Ep. 25: Practicing on Small Game and All About Arrows
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As a guide and hunter, I've spent thousands of days in the field. This show is about translating my hard-won experiences into tips and tactics that'll get you closer to your ultimate goal, success in the field. I'm Remy Warren. This is Cutting the Distance. This podcast is presented by Yeti, built for the wild. Real quick, I just want you to picture yourself in the final moments of a stalk. Let's say it's on the biggest mule deer you've ever seen in your life.

You've closed the distance. You've got in. Now it's time to make a shot. When do you range? When do you draw back? Where do you aim? How do you control your breathing? How do you control your emotions? I think that bow hunting and consistent success go hand in hand with practice. But the best kind of practice for successful archers is just practice by doing, by having actual hunting scenarios and actual shots on game animals. That's how you get better.

Now, for most people, it's not reasonable to have more than a couple encounters per year with those type of scenarios. But I've found that the best practice and the best way to get better by doing is to chase small game when the big game seasons have closed.

A long time ago, I started chasing ducks, quail, rabbits, other small game animals with my bow throughout the winter. It was closer access to the areas. I could be hunting in a shorter amount of time and I would have more opportunities to take shots, make shots, or mess things up. For me, I think small game hunting with my bow has made me a more consistent bow hunter when it comes to big game hunting.

So this week on Cutting the Distance Podcast, I want to cover some of those tactics to chasing small game with a bow, including some specific gear that I use for chasing small game, as well as just some ideas on places to hunt and ways to be more successful.

I think that if you start chasing smaller targets now, when the big game season rolls around, you're going to have a stockpile of inaction experience that's invaluable when it comes to drawing down on that maybe once in a lifetime chance. So before we get too far, I just want to tell you about one of the most successful days I had hunting small game with my bow in hand. One thing you'll learn about hunting small game animals, especially birds, their eyesight is incredible.

and they don't give you much time to make the shot. So everything has to be out of sight and then your target acquisition has to be quick. Right now, I'd already got two ducks, so it was time to go to the big water and see if I could find some more. I'd hunted the creek pretty much as far as I could and decided I was going to walk to a small lake a little bit further away. So I gathered up my ducks, my arrows, and started walking to the bigger ponds.

Through the bigger ponds, I was going through this mix of sage and tall grass, and I spooked a covey of quail up. I watched where they landed, switched my arrows from broadheads to blunt tips, and moved in. I saw that they'd kind of landed where this fallen tree was, so I made my way toward this tree and

and just sat down and waited. I arranged the tree, I was 20 yards. If I had a shotgun, I would have just walked up there, flushed the birds and taken a few shots. But this is completely different. This is bow hunting. It's not very plausible to shoot a quail out of the air with your bow. So it has to be spot and stalk. Now, when they see you, they either fly or run, giving you very little opportunity to even get drawn back. So I decided to just sit and wait, be patient, see what they did.

I knew that they landed there. Maybe they decided to run, but it was a good bit of cover for them. So I thought if I just wait, let things calm down, I might start seeing them pop out.

Sure enough, about 10 or 15 minutes later, I saw a quail jump up on the stump that I'd watched. I'd already ranged it at 10 yards and then it jumped down. I figured just based on the habits of the way these birds move and things that I'd seen in the past, as it jumped down, I drew back. Another quail jumped up in its place and I was ready. I let the arrow fly and dropped the quail.

It seemed like some of the birds knew what happened because a few flushed out, but others just started moving around. I reloaded an arrow. Another bird came out through the brush a little bit further away, moving, and I watched it stop. I just waited at full draw. As it started to walk across the opening, I shot another bird. I walked over, picked up my birds as pretty much the rest of the covey had either run off or flown away and decided to make my way to a bigger pond.

Now I had waders on. So that way, if I shot something further out, I'd be able to get it. I also had access to a kayak in my truck. So if I needed to paddle out there and grab whatever birds I could, I just decided, all right, hunting this big water will give me a little bit of opportunity to spot some birds and then maybe get some further shots. So I worked the edge of the pond and

spotted a few diver ducks out in the middle. I think one was actually a bufflehead. Ranged it, swimming across 65 yards. I switched back to my broadhead and knew that I tested my arrows before they float. So even if I missed, I'd find this arrow and could either walk out there or paddle out there and get it. I took a shot as the duck was swimming and actually missed it. It dove and then popped up again.

