Time to Trap

Last night I called the fur buyer that is in my area. Rob, the fur buyer, told me that he will buy the whole animal instead of just the pelt. This is really good news for me because I didn’t want to trap if I had to mess with skinning and tanning the hides. He said that the price of a raccoon varies based on their size. He gives $8 for an average sized raccoon, which is 10-15 pounds.

I got online and purchased my trapping license on the Department of Natural Recourses website. The license was $17, so two nice sized coons will almost pay off my license. I have four traps and I plan to get at least four more out of my grandpas barn. I have seen many raccoons in one of my woods while deer hunting. I also have seen a couple fox so I might even try to trap some fox. I plan to set my traps in the areas where I have seen these coons and foxes.

Rob told me that the best thing to do with the animals after the catch is to put them in the freezer so the animals do not rot and them when I get several I can just take them to him. He also said that I could just hang them outside if the weather is below freezing so the carcasses will freeze. I am going to set some traps this weekend to try it out. If all goes well and I catch some furs, then I will be all ready to trap like crazy over Christmas break.

Trapping: A Part Time Job

When the first settlers came to America, and many years after that, many people made a living from trapping furbearing animals. Today the furs are not as valuable as they were back then but one can still make some side money. My grandpa trapped and so did my dad and uncles, but I will admit I have never trapped. I have been doing some research on trapping because I am considering taking it up as a hobby and for some extra money.

I found that it is $17 for a trapping license and a trapping education course is not required but it is offered. The main animal I am interested in trapping is the raccoon. There are a lot of raccoon in my area and with living on a farm they are always getting into our grain elevator. The trapping season for raccoon is November 15 to January 31. My grandpa still has the traps he used and he said that I could use them. I have the traps so all I need is my license.

Another important part of trapping is knowing a fur buyer. I looked up the list of Indiana fur buyers and found that there is one just twenty minutes from my home. This weekend I plan to contact the fur buyer to find out what he offers for a fur and what kind of condition they must be in. By condition I mean whether he will take the whole animal or if a person has to skin it and stretch the skin. Right now the standard price for a raccoon skin is $14.

Hopefully I can get all the information I need soon so that I can put traps out during Christmas break. The law is that you must check the traps at least once a day so it will be hard for me to do it before break with school. Hopefully I will come back from break with some extra cash in my pocket.

Stabilizers

One piece of equipment that is commonly overlooked is the stabilizer. Though it is not essential to have it can make a huge difference in the consistency of your shots. The job of the stabilizer is to absorb shock out of your bow and to try to balance the weight distribution throughout the bow. This can be done in many ways by having different sizes of stabilizers or different weights of stabilizers or just simply the location of the stabilizers on the bow.
When it comes to competing many archers prefer to use a long light weight stabilizer. This allow for the shock to e absorbed very well. This also balances out the bow the best because when you are competing you tend to have a lot of weight near your bow and since you want your bow to “fall” away from you when you shoot the arrow it is best to have a longer stabilizer. When hunting the most common stabilizer used is a short heavier stabilizer. This is done for two main reasons. The first is that with a short stabilizer you are less likely to hit it on a branch or other bush that you may encounter while hunting and the deer are less likely to see. The other reason is that since it is heavy it can still make your bow “fall” forward. The main reason why many archers want their bow to “fall” forward is because it is a continuous motion with the shot. If the bow did not fall forward the shot would be stagnant and many problems with form and follow through could follow.
The location of the stabilizer on the bow can have a huge impact on its function. In most competitive setting many archer prefer to have at least two stabilizers one on the front of the bow and a smaller one on the side of the bow. The one on the side of the bow allows the bow to be balanced left and right. The need for this arises when you get a larger site that is mounted on the right side of your bow you would then install a small stabilizer on the left side of your bow so it is easier to keep your bow level. In hunting this is less of a problem because many hunters don’t use large fancy sites. Instead they tend to stick with sites that weight less therefore eliminating the need for a side stabilizer.
Overall it is important to use a stabilizer whenever you are shooting your bow. The stabilizer takes out a large amount of vibrations and shock out of the bow making it much easier to hold. It is also important to remember that using a stabilizer can greatly help your form and overall shooting abilities.

Waterfowl Season

A week ago, November 21, waterfowl season opened up. Until this past weekend I was focused mainly on deer hunting because I had not shot a deer this year yet. Now that I have shot my buck, I am ready to go duck and goose hunting. One of my hunting friends is really into waterfowl hunting, so he is usually who I go hunting with. Him and his dad each have their own ground blind, which is a device you lay in and two doors go over the top of you and when the birds fly in you flip open the doors to shoot (pictured to the left). These are nice blinds to have for hunting in a field but they are very expensive. The blinds usually aren’t any cheaper than $200.

I am not interested in spending that much money so this year I decided to try to make a ground blind. On the internet I found one that a guy made out of a trash barrel by cutting it in half and bolting the two tops of the half’s together so he could lay in it. This design looked great because he got a barrel with big wheels on it so it could just be wheeled out into the field. After looking at several stores, we couldn’t find a barrel that would have big enough wheel to go through the field. The only ones that had big wheels were in people’s driveways and belonged to waste management. Yes it did run across our mind to just steal one but we decide it would be obvious we stole it if it said waste management on the side.

A couple days later my friend realized he had an old car topper lying around that he never uses. By cutting some door flaps, adding some paint, and some wheels we decided we could make it work. This will also be handy for putting the decoys and other blinds in to wheel them out into the field. We haven’t actually had time to make it yet but we have it all planned out. Hopefully it will turn out good and make waterfowl hunting even more enjoyable.

