Now, having sworn off most beverages other than water, I still haven't forgotten that there are some of you who enjoy a good "sip" now and again. So, I couldn't resist the urge to share with you a small portion of "Wild Turkey and Coke" that you are unlikely to forget. The cool part is that you won't have to explain your actions to a significant other, and your head won't be pounding in the morning either. Sadly, I can't say the same for the particular turkey at the center of all of this attention.

This is the last place you want find turkey feathers and glass.

All kidding aside, the images that follow are a shocking reminder that, while we may be constructing roads, buildings, and bridges, the wildlife that inhabit the land still remain. It is also a glimps at how quickly things can happen.

Luckily nobody was seriously injured in this incident (except for the turkey). Yeah, Spring Gobbler season may be months away, but that doesn't mean the these guys are not out and about. Be careful.....and try to stay away from this type of Wild Turkey and Coke!

It has become an United Foundation For Disabled Archers (UFFDA) tradition for the participants of each hunt to walk around at the end of the year’s event scratching their heads mumbling to themselves about how they didn’t think it could get any better than this year. But sure enough, the next year comes and that hunt miraculously turns out to be by far the best one yet! Well rest assured that after reading and hearing reports from the 2011 Camp Wilderness and Camp Tesomas events that fine tradition has once again been carried on. This year’s events were the best ever for both the Minnesota and Wisconsin crews. And to both  teams I tip my hat and offer a hearty congratulations for all of the hard work, excellent spirit and stellar results.

The Camp Wilderness hunt celebrated its 17th consecutive year by hosting 32 hunters over a beautiful weekend that culminated Saturday with the biggest and most successful banquet we have ever had. The facility was packed to the seams with hunters, UFFDA staff, landowners, kids and a lot of folks that just came to camp for the evening to see what all of the excitement was about. By night’s end, the great food, hearty laughter, the emotional highs and excellent deals garnered on the auctions brought the 2011 hunt to a jubilant close. The next morning as the tired, but very content UFFDA campers headed home, each bore a peaceful and satisfied smile upon their face. This hunt had definitely been the best yet!

Matt Klein with dad, Mark & local guide, Blake Johnson

The deer harvest was pretty much normal, but then again, the whitetail body count has never been what our annual conclave is about. On Thursday, the first night of the hunt, Matt Klein scored a double by taking two does. Terry Schwartz nailed a four point buck to put him out in front for the Delaney’s Sports Big Buck Award and our veteran beautiful Lady Huntress, Terrie Schrank took nice doe. Friday’s hunt produced three more does. Stan (The Killer) Koich took one, Board Member, Tim Sartwell took another and the third was taken by Karl Anderson. 

On Saturday, Leon Holmin shot a spike buck and our newest and rookie beautiful Lady Huntress, Dawn Peterson took a fine doe. Another first year hunter, Tom Voight took a seven point buck, which handily won him the Delaney’s Sports Big Buck Award. Besides the beautiful hunting knife donated by Delaney’s, Tom’s big buck won the number one slot in the 2012 Camp Wilderness hunt so we will be seeing more of him for sure. Tom’s buck brought our total reported harvest to ten for this year’s event.  A warm congratulation goes out to all of the UFFDA hunters and their guides for a job well done, whether you took a deer or not.

Terry Schwartz and local guide, George Darchuk

For the duration of the hunt, the weather was beautiful, there was only one minor injury (a finger smashed in a kitchen) and seemingly everyone had a wonderful time. The food this year, as with every year, was plentiful, delicious and nourishing. Were it not for the talented and dedicated kitchen staff, the hungry participants of the hunt would not be nearly as happy as they always are. Over the delightful UFFDA cuisine, companionship is always heightened to its apex making the hours spent in the homey Camp Wilderness mess hall a very special place where some of the fondest UFFDA memories are created. We sincerely thank all of the food preparers and handlers for their smiling faces and the hearty results of their labors that are seemingly designed to keep the entire crew fat and sassy. 

Tim Sartwell with local guide, Rick Knobloch

To everyone who was at this year’s hunt, it was also a very special occasion in that it allowed us all to share in Greg Waite’s last UFFDA hunt. It was obvious that Greg knew that his time with us all was near it end. He dove into the activity and lapped up every second of the action driving himself to complete exhaustion each day. We will all remember Greg’s presence there and will cherish the last time that he shared himself with his UFFDA Family. Two other long-time UFFDA members who are doing their best to fend off the viciousness and cruelty of cancer were also in attendance. Delmer Bentz and Karl Denly both showed up in spite of failing health and much pain to deal with. Having these three very special men at Camp Wilderness was both inspiring and at the same time, very sad. We all hate to see loved ones suffer so much, but how deeply we are moved by their courage and their overwhelming need to be with the people that they have grown to love as they shared a common joy of doing for others. Bless them all!

The “One-Shot” target shoot for all qualified UFFDA hunters was held again this year as the contestants vied for the Kalk Traveling Trophy. In 2010 possession of the prestigious award was won by Mike Schurch who was a first time attendee at this annual UFFDA gathering. Well guess what? This year the Kalk trophy was won by Ben Rouw of Becker, MN who was also a first time hunt attendee. Go figure! Congratulations, Ben and welcome to the family. Ben also won the number two slot in the 2012 Camp Wilderness Hunt so we will be seeing him again next year.

Tom Voight with local guides, Mike Hinton & Rick Knobloch

The participation in the Camp Wilderness Hunt by the local citizens continues to grow with new faces, new properties and new volunteers showing up at camp each year. We are so grateful for that hometown participation from the folks around the Park Rapids area as it enriches the event tremendously. We at UFFDA know that volunteerism is not at the top of everyone’s priority list of things to do, but when these special volunteers step forward from the surrounding community, you know that you are definitely partaking of the cream. The fine folks that have joined our mission from the Park Rapids area drive home that point with tremendous force every year. Thank you, one and all for blessing our efforts with your presence, sharing your land and just plain rolling up your sleeves and helping us make it all happen.

And to the benevolent donors both large and small that fund our undertaking, thank you for your continued support of the UFFDA Mission. Through your generosity, you give life to one of the most selfless efforts by a group of bowhunters who wish only to share the joys of hunting by recruiting and hosting bowhunting events for physically challenged people. Every year we accommodate new disabled members that enter the woods as bowhunters for the first time, learning the joys of pursuing wild things in a proud tradition that since the dawn of time has given the hunter his purpose. 

Terrie Schrank with local guide, Perry Melbo

Through your support, disabled hunters are provided with a cost-free outing that is as good as it gets. They are fed, tutored and catered to by dedicated volunteers who give up much of their personal time and resources, just for the radiance that can only be captured by unselfishly serving others. More specifically in the case of UFFDA, our entire family is so privileged to be able to watch new hunters experience for the very first time the thrill of taking a big game animal with a string and a stick; and then listening as the successful hunter shares the unforgettable excitement of an experience that is so unique that it can never be equaled again.

And that, dear friends, is the bottom line of what we do and why we do it. Once you have seen a hunter proudly roll into the Camp’s mess hall in a wheelchair prepared to share his or her tale of triumph about taking their first deer with a bow, you just know that this is the very heart of UFFDA, the organ that gives it its life. So to every supporter of the passion, whether you are on the front lines guiding the hunters, feeding them, providing the land for them to hunt, supporting the banquets or just donating from afar, you are an intricate part of a very noble endeavor to serve the disabled hunter, while nurturing our hunting heritage and the overall image of the modern hunter. Thank you for doing your part and doing it so well.

Stan (The Killer) Koich

As the United Foundation For Disabled Archers begins to prepare of its 18th season of service, we hope that you will continue to man your stations and also continue to support our worthy mission. Whatever your role, you are very important to the completion of the UFFDA Mission and its continued success. Thank you for the past year and now onward to the creation of new adventures that are destined to make us all winners for the right reasons.

Karl Anderson and local guide Tim Williams

It has become an UFFDA tradition for the participants of each hunt to walk around at the end of the year’s event scratching their heads mumbling to themselves about how they didn’t think it could get any better than this year. But sure enough, the next year comes and that hunt miraculously turns out to be by far the best one yet! Well rest assured that after reading and hearing reports from the 2011 Camp Wilderness and Camp Tesomas events that fine tradition has once again been carried on. This year’s events were the best ever for both the Minnesota and Wisconsin crews. And to both  teams I tip my hat and offer a hearty congratulations for all of the hard work, excellent spirit and stellar results.

The Camp Wilderness hunt celebrated its 17^th consecutive year by hosting 32 hunters over a beautiful weekend that culminated Saturday with the biggest and most successful banquet we have ever had. The facility was packed to the seams with hunters, UFFDA staff, landowners, kids and a lot of folks that just came to camp for the evening to see what all of the excitement was about. By night’s end, the great food, hearty laughter, the emotional highs and excellent deals garnered on the auctions brought the 2011 hunt to a jubilant close. The next morning as the tired, but very content UFFDA campers headed home, each bore a peaceful and satisfied smile upon their face. This hunt had definitely been the best yet!

 Karl Anderson and local guide Tim Williams

The deer harvest was pretty much normal, but then again, the whitetail body count has never been what our annual conclave is about. On Thursday, the first night of the hunt, Matt Klein scored a double by taking two does. Terry Schwartz nailed a four point buck to put him out in front for the Delaney’s Sports Big Buck Award and our veteran beautiful Lady Huntress, Terrie Schrank took nice doe. Friday’s hunt produced three more does. Stan (The Killer) Koich took one, Board Member, Tim Sartwell took another and the third was taken by Karl Anderson. 

On Saturday, Leon Holmin shot a spike buck and our newest and rookie beautiful Lady Huntress, Dawn Peterson took a fine doe. Another first year hunter, Tom Voight took a seven point buck, which handily won him the Delaney’s Sports Big Buck Award. Besides the beautiful hunting knife donated by Delaney’s, Tom’s big buck won the number one slot in the 2012 Camp Wilderness hunt so we will be seeing more of him for sure. Tom’s buck brought our total reported harvest to ten for this year’s event.  A warm congratulation goes out to all of the UFFDA hunters and their guides for a job well done, whether you took a deer or not.

Matt Klein with dad, Mark & local guide, Blake Johnson

For the duration of the hunt, the weather was beautiful, there was only one minor injury (a finger smashed in a kitchen) and seemingly everyone had a wonderful time. The food this year, as with every year, was plentiful, delicious and nourishing. Were it not for the talented and dedicated kitchen staff, the hungry participants of the hunt would not be nearly as happy as they always are. Over the delightful UFFDA cuisine, companionship is always heightened to its apex making the hours spent in the homey Camp Wilderness mess hall a very special place where some of the fondest UFFDA memories are created. We sincerely thank all of the food preparers and handlers for their smiling faces and the hearty results of their labors that are seemingly designed to keep the entire crew fat and sassy. 

Stan (The Killer) Koich

To everyone who was at this year’s hunt, it was also a very special occasion in that it allowed us all to share in Greg Waite’s last UFFDA hunt. It was obvious that Greg knew that his time with us all was near it end. He dove into the activity and lapped up every second of the action driving himself to complete exhaustion each day. We will all remember Greg’s presence there and will cherish the last time that he shared himself with his UFFDA Family. Two other long-time UFFDA members who are doing their best to fend off the viciousness and cruelty of cancer were also in attendance. Delmer Bentz and Karl Denly both showed up in spite of failing health and much pain to deal with. Having these three very special men at Camp Wilderness was both inspiring and at the same time, very sad. We all hate to see loved ones suffer so much, but how deeply we are moved by their courage and their overwhelming need to be with the people that they have grown to love as they shared a common joy of doing for others. Bless them all!

Terry Schwartz and local guide, George Darchuk

The “One-Shot” target shoot for all qualified UFFDA hunters was held again this year as the contestants vied for the Kalk Traveling Trophy. In 2010 possession of the prestigious award was won by Mike Schurch who was a first time attendee at this annual UFFDA gathering. Well guess what? This year the Kalk trophy was won by Ben Rouw of Becker, MN who was also a first time hunt attendee. Go figure! Congratulations, Ben and welcome to the family. Ben also won the number two slot in the 2012 Camp Wilderness Hunt so we will be seeing him again next year. The participation in the Camp Wilderness Hunt by the local citizens continues to grow with new faces, new properties and new volunteers showing up at camp each year. We are so grateful for that hometown participation from the folks around the Park Rapids area as it enriches the event tremendously. We at UFFDA know that volunteerism is not at the top of everyone’s priority list of things to do, but when these special volunteers step forward from the surrounding community, you know that you are definitely partaking of the cream. The fine folks that have joined our mission from the Park Rapids area drive home that point with tremendous force every year. Thank you, one and all for blessing our efforts with your presence, sharing your land and just plain rolling up your sleeves and helping us make it all happen.

And to the benevolent donors both large and small that fund our undertaking, thank you for your continued support of the UFFDA Mission. Through your generosity, you give life to one of the most selfless efforts by a group of bowhunters who wish only to share the joys of hunting by recruiting and hosting bowhunting events for physically challenged people. Every year we accommodate new disabled members that enter the woods as bowhunters for the first time, learning the joys of pursuing wild things in a proud tradition that since the dawn of time has given the hunter his purpose.   

Tim Sartwell with local guide, Rick Knobloch

Through your support, disabled hunters are provided with a cost-free outing that is as good as it gets. They are fed, tutored and catered to by dedicated volunteers who give up much of their personal time and resources, just for the radiance that can only be captured by unselfishly serving others. More specifically in the case of UFFDA, our entire family is so privileged to be able to watch new hunters experience for the very first time the thrill of taking a big game animal with a string and a stick; and then listening as the successful hunter shares the unforgettable excitement of an experience that is so unique that it can never be equaled again.

Terrie Schrank with local guide, Perry Melbo

And that, dear friends, is the bottom line of what we do and why we do it. Once you have seen a hunter proudly roll into the Camp’s mess hall in a wheelchair prepared to share his or her tale of triumph about taking their first deer with a bow, you just know that this is the very heart of UFFDA, the organ that gives it its life. So to every supporter of the passion, whether you are on the front lines guiding the hunters, feeding them, providing the land for them to hunt, supporting the banquets or just donating from afar, you are an intricate part of a very noble endeavor to serve the disabled hunter, while nurturing our hunting heritage and the overall image of the modern hunter. Thank you for doing your part and doing it so well. 

As the United Foundation For Disabled Archers begins to prepare of its 18^th season of service, we hope that you will continue to man your stations and also continue to support our worthy mission. Whatever your role, you are very important to the completion of the UFFDA Mission and its continued success. Thank you for the past year and now onward to the creation of new adventures that are destined to make us all winners for the right reasons.

 Tom Voight with local guides, Mike Hinton & Rick Knobloch

When Al Rinka and his highway construction coworkers spotted a huge white-tailed buck crossing a field south of Marshfield, Wis., during their lunch break Dec. 8, they didn’t realize they were watching a dead buck walking.

Lane Wetterau of Stevens Point, Wis.; Aaron Seit, Wisconsin Rapids; Al Rinka, Osseo; and Dave Katzner, Arpin; pose with a giant white-tailed buck that leaped to its death from a bridge over an unopened section of U.S. Highway 10 south of Marshfield.

About an hour later, the buck walked up the embankment to the Washington Avenue bridge 1.5 miles away, leaped off and died on a concrete slab 34 feet below. The buck apparently panicked as a car approached, and jumped over the bridge’s parapet without realizing its height from the ground. The momentum from its leap carried the buck about 30 feet from the bridge’s base, where it landed head first.

The concrete below had been poured recently as part of the U.S. Highway 10 reconstruction, and isn’t yet open to traffic. A foreman for the road-grading crew called Rinka to tell him and his coworkers about the freak accident. When they heard the location, the men realized they had built that section of highway, and still referred to it as “our slab.”

This trophy buck leaped off the highway overpass in the background. The bridge's height is 34 feet.

When Rinka and his friends -- Lane Wetterau, Stevens Point; Aaron Seit, Wisconsin Rapids; and Dave Katzner, Arpin -- arrived to see the dead buck, they instantly recognized it as the one they had seen during lunch.

“We’re big hunters, and we all hunt anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour from there, but we saw nothing like that buck during gun season,” said Rinka, a civil engineer from Osseo. “We were amazed to see it crossing a field in broad daylight. It was opening day of the (four-day) antlerless hunt, so maybe some hunters pushed it out. We watched about 10 minutes before we lost sight of him. It’s a huge field.”

Rinka said he and his coworkers noticed the buck had a slight limp. They thought maybe a front leg was injured, but found no wounds or breaks when examining it later. The buck apparently landed on its nose, because nothing else on its body appeared broken, and its antlers weren’t damaged.

Rinka said an elderly woman who lives near the bridge was driving the car that spooked the buck. She told them the buck was standing in the middle of the road as she approached. It could have run down the road to get off the bridge, but jumped over the side instead.

Al Rinka of Osseo, Wis., displays the impressive buck that survived Wisconsin's nine-day firearms season in November, only to die 10 days later in a freak accident.

The woman stopped and looked over the bridge, and saw the buck writhing on the pavement in its death throes. She drove home and told her neighbor, who is a hunter. He notified authorities and received a tag so he could claim the buck.

