The Missouri Sportsmen's Information Network would like to welcome you to
THE MISSOURI FIELD TEST
and follow along as the year progresses as we test out some of the new products to be introduced in the field of hunting and fishing from across the country.

 What you will read comes from just a plain ole hunters and fishermen from Missouri.

I hope to show you some different companies and products you need to take a look at this year. These are just some of the products at that struck my interest and might benefit you the hunter or fisherman in the next season. You will have to decide for yourself if these products are what you are missing.
Keep checking back as we go through our list.

THE MISSOURI FIELD TEST ONE:

BE SURE AND CHECK OUT TWO RELATED ARTICLES.
GHOST IN THE WOODS
MOCK SCRAPES

No. 109 Taken October 27th, 2002 @ 2:44 a.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot - Doe	Best Deer Scent I have ever used. WOW Well each year I try out a new scent but in years to come I believe I am about to stop that. I started using Hawg's Limited - Buck Fever Synthetics. I tried this deer scent out during last yearseason.  To explain, each year I try out a new scent out. I started using Hawg'sLimited - Buck Fever Synthetics  Well I put out 10 scrapes using the pre andpost in Early September with no real hitting or sign of any until I went back at the start of October bow season. WOW they opened up ascrape on the center of property been over 10 years since they did that. Which is where the picture to the left were taken. Had anarea that had a rub and about the size of my thumb and just 10 feet away I putit on a cedar tree about the size of calf and wow they are just tearing it up. Then counted 52 rubs on or coming into and on the property. The Saturday beforeI put out a mock scrape behind a stand and put the camera on the trail goingthe other way. Had four deer tracks in the scrape and no pictures on the camera. Took them theopposite that I have seen them travel.  Saturday - October 26th, 2002, I put out the BF Rut at 6:30a.m. in the scrape they started, had deer droppings and the scrape had been tornup when I got back to it about 9:30 a.m. missed seeing the deer, buteither way good sign. Put some Hawg's BF Fgland in a Tink's Canister and a Scent Leaf Canister and moved camera to it on Saturday - October 26th at 2:00 p.m. - and leftthen got back on October 27th at 7:00 a.m. the next morning wow one picture and deer droppingthrown out and scrape torn up.  SEE PICTURE  NO. 109 By the time I had taken the pictures out of thecamera had a very nice 8 point buck hit the scrape in less than 5 days. Evenripped the Tink's canister off the limb and flipped the limb upside down which you can see in picture no. 112 but no longer in no. 113. The canister was about 2 feet away with teeth marks in the side.  SEE PICTURE NO.112 I did seethe reaction I had with the Hawg's Vanish Hunter Spray with a 8 point buck within 10feet and the wind in his face, could not scent me, while on the ground. Which I have had the same thing happen with the Hunter Specialties Scent-A-Way Spray. But I do like the fact I can spray the Hawgs Vanish Hunter in my mouth to get rid of mouth odor from breakfast. But I won't dis-regard the fact that I use Hunter Specialties Scent-A-Way Laundry Detergent, Soap and Shampoo. I believe it is all part of a system of scent elimination. Along with B-Scent Free - 1 1/2 ounce Odorless Extended Wear Deodorant.  Prevents odor causing bacteria from forming for up to ten days per application.  It is a worth letting the other hunters out in the country know how great all these product are. I will be using these products next year for sure. P.S. Also had to order Hawg's Limited on-line last year. But I will be contacting my localhunting stores to carry it before early fall, I suggest you do the same if youhave not tried this.
No. 110 Taken October 28th @ 12:48 p.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot 4 Point Buck
No. 111 Taken October 28th @ 5:36 p.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot - Doe	Hawg's, Limited 9470 E. 14 ¼ RD P.O. Box 279 Manton, MI 49663 1-888-282-4294 www.hawgslimited.com
No. 112 Taken October 31st @ 4:32 a.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot 8 Point Buck
	Hunter Specialties 6000 Huntington CT. NE Cedar Rapids, IA. 52402 www.hunterspec.com
No. 113 Taken November 1st @ 4:47 p.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot 4 Point Buck
No. 114 Taken November 5th @ 6:07 p.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot Button Buck	Wellington - Tink's 1140 Monticello Road P.O. Box 244 Madison, GA 30650 1-800-624-5988 www.wellingtoninc.com
No. 115 Taken November 10th @ 7:44 a.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot Doe
	Johnson Labs, Inc. The Science of Nature P.O. Box 381 Troy, Alabama 36081 Phone: 1-334-566-9152 or 1-800-473-9152 www.buckscents.com
No. 116 Taken November 11th @ 6:32 p.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot Doe
No. 117 Taken November 11th @ 6:40 p.m. Mock Scrape/Scrape Main Food Plot Doe	Edgefield Outdoor Products A Division of Harris Companies, L.L.C. P.O. Box 7259 Spanish Fort, AL 36577-7259 Phone: 866-308-9383 www.scentleaf.com

