Hi, Reader,
I have good news and bad news. First, the bad news is that my goal of publishing regularly has already failed only 45 days into the new year. One of my goals for this blog was to post frequently my progress throughout the year to chronicle my first year hunting.
The good news is that the reason I haven't written is I have been scouting a few great locations and preparing for spring turkey hunt. Also, I joined a "sportsmen's association" locally here in Massachusetts to pattern my Mossberg 12 gauge. They have a rifle range and indoor pistol so I'm looking forward to learning new skills and meeting some local hunters for tips and advice. These activities have kept me very busy and along with work, tending to the family and preparing for a short vacation have all kept me from posting about my activities.
I wanted to share my thoughts on tree stands. This may or may not be relevant since so far I've spent no time in my stand yet but I've learned so much about stands and wanted to share some of the knowledge and my thoughts. Obviously the benefits from hunting from a tree stand are in reducing the chances you'll be "busted" or detected by a deer. This works from taking you and your scent up and out of the way. There are two basic types of tree stands: fixed and climbers. A fixed stand has the benefits of being cheaper, secured to the tree, easier to climb up to and once fixed you don't have to lug it in and out with your gear. The "cons" are they are more difficult to attach and you need a way to get up (with sticks, steps, or a ladder.) Also, if you hunt public land they are subject to theft and vandalism. While on one hand a benefit could be "marking your spot" to ward of respectful hunters on the other hand you're advertising your favorite spot, too, giving an idea to hunters who might just be walking by that your location might be "hot."
I decided to get a climber from Lone Wolf. Reason: I'm only hunting public land and I only want to buy one stand (this year.) It weighs 20 pounds and has back-pack straps. I can lug it in, attach both pieces, and shimmy up the tree. There's a seat and a foot rest piece (2 pieces.) You stand up to lift the seat, then sit and pick up your feet and the foot rest moves up. I think some summer scouting and tree preparation will give me already three great spots on public land. I'm also going to try to create shooting lanes while being respectful of the public property and trying to be covert in broadcasting my preferred spots.
"Pros" of the climber are that they are hard to steal since you take them in and out. They are versatile - what if you want to set up on your field and the wind shifts? Some advance preparation will give you chance to set up from any angle. They are faster to set up than a fixed stand. You don't need a ladder or something to climb up on. "Cons" are: they are not attached to the tree so maybe less secure or safe. You need a straight tree with no branches. You will have to carry it in and out for every hunt adding weight and complexity to your packing in and out. As a rookie hunter I'm happy so far with my purchase because I will be able to make multiple sits at many different spots the first week of the season.
There is another option that I considered: the tree saddle. A tree saddle is a harness system that weighs about 4 pounds. It is like a climber in that it's versatile and you take it in and out. You bring some climbing sticks in and a top piece that has a few foot holds and goes all around the tree. You use a lineman's belts to climb up, attach a rope higher than you, then you sit in the harness. As a rookie this looked a little intimidating to me. A "pro" is that the tree saddle serves as your safety harness and seat so it's very safe. I have my doubts about how comfortable it looks but I can't really say because I've never tried it. It costs the same as a good climber plus the safety harness. You'll have to buy some climbing sticks, too. My only con was the comfort concern - it seems a tree stand with a seat and foot rest will let you sit more comfortably for longer. The light weight and stealth are very attractive and would enable you to make more sits than lugging around a big tree stand.
One "must" is a good safety harness. Find out what the best harness is for your type of stand. More people get hurt falling out of tree stands than getting shot hunting. Once I take the stand out for a "spin" this summer I'll post about it. If you have any questions about stands let me know - I did a ton of research on a few different ones. Thanks for reading and "subscribe" by clicking on that "subscribe" on the top right if you enjoyed this.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Turkey Calling and More Scouting
Dear Readers,
Thank for all the visitors the last few days. This blog is brand new and already I've had some readers from US, Canada, and Australia so thanks for your loyalty and if you enjoy this please "subscribe" by clicking top right and entering your email. But the way if you care I can't see the email addresses of the subscribers. (Maybe there's a way but I don't think so.)
I haven't posted in a few days yet I've been busy in my quest to hunt and eat my first animal. I have to add I've been a fisherman since I was a kid but I've never hunted and the prospects of delicious wild game have just intrigued me too much to ignore. I just missed the 2017 deer season but I do have some news from today: today I just purchased my first hunting license ever! I'm so excited. It struck me that I can go out tomorrow and take some rabbits and squirrels - crazy!
The next season coming up is Spring Turkey. In Massachusetts the yearly limit is 2 turkeys. Either 2 in the spring or one in the spring and one in the fall. You can't take two in the fall. I found some land in between my house and my buddy's house in Rhode Island and we'll meet up there in the spring to see what we can do.
I wanted to tell you a little bit about the class I took at Mass Wildlife (Department Fish and Game.) It was a one hour "turkey calling class." The cost was free - anyone can sign up. It's paid for by hunting or sporting licenses like the one I bought today. There's other lessons, too, and they are all FREE. For more info on these you can go to: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/hunter-education-course-descriptions
There are classes on trapping, black powder, water fowl identification and more. They are very well run by experts and people passionate about what they do. Everyone is so happy there because it seems they love their jobs and bringing knowledge to those interesting in acquiring it. I chose to learn about mouth calls and finally I think I have it down. There was a moment where I heard about 20 grown men yelping away like hens. It was pretty funny. I brought the slate call and box call and the instructor showed some of those calls, too. I swear it's an art form - he whipped out 6-8 different calls and they were all so different it was amazing. If you have free hunter education in your state it's a fun and educational way to learn - even if your not interested in hunting at all!
Today I bought a turkey vest from Sierra Trading Post - I'm excited about that first turkey hunt. Still, I'm just marking time until deer season. I continue to scout areas and used the snow and warm weather to scout some buried public land. I had to go deep into some private land to find this piece of public land. There were some "no trespassing" signs, but no footprints anywhere in sight. PLUS the next day was 59f so I knew all the footprints would be gone. In my last blogpost I linked to great article on tracking. It mentioned the splaying of the hoof is a signal for big tracks and I saw some that were surely monsters! I got turned around and a little lost and wanted to head back. I could see there was some marsh coming up but it's been so cold I was able to walk across the marsh and found some really great bedding areas. You can tell where there's water just by the look of the grass.
I found lots of felled timber and this kills me - beavers. I like to walk around to different deer areas and those beavers are such a nuisance. They'll take a forest filled with cover and trees and flood it, make it impassable, and kill all the trees. I can't tell if that log to the right here has the bark stripped off by a deer or a beaver or something else.
Here you can see some older beaver signs - probably 1-2 years old. You can tell from the greying of the wood it isn't fresh.
Below you can see something definitely fresh - those webbed feet with the tail drag behind it. Funny this place is now completely inaccessible because of all this swampland but I found a ladder stand on what's now an island. I could only access the island because of the frozen swamp.
Well that's it for me tonight. I hope if you like this blog you subscribe and check in to see my progress this year. I'll be back with news soon enough!
Thank for all the visitors the last few days. This blog is brand new and already I've had some readers from US, Canada, and Australia so thanks for your loyalty and if you enjoy this please "subscribe" by clicking top right and entering your email. But the way if you care I can't see the email addresses of the subscribers. (Maybe there's a way but I don't think so.)
I haven't posted in a few days yet I've been busy in my quest to hunt and eat my first animal. I have to add I've been a fisherman since I was a kid but I've never hunted and the prospects of delicious wild game have just intrigued me too much to ignore. I just missed the 2017 deer season but I do have some news from today: today I just purchased my first hunting license ever! I'm so excited. It struck me that I can go out tomorrow and take some rabbits and squirrels - crazy!
The next season coming up is Spring Turkey. In Massachusetts the yearly limit is 2 turkeys. Either 2 in the spring or one in the spring and one in the fall. You can't take two in the fall. I found some land in between my house and my buddy's house in Rhode Island and we'll meet up there in the spring to see what we can do.
I wanted to tell you a little bit about the class I took at Mass Wildlife (Department Fish and Game.) It was a one hour "turkey calling class." The cost was free - anyone can sign up. It's paid for by hunting or sporting licenses like the one I bought today. There's other lessons, too, and they are all FREE. For more info on these you can go to: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/hunter-education-course-descriptions
There are classes on trapping, black powder, water fowl identification and more. They are very well run by experts and people passionate about what they do. Everyone is so happy there because it seems they love their jobs and bringing knowledge to those interesting in acquiring it. I chose to learn about mouth calls and finally I think I have it down. There was a moment where I heard about 20 grown men yelping away like hens. It was pretty funny. I brought the slate call and box call and the instructor showed some of those calls, too. I swear it's an art form - he whipped out 6-8 different calls and they were all so different it was amazing. If you have free hunter education in your state it's a fun and educational way to learn - even if your not interested in hunting at all!
I found lots of felled timber and this kills me - beavers. I like to walk around to different deer areas and those beavers are such a nuisance. They'll take a forest filled with cover and trees and flood it, make it impassable, and kill all the trees. I can't tell if that log to the right here has the bark stripped off by a deer or a beaver or something else.
Below you can see something definitely fresh - those webbed feet with the tail drag behind it. Funny this place is now completely inaccessible because of all this swampland but I found a ladder stand on what's now an island. I could only access the island because of the frozen swamp.
Well that's it for me tonight. I hope if you like this blog you subscribe and check in to see my progress this year. I'll be back with news soon enough!
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Bigfoot Spotted?
Yesterday was a great day scouting. I'm closing in on a small herd that walking around near the Charles River. This piece of public land has some beautiful tracks around. I don't care about single tracks - any deer can go somewhere once. I'm looking for the "highways and byways" where the main traffic goes every day.
As I've explained I'm nowhere near a pro yet but deer are looking for some consistent things: food, water, cover, bedding areas. To know your piece of land and where these things are located can only help you. With fresh snow cover everywhere everything I saw was only a few days old. Just off a big "highway" of many deer tracks I saw this doozy - I hope the photo does it justice.
It's 2018 which means the season is closed for hunting. That means assuming no poachers and no car collisions - this guy will be around next year. I don't have huge hug - these are size 11 boots. This one track was the only one big enough I think to be a buck. Does and bucks will have dew claws - the "toes" on the back. Either way in Zone 10 any deer with this foot will fill the freezer.
I read this interesting article on the subject and this site is great. "Wired to Hunt"
I can't picture myself making plaster molds anytime soon but there were some good ideas in there. I do have a camera out there but I want to give it a month before I retrieve the photos. Every time you step out there you're leaving your scent and if you have a favorite area it doesn't make sense to keep dropping your scent everywhere if you want all the deer to hang out there throughout the year.
This spot does look promising - I have three really good public land spots. If I knew it were secure I'd drop some cameras on the other two spots but I'd imagine they'd get stolen pretty quickly and I'd be pretty mad if they did.
Well - the quest continues. If you want to see these posts as they come just click on the top right up there "Subscribe" and I'll email you when the posts go up. I'll have news soon enough!
Monday, January 8, 2018
Where to Hunt In Massachusetts
Dear Reader,
While we're all freezing in the BOMB CYCLONE there are some things you can do to keep "hunting in January." For more activities see my last blog post.
Finding a great spot is much of the battle to enter the world of hunting. I see tree stands in the woods all the time on public land where I know people do not have permission to hunt. Still, the only people that would find such stands are nuts like me looking for a spot a big buck might want to take a nap every few days. I know why regulations exist: what if the whole forest were filled with tree stands? That isn't right.
There's a tool in Massachusetts to find public land and the number of spots is surprisingly large. Go to the Mass Wildlife Lands Viewer. You can find the wildlife management areas there.
Many people don't know that some of Massachusetts State Forests are huntable too. Click on that link to find State Forests that are have allowed hunting.
Here's another link you might not have thought of: US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. Go to that page and search the installment near you. Many of the site are hundreds of acres and allow hunting!
Municipal Land or conservation land may be hunt able but you need to ask the town. Some towns, like Medfield, MA, have "no discharge" laws meaning you can't hunt them at all even with arrows; however, a call to the town hall will reveal the town of Midfield has a town bowhunting program to reduce the herd and Lyme disease. You need to apply.
Did you know some lovers of wildlife such as Mass Audubon have a bow hunting program? These sanctuaries have not been hunted for 50-60 years and have monster bucks and huge populations. How can you say you're managing a forest when herds of deer are clearing so much brush your ground nesting birds have no place to breed? Species like grouse and quail have suffered since hungry White Tails have taken their traditional habitat.
Lastly, you need to get acquainted with Oliver. No, not a Victorian orphan "Oliver' is the MASS GIS tool to find great plots of land public or Private. I've been searching Mass Wildlife, DCR, US ARMY CORPS, conservation sites, and OLIVER for months and I can say in a State that supposedly has no open land Massachusetts has some truly great hunting spots. You'd better find your spots quickly because you should be checking the snow tracks! Good luck - I'll have more news soon enough.
While we're all freezing in the BOMB CYCLONE there are some things you can do to keep "hunting in January." For more activities see my last blog post.
Finding a great spot is much of the battle to enter the world of hunting. I see tree stands in the woods all the time on public land where I know people do not have permission to hunt. Still, the only people that would find such stands are nuts like me looking for a spot a big buck might want to take a nap every few days. I know why regulations exist: what if the whole forest were filled with tree stands? That isn't right.
There's a tool in Massachusetts to find public land and the number of spots is surprisingly large. Go to the Mass Wildlife Lands Viewer. You can find the wildlife management areas there.
Many people don't know that some of Massachusetts State Forests are huntable too. Click on that link to find State Forests that are have allowed hunting.
Here's another link you might not have thought of: US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. Go to that page and search the installment near you. Many of the site are hundreds of acres and allow hunting!
Municipal Land or conservation land may be hunt able but you need to ask the town. Some towns, like Medfield, MA, have "no discharge" laws meaning you can't hunt them at all even with arrows; however, a call to the town hall will reveal the town of Midfield has a town bowhunting program to reduce the herd and Lyme disease. You need to apply.
Did you know some lovers of wildlife such as Mass Audubon have a bow hunting program? These sanctuaries have not been hunted for 50-60 years and have monster bucks and huge populations. How can you say you're managing a forest when herds of deer are clearing so much brush your ground nesting birds have no place to breed? Species like grouse and quail have suffered since hungry White Tails have taken their traditional habitat.
Lastly, you need to get acquainted with Oliver. No, not a Victorian orphan "Oliver' is the MASS GIS tool to find great plots of land public or Private. I've been searching Mass Wildlife, DCR, US ARMY CORPS, conservation sites, and OLIVER for months and I can say in a State that supposedly has no open land Massachusetts has some truly great hunting spots. You'd better find your spots quickly because you should be checking the snow tracks! Good luck - I'll have more news soon enough.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
January "Hunting"
Hi Reader,
Thanks for returning to Deer Quest to check in on how my quest for my first venison is going. Well, hunting season (for deer) is over. While most people take a break until next season I am on a mission: a mission to find a buck. I think now is the perfect time to look. Why? Because if a big buck is alive now and doesn't get hit by a car or eaten by 'yotes he should be back next year.
I haven't posted in a few days on account of the "bomb cyclone or 2018." I've never heard of a bomb cyclone and I grew up here in Massachusetts but apparently it's a thing. It was cold and still is: -5f to 10f daily for a week. Today wasn't any warmer but I had to get out and do something. I went to some public land that is "permission only" for hunting. Recently this organization has been granting hunting permission but it's for only a few people a year. There's a proficiency test and they mostly want experienced hunters. This will be hard for me but I want to see if I can spot a buck out there anyway.
I was shocked with the number of deer tracks in the snow. It could be just one deer walking over it's own track but the snow is pretty recent. I don't know how to tell the difference between buck and doe prints yet but I did see some very large prints which I'm assuming would be buck prints. Again, not sure.
As I trekked through the forest near the Charles River I spotted some coyote tracks on the river. Then more tracks, then many tracks. They were coming quickly from all directions onto the river and coming fast based on the slipping and sliding of the prints near the edge of the river.
All the tracks converged in one spot where the snow was frantically pushed away, exposing the frozen Charles River. On the way in I found a portion of a leg, then this gruesome discovery- a smaller deer carcass, completely consumed.
It seems sad - I've always felt sympathy for animals and loved observing them since I was small. This is becoming more common here in Massachusetts as Coyotes have mixed with wolves and even domestic dogs. These new "coy wolves" are bigger and smarter than coyotes. Click though to read about coy wolves taking over: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/
It's funny there's more deer now in North America than when Columbus first discovered it. Settlers came and big game was scarce. The land was dangerous, too. Bears, wolves, big cats and more would pick off humans and cattle. What would you do if you lived in a land of killer cats? Would you let your kids go on a hike? They eliminated the big cats and wolves and bears. They cut down all of the trees to farm. Deer had nowhere to hide in these big fields - there was no cover. People were poor and meat was expensive: people hunted to eat.
Today these farm fields have grown into forests. People have stopped hunting - meat is cheap and the "steak" which was once special is now cheap enough to eat three times a week. With residential development there are no natural predators of deer and we've created the perfect environment: open space, cover, food, water, and it's all connected by networks of electric wires and railroad tracks.
What some people are finding is that the deer population is exploding and there is no practical way to control it. Some regions just have a deer slaughter where they hire a company to come in and kill dozens of deer. This is wasteful, cruel, and costs the taxpayers money. The large excess of deer have attracted these coyotes and coy wolves into the area which are now a nuisance to farmers and those with pets (and children).
I'm not sure where I'm going with this rambling except to acknowledge that the natural world is rough. All wild animals live in a struggle of life and death and until recently so did humans. I have a game camera set up at the end of January I'll pull it and post the photos.
I guess the point of this post is even though you can't hunt until the fall: "What did you do this week to increase you're chances of scoring a great buck?" Some things you could be doing: Practicing shooting skills. Getting permissions to hunt land. Researching public land. Scouting sites, snow trucks are great! I'll continue to scout and hopefully stumble over some big tracks. I'll be back with news soon enough.
Thanks for returning to Deer Quest to check in on how my quest for my first venison is going. Well, hunting season (for deer) is over. While most people take a break until next season I am on a mission: a mission to find a buck. I think now is the perfect time to look. Why? Because if a big buck is alive now and doesn't get hit by a car or eaten by 'yotes he should be back next year.
I haven't posted in a few days on account of the "bomb cyclone or 2018." I've never heard of a bomb cyclone and I grew up here in Massachusetts but apparently it's a thing. It was cold and still is: -5f to 10f daily for a week. Today wasn't any warmer but I had to get out and do something. I went to some public land that is "permission only" for hunting. Recently this organization has been granting hunting permission but it's for only a few people a year. There's a proficiency test and they mostly want experienced hunters. This will be hard for me but I want to see if I can spot a buck out there anyway.
I was shocked with the number of deer tracks in the snow. It could be just one deer walking over it's own track but the snow is pretty recent. I don't know how to tell the difference between buck and doe prints yet but I did see some very large prints which I'm assuming would be buck prints. Again, not sure.
As I trekked through the forest near the Charles River I spotted some coyote tracks on the river. Then more tracks, then many tracks. They were coming quickly from all directions onto the river and coming fast based on the slipping and sliding of the prints near the edge of the river.
All the tracks converged in one spot where the snow was frantically pushed away, exposing the frozen Charles River. On the way in I found a portion of a leg, then this gruesome discovery- a smaller deer carcass, completely consumed.
It seems sad - I've always felt sympathy for animals and loved observing them since I was small. This is becoming more common here in Massachusetts as Coyotes have mixed with wolves and even domestic dogs. These new "coy wolves" are bigger and smarter than coyotes. Click though to read about coy wolves taking over: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/
 |
| Deer carcass found on the Charles River |
It's funny there's more deer now in North America than when Columbus first discovered it. Settlers came and big game was scarce. The land was dangerous, too. Bears, wolves, big cats and more would pick off humans and cattle. What would you do if you lived in a land of killer cats? Would you let your kids go on a hike? They eliminated the big cats and wolves and bears. They cut down all of the trees to farm. Deer had nowhere to hide in these big fields - there was no cover. People were poor and meat was expensive: people hunted to eat.
Today these farm fields have grown into forests. People have stopped hunting - meat is cheap and the "steak" which was once special is now cheap enough to eat three times a week. With residential development there are no natural predators of deer and we've created the perfect environment: open space, cover, food, water, and it's all connected by networks of electric wires and railroad tracks.
What some people are finding is that the deer population is exploding and there is no practical way to control it. Some regions just have a deer slaughter where they hire a company to come in and kill dozens of deer. This is wasteful, cruel, and costs the taxpayers money. The large excess of deer have attracted these coyotes and coy wolves into the area which are now a nuisance to farmers and those with pets (and children).
I'm not sure where I'm going with this rambling except to acknowledge that the natural world is rough. All wild animals live in a struggle of life and death and until recently so did humans. I have a game camera set up at the end of January I'll pull it and post the photos.
I guess the point of this post is even though you can't hunt until the fall: "What did you do this week to increase you're chances of scoring a great buck?" Some things you could be doing: Practicing shooting skills. Getting permissions to hunt land. Researching public land. Scouting sites, snow trucks are great! I'll continue to scout and hopefully stumble over some big tracks. I'll be back with news soon enough.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
"QUEST BORN" continued: Hunting for Health
Reader,
You might've read my last post on how I first got interested in hunting. It was from a podcast and later a television program on Netflix. I can't say I went from "zero" to interested by consuming some media but I definately inspired me to take action. You see, if you're curious about something you can think it over, you can plan, you can even dabble in spending some money but you should ask yourself, "Where do I want to go with this?" and "How am I going to get there?"
For me the answer to the first question is, "I'd like to have a plate of venison in front of me which I harvested as soon as possible." Earlier this year the answer to the second question was, "I dunno."
Why did I want the "plate" I mentioned? I've been thinking a lot about how we raise our animals and how we treat them. Most people I tell I want to hunt recoil at the "cruelty" of killing a wild animal. You must draw your own conclusion but is it more cruel to take your own animal or to sponsor an animal to be raised in a cage in a "factory" setting? Buying meat at a store is still an animal and money spent there goes towards the cost of the feed, antibiotics, slaughterhouse, packaging and transport of that meat. There are more concerns today about not only animal welfare but the condition of the animal: what antibiotics or hormones were used? Why is grass fed considered by some to be better than corn fed? What is organic vs. conventional? I like to enjoy my food and the thought of an animal raised on wild plants and acorns and no pharmaceuticals appeals to me. Will the flavor be very different? Harvesting my own meat will be messier than buying a plastic square of ground beef but in a way you are accountable for the treatment of the animal and I bet you have more respect for the animal and the meal.
You could argue, "If you are concerned about animals why not go Vegan?" To that my answer is, "because I enjoy meat and would like to eat it." It's not easy in the USA to find a balanced diet since we have created a system to feed 300 million people as cheaply as possible. More and more evidence is emerging that a diet in animal or saturated fats isn't as unhealthy as we once thought. The current trend to is try to avoid wheat, glutens, sugars, glucose. Of course I'm happy to hear some people are vegans - that can only mean less animal cruelty in the world. Some vegans might imagine a bloodbath of meat every day but cutting down on meats and using wild game has to be better for health than buying meat at the grocery to eat for every meal.
Last blog post I talked about a good friend I have who let me borrow some bows. I got pretty good at the recurve in a few months. The summer of 2017 was ending and deer season was approaching. I wanted a compound bow and my friend steered me to XSPOT archery in North Attleboro. The owner, Al, helped me set up a new bow and sight it in. It is incredible for a novice to hit a bullseye at 40 yds. At that distance you can hardly see the arrow in the target! With the mechanical release from True Fire I just flick a finger and the string releases with no sideways motion or rolling off the fingers. There is a sight where you put a little dot on your target and just let the arrow fly! It's very exciting and a worthwhile outdoor activity even if you have no interest in hunting.
I was eligible for hunting season this year. I had a bow and all supplies. With only a few weeks practice I didn't want to "practice" on a live deer, make a bad shot and have the animal suffer. As hard as it was I took a pass on 2017 and look forward to 2018 to enter this new sport. I did take my free hunter education course through the State of Massachusetts. It was great. I will be buying my hunting license for 2018. Are you interested in hunting but never hunted before? Go take a free class! I'm buying! Funds come from hunting licenses so it's free to you: https://www.mass.gov/massachusetts-hunter-education-program
Well, my lunch break is over. I'll be talking about some other aspects of how I'm getting into hunting in outer posts. If you've enjoyed this go back and read my other posts and please subscribe to my blog to get updates when I post them. I'll be back with news soon enough.
You might've read my last post on how I first got interested in hunting. It was from a podcast and later a television program on Netflix. I can't say I went from "zero" to interested by consuming some media but I definately inspired me to take action. You see, if you're curious about something you can think it over, you can plan, you can even dabble in spending some money but you should ask yourself, "Where do I want to go with this?" and "How am I going to get there?"
For me the answer to the first question is, "I'd like to have a plate of venison in front of me which I harvested as soon as possible." Earlier this year the answer to the second question was, "I dunno."
Why did I want the "plate" I mentioned? I've been thinking a lot about how we raise our animals and how we treat them. Most people I tell I want to hunt recoil at the "cruelty" of killing a wild animal. You must draw your own conclusion but is it more cruel to take your own animal or to sponsor an animal to be raised in a cage in a "factory" setting? Buying meat at a store is still an animal and money spent there goes towards the cost of the feed, antibiotics, slaughterhouse, packaging and transport of that meat. There are more concerns today about not only animal welfare but the condition of the animal: what antibiotics or hormones were used? Why is grass fed considered by some to be better than corn fed? What is organic vs. conventional? I like to enjoy my food and the thought of an animal raised on wild plants and acorns and no pharmaceuticals appeals to me. Will the flavor be very different? Harvesting my own meat will be messier than buying a plastic square of ground beef but in a way you are accountable for the treatment of the animal and I bet you have more respect for the animal and the meal.
You could argue, "If you are concerned about animals why not go Vegan?" To that my answer is, "because I enjoy meat and would like to eat it." It's not easy in the USA to find a balanced diet since we have created a system to feed 300 million people as cheaply as possible. More and more evidence is emerging that a diet in animal or saturated fats isn't as unhealthy as we once thought. The current trend to is try to avoid wheat, glutens, sugars, glucose. Of course I'm happy to hear some people are vegans - that can only mean less animal cruelty in the world. Some vegans might imagine a bloodbath of meat every day but cutting down on meats and using wild game has to be better for health than buying meat at the grocery to eat for every meal.
Last blog post I talked about a good friend I have who let me borrow some bows. I got pretty good at the recurve in a few months. The summer of 2017 was ending and deer season was approaching. I wanted a compound bow and my friend steered me to XSPOT archery in North Attleboro. The owner, Al, helped me set up a new bow and sight it in. It is incredible for a novice to hit a bullseye at 40 yds. At that distance you can hardly see the arrow in the target! With the mechanical release from True Fire I just flick a finger and the string releases with no sideways motion or rolling off the fingers. There is a sight where you put a little dot on your target and just let the arrow fly! It's very exciting and a worthwhile outdoor activity even if you have no interest in hunting.
I was eligible for hunting season this year. I had a bow and all supplies. With only a few weeks practice I didn't want to "practice" on a live deer, make a bad shot and have the animal suffer. As hard as it was I took a pass on 2017 and look forward to 2018 to enter this new sport. I did take my free hunter education course through the State of Massachusetts. It was great. I will be buying my hunting license for 2018. Are you interested in hunting but never hunted before? Go take a free class! I'm buying! Funds come from hunting licenses so it's free to you: https://www.mass.gov/massachusetts-hunter-education-program
Well, my lunch break is over. I'll be talking about some other aspects of how I'm getting into hunting in outer posts. If you've enjoyed this go back and read my other posts and please subscribe to my blog to get updates when I post them. I'll be back with news soon enough.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
A Quest is BORN!
Jan 2, 2018. Christmas and New Years have passed. It's cold here in Massachusetts. This is my first blog entry and a birth of an exciting adventure. I'm 40 years old and was raised in Massachusetts. I went to college, got a job, got married, had kids. I have done some fishing before but no one in my family has ever hunted. As you may have guessed "Buck Shot" is not my real name. I wish I could use my real name but as I've discovered there's different views on hunting in this world and I don't want to upset anyone I know or do business with.
Will anyone ever read this? Who knows? I'd like to say "who cares?" but I'm not writing this for myself. I am looking to share my adventure and create something. Nobody I know hunts, no one in my social circle understands anything I've tried to do the last few months (in regards to hunting.). For that reason I'm going to keep this an anonymous blog, a journal of my quest to become a hunter. It's a quest to tackle a new challenge, to eat better, to enjoy this life while it's here and maybe pass some knowledge on to my kids if they are ever interested.
So where do I begin? How about how this all started? I travel a lot for work calling on different areas in a "B2B" sales position. My work schedule requires many hours in a car. I used to listen to Sirius XM but my trial expired so I started getting into podcasts after I got my iPhone. I never could easily manage podcasts on my androids. With podcasts I just start up my car and the bluetooth connects instantly and I have hours of free entertainment and interesting discussions that follow me through the states I travel in.
One of the "top downloaded" podcasts had a TV personality on who was talking about some hunting and some cooking of game. He was very knowledgable about history, conservation, laws, and it seemed he really liked to eat good food. It was a good 3 hours and when it was all over they mentioned this guest had a show on Netflix. I watched each episode and they were not hunting shows they were more of a "lifestyle experience" show. The narrative was nothing like I used to think of when I thought hunting. I used to think of red checkered flannel and beer and shotguns. The host of this show was thoughtful and expressed complex feelings on the land we live on and the vast resources we've created that are at our disposal.
