Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

Florida’s Osceola season is one of the first spring hunts of the year. The 2020 forecast indicates a stable population of birds statewide. (Gerry Bethge/)

Pity the poor turkey hunter. Even the most avid vagabond gobbler geek can only chase his spring passion for about 13 weeks (assuming an early start in Florida and a June finish in Maine).

To the uninitiated, that might seem like a ridiculously long season. But then you begin to realize the broad range of turkey hunting opportunities across the country: cagey Southern longbeards on crisp March mornings, hard-gobbling late-April Easterns in the Midwest, loud-mouthed Merriam’s on open early-May landscapes and last-minute longbeards in the Heartland and New England. Suddenly, 13 weeks doesn’t seem like enough.

Make the most of your limited time. Sleep can wait. Don’t tell your boss, but work can take a back seat, too. Turkey season will be here and gone before you know it. Here’s a quick guide to start planning your Spring 2020 hunts.

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The three amigos. (L to R) The 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5x55 Swedish. All are nearly the perfect size to deliver perfect performance for hunting whitetails, mule deer, and similar game. (Ron Spomer/)

The 6.5 Creedmoor is currently one of the top selling centerfire cartridges in the US. The .260 Remington and 6.5x55 Swede are… Well, many hunters and shooters don’t know what they are. Or have even heard of them. Yet both shoot .264-inch diameter bullets, the same as the Creedmoor. And both have larger case capacity than the Creedmoor, so they can be loaded to shoot faster and hit harder. But…

The Creedmoor is still more popular. What gives?

Marketing. Rifle design. Rifling twist rates. Different chamber pressure standards. Factory ammunition limitations. And human psychology.

Let’s start this investigation where it matters most. The bullet. Newly minted fans of the 6.5mm are enraptured by those 26-caliber bullets, believing them inherently superior to any narrower or wider. But this is a misapprehension. There is nothing magical about the .264s. They do not necessarily fly flatter, drop less, deflect less in crosswinds, or hit harder than .277 bullets, .284 bullets or even .257 bullets of similar materials, construction, and B.C. It’s just that more of them are designed and built to maximize aerodynamic shape and high B.C. And most 26-caliber barrels are rifled with twist rates quick enough to stabilize them.

Ballistic coefficient (B.C.) is simply a numerical rating, a measure of a bullet’s ability to resist drag. The narrower, heavier, and more sleekly shaped the projectile, the higher its B.C. number and the more efficiently it will zip through the atmosphere. Obviously, if a bullet doesn’t waste energy pushing air out of its way, it maintains more velocity. That means it flies farther, deflects less in crosswinds, arrives sooner, and carries more energy when it gets there. B.C. is a B.D. (Big Deal.)

While guns, ammo, and optics may hog the spotlight at SHOT Show, it’s also one of the best places to see the latest and greatest production knives and tools. We bobbed and weaved our way through the crowds to check out a few of the new models coming for 2020.

Benchmade 533 Mini Bugout

Benchmade Mini Bugout (Matt Foster/)

While the moniker may denote “SHTF knife” the design and color definitely says, “EDC hunting knife!” Why? Well, a safety orange handle for one. Because looking for a black or tan knife on the ground can be as much fun as a case of scurvy. The S30V blade is a shallow drop point that works for a lot of different tasks and should hold an edge well. Ambidextrous pocket clip? Yes indeed. Axis lock? Oh yeah. It’d be really great if the blade were about a quarter- to half-inch longer, but that seems like a first world problem. The 533 is crazy light at only 1.5 ounces and crazy thin at only .412 inches thick making it easy to carry any place at any time. It even fits in an Altoids tin if that’s your thing. MSRP is $140.

Specs: Blade Length 2.82 in. Blade Thickness 0.090 in. Open Length 6.49 in. Closed Length 3.704 in. Weight 1.5oz. Handle Thickness 0.412 in.