New Squirrel Gun

This past Sunday I went to a gun show at the National Guard Armory in Lafayette, IN. There were a lot of different guns but I was looking for one specific one. I have been looking to buy a semiautomatic 10/22 Ruger. To order the gun new from Ruger it is $320. I figured that I would be able to find this gun at the gun show for a cheaper price. At the show they had six different 10/22 Rugers. I narrowed my interest down to two of the guns. One of the guns was the simplest model of the 10/22 Ruger you can get. The owner said he would sell it to me for $150. This was a cheap price but the gun had some rust damage and no scope. I decided this wasn’t what I wanted.

The other gun was the 10/22 DSP Ruger, which is the deluxe model, and it is the best 10/22 they make. This one had a Tasco scope, the long barrel, and all stainless steel. The owner had it priced at $365 and I managed to talk him down to $300. Along with the gun the owner gave me a box of 50 rounds. This is my new gun pictured above.

After I bought the gun I looked up what the gun would cost me new. I couldn’t find the gun with stainless steel, but without it the gun cost $320. I also found that the scope cost $60 new. So I essentially saved about $80 but that is with out the stainless steel. I think I got a pretty good deal.

I haven’t had a chance to shoot the gun yet, but this weekend I plan too. I want to shoot at a target a few times to make sure the scope is set right and then I hope I will have time to take it out squirrel hunting. My friend has the standard 10/22 Ruger with a scope so I am looking forward to seeing how it compares to his.

Paintball Barn Tournament Continued

Last time, I talked about my experiences at the Paintball Barn. I touched on how they ran the tournament and it seemed okay. I also harped about how talent, experience, and skill are absolutely no match for solid teamwork. Unfortunately I can't blame the loss completely on the lack of teamwork. It just isn't fair to my teammates who, just like me, were trying their best to make it work. There were huge personal failings that ultimately led to many of our losses that day. They were no one's fault but my own and they were stupid rookie mistakes.

The very first game, I forgot to fill up my tank. Honest to God. I went out there with about 1000 psi. This however did not lead to a loss, we merely tied. But we should have won because we had position and momentum towards the end of the game. The second game, I decided, for some dumb reason, to switch my hoppers. I got out on the field and the new hopper had NO batteries. What was I thinking?! Later in the day, I forgot to fill up my tank again! It was just a huge mess on my part.

I think this all goes back to my attitude before playing in this tournament. I was completely out of the paintball mindset and was not prepared at all to play that day. This brings the second key to success on the field: if you're going to play, you better be ready. If you aren't geared up to play and you're heart isn't pounding a million times a minute, you're going to lose. So remember, Clocktapus says "Play to win, and for God's sake FILL UP YOUR TANK!"

What's stopping your arrows?

Since the weather has begun to change archers have begun moving indoors. When they do this they often have select the type of material that they want to shoot their arrows into. The object that stops the arrows is called the target butt. Many archers prefer their target butt to be made out of certain materials. Some of the more common materials that target butts are made of are plastic, straw, and even old clothing. The material that I prefer is plastic, however you not only have to consider the material but you also have to consider the way that the material is designed to stop the arrow. Some targets like The Block are very effective in stopping the arrows and they also allow for the arrows to be pulled out very easily. Another target that allows arrows to be pulled out very easily is the Morrell target. This target is very good for both indoor and outdoor practicing. The only downside about this target is that with many shots its ability to stop the arrows will significantly decrease.
The two main things to consider when selecting a target butt are how easy it is to pull the arrows out of the target and the overall durability of the target after many shots. As mentioned above The Block is a target butt that is easy to pull arrows from while being very durable. Another bonus of this target is that when you pull the arrow out of the target there is not a residue left on your arrow. With some plastic targets the arrows create enough heat and friction that the plastic heats up and actually melts to the arrow shaft. This can be a great hindrance during any archery competition.
If you select a target butt strictly on durability there are some tricks that you can us to make it easier to pull your arrows out of the target. One thing that a lot of archers do if they are having trouble pulling their arrows out of a target is to apply soap to the shaft of the arrow. The way this is done is by drilling a hole slightly bigger than the diameter of your arrow shaft into a bar of soap. Then if you prefer you can wrap the bar of soap in duct tape so it does not get on your hands. Before each round coat the tip end of your arrows with a minimal amount of soap, by dong this the plastic won’t bind directly to the shaft of your arrow. Another way you can make it easier to pull your arrows is to purchase an arrow puller. An arrow puller is a piece of solid rubber hat allows you to get a better grip around the arrow making it easier to pull out of the target.

The Buck Stops Here

This past Friday evening, the day after Thanksgiving, I went out deer hunting hoping to shoot my one buck for the year and I did. My friend from high school met me at my house at 2:30 that evening so that we could get our gear ready to go out for the hunt. We got his blind, my self- climbing tree stand, and our guns loaded onto my four wheeler and the headed out to the two wood lots behind my house. We each went to separate woods which are about 200 yards apart. This greatly increases our chances of shooting a deer because we are able to cover more ground and if one of us spooks some deer then they are likely to run to the other person. We also had two way radios so we could tell each other if deer were headed there way.

We were both set up and ready at three o’clock which is a little early for an evening hunt but it is better to be to early then too late. Being early definitely paid off for me. After wait just an hour I heard a deer walking through the leaves behind me to my left. When I looked over my shoulder I saw it was a pretty nice eight point buck by itself. It was heading toward the creek, which was just five yards in front of me. I stood up in my tree stand to be ready for a shot. The buck crossed the creek into the open field and stopped perfectly in my shooting window between tree branches. I shouldered my slug gun, aligned the open sights, took aim for the buck’s neck and fired. This is me pictured above with my 2007 buck. Shooting the buck in the neck caused him to drop to the ground instantly. If you shoot a deer in the lungs or heart they will usually run until they bleed to death. The neck shoot avoided the buck running into a neighboring woods that someone else owns.

