© Othmar Vohringer
A few days ago I received an email from an animal rights activist. It’s not the first time and like the ones before, mostly contains the kind of language that cannot be printed in a publication such as this. The thing that baffles me time and again is how these people can put “love”, “respect” and “compassion” in the same sentence with wishes “… that you will die a gruesome death.” And to add emphasis to their universal hatred for hunters: “people like you should all be rounded up and summarily shot.”
Make no mistake, I am a great supporter of animal welfare organizations and have even volunteered my time for such. My faithful dog “Gazu” came from an animal shelter and the hard work volunteers do there every single day earns my deepest respect. But I deplore the many animal rights organizations, like PeTA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States), and the slew of similar organizations that raise vast sums of money, most of which disappears into the pockets of their board members. These groups resort to lies and fabrications that are designed to tug on the heartstrings of children and city folks, to get them to donate money.
While PeTA claims that they do not endorse violence against people to intimate others a little research about that organization quickly shows that they readily support radical and militant animal rights terrorists, that blow up, or set fire to, farms and other animal husbandry systems. PeTA founder and president for life, Ingrid Newkirk, even went so far as to say; “The activists of the ALF (Animal Liberation Front) are the true heroes of animal liberation.” This is the organizations that the FBI and the US government officially declared “Domestic Terrorists”.
How far this hatred can go became evident a few weeks ago. A father posted a picture on his facebook site of his son with the first deer he shot. It took all of 24 hours to get over 150 comments from animal rights activists. Most of the comments in some form or other voiced not only displeasure about the image but also a violent death to the child. One of the animal rights activists recognized the boy and revealed his address on facebook, commenting “…someone should go there and kill that little f… the same way he killed that innocent deer.” I followed some of the protester’s profile links and to my horror learned that these comments were made by adults, most of them parents too. It begs the question of how low can someone sink in his political views that he wishes someone would inflict harm or kill a child. The father of the boy felt the need to contact the police and seek protection for his son from these radicals. This is by no means an isolated case. There are thousands of cases on social media where hunters are threatened. How are animal rights activists even made aware of hunters on social media? From organizations like PeTA which posts 24/7 “alerts” on their sites with the urging of “take action against this atrocity”. With that these organizations openly engage in the spread of hatred.
The fact animal rights folks overlook, and purposely so, is that all life on this planet is sustained by ending another life. Even vegetarians and vegans, which are some of the most hateful, ignorant and violent among the animal rights crowd, have blood on their hands. The crop fields, fruit and vegetable plantations were at one time wildlife habitat, and so are the towns and cities vegetarians live in and the roads they drive on with their cars. Pesticides used to protect crops kill billions of insects- insects which are the food source of songbirds, mice and other animals.
The wildlife that called these places home did not just yield willingly, they were displaced or killed. Vegetarians and animal rights activists wear shoes that are made from the skins of slaughtered cattle. Nutritional supplements like Iron and Vitamin B 12 that vegans need to supplement their diet, are for the most part derived from animal by-products.
Everybody dreams of a fantasy world where the lion sleeps with the lamb. But that is not how nature works. Nature works on the principle of eat and be eaten. Every living thing on this earth, even plants, prospers because something else died. It’s an endless cycle of creating life through death. It has been so since life first took hold on this earth and no animal rights terrorist agenda is going to change that.
When I kill an animal I do not gloat about it. I am proud of the fact that, as a hunter, I am able to provide healthy, organic and nutritious meat for our dinner table. Unlike animal rights activists, I have not lost touch with the real world around us and the part we play in it. I realized a long time ago that death must occur to sustain life. The difference is that some people can accept that fact and are stronger for it while others prefer to ignore the facts of life and choose to commit violent acts to support their radical political agenda.
Showing posts with label Opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opinion. Show all posts
Monday, November 03, 2014
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Should Trapping Be Banned in British Columbia?
© Othmar Vohringer
(This column has been originally published in the Merritt Herald)
I got the idea for this column after giving an interview to Cam Donavin from the Merritt Radio station Q101. In the interview I was asked about my take on trapping and the anti-trapping petitions that are being circulated in Merritt, among other towns. After the interview I came to the conclusion that there is more to be said about the issue then can be said in two minutes on the radio.
In order for petitions to effect change to a particular law it needs several thousand signatures and they all must be from eligible British Columbia voters and not, as is often the case with animal rights engineered petitions, minors and foreigners. Often animal rights activists attempt to gain momentum for their agendas by using emotional appeals (think: “Bambi”) to bring their ideas across. To do that animal rights are often willing to fabricate information or grossly exaggerate.
Claims about phone calls from throughout the region to the petitioner regarding pet dogs having been killed or badly injured in traps have not turned up in police and conservation office reports.
Would a distressed pet owner in the face of such a scenario search the phone book for animal shelters in Merritt instead of calling 911? I find such an idea farfetched.
Pursuant to the BC Wildlife Act a person commits a serious offense to let a dog hunt or pursue wildlife, except as it is in accordance with existing regulations. A supervised dog is not likely to get caught in a trap …unless the owner of the animal is negligent and allows it to roam at will.
As a means of “non-violent” wildlife control animal rights often propose short sighted ideas in jurisdictions that find favour with them. But what they don’t mention in these proposals is that most “non-violent” measures they advocate do not actually offer solutions to wildlife population control. When we lived in Langley the town was approached by an animal rights group and persuaded to choose their solution of reducing the over population and consequent problems of beaver activity. Instead of allowing trappers to come in and remove the surplus animals permanently they chose to trap and relocate the beavers into other areas where they no doubt carried on as before…they continued to dam up canals and clog drainage pipes in other parts of the community. This was a hugely expensive “non-violent beaver management program” that simply put the problem off for two years; the city reversed its earlier decision and hired trappers to do the job correctly.
So should trapping be banned in British Columbia? Absolutely not! When we discuss wildlife management we need to approach it from a scientific aspect, not an emotional aspect, if we want to have any measure of balance. The reason why Canada, and America, is so successful in wildlife management, at a minimal cost to taxpayers, is because we realized that hunting and trapping are the only effective methods of wildlife management and conservation. For those that worry about the “humane” aspect of hunting and trapping, it is far more humane than any methods Mother Nature applies.
What's your take on this?
(This column has been originally published in the Merritt Herald)
I got the idea for this column after giving an interview to Cam Donavin from the Merritt Radio station Q101. In the interview I was asked about my take on trapping and the anti-trapping petitions that are being circulated in Merritt, among other towns. After the interview I came to the conclusion that there is more to be said about the issue then can be said in two minutes on the radio.
In order for petitions to effect change to a particular law it needs several thousand signatures and they all must be from eligible British Columbia voters and not, as is often the case with animal rights engineered petitions, minors and foreigners. Often animal rights activists attempt to gain momentum for their agendas by using emotional appeals (think: “Bambi”) to bring their ideas across. To do that animal rights are often willing to fabricate information or grossly exaggerate.
Claims about phone calls from throughout the region to the petitioner regarding pet dogs having been killed or badly injured in traps have not turned up in police and conservation office reports.
Would a distressed pet owner in the face of such a scenario search the phone book for animal shelters in Merritt instead of calling 911? I find such an idea farfetched.
Pursuant to the BC Wildlife Act a person commits a serious offense to let a dog hunt or pursue wildlife, except as it is in accordance with existing regulations. A supervised dog is not likely to get caught in a trap …unless the owner of the animal is negligent and allows it to roam at will.
As a means of “non-violent” wildlife control animal rights often propose short sighted ideas in jurisdictions that find favour with them. But what they don’t mention in these proposals is that most “non-violent” measures they advocate do not actually offer solutions to wildlife population control. When we lived in Langley the town was approached by an animal rights group and persuaded to choose their solution of reducing the over population and consequent problems of beaver activity. Instead of allowing trappers to come in and remove the surplus animals permanently they chose to trap and relocate the beavers into other areas where they no doubt carried on as before…they continued to dam up canals and clog drainage pipes in other parts of the community. This was a hugely expensive “non-violent beaver management program” that simply put the problem off for two years; the city reversed its earlier decision and hired trappers to do the job correctly.
So should trapping be banned in British Columbia? Absolutely not! When we discuss wildlife management we need to approach it from a scientific aspect, not an emotional aspect, if we want to have any measure of balance. The reason why Canada, and America, is so successful in wildlife management, at a minimal cost to taxpayers, is because we realized that hunting and trapping are the only effective methods of wildlife management and conservation. For those that worry about the “humane” aspect of hunting and trapping, it is far more humane than any methods Mother Nature applies.
What's your take on this?
Monday, October 07, 2013
Melissa Bachman Bullied Off National Geographic Channel By Anti-Hunting Lobby Petition.
By: Othmar Vohringer
Melissa Bachman, known as the “Hardcore Huntress”, producer and co-host of Winchester Deadly Passion, has been dropped as a planned participant in the of an upcoming National Geographic production called “Ultimate Survivor Alaska”. The decision has apparently been made after a petition, calling for the dismissal of Mellissa, a “heartless trophy hunter”, signed by more than 13,000 anti-hunters has been sent to the TV channel management.
According to a news story National Geographic apparently wasted no time to deny Bachman to take part in the show. In other words they let themselves be bullied into a decision by a mere handful of extremists. What boggles my mind is why would National Geographic reach such a decision? Isn’t hunting a part of the “ultimate survival” in the wilds of Alaska? To my knowledge you can’t survive in the vast wildness on vegetables alone.
