I don’t agree with everything he claims will happen to the meat by field dressing an animal. I hunted in terrain where moving an undressed out deer and elk would be impossible. I field dressed and boned out my elk and deer and did not have dirt urine feces and hair on the meat. Although this is an interesting lesson. I’ve seen this done before many times over the years..
Online Interactive Gear Checklist Now Available for Hunters
September 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Press Release from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation unveiled an interactive, online gear checklist designed to assist hunters be fully prepared as they head afield.
“This is the quintessential checklist for the elk hunter,” said Steve Decker, RMEF vice president of Marketing. “It can be customized for the rifle hunter or bowhunter and be adjusted according to the length of a hunt.”
The Gear 101 checklist is located on the RMEF website. It allows a user to create an individualized checklist by clicking on one of three options: daytripper, multi-day or outfitted. From there, categories include clothes, food & water, meat care, overnight gear and hunting gear.
Users highlight the tabs most appropriate to their preference, click “download PDF,” and then print that list and use it to prepare for the hunt ahead.
“With all of the latest and greatest gear, so much on our minds before a hunt, I find it critical to have a system to double-check that I don’t forget the smallest of detail,” said Kristy Titus, RMEF Team Elk featured member. “Trust me, I have been on a hunt where someone forgets their tags and has to drive hours home or to the nearest town to pick them up.”
Specific gear from conservation partners who support the RMEF and its mission are included as a benefit for users.
“Our sponsors have years of experience in developing effective, quality products that benefit the elk hunter so it only makes sense that we feature some of those,” added Decker.
Go to here to see the checklist.
Hunt Harder and Smarter: 5 Keys to Successful Black Bear Baiting
May 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
It’s my experience that consistently killing big black bears over bait takes just as much, and often more work than spot-and-stalk hunting. The belief that baiting black bears is simple and easy is a misconception common to those who have never done it. And, no, I’m not talking about the sort of hunting where you are dropped into a bait site once bears are hitting it. I’m talking about picking a baiting site, developing the baits, and fine-tuning your presentation to attract the biggest bears in a certain area. In many areas, baiting is the only effective way to hunt black bears, and setting yourself up for success is where the work is. Here are five tips to get you pointed in the right direction.
Source: Hunt Harder and Smarter: 5 Keys to Successful Black Bear Baiting | Outdoor Life
Whitetail-Style Rattling Works on Elk, Too
October 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Press Release from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
MISSOULA, Mont.- Whitetail hunters for decades have employed rattling as an effective hunt strategy during the rut. Now more and more elk hunters are catching on.
Two notable hunting writers have covered rattling in recent issues of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s member magazine, “Bugle.” Both found success using slightly different methods and gear. Here’s a rundown:
Ralph Ramos
1. Antler Preference – Ramos uses one large, 320-class, 6×6 shed as a base antler. During the rattling sequence, this antler mostly lays on the ground while the hunter swings a second antler, usually a broken end with at least three points.
2. Rattling Sequence – Bang the antlers abruptly and aggressively 6-7 times to create the thundering sound of two bulls squaring off. Ramos says real bulls often begin a fight with big theatrics that devolve into a pushing match. So after your initial start, continue by rubbing antlers together, clashing points, raking trees and brush and pounding the ground for at least 10-15 minutes. Lots of noise is realistic. During this sequence, bang the antlers together very forcefully a couple times every 2-3 minutes. Then, after a few minutes of silence, start all over again with round two, and then round three.
3. Calling – Ramos blends a variety of elk calls into the rattling session. Bugles, moans, groans and excited cow calls add realism to the sounds of a fight. If possible, let a second hunter focus on the calling while the first hunter focuses on the rattling.
4. Be Sure to Try – Switching off. Ramos says this hunting method takes a physical toll on a hunter’s upper body so it’s good to let two hunters split the rattling and calling duties.
5. Notes – Bulls generally bugle as they approach, but not always. Sometimes they slip in silently, as if trying to steal a hot cow away from the battling bulls. Stay alert! To watch a video of Ramos’ rattling technique, go here
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrhrbNl9KpQ).
Mark Kayser
1. Antler Preference – Kayser prefers a set of raghorn sheds, to save weight. A hunter can lighten his load even more by not using antlers at all. Consider commercial products that mimic rattling sounds, like the Rattlecage (http://rattlecage.com).
2. Rattling Sequence – See No. 2 above.
3. Calling – Use a series of high-intensity bugles with two different tones to imitate two different bulls. For example, make one a growler and the other a chuckler. Be creative in your own style.
4. Be Sure to Try – If you don’t carry actual antlers, you can use a large stick to scrape trees and ground, adding even more realism to the rattling sounds.
5. Notes – Kayser used rattling to draw a bull from a neighboring property. It took only a few minutes for an elk to respond to the sounds, cross a fence and walk within bow range.