My friend heard the bang and radioed me to see what I had shot. When I told him about the buck he decided to end his hunt so we could clean my deer before it was dark. We gutted it and took it to Full Draw Archery to check him in. When they weighed the buck he only weighed 115 pounds. This is light for a buck and I was surprised he was that small. It is hard to tell in the woods because you have only a few seconds to decided whether you want to shoot or not. Regardless of his weight, he had a very symmetrical rack (pictured). I spent a good part of the rest of my weekend processing the deer. I made deer jerky, summer sausage, ground venison, and of course the loins. I was pleased with my buck this year and plan to shoot bigger next year.

Challenge Park Revisited

My friends and I paid another visit to Challenge Park last weekend for some turkey-ball (Thanksgiving Paintball). We got into the park for free and quickly picked up our paint and aired up our guns. We set up shop at one of their tables that were scattered throughout the park. We walked over to Armageddon, a field that looks like a post-apocalyptic city, and waited for the next game to start. We split into teams and walked over to our respective corners of the field. The refs yelled and we sprinted off throughout the field. I ran left and took cover behind a half-collapsed wall. I peaked behind the corner and spotted two guys dead ahead of me crouched behind another wall. We traded paint for a minute or two and then I snuck one over the top of the wall and hit a guy right in his dome. He stood up and I poked my head out to try and find the other guy and ducked just as a wave of paint came flying over my head. I was getting ready to make a move when I noticed that the other play was already standing up with his gun in the air. One of my friends had finally caught up to me and had taken the other guy out before I had a chance to notice. I moved up to a pile of rubble and looked back to see my friend take one in the gun from the other side of the field. I turned and opened fire on the other guy and he ran to take cover behind a demolished car.I chased him down and continued to put fire on him. I had to pause and reload my gun and as I did he turned and ran away to the far corner of the field.
I continued to chase him back into the corner of the field and stopped behind another wall. I had them covered on the left and I looked over to see that the rest of my teammates were in a fire fight with the other team on the right. No one on the other team knew I was there and one of my teammates gave me the go sign. I came out from around the corner and saw five guys just standing in the open. I walked my fingers as fast as I could and covered four of them in paint as the last guy hid behind his fallen teammates. He ducked behind a wall and my teammate that had given me the go sign ran up the side and finished him off. We walked off the field and all anyone was talking about was that guy that ran up the left side and took out half the other team. It had to be one of the best, if not the best, game I have ever played.

Turkeys

Can you shoot a turkey with a bow and arrow? Since Thanksgiving is nearly here I decided to talk about turkeys. The answer to the question above is yes. Many archers like the added challenge of hunting turkeys with bow and arrow. The hard part of shooting a turkey with an arrow is that their vital organs are pretty small. The heart, the best place to shoot an animal, is only about the size of a silver dollar. If you are going to shoot a turkey and it is looking straight at you the place that you should shoot it is about 3 inches directly above the beard. This allows for a good humane kill. So, to answer the question yes it can be done but the area you have to get the arrow into is very small!

Autococker, Yay or Nay

If you have ever shopped for a paintball marker there is a good chance that you have seen an Autococker and noticed that it is a little different from other markers. That's because they function differently than other markers. Where most of the markers out today are open-bolt, the Autococker is closed-bolt. They essentially work like a pump gun. The only difference is that an Autococker, like its name suggests, cocks itself. A lot of people think that this open bolt operation makes the gun more accurate but this theory is actually incorrect. The reason autocockers are so accurate is because they require a very close paint-to-barrel match. In an open-bolt marker the ball detents hold the ball in place. In a closed-bolt marker the barrel is the only thing holding the ball in place. Without a good paint-to-barrel match paintballs have a tendency to fall out the end of the barrel when it is pointed down. When you have a close paint-to-barrel match the ball does not have as much room to move around in the barrel and this allows the paintball to maintain its path more effectively. However, autocockers are a little more complicated than your standard open-bolt marker. They use a piece called a front block that is comprised of three different parts, the lower pressure regulator (LPR), the 4-way, and the ram. For the sake of saving time, the LPR lowers the air pressure the 4-way sends that air to different parts of the gun and the ram uses that air to cock the gun after it has been fired. Because these guns are so different from other guns I have found that many people do not like them that much, but the people that do like them love them and would not use anything else. I have a WGP Karnivor and my brother has some other autococker, I’m not really sure what it is, it’s not really important. What I trying to talk about is the fact that we both hate them. We both have everything we need and they just never seem to work correctly. So a word of advice to those of you that are in the market for a new gun. If you are not familiar with autocockers and don’t really feel like taking the time figure them out then do not under any circumstances buy one. If you have the patience and like how they work then by all means pick one up. It all really comes down to personal preference.

Morning Hunt

Tomorrow will be the first day of shotgun this deer season and I plan to go out first thing in the morning. I have my Remington 870 shotgun and all my other gear ready to go. The spot I am going is generally not very good for deer hunting in the morning. The deer are always moving in evening when I go out there. Even though the deer are not very good in the morning at this spot, I think there will be some moving out there tomorrow morning.

First of all, the deer are going to be getting pushed around a lot. There are a lot more deer hunters that go gun hunting then there is that bow hunt. With tomorrow being the opening day of gun season you can bet that every hunter that deer hunts with a gun will be out in the morning. With so many hunters being in the woods, the deer are going to running everywhere from being spooked by hunters. The key to shooting a big buck on opening day of gun season is to be out there and set up before the other hunters in the area. After the first couple of hours the deer will find a spot they are comfortable and bed down.

