• Fool one of these superwary predators and you earn the rank of expert hunter. Here's how to do it:
Focus on areas that hold small game, birds, mice, and vermin. CRP fields, brushy creek- or riverbottoms, swamps and marshes, and young clear-cuts are all excellent choices. Most farmers will gladly give you permission to hunt. Pinpoint your spots by looking for tracks and listening for barks, yips, and howls at dawn and dusk. The ideal conditions for a hunt are cold, calm days. Windy days are the worst.
Stealth is the first priority: no slamming vehicle doors or talking to your partner. Settle into a comfortable shooting position on a knoll or field edge that offers good visibility, and wait five to 15 minutes before calling.
Coyotes have extremely keen eyesight and, like any animal coming to a call, are looking hard for its source. Make sure your camo is good and that your hands and face are covered. A cushion to sit on helps you keep still.
If no coyotes come to your calls, sneak back out and drive to another area at least a half mile away, and repeat the process. You should be able to cover eight to 10 good spots in a day of hunting.
The Gear
You don't need much to start, and you may already have it
CALLS Mouth-operated rabbit squealers are a must, but don't rely on them alone. Also use other distress calls and coyote howlers.
DECOYS These act as a closer to your calls. One of your kid's beat-up stuffed animals can suffice, though battery-run motion dekes work best.
GUNS Flat-shooting rifles in .223 caliber work best in open terrain, but your deer rifle will do the trick. Shot-guns rule in thick timber or on night hunts (where legal). If you hunt turkeys, you probably already own the right setup: a tight-choked 12-gauge that throws a dense pattern out to 35 yards. Use No. 4 buckshot in magnum loads.
THE IDEAL COYOTE SETUP
Wind is key, but other factors can help put the odds in your favor
Patience: Most coyotes respond to calls quickly, but they can take their time. Call for at least 20 minutes before moving on.
Calling: Put some emotion into your distress calls for realism. Coyotes are very territorial, and calls that imitate their howls work great at this time of year.
Stealth: Approach from down-wind, and use cover. An obstacle (road, field) at your back prevents incoming coyotes from circling downwind.
Step back in time to a land where Cowboys still roam the open range. A land where Native American’s hunted buffalo by the herds of 10,000+! Ride horseback down the wagon trails from the 1800’s. See a land that hasn’t changed much since the early settlers. Rolling Plains Adventures, home of the Black Leg Ranch, offers all inclusive world class hunting for pheasant, waterfowl, coyote, and deer as well as professionally guided fishing trips, western vacations, and more!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Late Season Bow Hunting
Late-season hunting can be very challenging. However, understanding the deer’s behavioral and physiological adaptations can be a great help. Next, toss in some nasty weather and a prime food source. Suddenly, late season becomes a great time to be in the deer woods.
Winter Deer Habits
Especially in very snowy climates, whitetail deer tend to minimize their movements in order to maximize their energy efficiency. This means they travel between food, water and bed almost exclusively. Activity will slow down in these conditions as well. Once you figure out where deer are bedding on your property, make very straight paths between there to your food plot or a water source. Deer are more likely to try to conserve energy by using pre-determined paths, so one of these corridors may well be your key to bagging your late season buck. Using game cameras during this time is vital. Deer will relocate due to cover reduction, coyotes, food sources, and hunting pressure. Where you thought that big buck was living may not be the case now. I am trying to identify where these bucks are living based on available cover, food sources and pressure. Once I have done this knowing a shooter is in the area I will focus on stand placement between bedding and food source.
Hunt In and After Storms
If you are stalking bedding areas, consider hunting during winter or rain storms. When the snow is coming down and the wind is blowing, it’s hard for deer to keep track of everything going on around them. It’s easy to catch a whitetail off guard when the weather is making things more confusing. After storms, deer will tend to seek out food. Keep an eye on your food plots after a storm, and you may find the monsters coming straight to you. With that said many times mature deer will stage up before dark. Place your stand off of the food source to catch him during shooting hours if needed.
