The List Of The 10 Outdoor Blogger That Been Doing It Since The Beginning

© By Othmar Vohringer

Steve Remington from the OutdoorBlogger.Org has compiled a list of the top ten outdoor bloggers that have been doing it since beginning of the “bloger age”.

I am humbled to be included in that list. Sure it is not an official ranking but nonetheless it is nice and encouraging to be recognized by a fellow blogger as one "of the first hour". Back then in 2005 when I published my first blog post only a small handful of outdoor blogs doted the Internet landscape. Times have changed since then and there are now more outdoor blogs on the Internet then you can shake a stick at.

With that said my thanks go to my longtime and new readers of Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer. Without you this recognition would not have been possible. My thanks also goes to Steve Remington for remembering and recognizing the “old brigade” of the outdoor blogging world. In many ways we were the pioneers of this communication medium.

Here are the other members of this list and I encourage you to visit their blogs too.

Headline News For Hunter And Anglers

© By Othmar Vohringer

As an outdoor writer I spend a considerable amount of time researching news headlines on the internet to gather information about topics I want to write about. It’s a tedious job. On my research rounds I come across many newspaper articles that cover issues that are of importance to hunters and anglers, such as conservation issues, government regulations and many other topics the informed sportsman and women should know about. I am also aware that many outdoor communicators spend as much time each day, or more, as I do searching the news.

This has given me the idea to create a new blog. The BC Headline Hunter is a convenient place where hunters, anglers and outdoor writers/journalists can find all the latest news pertaining to British Columbia hunting, fishing, conservation, related politics and legislation in one single place, gathered and compiled daily just for you.

Visit the BC Headline Hunter.

British Columbia Internet Hunting and Fishing Camp

© By Othmar Vohringer

BC Outdoors, British Columbia’s premier hunting and fishing magazine, has a brand new website. Some of the new features added are hunting and fishing blogs and a forum for BC hunters and others interested in our rich hunting and angling opportunities to gather, meet, discuss and share stories, news, tips or simply chat.

The website is divided into an angling and a hunting section. By simply clicking on the appropriate link on the entrance page you will get to the part of the website catering to your interest.

In the hunting section BC Outdoors features blogs by Greg Blackburn, a hunter and wildlife biologist, and I write another blog. We both offer general information, tips and news pertaining to Britisch Columbia hunting and answer any questions readers may have in this regard .

In the fishing section blogs by BC angling experts Brian Chan, Phil Rowely, Jenna McRae and Trevor Welton provide a wealth of knowledge for anglers of every skill level.

If you’re a hunter or angler from British Columbia, or if you’re thinking of visiting our province for our legendary hunting or fishing opportunities then the new BC Outdoors website, blogs and the forum are the places that will provide you with all the important information from the experts.

Join us at, what soon will become British Columbia’s premier Internet hunting and angling campfire, the BC Outdoors Forum. On the forum I go by the handle “Huntwriter” and I look forward to welcome you and engage with you in conversations about our rich hunting and angling heritage.

Talking about me for a moment, you might also want to purchase the newest issue of BC Outdoors Magazine now available on the newsstands. It’s the pre-hunting season issue and features my article “The Four Factors Of Deer Movement – Scouting for Early Season Bowhunting Success”. The article will provide the reader with all the information to get your bowhunting season off to a good start.

Visit the BC Outdoors Website











Read the BC Outdoors Hunting Blogs.

Read my BC Outdoors Blog.

Read the BC Outdoors Fishing Blogs.










Join me and other BC hunters and anglers on the BC Outdoors Forum.


This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors

Read my bi-weekly newspaper column online.

Tags: Othmar Vohringer, British Columbia, BC Outdoors Magazine, BC Hunting and Fishing, Hunting Blog, BC Hunting Forum

In the Top 50

© By Othmar Vohringer

It has been very hectic the last several months around here, but over Christmas I had time to take it a bit easier and relax. I spent a wonderful time with my wife and family and I even found time to visit a few of my outdoor blogging friends on the Internet. Imagine my surprise when I discovered on Dayne Shuda’s reputable blog Hunting Business Marketing that my blog column The Pink Wave was chosen as one of The Top 50 Hunting Blog Posts of 2009 on his blog.

Thank you Dayne for that unusual Christmas gift and let me return the favor of this honor by saying that Hunting Business Marketing is one of my more frequently visited blog. Dayne Shuda provides excellent advice on how to market your business on the Internet and certainly has helped my in that regard. He’s written a book about marketing strategies for the Internet and also provides his valuable tips through his Hunting Business Marketing Newsletter.

