EP283 Is It Worth Hunting Deer In The Late Season?

Is it really even worth your time and energy to hunt deer in the late season? The most direct answer I can give is, sometimes. But it depends more on your willingness to learn and adapt than any particular hunting skill. On this episode I talk about the differences of late season hunting and how you need to change your strategy in order to find consistent success. Anyone can do it, if you have the drive to do it right. 

The biggest problem with hunting in the late season is people have less drive and motivation to put in the effort needed to hunt successfully. They don’t realize the late season is different than the early season or the rut. They don’t realize the deer behave differently, use the land differently, and move to different locations.

If you want to be successful in the late season you need to scout for the late season, prepare for it, and establish hunting spots for it. You almost need to treat it like a unique game/season altogether.  The same spots, tactics, and timing of the early season rarely works here. And the only time you can effectively scout for the late season is during the late season. So very few people have the best hunt they can have at this time of year because do not go to the ends needed to make it work well. But you absolutely can.

People tend to get busier with holidays, family, and work. Also, the excitement of early season and rut hunting wears off, so it becomes doubly hard to muster the motivation to scout and prepare. Weather and gear become an obstacle too. But you can extend the capabilities of your gear with a few tricks and tips I mention in this episode. 

The biggest thing hunters must have is the will to hunt this season. If you can muster that, you can be very successful. There also some significant advantages to hunting in the late season as well. In fact, you can accomplish a lot with minimal time hunting, if you put in all the work needed up front.

The single best piece of advice I can give you is to scout the late season on years when you are not hunting it. When you learn how deer use the land one year, they will very likely use it in similar ways the following years. So scouting when your tags are full is a great way to help you prepare for hunting next year. Time invested now can pay off in future seasons.

Listen to this whole podcast episode to hear all the details strategies about late season deer hunting. 

 

EP282 10 Secrets Of Waterfowl Hunting Ammo

Are there really waterfowl hunting ammunition secrets? Unfortunately, yes, and a lot of them. But I spent two years and a lot of money doing ballistics and pattern testing to learn a lot of the big ones, so you don’t have to. This episode draws from my research and data to help you navigate the cluttered marketing and myths of duck hunting ammo.  Tetra Hearing protection – Get 10% off with the code: NHG2410

Up until 1991, waterfowl hunting was simpler and cheaper. Lead ammo worked well, could be very inexpensively bought in bulk, and there was no ammo hysteria like we have today. With the advent of non-toxic shot, companies began to complete over everything they possibly could to gain market share and one-up each other. Then materials like bismuth and tungsten began to make their way onto the scene and multiplied the level of complexity in the duck hunting ammo isle at the store.

Is high velocity waterfowl ammo better? Is higher payload better? Is one wad better than another? WHAT IS A WAD? Why does some steel ammo cost twice as much as others and is it really twice as good? Why is bismuth way more than some steel but the same price as other steel? Is TSS ammo really worth what is costs and why? Is all steel ammo created equal? What does spending more money really get you? I found myself facing all kinds of questions like these.

I couldn’t take it anymore, so I felt compelled to begin a journey to find out what really worked and what didn’t. I begin doing ballistics gel, pattern, and recoil testing. I began talking to ammo manufacturers, choke tube manufacturers, and others in the industry to get insight and context to help interpret my data and research.

What I learned began to debunk a lot of the marketing and myths being thrown around as truth. It also began to explain a lot of the things I was seeing in the field. The simple truth is, companies have been focusing on things of minor importance to try and make their products look superior while ignoring things that are of greater importance because they aren’t popular with hunters, mainly because hunters do not understand the facts. Because of this, untruths continue to be propagated and less than optimal ammo continues to be made, sold, and used. It a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But the truth is not that hard to understand, and if you apply the principles I share in this podcast, you will have a tremendous advantage in picking the best ammo for the money and hunting situation you find yourself in. That is the other side of the coin no one talks about. The way you hunt has a lot to do with what ammo choices are ideal for you. There is no one size fits all approach. You MUST learn the principles so you can be able to make the right choices for you. Copying someone else’s gear and setup likely will not give you what is truly best for you.

