My first modern compound bow was a Mathews Q2 SoloCam that I got in the winter of 2002. I loved that bow and was completely taken by the speed and accuracy I was able to achieve with it so quickly. Over the past 20 years, I have created so many hunting memories with a Mathews bow in my hand. I have owned and hunted with several other name brand bows, but I always seem to return to Mathews Archery. Last week, I toured their manufacturing facility, met some of their knowledgeable staff and learned more about their story. After all of that, it was hard not to fall in love with their bows completely.

While I could talk about the history of Mathews Archery because it’s truly fascinating (and I would encourage everyone to visit the link below to read about the company’s start), for the sake of words, I want to explore some of my personal impressions about the company that makes it so appealing as a bowhunter.

One of the most impressive aspects of Mathews Archery is that they build bows from start to finish within the same two buildings. In those two buildings, the initial engineering is completed, the risers and cams are machined, bows are dipped and finished—all of the parts and pieces are assembled right there on site.The strings are built and installed in the same area where each bow is timed and prepped before it goes out the door. Each person on the assembly line oversees one specific part of the process. Employees control the production and assembly of every single part and piece of a new Mathews bow and it’s all done in-house. Essentially, they control everything and the result is extremely tight tolerances and consistency for each and every bow that goes out the door.

While I was also impressed with the innovation that goes into their bows, I was even more impressed with the innovation in the machinery that they have developed to build and assemble them. Previously, when I have considered buying a new bow, I am really only thinking about the bow itself—which obviously makes sense—but, now, I have a whole new level of appreciation for these bows based upon the technology involved in building and assembling each one.

The older I get the more interested I am in the story of a company and their products. I become more aware of the company’s culture and values and I want to try to put my money into quality products that are made by people who I believe are as passionate as I am about archery and hunting. For me, it’s clear that Mathews Archery is first and foremost interested in creating accurate, quiet and innovative bows. Every office I visited was full of deer, elk and antelope mounts. Almost every employee that I talked to was interested in how my hunt was going and eager to share their own hunt stories. Mathews is a company that believes in archery, bowhunting, adventure and storytelling. I really appreciated the culture there and the employees I met walk the walk; they all hunt, they all shoot and are passionate about archery. People can accuse me of being a fanboy and that’s fine, I’ll admit that I am indeed a fan of their bows and the company as a whole.

The 2020 Mathews VXR 31.5 Bow Review

With that, I also thought I’d add a review of the brand new 2020 Mathews VXR that was just released today. I received a VXR 31.5 about a month ago and, full disclosure, this bow was given to me; however, I have spent the past month shooting it and, in all honesty, I am very impressed with this bow.

First off, the VXR measures in at 31.5” axle to axle, making it the shortest bow I have ever owned. I wouldn’t say that I was excited when I was told that it would be 31.5” bow since I have always preferred a longer ATA based on the premise that they tend to hold better and the string angle at my 30” draw was always too steep for my liking on a short bow.

Interestingly enough, though, the VXR riser is actually longer than the riser of the 35” Halon X that I have been shooting for years. The VRX riser is not only longer, but it’s also lighter and stiffer due to the geometry and bridged design. A longer riser yields a steadier hold. If you think about what it’s like to hold a broomstick in your bow hand and then you tip that from side to side, there’s less movement at the ends because it’s so long. The length of that broomstick adds stability. In comparison, a foot-long ruler in your hand moves a lot when you tip it back and forth. That’s why the riser length matters and the VXR holds extremely steady due to the longer and stiffer riser.

Along those same lines, the geometry of the VXR with its Crosscentric Cams yields a string angle that is still really comfortable even with my longer draw length. I have no issues easily finding my three anchor points on my face: nose to string, string to corner of my mouth and the first knuckle under my jaw. It’s a very comfortable bow at full draw.

Mathews 2020 VXR Bow Specs

VXR 28 SpecsVXR 31.5 SpecsAxle-to-Axle28″31.5″Brace Height6″6″Draw Weight60, 65, 70, 75 lbs.60, 65, 70, 75 lbs.Draw Length25.5″-30″27″-31″Let-Off80 or 85%80 or 85%Physical Weight4.44 lbs4.66 lbsIBO RatingUp to 344 FPSUp to 343 FPSCamCrosscentric w/ Switchweight TechnologyCrosscentric w/ Switchweight TechnologyMSRP$1,099$1,199

Video review of the 2020 Mathews VXR

Most people ask about draw cycle of a bow and while that’s less of a concern for me than how the bow holds at full draw, it’s worth noting that the VXR draws very smoothly. I wouldn’t suggest that it draws as smooth at the Traverse, but it’s certainly smoother than my Halon X. On the draw, it’s very similar to last year’s Vertix, which builds fairly evenly throughout the cycle. The rollover into full draw is smooth with no noticeable dive or drop into the back wall. The back wall is firm due to two cable stops (one on each cam) that engage the inner cable. The back wall is firm and the bow holds really well at full draw.

For me, a great addition this year was the option to choose between an 80% or 85% let-off mods. I chose the 80% left off mods and the slight addition in holding weight is welcomed. I get enough holding weight to give me more stability in the back wall, but it doesn’t feel like it wants to jump out of my hand if I relax a little. The VXR also has the Switchweight mod technology. Rather than using your limb bolts to change the draw weight, you can simply maximize the limbs out (which is most efficient) and change the mods to adjust your draw weight in 5 lb increments. I’m very intrigued with 65 lb mods as I have really liked that weight for hunting out of blinds or treestands when drawing a bow from a sitting position or when it’s cold.

