"Better Safe, Than Sorry"

This month's topic is very controversial, although it really shouldn't be. We're talking about wearing a safety harness while hunting from a stand. And really it's not so much controversial as it is stubbornness. And unfortunately most of the push comes from veteran hunters. Nobody ever used to think about wearing a safety harness. They weren't prevalent until the new millennium, and even then hunters were not taking to them as most would hope. Most never wore them to begin with, so why change now? When safety harnesses first started to really hit the market hard most of them were uncomfortable, hard to untangle and put on, and got in the way when it came time to draw your bow. "So why bother with all that headache when nothing has happened to me the last 30 years in the woods?" most would think. I mean heck, my father and uncle used to stand on a tree limb to hunt whitetails before stands became more affordable. Look, I'm not trying to bash anyone with these statements. I was guilty myself. It was not until my uncle fell 25 feet from his stand, that I really took tree stand safety seriously.

November 12th, 2008. It's the middle of the rut in Ohio. Bucks are cruising the woods more than ever looking for a hot doe. My uncle, dad's younger brother, Randy Fabian is planning to stay in the stand all day hoping to catch one of those bucks cruising close enough that he can send an arrow through its boilermaker. He packed a lunch that morning and a spare bladder knowing his all-day stay would bring hunger and discomfort had he not. Randy did have something in the back of his mind tell him to bring his basic safety harness being that he would be there all day. You know the one that's just one strap around the tree, and one around your waist. Nothing major. But little did he know it would come into play later that autumn day.

He arrived early and parked his truck well before first light that morning because the stand he would be hunting required about a quarter mile walk in across a huge corn field, crossing a small creek, and hiking up a steep incline that housed four shelves. The stand was in a prime location. A natural funnel on the corner of the last shelf before the summit. We've always observed bucks chasing does around this ridge right along this shelf in years past, and no one had hunted the stand yet that fall. Randy felt good about that morning. It was one of those days during the rut when you know you're going to see a lot of action. In addition, Randy was still on cloud nine from taking a very respectable 5x5 public land bull elk in Colorado that September. So as he hung his bow on the hook and sat down in the stand that morning, he was the most optimistic hunter in the woods.

As the morning progressed he saw a few does and smaller bucks. Nothing too exciting, but experienced hunters know that on a day like that, the excitement could ramp up at any moment. Around 1:30 he unpacked his lunch and began to refuel for the evening. By this time the length of the day was getting to him. And the food he just consumed, now digesting in his stomach, wasn't helping. It was roughly 2 o'clock now. Whenever I talk to Randy about this day he always says he never really remembers falling asleep, just faintly remembers falling. "It was kind of like a dream," he said. Then nothing. Total darkness.

A flutter of the eyes, and a gasp for air. Miraculously, Randy had survived a 25 foot plunge to the hard, unforgiving Earth. But now what? This was prior to cell phones becoming popular so he had no way of contacting anyone. It was sometime between 2 and 3pm so the soonest anyone would come looking for him would be a long 4-5 hours away. That morning he planned on going to work but decided to call off sick after his wife had left for hers. So she had no idea he was even in the woods somewhere. He made the mistake no hunter ever should, and that was not tell anyone where he was going before heading into the woods that day. 27 years of hunting under his belt and he'd always let someone know... until now.

Trying to catch his breath which had been knocked out of him from the fall, Randy rolled over to see his bow still hanging above him in the tree. As he rolled around in the dirt his shoulder popped back into place as it had been dislocated on impact. His whole left side throbbed with pain. Being the rut he figured my father or one of us might be hunting somewhere close enough to hear him yell. But as he tried to yell nothing would come out. At least of any volume. He was sure his ribs were broken. The simple belt he had put on that morning had actually saved his life. As he fell his head went first. Had his fall continued like that he may not be here today. However, the belt caught him despite breaking just enough to kick him back upright to where he landed on his side rather than his head. So aside from everything that has just transpired, the fact his insides feeling mangled, the intense pain on his left side, the cheap belt kept him alive. But for how long?

