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By Taxidermist Bill Joseph |
"Straight From The Field" is brought to you by Bill Joseph of Nature's Way Taxidermy. The editorials on this page is from his own perspectives and viewpoints. Experienced not only in Taxidermy but lifetime outdoorsmen and know the wants & necessities of our outdoors people. On these pages Bill will bring these to the forefront and answer many of your "Straight from the Field" questions. You can contact him via email @ Bill Joseph or by phone at (716) 731-4215 Located at 2285 Lockport Road Sanborn NY 14132 ~ Or post your questions on the Outdoor Forum HERE Your question will help everyone!
INDEX OF "STRAIGHT FROM THE FIELD" |
Sportsmen Protecting Our Future [SPOF] - Letter to NYSDEC concerning big game hunting
Rattle Them In ![]() Since that day, rattling is what I do - from opening day of bow, to the end of muzzle loader season. I'm not trying to brag, but I've rattled in and harvested a buck every year since that first encounter. It works. So, how is it done? First, I use a rattling box, which you can buy anywhere. Real antlers are bulky, and I think there's a safety issue when you're waving around real antlers while hunting. There are also rattling bags. They work well, but I think they're a little bit heavy to carry. While on stand, for one minute every hour, I do a rattling sequence. I try to sound like two small bucks sparring, nothing real aggressive. I also add in some buck grunts and doe bleats. Next, I quickly put everything away, and get ready. If it works, it happens fast. All of a sudden, a buck will be right in your lap. You have to be ready. So, you have a choice. Sit there day after day, and hope a deer walks by, or call them in. Bucks, like humans, love to see a good fight, and are very curious. I guarantee if you give this a try, it will work. But, you have to be consistent. Rattle for one minute every hour while on stand. Rattling will change your deer hunting life. Good luck, |
DON'T LET THEM HANG AROUND ![]() A
fellow came into my shop and told me he harvested a deer in the Alabama
Swamps last year. He also told me how bad the deer tasted. He said it
must have been the swamp water it was drinking. I then asked him how he
went about gutting the deer, how long he let it hang, and what the
temperature was like. He then explained that, after gutting the deer,
he washed the cavity with water, then hung the deer for three days in
about 50-60 degree temperatures. I then told him that that was why his
meat tasted bad. Let me explain. Next, he let his deer hang too long. This is my rule. If the temperature is above 50 degrees, your deer has to be processed and in the freezer within 24 hours. If the temperature is below 50 degrees, your deer should be processed and frozen within 3 days. And, of course, temps below freezing, your deer will be OK until it thaws out. And, if there are flies present, process deer immediately. I know what you're going to say. Your grandfather used to hang his deer for weeks, and that's why a lot of people don't like the taste of deer meat today. I've processed thousands of deer, and I've seen and heard it all. The faster you get your deer meat in the freezer, the better it will taste. Feel free to call me anytime with questions about this topic As a side note; when gutting your deer, you MUST remove the pee sack. Leaving this in the deer will spoil your deer within 24 hours. One more thing, if you're bringing your deer to a professional processor, bring it immediately. DON'T let it hang around, because we may not be able to get to your deer immediately.
Good Luck, |
BE CAREFUL WHAT
YOU WISH FOR |
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But actually, in most
cases, you are protecting the inferior buck and harvesting the deer
with good genetics. Let me give you an example. The members of your
camp, or our government, tell you that you can only shoot bucks of
eight points or better. Now here's the scenario. It's simple. You're
at your hunting camp, you have 500 acres, and 5 hunters. You're in
your tree stand and a four-point, a spike, and an eight-point come
by your stand. Each deer is from different parents and each deer is
a year and a half old. So which deer has real potential to grow to
trophy status? The odds are that the eight-point has superior
genetics over the other two. But guess what happens? We harvest the
eight-point, because that's the law. And the inferior bucks are now
left to breed. If you multiply this scenario, you should get the
picture. But here's where it gets tricky. For the first few years,
the results are misleading. It seems like this practice is working,
because now, by law, hunters have to wait to harvest the superior
deer out of the herd. Trust me,it's only downhill from here. The
bottom line is that the government and we hunters have no business
tampering with nature. So let's enjoy what we have. There are some
beautiful bucks harvested every year in New York State, so let's
keep it that way. |
