Grow the Hunt

Whitetail Monopoly

-By Brandon Wikman

Ever heard of the phrase, "Earn-A-Buck?"

Some who haven't may think it is some deer hunting game, which requires you to somehow, someway "earn a buck."

Well, to be more specific, it's a herd management program Wisconsin has for specific counties within the state that requires you kill a doe before your buck. It's a great way to reduce the deer heard and keep the male to female ratio tight.

It ultimately balances the herd and promotes the harvesting of does, which are oftentimes overlooked. As many benefits as this management program has, I must say, it's been totally killing my buck hunting luck!

The Wisconsin archery season opened a couple weeks ago, but I was in New York. I got back to school, and after class I began my quest for the doe. The very first deer I saw was a buck, a young one at that. Followed by a few scraggly-racked teenage bucks. Of course, no doe.

I went out the following night sitting over a soybean field and had a 135-inch 8-point walk within 30 yards. I could only shake my head in disgust, wishing it hadn't happened or at least I didn't see it happen. At dusk a few more walked out, in rifle range that is.

Between school and weekends I managed to get out a few more times, but couldn't quite seal the doe deal and earn myself a buck tag... Until last night! Finally. I sat in a ground blind along a field and spotted a doe walking down the hill into the alfalfa. As she edged her way along the field she spotted the blind and watched closely as I drew back. It was far too late and she was way too close. We both had each other pinned, but I managed to release an arrow just in time.

It seems does tend to get harder to hunt when you're actually anticipating killing one. Now that I've got my doe grounded, I've got an all-access pass to a big monster buck, hopefully...

Although I do have one doe down, I still have to shoot another one to earn my firearm buck tag.

Helpful Tips on Supplemental Deer Feeding

For a quick and reliable pattern-setting device, wildlife feeders have no rival. No supplemental feeding proram is all it can be without them. Every food plot should be accompanied by one of the units. And in areas where plots are not an option, the mechanical feeder is the answer. This video provides a few helpful tips on supplemental deer feeding that you may find of use as you work to improve your supplemental feeding program.

Scent control to the MAX!

-By Randy Cooper

I'm a fanatic about scent control. When the guys I hunt with hear about what all I do to prepare for a hunt they laugh. "That's way too much trouble to go to. Who has time for all that?" The way I see it is that I've had all year since the season ended to prepare. After all, this is my passion and, as with all passions, you're going to take extra pains or go the extra mile because it's what you love to do.

I start about a month out from the season opener by going to the vitamin supplement store and buying two bottles of chlorophyll tablets or liquid. Chlorophyll occurs naturally in the body. It is the essence of all life. When shopping for this supplement, just like any supplement, you want the highest PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE they offer. This is the best quality. I started using chlorophyll years ago when I read about it in a hunting newsletter.

The article said that if you used chlorophyll, your entire body would be deodorized, even your breath. I bought some. It was a mint flavored tablet that you took three times a day with meals. I'll never forget that bow season. My friend Jon and I had been using this product for a couple of weeks before a three day weekend hunt here in Georgia. It was September and the temperature was in the high 80's all weekend. To make matters worse, there wasn't a place to take a shower. Not even a creek to bathe in. We went all weekend hunting and scouting. We walked miles.

On Sunday afternoon as we went to our stands for the last hunt of the trip, I stopped and told Jon that I needed to ask him the most personal favor I'd ever asked. He hedged a bit and with a look that told me he thought he was being baited he asked, "What do you need?" I reminded him of the tablets we had been taking to stay scent free and told him that now was the time to see if it really worked. Sooo, I asked Jon to SNIFF MY PITS.

Man, I thought he was gonna pass out! But, being like brothers for about 20 years and never turning down an opportunity to do something we'd never done before, he agreed with the condition that if he did it, I had to do it.

To my shock he said he couldn't smell anything! Nothing, nada, zip, zero. I sniffed his and got the same result. We were sweating at the time as well. This stuff really works. Long story short, I won't even think about starting my season until I've gone through my ritual of using the chlorophyll tablets for at least two weeks prior to the opener and then continuing until the season ends. Believe me, your wife or girlfriend will love you for it too. It is so effective that your saliva even begins to taste cleaner. I know as I sit here writing this that some of you are probably saying to yourself that this guy is CRAZY! You might be right but you'll never know until you’ve walked a sweaty mile in my hunting boots. I challenge every hunter reading this to try chlorophyll and see if you don’t start seeing more deer than ever before. I did.

