Tip Of The Day-Quad Safety

Many outdoorsmen use their a.t.v. to haul game animals out of the bush.  Alot of big game animals such as black bear, deer, and antelope can fit on the back rack of a quad no problem, however loading an a.t.v. into the back of a pickup truck with an animal on the back rack can be very dangerous.  With all that weight on the back end and the steep angle of the ramps you can easily flip an a.t.v. while loading or unloading, it happens all the time and injuries can be serious.  To avoid this danger you have a few options.

#1. Find a ditch or back up to a hill so you can drive straight on to the back of your truck.  This is the best thing to do if the terrain allows.

#2. Unload the animal, load the quad and reload the animal by hand or with the help of the a.t.v.'s winch.  Alot of work but the safest method by far.

#3. Put the animal on the front rack.  This will work however some critters are simply too big for this method, and it also hinders your steering capabilities.

#4.  Back your quad up the ramps into the truck.  Be careful with this one, it will work however I recomend you have a spotter watching at all times as it is quite hard to see behind you and steer at the same time and the danger of steering off the ramp is just as sever as flipping over backwards.

If you absolutely have no other option but to load the quad with the animal on the back you have to try and be as safe as possible.  Have a buddy sit on the front rack, or load some other heavy object on the front of the a.t.v. lean as far forward as you can and BE AWARE of the possiblity of flipping over.  Remember when hunting in a remote location even minor injuries can become serious quickly if alone and unable to reach help so stay alert and be safe!!

The "Almost" Perfect Coyote Hunt

Last weekend, Jason and I decided to head out for an afternoon coyote hunt. We packed up our Primos Power Dogg electronic caller and headed out. As we neared the area we where going to hunt we spotted two coyotes trotting across the middle of a small lake. Quickly checking the wind we parked the truck well ahead of the coyotes and grabbed our gear and hustled down to the lake shore. When we reached the shoreline the coyotes where about 600 yards out and heading straight for us!! I set the call up got my video camera ready and we loaded our guns, at this point the coyotes turned for no reason and started jogging across the lake away from us!! They where almost a ¼ mile away when I finally got the caller into action. I hit serenade but watching the coyotes through my binoculars I could see there was no reaction. They where getting further away by the second so I switched to female invitation and maxed the volume!! This sound is quite a bit higher pitched and the coyotes spun around and locked on our position! Within 10 seconds they both broke into a run straight towards us! I was struggling trying to get my gun ready for a shot and get the video rolling but somehow managed to get the coyotes on camera. At 200 yards I shut the caller off and as expected the coyotes kept right on a coming. When the lead coyote got to 80 yards he stopped and tried to find the source of the calling, his mate had hung up at about 140 yards and was looking really nervous, as the lead coyote was behind a tree limb I focused the camera on the furthest coyote and told Jason “I’ll take the close one on the left you take that one on the right, ok? Ok. Shoot em” and I pulled the trigger and watched my target hit the snow in a heap. However Jason wasn’t quite ready and his coyote took off on a dead run! After both of us emptied our guns on the streaking coyote with no success I spotted the first coyote limping away but by the time we reloaded he had managed to get over a ridge in the lake. To make a long story short Ishot low and broke a leg and the result was we had to hike about a ½ mile through deep snow to make a follow up shot and kill our coyote. The moral of this story is coyote calling is exciting but just because you get them to come in doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, but that makes it a challenge and that’s why I love it! Cheers to the wily coyote!!

A Coyote Hunting Video is in the making and I hope to have it up soon!!

Here is some pics

after a long hike in the bitter cold

The Primos Power Dogg Caller

Tip Of The Day-Wade Fishing

When wading to fish a stream or river always fish upstream to avoid spooking fish.  If you wade downstream you will kick up stones and silt in front of you and alert fish, making it harder to entice a bite.

Some Outdoorsman's Quotes

If some animals are good at hunting and others are suitable for hunting, then the Gods must clearly smile on hunting.-Aristotle

The only reason I played golf was so that I could afford to go hunting and fishing.-Sam Snead

Not to open the hunting season on the pretext that there is no game would be as if one gave up celebrating Christmas because there was not enough snow.-Maurice Grimaud

People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.-Otto Von Bismarck

It is to be observed that 'angling' is the name given to fishing by people who can't fish.-Stephen Leacock

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.-Henry David Thoreau

 Game fish are to valuable to be caught only once-Lee Wulf

The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad-A.K. Best

My Biggest worry is that when I'm dead and gone, my wife will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it.-Koos Brandt

Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job- Paul Schullery

There is a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore looking like an idiot.- Stephen Wright

Tip Of The Day-Hunting Flashlight

If you dont want to spook game by using a flashlight in the woods but need light to get to your treestand or hunting area before daylight, tape red tissue paper over the lens of your flashlight.  This creates a red light which doesnt bother deer and other game.

