We all know that we should gut our birds as soon as possible and a bird that’s been gutted cools faster, taste’s better and allowing  you to keep hunting without the fear that your bird will spoi, especially in warmer weather.

But gutting a bird id messy and who wants bloody hands?

The new GutWrench bird gutting tool makes gutting your bird in the fields fast and easy. eliminating bloody hands. This uniquely shaped device inserts through the birds vent. You simply push it all the way into the body cavity until it won’t go any further – give it one full turn and pull.

All of the guts will come out, allowing air to get into the body cavity to cool the bird.

GutWrench is lightweight, easily fitting into your backpack  and it’s durable as well as easy to clean.

It’s available in four sizes for Turkey, goose, duck and pheasant.

We’ve used the GutWrench on two of the turkeys we took this spring when temperatures were in the 80′s, making for quick and easy gut removal with a lot less mess.

For more information on the GutWrench, check out www.gutwrenchhunting.com

For those of you who haven’t heard of the SHOT Show, it’s “HUGE” with everything from airguns to military weapons and body armor.

If you hoped to cover all of the displays and booths at the four day show, you’d need to run through the show, so these items listed below are just a few of the hundreds of new items that we saw at the show.

Beretta

Beretta unveiled its new semi-auto shotgun, the A400 Xplor Unico, an extremely fast, light and easy to shoot shotgun.

Their upgraded recoil reduction system will reduce recoil by as much as 70 percent.

It features a shortened receiver, 3 inches instead of 3 1/2-inches decreasing the overall gun length.
Their patented Kick Off recoil-reduction system that houses two hydraulic dampeners, reducing recoil by up to 60 percent—was upgraded to “Kick Off Cubed,” which uses a third shock absorber in the stock bolt to further reduce recoil and mechanical stress when shooting the gun.

It also features their new Micro Core butt pad making the gun more comfortable to shoot which also helps the hunter to properly shoulder the shotgun.

For more information on the Beretta A-400 check out www.beretta.com

Winchester Ammunition

Ballistic Silvertip Lead Free

If you’re looking doe a varmit load with some real knockdown power, you’ll want to look into Winchesters Supreme Ballistic Silvertip Lead Free.

With their new fragmenting copper core technology that incorporating a lead-free bullet in their .223 Rem which has a muzzle velocity of 3800 fps and their 22-250 Rem bullet with a muzzle velocity of 4350 fps in the Ballistic Silvertip® line.

These lead-free loads from Winchester and Nosler features a plastic tip, which reduces tip damage, promoting long-range performance with a gilding metal jacket.

The fragmenting copper core of the bullet is engineered so that it will explode on impact.

For more information on Winchester Ammunition go to www.winchester.com

Russell Outdoors

APXg2 Clothing

If you’re looking for a way to stay warm and dry on your next hunt, then you should look at Russell Outdoors APXg2 System.

The APXg2 line is a five-level layering system available in numerous configurations to keep you warm, dry and odor-free. Insulated with lightweight PrimaLoft that will keep you warm without bulking you up.

PrimaLoft insulation was originally designed for the U.S. Army as an alternative to down, a microfiber polyester insulation that’s warm and as soft as down as well as being water resistant, very lightweight, compressible and quiet.

It’s currently being used in clothing by the military in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The APXg2 system is available in many of Mossy Oak ‘s camouflage patterns.

For more information on Russell Outdoor Products check out www.russelloutdoorsgear.com

Firearms Multimedia

Guide

If you’re one of those folks that’s always looking for a new gun, well there’s a DVD out now that will allow you to check out over 41,000 models of firearms, airguns as well as ammunition from over 345 manufacturers.

The Firearms Multimedia Guide has tech specs along with over 24,000 High Resolution color pictures and prices.

Its 14 different search criteria will help you to find that gun you’re looking for in seconds.

You’ll have the ability to find everything from inexpensive air guns all the way up to $1,000,000 European weapons.

There are even 500 printable targets as well as a US-EU ammo caliber chart available on the DVD.

For more information on the Firearms Multimedia Guide go to www.firearmsmultimediaguide.com

HS Hunter’s Specialties

HS Scent-A-Way

Base Layers

Hunter’s Specialties has come out with a new line of odor control clothing featuring their Scent-A-Way Tek 4 system.

Designed and engineered using permanently bonded silver antimicrobial yarns for odor control along with a breathable wicking agent that helps the hunter to be warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot.

