June 24, 2022 Hunting Buddies: What a Good Hunting Partnership Looks Like  By: Justin Hunold Aside from my father I would say I have had two real hunting partners in my life. One is family and the other mine as well be. I have two really great fishing buddies as well. Furthermore, I have a cousin who is also very busy with all things in life. We don’t hunt together often but we also talk and text about it constantly. If the opportunity presented itself I believe that they would be good hunting partners too. What has set them apart from the dozens of other people I have spent hours with out in the woods and on the water? Well, other than their ability to put up with my bullshit that is. Let’s dive in and try to figure out what makes us tied at the hip for outdoor adventures. I asked them all the same questions via text message and prompted them to be brutally honest about their answers. I wanted to see if we could drill down on some common themes to bring out what has made us good partners in our adventures. What makes me compliment them in the pursuit of the natural world. The question is based on this “Why are we good hunting partners?” The Good: The question was “What is the best part of having me as a hunting/fishing partner.” If I were to look at the cumulative answers it comes down to shared values. I think this is probably the most important statement in a good partnership. I don’t necessarily mean religion, political or fiscal values either, although those may help. Family values fall into this category, if you prioritize family, like I do, your hunting partners need to understand that. I don’t care what’s happening, I will not miss Halloween or my son’s Birthday. Both of which fall during hunting seasons. My buddies need to understand and be okay with this. We may have to drive separately or hunt/fish alone one or two days during those stretches, but those are boundaries I put in place and with that they can do the same. Brad is my cousin, I hunt with him the most. He has a wife and a step son. We have cut trips short or rearranged weekends for baseball and ultra marathons. Craig and I have been friends for 20 years. I was in his wedding and I am his daughter’s godfather. We both understand the priorities of parenthood and take the fact that we ran around the woods and water at will together for 10 plus years into account. Now we do it when our schedules line up. Work ethic is another aspect in the spectrum of values that was noted. Jim, who I have spent more time on a boat with than probably everyone else combined, stated that the competitive nature of our fishing was a draw and bonding opportunity. We fish in very different styles so we were always grinding to catch more or bigger fish, there was always one more cast. Tom, is another cousin. We don’t get to hunt together a lot, he is a family man with a wife and three kids and a MLB player. We talk about hunting on almost a daily basis. He pointed out that we have the same level of work and effort. Brad said we are willing to do anything and go anywhere to get the job done, without complaints. Your hunting partner needs to love the process as much as you do. Your levels of input and output need to be nearly equal. Craig also brought up valuing conservation of the resources including responsible harvest of fish. Brad focused on the fact that I enjoy the entire process of hunting, scouting, setting stands, building blinds, cameras, content and that we share the year round mentality. Your values don’t have to be the exact same as your hunting partners, and if you have multiple hunting and fishing buddies they don’t have to have the same values either, but yours need to complement each of them. Jim doesn’t keep a whole lot of fish, Craig does, I keep this in mind with each of them. TJ will get up at 2 am if that’s what is needed to catch the first flock of the morning, Brad on the other hand will hunt his way in during gray light to best take advantage of his level of patience and will change tactics at the drop of a hat. TJ and I stick to a plan, with Brad I am very fluid with planning. You’re there as much for them as they are for you. And that’s for the bad too. The Bad: “ What’s the worst aspect of hunting/fishing with me?” I asked each of these men to be brutally honest with me. That’s a lot to do with someone you need to trust with flying hooks, bad weather, treestand, fast and deep water and firearms. There have been moments with each of them that I was ready to leave them out there and I know for sure they have more times than that when they were ready to tell me to pound sand and we are done doing this together. Here are the examples that came to light that I may not have seen coming. Competition, Jim and I are competitive with fishing and we have viewed it as a good thing most times. Yet, deep down in my dear friend’s soul lived a beast that wanted to toss my over competitive ass into a deep hole with an anchor tied to my leg because of that same competition. At least that’s the way I read his text answer. He mentioned something I do all the time that I had no idea bothered him. I slap my lures off the top of the water to clear weeds. I do it maybe dozens of times on a given fishing trip. He hates it. I understand why that’s annoying and I totally won’t ever do it again when we are together, unless he is out fishing me. One of the things Brad mentioned was along the same lines, the good was we feed off of each other. The bad aspect was the same, we feed off each other. So, instead of one helping the other push through the tough days or mornings of laziness we join in commiserating or skipping time in the stand we should be partaking in. So, we have always known that but now that it has been verbalized I will do my best to push when it is on me to do, but I will ask him to do the same. It’s a partnership after all. TJ pointed out the fact there were plenty of early days that we didn’t like each other until the decoys were set and we were watching for incoming birds. We both learned you didn’t have to want to like someone to work as a team. This occurred with some of those very early, very cold and very quiet long line sets. We hunted enough together we didn’t really need to speak to lay out twelve dozen decoys on long lines in the pitch black. We were well oiled even if we were giving each other the silent treatment. The Ugly: With TJ, Jim, Craig, and Tom they all gave an answer that I take as the biggest compliment. It’s the ugly truth of growing older. The worst part is we don’t get to do this stuff together enough. That was their “worst part” and I agree. I spend weeks a year hunting, scouting and camping with Brad but trying to line that up with the others is almost impossible. So at the end of the day, we do our best and know we always have the outdoors. Friendship, this is the highest priority. For my family and friends that I hunt and fish with, we value that bond more than anything else. We level at the same place, fish, bucks and ducks are great, but time spent together is the driving factor in all of this. Whether its skipping morning sits to grab coffee and drive around glassing fields, grabbing Bojangles after a duck-less morning, beers and rigging rods only to get skunked on the first salmon trip of the fall, sharing baby pictures and trading one liners from the Simpsons or texts of trail camera videos, pictures and talking about heavy metal therein lies the point. I value them, and I think I can say with confidence they value me enough that success is a great goal but it truly is the journey that matters. And when success happens I am happy to have such great men in my life to share that great feeling with. I know they have my back and I have theirs. I believe this is the essence of the pursuit of game, a story as old as time. These bonds are forged in the first embers of the human spirit and continue to burn no matter how much time they are left to the side of life. A cupped bird, a chasing buck, a spawning salmon, dropping acorns or hard hitting smallmouth is all the spark we need to continue to burn that fire. A hunting party is as ingrained as procreation or communication. It’s what makes us human, and if you find the right hunting and fishing partners, they can help make you a better human.
April 22, 2022 All Around Shotgun: What does a Do All shotgun look like? By: Justin Hunold A shotgun is by far the most versatile firearm in a hunting arsenal. You can hunt anything that moves with a shotgun. But in today’s social media driven outdoor-scape we are seeing very specific tools for very specific hunts. We seem to be in the search for the “Best (insert game) Gun” these days. And when the budget and seasons align we can differentiate and own guns for specific purposes like Turkey, Waterfowl, Clays, Upland and Various small game. This style gun is at home in any situation. Let’s not forget that all of these “bests” are still Shotguns. So, what makes for the best Do All shotgun? What covers the most bases so that we can spend more time sharpening our hunting skills rather than thinking of the lack of a specialized tool as a hindrance? If given a choice for one gun for all the targets above, a shooter would be well suited to go with a 12 Gauge. The current trend is moving towards 20 gauge and even the smaller sub gauges like 28 and .410, hell, even the 16 gauge is having its own resurrection. These options are being spurred by more consistent and lethal ammunition choices in everyday available factory loads. But we are talking about one gun versatility here, and there is no answer other than 12 gauge for that question. 12 gauges leave very few gaps in ability to handle the task at hand, including big game with buckshot and slug options. Ammunition for the king of gauges was also available throughout the shortages of the recent past. Good luck killing a Tom with a .410 and TSS if you can’t find any, or trying to takedown a few big, fat Canada’s with your 20 gauge when the only waterfowl legal and appropriate shells you can find are 12 gauge BB’s. It’s not that the other’s don’t do the job, it’s just that they can’t do anything the 12 doesn’t, and this relationship is not inverse. Add in the ability to shoot 2 ¾ “ light loads up to the heaviest 3 ½ “ Magnum loads and a good twelve will handle way more than most hunter’s need. Ok with gauge settled let’s look at barrel length. If I’m running through the spring turkey woods, or pushing the understory for Upland or small game my gun would have a barrel length of between 22-24” . A shorter barrel is just easier to manage in tight cover, it makes