Win The Hunt Of A Lifetime in the Pope And Young Club
2017 Conservation Hunt-Drawing Chatfield, MN – The Pope and Young Club is offering two exciting hunting adventures as part of the 2017 Pope and Young Club Conservation Hunt-Drawing. 100% of the funds raised through donations for hunt-draw tickets, will go directly to Pope and Young Club Conservation, Education and Outreach Programs. You could win the hunt of a lifetime while supporting the sport of bowhunting and our wonderful wildlife resources. First Prize – 10-Day Trophy Yukon Moose Hunt with World-Renowned MacMillan River Adventures (Valued at $19,000!). Hunt 2.5 million acres of incredible wilderness country with one of North America’s most premier moose outfitters. Experience the hunt of a lifetime in a region with the highest density of Alaska-Yukon moose. This outfitter uses more than 20 established horse and boat camps in order to maintain versatility and peak hunting success. Learn more at www.yukonhuntingoutfitters.com Second Prize – 6-Day Trophy Archery Elk Hunt on Jack Creek Preserve (Valued at $6,000). Experience some of the finest elk hunting this continent has to offer. Bordering the massive, remote 249,000-acre Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area, the Jack Creek Preserve ensures quality, unpressured hunting action. Best yet, this hunt is a do-it-yourself bowhunter’s dream that includes cabin facilities for comfortable, easy access to prime hunting areas. Transportation, food and license are the hunter’s responsibility. You must draw a permit to hunt this area, but the drawing success is usually 100-percent. Learn more at www.JackCreekPreserve.org Tickets: $20 donation each or book of 6 for $100 donation. To order, send check or money order to: Pope and Young Club, 8742 County Rd. 414, Hannibal, MO 63401 Deadline to mail in ticket stub(s) is June 30, 2017. Drawing held July 15th, 2017. Void where prohibited by law. Need not be present to win. U.S. or Canadian funds accepted. Must be 18 years of age or older to purchase. Winners responsible for any applicable fees or taxes. All proceeds used to support wildlife conservation, education and pro-bowhunting projects through the Conservation, Education, and Outreach Programs of the Pope and Young Club. The Pope and Young Club is a non-profit North American conservation and bowhunting organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of bowhunting by striving to increase awareness and appreciation of bowhunting foundations, principles and values. The Pope and Young Club is focused on Fair Chase hunting ethics that support the ethical pursuit of free ranging, wild game animals without unfair advantage while promoting the conservation of both habitat and wildlife. The Club also maintains the universally recognized repository of records and statistics on North American big game animals harvested with a bow and arrow. Contact the Pope & Young Club office at: www.pope-young.org or P.O. Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923, Ph: 507.867.4144
Dealing with Food Plot Pests
Rodents and other small mammals may be doing more damage to your food plots than you realize. Here’s how to alleviate the problems. By Bernie Barringer When most of us think about the reasons our food plots fail or thrive, we usually point to things like fertilizer, weather, soil types and timing of plantings. But there are factors working behind the scenes that can cause damage to your food plots. Critters large and small use these plots and some of them can cause significant reductions in the productivity of your efforts. From insects to birds, food plots can be damaged from the moment the seed hits the ground until the usefulness of the forage is complete, but in many cases, small mammals are doing the most damage, and much of it is hard to see from the surface. Let’s take a look at a few of the primary culprits, examine the extent of the damage they do, and explain some actions that can be taken against them. Pocket Gophers Damage: Pocket gophers are abundant across much of the whitetail’s range and the mounds they make are a common sight. These mounds cover up small plants which will cause the plants to die. Pocket gophers feed on bulbs, roots and tubers and often consume brassicas from below, without much evidence from above, other than leaves turning brown from lack of moisture. Their tunnels channel needed rain water away from the surface to deep areas where it can’t do the plants much good. Control: The best way to eliminate pocket gophers is to trap them. Several clutch-style traps have been developed specifically for catching gophers and are available at most any hardware stores or farm stores. I have caught them with several brands and styles of traps, but over time I have switched almost entirely to the EZ Set model. With these traps I have limited misses and most gophers die quickly and humanely in them. Catching Pocket Gophers is quite easy once you learn where to set the traps. Here in Minnesota, they go to work as soon as the frost goes out of the ground in the spring, and that’s a great time to trap them. I plant brassicas around the first of August and as soon as the plants begin to show up, the pocket gophers arrive and I will once again remove problem individuals. If you look closely at the gopher mounds, you will see that they form a line of sorts. The gophers pile dirt on the top of the ground as they clear out their tunnels and the mounds form a linear pattern. It stands to reason that the mounds on the end of the line are the most active. If you set a trap at the right mound, you will normally catch the gopher within 24 hours. If you have trouble determining which mounds are the most recent, just put a footprint on each mound and come back the next day. There will be at least one new mound to trap. The hole below the mound can be hard to find, but with experience, you can look at the shape of the mound and stick a probe right into the hole. Otherwise, just dig around until you find a soft spot and you will quickly find the associated tunnel. Clear out the tunnel with a small shovel or your hand. Set a trap and slide it inside the entrance to the tunnel. Within a foot of the surface, all