Hunting Tips

Think of this as your ultimate spring turkey hunting guide. We’ve compiled pages of tips and advice explaining the basics, and then spiced it all up with numerous links to in-depth videos and articles that’ll benefit first-time hunters and Grand Slam holders alike. The end goal is simple: to teach you how to hunt turkeys more effectively.

How to Find Gobblers

Pre-season scouting and during hunts is an ongoing strategy. New turkeys may arrive from other locations during the spring dispersal. Daily movements of resident birds may change. Often turkeys use the same inviting habitat annually for what it offers them — namely roosting cover, seasonal food sources and spring breeding/nesting areas. That’s where you’ll find birds.

Turkeys also leave a mess wherever they go – a bonus for hunters. Droppings, molted feathers, scratchings in leaves where they’ve uncovered food, tracks in mud or dirt, dusting areas where they’ve rolled in loose soil, and even wing drag marks from strutting, can clue you in to their presence. Putting this puzzle together gets you closer to tagging one.

Roosting

By far the easiest way to kill a gobbler in the spring is finding his roost the night before. Use your pre-season scouting observations to key in on a general area where the turkey might be spending the night. When you get off work, hop in the Bad Boy Buggy and head to the woods. Without spooking the bird get within earshot, and listen for wings flapping and light calling as turkeys fly up on their roosts for the night. You can also use an owl or crow locator call to get a tom to gobble on the roost as its just turning dark. “Since there’s no leaves on the trees… you can cover ground at dark and see them in the trees and hear where they’re roosting”-Nick Mundt. By getting in close to observe and listen to a tom on the roost you will know exactly when and where to be the next morning.

Wake up early and walk in the cover of darkness, not using a light, and set up close to the tree. Call to the tom lightly after he begins to talk on the roost. If you let him know there is a hen below in your direction he will come and investigate. If you are not the best at the “turkey talk” there is still hope with this tactic. “ Roost the gobbler in the afternoon but the next morning concentrate on finding the hen group closest to that roost, place yourself between the tom and the hen group and be patient, he will come” –Nick Mundt.

Find the Water

While this truth might not be as applicable in portions of the Southern and Eastern U.S., it’s certainly true in Texas, Oklahoma, the Great Plains and the Western U.S. where water sources are at a premium. And even back East and down South, as the springtime season heats up, turkeys will often find their way to water, be it a pond, a stream, a river or even a lakeside shoreline. The scarcer water is on the property that you are hunting – especially during periods of drought – the more likely it is that a longbeard will come in to slake his thirst at some point. If you’re hanging around the area, he might sound off with a gobble, putting you suddenly in business.

Late Season Hunting Tips

Late season turkey hunting comes faster than most would like — especially if you have yet to kill a gobbler.

Depending on where you turkey hunt south to north, some hens will likely be nesting during the late season. A few poults may have even hatched. Younger hens might still be with gobblers as their breeding activity begins later and finishes sooner than older female turkeys. Hens running with gobblers may still continue to challenge you as they did in the early season.

Find a gobbler or gobblers without hens, as these male turkeys still look to breed, and you could have a memorable hunt. Eager gobblers sometimes commit to calling better in the late season than at any other time of year.

Another seasonal transition will challenge you next: gobblers searching for other gobblers.

Say what? As spring becomes summer, hens nest and hatch broods, and gobblers reform male-only groups. They stay with this flock through summer into fall. If the spring turkey season is still open, calling like another gobbler might bring the bird you want into range.

But your calling tactics will change. Early in the season you imitated hen clucks and yelps to interest gobblers that wanted to breed. Now in the late season, gobbler yelps and even gobbling can be more productive.

How to Call In A Turkey

You’ve found a place to hunt. You’ve done your scouting. Now it’s time to think about potential turkey hunting setups. Choose a spot as close as possible to the gobbler you want to kill, but without spooking the bird. It should be along a fairly predictable travel route. Calling in a turkey is much easier when you’re sitting where he wants to go anyhow.

Before you sit down, look around first to make sure you have open shooting lanes for when the gobbler comes in. If possible, use the terrain to find a location where, as soon as the turkey steps into view, he’s also in range. This might be the edge of a ridge top or pasture corner trail. If possible, sit with your back against a broad-trunked tree facing this spot. Put your seat cushion there. Get ready, placing calls nearby.

If you’ve roosted turkeys, make your early morning setup near where birds fly down, which is often an open area. A decoy or two might help them come to your calls. If you’ve patterned field birds and found strut zones, make your setup there. Portable blinds also work well in such situations.

