Vermont Public Television is proudly supported in part by

Latest Videos

Vermont This Week
May 18, 2012
The Governors
Jim Douglas
Outdoor Journal
Bass Fishing, Sea Lamprey Control
More Videos

VPT's Outdoor Journal

Loading the player ...

Host Marianne Eaton visits the Sportsman's Club of Franklin County to learn the highs and lows of skeet shooting. Then, we learn about what a 'Quest' is, a 150-year-old English tradition that has been transplanted to Vermont by an organization called Vital Communities. Also, we accompany Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers as they head out to pull invasive plants. Lastly, host Lawrence Pyne accompanies hunters from the Ugly Dog Hunting Company on a woodcock hunt in Milton and the Champlain Islands.


Game Camera Contest

Thank you to all who entered our 2012 Game Camera Photo Challenge! Take a look through the excellent submissions we received and let us know which ones are you favorites.

Be sure to tune into new episodes of VPT's Outdoor Journal every Tuesday at 7:30 pm on VPT to find out which photos we choose to showcase!

View Photos Here

Watch Now

  • Bass Fishing, Sea Lamprey Control
  • Bicknell's Thrush, Sand Bar WMA, Master Angler
  • Willoughby, Eagle Point, Hawk Banding
  • Overnight Ice Fishing
  • Wildlife Habitat Incentives, Deer Mgmt
  • Upland Bird Hunting, West Mountain WMA
  • Restoring The Battenkill, HS Taxidermy
  • Crappie, Victory Basin WMA, Brilyea Dam
  • Spring Mushrooms, Brook Trout, Peregrine
  • Ice Fishing S. Lake Champlain/ Burbot
  • Youth Waterfowl Weekend/ Conservation Le
  • Canoe Based Bass Fishing/ Trout Bums
  • Nek Brook Trout/ Alburg Dunes/ Northern
  • Smallmouth Bass, Bald Eagles
  • Walleye Fishing On Conn. River
  • Goldeneye Hunting, Turtle Habitat
  • Muskie, Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge
  • Longnose Gar, Black Spot Disease, Spruce
  • Trophy Trout, Nesting Terns, Groton
  • Ice Fishing, Moose Populations
  • Invasive Plants, Trout Survey, Fly Fishi
  • Wild Edibles, Duck Banding, Vt's WMA
  • Groton St. Forest, Dead Creek Wildlife
  • Wiffle Ball, Timber Rattlesnakes, Bass
  • Throwing An Atlatl, Migrating Amphibians
  • 4-H Shooting Jamboree/Bobcat Research
  • Winter Fishing/Monitoring Forage Fish Po
  • Moose Hunting/Bobsledding In Lake Placid
  • Float-Fishing/Geo-Cashing
  • Bowfishing/Sailing Lesson
  • Telemark Skiing/Camp For Teachers
  • Dog Sledding/Montshire Museum/Shed Hunti
  • Snow Goose Hunt/Grassland Birds/Nordic S
  • Leashed Dog Deer Tracking/Black Racer
  • Salmon Restoration/Wildlife Rehab/Coasta
  • Fishing For Lg. Brook Trout
  • Dragon Boats/5-Lined Skink/Bass Fishing
  • VT. Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative
  • Ice Fishing/Morgan Fish Hatchery
  • Snowboarding/Animal Tracking/Snowmobiles
  • Tracking Deer/Banding Woodcock/Ropes
  • Bike Touring/Youth Hunting/Canada Goose
  • Fall Turkey Hunt/Target Shooting/Canoe T
  • White Water Rafting/Wood Turtles/Grn. Mt
  • Cape Cod Stripe Bass/Butterfly
  • Kayaking The Conn River/Osprey
  • Fishing With Kids/Working For Wildlife
  • Soaring/Bat Research/Fishing For Walleye
  • Ice Fishing/Boone & Crockett/Rocket Sled
  • Ice Climbing/Trapping/Primitive Biathlon
  • Riding/Jr. Waterfowl Training/Duck Hunt
  • Skeet Shoot/Treas. Hunt/Inv. Plants
  • Bow Hunting/Bears/Adaptive Fishing
  • Float Fishing/Fish Hatchery/Consv Corp
  • Sculling/Loon Recovery Program/Bass Fish
  • Hex Hatch/Peregrine Falcons/Hot Air Ball
  • Pike Fishing/Youth Turkey Hunt/Salmon Re
  • White Water Kayaking/Lake Sturgeon
  • Skijoring/Ice Fishing
  • Snowshoeing/Cat. Trail/Deer Yds/Snowshoe
  • Deer Camp/Moose Management/Caving
  • Mtn Bikes/Natural Communities/Bird
  • Duck Hunt/Decoy Carvers/Goose Round-
  • Float Fishing/Strm Fish Srvy/Scuba Divin
  • Hang Gliding/Sky Diving/Turtles/Bassmast
  • Long Trail Trout/Consv Camp/Orienteering
  • Turkey Hunt/Duck Boxes/Women Outdoors
  • Kayaking/Wooden Kayaks/Beaver Baffles

Skeet Shooting

Hand-eye coordination is the name of the game when it comes to skeet shooting. It's a sport of angles where women can compete on an equal plain with men. In skeet shooting, participants attempt to hit clay pigeons that are fired from two different locations on the course. Using shotguns, they make their way through eight different stations placed in a semicircle in front of the target launchers. The shooting stations create a variety of different trajectories and it can be challenging for even seasoned shooters to hit the moving targets. Host Marianne Eaton visits the Sportsman's Club of Franklin County to learn the highs and lows of skeet shooting.


Valley Quest

A 'Quest' is a 150-year-old English tradition that has been transplanted to Vermont by an organization called Vital Communities. Participants follow clues that are found in a book titled Valley Quest, which takes them on 89 different treasure hunts across Vermont and New Hampshire. Each quest in the book contains riddle-like clues and maps for the hunt. The quests are designed to teach adults and children about the natural and cultural history of the communities they live in. At the end of each quest the participants find a treasure chest containing a journal for the questors to sign and leave messages in, a stamp with which to stamp their quest books, and more information about the community.


Invasive Plants

Invasive exotic plant species can be found throughout Vermont. The list of plants is long and includes the water chestnut, purple loosestrife, flowering rush and Eurasian milfoil. Not native to the state, they have no natural predators and therefore thrive, pushing out native plants and destroying habitat for animals. Fortunately, groups like the Nature Conservancy have programs to control some of these species. Each summer these groups gather volunteers to pull invasive water chestnuts from East Creek in Shoreham. We accompany Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers as they head out to East Creek and its mouth at Lake Champlain to pull invasive plants.

  • Mary Droege
    Director of Science and Stewardship
    Southern Lake Champlain Valley Program
    The Nature Conservancy
    115 Main Road
    West Haven, VT 05473

Woodcock

Hunting, woodcock

Woodcock are small, unusual birds that migrate at night and are rarely seen. Closely related to sandpipers and snipe, they are migratory shorebirds that have adapted to life in wooded areas. They feed on earthworms, grubs and insects by probing the ground with their long, narrow bill. These birds prefer wooded thickets that provide them with lots of shade. The soft ground under dense cover also provides an ideal place to look for insects. And that same cover makes a challenging hunting ground where a good pointing dog will definitely increase your chances of success. Host Lawrence Pyne accompanies hunters from the Ugly Dog Hunting Company on a woodcock hunt in Milton and the Champlain Islands.


  • Segment Name


Donate »


Site Map



Full Size site »