Very rarely in big game hunting scenarios do I get multiple shots on animals in a day, but here in this particular scenario, 50 yards, the duck popped right back up. I ranged it, drew back, shot. I aimed a little bit lower this time to compensate for the waterline, hit the duck, and the duck just swam in circles and expired.

By this point, it was already a really good day, mixed bag with a bow. I kept walking. I think between that duck, I just then decided, okay, this is a great chance to get some further shots, to get some moving shots, to get really good practice. I decided I had a few more arrows left in my quiver before I was just going to go out and gather the other arrows that I'd lost. I could see them floating out there.

So I worked the bank a little bit further. A mallard started to swim out from the shoreline. I was already had an arrow on. I drew back shot, got another duck. I'd also flushed a rabbit out on the way while just stocking in to a spot where I was going to get in and get the arrows out of the water.

And I watched the rabbit just stop, put on the blunt tip again, stalked in, got a shot, got the rabbit. This is probably some of the best bow hunting action you could ask for. Multiple shots, multiple mixed bag, some great eating, and some great practice. One thing I really noticed in the moment while hunting these small game animals was

was just the fact that the time between ranging, having to make a shot, knowing when to draw, there was a lot of birds along the way that I drew back on or drew at the wrong time and they flew off before I could get a shot. Or I would arrange and they would be swimming, I would draw and then I wouldn't know the range.

Over the course of the day, I shot at some more birds. I missed a few, probably half a dozen or more, and I shot a couple more birds after that. So I got nearly a limited ducks, a couple quail and a rabbit for the entire day. But the best part about it was the practice that I gained just executing a shot in the moment.

When you have some pressure on you, when you got to draw at the right time, you got to sneak in the right way. It's not the same as just shooting at a target in the backyard. It's real life practice, real life experience. And over the years, similar practice like that, it's not even, I wouldn't even necessarily call it practice, just in the act of hunting. By hunting and getting as many opportunities as possible, I made myself a better bow hunter.

hunter because I could act and react almost seamlessly through the, even just the course of the day. When I started out, I made some rookie mistakes. I thought, Oh, this will be easy. There's some ducks on the water. I just got to walk up there and shoot them. And then I realized they would fly off or move in between stocking and drawing or ranging and

So I just got so much practice that day by hunting and getting shots on multiple animals without having to hike a long ways, without having to go on a multi-day trip, without having one specific tag that had a lot of pressure. By chasing those small game animals, I increased my bow hunting skills as well as came home with some incredible meat, a great mixed bag, and a big smile on my face.

When it comes down to it, small game hunting with a bow is really not that much different than hunting deer, elk, anything. Now the tactics are different, but as far as drawing, shot execution, shot placement, all that is very, very similar.

The bonus to small game hunting is you get more of those interactions on most days in a shorter amount of time than you do big game hunting. I feel like so much of my hunts when it comes to deer and elk or whatever, you're hunting all week for that one opportunity. Where small game hunting, you have lots of opportunities. You're just hoping for that one opportunity that's good and you can connect.

Now, there's been plenty of days I've gone out with my bow and not come back with a pile of ducks, maybe even only had one shot or no shots. But the days that I have had a lot of shots, it's really just increased my skills as far as shooting at animals.

I think that when it comes down to the tactics for hunting small game with a bow, I want to break it out into a few different categories. So first, the tactics are what you're going to chase and where you're going to go. Then we've got just some specific gear to small game hunting because when you're shooting with a bow, arrows are expensive. You don't want to lose your arrows.

So I have some ideas on tips to use as well as different fletching materials and ways to use what I call junker arrows.

And then we'll just talk a little bit about shot placement because small game animals have different vitals. You might be surprised where you could hit a bird and it still get away. If you've ever hunted, say grouse with your bow, you'll notice if you, if you have the wrong tip or you shoot them in the wrong place, it's not as easy as it seems. They can definitely get away. So I want to talk a little bit about shot placement. So let's start with gear.

Some of the specific gear that I use really comes down to the type of tips. In the story I was talking about when I was shooting at the quail, I switched to a blunt tip, but generally when I shoot toward ducks, I use a broadhead.

That's because over the years I've found that I've seen certain birds get away with certain tips. And also I've lost certain arrows more often using different tips or you break them or whatever. So I would say the first arrow that I use in my collection of tips would be a blunt tip. And what that is, is it's a, it's like a rubber tip.

