|
|
February 4, 2010 by
President's Weekend is fast approaching and with it, two of the biggest coyote-hunting contests in the Northeast.
The 2010 Mosquito Creek Sportsmen's Association Coyote Hunt is slated for Feb. 19 to 21. A registration fee of $10 is required, but $8 of each fee is paid out to successful hunters. Joushua Simcisko claimed a check of $7,600 in last year's contest with his 50.95 pound dog. There were 3,800 registered coyote hunters last year. Thursday, February 18 is the last day to register. For more information, call 814-263-4510 or 814-263-4991.
Meanwhile in New York, the Sullivan County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs annual coyote hunt is set for the same weekend. There is a $30 registration fee with prizes awarded for the heaviest coyote overall ($2,000), heaviest coyote each day ($200), junior hunter with the biggest coyote ($100) and $100 for every coyote entered. The entry fee includes a roast beef dinner and $5 gun raffle ticket. For more information, contact Edna Calkin at 845-932-8929.
[ Read Full Post ]January 26, 2010 by
I apologize in advance if this photo has already made the rounds, but can you blame me? Look at this pig of a deer! Someone call Jenny Craig and see if this brute fell off the wagon. Reportedly shot in northwestern Ontario in 2009, the message on this E-mail photo states that the buck weighed an incredible 440 pounds before field-dressing. This deer weighs as much as a cow elk if the numbers are true.
Even if the E-mail’s originator is stretching the truth, the buck is a true heavyweight in the belly department and in the rack department. I’d bet a Thompson Center Venture that the bases on that buck are closer to 8 inches in circumference than 6 inches. And talk about circumferences; look at the mass this buck carries all along the main beam and up every tine. If the buck had a G4 on his left side his net score would be as scary as his obvious aversion for a fat-free diet.
How big can a whitetail get these days? With the craze in micro management, food plots and pouring supplement to wild, and high fence whitetails, this deer may not be the biggest on the block for long. Despite the ability to feed whitetails like hogs in a confinement facility, some very large bucks have come from the wilds. I flipped through the pages of Leonard Lee Rue’s book “The Deer of North America” and found these statistics. In 1962 Iowa hunter Dean Coffman shot a 440-pound buck that was weighed before witnesses and a biologist from the Iowa State Conservation Commission verified the number.
One of the largest bucks to ever hit the scales came from Minnesota in 1926. Carl J. Lenander, Jr. was hunting with his father near Tofte when he dropped a buck with a single shot while hunting from a stand. The buck field-dressed at 402 pounds and the Minnesota Conservation Department officially calculated the live weight at 511 pounds. According to Lee Rue’s book, Minnesota recognizes it as the largest whitetail ever killed in the state and likely one of the largest ever taken in North America.
Someone pass me another venison steak. There are plenty to go around with Bubbas like this walking the woods.
[ Read Full Post ]January 25, 2010 by
We’ve all seen pictures and even video clips of thick-boned titans trotting around with racks that would probably make Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett go into cardiac arrest. In the real world, many of these top-heavy bruisers live behind high-fences and dollar signs that would make an AIG executive with no government bailout money squirm. However, it’s still possible to tag a heavy-racked monster from public land areas that doesn’t require a month’s salary or expensive guides to hunt. Just ask Lynn Hensley who recently connected with a double drop-tined dream buck that sported 18-points with a 22-inch inside spread.
Let’s face it; a whitetail that survives long enough in the wild to grow pop can thick bases and extra long points is a different breed of animal that commands respect. Hensley completely understood that it would take a lot of work and long hours in the stand to generate a close encounter with a deer of this magnitude. In fact, for three years Hensley hunted the same tract of Daniel Boone National Forest land in southeastern Kentucky. The area primarily consisted of vast stretches of open hardwoods country, rocky cliffs, clear-cut entanglements, and laurel thickets. Who would have thought that an area with no agricultural farmland, manicured food plots, or strict management plans could produce such a phenomenal buck? Nonetheless, Hensley knew the buck was there and that was enough to keep him in the woods throughout three seasons.
Finally, the opportunity he had been waiting on for so long presented itself during the Kentucky rifle season. Hensley had decided to move setups and try an overgrown thicket near an old gravel back road. Just after daylight, the hunter caught a glimpse of movement from a large bodied deer in the middle of the brushy cover. He quickly picked out a narrow opening and patiently waited for the whitetail to enter. You can bet that Hensley’s heart skipped a beat when the buck’s massive rack came into view. Without hesitation, he rested the crosshairs of his scope on the sweet spot and gently squeezed the trigger. The giant 18-point buck hit the ground like a rock and ended three long years of hard work for Hensley.
