My flashlight lit up the narrow trail I hacked days earlier down to a wetland edge. The whitetails I targeted followed it with the regularity of New York City subway commuters. I stopped just short of the main trail and yanked a bottle of estrus-based doe urine from my pocket. With its misting nozzle I aimed for some nose-level vegetation on both sides of the trail and hazed the area lightly with scent.

As I climbed into my treestand in the predawn, I felt good that any buck passing would pause for a second, giving me precious seconds to draw and settle my Mathews bow for a successful hunt.

Some of you, firearm or archery hunters, probably question my decision to use scents. I know a handful of outfitters who flatly decline to allow the use of scent around their stands for fear of spooking deer. I don’t blame them. Cheap scents, poorly-executed deployment or lackadaisical scent control on your behalf all could lead to a whitetail spooking or worse, associating the smell with a trap.

One outfitter even told me of a hunter using a whole bottle to soak up a half dozen or more scent wicks that he hung like Christmas ornaments around his stand. He found them the next time he put a different hunter in that stand. It might have worked, but likely would raise white tails in alarm rather than stirring curiosity.

The use of deer scents can be a boon to your hunt, but only if you use them right.

PREPARE

To ensure you can get your scent positioned appropriately in shooting lanes, you need a plan. Begin by clearing paths to and from shooting lanes that you can use, thus avoiding direct travel on deer travel routes. Despite your best efforts to be scent free with clothes laundering, rubber boot usage and spraying down with scent-eliminating products, you still likely leave a bit of you on every branch you brush by. Your boots may even be spreading a bit of you on the ground.

How do I know? Coyotes give me the best gauge of my scent-elimination success. Whenever a coyote slips through the brush and crosses one of my access routes, I watch them for a reaction. Most of the time they hit a wall and slink out like a scolded dog, or worse yet, turn and flee. I rate a coyote’s sniffer one notch above a deer, but a buck could react the same way if you’re careless.

By avoiding the main trails and pruning access routes to shooting lanes from your stand, you avoid leaving any scent where you hope to shoot a deer. Clear and trim vegetation so you can move back and forth to your shooting lane without anything touching your clothes. Only your boots should hit the ground and those should be scent free as well. And as noted earlier, you simply use a mist or spray dispenser to lay a fog of spray where you hope to stop a buck for the shot.

You never have to step into a shooting lane and you can glass for spot-on accuracy. I follow this routine when hunting with my bow, even when I’m carrying my muzzleloader into dense cover.

This corridor-clearing chore should be done in the preseason, and at the same time you may want to create a mock scrape  for the perfect shot placement. Your goal is to create a primary scrape, one that gets attention, so scrape out plenty of dirt area. Deer love to scrape in areas with little vegetation, so make it easy on them and clear a wide area to reveal black earth. You can even mix in some deer urine for deep-earth penetration.

And to continue interest in the scrape, use a dripper to disperse scent. Models that heat up and open during the day to release scent, then shut down at night when it’s cool, fake the impression of daytime deer visits. If your trickery works, bucks will take over the scrape and eventually you won’t need to add any scent at all. Deer will provide their own scent distraction while you focus on shooting from a nearby hide.

PURCHASE

Picking out a deer scent from dozens of choices is about as confusing as trying to purchase the right perfume for the leading lady in your life. Do your research. You want to purchase high-quality, fresh scent, not leftovers from last year as they could break down and spook deer.

Some manufacturers claim their urine is from a single doe or buck. Others mix and match while some even have concocted synthetic versions. If your budget allows, go with those that fill bottles from a single deer, but truth be known, most of my experience with scents is with bottles filled in community whitetail restrooms.

As long as the urine smells fresh and doesn’t have an ammonia tinge to it you should be OK. As you shop look for bottles that dispense with a misting nozzle to deposit a diversion in shooting lanes. If you’re re-filling mock scrape dispensers no mister is needed. Keep any purchase cool and out of direct sunlight.

As for what scent to use, I’ve never really seen a huge difference. Straight buck or doe urine can sidetrack a buck, or doe during any season. I’ve used estrus-based scents from September through December with similar, curious results. If you believe an estrus scent could spook a buck in the early season, save it for the rut.

My entire theory on scents is to use them as a minor distraction to pause a buck where I want him to stop. After more than 30 years of hunting whitetails from Canada to Texas and points East and West, I’ve only had a handful of experiences where whitetails actually followed a drag or picked up a scent wafting on a breeze. Most stumbled upon it right where I placed it and paused out of curiosity. If it was the right buck it was the end of the story.

PLACEMENT

Despite nearly 30 years of having most bucks ignore my wafting wicks and drags, I still go through the drag-rag motion from time to time. Nevertheless, my true passion and success is with the simple placement of scent via a spritz or freshening of a mock scrape. When a buck is distracted with one of these scent traps, it’s less likely to see me drawing my bow or raising my rifle.

During the hunt, I prefer to stay away from shooting lanes. As described earlier, I try to stand a few feet away from a shooting zone and mist scent into the area. Lean out to where you want a buck to pause at your ambush site and apply the aroma of whitetail with a spray.

Sounds easy, but you need to place it correctly. Whether you spray or use a wick my experience has been it needs to be a nose level. I’ve sprayed and dribbled scent on trails only to have deer disregard it and walk over it like trash on a city boulevard. Wicks and spray dispensed at deer-nose level receive attention. It’s the sector they’re surveying as they travel, and that’s even more important during the rut as bucks pick up the pace — even trotting between ridges. They’re not as perceptive as you’ve read when on the hunt for a hot doe.

If you do need to freshen a scrape or refill a dispenser during the hunt, wear scent-free footwear. Splashing in mud or water on the way to your stand can help in adding natural cover scent to the tread. Also don latex gloves as you handle dispensers to avoid leaving any traces of you at the scrape. If a buck reaches up to rub its preorbital gland and suddenly smells the McMuffin you had an hour earlier it could lead to a string-jumping ending.

An hour after sunrise, a brawny whitetail buck I knew from trail cameras circled the wetland before me. I had a hunch his circle would end right under my stand and a few minutes later the scattering of does signaled his approach. Like a scripted movie he came down the trail and paused to investigate the scent I had sprayed two hours prior. Totally immersed in the olfactory delight, I was able to draw my Mathews and send an arrow off for an ending to my season that had the smell of success.

