This weekend marks the annual Wisconsin Deer and Turkey expo by Field and Stream at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. If you’re looking for great insight on the newest products and gear be sure to stop in and check it out. It’s a great way to pass the time between the seasons and talk with some like minded hunting obsessed folks. Doors Open at 2:00pm on Friday and things wrap up on Sunday at 4:00.  Daily admission is $13 per person at the door.  More information on seminars, vendors, ticket prices and a $2 off coupon can be found by clicking here.

A few members of the BMG Outdoors crew; Brandon, Greg, Jason and myself will be on the floor Friday evening checking out new products for 2013.  We hope to see everyone there!

 Although we didn’t find any monsters, it was a great day to be out amongst friends.  Brandon Greg and I ended up finding 5 sheds including a small eight point match.  Brandon and Mark ended up stumbling upon two each and Greg Haak, the Great American Shed Master himself found one. The majority of the sheds (4) were found in the open wheat field the deer had been seen feeding in.

The three of us spent the majority of our time walking about 30 yards apart in a grid pattern across this 40 acre wheat field.  We had less success in the woods, mainly due to the amount of snow that was still covering the ground but Brandon did find one.   

We’d love to see pictures of some of your sheds, heck we might even through in a free shirt to the first person to post a picture of a shed over on our Facebook page!

-Mark Mitchell

Winter has come and gone, unfortunately the snow is slow to follow this spring. If you weren’t able to get out shed hunting during the small snow less window that occurred in late December and early January, chances are the majority of the sheds if your area were and still may be buried under several inches of snow. 

This Easter weekend some of the BMG Outdoors crew is planning on putting on some miles searching for sheds; one could consider it an adult version of Easter Egg Hunting!  Saturdays forecast is for overcast skies with temps in the mid 40’s, prime weather for doing some walking. 

The plan for the weekend is to focus on a few main chunks of the property, which in theory should hold most of the sheds.  Here are few places we will hit the hardest.

1)      Thick South Facing Hillsides- With as tough a winter the Upper Midwest has experienced, the warm south facing hillsides have been loaded with beds and sign on the properties I’ve walked thus far. 

2)      Transition Zones- Searching the trails that run from thick bedding areas such as the previous stated south facing hillsides to the food source in your area. 

3)      Food Sources- These should be easy to find this time of year. Deer tend to herd up around these food sources. Drive around the block in the evening and scan fields.  Sometimes you’ll be surprised as to what, where and how many deer are feeding in a specific area. 

Besides looking for sheds the slight snow cover will provide great insight for you as to how the deer are traveling.  Take a second to analyze these travel patterns; it can be easy to overlook these details as you search for that discrete G2 poking through the snow but it could be the difference in connecting with more deer come fall.   

Don’t forget to do some scouting for the upcoming turkey season.  Pay special attention to roust areas. Though it may not seem like it, the first period opens in a mere 2 weeks in Wisconsin!

Comment below on where you tend to find most of your sheds?  Post your pictures on the BMG Outdoors facebook page!

-Mark Mitchell

The 2012 deer season is officially in the books here in Wisconsin.  I had some of my best days ever this year in the woods as well as some of the worst.  Now is the time to stop and reflect on the season’s lessons and move forward with a new perspective.  I learned three major lessons this year, some through success but more through failures. 


Lesson One:  Hunt hard…but hunt smart

This season was my third full season bow hunting and I was forced for several reasons to hunt differently than in the past.  Due to the fact that I would be hunting smaller tracts of land I knew that it was not going to be the QUANTITY of time in the stand, but the QUALITY of time.  My first year using the bow I logged 174 hours in the stand.  I figured that the more time in the woods would lead to more encounters, makes sense right?  I did see a lot of deer but not very many mature bucks. According to my notes from that year I saw 5 mature bucks while in the stand and only two were in range.  I was able to connect on a really nice buck though.  Looking back I know now that a lot of luck played into it.  I hunted the wind most of the time but I also took some chances in stands I should have backed out of due to bad winds.  I also never thought about entry and exit routes at all.  This year I was very disciplined with when and if I hunted a stand.  I used extreme caution when entering and exiting my sets as well.  Whenever I was in doubt I backed out.  This year I hunted only about 86 hours and I had 12 mature bucks near me. Two of which pushed the 150 mark.  I ended up missing what would have been my largest buck ever but Ill cover that in my next lesson. Even though I did not connect on one of these deer I consider this my most successful bow hunting seasons.  I hunted the right way and put myself in position to capitalize on my decisions.  With small pieces of land bad decisions are magnified and can ruin a season in heartbeat.  When hunting mature bucks it only takes one bad move to ruin a season, so hunt smart!

