Field and Stream - Trophy Bucks RSS

A Deer Hunter May Be First to Tag a Minnesota Timber Wolf

Online Editors — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:33:34 -0400

by Scott Bestul

The first Minnesota timber wolf killed during a regulated hunting season may fall to a deer hunter. According to this story in the Brainerd Dispatch, the DNR is taking public comment on a proposed two-part wolf season, with the first hunt coinciding with the deer opener on Nov. 3. The second season—which will include both hunting and trapping—will take reopen in late November and close in mid-January, unless a quota of 400 wolves is reached earlier.

This fall’s wolf season will be the first in Minnesota’s history. Prior to 1974, when timber wolves were placed on the endangered species list, wolves were an unprotected species. Unlike the other Great Lakes and western states, wolves were never extirpated from Minnesota, and current estimates place the population at around 3,000 animals. Federal damage control trappers have consistently removed an average of 170 wolves annually.

The DNR’s proposed season—which it calls “very conservative”—calls for 6,000 licenses split between the two hunts. Both residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply for a hunting tag, with proposed fees at $30 and $250, respectively. Nonresident hunting licenses will be limited to 5 percent of the total, or 300 tags. Only residents will be allowed to trap or snare wolves during the second season.

I view this hunt as a huge and important milestone for midwestern wolf management, as well as Minnesota sportsmen and residents. I’ve always been a little confounded that our state has not been allowed to manage a wolf population that has been thriving for many years, and I’ve talked to federal trappers who’ve noted that they’ve removed (read “euthanized”) as many as 200 wolves in a single season here.

This is a waste of an incredible resource, and the fact that Minnesota hunters and trappers can now help regulate the harvest of this fantastic predator finally puts things right. Hopefully, Wisconsin and Michigan (where reintroduced wolves are also thriving) will follow the Minnesota DNR’s lead and model a season that will allow sportsman a chance to harvest surplus animals and, perhaps more importantly, give farmers at least some buy-in to managing wolf numbers. Finally, the return of wolf management to these states can hopefully serve as an example that the Endangered Species Act has its success stories, too.

Essential Skills: How to Hoist a Deer by Yourself

Sarah Smith — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:38:29 -0400

by T. Edward Nickens

I used to dread the backbreaking task of getting a buck up and over the truck tailgate solo. Until I discovered this trick.

Step 1:
Throw one rope over a branch. Tie one end to the rack and the other to the trailer hitch. Tie a second rope to the rack and toss the tag end over the branch.

Step 2:
Pull the truck forward to lift the animal off the ground. Secure the free end of the second rope to the tree or another object strong enough to hold the deer.

Step 3:
Untie the first rope from the vehicle. Back up under the animal. Untie the rope from the tree and lower the deer into the truck.

From the May 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

Illustration by Robert Prince

Essential Skills: How to Hoist a Deer by Yourself

Sarah Smith — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:38:29 -0400

by T. Edward Nickens

I used to dread the backbreaking task of getting a buck up and over the truck tailgate solo. Until I discovered this trick.

Step 1:
Throw one rope over a branch. Tie one end to the rack and the other to the trailer hitch. Tie a second rope to the rack and toss the tag end over the branch.

Step 2:
Pull the truck forward to lift the animal off the ground. Secure the free end of the second rope to the tree or another object strong enough to hold the deer.

Step 3:
Untie the first rope from the vehicle. Back up under the animal. Untie the rope from the tree and lower the deer into the truck.

From the May 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

Illustration by Robert Prince

The 35 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round II

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:15:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, began, March 12, and closed on April 12. Round II ran from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 14 to June 14. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congrats to users luna, mod70 and Semibald, who each have won a Trophy Cam for their shots in Round II.

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND III of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

Release of Next Twilight Movie Postponed to Re-Shoot Hunting Scenes

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:20:06 -0400

--Chad Love

I'm willing to bet that (for the male readers, anyway) whatever knowledge you may have of the "Twilight" books and/or movies was gained through the reluctant and incidental osmosis of a wife, girlfriend, sister or daughter. It's about clowns, right?

At any rate, it seems the release of whichever film is next up on the schedule has been delayed because the director had to re-shoot some important hunting scenes, apparently because he wanted to get the scenes of deer-hunting vampires as close to reality as possible.

