Results by search “Wild boar ” 845
The Long Game
There is still no cure for CWD, and unfortunately, the short-term outlook isn’t positive. Yet CWD won’t seriously affect herd numbers until a sufficiently high percentage of deer contract it, and that just hasn’t happened yet in most places. Each summer, I get excellent trail camera photos of outwardly healthy whitetails meandering through the hills and valleys of our farm, masking the CWD issues at hand. We still have high deer densities and mostly healthy looking whitetails, with no signs of a population decline.
I asked Sumners when we might see whitetail populations decline in southern Wisconsin.
“In areas like that, with such a large population of deer, the proportion of the population that will have to die from CWD for the average hunter to see a visible decline would have to be significant," he said. "It’s a numbers game, and we haven’t gotten to the point of the disease where population decline is occurring.”
Still, knowing what we know, we’re torn about how to
Will Brantley and Mike Hanback talk long-range glassing, big bucks in Indiana, and pre-season plans in the Realtree Outpost podcast
It's late August and still hot, but there's hope in the air, too. Kentucky's squirrel season opened this past weekend, and Tennessee's early three-day "velvet" archery season opened today. With luck, I'll be in a treestand this weekend. We're right on the eve of one of the best times of year, and there's no better time to debut Season 3 of Realtree's Outpost Podcast.
This week, I joined fellow blogger and Big Deer TV host Mike Hanback to discuss a variety of pre-season topics. We covered long-range glassing tactics (as detailed here), and discussed why they're still so effective, especially in the early season, and even more so than trail cameras. We discussed plans for this fall, strategies for hunting the drought-stricken West, and personal goals for another season. Then we shifted gears to talk about Josh Honeycutt's recent (and fascinating) story on
Lamb Karahi
Lamb Karahi is one of our favourite lamb curry dishes, and we're telling you now, it is well worth the time and effort to make.
Why is it our favourite? The combinations of ingredients make a flavour that's hard to resist. It has a good amount of heat, while the sweet tomatoes, combined with the thick, rich, gravy-like sauce, is pretty moreish.
We also love it because you can use cheaper cuts of lamb, which lends itself perfectly to the longer cooking time, meaning you're left with tender pieces of meat at the end.
Where is Lamb Karahi from?
Mughlai Karahi Gosht gets its name from the deep, circular pots it's traditionally cooked in (like a wok with two handles). It's particularly popular in North Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani cuisine (although ingredients will always differ).
It's essentially a fragrant, slow-cooked lamb stew made with a rich tomato, garlic, green chilli and garam masala curry base.
What other meat can be used in a Karahi dish?
Chicken kara
How to Track a Buck in the Snow
Have You Ever Slipped Up on a Deer in the Snow?
No doubt about it, the vast majority of whitetail hunting today is done from some type of elevated platform – treestand, tripod or shooting house. That wasn’t always the case. To this day, many northwoods hunters still practice the age-old art of tracking in the snow. So can you, and here are a few tips to help you along the trail.
To follow a track you first need to find one, and the more ground you cover the better the odds. Typically, the big woods hunters will drive the backwoods roads before daylight. These are often dirt logging roads, some accessible only by 4WD vehicle, which is what you want.
Less Traffic, More Deer
You’ll usually find an inverse correlation – the less vehicle traffic, the more deer traffic. If you really want to get away from the crowd, and back where the big bucks roam, unload your ATV and ride the least-accessible roads and trails into the more remote areas.
Reading Tracks
Once
Life on the Ledge: Judging Yardage
Shooting at Alaska big game presents a unique set of problems for the bowhunter. They live in such diverse terrain; they are frequently hunted in extreme weather and they vary dramatically in size from hundred-pound deer to nearly a ton of bison. And, regardless of size, habitat or weather, one of the biggest challenges of bowhunting is judging distance to the target animal. Mis-guessing the distance to the target, by only a few yards, is perhaps the most common reason archers miss game when bowhunting. Even with high tech, modern bows, there is still plenty of arc in an arrow’s flight path. Without question, the best way to judge yardage is to make use of a modern laser range finder, preferably one with angle-compensation features.
However, there are many hunting scenarios when laser ranging is not practical or too time consuming. So, nothing will ever take the place of being able to accurately gauge distance by eyeballing it quickly. Learning to
These are one of the most important hunting tips for starters.
Stealth and Silence Always be as quiet as you possibly can. Even the faintest twig, branch, clothing and equipment rattling will alert the animals. Dress appropriately, gear up lightly, and don’t use velcro clothing or anything that would make a lot of noise.
Navigating Your Surroundings Become acquainted and scout out the hunting area. Depending on which game animals you hunt, it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the perimeter, and use landmarks so you won’t get lost.
Patience Goes a Long Way Many hunters don’t have the patience to acquire a clean shot. There’s a lot of waiting, but it pays off in the end when a deer appears on your scope. Persistence is key.
