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in reply to: How Many Over 55 #53606
I’ll turn 64 this year, can still shoot 70# easily and go higher if I have to. But, I’ve learned that I don’t, not for anything on this continent. Don
in reply to: How were your Coues' deer hunts,Mr. Petersen? #53598I’ve seen those pica, and you all have a treat in store for you! (I’ve also seen the pics of Dave’s bruised butt–not nearly as pretty as his buck.) Don
in reply to: Wilderness First Aid Kit #12554Gotta admit–I’m drawing a blank. I’ve declined a lot of requests to write medical articles for a number of magazines over the years, mostly because I like to keep my medical background separate from my outdoor interests. I may have written the piece you are referencing for Bowhunter or another magazine a long time ago… but I can’t find it! In fact, I’m notoriously bad about carrying medical supplies on hunts, unless I’m serving as camp doctor for others on an extended wilderness trip in a remote location. If there is sufficient interest, I could do such a piece for TBM sometime–or assign it to another qualified party. Don
in reply to: Deer Calls? Or Just Blowing Hot Air! #63329Sure, there are lots of overrated gadgets and techniques out there, but… Not all deer are created equal. I can assure you that no animal in the world responds to calling like a Sitka blacktail deer! I have literally been run over by them in response to a fawn bleat. One afternoon on Kodiak I spent an hour carefully glassing a basin without seeing a thing. I finally blew my call and within seconds had a half dozen deer converging on my from all directions, every one of which wound up in bow range. (Warning: brown bears also respond to fawn bleats!) Unfortunately, almost all the blacktails that respond this aggressively are does, but during the rut you never know what might be following them. I have had mule deer does respond in similar fashion. The Alaskan Deer Call you remember was the real deal. At least in Alaska.Don
in reply to: Found a fresh mallard yesterday… Need advice! #63321I eat a LOT of wild duck every season, and consider them among the finest of all wild game. Some of what I’m going to say runs contrary to the conventional wisdom, but a lot of people seem to enjoy the result, so please bear with me. Unless you’re hunting in exceptionally hot weather (and a lot of our duck hunting takes place below zero) rapid field dressing just isn’t necessary. Because of the high ratio of surface area to body mass, small game doesn’t need to be opened up like a deer. Given the right conditions, all wild birds, and ducks in particular, benefit from hanging. If the temperature is between 30 and 50, I’ll hang mine for 10 days (or lay them out in the mud room refrigerator that I keep for this purpose). And no, I don’t draw them first. That may sound gross, but it’s based on 50 years of experience with thousands of ducks. Like TJ, I prefer mine roasted quickly in a hot oven. Don
in reply to: A REMINDER OF WHY WE HUNT TRADITIONALLY #63313I must respectfully disagree about the irrelevance of the weapon. Fifty years after the fact, some of the things I did at first seem totally inept, but because I was hunting with a recurve, I never got close enough to hurt anything! Simply getting 25 yards away from a big game animal requires at least a certain level of skill. The crossbow, on the other hand, allows almost anyone to become an instant “bowhunter”. I doubt these individuals would have been able to hurt this deer with traditional tackle. Chalk up another victory for the crossbow lobby, and weep for what “bowhunting” has become. Don
in reply to: Are we forgetting our roots? #63307There are a lot of bowhunters in America now, but for most of them bowhunting as it is now known didn’t begin until the invention of the compound. Glenn St. Who? We at the magazine are aware of the problem, and that’s why we run a “Traditional Archives” column in every issue. The subject matter varies widely, but every column tries to cover something from the “old days”, whether that was 50 years ago or 5,000. We hope you all are reading it. Don
in reply to: Scentless waterproof spray? #40563Fuggetaboutit! If an elk can smell your waterproofing, it can smell you. Don
in reply to: Righthanded/ left eye dominate #40562Shooting with one eye closed or patched just doesn’t work for us. “Instinctive” shooting (however you define it) depends on binocular vision for intuitive, subconscious estimation of range. One excellent young bowhunter I know solved the problem by teaching himself to turn his head sharply across the bowstring, so that his dominant left eye was actually closest to the arrow nock while he was shooting right-handed. It worked for him. In children that young, I think by far the best approach would simply be to teach them to shoot with the handedness that matches the dominant eye. Lori is so left-handed she needs a GPS unit to tell right frm left when she’s driving a car. She shoots her bow leftie, but fly-fishes with her right, bats a softball right, throws it left… you get the idea. Point is, you can teach anyone to do anything either way, especially if you start them young enough. Don
in reply to: Rain suits #40294After all those years in AK, I’ve tried everything. Peter Storm is excellent but pricey, and binds just a bit. Swazi is also excellent (quiet, comfortable, durable) but again pricey, and only their models with GoreTex incorporated into the fabric will keep you dry with prolonged exposue to driving rain (they are REALLY pricey!) Frogg Togs are terrific (light weight, surprisingly durable, and cheap) but noisy. What I do now is wear a Frogg Togg jacket underneath a standard Swazi coat. The inside of the Swazi may get damp after a long day, but the inner layer will keep the moisture away from your skin and the Swazi fabric is very easy to dry even under camp conditions. The outer coat mutes the noise from the FTs. When I’m guiding rifle hunters, I wear chest waders all the time when I’m out on the tundra. That’s about the only way you can keep your lower 2/3 dry when you’re sitting on wet ground glassing or hiking through wet brush all day. They are usually a bit too noisy for bowhunting, although Simms is coming out with a model that I think may be quiet enough. I plan to field test soon. Don
in reply to: Plaid Shirts #34533I’m a big fan of both plaid and wool (they don’t have to be the same.) Filson makes great stuff. They are pricey–up front. Point is, they last forever, and if you crunch the numbers they turn out to be a good deal. I had a Filson wool shirt that I got from my father that must have been over 40 years old. I think it’s now in their museum. Don
in reply to: Dec/Jan issue #15358Thanks for those kudos (never to be confused with kudus!) As you no doubt know, since that issue went to press the RMEF reversed its position on the bill, and we have a brief note to that effect in the next issue. However, the only reason they did so was beause of the storm of protest raised by concerned sportsmen shrewd enough to see through the BS about “improving access for the disabled and elderly.” Everyone who took time to raise hell deserves kudos just as much as we do. Don
in reply to: How’s the outlook for deer in your area? #61750Dave–Are your lions vegetarian? You do live close to California 🙂 Ours definitely eat meat. I find lion kills all the time, and I don’t begrudge them their dinners. Don
in reply to: GROUND HOG IN A TREE #61741I’ve seen our western version, the golden marmot, up in trees many times. And not because they were running away from anything. They just seemed to like it up there! Don
in reply to: How’s the outlook for deer in your area? #61740Sorry to hear of problems in other areas. Here in MT, our freakish weather will impact the hunting season, but not because of game losses. The habitat is in great shape, I’m seeing lots of twin fawns, and there are deer everywhere despite a moderately severe winter. But floods of the century knocked out lots of backcountry roads and bridges this spring, and it’s going to be hard to get to some of the areas I hunt. Don
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