Muskoka Outdoors Network

Improving your shot leading ability will naturally come with practice and real-time hunting experiences. I am nowhere near where I should be with this skill (as many Muskoka grouse would agree) but there are some things you can do as you start the journey to improving your shot lead.  This guest blog post, from my old blog site, provides some great tips for the beginners (and the deniers) that visit this blog.

I learned to wingshoot from my grandfather and my father. Started out with a 410 single shot. It was most frustrating for me, but after a while I got to where I could hit a clay target with it about 1/2 the time. Later, I used a Remington 410 autoloader and got pretty good with that one…sometimes running as many as 22 of 25 clays from the 17 yard line on a trap range. Thing is, when you learn with something that has a very small amount of shot in it, you are immediately better when you graduate to either a 20 or a 12 gauge.

I would recommend that you NOT start with a 410, but rather a 20 gauge. Couple of reasons for this:

1) ammo is cheaper by about $5.00/box.

2) The frustration factor does not kick in quite as early.

Biggest thing in getting at least proficient is having a shotgun that FITS you. Too short or too long a LOP (Length of Pull) and you are having to adjust yourself to the gun until you ‘learn’ the way it fits you. When you mount the shotgun, your cheek should be on the butt and your eye looking straight up the length of the barrel. No adjustment on your part should be necessary.

If you are shooting a shotgun that does not have a raised rib, the sight picture (relationship between target and muzzle) will have to be altered just a bit. It should be a bit lower. If you don’t set the muzzle further under the target, you’ll be shooting over it. The line of the bore is under your line of sight. Sort of hard to explain in words…graphic drawing would explain it more easily. Your eye is higher than the centerline of the bore by as much as two inches. If you drew a line representing the CL of the bore from the muzzle back to where your eye is located, then drew a line from your eye to the muzzle, then extended those lines out from the muzzle to infinity, you will see that there is a marked difference.

Having a shotgun with a raised rib eliminates a lot, not all, of the difference in the sighting plane, and the plane of the bore.

It was written by, John, who used to blog at the Nutria News Blog. (Used with permission)

How do you name the deer stands in your favorite hunting area? I delved into some official records of the Rip N’ Tear Hunt Club Manual to find out.

The aging and dusty manual is rarely referred to in our club except for matters of the utmost importance to keep the peace in the camp. Specifically, Section 2 – Determining Seniority In The Camp, seems to be quoted frequently. That is the part that says (in summary) that the young guns have to do dishes while the veteran members enjoy the camp stove and a hot cup of coffee.

Moving on to Section 5 of our camp’s paper relic is a portion entitled, Naming a Deer Watch. Once you get through the ‘pre’ and ‘post’ ambles, you can read,

A deer stand (or deer watch) can be named after one, or more, of the following instances:

-a humorous or unusual event that occurred at the forest location

-a unique geographical characteristic

-a member of the hunt club so long as an adjective or descriptive term follows the member’s name (ie. Bill’s Sleeping Hollow)

In order for the name to stick, all members must be made aware of the recommendation (and agree unanimously) at the next deer planning session before the next hunt or immediately preceding the day’s Bunk Watch.

Now, that you are caught up on some of the formalities of our deer stand naming conventions, what follows is a list of our deer watches indicating how the rules applied.

The Knob – the highest point in small hardwood section of forest that is beside a swamp on Dad’s lot. The previous property owner’s favorite watch. It is also home to a very comfortable Oak tree that can cause a hunter to sleep against during a sunny day.

Howie’s Choke – Where, Howie, came face to face with a monster buck at 10 yards (still debated) and missed. This watch is in the middle of 3 long evergreen trees that fell during a windstorm.

Dead Deer Flats – Named after an event where a deer tag was ‘filled’ by Wrangler who fired very few shots to accomplish this. It was so surprising that all of the other Rip N’ Tear members felt that Wrangler brought in a dead deer ahead of time and faked the shooting. Hence, the name. Geographically, this spot watches a flat stretch of an old logging road.

The Pulpit – a tree stump that looks like a pulpit and overlooks a large pond and hardwood section of bush on grandpa’s lot. Also, the location where I observed a bull moose jumping from shore into the water (and repeating the process) for 30 minutes during deer season.

The Back Watch - A spot on a ridge that overlooks and old logging road and hardwood section of forest. It is not far from the Pulpit and it got it’s name because of a tendency of deer to circle back around the hunter (walking through this section of forest). A deer pulling this maneuver would usually escape by the Back Watch.

Sweetie’s Hollow – Named after my brother-in-law who got sick while watching in this small hump along a trail that crosses a wet section of bush. We figured he got sick because he missed his sweetie (aka. wife).

There are more names and watches, but I would be interested in hearing the names of your deerstands and the story behind them. Please comment them below.