So you’re at your favorite local sporting goods store, looking at the deer feeders, and you notice that they’re a little on the pricey side. Not only that, but they’re mostly pretty simple designs. And you think to yourself, “I wonder if I could just make my own and save some money?”. Well, you can!

An effective DIY deer feeder is easy to make, even for the most mechanically challenged. You can make them as simple or as complicated as you want, and with some creativity, you can make one out of stuff you already have lying around, taking up space on your property. Here are five ways you can quickly build your DIY deer feeder that will be higher quality than the store bought ones and a heck of a lot cheaper too.

Most Common Homemade Deer Feeder Designs

• PVC Pipe Gravity Feeders – Quick and easy to make, transport, and set up. You can make them in different sizes to hold more or less feed. And they have the added benefit of being low profile and unobtrusive.
• Buckets & Drums – These can hold larger amounts of feed, so they don’t have to be filled as often and can be made from discarded, easily obtained materials.
• Tripods – A tripod mounted bucket or drum gives you more versatility with placement, and they’re more stable. They can also be equipped with a motorized automatic feeder to drop feed on a schedule or use the simple gravity feed method.
• Troughs – Simple frame construction to hold protein or corn. Instead of spilling onto the ground, the feed fills a trough.

1. Poor Man’s PVC Feeder

This design is just what it says, all the materials can be bought at your local hardware store for $50 or less, and the only tools needed are a drill and a hacksaw.

You pour your corn or whatever feed you’re using into the top of the tube, and gravity keeps it moving downward as it gets eaten.

It has a drain at the bottom to let out any rainwater that gets in to keep the feed from becoming moldy. Deer will have no problem getting their snout into the pipe to retrieve the feed.

Bill Of Materials

• One PVC pipe of the desired length (at least 3’ and up to 10’) and 6” diameter
• Two 6” PVC slip-on end caps
• One 6” PVC Wye (Y) coupler
• Several small eye-bolts (number depending on length)
• One can PVC primer
• One can PVC cement
• Spray paint for camouflage
• Power drill
• Hacksaw

Steps

1. Cut the 6” PVC pipe to the desired length. The longer it is, the less often you’ll have to fill it, but longer ones will be harder to reach to fill.
2. Primer the end of the pipe and one female end of the Wye coupler following the directions for use. Add cement to both pieces and attach them.
3. Drill some holes for drainage in one of the end caps, primer and cement the inside edge, and attach it to the bottom of the Wye coupler.
4. Drill holes along the side of the pipe to attach eye-bolts. These will be used as strapping points to secure it to the tree. Number required depends on length.
5. Take the end cap that will cover the top of the feeder and drill one hole in the center and one in the side, with a corresponding hole in the main pipe. Attach one eye-bolt in the top to use as a handle. The second eye-bolt will attach the lid to the pipe to keep the raccoons from raiding your feeder.

You can mount your new feeder to a tree with bungee cords, ratchet straps, or rope. You can also find pre-made drain caps at the store but make sure the holes are small enough to keep your feed in.

2. 5-Gallon Bucket Deer Feeder

Another easy-to-build and ridiculously affordable feeder. It uses a 5-gallon bucket to hold the feed, with a small hole cut into the bottom.

A wooden bridge is fitted across the inside of the bucket about two inches from the bottom that suspends a length of an all-thread rod through the hole. A large tin can is suspended from the bottom of the rod so the wind or nudging deer can cause the feed to fall from the hole.

The feed is kept in the bucket until the can is moved by a washer slightly larger than the hole suspended on the rod an inch or so below the hole, just enough to keep the feed in the bucket until the rod is moved when a small amount of feed will drop to the ground.

Bill Of Materials

• One 5-gallon bucket with a lid
• One ¼”-20 all-thread rods (threaded along the whole length) about 36” long
• Five ¼” washers and one 2” washer
• Six ¼” nuts
• One 1” x 2” board 16” in length
• One large tin can (or similar item)
• Power drill
• Saw

Steps

1. Cut a 1” wide hole in the bottom of the bucket
2. Cut two 2” long sections off of the board then trim the board to fit across the bottom of the bucket (most 5-gallon buckets are 10.33” across at the bottom)
3. Drill a hole through the middle of the board aligned with the hole in the bucket, large enough to allow the rod to swing slightly, nail or screw 2” pieces to the end of the board as supports, place in bottom of the bucket
4. Place 2” washer on the rod with ¼” washers and nuts on each side, double nuts on the lower side to keep it securely in position on the rod
5. Secure the rod from the wooden bridge through the hole in the bucket, adjust the 2” washer so it’s about 1” below the hole
6. Drill ¼” hole through the side of the can in the middle, attach to end of the rod with nuts and washers

Use a rope to hang your 5-gallon feeder over your spot, adjusted so the deer can reach up and nudge the can for feed. Ensure your 2” washer is placed so the feed can flow, but not too quickly. The sound of the feed plinking on the can will also attract other deer in the area when they get accustomed to it.

3. 55-Gallon Drum Gravity Feeder

This one takes a bit more work to make but it’s very economical to build. If you live a long way from your property or can’t get out there very often, this will hold enough feed to last for a while.

This plan leaves the lid attached to the drum to make sure rainwater stays out. It’s simply a 55-gallon drum mounted a few feet off the ground on a wooden platform and held in place with a ratchet strap.

Four 2” holes are cut around the bottom of the drum and 2” PVC elbows are inserted and cemented in place to channel the feed. Then cheap and readily available 12” drywall mud trays are bolted underneath the channels to hold the feed.

The drum can be filled by removing the plugs on top and using a large funnel. It’s secure and stable and works quite well.

Bill Of Materials

• One watertight 55-gallon plastic drum
• Materials for platform
• Four 2” PVC elbow joints
• Four 12” drywall mud trays
• Eight screws
• PVC cement
• Power drill

Steps

1. Build a platform to hold drum 2’ off the ground securely. You can do this with boards, concrete blocks, or even PVC tubing. Just be sure it can handle the weight and won’t tip over.
2. Cut 2” holes at four points around the bottom of the barrel about 4” up.
3. Insert 2” elbows into holes and cement in place. You can cut off part of the elbow to let the feed enter at a lower angle.
4. Drill holes in corners of drywall mud trays and corresponding holes in the drum to attach the trays underneath the feed channel. Screw trays in place.
5. Attach drum to the platform with a ratchet strap.

You’ll want to use spray paint to camouflage your feeder before you begin. If you have a white plastic drum you can leave a strip unpainted so you can observe the feed level.