SOG Aegis AT

CWD is popping up in the Jackson elk herd near Yellowstone National Park. (USFWS/)

For more than 100 years, wildlife authorities have tried to shore up the elk population close to Yellowstone National Park with supplemental feeding at the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, Wyoming.

But the steady creep of Chronic Wasting Disease has forced the refuge managers to reconsider this tradition. That’s troubling for those who fear major losses to the herd. Others say changes are needed to dodge even greater disease issues.

First, some history. Yellowstone was one of the few places where elk survived overhunting in the 1800s. However, Yellowstone is a high plateau where elk cannot survive through snowy winters.

Historically, elk migrated to valleys, like Jackson Hole. However, as settlers brought in cattle, hungry elk clashed with ranchers’ pastures and hay supplies. Development of Jackson Hole as a resort town ate up more habitat. In 1912, the federal government set up the 24,700-acre National Elk Refuge (six miles long and 10 miles wide). Yellowstone elk provided much of the seed stock that successfully restored elk around the western United States over the 20th century.

Now, thousands of elk descend on the National Elk Refuge each winter, treated with feed once they arrive. Exactly how many arrive, and how long they stay, depends on the snowpack and the condition of surrounding forage. Humans also enjoy viewing the elk and winter sleigh rides there are an established attraction.

A whitetail buck foraging for acorns. (EEI_Tony via Deposit Photos/)

It was dead calm and pitch black at midnight when I stepped outside my deer camp to cool off a bit from the blasting heat of the overstuffed wood stove. Warm is good, hot is not. Sleep never comes easily for me during deer season anyway, but when the stove’s blower cranks ceaselessly it doesn’t come at all. While staring up at the mid-November, star-filled sky, I heard it. From across the desolate country road amid a dense thicket of alders came the telltale sounds of a buck fight. This was not, however, of the knockdown drag-out social-media variety. The light tinkling of antler-tine tips continued for several minutes and I envisioned a pair of young bucks carefully testing each other’s virility quotient after huffing a snoot full of estrous scent emanating from a hot doe standing somewhere nearby. Had I not heard it before, I would have missed a critical clue that clearly pointed to the existence of the two bucks. Though neither might have been the mature whitetail I sought, the likely presence of an estrous doe made me hopeful that there might be one nearby.

The sound of those two bucks sparring was indeed a clue—one of the many simple ones that I would have easily overlooked in my formative years of deer hunting but have nowadays come to regard as the most important ones of all. Here’s a cheat sheet to help you get ahead of the learning curve of whitetail hunting.

1. You’re Not Listening For Deer Noises

Like the sound of those ticking antlers, I’ve come to realize that there are many deer-specific sounds that I completely disregarded through the years. Vocalizations top my list. I was reminded of that last November while in my bow stand.

It was peak chase phase during the rut and while I had witnessed several bucks hot-trailing does, my heart was set on a mature 8-pointer that I had on trail camera. At 7 one morning, I suddenly heard a soft staccato urp-urp-urp. A doe hurried past my stand quickly followed by the mature 8-point. He never passed within bow range and as I replayed the episode in my head, I couldn’t help but think that something seemed very odd. What struck me was the softness of the buck’s grunts, which seemed completely dissimilar to the loud, guttural sounds of a mouth-blown grunt tube. When I thought back on other buck-grunting experiences, I concluded that I’ve probably heard more soft grunts than full-bodied grunts through the years. The sound of deer footfalls in crunchy leaf litter is no different.

An Ohio coyote slides through standing soybeans. (Tom Uhlman/ALAMY/)

From his home in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Geoff Nemnich can drive west to Wyoming’s wide-open prairies and badlands in pursuit of coyotes. Or he can turn east and hunt his way down the irrigated farmland of the Platte River. The tactics he deploys in the tighter cover of the Midwest are more nuanced than those he uses on western landscapes, with softer calls, sneakier approaches, and closer attention to wind. But Nemnich, who spends six months a year hunting coyotes and reporting on his experiences on his website, coyotecraze.com, says securing access is where all Midwest predator hunting should start.

Q: How much property is required to hunt coyotes in America’s Corn Belt?