Even in the late season, whitetail hunting can still be excellent. Keep warm and keep thinking like a deer, and you may find the late season to be even better hunting than the rut. Lastly and maybe just as important as food sources is managing the WIND. This is been a key to success and that is hunting only if the conditions are right. Don’t minimize your efforts by hunting a bad wind. Have several stands set up so you can still hunt but with a good wind. Good luck!
Winter Deer Habits
Especially in very snowy climates, whitetail deer tend to minimize their movements in order to maximize their energy efficiency. This means they travel between food, water and bed almost exclusively. Activity will slow down in these conditions as well. Once you figure out where deer are bedding on your property, make very straight paths between there to your food plot or a water source. Deer are more likely to try to conserve energy by using pre-determined paths, so one of these corridors may well be your key to bagging your late season buck. Using game cameras during this time is vital. Deer will relocate due to cover reduction, coyotes, food sources, and hunting pressure. Where you thought that big buck was living may not be the case now. I am trying to identify where these bucks are living based on available cover, food sources and pressure. Once I have done this knowing a shooter is in the area I will focus on stand placement between bedding and food source.
Hunt In and After Storms
If you are stalking bedding areas, consider hunting during winter or rain storms. When the snow is coming down and the wind is blowing, it’s hard for deer to keep track of everything going on around them. It’s easy to catch a whitetail off guard when the weather is making things more confusing. After storms, deer will tend to seek out food. Keep an eye on your food plots after a storm, and you may find the monsters coming straight to you. With that said many times mature deer will stage up before dark. Place your stand off of the food source to catch him during shooting hours if needed.
Even in the late season, whitetail hunting can still be excellent. Keep warm and keep thinking like a deer, and you may find the late season to be even better hunting than the rut. Lastly and maybe just as important as food sources is managing the WIND. This is been a key to success and that is hunting only if the conditions are right. Don’t minimize your efforts by hunting a bad wind. Have several stands set up so you can still hunt but with a good wind. Good luck!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
How you can protect your hearing and prevent hearing loss while hunting
We have been asked to post this article about hearing loss written by John O'Connor and feel it is a great issue. So here it is:
How
Loud is Loud?
Although we love guns, many of us don't consider the health of our ears while using them. Hearing loss is accumulative, meaning that you might not notice it happening right away until it is too late. This is unfortunate, because once your hearing is gone, it's gone.
Sound is measured in decibels (dB). The human vocal range averages at about 65 dB. A shotgun can produce up to 160 plus dB. This blast of sound is too much for your eardrums to take all at once, and it is possible that you could go completely deaf due to the auditory nerve of your inner ear being so damaged.
What Steps Can We Take to Protect Our Ears?
Committing to protecting your ears now can give you a much better chance of having healthy hearing well into the future. When it comes to ear protection, you have three basic options: earplugs, earmuffs and electric earmuffs.
Earplugs are small and unobtrusive, making them many people's first choice in ear protection. If you choose to go this route, make sure to ensure that you're buying the highest amount of sound protection available. Also be sure to purchase new earplugs often, as they lose their ability to protect your ears after the foam expands and contracts multiple times.
Earmuffs are a favorite of hunters and rate highly for both comfort and noise protection. There are earmuffs available to suit a variety of budgets, from simple foam-padded models to higher-quality models that come with liquid padding and can protect against more decibels.
Electronic earmuffs are the star of the bunch. They are capable of telling the difference between normal human speech and louder noises, allowing anything below 80 dB to come through and shutting out the rest. This feature allows you to talk to others in the midst of shooting.
One Last Tip
If possible, choose to do your shooting outdoors. While indoor shooting may be a good way to keep up your practice during bad weather, it can also be more damaging. Shooting ranges are well-insulated in order to hold in the sound, which comes at the price of your ears. If you do choose to practice inside, make sure you are equipped with the proper hearing protection.
