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Friday, September 23, 2005
Another Deerless Day in the Swamp: by Dan Infalt Show/Hide This Article
I went to a very remote area of a swamp, where I scouted last winter, hoping to murder the buck that had left the tell tale signs that this was his bedroom. I took my gung ho son, "Rat Slayer" along just cause I felt I have not yet been punished enough during this life.
Anywho, we find that the briars, thorns and vines have made the area way too difficult for me to quietly sneak my 14 year old in there without alerting the world. So while I was wiping all the blood off of my arms from the briars and pulling the wasp stinger out from between my two fingers, I noticed that the creek running into the swamp was now just a dried up flat of black dirt...and its path went right past the tree I was planning on setting up in....Alright!!! We just walk right up the dry creek bed and straight up the tree. "Dan" I told myself, "You are a SUPER GENIUS"
Anywho, for some reason that dried up crispy type of quicksand has a delayed reaction and somehow knows when you are directly in the middle of the river bed. I started to panic as I felt the boys go under, but I was able to lie forward and spread out my upper body to keep from going down like the titanic. My face was being pressed into the muck by the weight of my treestand, climbing sticks and pack on my back. It was just then that I realized, "Hey, I'm not in trouble here!! My son the Rat Slayer is on shore and can go for help. But that was a short dream as I watched him run over to see if he could help. Somehow, someway, we crawled and pulled our way out of that hell.
It took Rat Slayer almost 20 minutes just to get his right boot back. We laid in the briars staring up at the sky in the sweat and the blood and the smelliest muck you have ever seen, which was now completely covering both our bodies. I realized, "Hey, somehow we crawled to safety, and ended up right under our tree. What luck!!!"
No, not luck, this is a mission from God, He would bring us a buck tonight. Heck, we still had almost 15 minutes of shooting light left! I scraped as much mud off as I could and quickly put up two stands. I was even able to make a hole in the ball of mud that I was sure was my camera, big enough to film thru. Now it was just sit and wait.
Suddenly at the edge of darkness we hear a big lone deer rise out of a bed 25 yards into the thick crap..... And head the other way.
It didn't take long for darkness to fall onto the swamp. This time we chose the briars and thorns and occasional wasp nest over the nice easy dry river bed. By the time we made it to the truck we both were covered in mud head to toe with bright red blood oozing out all over the place. And guess what.... The Sheriff was waiting for us...
"You boy'z are coming out of the woods a bit late, ain't ya?"
I swear, I didn't know "Bite me" could get you a disorderly ticket? Any who, when he got his spotlight on us he screamed, "GOOD GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU TWO!!!!!"
After I talked him out of the ambulance call he was apologetic and said he wouldn't bother us anymore. Anywho.... Just another deerless day in the swamp!
# posted by Jarrod Erdody @ 3:07 PM
Friday, September 2, 2005
Treestands - Portable vs. Permanent: by Lee Gatzke Show/Hide This Article
Which stand is the best choice for hunting out of? Each stand has advantages that make them popular but is one stand type more effective than the other for producing deer hunting success or shot opportunities? Permanent stands are typically chained or nailed to a tree, making them immobile, where portables are carried in, set up and taken down at the hunters discretion. I've been successful hunting out of each type of stand, however, one type has been more productive.
Lets examine some pros and cons. |  | | I gladly forgave my son, Tom, for spooking the bucks away after he explained that he just shot a 130" ten pointer and wanted me to share the moment. | Without a doubt, if the hunter has properly scouted an area, the first time a stand is hunted is the most productive as far as seeing and shooting deer is concerned. This is because the deer have probably not seen or smelled humans in the area for some time and feel safe in this location. A good example of this happens every year on opening day of archery deer season. When I do my pre-season scouting I'm typically glassing bucks from a distance and do not enter the chosen area until I'm ready to hunt it opening morning or evening.
A few years back my son and I employed this tactic opening day. I had two P&Y bucks under my stand, on the edge of a clover field, when my son came to pay me a visit...he needed help. I gladly forgave him for spooking the bucks away after he explained that he just shot a 130" ten pointer and wanted me to share the moment. All of these bucks showed up at least two hours before sunset and were unaware of our stand locations. The bucks each walked close by our stands as though they hadn't a care in the world. When a portable stand is quietly positioned downwind of travel routes, and the hunter remains quiet and still while occupying the stand, the deer have no clue you are around and they come in relaxed and unaware of the hunter. Portables offer the element of surprise each time they are set up in a different location, a huge advantage for creating shot opportunities. I expect to have a shot opportunity the first time I hunt a particular location! Portables can be positioned downwind of travel routes anytime you hunt, whereas you must wait for a favorable wind to hunt a permanent stand. It takes a little practice to set up a portable without making much noise but it can be done. Another point to consider with portables is that they are not all made such that it is possible to set them up quickly and quietly. The best portable on the market are the Lone Wolf Tree Stands, they set up quietly and are rock solid in the tree so that no noise is made by the stand while you occupy it. If the wind should change during your hunt you can re-position your portable immediately and still be hunting the spot correctly. If the wind changes while you're hunting from a permanent stand you probably will have to abandon that spot unless you have another stand positioned correctly nearby, which is usually not the case. Portables allow you to fine tune your location, as the conditions dictate, each time you hunt which is something a hunter, especially a bowhunter, must do. Portables are the only stand you can use on most public property as stated by law.
