Super Bowl 2012. Maybe you watched the game or maybe you didn’t, but in my world it is always a special day that calls for some fantastic food ready to relish at Kickoff!

This year I decided to cook up some of the meat harvested over the last few hunts. I always reminisce when I pull the meat out of the freezer to prepare. If you don’t have memories with your successful hunts, then you are just not looking hard enough, because they are there. On Sunday, I decided to remember the quail and pheasant from my unforgettable winged hunt with “Heartland Huntress” Angie Tesh-Kill, Brenda K Dugan and Kathryn Burnett on Hidden Lakes Hunting resort in Yantis, Texas. I also thought about a little of the coveted backstrap from my buck from a leased property in Winchell, TX. This would be my first time cooking quail or pheasant, but I have prepared many slabs of venison backstrap and tenderloin over the years, and most of the time it ends up as a delectable dish which I have fine tuned and fondly refer to as “Venison Appe-Teasers”.

I love to cook, which is inspired by my “food fetish”, and if you choose to try one of my finely tuned recipes, take note of the necessary notes I make in each one. I want you to enjoy them as much as I do, and I have some helpful hints to avoid ruining your creation, and prompting you to let me know just how wonderful it was…. and possibly sharing some options that you discovered in the process!

A lot of cooks think of preparing food as more of an art, usually taking each recipe and eventually making it their own. This is a recipe I was given a long time ago, and each time I prepare it, it becomes a masterpiece for my mouth!

Recipe ingredients:

• 1 lb backstrap or tenderloin (can substitute some tender cut of meat)
• Cajun seasoning (choose one less salty)
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• Thin-sliced bacon
• Candied jalapenos/Cowboy Candy – 1-2 slices per chunk of venison (you can substitute pickled jalapenos, but the sweet jalapenos rock!)

Marinade:

• 1 cup zesty Italian dressing
• ½ cup Worcestershire
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Cooking instructions:

Trim all fat and membrane from the meat, and cut into 1 ½ inch squares.

Prepare marinade and stir very well, let sit for about 5 minutes, and stir again very well. Letting the seasonings dissolve. Combine with venison in the smallest container possible that has a very tight-fitting lid that allows you to shake and turn while marinating (one that will not leak). Let soak for at least 1 hour or longer, the mo’ the better! I like to leave them in the fridge overnight.

Now comes the important part…pour off ALL the marinade!

Season to taste with Cajun seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. Fight the urge to add salt, the soy and Worcestershire add lots of salt flavor! Massage the seasoning into the meat for at least 1 minute. Place 1-2 slices of sliced jalapenos on each chunk, wrap in bacon and secure with a toothpick. NOTE: You can usually cut the bacon in halves or thirds and stretch it across a chunk depending on the size of the pieces. I have also skewered these instead of using a toothpick, but it is tricky because the bacon needs to be secured around the venison to baste while cooking and keep the meat from drying out!

Grill over MEDIUM heat turning every 5-7 minutes for 20-25 minutes.

NOTE: It is very easy to over-cook so be very careful, as they are small chunks!

BIG NOTE: Wait to cook until it is time to serve as they tend to dry out!

Enjoy! Like! Share! Comment!

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Venison Backstrap Appe-Teasers by Becky Lou

By Larry Saavedra

An overlooked aspect of a hunt test competition, besides training vigorously before the event, is clothing. Believe it or not, it does matter what you wear.

If you come to the starting line (where you release a dog) wearing a color or style of clothing that the line judges deem as inappropriate for competition, the judges will stop the competition and ask you to change your clothes to something more in-line with the hunting environment, typically of neutral colors and so forth. This overlooked detail is black and white in AKC, and UKC/HRC rulebooks.

If you’re a people watcher, the fun thing about judging a hunt test is that you see a lot of different personalities and styles of dog handlers. Some come to the line dressed for success with pressed camouflaged duds from head to toe, while others sport street sneakers and tees. Heck, I’ve even seen people wearing flip-flops, although it happens only rarely.

As a judge you learn to expect the unexpected. Everyone respects your tastes in duds, so long as your clothing doesn’t provide you with an unfair advantage in competition; technically you must be dressed in a manner favorable to hunting.

For those new to the retrieving game, learning what to wear comes with experience, and a careful study of the sanctioning body’s rulebook. My advice to the novice is to bring one change of dark shirts and socks for starters. You will get wet and muddy, especially during the water series. Also, say no to those designer jeans! They might look cool at the mall, but the moment a dog shakes after a dip in the pond, you’ll be soaked to the bone. A better choice would be Carhartt’s flannel-lined jeans, which incidentally go on sale in the off-season from Cabela’s.