Some of them call them bunny thumpers or blunt tips. It's just a rubber tip that's like fat, like almost the shape of your thumb flat on the front. And they make them in the same weight, whatever you use. So if you use a 100 grain field tip, you'll get a 100 grain blunt tip.

And what that rubber blunt does is it absorbs a lot of the shock from hitting the ground as well as stops the arrow because it doesn't allow it to bury into the ground. So most of the arrows that you lose end up getting buried and you just can't find them. The blunt tip caused the arrow to bounce and flip up and it's very easy to see, very easy to spot. Also has a little bit of impact resistance. So when you shoot it, say a bird on the ground,

It doesn't smash the arrow or break the tips. You can use them a lot. I actually take those blunt tips into the field when I'm big game hunting because then I can find a stump or a pine cone. Even during the day, middle of the day, I use those to just practice while roving, which is just walking around shooting at inanimate objects, stumps, pine cones, little tufts of grass without losing and breaking arrows.

They're also really good for shooting birds and rabbits because it causes an impact as opposed to just putting a hole through it. It goes in and then does enough damage where it stops it or kills the bird instantly through force as well as penetrating. So they're a really good tip. I've used them on everything like ducks, geese, quail, pheasants,

a lot of rabbits, cottontails and jackrabbits. Now, when you're using that tip, you just got to be more careful about your shot placement. I tend to try smaller birds you can hit anywhere, larger stuff, I tend to try aiming for the head. Now, there's another tip called a judo tip. What that is, is it's very similar to a field tip, but it has wire springs around it, most of the time four little wire springs. So it looks like

I guess the best way to describe it would be a field tip with like a wire claw around it. The judo tip is kind of similar into the application of the blunt tip where it grabs grass, flips the arrow up. So if you miss or whatever, you should be able to find your arrow easier. It prevents it from burying in. It has similar flight characteristics to your field tips. Although I don't notice much difference between the blunt tips and the field tips, except for it slowing down at longer ranges if you have a well-tuned bow.

Now the judo tip is great for making body shots as well, but it'll hit a bird or a rabbit. It'll go in, but it won't make the arrow pass through. So it kind of hits with a lot of impact, does a lot of damage. It's quick killing, but also your arrow remains there as opposed to going through and losing it like it would if you just had a field tip on.

And then the third tip that I use for small game would be a broadhead. And you might be surprised by using a broadhead, but I like to use broadheads, especially duck hunting, or if I run into geese,

it's a little bit better flying. I can, it cuts through the water better because sometimes I've used the blunt tip shooting at birds on the water. Now I do want to mention when I'm hunting small game, I'm looking for the best and most ethical shot. So yeah, you can shoot birds with a shotgun out of the air, but it's not the best way to hunt with a bow and arrow. It is possible. It is doable depending on the scenarios.

But what I'm talking about here is just gaining bow hunting experience that translates to larger game animals. And that just involves spotting, stalking, and taking them either on the water or on the ground in a way that is very similar to any other kind of hunting you would do.

So I like the broadhead, especially for waterfowl when I'm stocking ducks and geese. The one problem you will run into is if you do miss and it's shallow water or you're shooting down, it'll bury into the water. So when I'm hunting, I have a quiver with multiple different tips and then I choose the tip based on the scenario. So sometimes I'll have those three different tips, a couple broadheads, a couple blunt tips, and

and maybe a judo tip or two or a small game head. I know I've used those G5 small game heads as well in replace of a judo tip.

But it's really good to have a mixed bag of different tips for different scenarios. Even if I know I'm duck hunting or whatever, it depends on if I'm up on a bank shooting down into a short rocky creek. Well, I'm not going to use my broadhead on that. I'm going to use the blunt tip. I'm going to aim for the head or neck area or back of the bird first.

Now, if I'm shooting it a more marshy area where it might be a further shot, I'm going to switch to the broadhead, try to take a shot on that. I'm also going to anticipate the type of tip and the setup based on where I'm walking and the type of stalking that I'm doing. But it's good to have multiple tips for multiple different scenarios. It's almost like

you're golfing out there and you've got a bag full of clubs and not every club has the same application. So small game hunting is kind of unique in that way where your arrow might be different for the different scenarios you get yourself into.