PRE – SEASON GHOST

These are methods you can employ starting in September, to eliminate what the deer rely on most, smell.  I believe cleaning out your vehicle of dirt and other smells will help cut down on the smell from getting in and out of your vehicle during the season.

Second stop wearing all cologne in September, if you don't the only thing you are going to do is contaminate your vehicle again. Don’t forget to wash, with unscented shampoo starting a month before the season opens also, and also start washing with and only with some type of unscented soap.

Most of you know this part, wash your hunting cloths in some type of scent removing soap. But if at all possible don't dry them in the drier the smell of every day laundry will recontamination them. Try to put them outside on the line if at all possible, hope for some rain and let them dry again. Then keep them in a place free of odor or even place them in box of dirt and grass from the place you typically hunt.

Your boots also can be soaked down and dry with a water hose and unscented soap.

GHOST IN SIDE AND OUT

I remember reading also some article about what you eat, and drink also can change your scent. Try not to eat any red meat or any other food that would increase you odor one or two days before you go hunting. Never drink anything the night before that would increase your odor in the woods also.

The morning of the hunt try to shower if at all possible with your hunting watch on, it can also hold scent of daily wear, if it is water–proof that is. At least, I recommend washing with rag if you don’t have a shower handy at a campsite. 

I also put on the day before and the day of B-Scent Free Extended Wear Deodorant from Johnson Labs, not many people know about this stuff, but it works great. 

When I walk out that morning I spray legs, head, arms with some scent removing spray. But the most important thing you can do is to find some place to kick dirt all over my lower legs and cover my boots. There is nothing made on this earth, like the scent from the place you are going to hunt to cover any scent left over. 

I also wear are just plain Rocky boots. But they only get worn deer hunting and for nothing else. To keep me from sweating during the early season in the afternoons I may stick my shirt, headnet and hat in water to keep me cool and keep my odor from drifting in the wind. Also I drink a lot of cold water in the afternoon on the stand, if your cool inside it helps cool you outside.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER - THE PREDATOR

In a place that has a high mosquito population it is hard to keep still. You hate to put all the work above in on staying scent free only to spray bug spray on. What do you do? 

Most times if I am going to hunt an area like that, I will wear multiple layers of clothes to keep the mosquitoes off of me. But you get hot and they still some how find a way to stick that needle right in your back.

Well, you may think this is extreme, and your wife may never talk to you again. But this works.

Have you have seen the movie, Predator with Arnold Schwarzenegger. When he takes the mud to hide is body heat. Well boys and girls this is what I am talking about. If you are in a place that has mosquitoes then there is water and mud near by.

I have rolled like a pig with my hunting clothes on. This does two things helps cover your scent and also closes the pours in your hunting clothes so that the little needle can’t get through to your skin. Works great when you’re down by the river or hunting the swamplands of the south.

Hope to see you in the woods this weekend. horntagger.

How, Where, When, What and Who

That’s the question I put to you. When you deal with scrapes and mock scrapes. But they are not hard understand once you have watched or hunted scrapes.

Personally I have a few methods I have tried

Mock scrapes are a tool like anything else dealing with deer hunting; no one thing will work 100% of the time. But anything that can increase your chances is worth trying.

