Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Make A List Of Must-Do Changes For Stands

It’s an easy thing to do. Most of us, including me, know that certain lists must be made and kept up to date. If we don’t write a thought down when we think of it, that chore is easily forgotten.

It has happened to me many times in the past. I’ll make a list, be driving to the shop, and suddenly I think of something else that has to be done to one of my ground or tree stands.

Driving and writing notes isn’t a good idea so I postpone writing down the thought until I get to work. A customer then asks a question, or a problem needs to be solved, and the thought disappears in an instant.

Planning ahead for spring chores with hunting stands means writing them down. Some stands need very little care, but others always require some preseason attention.

As I’ve noted in the past, many of our elevated stands are enclosed coops on stilts or somewhat open box blinds. The stress of changing seasons from hot to warm to cold and back to warm, plus rain and snow and high winds, can take its toll on wood stands.

We pay particular attention to wooden stands. We check to see if the wood is worn, if nails or screws are starting to pull lose, and whether the railing is stable. An unstable railing, and a slip, can throw a person against the railing. It could break or tear loose, and lead to a bad fall.

My insurance is a hefty amount every year, and we’ve never had a claim. We don’t want one, and that is why we are so picky about checking out each stand before hunting starts.

We climb into the stand and check the chairs or stools. We check the carpet on the floor, and we grab hole of a wall or shooting window, and push and pull it. We are trying to locate any squeaks. A loose nail or screw can lead to a creaky board, and that can mean a sound being made as a hunter comes to full draw on a good buck.

We like our stands as air-tight as possible, but it’s difficult to do when windows must be opened to shoot. We check windows to see if they make noise when opened. We make sure that doors close tightly.

We double-check the wooden steps that lead up to the elevated stand. We test every step to make certain it is safe, and if we have an extra heavy hunter, they usually will hunt from a brand-new stand that is sound. This doesn’t mean that some stands are not sound; a new stand hasn’t been through one or two hunting seasons. The chance of a problem is minimal with new stands.

We make certain that all windows are clean, and we usually kill off any hornets or wasps long before hunters come to visit. For some reason, these insects seem to love wooden coops on the ground or in the air.

Our ground blinds get the same degree of inspection as elevated stands receive. It’s difficult to fall out of a ground blind, but we make certain the footing is good leading to ground blinds. Years ago, we built a stand for a friend that uses a wheelchair. The doorway is shorter than our other stands, and I have to remind other hunters to duck their head going into or out of that stand. I keep thinking about painting a sign on the inside and outside of the door that says “Duck Your Head!”

Windows must be tested as well, and although some ground coops are built on the dirt, many have wood floors. We try to remove any loose-board squeaks. The doors must shut tight, and dark cloth curtains on the windows have to be replaced almost every year.

Think of it this way: If you are in a darkened coop, but a window is uncovered behind you, any movement made can and will be seen. Dark cloth prevents people from being skylighted and spotted by wary deer.

Checking out all of our ground and elevated stands is an ongoing thing. We test every blind long before the season opens, check them again when we start hunting, and ask our hunters if they encounter any problem to tell us about it. The answer is almost always “no,” but we don’t believe in leaving anything to chance.

We err on the side of caution, and urge our hunters to do the same. We always warn them to be careful, and provide any advice that we can to make their hunt safe and successful.

Monday, February 27, 2006

When All Else Fails—Scout

The major mistake many deer hunters make is not scouting. They head for the woods, find a spot that looks good, clink-clank a tree stand up into a bushy tree, and sit back and wait for a buck to show up.

Their efforts often go unrewarded simply because they failed to do their homework. They didn’t do any preseason scouting, and it this hunt is held late in the season, they didn’t watch for deer on other hunts.

Scouting for whitetails is every bit as important as the hunt itself. Scouting could be the road map needed to find where deer travel. None of us would make a trip across the United States without using a road map, so why do it on a hunt?

Scouting means much more than just noting where deer travel. That is an obvious thing for hunters to know, but of equal or greater importance is this: why do deer travel where they do?

The quick and obvious two answers are they are heading for food or working toward their bedding cover. So ask yourself this question: Why are they taking that route when another avenue would work just as well and may be a bit shorter?

We’re starting to get somewhere now. The answer is their travel route often causes they to stay out of sight of humans. Pull into a field that holds deer with a car, and what happens? The deer head for the woods.

Well, that’s true, up to a point. They head into the woods at a location where experience and instinct tells them they have the best means of escaping further detection.

There are countless routes through heavy cover that deer can take. Part of your scouting chores is to determine why that particular trail is used when others are ignored by the animals.

A deer trail is a well-used path. It’s like the sidewalk we used to visit our hunting buddy a block away. One thing about that sidewalk is it leaves us open to being seen by other people.

If we wanted to avoid being seen while walking a city block to his house to discuss our next hunt, we could take a twisted tour through the back yards of our neighbors. Sure, we might be seen but normally the neighbors wouldn’t look for us in their back yard so we might reach our objective without being seen.

This leads us back to the deer trail of choice. It often twists and turns through heavy cover, skirts the edges of other fields, weaves its way through a cedar swamp, and may take a short jaunt through a thick funnel that connects one parcel of thick cover with another.

Humans must learn to think more like a deer than as a human thinking of what we would do if we were deer. Look at cover in a different way. Study deer cover long enough, and it’s pretty easy to spot good cover.

We’re driving down the road, and pass a bit of cover that just has DEER written all over it. I’ll say to my wife: “That piece of land looks like it should hold deer.” Mind you, I’ve looked at enough deer cover to know what looks good and should hold deer.

Scouting on foot is much better than scoping out some land while driving past at 55 mph. Laying down boot leather is the best way to determine a good trail from a bad one, but hunters must ask themselves: What is there about this trail that makes it better than the other one just 50 yards away.

Almost always it is necessary to walk the trail, study the type of cover it passes through, and sometimes there is one small irregularity that determines why it is being used. One that comes to mind is an area of thick tag alders, and down through the middle of the tags, is an old dry creek bed.

