IS SPEED A SUBSTITUTE FOR TALENT?-YEAH RIGHT!

To most everyone who has ever shot a bow this really seems to be one of those questions better left unasked. Unfortunatly I have been readimg more and more about how archers are buying 70# 80# and 90# limbs so that the buck won’t jump their arrow.

I don’t mean to knock on everybodies hunting stories but seriously when I am shooting 40# and shooting 175 fps there aint no way that deer is jumping my arrow, so why the heck push the extra dollars for a few more feetper second?  I couldn’t understand it until an insightful at’er started a post about the many younger shooters that beliee they are invincible and will pull 80# there whole life.  Now not every young shooter is like this but as i read more and more about it i see why people generalize in this way and it is extremely dissapointing to see threads that even hint at suggestign that the more speed your bow packs or the more power it has the less perfect your shot needs to be.

Speed is not a substitute for anything, it doesn’t matter if your shooting 400 fps if you shoot the deer in the tail!@!@ all your gonna get for  your SPEED is a clump of hair and no deer, heck that deer may even thank you one day for given him the oppurtunity to live another year.

Poundage is the same thing, you don’t need 90# if you hit the animal in the heart, it’s just overkill, i mean 65# easily tears through a deer, all your doin is tearing up the trees as the deer runs away.  If anything is a substitute for anything else, skill, and talent is a substitute for speed and power, i’ll bet you for every 5 deer shot in the tail with an arrow shot at 90# your not going to get a single one.For every 5 deer shot in the heart at 45-55 # i’ll bet at least four will be drop dead. (always need to account for the inexperienced tracker or the occasional color blind hunter in the dark).

In my mind you always have a better chance taking a steady shot at 60# that is gonna rip through that deers vitals than a power shot to the tail bone, but lets just see who takes the better buck this deer season.

Photography - The Other Season

The big whitetail buck was slowly browsing near the dugout, he had one of the most unique racks I had ever seen.  Both main beams swept forward in a paddle like formation more like a moose than a whitetail.  I wanted a shot at this whitetail.   I slowly crawled towards a small patch of wolf willow that I figured would put me in a good position if he followed the path I figured he would.  The buck now had a companion and the doe would occasionally look towards me as they worked my direction.  She would only pay attention for a second or two, so my ghillie suit must have been doing its job.  The buck had now worked his way to within 35 yards and I prepared for the shot.  As the buck stopped to look in my direction I took the shot.  I then shot again and again. The buck slowly continued on his way out to feed.  I was ecstatic as I knew my shots were direct hits and the buck would continue on for me to shoot again another day.       

            Photography is a great way to extend your hunting season and to shoot animals you would otherwise let walk if hunting.  It is great practice if you are into spot and stalk and allows you to hone your skills on getting close to the animals.  The distances required to get a great photograph closely mimic bowhunting distances. The more time you can spend up close and personal with the animals you are after the more successful you will be once the season starts.  Photography allows you to spend more time out in the woods observing animal behaviour and this will do nothing but help you once archery season rolls around.  The great thing about photography is you are not limited to shooting a specific animal or species.  Many times I have went out with the intention of getting some deer photos when I happen across a bird of prey or other animal of interest which will totally change my focus for the day.  You are also not limited to specific season dates.  Photography is a year round sport and you can always find something to shoot no matter what time of year it is.  For those who like to have something to hang on your wall as a trophy you can still get a framed print of that special shot which looks great on the wall.  It can really be a bonus to get a great shot of a buck and then harvest him as well.

