The Weekend Hunters

Video of the week

2012-01-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

This week's video is about Hollow Points.

You Tube video of the week

Full Metal Jacket vs Hollow Point

Our video of the week is from the TV show Naked Science, and it illustrates some of the differences between the hollow point and the full metal jacket:

The hollow point creates more damage than a FMJ on the inside of the target, which gives you a better chance of hitting something vital if your target is an animal.
The hollow point explodes on impact, leaving a much larger exit hole than entrance hole. This is no good if you plan on using the fur or pelt of the animal you are shooting.
The hollow point flies straighter and more accurate then soft tips. I was told this by my wife's grand dad, a championship target shooter. He holds the record in Maryland for shooting groundhogs @ 500 yards (they're targets not real Groundhogs).
Soft tips will penetrate more than a hollow point. But, unless the game you are hunting is wearing a Kevlar vest, you will have no problem with the hollow point penetrating the animal's skin.
After fragmenting, the hollow point will tend to ruin a little more meat then the soft point because more of the bullet's energy is transferred into the animal. But you have a greater chance of the animal dying quickly, thus leaving less time for bruising or hemorrhaging.

Second Hunt Of 2012

2012-01-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

Yea that's right, we did it again... This time Jason came with us and got one as well. Another sweet night for the three weekend hunters :-)

First hunt of 2012

2012-01-06T20:29:00.001-05:00

When the new year rolls around, I try to take advantage of some time off work so I can go out hunting. This year I targeted the elusive Red Fox, a quick hunt taking place at nighttime was just what I needed to finish the holiday season off great. Read Fox Hunting 101 for useful tips on foxhunting. Dan (Red Eyes) came along for this hunt. When I arrived at Dan’s house, I was greeted with some great news- He informed me that, with the end of firearm season behind us, we had been granted permission to hunt on two new-to-this-season farms. After hearing the great news, I couldn’t wait to get out to the first field and start calling. It was a 45 minute ride to the farm for a hunt about 20 min long, but it was well worth it. I’m still working on video taping our hunts I forgot the memory card this time... I’ll get there someday. Until then, here are some pictures of what we came home with:

Fox Hunting 101

2011-11-29T23:09:00.006-05:00

Important Information For Hunters Who Plan On Hunting Foxes At Night With A Predator Call And A Light.

There are five things you should know before you go:

1. The laws and regulations of the state you are hunting in.

2. What kind of gun you should use for foxes.

3. What kind of light should you use, and how you use it,

4. How to set up for the hunt, placement of you, the light and the caller.

5. Where to shoot the fox.

The laws and regulations of the state you are hunting in.

This is the first and most important thing you need to learn before hunting. Each state has different seasons and regulations for hunting foxes. I cannot stress enough how important it is to know all of the rules before hunting. Believe it or not, when you start firing guns off at 10 pm, lots of people become immediately concerned. To find your state's seasons and regulations go to Google and search, your state DNR (Example: "MD DNR"). Now, look for the link to their homepage and click it. (If you like hunting, press CTRL + D once you’re on their homepage and that will bookmark the site for you). I have been to 4 different DNR websites and found out that they are all unique, so I can't help you through the site. But here are a few key words to look for when navigating: Hunting/trapping, Furbearer, Seasons/ bag limits, and Regulations. Make sure you know all the rules before going out hunting!

What gun should be used to hunt fox?

We take three guns with us when we go out: a .17 HMR, a .17 Fireball, .243 Win. Sometimes we take a shotgun as well. If allowed, any rifle you are comfortable shooting will work. We try to stay with a small caliber in order to minimize the damage to the fox's fur when we shoot it. Now, if you just want to kill it because it ate your chickens, then any gun you can hit an apple with at 100 yards will work great. We kill most of our foxes with the .17 HMR because the ammo is cheap and the gun is quiet and very accurate. The .17 fireball is for the foxes that stop coming in to the call and get hung up 200 yards out. This is our 100-300 yard gun. The ammo, when compared to the HMR, is more expensive and harder to find. The gun is also louder than the HMR and needs cleaned every 5 shots, but it’s deadly accurate up to 300 yards. Now, the .243 is for coyotes. Coyotes are pretty sparse where we hunt, but we always hope to get a shot at one. There is a state park close by and we love to hunt it for fox, but you are required to use only a shotgun when hunting in this park (Again, know your regulations!). With that in mind we use a 3" cartridge with #4 buckshot- it is expensive, but it works. Many people like to use a .22 caliber rifle to hunt fox, and they work great as well.