Lesson Two:  Aim low

I have had a very big problem since I started bow hunting.  I have a tendency to aim a little higher on deer than I should.  I’m not sure why I do it, and I’ve tried to fix it, but it continues to be a problem.  This problem has bit me in the butt twice. The first buck I ever shot at I hit high in the shoulder and never recovered him.  He ended up being shot by a neighbor. I am now in possession of the antlers but not because I am proud of them but as a reminder to be patient and aim true.  The problem reared its ugly head again this year and cost me a giant.  Part of the issue was that my yardage was off but if I had been aiming lower I should have harvested the deer.  A lot can go wrong when you hit high, you can get nothing, muscle, bone or at best a spine shot.  I try, and I mean try, to aim for slightly above the heart. If the deer dips I get lung and if he jumps I either get the heart or nothing.  This off season I will be spending many hours retraining myself and finding a way to remedy this problem.  Something has to change because I do not want to find myself either wounding a deer or walking away empty handed again.

Lesson Three: Who am I competing against?

It is human nature to be competitive and that can be a good thing and a bad thing.  It can drive us to become better and push us to places we otherwise couldn’t go.  It can also cause us to be petty, mean and forget why we do what we do.  In today’s hunting world it seems to be all about who can shoot a bigger deer and how can we tear down someone else’s accomplishment.  I see it every day on the internet and while talking to other hunters.  I am guilty of it as much as the next guy and frankly it disturbs me.  I have really tried to change my attitude and not compare what I do with what someone else does.  This year my approach was to play my game so to speak and to compete against myself to become a better hunter and woodsman.  I found that I enjoyed my time in the woods a lot more and I also enjoyed seeing other people find success much more.  I also put a lot less emphasis on tagging out and more on the overall experience in the woods.  Enjoying the birds, Squirrels and other creatures that God put on earth for us to enjoy is just as important as seeing that big buck.  I urge everyone to sit back and reflect on why you started hunting in the first place.  Was it really to go out and shoot a bigger buck than your neighbor? 

These are just some of the things that I learned this year and I hope I can grow because of them.  I’d love to hear what lessons you have picked up this year so drop me a line on BMGoutdoors  facebook page sometime!  I hope everyone had a safe and productive season and I am looking forward to another great season in 2013!

-Mark Ripp

I woke up this past a couple weeks ago with the intentions to pick up the last trail camera that we had on the property. The camera had been out and unchecked since early December and given the cold, snowy conditions we experienced in South Central Wisconsin we figured it would be dead. When I stepped out the door my breath was taken away, not only by the 2° F temperature but the amazing frost that covered nearly everything. Lucky for me I had my camera with me and was able to take advantage of this natural beauty before the sun warmed things up enough to melt it away. After snapping nearly 200 pictures I drove home I did some research on what exactly caused this gorgeous natural phenomenon; here’s what I found.

Hoar frost (also called radiation frost) refers to the white ice crystals, loosely deposited on the ground or exposed objects that form on cold clear nights when heat losses into the open skies cause objects to become colder than the surrounding air.
Hoar frost may have different names depending on where it forms. For example, air hoar is a deposit of hoar frost on objects above the surface, such as tree branches, plant stems, wires; surface hoar is formed by fernlike ice crystals directly deposited on snow, ice or already frozen surfaces; crevasse hoar consists of crystals that form in glacial crevasses where water vapor can accumulate under calm weather conditions; depth hoar refers to cup shaped, faceted crystals formed within dry snow, beneath the surface.

