I have always been infatuated with Northern New Hampshire because much of it is still remote it draws me like a bee to nectar. The smell of Balsam Fir is addictive. Moose wood is a treat too see as it only grows in Mountain regions. The spruce and fir bogs and varieties of lichen are akin to the dark forest prime-evil and can only be seen in the North woods. I give a full measure of thanks to the bygone era lumber companies that created thousands of miles of dirt roads that allow us access to New Hampshire wilderness. I grew up watching giant work horses pull logs from the forest at the age of 12 but by 16 years old the horses were gone.

On my way north, I stopped in at  Pemi-Valley where I am a member,  to sight in my two rifles at 200 yards. My 6 mm is fine in the open but depend on my .375 Ruger hand-loaded for brush  Having completed my shooting I continued north through Franconia Notch and said hello to my favorite spot “The Basin”.  A five minute walk worth every step.  I forgot my Katadine water purifier and missed the chance to get some cold NH water. Continuing north, I   spied a great hunting camp from a by gone era of the 1950’s and early 1960’s. The stone chimney was listing badly. I dream of better days but this place was maybe too fancy for me. A pot belly stove for heat and sleep in the bottom bunk is my ticket. As a kid I got the top bunk at 90 degrees F. But I loved it, by midnight it was down to 70 degrees. The bottom bunk was 32 degrees by morning but with a good sleeping bag you were just dandy. Outdoors it was a scant 6 degrees.My father and his hunting friends were terrific role models for me. Respectful of each other more or less, they kidded around and understood the passion for deer hunting and eating venison they caught themselves. Cribbage was an evening pass time when dishes were done and we could tell stories of the big one that got away. Ayuh! We stoked the potbelly stove and off to bed. Up at 3:30 or so came fast.

The past few days in the North Woods I saw solid deer and Moose sign around Errol, NH. Spring was successful as I saw fawn tracks.  On Moose, there was a Mother and Calf in my area seen in tracks. No big bull tracks. You gotta do your own scouting my friend. What is clear is that if want a big buck then you must go deeper away from the normal hunting haunts. There is turkey sign too. I saw a small Sow Bear with tiny cubs cross a logging road. I had a camera but she was too fast. It will be a treat only I can enjoy as I have imprinted it mentally like a little movie. She stepped out on the road first and as she crossed she gave a head turn as if the coast was clear to follow momma and out came the tiny cubs scurrying to cross and keep up. I passed through Whitefield on rt 116 and Rt 2 and stopped for a minute at the local Gun store. They say sales are great! Retiring next year. Want a gun store?

From a hunting rifle standpoint the furthest shot in the woods would not exceed 50 yards in widest openings but more normal would be less than 40 yards in brush. You don’t need a .270 for that! A .308 or 30:06 would be fine or a new lever gun in your favorite flat nose caliber like the 308 and .338 Marlin Express. Or if your a mind, a big Ruger like mine with hand-loads that you create. © 2014

For those who are waiting for the North’s shooting ranges to clear it is still, I think, a work in progress. In Northern NH in the White Mountains, they are still white with snow depths of 25 inches in some places. Far to the south and east in NH the snow is practically gone. At my home in Plaistow there are a few spots under heavy pines and in sun shadows that some snow remains. My lawn is turning green and my nose is itching with perhaps some pussy willow pollen. Get your gear ready, buy some of those new Turkey loads to increase your range and focus your shot pattern. I am thinking #5 shot. How ’bout you?

Love my Remington 870

This weekend is a good time to hit the sport shops for those turkey loads and calls and camo. I like the green leaf add to my camo hat as I sit at the base of a large tree. When they can see my eyes it will be too late. Note in an earlier article I said I bought some camo band-aids for camo around my eyes. Don’t purchase those as they didn’t stick at all. Lesson learned. But the camo leaves are terrific and a great buy. I have a camo’ wrap for my shotgun that should work but need more cloth tape to get rid of the shine of wood and metal. Here are the Turkey Loads I purchased today. They are #5 shot.

Here is the Quaker Boy Target I shot at today at 35 yards.

Looks like a very dead bird to me. The target says you need at least 5 shots in the head and neck for Maximum Effective Range. Here we have 14 pellets near the spine. Fantastic! I would say I could go a bit more. But I like it here!

I purchased decoys too.

Here is the Tom all unraveled ($19.00 each).

Each day gets closer! Time to do some scouting! Check out the Turkey hunt on NHFG website: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_turkey.htm

Wow! I can’t wait! I had such great success last year in New Hampshire that I am beside myself with  thoughts of calling in a mature Tom this year with a long beard. The key to a successful hunt is to be prepared and that begins with good identification skills of a male Tom, knowing the differences of a hen and being safe yourself.

NEW HAMPSHIRE SAFETY TIPS AND BIRD ID’s HERE (Be sure to read it and understand it) : 

 http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_turkey.htm#spring

“Hunters are, therefore, legally obligated to know the difference between hens and gobblers. This skill can be acquired through reading, field observation, watching videos, and attending a turkey hunting seminar”.

I highly recommend the 2014 Turkey Hunting seminar on March 31 April 7th. See website below.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Newsroom/News_2010/News_2010_Q1/HE_turkey_talks_032610.html

Gotta hava beard, gotta hava beard, gotta hava beard along with Red, White and blue head markings, size and other key features such as color of feathers. e.g., A Tom is almost black except for the head where a hen is more brown.

A beard is not a 100% positive ID of a Tom however. 

Experts say 10 to 20 percent of females grow beards too so be on the lookout if you can tell the difference. Not illegal to shoot a female with a beard but if you can pass on them, its is better for the population. Photo’s from the Wild Turkey Federation website.

 http://www.nwtf.org/all_about_turkeys/new_turkey_look.html 

The Hunt?

Full Camo for your body, face and your shotgun or bow. Leave nothing to chance if you wanna play to win. Just so you know, I am no expert at turkey hunting as I am always learning.  I am just like you, trying my best. Turkeys can appear and melt into the forest like ghosts if you are detected. A full face mask is a must along with a camo hat and coat and firearm. There are tons of face masks out there. I will be trying a HooRag face mask this spring. http://www.hoorag.com/camouflage-bandanas/  I like the patterns too. I even purchased some camo band aids for around my eyes. On order from the website below.

http://www.whatonearthcatalog.com/cgi-bin/hazel.cgi?

action=DETAIL&ITEM=CK5452

and some pin on camo leaves you can find on Amazon.com. Just ordered them! Here are some photo’s of the seamless face masks I have. Below is a proven Mossy Oak face mask and below that a deer camo mask from Hoo Rag. I have just purchased some pin on oak leaves too in green and brown for 12 dollars a bag from Amazon. I will pin a few green ones to my hat as well. wear some hunter orange when moving in the woods too like a hat. Never wear red white or blue as Toms are in similar head colors.

I have long since been an advocate of the Remington 870 Pump 12 gauge shotgun. I have killed many deer and a few turkeys with it. I use my goose barrel which is long with a full choke. Don’t leave it to chance. You want to pattern your shotgun each season with the loads you intend to hunt with. Outdoor Life has a great article on turkey loads to read below.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/01/turkey-load-shootout-best-turkey-load?photo=1#node-1001352086

or

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshells/turkey-loads/premier-magnum-turkey-loads.aspx

or

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/shotshell.aspx

or

http://www.winchester.com/Products/shotshell-ammunition/Advanced/Double-X/Pages/default.aspx?c=12

More as May 3rd approaches.

Today, Wednesday October 23, 2013 and I haven’t heard a thing about the Moose Hunt so I decided to take a drive with my Nikon camera to the New Hampton Moose Registration Station just south of Plymouth NH to see what’s happening.

I arrived around 11:30 AM to observe a Moose being checked it.  It was huge!  It had a whopping 53 inch spread. The hunters were Dave Deluca who made the first kill shot and Alan Michalowski with a follow-up shot to the neck.  The Moose fell dead right there.

Dave and Alan were up  for the past 16 hours and either gutting,cutting, dragging, or caping out this monster with no sleep.

What a terrific hunting team they made.  Dave credits Alan with his excellent taxidermy prep. caping skills. They seemed no worse for wear as they were all smiles as I snapped photo’s and took video while getting their story. The NHFG Biologist’s were very helpful and informative to all of us. Listen to the initial video clip below. You can maximize the clip by clicking on the box at right in the clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3LC1IrEgXI

The bulls live weight is estimated at 800 pounds. Antler spread was a whopping 53 inches.The age is estimated at 4 1/2 years.

Rifle/Cartridges for Dave was .270 Winchester with 150 grain bullets and for Alan a .308 Winchester with 180 grain Silvertips. Nice! (Editor Note: Go to my June 2013 Archive to read more on Moose and Cartridges).

Below the NHFG Biologist says Ahhhh and ages the Moose by its teeth. If you can see the red bar in his hands he is prying the mouth open wide so he can get a good look inside.

A local high school biology class was there to observe too. I promised the teacher, I would send photo’s of her students in observation of the Biologists. Not shown as she needed to get permission for me to use them.

THE HUNT STORY

The Hunting story as Dave and Alan recall it was Yesterday October 22, 2013 at 3:40 in the afternoon in Unit G.  Dave and Alan were hunting in the same area that this duo shot another giant Bull Moose 10 years ago. Wow!

They crested a rise deep in the woods and there in front of them was a 4 1/2 year old monster bull bedded down about 70 yards away. It was Dave’s tag but instead of shooting right away he began to fiddle with the HD Camera attached to his rifle according to his partner Alan. Alan was getting nervous with the camera fiddling that Dave was doing. It was around that time that the saw the other two monster bulls bedded beside the one they were going to shoot. What! Let me say that another way. There were three bulls all about the same size bedded together. Yes Really!!! Here it is in their own words in the youtube clip below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWi8dC131Qk

Initially, Alan and Dave only saw the one Bull directly in front of them. I can’t say that I blame them, he was huge! I suspect when the other bulls started moving antlers that the hunters were truly shocked.

Dave shot first while the Moose was still bedded. Then all heck broke loose and Alan followed up with a neck shot and the Moose fell dead. I assume the other two Bulls left in a hurry. Alan says he has the info and photo’s of their last Moose Hunt so we will post that story too. More to come!!

By Alan E. Lutz

Bear season opens on the first of September in New Hampshire.  Alan Lutz, Vice President of the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation had the pleasure of hunting with guide Mitch Filson of Cast and Blast Guide Services.  Mitch had set up his bait sites soon as the season opened.  One of the sites was located adjacent to a dairy farmer’s corn crop.  Unfortunately for the farmer, the bears were making quite a feast of the corn, having knocked down nearly a quarter acre of this important feed crop for his cattle.

After checking the bait sites for several days to insure the bears were actually visiting the bait, Mitch gave the author a call to set up the time and day for the hunt.  Alan met Mitch around 3:00 in the afternoon and proceeded to the farmer’s property.  Alan parked his truck and joined Mitch who drove him near the stand he had set up earlier.  By the time clothes were changed, rifle loaded and the tree stand entered, it was nearly 4:00 pm.  The stand gave a clear view of the bait site along with a good view of the two spots in the corn where the bears had been feasting.  Mitch gave clear instructions to be quiet and, most importantly, to “keep your head on a swivel.”  As Mitch indicated, bears are very quiet when walking through the woods as the author soon found out.

Every so often Alan would make a full scan of the surroundings.  He would look to the right into the woods, back to the left into the corn and around to the bait site directly in front.  At around 6:55 pm he was making his scan and when coming around from the left towards the bait site, he noticed something dark at about the 10 o’clock position. It was a bear …and it wasn’t far away, maybe 30 yards.  At this point all he could clearly see was the hind quarters so he knew the bear would not see the Weatherby 30-06 being raised into position.  As the gun was raised, the bear sensed something was amiss and turned left and began to slowly walk away.  Fortunately for Alan, this brought the bear into a perfect position for a shot.  The crease behind the shoulder stood out clearly as the shot was made.  The 180 grain Nosler Partition dropped the bear in its tracks.  A 173 lb. female.

After several minutes of adrenaline and heart pounding excitement, a call was made to Mitch who showed up rather quickly with his ATV.  After a few photos were taken the bear was transported to Mitch’s truck.  The bear was field dressed and loaded up.

The end of an exciting bear hunt in the great state of New Hampshire!

Editor’s Note: Reprinted with the Authors permission. Alan is a long time friend of mine and also hunted Africa with the same outfitter as I did. Nice Bear! Congratulations Alan!

If you are a bowhunter you should have been in your treestand before light. The bucks are on the prowl for does coming into heat. Yes it is early but a few does coming into heat early is all it takes for bucks to go crazy and let their guard down. Calls work, rattling works, scents work and best of all combinations work. For every day that gets closer to the Rut peak which is somewhere in mid November the bucks are on the prowl for a hot doe in estrus. The breeding drum beats louder with each day closer to the peak.

Deer gather in fields and open areas at night to be seen and smelled by breeding deer. Long before light the bigger bucks will leave the fields/open areas and head back to their bedding areas. Look for scrapes, rubs and trails try to build a travel corridor from what you see from suspected bedding areas to feeding areas. The best tree stands are going to be in the woods and away from the fields.

A mistake of early detection by big bucks will cost you. You will likely never see that buck again in daylight. Lesser bucks yes, does yes. Mature bucks no! A mature buck did not become mature by making mistakes. There are many mature bucks that live and die that you will never see because they are never in daylight walking around.

Most mistakes deal with your body odor or your stand placement and your foot/boot odor on a deer trail. Spray your boots every time you enter the woods and keep your hunting boots away from pets and the kitchen odors. Spray your clothes each time you enter the woods. Keep your scent at minimum each time and every time you hunt if you want to maximize your chances of a bow shot. I have made all the mistakes and still do, though I try. Breaking twigs under foot can undo your efforts as well so approach your tree stand as if there is a deer near it. Make as little noise as possible. Be aware that deer do look up if they have been hunted before from tree stands. I had a big buck in Pennsylvania that spotted me every time no matter what I did. I had one chance early on, where he chased a doe under my stand but there was so much brush over his head that I could not shoot for fear of arrow deflection or worse a wounded deer. I let him go. What a buck!

If you are scouting for rifle season or Muzzleloader stay away from tree stands of other hunters. Give them the respect that you would want if the roles were reversed. By staying away from these stands you also keep scent away from them.

Crossing trails with other hunters on the ground in the deer woods during gun season gives me an opportunity to greet your fellow hunter see if they are alone or with others. Occasionally, you might get a response that they jumped a deer on the way in or some tidbit that gives you a hunting edge. Let’s be respectful of our hunting brethren and sisters too. Good Hunting! © 2013

I like to shoot tight groups from a bench rest at 100 yards it makes me feel good. But honestly it does me little good when it comes time to deer hunt.

Practice for deer hunting is best performed after your rifle has been bench tested for groups at the distances you are going to hunt.

Here in New England the average shot at a deer with a rifle is around 40 yards or so. At my club, the range I can place targets are typically in increments of 25 yards. So the 50 yard mark should be ideal to shoot off hand at a target with no specific bullseye painted on it. The kill zone is basically an 8 inch circle but practice with a 6 inch area behind the shoulder and centered on the lungs. http://www.the-whitetail-deer.com/Anatomy-of-a-Whitetail-Deer.html. A double lung shot provides the largest vitals area see the website above.

I like to take cardboard and create the chest/neck area of a deer. I sometimes draw a deer chest that goes left and one that goes right in the same image. In the images I am sure to create the neck chest and front leg and elbow joint which are key landmarks for your rifle whether with open sights or with scope. The front leg of a deer has that pointed elbow joint at the base of the chest.

I use that leg/joint in a broadside shot to position my crosshairs just behind it and above it so the point of aim is a bit below the center axis of the body and just behind the leg. A hit in this location is in the center of the lungs and into the arteries just above the heart. This gives you some radial error of a few inches for adrenaline, being slightly off the mark etc. and still make a great clean shot to Vital organs.

This a paper target from Delta that I use at 50 yards with rifle and 20 yards with Bow.

Should you have a desire to attempt a shot at a walking deer, like I do, then it is important to practice shooting at moving targets as well. Balloons that move 6 inches on the target in the wind are a great way to learn your trigger’s breaking point.

As much as it is fine to shoot fast shots in tight groups, it is the first shot that counts. Everything else is secondary. How long it takes you to get that shot off is equally important.

I time myself with the a five second practice sequence with the safety at full on. Counting begins with the word Go and then count one-thousand one, one-thousand two etc. At 50 yards it takes me 4 seconds to get the shot off with accuracy. Or have the friend time you from spotting a deer you want to shoot and the time it takes to bring your gun up to your shoulder take it off safety and make the shot. Try to improve this time sequence.

Of course there is no adrenaline so that factor is missing. Dry fire is valuable as well. Before live fire you can do the drill and see where your cross-hairs end up when the firing pin falls. You are training your upper arm muscles to obey minor changes to get a shot dead center and feeling where the trigger breaks as well.

Practice with the clothing you are going to hunt with when hunting time is near. If there is a shooting concern with clothing you can resolve it before going afield. It is great to practice with a hunting partner as well to spot mistakes.

Recoil reduction is key to deer hunting for all hunters so a state of the art recoil pad will help the expert as well as the novice. Both Sims Limb Saver® and the Pachmayr Decelerator® have a great recoil pad and even a slip-on style recoil pad. Use them! You will be glad you did.

I have endorsed them for years and don’t want to own a rifle without one.

Make a pact with yourself to try the stand and timed fire sequence! It will bring home the venison this fall!

In addition to this valuable practice, veteran deer hunters still hunt and stop periodically where there is a strategic view and have a tree nearby to brace their rifle against for a steadier shot at approaching game. Remember to have the wind either in your face when still-hunting or cross winding your body.  ©

Get out theyah and get em! There are turkeys everywheyah! Ok go paak yowa caaa. Get yowa camo on fowa showa. Ayuh!

My wife says she can kill turkeys every day right from her caaa as she drives to work.

She says they are so dumb when they cross the road.

That might be, I said, “but once they are back in the woods they become smaat again. Mighty fast!”

This week is turkey shotgun season. A second chance for some and a second turkey for me. At least that is the plan. To have a wild 2 turkey thanksgiving would be a first for my family. Below is my spring turkey. I am a Remington 870 fan.

I got my Fall Turkey this morning October 15, 2013 in Unit M at 7am with Shotgun. It was a hen at 9 pounds. Tag your bird immediately. You are allowed a male or hen in the fall only according to F&G. I had it checked in and sealed. I intended to take either sex to fill out my tag. Rules for identifying male from female are also on this site. Since I was alone, no photo was taken in the woods.

See website below for all details:

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_turkey.htm

Ok here is a new photo of the Hen I shot this morning! Who needs Butter Ball anyway!

It is October in New Hampshire. I reflect on a past October bowhunt that was perfect in every way.  The forest is alive with a kaleidoscope of color, a slice of heaven as it were, as the leaves turn crimson and gold.  The air was crisp and cool.  You could almost hear a pin drop as the oak leaves on the tree nearest me rustled ever so slightly.  I was settled in my tree stand, all was quiet, my bow at the ready.  I was well practiced and confident.  The fall rut would begin in earnest in only a few weeks. The October air had the pungent aroma of pine, earth and oak leaves.  I yearn for the smell of fall in the woods; I just can’t get enough of it.  A cluster of neurons in my brain fire off dozens of fall images and smells in eager agreement.

It was wise to get my tree stand up more than a month earlier. I painstakingly avoided visiting my perch to allow the deer, especially wary bucks, to criss-cross my stand area without ever detecting so much as a molecule of my scent.  It took many years of mistakes to learn to stay out of my direct core hunting areas except to verify from a distance that all was well just prior to hunting them.   I like to hunt after mid October as the first of the mature does may come into estrous and the largest of bucks have yet to see pressure from hunters. This is when bucks are highly vulnerable.  If Mr. Big shows up, I’m ready.  However my freezer was almost bare from the previous years venison (taken with Muzzleloader) thus any respectable deer would do.  My hunting set up was geared for bucks with mock scrapes and scent wicks in view.  My tree stand was located in an ever so slight saddle of oak trees that was bounded on one side by a large pool of swamp water.  The saddle was a great revelation, found in preseason scouting, as it funneled deer via three intersecting trails that were relatively close to adjacent bedding areas.  Getting in the stand undetected was the key.

