We’ve written several stories this summer and had Charles Alsheimer on Deer Talk Now talking about mock scrapes, mainly because they’re so simple to make and can fire up bucks looking for a fight or a hot doe.

Well, here’s another simple, easy tip for you: Use the Wildlife Research Center Magnum Scrape Dripper and start doing it now. Why? Because bucks are curious and will at least notice, if not get a bit crazy, when you hang the dripper and hit ‘em with a 1-2 punch.

The Magnum Scrape Dripper is lightweight, has a curved tube attached with a zip tie and will hold about 4 ounces of liquid. The zip tied tube allows the liquid — your favorite doe or buck urine — to drip only during the daytime hours in good conditions. This extends the life of the scrape up to two to three weeks, depending on conditions.

I hung one of these last season with some Wildlife Research Center Active-Scrape, which is from a doe in estrous. Results were good. I’ll be hanging some more of them within the next two weeks to get some deer fired up for our son to hunt this season. Or you could try some Hot-Scrape or #1 Select Estrous.

The Magnum Scrape Dripper is designed to last, too, with durable components and a screw-top lid that won’t leak. Hang them along the edge of a food plot, near stands or near existing scrape lines and get ready for some action.

— Alan Clemons, Managing Editor

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DeerDeerHunting/~3/8ccHODd1RMg/easiest-way-to-create-a-mock-scrape-maintain-through-the-season

When you spend as much time in our ground blinds as we do, you eventually create the “best seat in the house” instead of trying to “make do” with some chair from a discount store. Standard chairs are apt to cut off blood flow on the back of your legs, leading to discomfort and cold feet. They also restrict mobility and don’t allow the range of motion that our QS3 Tri-Stool provides. Of course, we designed this tri-stool at the perfect height to see through all of our blind window openings.

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The backstrap is the quintessential cut of venison. It’s easy to remove, easy to slice, and best of all, easy to make delicious. For trimming up a truly perfect backstrap steak for the table, only a few rules apply. Slice it across the grain, about an inch thick for the grill and a half-inch thick for the pan, and fillet the steaks away from the thick layer of sinew that holds the muscle in place.

Avid bowhunter Michelle Brantley has processed dozens of deer in her day, and she knows how to make venison taste good enough to reach for seconds. Her tips for slicing and trimming backstrap work just fine for whitetails or elk, mule deer or moose, and they apply whether you’re immediately throwing your steaks on the grill or packaging them for the freezer.

Source: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/whitetail-365/2013/10/venison-steak-how-fillet-backstrap

The EZ-ON Basic Harness is comfortable, padded shoulder straps for all day comfort. Fall arrest harness includes tree belt, lineman’s belt and SRD strap. Quick-release buckles on leg straps make adjusting harness fast and easy. One size fits most.

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Oct. 26 was the pheasant opener here in Nebraska. The end of this month also marks the onset of the whitetail rut in much of the country and offers some pretty good waterfowling for local ducks and geese. Yet, despite the abundant outdoor opportunities available this time of year, I’d encourage you to mark off the fourth Saturday in October on your 2014 calendar and make plans to attend the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tenn. That’s where I was last Saturday, judging the nearly 100 U.S. and international teams that had qualified for what’s known colloquially among barbecue lovers as, “The Jack.”

My weekend as a competitive barbecue judge started not with me sipping from a bottle of black label, as I had hoped, but instead drinking water and eating soda crackers. That was between bites of barbecue during the class required to be certified as an official Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) judge. Above is a photo of my sample ballot for chicken. After four hours of learning how to grade on the KCBS standards in three criteria — appearance, taste and texture — I stood, raised my right hand, and recited the following pledge:

I do solemnly swear to objectively and subjectively evaluate each Barbeque meat that is presented to my eyes, my nose, my hands, and my palate. I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque, and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever.

I got a good look at that American way of life Friday night as a fog of hickory smoke settled around Lynchburg. On “The Hill” above the distillery, a rowdy crowd of competitors and barbecue fans insulated themselves against the sub-freezing temperatures with healthy slugs of Tennessee whiskey, a roaring fireplace, and country music played by fellow judge Keith Anderson. I could have easily spent the night deep in the hollow, wandering among the pitmasters who stayed up in to the wee hours tending to their ribs, pork, and brisket. Instead, I took my KCBS oath seriously and retired moderately early to be lucid for Saturday’s competition.

The next day, I donned my apron, cracked a bottle of water, and took my place of honor at Table No. 1. Seated next to me was “Big” Jim Stancil, a pitmaster from Bare Knuckles BBQ, who has competed all at levels, including on the TV show BBQ Pitmasters. As this was my first time judging, Big Jim was a great guide, as he schooled me on what makes for winning barbecue after our scores had been submitted. (Discussing entries before all judges at the table have finished scoring is a violation of the judging rules.)

