Monthly Archives: February 2012

bear hunting

Bear Spray

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Many of us love the great outdoors with a passion. Not much can vie with Mother Nature and all her wonders. But as much as we enjoy hitting the trails on our mountain bikes, camping out beneath the stars and hiking the countless wooded paths, we have to keep something in mind. The woods are not ours. They belong to the creatures who inhabit them. Some of these creatures are even a bit frightening if we encounter them personally. Have you ever come face-to-face with a Kodiak grizzly bear? This is no joke! If you’ve seen that flick “The Edge,” then you definitely know where I’m coming from. So here’s the deal; it’s time to go prepared. What you need for those bouts with the great outdoors is a can of bear spray. This stuff will get the job done!

Okay, you are probably not so likely to encounter a vicious bear in your lifetime, but it goes without saying that you’d want to be prepared if you did. Your very existence could certainly depend on it. Anyway, let’s step back into the more common urbanized jungle. The one you are familiar with. You trudge the streets and sidewalks of this habitat on a daily basis. And although you’re not likely to encounter a grizzly, you just might find yourself face-to-face with an assailant of some sort. Maybe he’s after your money and jewelry, or maybe he’s after your life. Either way, you need to be prepared for anything. This is why the bear spray, otherwise known as potent pepper spray, comes in quite useful. If an attacker leaps out, you can hose his visage with this powerful incapacitator. Bear spray is a wonderful equalizer.

Hey, if it will deter and/or take down a massive grizzly bear, then you’d better believe bear spray will put a man on his butt quickly. The trick in such circumstances is not hesitating. Have your pepper spray accessible and don’t be afraid to use it. After all, this is an individual who means you harm, and possibly even death. The bear spray isn’t going to kill him. It’s just going to stop him from attacking you, and allow you to flee with haste. Find all sorts of Mace and pepper spray products online at any time. It’s your right to be safe!

bow hunting

Selecting a Hunting Crossbow

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by Deb Vadnais

Crossbow hunting has the excitement of traditional bow hunting, without the strain associated with repeatedly firing a traditional upright bow. With a cocking device (a device to load the bow), even children or older hunters can enjoy a full day of bow hunting. There are a wide variety of crossbows available these days, and choosing the right hunting crossbow may initially seem like a daunting task. This article will lay out some of the most common features of modern crossbows, their pros and cons, and what the right hunting crossbow is for a given situation.

The main consideration when choosing a crossbow is going to be the draw weight. The draw weight determines the speed and power released when the bow is fired. When it comes to crossbows, the rule of thumb is that you’ll want the draw weight to be about double the draw weight of a traditional upright bow. So, for example, if the game you are hunting traditionally requires a 75 pound upright bow, you should look towards a 150 pound hunting crossbow, which is ideal for deer hunting. Hunting crossbows have a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds, so small game hunters should be able to find a crossbow that meets their needs as well.

Like upright bows, hunting crossbows come in both recurve and compound style. Compound limbs for crossbows can either be solid or split, and provide for greater accuracy and efficiency. Quality can be an issue, however, as cheaper split compound crossbows may not always be satisfactory.

The sights on the crossbow should be the next consideration. Modern crossbows offer traditional scopes like those you would find on a rifle, as well as peep sights or red dot sights. Red dot sights are excellent for low-light environments, so if you are doing some early morning or dusk hunting, then red dot sights are the way to go.

Finally, in selecting your hunting crossbow, cost is also going to be a big consideration. The highest quality bows can cost a thousand dollars or more, but you need not spend that much in order to find a good hunting crossbow. Many shops, as well as stores on the Internet, have quality crossbows available for four hundred dollars or less. While purchasing on-line is a great option, it’s recommended that you try out a few crossbows at a local store. So get out there, try a few hunting crossbows, and find the one (or two!) that are right for you.

deer hunting

Whitetail Deer Management

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by: John Cook

The deer management techniques that we use on our property have changed a lot over the past thirty years in relation with the changing deer herd. Whitetail deer numbers in the entire state of West Virginia have grown considerably and our land has been no exception.

We started shooting does in 1997 after the pictures from our scouting camera revealed that we were overloaded with does. Since then we have shot 22 does and only 7 bucks. Three of these bucks, two 8-points and one 10-point are the three largest antlered bucks that we have taken in the last thirty years. We had noticed that there were larger antlered bucks when the deer population had just started to climb in the eighties and then antler sizes began to decrease as the deer numbers grew too high and we were shooting the young bucks each year.

All of this made us realize that we needed to lower the deer population by shooting does and letting the young bucks grow up.

We are currently doing several different things in an attempt to have a well-balanced, healthier deer herd on our farm. These include:

Harvesting does.

Letting young bucks grow up.

Planting food plots to help boost the nutrition.

Mineral licks.

Keep records on the deer harvested and a log of the bucks seen during hunting season.

Leave an area of sanctuary during the hunting season so that the deer are not pressured.

Provide a limited amount of shelled corn with automated wildlife feeders.

On some occasions we also cut down trees to provide browse in the winter and fertilize plants growing along the edges, especially the honeysuckle.

The Results

Since changing our hunting strategies we have noticed some changes for the better. We have seen bucks fighting, which we had seldom seen in past years and bucks have started reacting to calling, particularly grunting. We are finding shed antlers now; sheds are hard to find when they’re just spikes. Also the numbers of bucks as compared to does caught on our scouting camera pictures has increased dramatically. This tells us that our buck to doe ratio is improving.

