Many people consider rabbit hunting cruel and inhuman. Others, however, consider rabbit hunting as a sport that demands skill and patience. Some even feel rabbit hunting requires more skill than whitetail deer hunting.

A lot of people prefer using dogs while hunting rabbits. This is due to the fact that dogs help a lot in b ringing rabbits out in the open and also help lead the hunter to the area where the rabbit population is dense. Additionally, a dog makes a great hunting companion, enabling the hunter to have a friend to accompany him apart from his rifle of course. There are, of course, many others who prefer not to hunt with any dog, and that in itself is another experience.

It is very important to learn the factors and traits that are involved with rabbits when one is attempting to hunt without a dog. The hunter should put himself in the rabbit’s shoes and learn all the food stops and pathways that the rabbit follows as this information helps in making the rabbit hunt a success. Therefore it is important to think like a rabbit. Of course you should not get so carried away that you lose all interest in the hunt itself. Think enough to hunt, not enough to give up.

The first few days of spring are the best days to go rabbit hunting. At this time, the rabbits are likely to be basking in the sun and grazing in open fields. This is the best opportunity for you to start hunting your game. The spring is a better hunting season than winter when it comes to rabbits as it is in this time that they will come out more and are more likely to be visible to your naked eye. Rabbits usually stick to brambles and brush cover in the winter as they like to hide their tracks from bloodhounds at this time.

You must keep in mind that rabbits have a habit of running side to side. This does not mean you go on firing randomly in the open without actually watching the rabbit carefully. If you observe patiently, you will be able to notice repeated steps that you can easily track. Rabbits run for a short while in a short line, darting in jagged hops and changing pace till it reaches safe cover. With this information, you need to effectively track and shoot the rabbit before it hops down its hole and out of your sight.

A lot of hunters make too much noise or move too quickly while hunting rabbits. Elmer Fudd, on being asked the best opportunities for rabbit hunting, will tell you the best hunting technique when it comes to rabbits is slowly stalking the rabbit before taking a shot at it from your huge gun. The truth is, your technique needs to lie somewhere in between these two. If you charge haphazardly into a field and shoot blindly in all directions, chances are you will not shoot down even one rabbit, but this does not mean you do not have to assert yourself.

The stop and go technique is perhaps the best overall technique when it comes to hunting rabbits. This method is exactly what the words mean. In essence, the stop and go method involves tiptoeing while stalking the rabbit and moving closer and closer to it. As you begin to understand the rabbit’s pattern of movement, you can eventually take a shot at it and if you have done well, you will have a rabbit to take home. In case you miss, exercise care, as some rabbits are known to bite.

I would like to share with you the importance of the rub and what it means to me when whitetail deer hunting. I have read allot of articles in magazines and watched many video’s that emphasize the importance of finding and hunting the rub line and that’s it with no further details. Well I can tell you that if you head out into the woods, find a whitetail rub, place your deer stand, start hunting, you have a chance of seeing that buck because at one particular time that buck was there. The questions we have while sitting there waiting are. Will he be back? When he returns what direction will he come from? Where is he bedding? How big is this buck? Please keep in mind these are pre-rut tips.

Will he be back? When I head out into the woods scouting I don’t spend much time looking for tracks or feeding areas. I try to cover as much ground as I can seeking one thing, the rub line. What I call a rub line is at least a half dozen trees that have been rubbed within a 75 yard distance. This indicates to me the buck has been thru the area more than once. You should also make a note of the rubs and monitor for new activity.

What direction will he come from? After you locate a rub line take a close look at all the rubs. The majority of the rubs will on one side of the tree. He will be coming from that direction.

Where is he bedding? When you find the direction he is coming from that will be the direction he is bedding. It is my experience that after bedding for the day bucks get restless wanting to rub as soon as the get up. I would like to add with that said you will sometimes see cluster rubs close to a bedding area. Cluster rubs are what I call multiple rubs close together or sometimes in the same cluster of saplings. After locating cluster rubs I will often try to get a stand setup at that location. I have walked these rub lines backwards intentionally trying to jump the buck to see if he is a shooter. This tactic has worked for me in the past after jumping the buck I will setup a stand then leave the area alone. I will return to these bedding areas after a week or so depending on if it rains.

