Archive for the ‘hunting’ Category

Trim branches and brush near your blind now !

Posted: August 20, 2014 by gamegetterII in Archery, firearms, hunting, survival, Uncategorized
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We’re getting closer to the start of archery seasons in many states now,about 6 weeks or so to go.

Now is the time to check to be sure you have clear shooting lines from your stand (s) and/or ground blind (s).

Hike to your stand,carrying a folding saw,and hand pruners in your daypack.

Sit where you will be sitting while hunting.

Look for any branches or brush that would be in the way of you making a clear shot.

Trim all branches and brush back more than they will grow in the next month or so,you should be able to tell how much they have grown from when you set up your stand/blind a month or so ago. Trim them back at least 6″ more than you think they will grow-you want this to be the last time you trim stuff near your blind.Once you start trimming,place all the branches and brush you have cut in a pile,when done trimming,use the stuff from the pile to “brush in” your blind-you can also do the same to your tree stand,using some green or brown garden twine.

The idea is to break up the profile of your stand/blind,do it is not as visible to the deer.

The reason for setting up the stands/blinds a month or so back was so that the deer got used to them being there,and didn’t associate them with danger.

Now that they are used to them,go ahead and camouflage them up better using the trimmings from cutting your shooting lanes. If that’s not enough,trim off more twigs and branches from surrounding trees and shrubs.

The object is not to make your blind/stand to look like something-it’s to make it look like nothing-same idea with your personal camo.

Good explanation of camouflage here…

“Remember:

Camo is a concept (i.e., how to blend into one’s environment), not a pattern.”

http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/personal-camouflage/

While the above is for personal camo- many of the same things apply to your stand/blind.

The thing you are trying to do is to make your blind/stand appear to be just a part of the forest,field,swamp-wherever it’s located.

You don’t want to try and make it look like a tree or shrub-you want to try to make it look like it’s a part many trees/shrubs-not a blob that’s got some branches sticking out of it.

It’s not an easy thing to explain-camo is a concept,it’s not any one pattern for your clothing,or your blind/stand-you want to blend into your surroundings,look like just a normal part of the field/swamp/forest when someone-or some animal-looks at the location you want them to see a part of the surroundings-not something that does not blend in.

I’ll post some pics soon-I’m just not all that great at taking cell phone pics-then getting them onto the computer-then finding them again to post.

I may have to seek the help of the kids.

Once you have your blind/stand brushed in,and it blends in with it’s surroundings,start putting out corn if it’s legal where you live. I do not use feeders here in Ohio,I just  spread some shelled corn on the ground-not in a pile-spread it around about a 6′ diameter circle,add some cob corn to the area as well. Not putting the corn in a pile not only keeps the deer in one place longer,it helps to prevent the spread of disease between deer.

Check your mineral blocks-if they have been mostly licked down to the halfway point or more-put new ones out. I’ll add some regular salt blocks now too-I buy the stockman’s blocks with added minerals when they’re on sale,and use some of both regular salt block,and salt+ minerals.

Remember,you are putting them out not only to attract the deer,but to help keep the local deer herd  healthy,and to insure the bucks have the nutrients they need to grow big racks.

I buy a large block at the feed store,or Tractor Supply,then I cut it up into blocks about the size of the mineral blocks. Cut them at least 2-2 1/2″ thick,3-4″ wide,and 8-12″ long.

I use a pruning blade on a sawzall to cut up the big block-goes through it like it’s cutting butter.

Remember to visit each stand/blind at times when deer are least likely to be in the area.

Since you’re in the woods-be sure to check the deer trails to see what their main food source is,then figure out when they will go from that to acorns,and plan your hunts accordingly.

Check your trail tacks or surveyors tape to make sure all your trails are still clearly marked.

That’s it for this one-more coming soon.

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Anti hunting propaganda from HSUS

Posted: August 19, 2014 by gamegetterII in hunting, Uncategorized
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More anti-hunting bullshit from HSUS-who’s president-wayne Pacelle stated one of their top goals is to ban all hunting and trapping-along with forcing everyone to become vegan.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/hsus-leading-attacks-lead-ammo

 

More on hunting with muzzleloaders

Posted: August 17, 2014 by gamegetterII in firearms, hunting, shooting, survival
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Those of us with older .50 caliber muzzleloaders,or the inexpensive .50 caliber inlines that can not handle the 150grain magnum charges can still use some of the technological advances in muzzleloading bullets.

The combo of a .44 caliber hollow point bullet-such as the Hornady XTP,and green plastic sabot for use in .50 caliber muzzleloaders is one good combo to use ,another is the line of PA conical bullets from Hornady.

I am not a Hornady spokeperson,nor do I benefit in any way from mentioning their products.

