Cannot Be Ignored

I realize this is a hunting dedicated website. However, there are times in our lives where things happen that should at the very least cause pause in our lives. Today a tragic school shooting has occurred in Connecticut. As I type this there is around 20 people killed, including teachers, elementary aged students and the gunman himself.

I wish there was a better word in the English language to describe this event other than tragedy, as that word doesn't carry the unmeasurable weight on the heart when you hear about such an event. Not a single parent should have to experience the death of a child in their lifetime. Our children are supposed to out live their parents...any other out come is sheer tragic.

It is times like this that we as a society can grow or continue to fall apart...it is up to us collectively to began to rebuild a better society. If you believe in prayer, please pray for those who were involved in or affected by this tragedy...no one should have to experience this.

It is an event like this that should make us all reflect upon how far mankind has gone into the depths of evil. Everyday we hear of more and more tragedy spread across the globe, but moments like this knocks us collectively down another rung farther and farther away from where we should be.

I do not know where each heart is of those that may read this post but I pray you re-evaluate your life. Please reconsider how you treat those you love. Be quicker to forgiveness than anger. Be quicker to show appreciation than disappointment. Hold your children tighter and hug your spouses longer. Give your parents a call to tell them how much they mean to you.

If you haven't discovered God, or thought about attending a local church perhaps re-consider it. There is but only One answer to this thing we call "life". Yes, many haven taken what He has said and failed in their walk (we all fall short), but do not let their failings stop you from experience the Lord, Jesus Christ in your life. I can honestly tell each and every one of you there is no other way I would be where I am, how I am and who I am if it wasn't for my Lord and Savior.

I have no doubt that if more of us continue to go to, begin to go to, or come back to God...tragedies like these would happen fewer and fewer.

(I promise to go back to the topic of hunting in future posts. I pray though that you feel my sincerity through this post, and won't take such a post as intrusive or almost inappropriate.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

If you haven't caught it yet 12-1-2012 hunting log post has the story of the day I finally put some meat in the freezer which was good; however there was some bad and ugly from the day as well.

Check it out HERE

Respecting the Animal

Respect, it's a word we hear uttered in the schools to our kids, living rooms to our children and even in political campaigns. It's a word that usually no one can really have a justified arguement against. To not be respectful or respect others is and always should be deemed wrong. No you don't have to agree with someone to be respectful, but some just don't seem to grasp that concept...which is precisely how some hunters can't grasp the idea of having respect for the animal they're hunting.

Some would say I have too much respect for the whitetail deer. I refused to take a shot on a buck 15 minutes prior to legal light this season (would have been biggest to date for me), despite the ability to see him clearly, could have smoked him with my bow but I let him walk. I have refused to shoot bucks and does when the shot wasn't a good opportunity and chance of recovery was low (low light, pouring rain or quartering to...). I don't say these things to give myself an "atta boy" but to point out how I feel we all need to treat this gift of hunting. Others would have shot in any of those examples and not thought twice. My question to them is, "Do you respect the animal you're hunting?"

If you answer anything but yes, in my honest opinion I feel you are 100% wrong...and if you answer yes, does your hunting reflect that? A hunter whose goal is to end the life of a deer needs to respect the "game" they're choosing to play. By taking to the woods in pursuit of the great whitetail deer you cannot fall short in your preparation, for that will only result in dis-respect towards the animal you're chasing.

This whole post is brought about by the recent news that the massive 8-pointer I chased all bow season at a new property I picked up was wounded (on opening day of gun) from a mere 10 yards away...and from the sounds of it not even mortally wounded. Never recovered and blood trail stopped according to the landowner which helped the neighboring hunter track it. Now I probably will never know the specifics of the hunt, but no matter what they were the results don't change and I felt this post still needed.

Now I'm the first to admit buck fever happens, but at 10 yards it shouldn't matter what gun you're using...you should be able to make that shot. If you can't, you have no business being in the woods. I firmly believe that as a hunter your preparation for a hunt should always include: PRACTICE. Your weapon of choice has the ability to take a life when used properly and you have the responsibility to make 100% sure it is in full working order and accurate. Gun hunters especially have no excuse. Just one or two visits to the range and a dozen or so shots at various distances should at minimum show you if you have any business being in the woods. If you can't consistently hit a kill zone sized target from what range you plan on hunting YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HUNTING. That includes guys hunting with crossbows, bows, pistols or long guns...if you can't consistently put it in the kill zone stay out of the woods.

Buck fever (happens), poor shot choice (disrespect)...never know could be either.

I know it may sound harsh, but I'm being bluntly honest. When you choose to hunt it is your responsibility to have your weapon in tip top working shape...a scope can get bumped just like a sight pin can...so even in season practice is something every hunter should do. I encourage any and all who want to hunt, please by all means add to our ranks! However, by choosing to hunt you have to take the responsibility to do so with respect to the deer in mind...failure to do so disrespects the deer, yourself and other hunters who are taking the proper steps.

Good luck to any and all hitting the woods still this 2012 season.

181 hours, issues boil and season is still not done!

So this post is more or less going to attempt at recapping my entire 2012 season. It may seem crazy but this is a season I believe I will forever remember, obviously though that is not due to, at least at this point, adding another trophy to my wall. No, this season in many eyes hasn't went according to plan...although does hunting ever truly go by plan? If I had my way every season would go like 2009....when I shot nearly a 140inch buck less than 2 hours into the season. Yeah that would be great but not how seasons typically speaking go.

No this year, I've officially recorded 181 hours on stand....yes you read that right. Think of it this way, the average hunter hunts roughly 3 or 4 hours a hunt (I know a  lot that do less)...but if all I did was a 3 hour hunt I could have hunted at this point 30+ straight days without stopping. Yeah, let's just say my butt is almost developing callouses from all the hours on stand (I've put in nearly 12 all-day sits). What do I have to show with it? Well, tangibly nothing.

