Whitetails Unlimited Official Blog

Dan Vogt WTU's Field Director of the Year

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Dan Vogt has been named as theWhitetails Unlimited Field Director of the Year for the fiscal year 2010-11.

Vogt, who conducts events inMissouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas, was honored based on chapter performance,service to local chapters, and internal performance benchmarks. “Dan alwaysdoes an outstanding job for Whitetails Unlimited, and that translates to doingan outstanding job for the WTU chapters in his territory,” said Dave Hawkey,vice president of field operations for Whitetails Unlimited.

Vogt grew up in Columbia,Missouri, and now lives in Centralia, Missouri with his wife, Michelle, and their eight-year-old son, Jacob.He is an accomplished deer and turkey hunter, and enjoys spending time at homewhen not on the road. “I’m very proud to bring this award to the Show Mestate,” said Vogt, “but the recognition really belongs to my incredible groupof chapters and volunteers, who really deserve all the credit.”

According to Hawkey, Vogt set anew record of 18 points (lower score is better), beating the previous record of21 set three years ago. Tim Powers of Iowa came in second, and Wisconsin’sJamie Merckx placed third.

“It’s taken a little over fiveyears for Dan to develop his territory and become WTU’s number one fielddirector,” said WTU’s Executive Director Pete Gerl. “That in itself is anoutstanding accomplishment. Dan is a true asset to Whitetails Unlimited.”

Analog Fire

2012-02-07T09:16:00.000-08:00


The Long Burn Matches can burn for close to a minute, on a wooden stick that starts out at about 3-3/4 inches long. Photo by Jeff Davis.

Fire.

One of the four classicelemental forces.

Used by humans for untoldthousands of years, it is the transformative foundation for nearly everything civilizations have created throughout history. And yet, starting a simple campfire is sometimes a chore that is beyond my skill.

That may change now, after Istumbled across an obvious solution – longer matches.

At about 3.75 inches long, theLong Burn Matches from Industrial Revolution easily reach into a grill orlantern, or under campfire kindling. The long-burn matches will generate flamefor 45-60 seconds, depending on conditions. This is four to five times longerthan a standard match, and I don’t burn my fingers. Even I can get tinder goingin that much time.

Matches were first sold 185years ago, but the simplicity and utility of the device has changed little.Lighters seem to fail for me on a regular basis, so I now have a box of LongBurn Matches sealed in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag in my car, daypack, tackle box, withmy basic hunting gear, and in the garage. In a digital world, don’t overlookthe analog solution.

LongBurn Matches are available at outdoor retailers, including Cabela’s, REI, andMEC. The UCO website is www.ucogear.com.

The Nose Knows

2012-01-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

The Nose Knows

Deer use their noses for anumber of tasks, and protecting themselves from predators, including humans, isthe primary task. Running an important second is finding a mate. If you cancontrol and reduce your human scent you will be a more successful hunter. Ifyou can learn how to present odors that are attractive to deer, you will be onthe road to those trophy bucks. Our friends at Wildlife Research have a DVDavailable with solid information on both human and seer odors, called Scent Secrets.This is a preview, visit www.wildlife.com for more details.

It’s In The Air

Deer constantly check the airfor danger, and they are fast to respond if they find anything they think is athreat. If you control your human scent, you can be a more effective hunter. Itis almost impossible to completely eliminate your scent, but if you can reduceyour smell to a small amount, the animal will not be alarmed, because it willthink you are either far away or long gone.

First Time Is The Charm

The first time you hunt on astand is often the most effective, and one reason is that human odor moleculescan build up around a stand, and increase every time it is used. In addition,your walk to and from the stand can contaminate the trail, alerting deer toyour presence. Your boots, pants, and body parts brushing against foliage canleave human scent as you walk through the woods. The more often you are in onearea the more likely it is that the deer will detect your odor.

Keep It Clean

Wash all of your hunting clothing(not just your coat and pants) with a detergent designed to leave no humanscent. Then store and transport your hunting clothing in a clean, airtightcontainer or plastic bag. Hang clothing outside, away from car exhaust, campfires or barbeque grills. When you shower before hunting, use scent-free soapand shampoo designed for hunters, and use a washcloth and towel washed inscent-free detergent. Don’t use your normal shave cream, deodorant oraftershave; there are deodorants designed for hunters and you really don’t needto shave.

Keep Looking, And Sniffing

Use an anti-scent spray on allyour clothing (gloves, hat and boots, too), and avoid tobacco smoke and foododors. Start looking at everything as a potential odor problem, and the nuttieryou are about cutting odor the greater your chance for success. How about yourwatch, glasses or wallet, and what did you step in with those boots in the lastfew months?

What Kind Should You Choose

There are several types ofscents, and deer respond to them differently:
Territorial or Challenge type scent –urine, or a scent from the same animal thatyou are hunting, which will be seen as a challenge to a resident buck
Hunger scent or food scent – use early or late in the season, and for does during the rut
Curiosity scent – other scentsthat deer find interesting, most effective early in the season, or anytime fordoes
Sex-type scents – most effectivefor bucks, two weeks before rut to end of season.

Drip, Drip, Drip

The method of dispensing scentcan improve success. There is a wide variety of wicks, drippers, foams, andsolid scent dispensers. Scrape drippers can be set up to drip only duringspecific parts of the day, day, forcing bucks to visit during daylight.

Cover It Up

Cover scents imitate plants,food, urine of other animals, or earth. Their smell is fairly strong, but notoffensive to deer. Red fox urine, coon urine, or plant extracts, like pine orcedar, work well.

Scrapes

Hunt over natural scrapes thatyou locate, or create mock scrapes. When creating mock scrapes, use a stickfrom that area, rather than scraping with your feet. Your boots can impart odorto the earth that deer can easily detect.

