Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) promotes instruction in international-style target archery as part of the in-school curriculum to improve educational performance and participation in shooting sports among students in grades 4-12.  Andy Kaetzel has been principal at two different school and had excellent success.  “Our children quality for the state contest almost every year and have gone to the national competition on two occasions,” he says proudly.  “Although the program begins officially in grade 4, we purchased Nerf bows for younger students, and they love it.”

Safe and Fun for School Kids

NASP lessons are oriented toward target archery which is widely accepted as a safe, wholesome, and noncontroversial discipline. Founders designed the program so young people everywhere, whether urban or rural, could learn archery skills and decide on their own how and where to apply those skills.  The program has specific safety rules at the target line and while retrieving arrows.

Follow the Rules

What’s being taught or promoted in public schools is highly scrutinized and, in some cases, controversial.  Just as a young person’s first job is a learning experience, so is their first organized sport.  The NASP program has hard-and-fast rules for safety, enjoyment, and success.  To succeed, youngsters need to pay attention, do as they are instructed, and demonstrate that lessons are understood.  WOW! This is teaching.

The Most Inclusive of All Sports

Most sports favor a particular body type.  That is, tall for basketball, large for football, lanky for soccer, and so forth.  Arrows show no preference.  A child can be tall or short, thin or stout, nimble or not-so-much, or confined to a wheelchair.  The equipment used in NASP is designed so that anyone can use it successfully.

Discipline of Mind and Body

This image shows the size and scope of a state archery championship.  Once underway, there will be children standing in front of every target to demonstrate their skill.  Given the chao demonstrated by young people in some large group gatherings, one might question the safety of such a huge undertaking.  The challenge is large, but the archery program exceeds all expectations.  Participants must embrace discipline of mind and body and demonstrate they can succeed with each opportunity.

For many wildlife managers, planting food plots has been the primary means of supplementing wildlife food sources. Instead of expensive food plots that need mowing and spraying and often turn into a weed patch, why not plant trees that will yield persimmons, apples, acorns, and other mast that deer love? Maintaining a tree patch is less labor intensive and requires less machinery, and you may be able to get funding to do it.

Healthy Forests Healthy Waters (HFHW)

Our hunt club had about three acres near our clubhouse that had grown up in weeds and small trees for several years.  We tried planting corn there, but the cost was very high and the impact on the deer herd seemed minimal.  Last fall we signed up for HFHW and I spent the morning mowing trees and briars to make way for the planting.

Make Your Own Mast

The barren ground was growing trees, yet not the kind that were conducive for deer mast.  As part of the program, we were able to select the species of trees we wanted and have the planting done to accommodate our club tractor which will eventually mow the plot once or twice per year.  Trees will come from the state nursery and will be planted by staff members of the HFHW program.

Sleeves to Protect Seedlings

You probably have seen sections of what seems like white pipe protruding from the ground.  Because young trees are susceptible to browsing by deer, rabbits, and other animals, each seedling is planted in and protected by a cylinder which will allow the tree to grow to sufficient height and diameter until animals will no longer be a threat.

Waiting on Dry Weather

I should have taken a “before” and “after” picture to show progress.  Here’s the “after” and the job was made much easier with a tractor and brush-hog attachments.  This equipment is available at most rental facilities and it’s amazing how much work can be accomplished with the right gear.  Because the ground was wet from recent rain, the 4WD capability came in handy.

I saw samples of SKRE camouflage at the 2024 ATA Show and loved the pattern. My starter box arrived yesterday, and I was anxious to gear up and see what it was like. Our turkey season is still a month away, and I know that the greens will blend with the vegetation very well. More important than the coloration is how the clothes fit.  What kind of pockets does it have? Is it warm?

Love the Double Vest Pockets

The Hardscrabble Jacket grabbed my attention immediately due to the double breast, zippered pockets.  The zippers work easily, and each pocket is large enough for critical gear.  My new Samsung phone fits, even with the security case and it will sit there every time I go hunting.  It’s also my camera and I use it constantly.  The other pocket will hold my mouth calls, rangefinder, hunting license or other critical gear.   The beauty of a chest pocket is the small amount of movement needed to access gear and the security of not losing gear that matters most.

