The Everyday Hunter

Read Steve's recent columns...

 NEW!  Man – the Essential Predator

(August 21, 2010)  It’s normal for a wolf. A way of life for an owl. No fox or hawk or coyote or mountain lion ever questioned whether it was moral to kill any songbird or rodent or turkey or deer.

I got to thinking about the morality of hunting when I recently re-read an article in Sports Illustrated (Nov. 24, 2008) about the decline of hunting. It ended with this sentence: “Wolves do not make moral decisions…. They just hunt.”

 NEW!  Reporting on Whitetails in Pennsylvania

(August 7, 2010)  What’s the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s plan for managing whitetail deer for the next ten years? It has just released a 123-page report on the subject, and there’s plenty in it. My aim here isn’t to provide a synopsis. That would be impossible in 750 words.

My intention is to point out some of the statements I found interesting and that might encourage more people to take a look at the plan.

 NEW!  NBBC Antler Scoring Event

(July 24, 2010) “In your dreams!” That’s where most of us can expect to harvest a Boone & Crockett record book buck. But that doesn’t mean you can’t qualify for another record book – maybe with a buck taken right in your back yard.

The Boone and Crockett Club is the most well known keeper of antler records. Teddy Roosevelt started the organization in 1887, but it wasn’t until 1932 that the club began recognizing outstanding big game trophies from North America. The method of scoring evolved until 1950, when the current scoring system became settled.

Since then, other “books” have come along, including.... (Continue Reading)

 NEW!  "Gonna Get Him Mounted?"

(July 10, 2010) You’ve shot a nice buck. It’s your personal best, and they don’t get much bigger where you hunt. Someone is sure to ask the question you’re already asking yourself, “You gonna get him mounted?”

Is he big enough? Yes, but once you’ve settled the question in your own mind you might need to convince a spouse that the cost won’t break the family budget, and that the mount will look great in the family room.

A whitetail head mount generally costs .... (Continue Reading)

Do You Have One for the Books?

(June 26, 2010) I’ve never seen – alive and in the field – a buck that meets the minimum standard for the Boone and Crockett record book. It takes some mighty big bones to reach a cumulative net score of 160 inches (for a typical buck) and 185 (for a non-typical buck), and that’s only for the B & C three-year awards recognition. To make the “All-Time” B & C list, the minimum scores are 170 for typical antlers, and 195 for non-typical.

If You Want a Bear

(June 12, 2010) If you want a bear and you’re willing to travel, I can tell you where to go.

Something about bears has gripped me ever since I was a kid. Maybe it was that story I read where Daniel Boone carved “D. Boon kilt a bar on this tree.” Maybe it relates to that little wooden carving of a bear my missionary aunt sent me from Japan so long ago. Maybe it’s because of that guy who stopped by to show off his Pennsylvania black bear, but failed on his promise to give this kid one of its claws.

Getting Restarted In Bowhunting

(May 29, 2010) Although I’ve bowhunted regularly for the last few years, I haven’t paid enough attention to my equipment and I’ve let my skills decline. So, you might say I’ve decided to get restarted in archery, and that means getting up to speed with new equipment and refining my shooting technique.

It’s easy to be scared off by modern archery gear, even though the aim is the same as the Native American hunters had with primitive gear – to put an arrow through the vitals of the deer. But compound bows are anything but primitive. They’re a creation of modern technology, so they look intimidating. And they’re expensive.

They’re not as intimidating as they look.... (Continue Reading)

What Does It Take To Tag a Late Season Gobbler?

(May 15, 2010) When it comes to turkeys and hunters, the turkey usually wins. No, he doesn’t shoot the hunter, but neither does he get shot.

Even though the modern hunter has plenty of advantages, turkey hunting is a low percentage game. We have specialized shotguns today with custom choke tubes and ammunition that will push the ethical limits of a shot to 50, even 60 yards.

We have turkey calls in a variety of styles that make incredibly realistic turkey sounds. We have foolproof camouflage which hides us in plain sight, and decoys to fool the wariest gobbler.

Turkey Hunting's Most Dangerous Moment

(May 1, 2010) Adrenaline. It can be dangerous.

Adrenaline (also called epinephrine) is a hormone. It has been called “the fight or flight hormone.” It’s what prevents people from thinking about risk as they face danger. Without adrenaline, we wouldn’t have heroes. Without adrenaline humans would be far less successful, and possibly wouldn’t even survive.

