springfield-sweeps-2021-mainAre you ready to gun up with HuntStand and Springfield Armory? Now’s your chance to score an award-winning Springfield Model 2020 Waypoint rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, built on an adjustable stock with a carbon-fiber barrel.

ENTER TO WIN

Click here to log into HuntStand and you’ll be presented with the entry form. You can enter to win with a single tap of your finger! If you don’t yet have a HuntStand account, register for a free account and when you log in you can enter to win. Alternatively, be on the lookout for an official e-mail from HuntStand where you can enter with a single click.

One random winner will be selected and notified via e-mail on March 31, 2020.

 

 

“Springfield Model 2020 Waypoint Rifle Giveaway” Sweepstakes Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. INTERNET ACCESS IS REQUIRED TO ENTER. Void in Quebec and where prohibited or restricted by law.

ELIGIBILITY: The “Springfield Model 2020 Waypoint Rifle Giveaway” Sweepstakes (“Promotion”) is offered in and open only to legal residents of the 50 United States & D.C., (defined herein as “U.S.”) who are 18 years of age or older. Employees, officers and directors of TerraStride, Inc. (“Sponsor”), and those individuals and entities involved in the execution, preparation of materials and/or administration of this Promotion (collectively referred to herein as the “Promotion Entities”), and their immediate family members (spouse, siblings, children and parents including foster and step-relations) and those living in the same household as such individuals (whether or not related) are not eligible to enter.

PROMOTION PERIOD: The Promotion begins on or about 8:00 am Pacific Time (“PT”) on or about November 17, 2021, and ends 11:59 pm Pacific Time (“PT”) on or about March 31, 2020 (“Promotion Period”). All time referenced herein is Pacific Time. Sponsor’s server’s time-keeping device shall be the official time keeping device for the Promotion. PARTICIPANTS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE CORRESPONDING TIME ZONE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTIONS; PROMOTION ENTITIES DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY RELATING THERETO.

AGREEMENT BY ENTRANT: All Entries, entrants and participation in this Promotion shall be governed by these Official Rules. By participating in the Promotion, each entrant fully and unconditionally agrees to the fullest extent permitted by law to be bound to these Official Rules, the Consent & Release (incorporated herein, which grants Sponsor and Springfield Armory, among other things, a license to use entrants name, likeness, image, etc., and their entry and all content therein), the Promotion application terms of use (if any) and any additional instructions, terms and conditions specific to the Promotion communicated by Sponsor. Entrants further agree to be bound to the decisions of the Sponsor (including its authorized representatives), which are final and binding in all matters pertaining to the Promotion.

The information you provide will be used as stated herein and as stated in Sponsor’s privacy policy. By submitting an Entry, entrants agree to be contacted by Sponsor with notices and reminders pertaining to the Promotion. In addition, by entering each entrant agrees to receive advertising and promotional communications from Sponsor and Springfield Armory; you may opt out at any time without affect to your Entry.

HOW TO ENTER: During the Promotion Period, log into the HuntStand mobile app (the “App”), to register by providing all required contact information and submit (“Entry”), or follow the instructions in an official e-mail from HuntStand to enter with one click. Limit one (1) Entry per person during the entire Promotion Period. Failure to follow all steps will void Entry.

ENTRY SPECIFICS: Entries must be complete, compliant, submitted via the method and online platform communicated, and received by Sponsor within the Promotion Period. Incomplete, invalid, unsuitable, or otherwise non-compliant Entries (as determined in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion) will not be eligible. Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Entries submitted via any other entry method than stated herein will not be accepted. Entries may only be submitted by a single registered account user; group or commercial submissions are not permissible. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same device, account, IP or email address. Entrants may not (whether apparent or suspected) enter through a sweepstakes club or exchange sites (or similar method), with multiple or false identities, accounts, or devices, or use multiple e-mail and/or street addresses, or use any other device or artifice to enter. Engaging directly or indirectly in any (apparent or suspected) artifice, cheating, fraud, spamming, phishing, on-line sweepstakes clubs (or similar methods), exchange sites, robotic, automatic, macro, programmed or like participation methods as determined in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion, will void all such Entries, and disqualify any entrant suspected of using/benefitting directly or indirectly from such methods. If an Entry, for any reason whatsoever, garners comments that are unpleasant, distasteful, nasty or otherwise inappropriate for the Sponsor community, Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify Entry/entrant and remove any such Entry. Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, destroyed, damaged, illegible, or misdirected Entries (in whole or in part), and/or non-compliance. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of an online entrant, the authorized account holder of the email address used in connection with the Entry will be deemed to be the entrant. Potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to an email address by an Internet service provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.

Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any equipment, computer, telephone, device, network, app, electronic, hardware or software malfunctions, failures, connections, or availability, or garbled, corrupt, or jumbled transmissions; nor service provider, Internet, Web site, user accessibility or availability, incompatibility, traffic congestion, unauthorized human intervention or any human error, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of Entry, or other information, nor for the failure to capture or display any such information.