Permanent stands are convenient because you have previously placed them in a good spot and you can access them without making any noise or expending any time or energy setting them up. Setting up portables in the dark requires time and patience to do it quietly, something a permanent stand user doesn't have to deal with. Portables left in the woods are targets for theft, try stealing a permanent stand that has been nailed to a tree! Good shooting lanes are typically cleared from the permanent stand site well in advance of the time you'll hunt, and yardages to trails can be determined then as well. Some of my most memorable gun hunts took place in a particular permanent stand I nailed to a swamp oak. Opening day of gun season always created a near panic in the local deer population. With the influx of many hunters causing the deer to seek safe cover to hide from them, I placed this stand in heavy swamp cover on my property. I saw a lot of deer from that stand, and they would come by all day long that first day of the season. Permanent stands can be very effective when you know a pattern will repeat itself that forces deer through a particular spot. Permanent stands are typically more comfortable to hunt from which can allow a hunter to stay on stand longer. |  | | Portable treestands, like this Lone Wolf Alpha Hang-On, give a hunter the versatility to move in right on top of the deer if necessary, something a bowhunter especially requires. | Portables take some effort to set up quietly to prevent spooking nearby deer, and if you hunt heavy cover your shooting lanes will be more limited than hunting from a permanent stand where you have previously cleared lanes. It's frustrating not being able to get a shot when the deer don't show in natural openings and you haven't cleared lanes for fear of leaving your scent all around the stand you just set up. Portables also can make it difficult to walk through brush quietly while being carried on your back and getting hung up on branches. Portables are too often stolen if you leave them in trees while not hunting. A permanent stands biggest downfall is that deer soon figure out their location, and that they spell trouble. Because deer know their surroundings as well as you know where your refrigerator is, permanents are easily discovered by them. Deer, especially mature deer, soon detour, typically downwind and around these permanent stands far enough to go by undetected by the person occupying them. You can see this by checking out how the deer trails skirt permanent stand sites. Long ago I found out that my deer sightings reduced dramatically with each time I re-visited my permanent stands. Any trail that remains heavily traveled past a permanent stand is probably being used during darkness, not the ideal time to be hunting. Too often a permanent stand will be over-hunted because it is less effort to hunt from than setting up a portable, and easier to slip into quietly so as not to spook deer. My hunting group had plenty of good spots go cold because we kept going back to the same permanent stand that originally produced so well. Each time you visit a stand site you lay down a scent trail that can last days. If you visit a stand site every few days you are leaving almost a continuous scent trail which the deer will remember and their reaction will be to avoid that area, especially during daylight hours. This is especially true for mature deer. A mature deer will be alert to danger in an area where it has smelled humans after only one exposure to the scent, and since you cannot re-locate a permanent stand the site will be spoiled for a long time. Permanent stands are not allowed on most public land. For my preference, I'll take the portable stand over the permanent almost every time. Portables give a hunter the versatility to move in right on top of the deer if necessary, something a bowhunter especially requires. I can strap the portable on my back and scout a given area and upon finding good sign, set up downwind of it imediately.Try doing that with a permanent stand. Portables are not as easily noticed by deer if you remove them after each hunt and change your locations frequently. I admit it can be extra work to be setting up stands and taking them down after each hunt, but this effort is what it takes to hunt mature deer successfully. When portables are properly hung and relocated each time you hunt your success will be far greater than hunting out of permanent stands.
# posted by Jarrod Erdody @ 3:09 PM
Deer Photography Can Help Your Hunting: by Ralph Curtis Show/Hide This Article
I was getting excited as I watched the huge 13 point buck edge it's way close to my ground blind. My adrenaline was high after watching three smaller bucks walk by within twenty yards of my setup. Being "on stand" since 3:00 in the afternoon was taking it's toll on my patience and my butt, but now it was all worthwhile as I watched the trophy buck get closer and closer. Just as the buck dropped his head to nibble on some alfalfa, I pulled the trigger....on the camera, that is!
|  | | | This late summer buck was one of four that walked past within "camera" range. | Photographing deer thru out the year can make you a better deer hunter and open doors to more hunting opportunities. By observing deer all year long and trying to position yourself for the optimum "shot", deer photography is the ultimate practice session for when it really counts come fall.
Opening doors to future deer hunting opportunities.
When scouting for big bucks during the summer months, permission to access land for photography is usually pretty simple, once that big buck is located. MOST farmers and landowners don't mind someone sitting on the edge of their fields with a camera, as long as permission is asked prior.
