An Experience to Learn From

I just had an exiting experience that all of us can learn from.  I was bowhunting on Sept. 20, 2012, and I was in a large area that had been clear-cut.  All the weeds that had grown up since the clear-cutting made things a little difficult to see.  I had found a huge deer trail that was about 8-10 feet wide and totally clear of weeds.  I knew that there was a small trail that wound through the weeds which eventually intersected with the trail I was on only a short distance away.  As I walked along the big trail, hoping that deer would be on the "highway" I heard a rustling close to a big brush pile.  Thinking it was a rabbit, I kept on.  But the sound followed me.  I tried to see if it was a deer by making a grunt sound.  Then BOOM out of nowhere a huge doe goes leaping away.  It wasn't anymore than 15 to 20 feet away!  I had an arrow knocked but it didn't matter, I couldn't hit a running deer.  I had no idea that a 100 pound deer was there because I couldn't see through the weeds that separated us.  Here is the lesson:

Always be prepared.  Don't let your guard down.  The deer you desire may be 15 feet in front of you.

At least this experience of losing a deer will make the one you (if you've had the same thing happen to you) or I get taste success that much better.

Note: This lesson was made at the authors expense. 

Unusual Ways to Hunt Squirrels

Now you have probably heard about hunting squirrels by sitting under an oak tree or hickory tree and waiting for the squirrels to come out to feed under the tree your sitting on.  That's a good strategy, but here are some pretty unusual strategies.

Stalking
When you spot a squirrel (probably from a good distances) you slowly walk up close to it and get a shot at it.  Don't walk when it looks in your direction or it will probably see you.  Keep an eye for other squirrels that could be around you that could alert other squirrels of your presence.  If you happen to get a closer shot at another squirrel while your following the squirrel you spotted, you can decide to take the shot at the squirrel closer to you or risk being spotted as you try to follow the other squirrel to get a shot at it.

Stand Hunting
This speaks for itself.  You get in a stand and hunt squirrels from there.

Blind Hunting
Now you are on the ground under some hickory or oak trees in a blind waiting for squirrels to come by.  If it's deer season and you have seen deer activity in that area you may even want to bring a deer rifle with you.

Tips

• You can also use a small caliber rifle (.177 cal or .22) is also good for hunting squirrels.  You can shoot at a greater range.
• Wear good camo and something that's blaze orange.

That's all for now!

Managing Land for Squirrels

Many people manage land for deer, but they don't manage it for what I have heard to be the "big game of the small game," the thing you most likely wouldn't manage land for, the squirrel.

Now you may have some nice squirrel habitat already, but here are some points that you need to make a prime squirrel hunting area.  Squirrels need three basic things, food, nesting, and water.

• Forest managing (food)- A variety of oaks, hickories, elm, walnut, beech and other fruit and nut bearing trees.  You can also grow the nut and fruit bearing trees you need if needed.  Growing corn at the woodland edges will help with the food supply especially if the nut or fruit trees have decreased in their production.    Providing oaks and corn for squirrels can also provide food for White-tails, and other animals, so, your not just helping squirrels, your helping deer and other animals too!  Planting natural shrubs and saplings for ground cover will also be great.  
• Nesting sites-Provide three to five den trees per acre.  A squirrel den is a hole in the tree that they use as their home.  They also build nests up in trees.  But they prefer tree dens.  If you don't have very many den trees you can make den boxes and put them up in trees about ten to thirty feet up in the tree.
• Water-A creek or river or other body of water is a good place for squirrels to come and drink. If you have no water readily available you can dig a small pond or make a couple watering sites.            

These small steps can lead to many more squirrels on your property and can lead to memory making hunts. 

Acorns, the Big Buck Attractor

I have talked about the importance of acorns in hunting before, and now I'll do it again.

In the rut bucks are more interested in does than they are in food.  So if bucks are more interested in does, why would they want to go to oak trees?  You can pretty much answer the question with common sense.  The does need the nutrition that the acorns have in them so they can breed.  So if you have a concentration of white oaks which have their acorns are falling, you will probably find does there.  Where you find a bunch of does, you will find bucks coming in after them.

When the acorn crop drops to very low amounts of acorns falling, here's what to do.  Look for an area that has a bunch of oaks beside each other that are producing more acorns than the rest of the oaks around.  Deer should flock to that area because of the higher acorn crop.

Hunt over acorns.  A bunch of white oaks next to each other to hunt over is a good way to get a deer this season.

Dove Hunting Safety

Safety always matters when your hunting.  Especially when your shooting all over the place when your dove hunting.

• Don't shoot at low flying birds, a hunter could get hit if you do so.
• If your in a group, know where everyone is and communicate with each other.
• Wear ear protection.  Eye protection would also be good to wear.
• Handle guns safely at all times.

There's not too many safety guidelines, but you can also add "use common sense" as a fifth one.  But just a couple guidelines will lead to a much safer hunt.  So follow them.