Hunting Sense

As hunters, we put a lot of trust into our tree stands. We trust that the manufacturer has built them right, that they are strong and sturdy, and that they will hold our weight for countless hours while we sit in them waiting on on the game of our choice to walk by. All of this without worrying about it failing and us coming crashing to the ground.

All tree stands come with a recommended weight limit and I’m sure that most of us pay careful attention to it when choosing which stand we buy. But how often do we take into consideration not only our weight, but the weight of us and all of our gear? And by gear, I’m talking clothes, boots, weapon, and anything else we carry with us into the stand. I know I’ve never really considered it before, but I normally go for the heaviest weight limit rated stand just because it makes me feel safer in general.

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Recently, we’ve been making a lot of excursions into the woods and meadows behind my mother-in-law’s house out on the farm. The farm is made up of twenty-eight acres and there is a wide variety of habitat between it and the surrounding property. The farm itself is made up of mature pines from an abandoned Christmas tree farm, meadows, softwood stands, apple trees, and a wet weather creek. The property on either side is planted in soybeans while the back turns into thick bush.

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As nearly everyone knows evergreens are excellent windbreaks. Even wildlife are well aware of this fact, seeking out the shelter the trees offer when the wind gets bad and the weather gets nasty. This provides hunters willing to take up the challenge of hunting evergreen stand an excellent opportunity to take advantage of less than favorable hunting conditions.

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Skunk, raccoon, red fox, cedar, persimmon, acorn, and earth. These are just a few of many kinds of scents a hunter is likely to find on the market to use. All of them have their use, but sometimes, no matter how great they sound, some scents just don’t make sense to use. That isn’t to say you should never use them, it just means that you need to use common sense when to or not use them.

How many times have you seen a skunk in a tree? I know I never have, and I think I’ve seen some pretty strange things in my time in the woods, but that isn’t one of them. So does wearing a skunk cover scent make any sense when crawling up into a tree stand for a long day of hunting? Even overlooking the smell, no, it doesn’t.

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I’ve always found it amazing just how many hunters don’t know the proper way to field dress an animal after they make the kill. For that reason, I’m posting up an excellent field dressing guide I found on the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources website. The entire document is worth reading as it has quite a bit more useful information and tips on transporting and processing game animals. Check it out.

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I’m always looking for ways to get some scouting in, whether it’s on land I hunt or looking for new locations. From camping trips to hiking expeditions, I’ll take whatever opportunity that comes along to check out the game in a location. Summertime and hitting the water provides yet another way to do just that.

Lakes, rivers, and streams are often surrounded by either public land or private land ideal for hunting. Boating, floating, canoeing, and rafting provide you with the chance to find and check out some of these spots. Often times without ever leaving the water.

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It’s really hard to find time to do scouting sometimes when you need to be doing activities with the family instead. With time at a premium for most of us, and wanting home life to be a fun experience, it’s often times scouting that gets put on the backburner for another time. But what if you could do both?

Here are some ways to plan a fun family outing that will allow you to get in some much needed scouting at the same time. Whether you let your other-half know that this is what you’re doing is up to you, and I can’t be held responsible for any backlash that may be caused from it.

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Very seldom do you see a near perfect horizontal angle in nature. Sure, they can happen, but as rarely as it does, this fact can help you when trying to spot a deer or other animal in the woods. How you ask? Read on and I’ll explain.

With deer being naturally colored to blend into their surroundings, it can be difficult to spot a deer that is standing still. They disappear into the surrounding brown of the woods and unless they move, you may not even know they are there until it’s too late. A quick way to spot a deer in a situation like this is to use the shapes of nature to your advantage.

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Does smoking while on stand destroy the chance of being successful in bagging a deer?

No doubt, most of us would answer yes if asked this question. Scent reduction plays an important part in being successful while hunting. Just take a look at the sheer number of products available geared toward masking, reducing, or eliminating a hunters scent and the general acceptance of it’s importance is evident.

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I’ve been thinking about doing a contest of some sort for a while now, but wasn’t for sure what to do it on or what to offer as a prize. After my recent playing around with designing website layouts with Photoshop, I came up with an idea. To the left is a personal hunting site layout I designed over the weekend that I have decided to offer as a prize for the person who posts the best hunting tip.

The design is a 760×770 pixel layout with a deer hunting/outdoors theme that will make an excellent layout for a personal hunting site. The header and sidebar are both done in a green wood grain texture with menu buttons, logo plaque, and header plague done in a natural brown wood grain texture. The logo plaque has a burned in deer head silhouette and the background is a opaque photo found in a free deer picture site of a nice buck. The header and menu buttons can easily be customized with your own text in Photoshop, or I can add the desired text for the winner.

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I was reading Oklahoma Hunting Today and ran across a tip from Shane Gulbrandsen about not spooking deer on the way to your stand.

