CHECK OUT THE DECEMBER ISSUE OF

NORTH AMERICAN WHITETAIL!

THE STORY OF THE HUNT, PICS

AND EXCITING INSIGHTS

 OF TARA’S  AMAZING BOWKILL!

WRITTEN BY SARRAH KNAPP/TARA SEILER

GREAT STORY AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR ALL THE LADY HUNTERS OUT THERE

Have a few extra Christmas dollars and want to buy something original for yourself or that special person in your life? HER OUTDOORS has done some research on one of my most favorite sites! I  have found some great things for the outdoor men and ladies out there! If you are interested in any of these items listed in the article, click on the pic and go straight to the site to purchase! Remember: Etsy is a site where items are not mass produced – you truely are getting handmade, unique items! This means if you are interested in an item, it may not be available for long! You do not have to worry about bidding, just someone else alerting the seller about interest and purchase of items!

Deer Antler Bracelet – From Etsy seller Malodora, this is one of my favorite items! This has to be one of the most original ideas out there! This is a faux antler but so realistic looking! I had to include it as a top item!

Deer Head Necklace – Made by HModine Studio, this one of a kind deer necklace is a great addition for your favorite outfit to show your love for the outdoors! Click on the pic to go straight to the sellers page!

“Beautifully papered resin deer head” - Crafted by rubyslounge, and made to order, this is a creative gift to add to the wall next to your harvests for your wife or girlfriend who may not hunt. What a great way to include the kids or your significant other until they harvest that first deer for themselves! Click on the pic for more options!

Deer Decals – This vinyl wall art decal from TastySuite can be put on anything from walls to bathtubs to tile floors! Many more decals are available from this shop owner so visit today! This decal can be found in over 15 colors! Hit the pic to see more!

“Handcrafted Wooden Puzzles” – From Puzzimals, you can find everything from bucks to your favorite dog breed in this unique puzzle form! Great for kids or the outdoor lover who has yet to find such a unique gift!

Visit the HER OUTDOORS archives for my original article on ETSY ! If you are ever looking for that one-of-a-kind gift visit today! Go to www.etsy.com for more!

  By far the most memorable time I have had hunting would have to be my stay with DA OUTFITTERS ! Not only was every detail covered from the lodge to the hunt, an open minded plan to exclusively open the season up with an all girl hunt was taken into consideration! Women are quickly becoming more accepted in the hunting woods and outfitters lodges  more noticeably over the past year, but to have a group of girls only working the woods was not only fun and comfortable but a great way to learn from other ladies the tips and tricks of their past experiences. From the comfortable lodge, to the guides who went above and beyond, to the encouragement from the ladies – this hunt would definitely be a trip to be planned for my fellow women hunters for next year or a surprise gift for any occasion from the male hunters for his daughter, girlfriend, wife or even mother! DA OUTFITTERS will make this an annual hunt so ladies come and join all of us who are all returning next year for the first crack at the monster bucks of Kentucky! I recommend this outfitter to any woman just beginning to learn the hunt to the most seasoned huntress. I had reservations about traveling to an outfitter alone until the very moment I had everyone greet me from the driveway with open arms ! Not once did I feel unwelcome or not supported throughout my entire stay! Check back soon for a history on DAO,  future plans and what makes this outfitter better than all the rest! To visit the site and learn more about attending the ladies only hunt for October 2010 stop by www.daoutfitters.com or www.camospace.com/daoutfitters ! Also guys and gals alike – more hunts are available so be sure to stop by and begin planning for next year!

Going into the woods and carrying my bow, calls, gear and more I always seemed to be needing more and more space for all my hunting extras. Once I got up into my stand, even in my double stand, I always had trouble finding enough room to store all my extras, as well as have quick, quiet and easy access to all my calls, binos and everything else I needed… down to my contact solution!

The problem I began to notice, with even carrying my waist bag or shoulder bag, that once I was in the tree, I had to find a place to hook the bag, then fumble around inside quietly to find whatever I needed at the time.

I resorted to hanging numerous tree hooks, which eventually made the tree I was in look like a holiday Christmas tree, dangling all its ornamental decor… and that was not going to work!

With this product, you have a single or double blind for your stand built into the back of the bag PLUS the entire backpack full of pockets and space for all your hunting supplies…the blind DOES NOT take away from the backpack!

Once you quickly have the blind set, the bag(matching in camo)hangs upright for easy access to all your hunting gear�as well as an interior pocket for quick and quiet access to anything else you might need!

I love all the options this bag has to offer; space for all of my gear, organization, quiet and quick access to everything I could ever need, and a blind…all in one. This bag is well made, waterproof and comfortable to wear. I believe this is one of the best products on the market today to accompany me into the woods on each and every hunt!

Hit the above logo or go straight to WWW.BEYONDBACKPACKS.COM

 HER OUTDOORS  is headed to Garrison, Kentucky October 3-6 th for the hunt of a lifetime!

 Attending an all-female hunt, HER OUTDOORS will follow up with a full review

and information before and after the hunt.

 For current trail cam pics of DA Outfitter bucks, or for more info check out

www.daoutfitters.com  or www.camospace.com/daoutfitters !

 Be sure to stop by www.droptinedivas.com

for many new updates from the ladies and their families!

New video uploads are available,

 as well as store items, news and reviews!

 Also stop by the newsletter link,

  Diva Times

for more info on the girls and their families!

DEERASSIC CLASSIC CAMBRIDGE OHIO

2009 Deerassic Classic scheduled for August 7 & 8th in Cambridge, Ohio

Tickets currently on sale now

Gander Mountain Main Stage will present Sammy Kershaw,Ruff Creek and Aaron Tippin

Visit website for more details and check back with HER OUTDOORS for more info to come!

www.deerassic.com

Come and visit the Ohio Deer & Turkey Expo

 in Columbus, Ohio with me March 20-22 2009 !

For more info on the Expo visit www.deerinfo.com and click on the Ohio link!

Hope to see you there!

Antler Addiction

By  Jacob Barnett

Well here it is! The time of year all of you hardcore whitetail fanatics have been waiting for since the 2008-2009 season has came to a close back on the 15th of January. Today is February 5th, and the deer are starting to shed there antlers here in the Midwest. The passion and drive too find a monster set of sheds in this area is an addiction all hardcore hunters have this time of year!
Everyone of us has a drive to pick up antlers this time of year, some more than others ! My brother, Scott, and I have been shed hunting for quite some time know and we cover a lot of ground this time of year. Some of the bucks in the area are holding there wonderful headgear, but yet some are letting it hit the ground so shed fanatics like us can go around and try to pick them up before the squirrels do some damage too them. Scott and I were picking sheds up in Pike County on January 24th . The bucks over there seem to drop a little earlier than they do in the other parts of Illinois.
How do you find Antler Sheds? This is a question that I am asked over and over. There are guys and gals out there that ask me how I pick up so much bone (antlers) every Spring. They can walk there boots off and not pick anything up all year or maybe pick one or two up in a year. My theory is, you have to know your areas and the deer that use it. Eyesight is another major key to finding these magnificent pieces of antler laying in the grass or in a standing stalk field. For instance, my brother and I will train our eyes at the beginning of the year with some sheds we have picked up in the past . We will go to the woods or a grass patch and one of us will go hide the sheds in the area using the same scenario as it would be us out there looking along trails and bedding areas. This gets our eyes trained and ready to go out and look for the real thing. Shed antler eyes are like your morel mushroom eyes. You develop the same thing in your mind.
Walking Food Sources.
Another Key to our success is late season food sources. If you can drive around food sources, such as food plots, standing cornstalk fields, bean stubble fields, or even some hay fields. Go take a drive around those areas and see what is out there in the evenings feeding. A lot of bucks are rebounding from the rut and need to replenish there body weight. We walk a lot of trails from the food source to back to the bedding areas also. The trails that skirt the edge of the fields are also hot spots for picking up bone (antlers).  Another spot we try and concentrate on are south facing hillsides with food somewhere close around. The deer seem to like these spots because they are out of the bone chilling north or northwest winds we tend to have this time of year and the southern sun can keep them warm. Concentrate on major trails that have fence jumps on them. Creek crossings are also good areas to pick up bone(antlers). We also spend a lot of time in waterways which are the low spots in the fields. The deer tend too like these spots because they are out of the wind and out of sight from us hunters.
Carrying a good pair of binoculars is also a key to our success in the field for picking up shed antlers. A good pair of binoculars saves you a lot of walking. I have done it many of times even with binoculars around my neck walking and glassing a stick , but still having to walk over too it just to make sure I was seeing it right. We like to use our binoculars glassing down cornstalk rows also. You will notice they will save you a lot of walking around in the cornfields.
I hope that I can help you put a little more bone on your fireplace with this article. Maybe even find the biggest shed antlers of you hunting career. Remember to pack a lunch and some water, and get you a good comfortable pair of boots. Memories in the field will last a lifetime. Good luck this year, and Happy Hunting!
 
Jacob Barnett
Midwest Monsters Outdoors