Deer Hunting
Indiana Rule Changes for 2015– Centerfire Rifle!
Update: 3/29/2016  What Indiana DNR failed to do the Indiana Legislature has accomplished. See Indiana Passes New Deer Rifle Rules Update: 5/20/2015 It is looking like the rule changes are going to be nixed. See Indiana Deer Rifle Changes Nixed : I just got a tip that Indiana has approved the use of Centerfire Rifle in a much broader range of cartridges by removing the maximum length rule. Basically anything from 243 WIN to 45-70 will be legal.The change is for next deer season (2015), not this one (2014). Here’s the verbage: Allows additional rifles to be … More . . .
On the Subject of Cheap Scopes
Up until recently, I considered myself a connoisseur of cheap scopes. Bushnell Banner was about as expensive as I’d go, and I’d shot probably most of my deer with $30 scopes. I’m reforming. I started after last season pulling off cheap scopes and putting on something better. I bought a Bushnell Elite 3-9X40 for my new Hawkeye and couple new Bushnell Banner 3-9X40 and a Bushnell Trophy 4-12X40. I have to report they were all worth it. It’s because: 1) The clicks are not even. 1 click may be 1/4″, but 8 clicks might be more like 5 inches. 2) … More . . .
UV Killer Redux
It was 6 years ago this month when somebody on the Deer & Deer Hunting forum started asking for opinions on UV Killer. I gave my opinion, and cross-posted it back here on my weblog. I did not realize this was going to be the prelude to the most turgid, controversial period in this weblog’s history. I certainly didn’t realize that 6 years later, my original post on this subject would be getting over 50 hits a day. The fact that you all are hitting on those posts still today are testament. It still kind of galls me how something … More . . .
Ten Year Anniversary
It was August 2004. My job was stagnant. The solder factory was up for sale, and all my big projects had been put on indefinite hold. I did not have much to do, but the company still needed me and the pay was good. I just had to figure out how to stave off boredom. I went for long drives at lunch, and I thought about things. On the homefront, we had purchased the farm a few years earlier, and I had done a lot of rehab on the place. With two sons poised on the brink of being suburban … More . . .
O.D. and the Squeaky Toy
There are little white country stores up and down Route 10 all the way from the Ohio River to . . . well, frankly I have never been past Germantown on Route 10, however, I suspect there are stores like that all along the length of the road as it winds through the Trans-Bluegrass. I used to favor the one at Lennoxburg, but after Jake retired, I have been trying others. It is a lot like finding a new church; you visit around a while until you find a place that is comfortable. All these stores are the same and … More . . .
Hornets in the Garden of Stone.
The Garden of Stone is a place at deer camp where we’ve been killing deer like crazy since 2008. It is a 200 X80 yard long pasture. My big luxury box, Midway sits at one end and my favorite treestand, Campground sits at the other. Deer come out into the middle to feed. The name, Garden of Stone, comes from the fact that I started putting a small rock next to where I’d shoot a deer so that I could pace it off later. Pretty soon, there were stones all over the mid-section of that pasture. The guy who hays … More . . .
The Status of Shamanic QDM
At our camp, we have no particular standards. This is the first year we will all be adults– my youngest turned 16. I think it is rather goofy to have kids passing on less than ideal deer unless they choose to do so. I know there is a lot of stuff out there about QDM and such, and I am not saying it is complete hokum, but there needs to be some sense of proportion. It used to be that I really thought I was doing the right thing by trying to kill doe and eschewing smaller bucks. However, in … More . . .
Deer Intelligence and the 4-way Stop
I have tried to answer the question “How Smart are Deer?” for most of my hunting career.  I know they can’t be THAT smart. However, the thought has been rolling around in my head since I did that last piece about Ken Nordberg.   I was on my way to work this morning, and I saw something that provided me some insight. I wish I had been aware enough at the time to have taken a video, but I was well down the road before I realized the significance of what I had seen. During the week, I stay in town … More . . .
