If you’re looking for a fun new way to experience the outdoors during the offseason, try your hand at frog gigging. Frog gigging may sound like a bunch of frogs going on a concert tour if you’ve never heard of it before, but it’s just another way of saying “frog hunting.” The name comes from the act of hunting frogs, fish, and other small game with a gig, which is a multipronged spear with barbs at the ends. Most people have tried to stab a fish in a river when they were a kid, but don’t seriously try it once they get older. Frog gigging is great because it’s simple, easy, and most importantly, fun. In this guide, we’ll detail more about frog gigging and provide some useful tips for anyone interested in trying out this enjoyable pastime. 

Archery season is still a few months away, but it’s never too early to start preparing for the fall.  Shooting as much and as often as possible will help hone the skills necessary to succeed with stick and string.  The best way I know how to practice and simulate hunting situations is to shoot at local 3D archery courses and competitions.

Nearly every hunter I’ve talked to has told me one of the biggest reasons they hunt is to reconnect with nature, away from the busyness and over crowdedness of modern society. This is understandable, as the requirements of everyday life can be a bit much—it can feel like everything you do is related to technology, there’s noise coming from every direction, and you are almost always looking at a screen of some kind. Mankind was meant to coexist and interact with nature, but it’s getting more and more difficult to do every year. Even if you live in a more rural area, technology is still invading the world. Of course, technology is great and serves a useful purpose in the betterment of mankind, but sometimes you just need to unplug and go to a place where you can be one with nature. A place where you can’t hear a single honking horn, or the bustle of a street corner, a place where the only light you see comes from the sun or the moon, and not some streetlights or computer screens. If you’re looking for a place like this, then you should go backcountry hunting. 

Anglers are always looking for the one gadget or gizmo that will give them an edge over their quarry. Some of us literally have storage units full of rods, reels, baits and accessories that were bought with the idea “this is the ONE thing I need to catch more fish!”

We all know how that goes. It’s also a big reason anglers in Indiana spend almost $800 million dollars every year. Unfortunately for my bank account, it appears that Your Faithful Correspondent accounts for a significant portion of that yearly total.

The funny thing is that one of the all-time best angling tools was developed in the mid-1600’s; about the same time that angling actually became “a thing.” Today, your iPhone 6 or Android device even includes one of these valuable instruments: a barometer.

An unusually warm spring meant extended time on the water for a fisherman, resulting in fewer hours in the field for a hunter. When you indulge in both hobbies, you’re still left with one turkey tag left to fill by mid-May, and late season hunting can be tough.

I had filled two tags the opening week of spring turkey. With a few short yelps, the unsuspecting Toms came barging in to challenge my Dave Smith jake decoy. However, as the season progresses, they get educated, more wary. Calls become less effective, and patience is tested. I spent many mornings and evenings in the blind, calling once an hour hoping to catch a lonely Tom off guard. The morning of May 14th was no different.

It's that time of year when we start getting out our hunting gear, placing trail cams, practice shooting, and overall just start getting the fever of hunting season. We all have our favorite hunting season, whether it is deer, elk, bear or duck we are all hyped and getting our gear ready. Some preparation is less than others when it comes to the species and the area you will be hunting. When you take on a hunt that puts you at 10,000 feet above sea level the preparation can be extensive. I have been hunting Utah for seven years for elk and my base camp sits at the 10,000 foot mark. Over the past years I have seen and experienced many situations that can be avoided with proper preparation.

“Fishing the fronts” is an old axiom of veteran fishermen across America. The theory is that if anglers can be on the water just before foul weather strikes, the fishing bonanza can be better than striking a gusher oil well in Texas.

Predicting when a front will hit isn’t easy, just ask any weatherman. And no angler should plan all his fishing around fronts. But since all serious anglers are weather watchers anyway, it makes sense to try and time trips just before a warm or cold front is expected.

Every fall when the leaves turn and the air gets cool, millions of American hunters take to the woods with archery tackle in hand to pursue a variety of game. Archery in the last decade has exploded in popularity, it is estimated that 18.9 million Americans enjoy archery and bow hunting. Looking at the evolution of equipment in the world of archery in that time is astounding. We now have bows that shoot well over 300 fps, come in every space age material and are manufactured with record speed. It’s amazing to look at how archery came from humble natural beginnings to the amazing machines that are modern day compounds.

This waterfowl season, I introduced a couple of new hunters to the sport: my roommate, Evan—who would see me come home with piles of birds and fresh breasts in the freezer and wanted in on the action— and my girlfriend, Hannah—who had voiced interest in learning to hunt, but I suspect really just wanted to be with me the three days a week I was gone for four months out of the year.

Water recreation can be a great way to have fun outdoors, but it’s vital to know the safety measures you should exercise.

The Coast Guard realizes boating can be a great way to recreate as the weather improves, but when you do this, please think of the Coast Guard crews and other first responders who are called out to conduct rescue missions.