1,000 Blog views! Thank you all!

I wasn't sure how the blog idea would go over but after hitting 1,000 views this past week I am glad that I took the chance!  The Iowa Deer Classic went great! It was very encouraging to here the way people responded to the website.  We passed out over 2500 business cards and are very excited to see new circles of people begin to use the site.  We were also able to make some cool contacts and new friends!   What a great time!  Looking forward we hope to do as many shows as our budget allows!   Turkey season is just around the corner and with possibilities to hunt Kansas,  Iowa, and Nebraska I am getting excited!

Iowa Deer Classic!

Come visit me at the Iowa Deer Classic I will be with Outdoorsmanswap.com!   I have some new blogs coming soon about maple syrup and one of my buddies bucks from this past year.   Stay posted!

The Off Season

I've been pretty busy getting the OutdoorsmanSwap ready for the Whitetail Classic.   I was however able to get out into the woods last weekend and found a new spot I'm excited to hunt next fall!  While I was out in the woods I kept an eye out for sheds.  I didn't find any sheds but I saw four bucks with their antlers still on.  I have only found one this year so some of them have shed already but probably most have yet too.  I was hoping to see some coyotes about but I didn't.   We'll see maybe I'll get out and do some calling for them tomorrow.

Memories

It was a fantastic 2012 Deer Season for me.  I was able to harvest 5 deer and my freezer is full!  Time to enjoy the fruits of my hunting season!  Here is a pic of my 2012 bow buck.  I didn't spend alot of time on it rather just did a quick European mount.  My muzzy buck is at the taxidermist and is scheduled to be done June/July and I cannot wait to see it on the wall!  Haven't done much in the outdoors in the past couple weeks but look to get out to do some shed hunting and scouting for next year in the next month or so.  I'm also trying to decide what hunts I want to do next year: black bear, antelope, mule deer, Kansas whitetail, Nebraska Turkeys, Kansas turkeys... so many options and not enough money or time to do them all... :) Have a great day!

Ice Fishing Update

On Sunday Eric and I went out and caught 350 panfish on a small pond!  We didn't get anything however with size, hence no pictures.  There was 5-6 inches of good ice, unfortunately this warm spell might ruin that.  Even though my deer season is over I'll still keep you guys posted on my other outdoor adventures.  I'm looking into several different turkey hunts, black bear, maybe mule deer for the coming year.  It will be exciting to see how it all works out!

Late Muzzy!

Muzzy Buck from Ronnie Hemsworth on Vimeo.

The reason for the season!

There are lots of seasons we experience: hunting seasons, seasons in weather, and even different holiday seasons.  This is the most important of all, Christmas!  As we spend time with family take some time to remember the reason for the season and reflect upon what Christ has done for us.   Remember Christmas without Christ is just a mess!   John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!"  What an amazing gift Christ offers us as undeserving people!  Romans 10:9-10.  

I am leaving tomorrow for the late season muzzle loader hunt!  I just got for Christmas a new camo Russel APX all weather outfit and am very excited to try out!  We had very good luck last year and hope to carry that over! Look for the update next week!

Last minute!

With shotgun season winding down by brother finally got some time away from school to go hunting.  So we gather up some buddies and headed out into the woods.  We weren't able to get him a deer unfortunately but at last light I was able to score on a mature doe and got my first iron sight kill.  I just love the smoke after the shot which the muzzle loader gives!  I hope to get him a good buck next year. I'll be heading home for Christmas this weekend before a late season muzzle loader hunt in southern Iowa to cap off my 2012 season.   I wish you all a Merry Christmas! 

Meat Hunting!

It was time to get some meat on the table. Watch the video from this weeks hunt to see my first shotgun kill @ 130 yards with a T/C Encore 20 gauge.  Keep posted for updates as my buddy shot a big one on Saturday and it has a very cool story.  Be looking for that next week. Also wish us luck as my brother along with a couple other buddies head to southern Iowa on Saturday!

Lucky #3

Tuesday morning I got out into the stand for the last time.   I wasn't looking for a monster; I was looking to make something happen.  As it turns out, according to my calculations this was my 30th hunt and I was at 133 hours in the stand without a single shot taken.   After a bone chilling 9 degree morning, several does and three small bucks came in.  Only one gave me a shot while it was checking a Wildlife Research Center scrape dripper.  I finally let an arrow go, and it found its target at 34 yards.  He only went 70 yards before expiring!  Interestingly enough, that was my third shot at a deer with my Bear bow and the third deer I've killed with it!  The other deer stuck around for another half hour, so by the time I took my post hunt video the adrenaline rush was wearing off.  I was super happy to capitalize on this last hunt of my 2012 bow season.  Shotgun season is coming up next week, and I'll be trying to get my first deer with a pistol! Good luck and safe hunting to all you!