Except in times of heavy rain or snow melt, the creek bed is dry. In two or three places where the creek bed is near the edge of the tag alders, there are small depressions in the ground. They may have been deeper holes when the creek held water, but a deer can move through there without being seen.

I found just such a spot once, and looked it over, and considering the prevailing wind direction, 15 yards downwind of one of those tiny depressions was a gnarly old cedar tree. It didn’t need a stand because there was a big limb to stand on with another big limb at waist level to lean against.

It was easy climbing into that tree, and equally as easy to shoot when a nice 8-point buck eased down through the tag alders, into the small depression, and my arrow took him quartering away. He ran 50 yards and dropped.

Follow the road maps to good deer hunting cover. Learn why one trail is better than another, and then learn how to hunt it. Scouting is the key that unlocks whitetail secrets, but it works only if you use it.—The Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Deer Hunting Thoughts For A Winter-Weary Mind

The buck was banging its antlers against a tree, and I listened to him working a scrape for 30 minutes late last October. The buck was within 20 yards of me but he was screened by thick brush and invisible.

I sat in my tree stand and listened. He was close enough to hear the urine hitting the scrape, and he was upwind and the pungent ammonia odor was strong. He worked that tree over, yanked at the overhead licking branch, and for all the noise and commotion he made, the buck was impossible to see.

I checked the spot the next day. He’d been working two scrapes, and one was eight inches deep and as big around as two large platters. The buck had pulled the old licking branch down, and I replaced it. It suited him because the scrape had tine marks and a hoof print in it, and the new licking branch looked pretty ragged. The second scrape was opened up, and the licking branch was chewed to a frazzle.

What was even more interesting was that the buck had opened up a third scrape. Huge clots of wet earth was piled at the north end of the scrape, and he had made it the night before. How do I know?

Buck scrapes have dirt and debris piled at one end or another, and if the dirt is piled at the end closest to thick cover, it generally means the deer is tending that scrape in the evening as he leaves the bedding area for a night of chasing cute little does.

This told me several things: One is the rut had not started but the chasing phase had set in. This chasing phase lasts several days before the full rut starts. As long as fresh activity is seen at the scrape, and it is being tended one or more times daily, the rut has not begun. Once the scrapes show no sign of activity, that means the rut is underway.

One thing few hunters realize is that the mid-day hours just before and during the rut can produce a fine buck.

This buck may have other nearby scrapes that it had been working, but once a buck is shot and is taken out of the woods, another will take its place. Nature abhors a vacuum, and when a big brown trout or a big whitetail buck is removed, another moves in and takes over.

Hunting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. works well during the chasing stage and the rut. If possible, be in your stand by 9 a.m., and sit patiently. The bucks will move during the mid-day hours.

I first learned of this phenomenon many years ago while hunting ruffed grouse. Two days in a row a buck was seen darting away from me in the same area. I checked the area, found his scrapes, and went back and set up a stand 30 yards downwind of it. The buck came by that first day at about noon, wind-checked the scrape from downwind, and offered me a 12-yard shot.

Hunting the pre-rut and the rut during mid-day hours can pay off. Sure, many can’t take time off work to hunt those hours, but keep it in mind for weekends. Hunt near natural funnels between bedding and feeding areas, and once the rut kicks in, start hunting the heavier cover.

My only real problem with hunting the mid-day hours is a personal one. I’m good for three hours maximum in a tree before everything gets sore. I’ll stick it out until about 2:30 p.m., grab a bite to eat, and then hunt from 4 p.m. until legal shooting time ends. It means spending long hours in a tree, but it can pay big dividends with a husky whitetail buck.

This method has worked for me, and can work for you regardless of where you hunt. Try it this fall and see if it doesn’t produce action at a time when no one is hunting. It’s rut hunting’s biggest secret, and now only you, me and several hundred thousand other people will know. --The Whitetail Wizard. 

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Look For The Holes In Heavy Cover

The fog finally disappeared last fall after nearly three days of ground-hugging pea soup that drifted and snaked its way through heavy cover. Drifting fog has a nasty habit of changing the looks of whatever the deer hunter can see, and seeing anything can be a challenge.

I took a break from some of my usual haunts and tried a new spot in some cedars. I set up near a small clearing on a ridge within 50 yards of the thickest part of the swamp.

It looked like a natural but it brought to mind many other hunts in similar cover. It meant finding holes through thick cover, and then determining where a shot is possible and where it isn’t.

My stand was in a cluster of saplings with a thick cedar at my back. Some low brush grew up in front of me to a height of several feet. I settled back, leaned my back against the pine tree, and surveyed my surroundings.

An opening lay in front of me, and a heavily wooded ridge curved from behind me, around my left side, straightened out in front of my position, and curved around to my right. The deer often came from the dense swamp behind me and followed the ridge from left to right and crossed through the 20-yard-wide clearing.

Look for the holes was a recurring thought. Don’t expect a decent buck to walk openly through the clearing; look for him to ease around the stand. Find the holes, the openings where a bow shot would be possible.

Openings are common in most woods but this was close-in hunting. It was important to look for a small opening in the timber where a shot might be taken, but it also involved looking at the brush between me and the dark timber behind it.

There’s a hole, I thought. It’s two feet wide and a foot high near me but only a foot square in the woods. I found another hole, an opening 25 yards away where the ground sloped up to the ridge. It would offer an opening one-and-a-half feet in diameter should a buck pass through it. Still another was where a birch had toppled into another birch, and hung up about four feet off the ground. A deer that passed through that area would be framed in white at 15 yards.

The first 20 minutes were spent finding the holes. It then became important to memorize their locations, and check each area out with binoculars to make certain that no tiny twigs would be in the way of my arrow. Two of the spots were eliminated because of unseen twigs or branches until the binoculars were used.

I found all the holes that could offer a possible shooting lane. I’ve seen some shooting lanes that hunters cut that look like the spokes on a bicycle wheel, and I’ve found that deer dislike crossing such openings. If they do cross, the hunter has only a split second to aim and shoot.

My idea of an opening, or hole if you will, is just large enough to thread a carefully aimed arrow through to nail a deer. It takes a calm hand.

