Hunter trends are often a reflection of larger societal trends and the move to social media is no exception. A visit to Facebook or Twitter yields hundreds of thousands of hunters, hunting groups, and companies. I count myself among them. I often find myself in the midst of a debate on a number of issues including baiting, antler point restrictions, crossbow hunting, and “is this a shooter” type questions. By the way, if you’re asking, it probably is. One of the biggest hot button topics out there these days is wolf hunting. You will find very passionate people on both sides of the issue.
Recently, I engaged in a conversation with a wolf hunting opponent that seems to believe wolves have evolved in a very strange way. The only explanation I have for their thought process is that they believe wolves have decided to go vegan. Someone posted a trail camera photo of a group of young wolves scoping out what he says was an area a local farmer buried some dead calves. From there the conversation goes awry. Last names were covered to protect the silly.
Apparently, Lou didn’t see the pasture in the background of the photo. Jerimiah(original poster of the photo) is not amused. It gets better.
So Lou promises not to get into a contest which is disappointing. Luckily, Jim shows up.
Actually Jim, there is no law that says you must send cattle to a rendering plant. In fact, many farmers don’t because of increased regulations on rendering plants. But why would we let the truth get in the way of a perfectly good conspiracy theory. Jim says this photo looks way too good to be real. In fact, he informs us that it was altered. He knows this because of his super duper photo software.
Now that is damning evidence. No trail in the background means it can’t be a trail camera photo. Even if we assume Jim has this awesome software, he obviously is unaware that Facebook compresses your photos to save server space.  So Lou didn’t believe the photo was in cattle territory and Jim swears the photo has been altered. My question is this: Why is this photo so unbelievable to these people? Is it completely uncharacteristic for wolves to seek out a meal? This is what wolves do. They eat meat. Why would this photo need to be altered? There are probably hundreds, if not more, trail camera photos like this. Wolves eat dead livestock all the time.

The only reasonable explanation for this mind set is that wolves have obviously decided to go vegan. These three wolves are innovators. They want to be the friendly, cuddly wolves we see in cartoons. They hired a PR firm to change their image. They hired online reputation management people to hide The Grey from search engine results. Wolves will join deer in farm fields every night. Not to eat the deer but to share the delicious green foliage. Nature will finally live in harmony. Deer and wolf. Wolf and deer. Cattle will no longer be in danger. The sharks in Finding Nemo were trained that “fish are friends.” Wolves will sing to the same beat with different wording. “Cows are comrades.”

I’m not one to demonize wolves. They have a very specific and useful spot in our ecosystem and have for millions of years. However, we’ve had an unchecked population in the Midwest that has grown to unsustainable levels, biologically and sociologically. I understand why it pains these people that even one of these creatures will be killed by a hunter. But in the end, a managed population leads to a healthier population. They are right when stating no one hunted them 500 years ago and they managed to survive. To that I ask, does the landscape around you look as it did 500 years ago?

The Sportsman Channel and Pig Man: The Series is heavily promoting a new episode they call Aporkalypse Now. This new episode of Pig Man premieres Sunday, August 26 at 10 PM and features Pig Man Brian Quaca hunting wild pigs in Texas with Ted Nugent. Uncle Ted tends to bring attention, positive and negative, wherever he appears. But Nugent isn’t what is provocative about the episode. Quaca and Nugent hunt pigs from a helicopter with AR style rifles and Nugent is shown shooting pigs with an automatic rifle.

 I have to admit, it looks like a heck of a lot of fun. Shooting fully automatic guns out of helicopters is a dream I didn’t know I had. But after seeing it, I’d like to sign up. The out of control hog population is certainly something that needs to be dealt with. The abundance of wild hogs has led to disease, crop damage, and habitat destruction. Texas hunters donate millions of pounds of wild hog meat to food pantries. There is no doubt that killing hogs is a good thing.

 I’ve always been one to say, “if it’s legal, I’m OK with it.” For example, I’m not a fan of baiting for a variety of reasons. But if someone wants to bait and it’s legal, I have no problem with it. Utilizing a helicopter for hunting hogs makes it easier to find hogs quickly. The producers make it clear that a chase vehicle is rounding up the hogs for processing. I believe Quaca and Nugent are doing everything in their power to make both an entertaining television show and a quality hunt.

However, firing a gun out of a helicopter with great accuracy is next to impossible. Helicopters rigged for television are equipped with very expensive gear to maintain a steady camera shot. It is clear from the video that both Quaca and Nugent are essentially letting the lead fly. There is no doubt that more rounds are missing the pigs than are connecting. What are the odds the bullets that are connecting are hitting vital areas and making quick, clean kills? Deer drives are common in many locales and there is an art to shooting big game on the run. Some hunters master it. Others never figure it out. Buckshot is used where it is legal to increase the odds of a successful shot. If you’ve ever shot at driven deer or pigs, imagine making the same shots from a moving vehicle. Do you think you would be able to shoot accurately?