The Doctor, the Shaman, and the Elephant
Before I go any further in this endeavor, I want to commend Doctor Ken Nordberg and his son John. Their efforts in the field of deer hunting are exemplary– Ken for his body of work and John for his effort to make Ken’s work available online. The only “gentle nudge” I can make to John is to hurry up and make all the out-of-print almanacs available again in .pdf format. Back a long time ago when your shaman was at shaman school, the teacher gave us a book that contained the story of the blind monks and the elephant. The … More . . .
A Farewell to Lorelei
Last year, Lorelei never showed up. I guess this is as good a time to write her farewell. This all started back in 2010, and lasted until 2012. I’m still a little hazy on the start of it. I do remember spooking a doe early in 2010 on my way to my stand. She came back after sunrise and searched for me. That might have been my first meeting with her. Over time, Lorelei got to patterning me. When I would get into my ladder stand at Campground, she would show up and play a hide-and-seek game with me. She … More . . .
That Winning Edge
The catalogs are out. The sales flyers are mailed. The new equipment issues of all the magazines are starting to arrive. The Fall stuff is on its way to the stores. Everyone will be out looking for the winning edge. Don’t. I don’t mean that if you really need a new bow, or a new rifle or a new jacket don’t go out and buy one. What I mean is stop thinking that spending money will improve your game or give you a winning edge or make you a better hunter or make the deer more dead. I have been … More . . .
Write it down
I was talking to Moose the other day. He’s now in his late Twenties. He has a family and a job. We were trying to reminisce about the early days of hunting together. We realized how much of it was gone. We remember all the big things. We both remember the first buck I took at the farm like it was yesterday. We remember some of the lesser known events, like the zombie doe that fell over at the shot and then got up and ran. The rest of it is all gone now, and it was not that long … More . . .
First Shots with the Hawkeye
This had started out as a fun 3-day weekend at the farm. It turned into a hard slog. However, I did get deer camp mowed and I did get to shoot some of the rifles I treated with Dyna Bore Coat. I am impressed. The point of the exercise was to get the new coating baked in by running a several rounds through the rifles. All of these rifles, most of them had new scopes on them as well, so we were not quite sure where they were going to shoot. Of the 4, the one I had the greatest … More . . .
How Many Shots to Sight-In a Rifle, REALLY
I’ve in the midst of sighting in a bunch of deer rifles. I changed out a good number of scopes over the past year, and now 30-some years of experience is coming to bear. In general I can say that I have been on the paper with the first shot and it has taken about 15 shot to be confident with each rifle. Angus is just starting out with his WIN 670, and it has taken him 40. Both those numbers seem high for a seasoned veteran. I said I had over 30 years of experience. I did not say … More . . .
I Felt Like a Mad Scientist
A buddy of mine was a Jungian psychologist. They deal with archetypes and such. She always said that I was a Promethean type– a true hero mentality. I dunno about all that, but she did leave me some good Joseph Campbell tapes when she moved out. The setup for all this is based on my recent purchase of the Ruger Hawkeye. As part of the deal, I decided to try Dyna Bore Coat. It was a new rifle, so I figured getting it down to the bare metal to apply the coating would not be all that hard. You can … More . . .
Remembering the Monarch
The other day I was down at camp. There was not a whole lot to do. It was hot. I went in and sat in the recliner next to the air conditioner and tried to take a nap. I looked up and saw the mount of “The Monarch” and started reminiscing. As a coincidence the website stats put the story of that buck’s taking at the top of the chart showing what has been read on the weblog in the past 20 days. I guess after 10 years it is time to go back and revisit that story. I re-read … More . . .
Son, This is a Muzzleloader
I had a job to do. Angus is going deer hunting on his own this year. However, we still had not gotten his muzzleloader together. We were all down for a camp-out this past weekend. Sunday afternoon, after Moose and MooseMama left with their friends, Angus and I sat down to take care of things. The rifle is an early 80’s Lyman Deerstalker with a stainless barrel. It is a half-stock, percussion rifle of the standard Hawken variety with double triggers. Last year, I started to get it ready for Angus, and the ramrod stuck. After trying everything (soaking in … More . . .
