped on the spot.

The charge and bullet I was using that day could retain the 800 ft-lbs of energy needed to take down a whitetail out to around 300 yards. As impressive as that may be, there are now quite a few muzzleloading hunters seeking even greater effective range—and some bullet makers have been listening.

Today’s muzzleloading big game hunters are more performance-driven than at any other time in history. Thanks to advanced No. 209 primer ignition systems and extremely energetic black powder substitutes, the current crop of high-performance, in-line rifles are easily capable of producing muzzle velocities of more than 2,000 fps. Many hunters are shooting for 300 yards, and a growing number of hunters are beginning to push game-taking muzzleloader performance to 400 yards.

Achieving that kind of maximum range, however, takes a bullet with a high ballistic coefficient (BC) to retain sufficient velocity (fps) and energy (ft-lbs) past 200 yards. That’s why many hunters are now moving away from shorter-barreled rifle models and the somewhat dated saboted bullets. Here’s a look at a handful of some more advanced saboted bullets with greater aerodynamics and higher BCs.

Read Next: 8 Best Modern Muzzleloaders