One of Uncle Ted’s signature lines is “Ethics Schmethics”. He likes being controversial and he’s not one to bow to what others think is the right thing to do. He is who he is and he does what he wants. That is why people love him(or hate him). I would have no problem with Ted and Quaca heading into the Texas plains with night vision scopes and laying waste to as many hogs as possible. But in my mind hunters owe one thing to the animals they pursue; a quick, clean kill. There are no guarantees in hunting, even from the ground. But I don’t believe you can reasonably expect to make a high percentage of accurate shots when shooting from a helicopter. We owe it to our quarry to have at least a reasonable expectation of a quick kill, even if they are pigs.

Turkey hunting is a tough endeavor. Even in states well known for great turkey hunting success rates often hover around 20 to 30 percent. In other words, 70 to 80 percent of hunters are going home without a bird. Dan Ellyson had some success hunting in Nebraska but struggled to find his stride in his home state of Wisconsin. Dan owns A-1 Archery in Hudson, WI and hunts all over Western Wisconsin. He gave it one last shot on the final day of the season. But Dan decided his blind just wasn't quite in the right spot. So he decided to move the blind about 200 yards for his evening hunt. Dan didn't realize his mistake until checking his trail camera over the weekend. In the first photo you'll see Dan picking up his blind. The second two were taken about an hour after he left. It was nice of that bird to throw in a little strutting for good measure. There's always next year!

Filming hunts all year long would be a real treat.  But we don’t have the budget to travel to the southern hemisphere during the summer and deer hunting in 90 degree weather just doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.  Besides, the Wisconsin DNR would definitely frown on that kind of thing.  But that doesn’t mean my camera gets a break.  I recently produced a DVD with Tom Dokken of Northfield, Minnesota.  Tom is a professional dog trainer with a worldwide reputation as one of the best in the business.

When it comes to working dogs, bird hunting is king and Tom is a leader in the sport.  However, he also has a passion for whitetails.  He has combined that passion with his dog training expertise to create a system for training dogs to find antler sheds.  This training DVD covers everything you need to get started.  One of the great things about training for shed hunting is you can begin training right in your backyard.  You won’t need live birds or a gun for shooting blanks.  There really isn’t much equipment needed at all.  If you already have a bird dog at home, cross training isn’t a problem.  Shed hunting isn’t going to mess up your bird dog.  This is just another opportunity to get into the field with your dog.  Hunting breeds are popular but any dog can be trained to find sheds.

Here’s a short clip from the DVD.  This is a simulated shed hunt with Tom and Rookie, his ace shed hunting dog.  This scenario is similar to what a trainer would set up for a dog who is getting ready for his first real shed hunting experience.  The idea is to build confidence in the dog by guaranteeing early success.



The DVD is hot off the presses!  I just delivered it to Dokken’s Dog Supply early this week.  But you can get your copy right now for $19.99 + s&h.  Give them a call at 507-744-2616.  If you want to win a free copy, simply use the comment box below and write “I want to win”.  I’ll randomly draw one winner this Friday afternoon.  Good luck!

A few days ago I wrote a post about the Facebook group "Save Wisconsin Hunting" and the political firestorm surrounding it.  At the end I noted that we didn't know where the group was located but judging by the hunting photos used, it probably wasn't Wisconsin.  None of the hunters were wearing backtags.  Sure enough, today I find out the website The Daily Kos is behind it.  I would like to ask you, the deer hunter, do you think a website based out of Berkeley, California really cares about deer hunting in Wisconsin?

I would say the Daily Kos is left leaning, but that would be a huge understatement.  Their sole mission with this issue is to use it to garner votes from hunters against Governor Scott Walker.  It's yet another case of an organization trying to pit hunter against hunter to advance a cause that either hurts hunters or has nothing to do with hunting.

If you disagree with Governor Walker's politics on issues like collective bargaining, vote for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.  I'm not saying Governor Walker is "the" choice for governor.  I'm saying deer hunting should have nothing to do with who you vote for on June 5.  This "controversy" is a hoax.

There are a few new groups that have put their hat in the ring when it comes to fueling the Wisconsin recall efforts.  They have grasped on to an “issue” that is rarely used by them.  Wisconsin has a rich tradition of deer hunting and the over 600,000 Wisconsinites who hunt deer are a passionate crowd.  Polling data is showing Governor Scott Walker has a six to eight point lead over his challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.  That is certainly not insurmountable, but it doesn’t look good for those looking to oust the Governor.  What they need is to swing a few of Walker’s votes their way.

