Unfortunately, I’ve recently been at the forefront of negative comments and messages for posting a video on YouTube of shed hunting. To view the video, click HERE. Although it was a low budget production, it was a video I thought everyone would enjoy, especially fellow hunters and outdoorsman because it was an epic day on the mountain picking up shed antlers. I understand that putting yourself out there online is bound to bring scrutiny from select individuals. You can’t please everyone and I totally get that.

I won’t get into the particulars as to what was said or why people were sending me negative messages but I want to highlight an important takeaway; it doesn’t do us as hunters any good to spew hate between our close-knit community. 

At this very moment, there are anti-hunting groups that are fighting every day to destroy our way of lives and are trying their damnedest to take away our hunting privileges. There are politicians introducing bills that support state and federal property being sold off to private individuals, which will result in loss of recreational land access. And last but not least, state wildlife agencies are underfunded due to declining hunter numbers, which means there are fewer resources and personnel to manage the animals and lands we hunt. Can you see why our hunting heritage is at threat?

So before you go spreading negativity to fellow outdoorsmen online, here are four agendas that you can put energy towards that will help, not hurt, our cause.

1. Educate Non-Hunters

Talking about hunting as a lifestyle to non-hunters is a way to help promote hunting in a positive light to people who may be unsure or confused about hunting. Many media outlets often showcase hunting in a negative light so it’s important to take the time to educate non-hunters on the real reasons we hunt so that we can portray it as a good thing.

2. Be A Wild Game Provider

I can’t tell you how many people I have given packages of venison to over the past few years but I can tell you it’s a lot. Many of these people don’t hunt or never plan to, but I believe my generosity combined with the irresistible deliciousness of a perfectly cooked, medium-rare elk steak can reflect a very positive image in their minds about hunters and sportsmen.

Organic, wild, free-range elk is lean and some of the best tasting meat you can get your hands on.

3. Contact Your Elected Officials

Public lands are at threat not for only hunters, but for all outdoor enthusiasts including; hikers, bikers, campers, skiers, and anglers. Do your part to call, email, and contact your state and local representatives to let them know your opposition on public land transfers and introductions of silly bills such as H.R. 621.

4. Join Conservation Groups

There are many organizations to choose from in today’s era but joining forces and becoming a member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) is a good place to start. The money that is received through memberships and donations help with conservation efforts in the form of habitat preservation and public land access.

Let’s Unite In The Fight

If you don’t have anything positive to say, what’s your point? What are you trying to prove by putting someone else down? In my mind, we as hunters are all batting for the same team and the day we become divided, is the day we fall and lose our hunting way of life. Let’s focus our energy, hand in hand with all outdoor recreation groups to help grow our voice and preserve our heritage for many generations to come. 

What have you done to make a positive impact in the hunting and outdoor community? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

With smartphones quickly taking over our everyday lives, it has become the norm to see people’s faces buried in them more than ever before. Next time you walk into a mall, stop and take count of how many people have their eyes glued to a phone. Look around next time you are waiting in line at the airport and count how many people are completely oblivious to the world around them. We humans get bored very easily and tend to rely on technology to help pass the time so it’s with little doubt that us hunters are following suit. We post long hours in a tree stand each fall pursuing that trophy buck and to help ease the “downtime” we employ a little smartphone therapy.

Deer Are Sneaky Creatures

I would like you to take a moment and reflect on your past hunting seasons, specifically in regards to quick encounters and sightings of whitetail deer. Think about how many deer swiftly moved past your stand and in a matter or seconds they were gone. How many times did you catch a glimpse of a deer moving through a thick area that you would have never seen if you hadn’t been looking in that EXACT spot at that exact same time? How many instances have you had a deer get to within 30 yards, without ever seeing or hearing their approach, completely catching you off-guard?

Here’s something else that will boggle your mind. These are just the times that you ACTUALLY witnessed those events take place. Take it one step further and think about how many deer you DIDN’T see because you weren’t looking in the right spot at the right time. Who really knows how many deer slip past you throughout the season and leave undetected; It’s almost scary to think about!

Don’t Text & Hunt: VIDEO

Click the link above to watch a doe sneak up on a hunter while texting!

What I’m trying to highlight is that whitetail deer, especially mature whitetail bucks are very elusive creatures and are experts at evading hunters. I mean, it’s practically their job! And no, I’m not here to bash people who scroll their news feeds on the regular because I to, am a smartphone whore. My goal is to create awareness and I, my friend, am here to say that you are missing opportunities at deer because of your smartphone. Don’t believe me? I have the numbers to prove it!

