Category: Hunting

Application Period for Nonresident General Season Deer and Elk Tags Runs Dec. 5-15

Idaho is holding its first-ever drawing for nonresident deer/elk tags

Nonresident deer and elk hunters interested in applying for general season deer and elk hunts in the first-ever Nonresident Tag Drawing can see what tags are available for 2026, and apply for those tags in December.

The Nonresident General Deer and Elk tags brochure lists tags for elk, regular deer, and white-tailed deer available by elk zone or hunting unit. It is to be used as a cross reference with the Idaho Big Game Seasons and Rules brochure, which specifies hunt seasons and boundaries, rules, and other information. Read more

Hunting

Hunt Monkey: Best Gloves and Gear for Extreme Cold Hunting

When winter fully settles in and the woods turn cold and unforgiving, maximum protection is the priority. This is especially true at the higher elevations of the mountainous west but hunters in the east and south can also face brutal cold in pursuit of their quarry. That’s when you need the best cold-weather systems in the game for your head, hands and feet: Hunt Monkey.

Start with your hands. Any hunter knows that having frozen fingers isn’t just uncomfortable but also dangerous. The Heater Hunting Glove is built for those brutal late-season deer hunts, delivering unmatched insulation, wind protection and stealth. Engineered for long sits in the stand, it features a 220-gram Polar Fleece exterior, Sherpa Fleece lining, and 100 grams of Thinsulate insulation for maximum thermal retention without bulk. The flip-top mitten design with magnetic stays allows quick, silent access to your fingers, while built-in glove fingers and a fixed thumb offer dexterity for gear and firearm control. It’s available in Mossy Oak Original Bottomland and Terra Gila camouflage to hide hand motion in the field. This is the ultimate glove for cold-weather concealment and performance. Read more

Fishing, Hunting

Garmin Unveils DriveTrack 72 In-Vehicle Dog Tracker with On- and Off-Road GPS Navigation

Track up to 20 canines on the large 7-inch touchscreen display with turn-by-turn navigation for any hunting expedition

Garmin today announced the Garmin DriveTrack™ 72, a multifunctional GPS navigator that tracks up to 20 sporting dogs1 in the field. From inside their vehicle, hunters can follow their pack using the 7-inch, high-resolution display and view each dog’s distance, direction and status. They can also get to and from the hunt with detailed mapping for on- and off-road navigation, including satellite imagery for an overhead view to help traverse unfamiliar terrain. Read more

Hunting

MDT Launches the Hand Cannon Slingshot

A Precision-Built, Fully Modular Evolution of a Timeless Classic

MDT, a leader in precision shooting innovation, is proud to announce the launch of the MDT Hand Cannon Slingshot, a modern reimagining of a childhood staple, engineered with the same rigor and performance-driven mindset behind MDT’s Chassis Systems.

Built from CNC-machined anodized aluminum and designed around a fully modular architecture, the MDT Hand Cannon Slingshot elevates simple backyard fun into a precision shooting platform. With interchangeable grips, sighting options, accessory interfaces, and tunable flat bands, it adapts to nearly any shooting style: competition, training, hunting, or pure recreation.

The MDT Hand Cannon Slingshot is built as a modern precision tool, far beyond the simple slingshots most shooters grew up with. Its rigid 6061 aluminum body eliminates flex, giving every draw and release a consistent, controlled feel. The result is a level of repeatability that turns casual backyard shooting into something far more refined.

Customization is at the core of the design. A rotating ambidextrous handle mount allows shooters to position the grip left, right, or centered to match their preferred draw style. With multiple grip options, including small, large, and AR pistol-grip compatible choices, users can create anything from a compact, minimalist build to a full-featured setup with added palm support.

The platform’s modularity takes things further. Integrated Picatinny rails, sling studs, and bolt-on sight interfaces give shooters room to add lights, lasers, SEND iT levels, lanyards, and other accessories. Whether kept clean or fully outfitted, the system adapts to the shooter’s needs. Read more

Hunting

Theodore Roosevelt’s World’s Record Cougar

The following is from the Boone & Crockett Club

Colorado 1901

Theodore Roosevelt is the only U.S. president with his name in the Boone and Crockett records. And as far as we know, he’s the only hunter to kill a World’s Record with a hunting knife.

