BowCast Blog

Well Everybody

It is that time of the year again. Time to unveil my choice in bows.  This year was different because I got a chance to shoot all the bows side-by-side at ATA.  I was able to shoot everything from Hoyts to Bears.  Personally, it was a great experience.  As many of you know I am always saying, "it is the Indian not the Arrow.".  I really believe that.  If you picked the top ten bows they are more accurate and consistent than any human can be.  If there is a difference it will be in quality control and ease of tuning.  Last year I shot and reviewed a single cam bow.  It was a nice little bow but I had some issues with the cams "biting" into the serving and the limbsaver kept flying off the limbs.  I know that is pretty rare to ever read anything negative about a bow but I have no  problem calling it like I see it.  So stay tuned for an honest review.

 

Hey Everybody....   Below are the results of a really cool shoot that is held in southern NM.  If you ever have a chance to make the shoot you should try to get out there...  This is what archery is all about.. Getting the Kids outdoors... Thanks Paul C. for sending me the story.....


Take Care
J
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Well another Turkey season has come and gone, and that only means one thing, the Kemp Youth hunt Club has had their annual shoot.  And like in years past the wind played a role in the scores of the shooters, but the good news was that it only blew on Saturday and not strong until the afternoon  As always the course was an easy walk and the targets were set nice with just enough challenge.  The adult volunteers of the hunt club do a lot of work at this shoot every year with ground blinds being dug and holes being dug for some targets to get a different shot angle on, they really make it fun and exciting to find out "what is the challenge of the next target".  This is how the format of the shoot is layed out, there are 2 courses of 15 targets.  One is of African animals and one is of North American animals.  The targets are double staked to make it 60 shots for the shoot, and makes it worth the entry fee.  There were several stakes that had multiple targets giving a little more realistic feel to it.  As anybody that likes shooting 3Ds knows that it is not real fun unless the course has some challenge to it, this course had some, but seemed a little less this year than in previous years.  The first target You walked up to in the African course was a little Impala looking animal that was 45 yards, and in my mind I was like "It is going to be a long arrow searching day" But that was one of the farthest shots of the course,(there was a buffalo and an Elk that were 40+ but they are HUGE) unless you want to discuss the bonus, a 85+ yard antelope.  The only thing that is missing in this shoot is that they cant get to radical with the ups and down angles, and that is always  good practice.  And to get the SUPER SPEED shooters to break their 11 streaks the club puts a Beaver at about 8 yards with an eleven ring the size of a dime, (HA take that you 350+ fps shooters). 

All in all it was a great shoot with the weather on Sunday being the ultimate get together weather and perfect for the trophy presentation.  And there is another place were the Hunt club did an excellent job, In the MSR class there was a three way tie, so they took the three to do their shoot off and Roger Di Camilla entertained the participants until the shoot off was complete.  That is when every PeeWee was called up and given a Trophy, now most of those kids are hooked for life. which is very important for the future of the sport.

The trophies that were given away to the "bigger kids" were of the metal art variety that were beautiful and I think were made by Powderhorn Metal Art, (at least I saw their truck at the shoot so if I am wrong they get undo publicity). 

I am going to post the results as they are on the web page at kempyouthhuntclub.com where you can go to see more pics of the shoot and the clubs hunts and other activities.  Now for those people that like shooting 3Ds or if there are you guys that want to try some 3Ds this shoot will held again next year probably during turkey season, for some unknown reason, come on out and shoot one of the best hosted shoots in the area, just bring a few arrows some might just get wet. This year there were 205 shooters and the crowds were not too bad at any of the targets.  So come on out and lets make next years even bigger, all the money raised goes directly to helping kids hunt.  Check out the web site and you will see the glee on  all the kids faces in the pics.  And that is what this is all about putting more smiles on kids faces.  As the saying goes :hunt with your kids so you don't have to hunt for them" .  I would like to thank Chase Kemp, the Wagners Scott and HB, Roger Di Camilla and any of the hunt clubs full time volunteers and the parents of the kids that help with the shoot every year.

Hey Everybody...

  How about some trail cam pictures???  This is that little spot I found where a rancher tossed a salt block for his cattle.  He pulled the cattle out of the area but my deer are still around.  I suspect that the deer are going to really start hitting the area once our summer rains start.  This spot is on the edge feeding and bedding area.  It is about a 1/3 of a mile for a pretty significant water source so I think the deer are going to stay in the area.  The only issue I have is that I KNOW that there are much bigger deer in the general area but I can't figure out where they are bedding or where they are watering.  During the rut this area was TORE up with scrapes but I didn't get a chance to hunt it.  The crummy part is that I might not even get to hunt this unit because it is a tough draw.  So this weekend I planing on scouting my 2nd draw choice.

 One think you might notice is that  my Coues Deer are holding onto there antlers well into April.  For deer in the Southwest that is pretty common. 

 Again I am using Covert Trail Cams that I picked up from Amanda at www.coueswhitetail.com

How about this Buck?  He has nice mass and a great frame but he need longer and more points...

 

This is just amazing to me....  I have never really been a fan but doesn't he know who his base is???  I wonder if people are going to go after him like they have gone after Carrie Underwood... 

http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/rush_limbaugh_records_audio_041409.html

Hey Guys..

 I hope everybody is still scouting hard... This is the time of year where we see what animals made it thru the hunts...  In NM, the deer started dropping their antlers about two weeks ago...  BUT alot of them are still packing, last week I saw several 1/2 rack mulies. 

BUT I did find some older sheds.  

Hey Guys...

   Here is a quick little reciepe that  I got from Shawn Monsen's wife Melissa...   They are a great little pick me up when you need one on the mountain. They don't require any special storage.  It doesn't matter if they get mashed.  The are not that bad for you and best of all they taste great and are less filling...  

But it is approximately:

• 3 cups powdered milk
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup ground wheat germ
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1-1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1-1 1/2 cups honey

Hey Guys...

  If you have been reading my blog long you might remember that I found a place that doesn't get hunted very hard but that I always find scrapes in the area.  So once our season finished I hung a Covert Camera in the area to see if I could pick up any deer in the area.  The good news is that I found a ton of deer.  The bad news is that most of them are Mulies.  I also found a nice herd of Javelina's.  

Hey Guys....

   The other day someone was asking me if I knew of any resources to help the traveling archer.  They were basically looking for  a list of archery shops, clubs, 3-D Ranges, etc...    Well there is, it is called..

As many of you know my cousin Carla killed a great Elk this year.  It was her first season hunting and she did great.  If you don't remeber you can see her bowkill by clicking HERE .

She did it again.  This year she killed a nice Mulie buck.  It was a Spot and Stalk hunt and she made a great 30 yard shot after stalking the buck for 3 hours.  

Hey Everybody

  As many of you know we recently recorded a show with Chris Denham and we talked applying for tags across the West.  Many people consider getting a tag the hard part.  But beware Big Game in the West is NO Slam Dunk.  A lot, of people go guided;have a great time and have great success but if you are not the "going guided" type then coming out West can be a real challenge.  You are going to be responsible for everything from your camp to your hunting.  When you hunt from home that is no big deal but when you in a hunting area that you have never been you often spend most of your time driving around finding a place to camp, trying to find a places to get fuel, looking for groceries and the list goes on and on. 

 When you come out West you want to hunt not camp.

Hey Guys...

   As many of you know one of our sayings at Bowcast is "It is the Indian not the Arrow", in other words don't be caught up with big names and overlook products that are quality just because they don't have a huge marketing campaign behind them.  ANYWAY a few months ago I found these cameras being sold over on www.coueswhitetail.com and they really caught my interest.  I have used about 5 different brands of cameras and I have had mixed results with all of them.  I had some good luck with the Leaf Rivers and Cuddebacks but I am always looking for something better.  