We all have to admit that we’ve likely spooked deer on the way in to our stands, it’s just one of those things that happen. What matters though is how the deer react to it. Although I have never tried the exact method that Shane talks about, I have had similar luck with tactics that were close to it.

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One necessity when coon hunting is a light of some kind. That can range from a simple flashlight all the way to hunting lights specially intended for coon hunting. Depending on exactly what you want, the price tag could range from a buck at the dollar store clear up to many hundred dollars for a hunting light with all the bells and whistles a serious coon hunter could ever wish for.

For those who have never coon hunted who are just thinking about taking up the sport, any light will do. You definitely wouldn’t want to use one long-term, but until you’re sure you’re going to stick with hunting, it’s better than spending too much on a light you may not continue using. Once you’re sure about wanting to hunt, then there are a myriad of lights to choose from on the market.

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As archery season gives way to gun season, most hunters will be putting down their bows in favor of a firearm. By far the most popular of all the deer seasons, thousands of hunters will put on their orange and head out in hopes of taking a deer. You archery hunters who have been used to being mostly alone will find yourselves just one hunter among a sea of orange.

What may have been a sweet spot could turn into a popular spot, causing the deer to avoid it like the plague. On public land allowing gun hunting, you may find yourself hunting a new spot away from everyone else rather than a nice 10 point buck. What can you do?

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Ask anyone who hunts for game birds or waterfowl and they will confirm wingshooting takes practice. It isn’t like blasting cans with your shotgun or shooting at an animal that’s standing still. Hitting a flying target from a distance is a whole new game that takes time and skill to learn to do successfully.

If you want to wingshoot like the pros, there are some important things to keep in mind. While none of them will turn you into a champion overnight, they will give you a good basic understanding of the equipment and techniques to become better at it. You may never grace magazine covers or have huge sponsor endorsements, but you may just wow your buddies the next time you go afield.

The Gun: While any shotgun may be fine for shooting squirrels, rabbits, or cans, it’s imperative to choose the right one for wingshooting. The stock of the shotgun needs to fit your shoulder like a glove. A rubber butt can achieve this sometimes, but if you want a perfect fit, consider replacing the stock with a custom one.

Proper Positioning: Just like with a bow in archery, the proper placement of the shotgun is critical in wingshooting. Firmly plant the butt of the gun high on your shoulder and press your cheek against the stock. This way you and the gun become one, allowing it to move fluidly with your head and shoulder as they turn to follow the bird.

The Stance: Depending on whether you’re right or left handed, place the foot opposite of it forward when shooting. If you’re right handed, it would be the left foot. Always do this, even if you have to take a step to do so while bring up your gun.

Track the Bird: Pivoting at the waist, swing the barrel toward and through the bird from behind. This way you’ll see the tail, then the body, and finally the head. When there’s approximately two inches of daylight between the barrel and the birds head is the time to shoot and have a successful hit.

Finish It: Never stop swinging the barrel when you pull the trigger. If you don’t allow the gun to continue along the same path during and after the shot, you’ll miss the bird. You want the bird to fly into the path of the shot and this is only accomplished if you swing the barrel forward faster than the bird is flying and fire ahead of it.

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Waking up to rain on your day to go hunting is always disappointing. Even if you decide to brave the weather, sitting for hours in a tree stand while getting drenched, the deer aren’t likely to be braving it with you. You may sit all day and never see a thing.

It doesn’t have to be that way though. A rainy day is a perfect opportunity for you to abandon your stand and hit the ground in pursuit of the deer. They’re still out there but instead of coming to you, you have to go to them. You’re likely to find them either bedded down or browsing near a bedding area.

Rain interferes with the two things deer rely on the most, their sharp hearing and keen sense of smell. It also makes it possible for you to move quietly through leaves you normally wouldn’t be able to if they weren’t wet. Rain can also help in keeping your scent from blowing all through the woods. Both of these help you have an even better advantage against the deer’s already weakened defenses.

There are a few important things to remember when you decide to still hunt or stalk a deer.

Make sure you walk slowly, stopping every few steps to look around and try to spot a deer. Be aware of where you’re placing your feet, making sure you’re not going to step on a branch that will snap and alert any deer of your presence. Keep an eye open for the horizontal lines of the deer’s back against the vertical lines of the trees (horizontal lines are something that seldom occur naturally in the woods and are a good way to spot a deer).

When you do spot a deer, continue to get within shooting distance by moving slowly and quietly. If the deer looks in your direction, freeze and don’t move. Also, drop your gaze so your eyes don’t meet his. Only move or look at the deer when it looks away.

When you are in a good position, take your shot.

Although it may sound simple, still hunting or stalking a deer takes a lot of skill. You may not get the hang of it the first time, so it may be a good idea to practice the technique in the off season when it doesn’t matter if you’re spotted. Once you get the hang of it though, these techniques can be quite successful. Add in some rain and move out of your stand using them and you may end up with a nice deer instead of just going home drenched.

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