Blog Entries for David Webb, Editor of Western Sportsman magazine

Take 'Em!

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:00:00 +0100

It's a great time of year -- and we had a great shoot out near Killam, AB, the other day.

I met up with Dennis Isbister and Dave Dakin from Final Approach Blinds (FA Brand) near Killam, just south of Camrose, and had our blinds and decoys up before first light.

The shoot started off hot, and we were finished before 10:00 am -- just in time to catch and early lunch at Bruce's Place Resturant in nearby Daysland.

I was really impressed with FA's Sport U [...]

Season's Tips

editor@westernsportsman.com — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:00:00 +0100

I think the biggest hurdle facing any new hunter is access -- where do you hunt? Once that's figured out, the rest tends to fall into place. A good mentor or hunting buddy becomes invaluable here.

Practice is also key. This means range shooting, whether yoy shoot bullets or arrows. Bow hunters have a leg up here though, as they (we) can head into the hunt areas and shoot at targets (stumps) all we want. It's great real-world practice.

The best advice I've gotten thus f [...]

New Hunters - We're Here to Help

editor@westernsportsman.com — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:00 +0100

It's really no wonder fishing licences out-sell hunting licences about 5:1 in this country. After all -- a rod, a hook, a wieght and a worm is all you need to go fishing.

Oh, and some water.

Hunting is different. Hunting is more of a commitment. And a hunter is usually gung-ho from day one, whereas weekend warrior fishermen abound.

Not that I'm putting down the Gentleman's Sport of Angle -- I'm a fisherman born and raised. It's just that hunting is - diff [...]

40 Year Anniversary

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:00:00 +0100

In 40 Years of Western Sportsman, what has changed and what has stayed the same?

It never ceases to amaze me when I encounter a reader who mentions he has every copy of Sportsman ever published, dating all the way back to the spring of 1968. What amazing dedication that shows — not only to this magazine, but to hunting, fishing and conservation in general. It’s the ultimate compliment.
Of course, there have been more than a few name changes along the way: Alberta Fish [...]

Arctic Adventure

editor@westernsportsman.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:00:00 +0100

The Wild West frontier might be a thing of the past, but there is a frontier alive and well in this country -- the North.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, with Plummer's Lodge, on a fly fishing trip for lake trout, Arctic grayling and Arctic char.

Let me tell you -- I thought I knew what "wilderness" was, but until I stood on the banks of the Tree River in Nunavut, 700 km north of Yellowknife, I had no idea. You can l [...]

Rivers Inlet - Home of the Hawgs

editor@westernsportsman.com — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Well, I just returned from Rivers Inlet, BC, and Oak Bay Marine Group 's King Salmon Resort.

What a trip.

For anyone who is into big game hunting with a rod and reel, there's no better place than Rivers Inlet. During my five-day stay, six chinook over 40 pounds were brought into the lodge. It seemed like every chinook that bit was a tyee!

According to DFO officers on the water in Rivers Inlet, there had been five fish in the 70-pound range caught this year! And belie [...]

Successful Western Sportsman Fishing Derby

editor@westernsportsman.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Rain-soaked though it may have been, last weekend's inagural Western Sportsman & BC Outdoors Salmon Fishing Derby was a huge success!

Held at Shearwater Resort & Marina , in Shearwater, BC, about 25 brave souls ventured out in a classic West Coast Summer storm to troll for chinook and coho and jig for halibut.

The result? Coho to 17 pounds, chinook to 25 pounds and halibut all the way to a monster 78 mouth-watering pounds.

Best of all -- every participant receive [...]

Alberta Draw Results Are In!

editor@westernsportsman.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Despite the AlbertaRELM website giving us all some trouble this past weekend, the results are in and online for the 2008 Alberta Hunting Draws.

How many of us are happy? Personally, I'm still waiting on the results for the Archery Antelope, which is the one I was most excited for. I also did not get quite a few, but those were long shots. Anyone out there get bison?

It should be a good season. I'm interested to know if any Western Sportsman readers got some really ha [...]

Free Fishing!

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Dust off the rods, this weekend, July 12 and 13, is both Alberta and Saskatchewan's Free Fishing Weekend.

This is a great program that allows everyone in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan to fish without a licence - no excuses for not getting out there! I hope to see a lot of people with some seriously out-dated, worthless equipment fishing poorly this July 12 and 13.

Why? Because those are the people who haven't fished in a while and may just be considering pickin [...]

Let's Go Outdoors Radio

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:00:00 +0100

For those of you who enjoy Michael Short's radio show "Let's Go Outdoors Radio," you'll be pleased to know you can hear more about Western Sportsman magazine on some upcoming shows.