Randy knew there was no way of contact, and waiting for someone to come looking wasn't an option. Having yet to be able to stand up with a huge knot in his right leg which most likely came from hitting a tree step on the way down, and pain shooting down his whole left leg from hitting the ground, he knew he was going to have to walk out. Every bit of a quarter mile separated him from his truck, but at that moment in time it seemed like 10 miles to Randy. Somehow, after the first 100 yards or so he was able to stand up using a tree to pull himself up. As he began to work his way down the ridge he had to switchback to keep himself from toppling over head first down the steep bank. He took his time. Not knowing if time was on his side or not, he still knew that getting in a rush would only make things worse. He made it to the bottom and waded across the creek. He crawled up the opposing bank to meet his next challenge, cut corn.

Completely healthy you'd never think corn stubble would ever be a challenging obstacle in nature, but with two severely injured legs it was a different story. He did his best to not trip over every stalk as he limped across the field. Just over halfway across the field now, only 200 yards separated him from his truck. Over the noise of his boots stepping on the cut corn stalks Randy heard a sound. Probably the greatest sound he could have heard at that very moment. It was a car engine, and the sound of tires rolling across the gravel road. It was getting closer. He made it out amongst the trees a car was cruising down the road and was going to drive right past him. As it rolled by, Randy raised his hands and began to wave. Still not being able to yell, he waved his hands frantically now. But the car never slowed down. His arms fell to his sides. Although he was discouraged by not getting it to stop, he kept moving. If he had a second wind, this is where it came in. He pushed on. Finally making it to his truck he crawled in. The pain heightened as he drove desperately down to his mother's house just a short mile down the road. As soon as he pulled in she knew something was wrong. She immediately called his brother, Scott who rushed over to then drive Randy to the hospital.

Randy is a very lucky man. Most cannot say that after a fall like that from a stand. He never broke a bone. He fractured his pelvis, his ribs were only severely bruised along with his shoulder, the knot in his leg stayed with him for months. He was able to leave the hospital the following afternoon only having to use crutches for a few weeks. Later that deer season in January Randy climbed back up in a stand. He now takes a proper safety harness every time he hunts in a tree stand. It's crazy to think how much worked against Randy that day, and yet he was able to walk away with only minimal injuries. It was truly an eye-opening experience for all of us. I bought my very first safety harness along with my father that same fall. I haven't left the house for a stand without it since.

I'm telling this story to hopefully open more eyes before something like this happens to you or a loved one. Don't wait until it happens like we did. Be proactive and buy a proper safety harness today. It's worth every penny. Of all the gear sold in outdoor and hunting stores now, a safety harness will be the best purchase you ever make. Harnesses now are much more affordable, easier to use, and lighter weight. You'd be a stubborn fool not to wear one. So please, if you don't wear one for yourself, wear one for your loved ones at home so that you may return to hunt another day.

Tune in next month as we discuss how you can better prepare for deer season. Feel free to provide feedback on my articles, send requests on what you would like my next article to cover in the bowhunting realm, or shop over 75,000 hunting and outdoor products by visiting my website at launchtoi.com/LukeFabian

"A Bowhunter's Guide to a Black Bear Hunt"

North America has so much to offer when it comes to big game hunting. No matter what you hunt here in Ohio, everyone needs to find time to make a trip out of state to hunt a different species our great continent has to offer. From elk to moose, big horn sheep to mule deer. It can be a tough decision as to what trip you'd like to invest in. And most of the time, the investment narrows down your options. Let's not kid ourselves. Probably 99.9% of us don't have $50K just laying around to spend on a big horn sheep hunt. When I begin planning for a yearly hunting trip, I am looking at the least expensive hunts I can find that will still give me a good chance at being successful. Since I'm a bowhunter, this narrows my choices down even more. We're talking hog hunts, pronghorn, public land elk in Colorado (the only state you can buy over-the-counter elk tags), DIY mule deer, turkey, and black bear. The hunt I am going to focus on in this article is a black bear hunt. The ins and outs, the approximate cost, and what to expect when you arrive at bear camp.