If you really hate getting wet, and most of us do, look for waterproof chaps that typically fit over the leg the dog heels to, although some competitors use them on both legs.

Hats are a personal issue, not everyone wears one, but don’t wear a white one, because you’ll likely be asked to remove it before you get started! Long sleeve shirts are better than short-sleeved, and long pants are usually a good idea too, especially in snake country. Beyond it all, plan to be outfitted like you were going hunting, and exceptional footwear are a must have item.

Boots offer the best protection and while there are hundreds of models to choose from, I’ve learned that buying a cheap pair is a total waste of money. Aside from the lack of comfort, cheaper boots can’t standup to the types of loose impediments that are often found in the field.

I recently bought what I thought was a decent pair of boots at my local sporting goods store, only to find out that a small metal shard had pierced the sole and nearly dug into my foot. These boots were only two months old, and in one outing they were destroyed.

Some handlers swear by ranch-style boots or even a soft-leather hiking shoe, but I favor a solid trail boot that’s preferably lined with waterproof Gore-Tex. The pair I’ve been wearing for nearly a year now is the Ranger GTX from Lowa (see image at start of article) with its above-the-ankle protection. These boots are handcrafted in Germany and they are made to fight off the elements, whether it be summer or winter. I can’t find another boot that even comes close to its superior quality.

The Ranger GTX is considered a mid-duty boot and they weigh about one pound each, and right out of the box they need to be broken in for a few weeks before they become comfortable enough to walk in. They aren’t the lightest boots out there, but they are definitely the most durable you will find.

The uppers are made of Nubuck leather and outsole is a Vibram Tactis DST, which gives you the stiffness you need and the sure-footedness you require in precarious situations. Because they are perforated around the top, any hot air trapped inside is released through these openings. So far, I’ve had zero issues with water.

The Ranger GTX has a lot of little features that make them the ideal field boot, like the tongue stud that prevents the padded tongue (with gussets on both sides) from moving off-center, offering a more equalized pressure once the laces are tied. There is a half-rand on the boot, which provides further support, especially in rocky terrain. The details make these boots in a class of their own. Lowa makes similar boots for women.

Although the Ranger GTX is a mighty fine boot, it’s not necessarily going to win your dog a title. You’ll have to do that with exceptional training methods. But at least the next time you run hunt test, you won’t have to worry about trudging through the water and mud. And they sure beat the heck out of flip-flops.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Duds for Dog Handlers

Ice-fishing with friends recently on a lake near Winnipeg, Delta Waterfowl President Rob Olson deep-fried four rice-fattened California mallards in peanut oil, a dark-meat snack to keep Old Man Winter from nipping at their extremities.

The plucked birds were rubbed in spices, injected with marinate and cooked to medium-rare perfection.

“They were wicked good,” said Olson, laughing, noting they ate the ducks off a piece of plywood with their bare hands. “The meat was moist and, frankly, I can’t remember duck tasting so good. The preparation was super easy too.”

Like many hunters this time of year, Olson has some ducks and geese in the freezer poised for the pot. He encourages other waterfowlers to prepare their birds and share them with family and friends. And don’t worry, he said, if you’re inexperienced in the kitchen.

“Just take a few birds out of the freezer and let them thaw, then start doing some research on how to prepare them,” he said. “I think the key to cooking ducks is to defrost one. Make it a habit once a week to pull out some frozen game meat. It will keep you from having a bunch of freezer-burned stuff later on.”

Above all, Olson says make the experience fun. “Cooking ducks and geese should always be a celebration, so just have fun doing it,” he said. “Just start rummaging through your freezer and find those frozen orphans and get them thawing.”

Here are some basic tips and suggestions for preparing ducks and geese:

• Thaw out your birds thoroughly before preparing. The best way is to let them thaw in the refrigerator. If you’re short on time, fill a large pot with cool water and place the still-wrapped bird in it. It should thaw within two hours. Be sure the frozen bird is properly sealed or it will get waterlogged.
• Clean your birds thoroughly. Be sure it get everything out of the cavity—everything.
• Soak meat in milk and onions overnight to pull out blood and gamey taste.
• Let meat come to room temperature before you cook it. Always pat it dry before cooking.
• Cook ducks hot and fast or low and slow.
• Roasted ducks should be cooked no more than medium-rare. Grilled duck breasts too. No exceptions.
• Let your birds rest (five minutes, perhaps longer) after they’re done cooking. Resting allows juices to redistribute and stay in the meat; cut into it too soon and you’ll have a soaked cutting board. Resting also allows the birds’ flavor to set up and intensify.
• save the carcasses and scraps to make stock, which you can use in gravies or sauces.
• Sauces and side dishes are an important part of wild-game cookery. Find a few to enhance and accompany your ducks and geese. You won’t be sorry.
• The internet is an invaluable tool to learn more about cooking waterfowl and other wild game.
• Be bold and experiment. Don’t worry about failure. Just thaw some birds and start. Make it a celebration.