While you may forward or share with family, friends and direct known contacts, please do not engage in phishing or spamming. Apparent or suspected phishing or spamming, sending of junk communications or the use of any unauthorized method or automated system to participate, or to acquire (unauthentic) entries, Likes or Follows, etc. is prohibited, as is posting content to irrelevant or inappropriate sites to obtain entry, and, if discovered at any time will void the applicable Entry and entrant suspected of using/benefitting from such methods in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion. Entrants’ use of the respective app platform used to facilitate entry must comply with and be in accordance with its respective Terms of Use, Terms of Service and Policies. This Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with any social media platforms that may be used in communications about this Promotion (“social media platforms”).

By entering, entrants understand and agree that submitted eligible Entries may be subject to public viewing, streaming (i.e. “digital transmission”), downloading (i.e. “digital distribution”), and public comments, including but not limited to being forwarded, re-grammed, re-tweeted, and otherwise posted, for commercial and non-commercial purposes, throughout Sponsor’s and third parties’ digital and off-line social media, marketing and advertising properties. Normal internet access and device usage charges imposed by your mobile plan and/or on-line service may apply to entry via mobile device. For those entrants entering with a mobile device: Promotion may not be available via all mobile carriers. Messaging & data rates apply to internet access via mobile devices. Other charges may apply; check your mobile plan for rates/details.

LICENSE GRANT: At the time you submit an Entry, and whether or not selected as the winner, by entering this Promotion and providing Sponsor with the Entry and all user generated content therein (“UGC”), you grant Sponsor (its affiliates, related entities and authorized third-parties) a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, exclusive right and fully sub-licensable license to use, copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, publicly perform, publicly display, modify, adapt, translate, archive, store, and create derivative works from such Entry/UGC and any element thereof, in any media, form, format, or medium, of any kind now known or later developed for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to, marketing, advertising, and other commercial and non-commercial purposes using or incorporating such Entry/UGC information, and for any other purposes and/or uses whatsoever. You waive any moral rights you might have with respect to the Entry/UGC you provide to us. You also grant us the right to use any material, information, ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques contained in any communication or entry you provide or otherwise submit to us. All rights in this paragraph are granted without the need for review or additional compensation of any sort to you. You further agree to execute all documents and perform all acts deemed necessary by Sponsor to protect Sponsor’s rights. You understand and agree by granting this license your Entry/UGC may be modified, edited, distorted, used in whole or in part, alone or in combination with other works, used in illusory or composite form, or in any other manner, as solely determined by Sponsor. You will not now nor in the future be paid for your Entry/UGC or for granting Sponsor any of these rights. The consideration for the rights granted to Sponsor herein is your opportunity to participate in the Promotion.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY: Incomplete, non-compliant or otherwise ineligible Entries, or any element thereof, will disqualify an Entry. Proof that you uploaded an Entry does not constitute proof or evidence that it was received within the Promotion Period or eligible for the Promotion, or any element thereof. Sponsor reserves the absolute right to disqualify and/or immediately remove any Entries and/or entrants in whole or in part for any reason within its sole and absolute discretion. Without limitation, Entries will be disqualified if Sponsor considers for any reason an Entry, or any element thereof, not to be in the spirit of the Promotion, ineligible or otherwise not compliant herewith, or will have a detrimental impact on Sponsor, this Promotion, any of Sponsor’s brands, products or services.

By submitting an Entry, entrants represent, warrant and covenant (and agree to release and indemnify Sponsor from same) that their Entry submitted and all content therein: (i) is the original creation of the entrant and has not been copied in whole or in part from any other work, and is the sole and exclusive property of the entrant (or entrant has all ownership or licensed rights thereto and in any and all content); (ii) does not contain, depict, condone, encourage or promote the use of a crossbow in a cruel, illegal, dangerous, harmful, or unsafe manner, nor contain, depict, condone, encourage or promote content that is (or is construed by Sponsor as being) obscene, reprehensible, repugnant, offensive, sexually inappropriate, overtly political or religious, discriminatory, defamatory, highly sensitive, harmful, dangerous, unsafe, illegal, violent, explicit, cruel, hateful, or otherwise unsuitable, as determined solely by Sponsor (in its sole and absolute discretion); (iii) does not violate or infringe any laws including but not limited to copyright or trademark laws, or other proprietary, publicity, privacy or any other rights of any person, entity, or venue; (iv) does not refer to or contain in any respect information about an individual under the age of 18 without the express permission of the minor’s parent or adult legal guardian; and (v) owners of any depicted venues, or any individuals mentioned, featured in, or who have worked on the Entry, in whole or in part, in any manner have given entrant their express written consent to submission to this Promotion and the use contemplated. If requested by Sponsor, entrant shall provide evidence of the above in writing. Nothing herein shall be deemed an obligation of confidentiality.

