+ONE^® MOVEMENT

If you're an avid hunter looking for a thrilling outdoor experience, prairie dog hunting might be just what you're looking for. This exciting pursuit combines marksmanship, strategy, and a deep appreciation for the natural world. Let's dive into the world of prairie dog hunting and discover why it has become a popular activity among hunters.

Where to Prairie Dog Hunt

Prairie dog hunting takes place in the vast prairie landscapes of states like Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, and Kansas. These regions are known for their abundant prairie dog populations, offering ample opportunities for hunters to test their skills. The thrill of stalking these elusive critters, the challenge of making precise shots, and the camaraderie shared with fellow hunters make prairie dog hunting an unforgettable adventure. https://www.letsgohunting.org/where-to-hunt/

Why Prairie Dog Hunt

Aside from the exhilaration it offers, prairie dog hunting also serves an important ecological purpose. Prairie dogs can reproduce rapidly and overgraze grasses, which can harm the prairie ecosystem and other species that rely on it. By hunting prairie dogs responsibly, hunters play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy balance in the prairie environment, preventing habitat degradation, and preserving biodiversity.

When to Prairie Dog Hunt

To embark on a successful prairie dog hunting trip, timing is key. The best time to hunt is during the spring and early summer months when prairie dogs are most active. During this period, they emerge from their burrows to forage, breed, and defend their territories. This presents hunters with increased visibility and more opportunities for accurate shots.

What You Will Need

[caption id="attachment_53463" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Photo Courtesy of Bob Robb[/caption] When it comes to gear, precision is essential. A reliable rifle with a suitable caliber, such as a .22 or .17 HMR, is commonly used for prairie dog hunting due to its accuracy and effectiveness. Optics, such as scopes or binoculars, help spot these small targets from a distance. Additionally, a comfortable and sturdy shooting rest can assist in maintaining stability and improving shot accuracy. Check out this full gear guide from stepOutside.org. Remember to check local regulations and specific hunting seasons in your chosen hunting area, as they may vary. Many public lands, wildlife management areas, and private ranches offer prairie dog hunting opportunities, providing different experiences for hunters to enjoy. Prairie dog hunting combines the thrill of the chase, the precision of marksmanship, and the preservation of ecosystems. It allows hunters to immerse themselves in the beauty of the prairie, challenge their shooting skills, and contribute to wildlife management. So, if you're up for an adrenaline-filled adventure in the wild, grab your gear and experience the excitement of prairie dog hunting for yourself.

Ever wonder why some hunters grow such an immense passion for hunting? Hunting takes time, work, skill, luck and so much more, but the benefits can far outweigh what is invested.

As you get into hunting, the challenge can seem overwhelming. It is sure to challenge your learning abilities, but persistence and perseverance truly set accomplished hunters apart from the rest.

No matter how much you hunt, here are a few ways that hunting might positively impact mental health:

1. Connection with nature: Hunting often involves spending time outdoors in natural environments, which can promote feelings of calmness, relaxation, and connectedness with nature. Research has shown that spending time in nature can reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.
2. Physical activity: Hunting often involves physical activity, such as walking or hiking, which can promote physical health and also release endorphins that can improve mood and reduce stress.
3. Mindfulness: Hunting can require a great deal of patience and focus, which can promote mindfulness and help individuals stay present in the moment. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress and improve overall well-being.
4. Sense of accomplishment: Successfully hunting an animal can provide a sense of accomplishment and boost self-esteem. This can be especially beneficial for individuals who may struggle with feelings of low self-worth or lack of purpose.

Hunting can also provide an ongoing lesson for the roles in life and death, which can also benefit one's perception of reality -- something very much needed in a time when social media, artificial intelligence and augmented reality are taking over our younger generations. It is critical that we adapt to the world we physically live in and not expect the world around us to adapt to us for everything. That is not a healthy reality and oftentimes creates unhappiness. It is important to note that today not everybody is for hunting, but hunting will always be for everybody. Elements of today's culture and modern conveniences numb our primitive instincts to hunt -- developed through our ancestors -- and the necessity to learn, invest and become self-sustainable through the outdoors. Hunting used to be about the need to survive, but more than ever it is now considered recreation because only those who want to do it participate -- it has become a choice among many choices. There are still millions of people who participate, strive to maintain the basic life skills hunting provides, and continue to share the heritage of the hunting lifestyle with others. Those who participate reap the benefits the most, but hunting also supports conservation efforts that benefit all people and species. For that, we should all be thankful for hunting.

