posted by Jim on Dec 31

There is a short and long version to every hunting story. In this case, the short version will be appearing in Deer & Deer Hunting magazine in April or May. What follows is the long version of the Rhino Buck for huntersprostaff. For the third year in a row I drove half way across the country for a short early season hunt with my good friend Dan Maurer in western North Dakota. Dan is an avid bowhunter, lutheran pastor, would-be cowboy, bird hunter extraordinaire, and the proud owner of a little hunting cabin about as far out in the middle of nowhere as you can get. Located near the edge of Missouri National Grasslands the terrain around his place is, needless to say, quite a bit different than the verdant woods of Michigan, in fact, finding a tree big enough to hunt out of is a challenge in itself. With the nearest river bottom over fifty miles away, this is legitimate prairie whitetail hunting, not to mention running into cactus isn’t unusual. The coulees, draws, and buffalo berry patches in the area are just as likely to hold mule deer and pronghorn as whitetails, but nonetheless there is a healthy population of odocoileus virginianus to chase. I like the challenge the prairie presents, the opportunity to change gears a bit, and to spend time with Dan, who through his other worldly connections always makes things interesting. The alarm clock upleasantly jolted me awake seemingly in the middle of the night. Half grudgingly and half eager I sat up and mechanically made for the shower. It was the seventh day of a ten day hunt and with all the walking and hunting I had been doing I was beginning to get run down. When I start to feel fatigued on a hunt I like to jump in the shower before my morning outings. The warm water wakes me up, warms me up, and a pre hunt scent eliminating qualities of a shower is always a good idea anyway. A few minutes later, now awake and clean, I quickly pulled on my underlayers and grabbed by pack from its airtight tub. Just as I was about to walk out the door Dan popped out of his bedroom. Groggily he said “Hey, I have to tell you something. I just dreamt that you shot a huge buck with all kinds of points, and its body was so big it reminded me in my dream of a rhino”  I think my reply was dismissive and something along the lines of “Okay Dan, that’s great, now get up and go hunting.”  A step out the door I had already forgotten about Dan’s premonition. I had a long walk and potentially a long hunt ahead of me. Read the rest … »

posted by Jim on Dec 26

It was the last Saturday in August when I received permission to hunt some property bordering the Flat River near Edmore Michigan. Lynn, the property owner, is a dairy farmer that has gun hunted for many years and has unsuccessfully dabbled in bowhunting the past several years.

We met after a seminar engagement at a local sports shop. He asked if I would be interested in scouting his property, and I told him I just didn’t have the time. His next sentence however, aroused my interest. He said that if I did scout the property that I could also hunt it, well that threw a whole different light on the matter. After all the property was only a half hour from home, and most places I hunt in Michigan are at least 2 hours from home. 

The timing of this new permission couldn’t have come at a better time. Earlier that summer I had lost permission of a 40-acre parcel that I had been hunting since 1997. The owner’s daughter was getting married and her fiancé was a bowhunter, so obviously he was in and I was out. To say the least I was bummed, but that happens all the time in heavily hunted areas if you don’t own or lease your own property, so I was used to it. Even though I had to share that small parcel with 3 other local bowhunters, and I lived nearly 3 hours away, I had been fortunate enough to take 3 good bucks from it.

After a couple phone conversations and pulling up an aerial photo of Lynn’s property to see how it was laid out, we set a date to get started. Lynn told me that there were 2 other bowhunters that he allowed to hunt his property, so I asked the whereabouts of their hunting locations and how frequently they hunted. The season opener was right around the corner and I didn’t want to start out on the wrong foot with the other hunters, so we scouted in a different area that where they normally hunted.

Lynn’s property has about 100 acres of timber that is divided into four small quadrants. A major highway cuts through the center going east and west, and the Flat River runs north to south through the timbers long narrow length. Once on foot I was a bit disappointed in the understudy of the mature timber, or should I say the lack of it. At least 80% of the timber had little to no undergrowth, we’re talking bare dirt here. Read the rest … »

