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HOW TO: Prepare to Shoot in Cold Weather

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A hunting scenario a lot of people can’t control, that they don’t necessarily think as much about is, their clothing in a hunting situation. They’ve spent all summer practicing at the range, in the early fall, they’re wearing a light jacket, light clothing. Then next thing you know, they’re out in a hunting situation, and it is cold, they’ve got tons of gear on, and they’ve put gloves on for the first time. They’ve never pulled the trigger with the gloves! They’ve never raised their handgun into a  position to take a shot with all that clothes on and it’s binding and it feels different and the entire summer of practice, and the entire early fall, it kind of goes out the window.

We highly suggest spending some time shooting with gloves if you think you’re going to be wearing gloves in a hunting situation. We know when it’s cold, we’re gonna have our gloves on. Because the entire handgun is going to feel different. From how you load it, to how the trigger feels, to how you reload. Everything about it is gonna be a little more cumbersome and you’re gonna feel like you’re fumbling a little bit, so don’t forget to practice with your gloves on. And if you’ll spend some time preparing for that different feel, it will pay off. You know, because repetitive practice in anything, is gonna help you be more successful.

 

GEAR SEEN IN THIS VIDEO

Performance Center® 460 XVR: https://bit.ly/2GpA8dQ

Performance Center® Model 629 Stealth Hunter Revolver: https://bit.ly/2PEHtIg

Walker’s XCEL Electronic Muffs: https://bit.ly/2FYvQLQ

Trijicon RMR Red Dot Site: https://bit.ly/2GejjU2

Hornady® LEVERevolution® for Revolvers and Lever Guns in .45 Long Colt: https://bit.ly/2WMaA0f

HIVIZ Litewave H3™ Tritium/Litepipe: https://bit.ly/2rgH7ga

Caldwell Tack Driver Gun Rest: https://bit.ly/2BhLfCf

BOG POD Shooting Sticks: https://bit.ly/2s4vPMG

Cabela’s O2 Camo: https://bit.ly/2F5ccvD

Yamaha Viking VI Side by Side: https://bit.ly/2TqPMsE

How-To Perfect Your Trigger Pull

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Trigger pull and the follow-through in a hunting situation with a handgun to us are two really important things. They vastly differ probably from your competitive shooters and how they would focus on it and what they would be thinking about, but in a hunting situation, it is one shot, one kill in a perfect world. That trigger pull is something on a handgun that’s really different than a rifle or your shotgun. It’s a lot longer, it’s a lot more drawn out, and staying through it, for lack of a better word, is something really key in a hunting situation.

We look at a lot of our misses on the range and even bad shots when we’ve been hunting. It’s been a forced fast pull of the trigger, a jerk, in our mind with that small barrel, you’re pulling everything left or down in a lot of those situations. We think that’s what you want to avoid and obviously the way to avoid that is practice and kind of concentrating going through it. That motion and that practice will pay off and help you begin to focus on that after the boom and staying down and through on that target and not try to peek link in golf. When you peek, you top the golf ball.  If you peek right at that moment of truth, when you’re expecting that gun to go off, your aiming point is gonna differ.

So trigger pull, good slow follow through in your mind, make it all good one motion staying down on the target.  We think it’d be a big key thing for guys that are picking up handgun hunting to help raise their success.

 

Performance Center 460 XVR: https://bit.ly/2SveOKl

Cabela’s Six-Shooter Pistol Scopes: https://bit.ly/2SveOKl

Walker’s Silencer Ear Buds: https://bit.ly/2TA5pyl

Walker’s XCEL Electronic Muffs: https://bit.ly/2FYvQLQ

Cabela’s O2 Camo: https://bit.ly/2F5ccvD

Bog Pod Shooting Sticks: https://bit.ly/2s4vPMG

Trijicon RMR Red Dot Site: https://bit.ly/2GejjU2

HIVIZ Litewave H3™ Tritium/Litepipe: https://bit.ly/2rgH7ga

Hornady® LEVERevolution® for Revolvers and Lever Guns in .45 Long Colt: https://bit.ly/2WMaA0f

