Monthly Archives: October 2011

bow hunting

Hunting Cross Bow Style: Pros and Cons for “Outlaw” Bow Hunters

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Hunting Cross bow style has gotten a bad reputation among traditional bow hunters, who claim hunting cross bow style gives an unfair advantage to crossbow users over more traditional bow hunters. The debate had continued to fire heated debates throughout the hunting cross bow and traditional bow enthusiasts. When statistics concerning specific hunting cross bow and hunting traditional bow users have been checked, the results have some hunting cross bow enthusiasts singing a victory song. It seems there is an advantage for crossbow users, but that advantage is very small, and negligible.
Hunting cross bow users were evaluated over traditional bow hunters in the state of Ohio, where crossbow hunters, to the chagrin of traditional hunters, have been somewhat vindicated. In spite of the cries of ‘foul’ within the bow hunting community’s traditional bow users, the most current research, done by impartial parties, shows a 23% success rate for hunting cross bow users and a 21% success rate for bow hunters, leaving traditional bow users with just a bit of egg on their faces. While most people believe this research will do little to stop the controversy between the two opposing parties, it is interesting to note that:
• 155,000 registered hunters participated in bow season hunting.
• 70,000 of them practiced crossbow hunting exclusively.
• 55,000 registered hunters used a vertical bow
• 30,000 registered hunters used both a vertical bow practiced cross bow hunting.
Senior Citizen Hunters who received free hunting licenses:
• 4,000 used a cross bow
• 1,000 used a vertical bow
• 1,000 used both
From these statistics, it is clear that out of the 55,000 registered hunters who participated in vertical bow hunting, a whopping 30,000 used both bow and crossbow. From the 6,000 registered bow hunters who were senior citizens, a huge majority, 4,000 used a cross bow, and 1,000 used both traditional bows and crossbows. It is clear this is a preferred method for seniors.
With so many people enjoying crossbow hunting and the statistics in the single state with the most available statistics over a large block of time showing that there is little realistic difference in hunting cross bow style and traditional bow style as far as kill rates go, it seems that there is no conclusive evidence to support the traditionalists viewpoint on the positive effects of prohibiting crossbow use during bow season.

duck hunting

Great Duck Hunting Dogs are worth Their Weight in Gold

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Waterfowl hunting, also referred to as goose hunting and duck hunting, is an outdoor sporting activity enjoyed by people all over the world. Many hunters use duck hunting dogs to retrieve their downed ducks. Duck hunting dogs not only retrieve dead ducks from cold water and difficult terrain, where a hunter could possible be injured but duck hunting dogs also search for and recover wounded ducks. These wounded ducks could escape or die a slow, painful death. Because of their keen sense of smell, well-trained duck hunting dogs usually have no problem finding and retrieving ducks shot by the hunter.

Small game hunters using shotguns normally have gun dogs or duck hunting dogs, which primarily hunt waterfowl and small game. The three classes of gun dogs are pointing breeds, flushing spaniels, and retrievers, which are all good duck hunting dogs. They train pointers to locate their prey and stand motionless, pointing at the bird or small game. These duck hunting dogs point or freeze to keep from flushing the game until the hunter gets into position. Most pointing dogs will retrieve downed birds. Pointers are loyal, affectionate dogs that make wonderful pets and love to hunt. English pointers, German shorthair pointers, Irish setters, English setters and German wirehaired pointers are great duck hunting dogs.

Flushing spaniels or flushing dogs are duck hunting dogs that hunters have used for several hundred years. Hunters train them to stay close, usually within thirty-five or forty yards. Flushing spaniels work close, so the hunter gets great shots at the fast flying ducks the dog flushes out. English Springer spaniels are great flushing duck hunting dogs and make a great housedog. These dogs are loyal, compassionate, and extremely intelligent, with natural hunting abilities. English springer spaniel flushing duck hunting dogs work hard, are good tempered and love hunting.