From this story on shockya.com:

Kristen Stewart has revealed that the recent reshoots for ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2′ were focused largely on the romance drama’s hunting scenes, Cinemablend is reporting. The news comes after director Bill Condon announced last month that he was bringing the cast back to Vancouver to do some reshoots for the final film in the successful franchise...Stewart also said the main reshoot she worked on was her character, Bella’s, first hunt as a vampire. She said “The first hunt is always so important. I just wanted more of it. We all wanted more of it.” The reshoots came after Condon’s first entry in the ‘Twilight’ series, last year’s ‘Breaking Dawn Part 1,’ received the worst reviews of the franchise. They were done because Bella’s transformation into a vampire is a major part of the story. As seen in ‘Breaking Dawn Part 2′s trailer, Bella hunts in the woods for animals to feed on, as she wakes up after her transformation into a vampire hungry for blood.

We all knew this was coming, didn’t we? The reintroduction of benevolent, good-looking vampires to our western states is going to absolutely decimate our deer and elk herds. Do you know how many elk the average vampire takes in a year? But the pro-vampire groups don’t care. They falsely portray these killing machines, with their strong cheekbones, flawless skin and smoldering good looks, as kind and gentle souls who reluctantly take only the weak, old, and infirm ungulates so that they may live in harmony with us, their bipedal sunshine friends.

Not only is that a gross mischaracterization of the vampire's true nature, but what about the animals that are attacked and bitten, but get away? Not only will our deer and elk herds decline, but the ones that remain become undead themselves, and have you ever tried to shoot a Nosferatu elk? Let me tell you, it 'aint easy. We better mobilize and get all over this one before it gets all over us. I'm not necessarily anti-vampire, mind you, but I do think they need to be controlled and managed just like any other crypto-zoological game animal. They've been doing it for centuries in Europe, and they don't have issues with their vampires...

World Record Muley Divides Family for Decades

Sarah Smith — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:15:43 -0400

by Scott Bestul

For those who think antler envy is a recent phenomenon, the Broder family may beg to differ. They’ve been dealing with it -- over a single, magnificent mule deer -- for decades. According to this recent story in the Calgary, Alberta Herald, the Broder’s fight centered on the reigning world record nontypical muley, a buck shot by Ed Broder way back in 1926. The chocolate-horned buck carried a whopping 355” of antler, and has reigned—without serious challenge—atop the B&C books for 85 years.

The problems began when Ed Broder died in 1968, leaving no will. Broder’s oldest Don had the rack in his possession, but as the years passed siblings contested his right to the world record deer. Legal wrangling and intense sibling rivalries ensued, culminating in Don finally losing a court battle in 1997. He was jailed for ten days for failure to turn over the antlers. Trouble was, relinquishing the rack was something impossible for Broder to do, as he’d sold the head to a Montana collector for the tidy sum of $325,000.

The saga reached another -- and perhaps final -- chapter when Don Broder died this week. Hopefully this embattled family can start to heal after years of feuding over one of North America’s greatest trophy bucks. Whenever I read a tale like this, I’m reminded of a conversation I had with antler collector Larry Huffman a few years back. Huffman (now deceased) was once one of the country’s top collectors of trophy whitetail heads.

Though Huffman made a bunch of money buying and selling deer heads, (he sold his collections to Bass Pro Shops), he was also a deer hunter who recognized that the greatest value of a buck was to the person who shot it. “When someone approaches me about selling a rack, my first advice is, ‘Don’t’” Huffman says. “But if you do, know exactly why you’re doing it and what you’re parting with.” Too bad Ed Broder didn’t have the benefit of Huffman’s advice back in 1926.

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from April 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:49 -0400

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

Make Mock Scrapes in Spring to Score Big Bucks in Fall

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:31:53 -0400

by Scott Bestul

Knowing that bucks visit scrapes year-round, savvy hunters often make mock ones well before the rut. Now is not too early. In fact, early spring is an ideal time because the lack of foliage, compared with late summer or early fall, makes your fakes more visible to bucks.

Make sure the licking branch is obvious; it should be living, 5 to 6 feet high, have a bent or broken tip, and be located at the edge of an opening or near a pond or stream.