A: It depends on the specific topography and cover, but in general, if you think of a typical deer-hunting spot, that’s nowhere near enough for coyotes. In a lot of places, 50 acres can produce decent deer hunting. For coyotes, you need maybe ten 50-acre lots to have room to work. It is different from deer hunting, when you hope to draw deer to your location through their natural movements or with some attractant. With coyotes, you’re using the entire acreage because you don’t know where the coyotes will come from or where you’ll have to set up for the wind. I can call an entire 50-acre property in about 20 minutes, so you want to have multiple properties to hit in the course of a day, and enough so that you don’t return to them too soon and educate any coyotes you don’t kill.

Q: What cover do you look for?

A: I want to hunt a place with some sort of drainage running through it, whether that’s a little creek or just a low brushy spot between fields. That cover is where coyotes will be in the daytime, when you’re out calling to them. In farm country, where there might be a road on every section line, coyotes have learned to hold tight, especially after crops are harvested. They’ll be bedded up in brush or creekbottoms, or even a brushy fence-line corner or a tree row. Big patches of timber are hard to hunt. You know there are coyotes in there, but there’s no way to predict just where they are.

Hunters and a dog on on the New England coastline. (Bill Buckley/)

Weather happens fast on New England’s coast in winter. What starts as a subtle shift in wind direction, a gathering chop on the vast Atlantic Ocean, can soon build into a raging nor’easter. It can happen in a matter of hours. Running the surf in these conditions is out of the question, and even hopping across protected bays, can get dangerous.

Sea duck hunters live in a world of wind, waves, and rocks, and they know they’re at the mercy of the ocean. That’s why they obsessively check tide tables, sea height, wind direction, and wind speed. They design their hunts to make sure they can safely boat to the spot where they glassed birds the night before, and return home when the hunt is over.

Here, the ocean dictates where you can hunt—and even whether you can hunt at all. If you don’t have a Plan B, C, and D, you might find yourself sitting at the boat ramp at first light, watching roiling waves through a rain-smattered windshield, searching your phone for the nearest breakfast joint.

Hank Garvey’s original plan for the Massachusetts sea duck opener was to hunt out of layout boats around offshore shoals that hold eiders, scoters, and long-tailed ducks. But he quickly abandoned that idea when faced with 35 mph winds and raging seas bearing down on the coast. Even with Garvey’s stout 17-foot Pacific boat, we had to stay within only the most sheltered bays. For the first two days, the hunting was hit and miss, scratching down a few birds in second-tier locations where it was calm enough to safely set out decoys and hunt from shore.

But on the third morning, when the storm and sea swells finally died down, the action picked up. The ducks came in low and fast and unwavering. As Garvey’s veteran hunting buddy observed, “One good hunt out of three days? That sounds about right.”