The other determining factor for the morning hunt is the weather. I checked the forecast and they are calling for a chance of rain tomorrow. If rain does start to come then the deer will be moving to get comfortable before the rain. The weather is always a determining factor for any hunt. The deer never move very much when it is hot, so the cold temperatures in the morning may work in my favor. At least I hope it does or I will freeze my you know what off.

I am excited about my hunt in the morning and I hope it will be a successful one. I am going to get some sleep now so that I can be up early to be the first one out. Tomorrow I will be back to tell you about the hunt.

Arrows

Is your arrow your friend or foe? In the sport of archery arrows are a necessity without them there really would be no sport. Most people consider arrows to be great and nearly armless. However they tend to cause quite a few injuries especially in an indoor shooting environment.
While indoors you need to make sure that you are correctly pulling out the arrow from the target. It turns out that the noc end of the arrow is as dangerous as the pointed tip end of the arrow. Many people pull their arrows out of the target wrong which can lead to injury (trust me it does happen). The correct way to pull an arrow out of the target is by standing on the side of it and by placing one hand on the target butt and the other around the arrow. Before you start pulling the arrow out make sure that no one is behind you or your arrow. Many injuries occur because people forget to look behind them when they are pulling their arrows and they will accidently hot someone with their arrow. Once you have made sure that no one is behind you or the arrow you can then start pulling the arrow out. Make sure that you pull the arrow out smoothly. If you try to jerk the arrow you are more likely to bend or break the arrow.
The second biggest danger is broken arrow. DO NOT try to shoot an arrow that is broken. If you even suspect an arrow might be broken because of the way it hit the target make sure you test it before you shoot it. The best way to tell if an arrow is broken is by gently twisting the ends in opposite directions. You will b able to tell if the arrow is broke because it will twist more than usual. The reason why you do not want to shoot an arrow that is broken is because if you do it can shatter in mid air launching pieces of carbon fiber everywhere (including in you).
The third most dangerous thing about the arrow is the tips. If you have a broad head on the arrow then you know it can do damage to the target. You also have to remember that it can also do damage before it gets to the target. When shooting broad heads you need to make sure that your hand that you hold your bow with is positioned properly. When positioning your hand make sure that you do not put a finger up near the arrow. If you do this you could accidently cut off a part of your finger when you are shooting broad heads because the blades are wider than most people think. As long as you make sure that your arrows are in good shooting condition as long as you observe all safety precautions your experience shooting should be great.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program

The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) is a great way to be introduced to the competitive shooting world. This program takes school age kids from grades 12 and under and allows them to shoot as a team in competitions in the U.S. The program is supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and many other supporters.

The kids involved can shoot Trap, Skeet, or Sporting Clays or a combination of the disciplines. They compete in each discipline in teams of five with an alternate. They first compete at a state level and then teams that make it out of state go onto nationals in San Antonio. Judging by the scores posted at this year’s National Championships the program is doing very well.

The program allows kids to get national recognition in shooting sports and build team work with fellow shooters. Shooters have been awarded scholarships from universities with shooting teams and also have moved on to shoot in the Olympics. All in all the SCTP is a great step for kids that want to shoot competitively.

Another good thing about the SCTP is that some of the sponsors give discounts on equipment and services on guns for the shooters. Some of the sponsors that offer rebates are Federal, Americase, and Mag-na-port.

I personally shot trap within the SCTP for a year and had a great time doing it. You learn a lot from the instructors and other shooters and you also meet more people in the competitive shooting community. I also know other kids that have shot and also had a great time. There are a few members of the Purdue Team that have been through the program and that is why they are doing collegiate shooting.

It is not hard to get involved in the program they are always looking for new members. You just need to find a club near you that has SCTP and talk to them. You can follow this link to get to their website.

It's Almost Gun Season

For all you deer hunters, firearm season starts this Saturday. I am looking forward to going out with my Remington 870 Deer Slayer. The Remington 870 Deer Slayer is a very common slug gun used for deer hunting. The only type of slugs I have ever used is Remington Sluggers. I am looking at buying a different type of slugs this year because there are some that are more accurate and can travel further.

The type of slug that I am considering is the Quik-Shok Sabot Slug. These slugs travel at a high velocity and can be shot over long distances. Also these slugs split into three pieces upon impact which causes maximum damage to the animal you are shooting.

Another product I am considering this year for my slug gun is a scope. In the past I have just used the open sites on my slug barrel. Open sites work fine but it is not as accurate as a scope would be. The scope I am thinking about is the Leupold VX-I Shotgun scope. This scope is designed just for shotguns. The field of view is extra wide which allows you to easily find your target through the scope. I am not set on buying this scope but it is a definite possibility.

This new equipment should increase my chances of bagging a deer during gun season this year. Hopefully I will be ready to go buy Saturday.

Paintball Barn Tournament

I know I am going to sound like a hypocrite, but I did play in a tournament this past weekend. It was at the Paintball Barn in Attica, Indiana. As I expected, when I first arrived at the field it was absolutely freezing and I started cursing myself for agreeing to play in this weather. But after a while the adrenaline made me forget about the cold and in the end I am glad I played because it gives me the chance to address some things.

The tournament was run on two fields which was interesting because I have never played in such a tournament. It was cool how the refs coordinated the games on both fields so that the games were played at the same time. They gave all four teams playing 30 seconds to get ready before the 10 second count. This made it so both fields were on the same schedule instead of one field being ahead of the other. It was a really good idea, but later in the day it just became tedious, especially in the finals when all of the teams were ready to go and knew what they were doing. It just made the whole process take longer.

My team consisted of me, a guy I know, and two guys that he knows that I had never met. This spelled disaster from the start. Teamwork is the single most important aspect of paintball and if you do not know the people on your team, you will not work well together. We were not a team. We were individuals trying to do it all by ourselves. Looking back on the whole day, we all played well, but no amount of experience, skill, or talent can out play good old-fashion teamwork. Clocktapus says "your team mate must be like your brother in order to work well together."

