We here at Back 40 have not given up on the season quite yet, we have filled a few tags over the course of the archery season and rifle hunts but just can’t stop chasing deer until they tell us we have to. This is the time of year where it takes a little more motivation to get out of a nice warm bed to go sit in a cold stand for a couple hours in the morning, it can almost start feeling like a job especially when you have been hunting your tail off all fall and passed up all of those little bucks and does in hopes that you can have a chance to draw back on that buck you have been watching all summer. These are the realities of bowhunting trophy class deer, they are not hiding around every tree and you have to put in your time to get a chance at one.

I reside in a state that gets a lot of gun pressure and are season falls right during the peak of the rut, so I know the reality of my situation and don’t have images of 190 inch whitetails running around but at the same time I have to keep that positive attitude every time I walk into the woods, I know for certain that the one time I go in not prepared 100% will be the time I have my chance and the outcome will not be what I want. Hunting whitetails in late Nov. and Dec. may not be as enjoyable as those warm Sept. nights but the deer are still there and sometimes you just have to hit it a little harder than the next guy.

Good luck the remainder of the season and congrats to Pro Staff Member Ryan Mc Kittrick on nocking down a nice Wisconsin northwoods buck yesterday with his rifle.

As I sit and look at all of my bow hunting gear laid out on the floor for the upcoming season, I can’t help but laugh at all of the “stuff” us bow hunters need nowadays to hunt. It got me thinking a little bit about what products I could leave at home and still feel confident that I could have a good chance at harvesting game. There are a few things in my bag of tricks that most likely will just take up space in my Badlands pack all fall, only getting used once or twice with no measurable results.

If you asked me what products I couldn’t go without other than the mandatory tools I wouldn’t have to think about it. All of my hunts start and end the same, the Dead Down Wind scent prevention system. If you are not familiar with DDW let me quickly summarize.  They are a company based out of Missouri that strives to perfect scent prevention at a scientific and molecular level. In the conversations I have had with the folks over at DDW I have learned more about big game animals olfactory senses than out of any magazine articles that I have ever read. Did you know a deer can detect up to seven different odors at once?  Did you know that a whitetail actually has two different olfactory senses? These are just a few of the things that DDW has focused on to give us the best scent prevention products out there.

DDW is NOT a cover scent manufacturer! Their product eliminates odors, plain and simple. Not only does it eliminate your body odors, but any other odors you may have picked up after you went through all the steps to staying scent free. DDW has a three step system for the consumer to use in helping them be as scent free as possible. I am a firm believer in their products and ask you to give them a try or al least check them out on the web (www.deaddownwind.com).  They have a whole new line for 2010 that I feel really has a use in the field and represents the highest standards of scent control products.

Stay tuned to www.backfortyoutdoors.com for the upcoming season as we head to the badlands for Mule Deer and hit the woods in the mid west for giant whitetails.

I think I speak for all of us at Back 40 when I say none of us would feel real confident if we walked into the woods or sage country without knowing our equipment was dead on. It is very surprising to me the number of so called bow hunters that I have talked to that think it’s funny that they don’t “dust” off the old bow until the day or maybe the day before the season opens. This is about the least responsible thing as an archer or hunter we could possibly do. We have heard it a thousand times how we owe it to the animal to harvest it quickly and I hate to beat a dead horse but that is what it all comes down to.

So what type of practice makes you a better shot? The answer to that is any type of practice.  Everyone has a different type of schedule and I realize that there are many variables that can hamper how much practice one can get. The main objective is to first find YOUR maximum effective range. I don’t care how far your buddies can shoot or the guy on T.V I want you to feel 100% confident in every one of your pins on your sight. If you can hold 6 arrows in a pie plate at 50 yards and at 55 yards your arrows start to spread dramatically I would say 50 is your range. Once you have figured your MER, I like to start out each session with my first arrow being the most important, remember there are no warm ups shooting at animals.

If you are in shape you will probably be able to shoot 30-40 arrows no problem but after a few sessions you will definitely know how many arrows are too many. I personally have switched from a more is better to a short and sweet type format while shooting. Time restraints and extreme heat this summer have helped me make the switch, and honestly I think I am shooting the best I ever have.   This could also be due to awesome equipment like my Elite Judge. I like to shoot at least 5-10 arrows from each of my yardages. Some days I will start from the farthest and work closer or vise versa, mix it up and have fun with it and you will look forward to shooting rather than dreading it. 

Also take advantage of 3-D shoots and shooting with friends and be ready to take a ribbing once and a while but don’t forget to give it back when deserved. Also try finishing every shooting session with a nice tight group of arrows no matter from what distance. Stay tuned to Back 40 for more tips and product reviews, not much time left before we hit the woods.

I look forward to the ATA almost as much as opening day of Archery season. Over the past few years I have made some very good friends through out the industry and enjoy meeting new people every year, not to mention the massive amount of archery gear you get to play with. I had the chance to play around with a few new accessories and check out some of the newest bows on the market. I think one of the hottest items I seen was the whole new line of add-on that Badlands Back Packs has to offer. They are offering pockets for range finders, cameras, and everything in between to add on to your current Badlands pack. They also unveiled a pack line built specificaly for women. But the one I am most excited about is a new pack called the Sacrifice, 3500 cubic inches of space internal pack frame, and all the other great features of Badlands but only weighing in at 3.9 pounds dry weight. I can’t wait to give her a try in North Dakota this fall. They will be offering the pack in Max-1 and AP, the picture I posted is a prototype pack.

One other product that I will be giving a try is the new Montana Black Gold Ascent sight. The Ascent is a slider style sight that you have the choice of a one,three, or four pin scope. Montana also offers any type of customizing on pin colors and sizes so you can virtually build your sight to your liking. The ascent is built super tough and with a very simple micro adjust system looks to be a very user friendly sight to work with. If you ever get a chance to make it to a ATA show I would highly suggest doing so. Stay tuned to Back 40 Outdoors for more reviews from the 2010 ATA show.