            Photography is like any other hobby and can get very expensive or not so much depending on the equipment you use.  Now a days with digital format cameras it is easier than ever to get out and get wildlife photos.  There are many point and shoot cameras on the market which will give you great results in the field.  When looking at point and shoot cameras, which will be your cheapest option, you will most likely want to get one that has at least a 10X optical zoom lens on it.  This will allow you to zoom in on the subject and not have an unrecognizable spot in the middle of your photo.  Many companies including Canon, Fuji, Panasonic, Sony and Nikon make cameras that will have at least a 10X optical zoom and some are up to 18X zoom.  Forget about digital zoom as it does nothing but degrade your photos.  Any cropping that may need to be done can be done on software on your computer.  Another nice addition to the camera is Image stabilization.  Image stabilization will allow you to shoot at slower shutter speed while still getting a crisp image.  This is something that comes in very useful in low light situations which you may encounter quite often when photographing wildlife, especially deer.  Some of the pros of a point and shoot camera is that they are usually fairly compact and light which will make them easier to carry around.  A second advantage of point and shoot cameras is that they are usually quite a bit cheaper and will suit a photographer who might be on a tight budget.  The photos they produce are still of high quality.  A couple cons of the point and shoots are that they can limit you in some ways.  They tend to have more background noise at high ISO ( basically this means your photos will appear somewhat grainy when shooting in lower light conditions).  They also do not have the flexibility of removable lenses which can limit your creativity with your photography. 

  If you want to spend a little more money you can invest in a digital SLR camera which will have removable lenses and will, overall, give you more options and allow you to be more creative with your photography.  SLR’s will tend to be heavier, and when toting around your extra lenses, quite bulky.  SLR’s and their lenses can also get fairly pricey.  Usually with this option you will buy a camera body and the lenses will be bought separately.  This is where it can get costly as some lenses will run in the several thousands of dollars.  Don’t let this scare you however, as there are many lenses that will fit nicely into most budgets.  Lenses are available with image stabilization just like on point and shoot cameras and some bodies are even coming out now that have image stabilization.  A good 300mm lens is a good starting point for wildlife and also a wide angle lens for landscapes is nice to have.  There are many zooms which cover a large focal range and these can be very usful ( eg sigma 50-500mm).  My dream lens would be a Canon 600mm f/4 IS lens but at around $7000 dollars I will have to keep dreaming.  Again there are many companies that makes digital SLR cameras to fit most budgets including Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sigma and Sony.  Which camera you purchase, much like which bow you purchase, is a personal choice and there are many photography review sites on the internet to help you make your choice. 

            Some of the accessories I feel I must have for my photography include a monopod, which is what I will generally use when taking wildlife photos.  It still allows some support for the camera to help with getting crisp photos and is still quite manoeuvrable when dealing with wild animals.  A tripod is also a must have.  I use it more for landscape photos, macro photos or long exposure photos but it can also be used for wildlife.  It will provide you with more support than a monopod and allow for a rock solid base.  As with any hobby there are countless accessories including filters, flashes, camera cases, additional lenses, storage media, laptops etc etc. that you can purchase as you find you need them.  It can be as simple, or for those who like the latest and greatest technology, as complicated as you want to make it.  The basics you will need are a camera a lens and a subject.  The most important thing is to get outdoors and enjoy mother nature and the animals we all love.

 Throughout the next year I will try and keep you up to date on how my photogrpahy is going in the field and share some of my photos here with you.  Hopefully it will get some of you interested in a great hobby.

Don’t Like Antelonpe, Then Cook It Like This

It seems that a lot of people here where I live really give Antelope a beating on how it tastes. Now I will be the first to admit that, yes it is quite strong, often has a bad smell and requires one heck of a recipe. Well I happen to have one that is just that. I came across this a while ago and figured that I would share it with you guys here on the talk. It is cheep and easy and will be sure to help assist you on getting rid of some of the antelop out of your freezer, I know it has mine.

Sweet and Sour Antelope

1 pound anntelope round steak, cut into thin strips

1 3/4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 clove garlic, whole

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup pineapple juice

3/4 cup pineapple chunks

1 green pepper cut into chunks

Place antelope, water, salt, soy sauce and garlic in a two quart sauce pan. Cook on HIGH until at a boil, about 5 minutes. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until meat is barely cooked, about 12-15 minutes. Remove meat and set aside. Dicard garlic. Strain broth through cheesecloth to remove meat drippings; save broth. (I am cheep so a coffe filter works just fine.)