But what more important, at least it is to me. Is the fact that Melissa Bachman has been discriminated against and I can’t help wondering what a smart lawyer could do with that blatant ant violation of the anti-discrimination act. Have we really come that far in our “civilized” world that a handful of radicals can decide what or who we can see on television? It’s not that National Geographic makes excuses about dropping Melissa, they are quite open about it that the decision has been made because of a petition.
While anti-hunters celebrate their victory over the “death celebrating murderer” they themselves show the true radical intensions with hundreds upon hundreds of death threats against Melissa Bachman.
Here’s a small sample of the more printable comment left on a facebook page.
“We will find you bitch and skin you alive.”
“I hope you and your children die a horrible death.”
“I’ll hunt you down and the slowly torture and kill you the same way you do with the animals.”
“We need to kill all hunters as they do not deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of the decent humans.”
Shocking, and these are people that promote compassion and kindness to all living things on this planet. The fact it that animal rights and anti-hunters are some of the most vile, hateful and self-centred people anyone could encounter.
As hunters, regardless if we agree with trophy hunting or not, we should weigh in on this issue and contact National Geographic and let them know what we think. To be quiet about this means we’re easy bush overs and bow down to discrimination against us. The last time I looked it up hunting was still a legal activity all across North America.
What’s your take on this story?
According to a news story National Geographic apparently wasted no time to deny Bachman to take part in the show. In other words they let themselves be bullied into a decision by a mere handful of extremists. What boggles my mind is why would National Geographic reach such a decision? Isn’t hunting a part of the “ultimate survival” in the wilds of Alaska? To my knowledge you can’t survive in the vast wildness on vegetables alone.
But what more important, at least it is to me. Is the fact that Melissa Bachman has been discriminated against and I can’t help wondering what a smart lawyer could do with that blatant ant violation of the anti-discrimination act. Have we really come that far in our “civilized” world that a handful of radicals can decide what or who we can see on television? It’s not that National Geographic makes excuses about dropping Melissa, they are quite open about it that the decision has been made because of a petition.
While anti-hunters celebrate their victory over the “death celebrating murderer” they themselves show the true radical intensions with hundreds upon hundreds of death threats against Melissa Bachman.
Here’s a small sample of the more printable comment left on a facebook page.
“We will find you bitch and skin you alive.”
“I hope you and your children die a horrible death.”
“I’ll hunt you down and the slowly torture and kill you the same way you do with the animals.”
“We need to kill all hunters as they do not deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of the decent humans.”
Shocking, and these are people that promote compassion and kindness to all living things on this planet. The fact it that animal rights and anti-hunters are some of the most vile, hateful and self-centred people anyone could encounter.
As hunters, regardless if we agree with trophy hunting or not, we should weigh in on this issue and contact National Geographic and let them know what we think. To be quiet about this means we’re easy bush overs and bow down to discrimination against us. The last time I looked it up hunting was still a legal activity all across North America.
What’s your take on this story?
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Local Anglers And Hunters Meet With NDP Leader Adrian Dix
(Previously published in the Merritt Herald - Othmar Vohringer, The Outdoorsman)
© By Othmar Vohringer
© By Othmar Vohringer
On Sunday, December 2, 2012, NDP leader Adrian Dix and Fraser-Nicola LMA Harry Lali hosted an election information event at the Tropico Spice restaurant in Merritt. Among the 100 plus people attending was a delegation of the Nicola Valley Fish & Game Club (NVF&GC). Harry Lali, who had attended a NVF&GC general meeting in early fall to discuss with us land access and confirming his political support, suggested that meeting Adrian Dix would be helpful to our cause. Rick McCowan, the land access committee chair of the NVF&GC had a chance to meet person to person with Mr. Dix before the event, providing him with the current information and a newly published information leaflet about land access problems here in the valley and across the province.
At the event Adrian Dix spent quite a bit of time at our table talking about the issues we presented to him and he seemed to be as concerned about land access as we are. A good sign!
Since I am not directly involved with the land access committee I must say that I am very impressed with what this small group of dedicated people in our club has achieved so far and all the hard work they put in to creating broad public awareness of the crown land access problem in our province.
While the BC Wildlife Federation, the province’s largest hunter and angler organization, is twiddling its thumbs on the issue our club has gathered immense momentum, attracting national media attention and support from many other organizations throughout our nation. The NVF&GC has without a doubt become the driving force of the land access campaign.
While our fathers and grandfathers could enjoy hunting and fishing without any concerns for the future, times have drastically changed since then. Today we have to become politically active in order to secure our heritage for future generations. Our outdoor sport heritage faces many challenges of which our forefathers wouldn’t dream of in their worst nightmares. Loosing access to public land is only one of these problems. Other problems are instigated from the myriad of popular self-proclaimed “animal welfare” organizations using vilification and misinformation targeted against hunters, and their recruitment of largely ignorant city/suburban peoples to their cause; particularly impressionable youth.
We need to challenge these problems as a united force in public, on the political stage and even in the courts or we stand to lose it all. I am proud to be a member of a small local organization that doesn’t just complain but is on the forefront of fighting for our future generations so they too can enjoy hunting, fishing and accessing lands, lakes and streams for generations to come. If you’re a concerned outdoor sportsperson and want to do your bit to preserve our heritage, rights and freedoms then you should be thinking about joining the Nicola valley Fish & Game Club.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
In The U.S. Election Race Obama and Romney Seek Sportsman’s Vote
© By Othmar Vohringer
The contenders in the American presidential election have discovered the potential of the outdoor sportsman vote. Both contenders for the Whitehouse are seeking the vote of the American hunters, yet neither President Barack Obama nor Gov. Mitt Romney fully comprehends the true nature of hunters. In fact neither of them is a hunter. But they do understand the importance American sportsmen carry as a voting bloc.
And that’s the reason why each campaign reaches out to sportsmen to some degree, as can be seen by the lobby websites Sportsmen for Obama and Sportsmen for Romney.
The Sportsmen for Obama Website states:
The contenders in the American presidential election have discovered the potential of the outdoor sportsman vote. Both contenders for the Whitehouse are seeking the vote of the American hunters, yet neither President Barack Obama nor Gov. Mitt Romney fully comprehends the true nature of hunters. In fact neither of them is a hunter. But they do understand the importance American sportsmen carry as a voting bloc.
And that’s the reason why each campaign reaches out to sportsmen to some degree, as can be seen by the lobby websites Sportsmen for Obama and Sportsmen for Romney.
The Sportsmen for Obama Website states:
“Under the President’s leadership, conservation programs are protecting the nation’s natural resources, while providing significant economic and environmental benefits to rural communities and building valuable habitat for wildlife,” states the information contained on the Sportsmen for Obama website. “The Obama administration is working with more than 500,000 farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices on nearly 30 million acres of land. The President is also investing in projects in all 50 states to conserve wildlife and habitat and to create outdoor recreation jobs.”On the Sportsmen for Romney Website the candidate had this to say:
“We are blessed with great natural beauty as well. It is the sportsmen and women of America who keep safe that natural wealth for this generation and many more to come. Hunters, fishermen, sports-shooters, and outdoors enthusiasts not only create millions of jobs and pump billions of dollars into our economy, they stand on the forefront of defending our Second Amendment rights and protecting the natural wonder of our nation. If I am fortunate enough to become president, they will have a friend in the White House.”Here at Othmar Vohringer Outdoors Blog, we’re not suggesting to vote for a particular candidate. All I suggest is that, like in any working democracy, people should make use of their right to elect their representatives and go the polls on November 6. I also would encourage you all to look carefully what each candidate has to offer in the overall package and not just vote based of how the individual candidate thinks about hunters and hunting. While hunting may is of vital importance to us outdoor sports people it is of very little importance in the overall scheme of this, such as the economy, employment, education, healthcare and above all peace.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Are You Overanalyzing Hunting?
© By Othmar Vohringer
There used to be a period in my hunting career where I would analyze everything down to the smallest detail. While this can be a good thing it also can quickly turn into self-doubt caused by trying to analyze too much. I used to ask myself all kinds of questions before a hunt.
Things like.
What stand should I hunt today? Will the wind be right for that stand? Will the deer move by that particular stand or elsewhere? In addition to all this, and more, I was concerned about the wind, weather, moon phase, the gear I had with me and on, and one it went.
I constantly asked myself; “What if?” The questions and analytical process seemed endless. It came to a point were hunting became a chore rather than an enjoyable time in the deer woods. One day a few seasons ago I just had enough of it all and told myself. “Just go hunting.” Ever since that day I enjoy hunting more and appreciate the time in the woods more.
Hunting has become too complicated, when in fact it is simple. If you’re doing your scouting right then what else can you do? With years of hunting experience under by belt I remind myself that I should trust my knowledge and gut feeling more. I’ve been a successful hunter before I started to worry about every little detail and I am still a successful hunter now. But now I enjoy hunting more again.
The lesson learned here is. Don’t overanalyze hunting too much. Just go out and hunt.
Things like.
What stand should I hunt today? Will the wind be right for that stand? Will the deer move by that particular stand or elsewhere? In addition to all this, and more, I was concerned about the wind, weather, moon phase, the gear I had with me and on, and one it went.
I constantly asked myself; “What if?” The questions and analytical process seemed endless. It came to a point were hunting became a chore rather than an enjoyable time in the deer woods. One day a few seasons ago I just had enough of it all and told myself. “Just go hunting.” Ever since that day I enjoy hunting more and appreciate the time in the woods more.
Hunting has become too complicated, when in fact it is simple. If you’re doing your scouting right then what else can you do? With years of hunting experience under by belt I remind myself that I should trust my knowledge and gut feeling more. I’ve been a successful hunter before I started to worry about every little detail and I am still a successful hunter now. But now I enjoy hunting more again.
