Sportsmans News

By Kent Danjanovich
Senior Editor

It’s funny how dreams formulate in each of us.  Now I know some dreams are way more important than others, but each one finds a place in our psyche and just keeps working us over until we have an opportunity to live out that dream; Sometimes successfully and sometimes not!

I have had the chance to hunt and fish in many parts of the country and the world over the years and during that time, I have caught and bagged many great trophies.  For me, it has not always been the size of the fish or animal that determines the level of success.  Sure it’s nice to have a big elk mounted on the wall or the picture of a giant rainbow hanging in my office, but ultimately I come away from those experiences with many more precious memories of the hunt and those I had the experience with more than anything else.  Now back to THAT dream! Continue Reading

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By Mike Deming

As I made my 23rd stalk with my bow in hand in just 3 days, I knew that I was experiencing something special.  I was on a 10,000 acre private ranch hunting antelope with A Double J Outfitters. I was experiencing exactly what owners Rusty and Chris Bogers said I would when I booked the trip.  “You will get 7 to 10 stalks a day at bucks in the 68 to 75 inch range” was the exact comment I remember.
Our job is to travel the world and evaluate outfitters operations.  We search for the best the world has to offer for our readers and this is one such place.  I was able to put my tag on a great 13” antelope that scored right at 70”.  Everyone in camp had similar opportunities and we were 100% success on archery. We had great accommodations and food that rivaled the best cowboy cooking the west can provide. Continue Reading

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Cover photo by Burke Williams: Jesse Peterson 66”, Ryan Wheeler 70 1/2”, Jaimie Kassman 65 1/2”

By Mike Deming

I have talked to many people who have made the trek to Alaska for brown bear and heard their wonderful stories about those successful hunts on Kodiak Island or the peninsula with monster bears everywhere which turns out to be more like bear shopping than hunting.  These stories used to be what made me want to follow in these guy’s shoes and put one of those huge bruins on the ground for myself. Continue Reading

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Cover Photo Caption: Parke Berolzheimer with his 148-inch “Mendicino Monster” blacktail.

By Michael Deming

The blacktail deer is considered to be a subspecies of the mule deer by many.  It was originally considered that the blacktail bucks had bred whitetail does creating what we call the mule deer of today.  However with the evolution of DNA testing, it is now considered that it was the whitetail bucks breeding blacktail does which gave us the much larger mule deer as we know it today.  One quick web search will provide you with a lot of information on the subject.  I’m not a scientist, but I’m having a hard time figuring out why it is called a subspecies when it was the originating breed.  The one thing that I do know about the Columbia blacktail is that they are extremely challenging and exciting to hunt.    Continue Reading

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By Collin Dalley

We arrived Monday evening in Ft. Collins, Colorado to start our three day hunt with Stillwater Outfitters.  Stillwater Outfitters has been around for 26 years, but Travis Teinninger and Chris Guccione have been hunting geese their whole lives.  They have a total of 32 private areas throughout the Ft. Collins and Denver area, to ensure that you have plenty of opportunities of filling your daily limits. Continue Reading

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By Kent Danjanovich
Senior Editor

The Laughing Raven Lodge is nestled quaintly among the salmon berry bushes, ferns and beautiful Sitka spruce in the small fishing village of Port Alexander, Alaska, perched on the tip of Baranof Island.  This special part of Alaska truly has to be one of the most picturesque places in the world. The fishing isn’t too bad either!

Your trip to Laughing Raven starts with your flight to Sitka.  Because you will be most likely catch your float plane ride to Port Alexander early the next morning, your trip includes one night’s stay at one of the local hotels in Sitka, one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Alaska.  Many of the cruise ships that make their way throughout the inner passages of Alaska are regulars as their passengers disembark to stroll the streets and visit the many shops and restaurants of the area.  The island-dotted bay is always full of activity and believe me, your evening stay in Sitka is a great addition to your upcoming experience with Laughing Raven Lodge. Continue Reading

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By Michael Deming

Everyone has probably heard the saying, “buy the best optics you can afford.”  This is a philosophy that I learned long ago and there is a box of binoculars in my arsenal showing the years of my business success and optics upgrades over the years.   I started buying optics over 20 years ago and the technology and quality has improved by leaps and bounds.   What was the very top of the line optics twenty years ago won’t hold a candle to some of the lower grade models on the market today.  A person can easily spend over $2,000 for some of those top of the line optics and those units are absolutely fantastic, but they are out of the reach of many people, so we have put together a lineup of binoculars that will cost you less than five hundred dollars that are still good quality and will get the job done well.   This field testing has gone on over the past 3 months during our summer scouting trips and here is our opinions based on clarity, low light visibility, weight, and functionality. Continue Reading

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