I use the 240 grain .44 caliber XTP jacketed hollow point bullet with green sabot over a 95 grain charge of Triple 7 as my main hunting load in most of the places I hunt in Ohio.

In a couple of places,I use the 240 grain PA conical,as it is heavier than a round ball,and does not require use of a lubed cloth patch. Hornady claims no patch is needed,but I have found the bullets perform much better with a felt patch between powder charge and bullet. Some states require you to use lead round ball or conical bullets during their muzzleloader seasons.

Both will give you great accuracy out to 100 yards,the .44 caliber XTP bullet with green sabot gives good accuracy out to 150 yards in both of my muzzleloaders.

For feral hogs,I use the 385 or 425 grain PA conicals,or the 300 grain XTP’s,when elk hunting with muzzleloader,I cough up the extra $$$, and buy a box of 300 grain Swift A-Frames.

Since I have a newer-(last year)- inline,I’ll use a .45 caliber 240,or 250 grain XTP bullet,with the black sabot as my first round for hunting,as they get a little better velocity,and have more energy. The problem with them is they quickly foul the barrel,making reloads difficult.

I also bought a box of 230 grain lead round nosed bullets to use for target shooting,along with the black sabots for use in .50 caliber muzzleloaders.

They are accurate,and hit to almost the exact same point of impact as the .44 caliber 240 grain XTP’s with green sabot.

The problem is that at ranges much over 50 yards,they start hitting way to the left-as in 3-4″ at 75 yards,and 10-12″ at 100 yards.

I believe that’s due to the powder charge not being 150 grains,causing the bullet to de-stabilize at ranges greater than 50 yards.

Since they are accurate to 50 yards,I’ll use up the remainder of the 200 round box I bought for target practice at 50 yards or less.

I’ll continue to use the Hornady XTP as my hunting bullet,they do not shoot the best out of all muzzleloaders,but they shoot the best out of mine.

Try as many different bullet/sabot combos as it takes until you find one that gets you 3″ or better groups at 100 yards,if you are using an inline with scope-sight it in at 100 yards-that way you will hit a couple inches high at 50 yards,and a few inches low at 150 yards-still in the vital organs of deer sized game.

If you are using iron sights and no scope,sight in at 50 yards because you aren’t going to be taking many shots beyond 50-100 yards,so a 50 yard zero is fine.

If your muzzleloader is like my older CVA,it’s not accurate until a couple of shots have been fired through it. I take mine out and fire 3 shots,run a couple of dry patches down the barrel a day or two prior to hunting season,and leave it like that until the end of the week-or 2 weeks depending on your state’s season-or until I get a deer before thoroughly cleaning it.

Be sure you target shoot at a bunch of unknown distances,and shoot from a variety of angles and firing positions in the months prior to hunting season-that way,you have a much,much better chance of making a kill shot on a deer.

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Tracking wounded deer

Posted: August 16, 2014 by gamegetterII in hunting, Uncategorized
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Sometimes you make a less than perfect shot on a deer,and you hit it at the edges of the vitals,it happens to everyone at some point if you hunt long enough.

If you know you made a bad shot,the first thing you have to do is stay put-do not attempt to track the deer for at least 45 minutes to an hour.

I carry a roll of surveyors tape in my hunting pack,you need to carry something that can be used to mark the blood trail. I use the surveyors tape because it’s brightly colored,and easy to tie around branches,shrubs,logs,etc.

After you have stayed put for at least 45 minutes,go to where the deer was standing when your arrow hit it-or your shotgun slug,muzzleloader bullet,or rifle bullet. Look for blood until you find it,or look for your arrow. Mark the first spot where you find blood.

Walk-very slowly- in the direction the deer ran,look for blood drops on the ground,on branches or grasses at the deer’s height until you find the next blood drops.

Look at the blood,the color of the blood can tell you a lot-bright red blood means you hit an artery-a good sign,dark blood usually means a liver shot,blood with bits of partially digested food-acorns,corn,grasses,etc. means a gut shot.

If you have found dark blood,or bits of food in the blood-stop tracking the deer,let it lie down and bleed out,wait a couple hours before following the trail any farther.

*The only exception to this would be if outside temps are very warm,and will not go down below 40 degrees that night. In that case-keep slowly following the trail,paying attention to your surroundings,and keep looking for places that provide thick cover for the deer-that’s where it most likely is.

Try to stalk as close as you can to the cover without spooking the deer,you may be able to get a second shot at it when it gets up from where it has bedded down,as it is not going to be able to get up and run very fast,due to it’s wound. If you don’t get a second shot-keep tracking it,as sometimes keeping the deer moving will help it bleed out faster.*

Keep slowly walking in the direction the deer ran,marking each place you find blood with the surveyors tape. If you lose the trail,and don’t find the next blood drops-go back to the last place you found blood,and slowly walk in a circle,with the trail being the center of the circle,start with a small circle-say 5 yards on each side of trail,if you don’t find blood,walk a slightly bigger circle,keep repeating this until you find blood.

