Home Defense For Hunters

Everyone should think about home defense—not just hunters—but as sportsmen and sportswomen we’re different than non-gun owners in this country. Because we already have firearms in our homes, we have the choice of relying on our own hunting rifles or shotguns for protection, or buying a gun specifically for home defense.

For many years I counted on my trusty pump-action shotgun for peace of mind at home. Thank God I never had to use it for that purpose, but I slept better at night knowing my 12 gauge and turkey ammo were readily available under my bed.

However, I began to re-think my plan after having children. No longer was it responsible to have a gun in the house that wasn’t under lock and key. Yes, I could have moved my gun safe next to my bed, but could I really get the safe opened quickly and my hands on my shotgun in an emergency? Not likely.

After talking with numerous shooting sports industry professionals and doing extensive online research, I decided to buy a handgun. I weighed the pros and cons of a semiauto vs. a revolver and then finally purchased a revolver. Specifically, I went with a Ruger KGP-141 (GP100 series; .357 Rem. Mag.; stainless, 4.2-inch barrel with adjustable rear sight). Why a revolver? Bottom line: I simply felt more comfortable in my ability to handle a revolver in an emergency.

Initially I considered a smaller sized handgun, thinking it would be better for my 5-foot 4-inch wife to handle, but after 30 minutes at a gun range testing small-framed handguns vs. medium-framed handguns such as the KGP-141, it was clear she could shoot more accurately with the heavier firearm. When I asked why, she simply stated: “It kicks less, so I’m more steady when pulling the trigger.” I also shot best with the medium-framed handgun because its bigger grip felt better in my hands. (Important note: I had no plans to conceal and carry this handgun.)

Super Sights
My next dilemma was what to do about sights. Although I could shoot fairly well with the revolver’s factory sights, I decided to have my local gunsmith replace the silver-colored front sight with a high-vis orange one. The adjustable rear sight is black, and I preferred the contrast of an orange/black sight picture.

More online research had me considering some form of laser sighting device as well. Something I read from Crimson Trace made a lot of sense: “If you ever need to defend yourself with your revolver, chances are it won’t be from a perfect shooting position. And it will all happen lightning fast. But on your side, you’ll have Lasergrips’ dependable speed and accuracy. Whether it’s the amazingly quick targeting, or just the overall instinctive simplicity of use, Crimson Trace helps you survive.”

The Lasergrips were easy to install on my own, and my wife and I had a lot of fun at the range becoming familiar with laser aiming and shooting. Night-time tests of the Lasergrips convinced me I’d make the right decision; I wouldn’t have to raise the gun to eye-level to make an accurate shot. Instead, I could hold the handgun from many different positions and deliver deadly force if necessary.

Supreme Elite Ammo
Keeping gun recoil in mind—remember, I want my wife to handle this firearm with ease—I settled on loading my .357 Rem. Mag. revolver with Winchester’s Supreme Elite Bonded PDX1 personal protection ammunition in .38 Spec. +P.

According to Winchester, the Bonded PDX1 line uses the same technology the Federal Bureau of Investigation uses as its primary service round. The Bonded PDX1 is engineered to maximize terminal ballistics, as defined by the demanding FBI test protocol, which simulates real-world threats. I don’t know anything about “FBI test protocol,” but I do know the 130-grain jacketed hollow-point bullet was super accurate and did devastating damage to all types of wooden target backing at my gun range.

Lightning-Quick Storage
I found the perfect solution to on-hand firearm storage in a GunVault Multi Safe (model GV2000C - STD). I like the convenient No-Eyes Keypad with user-selectable access codes, as well as the audio feedback that confirms each correct keypad entry. One test-run of the vault in complete darkness at home proved to me I’d made the correct choice. I anchored the safe to my bed frame with a GunVault Security Cable. This 6-foot-long cable is made of high-strength steel and gives me additional peace of mind.

Chances are good I’ll never have to use my revolver in an emergency, but it’s comforting to know I have it close by should the need ever arise.

POSTED BY: NAH Managing Editor Dave Maas                

10 Best Hunting Apps For the Tech-Savvy Outdoorsman

One of the biggest thrills about hunting (besides taking home your big trophy) is the ability to detach from the daily grind and feel at one with nature. But heading off into the wild with nothing but yourself, your gear and of course, your hunting license, might leave you feeling out of touch with everyone and everything around you. To help solve this, just bring your Smartphone, that way you can connect when you want and still enjoy your time.


