COLUMBUS, OHIO - Ohio's popular deer-gun season opens statewide on Monday, November 30, offering hunters a full week to harvest a whitetail. The upcoming season will again include an extra weekend of gun hunting on December 19-20, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Deer can be hunted with a legal muzzleloader, handgun or shotgun from one half-hour before sunrise to sunset through December 6 and December 19-20. With a pre-hunting season population estimate of 650,000 white-tailed deer, the ODNR Division of Wildlife anticipates 115,000 to 125,000 deer will be killed during the nine-day season. Approximately 420,000 hunters are expected to participate in this year's season, including many out-of-state hunters.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that 44 of the 60 licensed elk hunters were successful during the 2009 elk season. Of that total, 20 were antlered elk and 24 were antlerless elk.

"Elk are one of North America's premier big game animals," Roe said. "Pennsylvania is privileged to offer this unique hunting opportunity, a product of successful wildlife management that helps to finance wildlife conservation and supports Pennsylvania's rich hunting heritage. It's an unparalleled experience for hunters, particularly those who can't afford to go on an expensive one- or two-week guided elk hunt out West.

"This year's overall success rate was 73 percent, which is down slightly from the past year, which I believe that this can be attributed to the improved food conditions this year throughout the elk range, thanks in large part to the decline in gypsy moth defoliation."

BOGART, Ga. - Last weekend will not soon be forgotten by a group of young hunters from across the country who spent four days at a premier hunting property in Georgia experiencing nature first-hand. The group of eight was selected from a pool of nominees submitted by QDMA's vast Branch network to attend the QDMA Annual National Youth Hunt.

"Having four days each year to impress the significance of conservation and the continuation of our hunting heritage on the next generation of hunters and conservationists is a real pleasure for the entire QDMA staff," said Randy Bowden, QDMA's Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations. "What makes this event unique is the openhandedness of the property owners and staff, coupled with the generous contributions of sponsors, and the unbridled enthusiasm and eagerness to learn expressed by the kids," said Bowden.

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit kicked off the weekend with a course in firearms that progressed to one-on-one instruction with the kids at the shooting range and culminated with a graduation test that included shots from various distances and angles. The Army stuck around for the entirety of the weekend to share their expertise with the kids, and their presence was a great asset to the event.

SIDNEY, NEBRASKA - Hunting for the perfect gifts for the outdoor enthusiasts on your list? Look no further than Cabela's, the World's Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear. Cabela's comprehensive selection of clothing and equipment includes holiday values for the friends and family on your list, whether they're hard-core hunters, avid anglers or people passionate about everything the outdoors have to offer. With three ways to shop Cabela's (via retail stores, online at www.cabelas.com or through their famous catalogs), you're just a short drive, click or page away from the best Christmas yet.

Gifts Less Than $30
Fly-Tying Tool Kit - All the high-quality brass tools to get started tying flies - including scissors, bobbin, bodkin, hackle pliers, whip finisher, dubbing twister and bobbin threader in a 8" x 5" x 1-1/2 lined wooden box for convenient travel and storage. Built-in pedestal vise will hold hooks down to a size 24. $29.99

Camo Gun Cases - Virtually indestructible Tuff Nylon shells and heavy foam padding to shield firearms from the roughest bumps and bangs. Soft lining is easy on expensive finishes and resists snags and abrasion. Self-repairing YKK nylon zipper. Full wraparound web handles. Choose the 52" Shotgun Case or 48" Scoped-Rifle Case available in two popular camo patterns. $19.99

BOGART, Ga. - The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) recently announced a partnership with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®), the fastest growing shooting sports program in the world.

"We believe archery is an important gateway to the outdoors," said QDMA's CEO, Brian Murphy. "As a national conservation organization, we recognize the essential role of hunting in wildlife management, and we are pleased to support NASP®, which provides opportunities for youth to learn the lifetime skill of archery. Involvement in NASP® is an effective way to introduce youth to the outdoors and instill an appreciation for our wildlife heritage," said Murphy.

