Author: NA Deer Hunter Staff

Traditions start at zero. Someone does something and it turns out well, perhaps better than they expected. So, they do it again…and again…and again, until it seems a part of the natural order, inked on the calendar, planned for, and looked forward to year to year. In time, as the tradition endures, it becomes an expectation in the timeline of our lives. It’s something that is regarded with anticipation and it’s something that becomes part of the fabric, as they say. Of course, we’re going to do that; we always have. Traditions transcend time and outlive individual participants. Here is…

In states across the country, the state of our hunting heritage and the wildlife we love are at a dire crossroads. From fish and game commissions to state legislatures to Congress, intense pressure is being applied by anti-hunting interests, threatening to undermine wildlife management efforts and erode the rights of hunters. Unfortunately, the hunting community struggles with not having a simple, effective means of using its collective voice — and being heard. To help overcome that hurdle, a powerful hunter advocacy and action platform was launched in 2021: HOWL For Wildlife. Howl’s start For Charles Whitwam and John Stallone, co-founders…

My dad, Rick Wilson, has told this story countless times since he experienced this event in 1997. It ultimately amounted to a “roadside calling.” As he told it, “I was driving down a Virginia highway one Saturday morning in late September to meet  some friends. We were planning to clear a little brush at the farm where we hunted and celebrate the landowner’s birthday with a barbecue. About five miles from the farm, I spotted a woman standing along the road next to her car with the trunk open.” When my dad stopped to see if the woman needed help,…

The Lodge @ Dreaming Tree Ranch became a reality in 2019 and is the flagship project of the Help Sami Kick Cancer Foundation. Operated by Jim and Karen Curtis, The Lodge is in northern New York state, and is a place where a family can reconnect with each other through nature and all the beautiful nature-inspired blessings that living in the foothills of the Adirondacks provides each day of the year. They financially assist local families who are faced with a pediatric cancer diagnosis, and we partner with other like-minded organizations, plus schools and hospitals to learn of those in…

Fish Stock I catch a lot of freshwater fish and always keep the heads and bones from my walleye, perch, bass, bluegill, and crappie to make this simple fish stock recipe you can pull off in less than one hour. The key is to rinse the slime off the heads and bones and cut out the gills. If you keep the gills on, it will ruin it and give it a bad flavor. My wife and I absolutely LOVE to ladle this into a bowl with some pan-seared fresh fish fillets with shredded carrot, chopped green onions, and a handful…

Planting mast orchards are a great way to attract and hold more wildlife, and Chestnut Hill Outdoors offers a variety of hard mast species to help landowners widen that window. Planting several different species not only expands the availability of nutritious food over a longer period, but it also allows more options for mast orchard locations. Having a variety also improves pollination and mast production. It’s what the folks at Chestnut Hill Outdoors call dirt wisdom. For example, Shumard oaks are drought tolerant and grow best in well-drained soils.  Alternately, Nuttall oaks are much more tolerant of poorly drained soils…

Federal Ammunition is proud to announce three new loads in the industry’s only ammunition product line truly designed for optimal cycling and overall performance from the time-tested, lever-action rifle platform. Federal successfully launched Its HammerDown line in 2020, and now the company is expanding that product line’s options to include the 45 Colt, 35 Remington and 444 Marlin cartridges. The velocities of all-new HammerDown offerings are customized to produce superior ballistics and terminal performance through lever-action barrel lengths. The construction of the molecularly bonded soft point bullets has also been adjusted for the best accuracy and expansion at those velocities.…

For the first-time ever, economic analysis of how America’s hunters and sport shooters contribute to national and state economies is available for all 50 states down to every legislative district. A new report by the Sportsmen’s Alliance reveals that recreational hunters and sport shooters contributed $149 billion to the national economy, supported nearly 970,000 jobs and created over $45 billion in wages and income in 2020. “The Sportsmen’s Alliance takes a three-prong strategy to protecting hunting, fishing and trapping nationwide,” said Evan Heusinkveld, president and CEO of Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Our advocacy is our most visible, but we also conduct research that guides…

The Blaser R8 .22 LR Conversion Kit has won a prestigious Gray’s Best award in the shooting category. Lauded for its speed, accuracy and versatility, the modular straight-pull R8 bolt-action rifle is in a league of its own. Hunters who own this expertly crafted, lightning-fast rifle can buy barrels in different calibers with the corresponding bolt heads and magazine inserts and have multiple rifles in one. With the introduction of the .22 LR Conversion Kit, hunters can now shoot endless practice rounds of .22 rimfire before switching to their preferred hunting caliber and experiencing the same trigger pull with each.…

Benelli USA set a new standard in bolt-action hunting rifles by introducing the all-new Lupo in 2020. This year, the company expands the award-winning Lupo BE.S.T. series with premium wood stock models that bridge Lupo’s precision performance and technological innovation with defined ergonomics and contemporary styling. For 2022, Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. models chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, and .300 Win-Mag are available with premium AA-grade walnut stocks well-thought ergonomics making the Lupo one of the most comfortable rifles on the market today. The new Lupo BE.S.T. rifles include the field-proven, glossy Benelli Surface Treatment (BE.S.T.) on the barrel—a finish so dependable…