It has all the makings of a horror movie — a 300-pound beast with oversized teeth running amok in forests and fields, eating everything it can. FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — It has all the makings of a horror movie — a 300-pound beast with oversized teeth running amok in forests and fields, eating everything it can. Instead, it is a real-life scenario that is becoming more common in the Tennessee Valley and across the nation as the feral hog population expands. Feral hogs, descendants of farm animals that escaped or were purposely set free, are wreaking havoc on farm crops and pastures and destroying wildlife habitat throughout the nation. Wildlife officials estimate the nation's feral hog population at more than 4 million, and estimates show they cause more than $1.5 billion in damage each year in the United States. Feral hogs are not just a problem for rural areas. In 2010, hunters were called in to help remove feral hogs that invaded the Florence sportsplex on the western edge of the city. Traps also were used in the effort to remove hogs from the sportsplex. Todd Nix, community services director for the city of Florence, said the wild hogs learned to avoid the area after hunters and traps were used in the effort to remove them. Nix said hog tracks can still be found at the edge of the sportsplex property at Alabama 20 and Gunwaleford Road, but the swine have learned if they come into the open they may be shot or trapped. "We have eliminated the problem, but we have not eliminated the hogs,'' Nix said. "That was not our goal. We knew we would never get rid of all the hogs, but we wanted to train them to stay away from the fields at the sportsplex.'' Hunting and trapping are the two most popular methods used to slow the feral hog population explosion. Biologists admit hunters cannot eradicate the wild hog population, but hunting helps keep the animals under control. There is no closed season or bag limit for feral hogs in Alabama. Permits are available allowing landowners and farmers who are being overrun by feral hogs to hunt them at night. Officials at Bankhead National Forest are asking hunters to join a feral hog hunt that runs through Sept. 18. Barry Baird, biologist at the Black Warrior Wildlife Management Area in Bankhead Forest, said he hopes hunters will take advantage of the upcoming hunt and help reduce the feral hog population there. "They are real nuisance,'' he said. "The more hunters can remove from the forest, the better.'' In Tennessee, lawmakers have removed game animal status for wild hogs, reclassifying them as a nuisance and liberalizing harvest limits. "Feral hogs are a huge problem,'' said Allison Cochran, biologist at Bankhead National Forest. "They are a nuisance animal that causes extensive damage to the land and native plants, and they compete with native wildlife like deer and turkey for habitat. Feral hogs are the number one enemy for native wildlife and plants.'' Chris Jaworowski, a wildlife biologist for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said there are few things wild hogs won't eat. "A hog is an opportunistic omnivore,'' Jaworowski said. "Pretty much anything they can get in their mouth, they are going to eat.'' A feral hog's diet includes acorns and other food eaten by native wildlife. "A hog going through the forest where there has been an acorn drop is just like a vacuum cleaner,'' Jaworowski said. "They will pick the forest floor clean of acorns that could have provided food for native species.'' Feral hogs will eat wild turkey eggs and those of other ground-nesting birds, Cochran said. They also eat birds, frogs, deer fawns and other animals they are able to catch. In addition, feral swine can destroy endangered plants by rooting and wallowing. Erosion caused when the hogs root up the soil can lead to silt in nearby streams and harm rare fish and other animals that live there, Cochran said. Jaworowski said feral hogs were once limited to southern Alabama. In recent years, the animals have spread throughout the state, though. "We now have feral hogs in pretty much every county in the state,'' he said. "It's not just a problem in Alabama. It's a national problem. Since 1982, feral hogs have spread from nine states to 45.'' The earliest feral swine in Alabama were escaped hogs that European explorers brought to America almost 500 years ago. Jaworowski said more recently, well-meaning hunters played a major role in the proliferation of wild hogs. He said hunters hoping to create hog-hunting opportunities close to home would catch the animals in one area and move them to another. Also, farmers who no longer can afford to feed their hogs have released them throughout the state. Once the animals are released, their population typically increases rapidly and the animals spread to adjoining property. Department of Conservation biologists said it's impossible to estimate the number of wild hogs in Alabama because the population is expanding so fast and the animals are most active late at night and rarely seen by anyone trying to count them. Ron Eakes, a supervising biologist at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources office in Tanner, said it's undeniable that the state's feral hog population is increasing rapidly. The typical feral sow has two litters of four to 14 piglets each year. He said two pairs of wild hogs and their offspring can produce 16,000 piglets in three years. "They reproduce incredibly fast,'' he said. "With no predators, it doesn't take long for a population of feral hogs to reach problem levels once they move into an area.'' The hogs generally live six to eight years. Jaworowski said a single adult feral hog can cause $2,000 in damage to farm crops in a year. Alabama farmers reported they caused more than $90 million in damage to their crops in 2010. That doesn't include the amount of money being spent in an effort to eliminate them. "Wild hogs are a huge problem for agriculture,'' said Eric Schavey, a regional agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "They will walk through a field knocking down corn stalks and eating the corn. They will root in wheat fields and soybean fields, causing lots of damage.'' Florence farmer Randall Vaden has had wild hogs damage his fields along Gunwaleford Road. "They can really ruin a cornfield,'' Vaden said. "I've seen them go row by row digging up the seed when a field is first planted in the spring and then come back and push down the stalks to eat the ears in the summer.'' Jaworowski said hunters who released swine likely did not realize the problems the animals would cause. "They didn't know the hogs were going to take food from the deer and wild turkey and destroy the turkey and quail nests,'' he said. "They didn't realize the hogs they released on their 200-acre hunting lease were going to leave that property and cause problems over a large area. A hunter who lets a hog go can cause problems for farmers 10 miles or more from where the animal is released.'' It is illegal to release swine into the wild in Alabama and Tennessee or to transport live feral hogs. Dwight Cooley, manager of Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur and Key Cave Wildlife Refuge in Florence, said crops planted at both refuges have been damaged by feral hogs. Grain crops are grown to provide food for wildlife. At Key Cave, a portion of the property is rented to a farmer who grows cash crops such as corn and soybeans. "The feral hogs can cause major damage by rooting up the corn and soybean fields,'' Cooley said. "Where they have dug up the ground, it looks like the war movies where mortars have hit and left big craters in the ground. Feral hogs can do a tremendous amount of crop damage.'' Jade Keeton said wild hogs frequently damage food plots for wildlife on land in western Lauderdale County where he and his family hunt. Despite the damage, wild swine have redeeming qualities. "They are really good to eat,'' Keeton said. "I mean really, really good to eat.'' In Tennessee, landowners are being urged to kill every feral hog on their property. Feral swine in Tennessee are no longer protected by hunting laws. Doug Markham, a spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, said the state's wild hog population has risen dramatically in recent years, prompting lawmakers to declare open season on the animals. Permits are available to allow wild hogs to be shot at night in Tennessee and to be lured into shooting range by spreading corn or other bait on the ground. "We no longer refer to harvesting wild hogs as hunting,'' Markham said. "We are calling it eradication. We know we will never be able to eradicate them, but hopefully we can slow them down.''

