It was just a matter of running the planter over the soil and the seed was ready to germinate. We were also able to catch a decent rain just a couple days before. The residual moisture left over from the rain created a perfect environment for our clovers, wheat, brassicas. It was able to germinate quickly as we had sunny skies, 90 egrees, and ample soil moisture.

There were a few plots that needed some extra care before planting. Back in July, we tried to burn half an acre plot to plant some forage beans. It didn't burn as planned and we were only able to plant less than a quarter acre. The fire didn't sweep through like we wanted. Instead of taking out a large chunk, it ran in strips for some reason.

When we returned in August, the beans looked great, but the spots that burned and didn't get planted were thick ith 6 inch tall weeds. A disk was the only answer to this problem before planting. It took a couple rounds through the plot to get it worked up, but ended up being one of our best looking spots after being planted.

We also had a very secluded half acre plot that sits in a large wooded pasture. The spot is going to be awesome, specially if it grows like it should. In order to protect our hard work, we employed a two strand barb-wire fence round the entire plot. It would only take one day, and the cows could have it destroyed. The deer will simply be ble to jump the fence to enter and feed while the cows will hopefully be deterred.

The six acres of beans which were planted in July look great! They've had plenty of moisture during their 7 weeks of growing which is good and bad. They germinated quickly and have had a good rain every few days, but weeds have became an issue.

Luckily, our forage beans are round-up ready meaning we can spray them and kill the weeds, but the beans will be un-harmed. This should take out the competition and they'll be able to thrive during what's left of the growing season. Our main focus for these beans was to concentrate some deer activity and allow us to get trail cam ictures of bucks. The plan has worked great so far!

On our largest bean plot, 3.5 acres, we have captured four different mature bucks ranging from an estimated 135 to nearly 180 inches. We were even able to sneak into a position near the plot and film the 180 inch buck from just nder 100 yards.

Our plots are in and stands are strategically located around them. The buffet we've worked 6 months to create is uickly becoming reality. We should have some excellent opportunities come this fall. The hard work is not only going to benefit our hunting, but also provided forage for deer during the winter months when food is scarce. Now it's time to practice shooting and start washing camo. Let the countdown begin.....30 days!

The doves at our farm tend to reuse the same areas and flyways year after year. We generally hunt four types of locations throughout the season, which includes trees, fields, waterholes, and gravel pits. We’ve found that each of these location tend to be more active at different times of the day. We usually have hunters stationed at multiple locations throughout the day. This seems to keep the doves flying to and from multiple locations throughout the hunt.

Although neither the group I hunt with or myself are experts in dove hunting by any means I wanted to share a few opinions and observations that may be useful to those of you dove hunting enthusiast or those of you considering taking up the sport of dove hunting, which I highly recommend.

I recommend spending some time shooting clay pigeons before the season; this will give you an opportunity to test your equipment and practice shooting targets moving in multiple directions such as overhead, incoming, and passing shots.

Practice shooting multiple distances to get a feel for your shooting and your gun’s limitations, strengths and weakness. Some people will pattern their shotguns with the loads and chokes they intend to use. Loads and shot used for dove hunting is usually a personal preference. If you’ve never dove hunted before check with your local sportsman store or a friend who has dove hunted in the past.

Pay close attention to camouflage and concealment when it comes to dove hunting. Think about acquiring some warm weather camouflage to include a hat and head net, it will definitely have an impact on your ability to close the distance on the doves and the number of dove you will see. Today’s market provides a large selection of warm weather camouflage at reasonable prices.

Take advantage of hunting doves in the early part of the season. Birds are like whitetail deer, they get educated when we miss them and when the hunting activity/pressure increases.

Approach dove hunting with it being an opportunity to spend the day in the outdoors; don’t base a successful dove hunt on how many shots you took and how many birds you bagged. For me dove hunting is an annual event that gets the hunting season started and provides an opportunity to spend some quality time with my local hunting brotherhood.

You may be that type of hunter that embraces technology, but wants to escape your cell phone and are glad when it says “no service”. I on the other hand am horrified if I don’t have any bars. One of my favorite activities during a hunt is to gather all us girls in a BlackBerry chat room and communicate. We all get in there and comment on what we are seeing. And if I happen to be one of the unlucky ones who is getting skunked it is encouraging to know there are still deer in the woods. Missing can be one of the lowest lows of hunting and it is good to have support at that time. If I miss my girls rally around me, give me support and make me laugh. Just the same making a good shot on your chosen quarry can be one of the highest highs and who better to share it with than your hunting buddies. Today's technology allows you to send pictures of that downed buck or the crazy fox squirrel that is trying its best to get into your pack or show the girls your misflighted arrow that is 8 feet up in a tree, just out of reach. If your hunting buddy is close by you can alert them if it seems that game is coming their way. It is so much fun!

