Grow the Hunt

Moultrie TGM Podcast Episode 048

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Episode 048 of the "Total Game Management" podcast from Moultrie is up now! You can access the podcast either through iTunes (just search for "Moultrie"), on our podcast website or you can use the player above. Please be sure to review us on iTunes!

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Welcome to Episode 048! We have a short show this week because Gene is in Utah on business, but we still have a lot to talk about....Uncle Ted, bowfishing and "hog" hunting are all hot topics this week!

Keep those entries coming for our Question of the Week! I've got some more goodies stashed around here to give away!

Deals of the Week

Game Spy I-65S at MoultrieFeeders.com - $129.99 (SAVE $230)

Camera Security Box at MoultrieFeeders.com - $19.99 (SAVE $40)

16GB SD Memory Card at MoultrieFeeders.com - $39.99 (SAVE $40)

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Contact us:

Moultrie / Carry-Lite Decoys /  Code Blue Scents

Knight & Hale / Summit / LureNet /  Lindy Fishing Tackle

Twitter (@moultriefeeders) /  Facebook - Moultrie Products / Facebook - The Hit List

or email us at moultriepodcast@gmail.com

Don't forget you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes and have us delivered straight to your ears every week...for FREE!!

This week's show close comes from our friends at Grand View Outdoors.

Moultrie TGM Podcast Episode 047

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Episode 047 of the "Total Game Management" podcast from Moultrie is up now! You can access the podcast either through iTunes (just search for "Moultrie"), on our podcast website or you can use the player above. Please be sure to review us on iTunes!

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Welcome to Episode 047! Woohoo, we're both off the medication this week and feeling good! We've loaded the show with feel-good stories to celebrate, and we even brought in Mike Mattly, national PR director of Pradco Hunting, to share some good turkey hunting stories with us. Enjoy!

Keep those entries coming for our Question of the Week! I've got some more goodies stashed around here to give away!

Deals of the Week

Game Spy I-65 2-Pack at MoultrieFeeders.com - $149.99 (SAVE $629)

Game Spy I-65S at MoultrieFeeders.com - $129.99 (SAVE $230)

Camera Security Box at MoultrieFeeders.com - $19.99 (SAVE $40)

16GB SD Memory Card at MoultrieFeeders.com - $39.99 (SAVE $40)

---

Contact us:

Moultrie / Carry-Lite Decoys /  Code Blue Scents

Knight & Hale / Summit / LureNet /  Lindy Fishing Tackle

Twitter (@moultriefeeders) /  Facebook - Moultrie Products / Facebook - The Hit List

or email us at moultriepodcast@gmail.com

Don't forget you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes and have us delivered straight to your ears every week...for FREE!!

This week's closing comes from our friends at Knight & Hale.

Practice Life-Sized

-By Brandon Wikman

Summer is a time when hunters hone their archery skills and try to outdo their shooting performance from last year. It is an ideal time to tweak, tick, and twiddle with new gear or accessories. The summer drags most archers into their front yard or local shooting range to plunk away on bag, block, or 3D targets. I’ve learned that it is crucial to your practice regimen that you invest efforts into piercing arrows in the correct target at the correct time.

Several professional hunters and archers are quick to say that practicing is only as good as you make it out to be. These words and tips of suggestion are coming from people that practice every single day of their life. They constantly shape their form, mold techniques, and improve the ending result of their scores. Practice shooting life-sized animal targets improves a hunter’s success tremendously in the field, whereas practicing at bulls eyes primarily sculpts competitive target shooters.

Firing arrows into a realistic looking target trains your mind and sinks the recollection of crunch time into a practical perspective. Shooting at tiny round circles works great for dialing your bow into ‘hunt-ready performance.’ I use bag and block targets to gauge my accuracy, adjust my sights, and gain confidence in my shot. The only downer of shooting at the speckled dots is that they’re nowhere to be found on the chest of a real animal! Your trained archery hunting eyes must magically put the bulls-eye on a walking whitetail or drinking antelope. Practicing on life-sized animal targets train your shooting instincts.

Many bear hunters who dare hauling a bow and arrow into the woods never practice at a bear target. They spend there entire spring and summer simply plunking arrows into the center of their fluffy bag target until it erodes. Or they may have only jabbed a dozen arrows into the vitals of a deer target, which is completely different than the physical makeup of a bear. The importance of shooting practice is only as good as you make it out to be.

