Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2017 i Deer & Deer Hunting

Don't move. My gosh, don't even blink. He's right there. How he got there without making a whisper of a noise is a mystery, but that buck is already within easy bow range. He's alert, though not spooked, and will be gone if you even twitch. It's the first week of October, and the conditions are near perfect. Highs were in the 60s today, but it's been steadily cooling off since the sun peeked behind the hardwood ridge. The slight autumn breeze hitting your face sure feels a lot better than the summer heat and swarms of bugs that plagued you during the daily practice sessions that prepared you for this moment. This year, instead of flinging dozens of arrows in a row at the same target, you tried something…

With increasing property values and disappearing habitat, it’s becoming more difficult for hunters to find their own little piece of hunting paradise — properties with towering hardwood trees and emerald green clover plots, with big bucks such as those on the covers of your favorite hunting magazines occupying every nook and cranny. Fear not my friends, because it is still possible to harvest mature bucks on the “left-over” properties overlooked by other hunters. By focusing on drainages, prairie fields, fencelines and agricultural waterways, you can find that white-tailed buck of your dreams. Here are five steps to ensuring your success. 1. LOCATE A PROPERTY Locating open ground property, and getting permission to hunt it, is half the battle. The majority of locating and scouting these properties can be done from…

It’s always important to remember that rules and regulations differ from state to state. I’ve heard nightmare stories of long-awaited hunting trips shattered by getting a ticket for a seemingly minor infraction. Typically, judges come down harder on nonresident hunters than local boys, so fines increase. One friend received a $350 ticket in Arkansas after forgetting to wear an orange vest while returning to his vehicle — not required while on stand, just while on the ground! Any time I hunt another state I secure a game-rules booklet and read it thoroughly, even if hunting with locals or outfitters. You might discover, for example, your broad-heads aren’t legal in terms of cutting diameter or design. Illinois, for instance, requires rendering your bow inoperable during transport by attaching a lock or…

I am willing to bet that almost any bowhunter you talk to has lost a deer or two if he or she has hunted for any significant amount of time. One of the biggest reasons hunters fail to recover bow-shot deer is because they take up the trail too soon. Another is that they do not have the knowledge and experience to properly trail a deer that’s been hit. Blood-trails are not created equal, but the same basic techniques can be used for most circumstances. You were born with five senses. It’s important to employ all of them — except for taste — when blood-trailing a deer. Do not walk helter-skelter through the woods hoping to luck into finding your animal. Focus your search on the blood-trail. But don’t focus…

The spread of CWD in deer populations might be among animals that are related instead of between unrelated individuals. That appears to be the case in Michigan, where eight out of nine free-ranging whitetails that have tested positive for CWD are related, according to DNR deer specialist Chad Stewart. The ninth deer might also be related to the others, but testing on that one is not yet complete. “The relationships of the first eight positive deer were determined through genetic testing,” Stewart wrote in an email, “and the relationships varied between direct descendants (doe/fawn), sibling or distant relative. Some deer are related to only one deer, while other deer are related to multiple deer. “Of important interest is that the three deer tested from Clinton County are not related to…

For many years I traveled extensively to bowhunt white-tailed deer. The reason was quite simple; there were no garden-variety “Virginia” whitetails in western New Mexico where I lived — only the distantly related Coues’ whitetail. For other hunters, traveling sprouts from seeking greener pastures, normally the promise of the big antlers totally absent in their hard-hunted backyards or poorly managed states. Still another segment of the deer hunting community is simply infected with wanderlust, forever seeking new horizons, often while looking for more than the single-buck season their home state provides. Through my wide travels, from the cornfields of Illinois and Iowa, to the desolate prairies of Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas, and the mesquite and caprock wastes of Texas (with its bonus wild boars), I’ve certainly scored the occasional…

Like thousands of other hunters, we have invested in crossbows, and we like them, but after several practice sessions and hunts the realization has hit home that crossbows are not the easiest thing to use and carry around in the field. Manufacturers have known this from the beginning, and the subject became increasingly prominent as crossbow use has since gained popularity. The result as of late, has seen lighter, narrower and more compact crossbows hitting the marketplace. Despite these improvements, which have made crossbows more user-friendly on several levels, they remain somewhat cumbersome and awkward to tote around and shoot accurately. Fortunately, there are some handy gadgets available these days that make using crossbows at the range and in the woods not only easier — but more pleasant and deadly…

Archers tend to view archery abilities, or limitations, from self-centric perspectives. For instance, there are those who wouldn’t flinch when presented with, say, a 60-yard shot. But insisting anyone without those abilities, or confidence, is somehow inferior is just silly. Conversely, there are those who seem to operate on an ethics of mediocrity, insisting no one be allowed to attempt shots beyond some arbitrary range, say 30 yards. Nowhere is this egocentricity more pointed than draw weight. Of course, for many egos are directly tied to draw weight. During equipment discussions it’s the first thing that comes up: “I’m shooting 85 pounds,” as if that proves something. These people must bait those shooting less than the 65-pound national average (for one reason or another), labeling them wimps, or less flattering…

While hunting whitetails for more than three decades, I’ve formed some opinions. But one issue I still struggle with is which is better: treestands or ground blinds? Treestands have dominated the whitetail landscape for nearly my entire hunting history. I even recall building my own during my high school days back in the 1980s. A plywood platform fitted with sharpened sickle sections to pierce bark and a salvage-yard seatbelt elevated me into treestand hunting. But I also crafted ground blinds from military surplus camouflage netting, cornstalks, tumbleweeds and downed timber. Back then I tagged more deer from the ground, but that steadily changed as treestands became more popular, safe and easier to deploy. Sometime around 2000, commercial popup ground blinds gained traction. Double Bull, a pioneer company, launched late in…

Knocking on doors while seeking private-land access isn’t what it once was. The “Me Generation” has increased native suspicions, and we’ve transformed into a litigious society. If you’re to gain permission to hunt private land today, you must convince landowners you’re an honest, reliable person. Appearances are everything. Change into street clothes, tuck in your shirt, comb your hair, look the landowner in the eye and take off your hat when the missus answers the door. Cover up tattoos and take the staples out of your face, because rural residents are generally conservative and such details will automatically illicit a no sale. You’re selling yourself, so proceed accordingly. And don’t get in a hurry. Take time to chat up landowners, express interest in their life and operation. Ask a lot…

1 Mathews Halon 32, Avail, Stoke Mathews added a few inches to its new Halon 32 this year, which means more stability during the draw due to a more acute string angle. This and the Mathews Crosscentric cam design should produce more accurate shooting and tighter groups. New for women is the Avail. At just 30 inches axle-to-axle it has a 6-inch brace height and delivers arrows at speeds up to 350 fps. Young hunters should love the Stoke, packed with features including the Halon’s Crosscentric cam and AVS system, but with a 27-inch axle-to-axle length. MSPR: $999 and up. Info: www.MathewsInc.com 2 PSE Evolve Cam System PSE Archery’s new Evolve Cam System is available in five new Evolve series compounds: Evolve 35, Evolve 31, Carbon Air HD, Carbon Air…