It is also nice to share a hunt, while you are at the office or maybe home sick. There have been times when one of my hunting buddies has been out in the woods and I was stuck at work. We were able to message back-and-forth and that allowed me to share in the hunt. Nothing is worse than being stuck at work on a crisp cool fall morning wondering if the deer are moving. Well having your buddy out in the woods giving you a detailed report is the next best thing. And when she scores on a deer, your humdrum workday just got better.

Recently I had the misfortune of spine shooting a buck. I immediately messaged my hunting buddy Kate, who was at work, for advice. She first told me to take a breath and settle down. I must admit I was feeling badly about my poorly placed shot. I got through the dilemma with Kate by my side (so to speak). We messaged back and forth several times and came up with a plan. I had to shoot him again, but the experience wasn’t so bad because I had Kate to help me. Had I been alone the experience would have been much worse. Thanks to Kate and our mutual love of technology things weren’t so bad.

Some people like the solace and the alone time that nature and hunting provides. I like that too but texting doesn’t seem to be obtrusive to me. It is about sharing and fellowship with my hunting buddies. I am sure you have all had those days where you were cold, or hungry or bored and would like to find something to take your mind off the fact that you got up at dark thirty to brave the cold and haven’t seen a stinkin deer! Well that’s where texting comes into play for me. It helps to pass the time and make me forget about the cold or the hunger or whatever is trying to put a damper on my hunting time. It could also save your life. God forbid that an accident occurs, you can notify someone to come to your aid.

The smart phone technology can also help in other ways while hunting. There have been many times, where I have gotten on the internet weather page and checked out the up coming forecast and wind directions. You can use it to check the game laws in the area you are hunting or even update your Face Book status to announce that you just scored a big buck. That’s what mobile downloads are for.

So as you can see I am one that embraces technology and enjoys using it freely in any hunting situation. From texting to pass the time of a slow hunting afternoon to sending out a picture of a big buck down I, think it's all good!

I also prefer the single pin concept which takes away the opportunity of holding the wrong pin on my target and taking out the guess work of knowing the exact distance from me to the target. Sometimes situations happen so fast that using a rangefinder isn’t an option.

I’ve probably spent over five hundred dollars over the years on bow sites. There are many kinds of pendulum sites on the market today. I’ve been looking for a pendulum site for my bow for the past few years that meets my requirements. I have been unsuccessful finding a pendulum site that offers the optics, durability and noise level I’ve been looking for.

I’ve tried multiple pendulum sites over the years that just didn’t meet my needs. Some could not withstand the shock of the bow I was using, some just didn’t have the optics I was looking for, and others made just too much noise for my liking.

The Truglo Pendulum Fiber Optic Site is designed for those of us that hunt from a treestand. This is a single pin site that compensates for angles and distances from 1-35 yards at a minimum elevation of 15 feet. This site can be locked in and used from the ground as well if ground hunting is preferred. This site includes a leveling bubble that works great for those of us that have a tendency to cant our bows.

It is great for bow hunting from treestands. It is quiet, durable, and has outstanding optics. This site is reasonably priced by today’s standards. This site is carried by various vendors making it readily available to interested parties.
This site takes minutes to install and a short amount of time to shoot in. I like the simplicity of this site. You don’t need a degree in bow site technology to understand and operate this site. You can spend more time perfecting your shooting techniques and less time figuring out how it is supposed to work.

My overall impression of this site is very good. It meets all my requirements for bow hunting from the ground and specifically in a treestand.

For those of you looking for an alternative to fixed pin sites you are currently using or are not totally satisfied with the pendulum site you are currently using the Truglo Pendulum Fiber Optic Site might be a viable option.

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Living in the south, summertime heat and humidity is always a challenge when trying to exercise. I get up early in the morning, at 4:30, to exercise my two dogs. We get in an hour or two work out in before I have to leave for work. Of course we worked up to that level slowly and if your dog has been sedentary you should start off very slowly with the time and effort involved in the work out. Your hunting dog is an athlete, and needs regular exercise. A full exercise program shouldn’t be in place until the dog is skeletally mature, usually at 12 months of age. Of course consult your veterinarian for specifics related to your breed. Exercise that is too vigorous and too high impact in a pup under 6 months can cause permanent joint damage.

I like to take my dogs swimming a lot in the summer. It is fun for them, good for the cardiovascular system and easy on the joints. It is an opportunity for them to build strength and stamina. Keep in mind that dogs can get overheated while swimming. It depends on the water temps so be vigilant about the hot weather. A naturally cool spring fed creek may be fine, our local creek is a constant 68 degrees all year round. But a pond can get in the 80’s and that can get your dog in trouble by getting too hot.

