If you own a taxidermy mount, it is always a good thing to keep it clean. Keeping it clean prevents unwanted guests from touching your taxidermy. Suppose there are any concerns about insects damaging your taxidermy. In that case, it is important to occasionally inspect your mount-especially around the mouth, antlers, and around the ears- for signs of any pests.

Cleaning your mounts often ensures that they look fresh and lifelike. Depending on the type of mount you have, the cleaning process will vary from one to the other. Here are a few tips on how to clean and care for Taxidermy Bird Mounts.

Dust your bird regularly

Cleaning your bird mount is crucial as it ensures that dirt or dust does not build up. The frequency of dusting your bird depends on the place you live, among other factors. People who live in dustier areas will need to do the cleaning more often.

When removing excess dust, a feather duster works well. You can also dust your bird mounts by gently brushing them using a cotton ball in the direction of the feathers. In addition to that, you can also use a hairdryer at arms-length to de-dust your bird regularly.

Please make sure the hairdryer is in its most relaxed and lowest setting and use it in the same direction as the feathers to avoid damages. Do all this instead of using solvents. The birds’ feathers usually have some natural oil that several solvents can strip, leaving them more brittle.

All the skin surface of birds such as legs, the skin around the eye, beaks, and featherless skin areas for some birds like the vultures’ neck and the head is some species have preparators painted on them. Cleaning these places with solvents may not work well with preparators. As a result, using solvents should only be a last resort.

In cases where you must remove dust on bird taxidermy mounts held by grease emanating from poorly prepared skins, you will have to use some solvents cautiously. Make sure you are using gentle solvents and take your time.

Start by using simple distilled water and barely-damp swabs and see if that solves the problem. If the dust is stubborn enough, move up and use non-denatured 70% ethanol. It is doubtful you will find any dusty taxidermy specimen that requires anything more potent than the non-denatured 70% ethanol.

Do not immerse the specimen in any solvent or leave it wet. Do not wet the skin of your bird mount unless it is a featherless area. If you also wet the featherless skin areas, be sure to dry them thoroughly. Birds have fragile skin, and moisture can quickly wick through it, making it swell and split.

Use lacquer thinner

If your Taxidermy Bird Mounts have residual dust on the feather, experts recommend we avoid using water. Water tends to matte and messes up with the feathers. Instead, lightly dampen a rag with lacquer thinner and wipe the mount off. The feathers absorb lacquer thinner as it evaporates, quickly bringing out the shiny bit of the bird’s feathers. When brushing your bird, be sure to wipe it gently and in the same direction as the feathers. However, it would be best if you stayed away from all painted areas.

Keep it out of the sun

Your Taxidermy Bird Mounts need to be displayed prominently but be sure where you put them. Avoid placing your mounts in direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will breach the feathers of your bird, making them fade.

To ensure that you maintain the original richness and vibrant colors of your birds’ feathers, keep them out of direct sunlight. Place your mount near a window, and they will soon succumb to damage because of too much presence of ultraviolet (UV) light.

For white-coated birds, the UV light will change them to yellow. For bird mounts with darker colors, they will become bleached. If the only place to showcase your birds is near a sunny window, make sure you install quality UV blocking window films.

Be wary of smoke

From wood-burning stoves and burning logs in fireplaces to smoking cigarettes and cigars indoors, it is essential to know that smoke can ruin your Taxidermy Bird Mounts. Therefore, avoid displaying your mounts over smoke-producing fixtures or hanging your prized taxidermy trophies in your cigar room.

In addition, prolonged exposure of your artworks to smoke will discolor them. To clean smoke damage from your taxidermy, you need to follow a few steps:

• In a bucket of warm water, mix three droplets of dish soap.
• Agitate the solution to make a sudsy solution
• Get a clean sponge and saturate it in the sudsy soap solution
• Squeeze out all the excess solution from the sponge so that it is damp but not soaking wet
• Wipe the stuck smoke gently and in the direction of the feathers

Use OdorXit to eliminate odor in Taxidermy Bird Mounts

Do you have a bird mount that is smelling like rancid fat or meat? Smelling mounts can often be worrying, and at the same time, can put you in a dilemma on the next step to take. Birds have feathers, and their bones are very thin and fragile.

How can you remove the fat and muscle without destroying the feathers and skin of your taxidermy bird?

Most taxidermy trophy owners ask themselves this question. The answer is, you can inject small amounts of 20 to 1 OdorXit solution into the fingers and wing joints. OdorXit eliminates the odor quickly. To take care of the exterior odor, spray 30 to 1 OdorXit solution onto the feathers and skin.

Your taxidermy mount always deserves the best treatment and care. That is why you need to work with professional and compassionate bird taxidermist who understand and care about your pet. If your mounts crack or become brittle, they can restore them. If your fur/feathers are not in good shape, or you have a cracked tongue or nose, the taxidermist can re-clay them. They always ensure that your bird is in perfect condition every time you mount it. With tips and experience possessed by taxidermists, they will make sure your artwork lasts forever.

Many people these days are transitioning from living in a city to living in the woods. And while it may seem like an unwise decision, living somewhere remote and secluded can give a lot of people the peace of mind they need. If you’re thinking of making the move to living in the woods, there are a few things that you should know to survive. Read on to find out how you can survive living in the woods.