Tip Of The Day-Hunting Boots

To prevent your hunting bootlaces from coming undone during a hunt simply rub bees wax into the laces, and problem solved your hunting boots will never come untied again!Hunting, fishing hunting bowhunting, troutfishing troutfishing, deer hunting, flyfishing, whitetaildeerhunting, bear hunting, hunting info, hunting fishing deer hunting, hunting and fishing hunting and fishing, hunting tips fishing tips, fishing and hunting tips, hunting and fishing tips, hunting tips, deer hunting tips, bear hunting tips, fishing tips, bow hunting tips, how to hunt

New Zealand: a land of hunting and fishing opportunity

New Zealand is a southern pacific island country consisting of 2 main islands, the North island and the South island. It is located approximately 2,000 km southeast of Australia. The only creatures native to NZ are birds, bats, and reptiles, the most widely known of course being the kiwi bird which cannot fly and is currently battling extinction.  Sometime around the early 1850’s European settlers began to bring Red Deer from Europe and released them into the wild to provide a naturally reproducing food source. Many other species followed soon after and now NZ has many exotic species of huntable game animals. In more recent years the government of NZ declared all introduced species as pests and so they may be hunted at anytime of the year without a license. As far as fishing goes NZ is world renowned for its brown and rainbow trout fishing. These were also introduced into NZ (well documented) in 1878 from England for the purpose of sport fishing. Unlike hunting in NZ however sport fishing in NZ is regulated and you must purchase licenses and follow the regulations. Because of the perfect habitat conditions and no water or land predators both the game animals and fish populations have flourished in NZ!! What does this mean for hunters and fisherman?? A land of opportunity!!! Endless hunting seasons and world class fishing!! Add to this the many other outdoor activities available and you have a list any outdoorsman would be happy with including:
Deep Sea Fishing


Fly Fishing


Spinner fishing


Floundering


Spear Fishing


Big game hunting


Small game hunting


Bird hunting


Varmint hunting


Spearing freshwater eels



Deep Sea Fishing



The south pacific ocean around New Zealand is some of the best deep sea fishing found anywhere. Favourite target species of New Zealand fisherman include: Marlin, Sailfish, Mako Shark, Tuna, Yellowtail Kingfish, Snapper, Blue Cod, Albacore, Gurnard, Kahawai, Terakihi, Trumpeter, John Dory, Grouper and Barracuda. NZ is also reputably home to the worlds largest striped marlin, with several world records to its name. Do some searching on the internet and you will find a lot of professional fishing charters in NZ waters that will be more than happy to guide you to an awesome NZ deep sea fishing adventure.



Fly Fishing



NZ is known for huge trout, beautiful scenery, friendly locals, and crystal clear water. Flyfishers from around the world cast flies for Salmon, Rainbow trout, and Brown trout in New Zealand’s pristine lakes and rivers. 3-6lb fish are average and 8lbers are common. Some of the larger lakes are home to monsters weighing in at over 14lbs!!! However these large fish are not easily fooled. The style of fishing here is a little different than most North American anglers are used to. The following is an excerpt taken from the website Fly Fishing New Zealand



Fly fishing in New Zealand presents new challenges to visiting anglers. The general fishing style of sight fishing, while great fun and extremely productive, takes a little time to master for those who are unfamiliar with it. Once mastered it opens up a whole new and exciting world of fishing as you go hunting for your fish.

The first skill is the spotting of the fish, easy enough at times when the fish are sitting out in shallow water with a light coloured background but most of the time they blend in with their surroundings and it takes a while to develop that hunters eye for spotting the quarry. The best spotting conditions are therefore when the sun is high with the best time to be on the river being through the middle part of the day. Polaroid sunglasses are essential. And yes these big fish do sit out all day in bright sunshine!

Once spotted we approach the fish from directly behind as the fish have a blind spot there. A careful approach is needed and it's usually possible to get quite close to the fish.