posted by Jim on Dec 20

Anyone who has hunted with me, can tell you that I am about as whacked out on scent control as anyone on this planet!  For me, it starts with a clean body!  I use a no scent  body wash, followed up with a spray down of  Buck Fever Synthetics Vanishing Hunter, than, a no scent under arm deodorant. Than, I wear a layer of Under Armour with Silver, different weights for different seasons.  I then dress in some normal clothes, which have been washed in Scent Lok Wash.  These clothes are just for the ride in the truck.    The clothes I wear in the field go through a process.  These ”field clothes” include; my Scent Lok Base Layers, Scent Lok Suits, Gloves, Hats and Head Covers.  Also, any clothes I may layer with for colder conditions, such as; fleece shirts, my Cabelas Wind Shear vest, or my Hunters Prostaff Skull Caps, are part of my field wear.  These “field clothes” get washed, dried, and only after I use scent free wash on my hands, will I handle them.  I know this sounds crazy, but I am going to make a point.  Why would I go through all this, and then throw these clothes in a garbage bag?  If I am not going to keep my field clothes clean and free of foreign scent, than I might as well wear my work clothes in the field and smoke a big fat stogie in my stand!  People think I am nuts, but I am a believer, and I have the footage from many of my days in the field, where I had deer directly down wind.  I believe in Scent Lok!  I believe in Vanishing Hunter!  I believe in Scent Lok Clothes Wash!  I believe in being clean!  I believe and I have the racks to prove it.  Wild….High Pressured….Nervous….Whitetails…which I fool year after year.  Why?  Because, I believe and I  use the only storage container that keeps my clothes clean and free of foreign scents, a Scent Tote.  How does it work?  Well, first and foremost, it is a sealed container.  I can stop here, but Russ and Scott Strong should get more credit than that.  They developed a technology called Carbon Web, which allows the activated carbon inside it to be totally suspended in a free air circulation format. Without bonding agents to hold it, there’s 100% of the activated-carbon surface area working to adsorb odor. The Carbon Web design also allows for continual release of activated carbon granules throughout the box for maximum scent protection for your garments.  Furthermore, the containers are durable and the carbon web is rechargeable and replaceable.  The technology works, and during the hunting season, I have three of them, in my truck, at all times.  One, for my Scent Lok clothing.  Another, for my back pack, my gear, and safety harness.  And the third, for my layering clothes.  Obviously, Scent Totes are great for keeping your gear organized.  We all know what it is like, when you dont know where your gear may be.  I have each container marked, because I have a process of getting ready in the field.  The boxes come out of the truck.  I spray my hands.  I put down my changing mat.  I remove my driving clothes and boots.  I open up my containers.  Scent Lok Base Layers over my Under Armour.  Layering clothes next.  Scent Lok suit.  Hunting boots. Safety Strap.  Hunting Gear.  Off to the stand.  Sounds easy, doesn’t it?  If you want to put success in your favor, invest in the storage container that works and will last a lifetime! Find Scent Totes in our store under Storage Containers.

posted by Jim on Dec 17

I crawled out of bed about 6:00 a.m., looked out the window and it was a beautiful scene.   I have the house lit up like Clark Griswold in the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”.   The wind and snow were wipping past the window and the scene was reminiscent of a child violently shaking a Snow Globe.  I pondered and paced, wondering what decision to make.  On one hand, I kept thinking about the last three times out, where I did not see a deer.  On the other, I thought if I could get close to where the deer were hunkered down, I could ease into the bedding areas, with the wind and snow in my face.  Maybe, I could make something happen.  After all, it is December 16th, smack in the middle of muzzleloader season in Michigan, and I have one more buck tag.  The kids were sleeping, my wife was out like a light.  I could watch the Sportsmans Channel or I could get motivated and get my butt out there.  Well, there was no rush.  I made some coffee, checked the weather channel, got my gear together and I headed out as the light began to break.  I think the timing was good.  The wind was out of the WNW, howling at 25 -35 mph and snowing like mad!  I eased my way down the South side of the thick bedding area walking from East to West.  Within the first 10 minutes of my slow creep, through the thicket, I had my scope on a nice 8 point buck.  I had seen him several times this year and he will be something next year.  He was with two other yearling bucks, and 8 does were lying 20 yards behind them.  The visability was poor at best, and the deer were covered in white fluff.  Hard to spot, other than noticing their horizontal shapes in an otherwise vertical thicket of redbrush.  I stayed on one knee admiring their strength and beauty in such nasty conditions.  What an amazing animal.  Resiliant and content,  in conditions I had to talk myself into, over a hot cup of coffee.  I checked all the deer and did not notice a big buck lurking amongst them.  I moved on slowly, using the wind  to cover my scent and sounds. 

