Ep. 25: Practicing on Small Game and All About Arrows

is you go to the meat eater dot Com. Go into you'll see live events. Go to the particular venue you want exclusive meet and greet opportunities. So there's like a meet and greet with book signing and photo opportunities available for the v I P ticket holders. There's only sixty five of those tickets per show, so get on it. Go to the meat eater dot Com, meetat or live tour Off the Air. As a guide and hunter, I've

spent thousands of days in the field. This show is about translating my hard won experiences into tips and tactics. They'll get you closer to your ultimate goal success in the field. I'm Remy Warren. This is cutting the distance. This podcast is presented by Yetti Built for the Wild, Real quick. I just want you to picture yourself in the final moments of a stock. Let's say it's on the biggest mule here you've ever seen in your life. You've closed the distance, You've got in. Now it's time

to make a shot. When do you range? When do you draw back? Where do you aim? How do you control your breathing? How do you control your emotions? I think that bow hunting and consistent success go hand in hand with practice. But the best kind of practice for successful art is just practiced by doing, by having actual hunting scenarios and actual shots on game animals. That's how you get better. Now, for most people, it's not reasonable to have more than a couple encounters per year with

those type of scenarios. But I've found that the best practice and the best way to get better by doing, is to chase small game when the big game seasons have closed. A long time ago, I started chasing ducks, quail, rabbits, other small game animals with my bow throughout the winter. It was closer access to the areas I could be hunting in a shorter amount of time, and I would have more opportunities to take shots, make shots, or mess

things up for me. I think small game hunting with my bow has made me a more consistent bow hunter when it comes to big game hunting. So this week on Cutting the Distance podcast, I want to cover some of those tactics to chasing small game with a bow, including some specific gear that I use for chasing small game, as well as just some my ideas on places to

hunt and ways to be more successful. I think that if you start chasing smaller targets now, when the big game season rolls around, you're gonna have a stockpile of inaction experience that's invaluable when it comes to drawing down on that maybe once in a lifetime chance. So before we get too far, I just want to tell you about one of the most successful days I had hunting

small game with my bow in hand. One thing you'll learn about hunting small game animals, especially birds, their eyesight is incredible and they don't give you much time to make the shot, so everything has to be out of sight and then your target acquisition has to be quick. Right now, I'd already got two ducks, so it's time to go to the big water and see if I

could find some more. I'd hunted the creek pretty much as far as I could and decided I was going to walk to a small lake a little bit further away. So I gathered up my ducks, my arrows, and started walking to the bigger ponds. Through the bigger ponds, I was going through this mix of sage and tall grass, and I spooked a covey of quail up. I watched where they landed, switched my arrows from broadheads to blunt tips,

and moved in. I saw that they kind of landed where this fallen tree was, So I made my way towards this tree and just sat down and waited. I arranged the tree. I was twenty yards. If I had a shotgun, I would have just walked up there, flushed the birds and taking a few shots. But this is completely different. This is bow hunting. It's not very plausible to shoot a quail out of the air with your bow, so it has to be spot and stock. Now, when they see you, they either fly or run, giving you

very little opportunity to even get drawn back. So I decided to just sit and wait, be patient, see what they did. I knew that they landed there. Maybe they decided to run, but it was a good bit of cover for him, so I thought if I just wait, let things calm down, I might start seeing him pop out. Sure enough, about ten or fifteen minutes later, I saw a quail jump up on the stump that I had watched. I had already arranged it at ten yards, and then

it jumped down. I figured, just based on the habits of the way these birds move and things that I had seen in the past, as it jumped down, I drew back. Another quail jumped up in its place, and I was ready. I let the arrow fly and dropped the quail. It seemed like some of the birds knew what happened, because a few flushed out, but others just started moving around. I reloaded a narrow. Another bird came out through the brush a little bit further away, moving

and I watched it stop. I just waited at full draw. As it started to walk across the opening, I shot another bird. I walked over, picked up my birds as pretty much the rest of the covey had either run off or flown away, and decided to make my way to a bigger pond. Now I had waiters on, so that way, if I shot something further out, I'd be able to get it. I also had access to a kayak at my truck, so if I needed to paddle

out there and grab whatever birds I could. I just decided, all right, hunting this big water will give me a little bit of opportunity to spot some birds and then maybe get some further shots. So I worked to the edge of the pond and spotted a few diver ducks out in the middle. I think one was actually a

