The Professional Hunters
Petersen's Hunting
The title "professional hunter" carries the great weight of more than a century of safari tradition, started in 1909-10 by Theodore Roosevelt's professional hunter, R.J. Cunninghame, and continued today by grizzled veterans and eager youngsters in the more than one dozen African countries open to hunting. To anyone with African experience, it means one thing and one thing only: a person who guides visiting sportsmen on hunting safaris. In this context, it's often shortened to "PH." But it's not a title easily come by. Read on in the linked article to learn about three men have defined this honored role for more than a century.More

Big Five with a Bow
ESPN Outdoors
For most people, the natural reaction to a roaring lioness charging within 6 ½ yards is run away like your life depended on it. The gutsy, smart maneuver is to draw back your bow and pump an arrow into her heart and then follow up with two more in quick succession, which is exactly how Joella Bates handled the situation. In her 20 years of bowhunting, she's pursued elk, moose, caribou, wild hogs, bears, alligators and dozens of other species (54 to be exact). Now she was after a lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, white rhinoceros and leopard. Any one of these animals would present the thrill of a lifetime, but experiencing that in the span of a month is unheard of. Bates was not only the first woman to successfully bowhunt Africa's big five, but she believes she's the first person -- man or woman -- to do it in a single safari.More

Congressmen Sign Bipartisan Amicus Brief In Supreme Court Second Amendment Case
The Outdoor Wire
The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus's (CSC) Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Caucus Vice-Chair Sen. Jon Tester, along with CSC House Vice-Chair Rep. Mike Ross, and Rep. Mark Souder, joined together with 58 Senators and 251 House members in filing a bipartisan, bicameral amicus curiae brief asking the Supreme Court to hold the Second Amendment applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment in the case McDonald v. City of Chicago. "The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus really stepped up to the plate in further protecting our Second Amendment rights by working across party lines in filing this landmark brief," said Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation President Jeff Crane.More

Foul Weather Whitetails
BigGameHunt.net
Weather affects the movement and behaviour of all animals (humans included). Too few people consider this in the planning or execution of hunts -- we hunters are sometimes creatures of habit too. As a result, many of us hunt the same cover in the same way regardless of the weather. Others simply refuse to hunt at all in poor weather. The choice is yours, but if you understand how foul-weather affects whitetails, you'll be better prepared to make the right decision, hunt in the best locations, and use the right techniques on those less than perfect days.More

High Content Hero: Yamaha's Grizzly 550 FI 4x4 EPS
Petersen's Hunting
When Yamaha introduced its revamped Grizzly 700 a few years ago, it delivered several upgrades to the nameplate, but also some key innovations -- most notably, the industry's first use of electronic power steering. It seems only natural, therefore, that the brand's mid-size model would become the beneficiary of the big Grizzly's enviable hardware. The Grizzly 550 FI 4x4 platform carries a heavy burden, which is to deliver all the features and benefits sportsman have come to expect from a modern sport-utility 4x4, but at a price and with handling characteristics the majority of general duty ATV buyers demand. After field testing the vehicle, it seems that the Grizzly 550 hits the ten-ring on all accounts.More

Mule Deer are One Tough Target
The Dallas Morning News
White-tailed deer get all the attention in Texas, but mule deer are tremendous game animals. Until Texas Parks and Wildlife started the Texas Big Game Awards in 1991, local big buck contests were the only documentation of Lone Star mule deer. Since Texas mule deer live in the harshest portions of the state, they're constantly on the ragged edge of nutrition. The average annual rainfall in Terrell County, for instance, is 14 inches. Consequently, Texas mule deer do not grow antlers that compete well with their Rocky Mountain cousins. More

Cape Buffalo in the Long Grass
American Hunter
The Cape buffalo shot by the author of the linked article was a classic example of the adrenalin that goes with hunting mbogo in what may be the most dangerous of all habitats -- East African long grass. Read on to learn about his experience battling the terrain and some of Africa's deadliest wildlife.More

Handgun Hunting
ESPN Outdoors
The wooded bottoms along Dirty Creek in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, are full of squirrels. Bill Scherman of Muskogee has been hunting squirrels in these bottoms for years. But today, there's a new twist to his hunt. Instead of hunting with a rifle or shotgun, Scherman hunts with a .22 handgun. Scherman is one in a group of outdoor writers and natural resources professionals gathered in Muskogee at the invitation of Smith & Wesson to try handgun squirrel hunting.More

Utah: Wildlife Board Shortens Rifle Buck Season
NRA Hunters' Rights
For most hunters, Utah's most popular hunt -- the general rifle buck deer hunt --- will be shorter in 2010. By a 4-2 vote, the Utah Wildlife Board approved a recommendation to shorten Utah’s general rifle buck deer hunt from nine days to five days for hunters who are 19 years of age or older on Aug. 21. More