Mark the spot you just found blood,look back at the tape you marked the last blood at-and see if the deer is going the same direction,or if it has changed direction. Keep slowly walking in whatever direction the deer is moving until you find the next blood drops.

99% of the time,you are going to find the deer.

Keep tracking the deer in this manner until you have found it-don’t quit looking-you owe it to the deer to do your best to find it.

We all make a bad shot once in a while-it happens to the best of us.

The blood trail from a good shot is easy to follow,as there is a lot of blood on the ground,it’s very easy to see,and the deer seldom goes more than 50-100 yards or so.

I’ve never had a deer go more than 75 yards when hit with an arrow or crossbow bolt-I once had a heart and lung shot whitetail run over 100 yards up a mountainside in W.Va.

The deer was hit with 3 170 grain bullets from a 30-30 using Remington Core-Lokt ammo.

When we field dressed him,the first shot had hit the heart,and got both lungs-one of the three follow up shots had gone through both lungs,one missed,and one hit him in the “knee”. It’s harder than you think to hit a running deer with a rifle.

That was when I was young,no follow-up shot was needed,I knew my first shot was good-I just didn’t know at the time that a deer runs like hell after being shot-no matter how good the shot is-unless you took a head shot,or broke it’s spine-it’s gonna run very fast.

See my previous post for some good target practice methods to hit moving targets-like a running deer. * I do not take shots at a running deer unless it’s one I’ve already hit,or it’s an Ohio deer drive where a line of guys walks across a cornfield to push the deer out towards the guys standing at the spots deer are most likely to come out of the field at.*

Here’s the link to the target practice…

Improving your shooting skills

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Hunting with a muzzleloader

Posted: August 13, 2014 by gamegetterII in firearms, hunting, preparedness, shooting, survival, Uncategorized
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In this post,I’m going to focus on sidelocks,and modern inlines,the poor man’s inlines,not the high dollar Thompson Centers etc.

In many states,as long as it’s a muzzleloader,it’s legal to hunt deer with in muzzleloader or “primitive weapons” seasons.

Some states,such as Pa,restrict hunters to using only flintlocks during muzzleloader/primitive weapons season.

I do not currently own a flintlock,and have only limited experience with them,so I will not be writing about them.

I currently use two muzzleloaders for hunting,and old-(mid 80’s or so)- CVA Woodsman,and a new-(last year)- Traditions Buckstalker.

Neither of these perform well with any of the high velocity bullet/sabot loads.

You can’t load 150 grain charges in them,so the bullets do not stabilize properly in flight,and end up hitting far to the left. 10″ at 100 yards for my Buckstalker,using the black sabots,and the 240 grain round nose lead bullets that I bought a box of 200 of to use for target practice. They are accurate out to 50 yards or so,and have almost the same point of impact as my hunting load at ranges up to the 50 yards,at which point they start hitting to the left-3-4″ at 75 yds,10″ or so at 100 yds.

I can use either pellets or powder in my Traditions Buckstalker,but only powder in my CVA Woodsman-so I use powder in both.

I prefer Triple7 over Pyrodex,as you get higher velocity with the same amount of powder.

You use FFG equivalent powder in muzzleloading rifles,you can also use FFFG as long as you are using .50 caliber and under.

There is a big difference in velocity with the FFFG,I use it for my hunting load,95 grains of Triple7,with a 240 grain  .44 caliber Hornady XTP bullet,with the Hornady green sabots.

I buy the bullets in boxes of 100 from Midway USA,or any of the plethora of online sellers of bullets.

I use the .44 caliber bullets with the green sabots because I can use them in my old CVA,and my new traditions.

Another reason I use powder, not pellets is because I can use a lighter powder charge for target shooting-I don’t have to use a 100 grain charge-(2  50 gr  pellets),or an 80 grain charge-( one 50 gr and one 30 gr pellet).

I use 70 grains to target shoot,except for the month before hunting season,then I use the 95 grain charge,and the XTP bullets.

I target shoot with the 230 gr round-nosed lead bullets,because the have almost the same point of impact as the 240gr XTP’s, and a box of 200 and the sabots to go with them only cost about 50 bucks including postage.

Beats the hell out of paying $15.00 or so for a package of 20 bullets with sabots.

100 240 gr .44 caliber Hornady XTP’s plus sabots only costs about 50 bucks including postage-again-beats the hell out of $15.00 for 20 bullets+sabots.

With the newer inlines that use the 209 shotshell primer,you get more accuracy,and can make longer shots. Using my Buckstalker,I can put 3 shots into a 3″ group at 100 yds,and a 4-5″ group at 150 yards,more than accurate enough for a kill shot on a deer,elk,or a feral hog at those ranges.