Now, another piece of gear that I always use when I'm small game hunting is I like to keep my setup very similar to what I'm going to use big game hunting. So I have a range finder. I like to get down practice the way that I'm going to range the way that I'm going to stock in and count how close or how far I am, especially because you get a lot more practice that way using the gear that you're going to use big game hunting, but also the timing of things.

You know, there's so many times where you'll range something and you'll miss your opportunity by over ranging or you'll get into a position where you don't range, but you maybe had time to get an exact reading and you miss because you you miss guessed. Small game hunting is also really good to just practice guessing ranges as well. So it's really good to have that set up, but also be flexible when you're out there hunting.

Another thing to think about, because when you're small game hunting, you might be shooting multiple arrows throughout the course of the day. Now, arrows are not cheap. I understand that as much as anyone.

I've done posts about small game hunting with my bow and people are, Oh, must be expensive that day. Very rarely do I ever lose an arrow when I'm small game hunting. Actually, I probably lose more 3d target shooting than anything. One it's because the type of tips that I'm using and two part of it is just being cognizant of where you're shooting and

There are times where if I have a grouse in a tree, I'll switch to a blunt tip and only shoot if I can line the tree up with the bird so the arrow will hit the base of the tree and then fall down. I don't just take every shot that's presented. I take shots that make sense and ones where I know that I can get my arrow back. Now, if you're just starting out and you have a lot of extra arrows or you're going to switch arrows,

maybe it doesn't matter to you. To me, I try to hunt with the mindset that everything that I shoot at, I'm going to get my arrow back. And very rarely do I not get it back. Now there's the occasional time where it hits a rock that you weren't expecting with a different tip or get stuck in a tree that you can't climb up. But for the most part, I would say 90% of the time I actually get my arrows back.

there's also the option to kind of change the fletching on your arrows just specifically for small game hunting i've experimented a lot with flu flu fletching so what that is it's actually used for shooting arrows into the air because it's really long fletching that slows your arrow down there's actually feathered style and i've seen plastic style as well it slows your arrow down and one it makes it easier to find two makes your slower so there's less chance of it breaking when it hits a rock

It's really good for small game hunting because a lot of the shots you're taking are pretty close range. I would say 30 yards or less. And so having that flu flu arrow, it's fast enough for birds. It doesn't necessarily change your point of impact in that short distance too much. It does slow the arrow down, but take a few shots practicing and then go out and hunt with it. I like using it. I generally have one or two of those in my quiver.

because it slows the arrow down and I tend to lose fewer arrows. So if there's a shot where I'm kind of maybe, especially grouse hunting in Montana or something, I use those a lot because I might be shooting at a bird that's in a tree and that'll slow the arrow down if I only have a limb shot and I'm shooting over open air. It's also if you've got a lot of pheasants in an area and you tend to be kicking the birds up, you know, I have shot

pheasants out of the air with those flu flus as they flush at my feet. So that's also another good option, just a little bit, a little bit more chance for success. It's kind of fun to do, and you still won't lose the arrows as much as you would if you were just shooting a normal weighted arrow often to the never nevers. So I like to just kind of choose my setup and my tips and my shots based on how am I going to get my arrow back and what's the best shot to take.

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Another thing to think about is just creating a pile of what I call junker arrows. You know, you might get a new bow, you might switch arrows and you've got say three arrows of an old brand or whatever. I just always keep all my old arrows just to make sure that there's no damage to the arrow, but it might just be a damaged fletching. It might be a different arrow that you aren't hunting with anymore. If you notice, most of them shoot fairly similar as far as close range goes, I'd say out to 20 yards or

Or whatever. Or you can shoot the mixed arrows and just see how they fly. They fly way different than your current setup.

then you could either adjust your setup or whatever but it's nice to take arrows that you don't mind losing or breaking out with you as opposed to your high dollar big game arrows so sometimes i'll even change my setup if i've got half a dozen arrows from an old setup that i'm not going to use anymore i'll keep those for small game hunting and then i'll just save my more expensive arrows for big game hunting or or just target shooting that way you've got the option

One thing I do want to say is when you are small game hunting, you're often shooting at targets on the ground. Your arrow is going to hit the ground. It's going to hit rocks and other things. So every time I shoot, I grab that arrow and I flex it. I bend it as hard as I can in multiple places and make sure that it doesn't snap.

That way I know that if the next shot I take, if there's a chip or something in the carbon fiber of the arrow, then by flexing it, if it snaps, then I know that I shouldn't be shooting that. That saved me a lot of times because what happens when you shoot your bow, that arrow's flexing as all that energy transfers from the full draw to throwing that arrow down range.

