Professional Hunting Supply

Jackie Beem asked:


Of course, the first tip is to have your shotgun loaded before you start out to find some birds.

Good locations for finding pheasants is a dry lake bottom with a significant amount of dead brush and weeds which are about knee to waist high or, in the edges of grain or corn fields.

The rooster (male) pheasant is the one that you want to be hunting. It is colorfully marked with long reddish-brown tail feathers and a red and green head. It has a white ring around its neck and has red-orange and black body. The hen (female) pheasant is smaller than the rooster. She is mostly light brown throughout the whole body and has short light brown tail feathers.

Pheasants follow a schedule as routine as your morning coffee. Understanding their routine can increase you likely hood of flushing out a rooster.

Before sunrise pheasants start their day at roost sites. This is usually the areas of knee to waist high grass or weeds, where they have spent the night. At first light they head for some place to find gravel or grit, such as roadsides, grain fields or similar areas.

They usually begin feeding around 8 am. In some places shooting hours begin at 9 am and the birds are still feeding.

By mid-morning, pheasants have left the fields for dense, thick cover such as standing corn fields, brush patches or native grasses. Here they will hunker down until late afternoon. The nastier the weather, the deeper into cover the pheasant will go.

It is hard to work large fields of standing corn, because pheasants will run to avoid predators. If you are hunting during mid day, then pick ditch banks, field edges, grass field and deep into marshes.

When you do have a successful shot, make sure and mark where the bird fell so it will not be lost on your way to pick it up because the brush and weeds make it difficult to find anything.

Eventually the pheasant has to eat again. So, during the late afternoon, the pheasants move from their loafing spots back to the feeding areas and are easier to spot.

In summary, the best time to hunt pheasants is the first and the last shooting hours of the day.

Hope these pheasant hunting tips were helpful and you have a successful hunting trip.

Joanne Keith asked:


If you have just started hunting deer, some tips from more experienced hunters can really help you become what you have dreamed of. Of all the good ones you may hear, the following deer hunting tips are the basic ones for beginners just like you.

* Earlier Can Be Better

It is crucial to understand that there are rules that all hunters should follow at all times. Deer hunting is only suitable for specific periods in a year and in a day. Hunters are not encouraged to play their games at night or at dawn. This common sense rule is aimed at ensuring that no hunter ever comes to harm.

However, this does not mean that you can only show up at a specific hunting time. You can always be at a hunting area early in the morning as long as you do not attempt to shoot any deer before the sun comes up. In fact, this is important that you arrive your area earlier to get yourself familiarized with the environment and position yourself at a favorable spot close to your target.

* Keep Your Hunting Game Until Sunset

Even if you arrive at your hunting area early in the morning, you should not stop hunting until the last rays of the sun are about to disappear. Just like early morning, late afternoons are crucial time to both the deer and the deer hunters. It has been reported that late afternoons are the time when hunters are likely to get good shots and have many options to choose from.

The importance of late afternoons is because the deers have to adjust their eyesight to the changing light at that time. This has made it difficult for the deers to detect you. Besides, the late afternoon is also a time when the deers come out for food and water, so that you will have lots of choices to target.

* Make Yourself Smell Neutral

You are supposed to go hunting. You are not about to go on a date, bar or party. With this in mind, you should just avoid using cologne, soap, perfume, shaving cream and other strongly scented products. These scents will not attract deer. They will instead alert the deer that something does not smell right. You should instead simply have a neutral smell. This is a great way for you to be able to merge with the scents in your surroundings.

* Stay Quiet

The top tip of all that even some beginners instinctively know is to keep quiet at all times. This does not just mean keeping your mouth shut. This also means that you have to ensure that your movements do not create even slight rustles. As you may have seen in the nature channel, deer are very sensitive. They are also quite careful. They can easily hear things and run away at the slightest sound.

The tips included in this article are only the basic ones, but, as deer hunting is probably the most popular form of hunting activity, there are more than enough open sources for you to learn more advanced deer hunting tips. You may even come up with your own tips to share with others after some practice.