The most noteworthy aspect of the VXR is that it is by far the most quiet dead-in-your-hand bow I have ever shot. It’s so quiet that the first few times I shot it, I was really wondering if something was wrong with it. Sounds silly, but it’s disturbingly quiet. For a hunter, obviously that’s a good thing. Less noise equates to a higher likelihood that a buck or bull won’t jump the string. It’s also really dead in the hand. I’ve never cared about some feedback from a bow, but for folks that love a really smooth shock-free bow, the VXR really shines and it is DEAD quiet. I’ll say it one more time: every year, every new bow is the quietest dead-in-the-hand bow—the difference is that the VXR really is.

A few other things to note: the new OD green color of the VXR is really nice and they have a new finish that has a great texture to it. The Engage Grip is thin, comfortable in the hand and easily provides a repeatable grip. I like the grip, but I also love the fact that I can simply remove it and shoot it off the riser. Older Mathews models had sharper edges and, if you wanted to shoot it off the riser, it wasn’t comfortable. The VXR has rounded edges and it feels fantastic in the hand. It’s my preferred method, but I love the fact that they have given me the option.

The VXR tuned extremely easily. I had perfect bullet holes through paper in three arrows and the fixed blade broadhead flight out to 80 yards was very good. It incorporates the top hat shim technology, so if you need to fine-tune your left and rights, it’s easily achieved by moving the cams slightly one way or another. Learn how to easily adjust top hats here. The bow carries really well due to some minor machining in the riser. Carrying it in your hand is comfortable and the same rounding in the riser fits your thumb perfectly at full draw. The VXR also balances really well. In your hand without anything on it, it sits almost straight up and down. I ended up setting mine up with a 12” Bee Stinger MicroHex stabilizer with 3 oz of weight on a 10-degree quick disconnect and a 10” Bee Stinger MicroHex back bar with 7 oz of weight on the Mathews Adjustable V-Bar bracket. For a great article on bow balance with stabilizers, you can check out Brady Miller’s article on Mathews’ website here.

My first three days at the range with the VXR, I robin-hooded three different arrows at 20, 30 and 50 yards. I shot some of the tightest groups at 40 yards I have shot in a long time and I was having a blast. The VXR is easy to shoot; some bows I have had to work to shoot well and this is not one of those. It holds so well; the back wall is perfect and it goes off without a hitch.

I was able to take it to Wisconsin to hunt this past week and, even with temperatures in the 20s, it was easy to draw, held true and I took my first whitetail buck at 10 yards. If you are looking for a new hunting bow in 2020, I’d strongly suggest you visit an authorized Mathews dealer and shoot the VXR. From a guy who has been a skeptic of shorter ATA “hunting” bows, it’s shifted my paradigm and I can’t wait to see what I can do with it in 2020.

Learn more about the 2020 Mathews VXR bows here

The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .223 Remington vs .45-70 Government ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .223 Remington or .45-70 Government rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .223 Remington and .45-70 Government ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance.

Caliber Type Velocity (fps) Energy (ft-lb) .223 Remington Rifle 3150 1250 .45-70 Government Rifle 1680 2270

Velocity

As illustrated in the chart, .223 Remington rounds – on average – achieve a velocity of about 3150 feet per second (fps) while .45-70 Government rounds travel at a velocity of 1680 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .223 Remington bullets travel 3.6 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .45-70 Government bullets travel 1.9 times that same speed.

Various calibers

Energy

Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .223 Remington round averages out to 1250 ft-lb, while a .45-70 Government round averages out to about 2270 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .223 Remington round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 1250 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .45-70 Government round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 2270 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power. Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .223 Remington or .45-70 Government cartridge you’re looking at purchasing.

Please click the above links to take a look at all of the .223 Remington and .45-70 Government ammo we have in stock and ready to ship, and let us know any parting thoughts in the comment section below.

Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.

We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.

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Air rifles have been gaining popularity steadily over the past several years. This is the result of several factors, such as a shortage of .22LR, an enormous influx of new shooters both young and old, and airguns that have become largely viable for hunting beyond the usual critters and varmints.

Considering all this, it looks like pneumatic hunting is here to stay.

To answer the question regarding hunting deer…YES, you can hunt deer with an air rifle. More and more states have been recognizing advances in technology and have made deer hunting with an air rifle legal. Get the right gear, follow the law, and have a good time.

Now, before investing in any equipment and heading out to fill the freezer, the first thing to do is know where and what you can legally hunt once you have your air rifle.

Of course, there are no federal regulations in place on air rifle hunting, but the same cannot be said about state laws. Not only do laws vary from state to state, but each state can set its own laws and codes on what can be hunted with an air rifle and what cannot.

There are even guidelines on what caliber, speed, and muzzle energy required to be legal in states that do allow air rifle hunting.

In this article, we will break down some of the state laws that pertain to air rifle deer hunting, and what types of equipment are suitable to ethically kill a deer.

State Laws

While it would be excessive to list all the laws for all the states regarding air rifle deer hunting, we will give a quick rundown of states where air rifle hunting has become popular and is legal with some stipulations. As well as some of the states where it is not permitted at all.

It seems to be much more prevalent to be legal to hunt deer in states in the eastern half of the nation, with some exceptions, while the majority of the states west of the Mississippi have prohibited it.

On the east side of the country, Missouri, Arkansas, and Michigan are all legal. So are Kentucky, Tennessee, and all states southeast of them are alright, while nearly all states in the northeast are states that have prohibited the practice, with the exception of Maryland, Vermont, and Maine.

Once you cross ole Miss, the only states where it is legal to hunt deer with air rifles are Idaho, Utah, Arizona, North Dakota, and the great state of Texas.