That night’s hunt was a great night to be outdoors. There wasn’t a deer heard or seen, but somehow it didn’t matter. It was a night of hole finding, and it’s good practice for future hunts. Keep hole-hunting in mind the next time you hunt in really thick cover.

Heavy cover is where good bucks travel, and it takes patience to accurately shoot an arrow through a small hole. It’s where 3-D archery ranges, with targets at various distances through cover, can help make a bow hunter a much better shot. 

Friday, February 24, 2006

Finding Those Seldom-Used Buck Trails

Years ago I was in a situation where I was high up in a tree, and could watch a buck-and-hunter drama play itself out to an obvious conclusion. It proved to be a turning point in my hunting career.

The hunter was in a low tree stand 200 yards away, and he was in a good spot. Bucks usually traveled past that tree on a regular basis, and they usually traveled a well-used runway.

I watched a sizable 8-point move toward him through six inches of fluffy snow, and the hunter must have made some minor movement when the buck was 50 yards away and still at the edge of thick cover. The buck locked up his brakes, stood motionless for several minutes and studied the waiting hunter.

It was what the buck did next that proved to be a turning point in my hunting strategies.

The buck stepped off the main runway, seemed to follow a path of its own design, and it kept him in heaviest cover. The buck passed the hunter by less than 30 yards while the does, fawns and yearling bucks walked past his stand, the 8-pointer slipped past without being seen.

The hunter told me later that evening that he’d seen two small bucks but nothing of size. I said it was too bad, but tomorrow may present an opportunity at a bigger buck.

I went out the next day, found where the buck had stepped off the main runway, and picked his way through the thicket, and there was but one set of prints along that seldom-used trail. I marked it with a tiny piece of orange surveyors tape, and went back the following spring.

I’d often wondered why that stand never produced a good buck. There was one spot where bucks could stand in heavy cover 50 yards away and spot a moving hunter. It was the only place where a deer could see a hunter in the tree, and the trail he used was traveled only when that stand held a hunter.

Some hunters call such trails escape routes. Others call them buck trails or runways, but the simple fact is that some bucks have these little-known and seldom-used trails as a way to escape detection.

I like to walk around my hunting locations during the off-season, and act like a deer. I stick to the edge of heavy cover, and look for areas where I can spot a hunter in a tree stand. If I crouch down, and can see the stand, I start looking for these little used trails.

Such trails are used only on rare occasions, but the study point where a buck (or doe) will stand to study a tree stand and its occupant, is the first point to check. Sometimes the stand can be shifted slightly to keep deer from spotting the hunter, and many hunters like to brush in a tree with pine boughs. Such stands, when brushed in properly, provide only one place to shoot.

Bucks seldom follow these escape routes unless they have a need to do so. What this means is that hunters should spend the off-season checking out every stand from different angles. Do whatever is needed to keep the deer from spotting your movements, but the biggest key is to learn how to sit motionless and silent.

Comfort in a stand is crucial to sitting still. A pine stub sticking in your back or side will begin to irritate, and we move to relieve the discomfort. If a deer spots that slight movement, that stand may be ruined for the rest of the season.

Spend time now looking for these escape routes near your favorite tree stands. Time spent now looking—and finding—these trails is very important. Backtrack these trails until the study point is found. This spot is where bucks can stand in heavy cover, and not be observed, but where they can see the stand.

Two or three hours spent in the early spring once the snow is gone will reveal these seldom used trails. Study them, learn to think like a deer, and puzzle out what a buck would do if it senses or spots danger.

Chances are you’ll determine just what I learned years ago. The bucks and does stop in certain areas to look ahead, and then bucks of size will figure out how to bypass your position without being seen.

You, on the other hand, must study and practice the art of motionless and silent sitting. Learn where these locations are for each stand, and you’ll be far ahead of the bucks next fall.—The Whitetail Wizard

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Weather And Whitetail Reactions To It.

The day wasn’t cold, and the wind wasn’t terribly strong, but the air had a bite to it. Some people believe that deer feel cold like humans do.

It’s not true. Humans move from inside to outside, and from outside to indoors, and often at this time of year, we spend more time in than out. That causes us to feel any chill in the air, and it takes much less to make us shiver.

Deer are outdoors all the time. They adapt to it from birth, and what we consider a cold day means little to them. The weather must really be severe, and stay that way for a long time, to create problems for whitetails.

It wasn’t cold at all today. It got up to 32 degrees for two or three hours before starting to nudge its way downward. All deer hunters have spent days in such weather conditions, and if we dress appropriately, we get along fine at such temperatures.

Deer simply adapt. Most troubling to whitetails are those days of very cold weather—say, near zero or below—and strong winds that strip any warmth out of a deer yarding area. Wet, freezing rain, and high blustery breezes, wick heat away from their body.

It’s why deer often head for thick swamps, Christmas tree plantations, or wherever they can get some thermal cover. Such cover is always thick, and it breaks up the strong winds and allows deer to survive.

Consider whitetail deer in the fringe country between northern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba where temperatures dip down to zero and as much as 20 below zero during the November hunting season. These are very cold temperatures, but deer in those areas survive just fine because their body has adapted to the prevailing temperatures.

Of course, this means the animal must have food and the ability to move around to stay warm. A deer that stops moving, lays down for two days without feeding or moving, will probably die.

Having deer feeders on my land allows me many opportunities to watch deer in all types of weather conditions. We rarely have long-lasting sub-zero temperatures, so that is seldom a problem.

These deer are fed daily. We put out the feed, and they come to it. Food is what fuels the internal furnace of a deer. If they can fill their belly with high-nutritional food, they can handle whatever Nature throws at them in this area.

It’s easy to tell what the weather will bring simply by watching deer. If they linger for long periods of time near the feeder, and seldom lay down, there is a good chance of a winter storm coming.

During nice weather, the deer may come to feed at any time during the day, but they almost always walk off and lay down in heavier cover. Watch them long enough, and you’ll know they don’t bed down very far from the food source. That allows them to visit the feeder several times during the day and night.

The temperature may be mild, but if a strong wind comes up, deer activity often drops unless a severe winter storm is on its way. Then, they will feed constantly before the storm hits.

