By Miscellaneous Authors   Sun, Aug 08, 2010

How many of you have ever had the chance to see a trophy whitetail buck in velvet while actually deer hunting? I would venture to say not many. I have had the opportunity to hunt and harvest many bucks in velvet over the years. There are not many places around the country where you get the chance to harvest a buck in velvet, especially with a rifle, but the Low Country of South Carolina provides that very opportunity. With a rifle season that opens on August 15th every year, the Low Country of South Carolina provides a chance to hunt what I would consider one of my favorite times of the year. You will get a chance to see things while actually hunting that most people only get to see from afar, either while scouting or driving by an open field a month or so before their season opens. Yes, it is HOT! Yes, the bugs can be TERRIBLE, but  to be sitting on that bean field or freshly cut corn field about an hour before dark and watching a bachelor group of 8, 10, 12 bucks step out of the timber and into the field is a sight that is very special and one that I look forward to on an annual basis. The deer this time of year are still in their summer patterns, and the bucks are usually still running around in their summer bachelor groups. That my fellow hunters, is a combination that is tough to beat! 

The 2009 hunting season provided an excellent example of this at my hunting camp in Allendale, SC. There were four mature bucks, all still in velvet, harvested out of the same stand in a five night period by four different hunters. We knew the bucks were using the freshly cut cornfield and knew there was a large bachelor group. On the opening night of the season, eleven entered the field about forty five minutes before dark, and a member of the club shot a beautiful 4 1/2 year old 8 point. Two evenings later, another member watched the same group enter the field within five minutes of the time they had before and harvested a dandy 3 1/2 year old 11 point. A very similar story played out during the next two evenings. This ever shrinking group of velvet bucks entered the field shortly before dark and two more mature 8 points were harvested, one by yours truly. This early season hunting offers not only the chance at a mature buck in velvet but usually provides us the ability to pattern the deer right before the start of the season.

This season brought a new opportunity for me to chase the ever elusive velvet buck. My home state of Florida made some major changes to their hunting zones and season dates effective for the 2010 hunting season. My particular zone's archery season opened on July 31st this year which provided me with the chance to harvest my first velvet bow kill, something that had been on my "bucket list" for several years. When I first heard the discussions of the changes I thought to myself, what are these people thinking, who wants to deer hunt in July? My next thought immediately turned to, I could not get a better chance to accomplish that goal than this, right in my own back yard. I had really been looking forward to this challenge since the changes were officially announced this past spring. I had been watching this bachelor group of bucks, which consisted of two mature 8 points, a young 8, a 6, and a 3 point, running around my property for most of the spring and summer. I was seeing them every day, and most days twice, for months. Opening day could not get here soon enough. My stands were hung, some shooting lanes trimmed, and I was practicing with my bow on a daily basis. Well, it did not happen opening morning as I had been dreaming about for months, but by weeks end I was able to scratch the velvet buck with my bow off of my list.

I had been hunting pretty hard all week and had seen several deer but not the two bucks that I really had my eye on. On the seventh morning of the season I was sitting in my stand as the light was just coming over the horizon when I noticed a couple of deer heading my way down the middle of the creek which had about a foot of water, unbelievably beautiful. They were about a hundred yards down  and heading in my direction, but with the low light I was not exactly sure what they were. When they hit the 50 yard mark I knew these were the two 8 points that I had been looking for. That of course is when the adrenaline kicked in. I was starting to realize that this was going to happen. I was about to get an opportunity at the bucks that I had been watching since April. As they got closer they decided to come up on my side of the bank which was going to put them at about six yards from my stand as they passed. The one that I really wanted , as I knew he was the older of the two (aged at 5.5), was in the lead. When he stepped behind a large Oak tree between the stand and the creek, I drew. As he stepped from behind the tree and stopped on the other side, I let the arrow fly and let loose a six yard shot that definitely hit its intended target.

WHAT ARE VELVET ANTLERS?

So what are velvet antlers and why do bucks have them part of the year and not the rest? The head gear that sits atop the heads of those magical creatures (the whitetail deer) that get us out of bed at 4 A.M. throughout the fall and winter are actually called antlers and not horns. Antlers are only grown by deer and other members of the Cervid family, while horns are grown by cattle, bison, sheep, goats and other horned members of the animal kingdom. The difference in the two is that antlers are made of bone and are shed and regrown on an annual basis while horns are actually made of a substance know as keratin and continue to grow throughout the animal's life. The 128 day process of antler growth is know as Antlerogenesis and is primarily caused by the change in testosterone levels in the buck's body. This change in testosterone levels is caused by the pineal gland which is triggered by the increase in daylight hours or photo-period. The longer the daylight hours the faster the growth occurs. This same gland and shortening daylight hours is what also causes the antlers to stop growing to allow the hardening process to begin and eventually the dropping or shedding of the antlers in the winter time. The velvet itself is actually a skin like tissue covered with tiny hairs and filled with blood vessels that feed the antlers and helps them to grow. Antlers are widely known as the fastest growing tissue in the animal kingdom and can grow up to 1/2 inch a day during their peek growing time.  

The amount of stress, age, genetics, and nutrition play a major role in how large the antlers will grow. A stress free, well fed deer will have a greater chance of growing a much larger set of antlers than one that is stressed out or lacking the nutrients needed to grow to their potential. Not all of the nutrients that are needed to grow that large set of head gear come from food intake. A lot of the nutrients are actually taken from the deer's own skeletal system. Similar to bone degeneration in humans, a deer will rob the remaining minerals it needs to grow their antlers from places with in its own body such as the ribs and sternum.  Unlike humans, when the antler growing stage is complete, they will replenish what was lost and the bone density will return to normal levels. Once the antlers have finished growing, they begin to harden under the velvet which then causes the blood supply to shutdown. This in turn will cause the velvet to dry and begin to crack. At this point the buck will begin the process of removing the velvet from its antlers which is usually done in a very short period of time. I once witnessed a buck that was in full velvet at 7 A.M., and when I saw him later that evening around 8 P.M. there was nothing left but about a 4 inch strip that was hanging from his left side. Later in the winter when the daylight hours have shortened and the testosterone levels have changed again, the bucks will begin to shed or drop their antlers and now the growing cycle has come full circle. It truly is an amazing process.

WHAT DO I DO NOW?

Now that you have harvested your velvet buck you may be asking what I need to do to preserve the velvet.  What you plan to do with your trophy will narrow down your choices as to what to do next. Whichever method you are going to choose you must act quickly. The blood flow to the antlers stops upon harvest, and the velvet will begin to slip if not taken care of in a timely manner. Once the velvet has begun to slip your chances of saving the trophy rack have been lost.

If I plan on taking it to the taxidermist to have a shoulder or european mount done, I know I have two options. Option number one, cape the animal out and drive straight to the taxidermist for them to take care of.  Option two, If I can not get to the taxidermist right away I will cape the animal and put into a freezer which will certainly buy you enough time until you can make arrangements to drop it off. I have discussed with several taxidermists what methods they use to preserve the velvet and typically they will either use the freeze dried or the formaldehyde method. The freeze dried method simply consists of putting the antlers in a frost free deep freezer for several months which will kill the bacteria and preserve the antlers. Much simpler, but it does take up a lot of freezer space and will take much longer to get the trophy mounted. From my research I have found that this method has become more popular in recent years and is being used by more of the new generation of taxidermists. The formaldehyde method is a little more labor intensive but is preferred by a lot of the long time taxidermists. When taking this route, they will cut a small slit with a razor blade in the very end of each tine. Next they will take a syringe with formaldehyde and inject into each vein lying under the velvet pushing the blood out of the small slits in the end of the tines. Once this is complete and the formaldehyde is coming out of the ends of the tines the same color it is going in they will use a brush and gently brush a light coat of the formaldehyde on the outside of the rack to complete the curing process.

When deciding to just cut the antlers off and keep them, or if I am going to mount them on a board myself at home, I have used two different methods and have had great success with both. The first method, which I learned from some of the old timers in our hunting camp in South Carolina, is to take a needle and puncture as many tiny holes in the velvet as you can stand to make. I have spent many hours poking on a single set of antlers. While doing this you are squeezing the antlers gently using a paper towel or rag to soak the blood as it comes out of the velvet. Once you have gotten as much blood out of the rack as possible, you will put it in a pan, box or anything large enough to set the rack in and cover completely with borax. I generally will take the borax and sort of squeeze and grind it in (carefully) to make sure that I have totally covered the entire rack. I will continue to cover with the borax for about 30 days or so. After the 30 days, I will take an air hose and gently blow off the remaining borax. The second and now my most preferred option, is the freeze dried method described above similar to that used by taxidermists. If I am not in a hurry to do something right away, I generally will choose this method because of the simplicity. I typically will leave a set of antlers in my deep freezer for about 6 months. I have used both methods on several occasions and have never lost a set of velvet antlers yet.

There are a few other places around the country that you will have a chance at harvesting a trophy Whitetail buck in velvet due to early September bow seasons, but it can be hit or miss. However, with South Florida's July 31st bow season and the Low Country of South Carolina's August 15th rifle season openers, you can bet that the odds are in your favor, that if you can find them, they will be in velvet. If you have ever dreamed of harvesting a Whitetail in Velvet for you trophy room, you might just check these two places out. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

By TalkHunting Magazine   Tue, Aug 31, 2010

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By TalkHunting Magazine   Fri, Jul 30, 2010

Who Are We?

Basically, we are a hunting magazine and forum site with almost 7000 forum members & 19000 magazine subscribers from all over North America and we are still growing. We started this site in June of 2008 and have already grown so fast it is hard to keep up.

TalkHunting Magazine
Our magazine is 100% staffed by volunteers who just want to be involved in the outdoors and want to keep hunting in America not just a God given right but keep it growing as well. Our articles and blogs are submitted by our Pro Staff, Staff writers, Sponsors and even many members of the TalkHunting forum. If you have ever wanted to be an outdoor writer, this may be your chance. Our magazine has grown in leaps and bounds with writers from all over the country submitting articles while still allowing the "Regular Joe" to submit one as well.

We publish educational and informative articles and blogs to help improve your hunting experiences. Our Pro Staff have a wide range of hunting skills and experiences and will share them with you here at TalkHunting Magazine. We also do product reviews, outdoor show reviews and reviews on anything outdoor related that we think might benefit you.

TalkHunting Forum
The TalkHunting forum (www.talkhuntin.com) is really the heart of our website. Here you can read and interact with other hunters from all over the country. We are a 100% family friendly site and do not allow ANY bad language, fighting, cliques, product bashing, sexual overtones or many of the other things that plague almost every other forum site. We have an absolute zero tolerance policy for those kinds of things. We tell our moderators that my Pastor's 13 year old daughter is a member at TalkHunting and nothing better get by them that will offend her in any way. This gives us a clean and friendly place to share ideas, stories, photos, experiences, recipes and many other things like swap hunts and enter contests. We call it our virtual hunting camp.

By TalkHunting Magazine   Fri, Jul 30, 2010

There are two parts of our website, the magazine (where you are now) and the forum. Both are free but both have different functions, things to do and different registrations.

TalkHunting Magazine
The TalkHunting magazine (www.talkhunting.com) is a free publication that is published 6 times a year. That doesn’t mean that content wont change on a regular basis because there is a constant influx of new articles, blogs and news. The magazine is free but does require registration to be able to submit articles for consideration in the magazine, to add comments to articles or blogs and a few other “Member Only” items that require registration. We welcome all article submissions but you must be a member to do so. This registration is completely different and separate from the forum registration. Your username and password for the forum will not work at the magazine. You can register for the magazine by clicking here.

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By Brent Sawyer   Tue, Aug 31, 2010

If parking is an indicator of success, then the 17^th Annual Buckmasters Expo was a huge success.  Buckmasters was founded in 1985 by Jackie Bushman and the first Expo held in 1993.  This year, at the Montgomery Convention Center in Montgomery, Alabama, the Expo featured 200 vendors, 300 booths, the Top Bow Indoor World Championship, deer scoring, guest speakers, and so many products to boggle and inspire the mind. 

The doors opened Friday at 3:00pm with a flurry of guests and the clink of canned goods.  Admission to the Buckmasters Expo is one canned good per person and close to 30,000 visitors dropped their food items in large white carts as they entered the door.  Buckmasters donates the canned items to the Salvation Army, who pick up the truck-loads of food from the convention center and distribute through their extensive network.  Out of curiosity, I weighed a few cans of food in my own pantry; a can averages close to one pound.  Imagine 30,000+ pounds of food rolling down the highway.  Another benefit of the entry fee is the extra $10 to $15 in each person’s pocket to spend on the show room floor. 

Observant guests may have seen guys like Fred Eichier, Travis “T-Bone” Turner, Bill Jordan, Dave Watson, Willie Robertson, Jackie Bushman, and Robert Housholder.   Tracy Lawrence and Confederate Railroad held a concert on Saturday and Bucky and Drop Tine made appearances throughout the weekend in the Young Bucks room.  Outside the convention center, Dock Dogs put the four legged friends to the test in the Big Air Wave Competition while the Stihl Ironjack Timber Team put on a thrilling show.  Men, women, boys and girls; every one of them had a smile.  I even saw wives and girlfriends having a good time.

Throughout the weekend, Buckmasters hosted the BADF Top Bow Indoor World Championship.  Round one started with 48 shooters on Friday morning.  By the end of Friday, 24 shooters packed up and 24 shooters prepared for another day of competition.  Saturday opened with round three and hyped up through the morning.  Lunch brought a short reprieve for the shooters before the qualifying rounds kicked off.  All through the day, two archers, shooting New Breed Archery bows, remained in the cadre of top shooters.  Saturday ended with only five archers left to shoot on Sunday.  Sunday was a wild, raucous ride for archers and fans alike, the top five archers put on a show none will likely forget.  At the end of the day, when the targets were holey and worn, one man stood.  Tom Boatwright took the final round with a perfect score of 215.  Tom and his New Breed bow earned a $25,000 check and the title of Top Bow Indoor World Champion.

Along with 180outdoors, Talkhunting.com staff and members had the pleasure of manning a booth to share the Talkhunting adventure.  Also present were Talkhunting.com sponsors, the Whitetail Institute of America, Straight Creek Calls, Hunter Safety Systems, New Breed Archery, NuFletch Archery, and SECO outdoors.  I had a wonderful time talking with all of our sponsors and putting my hands on their respective products.  It was quickly obvious that these companies provide the best products in the industry.

I was able to study some new products that are available for this hunting season as well as visit with companies providing services.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Muddy Outdoors displayed a climbing stick design that promised to be compact and easily transportable.  Measuring 20 inches in length, each stick supports two levels of collapsible steps.  The steps fold into alignment with the stick for easy storage and transportation and drop into horizontal positions for climbing.  Each climbing stick also comes equipped with a rope, cam attachment system.  A rope, attached to the stick on one end, can be wrapped around a tree and pulled through the two, toothed cams. 

The cams will then grasp the rope and lock it into position.  A quick knot will then insure there will be no slipping.  Another convenient aspect of these climbing sticks is their ability to snap together making them easy to carry through the woods.  A four pack MSRPs for $149.99.  For more details on this and other products, visit www.gomuddy.com.

I visited with Tim and Tracey Miller, owners and operators of Straight Shooter Game Fencing, sharing with them the joys of Talkhunting.com and learning from them the ins and outs of durable fencing for wildlife and game uses.  Based out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Tim has consulted for and installed fencing for close to 15 years.  The majority of his customers wish to use the high fencing for attaining personal management goals on private properties.  Often, hunters just want to protect the young bucks from neighboring lands where the management program may be less stringent.  The Straight Shooter Game Fencing fence is an eight foot, aluminum cast fence with one strand of barbed wire along the top.  Tim uses class three galvanized fence.  The life expectancy of a fence like this is 50-100 years.  Miller is willing to travel anywhere in the country to assist a client and install fencing.  He offers a lifetime warranty for workmanship.  I asked Miller what he felt the readers should know about fencing and fence instillation.  “Get it right the first time.  Do the dirt work right and prevent erosion issues.”  You can find out more about Straight Shooter Game Fencing in the Buckmasters magazine add or by visiting www.ssgamefence.com.                     

There are two new Summit tree stands released for sale this year, the Dagger and the Switchblade.  Based off the Razor, the Dagger is an open-front climbing stand designed to fold up for convenient storage or for when being carried.  This climbing seat comes with all the characteristics a hunter is used to in Summit stands; comfortable padded seat, durable frame and easy to use locking cable.  Similarly, the Switchblade is based on the familiar Viper stand.  What makes these two stands so special is their ability to fold flat.  Each stand still retains a weight capacity of its counterpart and held up to the rudimentary shakedown I was able to give it at the Summit booth.  The capability to fold these stands gives each a luster of convenience, a temptation difficult to fight off with archery season so close around the corner.  www.summitstands.com

The 17^th Buckmasters Expo brought Talkhunting.com members together from all over the USA for the express purpose of sharing Talkhunting.com and Talkhunting Magazine with hunters and outdoors men and women.  We worked and played beside one another and we met new friends in hopes of building the Talkhunting family.  While the Buckmasters show may have been a success for Jackie Bushman and Buckmasters; it was definitely a success for Talkhunting.com.

By Miscellaneous Authors   Mon, Aug 16, 2010

Just by reading the title of this article, I know what you are thinking, “Here comes another article were someone is trying to tell me how to hunt and what size of buck I should harvest, but that is not the case here. I know there are many answers to the question that I am about to ask; the problem is who has the right one. This is a very touchy subject for most hunters, and some folks get offended quite easily on this subject. Don't get me wrong; I am not here to try and offend anyone, but I do not walk on egg shells for anyone; I am just not built that way. I am one of those folks that has to speak what is on their mind especially if I believe I am in the right, but I also believe as hunters we should stay as professional as possible at all times. There are a lot of negative eyes watching us and waiting on us to mess up. So, let me say I am writing this not to step on any toes or point fingers but to try to bring out some good and a lot of different opinions people have. So PLEASE read this with an open mind and try not to feel that anyone is pointing fingers at you. We all are different in this world, that is what makes each of us special in God's eyes. So first off  I know  you have got to be wondering what in the world made me even want to speak on such a touchy subject. Well, I will share that with you. I have been told more than once “I was a brave soul” for taking on this article, but I have good reasons.