Texas Laws

Without going into detail on every state’s specific regulations, we will use Texas as our example. The regulations set forth by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are pretty straightforward and reasonably fair. They state that on permitted public lands, you can hunt deer with an air rifle as long as it meets the following conditions:

• The projectile must be at least 30 caliber in diameter
• The projectile must be at least 150 grains in weight
• The projectile velocity must be a minimum of 800 feet per second
• OR any combination of bullet weight and muzzle velocity that produces a muzzle energy of at least 215 foot-pounds of energy.

What air gun should I use?

Conveniently these requirements can be met by nearly any air rifle in the Texan line from Airforce Air Guns. The superstar of this line being the Texan .50 Caliber.

This professional-grade air rifle can put a projectile downrange at over 1000 feet per second, with muzzle energy levels that top 650 foot-pounds. This is more than adequate for a humane kill shot in nearly any scenario and at amazing distances.

Why Are The Regulations So Specific, And Why Are They Important?

Air guns function much differently than traditional firearms like shotguns and centerfire rifles. As such, an understanding of the operation and subsequent limitations of pneumatic rifles.

Before you commit to an air rifle, you should do your best to ensure that it meets the state requirements for where you will be hunting. The caliber, speed, and energy levels should all be easily found either through the manufacturer’s website, or the rifle documentation.

Just like with any other legal hunting method, knowing how your weapon exceeds, and how it is limited, is absolutely crucial to reducing or eliminating loss due to wounding and escape.

Different brands will have different specifications for ballistic performance. Other critical factors to consider when hunting with an air rifle are the weight of the bullet, the skill of the hunter, and the distance to the target.

Another limiting factor that is unique to air rifles is the diminishing charge in the air reservoir. After each shot, the amount of air in the reservoir is reduced, thus making each successive shot have its own diminished ballistics.

Eventually, this will necessitate either recharging or refilling the reservoir or air source.

While it is absolutely possible to take big game at distances of 150 yards or more, the ideal effective distance for air rifles is 75 yards or less. After this point, there is a marked reduction in the lethality of the shots from air rifles.

This is vital knowledge for all hunters using air guns because this limitation can lead to wounding loss. Inside this range, shots placed into essential or vital organs, like the brain, heart, or lungs, is still critical to reducing wounding loss.

This is similar to the limitations and shot placement requirements of using other non-explosive weaponry like archery.

The standard practice of waiting approximately an hour for the animal to expire without fleeing should still be observed since the initial ballistic energy is enough to damage the organ fatally but may not prevent adrenaline-fueled attempts to escape if frightened.

Other Important Considerations When Choosing An Air Rifle

Classification

Your state may classify air rifles differently than on a federal level. Federally, air rifles are not considered firearms, but that being said, some states do.

New Jersey for example does classify air rifles as a firearm, and as such, they are bound and regulated by that state’s firearm laws. This extends from purchase and handling through usage during hunting.

Even if a state does not classify an air rifle as a firearm, they may still qualify for the label of “dangerous weapon” which means that felons cannot own them. Other states do not classify them as either firearms or dangerous weapons.

Licensing

Occasionally a state will require licensing for specific weapons when used for hunting. This often delineates between archers, black power weapons like muskets and other muzzleloaders, and traditional firearms. Before you hit the stands, make sure you have appropriate licensing if required in your area.

Caliber

This is one of the main factors to consider for hunters because the goal of every hunter should be to put the animal down and quickly and humanely as possible and reduce or eliminate the subsequent suffering.

As a general guideline, animals with fur should be shot with nothing smaller than a .22 caliber bullet. This is also dependant on species because obviously a .22 is too small to be effective and humane on deer.

The ideal caliber for deer will be an absolute minimum.30 caliber, with .40 being the standard, and the required minimum in states like Missouri.

As we mentioned with Texas, they have a minimum caliber requirement, but the bullet weight and speed can be variable, provided the muzzle energy is appropriate for an ethical kill by being a minimum of 215 foot-pounds.

Velocity

Velocity is important as it figures heavily into the muzzle energy calculation. Even a large caliber bullet can be useless as a humane killing option if it is not traveling fast enough to be effective.

Not only Texas, but Rhode Island and New Jersey have minimum velocity requirements for hunting projectiles.

Seasonal & Animal Restrictions

In most areas, hunting weapons each have their own seasonal restrictions, as well as guidelines on what they can be used during a given season. While it may be legal to use an air rifle for deer during one part of the year, it may be illegal to use it on coyotes during that same time of year.

It is best to check with the wildlife department for the state in which you will be hunting, for the specifics.

Age Limitations And Restrictions

The restrictions on buying and using air guns based on age will vary considerably from state to state. Some states have no restrictions, while some require the buyer to be 16, or even 18, for long guns.

Conclusion

As with anything, do your homework before jumping into something with legal ramifications. With that being said, “airguns” have come a long way and they shouldn’t be looked at as kid’s play anymore. If you spend a little money and buy the right gun, hunting is definitely possible with the capable rifles.

UPDATED 03 NOVEMBER 2024

by Robert Ceran

Are you an angler wondering how long you can keep your catch fresh while fishing?

A popular solution is to put freshly caught fish on ice, and leave them there until you go home.

But how long can you keep fish on ice, and more specifically, how long will ungutted fish last if you keep it on ice?

Here’s the quick answer:

If fish are bled correctly after catching, they can be stored on ice without gutting for 24-48 hours without negative effects.

After that the quality starts to deteriorate, and you’re better off freezing them instead.

How long can you keep ungutted fish on ice?

If you’re planning to keep freshly caught fish on ice, make sure to bleed the fish first before putting them on ice, which is essential to avoid discoloration of the meat.