Read The Instructions

There are many scent and scentelimination products on the market, and they all have instructions on how touse their products. Wildlife research has a DVD available with solidinformation on both human and seer odors, called Scent Secrets. Visit www.wildlife.comfor more details.

Deer Camp Tickets Now Available

2011-12-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Whitetails Unlimited Deer Camp Tour is ready to kick offJanuary 14 and tickets for the first Deer Camps are already going fast!

Invitations for the early events have gone out the door fromWTU national headquarters, and several thousand tickets have already been soldvia the WTU website. New this year is the ability to print event tickets athome from the website, making the process even easier.

The first Deer Camp will be the Michigan Tri-Cities, onJanuary 14 in Essexville, Michigan. The tour ends four months later, after 19more events in nine states, with the Wisconsin Packerland Deer Camp in GreenBay on April 21.

There are single events in Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois andTexas. There are two Deer Camps in Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota, three eventsin Iowa, and seven Deer Camps in Wisconsin, where the events started.

A complete list of dates and locations, ticket information,and invitations in PDF format are available on the WTU website. Click herefor more information. Deer Camps are held in great venues, with great food,outstanding prizes and once-in-a-lifetime hunting and fishing trips. Last year,at some Deer Camps one out of every seven people attending won a gun. Everyoneattending will receive the 2012 Deer Camp Tour shirt.

Industry support of the Deer Camp Tour has been outstanding,resulting in high quality merchandise, travel destinations, and outdoor artworkbeing available in record numbers. There are custom-engraved firearms, art fromthe country’s top artists, merchandise that every deer hunter can use, andgreat adventure travel packages. Deer Camp sponsors are featured on the WTUwebsite and on the Deer Camp invitations.

Twenty events, nine states, one great time. Attending a DeerCamp is a great way to cure the mid-winter blues!

Deer Camp dates and locations:

Tri-Cities (Michigan) Deer Camp, January 14, Essexville, Michigan

Western Iowa Deer Camp,January 21, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Wisconsin Northeast Deer Camp,January 28, Kimberly, Wisconsin

Minnesota Southeast Deer Camp,February 4, Red Wing, Minnesota

Missouri River Deer Camp,February 4, Sioux City, Iowa

Wisconsin East Deer Camp,February 4, Germantown, Wisconsin

Wisconsin North Deer Camp,February 4, Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Eastern Nebraska Deer Camp,February 17, Omaha, Nebraska

Michigan Deer Camp,February 18, Lansing, Michigan

Wisconsin Southeast Deer Camp,February 18, Kenosha, Wisconsin

Iowa Deer Camp,February 25, Pleasant Hill, Iowa

Mid-Missouri Deer Camp,March 3, Columbia, Missouri

Wisconsin West Deer Camp,March 3, Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Minnesota Lakes Deer Camp,March 17, Alexandria, Minnesota

Central Ohio Deer Camp,March 17, Columbus, Ohio

Illinois Deer Camp,March 24, Peoria, Illinois

North Texas Deer Camp,March 29, McKinney, Texas

Big Buckeye Deer Camp,March 30, Cambridge, Ohio

Wisconsin South Deer Camp,March 31, Madison, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Packerland DeerCamp, April 21, Green Bay, Wisconsin

WTU's My First Deer Program Celebrates Hunting Success

2011-12-05T14:01:00.001-08:00

Program celebrates alife-long memory – a hunter’s first deer.

A hunter’s first white-tailed deer is an important part of their personal hunting heritage, and Whitetails Unlimited’s My First Deer program is ready to celebrate that rite of passage with them. As deer seasons come to an end across the country, when you (or someone you know) take that first deer, remember to go to the Whitetails Unlimited website to celebrate a successful season.

The My First Deer program celebrates a life-long memory – a hunter’s first deer. While oriented strongly toward youth, the program acknowledges a hunter of any age entering into a very special hunting fraternity of sportsmen and women. This special group of hunters can trace its roots all the way back to the Native Americans and early European settlers in North America.

To participate, a hunter needonly submit a photo of their first deer, along with a short narrative (250 wordmaximum) about the hunt that resulted in their first deer.

To mark the occasion, WhitetailsUnlimited will provide the successful deer hunter with a personalized colorcertificate, suitable for framing, and a Cabela’s shooter’s cap to wear withpride. In addition, everyone who participates will be entered into a drawingfor one of three gift cards, generously donated by Cabela’s. First prize is a$300 Cabela’s gift card, second prize is a $200 Cabela’s gift card, and thirdprize is a $100 Cabela’s gift card. The drawing will be held January 3, 2012,with winners posted on the WTU website.

“This is a great way to markthis special deer hunting experience, and provide the successful hunter with apermanent reminder of that memorable day,” said Kevin Devault, WTU’s manager ofconservation funding. “It’s a day and a moment in a hunter’s life that Ipromise they will never forget.”

Whitetails Unlimited introducedMy First Deer as a pilot program in the last part of 2008, and it was animmediate success. As a result, WTU has run the program every year since then.

“Just ask any deerhunter, young or old, about their first deer and they will relive the entireexperience as if it just happened yesterday,” said Devault. “Responsiblehunters today, as in the past, continue to play a vital role in determining thefate of our nation’s deer population and the sport of regulated hunting.Honest, ethical hunters are the true conservationists in today’s society.”

For completedetails on the My First Deer program, visit the WTU website atwww.whitetailsunlimited.com.

Spicy Tomato Juice and a Great Bloody Mary

2011-12-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

Spicy Tomato Juice and a Great Bloody Mary

By Nancy Brabbit-Davis

I’ve got a real problem with people who drink alcohol and then go hunting or shooting. It’s stupid, an invitation to disaster, and I don’t do it, or tolerate anyone around me who does. Alcohol and firearms do not mix, period.


