EP284 Is It Worth Hunting Ducks In The Late Season?

When the winter sets in, is it really worth the time and effort to go waterfowl hunting? Can you really be successful? The answer to those questions may surprise you, however there is not a blanket one-size-fits-all answer either. But there are principles I provide in this episode that can help you answer that question no matter where you are or where you hunt. 

There is a very important and often overlooked truth when it comes to late season duck hunting, and it is this. In most places, not all of the ducks leave for the winter. Now in Alaska, yes, the ducks are gone. But in New York and Pennsylvania and Indiana, and many other northern states, there are birds there year-round. If you can’t find any ducks that does not mean there aren’t any ducks.

The single biggest indicator of ducks is open water. If you can find water that has not frozen, be it lakes, streams, creeks, or rivers, you will find ducks. Or rather ducks can and do live there year-round. Some people have their best hunting in the winter because it concentrates where the ducks are and can hang out.

Another very often overlooked element is the concept of a fluid migration. Ducks do not just fly dead south until they hit the Gulf of Mexico and perch on the shore all winter. Many fly south until they find more comfortable weather, and when there are warm weeks they will drift back north some. They may be pushed further south again by a cold front, but birds move a lot. A duck may fly 100 miles for breakfast. They are very capable and mobile creatures. If you do not see birds in your area in the late season, just wait. Cold or warm weather could bring birds in from different directions.

The biggest consideration of late season hunting is safety. Falling in a stream when its 70 degrees outside is inconvenient. If it’s 20 degrees, that can be life threatening. You need very safe strategies to set up decoys and recover birds if you are hunting around water. Having gear that is up to the task is also important. You need to be able to stay warm and dry even in harsh weather conditions. High wind is much more common this time of year as well. But I think this can be a very effective time of year for most hunters. 

Late season hunting can be very good hunting, some of the best of the year, but it takes a little different approach.

Listen to the full podcast episode to hear all of the details. 

 

EP283 Is It Worth Hunting Deer In The Late Season?

Is it really even worth your time and energy to hunt deer in the late season? The most direct answer I can give is, sometimes. But it depends more on your willingness to learn and adapt than any particular hunting skill. On this episode I talk about the differences of late season hunting and how you need to change your strategy in order to find consistent success. Anyone can do it, if you have the drive to do it right. 

The biggest problem with hunting in the late season is people have less drive and motivation to put in the effort needed to hunt successfully. They don’t realize the late season is different than the early season or the rut. They don’t realize the deer behave differently, use the land differently, and move to different locations.

If you want to be successful in the late season you need to scout for the late season, prepare for it, and establish hunting spots for it. You almost need to treat it like a unique game/season altogether.  The same spots, tactics, and timing of the early season rarely works here. And the only time you can effectively scout for the late season is during the late season. So very few people have the best hunt they can have at this time of year because do not go to the ends needed to make it work well. But you absolutely can.

People tend to get busier with holidays, family, and work. Also, the excitement of early season and rut hunting wears off, so it becomes doubly hard to muster the motivation to scout and prepare. Weather and gear become an obstacle too. But you can extend the capabilities of your gear with a few tricks and tips I mention in this episode. 

The biggest thing hunters must have is the will to hunt this season. If you can muster that, you can be very successful. There also some significant advantages to hunting in the late season as well. In fact, you can accomplish a lot with minimal time hunting, if you put in all the work needed up front.

The single best piece of advice I can give you is to scout the late season on years when you are not hunting it. When you learn how deer use the land one year, they will very likely use it in similar ways the following years. So scouting when your tags are full is a great way to help you prepare for hunting next year. Time invested now can pay off in future seasons.

Listen to this whole podcast episode to hear all the details strategies about late season deer hunting. 

 

TideWe Turkey Hunting Vest Review | Best Vest For The Money?

Disclaimer: TideWe gave me this vest to do this review, and I earn from qualifying purchases using their links and code, thanks to them for their support.

