Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

An archery elk hunt is one of North America’s greatest adventures.

Camping in majestic mountains clad in aspen-golden splendor, a majestic quarry that bulges and bellows, breaks branches with giant antlers, yet can sneak toward seductive cow calls in total silence.  The Cowboy State is blessed with diverse big game species, abundant public land, and easy access if you draw a license.

Full Season License-

A Wyoming elk tag is good for the entire season.  If you don’t get your game in the archery season, your license is good for the rifle, muzzleloading, and other special seasons.  Residents will often pass a 5-point bull in bow season since they may see a bigger bull with a rifle.  This helps reduce pressure during archery season when crossbows are legal.

Incredible Access-

Many Federal and State lands are crisscrossed with roads to reduce fire danger.  They are marked with names and numbers and show up on maps and cell phone mapping apps.  This makes access to remote areas remarkably easy and I once killed a bull elk while hunting out of a Dodge Charger driven six miles into the mountains.

Hunt Up, Pack Down

An elk will generate at least 250 pounds of boned-out meat and you must think about getting your venison back to camp in your hunting plan.  I try to camp low and hunt up the mountain so that the packing job will be downhill.  Make sure you have meat bags and a sturdy pack to make this celebratory task manageable… and hunting buddies greatly lessen the load.

Speed Goat Season

Pronghorn antelope rut at the same time as elk so combining a hunt for them will double the enjoyment of your adventure.  Actually, beginning with an antelope hunt will help you focus your shooting and stalking skills and work as a perfect warm-up to the mountains.  Antelope tags are much easier to draw but pronghorn are rarely found in elk habitats.

Five Posts earlier I set out my new Moultrie Mobile EDGE game Camera and placed it on my porch aimed at my cats’ watering container. I got lucky and at 3:30pm a doe came over to drink some water and the Moultrie EDGE took it’s picture and sent it to my iPhone.

Now I wanted a better picture of that doe, or and other deer, drinking the water. But, lets digress and explain about the water. I used a 14″ square buffet serving tray to hold the water, which was a water source for my Mouser Cats.

An aside about Mouser Cats; if, like me, you live out in the country where the deer woods is you need a few cats — or you’re gonna have more mice and rats in the house than you could believe. Plus, Cats scare off, or kill rattlesnakes too.

Onward.

At 2:00pm the next afternoon I dressed all in black and wore a black mask and put fresh water in the container. Shortly after 3:00pm I was sitting in a rocking chair on my front porch, Only two arms lengths from the water.

I picked up the SD Card from a Moultrie game camera I had at a place I renamed to ‘Super Secret’ after I saw this picture from September 1. Two 8 points. One young, the other not young but not old either.

I cropped in on the larger buck so you could see him a little better.

My new Moultrie Mobile Cellular game cameras arrived and I spread the cameras around the areas that I know are hangout for bucks that only one of my friends knows about. Because the archery season begins on October 1 this year I have to dig in deep this month to locate this year’s mature bucks and, of course, try to see where else the buck here goes during daylight hours.

I had purchased two EDGE Game Cameras and I placed the second one late Sept 11 where it could watch my Pellet Feeder. I pulled the feeder plug that activated the pellets to drop into the feeding pellet tray.

Later, I received a Notification that a picture was taken at 6:54am. However, I was sleeping soundly.

I had also slept through a few more pictures. Like the buck below at 12:13am on the 12th. He is nice and wide but we can’t see his tines too good. And there are two more deer in the picture but they are at least 50 yards or further away.

The next picture has two deer back in the trees and a racoon has come up.

At 8:48pm an 8-pointer has approached the protein feeder and is licking up pellets.

Zack of the Hunting Public TV puts his considerable Stalking skills to work and makes a difficult Wyoming Pronghorn Antelope bowhunt come togeather as he bags his 2022 Wyoming Antelope buck for Archery Season.

When our Fall deer seasons arrive many bowhunters use Treestands to get up above the ground and elude the whitetail’s sense of smell and their leery eyes and sharp hearing.

Using a treestand can definitely help you, but it’s not the answer to everything.

Deer hunters will never be able to fool the animal’s sense of survival, but here is some sound advice and a few tricks that can increase your odds.

Trick #1- Camouflage the treestand.
After that perfect treestand is hung find some brush or twigs to help conceal it. Find old dead branches, cut small saplings, or use trimmed material from a cleared shooting lane. Weave it in and out of the platform, and tie brush to the tree. Place limbs and other natural camouflage in nearby branches. Anything that can be added to break up the hunters’ silhouette without interfering with a shot will be a bonus. The leaves on cut branches won’t stay green long, so it’s best to be generous when doing this.