4. Tripod Feeder

If you’re looking to build a feeder that’s easy to transport, holds a lot of feed, and automatically distributes feed on a timed schedule, this is the plan for you.

This design uses a metal or plastic drum of whatever size you choose equipped with a motorized automatic feeder such as the type manufactured by American Hunter, Moultrie, and other companies.

Aluminum tubing is used to make a tripod with detachable legs that can be easily taken off for transport and reattached with a quick release pin. The brackets to hold the legs are made from tubing slightly larger than the legs so that they can slide inside and be secured with a pin.

A hole is cut into the bottom of the drum to allow feed into the motorized feeder. A funnel can be fitted to the inside bottom of the drum to ensure that all the feed is used.

Bill Of Materials

• One metal or plastic drum, camo painted
• Aluminum tubing, two different diameters
• Six 1/4” bolts with washers and nuts
• Plastic tubing caps
• Motorized automatic feeder
• Large funnel
• Power drill and bits
• Hacksaw
• Basic hand tools

Steps

1. Cut leg tubing to the desired length. For bracket tubing, cut three 14” lengths.
2. Flatten 4” on one end of bracket tubes and drill two ¼” holes for bolts. Drill another hole 4” from the round end for connecting pin.
3. Cut hole in the bottom of the drum the approximate size of the feeder entry
4. Drill holes in drum and attach brackets with bolts
5. Drill ¼” hole in leg tubes 4” from the end that will slide into the bracket
6. Bolt automatic feeder to bottom of the drum, fit funnel over the hole in the bottom
7. Install tubing caps on end of legs and attach to bracket with a quick-release pin

Remember to put a piece of plywood under leg caps to keep legs from sinking in soft ground.

5. Protein Trough

This simple design can be done in several ways, but this plan is super sturdy and will last for years. It uses a 55-gallon drum cut in half to hold the feed, mounted on a covered platform made with 4” x 4”s and corrugated roofing panels. A little wood construction experience will help, along with access to the appropriate power tools.

Bill Of Materials

• 55-gallon plastic drum with lid
• Three 4” x 4” x 8’ treated beams
• Three 2” x 4” boards
• Three sheets of corrugated roof panels
• ¼” bolts, nuts, and washers or screws

Steps

1. Cut 55-gallon drum in half
2. Construct frame, and two upright posts mounted on beams with a crossbeam at the top and another about 32” above the ground.
3. Build a roof frame on the platform with 2” x 4”s
4. Attach corrugated roofing panels to frame

Make sure the roof covers enough to protect the feed and brace the posts with 2” x 4” sections.

About a dozen years ago, I began to feel guilty about leaving gut piles behind in the woods after field dressing a whitetail. I was uncomfortable knowing my wife Elaine and I might be wasting edible items after butchering an animal. We first tried cooking the heart, which we found to be delicious. Then we tried liver, which smelled great when it was being cooked, but the taste was, well, not very appealing.

Our next experiment involved the tongue – rather I should say “my” experiment, as Elaine just couldn’t bring herself to try this organ. My reasoning was that in the 1800s, Americans regarded buffalo tongue as a delicacy, and it became a high dollar entrée in the country’s best restaurants. So, why wouldn’t a deer’s tongue prove to be equally scrumptious?

Several years ago, I crock-potted my first deer tongue and found it to be tough and unappetizing – thus ending the research on that potential menu item. But this past year, while reading about cooking animal organs, I discovered that mammal tongues are covered by a sheath that must be peeled off, which I had not done on my initial kitchen test.

Intrigued about trying tongue again, I again crock-potted this organ, removed the sheath, sliced it into small pieces, and ate it on brown bread with sharp cheddar cheese and mustard – the same way I prefer heart. The tongue was quite tasty, possessing a milder flavor than heart but nevertheless very appealing and featuring a somewhat light, delicate taste.

Experimenting again, I found that deer tongue, as the prime player, makes an excellent salad. I’ve included a recipe below.

First, for those deer hunters who like to experiment with the organs and various uncommon cuts of a whitetail, I have a few questions. If you can help, please comment below.

Ribs: Have you ever cooked venison ribs? How do you remove the ribs from the deer, and how do you prepare them?

Lungs: I’ve heard that deer lungs can be made as part of a haggis recipe. Has anyone tried this?

Bone marrow: Native Americans ate deer bone marrow. Does anyone still do that?

Kidneys: Thoughts?

Intestines: Many folks relish chitlins, which are fried hog intestines. Anyone ever tried doing that with a deer’s intestines?

Mystery Meat: Once, a widow who let me hunt on her land asked me to bring her a deer liver if I was successful, so I did. Later, she called to thank me for including the gall bladder because it also “cooked up nicely” as part of her meal of fried liver and onions. The problem is, deer don’t possess gall bladders. To this day I wonder, what was the organ this lady ate?

Thanks for any ideas you can offer, and here’s that recipe.

Deer Tongue Salad

In a crock pot, cook the tongue on high for three hours. I’ve removed the sheath immediately after cooking and also after refrigeration. I’ve found it works better to cook and then chill the tongue before removing the sheath.

On top of a bed of spinach, thinly slice the chilled tongue and add sharp cheddar cheese, black walnuts, cranberries, and slices of avocado – my favorite add-ons. Feel free to experiment with your favorite vegetables and cheeses, and let me know the results.

SOMEWHERE there may be wise, funny, charitable iguanas, and some of you may keep them as pets. But squinting up into a mangrove tree in southern Puerto Rico, trying to resolve a red-eyed, hissing wild iguana in the confusion of slender green leaves, it’s hard to imagine these lizards as anything but back-alley larcenists. Lunch-money bullies. Grifters.

Maybe it’s the air rifle in my hand that places me in such stark opposition to these iguanas, but I admit it: It’s deeply satisfying to shoot these invasive opportunists that are quickly taking over the island. There is also a sensory reward. Thwap spits the gun. Thwunk announces the meeting of hol­lowpoint pellet and leather. If it’s a good shot, the sound of a 10-pound lizard free-falling through the limbs and smacking on the ground. Crash! Thud!

I’m here, not far inland from the port city of Ponce, to help reduce the infestation of non-native iguanas that are causing many millions of dollars in damage to fruit orchards, crop fields, and even highways and other infrastructure. Because Puerto Rican firearms laws are either restrictive (minority opinion) or confusing (majority opinion), my group has opted to hunt the reptiles with air rifles—new .35-caliber Carnivores from the Turkish company Hatsan. For the first day, we do pretty well. Between five shooters, we drop maybe 40 iguanas from the treetops.

