By Chris Hustad, from www.duckhuntingchat.com

Without a doubt, the introduction of layout blinds is one of the biggest assets to field hunters in the past decade. Every year, existing models get makeovers adding better modifications. There are many brands on the market, and many models can be found of each. I've hunted out of most of the major brands on the market, and each of them has their pros and cons. But no matter what brand you choose, making the transition from hunting on the ground to hunting out of a blind is an enjoyable one. Not only does it keep you out of the wind, and allow room for storing gear, it also allows the hunter to hide like never before. But in order to hide effectively, you need to be prepared on how to properly conceal your blind. I'll try to cover all the scenarios that we encounter during the spring, early, regular and late seasons.

Most of us were taught growing up that practice makes perfect. For most things in life that is pretty sound advice, but when it comes to bowhunting, not all practice is equal.

There was a time, not too long ago, when archery practice consisted of a couple of square bales of straw and a paper plate or pie pan. We would strategically place our bales safely in the yard, attach our target, and proceed to step off twenty yards to begin a marathon practice session. Standing in perfect form, we would launch arrow after arrow into our bales, occasionally moving forwards or backwards to shoot at distances equal to those of the pins on our sights. This would go on until our arms got tired or we finally had a group that we were proud of. For many archers today, the quality of the targets has greatly improved, but the routine remains the same.

Don't get me wrong - there is absolutely nothing wrong with this type of practice. In fact it is an excellent way to solidify one's form and to train the muscles so that the shooting routine becomes second nature. It should be a part of every archer's practice schedule. When it comes to preparing oneself for bowhunting, though, this type of practice has its limitations. The biggest being that it fails to cover many of the shooting variables that can come into play under actual hunting conditions. Only when we recognize how these variables can effect our shot, can we effectively work them into our practice routine. And with practice come preparedness and confidence to make that shot-of-a-lifetime when it comes our way.

It was 80 degrees outside and it felt like 100 plus on the inside of the blind. Due to the temperature being so hot on the inside of the blind we decided to leave the shoot through netting up to let a little more air circulate into the blind.

I had been seeing a small group of hogs at this location on a regular basis and they always came in early. I was hoping to put an end to us baking in the blind early by sticking one of those pigs.

The usual group of porkers that normally came in early consisted of three young pigs, a 150 plus pound sow, and a young boar. The young pigs were probably the sow's last litter but they were definitely old enough to survive on their own.

By Bill Troubridge, Excalibur Crossbow

The early morning mist drifted through the paper bark swamp giving their twisted trunks a hint of surreal menace. Incessant and raucous calls of the cockatoos echoed through the foliage as Ted and I stalked slowly and quietly, working our way along the reedbeds of Ferris swamp in search of wild hogs. "This sure isn't anything like Kansas, Toto" I thought to myself as I moved along . I was right, it was actually the wildest of outback areas in Australia, the Holroyd river basin on the Cape York Peninsula. We were hunting with crossbows for wild boar and scrub bulls with Greg Harrold of Far Out Safaris within a few miles of the continents most northerly point. Each day we would see hundreds of the long legged feral hogs that inhabit this dry, dusty environment. Occasionally big boars would be among them, and we were now stalking in search of them through my favorite hunting ground on the largest swamp for miles. Dark shadows would occasionally flit through the mist, sows and piglets busy with their early morning rituals, but these weren't our target. We were hoping to catch up with one of the long tusked boars that inhabit these remote wetlands.

by Bob Jensen

We're going to wake one morning in the not so distant future and discover our favorite pond has frozen over. The lakes won't be far behind. I always used to think that early ice provided the best ice-fishing action. Now I know that there can be some fantastic ice-fishing throughout the entire ice season. However, early ice is still a productive and favorite time to get out. Here are some ideas for early ice success.