In addition to the swimming I do a lot of walking as well. This helps us work as a team. I take the dogs on mountain bike trails as well where their noses get a good work out too. I bike around the neighborhood with them using a contraption called a Walky Dog. They get a good run, helps condition their feet and we get to check out the sights. I have a varying routine and avoid road running on consecutive days to help avoid joint irritation. The dogs love getting out and are more focused when in the field, that makes the hunt more successful.

My dogs have very tough paw pads and that is needed for different hunting terrain. The field may be stubble, berry bushes and thorns or be rough and rocky. They need to have their feet toughened up for the season. I exercise my dogs on pavement, sand, gravel roads, mowed fields, mountain bike trails and bike paths. I of course start off with short distances as doing high mileage early on can give your dog open wounds and lameness. It is important to inspect your dogs’ paws before and after each jaunt so you are aware of any problem areas and foreign bodies. Be mindful if they are licking their feet excessively as that may be a sign of injury as well.

They key to being successful and avoiding injury is to start slowly and increase gradually, I can’t stress that enough. Working with your dog each and every day will help you bond and will make the hunting team more successful. Spending more time with your dog will help you learn your dogs’ subtle cues and quirks and that can help you in the field. The more time you spend together the better team you will be. Now get out there and start getting Fido pumped up!

For our age, we have truly been blessed to be a part of some amazing hunts, both together and individually. We started to realize at a young age that even a great hunt, is still better when you get to share that experience with a good friend or family member. However, for both of us this hunt stands alone as our all time favorite hunt, and though we may take bigger animals at some point in our lifetimes it is going to take something extraordinary to top this hunt. It all started with a phone call late one night from my Eric, he is an extremely accomplished hunter, having already harvested three bucks in his teens and early twenties, that most hunters would be proud to have one buck of their caliber in a lifetime. I could tell from the enthusiasm in his voice that the deer he described over the phone was larger than the 26 inches wide he claimed. Throughout his life, Eric has done the opposite of most hunters and underestimated the size of a deer, not wanting to be made fun of for exaggerating the quality, like many of our other friends seem to do. He explained how it never stood still long enough to give him a great look, but the couple glimpses he did get. He was convinced it was a quality buck. We agreed that he would go look for the buck again the next morning. If it were as big as he believed it to be, I’d take the rest of the week off from work and head straight over.

I’ve never been so happy to have my phone ring at 5 A.M., when the only words he said were, “HE’S BIG,” I gathered all the stuff I had already packed the previous night with the expectation of receiving that call and was on the road making plans for an afternoon hunt before we ever hung up our phones.

That evening he took me to one of our favorite hunting spots, a place we have hunted together since junior high, and the last place in the world I’d ever expect to find a thirty inch wide mule deer. Just as Eric expected, the deer showed up right before dark, and again never really stopping in the open or keeping his horns up in the air long enough to get a clear look. It was remarkable to watch him as he’d use the smallest cut in the hill, sage brush bushes, rocks, trees and every piece of the terrain possible to never allow himself to be exposed, especially his vitals and he also was very conscious of his horns making sure to hold his head down as low as possible at all times. From the few quick looks I did get, I really wanted to hint to Eric that he might be thirty inches wide. However, to play it safe, I opted to go with twenty-eight instead. Knowing full well Eric believed he was at least that big as well. We made plans for the morning hunt, every bit as excited as we used to get for opening morning when we were thirteen years old. We fully expected a quick and successful hunt as we knew every nook and cranny on the hill.

Well, as it turns out we didn’t know the land quite as well as we thought, definitely not as well as the big buck that filled our dreams the previous night anyway. For the next four days we hunted hard for this particular buck, at the same time making sure that we didn’t push him out of the area. There are two canyons running north to south the deer were using to travel from where they were feeding to their bedding areas. When we went up one, the buck decided to use the other. When we went extra early to ensure we were above him, he decided to head up the hill even earlier that day, and when we decided to come from the top to make sure there was no way he could beat us to the top, he decided to bed right near the bottom. We saw the buck every single day, both morning and night, for five straight days. A couple times we were within a few hundred yards, but for one reason or another we were never able to get within muzzleloader range. Still, we had never been able to get a solid look at the deer to know what exactly we were after. From the way he had been outclassed on a daily basis, we assumed he was an older deer we’d want to take if the opportunity arose, especially for an over the counter general season mule deer in Washington. Not that there aren’t trophy deer around, just not near as many as many of the other western states. With each passing day our frustration grew, but at the same time so did our respect for this awesome animal. I recently read that 80% of mule deer bucks that live to five years old, die of old age. After watching this deer, there is no doubt in my mind that that statement is extremely accurate.