Rinka and his friends marveled at the buck’s antlers. “As much as all of us hunt, and after all the time we’ve spent in the woods, here we were staring at probably one of the biggest bucks we’ll ever see, and it jumped off a bridge,” he said.

The buck had a 12-point rack with wide beams and thick tines. Rinka said the tallest tines were about 9 inches long, and the spread between the main beams spanned 18 inches. They guessed it would score 150 to 170 inches on the Boone and Crockett Club’s measuring system.

The buck's flying leap carried it about 10 yards from the base of the bridge.

He said the buck had a smaller body than what they expected. Then again, it’s not unusual for a buck’s body to look small, even emaciated, in the weeks following “the rut,” the whitetail’s mating season. Rutting bucks can lose about 25 percent of their body weight while seeking and chasing does. This buck weighed 180 pounds when it died, so it might have weighed around 240 pounds when alive.

In the days that followed, some people jokingly referred to the deer as “The Suicide Buck,” but Rinka said no one there truly believed the buck intended to kill itself.

“What it was doing on that bridge, who knows?” he said. “There’s much easier ways to cross that area than by walking up an overpass. It’s a confined area, and deer seldom walk on bridges anyway. It was out of its element, and probably just panicked when the car approached.”

Although Rinka doesn’t buy the suicide theory, humans have long debated the possibility of animal suicide. About two years ago, for example, “Time” magazine reminded readers that Aristotle (384-322 BC) told of a stallion that leaped into an abyss after realizing it was duped into mating with its mother.

In more recent times, the Overtoun bridge in Milton, Scotland, has gained notoriety as the “Dog Suicide Bridge” because dogs have jumped from it about once a month since the 1960s, causing about 600 to die. Some dogs have even survived, only to run back up and jump again. No one knows what’s causing them to leap.

Rinka is content to consider the buck’s leap a fluke of nature.

“We were dumbfounded when we realized it was the same buck we had seen during lunch,” he said. “When it walked out of sight, we thought we’d never see it again. It was unreal.”

The crossbow is so powerful it is like a 30.06 that shoots arrows.” 

That’s a claim that has been made by the anti-crossbow camp for decades and the truth of the matter is that with a 100-225 lb. or more draw weight, crossbows usually are more powerful than most vertical bows.  The additional draw weight, however, is necessary to compensate for the shorter power stroke and the lesser amount of KE stored in a crossbow arrow.

One can only assume, therefore, that if a crossbow has a heavier draw weight, it’s more dangerous.  The truth is that, as with any other hunting tool, safety during use is critical with the crossbow.  The very first thing that every new crossbow hunter should do is sit down and read their owner’s manual – cover to cover – at least once; twice is even better.  That manual will explain proper handling and safety procedures for your specific bow.  There are some general practices that apply to all crossbow users regardless of which bow they shoot.   

Mark your serving on each side of the rail so that you can visually check to insure that you have cocked your crossbow evenly.

Step number one is always generously use rail lube and string wax when operating your crossbow.  If the string breaks, bad things will happen to your crossbow and perhaps to the shooter or the people in close proximity.  Both lube and wax preserve the string.  If your string begins to fray and strands break – change it, immediately.  Most crossbows are on safe at the end of the cocking process.  Always check to make sure
that your bow is on safe before doing anything else.  This is very important!  Also make sure that the string is centered after cocking by marking your serving so that you can visually verify that it has been drawn back evenly.  If the string is not centered, it will change the impact point of your arrow similar to using a different anchor point on a vertical bow.
 
Now listen up!  Please make sure that you thumb is below the rail of the crossbow before releasing your arrow; if not, when you pull the trigger the string will hit your thumb and something is going to give.  It will not be the string!  I’ve seen a variety of severe wounds inflicted by a crossbow string and none of them are fun, even the ones that do not draw blood instead of amputate.  The fact that most folks only do it once is of little comfort when you are hopping around, screaming in pain. 

When choosing a crossbow, select one that has a forestock that will help keep fingers well below the rail preventing injured fingers.

Never dry fire a crossbow.  Shooting a crossbow without an arrow to absorb the energy will blow up your bow and when that happens one is never sure of where all the pieces will fly; you may be seriously hurt.   Remember that a loaded crossbow should be handled exactly and with the same care as a loaded firearm.
 
On the range, make sure that you have a solid and reliable back stop.  Having a range that is at least 300 yards deep and open is recommended and will allow plenty of room for obstruction-free arrow flight.  Targets should be of a high quality capable of readily stopping an arrow from a crossbow.  If the target is badly worn or of an inferior quality, damage may be inflicted to the shorter crossbow arrows causing costly repairs or even destroying the arrow completely.

Cock the crossbow on the ground before raising it into the stand with a safety rope.

Now let’s move into the field and take a look as some common sense practices there.  When hunting from an elevated stand always cock your crossbow on the ground and then use a tow rope to raise it to the platform.  Do not attempt to climb into a stand carrying your crossbow. Once you are secured in your stand with a safety harness (always use a fall arrest system in an elevated stand), then raise your crossbow and load it.  Never have an arrow in place when raising or lowering your crossbow.  That’s how people get killed, and yes it has happened.  Unless your sitting in an enclosed stand, after taking a shot, your crossbow should be lowered to the ground to be recocked.  If you use a cocking device, which can be implemented from a sitting position, remaining in your stand is acceptable.  Never lean over in a treestand to cock your crossbow.
 
The preferred method for crossbow hunting is from a ground blind or an elevated stand.  The crossbow may be used for still hunting or stalking, but extra caution should be applied.  The crossbow may be cocked and on safe, but one should never move through the bush with an arrow loaded on the rail.  When game is spotted, only then should an arrow be loaded onto the crossbow.  Until that moment, the arrow with the broadhead completely protected should be carried in a bow or hip quiver, not in your hand.

Never shoot at a target on rise without knowing what is on the other side.

It is important that one never shoots a crossbow at a sky-lined animal.  It is critical that you are able to see exactly where your arrow is going to go so that no living thing is accidently harmed by your shot.  As with vertical archery, one should always wait until the game you are shooting at is relaxed and standing still.  No shots should be taken at moving targets.  Making drives while crossbow hunting is not an acceptable practice and should be avoided.
 
It is important that you are fully aware of all local ordinances regarding shooting your crossbow.  Check with local officials or authorities to make sure that you are not violating any laws while you practice.
 
There are no more injuries with a crossbow than there are with vertical archery equipment, but it still happens every year.  Knowing your equipment and being aware of common-sense safety procedures will insure that the time you spend in the field will be accident-free and gratifying for all around you.  Good luck and good hunting.

Make sure that your fingers and thumb are well below the rail to prevent injury or loss of digits.

The National Bowhunting Education Foundation publishes a booklet entitled Today’s Crossbow.  This publication’s the official Crossbow Hunters Safety program used by the NBEF.  To obtain a copy, email bowtwang@charter.net and request it by name.

Safety features to consider when buying a crossbow. 
Anti-dry fire safety - Some models of crossbows have an anti-dry fire mechanism that prevents the trigger from being pulled when there is no arrow loaded.  This is a common mistake that has been responsible for the destructions of many a crossbow.  Choosing a crossbow with this safety feature can save its owner a lot of misfortune and expense.  Consider it when you are looking for the right crossbow for you.

When tracking or still hunting never have an arrow loaded in the bow.

Preventive Fore-grip – Perhaps the most common injury inflicted by a crossbow is thumbs bruised, torn or even partially removed by the crossbow string when firing.  Many crossbows have specially designed fore-stocks that make it very difficult for this accident to happen.  I would like to say “never”, but there’s always one guy in the crowd that will manage to hurt himself no matter what precautions are taken.  One characteristic that should be considered when purchasing a new crossbow is the conformation of the fore-stock.  Look for one that aids the shooter in keeping the thumb and fingers well below the shooting rail.

Cocking Rope – Another device that can increase safety as well as imrove performance is a cocking rope.  This handy device cuts the draw weight of a crossbow in half, thereby saving wear and tear on the user, especially during practice sessions when many shots are taken.  It also increases accuracy of the crossbow by consistently drawing the string back to the exact same position.  Most companies also offer crank cocking devices that draw back the string by a mechanical winch that requires no effort other than turning the crank.  One company even markets crossbows with the cocking device built right into the stock of the crossbow.  All of these options will increase your safety, while enhancing your shooting experience.

Paul Conley had every right to give himself high-fives and back slaps in early December after arrowing the trophy buck he hunted four years in Wisconsin's Chequamegon National Forest.

Instead, the 23-year-old Mellen, Wisconsin, bowhunter credited his girlfriend, Casey; children, Trinity and Xander; parents, Al and Theresa; as well as grandparents, siblings, buddies and his late friend, Tom Bruckner, for their help in his success Dec. 4.

Paul Conley, 23, shows the big drop-tine buck he shot Dec. 4 in the Chequamegon National Forest near his home in Mellen, Wisconsin.

It was Casey who chased him out the door for late-season hunts when he was burning out, Trinity who asked to see pictures of “Drop Time” when he returned, his grandparents who bought him his first compound bow, and Bruckner who assured him he’d eventually get the buck.

Yep, as Conley recited names, influences and vital roles, you’d have thought he was accepting an Academy Award or the Super Bowl trophy.

Then again, if you ask deer hunters, most would take Conley’s buck over an Oscar or a Lombardi. Why? Beneath the left antler beam on this monstrous 8-point buck hangs a rare 10.5-inch drop tine, which measures 6.5 inches around its end. Further, both main beams measure 21-1/8 inches in length and 7.5 inches around their bases. The tallest tines stand nearly 12 inches above the beams.

Brandon, Paul, Al and Theresa Conley pose with Paul’s monster buck at their home near Cayuga, Wisconsin.

Conley passed up shots at six different bucks the past four years after spotting this buck in his trail-camera photos in 2008. Since then, his cameras recorded the drop-tine buck in hundreds of photos and videos, documenting its growth, antler changes, and daily and seasonal travels.

For instance, the buck’s body appeared largest in 2008, and its antlers reached their peak growth in 2010. The buck’s distinctive drop tine appeared as an antler blemish in 2008 before sprouting into a long tine in 2009. It grew longer and more vertically in 2010, and blossomed into a replica of an old-time police Paddy-whacker this year.

Based on photos and the fact the buck wore its front bottom teeth to the gum, Conley estimates it was 8.5 years old. The buck never appeared at Conley’s bait sites until Halloween each fall, and then visited frequently until late January, when it migrated to winter deeryards farther south. The buck’s feeding visits, however, seldom occurred in daylight.

When Conley reviewed his trail-cam photos from Wisconsin’s nine-day firearms seasons from 2008-2011, none showed the buck during daylight. Until this month, its daylight visits occurred only during the rut from late October through mid-November.

When Conley shot the buck at 7:10 a.m. on Dec. 4, it marked only the second time the buck appeared in daylight after a gun season. The first time was the day before, according to his trail cameras.

Based on trail-cam photos the past four years, and the fact the buck had worn its front bottom teeth down to the gum, Conley estimates the buck was 8.5 years old.

The buck wasn’t eating bait, however, when Conley shot. It was about 300 yards away, returning to its bedding area.

“I had just moved my tree stand to that spot 15 hours before,” Conley said. “I thought I’d try cutting him off between his bed and the bait. I thought he might be going from his bedding area to the bait at dawn. I was expecting him from the west, but he came from the east. It looks like he ran all night and hit the bait before bedding down for the day.”

Conley said his long hunt and analysis of trail-cam photos also revealed interesting details about the buck’s rut-season movements. “Two days after the full moon (in late October to early November), he was out cruising during daylight all four years,” Conley said. “That’s when bucks really started chasing does.”

Conley couldn’t estimate how many hours he spent on stand since 2008, but he was there every day – usually dawn to dusk – starting in late October and running through gun season. He saw the buck six times while hunting; once in 2008, never in 2009, twice in 2010 and three times this year.

He missed killing the buck in 2010 when his arrow cut off a branch between him and the buck. That happened the Saturday before gun season, and it was the first deer he saw during a weeklong vigil.

This year he saw the buck the Monday and Tuesday before gun season, but it wasn’t close enough to shoot. His trail-cam photos also documented three other daytime visits in November while Conley was working.

The buck's drop tine reached 10.5 inches this year, its largest size since first growing in 2009.

The day he arrowed the buck, he chose his bow instead of a muzzleloader. “I really wanted to get him with a bow,” he said. “That was one of my main goals from the start.”

Soon after he made the 15-yard shot and watched the buck fall five yards away, he called two friends with his news. The word spread so fast his cell phone buzzed the rest of the day.

“Everyone in town knew I was hunting a big drop-tine buck,” Conley said. “I kept it hush-hush the first two years, but I couldn’t keep it in after that. I had friends from here to Green Bay calling to see if I had gotten him.”

What will he do for an encore? Although the Cayuga area holds some of Wisconsin’s lowest deer populations, and most hunters go days, weeks or years without seeing a whitetail, Conley thinks big bucks are worth the wait.

“It wasn’t easy, but shooting this one fulfilled a dream,” he said. “There’s other big bucks out there, and some of them have his antler traits.”

At bowhunting.com we are always fascinated by cutting edge technology in the archery world, with that said, the iBowsight is very intriguing. The iBowsight is a two part system that combines the iBowsight app (for iPhone 4 or 4s) with a bracket that mounts to any bow with standard AMO sight holes. From there your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S utilizes the camera for your sight picture and can utilize the HD video camera in conjunction with your sight. This means, you can use the phone as a sight and record your hunt at the same time. The pins and sight ring are both fully adjustable in regards to color and size as well as offering a pendulum sight option for extreme angles.

This is what the iBowsight App/mount ready to hunt!

As interesting as this is, my skeptical mind began to ask questions about the “reliability” of an electronic and removable sight. With this in mind, I sent my questions directly to the manufacturers of iBowsight as I didn’t have the opportunity to speak with them at the Mathews retailers show where I was first introduced to the product. These were the questions that I asked as well as the responses from the engineers of iBowsight.

What happens when you get a phone call or text?

You can set your phone in airplane mode or have blue tooth on for incoming calls. With bluetooth, you can always answer with your headset, I personally will put mine in airplane mode when I hunt to lock out the distraction! For text it is simple, below is what it looks like when the text shows up, the text will show on top of the iBowSight Screen while in iBowsight mode even when at full draw. As you can see the text does not in any way interfere with your sight ring.

This shows what will be shown when a text is received.

Does the iPhone mount exactly the same way every time?

Yes for the first 1500 times it should be within +/- 0.003". To mount the iPhone 4(S) effectively, reliably, securely and quickly, a clamp system with 8 mounting points has been designed. This system allows the user to mount and remove the iPhone from the bracket in less than 10 seconds while maintaining the same position, +/- 0.003” from -4F to +120F.

Additionally, iBowSight allows users to create multiple profiles to meet the needs of the current bow in use. This means each profile can be set up individually and even be specific to the brand and length of the arrow being shot. One has the ability to build and tune these specific profiles to get within +/- 0.003” of an inch even in extreme temperatures. The beauty of these profiles is that they can be precisely recalled at an instant time after time. To make this a true sight system, the mounting bracket is predrilled to give up to 3 mounting positions on the bow and have a pre-tapped holes for a bow quiver. The back of the bracket is also predrilled to accommodate for future accessories and comes standard with a removable accessory mounting bar. There will be two different styles available at the ATA Show offered in Black and different Camouflages yet to be announced. The iPhone attaches to the bracket via the stainless steel bristle around the phone , the bracket does not attach to the glass screen because the screen can expand and contract due to temperature variances.

How does the app affect battery life?

The app does not affect battery life, unless you leave it in the foreground, with iOS5 multitasking, you can put it on back ground and it is just dormant. When running in the background mode, the battery will last 16hrs.

The app is designed to have a lot more features than most people can dream, like instant on, 2 seconds to in-focus from app being pressed.

How does the iBowsight work in rainy or snowy conditions?

With iPhone's water resistant design, there will be rain hood and USB plug sold as accessories for those who want to use it in those weather conditions.

How do you sight in the iBowsight?

Just like any other sight, but with iPhone you can micro adjust in +/- 0.003" once you have the iPhone bracket installed on your bow you can rough sight it in, then to do the fine micro adjusting to your sight. You will be able to micro adjust the sight within the iBowsight App. You will also be able to change the sight ring to any different color you want so that if you tilt the bow past level the color of the sight ring will change to warn you that you are not holding the bow level. In the App, you will be able to move the sight pins to sight in like you would with most other sights.

3rd Axis Calibration

3rd Axis Calibration

Color choices for pins, ring and bubble level.

The iBowsight has the ability to be a pendulum sight as well as a pin sight.

Pin Ajustment Mode

How do the lenses work with the sight?

The iPhone uses the built in optics of an iPhone, to reverse the wide angle built in lens, a fix focus telephoto lens is recommended to get a 1X1 ratio.

The app has a 4X Zoom. These can be purchased over the internet from various manufacturers with prices rangeing from $25.00 to $800.00, it all depends on how fine of optics you want... quality comes with a price.

As for optics, it is optics, you get for what you pay for. It uses standard 11/16" screw mount and I recommended non focus design lens.

