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Former MLB star player Barry Bonds recently posted three hunting trophy pictures on Instagram, which impressed many — but not PETA.

Axis deer apparently were made for bowhunting, with their morning and evening movements perfect for stand setups. Here are five reasons to hunt axis deer.

Learn how the Florida panther interacts with whitetails in South Florida.

A 31-year-old Virginia man was attacked by a bobcat that he believes was stalking his girlfriend during a hike near Humpback Rock.

Mark Ambrose, an avid outdoorsman with 25-plus years of experience working in the crossbow industry and with various other companies, knows crossbows and business. “In 2011, with support from his wife and family, he took a giant leap and opened SA Sports Outdoors, hoping to become the next big name in the outdoor world as a distributor-oriented company,” Peter Bofill, SA Sports’ director of marketing and R&D, said. SA Sports Aggressor Bofill said SA Sports takes a unique approach to sales, offering its innovative recurve and compound crossbows to “mom-and-pop” dealers at wholesale prices. “Dealers are then able to offer our crossbows at reasonable retail prices without being beat out by box stores,” he said. “This approach has elevated SA Sports to new heights. From design to production to sales, SA Sports has created affordability for everyday crossbow shooters and hunters. “The Aggressor, Beowulf and Bane are our top-of-the-line cross- bow models. Our R&D department works really hard to design and assemble crossbows to give end users comfort, power and deadly accuracy. All of that and more comes at unbeatable prices, which allows SA Sports to offer crossbows that, when compared others, are a step ahead.” Bofill outlined several notable attributes of SA Sports’ three high-end crossbow models. “The Empire Aggressor 390 offers tactical class and functionality with its tactical foregrip and tactical, adjustable rear stock combined with 390 feet per second of raw power,” he said. “It’s a beast. The Empire Aggressor features a stout quad-limb design, adjustable string stoppers, radical CNC-machined cams with 65 percent letoff and an overall mass weight of 6.15 pounds. The price? $599.99 MSRP.SA Sports Beowulf “We’re also quite excited about the Empire Beowulf, because it’s made with top-quality materials, and it’s the market’s quietest crossbow. Plus, it shoots 360-plus fps. It’s lightweight at 6.5 pounds and features many of the Empire Aggressor’s features, but without the tactical look and adjustability. And it’s just $499.99 MSRP. “Our newest crossbow, the Empire Bane, is also exceptional. It displays our commitment to a slick, compact design by incorporating high-performance features and unbeatable value at $399 MSRP. It weighs merely 6.9 pounds, shoots up 340 fps, and offers an ergonomic pistol grip and adjustable tactical rear stock for exceptional fit and feel.” With a growing team, high-quality products and a solid reputation, Bofill predicts the company will continue growing. “The future looks bright for SA Sports as our professional team continues growing, from our R&D department to our top-notch pro staff to our outside sales force to office and warehouse personnel,” Bofill said. “We’re confident our commitment to excellence will continue improving our customers’ crossbow and hunting experiences.” For more information, go to www.sa-sports.com.

Code Blue revolutionized the scent industry with its patented “From One Deer to One Bottle” process. Steve Lambeth, Code Blue’s brand manager, shared his thoughts on a few notable products in Code Blue’s line. “Doe Estrous is an attractant scent for whitetail hunters interested in gaining a serious advantage on bucks,” he said. “Understanding that a buck identifies a specific doe based on her scent, Code Blue guarantees that each bottle of deer urine is collected from an indi- vidual animal. Every bottle is fresh, certified and marked with the reg- istration number of the individual deer from which it was collected.” Code Blue’s stringent and thorough collection process ensures every bottle is pure, premium, fresh and, most importantly, collected from an individual doe in heat. “The Code Blue collection process ‘From One Deer to One Bottle’ captures true-to-life scent unrivaled by competing scents or lures, and its potency attracts rutting bucks like a magnet,” Lambeth said. “Doe Estrous is available in a 1-fluid- ounce bottle at $12.95 MSRP.” Code Blue recently refined Screamin’ Heat, its most realistic and popular estrous scent. “Developed through extensive, scientific research and collected with meticulous accuracy, Screamin’ Heat is 100 percent pure estrous urine specially enhanced with all-natural white-tailed doe secretions, making the product the next best thing to having a live estrous doe near your stand,” Lambeth said. “The unique procedure Code Blue uses enables special doe secretions to be added, making Screamin’ Heat as fresh and natural as the real thing. Screamin’ Heat is available in a 1-fluid-ounce bottle at $17.99 MSRP.”This year, Code Blue introduced an entire new scent-elimination line called D/Code. “D/Code is the hunter’s answer to having a com- plete line of odor elimination that includes wipes, deodorant, body wash, field spray and laundry detergent,” Lambeth stated. “Proven to be 99.9 percent effective at eliminating odor-causing bacteria, D/ Code keeps your body and clothes scent free for hours. Made from natural ingredients, D/Code contains natural, medical-grade nanosil- ver particles that actively destroy six odor-causing bacteria types and prevent the growth of new ones. Like all Code Blue products, the D/Code scent-elimination line is dedicated to scientific products, making it one of the market’s top scent-elimination lines.” Of course, Code Blue will continue researching and developing its products in an effort to give its customers an edge. “Code Blue is always looking for new, innovative ways to help hunters become more successful through attractant scents and scent-elimination products,” Lambeth said. “We’re not going to tip our hand, but 2017 is going to be a monumental year for Code Blue.” For more information, go to www.codebluescents.com.

Brothers John and Jerry Wydner were hunting in Alabama in fall 2000 when John’s climbing treestand platform suddenly fell. “Only by God’s grace was John able to grab the climbing stand’s upper portion as he fell,” Jerry Wydner, now president of Hunter Safety System, said. “John called me on his two-way radio and said he needed help immediately.” Hunter Safety System CrossbowJohn had just reached the ground when I arrived,” Wydner recalled. “He was completely breathless, bleeding and obviously shaken. After hearing the details, I asked, ‘John, why weren’t you wearing your harness?’ He looked at me and asked, ‘Were you wearing yours?’ Both of us had our harnesses along, and both of us tried to put them on but gave up after fighting with the tangled straps and buckles. Inconvenience caused us to forsake common sense. I trembled with even the thought of telling John’s wife and kids that he wouldn’t be coming home. Hunter Safety System Hanger ”That night in camp, the Wydner brothers discussed their poor decisions and cemented a plan to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. “After multiple scrap-paper sketches, John returned home and convinced his sister-in-law to sew our first prototype, which is still under glass in our office today,” Wydner said. “Thrilled, we asked her to sew two more, but she refused because it was so difficult. We took the original prototype to a local factory and asked if they would duplicate a couple samples for us. Two weeks later, they called and said, ‘This is impossible to build.’"Undiscouraged, we modified the original and asked the factory to reconsider. Two weeks later, they called and asked us to come check out the new finished version. HSS was born that day.”“The crossbow market is growing rapidly. Our Crossbow harness offers an unencumbered fit and specifically addresses the unique challenges crossbow hunters face, offering storage for a cocking device and other accessories.“Today, HSS builds more after-market harnesses than any other company. Because we have models to accommodate every hunter out there, we anticipate a bright future.” For more information, go to www.huntersafetysystem.com.

Whitetails near San Antonio recently had its number of confirmed chronic wasting disease cases double. How are officials fighting the recent spike?

A Kansas woman said her Italian Greyhound was attacked and taken away by a coyote. The predator reportedly had the dog in its jaws when it ran off.