Crack Shot

Sorry, no pics of me working on the plumbing. I'm talking about a different type of crack shot. My Dad always claimed I was a natural with a shotgun. At one time I was a hell of a shot with a .22 rifle. Never in all my days could I compare to Julie's skill with a rifle. This girl is a crack shot.

We went out hunting yesterday. Julie isn't cleared for a shotgun yet, so she carried my grandfather's old Winchester bolt action .22 long rifle. I sighted it in last fall with Remington YellowJackets. It is topped with a variable power Weaver scope. Out of all of the .22 rifles I have, it is by far the most consistent across all ammunition. But the rifle is just the start.

Trying to hit a squirrel in the head is one heck of a challenge. You must be able to hold sub-MOA accuracy while shooting in field conditions. You have to be able to acquire a target in seconds. You also have to wait until you have a good backdrop. A .22 bullet can sail two miles on an errant shot. The undergrowth has a lot of beech trees, which obscure the views. While they were a beautiful golden color, they were also in the way.

We hunted the 25-acre woods on sunday. We have occasionally taken fox squirrels there. The norm is grays, by a factor of about 20 to 1. Gray squirrels are far more "squirrely" than fox squirrels. Gray squirrels move very quickly through the trees, seldom if ever pausing. They don't like to spend a lot of time on the ground. Fox squirrels move fairly slowly by comparison.

I tell you all of this, in case you haven't tried hunting squirrels with a rifle before. I have. It is not easy and I am not good at it. I sat us down in the middle of a tree rat superhighway. We each saw at least 4 squirrels within the first half hour, while facing in different directions. Had I had a shotgun, I could have taken each one of them. With a rifle, I went home empty handed.

She fired twice and took home two squirrels. Both were head shots. The first was on a squirrel that was probably a September baby. It was a couple inches shorter overall than a typical gray. Her target couldn't have been larger than a nickel. The other was, I swear, 75 yards away. Shot placement was just under the ear - a perfect placement. Shooting sticks? No. Holding against a tree? No. She was sitting on the ground, bracing her elbows on her knees.

I don't know how she does it. I think she should change her middle name to Annie.

You know you're in for a bumpy flight when...

... the plane you are flying on is held together by duct tape and bailin' wire. The kid next to me reassured me that it was NASCAR duct tape. Unfortunately, that didn't make me feel much better.

Somehow I made it home in one piece. I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately. Travelling 3 weeks out of 4 will do that to a guy. I'm home for a couple weeks and looking forward to getting outdoors very soon.

Tradeoffs

I am starting to shorten the list of choices for my bow. I have decided upon a few attributes to help narrow the field. With this, I realise there are some tradeoffs. Since I haven't found a place to shoot yet, I think I would benefit by hearing what others look for in a bow.

The last piece that I need to narrow down is the draw weight, then I will be ready to buy. Letoffs are pretty generous in current bow models. I think that opens up some leeway in draw weight. There are a lot of different cam designs. Some ramp up quickly and load heavily across the power stroke. Others ramp up gradually, feeling smoother while losing some of the potential energy. Still others are more efficient at transferring that potential energy to the arrow.

These are some of the bows on my list, included here because they illustrate my thinking process.

The BowTech Guardian loads aggressively through the power stroke, but it loses some of that power to a lower efficiency. On the other hand, with the more aggressive cams it may be possible to pull a little less draw weight for similar performance.

The Bear Truth is aggressive, but not so much so as the Guardian. It stores less energy overall but makes better use of the effort you put into it. It is slightly slower, but not enough to sway me one way or the other.

The Matthews Drenalin is near peak draw for a shorter period than the Truth, but stores slightly more energy overall. I believe this one will actually be the smoothest of the three. Due to its higher efficiency, it achieves better speeds than the other two bows.

I have narrowed the field down to where the deciding factors will really be driven by feel and draw weight. Of course, that is why I keep going on about needing to shoot a few bows before I decide. As the example shows, it is possible to find a combination such that the bow is easier to draw but still maintains the same level of performance.

Tradeoffs come in the price and the relative noise level of the bows. The Drenalin should be fairly smooth and I could probably step down the draw weight and achieve the same speeds, but I pay for it in noise and greenbacks. The Guardian is much quieter and slightly less expensive, but you work for it. This would likely force me to drop draw weight in order to shoot well, and may end up shooting slower as a result. The Truth is more attractive pricewise. It trades off a little performance and relative ease of draw for a notable difference in price.

This is just looking from one angle. I'm sure there are many more. So, how do tradeoffs factor into your bow selection?

Wanted

Wanted: An archery store.