Zippered Trousers

I was once in a car accident, minor thankfully, when the police officer asked for my license.  Reaching for my wallet, it wasn’t in my pocket and as I nearly panicked, I remembered changing pants in the mountain while turkey hunting.  Luckily, it was right where I expected it to be.  The Hardscrabble pants have two front pockets and two back pockets, substantial in size and each with zippers that operate smoothly.  In my experience, the first thing to fail on hunting clothing is a zipper which either jams or separates. These seem well made.

Smooth and Quiet

I need to spend much more time with this gear to get a true reading, yet with the first few steps, I noticed that there was no sound when walking.  The trousers are trim and the swishing sound that many camo brands make was totally absent.  Likewise, when using calls and shooting my crossbow, the fabric was totally silent.

Full Set

In these images, you can see how well the pattern blends within itself.  SKRE offers a hooded jacket and pants, gloves, Morino wool neck gator, and balaclava that makes an ideal face mask.  With the zippered jacket pockets, these items can be stored in the jacket so that I know exactly where they are when you need them.  Testing new products is a lot of fun and I’ll share my experiences with this new brand as the season unfolds.  Thinking about new camouflage for the spring or fall season?  One click below will get you to the full site.  Enjoy!

The heart-lung area of a wild turkey is the size of a baseball, and gobblers are a master at “the hidden ball trick.”  If you plan on hunting spring gobblers with your bow, these images furnished by the National Bowhunter Education Foundation are absolutely critical.  The best way is to practice on a 3-D turkey target or a target with turkey vitals, like the Back-to-Back by Morrell.

Save to Your Phone

Spring turkey hunting is a mixture of adrenalin rush, suspense as you wait for a bird to approach, and patience as the woods becomes quiet and you wait for a tom to spot your decoys.  This is prime time to review the kill zone of a wild turkey and it helps if you have a phone image of a fully feathered birds at full strut and other stances.  Just like you would do with a deer, pick the shot location on a gobbler picture in various positions.

Broadside is Best

If you compare the two pictures above, you will see that everything above this bird’s beak, parallel to the ground, is feathers.  Many turkey hunters like to pick the vitals by aiming up the leg to the point where it intersects a line with the waddle, the red, bumpy section of the neck.  The trick is to get the bird to stand still.  A hen decoy will cause the gobbler to strut stoically, while a jake will cause it to rush in and attack the decoy.

Other Shot Angles

A frontal shot will be lethal if you strike just above the beard.  That patch of whiskers makes a clear aiming target, but you must be careful that the tom is facing you directly.  Gobblers often rotate their fans so that they appear to be facing you when their body is at an angle.  Patience is the key as is a large broadhead, with three-blade models preferable.

Quick Kill or Clean Miss

The head/neck section is very vulnerable to an arrow and a hit in this area disables the turkey instantly.  A spring gobbler’s head and upper neck is the size of a soda can, so it’s larger than many hunters think.  You can hit this instantly lethal target from the front or the side.  If you are competent with a diaphragm caller, make an alarm putt and the gobbler will raise its head and fully exposing its neck.  Normally, when a turkey hears this alarm sound, it will hold this pose for a few seconds, so you must be ready to shoot.

I demonstrated the Burris Oracle X rangefinding scope at a sporting show in Central Pennsylvania last summer, and participants were amazed.  So much so that I pitched the idea of a field test to Petersen Publishing’s Crossbow Revolution Magazine.  They agreed it should be an interesting story, and the full article hit the newsstand last summer.  If you are a crossbow fan or just interested in the subject, you’ll find everything you need to know in this edition.