I started using Game/Trail Cameras way back in the last half of the 90’s. The first ones took pictures on 35mm film and you had to use magnets to activate them. The pictures were good but limited to the particular role of film you used. And the magnetic deal only worked part of the time, which definitely was not a positive feature.

Last year I put out a dozen SpyPoint cellular cameras. Ok, you might be wondering how they did. To parse the answer down to one word … they Sucked.

Why? First, the pictures were blurry. The color was imprecise. The Instructions were not easy to understand. And set-up was confusing. Hmmm, troublesome to use and lousy pictures; they’re not gonna get me twice.

A couple of guys on my deer lease got their cellular pictures on Bushnell and Moultrie and their pictures were good. I pulled their websites up on my browser and read all about them. Then I bought one Moultrie Mobile camera called the EDGE. This time, before buying more I wanted to check one out.

The Moultriemobile.com website had a How To Video to set the camera up. It said ‘EDGE: Just Turn It On And Go.’ Frankly, to borrow a line from Buddy Holly, I thought, “That’ll Be The Day.”

I watched the weeklong rainfall every day, wanting the rain to stay longer, or at least bring water enough to wake up the sun parched land and bring out the underlying green of native grasses and plaster some leaves on the dry brush and trees, young and old.

It took two days for the change to begin.

Deer came out during the daytime, munching leaves and twigs.

Lots of deer were depleted from our recent sizzling, dry and waterless months. I chronicled their story with a combination of my Minolta and iPhone. Below is a doe walking along a old and rusty fenceline.

Every new day was noticeably greener as new growth crept into view.

 Every year more bowhunters start using a backpack for bowhunting Whitetail deer. If you’re thinking about a better bowhunting backpack check out this video I found of the Top 7 Bow Hunting Backpacks reviewed. By Robert Hoague

Links to the backpacks reviewed in this video are below.

The south side of the area where I live is bordered on a river that takes a sharp bend that turns the thousand acre place into an L-Shaped property. So, generally, the natural water supply is ok. But this year the flowing water in the river came to a stand still causing the river to dry up in many places. And the 100 plus heat wave we’ve experienced made most of the man-made stock ponds dry up — or get seriously low.

The picture below is taken from my front yard looking across a sun-dried crop field. The distant tree line is 800 yards away.

Normally there would be weeds and native grasses growing. Deer would browse around and pick up tid-bits to eat. Amazingly enough, those tid bits managed to grow and deer, like the one below, are  professional tid-bit finders.

Below is a doe and her 2 fawns and they are nursing actively.

The drought, besides creating a water shortage situation, has made a surprising effect on the deer movement. I see deer out during all hours of the day. The 100 degree heat has scorched the ground level plants that would ordinarily be natural browse.

Tim Wells videoed his successful South Texas bowhung big Wild Boars and Neilgie bulls. Tim dropped a wild boar in seconds with a new broadhead that Grim Reaper Broadheads sent him to test. Next he ambushed a big Neilgie Bull at point blank range while hiding in the Texas scrub brush. And also a Rio Grande wild turkey Gobbler.

Fast action hunt with cool slo mo kills. Says Tim, “Bloods flying and critters dying.” Tim is fillin’ the freezer with lots of wild meat.

Tim Wells Bow Hunter

Many bowhunters are addicted to hunting whitetails, I’m no exception.  In the Fall I journey to three or four states and match wits with them.  As you may know from reading prior stories I’ve written, I’m always on the lookout for new bowhunting experiences.

I’ve bowhunted the elusive Coues whitetail in Arizona but nowhere else.  I’ve read articles about the Coues of Old Mexico and the idea of hunting south of the border has always appealed to me.  Despite my reservations of hunting in Mexico I decided to give it a try.

I worked on selecting the right outfitter for my hunt while periodically hearing and reading about the drug related crime in many parts of Mexico.  My wife, Shelby, was reluctant but ultimately gave in and agreed to go along to video my hunt.  Finally I settled on an outfitter in the Mexican state of Sonora.

December and January are pleasant times to be in Mexico.  The weather is cool but not unbearable.  So I planned my trip in January.  Shelby and met the outfitter in Tucson, AZ and parked our truck at the airport and got in his truck for the trek to camp in Mexico.  Crossing the border crossing was uneventful although one of our three trucks was inspected.  Bows, clothing bags and everything else was unloaded for inspection.

The hunting ranch was several thousand acres of rolling desert terrain.  A creek meandered through the ranch and overall the place was beautiful.  The outfitter told us we could expect to see some coatimundis, a strange looking ring-tailed cat and maybe an occasional mountain lion in addition to the Coues we were after. Since Coues were plentiful in the area, I wanted to try for a record book animal.  Hopefully, I could be a little bit selective and be successful.

