Wondering what to do with venison fat? Here’s a fun project you can make that will yield an all-purpose cooking fat.

There’s a huge misconception about venison/deer fat and it’s use in cooking. Basically, people think it tastes like chapstick, it’s gamey and horrible, too rich, or some other common unfortunate misunderstanding.

If you’re here, you’re probably bambi fat-curious, so know this: deer fat is good tasting, good for you, and yes, you can absolutely render it for cooking.

Can you cook with venison fat? Is it even good?

Ok, I should rephrase that a tiny bit. Venison fat can be very good, just like bear fat can be very good. I’m not a venison specialist, but I am a bit of a specialist on lamb and goat, and they’re very similar. Basically, the fat of animals will all taste a little different, but the biggest thing I that find that gives a strong flavor to fat, especially in wild animals like deer and bears, is their diet.

If bears are eating fish, I’d assume their fat (and the meat) would be very strong tasting, the same could be said from the meat of a racoon if it’s been living off crayfish compared to chickens.

My grandmother still recounts how awful the white tail deer in Montana my Grandpa would shoot were, because of how it smelled—like wild sage. Venison eating aromatic herbs, and shrubby, tough aromatic plants will naturally have a strong flavor.

Over here in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where most of the deer get a bit of corn in their diet, the deer will taste very mild. For contrast too, I once ordered farmed venison obviously fed a bland corn diet (at a price of 50$/lb) and had to quickly send it back to the supplier since it didn’t even taste like, well, anything, and the meat was bland and pale.

I’ve had the same thing happen with bison. As far as flavor’s concerned, just because it’s a “wild animal” or was once wild, doesn’t necessarily matter as much as the management practices do.

The high melting point

Flavor aside, probably what most people don’t care for with venison fat is that is has a high melting point, which is a nice way of saying rendered venison fat/tallow will be rock solid cold, and will firm up on a plate and in your mouth if your dish cools off. Some people liken it to chapstick.

All of this is true, but, it’s also true with lamb, goat, beef, and buffalo. All of these ruminants have fat with a similar melting point, and all of them can be good in the right place. Remember, McDonalds French fries were cooked solely in beef fat for many years, for a reason: it tastes great.

Blend fats to get the texture you want

Here’s the secret. Just because deer, beef, and lamb fat is rock hard and pasty doesn’t mean that it has to be, per se. There’s ways around it, and I like to cheat a bit. Basically, I modify fats depending on the texture I want. For example, one year for a special dinner I wanted to make deviled eggs inspired by some I had at Dominique Crenn’s Bar Crenn that were flavored with crab.

Crab oil is really easy to make, but if I mix some into deviled egg filling, it’s going to get too loose. So, I cooked crab shells in half butter and half oil, then pureed the hybrid fat into the deviled egg mix and, voila, after it chilled, I had custardy, stiff, crab-flavored deviled eggs. I do the same thing here with the deer fat.

Venison Fat “Shmaltz”

I call this venison or deer fat shmaltz because shmaltz is kind of what it is. Depending on who you ask, shmaltz will typically be used to refer to poultry fat, typically in Jewish cuisine, although it’s been adopted into the modern culinary lexicon a bit.

Some versions of shmaltz incorporate flavorings like onions, garlic and herbs into the rendering process, and that’s exactly what I do here with the venison, which helps give it some deep, rounded flavor.

The other secret is cutting the venison fat with cooking oil—whatever kind you have that isn’t cold pressed, avocado oil, grapeseed, and other oils will be fine, just don’t use extra virgin.

The finished rendered venison fat-hybrid is still going to get firm when it’s cold, but you wont have to chip it like a block of stone, and, what’s even better is that it tastes great, and you can use it for everything from sautéing vegetables to some of the most crispity, crunchity roasted potatoes you’ll eat. Try it next time you have some deer fat and don’t feel like using it to polish your boots.

*My latest book, All Weather Whitetailsis now available!