After watching these shows I was definitely curious. I had so many obstacles, though. For one, I had never shot a gun. Second, I had never hunted or dressed any type of wild game. If I was ever going to see if this hobby was right for me I had some learning to do so I hit the internet and youtube and watched some videos. The amount of information is staggering and I had no direction. This was earlier last year in 2017. I have a friend who is into archery and I told him I was interested in learning. He set me up with a 25lb bow and some cheap arrows. A few pulls on that and my chest and back were sore for days! Eventually I got my form down and borrowed his 30lb and then 35lb bow. These recurve bows helped me get my form down which is crucial in Archery. I started visiting internet forums like www.bowsite.com and read about those guys and what they were up to. I was still very much a rookie at shooting and attended a 3D shoot which was embarrassing. You can get good at 20 yards but to hit at variable distances is really tough.
I'll write more about 2017 later but for now I need to leave off here.
Over the course of this blog I'd like to share with the reader what I go through this year to try to get my first animal hunting. I don't know how it's going to work out and I can't promise success. I'm hoping to reach "first time" hunters or rookies who feel nervous to get into hunting. I'm hoping to interest more people in trying to hunt. I want to share what I've learned so far and I want to share what I'm about to learn about how difficult this pursuit really is. Thanks for finding this blog. I hope you subscribe to my entries and leave me a comment. I'll be back with news soon enough.
Will anyone ever read this? Who knows? I'd like to say "who cares?" but I'm not writing this for myself. I am looking to share my adventure and create something. Nobody I know hunts, no one in my social circle understands anything I've tried to do the last few months (in regards to hunting.). For that reason I'm going to keep this an anonymous blog, a journal of my quest to become a hunter. It's a quest to tackle a new challenge, to eat better, to enjoy this life while it's here and maybe pass some knowledge on to my kids if they are ever interested.
So where do I begin? How about how this all started? I travel a lot for work calling on different areas in a "B2B" sales position. My work schedule requires many hours in a car. I used to listen to Sirius XM but my trial expired so I started getting into podcasts after I got my iPhone. I never could easily manage podcasts on my androids. With podcasts I just start up my car and the bluetooth connects instantly and I have hours of free entertainment and interesting discussions that follow me through the states I travel in.
One of the "top downloaded" podcasts had a TV personality on who was talking about some hunting and some cooking of game. He was very knowledgable about history, conservation, laws, and it seemed he really liked to eat good food. It was a good 3 hours and when it was all over they mentioned this guest had a show on Netflix. I watched each episode and they were not hunting shows they were more of a "lifestyle experience" show. The narrative was nothing like I used to think of when I thought hunting. I used to think of red checkered flannel and beer and shotguns. The host of this show was thoughtful and expressed complex feelings on the land we live on and the vast resources we've created that are at our disposal.
After watching these shows I was definitely curious. I had so many obstacles, though. For one, I had never shot a gun. Second, I had never hunted or dressed any type of wild game. If I was ever going to see if this hobby was right for me I had some learning to do so I hit the internet and youtube and watched some videos. The amount of information is staggering and I had no direction. This was earlier last year in 2017. I have a friend who is into archery and I told him I was interested in learning. He set me up with a 25lb bow and some cheap arrows. A few pulls on that and my chest and back were sore for days! Eventually I got my form down and borrowed his 30lb and then 35lb bow. These recurve bows helped me get my form down which is crucial in Archery. I started visiting internet forums like www.bowsite.com and read about those guys and what they were up to. I was still very much a rookie at shooting and attended a 3D shoot which was embarrassing. You can get good at 20 yards but to hit at variable distances is really tough.
I'll write more about 2017 later but for now I need to leave off here.
Over the course of this blog I'd like to share with the reader what I go through this year to try to get my first animal hunting. I don't know how it's going to work out and I can't promise success. I'm hoping to reach "first time" hunters or rookies who feel nervous to get into hunting. I'm hoping to interest more people in trying to hunt. I want to share what I've learned so far and I want to share what I'm about to learn about how difficult this pursuit really is. Thanks for finding this blog. I hope you subscribe to my entries and leave me a comment. I'll be back with news soon enough.
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