The bracket will come with an installazion hole for the correction lense of choice.

The iBowSight App will be available for purchase via the Apple iTunes App Store in the near future. ( Should become avilable the day before Christmas )

The iBowSight App not only transforms the iPhone into a bow sight, by leveraging the iPhone’s advanced electronics and iOS 5, it is also a video camera which can film every shot and store them into the internal memory of the iPhone. The video will be recorded in 720p and 1080p when using the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S respectively.

In v1.0 of iBowSight, the following features are available:

1. Sight ring can be size from 0.3” radius to an edge to edge radius of 2.1”
2. Sight ring’s can have up to 2.6 millions colors of choice
3. Sight ring can be micro adjust in an increment of 1/326”
4. Each pin size can be adjust from 0.012” radius to 0.240” radius
5. Each pin can have up to 2.6 millions colors of choice
6. Each pin can have its own shape beside a standard dot. At version 1.0 there is a total of 9 shapes to start.
7. One can add up to 7 pins to the sight
8. There is built in digital zoom from 1.0X base on internal optics to 4.0X in an increment of 0.01X
9. 3rd axis adjustment to accommodate the most demanding and complicated sight set up
10. Built in water level for visual bow leveling
11. Sight level confirmation via ring color choices. i.e. One can set the ring color to be green (color A) when leveled and red (color B) when the bow is tilted. Thus one can look at the ring color change instead of the water level to confirm if the bow is leveled.
12. One can have the option to set the sight into an automatic pendulum sight when the bow is dropped below 45 degrees. This feature allows the best of both worlds. In pendulum mode, the choice of sight pin shape and color is totally independent from the original pins. However the reference position of the pendulum sight is still base on the 20 yard pin. Therefore setting the pins in use are critical for the pendulum sight options to function properly
13. up to 20,000 storable profiles, (each profile also bow, arrow, arrow length, point weight, and other parameters settings)
14. Operational indicators (mini icons to show on active screen which optiions are active

One of the hottest topics in the archery world is mechanical broadheads, I don't see this subject cooling down in the near future. I discussed mechanical broadheads (and fixed blade broadheads) with Chris Kozlik of New Archery Products, here is what he had to say...

New for 2012, the Deep 6 broadhead family has been engineered for small diameter arrows such as the Easton Injexion.

Q: The most common knock on mechanical broadheads seems to be that their blades open in flight, causing the arrow to fly off target which results in either a miss or a lost animal. What do you think about that?

A: Modern bows are certainly pushing the envelope on speed. Crossbows even more so. Having the blades on a mechanical head stay closed during flight is critical to hitting your mark. We’ve done extensive testing to make sure our heads work perfectly and stay closed during flight with the fastest equipment on the market. It’s easy to test. Hang a piece of paper in front of your target and shoot thru it. You should have a small hole, that shows the blades stayed closed. If not, it’s time to go find a better mechanical head.

Blades that open in flight are one of bowhunters major concerns in regards to mechanical broadheads.

Q: When it comes to shooting whitetail-sized game is there anything to be concerned about when shooting a mechanical broadhead?

A: Even though mechanicals have been on the market for over 20 years, there are still myths that revolve around the use of mechanical heads. Three statements seem to come up in conversation more than any others. Specifically, “You can’t take an angled shot with a mechanical” or “It takes too much energy to open the blades / a mechanical won’t penetrate well” or “My broadhead didn’t open!” I’d like to address these one at a time.

First off, any correct angled shot that you would take with a fixed blade, you can take with a mechanical. There are no additional restrictions. 45 degree quartering shots are no problem. Angles steeper than that and you risk the shot, mechanical or fixed blade, period. Three years ago, I received an email from a happy Spitfire customer who took such an angled shot that he cut 8 ribs clean thru and still had a full pass thru. I still have the pictures. Understanding that this shot should never have been attempted with a bow and arrow, it nonetheless proved to me the effectiveness of a full mechanical head even on a steep angled shot.

About blade opening and penetration, I’ll take that question in two parts.

Our mechanical heads use very little energy to open. The resistance that you feel by slowly opening a blade by hand simply isn’t there when the head slams into a target. I routinely demonstrate this by shooting a Spitfire thru a piece of cardboard using nothing more than a draw length check bow with a draw weight of 3 pounds. Blades will open every time. Now imagine a hunting arrow going 250 feet per second (which is 170 miles per hour!) with 60 pounds of kinetic energy. Even a modest 45 pounds of kinetic energy will cleanly kill any big buck out there with any well designed mechanical.

The biggest obstacle to getting a full pass is not the broadhead on the end of your arrow, but how well that arrow was flying as it hits the target. Any side to side whipping or porpoising of the arrow , either from a poorly tuned rest or string slap on your hunting clothes, will cause drastic reductions the penetration power of the arrow, regardless of the broadhead you choose. A bad flying arrow at close distance is even worse than one shot at longer distance because the vanes have no chance whatsoever to recover or get that arrow flying properly. In just the last few days I’ve had 2 bow setups, one being my own personal bow, which shot excellent field points at long distance (my first 50 yard robin hood) and still had a barrel rolling arrow coming out of the bow. Had I just installed a broadhead and gone hunting, the results would have been, regrettable. It’s easy to blame the broadhead when something goes wrong and in a lot of cases, the broadhead had nothing to do with the poor results. Take the time to tune your setup to perfection before stepping into the woods.

“My broadhead didn’t open,” is one of the biggest fear some people have of shooting a mechanical head. In the closed position, all of our heads are still angled partially open. In the 15 years that we have produced the Spitfire, we have never had a head that didn’t open. Like pushing on a door handle, the door has no choice but to pivot around its hinge and open. Now, what has tricked a few people along the way is that the blades may slam shut if the head goes thru a deer and into the dirt. Also in practice, if the head pops out the back of a target and the arrow stays in the target, the blades will again rocket forward and slam shut. In all cases, the head will show a little dent where the back of the blade whacks into the edge of the ferrule. It’s a witness mark that happens even on lower poundage bows. You can test this by taping a piece of paper on the back of a target block and shooting thru. Three large slots will be left in the paper. Even withdrawing an arrow from a deer or foam target will fold the blades closed again. On a yearly basis, I will receive one or two suspect heads where a customer believes it didn’t open. I’ll take a head that’s full of fur, dried blood, and dirt and shoot it as-is. The head will open perfectly! A few years ago, I shot a doe in Seneca, Wisconsin, quartering away at 20 yards with the first Spitfire Maxx prototype. The doe went downhill and out of sight. When I retrieved my arrow, the blades were shut. My gut response was predictable, I thought it didn’t open. Then I took a deep breath, looked for the dents where the blades hit the ferrule and found the head had worked perfectly. My doe was laying 50 yards away.

Q: Do mechanical broadheads really fly better than fixed-blade broadheads?

A: Yes. We have found that at or above 270 feet per second is where larger fixed blade heads can exhibit some wind drift. With precision tuning of the arrow rest and looking closely at the spine of the arrow, large fixed blades like the Thunderhead, can be made to fly extremely well. The faster the arrow goes, the more time you may need to spend on the tuning. Mechanicals almost always fly like field points. There’s very little wind resistance on mechanical heads, so no way to steer the arrow off of target. In 2001 I shot a caribou at 43 yards with a Spitfire with 30 mpg gusty winds and raining. Looking back at the video, you can see the arrow tracking perfectly to the animal and see just a white tuft of hair blow out the back of the animal. It was one of my best kills I’ve ever had, especially in bad conditions.

At high speeds fixed-blade broadheads can drift and plane but with a little bit of tuning, they too can fly like fieldpoints.

Q: Under what circumstances should someone not shoot a mechanical broadhead?

A: 40 foot pounds of kinetic energy would be the minimum I’d recommend when shooting a mechanical head. This would also be the minimum for fixed blades as well. Arrow flight and tuning is even more critical with bows that generate less kinetic energy. With today’s equipment, most hunters are far above this minimum.

Q: The hot trend in broadheads right now is massive cutting diameter. What do you think about that? And how does it affect arrow penetration?

A: Yes, cutting diameters on mechanicals are on the way up. With a setup that has 65 to 70 pounds of kinetic energy, the diameter can be increased with no lack of penetration on game animals. Our FOC crossbow head has a three inch cutting diameter. With crossbows generating 100 pounds of energy or more, this is no issue at all. That being said, it’s easy to forget that what was once an average cutting diameter of 1-1/4” a few years ago, some people now consider small. For decades Thunderheads have killed more deer, elk, moose and other big game animals with a cutting diameter of 1-3/16”. Moose and elk hunters have loved the killing power of the 1-1/8” Nitron for years. Blade sharpness, broadhead strength and quality, along with shot placement and arrow flight seem to be much more important than initial cutting diameter. We’ve seen many Spitfire kills where the entrance hole is bigger that the cutting diameter of the head!

Giant cutting diameters are the hot trend, like this Spitfire Maxx.

Q: We all know that the sharpness of the blades on your broadhead is important for a quick kill, better blood trail and short recovery. How can the average bow hunter decide which broadheads have the sharpest blades?

A:Determining broadhead sharpness can be a little tricky sometimes. A lot of people will run their fingers over the blade and if you can feel it catch your skin, they believe it’s sharp. What you’re actually feeling is a roll over burr that some blades produce when being sharpened. Once the burr breaks off, there is a microscopic rounded edge that does not cut cleanly. It’s when you feel nothing at all, then look down and see your blood all over the place, then you truly have a sharp edge. If you don’t want to find out the hard way, slice thru a piece of notebook paper or shave the hair off the back of your hand to be sure. We make sure nothing touches the edge of our blades between when they were manufactured and when you screw them on you arrow to guarantee the sharpest blades possible.

There is no substitute for ultra-sharp blades, the blades on the NAP Hellrazor are just that.

Q: Why should bow hunters replace the blades on their broadheads with new ones from the manufacturer rather than trying to sharpen them on their own?

A: It’s always better to have brand new blades on your heads. Most blades like ours have multiple grind angles that can never truly be resharpened effectively by hand. A solid head like a Hellrazor can be made almost as sharp from the factory by using a high quality flat stone. Patience and skill are needed to get the edge perfect. I cannot overstate the importance of sharp blades for killing game animals as quick as possible. The cost of new, sharp replacement blades may be the difference between finding an animal or not when a marginal hit occurs.

Q: Is there any advantage to shooting a 125 grain broadhead rather than a 100 grain broadhead?

A: We’ve found that heavier heads up front do two important things. For one, they just seem to fly better. Moving the front of center balance point forward helps the arrows (or bolt) fly better. Tenpoint Crossbows regularly put brass inserts in their bolts for that very reason. In addition, the penetration power in increased. Studies have been done showing that an arrow of a given weight will out penetrate by just moving the weight forward. I put this to the test last year with a fellow employee at New Archery who has never had a full pass thru. He shoots a lighter weight bow and a short arrow. I constructed some Easton Full Metal Jacket arrows with a 60 grain brass insert. 24-1/2” arrow, 100 grain broadhead for a total weight of 428. Front of center comes in at 15.3 percent. Full pass thru’s are now happening. Don’t worry about any extra drop. Even 25 grains extra up front in stays inside a hunter’s normal grouping pattern inside of 30 yards. Arrow speed loss is negligible and in most cases, the kinetic energy has increased! Whatever grain weight broadhead you choose, make sure your arrow is spined out correctly.

Q:The past two years we’ve heard a lot about the NAP Bloodrunner broadhead. Can you tell us why this head has been so popular with bow hunters?

A: Mechanical head sales have soared over the last few years. There are dozens of different designs to choose from. Unfortunately some just don’t perform as well as others under hunting conditions. The Bloodrunner broadhead appeals to hunters who may have tried mechanicals before with bad results or people who would like to try a mechanical, but just seem leery about the whole idea. The Hybrid design of the head is such that in closed position, it has a 1 inch cutting diameter, and by pressing the point back, expands to 1-1/2”. “Even closed, it’s bound to work” is what I hear from potential customers. The fact is there’s no way for it not to open to 1-1/2” cut when passing thru a target. Confidence is key when selecting a broadhead and it’s easy to see how this head performs.

The NAP 2-Blade Bloodrunner offers a huge cutting diameter and a fail-proof expanding design.

Q: What broadhead will you be shooting this fall?

A: That’s always the toughest question for me to answer because all of the heads we make work so well. A lot of us over here shoot Spitfire’s and Bloodrunner’s. I’ll be shooting the Spitfire Maxx with a 1-3/4” cut. I just need to stay awake in the tree long enough to let one fly…..

The Spitfire Maxx is one of the favorite mechanical broadheads on the market.

These photos show us the gruesome truth that sometimes goes forgotten in the wild.  Many of us spend lots of time and money managing our property for deer by planting food plots, creating bedding areas, etc., but how many of us spend time managing the predators on our grounds?  Research shows that coyote populations can only be marginally controlled for short periods of time, as litter sizes and the number of females that enter heat increase as the population declines.  What are your thoughts on predators and predator control?

We are unsure as to the origin of these photos, but what we see is fairly clear.  At least two coyotes attack and kill this big buck.  Granted, we don't know if he was sick or injured (he appears healthy in the photos) but one thing is for sure, he lost his life to coyotes!  If you need a little help managing your predator population, check out the predator calls in the bowhunting.com store by clicking HERE!!!

RED OAK, Iowa – The white-tailed doe lying dead in the creek bottom on a recent Tuesday morning proved cats aren’t the only creatures killed by curiosity.

That doe would still be alive if she had simply kept feeding downhill in the steep gully 35 yards from my tree stand. Unfortunately for her -- but fortunately for my venison supply -- she spotted movement as I turned my feet to follow her progress, bow in hand and arrow nocked.

I froze when she stopped and stared up at me, her head jerking up and down, then back and forth, trying to get a better look. After studying my statue imitation for two minutes, the doe flicked her tail and resumed feeding downstream. She still stopped occasionally to look my way, but was no longer on red alert.

Patrick Durkin prepares to pull his bow-killed doe from a creek bottom in southwestern Iowa in late October.

When she was 50 yards farther down the creek, she jerked around and looked upstream to the east. I watched as a larger doe stepped into view.  If this second doe stayed her course, she would soon offer a 20-yard shot.

As I extended my left arm to start drawing my bow, the bigger doe thrust her nose high overhead to test the wind. Then she whirled and cantered back upstream. Obviously, she had caught my scent on an errant breeze.

The first doe still stood in the creek bottom below, watching her counterpart flee. She seemed puzzled, and her curiosity soon betrayed her. Rather than resume feeding, she walked to the spot where the other doe had caught my scent. The breeze now favored me, however, and the doe soon relaxed and walked within 18 yards of me. I drew my bow when she looked away, but I wasn’t fast enough.

Jay McAninch admires the 9-point buck he bow-killed near Red Oak, Iowa, on Oct. 25.

As I settled in at full draw and aimed, the doe whirled to face me head-on. She now presented too narrow of a shot angle, so all I could do was stare at her while holding my 65-pound bow at full draw. Again, she jerked her head back and forth, up and down, more vigorously than before.

I hoped she would relax before my strength gave out from keeping the bow drawn. A minute dragged by and maybe another. Just as my right arm began twitching with fatigue, the doe turned and walked five yards, offering a quartering-away shot angle.

After aligning my bow sight, I settled the top sight-pin behind the doe’s left shoulder and released the arrow. It flew true and the doe took off, mortally wounded. After running downhill into the gully and back up its far slope, the doe stopped atop the embankment, wavered and tumbled back down the hill. Its body came to rest on a fallen log at the creek’s edge.

This buck fell within 80 yards after getting double-lunged at 20 yards.

My friend, Jay McAninch of Centreville, Va., soon arrived with my truck to help field dress the doe and take it to Jill and Roger Bergstrom’s farm a mile away. McAninch and I were making our third Iowa bowhunt since first drawing a nonresident archery license in 2004. He grew up in Red Oak, and with help from Jill, his sister-in-law, secures permission for us to hunt nearby farms.

This was the third day of our six-day bowhunt and it grew even more memorable before sunset. That night, McAninch and I hunted a farm east of town we hadn’t tried before. I saw only one doe, but when McAninch picked me up after dark, he announced he had shot a big-bodied buck and felt confident the wound was fatal.

We discussed our options and decided to wait until morning to track and retrieve it. The night would be cool, so we wouldn’t lose any meat to spoilage. When we returned Wednesday morning, McAninch suggested I hunt till 9 a.m. before helping him. He said he would send a text message if/when he found his buck before then.

These fawns were just two of several deer walking within bow range of the author.

At 8:12 McAninch texted to say his search was underway. At 8:37 my iPhone’s vibrated to tell me I had email. The subject line of the first message read, “Found him.” The buck’s photo was attached.

The buck hadn’t run 100 yards before dying, and it was a stout-framed 9-pointer with shoulders and hind legs resembling a steer’s. McAninch said it was the biggest buck of his life and asked if I would remove its cape so he could take it to a taxidermist.

“No sweat; happy to help,” I said. “You know what will happen the next three days, though? Every time we hunt, you’ll see only bucks and I’ll see only antlerless deer, and we won’t fill our second tag.”