Four hours and more than 40 bites of barbecue later, I emerged from the sauce-filled fray a few pounds heavier and a bit more knowledgeable about what competition barbecue is all about. Here are just a few of things I learned:

1. Practice Restraint
The most-often repeated piece of advice I heard before and during the judging was “just one bite.” Any more than that and you’re risking not only indigestion, but also the competitors who fall later in the judging could be at a scoring disadvantage because you you’re miserably full. Still, I’ll admit there were a few entries that I couldn’t resist going back to for a second bite.

2. This Isn’t Restaurant Barbecue
Those “fall off the bone tender” riblets you love so much at Applebee’s have no place in competition barbecue. If the meat comes away too easily, that’s a sign of overcooking, as is mushy pulled pork or brisket that falls into pieces when you try to fork it onto your plate. Instead, the meat should have some give. Flavor profiles in competition barbecue are different as well, resisting big flavors in place of bland ones that don’t offend anyone. There was also a strong trend toward sugary sauces over spicy ones.

3. Even The Best Stumble
I went into the weekend expecting to experience some of the best barbecue I’d ever tasted, but that often wasn’t the case. (See Rule No. 2.) I also figured every entry would nail it. This is the national stage after all. But more than once our table had virtually inedible entries. I put a piece of brisket in my mouth that had the funk of meat that had been aged about two months two long. After our scorecards were submitted, another judge admitted to spitting his out. Earlier in the day that same judge bit into a boneless chicken thigh that was raw in the middle. More than once, I marked off for appearance due to uneven application of sauce, which Stancil said was “unbelievable” at this level of competition.

4. There’s No Beer (or Whiskey) At This Barbecue
I’ll admit it, after loading up my judging plate full of ribs I reflexively reached for a beer that wasn’t there. I was in Lynchburg and there wasn’t even a Jack and Coke in arm’s reach. Although it seems at odds with the spirit of barbecue, no alcoholic beverages are allowed during the judging process, nor are carbonated beverages. During the KCBS certification class we were even told not to show up smelling like alcohol from the night before. Instead, I chased every bite with the only thing allowed—water and a bit of soda cracker to cleanse the palate. But don’t think I didn’t pour a glass of Jack as soon as my judging duties were done.

5. People Will Eat Anything
Judging Table No. 1 faced a rotating crowd of onlookers seated along a row of bleachers, with just a livestock panel separating us from the mob. Our table captains often shared any leftover entries with those in the front row, who clamored for anything they could. When I took my judging plate as near to the crowd as I dared, it was not unlike tossing scraps to ravenous wolves. Once, an arm reached through the crowd and grabbed a big drumstick which I’d already taken a bite from. To that guy I can only say, hope you didn’t catch my gnarly cold…

I discovered a lot more over the course of my few days in Lynchburg, including how delicious hot chicken is and what it takes to make tasty Tennessee whiskey, not to mention how sugar, smoke, sauce, and some secret ingredients turn into great barbecue. Expect to read about those subjects and a few more over the course of the next year, until hopefully I get to do it all over again Oct. 25, 2014.

Source: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/wild-chef/2013/10/judging-jack-daniels-world-championship-invitational-barbecue

As the ideal blend of mid-size pack and maximum storage, the new Willie’s Day Pack is a straightforward approach to carrying gear into the field. The large cargo compartment accommodates bulky items while the accessory pocket is designed for easy access to smaller gear items. Padded shoulder straps with quick release strap allow for quick removal during fast hunting action.

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Bucks are on their feet and moving now in search of the first does to come into estrus. With the recent full moon, a few does will come into estrus early. (photo copyright Charles J. Alsheimer)

By the end of October bucks’ and does’ hormone levels have peaked. Combine this with the fact that a full moon hung in the sky on October 18 and you have the ingredients in place for the rut to begin. But don’t be fooled into thinking the rut is about to go hot-to-trot. That won’t happen until mid-November.

The lunar research Wayne Laroche and I have been conducting for over 16 years has shown that when there is a full moon late in October a small percentage of does – about 10 percent – will cue off of this full moon and be bred around the end of October. This will cause bucks to be on the move, trying to find the first estrus doe of the season.

The accompanying photo illustrates what typically happens at this time of year. When I took this photo the doe was feeding in a food plot with a group of other does. The buck entered the clearing, lowered his head and slowly approached the doe. For the next few moments the buck dogged the doe before running her out of the plot. He didn’t follow her, but rather, moved on to another doe. None of the does were in estrus yet but that didn’t slow down the buck. When he finally pushed all the does out of the food plot his nose led him to two locations where a doe had urinated. He paused and lip-curled at each spot before wandering off into the woods in search of more does.

Buckle up your safety harness because things are about to get exciting as deer activity continues to ramp up.

– Charlie

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DeerDeerHunting/~3/f9Y-xy63v60/alsheimer-get-ready-big-bucks-are-on-the-move

Patented 3-reed design is “pure duck” with a little extra kick—it easily replicates the quack, feed call and hail call of a mallard hen. This unique system replicates these sounds more easily, due to the different combination of reed material stacked together. The result is a pure duck sound with a little extra kick and a system that is easy to clean, tune and operate.