I guess my nature and rule in life is that if you can't do something right, don't do it at all. Mom taught me something else that sorta went like; "There are two ways you can do anything, fast or halfast." I prefer fast and as right as I know how to do it. It is with those hard learned, profound lessons that I delve further into what I do to be as scent free as possible next week. Till then, get yourself some chlorophyll and give it a try. You'll be amazed at the result.

Hung Up

-By Brandon Wikman

I've finally finished dangling from oaks, pines and elms to hang my tree stands. It is good to be back on the ground.

I began in Wisconsin, hit up Minnesota and declared myself hung up in Illinois. It's never fun hanging tree stands, but once they're up, you're anticipation of killing something out of a set escalates.

Between mosquitoes, sweltering in the heat and the annoyance of your buddy always being unsure, undecided and unwilling to help (other than pointing out where to ultimately hang the set of stands) . . . It makes for one heck of a day.

But to be honest, I'm no different when it comes to questioning stand placement. It's very tough to find that "one" spot, in that "prime" location. Toss in the variables of hunting with a cameraman and you've got yourself a mind clustering mess.

It's always a little tougher to hang two stands in a tree. Making sure the tree is big enough and has a sufficient circumference to diminish the skyline effect.

When you watch hunting videos and shows, beware that most setups are tailored to the cameraman rather than the hunter. Our job is to retrieve the best footage possible, even though it may not be the perfect stand within 15 yards of that beaten-down trail, it's a site where cameraman and hunter split 50/50.

Amongst all odds, luck and hope, I can only wish the grueling work of scouting and hanging will pay off come fall. And you will be the first to know if it just so happens that I did my job right (or wrong) this season by the encounters and kills.

Bill Dance Fishing Blooper

We know this video isn't hunting related, but everyone loves a blooper clip! Here is one of our favorites of Bill Dance unsuccessfully trying to launch his boat.

Fishing at Times Square

-By Brandon Wikman

As I mentioned in my post titled, To New York I Go, this past Saturday was National Hunting & Fishing Day and I was given the opportunity to head to New York City with the Next Generation team for an exciting interview with the FOX News Channel show, FOX & Friends.

As the pilot announced over the loudspeaker to fasten seat belts and prepare for landing, I gawked out of the window at one of the most amazing sights in the entire world, New York City.

Our plane dipped toward the monstrous array of erected buildings, which didn't seem to end. It was truly one of those moments we all have in life: A moment where we are absolutely captivated and awe-struck.

After landing and snagging my luggage it was off to the hotel, which was a block from Times Square. With over a thousand taxis and a mess of people on each block, which would literally exceed the population of my entire town, it was incredible.

Friday night I could only ponder, staring out of the window bright-eyed at the vivid colored lights, dazzling signs until settling down to realization that I was in the grand-daddy of all cities.

Saturday morning began at 4:30 am. After a quick shower and rehearsal I was inside the FOX Network studio by 6 am. I took a brief tour of the inside and was brought coffee, bagels, muffins and fruit. I was fit for a king, or so I thought!

Before the Next Generation team and I went on live, I was assisted to the "beauty room." I believe we all know what happens here…Makeup and hair…haha

I was dressed in full camouflage as were a few others of the team. We set up casting targets along the streets of midtown New York, and remember, I said I was dressed in my entire camo get-up!

Throughout the entire show we taught bystanders how to cast and explained the importance of conservation. Our backdrop was a massive semi-aquarium full of bass, crappie, musky and northern. Many people were so impressed that they hung around for over an hour.

After the show we took a tour of the city, which brought us to the solemn grounds of "Ground Zero." On a lighter note, we ventured to the Statue of Liberty, Times Square and experienced original New York-style pizza.

I absolutely loved New York. The fast-paced, immediate gratification style of life surely swept me away. Would I live there, no. Would I come back to visit, there’s no doubt about it. New York was truly incredible and has topped the list of cities I’ve been to by far.

Red Flagging the Red Flag!

-By Brandon Wikman

There I was baffled in disbelief, as my first day on the job turned dark, literally...

Nearly three years ago I began shooting for my television show. I scheduled a hunt in southern Wisconsin for a five-day long archery hunt during the rut. I had more than four stands setup and two that were ideal for mornings. This was going to be awesome, so I thought.

As nervous as I was, I packed my gear for the morning hunt and met my cameraman in the lobby of a Holiday Inn hotel at 4:30 a.m. Needless to say I was up at 2 a.m. just preparing and making sure I had all of my gear!

After a quick coffee and bagel style breakfast, we were on the road to our destination hot spot, an acorn grove that edged a soybean field. This was an ideal spot to pick a buck off during twilight.