If that forecast proves false, you’ll be the first to know.

While peering through yellowing leaves in the aspens surrounding my tree stand a few weeks ago, I watched three deer trot down an open hillside toward the woods’ edge. Seconds later the lead deer, a yearling buck, flickered through the sumacs bordering the woods and headed toward the oak holding me and my stand.

I wasn’t interested in shooting the 4-point buck, so I turned my attention to the other two deer, which were lingering in the sumacs. Moments later an adult doe walked into view, heading straight toward me. To her rear, another adult doe fed into view. With an antlerless tag burning a hole in my pocket,  I decided to try arrowing the first doe.

Can deer sense a hunter lurking nearby, even when it can't see or smell us?

As the thought took hold, a jolt of predatory adrenaline raced through my system. Just then, the lead doe jerked up her head and stared at me. My mind raced. Had I twitched, moved my bow or cocked my head without realizing it? What caught her attention?

For about 30 seconds the doe stared at me, occasionally dropping her head as if to feed, and then jerking it back up. When that didn’t work, she jutted her head first to the right, then to the left, trying for different views. Unlike humans, deer have poor  three-dimensional vision, so they often take several views to get a perspective on possible threats.

All told, she must have taken eight such “readings” in those 30 seconds before walking off stiff-legged, occasionally stopping and stamping the ground with a front hoof. When the doe got about 30 yards away and was still unsure about me, she looked  over her shoulder a couple of more times, and then trotted away.

If this buck had a cold, prickly feeling on the back of its neck when walking into range of Minnesota's Sara Larsen, it didn't heed its internal warning soon enough.

Once all three deer were gone, I kept wondering how the doe had suddenly picked me out. Maybe my silhouette was too obvious against the gray-dawn sky. Or maybe it was the deer’s sixth sense, which hunters often ascribe to whitetails. Could that doe have somehow sensed my deadly intentions when I decided I wanted to shoot her?

Don’t laugh. I’m not sure I believe deer can sense danger, but I know deer hunters more skilled than me who swear deer have that power. Besides, anyone who has a dog can attest how quickly Rover knows your mood without hearing your voice. And who hasn’t had a cold, prickly feeling on the back of the neck when something doesn’t seem right, or when you sense someone is watching?

But do deer and other prey animals get such sensations? That’s a question that will never be answered with authority. After all, we don’t even know how much extra sensory power humans have, so how can we prove or disprove such abilities in a nervous, jumpy critter like a whitetail?

Some skeptics of the "sixth sense" believe deer pick up errant odors or sounds, not just "bad vibes."

A friend in Ontario, however, believes animals can sense intentions. Lil Anderson of Kenora is married to a deer hunting pal of mine, and when she goes deer hunting, she has an incredible knack for getting close to deer. She’s been so close she can hear their stomachs growling, and she has pinpointed deer after hearing them sniff the air as they try to locate her.

Anderson thinks deer get close to her because they don’t always perceive her as a threat, even though she has killed some impressive bucks in her time. Besides her job with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, she also works as a wildlife rehabilitator. At any given time, Anderson is nursing bald eagles, geese, beavers, cub bears and fawns back to health. She says her "patients" instantly sense her mood when she approaches. If she’s tense, they respond in kind. 

A wildlife rehabilitator interviewed for this article says her "patients" quickly sense if she's stressed as soon as she approaches.

Anderson believes it’s possible deer don’t always get so close to me or her husband because they detect our intentions. I’m not sure I agree, and joke that it might just be that she smells nicer than we do, or maybe she doesn’t shake as much as I do from buck fever.

I guess we won’t settle this one today, but if you want to share your thoughts, you know how to reach me.

Folks around the Midwest are asking what to think of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s choice of Texas professor James C. Kroll as the Dairy State’s “deer trustee.”

Picture this: If you took Wisconsin’s most traditional deer biologist, Keith McCaffery of Rhinelander, handcuffed him to Kroll and hung them from a branch like tomcats bound by their tails, the caterwaul wouldn’t cease till one bled dry.

Dr. James C. Kroll of Stephen F. Austin University has been named as Wisconsin's "Deer Trustee."

So, don’t expect this latest theater of Wisconsin’s decades-old deer war to end with hugs, handshakes and hard-fought admiration. Will Kroll improve the state’s deer program? Well, his review can’t fare much worse than previous assessments by the state’s Legislative Audit Bureau, and expert panels of agency and university biologists from outside Wisconsin.

All those findings more supported than criticized the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. But, fair or not, the public ignored each probe as just another internal investigation designed to absolve.

The current review is already more intriguing. For instance, even though the governor’s Department of Administration hired Kroll, the DNR must pay his $125,000 fee. Given that DNR biologists typically view Kroll as a deer heretic, even Judas, that’s like funding your own firing squad.

Dr. James C. Kroll, left, is shown here with Wayne Sitton (far right), manager of Michigan’s Turtle Lake Hunting Club; and biologist John Varnel, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University’s wildlife-management program.

By any definition, Kroll is a maverick among deer biologists. He has published few peer-reviewed academic studies on deer, and he does not belong to The Wildlife Society, a professional community of scientists, managers and educators who study, manage and conserve wildlife and habitats.

Instead, Kroll “went commercial,” focusing his research and educational efforts on the hunting market, primarily through “North American Whitetail” magazine and television. His moniker is “Dr. Deer,” he appears regularly on national TV, he talks at deer expos, and he writes books and magazine articles.

Academicians and agency biologists typically dismiss such work as “the popular press,” sniffing and tilting their nose for emphasis. Consider this scene in late September at the Midwest Deer & Wild Turkey Group meeting in Roscommon, Mich.: When a speaker announced Wisconsin would name Kroll its “deer trustee,” a collective groan, followed by laughter, swept the room.

Talk about “Mean Girls.” Among themselves, they say Kroll personifies what’s wrong with deer management in Texas, a state where “corn” is both noun and verb, as in, “We corn our deer with time-activated feeders.” Kroll also backs private ownership of deer in game farms, supports breeding experiments to grow big antlers, and defends “high-fencing” land to manage and hunt the deer inside.

And it’s not like Kroll enhanced his reputation by being the Walker administration’s choice as deer trustee. The guv was never a hunter until playing one on the 2010 campaign trail, and in announcing the appointment, the DOA dubbed Kroll “the world’s foremost expert in modern deer herd management.”

Such hyperbole might work for TV or live audiences, but the scientific community finds it showy, unbecoming and self-important.

But you know what? No one accuses Kroll of stupidity. And as Gov. Walker appointments go, Kroll is far more qualified for his task than DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp was for hers, or Natural Resources Board member Greg Kazmierski was for his.

Only fools underestimate Kroll. If you put him on a dais with “respectable” biologists to debate deer behavior, deer hunting and deer management, most hunters would probably vote him the winner by the end.

Why? Kroll knows how to communicate, and most biologists and researchers don’t. Is he an arrogant, ego-driven showman with a strong personality? Maybe, but who’d you expect to take this job, Sweet Polly Purebred?

Kroll is in a unique position to push Wisconsin deer management forward, but he needs DNR biologists’ help. As soon as possible, he must share his review plans with them, and dismiss the “deer czar” nickname he inherited. He’s running a 6-month analysis, not a country.

And he’s not doing it alone. He’s assembling a team that includes Dr. David Guynn, professor emeritus of Clemson University’s department of forestry and natural resources; and Dr. Gary Alt, who ran Pennsylvania’s deer program 5.5 years during the late 1990s.

Granted, many folks criticize Kroll’s $125,000 fee, but let’s not forget the Wisconsin DNR spent $1.2 million a decade ago on “Deer 2000 and Beyond.” That effort attracted thousands of citizens to work with the DNR in crafting a long-term deer-management strategy.

Where is it now? The DNR apparently slid the plan into a briefcase, forgot it atop the car and lost it on the Interstate. Talk about squandering public money, effort and trust.

Given that and other DNR deer-leadership failings, no one should act offended by Kroll’s presence.

Although I tried sneaking out into the dark at 4:30 a.m. on opening day of Wisconsin’s 1971 archery season, my mom must have heard me carrying my bowhunting gear to my awaiting bicycle.

She must have moved downstairs with stealth, because she startled me when asking, “Where you going?”

When I said “deer hunting,” she didn’t ask “where” a second time.

“What about your ankle?” she asked.

Patrick Durkin at age 19 with his first buck, taken in Iowa County in October 1975 during the archery season.

“Well, be careful,” she said. She shook her head and returned upstairs.

I recalled that scene as Wisconsin’s 2011 archery season opened in September, my 40th anniversary as a bowhunter. So much has changed. For one, I doubt many 15-year-old bowhunters bicycled before dawn to woodlots six miles away to greet the opener.

A much older, and possibly wiser, Patrick Durkin in October 2004.

Most kids don’t ride alone into pre-dark darkness these days, at least not with “deer hunting” as the stated destination. Parents hover more today. Many plan their kids’ weekends for them, specifying activities and destinations by distinct categories. (In my mom’s defense, she had a general idea of my intended whereabouts. She just didn’t worry herself with specifics.)

Equipment has changed, too. My Bear Grizzly recurve bow tied nicely to a bicycle’s crossbar, and my hip quiver didn’t go anywhere once inside my bike’s newspaper-carrier rear baskets.

Although I began bowhunting in 1971, I didn’t get my first deer – an 18-month-old doe -- until two years later. I didn’t get my first buck, another yearling, until I was 19. By that year, 1975, I was shooting an Allen compound bow, with its revolutionary 20 percent let-off cams. Today, of course, 80 percent let-off is the norm.

Bowhunting has seen great change the past 40 years. Portable tree stands were rare in the early 1970s.

My old friend Vic Cunningham snapped a photo of me with my first buck the next afternoon. I feel a bit wistful whenever viewing the picture. I haven’t seen Cunningham for 35 years, nor hair atop my head for nearly 25.

Those changes, however, are small compared to the expectations now imposed on deer hunting. Wisconsin had 100,206 licensed bowhunters in 1971, not even near half the 254,446 we had in 2010.

When I arrowed my first whitetail in 1973, it was one of 8,456 deer that bowhunters killed that year. In 2010, bowhunters registered 83,833 deer; nearly 10 times as many deer with about 2.5 times more bowhunters.

And when I arrowed my first buck, it was one of 4,439 that bowhunters killed in 1975. In 2010, bowhunters registered 42,115 bucks, nearly 10 times as many bucks with 1.9 times more bowhunters. As an fyi, that 2010 total is the third largest archery buck kill in Wisconsin’s history.

Well-made ground blinds are far more available now than they were during the 1970s.

For further perspective, realize the annual archery buck kill has exceeded 40,000 only eight times, but all eight seasons were since 1998. In fact, the combined 1970-79 archery buck kill didn’t reach 40,000. But at 39,293, the decade’s total was close. Imagine that: an annual average of 3,930 bow-killed bucks.

And it’s not like we made up the difference with antlerless deer. From 1970 through 1979, the combined archery kill of bucks and does was 119,244; an annual average harvest of 11,924. In case you missed it, Wisconsin bowhunters twice surpassed 110,000 deer the past five seasons, registering 113,918 bucks and does in 2006, and 116,010 in 2007.

Not bad. Not bad at all, especially when you consider the gun deer-kill never reached 110,000 from 1969 through 1974. We could find worse six-year runs further back in time, but you get the point.

Or do we? Wisconsin bowhunters have never had it better. During the past 10 years, we’ve registered 381,528 adult bucks and 533,640 does and fawns; annual averages of 38,153 and 53,364, respectively.

And somewhere in all those numbers was lots of fun, excitement and high-5s as we pulled deer onto tailgates and admired them on buck-poles. We even tried capturing the moments forever with digital cameras, and then framing our favorites and viewing the rest on smart-phones, e-frames and screensavers.

Hunting photos are nice, no doubt. But the moments we best recall often occur when cameras are turned off, and anticipation heals sprains and worries better than faith itself.

  Over the years I have watched as Barnett crossbows steadily evolved, getting better with each passing year due largely, I believe, to the creative genius of David Barnett.  Many still consider Barnett products to be inferior to most crossbows on the market based simply on the fact that Barnett is priced at a working man’s level of affordability.  One hears chatter about break downs and mechanical problems from the Barnett line, but based on my vast personal contact with grassroots crossbow hunters, there seems to be no more problems with Barnett than most other brands. In an age where crossbows are becoming far more complicated and increasingly powerful, I truly believe that a large part of mechanical troubles originate with improper usage by the owners.  Users who believe that an Owner’s Manual is a guide to refer to when you have a problem and not a instructional guide from which to learn proper handling and use of their new hunting implement.  Regardless of which crossbow you purchase, please spend the time to read the Owner’s Manual from cover to cover, at least once.  The time invested in that little booklet will pay big dividends in the safe use and longevity of your crossbow.

 The unique and artistic design of the Ghost incorporates the foot stirrup right into the bow.

 Barnett’s Ghost 350 arrived at my door in two pieces, which was not a transportation tragedy, but instead the traditional manner that it is shipped.  Once assembled with a single bolt, which firmly attached the bow to the stock, I careful inspected the crossbow.  The first thing that caught my eye was the classic design; one that incorporated the foot stirrup right into the contour of the bow in an undeniable artistic manner, giving the Ghost 350 a very unique and quite handsome appearance. 

 The 3x30 scope on the Ghost is enhanced by reticules are illuminated circles.

 The overall length is 37”; its only 24” wide and has a 12” power stroke; that combined with the 175 lb draw weight produces a stunning 350 fps.  The carbon riser and aluminum flight deck keep the total weight to right around 7.5 pounds.  The bow is enhanced with the Barnett AVI technology molded over laminated limbs reducing noise and vibration up to 30%.  Whiplash cams, a very sensitive anti-dry fire mechanism and one of the finest triggers I have ever seen on a crossbow top this package off.  The stock is beautifully adorned in Realtree APG Black camo.  My Ghost 350 package included an illuminated 3x32 scope, four 20’ arrows, a 4-arrow quiver and a rope cocking device.

 The overall appearance of the Ghost 350 is second to none.

 It all made for a very striking package in appearance, but I was anxious to see how the Ghost 350 preformed on the range.  My first observation was the bow’s extreme comfort when shouldered.  The fit was accented by the raised cheek rest, a thumb hole stock and the extra wide fore-stock (which also keeps one’s fingers clear of the string when firing), which naturally forms the bow to my body.  The scope was very close to zero and within the first half dozen shots the Ghost was impaling the bull's-eye with every release.  We zeroed the top mark in at 20 yards, which automatically placed mark #2 at 30 yards.  Mark #3 zeroed in at 35 yards and mark #4 was right on at 43 yards.  (Never assume that the reticules of the scope on your new bow will automatically be zeroed in at 30, 40, 50 and sixty.  Shoot and move until you have determined the yardage for each mark and then mark it down on a piece of tape and adhere in plain sight to your bow for reference.)  A note of the yardages was made and then there was little left to do but enjoy the smooth performance of the Ghost 350. 

 The trigger on the Ghost 350 is one of the finest I have ever seen on a crossbow.

 It was quiet, fast, consistent and deadly accurate, just what any person would expect from a state-of-the-art, respectably scary Ghost.  The thing that I am most impressed with, however, was that darn trigger.  It’s just as fine a trigger as I have experienced on any rifle.  Smooth, light and with a surprise release; it is just amazing to experience that well-crafted of a trigger on a crossbow.

 Since I present my reviews from a hunter’s point of view, the question is, “How did the Ghost 350 perform in the field?”  The targeted game for the test was Pronghorn Antelope on our annual pilgrimage to Douglas, WY.  I combined the Ghost with Lumen-Arrows and Grim Reaper broadheads experiencing excellent results.

Buck taken at 16 yards. 

 The buck was taken at 16 yards and went perhaps 50 yards.  I was not pleased with the shot as the nervous animal, from a standing broadside shot, actually began to spin away from the arrow before it arrived.  Entry was back a little far, but due to the angle of the body as it was turning away, the exit was just behind the front leg on the opposite side.  The buck expired within five minutes.  The Lumen-Arrow passed completely through the goat and was intact, although buried deeply into the sloping bank of the waterhole.  The doe was taken from a standing broadside shot of 18 to 20 yards.  The arrow passed through the heart damaging both front legs causing the animal to collapse in less than 30 yards, in all probability, being out before hitting the ground.  The arrow was broken due to the major contact with the front legs of the goat, but the Lumenok was retrieved in excellent shape and still burning brightly.

 The doe was taken with the Ghost 350 and a single arrow to the heart at under 20 yards.

 I ran into only one problem while using this bow and guess what?  User error!  And that is where, experience has taught me, most crossbow problems originate.  This problem was self-inflicted and occurred while trying to uncock the bow by firing an arrow from of it.  It occurred on the first day of hunting.  I had passed on a shooter-buck because I had been caught with a camera in my hands (that same buck became a victim of the Ghost 350 the following day).  When I attempted to take the bow off safe, the latch would not budge.  At first I thought I had gotten dirt into the latching mechanism, but a quick shot of WD40 had no visible affect on the problem.  After a few minutes of painful pondering the problem, the solution to dawned on me; I recalled that the Operation Manual had specified moon nocks and upon checking my arrow, I discovered that I was trying to unload my bow with a flat nock.  The anti-dry fire mechanism on this bow is so finely crafted that even this minor detail prevented the bow from being discharged.  That kind of engineering can only be admired and respected, which is more than can be said for my personal attention to arrow selection.  