Find more recipes and how-to videos at deltawaterfowl.org.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Delta’s Tips for Preparing, Cooking Ducks and Geese

There’s a reason they call Larry Weishuhn Mr. Whitetail. It’s not because of television shows (on the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, etc …) or award winning writings (both books and articles) or his induction into the National Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame. The name spread because of these accolades, but it’s not why they pasted him with that moniker. He’s known as Mr. Whitetail because the man understands deer.

I’m a regular neophyte when it comes to hunting whitetail, but I wasn’t the only one at the NRA’s Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show who was dazzled by his seminar on hunting. Just like the seasoned hunters who asked the questions, I shook my head as he dispelled myths, revealed facts and laid out the groundwork for a successful hunting season.

Here’s some of his highlights (paraphrased):

• Buying scent blockers always seemed like a waste to me. If the sun is in your eyes and wind at your back, you’d be amazed how good any scent blockers works.
• If you want to learn about deer then study people. If you want to learn about people then study deer. It’s amazing the similarities we share.
• We go out for deers early in the morning. Deers come out more between 10 am and 2 pm. Do they know we leave by 10 to go watch football or is that just part of their nature?
• Predators don’t take down the weak and informed until they’ve eaten all the healthy ones. Why would they? Would you cut up a sickly cow or a robust steer?
• 6-8 weeks before deer season opens, I hang blaze orange and dirty socks in the areas where I’m going to hunt. Once the season starts, they’ll be use to what I’m going to look like and what I’m going to smell like.
• There are two parts of North America — those that have wild pigs and those that are going to have them.
• Birth control for deer is foolish. Any medication or devices introduced into the mix eventually makes the rest of the herd sick. The only efficient method of birth control comes with a 130 grain solution.
• You can kill as many deer on the ground as you can from a tree. But you don’t have to climb to get to the ground.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - “Mr. Whitetail” Larry Weishuhn’s Deer Hunting Tips

How close should you put your turkey decoy?

Many people tend to over think how close or how far away you should place your turkey decoy.  They worry “the tom won’t see my turkey decoy if he comes from over here,” or  ”if I put it too close the tom will see me.”  Hopefully I can make you rethink how to answer the question so you don’t make a mistake I have seen over and over again.

How close you put the turkey decoy is a weapons question

How close your put your turkey decoy is completely dependent on your weapon limitations.  When I set up to kill a tom in the spring or fall, the shooting is the easy part.  You place your turkey decoy at a distance you are comfortable you can hit it at 10 out of 10 times.  If you are shooting a longbow, the decoy may be 15 feet from your blind (I set them that close most of the time).  If the pattern on your new 12 gauge is most effective at 35 yards, you set the decoy at 35 yards.  With a top-quality turkey decoy, you have confidence the toms will confront him, so put the decoy where you are comfortable shooting, and you will make the shot.

How close you put the turkey decoy should dictate the spot you set up

Since how close you put the turkey decoy is a factor of the range at which you are comfortable shooting, it will dictate where you set up.  If your shotgun performs best at 35 yards, don’t set up where the farthest shot will be 15 yards.  Your group will be so tight you can easily miss the tom’s head and neck.  He only has to bob his head slightly as you squeeze the trigger for a complete miss.  A 35 yard optimum shot means you need to set up in a more open area to best use your choke’s pattern.  If you are shooting a self bow with a 5 yard comfort zone, you may pick tighter spots where the bird really needs to come looking for your turkey decoy.  You don’t have to set up in thick cover, but it is a good option, as the toms may not close the whole way in wide open areas where they know that their strutting antics are easily seen.  Our Best Turkey Decoy helps solve this open field issue, but if you run low quality fakes, it is a concern.