Tips To Survive Living in the Woods

If you’ve lived in the city for a long time, you might find yourself longing for the simplicity of life in the woods. Though it may seem challenging, surviving in the wilderness is possible with the proper preparation. Here are a few tips to help you survive living in the woods:

1. Secure Your Home

The very first thing you need to do is make sure your home is secure. If you’re living in a cabin or some other type of small dwelling, fortify it as much as possible. Board up the windows, build a strong door and stockpile supplies. It’s also essential to have a good stash of weapons and ammunition on hand in case you need to defend your home from intruders. Make sure to check a review of the best survival rifles so that you’re prepared for anything.

Having a good relationship with your neighbors is essential in an area like this. If you can, try to team up with them and create a fortress where everyone can be safe.

2. Know Your Surroundings

Another important tip is to get to know your surroundings. Learn which plants are edible, where the freshwater sources are, and what animals you can expect to encounter. It’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the area’s weather patterns to prepare for extreme conditions.

If you take the time to learn about your surroundings and prepare for the worst, you’ll be much more likely to survive living in the woods.

3. Find a Source of Water

When you first move into the woods, one of the most important things you’ll need to do is find a water source. This can be a stream, river, lake, or natural spring. Once you’ve found a water source, you’ll need to purify the water before drinking it. Boiling the water for at least five minutes will kill any harmful bacteria.

While it’s not to say that you won’t have access to clean water from where you’ll be living, there is a possibility that you might lose water often because of things like power outages or line breaks. So, it’s always good to have a backup plan in place.

Another way to ensure that you always have a clean water supply is to collect rainwater. This can be done by simply placing a few barrels or buckets outside during a storm. Once the rain stops, you can use this water for drinking, cooking, or even bathing.

4. Learn How To Catch Fish and Hunt

One of the best ways to ensure that you have a steady food supply is to learn how to catch fish and hunt. This will not only provide you with a fresh source of food but can also be a fun activity to do in your spare time.

If you don’t want to eat meat, you still have plenty of options. There are many edible plants and berries that grow in the woods. With some research, you’ll be able to identify which ones are safe to eat.

While you can always head to town to purchase food, it’s always a good idea to have some stored away in an emergency. Canned goods, dried fruit, and nuts are all great options for long-term storage.

5. Stock up on Essentials

Living in the woods means not having easy access to civilization. Therefore, it’s important to stock up on essential supplies like food, water, and medicine. You should also have a first-aid kit on hand in case of injury. This should include essential items like bandages, antiseptic wipes, and pain relievers. It’s also a good idea to keep a few extra blankets around in case the temperature drops.

6. Learn Basic Survival Skills

Living in the woods would not be possible if you didn’t know some basic survival skills. Building a fire, purifying water, and shelter-building are all essential for surviving in the wild. There are many resources available that can teach you these skills. You can find books, websites, and even YouTube videos showing you what to do in different situations. Make sure to check these resources out before your move. This way, you’ll be prepared for anything that comes your way.

7. Watch Out for Wild Animals

Wild animals are one of the most dangerous things you’ll need to watch out for while living in the woods. Many animals call the woods their home, and only some of them are friendly. Bears, cougars, and snakes are just a few of the potential dangers you’ll need to be aware of.

The best way to avoid run-ins with wild animals is to ensure you’re always aware of your surroundings. If you see an animal, make a lot of noise so that it knows you’re there and will hopefully avoid you. You should always carry a weapon with you in case you come face-to-face with an aggressive animal.

So, there you have it! These are just a few of the things you’ll need to know if you’re planning on living in the woods. With a little bit of preparation, you can make sure that your experience is a positive one. In time, you’ll find that living in the woods is an enriching experience. Make sure to take care of yourself and always be aware of your surroundings.

It was mid-December 2020 in southern Indiana, and my deer season was slipping through my fingers. After two hard months of hunting and over a hundred miles put on my boots, my buck tag was still just as empty as day one. I had hunted hard through early November, the midst of the fabled Midwestern rut, and according to the local hunting forums it appeared everyone in the county and their cousin had killed their buck already. I was hunting pressured public lands, and while I had run into scores of hunters during early season, now it felt like I was the last hunter in the woods. But I wasn’t ready to give up yet because I had one last trick up my sleeve – red oak acorns.

A Natural Late-Season Food Source

While late-season hunting can feel like a desperate attempt to rectify an unsuccessful season, I have begun to look forward to this part of the season more than the rut. The reasons are simple: There are fewer hunters in the woods in late season, which can vastly improve deer movement on public land; foods are limited on the landscape, concentrating deer; and red oak acorns begin to hit their peak attractiveness to deer after the rut.

The goal of this article is to share in detail my strategy for late-season hunting so you can effectively locate red oaks, scout these trees, and finally kill a buck off this dynamite late-season food source. Since we are going to focus on late-season strategies, we will not be discussing white oaks because these acorns germinate shortly after falling and are only available a few weeks. Red oak acorns do not germinate until spring, so they are available to deer all winter long. For more information on the differences between the red oak and white oak groups, read my article in the August/September 2019 issue of Quality Whitetails.

When the amount of deer sign under a tree gives me an eerie feeling because I feel deer are super close by and could walk up at any instant, I know I need to hunt it!

