Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

A crossbow can be an advantage in late-season hunting.  I just took my fourth buck in five seasons while hunting the thickest cover I could find.  I was counting on rifle hunters to push deer into a dense creek bottom where bucks often chase does and avoid human contact.  Bagging this respectable 8-point took less than 90 minutes using a handful of think-thick tricks that worked even during a firearm season.

Hunt Where Deer Travel

Many bowhunters feel naked without a tree stand or ground blind to conceal their location, yet I’ve had great success hunting from the ground.  The key is to find areas of deer movement where trails, rubs, and scrapes show evidence of deer movement.  I wear full Kuiu camo as shown in this picture, but also wear an orange hat to comply with local regulations.  Once you are in thick cover, your camo will blend in and you will be surprised how “invisible” you become to deer.

Use Rut Tricks

Don’t just wait for deer, lure them in with calls.  These are probably 20 years old, yet they are tried and true.  My HS Strut TruTalker is an amazing grunt tube and the Primos doe bleat makes a perfect call every time.  My scent indicator is so old the labeling has worn off.  A grunt tube can lure in a buck and calm down a doe, in case a doe sees or smells me. I grunt after it snorts and she usually calms down and goes about her business.  Sometimes a doe blowing and the sound of a buck grunting will actually attract a buck.

Icy Weather bowhunt in bone chilling Minnesota. Zach has the Deer Decoy and the Bow. Nick has the Video Camera. Zach and Nick get a 15 YARD shot at a buck on Minnesota public land!

   The Hunting Public

At about 3:30 in the afternoon I got settled into my deer stand at the area called the Rock Ledge. I threw out some corn and protein in front of my stand and waited for action. it was 5:00 before I saw my first deer.

A doe came in and ate acorns in my area. A few minutes later an 8 pt buck came out of the brush and chased her out of sight. I am a guest hunter on this deer lease and bucks can only be taken by lease members. However, I can shoot Does, wild hogs and wild turkey.

Later, two more does come down a nearby deer trail  and the 8 point buck came back and chased one of the does off.

But this time the buck did not leave the area and he stayed around for about 10 minutes before he wandered off. Soon one doe came up just on the other side of some nearby trees. I waited and soon the doe turned broadside. I was ready and pulled my bow back and shot her! She dropped only 20 yards from my stand!

I got my vehicle and loaded the doe on my tail gate ramp and when I returned to camp Robert Hoague took my picture with the doe.

Snow is in the deerhunting forecast! Along with cold and the level of intensity of snow storms, you need to learn how to hunt in the snow – right now! Jeff Sturgis gives you several decades of proven tips for hunting deer when the conditions turn full of snow and the temperature becomes brutally cold.

If you want to up your entire whitetail game, make sure to check out the Whitetail Habitat Solutions  lineup of whitetail strategy web classes at https://www.whitetailhabitatsolutions…

When you head to the woods in the snow, make sure that you are following Jeff Sturgis’s weather based hunt predictions every time you head to the woods. Check out HuntCast, at: https://huntwise.com/sturgis

    Whitetail Habitat Solutions

Bowhunters United is a national consumer bowhunting organization for current and potential bowhunters. It was launched in October 2020 with a goal of building a strong future for bow hunters. BU will also provide space for bowhunters to share their passion with other bowhunting enthusiasts, and encourage members to become mentors, informed conservationists, better bowhunting advocates, and responsible public-land stewards.

The archery/bowhunting industry and Archery Trade Association are sponsoring the Bowhunters United liftoff, but plan to step back once the organization is well-established. The ATA and BU organizations are not directly connected. That is, ATA members and BU members do not belong to each other’s organizations. Therefore, BU members cannot attend the ATA Trade Show or receive ATA-member benefits.

ATA staff and Board of Director members first discussed the potential of a consumer organization in early 2018. They established a “consumer organization feasibility study” in August 2018 as one of 11 initiatives in the ATA’s strategic planning process. ATA staff worked with vendors and researchers to determine if a bowhunting-specific consumer organization was feasible and desired. When the answers were positive, ATA staff began developing the organization.

Consumers can join BU for $30 to help make a difference in the bowhunting community, and show their dedication to bowhunting. Funds generated through BU will be used to advocate for bowhunting, conserve public lands, and build the next generation of bowhunters through specific training, education and related programs.

Members will receive a window decal, vinyl sticker, membership gift, and membership card. They’ll also have access to tools and knowledge to become better bowhunters, mentors, conservationists, and stewards of our natural resources.