Our Best Turkey Decoy maximizes success by placing birds in your comfort zone

Many toms are missed each spring because of how close the toms come to the turkey decoy.  If your turkey decoy is not top of the line, you can’t predict how close the tom will approach.  If you put the turkey decoy at 35 and the bird hangs up at 50, you may miss the shot.  By using top quality decoys, like our Dakota jake, the toms are much more likely to come all the way to the decoy.  That means you decide how far the shot is, and having that control over shot distance means you know you can make the shot.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Proper Turkey Decoy Placement

I’ve seen all kinds of turkey decoy tactics across the country in the past 20 years. Breeding sets, back feather rugs, and walking behind silhouettes. I have tried it all. At least I thought so until I hunted with guide Justin Nott at Laughing Water Ranch Outfitters in north central Nebraska. They take close to 100 turkeys every spring. I’ve seen a lot of weird turkey decoy tactics, and below is a favorite.

Turkey decoy tactics

Justin talked about one of the turkey decoy tactics he uses for gobblers in open meadows and fields. If you’ve hunted turkeys enough there’s a good chance you’ve been in this situation: a big strutter in the middle of a wide open field. Maybe he’s got a few hens with him or he’s just being a stubborn gobbler. You’ve thrown every call in your vest at him. He seems interested, but not coming any closer. The only chance you have to get that bird closer is to get a turkey decoy out in the field, but there’s no cover and no way to crawl out there without being seen. So how do you get the decoy out there? Simple, just throw it. Well, more of a controlled roll like you’re bowling. This may sound like a long shot, but it has actually worked for him many times. The throw is movement, which will always garner a turkey’s attention, and it’s surprising how often the reaction is positive.

Most turkey decoys don’t bowl real well. Justin was fortunate this past fall to field test the Best Turkey Decoy. The way the birds came in and crushed the turkey decoy made it feel like spring. He even had a good tom mount it, which is pretty rare to see in the fall. Not only is the Best Turkey Decoy a detailed and life-like turkey decoy, it almost always lands upright when tossed! Let’s face it, you’re not going to throw a cheap foam decoy too far. A full body strutter such as a Killer B or Pretty boy could work, but they’re too big and awkward to roll. Plus, if you’re using a real fan there’s a good chance you’ll destroy it. In the past, Nott used a specially modified mounted jake named Frankenstein. Unfortunately, Frankenstein was fairly delicate and wasn’t very fond of being tossed around, especially into a wet field. Still, it got quite a few wise old birds killed, but he was spending as much time repairing it as he was hunting.

Turkey decoy tactics practice

With a little practice, Justin says you can roll the Best Turkey Decoy out to 30 yards and make it sit upright 8 out of 10 times. Even if the turkey decoy doesn’t sit upright you’re still in the game. A quality turkey decoy laying on its side can give the impression of a wounded bird. Most toms, whether they’re the dominant bird in the area or not, will likely jump at the chance to easily get rid of potential competition. Also, turkeys know by instinct that a wounded bird can attract predators and will try to push it out of the area. He’s actually had birds commit to Frankenstein while he was lying upside down on his back.

Another situation this technique is good for is when you use a hen yelp to locate a bird in thicker timber and he’s already on top of you. The bird is coming and there is no time to think out the best set up. Just toss the turkey decoy in the direction of the bird and find the nearest tree. It might save you the heartache of spooking that fast-closing tom. A locator call such as an owl or crow call helps, but sometimes birds just wont respond, especially during midday.

Bowling turkey decoys is more of a last ditch effort, but it’s definitely something you want to keep at the bottom of your bag of tricks. I know there’s a good chance you’ll see me bowling for turkeys this spring. For more turkey decoy tactics, come see Justin at Laughing Water Ranch. Maybe we can go bowling together.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Bowling for Spring Gobblers: Strange Turkey Decoy Tactics

You’re sitting in the tree. You have been set up since before daylight and your decoy is out. Within range, you have high hopes and you have confidence you have gotten in without leaving a scent trail, other than an attractant. Lets say you have a buck decoy out and have done all the work you can to get it as attractive to a buck as possible. All the right moves, all the right timing, all the right scents are in place. Everything seems to be in your favor to get this buck you have worked for, into position for a good shot. It’s archery and your range is at 20 yards. With confidence levels this high, it’s hard not to get excited about what may transpire in the next few moments or hours.

Wind is right, temperatures are cold, but tolerable. The woods seem to be speaking and the nature moves all around you. You have your stand set up to be able to ambush him as he steps out from the trail and investigates your decoy. You know what he looks like with all the cam pictures you have. Some deer filter out across the field and you begin wondering if he has changed his pattern. The deer in the field are eating, comfortable and slowly, more and more are showing up to feed. So far, things look very good.