The new TideWe Turkey Hunting Vest with adjustable seat and game pouch is one of the best values in turkey hunting vests that I have seen. What you get for the money is really impressive. When my old turkey vest broke, I began the search for a replacement. I looked at some really expensive options and then came to TideWe and when I saw the price and the features, I felt I should give it a try.

Now having hunted spring gobblers with this vest, I am all the more certain that my initial impression was accurate. But being less expensive than the competition only matters if the gear is good.  So, what makes this vest so good? In short, this thing is rugged, very strong, comfortable, has more pockets than anyone should ever need, and has a very sturdy seat that is the most comfortable of any vest I’ve used. This review goes in way more depth on all these points, but I have become a big fan of this turkey hunting vest, though I did not feel that way at the beginning. More on that in a moment.

The cost for the TideWe Turkey Hunting Vest shipped is usually about $90, but with the 18% off discount code TideWe gave me, you can get it for about $74. And sometimes it goes on sale for even cheaper than that. Just enter the code GK18 at checkout to get the extra discount.

How I Went From Hater To Fan In One Hunt

When I first got this vest I have to admit I was very disappointed. My old vest was very light weight, trim, sleek, and minimalist. When I tried the TideWe vest on in my living room it felt bulky, cumbersome, and I hated how the seat cushion deployed. I was so close to sending it back before ever using it. BUT I figured I had to try it in the woods first, after all it was not designed to excel in the living room, it was made for the woods. 

So I loaded the vest up with my calls and gear and headed out on a big day of public land hunting. By the end of that first day my opinion on the turkey vest had totally changed. It didn’t feel bulky at all. The way the pockets were designed and how the material folded, provided no hinderance to me at all in the woods. In fact, after awhile I preferred it to my old vest in alot of ways.

In my old vest I could feel the box calls in the pockets jabbing into me, I could feel the range finder and strikers for the slate calls. This vest was thicker, had more substance, more material, better and smarter curves. Almost all of the gear was stowed without hindering me or reminding me every moment I was carrying it. 

And this vest was rugged, I was not afraid to break brush with it, not concerned it might break like my weak old vest did. This thing was impressive.  And after a few hours I got used to how the seat deployed and it didn’t bother me at all. I went from hater to fan in one hunt. This is why you should take unboxing videos and “reviews” with a grain of salt. If people haven’t hunted with a piece of gear, their opinion is only worth so much. For more information on turkey vests, check out my podcast episode: All About Turkey Vests.

Features

The TideWe Turkey Hunting Vest comes loaded with features, even more than the website advertises really.

  • The first thing you notice about this vest is that it’s strong, rugged, and well made. It is a turkey hunting vest that is made to be a workhorse. 
  • The next big feature is the padding. There is very nice padding along the back, enabling you comfortably lean up against even the most knurled tree trunk.
  • The back also has a nice breathable mesh which helps you from getting too sweaty on days when you are covering alot of ground.
  • The seat cushion is very thick, sturdy, and comfortable. You really couldn’t ask for more in the seat, and one side is waterresistant and stiff while the other camouflaged and soft.
  • The seat folds up and secures to the back of the vest via a strong magnet. This enables you to easily pull it loose and fold it down to sit on without having to look at it. You can easily get used to this, but one downside is the magnet is not as strong as I’d like and it can be a little challenging to secure it on the fly.
  • Next you have the pockets, lots of pockets, somewhere around 12-15 pockets depending on what you count. There are pockets made for all your turkey hunting gear, box calls, slate calls, mouth calls, other calls, shells, phones, snacks, turkeys… you name it.
  • There is a large game pouch in the back that will certainly fit a large gobbler. I am not a fan of putting turkeys in game pouches because I don’t want to damage the feathers, but I also do not hunt turkeys deep in the mountains either. The pouch might get more use if you used this vest hunting other game, more on that in a bit.
  • There is also a large back pocket that gives you the space of a small backpack, but I wouldn’t put a lot back that if you plan to lean up against trees.
  • There are two nice camo patterns, both look great, and overall the material is relatively quiet and the pockets that have zippers are fairly quiet as well. 