Smoked Venison Roast with Bacon Jam Glaze. How to smoke a Deer hindquarter roast. Glazed with Cookwell & Company’s Bacon Jam. Smoked using the Cajun Bandit BBQ stacker. Get Your iGrill2 (digital thermometer) Here: http://amzn.to/1MRoHEu

     Southern Coastal Cooking

I waited until dusk and watched the area where Big 8 had disappeared. One issue tugged at my thoughts. The bolt was so fast that I didn’t see it in flight, nor did I see exactly where it hit. That was a problem.

If I started looking for Big 8 right now and my actual hit was higher,or lower, or left, or right of where I intended it to be; there was a chance that if I looked for him now he might jump up and run. And even if it was his very last run he might be difficult to find in the dark.

During the wait I texted Robbie Cramer and Richey Hayes (who were down hunting) and let them know that I had shot Big 8, plus I texted Champ and Landon. When Robbie and Richey arrived I told them I had decided to wait until morning to recover him.

Richey said he had to go home tonight but would return to help in the morning, and he did. And shortly after daylight the next morning our little group took up the search for Big 8. Champ has the eyes of an eagle and spotted my arrow as well as the first of the blood trail. It led to the edge of the gulch and turned right (South) to the mouth of the gulch. We scattered to find his trail. I continued the way he was headed  and went to the uphill side of the gulch. Then I slowly moved along on that side of the gulch.

Meanwhile the other guys picked up his trail and followed it downhill to the North. From my position uphill and to the South I heard faint but excited voices downhill. I Sat down on a big boulder and listened. Around ten minutes later Champ came up out of the gulch and walked to me.

Go fast or go heavy!  The Easton Sonic 6.0 is a 6mm high-performance hunting arrow engineered with high-performance speed and hunting accuracy in mind.  The Sonic 6.0 is built from scratch in the USA using Easton’s seamless Acu-Carbon process for 100% weight and spine consistency from shaft to shaft and from dozen to dozen.

Lighter overall mass weight also provides for a wider-range of arrow build options; from light-weight speed setups to high-FOC/high-momentum heavyweights.    Sonic 6.0 features another Easton first – factory-fletched helical utilizing our 2” Bully vane, designed exclusively for Easton by Bohning to provide the utmost in broadhead accuracy.    The Sonic 6.0 is available in six spines (250, 300, 340, 400, 500, and 600) providing a high-performance option for every type of bowhunter.  6mm nocks pre-installed.  Compatible with standard thread broadheads and field points. Made In USA

  Go To Easton Bowhunting

The instant after Big 8 made a move in my direction I snatched up my Minolta camera with the intention of getting him in the viewfinder and then zooming on him to take as many pictures as I could while he was on the way down.

The side of the valley he was on has lots of both cedar and young hardwood trees. Smallish openings are in in the trees and brush and I could see Big 8 pass through or close to the openings. However, he was not in an openings long enough to get him in the the view finder and in focus.

When he was halfway to me I set the camera down and got it going with the crossbow. A tripod gadget called a Bog-Pod holds the crossbow in shooting position, and when it’s time for a  shot the Bog-Pod is easy to move vertically and horizontally so you can take your shot.

There is a line of cedar trees that he got behind and followed in to a space I had trimmed out so I could take a shot in an obstructed shooting window. I was ready, with the stock firmly against my right shoulder and I had him in the scope sight and my finger was lightly touching the trigger.

He paused at the edge of the cedars, their branches were in front of him. He was 18 yards from me. His attention was totally on the 3 does. And they were spread out between me and him, on full alert and watching him intently. If he stepped clear of the cedars and paused a moment I was in the game. If he immediately charged at one of the does it would be tough to make that moving shot.

I looked over Robbie’s game-camera photo of Big 8. He was a good looking buck; mature with a fine set of antlers. They were wide and heavier than usual for around here. His tines were a good length and as I admired his head-on photo I felt that my hunt for Big 8 was falling in place and I felt like things were going to work out and I’d get myself within the 20 yard range where I wanted to be … and it made sense to me that it might be soon, too.

Robbie bowhunted in the morning and then returned to his home to attend to his business matters. I got out my new Centerpoint Wrath 430X crossbow and shot several bolts into my Hurricane crossbow bag target.

The Wrath 430x came with a ‘Silent Cranking Device’ and it was a real aid to practicing. The ones I had previously used were loud and difficult to turn and one had broken its cable as I cranked. Yikes!

This Centerpoint Silent Crank is nothing like those others.