The Romans are part of a loose confederation of Puerto Rican damage-control volunteers who get invitations from large landowners to kill as many iguanas as they can. Some of these reptile-ridders are self-styled rogues who call themselves “Los Iguaneros” and have made desperado-themed videos that you can see on YouTube. The Romans are a little more restrained with their self-promotion. But they are deadeye killers, all the same. In my first day hunting with the family, we dispatch nearly 100 lizards.

An Island-Wide Pest

Puerto Rico’s iguana problem started, in all likelihood, with a few pets released into the wild. Those outcasts met and bred, and soon their progeny, feral and ravenous, started moving around the island, following the coastline at first, but about 10 years ago, they started moving inland. Initially, iguanas were considered a novelty. But in just a few years, populations went from scattered to dense, and from nuisance to environmental catastrophe. There is no part of the island where you won’t find the invaders gauchly lounging in trees, but they are particularly troublesome in the countryside, where they eat or damage as much as a quarter of the crops. And in a United States territory that’s teetering on the brink of economic collapse, any reduction of its export business is taken seriously. The favorite foods of iguanas are banana, papaya, and melon.

Because of their habit of burrowing deep underground to make nests—each female lays around 70 eggs twice a year—iguanas have also been blamed for highway collapses and sidewalks that crack and slump. Even the main international airport in San Juan has been affected by the lizards. Iguanas love to bask on hot surfaces, and it’s not uncommon for the airport’s runways to close on summer afternoons so they can be cleared of lizards, which can flatten tires and even be sucked into the turbines of jet engines.

Experts estimate Puerto Rico’s iguana population to be between 10 million and 14 million, but because the reptiles have no natural predators here and because of all the food they can find and eat, the population is expected to double every year or two. And that’s where the Romans come in.

Air Strikes

Alex Echevarria Roman is 23 years old and formally polite. But he has eyes like a falcon and has probably collected more pounds of wild meat with an air rifle than anyone I’ll ever know. For the last 10 years, he has roamed Puerto Rico with his family, trying to kill every iguana they see. As we talked, we walked through a stand of trees on the edge of a large mango plantation, and every few minutes, Roman would stop, point up, direct my aim (“Shoot for the spot just behind the eye”), and wait for me to drop an iguana before continuing.

“We distribute our phone numbers around the countryside and tell people, mostly big-scale farmers, to call us when iguanas get out of control,” he tells me as I settle my crosshairs on an avocado-green 5-footer. “At first, we’d get a few calls a month, but now, we can’t keep up. We come to a farm like this one [outside Ponce], but it’s not possible to control them. We can kill 100 iguanas in a spot, and return a day or two later and kill 100 more.”

I hit the lizard a little too far back. This is a bad thing, because unless you hit a cold-blooded iguana just behind the eye, it won’t die instantly. Instead, it may scurry around the trunk and out of sight, or it may hang up in a crotch. Or, like this one, it may drop out of the tree, ready to fight. To see a wounded iguana on the ground is to see a Japanese Godzilla flick come to life. The lizards hiss, they flare their frills, and they often charge their persecutors, trying to whip them with their saw-sharp tail. They remind me of the sneaky, venomous dilophosauridae from Jurassic Park, and I don’t mind telling you they freak me out a little bit.

“We mainly use air rifles,” Roman continues after I dispatch the wounded lizard and regain my composure. “Partially because they’re much cheaper to shoot [than firearms], but also because in Puerto Rico you can only use firearms during fall hunting season for pigeon. But it’s legal year-round to hunt iguanas with air rifles. My favorite time is February, during the breeding season. Then, the machos can get very aggressive.”

Roman prefers .22-caliber air rifles for their flat trajectory and accuracy. I’m shooting a hard-hitting .35-caliber pellet out of my Hatsan PCP (pre-charged pneumatic), and after about 20 shots, I have to swap out air reservoirs that we filled earlier in the day from a big scuba tank in the back of Alex’s pickup. The Hatsan shoots 82-grain pellets that look almost exactly like bullets from a .380 semi-auto. Even imperfect shots hit so hard they generally knock the lizard out of the trees. Thwap. Thwunk. Crash. Thud.

After a couple of hours of Roman’s guidance, I get pretty good at seeing and hitting the cryptically colored iguanas. I feel as though we’re hunting unwholesome squirrels as we move quietly through the trees, like we’re hunting unwholesome squirrels. And just like with squirrels, the shots get harder as we go. These reptiles are keenly aware that humans mean danger. Once we kill a few, the rest either climb high into the foliage or morph into the bark—like the chameleons they are related to, they can change colors to match their surroundings, so often the only way to spot one is to spy their long striped tails—or they drop out of the trees into a shallow creek and swim away. The biggest iguana I kill is nearly 6 feet long and about 10 pounds; the average measures 4 feet from scaly nose to whippy tail.

The largest iguana Alex has killed was a female that weighed 18 pounds and stretched over 7 feet.

Chicken of the Trees

By the end of the day, we have collected dozens of iguanas, and have tried to keep them out of the searing Puerto Rican heat until we can clean them. They will be tonight’s dinner. Their scaly thighs elicit competing responses. These are repulsive reptiles that sometimes carry salmonella. But you work up an appetite gunning dinosaurs all day.

So we clean a few dozen of the meatiest specimens and take them back to the farmhouse that we use as a gathering place. There’s an outdoor grill with red-hot coals. While someone prepares arroz con gandules (rice with peas), the iguana tails and thighs sizzle and pop.

The taste is, predictably, like chicken. But even more accurately, it’s like a tough, dry scallop. The texture lends itself to being slow-cooked in a sauce, like a cacciatore. Between mouthfuls, I ask my hosts if iguana is commonly eaten here. When they laugh uncomfortably, Alex explains that while iguana is considered a delicacy in other parts of Latin America, where the reptiles are indigenous, Puerto Ricans never acquired a taste for them. Like me, they tend to be repulsed by the lizards.

That’s part of the problem with controlling iguana numbers here. There’s no market for their meat, and so little incentive to hunt them.

It occurs to me that as much as I want to vilify the iguanas, they are doing what every other organism does—they’re making a living however they can. And it’s a good living, with nothing to stop their steady expansion except the physical limitations of the island. And a few thousand more airgun-equipped hunters.

