Rugid Outdoors; A Hunter Profile

It’s my belief that you will travel a predetermined path based on the decisions you make in life. My decision to play a pick-up football game in the fall of 2001 has directly lead to my path of joining the hunting brotherhood. It was that day that I met John. John and I quickly became friends and he would ultimately make his way into my wedding party. In the years that have passed since first meeting John, I have also become rather close with his “kid” brother.

George is six years my junior. I have always looked upon him fondly; first as a best friend’s kid brother and now as my friend in his own right. George has become one of my best fishing buddies and outdoor confidants. He will also become my hunting Yoda and has agreed to share some of his knowledge, experience, and passion with all of us.

Inspiration

My hunting inspiration is honoring a departed friend, Ron. You have been a major catalyst on my path to hunting and ultimately my mentor. Who was your inspiration and mentor?

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to interview me and discuss one of my true passions. I should start by stating that I am primarily a deer hunter so my responses will be based on my experience targeting whitetail.

Regarding a mentor, it’s hard for me to pinpoint one person. I loved fishing and the outdoors from a young age and started hunting a little later on. My Uncle John had joined a hunting club in the Adirondacks that had been established in the 1940’s. Soon after joining, he invited my father and subsequently myself; I jumped at the invitation. I still make the annual pilgrimage to the north woods (where I had caught the hunting bug).

As my interest in hunting grew, I was fortunate to spend time with family in the Catskills where I took advantage of the opportunity to rifle hunt. It was there that my cousin, Cody, taught me the basics of field dressing and some behavioral characteristics of deer. I was a total green horn but knew early on that this was going to be a huge part of my future in the outdoors. My brother John, still active military, also had a passion for hunting and would tell me about his hunts in and around the Army bases he was stationed. Those chats that just fueled the fire.

I soon picked up any hunting book I could find and subscribed to several magazines. I soaked up as much information as possible and really enjoyed reading Peter Fiduccia and John Eberhart, whom I hold as deer hunting legends. Most importantly though, I went hunting at every opportunity. Nothing was more important than experience and forming my own practices in the field.

The Adirondack Hunting Club trip sounds like a great experience. Are you able to share a bit more?

The club hunts on public land in the Adirondacks of northern New York. The land has been designated “Forever Wild”; motors are forbidden within the forest boundary. This mandate dictates all gear be transported via draft horse drawn wagon and we hike to the camp site (a little over 5 miles from the trail head). I love the challenges and camaraderie this trip offers and look forward to it every year.

Tips for Newbies

What should all new hunters know before they begin hunting? At the top of the list, new hunters must focus on enjoying the experience of learning to hunt rather than trying to harvest an animal right away. Many new hunters get frustrated because it truly takes a lot of time to learn deer behavior and ultimately get an opportunity to take a deer. Of course, some people are lucky right off the bat. But if you’re banking on being lucky all the time, you’ll be let down quite a bit. Focus on learning about deer and your hunting areas (more than immediate harvest) and enjoying that process. This strategy is more sustainable and will lead to long term success.

Second

Pace yourself when buying gear. Take the time to understand the type(s) of hunting you like and the conditions you will be hunting in. There are a ton of products on the market and the goal of these companies is to profit by selling you gear. Figure out how you want to hunt first and then buy the gear that will make you most efficient in that pursuit. Personally, I have gear that I purchased early on that sits in the garage and never sees the light of day. I regret buying some of that stuff, not because it isn’t applicable for some hunters, but because it’s not applicable to my style of hunting.

Third

A hunter, especially a bow hunter, must pay attention to the wind. A deer’s nose is the hunter’s worst enemy. Only hunt from locations when the wind is right for where you believe the deer will be and how they will travel in relation to where you are. Understanding wind and how deer use wind is a cornerstone of consistently successful hunting. I don’t believe there will ever be product on the market that can change that aspect of hunting, Honestly, I don’t think I would use it if there was.

Lastly

Make sure to prepare for contingencies. To paraphrase an old saying, “nothing ruins a great hunt more than shooting an animal.” This reflects the amount of work that ensures after you have downed game. It’s always important to plan for success even if you are successful only 5 percent of the time. For example, you’re bow hunting on a Sunday evening and have work early on Monday. Are you going to be able to recover a deer that you shoot just before sunset? If your hunting alone, can you drag that deer out by yourself or should you call someone to help? (Tip: whether you hunt alone or not, get a deer cart or ice fishing sled to help with deer recovery)

My Fishing Buddy Leaves for the Field You once told me that as much as you love fishing, it is a filler between deer seasons. Can you expound on that? How much prep work do you put in before a season? I’m a die hard fisherman but I stand by that statement. Once hunting season approaches, my fishing gear starts collecting dust. Honestly, it has to do with the fact that hunting season is shorter and prime time is just a few weeks out of every year. You have to strike while the iron is hot so to say. The excitement really builds going into the season and the rut ramps up the intensity. Like the playoffs in football. That said, the work and prep for hunting season is non-stop. I’m in the woods all year except for the heart of summer when it’s just too hot and thick to be out scouting or trimming trees. Often I will go fishing in the morning and then hit some hunting areas to scout afterwards. Those trips are the best of both worlds.

