By Brian Lovett



I’ll admit it: I was praying for cold weather the final week of January.
Now, before my fellow Northerners jump through their monitor screens to
strangle me, let me explain. Like you, I’m sick of the brutal winter of
2008-2009 in my home state of Wisconsin. But during the last week of
January, I was in southern Alabama to hunt deer with the good folks at the
Whitetail Institute of North America. So in that case, “cold” meant lows in
the 30s or 40s and highs in the 50s or 60s; conditions that get rutting
Alabama deer on their feet yet provide a nice break for winter-weary
Yankees.

For once, the weatherman actually obliged, and the deer followed suit.
Hunting over lush Imperial Whitetail Clover fields for five days, my friends
and I saw loads of feeding does and cruising bucks. Double-digit deer
sightings were common during mornings and evenings, and one member of our
group even saw a true Alabama monster cruising through thick pines 200-some
steps from his stand.

Apparently, I drew the horseshoe stand the first morning, as a high-racked
8-pointer appeared from over a hill at about 9:30 a.m. to check my food plot
for does. I had to wait a few tense moments to get a clear shot, but when
the buck turned broadside at about 150 steps, I took a deep breath, exhaled
slowly and ended the hunt.

The next morning, I watched another shooter buck make a scrape 100 steps
away and then check the field for does. Meanwhile, a friend hunting just
across the road watched two bucks chase a doe full-bore through his food
plot.

Though we never shot another buck, the hot action continued through our
final morning. And when we left for the airport that afternoon, the mercury
read 76 degrees. I think everyone agreed that we could rearrange our
schedules to stay a few more days.

Reality hit hard when I arrived home: 9 degrees. Sigh. Well, as I struggle
through the remaining months of this winter, I can always think back to
Alabama … and the memory of deer that weren’t buried up to their necks in
snow.

-- Brian Lovett is the editor of Turkey & Turkey Hunting.

Source: The Suburbanite

Green, Ohio -

On Dec. 23, when children are anxiously awaiting the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof, Tonya and Dave Vincent of Green had a terrifying visit of the four-legged kind.

Tonya remembered her father’s telephone call to her office, “He said, ‘You need to get home. A deer just came through the window.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

Tonya’s mother, Carol, was babysitting the Vincent’s two sons, Brett and Brandon. “She’s a hero,” Tonya said.

“I was just coming up from the laundry and I saw glass flying,” Carol said.

A buck, which had nearly been hit on State Route 619, dashed across the snowy front yard. “We don’t know how he dodged the Christmas decorations,” said Tonya. “But he came right through the window.”

Click here to read more.

Google Maps offers real-world ground views of just about everywhere nowadays. This is achieved by attaching cameras to willing vehicles. The cameras take photos as the vehicle drives.

Inevitably, this going to happen:

Source: Michigan Messenger

Google Maps captures EVERYTHING going on within range of its camera as it scans at street level for its “street view” service — including a deer-vehicle accident at close range. The driver of the scanning van was unable to avoid a fawn; the scan captured enough detail of the event that one can even see the spots on the fawn’s coat.

Apparently the fawn was able to get up and run off after the incident; you don’t need to get all sniffly about this poor little Bambi.

Read the rest here.

Boxing isn't just for kangaroos anymore.

bucksboxing1.mpg (3.46 MB)

The DDH staff returned today from the SHOT (shooting, hunting and outdoor trade show) Show down in Orlando. By all accounts, the journey was well worth it, although the staff's feet are still aching from the miles of booths visited (no really, miles).

The NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation), which hosted the event, is predicting a great year for the outdoors industry. Here's what it had to say:


ORLANDO, Fla. -- Buyers, exhibitors and media from around the globe flocked to Orlando for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry's largest trade show, the National Shooting Sports Foundation's SHOT Show. 

Though many trade shows have seen a decline in attendance, SHOT Show attendance remained strong this year, rising 3 percent when compared to its last visit to Orlando in 2007. According to preliminary figures, this year's show attracted 25,384 attendees, 22,098 exhibiting personnel and a record 1,425 members of the media for a total attendance of 48,907. 

"This has been a tremendously successful show from a number of standpoints," said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. "Exhibitors and buyers were very upbeat, the products sold well, and I'd say the industry begins 2009 with a sense of cautious optimism in this challenging economy." 

The show, held Jan. 15-18 at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, comprised 715,000 square feet of exhibit space, with 1,800 exhibiting companies. 

Business was brisk on the floor throughout the show, according to exhibiting companies and retailers. 

"It's been a good show, and, in fact, it's been above my expectations," said Phil Murray of Houston-based clay target maker White Flyer. "It's really exciting to see so many people being so positive about the industry. It is very encouraging for the rest of the year." 

Not only was total attendance up from the last Orlando show, but the number of buyers increased 5 percent. 

"Our meeting rooms were booked, and the quality of the buyers at the show was very good. We saw good volume in our law enforcement booths, and we're very pleased with the media turnout," said Al Russo of Remington Arms Co. 

First-time buyers were impressed with the new products and the size of the show. 

"I came to see what was new, and I absolutely have," said Bruno Leone, salesman at Aflaherty's Outdoor Store in Toronto, Canada.  "I have been impressed with the new camo patterns and with some of the innovation in rifles that I have seen. I never was at a SHOT Show before, and I am awed by the size of the show and the number of people in attendance. The concentrated energy of the industry is exciting to witness." 

High-tech rifles and handguns have seen a recent jump in sales heading into 2009. 

"It's been a good show," said Scott Grange of Browning. "With all of the interest in high-tech arms, it good to see that the interest in our over/under shotguns was also up. The SHOT Show specials we laid out for retailers were very well received. The success here has helped position us for the expected upturn in the economy." 

New products highlight the show's offerings each year, which is one reason attendees say the show is always a can't-miss event. 

"The most important reason for anyone to come to the SHOT Show is to see the latest and greatest," said Ken Jorgensen of Sturm, Ruger & Co. "They're going to see the new products that they may not hear or read about for weeks or months." 

The SHOT Show, owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), is the world's largest showcase of firearms, hunting and outdoor products. It provides a forum like no other for the industry to show off its newest products that will adorn the shelves of gun and sporting goods shops in the coming year.
 
Revenue raised at the SHOT Show funds NSSF's many programs and services that promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports.
 

This rack goes beyond atypical into a category all its own. The mule deer was harvested in North Dakota.