Hearing is a precious gift that we have. Protecting your hearing while hunting is a simple task. In choosing to follow the proper safety steps today, you can protect your hearing for many years to come.
Hi my name is John O'Connor, I am a father, outdoorsman
and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. Over the past
few years I have become more and more interested in hearing loss. My
father and grandfathers, who are and were all hunters, are affected by hearing
loss. I feel that there is a general lack of understanding around the
issue and it is our job to spread awareness where we can. Check out my
new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!
How to
Protect Yourself From Hearing Loss While Using a Gun
More and more people are hunting and learning to use a firearm these days. Some of them like to hunt for sport or their professions while others just like to unwind at the shooting range after a long day at the office, taking all of their stress out on the target. Hunting is a great hobby, but did you know it could affect your hearing? My father who has been hunting since he was a child, often when in the woods neglected his hearing protection. Now in his late 70’s he is affected severely by hearing loss. Although his doctors say that hunting is not the only cause of his hearing loss, it did play a major role in damaging his hearing levels. Still an avid hunter, my father loves to head out into the woods or get over to the shooting range to practice. Now days he always makes sure to have his hearing aids in and the proper hearing protection with him at all times. Take the right steps today in order to protect your hearing for the future.
More and more people are hunting and learning to use a firearm these days. Some of them like to hunt for sport or their professions while others just like to unwind at the shooting range after a long day at the office, taking all of their stress out on the target. Hunting is a great hobby, but did you know it could affect your hearing? My father who has been hunting since he was a child, often when in the woods neglected his hearing protection. Now in his late 70’s he is affected severely by hearing loss. Although his doctors say that hunting is not the only cause of his hearing loss, it did play a major role in damaging his hearing levels. Still an avid hunter, my father loves to head out into the woods or get over to the shooting range to practice. Now days he always makes sure to have his hearing aids in and the proper hearing protection with him at all times. Take the right steps today in order to protect your hearing for the future.
Although we love guns, many of us don't consider the health of our ears while using them. Hearing loss is accumulative, meaning that you might not notice it happening right away until it is too late. This is unfortunate, because once your hearing is gone, it's gone.
Sound is measured in decibels (dB). The human vocal range averages at about 65 dB. A shotgun can produce up to 160 plus dB. This blast of sound is too much for your eardrums to take all at once, and it is possible that you could go completely deaf due to the auditory nerve of your inner ear being so damaged.
What Steps Can We Take to Protect Our Ears?
Committing to protecting your ears now can give you a much better chance of having healthy hearing well into the future. When it comes to ear protection, you have three basic options: earplugs, earmuffs and electric earmuffs.
Earplugs are small and unobtrusive, making them many people's first choice in ear protection. If you choose to go this route, make sure to ensure that you're buying the highest amount of sound protection available. Also be sure to purchase new earplugs often, as they lose their ability to protect your ears after the foam expands and contracts multiple times.
Earmuffs are a favorite of hunters and rate highly for both comfort and noise protection. There are earmuffs available to suit a variety of budgets, from simple foam-padded models to higher-quality models that come with liquid padding and can protect against more decibels.
Electronic earmuffs are the star of the bunch. They are capable of telling the difference between normal human speech and louder noises, allowing anything below 80 dB to come through and shutting out the rest. This feature allows you to talk to others in the midst of shooting.
One Last Tip
If possible, choose to do your shooting outdoors. While indoor shooting may be a good way to keep up your practice during bad weather, it can also be more damaging. Shooting ranges are well-insulated in order to hold in the sound, which comes at the price of your ears. If you do choose to practice inside, make sure you are equipped with the proper hearing protection.
Hearing is a precious gift that we have. Protecting your hearing while hunting is a simple task. In choosing to follow the proper safety steps today, you can protect your hearing for many years to come.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Waterfowl Season Opens Tomorrow!