BACK TO THE HUNT:

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Rescue Hydration is fortified electrolytes, amino acids, and antioxidants to keep you moving under your own power. With additional  coconut water powder for natural potassium and magnesium, Aloe Vera Gel Powder to combat nausea, and L-Glutamine and B6 to for cognitive function. This is more than just your average rehydrating formula.

Hydrate & Recover (30ct) + Rescue Hydration (10ct) Combo is available for $59.95 at  wildernessathlete.com  or call 1-800-300-1215 to talk to one of their friendly and helpful staff members.

Media Contact
Tracy Breen
(231) 853-5060
[email protected]

The buck that suddenly showed up in my early November Game-Camera pictures was a Dandy, even though he was too far away for the picture to have much detail. But I definitely could see that he was wide and had 4 nice points on the side I could see best.

The next day I was sitting in the ground blind that overlooked the area where the buck had come through — but I had the addition of my Minolta camera that had a strong zoom. I was prepared to wait several days in hopes of photographing that buck.

A good hour before dusk would herald the daylight away when I saw him, once again too far away for a detailed game-camera picture, BUT not too far for my Minolta high powered zoom!

When I zoomed in on the buck I saw that, indeed, he was an 8-point, as you can tell by the picture above. He was walking along and I took a handful of pictures — the best of which are these two pics.

He never came any closer and soon faded away into the trees to the east. That night when my bowhunting buddy Robbie Cramer and I were eating mexican food in the nearby town he checked his mobile game camera photos and showed me a picture he received of a big 8 point.

Our Deer Lease is for bowhunters only and all members are allowed to have one guest at any time to come and bowhunt the member’s stands. This year, long time members John Askew and myself invited his daughter Emily and her husband Colt to join us bowhunting deer. While members can hunt and tag bucks that is not the case for guests, they are limited to does only. However guests are welcome to bowhunt all the wild hogs they want to as well as one wild turkey gobbler.

Emily has been coming along with John to the lease since she was in grade school. She enjoyed going along on hunts as well as being in camp and in the outdoors.

It’s been a pleasure to see her grow up to adulthood and have a family. A few years back she became interested in bowhunting herself and has become good at it.

Emily

“Colt dropped me at the tripod stand at the rock ledge. By about 5:00 the deer began to come into the visible area. Two does with a button buck and a fawn  hung around eating acorns and other browse for about 30 minutes.

Then all but the two does left and I decided to shoot her. When she got in the clear between two trees I drew my bow and took the broadside shot. The doe dropped in 15 yards.”

My buddies Robbie Cramer and Richey Hayes met me at the house and we walked back to the area where I hunted this morning.

“I see your arrow!” Robbie Cramer said as he picked it up and noticed blood on it. Red spatters led us east to a high spot on the gluch. Then the trail switched to the north and went downhill.

Robbie and Richey took the lead. The trail took us a short distance to the doe. Then we took a few pictures.

I pulled up the Hunt Harvest App on my iPhone and went through the short process to receive a digital deer tag. Then Richy used my iPhone to take two pictures of me and the doe.

Yea, today was one heck of a good day in the deer woods.

My apple watch alarm woke and I took a shower, got on the hunting clothes, made sure I had my hunting license (this year it’s a digital one that’s on my iPhone), wiped some streaks of black Carbomask on my face and got my rangefinder. Then I checked the Moultrie Mobile app on my MAC laptop to see if deer were out already where I wanted to hunt this morning. They weren’t presently so I picked up my new Centerpoint Wrath 430X crossbow and arrows and snuck out toward my ground blind at the Mound..

On the way a young buck ambled by. Unnoticed, I let him get out of sight and went to the shed. It was 6:35 am.

40 minutes later I noticed the same young buck, he has a fat belly for such a young buck.

Deer were in the immediate area off and on, I saw them through the trees mostly looking for acorns, a few solo does and two other young bucks. This morning, if a doe came in range I wanted to introduce the Centerpoint Wrath to bowhunting.

Fifty yards from my blind 3 does straggled up separately and from different directions.

As the Fedex truck drove out of sight I opened up the Centerpoint Wrath 430X crossbow packaging and realized that it was not assembled. I phoned Cabela’s archery department to get an appointment to get it put together and set up. Unfortunately, the archery Tech was out for a couple of days.

So I Googled “Centerpoint archery” and that led me to links on YouTube with information about this particular crossbow as well as instructions for proper assembly and tuning. Frankly, I’m not very mechanically minded but usually I can follow instructions. As I watched a few “How To” assembly videos I had a little good luck. My hunting buddy Richey Hayes arrived to hunt deer for a few days and checked in with me.

He took one look at the crossbow parts and said he could put it together. And he was correct.