your profile a bit tidier when pushing through the stuff, and doesn’t lend itself to snagging when a fast shot is needed. When breaking clays, or shooting birds in flight such as ducks’, geese, crows, pheasants or doves I prefer to have a barrel length of at least 28”. There tends to be the misconception that a shorter barrel is “easier” to swing, which is not the case. A shorter barrel is easier to point and begin the motion of the swing, but to truly swing through a target be it live or clay the weight and momentum of a longer barrel will literally help pull you through the motion of a smooth swing. This brings us to what would be an apt choice for barrel length in an all around shotgun. With the idea of a one gun in the forefront I would choose a 26” barrel. It’s easier to maneuver through the woods than a 28” with a 2 inch extended choke poking out, but it also carries that all important mass to help you break clays and deliver big shot at long distances on geese and divers. Plus in my opinion it’s about the perfect length for niche things like, layout blind, layout boat, hunting over dogs in fields and hunting for deer and hogs with buckshot. So here we are, we have a 12 gauge with a 26” barrel, we need to settle on a mode of operation, pump, semi, over under, side by side, single shot? Let’s face it, we can do anything with a single shot, except reliably shoot a double or the like in the field. When an opportunity does come up for multiple targets or animals, with our limited time in the field for most of us, we need to be able to take full advantage of the situation. Or what if it’s a single, and the only shot you get all day, but you whiff the first trigger pull? Man, I’d like to have a second or even third shot. And we aren’t even talking about a fast paced dove field or a crazy 50,000 bird snow goose flight. A well loved dog and gun just go together. If you asked hunters from generations past what their choice of repeating shotguns would be a lot of them would have settled on a pump, but today’s semi auto’s are as reliable and much faster than the pumps of yesteryear. I would choose a semi auto, they are the fastest way to get three shots off if needed. Other bonuses are generally reduced recoil, a good profile for carrying and overall they are generally fairly light all things considered. So, with multiple shots on deck, a fast cyclic rate, and reduced recoil I am able to leverage the tools at hand to have the best opportunity to make my time with gun in hand the most fruitful. This brings us to our final category and honestly, functionally, the least important. Do we want to choose wood or synthetic furniture? I prefer a nice, black synthetic stock with a matte black finish for an all around gun. There are arguments to be made for a camo gun too. Synthetic is easy to take care of, I don’t cry when I scratch or scrape it and it’s impervious to the weather conditions at hand. You should love the way your gun looks, it will inspire you to use it. With that I can understand why you may choose a wood stock set for your gun. Wood is beautiful, warm and is one of a kind. I love the way wood guns look and feel. I have a bunch of wood guns that make their rotations in and out of the safe for days out in the sun. You need to like the way your one gun looks and feels or else you won’t have the inspiration to use it. This is as important as any other feature. This is your one gun and you should love it. The final feature is the fit of the gun, I believe this sorta goes without saying. The gun needs to fit you. Close your eyes, shoulder it, open your eyes. Is the bead there, are you looking down a straight rib, is your finger comfortable one the trigger? The Cast, Drop and Length of Pull all need to be correct no matter what gun you are choosing. A gunner who has the highest end shotgun in the world that doesn’t fit them will get outshot by a shooter with an inexpensive gun that fits them like a glove. Also, with that thought, shoot the gun. Shoot it often, know your one gun, love your gun. Well, let’s put a bow on this thing. If you have different thoughts on an all around gun that makes sense, you might not have tight quarters shooting, you may only hunt turkeys from a blind, maybe you’re not a clays shooter or a waterfowl hunter, there are great options for your particular pie chart of hunting. Yet, day in day out if we sit down and say what makes for a great all around shotgun, a jack of all trades and the best value for your money I think that we can say a 12 gauge, 26” Barrel, Semi Automatic, Synthetic shotgun won’t let you down. It might not be the best at any one thing except for being great at all of them.