Once you have your rifle, you need a rest for it. On our .17, we use a retractable bi-pod that mounts on the gun. The bi-pod allows the gun to be out and already pointed towards the fox when he comes in, thus minimizing your movement during the most crucial time of the hunt. It also holds the gun steady, increasing the accuracy of the gun when shooting a long distance.

What kind of light to use and how to use it.

You want the brightest red spotlight you can find that is mobile and cannot leak white light out the side of the light. In the past, we used a Light Force spotlight with a bag full of lead acid batteries. That bag weighed about 20lbs and the batteries lasted about 20 minutes. This year we switched to a lighter, smaller, slightly dimmer light. The batteries last about an hour and weigh less than a pound. I definitely recommend this light to any predator hunter. Check it out: Kill Light XLR250 "Pro Package" Gun Mounted Night Hunting Light with Charger and Batteries by Elusive Wildlife Technologies It’s a little pricey, but well worth it.

Now what to do with this light once you have it. Before entering the field you plan to hunt, you should shine it. When I say shine it I mean turn the light on and project a beam of light across the horizon (where the sky meets the ground) slowly and steadily looking for any animals that might already be in the field. Once you are set up and start calling, shine the field whenever you think there is a fox. Normally we shine every 2-5 minutes, depending how close the caller is to cover- the closer it is the more we shine it, in fear a fox will come out of the cover and make us before we even see it. Now, once you find eyes, stay on them until you can shoot them. Don’t worry about scaring the fox with the light. Shining a red light at a fox at night is like me shining a flashlight at you during the day.

Once the fox comes close enough for you to see it in the scope, you need to VERIFY YOUR TARGET before you shoot anything. This is always important, but especially at night. I cannot stress this point enough. Lots of animals are out at night and will respond to the calls; you don’t want to shoot the wrong one, like the farmer's kitty cat or a lost dog! After shooting a fox, it is important to keep the light on it until it goes down. Things to remember: you can see a fox's eyes from an extremely long distance when light is reflected off them, be sure to check the edges of the cover really well in case the fox is hiding back in the cover, VERIFY YOUR TARGET before shooting, and never shine the light on you or the people you're hunting with while shining the field.

How to set up for the hunt, placement of the shooter, the light and the caller.

Ok I had to draw a diagram for this one. Keep in mind foxes will always go down wind of their prey, this means you should always keep a close eye on the downwind side of the caller. Always set up so you are crosswind with the caller, try to keep your scent to a minimum and away from where you expect the foxes to come from. Keep the caller about 100 yards from the woods and 50 yards from the hunters, this will give you a chance to shoot the fox before it reaches the caller.

If you’re the one with the light it is important that you sit as close to the shooter as possible, remember that the foxes eyes reflect the light you are shining back at you not the shooter so if you are too far away from the shooter with the light they will never see the fox coming in.

Know where to shoot the fox.

This part is easy. Shooting a fox is like shooting a deer, you aim right behind the shoulder. Of course any other vital area will work too, but behind the shoulder does less damage to the pelt. One last thing to remember: MAKE SURE IT IS A FOX (aka VERIFY YOUR TARGET).

Aluminum Arrows vs. Carbon Arrows

2011-11-21T21:15:00.005-05:00

Bow hunting requires a lot of equipment. Off the top of my head, you have to consider sights, rests, stabilizers, arrows, and broadheads. It's a lot to think about and in this post I am going to talk a little about just one small, but important, piece of equipment: arrows. There are so many types and makers of arrows out there, but the two main types are aluminum and carbon. Of course, there are positives and negatives to both choices.