buffalo head ranged it swimming across sixty five yards. I switched back to my broad head and knew that I tested my arrows before they float, so if even if I missed, I'd find this arrow and could either walk out there or paddle out there and get it. I took a shot as the duck was swimming and actually missed it. It dove and then popped up again. Very rarely in big game hunting scenarios do I get multiple

shots on animals in a day. But here, in this particular scenario, fifty yards the duck popped right back up. I arranged it drew back shot. I aimed a little bit lower this time to compensate for the waterline, hit the duck, and the duck of swam in circles and expired. By this point, it was already a really good day mixed bag with a bow. I kept walking I think between that duck. I just then decided, okay, this is a great chance to get some further shots, to get

some moving shots, to get really good practice. I decided I had a few more arrows left in my quiver before I was just gonna go out and gather the other arrows that I've lost. I could see him floating out there, so I worked the bank a little bit further. A mallard started to swim out from the shoreline. I was already had an airrow on. I drew back shot,

got another duck. I had also flushed a rabbit out on the way while just stalking in to a spot where I was going to get in and get the arrows out of the water, and I watched the rabbit just stop. Put on the blunt tip again, stalked in, got a shot, got the rabbit. There's probably some of the best bow hunting action you could ask for. Multiple shots multiple mixed bag, some great eating and some great

pray actice. One thing I really noticed in the moment while hunting these small game animals was just the fact that the time between ranging, having to make a shot, knowing when to draw, there was a lot of birds along the way that I drew back on or drew at the wrong time, and they flew off before I could get a shot, or I would range and they would be swimming, I would draw and then I wouldn't

know the range. Over the course of the day, I shot at some more birds, I missed a few, probably half a dozen or more, and I shot a couple more birds after that, so I got nearly a limited ducks, a couple of quail, and a rabbit for the entire day. But the best part about it was the practice that I gained just executing a shot in the moment, when you have some pressure on you, when you gotta draw at the right time, you gotta sneak in the right way. It's not the same as just shooting at a target

in the backyard. It's real life practice, real life experience, and over the years similar practice like that. It's not even I wouldn't even necessarily call it practice just in the active hunting. By hunting and getting as many opportunities as possible, I made myself a better bow hunter because I could act and react almost seamlessly through the even just the course of the day. When I started out, I made some rookie mistakes. I thought, Oh, this will

be easy. There's some ducks on the water. I just gotta walk up there and shoot him. And then I realized they would fly off or move in between stocking and drawing or ranging. So I just got so much practice that day by hunting and getting shots on multiple animals without having to hike a long ways, without having to go on a multi day trip, without having one

specific tag that had a lot of pressure. By chasing those small game animals, I increased my bow hunting skills as well as came home with some incredible meat, a great mixed bag, and a big smile my face. When it comes down to it, small game hunting with a bow is really not that much different than hunting deer, elk anything. Now, the tactics are different, but as far as drawing, shot execution, shot placement, all that is very

very similar. The bonus the small game hunting is you get more of those interactions on most days in a shorter amount of time than you do big game hunting. I feel like so much of my hunts, when it comes to deer and elk or whatever, you're hunting all week for that one opportunity. Or small game hunting, you have lots of opportunities. You're just hoping for that one

opportunity that's good and you can connect. Now, there's been plenty of days I've gone out with my bow and not come back with a pile of ducks, maybe even only had one shot or no shots. But the days that I have had a lot of shots, it's really just increased my skills as far as shooting at animals. I think that when it comes down to the tactics for hunting small game with a bow, I want to break it out into a few different categories. So first the tactics are what you're going to chase and where

you're gonna go. Then we've got just some specific gear to small game hunting, because when you're shooting with a bow, arrows are expensive. You don't want to lose your arrows. So I have some ideas on tips to use as well as different fletching materials and ways to use what I call junker arrows, and then we'll just talk a little bit about shot placement. Because small game animals have different vitals, you might be surprised where you could hit

a bird and it's still get away. If you've ever hunted, say grouse, with your bow, you'll notice if you if you have the wrong tip or you shoot them in the wrong place, it's not as easy as it seems. They can definitely get away. So I want to talk a little bit about shot placement. So let's start with gear. Some of the specific gear that I use really comes

down to the type of tips. In the story I was talking about, when I was shooting at the quail, I switched to a blunt tip, but when generally when I shoot towards ducks, I use a broadhead as because over the years I've found that I've seen certain birds get away with certain tips, and also I've lost certain arrows more often using different tips, or you break them or whatever. So I would say the first arrow that I use in my collection of tips would be a blunt tip. And what that is is it's a it's

like a rubber. Some of them call them bunny thumpers or blunt tips. It's just a rubber tip that's like fat, like almost the shape of your thumb, flat on the front, and they make them in the same way whatever you use. So if you use a hundred grain field tip, you'll get a hunder grain blunt tip. And what that rubber blunt does is it absorbs a lot of the shock from hitting the ground as well as stops the arrow because it doesn't allow it to bury into the ground.