tunnels will have a fork in them. Do not push your trap too far into the hole or it may be at the fork which will offer the gophers a chance to crawl right over it. I stake down my traps not because I think the gopher may get away with my trap, but because a coyote or fox may find it and run off with the gopher and the trap. I like to cover the hole with a board so the tunnel is dark. This keeps predators out and offers the gopher a sense of security so he goes about his business without suspecting a trap. Gophers are most active at night so check the traps early in the morning so you can dispatch any of the critters that did not quickly die in the traps. You will find that most strings of mounds are the domain of just one gopher, but occasionally you may catch two and even three from the same system of tunnels. Ground Squirrels Damage: One of the most common small mammals in the Midwest is the 13-lined ground squirrel. They seem to be everywhere; you’ll see them along roads and in any pasture. They are commonly called stripers or striped gophers, although they are not a member of the gopher family. They dig small holes which lead to underground tunnels where they sleep and store food. These holes are part of the problem they cause. The tunnels drop straight down before turning to the side, and a deer’s lower leg fits right in the tunnel. Deer can sustain serious leg injuries from stepping in one of these holes. Additionally, the damage these critters cause to food plots comes in the fact that they love the small shoots of plants as they emerge, and these little vermin can kill hundreds of plants a day by nipping them off as soon as they come up. You may ask how much these 1/4-pound buggers can actually eat. The problem is found in the way they fill their overstuffed cheeks with succulent nodules and haul load after load of them back underground to their storage chambers. The damage can be extensive in some areas. Control: Because these ground squirrels are active during the day, the best way to rid your food plot of them is to shoot them. My sons have enjoyed lying at the edge of the food plot with a scoped .22; the target practice on these little varmints is good
Seven Critical Tips for DIY Public Land Hunting
By Bernie Barringer My first bowhunting road trip was a complete bust. In my defense, it took place more than 20 years ago, so I didn’t have the advantage of Google Earth, a scouting camera or looking at the weather on my smartphone. I basically went in blind, and my results showed it. I did see some does and small bucks, and I hunted hard and used some off-beat tactics. While I don’t remember much about that first out of state hunt in the early 1990’s, I do remember that I had no idea what I was doing compared to the strategic planning and hunting methods I use today. In fact, one of my few memories from that first trip was lying on the berm of a ditch, my bow in the grass beside me, looking at deer filtering into a green hayfield 30 yards away. I remember wondering how I could possibly get to my knees and get my bow drawn on a buck without clearing the whole field. Poor planning on my part. They say lessons learned the hard way are lessons learned well. I have learned a lot, mostly by making mistakes. I’ve come up with seven rules—things to do and not to do—that will help any DIY hunter be more successful. Adhering to these “do’s and don’ts” have helped significantly increase my success ratio. Two decades later, I am still making mistakes and still learning, but I’m coming home with a buck in the truck often enough to feel like I have some advice to pass along. I hope these seven tips help you connect on a DIY public land buck this year. Do your homework Before you ever pull out of the driveway, you should have a list of likely hunting spots. Online aerial photos help immensely when it comes to choosing hunting sites. Before I set off to a new area, I usually have a pretty good idea where I am going to spend much of my time. Things that look good on Google Earth are not always what they seem, but with some experience learning how deer use cover and terrain, anyone can shorten the scouting time by picking out likely looking spots from home. I also call local biologists, game wardens and other parties to gather as much info as I can about the area. Biologists know if food plots have been planted on the public areas and they can offer information about deer populations, age structure, etc. A game warden can offer insight into the amount of hunting pressure an area gets. I have learned to ask not only about deer hunting pressure, but also about upland bird hunters, duck hunters, small game hunters and even if the coon hunters are running their dogs through the property at night. Do your Scouting Diligence Once you arrive, it can be tempting to hang a stand and start hunting as soon as you find a great looking spot. But you will be much better off to spend a day learning the property before actually hunting. Spend an evening with binoculars overlooking a feeding area, walk through the area trying to determine feeding and bedding patterns. Make note of great spots with sign or with the right terrain, depending on the time of the year and stage of the rut. I cannot overstate the value of knowing the property and how deer use it well. Use your Scouting Cameras Scouting Cameras are one of the most important components to my scouting and learning a property. I rely on them for two main purposes. The most obvious is learning how deer are using the property. A camera will tell you which direction deer are travelling at what time. It will show you where they are feeding and bedding. You can learn about the stage of the rut by observing the behavior of the bucks. The second and just as important knowledge I get from cameras is an evaluation of what is on the property with regards to bucks and age structure. I have been known to pass up a 125-class buck on the first day of the hunt, then realize that it was the biggest deer I saw on camera or in person during eight days of hunting there. The decision of whether or not to shoot a deer that comes within range can be made a lot easier when you know what the potential will be. No