What will it be, Mister?

Dave Richey checks carbon (left) and aluminum Robin Hoods.

Archery shop owners invariably ask the same question when hunters come in to buy arrow. What will it be, Mister?

There is very little discussion these days about arrow shaft construction. There are only three basic choices, and from there, several secondary choices to be made.

Aluminum, carbon or wood? Only some long bow and recurve bow shooters still shoot wood arrows although many have switched to either one of the other two choices. The secondary choices are manufacturer, size, weight and length.

Choose which shaft is best for your archery use.

Compound bow hunters are locked into a choice between aluminum and carbon, and there is little to discuss. Very few compound shooters still shoot aluminum shafts these days.

I still like aluminum shafts for bow hunting but much of the time carbon arrows are in my bow quiver. There was a time 15-20 years ago when aluminum arrows had a death grip on the  arrow market but times have changed.

In most archery shops, at least 90 percent of arrow sales are now carbon. Some other shops report 95 percent carbon over aluminum arrows.
Years ago there were plenty of arguments against carbon shafts, and many were unfounded. Some of the early carbon arrows were too skinny, some had ugly out-serts that attached to the shaft, and the broadhead screwed into the out-sert. Another argument that has passed by the boards was that carbon arrows would shatter inside a deer.

Believe me on this: some people resented carbon arrows and resisted using them. I told a friend he'd lose arrow sales if he didn't stock carbon, and soon I noticed that people were passing up his aluminum shafts and going elsewhere to buy carbon arrows. He soon learned he was losing money.

It took some time but he eventually began to stock carbon, and began shooting these new shafts. They flew extremely well, and that settled the argument for me. He now stocks and sells carbon arrows.

Carbon shafts, in testing, out-perform arrow shafts of other materials.

Why shoot carbon? One excellent reason is the arrows are extremely straight, and tolerance levels are much tighter (less than half of one percent) than with aluminum, in most cases. Several years ago Archery Business magazine found carbon arrows were more perfectly formed, more precise, and in most cases, stronger than aluminum.

The magazine said that Carbon Express shafts, and especially their Maxima and other shafts, had the tightest tolerances in the arrow industry. It means, that with practice, a hunter or target archer can become a better shot with these arrows.

Carbon arrow companies have relegated the skinny carbon shafts of yesteryear to the back shelf, and are producing shafts with much the same diameters as aluminum.

The bigger shafts help increase down-range energy, and this allows the arrow to hit with greater force. The down-range force produces better penetration, and with increased accuracy, this means a  chance for more killing shots.

Carbon arrows require a properly maintained and tuned bow. A bow that is out of whack won't shoot any arrow well.

This means the hunter needs a well-tuned bow, a quality bow rest, and a good mechanical release. They will help produce far more accurate shots than most people ever felt possible.

Most quality archery shops can do a fine job of tuning your bow, and it's common for people to bring their bows to any high quality archery shop for an annual tune-up.

A properly tuned compound bow and carbon arrow should be paper tuned. A properly tuned arrow will cut a perfect hole when shot through paper. Out-of-tune bows will cut or tear ragged holes with feathers or vanes cutting high, low, right or left when they go through the paper.

I've shot Carbon Express for years. No reason to change.

This requires further tuning, and when the rest, nocking point and other factors jell, there is a perfectly round hole. And, with the great line-up of bows which are now available, the straight-nock travel produced by these bows make for the most accurate compound bows on the market.

Some people continue to fight the trend toward carbon arrows. Some folks simply resist change.

A well-tuned bow, quality carbon shafts, a good rest, and a broadhead suited for that shaft, will make any bow hunter a much better shot at deer and targets.

Tough? A buddy of mine shot a black bear, Quebec-Labrador caribou and whitetail deer with one arrow. That's right -- one carbon arrow. He re-sharpened the broadhead after each kill, and the arrow was still straight after killing three big-game animals in one year.

One thing is that people who shoot carbon, or any other arrow shaft for that matter, must avoid shooting an arrow that has be dented or dinged by another arrow during practice. They could shatter. Check any arrow before shooting, and then shoot with confidence.

My belief in carbon shafts, with the proviso noted immediately above, puts a capital T and A on the two words -- Tough Arrows.

Find hidden travel trails

Reading deer sign is something that has always made sense to me. It gives me more knowledge of the animals, where they feed, where they travel, and in the end, it's this knowledge that makes hunters more successful.

I'm so mindful of a big buck from several years ago. I'd seen him on two or three occasions but didn't know where he lived. It took me a week of reading October deer sign to pin down his whereabouts.

The area was in fairly heavy cover. I knew the buck had an exceptional 8-point spread, and reasoned he would be working over some big trees to strengthen his neck muscles before the rut began.

Big bucks make big rubs on trees. I'd moved slowly through the heavy cover without seeing much buck sign except for a few small rubs on some tag alders. I came out the other side of the tag alders, and entered a 25-yard by 25-yard stand of cedars and pines. That is when I worked out this whitetail puzzle.

One cedar was scarred by a pre-rutting buck. Lower limbs were broken off, and the trunk was scrubbed hard from a foot above ground to four feet off the ground. Mind you, I couldn't circle my hands around the tree trunk. This big rub was truly made by a big buck.

Checking around was a faint trail that ran toward another cedar, and it too was rubbed by the same buck. Three trees within 25 yards formed a minor rub line, and the trail exited the cover I had just walked through. This buck was leaving the tag alder to rub the cedar and pine trees, and most likely, the deer was moving out just before dark.

A nearby tree was perfect for a stand. There would be no clattering and banging required to erect a tree stand here. I'd attached a rope to my bow and my belt loop, lay the bow down flat, climbed 10 feet up the tree and stand on too thick parallel limbs that grew close together. Another limb came out at waist level, and I could stand on two limbs and lean back against the other one.