I know a person…..we will just call him “man” that is a hard core hunter, and I have known him for a long time. Last year some friends and I carried some youth hunting to try and help them bag their first deer. One of these young guys was the nephew of the man I am going to speak of. This “man” was also going hunting, but he was going to the stand by himself but on the same farm. To get to the point one of our young hunters harvested a cow-horned spike and was tickled pink. When we all met back up later in the morning to share our "trophies" and stories over a sandwich, the “man” came over to have a look. Needless to say he did not see a trophy that morning and was very upset at everyone that did and was really upset at the young fellow that harvested a deer that he had seen many times and had let walk. So he felt the need to unleash a lot of negative comments to the young fellow and ruined his happy moment.  I was hunting with the owners of the property and this “man” being in their family was put in his place real quick. The funny thing is not too many weeks before this, the “man” shot a small buck that had just lost its spots and felt it was OK.  All I have to say is looking a 9 year old in the face and cleaning up a mess that this jerk just made was not easy. What you have is someone that just got the wrong idea of what hunting is all about. In his mind and heart he had a trophy that he could not wait to tell his friends and family about, and this “man” just crushed all that because he had a different opinion. That made me think. Hunting is supposed to be fun, where lifetime memories are made, and education of the outdoors is to be taught. With that being said that has what has lead me to this to the question.

What Makes a Trophy.....A True Trophy?

Now lets take it to another level. Let's just say you are hunting on some land that is joined by a piece of property that is hunted by fellow hunters. You are sitting in your stand and a buck walks in on you. You may look at the buck and say to your self, “He is too small, and I think he needs to grow a couple more years.” So the buck moves on but walks over to the neighboring property, where the hunter there sees the same buck and says “Wow that is a good one; I think I will take him.” Now you just let this deer walk so it can grow more and become an older mature deer, and the hunter on the joining property just took him out. Well does that make your neighboring hunter wrong? Did he just ruin a good potential trophy? Who is in the right? Those are good questions. Personally, I have let bucks walk, and someone shoot them as soon as they got out of my site. Not only that but I have had a few cars take out some nice deer that I was watching grow. Was I upset? Sure I was, but I am not going shoot a deer in fear of someone else doing it first or fear of a car hitting it. That is wrong in my book and will never solve anything. That is a risk I take when I make the decision. I have asked a few people their opinions on this subject, and I have heard all kinds of answers. Some I wish I had never heard because they were just unprofessional and would have been better off unsaid. I can see were some people pick up on these types of opinions. Hunting shows that come on T.V. make it easy for us to loose sight of what the hunting way of life is all about. Don’t get me wrong; I love watching them myself and have favorites that I don’t miss. They don’t always show the hard work put in to finding that big buck or waiting on him to come in. They jump straight to the shot and skip over all the important things, like the educational parts. I know they are pushing for time for the T.V. but a hunter new to the sport can get the wrong idea fast, and then they start to think that is the way they are supposed to hunt. Sitting there and shooting the first thing you see and heading back to the house is one opinion, so it is up to us all as hunters to make sure we are doing our part to start newcomers off on the right foot.

My dad always told me “Son you have got to walk on your on two feet. The decisions you make today, you will have to sleep with tonight. It's not only that, you will answer to God one day, so make a decision you will be proud of. Because once it’s made you can’t change it, you can only do better next time, but the damage has already been done. "Well back then I thought my dad was nuts, but I see things differently now. I have been thinking on how to face this right or wrong that is thrown at every hunter at some point in their career, and this is what I have decided. The good Lord made each of us different. No two people see everything eye to eye or think the same. We all have our own way of doing things so in so many words  I don’t think there is a correct answer.......Yea, you read it correctly, There is NO correct answer,  It is up to us to judge our own decisions made and nobody else’s.

A trophy is in the heart of each of us as hunters, and they are all different and come in all shapes and sizes.  I don’t know about everyone else, but hunting to me is special, and I take it very seriously and from the heart. What I see as a trophy you may not. Being rude or unsportsmanlike like to someone because of a decision they made on taking a deer that was a trophy to them will never get you anywhere but looked down on. The next time you let that 2 ½ year old six point walk, and your neighbor shoots it; try not to get mad. I know it will be hard, but remember you did what you thought was right, and you made your decision to let him walk. Swallow your pride and go over with a smile and congratulate your neighbor on their harvest and let them know that you had been watching that buck for a while, and you're glad to see that it became a nice trophy for someone else, and leave it a that. If we don’t set examples for each other, who will? Some people get caught up in the competition of who can get the biggest buck or who can harvest the most deer. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with filling the freezer, but we should never take more than what we need and none of us should ever shoot a deer or any animal just to be shooting something or to get notch ahead on a friend. If you fall into that category you’re just killing to be killing and that means you have lost sight of what hunting is all about. Don’t go to the woods always looking for a deer to harvest or to take a trophy. Take the time and look at all the beautiful things the Good Lord has put before you and let it all soak in. Look for a deer that you will be happy to take back home in the truck no matter how big it is.......It's YOUR TROPHY.  Always hunt from the heart, that way all your harvests will be trophies. Isn't that what hunting is all about?  A big old bodied mature buck with a big set of massive horns is AWESOME, but it is just icing on the cake. It's all about the memories that are made and the events the Good Lord blessed you with that day while you were hunting. Those are the True Trophy's and no one can ever top those.

Thanks to everyone out there who took the time to read this issue of Talk Hunting Magazine. Please feel free to comment and give me some feedback on my article. I would love to hear the different opinions of each of you.

Until then I hope all your adventures into OUR Great Outdoors are safe and full of Good memories, God Bless You all!

Joey "BOGO" Bogus

By Luanne Bragg   Sun, Aug 15, 2010

Oh what a trip it  turned out to be.  Early on Friday, July 30, 2010 I had borrowed my Father’s SUV and it was packed and ready to go.  I had gotten tomatoes, watermelon and cantaloupe from the garden and grabbed some venison from the freezer and headed north of the Mason/Dixon line.  Where was I headed you ask?  I was bound for the 2^nd Annual Northeastern Talk Hunting Anniversary Party!!  I had been looking forward to seeing old friends from last year’s party, and I was full of anticipation of the new family members I would meet. 

The trip was uneventful and I pulled into the hotel around 2:00 PM.  While waiting in line to check in, I had the pleasure of meeting WVWhitetail.  He had booked a room at the same hotel and was just arriving from Indiana.  A handshake later and we were checked in as Gutshot, Zos41 and Huntinggrandma were on their way to meet us at the hotel and take us to the campgrounds.

After dropping my gear in the room and putting the venison in the fridge, I was ready to go.  WVWhitetail (Mike of Mike’s Magic), his wife and copilot, Susan, and I met up in the parking lot with Zos41 (Lee), his wife Huntinggrandma (Sharron), and Gutshot (Tom), we all headed to Fox Den Acres Campground to meet up with Chainman (Harry) and jroseberry, (Rich).

 As soon as we arrived we started to unpack the trucks, put up our banners and get out the food.  After a few short trips for a few more supplies and to give the rest of our travelers time to arrive, we were ready to start cookin' and eatin'.  We had a simple meal of burgers and dogs and did a lot of talking and getting to know each other that first night.

 By the end of Friday night DLR (Dave), Dave 1211 (Dave), DPD (Dave) and HuntingNY (Sam) had arrived.  I found out not to just yell Dave because I got three replies very quickly.  As a bonus we picked up a new member and friend that night who just stopped to ask what was going on, and they were welcomed in with open arms and stayed all weekend, Cowboy Fee (Bill) and his friend Barb.  Now, as the evening went on we were wondering where Shaun and his wife Switchy (Amy) along with their son Josh were.  They did not have far to drive but had not arrived.  Towards the end of the evening Shaun made it – they had gotten lost in their home state.  By the time we all retired to our respective homes, tents, campers and hotel rooms, it was like we had been friends for years.  Of course, we actually have been on the forum of Talk Hunting.

On Saturday we are all back at the campground bright and early ready for our archery and rifle shoots. We had a convoy driving over to the Youngwood Sportsman's Association, and that is where my weekend sorta got a little out of line with everyone else’s.  I was the first to shoot at the archery range; on my first shot, the new string on my crossbow broke. Chainman and I missed the rest of the shooting with a trip to the ER where I received 10 stitches.  I have to say that the Youngwood Sportsman’s Association has a First Class grounds, and we were very appreciative of them for allowing us to use it during our party.

Chainman is a great example of our family at Talk Hunting; he was there to watch the archery, and I think he was going to shoot .22 rifles with everyone but instead he rushed me to get my left index finger stitched up.  I can never thank him enough for giving up part of his day for me. 

Chainman and I actually beat all the other party goers back to the campgrounds and were sitting with jroseberry and his boys, Cody and CJ, when the shooters returned.  When the rest of our “PARTY” returned, we got right to eating again where this time  it was fried chicken and all the fixins. Afterward, we all retired to take a famous Talk Hunting Power Nap.  But not before the casualty pictures were taken and posted on the TH forum.  My finger and Gutshot's bowstring slapped arm were the two victims. 

When our power naps were over, we got down to the business of COOKING!!!.  I went to work seasoning and grilling up venison tenderloin steaks and a round roast.  Darn those guys, they were eating the meat faster than it was coming off the grill. The only thing that saved all the venison from being eaten before it all came off the grill was the fact that the 30 ears of local fresh sweet corn were done and everyone dove into that.  Dave 1211 brought BBQ venison meatballs, Huntinggrandma made venison stroganoff (one with wild rice, mushrooms and leaks the other with noodles and mushrooms).  All the appropriate picnic side dishes were there.    Dave 1211 brought squash and cucumbers, there were garden tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches, and for desert CAKE and Ice cream.

 It happened to be Josh’s (Shaun and Switchy’s son) birthday so there was a birthday cake for him along with the Talk Hunting Chorus’s rendition of Happy Birthday and a cake for Talk Hunting.

Everyone mentioned previously attended the party on Saturday night plus huntinharley (Randy), Chainman’s Lady Debbie, Chuck and Cameron. 

Now it was time for the “Awards” and door prizes.

 And the Winners were:

 Pee Shooter AND Camo Cupid, went to our youth shooter Joshua (Shaun and Switchy’s son and our Birthday boy)

Robin Hood went to Shaun (adult Archery)

Top Gun went to DLR (adult rifle shooter)

Best Mess went to Dave 1211 for his BBQ venison meatballs

WV Award went to Shaun and his Family for getting lost in their home state

The Road Runner Award went to Zos41 and Huntinggrandma for traveling the most miles to attend.

After our meal hunting talk abounded.  Chainman built a small bonfire and before we could all gather around it a light rain started.  The kids in attendance did not care if it was raining they all gathered around it anyway.

 As the end of the evening drew near we were all hesitant to leave our old and new friends.  As at all the Talk hunting parties and campouts you always walk away with many more life long friends than you had when you arrived.

 The following day I decided to take an R & R day and not return to Virginia until Monday.  I had the pleasure of attending Sunday services at the First Baptist Church of Greensburg PA along with Gutshot.  Again, I met many wonderful people who welcomed me with open arms and I stayed for their Sunday picnic, which was also full of wonderful food and so many sweets I could just not sample all of them.  After Church Gutshot and I made a trip to wonder thought the local Gander Mountain where he made sure I picked up a brochure on preparing to go “Hog Hunting”. 

It was one of the BEST weekends I have spent in a long time even though my trophy was 10 stitches.  Anyone who can, needs to put the Talk Hunting Campout in July 2011 on your calendars.  You will never regret you have made the trip.

By Miscellaneous Authors   Sat, Aug 14, 2010

By Miscellaneous Authors   Tue, Aug 10, 2010

A few years ago, my hometown of Pine Grove was invaded, not by commies or terrorists, but wild hogs. It was unbelievable how many of them there were. I would sometimes see as many as twenty hogs out in my field. So, being the selfless person that I am, I decided I was going to thin out the hog population in order to preserve Pine Grove’s natural ecology also because I like pork.

Hogs aren’t like the deer I was used to hunting. As you can see from the comparison picture, the pig's anatomy is slightly different from the Whitetail deer; vitals on a hog are a little further forward and downward. Hogs are very resilient creatures. In fact, they are resilient to the point where they are basically the animal version of a tank. They have thick skulls and a layer of gristle (fibre cartilage) and fat under their skin that is hard to penetrate, but just like the armor of a tank, a hog's "armor" can be penetrated if you use the right ammunition.

Now, I’m not saying you need to go grab your trusty M82 and start shooting hogs with .50 BMG (although that would be fun). You will be able to use the rifle you use for deer hunting but loaded with higher grain rounds. For instance a 30-06 should probably use 180-grain rounds, and a .270 should use 150 grains.  While your choosing your new heaver round, take a look at the ballistic efficiency of that round. You want a bullet that delivers a higher percentage of its speed and energy down range. I wouldn’t try to use anything smaller than a .243 though. My son’s gun is chambered in .243, and while it works the round, it just doesn’t have the same stopping and penetrating power as bigger rounds. Bullet retention is a must. Soft points may disintegrate if they hit the tougher parts of a hog like the shoulder or the skull. You might want to try a nosler partition; it has a very high retention rate. Before you go out and hit your local sporting store, do a little research on the web. Type in the big brand name bullet makers and see what they have to offer. That should cut down on a lot of confusion when you go down to the bullet isle, and you see hundreds of different types of bullets. Hogs are tough but they're not bullet proof.

By Dennis Parker   Sun, Aug 08, 2010

The only thing hotter than the temperature and high humidity at the WFHC (West Fork Hunting Club) on July 24^th 2010 in Southwest Mississippi town of Liberty was the Archery competition. Many of the archery competitors got their equipment setup on late Friday July 23^rd in the afternoon at the camp site of WFHC for a little practice before darkness fell.

 After a good night’s rest we where awakened by the smell of bacon, fried eggs and blackened Cajun Biscuits prepared by Ken (Bubbabrown) and Chipper, both members of WFHC and our Host of this year’s event. Around 8:30 am Robert (Huntmaster) called a meeting to go over safety rules and guidelines for the archery shoot. The archery shooters where divided into four groups of four. Almost everyone in camp proceeded to the archery course laid out on Thursday and Friday in the hunting area of WFHC. The course was made up of various block style and various 3D targets embedded in the wooded area of the club. The targets setup ranged from easy 15 yard open shots to 40 yard difficult shots between trees. It was easy to tell from the scores that the shooters were nervous performing in front of a crowd of onlookers and competitors.

The first round of 5 targets had Robert (Huntmaster), Danny (Gunseller), Justin (Thwack) tied for second with Frank (Fellis27) having a slight lead. The second round of 5 targets saw Robert (Huntmaster) surge ahead of the completion after scoring 4 out of 5 perfect shots, followed by Frank (Fellis27), Justin (Thwack), and Denny (Bugfixer) sneaking into 4^th place. The final 4 out of 5 targets found that Robert (Huntmaster) maintained his lead ahead of Frank (Fellis27) in second, Denny (Bugfixer) third and Justin (Thwack) held onto four place. The final target was a dartboard type target with the shooters shooting downhill which made the target even more challenging. The Bonus part of the target was a make or break the shooter with Chipper hitting a double 8 for an additional 16 added to his score on his final shot. Robert (Huntmaster) managed a double 2 to add 4 more points. I was not sure if the heat and fatigue had set in on the rest of the shooters until “Big” Denny (Bugfixer) pulled the upset shot of the day by hitting a double 20 to add 40 more points to his final score to win his second TalkHunting archery competition of the year. His first win was also a final shot at the TalkHunting Campout 2010 in Kentucky. The heat was bad enough that everyone was taking frequent water breaks from the Mississippi heat and humidity.

The final results were Denny (Bugfixer) first with a score of 81. Robert (Huntmaster), our great leader of TalkHunting, relinquished his second place finish of 54 to Chipper, who shot a competition recurve bow setup for long range shots of 50 yards or more. Chipper's score was 43 followed by Frank (Fellis27) 42, Justin (Thwack) 39, Tom (Flbuckhunter) 32, Mike (Wvwhitetail) 31, Brian (Bcotton) 30, Danny (Gunseller) 29, Nick (Tncowboy) 29, Brent (Cobrican) 28,  John (Cookin) 21. Lou Ann (Tncowgirl) led our group of lady shooters with a 27, followed by Tommie (Pearls and Camo aka Fatpine) 20, Ashley 19, and Annette 18.

After the Bow shoot was over, TalkHunting members and guests where introduced to TalkHunting’s newest sponsor “NeverWear Archery”. The folks from NeverWear Archery drove up early to walk the course, talk to everyone and observe the shooting at various other branded targets with many that were on their last leg. NeverWear Archery hung around in the heat to allow anyone who wanted to sling a few arrows to try their target’s innovative special clay core that lasts a very long time. With a few taps of a mallet hammer, you are as good as new and ready for the next round of broadheads. I was very impressed with these premium high quality targets. We really appreciated NeverWear Archery coming up and spending hours in the hot sun to talk and demonstrate their targets. They are very passionate about the targets, and I feel everyone should look them up and give them a try. I'd like to add a very special thanks for the food they brought us (You know TalkHunting members love to eat.).

By Miscellaneous Authors   Thu, Aug 05, 2010

With all the new broadheads flooding the market this year, the one that caught my attention is the  Bloodrunner by New Archery Products (NAP). The more I looked at them, the more intrigued I became. There was something about the look that I liked. As I read on the advertising it said “The Best of Both Worlds”; it’s a fixed and expandable broadhead all in one. This should make the ones that like fixed broadheads and the ones that like the expendables happy. It sort of reminds me of the Nosler Partition bullet.

In the picture to the left you will see the Bloodrunnder 2 blade and on the right the Bloodrunner 3 blade. You can purchase the practice heads shown in each picture. This makes it nice because you can practice with them and not ruin your hunting blades, and the practice heads fly just like the real broadhead. They also come in different weights of 100 and 125 grain just like the broadhead itself.

In the picture to your left you see the Bloodrunner 2 blade. On the far left is the practice head, in the middle is the Bloodrunner in shooting form and on the right is the Bloodrunner expanded when it contacts the target. As you can see the practice blades do not have the wing formation, it is left off for easy target removal, and it flies the same as the hunting broadhead.

In the picture on the right you see the Bloodrunner 3 blade. From left to right is the practice head,  in the middle is the broadhead  in its expanded form and on the right is the broadhead in its shooting form. Notice the trophy tip has a shaft that pushes back on contact on each broadhead.

In the pictures to the left you see the Bloodrunner 2 and 3 blade in its shooting form and then in the expanded form. As you can see by the tape measure in top photo that the 3 blade is at 7/8 width, and in the center you see the 3 blade expanded to 1 1/2 inch cutting surface. In the bottom photo you see the 2 blade Bloodrunner in its shooting form at a 1 inch cutting surface ,and when it is expanded has a whopping 2 1/4 inch cutting surface. Even if the blade would fail to open, you still have a blade that will cut on contact. If you look closely you will see that the 2 and 3 blade Bloodrunners are spring loaded to open on impact, which causes the blades to open no matter the angle. The trophy tips are very strong and the spring that makes the blades open is set at a low tension that it easily opens the blades. I have shot both the broadheads 30 times into a broadhead target with a piece of cardboard and the Bloodrunner’s have never failed to open even shooting at an angle.