HOW

The first one that has worked best – Is when I find a scrape in an area I don’t hunt and I know others don’t also. P.S. I don’t do this to scrape lines. I hunt them. Anyway, I carry a 2 gallon zip lock bag with me and dig the top 1 or 2 inches up and take it with me.

Then I deposit it in the area I hunt. Does not take long for other deer to start using it if nothing else trying to figure out this new deer in the area.

I do wear only my hunting gloves, boots, and clothes when doing this they have very little or none human scent.

The second way is just clear the ground and put in doe urine. If I have any buck lure I will us that also.

Third way, which I tried last year in the area just outside of where, I hunt. But within in range of my location I cleared the ground and urinated into it.I did this in the morning, and I only had water to drink for some hours before. Within 24 hours I had a deer track in it.

It is my understanding and a topic last year of discussion that urine breaks down into ammonia but it takes heat. So I made sure I did it in the morning and in a sunny location so it would break down faster.Also by not drinking alcohol or taking medicine I cut down on any strange scents. The only thing about this I has no sighting or pictures to show me the deer reaction other than the tracks in the dirt.

Fourth way is I take small amount of ammonia and pour into the mock scrape.

But any of these methods I have started adding small amounts of salt just enough to dissolve quickly. I believe this helps with the frequency and use of the scrape.

WHERE

WHEN

This is when less than 5 percent of the does are breed and others almost come into heat, but the scent is now in the woods and the bucks show a little more aggressiveness by marking their territory. 

For the each year I believe the FALSE RUT will be October this is when the last quarter phase of the Moon occurs and you will have to look at my THE MISSOURI SPORTSMEN DEER ACTIVITY INDEX or
MOON FACTS AND OPINIONS to find out more. So as a true weekend hunter I will put mine out October. 

WHAT

After reading a study, which for the life of me I can’t find that magazine. I believe the numbers said that mock scrapes with overhanging limbs where used 80 % of the time. Mock Scrapes without overhanging limbs only 20 %.

Also after a few pictures of salt & mineral licks and mock scrapes the limb seems to be more of a key to me. So be sure you have a limb above your mineral or salt licks. Salt or Mineral lick will then have a dual purpose.

I have even cut off limbs from scrapes and put them over my mock scrape that has no activity and a deer would open up the scrape then.

WHO

If you ever get to watch traffic that comes to a scrape. You will learn that every size and sex of Whitetail deer will visit a scrape along with rabbits, raccoons, bobcats, and coyotes.

Scrapes within 100 yards of each other that you think are a scrape line can be part of completely two different populations of deer. So don’t take the close location for granted.

Photo's courtesy of Streamlight

The safety green LED glow of the Streamlight Stylus ® can't be missed, even from as much as a mile away. Now we're certain there's a hunter out there.

Photo's courtesy of Streamlight

Sometimes big thing come in little packages. That is what comes to mind NOW.  I got this light for a sponsorship at an National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet. Everyone was laughing about it, did not think much about it. Well let me shed some light on you with this Safety Green LED glow Streamlight Stylus The nice problem that I have is we have so much turkeys and deer on the property we hunt it is hard not to spook them walking in before daylight. Youth season I have to use a flashlight so that the my young 8 year old son will feel comfortable walking in the dark to the blind. But we have spooked birds in the past doing this. This year I had this light and my Turkey Vest had a place for a pen so it fit nicely and thought the green might not be as bad. First time out WOW had it hanging around my neck turned it on and we had plenty of light for us both to walk by. Now my season came around had roosted some birds close. But thought they were farther away than I thought. Walked in right under the tree a nice 3 year old gobbler was roosting in. Put the decoy's out using the light and sat down. It was only to my amazement when he started gobbling 40 yards away on how much I appreciated this light. But it does not stop there. I now hang this light in my truck when the boy needs to find something in the floor board or if I need a handy flashlight. We even used this light to go fishing one night with three young kids. I was great could still see and did not draw the bugs in. Also at the same Resort we had been fishing in I had the light sitting on the nightstand and we are on the fourth floor of the Resort. I wanted to see how far out it would shine. Just lit up the ground 40 feet below. This will be my main hunting and fishing light for a long time to come. Can't wait to try it out during deer season. I also will buy more for my family to use also. Remember Sometimes big thing come in little packages. Streamlight®, Inc. 30 Eagleville Road Eagleville, Pa. 19403 1-800-523-7488 www.streamlight.com