Read the rest … »

posted by Jim on Dec 15

Yeah, that’s right.  I said it and I’m man enough to admit it. What are the similarities you may ask, how could I make such an unthoughtful comparison?  Well, let’s get started. If neglected, even the slightest amount you will eventually pay the price. If there is no communication and no verbal affection is shown, especially before the shot praying for it to go off, you will pay the price. Not spending enough quality one on one time especially at the range, you will pay the price. If you leave her zipped up and in the dark for 11 months out of the year LOADED….you will pay. Let these words of wisdom help lead you down the path of least resistance. This is a road that I have crawled down in my early years as a wannabe mountain man. Finicky…..fussy…picky…stubborn…spoiled…needy….and SOB are a few adjectives that apply. (To the weapon) I have personally shot my 3 biggest bucks with my smoke pole. I love my Ultimate Muzzleloader and put all my shotguns away for deer season. They have come a long way, and unless you are hunting an area where running and multiple shots may be the norm, one shot is my choice. And,  no matter the improvements in black powder weapons, it’s still a one shot deal. Reloading is a tedious scramble at best, and under pressure, bordering on impossible. Anyone just starting out and buying a break open action gun with easy to get to and remove breech plug with a 209 primer really has missed the good ole days of side lock Hawkens and Renegades with the number 11 caps. Wow, did I screw up some chip shots on deer back then, to the infamous “POP” with no boom. If that happens to you now, you may want to think about water aerobics with granny to pass the time this winter. Today’s guns are no brainers and accurate beyond most guys abilities. I believe all the deer I shot with black powder up until 10 years ago were always a little more special because of the equipment and honestly wondering if it was going to fire! Once I started taking off the nipple and dropping in a few granules of powder my boom rate went to 100%. None of that is needed today but you still need to figure out a pet load for your setup. Take what you can from these next few tips and I promise something will help you when you head out to sight in your muzzleloader. Buy 500 patches…you are going to need them! New or old you should have a light coating of oil in your barrel, so make sure to run a dry patch down before you start. Fire a cap or primer with no powder or bullet to blow out anything that may be in the breech plug area. Now you’re clean and ready to load. Backing up a step, if you by chance have a loaded weapon from last year, God forbid, pull your plug and drive the entire mess out the backdoor and clean the barrel. ALL black powder guns will and do rust and you will have at the very least, a fouling or crud ring just past your breech plug that needs to be gone. If your barrel has noticeable rust, you may have lost your barrel to pitting, as well as rust in your lands or rifling and you can throw accuracy right out the door. But, you can get some Flitz metal polish or an SOS pad, with PB Blaster and soak your barrel for an hour.  Then, start scrubbing with a patch of the steel wool. I saved 2 guns, (not mine) this year with this trick, and they both shot great when I finished. You have to get in the lands to remove as much rust as possible to allow the sabot to expand into them and spin your bullet or no two bullets will hit the same spot.  If you are shooting pellets, just use one pellet at 50 grains to get your first few shots on paper at 25 yards. And, yes it will shoot just fine. Whether you shoot pellets, or loose powder, you must seat the sabot and bullet against it, with the SAME amount of pressure every time to achieve consistent accuracy. Mark your ramrod with something you can see even at dusk or dawn for the proper depth and pay attention each time you load. With my gun, I use a steady constant pressure with my ramrod and when it stops I stop. No jumping up and down on the rod or bouncing it repeatedly against your projectile. You don’t want to crush your pellets or disfigure the shape of your bullet. Any polymer tip or pointed bullets need to be seated with a hollow tip on your ramrod to prevent this. Get one and use it. You must clean between shots, period!  I have my gun in a cleaning vise pointed down a little. Why? So a whole bunch of water or solvent does not run into my plug rendering my weapon useless. My first patch is wet, so it won’t get jammed in the barrel with the ramrod. Not dripping, but wet. Take a few strokes, and remove the patch and flip it over and repeat. Depending on your powder choice, you may have to do this 3 or 4 times, or however many as necessary to come out with light grey color on the patch, but, no black. Then, use a dry patch to finish the job.  Most guys now shoot 2 pellets at 50 grains of powder each to simplify things, with no problems. However, I have seen guns shoot terrible with 100 grains of loose powder but fantastic with 90 grains. So, keep that in mind. Very few of my friends shoot their magnum guns with 150 grains of powder. The recoil is much more noticeable and can lead to a common flinching problem that you want to avoid. Stick with 100 grains of powder and you will shoot right through most of your deer at normal hunting ranges with a weapon that is a pleasure to shoot. Read the rest … »