An active mock scrape will pull velvet bucks to a trail camera placed nearby all summer long, and it can start a buck-movement pattern that can help you score in fall.

Make Mock Scrapes in Spring to Score Big Bucks in Fall

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:31:53 -0400

by Scott Bestul

Make sure the licking branch is obvious; it should be living, 5 to 6 feet high, have a bent or broken tip, and be located at the edge of an opening or near a pond or stream.

An active mock scrape will pull velvet bucks to a trail camera placed nearby all summer long, and it can start a buck-movement pattern that can help you score in fall.

Best Ground Blind Ever?

Online Editors — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:40:06 -0400

by Scott Bestul

After three decades of hunting from elevated stands, I’m learning to come down from the trees. I’ve been using ground blinds for deer — with varying degrees of success — in the last few seasons, mainly when taking my kids with me to the deer woods.

While I love the portability and easy setup of most pop-up blinds, they have their drawbacks. In my experience, the blind has to be out there for a while so deer can get used to its presence. Otherwise, they can get pretty jumpy. Or the setup has to be near perfect: Plenty of brushing in and other prep to camouflage the game-spooking silhouette of most blinds.

So I perked right up when a bowhunting buddy from Alaska tipped me off to the Nature Blind. Designed by a Hollywood set designer, the Nature Blind mimics a gnarly old tree trunk that, I’m convinced, would hoodwink any whitetail. The thing looks darn comfy (it has a carpeted floor, insulated walls, plenty of shooting windows, and can hold 2-3 people comfortably), appears weatherproof, and seems to have all the hunter-friendly features you’d expect in a quality blind.

Of course, no product is perfect. The Nature Blind weighs 300 pounds, which means that moving the thing requires at least a couple helpers and — at minimum — an ATV with a trailer. Oh yes, and then there’s the $3,500 price tag. The only way I’m going to own one of these is if Hurteau gives me a massive raise, or if I find that wealthy, ailing uncle we’re all searching for. Sigh … Guess I’ll just keep zip-tying branches to my pop-up model.

The 50 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round I

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:22:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, starts today, March 12, and closes on April 12. Round II runs from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 12 to June 12. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congratulations to users Kim Doucette Kelly, Isham C. Shelby and Stephen Schimacher who each will receive a camera for their entries in Round!

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND II of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

March Madness: Remington Model 700 is the F&S All-Purpose Whitetail Rifle Champ

Online Editors — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:01:56 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

Well I don’t think any of us can pretend to be surprised. (If we did a shotgun tourney, the 870 would surely win, too.) But getting here was fun, and in the end it came down to mystique vs. legendary accuracy.

Here in the northeastern big woods, where pinpoint accuracy is not paramount, I tend to favor mystique, which is probably why my cabinet holds a Rifleman’s Rifle in 7mm-08 (not to mention a Savage 99 in .300 Savage and a Model 94 in .30/30, among others). But I must say that I’ve long lusted for a Model 700 Mountain Rifle in .260. The 700’s incredible popularity and proven out-of-the-box accuracy make it a deserving winner, you must admit (although you’re welcome to complain about it below).

To see the championship game and final bracket, click here.

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from March 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:00:43 -0400

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March Madness: The Final Four of All-Purpose Deer Rifles

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:20:35 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

So far this tourney has been like hanging with Gomer Pile: “Surpise”—the Kimber 84M gets booted in the first round. “Surprise”—the Ruger No. 1 makes the Final Four. “Surprise”—the Remington 700 obliterates the great Savage 99. I expected the 700 to win the last matchup, but not by such a wide margin?

Anyway, with the 700 and 70 predictably moving on, the Savage squeaking past the Weatherby, and the No. 1 upsetting the X7, our Final Four is set. So let’s tip it off. As usual, check out the bracket (you can click here to print out a copy if you want to fill it out by hand). Then vote for your preferred all-purpose whitetail rifle in each matchup below to begin the Final Four round and see which two guns will go head-to-head for the F&S All-Pourpose Whitetail Rifle Championship.

Division I Final Four
(1) Winchester Model 70: The rifleman’s rifle is back better than ever, and the Featherweight version is both easy to carry and deadly at long ranges. Jack would approve.
(2) Savage 11/111: One of several modern successors of the classic Model 110, this one features Savage’s proven AccuTrigger, the new AccuStock, and is nicely priced.

