EP186 The Most Important Thing I Learned About Turkey Hunting Last Year

Every turkey season we should gain new insights that will help us become more effective hunters. And the only thing better than learning from your own experiences is learning from other people’s too! On this episode I share the most important thing I learned about hunting spring turkey last season.

Take Aways

  • Being in the right area can help new turkey hunters overcome many other shortcomings.
  • No amount of skill can make up for being in the right place at the right time.
  • You cannot take turkeys if there are none in the area. 
  • You can get about 80% of the benefit of calling gobblers from about 20% of the skill.
  • It is not as much about finding the right exact spot on the ground as putting yourself in the right area and adjusting your spot as needed.
  • Listen to the episode to hear about the most important thing I learned last season!

EP185 Shattering 7 Myths That Bog Down New Hunters

Has a myth ever hindered you? The truth can lift burdens and bring freedom. On this episode I debunk 7 hunting myths that make it hard for people to start hunting or to pursue new types of game.

Hunting myths can mostly be broken down into two main categories, internal and external. 

Internal Hunting Myths

  • These are things you believe about yourself.
  • Things no one told you.
  • They may be started or perpetuated by a bad experience or observation.
  • You never questioned them because they seemed to always there.
  • Now is the time to question things!

External Hunting Myths

  • These are things someone else told you were true.
  • They are based on tradition, folklore, experiences, and something basically nothing.
  • Things are said enough times and over enough generations that people assume they are true.
  • You never thought to question these things because you never had a reason.
  • This is the time to start questioning!

Listen to the episode to hear the 7 myths that bog down new hunters.

EP184 Top 3 Predator Hunting Bad Habits

A bad hunting habit can cost you a lot of opportunities while pursuing predators. But fixing a bad habit can readily boost your chances of success hunting coyotes, foxes, and more while seemingly doing nothing different. On this episode I identify several bad habits for predator hunting and how you can easily fix them.

Take Aways

  • Predator hunting can seem relatively simple at times, but it is a very skillful activity.
  • What you do, how you do it, and what you omit makes all the difference.
  • A bad hunting habit can appear invisible to you if it is not called to your attention.
  • Doing everything right can often be overshadowed by the negative effects of a bad habit.
  • A habit is not a one-time mistake, it is a regular tendency, something that follows you hunt-after-hunt. 
  • No one is immune to picking up a bad predator hunting habit. It can and will happen unless you intentionally work against it.
  • Every bad habit that you fix can make a big difference in how successful you are.
  • Listen to the episode to hear about the three bad habits for hunting coyotes and foxes.

EP183 4 Tips To Hunt Predators In The Day Time

Coyotes and foxes are most often hunted at night, but can you hunt these predators in the daytime too? You can, and it can be a lot of fun. On this episode I share tips about how to hunt predators in daylight.

Show Notes

  • To hunt predators in daylight, you need an area that gives you certain advantages, but first and foremost there needs to be predators around to hunt!
  • You need to find an area that has low daylight hunting pressure.
    • In some areas with a lot of daytime pressure, predators will lay low all day and move around freely after dark, and they can be hunted easily at night because they at not used to people being near at that time.
  • To have fair odds of success you need to scout for daylight movement. If they do not move during the day in your area then your odds will be very limited. Watch, listen, set up cameras, and talk to locals when possible.
  • Use terrain to your advantage, travel out of sight and hearing from predators and then sneak into positions with long lines of sight.
  • Listen to the episode to hear all of the tips.

EP182 How To Hunt Pheasants Without A Dog

So you want to hunt pheasants but don’t have a dog. No problem! Not only can you hunt pheasants without a dog you can be very successful at it. On this episode I share 3 strategies for hunting these birds without canine assistance.

Take Aways

  • Pheasants are ground birds, they live, sleep, and eat on the ground. The main reason they fly is to escape from danger.
  • These birds need heavy cover that holds up year-round and does not lay down on the ground with snow and ice.
  • Pheasants are not native to North America, and often thrive in transitional habitat here which means they come and go based on the state of vegetation as fields grow up into forests.
  • Pheasants flush to escape from impending danger, sometimes when a threat is several yards away but sometimes not until you are close enough to touch them.
  • Hunting pheasants on foot requires either sweeping large portions of thick field to get them to flush or becoming well versed in how these birds live and interact in order to locate them while they are calm.
  • Listen to the episode to hear the three strategies for how to hunt pheasants without a dog.

EP181 3 Strategies To Hunt Geese In The Winter

Can you still be successful hunting geese in the late season? Not only can you do it, some people have the most success in the middle of winter! On this episode I share strategies and tips for late season goose hunting.

Take Aways

  • Not all geese leave during the winter, and new birds can still migrate into many areas even through the end of the winter.
  • To hunt in the late season, you need to focus on what geese are looking for in YOUR area.
  • Winter can be beneficial because birds become more focused on the few waterways that have not frozen over.
  • Decoys help with goose hunting but you do not always need to buy them, you can build and improvise goose decoys for very cheap.
  • Geese are easily drawn to decoys that are nothing more than a flag, plastic bags, or black cardboard in a field.
  • Staying warm and dry in the late season is paramount for your enjoyment and safety.
  • Having good shotgun shells helps in the late season because birds have their thickest feathers.
  • Listen to the episode to hear the three strategies for winter goose hunting.