You don’t want the blood to coagulate inside the fish, and the only way to avoid that is by bleeding them right after catching.

Once fish have been bled correctly, you can keep them ungutted on ice for 24-48 hours without negative effects on taste.

And after you take them home at the end of the day, you can continue to keep the ungutted fish in the refrigerator for another 24-36 hours.

After that you really need to clean them if you want to avoid deterioration of quality.

How long can you keep ungutted fish without ice?

If you’re fishing in the warm season and don’t have ice with you, you can keep your fish for about half a day before it starts to go bad.

However, you’ll need to bleed and clean the fish right after catching. After that keep them dry and in a shady place, and they will be fine until you go home later that day.

If you want to preserve fish longer than half a day in the summer without ice, then the only option is to salt them.

For this you need to rub a lot of salt inside the body cavity after cleaning, as well as all over the outside.

Remember that once you’re ready to eat the fish, you need to soak them in water to remove as much of the salt as possible.

What’s the best way to keep fish fresh after catching?

Ideally, you’ll want to bleed and gut fresh fish immediately after catching them, and then keep them on ice until you cook them on the same day, or the next day.

Raw fish should only be kept in the fridge for a maximum of 2 or 3 days before eating it. On the other hand, if you freeze fresh fish, this preserves their quality for up to 3-8 months.

However, most anglers don’t have time to gut freshly caught fish, since they want to continue catching more fish.

In that case there are several ways to keep fish fresh while fishing. The best of these is to keep the fish alive, but this is only feasible with small fish that can be kept in a keeper net, or in a bucket of water.

If you can’t keep freshly caught fish alive, the next best option is to store them on ice, or in an ice slurry, which keeps them at a temperature of around 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit (similar to the temperature of a fridge).

This can be done quite easily by taking a cooler box with ice along on your fishing trip, though you need to keep in mind that the ice will melt by the end of the day.

If you’re ice fishing, you’re in luck, since the easiest way to keep the fish fresh is simply by leaving them on top of the ice you’re fishing on.

And if you’re planning to mount your fish, check out our guide on how to preserve fish for taxidermy.

How to bleed fish correctly

As mentioned above, it’s essential to bleed fish before putting them on ice, to ensure they stay fresh as long as possible.

The best way to do this is by cutting deeply behind the gills in a downward motion from top to bottom, as this severs all the main blood vessels that serve the gills.

You should immediately see blood come out, and then just wait 1-2 minutes until it’s done, and then quickly rinse the fish.

Can you freeze ungutted fish?

If you take ungutted fish home, you may be wondering if you can freeze the whole fish and clean them later.

The answer is yes – you can freeze fish without gutting them, and you can keep them like that for several months in the freezer without problems.

However, keep in mind that freezing whole fish is not the best solution, and it’s always better to clean fish before freezing them.

The slow freezing process in a home freezer can lead to rupturing of the stomach, which tends to have a negative effect on the taste of the meat.

Also, when you thaw the fish later on, the internal organs will start to decompose very quickly, which can also have a negative effect on taste. In order to avoid this, try to remove the gut when the fish is still partially frozen.

You should also keep in mind that you can’t refreeze fish that has been thawed, since the thawing process accelerates decomposition.

So if you catch a big fish, it’s better to clean it right away and then freeze it in small portions that you can take out of the freezer individually.

How long before ungutted fish goes bad?

If you bleed ungutted fish and then store them on ice or in the refrigerator, they can be kept for 24-48 hours without quality problems. However, it’s essential to keep fish cool for this.

If you don’t keep them cool, you only have 6-12 hours before ungutted fish goes bad. The reason for this is that bacteria and digestive enzymes inside the gut start to affect the rest of the fish.

How long does fresh caught fish last in the fridge?

Gutted fish can last up to 2 to 3 days in the fridge, while ungutted fish lasts for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Keep in mind that fish protein is highly perishable, and that a fridge only partially slows down decomposition by bacteria. This happens faster in ungutted fish because their intestines contain bacteria that accelerate decomposition.

Finally, even though you can safely eat fish that has been in the fridge for 2 or 3 days, its flavor and texture start to degrade well before it reaches this deadline, which means it will taste worse the longer you wait.

Because of this, I personally only store fresh fish for a maximum of 24 to 36 hours in the refrigerator before eating it.

How long can you freeze fish before it goes bad?

You can freeze fish for 3 to 8 months before it goes bad, and as a general rule of thumb it will be fine if kept in the freezer for 6 months or less.

And when I say “going bad” I mean deterioration of taste and texture, though it’s safe to eat frozen fish even after 1 to 2 years in the freezer.

Also note that fish with a high fat content (such as trout, mackerel and salmon) degrade faster than lean fish, and you should only keep them in the freezer for a maximum of 3 months to ensure optimal taste.

Final remarks

So in conclusion, it’s always best to bleed and fish right after catching them, and then to gut them as fast as possible.

And following that, you should try to eat or freeze the fish as fast as possible to maintain the quality.

So if you happen to be a “catch and release” angler, you’re probably glad right now because you don’t have to worry about this issue.

Isaac Yoder keeps busy. The 26-year-old is Amish, so he isn’t programmed to sit idly by. In fact, it’s his work ethic that eventually started him on the quest to kill an unbelievably wide-racked Ohio whitetail in 2018.

When his brother bought some land near their family farm in Belmont Co., Isaac began spending a lot of time there. He’s a farrier, a job that keeps him quite busy shoeing horses in the community. Isaac’s job actually played a part in how he was able to start hunting a truly superb buck.