The lesson learned here is. Don’t overanalyze hunting too much. Just go out and hunt.
Monday, October 08, 2012
Are Trophy Records Destroying Hunting As We Know It?
© By Othmar Vohringer
For years I have been saying that the “trophy” aspect of hunting perpetrated in every magazine and hunting TV show eventually will backfire on our hunting heritage. It is my contention that if trophy record books would only give credit to the animal without the name of the hunter they would go quickly out of business. The reason hunters enter trophy’s in these books is for the sole reason to see their name in print. In magazines and hunting TV shows trophy animals are used solely for the purpose to sell products and to give “testimony” that the writer or TV show presenter is an “expert”.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like to kill a trophy animal as much as the next guy but to me it is not a contest and I certainly never would enter one in a record book. I am not a trophy hunter and I am not a meat hunter either. I am just a hunter. While I fully respect that some hunters may only hunt for a trophy animal to please their own ego or their own sense of achievement it needs to be mentioned that the trophy hype does affect new and young hunters in a very negative way. How so? I lost count of how many times I heard a young or new hunter say something like; “I will not waste a bullet on a lesser animal.” Or “I want to be a trophy hunter.” These are all people that may go many years without killing a deer waiting for that big trophy buck. They do so because they want not to be ridiculed by their peers for shooting a lesser animal.
For years I have been saying that the “trophy” aspect of hunting perpetrated in every magazine and hunting TV show eventually will backfire on our hunting heritage. It is my contention that if trophy record books would only give credit to the animal without the name of the hunter they would go quickly out of business. The reason hunters enter trophy’s in these books is for the sole reason to see their name in print. In magazines and hunting TV shows trophy animals are used solely for the purpose to sell products and to give “testimony” that the writer or TV show presenter is an “expert”.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like to kill a trophy animal as much as the next guy but to me it is not a contest and I certainly never would enter one in a record book. I am not a trophy hunter and I am not a meat hunter either. I am just a hunter. While I fully respect that some hunters may only hunt for a trophy animal to please their own ego or their own sense of achievement it needs to be mentioned that the trophy hype does affect new and young hunters in a very negative way. How so? I lost count of how many times I heard a young or new hunter say something like; “I will not waste a bullet on a lesser animal.” Or “I want to be a trophy hunter.” These are all people that may go many years without killing a deer waiting for that big trophy buck. They do so because they want not to be ridiculed by their peers for shooting a lesser animal.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Hunting Season Opener
© By Othmar Vohringer
For hunters the season opening date is like Christmas for children. The closer it comes the more impatient we grow. We have been preparing all year for this event and as it gets closer we become restless, counting down the months, weeks, days and finally the hours. What will the new hunting season bring? Will we get that big deer or bear that eluded us last year? Will it be as good as last year or even better? The morning of the hunt is the only day of the year that I am awake before the alarm begins its annoying blaring. An hour before the sun rises over the mountain tops I am on my way to the spot where the deer leave the field in single file and head up a trail to the top of the hill where they will rest for the day.
When it gets just enough light to see shapes I put an arrow on my bow string and lean back against the tree. The waiting game begins. The deer will shortly start to move off the field and cross by my set-up and if I’m lucky my day will end in the kitchen - cutting and wrapping venison. But an hour later no deer have been seen at my set-up or on the other end of the field. What happened? There is only one way to find out: get up and search for another spot. I hiked up the mountain and found several good places that I know hold deer but I’ll wait to hunt them until the firearm hunting season opens. The worst thing I could do is walk around and risk alerting deer to my presence at this time of year.
This is hunting - there are no sure-fire recipes for success. Despite all the careful preparations you never know what will happen. Some hunters are out every day they can and still end the season with no deer taken. Other hunters are lucky and tag out early in the hunting season like twelve-year-old Tyler Mosley (Photo) from Merritt, BC. On the second day of the youth hunting season Tyler went out with his family to camp in the Petit Creek area. After years of following his father and older brothers on hunting trips this was the first time he would be the hunter and the others would accompany him. Brayden, Tyler’s older brother, led him along a trail where he had captured a large buck on a trail camera a few months previously. With any luck the buck would still be in the area. As the pair walked along the trail they noticed movement in the bush; it was the very same buck. Tyler aimed his rifle carefully and when everything felt right he squeezed the trigger and a few seconds later Tyler proudly admired his very first buck. It will be a memory that will last a lifetime and will be relived and retold many times at many campfires.
I wish you all have a good and above all safe hunting season.
When it gets just enough light to see shapes I put an arrow on my bow string and lean back against the tree. The waiting game begins. The deer will shortly start to move off the field and cross by my set-up and if I’m lucky my day will end in the kitchen - cutting and wrapping venison. But an hour later no deer have been seen at my set-up or on the other end of the field. What happened? There is only one way to find out: get up and search for another spot. I hiked up the mountain and found several good places that I know hold deer but I’ll wait to hunt them until the firearm hunting season opens. The worst thing I could do is walk around and risk alerting deer to my presence at this time of year.
This is hunting - there are no sure-fire recipes for success. Despite all the careful preparations you never know what will happen. Some hunters are out every day they can and still end the season with no deer taken. Other hunters are lucky and tag out early in the hunting season like twelve-year-old Tyler Mosley (Photo) from Merritt, BC. On the second day of the youth hunting season Tyler went out with his family to camp in the Petit Creek area. After years of following his father and older brothers on hunting trips this was the first time he would be the hunter and the others would accompany him. Brayden, Tyler’s older brother, led him along a trail where he had captured a large buck on a trail camera a few months previously. With any luck the buck would still be in the area. As the pair walked along the trail they noticed movement in the bush; it was the very same buck. Tyler aimed his rifle carefully and when everything felt right he squeezed the trigger and a few seconds later Tyler proudly admired his very first buck. It will be a memory that will last a lifetime and will be relived and retold many times at many campfires.
I wish you all have a good and above all safe hunting season.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Global TV and Shaw Media Cancels All Hunting TV Shows
© By Othmar Vohringer
Global TV and Shaw Media, Canada’s largest television network, has announced that it will cancel all hunting shows on their network across Canada after December 30, 2012. The shows affected by this decision are; Canada In the Rough, The Canadian Tradition and Angler & Hunter Television. The network claims that declining viewer numbers are the reason for the cancellation, which in my humble opinion frankly is hogwash. A little search on the intent reveals that; A. The notorious animal rights organization, the Vancouver Humane Society, brags about their “success in petitioning the television network” to take the above shows off their network. B. A phone call to a person I know who works in the programing department of the network revealed to me that the shows actually gained in popularity.
Here is what I think happened. The hunting shows in question are not your typical shows that you see on subscription channels. These shows could be viewed by anyone. The reason the shows became popular, even with non-hunters, is because they emphasized the wildlife and habitat conservation aspect of hunting. Every show highlighted the many hunter founded organizations such as, Ducks Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The BC Wild Sheep Association plus an array of other noteworthy organizations. With that aspect of the hunting shows ordinary people became aware that hunters are not the barbaric uncaring bambi-killers after all. Ordinary people, who up until the airing of the shows only had the animal rights view of hunting, started to call the motives of these radical organizations into question. In my opinion this is what the Vancouver Humane Society motivated to launch a petition to cancel the shows. They wanted to silence the hunters. Animal rights hate the truth.
Global TV and Shaw Media, Canada’s largest television network, has announced that it will cancel all hunting shows on their network across Canada after December 30, 2012. The shows affected by this decision are; Canada In the Rough, The Canadian Tradition and Angler & Hunter Television. The network claims that declining viewer numbers are the reason for the cancellation, which in my humble opinion frankly is hogwash. A little search on the intent reveals that; A. The notorious animal rights organization, the Vancouver Humane Society, brags about their “success in petitioning the television network” to take the above shows off their network. B. A phone call to a person I know who works in the programing department of the network revealed to me that the shows actually gained in popularity.
Here is what I think happened. The hunting shows in question are not your typical shows that you see on subscription channels. These shows could be viewed by anyone. The reason the shows became popular, even with non-hunters, is because they emphasized the wildlife and habitat conservation aspect of hunting. Every show highlighted the many hunter founded organizations such as, Ducks Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The BC Wild Sheep Association plus an array of other noteworthy organizations. With that aspect of the hunting shows ordinary people became aware that hunters are not the barbaric uncaring bambi-killers after all. Ordinary people, who up until the airing of the shows only had the animal rights view of hunting, started to call the motives of these radical organizations into question. In my opinion this is what the Vancouver Humane Society motivated to launch a petition to cancel the shows. They wanted to silence the hunters. Animal rights hate the truth.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
BCWF Outdoor Passport Program Only Looks Like Good Idea
© By Othmar Vohringer
A friend phoned me up a few days ago to tell me about a new program offered by the BC Wildlife Federation. The program is called “Outdoor Passport” and its intended to provide hunters easy access to private land provided the landowner participates in the program. Naturally, I wanted to learn more about it and asked my friend how it works. “Well, Othmar, it’s easy,” he said. “You take a course, and when you successfully graduate the exams, you get the Outdoor Passport.”
“How much does it cost?” I asked.
“Thirty dollars,” replied my friend.
That sounds like a good idea, I thought, and I checked the BCWF website for more information. After reading through all the information however, it didn’t sound like a good idea anymore. The BCWF Outdoor Passport program is basically a course that will cost you $30, and after the completion of the exam, you’re given an outdoor passport card. While everyone can take the course, only BCWF members are privileged to receive the card. The idea is that, as a hunter, you can take this card and show it to a participating landowner and you may get lucky and be able to hunt on his property. I say “may get lucky” because the landowner is not bound to any agreement and quite rightly so. Just because somebody takes a two-hour course does not guarantee that the cardholder is a respectful person.