posted by Jim on Dec 14

Why is she the sunshine girl?  Well, because I am quoting her husband, Jim’s statement when he received the phone call in the first hour, of the first morning of our Illinois hunt.  It kind of went like this…..   It was a crazy morning, because the wind was howling about 25 mph.   As I ascended up the 9 sets of Gorilla sticks to make it to the first stand, I looked up another 8 feet, at where I was going to be perched with my camera.  Needless to say, I was a little on edge trying to set up the camera arm.  As I began to get settled in and the sun began to rise, I noticed Jim reaching for his phone.  I had hoped he was reaching for his bow, so we could get the shot, so I could get down.  But nooooo!  We were just receiving a call from Elaine.  She was in her stand for 45 minutes and she had a buck on the ground.   When Jim was done listening to the message, he looked up at me with a huge, smiling, grin and said, “Elaine just shot a huge buck!  She is the Sunshine Girl! ”  He has good reason for naming her this because on every hunt the two of them go on, she seems to have the best of luck.  A few years back, she shot the biggest buck in camp.  Last year, on the first day of her bear hunt, she shot a huge Pope and Young Bear.  This year, a great big buck on the first morning!  Luck has something to do with it, but her skills close the deal!  And, we all know how tough that can be on a trophy animal.  She shot this buck at just under 40 yards.  She had one shooting lane to do it in.  She shoots a Ross Bow and Carbon Express Maxima Arrows tipped with a Tight Point Shuttle T-Lock broad head.  What is amazing is she blew through this 250lb bucks chest, a complete pass through, and she only pulls 50 lbs.  For all you guys who think you need to pull 80lbs, this is a good lesson!  The buck went 30 yards and didn’t know what hit him.  The Sunshine Girl was in town and she got it done again!  Congratulations, Elaine!  We are all proud of you and it takes a man to admit it, however, I am just a little jealous of your success.  Now, cut it out and let your husband shine for once!  haha

posted by Webmaster on Dec 10

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members, mounted buck on a decal they can put on their vehicle. It is simple. Take a picture of the mounted animal, a hunting dog, mounted fish, or provide us with an in the field photo and we will make a full color decal. We can convert any picture onto decals, coffee or beer mugs, posters, clothing, mouse pads and much, much more. Now, that is a personal gift they will be excited about!

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Thank you for your continued support!  Happy Holidays!

Jim Lombardi
President & Founder
Hunters Prostaff, Ltd.

posted by Jim on Dec 9

Could it get any better? Not only do you get the regular prescribed amount of daily time with her, that you cherish so much, but now there is a chance you can actually double that by taking her into the woods.   Outstanding! I have walked this white line down the middle of the interstate, so let me fill you in on a few small footnotes, if you are thinking of heading in this direction. Let us look at all the good things. Her first hero shot with the big one, whatever it may be, it’s a trophy. That picture is truly worth a million bucks. It means as a team you were both successful and you will let out a noticeable sigh of relief and the weight of a thousand camels will be lifted off your back. You’ll also get to shop for more weapons, clothes, and other outdoor products that may be nicer than what you have. Read the rest … »

posted by Jim on Dec 4

Well, the bow season is back in swing in Michigan.  Or, is it? Michigan’s bow season is usually over on November 14th, due to state legislatures need for money and additional seasons.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not standing on a soap box and saying we shouldn’t have gun and muzzle-loader seasons.  I enjoy those opening days, as well.  However, our deer do not get a break and a late bow season should be just that!  Bow hunting is my favorite thing to do and this season was filled with some glorious days in the field.  I was able to harvest two Nice bucks and two beautiful does for the freezer, all with my bow.   I hunted approximately 6 days of the 15 day gun season and never squeezed the trigger.  Why?  Because, I don’t shoot the first buck that walks by, in the hopes that others will do the same.  As a matter of fact, I passed on 7 bucks opening day of gun season.  The biggest was a year and half old 8 point with great potential.   Back to the subject at hand.  Michigan begins it’s firearms season on November 15th.  It runs 15 days, ending on the 30th.  Late bow season opens on December 1st and runs through January 1st.  Sounds good, right.  Well, on December 7th, the smoke poles will begin to bark for 14 days in lower Michigan and the season will be overlapped with late doe season, where you may harvest does with a gun from December 17th through January 1st.  In summary, Michigan’s gun season goes from November 15th to January 1st, because there are many people out there who never stop gun hunting  for the ” 7 day break” and if you think some of these people aren’t harvesting bucks during late doe season, you are mistaken.  In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons Michigan is not considered to be a “Trophy” state.  I am interested in your opinions.  I would personally be pleased to see two five day gun seasons, a five day muzzle-loader season, a one buck per person harvest, and manage the herd with appropriate doe tags per quotas for specific areas.  Am I out of my mind?  Or, would this plan put better bucks in front of us year after year.  I know many hunters would think a lot more about shooting that 6 point buck on opening day of bow season, with 90 days left to try to harvest a mature buck!  Let me know your thoughts!  I will be in the woods on the 7th with my Thompson Center Omega in the hopes of launching my new Parker Extreme Ballistic Tip Bullet at a mature buck.  I am pretty excited about it, since I recently sited it in with 2 inch groups at 150 yards!  Good luck to everyone and be careful out there and most of all, try not to hang your bow up for the rest of season.  A late season buck or doe is an awesome accomplishment!