So most of the arrows that you lose end up getting buried and you just can't find them. The blunt tip caused the arrow to bounce and flip up, and it's very easy to see, very easy to spot. Also has a little bit of impact resistance, so when you shoot it, say a bird on the ground, it doesn't smash the arrow or break. The tips you can use them a lot. I actually take those blunt tips into the field when I'm big game hunting because then I can find a stump or a pine cone even during

the day, in the middle of the day. I use those to just practice while roving, which is just walking around shooting it in animal objects, stumps, pine cones, little tufts of grass without losing and breaking arrows. They're also really good for shooting birds and rabbits because it causes an impact as opposed to just putting a hole through it. It goes in and then does enough damage where it stops it or kills the bird instantly through force as

well as penetrating, so they're really good tip. I've used them on everything like ducks, geese, quail, pheasant, a lot of rabbits, cotton tails and jack rabbits. Now, when you're using that tip, you just gotta be more careful about your shot placement. I tend to try smaller birds you can hit anywhere. Larger stuff I tend to try aiming for the head. Now, there's another tip called the judo tip. What that is is it's very similar to a field tip,

but it has wire springs around it. Most time for little wire springs, so it looks like I guess the best way to describe it would be a field tip with like a wire claw around it. The judo tip is kind of similar into the application of the blunt tip, where it grabs grass flips the arrow up, so if you miss or whatever, you should be able to find

your arrow easier, it prevents it from burying in. It has similar flight characteristics to your field tips, although I don't notice much difference between the blunt tips and the field tips except for it slowing down. It longer ranges if you have a well tuned bow. Now, the judo tip is great for making body shots as well, but it will hit a bird or a rabbit. It'll go in, but it won't make the arrow pass through, so it kind of hits with a lot of impact, does a

lot of damage. It's quick killing, but also your arrow remains there as opposed to going through and losing it like it would if you just had a field tip on. And then the third tip that I use for small game would be a broadhead. And you might be surprised by using a broadhead, but I like to use broadheads, especially duck hunting, or if I run into geese. It's a little bit better flying I can it cuts through the water better because sometimes I've used the blunt tips

shooting at birds on the water. Now, I do want to mention when I'm hunting small game, I'm looking for the best and most ethical shots. So yeah, you can shoot birds with a shotgun out of the air, but it's not the best way to hunt with a bow and arrow. It is possible, it is doable depending on

the scenarios. But what I'm talking about here is just gaining bow hunting experience that translates to larger game animals, and that just involves spotting, stalking, and taking them either on the water or on the ground in a way that is very similar to any other kind of hunting you would do. So I like the broadhead, especially for waterfowl.

When I'm stalking ducks and geese. The one problem you will run into is if you do miss and it's shallow water or you're shooting down, it'll bury into the water. So when I'm hunting, I have a quiver with multiple different tips, and then I choose the tip based on the scenario. So sometimes I'll have those three different tips, a couple of broad heads, a couple of blunt tips, and maybe a judo tip or two or a small

game head. I know I've used those g five small game heads as well in replace of a judo tip, but it's really good to have a mixed bag of different tips for different scenarios. Even if I know I'm duck hunting or whatever it depends on. If I'm up on a bank shooting down into a short rocky creek, I'm not going to use my broadhead on that. I'm going to use the blunt tip. I'm gonna aim for

the head or neck area or back of the bird. Now, if I'm shooting it a more marshy area where it might be a further shot, I'm gonna switch to the broadhead. Try to take a shot on that. I'm also going to anticipate the type of tip and the setup based on where I'm walking and the type of stocking that I'm doing. But it's good to have multiple tips for multiple different scenarios. It's almost like you're golfing out there and you've got a bag full of clubs, and not

every club has the same applications. So small game hunting is kind of unique in that way, where your arrow might be different for the different scenarios you get yourself into. Now, another piece of gear that I always use when I'm small game hunting is I like to keep my setup very similar to what I'm going to use big game hunting.

