2011年2月20日星期日

Reading Whitetail Body Language When Whitetail Hunting

Whitetail hunting can be tough.

Once upon a time, I read an article in a hunting magazine about making sure your deer is hit where you think it is, before you trot off through the woods tracking it. A couple of events from the author's bowhunting experience had demonstrated that the ol' eyeball can fool you into thinking the hit landed somewhere other than where it did.
Several times, the author suggested noting the deer's "body language" at the time of the hit, to help determine where it was hit... but he didn't give any examples or try to educate his readers on what to look for.
Thinking about it, I've rarely (if ever) seen tips in print to help hunters determine where they hit their deer via its actions. So, here goes!
The ultimate hit puts a deer down immediately, leaving no guesswork about whether or not to start tracking now or later. Most of the deer I've shot have dropped where they stood, or have fallen and died within eyesight. This isn't always the case, so it's nice to be able to have an idea where you hit your critter. This is sometimes crucial, as a poorly hit deer can run for miles if pushed too hard by trackers bent on its recovery, and may be lost in the process.
Gutshot deer will usually "hump up;" they'll arch their back, and do a sort of a stiff-legged trot.
I heard this from someone years ago, and found it to be true early in my hunting career when I failed to "pick a spot" to aim at, and instead shot at the entire deer... never a good idea, hunting equipment and a mistake I strive to avoid repeating. In my case, the deer went only about 75 yards or so and stopped, at which time I shot him again and he fell dead.
Had it come to tracking him, I would have known to wait before tracking, since the arched back and stiff-legged gait told me where I'd hit him. A gutshot deer can often live for a long time before dying, and if pushed by trackers may easily be lost.
Deer hit through the lungs will often kick their heels like a mule. I've seen it, and I'll swear to it.
The first time I saw this happen was on a muzzleloader hunt, years ago. When I shot the six-point buck broadside through both lungs, he kicked his heels straight back and started running. The thick woods prevented me from seeing very much of the deer as it fled, but it appeared to be slowing as it left my view.
I later found that it had run about sixty-five yards before stopping in front of my Dad, who was about to shoot it again when the buck fell, my .45 caliber maxi-ball having done its job.
Another instance of this occurred in the Ocala National Forest. When I shot that buck through the lungs, he kicked his heels up so high, I thought he was going to do a somersault. He crashed through the brush for 50 yards or so, then died.
Lung-shot deer won't always kick their heels, but in my experience they will always run before they die, and they may even run away "flag up" (see below). They usually don't travel far before dying quickly, and can usually be recovered within the hour.
Busting a Myth
There is a campfire myth that says if you shoot at a deer and the deer runs away "flag up" (with its tail held up high), then you missed the deer. This is not true! On more than one occasion, I have known well-hit deer to run away with flag up at the shot, looking for all the world as if they are perfectly healthy.
A couple examples: One deer was hit a quartering shot through the lungs with a 44 magnum, and another was shot broadside through both lungs with a 308 Win. Both deer ran away immediately with tails held high,rifle scope and both died soon thereafter. One of them ran about 80 yards, and the other went 150 or more, down a steep hillside. Each was blood-trailed and recovered, though at first we thought we may have missed the deer... and these are not the only instances of this that I've seen.
So next time you shoot at a deer and it runs away with its long white tail waving good-bye, follow up and search for blood, and for your deer.
Which Way Did he Go?
A hit deer that runs without any jumping or bucking or other acrobatics will usually run in the direction it was facing when the shot was fired, even if that means running uphill. This is not always the case, though.
I once shot a whitetail doe broadside with a good heart/lung shot, and she turned and ran away, turning to the left as she went. I found no blood within the first 20 yards or so, but I eventually found a good blood trail and recovered her without much trouble. So be sure to always follow up and look for blood, no matter what the deer did when you fired.
Heart Shots
I have never aimed specifically for a deer's heart; in my opinion, it's too small and too low a target to count on. I have been told that a heart-shot deer will sometimes rear up on its hind legs, but I know they'll often just drop or run, as well, giving no indication of a hit, and sometimes not even bleeding.
Most deer shot through the heart won't go far, and will die quickly.
Take Care!
Whatever the case, be sure of the shot before you take it. Don't take a shot you don't think you can make. When you shoot at a deer, follow through and find it if you hit it, and take it home! Give it a couple of hours if you're not sure of the hit, or if you know it was a poor hit, and then track it down. Take a buddy or two with you to help out... having more eyeballs out there can often make a big difference. Don't give up, and pray often for guidance. It's always worked for me!