This is also an excellent time to note that when I refer to red oaks, I am referring to all red oak species, including northern red, southern red, scarlet, black, Shumard, nuttall, and other red oaks. Just the same, when I refer to white oaks, I am referring to many species, including white, chestnut, post, swamp chestnut, chinquapin, and more.

Why Red Oaks?

When most hunters talk about late season, the conversation is normally around a corn, soybean, brassica, or cereal grain food source. These food sources can be effective but may not be available on the land many of us hunt. Whether you have private property without agriculture fields or are confined to public land, the truth is many people don’t have access to standing crop fields to hunt in December and January. Does this mean we just hang up the bow and rifle when the rut ends? Absolutely not! Rather this is the time to return to the oaks you abandoned in mid-October.

Red oaks often get a bad rap from hunters who feel they are inferior to white oaks simply because they have higher tannin content levels on average than most white oaks. What most hunters fail to realize is tannins are found in much of the forage deer eat, and their bodies are adapted to consuming foods containing tannins. Deer food selection is much more complex than simply tannin levels. Deer diets change throughout the year, and deer seldom if ever consume just one type of food in a day. In fact, when deer are heavily consuming acorns in early fall, they are still subsidizing this hard mast with other foods like forbs and woody browse. As seasons change, the deer’s gut microbiome and energy demands shift, which along with availability of foods drives seasonal shifts in deer diets.

There is ample evidence that red oaks are an important winter food for whitetails. A 1985 study in southern Michigan found that over 90% of deer fecal sample matter was acorn matter. This same study noted that snow did not slow acorn consumption because deer dug through the snow to access this food. Similarly, during my master’s thesis research in northern Mississippi, I found deer use of red oak trees peaked in late January and then tapered off afterward. Similarly, many studies have noted deer searching out acorns when they are scarce and consuming them until they are gone. If you can find one of the last trees in the woods to have acorns, your hunt is made!

Learn Trees

Now let’s talk about how to find THE tree to hunt late season. I stress the importance of finding the right tree because this can change weekly and sometimes daily as acorn availability changes. My process for narrowing down a deer killing tree is never ending. In early season I’m merely making observations of what trees are producing. By late November I am keeping tabs on which of these trees still have acorns, and late in the season I am narrowing my efforts down to THE tree where I can kill a buck.

Before you can be an effective red oak hunter, you will have to be able to identify oak species. To learn these, you will need a good guide. I suggest the Virginia Tech Dendrology Factsheets Database for learning basic oak identification characteristics and the free iNaturalist app for identifying trees in the field. As a starter for which species to learn, my favorite late season red oaks are northern red and scarlet oaks in upland forests and Shumard and cherrybark oaks in bottomland forests.

Observe Tree Behaviors

The more you observe oaks and their behavior, the more you will learn their habits. This may sound crazy, but with a little bit of experience you can confidently predict what species will be occurring in what landscape features in your area. For instance, in south central Indiana I most commonly find northern red oaks on easterly or northerly facing slopes. They most often are not on the ridge top but rather on the sides of slopes. Using these behaviors, I look at aerial imagery to find stands of deciduous trees in these types of areas to identify spots that I should scout.

Just as much as you can predict the behavior of a given species, individual trees are unique, particularly in the timing of when they drop acorns. I’ve observed northern red oaks dropping acorns as early as Labor Day and as late as Christmas week. Just like some deer or people seem to operate on different schedules, so do some oak trees. This is why scouting is so important, because without boots on the ground, you do not know when individual trees are dropping acorns! I particularly like to find red oaks that drop super late in the year, because deer seem to be attracted to the only oak in the woods still dropping acorns.

If you notice that the scarlet oaks along the grocery store parking lot are dumping acorns, your next step will be to reference your map and find all your pins for scarlet oak clusters on your hunting grounds.

Look and Listen

Oaks do not consistently produce acorns every year, but rather a given species tends to produce a large mast crop every few years. For red oak species, these mast years occur more frequently than white oaks that generally have bumper crops every five years or so. However, since there are so many species of red oaks there is usually at least one species that will be masting, regardless of the year. For instance, 2020 in Indiana brought a bumper crop of northern red oaks and a decent crop of scarlet oaks. In this same area, 2021 looks to be a bleak year for both species, but southern red oaks are having a good year!

There are clues all around as to what is happening in the deer woods if you pay attention to acorns around you. Start looking under the oaks in your yard, in the parking lot at the store, or along the parking lot at your work to see if they are dropping acorns. When you see acorns raining down, investigate to determine the species. Knowing what’s producing acorns each year will allow you to know what trees to target before setting foot in the woods.

Never Stop Scouting

Every time you are in the woods, pay attention to the oaks around you regardless of the time of year. When you find clusters of oaks that are of good acorn producing size, generally 12 to 30 inches in diameter, drop a pin on your map. Make a special note if there is fresh or old deer sign under these trees which could be clues as to their attractiveness when they do produce acorns.

After you have compiled map pins of oaks in different locations you will be steps ahead for future hunting seasons. This comes in handy when combined with your observations of oak masting cycles in your area. For instance, if you notice the scarlet oaks along the grocery store parking lot are dumping acorns, your next step will be to reference your map and find all your pins for scarlet oak clusters on your hunting grounds. Now, you have an excellent clue to the likely locations of acorns you should be hunting.