TideWe really has been making some high-quality gear in recent years. Check out my TideWe See Through Hunting Blind Review, its great for turkey hunting as well, and my TideWe Hunting Range Finder Review.

How It Performs In The Woods

All the features in the world don’t matter unless the vest performs well. And this one really does. I have covered a lot of miles wearing this vest and spent a fair amount of time sitting in it too. I feel very comfortable and confident in it. Never do I have to worry about maybe breaking it. This thing can also carry way more gear and provisions than I could ever need, the storage capacity is off the charts for a turkey vest.

When I’m calling, I feel no restrictions, I can easily access my gear, its comfortable, and lets me hunt wherever and however I want. Honestly it does just about everything I want a turkey vest to do. If you paid more money for more expensive vests, you would get lighter, but less durable options, fancier pocket fastener technology to avoid more zippers, and perhaps more streamlined designs with fewer straps and clips but likely less adjustability. So more expensive options don’t gain you much, you have some trade offs, but nothing that is really going to help you take more turkeys. In the woods, this vest does its job and does it well. 

Multi-Purpose Options

This is 100% designed as a turkey vest, but it can be a multi-purpose hunting piece. You can remove the seat to use this in a blind, either for turkeys or also waterfowl hunting. It would nicely for hunting squirrels or small birds. You can fit a lot of game in the pouch, and a lot of gear and ammo in the pockets. It could also be used for predator hunting, thanks to that nice seat giving you good dry comfortable options after hiking a long way.

I don’t think people take advantage of some of their gear, this vest can help you do a lot of things. This is durable enough to be used across many hunting seasons. I would encourage people to think outside of the box for numerous different hunting pursuits. They also make a version of this vest with a kick stand that enables you to sit upright even when there is nothing to lean up against. For some people, that version can help open up new hunting areas. But this one is better for me.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Strong & Durable
  • Very comfortable padding and seat cushion
  • Adjustable and removable seat cushion
  • Breathable
  • Lots of pockets
  • Quiet
  • Well designed to fit big awkwardly shaped turkey calls
  • Nice zipper extensions to aid those wearing gloves
  • Game pouch
  • Outstanding value

Cons

  • A bit heavy
  • The magnet that secures the seat could be stronger
  • There are a lot of straps, clasps, and adjustments to figure out when you get it, and some straps dangle
  • The seat storage and deployment technique takes a little practice to get used to

Conclusions & Recommendations

Overall the TideWe Turkey Hunting Vest is one of the best options on the market for new hunters and experienced hunters alike. I used to use a more expensive turkey vest, but I think this one is better. For the money, you get a very high-quality piece of gear with some features that even the more expensive brands cannot beat. Don’t forget to enter this 18% off discount code at checkout: GK18 to get the TideWe Turkey Hunting Vest even cheaper.

I have been very impressed with some of the gear that TideWe has been cranking out over the last couple of years. Again and again they put high quality items on the market for price points that are very hard to beat. And like many other pieces of gear from them, the great strength of this vest is the great combination of performance and value. 

Be sure to listen to The New Hunters Guide Podcast and check us out on YouTube. 

Till next time. God bless you, and go get em in the woods!

George Konetes Ph.D. – Founder and Host of the New Hunters Guide.

The New Hunters Guide is simply what George wishes he would have had when learning how to hunt; a single place to get practical hands on knowledge about different kinds of hunting, gear, strategy, and tips that can improve your comfort and fun factor in the woods.

As a note, TideWe gave me this vest at my request for testing, thanks to them for their support.

