As an avid bow hunter, scent control is a topic that is very important to me. I am a firm believer that if you take measures to lessen your scent, the deer may still catch a whiff of you, but the smell will be so reduced that the deer will think you are several hundred yards away. Here is the scent control routine that I have developed over the past several years. It has thus far worked out fabulously for me because I rarely get winded by deer, even when they are dead down wind.
The night before I go hunting, I wash all of my hunting clothes, including socks, underwear, towels, head cover, and gloves in scent free laundry detergent. I use the stuff you can find in the hunting section at walmart or any other hunting supply store (Dicks, Cabelas, Bass Pro, etc). Personally, I use the cheapest kind I can find. I don't use the Dead Down Wind brand simply because it is too expensive in my opinion.
After the wash cycle is done, I clean out the lint filter (very important!!!) on my dryer, and dry my clothes. When the clothes are dry, I get out a bag (I have a big ziplock bag that came with a scent control starter kit I got a few years back) and put the clothes I will be wearing directly into the bag. I don't fold them or anything. I try to keep the amount of time I actually touch the clothes with my hands to an absolute minimum. I then hang my towel up as normal for the morning.
When I wake up, I hop in the shower and wash my hair with the scent free shampoo (mine is green, Hunter Specialty I think), and clean my body with scent free bar soap (also hunter speciality I think). When I get out of the shower, I dry off with my clean towel and I put on my underwear that I washed the night before (I use the silver thread RedHead EnduraSkin underwear from Bass Pro). Then, I just throw on some street clothes, load up the car and head to my hunting spot.
When I get out of my car at my hunting spot, I shed my street clothes, and start to get into my hunting clothes. I spray down each layer with ScentSheild outdoor scent killer spray. This stuff smells like dirt and dried leaves. The layers I put on are as follows: Silver threaded base layer (top and bottom), Rocky Scent IQ long underwear (top and bottom), Carhart camo pants, and a cotton camo top. I spray down each of these layers liberally before I put them on. It might feel a little damp, but it will dry off quickly as you walk to your stand.
Once I have done this, I put my clean socks on and get into my rubber snake boots. I tuck my pants into the boots and head out to my stand. I then put on my gloves. If I am going to be wearing an outer layer (coveralls or a thick jacket), I spray it down with the scent spray and carry it out to the stand.
I put my final layer on the ground before I climb into my stand.
This may seem like a lot of work, but once you do it a few times, it will become second nature. It seriously adds maybe 5 minutes to my morning routine (spraying down and getting dressed at the hunting spot instead of the house). The time spent is well worth it because the number of deer you will see should go up noticeably.
Anyway, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. Since I have started this rigorous scent routine, I have had plenty of deer down wind of me and they have never spooked. I have had deer follow my exact trail to my stand, and never get spooked. I even had one sniff the base of my tree and keep going unalarmed.
Hope this works for you as well as it has worked for me. Post a comment and let me know!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Deer Activity in Durham, NC
Sorry for the delay on another post! I've been preoccupied with Thanksgiving, etc.
Anyway, it seems to me that the deer activity has declined significantly over the past 2 weeks. After that last buck I shot, I have not seen a single deer.
I am thinking that it is because of the pressure that the does have been getting during the rut. I guess they are just laying low for the time being. In my scouting, it does appear that deer are still moving, but I suspect it is at night...
A funny note, when I was walking out of the woods the other day, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned and saw a doe staring at me. We stared at eachother for about 2 minutes, then I started creeping around to get a shot. As I creeped, I noticed that she wasnt looking at me, but more to where I had been.
I walked right up and thumped that cardboard decoy right on the nose :) Gotta love public land!
Anyway, it seems to me that the deer activity has declined significantly over the past 2 weeks. After that last buck I shot, I have not seen a single deer.
I am thinking that it is because of the pressure that the does have been getting during the rut. I guess they are just laying low for the time being. In my scouting, it does appear that deer are still moving, but I suspect it is at night...
