I would like to share with all of you the new project Jeff Simpson with Fence Post Films is working on. He started a few years ago with the Heartland Bowhunter series, which revolutionized the understanding of outdoor video production.
As always, another outstanding project. Cant wait to see how it develops!.
Like the quote in the beginning…
“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure”
Wish him the best,
Pedro Ampuero
The first game animal that I ever harvested with a bow was a Merriam’s turkey. That was six years ago and since then I have been slightly addicted to hunting the thunder chickens. I believe that hunting turkeys can be one of the most challenging things to do with a bow. It isn’t that is an extremely physical hunt, and if hunting out of a blind it isn’t all that hard to get drawn back on a strutting tom, but what I think makes it difficult is the shot placement. The vitals on a turkey are pretty small and they are in a slightly different location than I first thought.
With turkey season quickly approaching I find it helpful to remind myself where the best places to shoot a turkey are, and here are some pictures to help with that.
The obvious best shot is a head shot as this will immediately kill the turkey in its tracks, but if you take a body shot it best to shoot a turkey in the back. By that I mean it is best to shoot a turkey as it is quartering away or facing straight away. If a turkey is standing broadside go straight up the leg and shoot for the drumsticks.
When choosing a broadhead to use on turkeys it seems that the best choice is any large expandable broadhead with the widest cutting diameter possible. There are also specialized broadheads just for head shots, but if you use these a head shot is the only option, they will not work on a body shot. I prefer the large expandables because if the turkey is close then a head shot is possible, but if the turkey is further out, say 30 yards, I will be able to take a body shot.
Hope that helps, and good hunting!
-Ethan Starck
Roe deer season starts this sunday. I have been doing some scouting but havent found anything good enough yet. Spending time in the woods in early season is as important as shooting our bows, in order to localize the big males when the woods are so calm.
The reason of this post is to share the curios reason roe deer have antlers this time of the year, which is when all other deer species in the northern hemisphere lose their antlers.
Roe deers have just lost their velvet during this past month of March, and the rut usually takes place in early august. This does not have much sense since this will cause the fawns to born in winter time, in which they will not have any chance of surviving. The phenomenom females experience to solve this is called Embryonic Diapause.
In embryonic diapause, the embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus, but is maintained in a state of dormancy. Little to no development takes place while the embryo remains unattached to the uterine wall. As a result, the normal gestation period is extended for a species-specific period of time, until females give birth in May, in which the resources are plenty. Other mammals do the same but the roe deer is the only deer to do this.
This is the reason why in europe the hunting season goes year round, since we have antlered animals both in spring and autumn.
Good luck all in the woods,
Pedro Ampuero
African hunting need not be expensive. There are a lot of game species that come with an affordable price tag. One is this Bush Pig. Although they are mostly nocturnal, you can occasionally find one during daylight hours.
I spotted this Bush Pig at high noon, in a water hole, and spent over 2 hours making a cautious stalk. Finally got to within 20 meters and made a good shot. After examining this pig, I noticed that both eyes were completed covered with cataracts. This pig was completely blind! I could have walked right up to it in a few minutes.
Made me feel a little silly. But, rather take it with a humane arrow than have predators tear it apart.
Dennis Kamstra
safariden@aol.com
Australia had been my dream hunt from the first time I hunted with a bow. Along the years I had suffered a big Australian fever, dreaming about endless hunting properties and big pigs with long tusks. Decided to find a cure for my problem, myself and a group of friends fix the date to visit the wonderful land of OZ during the summer of 2011.
Cape York is the hog bowhunting paradise, big hogs, great tusks and good populations are waiting to the adventurous bowhunter. First adventure is arrive to the hunting properties, specially flying from Spain or europe. After a long air trip, you will find that you need eight or nine hours by 4×4 to arrive to the station where the hunt will begin.
Hunt pigs in the Cape is simple, you need to go to the bush and find the pigs, not feeders, no fences, no stands, no blinds, all is done by stalking near the billabongs, around the streams, rivers or close to dead animals where the pigs go to eat the worms and similars. Pigs move during daylight, are not fully nocturnal.
“Can you see the bedded pigs?”
The hunt succes will be determined because the water in the bush. With plenty of water, the pigs can be anywhere and with the incredible extensions of the land, around 2.000.000 acres for ourselves, find them can be very difficult. Yes, we choose one year with lots of rains and floods, so we spend all the day walking, walking and walking trying to find the big hogs. We found them, but was a tough hunt for sure, we walked a long distance before see any animal. The good work from our guides and the persistence was the key of the success. I like unguided hunts but i know that in our hunt, with the water conditions, guides were needed to find the pigs.
“Good one running”
“First hog of my friend Pope”
“Pope giving thanks”
During midday the sun is high and the heat is terrible, you need to stop, take a break and drink lots of water. Hydration bladders are a must, is the best way to carry 3 or 4 liters of water.
