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"The Ultimate Hunter"

Over the summer, I had a chance to watch "The Ultimate Hunter". (Click to view video) Argiope aurantia is its formal name. I like to call them Writing Spiders. This one found a home outside of my sister's house. I had never witnessed this ferocious hunter in action until this summer, and I was truly amazed. Check it out. Watch how he methodically gets in position, wraps his prey with silk, and then sinks his fangs for a dose of venom. Definitely "The Ultimate Hunter".

"Wall Hanger"

I've always had the mindset that the glass is half full. With that thought, I've never judged the success of a hunt on whether I killed a "Mature" animal. A "Trophy". A "Wall Hanger".

Now for the whole truth. Over the past few years, I've started to wonder if taking a "Wall Hanger" would ever happen. Let me remind you that a trophy is in the eye of the beholder. To me a trophy is a mature animal. Period. I'm not worried about Boone and Crockett status. To me a "Trophy" whitetail is defined by more than just how many inches of antler are on its head. Anyways. My chances to harvest a trophy animal have mounted over the past several years. The most recent "chance" happened during the opening day of the 2009 season. A perfect quartering shot put the deer down, only to have him disappear without a trace. That haunted me for an entire year.

Fast forward to October 16, 2010. The morning was cool and crisp and the air was still. I started to my stand about an hour and a half before first light. I wanted to get in early because I had to cross a soybean field which usually held deer during the night. By going in early, I thought if I were to spook deer going into my stand the woods would have time to quiet down before light. Well, on the way in to my stand it was quiet. No spooked deer was a good start. As I got settled into the stand, I put on my face mask and gloves and prepared for an hour of sitting in the dark. You would think that this would be a boring hour, but it was actually quite exciting. A pack of coyotes made themselves known with a sequence of howls that sent chills up my spine. Then a few hoots from several owls made me feel like I was not the wisest one in the woods that morning. After all that fuss, the crunch of the leaves signaled that a deer was approaching. The deer cruised through without pause and the crunch of leaves faded into the dark. It was too dark to see but my suspicions led me to believe that this was a buck heading to the soybean field to check his scrapes.

As the horizon started to brighten, the silhouette of several deer moved through the soybean field. Now I'm on full alert. Several deer moved through the hardwoods to my left and eased into a cut over that I was facing. It seemed that the deer were all around. The next deer I see was a doe on the far edge of the soybean field. She was by herself which to me signaled that a buck could be following . She stopped for a split second and then moved on. Then I see him. WOW! I immediately get in position because I know that my window of opportunity is small. He stoped and worked a scrap for a second. It was as if time stood still. Here was my "chance" to redeem myself and silence those haunting memories. He then turned and started to walk off. I put the crosshairs on his shoulder and squeezed. BOOM! The buck jolted and ran out of sight. My heart and mind were racing at this point. Do I get down or do I wait. That wasn't a hard decision. I jumped down, literally. I made a quick pace to the edge of the field and there he was. I put a quick stalk on him to make sure he was down and then I woke up the woods. BBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOYAAAAAAAAWWWWW!

My glass was now full! That mindset that the glass was always half full started to be an excuse. Of course I love to be in the woods and yes it's not all about the kill, but every hunter dreams of harvesting a "Mature" animal. A "Trophy". A "Wall Hanger". Well, now I have mine!

Birthday Present!

What a Birthday! Story to come. 212lb. 8pt. 19in. inside spread. Shot at 165 yards.

Curiosity Almost Killed the Dogs!

Just the other day, I had one of those moments when I wish I had a video camera handy. Something that I've never seen before happened that in a way goes along with some of my prior posts regarding coyote control. If you've read Coyote Control you've gotten the point that deer fawns have a tough go at it about this time of year. Well, lets just say that I think the deer are taking things into their own hoofs.

My sister has two dogs, Tipper and Jake, who are a sister/brother combo and their curiosity almost got them in trouble. These two are total opposites and hilarious to watch. Tipper is the mischievous one. Jake is laid back one. Both like belly rubs, but only if you can manage to give them at the same time. Can we say jealous? An interesting note for this story is that both are approximately equal in size to your typical coyote. Well anyways, to the story...

As I stand on my back porch, I hear an awful scream come from the treeline about 300 yards away. As I look across the field, saying out loud "What the heck was that?" I see Tipper and Jake storm out of the woods like they had seen a ghost. To my amazement, right on their paws was an angry doe. Jake and Tipper were on a dead sprint back towards my house and so was the doe. For about 100 yards, she chased them. I was in shock. Apparently, the two dogs stumbled upon her fawn in the woods. I had always seen and heard of dogs chasing deer, but not vice versa. WOW! I wonder how often this happens to predators. It at least left the impression that they are ready for a fight.