Division II Final Four
(1) Remington Model 700: Perhaps the most popular American bolt action ever made, even though it’s a push feed. Its time-tested accuracy has only been enhanced by the new X-Mark Pro trigger.
(7) Ruger No. 1: If you’re a really good hunter, this single-shot is all you need. A compact killer that looks as good as it shoots.

Shed Hunting Dog Super Bowl 2012 Coming to MN

Online Editors — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:34:20 -0400

by Scott Bestul

The Super Bowl for shed hunting dogs is going to be held in my backyard this year. The North American Shed Hunting Dog Association’s (NASHDA) World Championships is coming to Northfield, Minn. — a mere 90-minute drive from my home — on the weekend of April 21-22. Assuming I’m not chasing a gobbler that weekend, this is going to be a fun event to watch.

NASHDA is the brainchild of Tom Dokken, a veteran dog trainer and owner of Oak Ridge Kennels. Dokken also happens to be a passionate deer hunter and shed fiend. So when he recognized the growing popularity of training dogs to find sheds, he jumped on the opportunity. I’ve watched Dokken conduct retriever training seminars; he’s not only excellent with dogs, he’s even better at something much more difficult: teaching people how to train their dogs. If you’re interested in learning more about training your dog to hunt sheds, visit his website and get some great information.

Meanwhile, shed dog trainers are gearing up for the championship, which was won last year by Wisconsin native Josh Miller and his chocolate lab, Easton (pictured above). Josh and Easton not only triumphed over trainers from across the country, they beat television personalities Lee and Tiffany Lakosky. Not bad for a 25-year-old and his 8-year-old labrador.

Scientists Fight Lyme Disease in Virginia With Pink Dye

Online Editors — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:07:24 -0400

by Scott Bestul

In the latest —and perhaps oddest— development in the battle against Lyme disease, the Fairfax Wildlife Biologist’s Office has installed special deer feeders at 20 locations across Virginia, The Washington Post reports.

The feeders are equipped with special rollers that will slap a pink dye on the flanks of whitetails visiting for a free mouthful of corn. The dye contains a pesticide that scientists hope will be fatal to the black-legged ticks that transmit Lyme disease.

Whitetails, are one of the primary hosts of such ticks and are a major vector in the spread of the disease. While the dye is toxic to ticks, it won’t harm deer. This pink deer experiment is part of a study, which is expected to last through 2015 and cost $380,000.

While my young daughter would certainly urge me to hunt Virginia in hopes that I’d return with a pink-pelted trophy, fuchsia deer fur is going to remain elusive; the dye is expected to wear off in about four days.

Write the Best Caption, Win a Cabela's Pack

Online Editors — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:52:15 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack won an F&S Best of the Best Award last fall. I have one, like it very much, and figured you might like one, too. So I called the folks over there, asked if they’d supply one for a prize and they said, “Do we still owe you for the Best of the Best thing? Was this part of the deal?”

“Yes it was,” I lied. And now you can win the pack, in the camo pattern of your choice (depending on availability), a prize worth $150, just by writing the best caption (as determined by Scott and I) for the photo below.

You know the drill. Now have at it.

Kentucky vs. Indiana: A Sweet 16 Record-Buck Showdown

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:50:39 -0400

Bona fide hoops junkies circled this game with the glitter pen the instant this year’s NCAA tournament brackets were revealed: Kentucky versus Indiana.

This pair of college basketball bluebloods squares off Friday night in the marquee matchup of the Sweet 16. Featuring two of the most hallowed traditions and rabid fan bases in the college game, the Wildcats (with seven NCAA championships) and the Hoosiers (with five) have claimed the tourney’s ultimate prize a combined dozen times. Judging by their thrilling battle in December (which Indiana won on a three-point buzzer beater), the rematch could go down as an instant classic, with the winner well on its way to hoisting the Wooden Trophy in April.

But that’s not the only trophy competition represented by this heated border-rivalry: Both states are big buck strongholds that vie for bragging rights in the deer woods as well as the hardwood.

So let’s take a look at Kentucky and Indiana’s all-time top tines, as recorded in the Boone & Crockett Club record book through the 2010 deer season, the most recent year for which complete stats are available. Here are the top four typical and top four nontypical bucks from each state—truly a Sweet 16.

Enter The 2012 Spring Trail Cam Photo Contest to Win a $323 Camera from Bushnell!

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:59:09 -0400

The 2012 Spring Trail Cam Photo Contest

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95)!

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, started March 12, and closes on April 12. Round II runs from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 12 to June 12. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR PHOTO IN ROUND I!

Meanwhile, click through this gallery of the best photos from last year's Spring contest.

The 45 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of February 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:46:15 -0500

Submit your photos here!

Here is the gallery of the best reader photos from January 2012.

Shed Poaching Jeopardizes Antler Drop Hunting

Online Editors — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:48:07 -0500

The spring hunt for cast antlers has turned ugly--even criminal. Here's what needs to change.

Shed Poaching Jeopardizes Antler Drop Hunting

Online Editors — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:48:07 -0500

At the tag end of a balmy week in March that finally began pushing the snowpack off the southern Iowa landscape, Steve Snow was driving a back road bordering his farm, planning to go shed hunting, when he spotted the parked rental car. Boot tracks led from the vehicle onto his property. Snow followed but lost the track. Frustrated, he called the police, who traced the license plate, and with the man’s name, Snow bombed back into the woods, shouting: “I’m coming after you, Larry!*” “I know what you’re doing!” “I’ve got the cops, Larry!”

With no response, Snow went back and waited by the car for hours. Cold and exhausted, he eventually asked his son to relieve him—and 20 minutes later, a figure came slinking out of the darkening woods, lugging a pack loaded with shed antlers. When Snow returned, livid, the trespasser confessed to a strange but fascinating plot: Two days ago, he’d flown in from another state, rented a car, and booked a motel with plans to spend his vacation hunting for sheds—on land he never intended to ask permission to enter. Snow insisted he lead him to the motel, and there, covering the entire bed, was hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars’ worth of whitetail bone.

Bone Collectors Gone Mad
The incident speaks to a fast-growing problem widely referred to as shed poaching. While that’s not literal (poaching is usually defined as the illegal killing of a game animal), the practice of trespassing to find sheds is becoming such a serious issue in some areas that poaching seems an apt descriptor.

On deer hunting websites, there are threads devoted to foiling or catching shed poachers. A recent post, for example, advised landowners to hang a trail camera 8 to 12 feet high in a tree and place a dummy shed in the frame “so you can get a photo of the scumbag and prosecute him.” A week later, on the same site, a new problem popped up: “So I have my cameras out and I’ve got a photo of a guy…but he’s wearing a ski mask.” Some landowners have taken to posting trail-cam pictures of shed poachers on the Internet or in storefronts, in hopes that someone can provide a positive ID.

Who Are These Guys?
None of this surprises Glenn Sanders, a recently retired warden with the Illinois DNR. “Trespassing for sheds in my area got serious about 10 years ago and has only gotten worse,” Sanders says. “It’s like a spring migration that follows the melting snowline north.” According to Sanders, the offenders typically fall into one of three categories: those (like the man on Snow’s property) who do it solely for the money, selling sheds on eBay, Craigslist, or at auction; unscrupulous outfitters who use big sheds found on others’ property to advertise their own business; and a comparative handful of taxidermists who use them to make and sell shoulder mounts.

I’d add a fourth category from my own files: a new breed of whitetail fanatic who sees shed hunting as a sport unto itself. Some don’t even chase deer much with gun or bow. But come late winter, they hunt hard for bone—often ignoring property lines.

Solutions
The knee-jerk remedy is to ban the sale of antlers. With whitetail sheds fetching exorbitant prices (the current auction record is over $19,000 for a matched set), making antler sales illegal would end some of the activity. But in a recent survey on fieldandstream.com, respondents voted overwhelmingly (66 percent) against such a ban. The consensus was that honest shed hunters and sellers shouldn’t be penalized for the actions of crooks. I agree.

