Hunting

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

Are you fond of hunting elk? Elk (and moose) can mostly be found in West. What you need to know that an elk can weigh 500-1000 pound. That is a huge number. Another thing you have to consider is that there are some preparations you have to make before starting to hunt the elk.

Here are 6 tips for your elk hunting experience with a bow.

1. Exercise with the bow

Before starting the hunting trip, you should have a lot of exercise with your bow. Since elk are heavy-boned animals, to make a humane killing you must shoot with a heavy bow. The weight of the bow needed is approximately 70 pounds. To give more penetration of the bow, you also need strong and heavy arrows. In fact, elks don’t move fast but they are very dangerous.

2. Get close with the animal

The closer you are to the animal, the more dangerous situation it is for you. When you are close to the animal, you are more vulnerable. But it is what makes hunting more exciting, isn’t it?

3. Make sure you are in a safe place

Getting closer also means that you will be into their territory. They will come after and attack you, not knowing that you are actually just a frail creature. So, in your way of getting closer, you have to think about things: 1) you have to be in a safe position and 2) this position allows you to get a got shoot at the elk.

4. Make sure you hit them on the kill area

To make a humane killing, you must hit them on the right area. To fast kill the elk, you must have proper shot placement. If you do not shoot your bow your arrow on the mark, you might only wound the animal or make them die slow, which is not humane.

5. Cover your scent

Covering your scent is essential when you hunt elk. It’s recommended that you bath with unscented soap and use unscented deodorant. Unscented laundry soap for your clothing is also good. Those products are made for hunters and you can find them on hunting retailers.

6. Practice make perfect

Your bow hunting will be better and better with a lot of practice. Besides that, you can also learn about how to call the elks, using their “language” that you learn during your trips. When you become an expert, you can call them using this language like a professional elk callers.

Source: www.howcast.com

Humane Shot Is the Rule

Air rifle hunting is challenging because you have to make a shot which is clean, effective, and more importantly, humane. A humane killing means that the animals will be in a clean condition and die quickly without suffering pain.

In air rifle hunting, while you are to have a humane killing, you also need to get close enough to the target to ensure an accurate shot. In many cases, hunter gets tired when their tiring stalks end in failure. But the achievement and pride will be much more when you succeed.

Air rifle hunting has different unwritten rules about the quarry. If you poach the game birds, your hunting permission can be withdrawn so don’t be tempted to shoot them although there can be very much game birds during your hunting. Other forbidden quarries are animals like hares and foxes because they are too large to be shot humanely with airgun pellets.

How to Behave As An Air Rifle Hunter?

As a rifle hunter, you must uphold to the Country Code. In many cases, you will be hunting on some of the farmers land. This way, you have the obligation to police his land. So, though you can’t do immediate help, if you see any code being broken such as kids vandalizing machinery or a dog worrying sheep, you have to report it as soon as possible.

The bad news and goods news will be easily spread in countryside. When they know that you are helpful and responsible, the farmers will be more welcome to you. In all your hunting time, behaving is highly recommended. Even when you don’t see anyone, you should still behave by opening the gates carefully and ensuring that they shut behind you. Slamming is forbidden because it can weaken the hinges. If the gates are locked, you can climb over at the hinged end, instead of the latched end because it will cause far less effect to the hinges.

You have to makes sure your rifle is safe when you cross from one field to another. If you have a sling, you can leave it on your shoulder when opening and closing the gate. But when you have to climb and need both hands, you must make sure that your gun is unloaded.

Source: www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Finding the best hunting rifle among a collection of rifles is not an easy thing to do. You have to find the one based on prices, sizes, materials, and shapes. The best way you can do is use a method called backward induction, which a kind of reasoning game. The step is looking at the ideal end result then work backward until you reach your decision.

What kind of game you intend to do? The answer will narrow down the type of rifle that you will choose. If you get the answer, you can then base your choice base on your preferences. This will lead to answer what kind of bullet and cartridge you will need, which in the end limit the kind of rifle you can use.

Why Rifle Cartridge Matters in Choosing the Right Hunting Riffle?

The ammunition must be considered to guarantee a humane kill but which will be able to preserve as much the meat of the hunted animal as possible. If the ammunition is too much, the animal won’t hurt but the meat will be damaged after the shot. When weaker ammunition is used, the meat is preserved while the animal might suffer from pain before dying, which is not humane.

Cartridges are not bullets. In fact, bullet is just a part of a cartridge. This cartridge is where the primer, gunpowder, and a bullet are contained at the tip of it. The primer is for igniting the gunpowder which will push the bullet into the barrel of the rifle and slid toward your target.

Cartridges are available based on caliber (diameter if the bullet), length, the size (how much power the cartridge can exert the bullet), and weight (measured by grains).
For a small game, it is recommended that you use cartridge of small caliber (such as a .17 and .22 caliber). If your distance is closer than 100 yards, you can choose a .22 long range cartridge. A .22 magnum cartridge is better for greater distance.

So, after knowing what kind of game you will play, you can decide what cartridge you will use, to finally decide which rifle is the right one for you. This is what we call backward induction.

Choose the Right Rifles

There are two large categories of rifles: single shots and repeaters. Single-shot tend to be sleeker with more elegant design and it is more nostalgic because it brings the sense of old America. Single-shot rifles are divided into 4 categories: falling-block, rolling-block, break-open, and trapdoor, which can be chosen based on personal preferences.
Repeating rifles are also divided into some varieties, such as bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action, and automatic rifles. The materials also need to be considered, like carbon steel or stainless steel. To choose these unique materials can be based on your experience. Good luck.

Source: adventure.howstuffworks.com