As we leave the farm, I see the only naturally killed iguana of my week on Puerto Rico. Its decomposing body is stuck in a hurricane fence around a demolition site, too fat to fit through the links.

Read more OL+ stories. This feature originally ran in the May 2016 issue of Outdoor Life.

Animal bite force is a complex science and you’re likely to find all kinds of conflicting figures, regardless of whether you measure in PSI (pounds per square inch), Newtons of force, or pounds of force. On top of this, conducting bite force tests is difficult and rarely a top priority for scientists studying animals.

If that’s true, how can we be sure which animals have the strongest bites in the world? Thanks to the testing some scientists have conducted and sophisticated computer modeling, we can determine a credible estimate of what an animal’s peak biting power could be.

Before we get to the top ten strongest bite forces in the animal kingdom, we’ll explain how bite forces are measured, why it matters for animals, and how we can model them.

What is Bite Force?

Why Does Bite Force Matter?

How Do People Calculate Or Test Bite Force?

What Determines Bite Force?

10. Tiger (1,050 psi)

9. Spotted Hyena (1,100 psi)

8. Grizzly Bear (1,000 to 1,200 psi)

7. Polar Bear (1,200 psi)

6. Gorilla (1,300 psi)

5. Jaguar (1,500 psi)

4. Hippopotamus (1,800 psi)

3. American Alligator (2,150 psi)

2. Great White Shark (4,000 psi)

1. Saltwater Crocodile (3,700 psi)

Other Bite Forces

11. Lion (650 psi)

Despite their fearsome reputation and iconic status, lions only have a slightly higher bite force than mastiff dogs. They rely on hunting in groups, dragging down and suffocating prey, so they never needed a bite force as strong as the solitary tigers and jaguars.

12. Nile Crocodile (3,000 – 5,000 psi)

I’ve found conflicting numbers when it comes to Nile crocodiles. The one study I found only used an eight-foot (2.43 m) specimen and extrapolated that a 16-foot (4.87 m) specimen would have a bite around 3,000 PSI. I also found people who believed the bite could exceed 5,000 PSI. In the end, it was too murky to include them in the above top ten, but they likely have the strongest bite force behind saltwater crocodiles and white sharks.

13. Bull Shark (478 psi)

Bull sharks have the strongest bite of any shark when you factor in body size. They’re much smaller than white sharks, reaching typical sizes of nine feet and around 800 pounds. White sharks of a similar size would only be capable of around 360 PSI.

14. Black Piranha (72 psi)

You’re probably looking at the measly 72 PSI bite force of a black piranha and wondering why it got mentioned here. Black piranhas grow to around a foot in length and at most weigh in around eight pounds (3.62 kg). Their bite force of 72 PSI is massive in comparison to their body weight, and this measurement came from a fish weighing only around 2 ½ pounds (1.13 kg).

15. Tasmanian Devil (200 psi)

16. Orcas (19,000 psi)

While also untested, a killer whale can theoretically exert 19,000 psi in bite force. This is mainly due to their sheer size, as they can weigh up to six tons (6096.28 kg) and reach thirty feet (9.14 m) in length. Most evidence is based on simulations, theory, and captive whale studies, so it did not merit a spot on the list.

You may also like: Learn the 21 Amazing Types of Whale Found on the Ocean: Complete with Images, Facts, and More!

Strongest Bite Force By Type of Animal

Mammal

Reptile

Fish

You may also like: Meet the 25 Amazing Types of Sharks: Complete with Images, Fun Facts, Infographic, and More!

Human Bite Force: Comparison With Humans

What About Dinosaurs?

Some of the largest and most powerful creatures to ever roam the Earth are now extinct. Apex predator dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and unmatched marine predators like the megalodon had incredibly strong jaws and crushing bite forces.

How Would We Even Know?

Strongest Dinosaur Bite Force

1. Megapiranha

The now extinct relative of modern-day piranhas, mega piranha, grew to around thirty pounds. Just like its ancestors living among us today, it had an incredibly strong bite for its size. In theory, mega piranha was capable of a bite between 279 and 1,067 psi.

2. Megalodon

3. T-Rex

The infamous T-rex boasts likely one of the strongest overall bite forces of any land animal to ever exist. Their jaws were capable of putting out a force of over 35,0000 psi. This would have been extra helpful to take down the large megafauna it coexisted with and preyed on.

During my whole fly fishing career, one question I’ve answered the most is, “What are the best fly reels for the money?”

I know fly reels don’t just grow on trees, and you need to spend your hard-earned money to get them. And so you want to get the best value fly reel on the market.

Among all of the fly reels I have used and tested, Ross Reels Animas is the best fly reel for the money and definitely top of the list.

I will cover each of the best fly fishing fly reels for the money in detail. So the next time you need to buy a reel, you know where to look.

Disclosure: The Wading Kit is a reader-supported website and takes part in the Amazon Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you shop through links on this page. At thewadingkit.com we test products and recommend them based on unbiased research. For info see disclosure here.

Best Fly Reels For The Money

In this article, you will find:

• Honest reviews for the ten best-rated fly reels
• A guide that will help you buy the best fly fishing fly reels for the money
• Tips for maintaining a reel
• Some frequently asked questions, and their answers
• A conclusion with a winner from the 10 reviewed best value fly fishing reels

So stay hooked!

10 Best Fly Reels For The Money in 2024 – Reviews

Here are the detailed reviews of the ten best value fly reels:

1. Ross Reels Animas – Best Fly Reel Ever Made

I once went on a fishing trip to the west with my friends, and there I was introduced to this revamped Ross Animas reel. I was pretty dumbfounded by how good this reel looks. The open design, lots of ports, and a silhouette of the Colorado mountains on the back look spectacular. Also, this new reel is significantly lighter than the former one.

As for the performance, I was equally impressed. The drag strength is good enough to do the job. The reel starts cranking without any resistance and rotates like butter. The drag knob is large enough to hold easily. Also, the clicking sound on both incoming and outgoing is solid.

Most people will tell you that the Ross Animas reel is a perfect reel out there with practically no flaws. But I found one after very close inspections. The size of the reel is written on the reel foot, making it invisible when the reel mounts on a rod. I’d rather have the marking elsewhere to make it more visible.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

The Ross Animas is one of the best fly reels for the money out there. It looks good and performs even better. I doubt there could be a better reel in its class.