Half the battle of executing the perfect shot is mental. Use imagery to connect on your next shot. by Jack Young Imagine that you’re making the perfect shot—that’s when it will happen. Once you’ve mastered the physical aspects of shooting a bow it’s your mind that dictates shooting efficiency. Shooting well, especially under pressure, is largely about controlling anxiety. Bowhunting is a theater of unpredictability, buck-fever, even target panic feeding on this inherent uncertainty. The more important a “trophy,” the higher the degree of stress. Begin With Breathing Exercises Soothing performance anxiety begins with simple breathing exercises. Start by inhaling slowly, deeply, and evenly through your nose. Hold that breath momentarily before gently exhaling through your mouth. Each time you exhale, silently mouth the word “relax.” After even a few breaths you should feel your nerves calming. Use Imagery For Positive Performance Studies of elite athletes also prove mental imagery affects success. An all-sensory experience promotes positive physical performance. Imagery creates a mental map for performance by fostering confidence and reducing performance anxiety. Imagery, unlike simple visualization, includes feelings of movement, sound, smells, and emotions. It requires practice to summon on demand. In imagery, the deer hunter does not simply see his arrow zipping through vitals, he hears crunching leaves as the deer approaches and acorns rattling through oak branches. He smells the dank forest. In his imagination, he sees that the correct pin is placed just so and the arrow releases smoothly. He follows through with a sense of determination. The subsequent sounds of the shot and feel of riser jumping are also part of the experience. The ultimate goal is to develop vividness and clarity. Even the nervous energy involved helps stimulate the senses. Control Thoughts, And Beware Imagery Pitfalls Imagery is helpful, but also understand that it can turn destructive. Seeing yourself crumble or missing an easy shot is hardly helpful. Controlled imagery provides the opportunity to correct past errors and create positive results. Should negative thoughts arise, imagine a literal STOP sign. At the STOP, redirect thoughts by recalling a past success and replicating it on your mind’s eye, with yourself in the role of successful performer. With time you can apply mental imagery in conjunction with physical action to create more productive shooting practice. Don’t simply plunk one mechanical arrow after another into a block target. Set up 3-D targets in realistic settings and approach them as if they were the real thing. Talk Yourself Through The Shot It’s important on occasion to talk to yourself sternly (if silently) through an impending shot. Sometimes you simply have to remind yourself of each important step in the shooting sequence; especially shooting form. Most often, you have to tell yourself to slow down. The pressured mind often loses its ability to accurately account for passing time. Everything seems to occur in a blur when nothing has actually changed. Forgive Yourself, Move On Just as importantly, don’t let a single failure defeat you mentally. Develop the ability to forgive yourself, leave the past behind. Learn from mistakes and turn them into positive experiences. Tell yourself, “Glad that’s out of the way. Now I’m ready.” This is more productive than allowing self-doubt to fester and grow. It takes willpower. Use positive mental imagery to create that will. Success breeds confidence. While experienced bowhunters certainly become selective as years pass, this does not mean they cannot use the occasional confidence booster. Off-season wild boars, does during regular seasons, and small game all help support that confidence.

