Anyone reading this could look at my daily step counts since early February and know exactly what I’ve been up to. For me, it’s partly a coping mechanism, and partly a thrill in itself to comb the whitetail woods in search of discarded headgear. Peak shed season falls perfectly between trapping season and turkey season, which gives my outdoor-obsessed brain something to cling to in the void. But shed hunting on public land is often a low-odds deal, no matter how hopeful I am when I walk out the door.This is the reality for a lot of hunters, and it…

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced nearly $1.3 billion is being delivered to state conservation and wildlife access programs. The funds—which also help operate, maintain and establish target ranges nationwide—are derived from Pittman-Robertson excise taxes paid by firearm and ammunition manufacturers and Dingell-Johnson excise taxes paid by the angling industry. A total of $804,790,385 of the nearly $1.3 billion is directly sourced from firearm and ammunition excise taxes paid by manufacturers. Since the program began in 1937, more than $31 billion has been distributed through annual apportionments to states. “State wildlife agencies are critical partners who are…

Time to start the garden and not spend time watching world news.  I can’t change a thing that is happening, but I can grow food and pray.  I must stay focused on the farm and move forward rather than spend time fretting and scanning “the news”.  Fear can be paralyzing.  Growing food and praying are the most important things I can do, at this time, in this place. Unless we get a surprise Spring cold snap, which is likely, the weather should be fairly mild temperature wise, from here on out for my location in Tennessee.  Our long range weather forecast looks mild (in…

On March 6, 1836, the Battle of the Alamo ended, after 13 days of fighting. 1,500 to 3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelmed the Texan defenders, killing at least 182 Texans, including William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett. — Today is the birthday of Georg Johann Luger (March 6, 1849 – December 22, 1923). He was the Austrian designer of the famous Luger pistol and the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. — March 6th was the birthday of Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper Jr., born in 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Cooper died at age 77 at his home in Ventura, California, October 4, 2004.…

Baiting is one of the biggest hot-button issues in hunting. Regardless of species, everyone has an opinion. This is especially true for deer hunting, where antler inches can make toddlers out of grown men. Opponents of baiting often raise ethical or moral questions about the tactic itself and the risk of potential disease exposure involved with congregated deer herds. Those in favor of baiting compare it to food plots or similar strategies for attracting and holding deer at specific locations.I live in Mississippi, where baiting is legal. Its restrictions are mainly limited to public lands. For whitetail hunting on private…

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00:00:01 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your guide to the whitetail woods, presented by First Light, creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. First Light Go farther, stay longer, and now your host, Mark Kenyon. 00:00:19 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. This week on the show, I’m joined by legendary whitetail bow hunter Andy May to discuss the scouting strategies and philosophies that separate the elite deer hunter from the average. All right, welcome back to the Wired Hunt podcast, brought to you by First Light. Today we…

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Before I begin this analysis of the situation in the Middle East and its consequences, I want to warn people that this examination is going to be largely secular and nuanced; which means people on both sides of the divide are going to be perturbed and moan about it. Frankly, I don’t care. To be clear, I’m not interested in the “plight” of the Palestinians, the Islamic regime in Iran or the conspiracy theories of “groypers.” I find appeals of empathy and compassion for Islamic societies to be naive – They are perfectly indifferent and hostile to the west, they…

Today is the 75th birthday of Texas singer/songwriter Willis Alan Ramsey. He was born March 5th, 1951.  He is best known for his songs Northeast Texas Women and Muskrat Candlelight (aka Muskrat Love.) The latter became a hit when it was covered by both the bands America and Captain & Tennille. Oddly, Ramsey only had one released record album. — This is also the birthday of Howard Pyle (1853-1911) an influential American book illustrator, painter, and author. He was the mentor of many great American artists including Thornton Oakley, Frank E. Schoonover, Allen Tupper True, and of course his most…