Turkey hunting setups will change as spring gobblers (and the hens they follow) move through the hunting day. You can sit, call and passively wait on birds to come to you. You can also go to the turkeys and close the distance with your next setup. Many turkey hunters do a little of both.

Eventually you’ll find yourself sitting at your setup with the gobbler hunting down your position. That’s when you’ll know you’ve picked the right spot at the right time. There’s no thrill like it.

Turkey Calling Sounds You Must Learn

When looking for flock mates, or other lone hens and gobblers, turkeys call. It’s an effort to get another bird to call back, step into view and reveal its exact location. It’s basically a wild turkey asking, “Where are you?” or saying, “Come over here where I am.” By imitating those sounds, you can call turkeys right to you.

While roughly 30 turkey calling sounds can be heard in the wild, fewer than half of those vocalizations are usually used while hunting. Many spring gobbler hunters make just two basic calls: the plain cluck and hen yelp. Those two calls kill plenty of turkeys. But other good sounds to learn include roost clucks and tree yelps (a.k.a. “tree calling”); fly-down cackles; cutting (loud and fast clucks); lost yelps; purrs; gobbles and even the kee-kee sounds of young birds.

A cluck is the single-note sound made frequently throughout the day by both gobblers and hens. Clucks are often spaced out, with two or three seconds between notes. And sometimes the bird might just cluck once.

The plain hen yelp is usually three to eight notes long, and it’s the calling option most often employed by spring turkey hunters to lure gobblers to setups. Hen yelping is higher-pitched than the deeper, coarser yelping of gobblers. Tom turkeys yelp with a slower cadence as well, and yelps are generally fewer in number — often three notes: yawp, yawp, yawp. In the spring, a jake will often yelp, rather than gobble, on the approach, so it’s an important sound to recognize.

Decoys

Pairing the calls up with the real thing or at least make them think it is by using a decoy is how you bring a tom (or a lot of them) into range. What turkey decoy type should you use?

“A lot of times if you’re using a Jake decoy, a turkey will strut in with slow movements, he’s not really jumpy. I think when you use a stutter decoy, sometimes those turkeys come in and they’re on edge…shying away from the gobbler. So sometimes the Jake in the pre-breeding position is the one to use. I also like to take a set of wings from a turkey and zip tie them to the side of a decoy. It gives it a little more dimension and realism. It gives you a good bit of cover when you want to crawl in on some turkeys that are in a field”– Nick Mundt.

While stutters and Jake decoys might result in a shy uncooperative bird, you can never really go wrong with a single hen decoy.

Fool one of these superwary predators and you earn the rank of expert hunter. Here’s how to do it:

Focus on areas that hold small game, birds, mice, and vermin. CRP fields, brushy creek- or riverbottoms, swamps and marshes, and young clear-cuts are all excellent choices. Most farmers will gladly give you permission to hunt. Pinpoint your spots by looking for tracks and listening for barks, yips, and howls at dawn and dusk. The ideal conditions for a hunt are cold, calm days. Windy days are the worst.

Stealth is the first priority: no slamming vehicle doors or talking to your partner. Settle into a comfortable shooting position on a knoll or field edge that offers good visibility, and wait five to 15 minutes before calling.

Coyotes have extremely keen eyesight and, like any animal coming to a call, are looking hard for its source. Make sure your camo is good and that your hands and face are covered. A cushion to sit on helps you keep still.

Coyote Hunting Gear

You don’t need much to start, and you may already have it:

CALLS Mouth-operated rabbit squealers are a must, but don’t rely on them alone. Also use other distress calls and coyote howlers.

DECOYS These act as a closer to your calls. One of your kid’s beat-up stuffed animals can suffice, though battery-run motion dekes work best.

GUNS Flat-shooting rifles in .223 caliber work best in open terrain, but your deer rifle will do the trick. Shot-guns rule in thick timber or on night hunts (where legal). If you hunt turkeys, you probably already own the right setup: a tight-choked 12-gauge that throws a dense pattern out to 35 yards. Use No. 4 buckshot in magnum loads.

Tips for Calling in More Coyotes

Practice What You Preach

Electronic calls are great. So are hand calls. But neither will come easy to you. They take practice.

“If you’re hand calling, get out and do it,” Belding said. “The best teacher is doing it yourself and failing. If something doesn’t work, try something a little different. Then you’ll know what works for you in your area. It’s different depending on terrain, prey, and other factors.”