Then, it happens. He comes out from the opposite side of the field. Murphy’s Law has reared his ugly head. Although there are several deer wandering away from you, there is still hope. You give him a grunt to get his attention. He looks up and sees this decoy, a mature buck decoy,  standing at the edge of his field. His tail twitches, ears ease back a little, you can tell he isnt happy with the thought of a competitor moving in on his prospects. You give him another grunt and he begins making his way towards your decoy. Now the heart quickens, blood is pumping and the adrenaline is filling your system like a boost of high octane caffeine.

As you ready for the shot, he is coming in on a string. This is what you have anticipated for weeks or even months. It’s going to happen and you are ready. As the buck approaches, he lays his ears back, moves downwind and makes his final approach. Now, at this point, the question is, how did you orient the decoy, relative to your stand? Did you place it looking away from you? Towards you? At a right angle, quartering away?  Or did you even give it a thought?

Even though there is no guarantee on how a wild animal will act, or react, in a given situation, there are a few things you can take into account when placing your decoy out in front of your stand. Let’s say, again, you have placed a buck decoy out. Most would consider this to be a threat to a mature buck, as he sees it as the “new kid” on the block. He will most likely approach it with an aggressive stance and approach from somewhere in front or slightly quartering into the front of this decoy. This would tend to make you want to place your decoy in such a way that, when your intended target is within range, you have a shot with as high a percentage as possible, to make a lung shot. Ideally, your shot would be a quartering away shot at a slight angle, or a full broadside shot.  There is no way to tell how the buck will approach your decoy. If possible, you can use a tree, bush or other obstacles to “force” his approach. But again, no guarantees. Mostly, a wild animal is going to act just as it is, wild. We can only guess, at best, what they may do and how they will act.

Now, with a doe, in my opinion, this tactic is a little more dependable. Chances are this buck will approach with one thing in mind.  This is the rut, and they are rutting. This doe smells like she is ready and willing. You have him approaching and, when he begins his final approach, there is a great chance he will do this from behind her. He wants to be careful when he makes his investigation. You have set your doe decoy up with her facing away, slightly quartering to one side or the other. The best we can do is try and increase our odds and hope for the best. Even when we do everything right, sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way we pictured it. Just remember that we can study every movement we can, make an educated evaluation with the information we have gathered over our lives and make the highest percentage shots we can, when we do get that shot.

Do your homework, go the extra mile, make that seemingly unnecessary adjustment, practice ethics and conservation. Make your shot count. Practice shooting, trailing wounded game tactics and think about what you’re doing and why. We all take calculated risks when we hunt and if we can make it an activity with knowledge at the forefront, most times it is successful whether make a harvest or not. Teach this to our young. Pass on the respect and conservation minded way of our heritage. We need to follow the right paths for our children to walk behind us, as we have done with the ones who have taught us.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Deer Decoy Placement

Different Personalities

Individual mule deer personality has been overlooked for too long. This may be because many hunting styles don’t allow or require a hunter to identify the personality traits of their prey, or it may be due to the moral complications that arise within most empathetic humans (including me). Either way, it is a handicap to ignore such powerful, deterministic attributes of individual animal behavior.

Let me be clear, I do not use the word personality to imply that deer are somehow, mentally or emotionally, equal to humans. I’m using it loosely to describe “the organization of the individual’s distinguishing character traits, attitudes, or habits”, as stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Each individual will demonstrate behaviors that we would classify into categories like: reclusive, timid, nervous, aggressive, social, laid back, etc. The value in making these personality distinctions is apparent when making critical decisions during a stalk.

Personality cannot be precisely measured, and a particular buck may not fit squarely into the same category when two different people are observing him. This is because personality is an impression that the buck has on the observer as the buck interacts with both the environment and other mule deer. So it is both social and environmental.

Example

I once watched a bachelor group of 5 bucks do their thing on an alpine slope for two straight weeks. There was one forked horn buck, two average size four-point bucks, one big four point buck, and one monster three by four buck. Over the course of these two weeks each buck demonstrated distinct personalities and preferences, and they did not change from day to day.To differentiate between age class traits and personality traits, I can only compare within age classes. The two larger bucks had similar sized antlers and similar body characteristics (drooping briquette, grey face, swollen belly, sway back, thick subcutaneous fat layer) that made them class four bucks. Here are some of the observations I made.

The big four-point buck was a bully, plain and simple. In the morning when it was about time to bed, this big buck always made the decision about where to go. If a couple of other deer bedded down, he would just keep on going to the place he wanted to bed, and the other deer would eventually get up and follow him. He always used the nicest beds. And when he wanted a different one (even if it wasn’t better) he would simply walk over to another deer and literally kick him out. I never saw him away from the group (even other years), but he was a jerk, so it was like he was not content being grumpy on his own, he needed others to pick on.