– Safety –

Bowfishing alone in a boat has an added element of risk. There is always the danger of pitching out of the boat if it hits an unseen snag or rock. If the boat is in water that is only inches deep this is no problem, but in deep water the boat will often drift away and be difficult to reenter without capsizing the boat. Always wear a flotation vest when going to and from your fishing area and when bowfishing in waters that are more than a few feet deep.

Many lakes with good bowfishing are noted for standing timber. This also means that there will often be floating logs and branches. If hit at almost any speed these can hole or flip a boat. Be very cautious about boating under conditions of limited visibility.

Some big shallow lakes like Okeechobee in Florida and Pontchartrain in Louisiana may look glass smooth in the morning, but are extremely dangerous for small boats. A thunderstorm over the lake can result in strong winds and high waves that can easily swamp small craft. Be extremely careful in these waters and leave in enough time to return to shore before a storm starts. After the wind picks up and the rain starts, it is too late.

Drinking and bowfishing just don’t mix. A cold beer tastes awfully good when back on shore, but there is no place for alcohol on a bowfishing boat. The risks are too great for going overboard or falling on a sharp arrow. The bowfisherman needs to be fully observant, see potentially dangerous situations before they occur and be able to react quickly should something go wrong.

The quickest path to success in Bowfishing is to use good equipment that is properly set up for bowfishing. Many first timer bowfishing newbees want to use their hunting bows, but they do not want to change their carefully tuned deer slayers setups. That’s a problem.

A better approach is to use an older bow or buy a new one and rig it exclusively for bowfishing.

Telling people how to shoot fish with a bow is easy. It’s the doing of it that is the hard part. There is a necessary learning curve while eye, brain, hand, bow and arrow learn how to bowfish. A hundred or more shots may be taken before that first fish is brought to shore or brought to the boat. This will take a lot of shooting, and there is no need to wear yourself out using an overly-strong bow.

Sight in the bow using a single pin set at about seven yards. Learn to use hold-over and hold-under for longer and shorter distances. This will enable the occasional fish that broaches the surface to be taken reliably. The tough part is learning how much to hold under the fish in order to hit underwater targets. An approximate rule is to hold three inches under the fish for each foot of water depth. This works for shots that are at about 45 degrees. More hold-under will be needed for shallower-angle shots and less for steeper angles.

Good shooting techniques like releasing the arrow smoothly and following through tend to be forgotten in the rapid shoot-shoot-shoot pace of bowfishing. Pull the bow, wait until the fish is in an optimum position for a shot, adjust your sight picture for water depth and release the arrow smoothly. Following these fundamental steps will get those first confidence-building fish in the boat faster than flinging lots of arrows into the water without paying much attention to shooting form. As in all other shooting sports, the body and the brain will learn how to do make good, well-released shots faster and faster, but it will take shooting at a lot of fish for this information to be hard-wired into the brain and nerves.

There is a lot of debate in the archery industry about how much a hunting arrow should weigh. Many online archery gurus believe an arrow should exceed 500 grains and in many cases go beyond 600 grains depending on the big game animal being hunted.

Recently, I interviewed John Schaffer, the owner of Schaffer Performance Archery about arrow weight. He believes the best all-around arrow weight is between 400-450 grains. “I have shot big game animals across North America and I typically use an arrow that weighs in around 450 grains.”

John Schaffer hunts with a 450- grain arrow and has setup thousands of bows over the years.  Most of the bows he sets up in his shop leave the pro-shop with arrows that weigh about 450 grains. “The walls of this store are lined with pictures of successful bowhunters who have killed many different animals with arrows that weigh about 450 grains. I prefer a bow that is shooting a 450-grain arrow about 300 FPS.”

Matt Bateman, the manager from Grim Reaper Broadheads loves shooting a 400-grain arrow. He recently shot the mule deer pictured here with a 420 grain arrow at 57 yards. The arrow was a complete pass through. “I believe many animals are wounded by bowhunters due to lack of accuracy and not having a forgiving setup more than any other reason,” Bateman said. “Super heavy arrows drop quickly at long ranges. I prefer a more forgiving setup.”

To listen to a brief Podcast where John Schaffer tells why he prefers a 450-grain arrow, CLICK HERE AND LISTEN TO the latest episode of The Drop-Tine Report.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources(ODNR) Division of Wildlife announced Wednesday it has confirmed cases of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in white-tailed deer in 13 Ohio counties.