On the sixth and final day we were able to hunt, we knew we had to get a little more aggressive if we were going to have a chance. We agreed on a game plan, as well as to get all the way up to the hill an hour before daylight to make ensure we were in front of him. We tried to stay confident, but we were both beginning to question whether it was meant to be. As well as our own ability as hunters, which had dropped to an all time low after the schooling we had received for the five previous days. As I looked outside that morning, I was pleasantly surprised to discover we had been given a gift from god in form of four inches of extremely soft and powdery snow. It came very early in the year for our area but there were definitely no complaints from us. This instantaneously brought the confidence back to both of us and I declared to Eric, “Today is the day.”

We made it up the hill undetected before light to a small secluded bowl that lay between the two canyons. It was the one place we had seen the buck cross on each of the previous days hunting. Even though being in this spot largely restricted our field of view, with the wind exactly how we needed it, we decided to wait him out. We figured he’d have to walk by us at some point to get to where ever it was he went to bed everyday prior. Seeing deer funneling through the small draw as soon as it was light enough to see, we were confident our hard work was finally going to pay off. Continuing to glass for four hours, we’d seen 23 deer walk right past us, four being legal bucks and one being a decent four point with nice mass that will definitely be a deer we take a closer look at this coming season, as he had a lot of potential to be a good buck in 2010 or 2011. We discussed whether or not to call it a day, as we both knew that every deer in the area had already moved through and there was no way a buck as smart as this one would still be up and moving.

With neither of us willing to accept defeat we decided to give it fifteen more minutes. I was going to stay put on the left side of the boulder we’d be using for cover and Eric was going to walk around the right side to look into the bigger canyon where there were seven deer working there way south to their beds. As I climbed back to the rock that I had been glassing from with the spotting scope, I bumped it on the way up making it point down. As I looked through it trying to get it back into place, I came across the buck bedded in the sage right in front of us, looking directly away from us. It only took a glance to realize it was him, and I didn’t want to waste anytime getting Eric before he took another two or three steps out in front of the rocks and got busted, a quick shot, a cloud of smoke that seemed to take an eternity to clear out of the way and we began high fiving, hugging and celebrating as we knew we’d just accomplished a goal that we’d first talked about fifteen years earlier on a school bus trip to a junior high basketball game. Back then we talked about going to Colorado, Wyoming or Montana as we’d never even heard of a thirty inch buck being taking in Washington, Let alone in our favorite piece of public land.

We discussed waiting for fifteen minutes to a half hour, like we knew we should, but about five minutes of being able to see the buck from his front shoulder back and being certain he wasn’t getting up, my pleading with Eric finally worked and we hustled over to FINALLY get a close up look at the buck we had come to respect more than any other we’ve been blessed to cross paths with in all our days of hunting. As we approached him, we were both pleasantly surprised to see how great of a buck he truly was. As well as shocked that a deer like that could live in a spot like this on public land and go unnoticed by anyone. As soon as we got to the animal I couldn’t help but pull out the measuring tape I threw in my pack six days early in hopes of solving this debate for good. Neither of had yet to say the “Thirty” word out loud but it was obvious that it had crossed both our minds as we approached him. We were both hoping for it, and were ecstatic when we measured the distance from G4 to G4 at 30 and 1/8th inch wide.

Harvesting a buck that passed the magical thirty inch mark would be special to Eric and I anywhere. Having done it together, in our favorite hunting spot, in our home state, and in an area that we have put a great deal of our own time into improving deer habitat makes it all the more enjoyable. As much as we hoped for a quick one day hunt, the fact that this buck pushed us to our physical and mental limits on a daily basis is what makes it sweetest of all. We worked so hard for this buck and came to respect him so much, as he truly is the smartest buck we’ve ever been privileged to watch in the field.

The best part of everything though is only months prior I was standing in Eric’s wedding as his best man, over a friendship formed largely in part from our equal passion for chasing mule deer. I could not think of a better wedding present for Eric to have than this magnificent buck hanging on his wall, representing the greatest year of his life. I’m sure his wife isn’t quite as fond of it the present (Sorry Bri)….but

Eric, thanks for the hunt and the friend of a lifetime.

I am proud of the person you’ve became

I know that you are going to be a great Husband and Father.

Come September, when the velvet comes off, the deer are seen less and less in bean fields. But, this all depends on when the crops were planted. In cases such as this year when farmers finished planting in July, there will still be lush bean fields into the first weeks of October. This is a great opportunity for hunters to capitalize on a free food plot!

As the beans die, the corn begins to be harvested. The farmer can't collect all the grain and the rest is left to lay on the ground. The deer, which are hitting the beans less and less, will transition into mast producing trees and corn. Just like you and I, the deer don't like eating the same thing day in and day out. They are browsers and love a variety in their diet. This is the time of year when a hunter can take advantage of providing deer with that variety through the planting of food plots.