Beginning with Success

Since I was familiar with the Burris Oracle X, I began my test with that scope.  One of the challenges of this assignment was using three sets of technology which had to be transported to Africa, set up, sighted in, disassembled, and repeated in one week’s time.  After sighting each scope according to its individual process, I marked the Picatinny rail so that the scope could be mounted in Africa with minimal difficulty.  Luckily, the outfit had one good target that would stop the TenPoint Viper 430, but I had to put butter on the shafts to remove them.

Bowhunting Unfriendly

I was assured by my outfitter that this hunt was very bowhunter friendly but upon arrival, the guides told me that the properties we would hunt were rifle hunted year-round and that the average shot is between 150 and 250 yards.  Yikes!  I had hoped to sneak within 50-75 yards of game animals and use the rangefinder sights to seal the deal.  The picture above was taken at 300 yards with a telephoto lens, a manageable rifle shot but way out of arrow range.

First Success

Because I had been using the Burris Oracle X for the past two years, I began with it and scored at 71 yards.  African animals are difficult to stalk because they often live in herds of like or similar animals.   Imagine trying to sneak close to a herd of whitetail or mule deer.  To be successful, I had to sneak behind bushes and small trees, crawl under the lower bows, and shoot from a prone position, complicated by the thick ground cover that would surely affect arrow flight.

Sig Sauer BDX

Archers may be surprised to learn that Sig Sauer’s BDX ranging system can be calibrated for crossbows.  This system is well known and written about in the outdoor press among rifle hunters, yet the same technology works well for crossbows.  The Sig Sauer scope pairs with a Sig Sauer KILO5K rangefinder and once the range of a target is determined with the hand-held rangefinder the corresponding aiming point appears as a red dot in the scope.  The scope has a standard BDX reticle so it works with or without the rangefinding option. Once used the usefulness of this system is incredibly apparent.

You can’t fix, adjust, or repair a bow or crossbow without the proper tool, such as an Allen wrench, and Pine Ridge makes a quality tool that will save the day when vibration raises its ugly head.  The last thing you want on a compound bow, and especially a crossbow, is a screw loose.  This handy tool fits easily into a shooting vest, jacket pocket or backpack.

Lifetime Warranty

I was shopping at an import freight store and came across a set of Allen wrenches.  Since you can never have too many tools like this I bought a set and in less than a year, they had disassembled and are now in a heap in the junk drawer.  This tool comes with a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA.

Fast Arrow Relief

The “Big Gripper” will pay for itself in a couple of shoots if you have a fast bow.  Crossbows, especially, have such great kinetic energy that you’ll nearly burry an arrow up to the fletch after a few shots.  With a foam target, the arrow probably melted the foam against the arrow shaft the reason pulling it out is so difficult.  Any type of gripping tool, like pliers, will crush the shaft, ruining the arrow or making it unsafe to shoot.  The “Big Gripper” is excellent for tightening target points as well as removing arrows buried up to the fletch.  Also, if you shoot lighted nocks, this tool will grip the nock and give enough traction to turn it off.  That’s two pesky problems solved.

Accurate Broadheads

Once you have your bow sighted and tuned, there is one more critical element before you hunt.  Make sure that your broadheads impact at point-of-aim just like target points.  This isn’t difficult with fixed blade heads because you can actually shoot one into a foam target and touch up the blades to restore the razor’s edge.  However, what about mechanical heads or hybrids.  Most are designed for one-time use.

In the video of part one you saw a huge Cape buffalo approach a water hole very cautiously.  I had been waiting six days for this opportunity and I was anxious to shoot.  When the bull turned broadside, I began squeezing the trigger, but the bull turned back just as the arrow released.  The arrow hit the horn and clipped the brisket.  With the sun on the horizon, there was no safe way to track the buffalo in the dark, so we headed back to camp to watch the video and determine the next step.

For the next three days, two Professional Hunters and I tracked and tried to anticipate the bull’s movements, yet we never saw it again.  One time it approached within 50 yards, but the wind swirled, and I heard it crash away.  Stalking the bull through dense brush seemed like a kamikaze mission.  We had to walk into the wind so that the bull could not smell us coming.  Even with two PH’s and two monster rifles, an attach would have been deadly for at least one of us.