Many outfitters and guides have clients who’ve saved tons of green over the past couple years for an exciting trophy elk or mountain lion hunt but they have never punched arrows into anything that even closely mimics the vital organ placement, shape, or body of the animal there going to be pursuing. Each animal you plan on hunting must be scrutinized to the max. The knowledge and understanding of an animal’s vitals and anatomy is what slices the diehard hunter from the rest of the pack. Don’t be afraid to drop a hundred more dollars on the animal target that you’ll be hunting. There’s no sense spending thousands of dollars without taking a serious mental aim on what you will be chasing. You must put your frame of mind to the ultimate test by introducing new ways to stimulate better practice.

I’ve taken these game-chasing lessons and used them to my advantage. Last year, with the help of some friends and family, I constructed a virtual hunting experience in my woods. It is an archery-hunting course crafted for every hunter in North America. There are over twenty shooting stations that range from a distance of 10-yards to 60-yards. Each station has a different animal placed in a specific scenario. Whether it’s a bear climbing a tree, a moving fox, or a whitetail sipping an afternoon drink, the course gives people the most realistic practice experience.

Taking your archery practice to a higher-level is an essential step in building your killing abilities. Dedicate time to create your very own mock-hunting experience that you can share with your friends and family. You may want to implement tree stands, ground blind stations, and moving targets. There are endless opportunities and a mixture of fun situations to mock. It is a great way to increase your accuracy and boost your overall shooting confidence.

Turkey Hunting in Kansas

-By Brandon Wikman

Kansas has once again proved to be one of the best turkey hunting locations in America. Last week I was able to call a giant strutter into range during the beginning of our trip and ended up wrapping my Kansas license around his leg. This enabled me to purchase another tag and put more meat in the freezer.

David Schotte, the owner of Blue River Whitetails and I planned an all out turkey blitz. We had spotted an absolute monster of a tom. The bird looked like a 30-pound bowling ball and sported a beard that could’ve easily made two paintbrushes! It was the biggest bird I’ve ever seen in my life and one of the largest Schotte had ever laid eyes on.

The only problem hunting the goliath-sized bird was that he roosted with a flock of other birds. He’d always escort a handful of hens during fly-up and fly-down. He also bossed around four other mature gobblers. It was as if he was crowned king of the flock. We had to take in account that the gobbler pulled some serious baggage around. More turkeys means more eyes, greater odds of being picked-off, and a slim chance of calling the bird in. Our plan was quite simple. We’d pop a blind along the woods facing the field within shooting distance of where they all hit the ground from fly-down. It would require a lot of luck defeating the flock of fifteen. They had to fly down near the blind so I’d be able to toss up my shotgun through the window and fire. We also had to be super stealthy so the birds wouldn’t hear us in the morning opening up the blind or walking into the setup.

The morning of my hunt to kill the largest turkey in Kansas couldn’t have come any sooner. I swear I woke up with fire in my eyes and an overwhelming sense of anticipation. We arrived at Schotte’s extra early. It was critical that we arrived extra early so the sky was completely black and the birds were sound asleep. Schotte, my field producer, and I tiptoed through the corn stubble field as quiet as we could. Subtle step-by-step crunches marked our arrival en route to the landing pad of all the birds. All three of us silently opened the blind and walked it toward the woods-edge. The field producer and I huddled into the blind while Schotte sunk into the thick vegetation behind us.

The sky slowly transitioned from coal black to light blue. The stars soon vanished, horizon ignited with red, and the birds woke. The morning silence shattered with gobbles storming from limbs. Every bird was roosted within eighty-yards of the blind. I whispered to the video camera as the morning show unraveled. During my brief recap a hen pitched into the field no more than twenty-yards from the blind. I grabbed my shotgun and lifted it to the open window. Another hen landed and it was only time until the giant tumbled his way down to the ground. Both hens started acting nervous. They tossed up their head and began an alarm putt. My jaw nearly hit the ground and all of my hope shredded as a coyote walked toward the birds. It was game over within a moment. Every bird flew the opposite way into another field. As the sounds of the last gobbler flew from atop the tree, Schotte hustled me to the backfield. The stalk was on.