I've been on several black bear hunts with several different guides over the past few years, and have talked with numerous other hunters about their experiences in the bear woods. So although I may not have the knowledge about bears as I do whitetails and turkeys here in Ohio, I can give you a rough idea of what to expect no matter which outfitter you decide to go with. First off, as for where to go for your black bear hunt I highly recommend getting your passport and making a trip to Canada. You could book a trip somewhere in the states, but in my opinion, success rates and bigger bears live in the Land of the Leaf. Quebec has a ton of black bears and some big ones too. My guide is about 45 minutes into Quebec from the Ontario border, but we'll talk about him later. Alberta and Manitoba are historically great for black bears as well as New Brunswick and Ontario. Depending on the province, this could make for a very short trip via your truck and trailer.

Now, when I say truck and trailer, most of the time you're going to need to bring your ATV or UTV along with you. Most bear camps you'll either stay in a lodge or cabin, then to travel to your stand, you'll be making quite a trip back into the Canadian bush on some not so nice roads. Although some states you can hunt without a guide, I highly recommend booking with a guide. They've done their homework, they've probably been baiting all spring (which I recommend even though fall hunting can be great too), and you'll find you have a much better chance at success with a guide. Black bears can be hunted spot and stalk, but I recommend hunting a bait from a stand. Once you step foot in the Canadian bush in May or June, you'll understand... there's no pinpointing these bears without a bait.

To take you through a typical black bear hunt, I'll be using my guide's way of doing things as a comparison. Now, understand every outfitter is different, but this should give you a rough idea of what to expect. Typically it's a five day hunt. Arrive on a Saturday which from Cambridge, OH to camp it's about 13 hours. Not a long trip compared to most. We buy our licenses, tags, and our food for the week in town before we head down the back roads to camp. We stay in a cabin and must provide our food for the week whereas if you stay at the lodge, they provide three home cooked meals a day. We usually try to arrive in the morning or around lunch. We'll unload the truck and trailer into the cabin. Then that evening we'll take the ATV's and follow the guide as he will not only show us where we will be hunting and hanging our stands, but also he will bait the barrels again so they are fresh for the hunt. Most guides have you bring your own stands for liability reasons.

Some outfitters suggest hunting both morning and evening but most of the time you'll just hunt the evenings when bears are most active on the baits. So we usually fish the nearby lake in the mornings until it's time to head out each evening. Make sure you take your Thermacell! If you didn't know already, the black flies and mosquitoes are terribly thick during spring in Canada. Thermacells will not spook the bears, and be the difference between hunting comfortably, and a miserable hunt. If you forget your Thermacell even one night, expect to turn into a human bug bite. They are not friendly!

As far as pricing goes, every outfitter is different. Most of the time, you get what you pay for. However, for the hunt our guide provides, it is a very inexpensive hunt. To stay in a cabin it's about $1200 per person as opposed to the lodge which is $1500 per person. Like I stated before, the lodge includes your meals whereas staying in a cabin you must bring your own. Plus you need to factor gas money, taxes, and your license and tag which in Quebec are roughly $275. Hunting trips are never cheap, But if you do a little shopping, you can get a deal that could still lead you to a filled tag.

No matter what the hunt, just make sure you have a pretty good idea of what to expect going in, and always have a checklist for your gear. If you're like me, you always forget something. So I always make a checklist to make sure I have it all. If you're interested in booking a black bear hunt in the future, I highly recommend booking with Shawn Sullivan of Pontiac Lodge, Quebec. He treats everyone like family, and you're going to have plenty of shot opportunities at bears. His website is: www.pontiaclodge.ca where you can find his contact info and all sorts of photos of the beautiful scenery and bears taken from camp, as well as a printer friendly checklist for all the essential gear for a black bear hunt. Stay tuned next month, as we talk tree stand safety. launchtoi.com/LukeFabian

"Bowhunting Turkeys: A Game of Chess Part 2 - Calling & Decoy/Blind Setup"

Now that you have the mind set of where to make a clean, lethal shot on a gobbler with your bow, it's time to talk about how to call one in, and the best decoy/blind setup for success. In this article I am going to give you some inside information on calling turkeys within bow range, and different decoy setups that can bring gobblers in those last few needed yards.