So I have a range finder. I like to get down practice the way that I'm going to range the way that I'm gonna stock in and count how close or how far I am, especially because you get a lot more practice that way using the gear that you're gonna use big game hunting, but also the timing of things.

You know, there's so many times where you'll range something and you'll miss your opportunity by over ranging, or you'll get into a position where you don't range, but you maybe had time to get an exact reading and you miss because you you miss guessed. Small game hunting is also really good to just practice guessing ranges as well. So it's really good to have that set up, but also be flexible when you're out there hunting. Another thing to think about because when you're small game hunting, you

might be shooting multiple arrows throughout the course of the day. Now, arrows are not cheap. I understand that as much as anyone I've done post about small game hunting with my bow and people, oh, must be expensive that day. Very rarely do I ever lose an arrow when I'm small game hunting. Actually, I probably lose more three D target shooting than anything one. It's because the type of tips that I'm using and to Part of it is just

being cognizant of where you're shooting. There are times where if I have a grouse in a tree, I'll switch to a blunt and only shoot if I can line the tree up with the bird so that arrow will hit the base of the tree and then fall down. I don't just take every shot that's presented. I take shots that make sense and ones where I know that I can get my arrow back. Now, if you're just starting out and you have a lot of extra arrows, or you're gonna switch arrows, maybe it doesn't matter to you.

To me, I try to hunt with the mindset that everything that I shoot out, I'm gonna get my arrow back, and very rarely do I not get it back. Now, there's the occasional time where it hits a rock that you weren't expecting with a different tip, or gets stuck in a tree that you can't climb up, But for the most part, I would say of the time I actually get arrows back. There's also the option to kind of change the fletching on your arrows, just specifically for

small game hunting. I've experimented a lot with flu flu fletching, So what that is. It's actually used for shooting arrows into the air because it's really long fletching that slows your arrow down. There's actually feathered style, and I've seen plastic style as well. It slows your arrow down, and one it makes it easier to find to make your own slower, so there's less chance of it breaking when

it hits a rock. It's really good for small game hunting because a lot of the shots you're taking are pretty close range I would say thirty yards or less, and so having that flu flu arrow it's fast enough for birds. It doesn't necessarily change your point of impact in that short distance too much. It does slow the arrow down, but take a few shots practicing and then go out and hunt with it. I like using it.

I generally have one or two of those in my quiver because it slows the arrow down and I tend to lose few arrows. So if there's a shot where i'm kind of maybe especially grouse hunting in Montana or something, I use those a lot because I might be shooting at a bird that's in a tree and that will slow the arrow down. If I only have a limb shot, I'm shooting over open air. It's also if you've got a lot of pheasants in an area and you tend

to be kicking the birds up. You know, I have shot pheasants out of the air with those flu flus as they flush at my feet. So that's also another good option, just a little bit, a little bit more chance for success. It's kind of fun to do, and you still won't lose the arrows as much as you would if you're just shooting a normal weighted arrow often to the never Never's. So I like to just kind of choose my setup and my tips and my shots based on how am I going to get my arrow

back and what's the best shot to take. Another thing to think about is just creating a pile of what I call junker arrows. You know, you might get a new bow, you might switch arrows, and you've got say three arrows of an old brand or whatever. I just always keep all my old arrows. Just make sure that there's no damage to the arrow. But it might just be a damaged fletching, it might be a different arrow

that you aren't hunting with anymore. If you notice, most of them shoot fairly similar as far as close range goes. I'd say out to twenty yards or whatever. Or you can shoot the mixed arrows and just see how they fly. They fly way different than your current set up. Then you could either adjust your setup or whatever. But it's nice to take arrows that you don't mind losing or breaking out with you, as opposed to your high dollar big game arrows. So sometimes I'll even change my setup.

