Pine Ridge Archery
Bow Hunting The Whitetail Rut
For most deer hunters, the whitetail rut is the stretch of the season that is looked forward to the most. Bucks are searching for does to breed and the search can turn into a chase in the blink of an eye. It is a time when truly anything can happen, and that “buck of a lifetime” could step out at any moment. Whether you are hunting with a rifle or a bow, you can witness the amazing rutting activity that takes place during this time of the season. However, bow hunting calls for being in a significantly closer range than rifle hunting to have a shot opportunity. That closer proximity is what makes bow hunting so special.In early November of this season, I had an unforgettable hunting experience that reminded me of what really makes bow hunting during the rut so remarkable. It was a brisk morning with the temperature in the low thirties, slight frost on the ground, and little to no wind. I could not have asked for better conditions to climb up into a tree stand for a hunt. At daybreak I could already hear some deer up and moving as the leaves were crunching beneath their feet. Not long after that a young eight pointer came cruising in at about thirty yards out, which was a good indication of how the rest of the morning would unfold.
Before I knew it, I was in the middle of a whirlwind of deer movement. Doe family groups, young bucks, and a mix of a few mature bucks were all moving within my view from the tree stand. Some were moving up to fifty yards out and some were passing through right beneath me. It seemed as if I was surrounded at times. Several of the bucks throughout the morning were grunting and chasing does in several different directions. The rut was most definitely in full swing. I had my bow ready and was expecting to have a shot opportunity at a mature buck at any time with the kind of activity I was seeing.
A bit after nine o’clock I could see some movement in the overgrown field to my left. The field was grown up to the point where I could only see a large set of antlers slowly making its way through the overgrowth. I quickly grabbed my bow and pulled out my grunt call hoping to lure him in close enough for a clear shot. I gave one quick grunt and after a few seconds he responded with an aggressive snort-wheeze. However, he wasn’t moving a muscle. I let out another grunt anticipating that this time it would get him moving in my direction. Again, he responded with a snort-wheeze and began leaving a rub on a tree close to him. As he still was not moving, I gave him one more hopeful grunt. Unfortunately, he responded with one last snort-wheeze and headed off in another direction. Although I didn’t get a shot opportunity at that particular mature buck, the close interaction I had with him made it one of the most memorable hunts I have ever had.
Being up close and personal with these animals is one of the reasons I love bow hunting so much. You get to see and hear things out in God’s creation that you never would otherwise, and it always keeps you coming back for more. It really makes you appreciate and respect the animal that you are hunting, especially when it all comes together, and you are able to harvest the mature buck that you’ve been after.
Written By: Tate Carter
Public Land Hunting Whitetails
There are hundreds of millions of acres of huntable public land nationwide. Yes, a lot lies in the western part of the country, however, there is still plenty of land throughout the rest of the country to be used for general public use. With that being said there are many myths about public hunting areas, leaving it with a stigma. For many years I avoided even attempting to hunt public land due to the stories that surrounded it. Here are a few pieces of personal insight I've discovered over the last 3 years of hunting public ground to help guide you to success.Top 3 Archery Christmas Gifts For 2022
Christmas is almost here, and you may be looking for that gift for your archer to find under the tree for that next time they head out to the woods or range. Most Bowhunters have the latest & greatest gear as it gets released throughout the year. However there are a few items we offer here at Pine Ridge Archery that may be missing from their arsenal of gear to help them be a little more efficient the next time they hit the field.STRAIGHTER ARROWS FOR HALF THE COST
STRAIGHTER ARROWS FOR HALF THE COST
Over the last year, everything has gone up in price. Food, gas, and even bowhunting gear. Many bowhunters will find themselves trying to cut corners this year in an attempt to stay on budget. For instance, many might decide this is not the year to buy a new bow. Others may decide that this year they are not going to buy new hunting clothing. One thing bowhunters should not skimp on is arrows. Many of us, including myself, have tried to get an extra year or two out of old arrows, but often that results in arrows that are not as accurate or as tough. The good news is there are a few things bowhunters can do to save a little money on their arrows.
