Take a look at these proven performers and must-have items for 2012.
When it comes to bowhunting whitetails, good gear is a must. That’s why each year I try to report on what I think are the very best. Here’s my take on the best deer-hunting items for 2012.
Creating the Right Setup
Before one can harvest deer, you have to have them on the property, and it does not hurt to keep them there. Having worked as a consultant for some of the top outfitters, as well as managing ground, I have experimented with many different commercial seed blends. In the end, I always keep coming back to Antler King products (www.anterking.com).
This past year I was given the management responsibilities for a 1,550-acre property. The first thing I realized was that the land was woefully lacking in food sources and very overpopulated with deer.
Matters were made worse by experiencing a wet planting season, only to be followed by a bad drought. In the end, the only plantings to make it were Antler King’s Trophy Clover and Fall/Winter/Spring Food Plot Blend.
Of course, the food plots also serve as great locations to setup scouting cameras. Over the years, I’ve tried every camera on the market. My goals were seemingly simple: find a unit that doesn’t spook deer, captures deer on a consistent basis and doesn’t break down. Good battery life would also be a bonus but not as critical as capturing my targets without altering their patterns. I’ve been burnt by that too many times and refused to do that again.
Luckily, I finally found my answer on that same 1,550-acre chunk of ground. The owners set me up with 26 assorted Reconyx cameras. Though I’d used Reconyx units before, this was the first time I’d tried the HC600. In just a couple weeks, I was so sold to the point that I bought four myself. From mid-August through mid-January, I ran 30 Reconyx units, 10 of which were the HC600s. Not a single unit broke down and each consistently caught deer that entire time (www.reconyx.com).
One of the biggest problems with the vast majority of scouting cameras is the noise they produce. Out of over 400,000 pictures, not once did a deer appear to spook from camera noise. Additionally, not a single deer showed any indication that they noticed the HC600s in any way, and I routinely placed them in very close quarters.
I know the price of the HC600s is a bit overwhelming, but I’ve felt the sting of my cameras spooking the buck I was after too many times. I’d rather run one or 2 HC600s than 5 of any other I’ve ever used.
When it comes to bowhunting whitetails, good gear is a must. That’s why each year I try to report on what I think are the very best. Here’s my take on the best deer-hunting items for 2012.
Creating the Right Setup
Before one can harvest deer, you have to have them on the property, and it does not hurt to keep them there. Having worked as a consultant for some of the top outfitters, as well as managing ground, I have experimented with many different commercial seed blends. In the end, I always keep coming back to Antler King products (www.anterking.com).
This past year I was given the management responsibilities for a 1,550-acre property. The first thing I realized was that the land was woefully lacking in food sources and very overpopulated with deer.
Matters were made worse by experiencing a wet planting season, only to be followed by a bad drought. In the end, the only plantings to make it were Antler King’s Trophy Clover and Fall/Winter/Spring Food Plot Blend.
Of course, the food plots also serve as great locations to setup scouting cameras. Over the years, I’ve tried every camera on the market. My goals were seemingly simple: find a unit that doesn’t spook deer, captures deer on a consistent basis and doesn’t break down. Good battery life would also be a bonus but not as critical as capturing my targets without altering their patterns. I’ve been burnt by that too many times and refused to do that again.Luckily, I finally found my answer on that same 1,550-acre chunk of ground. The owners set me up with 26 assorted Reconyx cameras. Though I’d used Reconyx units before, this was the first time I’d tried the HC600. In just a couple weeks, I was so sold to the point that I bought four myself. From mid-August through mid-January, I ran 30 Reconyx units, 10 of which were the HC600s. Not a single unit broke down and each consistently caught deer that entire time (www.reconyx.com).
One of the biggest problems with the vast majority of scouting cameras is the noise they produce. Out of over 400,000 pictures, not once did a deer appear to spook from camera noise. Additionally, not a single deer showed any indication that they noticed the HC600s in any way, and I routinely placed them in very close quarters.
I know the price of the HC600s is a bit overwhelming, but I’ve felt the sting of my cameras spooking the buck I was after too many times. I’d rather run one or 2 HC600s than 5 of any other I’ve ever used.
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