Saturday, March 15, 2008

Deer Hunting Tips: 5 essential recon tactics

Here are some deer hunting tips for learning about your terrain. Expert hunters learn where they are hunting. This takes time, but the results are definately worth it.

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1. Look at a map

It seems obvious, but just take in the area with a map. With this absract picture in your head, it will be easier to picture where everything is. Also useful for not getting lost

2. Hire a guide

Some hunting locations have guides to show you the area's nuances. The guide will have experience of the area so take on board his advice

3. Mark hotspots on your GPS

If you like mixng technology with hunting, use a GPS to mark trails, food locations, scrapes, anything that will be useful

4. Plan placement of stands strategically

Put your stands in the best locations. Often 40 yrds downwind of a deer hotspot

5. Put the time in

For all the shortcuts, the best and maybe most rewarding is to actually invest time in the area. Walk around, scout, take notes. Get a feel for the area before the season starts and you'll have an amazing advantage


Happy hunting!!!

Deer Hunting Tips: The ninja revealed

Hey everybody, I usually don't buy ebooks on deer hunting tips, but an old friend of mine whose been hunting way longer than I have recommended it. Honestly I didn't know he knew how to use a computer. I read the ebook, it's not expensive, and I was COMPLETELY AMAZED at the level of detail and information that this ebook has. There I go with my CAPITAL LETTERS, but I'm really excited about this. I can't wait to try this stuff in the field.

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I've mentioned the SUPER-NINJA-ULTRA-MEGA deer hunting tips that I'll be putting on this blog and I'll continue to fill this blog with deer hunting goodness, but I'd really recommend checking this thing out. Unlike a lot of things on the internet, this actually DESERVES the capital letters and the hype.

Click here for the link.

Deer Hunting Tips: Deer Expert 5.0

I was browsing around to check some deer hunting tips and found this interesting program called Deer Expert 5.0. Basically it's a computer program that recommends stratgies for your hunt. Crazy right? You enter information such as terrain, weather, time, wind, rut conditions and it computes the best strategy.

I downloaded a demo out of curiosity and am figuring out how it works, but so far it looks pretty impressive. So if your looking for a bit of novelty for your hunt, or you need more stuff on your computer, look it up.

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Soon the robot will be hunting you!

Deer Hunting Tips: Promo Video

Here's a youtube video I put out for Deer Hunting Tips:



I thought it was fun, what do you think?

Friday, March 14, 2008

Deer Hunting Tips: Weapon of Choice

Hey everybody I've been getting some emails on advice for which weapon to use. I'll briefly summarize the pros and cons of each of the major weapons. I'll reveal some super detailed secrets later on after I've addressed all the questions you've sent in.

The hunting rifle

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+ stopping power
+ range

- noise
- slow reload speed

The shotgun

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+ multiple shells
+ wide spread

- noise (can you say BOOM?)
- range

Bow

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+ challenging

- range
- power


This is a basic summary. There are lots of things to be covered. I'll talk about these, and reveal some super-ninja-secret hunting tactics that may get me in trouble. Hunting experts are fighting to keep their BIGGEST, MOST POWERFUL SECRETS hidden from the rest of the world. By telling you these secrets I'm risking MY LIFE, but it's worth it.

Okay, so that wasn't true, but it sounded good. I realized this site is too normal, I should really speak in capital letters more often like other websites. Anyway, stay tuned for some MEGA-SUPER-ULTRA HUNTING TACTICS.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Deer Hunting Tips: Why deer will never make good pilots

I found this great article on deer vision. For deer hunting tips this post gets a little scientific, but don't groan if that's not your style, it's worth it. Some states make hunters where bright orange hazard jackets, and there has been some debate over what effect this has on their hunting.

I've summarized the juicy bits for you:

First up, let's understand the eye. In mammals, the retina is at the back of the eye, and is made up of two light sensitive cells- rods and cones. Rods work in lowlight conditions and allow night vision. Cones work in the day and allow color vision. That's why you should never get dressed in the dark! Anyway...

Humans see a wide range of colors because they have three types of cones.

Deer have a higher concentraion of rods, but a lower concentration of cones. What does this mean? Deer have better vision in lowlight conditions than humans, but worse vision during the day. Deer's pupils also open wider, letting more light in, which gives them better nighttime vision. And if that wasn't enough, they have a reflective layer at the back of the eye called a tapetum (in case you want to show off how clever you are...). This acts as a mirror and reflects light not absorbed by the cells back for a second try. This means that deer use the same light we do TWICE!

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I guess that's why the deer's eyes light up so much. Kind of creepy.