Being able to make an accurate short to medium distance cast will enable you to catch a good number of fish with relative ease. By this I mean you need to be able to present your fly ahead of a fish in such away that the fly will drift down to that fish in a natural dead drift. And if you can present the fly on your first cast with a minimum of false casts then so much the better. Then if you can do the same in windy conditions so much the better as enviably the wind will blow at some stage and having the ability to push a cast into it will produce rewards for you.

Because of the clarity of the water the fish will pick up on strange coloured fly lines zipping over there heads, so for this reason dull natural coloured fly lines are essential. For the same reason, attached to the end of your fly line you will need a relatively long leader of say 12 to 16 feet. I use hand tied leaders and find them best.

The fly needs to land far enough ahead of the fish so as not to spook it, if you're using a nymph it also needs to be far enough ahead to allow the nymph time to sink down to the level of the fish. Your leader needs to be sufficiently long so that the floating section of line lands behind the fish, again sufficiently behind as to not spook it.

The first cast is always the most important one, present the fly well the first time up and you'll more than likely to hook your fish. The chances of catching a fish probably diminish by 50% for every subsequent cast made.


For Awesome Flyfishing Tips
Click Here!

If you are up to the challenge fly fishing NZ can be very rewarding to say the least.

















Spinner Fishing



While Fly fishing takes most of the glory as far as the trout fishing goes there is still plenty of opportunity for the spin caster. Large fast flowing rivers and large fish make a perfect combination for casting spinners and spoons. Also the many lakes are ideal for spinner fishing as well and many of the locals choose to jig or troll in the lakes instead of fly fish. Soft baits are also a popular choice throughout NZ.



Floundering



The activity known as floundering is generally done at night with the aid of a light. The angler wades in knee deep or shallower water with a spear and shines his or her light on the sand bottom, when a flounder is detected you simply spear the fish and place it in your carry bag or pail. This is easier said than done as these flat fish blend in almost perfectly with the bottom. There is definitely a skill to spotting flounder and novice anglers will often step on the fish before seeing them. If you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary I recommend you give floundering a try.



Spear Fishing



Spear Fishing in NZ is a very popular sport and there are even several competitions each season. Many spear fisherman take pride in the fact that spear fishing allows a fisherman to selectively harvest the fish of their choice ether for a trophy or for the dinner table. Leaving unwanted catches swimming free.











Big Game Hunting



Big game hunting is hugely popular in NZ and if you are a hunter you need to do everything in your power to make it to NZ and go on the hunt of a lifetime! Huntable species include: Red Stag, Sitka Deer, Fallow Deer, Wapiti/elk, Thar, Chamois Sambar, Rusa and Wild Rams. The most famous of course being the Red Stag. Most visiting sportsman choose to hire the services of a professional outfitter and this has become a huge industry in NZ. Locals simply head into the hills and hunt but I would recommend hiring a guide as the NZ bush is thick and stag hunting is not an easy task. The Deer are amazingly wary nothing at all like we are used to in North America. You will almost never see a wild deer from a vehicle and certainly never near any kind of residential area. The Thar and Chamois live in the high country and knowing your way around is a must. Bring a sturdy pair of hiking boots, good optics and be prepared to shoot long distances and often at steep up or downhill angles. While the mountains don’t compare to our Rocky Mountains NZ is still quite rugged and a good level of fitness is required. If researching outfitters make sure to do your homework as a lot of NZ has high fenced hunting operations and is not fair chase so know what your getting into before you book. Truly this is a sportsmans dream no bag limits lots of species and no end to the season!! Some magnificent trophies come out of NZ every year so if you’re a trophy hunter you need to go.



Small Game/Varmint Hunting



NZ is host to several small huntable creatures including: Rabbits, Hares, Possums, and wallaby. These can make for a fun afternoon of shooting. Rabbits are active all day and can be found out in grassy fields in the middle of the day while hares generally don’t come out until after dark. Night time hunting is legal in NZ and with the possum populations in the millions its is actually a conservationist effort to spotlight and shoot possums. Wallaby look like a miniature kangaroo and are nocturnal as well.



Bird Hunting



Bird hunting in NZ is not as popular with the locals as other types of outdoor activities however there is plenty of opportunity for the wing shooter. Huntable Bird species include: Mallard, Canada Goose, Black Swan, Peacock, Turkey, Pheasant and Paradise Duck. Unlike all other game in NZ there are actually seasons and limits on migratory waterfowl. Please check local regulations before engaging in any consumptive activity.