Walk Into The Wind

Coyotes have exceptional noses. They’re canines. And canines are infamous for their ability to sniff things out, including people. That has to not only be considered but also dwelled upon in order to be consistently successful.

“Keep the wind in your face,” South said. “You can’t call a coyote that knows you’re there.”

Pick A Vantage Point

“Pick a vantage point where you can see the coyote when it responds to your call,” South said.

You can’t kill something you can’t see. The only way to make sure you see approaching coyotes is to get somewhere you can. Get up high on a hill, or somewhere else where you can see the landscape around you. The last thing you want is a coyote sneaking within a few yards of you and not even realize it’s there.

From Stand To Stand

Give each stand 20 to 30 minutes to produce. Most times, coyotes will respond within the first five minutes. But that isn’t always the case. Give each stand time to work.

“Typically, in our neck of the woods (Reno, Nevada), we go ¾ of a mile to a mile between calling setups,” Belding said. “But on windy days—working into the wind so they don’t smell you—you can set up more frequently and get close to them. They can’t hear you coming. You can use this to your advantage.”

For those hunting in the eastern states, you also can set up a little more frequently. Rolling hills, dense cover and other factors prevent sounds—and calls—from traveling quite as far. That’s something to consider when choosing stand locations.

Mistakes Rookie Coyote Hunters Make

No matter how many times you watch the coyote-killing team on video, you just can’t figure out how to duplicate their success. While those guys seem to bring coyotes running to the gun every time they make a rabbit squeal, you’ve only managed to call in a few crows and one stray dog looking for an easy meal. You’ve spent a few months’ worth of rent on rifles, lights and calls. You’re developing tinnitus from listening to the scream of a dying rabbit over and over. And, still, you haven’t gotten a single ‘yote to show for your efforts.

You’re Hunting Where There Are No Coyotes

You might be surprised at how often this happens.

Unlike deer hunters who scout for months in search of a big buck, coyote hunters have a tendency to say, “They should be here” and set up in an area where there may or may not be many coyotes.

Hunting in an area that is nearly void of coyotes is a big waste of time and energy. Scouting helps you to avoid that trap. Look for tracks, kill sites and scat, and it’s not a bad idea to pay attention to coyote vocalizations to determine where they call home. It’s well worth a few hours of your time to greatly up the odds of success when you’re hunting. Once you do find an area with coyotes, don’t run them all off with a sloppy approach to your calling setup.

You’re Using the Wrong Call

Coyotes don’t just come running any time they hear something that sounds like a dinner bell.

“With all the coyote hunters out there it’s hard to find a mature dog that hasn’t been called to,” says Realtree pro-staffer and predator hunting expert Fred Eichler. “Many are educated and often turn tail and run when they hear the common sounds used by most coyote hunters. By using the calls coyotes haven’t heard, or that aren’t commonly used, a new caller will have more success. I often use bird calls like a turkey in distress or woodpecker distress or I use fawn bleats or puppy screams to bring in call-shy dogs.”

For newcomers, coyote hunting guru Mark Zepp recommends an electronic caller.

“The reliability of today’s electronic calls make it easy for anyone to go out and give it a try without worrying whether or not they are making a correct sound with a hand call,” he says.

You’re Calling Too Much or Too Little

This is an area of great debate among serious coyote hunters. Calling too much can warn off a curious coyote, but calling too little or too softly may not entice a distant coyote to break cover.

As a general rule, open areas require louder, longer calling sequences. But be careful. A loud, long string of calls may scare away incoming coyotes in high-pressure areas.

This is one of those mistakes that only experience can remedy. Keep notes on how you call in certain areas and what the outcomes were. Over time, you’ll start to identify patterns that worked. And ones that didn’t.

You’re Giving Up Too Soon

A common mistake, according to Eichler, is giving up on a set too soon.

“Whether I am calling in Florida or Canada I sit a minimum of 30 minutes,” he says. “The only exception is if it’s snowing, raining or really windy and I know the call isn’t carrying as far. On a calm day or with a 10-mile-per hour wind or less, I have a lot of coyotes come in after 20 minutes. A lot of newbies are packing it up by then.”

Give your calling location enough time to work. A good rule of thumb is to wait 30 minutes before moving on.

You’re Hunting Pressured Dogs

So let’s wrap this up. Hard-hunted coyotes are smart coyotes. Why? Because the dumb ones are already dead.

If you’re a newcomer and have spent some time calling, odds are good you’ve made one of the mistakes listed above and educated coyotes. But don’t worry too much about that — even if you didn’t, odds are good someone else did.