QDMA is encouraging its nearly 200 Branches throughout North America to sponsor equipment grants for local schools seeking to add the NASP® curriculum to their 4th - 12th grade physical education courses. Currently, NASP®'s target archery program is taught in more than 5,400 schools in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, impacting over 1,000,000 students and 16,000 teachers each year. QDMA hopes that its partnership will enable the establishment of even more programs in schools surrounding active QDMA Branches that up to this point have been unable to secure the funds needed to participate.

The buck roar, by the respected primos hunting calls, is a piece that every deer hunter should have in their pack.  The buck roar is a combo call that does it all. It features an instructional DVD, a wrist strap for easy access in the stand, a compass and a lanyard ring. The rubber body provides a good feel and the sound resonating chamber produces a pure grunt that I argue cannot be topped.

You can perform three main sounds with this call, the grunt, challenge wheeze, and the buck roar. The buck roar is an aggressive prolonged grunt that is generated when a buck is on a hot doe, or he is warning other bucks in the area to stay away from a certain doe. The challenge wheeze can be affective to bring in other mature bucks that believe the property is their stomping grounds as well.

As far as the in field evaluation, I found that the call works, but only with the right timing. The grunt is pure and will not fail if you grunt correctly. However the roar only works when bucks are starting to get rutty. I would advise to only use the roar during the rut phases because a deer will catch on if the timing is way off. The wheeze must be used carefully. It is extremely effective at bringing in mature deer from long distances, in particular when they are marking territory. This is a sturdy call, it works well in the cold, and the wristband is convenient. Overall the Primos Buck Roar will be worth your money

The reality of being a big or empty hunter is that sometimes you need to understand that you will go home EMPTY on occassion. Mother Nature just did not provide the cold or the snow that Canada is known for. Both of my outfitters were excellent and the accommodations and food were first class, I will be back hunting with them both sooner rather then later!!

This was my Facebook Post earlier tonight and I think it really says it all.

This morning after looking at tape from the night before we found a buck that had come into the stand a couple of times and was a bruiser.  He had a good 8 point rack tall but nothing extraordinary but well over a 300lb body and the nose of a six year old deer.  He just did not come in last night in shooting light or really camera light.  I spent the whole day back in that stand and what I saw amazed me.

There is a storm coming in hopefully tomorrow and with it expectations and hopes for snow so the deer were moving along quite well.  The big buck came through at 7:30 and I had the camera on but it just could not pick him out with the low light and while it is legal shooting light, this buck had to be on camera.  He cruised through and was off in a flash and out popped several more today including a 9 point in the high 120's.  I put the crosshairs on that young 9 point, and whispered "BOOM" and let him walk for another year so that in 2010 when I come up to hunt with Brad Desjarles, Brian and Buck I will be able to see him roaming the baits and get to see how he has matured.

This evening, I got a great send off from 7 does, a grunty little forked horn and over 500 geese as they cruised over my head and I got to watch the little fork chase the does around in front of me and hit the bait pile.  It was as it should be, the deer were hunted hard, I chose to let the deer walk and wait for the big mature buck that I was looking for.  I will be hunting many many more years in Canada as it truly is a paradise for sportsmen the world over.

Brad Desjarlais (Big Chocolate) is an exceptional outfitter and he knows deer and he knows the lands we were hunting like the back of his hand.  His cooking all week was exceptional and I am looking forward to many more great hunts with him and Buck as my guide.  I am blessed to have had the opportunity to hunt with them and hunt we did and we did it the HuntingLife way....BIG OR EMPTY.....This trip it was empty but there is no doubt in my mind that one of these trips it is going to be REALLY BIG!!!!

If you want to join me next year on this great adventure give Brad a call and book a trip and tell him you want to hunt hard with Team HuntingLife because we will be back in 2010 and I am excited!!!!

