Bass fishing for beginners
Largemouth bass are found in almost all of these lakes and can be caught if you target them.
New York – Mike Raykovicz
Dying apple trees
Considering what’s happening to the ash, dogwood, beech, oak, and hemlock trees in our forests it appears it won’t be long before the wild apple trees disappear as well.
Four calls that do it all
Because they are so small and compact and imitate most turkey vocalizations, the writer always carries one in his shirt pocket for use both in the fall and spring.
Getting the lead out
The use of lead ammunition for hunting has become an environmental issue due to its toxic effects on wildlife and children. Game organs, which are discarded when field-dressing an animal, often contain fragments of lead bullets. These organs, which are left behind are known to cause death in birds such as eagles and hawks who often consume the discarded offal….
The return of the hummingbirds
Seeing the first hummingbird of the year, after all, is important stuff.
Turkey hunters, it’s never too early to strategize
You don’t have to be a good caller to bag a spring tom, you just have to be a good scouter.
Fishing for a new rod
It’s important to know what kind of rod best suits the fish you are targeting and your fishing style.
Hunting in the off-season
Much can be learned about the game you hunt and their habits and this can make you a more efficient and possibly successful hunter next year.
Wintertime walks
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI love walking in the woods just about any time of year but, late winter is an especially fun time for me. Usually, there is snow on the ground and, from the tracks I see, it’s easy to determine what kind of wildlife has been out and about. The tracks of deer, rabbits, turkey, fox, and coyotes are…
Feeding wildlife in the winter – it’s not the answer
In the long term, it is sound wildlife management practices and deer densities closer to their compatibility with overwinter carrying capacities that will limit wildlife losses due to severe weather conditions.
Much-needed rifle repairs
I can’t understand how anyone could put a fine rifle away without cleaning it or at least giving it a spray with an anti-rust product. Yet, I know guys who, after getting a deer or finishing the season just hang their rifle on a rack until it’s needed once again. I’m not one of them.
Keeping up
Art Buchwald was an American humorist best known for his column that appeared in the Washington Post. Buchwald’s column was published nationwide in over 500 newspapers. I read him regularly and one of his column headings was, “Things a Columnist Wouldn’t Know if He Didn’t Open His Mail.” Like Mr. Buchwald, I too find the information I occasionally glean from…
Christmas gift ideas
Almost every year someone asks me for a gift idea for the sportsman on their list. With all the gear and gadgets available today you’d think it would be easy to make a recommendation but frankly, whenever asked, I have to think about it. I always tell anyone who asks not to consider gifting things like camouflage clothing or boots…
Small first-aid kits can save the day
Over the years I’ve discovered that an essential piece of outdoor equipment and one that many hunters and even fishermen fail to consider is a small, compact first-aid kit. It could be argued about what should be included in a first-aid kit, but I try to keep things simple. When hunting, I carry what I feel might be required for…
Trailing techniques
Last season, I was sitting on a Pennsylvania hillside overlooking an overgrown cow pasture when I heard a shot from above me. I turned just in time to see what appeared to be a 4-pointer running down the hill to a swamp below. Pennsylvania has an antler restriction rule in place and I knew the buck wasn’t legal for me,…
Weather matters
Others may disagree but, when temperatures drop, I’ll be in my stand with the confidence I’ll be seeing deer, especially bucks.
Oak awareness
As a bowhunter, I’m always on the lookout for food sources that are likely to be utilized by deer during the open season. There are a few producing apple trees on the farms I hunt, but for some reason, the trees seem to be on the decline. Apple trees that drooped with fruit in years past hardly bear fruit anymore….
Arizona trail-cam ban a different story than in the East
A total ban on the use of trail cameras here in the East is almost incomprehensible but their use in Arizona is a whole other story.
It’s in the bag
I first got interested in archery when I was in high school more than 60 years ago and, out of necessity, I made my own targets. I began by putting cardboard boxes inside each other, and later by stuffing rags into a burlap feed bag. This arrangement suited me well as long as I was shooting a fiberglass longbow with…
Adelgid nightmare
A while back we reported on another threat to New York’s forests. Today, it’s no longer a threat, the menace is here. Last spring while turkey hunting here in the Southern Tier I noticed just about all the hemlock trees are infested by an insect called wooly adelgid. The hemlock woolly adelgid is an aphid-like insect that covers itself with…
Walleye adventure
When former New York Outdoor News Editor Steve Piatt called and asked if I wanted to join him on a fishing trip to Lake Erie, I jumped at the chance. I’ve heard about how remarkable the fishing was for both bass and walleye and I was eager to find out for myself. The fishing is so good, in 2019 Bassmaster Magazine named…
Camping tips for beginners
If any good ever came out of this Covid thing is that people are getting out more and that includes going camping. According to a report published by Kampgrounds of America (KOA) the total number of camping households has increased by 6 million since 2014 and 53 percent of them are choosing tent camping for the first time. Camping is…
Bass fishing lessons
Small ponds often hold bass as well and some really big bass can be found in these smaller ponds that are often overlooked by many fishermen. Give one try. You might be surprised as to what lives there.
Fishing is fishing
I once heard an old fisherman say, “catching fish is easy once someone shows you how.” I agree. I’ve fished for bass, walleye, pike, and trout for most of my life, but I’ll readily admit what I don’t know about saltwater fishing would fill a small book. Ok, make that a big book. My only saltwater experience occurred years ago…
The morel of the story
Here it is the mid-June and I’ve been beaten again. Not by the turkeys I chased throughout May, but by a woodland denizen far more elusive. In over fifty years roaming the spring woods and searching everywhere I’ve encountered the mysterious inhabitant only once and, that was by accident. Twenty years have passed since that first encounter and I’ve been…
It’s your call
It was a pretty quiet morning in the turkey woods and, after hours of hearing nothing I decided to take a break and just enjoy the spring woods. Sitting on a hillside with my back to a large red oak I reached into my pack to see if one of the half dozen or so calls I normally carry might…
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