The Huge three by four buck was much more laid back. I only watched him kick another buck out of its bed once, and that was  because when he had gotten up to stretch his legs and pee, one of the small four point bucks laid in his bed. While bedded down, he was much more relaxed than the big four point – frequently closing his eyes and laying his head on the ground. He never engaged in sparing challenges with the other bucks. One time another buck came up to him aggressively and almost clashed antlers with him, but when he didn’t flinch, the oncoming opponent veered to the side like a trick high-five. On really hot days, when nice cool beds were taken, this buck would wander down the hill a bit and bed on his own, or lay in a marginal bed near the group. This was surprising since he had the heaviest body and biggest antlers of the group.

So what if mule deer do have personality?

When we recognize that mule deer are not simply a pile of senses wrapped in leather – that each individual may react to similar stimuli in different ways – then we are one step closer to predicting what that trophy buck in the spotting scope will do.

Using the same two bucks from earlier – the bully 4×4 and the laid back 3×4 – let’s construct a stalk for each and identify some of the differences. It is 11am; you are sitting behind the spotting scope, just below skyline, looking down on an alpine meadow. The meadow is mostly Alpine Knotweed (2’ tall) growing straight out of a rock field, there is a small patch of (5-10) White-bark pine trees off to the side, and the whole thing is tilted like a church roof, breaking into cliffs below. There are 5 bucks, just as before, and they are all bedded in those trees to escape the already hot sun. On a day like today the thermals will be ripping straight uphill so a stalk from above just may do the trick – but there is no cover and the rock is to noisy.

Jerk buck (4×4): Since a stalk from above is out of the question I’m going to have to get creative. I know that mule deer like to get up and stretch periodically throughout the day. Maybe I can ambush him when he walks just a short distance away from the group. This would allow me to stay 80-90 yards away, and I could probably get there by slithering through this 2’ high Alpine Knotweed meadow. But which way will he walk when he gets up and stretches? Generally, bucks will walk out into the meadow they just fed in, so this might just work! But I’m worried because all those young bucks are so busy milling around and randomly feeding out into the meadow. They would bust me long before that grumpy old buck would get off his rear. Maybe I could ambush the whole group when they move out to feed in the evening. Mule deer normally side-hill away from their beds so if I just got down there and waited for them they might come right by me. He is so uptight though he’s probably going to be fighting the younger bucks to lead the front of the pack. If that happens, and I pop up out of the grass right in front of them, they’re going to split before I reach my draw anchor. I guess I could wait till tomorrow and see if they bed somewhere a bit better. Maybe I’ll see which direction they are feeding in the morning and get into the nearest bedding site before they do. He should be the first one to arrive. I’m running low on food and water is half a mile away, but it’s worth it if I want to kill this old grump.

Mellow buck (3×4): Now imagine you want to kill the huge 3×4 buck. Since the situation is the same, and he has similar age-class related similarities with the big 4×4 buck, I am going to run into a lot of the same obstacles. It is still going to be nearly impossible for me to stalk in from above, so that is out of the question. The younger bucks are still going to be on edge and milling about, so I can’t hang out close to the group for very long. He likes to sleep in his bed a lot so maybe I could spook the rest of the deer off while I move in fast and hope that he is slow enough to get a shot off. That is way too risky though – it may take a week to find another buck of this caliber. If I watch him long enough he may move to a bed further away from the group. If he does move to a far away bed I will need to be closer so that I can capitalize on it right away before he moves again. Ambushing him in the evening when they side-hill out into the meadow might work – he is so laid back he will probably bring up the rear of the group and I could remain hidden until the others pass by. Bingo! I like this. If I set up for this ambush I will be ready to take advantage of either situation: if he relocates to a far away bed, or if he comes out into to meadow behind the rest of the group. And, if I never get a chance at him today, I can slip out after the sun goes down without spooking a single one of them.

Of course, hind sight is 20/20, but these are the sort of things to think about when you are planning a stalk. I will talk about this more later, but I like to give myself several hours to plan a stalk and this is why. The more time spent figuring your buck out and running scenarios of possible stalking strategies, the more likely a stalk will be successful. The last scenario was based on a situation I experienced several years ago. I wanted to kill the big 3×4 – don’t ask why, he’s just my flavor – and I killed him by sneaking down in the meadow, at the same elevation as he was bedded, and waiting (7.5 hours) for the group of bucks to pass before rising out of the grass and putting my arrow through his heart.