Reball?

So I was visiting some friends back home and they told me that there was a new paintball spot nearby that was a little different than your run of the mill place. I was very curious as to what they meant when they told me it was different from anything we had ever done before. They said it was because instead of paint they use reballs.
What are reballs you ask? Well they are the same size and shape of a standard paintball but they are made of foam. I personally think they are awesome even though some people may disagree with me on that point. The reason I think they are so cool is because they never pop. You can play for as long as you want and in less you shoot them somewhere that you can’t reach you can just go pick them up and play again. The only negative I’ve been able to derive is that you can’t really see where they hit, meaning that if you are using them for target practice don’t leave visible marks. This can also be a problem when in a game because it is harder to tell if you or your opponent are hit. It takes honest players and sharp refs to play a good reball game. I have also heard some people say that they hurt more because they don’t pop but from my experience and difference would be negligible.
Now some of you may be asking the question, where can I go to try out these reballs you speak of? Well you could buy your own online or at a local store or you can go to a reball field like my friends and I did. There are two that I know of in the Chicago land area and I’m positive there are others all around the country. The one my friends and I went to is called Chicago Reball Center.
When we walked in to CRC I instantly noticed the lack of paint smell and the cleanliness of the fields which was pretty satisfying. We went and paid the field charge, thirty bucks for one hour, forty for two hours, and seventy five for all day. And trust me you get your money’s worth. For however long you pay for you get unlimited air, unlimited reballs, and if you don’t have your own stuff you get a mask and gun too. You shoot and shoot and shoot and the only reason you’ll have to leave will be when your time runs out.

Hunting Equipment

What kind of equipment is preferred for hunting? Many archers chose to use a compound bow while a handful still continues the traditional way of hunting by using longbows. Using a compound bow greatly increases your chances of a successful kill, but at close ranges and in the hand of an experienced hunter a longbow can be just as effective.
One thing that many hunters will agree on is that you should have a camouflage or a natural looking bow. These are preferred because they are flat and blind in well with the natural setting. If you do chose to use a colored bow then you need to make sure that when you are hunting the sun does not reflect off of your bow. If the sun does it the bow the deer will be able to see the reflection which may cause them to stay away from this foreign object.
Another popular piece of equipment when hunting is a bow quiver. A bow quiver allows the archer to have access to arrows at a moment’s notice. A bow quiver also makes it a lot easier to climb into a tree stand. While in the tree stand the bow quiver tightly secures your arrows keeping them from falling to the ground. A piece of equipment that has been useful to many hunters is a Whisker Biscuit which is a type of arrow rest that is made up of a circular disk that has fibers in it. These fibers allow the arrow to fly through it without affecting the flight of the arrow. Another advantage of the Whisker Biscuit is that it does not allow the arrow to fall out of the arrow rest when the hunter is in the tree stand.
The color preference of the fletching on the arrow differs from archer to archer. Some archers prefer their fletch color to be natural so it blends in with the trees while others prefer the fletch color to be bright so they can find their arrow in the ground after they shoot it. If you are videotaping the hunt you may want to use a bright color like white so the video camera can pick up the arrow in mud flight.
The kind of site that is preferred by most archers is one that has three or four fixed pins. These pins are sited in for a range of distances allowing the hunter to accurately shoot a target from many distances. An additional piece of equipment that is becoming more popular is a light that attaches to the site. This light illuminates the fibrotic pins allowing the hunter to see the pins in poor light conditions.
When selecting hunting equipment make sure that you keep your prey in mind. It is important to keep in mind the senses of the game you are hunting, some will be more developed then others. In the case of deer you need to make sure that you by equipment that is quiet and equipment that blends in to the natural environment.

Krieghoff: is it Worth the Money

At a recent shoot I was presented with an amazing deal, the deal was a used Krieghoff K-80 for $10,000. The gun is a standard grade K-80 with a 30” 12ga heavy barrel, a 30” 12ga carrier barrel wit full tube set, and had work done on it by Ken Eyster, it also came with a 34” unsingle trap barrel. It also came with the case that held all the barrels and tubes. Both the heavy barrel and unsingle barrels are factory Krieghoff choked and had about 20 chokes.

This is a good deal and is a great gun, but there is still that $10,000 price tag. That seems like a lot to spend on a gun, granted I know there are people who spend five times as much but I am just a college student. I am now going to use this blog to convince you and myself that Krighoffs are worth the money.

You can buy a new standard sporting grade K-80 on the internet for under $7000. This seems like a lot for just a standard grade O/U (over under) but these guns are better quality than most of your average guns. Krieghoff has been perfecting their firearms for over 120 years. These 0/U’s are probably the most durable guns I have ever seen, I know people who have shot over 40,000 rounds through their guns and they still work like they did when they came out of the factory.

You also can’t argue with the fact that the competitive skeet shooting community is dominated by Krieghoffs. Most shooters that can afford them will be shooting them. Not just because of their durability but because of their versatility.

The K-80 can easily be customized to the shooter. All the parts of the K-80 can be swapped out form one K-80 to another. This makes it easy to find the perfect stock, forearm and barrel that fits you best. Some stocks and forearms can get kind of pricey, I’ve seen stock and forearm sets for as much as $2000. You can change barrel lengths and weights by just simply buying another one or trading yours in for a used one. You don’t have to send your gun into Briley for sub-gauge tubes because you can buy barrels with tube-sets already fitted.

