Deer hunting sure isn’t easy and I sure haven’t made it any easier for myself over the years. We all have made our fair share of mistakes in the woods and I am definitely not immune to that. I for one have fallen asleep while hunting, just like the guy in this picture, although I hopefully never had a buck that big next to me! I’d like to highlight a few of my more painful deer hunting  mistakes and I how I learned from them.

1. I spotted the antlers across the stream right away and a large body slowly materialized as the tall 10 point buck waded across towards my blind. I was sitting in a portable ground blind I had built myself from camouflage fabric and old ski poles stuck in the ground. As the deer moved in front of me at about 25 yards I drew back and followed the deer with my pin as he crossed. Moving my bow from right to left along with the deer, I prepared to shoot, when without warning my arrow hit the ski pole, fell off the rest and proceeded to loudly clang against the side of my bow. The buck of my dreams immediately bolted and my hopes were dashed.

Lesson Learned? First of all I learned that I must be constantly aware of my surroundings and how they can effect a future shot. Secondly I learned the importance of having a contained arrow rest.  Since then I have bought a whisker biscuit arrow rest which contains my arrow quite securely no matter what I do with my bow, I love it. The whole “be aware of your surroundings” lesson truly came in handy this past year when I sat in a tree stand which severely restricted my ability to shoot to the right side of me. I realized this and practiced several times what I would do in the situation a deer presented itself in this problem spot. Low and behold a 7 point buck came along a trail to my right and having practiced what to do, I slowly rose from my seat, turned and rested my gun on the arm rest. 7 point buck down.

2. I had just called in a love struck buck with my doe in estrus call and he was coming in straight to my shooting lane. All he had to do was clear the brush he was behind, step into my lane and I would have a great shot. Well as soon as the buck’s head cleared the last large tree, he swiveled and looked straight up at me. I hadn’t moved, I hadn’t sneezed and he hadn’t winded me. But he did notice a large dark blob in a barren tree silhouetted in the morning sun.  The buck busted me and I learned my lesson.

Lesson Learned? Always break up your silhouette when setting up your tree stand or blind. Whether you’re on the ground or in a tree you need to have a backdrop to break up the shape of your body. When picking a tree for your stand, make sure that there are plenty of branches to mask the shape of you and your setup. Also consider setting up so the sun will be to your back, so that if a deer does look your way they will be staring into the bright light. If you’re on the ground, add lots of downed tree branches, leaves, logs and any other natural cover to make your blind blend in more. Remember to also set up your blinds as early as possible, if someone set up a tent in your living room you would definitely take notice the next day. Deer react the same way when you drop your pop up blind in the middle of the woods.

3. The buck and doe stood in front of me nibbling on some scattered corn and they were only 15 yards away. It couldn’t have been much better, except the doe was stubbornly standing in front of the buck and neither of them would move. After 10 minutes the buck finally took a step out from the doe and I was able to pull back. Unfortunately as I pulled back, my bow creaked and moaned and my buck yanked it’s head up to stare right at me. Another buck had busted me.

Lesson Learned? Check all the small things when it comes to your hunting gear. I’ve slowly learned through many mistakes like this, that it’s usually the small things that will in the end determine your success. Carefully clean and check out your gun at the very least once a year, make sure your calls still work properly, check all the parts on your tree stand and definitely double check all the parts of your bow. When it comes to quieting your bow there are many options, but to deal with the squeaks I encountered it is a good idea to go get your axles lubed. Remember the devil is in the details and that is even more true when it comes to deer hunting.

Although I try to learn from all my mistakes, there is still one I cannot figure out. For the life of me I have not been able to banish the occasional nap in the blind. I suppose I’ll never know what I’ve missed.

I know I’ve made plenty more mistakes then these, but I’m more interested in how you guys have screwed up! Got any big mistakes you’ve made? Learned any lessons the hard way? We’d love to hear about them.

Good luck hunting and remember to get your fix at Wired To Hunt!

The arrow is released,  the follow through is solid and your mark is true. What could possibly go wrong at this point? Well a lot of things, but in many cases your arrow sails over the back of your buck as he crouches and then springs away. Most of you have probably experienced or heard of a scenario similar to the the one I have just described. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “jumping the string.”  For those of you unfamiliar with this idea, here is a quick video of a buck jumping the string.

