This is the second-place winner of the Creative Writing Contest’s Non-Fiction Category. Written by Raymond Stryker, a senior pursuing a degree in Environmental Sustainability. He is also a Veteran, retiring from the United States Army in 2011 after 25 years of service. This is “How to Hunt Big Game” by Raymond Stryker.
When going outdoors there is an excitement that is kindled. It is a slow burning like bringing water to a boil removing all things that are distractions and a part of a human’s everyday life. The more that life’s cares go away the more you are able to listen to what is around you. As you are accepted by your surroundings more animals show themselves to you as if to say “hello, I am here”. It is this acceptance that the hunter strives for. This is the gratification that comes from hunting, even when nothing is killed.
Know your weapon
Safety-Never point a gun or weapon at anything you don’t want to kill. Always assume the weapon is loaded. Bullets and arrows ricochet.
Selection-Pick a weapon that is comfortable to shoot and will ethically kill the animal at a reasonable range.
Ballistics-The path a bullet travels once fired. Dictates the aiming point at a given distance.
Zero-The distance at which the bullets impact is the same as the aiming point of the weapon
Capabilities-How far will it shoot and still ethically kill the animal. How many rounds does it hold? Where and how does the safety work? How is it loaded and unloaded?
Cleaning-A clean weapon is more accurate and jams less.
Know the animal
What makes it different from other similar species? Antler growth and shape. Tail shape and color. Body color during different seasons of the year. Color pattern, especially the head. How big does it grow on average?
How to know it is there without seeing it. Look for scat, browsed habitat, beds, and tracks. See how fresh they are. No sign means no animal at that immediate spot.
Abilities-Does it run or does it hop to escape? How high can it jump? Does it prefer to swim or walk around? Some animals prefer to go under a fence rather than over.
Sight– How well does it see color? How well does it see movement? How well does it see at night? How well does it see inside shadows? Due to a difference in eye construction the animal may see movement and into the shadows better than humans. Also, it may not see certain colors as we do. This difference will also affect how well they see at night.
Hearing-How well does it hear? Most big game hear far better than humans.
Smell-Most animals smell far better than humans. Some sit near the top of a ridge or hill to catch the breeze and detect danger before it ever gets close.
Habitat-What food does it eat? What pattern does it eat its food in? Where does it get most of its water from? What is its rest cycle? Where does it like to rest? This will tell you where to find the animal.
Habit-How does the moon phase affect its habit? What are its breeding habits? Does it have habits based upon age groups? Does it migrate (a different summer and winter range)? How does hunting pressure effect it? Can you predict direction based upon its movement? Does it have a set daily routine and route? Does it use trails or create a new path each time?
Kill zones-The heart/lung area is approximately six inches in diameter and the spinal column in the neck is a long narrow strip that is only two inches wide. Where can you aim to hit them?
Know yourself
Physical-Be realistic about your abilities. How far can you hike and still move the animal back to the vehicle or camp? Can you sit still or do you have to constantly move? Are you taking any medications that may affect your abilities? How well can you see in low to no light conditions?
Mental-Are you comfortable being alone in the woods? Are you comfortable with killing and cleaning an animal? You may need to start with a small animal to find this out. Do strange sounds at night bother you?
Comfort with weapon(s)-Practice is the only way to be comfortable shooting. Spend time shooting in the standing, sitting, and kneeling in both supported and unsupported positions. Be sure to zero your riffle before each hunting season. For many locations having a zero of 200 yards is adequate. Riffles weigh from 6 to 9 pounds and you should be strong enough to carry it in your hands all day and still be able to hit your target.
Ranging ability-How well can you tell distance? Are there limits to range you can estimate reliably?
Know the current laws for the state you are in. Every state is different, but they all require a Hunter Safety Course.
Make a list-Before you depart to go hunting, scouting, or camping make a list and follow it. This ensures you take everything you know you need to take with you.
Weather-Know the weather forecast and how to predict local weather. How does it affect the ballistics of your weapon? How does it affect animal movement? Be aware of storms miles away because of flash floods. This also aids in what type of clothes to wear.
Camp comfort
Hiking-Only take what you can carry in a single trip and best with multiple people.
Driving-less remote but more comfortable.
Food-Use appropriate type of cooler(s) for the length of stay and ice availability. Drain water from your cooler as needed. Cold water melts ice faster than cold air.
Cooking-Bring a propane or electric cooker and don’t count on a campfire.
Water-Bring enough to cook, clean dishes, and drink with. Don’t plan on using the nearby stream unless you can filter out all the bad stuff. Figure about 2 gallons a day and you should not run out.
Safety-Pick a spot to camp that was previously used to reduce the human foot print. Only use previously made fire rings. Never have a campfire in windy or dry conditions. Only use dead wood that is on the ground and dry. Be aware of the type of animals in the area, because more than bears will come through the camp. Place all trash in a container and it may need to be hoisted up out of reach. Never sleep in the same clothes you cook in. Putting the food out of reach does no good when the smell of food is inside your tent. Keep the camp neat and clean to reduce unwanted visitors. Dig a hole downhill of your camp for excreted solid waste and be sure to cover it each time. Urinating around the camp increases your scent. If you decide to urinate and not cover it, go 50 feet away from the nearest piece of camp.
Hunting tactics
To move or not-Depending on the animals habits, Mother Nature, and your abilities the decision to move or not will dictate what to do.
Clothes-Wear clothes that are quiet, comfortable, temperature and weather appropriate, that blend in to the surroundings, and are more or less odor free. Some states require the hunter to wear blaze orange in the field.