By: Russ Chastain

Tips to Finding a Good Horse Riding Instructor

Learning how to ride a horse correctly necessitates that you take up horse riding lessons. You may be able to learn on your own, following all the tips and guidelines in books and magazines, but only a riding instructor can diagnose faulty form or give you hints on how to make your ride smoother and better. Whether you want to learn to ride a horse in order to compete or just to learn how to ride a horse without falling, investing in riding lessons is always a good idea. Here are some tips to finding a good horse riding instructor:

1. Look for an instructor who can teach. This might seem obvious but you'd be surprised at the number of riding equipments teachers who do not have the patience to closely scrutinize your form or cannot wait to advance you until you are ready. Just because a riding instructor used to be the winning jockey of a graded 1 stakes race doesn't automatically make him a good riding coach.

2. Check the number of clients an instructor has under him or her. Having many students speak of his quality (usually) as a teacher. Reputation for expertise easily gets around and a very good instructor will come highly recommended compared to mediocre ones.
3. Visit the stable to see how well it is maintained or run. It should be clean and not run-down. The horses should be healthy and their stables secured. The whole area should be safe.

4. Ask if the horses are well-trained. The instructor should have horses that are taught to handle new riders well.

5. Ask for certification, if it is required in your area. An instructor certified by an equestrian federation or jockey club in your state is always a good gauge of the technical knowledge of the instructor.

6. Ask for recommendations from friends who have taken lessons before. They will always have a thing or two to say about particular instructors and are good sources of information regarding an instructor's personality and teaching style.

7. Observe how lessons are conducted when you visit the stable. This will generally give you a pretty good idea if the instructor is who you're looking for.
Keep in mind that you'll be paying the riding instructor to teach you. He or she should listen to your needs and accommodate requests for as long as they are within the bounds of reason. However, he or she should be firm enough to refuse your requests if they will not improve your riding skills.

By Kevin Hutto

2011年2月17日星期四

Staying Safe Around Horses

If you're a horse lover, a horse racing aficionado or even if you simply like to spend some time around horses, it's always a good idea to take the cautious approach. Equines may generally be peaceful animals, but with certain stimuli around their environment, they can sometimes act in ways that could endanger the lives of people around them. They are as strong as they graceful and fast as they are beautiful and as such, should be respected. It's always better to keep this power in mind and observe a few general principles when being around horses.

For starters, if you're meeting a horse riding for the first time (such as when you're introduced to it for a riding lesson), stay about 45 degrees from the shoulder so you reduce chances of getting kicked. Even if the instructor assures you that a horse is gentle, there's really no way of knowing how he'll react to the sight or smell of you. Thus, it's best to stay at this angle so you don't get struck in case a horse doesn't like you for one reason or another. Together with this, always observe the age-old advice of never turning your back on the horse.

In tying your horse, always observe a few safety precautions. Never tie the equine by his reins since there is always a risk of injury to his head, neck or mouth when he pulls back. Moreover, make sure that you tie your horse to a safe and secure place. Old and run-down fences are no places to tie a horse in since they can easily break them and drag them all over the place. When securing your horse, tie a slip-knot.

When you have to walk behind your horse (although this is not generally a good idea), always make sure that the horse knows you are there. Put your hand on the horse's back so he won't strike at you.

Finally, you might want to consider your outfit when riding. Wear riding breeches for English riding and jeans for Western riding. And while you might feel like a cowboy straight out of a Hollywood movie by wearing metal-toed boots, avoid the urge to. In the event that a horse steps on your foot, its weight is strong enough to pinch the metal down your toes and cause you extreme pain. Ouch!
Horses are awesome animals. But you can't let your guard around them. Stay safe!

by Kevin Hutto

Which Scope Should I Buy For my Husband's (or my) Hunting Rifle?

When buying a scope for a deer hunting rifle, you want to get the best you can afford. I strongly recommend against buying a junk scope, by which I mean just about any scope that sells new for less than $120 or so - and even at that low price range one should be wary. There are plenty of scopes that sell for $30-$40, but I wouldn't put them on anything more than a squirrel rifle.
Answer: What Magnification? By far, the most common scope used on hunting rifles is 3x-9x, which means that it magnifies about 3 times at the low end of adjustment, up to 9 times at the high end. A 40mm objective lens is plenty big, and that's what I prefer on my own hunting rifles. So for the purposes of this discussion, I'll stick with the most popular scope there is: 3x-9x, 40mm.