Now lets get to the meat of the subject! How do they Fly? In my own words, they fly excellent. In the pictures below you will see a grouping of the practice heads then a grouping of the broadheads with their practice counterpart. Pictures A and B are of different angles. The arrow on the right is a field point, the arrow on the top left is the 2 blade Bloodrunner and on the bottom left is the 3 blade Bloodrunner. This group was shot from 40 yards.

In the next 2 photos you will see the grouping of the 2 blade Bloodrunner. In pictures C and D the arrow to the right is the practice head and on the left is the real broadhead. The pictures are of different angles to help you see the accuracy of the Bloodrunner 2 blade

In the last two photos is the Bloodrunner 3 blade. In pictures E and F the arrow to the left is the practice and the arrow to the right is the real broadhead.

All of these groups were shot from 40 yards. So would I use one of these Bloodrunners? The answer is YES, and I will be taking one of them on my trip to Alberta, Canada this coming September. As to which one I will take, it will be a coin toss. I will most likely take the 3 blade due to the fact that it has one more blade, and the ferrule body is thicker than the 2 blade. As to which one you would chose, I will leave that one up to you, but you won’t go wrong with either one. So for now God Bless and good hunting.

By Miscellaneous Authors   Sat, Jul 31, 2010

I have been in several deer clubs over the years: some on lands that we controlled through hunting rights on our family land; deer clubs with hundreds of members; small deer leases with way too many members; a deer club made up of mostly friends and a few walk-ons. We had rules at every one of these clubs. Some rules were great, some were silly, some were stupid, and some were self serving. My present club has rules that we came up with 12 years ago and have been refined throughout those 12 years. Club rules are like locks, they are to keep honest people honest. The first rule in setting up a club should be to make up your membership with good, ethical members. An unethical hunter will not be deterred by a set of rules.

The first rule will be that all of your state laws will have to be followed, this is simple. Most clubs have rules above and beyond state rules.

The next should involve safety, like rules concerning alcohol, loaded guns, and use of safety vest. To me, safety is the most important issue to set rules. Safety is a major concern for all parties involved. We don't allow members to get off stands and scout, until all hunters are back into the camp. We don't allow loaded guns in the camp area. You should have a plan for all emergencies.

The next set of rules should be geared to promote your management plans, whether it be QDMA (Quality Deer Management Association) or just rules that the membership considers important to them as a group. This may include on how many workdays that you have and penalties for missing them. We have a monetary fine for missing workdays, a set up for making up workdays before the season starts, and possible loss of membership. Any plan is hard to implement if all members are not on board with the management plan. The size and number of game taken should also be part of this management plan. Some clubs may be trophy hunters or meat hunters, to each his own. We also have a monetary fine for the taking of deer that doesn't meet the clubs management rules. A small "slap on the hand" fine will not keep anyone from breaking a rule that he can easily afford.

Other rules may have to be added to protect the owners, if you are on leased land. Issues like the building of fires, putting nails in trees and littering could be among the many requirements that the owner will require you to follow. These rules will usually be spelled out in your lease agreement with the owner, if you are on leased land. A big issue for owners is liability insurance. Most want you to have $1,000,000 in coverage. QDMA and Buckmasters both have insurance plans for hunters. Even your local agents may offer a policy for hunters. Our cost is around $500 per year which should be part of the yearly paid dues.

The allowing of guests will be another area that needs to be covered in your rules. You may limit the number of guests, guest days, guest fees, or anything else that your membership thinks important with guest issues. Another issue along this line is whether family members can hunt for free or for an extra fee. If you have a fee, an amount must be decided upon; this can be a touchy area for some members or potential members. We charge $50.00 per day, which is reasonable. If a member in our club hunts every weekend of the gun season, he pays $110.00 per day to hunt. This decision needs to be based on whether the club is for business, family, or for pay type hunts.

Our club allows each member to have a personal stand with a 150 yard radius that no one can hunt without the member's permission. Each member must put up and maintain at least two camp stands for anyone to and or guests to hunt. We even dictated the size and type of camp stands. A personal stand may be just three red ribbons on a tree, where you use a climbing stand in your area.

To summarize, these issues must be considered:

1. Members must follow all state game laws.

2. Rules for safety.

3. Land owner rules must be incorporated into your rules, if you are leasing or just given hunting rights.

4. Management plan and rules.

5. Workdays rules and penalties.

6. Guest hunting and possible fees; number of guest days per member.

7. Membership dues which should include liability insurance, food plots cost, electricity, water, sewer and garbage pick-up.

8. Personal deer stands and camp stand rules.

Each hunting club will have different issues to deal with, depending on the size of the hunting club and number of members. You may have just a few voting members that started the club and act as officers or you may have a president, any number of vice presidents, a secretary, and a treasurer. Have a meeting and brain storm all of these issues and vote on them or dictate them. The rules should be looked at and revised after each season, until you get them right. Not everyone will be happy with the rules, but everyone must abide by the final rules, or find another club. It's that simple. If you don't enforce the rules, there is no point in having any rules.

I hope this is a help; we revised our rules for ten years before we were totally happy with them. We haven't made any changes in the last three years, so you see, it takes time to get there. My feeling about a deer club is that it must be like a fraternity. Members should be of like mind and goals to make it work properly, so pick your members carefully. Good luck!

By Miscellaneous Authors   Fri, Jul 30, 2010

Like a lot of hunters, I am an avid fan of the Sportsman’s channel on cable TV. I will watch hours of TV when it’s a nonstop hunting bonanza. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and begin to ooh and ah in amazement or clinch your teeth during those amazing stalks; sometimes you may catch yourself going into an unconscious stare at some of the monster whitetails that you see taken day in and day out. Most hunters dream about the opportunity to go on a guided hunt someday with a professional outfitter.  Utilizing an Outfitter may greatly enhance your opportunities to locate and harvest your own trophy buck.  After all, they are the professionals.

The Outfitters are supposed to know the deer’s habits. They know where it lives, where it eats and beds down. They should be aware of what time the deer travel by a designated stand area.  An Outfitter has put in an unlimited amount of time scouting the deer on their hunting land.  They use different techniques such as using trail camera photos and just sitting for hours in stands each day watching trails.   It requires a great deal of time to record the deer’s habits. It is this experience that we as hunters expect and rely on when evaluating a potential Outfitter for our hunt of a lifetime.

Depending on location and services provided, some of these outfitter hunts can costs several thousand dollars.  With such a hefty investment involved it is usually something that most hunters should plan several months or even a year in advance to ensure they are prepared for the commitment and costs.  As most of us know it takes planning and research to obtain the most reward for your money when choosing the proper Outfitter.

No Outfitter can guarantee you a kill.   If they do make such a statement then that should be a flag that something may not be right.  There are many variables in play in the wild of the woods.   Weather changes can affect animal behavior.  Natural occurrences such as breeding periods can change when and if deer are actually moving throughout its habitat.  While certain behaviors can be habitual and somewhat predictable, the deer is still a wild animal, and it has no script that it has to follow.

An Outfitter has no control over such natural phenomena.  Every hunter has to remember that you are not paying to kill an animal.  You are paying for the experience of having an opportunity to get a shot at a trophy deer.  You as a hunter have some control over this experience.  Asking the right questions can help you find the proper Outfitter to give you the best experiences they can in helping you conquer your quarry.

Once you have made the commitment to searching for a great Outfitter, many things come to mind.  What species do I want to hunt?   Where areas of the country do I want to hunt?   How much can I afford?  How do you find a good Outfitter? The thought of finding a good Outfitter can be overwhelming. From my own recent experience I will try to convey some thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on specific questions to ask a potential Outfitter that will give you better insights into making a good selection.  My experience as a whitetail deer hunter extends across many years; unfortunately the opportunity to harvest an older mature buck has avoided me.   My quest is to harvest a deer that is over 6 years old.  My expectation is for its antlers to measure above a 160 inch Pope and Young score. This to me would be a quality size buck and one that would be worthy of mounting and having stories told of it for years to come.  

In a search to locate an Outfitter that was going to assist me in this conquest, I knew there would be many concerns.  As any wise hunter would do, I started to make a list of possible questions that could be asked of an Outfitter to ensure the best possible outcome.   The decision to pursue a whitetail deer had been made, so now a location had to be decided upon.

I have seen all the shows on the Sportsman Channel and know there are several locations that can be chosen to spend my hard earned money.   I look out west and think about the huge mule deer in Montana or Colorado.  These deer are very nice size as their antlers seem to reach to the sky and are thick like tree trunks. I possibly could look north to the monster Saskatchewan deer in Canada.  Those bruisers are huge with antlers that might scare a mediocre hunter like me. Canada has absolutely huge deer that appear to be the size of a rhino coming through the woods. Going east up into New York or Pennsylvania may be the answer because there are some very nice record size bucks coming out of this area.  The state record here is right around 180 inches. The Midwest area of the country has been coming on strong lately too. All of the Quality Deer Management practices throughout this location have allowed some serious trophies to come of age.  Kansas has some very consistent, mature whitetails and they seem to be in every county. The choices seem endless and will require me to put some thought into this and come up with a way to chose which would be the best location for me.

So how do you pick an area?  With all these wonderful choices how do you narrow it down to one area of the country to set out on a quest to find and conquer the trophy deer that will allow you to have bragging rights around the camp fire?  Like any good Monday morning quarterback, get out a quarter and gave it a flip. This remedy of flipping a quarter can quickly reduce it from four area choices down to two.  Reviewing the last two choices decide which sides on the quarter are which, heads it’s Kansas and tails it’s Canada. Give it a high flip, of course the quarter seems to take forever.  It’s like it is floating in space.  Finally it hits the table with a clink and rests upon one flat side.  You cover it with your hand and then slowly pull it back to discover what the outcome may be... It's heads, so you are heading to Kansas for a dream hunt adventure   You have a location selected, so now you have to find a specific Outfitter than can make your dream hunt come true.  This is where the homework really begins.  I would start researching all the popular websites looking for suitable Outfitters. Seeking recommendations from other hunters, reading online reviews, and scanning the internet. There is soon a list developed of several outfitters in the vicinity of where the hunt should take place. It’s now time to get on the phone with each perspective Outfitter and ask a few questions about their specific hunting operation.  At this point it appears that some of the hard choices are complete.  You have an animal to pursue, and you have a location in which to pursue it.    As stated previously as I was going through this process, I tried to formulate a list of questions that would help me get to know an Outfitter better and to understand their commitment to working with my expectations to be successful. The following is a list of those questions and a thought behind each one of them that may assist you after you have chosen your special hunting location.

The best way to evaluate an individual is to speak with them for a few times. A person’s personality will easily enlighten you as to whether this person is someone that you would want to hang out with.  I’m looking for someone that can appear to have my best interest at heart and not just be seeking the cash in my pocket. Is the outfitter personable, cheerful, friendly, and do they come across as trustworthy. My advice to you is to listen to their words and explanations to each question.  What you hear coming from ones mouth is typically what their heart is full of.

1.  Ask about all costs and what is inclusive of those costs.  Do fees include accommodations, food, and transportation to stands, are tips necessary?  You are on a budget, so make sure you know that no extra costs will come up.

2.  What are your success rates? What are some of the scores of past hunts, ages, weights of past kills?  What are these numbers based upon?  Is it actual kills, missed chances, or maybe just seen deer?  There are no guarantees in hunting and no Outfitter should offer such a deal unless they are penning deer.

3.  What percentage of customers are repeat bookings?  Most good outfitters will be booked up early. Some fill up years in advance.   Customers will come back again and again to a good outfitter.  If there are only new customers booked, this could raise additional questions.

4.  How many hunters will be in camp with you?  What are sleeping arrangements?  Comfortable arrangements are a must and too many people in camp just add to the stress and tension. This is your hunt, and you need to be relaxed and focused.

5.  Ask the guides how much experience they have. Ask them to explain a typical day out hunting.  You should know and understand what is expected of you as much as what you expect of your guide. Get a feel for what your guides views are on a quality hunt.  Do their views match what you are looking for in a successful hunt?  Having an inexperienced guide will only cause you frustration and demean your host.

6.  Obtain a list of references of both successful and unsuccessful hunters. Call them both and get a feeling for why some were successful and some were not. Will they be returning?

7.  What is their cancellation policy? Nobody can foresee the future. Accidents happen, flight delays, bad weather, any number of things can occur that will cause you to miss your hunt. Make sure you know the outfitters cancellation policy in advance. Will you lose your deposit?  Can you rebook?  Is travel insurance available in advance?

8.  Ask questions and more questions and more questions?  It’s your hunt.  If in doubt, go ahead and ask the question so that you can ensure that everyone’s expectations are met and a successful time will be had by all.

 This is not a conclusive list  to ask Outfitters.  It is a good beginning and a way to start that dialogue between a potential outfitter and a customer.  I had conversations with several outfitters across Kansas. Some people just felt shady and some felt like I had known them for years. Some of them were contacted several times with follow up questions in an effort to see how they reacted to my repeated calls. One Outfitter stood out above the rest with their professionalism.  That was 180 Outdoors .

Matt Wonser, the owner of 180 Outdoors was a very personable guy.  He asked me as many questions as I had asked him. He wanted to ensure that if someone was coming to his camp that he wanted them to be successful and satisfied with the overall experience. He wanted each person to fit in with everyone else at the camp and have a good time.   He encouraged me to call other outfitters and even gave me a few additional questions that should be asked to ensure you gathered thorough details.

The following areas are questions that Matt added to the mix of concerns when interviewing potential outfitters. You know these were flipped right around and immediately asked of him for his input.

1)  The most important area of concern is what do you want from a hunt? Match your goals to what an outfitter already does.  It is much more enjoyable to slide into a good fit rather than trying to get someone to cater to certain needs that they do not normally accommodate.[1]

 2) Hunting pressure. How many hunters are going to be hunting their properties? Does the outfitter have a plan to control hunting pressure?[2]

 3) When checking on references for an outfitter, look into their character. Are they honest? Do they care?[3]

 4) Will you be dealing with the person that sold you the hunt or someone they hired for that week? Miscommunication causes problems in all aspects of life. Make sure that you are aware of the hunt details. and who your guides will be beforehand.[4]

The process to contact Outfitters had come full circle after conversations with about 15 potential Outfitters. Detailed recording of input from them allowed the selection process to narrow.  One particular Outfitters expectation was perfectly in line with my goals. All hunters want success in the field and my hope is no different.  Personally I want that 180 inch monster to walk out in front of me 10 yards away, but the camp experience should be as enjoyable as well since you are sharing this with other hunters that will be there also. The answers from 180 Outdoors, has ensured me that this is to be expected.

 180 Outdoors appears to be a good outfitter who wants success for you as much as you want it for yourself.  They approach each and every detail from a professional standpoint.  My reservation is for the first week of December in 2010.   This will be the first week of the rifle season in Kansas. It will be time to be alert, eager, excited and ready for anything.  My equipment is checked out and ready to go. The countdown calendar is on my windows screen. The taxidermist is on standby.  It’s almost time to say goodbye to Florida and hello to Kansas.  

I thank Matt and all the guys at 180 Outdoors  for their advice, opinions and guidance as preparations for my venture into Kansas continues.  Most importantly, thanks for their patience and understanding as I continue to ask questions each day to ensure success for everyone. It is highly recommended to call around and ask questions of all Outfitters, but before you make a choice in Kansas give Matt and his team at 180 Outdoors a call at (620)-330-7282 just so you know that you have covered all your bases. Stay tuned as for a follow up report on the outcome of this dream trip to Kansas coming soon.

Life is short and it goes by too fast. If you have been dreaming of an opportunity to do an Outfitter hunt then by all means treat yourself.   Start with this short list of questions and then let it flow from there. You can never ask too many questions and you will certainly be able to weed out the not so friendly outfitters quickly if they do get tired of your questions. We all work hard so that we can play hard. Go pick and outfitter and get outdoors now.

Matt Wonser 180 Outdoors, 2009.

*All pictures courtesy of Matt Wonser 180 Outdoors , 2009, and are from his camp in Liberty Ks

By Luanne Bragg   Mon, Jul 12, 2010

Over the years I have had the pleasure of introducing a good many people to hunting rabbits, specifically hunting them with a pack of Beagles in hot pursuit.  I have been surprised at how little some of the Big Game hunters know about this when it is something I have done most of my life.  As outdoorsmen and women we have an obligation to introduce as many willing participants as we can to all types of hunting (and fishing), and I truly enjoy helping them become respectable rabbit hunters.

This is the way that my husband, Jim, and I introduce new small game hunters to cottontail hunting with beagles.  We first let them get to know their four-legged hunting guides.  Beagles being beagles are always willing recipients of a good ear scratch or tummy rub.

After all of the introductions we set out some Mandatory Rules.  We have two VERY important rules: 1) DO NOT shoot ME; and 2) DO NOT shoot my DOGS.   Most of the time when we go over these first two rules we get a chuckle.  This leads next into gun safety in the field when there are hunters in close proximity to each other.  The standing back to back (about 5 feet apart) giving you 180 degree shooting lanes when covering a road or larger trail or fanning out in a line and demonstrating what a shooting lane of 45 degrees is when in this set up, and everyone getting as much blaze orange coverage as possible on their bodies.  We carry inexpensive orange vests and everyone gets a new blaze orange hat.  Most of the folks we have taken to introduce to our sport do not seem to appreciate the little safety course but they all like getting a new blaze hat even though it has a beagle on it.

 One of our “other” rules is that the newcomers are not allowed to make fun of the way we call or command our dogs in the field.  We use a series of calls including “hear hike” repeated four or five times in a row which tells the dogs to get down to business and hunt.   “Heara, heara“ means come to me from where you are at.  “Hike em up or Hunt em up” means to search in a different direction,  and “hear go, hear go” tells the dogs that the person calling has located a rabbit, and they need to come running to pick up the chase.  Of course “with me” tells them I want them to walk with me where I am going until they are told to “hunt em up”.  At the end of the day “let’s go” means just that head to the truck.

