Metro Area Fishing Report – May 18, 2025 – video
We certainly had to adapt a bit but I honestly like the redirection.
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May 18, 2025
Notes off a soiled cuff: Caterpillars chew on my memories, and why the topic matters for wildlife
It’s strange how some memories seem to be burned into your brain, even really old ones you would never expect …
More than four decades later, I still clearly remember being in a stand of oaks on a mountainside above Tyrone, during a sunny afternoon at about this time of year. I was a very inexperienced reporter for the Altoona Mirror in 1980, sent out to cover the “new” scourge of gypsy moth caterpillars that was about to defoliate a wide swath of forest in Blair County, Pa.
A great-grandfather’s .410 strikes again, this time on a double-bearded tom for an 8-year-old hunter
A passion for the outdoors runs deep in the Bontekoe family. With the help of a well-worn Mossberg bolt-action .410 shotgun passed down through four generations to 8-year-old Carter Bontekoe, that passion will run deep into another generation.
“My dad passed the gun down to Carter after my son, Bob, used it when he was a kid. I know my dad would be thrilled knowing his great-grandson is keeping the hunting tradition alive. Having his grandson Bob being Carter’s mentor for this hunt just puts icing on the cake,” said Carter’s grandfather, Jeff Bontekoe, of Shell Lake, Wis.
Here’s how to tag that last-minute gobbler before season’s end
A friend of mine once remarked, “After killing a wild turkey, don’t you feel like you’re the smartest guy you know?”
I knew what he meant and I’ve often felt that way when whatever call or strategy I used resulted in a dead bird. However, when it comes to spring turkey hunting there is no right or wrong way to go about it because each bird and each hunt is different. Early May and late May often require different strategies but, late May can be more vexing.
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Nature Smart: An Alaska eagle photo tour never disappoints
Twisting and turning in mid-air. Spinning and cartwheeling, wing over wing all while its head remains level and focused on the target. Total acrobatics like these are all set against a beautiful blue sky. This is what happened during a recent photo tour to Alaska to capture images of our national bird, the bald eagle.
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Jeremiah Haas: A turkey hunting surprise to wrap up a season
One of the most exciting things about hunting is the unknown. I say unknown because Mother Nature is unpredictable, whether you are a full-time biologist or a novice hunter.
The moment you think you understand everything in nature is the moment you begin to fool yourself. In my day job, I tell people that I can predict what the fish are going to do about 90% of the time, the rest of the time we just call that nature. The first turkey season for me was exactly that.
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