Duck and goose season opens tomorrow in North Dakota and we are pumped to get out in the fields once again. This year the waterfowl population is way up and the water is way down. The birds should be more concentrated this season.
While you are out hunting this fall, try these 10 tips on duck calling:
1. Not All Ducks Are Callable - Don’t get down if every flock of ducks doesn’t respond to your calling. Remember, not all ducks are callable. If the ducks appear to know where they are going odds are they will not respond to your calling. Signs of callable ducks are fluttering wing beats and ducks working a large area, not flying straight line.
2. Don’t Over Call - If the ducks are doing what you want them to do why keep calling? In most cases over calling results in ducks skirting your decoys as the un-needed calling will help the ducks zero in on your blind and find something that doesn't look right. There are a few exceptions to this rule.
3. Start Soft And Work Up - When first starting to call at a group of ducks begin with softer calls. If the ducks don't respond work towards more loud aggressive calling. Many duck hunters will start off too loud or aggressive and often spook ducks, especially educated ducks.
4. Choose Your Leader - When more than one person is calling in your group choose who will be the leader and have the others fill in. This way your group of hunters won’t accidentally end up overcalling at a flock of ducks. Examples of fill in calls are quacks, feed calls, and soft greeting calls.
5. Forgotten Drake Mallard Whistle - Many hunters forget the drake mallard whistle call. This is a great call filler call and something different for more educated call-shy ducks. This is also an easy call for kids to blow with the extra bonus with them feeling included with you or the group of others calling also.
6. Match Your Call To The Species - When possible use a duck call that matches the species you’re calling at, meaning that you want to speak their language. Although gadwall and pintail will some what respond to a mallard call you will most often get better results if you call at pintails with a pintail whistle, or use a gadwall call for when calling at gadwalls.
7. Keep The Ducks On A String - As soon as you notice approaching duck/ducks drifting off line from your setup hit them with a greeting call to get them back online. If this doesn’t work hit them with a comeback call. By starting with greeting, and then working up to a comeback call you won't start out to aggressive.
8. When There's Nothing To Lose - If the ducks look like there going to land short of your spread or just aren't responding to your calling get louder and more aggressive. At this point you don’t have anything to lose.
9. Never Call At Ducks Right Above You - When calling ducks that are working your decoys never call at them when they are right above your blind. Your calling will help them pinpoint your position and almost every time they will leave your setup.
10. Call At Their Wingtips - This is common term that simply means if the ducks are coming right at you why call? But if you can see their wingtips their not doing what you want them to do so then call.
While you are out hunting this fall, try these 10 tips on duck calling:
1. Not All Ducks Are Callable - Don’t get down if every flock of ducks doesn’t respond to your calling. Remember, not all ducks are callable. If the ducks appear to know where they are going odds are they will not respond to your calling. Signs of callable ducks are fluttering wing beats and ducks working a large area, not flying straight line.
2. Don’t Over Call - If the ducks are doing what you want them to do why keep calling? In most cases over calling results in ducks skirting your decoys as the un-needed calling will help the ducks zero in on your blind and find something that doesn't look right. There are a few exceptions to this rule.
3. Start Soft And Work Up - When first starting to call at a group of ducks begin with softer calls. If the ducks don't respond work towards more loud aggressive calling. Many duck hunters will start off too loud or aggressive and often spook ducks, especially educated ducks.
4. Choose Your Leader - When more than one person is calling in your group choose who will be the leader and have the others fill in. This way your group of hunters won’t accidentally end up overcalling at a flock of ducks. Examples of fill in calls are quacks, feed calls, and soft greeting calls.
5. Forgotten Drake Mallard Whistle - Many hunters forget the drake mallard whistle call. This is a great call filler call and something different for more educated call-shy ducks. This is also an easy call for kids to blow with the extra bonus with them feeling included with you or the group of others calling also.