Not a listener yet? Check out www.letsgooutdoorsradio.com to find out more about the show.

While you're there, download out episode 12, where one of our writers, Duane Radford, talks about his article in the July/August Western Sportsman magazine.

Duane is the writer of [...]

The Future of Firearms

editor@westernsportsman.com — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Everyone knows legally owned firearms are not the cause of violence in our streets. So why is the government trying to restrict them so heavily? The answer can be found in one long word: disenfranchisement.

“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” It’s the simplest argument — and still the hardest to fight. Of course, you can amend it to make some concessions: “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. With guns. And with other th [...]

Debunking Green

editor@westernsportsman.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0100

The road to hell is paved with good intentions and the noblest of goals can have the most tragic of consequences. It happens when we, as humans, look at situations with blinders on. Like a racehorse that can only see the finish line, we too can stumble, fall and break our leg en route if we fail to see all that is around us. Even environmental stewardship, an important cause for any sportsman, can also fall victim to a narrow field of vision. What I’m about to say here might raise a few ey [...]

Western Sportsman TV Commercial

editor@westernsportsman.com — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Watch Wild TV and keep an eye out for our brand new television commercial! The 30-second spot will begin airing on July 1, but click the link below for a sneak preview:

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Breaking News

editor@westernsportsman.com — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0100

So you've got the fish, game or birds — now what?

Western Sportsman is about to turn everyone into an outdoor gourmet, with the announcement of the pre-order availability of our first-ever cookbook, "Cooking in the Rough."

"Cooking in the Rough" will feature over 175 recipes for Western Canadian fish, game, birds and native plants , along with numerous tips and advice that range from aging meat to safe handling of fish.

It will be the best outdo [...]

Heritage, Here & Away

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Heritage. Tradition. These are words that pop up a lot when we, as sportsmen, discuss hunting, shooting and fishing. Our fathers hunted, our grandfathers hunted and our great-grandfathers? Well, they probably did, but for most Canadians who don’t identify as First Nations, this is where our heritage starts to get confusing. After all, the heritage of our great-grandfathers, or at least, our great-great-grandfathers is usually set in another country. Therefore, for many of us, our huntin [...]

Fish Tales, 21st Century Style

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Fish tales. If you fish, you've told one — end of story. Sure, I know guys who claim they haven't, but I will tell you for sure, when it comes time to describe the size of that "monster" rainbow trout no one saw him release, his measurements get bigger and bigger as the campfire gets lower and lower. But nowadays, fish tales needn't wait for the campfire. You can tell them to the whole world, if you're so inclined. Want to see what I mean? Click on the link be [...]

A Bit of Recognition

editor@westernsportsman.com — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Hello Western Sportsman readers.

I'll make this one quick — your favourite outdoors magazine, Western Sportsman, has received a dose of national recognition. We've been nominated for two Canadian Newsstand Marketing awards. These awards recognize the best newsstand magazines in the country — other nominated magazines include bigwigs like Macleans, Elle Canada, a certain not-to-be-named Ontario-based outdoors publication and more.

In our category, mid-size magaz [...]

A Boar-ing Discussion

editor@westernsportsman.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Europeans have been doing it for years — and even here in Canada it has caught on in some regions. Manitobans can do it year-round.

I'm talking about hunting wild boars. Actually, to be correct, hunting "feral hogs." They're not wild because they're not native — most are escaped domestic boars from failed boar farms the Feds encouraged in the 1980s. But that's what they're not.

What they are is a challenging hunt. What they are is deliciou [...]

Turkey Talk

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:00:00 +0100

May 1 -- for a few lucky Albertans, today was opening day — for turkeys, that is. And I know at least one guy who scored within 20 minutes of legal light!

For myself, I wasn't drawn this year. Maybe next year, maybe the year after. Actually — there is serious talk of opening the season up here in Alberta in the next couple years. It could be that by the time I'm up for my draw tag, I won't need it.

I'm fine with that. Where ever there is an open season [...]

Bass: A Four Letter Word

editor@westernsportsman.com — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:00:00 +0100

What is the problem with bass fishing?

I pose this question not so much to those readers living in Ontario, or the eastern edge of Manitoba, but for the British Columbians, Albertans, and Saskatchewanites.

It seems many anglers have nothing but unkind words for bass and the anglers who pursue them. This is especially true in BC -- where, ironically, the best bass fishery in Western Canada can be found (Kootenays, Okanagan and Vancouver Island).

I have some theories on this. [...]