Crossbows: Power, Speed, Accuracy – Full Episode

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In this episode of Cabela’s Deer Gear TV, we are looking at the extraordinary knockdown power, speed, and accuracy that comes from a TenPoint Crossbow. We’ll review TenPoint’s Crossbow of the Year, the Stealth NXT and also debut TenPoint’s newest and most powerful crossbow ever to hit the market the Nitro XRT. You’ll see incredible hunting action showing the knockdown and accuracy of the models as well as insight on the features of both the Stealth NXT and Nitro XRT models. We’ll also then look at a comparison of the penetration power of the new Nitro XRT next to a 44 Mag handgun when it comes to creating wound channels. Later on, in the show, we’ll also go on two separate crossbow hunts where we’ll showcase hunting action from the field on two whitetail hunts.

GEAR SHOWN IN VIDEO:

TenPoint Stealth NXT Crossbow: https://bit.ly/2GW0C8N

TenPoint Nitro XRT Crossbow: https://bit.ly/2AROhdj

TenPoint Nitro X Crossbow: https://bit.ly/2RwKnD5

TenPoint Stag Hard Crossbow Case: https://bit.ly/2CXY1V8

CenterPunch Premium Crossbow Arrows: https://bit.ly/2C2G60a

Rage Chisel-Tip SlipCam 3-Blade Broadheads with Shock Collars: https://bit.ly/2SGmgiN

Bass Pro Shops BlackOut™ Six-Sided Foam Archery Target: https://bit.ly/2RafEwj

Cabela’s O2 Octane Camoflague: https://bit.ly/2F5ccvD

Cabela’s Instinct® Men’s Pursuitz Hunting Boots: https://bit.ly/2VtKdeL

Cabela’s Intensity 1600 Laser Rangefinder: https://bit.ly/2GQxfo6

Cabela’s Comfort Max 360° Original Blind Chair: https://bit.ly/2R9qoLr

Cabela’s Intensity HD 10×42 Binoculars: https://bit.ly/2Vu7ldb

Cabela’s The Species XL Ground Blind: https://bit.ly/2LQmdhB

New Archery Products Mantis 2 Ground Blind: https://bit.ly/2COIZDz

Performance Center® Model 629 Stealth Hunter Revolver: https://bit.ly/2PEHtIg

Yamaha Viking VI Ranch Edition Side-by-Side: https://bit.ly/2Sxaeb3

Yamaha Wolverine X2 Side-by-Side: https://bit.ly/2TqPMsE

Bog Pod Shooting Sticks: https://bit.ly/2SE3U1G

ConQuest Stink Stick® with Evercalm® Deer Herd Scent: https://bit.ly/2SB48Xt

Garmin VIRB® Ultra 30 Action Camera: https://bit.ly/2s8qNPj

Garmin Fenix Watch: https://bit.ly/2F6xmu8

Walker’s XCEL Electronic Muff: https://bit.ly/2FYvQLQ

 

Every episode of Cabela’s DeerGearTV offers insight into new products for deer hunters, how to choose a hunting rifle, what to do when deer hunting, how to deer hunt, what to wear when deer hunting and insight in tactics for deer hunting.

Base-Layer Clothing for Hunting

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By Tony J. Peterson

The key to comfort is contained in the first layer of clothing you choose.

Base-Layer Clothing Systems for Hunting

When I think back to my early days as a bowhunter, I cringe for plenty of reasons.

The simple fact I had no idea what I was doing is enough to cause such a reaction. But I also remember the misery. I live in Minnesota, which means I bowhunt cold weather a lot. Back then, I didn’t own a single piece of decent hunting clothing.

I just threw on extra sweatshirts, jackets or whatever and made sure that my last layer had camouflage on it. What that meant was I was often cold and always bulked up.

I can remember shooting at a small eight-pointer in December when I was a teenager and watching as my arrow buried into the dirt three feet in front of his chest. My string had caught on all of my bulky clothes and thrown my shot way, way off. That buck would have been a trophy to end all trophies then, and I didn’t have a chance.

