|
|
10 Treestand Safety Tips
By Bryan Zabitski | TenPoint Crossbow Technologies
The most important part of any hunt is returning to the ground safely. It is estimated that one out of every three deer hunters who hunt from elevated stands will likely experience a fall at some point. Following are some tips to help keep you safe while hunting from your elevated stand. 1) Always read and understand the manufacturer’s instru... READ MORE
Less Is More
By Ken Piper
Why spending less time in your best stand is a good thing. Most of us try to have multiple stand locations ready for deer season, but we all have our favorite – that one stand that looks the most promising and the one we’re sure will produce a monster buck. We take special care with that stand and have everything just right for opening ... READ MORE
Rattling Basics
By Ken Piper
Try to imitate buck behavior for that particular time of the season. If you read hunting magazines and watch hunting shows on TV, chances are you’ve seen conflicting advice about the right way to rattle for bucks. Some writers will tell you to make a major commotion, while others advise a light tickling of tines. So which is right? Answer: Wh... READ MORE
Give Me a Break!
By Ken Piper
The experts don’t always agree on breaking in a new rifle barrel. With so many great choices available for new deer rifles, many of you will be heading afield with virgin guns this fall. Not all the experts agree, but it seems intuitive that a brand new rifle would require some kind of break-in period. The logic says there can be rough edges ... READ MORE
Have Scrape, Will Travel
By Ken Piper
Mock scrapes are even better with a touch of the real thing. More hunters are experimenting with mock scrapes to fool bucks and get them riled up. Mock-scrape kits contain everything you need to create a scrape, but it never hurts to add another level of realism. The next time you make a mock scrape, use dirt from a real scrape to take it to anothe... READ MORE
Over a Barrel
By Ken Piper
A free-floating gun barrel is accurate, but also susceptible to contact. Most of today’s hunting rifles are manufactured with free-floating barrels. This means nothing touches the barrel much beyond its connection to the gun action. While it might look like the forearm of the stock touches the barrel, it doesn’t. There are many benefits... READ MORE
Are Long-Range Crossbow Hunting Shots Worth the Risk?
By Bryan Zabitski, TenPoint Crossbow Technologies
Modern hunting crossbows shoot harder and faster than ever before, with many shooting beyond 400 feet-per-second. As a result of this evolution of performance, many crossbow hunters now wish to extend the effective hunting ranges of their crossbows out to distances greater than 50-yards, which has been the distance accepted by most crossbow hunters... READ MORE
Corn Stalk
By Ken Piper
Standing corn is a blessing and curse for bowhunters. Agriculture fields draw whitetails, and lots of them. That's the good news. The bad news is deer also use those fields for cover and bedding areas. Standing corn is an excellent and oft-used whitetail sanctuary. And you'd be amazed how even a big buck and simply lie down and disappear in soybean... READ MORE
Expect Success
By Ken Piper
A positive mental attitude leads to better results in the woods. There are many factors that go into a successful hunt: scouting, practice and equipment are just a few. In addition to all these physical elements, there are important mental aspects of deer hunting that separate the average from the best. There’s nothing like experience to help... READ MORE
Fishing for Bucks
By Ken Piper
Think like an angler when looking for deer on a new tract of land. Because a majority of deer hunters spend at least some time fishing, we’d like to point out that fishing skills can come in handy in the deer woods, too. One of the first things bass fishermen learn is to look for underwater structure – changes in the lake bottom that di... READ MORE
Know Your Nuts
By Ken Piper
Acorns are not like wine, and white is definitely better than red. Acorns are one of the white-tailed deer’s favorite foods, but getting a buck isn’t as simple as finding an oak tree and setting an egg timer until a bruiser walks in. There are several different types of oaks, and the subtle differences are important. Deer prefer white o... READ MORE
Stand Firm
By Ken Piper
It’s chic to take a stand these days, and that’s certainly true in the deer woods. With all due respect to still-hunters, the most effective way to hunt white-tailed deer is to take a stand in a productive spot and sit there quietly. Stands work for a number of reasons. We play a cat-and-mouse game with whitetails. Deer are using all t... READ MORE
Bottlenecks and Funnels
By Ken Piper
Anything that brings more deer into less space increases your odds of success. Last week’s tip about fences was an example of the funnel effect, where a natural or man-made feature concentrates deer travel. But there are many types of funnels and bottlenecks that give you a better chance of seeing deer. When studying aerial photos or scouting... READ MORE
Fences Concentrate Deer Trails
By Ken Piper
Use these obstacles to your advantage when selecting stand sites. Fences are common in many deer hunting areas, and it’s easy to find heavily used crossings. Deer cross fences by ducking under or jumping over. Either way, they tend to leave hair on the wire or wood. Where they duck under, they wallow out a distinct depression and kill the veg... READ MORE
Water, Water Everywhere
By Ken Piper
The more water on a property, the less important it is for hunting. Deer don’t have to drink every day to survive, but they will drink regularly if water is convenient. Water is particularly important to whitetails in the South and Southwest, where it can be hot during deer season, and in the West where water sources tend to be scarce. For hu... READ MORE