Backing Out For Wounded Whitetails

Trust me I have heard them all, including: “It’s going to rain”, “the yotes will find him first” and “snow is coming”. Although some hunters may not admit it, I think you can even add, “I have to get home” and “I have to work tomorrow”, to the list of reasons not to back out. However, the hunters I personally know who experience nearly a 100% success rate for recovering mortally wounded whitetails, all have one thing in common: Patience. If “when in doubt, back out” is the king of whitetail recovery phrases, “Patience” it’s single root word of success.

Exercising patience with anything in life is difficult and the art of tracking a wounded whitetail is absolutely no exception. But, if you want to consistently find a deer that you just shot, you have to apply a whole lot of patience. The decisions that you make within the first few minutes after you shoot a deer, will directly dictate the rollercoaster of emotions that you experience for hours or even days to come. The reliable level of predictable tracking success is based on the behavior patterns of wounded whitetails.

Top Whitetail Blood Tracking Tips

*A mortally wounded deer will lie down within 200-300 yards (or first thick cover) and will expire in the time-frame of the specific hit. Unless pushed, this will be the final resting place for your deer. If pushed from this location, the deer will usually go in excess of mile or more, depending upon cover, with little to no blood trail. Unless you are extremely lucky the odds that you find your whitetail are extremely low, even if you only jump him 1 time.

*If raining or snowing, you dont have much to lose by waiting. If you have a good hit, the deer will only go a short ways, making recovery relatively easy, even with no blood trail! If the deer had a marginal hit, hurrying to track because of an approaching rain or snow will only push the deer and you have a great chance of losing the deer anyways. Do you have lots of coyotes or other predators in the area? Same thing…jumping a bedded deer will only lead to the same results of jumping him in the rain or snow. 1 jump and he is typically gone for good, so taking a chance that a predator finds him is better than the certainty that he will be lost if he is pushed to early.

*Just because you see a double-lung hit, doesnt mean thats what hit it was. Our mind has a way of tricking us into thinking we did a better job than we did (we practiced, aimed hard, took a careful shot-had to be good!). Believe it or not, a deers reaction is quick enough to completely avoid an arrow, even within 10 yards. If a deer reacts just slightly to the sound of the shot, your arrow can be no where near where you aimed. Also, do we always make a perfect shot?I know that I don’t, which is why I thought is was important to relay this informationt to you.

*Unless you see your deer fall, it is always best to wait until morning, or later in the day, even if you think you made a good shot. This practice has resulted in dozens of 100 yard tracking jobs that ended with a deer that had expired hours earlier. But I can also say that this practice has ended with at least 2 deer that were still warm to the touch.

*If you know you made a double-lung shot, with a heavy blood trail and plenty of bubbles, and are also confident you made a perfect shot; wait an hour and go get your deer. The problem with this is that it takes many years of experience and tons of confidence to determine exactly what situation and hit is yours. Each year there are many lost liver shot deer that fell victims to I know I shot a double lung, when in fact it was not. I consider all my deer trophies, and even if I know I shot a great shot, I still give the animal the time and respect it deserves to expire. If you shoot a buck early in the morning, go have breakfast, go shopping, call some friends or even take a nap (if possible!). An evening tracting job is the same-walk straight home, have a sleepless night, and go get your deer in the morning with no harm done.

*A wounded deer may only be 100 yards away when you exit your stand, dying, so it is critical to sneak out of your stand and away from the deer. Walking towards the deer only 10 feet could result in a fleeing deer that often will cover a 1/2 mile or more prior to settling down again. Remember, that deer really doesnt know what happened, he probably feels sick, and is doing his best to feel hidden, safe and comfortable. The moment a whitetail knows a human is after him, he is gone! It only takes a jacket being un-zipped, an arrow hitting a stick, or even an innocent cough or sniffle.

*Always look for the last place you saw the deer and mark with a tissue, tree, or other natural feature. Still follow the blood trail at the place of the hit to more accurately determine the type of hit, but marking the last place of deer sighting is a great reference. Over the years I have had to climb back into a stand after searching a bit becasue I did not mark the location I last spotted the deer I had just shot only hours earlier. Remembering a fallen log, odd tilt to a tree trunk or even an unusual opening in the woods are all great references for when you return to .

You’ll rack up more ‘coons when the winter heat waves hit — if you follow this trapper’s ways.