I believe the most common mistake turkey hunters make is calling too aggressive or calling too loud. As it goes for any other aspect to hunting, being a patient caller can help lure that swamp chicken in those last few yards. Now, I'll be the first one to say I'm included in with the aggressive callers. I can't help it. Something about the communication from call to gobbler, and getting one fired up just gets my blood pumping like no other. Hearing one gobble so close it vibrates in your chest will give any man, woman or child the rush of a lifetime. With this being said, cuts, cackles, and excited yelps can work great in the right situation. But more often than not, a gobbler is going to respond much better to softer calling like clucks and purrs. Just lowering the tone of all of your calling can help better your chances. You can't really call too soft. And just because that gobbler doesn't respond, doesn't mean he isn't picking up what you're putting down. Many mornings in the turkey woods I've heard gobblers way off in the distance. I'd give a few cuts, and clucks and let him know there's a hen in the area and then wait. A lot of the time that gobbler would come in silent without gobbling once, and appear as though out of thin air. Then panic, the dropping of calls, and scrambling for my bow would ensue.

But what if soft, patient calling isn't enough? It's time to break out the decoys. Decoys can be a great tool to bring gobblers that extra few yards needed for a shot with your bow. With the hundreds to choose from on the market nowadays it can be a tough task to decide which is the right for you. I would suggest buying the highest quality decoys your wallet (and wife) will allow. With the popularity of turkey hunting skyrocketing higher and higher, birds are becoming more and more educated every time a hunter misses on an opportunity at one. It can't be helped. It happens. But it seems as though they aren't fooled as much by the lower end decoys as they were 10 years ago. So buy the most realistic ones you can. Second, try to assemble a decent flock. Three is usually perfect, but if the billfold will only allow one, go with a single hen. Aside from that a jake decoy would be the next buy for me, and then another hen in a different pose would be my third.

When it comes time to place your decoys, here's a few things to keep in mind. I like to have the jake face the direction the gobbler will be approaching with the hen looking as though she's leaving the field. Unless you know you have a dominant gobbler on the property, just a hen or two may work better. Younger, less dominant gobblers may feel intimidated by a male bird decoy. So a hen or two should do the trick. There are thousands of ways to turn and set them but this has gave me the best results. Another thing to remember is to make sure they are spread out far enough. Gobblers can be claustrophobic, and if there isn't plenty of space between decoys for them to strut, they may get uneasy and leave without presenting a shot. I always try to make sure I keep my decoys at least 5-8 yards apart. But keep them close to you. Just because you feel comfortable making a 20 yard shot with your bow doesn't mean you should place your decoys there. I'll keep them at about 8 yards, and a lot of the time I'll even put them 10 yards behind me. 9 times out of 10 that gobbler will hang up outside of bow range. But if the decoys are close or behind you, it's game over, gobbler.

To hide a lot of the movement needed to draw my bow I hunt out of a ground blind. You have to be a very still, patient, and veteran bowhunter to make it happen just tucked in the brush going after a turkey. As we discussed in "Part 1", turkeys can pick out movement like no other game animal in Ohio. As for placement of that blind, most of the time I'm set up on a field edge or an open area in the woods I know turkeys travel through. With a few weeks of scouting you'll know too, these are the places turkeys want to be on spring mornings. Gobblers want to be out in the open strutting their stuff for the ladies. Then mid to late morning, they'll retire into the woods until later that evening. So a great way to catch these gobblers either off the roost first thing in the morning, or late morning when they head for cover, is to set up on a field edge.