[ Read Full Post ] January 19, 2010 by  Although the battle in this photo likely took place under a feeder in Texas, not a college cafeteria, there is a real battle brewing in the Midwest right now and it is for food. Subzero temperatures, knee-deep snow and ice all have created a war zone for whitetails for a meal. Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, along with parts of Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri, all have conditions that could lead to the threat of a winterkill for some whitetails. If the conditions persist for an extended time period it could mean fewer deer to hunt during the 2010 hunting season. Two elements may circumvent this from occurring. First, as I write this blog there is a large wave of warm air sweeping across the country that could thaw portions of the affected area to create easier access to food. It will certainly aid deer in burning fewer calories with higher daytime temperatures. Secondly, the wet fall has slowed the corn harvest. In December 12 percent of the crop was still in the field. North Dakota had 50 percent still standing. Deer near these fields have already stumbled across the bonanza.
Since more people than ever are managing areas for deer there is a growing concern over the winter health of the herds living on their property. This raises the debate to feed or not to feed. Many have already answered that question by starting a feeding program. Letting nature take its course is the best since hardships can ultimately make a herd stronger by sorting out the week. In addition, all regions have a carrying capacity and artificially holding a herd at a level above the land’s carrying capacity may either break you financially or set your herd up for disaster at a later date.
If you do decide to artificially feed a herd, remember to add enough ingredients. Most enthusiasts pour corn into their deer like we pour Corn Puffs into a cereal bowl. That helps, especially since corn is high in carbohydrates that produce energy and heat. In addition, veteran deer experts like Leonard Lee Rue III and Charles Alsheimer say that cutting nutritious browse with saws and dropping it to a lower level for deer may be the best answer of all for a quick fix. Of course a better answer is a well structured habitat enhancement program that includes the planting of high quality browse, food plots and mast crop enhancement. These are long term additions that will help annually for years to come.
[ Read Full Post ]January 15, 2010 by
The next big hunting extravaganza of the year – at least on my calendar - is the Houston Safari Club’s 2010 Worldwide Hunting Expo & Convention, which is oddly enough, not held in Houston but in an outlying Master Planned Community known as The Woodlands. But rest assured potential attendees, although located roughly an hour’s drive north of downtown Houston, The Woodlands still holds plenty of what makes H’Town special; warm and friendly people, beautiful women, stifling humidity, and mosquitoes the size of alley cats. Trust me – I used to date a girl that lived there.
For three days and two nights the Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center will come alive with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of participants celebrating the sporting lifestyle. Attendees can visit with exhibitors representing hunting, fishing, and the outdoors on six continents, chat with hunters, enjoy free seminars, and party at special evening banquets and concerts. As if that isn’t enough for one Outdoor Life blogger to enjoy I also have the added pleasure of staying with my book publisher this weekend. I can only hope that this won’t be the weekend that his neighborhood committee decides to take physical action against him for his lack of interest in his lawn, the peeling paint on his house, or his mailbox that has stood broken for coming up on three years now.
Check back over the next few days as I report from the convention floor and my publisher’s spare bedroom. At least I hope that’s where he plans on my sleeping.
[ Read Full Post ] January 13, 2010 by
The story in last weekend’s Poughkeepsie (New York) Journal immediately caught my attention: “Vassar Sharpshooters Kill 44 Deer.”
It was a story that’s been going on for several weeks—years to hear Vassar College officials tell it. The deer herd on the school-owned 500-acre farm and preserve had grown out of control and was in dire need of culling. They called in a professional.
Outdoor Life first told you about Dr. Anthony DeNicola back in 2001. DeNicola is the co-founder and president of White Buffalo Inc., and an expert in population control of whitetails in suburban communities and city parks. He’s also the sharpshooter who killed all 44 deer on the Vassar property last week. That’s right—1 guy, 44 deer, 1 night.
I spent the morning with DeNicola as he prepared for the second night of the planned three-night operation and to say that I came away fascinated is an understatement. With his Ph.D. from Purdue in wildlife ecology, he certainly knows the whitetail’s world inside and out, but even more intriguing is his knowledge of firearms, ballistics, scopes, suppressors and even treestands. Frankly, I went into my meeting wondering why people, towns, colleges were hiring sharpshooters to do the job that we hunters could (and would) do for free. I came away with an understanding as to why, in certain areas and situations, sharpshooting whitetails in order to manage out-of-control populations might be the only way to go.
