Archive for the ‘Hunting’ Category
Bow Hunting Wild Turkey
Although not very popular among hunting enthusiast, this particular type of hunting can be very exciting and if done properly, fruitful as well. Hunting wild turkeys using a bow takes skill and patience, that is why not many hunters embark on this difficult adventure. If you are a big game fan, think of a bow hunting for wild turkey adventure as a spring training. We offer you some tips regarding this particular type of hunting:
First of all, the draw weight: a confident bow hunter will always choose a draw weight that will not affect his ability to make an accurate shot, no matter what are circumstances in which he will make that shot. We recommend using a bow scale in order to check the bow’s draw weight. The heavy vibrations that are produced during the shot can in some cases alter the limb bolts and will reduce the draw weight.
Second of all, the broadheads: the shot placement in wild turkey hunts is critical. Unlike the vast majority of the big games, the wild turkey’s vitals are about the size of a grapefruit. Many amateur hunters make the mistake of shooting arrows with field points and then after that they switch over to broadheads the day of the hunt. It is imperative to practice shooting with broadheads long before the day of the hunt. Regarding this issue, don’t forget about the diameter restrictions your state imposes so be sure to check them before the hunting day.
Moving on, three of the most vital aspects for you bow hunting success are: sight system, bowstring and the arrow rest. As most of you know, pins tend to slide up and down and eventually bend and break, this problem also occurs with the frames that serve for protection. Don’t forget to give your bowstring a once-over the moment you have finished tinkering with your sights. Remember to look for cut strands because they can lead to inefficient shooting and God forbid, dangerous situations if the string breaks during the shot. Apply wax to your string on a regular basis and check the arrow rest in order to make sure that nothing has moved/loosened since your last hunting expedition. The arrow rests are very important as they can affect the flight of the arrow.
Many hunters make the mistake of not taking seriously into consideration the nock set. The slightest movement up or down where the arrow meets the string can alter the arrow’s flight as it comes off the string. We recommend using a bow square so that you can measure the exact point on the bowstring, the place where the nock set allows for the most efficient arrow flight.
Placement is crucial for hunting wild turkey with a bow that is why in order to be an efficient bow hunter you have to put in the time. All turkey hunters that use a bow have to change their hunting tactics in comparison with the hunters that use the old-fashioned shotgun because shot gunners can easily plop down at the closest tree the width of their back and with no efforts, create efficient shooting lanes. A regular bow hunter can’t afford this luxury so the best setups are those that are thought well in advance.
Last but not least, practice makes perfect. If you are uncertain of your bow hunting skills you need to practice in order to improve your overall performance. Remember to shoot from both sitting and kneeling positions because in real action you will rarely have the opportunity of shooting a turkey in standing position but of course, a few shots from standing position won’t hurt anyone.
All in all, bow hunting wild turkey takes a lot of practice and patience but with proper training it can bring the excitement that all hunting enthusiasts are looking for.
Best GPS for Deer Hunting
Best GPS for Deer Hunting:
There is No One Perfect GPS for Deer Hunting
Thats right, there is no one perfect GPS for deer hunting. There may be one that you consider perfect for yourself, but probably not everyone has the same needs you do. However, overall there are highly recommended GPS for deer hunting out there, and they are all listed below. These are considered the best GPS for deer hunting. The hunting community has rated these as the most popular GPS for deer hunting. However, choosing a good GPS for hunting depends on what and how you, personally, plan on using your GPS for the hunt. I can’t tell you the one single GPS that has been proven the best for hunting, though I have put together a list of the most qualified and top rated GPS for hunting. So I encourage you to look into each of these GPS and find what exactly it is that you are looking for and choose which GPS is best suited for you. GPS technology is constantly changing so check back often for updates.
Features of the Best GPS for Deer Hunting:
-Long battery life (between 15-25 hours)
-Plenty of memory to hold waypoints (14-25 MB should be good)
-Easily portable/light weight (hand held)
-I hunt at night so a easily readable screen
-WAAS capability (allows for accuracy of up to 3 meters)
-Water proof/resistant
Top Rated GPS for Deer Hunting
-Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx
-Garmin Etrex Camo
-Magellan Explorist 200
-Garmin GPS 60
Long Battery Life for a Handheld GPS
One of the best features a handheld GPS can have is a long battery life. Deer hunting is not a short event most go deer hunting for days even. A long battery life for a GPS can save a lot of frustration while deer hunting. It allows for longer hunting trips to locations you would not be able to go without a GPS with longer battery life. So be sure you add this feature to your list when deciding the best GPS for deer hunting.
GPS Needs Plenty of Memory While Deer Hunting
It is a common practice to revisit waypoints several times because most deer hunters have spots the like. If you are one to revisit waypoints your GPS will start to run out of memory and no one wants to delete spots that have been good to them in the past for deer hunting. So when shopping for a GPS be sure you save yourself the hassle of having to decide which waypoints are more important and get plenty of memory for your deer hunting GPS.
Deer Hunting GPS Should be Light Weight and Portable
No one enjoys walking around the woods deer hunting while carrying a big heavy burden of a GPS. There are some handheld GPS that weigh up to 3.5 pounds. That would be a terror to go hunting with. Anything over 2 pounds is a little to heavy to be considered in the best GPS for deer hunting category. So try and stay under 2 pounds when shopping for your deer hunting GPS.
GPS Should Have WAAS Capability to be Good for Deer Hunting
WAAS has been around for awhile and yet many GPS owners still have no idea what it is. WAAS capability basically allows for a GPS unit’s accuracy to be within 3 meters. When hunting you want to know exactly where you are and how far you have to go in case of an accident. So when deciding which GPS is the best for your deer hunting needs be sure to include WAAS capability as a must have feature.
