It’s sheer lunacy to hunt on nights like tonight

This hunter scored on a nice buck during a break in a winter storm.

All of the so-called best deer hunters have a familiar thought they spout like a meditative mantra: Hunt just before a big winter storm. It’s when the big bucks move.

I hunted last night, and right at 5:30 p.m. when I took the primer out of my Knight muzzleloader, it began spitting snow. I was out and about in a good spot at a time that folks consider the best late-season period to hunt. I never saw a deer.

The full force of a big storm came sweeping into my part of the state about an hour later, and it’s still blowing and snowing 24 hours later, and we’ve got more than 18 inches of new snow today. An hour ago, I checked the weather, and could barely see my garage. It’s nasty.

It’s not a night fit for man nor beast,

So, what does this prove? Not much except for every established rule known about deer hunting, there are exceptions to those rules. I believe in that old adage, have followed it for many years and taken some nice bucks.

I also have sat out like last evening, and seen nothing. The only thing about these rules that many of us follow, is that they don’t always work. It’s been my experience that if any deer-hunting rule passes muster 50 percent of the time, that’s a good average.

However, that said, if it works 50 percent of the time, what about the other 50 percent. Well, obviously, that’s when they don’t work.

Did I hunt tonight? Nope! There are near gale-force winds tonight, and the snow is so thick and heavy, not only in the air but on the ground, that hunting in such a storm is an excellent way to get lost in the snow. It’s a great way to fall down, and in doing so, a person could be seriously injured.

A hurt and turned-around hunter could easily die of exposure on a night like tonight. Tracks quickly snow in, and without a good compass or GPS unit and the ability to use either one, what could be a reasonably easy trek through the deep snow could turn into a living nightmare.

I can honestly say I’ve never been lost, and had to spend the night in the woods, but a couple times I was turned around. I finally got my line of travel straightened out, and made my way out to safety in the dark. It’s one thing for that to happen on a mild October evening, and something much worse than doing so on a night when blizzard conditions are forecast.

Weathermen predict blizzard conditions onight & more snow tomorrow.

It’s also why I always carry a backpack. In it is a Space Blanket that reflects body heat, and can keep you quite warm. I also carry such survival gear as a bottle of water, two or three bags of nuts and chocolate bars, an extra sweater, raingear, dry socks, knife, fire starter cubes with wood kitchen (light anywhere) matches, wool stocking cap, and a cell phone with a full battery charge.

Make no mistake about it: getting lost or injured in the woods on a night like tonight could be one of the most horrible nights of your life, even if you survive. Last night I hunted from a covered pit blind, and it was warm inside even though the wind was picking up. However, if a hunter was up a tree, the full force of last night’s wind could have blown a hunter out of a tree.

Be  prepared for any eventually. What you carry could save your life.

A fall, even when wearing a full body harness, may not save your life on such a night. I’ve been through more bad experiences in my 44-year writing career than many people, and came as close to dying in a couple of them, but between me and you, but sitting out in the woods on a night like tonight would be sheer idiocy. Common sense plays a major role in human survival.

Besides, common knowledge about deer also tells us that deer move before the storm, not during it. In some cases, they may have more common sense than some hunters who take chances. Just remember, it doesn’t pay to play games with Mother Nature.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Enjoy deer hunting and help others

The snow has finally arrived. We still have three weeks to hunt.

There are some fringe benefits that come from a day or weekend of deer hunting, but a hunter who is envious or jealous of another hunters success will never understand this concept.

Some sportsmen may wonder what those benefits may be. Here is a short selection of key things that can come from a hunt, and anyone who thinks about the topic for a few minutes will come up with others. Make up your own list.

*The opportunity to spend time outdoors. This means hunting in all types of weather condition, and while some seldom produce good results, we learn to appreciate those that do.

Be grateful for what we get, even in a bad season like this one.

*It's a father, mother, uncle or close friend who gives unselfishly of his/her time to help new hunters learn more about this sport. It's simple things like pointing out deer track, a rub on a tree or a ground scrape, that helps other hunters learn. We can’t just take it for granted that others, who are not hunters or from a hunting family, will know what we’re talking about.

*It's sighting in a rifle, and knowing how to do it with a minimum number of shots. It is taking the time to be certain your firearm is shooting accurately, and knowing that more deer are killed with a single, deliberate well-placed shot than by squeezing off several shots at a moving target that is more likely to wound than kill the animal.

*It means helping others and sharing in their joy and success. This may mean helping to blood trail a deer with another person during bow season or helping another hunter drag out an animal. It means doing your share to help around hunting camp including chores such as washing dishes, cutting and splitting firewood, bringing in fresh water, helping others to hang their deer from the buck pole, and countless other tasks. It means as much giving as it does receiving, and sometimes even more.

*It is the sight and smell of wood smoke curling from the chimney of deer camp. It is the distant glint of lantern light through the darkened trees as we make our way back to camp after a long day of hunting.

*It is that first breath-taking sight of a good buck, his antlers bone white, moving slowly and cautiously upwind of you. You track his progress, pick a hole through the cover that offers a small but open shot, and waiting patiently for the buck to walk into the opening and offer a clear shot at the heart and lungs. And don't forget to share some of your venison with others who were less fortunate during this year’s crazy seasons.

That first glint of sunlight off antlers tugs at our heart.

*It is the fragrance of cedar and pine needles, fresh backstrap tenderloins or venison liver and onions sizzing in the frying pan, old pine knots spitting and popping in the wood stove, and the pleasant warmth of a fire in deer camp after many hours out in the cold.

*It is the healthy exercise of walking, sitting, and still-hunting some more. It is seeing your breath on a frosty morning, seeing nothing clearly while hunting on a foggy day, picking up the sight of large and splayed tracks in the snow that could be a buck, and seeing a chickadee land on the brim of your cap while trail watching.

