Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

Want to try out shooting archery? Visit an Archery Shop. Archery Shops are hubs for archery knowledge, equipment repairs, and everything you need to get started. Most shops offer lessons and their staff knows how to get you shooting arrows quickly. The Archery Store’s experts are your go-to resources for all things archery.

To find a nearby Archery Shop make a quick internet search on your smartphone or laptop. Also, you can use our Archery Store locator by clicking HERE. Once you find aN Archery Store, ask about lessons and archery programs. Many shops rent bows you can use for lessons. That’s a great way to try the sport and get instructions without jumping in and buying gear.

Find an archery shop that offers lessons. Go with a group of friends or take a private lesson. Photo Credit: X10 Archery

A 30-minute one-on-one lesson is a great introduction. As you progress, you might want to extend your lessons to one hour. Group lessons are a fun option for trying archery. Shops offer beginner group lessons for adults and youths.

Another way to try archery is through a program. Consider Explore Archery, Junior Olympic Archery Development, Scholastic 3D Archery, National Archery in the Schools Program, and Olympic Archery in the Schools.

When you attend your introductory lesson, you’ll find an instructor who’s excited to help. You’ll shoot your first arrows at close distances while learning archery’s basic techniques. As your skills increase, your accuracy will improve and you’ll shoot increasingly farther.

How much do wild turkeys change when they get hunting pressure? How do they change?

The Hunting Public Podcast

Contact an Archery Shop

Archery shops are hubs for local archery knowledge, equipment repairs, and everything you need to get started in archery or bowhunting. They will offer archery lessons to get you off on the right track.

Building a relationship with an Archery shop is important. The store’s experts are your go-to resources for all things archery. You can’t simply pull a bow from its box and start shooting. You need an expert to set it up and make sure it’s properly fitted to you.

You can find a nearby archery shop with a quick internet search, or you can use our store locator by CLICKING HERE.

Seek Lessons and Programs

Get started with ARCHERY lessons. Photo Credit: ATA

Once you find a shop, ask about its lessons and programs. Many shops rent bows you can use for lessons. That’s a great way to try the sport and get instructions without jumping in and buying gear.

There is useful information for future hunts to be gained from shed hunting. And I have more to add to this article.

For starters, If you see a shed in a particular area, at the very least, you know this area is a place that deer use, buck deer.

can be valuable scouting clues, too. For example, if you find a shed near a food source and its matching side in a bedding area, you have unraveled a buck’s travel pattern. Collecting a set of sheds (or perhaps several consecutive sets) from a particular buck adds to the excitement and experience of hunting him. You can trace his antler growth over the years, and with dedication and a little luck, you might ultimately tag him.

Introducing someone with limited outdoor experience to the outdoors by first taking them bowhunting could be disastrous. Odds are the person will not enjoy the experience of sitting still in the cold right out of the gate, and you probably won’t arrow a deer. But taking someone new out shed hunting can be a lot of fun. Your mentee is free to move around and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Point out a herd of distant whitetails or a flock of geese winging north on its spring migration. You won’t have to worry about your companions spooking game or getting cold. Point out rubs, scrapes and tracks or even plant an antler for them to find. Keep it interesting and engaging. You have more control over the outing, and you can make it a positive experience. Who knows, with a little nurturing and time, you might turn your guest into a bowhunter.

Landowner Relationships

Visiting landowners outside of hunting season can strengthen your relationship with them. While you’re there to search for antlers, offer to help with chores like feeding cattle, mending fencing or moving bales of hay. You might even plan to have dinner with the landowners. These visits can go a long way toward cementing long-term relationships.

FROM THE HOYT LIFE Blog For Jace Bausermen. Twenty-four years ago, I got a tag for bowhunting Antelope in Colorado. By luck, on that first pronghorn season, I harvest a not-too-bright Antelope buck. He was young, trying to rut. I made a move to get ahead in of him, and succeded. And then made the shot that put him down.

Antelope have fascinated me since then. A species all to themselves, the pronghorn is neither goat nor antelope. Surprisingly, it’s closest living relative is the giraffe. Look at the shape of the neck and face of both creatures. Do you see the resemblance? Pronghorn also lack dewclaws, just like a giraffe. The bottom line for me: pronghorn are amazing creatures and are very unique.

One of my favorite ways to bowhunt these prairie speedsters is with a decoy. You’ve likely watched a show on outdoor television, YouTube, or some social media platform of a buck coming in at warp speed to an imposter buck decoy. Yes, this does happen, but it’s nowhere near as easy as it appears on your screen. The window for this type of decoy activity is short. To get this type of reaction, a buck’s testosterone level must be close to or at its peak. Prime decoy time, when a buck will charge from his herd with the intent to fight, in most locales where pronghorn roam, is from the 10th of September through the first week in October. September 15-20 seems to be primetime.

What Are You Looking For?