Another good thing about Krieghoff is that they service all of their guns. You can send your gun back for a variety of different services, from preventative maintenance to complete refurbishing. Many Krieghoff owners will send their gun in at the end of the year for preventative maintenance, which involves making sure everything is working properly and they also thoroughly clean the gun. Which is a pretty good idea that will make a Krieghoff last even longer.

I stated above that the standard K-80 sells for under $7000, well in case you were wondering how much you could spend on one, well I have seen a beautifully custom engraved one for as much as $80,000. Above is a picture of a custom engraved gun that costs about $55,000. Please comment on this post with any opinions on Krieghoffs or other high grade guns.

The Buck that got Away

This past Friday evening I took my brother (pictured to the left) out deer hunting. He has been out several times this year but is yet to shoot his first deer. All I took out was a video camera and a ground blind. I had a good feeling that he was going to get one this time so I wanted to catch it on tape.

He got situated in my tree stand and I set up my blind below the stand. Now all we had to do was wait for the deer. After about an hour a buck came walking along the fence line right to us. This buck was a nice ten pointer. Being only ten yards away from the buck, my brother prepared for the shot. The buck got a little spooked and started to take off but didn’t. Then my brother took the shot. Unfortunately, when the buck moved it caused my brother to have to shoot through some branches which through off his shot. The film I captured of the buck is below. My brother took the shot at the end of the tape.



He was pretty upset that he missed but I told him he will get another chance. The first time shooting a deer is the most difficult. Also, he is twelve so his shooting skills are not the best. He can do great at shooting a foam block but a deer is a totally different story. I think that after that shot his nerves will calm some and his next shot will be a kill and hopefully it will be the same buck.

Selecting A New Bow

Around this time every year people start to look for new equipment. This is the perfect time to do so because this is the transitional period between the outdoor and indoor seasons. Soon companies will be releasing their new products for next year product lines. Many people wonder what they should look for when selecting a bow. The main thing to look for when selecting a bow is that the bow fits you. Many people will often buy a bow that doesn’t even come close to fitting their physical build. The best way to find out what bow is for you is to go to a trusted local archery shop. Here they will measure you draw length and determine what bow will best fit you. After you know your draw length you can then go bow hunting. Once you find a bow that attracts your eye you can then look at its features. With most bows you can adjust the draw weight fairly easily but this could also determine what kinds of limbs that you will need to put on the riser. The final product should be a bow that fits you like a glove. It should be the correct draw length and the correct draw weight for you. If you or the person you are buying the bow for is still growing it is important to buy a bow that has a long range of adjustments and that it is fairly easy to make the adjustments. Many problems with form are do incorrect settings on the bow, the main one being draw length. Remember that when you pull the bow back you only need to pull the string back so that the string is on the tip of your nose you don’t need to pull it back any farther. One thing to consider when selecting a bow is its weight. If you are going to be shooting a lot of arrows then you are not going to want to be holding a really heavy bow. Look for bows that are relatively light but not too light because if they are too light you are more likely to get blown around in the wind. If you are going to be hunting with your bow I recommend getting a bow that is camouflage, but if you are only going to compete with your bow you can select from a wide variety of colors. Lastly don’t feel like you have to buy the bow that is right there in the show room. If it is not what you want and especially if it doesn’t fit you ask the people to order the bow that you want. This will take a little longer but in the end you get a more personalized bow. (The brand of bow that I use for competition is a Hoyt.)

Product Review: Smart Parts TransPod

This is not so much a review as it is a "thank you" to Smart Parts for one of the most practical products released in recent years. The TransPod has such a simple design and purpose that will have other companies saying "Why didn't we think of that?" The sole purpose of the Transpod is to make room in already extremely full and cluttered gearbags.

The TransPod is a regulation sized pod that will hold about 140 paintballs and when not in use it can be collapsed to be a third of its size. Imagine one of those mini-pocket-teloscopes except it holds paintballs! We all know that carrying pods is one of the most important aspects to competitive play. We also know how easily pods break and the importance of bringing an ample amount of them to tournaments and practice. The Transpod will make those 18 pods you carry in your bag now take up the space that 6 normally would. What a space saver!

I have not had a chance to try out these pods for myself, but I dont think I need to to be able to tell that these things will serve their purpose. I have not seen these for sale on any websites yet but you can bet that Smart Parts will not be selling them cheap. My guess is that convenience will cost us $6 a pop this time around. But Clocktapus says "seriously, thank you, Smart Parts for making one of the most player friendly innovations to date."

Spyder Electra Reviewed

Everyone would love to own a Dye Matrix, an Ego, or some other type of high end gun. But the truth of the matter is that not everyone has that much money to spend on a gun, especially if they aren't going to that frequently. Well for the paintballer on a budget one gun I would recommend is the Spyder Electra. It is an electric marker with a niffty little trigger on it. Kingman calls it the Rocking Trigger which is a pretty good name for it because when you look at it you will notice that I rocks back and forth between two contact points. This allow for a greatly improved rate of fire due to the fact that you are basically using two triggers at once. In order to avoid ball breaks the Electra also comes equiped with Kingman's ACS (anti-chop system). It is a bolt that has a spring inside it, and when the bolt detects and obstruction the spring compresses to avoid chopping. The newer versions of the gun also come with eyes. The two piece barrel also has a rifles bore to improve accuracy.

I have had this gun since winter 2005 and I can honestly say that for the money it is a pretty nice marker. It does have the ability to shoot very fast, and it is fairly decent on air. I would say my only complaint about the gun is that you get a lot of crap at paintball fields when you use one. I've never been told I wasn't able to play with it, but becuase the rocking trigger can shoot as fast as it does, refs are constantly coming over to make sure the gun is on semi. It just gets annoying after a while. Now a days you can get your hands on one of these for under 200 bucks, so if you're low on cash and still wanna shoot fast, this could be the gun for you.