The skewers are obviousely upside-down, but are arranged here to show the range of possible garnishes. From left: pickled mushrooms, pickled pearl onions, shrimp, garlic stuffed olives, dill pickles, peperoncini peppers, pickled okra, and pickled garlic. Photo by Jeff Davis.

However, I understand how many people enjoy a drink after the guns have been cased, or other times when it’s appropriate. I like bloody Marys, but ordering a bloody Mary is like ordering chili, you never know what you are going to get.

Years ago a friend wrangled the secret recipe for the best bloody Mary mix I’ve ever found from a restaurant where she worked. It took a lot of work to convert the formula for making 64 gallons of the stuff to a quantity suitable for a small group. At the risk of dating myself – this was before calculators.

My Dad and I painstakingly cut the mix down from 64 gallons to 32, to 16, to 8, to 4, and finally 2 gallons – an amount that we felt was a reasonable batch. It has been modified and improved over the years. We get the base ingredients in plastic jugs, mix it up and then just put it back in the original containers for dispensing.

Properly refrigerated it will easily keep for a week or more, and with us most of it is consumed without any alcohol, just as a spicy drink anytime.

If you’re serving friends or family, use your imagination with the garnish. The standard celery stalk or kosher pickle spear are fine, but you’ll get a lot of smiles when your guests see their drink with garlic or blue cheese stuffed olives, pickled onions, asparagus, green beans or okra, or my favorite, a skewer of cooked shrimp or crawdad tails. We’ve recently discovered that a strip of beef jerky, a slim sausage stick, or skinny string cheese also make great garnishes.

There are a huge number of variations, so try it out, make some adjustments, and come up with your own favorite mix.

Northwoods Bloody Mary Mix

1 bottle (32-ounce) Clamato Tomato Cocktail Juice

1 bottle (64-ounce) Tomato juice

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons Celery salt

2 tablespoons Black pepper

1/2 cup Lemon juice

1/2 cup Horseradish

Mix ingredients in a large pot, and adjust to taste. Start with a smaller amount of horseradish, mix well and then taste it. Add more horseradish as needed, but remember that many people don’t appreciate a screaming hot drink. You can always add more to an individual glass, or even the whole bottle. The taste will mix and become more complex the longer it is stored. It is easy to mix a day ahead of when you will need it, and it does taste better the second day.

Dan Vogt Takes Caribou During Alaska Hunt

2011-11-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

WTU's Missouri Field Director Dan Vogt had a great hunting trip to Alaska last September, where he took this nice caribou. He shot this one 1.6 miles from camp the afternoon of the first day of his hunt, around 4:30 p.m. It took him and his partner the next day and a half to pack the animal out. He shot his second caribou on the third day. Dan said the experience was truly spectacular and he thanked God for the great weather.

Jim Kurdziel Mule Deer Success

2011-11-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

WTU Michigan Field Director Jim Kurdziel had a very successful Colorado mule deer last week. Jim was bow hunting in the northeast prairie portion of the state when he made a 65-yard shot to tag this huge 290-pound buck, with a 26-inch plus inside spread, and a gross score of 189.

Sign Someone Up For Landowner Fridays Reward Program

2011-11-11T06:24:00.000-08:00

Popular program recognizes landowners who allow hunting on their property.

Whitetails Unlimited’s Membership Appreciation Rewards Program’s new component, Landowner Friday, is off and running, and is a simple way that hunters can say ‘thank you’ to people who allow hunting on their land.

“This is a recognition to those landowners who allow responsible hunters to access their land,” said WTU Executive Director Pete Gerl. “The lack of places to hunt is one of the biggest problems hunters face, and everyone in the hunting community needs to do what they can to deal with this critical issue. Cabela’s has generously donated $50 gift cards as prizes for the landowners.”

The “Landowner Friday” recognition portion of the program requires that a current WTU member go to the WTU website and register the name of a landowner who permits them to hunt on their land. The landowner does not need to be a WTU member. Every Friday, one landowner will be randomly selected from that list to receive a $50 Cabela’s gift card.

Hans Feld of Nasewaupee, Wisconsin, was a recent Landowner Friday winner, and he said, “It was a nice surprise. I had no idea, but I appreciate very much Dave putting my name in.” Feld has managed a deer camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for decades, and says that since he’s at a point in life where, “I don’t need anything anymore, but now I go out before the deer season and buy something foolish for myself. This was a real treat.”

This year Feld said that he’s going to look at electric hand warmers for riding his ATV, because his thumbs are starting to get cold if he’s on the vehicle for an extended period of time. Feld said that he plans to visit the Cabela’s location in Richfield, Wisconsin, this weekend, “I’m sure I’ll be able to find something to make me happy.”

Any Whitetails Unlimited member can nominate landowners who allow them to hunt by clicking here.

The Membership Appreciation Rewards Program began in 2008, and has been very popular with both WTU members and industry supporters. Now four lucky member winners are selected each week (Monday – Thursday) through a random computerized drawing of current WTU members. The winner on Friday is selected from the member-nominated landowner list. Winners are notified by mail, and winners and their prizes are posted on the WTU website.

Memberships can be obtained by clicking here, or by phone at 1-800-274-5471. Official rules for the program are available here.

John Hunter Arrows Nice 10-Pointer

2011-11-11T03:58:00.000-08:00

WTU's New York Field Director John Hunter scored this dandy 10-pointer on the second day of the New York bow season last September. The buck green scored in the 140’s. He is having a European mount done, and plans on having it officially scored shortly thereafter.

Change is the Only Constant

2011-11-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

Every year, in nearly every state, there are changes in laws and regulations that relate to hunting, and every year Whitetails Unlimited receives many inquiries as to what our position is regarding these changes.