A funny note, when I was walking out of the woods the other day, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned and saw a doe staring at me. We stared at eachother for about 2 minutes, then I started creeping around to get a shot. As I creeped, I noticed that she wasnt looking at me, but more to where I had been.
I walked right up and thumped that cardboard decoy right on the nose :) Gotta love public land!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ballistics Chart Calculator
A guy from work showed me this ballistics chart. Pretty cool if you ask me:
http://ballisticscalculator.winchester.com/
http://ballisticscalculator.winchester.com/
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday Morning hunt - Success
Over the weekend, the rifle season opened up in North Carolina. I was in Myrtle Beach on opening day, so I was unable to hunt. This morning, I got up at about 5, got cleaned up, and went into the woods. It was about 45 degrees, clear, and with a slight breeze in my favor.
I put out some Tinks 69 about 50 yards from my stand, then I got in my lock-on stand (I usually use a lock-on before work because it is much quicker to get in and out of) about 5:45.
I did not see a single thing (save 2 squirrels and a small bird) until about 7:25, when I saw a fat doe running through the woods about 150 yards away, with a buck hot on her heels. I quickly put my ear plugs in and got ready. As the buck got closer, I saw that he was the buck I have been hunting since the beginning of the year. Not the biggest buck, but he had out smarted me about 3 times prior.
The doe ran right under my stand. The buck slowed down for a second, I took a 20 yard shot with my 30.06 and layed him down.
Here are the pictures:
I put out some Tinks 69 about 50 yards from my stand, then I got in my lock-on stand (I usually use a lock-on before work because it is much quicker to get in and out of) about 5:45.
I did not see a single thing (save 2 squirrels and a small bird) until about 7:25, when I saw a fat doe running through the woods about 150 yards away, with a buck hot on her heels. I quickly put my ear plugs in and got ready. As the buck got closer, I saw that he was the buck I have been hunting since the beginning of the year. Not the biggest buck, but he had out smarted me about 3 times prior.
The doe ran right under my stand. The buck slowed down for a second, I took a 20 yard shot with my 30.06 and layed him down.
Here are the pictures:
Friday hunt 11/13/2009
I went out on Friday of last week. Sat in the stand until about 10:00 and did not see a single thing. The area I hunt was flooded out real bad, so I think the deer were confused about their normal routes. Also, the wind was blowing like crazy (another 25-30mph day).
Anyway, about 10:00 I got out of the stand, put on my orange, and started walking trying to jump one up. Unfortunately, I didn't see a single thing.
A bad day hunting is better than a good day sitting on the couch.
Anyway, about 10:00 I got out of the stand, put on my orange, and started walking trying to jump one up. Unfortunately, I didn't see a single thing.
A bad day hunting is better than a good day sitting on the couch.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Storms Rocking the east coast
Thanks to a hurricane, I have been unable to hunt the past 2 days. The rain has been torrential and the winds have been at 25-30mph. I will be hunting tomorrow come hell or high water because I am taking the day off. I probably could have hunting this morning, however, the general rule of thumb I use is that if the wind is more than 10mph, the likely-hood that I will see deer drops drastically.
Also, since it is muzzleloading season, I am worried about my powder getting wet and not igniting.
Enough excuses. Tomorrow I will be out there. For today, look for another article later.
Also, since it is muzzleloading season, I am worried about my powder getting wet and not igniting.
Enough excuses. Tomorrow I will be out there. For today, look for another article later.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Trophy Mount Videos
Here are a couple of videos that I ran across today that deal with mounting deer antlers and a deer tail. The deer antler uses an "Antler Mounting Kit." You can get these kits from Walmart, Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops, etc. The second video is about mounting a deer tail. I have never personally done either of these, but I plan on doing the antler mount with one of the deer I killed earlier this year.