If It Were A Snake…

Before I hit you with a bunch of facts and numbers from a recent survey, I wanted to highlight a few experiences of my own from this past hunting season which helped influence the writing of this article.

Scenario 1

November 18th I found myself perched in a tree and by 9:30 am I had yet to see a deer. It was a dead calm day and boredom started to set in so I decided to get out the ole smartphone and kill some time. I figured I would be able to hear anything approach because of how quiet it was so I started scrolling the news feed. After 5 minutes of reading status updates and liking photos on Instagram, I decided to look up and out of nowhere, a doe was 25 yards away walking right towards me. Five seconds later she walked right into my scent cone and killed any chance of me reaching for my bow because she was already on alert. Moments later she whirled around and trotted off in the opposite direction, leaving me shaking my head.

We’ve all seen this popular hunting meme!

Scenario 2

My girlfriend’s brother, Steve, was heading into an area of public ground to hunt in Kansas during our week trip and he came up on another hunter in a tree stand. By the time Steve saw him he was within 40 yards of his tree stand with nothing but open air between the two of them. The hunter did not hear his footsteps nor did he catch his movement. Steve waited for him to look up so he could acknowledge him and waive to say sorry but after 30 seconds, the hunter was still oblivious. Steve walked away and left the area without ever being detected.

Scenario 3

The evening after I killed My 2015 Kansas Buck, I decided to head back to the same area in an attempt to fill my doe tag. Once again, this was a very calm evening so the leaves were crunching with each step I took. I dropped down into a river bottom and came up the other side still searching for the ideal setup, so I pushed further into the timber. About 10 yards past the river bottom I saw a hunter sitting on a stool 50 yards away next to a tree. I paused for a few seconds to see if he would acknowledge my presence but to no avail. Do you want to know why he didn’t look up? He was looking down at his phone! I turned around, went back across the river bank and turned to see if he had seen me but his head was still buried in his phone. I could have been a 170 walking in for crying out loud!

The Numbers Don’t Lie

In addition to my own experiences, I wanted to gather factual data on a larger scale so I created a survey and posted it on www.whitetailwatch.com, www.archerytalk.com, and Facebook so that I could reach a wide audience of whitetail hunters across the U.S. A total of 260 people completed the survey which was more than my expected goal of 100. I asked a range of questions pertaining to hunting but there were two questions I was particularly interested in gathering the results.

On average, what amount of time do you spend on your phone during 3 hours of hunting?

I took the averages of each time period. For example, the 15-30 mins category I rounded to 22.5 mins and divided by 180 mins to come up with the percentage of time spent on the phone during a 3-hour hunt. Here is what it came up with based on 260 completed surveys:

• 53% of people spend 4% of their hunt on a phone, or 7.5 mins in a 3-hour window.
• 32% of people spend 12.5% of their hunt on a phone, or 22.5 mins in a 3-hour window.
• 10.5% of people spend 25% of their hunt on a phone, or 45 mins in a 3-hour window.
• 4% of people spend 50% of their hunt on a phone, or 90 mins in a 3-hour window.
• 0.5% of people spend 83% of their hunt on a phone, or 2.5 hours in a 3-hour window.

Over 10% of the survey population spends 25% of a 3-hour hunt on their smartphone.

Do you feel like you missed shot opportunities at deer because you were looking at your phone?

This one surprised me because of the amount of time people spend on their phones but only 6% of the group stated they missed shot opportunities due to being on their phone. The problem with this question is that you would actually have to witness the missed opportunity in order to answer yes. The people who answered no either never saw it happen, even though it did or it never happened in the first place. I guess we will never know.

6% of the survey population admitted to missing shot opportunities due to being on their phone.

A Growing Trend

You might be thinking to yourself, “So what, Adam! Those three scenarios could have been just pure coincidence and that survey you created sucked!” Well, maybe that’s true but I can guarantee you that those three scenarios and the amount of distraction from a phone did not occur 10-15 years ago. Am I right? Your smartphone is not helping you kill deer.

Think about how short-lived the encounters were when Steve and I walked up on the hunters on their phones. These encounters lasted less than a minute from the time they could have seen us until the time we were gone. Typical deer sightings aren’t much different; they can be very short lived which also proved true in my first scenario with the doe that got down wind of me.

When you step back and actually think about it, the minutes on your phone start to add up which could be costing you shot opportunities at deer. I’m not saying that being on your cell phone necessarily is a bad thing but just remember the next time you pull out that phone for a mere 5 minutes, 6 booners could have walked behind you! Just sayin’!

