Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics I’ve covered the rise of the weird urchin style bass bait multiple times and even discussed it on a recent podcast. In that time, I’ve gone from a non-believer, to skeptic, to a full believer in the urchin. But, that didn’t happen because it’s trendy, it happened because these baits actually catch fish. Throughout the spring and summer, I’ve experimented with different rigging options, different sizes and colors, and now have a full on collection of urchin style baits taking up a compartment in my bass…

Our world has evolved over the last century to become reliant on energy. Energy has improved our standard of living globally and helped to extend the average lifespan of humans during that time. However, our reliance on energy can become a problem quickly during emergencies.Whether you need to power medical devices, keep your food preserved, pump well water, or just have a light in the dark, energy will help you out. In this guide, we’ll cover essential power supplies and off-grid energy solutions to help you navigate emergencies. Contents (Jump to a Section) This post on emergency power and energy…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics WHEN a fellow goes a couple of hundred miles into Ontario on a fishing trip in October, something’s wrong. Either he’s an optimist, has his seasons mixed, or is just plain stubborn. My case was a combination of all three. It all started with Floyd O’Neil’s mid-September telegram: “Vacation Unavoidably Delayed Three Weeks Sorry May Hit Indian Summer.” That “Indian Summer” had a treacherous sound to it. Then and there I started digging my heaviest wool duds out of the moth balls. And I was glad…

Water storage containers are essential for emergency preparedness, and there is a range of types and use cases to consider. Water can be difficult to find during emergencies, so having containers to stockpile water for emergency use makes sense for most people. Gallon jugs can get it done in a pinch, but dedicated emergency water containers give water a longer shelf life, hold more water, and are much more durable.My main recommendation is for the Aqua-Tainer, which isn’t terribly expensive, and it holds a three-day supply of water easily.If you need more durability, WaterBricks give you a sturdy, nesting water…

Shelter is a top priority for survival, and tents are the best all-in-one solution to cover it. A tent can be a highly personal choice that adjusts to your specific use case, whether you are pitching it for your family in an emergency or using it in a bushcraft setup in the woods.I’ve been using tents long before my time in the military, spanning from Cub Scouts and solo bushcraft excursions in the woods to family camping getaways.My main recommendation is the Combat One ICS, which is an affordable, battle-tested military surplus tent that works for a wide range of…

Under Defense Department guidance, the military services are supposed to provide baseline cognitive assessments to all service members who work in jobs that involve blast exposure and track them throughout their careers.But the services have been unable to complete those requirements because they are hampered by a lack of resources, including a shortage of staff and the technology needed to conduct such assessments, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.In 2024, after extensive reporting by The New York Times on the impact routine weapons training can have on the brain, including traumatic brain injury, the Pentagon issued…

A U.S. Navy destroyer went days in the South China Sea without power last month, leaving sailors without potable water, galley services, toilets or air conditioning.USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, suffered an “engineering casualty” with its generators, causing a power outage for four days while conducting routine operations in the Indo-Pacific, 7th Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Matthew Comer told Military Times.Comer declined to comment about where exactly the incident occurred, but multiple news outlets reported it happened in the South China Sea.The ship received support from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, which included meals from Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser…

New price-point entries from Leupold, Nikon, Sig Sauer, and Vortex are durable, capable, and cost well under $400, with half the budget binoculars in this year’s Outdoor Life optics test costing less than $200.The optics industry is leaning into these budget binos because that’s where the market is. But hunters, shooters, and birders have also realized the abundant value in binoculars priced below $500. Most have good-enough glass and coatings, and the lifetime warranties that most brands extend to these products mean buyers aren’t stuck with a clunker.That’s not to say that all these price-point optics are worth the money.…

South Korea and the United States will cut short annual joint military drills to five days from 11 and scale back some field training, the allies said on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in U.S. participation.The change in the drills comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday for regional security talks expected to cover developments on the Korean Peninsula.North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, late on Wednesday dismissed the move, saying the nature of the exercises remained provocative and aggressive even if the scale…

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Former Navy SEAL Capt. Daron Miller found a new definition of strength when he shifted his focus from elite performance to a career as a U.S. Army chaplain, using his background to support soldiers.At 19, Miller was searching for something difficult to accomplish and a way to define his identity. While browsing a book about Navy SEALs, he found his challenge.“I decided to join the Navy and become a SEAL before I even paid for the book,” Miller said in an Army release.The book mentioned that candidates in the final phase of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, or BUD/S, were required…

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Sign up for the Deer Camp Newsletter Get everything from whitetail news and opinion pieces, to advanced hunting tactics and cutting-edge gear reviews. How sad would the deer woods be if there were no big, old bucks roaming it? If there were only 2.5-year-old basket rack 8 pointers chasing around does? If at the end of your sit, in the fading light, there wasn’t even a chance that a mature, dominant, bruiser buck would step out into the field?   This was the reality not so long ago in many corners of whitetail country, when hunters were happy to see…

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The Pentagon is defending the safety of M17 and M18 handguns — military versions of the controversial SIG Sauer P320 — saying that “there has never been a mechanically caused accidental discharge” involving the service weapon.The Aug. 7 statement followed a review of the Modular Handgun System, a program led by the Army’s Project Manager Soldier Lethality, initiated after an airman was shot and killed because of an alleged “uncommanded discharge” with an M18 handgun. Last year’s incident resulted in an immediate inspection of all M18 handguns issued by the Air Force Global Strike Command as well as a temporary…

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