https://www.fieldandstream.com/has-rise-machines-been-good-for-shotguns?dom=rss-default&src=syn
The hard truth is, robots are better at making guns than we are
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How to stage a point-blank hunt with your bow and some bait
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Gun dog training experts weigh in from both sides of the e-collar debate
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https://www.fieldandstream.com/12-classic-lures-and-flies-for-summer-fishing/
It’s easy to walk into a bait shop and get sucked right in by duckling lures that look so real, they do everything but quack. And, sure, I own trout lures that swim more naturally than a wild rainbow, flies with more plastic components than a jointed crankbait, and crawfish so lifelike, you might accidentally sprinkle them with Old Bay. Technology in the lure and fly arena is all well and good, but there are countless patterns and baits that haven’t changed in decades—and for good reason: They’ve never stopped pounding fish. If I had a buck for every time I clipped off a new-school streamer in favor of a white Clouser Minnow on a smallie stream, or switched from a modern propbait to a Hula Popper on a largemouth pond when I needed to get it done, I’d be rich. Those are just a few examples of classic killers on our list of iconic lures and flies you shouldn’t be without. Our picks may not be fancy, but they’ll crank up the heat on the water every time.
No doubt that foam poppers catch plenty of largemouth bass. But the subtler gurgle and push of a big, bulky hair bug is what’ll often call up the real hogs.
Simple to tie and even easier to fish, let this foolproof pattern jig its way through a run on a smallmouth river and watch the bronzebacks pounce.
There are loads of grasshopper patterns, but there’s something nostalgic about watching Dave Whitlock’s classic beauty get sipped on a July evening.
Summer bluegill fishing is as American as barbecue, and duping one into smacking an old-school mini popper on a glassy pond never grows old.
Whether this fly is stripped or drifted, on a lake or creek, there’s not a rock bass, trout, smallmouth, largemouth, or perch that won’t slurp a fluttering black Bugger.
This simplistic baitfish imitator will trigger strikes from North Woods pike and smallmouths as well as Low Country bull redfish and monster snook.
The rhythmic gurgle of this old-time topwater is an unmistakable sound of summer for a lot of anglers, and the bass smacks that interrupt it sound even sweeter.
This balsa jerkbait has been dancing its way into fish mouths for nearly a century, and today’s bass, walleyes, and big browns are just as quick to crush it.
Don’t let its smiley, Muppet-like face fool you; this classic from Arbogast has the ability to draw up monster bass when nothing else will.
Read Next: The 25 Best Topwater Lures Ever Created
Stick a few of these in your pack—some dressed, maybe some plain—and you won’t come up short wet-wading any trout or smallmouth stream anywhere.
The distinct clack of a walking Zara draws in cow striped bass on a salty flat as fast as it does trophy northern pike along a deep-lake weedline.
Arguably the most iconic American lure ever made, this red-and-white beauty still wallops big summer trout, pike, walleyes, bass, and more.
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https://www.wideopenspaces.com/5-cool-ways-to-make-a-patriotic-u-s-flag-taxidermy-mount/
People continue to find new and interesting ways to show their love of the United States, and one of the newest ways is through taxidermy. Yes, really.
The taxidermy industry has responded. We’re starting to see more and more deer mounts, European skull mounts and even fish mounts displaying the stars and stripes in some way, shape, or form.
Are you looking to do something like this for your next trip to the taxidermist?
If so, we have some ideas of how you can incorporate the American flag into your newest piece of home décor.
Technically, this appears to be a wall pedestal mount, but you get the idea. This sharp-looking whitetail mount works a little piece of the U.S. flag into the edge of this buck’s hide.
It’s a subtle, but eye-turning deer head for sure. This is one taxidermy mount that is sure to be a conversation starter!
While most of the patriotic taxidermy we’ve seen of late has involved deer, this awesome-looking fish mount from Gray Taxidermy is more than impressive.
A sailfish is already a gorgeous fish, but Old Glory looks as good here as it would flying proudly from a flagpole!
We also ran across a version of this where the whole fish was emblazoned with the stars and stripes, but we like this version better because the flag compliments the fish’s natural color rather than overshadowing it.