And as it flexes, if there's a chip or an imperfection from hitting the ground and being damaged, you might not be able to see it with your eye. But as it flexes, that arrow can snap and it can be really dangerous to yourself because it might go through. I've seen pictures of them go through people's hands or people's arms.

It's just a bad deal. So every time you shoot and that should go for target practice as well when I pull my arrows out of a target or if I miss a target shooting 3ds or whatever, I always flex my arrows constantly. You'd be surprised how many something happened to you, especially when you shoot a tight group at a target. Your arrow might nick the other arrow, cause it to crack or fray in a certain way that you don't even really notice. And then when you go to flex it, it'll snap. So

That's just something to think about, throw in your memory bank. Now, when it comes to shot placement, you might be thinking, oh, they're already a small target. Yes, but a lot of, depending on what I'm hunting and what tip I have on, depends on where I aim. A lot of my shots, I'm actually aiming for the head. They always say, aim small, miss small. But with a bird, you also have to pick a shot. Their kill zone is actually a lot smaller than a big game animal's kill zone. Just

Just because you're hunting a mallard duck, their whole body doesn't necessarily mean that that's where you'll make an ethical shot. I've seen ducks shot in places that look fairly decent and then fly off or swim off with an arrow in them. So just like anything, you want to make a clean ethical kill shot.

For most birds, for ducks, when they're swimming away, I aim pretty much at the base of the neck, try to get the spine and the vitals. Or on a lot of birds, I aim for the wing butts or the bases of the wings because their breast hangs down a lot lower. You'd be surprised where a lot of people, they just aim for the bird, they hit them in the breast and the bird flies off or gets away. Even with broadheads, I've seen some grouse. I've seen a lot of birds get away where you think, how is that even possible?

So shot placement on small game is just as critical as it is on all game animals. If you get used to making a good shot and placing a good shot on a small game animal, that translates when it's something larger. It doesn't matter how big your target is, whether you're shooting in an elk or a jackrabbit.

you want to aim small every time. So getting that practice of picking a spot on an animal is probably some of the best practice you get when it comes to small game hunting. With a rabbit, I always try to put it either head or right behind the shoulder. With a bird, I either shoot head or wing butts because I like to pick that one small spot. And you get practice

picking a spot on an animal. I think one of the hardest things for new hunters is you go out, you practice all the time shooting at a target, but targets have spots on them. Block targets have a physical spot, even 3D targets. You start to pick something that you might actually see, but when you go to small game hunting or big game animals, they don't have spots on them.

You have to pick an individual hair, an individual crease, one specific thing, hone in, and you're going to be a lot better shot. And I think that that is often, I mean, everybody says it, but it takes a lot of practice to be able to pick a spot in the moment fast when you've got a lot of different things going on. Now let's talk about some tactics for small game hunting. I think one of the first tactics is picking your spot.

The bonus to small game hunting with a bow in hand as opposed to a shotgun or a small caliber rifle is the fact that there might be some more areas that are open to you in a closer proximity to where you live.

Now, there's a lot of areas that you definitely have to check your local game laws. You have to check your local whatever land use laws there are where you're at. But there might be some public lands or some other lands that are within a close proximity to where people live that it's only legal to hunt with a bow. And a lot of people overlook hunting small game animals with a bow.

Other states, I know definitely California has small game seasons that are concurrent with the archery seasons in the state. So sometimes you can think about hunting them in a season that's archery specific where you might not be able to hunt other things, but you can hunt with your bow. So it really opens up a lot of opportunity if you're willing to go chase small game animals with your bow and arrow. Now, of course, you got to look into it. You got to make sure that it's all legal, but it's just something to think about.

One thing I would like to add to that is I've had some really good hunts in close proximity to town where it's legal to hunt with a bow, but it might not be legal to shoot a rifle in those zones or those fringe areas close to town or close to where I live. But another thing you have to think about is just because it's legal doesn't mean you can do whatever you want.

And what I mean by that is you have to play by a code of ethics that won't taint the way people see hunting. So if you're going to take your bow on a really popular trail and decide to hunt birds and shoot birds, you're

you know, how are you acting around those people? Are you going to run into a lot of people that might not agree with what you're doing and kind of give hunting a bad name? Are you going to hunt a pond that is close to where a lot of people recreate? You know, you got to make sure that you make an ethical shot because you don't want a goose running around with an arrow in it where other people can see that, you know, so you really have to look out for what you're doing and where you're doing it.