6. Match Your Call To The Species - When possible use a duck call that matches the species you’re calling at, meaning that you want to speak their language. Although gadwall and pintail will some what respond to a mallard call you will most often get better results if you call at pintails with a pintail whistle, or use a gadwall call for when calling at gadwalls.
7. Keep The Ducks On A String - As soon as you notice approaching duck/ducks drifting off line from your setup hit them with a greeting call to get them back online. If this doesn’t work hit them with a comeback call. By starting with greeting, and then working up to a comeback call you won't start out to aggressive.
8. When There's Nothing To Lose - If the ducks look like there going to land short of your spread or just aren't responding to your calling get louder and more aggressive. At this point you don’t have anything to lose.
9. Never Call At Ducks Right Above You - When calling ducks that are working your decoys never call at them when they are right above your blind. Your calling will help them pinpoint your position and almost every time they will leave your setup.
10. Call At Their Wingtips - This is common term that simply means if the ducks are coming right at you why call? But if you can see their wingtips their not doing what you want them to do so then call.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
September e-newsletter
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Thursday, August 30, 2012
ND Bowseason opens tomorrow!
Rolling Plains Adventures is excited to open our bow season tomorrow at noon. We have been busy scouting and patterning deer all summer, so good luck to the hunters that hit the stand this week. Here is a photo from one of the bucks we have watched this summer.
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Saturday, August 11, 2012
Bow Hunting Season Right Around the Corner!
With bow hunting season only a few weeks away, we wanted to share a few tips to help you in the field. This write up by Bill Vaznis has some great tips to bagging that trophy this fall. In my opinion, one of the key reasons hunters have missed the shot, is because they are rushing the shot. Most of the time, the buck will gill give you a better opportunity or a few more seconds, so don't release at the first opportunity that arrives if you aren't comfortable. It is better to let that animal walk then miss a make able shot or wound the buck of a lifetime. Enjoy!
It was a perfect morning. I was still-hunting along an old logging trail that opened up to an overgrown farm field behind my home in upstate New York when a hot doe stepped out in front of me. I could barely see her in the early morning darkness, but when she jumped into a nearby wood lot with her tail off to one side I thought I heard a second much larger deer grunt and then make a break for it in the opposite direction.
I slipped forward until I reached the edge of the field, and glassed across the knee-high briars and golden rod. Nothing.
I began sneaking along the edge of the field looking for the buck that I knew had to be still nearby when something caught my eye just out of bow range. It was the white throat patch of a buck. Not a big one mind you, but a racked deer nonetheless that was zigzagging his way back towards me, obviously seeking out that hot doe.
By now it was light enough to shoot, so I, too, began zigzagging across the field, trying to keep the buck in view without spooking him. At thirty yards he dropped down into an irrigation ditch. I knelt down, quietly slid an arrow from my quiver and knocked an arrow all in one fluid motion. When the buck popped back into view he was sneaking 20 yards past me at a broadside angle and oblivious to my presence. I immediately came to full draw and focused on a spot behind his near shoulder. When my single pin covered that patch of hide for a full second I relaxed my fingers sending a Phat Head-tipped shaft to its mark. I found the buck piled up 100 yards distant, dead from a double lung pass through.
That was my 25th whitetail tagged by still-hunting with archery tackle. I would like to say I never missed a buck once I set my sights on him, but that has not always been the case.
“I have missed some embarrassingly easy shots over the years,
We must come to full draw with confidence that our equipment will function flawlessly. In some cases however that can be a false sense of security. Why? Any changes you make to your bow after it is tuned can have a deleterious effect on arrow flight.
When the moment of truth arrives however, do not change your mind and add a few yards “just in case” the buck is further away as you will surely shoot over its back. Look back over your own career, and count the number of times you underestimated the shooting distance. I will bet that that figure is quite low when compared to the number of occasions you overshot the animal.
Indeed, in the last two years I skewered two long-distance whitetails, one at 40 and the other 42 yards. I estimated the shooting distance before I came to full draw, and then stayed with my initial calculations. Your first estimate is almost always the most accurate.