Let's start with my favorite type, the carbon arrow. Here are some of the positive aspects of carbon arrows: Carbon is very light weight, so they fly far and fast. Carbon is also known for very tight grouping at the target block. Another nice feature is that they will break before they bend. The major downside is that carbon arrows are not cheap. Also, sometimes they don't penetrate as deep as the aluminum variety.

Now, on to the aluminum arrow. The pros: They are cheap, although nowadays the price is rising and, in some stores, they can be just as much as carbon. Aluminum arrows also penetrate deeper and hit harder than carbon. The cons: They don't fly as far as carbon and they don't have a tight grouping to them. They also bend easily, which can be frustrating.

So, in my opinion, carbon by far is the best bet for your money. What do you guys think?

Fixed Blade Broadheads vs Mechanical Blade Broadheads

2011-11-20T22:55:00.004-05:00

The question of fixed blade vs mechanical blade broadheads is a source of ongoing debate between bow hunters. It's a very good question, and both options have their positive and negatives.

Let's start with the fixed blades. First, the pros: They have always been the strongest around- you can beat the crap out of them and they still fly true as the day you first bought them. They are also cheaper then mechanical blades, and if you chip or bend or dull the blade you can simply take it out and replace it. The major drawback is that fixed blades don't always give you a good blood trail when you make a bad shot on a deer.

Now on to the mechanical blades. The best thing about mechanicals is that they make one hell of a hole in a deer, leaving you a very a nice blood trail if you make a bad shot. They also fly nice too. However, there are some significant negatives to consider. Mechanical blades are not cheap, and you have a fifty-fifty chance of all the blades opening on impact. They also bend. Once they are bent and dull, you can't replace the blades unless you buy new broadheads.

Personally, I am partial to the muzzy MX4 100gr fixed blade broadheads. I love them and would never go with any other brand or type. My buddy Dan, on the other hand, swears by his mechanical blade broadheads. I would love to hear your comments on this topic- what kind of broadheads you use and why?

Crow Decoy With An Owl

2011-11-20T21:38:00.005-05:00

Dan got this great idea to build a homemade crow decoy because the normal one just wasn't cutting it any more. This is what he came up with: a foam crow mounted
in front of a hard plastic owl decoy. He made it look like the owl was kicking the crow in the butt. Then, he mounted the whole display on a 4 foot pole. On the bottom of the pole, he mounted a piece of plywood about 12" x 12" square with four 3/8" bolts about 4" long screwed in to the bottom. That way you can quickly set it up in the field by simply stepping on the top of the bolts, driving them into the earth.

This decoy worked great when we took it out in the field- we had two crows come in before we even turned the caller on. When we turned the caller on, two more came right at it and we shot and killed them. Ten minutes later we got to shoot again, but this time we missed. The crows sat in the trees directly behind us, where they called out to all the passing crows and warned them of the danger. But, even with that slight setback, we still had a crow fly in and repeatedly circled the decoy squawking and squawking at the crows behind us, trying to get them to help him fight this Owl. Before we could shoot at it, a hulk flew into the picture from across the field and dive-bombed the crow, driving it into the woods where it continued to squawk at the other two, looking for help. Meanwhile, the hulk dive-bombed the decoy three times before flying back across the field. We haven't taken it back out yet, but I would say it had one hell of a maiden voyage.

THE KILL LIGHT- Hunting Breakthrough!

