Well, our first archery outing of the season did not provide much in the form of whitetailed deer for my son McLane and I…
We left our house at 2:30 AM for a 2 ½ hour drive.
We sweated getting to our stands and then got cold after sitting in them for a while.
At 8:30 AM, two cars came down a road we didn’t know existed about 50 yards from us.
It was hard to see very far with all the leaves still on the trees.
The game cart broke down several times as we hauled our gear about 500 yards back to the vehicle.
Had to drive several miles to a hardware store to get material to fix the
game cart.
We were tired, sore, and sweaty by the time we got into our evening stands.
Had about six hunters walk through the field we were hunting. One was hunting doves with a shotgun.
Took a wrong turn on the way back home.
Had another 2 ½ hour drive home yet and paid over $10 in tolls for the day.
We were utterly exhausted by the time we got home.
And in the end, we only saw one small fawn in the morning.
But you know what…..it was a good day!
We had a great time even though it seemed a lot of things went wrong.
Yeah…we could’ve grumbled about all the other hunters. We could have complained about not seeing any deer. We could have whined about how hot and then how cold we were. We could have moaned about a lot of things.
Had we thought about all the bad things, we would have had a horrible hunt.
We wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the milk and Jolly Ranchers we shared during the morning drive. We wouldn’t have been able to laugh (quietly) as we made faces at each other from our stands. We wouldn’t have recognized
that we were helping each other by carrying equipment or pulling the game cart. We wouldn’t have been able to make an adventure out of getting the parts we needed to fix the game cart and enjoying the french fries and shakes we had on the way back to the woods. We wouldn’t have giggled as we tried to toss candy to each other from one stand to another in our evening hunt. I wouldn’t have been able to adore my son as he napped contentedly in his stand. We wouldn’t have had a great time listening to the radio on the way home and making fun of lyrics.
The day wasn’t about seeing or harvesting a deer. In fact, that day wasn’t even about the hunt. It was about spending time with my son. It was about
me being a hunting buddy to him and simply enjoying his company. I pray that it was a day he’ll always remember with fondness even though we didn’t
bring home a deer.
As I write this, I am becoming quite emotional. I know a day will come when my sons will leave the house, find wives, and begin families of their own.
I know they’ll choose their wives and children over me for outings and adventures. It doesn’t upset me but it makes me terribly sad.
So...to anybody who is taking time out of their busy day to read my ramblings…..if you have children, enjoy them! Don’t sweat the little stuff
and make the best out of the time you have together. If they are grown, call them today.
If you don’t have children, call your mom and/or dad and tell them how much they mean to you. It will mean a great deal to them.
Find someone that means something to you and tell them what they mean to you.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
***ARCHERY TIP OF THE WEEK***
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?
There’s a Christmas song that has the following words in it…”it’s the most wonderful time of the year”. With the temperatures starting to cool off, school back in session, and the hint of fall in the air, it is INDEED the most wonderful time of the year because that means that archery season is upon us!
For six months, I’ve been preaching about getting ready for opening day and I hope you have taken my suggestions and recommendations to heart. But I know there are many of you that have put off things due to work, chores, or other commitments. So now, when you dare to peek at a calendar, you get a bit nervous because the opener is only a week or two away and you KNOW you
aren’t as ready as you’d like.
It’s now really too late to be 100% ready for the opening day of archery season if you haven’t been preparing all summer but there are some things you can still do to at least get you closer to being ready.
Get a license. ‘Nuf said.
Go over your equipment. Make sure the bow string and cables are in good shape, all bolts and nuts are tight, and that your bow is as silenced as
you can get it. Check out your stand for rust or lose bolts. Make sure your safety harness is in PERFECT working order. Carefully go over each and
every arrow and look for cracked nocks or shafts. Ensure your broadheads
are sharp.
Practice one hour per day. Set aside at least one hour per day for shooting practice between now and three days before the opener. If you haven’t been practicing all summer, an hour per day is all the shooting you should do
since you’ll quickly tire and start to lose your groupings.
Sight in your broadheads. On the third day before the opener, sight in your broadheads with as few shots as you can. Once they are sighted in, you are done shooting your bow until opening day so your shooting muscles will have a chance to rest.