Pinning a compass to your jacket for example is a sure way to get it ripped off by the bow string. Not only will you destroy your compass, but it will also deflect an otherwise perfect shot. Get into the habit of tucking grunt tubes and binoculars inside your shirt or jacket and out of harm’s way. And keep your compass in your back pack.
What can you do about it? Do not limit your pre-season practice sessions to standing shots on level ground at 20 yards. Try stump shooting at unknown distances from sitting and kneeling positions or climb into a tree stand and practice shooting around the tree’s trunk from awkward angles. These exercises will help prepare you for any shot that might come down the pike.
If you have the time, use your pins to insure you have a clear path for your arrow. If you are taking a 40-yard shot for example, and your 30-yard pin is centered on an overhanging limb, then by all means raise or drop your line of sight to take the shot.
But do not overlook the obvious. A friend of mine once missed a dandy buck because he rested the lower limb of his bow on the platform of his tree stand. He later explained he was shaking like the proverbial leaf and needed to anchor the bow to stop the sights from weaving all about.
Indeed, I once caught a buck flat-footed as he fed along the edge of a cut corn lot one windy morning. He seemed a bit nervous, but when he turned broadside to me at 20 yards I released a vaned shaft at his vitals just as he stepped forward. Much to my surprise the buck suddenly hopped forward causing my arrow to sail harmlessly across the field. He then lowered his head and continued feeding before jumping a barbed wire fence and trotting out of range. I am convinced this nervous buck caught in mid stride heard the arrow leave the bow, and was already coiled to react instinctively to the strange noise.
A sudden whistle or grunt will generally stop the buck long enough for you to settle your pin, but if that does not work let your bow down. You may be able to draw him back into range with some deer vocalizations.
One problem that quickly comes apparent is where exactly to put your pin. I have taken several bucks under ten yards, including one seven pointer at three yards. However, I missed (gulp!) a mature eight pointer this past season at 12 feet because I failed to thread a broad head through a small opening in a maze of low-hanging thorn apple branches.
Shooting straight down out of a tree stand is another conundrum. It is best to practice this shot before the season opens to learn exactly where your arrow will hit at ten or twelve feet. You may have to aim low. In addition, you need to be sure your equipment is up to the task. Arrows have been known to fall off the rest at the worse time.
Let me put it this way, I would not want to be standing in the goldenrod and have someone with average shooting skills firing arrows at me, and expect a few goldenrod stalks to protect me. Use your head here; you don’t always have to pass up the shot because the animal is partially concealed by vegetation.
I try to control the entire shooting situation by having a step-by-step mental check off list to rely on: First estimate the yardage and then pick a spot to shoot at. Now come to full draw while staring at that spot, and hold it steady for three seconds.
Now I tell myself, “you haven’t got him yet, you need a clean release.” It forces me to take one more second and concentrate on a perfect release with follow through.
I have learned that if I skip a step I am sure to miss, no matter how easy the shot appears to be. But when I adhere to this check off list, the odds of a solid hit and good blood trail are high.
Why We Miss At The Moment of Truth!
By Bill VaznisIt was a perfect morning. I was still-hunting along an old logging trail that opened up to an overgrown farm field behind my home in upstate New York when a hot doe stepped out in front of me. I could barely see her in the early morning darkness, but when she jumped into a nearby wood lot with her tail off to one side I thought I heard a second much larger deer grunt and then make a break for it in the opposite direction.I began sneaking along the edge of the field looking for the buck that I knew had to be still nearby when something caught my eye just out of bow range. It was the white throat patch of a buck. Not a big one mind you, but a racked deer nonetheless that was zigzagging his way back towards me, obviously seeking out that hot doe.