Most fields around here are between 20 and 400 acres and therefore not exactly easy to hunt. Of course, you can hunt the edge and hope you pick the right trail for the deer to come out on, but more often than not, they'll somehow slip out into the middle of the field or be located in the wrong part of it for you to shoot. With a carefully laid out food plot, the chances of this happening are minimized. Just a month ago, we began preparations for planting 15 acres of food plots on the ground we hunt. The areas were carefully laid out to maximize hunter opportunity. This was done by creating narrow corridors surrounded by as much timber as possible. We tried to keep the plots long, narrow, and take advantage of the terrain. Most plots are going to be less than 40 yards wide which will allow the hunter to shoot all the way across. After brainstorming for many days on these locations and then realizing that some wouldn't work due to not being able to get equipment to them, we headed out.

The initial trip was wet! The four days I spent up there was accompanied by 6 inches of rain. We had to spray between showers. Needless to say, we didn't expect the round-up to fully do its job, but we had set aside the time to be up there, so we had to get something done. The 15 acres were sprayed over the course of the 4 days. I then decided to come back in just two weeks, to check everything. I knew I would have to re-spray some plots, but I was also hoping to get a good kill in some places and rent a drill to plant a few acres of forage beans.

When I went back up to the farms we hunt, I was shocked to see that most of the plots received a lethal dose of round-up and I was going to be able to plant the beans. I borrowed a tractor from a neighbor, rented a drill from the county office, and headed out. In all, I was able to get 6 acres of beans planted. The beans I planted are not like regular soybeans. They are a forage bean that produces way more tonnage than a standard beans. Their leaves will get to be bigger than the palm of your hand and can grow to be 7 foot tall. They should help hold deer on our farms through the summer and even into the fall because of their ability to stay green far longer than regular beans. I just have to hope we don't get a dry spell since they were planted so late.

I re-sprayed the few plots that needed it and now they'll be ready to be planted in August. We plan on putting in a variety of clover, chickory, turnips, kale, and triticale in an effort to provide the deer with the variety of food they desire. Combine those with the forage beans, corn, and standard soybeans that are already there, and I think they'll have a pretty good buffet of foods to eat. What we're planting will help get the deer through the winter. After the corn and soybeans have been depleted we will be providing them with brassicas(turnips and kale) that will help them get through the winter. The clover and chickory will come out of dormancy in the spring and help bridge the nutritional gap between the fall and early summer months providing our deer with almost a year round food source. In a perfect world, we'd be able to provide them with way more than what we have planted, but you have to start somewhere.

In just a few weeks, we'll head up again for the most time consuming part of the whole project. We plan on burning off each plot that doesn't have beans in it, then planting after the fire. This will get rid of the thick mat of weeds and fescue and allow our plants to get a great start. Anything that is green, will likely be burnt off from the fire. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to get 9 acres of fall plots in. Then after all this work, it'll be time to spend some evenings alongside these plots and benefit from all our hard work!

The road or ambitious trail is in everyway, but a simple grade, so flat and straight it lacks much in curvy undulating character of other back country by-ways however I have walked its entire length three times over the years and shot two does and one four point buck. What it lacks in ups and downs, bends and turns, it makes up for flush with flora and fauna.

Several evenings this week I walk just easing up to what would be a bottomless ditch and stroll the gravel shoulders picking raspberries. I wait until after dinner to pick my fresh dessert. After two pints I call it a night.

I have pot shot more ruffed grouse on the generous gravely stretches from late September through October and many mornings the road gives up some timber doodling woodcock as well. Wet spots, which there are only five, have surrendered mink and spring beaver from trapping. Two of the wet low areas actually have some decent brook trout water that I ply as often as possible but this year, even with all the rain, the road is pretty dusty and dry.

In short, for a short road, it’s got a lot of friendly miles I enjoy. I can hear a vehicle coming so I turn my face from the dusty cloud that will fill my nose and eyes. The pickup truck slows down when he sees me, which I thought was pretty nice.

He was just out enjoying a quiet ride and he asks if I’m having car trouble. I said no I was just picking some berries. Then he asked if I was a bit parched in the throat? I answered yes to that one. He pulls over and parks.

His black lab when the guy got out inspected his truck tires right away. The guy asks me if I lived around here and within minutes we were trying to find out who we both knew. It didn’t take long and as it turns out, I used to coach his granddaughter in soccer several years ago.

Then mentally sitting on his tailgate we talked just about every rock up and down that road until the mosquitoes chased us off. He had to go his way, something about his wife would be wondering, and so I went mine.
Before he left I gave him the little Tupperware full of berries, it was all I had to say thanks and as I walked home it occurred to me that road wasn’t as dry as it had been in earlier in the day.