Reading through the top 50 list made me realize just how much information there is on the Internet about all aspects of outdoor activity. When I started this blog in 2005 - is it already that many years? - there were no more than a handful of outdoor bloggers. My blogroll had exactly 10 blogs listed. Boy has time changed! Today there are over 40 hunting and fishing blogs on my website and many more on the Internet. back then I would spend an hour to visit all the blogs. Today it has become hard for me to keep track of them all, let alone visit each one every day. It would take a week or more just to read them all.

It's a good thing to see that many blogs because bloggers, more than anyone else, are able to reach a huge and diverse readership. This in turn will make sure that the message we have to spread is widely read. In my article Youth Outdoor Participation Declines published on the Outdoor Bloggers Summit blog I outlined why it is more important than ever to promote hunting and fishing to the young people.

As an active and tireless promoter of our outdoor heritage I say thank you to all the hunting and fishing bloggers for doing such a great job. Most of you are probably not even aware of what an important role you play on the Internet. Keep it up and to all of you, and my readers, I wish a Happy New Year connected with my best wishes for good health and prosperity in whatever it is you do. Here is to a new year to which I look forward, bringing you more information, updates, news and tips about our great hunting and fishing heritage.

This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors

A great outdoor ambassador introduces her own blog

© By Othmar Vohringer

I am a bit late with this exiting news. But better late than never. I have been rally tied up with stuff lately that lets me very little time to blog or visit other blogs. So thanks to an email alert it came to my attention that one of the great voices of the outdoors has just created and released her own blog. That’s right I wrote “her” because the writer is Kristine Shreve the great ambassador of all things outdoors.

I am thrilled about the new blog and deep down I somehow always knew that Kristine would start her own blog. If you have been following this blog then you know that Kristine used to be the writer of “Hunt Smart, Think Safety” for just over three years. During that time she made herself a name in the outdoor blogging world. The company Kristine wrote the blog for unfortunately had to close the doors a month ago and with that the blog went down too.

Kristine is also the main writer of the Outdoor Bloggers Summit, an organization of which Kristine is a co-founder. After a brief hiatus from blogging Kristine is thankfully back with her own blog Tenderfoot Diaries.

For all of you who know Kristine you’re probably like me and pleased to see this important voice back in the outdoor blogger sphere. For those of you that do not know Kristine, I encourage you to go and read her new blog.

It’s great to have you back Kristine. Here is to you – lifts his whiskey class and cheers - to long and prosperous blogging career. By the way, I like your post about the positive outdoor influence your father had on you I can relate to that from my own childhood .

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Follow me on Twitter

© Othmar Vohringer

Finally I had to find out what Twitter is all about. I have heard so much about it that my curiosity didn’t permit me to ignore it any longer. So here it is. You can officially follow me on Twitter.

I am still new to this Twitter thing and considering the fact that modern technology and I sometimes do not get along with each other please be patient while I try (struggle) to figure it all out. I am also thankful for any hints and tips Twitter veterans could pass along.

Unexpected news

© By Othmar Vohringer

Yesterday morning when I checked my email there was a message from Bryan to many of you better known as “DeerPhD”. For those of you who do not know whom I am talking about let me explain.

Bryan wrote in my opinion one of the best outdoors blogs on the whole Internet. At the time Bryan studied for his degree in psychology, hence the blogs name DeerPhD, but he also is an avid hunter and fisher. Bryan had a very interesting slant to his outdoor writing, covering hunting from a psychological viewpoint that was both highly interesting and educational to read.

After his last post on February 29, 2008 Bryan disappeared from his blog without a warning. He was just gone from the blogsphere. Over time Bryan and I developed a sort of fairly close blogger friendship that it not uncommon among outdoor bloggers, hence the founding of the Outdoor Bloggers Summit (OBS).

When a person I know just vanishes into thin air I start to worry and it was no different with Bryan. I wondered if he is okay and hoped nothing serious happened to him. I started to worry a little more when two emails to him remained unanswered. Imagine my joy when I received his email yesterday.

Bryan is doing fine but has been extremely busy with his study and preparing for the exams. Currently Bryan and his wife live in Kansas City, MO for his internship and in August the couple will return to northeast OH where Bryan begin his career as a faculty member in a Psychology Department (College of Wooster, Wooster, OH).

Bryan wrote; “I'm really looking forward to having an established residence and career so that I can further pursue my passions in the outdoors!” I also hope that this will give Bryan time to return to his blog because I surly miss reading it.