Josh Neumann asked:


Coon hunting is one of the most popular sports in America today, it is quickly becoming more and more popular seemingly everyday. Very simply, hunting for Coons is great for both beginners and avid hunters, as raccoon can be a great way to practice your hunting skills for the larger game.

There are few things as fun as being out on the trail in the middle of the night, with your hunting dog bellowing in the distance and being out in the forest. Here are some great tips to help you to find the best places to go coon hunting, and also the best coon hunting supplies to utilize.

First of all, keep in mind that hunting raccoons is not only great for getting a good meal, but also good for farmers because they don’t worry about the raccoons getting into their crops and destroying them. Also, no matter how good a hunter you are, raccoons will offer a great challenge for you, because they are very good swimmers and tree climbers, and can allude you very easily.

Also, since raccoons sleep during the day and are active at night, you have to make sure that you find good trained hunting dogs to help you with your coon trip. Also, hunting wheat lights are extremely important as well. You will need a lot of different supplies and equipment nor to be a successful coon hunter, because of the difficulty that this kind of hunting can offer you.

Very simply, the hunting dog you purchase must be very quick and have excellent sense of smell. When the coons climb the tree, especially the middle of the night, just about the only way you can never find them is by using a hunting dog to track them down. The hunting lights are extremely important, because without a good one you’ll never catch the coon because you simply can’t see.

Of course, by far the most important aspect of hunting raccoons is to make sure you know the area your targets will be hiding in ahead of time. Very simply, when you don’t know this area, it will be extremely hard to find coons, particularly at night. It’s hard enough to hunt during the day without understanding the area, but when you try to do it at night, it is virtually a ******* mission.

Therefore, make sure you know all the places where the raccoons go for their feeding, where they live, their favorite trees to climb, etc. Also, if you plan and hunting on private land, make sure that you get permission from the owner of the land.

If you don’t, you will be in for a lot of legal trouble.

Of course, keep in mind that raccoons are also great tasting when you do catch them; they are a great delicacy around America. Also, during the late winter, the raccoon spurs the heaviest, making this the ideal time to go to hunting.

These are utilized many times for both for coats and hats, collars, winter gloves, etc. Therefore, when you do your hunting during the winter, you can expect to get the most return on your investment.

The bottom line is, coon hunting is a great sport for the avid outdoorsman, because you can do it outdoors, at night, and in some awesome scenery. If you enjoy being outdoors, this is a perfect four for you.

This kind of hunting can not only offer you the opportunity to profit when you catch a good coon, but can also give you a chance to unwind after a long work week. Hopefully these coon hunting tips will help you to become a successful hunter as quickly as possible.

Marcus Thomas asked:


Prairie dog hunting is becoming very hot in places such as the Midwest, where prairie dogs are very abundant today. Very simply, while this form of hunting will certainly never be at the top of most hunters list, it still is a great way to stay sharp with your hunting skills during the off-season.

As with is about any other kind of hunting today, the key to success with prairie dogs is all about finding the best places to go hunting. This will make or break your hunting success; no matter how great a hunter you might be, or how accurate you shoot, if you can’t find prairie dogs to shoot you will never catch anything.

Also, owning the best hunting gun and equipment is also very important as well. Again, no matter how good you might be, without the best equipment and accurate gun you will never achieve as much access as you otherwise might.

By far the most important factor in this sport, besides your location, is what type of gun you will be using. Of course, many hunters are still using the older model guns, but more and more, people are turning to the newer styles because they help them achieve greater levels of success in accuracy.

With these newer guns, they offer much more accurate shooting and can also be fired at a much faster rate, which is great for shooting prairie dogs, because they will usually go down into their holes after a few shots. Today, many hunters and outgoing with the AR 15 to achieve the maximum level of balance and also accuracy, particularly from long distance.

When you do this form of hunting, you oftentimes have to hunt from long range, because oftentimes the terrain will be very open. The prairie dogs will oftentimes not let you get very close, so you’ll oftentimes find yourself running from three to 400 yards are even more.

Keep in mind, this sport is generally done from about 200 to 500 yards, so you certainly need to be good long distance shooter for this sport. This is a great way to practice for larger game, particularly deer or even grizzly bear.

