Hello, Jerry? Who is this? This is Shaman. Shaman who? You know, Jerry. It’s me! You’re little brother. What are you doing calling me here? What time is it? Sorry. It’s a little before 7 on Friday night. Oh, #$@$#@$! I overslept. But Jerry, you’re dead! Oh . . . … Continue reading →
A buddy of mine wanted to know what to expect if he shows up at deer camp, here at Genesis 9:2-4. He wanted to know terrain, choice of rifle and load, and weather. Here is what I told him: SW Bracken County, KY is a land of ridges and hollows. … Continue reading →
#2 Son, AKA Mooseboy, succeeded in bagging his first deer on Opening Day. I t was a bit of a mixed victory, but then again, aren’t they all. We got up into the stand near the campground a bit late, but still well before sunrise. A screech owl, the … Continue reading →
The long waiting finally made me succumb to stress shopping. I stopped by Walmart today. They had a really nice little padded shoulder bag that will replace my aging fanny pack. Geez! That thing has been with me since ’92 or so. This new bag has couple of nice features: … Continue reading →
Bow season sort of ends for me in November. It’s not that I’m blocked from doing it. It just turns out that way. By moving my attentions to Kentucky, it’s kind of narrowed my bow opportunities in a lot of ways. First, September is usually too hot to do serious … Continue reading →
There’s a picture of me with my new muzzleloader. I’m at my 25th birthday party. It was a truly grand affair. I remember it like it was yesterday. I wasn’t even thinking about deer hunting with it. I just saw it at Sports Headquarters up in Sharonville, and determined that … Continue reading →
My mind drifts back. What was my first deer like? Let me give you a few highlights: 1) Just before I shot my deer, I had nearly been trampled in a stampede of deer. 2) I shot my first deer at 10 feet with a Texas Heart Shot 3) I … Continue reading →
I was downstairs this morning at the bench, running one more patch down the Hawken before I pack it for the farm. This weekend is early Muzzleloader, and I finally got a good group out of the new barrel on Sunday. For twenty years, I shot buffalo bullets and round … Continue reading →
We had a hearty second breakfast and then headed out to the stand at Heartbreak Ridge, stayed for a couple of hours, heard nothing, saw nothing. Along about 1 PM we headed in for lunch and a nap. The deer we had seen in the morning had been grazing directly … Continue reading →
It’s 0640 on Sunday. Why am I not in the stand? It’s Youth Weekend, why am I not in the stand with my son? Saturday morning started off perfectly. #2 son was all primed to take a deer. First light came and zap! #2 was up to his old habits, … Continue reading →
I’m taking #2 out. He’s psyched. Saturday we went into town to get his youth tag. We spent Sunday afternoon getting his rifle sighted in. It’s funny how a reloader marks the passage of time and the growth of his son. This year we finished shooting up the original batch … Continue reading →
The bug finally hit last night. All of a sudden, the scene changed. It came with the 10 degree drop in temperature, the accumulating leaves in the yard, the smell of my old leather shooting glove as I brought it out of the case. It was time to bow hunt, … Continue reading →
How do you know if you have an optimized whitetail load? That question is simple to answer: take it out in the woods, point it at deer and touch it off. If, in the next few seconds, you transform a graceful, warm, vital deer into a slowly cooling pile of … Continue reading →
I once said that I learn more about myself during a day in the field than I learn in a year at the office. Those were tall words, especially in the hindsight of over 20 years in business and over 20 years of hunting. Were they true? Certainly when I … Continue reading →
I was reading the November 2004 issue of Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine over lunch. There was a big article on the “5 Critical Mistakes of Blood Trailing.” It all boiled down to this: Let the deer lie down and die. Don’t push. I remember 10 years ago this magazine … Continue reading →
There was a time in my life when one deer rifle was all it took. Now I have a safe full of them, and I cannot seem to ever be totally satisfied. Do I need another deer rifle? No. Do I want another? Always. What I’ve found that I really … Continue reading →
When I was learning how to hunt deer, they always told me to look for sign and hunt the funnels. Deer signs were easy. They were big and yellow and they had a picture of a deer on them. In some places, the deer were shown just standing. In other … Continue reading →
I loaded up a bunch of .308 Win for the Savage 99 yesterday. They’re light as 308’s go, they’re more like a hot 300 Savage. Why? Why not load these puppies up to the max? Why not hunt with a 300 WSSSSM or a SAUUUUUM? Why? Why go to all … Continue reading →
Before we go further with this beginner’s guide, please let me disabuse you of some of the common misconceptions held among deer hunters: 1) You cannot hunt just anywhere. 2) Always obey all the rules. The game warden can come on private land and arrest you 3) Hunter Ed is … Continue reading →
Some hunters I know sound like girls from my Mom’s generation waiting for the Paris fashion shows. They blow big bucks when the new fall styles come out– tree bark is out . 3D Sticks and mud are in. Goretex? That’s so last year, Man. I can’t say I was … Continue reading →
So here it is, two days to the season opener for archery in Kentucky. I haven’t got my gear prepped. I’m still not practicing with my bow the way I should be. I’m just not into it yet. I’m getting away this weekend for some hiking and to visit some … Continue reading →
That one is easy. Back in ’97 I was doing a lot of hunting in the Big South Fork region of southern KY. Buddy Joe Taylor was a local folklorist and storyteller, and we’d taken a shine to each other and Joe took me around a lot, showing me good … Continue reading →
Somebody over at 24hourcampfire was asking the question: What is your goto gun for deer? Mine? I’ve been stretching my horizons over the past few years, experimenting with different pieces. I hunt both sides of the Ohio River; Ohio is a shotgun-only state and Kentucky is pretty wide-open for rifle … Continue reading →
I am forever surprising folks when I say that if I intend on hunting from one of my bow stands, my ultimate preferred venison machine is a Remington 1100 in 12 GA with cheap 2 3/4 Reminginton Sluggers. Inside 75 yards, there is no need for anything else. If I … Continue reading →
How smart are deer? Deer can do a pretty good job of figuring out the big things in life, like where to go find food, water, shelter. They know the difference between a predator that wants to eat them and one that does not. I frequently stop the car and … Continue reading →