- Willing to help me determine the proper draw weight, by actually drawing a bow.
- Willing to help me select a bow based on its merits, rather than its brand name.
- Capable of fitting me to the right bow.

I tried two stores today. Neither came close. One was busy watching the OSU game. The other had a total of 4 different bows.

Learning to Bowhunt

I mentioned before that my interest is growing in the whole bowhunting scene. I really want to get into bowhunting in time for the '08 season, but it has to be done my way. I'm sure I am biased from my work background, but I sure place a high value on formal training. I also like to read and study about something before I dive in.

The more I look into it, the more I envy some of the options available to women. I am all for supporting my fellow hunter, especially the huntress. I think the blogging community and now the outdoors channels are doing a better job of promoting women in the wild. However when it comes to learning bowhunting, I think there is a great example of an area where women actually have more resources available.

Julie had a comprehensive archery program in her school. In our school, archery was only for the girls. We had plenty of other valuable life skills to practice. You know, like dodgeball. As a result, I can throw a mean volleyball but I sure can't shoot a bow.

Women also have the opportunity to attend Becoming an Outdoors Woman (B.O.W.) sessions where they can learn about bowhunting ( and many other interesting topics). The more I think about it, the more I think that women actually have an advantage in the area.

Certainly there must be a program out there available to me. How did you get started into bowhunting? What have you done to get better with your bow? What would you recommend for an upstart like me?

Wishing I was here to hunt

Well, I have settled down for the evening here in Colorado. I can't help but wish that I were here to hunt. Early this afternoon, I met up with 2 colleagues at the hotel. They handed me the keys to the rental and we headed west for the Rockies.

We drove through Estes Park and on up into Rocky Mountain National Park. The last time I was here, the Elk had already shed their antlers. I was hoping to see a bull Elk this time around. I was not disappointed.

I snapped this shot while we were on the driveway up to The Stanley Hotel (hint: Heeeere's Johnny!). I really thought this was a big bull! Before he broke off half his rack, he was a 6x6.

We continued on up to RMNP and came across a few smallish herds and several bulls the size of the Stanley Bull. We drove up a mountain side and came around a curve when in the woods to my right, I saw the biggest butt I have ever seen. I slowed down for a better look. This bull was an absolute monster. He was a mature, full-bodied 7x7 not 10 feet from the road. Unfortunately, the picture I took of him had the quality typical of a sasquatch photo. You can see something is there, but you're not sure what. You'll just have to take my word on this one!

On the way out of the park, we stopped and gawked in awe of a herd that must have numbered between 3 to 4 hundred elk. I watched the largest of the bulls as he grazed among the herd. He wasn't the size of the Mix-a-lot Bull, but he was big. He was maybe 30 yards away when he lifted his head and bugled, his breath frosty in the crisp mountain air. The whole scene just sent chills up the back of my neck.

We stopped again on the way out of the park, when the backseat passenger spotted deer. Sure enough, a trio of Mulies! The buck's rack was forked in the typical mulie way, but he didn't have any additional points. He was on the trail of a doe with her calf in tow. We watched him for a few minutes before a car door spooked him. I watched him bound off as if his legs were springs. How cool! My first mule deer sighting in the wild.

Hunting Fever

OK call me crazy, but I just couldn’t help myself. Andy wanted to go upland game hunting Sunday. It has only been a week and a half ago I had my surgery, and I still have a couple of days before I can drive, but I was going stir crazy. So what did I do about it.. I went with Andy hunting! I knew I couldn’t shoot a shotgun yet, so I took Andy’s .22 riffle and a lawn chair and walked a little ways into the woods. I didn’t see any squirrels, but at least I got to sit out in the woods with a gun and watch for them. If I had hiked deeper into the woods I probably would have seen some, but I went as far as I could without causing myself too much pain. Before sunrise Andy dropped me off at the edge of the woods while he went and waited until he could hunt a nearby field. By about 9:00 AM he sent me a message that he had changed fields and was parked near where I was. What should have been a 5 or 10 min. hike took me 30 min. to get to the truck. I let him continue to hunt the fields while I took a nap in the truck. I didn’t get to shot anything, but at least it took care of my hunting fever! As Andy has said before it is so beautiful to sit in the woods and listen to it wake up.

Hunting Network

It must be that time of year again. I talked to several people at work this week who have either already been hunting or had exciting trips planned. It is really great having folks to swap stories with. I think of it as my own hunting network!

I bumped into a colleague at the office who showed me pictures of the 4x3 buck he arrowed in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago. He also took a nice doe while he was there. He also had pictures of his 73 year old father's doe. He said the camp only took 4 deer total this year. Since he is local, I extended the offer to go squirrel or upland hunting.