EP180 Late Season Duck Hunting Tips

Is the good duck hunting over when winter arrives? Hardly! In fact some hunters have their best success in the late season. On this episode I share tips for successful duck hunting in the coldest late season conditions.

Take Aways

  • Frozen water pushes ducks south. This is good and bad for late season duck hunters.
  • It is bad when your best hunting water freezes but it is good because it focuses ducks on the little open water that remains.
  • Not all ducks fly south. If they can find open water and food, some ducks will stay year round.
  • To hunt late season ducks you need to find or create open water or open fields. 
  • Where you are in the country factors into duck habits and hunting strategy more than anything else. I cover several strategies for different climates in the episode.
  • Late season ducks and geese have their heaviest feathers and thickest fat which means it can take more to bring them down.
  • Consider stepping up your shot size or using something with more knock down power, like bismuth. 
  • Staying dry and warm are not just important for comfort but safety. Falling into the water when it’s 20 degrees is very dangerous. 
  • Never risk your safety to retrieve a bird, and always have a plan to retrieve birds in deep water.
  • Listen to the episode to hear the late season duck hunting tips.

 

EP179 5 Tips For Late Season Deer Hunting Success

If anything hinders deer hunters, it is using the same tactics all season long. Deer habits change significantly over the course of the hunting season and this episode I talk about how to adjust your strategy to give you the best chances for latest season success.

Take Aways

  • The hunting season is a marathon, not a sprint. Learning how to hunt every phase of season both improves your odds but also enables you to hunt the phases you enjoy most.
  • Everything changes between summer and winter. Food, cover, bedding, habits, patterns, etc. It all changes. So the hunter must change also.
  • The late season can be a great time to hunt deer, but not the same way you hunted any other time of the season.
  • A big factor people miss is that there are now fewer hours of daylight and more hours of darkness, which means deer can more easily wait out the day to move under the safety of night.
  • To hunt late season deer you need to understand how they act in your area during the late season.
  • Early morning hunts become less and less productive and evening food sources because the best places to locate deer.
  • Listen to the episode to hear about the 5 tips.

EP178 How Many Does To Shoot To Manage For Bucks

So you are hunting and seeing way more does thank bucks. Should you try to reduce the doe population to better balance the herd? On this episode I share some basic deer management principles along with some of the biggest misconceptions.

Take Aways

  • Ideal doe to buck ratios are somewhere between 1 to 1 and 2 to 1.  A 1 to 1 ratio is so idealistic it is almost unrealistic. But a 2 to 1 ratio is certainly a reasonable goal.
  • Statistically speaking, the ratio can almost never get more lopsided than 5 to 1 prior to the hunting season due to birth rates.
  • Whitetail deer births are about 50% does and 50% bucks. So even if every buck in the woods was killed off last year, you would still end up with about 4 to 1 ratios depending on your area and survival rates.
  • Public land hunts where many does are seen without any bucks are more often the result of not hunting proper buck habitat or movement areas, or heavy hunting pressure.
  • If total deer numbers are low, it is best to take no does in order to build the herd
  • If deer numbers are high but ratios are heavily lopsided, it may be a result of habitat being skewed toward does.
  • Habitat is the number 1 factor impacting deer numbers and ratios, assuming the deer are not over hunted.
  • Before you begin harvesting surplus does, make sure you have a sound plan so none of the meat goes to waste. Often the meat can be used to help the less fortunate via donation programs like Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. 
  • Do not just use the number of deer management tags you receive and assume you should take that many does. That could decimate your herd.
  • Listen to the episode to learn much more.

 

EP177 The Knives and Tools Needed To Field Dress Deer

There are many different ways to field dress a deer and a lot of equipment you could use. On this episode I talk about the knives and tools that are really needed for the new or cost consciences hunter.

Top Tools

  • A Sharp Knife – Any sharp knife that is approximately the width of your hand will work great.
  • Should Length Plastic Gloves – Cheap and works great to keep you and the rest of your gear clean.
  • Nitrile or Latex Hand Gloves – Cheap and keeps your hands both protected and nimble.
  • Two Zip Ties – One to close the Butt and one to tie your tag on.
  • A Plastic Bag – To put everything in once you are done.
  • A Pen – To fill out your deer tag

Items You Do Not Need To Start

  • A Fancy Knife – It just has to be sharp, a fancy knife can come later.
  • A Back Pack – You don’t need enough gear to require a backpack to start.
  • A Set of Knives – One small sharp knife is all you need for deer and elk.
  • A Saw Of Any Kind – Cutting through or breaking the pelvis is only helpful in rare circumstances, usually you are better off on multiple levels by not doing so.
  • A Deer Butt Out Tool – They are cheap, but a knife and zip tie do the job just as well and you have one less thing to clean.
  • A Field Dressing Kit – Kits are usually overpriced and filled with things you do not really need. Either way, you don’t need one to start.

How To Field Dress A Deer – New Hunters Guide
 
Listen to the episode to hear more and to get the explanations and details.

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