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FALL / WINTER OUTDOOR TIPS
Follow Up Your Shots
 By David Blanton
Whether hunting with bow or gun, always follow up your shot. Deer seldom drop dead on the spot and often show little sign of being hit. Watch the deer's reaction. A heart-shot deer frequently kicks or bucks. A deer hit too far back may hump up. A lung-shot deer may show no sign at all. Listen carefully as the deer crashes away so you can note what direction to follow.
Remember where the deer was standing when you took the shot. Go there immediately and look for signs of a hit. Pinkish, frothy blood indicates a lung shot and most likely a dead deer within 200 yards. Bright red is muscle blood (including the heart) and dark blood indicates a hit too far back. With the last two signs, wait at least 30 minutes before taking up the trail.
Many mortally wounded deer have been lost because an over-excited hunter started right after them. This starts a panic- and adrenalin-driven chase that the hunter is likely to lose.
Proper
Projectiles for Deer
 By Michael Waddell
Deer bullets should be selected to match the game. Compared to other big game species, deer are rather small and fragile of frame. A bullet designed to shoot through a 3/4-ton moose likely will not expand fast enough for a quick kills on a whitetail.
Likewise, a bullet designed to blast a small rodent might explode on a big buck's shoulder and not penetrate the vital areas. Lighter bullets, in a given caliber, are usually designed for lighter game. A 100-grain 6mm bullet is a "deer" bullet while a 100-grain .270 bullet is best for pests. In the .30/06, bullets from 150 to 180 grains work well.
Spitzer bullets retain velocity better for long-range shooting. Very long-range shooting demands high velocity and bullets that expand reliably out where velocity has dropped off. This same combination can cause bullet blow-up on short-range shots. Except for this situation or when asking a small bullet (.25 or less) to do a big job, the super-tough "premium" bullets aren't needed for deer hunting.
Try A Muzzleloader
 By Bill Jordan
Black-powder hunting with muzzleloaders is a real blast and is rapidly growing in popularity. Primitive weapons hunting also allows many hunters more time afield due to special seasons, special areas and other "extra" hunting opportunities.
The prospective primitive-weapons hunter can choose between traditional side-hammer guns that look like they came right off the frontier or opt for the ultra-modern "in-line" muzzleloaders, complete with scopes, that look much like a modern bolt-action rifle. The side-hammer guns are more traditional and romantic but the in-lines are more efficient and a bit more reliable.
Either way, all muzzleloaders must be cleaned thoroughly after use because both black powder or its modern substitute, Pyrodex, are corrosive. Using progressive burning smokeless powder in a muzzleloader is very dangerous. Never use anything but true black powder or Pyrodex.
Also check local "primitive weapon" regulations for special season dates, minimum calibers allowed, and projectile and sight restrictions. Some areas prohibit certain types of bullets and telescopic sights on "primitive weapons" hunts.
 Taking a Trophy
By Larry Weishuhn
It's very difficult to take a trophy where no trophy buck exists. On much public and private land up to 80 percent of the annual buck harvest consists of 18-month-old bucks with their first set of antlers. This doesn't leave many bucks to grow up to be trophies.
Let that young 1 1/2 year-old buck, with six points between his ears, walk. Another two or three years will express his true trophy potential.
It takes good genetics, good food and time to produce a mature trophy buck. Outside of virtual laboratory situations, it is practically impossible to upgrade a wild deer population's genetic makeup. Food and buck survival are the best tools of the "quality deer" manager or hunter.
Deer eat the best stuff first. Too many deer eat all the best and most of the rest. Wise doe harvesting achieves overall deer-herd population control and helps balance the buck-to-doe sex ratio. Planting and fertilizing good deer food can accelerate the process.
Mid-Season
Rifle Maintenance
By Larry Weishuhn
Out in the real world of hunting, stuff happens. Your rifle or scope can receive a blow or a bump. Vehicles produce vibration that can loosen bedding or scope screws. The rifle can get wet and a wood stock can swell or warp. All can alter your riffle's zero so that you are hunting with a gun that doesn't shoot "where she looks."
This is a great way to miss the trophy of a lifetime. Periodically verify that your rifle is still "on." You should certainly check your zero if you know your rifle has been dropped or suffered a blow.
If you clean your rifle, you should check the zero. Fire a couple of "fouling" shots first. Many rifles will not shoot the first bullet or two from a freshly cleaned barrel to their true point of impact. If you start to adjust your sights based on the first shot from a clean barrel, it probably will take you a few extra rounds to get the result you want.
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