This year retailers will see a renewed focus on innovation.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “Change is the only constant in life.” That just might be a fitting theme for the knife companies that are launching new designs at this year’s SHOT Show. Many companies are releasing knife designs that have moved away from the standard three-inch EDCs that were so prominent a few years ago. Look for innovative designs, out-of-the-box thinking, and new ways of capturing a customer’s attention with many of this year’s new releases. Of course, there are still plenty of the tried-and-true designs that will never go out of style. Because not everything always has to change.

Bear & Son Cutlery

Bear & Son will be featuring a new Bowie knife that’s sure to turn few heads. The Cocobola Gold Rush Bowie features a hefty 7 3/8-inch Sandvick 12C27M stainless-steel blade. The knife has an overall length of 12 inches and weighs 16.4 ounces. The handle is made of Cocobola wood and features a curved brass hand guard. SRP: $154.99, which includes a leather sheath. Check these out on: bearandsoncutlery.com

Browning

Browning is giving hunters a sharper edge this year with the release of their new Primal Scalpel Kill Kit. The Kill Kit comes complete with everything hunters need to make easier work of field dressing big game, including a pair of disposable gloves, zip ties, 10 feet of blaze paracord, and a blaze storage bag to keep the kit together. The Kill Kit even includes four washable and reusable game bags that feature a reflective logo to make it easier to spot in the dark. The highlight of the kit is the Primal Scalpel knife. The knife features stainless-steel replaceable scalpel blades locked securely in a foldable frame complete with a thumb stud and pocket clip. The black-and-orange handle is made of sturdy polymer with a rubber overmold and non-skid grooves on the spine. The knife comes with 10 replacement blades housed in a storage container that doubles as the blade installation/removal tool. SRP: $99. Check these out on: browning.com

Buck

The Buck Alpha Hunter is built to withstand the rigors of big-game hunting. The S35VN steel blade will hold an edge through the entire field-dressing process without the need for resharpening, and a high-panel flat grind adds strength to the blade that allows you to cut with confidence. Jimping on the top of the blade delivers ultimate control when using different grips on the knife for detailed work. The purpose-designed textured handle gives you a trusted grip, even in wet conditions. Includes a reinforced leather sheath. Check these out on: buckknives.com

Camillus  

Camillus is presenting its new line of knives from a different location this year in Booth #13660. One of the standouts of the 2023 line is a knife that will no doubt be unlike anything else featured at the SHOT Show this year. The Swedge is part fixed-blade knife, part chisel, and part file. Created to handle a wide range of campsite chores, Camillus describes the Swedge as a cross between a “bushcraft knife and a small hatchet.” The 8.75-inch knife features a thick 4.3-inch titanium-bonded 420 stainless-steel blade with a textured ABS plastic handle. SRP: $24.99, which includes a molded sheath with a belt clip. Check these out on: camillusknives.com

Columbia River Knife & Tool 

Columbia River Knife & Tool is continuing its tradition of developing designs that seamlessly blend aesthetics and functionality to create knives that look every bit as amazing as their performance. Case in point: the new Pilar IV. The 7.34-inch knife is designed with a natural contour that effortlessly fits into the user’s hand and features two deep finger choils to ensure a secure grip whether it’s being used to field dress large game or slice open the tape on the latest package left on your porch. The 3-inch clip-point blade is made from D2 steel and is deployed from the G10 handle on CRKT’s IKBS ball-bearing pivot system. SRP: $90. CRKT is also adding to its Forged by War line with the new Taco Viper tactical folder. Created and named by Antonio Rodriguez in homage to the nickname for his former unit, the Taco Viper features a 4.22-inch high-carbon stainless-steel blade with Veff serrations and a stonewash finish. The blade is housed in a glass-reinforced nylon handle and features assisted-opening deployment. SRP: $135. Check these out on: crkt.com

