EZHNT BLOG

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash We all know that hunting has a strong history of the patrilineage, but many of us know that women hunt too. Based on a study from “ 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation ” 10% of hunters are female. Although that doesn’t sound like a lot, there are many females who have a strong passion for hunting and fishing. Based on that study, that is 1.1 million women in the United States that go hunting. We must assure that women feel supported and are welcomed into the community of hunters. So, where can you go to find support from other women hunters? One example is Facebook groups, there are various Facebook groups that advocate for women hunters, including “ Women Hunt Too ”. Those groups boost morales of women who enjoy the sport of hunting and like to share their accomplishments with other women who share that same passion. You can also join groups like The Complete Sportswoman by Artemis that advocate no

    Photo by Gary Bendig           You may be interested in getting into rabbit hunting but don't know where to start. Before hunting any animal for the first time, the best thing you can do to help ensure a successful hunt is to educate yourself on the animal. Here are three tips to help point you in the right direction if you're a beginner.  1. Find the Food, Find the Rabbit      The first thing you want to do when trying your hand at rabbit hunting is find their food source. In the warmer months, rabbits tend to eat weeds, grasses, clovers, vegetable plants, and flowers. In contrast, during the winter months, rabbits tend to gravitate more towards twigs, buds, bark, conifer needles and will search for any greens that haven't succumb to the cold weather. If you have time to do a little recon of the area you plan to hunt, keep an eye out for these food sources, and your odds of finding rabbits will greatly increase. 2. Remember Hide and Seek?     Hunting rabbits can be a l

            Bluegill are among the most common small fish to catch in the US. What these fish lack in size they more than makeup for in numbers. These fish are some of America's favorite fish to harvest and eat. They will go after just about any bait you put in the water so long as their mouth can fit around it. This makes the fish a very easy species to catch. The best part about fishing for them is that it simply takes some worms, a hook, and a bobber. In fact, you can even tie some fishing line to a stick with bait and you could still have great luck catching Bluegill.      Y ou can catch these fish in just about any standing body of freshwater you can find! There is virtually no excuse that you can give that is valid enough to merit looking past going after these fish. You could spend all day fishing for these little guys and the excitement never slow down. Like I said, all it takes to catch these guys is to grab a fishing pole and some worms and you are set! Taking a day to go

       The three states I want to talk about are very rough terrain to hunt on. Washington, Maine and Alaska are three of the best states to hunt for Moose. Moose have three subspecies, keep in mind each subspecies of moose has different weights, heights, and many other things.        Washington has one of the highest population densities of Moose in America. The main subspecies in Washington is the “Shiras” moose. These animals love large amounts of brush and thick forest area. This makes hunting them extremely difficult but the payoff is probably a years’ worth of Moose meat. This state also has a good climate for these massive animals to survive. Moose are large animals, so, once temperatures rise above 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit they need to cool down in a body of water. Moose live in areas near rivers, ponds, and marshes. Always check with the department of wildlife for each state you hunt or fish. Special tags or licenses may be needed for these types of animals.       Maine

       Shedding takes place from mid-January to mid-April. This is due to the decline in testosterone that causes hormones to reabsorb the calcium in the bone surrounding pedicle. This process directly results in the antlers shedding from the deer's head. Some deer shed their antlers earlier or later than normal depending on different factors. Wounded or injured deer usually cast their antlers earlier than normal because injuries activate the osteoclasts cells early. The same situation goes for deer with declining physical conditions.      Deer that are in good condition, live in a mild climate, and have a higher quality habitat will keep their antlers well into the spring months. Deer with poorer conditions, live through harsh winters, and have limited nutrition based on their habitat will shed their antlers earlier.      As for springtime, head out in the woods and start shed hunting to see if you can find shed antlers deer have dropped! These can be a great tool for the next rut

          Small game outtings can be some of the most fun hunts you can go on. Oftentimes, when you find a good habitat for these animals, there is a lot of action and many hunts are successful. Some of the most common small game you can hunt are squirrels, rabbits, ducks, grouse, pheasants, quail, doves, and geese. At first glance, these animals can seem like they may not be worth your time due to their size, so, what are the benefits of hunting small game? 1. Meat     Small game can be an excellent source of meat. While they are not as large, oftentimes you are able to harvest many of them even in just one hunting outing. The amount of animals you are able to harvest makes up for their lack of size and together can yield enough  meat that can last for months or even years if you store them correctly.  2. Target Practice     Hunting small game can make for some great target practice. These small animals are typically much more agile than big game. They are also significantly smaller  

       Can you fish for walleye with live bait? The simple answer is yes, however there are select baits that work better than other. Leeches, nightcrawlers, and minnows are three of these live baits commonly used. After selling these three baits for four years at Herbs Sportsman supplies, I noticed these were the most productive types of live bait for walleye fisherman.     Leeches are great for catching walleye when the water temperature is above fifty degrees. The leeches will be lively and swim better when the water is warmer. This will make the walleye (a predator fish) more enticed to eat this bait. This bait is good for shallow-water and deep-water fishing, it is a very versatile bait. Hook this bait through the sucker on the leech’s tail to keep the leech alive longer, making fishing for these delicious fish more successful.    Nightcrawlers were the most common bait we sold for walleye fishing at Herbs Sportsman supplies yearly. We would sell them by flats (fifty dozen or