Sitting on the porch after work on a hot July day back in ’17, Isaac let his mind drift to deer hunting. It was the time of year when he typically tries to find a buck to go after during hunting season. Without a target buck for the upcoming season picked out, Isaac decided to take a stroll to glass a nearby soybean field.

Right off the bat, he saw some bucks feeding on the tender summer crop. And then, a short distance from the bachelor group, Isaac saw another deer feeding in the field. This one’s head was down, and thus concealed by the beans. But when the deer raised his head, Isaac immediately knew he’d found a buck to go after.

“I’m telling you, when he lifted his head up, I started shaking,” Isaac claims. “The buck’s rack was so wide it seemed to go on forever.”

In fact, Isaac was so taken aback by the animal that he says, “I had the worst case of buck fever right then that I have ever had — more so than on any buck I have ever killed.”

That should tell you something about how wide this buck’s rack really is. It was wide enough, in fact, for Isaac to give the deer the apt nickname “747” in honor of the popular wide-body aircraft model by Boeing.

After spotting the huge whitetail, Isaac spent the rest of the night trying to convince himself that what he’d seen was actually real. The property on which he’d seen the buck butts up to his brother’s, and Isaac and his family had permission to ride their horses on it. But a conversation with the landowner, and an offer to shoe his horses, now meant that Isaac also could hunt the deer there.

Determined from the Start

Isaac doesn’t own any trail cameras, but a friend of his put some out. Soon they began getting the deer on camera. However, so were some hunters with permission to access neighboring properties. Isaac was determined to act quickly to harvest the magnificent buck before anyone else did.

If you want an example of how dedicated Isaac was to this buck, perhaps the hunter’s first trip to the stand says it all. Trail cameras had shown the buck was showing up around Isaac’s stand around 4:00 a.m. and hanging out until daylight. So, what did Isaac do? On opening morning of archery season, Isaac got into his stand at 1:00 a.m. The determined hunter sat there all day until shooting light had ended. In total, that was 18 hours on stand.

“I had every buck I knew of on the property walk by me at 25 yards and offer me a shot — every buck but him,” Isaac recalls.

He didn’t hunt the next day, and you guessed it: The buck showed up on camera in shooting light! And that’s how things would go between the two of them for the rest of the season. The game of cat-and-mouse dragged on for months, leaving Isaac frazzled.

The bowhunter saw 747 one time during the ’17 season, and he thought for a minute he was going to get a shot. But it didn’t work out that way.

Isaac was hunting a wooded area off a food plot, not far from a set of scrapes. The hunter wanted to be closer to the scrapes, as he felt that’s where 747 might show up. But Isaac was using a climbing tree stand, and there just weren’t any good trees to get in. He ended up being about 60 yards away from the scrapes. Sure enough, his only glimpse of the deer came as the buck worked the scrapes out of bow range.

The thought of letting an arrow loose did cross Isaac’s mind, but he wasn’t about to risk wounding the deer. He didn’t want it to go down like that. In fact, rather than take a shot he wasn’t 100 percent confident in, the gracious hunter would rather someone else make a good, clean shot on 747. That’s true hunter ethics.

On New Year’s Day ’18, 747 rang in the holiday by shedding his antlers. At that point, Isaac was done hunting him. Their chess match would have to wait until the coming fall to resume.

Restarting the Chase

When the time finally came to hunt 747 again, Isaac put together another piece of the puzzle. And he knew it could be the ticket for grounding the extra-wide buck.

The hunter worked out a deal with a neighboring landowner to be able to hunt a property that lies adjacent to the one where Isaac had first spotted the buck The landowner lives out of town and hunts the property himself, along with his children. Still, he gave Isaac the go-ahead. In exchange for hunting rights to the property, Isaac agreed to plant and maintain all the food plots on the property. He also vowed to hang and maintain the landowner’s tree stands and box blinds.

Isaac earned his keep around the farm, planting over seven acres of food plots, building and placing two box blinds and hanging and trimming tree stands for the owner, along with placing his own stands.

When September came around, Isaac began seeing 747 in the beans and corn he’d planted at the far end of the farm. Interestingly, though baiting is legal in Ohio, Isaac made the decision that he wasn’t going to hunt this buck over bait. Simply put, the hunter wanted to use another strategy to harvest the special whitetail.

As the season drew on, Isaac explains, the monster buck was showing up on camera nearly every day, either at one of the locations that Isaac wasn’t hunting or at a time when he wasn’t in the stand.

The labor of two hunting seasons was starting to wear on Isaac. He admits that by that time, he was physically and mentally drained. He just wanted the saga to end, one way or another.

Eerily, in mid-October, 747 vanished. Photos and all signs of him were gone. Hoping to find an answer to the buck’s disappearance, Isaac traveled to a nearby restaurant to see if he could chat with the father of one of the hunters on a neighboring property. The man frequented the joint, and Isaac had spoken to him of the buck before.

Luckily, Isaac connected with the man there. As the two discussed the deer and his behavior, the man mentioned that his son had gotten a photo of 747 at 4:00 a.m. that morning.

Leaving the restaurant, Isaac said to himself: Huh, typical for that deer to be so unpredictable.

Around the first of November, 747 showed up again around Isaac’s stands — and in daylight. Trail cameras showed him working scrapes at 9:00 a.m. on a regular basis. That’s all Isaac needed to know. The hunt was back on.

One of Isaac’s tree stands was ideal; it was situated in the woods about 80 yards from a food plot in a funnel area where deer travel around a ravine. For the next six days, Isaac hunted that stand. The wind was right, and he took advantage of it. While those six days passed without his seeing the deer, Isaac stayed determined.

