How To Avoid Buck Fever

By Mike Hanback Big Deer Blog www.bigdeerblog.com

Here’s an 8-step plan for staying cool and collected, and making all the right moves when a big buck is close.

Set up smartly.

Play it smart before you lay eyes on a big deer. Do you normally hang a tree stand 18 to 20 feet high? Well, move it on up to 22 feet when archery hunting. A little extra elevation lets you get away with a lot more movement (which we will discuss later) when a buck approaches. Also, if you shoot right-handed, angle a perch on a tree so that your left shoulder points toward a spot where you expect to see deer (vice versa for southpaws). If a buck shows there, you can stand up and draw a bow or raise a gun with little movement. And your body and feet will be in good shooting position.

Be Ready.

Climb up and organize your gear. If you’re right-handed, hang a bow on a hook or set it in a bow holder within inches of your left hand. Don’t lay a gun across your lap; rather, sit with it tucked on a thigh and between your knees. Hang your binocular, range finder, rattling horns and other stuff on hooks within easy reach. The point is, get organized before a buck shows. You’ll fidget less and won’t get busted.

Look and Listen.

It’s tough to stay on red-alert, especially when it’s cold and you haven’t seen a buck for hours or maybe even days. But you gotta stay sharp. The minute you drop your guard, presto! A dominant buck will pop up within 50 yards of your stand and you don’t want that. When a big buck surprises you, you might get rattled, make a fast move and spook him. So methodically scan the woods and try to pick up the flash of antlers or hide as far out as possible. You’ll have time to calm your nerves, shift into position and start planning your final moves. (continued on page 34)

Fast-forward to today and the original Rapala CountDown, along with the Scatter Rap® CountDown®, the X-Rap® CountDown® and the CountDown® Magnum®, still remain favorites among anglers worldwide, including many top bass fishing pros. Rapala’s new CountDown® Elite bait builds on that tradition while blasting into the brave new world of high-tech tackle and digital-age anglers. The CD Elite is forged, flattened, one piece through wire construction that improves durability making this a super premium balsa bait.

New CountDown® Elite

Builds On Legendary Rapala® Tradition

Rapala www.rapala.com

Good things come to those who wait. Such wisdom is understood well by every angler who’s ever caught a big fish on an original Rapala® CountDown® bait. Cast. Wait. Count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…Now reel. Fish on! Rapala knows this as well, having waited until now to leverage 80-plus years of lure-making experience and expertise into its new high-tech CountDown Elite lure.

Like its predecessor, the CountDown Elite is built from balsa and features the legendary controlled-sink characteristic. That classic

Cast or troll CountDown Elite lures to find fish quickly and consistently throughout the water column, whether they’re hanging around weed tops or holding tight to the bottom. Hand-tuned and tank-tested, they will swim perfectly, fresh out of the box. Secured tip-to-tail by a forged, flattened, one-piece through-wire, they’re as durable as they are dependable.

CountDown Elites are available in 12 high-definition color patterns that add fish-triggering flash with metallic plating and gilded faces.

In stained to muddy water, tie on one of the four bright, attention-grabbing color patterns – Gilded Clown, Gilded Chartreuse Orange, Gilded Firetiger, and Gilded Hot Tiger. In crystal-clear to lightly stained water, throw a CountDown Elite in one of the eight natural-baitfish patterns – Gilded Minnow, Gilded Brown Trout, Gilded Rainbow Trout, Gilded Gold Shad, Gilded Silver Shad, Gilded Vairon, Gilded Iwana and Gilded Wakasagi.

The CountDown Elite is available in two sizes. The No. 55 model weighs 3/16th oz. and measures 2-¼ inches. It comes armed with two No. 12 VMC Inline Hybrid Treble 2X Hooks secured by heavy-duty split-rings. The No. 75 model weighs 3/8th oz. and measures 3 inches. It comes with two No. 10 VMC Inline Hybrid Treble 2X Hooks secured by heavy-duty split-rings.

Photos courtesy Rapala www.rapala.com

Summer is now in full swing throughout North America. The days are growing longer and warmer, and water temperatures are rising. And that means only one thing: It’s bass time! But, as the temperatures rise, bass like to head a little deeper. From the shoreline, they move out into the weed beds, where they can ambush bait fish. They gravitate toward rock piles and points, and roam long flats in search of minnows and crayfish. As you scan your electronics, you can see the bass clumped up. But getting down to them –that’s the tricky part. Especially when it involves getting your lure to the exact depth – and keeping it there, where the bass are.What’s a bass angler to do?

In a new video by Al and James Lindner, the answer of course, is the Rapala DT-8 (Dives-To Series).

https://www.facebook.com/