Accessories – Gear

When you talk about Venison Accessories or Gear and Venison, you take in a lot of worlds within hunting and cooking: clothing, style, lures, weapons, stands, recipes, utensils, handbooks, cookbooks, targets, art, psychology, animal husbandry, record keeping…shall I mention urine?

Let’s get dressed first: Fashionable hunting clothing has to be functional as well as attractive. Camo for “camouflage” is usually various spots of sunlight and dark shades of green, beige, and dark gold. However, remember “camo” when hunting polar bears will be different! As in white! Camo is always in style but be sure it has sufficient pockets and hookable loops. Pick fabric to match your environment in weight as well as in color-heavy or light. Breatheable is always preferable. Layering is essential in virtually every climate as days warm up and nights turn cold. Your surface camo will necessarily be a bit loose fitting as you’ll want to be able to layer beneath it. You can really believe the hyperbole in many new clothing ads…light weight and warm, wind blocking, UV ray protection, bug proof, water proof, and water repellant.

There are big selections at Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops, Gander Mountain, and Sporthill Hunting. But, also look for great all weather togs at J C Penney and Target.

You can buy hand warmers, foot warmers, bed warmers and blind warmers. You can even buy survival food that heats itself!

Pick waterproof boots or shoes. Break them in long before your first excursion. If you have footwear you love, just buy one of the many excellent waterproofing products and slop it on your shoes…it really works. You may want to buy boots that can handle several layers of socks.

What will you ride in, ride on, sit in, or sit on? Hunting vehicles range from Hummers to 4-Wheelers. It appears that this year’s hunters have gone mobile…we used to see deer blinds on trailers headed for the hunt….now we see one, two and even six 4-Wheelers headed west. We’ll be interested in hearing the success rate of “Pursuit” versus “Patience”. We already know which is more fun! Hey, we get a kick out of an old Dodge Ram that we spray painted camo.

Where will you go? And how? First, you make best friends with someone who has private acres of deer range and just wants the deer harvested before they eat him out of house and home. Does this guy still exist? Probably not…he has too many best friends and they have trashed his land or left his gates open or eaten more than the deer. Plus, he’s discovered that hunting pays more than his corn crop so his livelihood now depends on managing and harvesting his biggest asset…his wildlife.

So, find people who will welcome you because you’ll be a considerate, paying guest. Hunting acreages range from fly in, catered affairs where the hunting lodge has huge, trophy festooned halls to airy shacks with dirt floors. And, if you are an avid hunter, you’ll have fun in either scenario. You are not a Hunter if some get-rich-quick promoter calls you to come shoot a trapped animal in a little pen so you can add it to your list.

Or, hunt our state and national parks. Hunt in foreign countries for more exotic fare. Join hunts for orphans and Hunters for the Hungry.

Go with a guide and outfitter or go solo. Also, choose your hunting site by the game you want to harvest. And, another question…are you hunting for a trophy or for meat? Many times you can make a good deal to get a meat animal versus a trophy animal as wildlife managers cull for various qualities.

Are you going to chase ’em down or lure them in? If you are a stalker or sitter versus a wheelie, you’ll want to try rattling antlers, painting urine on ground and trees, scenting yourself (be careful there), and planting feed plots or adding timed corn or pellet dispensers in front of your blind. Don’t forget to sight-in your weapons and practice, practice. That shows your respect for the animal.

After the hunt. After you are successful, you need to mount your trophy and/or prepare your dinner for now or later. There are great venison cookbooks on the market as well as sharp knives and meat grinders. Don’t forget coolers and freezers. All these make for great food and food for thought to make your hunt last all year long. Check this site for new recipes on several pages as well as cookbooks advertised throughout.