The next day, on Nov. 8, Isaac was on stand again. At about 8:00 a.m., he stood up to stretch and looked into the food plot he’d checked just before standing up — and there was the buck. For the first time all season, Isaac was looking at 747 in the flesh.

The bowhunter already knew from the way the deer was walking that he would soon be standing just 18 yards in front of the tree stand. Sure enough, within a few minutes, 747 was working the scrape only steps in front of Isaac’s stand. “It felt like forever before he stopped working that scrape and turned to move so I could get a shot,” he remembers.

When the buck did move, Isaac couldn’t shoot; limbs protected the deer’s vitals. Then, when 747 started walking again, he wasn’t broadside as he’d been before. Instead, the huge buck turned and started walking head-on toward Isaac!

When the behemoth whitetail did finally turn broadside, Isaac drew his Mathews Halon and found a spot behind the buck’s shoulder to settle his pin. Isaac then waited for the buck to stop, but he didn’t. Then Isaac felt his bow arm come up against a tree limb. It was either shoot then or let the bow down.

Isaac shot.

Immediately 747 crashed away, bulldozing everything in his path.

“He even caught a decent-sized tree in his rack and actually ripped it out of the ground,” Isaac remembers. He was fearful the deer would break off part of his rack in the commotion.

After running 80 yards or so, the giant buck faded out of sight. Isaac decided to play it safe and back out of the area. He took the long way out, hoping his caution would prevent him from bumping the wounded buck.

Upon taking up the blood trail, Isaac found what appeared to be an area where the deer had bedded for a period of time. After first backing out to allow time for the buck to expire, Isaac returned to find 747 bedded and still alive. The hunter stalked to within 20 yards of him and landed a lethal follow-up shot.

And just like that, Isaac’s 2-year quest for the mega-wide whitetail had ended. Next, the celebrations commenced. Soon, photos of Isaac’s trophy were circulating on social media throughout the country. As the bowhunter says: “It felt like the whole world knew about this buck.”

In Conclusion

Isaac notes that he couldn’t be more grateful to the landowners who have allowed him to hunt over the years and who played significant parts in his tagging 747. And what of the gracious landowner who allowed Isaac to hunt in exchange for food plot work and stand maintenance? That family couldn’t be happier. There were absolutely no hard feelings or bad thoughts on their part. That’s proof positive they’re stand-up folks.

After being officially scored by a Boone & Crockett measurer, Isaac’s spectacular buck boasted a gross score of 175 inches. The buck is a mainframe 8-pointer with seven addition points. But without a doubt, the most incredible aspect of 747’s unique rack is its incredible width. Officially, the inside spread is a whopping 32 7/8 inches, while the outside is 35 1/8!

Those are numbers virtually never seen on a whitetail rack, and it’s easy to see why 747 garnered so much attention from whitetail fanatics everywhere. Bucks with wingspans so wide they’re named for jetliners just don’t come along every day.

When taking a shot at a game animal, the goal of the hunter should be to deliver a well placed shot to the vital organs. Knowing the anatomy of your quarry will allow you to place the shot in the most vital spot. This insures a quick, clean kill, which minimizes the suffering of the animal and maximizes the chance of retrieving the downed animal. The angle that the animal is standing in relation to the hunter is the shot angle. If the animal does not present a good shot angle to the hunter, it’s best to wait for the shot angle to improve.

The Broadside Shot

The Broadside Shot presents the largest target area to strike the heart and lungs. For the novice hunter this is the best shot to take. It is just behind the shoulder bones. Properly placed, the bullet will strike the ribs and probably pass completely through the chest cavity.

To find the best shot placement, look at the front leg facing you, along a line on the back side of this leg, come up one third of the way into the body. This is the place you want your bullet or arrow to impact.

The broadside shot for turkey is the best for bowhunters. With a firearm, the head and neck are the best place to aim. Most of the meat on a turkey is in the breast. By aiming for the head with a rifle or grouping for the head and neck with a shotgun, you won’t damage the breast meat.

Quartering-Toward

Quartering-Towardis a shot angle from the front of the animal when their body is angled towards you. This angle still affords a shot to the vital area, however, there is a greater chance of hitting bones in the shoulder. Since the animal is facing you, it can easily detect any movements. Bowhunters should avoid taking this shot because of the added density of the shoulder bones that the arrow must penetrate. Also, many times the animal can see the arrow in flight.

Quartering-Away

Quartering-Awayis a shot angle where the animal’s body is angled away from you. You still have a shot at the vital areas and should aim behind the shoulder. You must be confident of your accuracy with your firearm as misplacement of the shot can result in a “gut-shot,” a shot to the stomach and intestines. Not only does the animal suffer when gut-shot but it can still travel a great distance and there is a good chance you may lose it.

Head-On

Head-On means the animal is standing directly facing you. The vital organs can still be hit but there is a good chance the bullet will damage a good deal of meat. Depending on the velocity of the bullet, it could also pass through and hit the stomach, even continuing into one of the rear legs, ruining even more meat. Bowhunters should not take this shot.

Rear-End

Rear-End is exactly that, an angle directly behind the animal. No large vital area is presented. Never take this shot with firearm or bow. Wait for a better shot or pass.

The shot angle on both of these bucks is not good. You should wait for a better angle to the vital area.

Due to their status as natural predators, eagles are at the top of the food chain. To live, several eagle species will eat various birds and mammals. Are you curious to know that do eagles eat raccoons or not?

Yes, eagles eat raccoons. Eagles prey on raccoons because raccoons are one of the most likely hoofed mammals of eagles. A raccoon can be killed by an eagle attacking it from above, but raccoons are pretty resilient creatures in person.