Here is a unique take on a traditional European deer skull mount. If you’re artistically inclined with a Dremel tool or know someone who is, this could be an option for you. You could also incorporate cool designs like this with bear, elk or even moose skulls if you were so inclined!
Sometimes you don’t need anything fancy. Just a simple flag hung on the wall as a backdrop is enough to make your mount stand out. You could also try a flag backdrop on an antler mount.
As an alternative to the skull carving, you can try hydro dipping your skull in a patriotic style. Most of the first mounts we saw like this involved dipping the skulls in a camo pattern.
Personally, I haven’t been a fan of most hydro dipped stuff, but the flag actually looks really nice like this. It’s not overly garish like some other designs, and it gives the skull just the right amount of pop for your wall mount.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis Youtube channels.
NEXT: WHAT’S YOUR OLDEST PIECE OF HUNTING GEAR?
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Posted from: https://audio.simplecast.com/a7d4ab9a.mp3
On this episode, Dan talks with April Tschan of New York and Florida about growing up in a family that didn’t hunt. She shares her experiences hunting small game around he neighborhood and a funny story about how she b came interested in archery. From there, we jump to her moving from Long Island to a small town in the Adirondacks on a 20 acre horse farm. There she was able to hone her hunting skills and at the same time become closer to nature.
While on her little piece of heaven, she tells us a couple stories about encounters she had with the wild things that also call those mountains home. April and Dan trade stories about their extremely close experiences with owls and coyotes.
As most of know hunting is more than just the kill, it’s about experiencing nature up close and personal and being observant to Mother Nature’s creation.
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https://www.wideopenspaces.com/what-is-helice-shooting/
Don’t feel bad if you haven’t, many sportsmen have never heard of it either.
This game combines the unpredictable nature of bird hunting with shooting clays.
It’s wild fun that will challenge even the most disciplined of skeet and trap shooters. Here is how it’s done.
Interestingly, there isn’t a whole lot of information out there about the history of this game. It originated in Belgium sometime during the 1960s, but there is some confusion because this game also goes by two other names.
It is sometimes referred to as Electrocibles (what a cool name), or more often, ZZ bird shooting. While researching, I found two different explanations for the ZZ bird name. One says ZZ refers to the zig-zag pattern the targets take. The other says the creator of the game used to shoot a type of pigeon called a zurito and the first ZZ targets were made of zinc, thus the “ZZ.”
Which one is correct? I have no idea, but we’re going to assume it isn’t the main thing you wanted to know. There is a U.S. Helice Association, but on the surface, the practice seems a little more popular overseas.
On the surface, helice seems very similar to your standard clay pigeon shoot, but the main difference is you’ve got a target made of two different plastic pieces: the witness cap and the propellors.
The witness cap is shaped much like a clay pigeon. The main difference is that this witness cap fits onto an orange piece with plastic propellers. To some, it makes the whole set up look like a clay pigeon from hell.
It’s this unique target design that makes helice so much fun. This is pretty much the closest you can get to live bird shooting without heading afield with dog and gun in hand. A helice target flies incredibly randomly and at high speeds which means much of the shooting is done on pure instinct.
Just as unique as the target is the setup, which plays heavily into the rules for this game. The setup features a shooting stand not unlike what you’d find with clay shooting. The big difference is there are five launchers, each one holding two targets. But shooters only take on five targets at a time. The reason for those five extras will make sense in a minute. It should be noted there is also a variant that utilizes seven launchers.
Just like with clay shooting, once in the shooting stand, the shooter calls pull to release the targets. You get two shots to hit each target. This is where helice varies dramatically from any type of clay shooting.
The helice targets are rotated rapidly by the machine and once released, thanks to those plastic wings, they take off on an unpredictable flight path that can’t be replicated by any clay target.
Some of the targets go high and fast while others stay low to the ground. Unlike sporting clays, you never know which way a helice target is going. It’s easy to see why this style was made because it closely resembles hunting live pigeons or doves.
The basic idea behind the whole thing is that the launching of the targets is completely randomized. You never know which one is going to launch next.
Remember that extra target on each machine? That’s so savvy shooters can’t predict the next launch via process of elimination. All in all, it’s a pretty clever design for a game that even the professionals are going to find difficult.