So what is actually happening here? The deer is not consciously dodging the arrow, rather it is instinctively reacting to a stimuli. The moment the deer hears an unknown surprising sound it’s “fight or flight” reaction kicks in gear and it immediately drops and loads up to bounce away. Unfortunately this often also helps them by ducking underneath many unfortunate hunters arrows.

So how drastic of an effect can this have on your chances of sticking a buck this year? Well lets consider how much a deer can move once you release your arrow. According to secondary data I’ve found, a deer can drop about 1 in in .1 seconds. So that being given and assuming you are are using a newer bow shooting about 300 fps, your arrow would take about .2 seconds to reach a deer at 20 yards. That would give the deer enough time to hypothetically drop 2 feet, but given the time it would take for the deer to initially hear the bow, you can estimate that a deer could still drop as much as a foot. This math seems to back up what many people have seen in real life or on shows. All of this being said, what is there that we hunters can do to reduce the chances of a deer ducking our arrow?

It seems that solutions to this problem are varied and much debated in hunting circles. There seems to be three general options or steps you can take.

• Shoot a faster bow
• Shoot a quieter bow
• Compensate and aim low
• Do not shoot at alerted or “jumpy” deer

1. First lets talk about shooting a faster bow. I can see the benefits of shooting a faster bow for increasing accuracy or range, but when it comes to trying to out run sound, its not going to happen. The fastest bows today travel at around 340 fps, thats fast but sound travels at nearly 1100 fps, so lets assume no matter how fast your bow is, the sound will reach the deer much faster than your arrow.

2. On the other hand the act of silencing your bow can have better results. Dampening the noise of your bow can help decrease the chances of a deer jumping the string and it can be achieved in a plethora of ways. Silencing your bow is a whole story for another time, but in short you can buy a variety of silencers and dampeners that can be attached to your bow or strings that can reduce the noise produced. The quieter you can get your bow, the better.

3. The idea of compensating for this “jump” is possibly the most debated aspect of dealing with this. Should you aim low or shouldn’t you?

In my opinion it makes sense to try to compensate for this to a certain extent. I would not want to aim outside of the kill zone, but it definitely makes sense to me that you should aim at the lower third of the vitals. If the deer doesn’t coil I hit the bottom of the lungs and heart. If the deer does coil, I hit the top of the lungs and still have a dead deer down. This compensation won’t always be enough, but it seems to be a safe way to balance the probability of either situation occuring.

4. Last you must consider whether the deer is spooked or not. Ideally you want to be shooting at a deer that is completely oblivious to your existence, but thats not always how it goes down. These “oblivious” deer still can jump your string, but it seems that it doesn’t happen as often. A deer that has tensed up and is on the alert is much more likely to quickly react to a strange noise and book it out of there. If you can try to take your shots at unspooked deer, if you aren’t so lucky it is definitely a good idea to assume the deer will coil and aim a little bit low.

Hopefully being aware of the phenomenon of “jumping the string” and being able to prepare for it will help increase your chances of bagging a buck this fall. For more info check out these resources

North American Hunter clip, Bowsite.com Article, DIY Hunting article

Watch this video to see what Chuck Adams, possibly the worlds most accomplished archer, has to say about jumping the string.

Have any other thoughts or ideas on the topic? Let us know! I know there are a lot of opinions out there, so lets hear em!

There will be 10 unique shows this year covering all the “Midwest” states and they already have a  lot of great episodes from this fall’s early seasons. You can check out the home page at MidwestWhitetail.com and if you are a Michigan hunter like me, you can get to the Michigan online videos directly by following this link . This series covers the hunting season from preseason scouting all the way through the fall. I highly recommend checking out your own states videos as your season progresses. Who knows you might pick up a tip or trick that will help you out the next time you hit the woods!

Here’s a sample of a video from last season with the founder Bill Winke…

Da Turdy Point Buck

“Did you see Da Turdy Pointer!?” was a phrase I remember fondly from one of my favorite hunting songs, “Da Turdy Point Buck.” Growing up I always thought that a thirty point buck was only the figment of wild imagination, but it looks like things have changed. Wayne Schumacher of Wisconsin downed a 4-5 year old 30 point buck with his bow and arrow. Speculation has flown and the buzz is that this buck could become the state’s new record buck. Plenty of additional information can be found all over the web. The Post Crescent reported that Wayne made his shot at 15 yards and that the monster ran no more than 70 yards before falling.