225-Grain Phat Head and New Bow

Luckily, no hunter killed “my” bull during the rest of the season, and I made plans for a do-over.  This time I switched to a Mission Sub1 and a speed-adjustable scope.  I still believed that the CAMX 330 could kill a buffalo, but the Mission gave me much greater speed and the quality scope.  I stayed with heavy arrows and the Steel Force Phat Head broadheads which were as sharp as razor blades.  Despite their large size, I cut my hand installing one.

Another Bust?

Prior scouting showed that the big bull and several smaller buffalo drank at one particular waterhole, and we tried the tree stand strategy again.  After two nights, the buffalo showed no pattern of approaching and high winds made our ambush attempt futile.  On the third day, we tried another ambush on the ground which ended in disaster.  The group caught our wind and stampeded such that one of the bulls was spotted on a different ranch eight miles away.  Was my bull still on the property?

In 2018, I believed that I could take a Cape Buffalo with a CAMX 330 crossbow.  I experimented with heavy arrows but made one critical mistake.  Here’s the video that has more than 80K views.  Check it out and tomorrow, I’ll address lessons learned.

A turkey decoy can be your single best strategy to bag a bird with bow and arrow.  Whether you are sitting against a tree or concealed in a blind, a decoy can lure a gobbler into close range and distract it at the moment of truth.  Once you call to a turkey, it knows your exact location and unless the bird sees the source of the call (the decoy) it may refuse to approach.

Know the Distance

Decoys give the hunter several advantages.  The first is the attraction of the gobbler and the distraction the bogus bird provides.  Just as importantly, by luring the bird to a specific spot, you know the range within a yard or two.  When blind hunting, you can lure the tom into prime shooting position based on your shooting windows.  When hunting from the ground, you prevent the bird from strutting behind you or to your non-shooting side.

The Joy of Jakes

Jakes, yearling male turkeys, often travel in small groups and act like thugs when they approach a mature gobbler.  They will attack as a group flopping and pecking at the tom’s head.  Mature gobblers have an equal disdain for jakes and often run to attack them.  The turkey world is a constant battle for dominance and watching these interactions is interesting and often comical.

One, or a Flock?

Since hens will still be in flocks on opening day, several decoys will look more natural than a lone hen.  As above, I post a jake with two hens to further enrage a passing gobbler.  Despite the hen’s location, an approaching gobbler goes directly for the jake, attacking it.  This requires extreme patience on your part as you must wait until the tom presents the correct position and is still.  Your kill zone is the size of a baseball and is disguised by feathers.  Accuracy is critical.

Western turkey hunting is a pure adrenalin rush.  Not only will you see lots of turkeys but put your skills against the wily coyotes that chase them every day.  You’ll see treetops filled with turkeys, hear them greet the morning with thundering gobblers and watch them fly down to begin the mating process.  Most units allow for multiple birds so it’s not “one and done.”

Buttes, Bluffs, and Badlands

The terrain of the Great Plains will blow you away.  If you’ve never seen Badlands National Park, you are in for a treat.  Even better this unique colored shale covers much of the Dakotas, Wyoming and Eastern Montana.  These are wide open spaces where there is plenty of room for turkeys to hide, roost and feed.  As much fun as climbing this colorful terrain is sneaking and stalking birds that can be spotted a mile away.

Call and Spot-and-Stalk

All four species of wild turkeys respond to the same calls.  They may look slightly different but make similar sounds.  This means that you can employ the same calling skills you have developed back home in this new environment.  Western turkeys often travel in large flocks, so don’t be surprised if toms refuse to leave their hens, adding extra challenge.

Special Gear

You will be doing lots of hiking and probably crawling to get close to Western turkeys.  Binoculars are mandatory unless you are hunting with a guide and even then, you’ll enjoy seeing a backlit tom strutting for hens on the open plain.  Leather gloves and knee pads, like volleyball players use, are a must when crawling through terrain littered with small-but-spiny cactus.

Shannon Jackson Explains it Best

Turkey hunting with a bow is a love/hate relationship.  Archers love being in the spring woods yet hate getting busted by a gobbler whenever they draw their bow or raise a crossbow.  Turkeys have the eyesight of an eagle and will detect motion in its slightest form.  And they can see color so camouflage is absolutely a must.

Watch Spring Explode

If you have never hunted turkeys in the spring, you are missing some of the most enjoyable hunting conditions of the year.  I remember the first time I hunted in the Low Country of South Carolina.  I left the snow-covered barren woods of the Mid-Atlantic and awoke to dogwoods in full bloom, birds constantly giving their mating calls and lush, pre-summer foliage.  It was as if I had entered another world.

No Off Season

As a bowhunter, you are an athlete and just like today’s professional sports figures, you can’t let your bow hang on a rack nine months of the year.  Spring turkeys provide the motivation to keep you muscles and your shooting eye in tune year round.  Heavy draw weights and blinding arrow speed aren’t necessary for turkey hunting, but accuracy is critical.

Family Fun

Scouting for turkeys is great family fun.  It’s best done at mid-day or early afternoon when temperatures are moderate and little ones and first timers don’t need an early rise.  Watching gobblers strut and do their best to impress hens if fun to watch and can be downright comical.  Walking the woods is exploring and you may find a shed antler, a special “trophy” a youngster will cherish.

Every broadhead, arrow, crossbow, rifle, and bullet sold in the USA is taxed 11% by the US Government.  Manufacturers pay this tax before an item is sold, so you don’t notice it, but these funds have saved hunting and conservation in the USA.  Here’s the whole story.

Here’s the skinny: Hyperflite arrows penetrate greater than any standard arrow.  “You better shoot the corner of the target,” said Tim Gordon, owner of Keystone Sports archery shop in Hagerstown, Maryland.  “Even then, you’ll probably need an arrow gripper to remove it.”  Sure enough, barely three inches of shaft protruded from a commercial grade target designed for heavy crossbows and compounds.

Big Bull Down

In preparation for a crossbow elk hunt in Idaho, I chose the Barnett Hyper Ghost specifically because it shot .204-inch diameter Hyperflite arrows.  Since shots on elk can be longer than for whitetail deer, I wanted as much penetration and as flat of a trajectory as possible.  The Hyperflite passed completely through the mature bull at 50 yards and downed the animal in seconds.

Hyper Raptor, The Next Generation

I explained many of the features of the Hyper Raptor in a previous post yet wanted to cover a few more.  The Hyper Raptor has a step-through footrest which shortens the bow and makes for a much surer cocking procedure.  Most crossbows have a metal cocking stirrup that extends beyond the riser and attaches with screws or bolts.  These can come lose or make noise due to vibration, a problem eliminated with this bow.

Easy Rope Cocking

Due to the narrow silhouette of the Hyper Raptor, it cocks with a rope and a sled, a common device for contemporary crossbows.  Despite its speed, it cocks with a single pull and since the step-through foot stirrup shortens the bow, it allows you to use more of your leg muscles.  Additionally, the rope snaps under a red ball behind the trigger mechanism for a perfect cock on the first try.  By containing the cocking rope, it can’t slide up or slip off as with a small notch.  You will quickly like it.

Crank Cocking Device

The Hyper Raptor is available with a Crank Cocking Device (CCD) that operates with a silent crank.  Personally, I struggled with this application, so I’ve attached the video explaining it.

Come April, white-tailed deer in the northern states have gone through their worst hard time. Prolonged severe winter weather is the most taxing time in a whitetail’s life, particularly at the edges of their northernmost range. Does will soon give birth—if they haven’t starved.

To get through this demanding period, whitetails “yard up” or congregate in unique deer winter habitats. They gather in groups, not for food but to escape biting winds and deep snow. In Vermont, for example, it is not uncommon for the winter mercury to drop below zero for more than 50 days throughout the season. Add a foot and a half of snow on the ground with piercing wind chills, and one can see that winter habitat management is critical.

Taxes paid by firearms, ammunition, and archery manufacturers via the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson), fund state fish and wildlife agencies’ scientific population surveys and habitat management. That means ensuring the existence of robust stands of softwoods in sufficient size and frequency and proper locale to shelter white-tailed deer through the coldest part of the year.

“During winter, whitetails migrate to important habitats for relief from deep snow and cold temperatures,” said John Austin, Land & Habitat Program manager with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. “Stands of softwood trees such as eastern hemlock, red spruce, balsam fir, white pine, and white cedar, particularly on south-facing slopes where the sun creates favorable microclimates, provide critical habitat for deer to survive winter conditions. Softwood tree branches capture snow overhead, making it easier for deer to get around, find food and avoid predators. Their reliance on this important winter habitat concerns energy conservation rather than energy consumption. Deer in the northern part of their range depend on conserving energy stored during the summer and fall when food is abundant.”

Few things spark a hunter’s imagination more than finding a huge, shed antler.  It’s a signal that a mature buck or bull survived the winter and may be in the same area next hunting season.  Barring an invasion of predators or a massive spring snowstorm, you can begin the scouting process in late spring and, with a bit of luck, locate an even larger bull or buck in the fall.

Scouting Suburban Areas

In suburban areas, shed hunting can land a special hunting spot.  Jeff Harrison, the man holding the sheds in the lead photo, used shed hunting as a means of securing new hunting properties.  He searched for large suburban home sites that abutted a creek, park, or wooded sanctuary where deer were likely to congregate and bed.  He carried a small antler and knocked on the homeowner’s door asking if he could search the back of their property for shed deer antlers.  Often, suburban dwellers don’t know that deer lose their antlers which usually resulted in a friendly chat.  Once permission was granted, Harrison searched the wooded areas and stopped to thank the landowner, especially if antlers were found.  This led to a friendly conversation about the ability to hunt the home’s back section in the fall.  Since a deer herd can eat $1,000 of shrubbery in a single night, he often was welcomed to help control the population.

Is it Legal?

As innocent as finding a shed antler seems, it may be illegal to collect them on certain public and Federal lands.  If you will be searching a park or state game lands, don’t risk getting a citation that can spoil your future hunting privileges.  Always check pertinent regulations first. Also, in Western regions, shed hunting is illegal at certain times of the year due to animal health concerns.  Deer and elk can be at the point of starvation by spring and allowing shed hunters into their habitat can cause their demise.

10 Shed Hunting Tips

Barnett has packed their 2024 flagship crossbow with many features that hunters and shooters will like.  This year’s new bow will be available soon, so I field-tested last year’s model with many of the same features.  Here’s a list of the Raptor’s goodies; there is plenty to like.

Easy Assemble, Easy Travel

At a speed of 410 fps and 142 ft-lbs. of Kinetic Energy, this bow is a powerhouse which does not include the added benefit of slender Hyperflite arrows. Unpacking the bow, I hoped it came in two parts, and sure enough, the riser assembly separated from the stock, allowing the bow to be assembled with a single bolt.  This bow is destined for a South Dakota turkey hunt in April and can be disassembled and flown in a suitcase, saving nearly $100 in baggage fees.

Triggertech Option Built-In

Whether a rifle or a crossbow, one of the best ways to increase accuracy is to install a custom trigger with no creep and a light trigger pull and the Hyper Raptor has this benefit built in.  When I look for a crossbow, the Triggertech logo attracts me every time.  It has enough resistance to be safe at the moment of truth but less than “Will this thing ever go off?”  Even the most expensive crossbows now include Triggertech, so it’s a major plus on a modestly priced bow.

Righty or Leftie

The Barnett Hyper Raptor has an ambidextrous safety that allows you to shoot with your dominant eye, even if it does not coincide with your “handedness.”  The safety switch is large enough to work efficiently with gloves, and the “fire” and “safe” positions are well-marked for extra safety in low light.