I’ve tried a lot of different bullet and sabot combos,patched round balls,and conical bullets that are sorta like an improved minie ball. The best load I’ve found is the Hornady XTP and XTP magnum. The load I found to be the best for what I hunt is the .44 caliber 240 gr jacketed hollow point XTP with the Hornady green sabots.

Using 100 grains of Triple 7 FFG I get 1820 fps,using FFFG Triple 7, I get 1970fps.

The 95 grain charge gives me almost the same velocity,and seems to be the best charge to use,I get the same accuracy,about the same velocity, a little bit less of a smoke cloud after the shot.

Any charge between 80 and 120 grains works in the Buckstalker,in the old CVA,I never use more than 100 grains.

You have to try different powder charges,and different bullet/sabot combos to see what works best for you.

Most older muzzleloaders are more accurate after a few shots have been fired.

That doesn’t seem to be the case with the newer inlines,as my Buckstalker has the same point of impact for 3-4 shots,then begins to lose accuracy until I run a patch or two down the barrel.

I choose which muzzeloader to use based on where I’ll be hunting,if it’s going to be mainly close range shots-under 50 yds,I use the CVA sidelock,if most shots are going to be beyond 50 yds,I use the Traditions.

Another bullet to try is the newer conicals,you will need a felt patch between the bullet and the powder charge for optimum accuracy and velocity.

Most of the conicals bullets are heavier than the 200-300 gr range of the most popular bullet/sabot combos.

The conicals have the “knockdown power” of the jacketed hollow points,but don’t have the velocity. They will take all North American big game animals.

After you have tried a variety of bullets,and bullet/sabot combos,pick which type works best for you,then pick the exact bullet,or bullet sabot combo that works best for you,in your muzzleloader.

I picked my load after a few years of shooting a whole lot of different bullets,it’s what works best for me,it may work for you-it may not.

Some other bullets work good,but I have not found anything that beats the performance of the Hornady XTP in my muzzleloaders-if you have a top of the line,newer inline,there are 150 grain powder charges/bullet combos that will work better for you.

If you are like me,and can not afford to buy the top of the line muzzleloaders-you can’t go wrong using the Hornady .44 caliber 240 grain JHP XTP bullet with the green Hornady sabot.

Some other great bullets to use are- Sierra Sports Master 240gr JHP,Nosler Sporting Handgun .44 caliber 240 gr JHP-(handgun bullets work just fine in muzzleloading rifles)-Swift A-Frame Bullets 44 Caliber 240 Grain bonded hollow point, Speer deep curl,Barnes XPB, Winchester Silvertips,

Then there’s these…Hunters Supply hard cast Bullets,Goex Black Dawge Bullets,Montana Precision Swaging Cast Bullets 44 Caliber (440 Diameter) 380 Grain Lead Straight Sided Paper Patch.

As you can see-there’s a lot of choices out there,including patched round balls-which were killing deer,elk,bison,feral hogs,bears,cougars,wolves,and any other game animal long before any of us were born.

When hunting,you want to be able to reload as fast as possible. There are “speedloaders” available from many companies,they are just an plastic tube with removeable caps on the ends,the diameter matches the caliber you are using,and you can put your pellets or powder,along with your bullet and sabot,or bullet and paper patch,or felt patch in the tube.

Since I use powder,not pellets,I put the measured powder charge and bullet already in the sabot in the tube. Then,all I have to do to reload is dump the powder down the barrel,start the bullet in the barrel with the plastic bullet starter I carry on a string around my neck,then use the ramrod that’s attached to the muzzleloader to seat the bullet on top of the powder charge. If I’m using my CVA sidelock,I put a percussion cap on,if I’m using the inline,I break it open-(like a single or double barreled shotgun)-and place a 209 shotshell primer in the breech plug,and I’m ready to shoot again. There are plastic “dogbones” for sale to hole 209 primers-get one-beats the hell out of trying to pick a primer out of the box with half frozen fingers !

I know the above description sounds like a lot to go through to reload-but it takes 30 seconds or less with practice.

Hunting big and medium sized game with a muzzleloader is not much different than hunting with a rifle or a shotgun using slugs. You still have to do your scouting,find the food and water sources,along with the bedding areas,and trails to and from theses areas. The newer inlines are more like rifle hunting,it’s just a lot more important to make your first shot count,because it takes so much longer to reload.

You do have more range than a shotgun with slugs for the most part-unless you have a rifled barrel for you shotgun,then it’s about the same range.

With the muzzleloader using loose powder,you have as much control over the load you use as you do if you are reloading your rifle ammo.

I use my inline during Ohio’s shotgun season,because I can make a longer shot,since I don’t have a rifled barrel.

