bow hunting

Hunting Utopia – Wisconsin Deer Hunting

By Wesley Locklear

When I moved to Wisconsin from North Carolina in June of 2000. I was excited about the opportunity to go deer hunting. My father in-law and brother in-law both had long traditions of going out the weekend before thanksgiving with the intent of harvesting a huge Wisconsin buck.

I did not own a rifle so I borrowed my father in-law’s 308 and took to the woods. I shot a small 5-point buck. I was hooked. In those days when you bought a deer license you got a buck tag. If you wanted a chance to take a doe you needed to apply for a choice permit. A few years went by and I wanted more chances to bag that big Wisconsin buck. So I started bow hunting.

I met a few local guys playing softball in a local beer league that owned a few acres of private land that was accessible for bow hunting. I harvested a small buck every year. I never really had a chance to bag that huge Buck.

With seasons coming and going the Wisconsin DNR made doe permits more readily available. They made some deer management units T-Zone units. This meant there were special doe only hunts twice a year. At first I thought this was just a chance to spend more time in the woods. But a few years later when T-Zone units turned into Herd Control Units more and more does were taken.

The measures the DNR took to control the herd depleted one of Wisconsin’s most desired resources. I was finally able to harvest a mature 10-point buck with my bow in 2007. But the last two years my deer sightings were way down.

Deer hunting brings in a lot of money into Wisconsin. Not only by selling licenses. Buying guns, ammo, gear, lodging and food brings in millions to the local economy that struggles up north. I hope the DNR makes a change. If they don’t everyone will suffer.

www.huntingutopia.com

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bow hunting

Deer Hunting – What You Need to Know

By Peter Gitundu

Deer hunting is one interesting activity. Different types of game can be hunted but in the USA, though the deer is widely hunted to control the number of deer at the ranches. There are many hunting fields in Texas and one can use the internet to find the ranches that they will find most suitable.

After going through a couple of ranches, one has to make a booking so that they can deer hunt. There are laws that have to be taken into consideration when deer hunting so as not to do anything illegal. Different ranches will provide you with information about places to find the deer. One also gets to learn the art of dressing freshly shot deer. The dressing of the deer helps to keep the deer fresh while one hunts.

There are many varieties of deer to choose from including the Mule, trophy and the Monster white tailed deer. From the ranches, one can get information on where to find specific breed of deer. There are other places that one can visit to enjoy the deer at large without hunting them. These kinds of scenes will always leave one wanting to come back just to enjoy the wonderful sight especially with Texas deer hunting!

One of the main reasons why Texas deer hunting is popular is to control the numbers of deer to manageable levels such that they can survive. Some places have large herds and hunting them will reduce them to a level that they are able to freely survive without having to fight for food. One should therefore be informed about the numbers they are allowed to hunt. With this in mind, take time and enjoy the hunting experience!

Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on Hunting. For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here HUNTING STORES If You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED!

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Deer-Hunting—What-You-Need-to-Know&id=1692468

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Deer Hunting on the Move: Stillhunting for Deer, or, Getting off the Stump

By Paul D. Smith

Deer hunting on the move, or stillhunting, is commonly misunderstood as to what it is and how to go about it. It is stalking deer, not waiting on a stump or in a blind for the deer to come to you. It can be the most rewarding deer hunting experience you can do. It can also be the most frustrating, since it is a skill which requires you to slow everything everything – your sight, your breath and your walking gait. But the payoffs go beyond the hunt to your better enjoyment of nature itself.

This article will talk about some things I’ve learned while hunting deer in the Vermont woods and oak mast ridges of Wisconsin. These few simple techniques can be used on your next hunt – whether you choose to stillhunt or not, the principles are the same. These techniques will also make your deer hunt a richer experience. It’s all about: you’re outdoors – enjoy the scenery, hunting or not.

Generally, as deer hunters, we think of one thing when we hunt, and that is deer. Not deer in general, but that deer. We are aided in this compulsion by our brains, and our eyes. Let’s talk about eyes first.

Hunt Deer with Soft Focus – See Them as They See You

We see as all predators do – forward, and tightly focussed. Take a look at your average housecat and watch it stalk something. It pursues its object with its eyes narrowed and every muscle relaxed, yet steeled at a moment’s notice to pounce. We share with the cat and all predators having our eyes in the front of our head, designed to focus on a single thing.

However, deer, and all prey species, have eyes designed to detect motion. Deer and all prey species have eyes on the side of their head, and this aids in perceiving motion first, long before the animal can make out whether what they see is a threat, or just some pattern-breaking motion in the woods. When stillhunting for deer, we must adopt to the way they see. We must see motion first, patterns out of sync second, and the deer last. The only way to do this is to relax our focus and broaden our field of vision.

Here’s how to practice. Stand facing a wall, about six to eight feet away from it. Stare hard at a spot on the wall. Raise your arms, index fingers extended, fully out to the side from your head (and slightly behind). Now, keeping your arms straight and your index fingers extended, bring your arms slowly in front of your face. Notice the moment when your fingers come into view – this is your field of vision (FOV).

Now, turn to the wall again. This time, soften your focus so that your eyes, while seeing objects or spots on the wall, do not lock on any one spot. Repeat the index-finger practice. You should see your fingers enter your FOV much earlier than before. It is this type of sight – gained through practice, for it isn’t natural to us anymore – that allows us to see changes in woods patterns, motion – in short, to see deer out in the distance, possibly before they see us.

Now, onto walking.

Walk Toe-Heel, not Heel-Toe

YOu see it all the time – the hunter walking through the woods as if he’s on rice paper.

It doesn’t work. As a hunter, you’re going to make noise. But then, so do deer and other game. So does anything living and breathing in the woods. What you want to avoid is making the rhythmic gait a hunter makes when he’s running, usually after a deer, or doing everything he can to be quiet, when he doesn’t yet see one.

Walking toe-heel is the way to walk, because the palm of your foot can be more flexible in its response to the softwood twigs and deadfall underfoot – like deer, whose hooves make relatively light contact with the forest floor. Walking heel-toe makes for a heavy, stiff step – a human step. Walking heel toe, take a few steps, pause, and, using the soft-focus described above, take in the environment, in a holistic way. Above all else, if you find yourself entering in to a steady, rhythmic gait, break it up. You also want to avoid any obviously sounds coming from anything man-made, such as metal or hard plastic. Bottom line – brushing past an oak stump is o.k. Marching in cadence is not, nor is that canteen banging against your hunting rifle strap buckle.

Know the Wind

Finally, walk into the wind. Yes, this is rule 1. But many hunters, especially those used to staying in a relatively insulated hunting blind, forget this cardinal rule. I’ve stood with my bow drawn on a buck 10 yards away, with the buck clearly trying to figure out what the heck this would-be rambo was up to – only to watch it spring to life once the wind shifts, and thanksgiving was a bit – thinner that year.

Don’t even bother still hunting on blustery days, with no prevailing winds.

The bottom line, when you are hunting deer in this way, is to get used to is slowing yourself down, for hours at a time, and softening your focus to “deer hunt” for motion – not deer.

But act like, see like, deer, become more a part of where you are, and you will reap many rewards – whether you bag a deer or not.

Paul Smith lives in the northwoods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He divides his time between his family, teaching the Japanese martial art of Aikido (Aikido Marquette) and building http://www.a1-outdoors.com, a website devoted to information and retail resources for hunting gear and other outdoor pursuits.

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