Keep your game cameras clicking.  Bucks are still in their winter pattern and now is the best time to locate “survivors.”  When spring arrives, whitetail deer will change their feeding and travel behaviors, possibly taking them from your home range until next fall.  By analyzing deer pictures, you can learn which deer to plan for when the season rolls around.

Three Buck Parade

The above photo was taken from my box blind Friday evening.  As you can see, it shows a 2.5-year-old 8-point with one antler dropped, a button buck in the center of the picture and, I believe, a mature buck to the left.  If you look closely, you can just see two pedicles where its antlers were shed.  I experimented with Osage orange fruit, commonly called hedge apples, late last fall yet neither deer nor squirrels ate them.

Predator Patrol

Deep snows were devastating to deer populations in parts of the Rocky Mountains last year with up to 90% mortality is some areas.  Luckily, the mid-West and East have been spared that tragedy with recent mild winters, yet coyotes, bobcats, and bears are at record numbers in most areas and a trail camera is your best means of keeping track of them.

Territorial Coyotes

Research shows that coyotes are territorial in late winter and early spring.  This means if you kill one or more, another roaming coyote will not move into that territory until summer or fall.  Since most states have no season or restrictions on coyote hunting, reducing their numbers can dramatically improve the health and survival of this year’s fawn crop.

Of Bears Beware

Do you have black bears in your deer area?  This picture of a mature sow and two cubs was taken on Christmas eve, a time when all three should have been hibernating.  Biologists suggest that mild winters allow bears, especially boars, to shorten their normal winter nap.  Instead of “denning,” some curl up in a deadfall or sheltered pile of leaves.  Research from Pennsylvania studies have shown black bears to be significant predators of fawns.

Big game licenses are in high demand, and knowing the point system can help you get one.  Some states offer “preference points” while others offer “bonus points” to applicants not accepted for a license.  Knowing the difference is important and should guide your application process.  Here’s a look at each one.

What is a Preference Point?

I took this nice muley buck in the Medicine Bow region of Wyoming using an over-the-counter tag.  In Wyoming and across the West, big game tags are increasingly given by lottery, due to high demand.  In states with a preference point (PP) system, a hunter who is not drawn for a specific animal is given a PP as a consolation.  If that person applies again, his PP will put him ahead of all first-time applicants in the lottery.  Each year the applicant is not drawn, a PP is awarded increasing the chance of a positive draw because he is chosen ahead of those with fewer PPs.

Disadvantages of PP

This system was established to provide some certainty of drawing a license.  I had four preference points for my last elk hunt in Wyoming and everyone with four or more PP drew a license.  I’ll have five in 2025 and hope to draw a license, yet demand is so high that I may still not be successful.  For species such as moose, sheep, mountain goat, and select deer and elk regions, a person may never have enough preference points to draw a license because so few tags are allocated.

The Bonus Point Option

The bonus point option allows any person to draw a license at any time.  Although some see this as a fairer system, it also means that a person cannot plan a hunt with any certainty.  Many outfitters book hunters a year or two in advance and clients must count on luck to get a tag.  Unsuccessful applicants receive a “bonus point” (BP) each time they apply, and their name is not drawn.  The second year of an application, the person has his/her name in the “hat” twice, then three times, and so forth.  This system relies on probability and the more BP a person has, the greater the probability, yet that small advantage many make little difference among thousands of people.

Buying a Percentage

Sometimes, paying more for an application can boost the probability of drawing a license.  Wyoming offers a dual price structure.  A regular elk license for 2024 costs $692, however, a “Special elk” license is available for $1268 and both categories have their own license pool.  The theory is that fewer hunters will pay the extra cash and therefore a person can compete with fewer applicants in the lottery by paying more.

Traditions Firearms sells the Crackshot XBR (Crossbow Rifle) that fires an arrow up to 385 feet per second with 94 ft-lbs of kinetic energy at 30 yards, making it very competitive with today’s modern crossbows.  The gun is a basic .22 caliber rifle with the barrel section specifically modified to launch 2216 Firebolt Arrows.