With the recent sputtering of PETA about GoDaddy's CEO, Bob Parsons, hunting and killing and elephant in Zimbabwe, I was reminded of some property signs PETA was distributing to anyone who felt so led to support their cause.

Craig, over at Outdoor U, posted the PETA 'No Fishing' and 'No Hunting' signs on his blog site. The signs bugged me for a few reasons:

1. Because PETA made them

2. They fail to mention that pests and other animals are killed to ensure that farmers (producers) minimize their losses of vegetables for markets. (ie. mice, deer, rabbits) This erodes their self imposed moral high ground.

3. They are calling all of us who enjoy turkey dinners for Christmas – killers.

Here are their signs and what prompted me to counter with my sign (seen above the post):

Hunter orange. It is not exactly good camouflage. I mean, if it was, I would think you would see Mossy Oak and Realtree (and many others) producing rack fulls of the latest in Hunter Orange ‘stealth-ware’.

You know its rifle season when you start to see orange vests, orange hats, and orange jackets light up our forests like citrus-colored beacons in a wild ocean of grey, brown, and green. It can be a bit of an identity crisis for many hunters. It’s tough heading out into the wilds as the man, or woman, trying to be stealthy – yet still seen by all.

This conflict would begin every time I would ‘suit-up’ and make the trek to my favorite deer stand. I would laugh inside over the irony of my hunting wardrobe when I would try to find a group of evergreens to mask my ‘presence’. Once there, the observant hunter would notice that green does not hide bright orange. Try it for yourself!  Attempt to hide an orange on an evergreen branch.

Sure, I have read the ‘science’ about the physiological make-up of a deer’s eyes. Researchers claim, that orange is not seen by deer. I am not buying it. If that is the case, somebody better tell the camouflage companies.

To resolve the conflict that exists in so many hunters, I have developed a hunting system that can be easily followed and adapted to any hunting camp scenario. I call it, The Art of Non-Camouflage.

Don’t be something you are not.

It begins with the principle that any hunter will be visible to man or beast when wearing hunter orange.

All components to my system flow from that one simple principle:

-It does not matter where you store your orange hunting gear during your hunt. Wear or hang it by the fire during breakfast. You might as well head out to your watch with a warm jacket smelling like bacon because the deer are going to see you anyway.

-Scents and other lesser animal urine sprays won’t hide your orange garments. Save your money.

-Become more visible at camp. Wear your coat whenever you venture outside. It will let your camp buddies know where you are during target practice and an orange coat hanging on the outside of an outhouse door can be seen from miles away. Everyone will appreciate knowing that the ‘Biffy’ is occupied before they make the long trek out there themselves.

-Tree stands are now optional. Orange is as glaringly obvious up high as it is down low. Again, save your money folks.

-Blue jeans are allowed. The staple of many deer hunting clothes, blue jeans are thought to attract a deers attention more quickly. I say, if they are going to see the orange anyway, what does it matter if your pants are blue? We have all seen Blue Jays. Blue is a ‘natural color’. The denim stays!

-Meet the safety requirement and enjoy the moment. In Ontario, you need 400 square inches of hunter orange on your upper body. Brand name, or generic name, or new, or old it does not matter how much the orange costs. Buy it or borrow it – the obvious nature of hunter orange is still the same with a $2 price tag as with a $200 price tag. Just get out there and enjoy the view – and bring a kid with you.

In case you were not able to determine if I was serious or not. I am totally kidding. That being said, my initial post today triggered some other train of thought that I hope we all can take ‘to heart’.

I think that in our everyday relationships with the people we come in contact with, we frequently wear camouflage. We are afraid to be honest with people who ask our opinions, thoughts, and ideas. How many times have you responded with a, “Everything is fine in my life.” when a concerned person asks?

It’s just like camouflage. It hides what really is there. Unfortunately, hunter orange is not a requirement in everyday relationships with people. How many times today have you camouflaged your answers? I wonder if we would be better friends, workers and employers if we more honest in the relationships we nurture every day?

I would propose to you that one step on the journey to being a better person will taken by those who understand the Art of Non-Camouflage.

For the last couple of weeks we found one of trail cameras (#4) knocked down from it's elevated position on a medium sized beech tree. We suspected a bear was the culprit and this photo captured last week proved it. It also provided us a view of a bear cub that was following the camera bashing sow. What we have not figured out was why this bear has such a vendetta against our camera.

Game camera #6 was re-deployed in close proximity to this camera to try to capture some better photos of the sow.

Checked on our game cams today and it would seem does and/or fawns are the only deer we have been capturing photos of lately. The lack of buck photos is curious. Is it a timing thing or is it that they are just staying clear of the areas that our cameras are set-up in?