How big is this buck? I know there are many theories on this subject and this is from my personal experience only. I believe that only early in the season will a bigger buck tend to rub on a smaller tree. As the rut gets closer the more mature buck will look for the larger trees. When you locate the rubs on the larger trees, look at the height of the rub. The bucks get more aggressive as the rut closes in and when getting down and dirty against a big tree the deer has more force when keeping his neck in line with his back, and this will sometimes indicate how tall the deer is.

I hope you find these tips useful; they have helped me harvest many bucks on both private and public hunting areas.

Mountain Bike Trails

So got tired of bass fishing and deer hunting and you purchased a mountain bike and you have been riding for awhile. You are getting faster and more courageous on your mountain bike but you are getting bored riding on the same trails. You and your friends have realized that you need new trail excitement in your life.

So you have talked to your deer hunting friends and people at the local bike shop for more information about trails in the area. Most of them pointed you back to the trails that you are familiar with but some have introduced you to a new trail or two.

To add to you trail information many of us in the mountain bike community suggest you try a very handy directory. This is a Google directory that lists sites which contain trail information. Once you browse the directory you will be surprised at all of the trails that riders have documented. I have found that no one site has all of the trail information so you have to browse through the directory.

The web address below will help you find the local mountain bike trails in your region. The link is a Google directory of mountain bike websites that list trail information. Most of the trails listed contain directions to the trail head so you know where you are going. So check it out it is pretty helpful.

By Troy Bennett

It’s hard to beat a buzzbait for big ol’ largemouth bass.  There is something about the agitation of a buzzer to get a bigmouth bass’s motor running.

Buzzbaits don’t work all the time, but at certain moments during the fishing day, nothing will touch a buzzbait for catching really big bass.

You can improve on a buzzbait with a few tinkering tricks.  One thing I like to do with my buzzbaits is to drill a quarter-inch hole in the fins.  Just drill the hole right in the center of each blade.  This causes much more commotion and water disturbance to help attract nearby bass.  Also be sure to sharpen the hooks.  They may look and feel sharp, but touching the hooks up with a sharpening stone can help your strike to catch ratio.  If you’re plagued with short strikers, just add a trailer hook to eliminate that problem.

Buzzing the lure across the surface can bring really explosive strikes.  One important time:  be sure to lower the rod immediately when a bass strikes, count to three, and set the hook.  Too many times if you react too quickly you’ll take the lure away from the bass.  Don’t be too quick on the rigger.

Colors really don’t matter when it comes to buzzbaits.  I tend to favor white, but that’s just my personal preference.

By T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors

The Primary Breeding Phase, Post Primary Breeding Phase and Rest Phase

By early November whitetail deer scraping may have already peaked. From early to late November the majority of the does should be in estrus, and the bucks should be cruising, chasing and breeding does, which causes scraping and rubbing to tail off. But, the bucks may still be scraping and checking scrapes near nighttime food sources, and in travel corridors. Scout to locate buck rub routes and feeding areas, back track rub routes to locate buck core areas and bedding sites. Hunt all day. By mid to late November many of the older does have been bred, and some of the older bucks may return to their core areas to rest, where you can hunt them during the day. Some older does may still be in estrus and some doe fawns may come into estrus. Some older bucks may continue scraping and some younger bucks may begin scraping as they look for does. Hunt all day.

How Nutrition and Health Affect Breeding Activity

It’s not often talked about, but researchers have discovered that poor nutrition can affect not only the timing of the rut, but also the activities of the rut. During one of Karl Miller and Larry Marchinton’s studies in Georgia it was found that the number of rubs in an area were related to the mast (acorn) abundance, and that during years of little mast production, rub densities were reduced by thirty to sixty percent. Rubs were less common in pine and mixed pine-oak stands than in oak or primarily oak and pine stands. It was thought that the presence of rubs in mast producing areas was because of the type of food, not necessarily because of the type of trees in the area. Regeneration areas and cove hardwood types were avoided as rub sites on all the Georgian study areas, and old field situations were highly favored as rub sites. I find this to be true in the upper Midwest too; bucks rub more near oaks when they are dropping acorns, and near agricultural and old field edges, than they do in dense hardwood forests. But, I have seen numerous rubs near old clear cuts and old fields that have begun to regenerate with saplings. I suspect that rubbing in agricultural areas may be dependent on not only the amount of acorns available, but also on the type and amount of other preferred food sources in the fall. Because the condition of the deer in the Georgia study was highly dependent on acorns, and their physical condition was poor because of low acorn production, it resulted in a less intense rut. The deer were simply not healthy enough to be as active as they would normally be during the rut. If the deer in your area suffer from poor nutrition, because acorn or other mast production is down, or because agricultural crop production is low, you may see less rubbing (and possibly scraping) than normal. Poor nutrition may also result in less daytime trolling, chasing and breeding activity, resulting in a longer than normal breeding phase.