Narrow it Down

Simply because you have found acorns doesn’t mean deer are eating them, and it doesn’t mean you have found THE tree you need to hunt. First, take an inventory of as many oaks in the area as you can, if there are only a handful with acorns, then your job will be easy. If there are many, then it will take a while.

Throughout the season, check back in with these red oaks to monitor activity under them. Many species of squirrels, raccoons, foxes and coyotes will chomp acorns and sometimes leave pieces of half-eaten nuts on the ground. But the sure sign that an acorn was munched by a deer is the tell-tale molar marks left when an acorn is smashed between a deer’s upper and lower molars and then dropped to the ground. As deer activity heats up, the leaf litter under these trees will be overturned from deer searching for acorns. Tracks will be abundant, scrapes will be nearby, and if bucks are using the tree there will probably be rubs too.

The hardest thing to know when scouting oak trees is how much sign is enough to pull the trigger and start hunting a tree. I spend a lot of time walking past good-looking deer sign in search of a tree that gives me an overwhelming feeling that deer are nearby. When you find this tree, the intensity of deer sign under it will make your hair stand up because every leaf will be overturned, there will be crunched acorns scattered everywhere, still plenty of fresh acorns left to eat, and deer tracks will be visible in bare soil. When the amount of deer sign under a tree gives me an eerie feeling because I feel deer are super close by and could walk up at any instant, I know I need to hunt it!

Does All This Really Work?

Back to my 2020 Indiana hunting season. My December strategy was simple: walk oak ridges and find northern red oaks where deer were still feeding. As I walked the spines of ridges, I glassed the bark of trees as far as I could see and looked for the trademark long pale grey stripes down tree trunks, the easiest long-range identifying characteristic of northern red oaks. I searched the ground for deer-chewed acorns and overturned leaves under each northern red I found.

After finding a ridge with 10 or so northern red oaks that were covered in hot deer sign, I set a few trail-cameras and started hunting the trees. During my first few hunts, I saw several small bucks and lots of does, but none of the big bucks that were frequenting my cameras. While hiking into the ridge late one morning, I glassed a big buck feeding on the ridge where I was heading to hunt. I waited until he left and then slipped onto the ridge and climbed a tree, settling into my stand about noon. I watched several does and fawns around me on the ridge early in the afternoon. About 4:45 I looked down the ridge to see two bucks feeding under a northern red oak just 80 yards away. I steadied my muzzleloader and dropped the first buck that presented a shot. He tumbled down the slope and came to rest in the creek bottom below.

I left several trail-cameras running under these oaks through the end of winter, and the amount of buck activity blew me away. There were over a dozen nice bucks using this ridge in daylight, including some real studs. The red oaks were hammered by deer until mid-February, long after hunting season had closed. To really put the icing on the cake, I found the matching set of sheds from the big buck I had seen on the ridge as I walked in for my last hunt that morning. Both sheds were lying under a northern red that had been hammered by the deer, just 150 yards from where I had seen the buck.

I’m Sold on Red Oaks

The late-season power of hunting red oaks is a strategy I’m still learning, but every single year I become a little more surprised by how great of a hunting hotspot these trees can be. Red oak acorns’ attractiveness to deer is powerful and lasts until they are gone, which is really highlighted by my hunt and the big set of sheds I found last year. You can bet I will be re-scouting that ridge in December of 2021 in hopes of catching up with that big buck again under a red oak!

Introduction

Estimating the age structure of a population is a key component of many wildlife management programs, as demographic parameters (e.g., survival and fecundity) that can be important to population modeling are typically age-specific [1-3]. Furthermore, age-specific prevalence rates of highly-transmissible diseases (e.g., chronic wasting disease) have been of recent concern [4,5]. The age structure of harvested animals is typically used to reconstruct a population’s age structure, especially in cervid populations [6,7]. Inaccurate estimates of a population’s age structure could lead to potential downstream impacts on demographic and epidemiological models [7,8].

The most common method used to estimate age of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other cervids is the tooth replacement-and-wear (TRW) criterion. Severinghaus [9] developed the TRW aging criterion for white-tailed deer based on unique teeth eruptions at younger ages and the wear and degradation of the same premolars and molars of the lower jaw at older ages. Aging deer using the TRW method is popular among management agencies because it can be conducted quickly in the field at relatively little cost [10]. Previous studies have shown the TRW method is prone to considerable error because it is partially subjective, especially at older age classes [10-14]. Error in the TRW method at older ages has led to recommendations to implement TRW aging categories for adult white-tailed deer that bin older age classes together: either suggesting the binning of all deer ≥2 years of age together [10,11,14-16] or differentiating deer 2 years of age from deer ≥3 years of age [12,13,17], with both points-of-view suggesting an independent age class for deer 1 year of age (yearlings), since a unique tooth eruption pattern can often identify the age class [9].

A more labor-intensive and expensive, but more accurate, option for aging deer is cementum annuli (CA) aging, which involves the counting of annual rings, the CA, in the roots of cross-sectioned incisors. Seasonal rates of cementum deposition in the root tips that coincide with body growth produce alternating light and dark bands, with the dark bands representing the CA [18,19]. The CA method has been established as a more accurate method than TRW through the comparison of known-age individuals, especially at northern latitudes [11,13,20]. While CA is more accurate than TRW, with the exception of a sample of 97 known-aged deer in Wisconsin that were aged 100% accurately by the CA method [15], error has been documented with CA aging in relation to known-age individuals with error rates ranging from 15-28% in northern latitudes [11,13,20]. While assessing error rates of CA age estimates in comparison to known-age individuals is the only method to identify the accuracy of CA aging for certain, obtaining known-age individuals is difficult outside of captive facilities and capture-recapture studies. In response to the challenges of obtaining actual accuracy rates of CA aging, evaluating the precision between the CA age estimates of multiple incisors from the same deer is an option for samples from wild populations of unknown ages because if factors known to affect CA accuracy can also be shown to be related to the precision of CA aging, the measurement of precision can provide insight related to accuracy of the CA method [10]. Few studies, however, have evaluated the precision of CA ages in white-tailed deer [10,11,21]. While Roseberry [11] and Storm et al. [10] extracted paired incisors from individual deer after harvest, DeYoung [21] extracted separate incisors one or two years apart from live deer. Precision of CA age estimates has also been examined in other cervids such as mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; [22]) and moose (Alces alces; [23]). Storm et al. [10] and Asmus and Weckerly [22] examined factors influencing the precision of paired CA ages. Factors included the sex of the individual, precipitation during the individual’s life, the level of certainty assigned to the CA age estimates, as well as the age of the CA age estimates [10,22].

Managers must make decisions on how best to use limited resources when deciding on what methodology to use to age deer. Additional information is needed to help resolve whether, excluding fawns, two (yearling, ≥2 years of age) or three (yearling, 2 years of age, ≥3 years of age) age categories should be used if managers decide to rely on TRW for aging. While the accuracy of CA aging has been thoroughly investigated, further evaluation of factors affecting the precision of CA aging is warranted to provide guidance to managers on what factors they must consider when evaluating CA aging data. To that end, the first objective of this study was to evaluate the precision of the CA aging method of paired incisors from wild male white-tailed deer in Iowa. We hypothesized that precision would decrease as the age of the CA age estimate increased, the level of certainty of the estimate decreased, and that precision would be dependent upon the batches in which the teeth were aged, an a posteriori consideration after viewing the CA data. Our second objective was to evaluate factors influencing the level of certainty assigned to CA age estimates. We hypothesized that the level of certainty in the age estimates would decrease with age and be influenced by the batch in which the age estimates were aged. Our third objective was to assess congruence between the age estimates from the CA and TRW methods specifically when deer aged using TRW were aged exclusively as yearling, 2 years of age, or ≥3 years of age. We hypothesized that congruence between the two aging methods would be greatest within the yearling age class and lower for both of the older age classes because the TRW criteria within the yearling age class relies on the presence or absence of a tooth while older ages are determined by a subjective assessment of tooth wear.

When I think of snapper blues I think of my youth. Countless memorable days in late August, sunburned shoulders, casting from a jetty in Madison, CT near my grandparents’ house. There was no 10-fish limit back then, and a bucket full of snappers fed the family fried-fish dinners for several nights. Today, the same excitement still thrills me when I feel one tugging on my spinning gear, fighting like a fish twice its size. Tigers cloaked in kitten bodies.

I’ve met anglers who believe snapper blues are their own species, and those folks were surprised to learn that “snappers” are simply baby bluefish. Anyone familiar with juvenile blues knows the name comes from the fast and fierce snapping of the jaws, which can inflict an impressive finger wound from even the smallest fish.

Snappers are young-of-the year bluefish, which become a “catchable” size of about 5 inches long when they invade our waters in late July and early August. They eat and grow at a remarkable rate, sometimes approaching nearly an inch per week. Late-season snappers reach at least 10 inches long before they migrate south in September, and are formidable opponents on a light outfit. They’ll strike at any lure smaller than themselves, making them a great target for young or beginner anglers and anyone looking for fishing fun on the saltwater.

Snapper Appeal and Locations

“When you find a school of snapper blues,” said Elliott Taylor, a snapper expert with 20 years’ experience in both CT and RI waters, “the bite can last all day, and you don’t need any special tackle to catch a limit. You don’t have to be a saltwater angler to get into snappers [although a saltwater license is necessary to target and/or harvest them], a lightweight freshwater rod will suffice, making these fish accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. Snappers, however, are not hardy fish—many don’t survive the catch-and-release process—so it’s best to have a plan for your catch, and stick to the limit only.

“You can find snappers close to shore, in estuaries and near structure like rock piles, docks and jetties where they chase bait like silversides, mummichogs and grass shrimp. Breachways and mini rip lines near shore often hold snapper blues, and nearshore tern activity is a great indicator the fish are there. Fleeing baitfish and small surface breaks are other exciting giveaways.”

Technique

The easiest technique for catching snappers is to fish a small metal lure. Using this method, you cast—from either shore or a boat—as far as you can and then slowly reel in. Small tin lures are designed to tumble and flash, imitating a wounded or escaping baitfish, which draws any snappers within sight. Snapper pros experiment with different retrieve speeds to see what works best on a given day—faster speed keeps the lure near the surface, and slower speed allows it to sink a bit. Generally, try to keep the lure about 2 feet below the surface with your rod tip near the water.

An advanced technique is to work a flat metal rapidly across the surface with your rod tip held high, which causes the lure to travel along the top like a jumping baitfish—the same concept as working a big surface plug for adult bluefish. The trick is to reel it as slowly as possible while keeping the lure skimming the surface. The commotion triggers aggressive strikes, and it’s fun to see the hits on top.