Antler mount: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-mount-deer-antlers-50791/
Tail mount: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-a-deer-tail-mount-50792/
Antler mount: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-mount-deer-antlers-50791/
Tail mount: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-a-deer-tail-mount-50792/
Monday, November 9, 2009
Weekend Hunt 11/7/2009
Saturday marked the first day of muzzleloading season in my part of North Carolina. I had never hunted with a Muzzleloader before, so I purchased one off a guy online for 75 bucks. It is a CVA Buckhorn 209 Magnum. He also threw in a Simmons scope. Anyway, I got the gun setup (had to get scope rails from Walmart, made by T/C that will work with CVAs) and took it to Dicks Sporting Goods to get it bore sighted. The guy working at Dicks told me that he wasnt able to bore sight it because of the height of my scope. Since it is a muzzle loader with large iron sights on it, I had to get the 1" see through scope rings so that the scope would clear the rear open sight. Anyway, I went back home and attempted to bore sight it myself my bracing the gun on a chair, taking the internals out of it so that I could look down the bore, and drawing a dot on a piece of paper as far away as my apartment allowed. I lined the bore up with the dot, then I put the scope cross hairs on the dot. I had never shot this gun, but decided that it was as close as I was gonna get.
So, I got out in my Viper Classic stand on Saturday morning at about 6:00. When I was getting dressed at my car, I saw another guy drive up, notice me, and decide to go hunt somewhere else (gotta love public land). The weather was nice and cold (about 33 degrees) and the sky was very clear. I put some Tinks 69 off to one side, and a different esterous scent I had out in front of me. I did this so that I could see which one the deer paid more attention to.
About 45 minutes after sunup, I had seen nothing but a Coyote, so I hit my bleat can. Almost immediately, a small doe charged out of the woods and began grazing on the other side of a thicket (common theme in my hunting). I decided to let her walk because she was too small.
About 15 minutes later, I saw another doe come in from my left, but she was on a mission and I didn't get a chance to get a shot off.
Finally, about 9 o'clock, a Doe presents me with a nice 60 yard broadside shot. I put my crosshairs on her, squeeze the trigger, and am at once enveloped in smoke. I wait for the smoke to clear, and can't see the deer. I thought maybe I had hit her and she had run off a little ways. Anyway, I settled back for the 30 minute wait before I got out of my stand to go track her, and I see her again. Nothing has happened to her, she just comes back to where she was standing before. I rush to get my powder and sabot loaded in my muzzle. I turn around to grab my primers and kick them off my stand! With the deer watching me, I lower my gun and start climbing out of the tree. By the time I got to the ground and retrieved my primers, she was gone.
I climbed back up in the tree and decided to just sit and wait a little longer because I was in no rush to get back to the house. Nothing happened until about 10:30, when a doe came running through the woods to my right. I attempted to hit the doe bleat again to slow her down, but she wasn't interested.
At about 11:00, I saw a nice buck come in from the left. He was wandering in and out of some bushes, so I hit the doe bleat to get him to come my way. Me did, and presented me with a 50 yard broadside shot. I took the shot, and again missed. This time the deer didn't run away or anything. Infact, he never broke stride. It was almost like the deer was deaf or something.
Madder than hell, I reloaded and hit the buck grunt to try and get him to come back my way. He never did, so I ended up taking a shot at a tree about 50 yards away (to unload my gun). I climbed down and went to find out where my sabot had gone. Turns out my scope was way way off and I was shooting about 2 feet high.
Discouraged, I walked back out of the woods, went home, ate some lunch, and got in the bed for about 2 hours. I went back out to the same area with my bow, but picked a different tree closer to where I had seen the two deer. I ended up putting out some more Tinks 69, but saw nothing that afternoon.
It was one of those days where I wondered why I hunt in the first place. But, some days are just like that and you need to keep pushing through. One major thing that bothered me about this hunt is that the buck did not even notice the esterous. It seemed to in no way effect him which is strange because it should have at least gotten him excited. I wonder if there are just too many does in the area and he doesn't have any competition...
At least I got to see some deer, and I learned at the earlier you get there and park your vehicle, the less likely someone will decide to hunt in your same area. :) Hopefully I can get my muzzle loader sighted in some time this week and I will be able to shoot one with it.