Did you know Smartphones can actually be incredibly useful in the woods when hunting? You can keep track of your locations, get up-to-the-minute details on optimal hunting times, see in the dark, take pictures, log hunting observations and much more. All you need to do this- are the right hunting apps. Having these apps will help you downsize on all the equipment you bring along with you on your next hunting trip, and who knows.. one of these apps could even save your life!

Here they are, the 10 best hunting apps for the tech-savvy outdoorsman:

 

1. iSolunar Hunting & Fishing Times

The iSolunar Hunting and Fishing App gives hunters and anglers up-to-date details regarding the best time of day for hunting and fishing anywhere in the world. Using astronomical data from the US Naval observatory, users get access to location specific information on feeding/activity periods, sunrises and sunsets.

2. Primos Hunting Calls

Rated best-selling hunting app of all time, Primos Hunting Calls allows you to “speak the language” of nature to attract prey. With over 20 interactive calls you can select from a variety of categories including Turkey, Predator,Elk, Deer, Waterfowl and ‘specialty’ sounds to excel your skills for bringing in prey.

3. iHunt Journal

The iHunt Journal is an all-inclusive app that allows you to track and record all of your hunting observations and other relevant information. What can you do with iHunt? Get updates on the weather as well as sun, moon and solunar periods. Remember all pertinent details about your hunting trip by including information on game type, time hunted and weight. Take a snapshot of your hunting area so you never lose your stand. Record coordinates of key deer rubs and scrapes so you can plan ahead for your next hunt.

4. GoldenPic

The GoldenPic app was initially designed as a photography app but has since extended its utility to hikers, campers, hunters, anglers and even pilots. This app provides sunrise and sunset times as well as lunar phases. The special thing about this app is that it also tells you when the Golden Hours and Blue Hours are.  The Golden Hour is the first and last hour of sunlight during the day. The Blue Hour is the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. These are considered the ideal times for getting the best shots.
With GoldenPic you can also save locations, and of course share your pics on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

5. Hunting Light & Blood Tracker

The Hunting Light & Blood Tracker app gives hunters improved visibility in all lighting conditions. Green light enables night vision, blue enhances green objects that would otherwise be camouflaged in the forest and white is for general purposes.
A unique feature of this app is its “blood tracking filter” which enhances the visibility of the blood trail left by wounded game so you can quickly recover the animal's whereabouts.

 

6. Predator Hunting Calls

With the Predator Hunting Calls app, predator hunters have 12 different precise call sounds, from a coyote pack howl to different wounded animal sounds. This highly-rated app is very handy for bringing in coyotes, bobcats, foxes, wolves, cougars and other game.

 

7. SAS Survival Guide

The SAS Survival Guide is must-have survival and safety guide written by a former Special Air Service (SAS) soldier. It provides vital information on safety and survival, a photo gallery that with detailed descriptions of anything from deadly mushrooms to poisonous plants, a survival checklist, key information supported with illustrations, a Morse code signalling device, a compass and more. Featuring video and images, this device will make sure you get the answers you’re looking for when you need them most.

8. Ballistic

“Intended for serious shooters who want a serious application” the Ballistic app is a highly sophisticated tool that calculates trajectory, windage, velocity, energy, and bullet flight time for any range you plan to shoot at, ensuring the best possible targeted shot. It takes into account temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and altitude. This full feature app has over 3,500 projectiles and factory loads, a range estimation calculator, GPS and atmosphere awareness. This is a must-have application in a range hunter’s app collection!

 

9. Bug Spray

We all know how pesky those bugs can get and if at some point you run out of bug repellent, you can use the Bug Spray app to emit high frequency tones that will keep the bugs away. The ultrasonic app releases tones at frequencies above the hearing range of most people- but keep in mind that won't be the case for animals, so make sure you don’t scare your prey away with it.

 

10. ActInNature

The ActInNature app tracks the moves of you and your hunting group, ensuring the safest hunt possible. With the Capture Map you can see your position and orientation as well as the direction and speed of other hunters. The augmented reality browser allows you to see the distance between you and other hunters. Finally you can store important information on hits to refer back to another time.



By choosing the right selection of these highly-rated apps for your specific needs, your hunting adventures will never be the same again. Just remember to bring a charger with you (preferably solar-powered) so your device doesn't die on you when you need it most.

by HunterCourse

Disabled veteran's 5-year-old triplets get college scholarships from Folds of Honor

In North Carolina, the birth rate is so high at Fort Bragg that locals call it the "Baby Factory."

But even there, the Swegers drew a lot of attention with a set of triplets - a redhead, a blond and a brown-haired child, all boys.

Ronny Sweger met his wife in the early 1990s on their first day of classes at Northeastern State University. But, while he's remained interested in her ever since, he soon grew bored with college and joined the National Guard instead.