The thumb-hole stock and raise cheek piece make this bow extremely comfortable to shoulder.

 The bottom line is that the Ghost 350 is one fine crossbow from this hunter’s point of view and the fact that you can get completely set up for around $600 only makes it better.  Barnett has been manufacturing some excellent and reliable crossbows at friendly prices in the past few years and if you are in the market, you owe it to yourself to check them out.  But whatever crossbow you decide upon, do yourself a big favor and study the Owner’s Manual carefully.  It will save you a lot of headaches, not to mention the inconvenience of service calls. 

The safety release and anti-dry fire mechanism are extremely well designed.

SODA SPRINGS, Idaho – Swoosh!

Ouch!

A 3-inch pine cone – hard, fresh and green – whizzed past my right ear and whacked my wrist before thumping the ground. Seconds later another cone banged off the log where I sat, and then a third smacked off my compound bow.

From left, Patrick Durkin, Mark Endris and Karl Malcolm discuss the day’s elk hunts and other mountaintop encounters.

I warily looked up, worried I’d take one to the schnoz. Twenty feet above, a pine squirrel hung by its hind legs, cutting and chucking cones. I knew the rascal. He had cursed me minutes earlier after running up the log where I ate lunch, detouring around me and ascending the tree.

I doubted he was retaliating for me blocking his travel route. Then again, this wasn’t the only cone-bearing pine in the Targhee-Caribou National Forest. Couldn’t he harvest cones elsewhere? Apparently not.

A pine squirrel chatters from a tree in Idaho’s Targhee-Caribou National Forest.

So, I kept sitting, continually hoping for elk to move through this Rocky Mountain ridgeline. Elk roam these mountains in good numbers, but you’d seldom know it if not for the trees they rub, the dung they drop, and the mews, barks and bugles they voice.

It’s much easier to see pine squirrels, chipmunks, chickadees, Steller’s jays and myriad other birds and critters that are tiny compared to elk. In fact, if not for these “others,” elk hunting wouldn’t spawn as many campfire stories when my hunting partners, Mark Endris of Hillsdale and Karl Malcolm of Arena, and I trudge in from the peaks each night.

Although my pine-squirrel bomber story was worth sharing, it wasn’t as intense as the story about my lunchtime nap two days before. In that case, my knee knocked over my bow and arrows as I awoke and stood.

Instantly, something rushed through the brush behind me, snapping branches underfoot. It was a black-bear cub. Seconds later, its mother barreled in to assess possible threats, stopping 20 yards away.

A mouse retrieves camp crumbs outside Patrick Durkin’s tent in Idaho’s Targhee-Caribou National Forest.

I stood still, eyeing the pepper-spray canister in my daypack. I doubted I could reach it in time if the sow charged first and asked questions later. Within 15 seconds, however, the cub padded back to Ma and they departed nonchalantly.

Malcolm trumped my stories, however. The same day as my bear encounter, Malcolm thought he heard two pine squirrels chasing and clashing nearby in a battle for turf or food. Then the squirrel’s barking erupted into a shriek of mortal agony lasting at least 15 seconds.

A pine marten investigates a sound after killing a pine squirrel in Idaho’s Targhee-Caribou National Forest.

Soon after, Malcolm saw a pine marten trotting along a log, carrying the limp squirrel like a Labrador toting a mallard. The marten then laid atop the log, squirrel beneath its paws, and chewed its prey with its canines and premolars.

Malcolm moved closer, pulled out his pocket camera, and squeaked with his mouth to get the marten’s attention. It approached within 5 feet before deciding Malcolm might be trouble. It then retrieved its squirrel and departed.

Although the marten couldn’t know it, Malcolm poses no threat to anything except elk. The proof? The night before, Malcolm entered his tent and surprised a mouse burglarizing his granola supply.

The mouse scurried around the tent, Malcolm in pursuit. The chase didn’t last long. The mouse probably sensed impending doom as Malcolm scooped it up with one hand. But instead of chewing on it with his incisors and premolars, Malcolm released it into the night.

Reprieved but not enlightened, the mouse next targeted my tent, which I share with Endris. As I prepared my daypack for the next day’s hunt, Endris entered our tent and saw the mouse run behind me.

The hunt was on. The mouse dashed behind my cot and broke for the tent door. Finding the door zipped, it retreated beneath my cot. Endris opened the door as I moved gear from the floor to our cots. The mouse, its hideouts vanishing, again dashed for the door. This time it hopped atop the open sill and leaped to freedom.

We didn’t see the mouse again until breaking camp at dawn Tuesday. When it emerged from beneath the log outside our tent, Endris tossed it a peanut. The mouse grabbed the morsel and disappeared.

Little did the mouse know it’s now part of our elk-camp lore. Barring encounters with a hawk, weasel or marten, maybe its legend will grow when we return next year.

SODA SPRINGS, Idaho – Two blue coolers sit in the shade at camp’s edge, crammed with the heart, liver, tenderloins and several-score pounds of other meat we hauled off the mountain Sunday when Karl Malcolm bow-killed his first elk.

After reviewing topographical maps, we decided Malcolm arrowed the cow about 2 miles and 1,600 feet above our campsite, which sits at 5,500 feet of elevation. Just to make sure we earned her meat, the cow ran 120 yards down the mountain’s far side before collapsing in the first bushes stout enough to block her 500-pound body from sliding farther.

Karl Malcolm admires the cow elk he arrowed Sept. 11 in southeastern Idaho.

As Mark Endris and I congratulated Malcolm at the kill site, I reminded him he broke camp policy: “I told you not to hunt any higher and farther than the saddle. We figured 1-1/2 miles and 1,200 feet above camp is far enough to pack an elk.”

He just smiled and said: “I heard a bugle up here. I had to follow.”

I dropped the subject, hating to sound like a grumpy 55-year-old scolding an eager pup of 29.

“Well, tell the story,” I said. “What happened?”

Patrick Durkin, left, and Karl Malcolm bone out Malcolm's cow elk.

Malcolm had sat on a ridgeline a mile from camp till 8 a.m. After hearing nothing, he stalked uphill toward the saddle, a flat meadow where two east-west ridgelines converge beneath a steep north-south ridgeline.

Elk cross often feed in the saddle and bed nearby. In fact, two days before, Malcolm got within 53 yards of the “king of the mountain,” a trophy bull no hunter would spurn. Although Malcolm had a clear shot at the bull, he passed it, thinking it too far for a bow and arrow.

Mark Endris, foreground, and Patrick Durkin head back to camp with meat-filled backpacks.

As he returned to the saddle Sunday, with the passed shot’s memory replaying in Second-Thoughts Theater, Malcolm spotted a cow elk feeding downhill. He tried moving in front of her, but never got close enough to shoot.

As that opportunity passed, a bull bugled from atop the north-south ridgeline. Malcolm hoofed uphill several hundred yards to the plateau, and then moved toward the bull’s last sound.

Patrick Durkin inspects a bull elk's impressive rub.

As he inched over and stalked downhill, he spotted an ear twitch in the brush below. At least three elk were 40 yards away. When they acted nervous and minced northward, Malcolm stooped and trotted downhill, angling to cut them off.

He stopped about 20 yards uphill from the elk, which grew increasingly spooky. Malcolm drew his bow, anticipating they would cross an opening below. He released his arrow when the lead cow stepped out. The arrow and three-blade Muzzy broadhead cleaved both lungs and clattered into the brush below.

After the cow fled and collapsed, Malcolm sat, waited an hour before trailing his kill, and then summoned his packers. Endris and I reached him within two hours, toting freighter-size backpacks, knives, sharpener and large meat-storage bags.

We congratulated him while admiring the elk’s tan hide, rock-rounded hoofs, and chocolate-brown head and neck. After taking photos, we rolled the old girl onto her back so Malcolm could field dress her.

The three-hour job that followed reduced the beautiful elk into a hide, skeleton, gut-pile and more than 250 pounds of boned-out meat. Malcolm and I worked at opposite ends of the elk, filleting its meat and dropping the sweet slabs into 2-gallon plastic bags. As each bag filled, Endris sealed and slid it into our packs’ cargo holds.

A view of Idaho's elk country.

With the meat removed, Malcolm extracted the elk’s two “ivory” or “whistler” teeth – their canines -- and sealed them in a bag for safe-keeping and jewelry. We then adjusted the loads on both freighter packs, and transferred the hide and leftover meat to Endris’ army backpack.

I’ve walked farther distances and lifted heavier weights, but never at the same time in combination. The pack-out took about 2-1/2 hours, most of it down steep, brushy mountainsides, causing constant mental reminders of “baby steps, baby steps.”

We seldom sat to rest, finding it easier to simply bend over and wait as our breathing returned to normal. Darkness greeted us as we stumbled into camp and transferred the meat to the coolers.

I congratulated Malcolm once more, silently praised the elk for her meat, and then welcomed an 8-hour sleep to toast our labors.

The following Application can be downloaded on your cellular phone this fall for absolutely no cost to you. The benefit of this App. is that it could potentially save your life. Please read and pass the information to your hunting friends. Let's make this year the safest year we've all ever endured.

The people at forHuntersbyHunters in association with the Hog-g App team has completed the prototype of a treestand safety tool that will be on display at the Eastern Outdoors Sports Show in Harrisburg,Pa on 2\5-13 at the Kodak Outdoors booth.

A "first of its kind safety device" that utilizes modern technology to aid hunters in the event of a fall from an elevated hunting platform. forhuntersbyhunters are dedicated to meld modern technology with the oldest hobbies of all time, hunting and fishing. Originally designed for Hunters , SafeClimber could be used as in other ares such as roofing work, for Linemen or anywhere there is a risk of injury from falling when you are by yourself.

This much anticipated prototype is finally ready - the "SafeClimber" safety Application for all who hunt from an elevation that have or will buy a smartphone and it is FREE. Thats right, not a cent. 4HxH and the developers are more interested in saving lives than making money. We will be rewarded when the first hunters life is saved because you just can't put a price on life.
Nearly every hunter I know, myself included, knows of at least one hunter that has fallen from a treestand. Hunting accidents such as accidental shootings, rank high, but still treestand accidents are among the top reported accidents during hunting season We want to drive that number down.If you own a smartphone, this is a must have hunting App, a real no brainer because it's FREE and can save your life.
Statistically, nearly one out of every three hunters that hunt from an elevated stand will fall at some point during their span of hunting and treestand accidents are among the top reported accidents during hunting season.There are an estimated 13 Million climbing treestands in use today.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) nearly 75% of falls happen while the hunter is climbing the tree. The "SafeClimber" application has a 1 touch SOS button to enable an emergency text if you find yourself dangling from a tree. The App also has an automatic contact function (automated safety monitor) that will text two preselected contacts (one click from your contacts list for each for a total of two contacts for redundancy) and if you have a GPS signal, the phone can deliver your location by telling exactly where you are located if you you fall from the stand and are unconscious. Another important feature is that your phone will let you know that it has been triggered which gives you time to stop the emergency texts on a false alarm to keep the EMT's from coming.

Watch the Demo:

An acquaintance of mine probably wasn’t surprised to hear about the cougar that wandered all the way from South Dakota to the East Coast before getting SUV’d in June on a Connecticut highway.

Sheesh. Talk about missing your exit and ending up in the wrong town!

This cougar first surfaced in eastern Minnesota in December 2009, and then traipsed over to  northern Wisconsin later that month. It then roamed America’s Dairyland from January through May in 2010. It apparently then went north into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and crossed into Canada. Sometime later, it crossed back into the United States and headed south through New York state before going on to meet its fate in Connecticut.

DNA from this cougar confirmed it originated in South Dakota, and wandered through Minnesota and Wisconsin about a year before getting killed by an SUV in Connecticut.

As I was saying, my acquaintance can relate. Years ago, he became tired while driving on I-90/I-94 in south-central Wisconsin, so his wife took the helm near Mauston. Before dozing off, he reminded her to take I-90 to La Crosse when the highways forked in 25 miles.

No problem, she said. When he awoke, they were pulling off to gas up. In St. Paul, Minnesota.

No problem. They found a motel room, slept off their irritation and took Highway 61 to La Crosse at dawn. The Mississippi River is so pretty in autumn, y’know.

Wayward cougars seldom find comfort in alternative routes. Cougar watchers might recall the cat that fled a barn near Milton, Wisconsin, in winter 2008, only to be shot dead by police in mid-April that year on Chicago’s North Side.

The cougar walked at least 1,800 miles from South Dakota's Black Hills to Connecticut.

Likewise, other wandering cougars have been road-killed by Missouri motorists and gunned down by Iowa farmers. In most cases, the cougars are young males dispersing from South Dakota’s Black Hills.

Biologists believe these tomcats are simply looking for turf to call home; a place with food, shelter and breeding-age females. The cougars typically find some chow and cover, but keep searching when failing to wind a feminine feline. They eventually run out of luck and die too young.

At least the Connecticut cougar left his mark. According to Adrian Wydeven, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources biologist, the cougar’s romp to Milford, Conn., covered 1,055 miles on a straight line from Champlin, Minn., where it was first seen by police on Dec. 11, 2009. That’s a record. Assuming its trip actually began in the Black Hills, the straight-line distance was 1,800 miles.

The ‘Connecticut cougar’ was spotted in Wisconsin from late 2009 through June 2010.

This was Wisconsin’s fourth confirmed cougar sighting the past three years. All were young males.

Be assured, confused cougars and mystified motorists aren’t the only critters going astray. During recent decades, biologists have attached high-tech tags and collars on fish, birds and mammals to document their movements. Every now and then, they take wrong turns or listen to bad directions.

For instance, a lake sturgeon tagged in Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago in 1978 was later netted in Saginaw Bay off Lake Huron in 1994, and again in May 1997 on the western end of Lake Erie. In June 1999, it washed ashore dead in Erie’s southwestern basin near Sandusky, Ohio; about 400 miles on a line from Oshkosh on Winnebago’s western shore.

The ‘Connecticut cougar’ was captured on a trail camera on January 18, 2010, in Clark County, Wisconsin.

But sturgeon are fish, not birds, so it had to swim at least 650 miles to get there. It first swam down the lower Fox River past De Pere, and then up the length of the bay of Green Bay, across Lake Michigan, beneath the Mackinac Bridge, down Lake Huron, down the St. Clair River, through Lake St. Clair, past Detroit, and then to Lake Erie.

There it died, presumably from exhaustion.

Another Winnebago sturgeon must have tried duplicating the feat. This fish was first tagged in April 1991 on the Embarrass River, nearly 110 miles northwest of Oshkosh. In May 2005, it was caught in the bay of Green Bay; and in April 2006 it was caught in Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron.

It hasn’t been heard from since. Maybe it’s still trying to find Lake Erie.

OK. Back to mammals: As with cougars, young male bears often wander lovelorn after Mom forces them out. One notable black bear shuffled 314.3 miles from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to Baton Rouge, La., in 1996.

Biologists document many examples of wandering wildlife after attaching coded tags, collars, GPS devices and radio transmitters in fish, birds and mammals.

Wolves are no better. Wydeven said a young male from northern Minnesota holds North America’s “Wrong Way Corrigan” record among Canis lupus for its 550-mile jaunt to Saskatchewan. And an Upper Peninsula wolf holds the Great Lakes region record for its 447-mile spree to north-central Missouri.

Not far behind is a Wisconsin wolf that loped 428 miles in 2003 from Black River Falls to Winchester, Indiana. Just a few more miles and it would have made Ohio.

The world record for wolves, according to Wydeven, is the 678-mile expedition of a Norwegian wolf to the Finland/Russia border.

Impressed? Don’t be. A male lynx from British Columbia was once trapped, shipped and released in the Rocky Mountains to try rebuilding Colorado’s lynx population. After ditching researchers in 2007, it hiked 1,240 miles back home. It died three years later in a trap set near Nordegg, B.C.

White-tailed deer can’t compete with such endurance runners. Among the notables, though, is a doe from northeastern Minnesota that hoofed 104 miles in 1993. In addition, researchers say a yearling buck traveled 99.82 miles in 1981 after leaving its study area in east-central Illinois.

Don’t you just love researchers? I mean, come on; 99.82 miles” Can’t scientists just give that buck the .18 and make it an even 100 miles?

When the 2011Nebraska Archery season opens on September 15th there will be some significant new rules in effect.  The two most notable rule changes don’t come without controversy.

The most significant and controversial change will adopt the crossbow as a legal weapon for all sportsmen.  Before last season, crossbows were limited to handicap and disabled sportsmen that first had to obtain a letter from a doctor that documented the sportsmen’s need to use a crossbow. 