So, I got out in my Viper Classic stand on Saturday morning at about 6:00. When I was getting dressed at my car, I saw another guy drive up, notice me, and decide to go hunt somewhere else (gotta love public land). The weather was nice and cold (about 33 degrees) and the sky was very clear. I put some Tinks 69 off to one side, and a different esterous scent I had out in front of me. I did this so that I could see which one the deer paid more attention to.
About 45 minutes after sunup, I had seen nothing but a Coyote, so I hit my bleat can. Almost immediately, a small doe charged out of the woods and began grazing on the other side of a thicket (common theme in my hunting). I decided to let her walk because she was too small.
About 15 minutes later, I saw another doe come in from my left, but she was on a mission and I didn't get a chance to get a shot off.
Finally, about 9 o'clock, a Doe presents me with a nice 60 yard broadside shot. I put my crosshairs on her, squeeze the trigger, and am at once enveloped in smoke. I wait for the smoke to clear, and can't see the deer. I thought maybe I had hit her and she had run off a little ways. Anyway, I settled back for the 30 minute wait before I got out of my stand to go track her, and I see her again. Nothing has happened to her, she just comes back to where she was standing before. I rush to get my powder and sabot loaded in my muzzle. I turn around to grab my primers and kick them off my stand! With the deer watching me, I lower my gun and start climbing out of the tree. By the time I got to the ground and retrieved my primers, she was gone.
I climbed back up in the tree and decided to just sit and wait a little longer because I was in no rush to get back to the house. Nothing happened until about 10:30, when a doe came running through the woods to my right. I attempted to hit the doe bleat again to slow her down, but she wasn't interested.
At about 11:00, I saw a nice buck come in from the left. He was wandering in and out of some bushes, so I hit the doe bleat to get him to come my way. Me did, and presented me with a 50 yard broadside shot. I took the shot, and again missed. This time the deer didn't run away or anything. Infact, he never broke stride. It was almost like the deer was deaf or something.
Madder than hell, I reloaded and hit the buck grunt to try and get him to come back my way. He never did, so I ended up taking a shot at a tree about 50 yards away (to unload my gun). I climbed down and went to find out where my sabot had gone. Turns out my scope was way way off and I was shooting about 2 feet high.
Discouraged, I walked back out of the woods, went home, ate some lunch, and got in the bed for about 2 hours. I went back out to the same area with my bow, but picked a different tree closer to where I had seen the two deer. I ended up putting out some more Tinks 69, but saw nothing that afternoon.
It was one of those days where I wondered why I hunt in the first place. But, some days are just like that and you need to keep pushing through. One major thing that bothered me about this hunt is that the buck did not even notice the esterous. It seemed to in no way effect him which is strange because it should have at least gotten him excited. I wonder if there are just too many does in the area and he doesn't have any competition...
At least I got to see some deer, and I learned at the earlier you get there and park your vehicle, the less likely someone will decide to hunt in your same area. :) Hopefully I can get my muzzle loader sighted in some time this week and I will be able to shoot one with it.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Field & Stream Base Layer with NoScent Silver Review
When I began my deep investigation of scent control, I looked at several different technologies. The two primary technologies that exist are silver lined clothing, and carbon suits. I had read mixed reviews about both, and I ultimately chose the Silver based technology because of its price and the science backing it up.
Silver threads have been used by the army for years in their underwear for soldiers. The reason for this is that the silver prevents bacteria growth. This way, a soldier can wear the same pair of underwear for several days at a time without getting jock itch or other bacteria related afflictions.
The trick with Silver clothing is that is MUST be touching your skin to work. Simply putting on your normal long underwear and throwing a silver thread shirt on top is not going to help you at all. Luckily, some manufacturers (Redhead from Bass Pro Shops) for example have socks, underwear, gloves, long underwear, face masks, etc with silver thread technology. If you are inclined, they have products that can allow you to cover virtually every inch of your skin with silver thread clothing. Unfortunately, many manufacturers make silver thread outer layers, which will be a waste of money because they will not help control scent at all.
The human smell is caused by bacteria growth on your skin. By putting silver thread base layers on, you inhibit bacteria growth that causes these odors.
