FSD Outdoor Blog

Great content for the great outdoorsman.

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Getting The Right Ammo For Turkey Hunting

There’s a weird thing about turkey hunting that most people don’t realize, but everyone knows.

I know, sounds weird. Hear me out.

We have so much gear for hunting turkeys. We have our comfortable boots, our camo attire, our turkey call, our trusted shotgun, and all the practice and research we can cram into our minds.

But out of everything we own, only the ammo actually touches the turkey. Only our load, in the end, makes or breaks the deal.

You can find a ton of resources online about what outfits are best for turkey hunting, where to go to find your next Tom Turkey, and so on.

But there’s not a lot out there about the one thing that actually can deliver your turkey to you.

Ammo.

Recently, payloads have been used in a tighter choke that leads to a considerably dense shot column. At close range, you’re basically firing a slug.

This is one of the most frustrating things hunters experience. The closer you are, the harder it is to hit. This has been a growing trend, and there will be more aggravated hunters in the future.

Sadly, you can’t just go for a looser spread at close range because that type of payload is absolutely useless for any shot pass 40 yards, which is what you’re most likely going to be taking.

We need to find a balance.

Most loads you find are going to have a blended shot, which gives you a better chance close up without sacrificing too much for the far shots.

Federal’s 3rd Degree

This load takes the blended shot concept and takes it a step further. With 3 different shot sizes of different weights and coatings, you have a shot that is lethal up close and up to 50 yards out. The middle sized shot even has a small ring around it that makes it spread faster for those up close shots, which is pretty clever.

Winchester Xtended Range – Bismuth

What makes the Winchester Xtended Range shot impressive is the bismuth shot. This inclusion gives a greater range and better stopping power. If you think you’ll need some more reach and have to put down your tom immediately, this is a great option.

Remington Premier High Velocity Magnum Turkey Loads

This is the load for you if you just want a load to work again and again. Sometimes you’ll want a load that can do something a little special. This might cost you on those ‘standard’ shots. When you’re just starting off. Each shot will feel the same and it will let you get used to the whole experience.

This is also a great choice if you’re ever in a slump. When you’re going through those times that nothing seems to work, go with a load like this. It’ll let you hit the shots you’re supposed to make and put the ball back in your court.

Federal Premium Mag-Shok Lead Turkey Load

This load is another great choice for people just starting off or if someone that isn’t use to shooting guns. This load is pretty light compared to some of the other loads so you have much less recoil as the other loads on this list. Plus, they’re easier to carry around so you won’t get tired as fast.

This list is nowhere near inclusive. The reason for that is that there are new technologies being invented all the time. Hunters are more and more aware of what they want and the companies that create ammo respond to that demand.

You can find loads of varying weights, varying materials, and even some made to be better for the environment. In time, you’ll have even more innovative products available.

If you want to stay ahead of other hunters, give yourself the best chance for success, and see what these technologies can do, you have to be willing to try new things. Who knows where ammo might be in ten years from now? You deserve to stay on top of it each season.

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5 Bow Hunting Tips For The Fall

Fall is here and the months of eagerly waiting with anticipation have been replaced with preparation and focus.

But if you want to start your fall off right, you need to nail the basics from day one. Bow Hunting isn’t a game, it’s a season. Get off to a running start and you’ll have a good one and you’ll get to the postseason (I think this metaphor is a bit lost, but that’s okay).

Let’s get right to it.

Practice

I hope you’ve been practicing. And if you haven’t, it’s time to start now. And if you have, you best keep doing it. You’ll never be good enough of a shot. And that’s okay. Keep at it.

Keep this in mind though: most people get better the longer they get into a practice session; their first shot might be their worst. But when you’re actually hunting, how often do you get to fire 3 or 4 shots at a single buck?

Don’t just practice shooting. Practice making your first shot as good as your tenth.

Patience

There are two elements of patience if you want to be a good bow hunter.

The first one is when you’re up in your tree stand, waiting for that special buck to arrive. Too often are hunters quick to leave their spot after just a few hours.

While fishing, you might be able to predict that an area won’t have too much activity by earlier action. Or lack thereof.

But as a bowhunter you have to let yourself have enough time to succeed.

The second element of patience is that bow hunting is a season, as we said. You’re not going to win every single game, you’re going to have days when you come back empty handed. If you want to have a winning season, though, you have to take the lessons that each game offers.

Even if you don’t bag a buck on your first day out, you can still learn the land around you, how the wind and the trees are, where the deer are coming from. All this information is vital to having a good season.

Camo Rope

If you’re using a rope to take your bow up to your tree stand, and you should, make sure you don’t use bright yellow or white rope and instead choose something more muted and brown.