While I may not have put a buck down yet, I have learned many a thing about our new properties or stand locations. The Swamp Property...man how this place is frustrating. We've learned that dogs have been running the property consistently almost every day...explaining why out of every single hunt there I have only seen does 1 time...and I've hunted there a ton! Does simply refuse to live where they have to worry about dogs all day long...hence why we never get day time photos of them either up in the woods. In order to find daytime photos you have to go to the sanctuary edge...a place we are going to strategically tackle better next season. We've learned with the dogs the woods are almost useless....save RD who according to cameras is the only deer still using the woods regularly.

Switching to the Homestead Property...my how the does are loving the place! I can remember a time when doe sightings while typical, still at times wouldn't occur. Now you basically can sit anywhere back in our property or around it and you will see does...and lots of them! My father in I both have had 20+ antlerless sighting hunts so far, something that is just amazing. Our food plots are getting hammered obviously and is due to the high doe population. We plan on taking out a bunch of does here late season, probably at minimum 4 but who knows if there's still 5+ doe families running around that number could go up higher.

We've learned the small property we picked up to the NE is money! I haven't sat there save on windy and warm day without seeing at least a dozen deer. The pinch created by the hill and the houses just makes for a deer highway...also we've learned the close bedding makes the base of the hill stand for only all-day sits as you will spook deer entering after light.

Now for the ugly we've learned, well experienced...the troubles we've had with our northern neighbors has finally boiled over. It's official now, we no longer have permission to hunt there...but we were going to back out anyways after this year just to be done with them. Needless to say I'll be showing some of the things we've done already and what we will be doing to discourage the deer even more to use that property (in the process I'm sure making them mad even more).

The good news is though despite everything that's occurred or not occurred the season is still not over. I'll admit I'm typing this on a Sunday afternoon when I could be hunting...but after last nights run in with the neighbor's I have a bad taste in my mouth and needed the day off. So I bid you all good luck as I had back to Sunday football and some cold beer.

Good luck out there!

The hunt which will haunt me forever...

Rather than post it all here just click HERE and read about the hunt I saw a buck possibly larger than anything I will for a long long time if not forever....and could have shot but didn't.

Been hunting hard...you?

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. Been busy hunting, which you can read about here: Tyni's 2012 Hunting Log. While it hasn't been the best year for action up the tree for me, I know I'm closer to big bucks than ever before.

I'm hoping to do a video quick of some hunting updates and plans/tactics I'll be implementing as the rut hopefully speeds up here soon.

Again sorry for the quiet site lately, but it's not because I'm doing nothing :)!

God bless and good luck out there!

First Hunt....not what I expected

Well my first hunt is officially in the book.....here's the link to the post

As the season starts...

The majority of the country is hitting the woods today and it's prompted me to want to share with all of you something that I feel should be important in each of our lives. I hope you really do listen and even if your beliefs don't match up with mine, we all need to evaluate our priorities and make sure our hunting doesn't have a negative affect on the things that should rate above hunting whitetail deer.

I also put a decent montage of trail cam pics for you guys...with one stretch of RD pictures that are just awesome!

Click to obviously open it up larger...although

full screen doesn't always look the best.

To all of you up a tree, in a blind or still hunting GOOD LUCK and be safe! Nothing is worth not coming home to our families!

I burned up my hunting spot....

You hear it every year..."I'm not seeing (insert the big buck) because I burned up my hunting spot". The first question I ask is about how they know they have burned it up? Is it because your scent tactics aren't up to snuff...your entrance and exits are long and you spread too much scent...are you jumping deer every entrance and exit...or have you missed shots or wounded deer?

It's true, deer become conditioned over the season to where pressure is happening regularly. Typically the first time they encounter you they'll come back at some point...but every time after that they become more and more likely to associate that place with danger during daylight hours, and it will take the off-season to condition them otherwise. *Obviously a rut crazed buck will throw this conditioning out the window once or twice a year....but then you're just hoping to be "lucky" by being there when he does it.

However, I'm a firm believer in that if you're not busting deer when coming or going, you are taking extreme scent precautions, you are hunting as high as you possibly can (comfortably) and you're hunting the proper winds (no not always with the wind directly in your face like on TV) there is no reason your spot should be burned out?!

The deer that did come through while hunting had no clue you were there (or at least not enough to blow) so why would the "big buck" you're after know? The fact he hasn't shown up can only be because of 3 things, and only 3 things.

#1-Even though you went to all the precautions necessary he did bust ya, you may not have even realized it though. Perhaps he was bedded in a spot quite a ways from you but had vantage of your tree..and that mid-day movement to get into your pack busted you two days in a row. This is an unknown factor, and is the one all of us always have swirling in the back of our heads.

#2-He died already...either naturally, tragically (car crash) or he was harvested by another fortunate hunter.

#3 (AND THE MOST LIKELY!)- He simply hasn't come by yet. Mature bucks typically move in cyclical cycles that run from 3-7 days depending on the amount of ground they're covering. This is the main reason I like love to streak hunt a stand, because as the season heats up they're cycles become quicker and quicker until they find a receptive doe. Meaning that each and every stand sit that I don't see the big buck I know uses the area...is just one day closer till he does! (Bill Vale discusses this in depth in his book).

This is why juggling properties is a good thing (if you're blessed with multiple spots)...it allows you to streak hunt from place to place and one spot never gets old...after all by day 3 of my streak hunts I'm ready for a change of scenery and this year I really can do that (in the old days it would mean moving 80 yards on the same property or simply staying put longer). This year I have a plan...this year both dark periods (October and November) will find me 3-4 day streak hunting both of my main properties on the highest percentage stands (as vacation time can be had of course)...with my father doing the same. I have planned out where I'll be depending on which winds as well as what I'll do during the "non-dark periods".