You'll have to wait till monday to find out!

Crunch Time!

Two of my hit list bucks reappeared on the trail cam!  #1 on the list, "Toothpic", I named after the long kicker coming off his left g2.  Unfortunately he broke off his g3 which would have made him a impressive main frame 6x5.  #3 on the list, "White Collar", I named because he is just a nice clean healthy 10.  You can't really see in the video but in my 18 yard encounter earlier this year I could see he also has split brows. #2, if your wondering, is unnamed. I saw him only once and have no pictures but he is a very big 10. Unfortunately there are only four days of bow season left and only 2-3 more bow hunts for me!  I have only drawn my bow twice and haven't let an arrow go yet. Hopefully I get a chance one of these mature bucks this week!

The Psychology of the Deer Hunter…

Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviors. In this case, the deer hunter.

Deer Movement Update: Last week I was able to have three great encounters with main frame 10 points, two of which had extra abnormal points and would have scored in 140-160 inch range. I had one 18 yards away at full draw, but he never gave me a clear shot. Heartbreaking. These occurred when the temperature was below 25 degrees. Once the weather warmed up mid week, deer movement vanished and all trail cam pictures moved to after dark. After sitting several more times without any deer movement to speak of, I found myself pretty burned out. This brings me to the point of my new blog post.

The examination: I have been pondering while in the stand and have come up with mt theory for the psychology of the deer hunter, and it's simple: in order to maintain a drive and desire yo deer hunt and to ultimately give yourself the chance to consistently harvest mature whitetails, you must maintain hope!

Hope: Within the heart of the deer hunter, you must believe that you have the ability and will have the opportunity to see and possibly harvest a mature whitetail. Hope is the single most important mindset that must be maintained in order for the hunter to remain sane. After sitting 125+ hours in the stand this year, this is the first week in which I got burned out and began to lose hope. There are several strategies that I have come up with to help myself build and retain hope before and throughout the season.

• Trail cams: Running trail cams is probably the best way to build hope and anticipation. Run them early and often, and the more cameras you have, the better. Place them out in late summer over bait (in a spot you won’t be hunting as it is illegal to hunt over bait), and try to take a survey of the bucks that might be out and about. Continue to use them throughout the season on heavy trails and scrapes once the bachelor groups break up.

• Scouting: Spend time in the preseason watching fields to get an eyeball on some deer. Use your trail cams to locate core areas for bucks, and set up stands on the perimeter downwind from prevailing winds. Continue scouting during season. Watch deer movement and adapt. Don’t be afraid to move stands and change strategies. You must adapt with the deer, and if all else fails, hunt the does during the rut. The bucks will come.

• Develop a “hit list”: Using your sightings and trail cam pictures, develop a hit list—an ordered list of the bucks you would like to harvest. Once you continue this for several years, it is cool to recognize repeated encounters with the same deer and to be able to track their growth. Naming the bucks on your hit list can be fun, and it will help you keep track of them.

• Practice: Get out your weapon of choice and practice often. Become confident and consistent with it. Learn your effective range. Get to the point where you never have to worry about the shot. Be able to trust your ability. (I go for runs to get my heart racing and then shoot 25 arrows trying to simulate adrenaline) Practice every angle and posture you might encounter so nothing surprises you in the deer stand.

• Scent control: Take control of scent, and use it in your favor. I wash my base layers in scent killer soap, take a scent killer shower, and use scent killer deodorant. I keep all my outer layers in a tote full of leaves and use scent killer on them as well. Also, play the wind and stay on the downwind side of probable deer locations. Go slow, and don’t sweat walking to your stand. Find the route that is least likely to bump deer.

• Hunt the right time: Don’t waste time hunting bad winds or other times when deer aren’t moving. Save yourself and hunt prime-time. Sitting and seeing nothing is what completely shoots down your hope. This is the big one I struggle with. Sit in that stand 6 times in a row without seeing a deer, and guess what happens? Burn out. And burn out = no hope.

• Hunting location/concealment: Choose stand locations that offer movement concealment. Use full camo, if legal, and create a backdrop and foreground to break up your silhouette and minimize movement.

So if you want to have and keep hope alive, take these steps. Know your targets and relish the encounters with them. Develop your skills to take away their strengths. Don’t just go bumbling around in the woods and hope for some luck. Become the predator and enjoy the challenge of you vs. the whitetail. The more work and effort you put in, the more powerful your experience will be because of all the anticipation you’ve built up. I have taken this week to brush up on these points and rebuild my hope while also waiting for the weather to cool down again. Next week those three big 10's better watch out!