  Sooo... Why did I give the Covert a look?  Well, it does everything that the big name cameras do but in a much smaller package.   That and I really like the following features:

 

Hey Guys....

If you have read my other website, this father-son team might look familiar.  You can see Ryan's first elk killed with a smokepole by following this link.  Anyway, this is a really cool story.  

Jesse and Ryan Great Job... And Ryan.. Tell you Dad thanks for taking you out...

 J-

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Just a short story on one of the luckiest hunts I have ever been on .  My son and I both drew a bow permit for unit 36 and during September we patiently passed on several bucks as we both really wanted to work the January hunt. 

 

Peep sights are one of those little pieces of equipment that are often overlooked.  Little consideration is given to what style we use, what size we should use, where we place them, and how we place them.  I have always said that a bow needs to work as a system in order to ensure maximum accuracy and consistency.  The purpose of this blog is to guide you thru the process of selecting a peep.  Let me stress that is no right answer for everybody and that finding the right system is a process; you will need to determine work works best for you.

 

Hey Guys...

  This video was sent to me by one of your forumn members named Miss44.  It is a pretty good field dressing video...

Take Care

J

Hey Everybody...

 I am sure that you guys are well aware that in certain places in the country animal densities are directly related to water.  The more water you have the more animals you have.  Earlier this year our local chapter of the NWTF called "The Gila Gobblers" put a rock header in a canyon that has a small inconsistant spring in it.  The results were awesome. 

A game warden was driving down the road when he came upon a young boy carrying a wild turkey under his arm.

He stopped and asked the boy, 'Where did you get that turkey?'

The boy replied, 'What turkey?'

The game warden said, 'That turkey you're carrying under your arm.'
 
The boy looks down and said, 'Well, lookee here, a turkey done roosted  under my arm!'

The game warden said, 'Now look, you know turkey season is closed, so whatever you do to that turkey, I'm going to do to you.

If you break his leg, I'm gonna break your leg. If you break his wing, I'll break your arm. Whatever you do to him, I'll do to you. So, what are you gonna do with him?'

The little boy said, 'I guess I'll just kiss his booty and let him go!'

Hey Guys....

   I am still burning the boot leather scouting out new areas for Coues deer.  I have been hanging cameras in different types of areas like creek bottoms and areas where I have seen scrapes in the past.  Unfortunately, my success has been pretty limited as far as trail cam pictures have gone but I feel good about my effort because at least I know where the deer aren't. :)  Last year I hung camera's at water sources at I was able to find deer but once the rut kicked everything changes and I was left chasing scrapes.  This year my goal was to stay off the water sources and learn new areas.  As far as my physical scouting goes it has been pretty good.  I have found several really nice sheds and I have glassed up or jumped several Coues deer does.  I have found a pocket of deer that I am going to key in on.  The big challege now is to wait until a few weeks before the hunt and cover some country looking for scrapes.  Once I find a scrape I need to hang a trail cam on it and see what happens.

Hey Everybody....

If you guys have been keeping tabs on my blog you know that I love to post about first time hunters.  It doesn't matter if it is a kid or an adult, there is something awesome about a first bowkill.

Shannon killed her first doe this year and she is hooked.  She sent me the story and pictures below.

GREAT JOB Shannon!!!!

J-

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I did not grow up in a hunting household like most huntresses. I grew up in San Diego and spent my time showing horses and hanging out at the beach. I always wanted to learn how to hunt but I did not have anyone to show me or take me. I did express interest to my father, and he taught me how to shoot and take care of firearms, which drove my passion to learn more. I attended Oregon State University where I majored in Public Relations. For elective classes I took forest management, animal sciences and other agricultural classes. My passion to learn more about hunting and game management grew. After college I was blessed to land a job in the hunting industry. I was recently invited to hunt with Vicki Cinaciarulo and her Posse members for an episode of Archer’s Choice TV.

Hey Guys...

If you listened to this weeks podcast you will have heard that I am starting my scouting for Coues deer.