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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
For Elk, This Bowhunter Takes First Good Shot Offered
For Elk, This Bowhunter Takes First Good Shot Offered

The iPhone’s screen read “3:05” a.m. after I set the 12th bag of elk meat beside the others. Then I leaned backward, arms on hips, stretching every kink in my aching back. That’s a price one pays for arrowing a cow elk at dusk in early September, when overnight temperatures in southeastern Idaho barely dip […]

Roy Case Fired Bowhunting’s ‘shot Heard Round The World’ In 1930
Roy Case Fired Bowhunting’s ‘Shot Heard Round the World’ in 1930

Long before modern day bowhunting legends arrived, there was Roy Case, firing the shot heard round the world in 1930.

Cwd Threatens To Wipe Out A Wyoming Mule Deer Herd
CWD Threatens to Wipe Out a Wyoming Mule Deer Herd

Is CWD really having that big an impact around the country? A look at the numbers show a concerning impact in the state of Wyoming.

Wisconsin Rejects Archery Group Hunting For Antlerless Deer
Wisconsin Rejects Archery Group-Hunting for Antlerless Deer

The push for archery group-hunting misses the mark yet again for bowhunters seeking change in the state of Wisconsin.

Urban Lifestyles Challenge Hunting’s Traditions
Urban Lifestyles Challenge Hunting’s Traditions

Times are changing fast for hunters, but are these changes good or bad for the future of hunting and the hunting heritage?

Why Use Labels To Justify Deer We Shoot?
Why Use Labels to Justify Deer We Shoot?

Today's hunters seem to want to name every animal in the woods. But why is it that deer hunters use labels to justify the deer they shoot?

baiting-bucks
Baiting Remains Hunting’s No. 1 Violation in Wisconsin

Despite all the hunting laws broken across the state each year, baiting remains the No. 1 violation in Wisconsin.

Backwoods Bowhunts Require Exercise, Strong Body Core
Backwoods Bowhunts Require Exercise, Strong Body Core

Bowhunter fitness for your fall hunts starts now. Here's a look at what you need to know to begin a year-round fitness routine.

Family Farm In Cwd Zone Yields Big Buck For Wisconsin Bowhunter
Family Farm in CWD Zone Yields Big Buck for Wisconsin Bowhunter

CWD won't darken the memories of bowhunting big bucks on the Munz family farm in Wisconsin.

Bowhunt For Colorado Elk Proves Fun Yet Deflating
Bowhunt for Colorado Elk Proves Fun Yet Deflating

The author shares of the highs and lows of encounters with other hunters while bowhunting the backcountry of Colorado.

Friendly Folks Choose Wilderness Areas To Bowhunt Elk
Friendly Folks Choose Wilderness Areas to Bowhunt Elk

You never know who you might meet in the backcountry when hunting elk, but you can usually count on meeting some friendly folks.

Bowhunting Was Well Represented By Pioneers Like Jim Dougherty
Bowhunting was Well-Represented by Pioneers like Jim Dougherty

We have a bright future among the bowhunting community thanks to the work of pioneers like the late Jim Dougherty.

Retired Wildlife Professor Ponders Cwd’s Impact On Deer Hunting
Retired Wildlife Professor Ponders CWD’s Impact on Deer Hunting

What seems to be affecting deer populations the most? A retired wildlife professor ponders CWD’s impact on deer hunting.

Hunting’s Myths And ‘rural Legends’ Abound
Hunting’s Myths and ‘Rural Legends’ Abound

Some stories are hard to believe, particularly when it comes to the hunting myths and rural legends that tend to linger around hunting camp.

compound Bows Remain The All Time Favorite
Compound Bows Remain the All-Time Favorite

Despite the rapid growth of the archery and bowhunting industry, compound bows remain the all-time favorite among shooters.

gift Bows For Grandkids Bring Back Memories Of Past Hunts
Gift Bows for Grandkids Bring Back Memories of Past Hunts

Pat Durkin reflects on how gift bows for the grandkids brought back memories of past hunts with his daughter.

Does The Passive Management Approach Work For Controlling Cwd?
Does the Passive-Management Approach Work for Controlling CWD?

States like Wisconsin, with growing CWD cases, are now asking the question, "Does the passive-management approach work for controlling CWD?"

spain Researchers Document World’s Oldest ‘trophy Room’
World’s Oldest Trophy Room Discovered

Spain researchers claim they have found what some might call the world's oldest trophy room ever discovered among hunters.

Does Height Matter? Busting Treestand Wary Bucks
Does Height Matter? Busting Treestand-Wary Bucks

Does treestand height matter when it comes to going undetected by deer? And how do you handle those nosey does that have you pegged?

Bowhunter Crawls 600 Yards After Treestand Fall
Bowhunter Crawls 600 Yards After Treestand Fall

Mark Gutsmiedl broke both legs and fractured two vertebrae when falling from a treestand; and then crawled 600 yards in search of help.