Coyote Control (Part III)

If you read my article Coyote Control you might be interested in the video link that I found on You Tube. It describes the beginning stages of the research project that I wrote about at the Savannah River Site. It shows how the scientist tagged the fawns for the study. You can read the results of the study in my Coyote Control post.

Hunting: Primitive Weapons

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a slow grilled slice of venison backstrap, wrapped in bacon and glazed with sweet honey barbeque sauce. I often think about how lucky we are these days to have all of these ingredients at our finger tips, because not too far back in history figuring out which seasoning we put on our food wasn't the main concern.

On a cool evening in late October, the hoot of an owl echoed through the oak hollow I was hunting and quickly faded as a swift breeze rustled the leaves under my stand. It was as if I wasn’t alone. I started to think about an arrowhead my Dad found earlier in the day. These little treasures are hidden throughout the countryside. They have become harder to find, but occasionally when the land is tilled they can spring from the earth as if they had been planted many years ago. It was definitely evidence that this land had been hunted before. Not for sport, but for survival. I was immediately hit with a shivering chill.

This thought got me interested in hunting with more primitive weapons. My dad had an old re-curve bow that we dusted off and got in shooting condition. Although, much more advanced than what an American Indian would’ve used, it was very primitive to me. We also have an early Virginia flintlock rifle (circa 1770) that I intend to take hunting. Having handled these weapons, I’ve gained a tremendous respect for the challenges that hunters faced years ago. These days my survival might not be in question, but I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that if the clock was turned back I wouldn’t have trouble turning into the whisper of wind that sent chills up my back that day I was hunting. Today’s technology is truly impressive, but sometimes it’s fun to step back and follow in the foot-steps of hunters many years ago.

The area where these arrowheads have been found was probably a dividing line between the Cherokee and Catawba Indians, so I'm unable to say for certain the origin of the arrowheads. Also, many arrowheads were traded from other regions which makes their origin even harder to pinpoint. The ones we've found are made of quartz and chert rock and come in all shapes and sizes. Some were probably used as spear points and others true arrowheads.

The picture at the beginning of the blog shows some of the arrowheads my Dad and I have found. I also added another picture of the arrowheads below. The next picture below shows the early Virginia flintlock rifle along with a powder horn made of cowhorn, hunting pouch, tomahawk, and hunting knife. I've also added a picture of a Catawba pipe head recently purchased that is made to replicate traditional patterns from years ago. The last picture is a British Dragoon flintlock pistol next to a Glock Model 17 9mm. This gives you a visual of how times have changed.

Coyote Control (Part II)

Coyote Control

Watch out because a coyote trapper is in town! I had the opportunity this past weekend to watch what I would call a professional trapper at work. If they were to give trappers a degree, this guy would have his Masters. For the purpose of this blog, I will refer to him as Master Trapper. His main goal was to trap wily coyotes from a friend’s property and he didn’t disappoint. My buddy told a story of a few days before when they noticed Master Trapper abruptly stop his ATV and examine a spot on the pasture fence. My buddy said they stopped and asked him what he was looking at. Master Trapper replied, “coyotes are crossing here.” He spotted a single coyote hair on the fence while traveling 40 mph on his four-wheeler. That’s impressive.

Over the past few years, the coyote has expanded his range and is often seen in places you wouldn’t expect. I read an article this morning on CNN of coyotes in New York City. I wouldn’t have believed that a few years ago. I also have seen them in my backyard, which just a few years ago would’ve been unheard of. According to SCDNR, “populations in South Carolina were established in Pickens and Oconee counties in the late 1970’s by houndsmen, and coupled with natural immigration, have since expanded to include all counties in the State.”

The question that often is asked is “what impact do coyotes have on deer/turkey/predator populations?” Based on my research there are various opinions on this question. The scale goes from those that say that we need to eradicate coyote populations to those that say they have no impact at all. Personally, I don’t think it’s rational to say they have no impact at all. I found an interesting article called, “Coyotes in the East: Are They Impacting Deer?” which was done by the USDA Forest Service. Its research has found that coyotes do have a significant impact on deer fawn populations. In its research they monitored 60 fawns and noted that 44 of these fawns didn’t survive until the fall season. During the research, they were able to attribute 36 of the 44 (60%) fawn deaths to coyote predation. That sounds significant to me. I also found an article at Outdoor Life magazine, which showed a series of pictures in which a coyote caught a fawn. This just gave me a visual of the research done by the USDA Forest Service. As with everything, I feel that the impact depends on the situation, but you can’t ignore that there is an impact.