For the most part the callers are disappointed, because the answer is pretty consistent: we don’t have a position. The callers are often frustrated with that answer, because they want Whitetails Unlimited to support their position. Lets face it – having a national conservation organization in their corner would be a big stick to swing.

Now, there are pretty good reasons we don’t get involved in these types of issues, and it’s not because we are gutless, uninterested, in the pocket of the DNR, a particular political party, not real hunters, unethical, or have been paid off by one side or the other. (These are just some of the more recent accusations that I’ve heard – believe me, I’ve never had an envelope stuffed with cash slid under my desk!)

There are three basic reasons we don’t take positions on the myriad changes in laws and regulations that are proposed each year:

We don’t know enough about each case, and we don’t have the resources available to properly evaluate the countless proposals and issues that arise throughout the U.S., each of which includes unique cultural, historical, legislative, regulatory and scientific components. The vast majority of these issues are best settled through the local and state regulatory and legislative process, which itself can vary from one area of the country to another.
Our membership is spread across the nation, and when we come out with one stand on an issue, we are speaking as the voice of our entire membership. Should we poll our members on each issue and just mirror their voice, and would it need to be a simple majority, a majority of those responding, or some sort of supermajority to put the WTU stamp on an issue? The logistics of that would be a nightmare. Or to make it simple, should we just decide in the office, have a vote of the board of directors, or have one person in the headquarters decide? That would be pretty arrogant to impose that kind of opinion upon the WTU membership.
Hunting traditions can change drastically from one area of the country to another, and what may be a blazing controversy in one place is old news in another. Hunters are convinced that they way they hunt is the “right” way to do it, but should everything be the same in Georgia as it is in Minnesota?

However, we do present information through our publications and web site on issues in an attempt to educate and inform our membership on issues facing the white-tailed deer and deer management, rather than advocating for a particular position. The next step is up to you. WTU strongly encourages individual members, outside of their membership in WTU, to become active in the political and regulatory process with issues that relate to hunting and conservation on the local, state and national levels.

A Different Way To Shoot Ammo

2011-11-06T01:14:00.000-07:00

A Different Way To Shoot Ammo
By Jeff Davis

These images are of some .338 Federal rounds, for a story in Whitetails Unlimited Magazine. They were shot on a piece of black Plexiglas, and lit with a small soft box on the right and an umbrella providing some fill on the left.

During the time I was shooting, I just kept moving around looking for different ways to show the ammunition. I always try to have a selection of both vertical and horizontal images so the page designer has a selection to work with. It's surprising how a small change in the position of the camera, or a change in the direction, balance or intensity of the lights can make a huge difference in the photo.

When I was setting up the shoot I had a couple of rags and some metal polish and I was polishing each round (when you look closely at ammunition you will see a layer of oxidation on the brass, copper, and lead). Someone walked by, stopped, and looked again. They asked what was I doing, and I replied, matter-of-factly, "Polishing my ammo," with a tone of voice that implied that was something that everyone does everyday, and why in the world would anyone ask such a question. "You're not one of those people who never polish their ammo, are you?" I asked. They shook their head and continued on down the hall. And I wonder why people groan when I walk into a meeting.

First One Back to the Cabin

2011-11-05T00:52:00.000-07:00

First One Back to the Cabin
By Jeff Davis

I’m the first one back to the cabin, but it’s no warmer inside than outside. There’s a skim of ice on the leftover coffee, but I can feel a weak blush of heat from the stove as I walk past.

I stir the ashes, fill it with split logs, open the damper and pull a chair close. My socks are wet, and my toes are numb from the cold. Dry socks are in my duffle under the bunk, but I can already feel the waves of heat from the now crackling fire. I pull a log in front of the stove and prop my feet inches from the front of the stove.

I’m still shivering, but my toes start to tingle. Tiny pinpricks turn into painful stabs, but I know it’s because they aren’t numb anymore. The heat hits my face, and in a few minutes my skin feels, dry, tight and hot. I smell hot wool, and pull my toes, now inside steaming socks, a little farther away from the stove.

The pinpricks assail my toes; my knees and face are getting painfully hot, but my shoulders and back are still being squeezed by the cold. A small bubble of heat, centered at the stove, grows inside the cabin, but outside that bubble it is still the frozen North. A blanket over the shoulders seals me inside the bubble.

I’m finally warm enough to stop thinking about how miserably cold I am. I stare into the fire roaring in the stove and think about – nothing. I stare into the fire, and my mind is truly blank. I watch as colors move and dance, ephemeral shapes form, and then disappear. I’m relaxed, comfortable and at peace with everything.

Many times I’ve sat, just staring into a fire, feeling contented, serene, and empty, regardless of how many people are around. Sometimes thoughts race through my mind: memories, emotions, plans and dreams. Just as suddenly they are gone, replaced by a simple, empty connection with the heat and light of the fire.

I hear the others coming back to the cabin. I don’t need the blanket anymore, but the stove needs another load of wood. I fill it, close the door, and put the pot on top to boil water for coffee and cocoa. They are coming back to a warm cabin with their tales of adventure and near misses. They are glad the fire is roaring and the cabin is warm. I’m glad I had that time to myself, hot and cold at the same time, with nothing to think about except a mesmerizing dance of heat and light.

Whitetails Unlimited’s Trail Camera Contest Is Online Again

2011-11-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

The First Place winner in the Best Non-Deer category last year showed a
line of four badgers heading for a den.

Whitetails Unlimited’s Trail Camera Contest Is Online Again

Here is your chance to share those amazing trail camera images.

Whitetails Unlimited Trail Camera Contest is back, and entries are already coming in.