Now for the review of the Field and Stream base layer. I purchased this base layer from Dick's Sporting Goods (overpriced for the most part) because I was in a bind and didn't have enough time to get these clothes shipped to me from Cabelas or Bass Pro. I think I paid 60 bucks total for the shirt and the pants. The clothing seems to work exceptionally well because since I have been wearing them along with my rubber boots and the rest of my scent control routine, I have not been winded by a single deer (although I have had several down wind of me). Before I got the base layer, I would get winded if a deer approached from down wind.
I think that this base layer is supposed to help keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I have not noticed it keeping me very warm, but I can say that I hardly notice them when I am bowhunting in the heat. For cold weather, you will definately need some extra layers because the base layers don't seem to offer much protection from the cold.
One final note about how I am confident that these clothes work. When I take my hunting clothes off when I get back to my house, they do not smell at all. Before I started wearing the silver base layer, I could definately smell sweat when I took off my hunting gear.
Pros:
-They work very well for scent control.
-Cheaper than a carbon suit, and probably works better
Cons:
-They don't keep you very warm.
Bottom line: If you are looking for a base layer to control your scent, then this is the one to get. If you are looking for a base layer to control your scent and keep you warm, I would look into a different silver thread product that provides more warmth.
Silver threads have been used by the army for years in their underwear for soldiers. The reason for this is that the silver prevents bacteria growth. This way, a soldier can wear the same pair of underwear for several days at a time without getting jock itch or other bacteria related afflictions.
The trick with Silver clothing is that is MUST be touching your skin to work. Simply putting on your normal long underwear and throwing a silver thread shirt on top is not going to help you at all. Luckily, some manufacturers (Redhead from Bass Pro Shops) for example have socks, underwear, gloves, long underwear, face masks, etc with silver thread technology. If you are inclined, they have products that can allow you to cover virtually every inch of your skin with silver thread clothing. Unfortunately, many manufacturers make silver thread outer layers, which will be a waste of money because they will not help control scent at all.
The human smell is caused by bacteria growth on your skin. By putting silver thread base layers on, you inhibit bacteria growth that causes these odors.
Now for the review of the Field and Stream base layer. I purchased this base layer from Dick's Sporting Goods (overpriced for the most part) because I was in a bind and didn't have enough time to get these clothes shipped to me from Cabelas or Bass Pro. I think I paid 60 bucks total for the shirt and the pants. The clothing seems to work exceptionally well because since I have been wearing them along with my rubber boots and the rest of my scent control routine, I have not been winded by a single deer (although I have had several down wind of me). Before I got the base layer, I would get winded if a deer approached from down wind.
I think that this base layer is supposed to help keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I have not noticed it keeping me very warm, but I can say that I hardly notice them when I am bowhunting in the heat. For cold weather, you will definately need some extra layers because the base layers don't seem to offer much protection from the cold.
One final note about how I am confident that these clothes work. When I take my hunting clothes off when I get back to my house, they do not smell at all. Before I started wearing the silver base layer, I could definately smell sweat when I took off my hunting gear.
Pros:
-They work very well for scent control.
-Cheaper than a carbon suit, and probably works better
Cons:
-They don't keep you very warm.
Bottom line: If you are looking for a base layer to control your scent, then this is the one to get. If you are looking for a base layer to control your scent and keep you warm, I would look into a different silver thread product that provides more warmth.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Cabela's Scent-Free Snake Boot Review
Here is a quick review of the Cabela's Scent-Free Snake Boot. This product is located at http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0036167830748a&navCount=1&podId=0036167&parentId=cat280030&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20564-cat20570-cat280030&catalogCode=QZ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat280030&hasJS=true
It should be noted that I am in no way affiliated with Cabela's.
About 4 weeks ago, my girlfriend bought me these boots. I had been reading quite a bit about scent control and rubber boots. Also, one of the places that I hunt is in a flood plane, so I am constantly worried about running across a cotton-mouth. So, I asked her to go ahead and get me these boots for our anniversary.