As many times as I've walked to the stand, been in the area and literally hunted out of the tree stand, I basically had the location in my internal GPS memory bank. A jaunt across a ditch, few hundred yard walk on a logging road, a left at the "T" and I was there.

The cameraman and I ventured toward the stand in absolute darkness. My small, yellow light bounced across the ground, into trees and into the morning haze as we snuck in.

Realization finally hit me ten minutes later when I found myself still walking, walking absolutely clueless of where I was. I was officially the most embarrassed person on the planet.

As daylight etched light upon my forgetful self, I finally spotted the tree stand. It was unfortunate that the hunt was blown, but this gave me a lesson to learn: Always use markers to locate stands.

This past weekend I went to each of my setups and draped orange ribbons en route to each tree stand. This was simple, quick and I know I will be grateful during the season for doing it. During the evening everything seems to take on the same color, black. When rocks, tree stumps, leaves, and grass all look the same shade of color, good luck finding you’re way around the forest… possibly you’ve already had the experience!

To New York I Go

-By Brandon Wikman

This coming Saturday will be the best morning of my entire life. Put it this way, I won't be watching cartoons, cereal bowl in hand this Saturday!

Saturday - September 15th, is National Hunting & Fishing Day. I get the opportunity to head to New York City with the Next Generation team for an exciting interview with the FOX News Channel show, FOX & Friends, which airs 7-10 a.m. EST.

We will be hauling up a huge aquarium and demonstrating how to cast to the audience and getting the crowd involved. We are there to talk about our unique television show and the importance of introducing youth to the outdoors. We will stress and emphasize why it’s imperative that teaching students life long lessons goes a very long way when put to heart and good will.

Creating a path for teens and underprivileged kids to follow is essential in the recycling process of our heritage. It really does take one person to change someone's life.

We are tentatively scheduled at 9:55 a.m. EST, but that could change at any particular time. After the interview Saturday, we will be touring the city of New York! I will be sure to include a photo section from this upcoming trip!

Be sure to watch Saturday Morning!

Trail Camera Tips

Watch Dan Moultrie and Jim Strelec go over a few really good trail camera tips that you can put to good use during whitetail deer hunting season this Fall.

A time to plant

-By Randy Cooper

We are into the early days of September and have started getting some much needed rain. Georgia has been in a severe drought all summer with sweltering heat in the triple digits most of those days. I've had no choice but to hold off planting my food plots until the time was right. Now is that time because next weekend has the greatest chance of rain. I will once again till up the plot sites I've selected and plant them. A perfect scenario is that it will be drizzling rain as I'm wrapping up the last of the planting. Then I will know for sure that the seeds will germinate and have their best chance at growing.

We all know that man-made food plots are not the only source of food for deer. It's a given that in the early season deer are still on their summer patterns and they are searching for all kinds of food sources including natural. You should be looking with them. Right now there are a number of great food sources available such as persimmons, muscadines, crabapples, honey locust, and mast bearing trees like white oaks, water oaks, red oaks, and one food source that gets overlooked by many, kudzu. Kudzu is so hardy that farmers hate it. It grows up and covers everything including telephone poles. Deer love it though. About the first of September kudzu will bloom. Theses blooms have a loud, grape Kool-Aid® smell that you can't miss. Persimmons are known around here as deer candy. If you can find one of these trees loaded with the pinkish red fruit, do yourself the best favor of the season and hunt near it. Believe me, they will come when the fruit starts hitting the ground. Honey locust is a tree with purple bean-like pods all over it. They are unmistakable. If you find one of these, put a stand overlooking it and be patient. When the first frost or two takes place, the sugar content begins to rise in these pods and the deer will devour them. I like to set up on the down wind side of an approach trail near any of these plants. To keep track of the wind I use an 8" length of serving string tied to the end of the stabilizer on my bow. I prepare it by putting it on a flat surface and using a single edge razor blade, stroke the last 2 inches until it begins to fray and becomes fluffy. When the wind blows, the fluffy end of the string will flow in the direction of the wind.

On a separate note, our season has already started and I'm excited to say the least. Saturday morning I saw 2 bucks, but not the big ones that I'm after so I let them walk. I’ll try again on Monday morning. The afternoons are too hot for me. When you are dripping sweat in 93-degrees heat and you're not even moving around, it's hot. That kind of heat makes anyone stink to a deer. Do yourself a favor and pack it in. Don't give away your position by letting them wind you.

Next week I'll tell you how the planting went and share more of the little things I do to help with my success. Look for rubs right now and keep practicing.