Just some random thoughts:
1) I already mentioned in another thread about how much I'm enjoying hunting with other guys as opposed to just going out by myself. Gotta say I'm looking forward to both now - I'm yearning for some alone time out in the woods. And I'm also looking forward to getting together again with Ben and crew. What's great about being around other hunters is what you learn from their experiences, or the different points of view they might have that vary slightly from yours. Also, it's easier toting and lifting a deer with two guys instead of just one. The possibilities of tracking success increase exponentially if you have more guys involved.
2) If you know ahead of time that you're going to be using and working with a dog to track your deer, avoid walking around the area you shot the deer and "contaminating" it with your own scent. Last week Ben had asked me if I shot a deer to leave it lay so he could get the dog some practice, and I didn't think about making life harder on the dog by stinkin' up the crime scene, so to speak. The dog did fine, I'm just disappointed in myself that I didn't think about that first before I tromped around looking for blood and my arrow. Live 'n' learn I guess. And I realize that this doesn't apply for a lot of real world scenarios, where you bring a dog in after being unable to locate a deer by yourself. A dog's nose is an amazing thing, isn't it?
3) Watching wildlife thru binoculars is a wonderful thing. God bless her, my mom bought me a pair of cheap Tasco binoculars right after I started deer hunting. I've toted those big heavy clunky things around in my pack, and have used them often, though not quite as much as I would if they were lighter/better quality/easier to use. I used them last weekend watching turkeys and deer for almost two hours during my evening sit. But they can be a little frustrating to get and keep focused. So I wrote down yesterday morning "good binos" on my to-do list. Yesterday I drove to Michigan to take some wedding gifts up to my daughter and SIL. While driving, we saw a sign for an estate sale and decided to stop in. I found an old pair of Simmons 8x40 for $20 - tried them first and man, they were so much lighter and easier to focus than the ones I have now! So needless to say I snatched them up. I'll never get rid of the Tasco's because they came with love from my Mom, but they'll stay at the house now to watch squirrels and the neighbors. Someday I'm going to buy a really nice pair, but till then I think these Simmons will do quite nicely. They make something that's 1000 yds appear like it's 304.
4) My next investment will be a better knife sharpener. I currently use a Gerber EZout skeleton knive as my main carry, and dress it up with my Redi Edge sharpeners. Both items do an acceptable job, but I'd really like to step up my knife game. Just not completely happy. I wanna be "that guy"...you know what I mean, the guy with the knife that's always got a great edge, the guy I've always been jealous of? I flipped on the Outdoor Channel last night and was watching Jim Shockey extol the virtues of his Havalon Titan knife. I gotta say, I'm VERY intrigued by that knife. Does anyone have any experience with one of those? Looks kinda big/clunky/heavy though.
5) Telecheck? Yeah, a part of me misses the old metal tags. But I gotta say, being able to go online and buy/print license and deer tags is pretty convenient, and being able to check in your deer without driving anywhere is actually pretty damned slick. I'm a fan.
6) My SIL Kevin kept both the heart and liver from his first deer last weekend. He's a cook/foodie as kind of a hobby (good for him because my daughter has the cooking skills of my ex-wife :smiley_crocodile: ) I tried a little piece when I saw him yesterday and I gotta say, I'll be keeping the livers from now on.
Like I said, just random thoughts
1) I already mentioned in another thread about how much I'm enjoying hunting with other guys as opposed to just going out by myself. Gotta say I'm looking forward to both now - I'm yearning for some alone time out in the woods. And I'm also looking forward to getting together again with Ben and crew. What's great about being around other hunters is what you learn from their experiences, or the different points of view they might have that vary slightly from yours. Also, it's easier toting and lifting a deer with two guys instead of just one. The possibilities of tracking success increase exponentially if you have more guys involved.
2) If you know ahead of time that you're going to be using and working with a dog to track your deer, avoid walking around the area you shot the deer and "contaminating" it with your own scent. Last week Ben had asked me if I shot a deer to leave it lay so he could get the dog some practice, and I didn't think about making life harder on the dog by stinkin' up the crime scene, so to speak. The dog did fine, I'm just disappointed in myself that I didn't think about that first before I tromped around looking for blood and my arrow. Live 'n' learn I guess. And I realize that this doesn't apply for a lot of real world scenarios, where you bring a dog in after being unable to locate a deer by yourself. A dog's nose is an amazing thing, isn't it?
3) Watching wildlife thru binoculars is a wonderful thing. God bless her, my mom bought me a pair of cheap Tasco binoculars right after I started deer hunting. I've toted those big heavy clunky things around in my pack, and have used them often, though not quite as much as I would if they were lighter/better quality/easier to use. I used them last weekend watching turkeys and deer for almost two hours during my evening sit. But they can be a little frustrating to get and keep focused. So I wrote down yesterday morning "good binos" on my to-do list. Yesterday I drove to Michigan to take some wedding gifts up to my daughter and SIL. While driving, we saw a sign for an estate sale and decided to stop in. I found an old pair of Simmons 8x40 for $20 - tried them first and man, they were so much lighter and easier to focus than the ones I have now! So needless to say I snatched them up. I'll never get rid of the Tasco's because they came with love from my Mom, but they'll stay at the house now to watch squirrels and the neighbors. Someday I'm going to buy a really nice pair, but till then I think these Simmons will do quite nicely. They make something that's 1000 yds appear like it's 304.
4) My next investment will be a better knife sharpener. I currently use a Gerber EZout skeleton knive as my main carry, and dress it up with my Redi Edge sharpeners. Both items do an acceptable job, but I'd really like to step up my knife game. Just not completely happy. I wanna be "that guy"...you know what I mean, the guy with the knife that's always got a great edge, the guy I've always been jealous of? I flipped on the Outdoor Channel last night and was watching Jim Shockey extol the virtues of his Havalon Titan knife. I gotta say, I'm VERY intrigued by that knife. Does anyone have any experience with one of those? Looks kinda big/clunky/heavy though.
5) Telecheck? Yeah, a part of me misses the old metal tags. But I gotta say, being able to go online and buy/print license and deer tags is pretty convenient, and being able to check in your deer without driving anywhere is actually pretty damned slick. I'm a fan.
6) My SIL Kevin kept both the heart and liver from his first deer last weekend. He's a cook/foodie as kind of a hobby (good for him because my daughter has the cooking skills of my ex-wife :smiley_crocodile: ) I tried a little piece when I saw him yesterday and I gotta say, I'll be keeping the livers from now on.
Like I said, just random thoughts
