MAIN Sports Hunting

If your idea of heaven is getting up at 4 a.m. on a chilly winter morning to hunt and bag an animal in the wild ... you're not alone.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates that about 21 million Americans spend $2.1 billion on hunting firearms and ammunition each year.

And it's not just the macho guys who are going wild.

The National Sporting Goods Association now estimates that more than 3 million women hunt, a growing trend that has wives and girlfriends getting into the sport.

Like the men, some women enjoy the primal exitement — others just do it for the scenery, relaxation or camaradarie.

Whatever the reason, big and small game hunting has again caught on in the U.S. and Canada, mainly among younger age groups who are up for the physical & mental challenge of tracking down bear, deer & elk, or smaller game such as turkey, ducks and rabbits.

On the Web, check out top sites that fuel the interest with facts & information on hunting seasons & regulations, plus featured field reports on the best hunting spots in the U.S. and Canada, buying directories for hunting firearms, clothing & equipment, along with complete instructions and recipes for preparing a meal you've caught in the wild ...

Hunting.net - One-stop browsing for news and field reports plus thousands of visitor-submitted pictures, hot topics in the online forum on turkey & deer hunting, bear hunting, bowhunting and more, with a comprehensive directory of equipment & suppliers, hunting tips & advice, video clips, desktop backgrounds & screen savers, related links.

Hunting Society - Supersite featuring a browseable directory of all things hunting with links to worldwide hunting guides, weapons & supplies guide including guns, ammunition, bows & arrows, plus special sections on duck and deer hunting, venison & game recipes, tips & advice on wine with game.

Whitetails.com - Active whitetail deer hunting community offering message boards, trail photos, story articles and a complete how-to section including deer anatomy, tips & advice on spotting & recognizing deer tracks, step by step instructions on how to properly dress & prepare a deer in the field, antler scoring charts, weight estimation guide, venison recipes.

Duck Hunter's Refuge - For American and Canadian duck hunters offering chat & discussions on duck & goose hunting, duck & goose calls, boats & blinds, state flyways and more, plus scroll down for a great collection of links to field reports, weather and sunset / sunrise tables.

National Wild Turkey Federation - Information on hunting season dates by US state, hunting tactics, turkey calling tips, illustrations, audio files of gobbles, clucks, purrs and other identifying sounds, related recipes, searchable database of Grand Slam and other turkey hunting records on file.

Bear Hunting Magazine - The online edition of the print publication with how-to articles on black, brown / grizzly and polar bear hunting, advice on hunting methods and types of weapons, U.S. and Canadian map to bear hunting by state or territory plus photo galleries, related news headlines, subscription information.

Rabbit Hunting Online - Using hounds to hunt the cottontail rabbit, swamper and snowshoe hare with related how to articles, photos, chat & forums, rabbit & rabbit track identification guides, hunt swaps & community directory.

Wild Game Recipes - Venison, Duck, Wild Turkey, Goose

Venison Recipes | Venison Recipes from the Deer Directory

Wild Turkey Recipes | Sporting Chef Duck & Goose Recipes

also see -> Bowhunting | Fishing | Ice Fishing