Silver, which is the most thermally conductive element on the planet making the Tek 4 engineered to last a lifetime

Base Layers are available in several weights in both REALTREE AP HP and Champagne color.

There were so many new items introduced at the show, it would be impossible to cover them all, so these items that I’ve listed in these articles are ones that I thought readers in our area might be interested in.

From time to time as new products are released, I’ll mention them in future articles.

Take Care, Stay Warm and when ever you get the opportunity head outdoors and introduce someone new to all that’s can be found in the great outdoors!

This is on huge show where every manufacturer of anything and everything that has to do with shooting and hunting introduces their new products to dealers and the media.

Over the last several years, because of what’s happening in the world, there have been a lot of paramilitary dealers he show with all types of body armor, weapons, special ammunition, scopes and equipment made especially for Special Forces and SWAT units.

Prior to the opening of the show, we were given the opportunity to test fire many of the newest pistols, shotguns and rifles using the latest and greatest types of ammunition.

There were several things that caught my eye at the show including several new guns. Listed below are some of those that really caught my attention.

Hornady
Ammunition

The Grand Island, NE. based ammunition manufacturer has done it again with their new Superformance ammunition.

Superformance ammunition is 100 to 200 fps faster than conventional ammunition available on the market today.  It achieves this performance in every gun and doesn’t increase the felt recoil, muzzle blast, temperature sensitivity fouling or loss of accuracy.

Their new ultra progressive propellants take your favorite SST or GMX bullets to a level of performance that aren’t obtainable with conventional propellants.

Available in 243, 6mm Rem, 257 Roberts, 25-06 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor and 270 calibers.
For more information on this and other Hornady products go to www.hornady.com

Legacy Sports International
Weapons

The folks from Legacy Sports International, Reno, NV. have you covered when it comes to all types of hunting and shooting weapons.

Their Howa and Puma rifles, available in all calibers as well as in numerous stock and barrels has proven to be one of the most accurate rifles on the market.

Their new Howa Talon rifle which is available in most popular calibers. The Talon combines the best performance features of a thumbhole stock along with the Knox BLACKHAWK two stage recoil compensating system which reduces felt recoil up to 70%.

Another of their products, Escort Shotguns has proven to be one of the smoothest shooting and accurate shotguns on the market.  Their unique Waterfowl and turkey comb0s are available in both 20 and 12 gauge. In Mossy Oak Obsession camo with two interchangeable multi-chokes, vented rib barrels in both 24” and 28”.

For more information on Legacy Sports International rifles, shotguns and pistols go to www.legacysports.com

Beavertail
Boats & Blinds

The Maple Lake, MN based company has did it again, with their new Beavertail line.

From their custom made waterfowl hunting boats, sneak boats to a complete line of blinds for every hunting situation.

Their blinds are constructed of the finest material, giving the hunter the ability to get into the filed, set up quickly and avoid being seen.

The Beavertail blinds give hunters a dry, comfortable and warm place to hunt waterfowl in all weather conditions along with the portability to move if hunting conditions change.

A couple of the blinds that I really liked were the Predator and Gunner.
The Predator is a portable 29-pound blind that allows the hunter to set up in all types of hunting conditions. It’s polyethylene base allows you to set up in the wettest fields and the spring loaded backrest allows the hunter to come up quickly with very little effort/

The Gunner is a lighter blind that can be backpacked into the field. It too has the spring loaded backrest that allows you to move up and down, giving you time to concentrate on the shot and less on getting into position when those birds are right in front of you.

If you’d like more information on these and other Beavertail products, check out www.explorebeavertail.com

Big Game
Treestands, Tripods, Box Blinds, Feeders & Accessories

Based out of Windom, MN. Big Game has everything the deer hunter would need to make your next deer hunt a success.

With numerous portable and ladder stands, Big Game have both single and double tree stand that will allow you to be where you want on opening day.

If you’re looking for a more permanent blind, they have several box blinds available with windows giving both the rifle and bow hunter plenty of room to take the shot.

Their new Boss Lite weighs only 15 pounds, it’s 20” wide X 27” deep fastening quickly to the tree with Cam-Lock action and one 2” nylon web-strap with a slide buckle.

The Boss Lite may be lite weight, but not when it comes to its weight rating as it will hold up to 300 pounds.

Their Stagger-Steps is a lightweight stackable packable ladder system that can be quickly in stalled on both uneven and slanted trees.