Waves of a nor’easter pound a jetty along the Massachussetts coastline. Like all true wilderness, the north Atlantic commands respect and caution. Conditions like this—with 35 mph winds and 10-foot seas—are too dangerous to hunt in. The sea ducks that thrive in this rugged environment command respect, too. These hardy birds migrate on ocean winds from northern Maine and the Canadian Atlantic coast to winter in Massachusetts south to the Chesapeake Bay. (Bill Buckley/)
A juvenile drake eider hovers over a wooden decoy sled. These are cheap to make, easy to stack, and stand out well on the water. They’re an integral part of the hunting tradition. (Bill Buckley/)
Garvey and his son Hank (or “Little Hank”) head out at daybreak. Most duck hunters like to be on the water well before sunrise, but in this case, a late start was necessary to judge swells and avoid hazards along the coast. (Bill Buckley/)
Little Hank—the nickname belies his 6 foot 3 inch frame—carries his dog Brizo to shore so she can stay dry until her first retrieve. The Lab is more appropriately named. Brizo is an ancient Greek goddess who was the protector of mariners and fishermen (and, presumably, sea duck hunters). (Bill Buckley/)
Brizo retrieves her first-ever sea duck, a drake eider. What the 40-pound Lab lacks in size, she more than makes up for in heart. (Bill Buckley/)
Little Hank bears down as a flock of eiders swings over the decoys. Sea ducks are typically low fliers and often approach the decoy spread just a few feet above the surf. (Bill Buckley/)
Gray seals and harbor seals (like this one) hang out on rock piles along the Massachusetts coast. Garvey doesn’t send his Lab for retrieves when seals are nearby because they could get aggressive. (Bill Buckley/)
These two drakes and one hen are part of a four-eider limit. Periwinkles, attached to the barnacled rock, are a staple of the eider’s diet. These elegant birds are considered lifetime trophies for most duck hunters. (Bill Buckley/)
Lighthouses still line much of the New England coast. They serve as navigational beacons and mark the most dangerous waters. They’re also a reminder that the might of the sea is not to be taken lightly. (Bill Buckley/)
Mussels are among eiders’ favorite meals. These ducks swallow their food whole and rely on their powerful gizzards to crush the shells. Eiders have been known to dive down 60 feet to feed. (Bill Buckley/)
A little cold sea water doesn’t discourage Brizo from plunging in after another eider. The neoprene vest wards off hypothermia and helps keep her per (Bill Buckley/)
Traditional duck hunters to the core, the Garveys carved and painted their entire sea duck spread, a skill that’s still respected among New England hunters. But the result is far from high art: This deke shows all the scuffs and pellet holes of a hardworking piece of gear. (Bill Buckley/)

The question on everyone’s mind this time of year is what’s new from SHOT Show 2020? The Outdoor Life staff was on location and attended multiple pre-show range days and, of course, the show itself. After walking countless miles up and down exhibitor-packed aisles, we narrowed down a list of new, notable handguns we think will be of interest to you.

Be warned, just as we predicted, the red-dot revolution is in full-swing with most of the big names, and almost all the small, outfitting their semiauto service and concealed-carry pistols with electro-optic sights. If you’re a revolver guy or gal, we have you covered as well. Enjoy!

Luago Alien Pistol

Luago Alien (Chris Mudgett/)

Staying true to its name, the Luago Alien, has an uncanny resemblance to, well, an alien. But don’t let that stop you from drooling – this handgun is a glimpse into the future and oozes countless desirable features the rest of the handgun industry hasn’t even thought of yet. The barrel is fixed, operation is via gas piston, and the slide only reciprocates on the sides, which means the red dot sight doesn’t move, allowing easier tracking and unmatched durability. The Alien boasts the lowest center of gravity and lowest bore axis of any semiautomatic on the market – by a significant margin – and has virtually no muzzle flip and an uncanny level of precision. If you want to know what the future looks like, look no further than the Alien. MSRP: $5,000. luagoarms.com

SCCY DVG-1RD

The author with a heavy lake trout from Lake Granby in Colorado. (Tim Romano/)

When I looked down the hole, I was shocked. There was the gravelly bottom of Lake Granby barely 3 feet below the bottom edge of the ice. As if I wasn’t skeptical enough about targeting lake trout in such shallow water, veteran Colorado guide Bernie Keefe didn’t make me feel any more confident when he tied on a 10-inch Hogy soft-plastic finesse bait. It was a popular lure for bluefin tuna on the East Coast, where I live, and something I never thought I’d see in the Rockies. But in less than five minutes of jigging, I was kneeling at the hole watching line drain off the spool. Keefe had said we weren’t going to catch numbers that day but that we’d catch big fish­—and he’d made good on his promise. If you adopt a little of Keefe’s outside-­the-box thinking on the hard water, you’ll notice that your average lake trout gains weight fast.

The Goods

It wasn’t until years after my trip with Keefe that I learned the truth: I was his guinea pig. Until that day in 2011, he’d never sent a 10-inch Hogy down a hole on Lake Granby, where for years tubes had been considered the top trophy-laker lure. Keefe might not have been certain that fish would eat that monster soft-plastic as quickly as the 44-incher I ended up landing did, but he knew they would eat it. It was a perfect match for the rainbow trout that also live in Granby, and the lure’s effectiveness was a testament to a theory that many anglers disregard come ice season.