When Deer Hunting GPS Need to be Water Resistant/Water Proof
As most already know, deer hunting, is an outdoor sport, which means weather applys. When it comes to a $100+ piece of equipment thats primary use is outdoors you don’t want a little water to ruin it. So be sure your deer hunting GPS is some what water resistant. Particularly if you are one to go deer hunting in the woods where there are plenty of places to accidentally drop the GPS into standing water.
Becoming An Efficient Wild Duck Caller
There is no such thing as a born wild duck caller because it takes lots of practice in order to become an efficient caller. Fortunately, anybody from any location can become a good wild duck caller with the proper training and patience. Calling wild duck is a very important aspect for wild duck hunting because if properly done, it can greatly improve the overall hunting efficiency of the hunter. Of course, in order to become a good wild duck caller, every hunter needs to follow some basic wild duck hunting tips:
• Purchasing a high quality call – it doesn’t matter how well prepared is the hunter or how skillful he is regarding the procedure of calling wild ducks, without using a good call all the efforts are useless and the wild duck hunting experience won’t be fruitful at all. As far as wild duck calls is concerned the expression : “ you get what you pay for “ is entirely true. A high quality wild duck call will allow the hunter to produce the entire range of sounds that a hen mallard produces. These calls will also allow the hunter to make these sounds time after time and also year after year that is why experienced hunter recommend future wild duck hunters not to get cheap when it comes down to purchasing a call.
• Imitating the wild duck sound ( duck call operation ) – the next order of business is about the ability of the hunter to sound just like the wild duck which means that the hunter needs to learn how exactly he can operate a wild duck call so that he will sound just like one. The key elements in this step are practice and patience because without these two parts, nothing noticeable will be accomplished. The very first thing to do is to start with the basics and get the hang of them before moving to more complex operations. Speaking of the basics, the first things to learn are the quack and the feeder chuckle and these two are considered the foundation for the rest of the calls done with the wild duck caller. A very important advice that is brought by experienced hunters and wild duck callers is to practice the entire year, not just before the wild duck hunting season starts.
• Observing the birds and adapting the calling style – the last important step to becoming an efficient wild duck caller is to learn how to read the birds. The hunter will be chasing these animals in many different conditions which means that the hunting style needs to adapt to the hunting environment. After learning all the basics, what the hunter needs to do is to master call cadences and tempos. This will help the hunter to sound more like a wild duck ( instead of sounding like a person that is using a wild duck call ). Due to the fact that not all wild ducks sound exactly the same and they also don’t have the same tempo or volume, the goal is to sound like a lot of different wild ducks. This is possible only if the hunter masters cadence, volume variations and the tempo.
All things considered, learning how to be an efficient wild duck caller isn’t a very hard thing to do but it requires a lot of practice, patience and a good call. Besides all these, searching for some wild duck hunting tips will surely increase the chances of becoming an efficient wild duck hunter/caller.
Basic Turkey Hunting Tips
Turkey hunting is challenging, exciting and in some cases becomes addictive. Turkey’s senses are extremely keen – even your heart pounding can make the turkey vanish like a puff of smoke.
Basic help in turkey hunting
Before you can hunt a wild turkey, you have got to find them. The easiest way to do this is by locating the general areas of the turkey’s habitat.
• Get a good map of the area you plan to hunt.
• Wave or use a locator call like an owl hooter or crow call or even a turkey call to try to get a response. When you hear a gobbler, mark the locator map.
• Scout for the best location on foot. Check for signs of the bird’s scratches, droppings of feathers. This information can help you locate some areas. Check along mud holes, creek banks, pastures, log roads, fencerows etc. as many trips as possible.
• Never try to get too close to the turkey. A turkey’s eyes, ears and awareness are many times better than yours.
• Choose a tree that is wider than your shoulders. This will protect you from other hunters that might come behind you and mistakenly assume that you are a real turkey.
• Camouflage is almost a must to avoid being seen. Wild turkeys have such keen vision. Many turkey hunters usually wear camo suit, cap, facemask, gloves, vest with many pockets to carry calls and maybe a snack. Also do not forget to wear dark colored socks so that when you sit down, they would not show you. But the main thing to remember: your movement is more important; regardless of how well you are camouflage. It doesn’t make you completely visible. Even though you are camouflage, you are still an unnatural form in the woods. Movement is the greatest enemy of the turkey hunter. A turkey can detect you 10 times faster than you sense the turkey.
• The best shotgun and ammunition for turkey hunting is the combination that delivers a dense, hard-hitting pattern at 40-45 yards. Practice with a target that portrays a turkey’s vital head and neck area. These parts are the ones that you should be shooting. You should have at least 8-10 pellets in the vital area at 40 yards.
• Do not hide so well that you cannot see what is happening. Blinds are useful for the turkey hunter, but when constructed so well that vision is obstructed, it is no longer a blind, and it is a hiding place, as beneficial to the turkey as it is to you.
• Cease from using gobbler calls. Although this call can sometimes be productive, it is also very dangerous. In areas where many hunters are located, you can attract hunters to you rather than turkeys.
• Never wear any red, white or blue clothes. These are the colors of the gobbler’s head – the main target of a turkey hunter.
• If another hunter is working a bird, do not mess everything up by trying to call the bird to you or spooking the bird. This is very unsportsmanlike. The true and experienced hunters do not do that kind of thing.