By now it was light enough to shoot, so I, too, began zigzagging across the field, trying to keep the buck in view without spooking him. At thirty yards he dropped down into an irrigation ditch. I knelt down, quietly slid an arrow from my quiver and knocked an arrow all in one fluid motion. When the buck popped back into view he was sneaking 20 yards past me at a broadside angle and oblivious to my presence. I immediately came to full draw and focused on a spot behind his near shoulder. When my single pin covered that patch of hide for a full second I relaxed my fingers sending a Phat Head-tipped shaft to its mark. I found the buck piled up 100 yards distant, dead from a double lung pass through.
That was my 25th whitetail tagged by still-hunting with archery tackle. I would like to say I never missed a buck once I set my sights on him, but that has not always been the case.
“I have missed some embarrassingly easy shots over the years,
but those misses have taught me what to do and not do
when the moment of truth presents itself.”
1. DON’T MAKE ANY LAST-MINUTE EQUIPMENT CHANGES
We must come to full draw with confidence that our equipment will function flawlessly. In some cases however that can be a false sense of security. Why? Any changes you make to your bow after it is tuned can have a deleterious effect on arrow flight.
The most common mistake is to increase your draw weight just before the big hunt, but attaching a different quiver, stabilizer, or brand of broad head can also cause your hunting arrow to fly off into the wild blue yonder.
The solution to this problem is simple: Don’t make any last minute changes to your hunting equipment unless you have absolutely no choice. If you must, however, be sure to take a few practice shots to make sure everything is still in perfect working order before stepping afield.2. DON’T SECOND GUESS THE SHOOTING DISTANCE
Always estimate the shooting distance before you come to full draw. Still-hunters rarely know the yardage before the animal appears, but if you hunt from a tree stand or ground blind, you can use a range finder to learn the exact yardage to several likely shooting locations before you begin your vigil.When the moment of truth arrives however, do not change your mind and add a few yards “just in case” the buck is further away as you will surely shoot over its back. Look back over your own career, and count the number of times you underestimated the shooting distance. I will bet that that figure is quite low when compared to the number of occasions you overshot the animal.
Indeed, in the last two years I skewered two long-distance whitetails, one at 40 and the other 42 yards. I estimated the shooting distance before I came to full draw, and then stayed with my initial calculations. Your first estimate is almost always the most accurate.
3. DON’T ALLOW CLOTHING INTERFERENCE
Be sure to practice in your hunting clothing prior to the season, paying close attention to anything that can interfere with arrow flight such as unbuttoned pockets, puffy arm sleeves and draw strings on hooded sweatshirts. However, we can still manage to get an arrow off course by adding something to our attire later on when we finally step into the field.Pinning a compass to your jacket for example is a sure way to get it ripped off by the bow string. Not only will you destroy your compass, but it will also deflect an otherwise perfect shot. Get into the habit of tucking grunt tubes and binoculars inside your shirt or jacket and out of harm’s way. And keep your compass in your back pack.
4. PRACTICE UNORTHODOX SHOOTING ANGLES
It makes little difference if you bow hunt from a tree stand, ground blind or on foot, sooner or later you will be presented with a difficult shooting opportunity. The buck may pass behind your tree stand for example or you may have to shoot from a hunched position on foot or from inside your ground blind.What can you do about it? Do not limit your pre-season practice sessions to standing shots on level ground at 20 yards. Try stump shooting at unknown distances from sitting and kneeling positions or climb into a tree stand and practice shooting around the tree’s trunk from awkward angles. These exercises will help prepare you for any shot that might come down the pike.
5. CHECK FOR ADEQUATE CLEARANCE
Before coming to full draw you must quickly determine if there is anything along the projected arrow’s route that could cause a deflection. We have all missed because our arrow contacted an unseen twig or an overhanging branch.If you have the time, use your pins to insure you have a clear path for your arrow. If you are taking a 40-yard shot for example, and your 30-yard pin is centered on an overhanging limb, then by all means raise or drop your line of sight to take the shot.