*Disclosure...come the dark period I may or may not hunt what would be considered bad winds...however with my scent program and only doing all day hunts it's a risk I'm willing to take to lay down a monster. Not to mention this is where my HIGH tree stands play a factor as well.

Here's one of my stands for North winds I'll be hunting come dark periods...it is on hill looking down on trails leading to a primary scrape. Insanely high some would say:

Having a plan in place and executing it is the #1 thing when it comes to juggling properties. You need to know where you'll head that first day of the dark period with certain winds, that way the day before you go to bed knowing where you're heading and why. This decision is based upon all your knowledge of your properties; collected from scouting, aerials, trail cam pics and just your knowledge of the area food sources for each property at that given time frame. Using all that data allows you to place yourself in your highest percentage spots every single day you can be in the field.

If you only have one property to hunt, try taking every precaution in the book...and if at all possible save your dark period stands for exactly that; dark period streak hunting. If you have faith in a spot and can get in and out and hunt un-detected I wouldn't be afraid to hunt the thing 7 days straight. The key is going un-detected and if at all possible hunting all day, after all come the dark period the bucks can be on their feet at any time of the day and you up your odds the longer you sit!

Good luck out there!

God Bless,

Ty

Latest Video Plus River Property Scouting!

Here's the latest trip out into the woods (the day with Bill is still being edited).

WE ARE GETTING CLOSER TO OPENING DAY FOR THOSE OF YOU LIKE ME WHO SHARE THE OCTOBER 1ST START DAY!!!!!

New Post

Hey guys new updated post over at the 2012 Hunting Log: Click HERE to read it.

Also I'm working on compiling some new video shot the past couple weeks and hopefully will have that up soon. Other than that I'm going to be writing an article on Scrapes and how I feel they're one of the most miss-hunted things in the hunting world.

2012 Hunting Log!

I'm very excited to announce I've created a 2012 Hunting Log blog 100% dedicated to sharing with everyone my daily hunting trips in detail (pics and videos also sometimes). I have a tab over at the new site which describes the two properties so you're familiar and can reference them when I describe where I'm hunting on a given day and why.

Each time I hit the field I'll tell you guys where I'm going, what the weather is like and what type of deer movement I'm hunting and expect.

You'll notice I've created a tab here on this site at the top of the page titled 2012 Hunting Log...click that tab to learn more and go to the new site/blog created just for this 2012 hunting season!!!!

God Bless,

Ty

Latest Plot Planting/Stand Raising Video

So it's getting closer with each and everyday...and yet my to do list doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. Hope all of your plots are doing well and your stand placements are up or coming together here soon for you. Here's my latest visit to the plots and a new stand placement this past weekend.

Day with Bill Vale

Just wanted to share with you guys what I spent 8/15/2012 doing:

Late July Plot Visit

Okay, so I understand it's been awhile since I've posted a significantly sized post...but like many of you I've been busy scouting, planning, camera hanging/checking, tilling and now planting. The video that follows is one I shot the last weekend of July when I went out to the family property to till some plots up.

Hopefully your camera pulls are showing more promising images than ours, while we got some decent bucks (in our eyes)...I'd really like to see a stud. You know the kind that you just look at and say, "Thwaaaaack" in your head!

As of today, we've got 2 bucks on camera (Check out Cam Photos here) which may get an arrow flung at by us...hopefully this will change in the coming weeks as our cameras stay actively moving around our various properties. Food plot wise we have planted all of our various ones except two at the family property. One is going to be our main turnip/radish plot, which is the plot that has been our clover for the past 3-4 years. The second one is a plot which is only 2 years old and in the past has always had Pure Attraction in it...this year it is becoming a clover plot (mix of white, little red and some crimson as well).

If you guys get any bucks on camera which you're adding to your "Hit List" let me know and I'll get them posted here! (Remember judge them by your standards, no one else's!)

Also I made a little short intro for the video...let me know your guys' thoughts on it.

New Trail Cam Pics

Put up some new pictures in the trail cam page (up above!). Be sure to check it out and hopefully I'll have some better ones after this Saturday (next card pull).

Intense Scouting Commencing in 3-2-1...

I always thought I scouted more than your average hunter? When I walked the woods I tried a tremendous amount not to simply look for the obvious signs like old rubs, last year scraps or obvious deer highway trails...no I tried to see the secondary trails bucks would be more likely to use, terrain that were steering the deer in certain ways and more things similar to this. The problem was that is where I stopped, I never honestly attacked my scouting...I merely looked for signs...never really interpreted and studied them.

If there is one thing my new friend Bill Vale of pressureddeer.com has taught me is that in order to truly attack scouting mature bucks one has to become a detective. When you find sign it is always going to tell you directional information yes, but can you determine why it was headed where it was, when it was or why it was? A great example of this occurred this season.

As I've stated before my father and I have picked up an awesome new spot (outside having to back out come gun season) and it is teeming with food, tons of bedding cover and great sign. On our last visit there together my father and I came across a track that blew our minds away. Now we've had extreme drought condition and the ground was dry (not damp) and yet this deer left a track that looked like it had 4 hooves the dew claws were pushed so deep.

We followed the track to see what path this bad boy is using, but that was it. I knew the second we left I'd not done enough to fully interpret the tracks, mainly due to laziness on my part (it was very hot that day!). I didn't back track the track, instead simply wanted to see where it was heading, which is fine but both are crucial to know! I also didn't rake the tracks as to better ascertain on later visits if Quad, the deer's coined name, was utilizing this path consistently.