“We get some fantastic images every year,” said Whitetails Unlimited Magazine editor Jeff Davis, “and we’re looking forward to seeing what our members have captured in the last 12 months. We get some unique photos, not all of which include deer. Trail cameras provide a window into the natural world and a view that most people never see, and everyone I know loves to look at these images. This is our chance to collect and share some of the best trail camera photos out there.”

Photos must be entered via the Whitetails Unlimited website, and must have been captured during 2011. There are three categories: Best Buck, Best Antlerless Deer, and Best Non-Deer Photo. There will be first, second, and third place winners in each category. An individual may enter a total of three images in the contest, and entries can be submitted until 12:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2011. Judging will take place during the first week of January 2012.

Images must have been taken with your trail camera, and all images must include the camera’s date stamp. Winning images will be posted on the WTU website, and also published in Whitetails Unlimited Magazine.

Complete contest details are available at www.whitetailsunlimited.com.

WTU Press Release

Radio PSAs on Hunting Safety Availalbe From Whitetails Unlimited

2011-11-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Whitetails Unlimited Has Hunting Safety Radio PSAs Available

Set of five public service announcements include topics on hunting safety and encouraging hunting with family and friends.

Whitetails Unlimited has a set of five hunting-related public service announcements available for use by radio stations. The PSAs, in both 15- and 30-second versions, can be downloaded as .wav files from the WTU website, and are also available on a CD, which will be mailed free upon request.

Training youngsters to safely shoot and hunt is
essential, and is a responsibility for everyone
in the shooting sports.

“Promoting safe hunting practices and encouraging more people to get out hunting are two of our central messages,” said WTU Executive Director Pete Gerl. “Commercial radio is a huge and very effective method of mass communication, even in this age of the internet. We appreciate those radio stations that know how many hunters they have in their audience, and take their commitment to public service seriously.”

The five PSAs include Stand Safety, Hunting Safety, Hunting Tradition With Son, Hunting Tradition With Daughter, and Take a Friend Hunting. Each is available in both 15- and 30-second versions.

The PSAs can also be downloaded from the WTU website by going to www.whitetailsunlimited.com, and then clicking on the News button, and then Media Resources. Scroll down until you get to Radio Public Service Announcements.

The direct URL for the Media Resources page: http://www.whitetailsunlimited.com/news/media_resources/session_6d19eff71a45/#radiopsa

Any radio station wanting a free CD mailed to them can simply email a request with their mailing address to jdavis@whitetailsunlimited.com, and it will be sent via First Class mail.

WTU Press Release

Tales From The WTU Banquet Trail

2011-11-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

Tales from the Banquet Trail
By Jeff Davis

“It was your worst nightmare,” said Whitetails Unlimited Field Director Larry Yost. It was actually worse than that … because this was real.

Yost was in the middle of the Wymore Chapter banquet in Nebraska, and just found out that the caterer wasn’t going to show up. He was in front of a sold-out crowd of 220 people, 20 minutes before dinnertime, and he had no food.

At the beginning of each banquet everything is in order, and
there are no problems. After the doors open, the WTU Field
Directors need to be ready for anything.

“There are always problems that need to be managed at every banquet,” Yost said, in his typically understated manner. “But this was a little different.”

The problem was the caterer had multiple jobs that night, and somehow had scheduled the WTU banquet for the wrong date. “I had everything confirmed, just the way I do for every banquet, and as far as I knew, everything was fine. I’ve never had this problem before.”

There’s an old saying that says it’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness, but at that moment it didn’t look like Yost had any candles in his bag of tricks.

“This banquet was in a town of less than 1,000 residents, there were no restaurants, no grocery stores, and I had 220 people who had bought tickets for a banquet. It’s hard to have a banquet without food, but it didn’t seem like there were any alternatives.”

It was the resourcefulness of some of the WTU members that produced success from the jaws of certain disaster.

“We were talking over our options, which weren’t many, when WTU sponsor Chad Lottman and his wife, Courtney, came up and said they might be able to help,” said Yost. It turns out he had a butcher shop in Beatrice, 25 miles away, and could arrange getting steaks cut and ready for the grill. Rex Adams, the chapter event associate, said his wife, Jodi, and daughter Cami would run to pick up the steaks, and could also stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken and Wal-Mart for side dishes and supplies. Now they had a plan, but there was one last problem: cooking the steaks.

There is a lot of activity at every WTU banquet, including
raffles, games, auctions, and door prizes.

It was Chad and Courtney to the rescue again. In addition to owning a butcher shop, they also own C & C Processing in Diller, and they compete in barbeque contests in the summer. Chad had a huge portable grill, but it was next to his shop stuck in the snow and mud.

A friend volunteered to retrieve the grill and get it fired up, and the last piece of the jury-rigged solution was in place. The grill was dug out of the snow and extracted using a 4X4 pickup truck, it was then filled it with charcoal and pulled it back to the banquet site. Meanwhile, Jodi called KFC and told them what was going on, and they pledged to put together biscuits, potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, and vegetables. Jodi and Cami set off with a blank check from Yost to make the 45-minute round trip to pick everything up. The grill arrived and was ready to go as soon as the steaks got there, and volunteers pitched in to get the meat on the grill and the serving tables set up. In short order everyone was enjoying a great steak dinner.

The dinner, which was scheduled for 7:00 p.m., was served about 8:30, and Yost said, “We didn’t get a single complaint. I can’t thank everyone enough, both those that pitched in above and beyond what anyone could expect, and everyone else at the banquet. Everyone was fantastic.”

Yost said the one key ingredient was to keep everyone informed. “We told the crowd right away that we had a problem, and kept them informed through the whole process. We didn’t try to hide it, and after the night was over I didn’t get one single complaint. The crowd actually had fun with it. We kept the games going, adjusted the schedule for the night, and just kept everyone busy while Chad and Courtney and the instant volunteers got the food together. That disaster turned into a memorable night.”