Despite their reputation as voracious feeders, bluefish of all sizes are sometimes fussy. Bait is often the answer when small blues hesitate striking tin lures. If you’re only stocked with lures, try dicing a silverside into tiny chunks and use a piece to sweeten the treble hook on your metal.

Other snapper experts are diehard bait anglers, which means using a snapper rig—purchased from a tackle shop or home tied—consisting of a small hook threaded with shiners and bobber or “snapper popper.” Set the popper to hold the bait about 18 to 24 inches below the surface. Cast your line a little way out from the dock or jetty and wait. Some anglers try to cast as far as they can, but that’s unnecessary with bait and may cause a soft bait to tear from the hook. Like fishing for freshwater panfish, when you see the popper dip below the water you know a snapper is biting.

“Gently but erratically retrieving snapper poppers will attract fish that are spread out,” said Taylor, “as will using small, freshwater, surface-popper lures with the first treble hook removed. In areas with a large concentration of fish, a very small tin such as a Kastmaster, Hopkins or Deadly Dick is most efficient.”

Tackle

An inexpensive, light and durable 5- to 7-foot, small spinning outfit and assortment of small metal lures are perfect for quickly loading up a limit on snappers. You can add to the fun and challenge by bringing along a small fly rod.

“I use ultralight tackle,” said Taylor, “like a 6-foot 6-inch Ugly Stik Intercoastal and small reel spooled with 10-pound mono finished with a short 20-pound fluoro leader. But slightly heavier saltwater rods to 8 feet will also work, especially if you’re expecting any type of larger fish mixed-in. Long casts and intermittent twitches during a quick retrieve with a 1/8-ounce silver Kastmaster from any craft, including a kayak or SUP, attracts plenty of attention from the ever-present summertime snappers. You can move up to a 1/4-ounce for bigger snappers later in the season. Four- to 5-weight fly rods are also an absolute riot for snapper blues using a minnow imitation or bucktail retrieved quickly.”

Snappers for Bait

In the absence of traditional baitfish like porgies or bunker, snapper blues make good baits for slammer bluefish and even striped bass, but the main use for snappers as bait is for late-season doormat fluke. Keeping within the 10-fish limit, you can fish snappers either dead or alive, and there are several approaches when doing so. Some pros rig the snapper in the same manner you’d rig a shiner for largemouth-bass—from the bottom lip through the top, typically off a traditional fluke rig, either with a fluke bomb or off a three-way swivel.

To fish the fluke bomb, start with a barrel swivel attached to a 3-foot section of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader. Tie in a 6-inch dropper loop at the mid-point of the leader, and attach a large, flashy teaser. At the end of the leader, attach a snap swivel to clip on a fluke ball heavy enough to hold bottom. Cut a second 3-foot length of 30-pound fluoro, and attach it to the 9 o’clock position on the fluke ball with another snap. Tie in a 5/0 Gamakatsu live-bait hook for your main bait at the trailing end of the leader. This rig works equally well with live or dead snappers.

To fish a snapper live, some people prefer to place the hook in the back, just in front of the dorsal fin. You can also hook them through the nostrils. They can stay alive this way for a length of time. If the snapper is dead, however, don’t fish them with the flared gill covers and bent up head, typical of their rigor mortis position, because they spin in the current. If that condition happens, cut off both gill covers and bend the body straight. Sewing the mouth shut helps, too.

Other fluke pros “butterfly” the snapper bait by running a fillet knife from the tail up close to the head on both sides of the spine. Some experts then remove the spine for an unobstructed flutter action.

Snappers in the Skillet

Many people don’t like eating bluefish, and therefore won’t eat snappers. But snappers don’t have the same dark meat and strong taste as adult blues. Their flesh is light and finely textured.

“They are great in the frying pan,” said Taylor, “just remove the head by making a diagonal cut behind the gill covers, cutting through the backbone. Gut the fish by pulling the head down, removing it from the body along with the entrails. Season to your liking with salt, pepper and oregano, and fry on medium heat until golden brown.” You then simply and easily eat the fillet off the backbone as you would a small trout.

The Elusive Striper

“These juvenile bluefish,” said Taylor, “also work great as live bait for large striped bass. When I was 10 years old, I was out in our Merrimac canoe with my father near a rock pile on Quonny Pond in Westerly, RI. We watched pods of bait swirling with packs of snapper blues meticulously corralling and devouring the peanut bunker and shiners. We were casting small Kastmasters and slowly filling our two-person limit for dinner. Suddenly, a large striper erupted inches from the boat, startling us, and taking a mouthful of bait and snappers with it. Frantically, we casted hoping to catch the bass, but to no avail. Since then, I have landed several 15- to 35-pound stripers using snapper blues.

“Catching your bait can be just as fun as catching your target species. Snapper fishing is consistently fast-paced, making it a quick cure for the fishing bug when other fisheries are slow in late summer.”

THE WOUNDS from his fight with a baboon weren’t fully healed when Bismark charged the Cape buffalo.

We had spent the day trying to split two satellite bulls from the herd. I had been hired to photograph a plains- and dangerous-game safari in South Africa’s northernmost province of Limpopo, and I was shooting through my telephoto lens as one of the bulls broke from cover and charged.