The boots themselves are pretty comfortable as far as rubber boots go. I generally wear 2 pairs of socks with them, and I have not gotten any blisters or anything like that. In reading the comments on Cabela's website, I was worried that I might have some difficulty with that. I have used these boots for quite a bit of scouting, sometimes a couple of miles of walking at a time, and have never had any trouble with them.
Right when I took them out of the box, I was smacked in the face with an overpowering smell of rubber. I guess it takes some time to air them out, but one month later, I am still smelling the rubber. It is not as overpowering as it was right when I opened them, but I still catch a whiff every once in a while when I am sitting in my tree stand.
As far as scent control goes, they seem to work extremely well. The first day I hunted with the boots, I walked to my stand, climbed up the tree and started hunting. Not too long after day break, I had three deer (1 doe, 1 spike, and 1 4 point) walk down the trail I had taken to my stand. Not one of them even broke stride. None of them smelled the air, got spooked, or paused for a minute. I even had the 4 point walk down to the bottom of my stand and sniff the tree steps. He was not alarmed, and kept on walking, stopping to eat a leaf now and then.
I used to hunt with some cloth boots, and I have never had deer come down the exact trail I took to the stand, and I definately have never had one get directly under my stand and not spook. So, I was pretty pumped and amazed that they did not even smell my presence.
As far as a the snake proof part goes, I have yet to run across a snake (thankfully), so I cannot speak to whether of not they will stop a cotton mouth. I hope I never have to test this. I will say that the knowledge that I have snake boots on definately makes my scouting more productive because I can just walk through the woods without having to constantly check to see where I step. I am deathly afraid of snakes, so the peace of mind is well worth it.
All in all, these boots are well worth the price ($69.99).
Pros:
-Scent control is awesome.
-Not uncomfortable.
-Peace of mind for snakes.
Cons:
-Rubber scent takes a while to go away.
-Climbing tree steps is a little dicey. Not too bad, you just need to pay attention to what you are doing.
-At first, they were a tad bit loud when walking. Just break them in and that will go away.
It should be noted that I am in no way affiliated with Cabela's.
About 4 weeks ago, my girlfriend bought me these boots. I had been reading quite a bit about scent control and rubber boots. Also, one of the places that I hunt is in a flood plane, so I am constantly worried about running across a cotton-mouth. So, I asked her to go ahead and get me these boots for our anniversary.
The boots themselves are pretty comfortable as far as rubber boots go. I generally wear 2 pairs of socks with them, and I have not gotten any blisters or anything like that. In reading the comments on Cabela's website, I was worried that I might have some difficulty with that. I have used these boots for quite a bit of scouting, sometimes a couple of miles of walking at a time, and have never had any trouble with them.
Right when I took them out of the box, I was smacked in the face with an overpowering smell of rubber. I guess it takes some time to air them out, but one month later, I am still smelling the rubber. It is not as overpowering as it was right when I opened them, but I still catch a whiff every once in a while when I am sitting in my tree stand.
As far as scent control goes, they seem to work extremely well. The first day I hunted with the boots, I walked to my stand, climbed up the tree and started hunting. Not too long after day break, I had three deer (1 doe, 1 spike, and 1 4 point) walk down the trail I had taken to my stand. Not one of them even broke stride. None of them smelled the air, got spooked, or paused for a minute. I even had the 4 point walk down to the bottom of my stand and sniff the tree steps. He was not alarmed, and kept on walking, stopping to eat a leaf now and then.
I used to hunt with some cloth boots, and I have never had deer come down the exact trail I took to the stand, and I definately have never had one get directly under my stand and not spook. So, I was pretty pumped and amazed that they did not even smell my presence.
As far as a the snake proof part goes, I have yet to run across a snake (thankfully), so I cannot speak to whether of not they will stop a cotton mouth. I hope I never have to test this. I will say that the knowledge that I have snake boots on definately makes my scouting more productive because I can just walk through the woods without having to constantly check to see where I step. I am deathly afraid of snakes, so the peace of mind is well worth it.
All in all, these boots are well worth the price ($69.99).