The next discussion we have, after the mandatory rules (and other rules) are understood and we feel that our new hunting wards are in a safe frame of mind, is the Rules of Engagement for the hunt.  First we all need to decide if we will jump shoot rabbits or not.  We personally do not shoot rabbits on the jump (this is when the dog first catches the scent, starts to bawl or bay and the rabbit starts to flee from the dog) but we let the dogs circle the rabbit back to us.  Our new rabbit hunters are usually allowed to jump shoot a rabbit if they want.  Most of the time they have come to kill a few rabbits, and there is no problem with them doing so as long as mandatory rule number 2 is not broken.  The second part of these rules is if we will shoot any other game than rabbits if the opportunity presents itself.  (Some of my best rabbit hunts were ones when we came home with a few quail, pheasant, or woodcock.)  The rule of thumb for this is if it has feathers, and it is a legal hunting target go ahead.  Shooting a few birds in front of a pack of beagles does not make much of an impression on the dogs.  They want to run something with fur on the ground. 

We do not allow squirrel hunting in front of them because we do not want our beagles to think that if there are no rabbits in the cover in front of them a squirrel will do.  For a rabbit hunter, a beagle trashing (jumping or running off game) on squirrels is a burning point, and not tolerated.  Trashing on fox, coyote, or deer is a bigger aggravation than a squirrel.  And by the way, having to de-skunk one of our hounds ranks pretty low on our list of post-hunt pleasures too.  So, now we understand the engagement rules.

Now the newcomer needs to understand Rule Book: Bunnies, Rebels and Rogues.  A few years ago we took a good friend on his first small game hunt of any kind, which in this case was a rabbit hunt.  He was an accomplished deer hunter, knowledgeable outdoorsman and crack shot on the clay target range with his shotgun.  The beagles had a hot rabbit up in very short order, but our friend was standing there listening to the dogs with a confused look on his face.  Now it is time to understand how the beagle/bunny game goes.  Not everyone knows that a cottontail (swamp rabbit, jack rabbit and snowshoe hare) tend to return to their home territory after the dogs have chased him for a while.  This is how the “classic” rule book bunny chase is supposed to work.  The hunter has the best chance of bagging the rabbit if he takes a position at a good vantage point very close to where the rabbit was jumped and waits for its return.

Seasoned rabbit hunters know that there are rabbits out there that have never read the rule book or are either too ignorant or cantankerous to want to read the book and follow the rules.  The rebel rabbits are the ones who tend to make a half run and then dive into a groundhog hole, deep brush pile or under a pile of old junk cars bringing the heated chase to a sudden, disappointing end.  The rogue rabbit seems to enjoy the chase and makes the event as difficult as they can without playing by the rules.  They end up frustrating the dogs and the hunters.  They know lots of tricks to throw the dogs off the track and make the best beagles look bad.  These bunnies know every piece of ground in their vicinity and run back on their own tracks, cross beaver dams, swim streams, run along the tops of down trees, jump sharply in one direction or the other all to confuse the dogs.  They know the best places to run that will not hold a scent, causing the chases to break down and the dogs to search out the area over and over again.  I have seen these rabbits crawl on their bellies under thorns and briars that a mouse would not try to squeeze through.  These rouges rarely circle back to the area where they were jumped unless the hunter moves toward the chase, and then they will sneak back to home base to start all over again.

Our friend’s first kill was the rule book bunny that circled right back to where it was jumped.  He had a clean shot with his 20 gauge at about 18 yards.  My husband commended him on his “nice shot” and he was a bit too proud of himself telling us “piece of cake”.  The next rabbit that was jumped was a big buck (yeah males are bucks and females are does) rougue rabbit…we all followed the sound of the dogs and no one had gotten a glimpse of the rabbit even though the chase had been going for almost 30 minutes.  The three of us circled the rabbit’s briary playground as best we could and waited for a shot.  We heard our friend shoot twice quickly; my husband shouted, "did you get him"?  The answer was no and a few other choice adjectives.  Of course my husband’s answer was “piece of cake huh?”.  That rabbit then headed back to where he was jumped and was finally downed by me 15 minutes later.  We had a few other heated chases that afternoon with our friend killing two more bunnies and my husband one.

The funny thing about rabbit hunting is that the only person who cares about missing a shot at a rabbit is the person who missed.  His buddies don’t care, but it just gives them something to tease him about later.  The beagles really don’t care because it gives them more chase time and that is truly what they love.

Now, there is one more lesson we always save till the end of the day. Most of our pupils ask what could be left.  Our reply…”How to clean rabbits”.  That is always the new comer’s job.

Here are some additional tips for the new comers to bunny hunting.  First, choose a light weight shotgun.  Any gauge you have will do and include a shoulder strap.  We usually pick a modified choke tube and load up with number 6 shells (number 5’s for the bigger snowshoe hare).  We wear shooting vests over our hunting jackets with a good game pouch attached; our vests have blaze orange on the shoulders, and we wear blaze orange hats.  We save bread bags, and when we kill a rabbit, we place the bunny in the bread bag and then into our vests (no blood on your vest and if the rabbit has fleas, no fleas on you).  Wear thick hunting clothes or briar proof clothes because rabbits like the thick sharp stuff.

If you get the chance go rabbit hunting this season.  The dogs will keep your day moving quickly and the table fare isn’t bad either.

By Denny Chambers   Sat, Jul 10, 2010

I recently got an opportunity to pick up one of the new Primos TruthCam 35 trail cameras. I had read several reviews of the camera and wanted to try one for my self. Right off the bat I was impressed with this camera. The camera boasts a lot of features for its $99 price tag.

Features include:

• 3.0 MP daylight/1.3 MP IR
• Supports up to a 8 GB SD card
• Take still photos and videos
• Will take 1, 3, or 5 picture bursts
• Take video of 10, 30 and 60 seconds
• Takes 4 D cell battery with a port to hook up an external battery
• Super easy setup
• 35 LED bank for night time picture out to 40 ft.
• 1.5 second trigger speed (0.3 second when camera is not in sleep mode)
• Image Stamp which includes moon phase, temperature, date and time
• Ability to format SD card while in camera
  

The features list looks pretty impressive, but the real test of its worthiness will be in how it performs in the field.

Getting familiar with the Camera

The case for the Primos TruthCam 35, is not unlike most trail camera on the market today. The camera in encased in a 6" x 9" plastic case. The case can be attached to a tree or post using the nylon strap provided, which is long enough to get around some good sized trees. Looking at the front of the camera you can see the bank of 35 IR LED's through the flash window, that allows for night time pictures and videos out to 40 feet. Below the IR flash is the lens window, which protects the 3 megapixel camera (1.3 megapixel IR night) lens. Below the lens windows is a window for the LCD status screen, that allows you to easily check the camera battery life and picture count.The bottom half of the camera front is a hinged door, which latches on the right hand side of the camera. Opening this door exposes the camera controls and settings, as well as the LCD screen and the battery compartments. With the door open you also have access to the SD card slot on the bottom of the camera.

Looking at the Primos TruthCam 35 camera setting switches, you can see how easy this camera is to setup. You simply have to slide the switches to the desired setting, insert an SD card, and turn the camera on to be ready to take picture of wildlife on your property.

• Status Switch - This allows you to turn the camera off, to photograph mode, or to video mode.
• Video Switch - This switch's setting is only acknowledged when the camera's Status switch is in the Video mode. The Video switch allows you to select the length of the video you wish to take. You can choose from 10, 30, or 60 seconds.
• Delay Switch - The Delay switch allows you to set the delay that the camera should wait between photographs or videos. The settings are 10 seconds, 1 minute, or 30 minutes.
• Muli-Shot Switch - This switch's setting is only acknowledged when the camera's Status switch is in the photo mode.This switch allows you to choose how many pictures should be taken when the camera is triggered. You can choose between 1, 3, or 5 picture multi-shots.
• Sensor Switch - The Sensor switch allows you to adjust how sensitive the trigger is. For most users the Normal setting will work just fine. If you find that you have lots of empty pictures, you may want to try the low setting. This switch can be set for Hi, Normal, or Low.

There are also 3 buttons located right below the setting switches. The button allows for the camera date and time to be set, as well as checking the picture count and battery life. On either side of the switches, there are compartments which hold 2 D cell batteries (4 D cell total), for long battery life. On the bottom of the camera you will find 2 slots. On the left is the SD card slot which will take up to an 8 GB SD memory card. The SD slot is not only protected by the camera door, but it also has a rubber boot which covers the slot to help prevent moisture and dirt from getting into the slot. On the right is a plug-in for an external 6 volt power source. This allows a 6 volt battery to be hooked to the camera for even more battery life.

Trigger Speed

Now that we have gone through all the features of the camera, lets get down to business and see what it can do. To get an idea of the trigger speed, I set up a series of distance markers for 10, 20 , 30 ,40, and 50 feet. This allowed me to test the trigger speed, and later the IR flash at different distances and wider fields of view. In each of the tests, I had the camera in photo mode, with the single picture multi-shot mode, normal sensitivity, and a 10 second delay between pictures. The first test I did was a simple walk-by test, where I walked normally past the camera at different distances. As you can see from the pictures that were taken, the camera did a good job of capturing me pretty close to the center of view for the camera.

The next test I did was a jog through test, where I jogged past the camera at each distance. As you can see from this test the camera trigger was just not fast enough to catch me crossing its field of view. I was not surprised by the results at 10 and even 20 feet, but I was a little surprised that the camera didn't catch more of me at the farther fields of view. From the results of this test, this camera may be better setup facing down a trail and food plot, and not in a location where you would expect quick crossing shots.

IR Flash

The next series of tests I conducted was to test the IR flash. According to the camera specifications, the Primos TruthCam 35 should be capable of taking night time pictures out to 40 feet. Using the same camera setting and distance markers used in the above tests, I did a series of walk-by test at each distance. While the picture quality at night for these tests were not the best, you can make the picture out, and see pretty well, even out to the 50 foot marker (10 feet past the camera designed working distance).

Picture Quality

The picture quality for the Primos TruthCam 35's 3 megapixel day time images is very good and has good detail. The images are very clear and sharp, and the color is realistic. The shutter speed is good, but images moving across the screen quickly, such as flying birds or running animals may be blurry. The image quality is more than adequate for what is needed in a trail camera.

The 1.3 mega-pixel night time picture quality is also very good. While the night time pictures are black and white, the pictures are clear and sharp. While the Primos TruthCam 35 has the smallest number of IR emitters of all the Primos TruthCam cameras, the picture quality out to 30 and 40 feet is very adequate for catching and identifying deer at night.

The status information displayed at the bottom of each image is also a very useful feature of the Primos TruthCam 35. It gives the user very useful information such as the moon phase, temperature, datae and time. These are important factors when trying to pattern Whitetail deer.

Video Quality

While the support of video is a nice feature in a trail camera, to me it is not a must have feature. Videos greatly reduce the battery life of the camera as well. On the Primos TruthCam 35, I find the video decent, but most definitely not the same quality as the still pictures. The video seems to be a little more grainy and not as clear. I also found that I could usually only get several dozen videos on a set of batteries.

Battery Life

The Primos TruthCam 35 takes four D cell batteries which allow for a good number of pictures in photo mode. While the exact number of photos will vary on how many are taken in daylight versus night, you can easily get  well up in to the hundreds of pictures on a set of batteries. Having the camera in video mode seems to dramatically reduce the battery life. Especially if most of the video is taken at night, which requires the LED emitter to light up. The Primos TruthCam 35 also has a port on the bottom of the camera that allows the user to plug in an external 6 volt power supply. This feature coupled with a 4 or 8 gigabyte SD card would allow for the camera to run unattended for many weeks, reducing the need to check your camera constantly.

Summary

Overall, I really like the Primos TruthCam 35. At $99 the cost to feature ratio is very good, giving the buyer a lot of bang for their buck. The picture quality is very good, and the night time IR flash is not bad. The ability to hook up an external battery source, and to load the camera with a 8 gigabyte SD card makes this a great choice for hunters who want to monitor they wildlife during the spring and summer without having to constantly place unneeded pressure on their hunting spots to check their cameras. The moon phase, temperature, and date/time data also give hunters useful tools to help pattern Whitetail deer movement during different weather and lunar conditions. Trail cameras are an important part of managing a property for Whitetail deer, and the Primos TruthCam 35 is an great choice for that purpose.

By Miscellaneous Authors   Thu, Aug 26, 2010

With September here, you are probably shooting your bow like I am in preparation for the upcoming bow season. But the Muzzleloader season will be here before you know it. This will be a good time to pull out your old (or new) Muzzle loader and get re-acquainted with it now, getting the feel of it again, looking through the scope (maybe you cannot use one in your state),and basically give the old smoke pole a tune up.  Check your supply of powder, bullets and primers…and don’t forget the cleaning patches.  Muzzleloaders are a different animal than centerfire rifles, same but different.

It may have been as long as 9 months since you have touched your muzzleloader. First thing to do is to take it down and clean it. You cleaned it before you put it away for hibernation but now it the time to clean it, swab the grease or oil out of the barrel when you put it up last year. Also a good time to get reacquainted with it.  

I have included some photos of how I do my tune up. Your tune up may be different, but at least it is a tune up. If you notice my Omega has quick release scope rings. This is due to going Elk hunting in Colorado and having to use iron sights for elk. When the law allows you to use scopes then I removed the back sight.

This may sound crazy to most of you, but I take off my scope every year and check the base screws to ensure that somehow the scope base screws have not worked their way loose since last year. Don’t know about you, but I always use Loctite (or equal) on my scope base screws. Before removing your scope, carefully mark the scopes orientation so you can remove it and put it back on at the original spot. I use good old fashion masking tape to mark my orientations (see photo). You will have to mark it for your cross-hairs orientation and for eye relief distance. On some bases, you might have to remove the bottom section of the rings to check the alignment of the rings also. Once you removed the scope, check the base screws and make sure they are snug and tight, don’t over tighten. With Loctite (or equal) the base should not have moved from the last year but better safe than sorry. Now that you have checked the base screws, carefully position your rings and scope back to its original location and tighten down the rings screws to 25 inch pounds. I have done this for years and after remounting the scope, I have never had to adjust the scope cross-hairs more than 1 or 2 clicks. In reality, after I have checked the base screws for a couple of years there is really no need to recheck the base screws every year. The scope bases are in there for good, just like concrete. 

If you live in the South you know all too well about rust. We have hot and humid summers and Muzzleloader season and sometimes we have a very wet season. This is why before you put you muzzle loader up for the season you break it down and do a thorough cleaning before locking it away for a few months. You will find spots on your muzzleloader that will have rust and especially the non-stainless steel parts.  Now is a good time to knock the surface rust off with steel wool and retouch with Oxypho-blue or similar products. And if your Muzzleloaders is as old as mine you will have a few spots of rust here and there. But keep a light coat of oil on these spots as long as you can before taking it to the woods. See photos where some rust spots I have discovered since last season on mine. I quickly got the rust off and coated it with new bluing.

After you have remounted your scope, and satisfied with the results, then remove the breach plug, clean your barrel and breech plug and primer flash hole in the breech plug. When reinstalling the breech plug, be sure to grease the threads with plenty of anti-cease grease compound.  Be sure to check the receiver screws to your stock. Make sure they are good and snug, front screw to be torque between 45 and 50 ft lbs and the rear screws down to 35 to 40 ft lbs. Be sure to check with your owner’s manual, some manufacturers may be higher than the values listed here, most of my centerfire rifle torques run about 10 ft lbs higher.  Make sure the trigger is working well. Clean the lenses on the scope and if you have scope covers make sure they are in good working order as well (see photos).  

Now would be a good time to head out to the range. I go there every week and now is the time of the year when nobody is on the range, you will have it to yourself most of the time. You will have plenty of time to analyze your shots. Take plenty of water with you; it’s going to be hot out there.  It’s your choice to clean after each shot. I personally clean after two shots. I have never shot a deer or elk more than once with a muzzleloader. I have never seen a show on TV that someone has shot 3 times. A few have shot twice but even that is rare.  Something I do at least one time a year with my Muzzle Loader that I have never seen anyone else do. I will sight my Muzzle loader in at 100 yards like most folk.  I will put up three targets, one at 50 yards, another at 100 yards, the last one at 150 or 200 yards. I will fire shot #1 at the 100 yard target first, then the 50 yard target second and then 150 or 200 yard target last.  You obviously will be high at 50 and low at 150 or 200 yards. This will give you a good indicator how your muzzle loader shoots at those distances or anywhere in between. I do not clean between shots; this will simulate conditions in the field. But will be the first thing I do when I get home.

While you are at the range, now would be a good time to test new loads, bullets, etc.  If you were smart you have saved previous targets and wrote down the load on the target. So you know what works but is there a load out there that gives you tighter groups. Only one way to find out…but if you are happy with your results stick with it. But save your targets, date them and put down the load and bullet you used. Also you need to buy an extra breech plugs for your muzzle loader. I have always done this, sometimes more than one. After I clean it one last time before putting it up for the year I will remove the breech plug and store it in my muzzle loader specific box. I also have a tool box for each muzzle loader (see photo). Each box contains primers, speed loaders, bullets and tools it takes to load and maintain the muzzle loader.

As of this writing I am in the experimental stages of testing some new loads of Blackhorn 209 for the Omega. If I cannot find a good load using Blackhorn this year, I can always go back to my “go to” load of Triple 7.

When you load your muzzle loader with the bullet be sure to maintain the same seating pressure on your ramrod. This is very important. If one shot you put a lot of packing pressure on your ramrod and the next one little packing pressure you will definitely notice this in your groups. This is why feel is very important when loading your muzzleloader.  It’s only human nature if the bullet slides in smoothly not to pack it with the same pressure if one goes in hard. Consistency is the key.

Whether you clean it after every shot or after you get home from the range the choice is yours, but clean it when you get home for sure and make sure your firearm is unloaded before you come into the house. Don’t leave Muzzle loaders loaded, it is so easy to forget. After the season is over and you ready to put the smoke pole away for another year, go ahead and give it one more good cleaning. This time use a 12 gauge brush and use a good solvent to clean out the barrel of any residue from either the primer or sabots.  Before putting it away for the year the final thing I will do with my muzzle loaders will be to swab the barrel with a bore butter or heavy oil. When you take it out next year give it another good cleaning.   

See you at the range.



By Kimberly Fox   Sun, Aug 15, 2010

Greeting brothers and sisters! Welcome to another edition of Following God’s Trail. We are right in the midst of the dog days ofsummer, and it is very hot here in Southeast Georgia. Hopefully, the weather will begin to cool down some because the time of year that gets outdoorsmen all around the country pepped up and ready to move is fast approaching. Hunters are eagerly scouting and preparing food plots and dreaming of the time when they will enjoy the fruits of their labor because hunting season is coming soon.