The next question would be “What does a landowner do?” Let’s face it, the coyote is here to stay, but there a measures that can be done to control them. SCDNR has a good publication that gives a history of the coyote and how they can be controlled. I got to see this done first hand by Master Trapper and it’s something I will not soon forget. Let’s remember that they don’t call them Wily for nothing.

See the rules and regulations regarding trapping predators at SCDNR.

Hunting: Tree Stand Safety

Let me start this story by providing a few statistics on tree stand related accidents. I did a little research and found that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) maintains a statistical information system called the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). This system samples 100 of the approximately 5,300 nationwide emergency hospitals and then formulates a national estimate on different injuries. (See the NEISS link for more detail.) I queried a period of 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2008 and found 127 tree stand related accidents from the sampled population of emergency hospitals. You can actually view the cases and descriptions from the queried results. My point to this is not to provide a shocking estimate of deaths or injuries from tree stand accidents, but to just show that accidents do occur. All hunters that use tree stands more than likely have experienced some sort of close call. The following close call was literally slammed into my memory, and almost put me into the statistical category noted above.

Stepping from my buddy’s truck, the soaking rain from the night before was evident from the water seeping from the ground as I took my first step. This provided some promise for the morning hunt as we figured the deer would be eager to move because they would have hunkered down during the night to weather the storm. A cool misty fog rolled across the field as we started towards our hunting spots. We knew that this hunt would be what I like to call ‘all eyes and no ears’, because the rain had taken the crunch out of the earth’s floor. We came to a split in the path which signaled it was time for us to part. My buddy was headed to a fixed stand looking over a pasture bordered by young pines. I was going to hunt a funnel of hardwoods that extended out from the pasture we just crossed.

Let me interrupt the story for a few important details. We were hunting on my buddy’s property, which I had only hunted a few times before. My buddy was letting me borrow his climbing stand because we were limited on the number of fixed stands we could hunt. I kid with him now that he was a horrible guide because as we got to the split in the path he pointed and said, “Somewhere over there would be good”. I can remember shining my light in the direction he pointed and thinking he was crazy. The hardwood funnel was surrounded by ten foot pines packed so tightly that it would’ve been hard to squeeze a mouse through them and here I am with a cumbersome climbing stand strapped to my back. With no other options, I managed to fight through that mess. Standing on the other side of the pines, I was a bit confused, frustrated, and wet!! Now, let’s get back to the story.

As I entered the funnel area, I found what appeared to be a good tree to climb. I strapped my rifle across my chest and attached the climber to the tree. I started up the tree, trying to be as careful as possible. I usually try to climb about 20 feet or so, but as I got up the tree something didn’t feel right. I eased my weight back into the stand to realize that the tree was angled slightly and I was on the wrong side of the tree. Without much thought, I decided to work myself to the opposite side of the tree. When I made my first move I knew I was in trouble. The upper section of the stand swayed quickly. All in one motion, I let go and grabbed the tree. In a split second my stand was on the ground and I was hanging on. What now and a few expletives swept through my mind. Like a cat, I shimmied down the tree. My heart was racing because I knew I had escaped major injury. My buddy said the clanging of the metal stand as it fell echoed through the woods like a gun blast. It’s no surprise that I saw no deer that morning.

Three key mistakes I made that day:
1. I didn’t have a tree picked out prior to climbing. I was unfamiliar with the area!
2. I was not familiar with the stand I was using.
3. I did not have a safety belt or strap. (Most Important)

One statistic that I would like to know is how often this has happened to other hunters. I can imagine that the number of close calls is significant. I learned that day that safety is most important and a safety belt is a must. At the top of my blog is a custom Google search. Take a minute and type in hunter safety harness into the search field. There are many good options these days. I don’t necessarily have an opinion of which is the best, but I do have an opinion that one is a must!

Hunting Shed Antlers

The question that often arises around this time of year is, "When should I start looking for shed antlers?". It has been my experience that it's never too early. I have found sheds in the past as early as January 5th. That is only four days after the last day of deer season in South Carolina. One memory that stands out is a set found in early January by my Dad and I.

Dad and I set out on an afternoon stroll one Saturday or as we like to call it, "a walk in the woods". We decided to walk the fence line that bordered the pasture behind my Dad's house. As we started out we fought through a thicket of small sweet gum trees and a briar patch that was too thick for the slickest of cottontails. We some how managed to squeeze our way through and found ourselves in a young stand of pines. We found a well traveled deer trail and began to follow it. It wasn't long when we spotted one side of a nice eight point rack. I had just read an article not too long before our "walk in the woods" that stated that the more mature dominant bucks often loose their antlers first due to their increased energy output during the year to maintain their dominance. I'm not a biologist but this makes sense to me. I also read that often a deer sheds both sides of its antlers in the same general area. So we continued our "walk in the woods" and followed this deer trail. As luck or fate would have it, we stumbled on the match to the shed we found earlier. It was only approximately 200 yards away from the first one we found. Not a bad day for just a "walk in the woods".