No Two Banquets the Same

Lining up for dinner at a Wisconsin WTU banquet.

While Yost’s banquet disaster was unusual (no other WTU field director has ever had a caterer not show up), most banquets have problems of one kind or another. But all the WTU field directors stress that problems are just one more thing to manage, and their goal is to make sure the people who attend banquets, or other WTU events, never know there were any type of problems.

But there are things that are beyond any control, and can’t be fixed, like the weather. Snow or ice storms are a regular problem each year, but a really strange weather event can also happen.

One Nebraska banquet took place in a facility situated on a bluff overlooking a picturesque river valley. Bad thunderstorms are not unusual in Nebraska, so the severe thunderstorm warning didn’t have any effect on attendance at the banquet. It became a day to remember for those present, as they looked out of the huge windows of the restaurant while a tornado passed by in the river valley below them. Luckily, no one lived along the river in that area, and the tornado damaged only trees, no buildings.

A massive storm of another kind threw a wrench in the works for a Texas banquet, as the tail end of a hurricane dumped massive rain, and high winds knocked out power to the banquet hall just after the field director arrived to set up. He was able to secure a generator on the back of a truck, and they ran the entire night using the portable power source. And the record-setting rain from the hurricane? Didn’t seem to bother anybody; the entire sold-out crowd of more than 400 showed up, and everyone had a great night.

WTU VP for Field Operation Dave Hawkey helped solve
a plumbing problem while attending a WTU banquet.
It was a mess, but few of those attending the banquet
even knew there was a problem.

Power was the problem at another banquet, this time in Iowa, and the field director was once again Larry Yost. The entire town was out of power when he arrived at the community center in Anthon, Iowa, at 9:00 a.m. to set up for the event. They got some lanterns and flashlights to use until the power was restored. As the day went along, it became apparent that perhaps the power was not going to get turned on before the event started, or not at all. Craig Handke, the event associate, luckily happened to be an electrician. He had an idea to call a neighbor who had a large generator that would run off a tractor. The tractor arrived at 3:00 p.m. and the guys went to work wiring the community center to the generator. At 4:30 the lights went on and the crowd started to arrive. Yost had another sold-out event, with more than 350 people attending – and the entire night was run on a tractor that was parked out back behind the community center.

Just Another Day in the Office

These tales of woe seem pretty dramatic to me, but for the WTU field directors it’s just another day in the office. When I thought this might be an interesting story, I sent an email to all of them asking them to send me stories of disasters that have happened at banquets, and I got no response. None. So I called them on the phone, and uniformly they replied that each banquet has problems or challenges, and that it is just their job to handle them. “You wouldn’t last long in this job if you let problems get in your way,” one said to me.

Many youngsters attend WTU banquets with
parents and grandparents.

“The reality is, it doesn’t matter what the problems are, we have to fix them and produce a great event,” said Ohio Field Director Denny Malloy. “We’ve got people who have bought tickets, and are expecting an outstanding night. They shouldn’t have to care what happens behind the scenes, so we just have to make sure they have a great time. If things go wrong during the event, we try to be fair, honest, and work from good intentions. The old saying, ‘the customer is always right,’ normally works.”

When asked for an example, Malloy recounts the time he was running a card raffle for a gun, where a deck of cards are sold, the purchased cards are torn in half, and a winning card is drawn after the entire deck is sold. The winning card this time was the four of clubs, and a winner quickly presented himself. And then another winner showed up, also with a four of clubs, from the same deck. Everything was on the up-and-up; the deck actually had 53 cards in it, with two four of clubs. And that was the winning card.

“I could have tried to see which four of clubs was actually drawn by matching up the tear pattern in the card, but these guys had done nothing wrong – they bought the cards that we were selling – and so I ended up giving away two guns from that game, and everyone was happy.”

Malloy says that while each event is unique, there are also many similarities. “It’s like being in a band. You get there early, set up, the crowd comes in, and then it’s a roller coaster ride until the end of the evening. Then everyone leaves, you tear down, and head home, sometimes 22 hours after you left the morning before.” Malloy emphasized again that no one needs to know the behind-the-scenes nitty gritty. “The time from when the doors open until the last person leaves is the only time that’s important. Good fellowship, good food, good games, good times, and working toward a good cause; that’s what’s important, and that’s what we have to deliver. It doesn’t matter how many problems I had to fix, it only matters if everyone had a good time.”

Larry Yost told me the same thing. He estimates that it takes a minimum of seven hours to set up before the doors open on the day of a banquet, if he has enough people helping. “I can’t say enough about our volunteers. They’re fantastic, and we couldn’t do it without them. Our volunteers and committee people go far beyond what can be expected.” Yost says the volunteer corps varies with each event. “Sometimes it’s all guys, sometimes it’s entire families. Sometimes it’s the same people every year, sometimes it’s a new crew, sometimes we have too many people, and sometimes we barely have enough. But whatever it is, they do a fantastic job.”

Dinner is a centerpiece event at most WTU events.

In addition to the physical set-up the day of the event, field directors must coordinate many details far in advance. Arranging for the location to hold the banquet, organizing the meal, having hundreds of individual products and merchandise (from guns to can cozies) delivered, securing local sponsors, working with ticket sales, and a hundred other details take a great deal of time throughout the year. When asked about the time it takes to arrange a banquet, Yost replied again, “That’s our job. That’s what we do. It’s all so that people have fun at our event, and want to come back next year.”

All the field directors I talked to emphasized that same point. It doesn’t matter exactly what happens at each banquet, as long as the crowd enjoys it. “Our key to success is to be flexible. The night flows, and going in I have a schedule in mind, but you have to be able to adapt.” Malloy agreed. “I do things a little differently than Tim Powers does at his banquets in Iowa, or LeRoy (Schultz) does with his events in Wisconsin, or any of our banquets in Texas or Maine. But that doesn’t matter. Each banquet is unique because each region is unique. What matters is we’re raising money for a good cause, we’re providing a great night for our banquet attendees, and our volunteers are supporting their communities and their sport through their hard work.”

