Boone & Crockett – John Plute’s World’s Record Elk

Colorado 1899

Few hunting stories last a generation. Even fewer last 120 years. Rest assured, when those stories involve cowboys, Colorado’s backcountry, and a World’s Record elk, the legend sticks around. So it is with John Plute’s giant elk.

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The few pictures of John Plute that still exist show a steely-eyed man, tan from the eyebrows down, with a thick cowboy mustache that all other mustaches aspire to be. Those who knew Plute described him as a strong man, a quiet loner who wanted to hunt in the mountains rather than dig in the mines. He was born in Austria around 1867 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1889.

At the turn of the 20th century in Crested Butte, Colorado, the gold fields had been played out. Coal was king, and the miners needed to eat. Plute lived in a boarding house above a bar. The owner traded boarding for meat, and Plute lived to hunt even though the game was scarce in the hills. One day, Plute saddled his horse, slid his .30-40 Krag into its scabbard and rode into Dark Canyon northwest of town.

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Plute, left, hunted meat, which he traded for his boarding in Crested Butte, Colorado.

The Hunt Read more

Hunting

Painted Bunting Backyard Research

The species’ remarkable combination of colors is evident in this Painted Bunting photo taken by David Hollie. Are you lucky enough to see male and female Painted Buntings at one of your seed feeders?

The oldest Painted Bunting on record was banded 14 years ago, and still returns to the same yard each spring (photo by Jim Konrad).

A program that enlisted the help of birders who attracted Painted Buntings to their feeding stations was initiated by a group of biologists centered in the Carolinas – the Painted Bunting Observation Team (PBOT) – a research program that banded and monitored buntings across the East Coast side of the species’ range. Feeder hosts let the group know when they were attracting Painted Buntings to their feeders, which would elicit a response by a team member to capture, band, and release the colorful songbirds to learn more about them.

Thereafter, the host birders recorded the activities of banded Painted Buntings at their feeders, sometimes over the course of years, which revealed information about their longevity, site fidelity, and other behaviors to the team, and to science. This all started 14 years ago, when Lex Glover, a retired wildlife biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and Jamie Rotenburg, a professor at the University of North Carolina, started the PBOT. During that first season, one special male Painted Bunting was banded that would make this story even more significant.

After the Painted Bunting was banded, its activities were monitored and documented by Ann Knolte and Hank Stallworth at their feeding station at their stunning farmhouse surrounded by flower gardens in South Carolina. In fact, even after the PBOT program ended, Ann Knolte continued taking detailed notes of bunting behavior in her yard that included information about the banded bunting that continued to visit the area for years. Read more

Wildlife

Boating Boneheads

— Frank Sargeant

It was a bad weekend for boaters.

An angler in a 12’ jon boat was found far at sea two days after he pushed off from a St. Augustine, Florida, boat ramp and headed out the inlet to fish at 4 a.m.

An explosion at a gas dock in California killed two women and injured several others.

And head of the N.Y. branch of the publishing group that owns the rights to Harry Potter died off Italy’s Amalfi coast when a motorboat her family had chartered crashed into a 100’ white sailboat in broad daylight.

All of these events could easily have been avoided—but hindsight is always more accurate than oversight, of course.

Charles Gregory of St. Augustine, FL, was found after two days adrift in a 12′ jon boat some 12 miles at sea. (Joe Perez, USCG)

The Florida Rescue

The search for the Florida boater came to a dramatic end when the U.S. Coast Guard found him drifting 12 miles off Jacksonville Beach — in a boat that was largely underwater, as shown in Coast Guard video.

Charles Gregory, 25, was rescued Saturday, nearly two days after he launched from the Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp late Thursday to go fishing for bull reds at the inlet—something he had done frequently in the past. Read more

Fishing

MidwayUSA Foundation Collaborates with Industry Leaders to Feature Makayla Scott’s Field of Dreams During National Shooting Sports Month

MidwayUSA Foundation currently funds approximately 2,800 youth shooting teams at the high school and collegiate level. This results in thousands of youth athletes competing in shooting sports across the nation because funding is available. One of those athletes can be found in the hills of West Virginia breaking clays on a trap field that exists because of her determination and industry leaders believing in her goals.

Makayla Scott wasn’t always so determined. In and out of foster care at a young age, she struggled to fit in. That changed when she found her forever family in The Scotts and at the same time, found her passion for pulling the trigger. Makayla was twelve years old when she joined the local 4-H shotgun team and recalls that life-changing moment. “There was a wonderful team of coaches that got me behind that shotgun. As soon as I took that first shot, the first thing I hit…it was like fireworks.” Fast forward years later and Makayla’s desire to give other youth that same experience, led to building a trap field in her own backyard. Appropriately named ‘Field of Dreams,’ Makayla turned this dream into a reality through hard work and the collaboration of three companies. Read more

Firearms

NubAbility Holds Third Annual 3D Archery Camp and Fundraiser for Limb-Different Kids

DUQUOIN, IL – NubAbility® Athletics Foundation announced today that the organization will be holding a 3D archery clinic for limb-different children Saturday, August 12th through Sunday, August 13th, and a 3D archery fundraiser tournament on Sunday, August 13th. The clinic is for children ages four to seventeen with congenital or traumatic limb loss; the charity tournament is open to all. Both events will be held at the Old Hickory Lake Bowmen Club, 480 Shute Lane in Hermitage, Tennessee. NubAbility is a 501(c)3 charity that helps limb-different children gain confidence and courage through instruction in 24 organized and outdoor sports.