After reading all the information about this program, I came to the conclusion that it is nothing more then a money-generating scheme, and I don’t like that for several reasons.
The initial course costs $30, and if for some reason the exam can’t be taken within a month’s time, you have to take the course again and pay the full amount again. The card is only valued for one year and then it needs to be renewed to the tune of $15.
This program does not entitle the cardholder to anything: you still have to knock on the landowner’s doors to ask for permission and risk being turned down. In short, you spend $30 for virtually nothing in return.
The bigger problem I see is that the BCWF eventually might get the bright idea to lobby the government to make this a mandatory course for every hunter, especially if there are not enough hunters enrolling in the program and, therefore, the hoped-for cash doesn’t roll in. I saw this happen in America years ago where organizations offered similar private land access programs on a volunteer basis, and after a few years it became mandatory for every hunter. After thinking it over, I have decided to stick to my way of gaining hunting access to private land, which I achieve by knocking on doors and politely asking the landowner(s) for permission to hunt. Once I gain access, I obey the landowner’s rules and behave in a responsible manner as his guest. This has worked very well for me in the past without having to show an “Outdoor Passport” as proof of some dubious course that doesn’t prove anything about my character.
A friend phoned me up a few days ago to tell me about a new program offered by the BC Wildlife Federation. The program is called “Outdoor Passport” and its intended to provide hunters easy access to private land provided the landowner participates in the program. Naturally, I wanted to learn more about it and asked my friend how it works. “Well, Othmar, it’s easy,” he said. “You take a course, and when you successfully graduate the exams, you get the Outdoor Passport.”
“How much does it cost?” I asked.
“Thirty dollars,” replied my friend.
That sounds like a good idea, I thought, and I checked the BCWF website for more information. After reading through all the information however, it didn’t sound like a good idea anymore. The BCWF Outdoor Passport program is basically a course that will cost you $30, and after the completion of the exam, you’re given an outdoor passport card. While everyone can take the course, only BCWF members are privileged to receive the card. The idea is that, as a hunter, you can take this card and show it to a participating landowner and you may get lucky and be able to hunt on his property. I say “may get lucky” because the landowner is not bound to any agreement and quite rightly so. Just because somebody takes a two-hour course does not guarantee that the cardholder is a respectful person.
After reading all the information about this program, I came to the conclusion that it is nothing more then a money-generating scheme, and I don’t like that for several reasons.
The initial course costs $30, and if for some reason the exam can’t be taken within a month’s time, you have to take the course again and pay the full amount again. The card is only valued for one year and then it needs to be renewed to the tune of $15.
This program does not entitle the cardholder to anything: you still have to knock on the landowner’s doors to ask for permission and risk being turned down. In short, you spend $30 for virtually nothing in return.
The bigger problem I see is that the BCWF eventually might get the bright idea to lobby the government to make this a mandatory course for every hunter, especially if there are not enough hunters enrolling in the program and, therefore, the hoped-for cash doesn’t roll in. I saw this happen in America years ago where organizations offered similar private land access programs on a volunteer basis, and after a few years it became mandatory for every hunter. After thinking it over, I have decided to stick to my way of gaining hunting access to private land, which I achieve by knocking on doors and politely asking the landowner(s) for permission to hunt. Once I gain access, I obey the landowner’s rules and behave in a responsible manner as his guest. This has worked very well for me in the past without having to show an “Outdoor Passport” as proof of some dubious course that doesn’t prove anything about my character.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Are you fit to hunt?
© By Othmar Vohringer
As an outdoor writer I am supplied with a lot of statistics from Canada and even more from America. One of the statistics that I look forward to every year is the Recreational Accident Statistic.
I am pleased to see that hunting ranks very low in the overall accident statistic, lower then rollerblading and even basketball. What I am not pleased about is that the number one hunter accident is still connected to treestand hunting. I would have thought that by now every hunter uses a safety harness (supplied with every treestand) when hunting from a stand or climbing in and out of one.
The next most common hunter accident is guess what? It's not firearm related. It's heart attacks. Heart attacks not only affect the aging hunter population but more often the younger hunters aged between 30 and 40. The reason, so the statistic, is poor physical condition. What's the main cause for heart attacks during hunting? Dragging a downed deer out of the bush. Number two, setting up treestands. After a hunter shoots a deer, especially a big buck, ranks on place three.
Hunting, like any sport, requires physical fitness unless you're road hunter and even then you have to load the downed animal onto your truck.
To keep fit I hike a lot and as hunting season approaches I hike even more, mostly in full hunting gear, loading my backpack with stones to add weight.
What are you doing to stay in physical hunting shape? Do you hike? Lift weights? Hit the gym?
This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Read my bi-weekly newspaper column online.
As an outdoor writer I am supplied with a lot of statistics from Canada and even more from America. One of the statistics that I look forward to every year is the Recreational Accident Statistic.
I am pleased to see that hunting ranks very low in the overall accident statistic, lower then rollerblading and even basketball. What I am not pleased about is that the number one hunter accident is still connected to treestand hunting. I would have thought that by now every hunter uses a safety harness (supplied with every treestand) when hunting from a stand or climbing in and out of one.
The next most common hunter accident is guess what? It's not firearm related. It's heart attacks. Heart attacks not only affect the aging hunter population but more often the younger hunters aged between 30 and 40. The reason, so the statistic, is poor physical condition. What's the main cause for heart attacks during hunting? Dragging a downed deer out of the bush. Number two, setting up treestands. After a hunter shoots a deer, especially a big buck, ranks on place three.
Hunting, like any sport, requires physical fitness unless you're road hunter and even then you have to load the downed animal onto your truck.
To keep fit I hike a lot and as hunting season approaches I hike even more, mostly in full hunting gear, loading my backpack with stones to add weight.
What are you doing to stay in physical hunting shape? Do you hike? Lift weights? Hit the gym?
This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Read my bi-weekly newspaper column online.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Last Call- Block the Czar- Action Needed Today
Media Release by U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance - By now you should already be well aware of our effort to block President Obama’s radical, animal rights supporting, anti-hunting “Regulatory Czar”, Cass Sunstein. We’ve been asking sportsmen to contact BOTH of their U.S. senators for weeks.NOW is crunch time. It appears that the Senate will be taking up this nomination when they return to Washington, D.C. after Labor Day. This means there will likely be a vote as early as Wednesday, September 9. If you haven’t made the calls yet to your senators, NOW is the time to do it.
Remember, this is a person who has written that animals should SUE HUMANS and that recreational hunting should be BANNED! These views are intolerable for someone to possess who will have control over all federal regulations.
For more information on Cass Sunstein, Click Here. Make sure to click the link for writing your senator and make YOUR voice heard.
For more information regarding the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network, call 614-888-4868, or email Greg R. Lawson, director of communications at glawson@ussportsmen.org or Sharon Hayden, assistant director of communications at shayden@ussportsmen.org.
Here are a few I found out about Cass Sunstein. Ir’s scary how un-American this guy is.
On a speech made in 2007 he proclained that hunting should be outlawed inmidieatly nationwide.
On another speech a few months ago Sunstein said that the internet is “anti-democratic” because a website owner can deside what information he she wants to publish on it and filter out any information that they deem objectionable. Sinstein said. “Legal requirments should be put in place that forces website owners to put fair and balanced information out.” (This means that hunting blogs would have to post animal rights points of views too and Cristian sites would also have to endorse Satanic cults.)
Sunstain also wants to see regulations that would make it mandatory for specialiazed email software that automatically destrys any email containing “uncivil” content.
In his book “Radical to Robes” Sunstein writes that he believes that all gun control legislation is constitutionally congruent. He believes that the U.S. Supreme Court “got it wrong” in determining that the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies to individuals.
In his 2004 book entitled “Animal Rights” he wrote that he believed that “Animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives …”
These are just a few of the totalitarian Stalinist views Sunstein has about how people should be controlled and governed and that’s the man President Obama want as his regulatory czar.
Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit
Tags: Animal Rights, Cass Sunstein, Obama, Anti Hunting, U.S. Senate
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Is this for real?
© By Othmar Vohringer
This image is making the rounds on the Internet for quite some time now. It was only a matter of time until it would end up in my email inbox. Yesterday someone sent me this picture titled: Best bowkill on camera. But is it real or is the image made up in photoshop or some other photo-manipulating program?
Whenever I cam across this image on the Internet I discovered that it unleashed a hot discussion of real versus fake. Lucky me I am married to a photographer and graphic design artist. My wife knows a thing or two about manipulating images so I asked her to take a look at it.
Here verdict after close examination. This image is one hundred percent fake.
The buck looks dead as in laying on the ground and then has been cut out and placed into a background that might be taken my a game cam. Notice the pile of corn at the bottom right corner of the image.
The blood splatters have been painted in. I had no clue but I am told by my wife that photo draw programs come with a variety of “brushes” that let you paint anything from a house to a tree and mountain, or in this case, blood into an image.
Knowing an animal’s anatomy I paid close attention to the muscles. If a buck jumps up in the air, as this one appears to be doing, you wpuld see the hind leg muscles bulging from the strain and force needed to leap that high. But I can’t see any muscle strain. In fact all the muscles are relaxed as they would appear on a dead deer.
There seems to be also something wrong with the buck’s eyes. Usually the color of the eye is black when you take a picture of a life deer but will reproduce white on a dead deer. These eyes are white.
Then there are the other factors to consider. When a deer jumps up like that it happens very fast so fast in fact that the camera cannot capture the movement without blur unless the photographer uses what’s called a fast lens with a wide aperture and the camera is set at around 800 to 1000 ISO. No game camera is capable of "freezing" fast movement not even with a flash.
With all these observations and my wife’s professional opinion I came to the conclusion that this image is as fake as a water turtle in the Sahara.
What’s your take on it?
Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit
This image is making the rounds on the Internet for quite some time now. It was only a matter of time until it would end up in my email inbox. Yesterday someone sent me this picture titled: Best bowkill on camera. But is it real or is the image made up in photoshop or some other photo-manipulating program?
Whenever I cam across this image on the Internet I discovered that it unleashed a hot discussion of real versus fake. Lucky me I am married to a photographer and graphic design artist. My wife knows a thing or two about manipulating images so I asked her to take a look at it.
Here verdict after close examination. This image is one hundred percent fake.
The buck looks dead as in laying on the ground and then has been cut out and placed into a background that might be taken my a game cam. Notice the pile of corn at the bottom right corner of the image.
The blood splatters have been painted in. I had no clue but I am told by my wife that photo draw programs come with a variety of “brushes” that let you paint anything from a house to a tree and mountain, or in this case, blood into an image.
Knowing an animal’s anatomy I paid close attention to the muscles. If a buck jumps up in the air, as this one appears to be doing, you wpuld see the hind leg muscles bulging from the strain and force needed to leap that high. But I can’t see any muscle strain. In fact all the muscles are relaxed as they would appear on a dead deer.
There seems to be also something wrong with the buck’s eyes. Usually the color of the eye is black when you take a picture of a life deer but will reproduce white on a dead deer. These eyes are white.
Then there are the other factors to consider. When a deer jumps up like that it happens very fast so fast in fact that the camera cannot capture the movement without blur unless the photographer uses what’s called a fast lens with a wide aperture and the camera is set at around 800 to 1000 ISO. No game camera is capable of "freezing" fast movement not even with a flash.
With all these observations and my wife’s professional opinion I came to the conclusion that this image is as fake as a water turtle in the Sahara.
What’s your take on it?
Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Founding Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Versus offers all year long hunting seasons
© By Othmar Vohringer
Everybody that is reading this blog for a while knows by now that I am a hunter with every fiber of my body. So much so that I consider hunting my way of life. It should therefore not come as a surprise to you that I also watch TV shows about hunting. Not any show mind you. The shows I watch have to be quality productions that are entertaining to watch and pass on knowledge too.
Besides a few Canadian shows I really enjoy watching Versus Country broadcasting many different shows all over North America. With more than 73 million homes connected via cable and satellite it has become on e of the most popular outdoor shows on TV.
As a whitetail enthusiast my favorites are David Morris in the Bucks of Tecomate . Morris’s experience includes over 20 years of whitetail deer hunting and owner/manager of Burnt Pine Plantation. David is also the executive publisher/owner of the famous Game & Fish Magazine and North American Whitetail magazine.
David’s wealth of hunting knowledge, conservation and quality deer management becomes apparent in every Bucks of Tecomate show. David Morris is joined on the show by co-host and everybody’s favorite comedian and deer hunter Jeff Foxworhty. The show is all about big whitetail bucks and, with sound advice, what it takes to hunt them.
Versus Country offers a lot of different outdoor related shows - to numerous to list them all here - for the fishing and hunting enthusiasts. I am sure if you visit the Versus Country website you will find a show that suits your interests. Who said that all hunting seasons have to come to an end? With Versus Country the hunting season lasts 12 months.
Tags: Versus Country, The Bucks Of Tecomate, David Morris, TV Hunting Shows, Whitetail Deer Hunting
Everybody that is reading this blog for a while knows by now that I am a hunter with every fiber of my body. So much so that I consider hunting my way of life. It should therefore not come as a surprise to you that I also watch TV shows about hunting. Not any show mind you. The shows I watch have to be quality productions that are entertaining to watch and pass on knowledge too.
Besides a few Canadian shows I really enjoy watching Versus Country broadcasting many different shows all over North America. With more than 73 million homes connected via cable and satellite it has become on e of the most popular outdoor shows on TV.
As a whitetail enthusiast my favorites are David Morris in the Bucks of Tecomate . Morris’s experience includes over 20 years of whitetail deer hunting and owner/manager of Burnt Pine Plantation. David is also the executive publisher/owner of the famous Game & Fish Magazine and North American Whitetail magazine.David’s wealth of hunting knowledge, conservation and quality deer management becomes apparent in every Bucks of Tecomate show. David Morris is joined on the show by co-host and everybody’s favorite comedian and deer hunter Jeff Foxworhty. The show is all about big whitetail bucks and, with sound advice, what it takes to hunt them.
Versus Country offers a lot of different outdoor related shows - to numerous to list them all here - for the fishing and hunting enthusiasts. I am sure if you visit the Versus Country website you will find a show that suits your interests. Who said that all hunting seasons have to come to an end? With Versus Country the hunting season lasts 12 months.
Tags: Versus Country, The Bucks Of Tecomate, David Morris, TV Hunting Shows, Whitetail Deer Hunting
Thursday, September 18, 2008
How to choose the right treestand
© By Othmar Vohringer
It often happens that readers send me emails in regard to a post I made on this blog. Some of these emails are comments and others are requests for more information or advice on the subject. One such advice seeking email came in after I posted the article Buckle up. The email writer wanted to know what treestand model and brand I would recommend for him. Before I go any further let me explain that I am always hesitant to make recommendations without knowing the area hunted and the physical condition of the person. There are many variables that should be considered before parting with hard earned cash to purchase a treestand.
In the following article I will try to explain the most important considerations that should influence the choice of treestand that’s right for you. Basically treestands are divided into four models. These are: fixed position stands, climbing stands, ladder stands and tripod stands. In a moment I will discuss each model in more detail with you but first lets talk about what all stands should have in common and what they require regardless of model and brand.
All treestand models require some agility and strength on the part of the person to transport, install or set up. In the many years I hunt from treestands I have yet to find a model that is easy breezy to set up and transport. Even the lightest models, which are usually of the fixed position type, can have a considerable weight when combined with climbing sticks or screw in steps. A light quality stand weighs around 10 to 14 pounds but add to that the weight of the steps at around 6 to 8 pounds and you could end up with close to or just over 20 pounds that you have to haul on your back to your stand location.
I strongly recommend going with a stand that has been manufactured by a member of the Treestand Manufacturer Association (TMA). Members of this organization periodically undergo unannounced product safety and quality checks to guarantee quality of the materials used and the workmanship. Stands of TMA members usually are a little bit more expensive than those of non TMA members. In my opinion, on matters that could mean the difference between life and death, it is well worth spending the extra bucks.
A good treestand has a decent sized standing platform of at least 22 inches by 29 inches and a comfortably sized and padded seat. There is nothing worse than sitting perched like a crow on a branch for up to six or more hours. An uncomfortable seat will make treestand hunting a battle of endurance and lead to fidgeting around in the stand and this in turn alerts deer to your presence.
Personally I have a great dislike for small standing platforms. When I stand up to take the shot I want to be able to move my feet around without having to look down where I step. The platform should be big enough that I will be able to shuffle my feet without the toes hanging off the edge.
The treestand has to be easy to install and hang onto the tree. It is a very different matter to hang a stand onto a tree with both feet on the ground compared to 15 feet or more off the ground with the feet balancing on a narrow metal rod step and the person tied to the tree trunk. I like fixed models that can be positioned on the tree with one hand while the other hand is used to strap the stand to the tree trunk.
In a climbing treestand I look for the same things as in a fixed stand: comfort and a decent sized standing platform. In addition I like stands that can be quickly and quietly assembled with only a few bolts. Again it is easy to assemble a stand in daylight with lots of different nuts and bolts using a wrench, but try that same task in the dark and it will became a frustrating task to find small nuts and bolts. Forget it if you happen to drop a small bolt in the dark, you never will find it again.
Once I have attached a treestand in its final position on the tree it has to be rock solid. I hate stands that wobble or squeak and make popping noises each time that I have to move. In short, a good quality stand wears the TMA seal of approval, is comfortable, easy to install and quiet. The brand of the treestand is of no consideration to me– what is important is the model design. All manufactures that comply with TMA standards provide a safe quality product. Discussing brands is like discussing cars. Each person has his or her favorite. There are those that like Fords and others that hate them. It’s the same with treestand brands.
Now lets look at the different models of stands. What stand model suits your needs best depends on what you’re comfortable with but to an even greater degree on what habitat you hunt. If you hunt brush country then a fixed hang-on stand or a climbing treestand would be useless and so would be a ladder stand, because there is no suitable tree to mount the stands on. In brush country, grasslands, cornfields or cattail marshes the logical choice would be a tripod stand. Tripod stands are heavy and need two and sometimes three people to set up depending on the model and size of the stand. A tripod stand is the least portable of all stands. They are heavy and require many parts to assemble. Once set up these stands cannot just be picked up and transported elsewhere without disassembling them completely.
If your hunting area consists of big old Ponderosa pines a climbing treestand is out of the question because most climbers only accommodate trees of up to 18 inches in diameter. Here the typical choice would be a fixed position or ladder stand with extendable fastening belts or chains.
In a river bottom with gnarly willows or other areas consisting predominantly of bent and gnarly tree trunks a fixed position or ladder stand would be the best choice as well. On places with slim straight tree trunks a climbing stand is the way to go. Overall the climbing stand is in my opinion the easiest stand to set up and very mobile but its application is very limiting due to the fact that you need straight trees of a relative small diameter without lower branches that could interfere with climbing up the tree. Climbing stands require considerable strength and agility from the hunters. Not only do you have to move the weight of the stand up the tree but also your own body weight. Because of that I would recommend a “sit down stand up” climbing model rather than the models that require you to hold the climber part above your head and then pull the stand with your feet up while having all the weight held with your arms alone.