“Aitor and a big one”
“Alberto and Andy, Alberto´s first trad kill”
When you walk by the bush close to the water and you see wild animals as crocodiles, scrub bull or wild horses really you think you are in the last frontier. I am not sure about the dimmensions of the hunting area, but we drove by car around hour and half only to arrive to the hunting spots and then , begin to walk. Australia is not a hunting ranch, you can walk during hours before see one animal but sometimes the bush can be exciting.
A true experience and a must have for one Adventurous bowhunter, Australia is a bowhunting paradise…but forget the luxury african lodges.
The pictures show only a part of the animals hunted with our trad and compound bows. As information, we were hunting with Mick Baker, of Trophy Bowhunts and his guide Andy Ivy. Their work was excellent, i recommend them.
Thanks to Mario Bregaña for some of the pictures . Travel with a proffesional photographer is great…and funny.
I went hunting to probably the most beautifull and challenging place in Spain, the Pyrinees Range.
We worked hard, hunting 16 hours per day, and made it happen with a beautifull stalk to a huge chamois at 14 yards. All the effort cames down to a few seconds, in which the line between success and failure gets really thin.
Hope you enjoy the video.
Pedro Ampuero
Trail cameras have become quite popular lately, and for good reason. They provide a hunter with a lot of useful information about the game in your hunting area, and they are just a fun toy to have around if nothing else. Here are a few things that I have learned to do to get better results from my trail cameras.
A good game trail can be one of the best places to put a camera. When placing a camera on a trail it is usually best to place the camera at an angle to the trail. Doing this allows the camera to have more time to get triggered and take a picture of the intended animal. Also, if there is more than one animal on the trail doing this allows you to see the front animal as well as others behind it.
This picture shows how I would set up a camera on a trail.
Here is picture taken from the setup above. As you can see by angling the camera against the trail even running animals can be captured completely in the frame.
The next thing to consider when setting up a camera is the sun. If possible always point a camera away from where the sun is going to be most of the time. So generally in the northen hemishpere point the camera north and in the southern hemisphere point it south. If the camera is placed towards the sun the pictures may get a lot of glare and you will probably not be able to see what is in the picture.
The third thing that sill save some headaches when putting out a camera is putting it in a spot where the vegetaion is either short enough or large enough to not blow in the wind. Moving grass or bushes can fill up the memory card with thousands of empty pictures and will most likely cause the camera to miss what it is actually intended for. Also, taking these useless pictures will run down the batteries very quickly.
While there is a lot more to trail cameras, if these three things are taken into consideration when using one you should get more pictures, and also better pictures.
-Ethan Starck
I have heard several times people complaning that it was late for them to start bowhunting. I always tell them the same… Do you know Bob Speegle?
Bob Speegle is the only hunter named alive by the SCI as a legend in the hunting history. He hunted almost every animal in the world with rifle, spending hundreds of days every year in the field. After hunting every corner and every animal he won the Weatherby. With 65 years old, many people thought that he will slow down hunting, but he was not hunting because of prizes, he hunts just because he loves to do it.
It was then when he was introduced to bowhunting by Tom Hoffman and Jack Frost. He then started bowhunting all over the US, until he end up getting all 29 species with bow and arrow at the age of 81. I was lucky to be able to spend some time with him a few years ago, and what it amazed me more was the way he told me his adventures, you could feel his passion. He told me that he needed like 5 trips for getting a grizzlie, 4 trips for getting a stone sheep, another 5 for…Some people says its all about having money, but the days he has spent living on a tent hunting is something that only true love for hunting can pay.
That happened a few years ago, and the most amazing thing is that he keeps hunting with bow and arrow every season. I met him again this year, and he told me he is now hunting with a 40 pound bow because of an injury, but that he is training hard to try to pull more weight. He is currently 87 years old.
I would like to share one the advices he gave me..
“Patience is the key. It is all about observing the game. Animals got to feed,to sleep, to get sun,… every day the same way us go to work , home or to a pub. As we do, they take the same routes and do the same things if they are not disturbed. Every animal can be hunted with the bow, its all about having the necesary amount of time to be able to understand how they live.”
There are these days a lot of hunting icons, but for me Bob Speegle is the one. This is only a small part of his history, I invite you to search the web to learn more about Robert Speegle. You all will be amazed.
Thanks for your inspiration Bob.
Pedro Ampuero
The videos by Dusty Images for Sitka Gear are one of the bests in the industry. The last one is another example of their great work.
This is one of the best hunting videos I have seen
One of my favorite hunting methods is predator calling. I don’t think there is anywhere in the world that you cannot successfully use a predator call. All it takes is an inexpensive investment in a call, a little practice (get a DVD for a tutor) and a lot of patience.
Here in Africa, one must be very careful as the big cats will come running in as well. This photo shows a nice Caracal taken in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa, where there are no dangerous game to contend with. Try it and you will be hooked forever. It’s guaranteed excitement because you never know what will answer the call. I’ve had owls land right in my lap while night calling!
Dennis Kamstra
safariden@aol.com