Prairie dogs, while again probably not the most popular kind of money nowadays, is certainly a good target practice in the deer hunting off season. This might be the most challenging form of long range hunting you can do, so it certainly is worthwhile if you want to sharpen your skills.

The best thing about these animals that they are small targets, and will generally be pretty still, but usually give you a just a few chances to catch them. Therefore, they are great for both beginning and more advanced hunters, because they can help you to sharpen up on your accuracy skills.

Also you should certainly check the weather before go going hunting. When bad weather is coming, prairie dogs will usually stay in their holes for the whole day. Therefore, you will most likely find it futile to go hunting during a stormy day.

Finally, the best places to go would be Kansas Prairie Dog Hunting or Nebraska Prairie Dog Hunting, because these states are very popular for this sport. Hopefully these prairie dog hunting tips will help you to be effective on your next hunting trip.

Judy Mcfarlen asked:


Ever heard of the story of the hunter walking right off the tree stand forgetting it is 13 feet off the ground? (Thank god for safety straps.) How about the time someone seemed paralyzed and couldn’t even get the rifle up. All things can go south it seems in the face of Buck Fever.

What is Buck Fever?

Just for the fun of it I did a search on it. Hunters know what it is. Doctors seem to think it is the elevated heart rate you get when you are out of shape, excited or physically exerting yourself after a year-long treatment of inactivity and office work. I even had a definition that included a heart attack due to deer hunting exertion. I think the true meaning of the word is kind of lost on those guys.

What I think of when I think of Buck Fever is the excitement, the elevated heart rate, the escalated breathing when your target comes into view. The moment you have been waiting for, training for, preparing for and drooling over since last fall! But the trouble is your nervous system is on overdrive and you seem to lose logic, capability and control…making for a very poor hunting story later or worse yet an injury to yourself or the game.

The Yoga of hunting

I have heard some pretty interesting ideas over the years on how to overcome this. Maybe we should call this stuff the Yoga of hunting…that is learning to control and override your body’s reactions.

Trophy whitetail hunting

I have a friend who hunts for trophy whitetail and when he is in target practice, he runs around until he is breathing heavy and practically panting and then picks up his bow. He says it mimics the real thing. If you can control your heavy breathing, racing heart and hit the target, you might be better prepared for what that might feel like when the real situation arises. This may look silly, but nothing is more depressing than watching that Big One get away due to poor control of response out there.

Control the breath

I haven’t tried that one, but the thing I find most useful is controlling my breath. The slowing of the breath, the deep inhalation and the focusing on the breathing makes my heart slow down and my mind stop racing. Then I remind myself mentally to take my time. If the shot is not ideal I don’t take it. I have faith that there will be another opportunity and another day. I don’t want to risk injury to such a fine specimen because I couldn’t calm down. Hunting is legitimate, unnecessary injury is disastrous.

You see part of the problem in Buck Fever, is the mind takes control. Visions of hunting stories, trophies, antler chandeliers and so forth come bursting forward. The pressure is also created by the time line restrictions. Maybe this is your last weekend out there. So you are all pressured up to not fail, which in some ways make you more likely to fail.

Visualization

If you want to keep your mind busy, try visualizing the exact movement you will take in every point of entry where a buck may come forth. Tree stand time can be a little tedious anyway, so can’t hurt to give the mind a little exercise. Make this exercise as realistic as possible. If you can almost smell the deer and feel the cool breeze on your face, and the excitement: then you are doing visualization correctly. Some people I know even try to pick the exact hair to aim at. Details such as head up, head down, deer standing still versus walking slowly all these can add to the realistic nature of the exercise and the amount that this will help you when the time comes. Visualization and mental imagery is used in all athletic fields to train the mind and the body about the outcome, it is no different here.

And for gosh sakes, if you see the deer of a lifetime and have decided to take the shot, NEVER look at the antlers again! Focus on the vitals and only the vitals. Never get distracted by the head again. This may be where the excitement is, but if you can’t focus on what is important here, you will be having another “I almost had it” story to tell.

Good luck and may your trophy whitetail hunt be successful.