On November 6, 1900, William McKinley was elected the 25th president of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt would serve as his vice president until McKinley’s assassination on September 14, 1901. Before being sworn in as vice president, Roosevelt needed an adventure and a little fresh air, far from politics and the East Coast. In January 1901, he left for Meeker, Colorado, to chase cougars for five weeks. He was heading to the White River between Coyote Basin and Colorow Mountain.

Because Science

Roosevelt insisted his hunting expedition was in the name of science. After all, he was collecting cougar and bobcat specimens for Dr. C. Hart Merriam, head of the Biological Survey, now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To be fair, Roosevelt did turn over the spoils of his hunt to the Biological Survey, including 14 cougar specimens. Dr. Merriam was pleased. “Your series of skulls from Colorado is incomparably the largest, most complete, and most valuable series ever brought together from any single locality and will be of inestimable value in determining the amount of individual variation,” Merriam wrote.

For his Colorado hunt, Roosevelt chose local hunter and houndsman Peter Goff to guide him. Goff and his dogs were well-known in the tracking business. After 16 years of chasing cougars, Goff had roughly 300 lions to his name. “This was always Roosevelt’s secret as an outdoorsman; he had a genius (and the money) for finding the best hunt guides available for every expedition,” writes historian Douglas Brinkley.

aa_tr-cougar-johngoff.jpg

Goff and Roosevelt (right) stand over the first of 14 cougars taken on the trip.

While riding through the pinyons and canyons by horseback, Roosevelt enjoyed watching the hounds work. In writing about his hunt in With the Cougar Hounds, he describes the dogs as he would an old hunting buddy, enamored with the quality of their training, unique personalities—and, of course, their ability to climb trees and latch onto their quarry.

The Hunt

One of the first set of tracks ended when Roosevelt thrust his knife behind the shoulder of the smallest cougar of the hunt. The dogs had subdued an older female cougar that weighed just 47 pounds. As the dogs latched onto the lion with their powerful jaws, Roosevelt finished it. He writes Read more

Hunting

Judge Agrees with SAF, Declines to Halt Florida Bear Hunt

Two weeks ago, SAF filed a friend of the court brief urging a Tallahassee court not to halt Florida’s first bear hunt in a decade. Last night, the court agreed with SAF. The bear hunt will begin on December 6, as scheduled.

The same legal tactics were tried, and similarly failed, during Florida’s 2015 bear hunt.

From the bench Judge Dempsey said, “That 2015 hunt was found constitutional under the rational basis test, and this hunt is significantly more conservative than that hunt … both in number of bears that could be harvested, as well as the timing, when it’s a little less likely for more female bears to be killed.”

“This is a great win for hunters and science-based wildlife management,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “The court considered the science and the fact that the Florida Constitution gives the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission exclusive authority to manage the state’s wildlife. It then held that the Plaintiffs were not likely to succeed on the merits. We couldn’t ask for more.”

The bear hunt is scheduled to begin on December 6 and will end on December 28. Read more

Hunting

SCI & FWC Victorious in Protecting Florida Black Bear Hunt

Safari Club International is proud to share that a Florida court has denied a temporary injunction to stop Florida’s highly regulated black bear hunt. SCI’s legal intervention in Florida has helped secure the future of this important hunt, which will begin to manage Florida’s expanding bear population and reduce human-bear conflicts and vehicle collisions.

The hunt, approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in August, was put at risk when anti-hunting groups filed a lawsuit to overturn the decision. After plaintiff Bear Warriors United sued to stop the hunt, SCI immediately moved to join in the case to protect the state’s first black bear hunt in a decade.

SCI and Florida’s wildlife management authority have fought this lawsuit with the facts. Florida’s bear population is healthy, and the FWC’s approved hunt is conservative and backed with sound science. Ultimately, the court recognized the FWC’s right to rely on a regulated hunt as a wildlife management tool and recreational opportunity. The court also agreed with SCI’s arguments that the plaintiff failed to provide credible evidence against the hunt. With these successful arguments, the season will proceed as scheduled on December 6, 2025.