This article will study the different types of eagles to know if they eat raccoons. So, keep reading the article further.

Eagle And Raccoon Relationship

Eagles and raccoons both have predator-prey-type relationships. In the wild, an adult eagle is without any other natural predators. However, hawks, owls, raccoons, wildcats, and other predatory creatures may feast on the eggs and chicks of eagles.

Although eagles also prey on raccoons, raccoons are one of the most likely mammalian predators of eagles. In reality, according to a few studies, the mother eagle is shown on the live broadcast bringing a young raccoon to the nest so that the eaglets can eat. Large owls and eagles will consume young raccoons.

What an eagle consumes is decided by its feet. It is apparent from one glance at an eagle’s foot that such birds are designed for hunting large prey. They are built to catch the target that would be out of reach for most other birds, thanks to their strong legs, feet, and pointed crampons.

Do Bald Eagles Eat Raccoons?

No, bald eagles do not eat raccoons. Depending on their habitat, some bald eagles mostly consume fish, while others primarily consume other birds like gulls and geese. However, rodents like rabbits, calves, and, yes, even cuddly kitties are rarely included on the menu.

Bald eagles can obtain fish, their main food source, nearby rivers, lakes, and marshes where they dwell. Nevertheless, as their numbers increase, bald eagles are extending their territory and even building nests in cities. Dove hunting, tortoises, bunnies, snakes, various small animals, and carrion are other things bald eagles eat.

Since bald eagles typically inhabit freshwater or coastal environments, fish is essentially their primary source of meat. Many people are shocked to learn that bald eagles have strict vegetarian inclinations; they enjoy pursuing trout, catfish, and sardines, but they will also consume crabs and other invertebrates.

Do Sea Eagles Eat Raccoons?

No, sea eagles don’t eat raccoons. White-bellied goose is the primary food source for the sea eagle’s aquatic wildlife, like fish, turtles, and sea snakes. However, it also eats birds and mammals but not raccoons. It is an adept hunter and will take on anything up to Swan’s size.

Sea eagles consume a wide range of prey. All along the water’s edge, sea eagles eat carrion, or dead prey, such as sheep and fish. Smaller birds are harassed, which causes them to drop any food they hold. Sea eagles can forage singly, in pairs, or as a wider family. They frequently take food from other birds because they are evil eaters.

While sea eagles dangle from a considerable height and then quickly descend to the sea, they fish differently, swooping low above the water before momentarily hovering and seizing the fish.

Do Snake Eagles Eat Raccoons?

Yes, snake eagles eat raccoons, but they prey on raccoons when they don’t find anything to eat. As its name suggests, the snake eagle, also known as the crested serpent-eagle, is primarily a snake hunter. It seems to favor tree snakes in particular. However, it doesn’t only eat snakes.

Ants, small raccoons, amphibians, toads, animals, worms, small birds, and giant earthworms will also be consumed. Even though they are not resistant to snake poison, these Eagles are among the numerous predators of snakes in the wild. They would pounce on snakes from above, capture them, and then trample them underfoot with their feet.

Eagles are voracious predators that consume snakes, raccoons, rodents, and other birds. Eagles are scavengers that eat animal flesh, and one of their preferred fares is snakes.

Does Crowned Eagle Eat Raccoon?

No, crowned eagles do not eat raccoons. The primary prey of Crowned Eagles are mammals, particularly hyraxes, vervet monkeys, and tiny antelope-like Blue Duiker. Studies carried out in the local municipality region reveal that Hadeda Ibis is also consumed.

The Crowned Hawk-eagle has the strength to kill an antelope that is up to six times its bulk which is just amazing. Despite its hunting prowess, it is not always required for it to take down such large prey.

Along with other mammals, it also eats smaller animals like vervet and blue monkeys, tiny dugongs, klipspringers, rocky kangaroo rats, and Sharpe’s grysbok.

Additionally, it eats reptiles like the Rock Monitor as well as sporadically birds. Crowned hawk eagles have been observed to successfully hunt huge primates like baby bonobos and teenage maned wolves.

How Does An Eagle Catch Raccoon?

Raccoons are typically caught and killed by eagles with their claws, after which the pieces are torn out and either eaten by the eagle or fed to the eaglets. Most eagles often store one to two tons of food in the crops, a storing area located just behind the eagle’s chin when food is abundant.

After spotting the raccoon, they dive at a progressive angle and snag it in a vice-like deadly grasp with their formidable talons. Raccoon, which can frequently weigh only half the weight of the eagle, is what they take off with. The prey is torn apart by the enormous, serrated beak.

Eagles don’t consume their prey before regurgitating it to their chicks as some other birds do. Instead, they just use their talons to carry the prey to the nests, shred it into pieces, and afterward offer it to their chicks to eat.

Conclusion

Eagles are adaptive hunters who hunt a variety of species using their exceptional sight, speed, and flying, as well as their powerful initial strikes. These predators almost hunt anything that an eagle can kill with a single, strong stroke from above.

If the prey is tiny enough, they will either bring it to their nests from there or consume a small amount of it there and carry the rest of it away.

Most eagles remain at the top of their particular food chains due to extremely sophisticated hunting techniques. The dominant hunter of its environment is almost always an adult eagle.

References

Henson SM, Desharnais RA, Funasaki ET, Galusha JG, Watson JW, Hayward JL. Predator-prey dynamics of bald eagles and glaucous-winged gulls at Protection Island, Washington, USA. Ecol Evol. 2019.

Elliser, C. R., Edison, C., MacIver, K., & Rust, L. B. (2022). Kleptoparasitic interactions by bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) during marine mammal foraging events, Behaviour (published online ahead of print 2022).

