Beat The Elements

Extending the life of your trail camera – Humidity and rain, can cause condensation problems in your trail cameras with the change of temperature outside. A system to minimize some of these problems might be to place a single silica gel pack in the housing of your trail camera , this will help eliminate or reduce malfunctions due to moisture and sudden change of temperature which will fog up camera lenses and create batteries sweat! Another huge advantage of using Silica gel packs is that they naturally absorb and eliminate human and household  odors en-grained in the plastic housing of your camera. They do not use chemicals that give off foreign odors which would spoke deer, they do not cover odors but they absorb them after continued use. Use this technique this coming season to ensure you capture that perfect photo or video of a giant buck on a rainy fall day or an early morning summer photo of a velvet whitetail buck on a green field.

Location, Location, Location

When picking a prime location for a trail camera set, try not to set the camera in low lying swampy areas. You will get a lot of fog on the outside of the cameras lens, especially early season. The gel packs will not mitigate the outside moisture on the camera housing, but will keep the inside of the camera dry. Be sure to check your cameras gaskets every season to ensure no dry rotting of the outer gasket liner, this will ensure the bottom of your camera is not full of standing water after a rain event. I always try and face my trail cameras directly on a trail so i can get the animal walking to it, this will ensure you get a pretty good look at the buck you are trying to hunt.

Keep That Camera Going for Years

Trail camera monitoring has become a outdoor hobby all on its own.Silica gel packs will dry out any moisture trapped in the camera and absorb battery sweat from your trail cameras,card readers or range finders. Also when winterizing your trail camera for the season when you bring them into a warm house from cold conditions, Immediately remove the batteries and memory card  and place them in a bag of silica gel for a day or two to absorb the moisture before storing them away for the season. Repeat this process with the actual camera before putting it away for the season.

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Rackology is a scientifically formulated, all-in-one deer supplement/attractant created by biologist Jason Obermiller and agronomist Eric Fitzgerald. Rackology produces one of the highest-quality, premium deer nutritional products on the market. These products are scientifically researched and formulated by Obermiller and Fitzgerald whose combined knowledge of deer, wildlife, and science were the perfect storm for innovation on the supplement/attractant front. ​

RACKOLOGY Premium Long Range Attractant & Supplement

​• Superior Long Range Attractant
• Premium Ingredients
• Powerful Aroma Deer Crave
• Promotes Antler Growth
• Keep Deer on Your Property all Year Long
• Scientifically Blended for Maximum Efficiency

RACKOLOGY SANCTUARY Bedding Zone food plot blend:

• Produces that perfect bedding area for mature bucks, keeping them on YOUR property
• Establishes a tall buffer zone for deer to feel safe and to keep them centralized
• Blended with the perfect ratio of brassicas and clover to establish a protein rich food source in the bedding area
• Utilizes the superior bedding & cover quality of Egyptian Wheatgrass
• Seeding this around the perimeter of an existing food plot will provide your deer with a safe and secure “Sanctuary” throughout the growing season

RACKOLOGY BRASSICA MIX Staging Zone food plot blend:

• Grow, attract, & hold mature bucks on your property even after the first frost
• Easy to establish, fast to develop with vigorous regrowth
• Exclusively designed for superior late season attraction with highly palatable forages
• No heavy equipment needed, perfect for those “hard to access” plots
• Annual Ryegrass for early forage while brassicas grow
• Supply your deer with high quality protein throughout the entire growing season

RACKOLOGY PLOT 365 Feeding Zone food plot blend: 

• Highest quality perennial clover and chicory seed for successful establishment
• Rich with antler building protein and other key nutrients that deer crave
• Lasts up to 5 years on a single seeding and handles heavy grazing pressure
• Extremely heat, drought, & disease tolerant; performs well on a wide range of soil pH
• Plant in the spring or fall to hold deer year-round
• Makes a high protein “stand alone’” food plot or as a supplement to a small grain plot

RACKOLOGY Fertilizer & Supplement food plot fertilizer/supplement:

