Hunting Blog

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When we pack up all our gear and head off for hunting season, one of the items we often leave behind is a camera. Whether you’re a great photographer or not, having even the most basic camera on hand can be useful in the field.

If you have a compact digital or traditional camera, that’ll do nicely. Many seasoned hunters recommend packing a three-pack of disposable cameras into the rest of your gear - this way if they get lost or broken, no one cares, but you have them on hand if you need them.

A great way to involve friends or family members in the hunt is to take them along to document your trip. A relative who loves taking pictures of the outdoors is ideal for this job, but your nephew armed with a digital or disposable camera will do just as well. Have them fill in a hunt journal for you and take photos of areas you want to remember for next year. Also, taking pictures of your trophy before it’s butchered is always a bonus

Many experienced hunters have found that the public lands available to them in recent years are increasingly crowded. While it’s fair to say the more the merrier in most cases, hunting is an event best done with a close group of friends or relatives - not hundreds, or even thousands, of strangers. The safety implications alone are staggering.

As such, more and more hunters are investigating their options. Some are fortunate enough to have land-owning friends or neighbors who permit them to hunt on their properties. Others opt to pay the extra money that going on package hunts requires or stump up the cash to buy a piece of property suitable for their hunting needs. But that isn’t for everyone.

For the rest of us, hunt leasing is a viable option. There are a number of online communities geared toward matching property owners interested in offering hunters the opportunity to use their land in the non-crop seasons, with hunters looking for a new patch to call their own. Lease agreements are fairly standard and can run from a few months a year to multi-year arrangements that will benefit future generations of hunters in your family.

If you’re serious about hunting ducks, you’ve got to know your calls. When used correctly, a duck call can be the key to a great day in the blind. Experts say there’re eight duck calls serious hunters should know to make the most of their time on the hunt.

First, the basic quack - this is the foundation for all other duck calls, so it is important to get right - a top tip is to be sure you end each quack with a crisp CK sound rather than just tailing off the QUA part. The hail or highball call is the honking Aink Aink noise. It should be used sparingly, and never when you’re within 100 yards of ducks. Next, is the greeting call, a steady Kank Kank Kank Kank Kank that’s excellent for getting ducks in the distance to come nearer.

The basic feeding call (kitty kitu kitty kitu), the pleading call (a long greeting Kaaank), the comeback call (a faster KankKankKank) and the lonesome hen call (a drawn out, sort of whiney Quack) are all useful to add variety to your calling repertoire. And finally, the simple whistle is a great variation on traditional calls and works best for Mallards, Pintails and Wigeons.

In addition to using scent to hide yourself while you’re hunting, you can use scent as a tool to attract the sort of prey you’re stalking. There are a number of products on the market to help you cover your tracks - and just as many to help you gain a few extra seconds to line up that perfect shot.

Consider using scents to lure animals such as deer. You’ll have to carefully consider the wind when choosing where to place a scented lure, as you want the animals to smell the lure well before they could possibly catch a whiff of you. Ideally, apply the lure upwind of a trail you’ve noticed the animals using during a scouting jaunt. Locate your stand downwind of the trail and simply wait.

Scents are available in considerable variety - some designed to attract male and others to attract female animals. Consider which is most appropriate with care, for example, using skunk musk to cover your tracks might warn a deer off if you’ve used too much and the deer thinks a skunk is frightened or alarmed nearby. Using a “doe in heat” scent, on the other hand, can attract both males looking to increase their harem and females looking for company.

Bear in mind that you’ll need to watch any scented lures closely - letting the curious animal get too close will give the game away and cost you that perfect shot.

Get all the details at: http://www.allAboutHunting.biz

Plenty of veteran hunters will tell you the biggest mistake newbies make is soaping themselves generously in the shower, then slapping on some aftershave and hair products before setting out for the day. There’s little that gives you away in the field more than smelling like a drugstore.

There are a number of ways to disguise your scent - some are better than others. Plenty of hunt supply shops offer masking scents, designed to mimic everything from skunk musk or fox urine to the fresh scent of cedar. The important factor here is choosing a masking scent that will be familiar to the animal you’re after - don’t use the scent of oak to cover your tracks through a pine forest, for example.

Most advise that the best way to disguise your sent is not to develop one in the first place. Do this by washing yourself in unscented soap and using an unscented shampoo. Don’t use perfume or aftershave and avoid scented deodorants. Wash your hunting attire in unscented detergent and dry it in the fresh air outdoors if possible. Similarly, clean your equipment so it does not harbor unnatural odors. Also, while on the hunt, seal anything that is foreign to the environment in a zip-top bag.