I know the exact deer I am waiting on this year. Here in Oklahoma we have a two buck limit. That means if I shoot the first decent deer that comes into range I have to hope that the one I’m “after” is the next to step into range and not settle for a lesser buck. One way to combat that urge to fill a tag is to harvest a doe with a six deer limit, which allows you to harvest four does along with your limit of two antlered deer(at least in Oklahoma). So I go with our states slogan “hunters in the know take a doe.”(ODWC) This will help with the overall structure of our states herd, as well as any other states you are hunting in harvest a doe whenever the opportunity is right, and the meat fits into the freezer! If freezer room is tight go reserve room in a hunters’ feed the hungry locker! You will get to get out to hunt and help the less fortunate.

But back to topic on harvesting a deer that you are proud of and can say you hunted that individual deer. The deer I have in mind I seen once before season last fall and possibly once during rifle season well out of range but when you can make out a bucks’ headgear at over a thousand yards away without your optics it’s a good buck! (I left my binocular in the truck that morning!) He was on the move with a doe from an area that shots were ringing out from. I could only hold my breath hoping he wasn’t hit and headed for a dirt nap. Then on my first shed hunt of the year what do I spy some one hundred yards away? A huge massive shed that I do not doubt was the big buck I had, had one or two encounters with! He had made it! But his core bedding area is in a super tight area that is very close to a two lane hi-way I can only hope he doesn’t find the front end of a car or the bullet of an early season hunter. The deer I speak of is only a main frame eight pointer that will, without a doubt bust the 160 inch mark! I will hunt for him and him alone until I hear he has been killed or I tag out on larger bucks that I would be crazy to pass up. I have 2 more deer running around my leases that will be “trophies” this year. Both bucks will score above 150 inches if not into the 160’s and with my bow in hand they better not get closer than forty yards or I will be punching a tag but I’m hoping the bruisers’ who’s sheds I have is the first to cross that boundary come opening day.
Once again back to passing up smaller bucks. I did this all season long last year and gladly one of the deer I passed on was a 115 inch eight point that my young cousin put his out of state tag on! That is enough motivation for me to keep on passing on the younger deer in hopes that they reach another year of hard antler or at least someone’s wall. And all and all without letting the young bucks walk what will we have, to lust for next season? So as the saying in Oklahoma goes “hunters in the know take a doe” (ODWC) so in the end do your part in ecosystem management and quality deer management if your trigger fingers will allow you too. Good luck and “may god guide your bullets and arrows making them fly true”!

Be creative when inducing “buck fever”. Maybe you and your buddy can arm wrestle and then shoot to see who get closest to the bulls eye. Do as many pull ups as you can and then shoot, run a flight of stairs….whatever works. Give it a try and I hope it will help when that big freak nasty buck steps out broadside. You will have practiced the noodle arm shot and you will hit him right in the boiler room.

No need to go to the doctor for this vaccination, you can build up your own tolerance to the nasty buck fever germ. The more exposure to the illness the stronger you will get. It won’t get rid of the symptoms but it will help you execute the shot. Besides we are all adrenaline junkies so we don’t want to eliminate the symptoms we just want to control the outcome and shoot straight!

Out of state tags are available, but can be pricey and securing areas to hunt your desired game is always a concern. So if you’re considering a trip to hunt Oklahoma’s 7 species of animals along with 3 sub species of wild turkeys, planning is key. Before one would totally consider making a trip to Oklahoma I would consult the states wildlife departments’ website for season dates so you can plan exactly when and where you would like to hunt. To get to the site it’s a relativity easy website to remember it is simply www.wildlifedepartment.com .

A guide service is also an option and may make your trip more enjoyable and/or successful. They will also be able to give you a heads up on the draw system that would allow you to draw a tag for next year. After viewing your opportunities on the Wildlife Departments’ website, a quick search should turn up many outfitters throughout the state who can help you with your trip. Another option is trying to find your own personal contact in the state. On the state website you can also find a list of Game wardens and phone numbers that will be able to assist and guide you through the task of setting up your trip.

Our pre rut for whitetails typically falls during the last weeks of October. The peak rut varies year to year but normally occurs around November 13-17th. The post rut can also a be lengthy and productive time to be in the woods! I personally have rattled in deer the day after Christmas with swollen necks and ready for a fight. This past season the scrapes in my hunting area were still being tended well into January. This gives you a wide range of hunting opportunities over a vast window of time. The region you decide to hunt will dictate the wildlife and species you will be able to hunt. In the south east corner of the state you will be in whitetail country along with Eastern turkeys and wild hogs. As you move north you will be in whitetail country still. but mixed with Rio’s and once again hogs. Travel to the far west and you will be in a mix of whitetails and Mule deer, Rio’s, some antelope, and still hogs.