There is also evidence that poor nutrition and health may cause does to come into a later than normal first estrus, or not come into estrus at all. Poor nutrition can affect late born doe fawns (which might breed during their first year if they are healthy), older does, and does that bred late the year before. Does that breed late, give birth late and wean their fawns late, which means they may be nutritionally stressed during the fall. Any doe that nurses is stressed, and the more fawns the doe has the more stressed it is. Studies of over 1,600 does in Minnesota show that 15-20 percent of the adult and yearling does may be bred after the third week of November, and that up to 50 percent of the yearling does may breed after December first. It has also been stated that poor nutrition in a doe may result in later development of her fawns, and of her fawns eventual offspring. What this all means is that the timing of the rut, winter survival of adult deer, reproduction rates, and fawn survival are dependent on good herd nutrition and health. If the deer are nutritionally stressed, during any one year, it may affect breeding activity and survival rates for the next few years, and for the next few generations of the deer.

This article is adapted from T.R. Michels’ Deer Managers Manual ($9.95), and from the Deer Addict’s Manual, Volume 1 ($9.95).

If you are interested in more whitetail hunting tips, or more whitetail biology and behavior, click on Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.’s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about whitetails log on to the T.R.’s Tips message board. To find out when the rut starts, peaks and ends in your area click on Whitetail Rut Dates Chart.

T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict’s Manuals. His latest products are Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases, the Complete Whitetail Addict’s Manual, the 2006 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict’s Manual; and the 2006 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict’s Manual. For a catalog of books and other hunting products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com.

Go Deeper with Crankbaits for Largemouth Bass in the Fall

By Chuck Martin

As the weather cools, largemouth bass tend to head for deeper water.  The shallows that were warmed by the summer sun become cooler and bass will go to the mid-depths.  This is the time to change your strategy.

Crankbaits are my favored lure for largemouth bass in the fall of the year.  I like rattling crankbaits because I think the sound helps notify the bass of the lure’s presence.  Working a crankbait in the mid-depths is just the ticket for fall bass.  Remember to vary your retrieve for best results.  A stop and go retrieve will always bring more action.

Sharpen those hooks.  The treble hooks that come on most of today’s crankbaits are pretty sharp, but they can always be sharper.  Touch them up with a hook sharpening stone.  The sharper your hooks the less chance the bass with throw the lure back in your face.

Don’t be afraid to try different colors of crankbaits.  Using different colors and patterns is a good idea when the fishing is slow.  Sometimes a slight change in lure color can make all the different.

Airsoft Shotguns – the Tough Guys Airsoft

Gun

Every airsoft fan has a favourite type of gun. Regardless of your preferences there’s a certain attraction to shotguns that appeals to us all – to that dark place inside us. Maybe it’s the way they’re portrayed in the movies. The shotgun was always shown as being a real tough guys weapon – you needed to get up close and personal to use it. Shotguns were always shown to be cool and airsoft shotguns are no different in that regard.

There’s a wide variety of shotguns available to the airsoft fan. Everything from the old reliable double barrelled shotguns to far more current styles. The double barrelled model is often sold in a gas variant model and is one of the very few gas powered airsoft shotguns available on the market today.

Some of the most popular airsoft shotguns are the old pump action style (which are spring powered) and these have the advantage of allowing you to fire bbs in rapid succession. The vast majority of airsoft shotguns are spring powered and tend to be the tactical style – used by the police and military although you can get many other styles and models.

There is also the option of choosing from the full stock or cutaway model of airsoft shotgun. The cutaway models have a pistol type grip and no stock to put against your shoulder. There’s an even share of this type of gun available to airsoft fans. What suits you most will depend on the style of shotgun you like and your own personal shooting preferences when it comes to buying your airsoft shotgun.