Weighing only 4 pounds per 31” section, Stagger Steps allow the hunter to quickly, quietly and safely get into their stand.

For information on these and other Big Game Products, check out their web site www.BigGameTreeStands.com

These are just a few of the new products that were introduced at the 2010 SHOT Show.

In the next column, we’ll look at other new innovations in shotguns, ammunition, camo and scent free clothing.

Fine bamboo rods are rooted in angling tradition. Names such as Leonard, Payne, Edwards, Thomas, Garrison, Gillum and Dickerson are just a few of the “classic” bamboo rod makers of years past.

Today there are only a few companies offering fine bamboo rods and their costs are high. Their rods run from $1,395 up to $3,500.

However, it is basement rod makers or small companies of one or two craftsmen who are suppling the majority of bamboo rods to the public. For the most part, their prices run from $750 to about $1,500, although you can pay much more if you want. Their lower prices reflect less investment in overhead compared to the big companies, not necessarily a reduction in quality.

Some have two or three year waiting lists, because a production of 50 rods a year would be very high. Most make in the vicinity of 10 to 20 rods each year. So just how are these rods made?

Well, there are something like 700 individual steps in completing a bamboo rod. I’ll gloss over much of the detail of the process in the interest of brevity.

The making begins with a culm (pole) of bamboo grown on a small hillside in China. The pole is 12 feet long. The butt section of the rod is made from the bottom six feet of culm and the two tips from the top six feet.

Each pole is split into 24 pieces of 1/4 to 5/16 inches in width. Six pieces are selected for the butt section and 12 for the two tips.

Six strips are placed on the workbench and the nodes are staggered. No two nodes should appear next to each other on a rod.

Next, the nodes have to be sanded and leveled. Then using a heat gun each node is heated and then flattened and straightened in a vice.

The strips are then rough planned into 60 degree angles approximately 40 thousands of an inch larger than finished size.

The strips are not tapered at this point. Then they are bound together with string on the binder, and placed in the heat treating oven. Cooking the bamboo drives out moisture and natural oils, making the strips harder and more resilient to bending.

Next the steel planing form is set for one half of the taper of the rod. Tapers are either copied from rods of the old masters or arrived at by the maker. The taper is what gives the bamboo rod its action.

Planing forms are two steel pieces joined by set screws which are opened or closed to fit the taper. A depth gauge with a 60-degree point is used to set the form to final adjustments.

Then the planing begins. Using Stanley block planes with a special blade hardened for sharpness, each strip is planed to the level of the forms.

The strip is then measured every five inches with a dial indicator calipers to make sure that the target numbers have been met. Your goal is to make each measurement to within one-thousands of an inch of the target.

When all six strips of the sections have been completed, they are put in order and hand bound with string to check for any gaps, gouges or planing mistakes which would result in a glue line in the finished rod. Problems strips are marked and worked on. If the strip cannot be fixed, the maker must select a new strip and start the whole process over.

Surprisingly tip strips are easier to plane than butt strips, even though the strip at the tip will measure as small as 1/16th of an inch.

When all strips are finished they are laid out on the workbench and glue is applied. Then the section is bound with string in a binder, straightened by rolling on the workbench and hung up to dry. It’s best to get all sections straight in the string, although further straightening will probably have to be done by using the heat gun.

When the glue has dried, it must by scraped and sanded, taking care not to remove any of the power fibers. The blank is then given a coat of tung oil and hung up to dry.

Next special ferrules made of nickel silver are glued onto the sections. When dry, the male ferrules have to be dressed for suction fit into the female. This is done with 1,000 grit sandpaper and a lot of elbow grease.

The cork grip is then made by gluing 1/4 or 1/2 inch cork discs onto a rod and then turning in a lathe to shape the grip with sandpaper. Only the finest cork is used.

The cork grip is then glued onto the rod.

The guides are laid out in their proper placement and the maker begins to wrap them onto the rod using silk thread.

The silk is given three to six coats of varnish, depending on whether the maker is looking for a translucent or opaque finish.

Then the sections are dipped in varnish in a special tank setup. Sections are withdrawn about 3-inches per minute, by a small electric motor, which will prevent runs. Each section takes about 30 minutes to dip.

Usually each section is dipped three times to get the best finish. The finish should be without dust marks and perfectly smooth. If not, the imperfection must be rubbed out and polished or the section sanded and dipped again.

Then a fine reel seat of nickel silver, with exotic wood insert is glued and the rod is now finished.