Ekblad, C., Tikkanen, H., Sulkava, S. et al. Diet and breeding habitat preferences of White-tailed Eagles in a northern inland environment. Polar Biol 43, 2071-2084 (2020)

I can remember it like it was just yesterday. My dad had borrowed a bow from a family member and was tinkering with it at the dining room table. I thought to myself, “Could it be? Were we about to become archery hunters?” Up until this point, my dad and I had always toted rifles in the deer woods. Watching him shoot and sight that old bow in seemed like an agonizing process. It seemed like it took days to get it right. The sight looked like something out of a junk pile when compared to those of present day. There were no fiber optic pins or bubble levels. No, these pins were painted: a poor excuse of red and yellow. Yeah, we’ve got it pretty good today in the world of bow sights. We even have the option of having one single pin or multiple pins to look at. Pretty spoiled, right? Yet, this is a common conundrum when picking out a sight and this current topic: single pin sights versus multi-pin sights. Each have their pros and cons. Let’s look down the path of each and see which one might be the better option for you.

Single pin sights

Single pin sights are exactly what they sound like. Within the sight housing, there is one pin for you to focus on and one alone. There isn’t a bunch of clutter in the form of other pins and target acquisition comes faster. It puts the confusion to a minimum and, in the heat of the moment, that could help a quite a bit. These sights operate on a slider, meaning that you can dial that one pin to exact yardage. It’s a huge benefit in terms of accuracy, which is probably why it is the most popular choice for target archers. This feature takes the painstaking task of pin gapping out of the equation altogether. For those that don’t know, pin gapping is where you aim between pins. Say you’ve got a 35 yard shot. You aim between your 30 and 40 yard pin. It’s a technique that works and gets the job done, but one that will never be better than single pin accuracy.

There are also some drawbacks of running a single pin sight. These have nothing to do with accuracy on the range, but everything to do with hunting because of having to adjust the sight to yardage, which poses a potential problem. Actually, it poses a few. The first is that things happen quickly out in the field sometimes. Say you’ve got a buck standing at 30 yards and have your sight adjusted to 30. You come to full draw and all of a sudden that buck jumps and runs out to 53 yards. Now, you’ve got to either know your exact holdover for 53 yards or have to let down and readjust your sight to 53. That is either going to potentially hurt you in accuracy or in time. Another issue is the actual act of adjusting your sight. Doing so involves movement and movement is what can bite you as a bowhunter. Drawing your bow back is movement enough. Adding more to the equation definitely has the potential of blowing an opportunity.

Pros

• Open sight picture
• Fast target acquisition
• Exact yardage accuracy

Cons

• Have to adjust sight for each shot
• Adds in movement
• Might cost one opportunity in the field

Multi-pin sights

Multi-pin sights are definitely the most popular in the bowhunting world, especially for beginners. When starting out, it’s comforting to know that you’ve got a set pin for each yardage. They come in three, five and seven pin models with the option of adding a slider to reach way out to longer yardage. These pins are usually set in 10 yard increments; often at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc. That right there is probably the biggest advantage to using a multi-pin sight for hunting. It completely takes the step of adjusting the slider for each shot. That deer standing at 30, but then bounds out to 53? A hunter wouldn’t even have to let down from full draw. All they would have to do is switch the pin they were aiming with. They are a timesaver and, in the mountains, mere seconds can be the difference between notching a tag or eating tag soup. Not having to adjust to yardage also gives the advantage of less movement. And, on an archery hunt, the less movement the better.

Just like single pin sights, multi-pin sights are not all peaches and cream. While having multiple pins in the sight housing is a plus, it can also be a disadvantage. The first is clutter, especially with seven pin models. In dense cover with branches every which way covering up your sightline, having a bunch of pins doing the same thing is not optimal. It could create an issue with trying to pick a spot. All of those pins in there not only cover up the sight picture, but also add an element of confusion. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say “I used the wrong pin,” I could probably buy an out-of-state tag or two. It’s even happened to me. The first elk I shot at I couldn’t tell you which pin I used with how intense the situation was. That is the reality of bowhunting and why many of us thrive on it. The intensity and intimacy of close range encounters where thinking straight comes few and far between. In this regard, simpler is better with sights. There is also the issue of pin gapping, which doesn’t offer that exact yardage accuracy you get with a single pin sight.

Pros

• Great for beginners
• Have set pins for various yardages
• Timesaver in the field

Cons

• Multiple pins cover up the sight picture
• Could use the “wrong pin”
• Must be aware of pin gap for yardages in between set pins (no exact yardage accuracy)

Closing

Choosing between a multi-pin sight and single pin sight really comes down to you and your style of hunting in my opinion. Most spot and stalk bowhunters I know that are crawling around open country usually opt for a multi-pin sight. They need the ability to adjust yardage on the fly—especially for hunting the rut when bucks move every which way without a moment’s notice. This is what I prefer as that is the country in which I mostly hunt. However, someone in dense cover or hunting from a treestand might prefer the single pin. Being in close quarters, they know their yardage and can have that single pin set right to it, ready for action. My best advice is to try these sights out and see what you like better. Even if you are a spot and stalk hunter, you might find that you prefer the simplicity of a single pin. There is nothing wrong with that. The same can be said for hunting out of a tree. This is one of the coolest things about bowhunting to me. We have the luxury of molding our system exactly to what we want and how we want it. All of this is a far cry from those red and yellow painted pins bolted within that bent piece of metal I saw as a kid.

Check this out!

For another look at single vs. multi pin bowsights, check out this article here: Single pin bow sights: Are they really better?