• Supplement your deer through your food plot with our proprietary fertilizer, NOT just your normal NPK fertilizer!
• Chelated macro and micro nutrients to increase availability to the plant for a longer period of time, unlike spray on nutrients
• Improves soil structure for better aeration and water movement
• Stimulates beneficial microorganisms to improve long-term soil pH
• Especially effective on sandy soils
• Scientifically designed for better plant availability and earlier nutrient uptake

RACKOLOGY Premium Vitamin / Mineral Concentrate:

• Superior attractant
• Superior chelated fitamins and minerals for maximum absorption
• Scientifically blended / specific ratios for maximum efficiency
• Yucca shidigera for even greater absorption and rumen health
• Dramatically increase herd health, immune system, and reproduction

Learn more by visiting their website.

The post Rackology Premium Deer Attractants and Nutritional Products appeared first on Inside Archery Archery Newsfeed.

Watch as Equipment Editor Patrick Meitin talks about how to create a mock scrape using Wildlife Research Center products!

The post How To: Create a Mock Scrape appeared first on Inside Archery Archery Newsfeed.

By Stephanie Mallory

The time has never been better to take a trophy buck in a Southern state.

Times are changing for the Southern deer hunter. As a general rule, hunters don’t take to change well, but these changes are putting a big smile across many Southern hunters’ faces. In short, Southern hunters are bagging bigger bucks than ever before.

Everyone knows that Northern deer typically grow larger than those in the South for several reasons. Northern deer need a large body mass to withstand colder temperatures. They also have access to more and better food sources, such as corn and soybeans. And while you’ll still find more big deer up North than you will in the South, big Southern deer with antlers rivaling those commonly found in the North have been making news during the past few years.

Why are Southern hunters taking larger deer?

For one, quality deer management has garnered greater focus in recent years. From the 1950s until only very recently, does were considered sacred cows in the South.  Although the belief that shooting does results in less bucks still lingers in some areas of the South, overall, the attitude has changed. Herd management through reducing doe populations has resulted in more older-age-class bucks being harvested in recent years.

Southern hunters have also begun investing more time on food plots, mineral licks and other means of increasing deer nutrition. This results in larger deer. In addition, they’re letting younger bucks walk. More and more Southern states are managing deer herds for older-age-class bucks. For example, hunters in Alabama used to be able to legally harvest bucks with only two inches of antler showing. Today, many Alabama WMA’s have rules requiring that bucks have at least three points on one side to be legally taken.

The agricultural landscape of the South is changing as well. Many years ago, corn, soybeans and other row crops were abundant throughout the South, but the crop of choice eventually changed to pine in an effort to keep up with the nation’s paper demand. But, as society has become more paperless, row crops such as soybeans and corn have begun making a comeback in the South, which resulted in more food and bigger deer.

Although some Southern deer may be growing antlers to rival those in some Northern states, the hunting conditions are still quite different in the South.

The biggest difference is certainly the weather. It can get hot down South—real hot. In fact, an early season deer hunt in the Deep South can be brutal as far as temperatures are concerned. Bow season in some parts of the South begins early. For example, bow seasons in South Carolina start in August, a time when temperatures can still hover in the upper 90s. This not only results in sweaty, miserable hunters, but human scent becomes more problematic. Deer are also less likely to move in hot weather, which can result in frustrated hunters.

Thick foliage is also a big issue in the South. Underbrush remains thick throughout much of the year, which not only makes it more difficult to spot deer, but easier to spook them as well.

Bugs, such as mosquitoes, chiggers and ticks also present a greater problem during the early deer season. Products such as Thermacells and tick-repelling clothing are essential during early season. And you can’t forget venomous snakes, which especially like to hang out in swampy, wet places during warm-weather conditions.

Although conditions can be tough for the Southern hunter, if he sticks it out and braves the heat, bugs and snakes, his chances for taking a big buck are greater now than they’ve ever been.

The post Southern Deer Hunting: Dixie Deer appeared first on Inside Archery Archery Newsfeed.