Hooker Deer Drag

The Hooker Deer Drag is an innovative answer to the chore of moving your deer through the woods, and even loading it into a pickup or trailer. A set of two long hooks (rated at 1000 lbs. each) are constructed from solid 3/8-inch diameter steel, powder-coated in blaze orange or neon pink, and are made in the USA. Each hook has a large, comfortable handle with a thick foam grip that accommodates bare hands or even thick gloves, and a heavy-duty 1-inch wide nylon web looped strap. The straps can be attached to a buck’s rack, or the hook ends can be easily attached to the hind legs of an antlerless deer. These hooks enable a single hunter to move a deer through the woods, across fields, and even lift the deer into a vehicle – and it’s all the easier if you have a buddy to help with the second hook. A set of Hooker Deer Drags are $49.99, and can be ordered from the website www.hookerdeerdrag.com. More information and videos of the Hooker Deer Drag in use are on the website.

Analog Fire

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 classic elemental forces.

Used by humans for untold thousands 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 I stumbled across an obvious solution – longer matches.

At about 3.75 inches long, the Long Burn Matches from Industrial Revolution easily reach into a grill or lantern, or under campfire kindling. The long-burn matches will generate flame for 45-60 seconds, depending on conditions. This is four to five times longer than a standard match, and I don’t burn my fingers. Even I can get tinder going in that much time.

Matches were first sold 185 years 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 Long Burn Matches sealed in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag in my car, daypack, tackle box, with my basic hunting gear, and in the garage. In a digital world, don’t overlook the analog solution.

Long Burn Matches are available at outdoor retailers, including Cabela’s, REI, and MEC. The UCO website is www.ucogear.com.

The Nose Knows

The Nose Knows

Deer use their noses for a number of tasks, and protecting themselves from predators, including humans, is the primary task. Running an important second is finding a mate. If you can control and reduce your human scent you will be a more successful hunter. If you can learn how to present odors that are attractive to deer, you will be on the road to those trophy bucks. Our friends at Wildlife Research have a DVD available 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 air for danger, and they are fast to respond if they find anything they think is a threat. If you control your human scent, you can be a more effective hunter. It is almost impossible to completely eliminate your scent, but if you can reduce your smell to a small amount, the animal will not be alarmed, because it will think you are either far away or long gone.

First Time Is The Charm

The first time you hunt on a stand is often the most effective, and one reason is that human odor molecules can 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 to your presence. Your boots, pants, and body parts brushing against foliage can leave human scent as you walk through the woods. The more often you are in one area 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 human scent. Then store and transport your hunting clothing in a clean, airtight container or plastic bag. Hang clothing outside, away from car exhaust, camp fires or barbeque grills. When you shower before hunting, use scent-free soap and shampoo designed for hunters, and use a washcloth and towel washed in scent-free detergent. Don’t use your normal shave cream, deodorant or aftershave; there are deodorants designed for hunters and you really don’t need to shave.

Keep Looking, And Sniffing

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

What Kind Should You Choose

There are several types of scents, and deer respond to them differently:
Territorial or Challenge type scent – urine, or a scent from the same animal that you 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 scents that deer find interesting, most effective early in the season, or anytime for does
Sex-type scents – most effective for bucks, two weeks before rut to end of season.

Drip, Drip, Drip

The method of dispensing scent can improve success. There is a wide variety of wicks, drippers, foams, and solid scent dispensers. Scrape drippers can be set up to drip only during specific 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 not offensive to deer. Red fox urine, coon urine, or plant extracts, like pine or cedar, work well.

Scrapes

Hunt over natural scrapes that you locate, or create mock scrapes. When creating mock scrapes, use a stick from that area, rather than scraping with your feet. Your boots can impart odor to the earth that deer can easily detect.

Read The Instructions

There are many scent and scent elimination products on the market, and they all have instructions on how to use their products. Wildlife research has a DVD available with solid information on both human and seer odors, called Scent Secrets. Visit www.wildlife.com for more details.

WTU's My First Deer Program Celebrates Hunting Success

Program celebrates a life-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 need only submit a photo of their first deer, along with a short narrative (250 word maximum) about the hunt that resulted in their first deer.

To mark the occasion, Whitetails Unlimited will provide the successful deer hunter with a personalized color certificate, suitable for framing, and a Cabela’s shooter’s cap to wear with pride. In addition, everyone who participates will be entered into a drawing for 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 third prize 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 mark this special deer hunting experience, and provide the successful hunter with a permanent reminder of that memorable day,” said Kevin Devault, WTU’s manager of conservation funding. “It’s a day and a moment in a hunter’s life that I promise they will never forget.”

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

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

For complete details on the My First Deer program, visit the WTU website at www.whitetailsunlimited.com.

Dan Vogt Takes Caribou During Alaska Hunt

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

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

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

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.

A Different Way To Shoot Ammo

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

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.

Radio PSAs on Hunting Safety Availalbe From Whitetails Unlimited

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