Crossbows are now legal for all archery seasons for all sportsmen in Nebraska

The Nebraska Traditional Archers (NTA) has taken a firm stance against crossbows. The following statement was taken from their website.  “The NTA does not consider the conventional crossbow nor the compound crossbow to be legitimate hunting bows and will not permit their use, or possession at any NTA event or gathering.  The NTA considers the use of any type of crossbow during any bowhunting season to be the most serious threat that the future of bowhunting has ever faced.  The NTA strongly encourages all sportsmen to boycott the products of companies engaged in the manufacture, distribution, sales or promotion of crossbows, and to express their dissatisfaction directly to these companies at every available opportunity.”

An effort last year by the Nebraska Bowhunters Association (NBA), Nebraska’s largest and most politically engaged bowhunting organization asked the Nebraska Wildlife Commissioners to table the vote but it fell on deaf ears.  The commission allowed the use of crossbows during rifle and muzzleloader seasons last year and now they have opened up the use of crossbows in 2011 by making it a legal weapon during the archery seasons for all big game in the state.

I asked long time NBA member and Vice Chairman Bryce Lambley what the NBA’s official stance on the inclusion of crossbows to the Nebraska archery season and he said, "The NBA has, since its inception, opposed the inclusion of crossbows in the regular archery season, and has urged stricter compliance with handicapped provisions.  Most of our members do not oppose crossbows as a hunting tool, they just don't feel they belong in the same general season as compound and traditional bows and arrows because the skills needed to shoot them are vastly different."

Bow hunters in Nebraska will now share the woods with crossbow hunters but rifle hunters will have to do the same with bowhunters now

The other big change will allow bowhunters to hunt along side of rifle hunters during the 2011 rifle season which opens on the second Saturday of November.  Hunter Orange will be required to be worn by bowhunters just as it is for the rifle hunters during the nine day season.  Many Nebraska bowhunters have been clamoring for this change for a long time.  The timing of Nebraska’s rifle season tends to coincides with the rut so sitting on the sidelines for nine straight days has often been a bone of contention for many a Nebraska bowhunter.

Nebraska has expanded their elk seasons due to rising populations

The state of Nebraska offers diverse opportunities for bowhunters with plentiful populations of turkey, whitetail deer, mule deer, and antelope.  There are even elk and bighorn sheep seasons but those seasons are limited to resident lottery draws except for one big horn sheep opportunity that is auctioned off.  Lottery and auction fees have helped Nebraska raised over $800,000 dollars for the bighorn sheep program.  This year’s auction set a record by going for $117,500 to a German business owner.  The previous record bid for a Nebraska sheep hunt was $87,500 in 1998.

If not for the shock, maybe I should have raced downtown to buy a Powerball ticket after shooting my first Robin Hood during a recent lunch break.

That’s right: I drilled one arrow down the tube of another arrow already in the target's bull's-eye. In this case, the center-spot on one of my 3-D targets.

Then again, nothing else that day proved especially lucky or memorable, so maybe I was smart to keep my money and avoid the lottery.

After more than 40 years of shooting the bow and arrow, I finally scored a Robin Hood.

I've been shooting archery since age 10, which was 45 years ago. That’s when an uncle, Tom Faust of Cross Plains, Wis., showed his many nieces and nephews how to shoot bows and arrows during a family reunion. Five years later in 1971, I took $37 from my newspaper-route savings to buy a 43-pound Bear Grizzly left-hand recurve bow for bowhunting rabbits, squirrels and white-tailed deer.

I arrowed my first deer with that bow in 1973, but I never came close to splitting an arrow during practice. While shooting that bow, I discovered I was right-eye dominant, and couldn’t use sights to shoot it. I took care of that in July 1974 by buying a right-handed Allen compound bow with sights. I then shattered nocks occasionally, but the Robin Hood kept eluding me.

Many bows, arrows, sights and targets have come and gone since then, but I never scored archery's hole-in-one. I finally witnessed the feat when my daughter Leah nailed a Robin Hood before she was 15. Her spliced arrows stand by my office door, reminding me of her superior skills.

The Full Metal Jacket arrow drove 17.5 inches down the other arrow's shaft.

Even so, I never dwelled on it. In fact, when shooting into my basement target at 15 yards during winter practice sessions, I aim at different spots each shot to avoid shattering nocks and stripping feathers. I'm cheap that way.

I don't enjoy replacing nocks or fletching, even though I have plenty of both, as well as a Bitzenburger Fletchmaster for gluing feathers to shafts. Therefore, I cringed and cursed a bit when hearing the loud "Clank!" when my third arrow of the day hit the 3-D deer target 30 yards away.

That sound wasn't the ordinary swish and rattle of one arrow slapping and side-swiping another arrow already there. This was a collision, with debris from feathers and aluminum-wrapped carbon snapping and popping into the air. I paused and then put down my bow.

The second arrow drove the nock from the first arrow down the shaft ahead of it.

With my other practice arrows still sitting in the quiver, I walked to the target and inspected the damage. Yep. No doubt about it: My first Robin Hood. The Easton Full Metal Jacket arrow was buried 17.5 inches down the shaft of the other arrow, leaving their feathers 8.5 inches apart.

When I looked closely, I saw the second arrow had driven the nock from the first arrow down the shaft ahead of it. The fluorescent green nock glimmered through a crack in the swollen sidewall. I also noticed a feather missing from the first arrow. It rested four feet away, still attached to a shard of aluminum.

Most gratifying was that the first arrow struck exactly where I aimed in the target's kill zone. If it had hit farther back or in the shoulder blade of the foam-plastic deer, I'd be more embarrassed than happy.

The conjoined shafts deserved to stand beside Leah's twinned arrows. Although pleased, I knew better than to brag. I've met archers who have shot so many Robin Hoods they’ve lost count. Or at least they pause to count.

The fact is, I've always been an average archer, shooting well enough to kill deer reliably. But given that I practice year-round and seldom shoot less than 20 arrows per session, you'd think I would have split an arrow long before, even by fluke. And if I need another 40-plus years for a second Robin Hood, I hope it's trumped by more impressive deeds.

Such as? Well, I’d be more than pleased if Leah were still shooting archery. Or maybe I’ll have grandkids, and some of them will take up the sport. Maybe my Robin Hood will help inspire them.

Most likely, though, a split arrow can't turn such tricks. After all, when my Uncle Tom showed his nieces and nephews how to nock an arrow and aim down the shaft, I don't recall shooting all that well. I was happy just to hit the target with that old fiberglass recurve bow.

No, arrows in bull's-eyes didn't hook me on archery. It was something more powerful. It was my uncle’s encouragement. He had complimented my efforts to my parents, and his words had gotten back to me.

All these years later, my first Robin Hood reminds me to thank him for introducing me to this lifetime sport. It’s a gift I’ve never forgotten.

The late summer of 2010 brought with it all the common anticipation of any upcoming hunting season, but with a few new opportunities.  One of these opportunities was to hunt with and film my friends Justin Zarr and Todd Graf of the Hunting Network.  It was a pronghorn hunt with Table Mountain Outfitters of Cheyenne, Wyoming.  It was during this hunt that I was fortunate enough to meet the owners of Table Mountain Outfitters, Scott and Angie Denny. 

Justin and I with his first antelope, taken at Table Mountain Outfitters in 2010.  Click here to watch the video of this hunt!

Fast forward to this Spring 2011.  Knowing I had a fair amount of experience not only hunting out West but also running a camera, Scott and Angie asked if I’d like to film some of their bear hunters at camp in Idaho. The only experience that either one of us had with the other was based on a few conversations at antelope camp eight months prior.  They were taking a chance with a camera man they didn’t know very well and I was committing almost a month of my life to film with people that I barely knew, in a place I had never been.  With that said, it turned out to be an incredible time and allowed me (an outsider) a behind the scenes look at what it takes to run a successful outfitting operation. 

When the general hunting population thinks of “bear hunting,” we typically render immediate images of sitting over an afternoon bait waiting for a bear to make its way to a bucket filled with goodies.  At Table Mountain Outfitters, you have the opportunity to sit at bait sites in the afternoons, but the morning hunts are filled with what can be fast paced, adrenaline filled hunts with hound dogs.  As a long time bird hunter, I have an extreme respect for any type of working dog, but I was still slightly hesitant about hunting bears with dogs. 

On the first morning, my uncertainty had evaporated.  There is no possible way I can explain to any reader how incredible and unique this hunt can be.  It really is something you have to experience for yourself to understand and appreciate.  From the hours of care and preparation that the guides put into 22 dogs before and after the hunt, to the sometimes super steep and long hikes in to a tree where the dogs say, “we’ve won,” to the determination of the dogs and the people involved.  All that work and that’s just for one aspect of one part of the hunt.  That doesn’t include the time spent preparing meals for a whole camp full of hungry hunters, setting bear baits, and maintaining an entire camp in the meantime. 

Here's a few of the bear dogs that Scott & Angie use to track down bears in the remote Idaho wilderness.

It was neat to be a “neutral” party with Table Mountain Outfitters, I wasn’t the hunter or the guide and was able to see both the client side and the business side of this industry.    I was able to form my own opinion about everything I encountered.  Somewhere around 15 hunters were in camp while was in Idaho, I interviewed several of these hunters during hunts and after hunts and to my knowledge there wasn’t a single hunter that didn’t leave with a feeling of success in regards to both; their hunt and their overall experience.

Hunter Mike White killed this beautiful black bear with his Mathews Z7. This was Mike's 7th hunt with Table Mountain Outfitters

Teri and her husband Steve traveled from Tampa, Florida to hunt bears with Scott and Angie.

After seeing all the pieces that must fit perfectly together for an operation like this to be successful, I am amazed at and have an incredible amount of respect for Scott and Angie and the team they’ve put together to make Table Mountain Outfitters atop the list for hunting outfitters.  If you’re in the market for a guided hunt of almost any species in the Western United States, give Table Mountain a shot at your business, I would bet you are not disappointed.   You can visit them online at www.tablemountainoutfitters.com

Scott & Angie Denny - owners of Table Mountain Outfitters.  These two work incredibly hard to make sure their hunters have the best chance of success on each and every hunt.  Their hard work is what has made them one of the most popular outfitters in the US today.

If you’re scouting or exploring public lands for the upcoming archery season, keep your eyes open for unusual diggings, tree cuttings or ramshackle huts. You might just stumble onto an illegal marijuana farm.

That’s because Mexican-based drug cartels have been using our national forests and wildlife-management areas for large-scale marijuana gardens in recent years. These “grows” have been found from California to Ontario, Canada, and some of them are within half-miles of well-traveled roads.

These trees were cut down with handsaws to expose marijuana plants to sunlight. The small orange markers in the foreground are remnants of marijuana plants.

For example, law-enforcement agencies busted up an 8,000-plant “grow” in northeastern Wisconsin’s Navarino State Wildlife Area in 2009, and a 9,000-plant grow in 2008 farther north in the Nicolet National Forest.

In other cases, they choose remote areas accessible only by boat. In 2009, law-enforcement officers dismantled a 2,000-plant operation deep inside the swamps of Wisconsin’s fabled Buffalo County, in the Tiffany State Wildlife Area along the Mississippi River.

Officials estimate each marijuana plant, which can grow taller than 6 feet, is worth $1,000 or more on the street. If so, the combined Navarino, Nicolet and Tiffany seizures were worth $19 million.

When illegal workers are discovered at marijuana-growing sites, they usually drop what they’re doing and disappear into the woods without their belongings.

Randy Stark, chief warden for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said these marijuana operations are a national problem, with the growers using the Internet to find county, state and national public lands for their operations. To deter those responsible, agencies are working with other states and federal law-enforcement organizations, as well as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

A recent BLM report said Mexican drug traffickers have expanded marijuana cultivation in the United States since 2004. As the U.S. government increased its efforts to stop smuggling and illegal immigration along the U.S./Mexico border, cartels found it easier to grow marijuana on our public lands than to smuggle large quantities across the border.

Between 2004 and 2008, the BLM alone seized 1.79 million marijuana plants on lands it administers, with seizures more than doubling from 220,000 plants in 2004 to 473,771 in 2008.

A Wisconsin DNR staffer involved in the Navarino cleanup and investigation said cartels plant marijuana strains designed for the North’s short growing season. In fact, Canadian officials have found marijuana operations in public forests of northwestern Ontario.

These logs were used to build a tarp-covered shelter at the main camp of a marijuana operation in Wisconsin’s Navarino Wildlife Area.

The staffer, who couldn’t reveal his identity for security reasons, said the cartels look for low-lying public lands far from homes and buildings, with good water sources for irrigating the plants. He said the groups are sophisticated, and probably study satellite images to find ideal growing sites. They usually key on stands of young aspen (poplar), which is also ideal habitat for deer, woodcock and ruffed grouse.

He said the workers are usually illegal immigrants who are coerced to help. Typically, the operations begin in late May with work crews dropped off late at night with a camp boss, food, equipment and thousands of young marijuana plants growing inside small cups, like those used to start tomato plants.

From there, they haul their gear at least a half-mile into thick cover and set up a campsite beneath the woods’ canopy, taking care to avoid service roads, dikes and trails. Officials estimate the Navarino operation required 20 to 30 illegal workers, who lived in shelters built with plastic tarps stretched across log frameworks.

To make freshly cut trees difficult to spot from airplanes, marijuana growers rub mud on the stumps.

The crews live in such sites for four months, and can’t leave until the crop is harvested in fall. They’re resupplied periodically at night along drop-sites on isolated roads.

The workers use handsaws to quietly clear each growing site, cutting trees waist-high and then smearing stumps with mud to make them less visible from the air. They haul the felled trees to the clearings’ edge and stack them side by side like a palisades. They also dig deep holes for refrigerating perishables, as well as small canals and “silencer pits” to muffle the sounds of gasoline-powered generators and irrigation pumps.

The marijuana gardens aren’t far from the central camp, which sits like a hub between them. The hub is about the only area where workers leave trails. When approaching roads and other areas where anglers, hikers and picnickers might wander, the workers seldom follow the same path twice.

Why do they use public lands? Few people visit the interiors of large public lands during summer because they’re usually swarming with ticks, black flies, deer flies and mosquitoes. Therefore, it’s rare for visitors to spot such setups.

The Wisconsin DNR staffer said abandoned camps are littered with empty cans, jugs and bottles that once held beer, water, bug spray, hand-wash and deer repellant for the marijuana plants. (Whitetails heavily browse the leaves of untreated “pot” plants.) When cleaning the Navarino camp, workers also found bones from poached deer.

Workers dug this irrigation trench with hand tools to water their marijuana plants.

When hunters, hikers or other recreationists stumble onto such sites, the workers usually just drift into the woods, never to return. They’re long gone when authorities arrive.

Warden Stark warns hikers, hunters, campers, anglers and berry pickers to stay alert if spotting unusual activity on public lands this summer and fall. “Walk out the same way you walked in,” Stark said. “If possible, get the GPS coordinates, and contact someone in law-enforcement as soon as possible.”

Stark said workers at these sites usually avoid confrontations, but some carry weapons. In addition, marijuana operations are sometimes booby-trapped.

“We don’t want to scare people and make them think our public lands are unsafe, but we want everyone to be aware and stay alert,” Stark said. “We need their help to shut down these operations. The people doing this need to realize these are public lands and they’re not welcome here.”

When North Woods farmers consider whether to add land or livestock to their operation, or whether to plant deer-attracting crops, they might want to consult a new "risk map" to determine it they're increasing the risks for wolf predation.

This map was developed by researcher Adrian Treves at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The map and the research behind it was explained in the June issue of “BioScience,” a scientific journal.

In 2010, wolves were blamed for killing livestock on 47 farms in Wisconsin.

After analyzing 133 documented wolf attacks on livestock between 1999 and 2006, Treves concluded one-third of the area in a pack’s range is at risk. He also found about 10.5 percent of that area faces a “serious” risk from wolves.

He then used that analysis to predict with 88 percent accuracy where wolves would attack livestock from 2007 through 2009.

Wisconsin’s North Woods and central forests are home to at least 800 gray wolves. In 2010, wolves were blamed for killing livestock on 47 farms. Those attacks included 63 cattle killed (47 calves), five cattle injured, six sheep killed (four lambs), one goat injured, and six farm deer killed. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources believes 25 to 27 wolf packs -- 14 percent of the state’s 181 packs -- and two to four loners/dispersers made the attacks.

Since Wisconsin began paying people in 1985 for pets and livestock killed by wolves, it has paid out $1.08 million in compensation.

In Wisconsin, the DNR compensates people for pets and livestock killed by wolves, with payouts totaling nearly $204,000 in 2010. Since the program began in 1985, the Wisconsin DNR has paid out $1.08 million in compensation.

That sum includes $437,020 for lost, killed or injured calves and cattle; $402,120 for killed or injured bear-hunting hounds; $56,040 for killed or injured pets; and $188,000 for other livestock, including turkeys, chickens, deer, horses, donkeys and a llama, pig and goat.

Treves found attack sites typically feature more open habitats of mixed forest and pastures within range of a wolf pack, with wolves usually targeting livestock farther out in pastures, not near their forested edges.

By merging his attack analysis with satellite imagery that pinpoints habitat types, Treves developed a color-coded map to predict wolf attacks on Wisconsin livestock. The six colors assess each area’s risk from high to low. Not all color-coded areas currently hold wolf packs, but the map assesses their risk for livestock attacks should wolves move in.