In a sauce pan, blend the sugar, caornstarch, vinegar, pineapple juice and ginger until smooth. Gradually stir in meet broth and mix well. Cook on HIGH until sauce in thick and transparent; stirring thoroughly about every two minutes until done, about 6-8 mintues.

Combine sauce ith antelope meat, add pineapple and green pepper. Allow mixture to sit befor serving. Serve over rice and enjoy.

Back Tension And Target Panic

Hey everybody,

I know how frustrating it can be learning to use a true backtension release.  I know how much time and effort must be put into the practice and proper execution of a backtension release.  I am definatly not a perfect back tension shooter, heck just today I had a lot of problems getting my back tension to go off at a local tournament.  But I have been shooting with a back tension for 2.5 yrs and i think it i may be able to help some new guys get into it with a lot less frustration than i had, by informing people of the many ways not to start learning a back tension.

 I started 2.5 yrs ago with a tru-ball ultra 3 backtension release.  I had just started to get into spot shooting and was struggling with TARGET PANIC.  Everybody gets it at one time or another, and boy is it troublesome.  I was having such a problem i almost gave up shooting all together.  Finally i was in my archery shop one day and was discussing possible ways to get rid of target panic when one of the pros that frequent the shop told me about the back tension release. 

He explained to me the ideal shot,what he called a SURPRISE SHOT. The purpose of the surprise shot was to 1 reduce the urge to punch the release creating steady grouped shots 2. reducing the ability to predict when the shot was going off enabling the shooter to keep from grabbing or torquing the bow as it arrow leaves the rest.

 It sounded like a miracle to me, like the locked door to better scores that i sttod before had just swung open.  I bought a backtension and couldn’t wait to try it.  So I got my bow, loaded an arrow, and stepped to the twenty yard line. That was my first mistake, when shooting a backtension the first few times, even if you have read all about them and seen people shoot them if you have never shot one yourself than pull a bail to five yards.  I didn’t get my bow back 6 in, when that release tripped and that arrow went straight into the wood next to the twenty yard bail.

Always start at five yards, it is the most important thing, Also take your sight off, start by just trying to get the release back.  If available have somebody who shoots a backtension CORRECTLY watch you and comment on your form and technique.  Once you are able to get it fully drawn follow these steps to help get you started, a variation or simplification of these steps is fine whatever works for you because you are the one shooting the release.

1. set your rear shoulder so that your rear forearm is parallel to the ground and in a locked comfortable position.

2. set your front shoulder/arm in a broken arm fashion, you don’t want your arm locked out, this can cause yu to strap yourself and will make it hard to use a backtension.  You only want your arm to be slightly bent.

3. set your release hand to a TOUCH POINT on your face that is easily remembered and does not move your front or rear setup.

4. Aim

5.while you continue to aim push the bow into the target with your shoulder not with your elbow as this will cause inconsistent pressure, as you focus on the x on the target, the pin may move but just focus on the target, push the bow into the target.  At the same time pull with your release hand into the wall behind you as if you are going to drive your elbow into the wall.

6. keep focusing on the target, pushing and pulling, and before your ready more than likely that shot will be gone, if you anticipated the shot, you did wnot follow correct form, maybe you pulled with your outside fing er instead of pulling straight back, this is called TRIPPING THE RELEASE.

TRIPPING THE RELEASE is the process of turning a backtension release to the point that the hinge releases the bow.  This form is inconsistent and should not be used, Although i have seen some pros shoot this way very well it is not a SURPRISE SHOT.  the whole prupose of learning the back tension is to get this surprise and reduce target panic and get better form, turning the release accomplishes none of these things.