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Archery deer and pronghorn hunting might be allowed on some of Utah’s waterfowl management areas in 2014, and eight different areas in Utah might receive transplanted mule deer.

Also, young hunters who don’t have their own hunting permit might be allowed to use their parent’s or grandparent’s permit to take a big game animal in 2014.

Those changes are among several changes Division of Wildlife Resources biologists are proposing for Utah’s 2014 big game hunts.

All of the changes the biologists are proposing should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings by Oct. 30.

Learn more, share your ideas

After you’ve reviewed the ideas at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an e-mail to them.

RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on Dec. 5 to approve rules for Utah’s 2014 big game hunts. Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:

Northern Region:
Nov. 6
6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W.
Brigham City

Central Region
Nov. 7
6:30 p.m.
Springville Public Library
45 S. Main St.
Springville

Southern Region
Nov. 12
6 p.m.
Cedar City Middle School
2215 W. Royal Hunte Dr.
Cedar City

Southeastern Region
Nov. 13
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River

Northeastern Region
Nov. 14
6 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N. Vernal Ave.
Vernal

You can also provide your comments to your RAC via email. Email addresses for your RAC members are available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/rac-members.html.

The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s email address. You should direct your email to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.

Archery hunting on waterfowl management areas

Opening some of Utah’s waterfowl management areas to archery deer and pronghorn hunting are among the biologists’ ideas.

The six WMAs in question-Bicknell Bottoms, Brown’s Park, Clear Lake, Desert Lake, Locomotive Springs and Redmond-are far from major urban centers. Both the archery deer and archery pronghorn hunts would be over before the general waterfowl hunt started in October.

Moving deer

Some areas in Utah might receive some additional deer. If a need arose to move deer, DWR biologists have identified eight deer hunting units they’d like to move deer to. The eight units are in rural parts of the state. Each unit has enough winter range to support additional deer and has held more deer in the past than it’s currently holding.

The following are the units that could receive deer and where they’re located in Utah:

Unit Location
1 (Box Elder) Northwestern Utah
11 (Nine Mile) East-central Utah
14A (San Juan, Abajo Mtns) Southeastern Utah
17C (Wasatch Mtns, Currant Creek) North-central Utah
19A (West Desert, West) Western Utah
20 (Southwest Desert) Western Utah
21A (Fillmore, Oak Creek) Western Utah
24 (Mt. Dutton) Southwestern Utah

Justin Shannon, big game coordinator for the DWR, says deer would be moved only from populations that were drastically exceeding their population objectives and were starting to damage habitat. Surplus deer from these areas could be taken to bolster deer populations on the eight units.

When is a teenager no longer a youth hunter?

Right now in Utah, the definition of who is a youth hunter varies by hunt. For example, as soon as a young hunter reaches 15 years of age, he or she can no longer participate in Utah’s youth waterfowl and upland game hunting days. Big game hunters, however, are considered youth hunters until they reach 18 years of age.

The DWR would like to make the age cutoff consistent across all hunts. Biologists are proposing that anyone 17 years of age or younger on July 31 be considered a youth hunter.

New hunter mentoring program

A new program that should build bonds and memories between young hunters and their parents, stepparents and grandparents will start in Utah in 2014.

The Hunter Mentoring program allows a non-licensed youth hunter to accompany their parent, stepparent, grandparent or legal guardian into the field. Once an animal is found, the youth can take the animal and then tag it with the mentor’s tag.

As soon as an animal is taken, the hunting season will be over for both the mentor and the youth hunter.

Magnifying scopes, draw locks and crossbows

Another change would permit the use of three items during Utah’s any-weapon big game hunts: Magnifying scopes on muzzleloaders, draw lock devices on bows and the use of crossbows.

(During the any-weapon hunts [commonly called the rifle hunts], hunters may use rifles, muzzleloaders or archery equipment.)

“We don’t have concerns with people using scopes, draw lock devices or crossbows during the any-weapon hunts,” Shannon says. “By choosing to use archery equipment or a muzzleloader, the chance they’ll take an animal is lower than if they used a rifle.”

Splitting the any-weapon hunt on the Book Cliffs Unit

Splitting the Book Cliffs limited-entry deer hunting unit into two areas for the any-weapon hunt would allow the number of bucks per 100 does on the northern portion of the unit to increase.

The southern portion of the Book Cliffs is harder to hunt, so most hunters are hunting the northern portion. The increased pressure has reduced the number of bucks on the northern part of the Book Cliffs.

“If we split the unit into two areas,” Shannon says, “we could reduce the number of permits for the northern area. That would help increase the number of bucks in that area. At the same time, we could increase the number of permits for the southern portion. There are plenty of bucks to hunt in the southern area.”

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DeerDeerHunting/~3/pdnHxH2x8Vk/youth-archery-changes-coming-next-season

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