Comments

Episode-1445- Bow Hunting Deer Part One ~ The Kit — 21 Comments

  1. I dropped my co-worker off this mornign at the PEI airport and he is going Bow hunting with his brother in Coke County TX and at Balcony’s National Wildlife Preserve. (Especially if the Giants lose in Dallas)

    Great timing Jack. I have to listen to this one

  2. Broke my heart this Sunday, I got that 15yd shot on my first buck bow hunting, (this is my 3rd season as a 31yr old self taught guy), and I hit him behind the shoulder, but a few inches high I think(arrow didn’t pass through, but I saw good penetration). We followed a pretty decent blood trail for ~150yds after waiting an hr and the blood just stopped. Couldn’t find him. He wasn’t a monster buck, but I hated not being able to recover him.

    But yea, the heart pound you get after being full draw for over a minute just waiting for him to make that half turn…shew… I’ll hopefully be back out this Sunday afternoon, and more mentally and physically prepared this time.
    Thanks for another great show, I’d love to hear more on hunting.

  3. Haven’t listened to this one yet, but you can never get too much advise about deer hunting. Especially bow hunting. I’m sure I will enjoy all parts.

    Also still looking forward to your book on the .22 lr.

  4. On stopping deer. What I’ve used for years and still use, in fact its how I got the first deer of this season, is the “Kiss of Death”. Making almost a cartoon kiss sound. I’ve killed a number of deer bow hunting on foot like that. I know there are tons of methods but that one is my favorite and has yet to fail me.

  5. Perhaps it is not bow hunting specific but a small first aid kit can be invaluable.

    Bandaids
    Quickclot
    Alcohol wipes
    Antibiotic gel
    Aspirin (or the like)
    Imodium

  6. Thanks For the show Jack your a big help! Learning a lot.
    Anyone see the 50 dollar hanging tree big game tree stand cabelas has on sale now ? Is that a good stand to start off with?

    • I don’t know about that stand in particular, but like normal, it depends. If its your land and you don’t plan to sit in it all day it would be fine, but it’s probably not the most comfortable stand for that price. You also need some sort of steps. If its your tree and you don’t care about the tree too much you can go the .80 galvanized landscaping spikes that are like a foot long and drill holes for them.

    • I say don’t go cheap with a tree stand you are trusting your life with it! Hangers are fine if you own/control the land. They are something you want to set up and leave all season. Mainly I see them for spots where you have control but can’t or don’t want to put a nail in the trees and build a stand. Otherwise with 25 dollars in pressure treated lumber I can build a nice little “tree house” that is really safe and comfortable.

      I personally like climbers for maximum flexibility. They they have limits. You need a good safe tree that isn’t too big or too small. One place I ended up getting a pop up blind because all the oaks were too big to get around one with the stand.

      This is the stand I have, main selling feature to me was a two piece climber with only 16 lbs of weight. That is LIGHT and I like light. There may be lighter now, I bought mine in the 90s, the company was not yet well known and it sold for only about 120 back then. http://www.amazon.com/Summit-16-Pound-Viper-Climbing-Realtree/dp/B008GA6HI0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1413557274&sr=8-7&keywords=climbing+tree+stand

      Please find a person that is familiar with climbers to work with you a few times. Climbing stands are actually safe if you use them properly, select the right tree, etc. However, they are dangerous for the inexperienced, because there are many things you don’t know until you either learn from someone who does or have it happen to you. Hopefully if the latter it is about 5 feet off the ground when it does.

      Like can you climb a tree with significant slant? Well you can and sometimes it works out. Key is you need to be on the down slant side or you ARE GOING to end up cork screwing around the tree and busting your face or worse. When would you? IF the slant is lower down and the tree straitens about the heights you want to set at and there is no other good option, AND if the place where you go to straighter isn’t too hard to move the stand past. Oh and if everything else about the tree is safe. And if you have done it enough times to recognize a problem and decide, nope not this tree and come back down.

      One day with an experienced guy climbing a few trees will make you more likely to succeed and a lot less likely to end up hurt, paralyzed or dead.

      A tree isn’t the only way, sometimes something like this has a real advantage. Especially since they started making shoot through mess about 15 years ago. http://www.amazon.com/Yukon-Tracks-AV166-Prowler-Ground/dp/B00IAPNZ4K/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1413557828&sr=8-10&keywords=pop+up+ground+blind+shoot+through

      • Oh let me add on the slanted tree. Why does it need to straiten to be useful? It is actually pretty safe and you can get the stand pretty level on the down slant side. The problem is if the slant is significant you are going to spend hours with the tree making you bend forward and that is extremely uncomfortable.

  7. Saw the episode title and actually said, “yessss” out loud. I’ve never hunted, but I’m hoping to start. This is the kind of info you just can’t find anywhere else, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the bow hunting series. Keep it up, Jack!

  8. Great show. Lot of good suggestions. I have been bowhunting for 13 years, there is nothing close to it as far as adrenaline rush is concerned. Good work Jack.

  9. I add a couple of glow sticks in my bow and gun pack. I’ve been very frustrated tracking deer and you can get focused on the blood trail and get turned around. Snap a glow stick and hang it near the stand. That gives me a reference point. The tp is great for marking, but when I have to do the tracking by myself I find a bright glowing marker at the last tp mark gives me a better ability to get back to last blood. If the choice is between toilet paper or glow sticks, pick tp! If you have room, glow sticks are a cheap luxury item.

  10. Jack,

    Would you consider continuing the bow hunting deer series with a podcast on tanning the hide??

    I thought I could teach myself to tan a hide last deer season from some YouTube videos, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Would love some pointers, as it would be awesome to be able to use as much of the deer as possible! (Would really love to hear about brain tanning in particular.)

  11. Wow, you’re Audie Murphy re-incarnated the way you say you’ll drop a deer with a rifle!

    • Really? Never really heard/saw anything by Audie Murphy, may be I should look up his work?

  12. Thanks for the great episode. Your gear list is invaluable. It should be added to the MSB. I use the Wyoming saw for pruning. It also has a bone blade. The saw breaks down for packing, and the replacement blades are cheap.

  13. A few things I would add. First, if you want to leave your stand in the woods, a bike lock can help make sure it doesn’t walk away when you are gone. Second, having grown up in northern MN I used the arm guard to keep my bulky winter clothing from interfering with the bow string. Third, a lighter to start a fire if needed. I never have actually used it but figure that is because I had it with. Fourth, a means of communication. I bring my iPhone with (on silent of course). That way any help I need is only a phone call/text away. Trailing, gutting and dragging is easier with an extra set of hands. Last, you might mention it when you talk about tree stands in a later episode but a harness to keep you from getting hurt if you fall out.