Later the next day and after discussing things with Bill I logged on to the National Weather Service website in order to obtain the wind conditions, barometric pressure and temps those tracks were more than likely made during (knowing they weren't over 48 hours old. This information was logged into a binder with a picture of the track and notes as to exactly where it was found and the path they took. We hope to add many more pages of track prints and hopefully trail cam pictures of this buck throughout the coming months. I feel that if I do my part my father or I should have a decent attempt at this buck come the fall...if all my detective work pans out like it should. By cross referencing the weather sheet with signs I can begin to see with what winds and conditions does Quad use this trail...and also if other conditions are present where is he going instead. With that information and the ability to use his survival instinct against him hopefully my father or I get this bad boy on the ground come October.

This is just one example where the old Ty, before reading Bill Vale's book, more than likely would have just seen huge tracks and been excited but that is it. While that excitement can keep you in the stand, it doesn't necessarily put you in the stand at the right moment...research will at least make that more likely.

So remember when you're out scouting every single deer sign is directional and can tell you many different things about the animal's habits...will you utilize them? Are you willing to take the extra steps of logging everything you can take from the sign...is it worth it for that elusive big buck your chasing? As always do as much as you can and keep it fun, after all if you're not having fun with it you won't keep up with it.

As I compile more scouting information I'll try to share a few examples of some of the information I'm keeping logged. An example of the page though that I printed out would have looked similar to this one I pulled for Indianapolis, click here.


Good luck out there...detectives.

Re-thinking how to think...

I would never consider myself a ground breaking thinker...especially when it comes to whitetail deer hunting. However, it wasn't until recently I began to understand why some of my "mistakes" have actually been connected to some of my greatest harvests or close calls I've had to date.

To see how my "mistakes" were actually the perfect move at the perfect time we must first understand the background of hunting and how it affects the mindset of the hunting world.

In all honesty trophy buck hunting is really quite a new craze, one which is slowly changing the overall mindset of hunting as a whole...however the original thinking behind hunting still carries more weight in the mindset of hunters. What is this mindset or way of thinking? Well it's quite simple, you hunt for food and do so in a way you have the smallest chance of failure; hence the idea of hunting always with the wind blowing into your face.

Hunting with the wind in your face is a great thought, because the deer won't smell you...however if a deer is trying to survive and are walking through woods they cannot see over 30 yards through trees; do you think they're very likely to move with the wind or "tail wind"? They may...but deer instinctively are wired by their creator to survive, and that is what will control their movements nearly every second of every day. Yes, bucks will at times lose all reason and go crazy...but even then they don't lose all reason, because after all even blindly following a hot doe is trying to make sure the whitetail deer continue to exist (survive).

So if we're after mature bucks, and they won't by nature move into the wind too terribly much what do we do? We stop thinking like meat hunters and more like hunters who are detectives who eat, sleep and breathe with one objective in mind; putting ourselves in "the right place at the right time" by design due to our intense scouting.

I say intense scouting but some of you if you're anything like me have experienced that "right place at the right time" but wrote it off as a coincidence or as a simple fluke the buck acted and moved the way he did. After meeting Bill Vale, my reasoning and outlook on all of my hunting success has changed...and I've began to realize that some of the "wrong" risks I have taken in my young hunting career that paid off were not mere coincidences.

The knowledge that Bill Vale has on whitetail deer, more importantly pressured big bucks, is absolutely insane! You can tell immediately when entering his trophy room that this man must know more than your average good hunters. Wall to wall and floor to ceiling are trophy caliber bucks that Bill has collected over the years with his "wrong" tactics that at times seem the complete opposite of normal thinking. An example would be hunting with the wind blowing directly at where you expect the deer to come from...obviously not done all the time, but if the situations are right this is easily done and has been done by Bill and even myself a couple times (albeit not by design like Bill).

Last year's buck "Trident" came in quartering
to me from DOWNWIND...something
he was doing instinctively to survive!

I cannot wait for this season to get here and the following ones after that due to the fact my thinking is going through a complete overhaul. The "mistakes" I've made in the past will now be "planned events" based upon my scouting which has gotten more intense.

All I can say is if you haven't got your hands on a copy of Bill's book click here...and once his subscription site is up and running you would be wise to sign up for it also! I also want to stress Bill is giving me nothing in return for bringing up his site, I also don't make any money or benefits from you going there or joining...I am merely sharing

God bless and good luck out there!

Ty

Spring Check-In

Well it's been awhile, and yes I realize I didn't do a June giveaway...forgive me just gonna pass over this month's. As I touched on in the last post a lot of my past few weeks have centered around writing up as many letters as I can in hopes of picking up new hunting ground in 2 different spots; in Michigan to extend my season and one spot very close to the house for those quick hunts. I have been blessed to have gained an amazing friend in Bill Vale, the man I shared some information on with the last giveaway...and will be hunting with him possible some which I'm absolutely blessed for even the possibility. If you haven't make sure you check out his site (click his name above) and just get a glimpse of what this man has to offer, and trust me when I say if you buy his book you will not regret it!

The other thing I'm about to start doing is changing my arrow set up, been waiting forever for my weighted inserts to come from Gold Tip...hopefully I'll make a couple videos about the changes and maybe even some practice shots.

Some of you have been asking about our summer food plots and how the hinges are looking....well the good news is all of it is still there. The bad news though is we've had a record dry late spring and summer here in Northern IN, which caused the new food plots to be very thin (truly only the buckwheat came up in force)...the 50+ trees we planted I'd say are all or atleast 90% dead due to lack of water...the hinges though appear to have done fine which is huge!

I'll get some rubber to the dirt here soon to show you guys our set ups in the spring green time frame when the woods are thicker than any other time period of the year.

Stay tuned and keep checking in. As always if you have any ideas or things you'd like to see me discuss just email or post a comment below and I'll do my best to tackle it.

Good luck out there and God Bless,

Ty

Writing a "Can I hunt letter..."

If there is one thing I dread more than anything it's that awkward moment after you knock on a door for the first time...and stand there....just waiting for the person to come to the door and chase you off saying "No" when the word hunting comes out of your lips.

