Author: Kevin Wilson

A dank familiar aroma filled the air. It’s one that goes hand-in-hand with willow-laden muskeg bogs and the moose rut in Alberta. Accompanied by yellow leaves wafting to the ground and the promise of calling in a big bull, this scene put a spring in my step. I’d already invested several days with little to show for my efforts, but experience had taught me that things were about to change. It was September 29, and one of my four favorite days to hunt moose. Why? Year over year, I’ve learned that where I hunt, the estrus kicks in at this…

Top 10 Firearms from SHOT Show 2024 So many guns, and so little time. Such is the life of an attendee at the annual NSSF – the Firearm Industry Trade Association – owned Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show). Reporting the highest number of exhibitors to date, the tone at SHOT was electric. While the noticeable absence of a few key players like Sig Sauer and Weatherby, the show itself has been described as the largest to date with From self-defense to hunting, virtually every type of firearm known to man can be found at this annual industry…

Wing shooters across North America flock to mid-western Canadian provinces each fall, for an opportunity to hunt pothole mallards and pintails. Find an active puddle and, nine times out of ten you’re in for a treat! Toss out a spread of a few dozen floaters, add a spinner to mix, and ducks will literally bomb into your hole without a second thought. Mostly a mid-west prairie phenomenon, mallards and pintails generally puddle before swarming the fields to feed, and this creates a world-class opportunity for wing shooters. Slowly cruising the gravel road, I noticed a small group of mallards in…

For the first open-water action of the year, look to bull trout for serious April angling fun. Winter can seem long, especially in the frigid northern states and provinces. By the end of March, most of us have had our fill of probing the hardwater and we’re more than eager for some open-water action. The problem is, in a lot of jurisdictions, April lands smack dab in the middle of no man’s land. Depending on where you live or where you travel to fish, many mainstem rivers may not even open until April or later. Such is the case in…

Tips From a Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Expert North America’s bear populations are on the rise. Between increasingly restrictive hunting regulations and protective laws, grizzly bear numbers, especially, are escalating. What does this mean for you? The risk of a bad encounter is going up. Are you prepared? Where regulations allow, many hunters run bear baits each spring and fall. Although they may be surprisingly rare, I can tell you both from personal experience and from hearing secondhand stories that bear conflicts do occur around these manmade attractants. But what about all of our other hunting and other outdoor activities? As…

In bear hunting, it’s vitally important to understand anatomy and shot placement Cautiously easing our way down the trail, we saw two black bears gorging themselves on the lush green clover just out of archery range. Just 10 minutes earlier, my wife Heather and I had spotted them in the distance and we were now getting close. For our spot-and-stalk bowhunting, we hoped to get within at least 40 yards. The hidden trail was well off the beaten track in Northern Alberta’s boreal forest. We were hunting in early June so spring rains had already affected the grasses and the…

Increase your odds for success on unpredictable spring snow goose hunting by avoiding these six-common mistakes. With our decoys strategically placed, our speakers wired, and the eastern horizon beginning to illuminate, we moved our trucks to the far end of the field behind a stand of trees. As legal light arrived, distant cackling could be heard. The roost was over a mile away and birds were beginning to cackle. Minutes later, a pair of snow geese could be seen beelining for our spread. Without hesitation, both locked their wings. Webbed feet down and ready, the “Take ‘em!” command could be…

Least reliable of any waterfowl, snow geese can humble even the most seasoned hunter. Here’s how to improve your success on your next spring snow goose hunt. We’d been up for hours already. Carefully crafting our decoy spread of over 1,500 decoys, it was almost legal shooting time. Final checks were made. Spread look good, landing holes were obvious but imperfect, the electronic call worked. We could finally settle in among the decoys to rest and wait. A short while later, with the illuminating sky, distant cackling could be heard. Becoming louder as the birds approached, we all watched. Our…

We’re dropping our downriggers to 75 and 90 feet. The familiar hum and subtle nod of each rod tip looked perfect. Before long, one dove sharply toward the water and began to bounce. “Fish on!” chirped my buddy, Steve. Freeing the handle from its brace, I quickly began to reel while he retrieved the ball and brought in the other line. Sparring with the medium-sized Laker for the next five minutes, it was brought to net and hoisted into the boat. A few photos were captured as we admired the trout’s intricate parr marks and then, as swiftly as possible,…

It’s a game of patience and attentiveness. Staring at my rod tip and line for what seemed like an eternity, I second-guessed myself when I say the most subtle ‘tick’. It barely moved. Knowing that a lake sturgeon take in the North Saskatchewan River can be oh so subtle, I carefully liberated my rod handle from the holder and set the hook with one smooth but firm motion. It felt like I’d snagged a log but the log began to swim away! Pumping and reeling, I knew I had to keep the big fish coming. Let him run into the…