As you reach the “panhandle” you will be in huge whitetail country and mule deer country and isolated Merriam’s as well as Rio’s. Most elk hunts are draw only with only a few counties open only by landowner permission. The black bear hunts are only in the southeast counties and only open until a “quota” is reached three counties were open last year with a 20 bear quota and only 17 were harvested. This is only a brief overview of what the great “Indian territory” has to offer. If you’re in a state where there will be a “break” in the season you might consider a trip to good ole’ Oklahoma U.S.A to fill your down time and harvest an animal that may not be available to you back “home”. Regardless of your plans and hunting season keep Oklahoma in mind for an out of state trip.

-good luck hunting and “may god guide your bullets and arrows making them fly true!”

We may have to stay on a budget, but low cost hunting is totally doable. As mentioned in a previous post urban hunting or hunting in your own backyard may be a low cost option. That way you won’t spend money on a lease or going to a lodge. Wildlife management areas and public land are always a thought too. Keeping the same boots, camo and weapon as last year will save some money too. Sure all of us wait with anticipation for the master sporting goods catalog of choice to come in the mail. We sit down and drool over all the latest and greatest gadgets on the glossy pages. We make a list and just can’t wait to place our order. We chat with our hunting buddies and talk about the contents of the catalog as if we were children making out a Christmas list. Well maybe this year we may need to dial it down a little bit. Our money may be better spent on mortgage and groceries.

Even if we have to stay on budget, hunting is still going to be a blast. Nothing can replace the therapeutic effect of being one with nature. Getting to your stand sight in the dark, hearing the first birds awaken and start to sing, watching as the sun rises and brings the first dim rays of the day. The familiar crunch and cadence of a deer coming through the leaves towards you. Your heart rate jumps, you get a little shaky……you see antlers and you take aim. That harvest is still going to be just as satisfying whether you are in your same old boots, with the same old camo, shooting the same 5 year old bow. When you follow the blood trail and put your hands on those antlers none of that is going to matter. What matters is you got out into the woods, enjoyed the quiet of nature, the satisfaction of a well placed shot, the fellowship and stories of other hunters and the delicious meals you provided. That’s what’s important, and all of that is free! So make sure you get out there this year, you can’t afford not to hunt.

If you have a few acres yourself you are set. You can even plant a “food plot”. Now I know the “food plot” was really meant to be a vegetable or a flower garden but those pesky hogs rooted it all up. I know you wanted to enter those prize petunias in the county fair, until that darned old doe nibbled them up. Turn that frustration into meat in the freezer. Instead of fresh veggies turn that garden into fresh venison backstraps and chops! Maybe Mrs. Smith next-door is sick and tired of the deer eating her bushes, offer to help eradicate her nuisance animals.

Backyard hunting can open up some fantastic opportunities for you. There may be a morning you unexpectedly have off. Maybe you live up north and you get a snow day. Maybe you are a stay at home Mom and your 10 year old has pinkeye and can’t go to school. Maybe there is a half day of school and your little one wants to go to the deer stand with you. Well shower, put on the camo and get in your stand or blind. Maybe you get out of work early, take advantage of that. You won’t be able to drive to your hunting camp in time, but you can shower up and get in the stand. Maybe you have kids that are involved in lots of activities that consume at least one day out of the weekend. Never fear, you can still get hunting time in. On the off time you and your mini hunter can be in the stand. You might be like me and have to take call. I can’t drive to hunting camp but I could be locally hunting. It just gives me another option and it allows more family time.

Hunting in the backyard may also be a nice way of introducing a “rookie” hunter to the woods. They will be close to civilization, maybe not as intimidating as being way out in the unfamiliar forest. You can set them up on a solo mission and if things get too overwhelming or scary they can either holler for you or just walk back to the house. Maybe you have a young budding hunter; they are chomping at the bit to be out by themselves and you nearly have a panic attack at the thought of that. A compromise would be your fledgling hunter in a blind in your yard with you sitting in the house with your binoculars watching their every move. They would be able to feel independent and you would feel more relaxed.

The backyard-hunting scene seems best suited to hunt out of a ground blind or a climber. If you have children that want to be involved in hunting it may be a fun project to build a simple shooting house that doubles as a tree fort in the off season. Backyard hunting can be a great way to get the next generation excited about hunting. Treat your urban hunting ground just like you would your camp or lease. Put cameras up to see when the deer are moving; use your binoculars to watch deer activity from a distance. Ask your neighbors what they have been seeing and at what times. Look for scrapes and rubs like you would anywhere else you are hunting.