2011-11-17T21:17:00.001-05:00

We have been fox hunting at night for a few years now. For the first season, we carried a twelve volt light powered from a car battery. It was very awkward and heavy to haul through the field all night, but it kept a good charge. The next year, we used twelve volt lead acid batteries with a 9 amp hour rating - these were much lighter, but only lasted about thirty minutes each. These batteries got us through two seasons. A few months ago , a friend told me about a newer light called a kill light. I didn't think much about it at first, but a week later he let me take a look at this kill light and I was a bit impressed. I did some research online and, to my disbelief, most all opinions and reviews were excellent. I couldn't help but take the plunge and purchase one online - the season for foxes is not in until the end of October in PA., so we have not given light a try in a field test. If this light works as well as I hope, it will lighten our carry load from thirteen pounds to only twelve or so ounces- and that's with three fresh batteries. Heck, I may even carry the light more instead of pawning it off on Justin and Jason (the younger and stronger).kill light XLR250 from Elusive Wildlife Technologies, llp

Hunting On The Driving Range?

2011-11-16T23:03:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday, I went deer hunting with Jason in Maryland for the first time this year. He saw a crapload of deer walk by his stand just out of range. But I got to see something a little different- golf balls, and lots of 'em. They were whizzing past my head like bullets for 45 minutes! The neighbor decided to use the field in front of me as his own personal driving range and, it seemed to me, I was the target. So I hid behind the tree. Well, most of me hid behind the tree- my rear was still sticking out. I decided to text Jason and let him know that if he can't find me later, I was probably knocked out in my tree stand (another good reason to hunt with a buddy?). Needless to say, when my neighbor was finally done, not even the squirrels were coming out of hiding.

The True Talker

2011-11-16T22:45:00.004-05:00

The True Talker is a MUST HAVE for any bow hunter before entering the woods. I tried many different calls before I found this one. Here's why I love it.

First of all, have you ever used a grunt tube? If not, then you should look into something to help you. I learned from this video

If you have used a grunt tube, you probably noticed that most of the grunt tubes available today have a preset tone. That means in order to change the tone from a male deer to a female deer, you have to pull the whole tube apart and move a rubber washer. I hate that- it's like having training wheels on your bicycle. The True Talker lets you change the tone of the call by simply pressing down on a reed that has rubber stretched over top of it, giving you complete control. It has movable bands on the top of the rubber that you can set wherever you want so you can come back to the same tone over and over. This allows you to change from one tone to the next in seconds, thus imitating a hole herd of deer not just one. This is also a very important feature when trying to imitate two bucks fighting or two does talking (grunting) while they graze. And the best part is you can make an extremely realistic doe in estrus call by rolling your finger on the top of the reed while you call.

I have had my True Talker for 5 years and, while showing some signs of use, it still works great. Trust me, you will love it. Come on, its time to take the training wheels off your calling and see what you can do! By the way Amazon is the only place I could find it. When I bought mine years ago, it came with the above video on VHS and it was in the clearance bin at Dunham’s. And I haven’t seen one since then, until now.

SUCCESS IN THURMONT

2011-11-09T22:18:00.002-05:00

After practicing for a few days I had my confidence up and was ready to go back in to the field to try again. My wife gave me permission to go out after work on Tuesday, so I did. I went back to Thurmont, MD and tried again. After last week I knew that stand placement was going to be a very important detail, even more so being able to shoot out of my stand. So I took a little extra time searching for the right tree. I had been in my stand for about 45 minutes when I heard a noise that sounded like a couple of squirrels running around in the leaves. But once I checked it out with my binoculars, I realized it was a button buck jumping over a fallen tree. I felt my heart stop as I took a second look: I saw three deer this time about 120 yards off and walking away from me. There was a 4 point, a spike, and a button buck.

After I calmed down my breathing, I found my grunt tube let out three grunt calls in the direction of the deer. I made some short low tone buck grunts, being careful not to make them too low. I didn't want to scare them off; they weren’t exactly monster bucks, you know. After the calls they slowly turned to the left and walked back towards the beading area they just came out of, about 140 yards away from me. Ten minutes later I saw them again walking towards me this time. My heart started beating really fast as I watched the three deer eat acorns off the ground 50 yards away from me. I took this time to decide which one of the three I wanted to harvest. I chose the spike because it was the biggest of the three and I was hunting for meat, not horns. If I was there for the horns I would have let them all walk, but I need to fill the freezer.