Even so, they seldom head for the thickest cover unless really nasty weather is on its way. Many times they will stand stock-still in the blowing and drifting snow, and feed heavily. They seem to know when it’s time to quit eating and take cover.

One of my great passions, besides bow hunting, is studying deer. I enjoy watching the animals, studying them to determine their reactions to certain types of storms, and seeing how often they feed under normal weather conditions.

A deer’s reaction to weather changes can help a hunter. They will soon learn when deer will move based on current weather conditions. Learn to read their mannerisms under all types of weather, and it will make us better and more successful hunters.—The Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Wind Indicators: Do They Work?

Hunters use all types of wind indicators before choosing their deer hunting location, but are those indicators always accurate?

It’s a good question. For years, a big weather vane stood atop my house. I’d check it two or three times before deciding where people should hunt.

The wind indicator on my house was away from any wood-line or taller building that could confuse the issue of wind direction. It accurately predicted the wind direction at the house but there were times when the wind direction at a certain ground blind or tree stand was much different because of the terrain and how hills or trees affected the wind.

A little squeeze bottle of unscented talcum powder works well when squeezed before entering a stand. Even at that, the wind can be quirky that day and swirl from all directions.

Many hunters I know tie a tiny feather to the upper limb of their bow. Any change in wind current will cause the feather to flutter or quiver.

Some people use a piece of sewing thread that will dangle down and be easily moved by even the softest breeze. I always use a Game Tracker string tracking device when bear or deer hunting.

The broadhead is unscrewed from the insert, and the Game Tracker string is tied to the broadhead insert. When the broadhead is tightened down, it holds the Game Tracker string securely in place.

Hunters can leave a three-inch length of Game Tracker string dangling down from the insert. This tiny piece of line doesn’t affect arrow accuracy, and it certainly can give the hunter an immediate idea of where the wind is coming from.

I favor this type of wind indicator. It is invisible to an approaching deer, and it gives an accurate reading of wind direction at your location. One glimpse at it when a buck starts approaching a ground blind or tree stand will give hunters what information they need about the wind direction.

No mater where the blind or stand is located, and no mater which direction the wind is blowing when the hunt begins, it never offers a guarantee that the breeze will remain constant.

All too often, the wind will switch late in the hunt or begin to swirl. If you are after a big buck, or any buck for that matter, any change in wind direction becomes critical to success. If it blows cross-wind to the deer’s approach route, it may or may not cause a problem.

However, if the wind switches and blows your scent toward where the deer are expected to appear, the hunter has three choices.

The first and best choice is to leave as silently as possible to avoid having your scent betray you once the deer starts moving. The second is to hope the wind switches again, which it may or may not do, and the third is to ignore the wind. The last two choices are not wise decisions.

I’ve moved many times within 15 to 20 minutes before deer are expected to appear. They may get a remnant whiff of human scent, but they won’t get nearly as much as they will if the hunter stays in place.

Deer live by their senses, and their instincts, and most deer are somewhat accustomed to some human scent. But if they are moving, and catch a strong and continuous whiff of human scent, it’s certain they will move around that area and either disappear or watch for human movement. If they smell the hunter, and see him move, it’s very likely you’ve destroyed that hunting area for some time.

No one likes to give up a morning or evening hunt, but it’s much wiser to move and lose that hunt for that day than to lose that entire hunting area for the rest of the season.

Wind indicators can be a definite asset, and hunters must learn to trust them. A compass is no good if the hunter doesn’t believe what it says, and it’s human folly to ignore what a wind indicator tells us.

If the wind switches, and could cause a major problem, move. Don’t ruin a good hunting area because of laziness. In the long run, to not move will destroy your future hunting chances in that location.—The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Is There An Ideal Draw Weight?

A well-muscled young man came into my archery shop several days ago, and was looking to buy a bow. I showed him new and used C.P. Oneida Eagle bows, and he felt a new one would be best.

I invited him to shoot one of the new Black Eagle II bows, and he asked me what the ideal draw weight should be. He seemed to want a precise draw weight.

He was asked if he’d shot a bow before, and he said he had. I asked what poundage he was comfortable with, and was told he could shoot anything up to 75 comfortably.

“Do you want a bow set at 75 pounds?” I asked.

“Not necessarily,” he offered. “I want something set at the ideal draw weight. What is it?”

There is no ideal draw weight that will suit every target archer or bow hunter, and that is what he was told. I said he should shoot a draw weight that he is comfortable with, and he should keep from drawing so much weight that it endangers his arm, back or shoulder muscles.

I tried to explain that I can pull and shoot 80 pounds but tend to favor 60 pounds. He wanted to know if 60 pounds was an ideal draw weight for him, and I kept trying to explain the ideal draw weight must be determined by the shooter ... not the salesman.

It seemed to be difficult to work him out of this ideal draw-weight rut. Finally, the answer came to me. He would shoot every book we had in stock. Some were set at 50 pounds of draw weight, another at 55 pounds, one at 60, another at 65, another at 70, and finally a bow set at 75 pounds.

“Shoot four or five arrows with each one,” I suggested, handing him the 50 pounder. He shot five arrows with excellent accuracy, and told me “this bow is too light for me.”

He then shot five arrows at 55 and 60 pounds, and announced they weren’t stout enough to suit him. He could ease them back to full draw without effort.

Next came a Black Eagle II in 65-pound draw weight. He pulled it back, and I noticed the first tiny bit of a pause.

“What do you think about 65 pounds?” I asked. “Does it feel right?”

He shook his head that it was still a bit easy to draw. He wanted to try 70 pounds because he thought it would easily shoot an arrow through a deer.

“I know people who shoot two-blade, fixed-blade broadheads at 40 pounds and shoot slam through a deer,” I said. “You don’t need to shoot 70 pounds to do that.”

“Let’s try a 70-pound draw weight,” the customer said. “I want to know what it feels like to draw that poundage.”

He drew the 70-pounder back but it required a bit more effort than was needed at 65 pounds, and he shot five arrows. He said it seemed like therewas a big increase in arrow speed.