You’re not going to be able to take a blood test to measure testosterone levels, but what you can do is use your truck, UTV, or whatever, to find dust trails on the prairie. You see, the mission is simple: Cover dirt and look for bucks chasing does and other bucks. When you see chasing, testosterone is on the rise. If you watch a buck breed a doe in his harem, you know he’s running at full tilt. If you witness a buck boil out of his herd to run off a pronghorn that’s far away that buck will come to a decoy. It’s not hard to take a buck’s rut temperature.

NEXT: HOW DO YOU DECOY?

If you have a Deer Food plot, July is a critical month. Jeff Sturgis of Whitetail Habitat Solutions shows you the #1 thing that will ruin your crop, now and in the fall.

Whitetail Habitat Solutions

Back whent my 15 year old self first went bowhunting for whitetail deer in Ocala National Forest, I’ve been concerned about the flashlight I used to get me back in the woods to where I planeded to hunt. And back out after dark. Would the light from my flashlight spook deer?

Honestly, it seemed like it would. But walking through thick brush with the forest blacked out by tall trees, I needed the light from that flashlight to see where I was walking as well as to know if I was on course to end up at my pre-chosen hunted spot. In this video Jeff Sturgis shares his insights and research on the use of flashlights in the deer woods.

From Whitetail Habitat Solutions

Small acts of kindness go a long way in bowhunting. Many bowhunters donate venison to friends, family members or food pantries that spread goodwill far and wide. Those donations provide lean, nutritious, free-range protein to appreciative people while building goodwill for hunting and aiding efforts to manage wildlife.

Benefits of Donating Venison

The Feel-Good-Factor

Many deer hunters donate meat to organizations. Daniel Schmidt, content director and editor-in-chief at Deer & Deer Hunting magazine, said he shoots at least one deer each year to donate. “It’s gratifying,” he said. “When I donate venison, it makes me feel really good that I’m helping someone else out.”

Schmidt has donated venison for over 20 years, and has persuaded many hunting buddies to follow suit. “It’s nice to pay it forward,” he said. “But even if you don’t want the self-accolades, hunters can donate venison for other reasons, like providing food, managing deer populations, and casting hunters in a positive ecological light.”

Provide Needed Meals

According to Feeding America, 41 million Americans struggle with hunger. Donating venison provides healthy, all-natural protein to those in need. “Life is hard,” said Josh Honeycutt, associate editor at Realtree.com. “Many people out there are feeling the harsh effects life can present. Donating wild game is something we can all do as hunters to give back and help our communities.”

HOYT, It’s More Than A Bow: HOYT For 2023 – The Latest Bows From Hoyt, And More…

Hoyt Hunting Compound Bows

 

Gary Cornun with EASTON shows and tells us what all EASTON offers and explains the details of the entire EASTON line of arrows.

Today has been overcast with a steady breeze.An hour ago I took a break from my current re-vamp of Bowhunting.net and sat down on my rocking chair on the porch. The overhead clouds and light breeze felt real good.

I didn’t intend to but I dozed off for a bit. A few minutes ago I woke up I opened up the eye balls. Surprise! A Doe was 10 yards away and was not interested in me at all. My iPhone was laying on my lap and I kept watch on the Doe as I quietly slid my hand down to the  phone and turned it on.

The Doe is standing in my Front Yard

This Doe didn’t even look at me as she casually glanced around the yard. Then the Doe walked over by me. I had some water set out next to the porch for my Mouser cat named ‘Little Johnson.’

I managed one more picture (Above) just before she scarfed down the Cat’s water. Yep! There are some Cool things about living in the Deer Woods.

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When I found this YouTube video by Strut Commander I absolutely had to make it. I’m telling ya, it was super; nice and crunchy and much better tasting than the chicken ones McDonalds makes (which I used to think were good).

Gobble Poppers Recipe Ingredients:
2/3 cup Brown Sugar, 1 Tbsp Chili Powder, Honey, Turkey breast cut into 1” cubes Bacon, cut into thirds and toothpicks

Directions: Preheat oven to 350º. Spray both the top and bottom of broiler pan (or regular pan if you don’t have a broiler pan) thoroughly with cooking spray for easier clean up. Cut turkey into 1” cubes and bacon into thirds and set aside. Mix 2/3 c brown sugar and 1 Tbsp chili powder in a bowl. Wrap turkey with bacon slice, secure with toothpick and place in brown sugar mix.
Dredge turkey bites in brown sugar mix, then place on broiler pan. Cook for 15 min, then pull out and drizzle with honey. Place bites back in the oven for an additional 5 min. Serve and enjoy!

Subscribe to make sure you never miss one of our videos. Call ’em in with our line of calls: strutcommander.com

    Strut Commander

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By Jackie Holbrook From Bowhunters United

I take a gulp of Montana’s fresh mountain air. The scenery on this June afternoon nearly makes me forget I’m out of shape.

Archery elk season is approaching, and I’m trying to accomplish two things: Get fit and find a good hunting spot. My soles and shoulders feel the three miles we’ve already put in, and I’m thankful for the glassing break.

If, this year, you’re deerhunting new land or want to improve the quality of your existing deer herd, food plots are an excellent way to do that. But the process begins earlier in the year than opening day. Most deerhunters only think about planting fall food plots to hunt over, but the secret is to take a longer view.