Hogue 

Hogue will be launching its Collector Series of knives at its new booth #14838. As the name implies, the line consists of high-end collector-edition knives made from premium materials. The signature knife in the line is the new Counterstrike. The out-the-front automatic features a 3.35-inch double-edge blade made from cryogenically heat-treated CPM MagnaCut stainless steel. The hard-anodized aluminum frame is housed in a black carbon-fiber handle complete with a carbide glass breaker and lanyard hole. The Counterstrike features an ambidextrous trigger deployment and retraction to make it effective regardless of which hand it’s held in. SRP: $399.95. Check these out on: hogueknives.com

Ontario Knife Company  

Ontario Knife Company’s new Epoch folder is a prime example of the innovative new designs prevalent at this year’s SHOT Show. The 2-inch blade, which is made from D2 steel, is designed with sharp diagonal edges at the spine and tip to create a modern-looking EDC that has the kind of substantial heft to handle even the heaviest of cutting tasks. Adding to the style of the Epoch folder is the golden finish on the blade, which contrasts sharply with the handle that features olive-green G10 scales on one side and brushed stainless steel on the other. SRP: $135.95.  Booth #20305 () Check these out on: ontarioknife.com

Outdoor Edge

Outdoor Edge is releasing a more-compact version of its popular Razor-Lite EDC replaceable-blade knife from its new booth location at #70935. The new Razor-Lite 2.5-inch features a black-oxide coated blade holder that houses 2.5-inch replaceable razor blades made from Japanese 420J2 stainless steel. The knife comes with four blades, which are replaceable with the push of a button, and features a double-molded Grivory handle with rubberized TPR inserts. Available in black, olive green, or blaze orange, the Razor-Lite EDC 2.5-inch comes complete with thumb studs on both sides and a replaceable pocket clip. SRP: $39.50. Booth #70935 () Check these out on: outdooredge.com

Spyderco

Spyderco is continuing its long-standing tradition of releasing top-quality knives for nearly every purpose and multiple price points. Standing front and center in their new booth #10555 at this year’s SHOT Show will be the Stretch 2XL folder that provides a powerful option for people who want something more substantial than a three-inch blade in their EDC. The Stretch XL is nearly 9 inches overall and features a 4-inch blade made from CPM CRU-WEAR tool steel with a full-flat grind. The handle features gray G-10 scales with a back lock on the spine. SRP: $406.50. Spyderco is also releasing two versions of its Ambitious lightweight knife for those who are looking for something a little lighter and more compact. Both versions have a 2.31-inch blade and tip the scales at a mere 2.8 ounces. One version features a CPM S35VN stainless-steel blade with a blue fiberglass-reinforced nylon handle. Available in either a plain edge or fully serrated option. SRP: $130. The other version of the Ambitious EDC has a blade made from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel with a black-oxide finish that coordinates with the black fiberglass-reinforced nylon handle. SRP: $60. Check these out on: spyderco.com

W.R. Case  

At this year’s SHOT Show, Case is breaking away from what people traditionally expect to see from the iconic knifemaker by releasing an assisted-opening EDC from its new booth location #10538. Not only is the new Westline knife a break from tradition for Case, it’s also a break from the traditional design of the EDC. The 3-inch S35VN stainless-steel blade has a stylized drop-point design, which gives it a modern flair. That contemporary feel is further enhanced by the blade’s stonewash finish and the hard-anodized handle, which is available in blue, red, silver, and black. Check these out on: caseknives.com    

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You shot your deer, but it took off. Now what? Follow these 10 tracking tips to recover your deer and make your hunt a success.

By Bryce M. Towsley [caption id="attachment_51384" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Very rarely do deer "drop in their tracks" at the shot. Once you make your shot, stay focused on the deer noting where it was when you fired and the direction it took off in.[/caption] Despite what we may see on television, deer usually do not drop in their tracks at the shot. Sometimes, too, “stuff” happens and the shot is less than perfect. That’s when you have to unleash your tracking skills and go find them. Here are 10 tried-and-true tracking tips that have served me well over the years in finding deer after the shot.