"That was boring, too," he remembers. So, in 1994, at age 19, he went active duty.

"Never do anything halfway," Sweger says is his philosophy in life. "If I'm going to be a ditch digger, I'm going to be the best ditch digger in the world."

In the Army, that means the Special Forces.

The selection process, at the time, involved four weeks of "gut punches," as Sweger describes it.

"You average three hours of sleep. And you can eat as much as you want, but I still lost 30 pounds. They push you as far as you can go and then keep pushing."

Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, Sweger has had seven official tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus a number of unofficial missions that he will keep to himself.

He offers no details about where he was or what he was doing when he was injured.

"In my business, you're going to get wounded. It's inevitable," Sweger says, "Thank God, mine are all minor. The real scars are the ones you can't see."

Forced into medical retirement in 2007, not long after his triplets were born, Sweger came home to Oklahoma with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He fidgets all the time. Doesn't like anyone to walk up behind him. And without constant reminders pinging from a smart phone, he'd forget what he's supposed to be doing.

Worst of all, crowds seem to bother him. And that's partly why Sweger moved his family to a little farm near Salina, a town of only 1,400 people at Lake Hudson where his wife grew up.

While his wife teaches middle-school math, Sweger runs the farm, does taxidermy and volunteers as the state director for Wounded Warriors in Action, a national group that arranges exotic hunting trips for injured veterans.

The job involves public speaking.

"And obviously that's a problem," Sweger admits, because he watches hands. Everybody's hands.

That's where threats come from - guns, knives, bombs.

"They train us to watch hands," Sweger says. And now he can't stop. "If I'm at a golf course talking to 200 people, that's a lot of hands to watch."

But if you're going to be a ditch digger. ... Nobody listening to Sweger would think he's even slightly uncomfortable.

The real problem with his volunteer work is the volunteering - it doesn't pay. And remember: Sweger has triplets, now 5 years old.

"How am I supposed to keep them in clothes," he wonders, "much less send them to college someday?

"They all need new shoes at the same time, baseball uniforms at the same time. And when they're older, the tuition will all come at once, too."

Five years ago, about the same time Sweger was leaving the Army, a fighter pilot from the Oklahoma Air National Guard was starting Folds of Honor, a nonprofit group named after the meticulous way that honor guards fold the American flag at military funerals.

Maj. Dan Rooney wanted to help the children of dead or disabled veterans. And Folds of Honor, based in Owasso, has now set up college funds for more than 2,500 students nationwide, including the Sweger triplets.

"It took a huge burden off me," Sweger says. "Frankly, it lets me focus a little more on myself and start to heal more."

At last week's kindergarten "graduation" in Salina, the triplets led the Pledge of Allegiance while their father watched from the bleachers, his wife sitting behind him to give him peace of mind.

They will each have a $5,000 "future use" scholarship accruing interest until college starts, in 12 short years.

"I'll probably blink a couple of times, and they'll be grown up," Sweger says. "And who knows? By then, the money might not pay for one semester. But at least it's a start and that means a lot to us."

U.S. archer Brady Ellison in the hunt for Olympic medal

Rarely do the Olympics, javelinas and chewing tobacco wind up in the same story.

But then, rarely do the Olympics encounter someone like Brady Ellison.

The young man tugs a faded cap down over curls of blond hair and explains that, if it weren't for a steady hand and a sharp eye, he might still be hunting hogs on the ranch.
"I'm a country boy at heart," he says

 For now, his singular talents have led him in a different direction: Ellison heads into summer as the world's top-ranked archer and a good bet to win gold at the 2012 London Olympics.

"His style is so natural and focused," U.S. national Coach Kisik Lee says. "No other archer in the world can win as consistently as he does."

Ellison, 23, brings something else to a sport that rarely draws attention in America: He is a bit, well, eccentric.

"You know," he says with a grin, "a lot of people tell me that."

Start with a childhood spent around his grandfather's cattle ranch in Arizona, where Ellison tracked grasshoppers with plastic arrows while still in diapers.

Animal lovers might cringe, but the boy was raised to hunt, learning to take down bears, deer, moose and javelinas — which look like wild pigs — with his bow. How many people can say they have stood their ground against a charging elk?

"It comes crashing through the brush at you," he says. "I mean, it's an adrenaline rush."

Though target shooting might seem tame by comparison, the pressure of competition appealed to Ellison. Working his way up the junior ranks, he began to think about the Olympics.

But the shift from country boy to elite athlete required some changes.

