Bar Room Banter

There’s a difference between book smart and bar smart. You may not be book smart, but this series can make you seem educated and interesting from a barstool. So, belly up, mix yourself a glass of something good, and take notes as we look at the black bears that became test pilots of nuclear-armed...

In North America, beavers are increasingly seen as ecological superheroes, engineering riparian ecosystems in ways that benefit everything from songbirds to moose. But South America? That’s a different story. On the southernmost tip of South America—Tierra Del Fuego— the bucktoothed, flat-tailed...

For centuries, hunters have waxed poetic about their hunting dogs, from pointers to retrievers to coursers and hounds. But imagine hunting the world’s largest prey from a small boat, with the assistance of a pod of killer whales, each weighing several tons and longer than a small bus. That is the...

Whether used for war, self-defense, or hunting, guns that can stuff more cartridges into less space offer their users an advantage. That’s why Sig Sauer’s “high-capacity micro handgun,” the P365, was such a sensation when it dropped in 2017 and why other gun companies wasted no time mimicking their...

The craziness of New Zealand’s “deer wars” is regarded as a legendary time to be alive for Kiwi hunters. Deer numbers were booming in the NZ bush and tussock grasslands, and many adventurous outdoorsmen risked lives to make the most of the situation by cashing in on a venison gold rush. It’s a...

I’m not afraid to say it. The shot size system makes zero sense. Sure, you can remember that #7.5 is good for doves and BB is good for waterfowl. But do you know why 10 is smaller than 1? Or why the system changes from numbers to letters as the pellets increase in size? Rifle calibers are simple...

With rhythmic kicks of their huge tails, the salmon propelled themselves up the 40-foot-high Celilo falls—60-pounders, 70-pounders, 100-pounders. Tribal fishermen, standing on platforms built over the falls, scooped the fish from the water with dipnets (and spears by some accounts), using momentum...

A moose’s impressive size and distinctive paddle-like antlers are enough to drive hunters to the ends of the earth. But not long ago, these giant cervids were found in a place you’d never expect: New Zealand. Even stranger, many people believe that the Phantoms of the Fiordland Bush still exist...

Every trophy-class buck has a story behind it, but one state record is backed by a sordid tale of crime, greed, and celebrity. The Letterman Buck stands atop the record book for typical mule deer bucks for the state of Montana. Killed in 2004, the buck officially scored 207 7/8 inches. If you look...