Category: Hunting

Cashing In During Late Antlerless Season

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Late antlerless firearms deer season is open now through January 1, 2024 for the entire Lower Peninsula of Michigan, whereas the Upper Peninsula is closed to this season.  If there is room in the freezer, hunters can turn those unused licenses into something far more beneficial than a bowl of zero-calorie tag soup.  If you’re going, here are a few things to consider.

For the most part hunters will opt to take a mature doe or two and will be wise to avoid buck deer without antlers.  These antlerless bucks to protect can be those that have already shed their antlers or buck fawns that have grown to the size of yearling does – often confused with adult does.  Although perfectly legal, let’s call it what it would be:  a mistake.  If we are attempting to balance the sex ratio between does and bucks, or simply desire to reduce the number of deer in the area, taking adult does is the goal.

Adult doe taken in late antlerless season 2023

The ability to separate live antlerless deer into two general age groups – fawns and adults – is obtainable for all hunters with a little knowledge and some practice. The three key characteristics are body size and shape, head size and shape, and animal behavior.  Highly recommended is a quick-study video on YouTube by the National Deer Association:  How to Identify Antlerless Deer in the Field.  Just make sure to tote a binocular afield for positive identification.

Since it’s all about the meat, it’s always best to hang a deer for a few days for aging purposes.  To take advantage of good hanging weather, overnight temperatures shouldn’t be so low as to freeze the meat.  To process a frozen deer, it will have to be thawed out; refreezing it afterward can at the very least make it taste bad.

On the other hand, if a deer is allowed to hang in warmer weather, the formation of bacteria can ruin it.  Ideal hanging temperature, therefore, should be between 33 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  If not, arrange for walk-in cooler or get to processing.

Even if you opt to take your whitetail to a local processor, don’t do so without first removing the inner tenderloins.  The vast majority of deer hunters fail to do this and unwittingly relegate the best part of the animal to be mixed into burger.

The deer tenderloin (also known as the inner loin or under loin) runs inside the back near the guts. There are two tenderloins per deer and they are very relatively small.  They can be removed easily when the deer is hanging and should be taken out immediately so that they don’t dry out in the open air.  Slice them into disc-like pieces and fry them lightly for a delectable sensation that can’t be topped.

Don’t forget to report your deer within 72 hours of harvest or before you transfer possession to a processor.  Learn more about deer harvest reporting requirements at Michigan.gov/Deer and make sure to report your deer harvest at Michigan.gov/DNRHarvestReport.

Hunting

This Week On “Hunting Matters”

This week “Hunting Matters” welcomes Michael G. Sabbeth.

Michael Sabbeth is a lawyer, lecturer, consultant and author. He lectures nationally and internationally on hunting and shooting ethics, rhetoric and the art of persuasion. Mr. Sabbeth consistently presents at International Hunter Education Association conferences, Texas Hunter Education Instructors Association and at major hunting and shooting conventions including Safari Club International, the Dallas Safari Club and the Namibia Professional Hunters Association.

He writes for about one dozen national and international print and on-line hunting and shooting magazines. He volunteers with organizations that support hunting and shooting opportunities for disabled people including veterans. He has written two books related to ethics and promoting hunting: “The Good, The Bad & The Difference: How to Talk with Children About Values” and “The Honorable Hunter: How to Honorably & Persuasively Defend & Promote Hunting”. Mr. Sabbeth lives in Denver, Colorado. His website is www.thehonorablehunter.com

Read more

Hunting

 19 Years of a Michigan Coyote Camp

The Cronk clan has made a tradition of trapping with friends and family.

MUSKEGON, MI – All-around outdoorsman, Bryce Cronk, his brother Myles, their dad, and extended family reside in the northern portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan, an ideal playground for anyone who loves to fish, hunt, and trap.

For Bryce and his family, besides hunting and fishing, they’re on their 19th year of coyote-trapping camp about three hours northeast of ScentLok and Blocker Outdoors headquarters in Muskegon, Michigan. Like deer camp or spring walleye opener, setting miles and miles of late-season coyote trap lines is a tradition the brood repeats year after year. Read more

Hunting

CSC Leaders Sen. Boozman and Rep. Graves’ Duck Stamp Modernization Act Passes Congress

Building upon the previous Senate passage, moments ago, the House of Representatives passed the Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023 (S. 788), a bipartisan bill to bring the federal duck stamp process into the 21st century by allowing for hunters to have an electronic federal duck stamp on their smart phone for the entirety of the hunting season. This legislation now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Read more

Hunting

Hunters Encouraged to Discuss Hunting Plan, Safety After Weekend Hunting Incidents

GW: So sad about the accidents. Shooting at running deer doesn’t fit an ethical rule: If you can’t make the shot 9 out of 10 times, don’t pull the trigger. And, don’t kid yourself!

The opening weekend of Iowa’s second gun deer season saw another 50,000-plus hunters’ enjoying time in the timber in pursuit of legendary whitetails. Unfortunately, there were three hunting incidents that serve as a reminder for hunters to review safety measures before heading out.

Two separate incidents involved the same issue – shooting at running deer – where deer were running between two hunters and one hunter was struck by a wayward shot from another in their party. The other incident involved a self-inflicted injury due to carelessly handling a firearm and lack of muzzle control.