The process of building a rod takes me from 6o to 80 hours, depending on problems encountered.

My cost for a two piece, two tipped rod fitted with the finest furnishings is about $210.

It’s not an inexpensive hobby, but it is one that will keep you occupied all winter.

And oh, yes. Don’t forget the Band-Aids. Planed bamboo is as sharp as a razor and can give you the mother of all paper cuts. Even after nearly 50 rods, I still find myself bleeding from time to time.

But that’s fitting. It takes blood, sweat and tears to make a quality bamboo fly rod.

As Harold “Pinky” Gillum used to say, “Buying a bamboo rod is purchasing two weeks of a man’s life.”

For me, it’s closer to six.

We “redesigned” our Flexible Flyer sled into a real ice fishing machine by wiring a peach crate to the top of it, rods were made from broken broom handles and a couple of nails.

To get through the ice, we borrowed a spud bar from our neighbor.  A spud bar isn’t exactly a high tech piece of equipment as it’s just a “real” heavy metal bar with one of the ends sharpened.

Add to that long handle underwear, four buckle overshoes, a stocking cap, brown jersey gloves and we were ready to hit the ice.

Well, it’s been forty some years since that time and things have come a long way.

Every year, there are more and more advancements in ice fishing gear, making it easier to punch holes through the ice and less exhausting for the fishermen when he’s hauling his gear out on the ice.

You don’t have to look far to find new and updated locators that help you to get on the fish quickly, new lures that helping us to catch then fish as well as clothing helping to us to stay warm in the harshest of conditions.

This year is no exception as I recently found out when I recently attended an Ice Fishing Expo.

Gone are the old days when you either had to spud your way through the ice or chip your way through the ice with a spoon auger as the ice augers now days, make it quick and easy to get a hole dug

Feldmann Manufacturing out of Wisconsin, (www.jiffyonice.com) the manufacturers of the Jiffy augers were the first to manufacture ice augers and each year they come out with new improvements.

All of their augers have the E-Z connect, allowing you to quickly remove and replace the blade from the power unit, making it much easier to transport.

They have a new High Torque Transmission HTT and heavy duty clutch transfers more energy giving the auger additional torque.

They start easily, cut quickly, giving us more time to fish.

Transporting your gear on and off the ice have never been easier as there are numerous companies out there that are making sleds and houses now that not only allow the ice fishermen to easily haul his gear onto the ice, but once he gets their to fish in comfort.

Otter Outdoors (www.otteroutdoors.com) a Minnesota based company has a complete line of ice fishing sleds and houses made for 1 to 4 people.

Their sleds have a raised front allowing the sled to be pulled through snow easily with plenty of room to store and haul your gear.

The back of the sled is raised higher than the front, which allows you to safely transport all your gear without fear of it falling off on the ice.

Once you get to where you want to fish, the flip up swivel-cushioned seats allow you to fish in comfort.

If the weather turns nasty it takes just a few seconds to flip the house up over you, giving protection from the elements and plenty of room to comfortably fish, no matter what Mother Nature throws at you.

Vexilar, another Minnesota based company (www.vexilar.com) celebrates its 50th year in 2010.  I’ve used Vexilar locators for years and believe they manufacture the finest locator available for not only ice fishermen but also for us soft water anglers.

Their FL-20 is state of the art; it’s a three-color sonar unit allowing you to quickly locate the fish, because of the three colors, allowing you to see your lure, which appears orange as it descends. The unit makes it easy to spot the fish, which appear in red.

Once you spot the fish are above or below your lure, you can watch your lure as you bring it to the depth the fish are feeding, the red color indicating the fish will widen which means that your lure is at the exact depth the fish are, putting the bait right in front of the fish.

The unit also has a night and day mode. The night setting lets you cut the output of the LED display bin in half to avoid getting night blindness when looking at the super bright LEDs.

There are also numerous new lures on the market including those manufactured by Lindy, another Minnesota based company (www.lindyfishingtackle.com).

Their new Darter with its enticing new action resembles the lipless crankbait used by anglers during the open water season. It’s rattle chamber mimics the sounds of a distressed baitfish and will bring in fish from long distances.
It’s worked much like a jig using the standard lift drop method causing the Darter to vibrate while darting from side to side.