3D archery incorporates three dimensional targets of artificial common game animals placed along an outdoor walking path to create a real-life setting for developing archery skills. “We are grateful to Old Hickory Lake Bowmen Club and The Archery Den for providing access to unique and beautiful private grounds to hold these events,” said NubAbility founder and executive director Sam Kuhnert. “Their generosity makes it possible for limb-different kids to learn and hone their archery skills while experiencing the natural beauty of Tennessee.” Read more

Archery

Military Armament Corporation’s M2 Semi-Auto Defense Shotgun

Knoxville, Tennessee – The necessity for mobile, survival, personal and home defense becomes more evident with each passing day! When it comes to overall effectiveness, versatility and adaptability, there is no better firearm for such situations than a shotgun, Military Armament Corporation’s MAC 2 Tactical Wood, 12-gauge! The MAC 2 shotgun is light-weight, versatile, highly maneuverable, and highly effective when it comes to close range encounters. The affordable shotgun easily fits a family’s budget and performs equally well for law enforcement.

The MAC 2, chambered in 12-gauge for 3-inch shells, receiver is made of 7075 aluminum and is built to manage shotshells up through the hardest-hitting magnum loads. The shotgun’s inertia system helps control recoil and allows for quick accurate follow-up shots. Its lightweight, 6.5-pounds, makes it quick pointing and easy to carry on all day patrols. Read more

Firearms

Whitetails Unlimited Grants $53,000 to Catch-A-Dream Foundation

Whitetails Unlimited recently completed the second half of the Dream Sheds V program which raised more than $53,000 for the Catch-A-Dream Foundation. That brings this year’s program total to over $110,000. Since the inception of Dream Sheds in 2012, Whitetails Unlimited has provided grants totaling just shy of $700,000 to the Catch-A-Dream Foundation.

The Dream Sheds concept began when Mark and Terry Drury, who have produced extraordinary hunting videos and television shows for over 30 years as Drury Outdoors, approached Whitetails Unlimited with an innovative idea. They had collected a large number of exceptional shed antlers from their properties in Iowa and Missouri and were willing to donate them to use as a fundraiser for a worthy cause. Working with WTU, the Catch-A-Dream Foundation was identified, and the program came together. This is now the fifth time Terry and Mark have provided the sheds that help make this program successful.

Catch-A-Dream is a national, charitable foundation, that provides once-in-a-lifetime dream hunting and fishing trips to children across the United States and Canada, age 18 and younger, who suffer from life-threatening illnesses. Through these adventures, and exposure to outdoors-minded people who care, the program instills in these children a message of encouragement at a time when they need to know that hope does exist. For more information about the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, visit catchadream.org. Read more

General

Win Kalashnikov KR-103 Rifle Package with Summer Stickers from Primary Arms

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Primary Arms has launched their 2023 Summer Stickers Giveaway with weekly drawings and a grand prize rifle package!

Every August, Primary Arms sends out a free sticker series with every order, giving their customers a chance to enter this exclusive summer giveaway. By entering, shoppers can receive exciting weekly prizes—and one lucky winner will take home the grand prize: a complete Kalashnikov USA KR-103 7.62×39 Rifle Package, outfitted with optics, accessories, range gear, and more.

Entering the giveaways is easy. If you placed an order on PrimaryArms.com during the month of August, you’ll receive a special sticker with a QR code on the front. Scanning the QR code will take you to the Summer Stickers homepage, where you can register and claim your free entry by posting a picture of your sticker on social media, including Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Once you’ve posted your sticker and completed registration, you’ll be eligible to win one of the weekly prizes or the grand prize rifle package. Read more

Firearms, Optics

NWTF Announces Dates for its 2023 Conservation Week

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — For the third year, the National Wild Turkey Federation is hosting NWTF Conservation Week — Sept. 17-22 — to bring awareness and emphasis to its national conservation mission and the critical role hunters play in creating Healthy Habitats and Health Harvests.

“Conservation Week showcases the scope of our year-round mission delivery, which is made possible through our organization’s volunteers, staff and partners,” said NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff. “While the spring season may be over, our work to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage never stops. This is a week all about putting the spotlight on our incredible work and celebrating the people who make our unfaltering mission possible.” Read more

Wildlife

SCOTUS Grants Stay in Frame, Receiver Case During 5th Circuit Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a stay sought by the Biden administration in a federal challenge of the “new rule” on frames and receivers published by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, allowing the rule to remain in effect while the case moves through the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) was allowed to intervene in the case, which is known as VanDerStok v. Garland, as a plaintiff. The high court stay is in effect through the final disposition of the appeal, including a petition for certiorari. If that petition is made and denied, the stay terminates. If certiorari is granted, the stay remains in effect pending the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“While we are disappointed that the Government’s final rule remains in effect pending the outcome of our appeal,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut, “we remain optimistic that we will ultimately prevail. We believe the district court’s rationale, striking down the final rule, was legally sound and we look forward to defending our position on appeal.” Read more

Gun Control
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