Adrenaline is also what keeps a hunter awake as it trickles into the bloodstream the night before the season opener, and it’s what adds intensity to the moments before the shot....(Continue reading...)

Turkey Hunting Haiku

(April 17, 2010)  If winter is the season of death, spring is the season of life.

Myriad birds return from warmer climates. Robins, the traditional herald of spring, hop across the yard and cock their heads before pulling stubborn earthworms from the recently frozen sod.

We’ve heard the giant Vs of Canada geese with their northbound honking. While looking for them you might notice turkey vultures scouting the snowless landscape for a hearty meal of winterkill....(Continue reading...)

Other news...

 NEW!   4 Bylaws to Canada's Bears

Bear Hunting Magazine has published my article "4 Bylaws to Canada's Bears" in its September/October 2010 issue. Check back, and in a few days it will be here on my website.

 NEW!   Whitetail Deer Management Plan 2009-2018

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has issued a report on its 10-year management plan for whitetail deer in the commonwealth. You can get a copy by clicking here.

 NEW!   The Benoit Brothers

I've already had some good feedback on my newest article in North American Whitetail (August issue) about the Benoit family legacy. I enjoyed spending time with the Benoit brothers who, following in their father's footsteps, have made an indelible mark on the deer hunting world. Check it out: The (Benoit) Brotherhood.

 NEW!   "Best Magazine Article" Award from POWA

On May 22, the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association (POWA) announced its annual awards. My article called "The Coffee Break Phantom" won the 2010 award for "Best Magazine Article." The same article also won the Pennsylvania Deer Award from the Pennsylvania Deer Association. At left, I'm accepting the awards from Tom Tatum, President of POWA.

My involvement in the story began in March of 2008 when Duncan Dobie, then editor of North American Whitetail, called and asked me to find the story of new Number One non-typical Pennsylvania whitetail rumored to be taken by bow. My research led me to Jerry Simkonis, who harvested the great buck on November 2, 2007. NAW published it in the Spring 2009 issue under the title "The Coffee Break Phantom."

 NEW!   Pennsylvania Crossbow Colossus

North American Whitetail magazine has published the story I wrote on the Tom Pisarchick Pennsylvania crossbow colossus. With an inside spread of more than two feet,the antlers tape a whopping 170 5/8 B&C inches NET! Tom harvested the buck in Jefferson County with a crossbow during the first half hour crossbows were legal in PA. The story appears in the July 2010 issue, under the title "His Way Or the Highway." (Click here to enlarge the photo.) Pennsylvania Game & Fish magazine also picked up the story in the September 2010 issue, giving it the title Pennsylvania's Public Land Crossbow Giant.

Lightfield Ammunition & The Everyday Hunter

Lightfield sabot slugs posts Steve Sorensen's endorsement on it's website. Check it out at LightfieldSlugs.com.

Official "Stump Sitter"...

Steve has been appointed official "Web Pro Staff" for Deer & Deer Hunting's online forums, and moderator for the Pennsylvania section. Deer & Deer Hunting magazine got its start from a grassroots group of "Stump Sitters" – diehard whitetail hunters who shared their insights with each other. That's what the Deer & Deer Hunting forums are all about. It's where deer hunting geeks go for the best give-and-take about whitetails. 

Best Newspaper Column...

Good newspapers carry great content. Call the editor or publisher of your local paper and request "The Everyday Hunter," winner of "Best Newspaper Column" in 2006 and 2008. 

Published bi-weekly, this unique column has a broad appeal to non-hunters as well as hunters, and women enjoy it as much as men! Steve shows the positive face of hunting as he offers common sense insights and his reflections on hunting in the 21st century.

Do you edit a newspaper, magazine or website? "The Everyday Hunter" will make a good publication even better. Email SteveSorensen@verizon.net and ask Steve  how.

Field Notes by Brian Miller: 

Brian Miller of StrictlyWhitetails.com issues a newsletter every few months, and I'm featured in the July 2009 issue. It's in .pdf format and you can see it at Brian Miller's Field Notes. You can even subscribe to it if you want. 

Press Releases: 

Sorensen wins third "Whitetail Management Award"

Sorensen Wins Three Outdoor Writer Awards

Steve Sorensen Takes Two Outdoor Writer Awards

"Everyday Hunter" Wins"Best Newspaper Column"

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