EP88 Three Top Turkey Hunting Habitat Improvements

Show Notes:

Turkeys are a wily and wary adversary, but like all animals they need and like certain things to thrive. On this episode I talk about small, practical, and cost effective things you can do on your land to improve your turkey hunting habitat.

Turkeys Need:

  • Food, just like you.
  • Water, in many areas they will drink daily.
  • Roosting trees, even mythical birds need to sleep.
  • Cover, they need places to hide and feel secure, else they will run from your property every time they feel afraid.
  • Elevation, they are called upland birds for a reason. They will tolerate some wetlands but they are not ducks!
  • Mature hardwoods, they like big open forested areas, as long as they feel safe.
  • Clearings, they like open spaces where they can search for food and socialize.
  • Safety, they don’t want to be around people or predator’s.
  • Each other, where the hens are, the gobblers will follow.
  • Did I mention food?

Find out the top three habitat improvements that new hunters can make with the most efficiency and cost effectiveness on this episode.

 

EP87 Is Hunting Biblical?

Show Notes:

People tend to assert their opinions or feelings as the reason why hunting is ok or not ok. But what does the Bible have to say about it? On this episode I answer that question and touch on a number of related subjects.

On this episode I talk about what the Bible has to say about:

  • Eating meat in the beginning, historically, and today
  • Hunting in general
  • Hunting for food
  • Hunting for self defense
  • Hunting to protect property
  • Hunting for sport
  • Hunting ethics
  • Hunting tips and instructions
  • The game commission

Here are some of the scriptures that I mentioned on the episode:

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:15
Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Genesis 9:3-6
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.”

Genesis 25:27
So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

Leviticus 17:13
“Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust;

Proverbs 12:27
The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.

Deuteronomy 7:22
And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

EP86 If There Is One Thing I’ve Learned About Hunting… Be Ready!

Show Notes:

Is there a most important hunting tip that translates to all types and styles of hunting? Yes, absolutely.  On this episode I talk about the single most important lesson I’ve learned about hunting and that is developing mental and positional readiness.

Take Aways:

  • Mental readiness is having decided ahead of time what game you are going to take a shot at, what range you are comfortable shooting to, and the angles and scenarios you will pull the trigger in. 
  • Mental readiness enables you to operate within the critical two second rule.
  • Positional readiness is having your bow or firearm in a ready position with both hands always in their places so that you can bring the weapon to bare with just one pivot point. 
  • Positional readiness also enables you to operate within the two second rule.
  • Material readiness is having the right tools and gear to operate within the two second rule without making too much noise or having too much movement. Such as having a quiet and tight enough coat, etc. 
  • Material readiness also involves keeping you comfortable enough to maintain positional readiness.  Such as having warm enough gloves, etc.
  • The two second rule is a philosophy of hunting where you cannot count on having more than two seconds to make a decision to shoot, shoulder your weapon, and take the shoot. More time is a luxury that you must not depend on.
  • The two second rule is not about practicing fast target acquisition and trigger pulling, it is about maintaining mental and positional readiness.
  • You do not need to do speed drills at the shooting range, you need to be strategic in how you hunt.
  • Sometimes you should move very slowly and maybe take 10 seconds to shoulder your weapon, it is not just about fast movement but deliberate, efficient, and undetected movement. 

EP85 What Should You Eat Before Hunting?

Show Notes:

What you eat and drink matters a lot for hunting, and so does when you eat and drink it. On this episode I talk about what I have learned to be the best eating and drinking habits prior to hunting and even while you are in the woods.

Take Aways:

  • Nothing is more important than knowing how different foods effect your body.
  • If dairy causes you problems, don’t eat it before going hunting.
  • If bacon or sausage will put you in the bathroom before the end of the morning, don’t eat it before hunting!
  • The type of hunting matters a lot. Sitting requires less food and drinking, and the downside of eating and drinking is larger.
  • Moving and hunting requires more of both, and there is much less if any downside to eating and drinking if you are moving a lot.
  • Few things are as disruptive when hunting than getting up to go to the bathroom or unwrapping a few granola bars.
  • Everything about your eating and drinking strategy should be focused on making you a more effective hunter.
  • You want to maximize comfort and stealth in the field. 
  • If you are hunting in a hard walled blind from 200 yards then you can get away with a lot more than someone hunting game within 50 yards of a tree strand.

EP84 Should You Hunt With An AR-15?

Show Notes:

Are AR style rifles good for hunting? Should you hunt with one? Should new hunters use one? This is a hotly debated topic where opinions tend to overshadow facts. On this episode I talk about the pros and the cons without ranting or raving about either position.

Take Aways:

  • I cover both AR-15 rifles and AR-10 rifles because they are the most common.
  • I am familiar with the term “modern sporting rifle” but I’ve opted not to use it in this episode. It is not because I dislike the term but only a percentage of listeners would be familiar with it, so I’ve gone with the more familiar terms. No hate mail please.
  • Are there good reasons to hunt with an AR? Yes.
  • Are there good reason not to hunt with an AR? Yes.
  • Should you hunt with one? Maybe. You need to examine the pros and cons and YOUR situation to answer that question for yourself.
  • The answer an experienced hunter comes to and the answer a beginner comes to may be different however.
  • This episode is not politically motivated or charged. It is motivated by a hunter who wants to help other hunters navigate these questions logically and responsibly.
  • An AR-15 can be used effectively for coyotes, foxes, raccoons, woodchucks, and other small to mid size game, even turkeys with the right load.
  • AR-15s can be used to hunt deer under certain conditions I discuss in this episode but an AR-10 would be a better choice for hunting deer, elk, moose, and other large game.
  • I did not cover recoil in this episode. Mostly because I forgot, but also because it is not that big of a variable for most people. I have a bolt action 223 WIN that has less recoil than most AR-15 rifles that I’ve shot. It is really a non issue until you get to AR-10 platform.
    • In this case, the AR-10 would typically have a little less recoil than a manual action 308 WIN rifle of the same weight. But since most AR-10’s tend to weigh more than a conventional bolt action rife, the felt recoil is even more significantly reduced.
    • This is a benefit to those who are small framed, injured, or physically disabled in a way that they could not comfortably fire a traditional rifle due to recoil but could use an AR-10.
    • Reduced recoil could be a reason someone opts to use an AR-15 for deer hunting.

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