Want to kill more deer? Stay off your damn smartphone while you’re in the woods.

-Adam Parr

Here are the problems I have experienced with other well-known classified outlets:

Craigslist – They have a great local reach but it is not targeted and is difficult to sell something to a demographic outside of your local area.

eBay – They have an extensive national and global reach but they charge fees and you are at the mercy of the customer when it comes to product returns.

Local Newspaper – They have a good local reach but you have to pay for it. Often times lower priced hunting products do not fit this bill.

I found Zach’s company, Hunterz List via Instagram and I immediately loved the idea of having a network of like minded individuals who have the knowledge and appreciation for products in the hunting and outdoor industry. With roughly 4% of the U.S population comprising of hunters, we are a minority!

TRUE STORY: I had been trying to to sell a camera arm on Craigslist for over a year but to no avail. Ebay had left me with a bad taste in my mouth from an awful customer experience and there was no way in hell I was going to pay for an ad in a newspaper! My options were limited to say the least. Within a month of having my camera arm listed on Hunterz List, I was able to connect with someone who truly understood the product and sold it for my asking price.

This was my posting of the Tree Arm.

In addition to wide array of classifieds, they also created a platform for businesses to market products and services to the outdoor community. Hunterz List is continually delivering new content through “Outdoor Entrepreneurs”, a section of the site dedicated to hunting articles, videos, and a recently launched podcast as a way to attract targeted consumers to the site.

Its often funny in life how you end up meeting certain people in this day and age and ever since our first conversation, we have clicked at multiple levels. Zach and I stay in touch on a weekly basis and offer each other advice in regards to our goals, businesses and ideas. It was a pleasure sitting down with Zach and learning more about the past, the present and the future of Hunterz List. Below is my interview with Zach Wolfe, Founder of www.hunterzlist.com.

Business

Where did you come up with idea for Hunterz List? When was that first “Aha” moment?

My “Aha” moment came about a year ago while I was sitting in my NYC apartment exploring start-up ideas that aligned with my passion for hunting & the outdoors. My idea was to create a platform where  a hunting & outdoor consumer and businesses could advertise similar to craigslist. I wanted a strong focus on Business to Consumer sales by entrepreneurs in the hunting & outdoors industry.

What Products and Services do you offer on www.hunterzlist.com?

Since our inception the site has really evolved to offer a wide range of content. I want to break our site down into three categories:

Hunting & Outdoors Classifieds: For both consumer to consumer & business to consumer sales.

E-commerce Store: We partnered with Amazon to create an online hunting store where our visitors can purchase archery products, rangefinders, trail cameras, scent eliminators, game calls, tree stands and hunting clothing directly from out site. 1$ from each sale will be donated to our Hunterz List Veteran Fund.

Outdoor Entrepreneurs Blog & Podcast: This section of our site features hunting articles, videos and our outdoor entrepreneurs podcast. The articles feature both educational and informative articles about hunting. The videos are informative, and we now accept video submissions from business owners in the hunting & outdoors industry that highlight their product or service. The approved videos are then uploaded to our blog and youtube channel for the entire outdoor community to see. Our podcast features interviews with entrepreneurs in the outdoors community.

Outdoor Entrepreneurs section of HunterzList.com

How are you currently marketing and promoting the site? Social Media, Email, Ads?

Currently I’m using various methods to market my site. I use Facebook, Instagram, twitter and youtube. I run sponsored ads via Facebook and have received great results. I try to produce as much high quality content as possible. My goal is to post at least two new blogs a week and one new podcast every two weeks. I currently use a CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) software along with Mail Chimp to produce email campaigns to my subscribers. I’ve just started focusing heavily on SEO and optimizing my onsite content with Yoast SEO via WordPress.

Tell me about the new “Outdoor Entrepreneurs” section of the website? What does this entail?

This section was created to empower hunting & outdoor entrepreneurs with educational information on both hunting & business. This section of our site features hunting articles, videos and our outdoor entrepreneurs podcast. The articles feature both educational and informative articles about hunting. The videos are informative, and we now except video submissions from business owners in the hunting & outdoors industry that highlight their product or service. The approved videos are then uploaded to our blog and youtube channel for the entire outdoor community to see. Our podcast features interviews with entrepreneurs in the outdoors community.

I hear you are in the works of an E-Book! Give us some insight on that and when/where will it be available for purchase?

I’m very excited about this! I’ve been working on the E-Book for about two months now. The title is “Three Secrets To Killing Bigger Bucks”. In about 30 pages it will cover three tactics that WILL help you harvest your dream buck. I’m working hard to finish the book by late October or Early November. It will be available to purchase on Kindle Amazon.