Although this ruling is a major victory, anti-hunters are still attempting to undermine the hunt by purchasing tags with no intention of using them. The FWC has only allocated a conservative 172 black bear tags for this year’s hunt. All of them will be needed if Floridians want to stem the rising number of human-bear conflicts and the 300-plus vehicle strikes the state sees every year. Florida’s black bear population continues to grow rapidly, leading to more dangerous encounters, including a fatal attack this past summer. SCI urges Floridians to recognize the urgency of this hunt and to continue supporting science-based wildlife management to maintain the state’s ecological balance.

“Hunting plays an essential role in maintaining animal populations and conserving wildlife around the world,” said SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin. “The fight for legal black bear hunting in Florida perfectly crystallizes this fact, which is why SCI is one of the only organizations deploying money and time to tip the scales in the fight to defend hunters’ rights in the courtroom. SCI’s premier legal defense team will always be first in line to thwart radical and frivolous anti-hunting litigation.” Read more

Hunting

Tips on Scoring a Whitetail Deer from Boone and Crockett

Measuring a whitetail deer rack accurately requires precision and a basic understanding of the rules, particularly the tricky distinctions between normal and abnormal points and the main beam. Following these critical guidelines can help ensure a smooth entry process and an accurate score. 

Tips on Measuring a Whitetail Deer

Proper prep work helps is an investment that will save you time in the long run. 

Pre-Scoring Preparation: Marking and Baselines Read more

Hunting

Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation Enters Fight Over Florida Bear Hunt

SAF files ‘friend of the court’ brief defending Florida FWC Commission rule authorizing bear hunt

On Friday, Nov. 14, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation filed a friend of the court, or amicus curiae, brief opposing an extremist group’s attempt to halt Florida’s first bear hunt in 10 years.

Florida black bears have had a remarkable recovery. They were listed as a threatened species under the state’s equivalent of the Endangered Species Act from 1974-2012. The population has increased from roughly 500 to 4,000 in that timeframe.

After this recovery, a hunt was held in 2015. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) lobbied the governor to stop it. HSUS’ lobbying attempts were unsuccessful, and so was a lawsuit filed by Speak Up Wekiva, with support from the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity. The hunt proceeded and 304 bears were harvested across the state’s four bear management units. The harvest quota was hit on the second day of the hunt, and the hunt was shut down accordingly. The controversy surrounding that early closure resulted in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission not authorizing any hunts since then, despite keeping the option open when it approved the 2019 bear management plan.

In August 2025, the commission adopted a rule authorizing a hunt to begin December 6. Like the last hunt, that did not go unchallenged. An extremist group called Bear Warriors United has challenged the lawsuit and filed a motion to enjoin the hunt. The suit argues that the hunt is unsupported by science and the commission unconstitutionally delegated its authority to another branch of the government.

Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation filed a brief opposing that motion and supporting the hunt. The brief argues that hunt was lawfully authorized under the Florida Constitution, was supported by sufficient scientific data, and the plaintiffs have not shown that they will be irreparably harmed by the hunt, which prevents the court from issuing the preliminary injunction. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting

Vandalism Cripples Waterfowl Habitat at Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA

Arkansas Waterfowl hunters scouting Ed Gordon Point Remove Wildlife Management Area in Conway County will notice a significant lack of flooded habitat for ducks, shorebirds and other winter migrants during the early portion of the upcoming duck season. This habitat loss is the result of vandalism on the WMA’s water-delivery system.

Earlier this year, thieves stripped all copper wiring to the electric motor and variable frequency drive controls that operate a 200-horsepower pump that helps flood the WMA’s moist soil units. According to Alex Zachary, wildlife biologist for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 20 of the 23 moist-soil impoundments on the WMA are flooded with the aid of this pump and a 7-mile network of underground pipes to offer native seed-producing plants that are essential to waterfowl and other migrants during winter.

The theft was much more than a few wires and required extensive repairs. Every electrical component that gives the relift pump “life” was taken.

“They essentially stripped everything from the meter loop to the VFD and motor,” Zachary said. “They cut the wire so close to the motor itself that we had to have it pulled and rewound. And the VFD was completely gutted.” Read more

Hunting
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