Ice as Structure

The surface of the ice is a reflection of what lies below. Pressure ridges, low spots, blow areas etc. are all structure. Fish use structure, no matter if it is from plants, sand, silt or ice. The next time you are ice fishing, look for ice structure and fish it accordingly.

The best method of cleaning a rabbit I have ever seen. I thought this may come in helpful for Doug.

Trail Camera Real Estate Agent

If you are looking at purchasing some hunting land, ask if you can place a few trail cameras on the property for a week or so before making an offer. Even though a piece of property looks good to you it may be devoid of wildlife activity. Remember to ask yourself why the property is for sale. Maybe the reason is that the current owner has never harvested any game from it. Don't take the word of any seller or agent. If they are not willing to let you put out a few cameras I would be hesitant. Talk to your attorney or real estate agent. It may be possible for you make your purchase offer contingent on using trail cameras for a set period of time. If the photos do not produce positive results you could withdraw your offer. Contingencies are very common in real estate transactions so don't be afraid to ask.

Deer Vehicle Accidents

Deer and vehicle accidents are up all across the country and several lives are lost each year because of these accidents. One of the problems is that our instincts induce a swerve when something presents itself in front of our moving vehicle. These swerves can put our cars into oncoming traffic or into the ditch where many cars end up rolling over. 

To avoid, or should I say try to avoid these accidents we have to do our best to override our instincts and keep the vehicle straight. The chances of missing a deer by swerving and not having a related accident are poor at best. You are much better keeping the car straight, hit the breaks and hope for the best. One thing though, right before impacting the deer, if they have not moved, is to let off the brakes so the cars front end comes back up so the deer goes under the vehicle not over or into the vehicle. 

I know that these tips will be hard to do when that deer steps out in front of your moving car but try your best, it may save your life or the lives of your loved ones. 

Another thing we as hunters can do to reduce deer vehicle crashes is to kill some does to help control the deer population.  Many hunters have no interest in shooting a doe but I believe it is our duty as hunters to kill as many does as the Game & Fish Departments allow for each given area. So get out there and take a doe.

Inexpensive Shooting Bag

Wandering through a sporting goods store recently I walked past the shooting bags used on a bench during the sighting-in process or just plain plinking. I was shocked by the price of some of these bags. For a mere $69.00 you could have a nice sand-filled canvas bag with a nice leather accent stripe.

Here is my idea of a nice bag and one that will only cost you a few dollars. Go to your sock drawer and find an old cotton or wool sock. You need one that has a pretty fine weave. Take the sock and fill it with rice. Tie off the end of the sock and cut away the excess tail. Using a plastic zip tie in front of and behind the knot is also a good idea.

The rice settles nice in the bag when you place it on the shooting bench and provides a stable and adjustable rest. 

Snow Tracking a Buck

To verify that you are really tracking a buck in snow, follow its tracks until you find a urine spot. A does urine spot will be in center or slightly forward of the center line between the hind legs. A bucks urine spot will be forward of the hind legs. One exception is if the buck is rubbing urine on its hind legs as part of a scenting/marking activity.  Bucks also have a tendency to dribble as they are walking away. Also be on the lookout for tine impressions in the snow if the buck stopped to browse. If there are tine impressions in the snow you know you are on the trail of a large buck.

New Knife Website

If you are in need of a new knife check out fellow reader Kris Anderson's new website. There is plenty of selection and the prices look good also. 

VOTE!

Tuesday is coming fast and I must admit that I will be glad when all of the political rambling is done. I know this is a blog about outdoor tips but I want to give you some voting tips this time instead.

1. Simply vote. If you don't vote you loose your right to criticize or complain.
   
2. Don't base your vote on issues alone. Remember, the issues the politicians talk about are nothing more than political promises and we all know what happens after someone is elected.
   
3. Vote for the person that is most aligned with your core beliefs and values, not on what is popular today.
   
4. Don't vote for someone based solely on the way they look or sound. A college professor once told me that the political system would be 100 times better if nobody saw the candidate until after they were elected.
   
5. Simply vote. Yes, this is a repeat tip but it is the best tip there is!

Be Prepared While Flying

If you are traveling by airplane to go hunting or fishing this fall do yourself a favor and put a large padded envelope that is self addressed and has 3-4 dollars of postage on it in your carry on bag. If security finds something that is not allowed to take on the plane, like your trusty Leatherman, you can deposit the item in the envelope and mail it home rather that forfeiting it to security.

Pick a Spot

When shooting at an animal with a bow remember to pick a spot and forget about the rest of the animal. Many misses can be attributed to the archer looking at the animal as a whole. Doing so is a surefire recipe for missing, or worse, wounding. Try to find something on the animal to visually lock on to. A tuft of hair, a color change in the hair or fur etc. What also works is to imagine a glowing red dot on the side of the animal and shoot at this dot. A good mantra to remember is "Aim Small Miss Small".