To go back to part one of this guide, click here.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Use Personality Traits to Harvest Mature Bucks: Part Two

Alpine buck age classes

Alpine bucks are not all the same – and this fact is not to be taken lightly. They can be grouped by age, and then again by personality. Yes that’s right, I said personality. Most toddlers can’t use the toilet (age class trait), but only so many like to hit, or cuddle with the dog, or have screaming contests (personality). But for now let’s just explore some of the traits of each age class.

Class One: Greenhorns, first timers, rookies; whatever you wish to call them. They are young and dumb and stick together in the hills. They wander at random times of the day and visit water more often. When these young bucks are hanging out with older bucks they will almost always get stuck bedding out in the sun or in hotter beds when shaded spots are limited.

Class Two: Middle age bucks are a couple of years older. They have seen the world, they know not to underestimate their predators, and they are nervous – all the time. They will rarely sleep in the middle of the day, and are constantly moving around and surveying their surroundings.

Class Three: Then there are the elites, the dominant bucks, those bucks that are right at their prime and a bit cocky about of it. They know the mountains well and use everything to their advantage. They are relaxed and will often lay their heads on the ground and sleep soon after laying in a new bed. It’s not uncommon to see a doe without a fawn hanging out with these bucks on the upper slopes. They know to duck and hide when danger is afar, and to never return to an area if they have seen danger there before.

Class Four: Lastly there are the old bucks, the regress bucks, the ones sporting thick, knobby antlers with plenty of trash. Generally these old boys are overweight and lazy. They don’t like to move unless it pays off in food, safety, or sex. They know the land better than the rest and are often the hardest to find. Once you do find one of these old dogs though, they are the easiest to pattern and stalk. Unlike younger bucks, these guys follow a much tighter routine. Their old age has made digestion harder and their rumen larger, so they spend more time in each bed chewing and re-chewing their cud until it is small enough to exit the rumen and enter the rest of the digestive tract, and finally allow for another meal to be consumed.  In their beds their eyes droop with lethargy and loose skin folds over their legs. When danger appears they are slower to react and will think twice before jumping from their bed in a full sprint.

The right buck

Stalking a buck is very hard on your body – and mind if you are unsuccessful. After a failed stalk it is common to be deathly dehydrated, sore, hungry, and ticked off. To shake that off and go on another stalk is not an easy thing to do. That is why it is very important to choose your battle wisely and stalk the right buck, in the right situation.

Aren’t all high-country bucks good bucks? You bet they are! But they are not all equally hard to kill. Some bucks are very hard to kill because they are paranoid, only bed for short periods of time, and hang out in groups more often etc. That kind of sounds like a young forked horn or three-point doesn’t it? You got it. I would say a young buck is harder to kill in the high country than an old sway-back. That works out pretty good for the hunter now doesn’t it. The only exception are the class 3 bucks that have big horns but are still edgy. It’s up to you if you want to take one of these on, but if you can find an even older buck you will have a much easier stalk.

Why old bucks are less difficult to kill:

• More relaxed (In bed and when feeding)
• Bed for longer periods of time during the day (longer time to digest food)
• Feed later in the morning (easier to locate)
• less social (hang out on their own more)
• Hold their ground when danger approaches (hoping it will pass)
• Don’t “jump the string” (slower reaction time)

To continue on to part two of the Cliff Hunter’s guide for using personality traits to hunt mature bucks, click here.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Use Personality Traits to Harvest Mature Bucks: Part One

Using Goose Stuffers and Scarecrows for Geese

Some goose hunters are very creative in their tactics for taking geese. On one hunt Mitch Sanchotena of Middleton, Idaho, pulled a horse trailer out in the middle of a cut cornfield before daylight. All the hunters had dressed in camouflage and carried their 3 inch Magnums to hopefully shoot Canada geese that morning. So, why bring the horse trailer? Then they started unloading mounted geese – real birds that Sanchotena had stuffed in a wide variety of positions – from the horse trailer and arranging them in a decoy-like spread in the field. According to Sanchotena, “After about two-thirds of the goose season, there aren’t too many decoys the local population of geese hasn’t seen,” Sanchotena explains. “As the popularity of goose hunting has increased, so have the numbers of decoys hunters put out in their spreads. After awhile, the plastic decoys no longer fool the geese. Since I had a small taxidermy business, in the off season I mounted 18 geese in various lifelike poses. After reading articles, I knew I wasn’t the first to try smaller spreads. But I was experimenting, and that’s what I came up with that worked best for me.”