After deciding on a target, I blew another series of grunts, softer then the first time but same tone. Within minutes they were all under my stand and I got a great 15 yard shot at this big boy! This time, unlike last week, I nailed it- hit him right through the lungs. First he jumped, then walked about 30 yards where he laid down for 2 minutes, got up and walked another 15 yards then laid down for about 5 minutes. He got up a third time and tried to walk up the mountain but fell down and rolled into a tree.

Tell me what you think- I know a lot of people think it’s wrong to kill a spike but this one was a full grown deer (dressed out 153-lb).

Back To The Practice Block- Part II

2011-11-02T22:19:00.004-04:00

The 2nd trip of the weekend was to a farm in Maryland. I have been hunting
this farm for two years and I have noticed that the doe to buck ratio needs some work. Last year I saw 15 does and 5 bucks. I killed 1 buck and 2 does, and only took the buck because he had a deformed rack (scrub rack). I have been trying to lower the number of does on this farm ever since I noticed the problem last year and set out to do just that on Saturday night. Then a monster eight point came out and walked by my stand and, well, I had to shoot it. I let too many bucks walk by me last year, and I was ready to take a nice one. Except I hit it in the shoulder at ten yards and watched it run off with the other bachelors. Dan and I spent the rest of the night tracking the small blood trail left behind. I even went back the next day with my dog George to be extra sure the deer wasn’t lying dead somewhere.

After that shot, I decided it was time for a little practice shooting my bow before I injured another deer. I always practice on a 3D target that allows me to maneuver it in such a way that I can reenact the exact shot I missed in the woods. This helps me regain confidence in my shooting ability.I have had this exact target by Delta for 4 years and it still works like new, the weather has affected the outer layer of the foam but it still works great:

Even better, it's cheap :-)

Time To Go Back To The Practice Block

2011-11-01T22:37:00.002-04:00

After this weekend, I think I need to spend more time practicing with my bow. And after you hear Jason's story you might agree with me when I say, "I’ll see him there."

I was able to hunt two times this weekend. My first trip out was after work on Friday night. I went to Thurmont, MD, specifically Cunningham Falls State Park. Cunningham Falls is a wonderful state park to hunt, in my opinion. I felt like I was the first one to hunt there this year and I was all alone- LOVED IT :-). This time of year the bucks are fresh out of velvet and ready to start sparring with other bucks to determine the pecking order of the herd, so I started off with a couple of grunt calls and some light rattling. I consider myself an active hunter, meaning I go into the woods trying to create a scene that will attract the deer to me as opposed to the traditional method of sit and wait. This method requires you to spend a lot of time on small details. Anyhow, after a series of calls and a couple soft rattles, I had three does come out and wander around my stand, which I had chosen to put in a bad tree- that's one of those small details I was talking about. I put the stand so tight in the cover that I was unable to maneuver my bow, thus preventing me from taking a shot at the biggest one when she was ten yards in front of me. I was forced to wait until she was about thirty yards behind me to take the shot. Still a doable shot unless the limb of your bow hits your tree stand when you released the string, causing your arrow to fly sideways into a tree. Luckily, the noise stunned one of the other does and made her hold tight in the cover 20 yards from my tree stand. I took the shot through the sticks and briers and missed again. I know this never works, but for me it was more of an anger shot. After being wheezed at for 2 minutes by the first deer I decided to retrieve my arrows and verify the misses then leave.

I will update later with Part II of this weekend's misadventures.

Hello and Welcome

2011-11-01T21:23:00.001-04:00

Hello, my name is Justin. I have enjoyed hunting and fishing in PA & MD for many years and every year it seems like more and more people ask me the same question: "Why do you waste your time and money hunting, when you can just buy food at the store?" That is why I created this blog- to share my knowledge about hunting with other people who might not know how to bag a deer every year, or have never tried hunting foxes, or for those of you who don’t understand why hunters freeze their butts off year after year. We do it because we love to hunt! I also hope that this site will serve you as a reader with some entertainment, even if you don’t like to hunt (or haven't tried it yet!).