Pros:
-Scent control is awesome.
-Not uncomfortable.
-Peace of mind for snakes.
Cons:
-Rubber scent takes a while to go away.
-Climbing tree steps is a little dicey. Not too bad, you just need to pay attention to what you are doing.
-At first, they were a tad bit loud when walking. Just break them in and that will go away.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Morning Hunt - 11/3/2009
This morning, I went out to my favorite track of land before work. I have been seeing does in this one tiny field, so I decided to forgo one of my trees where I have seen little action. I set out some Tinks 69 about 30 yards from my stand and I put my climber up and got settled in about 5:45. There was a full moon last night, so I could see everything at 5:45, so it was pretty cool to watch the woods wake up.
At about 6:45, I saw the three does that I had been seeing in the tiny field. They were about 100 yards away and moving away from the field. I guess they didn't get the memo that they were supposed to come to my field. About 7:15, I saw a nice sized buck walking around about 50 yards away through a thicket. He was basically walking right infront of the tree I decided not to climb! If I had been in that tree, it would have been a 10 yard shot.
Anyway, the wind was not working in my favor, so instead of smelling the Tinks 69, he stuck his head up and smelt the three does, and went walking off after them.
At 8am, I got out of my tree and ran home so that I could get to work on time. I didn't kill anything today, but at least I got to look at 4 of them.
At about 6:45, I saw the three does that I had been seeing in the tiny field. They were about 100 yards away and moving away from the field. I guess they didn't get the memo that they were supposed to come to my field. About 7:15, I saw a nice sized buck walking around about 50 yards away through a thicket. He was basically walking right infront of the tree I decided not to climb! If I had been in that tree, it would have been a 10 yard shot.
Anyway, the wind was not working in my favor, so instead of smelling the Tinks 69, he stuck his head up and smelt the three does, and went walking off after them.
At 8am, I got out of my tree and ran home so that I could get to work on time. I didn't kill anything today, but at least I got to look at 4 of them.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sunrise Sunset Table
Here is a quick link that you will more than likely find useful when you are trying to plan your hunt.
http://www.calendar-updates.com/Sun.asp
Enjoy!
http://www.calendar-updates.com/Sun.asp
Enjoy!
Summit OpenShot Review
Recently, I purchased a Summit OpenShot from eBay. I bought this stand because I needed a stand that I could dedicate completely to bowhunting. My Summit Viper Classic has the sit down bar across the front, which makes it where you have to lean out over the bar to take certain shots. Since the OpenShot is truely a hand climber, it eliminates the need for this sit down bar (I call it a safety bar).
When I recieved the stand, I immediately took it out of the box and began to assemble it. Assembly was not hard, it only required a couple of wrenches to get 2 bolts on the stand so that the seat will fold up and down.
I took it hunting the next morning where I set up the stand and climbed in the dark. Getting it set up wasn't a huge deal, basically the exact same as all the other summit stands I have climbed. Climbing the stand was a completely different ballgame. For me it was not too bad to climb the stand, not too different from a normal climbing stand (Note: I have never actually sat down and stood up to climb with any treestand). Climbing down is extremely awkward. Its hard to describe why it is strange, but it just takes a little getting used to. I definately recommend shooting up a tree or two in your back yard before you take this stand out in the woods to hunt with it.
Once in the stand, it is not bad at all. It is certainly not as comfortable as a Viper, but I was able to sit in it for almost 6 hours the other day and had no problems. The fact that you can flip the seat up and lean against the tree is a huge plus because often times just changing positions will extend your hunt by quite a bit. The platform is a small 20 or so inches, so there isnt a ton of room up there, but it was more than enough for me to move around and get different shot positions. The stand feels very open to me because there is no arm rest or safety bar or anything, so I feel like I can really get into position well.
Overall, I definately recommend this stand for bowhunting. I will use my other stand for muzzle loading and rifle season (if I even do that this year, I might just bow hunt all year).
Pros:
-Extremely lightweight. All aluminum construction. I packed it in about half a mile to my tree and didnt even break a sweat.