The bears are still very much interested in our cameras. The blurry photo below is 'up-close and personal' with a bear's face as he licks the entire camera. When we checked this camera, it's mouth and tongue slime had crusted and covered the camera case and lens. I could see impressions of the bear's taste buds. Absolutely sick!

Fall hunting seasons are opening up across the province. Be sure to follow our link provided to the 2011/2012 Ontario MNR Hunting Regulations and confirm what seasons are opening up in your area.

Ontario MNR Hunting Regulations and Hunting Season website

I had a brainstorming session while driving home last night. To help you bring some 'colour' to the dinner table, or camp stove, while at the hunt camp – drop some of these wordy mouthfuls and tell me how they go over...

When referring to your rifle/shotgun: “Do you like my lead propulsion device?”

When referring to the woodpile: “The location our primary combustible fuel source has reached minimal levels.”

When referring to Mom’s chilli: “The potential explosive force that exists in this food source exceeds daily recommended limits.”

When referring to tracking a deer: “My attack vector is parallel to my target’s current angle of retreat.”

When referring to the amount of snoring at night: “Did you notice the concerted expulsions of random forced air movements in the bunks last night?”

When explaining why you got lost: “My internal geo-positional mechanism experienced a brief session of environmental interference from my primary mapping sensor array.”

When explaining how you missed a deer: “the expected path trajectory of my bullet was slightly altered by a sudden onset of a physiological manifestation of tremors radiating quickly to my outer extremities.”

Some thoughts from my perspective anyway. I won't tell you which ones I am guilty of.

1. You wear your camo or hunter orange jacket out for supper with your spouse

2. When someone asks for directions and your response includes your topographic map and wind direction

3. You watch Wild TV in your living room (from inside your ground blind)

4. You come home from work and the kids don’t recognize you without your camo gear and face paint on

5. Your spouse begins to ‘enjoy’ your favorite cologne (or perfume) called ‘Essence of Buck’ or ‘Doe in Heat’

6. Outside play time with your kids becomes a Marco Polo type game with you in your new camouflage saying, “Can you see me now?”

7. You constantly test the effectiveness of your Scent-lok jacket by walking past your dog with a juicy T-bone underneath your shirt.

8. Your spouse says, “C’mere Dear” and you respond by instinctively reaching for your bow and asking, “How many points does the deer have, Honey?!”

9. You wish you had an outhouse.

10. You take the family portrait with your game cam in complete darkness – just to make sure the night vision setting works.

I have crossed Spiers' creek many times as a hunter. Each time across, I would look at the cold, clear water flowing beneath my feet and wonder if drinking it would cause havoc in my intestinal tract. An unfortunate event that could bring a highly anticipated hunting trip to an abrupt end.

This time however, things were different.  I was armed with a LifeStraw.

I sprawled out as best I could on the creek's uneven banks and place the LifeStraw to my mouth. A nearby beaver damn triggered my mind to silently warn that this may not be a great idea. After taking a deep breath, I put the straw in the water and began to 'suck' the water from the icy creek to my mouth. Initially, it seemed that the water was not going to move up through the straw, but with some mild extra effort (as the packaging suggests), the cold liquid filled my mouth.

The taste was wild, icy, and natural. The way a creek should taste.

More importantly, the Lifestraw removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria (>LOG 7 reduction) and 99.9% of waterborne protozoan cysts (>LOG 3 reduction). The hollow fibre membrane filters (without iodine) particles as small as 0.2 microns. Take that Giardia and typical muddy streams! I had no intestinal 'issues' after my creek drinking experience with LifeStraw.

This is the kind of vital outdoor tool that will make finding safe water on remote hunting, fishing or hiking trips much easier.  The LifeStraw fits in my hunting and fly fishing packs and is durable enough to stand pack travel between extra ammunition and my GPS.  It will be invaluable to me on my favourite trout stream or Algonquin Park lake trout lake. No more 'dip-and-pray' or 'chemical-spray' water bottle fillings.

The filter will safely clean up to 1000 litres (264 gallons) of creek, lake and puddle type water reservoirs. For only $20 per straw, you get great value for water safety. Assuming you drinking 3 - 4 liters (3 - 4 quarts) of water per day while hiking, the LifeStraw will last between 250-330 days - worth of drinking before it reaches its expiry of 264 gallons (1,000 litres).

In freezing temperatures (which I did not get to try the filter in yet), I recommend that you take extra care to blow out the excess water that can 'sit' or remain inside the straw after use. Ice formation in the straw will break the filter's effectiveness. Lying down to get water from whatever source you are considering taking water from, may not be the best idea. Fill your favourite (wide mouthed) water bottle and use the straw from there.

Go ahead - taste a creek today with LifeStraw.