sense holding out for a 140 if there aren’t any. Cameras placed on primary scrapes will inventory most every buck in the area within three days. Hunt Only When it’s Time There’s nothing worse than sitting in a stand wondering if you are in the right place or not. Should you be on the other side of that ridge? Closer to the feeding or bedding area? On a different trail? Sitting over an area that’s all tore up with rubs and scrapes? Remember what I said about putting up a stand and getting in it too soon. Having confidence in your spot makes it a lot easier to stick it out for long periods, and confidence in your spot comes from thorough scouting. I can’t overstress the importance of not settling in for a long sit until you have done the scouting and learned as much as you can from cameras. The urge to get in a tree and get to hunting can be very strong when you arrive at a new property, but don’t do it until it’s time. Once you have a thorough knowledge of the property, you can settle into a place where you will have the optimism needed to grind it out for long hours. Stay Mobile and Flexible The other side of that coin is the fact that things change and you must change with them. You cannot wait for the hunt to come to you, you have to stay aggressive. You have a very short time to make things happen,
Bears at the rubbing tree
by Bernie Barringer I live in an area with lots and lots of bears. on the corner of my food plot is a scent marking tree (rubbing tree) that the bears have been using for the past couple years. I put a Covert Scouting Camera on it to shoot some photos and video of bears at this tree and I have thousands of videos. I put this short youtube selection together so you can get a feel for the amount of bears and activity that is found at this area.
5 Steps to a Successful DIY bowhunt
Five Steps to Making Your Dream Bowhunt a Reality. You’ve always wanted to hunt deer in one of the destination states. You watch on TV each week as big bucks are shot but you really don’t have hunting like that where you live. Here’s a short course in how to get started on your dream bowhunt out of state. By Bernie Barringer Years ago, I was like you. I knew there was a lot of great bowhunting but it wasn’t where I lived. I had a gnawing desire to shoot a really nice buck, but I knew I was going to have to travel to do it. I didn’t,–really couldn’t–spend $4,000 on a guided hunt, so a DIY hunt it would have to be. I took the plunge and I have never regretted it. I have now done more than 20 bowhunting road trips for whitetails, some with great success and some were, shall we say, learning experiences. Allow me to give you a few nuggets of advice to put you on your way to a successful DIY out-of-state deer hunt. Choose a State The most logical place to start is to think wide and narrow down your search. First of all you need to decide where you want to go. That means you need to first pick a state and begin the process of getting a deer tag in that state. Some states sell nonresident deer tags over the counter, some require you to apply and may take a couple years to draw, so you better start now. In my recent book The Freelance Bowhunter: DIY strategies for the travelling hunter, I give details on 16 of the top whitetail destination states. If you are starting out, this book is the best $20 you can invest in your success. In addition to getting a tag, other factors that will influence you decision on where to go will be if you know someone in the state that might allow you to stay there, distance you are willing to travel, and the amount of public land available to hunt. Choose Some Properties Once you have decided which state you are going to chase a big buck in, you need to spend some time looking over the options of specific properties where you can hunt. This could be state and county public land, Walk-In-Hunting land, even federal lands open to hunting. Each state has details on its website, and most include maps and even interactive aerial property photos. Powderhook [https://www.powderhook.com/] is also great resource for this. Spend some time with Google Earth and really look over a few properties until you find some that look appealing. Make some calls The next step in your research is to talk to some people with their boots on the ground. Start calling biologists for the area, game wardens, and any wildlife personnel that might have knowledge of the properties. Ask them specifics about the amount of hunting pressure, the deer population, the potential for shooting a mature buck and where the bedding and feeding areas are found. If there are food plots planted on the land, ask them what has been planted and if it will be harvested at some point or still be there when you arrive. This can make a big difference in finding the deer’s food source. Work Hard Once you arrive, you need to really scout the area out. That means a lot of walking and studying sign. It also means getting some trail cameras out and checking them regularly to find out what the deer are doing, where they are moving and what the potential is for a big buck. When you are hunting at home, there are places where you wouldn’t just walk through, and you would try to avoid intruding on bedding areas and specific travel lanes. You do not have that option when you are on a road trip. Get out there and learn as much as you can, then put up some stands only when you feel like you have a handle on the patterns and potential of the area. When I am on a DIY trip, I am not on vacation. I work really hard from sun to sun and that has proven successful for me. Have Realistic Expectations You are not going to shoot a buck like you see on TV every time you go on a hunt. Outdoor TV, with its back-to-back big buck episodes can give you the wrong impression about your chances. The more you do it the better you will become at it. And the more you keep going back to the same places over and over, the better your familiarity with the area becomes and your odds of being successful increase. I hope you enjoy the satisfaction of bagging a buck on your dream hunt. I’ve done a lot of the research for you in my book The Freelance Bowhunter: Strategies for the Traveling Whitetail Hunter.