Reader's Tips WAXED SHAFTS
Use a quality car wax to coat arrow shafts before you bowhunt or practice. This makes the arrow quieter when you draw it across the rest and improves penetration on big game. When you use waxed
arrows to practice on 3D targets, you'll find that it doesn't take as much
effort to remove the shafts from the targets.
Wayne A. Edgerton
St. Paul, MN
WIND GAUGE
Here's how to make a pocket "puffer bottle" to check the wind direction when you're hunting: Clean out a small shampoo or conditioner bottle such as are provided in hotels and motels and let it dry thoroughly. Drill a 1/8-inch hole in the center of the cap, take off the cap and fill the bottle with
talcum powder or rock climber's powder.
Replace the cap and wrap a 1/4-inch-wide rubber band around the bottle lengthwise so it covers the hole in cap. When you want to
check the wind, slide
the rubber band to one side and give the bottle a squeeze.
David Williams
Huntsville, AL
BE PATIENT Instead of rushing out at daybreak to hunt pheasants, wait a bit at your vehicle and listen for birds leaving their roosting areas and flying to feed. Then head in that direction.
Brandon Koskey
Ringle, WI
GROUND COOLER
A hole in the ground
2 by 2 by 11/2 feet deep and lined with a garbage bag makes a good camp cooler. Cover the hole with branches or a blanket. Pile the dirt close by so you can fill it in later.
Gregg Munson
Shedd, OR
BLISTER BUSTER Duct tape makes a great blister shield. Put it on your heels to prevent blisters or, if it's too late, tape over a blister to keep it from chafing.
Michael Smirke
LaCresenta, CA
SNELL KEEPER
To make a tangle-
free storage system for snelled leaders of various lengths, cut off a piece of black foam pipe insulation (11/2 to 3 inches
in diameter) that will fit into your tackle box. Slide the loop end of the snelled leader into the center cavity and push it to the opposite end. Wrap the leader around the tube and imbed the hook into the foam.
Robert Carbonell
Big Lake, MN
LET IT RAIN Look for sheds after a rain. Rain softens and loosens antlers that are almost ready to drop off.
HOW BIG? Judging the mass of a buck's antlers is tough. One trick is to compare the rack's thickness to the deer's eye, which is about 3 to 31/2 inches in circumference.
HUNT THE THICKETS Cedar, pine and spruce thickets are top spots to find a buck during heavy rain or snow. Deer can stay almost dry in these locations and escape easily.
WAIT FOR A BREAK A major snowstorm or hard, cold rain will make deer bed down until it passes. Time your trip so that you're in the woods the minute the bad weather breaks. Deer will move heavily then.
GET OFF THE FIELD Don't waste time watching fields during firearms season. Instead, backtrack into the woods and find "staging areas" where deer gather and mill about before entering the field after legal shooting hours.
BUSH WHACKER When tracking deer after a fresh snowfall, you can judge the spread of the deer's rack by how wide an area is knocked off vegetation as the deer moves through thick cover.
TROPHY COUNTRY Don't hunt areas with heavy deer populations if you're looking for a trophy. Chances are a big buck won't be there. Low to moderate densities hold more large bucks because there are ample food supplies and hunting pressure is typically lighter.
THE EARS HAVE IT Judge the length of a deer's tines by comparing them with the deer's ears-about six to seven inches. If the tines are an inch or two longer than that and the rack has enough mass, he's a shooter.
SUN TO YOUR BACK When choosing your stand location, pick a spot where most approaching deer will have to look into the sun. This makes it tougher for them to see you, but easier for you to watch them.
WARM REFUGES In cold, blustery weather, look to south-facing slopes where deer are protected from harsh north winds and receive more warm afternoon sunlight to ward off the chill. The steeper the hill, the better, because the sun stays more directly on the deer.
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