What does the future look like for Hunterz List? Any new ventures in the works?

I’m extremely optimistic and excited about the future of Hunterz List! I’ll have new products launching from the site over the next year and will continue to build my content. I have a business background and have a blessing for creative strategy so new ventures will certainly come. I welcome collaboration!

We all face struggles in starting a new endeavor or business. What has been the most challenging thing since starting Hunterz List?

The most challenging thing was taking action upon my idea and staying consistent. In the beginning no one was paying attention, no one was watching. Being patient and staying consistent was the key.

What has been your greatest success to date?

Pushing myself outside my comfort zone. Putting myself and my business out there for the world to see.

Personal Life / Interests / Background

When were you first brought into hunting? Did your father teach you the ropes and introduce you to the sport?

I was introduced to hunting at a very early age. I believe I was about 5-6 when I first visited our hunting trailer on Marylands Eastern Shore, Pokomoke City to be exact. My father was indeed my teacher.

What is your favorite animal to hunt? Do you prefer gun or bow?

I’m a Whitetail Fanatic and extremely addicted to bow hunting. I do pick up a rifle once a year for opening day. I prefer to sling arrows.

Where do you currently reside? Tell me about your family life – Are you married?

I currently reside in New York City with my wife & miniature dachshund. I am happily married to my beautiful wife Ana Maria. Together we’re a great team!

I know you have a military background – Thank you for your service, Zach. Tell me a little about that?

Thank you! I served in the United States Marine Corps for 6 1/2 years. Parris Island South Carolina made me! I served in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom OEF in 2013. Enjoy my time but it was time to move on. Semper Fi.

What other hobbies or interests do you have outside of hunting and hunting related activities?

Spending time with my wife and our dog. I love to run. Weight lifting. Reading about online marketing strategy and business.

Hunterz List Overview

Take me through the steps of getting registered on your site – Is it pretty simple to sign up?

Very simple:

1: Vist the top right header on our site and click register.

2: Enter your username, email address and password and press submit.

3: Press the confirmation link in your email to activate your account.

4: You’re ready to post your free ad.

Hunterz List makes registration simple by letting you connect with Facebook!

Does it cost money to join Hunterz List?

Hunterz List is Free.

What kind of products and services can I offer as a user? Can I list my vehicle on your site or is it specifically hunting related products?

You can either list your old or unwanted personal gear, or, you can create an ad to sell your business’ product or service. The categories cover pretty much everything archery, rifles, real estate, fishing, services etc. We do have a section where you can list your pickup truck or trailer. We also welcome and encourage category suggestions.

If I subscribe to the newsletter, what kind of content can I expect to get in my inbox?

We’re working on creating a content-rich, weekly newsletter. Right now if you subscribe you’ll receive constant updates on new content and releases.

Why should I join Hunterz List and list my products there instead of a classified site like Craigslist?

Craigslist doesn’t know the first thing about hunting or the outdoors. Our subscribers and visitors have a hunting & outdoors background. Therefore, your product has the best chance of being sold.

www.hunterzlist.com

Unfortunately I was not able to hunt on the opening day of Kansas archery season but I am able to hunt this weekend. Kansas archery season opened up on Monday, September 14th and I have been chomping at the bit to get into one of my tree stands for Saturday evening! Fortunately, I have been able to spend three weekends on the property scouting, checking trail cameras and hanging tree stands which is not an easy task when you live 5 hours away. Am I 100% prepared?? … No, but I do have a pretty good handle on the situation and have confidence that it will be an exciting season.

Strategy fo September 14 – October 15

My early season strategy while the weather is hot will be focused around water and how the deer access that water. See the below illustration for an overview map of what this scenario looks like on the piece of property I’m hunting.

My tree stands locations on the map are circled in white and are positioned approximately 50 yards from the water tank represented by a green star. One stand is located Northwest of the tank and the other being pretty much directly East and as you can see from the aerial view, these are the closest trees to the water. The red trails are what I believe to be general deer access routes to this water and the white trails are my entry / exit routes to the stands. I will sit in the NW stand for Southernly wind directions and the East stand will be used for Northernly wind directions. Another great reason why a SW is an ideal wind for me is because the farmers house is directly South so I know deer won’t be coming from directly behind me unless they are pretty close.

