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Author

Patrick Durkin

Patrick Durkin
President at Wisconsin Outdoor Communicators Association
Patrick Durkin is a lifelong bowhunter and full-time freelance outdoor writer/editor who lives in Waupaca, Wisconsin. He has covered hunting, fishing and outdoor issues since 1983. His work appears regularly in national hunting publications, and his weekly outdoors column has appeared regularly in over 20 Wisconsin newspapers since 1984.
Latest Articles
SHOT Show has changed, stayed the same since January 1991

Blogger Patrick Durkin reflects on 22 years of work at the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show.

VIPs and Celebrities Flock to ATA Show 2012

Wisconsin Buck Leaps to Death from Highway Overpass

A giant Wisconsin buck went for a midday stroll on Dec. 8, and died when it leaped from a highway overpass and plunged 34 feet onto an unopened section of highway below.

Wisconsin Bowhunter Completes 4-year Quest for Drop-Tine Buck

Paul Conely, 23, of Mellen Wisconsin, started hunting this buck during the 2008 archery season. He finally got it after moving his tree stand to a new site the day before.

Curiosity Kills Whitetails Too, Not Just Cats!

A trip to southwestern Iowa in late October yielded an adult doe and a big buck for Patrick Durkin and his friend.

Do Whitetails Have a Sixth Sense that Detects Hunters?

Bowhunters might never be able to prove if whitetails have a sixth sense, but some of them think deer can sense their presence without being tipped off by a hunter's scent, sound or movement.

Wisconsin Hopes “Dr. Deer” Will Improve its Deer Program

Dr. James C. Kroll might not be a popular figure among many deer biologists, but his communications skills have helped build rapport with deer hunters.

Bowhunting’s Good ol’ Days are Now, Not the 1970s

Bowhunters today benefit from much larger deer herds and better equipment than was available during the 1970s.

Mountain’s Critters Add Excitement to Elk Bowhunting

When bowhunting elk in the Rocky Mountains, you're seldom alone. Pine squirrels are seldom far from sight or sound, and sometimes bears, pine martens and mice keep things interesting.

Bugling Bull Leads Bowhunter to First Cow Elk

When Karl Malcolm heard a bull bugle from atop a nearby ridge at midmorning, he hoofed his way to the scene. After seeing an elk ear twitch nearby, he arrowed the first elk to leave the thicket.

Wandering Cougars aren’t Only Wildlife to Stray

A young cougar made national news when it got killed on a Connecticut highway in June. But cases of long-distance travels by wildlife aren't rare, and usually involve young males looking for territories of their own.

Rush is on to Get Bows Ready for Hunting Season

  If bow mechanics could plan inspections and maintenance work for us, they’d schedule our appointments at least two months before opening day. But because they can’t do our planning for us, archery pro shops are now witnessing the annual mid- to late-August panic as frantic bowhunters rush in each morning when the doors open. […]

Backyard Practice Pays off in Rare Robin Hood in 3-D Target

  If not for the shock, maybe I should have raced downtown to buy a Powerball ticket after shooting my first Robin Hood during a recent lunch break. That’s right: I drilled one arrow down the tube of another arrow already in the target’s bull’s-eye. In this case, the center-spot on one of my 3-D […]

Bowhunters – Watch for Marijuana When Scouting Public Lands

As bowhunters scout public lands for elk and deer, be alert for illegal marijuana-growing operations. These "grows" are showing up across the United States and into Canada.

Can Science Predict Wolf Attacks on Pets, Livestock?

Scientists are learning how to predict areas where wolf attacks will occur as North America's largest canine predator expands its range.

Instilling Fear Might Prevent Fatal Black Bear Attacks

Recent research finds that while fatal attacks on people by black bears are rare, their numbers have increased the past 50 years. In most cases, the bears were hunting their victims.

Coyote Control – Necessary Part of Deer Management

Coyotes have long been part of the landscape across much of the whitetail's range. But these "dogs" aren't native to Southeastern states. Since showing up there since the 1960s, they've often found easy pickings on newborn fawns.

Snake Interrupts Backyard Archery Practice

A 30-inch eastern hognose snake suns itself in a backyard woods' archery range.

Why I Pick Compounds over Traditional – Recurves and Longbows

While test-shooting four models of 100-grain broadheads recently, I couldn’t help but think about my first archery season for white-tailed deer 40 years ago. My bowhunting setup in 1971 consisted of cedar arrows, Bear Razorhead broadheads, and a 43-pound Bear Grizzly recurve bow. I traded away that bow in 1974 after switching to an Allen […]

Wisconsin Buys CWD “Toxic Waste” Site

The state of Wisconsin had little choice but to buy an 80-acre site in the middle of the state that once held the world's worst outbreak of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer.