Gear for your Trip

When deciding what to bring on your hunting trip, begin by using the internet to research the area you plan to visit. Find out what there is to do in the area, including lodgings and restaurant options if you are not planning to “live off the land” during your trip. Also consult weather websites in the days leading up to the trip to find out what kind of weather you should expect. Also, well in advance of your trip, don’t forget to check with the local authorities to make sure that you will be able to hunt legally, and be sure to pick up some blaze orange hunting clothing. As you begin to pack for your hunting trip, these five items can be the difference in the success or failure of your trip.

Appropriate Weapon

If you are hunting game that you have not hunted previously, take some time to speak to people, either other hunters or sporting goods experts, who know about that animal. Make sure that you have a gun that will be appropriate for hunting the game you are considering. This part of your preparations should come two to three months before you plan to make your trip to give you time to secure and train with the proper weapons.

Climate-Appropriate Gear

The mountains can get extremely cold, even during the summer months. Make sure that you have gloves and hats that will keep you warm and dry during your trip. Consider the condition of your feet as well. As you are making your preparations, you should check the average precipitation and look for streams, creeks, or marshes in the area where you plan to hunt. Wet feet not only can make your trip uncomfortable, but they can also make it dangerous as well.
Portable Food and Drink
All hunters should take some easily transportable food and water on their trip; even if you plan to eat what you kill, it's important to have other food options available to you, as not every hunting trip goes exactly as planned. The easiest and most space-efficient options are camping food packs that are vacuum-sealed and intended for people without access to fires or cooking equipment. Canned meats and bottled water also work well and take up little space.

First Aid Equipment

Having access to basic first aid supplies on your hunting trip is essential. While you probably don’t need anything extensive, getting a basic kit with gauze, band-aids, disinfectant wipes, and medications for common poisons and bites can help you to make the trip more comfortable if there’s a minor problem. Many camping supply stores carry pre-made first aid kids with everything you need.

Communication Devices

Cell phones don’t work everywhere! Some type of walkie-talkie or other communication device is a good idea to take on long hunting expeditions. Being able to get in touch with someone quickly could literally save a life. If your carrier doesn’t get good service in the area where you are visiting, purchasing a disposable cell phone serviced from the best local cell phone company is a good idea. For visiting particularly desolate areas, consider investing in a satellite phone to use in emergencies.
Source : http://www.sportsandfitnessideas.com/outdoors/hunting/big-game/top-5-things-bring-your-hunting-trip

Why do hunters hunt !

 The answer is given by our friend Russ !