Personally, as a hunter. I enjoy the preparation that involves scouting, planting and plotting the right place to place a tree stand or ground blind in hopes of seeing a nice deer or hog. I enjoy bowhunting as well as gun hunting. In addition to all of the wonderful preparation and the actual participation of the hunt, I take pleasure in appreciating all that God has provided for His children to enjoy. My hunting experiences are often of the spiritual nature.

Genesis 1:20-25 (NIV)  ²⁰ And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

 ²⁴ And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Whenever I awaken on the morning to go hunting, I eagerly prepare my pack and make sure to include all of my necessities. I gather my pack and my gun and head out. I hunt in a ground blind, so I enter the woods and walk quietly to my blind. Once I get comfortable, I sit in silence and enjoy a peaceful morning prayer. I remember to tell God how thankful I am for the opportunity to be sitting in such a peaceful place. In a few moments, I will usually hear the first peep from a bird, followed by another bird and then the squirrels and other animals begin to make their morning noises. It is rewarding to sit and listen to the animals and watch the birds, squirrels, lizards and other animals enjoying their day. This makes me feel so close to God.

As you go about your preparations for your hunting season, remember to share the experience with the One who gave us the fowls in the air, the fish in the sea or the wild animals that we pursue. God enjoys watching us partake of all that He has given to us. Imagine how much more He enjoys it whenever we actually share it with Him and talk about it with Him. Don’t forget to thank God for your opportunities to actually be there and if you actually make a kill, be sure to thank the Creator for allowing it to happen and for sacrificing the animal for us. God blessed the animals for us.

I wish you a blessed hunting season. Stay safe and enjoy all that He has to offer. Take God with you on your hunting trip.

Love in Christ!

~Kim Fox

By Luanne Bragg   Mon, Aug 09, 2010

Beagles, as a breed, have been in existence for quite some time, although their precise origins are only vaguely known. Beagle-type dogs are described in documents dating from 400 B.C. Greece and A.D. 200 Britain. The Romans are also thought to have transported small rabbit hunting hounds to England with them and bred them with the local hounds. Talbot Hounds were brought to England from France during the Norman Conquest in 1066 and are considered to be ancestors to the Southern Hound, the Beagle and the Foxhound.

Beagles became quite popular with the British monarchy in the 1300's and 1400's. Edward II and Henry VII both kept packs of Glove Beagles, so named since they were small enough to fit on a glove. Elizabeth I kept packs of Pocket Beagles which were only nine inches high at the withers. By the 1400's Beagles existed in Britain, Italy, Greece and France.

By the 1700's two types of hounds existed for hunting rabbits: the Southern Hound and the much quicker North Country Beagle. Since fox hunting was becoming increasingly popular, Beagles were being kept less and less in favor of Foxhounds. Fortunately for the continuing existence of the Beagle, farmers in England, Ireland and Wales continued to keep packs to hunt with.

Beagles were officially imported into the United States in 1876, but some records show that they could have been here in the late 1700’s. The Beagle was accepted as a breed by the American Kennel Club in 1884, and they have pretty much been in the top 10% of registered dogs ever since.

The Beagle should be a sturdy, compactly-built hound, conveying the impression of quality without coarseness. Considered a merry hound, their essential function is to hunt, primarily hare, by following a scent. These hounds are bold, with great activity, stamina and determination.  They are alert, intelligent, and are of even temperament and show no aggression or timidity.

The head should be of fair length, powerful without being coarse, finer in the female, and free from frown and wrinkle. The skull should be slightly domed, moderately wide, with a slight peak. The nose should be broad with wide nostrils, preferably black, but less pigmentation is permissible in the lighter colored hounds. Their eyes should be dark brown or hazel, fairly large, not deep set or prominent, and set well apart with a mild appealing expression. The ears are long, with rounded tip, reaching nearly to the end of their nose when drawn out. The ear set should be low, fine in texture and hanging gracefully close to cheeks.

The neck needs to be sufficiently long to enable it to come down to scent easily, and needs to be slightly arched and showing little dewlap. The shoulders should be well laid back and not loaded. Forelegs should be straight and upright, well under the hound, with good substance, and round in the bone, not tapering off to feet, pasterns short, elbows firm, turning neither in or out. The height to elbow should be about half height at withers.  The top line should be straight and level, chest let down to below elbow, ribs well sprung and extending well back. The beagle should be short in the couplings but have well balanced loins that are powerful and supple, without excessive tuck-up.

The hind quarters need to be tied well into muscular thighs, stifles well bent and hocks firm, well let down and parallel to each other. The feet should be tight and firm, well knuckled up and strongly padded; they are said to have “catlike” feet with nails short. The tail should be sturdy, moderately long, set high, carried gaily but not curled over the back or inclined forward from the root.

The coat needs to be short, dense and weatherproof. Any recognized hound color is acceptable. The most common color you will see is tricolor. It means a black saddle, white legs, chest, and belly, with a tan head, and often around the edges of the saddle. Many dogs have a white blaze on their face, but a solid tan face is common too. Tricolor puppies are born black and white, and the tan develops as the puppy gets older.  Red and white is an acceptable color and means there is no black at all, and the red can range from a tan to a darker red and even chocolate. These puppies are born red and white with shading of the color developing later.  Lemon and white is another color, and the lemon varies from an off-white, to a dark lemon/yellow to a light tan. These puppies are often born completely white, with the color developing later.  Black and white, gray/silver and white, all white and all black are rare but not unheard of.  With all of these colors, you can have freckling, mottling, ticking, and grizzling.

Beagles are divided into to size divisions 13 inches (Not exceeding 13 inches at the withers) and 15 inches (Not exceeding 15 inches at the withers) in the United States.  In Canada and the United Kingdom the taller division extends to 16 inches.

Beagles are primarily bred and kept in packs. This has resulted in a near genetic need for companionship. If they don't get it from another dog, they will demand it from you. This is not to say that a lone Beagle will be underfoot, begging for attention all the time, but they will require a substantial amount of your time in play and companionship. If they are not given enough stimulation from their 'pack', they will find ways to amuse themselves, and this can mean trouble!

The Beagle's independent and stubborn nature makes obedience training a necessity prior to training the Beagle to be a hunter or a pet. Beagles neither respect, nor acknowledge physical force. To say the least Beagles love kids and make great companions for children and for older adults after the initial obedience training.  Beagles are very scent oriented, and if you decide to keep one as a pet, a fenced yard is almost a must because they tend to follow the scent, and that will also “get them in trouble”.

Yes, the photos are all of our "Packs" and one of our Grand Champion.

By Duane Taylor   Sat, Aug 14, 2010

I’ll never forget my first encounter. As a young boy in Wisconsin, laying in bed one night, I felt something crawling across my hand as I was trying to sleep. Opening my eyes I saw this small creature crawl over the top of my finger. I did what any mature young man would do of course… screamed at the top of my lungs and ran down the hall crying for mom. Mom of course ran to meet me and I jumped in her arms, clinging like a young possum with a death grip. We searched and found the hideous monster making it’s way over the carpet heading down the hallway. “What is it???”, I exclaimed... and so began my existence with ticks.

Thankfully, today I am not afraid of ticks like I was that night as a five year old, but I am very mindful of them. As hunters, fishermen, hikers and folks who generally enjoy the outdoors, we may all be very aware of the presence of ticks. From the west coast to the east coast, Texas to Minnesota, ticks can be found in abundant supply. Many northern states, that several years ago may not have had ticks, may even be seeing ticks begin to thrive in their regions. Today, what was an annoyance has become more identified as a threat to your health. Tick-borne diseases are being uncovered more and more it seems as the medical community identifies and tracks down their sources. Perhaps the most popular is Lyme, but ticks can carry many different diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Relapsing Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, Tick Paralysis, and many others I could never pronounce properly. Each is mostly determined by the type of tick and region you are in.

Here in the northeast, we mainly have to be concerned about Lyme Disease, which is carried by the Deer Tick. Lyme can be very debilitating if not treated immediately. Unfortunately, the early symptoms are close to that of the common flu, and many people do not seek medical help until it reaches its later stages. Even then, blood tests have been known to come back negative but later reveal Lyme in its more advanced stages. One of our TalkHunting forum members from New Jersey shared with me his experience with Lyme Disease. He’d gotten bitten by a tick while walking his dog back in 1985. With flu-like symptoms, the doctor prescribed an antibiotic, which he took only until he felt better, as many of us do. For some time after he experienced issues with his knees, weakness and arthritis, until three years later when the symptoms grew more steady. The doctor only then concluded it was Lyme and put him on three weeks of IV antibiotics. Even now there are residual effects of arthritis in his hips, knees, and ankles, though thankfully nothing as severe as he did back in ’88.

Like Lyme, the most prominent symptoms of many tick-borne diseases include fever, headache, and fatigue. All of which are common Flu-like symptoms that would not immediately concern most of us. A good dose of your favorite cold medicine, plenty of fluids, get as much rest as possible and should be gone by the end of the week, right? Symptoms can be much more severe as another forum member, Jason “Jaybirdd” Tafs from Minnesota relayed to me in his experience with Anaplasmosis. Just last year in the spring of 2009 Jason lost his appetite, felt just generally sick, and “had a bit of a fever”. His skin began to turn yellow as it progressed, and he developed a rash as well that itched to the point where he would scratch until he made himself bleed. This was accompanied by the more common joint aches as well. Over the course of several weeks, Jason had made many trips to his doctor, urgent care, and to the local emergency room. With blood taken each time, it took two more weeks for a resulting diagnosis to come back. Even with treatment he was sick for over a month and to date isn’t sure if the joint & back pain he still deals with is a residual effect or not.

These accounts are just representative of the thousands and thousands of cases that could be told. Ticks are something we have to deal with. As we head to the woods and fields, even our own back yards, ticks flourish. Especially in the warmer months, but even into late fall/early winter, tick activity can be high. In these months ticks can be more active as nymphs (or young) turn into adult ticks and feed before the cold months arrive. Ticks do not hibernate but simply become dormant due to cold teperatures, usually below freezing, so many southern states can see tick activity well into winter months, and even in the winter months ticks can become active in warm spells if temperatures rise consistantly above freezing.

The question is how do we cope? What can we do to ward against bites and protect ourselves while we continue to invest our time and efforts in our love for the outdoors?

There are many products on the market today that claim to repel and/or kill ticks. Some of the most popular ingredients of those being Deet  and Permethrin. Without getting into a product review of each, the important thing for us as hunters is scent control, so look carefully at ingredients and reviews and choose a product that is truly odorless if you want to use it in the deer woods.

There are also many things we can do to be proactive outside of sprays and chemicals. Wearing long sleeves, as well as tucking your shirt into your pants and tucking your pant legs into your boots can help reduce entrance areas into your clothing. When not hunting, wearing lighter colored clothes can help you better see ticks before they get under your clothes. Ticks do not jump or fly, but transfer from contact with the brush, grass, twigs, or animals that you come in contact with. Avoiding contact with them as much as possible can help, such as going around those low-lying branches of a bush instead of through them. Contact with your legs is inevitable while walking of course, but trying to confine it to just your legs as much as possible can help.

Now as hunters, we know that not all of these can be done all of the time, especially in some of the dense areas we hunt, and while sitting with our bodies against a tree or laying in wait behind that hedgerow. When it all comes down to it, there is no 100% fool-proof tick-preventing method. Ticks happen. The best thing you can do, regardless of your prevention methods, is what I call the “tick check”, which is a simple two stage process: Check & Change.

1. CHECK: When leaving the woods & fields, before you climb into or onto your mode of transportation, or if you walk out, before reaching the house or cabin, do a spot check around your entire body. If you hunt with a partner, have them help. Get the obvious ticks off your clothing and out of your hair right then, especially if you have long or thick hair where it's harder to feel them. I also keep an old windshield snow brush in my truck to brush down my clothes with just in case.
2. CHANGE: When you get home, or back to the cabin, tent, or lean-to, systematically undress, checking each article of clothing you remove inside and out. Do this through every layer of clothing you have on. Yes, right down to nothing. Ticks have been known to find the most private of places! If you dress or undress partially or fully in the field, do it then, but check each layer before you put it in your gear bag, so you’re sure you’re not saving a tick for later.  Remember, young ticks can be as small as a poppy seed, so look for those unusual freckles!

Ticks of any variety are nothing to be taken lightly. Take the time to contact your state’s Environmental Management Department, and they should have any information on the types of ticks and reported diseases in your state readily available. Get familiar with them. Be proactive... be smart... and remember, "Check and Change". Have a safe and successful hunting season!

*Stories used by permission.

By Miscellaneous Authors   Wed, Aug 11, 2010

Leaning back against the tree, I begin to slowly turn my head left to right, peering down the lane I shot my buck at two seasons ago.  Suddenly I sense, as much as I see, a slight movement from the corner of my eye.  As I freeze all movements, my eyes strain to confirm what I thought I saw.  A moment later more movement plus the accompanied sound give the animal away.  As I try to control my heart rate, I ease my head back.  Seeing the animal is relaxed and looking away, I ever so slowly raise my rifle.  I settle the crosshairs of the scope in the right area and wait for the animal to raise its head.  It does, and I pull the trigger. As the air is filled with my rifle report, my quarry falls lifelessly out of the tree with a crash into the leaves below.  It is my first squirrel of the day, but the day is still early.

Many of us were introduced into hunting with small game.  As we get older and progress to larger game animals, we often quit small game hunting altogether.  However, I would suggest that small game hunting is a great way to add to the enjoyment of your hunting season and even to help you prepare for your other hunting. 

 My father told me that when still hunting deer, you had to go slow enough that you didn’t disturb the squirrels.  If the squirrels are bothered by you, stop until they get quiet, and then resume at a slower pace.  I can still remember my father’s words every time I am cutting through the timber and not seeing anything.  He would be telling me to slow down.  What better way to perfect those still hunting tactics than by practicing?  Stalking squirrels helps sharpen those skills that some of us find go a little dormant during the off-season. 

 Another benefit of getting out there to chase the small game is for scouting purposes.  I own two properties that are about 100 miles each from my home.  While I try to get out to them as often as I can, I find that each season things change a little.  Large trees fall, a fence goes up or comes down on my neighbor’s side, the persimmons look good one year but not the next, etc.  New game trails and fresh sign emerge each year as well.  Getting out with the ATV or doing a normal survey on foot certainly can allow you to accomplish much of your needed scouting.  However, I have found that when I slow down enough to small game hunt, I notice things that I would otherwise miss while scouting.  Some trails, particularly the secondary trails mature bucks like to use, can be rather subtle and easy to pass over.  Whenever I hunt, I bring my binoculars with me and glass the area ahead of me frequently.  I rarely see deer or turkey when I just head out walking through the woods.  When I am actually hunting, no matter the quarry, I often observe non-target game species and often in places I might never have looked otherwise. 

 I have found that using my scoped Ruger .22 has made me a better marksman.  There is something about gaining the confidence to consistently hit a squirrel or rabbit in a spot about the size of a quarter that makes the vitals of a deer seem pretty easy. 

 Finally, many of us leave small game hunting as we grow up, and have forgotten how much fun it really can be.  For many of us the hunting season is just too short, and those times in the woods are too rare.  Getting out and chasing small game is an easy way of increasing the time you have to spend in the field.  True, it is not the same adrenalin rush bagging a squirrel as it is when you see a monster buck step into view, but it still can be a lot of fun to go along with the benefits of practicing your marksmanship, getting in some important scouting time, and sharpening your overall outdoors skills.  You can parlay all of these into a more successful big game season. 

Go ahead and take advantage of the small game opportunities afforded to you in your area.  While you are at it, maybe invite a young hunter to go along as well. 

By Miscellaneous Authors   Wed, Jul 28, 2010

With the hunting regulations regarding crossbows loosening somewhat across the nation, the designs and brands of crossbows hunters can now choose from is at an all time high.  Many companies that previously manufactured only traditional and compound bows now offer horizontal bows to their customers.  This surge in interest has also led to the introduction of new companies which manufacture crossbows exclusively.  With so many choices now available, careful consideration should be given as to the style, ease of use, safety features, desired speed and price range when choosing which crossbow is right for you.

While the use of crossbows during the regular bow season continues to be a topic of debate among hunters, the legality of use is concrete.  If the use of crossbows is deemed a legal method of harvesting deer then the choice to use this type of weapon is entirely up to the individual hunter.  Once the hunter has decided he would like to purchase a crossbow, he or she must then decide first what price range will be acceptable.  A hunter can spend as little as $70 to $80 on the lower end or $2,500 or more for some of the high end bows.  As the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for”, but a good crossbow can be purchased without breaking the bank.  There are several models in the $400 to $800 range that will perform well by such well known companies as Parker, Barnett, Ten Point, Horton, and many others.

Once a price range has been determined, one should then consider what style bow appeals to the individual.  The differences in style are many, and some of these differences are subtle yet important.  If someone is going to spend this amount of money, they should like what they’ve purchased.  Some of these variations in style include limb design, riser and stirrup design, and safety features.

Limb designs vary in the style of the limb itself and in the orientation of the limb in relation to the stock.  The two basic styles of limbs are recurve and compound.  On a recurve crossbow the limbs are solid, and the string is attached directly to the prod.  The prod, also called the lathe, is the ‘bow’ of a crossbow.  On a compound crossbow the limbs can be split or solid and there are cams mounted in the prods.  The string passes over the cams in tracks and the cams rotate as the bow is cocked or released.  Compound crossbows are inherently noisier than recurves due to the movement of the cams during release.  This can be minimized with products such as LimbSaver’s Crossbow Silencer Kit or Sim’s Vibration Crossbow Silencer System.  Some brands such as Barnett offer rubber coated limbs to effectively reduce noise.  Recurve crossbows are usually lighter than the compounds due to the fact that the components incorporated into the limbs of the compounds result in added weight.  This in turn may affect your ability to hold the bow steady during a shot and should be considered when shopping for the model that is right for you.  A few models now are offered with reverse limbs such as the Horton Vision, Skorpyd, and Armcross.  These have the ‘bow’ mounted on the stock in such a way as the limbs spring back toward the shooter upon release.  According to the manufacturers, this results in a quieter, smoother shooting crossbow.  PSE, a well known maker of archery products, has even introduced their TAC series which allows the user to convert an AR15 lower into a crossbow.   

The stirrup and riser assembly varies greatly in the many crossbows on the market today.  Most have the stirrup bolted onto the riser and these should be tightened and checked regularly as any loose bolts will be noisy and perhaps dangerous to the user.  Some models such as the Barnett Predator have a shoot through stirrup that is built into the riser.  The stirrup/riser assembly is one piece; therefore there are no bolts to loosen over time and less chance of losing parts due to vibrations during firing.