BUMPING DEER

DEER HUNTERS NIGHTMARE
By Allen “horntagger” Morris

WASTING TIME

Welcome to a double edge sword topic. You hear deer hunters talk about it every year. I spooked them when I was walking to my stand; I spooked them as I was headed back to the truck. Bumping deer can be one of the most frustrating parts of deer hunting. Me and you spend hours, washing clothes in non-scented soap, keeping our boots scent free till season starts, buying deer scent, practice shooting for days, scouting the area down to the little piece of deer hair on the fence to turkey feather under the leaves.

Worse thing about it you have caused it. Lets just think about it. You have spent your hard-earned money on minerals, food plots, watering holes, apple trees, and even supplement feeding. You have now and in most of the country brought your local deer herd population up and now working on quality instead of quantity.

Only now everytime you head to your stand you have to run deer off to hunt. This is a problem we all need. The deer want to be there because of all your hard work. You are thinking that you have almost wasted your time. NOT.

3 STEP TO SUCCESS – OK MAYBE 4

After putting in 10 to 12 years of food plots, I am not about to consider it a waste of time. I did however have to run several deer off every morning just to get to the stand. The typical contact would be me walking in before with a standard flashlight that would also spook them. Then me crunching leaves, and almost to the stand when snort, and then silence. The snort, snort, snort, and off to the races the deer go in every direction. Does this sound familiar?

STEP ONE – FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD – OK GREEN

This is the most extreme solution to a bumping deer problem. Every year in Southern Missouri on the first weekend in September, we get the leaf rakes out and we rake paths to each deer stand no matter how far it might be. Also, when we get the dirt exposed we sow winter wheat on the paths. This does few things provide a path to follow, food to eat, and once the wheat is up it will keep a lot of the leaves from blowing back on the path and when the leaves fall will allow the wind to blow them off the path.

To go into more detail, this allows us to walk to the stand in the dark without a flash light because the color of the ground allows you to follow the path and if you get off the path then the leaves will let you know. Also makes your trip to your stand a very quite. Now you have defeated two of the defenses of a the deer sight and hearing.

This will be a lot of work, but will also provide great bonus for deer and turkey. First the deer, come bow season will follow the same path as you do but for different reason. They are feeding on the wheat that has started to grow.After 4 years of doing this, come to find out the deer will also make this a permanent trail that they will follow.

We also have a turkey bonus twice a year. The turkey will also use these paths this fall scratching in the pile of leaves on the side of the trails for bugs. Come this spring they will do the same thing plus it the wheat will have died off because of too much shade provide a dry environment for the hens and poults to follow.

STEP TWO – GETTING THEIR FIRST

This one is easy to figure out but can drive a hunter crazy. You got it get to the stand 2 to 3 hours before daylight.

This is extreme also but I have tried this at one hour at a time till I have made it to around 2 ½ hours before daylight without bumping one deer going the stand. But don't use a standard flashlight try another color light, like green from a STREAMLIGHT STYLUS.

One of the most important things you can do for this is get plenty of rest, you will need it, not only will getting up earlier than normal wear you out but listening to the deer all around you imaginary and not. Every sound will be the big buck you just can’t see.

The deer will be more relaxed. But, the thing that can kill this entire plan is another hunter, friend, family, dog, and coyote coming in and bumping the deer anyway.

This will work but I only do this as a last resort any more.

STEP THREE – BECOME A DEER

Besides using the wheat paths, after for several years thinking the snort was only an alarm call, I have after a 3 years made this as my number one successful tactics.

When walking in before the daylight most of the time you will hear the deer snort at you. Your silence is what gives you away. Then you will hear the deer snort at you 3 times then run for its life.

Snort back, most of the time the deer has heard you instead of seeing you. When you hear that first snort, the deer expects that if you are another deer to snort back. When you just stand there like a knot on a log. You have told the other deer that you are not a deer, but some thing that it wants no part of.