Spearing Freshwater Eels



Eeling is another popular activity in NZ. Because of the lack of mammals in NZ indigenous peoples relied on kiwi birds, fish, and eels for food. Even today eels are harvested extensively for food. The sport of spearing eels is accomplished by wading the rivers and stream at night with a spotlight and spear in hand. Approaching the eel from downstream you attempt to thrust your spear through the body of the eel which takes more skill then one would think. Because of how light bends through water you must aim lower than where the eel appears to be. This takes some practice but once you get the knack it can be great fun. Use caution eels have sharp teeth and although they are in no way aggressive toward people they are capable of drawing blood.





Hopefully I have shown you that NZ is quite simply paradise for hunters, fishermen, and all outdoorsman no matter what their game of choice. Now you need to get out and experience it!!!

Bear Hunters: A Bear Meat Recipe

I found the following recipe online if anyone has the desire to try eating bear meat.  Only 2 and a half months to go untill bear hunting season!!!

4 lb. bear roast

1 1/4 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 1/2 tbsp. instant minced onion

1 cup beef bouillon

BEAR HUNTING, BEAR HUNTING TIPS, HUNTING BLACK BEARS, BLACK BEAR HUNTING

Rub all sides of bear meat with the first four ingredients. Place seasoned meat in crock pot, sprinkle with onion and pour bouillon over all. Cook on high setting for 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound until 180 degrees F. (check internal temp. of thickest part of roast with meat thermometer). Vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and celery may be added and cooked the same amount of time as the meat. For gravy: remove meat from pot; stir flour in small amount of water and add to meat juices. Serves 6.

http://www.wildgamerecipes.org/

Tip Of The Day (How To Straighten Your Flyfishing Leaders)

When you take a brand new flyfishing leader out of the package it has “memory” and usually stays curled. For the best results you need to straighten the leader. There is several options to do this first of all you can buy all kinds of little gadgets from fly shops that will do the trick but these will cost you hard earned cash, the next option is to simply use your fingers. Starting at the fly line knot gently pull the leader through your fingers. (Caution using too much pressure or pulling too fast can cause rope burn!!) Another less expensive option is you could simply cut out a small piece of scrap rubber such as from an old inner tube out of a bicycle tire. Fold the rubber in half over the leader and pull briskly. However you do it, remember to straighten your leader for better success on the water.  For more Flyfishing tips Click Here!   Hunting, HUNTING, HUNTING, FISHING, HUNT BLOG, HUNTERS, HUNTING FISHING, DUCK HUNTING, DEER HUNTS, MOOSE HUNTS, BOWHUNTING, BOW HUNTING, ONLINE HUNTING, WHITETAIL HUNTING, HUNTING FISHING, HUNTING ALBERTA, BOWHUNTING ALBERTA, FISHING BLOGS, HUNTING BLOGS, HUNTING TIPS, HUNTING BEAR, HUNTING VIDEOS, FREE HUNTING VIDEOS
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Outdoorsman's Tip Of The Day (Break In Your New Hunting Rifle)

 A new hunting rifle is a big investment and for many hunters it is the biggest hunting equipment investment they will ever make. If you want to make the most of your new hunting rifle the first thing you will want to do is break in the barrel. Not every hunter knows this but if you don't properly break in your barrel the initial build up of gunpowder will coat the inside of the barrel preventing the fired bullets from properly honing the machined rifling on the inside of your gun barrel. At first there is no problem you simply sight your gun in and go but over time or when you eventually do clean your gun the action of the bullet travelling down the barrel will hone or slightly wear down the rifling of your barrel causing the bullets point of impact to change which means you will have to sight it in again. So why not break your barrel in properly the first time?? This will not only extend the life of your rifle barrel but it will also make the overall sighting in process much easier. For stainless steel barrels it is recommended to clean after every shot for at least the first 10 shots. For traditional blued barrels you can get away with every three shots if you want but I would recommend after every shot, after all you have your rifle cleaning kit out there already so why not?? This is a simple thing to do but something that many hunters choose to skip. Remember, take care of your investment and you will be rewarded with a more accurate hunting rifle. Another simple tip to remember for more accurate sighting in is to wait for your barrel to cool down completely after every shot, because heat expands your rifle barrel once again causing a change in the bullets point of impact.

My Youtube Bear Hunting Video