It is usually not my custom to relate personal emails sent to me on this blog. I made a rare exception in this case because I happen to know that many fellow outdoor bloggers have been wondering and worrying about Bryan’s sudden departure from his blog. I am glad that he is alright and that his hard work finally pays off. If he returns to his blog remains to be seen but what ever happens to DeerPhd I wish Bryan and his wife nothing but the best of everything in his profession, life and family.

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Outdoor Bloggers Unite

© By Othmar Vohringer

I had scheduled to post my hunting season highlights today but then something more important came up. Kristine posted an article on the OBS blog that made me think. For those that do not know, the Outdoor Bloggers Summit (OBS) is a young organization founded to help fellow outdoor bloggers in all aspects of blogging and to promote outdoor blogging as a serious journalistic activity. We had planed on holding a summit early next year but due to the current economic crises we felt it would be wise to cancel the event until further notice.

After the cancellation of the event, fellow founding member Rex posted on his blog that he would welcome a small gathering of OBS members for an informal gathering at his Christmas Plantations. Kristine picked up that idea in her post, Regional Blogger Meetings. In the article Kristine suggests, that for the time, it might be a good idea if outdoor bloggers and OBS members from different parts of North America were to organize informal local gatherings.

Given the economical situation, which has put a huge dent into many peoples travel plans. Especially involving traveling for thousands of miles. This seems to me a brilliant idea. Since I know that several OBS members and outdoor bloggers are from Canada I would be willing to put such an informal gathering together here in our country. I am not talking about a big event, more like in the style of a outdoor blogger campfire combined with hunting or fishing. It would be neat to meet with bloggers and see them in person and have a good fun filled weekend together.

If anyone of you is interested in such a gathering here in Canada let me know by Email and then we can take from there onward.


Tags: Outdoor Bloggers Summit, Canadian Outdoor Bloggers, Blogger Gathering, Canada


Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

What’s percolating in the outdoor blogger world

© By Othmar Vohringer

Whenever I have a few minutes, which rarely happens lately, I enjoy visiting other outdoors blogs to see what’s percolating in the outdoor blogger world. Without fail I discover some great posts and on occasions discover a new kid on the block.

Outdoor blogs are a great way to find current information on all aspects of our hunting and fishing heritage. Blogs are truly a gift that keeps on giving. In the spirit of the upcoming Christmas I would like to pass along some of the gifts I found for you.

Albert Rash from The Rash Outdoor Chronicles has written a great article on the Outdoor Bloggers Summit Blog about supporting our fellow bloggers. It’s amazing how little it takes to support your fellow bloggers and the side benefit from that support will backfire in a very positive way on your blog too. This article is a must read for every beginning and veteran blogger. Even I learned a trick or two from it.

A new blog I recently discovered is the Cypress Creek blog, written by Jeff from the Cypress Creek Hunting Lodge in South Carolina. Jeff provides up-to-date information on deer hunting in his home state accompanied with nice pictures. If you live in South Carolina or visit that state on a hunting trip, Jeff will have all the information you need.

Deer hunting season slowly but surly winds down. In December most of the rutting activity has slowed and as it gets cold bucks concentrate their efforts on gaining their weight back that they lost during the rigors of the rut. As the bucks change their behavior we need to change our hunting tactics to match. On Whitetail Deer Passion I have posted some of the tactics I employ in the late season. In Post-Rut Tips I share tips on how to find and hunt the big boys that are still out there.

At Whitetail Deer Passion I also run the 2008 Big Deer Contest with a super price for the winner, provided by the good folks at Versus Country. The contest runs until January 31, 2009, so there is still a bit time to send in your entries.

I am going to stick with deer hunting for a bit. I have to mention Whitetail Woods. Rick Kratzke, from Connecticut, produces post after post and is as passionate about deer hunting as I am. In posts like Where do I put my treestand? or his series Tuesday’s Tips & Techniques are fine examples of Rick’s wealth of deer hunting knowledge and savvy.

From Connecticut lets go to Delaware, the home state of Steven Kendus. Steven is not only a blogger but also the author of the book Hunting The First State – A Guide To Delaware Hunting. I reviewed the book and can recommend it to all hunters. On his blog Steven shares with us stories and hunting tips but also his regular outdoor column that he writes for the Delaware News Journal.