This is a prime opportunity to get to know the farmer, and the farmer, in return, to get to know you! After a few visits during the summer, and the farmer/landowner gains your trust, obtaining permission to hunt in the fall comes much easier, and is sometimes only possible thru these "trust-gaining" visits. Numerous times, I have been given permission to hunt, after getting to know the landowner on a first name basis thru photography visits thru out the year. It may not happen the first year, but usually thru time, permission is granted where otherwise it would have been a slim chance.
| |  | | | A row of flies finds a protected area of this doe's face where the flinching ears and shake of the head have minimal effect. | In Buffalo County, Wisconsin, where I do a lot of my bow hunting, competition for hunting spots is in a class all it's own. If you aren't privileged enough to own property, or don't have the financial resources to obtain a lease on this high-quality big buck acreage, your chances of just walking up to a farm's front door and asking ever-so-politely for permission to hunt are worse than the Powerball lotto! I can confidently say that I could bow hunt at least 3 - 4 properties in Buffalo County, all because of photography trips and getting to know the landowners personally thru out the years. Gun season is a different story, as gun seasons are usually reserved for family members or hunting leases. But the fact remains, that previously unattainable hunting land is now possible because of my hobby of deer photography.
Observing deer is always fun and educational.
Photographing deer thru out the seasons gives the hunter new insights on deer behavior that can lead to a more successful deer season. For instance, thru numerous hours in the field, a person begins to know when a deer will raise it's head from feeding . When feeding undisturbed, deer tend to have a certain rhythm as they gorge themselves.
The persistent observer/photographer of deer will get a better understanding of when a deer becomes nervous and unsure of a possible present danger. The reactions a buck makes differ dramatically depending on what sense triggered the alert to the deer. Knowing such deer reactions thru photography has helped me react to the same circumstances when a big buck is alerted with a bow in my hand.
Sitting on the edge of a food source on a summer evening is an enjoyable time outdoors, whether a picture of that trophy buck is taken or not. You will observe the most comical deer behavior along with the most pitiful. A game of tag between fawns is always enjoyable to watch (but hard to photograph!), a kick boxing match between deer competing for the same soy beans, or a doe kicking the crap out of a buck that, in two months, will have well hardened, polished antlers are all episodes that make deer photography enjoyable and yet frustrating. I get almost as worked up missing that prime photo of two bucks kick boxing as I do when I blow a chance at a buck in the fall. (O.K. that might be pushing it, but you get the point!)
Along with the enjoyable deer moments, there are also the times you almost feel sorry for the deer. The way the bugs in the summer attack the deer, it is hard to imagine how they manage. Once the deer hit the field edge, it seems they are always on the move to escape the persistent insects. I have seen bachelor groups of bucks run from one side of a field to the other just to feed for a few seconds, when they are forced to take off again to avoid the bugs. I have seen young deer with, what appeared to be a nervous twitch constantly twitching annoying bugs off them while blowing the bugs from their nostrils. The insects along with the heat of summer, makes for just another obstacle in the life of the whitetail.
Equipment Can Vary
One doesn't need to invest tons of money into fancy photography equipment to "shoot" deer all year round.
Just like hunting, a person can spent a lot of money on real fancy high tech bows and arrows, or they can use an old bow handed down from past generations, but both systems will kill deer. Photography is the same way, in that you must remember that you are out there for your own personal enjoyment and education, and that not all pictures you take are for the cover of Deer an Deer Hunting Magazine or National Geographic!
|  | | Shot at thirty yards, the 400mm lens was just right to capture this beautiful buck in early June. |
I use a "nice" digital 35mm set up utilizing a 200-400mm lens that is a good lens for deer, but by no means professional quality. Its is the best I could afford, but is effective for giving me the quality of photographs I enjoy.
Like any other hobby, deer photography has it's extremes. A person can go full bore and opt for a professional 35mm setup with a very high quality (and very expensive!) 2.8 aperture lens at about $10,000 for lens and camera body, or use any of the point-and-shoot digital cameras that can cost as less as $200. There are some very nice cameras available in this point-and-shoot category. One camera that comes to mind is the Panasonic Luminux that has roughly the same focal length (zoom in power) as my lens of 400mm for a reasonable $500. This camera has a very nice high end Carl Zeiss lens and takes a nice photo, even under low light situations. You can also purchase coupling tubes which attaches your point-and-shoot camera to a spotting scope, giving you a mega-telephoto lens that will allow you to "shoot" that sticker point on a bucks antler at 100 yards! This is a fairly new form of photography called "digiscoping" which can be researched on the internet if you're interested in going this route. This would be a viable solution if you wish to just drive the country roads scouting for bucks and don't want to put up with the heat and bugs of summer or cold of winter.
Like I said, the camera equipment chosen, is of little significance when it comes to getting the personal satisfaction of scouting, observing, learning about deer, and obtaining permission for possible future hunting hot spots. Some equipment I use is far more important than the camera itself, such as good 3D camouflage, a scent suit, a sturdy tripod ( a must for clear sharp pictures) and a blind. My favorite blinds are made of natural materials like a couple of corn stalks or some logs setup on the edge of a summer food source. I have a self made "blind" that I attach to my telephoto lens and holds a screen of 3D camo material in front of me and my camera. It works well to disguise my camera and my face, even though I wear a headnet most of the time as well. Manufactured hunting blinds can be used as well, but I usually use them where I know they won't get stolen and where I can erect them a few days prior to me being there to use them.
# posted by Jarrod Erdody @ 3:08 PM
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