A precarious perch but good enough for one night.

Two nights later as the sun was sinking into the western sky I caught the glint of sunlight hitting brownish-white antlers. The buck went to the first tree, thrashed it hard for several minutes, looked around, and went to the second tree and repeated the process. Fifteen minutes later it arrived at the tree just 15 yards upwind of me.

It took a minute for the buck to rake the tree to a pile of fuzzy bark curlings at the base. He nosed his handiwork, lifted his head, moved around the tree to work on the opposite side. The deer was quartering-away at 15 yards, and it was an easy shot.

I don’t advise anyone to stand on cedar or pine boughs and lean against another one, and I don't suggest you follow my lead. However, I knew the limbs would support me for one evening of hunting. I was certain it would lead to a shot at the big buck on the first night, and it did.

That buck was a creature of habit, and such habits can put a deer in trouble. Once the buck stopped rubbing and visiting the nearby scrape, this idea wouldn't have worked. My adventure with that big buck was timed perfectly, and that is where knowing something about the rutting activity comes in handy. From the end of October through mid-November, that tree might not have paid off as the buck hazed does through open fields and thick cover.

Hunting one buck is an adventure, a matter of going after them one on one. It means knowing as much about the area as is possible, and being able to translate that knowledge into an action plan.

There are countless other ways of reading deer sign that will pay off in a big way, and we'll cover some other examples in the weeks to come. The important thing to realize is that studying deer sign is as much a part of deer hunting as carrying a bow into the woods.

Be alert to deer sign, read what it says, and you'll be on your way to becoming a better deer hunter.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Make up a hunting stand checklist

It's an easy thing to do. Most of us, including mysef, know that certain lists must be made and kept up to date. If a thought isn't written down down when we think of it, that thing is easily forgotten or never completed.

It has happened to me many times over the years. I'll make a list, be driving to my next assignment, and suddenly think of something else that has to be done to fix one of my ground or tree stands in the half-dozen different locations where I deer hunt.

Driving and writing notes isn't a good idea any more than driving and talking on a cell phone is so I delay writing down the thought until I start work. Someone then asks a question, or a problem needs to be solved or a quick something has to be handled, and the brilliant idea disappears in an instant. And it may never be remembered.

Planning ahead for spring chores with hunting stands means writing the ideas down. Individually! Some stands require very little care and upkeep, but others always seem to need some preseason attention.

As I've noted in the past, some elevated stands are enclosed coops on stilts while others are somewhat open box blinds built into trees. The stress of changing seasons from hot to warm to cold and back to warm, plus rain and snow and high winds, can take its toll on wood stands. And, as should be obvious, once a wood stand reaches a certain point, it's time to take it down before someone gets hurt. That someone more than likely would be me.

This points out the need of covering stand windows. Move, and if this doe is looking, she will spot inside movement.

We pay particular attention to wooden stands. We check to see if the wood is worn, if nails or screws are starting to pull loose, and whether the railing is stable. An unstable railing, and a slip and a snow-covered ste[, can throw a person against the railing. It could break or tear loose, and lead to a bad fall.

I climb into each stand and check the chairs or stools. We check the carpeting on the floor, and grab hold of a wall or shooting window, and push and pull it. We are trying to locate any squeaks. A loose nail or screw can lead to a creaky board, and that can lead to an unusual sound being made as a hunter comes to full draw on a good buck. Any weight shift in some stands can cause a creak or squeak, and that usually leads to a lost opportunity

My stands are as air-tight as possible, but that is difficult to do when windows must be opened to shoot. We check windows to see if they make noise when opened. We make sure that doors close tightly.

We double-check the wooden steps that lead up to an elevated stand. We test every step to make certain it is safe, and if an extra heavy hunter wants to hunt with me, they usually will hunt from a brand-new stand that is structurally as sound as possible. This doesn't mean that some stands are not sound; a new stand hasn't been through one or two or more hunting seasons. The chance of a problem is minimal with new stands.

All stands must be safe and secure and need checking yearly.

We make certain that all windows are clean, and we usually kill off any hornets or wasps long before hunting season begins. For some reason, these insects seem to love wooden coops on the ground or in the air. We also double-check to make certain that no bats have taken up temporary residence in any enclosed stand.

Our ground blinds get the same degree of inspection as elevated stands receive. It's difficult to fall out of a ground blind, but we make certain the footing is good leading to ground blinds. Years ago, we built a stand for a friend that used a wheelchair. The doorway was lower than our other stands, and I had to remind others to duck their head when going into or out of that stand. I keep thinking about painting a sign on the inside and outside of the door that says "Duck Your Head!"

Windows must be tested as well, and although some ground coops are built on the dirt, many have wood floors. We try to remove any loose-board squeaks. The doors must shut tight, and dark cloth curtains on the windows must be replaced almost every year because the mice get into them to line their nests.

Use caution when using wood steps to a tree stand in winter.

Think of it this way: If you are in a darkened coop, but a window is uncovered behind you, any movement made can and will be seen. Dark cloth prevents people from being skylighted and spotted by wary deer. Some of my coops used to have small peek-holes to look out, but I found that friends were constantly opening them up, usually at an inappropriate time, so I screwed the shut so the only window they can see out of is the shooting window.

Checking all of my ground and elevated stands is an ongoing spring thing. We test every blind long before the season opens, check them again when we start hunting, and look for any problem. We don't believe in leaving anything to chance. I've fallen a couple of times, and it's not fun and that's why I check my stands several times a year.

If I'm to err, it will be on the side of caution I urge all hunters to do the same. A safe stand provides a safe and successful hunt.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors