Archives for January 2012

How to Avoid Buck Fever when Big Game Hunting

January 28, 2012 By Larry Hatter

Buck fever can happen to any hunter while hunting any type of big game.

Whether you are in Alaska, out west or in Africa buck fever can strike at any time. So today I’d like to take a stab at helping you avoid this all to common occurrence. Next time you have that big whitetail, Idaho Elk Hunts or lumbering grizzly bear in your sights, hopefully these hints will help you stave off disaster!

1. Visualize and attack! In the early stages of a hunt it has always payed off for me to imagine myself taking that successful shot. Just take a moment to sit back and see that big buck in your sights and him dropping like a rock when you pull the trigger. Believe it or not its kind of like you are formulating a plan to be successful and we all know the chances of anything you do coming off without a hitch are better if you have a plan. I coin this being mentally prepared.

2. If you do reach that pivotal moment, where that giant cape buffalo is staring you down or that monster black bear has finally given you a shot at the vitals and you’re still shaking uncontrollably, stop for a moment. Take a deep breath and try to remember something you’ve had a lot of success at. If you’re a contractor, think of a home you built to perfection or if you’re a surgeon, think of perfect procedure you performed. The whole idea is to boost your confidence. If I can build a house, I can surely shoot this wolf right? One that works for me is to think back to a successful hunt. I think of myself lowering the boom on a monster brown bear and I realize that if I can make that shot, I can make any shot!

Anyway I hope this helps in your next moment of truth, when that trophy of a lifetime steps out in front of you, take that shot with confidence!

Field Judging Trophy Elk

January 25, 2012 By Larry Hatter

If you’re on the hunt of a lifetime, it obviously will pay big dividends to be proficient at judging Idaho Elk Hunts.

Elk aren’t as hard as some species to score on the hoof but still there are some tricks that you need to be aware. When most novice elk hunters see their first bull the only thing they can compare it to is a whitetail back home to which their body and antlers dwarf. Idaho Elk Hunts are more complicated than that however. There are several factors the hunter should keep in mind when deciding if the bull he is looking at is a trophy bull elk or just a younger one that needs more time to grow.

There a four factors to consider when field scoring Idaho Bull Elk Hunts. Width, beam length, mass and point length are all important but by far the most important are the latter two. A bull elk should be wide and have long beams that approach his rump when he tilts his head back to bugle and if he has this all the better but you don’t need this 100 % of the time to be a big bull. Mass and point length are by far the most important characteristics of bull elk out west such as Gila New Mexico. If you don’t have these, no matter how wide or long, a bull elk just doesn’t make the cut.

To be truly big, each and every point must be long on an elk. Just think of the difference in score of an elk that has 12 points with an average length of 12 inches compared to one with an average point lenth of 17 inches. That’s a swing of 50 total inches and this can’t be offset in any way. Remember a Idaho Elk Huntsmust have long points. Mass is almost but not quite as important as point length. If you’re looking at aIdaho Elk Huntsthat is light horned and not as heavy as your forearm you can be looking at a lack of 2-3 inches on each circumference measurement. When you take into consideration that there are several of measurements depending on the number of points you can see where this adds up quickly as well.

But at the end of the day, I suppose it is what makes each individual hunter happy that make a big bull elk. If just a nice representative is to your liking than that 280 to 300 inch bull will suite you fine but if you’re truly looking for a trophy elk than pay close attention to these factors I’ve mentioned and good luck hunting!

Field Judging Trophy Black Bears

January 21, 2012 By Larry Hatter

Probably the toughest game animal to judge in the field is a bear.

Most antlered and horned game, with experience, a hunter can become farley proficient at judging but when it comes to bears even the most experienced hunter can make a mistake.

One thing that will always hold true with black bears, whether you are hunting out West or in Alaska is that they are virtually impossible to accurately ascertain their size at any kind of distance. To get a good read on a bears size, you at least have to be within a reasonable distance. A few hundred yards or preferably less.

Since there are no horns or antlers to observe a hunter must become proficient at realizing certain body traits and mannerisms if he is to become a good judge of bears. A truly big black bear has a muscular structure unique to all other bears. They become somewhat muscle bound at this point and almost appear to walk somewhat pigeon toed and all big bears have a distinct swagger when they walk. Almost like its a chore to put one foot in front of the other.

Some people will tell you to pay close attention to a bears head when judging but this can be awfully tough. In my experience, if a bears head looks big compared to its body, most of time its not really a big bear. The largest black bears I have ever seen didn’t display what looked to be a large head and trying to judge the distance between ears and size of ears is a challenge as well.

The one characteristic of a large bear, that has never failed for me is that truly big boars have a truly big neck. If you see a bear that has a large stove pipe looking neck that seems to be as long or longer than its head, you are dealing with a big bear. I’ve seen them from Alaska to Arizona and this always holds true. Little bears have hardly any neck at all but this starts to change as a bear gets older. They will not, however garner that broad, long neck until they approach that 7 foot range and that is a good bear in anyone’s book.

Mountain Lion Hunting with Hounds

January 10, 2012 By Larry Hatter

We actually got some snow here today!

Its about time winter comes to Idaho.

The hound dogs are itchin’ to get off the chain so we’ll have to take em out and see if we can’t get some good done.

Idaho Mountain Lion Hunts out west with hounds is an experience vastly different than most any other type of big game hunting. It takes patience and persistence but if your the kind of person who appreciates a well trained pack of hounds and the distant tonguing of the pack, hot on a Idaho Mountain Lion Hunts, sounds more like music to your ears, then there can be no more gratifying experience!

Elk Shed Hunting

January 6, 2012 By Larry Hatter

Following our shed hunting theme, lets talk about Idaho Elk Hunts today.

Idaho Elk Hunts are similar to mule deer in that typically they winter many miles from their fall haunts.

Where elk are most unique is that they start shedding there antlers very late, from late March until early May.

This can make an exciting experience because when the Idaho Elk Hunts are dropping their sheds on the lower, southern facing ridges, bears are also emerging from their dens and looking to feed on the fresh vegetation that also is found in the same area. Since bear season coincides with this time period in most western states, the opportunity should not be overlooked to enjoy this very unique elk shed hunting/bear hunting experience.

Mule Deer Antler Sheds Drop in Migratory Locations

January 5, 2012 By Larry Hatter

Mule deer shed hunting is different than whitetail.

Being highly migratory, big muleys sometimes spend their winter months many miles from their fall domains.

That’s because all over the western states the mule deer is, by and large, a high country animal and its just not possible to winter at 6-9 thousand feet in elevation. So hunting mule deer sheds won’t be quite as advantageous for the hunter looking to pattern big bucks for the upcoming season.

This shouldn’t deter you though, a handsome set of muley sheds is hard to beat and the rugged, south-facing country most deer winter in, will keep you in good shape for the upcoming year.