With the economy getting worse each week and the numbers of jobs that are lost every day Steven provides a much needed resume writing service on his website The Writers Block. I needed a resume for my hunting related activities, which is like a job resume but related to hunting, and Steven did a wonderful job of it. Besides writing resumes Steven offers other specialized professional writing skills for businesses.

Okay, after all that hunting I feel like going fishing. The Fish Geek comes readily to mind. This blog provides lots of information on all sorts of fishing related topics and I really appreciate some of the stunning pictures the Fish Geek provides with most articles.

Of course no fishing blog roundup is complete without mentioning by my dear blogging friend Mel Moore who writes the The Fishing Notebook. The blog is exactly as the title says, a notebook. If it has to do with fishing you will find it in Mel’s notebook. Years of fishing have given Mel the expertise to talk about all things fishing with authority. Mel is also known for his unique sense of humor that ever so often shines through his writing which makes the blog not only a valuable source for fishing information but entertaining too.

While I am at it, let me say a few words about the master of entertainment. This blog has been called the X-Files of outdoor blogging. Rex from the Deer Camp Blog is no stranger to the outdoor blogger community and if you like satire at its best then you definitely need to read that blog frequently. If you haven’t met Thunderhoof, the largest whitetail deer buck in the world, on Rex’s blog you will hear about the mysterious deer, that haunts the Christmas Plantations, frequently.

That’s all folks. At least for today. There are many more blogs I could write about if it where not for the space restrictions. The outdoor blogger community is growing faster then I ever had imagined when I started blogging three years ago. Back then there where a handful of us. Today there are so many it becomes hard to keep track of them all. I encourage you to check out each bloggers “blogroll” and you soon will find that outdoor blogs provide a combined wealth of knowledge and tips that simply would not be possible without the hard work every blogger puts in every day. I am proud to be a small part of this large community.

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Tags: Outdoor Blogs, Blogging, Blogger Community, Hunting Blogs, Fishing Blogs

House (Blog) Cleaning

© By Othmar Vohringer

Over the last few days I had a few minutes on my hands between organizing seminar appearances, Hunting Courses and the upcoming annual Ice Fishing Derby on January 18, 2009 held by the Nicola Valley Fish & Game Club to check my growing blogroll.

As time passes blogs come and go. Some blogs just disappear altogether while others stop writing and in one case the blogger put up an access block on her blog with a window popping up saying, “For Invited guests only”. What gives with that? It’s a fishing blog not a porn site.

After trying several times, without any success, to find out if the dead or silent blogs will be revitalized again I came to the conclusion to delete the links. It’s not a decision I made light hearted, since many of the blogs were some among my favorites and offered good writing enjoyed my many. But after trying to contact the bloggers with to replies coming back I see no alternative but delete the links.

There is simply no value to my readers in keeping links on offer that lead nowhere or to blogs that haven’t been updated in a year or more.

The following blogs are gone from my blogroll.

• Shed antler (blog pulled)
• Best Binoculars (blog pulled)
• The Fledgling Fly Fisher (blog pulled)
• Fly Fishing Fanatic (blog pulled)
• Fishing Fiesta (access by invitation only)
• The Wild Woods Women (not updated in more then a year)
• DeerPhD (Not updated since February 2008)
• Andy and Julie Outdoors (Not updated in more then six month)
• Days Afield (Not updated in over a half year)
• Hunting Sense (Not updated since February 2008)

If you’re the writer of any of these blogs mentioned in the above list and reading this please contact me and let me know if and when you consider to be back blogging again and I will put the link back up again.

The Fishing Notebook

© By Othmar Vohringer

For the past few weeks I have been a bit concerned about the whereabouts of my good blogging friend Mel, or Eagle Eye as he was known on his Trout Hunter blog. He hadn’t posted on his blog for sometime and then when I went back on Saturday to see if he had posted the blog was gone.

My first thought was, “Oh no, don’t tell me another good blog disappeared from the blog sphere.” My next thought was, “I hope Mel is all right and well.” Then a day later I got an email from Mel in which he tells me that he has a new blog called The Fishing Notebook.

Of course I visited right away with some relief in my heart that Mel is back with yet another new blog and layout. In his email to me he writes, that the new blog will be similar to his old blog but a bit more laid back. On The Fishing Notebook Mell will write more about his memories and experiences as a veteran fisherman of over 35 years.

I am looking forward to read Mel’s fishing notes from the past, present and in the future. In fact, I have been hoping since I first read his old blog that Mel would write about his vast experience as a fisherman. I am sure that many of us could learn from this all around- bin there-done that fishing guru. I most certainly could benefit from his expertise in the pursuit of the majestic trout.

