I thought this provided a good step by step process for taking care of velvet, especially if a person is out in the badlands or a ways away from a taxidermist. I just wonder if you need to contact a mortician in order to get your hands on the chemicals...haha

I will let everyone know how this works, I am headig to LOW to do some 'Eye fishing! I have always wanted an 8 lb'r for the old Man Den!

I don't think you are nuts Dave. I agree 100% that hunters get WAY too technical on their breakup patterns. If you are in the ballpark of your area I think that is all you need to do. Obviously you don't want to wear something that sticks out for your situation, such as wetland camo in a tree, but I do feel that advantage timber and mossy oak hardwoods (among others) are a dime a piece as far as a deer is concerned. Turkey is a little different story, but there you are also relying heavily on limited movement. I don't think that I would sit in a tree stand with the digital camo, but I do think it would be very useful on a western spot and stalk hunt where you are in motion for a greater period of time. Let see if Scentlok or Scent Blocker comes out with a digital line in the upcoming years...if so, they may as well hand out loan papers when you bring it to the register. It is going to cost an arm and a leg.

I dug this article up because I was camo shopping today and I got to thinking about why camo blends in, and I wanted to stir up a little discussion. A while back, I saw a "Nova" special about the revolution in Fractal geometry, and it mentioned that one of the applications was the military "digital" camouflage. Fractal geometry is the study of using mathematics to describe things in nature. It works surprisingly well. Basically, it says that most patterns in nature repeat but on a smaller scale. Think of a tree: you start with the trunk, which branches out. Then each of the branches branches out further. This keeps happening, until you're left with tiny twigs. This works for a lot of things in nature. That's what the military "digital" camo does: it looks roughly the same close-up as it does far away (albeit if you get close enough you see the individual blocks, rather than the larger pattern). That's what makes it so good. As long as your color palette matches the area, you don't need to exactly match what's directly around you, because it just looks like "something natural". For this reason, I really question the wisdom of really small camo patterns . From far enough away, it blends together. You might as well be wearing solid brown, unless you're laying in a patch of something that looks exactly like what you have in the pattern. This is especially true since deer don't see the detail we do. Specific camo patterns work great if you know what your background will look like. If you're in a stand, by all means, go with something like Realtree AP, but if I'm going to be moving through an area where I may or may not blend in with whatever is around me (like on a spot and stalk hunt), give me something non-specific like "Outfitter camo". Something like the camo mentioned in the article might even be better than my suit of "outfitter". As always, let me know if you think I'm nuts!

Very cool article!! I might have to make me a few of those on my own...are they trademarked?

Tough to say... On one hand, it's not like an "OMG I can retire!" amount of money for something that most hunters never see, much lest harvest. On the other hand, it's not like I've got a "trophy room" like the villain in "Roadhouse". What am I going to do with a full-body deer mount?! I actually think I'd take the money as long as I knew I could go see it and it would have my name on it.

Awesome! They caught 'em! http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090116/GPG0101/901160559/1207&located=RSS I hope they prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law! This is just sick.

Good to know. It would have added a little mystique to it if it had been around a higher pressured area. It sure is one unique animal though. The real question is, would you have sold it for 13K? I would have tried to have Cabela's purchase a replica for less if at all possible.

I agree with you on the animal activist groups gaining more of a majority say in what happens with hunting and land control. That is even more reason to pass our knowledge and ideals down to the younger generation. Whether we have kids or not. I think we should take the chances to become hunter mentors to anyone interested.

I bought one of the Primos "Buck Roar"s... You can blow on it pretty hard, before it get's "ducky". It comes with a built on snort-wheeze, and it's only like $20. There are 2 drawbacks: It's too big to wear around your neck, and you can't just put it in your mouth when you've got both hands tied up lining up your shot.

It's a prickly issue. On one hand, I can't blame landowners from making what they can. On the other hand, hunting becoming strictly a rich man's game is a fear of mine. The lower the numbers of hunters get, the easier it is for animal rights groups to gain traction to ban it outright. For that reason, access is an issue for all hunters, even if you don't have to worry about getting on land yourself.

Well put Dave, and you are a man who knows a little something about inertia, momentum, and kinetic energy! Distance is the biggest sticking point I have with beginner cartridges. Keep in mind who is pulling the trigger... You want to make sure any beginner is being set up for success. Shooting within realistic distances is a huge part of any caliber's rate of success.

Just don't spend money on a cheap grunt that doesn't give you the volume when you need it. I think that is the what happens to the majority of people...

I've also seen where people have used the same method to make custom gun slings.

This isn't a bad site. I read it before my Elk hunt this year and it was helpful. A successful one by the way! The biggest thing that I feel my party did wrong was giving too much credit to Elk being a ton different then a deer. Their movement in Western ND was very close to deer (once you found them). Get out EARLY (close to AG fields if you can), spread your crew out at different spots and glass, glass,glass. If it is warm, they won't being moving during the day unless they are in the Timber/Coulees and feel safe. I have more tips, but maybe another time...

Shoot as many bows as you can, that is my suggestion. Keep in mind that if you have an abnormally long draw you might be limited on the amount of options you have available.

I found this article because of my fascination with the .260 Remington. I'd also like to add that, depending on the distances you'll be shooting, .44 mag could be plenty serviceable. There is a school of thought stating that the bullet's momentum is just as important as energy, and the .44 mag carries plenty of momentum at "woods" distances. Large bullets don't have to expand much to make a big wound channel, and the weight helps penetration even without blazing speed. You'll want to keep your shots under 200 yards (probably 150), since there's a point at which the speed drops too low. However, if the situation allows, .44 mag can be a LETHAL caliber.

Very good article and very strong points that should resonate with all hunters who read it. I know my biggest hurdle staying in the outdoors as much as I want to be is time and money. At this time I don't even have any kids so I cannot relate to others who have to add in the ball to the juggle rotation either.

I love the mission and vision and am happy to be on the ground floor of this site. Well done Dave and I hope it is a huge success! Swany CSOutdoors

Share your backstrap recipes!

Make sure you submit anything you find interesting!