DRAWING/WINNER SELECTION: One (1) Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing conducted at 1712 Saint Julian Place, Columbia, SC 29204-2447 at approximately 1:00 pm Pacific Time by Sponsor (or its authorized representative) on or about March 25, 2020 following the end of the Promotion Period from among all eligible entries received during the Promotion. Sponsor or its authorized designee will notify the potential winner(s) via email and/or phone (in Sponsor’s sole discretion) with instructions on how to submit his/her name, email and/or physical address, phone number and any other required information in order for Sponsor to verify eligibility and deliver the prize. Potential winner must follow all instructions and may be required to sign, have notarized and return an Affidavit (or if Canadian, a Declaration ) of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release (except where prohibited) and any other requested documents (“Release Documents”) within the time specified by Sponsor, or prize will be forfeited in its entirety and awarded to (an) alternate winner(s). Canadian potential winner(s) will be required to correctly respond, unaided to a mathematical skills testing question before being confirmed as a winner .

Promotion Entities are not responsible for any undelivered telephone calls, messages, e-mails, or any other communications, including but not limited to those that are not received because of any app or platforms’ or entrant’s privacy or spam filter settings that may divert any winner notification or other Promotion related communications to a spam or junk folder. Prize award is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules.

PRIZE(S)/ODDS. Grand Prize (1) including the following:

Limit one (1) prize per person, during the entire Promotion Period. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Entries received.

All federal, state and local taxes on a prize are the sole responsibility of a U.S. winner. Any difference in ARV and actual value will not be awarded in cash or otherwise. No transfer, assignment or substitution of a prize (in whole or in part) is allowed, except Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Prize is not redeemable for cash or otherwise. All costs, fees and expenses not expressly stated as being included herein are the sole responsibility of a winner.

The Springfield Model 2020 Waypoint Rifle prize will be shipped to, and must be claimed by winner from, a retailer of the winner’s choice holding a current Federal Firearms License located in the United States (excluding New York, Florida, U.S. Territories and Puerto Rico). Prize will be shipped to winner’s chosen FFL retailer within the U.S. (at Sponsor’s expense) on or within approx. 4 – 6 weeks after verification. The prize winner is responsible for providing Sponsor with a copy of the selected retailer’s Federal Firearm License. In order to take possession of the prize, winner must visit such retailer and: (a) have and present a valid government-issued driver’s license; (b) complete an ATF Form #4473 and/or any other forms required under applicable state or federal law; (c) pass a NICS background check; and (d) comply with any other requirements of such firearms retailer or applicable federal, state or local laws or ordinances. Any and all prize transfers must be completed in compliance with all federal, state and local laws and regulations and will be subject to the requirements, policies and procedures of the chosen Federal Firearms License holder for delivery. If a winner is unable to complete the prize transfer due to a failure of any required background check or other failure to meet the requirements of the Federal Firearms License holder or applicable laws, the prize will be forfeited and returned to Sponsor, at Sponsor’s sole expense, and winner in question will be disqualified. In the event of noncompliance with these requirements, the prize may be forfeited. Sponsor is not responsible and winner is solely responsible for the costs incurred to travel to pick up the prize, and/or any other costs and fees associated with the transfer of the prize, including any amounts charged by the Federal Firearms License holder to complete the transfer. Winner is solely responsible for knowing and obeying all firearm possession laws applicable to winner and selecting and using appropriate ammunition with a firearm prize.

In the event of noncompliance, if an entrant becomes noncompliant or ineligible during or after the Promotion Period, or a potential winner fails to respond within the time specified, or cannot be reached within two (2) separate attempts using the contact method selected by Sponsor (in Sponsor’s discretion), that prize will be forfeited and an alternate potential winner will be selected at random for the applicable prize/level. A winner later found ineligible or non-compliant will be immediately required to return and forfeit any prize awarded. After two (2) unsuccessful attempts to verify an alternate winner for the prize, the prize will remain un-awarded. Prize or prize notifications that are un-awarded, unclaimed, returned, unresponsive, untimely, or otherwise undeliverable will be forfeited and will not be re-awarded. There will not be a second-chance drawing. Any prize pictured in advertising or promotional materials is for illustrative purposes only and may not be the actual prize or have the same elements or features as the prize awarded. Except for any standard manufacturer’s warranty PRIZES ARE AWARDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO THEIR QUALITY OR CONDITION AND PROMOTION ENTITIES EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Prize awards are subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right, but without any obligation whatsoever, to conduct a voluntary background check on a potential winner, and such individual agrees to cooperate, to confirm eligibility and to help ensure that awarding a prize to any such individual will not bring the Promotion Entities into public disrepute, contempt, scandal or ridicule or reflect unfavorably on the Promotion, the Sponsor, prize suppliers, or their respective brands, goods or services, as determined by Sponsor in its absolute discretion.