1. Stay Focused

After the shot, stay as calm as you can and stay focused on the deer. Watch it as long as you can then listen even longer. Often you will hear the deer long after you can’t see it anymore. Before you leave your stand, pick a clear landmark where you last saw the deer and another where you last heard the deer. Also, pick a landmark noting where the deer was when you shot. Have these landmarks firmly in your mind before you exit yours stand. If you have a compass, take a bearing to each of these locations. Snap a few photos with your cell phone or use a small notepad to note the locations or draw yourself a little schematic that shows these three key landmarks. [caption id="attachment_51385" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Before you leave your stand, use your phone to take a photo of where the deer was standing when you shot and the landmark where you last saw the deer before it disappeared.[/caption] Go to where you last saw the deer and look for blood and tracks. Remember to look on the bushes as well as on the ground for blood. If you fail to find any, go to spot where you shot the deer and search for blood and/or hair. If you still don’t find a blood trail of any kind, go back to your stand and double check to make sure you were looking in the right places. Next, start where you last saw the deer and walk to the location where you last heard the deer. Watch for blood and other sign along the way. Sometimes it takes a while for the blood trail to start.

2. First Blood

When you find blood, note its location. Is it high up on the bushes and far out from the trail? That might indicate arterial spurting. Does it seem to be in the center of the tracks, even though you took a broadside shot? That might be lung blood leaking out of the nose and mouth. Is the blood in the track? Maybe it’s running down the leg. Is there green gunk on the ground with a little blood? That’s a gut shot. Resist the tendency to keep tracking that deer. Leave quietly and come back in the morning, or at least six hours later. A gut shot deer will lie down very quickly and if you leave it alone, it will die in that bed. Usually it will be relatively close to where you shot it. But if you keep pushing and jump the deer, they can turn into the Terminator, unable or unwilling to die and they can run for miles. [caption id="attachment_51386" align="aligncenter" width="650"] When looking for a blood trail, heavy signs higher up on bushes or spurts off the trail may indicate arterial bleeding, which means you should find your deer shortly.[/caption] Did you find pieces of bone? Trust me, it’s not ribs as so many people think; 95% of the time it is pieces of leg bone. You may get that deer, but it’s not going to be easy. A lot of blood at the start that turns into a few drips and then stops in a ¼ mile or so, is usually a low hit in the brisket. You are in for a long day with that deer. With a leg or brisket hit, the deer is very mobile and will keep moving if pushed. If you can get some help, it’s best to place hunters along the escape routes and hope the deer comes by as you track the blood.

3. Mark the Way

Here’s how to find deer in woodlands, farm fields, and mountainous terrain.

By Andrew McKean Most how-to deer hunting pieces tell you how to set a treestand or how to trim a shooting lane. Some may even offer some wisdom on setting up between bedding areas and food sources. And if they really provide value, they’ll tell you how wind influences your stand locations. This is not that kind of how-to article. Instead, it’s one that takes a larger view of the problem most deer hunters face, which is figuring out how to hunt various types of terrain. I’m talking specifically about the sorts of landscape types that dominate the public land that you and I hunt because we can’t afford a private-land deer lease where we control the variables. Public land from coast to coast has one common denominator: It’s marginal. These lands entered the public domain because they weren’t valuable for agricultural, residential or other private commercial use. Consequently, the best public deer ground is often steep, rocky, weedy, and raw—all factors that can improve the hunting if you know how to read the terrain. On public land, the variables are too numerous to mention, but they tend to fall into three themes: accessibility, landscape type, and hunting style. We’ll pick apart three different-but-common landscapes, and then apply the other two variables—accessibility and hunting style—to each. I hope you recognize your local public parcel in these descriptions.

Woodlands

The types of public land in this category include swatches of state forest in the Northeast, some overgrown game lands in Pennsylvania, the hardwoods along the spine of the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains, and much of the logged-over forests from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula down through the white-oak Ozarks. [caption id="attachment_51374" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Dense timber can be hard to hunt, because there aren't many defined edges. In these places, look for tracks, scrapes, and rubs, and set up downwind of those signs.[/caption] These public properties tend to be grown over and fairly sterile in terms of wildlife value. But they serve as productive transition zones for whitetails, providing bedding areas, mast production in good acorn years, and terrain that rewards hunters who get away from the easy access spots and work the interiors. Accessibility: You’re likely to see lots of vehicles at the access points and trailheads, but don’t let that deter you. Prepare to hike, maybe only a few hundred yards or perhaps as far as two miles, to get into the best hunting terrain. If possible, you’re going to want to hike a ridge, maintaining your elevation as you work into the interior. Keep your eyes peeled for deer sign—maybe a rub or a scrape, or a well-used trail. If you’re packing a treestand, the very best spot to erect it is on the nose of a distinct ridge that overlooks a saddle. Bonus points if you can find a good tree that commands the spot where two major ridges meet. Some access points will be at the lower margins of the property, in which case you have some climbing to do. Find the dominant ridge of the parcel and hike up it, keeping your eyes peeled for sign. In areas where water is abundant, look for mast-producing trees. In areas where water is limited, look for little seeps and springs—places that might concentrate deer. Hunting Style: Your hunting style in these woodland habitats will likely be from a treestand. Many public properties don’t allow permanent stands, so think about bringing a climber and setting up over a defined trail. Alternatively, try making a mock scrape, and see if it’s being tended. If it is, that’s the spot for your stand, just downwind of the scrape. This is the perfect terrain for stump-sitters, folks who simply plop down and watch. It’s an old and very effective method for woodland hunting. If you intend to hunt from the ground, plan on using deadfall and slash vegetation to build a ground blind. No need to bring in a commercial blind, especially if it limits your mobility.