I next offered one at 75 pounds, and it was maxed out. He had to work hard to come to full draw, and I saw a tiny twinge of pain when he reached full draw. He shot the arrow, and I strongly suggested he stop.

“You’ll hurt yourself with this bow,” I warned him. “ You’ve shot everything in five-pound increments from 50 to 75 pound. Where is your comfort level? Where do you feel your ideal draw weight is?”

He thought about it, and decided that 65 pounds was about right. My next question was whether he hunted with a bow in December. He did.

I dug through some clothes that were laying around, and bundled him up with enough clothing to keep him warm in December’s cold temperatures. He was invited to shoot the 65-pound bow again.

It was a strugger for him to reach his anchor point. What now, he was asked. Is this a comfortable draw weight, and he admitted it was not easy or fun to draw at that poundage wearing heavy clothing.

He tried the 60-pound bow with the clothing on, and had no problem drawing, holding, aiming and shooting.

“OK, what is the ideal draw weight for you?”

“Sixty pounds,” he said. “I can draw more weight without winter clothing on, but it’s difficult. This draw weight is easily handled in warm weather and in cold weather. I’ll take it.”

A salesman’s trick? Not necessarily. Instead, what it turned out to be was an exercise where he decided his own preferred draw weight. I told him that it’s not necessary to be a strong man to kill a deer. He was plenty accurate enough at all draw weights, but he needed to find his own comfort level.

Few people go to such extremes, but if you are in doubt as to what is best for early fall or December bow hunting, try adding more clothing. You’ll soon learn your comfort level.—The Whitetail Wizard

Monday, February 20, 2006

Facts & Fiction About C.P. Oneida Bows

The world is filled with truths and myths, and misconceptions seem to be everywhere in the archery industry. The most popular one is that C.P. Oneida Eagle bows look different from other compound bows.

There’s a good reason for that. They are different, and the difference between a C.P. Oneida Eagle bow and the others has led to a great deal of fiction ... or myth, if you will. Here are some truths about the bows we make, and some of the myths that crop up from time to time.

Myth: C.P. Oneida Eagle bows are too heavy.

Truth: Our bows are lighter in weight now than ever before. Our bows run from three pounds, 10 ounces to 4.6 pounds. Bows that are too light are difficult to shoot accurately.

Myth: There are too many moving parts in the Oneida bows.

Truth: That may have been true many years ago, but now there are fewer moving parts than ever before.

Myth: The bows go easily out of tune.

Truth: New models of C.P. Oneida Eagle bows seldom go out of tune unless it is dropped or it is damaged in any way. Hitting the top or bottom limb against something when taking a shot can cause problems. Many of our bows will stay in tune for years providing that the string is replaced periodically.

Myth: They look like a recurve bow.

Truth: They look that way on purpose. It’s one of the things that set C.P. Oneida Eagle bows apart from other compound bows. The limb design makes the bow shoot arrows faster and smoother. Our bows offer the distinctive qualities of a recurve with the sizzling speed of a compound.

Myth: These bows are too noisy.

Truth: Our new dampening system offers whisper-quiet shots. This new system with cable bands keeps the cables in place, and allows for minimal cable movement when a shot is taken, thus dramatically reducing the sound. Our dampening system is standard on all newer-model C.P. Oneida Eagle bows.

Myth: The bows are too difficult to tune.

Truth: The bow is easy to tune. Each new bow comes with an instruction manual. Often, a bow can be tuned in just a few minutes.

Myth: It is hard to change the let-off on these bows.

Truth: That’s nonsense. Seven different modules allow the bow’s let-off to be changes in just a minute or two.

Myth: These bows are more costly than other bows.

Truth: Every bow manufacturer has bows priced from a low-end model to their top-of-the-line seller. Any top-line bow is going to be more expensive than a low-end model. Price costs are comparable between our high-end bows and similar models from other manufacturers. Our bows run from about $640 to $1,200. It’s no different than buying a new car: the bargain basement price has few amenities while the high-ticket models are a work of art. The same applies to bow costs.

The trouble with myths is they seem to perpetuate themselves. Once a statement is made about the bow, uninformed people accept it as gospel.

We strive to build the highest quality compound bow on the market, and we believe we have succeeded. The entire line of C.P. Oneida Eagle bows are built on a strong commitment to quality workmanship and the highest quality of materials.

Anyone who still feels strongly about one of these myths should visit any C.P. Oneida dealership or the Buck Pole Archery Shop in Marion, Michigan. Me or my staff will be happy to answer any questions, and invite you to shoot our bows.

We believe if a person shoots a C.P. Oneida Eagle bow several times, they will learn the difference between myth and fact. 

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Bow Buyers Have Become More Sophisticated

It used to be that a bow hunter would walk into an archery shop, or even worse a K-Mart store, in search of a bow.

There are always salesmen prepared to sell a bow to a novice archer or bow hunter. Many of those bow buyers 20 years ago had no clue what they wanted from a bow other than it shot arrows.

Bow buyers now are far more sophisticated. They read test reports, and have an idea of what they want. Although buying a name-brand bow still remains a matter of personal taste, most people who are looking for a bow have come to understand one important fact.

You get what you pay for. There is as much difference between a VW and a Ferrari as there is between a good and bad compound bow. There are certain things in a bow to look for, and there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t discuss many of these issues with potential buyers that come into my Buck Pole Archery Shop in Marion.

It’s like our new C.P. Oneida “Extreme” bow. It is unlike other bows, and people have learned to accept the fact that our compound bows look different than other bows. They look different because they are. We are proud of the distinctive lines of our bows and how they shoot.

Take the “Extreme” for instance. Archers and bow hunters have learned, through trial and error, that a bow that may look pretty on the showroom rack may not be ideally suited for their needs.

The completely new “Extreme” is a limited edition bow designed for the hardcore archer and bow hunter. It is my Signature series, numbered and signed by me, and it is limited to only 250 bows.

Granted, this may not be what you want but the next person in the door may want exactly what this bow offers. It offers a new dampening system that produces whisper-quiet shots. We learned, by moving the cam assembly down, that it created an easy and smoother draw curve with no recoil when a shot is taken.