Just because it's legal doesn't mean that it's always going to lend a good light to hunting. You don't want to be the guy that does something that's legal and then makes it now illegal because enough people see it and don't like what's going on. So I just have to throw that out there. Be cognizant of what you're doing. Just because it's legal –

you know, put a good ethical lens on it because you're an ambassador for all hunters when you're out there. So the closer you are to more people, the more you really have to think about that stuff. That's just my two cents on that.

But there is some great hunting that is getting overlooked by other hunters that don't even consider chasing small game animals with their bow and arrow that you can get into good opportunity without having to go too far, as well as have some great just high populations of animals that might not be getting hunted otherwise. So that's just something to think about.

Now I think one of the best tactics for small game hunting is just translating those big game tactics to what you're doing. I do a lot of it spot and stalk. So I pick my areas based on, okay, where can I get good stalks? If I'm waterfowl hunting with my bow, I try to go for creeks and streams, smaller ponds where I can get shots and creep up with cover and then take my shot with birds on the water.

or meandering creeks where I can peek out glass down to spot the birds then go make a stalk out of sight and move in. One thing that you will want to do

is know your distances because with bow hunting small game you get a lot less time with them than you might with larger game animals when you're within range they're a lot of times moving if they see you draw they're going to be gone and they aren't going to give you that opportunity they don't stop they don't mess around for the most part so the real challenge is focusing on their eyes and what they can see you'd be surprised how well and how far birds can see and

and trying to keep those animals unalert. It's a really good practice as far as drawing out of sight and then getting ready and moving into position when they don't notice, when they aren't paying attention, as well as using tactics of sitting still, waiting for the right shot, and then drawing out of sight, getting into position, and taking your shot quick. And by taking your shot quick, I mean acquiring the target, picking a spot fast, and letting the arrow fly.

The more you make that instinctual and the less you really think about it, the more successful you're going to be. I know that that sounds, it's not necessarily a direct tactic where people ask me, what's your shot process? What do you go through when you shoot an animal? Now, for me, there are certain things that I think about, but what I like to do is I like to just make it automatic where I

All the things that I should think about are happening in the background. I hate when you get into a situation and you overthink it so much that you mess it up. It's paralysis by analysis where you've got everything you're supposed to do in your mind. And the thing that you're supposed to do is make a perfect shot. You're thinking about all the ways to make a perfect shot.

And by thinking about all those ways to make a perfect shot, you're impeding your natural instinct to just pull back, aim where you're supposed to and release a perfect arrow. I think a lot of bow hunting should be automatic. And the best way to do that is to hunt automatic where you think about, yes, you have to aim. Yes, you need to draw back out of sight, but you do all those things subconsciously. So every time you get a shot opportunity, what you should be thinking about is make a perfect shot.

And all that amounts to is picking a spot, settling right. Everything else should be automatic through practice in your backyard. And when it comes to aiming at an animal, all you should be focused on is aiming on that spot. And if you do that, you're going to be a lot more successful in the future.

Well, I hope you guys really liked that small game with a bow idea. I don't know, maybe you've never tried it. Maybe you've been bow hunting for a long time. Hopefully that just gets the wheels turning. You know, if you're a new bow hunter as well, that's a great place to start. Get yourself a bow, or even if you're just thinking about getting into bow hunting, get yourself a bow.

and go chase some small game animals. And then as always, let me know how it goes. Social media, great way to reach out and contact me via Instagram. I try to get to as many messages as I can. I love seeing the photos that you tag me in and all that. That's awesome to just see your success. I just thank you guys so much for all the great comments. You can also email me at remyatthemeateater.com.

You can ask your questions there. I try to read a few or as many of the questions as I can. And there's just so many great testimonials of things that people have done to be successful, things that they've tried from listening to the podcast. So I say it every week, but thank you. That's why we're doing it.

This week, I want to read a question. It comes from Casey. He's stationed up in Alaska. And, you know, we had Wild Sheep Foundation a couple weeks ago. The National Convention called it Sheep Week. I love sheep hunting. I've been on quite a few different doll sheep hunts. So I figured this would just be a fun one to answer. It might not pertain to everyone, but I think that there's a lot that can be said for, I'm

I'm sure this problem happens with mule deer and elk and everything. So it's a fairly lengthy email. So I'm just going to abbreviate what's going on. So he moved up to Alaska. He's hunted some things, but doll sheep seem to keep evading him.