Available in three sizes and eleven different holographic patterns, these baits have been hot on many upper midwestern lakes.
Anglers have found the hottest colors in our area seem to be the 1/3” Bluegill for perch and the 1 ¾” Shiner and Perch pattern for walleyes

Arctic Armor a Pennsylvania based company (www.idigear.com/arcticarmor) has been keeping us warm for several years and once again this year, they’ve come out with several new styles of ice fishing clothing that; not only will keep you warm, it will also keep you afloat if you happen to end up in the water.

Insulated with lightweight Insultex™ you’ll keep you warm without the old bulky type insulating material that you’d find on some cold weather clothing. This along with its Internal Tightening System keeps your body heat in while keeping snow out.

Their super padded knees with Insultex™ keep you warm and dry when kneeling on the ice to dip or while landing that big fish.
These are just a few of the new and updated products that will help to make you a more efficient and a much more comfortable and warm ice fishermen.

Be safe, keep warm and we’ll see you on the ice this winter.

For the past 12 years, I have spent most winter evenings and a lot of weekends planing bamboo in my basement workshop.

I make split bamboo fly rods.

I begin with a culm (pole) of cane 12 feet long and cut in half. From that I split out sections roughly 1/4 to 5/8ths inches wide.

Roughly 60 to 80 hours later, I have a finished fly rod.

I began making bamboo fly rods because I couldn’t afford to buy one. Now, as I like to say, $10,000 later, I have all the bamboo rods I could want.

With borrowed tools and cane, back in 1977 I made my first rod. I worked at it for two years and then had to give the equipment back. In those days there were probably less than a dozen bamboo fly rod makers in the country and practically no published information on how to build one.

Because of a trade embargo with China, none of the cane suitable for fly rod building was imported. The cane I initially used was purchased before the embargo from Herters by Jim Stone, a friend and great fisherman who made split bamboo spinning rods as a hobby. For the next several years, my rod making ambitions languished for want of a proper planing form and other materials needed to make rods.

The trade embargo was lifted in 1975 and in 1977 a book was published which would rekindle the interest in bamboo rod making.

“A Master’s Guide to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod,” by Everett Garrison with Hoagy B. Carmichael was the book which was to become known as “The Bible” among bamboo rod makers.

I was among the first to obtain a copy and I read and reread it time and time again. Nearly 50 rods later, and, I still refer to it today.

Everett Garrison was known as a master rod builder during the 40s, 50s and 60s until his death in 1975.

He was a basement rod maker working out of his home. An engineer by trade, he made about 700 rods. Today his rods sell upwards of $7,000 each.

There currently is no shortage of information on how to build bamboo rods. Several books have been published since the 1990s and the internet is another great source.

Bamboo was first used in fishing rods back in the mid 1850s. Hiram Leonard is credited for making the first rod completely out of bamboo strips in 1871. His rods soon gained fame throughout New England. He is truly the father of the split bamboo fly rod.

Bamboo reigned supreme as a fishing rod material until 1950. There were several large production companies such as Montegue, Horton-Bristol and South Bend. These companies turned out rods by the thousands for general use.

There has always been, however, a small group of individual makers and small companies which made superior rods.

And even after the bamboo rod market crashed in 1950 due to the development of fiberglass for fishing rods, these small businesses continued to furnish rods for more discriminating fishermen.

When graphite rods were introduced in the mid 1970s, fiberglass went the way of bamboo.

Yet the bamboo craft continues stronger than ever.

Today’ I’d guess there are well over a thousand rod makers in the United States, most of them basement hobbiests, and worldwide there are many thousands more.

You can spend $3,500 or more for a good bamboo fly rod today. Prices start at about $750 for a two piece, two tip rod from makers who have not gained a big reputation and are making rods parttime.

Next week we’ll take a step-by-step look at the bamboo rod making process and why bamboo is such a good material for fly rod fishing.

And, we’ll discover why the best bamboo rods ever produced are being made today.

I’d like to have a penny for every time I’ve cast out a Big O crankbait.

Oh, I’d still be sittin’ here writin’ fishing stories, but the view would be a lot better. West Okoboji lakefront is what I’m thinking.

But, back to reality. Back to the Big O, one fine fish catching machine.

I first used the Big O back in the mid 1970s. In those days I opened the bass fishing season on Lake Geneva in Minnesota every year.

The Big O was my go-to crankbait then and, I’m here to tell you, it still is today.

The Big O has a long and proud history.

The lure, which is made of plastic today, was originally carved of Balsa wood. Fred Young carved the first Big O lure in 1967.