Plus I get strange looks when using my Mossberg 590 for deer hunting-must be the heat shield…

You can get a new inline like the traditions Buckstalker I have for under $200.00,add another $50-75.00 for all the accessories you will need,and for under $300.00 you have a rifle that’s fun to shoot,is accurate,and can take any big game animal in the USA-even a Kodiak brown bear.

You can also find used muzzleloaders for under $150.00 at most gun shops-just be sure to inspect the barrel to make sure it’s not corroded due to poor cleaning practices.

Another benefit is you get more time to hunt with a gun,as most states have a season for muzzleloaders only.

If you don’t have a muzzleloader-try shooting one-it’s fun,less expensive than shooting most rifles,and it’s a great back-up weapon to have in case you run out of ammo during a SHTF situation…

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Tips on processing your own deer

Posted: August 11, 2014 by gamegetterII in food preservation, hunting, preparedness, survival
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Once you have shot your deer-whether by bow,shotgun or rifle,the first thing you have to do is field dress it. One of the most important things is to cool the meat down as fast as possible. This means getting the deer back to camp,or home,get it hung up and skinned as soon as possible,if it’s hot outside,pack the chest cavity of the deer with ice,both on the trip home,and once the deer is hanging up.

Venison tastes better if it’s aged for about 5-7 days,if temps are 40 degrees or cooler,you can let the deer hang in your garage,shed,barn,wherever.

If temps are above 40 degrees,butcher the deer,and the meat can be aged in coolers with ice,or in a refrigerator for the same 5-7 days. Aging the meat allows the muscles-which is what meat is- to relax,which makes it more tender.

Butchering a deer is a fairly simple process,there’s a ton of You Tube videos that show the process step by step,and an equal number of books on butchering wild game.

One of the keys to good tasting venison is to remover every bit of fat from the meat-venison fat tastes nasty-cut all of it off.

To improve the flavor of your ground venison-do not grind pork or pork fat into the meat-grind some beef fat into it.

You want to get about an 80-20 ratio of meat to fat,it doesn’t have to be exact,make it 90-10 if you want low-fat ground meat,but remember,the low fat meat has less flavor,and does not make good meatloaf,meatballs,etc. Any more than 20% fat,and you have greasy meat that shrinks to half the size when you make a burger out of it.

I get beef fat from our local grocery store’s meat dept. they only charge me between 59-79 cents per pound.That’s a great price,for under 10 bucks,you get enough beef fat to grind into 50# of venison.

Always grind the meat twice,it breaks down any connective tissue and small bits of silverskin you missed when trimming the meat,plus it mixes the fat in better.

A vacuum sealer machine is the best way to package and freeze your venison,if you don’t have one,use plastic wrap,butcher’s paper,then place the packages in a Ziploc type freezer bag.

I cut a few nice roasts from my deer,and instead of removing the entire “backstrap”,which is the loin,I leave it on,because I cut some t-bones and strip steaks on my bandsaw,then cut out the remaining parts of the backstraps.

Most of the meat is cut up for stew meat,and ground venison. You should end up with about half of the weight of the deer,after it’s been field dressed.

A 150# deer,weighed after it’s been field dressed,will give you about 75# of meat.

I live in Ohio,our deer get really big because they eat a lot of corn and soybeans from the farm fields. I usually end up with around 90# of meat from the deer I get here.

Those of you who hunt deer a lot should look into investing in an electric grinder,makes the process go much faster than using a hand crank grinder that clamps on to your table.

I still have a couple hand crank grinders,I keep them because there could be a SHTF situation in which we have no power from the grid for weeks or months-maybe longer.

All it took was a tree branch to cause a blackout that shut down all power in Ohio,Pa,Ny,and parts of Canada for several days a few years ago-you should always have the means to survive without power,or with a back-up power source in case a similar blackout happens,or the people who shot the transformers at a substation in CA decide to shoot up multiple substations ,in multiple states.

Like the Boy Scouts say-be prepared.

 

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More on getting ready for hunting season-hunting the whitetail rut

Posted: August 5, 2014 by gamegetterII in Archery, firearms, hunting, shooting, survival
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By now,you already know the deer’s movements,where his bedding area is,where his main food and water sources are,and the trails he follows to get to and from each.

Starting around the 3rd week of October-or just prior to start of rut where you live-find a field edge that has small trees along it-no more than 3-4″ in diameter.

Place you stand/blind so you have a clear shot in the close vicinity of the multiple fake scrapes I’m going to tell you how to make…

Make a your own fake scrape line,pick trees that have at least one branch that’s in reach of a deer-as the bucks use it as a licking branch.

You want your scrapes to be no closer together than 10 yards,any place where woods meet field edges works, a place where a brush field meets an agricultural field is  better,a place where a tree line meets an ag field is the best.

