MY HUNTING PAGE 

 

 

 

Hunters' Ethics

I- Promote fair chase and ethical hunting standards and abide by the rules of fair chase.

II- Communicate and teach other hunters.

III- Search for an arrow hit or bullet hit animal that is wounded for as long as possible.

IV- Not take a chance at shooting an animal that is out of range or take a shot that is bad or unmanageable.

V- Follow and obey the laws of both local and state governments determined by the Department of Natural Resources.

VI- Always assist a fellow hunter who needs help tracking a hit or wounded animal.

VII- Promote hunting to younger hunters and take youngsters hunting whenever permitted.

VIII- Portray good hunting ethics.

IX- Display and give respect to any animal taken.

X- Transport deer correctly and display taken game respectfully to non hunters.

 

When it comes to hunting the first thing that comes to mind is “hunt what?” In my case we would be discussing white-tail deer. The second thing to come to mind is….”with what?” In Alabama, hunters may use bow, rifle, shotgun, pistol, muzzleloader, spear (yes, I did said spear) and starting this year ….crossbows.

I personally prefer the rifle. I currently use one of two rifles when hunting, dependent on the layout of the hunting land. If I’m hunting a green field with a 100 yds plus shot I will use my Remington 700 (270 win) with a 3.5x12x52 Tasco Euroclass. With this rifle using handloads I have produced 3/4” groups at 100 yds with Nosler 130gain ballistic-tips. The rifle itself is the ADL model that I brought at Service Merchandise for $200. I replace the wooden stock with an HS-Precision stock and refinish the metal with a parkerize finish. The stock replacement in itself greatly improved the felt recoil and the accuracy of this rifle and I would not hesitate to use this weapon in any hunting setting. My second rifle is a Remington Model Seven (308win 150gain BT). This rifle is the stainless steel model which I had also refitted with an H-S Precision stock, the factory stock to me was a little flimsy. It took a few years to locate this particular stock but I finally found one at Midway Arms on the web. As with the model 700 the felt recoil with Model Seven was more than halved. This rifle is perfect for close shots and shooting in confined spaces (such as shooting blinds and houses). Atop the rifle, I mounted a Leupold LPS 1.5x6x42 scope, a fine little scope that is great in low light. I probably use this rifle on 75% of my hunts. (Note: this rifle was a wedding present from my dear sweet wife Susan)

Besides the rifles, I ‘m a firm believer in carrying a sidearm when in the woods whether you are hunting or not for the simple reason of safety(you’ll never know ahead of time if you will encounter wild dogs or just wild people up to no good) . My favorite is the Ruger SuperBlackhawk (44mag) with a 6” barrel; also in a stainless steel finish (I have a fondness for stainless steel).

Other tools of the trade normally I carry on a hunt includes; a Remington BigGame knife, a backup knife(I know I’m not the only one that sometimes forget things), Pentax 8x43 DCF SP (a good pair of glasses is a must), a Bushnell laser rangefinder, a good backpack, pine scent cover, flashlight (which I take two, the primary flashlight is a CL4 made by Underwater Kinetics and a small penlight made by the same company), True Talker Deer Call, a nice small camera for that “trophy buck” or for pictures of the one that got-a-way(ha-ha), the Hunter’s Poliwheel and a pop-up blind made by Ameristep.

I have been using a pop-up for several years now with great success. Since high school I have had three knee operations between both of my knees. Because of this it has become very hard for me to physically use some ladder stands and most, if not all, climbers. The biggest advantages to me for using blinds are their mobility and that deer do not seem to be threatened by their presences amongst the tree line. Think about this, deer learns quickly what presents a danger to them, whether it’s a shooting house or a permanent tree stand the deer will check it out before emerging into the open. I have seen this happen many times, the blind offers an edge in fooling the deer into thinking it is safe. I generally will set up in bushes or a small tree line to help break up the blind profile across from any permanent stands or houses that may be located on that trail or food plot.

Another little thing that I’ve been using is scent candles made by Hot Trails. I like the thinking behind the candles and the way it dispense scent but I have had mixed results with them. The flavors that I have tried are doe-in-heat and persimmon.

As for atvs I wouldn’t go hunting without one, I’m currently own a Honda Rancher ES and I love it. I know that the current fad right now is “bigger is better” but you may have to consider that size can work against you….have you ever gotten stuck in a mud hole? A 450cc ATV is very hard to get unstuck from a mud hole without the use of a winch or several friends lending you their backs, at least with a smaller atv you could manhandle an atv free and also the larger ATVs are not as maneuverable in the woods on narrow trails as a smaller atv can be, but as I said earlier …”belly buttons”.

 

And to round out my ranting, my soapbox standing, my preaching from the pulpit, I will now talk about the Poliwheel. I found out about the Poliwheel through a friend whose father received it as a gift. The Poliwheel calculates the best times to hunt deer based on their feeding periods and movement times. It was created by a fellow by the name of Poli who spend a good portion of his time observing deer and their behavior patterns. This calculator wheel (this wheel reminds of the wheel that is used by GYN-OB’s to calculate a baby due date) is based on those observed behavior patterns and the phases of the moon, and after using it for the past ten years I have become a firm believer and schedule my hunts accordingly, I know a lot of hunters out there laugh at those who hunt by the moon’s positions, but I do manage every year to put more than my share of meat in the freezer, so who laughing now?

 

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