Mind Your Scent Animals have heightened senses, and it’s a good idea to become as odorless as possible. There are many chemicals and cosmetic products that mask your scents. That means no smoking, no alcohol, and no smelly food. The wind factor is a
Wines to Pair with Fowl
Turkey, goose, pheasant? A free-range chicken, or even a capon? The time of the season seems to indicate fowl. We kind of like the idea, since it is out of the ordinary to roast a big bird for a festive feast, the kind of bird that can feed a dozen. With that comes wine challenges, though to say “challenge” is stretching the truth. That truth is almost any wine can match nicely with a big bird roast, plenty of vegetables, maybe a grilled romaine salad with parmesan and homemade croutons. Some choices: Evolve Cellars pinot blanc ($15), almost Alsatian in style with its crispness, but it is distinctively Okanagan as well, with its viscosity and herbal notes, surrounded by delightful stone fruit elements. A sensationally good sparkling wine, the Cipes Blanc de Franc ($45) from Summerhill Pyramid Winery, is a sparkling cabernet franc, which will turn heads, and have people coming back for more, so you may need to have two bottles. It is a delightful, fruit-driven wi
ELK RETURN TO NORTH CAROLINA
It took about 20 years, but elk have returned to the Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina. Once native to the Tar Heel State, eastern elk vanished in the 1800s due to human encroachment on key habitat. However, now, while exact numbers are still to be determined, elk are back in the Great Smoky Mountains in Southern Appalachian, the Citizen Times reports.
Wildlife biologist Joseph Yarkovich has been involved with the project since its beginnings and hopes to one day “have one large, contiguous population throughout the East Coast again,” but adds, “that’s still way, way down the road.”
For now, those involved with the elk recovery project are hoping to obtain an accurate population count.
“What we’ve been doing up until now is conducting a minimum count,” said Yarkovich. “The park in collaboration with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the North Carolina Wildlife Commission will coordinate for three days in a row to count as many elk as we can s
Russian hunter and a red deer. Hand-to-hand combat…
Many so-called animal defenders, after watching this video, would start to panic. "A bloodthirsty hunter mocks and torments a kind deer."
But only hunters and real experts in the field of fauna will be able to really understand what is happening on the video: None of the 3 hunters present are trying to shoot the deer. One hunter is trying to defend himself, and the hunter in white wants to scare the deer. The third one films the fight between a deer and a hunter on video and is very amused by what is happening.
It is obvious that the deer is in the rut, it has a mating season. At this time, they are very aggressive and, under the influence of hormones, attack everything they see. And the hunters, apparently, do not have the appropriate license to kill deer, and they do not want to break the law, they are just trying to protect themselves.
During the rut period, which is the mating season for deer, male deer (bucks) can become high
Moose Hunt in Icy Bay
DIY Moose Hunt in Icy Bay
For the last three minutes, “Young Guns” has been on a beeline to my cow call. My loud calls, bolstered by the use of Wayne Kubat’s “Bull Magnet,” which is essentially a fiberglass megaphone that allows me to amplify both cow calls and bull grunts, has drawn in this big bull from far away. At first, far in the distance, I could hear the faint vocalizations of a bull drawn to a cow. The rhythmic “Ooh-Waa” sounds are repeated by the bull every few seconds. Finally, at about 400 yards across the swamp, I get a visual on the bull as he milled around.
At first it appears that the bull is going to head off in another direction, but my persistent calling has him coming on a string. The topography of the location makes it so I won’t be able to get a shot until he comes clear of the brush that separates us, which will put him broadside at 20 yards. I experience a full adrenaline rush after so much communication with this bull, and have enough tim
Picking the Best Rifle and Caliber for Pig Hunting
Do you need a magnum setup or a fast-shooting semi-auto? Probably, your deer rifle will work just fine
Pig Reality
There’s a reason gun nuts love pig hunting. In southern states like Texas and Florida, hogs aren’t subject to many game laws, which means you can hunt them with about whatever you please. If you have a magnum rifle that never sees the light of day because, after buying it, you realized cracked clavicles are no fun at all, you can use it on pigs. In fact, some of the advice out there suggests that you need a really big gun for hog hunting, because you never know when a true Hogzilla might make an appearance.
On the other hand, plenty of would-be hog hunters show up with high-capacity semi-autos and visions of a mag dump against a marauding horde of pork. Those rifles are fun to shoot and plenty accurate enough, but unless you’re shooting from a helicopter, they rarely give you much of an advantage while pig hunting.
Tru
DON’T ABANDON OTHER FOODS
There’s no question deer migrate to oaks when acorns start falling, but even when a majority of their diet consists of acorns, they eat other food.
"I have a couple of food plots adjacent to some mature white oaks,” Giles said. “I see deer feeding in the plots all the time, even when there is a good acorn crop. They don’t spend nearly as much time in the food plots when there are lots of acorns, but they will certainly stop for a few bites of clover or oats on their way to or from acorns.”
The edges of bean fields also are worth hunting, but find an oak dropping acorns on the edge of that bean field and you’ve found a potential hotspot. Isolated fruit trees, native and planted, draw deer throughout the early autumn, too. Sandiford likes to find fruit-bearing persimmon trees near oaks.
“If you can get a combination of foods in a small area, you’ve got a real good place to hang a stand,” he said.