2. Sage Spectrum C Fly Reels – Best Quality Fly Reel

The minimal weight of this reel impressed me instantly when I took it out of the box. The ported spool and a sealed drag make this reel one of the best fly reels for the money. You may even call it the finest reel Sage has ever produced, with an affordable price tag.

Not only does it look sexy, but it is also a killer when it comes to performance. The drag is silky smooth and shows no initial inertia at all. The drag knob is straightforward to operate, unlike many other Sage reels where the knob was a bit sunken within the frame. Also, the handle of this reel is just the right size to grip.

The spool and the frame have no gaps between them so that you can reel it confidently without the fear of any lines sneaking into the void. I also like the narrow spool this reel offers because wider spools have the issue of lines not leveling correctly. But the large diameter and concave spool make up for the lack of capacity created by this thinness. You easily store an ample amount of backing in this reel.

The spool-releasing system, however, is a little too tight for me. Nothing major, but you need to exert a bit of force to separate them.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

Spectrum by Sage may not be the cheapest reel you’d find, but it is easily one of the best quality fly reels under 200$. It is better to spend a few extra bucks to get the many handy features Spectrum offers.

3. Redington RISE Fly Fishing Reel – Best Lightweight

Redington has produced some of the best fly reels for the money, and it’s the same with Rise. This reel looks pretty and is great out in the water. The drag is powerful, and the ergonomics are top-notch.

The finishing is perfect all around, and I could find no blemishes or uneven surfaces. After making an excellent first impression, this reel accompanied me on a fishing trip. The drag was very smooth initially, but since it is not fully sealed, some silt and dirt got into it, making it a little bumpy. Not for seawater, I suppose.

Now, the handle was okay, but the drag knob felt a bit cheap, to be honest. Also, the lines holding capacity was a bit of a turnoff for me. It not only couldn’t hold full backing, but I also had to cut short the floating line to make it fit into the spool. So this reel is good enough for small lakes or ponds only.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

The Redington Rise reel is a great solid start for someone just beginning their journey into fly fishing. It is also equally suitable for those experienced anglers who only want to relax by a pond.

4. Galvan Rush Light Reel – Next Best Thing

Galvan’s Torque has been my favorite for a long time. Recently, Galvan came up with a more valuable option and named it Rush. The Rush LT is now one of the best value fly reels in the market. It is reasonably lightweight, the drag is not disappointing, and the pricing is much more subtle.

There is a bit of startup inertia, but apart from that, the reel cranks smoothly. The sound of reeling the line in is good, but the outgoing drag click is not as crisp and clear as I’d like. Likewise, the drag knob is comfortable to hold and make adjustments, but the spool handle is not as long as other more ergonomic reels. These are just a couple of things Galvan could work on.

Now comes the durability. I dropped the reel on a cemented surface to test how well-made it was. To my surprise, there were no noticeable dents but the paint scratched from a few places. So that’s that!

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

If you cannot afford the best quality fly fishing reels, the Galvan Rush LT is the next best thing. With a considerable decrease in price, it offers many features of a best-rated fly reel.

5. Waterworks-Lamson Remix Fly Fishing Reel – Best Value Fly Reel

The Remix by Waterworks-Lamson is an excellent choice for someone looking for a beginner’s reel under $200. Its name represents a mix of machined drag and a die-cast spool. Also, it is one of the lightest reels on our list.

Waterworks cut down on a few high-end features to produce a more affordable reel. For example, it is not anodized. Instead, they’ve painted the die-cast spool to save on the cost. Also, the drag is towards the lower side of the scale and pretty sticky.

What’s good about it are the acoustics which are loud and clear in both directions. Plus, the retrieval rates are impressive, too, due to the large-sized arbor. The handle and knob are both okay, nothing too fancy.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

The Remix has its limitations but is still a good value reel under $200.

6. Temple Fork Outfitters NXT Black Label Fly Fishing Reel – Beginners Friendly

Talking of affordable reels, here’s another. This reel is the cheapest in our list of best fly reels for the money. But by cheap, I only mean the price. Quality-wise this fly reel isn’t bad at all.

You don’t often see a machined aluminum frame in a price range this low. Furthermore, the disc drag system is smooth and pretty durable since it is stainless steel. I have seen many institutes using this reel and a TFO fly rod to teach fishing to amateurs.

But because this reel is painted rather than anodized, you might experience some scratches or the paint flaking off after a few uses.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

If you are learning fly fishing or are just terrible at it, the TFO NXT Black Label might be the best fly reel for money if you are a beginner.

7. M MAXIMUMCATCH Maxcatch Sparta Fly Reel – The Smooooooothest of All!

Here is another good fly reel for the money. Maxcatch is a lesser-known brand that has dropped some of the best value fly reels over the last few years. I think they deserve some recognition for introducing very cost-effective yet best-quality fly reels to make fly fishing affordable for all kinds of folks.

Sparta is one of the smoothest reels I have ever got my hands on. I mean, I have experienced some high-end reels, but this one is hard to beat in terms of drag smoothness. The drag sound may not be the loudest, however. But I think I can learn to live with the mellow sound.

Now comes the appearance. This reel shows promise in terms of design. The color is beautiful and looks great on my fly rod. The weight may be a bit more if you compare it to better-rated reels of the same size. The sizing also felt a bit off because I ordered a 5/7 wt size, and it felt a bit heavier on my 6 wt fly rod. So you’ll need to be careful there.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

Sparta is a great value reel under $100. If you can live without the perfect click and a bit of weight, you must try this one.

8. Waterworks-Lamson Litespeed F Series Fly Fishing Reel – A Piece of Luxury

You may call the new “F-series” by Lamson a hybrid between their Litespeed and Speedster series. The features resemble closely with the former, while the looks are similar to the latter. But whoever the parent line is, these new reels are as perfect as a fly reel can get.

The weight is incredibly light. It is considerably more delicate than the previous models from the Litespeed range. Also, the design is phenomenal. The very open design makes for quick drying of retrieval lines.

As for drag, it features Lamson’s signature conical system that is sealed and robust. However, the F-series takes it up a notch with its innovative spring assembly and a drag knob that stops with a pleasant click.

The color whiskey is my favorite to pair up with any wooden fly rods. The only thing I don’t highly appreciate about this new F-series is the high price. I know this range is supposed to be more high-end and a piece of luxury, but Lamson has produced numerous best fly reels for the money with very similar features, yet they cost at least $100 less.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

If you can afford it, the Lamson Litespeed F series is a piece of luxury that is also unmatched in performance.