Remember though…and this is important because not many hunters do this…you must practice DURING the season! If you haven’t practiced since before the season started and your chance at a deer doesn’t come until the end of the
season, it could be six weeks or longer since you’ve shot an arrow.
Practice DURING the season!
Make sure you have a place to hunt. Several years ago, I got permission to access a friend’s farm whenever I wanted to. I still ask him every year if it’s ok if I hunt his property. Don’t assume you’ll still have your regular archery spot available even if you own your own property. Get out there and
make sure things haven’t changed too much since last year.
There’s a lot of other stuff you need to do between now and the opener so don’t wait. Do everything you can starting NOW to get ready.
There’s a Christmas song that has the following words in it…”it’s the most wonderful time of the year”. With the temperatures starting to cool off, school back in session, and the hint of fall in the air, it is INDEED the most wonderful time of the year because that means that archery season is upon us!
For six months, I’ve been preaching about getting ready for opening day and I hope you have taken my suggestions and recommendations to heart. But I know there are many of you that have put off things due to work, chores, or other commitments. So now, when you dare to peek at a calendar, you get a bit nervous because the opener is only a week or two away and you KNOW you
aren’t as ready as you’d like.
It’s now really too late to be 100% ready for the opening day of archery season if you haven’t been preparing all summer but there are some things you can still do to at least get you closer to being ready.
Get a license. ‘Nuf said.
Go over your equipment. Make sure the bow string and cables are in good shape, all bolts and nuts are tight, and that your bow is as silenced as
you can get it. Check out your stand for rust or lose bolts. Make sure your safety harness is in PERFECT working order. Carefully go over each and
every arrow and look for cracked nocks or shafts. Ensure your broadheads
are sharp.
Practice one hour per day. Set aside at least one hour per day for shooting practice between now and three days before the opener. If you haven’t been practicing all summer, an hour per day is all the shooting you should do
since you’ll quickly tire and start to lose your groupings.
Sight in your broadheads. On the third day before the opener, sight in your broadheads with as few shots as you can. Once they are sighted in, you are done shooting your bow until opening day so your shooting muscles will have a chance to rest.
Remember though…and this is important because not many hunters do this…you must practice DURING the season! If you haven’t practiced since before the season started and your chance at a deer doesn’t come until the end of the
season, it could be six weeks or longer since you’ve shot an arrow.
Practice DURING the season!
Make sure you have a place to hunt. Several years ago, I got permission to access a friend’s farm whenever I wanted to. I still ask him every year if it’s ok if I hunt his property. Don’t assume you’ll still have your regular archery spot available even if you own your own property. Get out there and
make sure things haven’t changed too much since last year.
There’s a lot of other stuff you need to do between now and the opener so don’t wait. Do everything you can starting NOW to get ready.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
***ARCHERY TIP OF THE WEEK***
UNDER PRESSURE
Very few of us are fortunate enough to have enough of our own property where we’re able to keep other hunters out and pursue deer in their natural
state. Many of us are forced to hunt on public land or get permission to hunt on private land. Either way, we end up sharing the woods with other
hunters and deer are very seldom in a relaxed state of mind. Nothing is more frustrating than to be in a stand overlooking a perfect set up only to have some goober come wandering through who has obviously never heard of noise discipline.
Early in my hunting career, I used to get very upset when another hunter would mess up my hunt. I knew that every deer in the area was moving to
less crowded parts of the woods. As I grew older and began studying deer and hunting tactics in depth, I discovered escape routes. These are corridors that deer use when they are under pressure and are attempting to
get into protective cover. Understand, these are not necessarily funnels that I discussed in an earlier blog. These could be anything that allows a deer to get from one area to another quickly and covertly.
Opening morning of archery season or rifle season is pretty much the same across the nation. Most hunters are up early and quietly get in their stands well before daylight. And then comes daylight and all heck breaks
loose.
If its rifle season and you’re on public land, the surrounding shots come often for the first couple of hours. But whether its rifle or archery season, many more hunters are NOT seeing deer and they decide to get out of
their stands in search of better opportunities. They may wander around for a couple hours before finding a spot to sit for a while. Around lunch time, they head back to camp or their truck for a sandwich. Afterwards, the come back into the woods and sit for a bit. But shortly, they are on their feet again until they find a stump to sit on until they head out to get to their vehicle before dark.
