Vin T. Sparano, Author at Outdoor News

Vin T. Sparano: Hard to beat lever-action guns in the backwoods

Featured, Hunting, National Hunting, New York, Opinion / Vin T. Sparano

In some of my recent gun magazines, I’m now detecting a trend in our guns. Most noticeably, the wonderful return and focus on our beloved lever-action guns…the cowboy guns of yesteryear.
Anyone who has read my writings must know that I am not a big fan of the AR-type rifles, which now seem to be labeled “tactical.” I also get tired of confessing that these “tactical” guns may well shoot faster, farther and more accurately at absurd ranges than my old Marlin lever-action rifles.

Vin T. Sparano: Hard to beat lever-action guns in the backwoods Read More »

Where should you aim on deer, bear? Better understand their anatomy

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin / Vin T. Sparano

Hunters will soon head for the woods with rifles, bows, muzzleloaders and shotguns. Your goal will be the same: Bring home the bacon.… or, in this case, the venison.
If you’re a new deer hunter, you may not be sure where to put that bullet or arrow for a quick, clean kill. No hunter wants to wound a deer or bear, but that sometimes will happen. It’s all about knowing where to put that bullet or arrow.

Where should you aim on deer, bear? Better understand their anatomy Read More »

Vin T. Sparano: Caribou hunt in Northwest Territories provides valuable reminder

Featured, Features, Hunting, National Hunting, New York / Vin T. Sparano

A few years ago, I read about the tragic death of John Allen Chau, a 27-year-old missionary. Chau died on North Sentinel Island, 500 miles east of India in the Bay of Bengal.

Vin T. Sparano: Caribou hunt in Northwest Territories provides valuable reminder Read More »

Vin T. Sparano: Incorporate the fine art of dead-sticking into your fishing tactics

Featured, Features, Fishing, National Fishing, New York / Vin T. Sparano

I have an important message and a confession to make to all fishermen who fish with natural baits: I love dead-sticking. In recent years, the growing trend seems to be baiting your bucktail jigs with natural baits, sometimes tying two baited bucktails to your line. Then we endlessly jig the bucktails on the bottom, trying to impose action.

Vin T. Sparano: Incorporate the fine art of dead-sticking into your fishing tactics Read More »

The changing face of deer hunting: Is it a good thing?

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, New York, Opinion / Vin T. Sparano

I’m not sure what happened to deer hunting and I’m also not sure I like it. I’m an old deer hunter right now, but I started deer hunting when I was about 16 or 17 years old.
I was born and raised in the city of Newark (New Jersey), not exactly a frontier town. No one in my family were hunters, so I started out on my own through the world of outdoor magazines. If someone told me back then that I would ultimately end up as Editor-in-Chief of Outdoor Life, I would have said they were totally nuts.

The changing face of deer hunting: Is it a good thing? Read More »

What are the top five bass flies? We asked the experts

Featured, Featured, Featured, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Fishing, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin / Vin T. Sparano

A fishing friend recently told me he wanted to try fly fishing for bass. He knew there were hundreds of fancy trout flies, but should he get different ones for more aggressive freshwater bass?
We’ve all heard those familiar questions: If you were allowed only one book on a desert island, what would you pick? If you were allowed one companion, who would you pick? Even more tragic, if you were allowed only five flies to use for bass, what would they be? Imagine the emotional consequences of such a question.

What are the top five bass flies? We asked the experts Read More »

Somewhere in time with Joan Wulff, the First Lady of fly fishing

Featured, Features, Fishing, National Fishing, New York / Vin T. Sparano

Let me begin by saying that Joan Wulff has never been able to teach me how to double-haul correctly. This was certainly not Joan’s fault. We all know that Joan is an excellent teacher and a superb fly caster. I just could never get my two hands to work together as a team and I have lots of wind knots to prove it.

But my sloppy double-hauling really reminds me of a relationship with Joan that spans decades and three generations.

Somewhere in time with Joan Wulff, the First Lady of fly fishing Read More »

Tips for catching, and releasing, early spring bass

Featured, Features, Fishing, National Fishing, New York / Vin T. Sparano

Most of my bass fishing trips many years ago ended the same way. After an early morning burst of energy trying to find some big bass, I would get frustrated and turn to crappies and bluegills. I’d catch plenty of panfish, but never a bragging-size largemouth or smallmouth. My problem was a common one. I never fished with a plan.
The spring season can be the best time to fish for bass, but don’t think you can just go out and flog the water and catch a big largemouth. It will take a bit more planning.

Tips for catching, and releasing, early spring bass Read More »

Salt Water Preview: Striped bass off the New York City coast

Featured, Features, Fishing, National Fishing, New York / Vin T. Sparano

Last summer, as I sat at my desk overlooking Raritan Bay, I watched dozens of boats from small 17-foot center-consoles to 40-footers clustered near the Verrazano Bridge.
My son Matt was part of this fleet clobbering huge schools of striped bass at all depths from the surface to the bottom of the bay. The stripers would alternate from hitting surface lures to natural baits on the bottom.

Salt Water Preview: Striped bass off the New York City coast Read More »

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Vin T. Sparano

Vin T. Sparano: Hard to beat lever-action guns in the backwoods

Where should you aim on deer, bear? Better understand their anatomy

Vin T. Sparano: Caribou hunt in Northwest Territories provides valuable reminder

Vin T. Sparano: Incorporate the fine art of dead-sticking into your fishing tactics

The changing face of deer hunting: Is it a good thing?

What are the top five bass flies? We asked the experts

Somewhere in time with Joan Wulff, the First Lady of fly fishing

Tips for catching, and releasing, early spring bass

Salt Water Preview: Striped bass off the New York City coast

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