The science behind the map could be applied to develop similar "risk maps" for other Great Lakes states with wolf populations.

Two timber wolves cross a farmer's field in northeastern Wisconsin in May 2011.

The risk map has at least two immediate applications. First, farmers will be able to call up the map on their computer, input an address, and zoom in to see the property’s potential for wolf predation. This could help them decide whether to buy certain lands or move livestock to specific pastures.

In addition, it could help them decide whether to plant food plots or crops highly attractive to deer. More deer might improve hunting for a farmer or property owner, but an influx of deer would likely attract wolves. Once there, the wolves might discover it’s easier to kill livestock than whitetails.

That leads to the map’s other use: Helping wildlife managers decide where to focus hunting pressure on wolves, assuming Wisconsin eventually obtains that responsibility from the federal government.

Adrian Wydeven, the Wisconsin DNR’s wolf biologist, said that won’t happen until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removes Great Lakes wolves from the Endangered Species List. But Treves’ risk map scientifically documents wolf behavior and demonstrates the DNR is prepared for control measures.

Treves said control efforts are less expensive and more successful when biologists can pinpoint high-risk areas for wolf-livestock predation.

“To date, people have been largely unable or unwilling to discriminate between individual culprits and non-culprits when addressing problems with wild animals,” Treves wrote in his “BioScience” article. “Risk maps point the way to more selective interventions in conflicts between wild animals and people.”

That means working with more landowners before wolves become a problem. Wydeven said techniques like “fladry” seldom work if wolves are already targeting a farm. Fladry means surrounding an area with a light rope a few feet above the ground, and hanging small flags at intervals. The flapping flags tend to keep wolves from crossing underneath.

Other proactive measures include keeping calves and sick or injured livestock in the barnyard for closer monitoring, and burying dead or butchered livestock rather than dumping them above ground where wolves might come scavenging. Once there, they might switch to live animals.

Preventive measures can’t guarantee a cure, of course, but the sooner they’re administered, the longer wolves and livestock stay apart.

Could Wisconsin’s large, active hunting culture might explain why the Badger State hasn’t reported one fatal attack by a black bear the past 110 years, even though it supports one of North America’s healthiest black-bear populations?

Granted, fatal black-bear attacks are rare on this continent, but let’s not pretend they’re always “our own darned fault.” Yes, we shouldn’t leave out food and garbage in bear country. And yes, prudent people wear little bells when hiking and camping.

A Calgary researcher documented 63 people killed by black bears in Canada and the United States from 1900 to 2009.

But with hundreds of thousands of black bears roaming the continent – some big, and all sprouting claws and teeth -- it’s inevitable a few will behave badly if they don’t fear people.

In fact, recent research by Professor Stephen Herrero at the University of Calgary documented 59 black-bear attacks that killed 63 people in Canada and the United States between 1900 and 2009. Of those, 54 (86 percent) occurred between 1960 and 2009.

Further, even though Canada and Alaska have only 1.75 times as many black bears as the lower 48 states, they had 3.5 times as many fatal attacks. Specifically, Canada and Alaska had 49.

The lower 48 had 14. Colorado led with three and Michigan had two. However, many states with more than 20,000 black bears had no fatalities, including Wisconsin, with 26,000 to 40,000 bruins; California, 31,000; Idaho, 22,500; Maine, 23,000; Montana, 20,000; and Oregon, 27,500.

Herrero and his coauthors speculate that black bears in Canada and Alaska have less contact with people because the human population is about 10 percent that of the lower 48’s. The increasein bear attacks since 1960 coincides with increases in human and black-bear populations, and increased recreational and commercial activity in bear country.

Forty-nine of the 54 fatal attacks (91 percent) since 1960 involved bears that “acted as a predator.”

Further, most Canadian black bears experience less hunting pressure and live in less productive habitats. Therefore, they endure periodic food stress, which might push some bears to view people as prey.

Herrero concluded 49 of the 54 fatal attacks (91 percent) since 1960 involved bears that “acted as a predator.” That is, they weren’t surprised by accident, they weren’t sows protecting cubs, and they weren’t protecting kills or trying to claim kills made by hunters.

Those reasons often incite fatal attacks by grizzlies and Alaskan brown bears, but rarely explain black-bear attacks, Herrero found. In studying the 36 killings considered predatory, he alsofound 33 (92 percent) involved male bears. Females with young are not the most dangerous black bears.

In predatory attacks, the bear was seen or it left signs indicating it was quietly following, stalking and searching for its victim. It then unleashed a full out attack, typically using its paws, claws, jaws and teeth. It might have also eaten part of its victim; and dragged, guarded and buried the body.

Blacks bears seldom attack after making defensive, threatening behaviors like short charges, ground swatting with one or both front paws, slow and deliberate approaches, clacking teeth, or huffing, snorting, gurgling and growling loudly. People usually dissuade them by yelling or banging something loudly.

Black bears that kill humans are usually males, and they usually weren’t surprised by their victims.

In most cases since 1960 (37 of 54, or 69 percent), the victim was alone. Another 12 cases (22 percent) involved two people. Larger groups likely make more noise and appear more intimidating. Just as importantly, companions often punched, kicked, gouged and struck the attacking bear until it broke off its attack.

And although black bears killed people of all ages and both sexes, Herrero wrote: “Our impression … is that young and older people may be more vulnerable to fatal attack because they may be perceived as less threatening and less able to resist serious attack.”

Although garbage and human food wasn’t associated with most fatalities, Herrero found it was present in 38 percent of them. This suggests food/garbage attracted bears, which become increasingly aggressive when seeking such foods.

This highlights an oversight in our mostly futile attempts at public education. We tell people not to fear wild animals, and we warn that wildlife can turn dangerous when fed.

What we don’t say is that, for their own good, wild animals must fear us. Maybe we trust people to make that connection, and figure out that hunting instills and maintains those fears.

Is it possible that’s asking too much of a society that's increasingly removed from nature?

The summer months are a great time slot to hone your photography skills with a bevy of occasions that afford the serious camera buff an opportunity to capture some great trophy shots.  One just needs to have their camera ready and then be observant enough to recognize a good photo op when he or she sees one.

Carrying your camera in your car could provide a photo like this one that will be captured rather than remembered as an occasion that you wished you had your camera.  

 With the advent of digital photography, any concern about cost and wasted shots should be permanently shelved, since they are no longer relevant.  One should never be accused of taking too few photos, however, that is still one of the greatest errors most shooters make.  You have the camera and should have a spare disk so use them!  Shoot everything and shoot often, keeping in mind that the more photos you take, the greater the chances of shooting a real winner.  As with so many other things in life, photography is a numbers game.

Watch for interesting character-study shots like the furrowed brows of this little fellow at a community art festival.  

A serious photographer should have his camera close at hand for that special shot wherever he or she goes.  But if you leave it at home hidden in a drawer and are presented with that classic “once in a lifetime shot”  all you will have is sad memories of what could have been.  Even if your camera is in your vehicle, you can make a mad dash to the car if an opportunity presents itself.  The best remedy, however is to purchase a camera case with a shoulder strap or belt loop and carry it with you at all times.  Definitely make sure that it is close at hand if you plan an outing of any kind, be it a reunion, a trip to the lake or a jaunt to a summer community event, which is almost a mandatory happening in most towns.  Even a road trip can provide countless photo opportunities that will dress up anyone’s photo morgue.

 Candid shots, often using a telephoto lens will allow you to catch people reacting without the pressure of knowing they are "in focus".

Family outings are great for humorous shots as it seems that someone is always clowning around and they provide one with a great opportunity for “people-photo” practice.  Try to capture as many candid shots as possible as shots of people doing what they do naturally always seems to make for better photos.  Even as common place as cameras are, there is something about pointing one at a person that just seems to drain the “natural” vitality from your subject.  Very few people will remain true to their form when being zeroed in by the lens.

Never go to a flea market or fair without your camera to record the colors, the sights and the vast array of poeple you will find there.

While at these social gatherings, don’t forget to look around for other subjects that may catch your eye.  Pets, landscapes, flowers, a grill full of food, and street scenes are just a few of the things that could possibly provide the sharp eye with a rewarding image caught in the right light, the right time or with the right activity taking place there.  And always look beyond the main area of activity.  Sometimes a great frame will present itself just around the corner of a building or as close as fifty yards from where the main center of activity is.  Don’t be afraid to wander away towards something that catches your attention, it may very well provide you with the shot of the day.

 Keep your eyes peeled for subjects that are clowning around.  You never know what clicking your shutter at the right time can capture.

Community events are a natural for a camera.  It seems like each community has its own summertime celebration filled with special events, parades, good food and lots of people activity.  County Fairs, the State Fair, a carnival or sporting event are all excellent opportunities to hone your photographic skills.  Record the meetings with your friends and neighbors at these centers of activity by taking their pictures, which can later be used as a framed hostess gift or included in a personal Christmas card.  There is no one who does not openly or secretly appreciate a copy of their image doing whatever they do.  Again, if you are walking down the street during a community celebration, don’t forget to keep you eyes open for a planter filled with beautiful flowers, a unique angle shot of the geometric layout of a handsome brick wall or an interesting cloud formation that is framing an interesting skyline.

 If you go to see fireworks and you don't bring your camera, you're missing an  opportunity to learn more about your camera and collect some great shots.

Animal shots abound especially in the early morning and late afternoon if one takes a drive in the country.  Most shots can be taken from the car window, others require a stop and stalk procedure.  In the earlier part of the summer, it is easy to find areas where families of Canadian geese are tending their young affording some great shots for the naturalist photographer.  It is also common to see young deer that have yet to be taught the danger of human beings, as well as young animals of a multitude of species.  Spend a couple of hours camped out at a humming bird feeder.  You will be surprised what you will be able to capture.

 Keep you camera handy becuase you never know when you will be presented with an opportunity for a family photo like this one.

Over 90% of all living things are insects and with the macro capabilities of the latest cameras, this is one area that will provide some really great shots and bugs are everywhere.  This is one more area that provides countless photo ops if the photographer has not limited his vision to the big stuff.  Butterflies are some of the most obvious, but there are kinds of colorful, crawly-stuff that will provide interesting snapshots of a world most folks are oblivious to.  I don’t let bugs bug me, I shoot `em with my camera.

Moving slowly and using your zoom can produce shots like this one when you are ready with your camera and perhaps a monopod.

 There are far too many opportunities to list individually in a short article, but hopefully this short piece has given you some ideas and will serve as a reminder that every day is hunting season when you are carrying your camera.  And remember that there are no limits, no gut piles and the outstanding trophies that you shoot will adorn your walls and the walls of others for years to come. 

Remember to think small and look for the littlest of subjects.  Make learning to use the Marcro feature of your camera a priority.

With spring bear season right around the corner, Excalibur offered me their 2010 Axiom to field test against the mighty bruins of Manitoba.  I deduced that nothing should work better on a Canadian black bear than a Canadian crossbow so eagerly accepted their offer and shortly thereafter received the Axiom package directly from the Excalibur factory in Ontario.

Not only is the Excalibur Axiom a dependable, consistent and powerful crossbow, but it is real purty, too!

My first reaction when I opened the box was that the bow was “real purty”.  You see, the truth of the matter is that I am not really interested in the statistics of a crossbow like the fact that the Axiom has a draw weight of 175 lbs and an arrow speed of over 300 feet per second.  Or that it has a power stroke of 14.5”, an arrow length of 20”, a minimum arrow weight of 350 grains, a 3 lb trigger-pull or a mass weight of 6 lbs.  That is information for the technically minded, which is exactly why we have the cool and calculating brain of our European Correspondent, Geoffrey Toye on the HBM staff to masterfully and with great detail review our bows from the mechanical point of view. 

The Axiom possesses all of the classic lines that Excalibur has become so famous for.

The practical components of a crossbow are what flick my personal switch and during the assembly, the first thing that I really appreciated about the Axiom is that with its Advantage Timber camouflage skin and with the graceful lines of its traditional Excalibur contour, it is most pleasing to the eye.  That is the kind of high-tech thinking I conduct.  Once it was completely assembled, the Axiom and I did a bee-line for the backyard range with a hand full of arrows, a cocking rope, my trusty KneePod and a camp chair.  My first shot at ten yards hit the bulls-eye dead center, which is the exact kind of practicality my technical-less mind truly appreciates – a bow that comes out of the box and is almost perfectly sighted in on the very first shot. Now that is the kind of technology I can really sink my teeth into.

 The Axiom fires a 350 grain arrow at just over 300 feet per second.

Only a couple of minor adjustments were required to zero in at twenty and thirty yards, which is pretty much all I am interested in as I have never been a big fan of long shots with any kind of a bow.  Out to thirty yards I know that the Axiom (as well as all other Excalibur crossbows) is capable of dotting the “I” with every shot, when using a bench rest.  One must make sure to shoot at a different spot with each release or a target-shooting session will quickly turn as expensive as a hardcore junkie’s drug habit.  The only junk the single-spot archer will have to deal with when shooting an Axiom crossbow, however, will be the numerous arrows that will be trashed by its deadly consistency of its arrow flight. 

The Axiom is proudly made by Excalibur Crossbows in Ontario Canada.

The time I spent on the range established the benefits of Excalibur trigger, which according to many is finest in the industry. Three pounds isn’t much and it definitely will surprise you with its release when it is squeezed slowly providing even more fine-tuning to the degree of accuracy obtainable with this incredible little bow.  The Excalibur Multi-Plex scope that comes with each Axiom is 2.5 power, crystal clear and all that one needs when hunting with a crossbow.  The Axiom kit also includes an attachable quiver, four Firebolt arrows and field tips.

The 2.5 power Excalibur Multi-Plex scope provides all of the magnification necessary for the Axiom.

The Axiom is built to hold up under the most difficult conditions and remain virtually problem free.  Its rock-solid construction proved itself on the Canadian trip when the bow was blown off the hood of a pickup by high winds and landed upside down on the pavement.  A quick trip to the target range established the fact that the bow was still perfectly zeroed and that no limitations had been placed on the performance of the bow in any way.  There were a couple of cosmetic dings that would serve as friendly reminders of the experience as well as giving credence to the Axiom’s undeniable toughness.  In all likelihood, the only serious mechanical challenge that will shorten a hunt with this bow is a broken string and that is easily remedied by carrying a spare in your fanny pack or gearbox, which I always do.

The Excalibur trigger, according to many, is finest in the industry.

Another component of the Axiom that I really appreciate is its overall light weight.  By using a separate self-enclosed back quiver, I am able to pare even more weight off an already light bow making the load even more pleasant to bear and easier to hold steady when the moment of truth has arrived.  While in Canada, all of my hunting partners commented on how light the Axiom was compared to the bows that they carried.  In every situation, the lighter weight of the Axiom proved advantageous to me, broadening my appreciation for the bow and making it an absolute delight to carry in the field all day long.  

The Axiom safety must be engaged manually each time the bow is cocked.

Our trips into and out of the field were long, rough, dirty and wet.  They had record rainfalls this past spring and the water was deep and the mud was plentiful and sticky.  The Axioms sleek design was easy to access for cleaning making it simple to get at the critical areas for mud removal.  Never more have I appreciated the benefits of scope covers as on this hunt as well as the easy to clean surfaces and recesses of the Axiom.
   
The many hours spent with the Axiom on the range, traveling into and out of the bush and sitting on the stand gave me a great appreciation for the bow.  But, how did it perform in the killing department with the mighty Manitoba black bear you’re asking.   How would I know!  I didn’t even see one.  My five hunting partners all killed bears and I was the only one that had to hunt until the very last minute of the very last day without seeing a bear.  I am quite positive that word got out in the bush that Daniel Hendricks was there with a brand new Excalibur Axiom and that was all that was necessary for every bear in Manitoba to steer clear of the baits I alertly guarded.  Of course that is just a personal theory of mine; my hunting partners weren’t buying into it, actually I believe they were scoffing a bit.

When locked and loaded, the Axiom fits very comfortably on my lap making a long watch more pleasant.

From my humble point of view, the Axiom is a user-friendly bow that is easy to assemble, comfortable to use and tough as granite, while being very simple to maintain.  It is deadly accurate with consistent arrow flight and packs more wallop than necessary to kill any animal in North America.  It is light to tote, has a dynamite trigger and best of all it retails for around $650 for the whole kit and caboodle.  From a simple crossbow hunter’s point of view, one that likes things sweet and simple while still maintaining complete and trustworthy dependability, the Excalibur Axiom is a great start-up crossbow for the newbie or will make an excellent addition to anyone’s crossbow collection as a tough, dependable, hunting crossbow.  One can expect the maximum for the Axiom.

 Excalibur’s Firebolt Arrows are the perfect match for the Axiom.

After listening all day to university researchers and agency biologists discuss problems caused by white-tailed deer overabundance in Eastern states, Professor Valerius Geist of Canada opened his evening address with a prediction: “Enjoy your problem while it lasts, because the coyote is coming. Once he’s here, you’ll miss your deer problems.”

That was February 1994 in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the annual Southeast Deer Study Group meeting. Seventeen years later, with new studies documenting unprecedented fawn losses to the Southeast’s growing coyote population, some biologists call Geist prophetic.