Look carefully at what is happening here. If you are set up next to an escape route, you have the opportunity to see deer all day long! Each time those hunters move around, they move the deer! Can you see now how the deer
are under pressure how to put the other hunters running around the woods to work for you?
A number of years ago, I found a good escape route in an area I hunt on State Forest land. Now get this…my primary stand location is 200 yards from a road, about 300 yards from a parking area, and a hiking trail come to within 150 yards of my stand. But the ridge above me is littered with
mountain laurel and is very thick. Deer love to head into that stuff from the flats below me when the shooting starts. Connecting the mountain laurel above me and the flats below me is a brushy corridor about 30 yards wide
that runs from top to bottom. It’s not much but it’s what the deer use to get into the mountain laurel for protection once they realize they are
being hunted.
You may not be able to see escape routes from aerial or topo maps…you’ll have to get out there and find them. And understand that these are escape routes. It is very unlikely you’ll find any other sign except for perhaps tracks and maybe some droppings. You likely won’t find rubs, scrapes, or beds. Also be aware that deer will probably not be sight-seeing as they
come by you. You’ll have to be on your toes and prepared for a quick shot.
Patience is the key when hunting escape routes. The action may be going on around you early on but all you have to do is wait for those deer that are under pressure to start filtering by you to their “safe” haven.
Very few of us are fortunate enough to have enough of our own property where we’re able to keep other hunters out and pursue deer in their natural
state. Many of us are forced to hunt on public land or get permission to hunt on private land. Either way, we end up sharing the woods with other
hunters and deer are very seldom in a relaxed state of mind. Nothing is more frustrating than to be in a stand overlooking a perfect set up only to have some goober come wandering through who has obviously never heard of noise discipline.
Early in my hunting career, I used to get very upset when another hunter would mess up my hunt. I knew that every deer in the area was moving to
less crowded parts of the woods. As I grew older and began studying deer and hunting tactics in depth, I discovered escape routes. These are corridors that deer use when they are under pressure and are attempting to
get into protective cover. Understand, these are not necessarily funnels that I discussed in an earlier blog. These could be anything that allows a deer to get from one area to another quickly and covertly.
Opening morning of archery season or rifle season is pretty much the same across the nation. Most hunters are up early and quietly get in their stands well before daylight. And then comes daylight and all heck breaks
loose.
If its rifle season and you’re on public land, the surrounding shots come often for the first couple of hours. But whether its rifle or archery season, many more hunters are NOT seeing deer and they decide to get out of
their stands in search of better opportunities. They may wander around for a couple hours before finding a spot to sit for a while. Around lunch time, they head back to camp or their truck for a sandwich. Afterwards, the come back into the woods and sit for a bit. But shortly, they are on their feet again until they find a stump to sit on until they head out to get to their vehicle before dark.
Look carefully at what is happening here. If you are set up next to an escape route, you have the opportunity to see deer all day long! Each time those hunters move around, they move the deer! Can you see now how the deer
are under pressure how to put the other hunters running around the woods to work for you?
A number of years ago, I found a good escape route in an area I hunt on State Forest land. Now get this…my primary stand location is 200 yards from a road, about 300 yards from a parking area, and a hiking trail come to within 150 yards of my stand. But the ridge above me is littered with
mountain laurel and is very thick. Deer love to head into that stuff from the flats below me when the shooting starts. Connecting the mountain laurel above me and the flats below me is a brushy corridor about 30 yards wide
that runs from top to bottom. It’s not much but it’s what the deer use to get into the mountain laurel for protection once they realize they are
being hunted.
You may not be able to see escape routes from aerial or topo maps…you’ll have to get out there and find them. And understand that these are escape routes. It is very unlikely you’ll find any other sign except for perhaps tracks and maybe some droppings. You likely won’t find rubs, scrapes, or beds. Also be aware that deer will probably not be sight-seeing as they
come by you. You’ll have to be on your toes and prepared for a quick shot.
Patience is the key when hunting escape routes. The action may be going on around you early on but all you have to do is wait for those deer that are under pressure to start filtering by you to their “safe” haven.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)