Of all the treestand models the fixed position and ladder stand are the most versatile that can be used in a wide variety of treed habitats. Ladder stands are very safe and usually very comfortable too but they tend to be quite heavy to transport and require two people to set up due to their weight and bulkiness and the rather elaborate assembly required for most models. The fixed position stand is quick to set up with a little practice but not as mobile as the climbing stand. A fixed position stand, unlike the climber, is not a “set up and hunt right away” stand. The assembly of a separate ladder or installation of screw in steps takes up considerable time. Once the ladder or steps have been installed the stand needs to be placed in position, taking up more time. Typically a fixed position stand is set up well in advance of a hunt, so is a ladder and a tripod stand.
Each of the different stand models has its advantages and disadvantages. A serious treestand hunter should own at least four fixed position stands that are installed well in advance of the hunting season at different locations. This permits the hunter to quickly change locations from one stand to the next without any delay to wherever the deer action is. To this arsenal of fixed stands, depending on what we have discussed above, I recommend that that you also should own at least one climbing or ladder stand. Owning several stand models gives you the opportunity to use stands in a wide variety of situations and that often will make all the difference you need to be a successful treestand hunter.
Read related articles:
Buckle Up
Making Hunting From a Treestand Safer
Treestand Hunting Tips
Tags: Treestands, Treestand Selection, Treestand Hunting, Choosing The Right Treestand
It often happens that readers send me emails in regard to a post I made on this blog. Some of these emails are comments and others are requests for more information or advice on the subject. One such advice seeking email came in after I posted the article Buckle up. The email writer wanted to know what treestand model and brand I would recommend for him. Before I go any further let me explain that I am always hesitant to make recommendations without knowing the area hunted and the physical condition of the person. There are many variables that should be considered before parting with hard earned cash to purchase a treestand.
In the following article I will try to explain the most important considerations that should influence the choice of treestand that’s right for you. Basically treestands are divided into four models. These are: fixed position stands, climbing stands, ladder stands and tripod stands. In a moment I will discuss each model in more detail with you but first lets talk about what all stands should have in common and what they require regardless of model and brand.
All treestand models require some agility and strength on the part of the person to transport, install or set up. In the many years I hunt from treestands I have yet to find a model that is easy breezy to set up and transport. Even the lightest models, which are usually of the fixed position type, can have a considerable weight when combined with climbing sticks or screw in steps. A light quality stand weighs around 10 to 14 pounds but add to that the weight of the steps at around 6 to 8 pounds and you could end up with close to or just over 20 pounds that you have to haul on your back to your stand location.
I strongly recommend going with a stand that has been manufactured by a member of the Treestand Manufacturer Association (TMA). Members of this organization periodically undergo unannounced product safety and quality checks to guarantee quality of the materials used and the workmanship. Stands of TMA members usually are a little bit more expensive than those of non TMA members. In my opinion, on matters that could mean the difference between life and death, it is well worth spending the extra bucks.
A good treestand has a decent sized standing platform of at least 22 inches by 29 inches and a comfortably sized and padded seat. There is nothing worse than sitting perched like a crow on a branch for up to six or more hours. An uncomfortable seat will make treestand hunting a battle of endurance and lead to fidgeting around in the stand and this in turn alerts deer to your presence.Personally I have a great dislike for small standing platforms. When I stand up to take the shot I want to be able to move my feet around without having to look down where I step. The platform should be big enough that I will be able to shuffle my feet without the toes hanging off the edge.
The treestand has to be easy to install and hang onto the tree. It is a very different matter to hang a stand onto a tree with both feet on the ground compared to 15 feet or more off the ground with the feet balancing on a narrow metal rod step and the person tied to the tree trunk. I like fixed models that can be positioned on the tree with one hand while the other hand is used to strap the stand to the tree trunk.
In a climbing treestand I look for the same things as in a fixed stand: comfort and a decent sized standing platform. In addition I like stands that can be quickly and quietly assembled with only a few bolts. Again it is easy to assemble a stand in daylight with lots of different nuts and bolts using a wrench, but try that same task in the dark and it will became a frustrating task to find small nuts and bolts. Forget it if you happen to drop a small bolt in the dark, you never will find it again.Once I have attached a treestand in its final position on the tree it has to be rock solid. I hate stands that wobble or squeak and make popping noises each time that I have to move. In short, a good quality stand wears the TMA seal of approval, is comfortable, easy to install and quiet. The brand of the treestand is of no consideration to me– what is important is the model design. All manufactures that comply with TMA standards provide a safe quality product. Discussing brands is like discussing cars. Each person has his or her favorite. There are those that like Fords and others that hate them. It’s the same with treestand brands.
Now lets look at the different models of stands. What stand model suits your needs best depends on what you’re comfortable with but to an even greater degree on what habitat you hunt. If you hunt brush country then a fixed hang-on stand or a climbing treestand would be useless and so would be a ladder stand, because there is no suitable tree to mount the stands on. In brush country, grasslands, cornfields or cattail marshes the logical choice would be a tripod stand. Tripod stands are heavy and need two and sometimes three people to set up depending on the model and size of the stand. A tripod stand is the least portable of all stands. They are heavy and require many parts to assemble. Once set up these stands cannot just be picked up and transported elsewhere without disassembling them completely.If your hunting area consists of big old Ponderosa pines a climbing treestand is out of the question because most climbers only accommodate trees of up to 18 inches in diameter. Here the typical choice would be a fixed position or ladder stand with extendable fastening belts or chains.
In a river bottom with gnarly willows or other areas consisting predominantly of bent and gnarly tree trunks a fixed position or ladder stand would be the best choice as well. On places with slim straight tree trunks a climbing stand is the way to go. Overall the climbing stand is in my opinion the easiest stand to set up and very mobile but its application is very limiting due to the fact that you need straight trees of a relative small diameter without lower branches that could interfere with climbing up the tree. Climbing stands require considerable strength and agility from the hunters. Not only do you have to move the weight of the stand up the tree but also your own body weight. Because of that I would recommend a “sit down stand up” climbing model rather than the models that require you to hold the climber part above your head and then pull the stand with your feet up while having all the weight held with your arms alone.Of all the treestand models the fixed position and ladder stand are the most versatile that can be used in a wide variety of treed habitats. Ladder stands are very safe and usually very comfortable too but they tend to be quite heavy to transport and require two people to set up due to their weight and bulkiness and the rather elaborate assembly required for most models. The fixed position stand is quick to set up with a little practice but not as mobile as the climbing stand. A fixed position stand, unlike the climber, is not a “set up and hunt right away” stand. The assembly of a separate ladder or installation of screw in steps takes up considerable time. Once the ladder or steps have been installed the stand needs to be placed in position, taking up more time. Typically a fixed position stand is set up well in advance of a hunt, so is a ladder and a tripod stand.
Each of the different stand models has its advantages and disadvantages. A serious treestand hunter should own at least four fixed position stands that are installed well in advance of the hunting season at different locations. This permits the hunter to quickly change locations from one stand to the next without any delay to wherever the deer action is. To this arsenal of fixed stands, depending on what we have discussed above, I recommend that that you also should own at least one climbing or ladder stand. Owning several stand models gives you the opportunity to use stands in a wide variety of situations and that often will make all the difference you need to be a successful treestand hunter.
Read related articles:
Buckle Up
Making Hunting From a Treestand Safer
Treestand Hunting Tips
Tags: Treestands, Treestand Selection, Treestand Hunting, Choosing The Right Treestand
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
What’s the Rush? Slow Down!
© Othmar Vohringer
Everyday life is hectic, the day only has so many hours and there is so much to do. Our minds are constantly racing. It starts in the morning, there is no time to sit down and drink coffee. Our mind is already fighting the morning rush hour traffic so we take the coffee and drink it on the way to work. And so the race goes on and all day long we try to catch up.
That mentality carries over to hunting too. It seems we never have enough time to hunt. We’re always in a rush. I first realized that years ago when I went to my favorite hunting area. On the way to my stand I was in such a rush to get it done that I jumped several deer that, had I taken my time, I could have avoided. Arriving at my stand I realized that I had forgotten the arrows back at my truck. What should have been a relaxing day turned sour before it even began.
Right there and then I decided that this couldn’t go on. I needed to change. Slow down. The next time I got up an hour earlier than usual and forced myself to actually sit down to drink the coffee. Arriving at the hunting site one and a half hours before legal shooting light I got dressed in camouflage got the gear together and then walked to the edge of the woodlot. There I sat down at the base of a tree and did nothing but simply sit still.
It didn’t take long to completely relax and then something happened that I never had experienced before. For the first time I could hear the faintest sounds of insects buzzing around in the dark, leaves falling on the ground and animal sounds from far away. I also could smell the fresh dirt under my feet and my eyes could see things they haven’t before and the pre dawn didn’t seem so dark after all.
Time didn’t matter anymore and I actually began to enjoy my little rest under the tree at the woodland edge. That half hour of relaxing did more for me than eight hours of sleep. I got up felling totally refreshed. It was the first time that I didn’t need a flashlight to find the way to my treestand at the far end of the woodlot where an overgrown fence line created the perfect travel path for the deer leaving the cornfield in the morning.
Walking through the woods I became very aware of everything that went on around me. A couple of times I felt like an inner voice was trying to tell me to stop and sure enough, at one such instance a doe walked across a moonlit opening and at a second instance it was a raccoon running across the forest path. Never before did I feel so in tune with nature and what went on all around me.