The hunter shot the buff at 40 yards, then again. Bismark, a wire-haired Jack Russell, stood at heel beside his handler, professional hunter Divan Human. I don’t know how many shots were fired—both by the hunter and the PH—as the buffalo thundered to 15 yards, but it wasn’t dying. That’s when Bismark broke heel and tried to ride it.

As a lifelong hunter, I’ve seen bayed bears and treed mountain lions. As a nuisance wildlife professional, I’ve pulled badgers out of holes and I’ve been face to face with rattlesnakes under houses. Nothing compares to that Cape buffalo charge. They’re called “black death” in South Africa, and I get that now. But the heart of a terrier is unmatched, and Bismark was ready to die for us.

Bismark is unshakable, but he’s no one-hit wonder. I saw a dozen blood-tracking dogs while on safari this spring; every one was a Jack Russell. The breed was first developed in Britain for fox hunting, and its prevalence in South Africa today is a byproduct of British colonialism. Although I didn’t see any on my trip, Jagd terriers (“jagd” is German for “hunt”) are also popular among South African outfitters.

The cool thing about terriers is they can do a little bit of everything. I’ve owned Jagds for nearly a decade and they’re integral to my nuisance wildlife business in the Southwest. Although it’s no longer commonplace in the U.S., terriers were originally bred for this work. They excel at finding dead animals, locating live ones, and catching critters. Because of all that tenacity packed into a small body, they also have a tendency to get hurt on the job. (As the Jack Russell Terrier Club of South Africa puts it, the “real Jack Russell terrier does not sit on the sidelines of life.”) While PHs here release their dogs on most game tracks, they don’t allow them to trail warthogs, which are notorious for killing dogs.

When Bismark was younger, one of Human’s clients shot a big Nile crocodile and Bismark broke at the shot. That’s scary because you’re relying on a client to not shoot your dog, but you also don’t want the animal alive enough to kill your dog. Fortunately it was a good hit, but that’s just how it goes with terriers sometimes: You can’t proof a dog until you put him in situations like that. I saw lots of animals harvested in the three weeks I was there, and only now and then would a dog slip up and break at heel.

A standard track looked like this: As soon as the shot went off and the PH released his dog, the trackers would run in and try to keep up. Because we were hunting in such thick cover—50-yard shots were far in some cases—you couldn’t see the dog 100 yards away, let alone the kudu that was just shot. It was helpful to hear barking so you could locate him.

After a shot the dog was off to the races, and the human tracker was not far behind. And the trackers were incredible. I was skeptical at first. I’ve heard stories of how great they are, but I couldn’t help thinking: I’ve hunted my whole life. How good can these guys really be? What you don’t realize is those trackers hunt year-round except for the rainy season and they track lots of animals every day.

Better yet, the dogs don’t take away from the tracker’s job because often the tracker’s job isn’t just finding downed game—it’s finding live game. South Africans only use their blood dogs for locating animals that have been hit well.

Fortunately, the Cape buffalo was well hit—several times. In the end, the bull slid to a stop just yards from our feet, with Bismark barking on its back.

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Diamond Archery has some really popular bows in their line-up, and the two that are most often compared are probably the Diamond Infinite Edge (their most popular model), and the Diamond Edge SB-1 (the model that came right after it).

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VS

In this post, we’ll take a close look at these two bows, how they compare, and which might be the right option for you.

Let’s Compare the Stats…

This is a good place to start. Both bows are made for recreational shooting and bowhunting, but there are plenty of differences to look at. We’ll ping-pong back and forth between bows, and we’ll start off looking at the…

Draw Length:

Infinite Edge: 13 to 31 Inches. The Infinite Edge is Diamond’s go-to “mass market” bow, and when they designed it, they wanted it to be usable by as many people as possible. That range in draw length is good for everyone to very young archers, all the way up to very tall archers (the draw length of 31 inches can fit someone who’s up to about 6-and-a-half feet tall).

SB-1: 15 to 30 inches. The SB-1 has a shorter draw length range (but still pretty large, in the grand scheme of things). That draw length of 30 inches is suitable for folks up to 6-foot-3-inches tall, and if you’re taller than that, the Infinite Edge comes out on top.

Verdict: For most people, this would be a tie. The Infinite Edge is probably a better pick for very young archers, and for folks taller than 6-foot-3-inches.

Draw Weight:

Infinite Edge: 5 to 70 Pounds. This is, at present, the largest draw weight range on a Diamond bow. 5 to 70 pounds should be suitable for just about anyone, but keep in mind that…

SB-1: 7 to 70 Pounds. This ain’t so bad either. Even very small kids should be able to pull 7 pounds (and that’s before we consider the let-off, which we’ll discuss in a second). 70 pounds is pretty high—you can find higher, but that’s up there—and it’s powerful enough to hunt just about all North American large game.

Verdict: A tie, really, but the Infinite Edge has a lower bottom measurement.

Mass Weight:

Infinite Edge: 3.2 Pounds. For a bow in this range, 3.2 pounds is pretty decent, and it’s better than…

SB-1: 3.6 Pounds. This isn’t terrible, but it’s definitely heavier.

Verdict: Infinite Edge gets the prize. That lower mass weight isn’t a big deal if you shoot here and there, but if you engage in hours-long practice sessions, or if you’re a dedicated bowhunter and need to aim for minutes at a time, that lower weight can be important.