It’s common to see lures and baits scaled down in the winter months. The idea makes sense because with slower metabolisms and a generally more sluggish attitude in cold water, even a trophy walleye, bass, lake trout, or pike will be likely to snap at a smaller, more manageable target. That day on Granby, had we preferred to catch a pile of lakers in the 15- to 20-inch range, Keefe could have made it happen by tying on smaller jigs and hunting down suspended fish. But we were looking for the “right” fish, and even in the dead of winter, the big players won’t hesitate to eat a big meal if you know exactly where to serve it.

The Gamble

Some say the perfect survival knife is the one you’re carrying. This may be true, but it’s also true that we do our best work when we have the right tools. In the unpredictable realm of survival, how can we know which knife we will need when our future remains uncertain? As we rundown the 10 most popular groups of survival knives, decide which is best for you. It may turn out you need multiples, and that’s OK, because you can never be too prepared.

1. Survival Knives

These are the knives you’ll want to be carrying when you’re alone and facing the elements in the wild. (Tim MacWelch/)

Survival knives are the embodiment of self-preservation and self-reliance. Whether they were designed for military applications or civilian use, these robust blades generally offer more features than just a cutting edge. Saw-back spines are a common feature, as are serrated sections on the blades. Sheaths may have a pocket, pouches or integrated sharpening tools and other survival equipment (like spark rods). You’ll still even see the old style of hollow handled knives (for storing your survival gear). While this looks cool and sounds like a good idea (thanks, Rambo), keep in mind that this creates a poor mechanical connection between the handle and the blade. You might want to skip this hollow-handle feature in favor of a full tang knife and a separate pouch for the survival gear.

2. EDC Folders

Knives don’t have to be big in order to be useful. Something petite and inconspicuous may help you survive a tough situation. (Tim MacWelch/)

In general, fixed-blade knives are stronger than folders, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore this valuable group of blades. These “pocketknives” may be a life-saving backup weapon during a brutal attack, or they may simply slice through restrains, obstructions or your peanut butter sandwich at lunch. An every day carry knife is often on the smaller side, discrete and off-the-radar of the people that surround you. Pick one that feels good in your hand, has reputable edge retention, and sturdy construction. Your life may depend on it.

Ice fishing is an addicting activity, providing you have the clothes and gear to help you spend long windows of time on a frozen lake. (Simon Matzinger/)

Even in the warmth of a heated hut, ice fishing can still be an uncomfortable pursuit. Temperatures cold enough to lay down ten inches of boilerplate on a lake surface will quickly take their toll. But once you have the shelter and basic gear taken care of, it’s time to think about investing in a few of the creature comforts that make ice fishing both safer and more enjoyable. Here are a few accessories to consider.

Ice Cleats

Turn any pair of boots into ice-gripping machines with a pair of cleats. (Yaktrax/)

When a cold front with high wind scours the snow off the ice pack, footing can be treacherous. Increase your traction with a pair of slip-on ice cleats. Some brands are adjustable for a universal fit, while others require sizing to your specific footwear.

Heated Socks

If you want to keep your feet especially warm, you can’t go wrong with electric socks. (GLOBAL VASION/)

A pair of battery-operated socks will make you a more productive angler by extending your time on the ice. Look for stocking-length socks with a rechargeable battery system so that you always have a pair ready to go when the walleye or pike bite heats up.

Widely distributed throughout the ice belt, bluegills remain active and catchable all winter. (Dr. Jason A. Halfen/)

Widely distributed across the ice belt, bluegills are among the most popular targets for hardwater anglers. Whether your adventures take you to the frozen surfaces of natural lakes, ice-capped river backwaters, or even crunchy farm ponds, you are likely within easy reach of quality winter bluegill fishing. Bluegills follow easy-to-predict patterns beneath the ice, and remain, in general terms, reasonably active and catchable throughout the season. Moreover, you won’t need a home equity loan to build a comprehensive collection of bluegill gear.

