Stalking hogs in the Florida swamp is great off-season hunting action, whether you hunt deer, elk, or waterfowl. For the third year, a group of friends and I have traveled to Cedar Key, Florida to hunt with Tiger Island Outfitters, and this time I hunted more often on the ground than from a tree stand.
Mergansers include a few different species of diving ducks that either live in the Midwest or pass through while migrating north. There are three species that are commonly seen spring and fall migrations, including common mergansers, hooded mergansers and red-breasted mergansers.
During the 2014 hunting season, my neighbor, Ron Kline, caught some great photos of a buck with his trail camera. This buck looked two and a half years old, and he was easily recognizable due to the two tears in his left ear. Because of these unique characteristics, Ron decided to name the buck Pirate.
One of the most common hawks seen by backyard birders in the continental US is the Cooper’s hawk. The reason is simple: Cooper’s hawks are bird-eaters, and they are attracted to backyard bird feeders.
The eastern hognose snake is one of our most interesting snakes. They inhabit most of the eastern half of the United States, and also southern portions of Canada. These medium-sized snakes can be a variety of colors: orange, red, green, yellow, brown or black.
The world abounds with exciting hunting adventures, and many share a common launch point. What Cape Canaveral used to be to NASA space exploration, the Safari Club International Convention is to hunting. If it roars, bulges, grunts, runs, or hides, SCI has a hunt to catch it.
The wild turkey is a very large game bird that is native to the United States. They live in every state except Alaska. Their wingspan measures more than four feet across, and large adults often weigh over 20 pounds. Extremely large individuals can weigh as much as 25 pounds.
Even though it is wintertime right now, spring will be here before you know it and with the warmer weather will come a plethora of insects. One insect that should be feared by all others is the fierce praying mantis. The praying mantis is named for its large front legs which are typically held together as if it is praying.
Susan was suffering from pandemic stress. "I have to get out of this house!" she said. After giving it some thought, I said, "Let's go to Blue Spring. We haven't been there in a long time." The state park website suggests getting there early. The rangers close the park when capacity is reached.
It is mid-winter, and many of our summer birds have migrated south to Central and South America. But one particularly interesting species of bird has migrated from more northern climates to where we are in the central United States: the bald eagle.
The Tacoma rolled into Stephen C. Foster State Park, not stopping until we reached the marina. Mike and River went looking for alligators while I checked in to our campsite. Then Mike was talking to a park employee. "I don't know that I'd bring a dog out there," he said. "Alligators have gone into boats to get at dogs here."
Hunting mature bucks can drive a hunter crazy. Seeing an exceptional buck for the first time can lead to an unhealthy addiction. In 2014 I passed a young seven-point during archery season. I saw him again before rifle season, and he was missing one antler.