Hunting during an epic acorn crop can drive you nuts, but the
12 Reasons Why Your Venison Tastes Like Hell
Is your deer meat tough, dry, and gamy? It shouldn’t be. Check out this list of 12 deer-butchering sins to find out why your venison tastes bad — and how to make it better
I’m often amazed at the people, deer hunters included, who tell me they just don’t like venison. That statement is usually followed by a qualifier: it’s tough; it’s gamy; it’s dry. And so on.
I’ve eaten a lot of good deer meat. But I’ve eaten some really bad deer meat, too. I’m only a self-trained butcher, but I’ve been processing five to six deer a season for the better part of 20 years. When it comes to cooking, I’m no Scott Leysath or Michael Pendley, either, but my wife, kid, and I do eat venison in some form two or three meals per week, year-round. I think we eat pretty good.
Some things consistently make venison really tasty. And some things will ruin the flavor, too. Here are a dozen of the worst offenders.
1. Poor Field Care
In the real world of hunting, things
DIY Moose Hunt in Icy Bay
For the last three minutes, “Young Guns” has been on a beeline to my cow call. My loud calls, bolstered by the use of Wayne Kubat’s “Bull Magnet,” which is essentially a fiberglass megaphone that allows me to amplify both cow calls and bull grunts, has drawn in this big bull from far away. At first, far in the distance, I could hear the faint vocalizations of a bull drawn to a cow. The rhythmic “Ooh-Waa” sounds are repeated by the bull every few seconds. Finally, at about 400 yards across the swamp, I get a visual on the bull as he milled around.
At first it appears that the bull is going to head off in another direction, but my persistent calling has him coming on a string. The topography of the location makes it so I won’t be able to get a shot until he comes clear of the brush that separates us, which will put him broadside at 20 yards. I experience a full adrenaline rush after so much communication with this bull, and have enough time to calm down my hear
Best Dog Breeds for Shed Hunters
A pro trainer weighs in on the traits you should look for in an antler-finding dog
At the beginning of every shed hunting season, I always imagine the treasure trove of deer antlers I will find. Then, reality sets in. I end up with a few good antlers, a bunch of dinks, and some weird stuff. This year, I found a ram’s horn. Last year, it was a toilet seat. At the end of it all, I always think about what a good year it would’ve been if I’d just gotten a dang antler dog.
That sparked a conversation with Dog Bone’s Jeremy Moore about the best dog breeds for shed hunters. “I don’t know if there is such a thing,” Moore says. “I think it depends completely on matching you with the right dog. It’s a stylistic and preference thing more than anything.”
So, if you were hoping for a definitive list of the top 10 shed hunting breeds, this isn’t it. The good news is, you have a real chance of getting the dog you already have – or the one you want – to start finding a
Find a Deadhead Buck? Keep it Legal
To you thousands of COVID-19 newbies that have joined our ranks to hunt deer in the fall and shed antlers in the spring, here is something you’ll find interesting. A “deadhead” is the commonly used term for a buck deer carcass that you might stumble across in the woods, with antlers still attached to the skull. Generally, such a buck has been dead for several months or even a year or two, and the carcass has been ravaged by time, weather, and predators. All that might remain are a grisly skull with antlers, a portion of the spine, and maybe some rib bones wrapped tautly with pieces of hide as black as used motor oil.
If the skull has been lying on the ground for more than a few months, you might see teeth marks on the antlers where squirrels and mice have gnawed them. Rodents are attracted to the minerals in antlers, and they also chew them to wear down their ever-growing teeth. The longer a deadhead rots on the ground, the more squirrels will carve
The best ways to keep your pets cool this summer
A lot of us are excited about the warmer temperatures, which means more time outside with our furry friends.
Experts say to keep our pets safe from the heat, walk your dog early in the morning or later in the evening when the temperatures are cooler. Limit their time outside when it’s especially hot out and keep them hydrated.
Never leave your dog inside the car, even if you have a quick trip inside a store. A car can heat up quickly in just a few minutes.
We have shoes to protect our feet but our pets don’t have that option, so don’t walk them on the hot pavement which can badly burn their paws. Instead, walk in grassy areas.
If they are overheated, cool them off underneath their armpits, chest, and ears. If they will drink water, give them lukewarm, not ice-cold water because you don’t want to shock their system and get them to a vet as soon as possible.
If it’s just simply too hot for those walks, there are plenty of ways to giv
Scottish Deerhound Hunting Dog: Traits, Training, and Global Use in the Field
The Scottish Deerhound is a legendary hunting breed revered for its grace, endurance, and noble demeanor. Originally bred in the rugged Highlands of Scotland, this sighthound was designed to pursue and bring down large game—most notably the red deer. Today, while its role has evolved, the Deerhound remains a capable and respected hunting companion in various parts of the world.
🦌 What Game Can the Scottish Deerhound Hunt?
Historically, the Scottish Deerhound was bred to course red deer, a task requiring immense speed, stamina, and precision. Its long legs and deep chest allow for powerful strides and sustained chases over uneven terrain. While modern hunting practices have shifted, Deerhounds still retain their instinctual drive and physical capability to pursue:
• Red deer and fallow deer (traditional quarry in Scotland and parts of Europe)
• Coyotes and wolves (used in North America historically)
• Wil
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