By Toby Walrath

When trappers think of midwinter traplines, raccoons aren’t likely the first animal that comes to mind. Cold temperatures and rare track sightings do not make the effort of checking and maintaining traps seem worth the work — especially in northern states. But, by targeting the warmest days of each winter month, trappers can spend less time on the trapline and yield more winter-prime raccoons.

Raccoons are targeted in early fall by most trappers and hunters because that’s when the best weather occurs, but midwinter pelts are the most prime. With the current market situation, only the biggest and best raccoon pelts will sell. From a dollars-and-cents perspective, you can spend far less on fuel and trapping expenses and make a lot more money by trapping fewer prime animals, than you can by trapping many that are under-prime. If you are trapping simply for enjoyment and to get a nice hide for the wall or for craft work, it is still beneficial to trap raccoons when the fur is in its fullest and most beautiful condition. Knowing when to set and when to leave traps sprung can maximize your midwinter trap time and yield more prime fur.

First, raccoon pelts are generally good by the end of October and pelts become heavy by mid-November. It is right around this time — especially in northern states — when raccoons hole up in dens somewhere and become difficult to find. This mild form of hibernation is called torpor, which causes raccoons to do very little and slumber for long periods, while conserving fat stores. As long as temperatures stay cold and the snow piles up, raccoon activity remains pretty much nonexistent until it warms up again. Trappers who pay attention to travel routes in the early part of autumn can capitalize on winter-prime furs when the time is right.

Every winter season experiences a few days or weeks of warm weather. Warmth at this time of year is relative to the cold temperatures found on either side of the warm spell. In some regions of the country, woodsmen know this as a Chinook, or Chinook wind, in other parts it is called a January thaw or an ice eater.

Whatever you call it, there is often a time period when the cold weather of winter is reversed temporarily and the temperatures rise above freezing. It can last for a few days or several weeks and often comes with rain and drizzle. This is when raccoons get on the move looking for food, and when trappers can obtain the best pelts.

Secondly, breeding season for raccoons varies slightly by the latitude of their area, but occurs in the first half of the calendar year, generally reaching its peak somewhere within the time between January and March. Any young males that still remain with the family group will disperse at this time and the big boars go out searching for a mate. When a warm spell aligns with breeding activity, the opportunity for prime winter pelts is optimum.

There is some risk that pelts can become stained with urine at this time of the year, especially if the raccoons are holed up inside tight quarters with several other animals for long periods of time. However, I have trapped many wintertime raccoons that brought premium prices at fur sales, and because of this fact I continue to target them in January and February. I have caught raccoons as late as March in the Northwest that had quality hides.

Most of my trapping effort for raccoons is performed a little differently than it is for other species. This difference is driven by the timing of peak activity, weather and the market. Developing a strategy to maximize my return on investment allows me to be able to afford to trap raccoons every season. To put this into perspective, I can’t afford to spend $50 on fuel and bait to trap one $10 raccoon. I also don’t want to spend the time to check traps five times to catch just one raccoon in the current market, either. This is especially true when I can spend my time trapping bobcats and coyotes that bring a much higher paycheck than raccoons.

So, in order to make money, or at least break even, from trapping raccoons, it is necessary to spend less time and money when the least amount of time is required to catch the most valuable pelts. In order to accomplish this I must catch more fur in less time. This is possible by setting traps only when peak activity is expected. Predicting the timing takes a bit of trial and error, but there are some key factors that help me focus my effort at precisely the best periods to find my raccoon sets full.

A full moon will bring raccoons out more during winter months than a dark moon. Some trappers may debate that statement, but it has been my experience over the years. If the weatherman predicts mild temperatures at or above freezing in the middle of the night and there is also a full moon, I make sure that my trapline is in good working order. But, determining exactly where and how to set up my trapline begins much earlier in the season.

I always keep track of where I see raccoon sign while trapping other species throughout the fall. Muskrat, beaver and mink habitat overlap with raccoons. Much of the best winter raccoon trapping locations are in thick timber with large trees that are adjacent to open farm fields or cattail marshes. These forested areas offer protection and food sources when ponds and creeks are frozen. I search for the travel routes that raccoons use during the fall between the food source and den sites.