Words of caution. We know not everyone shares our passion and love for hunting, so we need to be careful. Know your local laws, keep a low profile, ask permission to cross property lines, know what is beyond your expected shooting lanes, be respectful, and above all else shoot straight. Bow hunting can be completely safe when hunting in tight quarters, as long as you know what is beyond your prospective target. In order to shoot safely know what is in and past the potential flight of your arrow. If done properly and with care your own backyard can be a great addition to your hunting grounds. Getting the next generation involved is so important and with the busy schedule people have nowadays backyard hunting seems like a great way to keep the hunting tradition alive. Now get out there and start making some memories!

The main feature I look for is minimum of 3500 cu.in capacity, with a frame that can fit my petite torso. The second feature I consider to be imperative, is the material of the backpack. It must be constructed of durable fabric that can withstand the elements, protruding tree limbs, and careless baggage handlers at the airport. It must also be strong enough to haul extra weight when packing meat out, or all the gear of a fellow hunter that pooped out (we all know one of them), without ripping out at the seams. The third is easy to use compartments that make sense. I don’t like a bunch of unnecessary gadgets that add extra weight and cause irritation and discomfort in the back country, and it absolutely must have a strong and sturdy compartment for my bow.

I found that perfect pack! After months of research and trying on an endless number of packs, I settled on the Blacks Creek, Canadian model backpack. This pack is a bit heavier than I wanted to carry at 8 lbs 4 oz, but all the other amazing features outweighed the single attribute I disliked. The pack is made of 3 layer Tricot fabric construction, which is extremely durable, but adds to the weight. I recently returned from a month long adventure that took my new pack from one side of the globe to the other. It began with a brown bear hunt in a remote area of the Alaskan peninsula, and ended with a plains game hunt in Africa. I was impressed with my Blacks Creek pack from the moment I began packing. By the end of the trip, I was completely in love with it, and my husband realized he had to have one as well.

My very favorite feature of this pack is the adjustable frame with breathable mesh back. It has the ability to accommodate anyone from a small woman like me, to an extremely large guy like my dad. Once the frame is adjusted, the shoulder straps and chest strap can be conformed for the perfect fit. The waist belt is wide, padded, and adjustable to conform perfectly right around any sized waist. I was very excited about this because my main issue with all the other brands of packs I’ve tried is, that the large capacity packs don’t adjust down small enough for a woman’s frame. Once fitted and packed, I began my adventure by taking the Canadian pack as my carry-on at the airport. After checking my luggage on, the lady said my pack was too big to use as a carry-on. I simply zipped off the detachable day pack and called it my laptop bag, and I now had two perfect sized carry-ons. I showed her!

When we finally got to bear camp and started hunting, my appreciation for the pack grew from “love at first sight” to a full on “love affair”. I had more than ample space to pack everything I needed to head out hunting. Compressed, that pack is 2200 cubic inches, but it expands to 3850 cubic inches. I REALLY knew that this was the perfect pack when I knelt down to strap on my rifle and my bow. Both the rifle and bow compartments are zipped in and tucked away until you need them. I was so pleased to see that the bow pouch was big enough to support any type of compound bow, and adjustable for any size bow. The rifle pouch was the designed just as well, and both pouches had adjustable top straps in the perfect position to keep the either the bow or rifle from swaying or moving around. It has an inside waterproof compartment for my spotting scope, as well as a separate sleeve for my 3 liter water bladder. There are 24 total zipped pockets in which I could stow my licenses, knives, headlamp, goodies, and any other essential item that a hunter needs. Plus the front pouch zips entirely off to become a second backpack with straps. Perfect if you just need a few things to go spotting for a couple hours before dark, or a laptop bag at the airport.

Springtime in Alaska is wet, wet, and more wet. That was not a problem for my Blacks Creek pack because all I had to do to protect my gear, was take out the rain cover that is velcroed in a small pocket at the bottom of the pack. The rain fly fit nicely right over the pack and could be tightened so it wouldn’t come off. The true test however, came after I shot my bear. We were well over five miles from camp and we had to pack that big bear back. No problem! All I had to do was unzip a compressed compartment at the back of the pack, and I was able fit the entire bear hide right inside. It is a completely separate and lined pocket, so the wet, bloody hide couldn’t get on any of my other gear. With the hide and all my gear, the pack weighed close to my own body weight. I’m not going to lie, I was exhausted when we got back to camp at midnight, but the pack held up without a single tear and carried all my gear so I didn’t have to make two trips. Now thats a pack!

I have been so irritated for so long that no one has yet to make a WOMEN’s pack specifically for extreme hunting. But the Blacks Creek, Canadian backpack is competitively designed for any sized person. Yet it’s big, strong and adjustable enough, for everything from a 10 day bear hunt on the Alaskan penninsula, to throwing some light gear in it and taking it out after African plains game for the day.