Despite the fact that many of these guns are spring-powered pump action models they can hold 40 or more rounds. This allows for rapid reloading and for you to get back in the fight quickly. This offers a distinct advantage over an airsoft rifle where you need to cock it from a non-firing position. The shotgun allows you to fire from the hip in a rapid firing pump action style. Airsoft shotguns are probably more suited to close quarters airsoft games – maybe a type of urban combat simulation although they would still be useful in most types of airsoft combat.

So why not try on an airsoft shotgun for size today? You just might like it!

Dove Hunting Made Easy

By Trapper Bonds

Doves can be aggravating.  Doves offer the shotgunner one of the most challenging targets in the sky.  First of all, doves are small targets.  Second, they are extremely fast.  But most of all they are true aerial acrobats.  Doves can suddenly dart, dip and dive and give the wingshooter fits.

It’s generally acknowledged that more shotshells are fired on the opening day of dove season than all other days combined.  Some of those shots even find their target.

So what is the secret of bagging a limit of doves?  Well, I learned my method from an old grizzled hunter a long time ago.  It’s worked for me and I’ve taught it to many shooters over the years.  I call it my “Spray Paint” method.

You just imagine your shotgun as being a can of spray paint.  You see, the shot that comes from the gun barrel travels in a stream, like water from a garden hose.  Or a spray paint can.  When you see a dove approaching you just start the gun barrel behind the bird, swing to catch up with the bird, and as the barrel passes the dove, you pull the trigger.  But, the most important part of this method is…keep the gun barrel moving.  Do not stop your swing when you pull the trigger.  Follow-through is key to making this method work.  You shoot just as you would spray a can of paint.  You spray the bird.  It’s really that simple.

Again, the follow-through is all important.  If you stop the gun barrel you’ll shoot behind the bird.  It takes a bit of practice, but believe me it’s worth it when you walk out of the dove field with your limit.

By Bo Edmunds

Deer hunting camo is more than just clothing.  To the avid deer hunter his camo is a major part of his deer hunting strategy.  Although there are many different camo patterns available today, it really doesn’t matter what brand you use.  Since deer are color-blind you just need to break up your outline.

To help prevent your camo from fading in the wash, turn the apparel inside-out before placing in the washer.  This really will help keep the colors from fading as much.

I like to wash my camo in baking soda.  This helps eliminate odors as the baking soda absorbs odor particles.  It’s important to thoroughly rinse your clothing after the wash cycle in hot water.  Baking soda contains phosphorus and leaving phosphorus particles on the clothing can actually glow in dim light.

Another trick I use is after a complete wash of everything, pants, shirt, jacket, hat, gloves, etc., I let them air-dry outside.  Then, I place everything in a heavy plastic trash bag.  Make sure the bag is non-scented.  In the bag with the clothing I’ll put some dry leaves, crushed acorns and pine or cedar boughs.  Then I seal the bag tightly.  The contents of the bag will absorb the scents of the leaves, acorns, etc. and help to hide my odor once in my stand.

Leather hunting boots will absorb odors, so I always hunt wearing rubber boots.  The rubber doesn’t hold odors as does leather.l

Put as many of the odds in your favor for a better chance at deer hunting success.

By Tram Sutton

Fall is a great time to go chasing some big trophy largemouth bass. As the weather begins to cool and leaves change colors, I love to fish for bass in the fall.
A great way to put lunker bass in your boat is to concentrate on grass beds. Bass tend to bunch up in the grass in the fall. My favorite lure for grass fishing is a plastic worm with little or no weight. I just cast the worm into the grass and crank like crazy. Buzzing the worm over the grass tends to bring vicious strikes. A word to the wise. Don’t be too quick to set the hook. Make sure the bass has the lure before you rear back on him.
Sharp hooks are a must. I’ve lost more grass bass due to dull hooks than any other single reason. You may think your hooks are sharp enough right out of the pack but I carry a small hook hone and use it to touch up my hooks often. It can make the difference between landing a lunker and being skunked.
Vary your retrieve a bit when dragging the plastic worm over grass. Speed up and slow down. Many times an erratic retrieve will pay off big with big bass.