If you hunt and fish, like to mess with guns and enjoy tramping around in the wilderness, the odds are good that you probably enjoy watching a good Western, too. Western movies and television shows have a following all their own and - to me, at least - seem to age really well.
What is your favorite Western? Get on the Google trail and find when it was made. I will bet you a dollar to a bag of powdered donuts it was not in the past 10 years - probably more like 20.
My dad was a big fan of the series "Gunsmoke," which featured James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon. What was the allure of this show, which ran for 20 years? Was it the heroics of Dillon and Miss Kitty in the Long Branch Saloon? How about the snappy dialogue between Festus and Doc?
It could have been any or all of this, but as with all Westerns, I think part of it may have been the chase. Most Westerns (and especially the older ones) had a part of the story that centered around the good guy pursuing the bad guys.
Dave Healy of Wind Pro poses with a kill. Wind Pro's The Vine is a synthetic vine designed to enhance its deer scrape scent system.
Contributed photo / Larry CaseThe story would build up to a grand chase scene with the hero in hot pursuit of the outlaws. This allowed for some fancy riding and lots of shooting, typically with Colt Peacemakers, and usually no one was hit. Often the scoundrels would give the good guys the slip somewhere mid-chase, and the posse would rein in at some crossroads, with one of them uttering those famous words, "Which way did they go?"
Well, you may think this is a stretch, but my theory is the core of what we do in hunting is much like the good guy's posse. What drives us is the chase. Now in any form of pursuit, there are times where the hunter is unaware of the location of the quarry. So when deer hunting, just like a good Western sidekick, we may sometimes say, "Which way did they go?"
Glad you asked, and as usual, I am here to help.
Probably no invention has changed the way most of us hunt deer and aided the hunter more than the trail camera.
Think about having a set of eyes and ears in your hunting area 24/7/365. The camera reveals to you which deer are coming by your stand, how many, what time of day or night and much more. And not just deer, either - you get to see all the forest critters that walk by: coyotes, bears (which will affect deer behavior and movement), squirrels, raccoons, foxes and anything else out and about.
For me, this is the great thing about the camera. I get to see everything that is out there, be it chipmunks or Sasquatch.
For most of you, however, I know you are dead serious about the deer game. The trail cam will help you keep track of the big bucks, but something to attract them would be even better. We have talked about different attractant scents and lures here before, but there is one you may not have seen.
Wind Pro is a synthetic deer attractant I believe you will want to give a try. Dave Healy and Brian Trachsel, who are from Minnesota, have spent years testing this unique form of attractant. The lure is in a powder form that dispenses the scent well, and the attractant is actually rejuvenated when it comes in contact with moisture.
The basis of the Wind Pro system lies in the making of mock scrapes. These are scraped-out places on the ground that the deer - bucks and does - use to communicate via scent. Think of it as a deer texting station. It's a great place to meet up with a big buck.
Wind Pro is now offering a manmade vine to hang over the scrape. A vine or limb hanging overhead is critical to bucks visiting a scrape.
"Licking branches are the key to mock scrapes, particularly vertical hanging licking branches," Healy said. "Whitetails cannot resist vertical hanging licking branches when it comes to mock scrapes. The problem is the perfect licking branch is never readily available in the spot you desire, i.e. next to your stand or trails leading to it. Another problem is whitetails are particular to the trees they like to rub and scrape on.
"Also, when the rut approaches and testosterone levels increase, the bucks tend to break the licking branches. Whitetails will not utilize a scrape without overhanging limbs. Now you can make the perfect mock scrape in any location with The Vine. (It's) fully adjustable - you can place The Vine on any tree and adjust the desired height of licking branch (waist to eye level) and watch it work."
As for trail cams, most of you know there are many out there to choose from, but one you need to give a look is the Primos Proof Cam, Generation 2.
This is built for the purpose of giving hunters the most reliable, simplest-to-use camera money can buy, with the functions that really matter and none of the extras that don't. The Proof Camera 03 is designed to easily take photos, HD video or HD time lapse, and choosing the mode is easy with new illuminated slide switches and an improved on/off switch. It features circular LED alignment to better light the field of view.
The Proof Cam is extremely easy to use while offering hunters the scouting technology required to know what animals are in the area.
Just think about it. If Roy Rogers would have had something to lure in the outlaws and a camera to tell him when they were around, it would have been a lot easier on old Trigger!
"The Trail Less Traveled" is written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, W.Va. You can write to him at larryocase3@gmail.com.