I cannot stress enough how important preseason scouting is to the success of an upcoming season. The best time to be in the woods is right after the last hunting season ends; when the rut signs from that year are still fresh and you don’t have to worry about spooking deer. By the time rut comes around, I’m going straight to my best scouted locations. Be sure to sneak in as quietly as possible to limit the intrusion. It’s a big no-no to blindly invade good areas during the best part of the season without already knowing exactly where you need to be. Deer will not tolerate people wondering around the woods and exploring their haunts; they are smart animals. On public land, a lot of scouting also involves trying to figure out where the others are hunting and how to hunt around (or beyond) them.

Tools of the Trade Do you prefer bow or gun season? What tools do you enter the field with?

I am primarily a bow hunter though I still gun hunt quite frequently. I got my start, as many do, during rifle season. When I realized that bow seasons are much longer, I picked up a bow and fell in love with it. It is a whole other aspect of hunting that will teach you more about deer than anything else. You need to be so much more diligent about everything and the margin for error is tiny. And anything you learn while bow hunting will translate directly to gun hunting as well so it’s not as if you can’t successfully pursue both styles of hunting.

The gear I bring with me in the field is totally situational. I have several rifles to match various conditions and use an Elite Archery Energy 32 compound bow. The other key items I carry are my tags, weapon, gut kit (with marking tape for blood tracking), water, phone (for safety and to take pics), and the proper layering for the conditions. These items are required to comfortably and legally harvest a deer.

What additional items have you taken to the field?

I have carried are a harness, climbing tree stand, full size decoy, range finder, binoculars, folding tree saw, ropes, hand warmers, food, scents, and calls. You want to go in with all the right tools to tip the odds more to your favor without carrying in stuff you won’t use. If I think I can even slightly increase my chances of taking a deer with the help of a given tool, I will carry it with me.

The Camo Debate

Do you wear hunting clothes meant more to blend with your surroundings or to cover your scent and skin glare?

I’m decked out in camo every time I hunt primarily for visual concealment. Again, if I can even marginally increase my chances of success by using something, I will use it. That’s how I feel about camo. Often, I’m hunting way up in trees where camo might not even be necessary. However, I’m not taking the chance of wearing street clothes in the woods and having my movement picked off by a deer because I don’t blend in.

In terms of scent concealment camo products, I don’t think their claims hold water. There have been many tests over the years that prove them to be ineffective. Additionally, consider that a lot of human scent is emitted by your breath and head; areas that camo just can’t cover/block. That said, I wash all my hunting clothes (from underwear to outer layer) in scent free detergent and shower with scent free soaps/shampoos before heading out. I want to eliminate all the human and household smells possible. I will still emit human scent in the field but I’m not going to get busted by the smell of coffee and bacon from breakfast. Additionally, I keep all my hunting clothes in Tupperware totes and change only after I have parked at my spot and turned the truck off.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This What is your vision/idea of a perfect hunt? It’s early in November and I’m high up in a tree before there’s even a glimmer of light on the horizon. A cold front moved in overnight. My stand is overlooking a natural funnel or setup on the downwind edge of a doe bedding area. It truly doesn’t get any better. The woods come alive and you can witness some of the coolest and most interesting rituals that have gone on long before man ever set foot on the continent. On a day like that, you don’t need to harvest an animal to truly feel blessed. You may see bucks cruising through the area looking for receptive does. You may see does fleeing an area because they are being chased by eager bucks. Bucks may come in and make/freshen scrapes or rub their antlers on a sapling or cedar tree. If you’re truly lucky, you may see two bucks spar over dominance or breeding rights. These are fascinating creatures and during the rut they put on a show. The cherry on top would be having a mature buck come within range of an ethical bow shot and sealing the deal.

Do you have a bucket list hunt? I would love to get out west and bow hunt for elk one day. They are beautiful animals and have their own awe-inspiring rituals. But not yet. There are still many years of hunting whitetail in the north east that I don’t want to shift my focus away from.

Parting Words

Let’s put a “bow” on this interview. Your parting words:

Obtain your hunter safety certification and get your children certified as well. Get the young ones started early. Life gets busy; having that certification is the first and most important step to getting started. Whether your hunting for meat, trophies, or just to spend quality time in the outdoors, it is worth the effort to do it with friends and family. You will experience things in the field that no TV show, video game, or playing sports will ever compare to. I promise you that.

Thanks again for your time and interest. Pictures of my outdoor adventures are found on Instagram @RugidOutdoors.

An Epilogue for Uncle John

I was fortunate to have spent an all to brief time with Uncle John on an annual fishing trip. It was an honor when he extended an invitation to the annual hunt in the Adirondacks; something I do not take lightly. I will think on him fondly when I find myself afield.