I've learned that over the years when trying to get permission for new properties respect is quite possibly the #1 thing you can use to increase the odds in your favor when acquiring new hunting properties...however let me introduce the time I decided on writing letters instead of the awkward door moment.

 I can still remember the day at work when someone showed me our county GIS program and how to operate it. I'd be lying if I said I listened to anything he said after, "As you can see you can scan the entire county, click on any parcel and instantly see the owner, mailing address, acreage and....."

I was gone, all I could see was hunting opportunity after opportunity has he scrolled around in all directions. The second my first lunch break came I don't even think I ate, I was on a mission which was to find as many possible hunting spots I could. I quickly printed off a dozen or so maps and began mapping out my plan to stop and ask all the owners....that's when I started thinking about something.

I'd never actually approached someone I'd never met before expecting them to welcome me with open arms and allow me to hunt...pretty intimidating. I also tried to put myself in the owners' shoes, I'd be putting them on the spot and making a quick decision would probably end in a "No" to hunting. So I set about making a letter format. One which I could make just small changes to and send out to every single land owner. Now this letter doesn't just simply say, "Um...I was wondering if you'd let me shoot some deer on your property."

This letter had to be well thought out, respectful and even appear professional. To accomplish this I almost approached it as a job application's cover letter. I planned on first introducing myself to the owner(s) in an effort to control the first impression they'd have of myself. This introduction of basic information about me would also allow them to make a decision somewhat on my character...which as you can guess is key to them saying yes.

(remember to see the images that follow better: CLICK ON THEM)

So the beginning of my letter goes something like this (screen shot of actual letter):

I then go into the reason I'm writing them with this part:

Well now the topic has been breached....it's at this point that I'd guess 75% of the people reading this far know at this moment whether they'll let you hunt or not. However, you gotta convince the remaining 25% that are not sure with justification of why you should be allowed to hunt. The keys here is don't lie, be honest about what type of hunter you are, if you're strictly hunting for mature (don't use the word trophy) bucks say that, if you're hunting strictly for meat do the same. I use the following to address my hunting beliefs and character:

Okay so I've described what type of hunter I am (HONESTLY!) now I state how I will act on his or her property:

I've pretty much stated everything I desire to or can in letter form, which is why I close out the letter. I make sure to share with them my purpose for writing and not just showing up as well I share every single type of contact information possible (cut that part off for obvious reasons):

Space left for authentic signature.

The map I get through my work's GIS system...however Bing and GoogleEarth both provide great ways of getting and printing out maps.

That's pretty much what my letters to landowners have looked like for a couple years now. I tweak them some from place to place obviously, but the skeleton of the letter stays the same. No matter how nice and respectful you are realize you have a greater chance to get a no than a yes. However, all it takes is one yes and it could provide you with hours of hunting and possibly some deer touching dirt come the hunting season!

Good luck out there everyone!

God bless,

Ty

The Spring Boom

This is quite possibly one of my favorite times of the year as a hunter. The antlers are popping, the fawns are dropping and the stage is being set for yet another chance to put down a legend come Fall. It's the time of year where those who truly want to make something special happen in the Fall start putting their work in now....Spring Training hunting style if you will.

Matt Flynn's not going to simply waltz into this coming season for Seattle without practicing with what weapons he has to work with and neither should we (I do hope the best for Flynn as I'm a Packer fan...I pray I don't lose some of you as followers due to that).
Here's my Spring hunting agenda:

Get Gear Ready To Go:

Here in the coming weeks I'll be making the switch over to new arrows, as I was underspined and had far too low of a FOC in my opinion (if that all sounded like gibberish no worries, I'm going to have an arrow expert right a Arrow 101 post). My goal is to shoot 3 shots everyday from the month of June all the way up to October, minimum....becoming an after work routine. I'm not going to lie and say I've always done that as there has been years I've barely shot any leading up to the season...however if I want to do all I can to maximize my chances come Fall this is something that must be done.

I'm also officially entering the world of Range Finders...not sure how much I'll use it in the field, but it'll be getting lots of use during those practice shots I mentioned above as to make sure I'm proficient with it.

Food Plot & Mineral Sites:

Food plots are a HUGE part of the spring for my father and I. As many of you know and even watched we cleared out new spots for plots this Spring, planted them and now are simply begging for rain to assist in their growth. We will periodically check on the food plots to see if they need mowed (clover especially) back or simply to gauge deer usage, documenting everything along the way.

While we live in Indiana, where mineral sites are illegal during hunting seasons (10 days prior to season also), we can't go crazy with having multiple sites. We only have one right now, which will go unfreshened the months leading up to the season and even dug out some by hand to remove all leftover mineral still in the ground (as outlined by DNR correspondance I had and am still having). While it may seem tedious to have to remove or shut down the site come the season, we feel it's well worth it if it means our local deer are getting the nutrients they need. I'll just be 100% honest and state that if you are going to use a mineral you need to check out and try Monsterraxx. I am not in any way employed by them nor was I asked to mention their product, however when you experience a product with the amount of success we and others I've talked to have had with Monsterraxx. I'll share that knowledge with anyone!


Picture courtesy of Pat H.
Monsterraxx at work!

Gaining permission for new properties:

This is the time frame to get out and find new places to hunt. My approach to this "touchy" often times disappointing feat is to write a letter. The advantage to a letter is it takes out any chance that you leave a first impression you would rather not have. A letter is a lot less intrusive than merely knocking on doors, which does have it's own benefits and place in gaining permission. The letter allows you to get out everything from your character, hunting experience, expectations and understanding of all rules set before you by the state and the landowner if allowed to hunt the property. *I will expand upon this idea by doing a full write up of my exact technique which has expanded my hunting properties a little each year. I'll even share a copy of the exact letter I use everytime, editing only to fit the situation.