If I've got half a dozen arrows from an old setup that I'm not going to use anymore, I'll keep those for small game hunting, and then I'll just save my more expensive arrows for big game hunting or just target shooting. That way, you've got the option. One thing I do want to say is when you are small game hunting, you're often shooting at targets on the ground. Your arrow is gonna hit the ground, It's gonna hit rocks and other things. So every time I shoot, I

grabbed that arrow and I flex it. I bend it as hard as I can in multiple places and make sure that it doesn't snap. That way, I know that if the next shot I take, if there's a chip or something in the carbon fiber of the arrow, then by flexing it, if it snaps, then I know that I shouldn't be shooting that. That saved me a lot of times because what happens when you shoot your bow that arrow is flexing, is all that energy transfers from

the full draw to throwing that arrow down range. And as it flexes, if there's a chip or an imperfection from hitting the ground and be damaged, you might not be able to see it with your eye, but as it flexes, that arrow can snap, and it can be really dangerous to yourself because it might go through I've seen pictures of them go through people's hands, from people's arms. It's just a bad deal. So every time you shoot,

and that should go for target practice as well. When I pull my arrows out of a target or if I miss a target shooting three D s or whatever, I always flex my arrows constantly. You'd be surprised how many something happened to Especially when you shoot a tight group at a target. Your arrow might nick the other arrow, cause it to crack or fray in a certain way that you don't even really notice, and then when you go to flex it, it'll snap. So that's just something

to think about. Throwing your memory bank now, when it comes to shot placement, you might be thinking, well, they're already a small target. Yes, but a lot of depending on what I'm hunting and what tip I have on depends on where I aim. A lot of my shots, I'm actually aiming for the head. They always say aims small, miss small, But with a bird you also have have to pick a shot. Their kill zone is actually a

lot smaller than a big game animals kill zone. Just because you're hunting a mallard duck their whole body doesn't necessarily mean that that's where you'll you'll make an ethical shot. I've seen ducks shot in places that look fairly decent and then fly off or swim off with an arrow in them. So, just like anything, you want to make

a clean, ethical kill shot for most birds. For ducks when they're swimming away, I am pretty much at the base of the neck, try to get the spine and the vitals, or on a lot of birds that aim for the wing butts or the basis of the wings because their breast hangs down a lot lower. You'd be surprised where a lot of people they just aim for the bird, they hit him in the breast and the bird flies off or gets away. Even with broadheads. I've seen some grouse. I've seen a lot of birds get

away where you think, how is that even possible? So shot placement on small game is just as critical as it is on all game animals. If you get used to making a good shot and placing a good shot on a small game animal, that translates when it's something larger. It doesn't matter how big your target is, whether you're shooting in an elk or a jack rabbit. You want

to aim small every time. So getting that practice of picking a spot on an animal is probably some of the best practice you get When it comes to small game hunting. With a rabbit, I always try to put it either head or right behind the shoulder. With a bird, I either shoot head or a wing, butts because I like to pick that one small spot and you get practice picking a spot on an animal. I think one of the hardest things for new hunters is you go out.

You practice all the time shooting at a target, but targets have spots on them. Block targets have a physical spot, even three D targets. You start to pick something that you might actually see. But when you go to small game hunting or big game animals, they don't have spots on them. You have to pick an end of dual hair, an individual crease, one specific thing hone in and you're

gonna be a lot better shot. And I think that that is often, I mean, everybody says it, but it takes a lot of practice to be able to pick a spot in the moment fast when you've got a lot of different things going on. Now, let's talk about some tactics for small game hunting. I think one of the first tactics is picking your spot. The bonus to small game hunting with a bow in hand as opposed to a shotgun or a small caliber rifle is the fact that there might be some more areas that are

open to you in a closer proximity to where you live. Now, there's a lot of areas that you definitely have to check your local game laws. You have to check your local whatever land use laws there are where you're at. But there might be some public lands or some other lands that are within a close proximity to where people live that it's only legal to hunt with a bow, And a lot of people overlook hunting small game animals

with the bow. Other states I know, definitely California has small game seasons that are concurrent with the archery seasons in the state, so sometimes you can think about hunting them in a season that's archery specific, where you might not be able to hunt other things, but you can hunt with your bow. So it really opens up a lot of opportunity if you're willing to go chase small game animals with your bow and arrow. Now, of course

you got to look into it. You gotta make sure that it's all legal, but it's just something to think about. One thing I would like to add to that is I've had some really good hunts and close proximity to town where it's legal to hunt with a bow, but it might not be legal to shoot a rifle in those zones or those fringe areas close to town or close to where I live. But another thing you have to think about is just because it's legal doesn't mean

you can do whatever you want. And what I mean by that is you have to play by a code of ethics that won't taint the way people see hunting. So if you're going to take your bow on a really popular trail and decide to hunt birds and shoot birds. You know, how are you acting around those people? Are you going to run into a lot of people that might not agree with what you're doing and kind of give hunting a bad name. Are you gonna hunt a pond that is close to where a lot of people recreate.