Coyotoes living in heavily-hunted areas are harder to hunt. That’s just the way it is. But by following the advice you’ve just been given and doing what you can to hunt smart, you can turn the tide.

Heavily-hunted coyotes aren’t going to fall for the same song and dance that every other hunter in the woods is throwing their way. Be innovative. Try different calls, keep it subtle and keep it smart.

On a crowded public area, that may be true. But in most cases, you shouldn’t be so quick to write off a mature buck that you bump just once. Handle things right and you could get a second chance.

First, consider what happened. How spooked is the buck? A whitetail that just vaguely notices movement or scents you isn’t likely to permanently leave the area or become “unhuntable.” On the other hand, a buck that has three senses alerted—scent, sight, and hearing—is much tougher to get a second crack at. But the situation isn’t hopeless.

How thick was the cover? Deer in open areas may run a half mile. In dense cover a buck might only bound 150 yards and hunker down. Analyze exactly where the buck was and what he was doing. Was he traveling, feeding, hooked up with a doe, bedded in thick cover, pushed out by a drive?

Make a List and Use a Tote

You cleaned your gun, bow and other gear and put it away after last year’s hunt, but do you know where everything is? I store my deer gear — ammo, hand warmers, drag rope, safety harness, field-dressing gloves, knife and other essentials — in a plastic tote during the off-season.

I like to think I am organized, but sometimes a key piece of equipment finds its way out of the tote, and by the time the season rolls around I have no idea where it went.

That’s why I keep a ‘deer hunter’s’ checklist with my stuff.

A simple checklist will help you round up stray gear and replace anything that got lost or broken or just plain wore out. Check off items as you put them in the tote and keep the list inside the tote.

When gun hunting season rolls around, use the list to pack for your hunt and you’ll never again find yourself in a frantic search for your ammo or knife just before dawn on opening morning.

Pinpoint the Pinch Points

Not long after first light—when the guns get to cracking—deer will be seriously on the move. They’ll do it quickly and efficiently. That means they’re going to follow the path of least resistance, so pinch points and funnels located in cover can be dynamite on opening day.

How to Hunt It: Locate your stand downwind of a prime terrain feature that will focus deer movement. Pack a lunch and stay put. When the pressure is on, you could see a shooter buck at any time of the day, either moving naturally (especially if the rut is on) or as a result of being bumped by neighboring hunters. Stay alert.

Be Attractive

You heard that right.

Using deer attractants is another strategy that veteran hunters have been using to maximize their hunting success.

Fortunately, the market has all kinds of deer attractants; ranging from deer feed, deer urine, deer feeders, and so much more.

These enable you to attract the deer to your stand for easy take-down.

A great example where the deer attractants have been proven to work is the use of the drag rag soaked in the doe estrus in the peak-rut season.

Often, bucks will follow these trails right to your waiting stand!

Get Lost

It’s an old adage, but sometimes you have to hunt where no one else is willing to go. A recent Penn State study of radio-­collared deer showed that whitetails change their patterns almost immediately on the day before the general firearms season opener due to increased human traffic.

How to Hunt It: Go for broke and hunt an out-of-the-way location few others would consider. Small, obscure pockets of cover produce some of the biggest bucks each season. They may not look like much, but they are overlooked sanctuaries. A small ditch, a tiny ravine, a patch of grass in the middle of an open field. Hide and sit out the day.

Let the Weather Be Your Guide

Food-source abundance, hunting pressure, the influence of the rut, and the moon will all affect the action on opening day. Nothing, however, will impact the timing of when you’ll see that action more than the weather. Most of us are deer-season weather watchers, but you’d better pull your best Al Roker if you want to get it exactly right.

High Pressure

What to look out for: A whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather and light winds.

How to Hunt It: This is what everyone plans for—seasonable temperatures, little to no wind, sunny days, clear nights. When the forecast calls for a stationary high-pressure influence, park your butt on stand or in a blind and sit it out.

The Wildcard Tactic: If temperatures are subfreezing, hold off switching locations until after the sun has melted the morning’s frost.

Heavy Wind

What to Look out For: Wind speeds over 20 mph. Know that there’s much more to whitetail hunting as it relates to wind than simply trying to stay downwind of a buck. Essentially, there are two different key factors to heed: wind direction and speed.

How to Hunt It: The stronger the wind speed, the quicker the barometric pressure will rise, and the time to be out is after it subsides—especially if the wind changes from east to west.