Listen to this whole podcast episode to learn these secrets to waterfowl hunting ammunition.

EP281 My 10 Tips For Hunting Ducks On The Water

Are you looking for ways to be more effective sneaking up on ducks? Jump hunting is more challenging than using traditional decoys and spreads, however it has numerous benefits. On this episode I cover numerous tips and strategies to make you more effective hunting waterfowl on foot. Tetra Hearing protection – Get 10% off with the code: NHG2410

Jump hunting is a very fun and very ethical activity if done thoughtfully and safely. This is not the same thing as the proverbial “sitting duck”. These are not the ducks at the park that may eat bread out of your hand. In the wild, they are cautious, anxious birds that have keen senses and can instantly take off like a cruise missile and disappear forever. If you can sneak up on ducks in their native habitat and get a shot at them, you have done an impressive thing. 

It is one the easier ways to get started waterfowl hunting and requires a minimal amount of gear. All you really need is a shotgun, camo, and a way to retrieve the birds. Oh, and strategy, lots and lots of strategy.

The basic principles are simple, sneak up on birds that are on the water or on the shore and shoot them before they fly out of range. Sounds easy. Unfortunately, it can be really hard. The biggest tip you can employ is to use terrain to your advantage. Put land and dirt between you and the water. Do not break the plain of sight with the birds until you are as close as possible and be aware that the moment you do, stealth becomes extremely critical. 

Raised banks and hills can keep ducks and geese form seeing or hearing you. You must still be quiet and use caution, but you should be much more able to move around if you can position some terrain between you and the birds. Once you begin to make your approach to the water, you have to try to get to within 40 yards of the birds. The best way to do this is to move under cover, and only when the wind blows.

The wind does multiple things to help the sneaking hunter. It creates noise that helps cover the sounds of your approach. And maybe more importantly, the wind creates motion in the woods. Your movement blends into the shifting branches, blowing leaves, swaying grasses, weeds, and so on. The wind can be your biggest ally when trying to hunt birds on the water. 

Listen to this whole podcast episode to hear all 10 tips for jump hunting ducks on the water.

EP280 Busting 5 Deer Hunting Myths & How To Do Better

Are deer hunting myths holding you back and you don’t even know it? On this episode I help you identify and fix some things that can help you be more successful in the woods and help you save time and money. Also, get your free 14-day trial of Aura, the sponsor of this episode: www.Aura.com/NHG

Almost every deer hunter starts off believing some myths. You just do not have the real-world experience, research, or training to be able to sort fact from fiction. It does not help that many experienced hunters staunchly believe and propagate some of the myths as well. But the good news is that for every myth you can identify and purge from your strategies and tactics, you will steer yourself to more success in the deer woods.

One of the biggest whitetail deer hunting myths is that more time in the woods equates to more deer taken out of the woods. And while it is true that you must hunt to take deer, hunting more does not produce more results than hunting smarter. In fact you can over hunt an area and spook out all the deer you would like to take.

Deer can sense your presence in many ways from the scent of your breathing to the scent you leave behind just walking through or sitting in an area. This means you need to put time and ideally distance between hunts. Let good spots rest and only hunt them when the weather conditions, time of day, and time of season are ideal. You will save a lot of time and energy this way and have much better results.

My goal for you is to have a 50% success rate when in the woods. That means 50% of the time you hunt, you have the opportunity to shoot a legal deer. All of the strategies, tips, and tactics I have published over years of podcast episodes push you towards that goal. If you want to be picky, that is up to you, but my strategies intend to help you put yourself in hunting scenarios that you can have opportunities to take a legal deer on half or more of your hunts. Myths hurts that, which is why we need to get rid of everyone possible.

I shot 4 bucks out of my last 5 hunts when I had a buck tag to fill. Those results come after several years of applying these principles and learning and working the land, but you should be able to get to the 50% success rate.

Listen to the entire podcast episode to learn about all 5 myths and how to do better.

 

 

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