Observational logging:

This season will be the first time I hope to keep a log on everything we do from property to property. The where/when/how we planted each food plot. Any hinging of trees or clear cutting we did. Where we hang stands or positioned trail cameras. When reviewing the trail cam pictures I hope to log weather conditions of each high activity day in hopes of making correlations between the weather and how the deer use our property. *I am also going to pay attention to moon phases and the pictures as well. Bill Vale has opened this hunter's eyes to how the moon can and does affect deer travel in both small and huge ways throughout the year.



There you have it, my short but quite involved Spring agenda. Hopefully all of you are busy doing similar things in hopes of upping the odds against the awesome creature that is the whitetail buck. I'll finish with the same thought I have before; what we do now we will reap from in the fall.

God Bless,

Ty

Creating the Ultimate Kill Plot

Be sure to check out my new write up on, Creating the Ultimate Kill Plot, over at Monsterraxx.com's blog section.

Here's the link:  http://www.monsterraxx.com/publisher/1/blog

The winner is....

So the May Giveaway is officially in the books and I can now tell you what the winner has won, but first if you haven't looked at all the pictures be sure to go back to the Giveaway thread and check out the awesome trail cam images you all entered! I'll have to give the nod to John C. for entering the awesome Cuddeback picture of the impact moment in an archery hunt...absolutely awesome shot (perhaps I'll send a consolation prize to John)!


So the winner for this week will be recieving in the mail Bill Vale's awesome book Taking Pressured Trophy Whitetails: Pursuing the Gray Ghost in Urban and Farmland Settings. You will also be recieving Bill's 2012 Hunting Calendar. Both of these items together ar a $55 value...and you'll be getting them for free!

Bill Vale is a tried and true hunter from the state of Michigan, where taking mature trophy whitetails just doesn't happen to anyone on a consistant basis. We've all heard the hunting slogan out of the state, "If it's brown it's down" but in that same state Bill claims trophy gems can be found and he's going to share with you the tactics he uses every year to put himself on great bucks.

From Bill's site:

Every hunter dreams of shooting a trophy buck—of looking down on a cool, crisp morning and seeing a massive set of antlers walking below his or her tree. But who do you know who not only sees these animals, but is successful every season shooting them? And shooting them in areas where the deer are under extreme hunting pressure, like Bill’s hunting area of Calhoun County, Michigan, where there are some of the highest numbers of hunters per square mile than any other place in the world?

Master Bowhunter Bill Vale’s landmark book brings into perspective the order of survival that was put in place by God Himself and has gone unnoticed by hunters for centuries. This includes how the solar/lunar forces (perigee and apogee), and the light the moon reflects govern the movement and instincts of big bucks and the timing of the rut from year to year.Learn the aggressive secrets, tactics, and field-tested strategies that have been proven successful after 35+ years of hunting for pressured big bucks. Bill’s research and instruction will help the beginner to Master Hunter. This is the most complete book about deer hunting strategies ever published.

Everyone that I've heard talk about this book has had nothing but great things to say, so even if you didn't win the giveaway do yourself a favor and check out Bill's link on the right side of this site (it's the one just under Whitetail Ambush Secrets) or I'll make it easy click: here .

Okay so here's the list of names and number as I received them via email:

Dave H-1

Aaron S-2

Chris K-3

Brent S-4

Chris T-5

Goosepond-6

Jonathan-7

Pat H-8

Ryan H-9

Jacob A Mc-10

Tom L-11

Andy S-12

Jeff W-13

Roger R-14

Jake D-15

M. Dian W-16

C. Metiva-17

John C-18

Al M-19

Andy L-20

Tonia L-21

Al. C-22

Here's the screen shot from the online random number generator:

Which means Goosepond Monster you are the winner! Email incoming, and to all who didn't win be sure to keep checking back to the site as work on deer habitat is never ending and I'll be bringing you videos and write ups on anything and everything.

Thanks to all who participated!

* Giveaway disclaimer if for some reason the winner already has these items I'll discuss with them another option via the email they used to send me the pictures. Also I am using the email names I recieved as a few people couldn't get the posting option to work here, by using emails I can guarantee everyone who desired to be entered is entered.

May Giveaway...Trail Cam Shots!

Alrighty...here it is! The May Giveaway is here!

Details of the prize will be released tomorrow when the winner is announced! THAT'S RIGHT YOU ONLY HAVE 24 HOURS TO ENTER THIS TIME!

In order to enter this time it's a two step process....but trust me this prize is worth it if you hunt whitetails!

You must email me, tylanmiller(at)gmail(dot)com (written this way to stop spammers), and attach a favorite trail cam picture. This can be a picture you have taken or one you have come across online. Now this picture will not win or lose the giveaway for you, it is still 100% random...however who knows maybe I'll give away a prize for the one that catches my eye the most. At the worst we'll all have a bunch of pictures to look over tomorrow, which all of us hunters love to do!

You then need to also comment on HERE like normal (if you are having trouble do the posting here, let me know in email and I'll get it on here):

Example if I was entering:

Tylan M entered


Then sit back and wait...till approximately 10am tomorrow when I'll post all the pictures and announce the winner...and introduce and highlight the prize for everyone!

**I'll give you a clue on the prize...a link to the right does have a "connection" to the prize.

Here's one of  my favorite trail cam pictures, followed by some of the entries I've recieved so far (click to enlarge):

Trident, the buck I harvested this past year on Oct. 15th

May Giveaway and More!

Well, with May approaching I want all of you to start thinking food plots...but also MAY GIVEAWAY. For this next giveaway you will enter just like last time, posting a comment on the post (NOT THIS ONE, IT WILL COME LATER) with your name and the word "entered".

However, I'm throwing in something else. If you wish to get your name added twice it is as easy as submitting a trail cam picture. We all know how much we love drooling over awesome trail cam pics, so I figure this would be a great way to show off some great bucks or just awesome footage we've collected. Please only submit one photo, email to tylanmiller (at) gmail (dot) com, because only one extra entry can be earned. I'll then post the pictures in the same post I name the winner.