It offers flat nock travel and increased arrow speed. Most sophisticated archers and bow hunters want a straight-shooting bow and more speed without having to increasing the poundage of their bow. They want a bow that feels comfortable when drawn and shot.

There is literally no movement or twist when drawing or shooting this bow. Compare it to other bows for the final test. Any stress is equally distributed through the riser, and this helps make the bow stronger with less vibration.

The “Extreme” bow has a new and more streamlined design. It has less friction on the timing cable, and it is faster and quieter.

Hunters must decide what they want or need from a bow. Some like a bow all tricked out with modern devices, but our bows do not require kisser buttons and peep sights when using our 33mm Pollington Pro red-dot sight. Shooting a C.P. Oneida Eagle bow, whether it be the “Extreme” or the Black Eagle II, is a lesson in functional performance.

These bows are so smooth to draw, and no longer is there a felt recoil when the arrow is released. The straight nock travel means this bow shoots straight and with more speed than many people can believe, even at lower draw weights.

Customers are invited to shoot their old bow, or go to another shop and try a competitors model, and then shoot one of our bows. We’ve had countless people perform this exact exercise, and almost always they wind up buying a C.P. Oneida Eagle bow.

The reason is the sophistication I spoke of earlier. One doesn’t have to be a bow technician to determine the tremendous difference between our bows and those of other makers. Ours draw much more smoothly through the draw curve, and once sighted it, the arrows fly accurately every time. The straight nock travel once the arrow leaves the string must be experienced, and a dozen shots at a target will prove the wisdom of this technology.

Sophistication means that buyers must be impressed with how a bow looks, how it feels in the hands, whether it is comfortable while being drawn back to a consistent anchor point, and once the arrow is released. My staff or I can tell buyers this, but it’s when I put a bow into their hands, and they shoot it, that they understand power, quietness and smoothness.

Many other bows must be sold. Our bows sell themselves.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Arguments In Favor Of Ground Blinds Or Tree Stands

It’s rather odd that people argue the merits of hunting on the ground or up in a tree. As I see it, making such a decision is a matter of personal choice.

The question is put to me many times every year. I’ll be selling a guy a bow, tuning up one he dropped, or in casual conversation. It’s the same old question.

“Which do you prefer,” the questioner asks, “a ground blind or tree stand. And why?”

Sit me down in a corner, threaten me with the third degree, and I’d probably say I prefer hunting out of a tree. But then, in fairness to myself and to the person asking the question, I’ll note that I also enjoy hunting from a ground blind.

There are a number of things that dictate where I hunt during the fall. The first, and perhaps most important bit of information I need before making a decision whether to hunt up or down, is this: Where is the buck traveling, and what type of stand do I have in that area?

If the buck is moving through thick brush, and is passing within 20 yards of a good tree stand or elevated coop, that will be my choice. It’s like trying to decide which I like best—chocolate cake or ice cream. I like whichever one is handy.

All bucks like thick cover but they also like wide-open spaces, especially during the rut. If the bucks are moving through the open fields in hot pursuit of an estrus doe, my choice is a ground coop out in the open. Sadly, there are few trees in the open fields on my ranch, and that leaves either a pit blind or wooden coop on the ground.

My coops have been in place for many years, and the deer have become accustomed to them. I’ve had countless bucks of all sizes walk within 10 feet of a ground coop, and they seem to pay little attention to it. Part of the reason is the stand has been there for a long time, and the deer have come to accept its presence.

There are many advantages to hunting from a ground blind. First of all, a hunter would have to try exceptionally hard to fall out of a ground blind, and it the hunter was successful at doing so, there wouldn’t be an injury. The same cannot be said for a tree stand.

Another factor in favor of a ground blind is the shot is taken horizontally at a deer, and much can be said for having a buck stand broadside or quartering-away at 15 yards. It offers an easy shot, and ground blinds are wonderful when heavy hunting pressure from tree stands start making deer look up.

There is little noise made when entering a ground blind unless the door has squeaky hinges. A drop of oil on the hinges can silence them. It’s possible to walk to a ground blind, and quickly disappear into it, and there is far less noise made when entering one.

Tree stands offer exciting hunts, and they can be located in thick cover where bucks always chase does. It’s possible to stay reasonably high up in a tree, and it can drift human scent far away from your position. A hunter who is quiet and doesn’t move, can get easy chances to shoot.

That doesn’t mean the shots are always easy. Some are easy and some are very difficult, and much depends on the stand’s location. I like my deer out about 20 yards, and this lessens the steep downward angle that arises if a buck is almost directly under your stand.

Steep-angle shots are tough, and there is always a chance of a bad hit. However, although some hunters still think deer never look up, they do. Most hunters who get spotted are seen by a deer as much as 50 to 100 yards away, and they catch a movement while standing deep in brush.

In bitter cold weather, it can be easy to become so cold that fingers and toes lose feeling. A fall is possible under such conditions. We check every elevated coop or tree stand before the season opens to determine if it is structurally sound and safe.

Choosing a ground blind over a tree stand, or vice versa, is a matter of choice. Frankly, as long as I am bow hunting, it really doesn’t make much difference where I hunt. I’ll be in a tree one day and on the ground the next, and both are equally productive.—The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, February 17, 2006

Remembering The Good Old Days

Every now and then my mind carries me back to the so-called “good old days.” Everything seemed larger than life when we were kids, and first getting involved in hunting was a big deal to me.

I can’t recall my first bow hunt, but I had an old long bow that I used. It seemed as if that osage orange bow was as tall as I was, but that is the fun part of remembering things from 60 years ago. Our mind sometimes plays tricks on us.

My thoughts take me back to an era when very few people hunted with a long or recurve bow. This was long before the first compound bow was invented, and I remember trying to find straight wooden arrows.

Constant practice was needed to keep muscles toned for a quick draw, an even faster aim, and a sure release. There were no tree stands in those days, and the only rubber boots we owned were four- or five-buckle Arctics that were worn during winter months.

The deer seemed much larger back then than now. Of course, I suspect that was because I was smaller, and our size difference was a result of being younger.