Farm/Fields

Accessibility: Most huntable properties that fall into this landscape type are private grounds enrolled in a walk-in program. That’s because, as mentioned, farmland is generally too valuable to be devoted exclusively to the public domain. For the purposes of this piece, we’ll assume that farmland is private and that usage restrictions limit the style of hunting on these properties. [caption id="attachment_51375" align="aligncenter" width="650"] A killer spot to set up for ag-land deer is just inside a timbered edge overlooking a field.[/caption] These landscapes range from the monoscapes of the Great Plains wheat belt to the corn and soybean country of the Midwest to the smaller pastures of the Southeast. What they all have in common, however, is very productive edge habitat, the line between cropland and nearby woods, or pasture and brushy cover. You should be hunting that edge. Hunting Style: Prevailing wind direction can make or break your hunt. Walk that edge, looking for places where deer routinely jump a fence, rub a cedar fencepost or where they scoot between hiding cover and feeding areas. Because deer tend to be equal-opportunity foragers, it can be hard to tell precisely where they feed, but you should be able to identify these movement corridors. If you can’t predict wind, identify stand locations on either side of a corridor. But if there’s a prevailing wind, set up downwind of the crossing and plan to be in place in the evenings. These are typically not morning spots, but they are good places to intercept deer moving from cover to feed in the evenings.

Mountains

You may also be interested in: https://www.letsgohunting.org/resources/articles/big-game/its-the-rut-now-what/

How to hunt every phase of deer season’s most magical time.

By Andrew McKean The main thing you need to know about the rut, which has been studied and defined to within inches of its death, is that for a few magical weeks every year, it finally puts you on even footing with deer. For the rest of the year, deer have the upper hand. They smell you coming. They see and hear you long before you spot them. They are equipped to survive in landscapes that are mostly foreign to us. And, despite our technological advantages, they manage to avoid us. Then the rut erupts, and everything changes. Bucks lose their well-honed inhibitions. They get careless. They get single-mindedly focused on breeding. And we get the rare chance to encounter bucks with their guards down, and this includes the oldest, most nocturnal, and savvy bucks in your area. That’s the magic of the rut, which (with some exceptions) starts around Halloween and continues through Veteran’s Day. If you have the chance to choose when to hunt, it should be between those cardinal dates. Here’s how to make the most of each phase of deer season’s best days. What The Rut Really Is If you’re the sort of hunter who wants just a little bit more information to inform your decisions, however, then it may interest you to know why the rut happens at such specific and predictable times every year. It’s because whitetail deer have a roughly 200-day gestation period. As a prey species, deer are engineered to give birth all at once, so that the area in which they birth is swamped with fawns, the better to ensure that at least some survive predation. The prime fawning period coincides with good forage, both to feed lactating does and to hide young fawns. So, if you backtrack 200 days from early June, when vegetation growth is at its peak across most of the whitetail deer range, then you’re looking at mid-November. And it turns out, that’s precisely when most does are bred across their range. The rut is simply the preamble to breeding, the fortnight in which bucks roam widely looking for ready does, and the urge to breed makes them vulnerable to human hunters. We’ve already established that this is the time to drop everything and hunt, but how do you know where and how to encounter bucks? Adjust your tactics to the varying phases of the rut.

1. Staging Phase