On the other hand, we still feel that our total deer numbers are too high. The body weights of the deer we are shooting are still low. The body weights of the three does that we shot in 1997 ranged from 65 to 85 pounds while the weights of the four does in 2003 varied from 55 to 82 pounds. Although we are not deer aging experts we do look at tooth wear to determine the approximate age of the deer. We usually look at the lower front teeth. A couple of the does that we’ve shot have had these lower front teeth worn all the way to the gumline.

Record Keeping

I believe that the records that we keep have given us a lot of valuable information. We record every buck that we see during hunting season. We include the date, time, number of points, location, person who saw buck, time, and rack width and characteristics. During the season of 2003 we recorded 87 buck sightings, of course many of these bucks showed up several times. It is neat to look back and see the bucks grow up that we have recorded. The rack characteristics are similar from year to year and allow us to identify many of the deer that we see. Most years I am able to look at this list and figure out an approximate number of different bucks that we have seen.

We have also kept deer harvest data since 1997 and I wish that I had started doing this earlier. This data includes the time, date, number of points, location, hunter, dressed weight, inside antler spread and approximate age. I think that we can tell a lot from the weight data and wish that we had kept track of the weights from the bucks that we had shot several years ago when we first got our scales. The weights of the bucks that we have shot since 1997 have ranged from 72 to 130 pounds. The 72 pound deer was a spike that my 9 year old son shot in 2002. The 130 pound buck was an 8-point that I killed in 2000. I knew that this buck was at least three and one-half years old and most likely a year or two older. I had watched this buck for the two previous years when he was a nice wide 6-point and had found one of his shed antlers in 1998. We also had a few pictures of him from our scouting cameras.

One suggestion that I would have for every deer camp would be to buy a set of scales. They provide a lot of information for the relatively cheap cost.

Whitetail deer management is not difficult, is good for the overall health of your deer herd and a lot of fun.

You can read more about our deer management at my website www.whitetaildeer-management-and-hunting.com.

About The Author

I have been deer hunting in West Virginia for close to 30 years. Now I am teaching my children to hunt and enjoy it more each year.

hunting

Basic Firearm Safety For Hunters

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Every year, hundreds of hunting accidents occur across America; just ask Vice President Cheyney. Many of these accidents could have been avoided by practicing a few basic gun safety techniques.

Know your weapon

If your weapon came with an owner’s manual, read it from cover to cover. Practice taking apart your weapon and inspecting it thoroughly. If you know what your weapon looks like normally, you will be quick to recognize any abnormalities of the weapon in the field. If you drop your weapon or fall while carrying it, take it apart and inspect it for damage. Make sure that the slide operates smoothly. If you are in doubt about the integrity of your rifle, don’t fire it.

Educate yourself about the ammunition that you choose to use. A .22 caliber bullet fired from a rifle can travel over two and a half miles. This knowledge is necessary to line up a safe shot.

Transporting the weapon

Always keep your weapon unloaded until you are ready to fire. If you are going to hike to a new location, unload before starting out. Store the rifle and ammunition separately and, if possible, keep the storage container locked. Never carry a loaded rifle in your vehicle or on an ATV.

Sighting your prey

When sighting up your intended shot, there are many things to consider before pulling the trigger. Never shoot at a partially obscured target. Identify your prey fully before even raising your weapon to take a shot. If you are in doubt about what is moving, control your excitement and wait until the target can be fully visualized. Never hunt after dusk or before daybreak.

Know what is in front of and behind your target before shooting. Do not shoot animals that appear on hilltops and near the tops of ridges as you cannot identify what may be behind your target. If your game is near water, rocks, or buildings, keep in mind that bullets can ricochet off hard surfaces. Do not use the gun’s scope to sight your game. Use your binoculars first, and then if the shot is clear, switch to the scope.

Treat your weapon as if it is loaded at all times

Never look down the barrel of a weapon for any reason. Keep your muzzle pointed away from yourself and others at all times. Learn and use various safe carrying positions for transporting your rifle in the field.

Keep a clear head

Never go hunting or handle a weapon if you have had any alcohol or medication that may impair your judgment. Even a sleeping pill the night before can affect your reflexes during the day.
Get plenty of rest the night before your trip and go home early if you find yourself becoming drowsy.

Sighting a big buck or a fat bird can be exciting. It’s important to keep a level head at all times and not let your emotions cloud your judgment. Don’t allow yourself to act without thinking through the action to determine if it’s safe first.

Wear your safety gear

Bring along hearing and eye protection and wear them before shooting. Include safety orange in your choice of head gear and upper body clothing. This helps other hunters in the area distinguish you from the prey.

hunting supplies

Outfitter hunting – disadvantages

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When you’re planning a hunting trip to an area you’re unfamiliar with or are going after big game, an outfitter can provide some much needed know-how and essential equipment. Which is great, for some of us. For the rest, we’d rather rely on our own skills and judgement, make the investment in hunt-specific equipment and put in the work to make the hunting experience our own.

The price of hunting with an outfitter is high – often reaching easily over the $5,000 mark. If the cost alone doesn’t put you off using a hunt outfitter, the lack of independence might. For some, the thrill of the hunt is exploring the terrain, self-reliance and pitting your wits against those of some of mother nature’s cleverest critters.

Some outfitters offer a sort of half-way house that many hunters find to be a fair compromise between the help they need and the freedom they crave – the drop camp. An outfitter offering this service will usually guide you and your party to an existing camp, leave you there to do as you like and stop back to check on you and top up your supplies as needed during the week. He’ll also haul away your gear and meat once the hunt is done.