Brad Desjarlais Hunting and Guiding

http://www.huntinglife.com/outfitters/detail/brad-desjarlais-hunting-and-guiding

Today was filled with lots of wind and a couple of great spurts of action all in low shooting light.  We had a small 9 point at first light with a ton of does running in all directions... The 9 point hit the trail of the does and went the wrong direction.  He had 9 points and no length or width so he walked for another year.  I saw a little fork about 40 minutes later and then the action pretty much shut down for the entire day.  The wind was about 9-10 miles an hour and the temps hit 49 degrees today.

About 5:15 a small spike came running through and when he hit the woods he must of gotten wind of another buck because he took off really quickly as a doe stepped out into the bait and another buck was behind her.  At this point the shooting light was only about 5 minutes left and the buck was shootable but the camera was acting up so after a quick set of lessons tonight we are going to be back at it tomorrow.  After evaluating the pictures we have decided that this 8 point needs to be culled from the tribal herd.  He is a mature buck at close to 300lbs on the hoof and we are going to keep our eyes out for him.

Another great day in the woods with sightings of ravens, geese, an eagle, a coyote and lots of deer.  The sounds of ice cracking and chirps from the lake bookended by a beautiful sunrise and sunset.

We are back at it for day six with Brad Desjarles and because of the weather and the heat, we are going to see what hits the bait tomorrow and if this buck steps out again, we are going to whack him to assist the tribe with culling the herd.  We have figured out the camera and we will be able to get the footage if he gives us enough light and we look forward to another great day in the woods with the team from Brad Desjarles Hunting and Guiding

Well Day Four was filled with wind, wind, wind, wind did I say WIND?  The Kestrel was whirring away at 13mph average sustained winds for most all of the day with gusts hitting close to 20mph and the deer where holed up.  I saw two small 8 point bucks but only fleetingly as they kept themselves along the edges of the bush.

I did see one other great looking buck across the lake that I am stationed near but he never got close.....Big wide rack, tall G-1's and a full set of points with great mass on just a tremendous frame... With 800 yards between he and I and ripping fast WIND there was no way I was going to attempt that shot.  There was no real way for me to move in on him from where I am and he was moving along the shoreline towards me so I thought I would wait him out, he stepped into the bush and was gone from my view forever.

Today was also filled with some great music with howling winds and ice cracking as well as air escaping from under the ice through small holes, it sounded as if nature was producing its own chorus of sounds along with the geese and ravens and one or two Moose calls thrown in for good measure from some love sick bull...What an amazing day!!!  I did everything I could to

We are holding out hope the wind dies down a bit tomorrow but there are no guarantees and no one could of predicted the weather we are having here in Canada this year... No one!!

We will be back in the stand tomorrow for another 11 hour set and we hope to bring you lots more great pictures from a new piece of country and a new stand.  Buck my guide saw a tremendous Mule Deer today so he is going to keep his eyes open for him and if we can locate him, I am going to bail out of the stand as soon as he locates him and take matters into our own hands with a little spot and stalk action.  We will keep you updated!!!!!  

Today was filled with some really amazing bursts of energy filled with lots of big gaps... This morning six does were run out by a young buck in front of the stand and I got a little bit of footage as a second buck came in that I am pretty sure would of been a good shooter but unfortunately, I never got a shot opportunity as he continued to push the does off for land far far away.

About 11:30am I heard crunching to my left along the lake shore and I could not figure it out... I got up looked out the window and here comes a moose....Actually four of them.  A cow, two calves and a small little bull all came right by my blind and I could of taken each of them out with a bow they were all so close.

About 12:30 a young spiker came by and ate some food in the bait pile and it was close to another 5 hours until I saw deer again.  A young 8 point came in with a tremendous growth or tumor on his sternum.  I felt bad for him and I wished he had been a shooter but he just was not there and not what I came to Saskatchewan for.  Dinner was excellent and unfortunately Mother Nature is not helping because the Kestrel Weather Meter hit 56.2 degrees today in the shade and that is just not what we expected here in the great white north....Where is the white?

http://www.huntinglife.com/outfitters/detail/brad-desjarlais-hunting-and-guiding