What Brands are Good?
Well, there are plenty of them to choose from. I find myself gravitating towards Sightron at the low end of the price scale, now that I have tried a couple, and liked them. The high end, for me, would be Leupold (excluding their cheaper Rifleman series), although there are others that cost more and offer better optics. For my needs, the improvement in quality doesn't justify their high prices.

What's it Going to Cost?
Often, it comes down to how much you want to spend. I have some very good scopes, and I have some junky ones. The cheapest good one I own is a Sightron S1 (I now own three of them, all on centerfire hunting rifles). Before I discovered this brand I bought a couple of Nikon scopes in the $200 range and a Burris for a little more, and I'm pleased with them... but the $130 Sightron gives me about the same performance, and offers considerable savings.

Gloss or matte finish?
I often use matte scopes because most of my guns have matte finishes, and I don't want my gun shining like a new dime when I head into the woods. If you enjoy the cosmetics of your rifle as much as its performance, then a more polished gun would look better with a gloss scope on it. I did put a glossy Sightron S1 on Dad's old Browning BAR 30-06 (and took a doe with a 100-yard head shot the first time I took it to the woods).

Which Reticle/Crosshair?
When it comes to choosing a crosshair or reticle (that's what you see and use for aiming - usually a cross - when you look through the scope), it's hard to beat the tried-and-true cross with lines that are thicker towards the outer ends of the "hairs" and thinner in the center, where they cross. Different manufacturers call them by different names, but usually they will be named "plex" or some variation thereof.

Conclusion
All in all, you can get a good quality scope without breaking the bank, if you're careful. 3x-9x is a good range of magnification, and scopes in that range are readily available and often cost less than others. Go with a 40mm objective lens and you will have all the light you need and will still be able to mount the scope nice and low, as it should be.
Buy a scope that's good enough so you can trust it to perform when you need it, where you need it. The hunting woods isn't exactly a gentle environment, and that means our scopes should be able to take some punishment. Make your choice accordingly - the trophy of a lifetime may depend on it!

by Russ Chastain

2011年2月16日星期三

What Is The Best Way To Saddle A Horse?

The best way to saddle a horse is to use a western style thick felt pad, felt being good for use any time you have got a horse that may be getting into a sweaty situation. This will definitely help wick that off. But since you would also have a little bit of color in your day today, go ahead and add one of these blue Navajo blankets just to pit some fun and color to it. Always remember that you never want to use just the thin pad of this type because that would not offer enough protection to the horse.

It is important to line them both up, making sure that the nice clean pad is on top, covering all areas of the felt pad. Then after that, you are going to come and get the saddle, don't forget to make sure that all the parts are hooked up here on their safe keeper so they're not dragging, getting in your way and making it difficult to put this up. Your horse is going to move away, easily for you if you push her just to get enough room to clear.

As you place this saddle on her, you would want to try to do so, so that it's not going to come down hard on her. These saddles can be heavy, it takes a little bit of practice to get that little lift in it to put up there in a way that's easy on the horse. You will know that the placement is correct if you have got plenty of pad in front to protect her. You have got plenty in the back and it's pretty evened out.

After that, you are going to go to the other side and check to make sure that you're happy with it over here as well. Bring down the cinch straps both in the front and the back. Position the saddle just to make it a little bit more even on this side, make sure everything is lying flat free hanging.

Now you are ready to come back around safely going around, if you know your horse well, you should not be concerned so much about being away from her hind quarter. But remember that you would still want to do it in a quiet, safe manner. You are then going to go ahead and begin to cinch this horse up or tighten her girth. Start with the front girth first. You never want to have a horse with only a back girth in place because if she were to shake or move quickly, then this saddle rolled would be suspended scaring her and probably causing her to run off. Start by putting the cinch strap from the front to the back, continue to wrap it until it runs out of available strap. It is best to use the buckle system but most found out over the years working with students that if you buckle their saddle in, it is going to remain much tighter throughout the day.

Royal Champion is a horse information and supplements company that has a lot of tips and advice on how to take care of horses by using premium horse vitamin supplement in their daily diet.