Fewer pheasants mean hunters in North Dakota could bag fewer than half a million roosters for the first time in a decade, state officials said. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Fewer pheasants mean hunters in North Dakota could bag fewer than half a million roosters for the first time in a decade, state officials said. A roadside survey conducted in late July and August found the pheasant population was down 36 percent statewide from last year. Brood surveys, which are considered the best indicator of pheasant production, showed a 38 percent drop. "Brood survey numbers from this summer match closely to numbers from 2001, when hunters harvested 420,000 roosters,'' said Stan Kohn, state Game and Fish Department spokesman. "If fall weather conditions hold through most of the year, I could see a fall harvest of about 400,000 birds. "But if winter sets in early, we could be much lower.'' Pheasant counts show the most in southwestern North Dakota, Kohn said. While the number of birds and broods were down 26 percent in that area, that's less of a decline than elsewhere. Wildlife officials attribute the low numbers to three straight difficult winters with above average snowfall, wet conditions during peak hatch in three of the last four years, and the loss of nesting habitat as the result of Conversation Reserve Program acreage being removed from the pheasant range. "Boiled down, hunters will likely have to put in more time to find success,'' Kohn said. The regular pheasant hunting season opens Oct. 8 and continues through Jan. 8. A two-day youth pheasant hunting weekend is scheduled for Oct. 1-2.

going to be hosting an american from michigan USA on a whitetail buck and mule deer hunt for the 2011 hunting seasson. his name is bill hall and he is an advid hunter. he his bbull elk is in the top 10 for michigan.

Hello Friends,   This Is Rashid Lucky A Knife Maker From Pakistan I Have Many Beautiful Styles Of Hunting Knives U Can Check It On My Website Working With Paypal    Rashid Lucky    ( R&R Cutlery )  Pakistan www.rrcutlery.webs.com r.r.cutlery@gmail.com

A coalition of sporting groups is urging the Department of Environmental Conservation to ban hunting of yearling bucks in parts of southern New York, saying the new approach to deer management has led to dramatic improvement in the deer herd.   ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A coalition of sporting groups is urging the Department of Environmental Conservation to ban hunting of yearling bucks in parts of southern New York, saying the new approach to deer management has led to dramatic improvement in the deer herd in pilot areas. Some hunters oppose a mandatory restriction on hunting yearlings, also called spikehorns, saying it's unfair to hunters and hard to enforce. The proposed restriction, affecting parts of Sullivan, Ulster, Delaware, Greene and Schoharie counties, is part of DEC's new five-year deer management plan. The agency is taking comments through July 28. David Hartman, president of the New York State Whitetail Management Coalition, says Tuesday that hunters in Ulster and Sullivan counties have harvested the biggest bucks since the late 1920s in antler restriction areas.

