For gun hunters in Ohio, one of the main hunting seasons is about to begin. Deer gun season opens next Monday, and runs for a week, with a second mini-season scheduled for December 17 and 18.

I suspect many of you have been hitting the range (or the small game woods) with regularity, getting the shooting skills in order for this brief stretch of hunting. With the preseason almost over, take a minute and prep a few other items and plans.

For one, do you have the right clothing? Ohio has a hunter orange requirement, but that doesn’t mean you need to go out looking like a road cone. Most camo manufacturers offer versions of their patterns that include a hefty amount of safety orange; consider one of these; it’ll break up your silhouette while still keeping you very visible for the non-colorblind critters in the woods.

Second, you’ve thought about your shot, but what about what happens after the shot? Make sure you have a good backstop in your chosen shooting lanes. There’s nothing more dangerous during this time of year than a hunter who doesn’t think about his slug’s trajectory over the hill he’s facing. OK, a deer-crazed bubba who just wants to pull trigger at the first movement he sees might be a little more dangerous, but not by much.

Along the same lines, how are your carcass-management skills? Don’t — and this is important for you, for the animals you’re hunting and for the future of our sport — don’t go into the woods without knowing how to get a deer cleaned and back to your truck in a proper manner. DO NOT DUMP THE CARCASS after taking the head; that’s rude to say the least, and thoroughly inconsiderate to the hunting community. Dispose of entrails properly, and make sure you have the right knives, bags, rope etc to separate the inedibles from the meat. Even a small deer is a bounty of healthy, tasty protein, and it’s a tremendous waste to mishandle it.

Finally, think about your safety, especially if you’re braving the public hunting zones. Don’t assume another hunter’s seen you. Keep a big tree or the like to your back, and don’t stalk if you suspect there may be others in the area. It’s far better to have a so-so day of stand hunting than to try still hunting and end up in the news as a mistaken-for-game victim.

OK, that’s my rant on safety and ethics. Keep it in mind, and best wishes for a reverent, successful deer gun season!

First off, sorry this week’s post is  few days late in coming; I wanted to wait until I received a much-anticipated package in the mail. I got it last night, and today my air rifle has a new trigger.

The rifle I’m shooting, much like some of the ones carried by Twin Creek Outfitters, uses a fairly standard import trigger design. The stock trigger, with a stamped steel blade, heavy spring and mediocre-at-best adjustment, does a number on accuracy. You can get pretty darn accurate with this trigger, but you do have to get used to it.

But there’s a trigger on the market, the GRT III, that its maker claims will solve many of the problems, improving shooting performance. I installed the trigger tonight; it’s as easy as the instructions show. And if all goes well this weekend, I’ll get a chance to take it out and run a few hundred rounds through to see what it does to the gun.

Stay tuned for more…

This weekend, I managed to connect on one of the longest hunting-situation shots I’ve taken with an air rifle. While scouting a potential deer site east of the city, I anchored a grey squirrel with a shot of about 35-38 yds.

I know, I know, I know: that’s no distance at all. Heck, I’ve made almost the identical shot with ease with a .22. But remember, this was with a .177 springer I purchased while a student; cost was a big factor, as I was pretty well broke at the time.

Photo by Matt Cunningham

But gritty trigger and all, the rifle came through. Thanks, in no small part, to the availability of a good rest.

I’ve experimented quite a bit with how to rest this rifle for the best accuracy. Some argue that spring air rifles need a loose grip, so the jarring of the mainspring against a tight hold doesn’t kick things out of line. Others say the opposite, that you need a firm grip on the stock to ensure the rifle stays on target during the pellet’s relatively slow takeoff. At the range, I’ve not been able to see an appreciable advantage to one or the other – perhaps I was simply adapting at the same pace to the two different approaches.

The field is where things count, however, and I am finding that, as I slowly stretch the rifle’s humane-shot limit, the latter seems a better option. Much of it has to do with a solid rest – the perfect tree stump or upturned root, like I found this weekend as I lined up across a small ravine. The steady rest allowed me to stay on target through the shot and instantly double check to ensure I didn’t need to take a follow-up.

I recently read a statement that there are only three factors to accurate shooting: finding an accurate sight picture, holding the rifle steady and pulling the trigger without interrupting the first two factors. It makes a lot of sense; regardless of how you’re contorted to stay covered and stable in the field, these are three pillars without which you may do a lot of shooting, but not a lot of hitting. The better the rest, the longer the shot; its as simple as that, and it feels great when it lets you reach beyond your previous personal limits.

