Hunting 17 - ThinkingAfield.org

Elk and bear license applications on sale now through June 1

May 2, 2025 Glen Wunderlich

For bear hunters, the option of a second hunt choice has been eliminated. Applicants can apply for one hunt choice.

You could get two tags in a single year with Pure Michigan Hunt!

Elk and bear license applications are on sale now through June 1. You can increase your odds, or even get two tags in a single year, by picking up Pure Michigan Hunt applications while you’re applying for bear and elk.

Previous Pure Michigan Hunt recipient Jerry Peak of Crystal did exactly that! He managed to grab two elk tags, which were used to harvest two beautiful, 6-by-6 bull elk. The secret of Jerry’s success? He applied for his elk tag as usual, but he also applied for – and was one of the people drawn for – the Pure Michigan Hunt. Read more

Hunting

SCI: Enter to Win the Ultimate Safari Sweepstakes

May 1, 2025 Glen Wunderlich

Enter to Win the Ultimate Safari Sweepstakes

Experience the adventure of a lifetime with the Ultimate Safari Sweepstakes, offering an extraordinary package that includes a 46?+ Cape Buffalo and 46?+ Sable hunt in South Africa alongside Nick Hoffman, the star of Nick’s Wild Ride on the Outdoor Channel. This unforgettable package with Wintershoek Safaris offers an all-inclusive 10-day, 11-night stay at 5-star lodge, Camp Wag n Bietjie, for one hunter and one observer.

Enjoy a $4,000 flight credit, a membership to Global Rescue Services, a shoulder mount taxidermy from Splitting Image Taxidermy, and a $800 customs broker credit from Coppersmith. Hunters choose their method of take, with field preparation included.

And that’s not all—an impressive array of gear is included too! The package features: Read more

Contests, Hunting

Michigan: Apply for Bear and Elk Licenses

May 1, 2025 Glen Wunderlich

The 2025 bear and elk hunting license application period is open May 1 through June 1. Apply anywhere hunting licenses are sold, online at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or on the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app. Applications are $5.

Aren’t planning to hunt this year? Increase your odds for next year and purchase your elk chance or bear preference point instead!

Take a few moments to watch the videos explaining the bear and elk license drawing process:

Hunting units and season date information to assist in purchasing your applications is available at Michigan.gov/Elk and Michigan.gov/Bear. Questions? Call the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 by June 1 for assistance with applications. Drawing results will be posted online June 23.

Hunters who want another chance at a bear or elk license can increase their odds by applying for the Pure Michigan Hunt! Applications are $5 and are available at any license agent or online at eLicense. Hunters may buy as many applications as they want. Three lucky winners will get prize packages – learn more at Michigan.gov/PMH.

Hunting

“Buy Often, Win Big” Program Offers Incentives

April 23, 2025 Glen Wunderlich

Conservation First USA is not only offering $10 raffle tickets for a chance to hunt big game in Arizona, but the group also is entering you into monthly drawings to win BONUS PRIZES. Yes, you read that right.

One person will win April’s bonus prize: a $500 gift card to SCHEELS. Do not miss this opportunity. Visit the website to buy your raffle tickets and learn more about the monthly bonus prize drawings.

Buy tickets today!

Details:

Raffle tickets are $10 each, per species (elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, bison, turkey, javelina, bear and mountain lion).
The deadline to purchase tickets is June 30.
The winner can hunt for 365 days (Aug. 15, 2025, to Aug. 14, 2026).
Raffle tickets must be purchased online, and the buyer must be in Arizona at the time of purchase.
The drawing will be conducted in July.
A complete set of rules can be found here.

In the 19-year history of the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle, more than $12 million have been raised for wildlife and wildlife management in Arizona.

BUY NOW

Hunting

Brady’s First Turkey Hunt

April 21, 2025 Glen Wunderlich

Brady’s First Turkey Hunt

After a quick lesson with the vintage Stevens .410 bolt-action shotgun, Landon and Brady went for their first turkey hunt in Shiawassee County, Michigan on opening day (4/19/25). Brady connected on this fine gobbler with an 11-inch beard and 1-inch spurs. The ammo was Apex Ninja, 9 1/2 size shot TSS.

Brady’s First Turkey Hunt Successful and the hero’s walk home.

General, Hunting

The Importance of Records in Big Game Management

April 18, 2025 Glen Wunderlich

When you enter your trophy into the Boone and Crockett system, you aren’t just honoring the animal and its habitat. You are participating in a data collection system that started in the 1920s and was refined by Club members in 1950. Today, there are nearly 60,000 trophy records. By establishing a records database more than 70 years ago, the Boone and Crockett Club established a scientific baseline from which researchers can use to study wildlife management. If you’re still on the fence about entering your trophy, we encourage you to read Why Should I Bother to Enter My Trophy. To the best of our ability, we ensure that the trophies entered into the records were taken in accordance with the tenets of fair chase ethics. Despite what some may think, the Boone and Crockett records are not about a name or a score in a book—because in the end, there’s so much more to the score.