I have learned to snort without using a man made call, but there are now call manufacturers that do make snort call now for the same reason. I suggest getting one if it has a tape with it and learn using the call and learn to call without.

Every time the deer snorts you snort back if it stands there and snort seven different times, you snort seven different times. Sometimes the deer will still run off, but I have found most times the deer will allow you to make it through the woods as long as you don’t get any closer to them or they will mill around or walk off.

STEP FOUR – THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR

That is what we are. The ultimate predator and that is the final and most difficult ways to not bump deer on the way to the stand.

Stalking to the stand when shooting hours start, moving ever so slowly, watching every inch you are about to step on. At the same time watching every little movement in the woods until you either catch a deer while you are still on the ground or you make it to your stand.

For me most of the time I get caught for one reason or another, and only attempt this method when I am running late for a morning hunt.

SEE YOU AT THE STAND

Which every method you choose or multiple methods you choose, I hope they work out for you as well as they have worked for me and my friends, so we could enjoy all the hard work and watch the deer roam by the stands.

Hope to see you in the woods. horntagger

With over 700 photo's I believe this to be the one of the top game camera's on the market. With great battery life and low maintenance since 1998 is as been a great tool. But be sure and check out the below link for picture No. 9  in the 2002 season, this picture is worth 10 times the cost of the camera. These guys are the first Wild Turkey's that my 7 year old shot at. Missed but the picture was taken within 10 seconds before the shot, and will hold that memory forever. Again best Thing I ever bought.  Click to see the 700 reason why this is a great game camera.

For several years we have had huge advances in the type of camouflage wewear, the shotguns we turkey and deer hunt with, the bows we use, arrows we shoot, and of course the ammunition that has made us a better shot and more environmentally conscious. With all these changes it has helped us become a better hunter in the field.

But out of all the things I have listed, I have not listed the most significant change that has taken hunters by storm, and has affected the hunter in unlimited amount of different ways. 

You may be curious but I believe you already know what it is. The surveillance game cameras has taken the average hunter and turned him into the professional guide and taken the average landowner and turned him to a wildlife biologist.

YOUR OWN PROFESSIONAL GUIDE

The service a professional guide provides us is the fact that he scouts the land and the animals before we arrive in a place we have never hunted before or cannot scout before we hunt. That now has become the job of the surveillance game cameras on our own land.

They have turned the weekend deer hunter into a 365-day hunting professional by allowing us to scout our own land all year long. They also go one step further and can allow us scout the cover night. Most hunters realize that the majority of deer movement occurs at this time. During the 3 years of using surveillance game camera I have learned that 80 percent of the deer movement occurs at night.

Also it allows us to scout Monday through Friday while we are at work. Then when we do get to hunt that weekend and we are hunting one area of our land, they have become our hunting buddy by scouting another area. In which some cases can make us very humble with what the camera has seen while you are in the woods.

GAME MANAGEMENT TOOL

Another purpose for this tool and it’s original purpose was to help biologist across the world keep track of animals without become to intrusive to the animal surroundings and daily routine

What this has done for the hunter and land owner trying to create habitat for local wildlife such as deer is to give all of us an idea what kind of deer are passing through the land. Along with what deer have made it’s home range on your land and how healthy they look.

As a game management tool there is not one single thing that can help us solve the life long question. What works and what does not work? 

When it come to planting food plots, cutting timber, putting in watering holes, mineral licks and in general the habitat we have provided for the deer on our land. Time and money can be wasted. These surveillance game cameras can help reduce the time on things that don’t work and can help by spending money on things that do.

They can also show the main direction of deer travel through your land and allow you to place food plots in areas you may have never thought of.

Basically you can become your own type of wildlife biologist on your own land.

NOT JUST FOR DEER

Surveillance game cameras are just not for deer. They can also tell you how many and what size of wild turkey’s consist in the flock you have in your own little hunter’s paradise.

You don’t have to wait until you’re local game and fish biologist tells you how the state or regional spring hatch was for turkey. It might be completely different once you have looked at your pictures.