Easier to Remember the Good Times than the Bad

It struck me that when I talked to the field directors and asked them about interesting things that had happened at their banquets, they instantly recounted things that had happened that were fun, good, or uplifting. It took quite a bit of prodding to come up with problems.

A happy winner at a banquet in Fountain City, Wisconsin.

“A couple of sons brought their dad on his 90th birthday,” Malloy remembered, “and at another banquet one fellow introduced me to his 85-year-old wife, who got a deer that year. I’ve met World War II veterans, and a whole new crop of returning veterans in the past few years. One night we had to stop the auction as a bunch of guys were putting the top on an eight foot by eight foot pyramid of cups on one side of the room. At a banquet in San Antonio we had an auctioneer who arrived ‘in character,’ and changed costumes and characters at least 10 times during the night. I’ve never seen anything like it. He was running all over the room, and theatrically collapsed on stage after the last item was sold. It was a great show.”

Yost agrees – the banquet successes make you forget the problems. “If I remember a problem it’s because it was pretty dramatic, and I don’t remember a whole lot of problems. I do remember a whole lot of names and faces, and people smiling and going out the door after a great night. Some of these events are the biggest fundraisers in the town all year, and they do great things with the 50% of the proceeds that are returned to the chapter. I had a banquet in a town of 565 people, and we sold 420 tickets. That banquet made a real difference for that town.

Malloy summed it up best when asked if the job ever drove him crazy: “No. This is a great job. We produce good times, for a good reason.”

Caliber Confusion: Some Myths and Misconceptions About Ammo

2011-11-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Caliber ConfusionBy Jeff Davis

Any time you get more than one person talking about guns you will get disagreements. At the very least. There are many myths, misconceptions, and legends about various guns and ammunition, and it seems like everyone who know anything about firearms considers themselves an expert. One of the problems is that the language of firearms has evolved with few rules, and as a result there is lot of confusion. This won’t solve everything, but here are some things I’ve learned, when I was looking up other things.

Caliber vs. Gauge

Gauge is a measure of the inside diameter of a shotgun barrel while caliber generally refers to the diameter measurement of rifle and handgun bullets. Except shotgun slugs (a solid bullet shot from shotguns) retain their gauge designation, and the .410 is the caliber of a small shotgun (and never called a 67-1/2-gauge). The gauge designation was developed hundreds of years ago, before accurate measuring devices allowed for precise, repeatable measurement.

Caliber

Caliber refers to the diameter of a bullet, and can be expressed in either metric (7mm) or English (.284) measurements, depending on where it was developed (Europe or the U.S.), or the whims of the marketing department of the company that first designed the bullet.

Numbers Aren’t Always Exact

Remember that just because a number exists, that does not necessarily indicate an exact measurement. The .38 Special and .357 Magnum are both 38-calibers, but the bullet is actually 357-thousandths of an inch in diameter. The .30-30, .30-06, .300 Winchester Magnum, .303 and .308 are all different, non-interchangeable rounds that are all .30-caliber. However, 30-caliber bullets are .308-inch in diameter. I once saw a customer go ballistic (pun intended) because he wanted to hand load for his .30-30, and the clerk gave him bullets that were .308-inch in size. The clerk was right.

Those Other Numbers

So if a .30-30 and a .30-06 are both 30-caliber rounds, that are .308-inch in diameter, why do they have those extra numbers? In the case of the .30-30, it meant that there was originally 30-grains of smokeless powder inside the case. Same with the .45-70. However, in the case of the .30-06, the -06 has nothing to do with powder, but rather that was the year, 1906, that the round was adopted by the U.S. Army as the standard rifle round, to be use with the 1903 Springfield rifle (and don’t ask what the Army used in that rifle between 1903 and 1905). There are other cartridges, such as the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum that is 30-caliber (.308), but it used a necked-down .378 case. And then there are rounds like the 7.62x39 and the 7.62x51, where the 7.62 is the metric equivalent of the .308, but the 39 and 51refer to the length of the case.

Never Assume

A .22 LR (long rifle) is much different from a .220 Swift, a .22-250 or a .22 Hornet. A .300 Winchester Magnum will not work in a .300 Weatherby Magnum, and you can’t buy a spacer to make a .300 Super Short Magnum work in a .300 Short Magnum (someone asked me that once). I was once loudly ridiculed by a friend when I told him I wanted to buy a .44 Magnum rifle, because everyone knew that the .44 Magnum was a handgun cartridge. The joke was on him, as there are a number of rifles chambered to shoot handgun rounds (including the .44), and a few handguns that shoot some rifle cartridges. It’s a big world out there.

Other Language Problems

Language is constantly changing, and the rules can change as popular usage changes. It drives me nuts when a gun’s magazine is called a “clip.” However, I often use the word “bullet” to indicate an individual round or cartridge, even though the bullet is actually just one component of that cartridge. I call revolvers “pistols” which drives my son nuts, but then I sometimes do that on purpose (a revolver is a revolver, but a semi-automatic handgun is more accurately termed a 'pistol'). And then there is tradition. The Army still tells soldiers to “Lock and Load” on the range, which never made sense to me, as we were loading, but not locking. The phrase goes back to the loading procedure of breech-lock rifles two hundred years ago, but caries on to this day.

Why So Many?

Looking through a reloading manual I found bullets with actual diameters of .257, .264 (6.5mm), .277, and .284 (7mm). Do we really need so many bullets that are so similar, but actually different sizes? Well, I don’t need them, but someone does. Ever look to see how many different kinds of mustard are available? I like two kinds, but someone is buying all the other variations. The basic answer is that the bullet diameter is only one variable in the performance of a particular round. The case size, and shape, as well as the kind of powder and primer, all have an effect on the downrange performance.