Using a rake,and/or garden claw,scrape away all the leaves,twigs,rocks,and debris from an area about 3′ in diameter-doesn’t have to be exact-3-4′ is fine,use the garden claw,make long marks in the dirt,so it looks like the antlers from a buck made the marks,go front to back,and side to side. It should look sorta like an oval tic-tac toe game.

Since bucks piss in the scrapes when they make them-be sure you drink a lot of water before you head out to make your fake scrape line-once you have made the scrape-“mark your territory” by pissing in each scrape.

As it gets closer to the rut-late Oct/early November here in NE Ohio-start putting 8-10 drops of doe in heat urine in your fake scrapes,as it gets closer to the peak of the rut-increase the amount of doe in heat urine you put in the scrapes,and add a few drops of buck urine to them.

Adding the buck urine will piss off the dominant buck -(pun intended)-the dominant buck is the one you want to shoot,he’s biggest,strongest,healthiest buck in the area. The younger ones will all be challenging him in pre-rut,and the early part of the rut.

From pre-rut,up until the rut starts is the best time to rattle- using real antlers is more effective than using any of the fake products/ methods.

This is also when you should be using a grunt tube-use it sparingly-deer aint like elk-they don’t bugle to challenge each other. There’s a plethora of You Tube videos on how to rattle and use a grunt tube-watch as many of them as you have time for-you’ll see many different techniques,find what works best for you-and use it.

Pay close attention to when the peak rut is in your location-because 28 days later-all the does not bred during the main rut go into estrous again-the bucks will be following them just like during the main,and first rut.

Again-pay close attention-as in another 28 days-there’s another,much less active rut.

These are the times of the hunting season when you have the best chance at getting a really big buck.

There’s a lot of people who could care less about antler size-I’m one of them-I’ll shoot a doe-it’s meat in the freezer.

Tips and techniques on how to harvest does will be in a future post.

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More getting ready for hunting season

Posted: August 4, 2014 by gamegetterII in Archery, firearms, hunting, shooting, survival
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It’s now August 4th,bucks antlers are almost fully grown,covered in velvet.

Soon,they will start making rubs-they scrape the velvet off of their antlers beginning late summer/early fall.

You need to find these rubs-as they rub their antlers on small trees/shrubs,usually well hidden from human eyes-they are showing you their territory,there’s usually a lot of rubs in the same area.

Once you’ve found some rubs-set some trail cameras near them-(if they are legal in your state)-

Follow the tracks-you can follow them this time of year-it just takes some time,and a little work in the woods/fields.

You should be able to determine the direction the deer is coming from,and the direction he is going to.

This is going to lead you to 3 things-his bedding area,his water source,and his food source.

First follow the tracks in one direction,if you lose the trail,keep heading in the direction the deer was heading,remember,deer use the same trails for many hundreds of thousands of years. They follow the contours of the land,and every time they move,they are looking for one of those three things,bed,food,or water.

Make a few 10-20 yard circles from the last place you saw tracks keeping the direction of travel as your center line,you will find the deer’s tracks before long.

Don’t go more than a couple hundred yards in each direction at first-mark the last place you found his tracks with some surveyors tape-so you can see it in daylight.

When bucks make rubs,it’s usually late in the day,often after dark,so chances are he’s heading towards his bed from the rub. Since you are going to be looking for his tracks in the daytime,follow his tracks backward-you want to know where he’s been-you know where he’s going.

You need to backtrack him until you find where his food source is,and where the water source is between his food and the rubs. Finding the food source is more important at this point. Once you have found his food source,you already know two of the three things you need to find-most of the time a buck will move in sort of a circle-he gets up,wanders along slowly,eating a little bit as he goes,the first place he goes is to his main water source.

From there,he may hit more than one food source,but his main food source will be the one closest to his rubs.

What you have to do is head into the woods in mid to late afternoon,go to his rubs,then try to backtrack him to his bedding area-because he’s not gonna be in it in the afternoon-he’s already up and moving for the day.

He’s gonna bed down in a place where he has a view in almost every direction,often it’s just down from a ridge,on the south facing side of a hill. ( the south-facing hill side is not as important to him in the warmer months). Once you have backtracked him to an area where he can lay down on a hillside with a view,start looking for deer beads-they are just a depression in the leaves or grass,it may take you a few hours,or it may take you a few days.

Just be sure to go nowhere near the rubs late in the day-try to do most of your scouting in mid-afternoon.

When you’ve found his bedding area,start following him away from it-in a direction not towards the rubs. Most bucks will have more than one area where they make rubs-the bigger areas are the ones done late in the day-just before dark-the smaller ones are the ones he makes in the mornings.

Only go a couple hundred yards at first,keep doing the same thing in both directions-before too long,you will have his whole daily travel route figured out,you will end up with a route that is sort of a circle-maybe more of an oval-but it will start at his bedding area,and end at his bedding area.