The Wildcard Tactic: This can be prime time to still-hunt or plan a drive.

Rain

What to Look out For: The lilting sound of droplets hitting the roof of deer camp. Rain on opening morning means more to hunters than it does to the deer. Precipitation will do little to slow down deer movement.

How to Hunt It: Grab your raingear. Bucks can neither hear you nor smell you. It’s a great time to go for a serious still-hunt.

The Wildcard Tactic: Wait out a deluge in a covered blind or watch the radar back at camp. When the tailing edge is an hour away, hit the woods.

Snow

What to Look out For: Your local weather forecaster predicting a snowmageddon.

How to Hunt It: Whether it’s a heavy snowfall or just flurries, snow makes deer hunting easier. Unless there’s a raging wind, you’ll be able to see animals better and, as with rain, they won’t be able to hear or smell you as well. Sit in a stand if you prefer, but snow is made for tracking. The Wildcard Tactic: The two hours prior to and the two hours just after are the absolute best times to hunt a snowstorm.

Heat

What to Look out For: Daytime highs above 70 degrees.

How to Hunt It: Whether it’s opening day or the peak of the rut, you’d almost be better off rescheduling—but, of course, you can’t. Whatever you do, don’t miss first and last light.

The Wildcard Tactic: Post in a stand near a water hole.

Talk the Talk

Deer are vocal animals, and many hunters use grunt calls to attract or stop a buck. Other deer vocalizations can work, too. A loud “B-l-a-a-a-t” will sometimes stop a running deer long enough for a shot.

A wheeze will sometimes confuse a deer that is wheezing at you but hasn’t winded you yet. A grunt will sometimes turn a deer that has walked past you or bring it out of cover for a clear shot.

You can buy calls that make all three sounds and more, but with a little practice you can learn to make them with you mouth, which keeps both hands free for safer gun handling and accurate shooting.

So you’re interested in duck hunting, but you have no idea where to start. This is a common problem. Now that the majority of us don’t have to hunt to live, it’s not really a skill that’s widely possessed. Still, there is something about hunting that brings us back to our roots, back to the earth, any it’s an itch that many people want to scratch – even if it’s not a necessity. This article sets out to get you familiarized with the basics on how to start duck hunting so you can get out there and enjoy one of the world’s favourite outdoor past times.

Camo Cord

Nothing beats natural vegetation for concealment in duck hunting. To hold natural camouflage materials on my duck boat, I use stretch cord that I purchased at a kayak supply store. Line the sides, bow, and stern of the boat with sections of cord spaced about a foot apart and secure them in place with four-penny nails, screws, or pop rivets. Next, weave vegetation such as cattails, bulrushes, or cornstalks between the cords to conceal the outline of the boat. If woven carefully, this material will remain in place throughout the season.

Match Your Decoys to The Ducks

Many hunters use mallard decoys all the time. Mallards are easiest to find and often the cheapest. And, hunters figure that when playing the percentages, mallards are never wrong. But day in and out, do you see more mallards or other species? Ducks have great eyesight, so a spread of all mallards when no mallards are around looks fake. If you’re hunting wood ducks and teal early in the season, and then gadwalls, pintails, black ducks and other species later on, invest in decoys to mimic those. Don’t be afraid to make mallards the minority in your spread.

Stay Late

Waterfowl frequently migrate with or slightly behind cold fronts to take advantage of strong tail winds. On good migration days, don’t leave the blind early. The best hunting often occurs late in the morning, when many migrating flocks stop to take a rest.

Calm Approach

Nothing spooks late-season ducks more than stationary decoys sitting in an open hole. On calm days I throw most of my decoys back in thick brushy cover and rely on calling to bring in the ducks. Circling birds only catch brief glimpses of my decoys while they’re working, and, by the time they get close enough to get a good look, it’s too late.

Patience Pays

A common mistake made by many waterfowlers is to flush large numbers of ducks off a roost in the dark before dawn. If left alone, these birds will often fly out to feed at first light and then filter back to the roost later in the morning. Rather than spooking the birds in the dark, wait until sunrise or later before going in and setting up. Although you might miss out on some early shooting, you may have a better hunt overall as the birds will provide more shooting opportunities as they return in smaller groups throughout the morning.

Multiply with mud hens

Another old trick is to hunt a marsh at low tide and flip a shovelful of mud onto an existing mud mound or in a very shallow spot to make it look like a duck floating among a scattering of real decoys. Derwort says mud hens or mud ducks are a cheap way to make it look like there are more bodies in your spread than you’ve actually put out.