ONLY 6 SPOTS REMAIN FOR OUR MISSOURI WHITETAIL ARCHERY HUNTS! $1,000.00 per person. for 1-Buck, 1-Doe and 2 Turkey's with Bow. 3 the week of Oct. 17-21st 3 the week of Oct.24-28th These are awesome self guided Bow hunts for true Giants. These prices end July 15th and go back up to our Normal rates of $1,500.00 50% deposit holds your spot. Plevna Missouri is Deer Camp 573-.833-6433 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1526940058280.67854.1378043042 These hunts are a tremendous adventure as there are just so many Deer. Give us a call because these Hunts will close out and fast. Thanks. Tom

Important News From Tri-Tronics!Tri-Tronics has signed an agreement to be purchased by Garmin Ltd. This is really a combining of market leaders, and we hope that you’re as excited about it as we are.As you probably know, Garmin is the pioneer in GPS dog tracking. What you may not realize is that their navigation systems are also found in airplanes, boats, cars, and many other devices, all over the world. They’ve been at it as long as just about anyone in the GPS business.Tri-Tronics, of course, is a pioneer and market leader in its own right. Taken together, the strengths of the two companies are highly complementary, and together we believe that we can better serve the broader sporting dog market with the best products, service, and customer support.The combination of our respective product lines will result in more choices, more innovation, and better value and service for our dealers, customers and supporters.So as a practical matter, what does this mean for our customers, users, and supporters?In a nutshell, it’s business as usual.Tri-Tronics will continue to be responsible for supporting its own products just as Garmin will be for its own products. Tri-Tronics will continue to offer high quality products and stand behind them. We will continue to honor our product warranties and service products in Tucson. Our office in Tucson will remain open and your Tri-Tronics contacts will remain the same as before; the same people, phone number and email address. The current Tri-Tronics management team will stay in place through the transition period at which time a decision will be made about how the overseeing process will be handled.We will continue to provide updates to you as developments warrant.

by Mike Strandlund, Editor, Bowhunting World     The size of paw tracks, bear bed depressions, claw marks, and dung will tell you if there’s a big bruin nearby.     Americans have been enthralled with hunting black bears ever since Davy Crockett killed “hiself a bar when he was only three.” But settling your sights on a better-than-average specimen, a fall bruin that tips the scales at 300 pounds or better, is not so an easy task even for Davy. What is the secret to success? You have to interpret the sign these big bears leave behind correctly. Here are four clues that point to the whereabouts of a book bruin. TRACKS Generally, a black bear with a front pad measuring five or more inches across is a boar, and a candidate for the Pope & Young Club. But stumbling upon a big track is no guarantee you will ever see that bear again…unless he is regularly frequenting a nearby food source. A big boar will put his paws in the same place each time he visits the site, eventually leaving a trail of pie-plate size impressions on the ground. A big male will also slowly step over a log leaving a front footprint near its edge whereas sows will step six inches to a foot past the log in their haste to get to the goodies. BEAR TRAILS Boars are super-cautious when they eat and will often circle an old apple orchard or man-made bait pile before committing themselves to the setup. Why? The last thing they want now is a close encounter with a bigger male for surely a brawl will ensue. Look for a faint trail that lies just within sight of the food source. You may have to get down on your hands and knees and examine the forest duff carefully, but locating such sign separates the casual bear hunter from the real experts. A depression in the leaves will indicate where the bear lay down to keep tabs on the site until near dark, giving you yet another clue as to his body size. Indeed, pay close attention to any bear bed exceeding 40 inches in length. BEAR DROPPINGS Bear poop can also indicate a bear’s body size. A coil the diameter of a soft drink can, for example, indicates a mature boar’s presence. Again, no guarantee you will ever see this bruin, but when droppings are deposited on a trail leading to a food source, it usually indicates the boar is laying claim to the site. It may take two to four days before the boar returns, and even so it may be under the cover of darkness. Try depositing dung from another bear on the same trail, and see if the challenge pays off with an early sighting. BEAR CLAWS Big bears do not climb trees! Don’t be fooled by this old wives’ tale. Giant bears often climb aspen trees in the spring, and cherry and beech trees in the fall to feed, as evidenced by claw markings six to eight inches in width escalating vertically along the tree’s trunk. Average bears leave markings half that in width. If the scars are fresh and there is still food in the tree, he’ll be back.

