Dana Benner Outdoors

Dana Benner has a BA in US History and Native American Culture and his M.Ed. in Heritage Studies. He teaches History, Sociology and Political Science at the college level. He has been writing about all aspects of the outdoors and culture for 30 years with his work appearing in regional and national publications.

Dana Benner Outdoors

Kevin Estela: Outdoorsman and Author

January 17, 2019 ODU Admin Comments Off on Kevin Estela: Outdoorsman and Author

Without a doubt, many people have noticed my absence from the pages of Outdoors Unlimited.  Contrary to what some people may have thought, I have not quite writing about my love of the outdoors, survival […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

What It Is All About

December 26, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on What It Is All About

It is Christmas morning here at the Benner homestead and all is quiet.  Both the wife and dog are still in bed. It is going to be a lazy day for the three of us. […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

Dana’s Christmas List

December 8, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Dana’s Christmas List

I know I have been silent on the pages of ODU for most of the year. Other assignments have been keeping me busy.  You have to go where the jobs take you, even if it keeps […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

A Trip to Marlow’s Bald Hill

November 12, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on A Trip to Marlow’s Bald Hill

Making one’s living from the bounty of the natural resources, to include hunting, is deeply engrained in the rich history of New Hampshire. Unfortunately, urban sprawl has taken many sections of the state away from […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

Preparing For Winter

October 31, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Preparing For Winter

There is an old saying that goes something like this, “winter won’t kill you, but not being prepared for winter will”.  In other words when it is -20 degrees outside and there is three feet […]

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Preparation is the Key

September 19, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Preparation is the Key

Whether you are hunting or fishing, if you want to be successful you need to prepare.  You need to understand the fish or game you are after and you need to have faith in the […]

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Make Good Use of Long Winter Days

July 24, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Make Good Use of Long Winter Days

  Being in New Hampshire means that there are only two seasons: winter and preparing for winter.  Winter up here can start as early as October and last right through until April. It means long […]

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Remember Who Got Us Here

May 12, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Remember Who Got Us Here

Originally I intended to write a piece on my first turkey hunt of the year (by the way I didn’t get my bird).  That was until I found out that my wife had left to […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

My New Knife

May 10, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on My New Knife

I’m not a collector of knives, guns or much of anything else.  I like good products that I can use. Recently, I received a knife called the Jessmuk which is made by L.T. Wright.  You […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

The Green Mountain State

May 2, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on The Green Mountain State

I have been blessed with the ability to travel throughout the United States over the years, but no place stands out like Vermont.  Vermont is home to some of the best fishing and hunting around. […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

Make Your Own First-Aid Kit

April 26, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Make Your Own First-Aid Kit

If you are reading this article the odds are pretty good that you spend a great deal of time outdoors.  No matter where you are accidents can and do happen all of the time. Some […]

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Feed the Need

April 23, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Feed the Need

  If you are like me, when you are out hunting, fishing or hiking, you tend to stay out longer than you originally planned to.  Just one more cast, one more walk around the woodcock […]

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I’m Back

April 20, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on I’m Back

In the last piece of mine that appeared in ODU I said I was taking a break. I needed to decompress and get my head together.  That is exactly what I did.  I packed up […]

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Sunday at the Fishing Show

February 13, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Sunday at the Fishing Show

For some people the sight of geese flying back north or the first robins hopping around on the snowbanks mark the end of winter and the first signs of spring.  For me it is the […]

Dana on hare hunt 1
Dana Benner Outdoors

Taking A Break

February 6, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on Taking A Break

For over 30 years I have been writing pretty much non-stop for a variety of publications.  In each and every article I have tried to be as honest as I can, to stick to the […]

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American Made Part VI: Shooting

January 23, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on American Made Part VI: Shooting

This section by far was the most fun researching.  Like with the other sections, I found good and bad news.  Here I will look not only at firearms, but also ammo and other accessories.    Firearms: […]

The Life of a Mouse
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The Life of a Mouse

January 17, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on The Life of a Mouse

Once again winter weather has settled on my New Hampshire home.  As with every blow that Mother Nature throws at me, I find myself, shovel in hand, digging my way out.  Paths to the shed […]

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American Made Part V: Blades

January 14, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on American Made Part V: Blades

A few of us remember when affordable, American made knives, axes, shovels and basically anything with a blade were a dime a dozen.  Well, today you have to search high and wide for an affordable, […]

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American Made Part IV: Fishing