Ratchet it up

One of the best pieces of waterfowling gear to carry along with your calls and shells is a pair of ratchet cutters. Whether your blind needs a quick spruce up just before legal shooting light or the ducks prefer landing in another part of the lake and a move is in order, cutters allow you to quickly and quietly snip limbs up to a half inch thick that can be used to brush-in a favored spot or set up an impromptu blind along an open bank where the ducks are waiting to land.

Assign Shooting Positions If You Are the Pit Boss

All blindmates seem to have the “shot caller” assignment ingrained. The duly appointed, usually the lead caller, counts down the landing and decisively—with supreme timing—barks the heralded command. Occasionally, this role becomes fluid when the non-appointed has a better vantage point.

Nonetheless, the primary goal is to give everyone a chance at the decoying flock. So, why does a single fat greenhead consistently draw the attention of more than one barrel? Chances are he was the sure bet and no one assigned fields of fire. Outer shooters should work from their edges inward, while the center shooters receive high-low assignments. Considerable work goes into landing waterfowl and your success not only depends on a seasoned shot caller, but also on each hunter shooting their position. The objective is efficient gunning, not concentrated fire on a couple birds. Next time you touch the trigger, your banded drake may still be available without controversy.

Do What Works For You

I’ve got a buddy who always uses a half-dozen spinning wing decoys in his spread. Many times, I won’t use any. The way we hunt is simply different. His objective is to attract as many ducks as possible to his area. My spread often attracts fewer birds, but allows me to decoy those that do come in. In any case, both of our systems often result in good hunts. As you develop your own system, it’s far better to learn from what you’ve experienced and found in your personal hunts than to take recommendations from others. Personal experience is more powerful than boat ramp chatter or Internet forum information.

Do you love duck hunting? When the season arrives, you must have been prepared. But have you got the right strategy? Here is the the duck hunting tips that you must learn.

1. Apply realistic posture to improve small water sets

Use full-body duck decoys and two floaters that imitate the real deal, leaving space for company. The number of keels used must be reduced. You must fortify its spread with actives and feeders on water’s edge, sand bars, and shallows. You can custom stake holes in decoys using a cordless drill. To prepare for various conditions of small water, be creative in using these life-like molds.

2. Convince ducks that they are landing on sheet water

Ducks prefer shallow water to drift forward to naturally. You can make them think that deep water is shallow by elevating full-body feeders and actives above the surface with extended lengths of rods you use. This trick can stimulate ducks to walk ashore, feed, preen, or drink even when the water is actually 2 until 3 feet deep.

3. Make appeal with shell-body mobility

You can use shell-body fields decoy to make a convincing allure if you don’t have much money. The lightweight dekes can make different postures and ride the breeze. If you hunt in cold climates, you might face frozen glare, dreaded backside, and ice build-up. To solve this problem, you can put the shell bodies above the surface.

4. Use jerkcords

Do you ever make your own jerkcords, which actually have been around since even when ducks were outlawed. You can use this in flooded fields and pastures in as little as six inches of water. You just need a broomstick handle which is tied to some feet of decoy cord and tipped with 5-inch surgical tubing. After that, you can finish with a small D-ring that clips to a kayak grapnel anchor.
Source: www.wildfowlmag.com

Going home with more birds on your bag might give you so much pleasure. But can anyone do that? Or is it just you spending more bullets than you have to? If so, here are 5 tips to improve your dove hunting skill.

1. Lighten up

Doves are small, and their bones are light and easily broken. You need to use very small pellets to shoot them cleanly. Since it is very easy for birds and doves to be knocked down, a combination of bore constriction and shot size which give you even and dense pattern out to 30-35 yards is really recommended for you. If a bird within the 30-inch circle seems to absorb 4 or more pellets, you have much firepower.

2. Control your gun

Are you shooting with the muzzle skyward directed at a dove and just pulling the trigger? That means you don’t have gun control. To learn gun control, you must consider your shotgun a garden hose. Remember when you squirted someone? When you hit a running kid with the water stream from the hose, there must be some lead involved. If you point the nozzle at the moving target, it will wind up behind the target. To establish a lead you have to get in front and then keep swinging to make it effective.

When shooting a dove no matter the direction it is moving past the gun, swing behind the target. When you say daylight between the bird and the muzzle, pull your trigger. This approach will make the muzzle move faster which gets you to establish necessary lead and be less prone to stop your swing.