Please take a minute or two, or three, and visit The Fishing Notebook. Say hello to Mel and that I sent you there.

Tags: The Fishing Notebook, Idaho Trout Fishing

Lets Go Hunting

© By Othmar Vohringer

Bryan from the DeerPhD posted a very flattering article where he explains how his blog became what it is doday. Bryan goes on to thank a few outdoor bloggers for their support of his blog. Among (Skinny Moose Media, Outdoor Bloggers Summit, Hunt Smart, Think Safety, Simply Outdoors, Bright Idea Outdoors Weblog, Tails & Trails and Big Buck Zone) he also mentions me with the following quote;

“I think we all know Othmar. He runs several sites/blogs. He’s an outdoor speaker, and he was extremely supportive of my blogging pursuits from day 1. I’ll never forget the first time I received an e-mail from Othmar. Just knowing I was on his radar made me think that I had “made it”! This guys is an extremely talented writer with a huge heart.”

I was very flattered by this nice comment and I wrote back:

“My big thank you for the link to my blog comes a little late but it is heartfelt.
You know how to make an old man blush. I liked you blog the very first time I read it. I have made many friends in the outdoor blogging sphere and my wish for the future is that perhaps we all could get together to hunt and share a campfire.
-ov-“

One of the many benefits of outdoor blogging is that we make many friends. Although we never have met each other personally we pull all on the same string by promoting hunting and the hunting heritage. What we outdoor bloggers can achieve without ever meeting in person has been shown when a few of us got together on the internet and by phone and created the (Outdoor Bloggers Summit.

When I wrote my comment on Bryan’s blog, especially the last sentence; “I have made many friends in the outdoor blogging sphere and my wish for the future is that perhaps we all could get together to hunt and share a campfire.” I got to thinking how neat it would be if we all could get together on a hunting adventure.

For those of you that read my blog regularly and know about my involvement with the Outdoor Bloggers Summit and the planed meeting in the coming spring, I have to say that my idea of an outdoor bloggers hunting adventure would be something completely independent from the Outdoor Bloggers Summit.

We all write about hunting would it not be a real cool idea if we could share a real life campfire together?

Here is my idea about such an adventure and I hope that my fellow outdoor bloggers will give some input and ideas too.

First we would have to find a location to stage this hunting bash. Rex at the Deer Camp Blog does a great job of telling us about his famous Christmas Plantations and I think, provided Rex wants to take part, this would be a great place to hold such a gathering.

What do you all think about this idea? Let me know by commenting on this blog or my contacting me personally.

Tags: Outdoor Bloggers, Hunting Blogs, Hunting, Hunting Camp

Blog Post of the Month

© By Othmar Vohringer

Today I visited the HuntingLife.com blog almost got a shock when I read the following post:

HuntingLife Blog Poster of the Month goes to Othmar Vohringer
The business of setting up HuntingLife.com has taken its toll on me the last few months and I have not been able to keep up on my reading of all of the great blogs out there but over the last week I have been slowly catching up on some of my reading and I came across some great posts but this one particular post really hit me as one of the greatest I have read in the last several months of reading blogs. Othmar Vohringer is a dedicated outdoors writer and his blog is excellent. He is soon to be a hunting education instructor and is a founding member of the OBS.

Kevin refers to the article The Science of Hunting and The Good Old Days. I am still speechless about the attention this article generated. All I can say is a humble thank you. I am thrilled that to many readers could identify with what I wrote. I also would like to extend my sincere thanks to Tom Remington from the Black Bear Blog who picked the article up and wrote a very kind review. And then there is all the fellow bloggers that commented on my blog about the article too. Thank you to (in the order of comments) Bryan from the deerPhD, Rex from the Deer Camp Blog, Kristine from theHunt Smart, Think Safety Blog, Arthur from the Simply Outdoors Blog, Andy from the Andy & Julie Outdoors Blog (The only husband and wife team hunting blog I know in existence), Matt from the Bright Idea Outdoors Blog, Kevin (see link above HuntingLife.com), the Suburban Bushwhacker, Deerslayer from the Hunting Wild Game / A Way of Life, Marc from Nybowhunter.com Blog (The new kid on the blogging block and a bowhunting nut like me.), Phillip from the Hog Blog.

Phew, that almost felt like an Oscar Award nomination speech. But there is a reason why I posted all these links here. All the blogs listed here, and I am sure there are many more that I do not know of, provide their readers with excellent information on all things hunting, fishing and the outdoors. To view all the blogs of note scroll down the side bar to my blogroll, they are all listed there.

