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A lot of discussions of this subject focus on the question: Does it work? I’m glad to see that a lot of folks agree with my response: Who cares? Playing the wind is part of bowhunting. Try to beat the quarry’s sense of smell with something that comes out of a box and you’re only cheating yourself in the long run. Don
in reply to: Feeders / foodplots / supplemental feed!?!?!? #25311The fascinating element of bowhunting deer–or bears–is learning to understand how the animals behave naturally and using that knowledge to take an animal with stick and string. Artificially altering their behavior undermines that effort. The losers are those who confuse the result with hunting. Don
in reply to: Not sure about the shot #18544Dan–As a general rule, if you have to think hard about whether or not to shoot an animal, it’s best not to shoot it, so your restraint was appropriate. On the other hand, a mature doe is a mature doe, and there probably isn’t enough difference among them to worry about. If you want to avoid shooting a fawn of the year and there isn’t another deer around to offer a size comparison, look at the muzzle. A fawn’s will be short and round, a mature doe’s will be long and pointed. Good luck, Don
Oddly enough, even though I write for a living I never write down anything when I’m in the field. It’s all in my head though. On trips I carry a small notebook to keep track of things like names and addresses and that’s about it. The subsequent writing I do fulfills the archival role of a journal. Nonetheless, I think a journal is a great idea. Among other things, if you have any thoughts about writing for publication at some point, it’s a great way to sharpen your technique. Don
in reply to: New To Traditional-Bow Advice #18528The BW is certainly an excellent choice, but… The first traditional bow you buy will almost certainly not be the one you want a year later. If it’s light enough for you to handle comfortably now, you’ll likely want one a bit heavier after you’ve developed some technique and muscle memory. And you’ll find out about all kinds of other things you want in a bow that you don’t know now. I’d honestly recommend getting a cheaper used bow or an entry level model (you’ll have no trouble finding one you can hunt deer with) and delaying that big investment until you have just a bit more experience under your belt. Don
in reply to: Spot and stalk black bear? #23856Bullyboy is entirely right… I thought I might have had the wrong eponym in mind when I posted, which is why I waffled a bit. There is a rule to describe the phenomenon I mentioned and it has somebody’s name attached, but it isn’t Bergman! I’ll get back to you if I remember it. meanwhile, thanks to Bullboy for the correction. Don
in reply to: Bear hunting #13758The key to successful spot-and-stalk bear hunting is simply figuring out what the bears are eating. They are the ultimate omnivores, and will travel great distances to concentrate on the preferred food sources at any given time. Of course those very from place to place as well as from time to time. In coastal Alaska in the spring, for example, its forbs and crustaceans on the tide flats, followed by a move to the salmon streams when the fish enter the river, then another move to the berry patches as they ripen. And you can refine the search even further… When they are on the streams, they prefer red salmon to other species, and big boars tend to fish the smaller headwaters while sows concentrate in the open areas downstream. You’ll just have to answer these questions for yourself in your area… but when you find the food source, you’ll have found the bears. And as Dave points out, the food doesn’t have to be in a bucket. Don
in reply to: Spot and stalk black bear? #13751There’s actually a biological principle to describe the phenomenon Dave is reporting–Bergman’s Rule, as I recall. The higher the latitude, the darker the coat will be on most animals, because that means less reflective heat loss. (This doesn’t override the need for camouflage, which is why polar bears and Dall sheep are white.) The rule explains the high incidence of “color phase” black bears in our Southwest. And although I’m sure I’ve glassed over a thousand Alaska black bears, I’ve only seen one that was anything other than black. Don
in reply to: who was your mentor? #13744In terms of bowhunting per se, I really didn’t have one. I taught myself most of what I know, which is probably why I’m not better at it! But in terms of the outdoors in general, I learned most of the important stuff from my father… a true woodsman and great hunter who just didn’t happen to hunt with a bow. However, the lessons he taught me about getting around in the wild and respect for the things that lived there have been priceless. He’s almost 90 now, and remains laid up in the hospital after losing a leg three weeks ago. It’s sad to think that we may have spent our last morning together in a duck blind. Don
in reply to: trad vs. compound #12209I am confident that trad will grow, but it will never “overtake” compound technology. Too many people are addicted to short cuts to success. But there is one complicating factor, and I’m surprised no one has mentioned it: the crossbow. PA and MI recently joined OH and several other major bowhunting states by legalizing crossbows during their archery seasons. A friend who works in a sporting goods store in OH told me that the year after this legislation passed, he sold ten crossbows for every compound. While this is obviously an unconscionable disaster for bowhunting in general, perhaps the day will come when the compound goes the way of the dinosaur, with no niche left between recurves and crossbows. Just a thought. Don
in reply to: Why are small game hunter #'s falling? #55770As to the original question, there are a lot of reasons and most don’t bode well for the future of hunting. Over the last generation or so, we’ve seen a big change in the reason why individuals choose to hunt with the bow. When the Thompsons, Pope, Young et al started the revival, bowhunting was conceived as a deliberate way to return to nature and small game was a large part of that. Nowadays, the emphasis has shifted to trophies, scores, and, unfortunately, ego gratification. Grouse and rabbits don’t have much to add to that. Of course, the outdoor media have played into this all too easily. But rest assured, we at TBM still appreciate a good shot on a bird and a fried rabbit dinner. That’s why there will always be at least one small game feature per issue, and one issue annually that focuses on small game. Don
in reply to: Favorite meal while out hunting #45173One of my most memorable meals also came on a sheep hunt. Doug Borland and I had hiked 25 miles from the gravel bar where we landed to our base camp and were hiking back out after a week of hunting. We’d already lost about 15# apiece and were out of food except for a dab of olive oil and a little pancake mix. As we crossed the last creek, we noticed that it had filled up with arctic char. I’d thought to pack in a few flies and a spool of monofilament line. We cut willow switches, caught a whole bunch of fish (on flies no less), rolled them in the pancake mix and fried them in the oil. Never had a better meal in my life! Don
in reply to: groundblinds #45167I actually use mine for wildlife photography more than hunting because I like to enjoy more mobility with my bow in my hand, but the principles are the same. Paradoxically–given their great vision–the species least likely to shy off the blind are turkeys and antelope. They just don’t pay much attention to it even when it’s out in the open. Deer will certainly approach within good bow range, but you will need to break up your outline by backing the blind into some brush or terrain structure. Don
in reply to: Elephant with a bow #44140No more unnecessarily offensive posts, please. Otherwise, I’ll have to figure out how to use my Moderator authority, and then I’ll really be in a bad mood. Don
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