EP281 My 10 Tips For Hunting Ducks On The Water

Are you looking for ways to be more effective sneaking up on ducks? Jump hunting is more challenging than using traditional decoys and spreads, however it has numerous benefits. On this episode I cover numerous tips and strategies to make you more effective hunting waterfowl on foot. Tetra Hearing Free 2-Year Service Plan. Just add this Service Plan to your cart and use this code at checkout: NEWHUNTERSGUIDE

Jump hunting is a very fun and very ethical activity if done thoughtfully and safely. This is not the same thing as the proverbial “sitting duck”. These are not the ducks at the park that may eat bread out of your hand. In the wild, they are cautious, anxious birds that have keen senses and can instantly take off like a cruise missile and disappear forever. If you can sneak up on ducks in their native habitat and get a shot at them, you have done an impressive thing. 

It is one the easier ways to get started waterfowl hunting and requires a minimal amount of gear. All you really need is a shotgun, camo, and a way to retrieve the birds. Oh, and strategy, lots and lots of strategy.

The basic principles are simple, sneak up on birds that are on the water or on the shore and shoot them before they fly out of range. Sounds easy. Unfortunately, it can be really hard. The biggest tip you can employ is to use terrain to your advantage. Put land and dirt between you and the water. Do not break the plain of sight with the birds until you are as close as possible and be aware that the moment you do, stealth becomes extremely critical. 

Raised banks and hills can keep ducks and geese form seeing or hearing you. You must still be quiet and use caution, but you should be much more able to move around if you can position some terrain between you and the birds. Once you begin to make your approach to the water, you have to try to get to within 40 yards of the birds. The best way to do this is to move under cover, and only when the wind blows.

The wind does multiple things to help the sneaking hunter. It creates noise that helps cover the sounds of your approach. And maybe more importantly, the wind creates motion in the woods. Your movement blends into the shifting branches, blowing leaves, swaying grasses, weeds, and so on. The wind can be your biggest ally when trying to hunt birds on the water. 

Listen to this whole podcast episode to hear all 10 tips for jump hunting ducks on the water.

EP280 Busting 5 Deer Hunting Myths & How To Do Better

Are deer hunting myths holding you back and you don’t even know it? On this episode I help you identify and fix some things that can help you be more successful in the woods and help you save time and money. Also, get your free 14-day trial of Aura, the sponsor of this episode: www.Aura.com/NHG

Almost every deer hunter starts off believing some myths. You just do not have the real-world experience, research, or training to be able to sort fact from fiction. It does not help that many experienced hunters staunchly believe and propagate some of the myths as well. But the good news is that for every myth you can identify and purge from your strategies and tactics, you will steer yourself to more success in the deer woods.

One of the biggest whitetail deer hunting myths is that more time in the woods equates to more deer taken out of the woods. And while it is true that you must hunt to take deer, hunting more does not produce more results than hunting smarter. In fact you can over hunt an area and spook out all the deer you would like to take.

Deer can sense your presence in many ways from the scent of your breathing to the scent you leave behind just walking through or sitting in an area. This means you need to put time and ideally distance between hunts. Let good spots rest and only hunt them when the weather conditions, time of day, and time of season are ideal. You will save a lot of time and energy this way and have much better results.

My goal for you is to have a 50% success rate when in the woods. That means 50% of the time you hunt, you have the opportunity to shoot a legal deer. All of the strategies, tips, and tactics I have published over years of podcast episodes push you towards that goal. If you want to be picky, that is up to you, but my strategies intend to help you put yourself in hunting scenarios that you can have opportunities to take a legal deer on half or more of your hunts. Myths hurts that, which is why we need to get rid of everyone possible.

I shot 4 bucks out of my last 5 hunts when I had a buck tag to fill. Those results come after several years of applying these principles and learning and working the land, but you should be able to get to the 50% success rate.

Listen to the entire podcast episode to learn about all 5 myths and how to do better.

 

 

EP278 BOSS Warchief Buffered Bismuth Shotshell Review

If you are looking for what may be the biggest innovation in waterfowl hunting ammunition this year, you’ve come to the right place. On this episode I am reviewing and diving into the nitty gritty with the BOSS Warchief bismuth shotshell. Ther performance and cost to benefit ratio of this ammo may be the best of any waterfowl hunting shell on the market. 

Check out my full comprehensive written review on the BOSS Warchief.

Disclaimer: This review and podcast are not sponsored by BOSS.

In this detailed review, I talk all things Warchief from the specifics of the buffering material to the newly engineered wad, to the special agents added to the plastic shot cup to make it biodegradable. I go in depth discussing pattern density, ballistic gel penetration, recoil, pattern efficiency, shell cost, and comparisons to other types of ammo.

The BOSS warchief is an improved version of their Legacy copper plated bismuth load designed to provide extended range capabilities with potential pattern performance that is off the charts. This ammo works so well at holding tight patterns at range that it may enable hunter with the right setup to be able to reach out knock down ducks and geese as far as 60 yards away.

One of the big issues with long range hunting however is the skill of the shooter. Most hunters are not practiced well enough to hit birds at these ranges consistently. However, if you are up for it, this ammo will certainly do its part of the job. Where this ammo shines is with jump hunters, looking for ways to extend their range on stationary targets sitting on a pond or the shore.

The Warcheif is capable of pattern efficiency as high as 100% at 40 yards in a 30″ circle with the right setup. This is practically unheard of in the world of waterfowl hunting ammunition. But I have had patterns that good with this ammo. Check out some of my test videos using this ammo as well.

Very surprisingly the Warchief not only provides improved pattern performance, but it also provides more ballistics gel penetration. For the details you will have to listen to the episode. But I think this is one of the most impressive improvements in an ammo I’ve seen.  The Warchief seems to improve on the BOSS legacy loads in just about every area.

If you are looking for the best balance of cost and performance, I think the BOSS Warchief is it. 

Listen to this entire podcast episode to hear all of the details about this new ammo option for waterfowl hunters. As a note, BOSS provided me with some of the shells used in my testing, thanks for their support.

EP277 Five Minimalist Duck Hunting Setups

Are you tired of hauling a lot of heavy gear into the woods? There is a false perception that you need a ton of gear to hunt waterfowl successfully. In this podcast episode I am going to cover five minimalist duck hunting setup that are low cost and light on equipment.

Waterfowl hunting is one of, if not the most equipment intensive types of hunting. There are so many things to buy and use that you can spend your life building out the perfect set of gear. For new hunters especially that just isn’t practical, but diverging from the norm is not welcomed by the establishment. People with decades worth of gear accumulated don’t love the idea of new people heading out into the woods with minimal gear and being successful. So other ways of hunting are often suppressed by the culture. But that’s crazy and there are lots of great ways to hunt ducks and geese with minimal gear.

When I say minimal, I think looking at it from both the standpoint of hauling that gear in and reducing the needed investment to successfully hunt waterfowl. If you are able to get a handful of items and still take ducks, that is a big win for a new hunter, and it is very possible. In fact, there are many ways to do it.

An obvious approach is the conventional hunting strategy with minimal gear. A set of waders, a half dozen decoys, a call, and a shotgun can be all that you need to be effective and bring home birds. Sure, 6 dozen decoys may work better, but one person can easily carry 6 singles into the woods with a pair of waders, improvise a blind and get shots at ducks. 

Jump hunting is another great way to hunt, as long as you are not in an area that is overrun with other hunters. You do not want to be walking around and messing up other people’s hunts. But provided you can get away from most other hunters, you can have a great time sneaking through the woods trying to get to the edge of streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, and puddles looking for unsuspecting birds. All you need to do this is a gun and a way to retrieve the birds from the water, typically a backpack with breathable waders stuffed inside works great.

Listen to this full podcast episode to hear all the five minimalist duck hunting strategies and which are a good fit for you and your hunting style.

EP276 How To Take More Deer In Less Time

How do you maximize your time spent in the woods? The answer depends on your goals, but if your goal is to take the most deer per hour hunting then this episode is for you. I am going to cover five strategies to help maximize every minute you spend in the woods. Also, get your free 14-day trial of Aura, the sponsor of this episode: www.Aura.com/NHG

Everyone has limitations for hunting, some are limited by time, some by opportunity and others by desire. If you don’t have the time to hunt dozens of days waiting for the largest buck in the area, you shouldn’t use the same tactics as the big buck hunter either. You need to stack the deck in your favor to maximize the chances of hitting your personal goals.