GENERAL RELEASE: Failure to timely return or properly complete Release Documents, or if potential winner is or becomes ineligible or does not comply with these Official Rules, prize forfeiture will result and (an) alternate potential winner(s) will be selected. BY PARTICIPATING, ENTRANTS AGREE TO RELEASE, INDEMNIFY, DEFEND AND HOLD HARMLESS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW THE SPONSOR, ITS PARENT, AFFILIATES AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION AGENCIES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS (“RELEASED PARTIES”) FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL ALLEGED AND/OR ACTUAL CLAIMS, ACTIONS, DEMANDS, LOSSES, SETTLEMENTS (WHETHER OR NOT LITAGATION IS COMMENCED), LIABILITIES AND DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER EXISTING NOW OR ARISING IN THE FUTURE (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, BODILY INJURY, PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, DISABILITY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE OR LOSS), COSTS AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES, COURT COSTS, SETTLEMENT AND DISBURSEMENTS) DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM THE USE OF THE ENTRY IN WHOLE OR IN PART, THE DELIVERY, ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF A PRIZE, PARTICIPATION IN ANY PRIZE RELATED ACTIVITIES, ACCESS TO THE WEBSITE, AND/OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROMOTION OR ANY OTHER ELEMENT THEREOF. To the fullest extent permitted by law, entrants and winner(s) covenant not to sue any Released Party or cause them to be sued regarding any matter released above; and further covenant not to disaffirm, limit or rescind this release. A waiver by one or more of the Promotion Entities of any term in these Official Rules does not constitute a waiver of any other provision. Any invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision shall be deemed severed from these Rules only to the extent of its invalidity, illegality or unenforceability, and these Rules shall be construed and enforced as if they did not contain the stricken provision.

PUBLICITY RELEASE: By entering and/or accepting a prize, entrants and winner(s) hereby consent, where lawful, to the use by Sponsor and Springfield Armory (and its authorized representatives) of their name, image, likeness, voice, hometown, and/or biographical information (including the right to edit, adapt, crop, and modify such information or use it in illustrative, or composite form, alone or in conjunction with other materials), in any and all media now known or hereafter developed worldwide, including and on cellular networks, the Internet and World Wide Web, without additional compensation, and without the right of review, notification or approval.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: IN NO EVENT WILL THE RELEASED PARTIES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS PROMOTION OR ANY ELEMENT THEREOF, PARTICIPATION IN ANY PROMOTION ACTIVITIES, PARTICIPATION IN PRIZE RELATED ACTIVITIES OR ANY ELEMENT THEREOF, THE USE/MISUSE OF A PRIZE BY ANYONE, AND/OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY PARTICIPANT’S ACCESS TO AND USE OF (OR FAILURE TO ACCESS OR USE) THE PROMOTIONAL WEBSITES, OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING OF MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE WEBSITE.

If, for any reason, this Promotion or any element thereof is not capable of running as planned by reason of, but not limited to, infection by computer virus, worms, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, artifice, cheating or fraud, equipment, software, hardware, network or technical failures, or any other causes which Sponsor deems, in its sole opinion, could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Promotion or any element thereof, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Promotion or any element thereof and select the winner(s) for the applicable prize/prize level from eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the action, or as otherwise may be deemed fair and equitable by Sponsor. Sponsor is not responsible for user cheating or fraud by any entrants. Any activities intended to disrupt or interfere with the proper play of the Promotion or defraud Sponsor in any way will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Participants who engage in any of the foregoing activities will be disqualified and will forfeit any prize won.

In the event that technological, programming, printing, erroneous communications, human or other error causes more than the stated number of winners/prizes as indicated in these Official Rules, to be communicated, sent as notifications, distributed, announced, claimed or received for any prize, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to award only the stated number and description of prizes pursuant to a random drawing among all eligible non-suspect claimants or as otherwise deemed fair and equitable by Sponsor. In the event of any discrepancy, ambiguity, inconsistency, printing or any other error or miscommunication in an app, any emails, announcements, advertising, brochures, Promotion materials and/or any other communications or information relating to this Promotion or any element thereof, these Official Rules (English version, if applicable) shall govern.

FORCE MAJEURE: Promotion Entities shall not be liable to winner or any other person or entity for failure to execute this Promotion or any element thereof, or supply a prize or any part thereof, by reason of any act of God, any action(s), regulation(s) order(s) or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not the action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure, terrorist acts, cyber-attacks, earthquake, war, fire, flood, explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, cancellation or delay of an event, or any similar or dissimilar event beyond their reasonable control.

CHOICE OF LAW/ARBITRATION: THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT RESPECT TO CONFLICT OF LAW DOCTRINES. As a condition of participating in this Promotion, except where prohibited by law, entrants agree that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Promotion shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a neutral one person arbitration panel located in Syracuse, NY having jurisdiction.

WINNER’S LIST: For winner’s name, contact Sponsor by mailing a self-addressed, sufficiently U.S./Canadian postage stamped envelope to: “Springfield Rifle Giveaway Winner List Request”; 1712 Saint Julian Place, Columbia, SC 29204-2447 Attn: Promotion Admin., for receipt by December 5, 2019. Limit one (1) request per person, or per household.

