Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s not so much about what it is, but when it is.
Fall is just a great time of year. Hunting, fishing, state championship high school football, the anticipation of Christmas and New Year’s, there’s a lot to be excited about.
Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season runs right across Thanksgiving. In the last few years, the weekend after the holiday has become, arguably, my favorite 48 hours of the hunting season.
Continue reading “The Big Push”
Participating in citizen science initiatives is one of the easiest ways those who enjoy the outdoors can help themselves. This is especially true of hunters and anglers.
As they saying goes, “we only protect that which we understand.” Those who hunt and fish have a unique grasp and perspective on how nature truly works. And there are some easy ways for us to share our point of view with the people actively seeking our assistance. Providing a helping hand in this regard can pay dividends for all involved and help others understand just why we value the outdoors so much.
Continue reading “Why it’s crucial hunters and anglers participate in citizen science”
Don’t you hate it when you have to scroll through a lengthy, random story just so you can find a recipe on a website? Well today’s your lucky day. This reverse-seared venison steak recipe will be right up top. I even included a bonus sauce recipe for you.
Continue reading “Reverse-seared venison steak recipe”
Gun deer hunting is the foremost outdoors tradition in Wisconsin.
Each year, over half a million licenses are sold. During the nine-day season, the state’s gun deer hunters temporarily become the eighth-largest active military in the world.
It would be pretty hard for you to know a handful of Wisconsinites and not find some connection to deer hunting. With nearly 10 percent of the state’s population participating in the sport each year, deer hunting is engrained in our culture and that makes me incredibly happy.
Continue reading “Keeping tradition alive during an unordinary Wisconsin deer season”
I’ve always had an interest in birds.
Both sets of my grandparents had feeders in their yards, and when I visited I always enjoyed watching the flurry of activity that came with the approach of hungry birds.
Continue reading “How birding has made me a better outdoorsman”
Keeping a hunting and fishing journal is something that has been on my list for a long time.
I’ve been trying to keep a journal, with varying degrees of success, for the better part of the last four hunting seasons.
2020 was the first time I committed to making a proper outdoor journal a reality. As of this writing, I’ve been on 126 fishing trips, 17 hunting trips and enjoyed seven dip netting sessions that year.
This past year, I was able to continue the trend of success by completing another yearly journal.
I also regularly found myself going back to the 2020 edition for tips and ideas. It was an incredibly valuable tool. It even settled a couple friendly disagreements.
Continue reading “Tips for keeping a hunting and/or fishing journal”
Nathan’s note: This article originally appeared in Badger Sportsman Magazine my senior year of college. This was my Father’s Day gift to him in 2013. It was the first outdoors article of mine that was ever formally published.
Though there are some things I would change about it structurally in hindsight, I didn’t make those tweaks. I feel this is an accurate representation of where I was in my life and career at the time.
Everyone who hunts seems to have a father and son story, if only just one. I have been blessed with many.
I feel like there is a time in every man’s life where he becomes grown up enough to realize exactly how much he means to his father. With this realization comes the natural pondering of what a struggle it must have been to raise a son. This is typically followed by an appreciation for undertaking such a thankless task.
Continue reading “Thanks dad, for everything”
Sharing the outdoors with others is truly one of my favorite things about hunting and fishing.
During this past opening day of duck hunting in Wisconsin, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do exactly that. This turned out to be a hunt that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Continue reading “An opening day duck hunt for the ages”
Fishing for northern pike can be a great way to introduce new anglers to the sport.
These fish are opportunistic feeders and put up a great fight. They’re also relatively easy to find as mature pike have no natural predators other than humans. Many times, these fish are accessible from a variety of shore locations as well as spots accessed by boat. And they can also be found during most any time of the year.
Continue reading “Must-have northern pike fishing gear for beginners”
Catch a release is a wonderful practice for helping conserve our fish populations. But practicing proper catch and release is even better. And that’s something we can all be better at, myself included.
Fish are unable to support their own body weight when out of the water. So while it is always important to keep these tips in mind, they become especially crucial when handling larger ones.
Properly handling a bass comes down to four easy steps:
Continue reading “How to properly handle a bass”
Nathan Woelfel Outdoors 