One of  the greatest joys I have  is taking my daughter, Moriah, to the woods. Moriah has evolved into quite the little huntress and
I again got to spend another memorable afternoon in the Double Bull blind with her. We were working 2 toms that were gobbling at everything we threw at them for over an hour.
Finally they made a move and came into the clover field that we were set up on and went straight to the decoy. With both birds at 25 yards and me waiting to hear the report of the Benelli,
Moriah asks,” which one is bigger?” Mind you that both of these Toms are trophy birds. I tell her the one with his head up and she fires…and misses. Both birds jump up and fly about 80 yards away, land,  and go into full strut. Here is where the story gets good. When we headed out that afternoon I loaded up the My Benelli SBE2 with a 2 3/4 inch in the chamber and then 2   3 1/2 inch heavy shot in the magazine, when she missed the first bird a 3 1/2 was now loaded. Well we were waiting for the birds to calm down and try to call them back in and out walks the most majestic looking bird I have ever seen, a smokey grey tom turkey and he was now at 20 yards. Moriah put the bead on his head not knowing that she was about to get knocked on her can!!  At the sound of the shot I swear her feet hit the top of the blind. It didn’t matter to Moriah, her bird was down. An unusual bird it was, odd colored  8 inch beard and no spurs. It only weighed 16 pounds.  We are going to do a full mount  to preserve the memorable afternoon afield spent between father and daughter.

Kim doesn’t have to prove herself anymore.  She has her game face on every time she enters a new season.  This wasn’t just another day.  It was a day she has been looking forward to,  for a long time.  Putting in countless hours at work,  just waiting for a free day to hunt with her best guide, Jed Speiser.  They spend a lot of time together joking around, but when it comes to spending time in the woods, Kim becomes very serious.  Since Jed introduced her to the sport, she has become a bit crazy about hunting.  As the pictures show, she has done it again.  According to Jed, the rain was coming down and  there wasn’t much action all morning,  but they stuck to it.  By mid day, during a break in the weather, one gobble erupted and the game was on.  Jed called the bird to 8 yards and Kim did the rest with her 20 gauge.  Congratulations.  I hope many women out there read this and are motivated to try the sport of hunting.  Good luck to all of you men out there.  I know its tough to swallow when the little lady shows you up!   By the way, if you cant tell by the picture…..  23 1/2 lbs…………10 3/8 beard……..1 3/8 sharp spurs..great bird! 

It was an incredible morning with the biggest group of toms and hens together that I believe I have ever had the privilege of calling to. It made for some awesome video footage.  Justin filmed the hunt and I had messed up and tried to shoot what we think was actually the same bird we had encountered earlier in the morning.  

He strutted straight away from me at the decoys. I put it low on the back of his fan and hit right where I wanted, but it ended up that I must have miss-judged the placement, hitting him a
bit high and I just caught feathers.   Body shot placement is crucial when hunting turkeys with a bow, therefore, it is essential to understand the vital zone from all angles and practice often.

The bird rejoined the group and we filmed some awesome toms and eventually called another that broke off and I put a good shot on him this time. We were able to get video footage of several hens getting bred, as well.  It was a great first outing for the year and I wish I could have gotten it done right the initial time, so Justin could have had a crack at one, but the season is young. Also, I totally missed the fact that the bird had a double beard until I got home to clean it. He had about a 5 inch short beard and the thick one was right at 10″. Spurs were only around 1″, so I think he might have just been a big 2 year old bird. Good luck to all Hunters Prostaff readers and I’ll keep you posted, as I am now going to try for a headshot only, for the rest of the season.  In Kansas, we are allowed two birds, so I am planning to challenge my bow hunting skills with a G5 small game head.  Aim small and miss small.  The greatest thing about that is it is a kill or a miss, with no in between.  I will let you know how we do and I will be filming many other family and friends this season. 