If your goal is to take a grown deer on as many hunts as possible then you need to create a strategy focused on that. In this podcast episode I give five strategies to help you accomplish that goal. First and foremost, you need to hunt the best times of day for each part of the season. People often hunt the time of day they prefer to hunt. And while that isn’t necessarily bad, it may hinder your ability to get more opportunities on the average white tail.

Generally speaking, deer tend to move more in the evening most of the season. If you love hunting the mornings, you need to weigh your enjoyment of the morning vs. your enjoyment of taking more deer to figure out what is the best fit for you. I personally used to be a morning hunter for years, until I realized I was about twice as successful on evening hunts. Now I hunt the evenings almost exclusively and I have actually grown to appreciate the benefits of evening hunting and I prefer it.

You should also hunt the best weather days for deer movement if your time is limited. Not all days are equal by any means. Days that have a significant relatively temperature drop compared to previous days are likely to prompt deer to move more during daylight because the lower temperatures refresh the deer and make it easier for them to be comfortable while moving during the warmer daylight hours. If you focus on the best weather days and the best time of day for that part of the season it will go a long way towards improving your chances for success.

Listen to the full podcast episode to hear the other strategies to help you take more deer in less time.

EP275 My Worst Deer Hunt & How To Keep It From Happening To You

Everyone has a worst hunt story, but I hope mine can keep you from ever going through something this bad. Learn from this bad deer hunting scenario and keep from making the same mistakes I did. Also, get your free 14-day trial of Aura, the sponsor of this episode: www.Aura.com/NHG

Deer hunting, especially in archery season is never a sure thing. Human error plays a part of everything we do and is magnified when the tolerances are tight, and the margins are slimmer.  However, there are many mistakes we can avoid by just knowing better.

This terrible hunting story is not one that resulted from imperfect execution or one bad decision, it was a series bad choices that were all completely avoidable. And hopefully you will avoid them all because of this episode! 

 

EP274 How NOT To Donate A Deer

Donating a deer is important and can make a big difference in the lives of many people. But on this episode I am going to share some stories and guidelines for how to NOT donate a deer to a feeding program like Farmers and Hunters Feeding The Hungry or Hunters Sharing The Harvest.

Donating venison is an honorable thing. Foodbanks often supply people in need with canned goods, non-perishables, and carb rich foods but meat of any kind may be rarely available due to the cost. Venison is able to provide people who are food insecure with high quality lean protein. People will often wait in line or check back constantly with hopes of venison becoming available. If the meat portions they receive are lousy because the hunter was careless, we’ve hurt a person we could have helped.

Proper field care is a huge part of bringing back quality venison to donate. But simply being considerate as a human being is needed first. You must not leave a deer over night or for several days in the woods and bring it to donate. These carcasses are unfit and unsafe for human consumption and a good butcher will throw the entire thing away. You cannot bring animals that have been half eaten by coyotes. The bacteria and disease present in these situations makes the meat unsafe almost instantly. 

Just because you’ve eaten questionable meat and been ok does not mean its ok. Children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill by eating something that your body seems to process ok. And people who are food insecure and nutrient deprived may be at elevated risk levels. You are providing meat to people who due to their poverty may have compromised health.

The deer that we donate should be the best deer we can take out of the woods, not some scheme to get a butcher to cut off the antlers for us for free. In fact the deer we donate should be better than the venison we put on our own tables. Keep in mind someone is paying to have that deer butchered and given to food banks, soup kitchens etc. These are often individual donors, local churches, small businesses and others who pay the financial cost of deer processing, so the hunters do not need to pay money when they donate their animal.

We need to strive to provide the best possible meat for families in need. If you are going to donate a deer, donate your best, not your worst.

Listen to the whole podcast episode for so much more.

 

 

 

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