JOAD season

Around this time every year Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) programs start up across the country. These JOAD (pronounced Joe Ad) programs allow youth, ages 9-18, from all different types of backgrounds and abilities to competitively participate in the sport of archery. A typical JOAD team consists of about 10-40 members and about 1-5 coaches. These coaches have been trained in their coaching techniques and are certified by the National Archery Association and by the National Field Archery Association. This ensures that the coaches provided are of the highest quality.
Many JOAD clubs practice at least once a week with each practice lasting for about an hour and a half. During these practices the archers will first stretch preventing their straining or even pulling. After the stretching is complete the coaches will usually decide to practice shooting a few rounds before scoring begins. In JOAD the Vegas style target is used. When shooting a Vegas target you only shoot three arrows per round, the time period that starts with shooting and ends with pulling the arrows. During a standard regulation scoring session the archer will shoot 10 rounds with 3 arrows each round making the total number of arrows shot 30. Each of these arrows can be worth up to ten points, making the highest score possible a 300. During this scoring session the coaches will often instruct the archers on how to improve their form or on their concentration. After the scoring session is completed the coaches will usually allow archers to take a break and participate in some fun archery games. These games include tic-tac-toe and 21 both of which make the archer to control the exact location of their arrow on the target. Though these are games they still allow the coaches to observe any problems that the archer may be facing.
After practicing for a few weeks the coaches will then decide who will go to compete at the local or state tournaments. At some of these tournaments the team will shoot their arrows individually then all of their scores will be added together and the team will get a score and then ranked. Usually though the tournaments are only for individuals to compete. One very important thing to remember is that when shooting at a JOAD tournament you should make sure you follow all of the rules. The JOAD association tends to be very strict on their rules especially dress code. I believe that the current dress code for JOAD tournaments is either navy blue pants or white pants (no jeans) and a team shirt that does not have any advertising on it. Another very important rule that you must follow is the shooting time limit. When you are shooting at a JOAD tournament the time you have to shoot three arrows is exactly two minutes. If you shoot before or after the whistle blows your arrows will be disqualified. As long as you follow the rules shooting in a JOAD tournament can be very fun.

Is it Too Cold to Play?

How cold is too cold? For some paintballers, the outdoor season doesn't end until late November. I personally think this is crazy. If it is below 60 degrees or so, I'm not playing. For instance, I believe the last couple weeks has been too cold to play (at least for me). If I do play in this temperature, I feel like my mobility is decreased dramatically and I get all "stiff-kneed" and dont want to kneel.

The only time I would play from November to February would be in an indoor field. However, there aren't that many good indoor fields around. I have only been to three different indoor fields in my experience. Two of them were terrible. One had espestos exposed from the walls (I'm not sure how it was legal for people to be in that building), and the other was a tiny space trying to be a big field. Try playing 7 on 7 in your garage and you'll know how I feel. Wildcat, the field I reviewed before, had a short lived, well designed indoor field during the summer. Sadly, they had to close it down because of zoning issues. All of the other indoor fields I know of that are close to me are up near Chicago. Who wants to drive 3 hours? Not me.

Other fields I know of welcome the cold and even hold Christmas tournaments where all of the refs dress up as Santa and the elves. It seems like a fun idea, but if I won't slide when the leaves are still on the trees, what makes you think I'm going to be diving into the snow? No, thanks. Clocktapus says "call me a panzy, but I'll see you all at the indoor fields (if I can find one close by)."

Shooting with One Eye vs. Two Eyes

Each shooter has his own shooting style and form; there are not many shooters with the same form. One shooter preference is whether to shoot with two eyes open or just one. The theory behind shooting with two eyes open is that you will be able to see the bird come out of the house sooner.

The problem with shooting with two eyes open is that if you are not shooting with your dominant eye you will see double. You will see two barrels and two birds, this obviously does not work. Most people that have this problem are not willing to switch to switch eyes.

One way to fix this is to put a piece of tape in front of your dominant eye, this will allow you to pick the bird up but will stop the double vision. This technique is used by many people and does allow you to shoot better but I think that if you shoot using your dominant eye you will shoot even better.

Since I have been shooting I have encountered many shooters that have tried to shoot with two eyes open and had problems because they see two barrels. This obviously discourages them and they go back to shooting with one eye. I have also encountered shooters that have tried to switch their eye dominance but it is very hard to do.

There are multiple ways to determine eye dominance. One way is to take your hands and put them together so that the space between your thumb and trigger finger makes a triangle. You then hold your hands fully extended in front of your face. Then you pick an object that is away from you and put it in the middle of the triangle. You then slowly begin to bring your hands closer and closer to your face, keeping the object in the middle of the triangle. If you do it correctly your hands will go to one of your eyes and that will be your dominate eye.

The ability to shoot with two eyes open is a very useful tool, personally I have shot with two eyes open for the majority of my shooting career. I believe that it is the only way to shoot and seems more relaxed for me because you don’t have to keep your other eye closed. So if anyone has advice for shooters trying to shoot with two eyes open, please comment and share the knowledge.

How to Rattle in a Buck

Rattling is a very affective method to attracting a buck during the pre- rut and rut. Before you can learn to rattle, you need to get the equipment to rattle. The two most popular rattlers are polymer Fightin’ Horns and rattle bags. Both of these rattlers are very effective and are not very different in price. I have used my friend’s antler rattlers several times but I do not own my own rattlers. Although, I am looking into buying the rattle bag just because it is easier to carry and just as effective. The cheap way to get rattlers is to find a couple of buck sheds and use those to rattle. The only problem with this is that the antlers will dry out causing them to sound different, making them less effective.