I talked to another colleague down in Atlanta who was finishing up work so he could get an early start on the drive to Alabama. This is his 3rd season and he will be carrying a crossbow. I promised to call back when we both had some more time to chat. I really want to hear how his hunt goes and about what he thinks of the crossbow. I also suggested setting up some sort of a class here in Ohio so he has an excuse to come hunt!

Earlier this week I talked to another colleague down in Kentucky. He hasn't had time this year to do any scouting or to hang a stand. However, he is leaving the friday after next for a deer and black bear hunt up in Maine. He agreed to let me post pictures once he gets back.

I'll tell you what, I sure am itching to take up bow hunting. I have a lot that I want to learn before I start hunting with a bow. I'm thinking about picking up a bow on clearance after the season and taking the summer to practice. Whether it will be a compound or a crossbow, I haven't yet decided.

Upland Season Opens

The upland seasons for ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, and cottontail rabbit started today in Ohio. I'm not sure if I will get out this weekend or what I will hunt if I do. I would sure hate to pass up on the opportunity to hunt, but there is a lot to do around here before my next two trips. Today is my birthday, so I guess it also depends on how much I celebrate tonight!

Safety in the Field

With deer gun season only a few weeks away here in Ohio, I have been thinking about safety and seasons past. I have mentioned that I hunted one year of deer season about 15 years ago. Dad was always very cautious in the field and would have never allowed us to be put in harms way. As I thought about our experiences that season, I gained a new perspective on why we didn't continue to hunt the deer season.

Both being new to deer hunting, we weren't sure exactly how to go about it. There were a few public areas nearby and we concentrated our efforts there. We had kicked up a few deer while hunting pheasants and rabbits. Our approach was influenced by that and by some more experienced deer hunters that we knew.

We hunted one day at Delaware Wildlife Area. We slowly worked along the field and forest edges, hoping to kick up a deer like we had when hunting upland game. With so many hunters in the area, we also figured there was a good chance that someone else might kick up a deer and send it running our way.

A few hours into the hunt, we walked upon a man in his mid-twenties who was carrying a Winchester 1897. Given Dad's interest in Model 97's, we stopped and talked with the guy. The conversation was cut short as Dad noticed something out of order. The guy was carrying a loaded gun with the hammer fully cocked.

Dad sternly reminded him that he had his gun on full cock. The guy replied that the half-cock notch was broken so he always carries it on full cock. Dad gave his opinion, to which the guy responded that he had always used this gun and he was perfectly safe. We went back to the truck and promptly left the area.

So here is a guy carrying a shotgun, loaded with a rifled slug, fully cocked. If the sear is worn enough that the half cock doesn't work, then who knows how stable the hammer is in full cock. If he stumbles or a piece of brush gets in the trigger guard... boom!

That same year, we hunted the later primitive weapons season with some guys that Dad worked with. They hunted deer drives on several of their family farms. One of Dad's friends had a brittany that he would work for me on the youth pheasant hunts. Bill was a really nice guy and an avid hunter. He invited us to join his group of friends and family for a weekend of deer drives. They set me up as a blocker, standing along a fencerow in line with Dad and several other hunters.

I heard the drivers holler and I knew that they had kicked up a deer. A few moments later, I heard something moving towards me through the brush. I only had about 4 feet of visibility in front of me. Cocking the hammer on my Renegade always made a solid clank that I knew would spook a deer. I knew that there was almost no way that I could raise the gun and cock the hammer without spooking a deer that close to me. I also knew that I could cock the hammer and raise the gun before the deer got too close to me. The problem was that I didn't know it was a deer. While it wasn't the planned driving path, I still considered that it could have been a driver coming out of the woods towards me.

I made the safe decision and ultimately spooked the deer as I tried to shoulder the gun and fire once the deer popped out of the brush 4 feet in front of me. After the drive, we all gathered at the trucks and talked about the hunt. I still remember the ration of shit that I took from those guys. Every one of them, except Dad, told me that I should have cocked the gun and aimed it at the noise so I would have been ready to fire if it was a deer that popped out. I just couldn't bring my self to do that then and I couldn't do it now.

That was the last year that we hunted deer. The group continued to hunt by deer drives each year afterwards. A handful of years later, Bill was tragically killed by his son-in-law on a deer drive.

Looking back, it is no mystery to me why we didn't continue to hunt the deer gun season. I will be hunting this year, with faith in the many safe hunters that share the field. I will be mindful of my safety, but also of the behavior of others around me who may not be as safe.