January 12, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on American Made Part IV: Fishing

I have a complete section of my home devoted to my fishing and hunting gear.  Believe me I have no shortage of rods, reels and tackle.  Some of my gear is pretty old.  Heck, some […]

The Tools I Carry
Dana Benner Outdoors

The Tools I Carry

January 6, 2018 ODU Admin Comments Off on The Tools I Carry

I have been writing about all aspects of the outdoors for over 30 years.  In that time I have been bombarded with requests to do product reviews on the “latest and the greatest”.  Admittedly, if […]

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It Is Time To Join Forces

December 19, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on It Is Time To Join Forces

As we move toward a new year I sit and ponder about the fate of the environment and our outdoor pursuits.  More and more land, public land, is either disappearing or being closed off to […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

Seeing The Forest For The Trees

December 14, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Seeing The Forest For The Trees

I think anyone my age (older than dirt) remembers the saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees”.  The meaning of that saying is simple enough.  It means that we are so focused on […]

Dana Benner Outdoors

Dana’s Holiday List

December 8, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Dana’s Holiday List

Well, it’s that time of year again.  A time when we gather with family and friends at the Benner household.  We gather to celebrate another year, putting aside all of our differences.  We come together […]

Made in America Challenge
Dana Benner Outdoors

Made in America Challenge

November 26, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Made in America Challenge

In all my articles I try to tell the reader what I am using for gear on any particular outing.  It is something I have always done and will continue to do.  I have also […]

give thanks
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Giving Thanks

November 22, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Giving Thanks

Once a year Americans “give thanks” in honor of a time long ago when the Native Americans (my ancestors) saved the butts of the European settlers who decided to settle along the shores of New […]

Chasing a Ghost
Dana Benner Outdoors

Chasing a Ghost

November 20, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Chasing a Ghost

November 8th was the opening day of the New Hampshire firearms season for deer.  November 7th found me getting my gear together and going over my plans.  I decided to hunt a spot in Dunbarton, […]

Moving On
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Moving On

November 4, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Moving On

The N.H. early goose season has come and gone and despite my best efforts, there are no geese in the freezer.  I can come up with a host of reasons (excuses) but why bother?  It […]

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This One’s For Jack

October 2, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on This One’s For Jack

Anyone who reads my articles has heard about Jack Hanley.  He has been the subject of many articles over the past 20+ years.  Opening day of the New Hampshire upland game season was always a […]

Cooking For the Wife
Dana Benner Outdoors

Cooking For the Wife

September 26, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Cooking For the Wife

Well, the freezer is pretty empty.  The meat from last fall’s hunting season is long gone.  Around the Benner household we have been living off fish for most of the summer.  In fact, our dog […]

Are They Worth the Hype
Dana Benner Outdoors

Calls: Are They Worth the Hype?

September 20, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Calls: Are They Worth the Hype?

There are tons of calls out there, one for every situation.  There are predator calls, waterfowl calls, turkey calls and deer/elk calls and there are just as many manufacturers as there are calls.  Just watch […]

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We Are Americans!

September 15, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on We Are Americans!

It is 9/11 as I write this, and while my thoughts are with what this date means, I can’t help but think about what is happening to us now.  Unless you are living on the […]

Don’t Complain To Me
Dana Benner Outdoors

Don’t Complain To Me!

September 14, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Don’t Complain To Me!

I swear that if I hear one more golfer or landowner who buys up a farm, has no animals and then posts the land complain to me about the resident goose population, I think I […]

Hunting Season is Here
Dana Benner Outdoors

Hunting Season is Here

September 5, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Hunting Season is Here

It is the first of September, the beginning of hunting season in New Hampshire and I find myself in Quebec, Canada.  I’m not hunting or fishing, instead I am here for my wife’s family reunion.  […]

For the Love of Trout and Beer
Dana Benner Outdoors

For the Love of Trout and Beer

August 16, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on For the Love of Trout and Beer

This tale starts at all places but a cookout at my daughter’s home in Newport, New Hampshire.  My son-in law had just graduated with a degree is Respiratory Therapy and this was a gathering to […]

Rampage Fishing Charters
Dana Benner Outdoors

Hemingway I Have Returned

August 5, 2017 ODU Admin Comments Off on Hemingway I Have Returned

Almost exactly a year ago I found myself on assignment in Florida.  While on that trip I visited many places and among the many other stories I wrote, that trip produced an article on Ernest […]