We jumped a creek and followed a deer trail up a bank, which led to where he thought the birds might cross. I positioned myself behind a thick briar bush in the shade. My eyes focused down the end of my barrel. The sound of a gobble reassured that me not only we were setup in the perfect place, but the timing couldn’t have been any better. A glowing fantail arose from the steep bank. The sun glimmered on the beautiful bird as he walked our way down the trail. I took a glimpse at his beard and realized it wasn’t the mega-beard, but that was fine with me. A few yelps from Schotte’s slate call deflated the bird out of strut. He picked his head up and I blasted a shot. The bird hit the ground and so did I! The amazing turn of events shook me up. I went from a serious low to an all time high within minutes.

We were able to use the terrain to our advantage thanks to Schotte’s keen understanding of the landscape. The hunt was truly unforgettable. The monster tom gets to live another year and only grow bigger! I look forward to coming back next year and setting my sights on the colossal bird that got away.

Hunting With Blue River Whitetails

-By Brandon Wikman

There aren’t many hunting locations around the country that consistently produce giant whitetail and tubby gobblers year after year. Spots like that are few and far between. I’ve had the great opportunity to hunt at a place that has not only proved successful for me the last four years, but currently maintains a 100% turkey slaying record. The birds are plentiful, landscape’s spectacular, and the privlidge to hunt side-by-side with a turkey guru is incredible. Let me introduce you my good friend David Schotte, owner of Blue River Whitetails in Hanover, Kansas.

Last week my cousin and I road-tripped nearly 10-hours en route to north central Kansas. Our mission was to lay down some serious turkey footage and bust a couple of mature gobblers. Traveling that distance for turkey is my testament of how exceptional the hunting really is. Sweeping emerald green hills, vast meadows, and winding creeks that dissect pastures and hardwood forests sculpt North-Central Kansas. It’s a monster buck paradise and turkey haven.

Hunters who are pursuing the grand slam for turkey can tag-out on three-fourths of the feat within a single trip. Kansas is home to both Rio and Eastern bird species. A simple jog north lands you in spectacular Merriam country. During this trip I focused my efforts into hopefully tagging both species. A telltale sign to identify a Rio is looking at his fantail. Male Rio’s sport a golden-tan colored band across their fantail, while an Eastern flashes a strip of brown. Both birds share similar characteristics and make worthy opponents in the field as I soon found out during my first morning’s hunt.

My cousin, who ran the camera for me hid behind a tree, while David and I nestled into some nearby shrubbery. We were all concealed very well. By mid-May the foliage is thick, grass is high, and bushes are full of leaves. This time of the year is ideal for sinking into the natural environment unnoticed. The darkness of morning soon illuminated like emerging headlights on a backcountry road. The glint of sunlight sparked the army of gobblers roosted nearby. The crew of rednecks cracked silence in the crisp morning air and made their presence known across the vast countryside.

Clattering wings, popping limbs, and a symphony of staccato cackles and yelps proved that gobblers weren’t the only gender roosted. Three hens graciously pitched down into the field. The hens were soon to be escorted by a handful of toms. A handful of gobblers tumbled into the tilled-field and instantly inflated into full strut. The males followed the hens in a line like a 4th of July parade. Each tom made an attempt to show-off and declared dominance. It was as if the hens could care less. The only positive scenario Dave and I had to work with was that the males easily outnumbered the females and if we’d be able to call in the hens, the strutters would follow.

Dave and I began chirping sweet tones across the field hoping to attract attention from the hens. The tom’s gobbled, but wouldn’t budge. The hens tossed their head into the air and slowly made their way our way. Their curiosity and interest helped us exponentially. I readied my shotgun and slunk lower toward the ground. Dave chattered a few more times with the box call and we completely silenced ourselves.

The large flock of feathers waddled into range. I punched the safety-off and waited for the okay to shoot. My cousin adjusted his video camera, while I zeroed-in on the flashy beat red head to deliver a lethal kill. I got the whispering go-ahead and squeezed a 3-½ inch shot shell full of bb’s into the vitals.

My fourth year of late-season turkey hunting with my dear friend David Schotte proved successful once again. The long trip to Kansas is always highly anticipated by my cousin and I. We are lucky to save the best hunt for the last turkey-hunting trip of the year. I will be here a few more days and hopefully have another positive report next week!

Spring Break Southern Style

-By Brandon Wikman

Spring break has an intense reputation when it comes to the minds and antics of college students. It’s a time for kicking-back, busting-out, and enjoying an entire week of freedom from school.