 Afetr 2.5 yrs I am still learning my backtension and I hope to have it perfect soon, but the best thing i can suggest is to blank bail, we all hate it and nobody does it enough but it is really the best way to learn the relaese.  When you are sitting on the couch get a shoestring and simulate yourself shooting a backtension using your release and a shoestring during commercials, my coach gave me this same advice and i’ll tell you it is a lot less boring than hours of misguided blank bailing and it i find it works well.

 I hope this information helps people to better understand the advantages of a backtension and its proper use, don’t give up no matter how long it takes because eventually you’ll get it, just keep working at it.

How did you learn about scrapes? - An informative look into the detail regarding whitetail scrapes -

Growing up as a young hunter at the local shop or the 3D range, I would always hear other hunters chatting about rubs, scrapes, shed antlers, funnels, staging areas, and many other terms used about whitetail hunting in the Midwest.   Did I always know what the old guys were talking about?  That can be answered with a very quick “No.”  Now that whitetail hunting has become a passion and obsession that can only be understood by those men and women who also have my affliction, I can look back into my learning experiences to see exactly how and why I have learned so much.

Unlike many of the fine, budding youth hunters on the planet, I didn’t have a mentor.  My father worked hard to take care of my family.  With a newly handicapped mother, my dad found himself working just as hard at home as he did for a paycheck.  Hunting wasn’t a priority in his life.  My only living grandfather wasn’t healthy enough to take me out to the woods in the winter months.  Shooting sports and hunting, in general, were introduced by my uncle whose own family convictions kept him out of the woods for years upon end.  Hunting had no longer become a priority on his end of the line either. 

Although my first two or three outings into the whitetail woods were nothing to be excited about with single digit temperatures, double digit wind speeds, and heavy snowfall on public ground that hadn’t ever been seen by any of the four eyes of my uncle or myself, I was hooked.  The thought that a majestic creature like a deer may actually be that close to me, was more than I could bear.  I never set eyes on live deer that season, but I had to have more of that feeling.  After that, for years, I was forced to learn on my own.  I made my way into the thick brush and the outskirts of the Indiana croplands as often as I could during the season, paying no attention to wind direction, deer sign, or even getting off of the ground.  

Ten years later, hundreds of deer observed, and tons of blown opportunities behind me, I have developed a better understanding of what it takes to be successful “almost” every time that magical fall season starts approaching.  Continuous scouting for the season may just be the single most important tool in a whitetail hunter’s repertoire. 

When I look back to the days that words like scrapes, rubs, and funnels made as much sense as an Indian restaurant menu, I can laugh a little.  With a little more knowledge into the biology, and sexual tendencies of a whitetail deer, your hunting skills can be honed into what you always wanted them to be.  Trying to figure out why, when and where whitetail bucks and does make scrapes will only help in getting that buck you dream about.

Deer utilize a scrape, which is basically a pawing motion on the ground in conjunction with their scent glands and urinary/solid waste, to create a sexual or territorial marking for communication with other deer.  Deer use mainly five different glands to communicate with the other deer.  The pre-orbital (around the eyes), and tarsal glands (inside the hind legs) are familiar to most hunters, but whitetail bucks and does alike utilize the interdigital glands (between the hoof toes), forehead glands, and metatarsal glands (below the tarsal glands).  These scent glands leave a blueprint, unique to each deer, which may arouse curiosity, stimulation, or anger instincts to other deer in a scrape or on surrounding flora.

In the past 20 or so years creating your own scrape or continuing the curiosity or sexual impulses of an existing scrape has become a valuable addition in the hunter’s bag of tricks.  This is a fairly easy way of patterning deer, not only during the pre-rut, but all season. You can actually treat scrapes all year long during the pre/post rut periods by using “non-sexual” scents. By this I mean non-estrus urines or ammonia-based synthetics that are available on the growing scent market.

