Tard's Handy Dandy Cheap Shooting Sticks:

Shooting sticks can be a hunter's best friend when that monster deer walks into your shooting lane and your blood gets pumping and the gun gets shaking. I couldn't see paying $30+ dollars for a pair of sticks so I decided to make my own.

Materials:

• 2 3/4 inch dowel rods
• 1 roll black electrical tape
• Bike inner tube

1. Cut the 2 3/4 inch doll rods to 39 inches
2. Cover them in the black electrical tape.
3. Cut a section of inner tube about 12 inches long.
4. Cross the sticks at one end so that above where they cross you have about 4-6 inches. Wrap the inner tube piece around and around the sticks and tie it off real tight.

You now have a shooting stick that will steady your shot. Best of all they are light weight and will only cost you $5-$8.

Chuck Painton suggests double checking your gear:

Tard why do you look stoned on ever single picture??????? and Mongo NICE melon man what size is your hat 23??? anyway guys got another tip for you manly hunters!!(don't worry I wont drink blood either).

Four years ago I made the fatal mistake that I did not practice and did not Check my bow, I just took it out of the case opening day and went hunting, I got a nice shot at a 10 point buck man this thing was Huge! But because I never checked my bow I never noticed that my sight became loose when I took my 10 yard shot my quiver flew up, my dream buck "jumped" the string, and my week long hunt was over! Take my advice a thorough check of your critical archery outfit is essential to your bowhunting success. Cover the basics so your gear won't let you down. Inspect your bow. Look for bent bow-sight pins, broken arrow rests, frayed cables, a frayed bow string or any cracks in the handle, wheels or limbs. Check limb bolts and sight attachment screws for tightness( I will never forget again). Lubricate wheel axles to prevent creaking and groaning. Two or three twists will shorten a stretched bow string by about 1/8-inch. Wax the string at least once a month throughout the season. Replace excessively stretched or frayed strings or strings with broken strands. Look for frayed or broken strands under the serving at the nocking point. It's a good idea to replace bow strings every two or three seasons. Check all arrows, points and nocks for straightness. Replace or straighten bent shafts and square up heads and nocks. Any of these arrow elements that is more than a few thousandths off perfectly straight can greatly diminish accuracy. And that is what you should do If you don't want to end up like me.

Doug Rothfuss gives advice on public land hunting:

My hunting buddy an I do 75% of our bow hunting on public land. We have killed several public land deer including a nice eight pointer and a great ten pointer (both of which are on the wall). My little bit of advice for those who hunt public land is to make sure you scout the land during the summer.

Most public land hunters are weekend warriors and spend zero time in the field prior to opening day. Also as you say, go deep..........the deeper you go on public land the more likely you are to avoid other hunters. We always try to get about a mile off the roads and we rarely see another hunter (it does suck to drag a deer that far but we are hunters who will do anything for that sweet venison). Being a mile or so back is a great way to avoid other hunters, but when tracking a deer after sundown it is very easy to get lost so we always carry a GPS to help us get back to the truck.

Chuck Painton tries to imitate the great and unwittingly funny Mongo:

Today’s scents are often confusing you go to a large hunting store or department store and you will see a lot of scents are the same with different names. The question arises which one? Well here at Chuck Labs® we decided to find out.

Being laid off Mongo and Tard sent me (no pun intended) on a field test to run as I see fit feeling the corporate responsibility back lash I decided to involve my "Coworkers" here are the results.

Objective: To see if there is a difference in doe in estrus, skunk scent, and tarsal gland scents.

Subject : Blaytex executives

Test one: All though a whitetail’s sense of smell is 100,000 times better than a man's I thought if a man can smell it a buck sure can too. First I went to the parking lot at Playtex in Watervielt and dose each Jaguar, Porsche and BMW with liberal amounts of skunk scent; one each from Tinks, Wildlife Research and Cabelas. VP #1 got in his 911 and seemed quite distracted by the Tinks. It must of worked because he was crying, I think with joy! Senior Accounting Manager got in his BMW coupe but some how the W.R. Scent didn't’t seem to bother him. I don’t know why. And finally VP# 2 was quite unhappy when he entered his new 2002 jaguar, I also think the Cabelas worked because he was jumping up and down arms flailing he was dancing for joy!

Conclusion: there seems to be no difference in skunk cover scents so just buy the cheapest one!

Stay tuned for Test #2!