As key hotspots like Florida, Texas and Cancun crank the heat; the remaining winter-ice still progressively melts back into the earth in most parts of the country. It’s always a pleasurable feeling for a Midwestern-junkie to be basking in the mid-March sun. I have been lucky enough to spend a few of my spring breaks in the central parts of Florida. My trips were spent a little differently than most crazy college students.

Instead of playing on the sandy beach, I hid in the dark jungle-like forest of the Florida everglades. My toes never sunk into the pebbled sand, but rather drowned in the marshy-bogs, winding creeks, and standing mosquito-infested water. The only tail I chased was the elusive Osceola turkey. Florida’s turkey season is the country’s grand turkey opening. There is no better place to call in gobblers in March than Florida. The Osceola is the only species of bird that originates from Florida. They have always had a dirty reputation of outsmarting even the most profound hunters. I believe it’s the combination of the Osceola’s sly characteristics and the bizarre wetland features of property that send hunter’s home empty-handed.

The last few trips I made to Florida were amazing. I was blessed to kill a Florida long beard during each adventure. It took many trial-and-error mistakes until the golden sun of the panhandle shined upon me. The peculiar feeling of sinking into the palmetto bushes was almost foreign to me. I was far too used to hunting the old hardwoods forest and agriculture fields of the Midwest. It’s nice to challenge your ability to adapt to different styles, techniques, and strategies.

The only downer of hunting Osceola is property and price. The hunts may sell for thousands of dollars because it is only Florida that produces these birds exclusively. If you want to bag your grand slam, you must first round the base of Florida. An alternative hunting experience that is just as exciting and much more cost-efficient is hog hunting.

Florida has the second largest hog population in the United States. Properties are littered with tracks, uproots, and destruction left from these pesky critters. Typically, they are hunted with either a gun or bow. During dawn and dusk, the barren open grounds of cow pastures are taken over by hundreds of hungry-hogs. Medium-sized hogs are the taste of choice for most outdoors people, but some thrill-seekers are willing to risk an empty dinner plate over a sharp-tusked beast.

College students, past graduates or anyone for that matter that’s looking for a true spring break adventure must visit the “Sunshine State” at least once in their life.

Duck Hunting to Ease the Mind

-By Rich Miller

Well the rut is pretty much over here in South Carolina and the deer movement has been really slow for the last week or so. The big bucks have disappeared again and the only thing I am seeing is a few does and a yearling buck or two.

This past Tuesday afternoon a friend of mine that owns River House Plantation gave me a call and invited me to hunt with them on opening morning of duck season. I couldn’t pass up a chance to hunt his place. At River House Plantation they have managed and built impoundments and it is paying huge dividends because the ducks are there.

I was going to be hunting with another good friend of mine and his fifteen-year-old son. We met up with everyone at 6 a.m. to get assigned the blind we would be hunting. Once we were in the blind we had about forty-five minutes before shooting light and that gave us time to talk about this year’s deer season and tell stories of our previous hunts. That is the thing I like best about duck hunting, the talking and cutting up with one another. After sitting in a deer stand for the last three months trying to be as quiet as possible and not move a muscle, it is a welcomed relief to sit in a blind and not worry about making too much noise. Plus, the shooting is always good too.

Once it had gotten legal shooting light, there were a few ducks that landed in the middle of the pond, but they were out of range. It wasn’t long after that, there was a big group that came in and tried to sit down about 18-yards in front of the blind. When the shooting stopped I think we had three big green heads on the water. We had barely gotten those three picked up and back in the blind when the next group started working in. It was fast and furious for about ten minutes until we each got our limit of mallards. That is when the hard part started. We had to sit there watching the birds pour in and we couldn’t shoot anymore.

When everyone was finished we met back up at the ATV’s and headed back to the truck. I think just about everyone limited out and the few that didn’t were pretty good sports to put up with the hard time that everyone gave them. Once we had gotten all the birds cleaned we divided them out equally and headed to the café to get some breakfast. You know it is a good hunt when you have a limit of mallards cleaned and in the truck before the coffee gets cold.

Is It the "One?"

-By Brandon Wikman

Last week, I discussed prepping for the ’08 season and touched on Outfitter hunts. In this week’s entry I describe the research I do before booking hunts.

So you’ve stumbled upon last month’s hunting magazine and notice a big buck photo, phone number, maybe a website and that bolded word “Outfitter,” what do you do?