Josh Neumann asked:


Louisiana duck hunting is a popular pastime in the state, as there are many ducks in Louisiana for you to hunt. Very simply, duck hunting in Louisiana or anywhere can offer you tremendous views of the scenery around you, and can be a very relaxing way to spend your weekend. Hopefully these duck hunting tips will help you to find the best places to go hunting in Louisiana to catch as many duck as possible.

Keep in mind, when in Louisiana, there are many rice fields that are great for duck hunting, because they get flooded and leaves them prime grounds for the ducks in the winter months. These give the ducks everything that they need, whether be shelter, food, warmth, etc. Also, they make for great hunting grounds for duck hunters.

Keep in mind, when you first go Louisiana duck hunting, you might want to consider taking out a guide at least for your first couple trips. Unless you’re very familiar with the area, you definitely want to find out where the best places to go hunting are; again, no matter how successful are skilled of a hunter you might be, without having a guide show you the best places to go, you can never achieve top success.

Also, if you don’t want to take out a guide, you can certainly still benefit from your guides experience. Simply have a quick talk with the guides in the area beforehand find out the best places to go, and go where they tell you to.

Don’t simply wander around aimlessly, as you can waste a lot of time this way. By finding somebody who already knows the area and the best places to go duck hunting, you can save a lot of time on your expedition help you spend more time hunting for ducks instead of searching around for the best place.

Unfortunately, many hunters have wasted a lot of time on hunting expeditions by going places where their target animals were not. Talking to guides before and will help you to avoid this problem.

Of course, when you’re duck hunting in Louisiana, be absolutely sure that you wear camouflage so that the ducks cannot see you. Most of the camouflage nowadays is much improved from their earlier predecessors.

Nowadays these are mostly very lightweight, and waterproof, so that you don’t have to worry about slogging around and wet closed all day. Also, try to find camouflage clothing that’s windproof, in order to keep you warm if the wind picks up their your hunting trip.

Also, if you plan a going hunting in the water in Louisiana, then finding the right duck hunting boats will be an important consideration as well. These are extremely important to help you navigate lakes, swamps, and larger rivers and streams were ducks often hang out.

The makers of these boats generally give you many different choices with regards to the length, the models, the paint colors you can choose from, etc. Therefore, finding the right boats for your duck hunting adventures is really not that difficult.

You also might consider playing a duck hunting game online. No, I’m not kidding; when you find the right one, these can really help simulate a real life hunting experience, and can therefore improve your hunting skills without ever leaving the comfort of home. There are many of these free duck hunting games online, so finding them really isn’t difficult.

Try to choose a boat that will blend in with your surroundings; never pick one with bright colors, as the ducks will obviously see you coming a mile away. Hopefully these Louisiana duck hunting tips will help to enjoy your next trip to Louisiana and help you catch as many ducks as possible.

Brent Vanderstelt asked:


Newaygo Michigan is a small rural community located in West Michigan, just 30 minutes north of Grand Rapids. Newaygo contains 100,000 acres of Manistee National Forest.

You will need to get a Newaygo County map that indicated areas of the Manistee National Forest because, chances of finding a private landowner willing to let you use his land is slim.

Whitetail deer hunting in these parts is as big as the 4th of July celebration as the school systems shut down for the day of and day after rifle season. This is why you will need to hunt the Manistee National Forest, but there are big deer there.

You will need to walk in a little way to get away from the crowds. Be prepared to walk into areas where other hunters are unwilling to go. Go deep and look for the many low areas and swamps.

Seek out some deer runs, these run will generally run just inside a row of trees or brush along ravines, near creek beds, fence lines, etc. Set up your blind about 40 feet from these runs. You do not want your blind right over a run.

At midday, mature whitetail bucks frequently bed down on high ground next to the edge of heavy cover, within hearing distance of moving water. Identify such places in your hunting territory and check them for signs of large single deer beds. During hunting season, approach these bedding spots cautiously from downwind, and be ready for a close-range shot at a deer rising from its bed.

Move slowly when still-hunting for deer. Take a step or two, and study the terrain around you for anything that doesn’t quite fit. If you see deer running away, these are deer that saw you first, a clue that you’re moving too fast. The same is true if you have to look down to place your feet. Plan your steps so that you can keep your eyes up, studying the terrain, when you are in motion.