In the fall I have found that you can pattern wild turkey travel time in an area, if you have watering holes on your land and a surveillance game camera. Those two things during a dry season can make you buy film by the bags full.

Along with hundreds of deer and turkey pictures the surveillance game camera has taken in Southern Missouri they have also taken pictures of armadillos, coyotes, bobcats, grey foxes, dogs, raccoons, grey and fox squirrels, and rabbits.

Which can also be a valuable tool when trying to determine the amount and type of predators you may be competing with.

NO LIMIT

It basically comes down to, that there is no limit to the use of these surveillance game cameras. With some surveillance game cameras imprinting time and date.

They can show what time deer and turkey travel. Which with keeping track of what type of weather they move the most in, which moon phases effect the deer the most, the temperature that increase movement and how hunting pressure, pre-rut and rut affects the movement of free ranging deer on your land. 

Along with introducing you kids on what type of local wildlife roams around the farm or the woods they may be hunting that day. 

Instead of looking at tracks guessing if it was a buck, when you look at the track in front of a camera and then look at your pictures you can know for sure and in turn makes the hunter want to stay longer and hunt.

Plus it is just like Christmas every time you get a roll of film developed. First you can’t wait and in turn you will find the closet 1-hour photo service and you never know what will be inside that next stack of pictures.

Hope to see you in the woods. horntagger

NOW YOU SEE IT! This stand sit's on the edge of the woods. The view you see here faces the open field in which a shot will be taken.

NOW YOU DON'T! This is the view from the woods side in which the deer travel into the field. Had one deer and a few turkey pass this 10 foot stand without seeing me in the stand. This is a summer picture and in the fall it even better.

I saw this at the AMO show, Buckmaster Expo and ATA show this is a product that has grown and now has even more options for deer hunters and waterfowlers. I always wanted some type of to cover my stand and now I have it, or for that matter any of my stands for blinds. Now Cover System by PMI has a better product that will make blinds, cover your bow which I like the best and also cover your stands. Plus one for you turkey gun that I am going to have to get. See if this is what you are looking for in a cover system. 

Port Midwest International
P.O. Box 119
Burlington, IA. 52601
1-888-419-6706
www.coversystem.com

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THE MISSOURI FIELD TEST FIVE:

Weekend Warrior Equipment is Super Heavy Duty 10 gauge steel construction.	Heavy Duty 64 inch TANDEM DISC works great behind your ATV in my case is a 325 Magnum Polaris 4x4.
Has 4 adjustable disc gangs. Greasable gangs and wheel bushings are easy to get to. Notched blades are without a doubt in the double gang configuration one of the best ground eating equipment on the market.	Easy to move when the Pneumatic Tires are lowered.
ATV has to be put into low gear when the wheels are up because with one pass this hog eater will leave nothing but dirt. During the test it only took one pass to get the results I required.	The Silver bar at the top is the Electric Actuator which is more money but is a must with this piece of equipment.
This is not light weight piece of equipment but did not take to much effort to put it on the trailer. Just be careful because the blades are sharp.	The 64 inch TANDEM DISC fits on this Standard 5x10 Trailer.
It does not take up the entire length of the trailer.	60 Inch Cultivator is just as heavy duty. Installs on the Universal Tow Frame.
You can set the depth at the wheels and for moving around you can just flip it up.	Main feature on the cultivator is of course the VIBRA SHANKS for great cultivation.
WEEKEND WARRIOR Implements have ton's of choices to choose from. The equipment comes in boxes and requires assembly. Easy to put together, pay close attention about putting blades together is my only caution and be careful super sharp. I started about 10:00 a.m. and finished about 4:00 p.m. putting both the Tandem Disc and Tow Frame with Cultivator together, taking a few breaks during that time.  Nothing to it. Once you have used their equipment the first thing you will say is: "Wish I had this 10 years ago" They also have some great Accessories like the GRAB LIGHT, GUN RACK and HOT HAND GRIPS.

WEEKEND WARRIOR
P.O. Box 239
MILFORD, IA. 51351
1-866-539-8944
www.weekend-warrior.com

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