How to Accurately Judge Target Distance
Big Game Hunt
Accurately determining distance can make or break a hunt. You might be the most technically sound shooter on the planet, but it doesn't matter much if you misjudge the yardage. Precisely determining distance is the first step toward proper shot placement.More

Senators Introduce Funding for Land and Water Conservation Fund
The Outdoor Wire
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D.-NM. and Max Baucus, D-Mont., have introduced legislation to permanently provide $900 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The program will provide $450 million annually to states and local communities for close-to-home parks and outdoor recreation facilities. Additionally, $450 million will be available annually to the four federal land managing agencies for national parks, forests, refuge acquisitions for land protection, and critical conservation.More

Banning African Wildlife Hunting Is A Mistake - Expert
Mmegi Online
Wildlife management expert, Dr. Larry Patterson, said at the Kalahari Conservation Society's annual fundraising dinner that the photographic safari model has high financial rewards but studies have shown that it can cause serious environmental degradation. "Although most ecologists would claim to be educationally sophisticated and environmentally concerned, they rarely understand the ecological consequences of their visits and how their day-to-day activities have physical impacts on the environment," he said.More

Projects Search for Answers on Quail Decline
The Dallas Morning News
Quail season fittingly began on Halloween, and it looks like another trick-or-treat sort of a season. Most of the reports trickling in from early quail hunts ranged from mediocre to dismal. Hunting success will pick up by Thanksgiving but a pall has descended on bobwhite quail hunters concerned over the steady decline of their favorite game bird. The good news is that Texas Tech University is entering the quail research game with the enthusiasm of a young English pointer just released from a dog trailer. The Quail Tech Alliance is organizing an ambitious project called the Anchor Ranch Program.More

Narrowing the Field
Petersen's Hunting
There are two distinctly different bucks that walk the woods, immature bucks three and a half years and younger and mature bucks that have made it to at least four and a half years old. More often than not, most of the articles and books you are likely to read will show you a picture of a big member of the latter, then tell you how to hunt the members of the former, younger group. Truly, mature bucks and younger bucks have little in common other than a few feeding areas.More

Cold Front Coming? Get In Your Stand
American Hunter
For most deer hunters, the rut is the center of attention. But, if you keep a look out for subtle changes in deer behavior caused by weather, you might just blindside that trophy before he's even thinking about chasing does. Renowned bowhunter and whitetail chaser Bob Robb knows this first hand, and he's noticed a timely turn of events that have seen some monsters fall already this season. "There's a huge cold front coming through the country right now," he said. "Most guys have been conditioned to think that they don’t want to hunt before the rut starts, cause you know, the big bucks don't move." Not true, says Robb.More

Gun Shows Are Not a Likely Weapons Source for Criminals
the Knoxville News Sentinel
At gun shows, licensed dealers must follow all of the record keeping and background checks as if they were selling guns at their stores. But, in most states, those requirements do not apply to private individuals who want to sell or trade from a personal gun collection. Some of those individuals set up tables next to licensed dealers. Critics say this arrangement benefits unlicensed dealers and anyone who wants to easily sell a stolen gun. Additionally, the trails of guns used in crimes sometime end with an anonymous gun show sale. While the scenarios unquestionably occur, gun shows are not likely a significant direct source of guns to criminals according to Gary Kleck, professor of criminology at Florida State University, who has extensively studied guns and crime.More

Bowhunting: Release the Right Way
Petersen's Hunting
At least 75 percent of all bowhunters now use a release aid for hunting, and the number is climbing each year. The majority use index-triggered releases. Most hunters take a release out of the package, attach it to their wrist, and as long as they can reach the trigger with a fingertip they start shooting. Without realizing it, they've just taken the first step toward forming a bad habit that they will fight for a lifetime. Bows are like rifles in that they are meant to be shot without anticipation. The moment of firing should be a complete surprise, which means you are much less likely to ruin the shot by pulling or jerking the bow. You will always fight your nerves while aiming, and that's not a fun or effective way to shoot a bow. If you are serious about improving as a bowhunter, use this off-season to learn the correct way to trigger a hunting release aid.More

West Texas Hunting Season is an Economic Boost
KOSA
The West Texas economy is largely defined by oil, but it's the deer industry that may surprise you with its resilience. The deer-hunting season kicked-off last Saturday, and although West Texas doesn't have the reputation of the Hill-Country and central Texas, it still maintains a strong hunting industry that affects many local businesses.More