Take your turkey call along when deer hunting: Deer are often reassured by turkey sounds. An occasional turkey feeding call made between bouts of deer grunts and antler rattling gives nearby deer a sense of confidence that your area is safe. After all, turkeys don’t feed or talk when they feel endangered.

When a buck track turns downwind and begins to move uphill, assume that the buck is going to bed down. He will probably stop at the edge of heavy cover, on a high spot that offers a view of his surroundings and permits him to see and get the scent of anything following on his back trail. To approach his bedding site without being seen or winded, circle away from his track for roughly 100 yards and then move cautiously parallel to the track. Study the terrain ahead carefully and be alert for any shape that does not quite fit.

Use a handheld propane torch to remove the hairs that always stick to a carcass after skinning. First, wipe off as many hairs as possible with a damp cloth. When the carcass is dry to the touch, singe the remaining hairs with the propane flame just long enough to make them disappear. Better table fare will result. The longer you let your deer hang, the better your game will taste.

When deer are being pushed, they head for high ground and thick cover. If there are a lot of hunters in your area, go to a remote place that offers high ground and thick cover and wait for deer to be pushed to you by the activity of other hunters.

It is best to hang tree stands and cut shooting lanes a full month before you plan to hunt. The scent you leave and the disturbance caused by cutting brush can cause mature bucks to avoid a stand site for some time when it is new. After a month, big bucks will be accustomed to the changes you made and will return to their former haunts.

When searching for a place to locate a deer stand, look for ground scrapes. Bucks make ground scrapes on trails that are often used by does and return frequently to check the scrapes for signs that a doe has shown interest by marking it. Locate your stand where you have a clear shot at the scrape, for that is where the buck will go.

Loading the carcasses of big-game animals into your vehicle or boat is much easier if you first remove the lower legs at the knee joint. Not only do the lower legs tend to catch on things, but they also cause the carcass to take up more space than is really necessary.

When you miss a shot at a deer or other game animal, don’t move. Unless your quarry actually sighted or smelled you, the noise of the gun probably caused the animal only momentary alarm. Its initial reaction will be to run for cover and then stop, listen, and watch. If the animal cannot identify the source of the sound, it will usually calm down and return to its natural behavior. Remain still for 20 minutes after missing a shot; then resume hunting. Chances are good that the animal will still be within range.

Dropped antlers in the spring are a sign of where bucks spent time the previous winter. The vicinity in which you find a large dropped antler is also an excellent place to start looking for a big buck late in deer season of the following year. Look in places that offer a food source such as acorns, beechnuts, corn, or apples, close to heavy cover that might offer a quiet hiding place.

When a deer suddenly appears at close range in response to your grunt call or antler rattling doesn’t be afraid to move slowly to pick up and shoulder your gun. Deer coming to calls will usually just stop and stare at you, mistaking your movements for those of the deer they were expecting to see.

When you find antler rubs on trees of more than 4 inches in diameter, you are in a big buck’s territory. Summertime scouting for a concentration of large rubs made last autumn will tell you where to expect a big buck to show up next deer season. If those old rubs are freshened up again in early autumn, the buck is still alive and still using his old turf.

To make a set of effective, comfortable rattling antlers for deer hunting, choose pair, which is of medium thickness with long tines. They make the clearest sounds. Hacksaw off the brow tines, then, use a rasp to smooth away any burrs or ridges that will make the handle section uncomfortable to grip. Drill 1*4-inch holes through the antler bases, and string them on a carrying cord. An annual coat of linseed oil will preserve the resonance and give the antlers a “live” sound.

Deer move little during heavy rains and snowstorms. However, they actively seek the most nutritious food sources the day after a period of stormy weather ends. On the day after a storm breaks, concentrate your hunt wherever trails lead to feeding areas such as oak groves, beech ridges, or cornfields. Does and fawns will be heading out to feed, and bucks are sure to follow.

Take my word here, I take several deer each year, usually with my car, but I get them and I keep my local body shop guy and insurance agent in business.

I also own and manage several hunting cabins in Newaygo called Hess Lake Vacation Rentals. You can view our website at www.hesslakerentals.com.