It was late afternoon when I was settled in my tree stand and comfortable with my state of the art safety harness on.  I always feel like I just need the parachute to complete the harness.  No, I wasn’t quite high enough for that I mused.  The wind wasn’t perfect but it was good enough to carry my scent away from the bedding area.  I covered all bases as I also had doe-in-estrous scent that was strategically placed below in scent canisters.  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a “bleat call in a can” and rotated it so the weight sucked air into and out of the diaphragm.  Baaaaaaa went the bleat call. Again Baaaaaaa.  The call was then nestled back into my pocket so it would not bleat inadvertently.  I stood at the ready, my eyes scanning for movement of any kind. (Let your eyes look right before moving your body right).  A slight rush of anticipation ensued as my heartbeat and breathing stepped up a notch, but then settled back down again.  Something is going to happen at any moment, I kept thinking.  After about 20 minutes I took out my call and let out a few more seductive bleats.  Directly in front of me a deer appeared, like stepping from behind an invisible curtain. Where did he come from?  It was a nice 5-point with a small basket rack.  Instantly, a shot of adrenaline kicked my heart into gear.  The buck stood there for a moment that seemed like eternity. He began to meander my way, smelling the air and bobbing his head around looking here and there trying to see the doe that was cuing sweet nothings in his ear.  I carefully reached into my pocket and rotated the bleat call again.  This way, I beckoned him in silence. This way….  Perhaps the last bleat was a mistake, I thought.  His head went up sharply as if to smell the air looking my way and he came walking toward my stand. At 20 yards he was still coming. He was intent on finding that bleating doe.  Just don’t look up, I kept thinking. As he passed behind a tree and some brush, I drew my bow. The cams on the bow rolled over silently and evenly as my high back muscles took over the job of holding the string against the invisible wall at full draw.  The arrow slid rearward undetected on the arrow rest like rattlesnake coiling in preparation to strike.  My heart was thumping so loud that perhaps the deer could hear it.

He stopped behind the brush momentarily causing me to question my wisdom of drawing, but then he continued his inquisitive approach.  My mental check list goes off just before launching an arrow; all is safe to shoot, check the arrow, arm guard/clothing not in the way, bow clear of branches, bend at the waist with your bow then pick a hair to aim at. Aim small; miss small is my mantra.  My finger squeezed the release. Thumm went the string and an instantaneous thwack, reported back!  The arrow struck low in the chest and disappeared.  The deer kicked his rear legs as they so often do and ran around 20 yards away and spun around to face where the sound had come from.  Too much brush in the way for a follow up shot, I thought. He turned away and walked into the swamp water.  His tail down, gave no indication of panic or that he was even hit except that he was walking slowly.  At around 50 yards, I could still see him in the water.  As he began to disappear in the brush, I noticed the tops of the bushes swaying, a sure indicator that he needed support to stay on his feet.  Now I knew he was hit hard.  I mentally marked the spot he was last seen.  After about 20 minutes I climbed down and located the arrow dug into the muddy soil.  It had some blood on it and totally coated with brisket fat.  But not totally red with blood as is often the case with a double lung hit.  I decided that it was best not to take the trail immediately, besides I would need my waders.  I decided to pick up the trail at first light.  That evening I enlisted my son Jason and a hunting friend in blood trailing and the retrieve.  We found him shortly the next morning after applying good blood trailing techniques.  The buck went 150 yards before piling up on the banks of the swamp.  We all whooped and hollered at finding him so quickly.  The arrow did strike low in the chest taking out a lung and just missed the other lung.

Let me tell you, I don’t know what that buck was feeding on but he was butterball fat dressing out at around 137 lbs.  The meat was absolutely delicious.

My heart quickens as I write this in anticipation of another season.  Mr. Big is still out there too. Isn’t anticipation grand? © 2013