More to report in the days ahead, but what do you fellow BBZers think? I’d love to hear your feedback. (Oh, and by the way, all the deer were processed and distributed to area food banks.)
[ Read Full Post ] January 10, 2010 by
Have you ever opened up your freezer to find a package of venison only to be met with chunks of frozen ice on the sides due to someone not properly closing the lid prior to you? That's how I felt this past week while participating in Iowa's late-season muzzleloader hunt. If you haven't turned the TV on in a while or read the Internet, the Midwest is in the grips of a record-setting winter. As of this past Friday, Iowa already had reached its annual snowfall and it's only the beginning of January!
The deep snow and subzero temperatures dipping to the teens below zero and even further when wind was added, did help the hunting. Whitetails were bunched up in herds from 10 to 200 animals. Unfortunately, like many areas of the Corn Belt, wet fall conditions prevented all of the corn from being harvested and deer were traveling to these fields for quick energy. Not only were they traveling, but many stayed in large blocks of standing corn to conserve energy making the hunting equally challenging. As a final note, the stress of the severe weather was causing bucks to jettison their antlers early. Every hunter in camp saw bucks sporting bloody pedicles instead of beefy antlers, including me. Trophies were quickly blending into the herds of does.
I teamed up with Aaron Volkmar at Tails of the Hunt (www.tailsofthehunt.com). Aaron's string of relatives in the region and his experience hunting the southern Iowa landscape proved to be beneficial in the extreme conditions. We continually moved from location to location in hopes of catching a hungry buck. For two days I camped on standing corn that was attracting whitetails like a Walmart attracts Christmas shoppers. Unfortunately the vast sea of corn allowed bucks to enter and maneuver in relative safety.
Next Aaron moved me to an old barn overlooking a creek snuggled in a series of short bluffs. The creek was harboring more than 200 whitetails including two confirmed Booners that two of Aaron's other hunters had seen in the vicinity. My first evening at the barn was eventful in deer sightings with more than 30 noted, but no exceptional bucks. My second sit was likely to be my last since a major winter storm was brewing to the west.
Snow piled up all day, but despite the plummeting temperatures and increasing snowpack, the deer didn't move until the last hour. On the heels of three does a tall-tined buck slipped from the creek and headed my way. Unfortunately a hill blocked most of his advance. At the last minute he appeared with another buck and they were already less than 120 yards away; perfect range for my TC Triumph (www.tcarms.com).
I let the buck keep coming and when he was well inside of 100 yards I barked to stop him for the shot. He looked at the barn and the smoke bellowed. I had a bit of a scare after the shot as I watched him running away with his tail flagging like nothing was wrong. In fact he disappeared in escape over the hill where he had appeared. I ran to check the shot location and sighed a relief seeing blood everywhere.
Aaron arrived shortly and we tracked the buck to the edge of the creek. Even with a perfect shot in the vitals the buck still traveled nearly 200 yards. I think I did this buck a favor after examining him. He had a huge abscess on his right jaw and from the looks of his body, it, along with the weather, was taking a toll on this buck's body mass.
Iowa late-season hunts give you a slight boost in drawing a license over the archery option. If you do consider such a hunt, consider these tips. I wouldn't have been able to withstand the brutal environment without my Heater Body Suit (www.heaterbodysuit.com). It wears like a sleeping bag, but you can easily slip out of the suit to shoot either a bow or firearm without alerting deer or other game. I've used the suit in temperatures from 30 degrees to subzero. Also invest in good clothing. I trusted in Under Armour (www.underarmour.com). For this hunt I relied on their Metal ColdGear base layer products. I also donned Armor Stealth Camo Cold bib and parka for my protective outer layer.
Aaron has a variety of treestands from Family Tradition Treestands (www.familytraditiontreestands.com) along with a variety of ground blinds to keep you comfortable and warm on a frigid hunt. I had hoped to add a bonus doe to my Iowa venison haul, but the weather was frightening and I opted to hit the road instead of being stranded in Iowa. If you do get too much venison in Iowa, they have a great program to distribute the extra meat through the Iowa's Help Us Stop Hunger or HUSH program. Iowa's Department of Natural Resources, hunters, meat lockers and the Iowa food bank have banded together to get extra venison (7,300 deer last season alone) to the needy.
[ Read Full Post ] January 7, 2010 by
Dallas.
Home of the Cowboys.
The Ewings.
And an ever-growing Yankee population.