Many of us have been asked to put into words the reasons why we hunt. The problem is, the reasons and motivations that compel me and many others to hunt are pretty hard to put into print. This is my first attempt at explaining what drives me to head into the woods each hunting season.
What leaps to mind is a quote from my father. Someone had asked him why he loved to hunt so much; what was so great about being in the woods. His reply was, "If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand." This really sums up the feeling many of us have. A recent ad in several hunting magazines shows a fellow festooned in camoflage, with the caption "You can't explain it. But nothing would keep you from it." Our lack of eloquence on this subject is a major factor in the "bunny-huggers'" fight against our rights. The vast majority of our populace is open to suggestion on the topic of hunting, and could take it or leave it. The very fact that the anti-hunting crowd often makes their claims public, with little or no rebuttal from us hunters, will sway many of these neutral folks. It's really a debate with one vocal participant, and the claims made, while illogical and faulty, are the only thoughts to ever reach many of these non-hunters. I believe it's time we delved into ourselves and offered our thoughts, however abstract, to the non-hunting public for their consideration.
I started going to the woods with Dad when I was very young. I don't really remember when I first went, but when I was nine, I got to go on a few hunting trips with him and follow him through the woods. He wisely kept these trips varied, and limited the time we spent on any one thing, as my attention span was fairly short. By the time I was eleven, I got to carry an old heirloom .410 double-barrel shotgun, with the action broken open. If I was to spot some game, then by his permission, I could close the gun and shoot. Soon I was allowed to wander the woods on my own for short times, still following his rule of keeping the gun broken. It was at this time that the hunting seed really began to grow in me. There's just no way to adequately portray the majesty of a forest and the creatures within, when you feel like the only man who's ever stood where you stand. It doesn't matter that you're walking on a well-worn trail, and that you spy spent shotgun shells alongside it from time to time. You feel all alone, at peace, fully alert, ready for anything. I never feel closer to God than I do when I walk in the woods, his most wondrous creations all around me, with the challenge of outwitting them on their own terms in front of me.
The hunting instinct is one of the most basic instincts of mankind. After all, we are the ultimate predator. Take a look at "prey" animals. Their eyes are usually on the sides of their heads, affording a wider field of view. They lose some depth perception with this arrangement, but it helps them survive. Predators, on the other hand, characteristically have their eyes set close together, very useful for estimating the distance between he and his target. Beyond this, the urge to kill lies within us all, especially as children. Without proper channelling of these instincts, children often grow into physically abusive and/or murderous adults. Can any of us honestly say that, as kids, we didn't shoot birds with our slingshots and bb guns, or set homemade traps for other critters? I say that if you can say that, then you either never had an opportunity as a child, or you're an exception to the rule of human nature.
The kill is the fulfillment of the hunt. We hunt to be alone, to observe wildlife without being observed ourselves, to face one of the greatest challenges in this world: to take a wild animal on his own turf, using our brain and little else. Forget the wild tales you may have heard about "automatic" guns and telescopic sites. When it comes right down to it, those things are no good unless you can create an opportunity to use them. We don't swagger into the woods and slay Bambi when he meekly peeks from behind a tree. We have to use every sense, every bit of experience we have, and when we accomplish our goal, it's a milestone. I once watched a videotape on hunting that theorized that, on the average, if you are hunting and get a chance at a deer, that chance will last 7 seconds. In my experience, that's not far off. Sometimes you'll have longer, sometimes not that long, but 7 seconds is just about average. Think of what it takes to be alert and ready, and to make an honest, clean shot on an animal that always believes there's danger behind every tree! In those 7 seconds you must verify that it is, indeed, a legal animal, find a chance to shoot (not easy when you're in brushy country), and you must usually remain undetected by those roving eyes and swivelling ears. What a high! The adrenalin rush I get from it is like nothing else in this world. The fulfillment of long hard hours of hunting is definitely worth it!
I read a quote from a famous writer once, though I can't recall his name. The quote went something like this: "We do not go hunting to kill. We kill in order to have gone hunting." Without the kill, you aren't hunting. That doesn't mean that you have to kill every legal animal you see, but hunting is not hunting if you're not there to kill. But to return to the quote, one does not go hunting expressly for that purpose. Hunting is freedom, a tie to our ancestors, peace, contentment, happiness, joy, sweat, close calls, exploring, hiking, stealth, boring, exhilarating, tiring, satisfying, challenging, and a thousand other things. It's there for you to discover, and judge for yourself if you want to take part in it. But please, "don't knock it until you've tried it." That's the only way you'll ever know for sure.
- Russ Chastain
Source : http://hunting.about.com/library/weekly/aa022899.htm

Safety Rules

As you join thousands of hunters heading into the woods, fields and marshes during the fall hunting seasons, Wisconsin DNR safety experts remind you to review and think about firearm safety each and every time you head out.
Essential to any responsible hunting trip is an ironclad adherence to the four basic rules of firearm safety that can be easily remembered using the TAB-K formula.

T = Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. Never assume a firearm is unloaded and never treat it that way, even if you watch as it is unloaded. Make it a habit to treat guns like they are loaded all the time.

A = Always point the muzzle in a safe direction. About one third of all hunting incidents are self inflicted injuries. That means the muzzle was pointed at some part of the hunter’s body. A safe direction is a direction where the bullet will travel and harm no one in the event of an unwanted discharge. There are no accidental discharges with firearms, only unwanted discharges.

B = Be certain of your target and what’s beyond it. Positive target identification is a must. To shoot at something you only think is a legal target is gambling. In the case of human injury, that means gambling with human life. You must be absolutely certain and correct in judgment before deciding to shoot. Otherwise, it’s reckless behavior. In addition to identifying the target, a hunter must know that a safe backstop for their bullet is present in every shooting situation. We don’t always hit our target, and, in some cases, the bullet passes through the target. A safe backstop guarantees that no one will get hurt.


K = Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot. If a hunter stumbles with a firearm in one hand and nothing in the other, whatever that person does with their free hand will automatically happen with the hand holding the gun. If a finger is inside the trigger guard, that hand is likely going to close around the pistol grip of the gun and on the trigger causing an unwanted discharge.
Planning your fall hunting trip also means having your gear in proper working order. Firearms should be cleaned and closely inspected for any signs of mechanical wear that could result in a problem in the field.
Firearms aren’t the only items that need to be checked well in advance of a hunting trip. Clothing and other equipment should also be inspected for signs of wear and tear. Anything that might cause you to compromise safety should be repaired, discarded or replaced. Blaze orange clothing that has faded over time, a jacket that doesn’t fit right or a scope that isn’t adjusted correctly can compromise your safety and the safety of others.

Have a safe and enjoyable hunt!

Source : http://dnr.wi.gov/org/es/enforcement/safety/hunttip.htm

Why do you hunt ?

Why do you hunt for ?

Fun

Feed

Experiment

Cloth

Other

Please Specify:

Create your own poll