Does size really matter?  Ah, the ever popular question. Well, I am here to tell you that it may indeed to some folks, but not to this young man in the picture. This is Cody Speiser, an up and coming outdoorsman holding his first shed antler. How refreshing to get back to the basics of just plain being out in the woods and enjoying yourself.        Oh sure the giant rack on the skull is a trophy find in anyone’s book but do you think a young man will remember what it scored or more importantly even care. That QDM candidate shed put a grin on his face for most of the day. Along with finding, a turkey feather lying under the roost tree, he was having a great day in the woods.        Everything from fresh tracks of the deer we had kicked up to piles of hair and droppings had to be discussed and explained, as to the what, where, and why. All this information I’m sure is now forever logged in my sons head to be called on at the play ground during a heated recess discussion about hunting.        I’m keeping this entry short and simple because that’s the point for me these days. This industry will change you into something I don’t want to be and yesterday really made me re-think what is really important in my life, and where the simple enjoyment went to from my youth. No more “What did it score”….”BBD”…..”Oh you shot it with a gun”….”Why would you shoot a doe”….BLAH….BLAH…BLAH…. My cup has officially over flown with one liners. Thanks to a great awakening day in the woods for a dad that almost slipped over the edge into the empty abyss of peer pressure. If anyone needs me I’ll be shooting sparrows with a BB gun, with the hunter that taught me the most important thing about why I hunt! I love ya Codes…Dad                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Spring is here!  I don’t really believe it, because they are calling for 6 to 9 inches of snow today.   But, one thing is for sure, when the days start to get longer and the geese show up on the frozen lake,  I start thinking about turkey hunting.  It is such a welcoming thought,  after a few months off from deer hunting, and even the predator rifle is retired to the closet.  As an all around sportsperson, you have a lot to look forward to, as the seasons change.  For me, spring represents turkeys, morels, and introducing kids to the outdoors. 

Why is turkey hunting such a great sport?  I like it because it is another game in the outdoors which involves the calling of the wild.  Any time you can get an animal to respond to your calling, it just makes the hair stand up on your neck.  Hearing a big Tom turkey gobble in response to your ability to mimic a fly down cackle, is like a kid opening his first gift on Christmas morning.  I get a  grin from ear to ear and my heart starts beating a million miles an hour.  It makes the long walk and the set up all worth while.  I have had the privilege of guiding many into the dark and into a turkey blind.  I always love to see peoples eyes light up,  as they hear the first gobble, especially when it is coming from a lot closer than expected!  Young and old, the facial expressions are like a kid in a candy store.  Read the rest … »

 It was opening morning 2007 and a friend of mine was hunting one of his best locations. Just after daylight three bucks strolled into view, a spike and two mature ten pointers. The first buck that came into range was one of the big ones. Sitting in his treestand my friend was unable to draw, because he was silhouetted and in plain sight of the other two bucks. He just couldn’t move. Thinking he would surely get a shot at the second big buck, he waited. Both the second ten pointer and the spike meandered in close, to ten yards, but unfortunately on the wrong side of the tree. Despite his best efforts, my friend was unable to draw because the trunk was in the way. Both mature bucks casually meandered away unscathed, never to be seen again. Has this ever happened to you? Most bowhunters with a few years under their belts have had this experience. It is common knowledge that mature bucks tend to approach at unexpected angles, and do the unexpected. It is also a fact that even in moderately pressured areas you usually won’t get a second opportunity at a mature buck. You simply have to take advantage of the opportunities when they arise. But how can you do this? The answer is simple, but will require a change in your current thinking regarding treestand use. Its time to start bowhunting Saddle Style. 

History of Sling and Saddle Hunting

 Hunting slings have been around for a long time. The beginning was made about thirty years ago when the Anderson Treesling came on the market. I got my hands on a Treesling only a couple years after their inception and have been hunting from this type of system ever since. The Treesling has been followed through the years by several other manufacturers with similar designs and ideas. The development has recently culminated with the Tree Saddle line manufactured by Trophyline. I currently use one of their Ambush Saddles, so the use of this is what I will focus this article on. The main concept is to hang in a tree out of a sling, without a platform of any kind. For longtime treestand users this might sound quite unorthodox, cumbersome, and uncomfortable. The reality though is just the opposite.  