How it Works

An arrow would wobble in an open rifle barrel and the fletching would be destroyed by the compression.  The XBR solves this problem with a narrow tube that fits inside the 2016 arrow and the larger outer barrel allows for fletch clearance.  To load the arrow, the shaft fits over the inner tube and slides down the barrel.

A Bow with a Bang

Once the arrow fully encases the inner tube, the rifle is primed with a .27 caliber Powerload as shown above.  To fire, the shooter switches the safety to “off,” cocks the rifle by pulling back the hammer, and squeezes the trigger.  I examined the rifle at the Great American Outdoor Show so I could not fire it inside.

Is It a Bow?

At a price of $599, the Crackshot is comparable to mid-priced crossbows and delivers arrow performance in that range.  With a stock, forend, scope, and trigger it has many crossbow components, yet it uses a percussion launch system which sets it apart.  It’s marketed to “adults, youth, and anyone who may be disabled.”  Generally, “bows” don’t go “bang,” but I’ll let you decide.  www.traditionsfirearms.com

“Maryland’s Eastern Shore whitetail hunts are a bargain,” I said to my poker buddy as he complained about the high cost of Mid-Western deer hunts.  “Instead of $3,000 and up, a quality hunt with a good chance for a P&Y buck is half that price.”  I used to write for Mid-Atlantic Game and Fish Magazine, where my job was to write about the big deer taken in Maryland.  Continually, those “best-of-the-year-deer came from the Eastern Shore.

Maryland is Super Hunter Friendly

A Whitetail deer tag in the Mid-West can cost $300-$500 and one of the areas I hunt in South Dakota, tags go for $1,000.  Those are just tags, plus you must buy a general hunting license, conservation stamp, archery, tag, etc.  The price of a Maryland Nonresident Hunting License is $160.00. For those aged 65 and above, Maryland offers a Nonresident Senior Hunting License at a cost of $65.00. This is available for purchase in the year a nonresident hunter turns 65. For younger enthusiasts under 16, a Nonresident Junior Hunting License is available at $80.00.  This is a full year’s license and includes up to four bucks, 10 does, two wild turkeys and small game. Such a deal!

Why Shore Bucks are Big.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore is blessed with rich, fertile soil that grows excellent crops that are bordered by dense pine growth, swamps, and an impenetrable plant called phragmites.  This weed grows prolifically on the Shore, is 8-10 feet tall and as thick as dog hair.  Additionally, this region is known for waterfowl hunting and many farms are leased specifically for waterfowl.  As a result, these landowners don’t welcome deer hunters because they compete for lucrative leases, making them sanctuaries for excellent age structure.

Pick Your Season

Jeff Harrison took this big Maryland buck on September 15th, the usual opening day.  Recently, Maryland has moved their season to the first week of September giving you the chance for a velvet buck.  Lush croplands are visited regularly in early season, but hunters must prepare for mosquitoes and warm weather.  November 15th is the typical rut peak, and the two weeks prior are dynamite for rut-style hunting.  Maryland’s archery season closes on January 31, giving archers great late-season opportunities.  Crossbows, recurves, and compounds are legal in all regular archery seasons.

What’s it Like

I hunted with George Hopkins a few years ago and visit each February at the Great American Outdoor Show to catch up.  He and his son operate in Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties, known for big deer, and spread their clients over a series of farms in a huge area.  They plant corn, soybeans, clover and sunflowers to entice deer and baiting is allowed.  They offer archery, muzzleloading, and shotgun hunt from 3-6 days, ranging from three to six days costing $1200 to $2,000.  The Eastern Shore is known for hospitality and it’s easy to combine a hunting trip/family vacation in the area.  Known as “The Land of Pleasant Living,” great restaurants abound.  A web search will turn up numerous outfitters on the Shore or to contact Hopkins Deer Hunting, click here.  Good Luck!