Mongo here - please try this on your wife and children (or friends if your seed is fallow ( or neighbors if, like Tard, you have no friends but your seed is ultra-potent)) before risking your job over hunting...hmmmm...no job...unlimited hunting until foreclosure!

Mongo's Amazing Deer Chili:

Ingredients:

trim deer stew meat of all fat

brown ground beef and then add in ground deer

after mixture has browned add in deer stew meat (if mixture is dry add oil)

add diced peppers, tomatillos, and onion and cook till onions are clear

add dry spices

transfer to crock pot or other slow cooker

add remaining ingredients and slow cook for 2-3hrs

Note: The beer is very important as it tenderizes the stew meat. Your choice of beer will affect the flavor of your chili. I use bland American beers such as Bud or MGD. A brown ale or stout would give the chili an earthier flavor and may suit deer meat well.

For hotter chili leave in the seeds from the seranos and jalapenos. Great for ice fishing!

For girly chili reduce peppers and/or cayenne powder Betty!

Tard Here! Mongo is undoubtedly the master of Chili and Stew. Try this and you'll be a believer too. MMMMM Lip smacking good.

Larry De Wind on tracking:

It's very important to follow up on every shot (gun or bow). After your heart stops pounding, remember where your deer was standing when you shot- get a good fix on that spot before you move a step! Then go over and look for signs of a hit- blood, hair , your arrow, etc.- I've actually seen "hunters" who, after they shot and saw the deer run, simply say "well, missed him!", and walk away! Be ethical- don't take shots beyond your ability, and follow up!Thanks again, guys- keep up the good work! Larry De Wind, New York State Sportsman Educator.

Mongo here! check your arrow closely for signs of what type of hit you have. Most deer will bed down within a few hundred yards of where they were hit. If you leave them alone for enough time depending on the hit they will expire at that spot. Push them and they can run for miles. If you see red blood with bubbles on your shaft it is a lung hit. If you are confident you have hit both lungs then the deer will only need 30 minutes or so to die. If you believe you have only hit one lung then wait about three hours before tracking. Dark blood with no bubbles could be a liver shot or vascular hit and the deer will die in minutes. If there is green or brown matter on your arrow you've unfortunately hit the stomach or digestive tract - leave this deer alone for at least eight hours. If undisturbed it may die from shock at its first bed. If you have made a large muscle shot then not pursuing the deer may be the best choice since studies have shown as many as 70% of those deer will make full recoveries (only if hit with an arrow - not a bullet).

Kelly Smith on getting permission to hunt private land:

Hey Guys!! I just had to write and tell you that your site is very funny.....made my night! I will give you a tip for getting permission on private land...be female. I am very female and have been hunting for 15 years and not ONCE have I ever been denied hunting privileges...I think that they all initially think I could not hit the broadside of a barn and figure I could not hurt too much!!! I just went out tonight and got 3 different places to take my pick from in about 1 hours time!! So if the land is particularly sweet, and you are just dying to get on there...send your wife and she can ask if you can come.

Kelly mother of 4, harvester of deer

Mongo here! Guys, I've tried the RuPaul method and only experienced occasional dating propositions. Teach your wife/girlfriend to hunt and score private hunting land, more hunting time and possibly some nature love! You can also check out our article "Finding Private Land"

Cmatt emailed this tip:

After washing your clothes in a scent free detergent rinse them a 2nd or 3rd time. Now either hang them out to dry or dump some baking powder in a sock, tie a knot in the sock, throw the sock and the all of your'scent free' clothes in the dryer. I do the clothes line bit as I can't fit a dryer in my trailer. It was either a 2nd fridge for my beer or a dryer...

Mongo on Tree selection for stands:

After much experimentation Barney, Mr. McGabbagoo, and I have decided that stands should be at least 17 feet high and that to be able to draw your bow the tree's ability to break up your outline is of paramount importance. We prefer hardwoods that grow into pine or cedar trees, trees with multiple trunks and close groups of trees. Pay close attention to the background from a deer's eye view and avoid blue sky!

The Barney Truck Trick:

Barney had been drinking heavy one night and so slept a little late at deer camp. In his haste to get to stand Barney parked his truck not 50 yards from his tree stand overlooking a CRP field. To everyone's surprise, Barney saw as many deer as usual. From that day on we began dropping off hunters near their stands, with the driver parking near his own stand. The effect? We've actually seen more deer! Guess the headlights, noise, and exhaust are not associated with hunters by our quarry. It also presents a lower impact than a human huffing and puffing (and stinking) his way a half mile across a field. Go figure...