To each his own.

WTU Supports 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop; WTU Press Release

2011-11-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Whitetails Unlimited Continues Support of 4-H Workshop

Whitetails Unlimited continues to be a sponsor of the 4-H Shooting Sports program, one of the country’s most prominent and active youth shooting activities. WTU’s unique partnership with 4-H goes back over two decades, to 1991 in Ames, Iowa, when WTU first joined forces with the 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation.

As in the past, WTU’s recent support focused on sponsoring the 2011 National 4-H Shooting Sports State Coordinator Workshop, enhancing volunteer recruitment, and supporting state resource development. State Coordinators are the folks who provide the leadership for the 4-H shooting sports in their particular state.

The 2011 leader-training workshop was held on September 26-29 at the Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia, Missouri. The 4-H workshop was well attended and had adult leaders from almost 40 different states. It was also sponsored through the generosity of Larry and Brenda Potterfield and Midway USA.

“Whitetails Unlimited sponsors the program because we recognize that 4-H is in a strategic position to offer a positive gun safety message to the youth of our nation,” said Pete Gerl, Whitetails Unlimited’s executive director. Currently there are over 300,000 young people actively taking part in the shooting sports program, and an established core of over 15,000 trained adult volunteer instructors. The program teaches youth the safe and responsible use of firearms, and the fundamental techniques of using air guns, .22’s, blackpowder, rifles, and shotguns. The basic principles of hunting and archery are also taught as disciplines of the program.

The 4-H Shooting Sports program is active in nearly all states and continues to be one the organization’s fastest growing projects, with over 100 programs currently being offered to 4-H participants. With over 6.5 million members in 4-H nationally, the potential for growth in firearm safety is tremendous.

WTU Press Release

Deer Camp Cuisine – Soup Mixes

2011-10-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

Powdered/Dried Soup Mixes:
By Nancy Brabbit-Davis

These are absolutely the best for deer camp. They are fast, easy to prepare, and only require a single pot. They provide a solid base, can be used as-is, but anything you add to bulk them up is a bonus. Adding fresh meat to any type of dried stew immediately transforms the dish; the meat juices season the mix and enhance the flavors of the vegetables as they rehydrate in the broth. You will be able to find a variety of packaged products at any outdoor store or by searching on the internet. Amazon alone has 277 entries for a search of “dried soup.”

Another tip: instead of just adding water to your dried cheese soup mix, substitute a can of beer for some of the water. Beer cheese soup is a Wisconsin staple and cannot be beat (as it combines two highly favored ingredients – beer and cheese – and for the trifecta you can add sliced up bratwurst). Adding some shredded Cheddar cheese can also create a heartier soup, and create a few more servings.

A little bit of beer can also add a distinct flavor to beef stews – emphasis on a little. Don’t go nuts when adding the beer; you just want to add a hint of beer flavor, not create a beer stew. Of course, this will involve the extra chore of packing beer for deer camp, but many a hunter has found that particular canned liquid to be a worthwhile addition to their deer camp staples.

For more flavor from savory soups or stews you can also substitute chicken or beef broth for some or all of the water required.

There is a tremendous amount of variety in dried soup mixes. Many of them stand alone on their own merit, but adding fresh meat, favorite vegetables, or other seasonings can really transform the flavor. The addition of fresh vegetables is only a positive, and further bulks up your soups and stews making them more filling. For some, no dish is complete without minced garlic, more onion, or a favorite brand of hot sauce. Go easy on the hot sauce if cooking for a group, and let everyone season for themselves at the table.

Camp Traditions Cheese Soup:

This is a favorite. Camp Traditions makes a three cheese soup mix that stands alone with only the addition of water. To kick it up a bit, substitute a can of beer for some of the water, and presto – you know have beer cheese soup. In addition, you can add sautéed onions and/or steamed broccoli florets. Cooked carrots are another nice addition to this soup. For a richer version, substitute some milk for water and add a cup of grated cheddar cheese. This is just a great soup that really warms you up, and is easily customized to your particular tastes, and can be used at home anytime as well as at deer camp or family camping trips. (www.camptraditionsfoods.com)

Camp Traditions Barley Soup or Stew:
(Photo at top)

These mixes may include dried meat, but can easily be improved by adding cooked stew-size chunks of fresh game. Of course, you can also add other fresh chopped vegetables such as onions, celery, and carrots. Just sauté the vegetables first, or let them simmer until tender.

Camp Traditions Wild Rice Soup:

This is another great mix and since we really like wild rice, it is great to find a Camp Traditions pre-packaged mix. Again, fresh chopped vegetables will be a welcome addition.

Chili:

There are a variety of dried chili mixes out there, and while I am a bit skeptical because chili is one of my home-made specialties, there are some great varieties out there, with and without dried meat.

Sides are not Secondary

Finally, if you are making dried soups because you want to, and not because you are not holed up in a barricaded shelter protecting you from zombies or contagious disease, add your favorite fresh bread, biscuits, or muffins to soak up the juices from your soup or stew. We tested with our kids two different varieties of cornbread for this article, and both were well received. There are many brands and varieties in your local grocery store; just test them until you find your favorite.

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Tales From The WTU Banquet Trail

Tales from the Banquet TrailBy Jeff Davis

No Two Banquets the Same

Just Another Day in the Office

Easier to Remember the Good Times than the Bad

Caliber Confusion: Some Myths and Misconceptions About Ammo

WTU Supports 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop; WTU Press Release

Deer Camp Cuisine – Soup Mixes

Tales from the Banquet Trail
By Jeff Davis