ARE HIGH END ARROW NECESSARY
When bowhunters are shopping for arrows, most will notice that arrows come in .001, .003 and .006 straightness. The straighter the arrow, the more expensive it is. The .001straightness arrows are considerably more money than .003 or .006 straightness arrows. Most bowhunters will buy the most expensive arrow, thinking that having the absolute straightest arrow is a must. The truth is for many bowhunters, it doesn’t really matter.
GET AN ARROW INSPECTOR
A lot of bowhunters practice at 20-30 yards and their average shot in the field is 30 yards and under. At this distance, almost any inexpensive arrow will perform flawlessly. One way to ensure each arrow in a quiver is worthy of the woods is to use a Pine Ridge Archery Arrow Inspector. An Arrow Inspector is an arrow spin tester. If each arrow is spin tested before it is ever shot, a bowhunter can quickly see if the arrow will fly accurately or if it has a wobble in the shaft. The wobble in an arrow shaft is usually at the ends. If a bowhunter buys a dozen arrows, chances are an arrow or two will have a wobble in it. The cheaper the arrows, the higher chance that a few of the arrows will not fly perfectly.
CUT OFF THE WOBBLY END OF THE ARROW
For those who don’t want to break the bank but want a perfectly straight arrow, consider buying arrow shafts and spin testing them and having an inch or two cut off the wobbly end of the arrow. YouTube celebrity Average Jack Archery recently did a video on how to get the most out of a cheap arrow. In the video, you can see him cut an inch or two off the ends of cheaper arrows. By doing this, the shaft that is left is straighter and flies more accurately. Watch the video by clicking the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUzYCJ_4D_E&t=435s
SAVE $$$ WHEN BUYING ARROWS
How much can the average bowhunter save when buying arrows? About 50%! You read that right. Box store brand arrows are often made by the top end arrow manufacturers. The arrows are decent in quality but not as good as high end arrows. For most hunters, the box store brand arrows will do a good job at the range and in the field.
SPIN TEST EVERY ARROW
Regardless if you purchase high end arrows or a less expensive arrows, all arrows should be spun on a spin tester. Sometimes the ends of the arrow are out of spec and wobbling which means the ends should be cut off, other times an insert is glued in improperly. Sometimes a certain type of broadhead can cause an arrow to not spin so well. Spin testing all your arrows before season is always a good idea and spin testing all new arrow shafts is a must.
Turkey Hunting
BOWHUNTING LONGBEARDS
Turkey hunting with a bow is fun and challenging but the success rate is often low. The success rate for bowhunting turkeys is typically less than 10% in most states. There are several reasons for this. For starters, turkeys have amazing eyesight so drawing a bow and taking a shot can be extremely difficult. Another thing that makes killing a turkey with a bow difficult is they have extremely small vitals. The vital area on a turkey is the size of a baseball, which doesn’t leave much room for error. Below are a few tips to help you tag your tom this spring if you plan on bowhunting longbeards.
USE A DECOY
For starters, using a decoy is a must. The more realistic the decoy, the better. Don’t use a cheap decoy that isn’t realistic. A realistic decoy can bring a tom in close and the closer the bird is, the easier the shot will be to make. I prefer taking shots that are 15 yards and closer when bowhunting turkeys. When using decoys, I find that a strutting decoy is best. A strutting tom decoy will typically make a real tom extremely angry, which will draw the bird in close because the real tom will want to fight the decoy. The best time to draw a bow and take a shot is when the tom is fighting the decoy and distracted.
USE A MECHANICAL BROADHEAD
When bowhunting gobblers, it is best to use a large cutting diameter mechanical broadhead. The bigger the better. Grim Reaper Broadheads, Rage Broadheads and many other companies make great heads that are designed for big game hunting but work well for turkey hunting. A broadhead that has a 2-inch cutting diameter or larger will give a bowhunter a little room for error if the shot isn’t perfect. A large cutting diameter broadhead when placed in the vitals of a turkey will take out the entire chest cavity, resulting in a very short blood trail.
SHOT PLACEMENT
When bowhunting turkeys, I suggest aiming slightly above the drumsticks. This takes out the legs of the gobbler and the back half of the chest cavity. This one-two punch often results in a gobbler falling over dead in his tracks. Head shots, broadside wing shot, and facing away shots are popular with diehard bowhunters but the drumstick shot is extremely affective.