Today, my clothing system is much different and it is always centered on base layers.

Hunters now have lightweight, midweight and heavyweight options made from the best material available and are articulated to fit perfectly. They also employ serious technology like Polygiene to fight odor-causing bacteria.

The materials used in the latest wave of base layers are either wool or polyester. The latter seems like a strange choice, but I’ve gravitated toward it over the years because of the feel, fit and fact that it can also be made to wick away moisture.

I also look for base layers offered in a variety of sizes, particularly Tall. Since base layers are made to fit snugly they tend to creep up when you’re sitting down on stand. A Tall option doesn’t, which is always appreciated.

To reap the most out of base layers, I tend to choose options to match my hunting conditions and use them alone while slipping into my stand. Since they are moisture wicking, I know even if I sweat, I won’t freeze as soon as I get to my tree or my blind. Once there, I open up my pack and throw on a jacket, or maybe a vest and a jacket. On really frigid days, I might put on an extra base layer for added warmth.

All this adds up to a much higher level of comfort, the importance of which can’t be overstated.

If you don’t want to get busted on stand, and you want to wring the most hours out of your day actually hunting, you can’t get cold. If you do, you’ll fidget for a while, and then you’ll bail. That is an outcome that rarely results in a short blood trail and a stiff back from dragging out a buck. So get the proper base layers and make sure it doesn’t happen.

Read more from Cabela’s Deer Nation

Shop for Cabela’s cold weather camo here

Be protected from the cold in a fiberglass blind from Hercules Outdoor Industries

 

 

When Should You Head To Your Deer Stand?

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When should I get to my stand and how early is too early? Two questions every hunter should ask when preparing for any deer hunt. Some fellow hunters provide their take on when they like to head out to the stand.

“How early is too early and how late is too late when going to and from stands? WOW, that’s a great question that really can’t be answered with a one part answer due to so many factors. To get the right answer you would have to look at the time of year, deer movement, weather conditions, etc. 

As a rule of thumb for me, I like to get to the stand at least 30 minutes before daylight for an early morning sit. One hour is even better. For an afternoon sit, I like to get there two hours before prime time movement for that time of the year, at a minimum.   However, as I said above there are so many factors in answering this question that I would never say there is an absolute answer to it.”

Wade Middleton, Host of Americana Outdoors®

“Well, I’ll start by prefacing my answer that I am not a fan of all-day sits…that considered, in the AM, can’t get in too early (in most cases).  Always good to be settled/quiet for a period of time before the woods officially comes to life for the day.  As far as leaving in the AM, if there is action, stay put.  If nothing is moving, at all or for an extended period of time, and you don’t have pics to show a pattern of late-morning wanderers, get out.  Head back to camp and solidify the plan for the afternoon/evening.

 For the PM, same as the AM…too early is a good default.  No harm in saving the sore backside if you don’t have a comfortable set-up.  Sneaking in just before a forecasted “prime time” is too risky.  I’m lazy but not that lazy!  As far as getting out, dark is the default.  Even with no movement I would vote for staying as long as you can, with a couple of exceptions – you can more easily bail without mucking up the area for future hunts or if Angel is making venison salisbury steak that night.”

Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and Side-by-Side Marketing Manager & Avid Hunter

“I’ve always wanted to get in my stands really early in the morning. I prefer about 30 minutes before it actually starts breaking. That may seem early, but bumping one by being a little late is just not worth it to me. Then when the hunt is over, I gauge when to leave by what is around as it is getting dark. I don’t want other deer to see me getting out of the blind during daylight. Usually when it gets black dark, I’ll sneak out.”

Clark Wendlandt, Host of Fishing & Hunting Texas™, Cabela’s Pro Staff

As you can see, everyone has their own preference. However, the general consensus for morning hunts, plan on being squared away at least 30 minutes to an hour before daylight. Regarding afternoon hunts, confirm what the deer are doing that time of year. If you have Stealth Cams setup, check the times of when the photos are taken and gauge from there.

We hope this insight will help you get settled in the stand and ready for when that shooter comes in. Happy hunting!