When I was looking for sources for this post, I stumbled across this article that ran in the Schnectady Gazette in the late 1950s: “Hand Trap Shooting Best for Practice.”

I suspect the writer had a bit of time – and space – on his hands.

Time, because it takes a little while to master those infernal hooked clay pigeon flickers. And space, because one of the most dangerous spots on the shooting line might be anywhere within 180 degrees of the novice hand trap thrower’s intended flight path.

Photo courtesy of Allen and Native Outdoors

I’ve owned up before in this blog to the fact I’m a bit of a novice wen it comes to wingshooting. I love the action, the walking, the motion that the shooter doesn’t get with stationary target shooting.

But darn those hand traps! It’s enough for me to get a consistent string of hits, much less getting consistent throwing the clays.

If you’re in the mood for some comedy, go observe – from a safe distance – someone using a hand-held target thrower for the first time. He probably loads it upside-down, breaking a clay pigeon in the tight grip as he tries to correct the mistake. Then, especially if it’s a new thrower, he swings tentatively, leaving the shooter hanging as the target stays firmly in the orange plastic jaws. A few more light swings and the would-be thrower’s frustration starts to build. He hauls off and whips the thrower around, sending the target careening across the shooting line at a right angle. Maybe a guy down the line gets off a shot at it before it hits the ground.

Now the thrower overcompensates: he snaps his wrist in an attempt to correct the angled throw, only succeeding in sending a target arching over the line in the opposite direction, where it smacks into the gun rack where a local veteran has just set his prized, hand-engraved over-under. Clay is a bear to get out of those delicate grooves, by the way.

Finally, the thrower gets one right. It sails straight downrange. But the shooter misses, having spent all his energy laughing at his hapless buddy. Of course, he’ll repeat the process when the two reverse roles. So that’s why clays come in such big boxes.

in all seriousness, hand traps offer something mechanical throwers can’t: the unknown. Every hand thrown target flies a different arc. While this may be annoying for a competition shooter, it’s great for hunters: when was the last time you saw a game bird follow another one in lock-step? The inconsistency keeps shooters on their feet, just like they should be in the field.

And if you’ve got the clays and time to spare, it’s pretty funny watching someone learn how to use one of these silly things.

I’ve gone through a few cycles in the last year where I’ve gotten really interested in the idea of a multi-caliber platform: the rifles that, with the switch of a barrel and a few parts, can go from centerfire to rimfire, even to shotgun and muzzleloader. The ones I’ve spotted look like beautiful options for a space- or cash-limited hunter.

But then again, it’s not exactly new, nor is it all that unusual.

I’m getting ready to christen a much-awaited addition to the gun cabinet: a new-to-me but well-worn-in Mossberg 500 in 20 gauge. Truth be told, it’s probably all the multi-use platform I’ll need for a while.

Think abut it: with a $150 aftermarket barrel and about two minutes of turning screws, I can go from a long wingshooting machine to a powerful slug gun able to mount my choice of scope. Another change, and I have a very capable home security system — everyone knows the ‘clack-clack’ of a racking pump on a 500.

I won’t be shooting rimfires out of it any time soon, but I’ve heard there’s even a smokepole adapter that can go on the 500 series. Sounds a little outlandish, but I’m sure going to check it out if I ever get the hankering to go that route.

Fun stuff, these hunting tools.

There are times of year when it’s exciting to see the skies cloud up and rain start to fall.

For me, that’s October.

True, it’s breathtaking being out on a sunny fall morning, with the remaining leaves casting the forest in a blaze of reds, oranges and golds. But those same colors grow richer and more solid when the sky goes grey; from a photographer’s standpoint, the enhanced green and blue that occur in overcast conditions give the reds and browns of a fall forest an enticing ‘pop’ that can’t be beat.

From the hunting perspective, a little rain this time of year is welcome. The forest’s loud carpet of dry leaves falls silent, and I’m always amazed by how much more wildlife activity I can see – and get close to – in a light drizzle.

Of course, all that’s predicated on being comfortable, and as the temperature drops, being out in this weather means making darn sure your rain gear’s up to snuff.

I stumbled across a few links to discussions of rain gear. Check them out here and here. I agree with what I read, especially the note about finding rain gear that’s quiet: no game animal is going to give you the benefit of the doubt if your sleeves and pant legs swish with every plasticy step.

Don’t take rain gear lightly: it’s important to keep your core warm, and skin dry, if you want to sit out the big bucks this fall.