Now on to the next issue, humans have UV filters on their eyes. It protects and gives us better focus. But we can't see short-wavelength colors as well. Deer don't have these filters, so they see with less detail, but they see UV light better.

A lot of detergents these days have UV enhancers which make your clothes look brighter. If you wash your clothes in this, you could glow for the deer. Some fabrics are UV treated, so check before you buy. Fabrics with UV dyes, or enhancers will make you more visible.

Now back to the cones, deer only have two types, so they are red-green color blind. This means that green/red/orange look the same color, though blue/green look different.

So how does this apply to me when I go hunting?

- Colour of camoflage is not as important as pattern, solid, unbroken colours will make you stand out
- anythig that reflects light will alert deer, so don't polish your boots, and be aware of the glare your gun can cause
- basically keep it dull and don't go for blue. It may not be the most fashionable, but it will help you stay undetected.

Overall, color is not as important as movement and scent, but it's good to know anyway how deer see.

Anyway here's the link to the article

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Deer Hunting Tips: Be Aquaman not the fat guy from Jurassic Park

Like many deer hunting tips, the best are often the most obvious. But sometimes even experts need to be reminded. You're in the woods. It's just you and the deer. Right?

Well, what about all the little guys, the squirrels, the skunks, the crows, wow don't even get me started on THE BIRDS.

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All these small game can help you more than the most advanced motion sensors. Now, every good hunter keeps their eyes on their environment, but also remember to LISTEN. Birdcalls, squirrel noises can all alert you to an approaching deer. If you listen closely enough you can even tell the direction. Very useful.

If you've set up food plots for the deer, these resources can attract more small game to the area to giving you a natural alert system in your surroundings. It works both ways though. If you make your presence known, small game will have no problem with broadcasting it. So my advice is be Aquaman, not the fat guy in Jurassic Park. Have the animals work for you, not against you.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Deer Hunting Tips: Helicopter blows a deer to safety

A blog about deer hunting tips might get a little intense, so here's a cool video. You can't make this stuff up:

Monday, March 3, 2008

Deer Hunting Tips: Scouting Camera

When I heard of using cameras for scouting, I had images of fast-forwarding through hours of footage with no guarantee of finding anything. After actually looking at what they do I was impressed. Using a simple piece of technology can be as effective as pages of deer hunting tips.

Scouting cameras use infrared to detect deer movement and take a picture. So you set it up, program it, and leave it. Pretty amazing. Instead of waiting for ages, you can use a scouting camera to do the waiting for you. And scouting cameras don't get bored or need to sneeze.

That being said, here are a few tips to make sure that you'll be happy:

- Don't place camera facing the sun
- Clear anything from the front of the camera: grass, weeds...
- Put the camera about 20ft from the capture location

Cameras are best used where you'd expect deer activity: scrapes, rubs, mineral licks, food plots

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The great thing about scouting cameras is the time they save you, and the information about deer activity they provide

The disadvantage is they can be expensive, and can be stolen.

Let me know if you have any other useful deer hunting tips about using a scouting camera!

Deer Hunting Tips: Top 10 for Beginners

I've asked a number of experts on the top 10 tips they'd give to novice hunters. The best deer hunting tips, like most great advice, seem obvious but are constantly overlooked. Even the best hunter can benefit from reminding himself about the fundamentals. Let me know what you think!

1. Watch the wind

- Deer have an incredible sense of smell, so you want to minimize your scent. There are ways of reducing your scent, but the most effective way is to be downwind from your prey.

2. Be still

- There is some debate over whether deer are color-blind, but there is no debate that deer detect movement. Stay still.

3. Be quiet

-Deers hear. Enough said.

4. Learn all you can about the animal you are hunting

- Animals have predictable behaviour: they eat, sleep, drink... research the details of your animal for a more fulfilling and effective hunt.

5. Don't be afraid to ask people more knowledgable than you questions

- Hunting is a journey. Hunters with more experience can give great advice to put you on the right track. You'll be surprised how friendly people are when you are genuinely interested in what they have to say.

6. Learn to use your firearm or bow effectively

- Practice makes perfect. Learn your weapon's limitations and how to use it safely

7. Attend a hunter safety course

-Contact your local fish and wildlife department

8. Spend as much time as you can out hunting

-And practice makes perfect again

9. Expect mistakes, and learn from them

10. Wear a safety harness each and every time you climb a tree

- Safety first

Deer Hunting Tips: Welcome

Hey everybody, here's the first post of Deer Hunting Tips, a fresh, new blog providing you hunters out there with great information to improve your hunt. Judge for yourself, and I'd love feedback on anything here.... so welcome. Game on.

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