However, I remember seeing bucks that had 12 and 14 points, and it seems as if they were everywhere. No one shot does in those days, and here in Osceola County, there were some big bucks taken.

Most of the hunting in those days came during the traditional November 15-30 firearm season. Blaze or Hunter Orange clothing wasn’t worn in those days because it hadn’t been invented yet.

Most of us wore green-and-black or red-and-black checked wool coats and pants. Ours were often hand-me-downs from an older brother, and sometimes we hunted in whatever clothing we had. We knew about dressing in layers, and often wore everything we owned to stay warm.

We seldom worried much about human scent, and seldom took any precautions about hunting the wind. Many hunters simply walked into the woods, found a stump or uprooted tree to sit on, and would watch where two or three trails came together. If they happened to choose a downwind position, they might shoot a deer if they could sit still.

I was fascinated by whitetails in those days. I’d often skip school (not that I now think it was a wise decision) just to go hunting. Hunting meant more to me than learning at a country school, and I found myself trying to learn more about deer every day I went out. It soon dawned on me that if I was upwind of deer, I seldom got a shot.

One of the first things I learned was to hunt the wind. I learned that a hunter downwind of a whitetail buck was seldom winded. I learned to hunt deeper in the thick cover so I’d have a chance at a buck before the guys lined up outside of the cover would see deer.

It didn’t take long for me to learn that a long bow or recurve wasn’t made for long-distance shots, and I found most of the bucks I shot were between 10 and 15 yards away. I became an instinctive shooter because there were few sights in those days. I drew back, aimed down the arrow shaft at the buck, and when the sight picture looked right, I made my release. After time, those shots often killed that buck.

There are memories of scouting for deer. It was easy to find the main runways, and I avoided other hunters as if they had smallpox. The more hunters in an area, the greater the chance of the accumulated noise and human scent spooking deer long before dawn arrived.

So I hunted deeper in the cover, planned my adventure with teenage expectations, and studied deer. I wanted to learn all I could about these animals, because deep down inside, I knew that the more a hunter knew about whitetail deer, the better success they would have.

Weekends, holidays, days off from work, all would find me in the woods. I spent countless days studying them from afar, and many of those lessons I learned as a teenager are still being practiced today.

Hunting deer is much more than a casual thing to me. It is something I happily admit to being addicted to. Spending time in the woods, studying and watching deer, is as much a part of my scouting procedures as it was 60 years ago.

Perhaps the bucks were bigger back then, and perhaps they weren’t, but it makes little difference. The good old days didn’t occur six decades ago, they are here today. Lots of deer doesn’t make the deer hunting better. Hunting one buck, and concentrating one’s entire efforts on that animal, is what makes hunting so much fun.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

So, You Want To Own A Deer Ranch?

The weather never ceases to amaze me. Just when we decide we want to do something, and get it done ahead of time, the weather changes.

My ranch foreman was trying to fill all the deer feeders today before the storm hit. He didn’t quite make it.

We have a large wagon we tow to take feed to each area. The ranch roads are a mess as a result of continuous freezing, thawing, rain, snow, and freezing again.

I was at the archery shop when the call came in. Gary was having problems, and needed help.

“My truck and the feed wagon slid off one of the roads,” he said. “Can you break away and come with your truck and pull me out.”

I jumped into the truck, headed for the ranch, went through the gate, and found him where he said he’d be. I was jockeying for position to pull him out, and my truck slid off the road and was instantly stuck.

I walked 400 yards through that snarling cold wind to get the tractor. It slid around some but I was able to get to Gary, the feed wagon, and my truck, and pull all of us out.

These things happen, and nothing can be done to prevent such problems. One deals with them as best as possible.

It took twice as long as normal for Gary to fill the feeders. Each time he stopped he wondered if he’d get stuck or get going again. Some of the areas get really bad, but with a storm like the one that hit today, we must feed the animals.

This is a business where the animals must come first. They must be fed daily, and we have to take the feed into areas where they can move easily to get to it. The feed will only rot if the deer can’t reach it.

This means that some of our food sites are more difficult to service than others, and there have been times when we’ve had to carry the feed in five-gallon buckets, with one in each hand. At the end of the day both arms feel like they are six inches longer than before.

Gary was able to finish the feeding during the storm. It was a combination of rain, sleet and snow, and for a change of pace, it was a winter thunderstorm. Some people don’t believe in winter thunderstorms, but they are real and do exist. They also are nasty.

The wind came up, pushing wet, sloppy, slippery snow ahead of it, and it came down hard. At times it was impossible to see 50 yards, and yet the deer had to be fed. Deer, like cattle, require feeding every day even though there are times during a savage storm, when they stay bedded down until it blows through.

Whether they choose to feed or not, it still requires that someone or even two people spend two or three hours to feed all the sites during nice weather. Add a mix of mind-driven slop like we had today, and it’s easy to spend twice that amount of time on this must-do project.

And, as often as not, one of the feeders will require some work. That slows down the process, but it makes for a very long day when you are out there trying to stay dry. It’s impossible to do.

Our deer got their feed today, but it’s such days with stuck trucks and feed wagons, that makes me wonder about the wisdom of having a deer ranch. But, if the sun shines tomorrow and the roads freeze up for reasonably safe travel, it will have been worth it.

I take tremendous enjoyment out of watching and studying whitetail deer, and I also understand the obligation I have to care for them and make certain they are well fed.

I take this responsibility seriously, and the next time I have the opportunity to study the animals, it will erase all of today’s problems.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Everyone Gets Caught Occasionally

It happens. Despite our best laid plans, a crafty old doe or a jumpy young buck nails us on the way into or out of our stand.

We’re busted. A doe will often blow for 15 or 20 minutes, making an awful racket. It alerts every deer within hearing. If she goes on that long, it makes sense to try a different area.

However, a doe or buck may catch a whiff of human scent, blow two or three times, shut up and leave the neighborhood. Depending on how serious the alarm sounds is, it leaves the bow hunter with a decision to make.

Stay and hunt the area or mosey off to another location. One or two snorts, and silence can be meaningless. Does will often snort and leave, doing little if any damage.

