ducktape October 20th, 2009

Arkansas Outdoors Online member, “Wesbob”, bagged himself a nice 12 point buck over the weekend. He sent us the pictures and the story below. If you want your Arkansas deer hunting story to be shown on our site, just sign up in our Arkansas Deer Hunting Forum and tell us your story. We’ll post your story and photos on the main page so you can really rub it in to your hunting buddies, friends and family.

Wesbob’s story:

There is an 8 point that has been frequenting my bow stand, but has never stepped out during the daylight hours. On Saturday evening, I loaded up my Primitive Weapon, TC Encore Endeavor loaded with 150 grains of triple 7 and a 223 grain power belt bullet. I climbed back into my bow stand to give the buck one more chance to mess up. Around 6:00 that evening, the wind totally died and I had deer coming from every direction. I saw a flicker of a tail about 60 yards out, by the time I got the gun up he had vanished; he was headed away from me. I found a small hole in the woods about 100 yards out that I knew this deer would have to pass through if he stayed on the same trail. It felt like an eternity, but two or three minutes later, I spotted him. I was leaning out of my hang-on stand, holding the gun free-handed in my left hand and saw his head through the scope. It was time to shoot or never see him again. I took the shot and could see the belly when the smoke cleared. I had no idea how big he was, but I was as excited as I have ever been when I grabbed the rack for the first time.

Check out the pictures and share your story in the Arkansas Deer Hunting Forum

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kevin October 1st, 2009

Greetings from the tree stand! We are going to give this type of live update a try this year. What can I say, with the iPhone, anything is possible!

Nice low 60′s morning here in Central Arkansas. The cloud cover is heavy and the skies are looking more ominous; I’m guessing rain is on the way, though I’ve not checked the radar with my weather channel app yet. A guy would think the deer would be moving like crazy this morning, as there wasn’t any moonlight last night.

I’ve seen 3 does this morning, one solo and a another with its yearling. I also have two squirrels one tree over that is driving me insane! No big bucks, but did get a nice photo of the first doe. If I can’t shoot anything with my Hoyt, I always like having my Nikon handy. The game and fish forecast is whispering in my ear to stay on the stand until at least noon, so I’m going to stick with it.

E-mailed the doe photo to Matt back in the office; he’ll attach it to the post for all of you guys to see. Good luck to everyone, and if you get a big one post some pics in the forum!

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kevin September 30th, 2009

Check out ArkansasOutdoorsOnline.com in the news via today’s Outdoor Wire Newsletter presented by Remington:

New iPhone Apps Cater to Hunters, Fishermen

For over 35 years, sportsmen around the world have trusted Datasport Inc’s reliable and accurate game and fish forecasts to increase their success in the woods and on the water. Now, thanks to two new iPhone applications, hunters and fishermen can receive the forecasts directly on their mobile phones.

The HuntCast and FishCast apps are simple, to-the-point applications that allow users to select a date from a calendar and view the forecast graph for that date. The graphs predict “excellent “good,” and “fair” hunting times, and also include the current moon phase. There is no need to enter location data, as the forecasts are accurate in the entire Northern Hemisphere.

Continue reading the full press release at TheOutdoorWire.com.

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kevin July 26th, 2009

It’s the middle of summer and bow hunting fever is upon me.

Early? Yeah, I know, it’s almost August, the heat index is still about 105 and the mosquitoes are still biting hard. But the fact is, it’s been five long months since I’ve taken my Hoyt to the woods, 148 days since I decked out in camo and climbed up into a tree, and even longer since I drew back on my last buck.

Surely there are others out there feeling the craving as bad as I.

Fortunately, there are a few things we can do RIGHT NOW to tide us over until October 1, as well as help improve our chances for a more successful Arkansas bow hunting season.

Never Too Early to Scout - The thick foliage of summer actually makes heavily traveled deer paths more visible, so now is a great time to scout for oft-used trails. In order to limit intrusion (and limit the chances you step on a copperhead) start by scouting for entrance/exit trails between wooded areas and clearings and/or fields. Pay special attention to whether or not a particular trail is linking a bedding area and food source. If it is, this is a good place to start focusing on for buck movement and potentially a good preliminary spot for one of your early stands.

Check out the rest of these preseason Arkansas bow hunting strategies in the hunting forum.

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ducktape February 24th, 2009

There are some new proposals being recommended for next years Arkansas deer season. Implementation of a new telephone check system would add convenience for hunters and cut costs for the AGFC, but it could also potentially take away business from some smaller check station locations.

Check stations would be eliminated, and a system of checking deer by telephone would be launched. The current practice of checking by Internet would be continued.

Also, a change of dates for the fall turkey season (from Oct. 10-16 to Oct. 26-Nov. 1) is possible, as well as new antler restrictions in some zones. The new proposals will be voted on in the March or April Arkansas Game and Fish Commission meetings. We will have the outcome of those AGFC meetings up as soon as we know something. Keep checking back.

Check it out the full report in the Arkansas Deer Hunting Forum

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kevin January 6th, 2009

Rifle season is long gone. The rut is finished. Duck season is in full gear. And the cold of winter is here.

Sure, late season Arkansas deer hunting is tough, and it can be a little harder to make yourself take to the stand this time of year. But if you’re considering hitting the leftover holiday eggnog instead of getting out there to bow hunt, you may be missing your best chance to harvest the monster buck you’ve been waiting on all season.

During January and February, there are fewer Arkansas deer hunters in the woods than any other time during the season. That means promising conditions for the serious bow hunter. Here are a few tips to take into consideration for taking that late-season buck:

1. Comfort Zone – The deer, pressured heavily for the last few months, begin to settle down and get back in their normal routines. Try to remember all of those heavily traveled deer paths you found back in August and September and set up close by, or head back to your early-season bow stands. As the deer get back into their comfort zone and normal patterns, so should you.

2. From Breeding to Feeding - Because the rut is long gone, and bucks are trying replenish their body fat lost during breeding, setting up between bedding and feeding areas is your best bet. Find the most wholesome remaining food source, or hunt bait or a food plot. Also, don’t forget about water. Hunting a water hole can be just as successful as hunting food sources.

3. Sit and Stalk – Though Arkansas is generally pretty mild, many parts of the state will see cold weather and even a bit of snowfall during January and February. During periods of below freezing weather, deer will conserve energy and often move during the warmest part of the day. Stay out all day and use a combination of still hunting and stalking.

Stay on the stand during the middle of the day and afternoon. Get up and stalk early and late. You’d be surprised how effective this can be on getting you hot on a deer’s trail, especially if there is snowfall.

Have a few late season Arkansas deer hunting tips of your own? Come inside the Arkansas Hunting Forum and share your knowledge with hunters from around the state.

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kevin January 5th, 2009

Congratulations to forum member Kyle Branch of White Hall, Arkansas for winning the inaugural Arkansas Outdoors Online Deer Hunting Contest.

The contest ended Dec. 31, and Kyle’s unique 15 point big buck took home the grand prize, a $100 gift certificate to Hunter’s Refuge in White Hall.

Also congratulations to our other two winners for widest spread (21.5) and most points (12). They both will receive a $25 gift certificate to the sporting goods store of their choice.

Come inside the Arkansas Hunting Forum to see this big buck and view all of the contest entries. And don’t forget to check out the Photo Gallery for tons of great pictures ranging from trail cams to bucks taken by AOO members.

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