Anytime is the right time to hoist ‘gills through holes in the ice. Here are five facts that will help you better understand this exceptional panfish, and a bevy of tips that will keep your bluegill rods bending during the ice fishing season.

Bluegills are bug eaters, so offer them a small jig packed with waxworms or spikes. (Dr. Jason A. Halfen/)

1. Bluegills Are Bug Eaters

Small aquatic invertebrates are the primary forage throughout the bluegill’s lifespan, and are particularly important during the hardwater season. Gone are the small leeches and magnum mayfly larvae that captivate the bluegills’ attention during the summer months. As water temperatures plunge and ice covers the surface, the bluegill buffet shifts to bloodworms, freshwater shrimp and scuds, and even tiny zooplankton. Yes, the biggest ‘gills in the lake are probably on a steady diet of small minnows, but the bulk of the population is getting through the winter on bugs.

An invertebrate-based diet means that we need to offer bluegills opportunities to eat small, buggy baits. Waxworms, which are the larvae of wax moths, and spikes or eurolarvae, which are blue bottlefly maggots, are the most popular live baits for hardwater bluegills. Dress a small tungsten jig in the 3-to-5 mm range with one or two waxworms, or twice that many spikes, to create a compact, buggy bluegill bait with powerful visual, scent, and taste appeal. Purists who favor exclusively artificial offerings should consider very small jigs – in the 1/50 to 1/80 oz range – dressed with a compact, lifelike soft plastic, or even some of the small wet flies or nymphs you have in your summer fly fishing collection.

Last year at SHOT Show, we noticed bolt-action hunting rifle market trending toward ultra-light mountain rigs. That shift continues this year with substantial interest and investment in ultra-light backcountry rifles, with some long-range options and modularity functionality in the mix. These are the new hunting rifles we sniffed out, many of which are innovative, interesting, and just plain cool. Here are a dozen new rifles that caught our eye, in no particular order.

1. Benelli Lupo

Benelli introduced its first bolt-action in 2020, a super-adjustable hunting rifle. (Benelli/)

With a bold move into the bolt-action rifle world, Benelli announced Tuesday their brand-new Lupo, a super-adjustable, futuristic hunting rifle. (Lupo is Italian for wolf.) Featuring a variety of cutting-edge features and modes of adjustment, you can configure the shims and spacers to exactly fit your physique and shooting style. Finger reach is adjustable, as is trigger-pull weight. The matte blued barrel is cryo-treated and free-floating, and sports a three-shot sub-MOA guarantee. Barrel length is 22 inches for standard calibers and 24 inches for magnum calibers. The black synthetic stock is adjustable for length of pull, cheek weld, drop, and cast. An alloy chassis supports the action and barrel in the stock. The 5-round detachable box-style magazine is double-stack and radically shaped, and smoothly forms the lower body section of the receiver area. The tang safety is tactile and crisp. Initial chamberings include .300 Win Mag, .30-06 Springfield, and .270 Winchester. The rifle weighs in right around seven pounds, and SRP is $1,699.

2. Sig Sauer Cross

SIG is calling their new Cross a precision bolt-action hunting rifle. (Sig Sauer/)

This new hunting rifle from SIG is radical in every good sense of the word. The company is calling it a precision bolt-action hunting rifle. As a super-light member of the modular, tactical-inspired rifle family, the Cross will initially be chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Winchester, and a new cartridge from Sig called the .277 Fury. (The .277 Fury will sport a 140-grain projectile downrange at an unholy velocity from a 16-inch barrel. More on that later.) It’s available in a 16-inch (.308 and .277 Fury), and 18-inch (6.5 CM) barrel. Black and camo finishes are available. The rifle weighs in at 6.5 pounds, and folds down as short as 25 inches. That’s pretty awesome for the hunter who wants a modern rifle suitable for backcountry hunting. A two-stage match grade trigger rounds out the package. SIG has not yet announced a price for this. sigsauer.com

Kimber has long been known for its lightweight mountain rifles, and this particular model comes equipped with an improved carbon-fiber wrapped barrel. The Open Range Pro Carbon is a dual-purpose bolt gun that can be shot at longer ranges, but is also accurate in situations where you might do some continuous shooting. It weighs about six pounds and has a wider fore-end that you can mount a bi-pod on. For now, the Pro Carbon is offered in .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor, but I suspect it will come in a wider variety of calibers in the years to follow. The barrel is also threaded for a suppressor.