By Ryan Ready

Why Steel Toe Horse Riding Boots Are a Good Idea

If you have been unfortunate enough to have your horse carefully place his hoof onto your foot then you will know how much of an unpleasant experience it is! It is usual if you work with horses to assume that you will occasionally be trodden on. In other industries steel toe cap boots are mandatory where there is a hazard of damage to the feet, but this is not yet the case in the equine industry. This being said, there are a number of manufacturers who understand the importance of toe protection in horse riding boots and have begun to integrate this is into their products.

The truth is that steel toes inside horse riding boots are a sensible idea. It only takes a second to cause a painful injury which, if you are lucky, will only be a nice bruise that will be sore for a few days but could also result in fractured or broken toes. If horses are your livelihood, whether you work with or ride them, a foot injury can cause a very big problem. Trying to handle any horse whilst hopping around with a broken toe or fractured foot is at best difficult and at worst downright dangerous. Furthermore, it is likely that you will require a number of days out of the saddle, or at least on light riding duties as pressure of your feet in the stirrup is going to be painful or impossible. Also, a fracture to the foot could alter the weight distribution across it which will escalate to the entire limb, actually affecting your position in the saddle. If you ride horses for a living, consider the implications of having to take time off work due to such an injury and furthermore, think about the long term damage of a foot injury. Broken toes could become arthritic in later years, or suffer with poor circulation leading to discomfort when working outdoors in the winter.

If you are looking for boots with toe protection for wearing around horses, then it is advisable to buy a pair of boots that are specifically designed for horse riding. This is because there are some slight differences between traditional steel toe capped boots and those used for horse riding. Of course there are some obvious differences, and if you will be wearing your boots also for riding as well as yard work then it goes without saying that they must be horse riding boots. But even if you only intend to use the boots for working around horses, the horse riding boots with toe protection have been tested and designed specifically to withstand pressure of a horse. In particular, one of the main properties and differences is that such horse riding boots are tested to withstand pressure on soft ground, which traditional steel toe cap shoes don't. This means that when you are in the field and get trodden on, the sole of the shoe won't give way.

Overall, toe protection in horse riding boots is becoming more popular, and certainly the next time your horsey friend quietly stamps on your foot, you will be glad of the protection (or wish that you had it!). Whilst perhaps less necessary for people who only ride and do not handle horses, it is something worth considering for the others who deal with horses on a regular basis.

By Josie Amani

2011年2月14日星期一

Red Dot Sight - Reflects Red Light for Shooting Accuracy

A red dot sight is different from a laser sight. Whereas a laser actually emits a beam of light onto the target, a red dot will reflect an image onto the glass of the sight and then superimpose a dot onto the target. Typically, this type does not magnify the target in the lens, but merely sights the target. This type of sight can also be used with a telescope. The sights without magnification are usually installed on handguns, sub machine guns and shotguns for use at close range. This type offers a pretty good level of precision and accuracy.

How does the red dot work? It has a concave lens with a very thin metallic coating that reflects red light only. The red dot is a reflection of a light emitting diode inside the sight tube. When you look through the sight, a red dot appears as if it has been projected onto the target. The sight does not have pinpoint accuracy, but offers some level of assurance that you will hit your target by employing proper aiming and firing techniques. In addition, It can be adjusted up and down as needed.

There are several types of red dot sights. There is the full tube sight which looks very similar to the telescopic sight. This type is often employed with a shotgun. It comes with additional features and accessories such as haze reducing filters, sun shades, and flip-up lens covers. Open sights are also known as mini red dot sights because they are smaller and weigh less than the full tube sight. Because they are smaller, however, they often do not have accessories and options such as haze filters and sun shades. Small tube sights have the ability to accommodate haze filters and sun shades, but are smaller than full tube sights.
If you are considering purchasing this type of sight, then the experts recommend that you first take a look through the sight to make sure that you are comfortable with the way the sight works. Obviously, if you are color blind, you may not find it to be all that helpful in improving the accuracy of your aim. You should also consider what type of red dot sight works best for you depending on your shooting needs.

Keith Grable enjoys the outdoors, including hunting, shooting, fishing and just being outside. He is the owner of a website specializing in laser grips and sights primarily for handguns. If laser sighting is new to you, click on the link below for an informational DVD that you can download.

By Keith Grable