Sexual scents are present during stages of the rut, but not as effective any other time of the year. Using estrus urine in June or February is going to confuse the deer and possibly provide a means of avoidance in that area. If you are nearing the rut within two-three weeks (second week in October here in the Midwest), it would help to use a buck urine/dominant buck urine/tarsal gland/doe urine combination.  Providing a pre-orbital scent or an overhanging licking branch positioned lower (for use by does) and possibly one higher (for use by dominant bucks) are necessary additions to a good scrape. The buck urine provides a territorial scent, keeping the other bucks interested in who is visiting the same scrape that he is. The tarsal gland scent is another territorial scrape scent on which bucks will urinate in the scrapes to provide another point of territory and communication.  Female deer also often frequent scrapes to leave their urine, pre-orbital, metatarsal, and interdigital scent also. The licking branches are rubbed, licked, and nibbled to provide pre-orbital and forehead gland scent deposit as well.

During the rut, including the week before and possibly a few weeks after the final stages (of the first rut) is a good time to introduce estrus doe urine into the scrape. This will trigger the highly sexual interests of the bucks. The tarsal/urine buck scents from other deer will also trigger an intense anger towards another deer, possibly having the buck wondering “Who is coming here on my turf? Who is trying to get my females?”

Often, making these scrapes early in the season will allow for the deer to tend to the scrapes themselves. If one or two deer are interested in the scrape early on, they will tend to the scrape and leave their REAL scents in the FAKE scrape. Now your original FAKE scrape has become an ACTIVE scrape, the deer are using it regularly, and you may not need to tend to it again.

Since deer also often defecate in or around their scrapes, one technique that Michigan hunters Greg and Fred Abbas of A-Way Outdoors use with their scrapes is to put droppings from another buck in a different hunting area in their mock scrapes. Fred Abbas harvested a nice buck from a different part of the county, but also harvested his droppings and dirt from the scrapes in that area. Fred utilized the distant buck’s scents to make his own success in another area.

Use trail cameras or other forms of monitoring to observe your scrapes.  See what works and what doesn’t for your area. Try these great scent tactics this year, and make sure you use good scent-free methods of treating/making the scrapes. Use rubber boots, possibly gloves, and stay on the outside of the scrapes and never step too close. Maybe, just maybe, you will be able to baffle a kid at the local shop just I like used to be baffled when the good hunters started talking about their scrape success!

My Husband-My Hero

     My husband thinks of me as a city girl.  When we met just over five years ago, I was an aspiring cosmetologist with the goal of entering into big city styling and glitz.  Don’t worry, guys.  That’s all you’ll hear about that subject.  Something happened along the way that changed everything.  I knew he was into archery and hunting.  I wanted to be around him as much as possible and since he liked to go shoot his bow, I went along.  He let me shoot a recurve with some odd arrows he had laying around.  Like most people, I had shot a few arrows as a kid, and I was excited to give it a try again.  I launched arrows into mucky swamps, blackberry thickets, trees, and an occassional bale.  I felt bad when some of the arrows vanished, but he just said, “They make ‘em everyday.”  By the third time out, I was doing okay.  He always let me shoot from 20 yards so my confidence grew.  He gave me pointers and acted like I was doing so well.  One day he surprised me with a compound bow.  He had measured my draw beforehand, using some excuse that I believed because I didn’t know any better.  Soon after, he bought me a release.  I was no longer shooting from the 20 yard stake.  We went to 3-d shoots where I’d have to guess the yardage before shooting.  In the beginning, he told me to add a few yards or subtract a few yards.  Then I graduated into shooting it for what I figured it to be.  I went a little down hill for a couple of weeks, but we kept at it.  When I missed, he’d find something positive to say, like “Good line, just a little low.”  I was out-shooting a lot of guys at our club and at first I thought they’d be upset, but they were proud of me also.  I’ve been shooting for five years now and am on my third bow.  I’ve been the president of our archery club for three years and am involved with our state archery association’s hunting committee.  When my husband wants a new bow, sight, quiver, rest, strings, bow case, target bow, release….you know the deal…he gets it.  Our wedding anniversary will be spent in Redding, Ca. at the 3-D trail shoot.  I know his favorite color is camoflage, so Christmas and birthdays are easy.  As a hair stylist, I would share my stories with other gals (guys, too) and they want to play, too.  Men, take your gals out in the woods.  Don’t force them, but make them feel welcome.  Be patient and let them make some mistakes, just like you did at one time.  You might think they’ll get in the way, but women CAN learn-don’t be too upset if she gets an elk before you one of these seasons.  I’ve taken three deer and two elk(and a grouse) with a bow.  We hunt in the unforgiving terrain of the Pacific Northwest where we bicycle in many miles and hike many more.  Don’t underestimate what your gal may be able to do.  I didn’t pack out a quarter on my first hunt, but I can now.  I respect my husband for the incredible hunter that he is.  He has taken more Roosevelt bulls than many hunters take in a life time.  My husband is my hero.  Are you a hero?