-Pretty comfortable considering its small size.
-Very open, perfect for bowhunting.
Cons:
-A little noisy right out of the box. You will need to get some camo duct tape or summit skin or something like that to cover up the metal, which will make it quieter. I do this will all climbing stands and it definately helps.
-A little awkward to climb if you are used to a sitdown stand up climber.
When I recieved the stand, I immediately took it out of the box and began to assemble it. Assembly was not hard, it only required a couple of wrenches to get 2 bolts on the stand so that the seat will fold up and down.
I took it hunting the next morning where I set up the stand and climbed in the dark. Getting it set up wasn't a huge deal, basically the exact same as all the other summit stands I have climbed. Climbing the stand was a completely different ballgame. For me it was not too bad to climb the stand, not too different from a normal climbing stand (Note: I have never actually sat down and stood up to climb with any treestand). Climbing down is extremely awkward. Its hard to describe why it is strange, but it just takes a little getting used to. I definately recommend shooting up a tree or two in your back yard before you take this stand out in the woods to hunt with it.
Once in the stand, it is not bad at all. It is certainly not as comfortable as a Viper, but I was able to sit in it for almost 6 hours the other day and had no problems. The fact that you can flip the seat up and lean against the tree is a huge plus because often times just changing positions will extend your hunt by quite a bit. The platform is a small 20 or so inches, so there isnt a ton of room up there, but it was more than enough for me to move around and get different shot positions. The stand feels very open to me because there is no arm rest or safety bar or anything, so I feel like I can really get into position well.
Overall, I definately recommend this stand for bowhunting. I will use my other stand for muzzle loading and rifle season (if I even do that this year, I might just bow hunt all year).
Pros:
-Extremely lightweight. All aluminum construction. I packed it in about half a mile to my tree and didnt even break a sweat.
-Pretty comfortable considering its small size.
-Very open, perfect for bowhunting.
Cons:
-A little noisy right out of the box. You will need to get some camo duct tape or summit skin or something like that to cover up the metal, which will make it quieter. I do this will all climbing stands and it definately helps.
-A little awkward to climb if you are used to a sitdown stand up climber.
Weekend Hunt
This past weekend, I sat in the rain in a tree stand from about 5:45 or 6am until about 11:30 am. The rain finally let up about 10:30. While sitting in the stand, I began to contemplate why I enjoyed deer hunting. For some reason that I couldn't put my finger on, I was enjoying sitting in a tree, in the rain. My friends voice came to my mind saying "We are hunters, its what we do." Means that even though it might not be the most fun, or the most optimum conditions, since I love to hunt, I will be sitting in the rain as long as it is not lightening above me.
I saw nothing during the entire time it was raining. I thought this was strange since two days before, the bucks has started chasing the does. I figured I would at least see some action. After seeing the bucks chasing, I decided to get some Tinks 69 and put it out to see what happened.
When the rain finally let up about 10:30, I saw about 4 does on the other size of a thicket. There was a small window where I could have shot one during gun season, but as it is still bow season here in North Carolina, I was out of luck.
Anyway, about 11:30 I decided to climb out of my stand and do a little bit of scouting. I ended up finding a really good climbing tree that I am going to shoot up before work tomorrow to see if I see anything. I will let you know if it works out in my favor.
I saw nothing during the entire time it was raining. I thought this was strange since two days before, the bucks has started chasing the does. I figured I would at least see some action. After seeing the bucks chasing, I decided to get some Tinks 69 and put it out to see what happened.
When the rain finally let up about 10:30, I saw about 4 does on the other size of a thicket. There was a small window where I could have shot one during gun season, but as it is still bow season here in North Carolina, I was out of luck.
Anyway, about 11:30 I decided to climb out of my stand and do a little bit of scouting. I ended up finding a really good climbing tree that I am going to shoot up before work tomorrow to see if I see anything. I will let you know if it works out in my favor.
First Post
This is my first test post for my new blog. This blog will focus around any hunting and fishing items. Since I hunt primarily in North Carolina, I will occasionally reference locations in and around my area.
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