The Last 30-06 Arrives
Thursday Well, the shaman’s last 30-06 arrived. They called from Hibberd’s in Cleves. The rifle was in. I went over to pick it up. John slid out the box, and then it hit hit me: Exactly when did I do this last? It’s funny, but I could not figure out exactly when was the last time I went to a store and cracked open the box on a factory-new rifle. Was it 10 years ago? 15? I finally had to shove it out of my mind, because John was looking at me wondering why I wasn’t opening the box. I … More . . .
Why a 30-06?
So shaman, you wait 30 years to buy a rifle. Why is it a 30-06? Oh, that’s an easy one. First off, think back to 1984 and imagine a young, impressionable 20-something. I had fallen in with a particularly hard-core cell of the vast right-wing conspiracy. I was the kid of the group by about 20 years. There were a bunch of other guys, but among the principles were: Big Bob: A retired gun editor, good friends with Bill Ruger, Elmer Keith and the likes. Jerry: A ex-marine armorer with his own gun store. John: A veteran of The Bulge … More . . .
The shaman and the Last 30-06
But … aint many troubles that a man cain’t fix with seven hundred dollars and his thirty ought six. –Lindy Cooper Wisdom Grandpa’s Wisdom I do not usually spend years making up my mind about a deer rifle. However, it was 2007 when I first began to contemplate what I have come to call “My Last 30-06.” Just to set the stage for you, in 2007, I had just bagged the biggest buck of my career. I had two young sons, one had not yet taken his first deer. The other was approaching 16, and would no longer be hunting … More . . .
Ground Blinds
Ground blinds like this are all the rage right now. I’ve got a Hunter’s View Wigam. Hunter’s View Wigwam I’ve had mixed results, but I think it depends on a few things: 1) Context: If I put up the blind in the middle of the woods, I seem to get busted. My best set-ups have been: a) on steep hillsides, where the ground clutter obscures the outline b) where the setting or rising sun is at my back c) behind a blown-down cedar tree. 2) Secondary camoflage: Branches, cedar boughs, etc, placed in front of the blind really enhance the … More . . .
How to hold deer while staying at the hotel?
From The Deer and Deer Hunting Forum kroazn Posts: 1 Joined: Wed Dec 25, 2013 8:35 pm How to hold deer while staying at the hotel? Postby kroazn » Wed Dec 25, 2013 8:41 pm Hi I am new to the forum and have this question that I couldn’t find the answer to. I am going down to Buckingham, Virginia for their late season deer hunting in few days. I am staying at a hotel for the trip (Employee Discount, can’t beat the price) and I am not sure how to keep the deer while staying at the hotel for … More . . .
Which is More? (a Rem 742 or a 30-06)
A while back, I got a hit on this weblog. Somebody had done a search on “Which is more a Rem 742 or a SPR 30-06?” That one stuck with me. It was fairly ignorant, definitely naive, but it just would not leave my mind. It dawned on me this morning that it was the kind of question I was asking 30-some years ago. At that time, I was asking all sorts of stupid questions, and my buddies did their best to answer them. Therefore, before I hang up my deer hunting hat for the season and put on my … More . . .
I’ve got a Berry!
Dave Berry is a friend of mine from my days at Broadcasting School. Among other things, Dave paints. Wow, does he paint! He’s also a bit absent-minded. He painted this back in 1998, and has been meaning to bring it up from Florida when he visits Cincinnati. This weekend, he finally got out to see Turkey Camp, and finally got a chance to present me with the picture that he did 16 years ago. He has a bunch of other wildlife art available. I have a bunch of his pieces hanging around the house. Check him out: Thanks Dave! This … More . . .
PCR Comes to Ohio
It is my understanding that Pistol Cartridge Rifles will be allowed this coming year for deer hunting in Ohio Here was the first mention I saw of it: ODNR Division of Wildlife announces pistol caliber rifles for deer hunting This is terrific news for Buckeye Deer Hunters. From what I understand, the allowed cartridges will include everything that has been previously legal in a pistol. 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 LC and 45-70 will be allowed. I’ll post more as I find it. UPDATE: Here is more straight from ODNR: Ohio Wildlife Council to Consider Proposed Deer Hunting Dates and … More . . .
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