Same goes for any harness you might be using, again, which you should use.

White or yellow rope in the wind is something that will easily spook a deer. Nothing is more frustrating than having a perfect shot at a 10 only to have it sprint away because of some white rope dancing in the breeze that you failed to tie down.

Scent Control

Using a deer spray is pivotal for having a successful hunt. Yeah, there are some hunters that certainly over spray. But to not use it will, eventually, cost you a buck or two. It’s safer to use some every time out, especially on your boots before you stroll to your stand.

Be Present 

Our last tip is a simple one in concept, but everyone falters here a little bit. When you’re at the tree stand, be present. Don’t be on your phone, don’t be day dreaming. This is where you want to be, act like it.

You never know when you’re deep in a rut that you might have a chance at glory, and it may just be present for a few seconds. You’ll have to be present, too.

Start off your fall right with these 5 tips. While many might start the season slow, you can hit the ground running by simply being more ready than anyone else out there.

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How To Fight The October Lull

We’ve all seen it.

The endless trail of camo clad hunters with their arrows unfired, their satisfaction unmet, their pride in low supply.

“The damn October Lull’ they’ll proclaim and others will nod in silent agreement.

And maybe, just maybe, they’ll feel better that they’re not alone.

Well, you know what would feel better than swapping stories of how the October Lull is in real effect and sharing the ‘what can ya do’ attitude among the sullen hunters filling up the sporting goods store?

Bagging some deer.

First, we need to deconstruct the October Lull.

Turns out, it’s made up…

Well, kinda.

You see, it’s true that hunters struggle in October.

But it’s not like the mature bucks they’re hunting for simply vanish.

What happens is actually pretty simple.

Bucks are smart. When there is a lot of hunting going on in one area, they simply leave the area.

Yeah… That’s it.

Trail cameras in under-hunted locations see an INFLUX of mature buck movement.

Because that’s where they all went.

In order to get around the October Lull idea, you have to change it up.

The deer will first simply go somewhere else when hunting gets too heavy.

Then, after that, they will start to travel at strangerer times.

All you have to do to break the October Lull is go where the hunters aren’t.

It’s a bit like fishing. You might see several boats in one area, all of them getting fish after fish. But give it some time and that is the one spot you don’t want to fish.

So, how can we do this?

There are few strategies we can employ.

First, 

try to set up your trail cameras in different locations. Have some in the heavy traffic areas, as per normal. But also set some up in areas that just aren’t that popular.

 

Second, 

adopt an ‘if I’m not first, I’m last’ mindset. If you arrive to a spot and there are other hunters nearby treat it as if the spot will be barren. It’s better to be alone in a slower location, especially once the deer start changing their route.

 

Third,

ignore the usual time frames. We know deer like to move around in low-light situations. But as hunters are preparing for these times, the deer will start acting differently. While obviously following all hunting laws in your state, once you see deer movement get lower, try hunting at different times.

Fourth,

think outside the box. Deer are reacting to the hunters. That is the October Lull in a nutshell. You have to out think the deer. And you can do it. Deer will always want food and safety as they travel. The more food that is plentiful the more the deer will be able to vary their times and routes for travel. Understand how a deer is going to respond will keep you ahead of the other hunters.

All in all, the October Lull is both myth and truth. Myth that some arcane art or ancient curse is preventing you from getting deer; but truth in that a lot of hunters, just like you, are struggling during this time.

That doesn’t have to be the way. Make October your month.

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Halloween is for Hunters

It doesn’t have to be all ghouls and ghosts this Halloween for hunters out there.

Instead of roaming the streets covered in sheets and cheap plastic masks, let’s go back to where we want to be: the woods.

Hunting in late October and early November is a unique time that requires unique actions if you’re going to bag the deer of your dreams.

Here’s a few tips to make it happen.

Find The Right Target

Depending on your area and the weather, you may want to target something else this Halloween.

Nowadays the weather is warmer so you often have bucks on the move earlier in the day. At night, it’s smarter to figure out where all the does are hanging out and hunt there.

Obviously this can change if you are experiencing a cooler period than normal so you should do a little research to figure out the proper movements and activity levels of deer in the morning so you can respond best at night.

Find Water

If you’re hunting in the evening, try to find a source of water to set up near. This is useful if you can’t find any clear transitions or just aren’t comfortable hunting from them. (We’ll get to transitions in a moment.)

Water is going to be very important during these times for both bucks and does. This is even more important with the warmer than normal weather during November.

Bucks and does are simply more active during this time and thus require more water. But don’t just look for any water, look for the signs of movement near the water. The more signs you see the more the deer use this water source.