More New Games

Activision is my new best friend. Last weekend I received a package in the mail and inside I found the new Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009 and Cabela's Legendary Adventures games for my Wii machine. Man talk about timing. It was cool and raining all weekend and these games helped pass some time. The problem is that now I'm addicted! I have played other hunting games over the years but nothing comes close to these games. I especially like the Dangerous Hunts 2009 game. It is fast paced and puts you right in the middle of some serious hunting situations. The graphics are great and the game play is exciting. If you have access to a Wii, Xbox or Playstation give these games a try, you won't be disappointed.

Picking the Right Pup

Choosing the right hunting puppy can be a daunting task. They are all so cute and how are you supposed to know which one will become the hunting dog you desire? In my case, I had no choice because Charlie was the last puppy of the litter. Luckily he turned out to be the best dog of the bunch. In this case, 6 other people did not make the best choice. So how do you choose?

One method or test you can use to determine the true disposition of a pup is to pick him or her up and cradle them in your arms, on their back. If the puppy just lays in your arms and makes no attempt to get up-righted he may be too docile to make a good field dog. If the pup struggles and fights and yips until he can get away he will likely be too high strung to train properly. If the pup struggles for awhile and then settles down for a good belly scratching it is a good sign and shows that the pup has some drive yet is willing to be trained.

Remember, when choosing a puppy, there are several methods you can use but none of them are fool proof, except one, your heart. When you are looking at pups and one of them sticks out from the rest and it just feel right, take him or her home. Forget every test or sign you have heard about and enjoy the dog. Even if they never develop into a good hunting dog you will still have made the right choice.

Did You Know?

1. When creating a mock scrape, an overhanging branch is vital to the success of the scrape.
2. A resting deer will normally lie on its right side and face the wind.
3. Bucks usually quarter into the wind when approaching scrapes.

Rapala's Fishing Frenzy

It's hard to beat actually fishing but if you are one of those families with an Xbox 360, Playstation or Wii sitting below your TV then you owe it to yourself to check out the new Rapala Fishing Frenzy game. This is a new game this year and is available now. I know I can only play so much golf or tennis on my son's Wii and a I find a relaxing game of fishing a joy. If you pay attention you may even learn a thing or two which may help you when you're back on the water.

Walk Like An Animal

Trying to sneak through the woods in a silent and stealthy manner is difficult at best, especially since we only have two legs. Our cadence can be picked up as a danger signal by all animals. When you are walking your way through the woods try walking forward with an odd number of steps and then stop and then walk and stop etc. Listen to a 4 legged animal walking and this is the cadence they have. We may not be able to sneak like an animal but at least we can sound like one.

Remember September 11

In memory of and tribute to those who died.

With sympathy to all who lost family, friends and colleagues.

With regret for our lost innocence,

And disapointment over how the world has changed.

Remember 9/11.

Mixed Camo

To really improve your camouflage efforts try mixing patterns/colors. Wear a shirt or jacket with one camo pattern and wear a different pattern/color for your pants. The mixture helps break up your outline, which is still very evident, even with the best camouflage available. Also, don't forget about your face and hands. Our bare skin sticks out like a sore thumb and covering exposed skin should be a priority. 

Learning from your Kid

If you ever need to be shown how to catch fish, forget all of the tips and just take along your kid, as Scott did. Alex outfished his dad, again. Good job Alex!

Cheap Bait

Fishing at a local pond that is filled with Bluegills, Largemouth Bass and Crappie was getting costly. Nightcrawlers are the bait of choice on this pond and at $2.50 per dozen it does not take long to end up losing your pocket change. The small fish love to nip the crawlers and suck them off your hook all day long.

On a recent trip to the pond I took one GULP Alive minnow and cut it up into small pieces. I fished for 4 hours and caught several bluegills and a largemouth bass and still had a few pieces of this one cut up bait left. I have tried other similar baits, including GULP, on this pond in the past with no success but GULP Alive did the job. 

The next time you are heading out for a day of fishing give this idea a try. You may never go back to the almighty crawler.

Don't Miss High

This tip was forwarded by Rex Howell. Thanks and sorry for the lack of posts. It's been a busy winter. This tip came from Buckmasters.

Don't Miss High
Ninety percent of the shots missed at deer are high. If you shoot at a deer and he just stands there looking at you, chances are good that the shot went high. When you get excited about taking the shot, you're more likely to jerk the trigger, and that makes the shot go high.
When I aim at a deer with a bow, I aim at the lower one-third of my target area, which takes care of any tendency to shoot high.
Bowhunters talk about whitetails "jumping the string," which means they're reacting to the sound of the bow. I've learned about this the hard way because I've had a lot of bow shots go just over deer. I've looked at slow motion video of those missed shots, and the deer don't really jump when they dodge an arrow. They simply react to the sound so quickly that they duck down and turn to run. As they do so, the arrow misses high.
By putting my sight on the lower one-third of the deer's lungs, it will usually be a good shot, even if the deer ducks before the arrow gets there. If the deer doesn't react to the sound, I'm still in the fatal zone by aiming low, and my exit wound is lower in the deer's body, so I'm more likely to have an immediate blood trail.
If you're hunting with a shotgun, there's even more of a tendency to shoot high because most shotguns don't have nearly as crisp a trigger as a rifle. It takes a pretty good pull to make the shotgun go off, and you wind up shooting high.
--Jackie Bushman