There are several different safety features on today’s crossbows that weren’t around in the past and have greatly reduced the amount of injuries incurred while firing and cocking.  TenPoint offers GripSafety which requires the user to press a button on the fore-grip of the stock before the bow will fire.  This keeps the users fingers below the rail and out of the path of the cable and arrow.  Barnett offers an auto safety that engages when the bow is cocked.  This prevents an accidental release of the cable if the trigger is bumped while removing the cocking devise or otherwise handling the bow.  Some, such as the Scorpyd Stryker have a built in bolt sensor to prevent dry firing. YOU SHOULD NEVER DRY FIRE A CROSSBOW! 

Another aspect to consider is speed.  For the purpose of this article speed refers to the feet per second that the bow will launch an arrow or bolt.  For small game such as rabbits, raccoons, or even some small predators, a speed of 200 to 250 feet per second should be sufficient.  For larger game such as deer, pronghorn or black bear, a faster bow might be desired.  Some, like the Bowtech Stryker, are available with advertised speeds of up to 405 fps.  Just remember, with speed comes noise, so you must consider the reaction time of the prey proportional to the arrival time of the projectile.  The faster bows shoot flatter trajectories at normal hunting ranges and carry a little more energy upon impact.  The resulting pass through can be very useful in harvesting that next trophy.

Ease of operation should also be considered very carefully.  Some hunters with disabilities or young hunters with limited strength may not be able to cock a crossbow with a 150 to 175 pound draw weight with a rope cocking device.  It is very important that a crossbow be cocked with an even and balanced method.  Uneven cocking can and will result in inaccuracy in the shot.  If a rope cocking device is too hard to use or is undesirable due to physical restraints, many crossbows can be equipped with a mechanical cocking devise that allows the user to ratchet the cable into the cocked position using a crank handle that mounts to bow.  Some mechanical cocking devices also allow the user to uncock the crossbow without the need to fire.  AGAIN, YOU SHOULD NEVER DRY FIRE A CROSSBOW! 

Some of you will never agree that a crossbow should be allowed during archery season.  Others will jump at the chance to add a new weapon to their arsenal.  I will agree that a crossbow is not ‘just like any other bow’.  It doesn’t take very long to become proficient with a crossbow as opposed to the many hours that go into practicing with other bows.  Some of the same arguments were made when compound bows hit the scene and were scorned by traditionalists.  The choice to use a crossbow is left entirely up to you and the governing body of your state regulations.  In the end, we are all on the same team.  Any dissention among our ranks plays right into the hands of the anti-hunters.  Whatever you decide, I hope this article leaves you better informed in some way.  Happy hunting and stay safe. 

Pictures courtesy of Barnett, Horton, Parker and PSE.

By Miscellaneous Authors   Mon, Jul 19, 2010

On December 26th, 2009, I killed my first ten-point Whitetail buck. It was very cold that morning, and I had hunted hard the first part of the season seeing only a few young bucks and some does. My family had decided to brave the crowds and hit the after-Christmas sale, which is an activity that I wanted no part of. This left me free to once again climb a tree and watch the natural world unfold before me.

I walked off the mountain to a shelf above a bluff in the early morning hours well before daylight. I had already hunted this area several times before during the season and had seen deer activity and sign but had just not been in the right place at the right time. Weeks before, I had placed a climber on a good, tall, straight tree and locked it on, sprayed it down with scent killer and left it so as to avoid having to pack it in and out every time I hunted this spot. The terrain is very steep here, and I’m not as young and agile as I once was.

There was deer sign everywhere here. Scrapes, rubs and trails all concentrated on the narrow shelf above the bluff and below the steep hillside. To the south and west of my stand are big woods with lots of unimproved, rough, steep, hilly terrain and a lot of land that nobody ever gets back into. To the north and east, the woods run out, and there are crop fields and pastureland. The deer were traveling along the top of this bluff and feeding in a large corn field and then returning to the big woods in the morning. Just a few days before, I had freshened a scrape within sight of my stand with some dominant buck urine and had watched later that same day as a button buck timidly checked it and then decided he had better be on his way.

On the morning of the 26th, I sat on stand at a height of about 25 ft. and watched as the woods came alive. The squirrels were painfully aware that the gun I had across my lap was not a .22 or a .17 and so were extremely willing to mimic the sound of footsteps on the crisp leaves all around me. The gun I had was one I had just bought right before the season opened. I had wanted an all weather gun and had saved and bought a New England Firearms stainless single shot in 30-06, topped with a Nikon Buckmaster 3X9, and it was dialed in and ready to put something down. I watched a young ’possum lumber along and even shared some of my apple with him. He probably thought that he was quite clever, finding a chunk of apple out here in the middle of nowhere.

A couple of does came up and over the bluff from the bottoms early in the morning, but nothing else showed till about 9 a.m. I noticed movement to my left and slowly turned in that direction to see a buck emerge from the thick brush. He was on a path that would take him directly in front of my stand at about 30 yards. As I watched him, I tried to accurately judge his age and finally decided he was a 3 ½ year old buck and would probably score in the low to mid 130’s. I had let several smaller bucks walk and was really looking for a mature deer, 4 ½ years or older, but I hadn’t fired my gun this season and had never taken a ten point so it was not his lucky day. At 30 yards and broadside, I pulled the trigger. He ran about another 30 yards or so and piled up. I watched him for a few minutes and saw him expire, then climbed out of the tree to get a closer look.

The buck wasn’t bad by any means. I was very proud of him and called my wife and kids right away to let them know what had just happened. I immediately started second guessing my decision and then began justifying taking the shot. Back and forth I went in my head as I tend to do. Maybe I should have let him grow another year. If I hadn’t shot him, someone else would have. He wasn’t as big as the 8 point I had on the wall at home, but he was a 10 point. If I had waited, maybe something bigger would have come along. I haven’t shot anything all year and needed some meat for the freezer. Finally, I resolved to be thankful and maybe do a skull mount as I didn’t think I wanted to spend the money on a full mount until I killed one better than the one I already had.

When I took the deer to the processor, I had them cut off the head right behind the ears. I also extraced the bullet from the off-side shoulder.  It was just under the skin, fully mushroomed and fully intact.  I took the head home and hung it on the side of a shed there at the house and thought maybe the flesh would rot away with time. I had heard about people boiling the skulls to remove the flesh and putting them in ant beds, but I still had a little over a month of hunting to do, so I just put that on the back burner. I ended up killing a bigger buck from that same stand on January 23rd. This buck was 4 ½ years old and scored 143 1/8. He was also a ten point, and I had him mounted, and he now hangs in my living room along with the big 8 point. I guess it was a good thing that I didn’t have the first buck mounted, but I hadn’t given up on the idea of a European mount.

I started asking around about how to go about de-fleshing the skull and there were lots of ideas, but by this time the head had really dried and the skin was stiff and was going to be extremely hard to remove. My taxidermist told me I may even have to chisel it off the skull! From this experience I learned that I would recommend skinning the head right away to any of you who want to do this yourself because drying the skin on the skull can present some problems. I looked into buying a plastic skull that the antlers could be mounted on, but still wanted to save the real thing if I could. I began asking for tips on TalkHunting.com and was rewarded with a wealth of knowledge from several of the fine folks who frequent this site. One of the regulars on the site, whom we all know as Puddle Jumper, suggested that I try to rehydrate the skull before skinning it. This turned out to be a very good suggestion. I had removed the lower jaw when I brought the head home, so on PJ’s advice I took the head and submerged it in water by lowering it into a five gallon bucket so that the antlers were still above the water level ,but the entire skull was down in the water, and then I waited.

For the next month, I occasionally checked on the skull. I usually looked through the window of the well house, where I placed the bucket, as I was more than a little apprehensive about what I would have to endure in order to remove the skin. Each time I looked in the well house, the rancid soup in the bucket seemed to be a little worse, and I was really beginning to dread the job ahead. The pinkish brown hue of the putrid concoction that now filled the bucket in no way made me want to even open the door, but after a month of peeking through the window, I knew I had to take a closer look. As I opened the door to the well house, the smell hit me like a brick, but I’ve never had a very weak stomach, so it wasn’t more than I could handle. I’ve always told my son that I could sit on a dead cow and eat sardines, no problem! As I lifted the head out of the bucket by the antlers, I was pleasantly surprised to find that all the skin had turned loose and had fallen off the skull. All of it was gone followed by the nose, the eye-lids, the ears,and everything else! The only thing left on the skull was a little bit of flesh around the eye-sockets, and the area where the neck was attached. That’s it! Everything else had either dropped into the bottom of the bucket or was gone.

I decided to put the skull back into the bucket full of dreadful liquid for another week or so to see if it would completely finish the job. After another week of peeking through the window at the mess I knew the bucket contained, I worked up the nerve to have another look. When I opened the door I realized that the smell was no better this time around, but at least it wasn’t any worse. This time when I lifted the skull from the bucket, the flesh was still around the eyes and at the back of the skull, but it looked mushy and about ready to fall off, so I took a stick and helped it along a bit by pushing off the larger pieces and ending up with only a small amount still clinging to the skull. I decided to put it back into the bucket for another week. When I took the skull from the bucket for the last time, there was very little flesh clinging to it.

At this point I decide to try and wash it off with the water hose and spray nozzle. I had been told by some that a pressure washer would do the trick, but I was warned by others that the nose bones were very fragile and that a pressure washer might knock them off. I didn’t want to take any chances on destroying these small, thin bones so I carefully used a regular spray nozzle and a garden hose to remove the bulk of what was still on the skull. After washing it as best I could, I took an old toothbrush, some tooth picks, and some bamboo skewers that were laying around and began to remove anything that was left. It was during this cleaning that I realized just how fragile the bones of the nose and the lower part of the eye-sockets were. I took great care not to break them as they were loose and would need to be glued in place when the bleaching was done.

After I had finished cleaning the skull, I rinsed it thoroughly until I was satisfied that it was ready to bleach. I hung the skull by the horns in an upright position from a small nylon rope inside my garden shed, so that I could begin bleaching the skull with peroxide without getting any on the horns. I had been told that the stronger peroxide that is used at beauty salons did a better job of bleaching the skull, but that the regular type used for cuts and scrapes would also work. I already had a large bottle of the regular stuff, so that’s what I used. I brushed the peroxide on with a one inch soft bristle paint brush. I wet the entire skull with the brush, taking care not to get the peroxide on the antlers, being sure to get in and around all the small, hard to reach places, and then repeated the process as often as I could. I did this sometimes twice a day, but as many as five or six times a day. I did this for about a week and a half, till I was satisfied with the results. I then used super glue to to strengthen the areas of the skull where any movement was detected. This included the bones of the nose, the eye sockets, the teeth and for good measure anywhere there was a growth seam on the entire skull.

The skull was clean and white, while the antlers had retained their color for the most part. I say ‘for the most part’ because during the time I had let the head dry on the wall of my shed, the sun had bleached the antlers a little, and they had lost some of their color. Once again, my friends at TalkHunting.com came through for me. Joey Bogus, known on-line as Bogo, suggested that I use linseed oil on the antlers to return some of the color and help preserve them at the same time. I bought a small can of linseed oil from the local building supply store and applied it to the antlers using a clean wash cloth. This took some of the white out of the bleached tips of the antlers and seemed to soak in. I’m sure it will help to preserve them as well.

The time to mount the skull in order to display it was my next task. I was still not sure that my wife would be as proud to have it in the house as me, so I mulled over a couple of ways to make this mount more aesthetically pleasing. I thought about an old, aged barn wood plaque to mount it on. This way I could hang it on the wall; then, I thought that it would look better if I could keep the horns pointed up and in order to do so, I would need some type of kicker for the skull to rest on if I used a hanging plaque. I began to look around at the many odds and ends I’ve collected over the years and came upon an old driftwood stump that had somehow managed to follow me around for several years. I had always envisioned a big ten pound largemouth mounted atop this particular piece of wood, but as yet haven’t met ‘Ol Bucketmouth, so I thought, “Why not?”. I knew I would need something with a sturdy base, or the weight of the antlers would make the mount very top heavy. As I wandered around the sheds and the barn, I found some ply wood and some trim that would do quite nicely as a base for the old stump. I cleaned them up, assembled and stained them, and with my son holding everything steady, I inserted decking screws through the back of the weathered ol hollow stump into the base of the skull and the roof of the upper jaw to hold the mount securely in place. Then I was able to present the finished product for my wife’s approval. Much to my surprise, she thought it looked pretty cool and suggested that I place it atop my gun cabinet. It sits there today. I plan on adding the shell casing, and the fully mushroomed bullet that I used to take the buck to the base as an added conversation piece. I guess that first ten point did earn his spot in the “Trophy Room” after all.

By   Mon, Aug 23, 2010

Just like many sportsman out there, I try to do as much as I can to save a buck or two by doing things myself, for example I process all of my own wild game. Some years back, I harvested a coyote and decided it would make a great looking mount. After talking to local taxidermist about prices, I decided I did not want to spend close to a thousand dollars on a coyote; it's not like it was a once in a lifetime trophy deer, it was a coyote, and they are a dime a dozen where I hunt. For some reason, I still wanted this animal mounted, so I thought to myself, it can not be that difficult; boy was I wrong.

I spent some money on tons of instructional DVD’s and basic tools to start out with. Eventually, I mounted that coyote, it was not the prettiest by far, but it was all my doing, and I was proud of it. Did I mention that when skinning I managed to turn most of the skin to swiss cheese? Instead of a full body mount, I had to settle for a shoulder display. I started saving the capes of does that we harvested off the lease, and I even purchased a couple of capes online for some small sets of horns we had laying around the camp, and I just practiced.

The day came when a friend of mine got his chance at harvesting his first bobcat. After all the practice I had on tanning and mounting, I did not think twice about mounting this cat, and it turned out great. Over time, I started mounting bobcats, coyotes, and even deer for fellow members of my hunting club at the cost of just materials. Eventually word of mouth got around, and their friends were calling, and their friends were calling, and so on. Now today I am pleased to say that within 5 years I have built a 15’ X 40’ studio/shop in the backyard and am now a part-time taxidermist. I mount everything from snakes to fish and all mammals. I do not mount migratory waterfowl because I have not yet obtain a federal permit for migratory animals, but I am hoping to apply for one before this coming season.

All of this was made possible with that stinky coyote. Now, recently I have posted some pictures on the forum of a small 8 point buck shoulder mount, and a couple of other deer mounted European style for some clients. I have received great comments from the members, along with a few questions about doing the European mounts. So what I will do, for everyone, is a step by step tutorial with detailed pictures of the entire process, and will submit it to the Talk Hunting Magazine editor, and hope to have it published in one of the monthly editions before the end of the year. Unfortunately, I have just finished up on all the buck mounts from last season, and won’t have any more come in until after the fall season kicks off.  Have no fear, I do have a doe to shoulder mount for an 8 year old girl’s first deer, and I also have a gray fox for a life-size mount, so I will use one, or possibly both of these skulls, solely for this tutorial. Keep an eye on the magazine articles in the upcoming months, and I hope you all enjoy and benefit from it.

By   Mon, Aug 23, 2010

I am no longer in Hunter’s Heaven. The government decided to contract out my job along with 13 others. I decided to stay Civil Service and moved back to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC which just happens to be 15 miles from where I was born. Back home with family, well too much family, we lived with my wife’s Mother for about 9 months and I tell you this, when two women are both used to being in charge you have a problem! It took us 4 months of those 9 months to find a house, and the one we purchased was the first one we looked at and was only 1 mile from my mother’s house. We had gotten used to being in different states and lots of miles away!!!  We purchased that one and have been happy until all the land around us grew houses on them. Well enough with the background.

The fellow that lived next door just happened to deer hunt with dogs, and we got to talking, and he invited me along. I got to know the others that hunted with him, and I became a regular. I started taking my son, Hal, along with that hunting group. He was nine then, and he had gone with me before to Hunter’s Heaven, Dare Country. I always make sure of who I am hunting with before I take family along, especially children, and check to see how safe are they. These guys passed the family test and also brought their kids along. We were hunting blocks of pines owned by a timber company two counties over and at the time it was free because they just wanted the deer to stop eating the young pines. That was before timber companies found out hunters would pay!!!

We were in our second season, and my son had already gotten his first doe with his shotgun. This day he was doing the hunting with my .270, and I was the dog handler. I had a few young dogs that I needed to walk into the area. I was assigned to let my dogs go and then stand on. I had my son stay at the truck to be ready and to be careful, which he had learned very well, or I would not have let him have the rifle that day. I got the dogs in and was cutting back around with Bruno, our Lab, heading back to the truck. We had to jump a ditch which was taller on the side we had to land on. I got a good running start and jumped across and immediately felt something hit me squarely between the shoulder blades. Bruno had run after me, jumped across and landed on me!!! He then proceeded to walk up my back and stepped on my head as he made his way up the bank and to the truck. I just lay there looking at him, and I swear that he smiled at me!!! Of course my son saw it all and was having a great laugh with Bruno!!!

We had a lot of good chases that day and saw a few deer but none that my son wanted to shoot. He wanted a racked buck!!! It was only about one and half hours before dark, and we were the only ones who still had one dog out. We did not have tracking collars yet, so everyone just picked a spot to look based on how the dogs and deer ran that day. Finally one of the guys called and told me he saw my dog and she would not come across a small canal with water in it. We drove over, and I tried to call her across. She just wagged her tail and walked up and down the other side trying to find a spot where she would not have to go into the water. One of the guys then pointed out a dead log across the canal, and I said OK. Everyone was there by then, and they were taking bets on whether or not I would fall into the water, what are buddies for!!! I got about half-way across, and the log broke, and I fell on my back into that cold water. I forgot to mention that it was about 25 degrees that day!!! I stood up and found out that the water was only knee deep, but I sure was wet all over!!! I got the dog and carried her back to the truck while all my buddies including my son and Bruno laughed!!! I had a summer set of coveralls in my truck so I took all the wet clothes off and put them on along with my very wet .357 Dan Weston which I unloaded and wiped down. The other guys all headed in but I told them that I would find a spot for my son to still hunt and we would leave at dark.