The name hoar comes from an Old English adjective for showing signs of old age, and is used in this context in reference to the frost which makes trees and bushes look like white hair.

Unfortunately the camera had no shooters on it but it did have plenty of coyotes which we’ll surely be after in the upcoming months.

-Mark Mitchell

Walking in to the treestand in the am of November 6, I kicked out a couple deer. I knew I was running a little behind schedule, but I didn't think much of it as I crawled into the stand. After the hunt I checked my camera to find two bucks minutes before I walked by the camera! The bucks were using the same trail along the bottom of the ridge that I had been using to access my tree and one was a stud. 

The trail continues through the brushy funnel and in another 80 yards puts them right by the treestand. Obviously they could turn up the bluff or cross the open prairie, but there's a good chance they would meander by the treestand. Anyways, lesson learned. I needed to find a new entry way. I decided I'd walk through the tall prairie grass from the opposite road the long way instead of taking the shorter route along the bottom of the ridge that we always used to access the brushy funnel. I think this also brings up the importance of getting in the tree early. If a guy can get in quiet, why not get in early and let the woods calm down before shooting light? New Access at a New Time... we will see if it pays off.

-Nick Sydow

With many of the big-game and waterfowl seasons wrapping up across the country many hunting enthusiasts have shifted their focus to the spring turkey season.  Here are ten gifts that are essential for anyone who spends their springtime chasing big gobblers!  All of these items are available online but most of these items can be found at your local sporting goods store as well. 

1)      NWTF Membership $35
Conservation of our wildlife is always a great gift.  A membership to the Nation Wild Turkey Federation will ensure the future generations can enjoy the same opportunities as generations past.  Join now and receive a free $25 bass pro shop gift card!

2)      Turkey Vest $49
A quality turkey vest is essential for any turkey enthusiast.  Turkey vests provide ample room for all your calls, shells, decoys and most importantly a quality cushion for those long sits.  Wing Supply has some great deals on vests, but vests can be found at any sporting goods store.

3)      Face Mask $10
A facemask is a must to fool those big gobblers keen vision.  There are two main styles of facemasks; net facemasks provide more ventilation and keep the bugs away from your neck and face whereas the tighter nylon type facemasks are a bit thicker and fit more snug against your face and body.  I usually prefer the nylon version earlier in the spring and switch to a net version as the temps climb.  Good news is that both are available for around $10.

4)      Light  Gloves $5-$20
Similar to a facemask gloves are another key element that will help close the distance on those crafty gobblers.  I prefer a thin nylon style glove.  Here are some great gloves available at Cabelas.

5)      Turkey Shells $13 per box of 5
The price of turkey shells has really skyrocketed over the last few years.  I use 3 ½ inch HD load # 6 shot.  You pay more for the HD loads, I prefer Remington wingmaster HD, but they seem to pattern well and pack the necessary punch to take down the birds clean.   

6)      Turkey Calls $10-$65
Though Bill Saunders may be better known for his waterfowl calls he does make some great turkey calls.  There are three types of calls that all turkey hunters should have in their arsenal.  A slate call, a box call and a mouth call. Mouth calls are by far the cheapest call, running about $5-15. Mouth calls are great for close encounters since they require minimal movement.  They also work well in damp conditions.   Box calls have a wide range of prices.  $15- $70+.  Box calls are great for reaching out to birds that are a long ways out.  They work best in dry conditions.  A slate call is the most readily used call in my arsenal.  You are able to control the volume and they are easier to use then a mouth call.  They do require a lot of motion and don’t always sound good in damp conditions.

7)      Turkey Decoy $59-$159
A decoy is not essential to kill a turkey but it sure is a nice tool to have in your arsenal!  Nowadays turkey decoys are becoming more and more realistic by the year.  The peeping tom and pretty penny decoys are a great option if you’re on a tight budget.  They allow you to alter the tail fan so you can interchange a Jake or Tom decoy.  The best all around decoy on the market today is the Dave Smith Jake decoy.  This decoy will not intimidate those shy toms yet will be enough to get the blood boiling in the more aggressive birds.  The decoys are hand crafted with a lightweight yet durable shell.  They are well worth the price at $159.  If you want to see some of these decoys in action, be sure to check out some of our webisodes from last spring.  Team member Greg Haak crawls using the DSD Strutting Tom to close the distance on a tom with his bow!