Richey reviewed the written instructions put together the major parts of the Centerpoint Archery Wrath 430X. Next he connected the stock and rails and tightened them up.

Then he bolted down the limbs in place. The Centerpoint Wrath 430X shoots 430 feet per second and has an inverted cam design that delivers up to 164 foot pounds of kinetic energy, with devastating impact. The axle to axle is a slim 9 inches when cocked and has a folding stock and stirrup, the Wrath 430X is one of the most compact crossbows on the market.

Wild turkeys are native to North America, and they are very large and heavy game birds. Likely, this is what made them so appealing for the first Thanksgiving in America. Today, most people know what wild turkeys looks like.

Wild turkeys have an iridescent bronze color on their bodies and barred wing feathers. The  tails of males make a beautiful fan with brownish feathers that have black and cream colored bands. Gobblers (males)sport a chest beard that gets longer with age. Their necks and head have an odd bluish color, as do their snood (the nose drapery) and the wattle (the chin skin).

Gobblers are generally the ones that do the open tail display (called a fan), although some hens display as well as grow beards. The Toms (male turkeys) gather in clearings in the woods and gobble to attract female hens. This gobble can be heard as far as a mile away. Gobblers also puff up and expel air in a hissing puff, while dragging their wingtips on the ground while engaging in a  strut. Their bluish head, snood and wattle change color to a bright red when they are excited.

The “turkey snood” drops down from a pointy horn-like extension above the bill to a draped lengthy skin over the bill. Gobblers activity is generally  irresistible to the hens. If you are near one, you can induce him to display by mimicking the female cluck or chirp.

Hens lay a clutch of 4-17 wild turkey eggs in a ground nest. These eggs hatch into baby wild turkeys, called poults. For the first four weeks of life, poults find and eat as many insects as possible. That protein helps they grow quickly. After that 4 months wild turkeys become omnivorous and eat eat plants, seeds and nuts. By the time they grow up, wild turkeys reach 3.5-4 feet in height and weight between 5.5 and 28 pounds. Their, wingspread is 4-4.75 feet.

While many people are gearing up for deer hunting season, others find themselves in the hunting store for a different reason — archery.

Matt Stacher, archery coach, got involved after he started working at Hunter’s Haven in Champaign, Illinois 11 years ago. Then, he decided he wanted to spread his passion to others. He teaches students of all ages and said sometimes even two-year-olds can hold a bow!

But, Stacher said the best part of coaching is seeing his students smile and improve from lesson to lesson. They meet the first three Saturdays of the month at Hunter’s Haven in Champaign.

Alyssa Neubauer is a freshman at Uni High. She got involved with Archery in middle school after becoming interested in archery while shopping for camping supplies with her family at Field and Stream.

“I really like the people with archery too. It’s really independent and teamwork,” Neubauer said. “I can just do my own thing and finish and hang out with my friends. It’s really rewarding seeing can do better than I thought I could.”

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW

Matt Bateman from Grim Reaper Broadheads talks Shot Placement and Broadhead Choices for different types of hunting. If you bowhunt with a broadhead you do not want to miss this.

I was blessed with the opportunity to tag one of our target bucks, “Mr. Crabs”, on November 12.  My brother Brent Cearlock and I  have 4 years of trail camera pictures of him and feel confident he was 5.5 years old this season. My first encounter with him was an evening hunt on November 7th.

I was bowhunting the south edge of a wood lot overlooking the wooded bottom and a picked corn field to my south. It was a north wind that afternoon so my scent was blowing out over the picked corn field. With about an hour and a half of daylight left, deer started filtering out into the picked corn field about a 100 yards east of me. 30 minutes later Mr. Crabs stepped out. He spent the next 50 minutes checking out each doe and freshening a few field edge scrapes.

With about 5 minutes of legal light left Mr. Crabs finally started working his way west towards me. He covered the distance quickly and with 2 minutes of legal light he was broadside at 30 yards. I was at full draw, but felt uncomfortable taking the shot due to the lack of light. I let down my bow and let him walk by.

Fast forward 5 days: I’m hunting the same property about 600 yards northeast of my November 7th bowhunt. This hunt I am on the east edge of the timber with a picked bean field east of me and a west wind blowing in the woods toward known bedding area.

I picked this stand hoping to catch one of our target bucks between does and scent checking the downwind side of the bedding area. I settled into the stand at 11:45. By 2:00 I had passed 2 different 3 year old bucks and a few does. I even texted my hunting buddies saying the bucks are doing exactly what I hoped, I just needed one of the mature bucks to do the same thing.