COMING SOON!

-We are in the process right now of getting seed in the ground and will bring video, pictures and posts documenting this for your reading pleasure.

-More food plot "tricks" and "techniques" to come in a post title Food Plot Tidbits.

-Also be sure to check out my guest post over at Monsterraxx's blog, which should be up sometime next week!


Keep up the hard work out there guys and gals, as it will pay off come fall I promise!!!

Trail Cams...check this out!

Okay so for the second straight post I'm going to mooch off of someone else, but just goes to show when I find good info I'm most definitely going to share it!

Great information on what you (and my father and I) may be missing from just taking pictures. Also the key to how elevation can play a factor too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQUSR5BdIk&feature=youtu.be

Must watch if you hang or hunt from a stand...

Just wanted to share this with all who hunt...this is a true danger for all of us.

http://huntervids.com/?videos=ohio-hunter-falls-22ft-while-hanging-tree-standsept-17-2011#.T3heOrO0EPc.facebook

Beds, Buds and Plots (videos included)

The following videos are from this past Saturday and show how our hinge cuttings are taking form, shares a buck bed we found and also time lapsed images of us clearing our 2 new food plots.

Here are the videos:

(if you want fullscreen, resolution may suffer a little, click on the youtube button)

Keep up the work out there fellas...what we do now has a direct impact upon our success come fall!

Good luck out there and God Bless.

GIVEAWAY WINNER IS...

Here is the list of names and numbers entered.

1-Cole
2-Melissa
3-Alyssa
4-Wesley
5-Ryan
6-Tony
7-Sam
8-Dave
9-Mike
10- Troy V
11-Josh W
12-Kyle
13-Roger
14-Alex
15-Wibowhntr
16-Dave (illinoishunter102)
17-Joel

I used an online random # generator and here's a screen shot of the generator:

So Roger you are the lucky winner! I will be contacting Roger and getting the Monster Raxx out asap. Stay tuned for future giveaways! THEY WILL OCCUR EVERY FIRST MONDAY OF EACH MONTH. They may include something small, large or inbetween.

Monster Raxx *Giveaway*

The first giveaway is set for tomorrow morning...THAT'S RIGHT NOT WAITING TILL FRIDAY. I realized about mid-day on Saturday that it was pointless to go an entire week for the giveaway.

The first giveaway is going to consist of this:

-2 bags of one of the leading deer mineral supplements available from Monster Raxx
-And 1 container of Whitetail Magnet

This will be mailed directly to the address of your choice!

Be sure to enter if you haven't yet here:  http://smallacrehunting.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway.html

GIVEAWAY!

Okay, this is how it's going to work. In order to be in the running for the drawing you must post a comment on this post. All it has to say is your first name and the word "entered". I will than use an online number generator to randomly select which number post wins. The order will obviously start with the first poster being #1 and will continue on till the last one.

The product for this giveaway is going to be announced next Tuesday (4/3/2012) in honor of my niece which is scheduled to join the world that day.

Let the posting begin!

*I will get in contact with the winner next week after the drawing and have the gift(s) shipped directly to their address.

Big Buck Trend: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

It's been awhile sadly since the last post, apologies to you all. Lots have been in the works but I feel now is as good of a time as any to discuss something everyone is familiar with. As a matter of fact I guarantee if you've found your way to Small Acre Hunting I'd bet you're the type of hunter who finds himself on online forums or hunting websites often. The trend of almost all discussions or questions on these sites are geared to or wind up being based upon harvesting a big buck.


What type of set up would you guys recommend for this property to get a big buck? Have any of you had a big buck respond to this decoy? What are the top 3 things you look for or try to make to attract big bucks? Would you shoot this guy or wait for a bigger buck (insert picture)?


It doesn't seem to matter whether the topic is mechanical, habitat improving, food plots, broadheads, stand placement or even footwear (yes, didn't you know brand "A" is for Big Buck hunters only?)...the end of the questions revolves around the idea of harvesting a big buck. Well, here's how I see this Big Buck Phenomenon.


Now keep in mind this is my opinion, but I bet you'll find yourself agreeing more and more.
 

THE GOOD:

 -The exposure it is generating for our sport. Some of you may view this as a problem, and will tackle that end of this "exposure" word I have as the first part of the good section. The exposure generated by the big bucks taking down yearly does amazing things for de-sensitizing society to our "barbaric" hobby. People seeing photos of the local 9 year old girl's first buck in the Sunday Paper allows that farmer whose anti-hunting see it's not the "evil  redneck" sport he has always said hunting was.

Another good is it's creating educated hunters. Let's face it, "Big Bucks" are typically mature bucks (atleast mature-r than those around) and with that maturity comes intelligence...and with that intelligence comes the ability to better elude hunters. It is this which forces deer hunters who want "Big Bucks" to research and study the animal...which in my opinion creates quite the respect for the creature, or atleast in my opinion it should. The good though is that educated hunters are just naturally going to be better hunters. They're not going to take as many bad shots resulting in wounded deer, they're also not going to typically harvest bucks illegally or out of season (due to that growing respect for them).

The final good thing created by the "Big Buck" craze I'm going to discuss is how it has allowed a little hillbilly from Northern Indiana have a passion for this thing called deer hunting. I'll be 100% honest, I love hunting PERIOD; but it's not shooting the does, although I do love that too, that gets me up at 4am in the morning...it's the chance, just the slight miniscule chance of having a chance at a "Big Buck". It's that passion which makes me want to share what little I know with all of you, so you can chase what you call a "Big Buck" too!