Looking at the weather report for Saturday, September 19th,  the wind direction is saying South East for the area I hunt, which is pretty much ideal for the NW stand. Although this is an ideal wind for not getting busted by deer, I don’t believe that this is an ideal wind for mature buck movement. The reason being is that its not an ideal wind direction for him to move and feel safe if he’s traveling from the direction I have indicated on the map above. Check out this article and video from Wired To Hunt in regards to playing the wind in your favor as well as yours. An ideal wind for both myself and the deer would be a South West wind because at that direction its in his favor as well as mine.

I haven’t been able to check my cameras in a few weeks but the last time I pulled the card on my trail camera situated over the water tank, the main frame 12 point came out during daylight with a SouthWest wind. We shall see if my theory proves true this coming weekend. Below are a few pictures of the buck I’m after. The dates on my camera are wrong; they should be 09/02/15 instead of 10/02/15. Either way, you get the point why I’m hunting this deer!

Things I’m Not Doing During Early Season

1. Wind Direction – The wind will always be my number one priority and I will not hunt these stands with the incorrect wind no matter what.
2. Morning Hunts – Morning hunts are too risky because you can’t see whats in the fields and the deer especially can see a long ways off because of the lack of cover and open ground.
3. Over Hunting Stands – This one won’t be too hard to do since I am pretty much limited to hunting weekends but I will not hunt the same locations or stands too often.
4. More Hunting, Less Scouting – During early season a lot of my focus will still be put towards glassing and scouting the 7,000 acres of land I have access to. Less sometimes means more.
5. Spot and Stalk – Unless the scenario is absolutely perfect, I will hold off on my spot and stalking until we get to the end of October. The last thing I want to do is blow deer out of the area prior to the rut. Although, I do have a decoy coming in the mail from Heads Up Decoy for spot and stalk hunting! More to come on that in a future article.

Don’t Get Too Aggressive Early On

Its a long season so I want to make sure that early season is focused around minimal pressure and hunting smart. I have a plan in place to hunt the water source while its hot with the right wind in my favor and hopefully I’ll cross paths with that 12 point over the next few weekends. If I am able to locate a different buck or a better scenario, I have my Lone Wolf tree stand and Muddy sticks if I wish to hang another stand as a quick attack. I’ll let you know how I do for my opening hunt in Kanas for the 2015 season. Stay tuned!

-Adam

The Effects of Humidity

Summers in the midwest can be absolutely brutal due to high humidity levels. Some days it feels like you can’t even breathe or stop sweating even with the AC cranked as high as it will go! I knew Colorado was an arid climate but I didn’t realize how dry it really was in comparison to Michigan.

To the right is a screen shot of a table showing average humidity levels in various states; Colorado and Michigan are highlighted in yellow. Michigan has an average Summer humidity level of 88% in the morning and 54% at night while Colorado maintains 47% and 21% respectively.

So what’s the major change?

I expected dry skin, itchy eyes and a sore throat but the biggest and most noticeable difference has been my hydration, or lack there of. I am constantly chugging down water in order to keep myself properly hydrated. It seems as though I can’t get enough H2O throughout the day.

What makes it even worse is that you don’t realize its happening because you simply don’t sweat, leaving you with the illusion that you don’t have to consume as much water. (As I am writing this at 10:30PM, I realize that I am severely dehydrated and head to the kitchen for a glass of H2O).

How does this affect my future hunting plans?

If you are a midwesterner who is setting out on your first big game hunt in the mountains this Fall, unfortunately no amount of preparation can help your body become acclimated to the effects of accelerated dehydration in a low humidity environment. But what you can do is be prepared in other ways to help combat liquid losses once you are there.

1. Quantity – Bring more water than you think you will need. Whatever you think you will need, double or triple that amount. You can never have too much water.
2. Carrying Water – I plan on upgrading my pack with camelback bladder for better packability and ease of use while hiking. I plan on getting one that is between the 1-2 gallon mark.
3. Water Purification – Have alternate ways to purify additional water for hikes when you can’t carry enough from camp. I have heard good things about Katadyn Micropur Purification Tablets. You can get a 20-pack at REI for $9.95
4. Know the Landscape – Knowing where to find water is key, especially on all day hunts or in a survival situation. Make sure to study the area as much as possible so you know of various water sources if needed.

While hunting smaller tracts of land in the midwest, I never had to worry about bringing gallons of water or purification tablets for everyday hunting. You simply head back to the house to grab water or pack a smaller water bottle for the day and you’re good! Your really have to think differently when entering such vast and treacherous terrain.

I hope this highlighted a few things about my experience with hydration levels in a dry climate and how you can better prepare yourself for an extended hiking or hunting trip in the mountains!

-Adam