Retrievers are duck hunting dogs that recover the ducks or other waterfowl without damage to the game, because of their soft mouths. They are quick to learn, easy to train, enjoy hunting, and love to please. A well-trained retriever can mark, follow hand signals, retrieve to hand and knows many more commands. The hunter commands his or her retriever to mark and the dog looks up for a falling bird. There are times when it is necessary for a retriever to follow hand signals. Hunters must be able to direct their dogs remotely, in some situations, so hand signals are extremely important. The “retrieve to hand” command is where a retriever puts the waterfowl directly into the hunter’s hand. Great duck hunting dogs are worth their weight in gold to a hunter.

deer hunting

Buying or Building Deer Hunting Blinds

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Traditionally, deer hunting blinds are used to spot and hunt deer in the wild, hidden among the trees of wooden areas where deer tend to feed and drink. However, most of these have been commercial products erected in specific deer hunting grounds that are highly commercialized and often part of a deer farm or preserve, where hunters pay to use the land, stay in a cabin or lodge, and make use of blinds on the property.

Of course, some people have long found that they can catch deer practically in their own backyards, hunting in woods near their homes. The problem has arisen with the inability to hide adequately and keep from spooking the deer by making noise or leaving scents down on the ground. However, there are ways to avoid both situations with prefabricated deer hunting blinds. No longer do you have to struggle to build your own blind or pay to use one elsewhere. Instead, you can use a prefabricated construction set and build your own blind.

These units simplify the angles and tower construction so that you can build a rock solid blind on your own, and best of all, they are often easily disassembled and reassembled so that you can transport them to other exciting deer hunting locations for use. Look for steel brackets on your prefabricated deer hunting blinds to assure their sturdiness upon construction, and look for units that offer custom sleeves into which leg posts and framing can easily slide for safety, security, and ease of assembly.

Ultimately, you should be sure that whatever deer hunting blinds you are looking at come with detailed assembly and disassembly instructions so that there are no questions and the safety of the unit is not compromised by guesswork. Also, don’t settle for an expensive setup when you can find something of the same quality for less money. There are plenty of inexpensive units available so that you don’t have to waste time and money. Keep in mind also that deer hunting blinds should assess the basic needs of a hunter and do not need to be luxurious or any particular beautiful color. Green and brown blend in with the woods, camouflaging the unit for deer, and your interior comfort is of no concern to wild animals.

If you’ve ever been involved in hunting deer and sat in a blind for hours on end, you’ll realize that the important elements are visibility – your ability to see the deer from all sides and their inability to see you – and sturdiness. Since these elements can easily be accomplished with a small amount of money by opting for one of many prefabricated deer hunting blinds, there is no reason to spend a lot of extra time on building your own or extra money either renting one from someone else or buying one with a lot of “fluff”.

hunting leases

Locating Duck Hunting Leases in Texas

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There was a time when finding duck hunting leases in Texas could take months. You had to first “hear” about a site, then you had to either call or visit the site and then you had work out the details, if you could work out the details. All in all, this could be very time consuming and there was never any promise that you would be rewarded for all your hard work.

That has now changed. It is easier today to find the best duck hunting leases in Texas than it ever has been. By doing an online search you can not only find the sites and clubs that are making offers but you can narrow down your search to include only those sites or clubs that meet your prerequisites.

As you probably already know the best hunting is either in the wetlands or on the coast. The wetlands, also known as playas, are a great choice if you are limited to travel and you live a good distance from the coastal sites.

The coastal regions have more sites and they offer more deals than the playa sites, but, again, you have to be able to get to the coast in order to enjoy them.

The above is just one way that you can use the Internet to narrow down your search for the best duck hunting leases in Texas. You can limit your search to the wetlands or playas or you can limit it to the coast.

Duck hunting leases in Texas are available statewide and on various type venues. For those who may be new to duck hunting leases in Texas, in the panhandle, most of the hunting is done on the playas. It should be noted that these areas can become packed with birds during the migration season.

In central and east Texas, most of the hunting is done on either large lakes or small- to medium-sized impoundments. These areas can range from one acre to twenty acres and are located in many areas which makes them a good choice for those who can only travel a short distance.

Of course, the most popular area for duck hunting leases in Texas is along the Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast is known worldwide for its fantastic duck and goose hunting. For those who visit the coast, they can expect to harvest a wonderful array of birds including the prized pintail, redhead, scaup, teal, bufflehead, widgeon and gadwall.

As you can see using duck hunting leases in Texas can be the way to have the best experience with the least amount of work. Do an online search and see for yourself just how popular these agreements have become.