To me these sheds are a treasure. Although they hold some value if you search an auction site like eBay, it is more than just a price tag. It is like finding a lost piece to a puzzle. It offers a glimpse of the unknown, because these animals are so elusive. The shed that I found that day was from a deer that I had never seen and haven't seen since, but it's this clue to the unknown that keeps me hunting. So don't hesitate to take that "walk in the woods", because it's never too early to find that treasure.

Fishing: One Pond with a Million Memories

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for fishing. This passion was instilled in me by my Dad who got me involved in the sport at a very early age. I was lucky to have a small pond located on the family farm. I can only imagine the number of times that I cast a line across that pond. Millions of memories fill my head of those days. Let me see if I can paint a picture with words of just a few of them.

The sun peeked over the horizon and transformed my bedroom walls from baby blue to bright orange. The chirping of the robins in the yard signaled that the days were getting longer and warmer. One deep breath of the spring morning air and I was up and at 'em. The one thing on my mind was getting Dad's shovel and finding a few worms to dangle in the small pond that sat within view of my bedroom window. When I think of fishing, I often think of those mornings of spring fishing fever.

Dad always found time to take me on an adventure to the family pond. In my younger days, Dad and I would grab the cane poles and dig a few worms from the pasture behind the house. Then we would set off for an hour or two of fishing. The trek to the pond was an adventure in itself. A long winding trail sliced through a thick forest of oaks and pines. One day that is etched into my memory is a day in which I persuaded Dad to let me ride on his shoulders. We headed down the path humming a tune that Dad made up and singing a song from the "Wizard of Oz"..Lions, Tigers, and Bears 'Oh My'..Well, lets just say at about the time my Dad said "Bears", a snake decided to show his head on the trail. I think my Dad hit mach two and lost his shoes. I'm not sure how I stayed on his shoulders. I never cross that spot on the trail without thinking of that day.

My fishing memories of that pond are endless. These memories include the early years of chasing tadpoles and minnows to more recently watching my son catch his first fish. I used to pretend to be Hank Parker. I would set up a scenario which put me a fish down with only a few minutes remaining in the Bassmasters Classic. I seemed to always find a way to catch that fish. Whether it took me a few hours or not. As I got older, I would always try out new baits in the pond. I can remember catching two bass with one cast on a new rattletrap. I was amazed. I learned to throw a baitcaster, tie different knots, site fish, fish topwater baits, fish the carolina rig, and on and on and on.

As I look back on those memories, I understand now the impact that being outside and with my Dad had in my life. Now that I'm a Dad, I try to strive to teach my son those same things. Take a kid fishing. The impact is priceless.

Hunting Cut-Overs

As the sun sets over the distant treeline, a breath of steam floats like a ghost through shadows created from a maze of new growth. A lane of opportunity stretches through this maze and offers me a quick glimpse of what created the steam that caught my eye. As I sit perched high in my stand, I am amazed at the ease that these deer move through the woven undergrowth.

Over the years I've hunted various locations within this tract of land. This location has always produced a good number of deer but never to this extent. The increase in activity can only be attributed to the cover created in the third year of this cut-over. I am centered in a funnel of mature white oaks that split two agriculture fields. The fields have been planted with soy beans this year. In front of me is approximately 30 acres of cut over. I had a shooting lane cut that extended from my stand out across the cut-over. Beyond this cut-over that I'm looking at sits another tract of 30 acres that was clear cut approximately eight years ago. This clear cut was replanted with pines and now is a dense jungle of 15 to 20 foot trees. The deer that I've seen have used the cut-over as a shield as they can disappear in a blink of an eye.

Morning hunts are tricky because of the soy bean fields and oaks. I was only able to get to my stand once during the year without moving deer on the way. On this morning, I saw one of the biggest deer ever seen on this tract of land. Afternoon hunts seemed to be a little easier. Deer would move out of the distant growth of young pines and into the cut-over often in the early afternoon. They seemed to hang out in the cut-over until last light and then move into the fields.

What I Learned.
1. Shooting lanes are a must. $150 got me a 15 x 400 yard shooting lane.
Create these lanes early as new growth takes over quickly.
2. Hunt the funnel areas and entry points to the food source.
3. Sit tight because it seemed the deer moved throughout the day.
4. Hold on because the action is fast!
Good Hunting!

Welcome to the Huntshack!

Welcome to the Huntshack! A virtual cabin filled with memories of my hunting and fishing adventures.