So what I hope you've taken from these past two articles is the knowledge to make a clean, lethal shot, and the ability to put yourself in the right place to make that shot. And if the gobbler is being stubborn, let that call just softly coax him into his ultimate demise. I wish you all good luck this spring! Tune in next month as we talk black bear hunting! launchtoi.com/LukeFabian

"Bowhunting Turkeys: A Game of Chess Part 1 - Shot Placement"

Knight to H3. The gobbler you've been coaxing into your setup for the last two hours just skirted outside of bow range, and left with a group of hens. The battle of brains and wills was just won by a twenty-five pound bird that can barely fly. Checkmate!

That's how I look at bowhunting turkeys. It's a game of chess. And that's about how 99% of turkey hunts with a bow turn out. A bird with a brain the size of a walnut outsmarts you, and gets away clean.

Myself and the Eastern Wild Turkeys we have here in Ohio have a love-hate relationship. When they cooperate, and at least present me with the opportunity to be successful, I love hunting them. But a majority of the time, I despise them and their ability to outsmart me. Despite this relationship we have, I respect turkeys just as I do with all other game animals and their cunning attributes. Thunder chickens have the best eyes in the woods among game animals in Ohio. They can pick out movement from great distances like a hawk, which can pose quite a task for us bowhunters when it comes time to draw our bows. Just like deer, it seems they have a sixth sense when they come into most setups. They just know something's not right. But like I said before, with this challenge comes great respect. And that's why I love bowhunting turkeys so much.

There's tons we could dive into, and dissect about turkey hunting with a bow so I'm only going to talk about a few key things to hopefully help you become a more successful bowhunter. The topic I'm going to discuss in this article is shot placement.

First off, anytime you start talking about shot placement you need to know the animal's anatomy. There are two target areas you can aim for on a turkey that will result in a lethal, and ethical shot. The first is what most bowhunters aim for and that is the vitals (heart and lungs). The second is the head or neck area. These two areas and pretty much anywhere in between the two areas with the right broadhead will result in an ethical shot, a dead bird, and a happy you.

The vitals of a turkey are located basically dead center of their body as shown in the above illustration. From the outside looking in, this is approximately where the wing attaches to the body. One phrase pertaining to this that has held true through years and years of turkey hunting is, "high they die, low they go." Which means if you're going to miss that center spot you're better off to miss high rather than low. When I've hit gobblers a tad high, I've found them expired not far away. When I've missed the mark low, I've never found the bird and it's a bad day for everyone. A turkey's vitals are about the size of an average man's fist. Not exactly a whole lot of room for error there. That is why over the past few years I've started aiming for the turkey's head with my bow.

Just like any other part of hunting, the technology in turkey hunting gear has came a long way. Within just the last ten years several companies have developed broadheads specifically designed for turkey hunting. And more importantly, head shots. The ones I use are Magnus Bullheads which can be found on my website here: Magnus Bullheads - 125 grain. They've created a broadhead with a huge cutting diameter without sacrificing accuracy. This means you have more room for error. It's either a quick, clean harvest, or a complete miss. There's no in between. As hunters we need to stress how important it is to try our best not wound animals, and with these broadheads it's virtually impossible.

The above diagram is an accurate representation of where your shot placement should be depending on how the gobbler is turned. If he is facing you, right above the beard is a perfect shot whether his feathers are in or in full strut. For a head shot, the best shot opportunity will be when he is in full strut. The head is tucked against the body rather than moving back and forth as it will when his feathers are in. But I must stress, the absolute best shot at success on a turkey with a normal broadhead is when he is in strut, his tail feathers are up, and he is facing away from you. He cannot see you draw your bow, plus it is an easy reference point. Right where all the tail feathers come to a point.

So if you're up for a game of chess with the Bobby Fisher of the woods, don't forget these tips when it comes to shot placement. Good luck this thunder chicken season, and be safe! Make sure you check out all my articles and videos and shop over 75,000 hunting products on my website here: http://launchtoi.com/LukeFabian

"Shed Hunting - Tips & Tricks"

This has to be the toughest time of the year not just for myself, but for every hunter and outdoor enthusiast alike. The whitetail bow season has come to a close, spring turkey and bear seasons are still far off in the distance, and if you're like me you have a terrible case of cabin fever. Old Man Winter taunts me as I sit snuggled up by the fireplace typing while I watch the frost thicken on the outside window panes.  I feel like a caged animal, clawing at the door wishing for the day the snow melts, and it warms up enough to finally get out and go shed hunting.