You all have inspired me and as a result I will tell you in a future article how I became an avid bowhunter and then almost gave it up again, and what made me fall in love with bowhunting again.

Finding the time to blog and making new friends.

A few days ago Matt sent me an email requesting my input on an article he was working on. The article Finding Time to Blog About the Outdoors is all about how to make, or find, the time in a hectic time schedule consisting of work, family and now with the hunting season just around the corner, time spent in the woods to scout and prepare stand locations.

It’s a very well written article with lots of information and ideas of how different bloggers, that where interviewed for this article, deal with that pressing issue of making the time to write a blog entry every day. Writing takes time, most bloggers are in agreement that it takes about an hour out of each day to write. Plus another hour or so is spent visiting other outdoor blogs.

Sitting on a desk in front of the computer is for many hunters, including me, a bit of a contradiction. As hunters we love to spend as much time outdoors as humanly possible looking for game or just enjoying our great nature. Yet, in order to inform others about hunting and our great heritage we’re “forced” to sit inside and write about hunting or hunting related issues.

Today I came across a brand new blog. Thanks Kristine for pointing that blog out to me. It says in Bryan’s profile that he is a freelance outdoor writer and speaker. This makes him somewhat related to me, at least the speaking part. I am an aspiring outdoor writer that feels much more comfortable talking about hunting than writing. Bryan is currently studying for his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. A few days ago he started his blog DeerPHD. So far he has written three articles, but judging from these articles Bryan will no doupt leave a very positive mark in the outdoor blogging world.

Talking about new blogs destined to make an impression. The Wild WoodsWoman is another noteworthy new blog on the blogger horizion that shines a bright and refreshing light. I am particularly pleased that more and more woman find the way into blogging, giving us their point of view. This was the blog that I have been meaning to write in depth about just the day before my computer decided to give up for good on me.

Next week I will finally make the time to take up Kristine’s challenge to write an article about a hunter and wildlife conservation grassroots organization or group. I have chosen my topic, now it is just a matter of managing the time to write the article.

Why I got involved with the Outdoor Bloggers Summit.

This was the assignment each of the Outdoor Bloggers Summit (OBS) founding members got from our Chairperson Kristine. Each of us was also given a deadline by which he or she had to post the article. Kristine, being the Chairperson, had to go first. You can read her reasons for joining the OBS here. Next up was Kevin, his post is here . Then it was Matt’s turn with his post. Rex quickly followed with his article. Without further ado Marian, the lovely Dixie Lady, told us her reasons for joining the OBS. Jon came from all the way down in Texas to talk about his reasons to become a founding member of the OBS. Finally, last but not least, it was my turn to tell my side of the story.

If you follow the links and read all the posts, as I did, you will find that each of us had slightly different reasons for getting involved with the founding of the OBS. But one thing we all have in common. We’re all dedicated to our great outdoor heritage and the conservation legacy passed on to us by our forefathers, and we all believe that blogging the outdoors has a great future ahead. We’re dedicated to the promotion and support of serious outdoor bloggers and to form a united voice on issues that matter to us all.

The OBS is still young and we appreciate all the support we can get. One way that you can help us is by joining us, like many others did, and spread the good word about the OBS. All you have to do is to put a link button on your blog and let people know about us. It’s easy to do. Just look in the side panel of this blog, or the OBS blog, where you will find a small html script that you can copy and past in your blog demplate and hey presto you’re done. Sometimes it is the small things that can make a big difference.

Tags: Outdoor Bloggers Summit, Blog, Blogging, Writers, Blog Community

Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer gets the “Power of Schmooze Award”

I am way behind with this one. On July 17, Kristine from the Hunt Smart, Think Safety blog sent me an email telling me that she has awarded me with the Power of Schmooze Award. Then a day later, yesterday, Eagle Eye from Idaho Fishin’ Times awarded me with a schmooze too. Sorry folks, it seems lately that 24 hours are just not enough for me to get everything done that I should or would like to do.

But I am here now, so without further ado lets get on with it. The “Power of Schmooze Award” is a blogging community involvement award. It is given to bloggers who make an effort to develop relationships with others in the blogosphere. I am honored that Kristine and Eagle Eye think that I am worthy of this award. Lately I have been absent from my blog and neglected the many blogger friends. Usually it is my custom to at least once a day visit all the blogs listed in my blog roll and leave a comment. I also strive to find new outdoor (hunting and fishing) blogs whenever I have time.