DEER RECOVERY/ GUT SHOT OR LIVER SHOT![]() So when you've made a bad shot, you have two choices. Chase the deer all over the county, or let him bed down and recover your trophy. So I decided to wait ten hours and recover my deer. He laid down 100 yards from my stand and expired. To say I was happy is an understatement. They say 20 % of deer are not recovered, and those are pretty bad odds. The gut, liver shot is the shot that falls into this bad percentage spot. All bowhunters know you need to let a gut/liver shot deer go at least ten hours before you start tracking them. They teach you this at the bowhunters safety course. And after years of bowhunting, I truly believed it was almost impossible to recover a gut-shot deer. And I didn't care how long you let him bed down. So, what was the difference this day? I waited an hour before getting down out of my stand, and instead of looking for my arrow, and looking for first blood, I quickly snuck out of the woods and then waited ten hours. **Please read that again, because this is the secret to recovering a gut/liver shot deer. Now this is the point of this article. It took me 25 years of bowhunting to understand that when you look for your arrow and first blood, you have now begun tracking your deer. And because a gut/liver shot deer will not go far to lay down, you have now alerted the deer with your search for your arrow and first blood, sending him on the run. At this point, you can throw the ten-hour waiting time out the window, because you didn't wait. Recovery will be almost impossible at this point. To make matters more confusing, is the fact that a liver-shot deer bleeds a lot, making the hunter believe the deer will expire quickly, and there is nothing farther from the truth. Now I know what you're thinking. How do you know if you've gut/liver shot a deer? A deer will usually hunch up like a mad cat and just slowly walk away. But in any case, if you're in doubt of your shot placement, follow the same strategy as a gut/liver shot deer. I'm sorry, but I've got to say it again. If you've gut/liver shot your deer - DO NOT look for your arrow or first blood. Sneak out of the woods and wait ten hours, not eight hours, not nine hours, but at least ten. This is true, even in rain or snow. Your deer will lay down within 150 yards and die. Yes, it may be hard finding a deer with no blood, but I guarantee you will not find him if you push him to the next county. I hope this helps someone out there this year. Good luck. Please call me if you have any questions about this. |
WOODSMEN - WHERE ARE YOU? The other day I was flipping through the
500 channels on TV, when I came across a deer-hunting show. After five
minutes of disbelief, I couldn't watch it any more. This show had
"hunting teams" shooting deer for points and a prize at the end.
It made me sick to my stomach. I thought, "what have we sportsmen
become?" Furthermore, fathers are even teaching their kids instant gratification mentality. Just plant a food plot, pattern the deer with a trail cam and - Instant deer! The anti-hunters are giving us all the rope we need to hang ourselves, and we're doing a good job of it.
We need to get back to the
basics. Leave your 4-wheeler at home, get rid of all the gizmos, and
become one with nature. Enjoy your time in the woods and appreciate the
deer that you harvest - big or small. Baler Stewart 9 yrs. Bill Joseph |
BIG BASS
ON THE COAST GUARD DRIFT
What drives the big bass into the river is wind, hard north-easterlies, which means bad weather. The high winds will destabilize the water temperatures in the lake, pushing the big bass into the river. So what I do is watch the weather and fish hard during and a couple days following the weather front. The big bass will quickly move out to deep water once the lake stabilizes. Now, how do you catch them? First, you have to find them. I'll start in front of the South Fort boat launch, doing the typical drift out into the lake. Keep trying different depths until you hook up. Most of the big bass will be in about 30 feet of water, where the river meets the lake, just past the coast guard base. This spot will not be a nice place to be with North winds. The rigs I use are the typical 3-way swivel rigs. With a shiner, worm, or - I'll share a little secret that my good friend Captain Tony LaRosa shared with me about 5 years ago - Jumbo Peeled Cooked Shrimp. Big bass love them! And if the fishing is slow, you can eat them for lunch! The most important thing about drifting the coast guard drift is staying on the bottom. If you're not snagging up 50% of the time, you're not doing it right. So, when everyone's home watching fishing on TV, because the weather is bad, you'll know where to find me. Good luck, Bill Joseph |
How to Tag a Niagara County Turkey As you know, there are turkeys everywhere in Niagara County. So, it
should be easy to get one. But the fact is, with so many birds, and the
sport becoming so popular, it's become harder to tag a mature bird. Big
Toms have so many hens, that there is no need for them to gobble or come
to your calls. And when he does sound off, hunters are everywhere, setting
up in that 10-acre hardwood you're hunting. So, after 20 years of chasing
turkeys, I've learned a few things. For now, I'll talk about scouting. Here are some things to remember when scouting: 1. Get out a couple weeks before the season opens and pattern the birds. This doesn't mean walking all over the area you plan on hunting. 2. Scout from a distance. 3. Get out at sunrise. 4. Set up in a hedgerow or across the field from where the turkeys like to roost. 5. Listen and watch - no calling! See where the turkeys want to go. Just remember, in Niagara County, the wood lots are small and the land is flat. You can't just walk around without a plan. You'll just bump the birds out of your hot spot. Hope this helps! Get out as much as possible and BE SAFE! See picture & story of Bill's 2008 Niagara County Turkey report below GO HERE |
Got a Wall
Hanger? - Now what!