In the wilderness, deer hunting becomes a special experience that is unforgettable. by Keith Sutton   In wilderness areas, undisturbed by humans and development, white-tailed deer often grow old and reach large sizes. Today, more and more deer hunters are looking for ways to escape the trappings of civilization. The bustle of our technological society has created a compulsion to log as much time in the backcountry as possible. Deer season offers that chance. Unfortunately, large tracts of backcountry are harder and harder to find. What outdoorsman has not experienced the disappointment of returning to a favored hunting spot only to find it forever altered? Perhaps a “No Trespassing” sign has gone up, or land development is occurring. As human populations grow, such experiences increase. Fortunately, the Wilderness Act of 1964 set aside undeveloped lands where hunters still can enjoy a get-away-from-it-all experience. Congress, in the Act, defined wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain ...” Our country is blessed with hundreds of statutory wilderness areas encompassing millions of acres of prime deer habitat. These lands are remote enough to offer total solitude. On a wilderness trek, you say goodbye to the world’s troubles and welcome the backcountry. Hunting wilderness area deer isn’t care-free, though. These pristine tracts are open only to those willing to overcome the distance and rugged terrain with their nomad home on their back. Austerity is a prerequisite, for everything the hunter needs to survive and pursue his quarry must be packed in on foot or horseback. Wilderness deer hunting doesn’t begin at dawn, break at noon and end at dusk. It is a total sporting existence lasting every minute of every day and night spent in the wild. The U.S. Forest Service offers this reminder to wilderness explorers: “As a wilderness area visitor, be aware you are entering a primitive environment where you will be faced with the challenge of being entirely self-sufficient for whatever time you plan to remain there. There are no shelters, campgrounds, tables, fire grates, water spigots or detailed trail signs. You will be either afoot or on horseback, because no motorized vehicles are permitted in these areas. You will meet and live with nature on its own terms, and become familiar with the sometimes scary feeling of being completely on your own far from the nearest trace of civilization.” For most, however, the rewards of a wilderness hunting experience far exceed the investments. My friend Bill Jones has been hunting deer in wilderness areas for decades, backpacking in and camping up to nine days. The allure of these natural sanctuaries keeps drawing him back.   Glynn Harris of Ruston, La. approaches a buck killed on a wilderness hunting trip. The chance to get away from crowds and into unfettered backcountry draws a few hardy hunters to wilderness areas.  “When I’m walking into a wilderness area, I can feel the stress draining away,” Jones says. “You might spend a whole day and not see another individual. The only noise you hear, other than woodland sounds, might be the low drone of an airplane. It’s quiet, allowing you contemplate the reason for your existence. It’s almost a religious experience.” Preparedness, says Jones, is important to enjoying wilderness experiences. Hunters should be in top physical condition and well versed in first aid, orienteering and outdoor cookery. “You might be miles from the nearest road,” he says. “There are no vehicles, nobody to take care of you. So you must know all your camping skills and be able to take care of health and safety on your own. Getting lost is most likely to happen, so be sure you’re an accomplished map reader. Leave a map with family or friends so someone knows where you are and when you’re expected to return.” Some hunters are drawn to wilderness areas because chances of bagging a trophy buck are excellent. Reduced hunting pressure means bucks live longer and grow bigger. For some people, though, bagging a deer is secondary to the aesthetics of a wilderness hunt. “Our group has hunted one wilderness area for eight seasons, and we’ve only killed two deer,” Jones says. “But we keep going back because of the way it makes you feel. I realize once I’m out there how important my family is to me. In fact, I realize how important everything around me is. I think, what in the world would I do without GORE-TEX? How do you suppose an Indian would have lived through that rainstorm in a buffalo robe? It puts things in perspective. “As you get to the last night,” he continues, “you sit around the campfire, and you know tomorrow you must go back to the real world. It gets emotional sometimes because you know you won’t have this exact same experience again. Before you’ve even left, you’re already thinking about the next trip.” The thrills of deer hunting are one reason for a wilderness visit. But if you go to all the trouble of journeying into these remote places for just one purpose — hunting — you’re wasting your energy and missing the point. The common denominator of wilderness areas is their difference from the tame lands you leave behind. Learn to comprehend the difference, then you will truly enjoy the soul-wrenching pleasure a wilderness deer hunt can offer.