Episode-543- All About Deer Hunting
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So I am about to go away for the rest of the week up to the BOL in Arkansas. Not another vacation but for pure work. As you know we are getting ready to move in the winter to Arkansas permanently, something I have been working years to achieve. I won’t be hunting but I will be doing some scouting, I may even take the bow and hell who knows but the truth is I will spend this trip laying flooring. Yet just the thought of being in the woods in cool weather has me thinking of hunts past.
Additionally with the loss recently of my good friend Howell Dodd getting away could not come at a better time. I won’t be doing any prerecorded shows, I wanted to and was going to over the weekend but the loss of my friend just took it all out of me. What I will do though is rebroadcast some earlier shows on Wednesday and Thursday. Two that will hopefully keep anyone from getting to hopeful after today’s so called “historic elections”.
But if I am going to leave you for the rest of the week let me do so on a truly happy and fun subject. There are two times when I am absolutely fully happy, one is with gun or bow in hand in the mountains in pursuit of game, the other with rod in hand in pursuit of fish. Let me share what deer hunting has meant to me, the lessons it has taught me about life and prepping and how it is different in different parts of the nation.
Join me today as we discuss…
- The story of my first rack buck with a bow
- Understanding your preys advantages
- Sight
- Hearing
- Scent
- Instinct
- Understanding your prey’s weaknesses
- Follows patterns
- Can’t think like a human
- Driven by primal urges
- Territorial
- Your understanding of its advantages and disadvantages
- Methods of hunting
- Stalking
- Still Hunting
- Tree stand hunting
- Blind hunting
- Driving
- Tips and tricks
- The real hunting is from Feb – Sept
- Film container scent use (doe in rut is best)
- A bag full of pine needles
- Get dressed in the field
- Always read the wind
- Stay warm or cool
- Be organized
- Learn to “feel”
- Dealing with your kill
- Field dressing
- Skinning
- Quartering
- Aging meat
- Boning and primary cuts
- Thoughts on being a predator as a natural state
- It is about the harvest more then the kill
- Sometimes you “let one walk”
- Wise words from Robert Ruark
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
- TSP Gear Shop
- Join Our Forum
- The Berkey Guy – (sponsor of the day)
- Emergency Essentials – (sponsor of the day)
- Ron Hood’s Survival.com Magazine
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Photo Credit for Photo Above to huntingdesigns under Creative Commons
Just starting this episode, but am really looking forward to it. Hoping for my second deer in as many years. Our season just started up here in Maine, and as I was driving out the driveway this morning, got a call from my brother saying he had just shot an 8 point buck!
Great episode Jack! I didn’t grow up hunting like many. This will be my 3rd season and I got my first deer last fall. I have some good friends that took me out in the field my first year, shared with me their knowledge and skills, and helped me learn to shoot. The coolest thing for me was being able to take my 12 yr old son out for his first hunt this fall during our youth only weekend. He ended up harvesting an awesome 9 point buck that weekend. It was one of those days that both of us will never forget.
Can’t wait to hear it! I’m taking my 8 y.o daughter ( who knows and can recite the 4 rules) and my 13 y.o nephew Saturday for youth hunting day!!!And I haven’t forgotten, I AM going to call for episode 550!
Never hunted myself, but thanks for giving me a greater understanding about what it involves in all its aspects. Often when walking alone I have seen deer and other animals in the woods here in northwest Switzerland, usually after they have located me first and started to run off.
Amazing how right you were about the 2010 elections! “don’t cry if you are democrats, and don’t cheer if you are republicans, because IT DON’T FRIKKEN MATTER!” I was a Republican, now an enlightened Libertarian. Thank you Jack. I tried to fire MA Congress Clowns and an ass-clown frikken Gov. Patrick that we just frikken re-elected today! I can’t believe it, more taxes I hope we repealed our 6.25% sales tax and 6.5% alcohol tax on top of our excise tax. Is this taxation with OVER REPRESENTATION!!!!!!!!!!!! GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!!!! sorry
My thoughts and prayers for Howell’s family and friends. Thank you for sharing his experience with you, with all of us.
Cool topic and timely. Each of my sons got a doe and buck (one a 6 and one an 8 point) this past weekend.
I came late to hunting too, but am lucky that my children can share in it from an early age.
Great Great episode Jack I’ve been hunting Deer for 33 Deer years and I so remember my first hunts with my family and I try to pass what I have learned and been taught to my children, friends and co-workers and its great that you put this pod-cast out 4 days before the rifle opener in Minnesota. I am going to make my children listen to the podcast before we go out just so they can hear someone else besides their Dad say similar things before the hunting season starts.
I started off rifle hunting until I turned 18 then I hunted bow for over 10 years. An old bow hunter (he was in his 60’s and had shot over 100 deer but had hunted Elk, Caribou, Moose and practically everything else) told me if you can successfully hunt Deer you can hunt EVERYTHING ELSE successfully and I have to believe him. Deer are crazy smart, instinctive and Wiley if you are successful with Deer you can get all the other animals especially if you bow hunt.
I have hunted in Montana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin the hunting is similar but not the same…in Minnesota a long shot is 100 yards in Montana I took a Mule Deer at 400+ yards and that isn’t considered that long of a shot.
Something that Jack didn’t mention that is something that Lt Col( Ret) Dave Grossman told me and I personally believe-those who hunt know what it is like to take a life and make better warriors than non-hunters. That is something that has been noted by Military instructors/trainers since at least WWII.
As this is my first year hunting I enjoyed this episode so much I ended up listening to it twice! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
Great show Jack. If only the common city man could know the electrifying feel of the kill and to eat that which has died at thine own hand.
Great episode! I just started using deer calls: wheeze, grunt, bleat. Have any of you used calls and what has your success been with them?
I got two does last year without using calls. Just curious what you all think. Do the calls attract more hunters than deer? lol!
@LHunt,
I have used calls on occasion mainly when bow hunting to stop a deer for a shot. I think the big thing with calls is not over using them.
I have found the grunt to bring in deer both bucks and does mostly from curiosity. I have had young deer in particular (yearlings) literally run in to a grunt.
The down side is the ability of a deer to pinpoint a sound can’t be underestimated. Once you do it they are keyed in on your exact location.