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.

Should You Start Reloading?

Most hunters will not save money by
reloading, but that is not the only
reason to reload. Customizing ammo
to fit your firearm or hunting situation
can be an important part of
your hunting experience.

The recent rise in the cost of ammunition, and the scarcity of some calibers, led one friend to ask if I thought he should start reloading. Since he is still using the same box of .30-06 ammo he bought three years ago, and he only shoots 4-5 rounds a year, I told him that I thought he’d be OK staying with factory ammo.  Then I got the same question from someone else I know. Reloading is a great hobby, but not for everyone. Let’s take a look why.

What is Your Motivation?

Reloading can offer a number of benefits, but if those benefits don’t apply to you, there is no reason to reload. Forget what I do, or your neighbor, or some guy at the range. If it doesn’t help you, it’s a waste of time and money. Remember that saving money may not be the best reason to reload.

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish?

The “pound” in that old saying refers to British money, and reloading can be a great way to spend dollars to save pennies. It all depends on volume. I started reloading decades ago because I was shooting a lot of handgun ammo and couldn’t afford to shoot as much as I wanted (that hasn’t changed over the years). I was able to ‘pay’ for my reloading gear with money saved on ammo in the first year. Unfortunately, I didn’t really put that money in the bank. Overall, I’ve just shot more, and spent more money on other guns and additional reloading gear. You will find that you will either become overwhelmed, bored, and find reloading too much trouble, or you will gradually get more involved, start loading more calibers, and need more gear.

Do The Math

After you start reloading you will discover that there is
a plethora of additional gear that is helpful, necessary,
or good to add to your process. This can result in
you spending more money, and reduce the amount
you save on ammunition. 

If you think you will save money, first put a pencil to paper. A very basic starter kit, plus supplies and one set of dies, will run you $500-$700. A decent setup with some additional gear will add $300-$500. So let’s say $1,000 to get going (and you will spend more in the future). You can expect to save 30-70% over factory ammo (perhaps even more right now, with the recent shortages and price increases), depending on the cost of primers, powder, and bullets (and whether or not you have to buy brass), but let’s say you can save 50%. Let’s assume factory ammo is $1.00 a round. At a bare minimum you’d have to reload 2,000 rounds to make the breakeven point. A serious shooter can do that, but I know a lot of hunters who won’t shoot that much in a couple of decades.

Other Reasons to Reload

When you reload you will be able to
select components to achieve
specific performance objectives
 from your firearms.

But don’t be discouraged, because saving money is not the only motive for reloading. You can fine-tune your ammo to produce the most accuracy possible from a particular rifle, produce ammo to meet specific performance requirements (very light or very heavy loads, for instance), produce ammo for hard-to-find calibers, or have the satisfaction of using ammo you manufactured to take that trophy animal. You can use different powders and different weights and styles of bullets to make your deer rifle suitable to take anything from varmints to elk, and you will receive an extensive education on ballistics.

Is Your Personality a Match?

A single-stage press can produce perhaps 50 finished rounds an hour. Do you have the patience and attention to detail to do the same thing, exactly the same way, hour after hour? You have to be careful, precise, and methodical – there is no margin for error. If you leave the powder out of one case, fail to properly seat one primer, or double charge one round, the results can range from problematic to catastrophic. You must keep careful records, compare loads, examine spent cases for signs of stress, and fully understand what you are doing, and why you are doing it. All of this will take a lot of time. You will also need a clean, dry, well-lit area in which to reload, with a solid, secure bench where you can bolt the reloading press. Make sure you can safely and securely store components when not in use. Be honest with yourself – if this is too much for you, stick with factory ammo. If this is a good fit for you – then get some catalogs, save some money, and start reloading.

Dan Vogt Passes on The Hunting Heritage

By Brandon Butler

Dan Vogt is a field director for Whitetails Unlimited, covering Missouri and Arkansas, and he pretty much eats, drinks, and sleeps whitetails 365 days a year. So when Dan told me he had experienced the hunt of his life last season, I knew I had to hear about it.

The story wasn’t what I expected. He didn’t tell me about a double drop tine booner closing inside 20 yards. It wasn’t a story about a state record, or some big nasty freak animal. In fact, it wasn’t

about antlers at all. The story of Dan’s best hunt ever was of his 8-year-old son, Jacob, killing his first deer.

Jacob Vogt with his first deer.

Jacob Vogt, who is now nine, is your average boy. He enjoys spending time with his daddy, going to school, and playing video games. Deer hunting doesn’t consume him (yet), but since it is so important to his dad, Jacob has gravitated toward it. When he recalled to me the story of killing his first deer, a big healthy doe, there was excitement in his eyes, especially each time he looked up at his father as if to reconfirm the admiration being bestowed.

Like many young folks, and quite a few of us older guys too, Jacob doesn’t like sitting still for long. So when Dan and Jacob decided to call it quits on their ground blind hunt, they figured their chances of success were over. But on the way back to the truck, they jumped a group of deer from a ditch. They formulated a plan to sneak up on them and it worked.

“I was like 50/50 on whether or not I should take the shot, but I did, and I got her,” Jacob said.

Dan said it was really a pretty close shot and Jacob made it count. To young eyes, 60 yards is a mile. Consider buck fever and shaking hands, and it’s easy to understand how the youngster was hesitant to pull the trigger.

“I was so excited because I shot and I thought right away that I got it. I started calling all my family. I called grandma first because she’s the closest, just across the street,” Jacob said.

Dan said it was hard to put into words how much it meant to him to pass the tradition of hunting on to his son. Here’s a guy whose career is based on turning people into deer hunters and deer hunters into conservationists, but his ultimate reward was passing the flame to his own son. “When I grow up, I might work for my dad, maybe. If I’m not a professional swimmer,” Jacob said.

Well, whether or not Jacob ends up working for Whitetails Unlimited really doesn’t matter much. What matters is that at 9 years old, he’s an advocate with a story to tell. A story he’ll recount to his friends that may create a desire in them to venture into the deer woods. Hopefully, they’ll create their own stories too.

Each of you has an opportunity to connect with a child through nature. It doesn’t have to be deer hunting. Take your child fishing, or squirrel hunting, or just for a long nature hike. You don’t have to ban them from video games to inspire a love of being outdoors. Encourage a balance. You’ll be giving a child the gift of a lifetime, and you’ll never be more satisfied with yourself than when they look up at you and smile about nothing more than the pure joy of being outdoors.

Dan Vogt WTU's Field Director of the Year

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

Vogt, who conducts events in Missouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas, was honored based on chapter performance, service to local chapters, and internal performance benchmarks. “Dan always does an outstanding job for Whitetails Unlimited, and that translates to doing an 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 home when not on the road. “I’m very proud to bring this award to the Show Me state,” said Vogt, “but the recognition really belongs to my incredible group of chapters and volunteers, who really deserve all the credit.”

According to Hawkey, Vogt set a new record of 18 points (lower score is better), beating the previous record of 21 set three years ago. Tim Powers of Iowa came in second, and Wisconsin’s Jamie Merckx placed third.

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

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.

Deer Camp Tickets Now Available

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

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

 

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

There are single events in Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Texas. There are two Deer Camps in Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota, three events in 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 here for 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. Everyone attending 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 artwork being available in record numbers. There are custom-engraved firearms, art from the country’s top artists, merchandise that every deer hunter can use, and great adventure travel packages. Deer Camp sponsors are featured on the WTU website and on the Deer Camp invitations.

Twenty events, nine states, one great time. Attending a Deer Camp 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 Deer Camp, April 21, Green Bay, Wisconsin

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.

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

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.

Change is the Only Constant

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

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.