I’ve heard and witnessed cases, including my own, of people who have been chewed-up and spit out when it came to the experience of an outfitter that promised it all: fine dining, comfy accommodations and, of course, off-the-charts hunting. With a few dozen stories, a couple firsthand experiences and the utterly-miserable time spent, here’s a thing or two to consider before booking your next hunting adventure.

Research:
I cannot describe how important it is to do your research! Whether it’s before a test or your next job interview, you have to research and study. Take a nibble before you decide if it’s appetizing. The same is true with researching an outfitter. When you find an outfitter, be sure to ask them for at least six references. Ask for three successful and three unsuccessful hunters’ phone numbers or email addresses. I usually contact about ten clients before making my decision. You shouldn’t feel awkward or sense that you’re asking for too much ‘pertinent’ information. This is your hunt; this is your right, and most of all your hard-earned greens. Be sure to speak with each client and ask questions that may concern you.

Going Online:
It’s not a proven fact by any stretch of the imagination, but a subtle clue I’ve used to make choices in which outfitters are legit and which ones are iffy is by looking at their website. Websites are extremely important in marketing yourself and the fact is that they’re only going to get even more crucial. I believe a website speaks in volume. It declares what type of personality you have, how professional your business is and details it within the photo gallery of harvest shots and live trail camera pictures.

Usually websites that are well structured, error free and have a great sense of appeal dictate a percentage of whether or not I decide to keep the outfitter in mind.

Make The Call:
Lastly, the most important aspect of scheduling a hunt is actually talking to the outfitter and feeling him out. If he sounds enthused, willing to send information, pictures, and a list of past hunters’ references, then he’s probably a great candidate. It’s crucial that you ask questions, make comments and arrangements prior to your hunt dates. The more you plan, the better. Oftentimes, I will make calls a year in advance to assure a reservation, feel the outfitter out and give it another year as a prospect to see what was shot, missed and photographed.

Selecting a good outfitter doesn’t always have to be trial and error, but sometimes being foolproof can be impossible. If you do decide to invest in an outfitted hunt it is your job as a client to hunt outfits first, animals second.

Preppin For '08

-By Brandon Wikman

Here we sit stagnant in the early days of February, without anything to chase, hunt or shoot. This is my time for research data collection, which is just fancy for investigating different places to hunt, new properties to scout and filling my calendar with of hunting dates, trips and adventures for 2008. A very hectic, mind-numbing ordeal for someone like me, who can barely plan what to eat for dinner!

I urge hunters to plan ahead of time before venturing on an outfitted or guided hunt. It’s important to research where you are going, the tag situation, the price being charged, how much the total expense will be, etc. Remember, this is your hunt. You must treat it as your vacation. It can be considered like this: Do you want to dish out a few Benjamin’s and experience a family vacation to the nearest town? Or do you want to make a solid investment and make the trip worthwhile? Hunting animals you never pursued, trekking land that you’ve never thought possible - a hunting experience is only as good as you make it.

When shooting footage for our show, I usually keep a solid mix of outfitted hunts, regular ‘backyard’ hunts on my property and on small parcels of land owned by friends. I’ve usually scouted, hung stands and put forth an enduring effort to make a perfect scenario evolve out of that ideal stand setup for hunter and videographer.

The factor that slams the hammer on video hunts is that there’s only so much time to spend at that particular place. A six-day hunt turns into a solid four-day hunt, taking into account two travel days. This makes it awfully tough to kill anything, when at times people hunt the entire season (three-months) just to kill one buck! Take into consideration bad weather, heat, rain, snow, and now you’ve got yourself wrapped in a root! These are just some of the obstacles that play out when hunting. Mother Nature is an uncontrollable variable.

Outfitted hunts are never a ‘gimme.’ As many people happen to believe, outfitted hunts are simply a property that hasn’t been pressured, has a solid management program and most importantly has great stand locations to intercept deer. It’s never a 100% guarantee, which is why we call it ‘hunting.’ Believe it! I went on a few hunts this year where we didn’t even see a shooter, let a lone a buck within 300 yards. I also went to Colorado and hunted, where we did see a lot of monster bucks, but I couldn’t seem to hit the broadside of a barn. Many factors go into the moment of truth blossoming in front of your eyes.

People who are interested in hunting with an outfitter should do their research data collection by making phone calls to references, checking their website, looking at the amount of land held by the outfitter and so much more.

I will continue next week’s blog in the actual research I do before booking a quality hunt. This could spur ideas, plans and possible key questions you may need to ask yourself before booking an outfitted hunt.