Dropping out of high school after his junior year, he earned an equivalency diploma and moved to the U.S. Olympic Committee Training Center in Chula Vista.

The teenager put aside his "compound" bow, an intricate contraption with cams and cables, to learn the simpler yet trickier "recurve" variety used in Olympic events.

Finally, he became perhaps the first athlete in Olympic history whose major sacrifice for his sport involved giving up chewing tobacco.

"I didn't want to quit," he says. "But it's not exactly the healthiest habit."

National coaches soon recognized that behind his "aw shucks" personality, Ellison harbored utter dedication. They saw a unique combination of skills.

To hit a target from 70 meters — that's the better part of a football field — an archer must remain "totally in control of his mind and body," Lee says. "You have people who get frustrated, and that is not good."

Ellison possessed both a fiery edge and the underlying calm of someone who liked to smile and joke, a kid that other athletes at Chula Vista nicknamed "the Pup." Nothing fazed him, and it wasn't long before he emerged on the international stage.

His resume grew to include gold medals at two Pan American Games and handfuls of World Cup titles. His No. 1 world ranking now makes him one of the few Americans who can actually earn a living at archery, collecting a USOC stipend, sponsorships and prize money exceeding $35,000 a year.

"Definitely one of the most talented people I've seen in the sport," Butch Johnson, a five-time U.S. Olympian, says in an email. "He puts in the work, spends a lot of time trying to get the best performance out of his bow and has a good head on his shoulders."

The U.S. is counting on Ellison to help end a recent Olympic drought. More than a decade has passed since an American last stood on the podium for archery, South Koreans and Europeans taking hold of the sport.

"It's a more level playing field," Johnson says, "which means it's much harder to medal now."

A victory in London could mean more than gold. The Summer Games have a way of plucking unknown athletes from overlooked sports and turning them into crossover stars.

Ellison isn't exactly a Michael Phelps or a Natalie Coughlin, but if he can win, that might work in his favor.

At a USOC media gathering in Dallas this week, reporters crowded around, eager to hear tales of hogs and chew and life on the ranch. His fiancee, Samantha Novak, stood nearby with a bemused grin, saying, "I think everyone relates to him because he's fun."

Ellison just shrugged. "That's who I am."

The Olympics don't get stories like him very often.

By David Wharton

Time to Work on Your Deer Woods

I know it's May but it's also the time of year when nights are cool and comfortable and day time temperatures and humidity don't suck the breath from you. It's a perfect time to be in your deer woods.


Now's the time to clean up your trails.  New growth green briars are  vulnerable to good herbacides. Winter blow downs can be cleaned off the trails and you can get a head start on those shooting lanes you'll end up working during August.

I like taking a 50 gallon electric sprayer out in my RTV and spraying down the roses, grean briars and bunch grasses that may be starting up on my old trails. It's wise to include a chain saw for the winter blowdowns, and a machete is always nice from pruning back new limbs and tall briars that have managed to intrude on your trails.

It's also an excellent time to be putting down mineral licks and blocks. Deer desperately need this during the time that the antlers are beginning to grow and does are about ready to start dropping fawns. Delaware soil is missing many of the bone growth minerals deer seek and if you have a mineral lick or a salt block hanging out, this is the time of year to insure it's fresh.

And sure, some of the foilage will come back before deer season, but if you get a head start on it, the job won't be so tough when you do have to go back in the late summer. Whatever you do, don't forget the permethrin. Ticks and chiggers are also in their glory this time of year and those are things you can do well without.

By George Roof

British Hunting Guide Faces Death Penalty After Finding 13 Bodies in Africa

Quitting your dreary job and leaving behind your dreary life for an exciting new career as a hunting guide is something we've all dreamed of, and for most of us Africa is the dream destination. But that dream has turned into a nightmare for one British hunting guide who sits in a jail cell in the Central African Republic, accused of murder after discovering 13 bodies believed to have been victims of infamous warlord Joseph Kony.
From this story in the UK Daily Mail:
A British man was last night facing the death penalty after being charged with mass murder following the discovery of 13 bodies in an African jungle. David Simpson, 24, a manager for a big game company, was arrested six weeks ago in the Central African Republic after he reported the gruesome find to police.
He found himself being thrown in prison accused of the killings, which are widely believed to have been carried out by supporters of notorious warlord Joseph Kony. Mr Simpson, whose company offers wealthy clients the opportunity to shoot lions, leopards and buffalo, is being detained in a cramped and filthy jail cell with 80 other inmates in what he has described as a ‘nightmare’.
According to the story, Simpson, who left his family’s pheasant farm in Great Britain two years ago to start a new life as a hunting operation manager, was helping to clear a road through the jungle on his company’s property when he discovered the bodies. Simpson alerted authorities and then took them back to the location, only to be arrested and accused of the crime.
Simpson told the Daily Mail, (via a cell phone smuggled into the jail) he believes the arrest is an attempt to extort money.

“For six weeks they held me without a shred of evidence. And now I have been forced to sign a piece of paper which states that I have been charged with murdering 13 people. ‘It is just ridiculous. Everyone knows I had nothing to do with it. They know it was Kony.‘It’s all about money.”
The story said the British government is working on Simpson’s case. Here’s hoping it works out for him. Do stories like this ever give you pause about hunting in less-than-stable foreign countries?

--Chad Love

10-year-old twins shoot four turkeys in first hunts

Turkey hunting seems to come naturally to Caden and Jaxon Edwards, 10-year-old twins from Duluth. In their first year of turkey hunting, they’ve already taken four adult gobblers between them, two in Wisconsin and another pair in Minnesota.
Their two Minnesota birds, taken near Rushford, Minn., on April 18 and 19, were big toms. Caden’s weighed 25 pounds and Jaxon’s 25½ pounds. Both birds had 11½-inch beards.
The boys, sons of Dennis and Merissa Edwards who live on Island Lake, took a break from bow hunting practice in the yard to share their stories on Tuesday afternoon.
Their Wisconsin hunt was on their grandparents’ land —Merissa’s parents —near Balsam Lake, Wis., during the Wisconsin youth turkey hunt April 7-8. Caden’s bird came the first day, and he happened to be hunting in the same spot where Merissa had shot her first turkey in 2001. Technically, both boys were with her during that hunt.
“I was in her belly,” Caden explained.
Merissa had been seven months pregnant with the boys.
Caden was hunting with his dad this time. With Dennis calling, they worked a gobbler for three hours and changed locations once before Caden shot the bird at 16 yards. Caden talked about what it’s like to watch a gobbler “spitting and drumming” in close quarters.
“It’s really exciting,” he said. “Normally, they’re small, but they get real big and the sun shines on all their feathers. It’s kind of hard to describe.”
The next afternoon, Jaxon and his dad heard a turkey gobbling and set up in some hardwoods along a cornfield. Dennis could see the bird coming in clearly, but Jaxon couldn’t see it over a downed tree. After the bird ducked under a tree, Jaxon fired once with his 20-gauge pump, but he thinks he may have shot low. As the bird tried to run away, he shot it again.
“He dropped down and started flopping, and I knew I had shot my first turkey,” Jaxon said.
Although this is the first year that Caden and Jaxon have carried guns while hunting turkeys, they’ve spent lots of time in the blind or in the woods, hunting with Dennis or Merissa. And they’ve watched lots of turkey hunts on outdoor television shows.
“They’ve been going with us since they were 2,” Dennis said. “I think part of their success has a lot to do with how many times they’ve gone before. They’re addicted to hunting and fishing shows. When other kids wanted to watch “Barney,” they wanted to watch Michael Waddell, one of the Realtree guys.”
In their Minnesota hunt, on land owned by a farmer friend near Rushford, Caden got his bird the first day of the season, April 18. It was an afternoon bird. He and Dennis heard a bird gobble, but it was across a valley, so they repositioned themselves closer to the bird. Caden had just a small window of an opening, and when the big tom stepped into it —just 6 yards away —it went down with one shot from Caden’s 20-gauge.
“I was pretty nervous knowing he was right there,” he said. “He was pretty much within spitting distance.”
Jaxon got his Minnesota bird the next morning, when, as Caden said, “Every turkey in the world was gobbling.” With Dennis working the pot call, they heard the bird first at 70 yards, then 35. Meanwhile, a jake, or young male turkey, was gobbling just 15 yards from the blind. Finally, the tom came within shotgun range, and Jaxon took the 25½-pounder with a single shot.
“They’re making it look too easy,” said Merissa, who has taken three turkeys over the years.
After Jaxon shot his bird, Dennis took some photos. Then Dennis took his turn at hunting in the same spot where Jaxon had hunted. With dad and both boys calling, they had two gobblers responding. Dennis shot one of them 20 minutes after Jaxon had taken his.
There’s a name for that spot now.
“Turkey Slayer Point,” Jaxon said.
And they’re not through yet. The family is hunting again this weekend at Merissa’s parents’ home in Wisconsin. Hunters in Wisconsin can take additional turkeys if they buy extra tags.
The boys are hoping to catch up with their mom this weekend.

By: Sam Cook, Duluth News Tribune