8)      Turkey Hunting DVDs $10-20
Turkey hunting DVDs have really soared in popularity over the last few months.  Primos produce some quality films. Head on over to your local sporting goods store and the shelves will be full of various DVDs.

9)      Binocular Harness $20-$35
Binoculars are a key aspect to spot and close the deal on big gobblers.  You want them as readily accessible as possible.  A bino harness goes over the outside of your camo, secure your bino’s to the chest and eliminate unwanted movement.  They are also great for bowhunters as they keep your bino’s and range finder from interfering with your shot.

10)      Crow or Owl Call
A crow call for turkeys?  You bet!  Crow calls are used as a locator call for turkeys. Turkey will often shock gobble in the spring to loud noises.  I’ve heard turkeys gobble at truck horns, ambulances sirens dogs barking. To keep things as realistic as possible turkey hunters use owl calls early in the morning or at dusk and crow calls in the daylight hours.  Don’t buy a hawk call, they aren’t as effective (ask Greg Haak).

-Mark Mitchell

Here are ten great gift ideas for those waterfowl enthusiasts in your life.  Most of these gifts can be found at your local outdoor retail store but some are available only online, for those I have provided links

  

1)      Ducks Unlimited Membership $35 per year
You can become an official member of Ducks Unlimited for a minimum annual contribution of $35 a year and help DU conserve wetlands now and forever.
Your contribution opens the door to many opportunities to learn about wetlands conservation, meet fellow waterfowl enthusiasts and entitles you to receive the following:

·        DU membership card
·        DU duck head logo decal
·        DU shield decal
·        6 bi-monthly issues of Ducks Unlimited magazine
·        Access to the Members Only section of the Ducks Unlimited Web site

2)      Goose Flag $15
The goose flag is one of the most essential tools in our arsenal when we hit the field.  It brings added motion to the spread which is great for hesitant birds as well as gaining their attention from long distance. Any flag will work and they can be found at most sportsmen stores such as Cabelas and Gander Mountain. 

3)      Shotgun Shells $10-20
You can’t kill birds without shells.  For geese we use 3” or 3 ½” BB, for ducks 3” three shot seems to get the job done. Keep in mind waterfowl shot has to be steel shot.

4)      Duck and Goose Calls $30+
Bill Saunders Honker HP goose call is a baseline call that Bill produces.  It is one of his easier calls to blow and is reasonably priced at $30.  This call also comes in some sweet colors, which is always a bonus! Click here to get your own custom built Bill Saunders Honker Call. Bill also produces a variety of high end goose calls as well as duck calls.

5)     Waterfowl Hunting DVDs $15

Hunting DVDs are always a good call. Waterfowl hunting DVDs are not as readily available as whitetail or turkey DVDs.  Our favorite is the Red Zone DVD produced by Bill Saunders.  You can order it by clicking here. 

 

6)      CARBOMASK -Face Paint $5-15
This past year BMGOutdoors team member Jason introduced us to perhaps the greatest face paint known to man.  IF you know anyone who hunts waterfowl I’m sure you understand the frustrations of removing the standard stubborn oil based paint.  CarboMask is charcoal based instead and wipes off much easier with plain water.  No more leftover camo patterns on your neck at work after those morning hunts! It’s also scent free and actually helps eliminate scent which is great for bowhunting.

7)      Waterproof Blind Bag $20-30
Blind bags are another key component for goose and duck alike.  All the essential tools are kept in a convenient location to keep you from frantically searching for shells on the floor of your layout blind.  Wing Supply offers up some great deals on these from time to time.

8)      Duck Tote $20
Whether you’re walking a mile back in the marsh or just a few hundred yards across the field, carrying your limit of waterfowl along with all your other gear you probably find yourself running out of hands.  Waterfowl carcass carriers are the perfect solution.  Click here to pick one up

9)      Mojo Duck Decoy $65
Most duck hunters would agree the introduction of the mojo duck decoy dramatically enhances the effectiveness of your spread.  The motion these devices provide will pull ducks into your honey-hole offering you more frequent shooting on your hunts. 