Taking a relaxing walk in search of shed antlers is what keeps us hunters sane until the beautiful greens of spring arrive. It's what feeds that craving. That fire that burns deep inside each and every one of us. It fuels our outdoor addicted souls. From shed hunting can come so many benefits not just to the avid deer hunter, but to any person looking for some great outdoor recreation. And that's what I think separates shed antler hunting from actually going afield to harvest one of God's great creations.

Even if you just love the outdoors, and love taking walks through the woods, shed hunting can be a fun, challenging experience for you just as much as the hunter who is looking to see what his buck crop is going to be like for the upcoming season. Shed hunting is a way to connect with not only Mother Nature, but one specific creature of the woods. Knowing that antler you just found came from a living, breathing animal that has hosted it as an object of protection, dominance, and hierarchy is just so unbelievably fascinating to me. Knowing that out of all the places in Mother Nature's kingdom that a buck could have shed it's antler, and you happen to find it is just so rewarding to me. It's an addiction of mine just like any other of the outdoors. In this article I'm going to discuss a few tips and tricks I've picked up over the years that can help you become a more successful shed hunter.

During the post-rut, bucks bodies are in recovery mode. Food is limited, and bucks are building reserves of amino acids and minerals. Antlers are shed because the bucks absorb the bone material at the base of the antlers to build their body mass back up. Bucks can lose up to 30% of their body mass during the rut. This provides us as outdoor enthusiasts, the opportunity to find these shed antlers during the late winter. When a buck drops it's antlers can vary depending on the weather, and the overall health of the buck. They can cast their antlers as early as December or as late as April. But the majority of bucks in this area drop them anywhere from late January to early March. So depending on the weather, I try and take my first crack at it around the second week of February and continue my search through March. But no matter when you decide to go out, you need to have a game plan first.

The worst thing you can do is just go wandering into the woods hoping to stumble upon a piece of bone a buck cast. It takes some pre-shed hunting scouting if you want to do things right and have a better chance at success. Just as you do during the fall season, you can use your trail cameras to your advantage. Find out where those deer are now. Whitetails, and other deer species alike usually shift their patterns from fall to winter cover, and wherever there is an available food source.

Travel routes from thick bedding areas to reliable winter food sources are going to be your best bet. Deer bed up in thick cover areas a lot during winter months to conserve energy. So it's always smart to check those in case one lost one while in it's bed. Another tip is to learn to identify which plants deer prefer in winter. Find the food, and you have a better chance at finding sheds. Also, getting out and looking for tracks in the snow to find out where the heavy traffic is will also benefit you, and help key in your search efforts.

Another good place to check while on your journey to finding sheds is any place with some southern exposure. During the winter, deer soak up the sun's rays just like a cat in a windowsill. And in the winter, the south side of anything receives the most sunlight here in Ohio. So try looking on south facing hillsides and ridges, and south edges of forests.

This last tip I'll share with you is where I find most of my sheds. Two of the best paths you can walk while shed hunting are fence lines and waterways. I always make it a priority to walk all of my fence lines, and all of my creek-beds, streams, and rivers. As bucks cross these obstructions, most of the time they are either jumping them, or crawling underneath. This presents a great opportunity for the buck's antlers to jolt loose and fall off. I've lost count at the number of antlers I've found this way. If all else fails, this tactic will be your best bet.

So when the snow melts and you're looking for a way to break out of your winter funk, take a walk around your property in search of some antler gold. You might be surprised what you find. Tune in next month as we preview Ohio's spring turkey season and talk shot placement with a bow, and don't forget to check out my website where you can find all my bowhunting videos and articles at: http://launchtoi.com/LukeFabian