Wind as a Hunting Factor

Regardless of where or what you are hunting, the wind must ALWAYS be taken into account.
Photo by Bill Kinney Photography

Do you ever take wind into account when hunting?  You may realize it's there, but what you may not realize is that it is extremely important to regularly take wind speed and direction into account whenever you go out to hunt.  A small, but very vital task, could mean the difference between success or failure.

Following Blood Trails: A Few Tips

Massive body on this buck!  Taken in Wisconsin on a cold fall morning.
Bill Kinney Photography

Hunting is a multiple step process.  You have to find the animal, stalk it, shoot it, track it, process it, then finally eat it. Shooting the animal is only part of it, and being able to actually get the animal once you've shot it is one of the most important parts in harvesting your kill.

Bear Hunting Safety

Bill Kinney Photography

Bear is one of the great North American trophy hunting animals, they are also one of the most dangerous.  Take precautions when hunting bear to have an enjoyable hunt!

Depending on where you are hunting you can bait bear making it even more dangerous for the hunter.
In most western states it is illegal, but in some Midwestern areas, like Wisconsin and Minnesota, they allow it.  This can be very dangerous for a hunter, because you can almost certainly expect there to be bear in the area.  They know there is a food source there and they use it often.  If around the area at dusk or dawn be especially weary and listen for bear, the most dangerous moment can be when you scare a bear in close range.

How to Call in a Turkeys Using Their Vocalizations

Calling in Turkeys by Learning Their VocalizationsPhoto by Bill Kinney Photography

Turkey hunting isn't for every hunter.  You seem to either love it, or you could care less.  For you, hunting for turkeys may be a transition period, giving you something to do so you don't go crazy waiting for deer hunting season to start again.  However, for those of you turkey nuts, you know how exciting it is to call in a big gobbler!

Unfortunately, many hunters are unsuccessful on the turkey hunt.  This is because they try and wait it out like a deer hunt thinking, eventually, the turkeys will just show up.  Well, some times they do, but knowing how to call them in will shed a whole new light on turkey hunting, reduce the wait time, and maybe even bag you a turkey!

Part of the thrill of turkey hunting is not only scouting for birds, but calling them in.  It takes stealth and hard work to fool a turkey, and when you are successful, it makes the hunt even more rewarding!   For those of you already turkey fanatics, you know what I'm talking about, and for those of you thinking you might want to give it a try, here is how to properly call in a turkey.

Preventing Other Hunters from Taking Advantage of You

Bill Kinney Photography

Hunting is a great sport for people of any age, gender, etc.  Anyone may take advantage of what hunting has to offer, whether that be the thrill of the hunt, meat on the table, or just getting in touch with the outdoors.   It really depends on the person.  The main thing though is that everyone has fun and gets something out of it.  Hunting can be a great experience, but carelessness and a bad hunt can really turn the tides. When hunting your biggest foe isn't actually your prey, but yourself.  To prevent a great experience from going bad be mindful that you are not the only one out there.  Though it may seem like nothing but you and the outdoors, there are other hunters out there who can bring down your day.  Know how to deal with other hunters and protect yourself from some common hunting problems for a more enjoyable and successful hunt.

How to Interpret and use a Deer Grunt, Snort, or Wheeze

Bill Kinney Photography

Have you ever wondered what those different deer noises meant?  You will often hear a deer before you see him if you pick up on his vocalizations.  There are a variety of hunting calls meant to imitate deer sounds and, when used in the correct manner, can be very successful.  These sounds are extremely useful hunting tools and need to be understood in order to have a successful hunt.

Why do deer make such vocalizations?
Like any wild animal, deer use sounds as a form of communication.  Deer are a quiet animal, moving in and out of an area sometimes without a sound so as to avoid unwanted attention.  Because of this many of their sounds are just as suttle and often not recognized by the average hunter.  This is why it is important to train your ears and learn how to correctly use these calls.

Types of Deer Noises
The most commonly known is the grunt.  It is used by hunters during the rut and can be quite successful, but understanding their other sounds is important as well when trying to understand  what is going on in your environment.

The snort
Deer snorting is very common and sounds almost like a sneeze.   However, if you hear a deer snort, proceed with caution.  It may not specifically be you, but a deer snorting is a deer sending out a word of caution.  It is telling the other deer that somethings not right.  If you can see it and it is looking in your direction, do not move.  The deer will flee if it notices any further danger.  Know that once a deer has snorted, even if it dismissed whatever danger it thought was there, it is still on the alert and you must be extremely stealthy.  A skittish deer does not take second chances.  If you ever see someone trying to sell a deer snort as a hunting call, recognize it as a probable scam, it will do nothing more than scare away every deer in the area.

Understanding a Deer's Senses: How Well Can Deer See?

Bill Kinney Photography

In order to get your prey you need to understand it right?  Here is a little more insight into a deer's sight.

Sight
Deer have a good sense of sight, but compared to other hunting animals such as turkeys, it is not their most dependable sense.  Studies into how well a deer can actually see have found that deer have less rods in their eyes than a human does making them partly color blind.  They also have poor day time vision and see colors in the red spectrum, such as a hunting vest, as more of a grey color.  This is why hunters wear orange vests, because to a deer it is not anymore noticeable than the color of a pile of leaves.  Something to keep in mind, however,  is that to a deer that solid grey patch and is more noticeable when moving.  Therefore, if you can, find an orange vest with a camo pattern to make you further blend in to your surroundings.

Another problem hunter's have is underestimating a deer's sight...or overestimating it.  More than one hunter has made the mistake of, thinking they were spotted, they began to make their move too soon.  Maybe they thought it would be their only chance or they just got too excited, but if a deer hears you, pinpoints you, and stares directly at you, the best thing you can do is sit completely still and pretend you are a tree.  At that point the deer is accessing you, it wants to make sure that you are not a threat.  It is trying to decide if you are a predator or part of that tree you are sitting in.  If you start moving right then, the deer is going to know and make a run for it.  It is essential that you understand exactly what the deer is seeing and know what it is doing so that you don't miss an opportunity.  Camouflage is one of your most important tools when on a hunt and knowing how a deer's eyes perceive you is important in understanding what you should include in your hunting wardrobe.

What recent studies have brought to light is that deer have better night vision than humans and can perhaps see better in the UV lighting spectrum.  This is equivalent to what we see in a room with a black light.  Humans have a filter on their eyes so they do not have this type of perception, but deer may be more alert to bright colors such as those found in our clothing.  To some hunters this could be perceived as a problem.  The reason is because some clothing and laundry detergents are treated with a color brightener which would technically enhance the color of the clothing in a deer's eyes, making the wearer "glow" in a sense.  Luckily this vision is primarily enhanced in low lighting such as dusk and dawn and not noticed in the daytime.   It may be wise to look into laundry detergents that do not have color enhancers.  This doesn't mean you need to go crazy about your laundry detergent and fabric dyes.  Keep in mind that hunters have for years been wearing the same clothing, went out in the same situation and found success.

It should be kept in mind that, although these studies provide good evidence towards the likelihood of deer having such sight, the studies are not completely conclusive.   Whether or not deer have such acute seeing senses, it seems to rely more on the technique and skill of the hunter than just the color of his vest.

Do you have the problem of always being spotted when in your stand?  Does it seem to occur more frequently to you than others?  Or at certain times of day?

Understanding a Deer's Senses:  How Well Can Deer Hear? >