I went to an area that we had run that day thinking that maybe the deer would be moving back as the dogs had been out of it for over 3-4 hours. I parked the truck facing down a path that was a dead-end and had my son get on the dog box while I set inside the truck trying to stay warm. I had the back sliding glass window open enough so we could whisper to each other. We had about 30 minutes of daylight remaining when a buck stepped out at about 100 yards. I whispered to my son, "do you see him?" and he said, "yes Dad." I replied, "take him when you feel right about it." I then covered my ears and waited what seen like a lifetime for that gun to go off. He finally shot, and I saw the buck give the hit rear kick and then go into the canal on the side and into the pines. I asked my son how he felt about his shot placement, and he said he felt good. I pulled the truck up to the spot and got out to look for blood and found it right away.  I looked at the canal, and I remembered how cold it was, then I looked at my son. I told Bruno to find him, and he took off across the canal. I then eased into that cold water to follow and this canal was waist deep!!! Boy was it cold!!! I found where Bruno and the buck had left a water trail and followed that for a bit and then Bruno came back to me wagging his tail and smiling which made me feel good because he did that when he had found the deer. I told him to go to the deer and he led me to him.

The deer was dead and I counted 6 points and yelled to my son that I had him and was bringing him out. Here is the only problem I have ever had with Bruno; the deer is not to move. While I was trying to drag the buck out Bruno was trying to keep him from moving. I finally had my son call Bruno to him, and I finished dragging him to the canal. My son threw me a rope, so we could pull the buck across. After getting him over the canal, my son finally got to count how many points and how big he was. After my third time in the water I was in a bit of a hurry to get the buck tied on and headed the hour and half drive home!!! We were very happy on the way home as my son had been hunting with me since he was 5, and he got his first Doe at 9 and now his first Buck at 10. I was 28 when I got my first buck and deer.

We stopped at a store, and I sent my son in for a soda for me and anything he wanted along with a Honey Bun for Bruno. That dog loved Honey Buns and they were his special treat and he knew it. When my son got back into the truck with his bag of goodies Bruno was all over him looking for his Honey Bun, and Hal let him have that first and then I got my drink. On the way home Bruno also got a lot of Hal’s treats also!!! When we pulled into the driveway, I was honking the horn for my wife to come out. She thought I wanted the backyard gate opened to unload the dogs so I drove through while she looked at the buck in the back as I drove by. Our son jumped out with the biggest grin on his face, and she then knew it was his, and she started hugging him. His younger sister came out to see what was going on. Bruno came over for his hug too; remember he was our son also!!! I told my son that he could go in and call everyone while I unloaded the dogs and fed them, and then he and I would dress the deer. When we got to the deer dressing, his uncle and cousins had come over, and we had lots of help. I could set back and have a cold one with his uncle.  I could do nothing but just smile about the whole day and laugh at every little thing because I was on Cloud Nine!!! Just writing about this brings back those beautiful memories!!! Remember Take a kid Hunting, you will be happy you did!!!

By Harold Hollingsworth

By   Mon, Aug 23, 2010

I've been in the woods or on a lake hunting or fishing since I was four. I consider myself an above average marksman after many years of shooting. My passion for the outdoors was instilled in me by my Dad. We spent many hour together as I was growing up hunting squirrel, rabbits, quail, doves, duck, deer and turkey. He was without a doubt one of the best wing shooters I've ever known.

When I reached my teens we started bow hunting for deer. We spent countless hours in the back yard practicing with a recurve. Before every gun season we'd go to the range and sightin our deer rifles to ensure we were ready for the upcoming season. Around the age of twenty I started re-loading and would go to the range bi-weekly and shoot. I became very efficient in my skills shooting off a bench. Today, all of my deer rifles shoot a dime group at 100 yards.

My Dad's long time hunting buddy was named Jack O'Quinn. Jack was an excellent woodsman. While deer hunting he would always still hunt and never went into the woods before 9 a.m. in the morning and would hunt the remainder of the day. He moved through the woods like a ghost and would cover maybe 100 yards in an hour. He sure could put the meat on the table and took some fine deer over the years. Jack lived out in the country and had built an excellent shooting range on his property of 100 and 200 yards. My Dad called me one night and said that he was going to Jack's to sight in his rifle and wanted to know ifI'd like to join them. I jumped at the opportunity and met him at Jack's house the next morning. Jack had made a fine breakfast and after a few cups of coffee of to the range we went.

Back in those days I was shooting a Browning Bar 30-06. Once we started, I shot a nice three shot group that you could cover with a dime. Needless to say I was quite proud of my results. While we were shooting I noticed that Jack never fired a shot. Once we finished, Jack went down and removed the target and replaced them with two paper plates on which he had placed a one inch black dot. He returned to the bench and said to me "so you think you can shoot, try one of those on for size." I told him I didn't think I'd have a problem hitting one of those dots. He laughed and stated that any good marksman could hit one of those dots off the bench rest but could I hit the plate shooting free handed. Sure, no problem I thought. My first shot I missed the entire paper plate. Well needless to say that was a humbling experience, he just laughed. Jack then took his .270 Winchester model 70 and shot three rounds free handed and all were near the heart of the plate at 100 yards. He was a very quick shot. He stated that his rifle could also shoot dime groups off a bench rest; however, in most hunting situations you're not shooting off a rest. He shared with me that once you know the abilities of your rifle when using a scope that once the cross hairs are on the target to take the shot. By prolonging your aim you create movement after a period of time. He said once you find your target make the shot. After taking his suggestion to heart, I was able to place my next three shots in the paper plate.

Jack and my Dad have long since gone to that happy hunting ground, but I still use Jack's method of free hand shooting today. I often play a game while sitting in my deer stand. I'll pick out a rock, stump, knot on a log or tree and take aim and make the shot in my head. I also encourage you to take the time to learn how to shoot off hand. By this I mean that if your a right handed shooter then you practice shots shooting left handed. All to often we talk about practice, practice, practice with our bows and take for granted that we can shoot our guns with little effort. It's just as important to become proficient with your firearm. Know your weapon's abilities as well as your own. I encourage you to shoot often and ensure that the accuracy of your rifle is dead on. As hunters we spend hundreds of hours sitting on stand waiting for the opportunity to harvest that trophy of a life time. As Dirty Harry would say "a man's got to know his limitations." Preparation is the key to success. If you've done your homework and taken the necessary steps to become a good marksman, you'll be ready to face whatever situation presents itself. Today, we have excellent tools available to enhance our abilities to make our shots count. Range finders, shooting rails on stands, and shooting sticks are some of those tools, but all to often while hunting we get into a situation where we have to make the shot either free handed or off hand. Take the time to let that paper plate become life's lesson and close the deal. Happy Hunting!

By: Jerry "Split toe" Austin

By   Mon, Aug 23, 2010

Both the archery/crossbow shoot and .22 rifle shoot were held at the Youngwood Sportsmen’s Association, which was a truly great facility. Huntinggrandma (Sharon) and I (Zos41) arrived a day early and helped Gutshot (Tom) set up the archery targets for the shoot. This course had not been used in some time, and needed some TLC, but it was a great setup.

Huntinggrandma was the official scorekeeper for the shoot, and WVWhitetail and I walked to the targets and scored the shots. The first post was a stand around 15 feet high with three targets ranging from 20 to 32 yards. BeaglePup (Luanne) had the honor of the first shot and proceeded to break the string on her crossbow and cut her finger. After she looked at her finger, she had Chainman (Harry) take her to a local medical facility where she had 10 stitches put in; she did manage 1 point on her first and only shot which left her firmly in last place among all shooters.

The second post started approximately 20 yards from post 1 with a total of six shoots ranging from 40 yards to 15 yards. The shooters moved up 5 yards after each shot was taken. The highlights of this post included DLR (Dave) losing an arrow; however we did find part of his fletching later. We moved approximately 30 yards further down the course and found post three which was uphill at right angles. The range was about 30 yards. Post four and our final post was a bit beyond post 3 along the trail. This post had a target with 4 stickers; one shot was taken at each of the four stickers. The best shot of the day was made by our new member Switchy (Amy) with a perfect bull’s-eye on the upper left target with the family crossbow. The bull’s-eye was approximately the size of the arrow shaft, and she centered it perfectly. Switchy was the last to shoot so we presented her the target with her bolt still on it.

When we had completed the archery course, we all returned downhill and rested from the climb and then moved to the .22 Rifle Range which was located between the Center Fire Range and the Muzzleloader Range. There was also a Pistol Range and a Trap Range on the grounds. Gutshot explained the rules of the range, introduced the Range Master for the shoot who turned out to be our new member huntinhaley (Randy), who is Gutshot’s son. Some time was taken to be sure that all riffles were sighted in and then the official shooting began. Each shooter got five shots at a metal target where the 4 bottom targets would flip up when hit. The fifth shot was taken at the top target which if hit would reset the target for the next shooter. Missing your last shot quickly became labeled as the "walk of shame" as you had to walk the 35 yards to the target and reset it by hand for the next shooter. The official scorekeeper for the rifle shoot was WVWhitetail. Everyone who participated in both events had a great time.

C. Lee Warriner, Zos41

By   Mon, Aug 23, 2010

Trail cameras are becoming one of the top scouting tools in the hunting industry and now there are even more options than ever before. There are many different styles and features to choose from. When someone wants to get into using trail cameras they have no idea where to start or what company to look at. The main question that people ask is how do you pick the right one? This question pertains to how he or she plans on using the camera. Depending on the answer, this will determine what features the camera has and overall the perfect camera for the user.

The main use for a trail camera is for scouting game and figuring out where they are bedding, feeding, moving, etc. Cameras can be broken down into two separate types, white flash and infrared, with the white flash giving you color pictures at day/night and the infrared giving you black and white pictures at night and color during the day. Depending on where the camera is being used should be the basis on what type of camera to get. If the spot is visible from a road or another property owner an infrared should be used to insure safety of the camera. White flash cameras should be used more towards areas that only the user and animals will come in contact with.

There is a huge controversy that says a white flash camera will spook deer after a picture is taken. Although, this is potentially true in some instances, most of the time a white flash camera will not bother the animal at all. Some people like getting color pictures at night, so they will stick with flash cameras, and others would rather have the infrared. The main advantage of an infrared camera over a white flash camera is that the battery life is exceptionally better with the infrared. From personal experience an infrared will last a lot longer on the same type of battery. For example, I have a white flash camera that lasts a month after taking 500 pictures. and then I have an infrared, from the same company, that lasts 6 months after taking 2000 plus pictures. Another advantage of the infrared flash is there is no flash what so ever. There is only a slight red glow from the LED bulbs that create the black and white pictures during darker conditions. This in a sense makes this camera undetectable at night unlike a white flash camera that flashes every time a picture is taken during dark conditions.

Now that we’ve gone over the two types of cameras, let’s discuss trigger speed, multi-shot, picture quality, and video. First off trigger speed is when the camera takes a picture after it picks up movement. A slow trigger speed is around three seconds or more, while a fast trigger speed is under 2 seconds. If the camera purchased has a slow trigger speed, then putting it over a trail is not the best option. The butt end of the animal may be the only thing caught in the picture or even nothing at all. If you are placing a camera with a slow trigger speed on a trail, make sure the camera is facing down the trail. This way it has time to detect the animal and also snap a picture before the animal gets past it. The best use for a camera with a slow trigger speed is over a mineral sight, drinking station, or feed station.

A fast trigger speed camera can be placed in any situation. The best is obviously on trails where it can pick up movement and almost instantly take a picture after that. Cameras with fast trigger speed can catch some of the best pictures that normally wouldn’t be captured with a slow trigger speed camera. Many cameras these days have an option of multi-shot. The multi-shot feature allows the camera to take multiple pictures during each interval depending on how far apart each interval is set. The intervals are the amount of times between each picture that is taken. Intervals can be set anywhere from every 30 seconds to 60 minutes, depending on the brand of the camera. Multi-shot is a great feature for facing a camera down a trail or even on a feeder. Multi-shot is usually 2 or 3 pictures taken per interval. Depending on the brand, there may be more pictures taken per interval. An example of using multi-shot would be having a camera set-up on a trail during the Whitetail rut. A doe walks by and there is a buck hot on her trail, and as she gets her picture taken another 2 pictures are taken, and the buck is captured also. If multi-shot was not used, the doe would have been caught, but the buck would have been missed. I like using multi-shot down trails where I know I won’t get as many pictures as a mineral site. This way when a deer does come down the trail, I’ll get plenty of pictures of that deer which can potentially help me identify it a lot better than having one picture.

Picture quality can be an iffy subject depending how the person is using the camera. Some people want the quality to be good enough to identify the animal and that is it. On the other hand some people want to get great pictures to use for showing off and possibly framing or saving for other uses. Of course this is a personal choice, but picture quality does depend on a feature. The best way to determine the quality of your pictures is by how many mega-pixels the camera has. Any camera under 3.0 mega pixels will have mediocre pictures. Any camera at 3.0 or more megapixels will have even better pictures. With most of today’s cameras a 4.0 megapixel is the most commonly used by brands. The 4.0 megapixel feature puts out great picture quality, and game is easily identified. This megapixel can satisfy the people who want good quality photos, and the ones who want to be able to identify their animal.

Video is one of the newest features added to trail cameras, and it is becoming very popular. Nearly every camera that can be purchased today has some kind of video option. Most videos will last up to 30 seconds, and some last even longer. Videos can be used over mineral/bait stations, trails, food plots, scent marking locations, etc. Video can make trail camera usage even more fun and exciting. The only downfall of video is that it can use up a lot of memory and usually isn’t as good of quality as a picture. One thing a user should note if they want a camera for video is that white flash cameras can only take video during the day. Infrared cameras can use video during the day and at night because these cameras can keep the infrared flash on while taking video during dark conditions.

Now that we’ve covered some of the main features of trail cameras, maybe it will be a lot easier to pick one. I know I haven’t answered everything about trail cameras, but there is a lot to know. I felt that by pointing out the main features that can help new users pick the right camera will at least answer most of the questions. If there are any other questions or if some personal opinions would like to be known about certain brands feel free to send me a private message or e-mail on the TalkHunting Forum. I will gladly give up some of my knowledge for another person’s benefit.

By Robert Householder   Tue, Aug 31, 2010

During the last few months, negotiations have been ongoing with several new sponsors. Several of these deals were closed at the BuckMasters Expo as I got to meet with the key players in person and close the deals. We are very excited to bring these sponsors into our TalkHunting family and look forward to many seasons supporting them while they support us. Some of these companies are sponsoring the Pro Staff, Some are sponsoring the forum and some the magazine or a combination of each. Please support them as they support us. Their ads will be added to various parts of the site over the next few weeks.

New Breed Archery

We are extremely excited to bring you New Breed Archery. New Breed has agreed to come on board with our Pro Staff and now they will be shooting the best bows in the industry. We had several bow companies interested in working with our Pro Staff but we wanted New Breed and that’s who we worked so hard to get. They have come onboard in a big way and we look forward to telling you all about the bow that beat out all others in the BuckMasters World Indoor Championship (more to come about that later). This is also the bow that Bugfixer borrowed to shoot at the Southern Tournament after his bow broke. If you will remember, he won that tournament. If you are ready to buy the best bow you have ever owned, give New Breed a call or visit them at www.newbreedarchery.com

SEC Outdoors

SEC Outdoors is the company we are working with to start our line of TalkHunting apparel.  This is in the works and more info should be available soon. As a bonus, they have agreed to come onboard as a sponsor and furnish some prizes for TalkHunting members. SEC is widely known for their “Southern Cross” apparel line as well as for their quality work and design. We are very excited to be working with them and hope that you will support them just as TalkHunting members have always supported our sponsors. Visit them at www.secoutdoors.com

NuFletch

If you will remember, NuFletch is the company and product that Denny Chambers blogged about last month (click here). They have agreed to come onboard as a sponsor and we are excited about showcasing their interesting products. If you would like to learn more about NuFletch, read Denny’s blog or visit their website at www.nufletch.com

Southern Draw

Southern Draw is a water transfer printing company. Some of you know the term “Camo Dipping” but they go way beyond that. This company does excellent work and has been around long enough to be masters in their craft. They will be donating some gift certificates for work to our member drawings. We are super excited to have met with them and will be showcasing more of their work in future blogs and articles. To learn more about Southern Draw, visit their website at www.southerndrawhydroprinting.com

So, as always, we here at TalkHunting are hard at work getting the best of the best companies into our TalkHunting family. Keep checking back as we give more details on each of these companies in future blogs and articles.

By   Tue, Aug 31, 2010

It was late July on Lake Michigan and we were once again in Muskegon, Michigan for the 3^rd Annual Dreamweaver Charity Salmon Tournament with all the proceeds going to Benefit4Kids, a non-profit that provides “Outdoor Wishes” to terminally ill and life limited children.

The day started out at 3am with phone calls to the 60 teams registered as big storms were rolling across the lake and would be on top of them by the start time. With waves approaching 6 feet and lightning, the teams had to delay the start time to 7:30am. This is a first in the 3 years of the tournament for such a delay.

By 10am, most of the weather had passed and blue skies were coming out. As in years past, there is a tremendous group of volunteers who sacrifice going fishing for setting up the pavilion for the weigh in, awards, and raffles. Since the bad weather had come in, many boats did not go out at all. Out of the 28 boats that went out, 22 weighed in fish. Most of the others who did not go out were still there at the weigh in for prizes and raffles. There was only one cash prize awarded which was for the biggest fish caught. This year, a 30 pounder took first place honors with many boats limiting out despite the late start.

There were two Benefit4Kid’s wish kid families in attendance this year. The family of Kevin Hertz was there. Kevin Hertz was the wish kid that the 2009 tournament sponsored his family trip to Alaska for Salmon fishing and sightseeing. Kevin lost his battle with cancer just 5 months after going to Alaska. He always smiled when he spoke about his trip and could not wait to return. Kevin’s dad and mom, Dennis and Karen along with his brother, Matt were present. They thanked everyone and vowed to remain a part of the event in the future. The Harris family was also present as a surprise to the teams. Kyle Harris suffered from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but is currently in remission. His outdoor wish is to go on a bear hunt in Alaska. He and his family left for his hunt in early August.

This event brought in over $9600, which brings the total for the last three years to over $20,000 raised. SCI, Flint Michigan chapter, contributed another $2,000 towards Kyle’s “Outdoor Wish”. “It is absolutely incredible for Benefit4Kids to be associated with such a great group of sportsmen and women who have unselfishly donated money and time to help these kids” said Al Baggett, president of Benefit4Kids. Also, the tournament also provided 110 pounds of Salmon filets to the local rescue mission. The gifts just keep on giving. The main sponsor, Dreamweaver lures, donated all the lures this year so that all of the entry fee could go to Benefit4Kids. There were so many other items donated, it would be impossible to mention. Of course, none of this would be possible without the fishing teams who generously came out to support Benefit4kids.