9. Bozeman FlyWorks The Patriot Fly Fishing Reel – Good For Salmon

Bozeman is a smaller brand trying to make its way into the bigger fishing gear market. I tried their Patriot fly reel when I looked for a machined body, sealed drag, and affordable reel to go with my new rod. And this reel checked all marks!

It is incredible how many high-end features this reel gives you while staying on budget. The machined aluminum body is smooth and sturdy looking, and I could find no defects in the framework or the paint job. Furthermore, the sealed drag is smooth and powerful enough for enormous tackle, say salmon and steelhead.

The drag knob is functional and has excellent form. I can easily find and use it while I’m busy fighting a running fish. The drag adjustment is pretty fine, and I could find my sweet spot for the torque setting after just a few tries.

The only way this reel might trouble you is the capacity to hold lines. I bought a 5/6 wt reel, and I don’t think I can overline it at all because it will cost me a bit of my backing. Little backing won’t do you any good when you catch a 7wt fish like salmon.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

The Bozeman Patriots is a good value fly reel for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of fortune. It has its limitations but is still a fair trade at its price.

10. Pflueger Medalist Fly Reel – For Vintage Vibes

Pfleuger has been around in the fly fishing market longer than I can remember. They have produced some classics in fly reels. The Medalist is the last one on our list of best fly reels for the money. It gives a vintage feeling with a more modern click-and-pawl drag system than the old brake shoe type we saw in prior versions.

This reel doesn’t look like it, but it weighs pretty little. The machined body is rough and tough, too, and the drag is smooth. The power on the drag system may not be a lot, but it is enough to catch small fish without a backlash. If you want a reel specific for higher weights, this is the wrong reel.

Now, the clicking sound is pretty loud, precisely as I like it, and the capacity to hold lines is excellent too. What’s not too good is the tiny drag knob that is not at all good for doing its job. The handle is also plastic and a little cheap-looking. I would have been okay with the plastic if this was a $50 fly reel sold at Walmart, but sadly it isn’t.

Check Price On Amazon

Takeaway:

If you want a machined body and a retro look, the Patriot may be the best fly reel for the money. But if you need drag and are too bothered by the knob and handle, then not so much.

Buying Guide:

Testing different fly reels is my favorite job to do. I get to test so many products and tell you about my experience.

After testing the above ten best fly reels for the money, here is a list of the things you’ll need in your reel to make the most out of your money:

Durability

It is understandable; when looking for the most value for your money, you’ll need your fly reel to last you at least a few years. CNC machined aluminum body is good in this regard.

Performance

Smooth drag, adequate strength, and the ability to make fine adjustments on the drag are some of the factors that make a fly reel perform better than others.

Ergonomics

Last but not least, you need your fly reels to be ergonomic. The handle should be long enough to grasp, the drag knob sufficient to adjust, and the spools should separate and reseat easily.

Related Fly Fishing Guides:

• Best Fly Fishing Gloves
• Wading Jacket Reviews
• Best Fishing Waders
• Best Wading Boots For Fly Fishing

How To Care For Your Best Fly Reels For The Money?

Here are some tips for taking care of the best fly reels:

1. Practice good handling of your reel.
2. Rinse your reel with clean fresh water after use.
3. Deep clean it after every fishing trip, if possible.
4. Do not soak your reel for longer than 30 minutes.
5. Grease the inners once a year.
6. Loosen the drag knob to a minimum before storing.
7. Store your reel bone dry.

FAQs

Q. What are the top-quality fly reels for the money?

The best purchases I have made for fly reels are the Ross Animas, Galvan Rush Light, and the Sage Spectrum.

Q. Which are the top-rated fly reels for catching bigger fish?

The Bozeman Flyworks Patriot and Waterworks Lamson Litespeed F series are powerful enough to tackle bigger fish in the river.

Q. What is a sealed drag?

A drag that is covered to protect its components from the elements of nature (dirt, silt, sand, salt) is called a sealed drag. For that, we use saltwater fly reels.

Conclusion:

The best fly reels for the money can nail their job and also give the most benefits to make your purchase fruitful.

Among the ten fly reels I have reviewed, the Ross Animas wins for being the most impressive. Thoughtful design, smooth drag, easy handling, and minimal weight are only some of the great features it provides.

So the next time you buy a reel, make sure it deserves your money!

The Wading Kit is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, without any extra cost to you. Learn more.

Prior to European settlement, the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) called much of California home. Today, despite appearing on the California state flag, the grizzly is extinct throughout the state; the last known California grizzly was killed close to Sequoia National Park in 1922. The savvy Sierran black bear population (Ursus americanus), however, is still thriving.

Size

Size can vary dramatically between black bears. By adulthood, males usually range from 150 to 400 pounds (70 to 180 kg), and females from 90 to perhaps 300 pounds (40 to 135 kg). Males gain weight until they are ten years old or more, while after three years females grow only slowly and stop after seven. Differences in size are indistinct until puberty, at which point females redirect nutrition from growth to reproduction.

Male bears lose weight rapidly through the spring and then gain weight from July until denning in the fall. This seasonal weight change may be explained by mating behavior – male bears expend substantial energy visiting the home ranges of eligible females at a time when food resources are at their lowest. Conversely, female bears are at their lowest weight upon emergence from the den and gain steadily through the year. Females, however, do pay a substantial weight penalty for reproduction; sows with young are 15% lighter than cubless females and may gain only a fourth as much weight from May to September.

Color

Despite their name, black bears range in color from blond through various shades of brown to black. About 95% of bears in the Sierra are some shade of brown and only about 5% are truly black. Color changes through the year are common in bears. Guard hairs start bleaching immediately after the molt, which occurs sometime between May and September. Molting is signaled by the appearance of new guard hairs, which are shorter and darker. They first emerge around the eyes and lower limbs, and then extend up the limbs and down the face and flanks, finishing along the spine.

Lifespan

Longevity for bears in the Sierra varies, but the average lifespan is 18 years. The most common causes of death include accidents with vehicles, disease, enemies, old age, and starvation due to loss of functional teeth.