EHD, frequently referred to as “Zombie Deer,” is a viral infection that deer get from biting midges. The infected deer can lose their fear of humans and have other neurological signs like circling, weakness and not eating. Deer that die from EHD often have a swollen tongue, eyelids, neck or head. It is usually fatal, however some deer survive and develop immunity.

Venison Roast

1 large roast (I usually can get one large enough for two meals when they are on sale.
Steak Seasoning
Little garlic salt & pepper
3 Beef Bouillon Cubes
4 cups of water
Just enough flour to coat roast

7 potatoes diced
1 large onion
20 baby carrots cut into
You can add as many veggies as you like depending on how many you are feeding.

First, I season the roast with steak seasoning, a little garlic salt and pepper. Add flour to a plate or platter big enough to hold your roast. Flour each side and around the edge of the venison roast. Next, add just enough olive oil to the bottom of your frying pan to brown roast the venison on all sides.

Now, we start with our Roasting pan or large enough pan to hold the roast and veggies. Preheat your  oven to 400°. Add your roast to the center of a pan and add 4 cups of water and 3 bouillon cubes. Put it in the 400° oven for one hour then take the pan out. Turn the venison over and put it back in the oven for one more hour. (if your oven cooks fast or really hot then cut down the time or temp) You may need to add more water to cover your roast so it does not dry out.

While my roast is cooking I peel my potatoes, slice the onions, and cut my carrots to bite size. Before, adding my veggies, I add some of the flour and whisk it into the broth so it will thicken and be more like a gravy. My potatoes go in first, then the carrots and the onions last. Place the pan  back in the oven and let it bake for another 45 minutes to 1 hour. Important: If your roast is not covered with broth or water when you put it back in the oven for the last time the top will dry out.

Mission Sub1 XR-

Mission Crossbows are the Mercedes models of the industry.  Like Ford and Chevy, most companies change and introduce new models each year.  Mission has found a platform that works and only tweaks as necessary.

Walt Lane has taken three safaris with his Sub-1 and lauds its performance and accuracy.  Mission nearly “owns” crossbow competitions, with podium-earned performances in almost every category.

Dead On-

I helped Lane test the zero on his Mission in camp, setting up a Morrell target at 30 yards with a tiny mailing label as an aiming point.  He shot from the standing position, and I pulled the arrow, “You missed… by ¼ inch,” I laughed.

The Mission Sub1XR is rated at 425 fps, which isn’t as fast as the fastest bows, yet  it delivers all the power any North American hunter needs.  Lane faced numerous shots like this one where exact shop placement and animal angle were critical.

Whoa! What a Waterbuck-

Tops on Lane’s list was a waterbuck, and this management species came to drink.  It was so mature that it was post-breeding and earned a discount to help manage the herd.

Outdoor Journey Radio Show with Ty Morgan and Matt Guedes cover the outdoor world and today they are interviewing Bowhunting.net’s Rich Walton about how and why and what bowhunting.net is and means to the bowhunters around the world and his partner bowhunting super star and Bowhunting.net founder, Robert Hoague.

CLICK BELOW To Hear The Radio Show Broadcast Of The Interview With Rich Walton Of Bowhunting.net.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN WRITING  FOR BOWHUNTING.NET? WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW WRITERS FOR OUR WEBSITE. SEND US AN EMAIL AND TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT. 

Email Bruce Ryan at [email protected]

Whitetail bucks have this seeming invincibility around them. Most hunters believe that whitetail bucks cannot be stalked by a bowhunter. But, it can be done and it is not immature bucks that I am bowhunting. These are mature bucks and, yes, they can be stalked. And stalking is the ultimate challenge.

The sun was high enough we had at least three hours to walk, run, crouch, crawl and even slither through the sunflower stalks. Looking across a field of combined sunflowers it looks as if there is no cover, depressions, or contours to use, but by carefully glassing, you can pick a route that will help with wind direction and concealment. On the way your route may change as deer move and wind directions switch. You need to keep all your senses on high alert.

Today the deer were on the opposite side of the field feeding and rutting. They were not focused on us. As we moved in their direction, we crouched and jogged through the sunflowers stalks picking our way, careful not to break or scuff a sunflower stalk and alerting any deer that we were inside their domain.

On the way to the deer we had to adjust to the deer moving, as well as to the changing topography. Keeping our heads low we regularly glassed the deer, looking for the big buck we had seen through the spotting scope, before deciding to go on this stalk.

We saw the big buck’s competitors but could not find the big buck himself so decisions needed to be made quickly, move closer or wait. I decided, and in a few minutes we were closer. Crawling on my belly sliding my bow ahead and picking my way through and around the sunflower stalks. My knees, elbows and back began tightening up, but you have forget the pain … and move on.