SPONSOR: TerraStride, Inc., 1712 Saint Julian Place, Columbia, SC 29204-2447

For those who want to grow big-antlered bucks, the solution might be simpler than you think.

I met an old friend for lunch one afternoon. We wanted to catch up on white-tailed deer management topics, and of course he was going to bring me up to speed on what was new on his well-managed, free-range property. After lunch we went up to “the cabin” so that he could show me the shed antler he had recently found. At a glance, I could see it was likely from a 4-year-old buck, and he confirmed my determination with numerous trail cam photos as well as the matching sheds as a 2- and 3-year-old.

While we visited, he told me of a presentation he envisions giving; a fantasy if you will, but certainly one I could relate to. He sees himself advertising extensively that he is going to put on a seminar that will reveal all the secrets of producing big white-tailed bucks. Obviously, the advertising will have photos of many high-scoring bucks from his property. He hopes to fill a large auditorium with at least 250 people and charge them a pretty penny to learn his secrets. On the night of his presentation, when everyone is settled in, he walks up front and says: “Good evening. Thank you for coming. Tonight I am going to tell you the secret of managing for high-scoring, older-age white-tailed bucks on your property. The ‘Magic Pill’ if you like.” The audience goes silent. Pads and pencils are at the ready. They are aware of his success. They are prepared to hang onto his every word.

“Just don’t shoot the young bucks. Thank you for coming. Good evening.” And he walks away.

Yes, it’s improbable that he would do that, but I’ve actually had the same thought myself … or close to it. And, after 15-plus years of experience, my friend knows of what he speaks and, like me, wishes to share his knowledge with others. There is really only one secret to having large-antlered, older-age bucks on your hunting property and it’s not really a secret: Just don’t shoot the young ones. Age is the key ingredient to producing those high-scoring bucks.

WHAT ELSE AFFECTS ANTLER GROWTH?
You ask, “What about food plots? What about habitat improvement? What about genetics? Are they the Magic Pill or just parts of the whole?” What we have learned is that no matter what part of the country we are from, if we allow bucks to reach 3 years of age or older, we are amazed at the antler growth that we never thought was possible in our area.

Genetics? Let’s stop talking and writing about it. In wild, free-ranging herds you can’t predict or control the genetic makeup. Besides, in most areas we have a viable genetic base that we have never truly recognized … because we have never tapped into it. Let them get older and see what the gene pool in your area provides.

Food plots and habitat manipulation? If you have the time and the money, it’s great to improve the nutritional plane for your deer herd, and besides, it might just keep them home. Many average hunters don’t have the means, and often food plots are not really necessary, but they’re led to believe they are. One time, after wrapping up an afternoon seminar and asking for questions, an eager young fellow in the audience asked, “What about food plots? You never mentioned food plots.” I walked to the exit door at the side of the room and opened it wide. Pointing to the large fields of corn and lush alfalfa stretched out across the valley floor. My answer to him: “Your question should be, ‘If I plant food plots, will I be able to improve on what I already have?'”

That young fellow actually equated large-antlered bucks (only) with having food plots and I find that thought process all too common. However, I have learned that providing food plots clearly improves body size. And when the growth requirements of the body are taken care of, antlers are the next recipient of good nutrition. Just don’t think of food plots as the key ingredient of large racks. Passing bucks to the older age classes is the key to outstanding antlers.

For years, I worked at check stations and meat processors during the fall hunting season, aging deer by tooth replacement and wear, and collecting data. For 5 of those years, I compared the antlers to age on hundreds of the bucks. Those bucks came from various habitats—some good, some bad—but one thing always stood out to me: As they got older, their antler size improved tremendously. At 3 or 4 years old, many of them had outstanding antlers, regardless of whether they came from managed farmland or “hard-ground” state forest land. I could see that early birth (date) and growing to maturity are the keys.

PROVING THE AGE GAME
What about my friend? Our original meeting more than 15 years ago wasn’t by chance. He had heard of me from a mutual acquaintance and invited me to the newly acquired property to share my knowledge of whitetail management with him. I put together a management plan for his 1,000 acres, helping him get DMAP tags for harvesting extra does and a 3-year harvest plan that would improve both the buck-to-doe ratio and the buck age structure … provided he and his friends could stay on pace with my recommendations.

He followed my original plans to a “T,” and then expanded on them himself, learning as he went, but always coming up with the same conclusion: All that is really necessary for seeing more big bucks is not shooting the young ones. Now I use his experiences to learn from him and pass the knowledge on to others. Originally, his property was no different than any other; in reality, maybe not as good as some. The buck age structure was made up mostly of yearlings (spikes and fork-horns), and he was overrun with does that competed for the available food and created an extended breeding period.