Photo courtesy of Pheasants Forever

I’ll admit it: I was hunting around online for an interesting subject for this week’s post, and the photo inspired me. Good thing, though, seeing as there will be a number of pheasant releases around the state as October gives way to November.

The ODNR has five release dates set for 2011, in which the birds will be released at a number of sites in all five districts. This blog post has the table listing how many birds will go up where. If you’re into wingshooting, this is no doubt a valuable piece of info.

And if you’re not into wingshooting, you still ought to take a moment to enjoy the photo I found – it’s a spectacular one, eh?

Has this one happened to you yet this season? You stalk in on a squirrel, using the wind in the drying fall leaves and the critter’s own gnawing to mask your footsteps as you close to a comfortable range. You’re able to get in tight; so tight, in fact, that you’re looking up at a steep angle as you raise your rifle, take a deep breath…

And miss the shot as your wobbly, tilted-back stance sends the shot wide and the bushytail scurrying.

Photo by Matt Cunningham

Shooting angles on squirrels and other tree-dwelling game species can be tricky. It’s hard to practice for those kinds of shots, and even bracing the off hand against a tree is only a moderate help. Over the years, I’ve missed my share of shot opportunities due to weird upward angles, and I’ve come up with a few tricks to deal with the problem.

First and foremost, think low to shoot up.

By this, I mean get your center of gravity closer to the ground, and it’s likely you’ll be able to attain a more stable shooting position. It’s easier to rest the stock on a fallen log than on half your hand braced against a standing tree. Likewise, the added stability of kneeling or sitting positions mean you can take longer shots – and consequently shoot at a lower relative angle to the target.

Quite often, I find I end up in a mix of seated and kneeling stances – a sort of half crouch with as much of my body anchored as the situation will allow. This usually gives me the ability to plant an elbow on a knee (the meaty parts to each other, of course – elbow-to-kneecap rests will wobble around more). Some of the trickiest shots I’ve pulled off were made after I took the time to maneuver into a full crossed-leg sitting position.

Yes, it takes practice moving quietly and a lot of patience to get into these lower positions. But if you’re serious about making clean, humane shots on tree-bound small game, this is an effective strategy. Put it to work this week, and get even more enjoyment out of the beautiful fall weather.

Here in Ohio, it’s less than a week till the fall turkey season begins. If birds are your game, then it’s highly likely you’ve been out in the woods, wearing out a locator call and looking – and listening – for sign. Heaven knows there’s a lot of good – and plenty of not-that-great -  advice out there for fall turkey hunting, and I suspect you’ve got your own strategy in mind as you head into the weekend. Best of luck out there.

But there’s more going on than birds and the first whitetails of bow season. Don’t forget, after all, that the changing weather has an effect on finned quarry as it does the furred and feathered kind.

As the weather changes in fall, lakes and ponds transition as well. Cooler temperatures cause schools of crappie, sunfish and the bigger critters that pursue them to change their habits. It’s a lot like the way game animals are more active after the first brisk nights of the season. This movement is what hunters exploit, and fishermen can do the same. Look for gamefish to be moving into shallower water during the day, making the most of the fall sun.

Not everyone’s crazy about going all camp-and-shotgun this time of year. Thankfully, if the rod and reel are more your speed, you’ve got plenty of season left in which to pursue your quarry.

Once again, hunters and outdoors-folks are being called upon to help the ODNR fight an invasive creature that’s threatening Ohio’s hardwoods. A press release published earlier this month asks hunters to be on the lookout for signs of the Asian Long-horned Beetle, or ALB, as it’s known, especially in Southwest Ohio. Much like the seemingly unstoppable march of the Emerald Ash Borer, the ALB’s introduction into the area could lead to tree loss and an irreplaceable change to the areas we hunt and enjoy this time of year.

Photo courtesy of the Center for Invasive Species Research

In a way, it makes me feel good to see these calls for help from the outdoor sports community. We have a big, and I think growing, role to play in preserving the wild areas we love so much: in a time when wildlife division budgets are tight and resources few and far between, we can be a massive resource that ensures the woods are here for those who come after us. I refuse to believe that the entirety of the upcoming generations will choose electronic playthings over the real excitement, profound moments and unique experiences that characterize the outdoor life. By reporting data for the state’s professional naturalists to assess and use in making conservation decisions, we’re playing an important role in protecting the legacy for those outdoor-minded kids.

Stop by the ODNR’s site to read up on ALB sign. And if you see something that’s amiss in the woods, don’t just pass it by. Reporting it to the state could help stop this pest before it plows through our woods.