Helice varies greatly from trap or skeet in that you’re not just trying to hit the plastic target. When you watch videos of helice, you might notice a semicircular fence in the back of the helice ring. This fence isn’t there randomly. It comes into play in the game. In order to score a hit, you don’t just have to hit the target, you must separate the witness cap from the propeller portion AND the witness cap must fall inside the fence to count.
That means you can score a hit on a target, but if the witness cap separates and falls over the back of the fence, you’re out of luck. There are also times where the witness cap doesn’t separate at all. If it doesn’t, that’s an unfortunate miss by helice standards. You also can’t shoot the target once it crosses the fence.
It is little wonder most shooters who try helice describe it as one of the most humbling shooting games you can try. It’s hard enough to hit such an erratic, fast target, but there are so many other intangibles in play that you can do little to change. A match consists of just 30 targets, but because of the unpredictable nature of the targets, a perfect score is incredibly rare, even with professional shooters.
Most matches take an entire day to complete, longer if you have a lot of shooters. You may only be shooting 30 targets, but as far as shotgun sports go, you’d better set aside some time for the competition.
Shooters get two shots at each of the targets, so the most popular helice gun is usually an over and under shotgun. There are some people who use semi-autos, but in general, over and unders are generally thought of as the only guns fast enough for helice because each target is only in the air for a few seconds.
Under U.S. Helice Association rules, the largest gun you can use is a 12 gauge and you’re limited to factory-load shells (Sorry to all the reloaders out there).
Most helice shooters are using a setup like what they’d use for bird hunting, because that’s what this most closely resembles. Many shots are at a distance, so you might want a tight choke, but preference varies from shooter to shooter.
You’ll want a shotgun with a fast and smooth swing, because you won’t have much time to think about your form once the birds start flying.
Unfortunately for most of us, helice shooting is much more popular in Europe than it is here in the United States. A bigger challenge than the game itself is probably just finding a place to shoot! The machines and targets are expensive, so many gun clubs just don’t have a setup.
In fact, the U.S. Helice Association only lists 16 helice ranges in only seven states. Texas leads the way with five of them. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t more, but you might have to do some asking around to find one.
If you’re wanting to add a helice setup to your local club, you’re in for another challenge. While you can find the targets for sale online, it’s tough to find the launchers for sale at all. You’ll need to be resourceful to bring this game to your local area.
The good news is, if you do find a place to shoot, it’s a great alternative to trap and skeet shooting for shooters who have gotten bored of those types of competition. Also, it’s a good way to prep for the upcoming bird hunting seasons!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis Youtube channels.
NEXT: 12 OF THE BEST CONCEALED CARRY 9MM YOU CAN BUY
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https://www.wideopenspaces.com/fish-raptor-platform-boattent-combo/
Every now and then when out fishing, you get real sleepy. It’s all right to admit it. It happens to the best of us.
Until now, our only option would be to head to shore and either sleep in your vehicle, pitch a tent or go find a bed and rest up.
Now, thanks to Raptor Boats, a boat-and-tent combo actually exists.
Hailing from the Netherlands, Raptor Boats have created an actual fishing platform that is functional enough to fish from, but at the same time, pitch a tent to sleep. Just imagine the all-nighter you could pull fishing for catfish!
All jokes aside, this on-the-go houseboat could be pretty functional at the cabin, or for a weekend getaway, just so long as a portage boat is near to get you back onto dry land if you needed it.
According to Raptor’s Facebook page, interest in their platform boat has surpassed what they can handle. Current lead times for any of their models are several months out. As far as pricing goes, the small model is about $1,195, followed by the mid-tier option at $1,895, then the XL version, which is the one featured with the tent, at $2,495.
So what do you think? If these boats make their way to America with some regularity, are you interested?
NEXT: IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE 9 OLD FISHING LURES IN A TACKLE BOX, YOU JUST HIT PAYDAY
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The post Would You Fish From the Raptor Platform Boat/Tent Combo? appeared first on Wide Open Spaces.
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Looking to change things up a bit this hunting season to bring back the excitement? Here’s 5 ways to make hunting fun again…. Read more…
The post How to Make Hunting Fun Again appeared first on Bowhunting.com.
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Looking to change things up a bit this hunting season to bring back the excitement? Here’s 5 ways to make hunting fun again…. Read more…
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