*It is the endless participation of hunters bragging up their favorite rifle cartridge, and the retort of another hunter claiming his round is more accurate and deadly, and never once laying this issue to rest. It's not so important to determine who is right or wrong, but that there is lively discussion pro and con on this or any other topic of deer-hunting interest.

*It's knowing that if you down a deer, that others will be there to help. It's also the knowledge that you'll do the same for your camp mates or even a perfect stranger. It's just one of the things that deer hunters do.

*Deer hunting is the knowledge that alcohol may be a deer-camp tradition, but it's never used until all firearms are unloaded and put safely away, and then used in moderation. Deer hunters must learn that alcohol, taken in moderation, doesn't give sportsmen the right to act loud and loutish during trips to town. Hunters should project an image of being caring and responsible individuals, not drunken louts with a loud, foul mouth.

All deer hunters will be judged by the actions of loud, rude sportsmen.

*Another benefit is the knowledge that members of our armed forces, by their presence in world-wide hell-holes are helping to guarantee our right to own and possess firearms and the privilege to use them while hunting in a safe and sane manner. Many of our countrymen and women have given their life, or have been critically wounded, to make our hunting possible.

*Last, but not least, use this hunting season to introduce someone new to the sport we love. Give freely of your time and knowledge, make women and youngsters feel welcome, and if helping them means giving up a day or two of your hunt, do it so hunting will continue to grow. Be selfish, and think only of yourself, and hunting as we know it will soon be on the ropes, and it will be you who helps destroy our tradition and our way of life.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Hunting’s five stages

I spent an hour on the phone recently with an old friend. Jim Dabb retired from the DNR more than a decade ago, and we've been friends for about 30 years because of our ongoing interest in Hunter Education.

His job, when he retired from the DNR's Law Enforcement Division, was to oversee all of the Hunter Education programs in the state. He was the go-to guy for the newest rules, where training sessions would be held, and much more.

He was one of the greatest friends a legal hunter could ever have. He'd spent years as a conservation officer in the field, got yanked to Lansing for his final time on the job, and put in those last years riding a desk and doing what had to be done to get as many children (and parents) involved in a Hunter Education class as possible.

Hunter Education was his state-wide job.

We met when I began running The Detroit News' Hunter Education Program in 1980, and 20 of my 23 years as the paper's staff outdoor writer were spent honing our two-day program each September. The paper scrapped this wonderful program back about 2000, but training kids and their parents is something that still moves me.

Dabb and I discussed what he calls "The Five Stages Of A Hunter." It is a continuing maturation process that takes hunters through these various stages. Wisconsin has done numerous studies on this, and I shall report more on it again at a later date.

*Shooting is the first step in this process. A novice hunter wants to shoot his or her bow or firearm. It can be nothing more than plinking at tin cans or stumps in the woods, although some novices start out wanting to hunt and shoot.

This shooting can fall into two distinct areas: one is to practice shooting at a target or at game in season. It's been proven that the more a hunter shoots a bow or firearm, the better their skills become providing they have capable assistance from other caring sportsmen. Kids, in particular, love to hear the firearm go bang but must be taught the responsible use of a firearm and the dangers of careless use.

*The second stage in hunter development, Dabb says, is limiting out. They want to kill a limit of ducks, rabbits, ruffed grouse, squirrels woodcock or deer.

This is a stage many hunters find themselves mired in, but some feel the purchase of a small game or big game license should guarantee them a full bag limit.

A hunting license guarantees them only the right to legally hunt in season.

What many sportsmen don't realize is the purchase of a license guarantees them only the privilege of going hunting in a legal manner. It means they can legally hunt, and nothing else is granted.

*The third step in the progression of a hunter is learning techniques. The hunter seeks out advice from longtime sportsmen, reads hunting magazines or weblogs like this one, watches videos and reads books. Those who read, and practice what they learn, are the best hunters.

They want to work with bird dogs or hounds, hunt with a centerfire or muzzleloading rifle, and they study various methods of hunting the rut, hunting deer in cornfields, how to call wild turkeys or other game-birds, and they are on a quest to soak up knowledge about hunting.

*Step No. 4 is the trophy stage. "This," Dabb said, "is where hunters want to shoot the biggest buck in the county, the largest bear, the ringneck pheasant with the most bars on its tail."

This stage often becomes the macho period in a hunters life where they want bragging rights. They want to be known as a good hunter, and nothing but the biggest and the best will do. Sadly, some will jump on a plane, fly somewhere on a canned hunt, and shoot the critter within a matter of an hour or two, and be on their way home the same day.

*Last but certainly not least is the Sportsman Stage. This is where the hunter acknowledges the fact that he/she can become the supreme predator, and the kill no longer becomes the sole reason why we hunt.

The kill is the end result of a hunt, but a true sportsman can have a successful hunt without firing a shot. It means pitting one's skills against an animal while giving the game the greatest chance to escape. It is ethical hunting, fair-chase hunting, and the hunt becomes more important than the kill.

This final stage often isn't attained until middle-age, and with some, they never reach this level. It is where the wind on the cheek, spotting a deer, hearing the gobble of a wild turkey -- when all of these and many other things become more important than pulling the trigger. It's when we start caring about and respecting what we hunt.

Take a long look at this issue, and ask yourself: which category do I fall in? If you've read this blog for very long, you'll know that I'm in the fifth stage. Killing is no longer why I hunt.

I hunt to have hunted. I hunt to have spent time outdoors, and have been at it long enough to learn that the buck that got away will be remembered long after the deer we shot has been forgotten.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors