By: Dean Taylor The wild turkey is a fascinating bird, with its raptor-like feet, coarse and dangling chest beard, and a tendency to challenge everything from lightning to car alarms with its thundering gobble. While all of these are worthy of attention (some of which has been given), perhaps none is more interesting than the ever-changing colour of the bird’s notoriously unsightly head. The Seven-Faced Bird: An Anecdote The turkey’s ability to change the colour of its head has long been observed by all those who have encountered the bird at close range. In Japan and Korea, this defining feat ..read more

By: Dean Taylor Photo: Dean Taylor ; Angler: Josh Rousseau The conventional anglers’ relationship with the Mayfly is much different than we see in the fly fishing world, often viewed as more of a nuisance than any real sign of great fishing to come. Despite this unfavourable reputation, the role that this ancient insect plays in our fisheries is substantial and the often-overlooked subsurface impact they have on walleye fishing,in particular, should put them on the radar of more anglers when heading out this spring. Lifecycle of the Mayfly Mayfly is an all-encompassing term that refers to any ..read more

By: Dean Taylor Credit: Audrey Armitage When most people think of trophy hunting, their mind wanders to the game reserves of Africa where rich Europeans hunt lions and elephants for what appears to be nothing more than a quick photo and a pile of wasted meat. Photos of these hunts have been enough to cost participants their jobs and have led to countless protests targeted at stopping the hunts altogether. The outrage over these wasteful hunts was even, in large part, supported by the North American hunting community as the wasting of meat and the unnecessary killing of animals directly oppose ..read more

By: Dean Taylor Photo by Joel Sartore Mudpuppies are one of the least understood creatures that swim in our waters and are often talked about more in the vein of a UFO encounter than an actual catch. Since most anglers don’t know what these creatures are, they are often the subject of debate, excitement, and sometimes terror when they are reeled up by an unsuspecting ice fisherman. I have heard stories from guides who claim that the yells from an ice hut are sometimes louder when a mudpuppy has made an unexpected appearance than when they have landed a real fish. My dad and his friends certai ..read more

By: Dean Taylor Mixed in with the stream of endless COVID coverage, Alberta’s latest amendment to their coal policy is yet another would-have-been controversial government decision that has managed to stay out of the spotlight due to our ever-saturated news cycle. Although it has spent very little time in the headlines, the approval of a foreignly funded open-pit mine near one of Alberta’s most important watersheds could become a disastrous short term solution to a very long term problem. Alberta’s New Policy In June of 2020, in light of the COVID pandemic’s continued threat to the province’s ..read more

By Dean Taylor Pike are common throughout the world, from Scotland to Russia to Scandinavia, and are viewed in many areas as prized gamefish. In Canada on the other hand, the abundance of Pike in our lakes and their tendency to take resources from other species has given them a near-nuisance reputation among die-hard anglers of other species. While their apparent efficiency and adaptability to our nation’s lakes and rivers may often be chalked up to an endless hunger and unbridled aggression towards other species, their origin story may suggest that their success in this part of the world has ..read more

By: Dean Taylor For the majority of the world, the Reindeer’s spotlight seems to fade after the holiday season has wrapped up. For many Canadians, however, these same animals are present year-round, though in a much more wild form. Caribou Vs. Reindeer Since Caribou and Reindeer are technically the same species, both sharing the scientific name Rangifer tarandus, much of the difference between the two animals come from the geographic regions they occupy. The name Reindeer perhaps has the longer history of the two, being used to describe the animal in its European, Scandinavian, and Asian rang ..read more

By: Dean Taylor The extinction of Mammoths and other North American megafauna is often credited to overhunting and has been a primary example of the extractive relationship between man and its landscape. While this theory may have gained steam and has become a mainstay in popular culture, new theories have begun gaining traction suggesting that the truth behind what led to the extinction of some of North America’s most impressive mammals may be much more complicated than once thought. Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz was an extremely large glacial lake present between 2.6 million and 11, 770 years a ..read more

By: Dean Taylor Shooting ducks on the water is one of the true faux pas in the hunting world, joining the shooting of roosted turkeys and the swatting of grouse in separating the sportsmen from the savages. Though this attitude towards shooting sitting ducks may be dominant today, the wing-shooting and sporting component of duck and goose hunting is a relatively new phenomenon. History of Waterfowl Hunting Although the version of the activity we see today got its origins just a few hundred years ago, the tradition of hunting waterfowl, both for food and sport, dates back to ancient times. 12 ..read more

By: Dean Taylor Polarization around hunting is far from new and, with the rise of social media and instant-activism, it has almost become part of the territory. While the social stigma around hunting has been well-established and relatively easily endured, the loud voices that spout these uninformed opinions seem to be reaching the ears of those in power and are resulting in some scary new actions against hunting. The New Jersey Black Bear Hunt Despite having one of the healthiest bear populations in this part of the country, New Jersey is no stranger to contention around its bear hunt. Hunt ..read more