THE BAD:

-The craze is ripping the hunting world in two...those who only care about harvesting "Big Bucks" and those who don't care, but both equally love hunting in their own minds. This causes rifts between friends, families and hunting clubs (trust I've seen it all first hand). One guy believes all "yearling buck" hunters should be harvested themselves...all "yearling buck" hunters just want to be left to enjoy hunting how they see fit. Both have their place on the right side of an arguement, but both also find themselves on the wrong side as well.

One cannot simply write off a hunter's character or love of the sport by the size of their buck harvests. I would never think of telling someone their buck harvest isn't a "trophy" because that my friends is only in the eye of the one who harvested it. I'm not going to discuss this anymore as I covered this whole topic in another thread:

But remember we're brothers and sisters in this thing called hunting, if we want to keep our rights to enjoy the great outdoors and make it possible for our future generations to we must stand together.

Another notable "bad" can be that the "Big Buck" craze can cram hunters into your hunting area. Making it hard to enjoy your hunting as much if you don't get along with those around you. *Public guys you can probably preach on this the most.

THE UGLY

-Now some of you will say this isn't a big deal, but for those of you like me who rely upon others to provide hunting ground for you this UGLY is going to make perfect sense. Not to mention that if you visit this site you more than likely are someone who hunts public or small private hunting grounds...which all of you can feel my pain on this one.

The first part of the UGLY, of the "Big Buck" craze is how it is choking out the common man. Just like golf in many places is out of reach of the common man...hunting is slowly becoming a rich man's sport, causing you to now seemingly have to pay anyone who has huntable land for the rights to hunt it. Leasing land for hunting was unheard of in my area back when my dad was younger now it's ridiculous how much some people want for the rights to hunt just 10 acres of woods!!

States like Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin just to name a few are seeing land sucked up by the many Outfitters littering their countryside hoping to make money by selling hunts to out of staters looking for that guaranteed "Big Buck". Just another example of how the sport is becoming a rich man's sport...I mean seriously $5000 for a 3 day hunt?!??!?!!

-Now the second part of the UGLY is tied to the exposure word I said earlier in the GOOD section. This exposure works against in many cases due to the fact that with more and more people trying hunting we are getting more and more...um...less than desireable people joining our ranks. It's these people that we find speckling the internet, newspapers and some tv news with their willingness to illegally harvest a "Big Buck".

In Conclusion

It's true when they say nearly everything in life has two sides like a coin. No matter how you flip the "Big Buck" coin in the air it's going to result in good and bad eventually. I guess all we can do is enjoy the ride and do our part to make sure good will land more than bad. When legislation about deer hunting regulations come up, make sure your representatives know your thoughts! When you know illegal hunting is occuring do something! When you see another hunter with a "trophy" buck, congratulate them!

Don't let the "Big Buck" craze cause you to be part of the Bad or the Ugly...do that and I guarantee that when or if you ever get what you call a "Big Buck" it will be that much sweeter to know you did it right.

The 5 things you must do this time of year...

Alright so I know for many us this time of year is for planning our turkey season or getting the boat cleaned up and ready to reel in some bigguns (currently doing a boat project myself). However, this time of year as I've stressed is CRUCIAL for the deer hunter wanting to max their potential for succes the coming year.

Now obviously there is more than 5 things I could recommend you do this time of year but here's a very limited and hard to compile  top 5:

#1-Gear check-ups and size-ups.

Our gear is quite possibly the most important thing we have when it comes to our harvesting ability (second only to the combo of luck and location). So here's a common checklist I use as a run down of my gear:

-Boots, are they still in good shape? Are they washed in scent away and stored appropriately?

-Camouflage Clothing, is any of in need of replacement due to fading, ripping or waist size increase (haha!)?

-Gun (if gun hunting), is it properly cleaned thoroughly and stored and ready for next use?

-Bow, do I want to keep same arrow, rest, sight, quiver etc... or am I changing it up? (a after season bow check up wouldn't hurt at a good pro-shop or yourself if knowledgeable)

-Treestands, have I taken down ones that I want down? Checked all cables on ones to be taken down and left up? ****Shootinglanes! Yes, these can be encouraged now and make some very natural looking shooting lanes if cut now while out checking and pulling treestands.

I think you get the picture...lots and lots to do with this first thing.

#2 "Thank You's" and "May I's"

Write thank you letters to EVERY SINGLE property owner that let you hunt on their property this past year. I don't care if it was only hunted once or was a mere 1 acre piece next to your house, WRITE THEM. This is the way you hang onto properties, and believe or not you may gain other places to hunt by treating them so nice. People talk, you never know who that land owner may know and share their great experience letting someone hunt. By thanking them you can also at times use them as references...yes that's right references. I'll cover that more when I write an entire post dedicated to writing hunting request letters to people, but just take my advice and write a real nice thank you letter and if possible throw a gift card of some kind inside of it....it could be the difference between you hunting there next year or them letting someone else. *This is also the perfect time to start writing formal requests to hunt people's properties. (will be covered in a future post)

#3 Trees...bushes...shrubs

Now is the time to cut trees, hinge trees, plant trees or bushes in an attempt to create a better whitetail habitat. The stress level of the hunting season has lessoned and what you scare off your ground now, will have plenty of weeks and even months to filter back in; getting back into their normal patterns well before the upcoming season.

#4 Food Plot Prep

Review what worked last year and what didn't...and creating a plan for the upcoming planting seasons. Clear any new areas you want to plant, gather soil samples to test and don't hesitate to start tilling/raking up spots the second the frost threat is gone!

#5 Start practicing now

This is especially critical if you're a bow hunter. Start practicing the second you have what your set up will be for the coming year. Get into a habit, maybe every Thursday night you'll go shoot 6 arrows minimum...doesn't sound like much but it will keep you fresh and may just help you make that 30 yard shot at the buck of your dreams.

That's it for now fellas from me. Plenty more to come as we look towards the 2012 hunting season already...as always good luck out there.

God Bless