Accessories-Some of the type of accessories are calls, scents, binoculars, spotting scopes, knives, GPS, and range finders. Binoculars are the single most important thing you will carry to help identify and locate the animal you are hunting. Binoculars can be marked on the focus knob for a given range and thus help you in determining distance to the animal. The marking is done by the user at the rifle range with known distances. Scents attract the animal and scent removers hide the human scent. Calls attract the animal if done correctly. Scents and calls only work if the animal is nearby and the season is right. Spotting scopes come in very handy when looking long distance, more than 500 yards. A spotting scope must be placed on a tripod to remain stable enough to see through it. Range finders come in handy when you have the time to use them and space to pack them. They adjust for various conditions that fool the naked eye. Knives are very important once the animal is killed or if you get stranded. Make sure it is sharp and appropriate for the job at hand. A GPS is very handy to keep you from getting lost when in unfamiliar places. Most smartphones have a GPS with mapping software. However, if you don’t preload the maps you may not have a cell signal and then it does you no good.
One vs multiple people-Multiple people increase the chance to see the animal you are hunting. Though someone is always on the bad end and should be rotated if all are licensed hunters. Multiple people make carrying out the game much easier. One person hunting requires more stealth and knowledge about the game, and is more challenging.
Sunrise and sunset-Know when legal shooting light begins and ends. As a rule of thumb it is 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset. Some states publish legal shooting hours in their rule book.
A day in the field hunting-Can require you to go out before sun up and stay until sun down.
Planning-To stay healthy you need to plan the day. When are you going to get up, how long does it take to get to where you want to hunt, are you walking or driving to the location, when are legal shooting hours, when will you eat, what will you eat, how much water do you need, what items are you going to take with you, what is the animals schedule, what to bring if you kill the animal, what is the days weather going to be and what does it look like that day, how long will you stay out, and what will you do when you get back? Just some of the questions that need to be answered in the planning.
To shoot or not
Distance? Is the animal farther away than you can comfortably shoot? What is between you and the animal that may impact the bullet? Things like trees, brush, wind, and grass can cause the bullet to change course.
What is behind it? If the bullet goes through the animal where will it go? Need to think twice before you shoot the animal standing on top of a ridge or hill silhouetted.
How far to camp? Can you get the animal back to camp without destroying the meat or hurting yourself?
After the first shot– A well placed shot is a guaranteed kill. Give the animal time to die before you chase it or try to shoot it again. Waiting 10 to 15 minutes is not uncommon. It is far better to miss the animal and let it get away, than to wound and chase it only to not recover it. Chasing the animal makes the meat taste gamier than it may be naturally, and wounding the animal often times taints the meat so it is inedible. This is where ethics comes in and can be hard with the excitement of the moment.
Tracking-Remember where you last saw the animal and what direction it was headed. If you did not see where the animal laid down look for blood where you last saw it and follow the blood. Often the animal will make a giant leap into a brush pile or behind a log to hide, only to die unseen by the hunter. When you run out of the blood trail make a sweep through the area looking for blood, tracks, or the animal. The sweep may need to be 50 feet in diameter from that last blood spot. Look behind trees, bushes, cacti, logs, and rocks. Don’t put yourself in danger so if you need to come back the next day mark the spot so you can come back to it and continue searching. Using a pattern like a circle or spiral is often helpful.
To gut or not– When you arrive at your animal use a bullet or pencil to fill out your tags according to the state laws. Now the work begins. The goal of gutting is to cool the meat as fast as possible and reduce weight. Depending on the size of the animal, weather, and distance back to camp it may be better to use the gutless method. Some animals need ice and the complete removal of the esophagus to taste good. If you are going to save the heart and liver let them cool and place them in a plastic bag for safe keeping. Some states require the genitals to prove sex of the animal. Know whether you need to keep them with the meat or not. There are also anti-waste laws that require you to take a percentage of the different portions of the animal. New Mexico requires you to take 75% of the neck. Be familiar with both methods and do the one that makes the most sense.
Packing out-Depending on the size of the animal, your physical strength, and the method to cool the animal will aid in how to pack it out. You may drag it, carry it over your shoulders, use a litter to drag it or some other means. It has to get back to camp to hang and cure. Be sure when transporting the animal out of the woods that the antlers are not visible or have them display a blaze orange color so other hunters do not decide they need to shoot it or you.
Scouting-Scouting is like hunting without a weapon. The best time to scout is when the animals are in the area during the season that you want to hunt and the antlers have not fallen off yet. Generally this is February to early March. Looking for the animal while they are in their summer ground when you hunt in the fall is counterproductive if they migrate very far. This is the time to use a spotting scope and not a time to be beating the bush. Look for scat, tracks, beds, and forage. These things will tell you if they are there. It will also tell you when they were there. Do not disturb their beds as this could cause them to go elsewhere.
Hunting is a pastime that few get to enjoy in the world. In America it is a way of life for some. Gone are the days when survival of the human race depended upon hunting. It is however a skill that should not be lost nor kept by a few. The purpose of hunting has not changed. However, it has evolved into a time of enjoying the outdoors, the thrill of the hunt, and the honing of fair chase tactics.
Just being outdoors and reveling in the sheer beauty of what you behold. Bringing back the inner child just to go and look and see what there is to see and enjoying all that you do see and do. But yet, being prepared for what may come, building a confidence in an environment that you have little control over. You are there, the animals are there, the plants are there, the wind, and weather it is all there. You are just going along through it being a part of it. The more that you can see what there is, the forest and the tree the more that you can just be. Nature does not care what other humans might think of you, does not care who you are, what you might wear, what you might think. It only requires that you be prepared for what might be so that you may continue to exist.