All three required medical attention and all three were preventable, said Jamie Cook, hunter education coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Read more

Hunting

THAW Heated Wrap with 5K Power Bank

Nothing can dampen the mood faster than chilly weather, whether at the ball stadium, sitting on the porch with friends or working on an outdoor project.

Colder temperatures are on the way, and that brings into question how to best cope with the wintry weather while not having to give up on fun outings. Cheering on the team should not be determined by how warm it is outside. The same goes for getting together with companions, sipping beverages on the veranda, or tinkering with a pet project that needs to be completed.

But maybe layering up isn’t an option. It’s hard to jump up and root for the team when you can barely move your arms for all the shirts and coats. And what good is a hot mug of cocoa when it’s hard to get the cup to your mouth. What’s called for is a way to stay warm without bundling up with every stitch of clothing in the closet.

The THAW Heated Wrap is the perfect way to stay warm in comfortable out in the elements. This rechargeable wrap will keep the wearer stylishly toasty while providing up to eight hours of wearable warmth. The THAW Heated Wrap features three heating modes, from a high mode providing 5 hours of heat to a low mode lasting up to 8 hours.

Made from ultra-soft material, the THAW Heated Wrap has a zipped closure that allows it to be worn alone or to be opened to share with a friend. It comes with a 10,000mAh power bank and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

Snuggle up and enjoy the comfortable, relaxing warmth of the rechargeable THAW Heated Wrap at the game, on the porch or in the workshop, no matter the outdoor setting.

Explore the full line of THAW products by visiting thaw.acgbrands.com. Read more

Fishing, Hunting

Ohio’s Deer Gun Hunting Season Results

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s weeklong white-tailed deer gun hunting season concluded on Sunday, Dec. 3, with hunters taking 70,118 deer, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Last year, hunters took 71,931 deer during the gun week. The three-year average for deer harvest during the seven-day gun season is 71,322. An additional weekend of deer gun hunting will happen on Dec. 16-17.

During the deer gun week, hunters checked 25,044 antlered deer (36% of the harvest) and 45,074 antlerless deer (64%), a category which includes does and button bucks. Read more

Hunting

Full Range Skull System

Full Range Hanging Systems is now offering its high-quality mounting systems in a model engineered specifically for European mounts.

Constructed of strong, durable steel, the Skull System features four points of contact to the skull for the most secure attachment when displaying your trophy. It offers a wide range of motion to achieve the perfect angle for showcasing your Euro in any space.

The easy-to-use Skull System comes with everything you need to install in any room of the house.

To learn more and browse the full lineup, visit fullrangesystems.com.

Hunting

Reverse Engineering a Failed Shot Afield

By  Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Muzzleloading deer season is open statewide through December 10th, but hunters in the southern Lower Peninsula have the option to use centerfire rifles with certain, legal straight-wall cartridges. Those in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula must use only muzzleloading firearms.

Here is one account of a hunt gone badly during regular firearms deer season.

My good pal, Joe, let me know he would be deer hunting for an afternoon sit during the regular firearms deer season, I was glad to hear it. Since I had been down with COVID-19, I was content to dogwatch his enthusiastic deer tracker, Junior. Well before sunset came the unmistakable sound of a single gunfire, followed by a two-way radio confirmation that Joe had knocked one down. The trouble began when the deer got to its feet and ran off.

Unfortunately, we never recovered the animal, as hard as the three of us tried. What follows is not meant to kick my good friend when he’s down, but rather an attempt to reverse-engineer the results of a bad shot that we must assume hit too high.

Mistake number one: When sighting in, Joe’s initial group was a bit high at 100 yards. He finished the sight-in session with a single shot 1 ¾ inches high – perfect for his Ruger American rifle in .450 Bushmaster caliber. However, we had not confirmed the center of a final group, because it was not fired after a final scope adjustment.

Maybe it was the high cost of ammo at $2 per pop. Maybe it was the accurate nature of the rifle/ammo combo, but that single shot left room for error.

Mistake number two: The reason for sighting in somewhat high at 100 yards is to maximize point-blank range. The rationale is to be able to aim at the center of the target without holding over or under within a given maximum range. Because the whitetail buck was confirmed to be at 145 yards, Joe may have subconsciously aimed a bit high to compensate for the bullet’s drop in trajectory.

Mistake number three: When I asked Joe where the crosshairs were when the gun went boom, he couldn’t answer conclusively. Although seemingly inconsequential, it is not. There is no bull’s eye attached to a deer, yet it is imperative to define an exact aiming point – the epitome of aim small, miss small theory.

Mistake number four: It was assumed that the velocity of Joe’s rifle/ammo matched the velocity printed on the box of Hornady ammo. The issue is that Hornady’s published velocity of 2200 feet-per-second with the 250-grain Flex-Tip bullet is the result of firing through a test barrel of 20 inches, whereas the Ruger’s barrel is a mere 16.1 inches in length. Without the use of a chronograph to measure actual velocity, it can be assumed that the Ruger rifle would produce substantially less speed than the longer test barrel. A most sensible option to verify trajectory at various ranges is to actually shoot at different ranges in practice; we did neither.

These are all avoidable errors easily overcome with more time at the practice bench. Certainly, big-bore deer guns are not particularly enjoyable to shoot with their heavy recoil and noise. Plus, the high cost of all ammo may shorten practice sessions. However, the consequences for shortcuts can linger well beyond the time it would have taken to check all the boxes of readiness.

Ammunition, Firearms, Hunting
1 … 27 28 29 30 31 … 387