Here’s a nice little youtube video someone shot of an interview with Wayne Schumaker as he explains this once in a lifetime deer. The interviewer kind of loses some credibility with me at the end when he asks Wayne, “Would this be a regular rack or is this…?” Nontypical buddy, this is obviously a nontypical. But nonetheless the video has some pretty interesting tidbits of info, not to mention amazing footage of this stud buck.

Even CNN covered the story!

This story was talked about so much that on Sep 24th it was the #9 most searched term on the internet and the 30 point buck even made it on a website entitled “Stupid Celebrities Gossip.” Unbelievable. Congrats to Wayne.

And to anyone that has any hunting ideas in Northern California, I’d love to hear!

Should crossbows be allowed during archery season?

I recently read an article in Outdoor Life magazine, entitled The Crossbow Controversy, discussing the current controversy surrounding the spread of crossbow use in America. Seems that crossbows are increasing in popularity and are being legalized in many states during their bowhunting seasons. One side believes that crossbows are a great new tool for hunters, increase accuracy and the amount of ethical kills and they bring more hunters into the woods. On the opposite side, traditionalists claim that crossbows take away the spirit of the hunt. Being that they are too easy and technically similar to guns rather than bows.

In this article, Ed Wentzler, the legislative director for United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania explained his issue with crossbows by saying,  “Archery equipment should be defined as implements that are held by hand, drawn by hand and released by the motion of the hand in the presence of game,” he says. “If you are shooting a crossbow, you are not drawing the string in the presence of game. That alone gives crossbow shooters an unfair advantage. It is not bowhunting.”

On the side for crossbows, Ohio’s wildlife management chief supported crossbow use,  explaining, “ Crossbows allow hunters to get out in the woods more often, and allow them to be more successful hunters,” says Risley. “For wildlife managers trying to kill as many deer as possible, crossbows have become a necessary tool.”

In my opinion I would have to agree with Wentzler, I feel that bowhunting is so special because it is so darn difficult. The key attribute of a bow is that you must pull back and hold the bow string when your target moves into range. This is the greatest challenge of hunting during archery season and it is part of what preserves this traditional way of hunting. I don’t have an issue with hunters using a crossbow, but I don’t believe they should be categorized or used during archery season. Instead they could be used during the firearm season, muzzleloader season or possibly in their own short period.

What are your thoughts? Should crossbows be allowed during bow season or do they pose an unfair advantage?

Spring can be a slow time for deer hunters, but it’s never too early to start preparing for next season. One of the best things to set yourself up for success next year is to create food plots, but this is easier said than done. Luckily there are a lot of great resources out there to help out.

This being said, a really great resource has been brought to my attention. This next Thursday, May 7, DeerandDeerhunting.com will be hosting a “Webinar” about Food Plot Management. For those of you not familiar with webinars, it is essentially an online seminar that you can follow from your home computer. Deer & Deer Hunting describes it this way…

A webinar is a seminar hosted online. From the comfort of your home PC, an expert will give a presentation about a certain topic. A Powerpoint-style presentation, complete with audio and video, plays on your computer as the expert discusses the topic. You will have many opportunities to ask questions about the topic. This structure is focused enough to explore the topic deeply, but also flexible enough to deliver the information you want to know.

The webinar is at 7 PM Est and will run for approximately one hour, with a $20 fee for access to this program. One attendee will also win three bags of forage seed from Frigid Forage worth about $135. If food plots are on your to do list, I highly recommend you take advantage of this great opportunity to learn from some of the best in the field. To register visit this link and move fast because there are only 100 spots available.

• May 7, 2009
• 7 p.m. Eastern / 6 p.m. Central
• Topic: Food Plot Management: How to Pick the Right Seed for Your Soil: Advanced Tips for Working Man’s Food Plots
• Expert: Matt Harper, Deer & Deer Hunting magazine author, deer nutrition and food plot authority
• Cost: $20/one hour
ONLY 100 SEATS AVAILABLE.