Buying the equipment is clearly a must for rattling but it is useless if you don’t know how to use the rattlers. Because I favor the rattle bag, I am going to explain how to use it instead of the antlers. Also, the antlers are somewhat self explanatory. Start by picturing two bucks fighting because that is what you are trying to mimic. When they fight they start by ramming their antlers together. Do this by placing the bag in one hand and bring your hands together in a clapping motion but keep your hands together. Next, bucks will twist and grind their antlers together trying to force one another to the ground. This is done by rubbing the bag in between your hands. So you clap and then rub. Don’t clap the bag together to much. They are not rams; they just make contact with some force.

I suggest rattling for about a minute every twenty minutes. A minute is long enough to attract a buck that is close enough to hear it and twenty minutes is enough time for a buck to work his way close enough to be able to hear it.

After rattling make sure you are ready to shot because many time a buck will come running looking for the fight. Also remember that they are trying to find the fight so it is a lot easier for them to spot you. From my experience, rattling is definitely worth it. Rattling makes a big difference in your deer hunting experience.

Pre-Shoot Preparation

I’m going to another shoot this weekend. However, this shoot isn’t a collegiate shoot it is just a NSSA registered shoot. This shoot is at Crooked Creek Gun Club in Noblesville, IN. The shoot consists of 200 rounds of skeet, 100 12ga and 100 20ga. I stated in one of my earlier posts that I had trouble with my 20ga tube, so for this shoot I will be shooting 28ga for the 20ga event.

I now want to take this time to tell you a little about what I do before every big shoot I go to. I first start off by cleaning my gun; I run the Boresnake through the barrels and clean out my choke tubes. I then try to get all the unburnt powder out of the receiver. I then put a little grease on the ejectors and other moving parts.

I usually then try to make it out to the range for a little extra practice and make sure everything works properly. If I have any problems with a particular station I usually go back to that station and shoot a few extra rounds until I feel comfortable with it. When I get done shooting I wipe my gun down and put it away until I get ready to shoot the competition.

That night after I get done practicing I put all the shells I will need for the shoot in my bag and make sure I have everything else I need. I now make sure I have some WD-40 in my bag in case it does rain. I also make sure that my average card is up to date so I know what class I am shooting in.

Right before I get ready to start my round I do a couple of stretches just to wake up and get moving. I then try to clear my mind of everything else and just focus on shooting. After that I will step on a pad and mount my gun and just practice like I was shooting at one of the targets just to get the feel of my swing.

This is my pre-shoot routine anyone else that has their own routine or does something a little different or has any recommendations, please comment and share them.

Take Aim Paintball Experienced

Five of my friends and me walked into Take Aim Paintball. We slid to one of the surrounding tables and set our gear down via the slippery paint-covered ground. We went and paid our ten dollars for entry and ninety dollars as piece for two cases. At least our wallets wouldn't weigh us down anymore. We aired up our guns, loaded our hoppers, and hit the three man field. We decided to play without a ref and when both teams were at their respective sides we began.
After the break I sprinted to a bunker at our middle thirty taking out a guy from the other team that had moved just a little too slow. One of my teammates took up left back, and the other slid in at right thirty. The other team had two guys left, one opposite me and the other in the back right. We traded paint for a while, waiting for an opportunity to make a move. Then I heard someone yell from behind me and my teammate from our back left had taken one in the face. It was now two on two.
A short time after that my remaining teammate shot their right back player but exposed himself to get the kill and was taken out by their guy in the middle. I had a one on one on my hands and I quickly assessed the situation. The kid I was playing against was dead ahead of me and he was pretty ballsy. We traded paint for a second and then I pulled back behind my bunker. I knew that if I hid for just a few seconds that my opponent would attempt to run up on me. I waited in anticipation, my senses peaked and I could almost feel him coming. I popped out and took him out mid run, one in his chest, one in his package, and one on the top of his head as he fell to the ground holding it. The game was ours.

Can It Be Done?

Is it possible to split an arrow with another arrow? Many people believe that splitting an arrow with another arrow is impossible. Actually “robin hooding” an arrow is not that uncommon. When you “robin hood” an arrow you first shoot one arrow then you shoot another arrow that hits the first arrow on the noc end and sticks into the shaft of the first arrow shot. I have done this before and it is very exciting when you go down to the target and you see two arrows stuck together.
Some people wonder why shows like MythBusters say that this is impossible. What MythBusters says is that it is impossible to completely split an arrow in half by shooting another arrow into it. However shooting an arrow into another arrow without completely splitting the first arrow in half is possible. This can be done on a regular basis by most professional archers. The reason why you do not see a lot of them is because of the way the targets are designed. At most indoor tournaments people shoot either a 3 spot or a 5 spot. The difference between a regular target and a 3 spot or 5 spot is that on a 3 spot you have 3 individual targets that you shoot only one arrow into. This is the same with a 5 spot only you shoot one arrow into each of the 5 individual targets. The reason for this is to prevent arrows from hitting each other.
When arrows hit each other they can damage one or both of the arrows that are involved. So when a professional is shooting very consistently in the center of the target they don’t want to have to get new arrows all of the time so they shoot each arrow into its own individual target. Another reason why professionals shoot their arrows into individual targets is because if the they “robin hood” an arrow one of the arrow is ruined, and that one arrow could cost up to $25.
Another thing that is very hard to do but still possible is to shoot three arrows that all end up end to end. Though this sounds impossible I know it can happen because I have actually seen it done. The archer at the time was not trying to do this it just happened. One thing about “robin hooding” an arrow is that the harder you try to do it the likeliness of it happening decreases. If you just practice a lot and concentrate on shooting in the center of the target instead of worrying about hitting another arrow you will probably “robin hood” an arrow much sooner. In all the instances that I have “robin hooded” an arrow I have been very surprised.