The only approach that can work is a combination of things. First, trespassing penalties, hopelessly inadequate across much of whitetail range, need to be stiffened. Second, extra fines should be added for trespassers in possession of antlers—perhaps commensurate with the market value of the bone taken. Finally, we are in desperate need of a shed hunting ethic. It’s a tall order, I know, but it is possible to effect a change with a few simple slogans repeated loud and often. Here are my suggestions:

#1 - “Trespassing is trespassing.” Many in the shed hunting community figure, It’s only a horn. It’s not the same as trespassing to hunt deer. It is the same. So this phrase should top every shed hunting website, in bold, and be chanted at shed hunting events.

#2 - “Give deer a break.” Ultracompetitive shed hunters start pounding turf as soon as the hunting season ends, which can be extremely stressful to deer when they’re already at a weak point. That’s why several western states have a shed season to protect animals until the worst of winter has passed.

#3 - “Respect your fellow hunter.” Most of us already do this during hunting season. You see someone else legally hunting “your” spot, you move on, right? It should be the same with shed hunting. None of this will stop the worst offenders, but the shed hunting community at large could benefit from a few simple rules to mitigate the mania.

Note: *Name has been changed.

The 199-Inch Wisconsin Buck of Patience

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:21:31 -0500

Bill Hedl, 44, of Pennsylvania headed to Wisconsin’s famed Buffalo County for his annual bowhunting trip with friends. He spent a majority of the time patiently waiting on his tree stand, passing up shots on does and small bucks. Hedl was waiting for a trophy buck and he finally got a chance almost two weeks into his hunt. Here is his story.

Nose Jammer Put To The Test, Part I

Online Editors — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:37:04 -0500

by Dave Hurteau

If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve taken a few lighthearted pot shots at Nose Jammer, a spectacularly popular new vanillin-based “olfactory nerve overload system” in an aerosol spray. Well, I got a chance to test it last fall, and am finally getting around to reporting my findings.

For years, a contingent of deer hunters has trumpeted the efficacy of using vanilla extract as a cover scent. So except for making me hungry, I have no major problems with the fact that when you spray Nose Jammer in the woods, it smells like you've opened a box of vanilla cookies. What cracks me up, though, and what I’ve been specifically poking fun at, is the name of the product and the claim—written right on the can—that it “Jams Big Game Animal’s Ability to Smell.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I find it comically flabbergasting that a thing so almost certainly unproven and probably unprovable can be written right on the can. Right there. In bold. Which brings me to my test.

But let me first commend Nose Jammer’s maker, John Redmond (by all accounts a good guy and fine deer hunter), on this point: He obviously believes in his product. I can only assume that it was he who sent me (a proven cynic) an unmarked and unsolicited box containing two cans of Nose Jammer to try.

And I gave it a fair trial. The long and short of it is this: It seemed to confuse some deer—in some cases long enough to make them linger where they probably shouldn’t have, especially had I been using a gun instead of a bow. In other cases, the deer just bolted.

My initial two encounters reflect this. The first, at a casual walk, a small buck got straight downwind of my stand and got his nostrils full of the stuff at about 50 yards. His reaction was obvious; he stopped dead and sniffed the air for the longest time. He’d retreat and then come back to the spot to sniff some more. He eventually snorted and trotted off. About a half hour later, a doe and a fawn hit the Nose Jammer scent stream at about 70 yards. But that old nanny wasn’t fooled for a second. She instantly bounded off; blowing, with fawn in tow.

Now to me, those first two encounters alone should prove that Nose Jammer does not jam a deer’s ability to smell. So why say that it does? It may indeed be a comparatively effective cover scent. So why not say “The Most Effective Cover Scent You Can Buy”? That, too, might be impossible to prove. But unlike the current claim, it’s not so easy to disprove.

The 50 Best Shots From The 2011 Field & Stream Fall Trail Cam Contest

Online Editors — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:03:25 -0500

Here are the editors' picks for the 50 best entries in our 2011 Fall Trail Cam Photo Contest. Congrats to KSwhitetails who took first place with his "Bobcat catches a turkey in flight" shot and will receive the grand prize: a pair of Steiner 10x42 Predator Xtreme binoculars.

Congratulations to all this year's winners and thanks to everyone for the hundreds of great submissions.

You can check out the top photos from each round of the contest here:
ROUND I
ROUND II
ROUND III
ROUND IV