Fred’s brother Odis field tested the lures. He was six feet, six inches tall so it is easy to see how the lure got its name.

Word started to spread locally about how effective this home-made lure was, but it wasn’t famous until Billy Westmorland, a legendary smallmouth bass fisherman, took the lure on the tournament trail. He took second place in a B.A.S.S. tournament just getting edged out by Bobby Murray.

Soon the lures were selling for $50 apiece and the demand was far ahead of Young’s ability to turn them out. In some places the lure was being rented out by the day.

It was in 1973 that Cotton Cordell bought the Big O and began manufacturing it in plastic.

Within 13 months 1.3 million Big Os were sold.

The Big O was the first of the “fat” alphabet plugs. Many other manufactures followed with their own “fat” crankbaits, but none live up to the fish catching ability of the Big O.

While the orginal balsa Big Os were fat, beefy baits that had an almost violent wobble, most anglers today use much smaller versions.

In fact, I seldom use any size other than the two-and-a-half inch Big O.

It weighs one third of an ounce so it casts very easily for both distance and accuracy.

For fishing smallmouth bass in the channelized Missouri right here in the Sioux City area, there is no better crankbait, in my opinion.

It dives to just the right depth, about four feet on the cast and when our smallies are active, they are up shallow right against the rip-rap or right out on the ends of the wing dams.

The short, squared lip causes the lure to deflect off rocks or other submerged structure and, believe it or not, I seldom lose one to a snag.

Farther upstream, where smallies gather below sandbars and chase shad and shiners, the Big O is a great choice. This is shallow water fishing. You can make long casts and retrieve it fast and stay above the fish. Smallies will go up for a bait so you want to fish above them.

For the Missouri River, I like to stick to shad colors. The Smoky Joe, Chrome and Black Back or the Pearl/Red Eye is what I’m usually throwing.

However, the Fire Tiger color is another good one.

Early on, tournament fishermen found the Big Os excelled in dingy or stained water. It still does today in the dark waters of the Missouri here.

Today the Big O is being manufactured by Pradco Outdoor Brands, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic fishing lures.

A division of EBSCO, Pradco also markets game calls, muzzleloading rifles, scents, decoys, game feeders, game cameras, tree stands and other products for hunters.

If you haven’t used this old classic, tie one on next spring. It’s been part of my tackle box for nearly 35 years, and I’ll be throwing them for as long as I can.

Among the alphabet baits, the Big O rates a Big A+ in my book. And Missouri River smallmouth rate it the same way, I’m here to tell you.

Hunting Season is upon us once again and the members of Team Outdoorsmen Adventures wishes you the best season of all!

North Carolina Archery Season has begun with many other states opening soon. A bow hunter is someone who gets to know his prey up close and personal. He is of the land and knows the patterns and movements of the game he intends to harvest.

This is what makes a great hunter out in the woods. “Make No Mistake About It!” That is exactly the key element in a bow hunters mindset he must be mentally ready and prepared for the shot.

The hunt starts before season when he picks his bow up each year. It makes sense to not take the shot if you have not completed your homework.

The first task to cover is to inspect our bow for damages. Inspect it anyway, even if it has been locked in your case for the past year. If your string looks worn, it’s time to replace it. I like to replace my bowstring every two years regardless of the wear and tear on it. Strings will stretch over time. Inspect your arrows and anything else on the bow. Look for cracks, a bent arrow, torn or bad fletching or anything than could cause an arrow to fly incorrectly.

Make sure you oil movable parts of your bow with scentless oil. Wax your string each time you practice. Proper care of all bow hunting equipment is essential to success in the field.

Once all this has been accomplished you are ready to shoot again. Practice everyday no less than a month before season. I feel if you’ve put in shooting time every night till the opener you’ll be prepared physically and mentally for you shot at a game animal.

By this time your shot should become a repetition of steps that you do automatically without thinking.

Even at this point, here in North Carolina with a longbow season practice should be performed periodically during season to ensure your form and shot have not went south.

When the game animal is in front of you the less thinking you do the better. This brings me to a point on the many sights that are on the market.

Sights

Pin sights are nice because you have a pin for each 5-yard increment. In my opinion a pendulum site is better yet. They’re very accurate from 0 to 30 yards, compensating for the yardage and height, eliminating the thinking for you.

I’ve used these sights in the past and they’re easy to use. Savage makes one of the most user-friendly pendulum sights I know of.