Here, on the high Texas plain, under a constant cloud of Mark Cuban’s complaints and whines is the second largest hunting convention on the planet; the Dallas Safari Club’s 2010 Convention & Sporting Expo. Over a four day period more than an estimated 24,000 people will meet with over 1,000 vendors selling everything from six-figure priced hunts to equally priced custom rifles to Amazon fishing trips. Also available for those with an Everest-sized disposable income are $6 beers, $12 well drinks, and $10 sandwiches.
But not everything at the convention is priced out of reach.
For those of us that still watch television on a set the size of an engine block there are plenty of reasonably priced hunts, firearms, equipment, clothing, publications, and art. There are also free seminars from the likes of Larry Weishuhn, Chris Dorsey, Craig Boddington, and the opportunity to speak with guides, outfitters, and like-minded hunters from around the world.
Check back over the next few days as I report on the good, the bad, and the spray-tanned from the convention floor.
[ Read Full Post ] January 4, 2010 by
It was mid-December and Ohio native Chris Slusher was feeling the strain of a long deer season. Slusher had been hunting extremely hard and logging a lot of hours in the stand, but no shooters had showed up. However, the bowhunter had been hearing about a monster buck being spotted by several people in an area he had permission to hang a stand. It was rumored the giant buck had all the right stuff and was packing around a lot of bone!
Stories began to circulate about the buck’s intimidating headgear that had kickers, stickers, and unbelievable mass. All of these sightings gave Slusher a much needed second wind and he was more than ready to climb up a tree with his bow. The weather forecast was calling for a major cold front and Slusher knew it was the perfect time to hit the woods.
Within a few short minutes in the stand, several deer started filtering into the field to feed before the bad weather arrived. In fact, Slusher found himself surrounded by multiple slick headed does and a few basket racked bucks. Just before dark, a large-bodied deer slowly stepped out of the thick cover and began walking toward the anxious bowhunter. Slusher knew this had to be the bruiser that was causing such a buzz within the community. It was difficult not to stare at the top-heavy rack, but Slusher forced himself to focus on his shooting lanes and the upcoming shot. Finally, the breathtaking buck walked into an opening about 35 yards from Slusher’s stand and that was all he needed to get the job done. The arrow smacked the monster just behind the shoulder and Slusher was able to wrap his hands around 196-inches of bone. It’s safe to say that Slusher had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year after he punched that last tag of the season.
[ Read Full Post ] December 31, 2009 by
Several bloggers on Outdoorlife.com have weighed in over the past week or so with their New Year’s resolutions. And what noble declarations they have been.
Dear friend and OL Hunting Editor Andrew McKean vowed to befriend a new hunter, better respect whitetail deer and invest in habitat among other splendid ideas.
Gun Dogs blogger Brian Lynn plans to train more, hunt more and get some new training equipment.
Strut Zone head honcho Steve Hickoff resolves to pattern his gun each time before he hunts, get in on some big woods gobblers and thank landowners for providing him with hunting permission.
My New Year’s resolution isn’t nearly as admirable. There is only one and it is a very simple one at that—I resolve to spend as much free time as possible attempting to kill coyotes. I’ll shoot every damn one I see. If that sounds very un-PC-like, I don’t apologize. I’ll explain…
My lifelong hunting area in New England was never very exceptional outside of the fact that it was my favorite outdoor place in the entire universe. The deer hunting was never very good, but I did shoot the occasional buck. All that changed about 10 years ago. Be it diminished hunting pressure, informal quality deer management practices or whatever, we started seeing—and shooting—some great bucks. In fact, one year, our group took two bucks that each dressed at more than 200 pounds.
The story got even better after that. I still recall one moonlit, early December night just five years ago when I watched 6 bucks—3 shooters in anyone’s book—push, shove and all-out-battle over a doe in heat. It was a sight I’ll not ever forget. A week later, I shot at and missed the biggest buck I’d ever seen in my life—many inches bigger than the 172 non-typical I downed in Kansas the year before. Long story short, we had some great habitat, we had some great bucks and for the first time ever, I was actually excited about inviting guests to my camp to hunt. The future looked bright. Then the bottom inexplicably dropped out.
My deer season ended today—New Year’s Eve. Hunted for much of the firearm’s season and these past few days of muzzleloader season with snow on the ground. Fresh snow will always tell the tale and it is not a good one. On Tuesday, for example, I drove almost 50 miles of back roads, not so much to find a deer to hunt, but more to get a handle on how many deer there might be to hunt. The answer? None. Coyote tracks crisscrossed the roads with regularity, but deer tracks were non-existent. Blame it on coyotes? Damn right and plan on doing something about it this winter.
[ Read Full Post ]
|
|