10)       Waterproof gloves $25+
Whether you hunt waterfowl in the field, over flooded timber or on open water you’re bound to get your hands wet.  Don’t let cold wet hands be the reason you’re packing up the spread early.  Get a nice pair of thin, warm waterproof gloves. Cabelas makes a reasonably priced glove but Sitka gear makes some great gloves they may seem pricey but you pay for what you get. 

-Mark Mitchell

 

Looking for some last minute gift ideas for the hunter on your list?  Here are ten gift ideas mostly under $50 that every deer hunter could use. 

1)    QDMA Membership $30
One year membership for an adult will run you $30 but comes with a subscription to Quality Whitetails, access to QDMA Branch seminars and short courses a membership kit, aging and scoring buck on the hoof DVD,  a vehicle decal and most importantly an investment in the future of wildlife habitat. Click here to join the QDMA 

2)    Wicked Tough Handsaw $39
The wicked tough handsaw is one tool that any bow hunter should never leave home without.  This saw is tough, comfortable and comes with a lifetime warranty Visit the Wicked Tree Gear sight to purchase yours. 

3)    Hunting DVD’s $5-$20
When in doubt get hunting DVD’s!  What hunter doesn’t enjoy putting in a hunting DVD with some fellas to get in the mood for the next mornings hunt?  Some of our personal favorites are Heartland Bowhunter, White Knuckle Productions, and Drury Outdoors. 

4)    Carbon Arrows $44 (per Six)
If you’re a serious bow hunter arrows are essential and you can never have too many!  No matter how well of a shot you are you’re bound to either damage arrows while target practicing or launch an arrow under the unforgiving carpet of grass. Personally I shoot the Cabelas Carbon Extreme Stalker with blazer vanes.

5)    Broad-Heads $25-35 (per Six)
Much like arrows, broad heads are just something that you can’t have too many of.  I keep 4 arrows in my quiver equipped with razor sharp broad heads at all times.  I also keep 4 practice arrows equipped with identical broad heads for practice.  I’m a hunter so I like to practice with the equipment I am going to use in the field.  My broad head of choice is the Muzzy Fixed Blade. 

6)    Hand Warmers $10 (Jumbo Pack)
When the temps drop your comfort on stand could be the determining factor in whether you see that mature buck or not. More times than not it’s your hands that get coldest first.  Keeping your hands warm is simple with an endless supply of hand warmers.

7)    A Spare Release $35 +
Your release is one of your most essential tools.  If you forget your release or it happens to break on you in the field it can make for a frustrating hunt.  Trust me, I forgot mine in the prime time portion of the rut this year and it wasn’t until we got settled in the tree with our camera gear set that I noticed.  It’s a good idea to have a spare in your pack.

8)    A Durable Waterproof Pack $25+
It seems every year we lug more and more gear to the stand with us.  Hunters need a spacious well organized and waterproof pack for; the camera gear, calls, rattling bags, water bottles, snacks, spare bow ropes, bow hangers and tree steps we take with us. One of the best packs out there is the Badlands Pursuit Daypack; unfortunately these are just above the $50 range at $85.  There are some great alternatives at Cabelas, Wal-Mart and Farm and Fleet.

9)    Bow Hanger Hooks $5-15

Bow hooks are an essential aspect of the hunt.  Having the bow in an easily accessible spot is important in the moment of truth. Whether it’s a multi-pivot screw in hook or a simple rubber coated single hook you can never have too many with you in the tree with all the accessories we bring to the woods with us these days.

10)  Screw in Tree Steps $2 per step

If you utilize screw in steps with your sets I’m sure you can relate.  It’s the last set you’re hanging for the day; you’re tired sweaty and just want to get back to the truck.  You are just about at the height you want to hang the set but you realize you’re two tree steps short and you’re forced to stretch the distance between steps.  It happens to us every year. It seems we always fall short.