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Leupold’s RX Fulldraw 4 features Archer’s Advantage software, which calculates arrow weight, arrow velocity and peep height for better accuracy. The Flightpath feature will determine if your arrow will clear obstructions, like hanging limbs, out to 150 yards, and the 6x magnification power should give you plenty of power to put an eye on big bucks. This unit is waterproof and fogproof, plus the OLED technology is adjustable to match display intensity for changing light conditions.

SIG Sauer unveiled a bolt gun (with AR ergonomics) at SHOT Show 2020 called the Cross. There is a lot to unpack with this new rifle, which has three interchangeable barrels: a 16-inch in .308, 18-inch in 6.5 Creedmoor, and 16-inch in SIG’s .277 Fury. The Cross has a one-piece receiver, and the stock is unique in that in folds forward at the press of a button, making it less cumbersome to pack in and out of wherever you chase wild game. The stock is also adjustable with a spring-loaded comb for better fit. You will notice the magazine release is somewhat hidden in the trigger guard so you don’t have to worry about it getting hung up on your pack or even losing a magazine. It weighs just 6.5 pounds, so it’s a great option for the backcountry.

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One ammunition offering from Federal Premium coming in a bit under the radar is the Solid Core handgun line. As simple as it is, this brings a new option to the fairly limited field of bear-defense ammunition. The bullets are hard-cast lead, but feature Federal’s Syntech coating. Typical hard cast loads often have to be lubricated with wax and in some handguns can cause excessive fouling. The Syntech coating, popular with Federal’s practice ammo, is a clean-shooting, and minimal-fouling addition to a deep-penetrating lead solid. Offerings should be available in common handgun cartridges, including 9mm, 10mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .357 magnum, and .44 magnum.

Federal’s Hammer Down line is targeted directly to lever-gun hunters. Federal worked directly with Henry Repeating Arms on this project to solve common loading, feeding, and cycling issues with standard ammunition by deburring and adding slight chambering at key spots on the cases. They also added a higher quality bullet, a controlled-expansion bonded bullet that will perform better than typical lever-gun offerings. You’ll get reliable cycling, as well as expansion without sacrificing penetration. If you’re a lever-gun hunter, especially in straight-wall states, you’ll want to check this out. It’s going to be hitting the shelves in standard lever-gun cartridges from .327 Federal magnum up to .45-70.

If you’re looking for a good survival gun and a fun plinker in one package, consider the CQB SUB-2000 from KelTec. It’s a quick take-down folding rifle chambered in 9mm. This model accepts Glock magazines, though there’s another that accepts magazines from SIG, CZ, and Beretta. The carbine has a forward-mounted rail for added sights, a contoured fore-end, and easy to manipulate controls. It was a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, and it digested a pile of ammo without a hitch when we shot it at the range. The integral suppressor, included in the $900 price tag, makes this a good value, too.

A new factory variation of the XPR released this year is the Stealth. The XPR has taken hold of its spot as a dependable, accurate, and affordable rifle from Winchester. The most significant feature of the Stealth variation is it’s 16.5-inch threaded barrel. This rifle is designed with a suppressor in mind, and if you hunt with a can, it lets you have a more conventional overall-length package while still using a suppressor. Now, you can expect to lose some velocity compared to full-length barrels, but for the average hunter, it’s probably not enough to make much difference in rifle performance. The XPR Stealth will be available in most standard shorter-action cartridges.