Brace Height:

Infinite Edge: 7 Inches. This is a pretty common brace height, and good for hunting bows, because it provides both arrow speed and a liiiiittle forgiveness in your shot. It’s the same as the…

SB-1: 7 Inches. This is one of those measurements that ultimately becomes a matter of preference. 7 inches is reasonable, though, for sure.

Verdict: Tie.

Axle-to-Axle:

Infinite Edge: 31 Inches. Same as the…

SB-1: 31 Inches. What’s fascinating is that these two measurements—the brace height and the axle-to-axle length—make this a very similar bow. And we’ll talk more about that below.

Verdict: Tie.

IBO Speed:

Infinite Edge: 310 FPS. For a mid-range bow like the Infinite Edge, 310 feet-per-second is pretty good, and that’s why we’ve recommended it to new bowhunters. There are bows that will proper arrow with greater speed, but they tend to high-end bows (or crossbows!). 310 FPS is very good. But, obviously, not as good as…

SB-1: 318 FPS. Diamond upped their game with the 318 FPS, and while those 8 feet may not sound like much, the faster you get, the harder it is to increase that measurement. 318 is excellent for a mid-range bow.

Verdict: The SB-1 takes this one, and if you’re bowhunting, those 8 feet per second can make a big difference—game is quick!

Next up in our Diamond Edge SB1 vs the Infinite Edge Pro face-off…

Let-Off:

Infinite Edge: 80%. This is above-average for a bow in this range, and very good for mass-market bow. And that’s why it’s a little surprising that the let-off on the SB-1 is…

SB-1: 80%. We were a little surprised when we found that the SB-1 has a let-off 80%. We thought, because the SB-1 is technically a more advanced bow, the let-off would be greater, but… no.

Verdict: Tie. Don’t get us wrong—80% is still very good, and if you’re going to jack up your draw weight to 50 / 60 / 70 pounds, 80% can provide you with a lot of comfort and ease to aim. But it is surprising that both of these bows have the same let-off.

So it would seem that these two bows are almost identical, right? The specs all seem the same. They even look very similar:

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They’re not the same, though—there are actually some important differences between the two, so now…

Let’s Compare the “Hidden” Features

It really does seem like these two bows have a whole lot in common. Even the features that are different aren’t really *that* much different. So what gives?

We’ve written… goodness gracious, at this point we’ve written hundreds of bow reviews, and we’ve found the following: 1) people get really obsessed with feet-per-second and let-off and other numbers-based details, but they…

2) frequently overlook the “non-spec” aspects of a bow—and that’s a shame, because those “non-spec” aspects of a bow are often the most important things to look at. And that’s the case here.

There are two main differences between these two bows that won’t show up in a spec list. They are:

The Ease of Adjustability

The Diamond Infinite Edge was a great success for Diamond, and because of its incredible adjustability, it was a great option for both beginners and intermediates. You can make the draw weight light, and then increase it as you gain strength, and you could even buy the bow as a younger person and use it as you got older by extending the draw length. The only problem was…

It wasn’t *really* that easy to adjust. It wasn’t! In many cases, people had to bring it to the pro shop to get it adjusted (and we advised many people to do so).

And that’s one of the real advantages of the SB-1: it’s easier to adjust—and designed to be easier to adjust. Diamond made a lot of effort to make adjustability easier, and they even put videos on YouTube to show people how to do it:

So that’s Big Difference #1, and it’s a big one—especially if you’re new to archery, or getting the bow for a younger person.

The second big difference is…

The Cam System

These two bows have very different cam sets, and if you take a close look, you can see the difference: the cams on the SB-1 are more aggressive and ovoid, whereas the cams on the Infinite Edge are a little rounded. Not only does that aggressive shape of the cams on the SB-1 contribute to the higher FPS measurement, but it also makes for a smoother draw cycle.

Cams are designed to do a lot of things—pulling on the bow string to propel the arrow forward being the main one—but they need to reliable, and the Bowtech Synchronized Binary Cam system—which is on the SB-1 but not on the Infinite Edge—is designed for reliability. It’s manufactured to keep the cams moving as mirror images to each other, so that the nock—the part of the bow string that holds your arrow in place—travels forward in as flat a flat trajectory as possible.

So that’s Big Difference #2: the cam system. Another big difference.

The Diamond Edge SB1 vs the Infinite Edge Pro: Our Verdict

Of these two bows, the SB-1 comes out on top—and that’s by design: it’s *supposed* to be the better bow—but honestly, there’s more in common here than not. Here’s how we’d express it:

> Both are great bows, and both are good for recreational shooting and bowhunting by people of all ages. From a performance angle, they’re very similar, and we’ve been pleased with both—but at the end of the day, the draw cycle is a little smoother on the SB-1 because of the Bowtech Synchronized Binary Cam system.

> If you want a bow that you, yourself, can adjust so that it meets your draw weight and draw length specifications, the SB-1 is probably the better bet. It’s easier to tune for beginners, and there are some really helpful guides on YouTube put up by Diamond.

> If you don’t want to fiddle with the bow, and are fine taking it to a pro shop for tuning, the Diamond Infinite Edge will do you just fine. Have the pro shop rep adjust it to your specifications, and go from there. It’s a solid bow, and we’ve used our model for years.

There you have it!

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Good luck, have fun, and happy shooting!