Communication

Black bears communicate through posturing, marking with odors or other sign, and vocalization. Unlike dogs that can display teeth or curl a lip, a bear’s ability to communicate with facial expressions is poor. The most significant and productive act of communicating for a bear is through its body posture. Bears are often seen in movies and television standing on their two hind legs, growling and looking quite ferocious. In real life however, black bears “stand up” when they are trying to get a better look or smell at something that has piqued their curiosity, and growling is rarely a sound that you will hear from a black bear. When bears assess other bears, staring, slapping the ground, and bluff charging are aggressive behaviors, while lowering the head is submissive. To mark a tree, bears will rub the trunk with their shoulder, neck, and rump. They claw and bite bark and roll on the ground at the base of trees as well.

Although bears are generally silent animals, they do have several vocalizations:

1. Huffing: a single rapid, highly audible exhalation of air through the open lips, produced by both cubs and adults.
2. In-Out Huffing: rapid inhalation and exhalation similar to single huffing repeated rapidly.
3. Bawling: a long hoarse wailing sound produced by cubs.
4. Grunting: a soft “clungk, clungk” made deep in the throat with the mouth closed. Produced by mothers in the presence of cubs.
5. Jaw-Popping: a rapid snapping of the jaws and popping of the lips, produced by all bears.
6. Tooth-Clicking: the jaws are snapped together two or three times, more softly than jaw-popping. This is another sound produced by mothers with cubs.
7. Moaning: a falling note from deep in the throat, much like a human moans, and produced by all bears.

Grunting and tooth clicking seem to be the sounds with the most specific intentions and are almost exclusively used by mother bears with cubs. Grunting seems to mean, “come here” and tooth-clicking is usually followed by the cubs climbing trees. Bawling is done by cubs separated from their mothers, while huffing and jaw-popping often precede or follow bluff charges. This behavior is usually used by animals on the defensive and is used as an alternative to physical contact. In-out huffing is commonly used by bears climbing trees to escape a nearby threat and is a “last ditch” response while fleeing. Bears that are kept in trees for long periods often moan, perhaps implying resignation or defeat.

Reproduction

Female black bears in the Sierra Nevada are usually between three to five years of age when they have their first litter. Courtship and mating usually takes place in a two or three week period in June, July and sometimes as late as August. Bears are polygamous, and a single male may mate with several females. The gestation period for black bears is 235 days (about 8 months), but embryonic growth only takes about two months. This is because bears have a unique reproduction system called embryonic delay, or delayed implantation. Although mating takes place in the summer, the fertilized ovum does not implant for many months. Because of this, bears are only able to give birth when they are in good condition. If the sow has not gained enough weight to support herself and her cubs during the winter, she will abort, and the blastocyst is absorbed by her body.

If a sow is healthy enough, she will give birth during hibernation inside the den in late January or February. Average litter size is two cubs; however, three cubs are not uncommon in the Sierra Nevada. Cubs weigh about 8 ounces at birth and grow to approximately 10 to 12 pounds by the time they leave the den three months later. The cubs will stay with their mother for the rest of the year and will den with her the next winter. After emerging from the den the second year, they will stay as a family unit until the sow is ready to mate again in early summer.

Temperature Regulation:

Like humans, a black bear’s normal body temperature is around ninety-eight to ninety-nine degrees Fahrenheit (though it can vary during hibernation). A black bear’s thick fur serves as excellent insulation during the cold winter months, but it can be problematic in warm weather. Bears, like dogs, do not have sweat glands. Because of this, they must cool themselves through other means:

• Balancing energy expenditure and food intake
• Resting in shady day beds
• Lying with their bellies fully touching the cool ground
• Panting
• Submerging themselves in water

Many of those who tucked into a large turkey on Thanksgiving will have fought over the tiny end part of the cooked bird. They may even have waged a religious war over its name.

In an article in June in The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, David Lipschitz recalled an old family meal. “I loved chicken skin, and remember well fighting with my sisters for the vestigial tail of the chicken or turkey, what we called the Parson’s Nose – pure fat.”

In an article last April in the British newspaper The Independent, food writer Clarissa Dickson Wright wrote: “When I was a child, chicken was what you had for best – for Sunday lunch. There was great excitement about having it and, if you were very lucky, you got the pope’s nose.”

In the same month, Bennett Kirkpatrick wrote in The News and Observer in Raleigh, N.C., of “a syringe for injecting the liquid into the ‘Pope’s nose’ of the turkey’s tail.”

The expressions are certainly not new. In Tales of Old Dartmoor, a memorable 1956 episode of the British radio program The Goon Show, hero Ned Seagoon shouted, “Men, load all guns with roast turkey, with the parson’s nose outwards.” To which the villain Moriarty replied, “Sapristi, you devil! With the parson’s nose outwards? If you hit him with those, he’ll go to the bottom.”

The derogatory expression “pope’s nose” appears to have been coined in Britain as a result of anti-Catholic feeling after the reign of James II (1685-88). It was well in place by 1796, when Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue defined it as “the rump of a turkey.” The expression “parson’s nose” appears to have arisen as a response, wry or otherwise, directed at the Protestant clergy. Other variations over the centuries have included bishop’s nose and recorder’s nose (after a form of British judge). It’s enough to put more than a few noses out of joint.

Elsewhere, sound-alike words continue to cause trouble. Consider NBC’s written transcript of a segment that Today co-host Katie Couric devoted on Tuesday to the death of actor Christopher Reeve.

The text includes excerpts from a 2002 television interview in which Reeve, recalling his movie role of Superman, told Couric that he supported the superhero’s devotion to “truth, justice and the American way.” However, “the American way is a little bit confusing right now. So is the word patriotism – confusing because patriotism should not be confused with, you know, the right to descent.”

Reeve was not, as you will have divined, referring to the right of Superman to touch down after flying across town faster than a speeding bullet. He meant dissent.

“In other words,” he continued, “it’s equally patriotic to challenge what our government is doing, what our politicians are doing.”

One thing that politicians are doing, along with the rest of us, is speaking of brainstorming sessions in which ideas are generated. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell told the U.S. Senate on Oct. 6 that he worked with other politicians “to brainstorm new ideas and improvements to our oversight of the intelligence community.”

(Yes, well, we already know about a few of the intelligence community’s oversights.)

In Britain, at least one political-correctness patrol has begun an assault on this sense of “brainstorm,” a sense that dates back at least to 1925 in North America. The magazine Private Eye reports that, in a training session at the British Broadcasting Corporation, a course director told a junior manager the word was no longer allowed in its colloquial sense, because “it is offensive to those suffering from epilepsy.” She was told instead to use “thoughtshower.” It would be fascinating to read a dictionary written by that director.

[email protected]