You know, you got to make sure that you make an ethical shot because you don't want a goose running around with an arrow in it where other people can see that. You know, so you really have to look out for what you're doing and where you're doing it. Just because it's legal doesn't mean that it's always gonna lend a good light hunting. You don't want to be the guy that does something that's legal and then makes it now illegal because enough people see it and and

don't like what's going on. So I just have to throw that out there, you know, be cognizant of what you're doing just because it's legal. You know, put a good ethical lens on it, because you're an ambassador for all hunters when you're out there. So the closer y are to more people, the more you really have to

think about that stuff. That's just my two cents on that, But there is some great hunting that is getting overlooked by other hunters that don't even consider chasing small game animals with their bow and arrow, that you can get into good opportunity without having to go too far, as well as have some great just high populations of animals that might not be getting hunted otherwise. So that's just

something to think about now. I think one of the best tactics for small game hunting is just translating those those big game tactics to what you're doing. I do a lot of it spot and stock, so I pick my areas based on, Okay, where can I get good stocks.

If I'm waterfowl hunting with my bow, I try to go for creeks and streams, uh, smaller ponds where I can get shots and creep up with cover and then take my shot with birds on the water or meandering creeks where I can peek out glass down spot the birds, then go make a stock out of sight and move in. One thing that you will want to do is know your distances, because with bow hunting small game, you get a lot less time with them than you might with

larger game animals. When you're within range, they're all lot of times moving. If they see you draw, they're gonna be gone and they aren't going to give you that opportunity. They don't stop, they don't mess around for the most part, So the real challenges focusing on their eyes and what they can see. You'd be surprised how well and how far birds can see, and trying to keep those animals

un alert. It's a really good practice as far as drawing out of sight and then getting ready and moving into position when they don't notice, when they aren't paying attention, as well as using tactics of sitting still waiting for the right shot and then drawing out of sight, getting into position and taking your shot quick. And by taking your shot quick, I mean acquiring the target, picking a

spot fast, and letting the arrow fly. The more you make that instinctual and the less you really think about it, the more successful you're gonna be. I know that that sounds. It's not necessarily a direct tactic where people ask me, what's your shot process? What do you go through when you shoot an animal? Now, for me, there are certain things that I think about, But what I like to do is I like to just make it automatic, where all the things that I should think about are happening

in the background. I hate when you get into a situation and you overthink it so much that you mess it up. It's paralysis by analysis, where you've got everything you're supposed to do in your mind, and the thing that you're supposed to do is make a perfect shot, and you're thinking about all the ways to make a perfect shot, and by thinking about all those ways to make a perfect shot, you're impeding your natural instinct to just pull back, aim where you're supposed to, and release

a perfect arrow. I think a lot of bow hunting should be automatic, and the best way to do that is to hunt automatic where you think about, yes you have to aim, yes you need to draw back out of sight, but you do all those things subconsciously. So every time you get a shot opportunity, what you should be thinking about is make a perfect shot, and all

that amounts to is picking a spot, settling right. Everything else should be out max through practice in your backyard, and when it comes to aiming at an animal, all you should be focused on is aiming on that spot, and if you do that, you're gonna be a lot more successful in the future. Well, I hope you guys really like to that small game with a bow idea. I don't know, maybe you've never tried it, maybe been bow hunting for a long time. Hopefully that just gets

the wheels turning. You know, if you're a new bow hunter as well, that's a great place to start. Get yourself a bow, or even if you're just thinking about getting into bow hunting, get yourself a bow and go chase some small game animals and then, as always, let me know how it goes. Social media a great way to reach out and contact me via Instagram. I try to get to as many messages as I can. I love seeing the photos that you tag me in and

all that. That's awesome to just see your success. I just thank you guys so much for all the great comments. You can also email me at Remy at the meat Eater dot com. Um you can ask your questions there. I try to read a few or as many of the questions as I can, and there's just so many great testimonials of things that people have done to be successful, things that they've tried from listening to the podcast. So I say it every week, but thank you, that's that's

why we're doing it. This week. I want to read. A question comes from Casey. He's stationed up in Alaska, and you know, we had a Wild Sheep Foundation a couple of weeks ago. The National Convention called it Sheep Week. I love sheep hunting. I've been on quite a few different doll sheep hunts, so I figured this would just be a fun one to answer. It might not pertain to everyone, but I think that there's a lot that can be said for I'm sure this this problem happens