Arrow Rests

There are also numerous types of arrow rest out there with a drop away rest being one of the most popular. I use one on my bow and like the fact that they do not interfere with the fletching or vanes of your arrows. This means you are have a better-tuned bow and consistent shot pattern over and over. I’m also a fan of the whisker biscuit. This arrow rest holds your arrow in place in any position for a shot. You do not have to worry about the arrow falling off in a hunting situation.

Noise Reduction

Noise reduction rubber components can be applied to help reduce vibration and shock of the bow, making it quieter.  Some bows have these installed when you buy them. Although you may not consider reducing the sound made by your bow a big deal, but it would be a major mistake if you don’t, especially on the slower bows.

If you have a bow that vibrates and makes a lot of noise when you shoot it, can scare the deer, as the noise made by the bow is what causes the deer to jump or duck when you release the arrow.   By cutting down the noise made by your bow, you’ll have a better chance to bag a deer and less of a chance of wounding one or missing a good deer.

Peep Sights

A peep sight is an inexpensive and very important piece of hunting equipment, one that every hunter should use. Peep sights allow you to line your eye with your bow sight, providing a 3-point reference aligning your eye, bow sight and the game animal.

Practice Targets

To fine tune your shooting before the hunt, it’s a good idea to shoot at game target such as a deer or turkey. Shooting at a lifelike game target mentally prepares you to shoot for vitals.

So, get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot!

Bow hunting has been a rewarding part of my year-to-year season for many reasons. Each time I harvest a good buck with my bow. I have an immense sense of accomplishment by taking game with archery equipment that I don’t get when hunting with a gun.

Learning about the game I’m after and getting this close to a deer creates some of the greatest hunting memories you will ever experience in your lifetime.

If your not a bow hunter and would like to start I’d recommend that  you visit a pro shop and have them set up a bow fitted to you.

Archery pro shops can help you find a bow that fits you perfectly and give you advise on what bow would work best for you.

If I could make one recommendation it would be to get a short bow that’s light in weight, which will make your shooting much easier as well as more relaxing. Allowing you to practice a little longer and in time, make you a better shot.

They were nosebleed high and didn’t look interested in setting down, but I had to try them as it had been a slow day and this was the closest birds that I’d seen.

I fired up the electronic call, a Fox Pro Fury and cranked the volume up as the wind was really churning things up.

As they approached, it appeared as if they were loosing altitude, getting closer with every wing beat.

I kept the call going, changing back and forth between several different Snow Goose calls.

As they neared our spread, I cut back on the volume as the racket the geese were making was deafening and they wouldn’t be able to hear the call above all the racket they were making.

With each wide swing they made, they dropped a few more yards and then the lead geese folded its wings, dropped twenty yards and then made the final approach into the spread.

The lead geese gilded over our pit blind, just clearing the top of the blind landing directly behind us as the remainder of the flock set their wings sliding into position to land in our decoy spread that laid out in front of us.

What happened next will be one of those memories that I won’t forget!

In one swift motion, we popped through the Dura-Cover, guns blazing as the geese frantically backpedaled attempting to gain altitude.

The hunters on the left side of the blind had the closest shots, dropping three geese with as many shots. The hunter in the center of the blind was doing his best to take out those that were flaring in front of him and I was banging at those on my side.

We had seven birds on the ground as the remaining birds scattered in all directions. That’s when I fired up the Fury again, aiming it at the departing geese, they regrouped and swung over our spread one more time, allowing us to take three more birds out of the same flock.

Since then, this scenario has been repeated numerous times as we brought in birds that were so high that we had trouble spotting them at first.

Without a good quality call, we would never have been able to get the birds attention little alone draw them into shooting range

The Fox Ro Fury digital game call is programmable, has a 24-bit audio that really performs and with dual speakers each individually amplified you get plenty of volume producing crystal clear sound.

I’ve also used this unit for calling coyotes and bobcats, having excellent luck.   On one trip we were able to call in numerous coyotes and four bobcats.

It comes with a remote allowing you to place the call well away from the hunters. With the call located out in front of the hunters, when the critters come charging in, their eyes will be searching the area the sound is coming from and not looking right at the hunters.

The unit has 10 sound presets so if one sound doesn’t get the predator’s attention you can quickly change from one sound to another with just the push of the remote button.

If you’re looking for a great call around game call, check out the Fox Pro Fury available at local sporting goods stores, mass merchandisers and on the Internet.

If you’d like more information on the Fury, check out their web site at gofoxpro.com