For the full background of this story, read Making Sense of The Dr. Kroll Controversy.  The short story is the Governor pledged to hire an outside consultant to look at Wisconsin’s deer management strategy in 2010.  Dr. James Kroll got the job.  Some people were critical of the hire but in my opinion it was generally lauded.  Kroll has over three decades of deer management experience.  He is quite possibly the most well known deer biologist in the country, certainly in the Top 3.  However, he does have ties to high fence operations(he owns a small operation and does consulting work for others) and that is the major hang up for most who disapprove.   But Kroll also does a lot of consulting work for organizations who hunt in much the same way Wisconsinites do.

This entire issue was almost exclusively a deer hunter issue until the past few weeks.  As the June 5 recall election drew near, these groups started getting desperate.  So they’ve brought forth a series of lies in attempt to garner support from deer hunters.  Sure, there are plenty of deer hunters who may be voting for Mayor Barrett anyway.  But it’s fair to say most of the deer hunting set are going to vote for Governor Walker.  The intent of these scare tactics is to get some of those people to swing over.

They have made claims about Wisconsin selling off hunting land and deer hunts that cost over $2,000.  The fact is neither Governor Walker, DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp, or Dr. James Kroll have the ability to sell public hunting land.  The funny thing is, it’s obvious these groups don’t know much about Wisconsin deer hunting.  Look at these photos.  They are screen shots from a face book page and a website.  Notice something missing with these hunters?




All of the hunters in these photos would have expensive Wisconsin deer hunts.  Not because Scott Walker made them pay $2,000 to hunt deer.  Because they would be in violation.  None of them have backtags.  These hunters obviously aren’t from Wisconsin.  Because of the way the groups are structured and their late entry into the game, we don’t know who these groups are.  But it will be interesting to find out.  It probably won’t be  a surprise.

On another note, Wisconsin is about to make the biggest public hunting land purchase in state history.  Pretty cool huh?

The last time I was at the hunting cabin back in February, I set out a trail camera. It was the first serious attempt at getting an idea of what wildlife passed through our woods. I knew I would get some deer photos. The camera was placed on a prominent trail. Due to chronic wasting disease, using bait or mineral blocks is against the law in our area. I was forced to use woodsmanship to select a good camera site. I know deer bed in the area and there are several trails in and out. I was confident I would get some photos.

 A few weeks passed and my dad headed out to the woods to retrieve the camera. After searching for an hour or so, he couldn't find it. A few weeks later, he tried again, this time with a friend. Still no camera. I was back in camp in late April, two months after placing the camera. I figured I would walk right out there and find the camera. I was wrong. After an hour of searching, the idea that someone stole the camera was feeling more and more like a reality. Three more guys were due in camp the next day and I decided to stay positive until we could form a four man search party.

 As a weekend of turkey hunting(which I'll document in a later post) came to a close, the four of us lined up and started walking in to the section of forest the camera was in. The walk didn't have much suspense. After walking less than 100 yards my buddy yelled, "found it!" I popped open the camera and pushed the tell tale button. The meter read 1467. I had the camera set for a three shot burst so that meant it was triggered almost 500 times. I couldn't wait to get back to the cabin to see the pictures and they didn't disappoint. The highlight of the photos was a nearly 80 shot sequence lasting about an hour and 45 minutes. A buck bedded down right in front of the camera. I put together a time lapse video of all the photos that lasts just over a minute. Pretty interesting stuff.



A few days later, another buck sprinted past the camera. There were also numerous photos of does looking around and bedding in front of the camera. I use a Primos Truth Cam Blackout. There is no sound or flash. But many of the deer were looking right at the camera. It was set on a tree that is directly on a trail and I'm sure this peculiar looking box captured their attention.
Deer were not the only visitors to the camera site. Plenty of turkeys also stopped by to say hello. In early March, the birds were still in their winter flocks. In late March, I got several pictures of lone gobblers making their way through the woods. This was nowhere near a field. Yet, gobblers passed by in full strut on numerous occasions.
There are deer and turkeys in a few of the photos. This one is a favorite. Here's a jake showing a yearling whitetail who is boss. I believe he is swearing at him in Turkish.
It wasn't just deer and turkeys looking for a meal in this spot. There are countless raccoon photos and one sequence with a coyote walking down the trail.
I have never hunted this spot but losing the trail camera for a few months gave me a great snapshot of all the activity in the area. This spot definitely will have a treestand hanging there this fall!