He hasn't drawn a tag, so he's just general area. He's been hiking into sheep country three to six days of glassing. And what he keeps finding is what he calls the nursery of Alaska doll sheep. He set his eyes on 400 sheep or more and not really a single legal ram. So lots of sheep, maybe 20 rams, but the best about a three quarter curl ram.

Now I'm sure this can apply to a lot of people. How many people have been out there say mule deer hunting and it's all you're finding is does and does and fawns and does and those kinds of areas, those areas that you just call the nursery. I mean, that's happened to me this last year on a mountain goat hunt. We were just seeing nannies and kids, nannies and kids. So I think specifically he asks here, what advice for getting out of that nursery and finding the big daddy rams?

So you really have to assess the area and the type of animals you're seeing in every area. So first, I like to break it down into time of year. What time are you looking? Is it the middle of summer or is it during the season? So let's pretend that it's during the season. In the areas where you're finding the lambs and ewes, or it could be anything if this is applying to you for mule, deers, does, and fawns.

nursery type areas are there for a reason. It's to protect their young and they're grouped up because it's safety in numbers as well. So they're trying to avoid predators and they're also in an area that's very conducive to easy feed, water, all the things that they need to feel safe as well as protect their young.

Now outside of the rutting period, the rams or male animals of most species are going to be bachelored up somewhere else. And based on kind of what I'm gathering from this, you're probably seeing these nursery areas early August or maybe even into the summer or just the beginning of the season.

What I suggest is go to the more what I would think of as aggressive high terrain. So if it's doll sheep, a lot of those bands of rams are going to be up at the head basins, up into the rocky stuff where there is some terrain that nothing else can get to. Rams love that.

up at the head of glaciers, off the head of glaciers when that country starts to get really aggressive. So what I would do if it was me is I would get up to that real aggressive country and I would hunt the edges and the fringes of it where they might feed to. Now, I'm sure that there is probably a lot of that aggressive country, but just getting out of the river bottom is key. I mean, I've done that with tar and other things where you start, you hike a long ways up, say a river valley or whatever, but getting up and over into those hidden basins that are along the more cliffy stuff is

Mountain animals, the more mature animals tend to be in those areas because they can stay away from hunters. They're out of reach and it's a long haul. It's a big slog, but for the most part, getting into that type of country is a great way to get into it. Now, also in Alaska, you have to consider

a lot of successful sheep hunters have access to airplanes to getting into more remote country. So it might be something that although it does cost money, you know, looking into a cub flight into a remote airstrip where you can then hike and hunt from there. Just just a thought for that. Now to translate that to where that might answer question for other people, you know, try getting if it's early in the season, most of the male animals are going to be in isolated pockets

further away in what I would call deeper, rougher country because they're, well, it depends if it's mule deer, they're growing out, they're going to be in the Alpine. Same with other animals like elk. They're going to be up above that timber line in the Alpine, whereas does and fawns will be in more of the lower lying basins. Not that they can't be in both, but if you're seeing a lot of does and fawns, generally I try to go to a higher elevation. And for, I would say 70% of the time that tends to hold true.

Yeah. So I guess that's all I have for this week. Before I go a couple of weeks ago, I was at the wild sheep foundation. People saw me like, why didn't you talk about being here on your podcast? We'd love to know that you're here.

So I'm going to get better at doing that, at least letting people be aware of what conservation organization events I'm going to be at. So I've got coming up on March 27th, the Pope and Young Club in Virginia. So they're having their national convention. I'm the keynote speaker. And I'm also going to be doing a Q&A type panel and walking around, hanging out. There's an archery course there.

It's an awesome event to go to because you can shoot your bow at the hotel. Pretty much they're doing a big 3D target tournament around the hotel.

You can see all the largest animals ever taken with a bow. There's a lot of bow hunters there and I'll be there to answer some questions. So if you see me there, say, Hey, think about going. I'm giving everybody a lot of notice because it is in March and it's in Virginia. So you might have to plan on making the pilgrimage. So hopefully if you get a chance, I just wanted to let everybody know that I'll be doing that. And then in future podcasts, I'll let people know different events that I'll be at. So you can kind of keep an eye out for me.

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