One of the big questions taxidermists get is, "I got a big fish or deer, now what do I do?" So, I thought I'd post some tips. When it comes to fish, the first thing is, don't let the fish flop around damaging itself. Next, get the fish out of the sun, into a plastic bag and into the freezer. If you want to release the fish and have a reproduction made, you need to measure the length, girth, and take a picture. Now, deer hunters. DON'T TAG YOUR DEER THROUGH THE EAR! DON'T DRAG THE DEER ON HIS SHOULDER OR NECK AREA! And NEVER TIE A ROPE AROUND HIS NECK!..... Immediately get a hold of your taxidermist, because deer capes are touchy, especially if it's warm out, or the deer is wet. This is true for all fur-bearers. Whatever you harvest, bird, deer, fur-bearer, or fish, needs to be frozen as soon as possible. This will ensure a beautiful mount that will last forever. Good luck, Bill Joseph |
Post
your questions on the Outdoor Forum HERE |
Spring Turkey
Hunting - Part II
Now that you've done some scouting, and you've been practicing your calling (driving everyone in your house crazy), here's a list of some things you may need:
When it comes to your gun, you have to get out before the season and shoot it. Put up some turkey targets and see how your gun patterns. You may have to play with different loads to get a desired pattern. In regards to calling, you don't have to be an expert caller to get a turkey. I strongly suggest watching some good turkey hunting videos. This will help, but remember, videos only show the good stuff! Here are some of my Golden Rules:
Hopefully some of these tips will help you get started. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail.
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SPRING TURKEY - TO DECOY OR NOT TO DECOY? Some hunters depend on decoys too much, and spend more time setting them up, when they should be sitting down and staying still. Last year, I harvested a big old Tom as a direct result of using a decoy. I'd been hunting this bird for two years with no success. He was call-shy. If you called to him at all, he would shut up and go the other way. So, after two days of watching him strutting in a field, I was able to pattern him. On the third day, I waited. Knowing how dominant this bird was, I knew he would not tolerate a Jake and Hen decoy set-up in the field he had been going to for the last two days. So I waited without calling, and at 8:00 he showed up. He entered the field, saw the decoys, and ran over for a fight. There are a million turkey situations you will face. Decoys can help, but don't be too quick to use them. They are not always necessary. Good luck - Bill Joseph. See picture & story of Bill's 2008 Niagara County Turkey report below GO HERE |
No Boat, No Problem
So, if you'd like to give this a try, here's how:
The best spot will be where the creek flows into the lake. You will not believe the fish that are out there: brown trout, lake trout, rainbows, coho salmon, northern pike, bass, and even carp. All attracted by the warm water coming out of the creek. Cast out as far as you can into the lake. Count to five, and start your retrieve. That's all there is to it. This exact technique will also work anywhere along the shore of the lake and the lower Niagara. Some other good shore-fishing spots are: Youngstown Village docks, Fort Niagara beach, Art Park, Whirlpool and Devil's Hole State Park, and Wilson and Olcott piers. Have patience, they're out there. It will be worth all that casting when you hook up with a giant brown trout! Good Luck! NOTE: For more shore fishing tips visit THIS PAGE on Outdoors Niagara |
2008
- NIAGARA COUNTY TURKEY REPORT ~ ![]() Another spring turkey season came to an end, and from all reports, it should be a record-book take in Niagara County. With gas prices being so high, hunters stayed home, pushing the numbers up locally. Just about everyone I've talked to scored a bird, and some tagged out with two. The weather was good for the most part, and the bugs were not so bad. Being self-employed, I was able to hunt just about every day, and had action on most outings. And congratulations to Quaker Boy pro-staffer, Chuck Brolinski of Lewiston. We're mounting a beautiful bird he harvested in the last minutes of the season. That's determination, and that's what it takes! Click for larger picture Can you believe that 25 years ago there wasn't a turkey in Niagara County, and now they're everywhere - it's amazing! I believe the coyote is the reason why turkeys have done so well. Yep, you heard me right. Let's face it, if the coyote, with all his ACME gizmos can't kill the Roadrunner, he is surely no threat to the turkey! But seriously, the coyote may get lucky once in a while and have a turkey dinner. But for the most part, he protects them, keeping the real killers, the egg-ravaging wild cats, skunks, possums and raccoons in balance. And if you think about it, coyote and turkey populations have grown together. So let's thank the wiley coyote for keeping things under control. He's not the enemy, but we'll talk about that another time. Good job, guys! Bill Joseph |
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