He closely followed the harvest plan, taking does at a rate that would shock the average hunter or manager, and after 15 years he still does. But more importantly, he and his friends were careful to never shoot button bucks or any yearling bucks—even the outstanding ones with 8 or 10 points. Soon, they were passing 2-year-old bucks (including those high-end ones) and were hard-nosed about making mistakes. Using a little imagination, he was able to convince the neighboring hunting club to join in their management style, adding an additional 450 acres to the managed locale. And, yes, he planted food plots like everyone else. His property had little to offer in preferred browse species or basic nutritional needs, so he reclaimed some old agricultural land that was there and experimented with different varieties.

By passing three year classes of young bucks, he started producing outstanding bucks quickly and the number of total bucks increased rapidly until soon he had more than twice as many bucks on the property. Of course, now his buck-to-doe ratio and buck age structure are more than what nature intended. He told me that now a hunter can go onto the property expecting to take a buck scoring in the 140s. With careful planning and patience, he or she might take one of the many that score in the 150s or 160s.

My friend really does have the fantasy I mentioned earlier. The point of his “dream seminar” is that he learned it isn’t about the food plots or the other things we hear and read so much about. Managing for age has always been the most important factor, but it so often gets overlooked because of all the popular coverage of the other “stuff.” He learned that the potential for those great bucks was always in the gene pool—if you let them grow to maturity.

I was raised the son of a New York deer hunter. My upbringing in accordance with the DEC regulation book was that using a light at night for hunting is completely taboo. My use of lights has always been confined to nighttime tracking of bow-hit deer, and I have woefully struggled—even to this recent season past—with finding the right light. It wasn’t until my foray into nighttime predator hunting a decade ago that I began using a frustratingly low-quality red light, strapped to my scope, to hunt the big Eastern coyotes that had been harassing my deer herd all winter.


Adventure bowhunter/ScoutLook Pro Staffer Tom Miranda with a 2013 wild boar taken on a nighttime spot-and-stalk hunt using Elusive Wildlife Technologies Kill Lights mounted on his Mathews Heli-m bow.

When I met the owners of Elusive Wildlife Technologies at a trade show, they insisted that if I ever came to Texas, I had to come and hunt hogs with them. Little did I know, accepting their offer would lead to an experience that was intense, exciting and educational in every way.

I’ve been fortunate to have hunted more than most people, but there are still lots of “NEVERS” in my history as a hunter, and especially as it applied to my arrival in the beautiful Hill Country of Western Texas. Namely, I’d never hunted in Texas; never hunted hogs; never hunted over a feeder; never sat in a treestand after dark; never had a “Kill Light” strapped to my bow; never heard of a Shot Spotter Light; and never used Illumitacks while tracking. So after 34 years of bowhunting, I was a novice again. Never had I ever considered nighttime bowhunting even possible, much less prepared myself for all that was about to happen.


Riding in style in the Elusive Wildlife Texas Cadillac!

Chad Stevenson and Scott York, the collective brains and brawn behind Elusive Wildlife Technologies, had driven 4 hours from their shop in Conroe, Texas, met me in Austin, and delivered me into the heart of the Hill Country some 2 hours to the west. The day was fading now, and Scott scrambled to screw a Kill Light into the stabilizer threading on my bow. As he worked, he explained that the light had a 100-yard range, and it would light up every hog that came within bow range with the press of a button he’d strapped to the grip of my Mathews Heli-m in a matter of seconds. “You’re all set”, he said, grabbing his pack from a hook on the wall. “Here are some other goodies you’ll need”. One by one, he pulled out items that were sharply dressed in black and bright-green packaging, explaining each of them to me as he opened them.


“This is a Shot Spotter. It’s a red laser you will use to mark the last spot you see the hog after the shot. Clip it to your stand, turn it on, and put the laser on the last known spot of the hog. That way, when we go to track him, we can walk directly to the blood trail.”


“Here is our tracking light. It’ll fit in your pants pocket, but don’t let the size fool you … it’s intensely bright and has a 4-foot diameter with a really even beam when held at waist height. You can see blood without bending over and killing your back. There are high and low settings. The high beam gives you the ability to look 150 yards out in front of you to scan for game.”


“These are Illumitacks. They’re magnetic and incredibly bright. Stick them under your hat brim if you need to see up close while you’re in your stand. We use them to mark blood-trail points, and they’re crazy good for tracking in this thick brush.”

I pulled on my new LaCrosse Snake Boots. They felt comforting on my shins as I headed out the door. I was on edge, but ready for the adventure. There was something about setting foot onto this almost foreign landscape, full of snakes, scorpions, cactus, wild boar and other potentially unpleasant things that were odd enough to keep me off balance in the daylight, but doing it for the first time in complete darkness felt insane.

Chad Stevenson was waiting on a buggy to take me to my stand, and I shined the red Kill Light on him as I approached. He was wearing black sneakers. “You don’t wear snake boots?” I asked. “Nope, I like my tennis shoes,” he answered. “I stepped on a couple of buzzers in the dark while stalking hogs over the years and I was probably lucky to get missed”. That was the beginning of my now firm belief that these guys were truly hardcore hunters and outdoorsmen, and know more about hog hunting (as well as predators and deer) than most men on the planet.


Chad Stevenson: The real Texas “Pig Man”!

Our footsteps on the dry grass and brush hastened as we made our way to the stand. The clouds had snuffed out a full moon, and all the blackness was palpable. Chad’s hat, brimmed with Illumitacks, was all he used to navigate the cactus and stones as we walked. A faint green light appeared 100 yards ahead of us. “That’s the Feeder Light,” Chad pointed out. “It’s got a solar power cell, and a switch that turns it on after dark so it doesn’t drain the battery, so you never have to enter the feeder area and stink it up while turning it on.” He turned and pushed on toward the light. “They have good sense of smell?” I whispered as we walked. “Unbelievable,” he said.

I was a bit curious by Chad’s response that they had “unbelievable” sense of smell. The ability of a completely inexperienced hog hunter (especially a Yankee like me, in uncertain territory) to underestimate the survival abilities of wild hogs is very high. Correspondingly, my expectations of the degree of difficulty of hunting them were dumbed down to this: Hogs are obtuse, slovenly animals. Hogs love food. The feeder has corn. Hogs will come and I will stick them with arrows. No trouble at all!

In the darkness, sounds creep over the landscape and seemingly magnify themselves greatly in the absence and distraction of your sight, and the feeder light now was a glowing green patch of solace that illuminated a broad circle of ground around the feeder.


Hogs lit by the Elusive Wildlife Technologies feeder-mounted Kill Light.

I heard grunting behind us and turned to hear footsteps approaching. I pointed the riser of my bow toward the sound and pressed the button on the Kill Light. The red beam lit up the landscape. As I swung it in the direction of the oncoming noise, I spotted my first boar. He was medium-sized, closing fast at about 40 yards. He would pass directly by me at 10 yards on his way to the feeder. The hitch, though, was the curling wind that hit him in the snout and sent him whirling off into the brush in a flash. He showed no hesitation like a whitetail often will—just gone! I was simply amazed at how spooky he was, and also how intense it was to see him in the beam of that light and nearly get a shot.

cy_first_hog

Author/ScoutLook Co-Founder Cy Weichert (safe in his snake boots) with his first wild hog.

The next hour was full of action as the feeder went off and several groups of hogs piled in. Controlling population is critical to ensuring less competition on the ranch for the whitetails, so my first shot selected a big sow that had come in under the feeder light with a small boar. She moved skittishly, jumping nervously about trying to get our wind. Finally, she presented a broadside view. With my Kill Light painting her red, I released and watched my Carbon Express Blue Streak and Laser Eye Lighted Nock sail straight through her and into the West-Texas earth. I followed here with the Kill Light on my bow and held it on the last bush where she had disappeared. I took the Shot Spotter out of my pocket, clipped it to the safety strap on the tree, beamed it onto the bush and turned off my Kill Light. In all, I shot three hogs in a 2-hour span, each of them warier that the last, and I had a half dozen others approach only to catch my wind and vanish. It was one of the more exhilarating hours of my hunting career, and one I will never forget.

In New York, we have no substantial population of hogs to hunt. So, in a way, I was disappointed in heading home that I had to unscrew the Kill Light from the stabilizer threading on my bow. The silver lining, however, was learning that I can mount one on my riflescope (with a 250-yard lethal range) for use in hunting coyotes, and these lights have a dramatic advantage over any light I’ve ever found. More applicable, though, were the results from the lights we used in tracking.

First, with the Shot Spotters pinned on the last known spot of each hog I had arrowed, we were able to walk directly to the blood trail with no guesswork and no wasted time. These laser gadgets are truly one of the most efficient, time-saving devices I have ever used in the field. We had solid blood trails from my Rage Xtreme broadheads, but the Elusive Tracking Light was everything as billed. It was super-bright, with a wide beam so that I could see even the smallest blood spots with ease, even when holding the light at my waist level. I’ve tried all sorts of lights, and most recently I found myself using the biggest Mag Light; it’s 19 inches long and holds a heavy rack of D batteries, coupled with an off-the-rack headlamp, which gets uncomfortable to wear on long tracking jobs. These Elusive lights are so compact and effective that I’ll never have to carry my bulky Mag Light, or wear the headlamp, into the woods again.


Scott York of Elusive Wildlife Technologies with a successful night of hunting, including two massive boars.

Chad and Scott are avid deer hunters, and they manage their ranch extensively for whitetails. They harvest only older-aged bucks and film every hunt for posterity and excitement. Hunting hogs started as a necessity for them because hogs can devastate the habitat that’s so essential for managing whitetails. But now, hog hunting has morphed into an absolute obsession and passion for these guys, and spawned a business based on real-world experience and helping hunters.