From that day on I made it a habit to rest at least a half hour after I left the truck, either I would lean against a tree or simply sit on the ground before I moved to my stand location. Over the years this relaxed attitude has carried over to my personal life too. No longer do I get upset in traffic and I always get up early enough in the morning to have time to sit down to drink the coffee. At work I don’t lose my temper each time something goes wrong or somebody is being an idiot.
Because of this I have become a more mellow person and this in turn has improved my overall happiness too. I have learned to enjoy the little things in life that I would never have seen before. Not so very long ago I read an interesting study where it was said that stressed people get into more accidents than relaxed and calm people. The reason, so the study said, is that stress leads to tunnel vision. A person under stress or frustration can become oblivious to their surrounding. With that chances of an accident rise sharply.
Looking at it from that perspective a relaxed hunter is less likely to mistake another hunter or hiker for a game animal or be involved in other hunting related accidents like falls from treetands, accidental discharge of a firearm or walking up on another hunter and risking being shot at. A relaxed hunter’s brain is free from pressure and thus his mind opens up and can become one with nature. In other words, if we leave the hectic of the modern world behind us and forget it for a while we return to our true nature: we become hunters again. Next time you go to the woods slow down and leave the stress of everyday life behind you.
Everyday life is hectic, the day only has so many hours and there is so much to do. Our minds are constantly racing. It starts in the morning, there is no time to sit down and drink coffee. Our mind is already fighting the morning rush hour traffic so we take the coffee and drink it on the way to work. And so the race goes on and all day long we try to catch up.
That mentality carries over to hunting too. It seems we never have enough time to hunt. We’re always in a rush. I first realized that years ago when I went to my favorite hunting area. On the way to my stand I was in such a rush to get it done that I jumped several deer that, had I taken my time, I could have avoided. Arriving at my stand I realized that I had forgotten the arrows back at my truck. What should have been a relaxing day turned sour before it even began.
Right there and then I decided that this couldn’t go on. I needed to change. Slow down. The next time I got up an hour earlier than usual and forced myself to actually sit down to drink the coffee. Arriving at the hunting site one and a half hours before legal shooting light I got dressed in camouflage got the gear together and then walked to the edge of the woodlot. There I sat down at the base of a tree and did nothing but simply sit still.
It didn’t take long to completely relax and then something happened that I never had experienced before. For the first time I could hear the faintest sounds of insects buzzing around in the dark, leaves falling on the ground and animal sounds from far away. I also could smell the fresh dirt under my feet and my eyes could see things they haven’t before and the pre dawn didn’t seem so dark after all.
Time didn’t matter anymore and I actually began to enjoy my little rest under the tree at the woodland edge. That half hour of relaxing did more for me than eight hours of sleep. I got up felling totally refreshed. It was the first time that I didn’t need a flashlight to find the way to my treestand at the far end of the woodlot where an overgrown fence line created the perfect travel path for the deer leaving the cornfield in the morning.
Walking through the woods I became very aware of everything that went on around me. A couple of times I felt like an inner voice was trying to tell me to stop and sure enough, at one such instance a doe walked across a moonlit opening and at a second instance it was a raccoon running across the forest path. Never before did I feel so in tune with nature and what went on all around me.
From that day on I made it a habit to rest at least a half hour after I left the truck, either I would lean against a tree or simply sit on the ground before I moved to my stand location. Over the years this relaxed attitude has carried over to my personal life too. No longer do I get upset in traffic and I always get up early enough in the morning to have time to sit down to drink the coffee. At work I don’t lose my temper each time something goes wrong or somebody is being an idiot.
Because of this I have become a more mellow person and this in turn has improved my overall happiness too. I have learned to enjoy the little things in life that I would never have seen before. Not so very long ago I read an interesting study where it was said that stressed people get into more accidents than relaxed and calm people. The reason, so the study said, is that stress leads to tunnel vision. A person under stress or frustration can become oblivious to their surrounding. With that chances of an accident rise sharply.
Looking at it from that perspective a relaxed hunter is less likely to mistake another hunter or hiker for a game animal or be involved in other hunting related accidents like falls from treetands, accidental discharge of a firearm or walking up on another hunter and risking being shot at. A relaxed hunter’s brain is free from pressure and thus his mind opens up and can become one with nature. In other words, if we leave the hectic of the modern world behind us and forget it for a while we return to our true nature: we become hunters again. Next time you go to the woods slow down and leave the stress of everyday life behind you.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Answer and Question Time.
© By Othmar Vohringer
Today I would like to share a selection of interesting questions that arrive almost daily by email or that somebody has asked me on my hunting seminars and clinics and my answers with you’re here.
Q: What’s your favorite camouflage and why?
A: For many years I wear exclusively ASAT® and PREDATOR® camouflage. These two patterns are to my knowledge the only ones designed using animal vision science. Most other camouflage is designed using consumer appeal science.
Animals see things very differently than we humans do. Animal vision orientates on light and shadow, not on details like branches, bark and leaves. ASAT® and PREDATOR® with their open designs perfectly mimic light and shadow while the light base tan color works as a “chameleon”. Tan color absorbs surrounding colors, in the snow tan looks white and under a green forest canopy it looks green.
Fashion camouflage, as I call it, is generally too dark, making the human stand out as a dark blob in the distance rather then blending in with the surrounding. Besides, I have never seen a tree, cattail or bush walk, and neither have deer. When we look at camouflage and how effective it is we need to look at nature. Animals that rely on good camouflage use white, brown and tan colors. Take a deer for example. A deer can stand a few yards away from a hunter and yet completely vanish from sight. Now that is what I call camouflage and that is what an open pattern like ASAT® and PREDATOR® will do for a hunter too.
Read more about camouflage here.
Q: What do you think contributes to your success over the next guy? I guess what I really would like to know is what would I have to do to become as successful as you are?
A: First let me state that I am absolutely convinced that there are many hunters that are just, or more successful than I am. But to answer your question, my advantage is that I have studied animal behavior as a profession for over 30+ years. This definitely has given me an edge over some others. When all else is said and done hunting success boils down to one single factor and that is knowing the habits and behavior of the animals we pursue. You can wear the best camouflage and use the most expensive bow or rife and be the best marksman in the world, it all counts for nothing if you do not study the animals and their habitat.
In addition I hunt for over 40 years and always have been open minded. Meaning, I never adhered to rigid old fashion thinking and practices. I am open to try new ideas and mix tactics. To my mind the only thing constituting insanity is to do the same thing over and over but expecting different results. And finally, I am passionate about hunting and spend as much time in the outdoors as humanly possible watching, observing and learning.
Q: What is your opinion on including crossbows in the archery season?
A: My opinion is that a crossbow is archery equipment and thus is perfectly suited in the archery season. In fact a crossbow is very much like a modern compound bow, with the only difference being that the crossbow is mounted onto a rifle like stock and yhe string is held mechanically. This fact alone does not make the crossbow a “gun”. I have shot crossbows and found that they are, with that one difference, exactly the same as compound bows what accuracy, efficiency and effective shooting range is concerned.
Unfortunately, over the span of many years hunters have been told a lot of misinformation, outright lies and totally unfounded hype about crossbows. Over all these years many hunters have come to take this lies as the truth. But no matter how many times lies are repeated it always will be a lie. I am pleased that in recent years more hunters and wildlife agencies see through the smoke screen and accept the crossbow for what it really is, a perfectly suitable weapon to include in the archery season.
Read more about crossbows here
Q: I have used deer attractant scent in the past but have had no success with it. In fact on several occasion it seemed to have scared deer away.
A: The mistake some hunters make is to think of scent as a strategy. This mistake is often followed by several other mistakes, such as using a particular scent at the wrong time of the season or too much of it and at the wrong location.
Attractant scent is only one small part of a well planed hunting strategy and if used correctly it can attract or hold deer in an area for a short time. Just spreading scent around the stand location and then expecting deer to come running from everywhere is something the advertising would like you to believe but in reality it does not happen. No deer will go out of its way to investigate a scent, regardless of how appealing it smells to them. Scent only works when placed in close proximity of active deer trails.
Using a doe in estrus scent, as some hunters do, in the early season will definitely scare every deer in the area. Deer communicate by leaving scent marks for other deer to “read”; therefore we can assume that deer know at what time of the year they can expect to smell a particular scent. Therefore, we also can safely assume that if a deer smells a doe in estrus scent before the breeding season started it will become very suspicious because it is unnatural. The same is true for food scents. Deer know their habitat like you know your house. Placing apple scent in an area that does not have an apple tree for miles around would alert deer that there is something fishy going on. The conclusion of this is to use the appropriate scent at the time and place where that scent naturally occurs. Last but not least, read the label on the scent container carefully, if the instructions say. “Use two tropes of scent” do as recommended. As I said deer know what they smell like at any time of the season and they also know how strong the smell has to be. If you empty a bottle of scent on a scent wick you’re telling the deer that there is another deer as large as an elephant in the area, its unnatural. By the same token, apples do not grow the size of watermelons. Always read the label and stick to the instructions. It also is unatural for deer scent to be placed high on a tree or bush, deer can't climb trees.
The short answer is. Attractant scent works if used in conjunction with a sound strategy and in moderation at the right time and place.
Read more about deer scent here.
Q: What is the maximum distance a deer can be shot at with a compound bow?