Assessing your surroundings, understanding deer movement patterns, and strategically planting year-round offerings will significantly increase your chances of seeing quality deer at the right time of year. Here’s how to start.

Evaluate Your Hunting Property And Deer Patterns

anything will work.

another short line.

 

A new book summarizes and explains 15 years of intensive research on South Texas deer.

“Advanced White-Tailed Deer Management: The Nutrition-Population Density Sweet Spot,” was produced by a group of top researchers who set out to find what combination of supplemental and natural nutrition and whitetail population density would produce the largest antlers on bucks without harming vegetation — finding the “sweet spot.”

The research was conducted through the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, led by Timothy Fulbright, Charles DeYoung, David Hewitt and Donnie Draeger, and assisted by 25 graduate students.

Now called the Comanche-Faith Project, the research is the first of its kind in the semiarid South Texas environment with frequent droughts.

Chapters in the book’s 164 pages include detailed information on vegetation response to increasing density and supplemental feeding, antler characteristics with increased deer density, and deer diets with increased density and supplemental feed.

Bruce Ryan of Ryan Outdoors

In an earlier article on Bowhunting.net I discussed the need to provide minerals for Whitetails and wildlife. Plus, I passed on the information as how and when I start these Mineral sites for the best results.

One of the added benefits to us hunters and outdoor enthusiasts is using a trail camera to take pictures of the sites. The Trail Cameras  provide pictures of the variety of species that actually visit these sites and their surrounding areas.

My most recent pictures also point out a need for some predator control on my hunting lease. In the picture bellow you see a newborn fawn in the jaws of a mature coyote!

This mature Coyote has recent Fawn in it’s jaws.

The next photo showed several young coyotes in the very same area but during night time.

Unchecked, this sudden proliferation of coyotes can lead to major predation on a new year’s crop of fawns.

Trail Camera[MP:06]My Lucky Buck Mineral sites also enables me to keep track of Antler growth and the numbers of Bucks in my hunting areas.

A mature buck with his velvet rack during mid June. He is at the Lucky Buck site during the daytime.

I am convinced that providing minerals definitely aids in the ability to produce better bucks and overall healthier deer of all ages.

Two bucks visiting another Lucky Buck site during early morning.

This time of the year is critical to the female does that are lactating and providing food for their recently born fawns. The additional minerals I put out is a boost for their nutritional needs. By checking my trail cameras, I can see the heavy use of my mineral sites by both pregnant Doe and mothers with fawns.

Yesterday morning I saw a total of only 2 does. The morning before I hadn’t seen any. But this morning went much better. And I’m gonna show ya.

I slipped out of bed and got the day started before first light by making a cup of freshly ground coffee. Then I pulled on my shoes and walked outside with my coffee and iPhone. I currently have 4 mouser cats and they were all sitting by the cat food bowl, quietly starring at me.

So I fixed them up with some catfood and took the short walk over to my west boundary fence. Daylight was already creeping into the woods around me. Twenty minutes a shadowy deer shape walked up behind me and passed by me. I took the deer’s picture with my iPhone.

A minute later two deer came up from the opposite direction. Oddly, the duo consisted of a buck in velvet and a spotted doe walking together.

I held still and they walked right by me. I didn’t get the camera aimed at them just right to get them both in the picture.

Article by Fred Lutger

Trophy Bear – Ontario, Canada

In order to bag a big trophy bear, one that would qualify for the ‘Pope and Young’ or ‘Boone and Crocket’ record book, there are a few things you can do to swing the odds in your favor…

Be selective – If you truly want a trophy animal, don’t fill your tag on a smaller bear.Know what a big bear is. – This sounds easy, but seeing a bear in the wild and judging his size is very difficult. Prior to your hunt visit sporting goods stores that might have a full mount of a black bear. Also check out black bears at museums, wildlife parks and zoos.Look for a ferrule on the bears forehead. – This indentation will be visible running from the forehead straight back along the top of the bears head between his ears. The older and bigger a black bear gets the more prominent this indentation is.Hunt where there are big bears. – Again, this can be hard to determine bu there are two good indicators; find out how big the Bear Management Area the outfitter has. It must be big enough to support a continuous hunting program. Too small an area will not let the bears reach a good mature age to reach record book size. And ask to see pictures of recent bears taken {within the last two years}. All outfitters can accumulate impressive pictures over the years, but what potential does his area have for his next hunt?Look for front paw prints that have a pad wider than 4 inches. – A pad that measures 5 inches or better will usually be a bear of record book size. Place wet sand around the bait you are hunting to get these prints.

– Canine Tooth Spread –

Canine tooth spread can be a good indicator of record book potential. I’ve found that measuring tip to tip spread of a black bear’s top canine teeth will give you a quick indicator of the bears record book potential. To get this measurement, put peanut butter or honey on a Styrofoam or plastic plate left at the bait site. Check for bite marks left by scavenging bears. Almost any puncture marks left by the canines over 2 inches wide will be a Pope and Young bear with an 18″ skull measurement.