Pope and Young, Boone and Crockett, Buckmasters, and the Northeast Big Buck Club are all organizations that score deer. Those hunters who are lucky enough to harvest a nice buck can reach out to any of these organizations to have the buck scored.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The White Great Egrets
Visitors to ponds and shallow wetlands are likely to see a particularly tall and stately bird: the Great Egret. Great egrets are large wading birds that look like great blue herons, except that their feathers are all pure white. They have a large yellow beak and black legs.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Beavers And Their Dams
Beavers are very recognizable creatures. After all, how many large, brown furry animals do you know that have a really flat, leathery tail? Beavers are actually part of the rodent family, but they are much larger than most rodents.
Traveling America By Van: Coastal Highway 1, The First Installment
We found an independent coffee shop, got the java, and hit the road. That road was California Coastal Highway 1 (from here-on out known as Highway 1), one of the most famous drives in the country. Friends who had driven it told us not to take it south. We would learn why later this day.
Last Chance Trout Dance
Every year toward the end of August I find myself noticing the first subtle signs the seemingly endless days of summer will soon be over. More often than not this realization occurs when I’m on a trout stream.
Ride the Bull Extreme Kayak Fishing Rodeo
If you say the name “Sturgis” to any motorcycle enthusiasts across the country, you may see their ears perk up. That annual pilgrimage of ramblers to a small town near South Dakota’s Black Hills has gained recognition even outside of the biker community. Resembling that summer spectacle of steel & leather, there’s one weekend each year where a small Gulf Coast fishing community attracts more plastic & nylon per square foot than most sporting goods stores
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Prolific Cottontail Rabbit
Bunnies seem to be everywhere, especially in the spring and summer. Mother cottontail rabbits often start having babies in April and May, and they can have as many as four separate litters during the warm weather months.
Traveling America By Van: A Quick Visit To Yosemite National Park
Anyone who loves the outdoors has been told, "You HAVE to visit Yosemite!" I'd certainly heard it, over and over. Enough people follow the advice that one needs reservations just to enter the park. It has gotten that crowded the past few years.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Spunky Pumpkinseed Sunfish
Pumpkinseed sunfish are colorful little fish that are almost always willing to bite. That’s a good description for this feisty member of the sunfish family since these fish are quite colorful indeed. They are often a greenish-yellow color, fading to yellow-gold on the belly with orange speckles on their sides.
Traveling America By Van: Lassen Volcanic National Park
A volcanic national park? What the heck is that? Will I see volcanoes blowing up? When you visit Lassen for the first time, you don't know what to expect. It slaps you in the face pretty quickly! After leaving the visitor center, a short ride puts you at Sulphur Works. Here, numerous vents in the ground emit sulfur-stinking steam.
Another Successful Mayfly Season
I was the first one to arrive for the show. I always like to get there early, that way I’m sure to get my money’s worth, although this show was free. All the best ones are it seems. The others came in time and took their place around me, while still keeping a respectable distance.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Protective Yellow Warbler
Yellow warblers are one of many small songbirds that fly south for the winter and migrate back through North America in the springtime. They breed and raise their young throughout much of the United States and almost all of Canada during the spring and summer.