April 15, 2022 We Love to Watch Them Strut By: Justin Hunold When you get a group of Turkey hunters together and the stories start flowing one thing becomes apparent, The sounds of spring dominate the conversation. We judge each other by our ability to imitate a turkey, we wax poetic over birds hammering on the roost, the weird sounds we hear a hen make sticks in our minds, hell we even discuss odd things that make Toms shock gobble. Let’s think about the fact that we have calling championships in which other callers judge the accuracy and artistry of the calling sequence presented on a stage in front of the world. For me though, the sounds are a primer and what really gets my motor turning are the sights of the Turkey woods. Hearing them is great, Seeing them is what matters The sounds let me know what’s going on, Tom over there , Hen over there, hunter over there or was that a real bird? That’s the thing, I love the sounds but more and more they seem to be becoming rarer and rarer. Let’s not forget with the progression in call technology and growth in turkey hunting opportunities hunters calling has never been easier or sounded better. This has led to a lot of calls being thrown at seemingly more highly pressured birds. There was an article in a major publication about staying quiet and waiting birds out just a few days ago, this should be the canary in the coal mine of what the sounds of spring are doing to our turkey hunting. Now picture this, you’re walking a ridge top and calling to get a response from a randy Tom. A few yelps in and he thunders from your north and another one hammers from your west, the best sounds. These birds sound equidistant and are both responsive, guess what matters more than the sound of drumming, spitting, gobbling; which bird can you see first. I don’t remember every gobble but I sure as hell remember the sights of the steam pouring out of a gobblers face as he gobbles, the iridescent shine coming off the strutting gobbler all puffed up trying to show off, or the patriotic flag themed dome piece poking through the red rippers and he’s picking his way through the thick stuff. How many times have you slammed on the brakes to see what the flock in the field looks like? How many times did that sight prompt your eye to look at your mapping app to figure out if you could get to those birds? So, as much time as we all like to focus on yelps, clucks, purrs, kee kee runs, spitting, drumming, gobbling and shock calling they are all just sounds in the ether. Clues. What happens if we never get that visual of a bird strutting, or flying down, or a hen sneaking through cover beckoning against you? Let’s look at not only the beauty of these cinematic spring scenes but also what goes into them and how they help us. Look at the more recent tactic of Reaping a turkey, or moving into position behind a strutting Tom silhouette and then shooting the target bird in the face from as close as possible. This tactic works best with a real turkey fan, birds can tell the difference and requires zero sounds, just a natural movement with aggressive posturing from the “Decoy”. Take a look at hunting decoys and the evolution of Turkey decoys over the years specifically. The foam decoys I had at 12 years old wouldn’t even hit the store shelves these days. We’ve gone from hair dryers to reform them to full body molded decoys. Stuff in your pocket to which frame pack carries my two full body Hens and strutting Jake the best? So, the visuals matter on a nuts and bolts level, and with more calling pressure and smarter birds, they matter more than ever.When we are using decoys the Gobbler gets to see what we are looking for as well, visual cues. Setting up in shadows, fully camoed, minimal movement, we want our footprint on the visual landscape to be as small as possible. We have to balance this with good decoy placement, set up to compliment the terrain and scene we are trying to paint with sound and sight. It’s a tough mix between a large visual and the subtle nuances of a natural scene. Turkey’s like to strut in the open in the spring, they are prominent on the landscape in this way, but remember this gets them killed and not just by us. When thinking about the aesthetics of the scene, think about the Hen laying in cover, the Jake just out of direct sight, the Tom not fully silhouetted in the strut zone. You can be too in their face but often you can’t be too subtle. Remember nothing is as subtle as a silent “B” and that’s the sort of play you should hedge towards when dealing with the visual acuity of a Turkey. At the end of the day I don’t believe that the folks who chase spring birds will ever forgo the love and admiration of the music of Turkey’s mating concert. In the end it is probably the most important attachment we have to the birds in many ways. Most of us will never forget the first hammering gobble we heard echo through that early morning misty mountain hop. I’ll never forget the one time I had twelve distinct gobblers answering me and I was too inexperienced to get sight of any of them. But that’s the point at the time I was hunting for the gobble. Now I hunt for the gobbler and I gotta see em to shoot em.To me the other visuals make for a stark contrast to the spring deer scouting time right before Turkey season too. Early spring in my neck of the woods still has snow and ice, a few leftover beech tree leaves hanging on, some oaks holding a bit of their lobed or spiked plumage and a lot of gray and brown. As turkey season comes in, those colors transfer from gray and brown to being splashed with greens of all hues, reds, blues and violets in the flowers that wake up from the winter nap. The aesthetic is striking. But when you hear that bird call in the distance, as thrilling as that is, remember it matters not until you can see all those colors in his strutting plumage as he does his best spring dance for you, the very best sight of spring.