Coyotes have long been part of the whitetail's world in the Great Lakes area and other regions,

but they've expanded their range into the Southeast in recent years.

Some even think coyotes threaten Southeastern herds, and possibly deer hunting itself. “If the coyote is not yet a problem on your property, he will be in a few years,” said Mark Buxton, a wildlife manager with Southeastern Wildlife Habitat Services in Thomaston, Alabama, and Ehrhardt, South Carolina. “If you think you have a few coyotes, you actually have lots of coyotes.”

Buxton made his remarks in July 2010 at the Quality Deer Management Association’s annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

“We’ve long talked about food plots, timber-stand improvements and restoring native vegetation so deer can maximize their potential,” said Buxton, who has managed hunting properties for about 25 years. “The coyote is the next big part of that equation. As deer densities drop and coyote numbers rise, deer won’t be able to recruit enough fawns to overcome what coyotes kill.”

Wildlife researchers, however, aren’t so sure. They say the coyote is so new to Southeastern states that it generates more questions than answers. This gritty predator, which isn’t native to that region, didn’t appear there until the 1960s. In fact, South Carolina didn’t have coyotes until the 1980s. Later, from 1997 through 2006, the state’s deer herd declined 36 percent.

Because of coyote predation, biologists in the Southeast might have to prescribe smaller antlerless deer harvests by hunters.

Is that a coincidence? Answering such questions remains speculative, says Professor Karl Miller at the University of Georgia. “The Southeast has managed whitetails in the absence of predators for decades,” Miller said. “The coyote presents new considerations for everyone.”

Professor Stephen Ditchkoff at Auburn University in Alabama agrees. “We’re still early in that process,” he said. Ditchkoff and his graduate students see coyote problems at an Alabama site where they’re using GPS-equipped collars to study deer movements. When they started the study five years ago, they seldom lost a fawn to predation. But in 2008 they lost 17 of 50 fawns (34 percent) they collared, and in 2009 they lost more than half. They attribute most losses to coyotes.

In an Auburn study on fawn-survival research at a South Carolina military base, Ditchkoff said coyotes kill eight of nine fawns soon after they’re born, mostly between ages 2 to 6 weeks.

Miller has co-authored much of the Southeast’s recent research on coyotes. In one study in southwestern Georgia, the university compared fawn-to-doe ratios in two areas: an 11,000-acre area where trappers removed 23 coyotes and three bobcats, and a 7,000-acre area where no trapping was done. The trapped area had two fawns for every three does, and the untrapped area had two fawns for every 28 does.

Miller is also monitoring coyote studies by the U.S. Forest Service at South Carolina’s Savannah River Site. Researchers reported 75 percent of the site’s fawns die before they’re 6 weeks old, with coyotes likely responsible for 85 percent of the deaths.

Because such evidence suggests coyotes are crimping the fawn pipeline for Southeastern deer, Miller, Ditchkoff and other researchers are pushing for more research.

“We have to assess if and where we have coyote problems, and what’s the best way to address them,” Miller said. “But are coyotes going to affect the future of deer hunting? I don’t think so. Texas has had coyotes a long time, and so have parts of the Midwest, Louisiana and Mississippi. That being said, I suspect coyote densities are even higher in parts of the Southeast. We need more research so we can offer specific, well-informed management decisions. In some areas, managers might have to adjust antlerless harvests to account for coyotes. In other areas, intensive predator control might be necessary.”

Ditchkoff thinks coyotes have reached saturation levels in many parts of the Southeast, but that doesn’t mean deer hunting is imperiled. “I think this will eventually level out and stabilize,” he said. “Hunting will be part of the mix, but we have to figure out what the new model will be for deer management.”

Miller said another complication is that some coyote behaviors in the Southeast differ from those in other regions. For instance, unlike Western coyotes, Southeastern coyotes seldom form packs. They tend to be solitary or paired mates.

Does that affect how they hunt? Coyote-fawn predation has long been viewed as opportunistic and random; that is, fawns were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Buxton believes it’s not random on a 2,000-acre property he manages. From Spring 2009 through early summer 2010, he caught 34 of 63 coyotes (54 percent) during fawning months.

“That tells me coyotes are targeting fawns,” Buxton said. “When fawns start hitting the ground, it’s game-on for coyotes.”

Can hunters and wildlife managers boost fawn survival in areas with lots of coyotes? Buxton and other biologists, such as Dr. Grant Woods of Woods and Associates, encourage deer hunters to work with professional trappers to kill coyotes and learn trapping tactics. Woods has documented 16 percent fawn survival on his 1,500-acre property in southwestern Missouri. After attributing most of that loss to coyotes, he traps them every chance he gets.

“Shooting an occasional coyote from your deer stand won’t help,” Woods said. “You have to get after them and stay after them.”

Realize, though, that trapping and hunting will never eradicate them. “The more you shoot, the more they produce,” Buxton said. “Based on food supplies and the coyote population, they produce pups to fill the void. You’ll never solve this by playing around. You have to be serious about it.”

Just recently Brian Taggart and his wife Mary of Whitewater, WI, put together some donations to be sent to the troops of the 40th Battalion from Ft. Leavenworth, KY.   Their mission was to restock a traditional archery range, from scratch, at Camp Cropper, Iraq.  They called upon members and Bowyers of the WTA (Wisconsin Traditional Archery) to help gather supplies. At one time there was an archery range at the camp, but it has been long gone.  They feel the equipment will be a big morale boost after a long days’ work.

The soldiers have been assigned to detention duties for a prison containing some of the top “bad guys”.  Their current responsibility is to keep an eye on 200 detainees.  They work 12 hour shifts 6 days a week.  The current schedule is to turn full responsibility over to the Iraqi forces in Feb 2012. The plan is that the 40th may be the last to serve in official detention responsibilities.

Over 15 bows, 140 arrows, targets, gloves, tabs, DVD’s, magazines and stringers have been sent.  Kevin and Sue Termaat of RER bows donated 5 new custom bows as well as several other WTA members have donated to the cause.  The materials were received on May 10, 2011.  Operation Full Draw was a huge success.  Many soldiers have never held a traditional bow yet alone shot one.  Working long hours being able to “unplug” and enjoy the traditional equipment will be a great way to pass the time.  Some of the soldiers use compounds but are very excited about getting back to their roots with the challenge of traditional archery.  Thanks to all who have served, are still serving and the loved ones left at home. Without their ultimate sacrifice we would not be able to enjoy this great sport of archery.

The older I get, the less I like change; particularly when it comes to my bowhunting gear. It is an emotion that I try hard to reverse. Nevertheless, as a regular contributor to Bowhunting.com and Bow and Arrow Hunting magazine, I am often asked to try different products and offer an opinion. Sometimes, these products must replace an “old favorite” that I have grown accustomed to using and trust very much when it comes to filling tags. Such was the case with my latest gear review.

First on the list is the new Apache Arrow Rest from the fine folks at New Archery Products (NAP). On the surface this rest looks very similar to other drop-away rests on the market. However, when you consider the features found on the Apache, compared to the cost, what you have is anything but a comparable, run-of-the mill drop-away.

The NAP Apache Arrow Rest is big on features and low on cost.

As the NAP Apache was being installed on my Mathews eZ7, I honestly had mixed feelings….stemming mainly from the price of the unit. I know, I know, I shouldn’t feel that way and I hate to admit it. But hey, the arrow rest that it was replacing had been with me a long time and cost 3 times as much! Sorry, but I’m only human. Besides, I think readers deserve an honest review, and that was my thoughts. At any rate, in a matter of minutes the Apache was set up and I was headed to the range.

Built from precision-machined aluminum, the Apache is lightweight and will function flawlessly under tough hunting conditions. In addition, the tool-free adjustments, and laser-etched graduation marks offer precise in-the-field fine tuning.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this arrow rest was deadly quiet, and launched my arrows as accurately as anything I had previously tested; my feelings of discontent were slowly starting to erode. Shot after shot, my arrow groups proved to be nock busting tight. Suddenly, change didn’t seem so bad after all. The confidence I thought I had lost was quickly being restored. Happy with the results I was seeing, I decided to move on to the next product on my list.

The Apache drop away provides total arrow containment. Complete with a 360 degree sound-dampening pad and a pre-installed felt silencer on the v-launcher. Combined, these features guarantee a smooth, whisper silent draw.

Once again, the next test item in question was poised to replace a favorite piece of equipment in my gear bag. Opening the package of QuikFletch arrow wraps and vanes I was again skeptical. But this time it had more to do with precision than anything else. You see, the control freak in me loves to build arrows. That way, I can wrap each one myself, and glue each vane on individually using the same fletching jig. This meticulous attention to detail increases the likelihood that all of the arrows in my quiver will perform the same no matter which one I reach for. The thought of applying an arrow wrap and vanes all at once, in a matter of seconds, left a huge doubt in my mind regarding the precision and accuracy of these things. But, in the name of good journalism, I decided to give them a shot, no pun intended.

The author was understandably skeptical given the simple nature of the NAP QuikFletch system.

It would have taken me longer to open up a tube of fletching glue than it took to make my first arrow, complete with a wrap and 3 vanes. Placing my arrow in a pot of boiling water, with the QuickFletch in place, the job was done in literally 10 seconds flat! The smile on my face could be seen from my treestand, miles away from my kitchen stove. There was only one thing on my mind now.
As a father of 3, time is something I have very little of. What I was holding in my hand was the mother of all time savers! Suddenly, I saw a vision of endless arrows, all perfectly fletched and ready for action. No longer would I be forced to build my arrows late at night, when the house was quiet and everyone was sound asleep.

 The QuikFletch system can literally create a finished arrow, complete with wrap and 3 vanes in a matter of seconds! Creating more time for additional bowhunting tasks.

However, the big question still remained. How accurate would my newly made QuikFlecth arrows be? After all, saving time becomes a moot point if a product becomes a liability in the field. So again, off to the range I went. It only took a round or two to see for myself that this product performed better than I ever dreamed it could. I had never shot tighter groups in my career; especially from a bow that I was still breaking in! Yet, there were my arrows, in the target butt, waded together like a tightly-nit sweater. I was literally amazed that something so simple could produce such great arrow flight. 

Not only is the NAP QuikFletch fast and simple, it is deadly accurate as well. With a combination of NAP’S patented microgrooves, kicker and super-tough material, the Quick-Spin vane provides a flatter trajectory than standard vanes and increases arrow spin by as much as 300%. This would explain the exceptional accuracy I was achieving.

Last on my list was the NAP Bloodrunner Broadhead. You would think by now my cynical attitude would have changed. But, I have shot enough broadheads in my day, each promising accurate flight, to realize I shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Carefully screwing the razor-sharp broadhead to the end of my Gold Tip Pro Hunter shaft, I stepped back to a comfortable 30 yard distance and came to full draw.

 A lot of broadheads claim accurate arrow flight but don’t necessarily deliver. Would the NAP Bloodrunner prove to be different?

Not knowing what to expect, I slowly squeezed my release trigger until the bow jumped forward. The arrow impacted in nearly the same hole as my field points! Awesome, a broadhead that didn’t fly like a wounded duck! Deciding to launch another shot downrange, I eased back the little “e” and settled in for the shot. Upon impact I knew something had happened. Walking up to the target face I was astonished at what I found. I have shot several Robin Hood’s in my day, but never with broadheads. That was all I needed to know about the accuracy of this particular head. It was an expensive lesson, but the results would make for a great conversation piece.

 Thanks to the hybrid design of the Bloodrunner, you get a broadhead with a low, in-flight measurement of 1 inch; providing pin-point arrow flight. Upon impact, the broadheads piston motion opens up the blades to a devastating 1 ½ inches.

With three tough, scary sharp blades, the Bloodrunner can slice through soft tissue and organs with little effort while handling the toughest impacts with bone.

There is little doubt that the NAP combination I’ve recently discovered has just become my new favorite! I can’t argue with the results, regardless of my reluctance to change. If, like myself, you’ve been thinking that low cost, simple setup, easy application and uncomplicated design equals less accuracy, forgiveness, precision, or confidence….think again. NAP has a number of products that shatter that myth.  Check out their latest batch of goodies at newarchery.com. You won’t be sorry you did.

 This creature goes by the name of Woodchuck, Ground Hog, Whistle Pig or Land Beaver, just to name a few.

The Groundhog, Woodchuck or Land Beaver as it is called in some regions is a rather interesting creature.  However, it can be quite a nuisance and is very aggressive in defense of itself when living in close proximity to man and his animal friends.  Most folks try to rid themselves of the woodchuck when it moves in under a building or woodpile, which they are drawn to.
     
On our very first Spring-time visit to Palmquist’s, the Farm recently, I had an interesting run in with one of these creatures and was invited to remove it from the premises by our host, Jim Palmquist.  He even loaned me the most beautiful 10/22 to do the job.  The critter was living under the White Pine Lodge, which is where we happened to be residing on our stay.

Our Doxie Phoebee with her face in the Woodchuck hole looking for andventure.

I first discovered the beast when Phoebee, one of our miniature Dachshunds, was locked on point looking down into a hole under the back of the building.  I peered into the hole and discovered a big fat ground hog locked on point and looking out of the hole at Phoebee.  Now this particular ground hog happened to be at least the same size if not bigger than the dog and I suspected that a country ground hog was probably in better condition that a village dog with a bad back so I was not pleased about the Critter Standoff I had discovered.  When I called the dog, she refused to move a muscle as she was locked on to her quarry and ready for battle.  Picking the dog up proved to be the only way to break up the staring match and after that incident each time I let the dogs outside they tore to the back of the building to find the enemy.

This a photo of the "Lucky" woodchuck taken from the bathroom window of the White Pine Lodge

Jim filled me in about that particular ground hog and said that it was the luckiest pig he had ever seen.  They had tried getting rid of it, but things always turned out in favor of the woodchuck.  I offered to solve his problem if he would borrow me a .22 and we quickly struck a deal. 
     
It was our last night there so I had to make it happen in the morning or all would be lost.  A plan was made as I found the perfect windows that would allow me a bench rest shot from the cabin when the hog came out to graze on the new grass that covered the back yard of the lodge.

This shot is of Phoebee and Mojo in hot pursuit of the Whistle Pig.  Fortuanetly they never caught up with it.

At daylight I arose to discover the ground hog already busy stuffing his face with greenery.  I sat in the chair in front of the window, which I had positioned the night before and began to open it.  The noise that was generated by plastic sliding on plastic was deafening and it alerted the hog to the presence of something out of the normal.  I had to settle for a two inch crack in the window as the woodchuck was on full alert and making any more noise would send it running back to the safety of its den.
     
Easing the barrel of the gun to the window, I peered through the scope.  The upper portion of the window blocked the top one-third of the scope, but I could get the crosshairs on the pig to deliver the lead.  As the rodent relaxed and began to eat once again, I placed the crosshairs on the animal’s head, slipped off the safety, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled half and slowly squeezed the trigger.     

Shortly after daylight I got my chance to take out the woodchuck.

When the 10/22 barked, the woodchuck turned towards its den and barreled towards it at a in amazing rate of speed.  I quickly squeezed off another shot with the same lack of results. The pig was gone and I had missed it or that is the way it had seemed to me.  This is my 51st year of hunting big game and although a ground hog is not what some people would classify as big game, it is still an animal and is subject to the same behavior.  And based on that behavior, I was pretty sure that I had muffed my chance.
     
Jim had told me that he thought the rifle was pretty much on and I was feeling a little put out with myself for taking another man’s word and not checking it out myself, but that’s just one more lesson learned and I would have to swallow my failure, blaming only myself for not doing it right.  Making sure that I missed was the next step so I headed outside with the dogs to look for blood.   

A shot of the White Pine Lodge in the dawn's early light.

A close search and watching the dogs convinced me that it had been a good clean miss.  The window sill had provided a solid bench rest and the only problem was that I had not been able to open the window as far as I would have liked.  Perhaps I might get another chance before we leave so I headed for the window from the outside to open it another couple of inches.  It was then and there that I discovered yet another error in judgment.  The plastic frame, that seals the elements on the outside of the window, bore two small holes with edges that were stained black with brunt gun powder.  I had killed the window, twice!  It’s really very difficult to shoot accurately when you fire the bullet through thick plastic.  The woodchuck had dodged the bullet yet again, literally.
     
It was kind of embarrassing at the breakfast table, but I waited until the entire crew was gathered before telling them about my duel with the woodchuck and how in the end, the beast over came the enemy one more time.  Everyone had a hearty laugh at my expense, which I must admit I deserved.  It kind of irritating when the only person making you look bad is yourself, but after 62 years, I have become used to that feeling and barely have a problem living with the shame.       

The end result turned out especially good for the Ground Hog.

The bottom line is that Jim will be able to craft another one of his great oratories all about that lucky ground hog to entertain his guests with, their White Pine Lodge will have a new scar or two giving it an even more interesting history than it already has and I have another written tale to share with my readers.  As even the village idiot can easily see, everybody wins in the end, especially the woodchuck. 

This is the beautiful White Pine Lodge in the daylight.  This spacious facility easliy sleeps 20 people and is extremely homey in its Northwoods setting.