 Q. Are buck’s horns
called antlers or horns?
Bob Bently-Wyoming
A. Bob, antlers from deer
are not "horns" even though hunters who know better may call them that. Horns
are permanent bony structures growing from the skull. They are never shed and are covered
with a tough, keratinous material that is closely related to hair. Mammals such as bighorn
sheep, mountain goat and bison never shed their horns, which continue to grow all their
lives. But the unique pronghorn sheds the outer sheaths of its horns annually. The
pronghorn is not a true antelope as it is sometimes called but is in a class apart because
of this. It is the only horned mammal in the world to do so. The antlers of deer, elk,
moose and caribou are true bone, but are grown and shed annually. So the next time you
hear someone tell you about that trophy mule deer’s horns, they are really antlers.
Q. I would like some tips on the
best breeds to use as decoy dogs for hunting coyotes and how to train them? You guys have
a great magazine by the way. Thanks.
Brandon Payne – Cleveland, Utah
A. Brandon, dogs can be
used in several ways when hunting coyotes. They can be used to locate coyotes, as decoys,
and as tools to call shy coyote’s close enough for a shot. They are also quite
extensively used by predator control agents to go into dens and bring out the pups. I use
my dog primarily for a decoy. It is good to have a dog in late winter when coyotes are
mating and in early spring when the pups are around. Coyotes are territorial creatures and
don’t take kindly to other dogs in their territory. Having a dog creates a
distraction and gets the coyotes attention off of the shooter and onto the dog. It also
gives the coyote a visual when he is coming in. As far as breeds go, any dog that has grit
will do. When I say grit, I mean a dog that wants to get out and search the sage for
coyotes and other vermin. The dog shouldn’t just stay by the shooter with its tail
between its legs. Several breeds of dogs are used but the one breed that has been bred for
this sort of work is called a White Mountain Cur. Even though the name denotes white,
these dogs do come in other colors. As for training, the best training is to have an
experienced dog for your dog to work with. It will save you a lot of time, effort,
frustration, and fuel. A dog with some retriever instinct is a good place to start.
Q. Last year I bought a bow and
started a new adventure in the world of Archery. I joined an archery club here in Alabama
so I could learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible. It has been great. The folks
here have been fantastic. The other day I overheard part of a conversation in the group in
front of us. They were talking about "The Wall". One guy said that he preferred
a softer wall, while another was adamant about a hard wall being the best. What is this
wall they were referring to, and which is best?
Bobby Lee Jones-Tuscaloosa, Alabama
A. Bobby Lee, the wall
they were referring to occurs in compound bows when you are at full draw. As you draw your
bow back through the power curve, you increase the power, until you reach peak poundage,
then there is a plateau followed by the let off or the dropping of poundage. As you
approach the end of the draw cycle, you come to a valley, or the point where the let off
is at its lowest point. If you continue to draw further back, the poundage will actually
start to increase again. This is the point that wheel/cam manufacturers design a
"wall" or a stop point where you can draw no more. If this wall is rock solid,
it is referred to as a hard wall, and if it is mushy it is called soft. Most of the better
competitive archers like a solid hard wall. This ensures that their draw is exactly the
same every time, assuring consistent shots, which in turn improves accuracy. Good luck and
I hope this helps.
Q. I am new to Archery, and I want
to shoot with a Trigger. The problem is that there are so many to choose from. I hear so
many different things from so many different people. I am confused! Can you tell me which
trigger is best and why?
Shawn Williams-Dillon, Montana, (age 15)
A. Shawn, the Trigger - or
Release Aid as it is referred to in the Industry - is one of those modern ideas that
really does work! I am convinced that it really helps new archers to become very accurate
very quickly. I am also convinced that there are as many ideas as to which is the
"best" as there are archers. Because of limited time, I will give a very brief
overview of HUNTING release aids.
There are really two issues. First is
whether to use Caliper or Rope style. The second is whether to use a wrist pull, or the
grip type.
The most popular style seems to be the
Caliper with wrist pull. The Caliper style has a set of jaws that clamp around the
bowstring or onto a small rope loop that is tied above and below the nock point. The idea
here is to draw the bowstring back with the release aid. Then, when the sights are lined
up with the target, you pull the trigger - like shooting a gun. This opens the calipers
allowing the string to "release", shooting the arrow forward in a perfectly
straight line.
The other style has a small rope attached
to the head of the release. The shooter wraps the rope around the bowstring under the
arrow and back to a lever in the release head. The shooter then pulls the bowstring to
full draw, aims, and pulls the trigger, which frees the lever allowing the string to flip
around and off the bowstring allowing it to start its travel forward for the shot.
The second question refers to the way the
release aid attaches to your hand or arm. First is the "wrist pull". This wraps
around your wrist allowing all the weight of the bow to be pulled by your arms. The other
option refers to a bulbous rubber or plastic grip that you hold in your hand to pull back
the bow.
My personal preference is the Caliper style
with the bulbous rubber grip, however I am presently field-testing a revolutionary new
concept in release aids that seems to totally eliminate flinching while generating
incredible smoothness and accuracy. More to come at a later date.
My recommendation to you is to try as many
release aids as possible before buying. In the course of testing you will surely find one
that just seems natural. That will be the one to buy. Good Luck, and let us know how it
all turns out!
Q. What are mule deer hunter
success rates in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada? Do all states publish
harvest statistics?
Ryan Gasser – Payson, Utah
A. Ryan, success rates for
hunting mule deer will vary a little bit from state to state. It also depends on what
weapon of choice is used in determining the final numbers. In general, hunting with a bow
is not as successful as hunting with a rifle. For example, the 2002 statistics for Idaho
show a 12 percent success rate for archery hunters, 18 percent success rate for
muzzleloader hunters and a 34 percent success rate for general season rifle hunters. Utah
shows slightly different figures from their 2001 statistics. Archery hunters were 18
percent successful and muzzleloader and rifle hunters were about 31 percent successful.
Colorado rifle season statistics show a little better success rate than both Utah and
Idaho. The state agencies do publish their harvest statistics and you can obtain this
information either on their respective state web site or you can request a free Big Game
Proclamation. The states put out a lot of information for each of the specific hunting
units and areas that can be useful when determining where to hunt and put in for. In the
last issue of Hunting Illustrated (Aug/Sept. Hunting Forecast) we provided the web
site address for each of the western states. You can also find these links in our
member’s-only web site that all Hunting Illustrated subscribers can access.  |
From the Oct/Nov. 2003 Issue of Hunting Illustrated
Magazine - posted Sept. 15, 2003