with meal deer and elk and everything. So it's it's fairly lengthy email, so I'm just gonna abbreviate what's going on. So he moved up to Alaska. He's he's sounded some things, but doll sheep seemed to keep evading him. Um, he hasn't drawn in Texas. He's just general area. He's been hiking into sheep country three to six days of glassing, and and what he keeps finding is what he calls

the nursery of Alaska doll sheep. He set his eyes on four hundred sheep or more and not really a single legal ran, so lots of sheep, maybe twenty rams, but the best about a three quarter curl ram. Now, I'm sure this can apply to a lot of people. How many people have been out there, say, mule deer hunting, and it's all you're finding is does and does and fawns and does and those kind of areas, those areas

that you just call the nursery. I mean, that's happened to me this last year on a mountain goat hunt. We're just seeing nanny's and kids, nanni's and kids. So I think specifically he asks here, what advice for getting out of that nursery and finding the big daddy rams. So you really have to assess the area and the type of animals you're seeing in every area. So first I like to break it down into time of year. What time are you looking? Is it the middle of

summer or is it during the season. So let's pretend that it's during the season in the areas where you're finding the lambs and us or it could be anything. If this is applying to you for mule deers, does and fawns. Nursery tipe areas are there for a reason. It's to p TechEd their young and they're grouped up because it's safety in numbers as well, so they're trying to avoid predators, and they're also in an area that's very conducive to easy feed, water, all the things that

they need to feel safe as well as protect their young. Now, outside of the running period, the rams or male animals of most species, are going to be bachelored up somewhere else. And based on kind of what I'm gathering from this, you're probably seeing these nursery areas early August or maybe even into the summer or just the beginning of the season. What I suggest is go to the more what I

would think of as aggressive high terrain. So if it's doll sheet, a lot of those bands of rams are going to be up at the head basins, up into the rocky stuff where there is some terrain that nothing else can get to. Rams love that up at the head of glaciers, off the head of glaciers when the country starts to get really aggressive. So what I would do if it was me, is I would get up to that real aggressive country and I would hunt the

edges and the fringes of it where they might feed to. Now, I'm sure that there is probably a lot of that aggressive country, but just getting out of the river bottom is key. I mean I've done that with tar and other things. Where you start you hike a long ways up say a river valley or whatever. But getting up and over into those hidden basins they're along the more cliffy stuff. Mountain animals, the more mature animals tend to be in those areas because they can stay away from hunters.

They're out of reach, and it's a long haul, it's a big slog, but for the most part, getting into that type of country is a great way to get into it. Now, also in Alaska, you have to consider a lot of successful sheep hunters have access to airplanes to getting into more remote country. So it might be something that although it does cost money, you know, looking into a cub flight into a remote air strip where

you can then hike and hunt from there. Just just a thought for that now to translate that to where that might answer a question for other people, you know, try getting if it's early in the season, most of the male animals are gonna be in isolated pockets further away in what I would call deeper rougher country because that well, it depends if it's meal dear, they're growing

out they're gonna be in the alpine. Same with other animals like elk, they're gonna be up above that timberline in the alpine, whereas does and fawns will be in more of the lower lying basins. Not that they can't be in both, but if you're seeing a lot of does and fawns, generally I try to go to a higher elevation and for I would say seventy of the time that tends to hold true. Yeah, So I guess that's all I have for this week before I go. A couple of weeks ago, I was at the wild

Sheet Foundation. People saw me like, why didn't you talk about being here on your podcast? Would love to know that you're here. So I'm going to get better at doing that, at least letting people be aware of what conservation organization events I'm gonna be at. So I've got coming up on March the Open Young Club in Virginia, so they're having their national convention. I'm the keynote speaker, and I'm also gonna be doing a Q and A type panel and walking around hanging out. There's an archery

course there. It's an awesome event to go to because you can shoot your bow at the hotel pretty much. They're doing a big three D target tournament around the hotel. You can see all the largest animals ever taken with a bow. There's a lot of bow hunters there and I'll be there to answer some questions. So if you

see me there, say hey, think about going. I'm giving everybody a lot of notice because it is in March and it's in Virginia, so you might have to plan on making the pilgrimage, so hopefully if you get a chance. I just wanted to let everybody know that I'll be doing that, and then in future podcasts, I'll let people know different events that i'll be out, So you can kind of keep an eye out for me until next week. Name Small, Miss Small. See you guys,