Benefit4Kids is a 100% volunteer, 501c(3) non profit organization which is dedicated to providing, at no cost, “Outdoor Wishes” for terminally ill and life limited children nationwide. To find out more about Benefit4Kids, go to the website, www.B4K.org.

Steve Hearing

Board of Directors

Benefit4Kids

By   Tue, Aug 31, 2010

It is often said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Since I fall under that particular gender category, I can say with some expertise that this is a fairly accurate statement. After all, the male variety of Homo sapiens is a pretty simple beast. Supply a few basic needs and we are content.

Whitetail deer are not that much different. If you are offended by my comparison, I apologize but you have to admit it’s a very close analogy. Give them food, cover and water and they will more than likely hang out close to where these basic needs are met. To narrow it down, let’s take water and cover out of the equation and just focus on food. Unquestionably, if you supply large amounts of highly attractive, highly nutritious food sources, deer will stay close to these food sources. I think it is fairly well accepted that planting food plots is an extremely effective way to supply these food sources. Much has been written about various aspects of food plots with articles ranging from how to plant to what to plant. This is all good information but little has been said about the subject of the system that utilizes these food sources; the deer’s digestive system. 

I am a firm believer in the value of seeing the entire picture of any endeavor I am involved with. Knowing how a deer’s digestive system works and how it can influence a whole host of things from food plot preference to deer activity can assist you in finishing the deer nutrition puzzle. So, in this article, we are going to begin a three-part series on the deer’s digestive system. In this issue, we will examine each part of the digestive system and how it works. 

Part 1 – The Parts and Pieces

Creation is an amazing thing. If you study the intricate detail in which living creatures are designed to have hundreds of parts working together in one complete synchronized mechanism, you will truly be astounded. The digestive system of a deer is one such example of a complex system of many parts working together to convert food into usable nutrients. 

It begins at the mouth. Deer are concentrate selectors or browsers, which means they pick and choose specific types of plants or even specific parts of a plant. The shape of a deer’s mouth coincides well with this particular feeding behavior. Deer have a long pointed muzzle with a fairly long tongue. This shape enables the deer to more easily pick and choose food stuffs. Compare this to the muzzle of a non-selective grazer such as a cow which has a wide muzzle and acts more like a living lawn mower. Inside the mouth you will find incisors located only on the bottom. On the top is a hard pallet which is used by the deer to nip off plants and plant parts as the bottom incisors lock the food stuff between them and the hard upper pallet. In the back are molars where the food is masticated by a figure-eight grinding and chewing motion, a similar chewing pattern used by most herbivores. This mastication of food stuffs is the very first step in the digestion process. Mastication is needed for efficient digestion to occur as the food stuffs consumed must be broken down into smaller particle sizes, thus increasing the total surface area of the food stuff. More surface area results in better enzyme activity and microorganism digestion as the food stuffs move further down the digestive system. All of this process is aided by saliva which has several functions. First, saliva is needed to aid in mastication. Also, saliva contains some enzymes such as lipase and pregastric esterase which is involved in the hydrolyses of short chain fatty acids. Yet another function of saliva is to act as a buffering agent. Finally, saliva contains mucin, urea, P, Mg and Cl all of which are needed by rumen microbes.

After the food stuffs are chewed and swallowed, they move down the esophagus. The esophagus is the portion of the anatomy that is between the pharynx and the rumen-reticulum. The main function of the esophagus is food transport. However, this does not only mean food transports down the digestion system but also back up as food boluses are regurgitated from the rumen-reticulum and brought back to the mouth for further mastication. This process is called rumination. The esophagus has the ability to expand and contract to move the food bolus either up or down during the rumination process.

From here we move to the powerhouse section of the digestion system; the four-chambered stomach of the deer. Many people think that a deer has four stomachs. A more accurate description is that deer have one stomach with four chambers. The first of these chambers is a called the reticulum. The reticulum is often called the “honeycomb” due to its many irregular mucosal layers found there. These layers function as a filtering agent, trapping larger particles so that they can be further broken down before passing on thru the digestive system. Other than filtration, the major function of the reticulum is contraction for moving food stuffs back up the esophagus or to the rumen. 

Next in the digestive system is a structure that is the largest part of the four- chambered stomach called the rumen. Any one who has ever field dressed a deer knows exactly what the rumen is even if you may not have known what it was called. The rumen is the large paunch, sack or bag (whichever terminology you prefer) that you avoid cutting into at all cost. For if you cut into this sack, a foul smelling, normally green substance will erupt from it, making the rest of the field-dressing job substantially more unpleasant. The smell comes from gases produced by fermentation of food stuffs. The fermentation is facilitated by billions of microorganisms that inhabit the rumen in a synergistic relationship with the deer. These microbial colonies consist of several different types of organisms such as bacteria and protozoa and a vast amount of the other microbes. Each microbial type has the ability to digest specific types of compounds. For example, some are cellulolytic microbes while are others are amylolytic and yet others are lipid-utilizing species. Each has specific functions and requires certain rumen environmental conditions in order to maintain healthy colonies. Therefore it is important to maintain a rumen environmental balance that is conducive to efficient rumen function and corresponding digestion. We will discuss rumen health in greater detail in part two of this series.

As food particles enter the rumen these microbial populations begin to digest and break down the particles. Through this fermentation process, the food stuffs are broken down into nutrients that can be digested by the deer. It is this microbial action in the rumen that allows deer and other ruminants to be able to digest fibrous materials. Not all food stuffs are immediately digested but are regurgitated in the form of a bolus and pushed back up the esophagus by the reticulum. There the bolus is once again chewed and swallowed making its way back down to the rumen. This rumination process gives the deer the ability to get as much nutrition as it possibly can out of the food it consumes.

After food stuffs leave the rumen, they enter the omasum, the third part of the ruminant stomach. The omasum is probably the least understood of all the ruminant system. However, we do know that the omasum acts as a filter and controls the flow of digesta from the rumen to the abomasum. It is also speculated that some nutrient absorption occurs in the omasum. 

From the omasum, digesta next enters the fourth and final section of the ruminant stomach called the abomasum. The abomasum functions very much like a mono-gastric stomach such as what you or I have. The abomasum has secretory tissue that excretes HCL and other gastric juices that finalize the breaking down of food stuffs. Because of the high acid level, the abomasum is highly acid as opposed to the rumen which is fairly neutral in pH. 

The next stop in the deer’s digestive system is the small intestine. The small intestine is comprised of three specific areas called the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum receives excretions from the pancreas, liver and intestinal wall. These secretions further assist in digestion. The other two areas, the jejunum and ileum are major nutrient absorption sites. Some of the nutrients absorbed include protein, minerals and vitamins. This is not the only absorption site but one of the main ones. 

From the small intestine, digesta moves to the lower gut or the large intestine. The large intestine is comprised of the cecum, colon and rectum. The large intestine has several functions including water absorption and filtration of indigestible material followed by excretion.

So there you have it—from when the food is first consumed to when the waste is excreted out. As you can see, the ruminant digestive system is a very complex but highly efficient system. It is perfectly adapted to the efficient digestion of plant material. This knowledge should help you to develop a foundation in which to plan your nutritional management program. Join us in part two of this series as we take what we have learned and apply it to how we develop and design our management program.

Article furnished by The Whitetail Institute of North America

By   Tue, Aug 31, 2010

The proven science behind enzymes, a mammal’s olfactory system and the science behind a wide variety of odors, not just bacteria, all play an important part of scent control.  Is it natural or chemically based, skin safe and will it work on a broad spectrum of odors a hunter commonly encounters not just bacteria based odor? You and your gear are inseparable in the field. Dead Down Wind developed innovative scent control products like Totally Odorless Oil because your gear can give you away as well. It’s not just perspiration or bacteria.

At Dead Down Wind our product priorities have always been to produce the safest, most effective, natural, biodegradable products possible using real science as our foundation.   We will not produce a product if it doesn’t have a foundation in science.  Developing the most effective products for odor elimination, control or prevention requires a great deal more than simple antimicrobial properties.   Not all odors a hunter needs to control are bacteria based.  In fact, some serious odors like foot odor occur when the bacteria die, (brevibacteria).  Antimicrobials by themselves are not effective on a wide range of telltale odors that can cause large game to spook.  Antimicrobials have little if any ability to reduce or eliminate carbons like gas, smoke or other odors that are not bacteria based.  We think it is important to reduce or eliminate chemicals or heavy metals wherever possible knowing our skin is the body’s largest organ.  Using chemicals often times create their own odor signature and are not natural to the animal’s environment.  Most antimicrobials are also considered biocides.  Some companies using chemicals wisely put “Do not use directly on skin” on their labels.  Be sure to read product labels.

Much of what we actually know about a whitetail or other mammal’s nose today has evolved in the last 5-8 years with extensive research that helps us separate the facts from the fiction.  Whitetails actually have 2 olfactory systems.  One is primarily used for finding food, defense and territorial surroundings. A secondary “vomeronasal system” is used almost exclusively for breeding or finding a mate. The vomeronasal organ is mainly used to detect pheromones, chemical messengers that carry information between individuals of the same species; it is sometimes referred to as the “sixth sense”. Pheromones cannot be duplicated or replicated with today’s science or technology. That at least raises questions about lures and attractants related to a whitetail or other big game animals.  When the urine is emitted from the whitetail initially, it is essentially odorless.  It does not begin to have that strong odor until bacteria growth occurs and the degradation process begins. That awful smell associated with many lures or attractants is a chemical by product in synthetics and a bacteria ridden shelf aged concoction in others.  The reason we do not make a urine based lure is we can find no supporting science or facts to support the application or that it actually works given that big game animals are using a specialized vomernasal system that is based on pheromones.  Every hunter is challenged to look at the facts, their personal experience and then make a decision.  Based on the science we have seen, we think striving for a zero scent environment without added odors that can heighten the alarm status of the animal is more effective.   If you walk down the aisle in a sporting goods store where the attractants are displayed – you can literally smell the odors off-gassing in that aisle and a whitetails sense of smell is exponentially better than ours.

Two scientists, Buck and Axle won a Noble Prize in 2004 in physiology for their research related to the olfactory systems of mammals.   In part, they identified 1,000 genes that are part of a whitetail’s sense of smell. To effectively combat odors that whitetails, elk or other mammals use as their primary defense requires that we dig into the science of their nose or olfactory system. Dead Down Wind does not attempt to cover or mask odors because the science indicates a whitetail can separate, process and tell the difference between the cover scent and human odor at the same time.  They can process up to 7 or more odors simultaneously.  The real science indicates they can pick up the cover scent and human scent, separate them and process them within milliseconds. We do not make a cover scent even though consumers and retailers have asked us to. We feel that any added odor that is not natural to that animal’s environment actually raises the alarm status of that animal.  The science we have seen just doesn’t support it. Urines basic composition, degradation and structure changes rapidly once it hits the air and bacterial growth begins literally within minutes. Commercial products take months to get through the distribution chain to the consumer.  What was emitted from that animal is dramatically different in chemical composition months later.  Again a hunter has to make their own decisions based on what they know, their personal experience and if they care to dig into it – the real science.  Although, we want hunters to know why Dead Down Wind doesn’t make lures, attractants, cover scents, earth or pine scented type products.  We don’t think you can define an earth scent.  The natural odors in that animal’s environment vary widely, there is no one earth scent and if it is chemically created we question whether it is a benefit or a deterrent.  

There is no one product wonder that eliminates 99% of all odors a hunter needs to protect against.  Scent control spans a broad range of odors, not just bacteria based perspiration. Our products are developed for the serious hunter, hunters that have to get close or want a science based solution based on facts for a whitetail’s best defense – it’s nose. That is why we make a dry powder product for boots and storage.  Liquids or moisture actually contribute to foot odors and you wouldn’t want to use a field spray in footwear.  

At Dead Down Wind our goal is to strive for a zero scent environment using ESP™ technology and enzymes as the catalyst to change odors at the molecular level.  Enzymes are found in all living organisms, plants, animals and humans although they are not classified as a living organism themselves. Enzymes are essential to humans as well. Without enzymes we would die.  Often referred to as nature’s catalyst with an ability to change what was into something else. Converting the food we eat into something our bodies can use as nourishment is a good example of what enzymes do.  They are a product of nature in many cases reducing or eliminating the use of chemicals in applications for a safer, greener product while improving performance in the process.  Today enzymes streamline the process in more than 40 industries, including odor control, detergents, animal feeds, wastewater treatment, even food, juices and medical applications to name a few.  Using real science and proven advantages, enzymes have dramatically changed entire industries for the better like the detergent or laundry category. (For more about enzymes or the science behind scent control visit deaddownwind.com)

If you have questions or comments about enzymes or the science behind scent control, please feel free to email info@deaddownwind.com

Article Furnished by "Dead Down Wind"

By   Tue, Aug 31, 2010

If you’ve been a Whitetail News subscriber for a few years or seen our food plot segments on TV, you know that we’ve talked a lot about how to prepare food plots with ATV equipment or even simple hand tools. It’s true that ATVs can be very effective tools for food plot work, but the time may come when you decide to move up to a tractor, and when you do, there are a few things to consider before you lay down your cash. This article, while certainly not exhaustive of the topic, should provide you with good information to help you start your search.

Tractor Categories

Tractors suited for food plot work are generally of three types. “Agricultural tractors” are large, heavy-duty tractors suited to commercial farming. “Utility tractors” are smaller, less powerful or both than agricultural tractors, but heavy duty and usually sufficient for private farms and small commercial farming operations. “Compact tractors” (some manufacturers refer to these as sub-compact or compact-utility tractors) are smaller, less powerful or both than utility tractors and suited for small, private farms. All offer more functional capability than lawn-and-garden tractors and ATVs, and they can be had with necessary features, such as a PTO and three-point hitch, which most lawn-and-garden tractors lack.

Step One – Identifying Your Needs: At first blush, this might seem a simple question. If the heaviest duty you will regularly ask of your tractor is ground tillage, the temptation can be to immediately jump to the conclusion that we “just need something that will pull a disk.” It’s almost never that simple, though, so it’s a great idea to sit down with pen and paper first and make a needs list.

First, consider how much acreage you will till each year, how rough the terrain is (e.g. sloped or flat, heavy or light, sandy soil), and how much time you have to do the work. If you have heavier soils or otherwise more mechanically stressful conditions to deal with, then you might be served with a heavier-duty tractor.

Second, consider what sorts of jobs you expect to accomplish with your tractor. Take into account your heaviest anticipated use because if you have to continually operate your tractor at peak output, it will age the machine.

Third, consider practical issues, such as what kinds of implements you will use and whether they will attach to the front or the back of the tractor. If you will have to transport the tractor to and from your property, also be sure to consider whether your vehicle is up to the job.

Fourth, consider how much time you have to do your tractor work. If you are like most of us, and your time is limited, you may need a more-powerful tractor so you can work at a faster pace.

Step Two: Finding the Right Tractor: Once you’ve completed your needs list using the criteria above, you really only have three variables to consider in finding the right tractor for you. These are power, size and cost.

When it comes to power, a question commonly asked by folks just getting into tractors is, “What horsepower tractor do I need?” If there was ever an over-generalized question, this is it!

If you’ve been around folks who are discussing tractors, you’ve probably heard them say something like, “I have a 50-horse tractor.” That’s because over time, it has become customary for people to quickly identify tractors in conversation simply by manufacturer and Hp rating. However it may not mean that the particular tractor has enough power to do what you want it to. Analyzing your power requirements starts with a basic understanding of what the term “power” means in the context of tractors from a practical standpoint.

To put things in perspective, let’s look at a commonly familiar term - horsepower. Hp is basically just a standardized way to measure power. According to the standard, one Hp is required to move 330 pounds a distance of 100 feet in one minute. What we need to know, though, is the amount of Hp that a given model can deliver where you need it to do a specific job. That is described in tractor conversations as either “Engine Hp” or “PTO Hp.” (Note: There’s also something out there called “Drawbar Hp”, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.)

Engine Hp: Technically, this is the amount of horsepower a tractor’s engine puts out when sitting still and running without trying to move anything. However, when most folks talk about a given tractor’s engine Hp in conversation, they’re usually referring to the tractor’s ability to pull something, such as a plow or disk.

PTO Hp: This is the amount of Hp the tractor has available at its “PTO” (power takeoff unit) to lift things and to drive rotational implements such as brush cutters and post-hole diggers.

Special Considerations Concerning Smaller Tractors: If you are considering buying a smaller tractor to pull something such as a plow or disk, additional factors that can increase traction are especially important.

Consider purchasing a four-wheel-drive model, which can offer greater pulling ability than a comparable two-wheel-drive model. Also, stick with cleated, agricultural-type tires instead of turf tires to maximize traction.

 Traction can also be increased by adding weight to the tractor. Common methods of adding weight are hanging cast-iron plates on it, or filling its rear tires up about three-quarters of the way with a liquid such as calcium chloride and one-quarter with air. Add only enough to get the traction you need because a certain amount of tire slippage actually helps protect the drive train, and excess weight can also over-compact the soil.

Cost Issues: When purchasing a new tractor, remember to check with the manufacturer for information about any rebates that might be offered. Also be sure to compare what comes standard on each model. What you save on a lower price tag can be quickly negated if you have to add optional features to one model that would have come standard on another. Desirable features include power steering, an outlet for a remote hydraulic cylinder if necessary and, if you will be adding cast-iron weights, a weight bar at the front.

If you are considering buying a lower-quality or gray-market tractor to save money, remember the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” That statement was never truer than it is here! There are some good low-priced models out there, but others may break easily and lack parts and service availability. In such cases, you’d be better off buying a well-maintained, used tractor manufactured by a reputable company than a new one with a cheap sticker.

When shopping for a used tractor, apply the same criteria mentioned above for new tractors. When you find one that has raised your interest, make sure that its systems, including its safety features, are present and in good, working order. Your tractor should have a seatbelt and, if it does not have a cab, an OSHA-certified ROPS (rollover protective structure). A prudent buyer will also pay a few bucks to hire a reputable tractor mechanic to inspect a used machine prior to purchase rather than relying on the representations of the seller. And pay him for his time – “you get what you pay for” applies to tractor mechanics too.

By now, you should be getting a feel for how to go about choosing a tractor to meet your food plot needs. In a nutshell, you are looking for a good-quality tractor with the features you need, enough power to handle your heaviest anticipated use, and in a size that you can haul if you need to. By approaching your search in an organized manner using the step-by-step analysis provided above, you should be able to wade through the multitude of offerings in the food plot tractor market and find exactly the right tractor for your needs.

By Mark Trudeau, Institute National Sales Manager

Article Furnished by The Whitetail Institute of North America