Just Some Notes

I really love the Idea of this blog and article page.  I think it will really give all of us a chance to express our views on the subjects we cover here without to much bickering.  I definatley encourage comments and replys to posts, but archery opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one and I will be the first to admit that I definatley have my own, but I don’t think we should press them on eachother so negativley.  Hopefully I am making sence to some of you and not just rambling.  Anyway I plan on using this site quite regularly, not for the contest although that is a definite perk, but just for its atmosphere. 

Anyway I was reading the admin. anouncements and some of the sujested topics to write about and I came across the one on the best ATV and thought I would say a few words about it.  Now don’t take the following wrong as I own an ATV myself, but I really think that the best ATV is the one that you leave at camp.  Of coarse there are certain reasons that a hunter might have to use an ATV to hunt (like a disability) but the outdoors was definitley not created to hunt or really even get around on a four wheeler.  I really think, and I may be being stereotypical here, that more people need to get out on foot or even horseback and really enjoy the outdoors.  The way that they were intended to be enjoyed.  Not only will you see more game, but I guarentee that when you do get what creature your after, you will be much more pleased with yourself.  I know I feel a great sence of acomplishment, pride, honor and heritage when I take game.  My fore fathers never had ATVs and to be honest, I don’t think that they would have used them.  Anyway, get out there and enjoy the wonderful outdoors.  Even if it on an ATV, but you might try leaving it at camp sometime, you will be suprised at what you never saw before or haven’t seen in a while.

JON  

Reflections

I look back on what I did during my last archery binge. It’s hard to ignore since some of the evidence is still with me. I have over half a dozen archery releases representing hundreds of dollars I spent on just one aspect of the shot. I have 4 different sets of arrows. I had 4 bows, pared down to 1 and now up to 2.

I realize that a lot of what I did the last time was to try and buy my way into skill. I learned some lessons, especially about back tension but what is more I learned to stop trying to spend my way to success.

I put 3 of the sets of arrows and one of the bows into my storage unit. I’m concentrating on one bow, one set of arrows, one sight, one stabilizer, one release. The decision is to stick with the bow I purchased for hunting, using it for 3D as a way to practice for hunting.

Working with my bow today felt good. I wasn’t thinking “if I buy X then I’ll be on target”. I was thinking “basics. form. consistency. sight picture. shot sequence.”

I’m not a champion archer but I’m not yet as good an archer as I could become. My eyes are not very useful at any distance but I can still learn to estimate distances and practice shooting at different distances.

And the most basic part is to have fun. To want to go to the range not to try out some new doohickey. It’s so that I can feel like I had a good time.

Yes, I still have to spend. On basics like inserts and nocks and points. Shafts and fletching. Not new ones. Just ones lost through normal use. Just replacements for the same tackle, not something new.

I think I’m going to have more fun this time around.

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