3. Control your head

You will consistently shoot high if you head is not down on the stock in the proper position. If your cheek is not snugly tucked against the comb of the stock, side-to-side swings will be erratic.

4. Shoot one your target first

When shooting a dove, make sure the one you hit the first bird you targeted before shooting the next bird. If you’re sure the first bird is hit, you can shoot on the rest of the birds. If before killing the first bird you reach the next, chances are high that you will lose the first dove and get neither of the bird.

5. Select your position

You can choose positions that possibly have high traffic, like power lines, trees, hills, and some other places. Putting some dove decoys on the fence wires, bare limbs, or any place that can be seen by firs flying into feeding area will increase your possibility.

If you hunt with rifle, click here for tips on choosing the best rifle.

Source: www.gameandfishmag.com

When hunting, especially with a bow, everyone must have wished for a perfect weather and all. But the situation is all in nature and it is a bit unpredictable, even if you have checked about the weather in the place that you plan to hunt. Anything can hinder you, either it is rain, snow, or wind.

If you want to hunt deer with a bow, you must know that it will give you a bit of more challenge than with rifle. But as a dedicated hunter, deer bow hunting is a must try. Archery deer hunting—well, any kind of animal for sure—can be harder when the weather is not that perfect. But you want to take the most advantages of your deer hunting any time of the year, right?
Here are 3 archery deer hunting tips.

1. Practice when the weather is adverse

Honestly, most hunters don’t take practice when they’re off. While in fact, practicing, especially in bad weather, can help improve your deer bow hunting skill. Choose to practice on windy day because it is the condition that you will be most likely to face in the field. However, it is recommended that you also practice in snow and rain. Imagining this might make you feel uncomfortable. Yes, this kind of practice is definitely tiring and time consuming but you will get priceless experience that you can’t get anywhere.

When practicing, you must make everything as realistic as possible. Try shots at different distances to determine the maximum accurate distance based on your ability and equipment reliability during those weather conditions you are practicing. Have a 3-D shoot in your area will help you make it more realistic. If you don’t have one, you can use block target in your yard at varying distances.

2. Know your limitations

If practicing in normal condition you can shoot at 50 yards, the number might be cut in half in windy season, or even more in snow. That’s why you must practice to shoot in several different distances to know your ability and your equipment reliability through trial and error.
Also note that bad weather will affect both your stability and strength and your good form might suffer from this. But, remember, never forget that you are only allowed to make humane kill, no matter what!

3. Use the right equipment

It’s not only about brand. It’s also about how much you know about your equipment, its operation, and its limitations. You can change some parts of your boy, for instance, to increase your success rate. You can change the vein of your arrow, with the one with 3% helical to allow your arrow to cut into the wind immediately and spin more quickly. And the vein must not be more than 3 inches long.

Hopefully, this bow deer hunting tips will give some help. As a good archer, do you also want to hunt elk?

 
Source: www.instructables.com

Antelope hunting is another challenge for every hunter. Antelope can be hunted in some places in US like Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana and in Canada like Saskatchewan and Alberta.

These antelope hunting guides will give you the best advice on how to hunt an antelope. Your hunting trip will be greater in places which have higher opportunity of catching an antelope, like some ranches in the Rocky mountain region and Indian Creek Adventurers. Although antelope hunting seem simple, you can choose the suitable hunting equipment to determine the level of challenge and skill needed.

Scouting in Antelope Hunting

Scouting the hunter ground before the hunting season starts is important to measure the antelope’s populations, observe their escape routes, comprehend suspicious behavior, and evaluate the best trophies to get. For this process, you will need high-quality binoculars and spotting scopes to help you access the movement of the antelope while judging the trophy quality. The spring scopes will be much beneficial when you locate your prospective trophy. Even when mirages happen, with the help of these tools, you will still get the better view of those animals.

Selecting Rifle and Cartridge for Antelope Hunting

The best selections for antelope hunting will be a .25/06, .243 or even the 6mm with bullets weighing from 90 to 100 grains. Other great cartridges include .257 Weatherby, and the .270 Winchester with 110-grain bullets.

(Click here for more explanation on how to choose the best rifles for your hunts).

Antelope Bow-Hunting

While you can be as close as 250 yards with a rifle, when using a bow you will get the best shot at 20-40 yards. When bow hunting, the most productive is that you hunt in blinds by water holes. You must construct these blinds using weeds and natural materials found near the water holes. Since you might need to wait the antelope for hours, you are recommended to build a large build for your convenience.