The blogging sphere is a great way to connect with other members of the hunting and fishing community and if we can connect trough comments on each others blogs and links then it’s even better. Over the time I have made some valuable new friends though blogging and networking, reading their blogs has taught me a lot and I hope that my readers can learn something too from my postings. What I really like about the outdoor blogging community is that we together have become a force to be considered. Together we can deliver our message to everybody, not only the hunters and fishers. Unlike hunting and fishing magazines blogs are read by everyone not only insiders.

According to the rules the award should be passed on to five other bloggers. These five should then pass the schmooze award on to five others of their choice and so on. Now lets see, who shall I honor with the Power of Schmooze Award?

Frank Baron
He is a fellow Canadian and avid fisherman that has written one of the best books on fishing “What Fish Don’t Want You To Know” that I have come across in quite sometime. His blog Remaindered Random Musings always gets a smile out of me, even on a day like today where I am beat and have to fight not to fall asleep on my keyboard.

Outdoor U
I am sure the “U” stands for University, at least that’s how I feel every time I visit that blog. Outdoor U is a rich information source with good tips for hunters and fishers plus other outdoor related topics.

The Outdoor News Hound
J.R. Absher keeps us all up-to-date with the latest news and happenings as the y become available. Reading his blog is like reading a daily outdoor newspaper. What I particularly like is that J.R. reports news with a fine underlining humor. It’s always as much fun to read his blog as it is newsworthy.

Great Wild Outdoors
This is a newer blog that I recently added to my blogroll. Great Wild Outdoors is a blog dedicated to anything outdoors. Camping, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, you name it. With this award I hope to boost visitor numbers to this wonderful blog. We all know how hard it is to get started as a blogger and gain readers. This might help him out a bit to that end.

Muskoka Outdoors Blog
Bill Anderson is another fellow Canadian, when I first found his very well written blog it was mostly about fishing. He is a fisher after all, and good one too from what I hear and the advice I read on his blog. Lately Bill also covers hunting and outdoor political issues on his blog

So there you have it. Would you look at that, I just have enough time to head out and visit a few of my blogger friends. Isn’t it great to be part of this community? You bet it is!

Tags: Power of Schmooze Award, Blogs, Blogging, Hunting, Fishing, Outdoors

HuntingLife Website

After weeks of announcing the launch of a new website, only to delay it again, has finally happened. The long anticipated HuntingLife Website is finally online. Up and running as they say. The wait has been well worth it. I can see why Kevin kept delaying the launch and often doing so in the last minute. It felt a bit like aticipating a rocket launch in Cape Canaveral, it's going, no it's not going to happen today, now they're going, no they're still not. Like a rocket launching at Cape Canaveral everything had to be perfect before Kevin gave the all clear for "take off". That dedication to detail resulted in a perfect layout, easy to read and navigate website.

The website also contains, thankfully, the superb written HuntingLife blog that Kevin had going prior to the website. I am glad he managed to include the blog as I otherwise really would miss that reliable source of information. The website still needs some more content and Kevin is working on it hard. Having created my own websites and are in the process of setting another one up I know how much hard work goes into writing all the content to fill a website with valuable information. Knowing Kevin and his dedication I have no doubt in my mind that we will see this website growing steadily into a formidable hunting information resource in a very short time.

If you have read Kevin’s blog before then go to his new website to read his blog there. If you’re new go and have a look at HutningLife.com, I promise you won’t be disappointed for doing so. To Kevin my congratulations to a very professional looking website and my best wishes for a huge success with it. You deserve it.

Visit HuntingLife.com

AlphaTrilogy.com Hunting & Fishing Exploits

Always looking for news and what other outdoor bloggers have to say I search the web at least once every day.

It was on one of these scouting trips when I cam across AlphaTrilogy.com, this is without brag one of the best blogs I have read in recent months. The post that got my attention was about the quality of blog content and quality links to gain search engine recognition and keep readers coming back for more. How true.

I knew then that Darrel is a force to be reckoned with in the outdoor bloggers world. AlphaTrilogy.com is a great information website for the avid hunter, providing tips, ideas, reviews and stories of Darrel’s many exiting hunting trips.

Eager to provide my readers with additional quality information of other bloggers, I suggested to Darrel that we exchange links with my blog. Darrel agreed and even found time to include me in his list of the Top Hunting and Fishing Sites on the Internet . Thanks Darrel, for the kind words you had to say about my blog and welcome to my blogroll.