It becomes more of a problem if the deer sees and smells you than if it just picks up an errant bit of scent. I’m most likely to stick it out in this location if the deer snorts once or twice and leaves. Deer often snort if startled, and a quick silence afterward doesn’t do that much damage.

It does bring up a problem that hunters must solve. All too many people have only one way into and out of their hunting area, and if they hunt it daily, it won’t take deer long to pattern your movements.

Once a deer has you pegged, it can create a series of potential present or future problems. Say a deer spots you two days in a row as you climb into a stand, the jig is up. They may avoid that spot for days or weeks.

My advice is to have a minimum of two, and as many as three or four entrance and exit routes. It makes a great deal of sense to vary your routine, and whenever possible, never hunt the same location two days in a row.

And when you do hunt the spot, walk in one way and out another today. The next time the area is hunted, travel a different in and out route. Mix it up, and alternate how you access and leave the stand.

Another thing: deer are accustomed to seeing people. They don’t like it but they probably see Farmer Jones or Claude Pollington on a somewhat regular basis.

I walk directly to my ground blind or treestand. I don’t skulk about. I walk with determination, and although I try to avoid stepping on twigs or small limbs that may snap underfoot, I don’t waste any time. I want to be in my stand as quickly as possible, and allow the area to settle down before deer start moving.

I always wear rubber boots, and make certain that they are as clean as possible. Never pump gas into your truck while wearing your hunting boots or clothing.

Move to the stand, and climb into it or step into it, and keep any noise to a minimum. When the hunt ends, leave by a different route if possible.

Look at this in this manner. Allowing yourself to be patterned by deer is one of the worse things you can do. If hunters bait, deer in cold-weather months often bed down near the bait site.

If this is the case, have another hunter drive you to the area in a truck or via four-wheeler, and they can dawdle about with the engine running until you are in position. Then they drive away.

Deer can’t count. if two people arrive in a truck, and one climbs into a stand, and the deer see the vehicle drive away, they don’t know if someone is inside the stand or not.

For years we used a four-wheeler to drop off hunters and then to pick them up. The vehicle scares off the deer on your arrival, and it does the same thing after dark when they drive in to pick up hunters.

It is perhaps the best method of accessing a hunting site as there is. The vehicle moves the deer away from the hunting area, and often they are back within five or 10 minutes of when the vehicle leaves.

Try it this fall. Mix up how you enter and exit a hunting area, and if possible, have another person drop you off and pick you up. Let the vehicle move the deer away, and that will eliminate any possibility of the hunter spooking them.—The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

How High Is Too High?

It seems this is a never-ending question. Many people who come into the Buck Pole Archery Shop want to know: how high is too high?

They aren’t talking about bow prices. They are inquiring about how high should their elevated coop or tree stand be located. It’s a difficult question to answer because what appeals to me is not perfect for another person. We all have slightly different requirements.

A better question would be: what is an adequate height? For me, adequate would be about 16 feet, with a variation two feet in either direction. For me, anything over 20 feet can be too high although I confess to having one stand at nearly 30 feet.

I’ve seen treestands at 35 feet, and two or three people have told me they often hunt from 35 feet or more. A friend was deer hunting almost 10 years ago in Kentucky, and he was shown a treestand way up in the top of a open pine tree, and it was 45-50 feet off the ground.

The owner asked him: “Want to try this treestand? Hunters see bucks out of it all the time. The deer will never spot or wind you at that height.”

“Nope,” my friend replied, “I’m not about to climb that high, and even if you could lower me into the stand from a helicopter, I still wouldn’t want to hunt out of it. I know my limitations, and this is three times too high to suit my tastes.”

He put him somewhere else in a stand about 16 feet off the ground, and he shot a nice buck. Didn’t suffer from nose bleeds, either.

All things are subject to debate, and much depends on hunter skill, keen vision, and an ability to shoot deer at steep downward angles. A hunter sitting 30 feet up at tree, and shooting at a buck 10 yards out from the tree, will be shooting at a very steep angle.

Imagine that same hunter being 35 or 40 feet up a tree, and shooting at a buck 10 yards away from the tree. The higher the hunter goes, the steeper the angle. That buck would look about an inch wide.

Conversely, let’s put this imaginary buck out to 30 yards with a hunter 30 feet up a tree. The buck will be standing at much less of an angle, but the problem now becomes the distance from the archer to the deer. Many people are not competent at taking shots at 30 yards or farther.

I’m all in favor of a hunter giving a deer every break in the world, but only if that hunter is an exceptionally good shot.. The farther away the buck is, and the higher up in a tree the hunter is, provides a buck with almost all of the breaks most deer need to survive.

There are some hunters I’ve met that can thread the needle with an arrow at 40 to 60 yards, but that person is well-trained and intimately familiar with the bow. He trains daily for long shots, knows how to read any cross-breeze to allow for arrow drift, and he is supremely confident that when he comes to full draw and shoots, he will make a fatal shot.

The average bow hunter is not that skilled. I’ve seen some that hunt deer at 15 yards in Michigan, and can shoot elk in Colorado at 30 yards.  That is a workable deal simply because elk are so much larger than a whitetail, but put a deer-sized animal out at 30 yards, and that critter may be safe.

Personally, I dislike telling someone how high to put a tree stand. I feel that 16 feet is plenty, and some of my stands are slightly higher and some a bit lower. Most are place at about 16 feet, and it seems to satisfy the needs of my hunters.

There are too many obstacles against making a good shot at 25 to 35 feet in the air. First of all, and many hunters won’t admit this, but they have a fear of height. Standing and leaning over to shoot down from that height at a deer 10 yards from the tree offers a very narrow angle to hit the vitals. It also can cause a hunter to loose their balance if the sportsman gets dizzy, and the final problem I see is the shot is much more difficult to make with regularity than many hunters believe.

Me. I like my deer 15 to 20 yards away and I hunt from a treestand 16 feet in the air. Over many years, I’ve taken a wealth of nice bucks with this combination. It works for me, and can work for you.—The Whitetail Wizard