Since you’re figuring out the deers movements now-it’s not going to matter if you kick him up as he’s resting in the afternoon,or if you get too close to his morning or afternoon water source,or even if you walk too close to the bean field,or corn field that he’s feeding from because deer are used to hikers in the woods in the warm months-they don’t see people as all that big of a threat-later in the fall-they start getting more high-strung and jumpy for two reasons-one is that bowhunters are shooing arrows at them-the other is that they know the rut is coming soon,so they’re gonna finally get laid.

This is why you figure out the movements of a few of the bucks in the places you hunt.

You will have an advantage over other hunters in both bow season,and rifle or shotgun season which also carries over to the late muzzleloader season.

Quite a lot of them will be home grilling steaks,ribs,burgers and hot dogs,washing them down with copious amounts of beer while you’re out in the woods patterning deer movements.

You should have at least one sand or blind near the buck’s bedding area,one on his trail between his main food source,and his main area of rubs,and one on the other side of his bedding area. The last two stands would be better if they are near a water source.

Even if you don’t get a deer during archery season-having a stand on either side of his bedding area will work to your advantage in gun season-use the one that’s along the trail he uses after he gets up in the morning in the mornings-but you have to be in your stand or blind long before legal shooting light. (you have your trails cleared before bow season-remember part 1?)

Because you are in your stand in the dark-the other hunters will spook the buck-and he’ll walk right past your stand.

Use the stand on the opposite of his bedding area for afternoon hunts-except when acorns are dropping-then you want your stand/blind to be near a stand of mature oaks.

I’ll continue with getting ready for hunting season articles up ’till hunting season stars-then I’ll be out hunting myself…

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Getting in Shape for Hunting Season

Posted: August 1, 2014 by gamegetterII in Archery, firearms, hunting, survival
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Some of us get zero exercise during the summer months-unless you count the 12 ounce curls from lifting beer cans to your lips…

Unless you want to hurt so bad, and be so sore after opening day of hunting season that you can’t hunt on day two-pay attention!

It takes a minimum of 6 weeks to get in shape for humping a pack and your rifle,shotgun,or bow around the woods all day long.

Start off by walking for at least an hour every day,if you are already a runner or jogger,that makes things easier for you.

You also need to do squats and lunges to build leg strength.

Start with just a few sets of 3-5 repetitions each,or you will be too sore to perform the exercises the next day !

Work your way up to being able to do at least 5 sets of 15 squats,vary the width of your stance each day too.

For lunges,work your way up to where you can do at least 5 sets of 15-that’s 15 for each leg.

You will also need to work on your upper body strength-start off by doing push-ups and pull-ups.

This is in addition to walking/jogging/running,and squats/lunges.

It doesn’t matter how many you can do-just do them,increase the number of repetitions,and number of sets each day-each two days if you’re one of the 12oz curl guys-or ladies-if you can’t do a pull-up,just keep trying every day-you will be able to do them eventually.

After you’ve been walking for an hour a day for a week-no days off-start carrying your pack on your walks,keep all of the stuff you will carry every day in the pack-first-aid kit,maps,compass,knife,multi-tool,fire starting stuff,deer drag rope,your rubber gloves and gallon Ziplocs for field dressing your deer,put a half dozen water bottles and enough of your hunting clothes to keep them from shifting around in the pack.

Walk with that for a few days,then keep adding weight every couple of days until you can walk for an hour with the amount of weight you normally carry in your pack-plus an extra 15-20#.

After you have built up to being able to do at a minimum 5 sets of 25 push-ups,and 5 sets of however many pull-ups you can do-you really should be able to do 5 sets of 10 at a minimum-start adding some weight training in addition to humping your pack around,and doing push-ups and pull-ups.

It is fairly inexpensive to join your local fitness center/gym. It’s even less costly if your city or town has their own run by the city.

The exercises you should be concentrating on are:

bench presses

shoulder presses

butterflies-to work pectoral muscles.

lat pull-downs-strengthens the same muscles used to do pull ups-do extra reps and sets if you’re weak on pull-ups.

preacher curls

tricep extensions

rows-helps build some of the muscles you will use when dragging a deer out of the woods.

http://weighttraining.about.com/od/exercisegallery/tp/upright_row.htm

leg presses

leg curls.

Some additional things you can do are:

Run up bleacher steps,if you can get access to them,if not,use your stairs at home-if you have them. If you don’t have stairs,you can just step up onto a milk crate or a bucket-alternating legs each time.

Climb stairs or bleacher stairs with your pack on-with full weight in it. If you don’t have stairs-use the milk crate or bucket.

Get a 12′ 2×4, a 12′ 2×6 and a dozen concrete blocks,support  the 2×6 with the blocks,by placing a block at each end,then two more evenly spaced along the length of the board-so it’s sturdy.