USE A KWIK STAND
Regardless if you bowhunt turkeys from a blind or hunt by hiding on the edge of brush, one simple tool that can make a big difference in getting a shot off is the Pine Ridge Archery Kwik Stand. The Kwik Stand a simple pair of legs with jaws that attaches to the bottom limb of your bow and allows the bowhunter to rest the bow in the vertical position. When sitting in a blind or out in the open, having a bow upright and ready for the shot makes taking a shot a lot easier than if the bow is siting down on the ground. With a Kwik Stand, the bow is raised and shot in a matter of seconds which makes taking quick shots easy.
Bowhunting turkeys can be fun and rewarding and by utilizing the tips above bowhunters can drastically increase their odds of success.
Faster, quieter, and more accurate arrows with Nitro Vanes
The science backs it up: Nitro vanes are the best vane on the market for speed, durability, silence, and accuracy.
Check out our latest video highlighting what sets Nitro Vanes apart from the rest of the field.
Back In The Saddle
I remember the first time I heard about saddle hunting. My boyfriend was so excited, telling me all about it; the pros, the cons, and what he thought about it. They’re affordable, require minimal set up, and are remarkably light. Hunting from a saddle allows you to move 360° around a tree and therefor makes more shots available than a typical tree stand. Naturally, we decided we had to add these to our hunting setup.
I also remember the first time we used our saddles for hunting. Let me tell you, there was a lot to learn. We had watched lots of videos on peoples first impressions, their first time setting up and climbing with them and even more experienced saddle hunters’ how-to videos. There was still a bit of a learning curve. We learned many things that first day. The first issue I was starting on a tree that wasn’t quite straight. From the ground it looked straight, but once I was 20 feet up in the air hanging form a tether, I realized there was certainly a lean to the tree. I managed to set myself up so I was facing into the lean, so I had the tree to keep me form swinging around or losing my footing.
The next time we went out, I chose a tree that was way too big. It was the only one around with good shooting lanes, so I decided to stick with it. Trying to get the straps for the steps around a big tree was so time consuming and difficult, but eventually I got up there and enjoyed my hunt.
I remember one time I wanted to get higher in the tree, so I placed my climbing sticks as far apart as I could possibly reach. I figured I was tall enough to manage. As difficult as getting up the tree was, getting down was almost impossible. I ended up hanging myself from the tree and was unable to get to the ground. Thankfully I was with my boyfriend who was able to pick me up, loosen the climbing sticks and get me to the ground. Another time I chose a tree with too many branches and lost my grip as I tried to maneuver around the large branches. I came uncomfortably close to falling and was shaking the rest of the hunt.
We finally get the hang of it, and I remember the day perfectly. We found a new location near an old favorite hunting spot; in a tree line overlooking a big field. The trees were small and there were tons to chose from so we could both have different shooting angles and a great view. When we walked into this spot, everything clicked. We each picked our tree and the climb went smoothly. No branches, no slipping, no forgetting to tie our bow to its cable having to climb back down to get our bow. We got up to our trees and set up our gear and I remember looking out over the field thinking “this is it”. We had a great spot, with shooting lanes in every direction. A group of 8 deer ran right under us that day. We didn’t get a shot off, as they wouldn’t stop running and playing. But it just reinstated that this was the perfect setup for us.
You don’t need crazy equipment to be successful in your hunt. But if you are thinking about investing in something, I’d suggest looking into something that allows versatility, comfort, quietness and confidence. For me, the saddle has been a game changer.
About the Author:
Kyla Bielert is a pharmaceutical chemist living in Eastern CT with my boyfriend and their dog and cat. She's been shooting for two years, and last season was her first time hunting. In her own words, "I picked up a bow for the first time in summer 2018, and immediately fell in love."
Checking Your Arrows at a Component Level
It seems like arrows have almost a polar rating. Yes or no. Good or bad. True or false. While this is true in some cases, we can also take the time to check the arrow at a component level. How? Simple really.
The Arrow Inspector™ from Pine Ridge is a truly simple tool, buts its INCREDIBLY effective. In the past I have used this spinning gadget to simply check my arrows, or at the most check my broadheads. But as of late, I have used this tool to check the arrow, the square of the nock, insert straightness, and even how evenly my fletching job was done.
Interested? Check out this video that outlines how this tool can be used to ensure that your arrow is as close to perfect as possible holistically and at a component level.