Antelopes are very curious, especially to the new things around them. To lure the animal closer to you so it will be easier to shoot, you can use a white kerchief.

(Click here for Elk Bow-Hunting)

Spot and Stalk in Antelope Hunting

Camouflage clothing is crucial in antelope hunting. However, make sure the proposed hunting ground legitimizes the use of the particular clothing. The clothing that you choose should blend to the surrounding area to give a natural feel. For example, the hues of the clothing must be the same with the grassland and so on. On the other hand, sage colored camo is comparatively more effective in high deserts.

Using non-human contour will enable you to hunt the antelope in shorter distance. Cover your body with scrub and bushes. The angle of the approach can be increased can perfect your stalk. If at all the hunter is spotted by the antelope, remaining still would be the best option.

Source: www.huntingtipsandtricks.com

Do you love gator hunting? If not, maybe you should try once. If you love it, maybe these tips below will be much help. However, technique between one alligator hunter and the other might be different, and hopefully the alligator hunting tips below will still give some insights for your hunting experience.

1. Check for Hidden Alligator

To avoid altercation that might hurt you, you have to spot exactly each and every of the alligator. The gator might be hiding somewhere, especially behind the bushes. Use your senses to find their spot because it is very possible that they have spotted you. As a human, you have more brain power than these reptiles so, use it! Remember that it is a dangerous thing to do. The alligator can just pops out of the bushes and snatches you. You can either fight him with your gun or cry for help (if anyone is near enough—and willing—to help)

2. Focus

Are you easily distracted? If yes, then alligator hunts are not for you. Many people survive because they focus. They know where the gator is hidden. If some small stuffs easily distract you, maybe you can survive the alligator hunting stuff.

3. Place your setup

Once you spot the alligator trails on the shoreline, you can place your setup there.

4. Bring chicken

From home, you can bring chicken as an offering for the gator. Bait the smelly chicken (or you can also use fish) on your hook to “provoke” the gators.

5. Put your bait above the water

It is recommended that you let your bet dangle about 2.5 feet of the water. The higher that the bait is above the water, the bigger the alligator it will catch.

6. Ready to shoot

The chicken will bring your gator the surface. Remember step 2, you must focus and not easily distracted. Once the gator is on the surface, use your .22 to shoot it behind the eyes. It is not recommended to use high powered rifles.

What do you think about the above alligator hunting tips? If you’re not ready for gator hunting, maybe you’d better hunt elk or other animals, instead.

Source: www.thejump.net

After knowing some tips in hunting elks, here are the mistakes many hunters do while hunting elk.

1. Too concealed

In most cases, hunters will use bow to hunt elks. To conceal yourself, you are most likely to choose some trees to cover you. It is good if you choose, for example, a downed tree on your side and a bush in front of you. However, you need an open space so that when an elk comes in, you can draw your bow from beside the tree or behind the bush.

Being inside a treetop is not recommended since it is too concealed, which means you don’t have enough space to draw your bow. Open space is crucial since elks always come in the directions that you may not anticipate. So, the open space will give you enough place to turn to get the shot.

2. Hunting by yourself

Most hunters don’t think buddy-hunting is needed, while in fact they help a lot. While you’re pulling your trigger, the buddy-hunting will do the calling from behind you to drag the elk past you so that it will be close enough for you to shoot.

Elks are smart. If you hunt alone, you will need to do the calling. The elk will come to that spot but soon they will look around for danger. If you have buddy-hunting for the calling, the elk will come in, looking at the past but not at you. The elk will try to find the caller and thus ignoring the shooter. This way, you will hunt more elks than when you hunt alone.

3. Not calling aggressively

Most hunters don’t make enough calling since they are afraid to be too close with the elks. However, the most effective way to call the elks is from his comfort zone because at that place he feels he knows everything. By calling from a closer place, the chance to shoot him is greater. You can choose to start 100 yards or less from him before start calling.

4. Ignoring the scent elimination products

Some people—especially the West—are not accustomed to use scent elimination products. The wind that switches directions really influences the sense of smell of the elks. Thus, the scent elimination products are needed to make the elk unable to smell your human odor. In this way, even though the wind changes direction, it is still fine for you. The human odor will be eliminated and the elks will smell the elks, instead of you.

5. Moving before it’s time to move

The less you move as the elk comes in, the higher you chance to take him. Knowing when to draw is crucial. You can’t draw while he’s looking at you. The best time to draw is when he’s looking away or when there is something in-between you and him that makes it hard for him to see you (like tree or bush).
Source: www.hunterspec.com