Saddle Advantages

 The advantages of Saddle Style hunting are numerous. The first advantage to hunting out of a Saddle is an increased shooting zone. While hunting from a treestand there is always about a 90° area behind the tree where it is impossible to shoot. This unshootable quarter is eliminated by use of a Saddle system. Instead of your feet resting on a platform, you place treesteps around the tree. This allows you to swing around the trunk and shoot in any direction. Of course, when you set up a tree you make it so that your main anticipated shot is such that you don’t have to move, but if that buck comes in from the wrong side you can still make the shot.  The next main advantage of hunting from a Saddle is general mobility. A Saddle itself weighs only a couple pounds, and can be worn while walking in the woods. A compliment of accompanying tree-steps only weighs a couple more pounds. The total weight is far less than even the lightest treestand, and not nearly as bulky. This gives a bowhunter more mobility from the get-go. Who likes to carry a treestand through the woods anyway? Mobility is also increased in another sense. There are far fewer limitations to what trees you can hunt out of while using a Saddle. It is possible to hunt just about anywhere there is a tree big enough to climb. The situation becomes more of finding a good hunting location and making a tree work, instead of finding a tree where you can hang a stand. It is possible to hunt from a saddle in trees with a trunk size of six inches to several feet in diameter. I have even hunted out of giant cottonwoods where it would be impossible to hang a treestand.  Another reason to use a Saddle is cover. When you sit in a Saddle you half lean/sit away from the tree which makes you look like part of the trunk, or at least a large branch. This is an advantage over sitting on display in a treestand. Even more important though is that when deer approach from a certain direction you can move around the tree, keeping the trunk between you and them. When you do this there is nothing for the deer to see except your feet on your steps, and perhaps an eye peeking around the trunk. In a treestand you are stuck out in the open, and have no place to hide, when deer cross to where they can see you. Allowing deer to pass totally unaware of your presence is a big step to success on mature bucks. Most of the time they are the last ones to show up. If the deer before them pick you out, those mature bucks are far less likely to show themselves.  And there is more. One major problem with treestands is theft. Leave a treestand in the woods and it might just not be there when you return, especially if you hunt public land or heavily hunted private property. Since you keep your Saddle with you. There is no concern that it might not be there when you return to a tree to hunt. There are also no metal parts, making the Saddle almost completely silent. You are probably wondering about the safety and comfort of  a Saddle. All Tree Saddles are TMA certified, and are almost impossible to fall out of. They come with a climbing harness and leg and shoulder straps. You are attached to the tree at all times. I feel so comfortable in mine that I doze quite a bit hanging comfortably in my tree. Set up correctly, these are the most comfortable stands on the market. Incorporating a Tree Saddle into your selection of hunting tools could make a huge difference in your bowhunting success. It has increased the Eberhart’s bowhunting success dramatically. For more detailed information about how to use a Saddle please visit: www.eberhartsbowhunting.com

“When he stands, he can look into a second story window!”This guy shot a 2,000 pound Grizzly!”" The bear’s claws were 13 inches across!” 

I have personally read the above mentioned quotes and others like them in publications and on the internet. While they make for interesting reading, much of what you read about brown and grizzly bears is absolutely false. In the past 10 years I have spent over 300 days guiding for brown bears and grizzly bears in Alaska. I have had several clients harvest bears that exceed the B+C record book minimums. Almost everything I know about bears has come from my personal experience of hunting for, and literally living with these bears. Below are some common misconceptions and questions about brown and grizzly bears, and bears in general.

Myth: Grizzly bears and Brown bears are completely different bears.

Truth: A grizzly bear is a brown bear that lives further inland. A brown bear lives near salt water and feeds primarily on salmon. A grizzlies’ diet often contains fish, but usually caribou, moose, rodents, berries, roots, and grasses are at the top of the menu. A “Kodiak” brown bear is just like any other brown bear, but it lives on Kodiak Island. There is no other difference between the two. Genetically they are the same bear. Their geographic locations distinguish them. This all varies, but for the most part any bear that is 100 miles or more away from saltwater is a grizzly, and any bear within 100 miles is a brown bear.

Myth: Grizzly bears are the biggest bears in North America.

Truth: I would estimate that a mature male Alaskan brown bear boar weighs about 2,000 pounds in the fall of the year. (Bears typically lose up to 30% of the body weight by spring.) The average weight of adult male grizzlies that my hunters have taken is 500-600 pounds. Often time’s interior grizzlies are forced to hibernate over 2 months longer than their coastal counterparts. This is also a large factor in the size difference. If you don’t eat, you don’t grow. However, “coastal grizzlies” are often as big as a brown bear; this is because they are basically brown bears. They live in similar environments, and have diets like that of a brown bear, but they are classified as grizzly bears by some record books for various reasons that I am unable to understand. In these areas an average bear will meet or exceed most record book minimums. This is the reason why the price tag for one of these “coastal grizzlies” is so high. I have heard many different reports on the size of Polar bears from many clients and friends in the hunting world. I have gathered that polar bears are typically longer in body size and often “square” more than a brown bear, but in general brown bears weigh slightly more then a polar bear.

Truth: Most people (every Alaskan guide I know) “square” a bears’ hide using this method:

1-Lay the skinned bear hide out on a flat surface.

2-Pull the nose until the tail moves and lay the nose down. 

3-Measure from the tip of nose to the end of tail.

4-Pull one front paw until the other moves and lay that paw down.

5-Measure from the longest claw to longest claw.

6-Add measurements and divide by two.

This gives you the “square” of the bear. A 10’ bear will typically measure 11’ front claw to claw, and 9’ nose to tail.

Truth: Grizzly bears have earned their reputation for being mean. Though they are smaller, they are typically more aggressive. Because grizzlies live further inland, they have longer, colder winters and thus require more fat to survive the winters. For this reason grizzlies are more opportunistic hunters. Usually a brown bear won’t even look twice at a caribou or moose, because they have an abundance of easy-to-get salmon that provide much more fat and protein than any ungulate. Any living creature is viewed as food to grizzly bear. Though they are smaller, I am much more wary in grizzly bear country than I am when in the coastal, brown bear country. Read the rest … »