Then practice walking the length of the 2×6 without falling off-wearing your hunting boots.

Add another block,so you’re a little higher off the ground,and practice walking that board.

Go back to just one block supporting the board,except switch the 2×6 for a 2×4.

Practice ’till you can walk the full 12′ without falling off.

Next-start the process over-only this time,walk the length of the boards carrying your pack-with all your gear,or water bottles for weight.

Finally,start over a third time,this time carrying your pack and bow,shotgun or rifle.

Add another block to get more height,practice walking the 2×4 for the full 12′

It’s also a good idea to learn a few Tai-Chi exercise routines,as they help with fine muscle movement and coordination,along with improving balance.

The above is just a guide-as I don’t know anyone’s physical condition,or limitations,I just gave you a general idea of how to get in shape.

If you have any health problems-ask your doctor before you start any exercise program.

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Start scouting and preparing for bow season now

Posted: July 31, 2014 by gamegetterII in Archery, firearms, hunting, survival, Uncategorized
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It’s only a couple days away from August,many state’s archery seasons start in Sept.

Here in Ohio, deer archery season starts on Sept 27th.

You should have had mineral blocks out since at least Memorial day,as they help with antler growth. ( Unless not legal in your state) There’s still time to put a few out,they’ll still attract deer,and keep them coming back to the same spot every day. Be sure to place the blocks in areas where you will have a clear shot.

Now is the time to figure out where you are going to place stands or ground blinds,and trim branches,brush,or really tall grasses that would interfere with you having a clear shot.

Deer live in the woods-they notice things like tree branches being trimmed,do it now,so they get used to it,and it’s not a danger signal to them.

If you are going to hunt from a tree stand, ground blind, or ladder stand-hump it back into the woods and set it up,so you will know exactly which branches need cut back,which areas need the brush cut back,or if you need to pick a different spot for the stand/blind

Bring a small notebook,like a steno pad ,and good rangefinder,or a 150 foot tape measure with you-look at where you have your mineral blocks-which should be along a trail on the way to or from one of 3 things-bedding area,water source,or food source. Make a sketch of the area,label landmarks-old tree stump,big rock,fallen tree,etc. and measure the distance from your stand to each of these landmarks.

Repeat this for each stand location. You have to have multiple stand locations,wind direction changes,and food sources change-which means the deer’s route to and from their main food source changes. Always have a stand near oak trees,as acorns are a major food source-deer will eat acorns above all other foods,as long as there’s a goop acorn crop. The oak trees you choose to set up your stand in or near have to have an easy route in for the deer,along with an escape route. Deer always approach from cover,try to set up near the edges of stands of oak trees,that way you have a better chance of getting a shot at first or last light than you would if your stand was in the middle of the woods.

Once you have your stand locations mapped out,walk the trails in and out of the woods to each stand location. Clear dead branches and sticks off of the trails,so you can approach your stand quietly. Trim back briars and small branches so they don’t make noise by you catching your clothing on them,now is also a good time to either use some surveyors tape,or place trail tacks along your trails,or use both. Don’t start marking your trails as soon as you get in the woods-or others will be able to follow your markers to your stands.

You should have a good idea of where your trails are,that’s another reason to walk them often now,so you know the way to each stand by memory.

Just remember to walk the trails at the times of day when the deer are least likely to be there.

If you use trail cameras,now’s the time to get them set up-the more you do now,the less you have to do just before the season starts,when more people are in the woods. Pull the cards every few days,and see what’s on them-should give you an idea of the size of bucks you will see in the fall.

In states where you can’t use trail cams,or mineral blocks or other attractants,just pay real close attention to the deer trails,find bedding areas,water and food sources,and set your stands along those trials,trying to always stay downwind of the deer’s likely direction of approach.

One more thing about deer trails,the main trails you see are made by does,does with fawns, and groups of does-take a look about ten yards to either side of the main trails,look for faint trails that don’t look like a lot f deer use them-these are the trails the older bucks use-remember that when choosing your stand locations…

I got plenty of deer long before mineral blocks,scent bombs,doe in heat urine,bait,and even treestands were used by most hunters.

I got the deer by using the exact same methods I described here-it’s called hunting for a reason-there’s some hiking around and work involved in it-it’s nothing like you see on the tee vee shows-you gotta put some boots on the ground-early and often-pay attention to deer movements, know where the biggest stands of oak trees are,and get your stand set up at the edges just as the acorns start to drop,after that-hit the edges of corn or soybean fields. Pay attention to the farmers-the few days after a field has been harvested-deer are all over it.

Deer will also hit those same fields in winter if there’s stubble from the corn left,and they’ll hit the oaks again,looking for acorns under the snow.

Plan your stand locations accordingly-remember,you can use them during the gun seasons too.

Next deer hunting post will be hunting the rut.

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