To visit all the quality blogs that link here scroll down to the heading “Blogroll” in the right side panel where you will find links to blogs and websites covering just about any imaginable subject and interest of our great hunting and fishing heritage.

Tags: Blog, Hunting, Fishing, AlphaTrilogy.com ,

Eight random facts about me

This is a meme, don’t ask me to explain it, I haven’t got a clue what it is. Marian sent me an email saying that I am tagged and I should go to her blog and see what it is all about.

Looks like I have to post the meme rules, then tell you eight radom facts about me – Do I really want people to know the facts about me, letting out my deep hidden secrets?

The rules of this meme are:
Players start with 8 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts. Players should tag eight other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

Now on to the 8 random facts. Let me see! Hmmm, Ah okay, here we go.

1.I have a deep dislike for anything politically correct, it reeks of communism, I don’t care really that people get offended, it’s part of life deal with it. Finding nicer words to say things is not the solution to any problem, provided there is a problem in the first place.

2. It drives me nuts when I hear hunters squabble about little petty differences, such as bowhunters v. crossbow hunters, QDM advocates v. meat hunters. Yet all the while we forget the real problems our sport faces coming from animal rights and anti hunters. If we would spend as much energy, time and effort to fight the animal rights and anti hunters as we do fighting among ourselves, the antis would be a thing of the past.

3. Even if I don’t show it as much as I probably should and don’t talk much about it, but the fact is that after 10 years marriage I am still madly in love with my wife, she is not only my wife but best friend too and the only person I really trust..

4. I really would like to make the time this fall and go hunting with everybody that invited me.

5. At heart I am a redneck, I mean this in a positive way, I like country music and country folks. They are in general much smarter than city folks.

6. I am a smoker and I do not feel the need to apologize for it or to hang my head in shame. People smoked fifty years ago and very rarely had people cancer. Today we have heavily polluted air and water, our food (meat, vegetables and fruit) is raised/grown with the aid of potentially deadly chemicals, hormones and other nasty stuff, but nobody talks much about that and the negative influence (cancer) it has on our health. Do I think smoking is good? No, but not every health problem can be blamed on smoking and the smokers.

7. When I started blogging about hunting there where only very few blogs on that subject. Today there are many more and I love to exchange experiences and wisdom with other hunters. It is for the same reason that I give seminars. If I am not hunting I like to hang out with hunters.

8. I am proud to be a member of a heritage (hunting) that is as old as humankind. At the same time I feel sorry for the anti hunters that have abandoned human nature and the ancestral roots, in exchange of wishful thinking and living in a make-believe world. This might be the reason why they are so angry and hostile toward others that don't share the same opinions.

There you have it, my deep dark secrets are now out in the open for the entire world to read. Now that’s over with whom shall I tag with this meme?

Oh I know!

1.Frank Baron
2.Hunting Wild Game / A way of Life
3.Hunt Smart Think Safety
4.Southern Adventures
5.Outdoor Odyssey
6.South Jersey Outdoors
7. The Shed Antler
8. FlyFish Fanatic

New Outdoor Blog

Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer welcomes a new member to our blogroll. South Jersey Outdoors is one of the newer blogs on the web. Dough Skinner, the writer of South Jersey Outdoors, is a freelance writer and covers many outdoor related subjects on his blog.

Well, it might be best if I let Dough Skinner explain what his blog is all about.

This blog is an extension of my outdoors column in the Courier Post. I hope to use this blog as a way to offer more links, pictures, product reviews, and other useful tips that I can't fit into my regular column.

Although I spend most of my time fishing, I am also an avid bowhunter, camper, and hiker, so I will be exploring these topics as well. There are hundreds of great websites geared toward the outdoor enthusiasts, but not many that deal with our area.

If you look in the right panel near the bottom you will find links to over 35 blogs, covering from hunting to fishing and outdoors news every aspect of our outdoor heritage. There’re links to blogs that cover a particular species such as turkey, deer, hogs and elks, to name a few. Other blogs cover fly-fishing, bass, trout, salmon and more. Still other blogs are dedicated to bring you the latest hunting and fishing news from every corner of the world or nifty products that make hunting safer and more enjoyable. Go ahead and visit them all, you will be amazed on what they have to offer on information.

Tags: Blog, Hunting, Fishing, Outdoors, News, Doug Skinner, South Jersey Outdoors, Deer, Hog, Elk, Turkey, Bass, Trout, Salomon, Fly Fishing, Hunting Products