A: I cannot answer you what distance that is for you. Only you can answer that. The proficient distance at which a bowhunter can take an ethical shot is for everybody different. Some hunters are proficient to shot at 40 yards and others at 20 yards. You can learn your shooting distance at the archery range. Your maximum shooting distance is the one where you can keep consistently 10 out of 10 arrows in the bulls eye. The distance where you cannot do that any longer is not your maximum distance. Once you established that distance take the bow in the field and shoot it under conditions you would likely encounter in a hunting situation. You will find that that distance is reduced by about a third.
At the archery range I can confidently get the arrows consistently smack in the middle of the target out to 35 yards. In the field, under hunting conditions, my distance where I achieve that same consistency is 25 yards and that is my maximum distance at which I shoot at a live animal. But I prefer to have them much closer to me, in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 yards.
Tags: Hunting Questions and Answers, Bowhunting, Archery, ASAT Camouflage, Predator Camouflage, Deer Scent, Crossbow
Today I would like to share a selection of interesting questions that arrive almost daily by email or that somebody has asked me on my hunting seminars and clinics and my answers with you’re here.
Q: What’s your favorite camouflage and why?
A: For many years I wear exclusively ASAT® and PREDATOR® camouflage. These two patterns are to my knowledge the only ones designed using animal vision science. Most other camouflage is designed using consumer appeal science.
Animals see things very differently than we humans do. Animal vision orientates on light and shadow, not on details like branches, bark and leaves. ASAT® and PREDATOR® with their open designs perfectly mimic light and shadow while the light base tan color works as a “chameleon”. Tan color absorbs surrounding colors, in the snow tan looks white and under a green forest canopy it looks green.
Fashion camouflage, as I call it, is generally too dark, making the human stand out as a dark blob in the distance rather then blending in with the surrounding. Besides, I have never seen a tree, cattail or bush walk, and neither have deer. When we look at camouflage and how effective it is we need to look at nature. Animals that rely on good camouflage use white, brown and tan colors. Take a deer for example. A deer can stand a few yards away from a hunter and yet completely vanish from sight. Now that is what I call camouflage and that is what an open pattern like ASAT® and PREDATOR® will do for a hunter too.
Read more about camouflage here.
Q: What do you think contributes to your success over the next guy? I guess what I really would like to know is what would I have to do to become as successful as you are?
A: First let me state that I am absolutely convinced that there are many hunters that are just, or more successful than I am. But to answer your question, my advantage is that I have studied animal behavior as a profession for over 30+ years. This definitely has given me an edge over some others. When all else is said and done hunting success boils down to one single factor and that is knowing the habits and behavior of the animals we pursue. You can wear the best camouflage and use the most expensive bow or rife and be the best marksman in the world, it all counts for nothing if you do not study the animals and their habitat.
In addition I hunt for over 40 years and always have been open minded. Meaning, I never adhered to rigid old fashion thinking and practices. I am open to try new ideas and mix tactics. To my mind the only thing constituting insanity is to do the same thing over and over but expecting different results. And finally, I am passionate about hunting and spend as much time in the outdoors as humanly possible watching, observing and learning.
Q: What is your opinion on including crossbows in the archery season?
A: My opinion is that a crossbow is archery equipment and thus is perfectly suited in the archery season. In fact a crossbow is very much like a modern compound bow, with the only difference being that the crossbow is mounted onto a rifle like stock and yhe string is held mechanically. This fact alone does not make the crossbow a “gun”. I have shot crossbows and found that they are, with that one difference, exactly the same as compound bows what accuracy, efficiency and effective shooting range is concerned.
Unfortunately, over the span of many years hunters have been told a lot of misinformation, outright lies and totally unfounded hype about crossbows. Over all these years many hunters have come to take this lies as the truth. But no matter how many times lies are repeated it always will be a lie. I am pleased that in recent years more hunters and wildlife agencies see through the smoke screen and accept the crossbow for what it really is, a perfectly suitable weapon to include in the archery season.
Read more about crossbows here
Q: I have used deer attractant scent in the past but have had no success with it. In fact on several occasion it seemed to have scared deer away.
A: The mistake some hunters make is to think of scent as a strategy. This mistake is often followed by several other mistakes, such as using a particular scent at the wrong time of the season or too much of it and at the wrong location.
Attractant scent is only one small part of a well planed hunting strategy and if used correctly it can attract or hold deer in an area for a short time. Just spreading scent around the stand location and then expecting deer to come running from everywhere is something the advertising would like you to believe but in reality it does not happen. No deer will go out of its way to investigate a scent, regardless of how appealing it smells to them. Scent only works when placed in close proximity of active deer trails.
Using a doe in estrus scent, as some hunters do, in the early season will definitely scare every deer in the area. Deer communicate by leaving scent marks for other deer to “read”; therefore we can assume that deer know at what time of the year they can expect to smell a particular scent. Therefore, we also can safely assume that if a deer smells a doe in estrus scent before the breeding season started it will become very suspicious because it is unnatural. The same is true for food scents. Deer know their habitat like you know your house. Placing apple scent in an area that does not have an apple tree for miles around would alert deer that there is something fishy going on. The conclusion of this is to use the appropriate scent at the time and place where that scent naturally occurs. Last but not least, read the label on the scent container carefully, if the instructions say. “Use two tropes of scent” do as recommended. As I said deer know what they smell like at any time of the season and they also know how strong the smell has to be. If you empty a bottle of scent on a scent wick you’re telling the deer that there is another deer as large as an elephant in the area, its unnatural. By the same token, apples do not grow the size of watermelons. Always read the label and stick to the instructions. It also is unatural for deer scent to be placed high on a tree or bush, deer can't climb trees.
The short answer is. Attractant scent works if used in conjunction with a sound strategy and in moderation at the right time and place.
Read more about deer scent here.
Q: What is the maximum distance a deer can be shot at with a compound bow?
A: I cannot answer you what distance that is for you. Only you can answer that. The proficient distance at which a bowhunter can take an ethical shot is for everybody different. Some hunters are proficient to shot at 40 yards and others at 20 yards. You can learn your shooting distance at the archery range. Your maximum shooting distance is the one where you can keep consistently 10 out of 10 arrows in the bulls eye. The distance where you cannot do that any longer is not your maximum distance. Once you established that distance take the bow in the field and shoot it under conditions you would likely encounter in a hunting situation. You will find that that distance is reduced by about a third.
At the archery range I can confidently get the arrows consistently smack in the middle of the target out to 35 yards. In the field, under hunting conditions, my distance where I achieve that same consistency is 25 yards and that is my maximum distance at which I shoot at a live animal. But I prefer to have them much closer to me, in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 yards.
Tags: Hunting Questions and Answers, Bowhunting, Archery, ASAT Camouflage, Predator Camouflage, Deer Scent, Crossbow
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Blaze Orange for Bowhunters?
Moose at the Moose Droppings Blog has an interesting article posted. In Hunter Orange & Bow Hunting he tells his readers about new legislation that, had it not been caught in time by observant North Carolina hunters, would have forced bow hunters to wear blaze orange during the bow season.
I am sure glad the hunters caught this before it became a law. I have to agree with what Moose had to say; “I personally believe that on private land the use of orange should be left up to the landowner and the hunter. Wearing orange while bow hunting is regulating a non-issue...” In fact, according to the recreational accident statistics, a hunter has more chance of being injured or killed while playing basketball or tennis. Shooting accidents with firearms and bows are less than one percent. With that in mind there is really no need to make a law that would force bow hunters to wear blaze orange during bow hunting season.
Having said that I do wear a blaze orange vest and hat during bow hunting season and spring turkey season on public land on my way to and from stand locations. About nine years ago a man – I refuse to call him a hunter- shot an arrow at me at dawn as I approached my tree stand. Yes, he was sitting in my tree stand. The arrow nicked the side of my neck- it missed so narrowly. His excuse was that he had mistaken me for a deer. The irony of it all was that he had a patch emblazoned on his hat from a well-established hunter education organization.
The lesson I learned from that incident is this: there always will be slobs sharing the woods with us. Never leave a tree stand on public land and in some cases it might be wise to wear blaze orange on public land. (Although I do not think that it would have helped me in that particular encounter.) With that experience under my belt, I still see no need for a law to make blaze orange during bow hunting season a must.
Tags: Bow Hunting, Hunter Safety, Blaze Orange, Moose Droppings, Hunting, Legislation, North Carolina Wildlife Commission, Public Land Hunting
I am sure glad the hunters caught this before it became a law. I have to agree with what Moose had to say; “I personally believe that on private land the use of orange should be left up to the landowner and the hunter. Wearing orange while bow hunting is regulating a non-issue...” In fact, according to the recreational accident statistics, a hunter has more chance of being injured or killed while playing basketball or tennis. Shooting accidents with firearms and bows are less than one percent. With that in mind there is really no need to make a law that would force bow hunters to wear blaze orange during bow hunting season.
Having said that I do wear a blaze orange vest and hat during bow hunting season and spring turkey season on public land on my way to and from stand locations. About nine years ago a man – I refuse to call him a hunter- shot an arrow at me at dawn as I approached my tree stand. Yes, he was sitting in my tree stand. The arrow nicked the side of my neck- it missed so narrowly. His excuse was that he had mistaken me for a deer. The irony of it all was that he had a patch emblazoned on his hat from a well-established hunter education organization.
The lesson I learned from that incident is this: there always will be slobs sharing the woods with us. Never leave a tree stand on public land and in some cases it might be wise to wear blaze orange on public land. (Although I do not think that it would have helped me in that particular encounter.) With that experience under my belt, I still see no need for a law to make blaze orange during bow hunting season a must.
Tags: Bow Hunting, Hunter Safety, Blaze Orange, Moose Droppings, Hunting, Legislation, North Carolina Wildlife Commission, Public Land Hunting
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