Sanchotena explained that when he started using mounted geese for decoys no one else in his area did, although many of the hunters where he lived had begun to use smaller decoy spreads in the late season. The smaller spreads of decoys seemed to lure in the older, smarter birds quicker than the big spreads that most hunters utilized and that the geese had grown accustomed to seeing. Instead of leaving support wires coming out of the mounted geese’s feet, Sanchotena had the geese mounted on wooden planks. He explained that, “In our region, frost and frozen ground are big problems. If we were hunting where the ground didn’t freeze, then we could use just the wires coming off the bottom of the geese’s feet to stick the mounted geese into the ground. However, here, our frost level during goose season is probably 12 to 18 inches in the ground. So, a hunter must have something that’s fairly substantial to keep the goose decoy standing up in the wind and the freezing weather. We’re attaching a 14 by 14 inch, 5/8 inch thick piece of plywood to each to birds to keep them erect. Today, we’re hunting in a cornfield. So, we’ll put the cornstalks over the edges of the boards to hide them.”

Sanchotena has hunted geese for four decades in the Snake River Valley in southern Idaho. The local population of geese numbers about 5,500 birds. This section of Idaho gets a small migration of Canada geese during the winter months that pushes the goose population in the region up to 12,000 to 14,000 birds. These geese will weigh about 9 to 10 pounds each. Sanchotena had to come up with a better method of harvesting geese, especially in the late season, because of the small population of geese there, the intense hunting pressure and the long season. By combining his love for goose hunting and his skill as a taxidermist, Sanchotena created his stuffers.

Talking Goose:

According to Sanchotena, to bag the geese once they’ve spotted the decoys, you must decide what to say to the geese, when to say it and how much to talk. “I let the geese dictate what my calling strategies will be. If the birds are vocal and doing a lot of calling, they’re looking for responses to their calls. Then I’d better be prepared to give them some. Yet if the geese are coming in on silent wings and are committed, little guttural sounds and single honks may be all that are necessary for me to make to bring in the birds to within gun range. As the birds see the decoys, they get excited and make the double-cluck call. I got in touch with Harold Knight back 30 years ago. I had come across a little tube that read, ‘Harold Knight, Cadiz, Kentucky’ that Harold had made with a diaphragm across the front of it. Since I was always looking for something different to call geese with, I called information in Cadiz, Kentucky, and asked for Harold Knight. I got Harold on the phone, and we chatted for probably an hour and a half. He sent me a couple of calls. From that time on, I’ve been fairly loyal to Knight and Hale Game Calls, because I’ve had success with them, and the company is good about keeping reeds available for the calls. I can’t think of anything more frustrating than to have a call you really like, and in 3 years you can’t get a replacement reed for it. Then that call becomes useless to you.”

Sanchotena mentions that some hunters use their calls only sparingly – especially during the late season. They assume that hunters have called to the geese so much earlier in the season and believe that the more they call to the geese the more likely that they will spook the birds. But, Sanchotena has a completely different philosophy of calling. He explains that, “Live geese never quit calling when the birds are approaching. I think often hunters don’t have confidence in their abilities to call. Once the goose makes a commitment to come in at 100 yards, often the hunters quit calling. That works fine the first 2 weeks of the season when you’re hunting all the young, dumb birds. However, when hunting more towards the end of Idaho’s goose season, I think quitting your calling early is bad, because you alarm the birds that something isn’t real, and something’s wrong. Of course all goose hunters have a hard time reading the geese, because these birds don’t flare like ducks do when they see a person or movement within the blind. Geese simply lose interest and leave. If you’re not calling, then you’re not making the scenario real enough for them to make the final commitment and get within the critical 30 or 35 yards you need them to be to kill them.”

Using Scarecrows for More Geese:

Sanchotena puts out scarecrows in the fields where he doesn’t want the geese to light. He says, “We want to try to manipulate the geese for a few hours in the mornings. To keep them from landing in some of the other cut corn fields yet make them move around until they see this small spread of stuffed decoys we’re using, we’ll strategically place some scarecrows in those other fields. No matter how effective we get as goose hunters, we’re never going to be able to decoy ducks and geese like live birds can. There’s just something about live birds, the movement and the activity and everything that goes on, that once live birds start gathering up in the field, every bird that comes along will want to land in with those live birds. If we can keep the geese stirred up with a scarecrow, they eventually will give up on that field and move to the next field that has birds in it – hopefully the field where we have our stuffers.”

This article is part of a series on hunting geese. Click here to go back to part four, more advice for hunting geese.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Secrets to Hunting Geese: Part Five