“Bugle” magazine is a bi-monthly publication that covers hunting, conservation, elk ecology, predator issues, RMEF membership news and much more, plus memorable hunting stories and outstanding photography. Visit www.rmef.org for details.
Elk Hunting: A Thinking Man’s Game
August 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Press Release from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
MISSOULA, Mont.—It’s possible to wander out in the woods and blunder into elk, but if that’s your principal strategy, then you’re probably not destined for great success as an elk hunter. Consistent luck requires premeditation. Anticipating, planning and preparing. Even visualizing the encounter before it happens.
That’s the boiled-down advice from America’s ultimate pool of elk-hunting buddies.
Now with a record 203,000 members, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a 30-year conservation workforce of hunters, volunteers, donors, outfitters and partners from across the hunting industry. It’s a network that branches high, wide and awesome. Put any two individuals together, and the talk will invariably turn to hunting adventures in far-flung corners of elk country. As a lifelong hunter himself, now seven years on the job as the RMEF president and CEO, David Allen is nothing if not well counseled on elk hunting.
“If you ask me for one takeaway, I’d say successful elk hunting is mostly about being smart,” said Allen. “Elk hunting tests your body, of course, but it’s really a thinking man’s game. More than any other North American game species, hunting elk – especially with a bow – tests your mind. The people I know who consistently kill elk are those whose brains can foresee and manage multiple challenges all at the same time.”
Put another way, “First, you have to be able to think like an elk. Then, second, you have to be able to think several steps ahead of it,” he added.
Allen said it’s a skill learned from experience.
“It starts with knowing where to find elk. It’s not random. They’re usually in a location for a reason. Solving that problem is the first step to a good hunt,” he said. “Once you’ve located elk, then you must consider all the elements that might keep you from getting close. At the top of that list are the elk’s senses: sight, sound, smell. You have to figure out how to approach, how to keep yourself concealed, how to predict wind, how to use terrain and cover, how to get to where the animal is going rather than where it’s been, how to outthink an animal that’s always alert, always aware, all the time.”
Stalks can take hours. A strong mind is required to help a hunter stay focused.
Screw it up, and your next test is figuring out where elk go after they’re blown out. On a large and wild landscape, this can be the biggest mind-game of all. But, Allen said, “The ability to adapt to fluid situations is just another mental hallmark of successful elk hunters, and another part of the challenge that makes elk hunting so fun.”
Welding With Jumper Cables and a Pair of Batteries
January 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Skinning a Deer With Your Car
December 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Shhhhhhhh! I Think a Bear is About to Kill Me
July 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
As funny as this video may appear, there is actually SOME pretty good advice in there that MIGHT save your life. Bear attacks on humans are a very serious event and should never be presented in the media, as is ALWAYS done, as a rare occurrence. It matters not whether an attack is rare or not. If it happens to you, the last thing you are concerned about is whether it is rare or not.
The woman in this video and the producers of it deserve a degree of congratulations to have the intestinal fortitude to attempt a demonstration of what you might want to do should you retain the wherewithal to employ the tactics when you about to have your ass handed to you by an angry, attacking bear.
When Hunting, Look Out for Flesh Eating Deer and Other Ungulates
November 28, 2012 by 2 Comments
As a hunter, one’s approach at stalking prey certainly depends upon the characteristics of the sought after prey. For that matter, what a hunter does in the woods and what he or she pays attention to is dependent upon what other large predators might be skulking about seeking whom they may devour.
As an example, if a hunter was stalking grey wolves, there’s always the thought of what could happen if a wolf or a pack of wolves turned on the hunter. Therefore, the methods of the hunt will vary considerably from that of hunting a whitetail deer in forests where few, if any, other large man-eating predators roam.
But what if that whitetail deer, or elk, or moose, we discovered, had turned from being a vegan to a meat eater? Normally hunters sneak quietly through the hardwoods, the swamps and thickets, moving as little as possible and limited in making noise as can possibly be done. This is because the deer is easily spooked and will often be gone before the hunter is even aware they were there from the beginning. Would that tactic change if deer stalked man?
Don’t laugh. First of all, some deer do stalk people. I’ve had it happen to me several times, especially on snow. It isn’t that the deer was stalking me to kill me, or at least that’s what I’ve always thought, I believe it is done more out of curiosity, as well as a clever avoidance tactic; i.e. hey, hunter, turn around and look behind you once in awhile.
Deer are herbivores right? – Meaning they eat only plants. It seems that’s not exactly true.
If deer are interested in eating fresh market beef, how soon before those same deer will be learning how to effectively stalk man, not out of curiosity, but for want of a hot fleshy meal? Not soon I hope.
In the article linked to above, we learn that many herbivores do enjoy an occasional high-protein diet, mostly from leftovers from others kills, but some have been known to do their own killing for the meat.
I suggest looking behind you more than occasionally while stalking about the woods. You never know what hungry beast waits you in the brush.