But do not overlook the obvious. A friend of mine once missed a dandy buck because he rested the lower limb of his bow on the platform of his tree stand. He later explained he was shaking like the proverbial leaf and needed to anchor the bow to stop the sights from weaving all about.
6. AVOID SHOOTING AT ALERT ANIMALS
Your goal should always be to shoot at an animal that is relaxed and unaware of your presence. A buck that has you pegged, or appears nervous can fall back, jump up, leap forward, switch ends, drop to his knees or simply skedaddle before you can release an arrow. And if by chance you do manage to get a shot off the result is almost always a miss, or worse.Indeed, I once caught a buck flat-footed as he fed along the edge of a cut corn lot one windy morning. He seemed a bit nervous, but when he turned broadside to me at 20 yards I released a vaned shaft at his vitals just as he stepped forward. Much to my surprise the buck suddenly hopped forward causing my arrow to sail harmlessly across the field. He then lowered his head and continued feeding before jumping a barbed wire fence and trotting out of range. I am convinced this nervous buck caught in mid stride heard the arrow leave the bow, and was already coiled to react instinctively to the strange noise.7. AVOID THE WANDERING EYE
You should always pick a spot to shoot at BEFORE you bring your bow to full draw. In the excitement of the hunt it is easy to get rattled and stare at the rack (which you will invariably hit!) or look at the whole animal to which case you will surely miss him by a country mile. Picking a spot before you raise your bow forces you to block out other stimuli and concentrate on settling the pin on that specific area.8. DON’T RUSH THE SHOT
One of the more common ways to flub an opportunity is to allow our emotions to short circuit our common sense. During the rut for example when bucks are prancing about it is not uncommon to be at full draw and have the buck suddenly take off in another direction. Your worse course of action now is to snap off a shot. We panic because we fear the buck is going to get away.A sudden whistle or grunt will generally stop the buck long enough for you to settle your pin, but if that does not work let your bow down. You may be able to draw him back into range with some deer vocalizations.
9. DON’T SHOOT TOO CLOSE
We all know we should pass up shot opportunities that are beyond our capabilities, but what about those times when the buck is only a few yards away? Indeed, close range shooting can be as demanding as the long shots.One problem that quickly comes apparent is where exactly to put your pin. I have taken several bucks under ten yards, including one seven pointer at three yards. However, I missed (gulp!) a mature eight pointer this past season at 12 feet because I failed to thread a broad head through a small opening in a maze of low-hanging thorn apple branches.
Shooting straight down out of a tree stand is another conundrum. It is best to practice this shot before the season opens to learn exactly where your arrow will hit at ten or twelve feet. You may have to aim low. In addition, you need to be sure your equipment is up to the task. Arrows have been known to fall off the rest at the worse time.
10. DO NOT LET DOWN
I practice shooting through brush, tall grass and weeds to learn how a particular broad head might react under hunting conditions. It is surprising what an arrow can pass through and still be on target, especially if the buck is standing in tall grass, and how a single pencil thin twig will easily deflect a broad head.Let me put it this way, I would not want to be standing in the goldenrod and have someone with average shooting skills firing arrows at me, and expect a few goldenrod stalks to protect me. Use your head here; you don’t always have to pass up the shot because the animal is partially concealed by vegetation.
Bonus Tip: DON’T PUNCH OR PLUCK
You can still blow an easy shot if you fever up at the last second and either punch the release or pluck the string.I try to control the entire shooting situation by having a step-by-step mental check off list to rely on: First estimate the yardage and then pick a spot to shoot at. Now come to full draw while staring at that spot, and hold it steady for three seconds.
Now I tell myself, “you haven’t got him yet, you need a clean release.” It forces me to take one more second and concentrate on a perfect release with follow through.
I have learned that if I skip a step I am sure to miss, no matter how easy the shot appears to be. But when I adhere to this check off list, the odds of a solid hit and good blood trail are high.
Bill Vaznis, Outdoor Author & Editor, Bear Hunting Magazine
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