The team at Elusive Wildlife Technologies is building products that rule the upper end of the technology food chain, yet they hold an old-fashioned, common-sense practicality that will absolutely impact your success in hunting. Whether you’re controlling hogs and predators, or tracking whitetails in the dark, their ingenuity will pay off for you in a way that’s not been duplicated in any light products I’ve ever seen.

The sounds of hogs approaching in the dark. The sight of eyes shining in the Kill Light. And the feeling of wonderment to be among all the elusive and wild creatures that are afoot in the night … there’s nothing like it. Since that trip to Texas, there hasn’t been a single nightfall when I haven’t taken a moment to remember that unique experience.

Melissa Bachman found a honey-hole full of big bull elk. It’s the rut, she’s got a rifle, and it’s time to make meat. The action is nonstop during this hunt for a bugling bull.

 

Calling whitetails at ground level can be an excitingly deadly method for luring bucks into rifle range. Mark Kayser has called in and killed countless whitetails. He explains how to call whitetails with ultimate realism in this short video.

Jason Sebo heads to the late-season whitetail woods with hopes of killing a buck on camera. He’s surprised when he gets the opportunity he was hoping for, but even more surprised when the buck sheds his antlers after getting shot!

Shane Simpson from Calling All Turkeys and Curtis Goettsch from Victory Outdoors join forces in Nebraska to bowhunt turkeys. After a rollercoaster, Curt finally manages to run an arrow through a long-bearded gobbler.

HuntStand Firearms Field Editor Ron Spomer offers a detailed review of the American-made Mossberg Patriot bolt-action rifle.

 

By Neil And Craig DoughertyView More: http://howardcommunications.pass.us/hcphotolibrary

Morning and evening “thermals” create their own special kind of air movement. They’re called thermals because the air movement is caused by changes in air temperature and air weight. Morning thermals in our area kick in about 2 hours after first light, or just when you’re starting to take the first nap of the day.

The sun warms the ground and the warm air starts to rise. Up and up it travels, weaving its way in a relatively smooth lift over the hills and mountains. Anything above you will catch your scent when the morning thermals start to lift. Once the lifting air currents hit you, every deer in your scent cone (above you) will know that you’re “in the house.” Sometimes, the warm, rising air is forced into swifter-moving “thermal chimneys” by converging topography. Deer travel up these chimneys in the morning so they can “watch their back” as they climb. A good time to check out rising thermals is on foggy mornings. It’s fascinating to watch a fog gradually lift as the sun warms the earth.

These morning chimneys turn into “thermal drains” in the evening as cooler and heavier air drains from high spots to lower areas. Big bucks on the prowl seek out these drains when looking for does and/or danger. We have mapped thermal drains that have collected air from 50-75 acres at a time. Big bucks love these areas as they can stand in one place and see everything “draining” into their location..

One spot on our property drains no fewer than four food plots, one 3-acre cornfield, and about 50 acres of brush and another 20 of hardwoods. Any deer standing in the drain will know everything they need to know about those locations from hundreds of yards away. We often cross this drain coming out of the woods after an evening hunt. You notice a marked decrease in temperature when entering the drain and the wind (even on dead-calm nights) will chill your soul. What do they say about ghosts crossing your path?

We often take Radar, our tracking dog, out for summer evening rides on a dirt road bisecting our property and running midway along a hillside. He stands on the electric cart seat looking (with eyes and nose) over the woods on either side of the road. We drive through at least three thermal drains that are carrying super-cooled evening air; you feel the temperature change as you drive through them and feel the breeze. Radar almost always starts whining and yipping as we drive through these narrow bands of cool evening air. He’s catching fresh deer (or some other animal) scent carried by the air draining from the hillsides above the road. He doesn’t calm down until we clear the drain. That is exactly what big old bucks are doing all fall—standing in the drains and checking out 50 or 100 acres of does (and hunters) from below.

Ever see a mature buck standing statue-still, head high on a calm evening? Chances are he’s standing in a wind drain or air funnel or some other wind concentrator catching the evening thermals. Mature bucks love to set up in wind drainage areas in the evening … that’s how they keep track of who is where.

Deer like to move down with thermal drains at their back for the same reason they move up in thermal chimneys: Their eyes warn them of danger ahead while their noses keep track of their rear flank. This adds a whole new meaning to “got your back.” Our evening thermals pretty much roll off of our hills and into our valleys like so much water in a stream. The thermals drain from the entire property and smart, old deer know they can smell everything on an entire side-hill by catching the right thermal.

Brothers Neil and Craig Dougherty are two of the most well-respected whitetail experts in North America. They are both authors, TV personalities, land managers and hunters who have spent the majority of their lifetimes teaching others the ways of the whitetail. This article is from their book, “Whitetails: From Ground To Gun.” You can purchase a paper or electronic version of the book right here. 

Winchester Repeating Arms built the XPR as a budget-priced hunting rifle for release in 2015. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the number of high-quality features built into this $499 sub-MOA bolt-action rifle.