Find Food

We already talked about finding water. But you also want to find where the deer are eating. Once you find the right water source with signs of action, you’ll want to look for the same signs of action but near food. This will usually be in a place that is higher than the water source; deer tend to want to eat acorns and such higher up so they can see threats, like you, better.

This leads us to…

Transitions

Deer are going to be on the move a lot around Halloween. Often there will be the spot they feed, the spot they drink, and the spot they hangout.

When you find the place they eat and the place they drink, you have a huge advantage over them.

Instead of taking a shot at one of these spots, find the places that connect them. Deer will travel on safe, high ground areas between these spots often. If you’re set up in these transition spots you’ll have access to both groups.

Sleep In

You don’t need to be up and out by 3 am to have a successful hunt this Halloween. At night, the bucks and does are very busy. This usually means the mature ones you want to bag will rest up a little bit before going on the move again, like 9 to 10 am is when they’ll start. This means if you don’t want to waste your time, you too should plan for a later day.

This Halloween, when others are out ghost hunting, we can be real hunting. And it’s a special time, hunting during Halloween. It is a moment between two types of seasons and you must adjust for both in order to have your best chance to catch a buck. It’s a truly fun experience if you’ve never done it.

But it is safe to say, once you start hunting on Halloween, you won’t be trick-or-treating ever again.

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7 Unusual Hunting Laws You Should Know About

Whether you think you saw Bigfoot, are feeling a little sleepy, or aren’t quite sure what a camel is doing in Arizona, these 7 strange hunting laws are for you.

Some of these laws are creations of necessity, long past gone. Others happened just by chance. But all of them are certainly bizarre!

Here are seven hunting laws that are just plain old weird.

Bigfoot – Big Myth, Real Laws

Where:

California, New York, Texas, Washington.

What:

Well, even though he’s myth and legend, there are several laws pertaining to Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. In California, you cannot hunt him in anyway. In New York, you can only photograph him. In Texas, you can actually hunt him to your heart’s content (good luck)! Washington is the the opposite of Texas, as you cannot even harass him (that’s right, you can’t even ask to take a selfie with you).

Pays to be Different

Where:

Tennessee

What:

It is illegal to shoot an Albino deer in Tennessee. This may sound pretty normal, but you have to understand that an albino deer isn’t genetically different than a regular colored deer. There is no real reason for this law to exist. In fact, when they were discussing hunting laws in Tennessee the person that created this law actually said there was no reason for it, they just thought it would be cool. And now it’s a law.

Leave Joe Cool Alone!

Where:

Arizona

What:

It is illegal to hunt CAMELS in Arizona. Yes, camels. If you frequent Arizona, you probably can’t remember a time you saw a camel walking around the desert. Now… there’s more to the story. This law was only implemented during the Civil War when the US Army imported camels to Arizona because they could handle the heat and carry more than any horse or donkey. Well, after the experiment ended (people loved the camels, by the way) the remaining camels were either sold or let loose. At this point, it was made illegal to hunt camels just to make sure they weren’t picked off prematurely. But now, there’s just no reason for it.

Like a Deer in Headlights

Where:

West Virginia and Tennessee

What:

You don’t need to hit a great shot with your rifle or bow to bring home some grub in these two states. Here, you can bring home any roadkill that you find while out on your travels. Yes, FIND. You don’t need to be the one to do the deed, you just need to find it. Bon Appétit!

No Photography… Kind Of

Where:

Montana

What:

During the hunting season, Montana has disallowed the use of trail cameras, which may not seem too strange. The strange thing is that during the rest of the year trail cameras are completely legal to use. This makes the law seem flimsy at best, with many hunters having their cameras up right until hunting season starts. Many think this strangely adopted law is sure to be off the books soon.

Stay Awake… or Take Your Shoes Off

Where:

North Dakota

What:

Most people have nodded off while waiting for a deer to wander by. But in North Dakota, that’s illegal. Well. It’s partially. You can’t lie down and have your shoes on, is the law. So as long as you stay off the ground or at least remove your shoes, you should be okay.

I Think I Saw Cupid!

Where:

New Hampshire

What:

In the great state of New Hampshire, bowhunters must have their name and address on every single one of their arrows. While you can probably understand how it might useful to have this information on hand should something go wrong, but it seems like a lot of effort that only New Hampshire is willing to do.

 

Some of these laws are a bit of strange ideas and good intentions. Others are a product of their time. But some just don’t seem to make a lot of sense.

These aren’t the only crazy laws out there so make sure you do a little bit of research before you brave the wild, and the law, the next time you’re out there hunting.