It’s important to know that when the temperatures dip down in the autumn months raccoons begin looking for a place to stay long term. The areas where raccoon sign, such as tracks and scat, are found just before freeze-up will be the best places to set traps during the midwinter season. These locations are different than the ones you may be accustomed to in the early fall.

Once the areas are identified, it becomes a waiting game. The frigid winter temperatures come and the snow begins to pile up in late November. That is when I generally switch my trapping efforts to bobcats and marten. But, I keep an eye on the weather, too. Usually somewhere around early January a warm weather system will move into my region and that is when I get ready for raccoon trapping. By then all of my other traplines are in and I have a routine of checking those traps with minimal maintenance, which allows me to dedicate some time to a raccoon line.

I use encapsulated traps, also known as dog-proof traps, or DPs, for raccoon trapping because they are very selective and I don’t have to worry about chewing issues. I can also count on the trap functioning properly and there is very little work required to set them up.

To begin, I travel to the areas where I noted high activity just before freeze-up, and choose the most obvious weatherproof locations. In my area, the ground is rock hard at this time of year, so I use heavy cable with an adjustable loop on one end to wrap around a tree trunk and over my trap.

For bait, I keep it simple by using dry cat food and fish or shrimp oil. Even with above-freezing temperatures during the day, any dip in the mercury could freeze up a trap packed with bait that can freeze. The cat food will not freeze as long as it stays dry, and fish oil is naturally freeze proof. I fill the cat food to just at or below the bottom of the trigger. If it gets wet I will clean it out and replace it with fresh, dry bait.

There are models of DP traps with push/pull triggers that will set the trap off as the raccoon pushes its paw inside, but the ones that I prefer rely on an upward pulling motion. It won’t take much oil and I have utilized homemade sun-rendered oil, commercial fish oil and even fishy smelling oils made for fisherman. As long as the oil is thick and has a strong odor, I will add a teaspoon of it to the cat food and then smear some on a tree within a foot or two of the trap. Precise trap placement is not real critical, but I like to jam the support stake (commonly found on top DP brands) into the soil or duff at the base of the tree when possible, so that the trap is upright at a slight angle. I will always set at least two or three traps within 50 feet or so of each other because I so often see more than one raccoon travelling together. I have caught as many as three very close together, and if I have enough traps I will set as many as six in one premium location.

Next, I’ll wait and check my traps regularly as long as the weather stays above freezing. When temperatures drop again I spring the traps and lay them on their sides to keep any rain or snow out, and forget about them until the weather is predicted to warm up again.

When I know that the weather is going to heat up for a few days, I reset and re-bait all of the traps throughout the entire warm spell again. In this way I am keeping my traps operational only when the raccoons are most likely to be actively searching for food. Most importantly, I won’t waste any time maintaining and checking traps when temperatures are below freezing, because I know that overall raccoon activity will be very limited during those conditions. With my traps already secured to the trunk of weatherproof trees, resetting them is very easy when the time comes.

Midwinter raccoon trapping can produce the best quality hides at a time of the year when food is scarce and their breeding season is ramping up. Those two factors alone should increase the return on a trapper’s efforts. I also like to be the only raccoon trapper working an area, and given the low prices of fall skins and the common thought that winter and raccoon trapping don’t belong in the same sentence — I have enjoyed many productive days afield pursuing prime pelts without seeing any other trappers.

Try trapping raccoons this winter when their fur is at its best and competing trappers are few and far between. You will get more skins and profit for your efforts, while having one more excuse to get outside when others are curled up in bed waiting for spring.

—Toby Walrath is a big-game guide, writer, photographer, hunter and trapper, and can be reached through his Instagram account @walrathoutdoorsphoto.

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My introduction to the diminutive .17 caliber came via a mid-winter coyote caper in southwestern Alberta. I hunted mule deer there the previous year with a good buddy, Andre van Hilten, owner of Willow Creek Outfitters. The predator hunter in me couldn’t help but notice the abundance of coyotes as we picked apart the landscape with our optics in search of antlers. So it was no surprise the next January I was following Andre down a sharp ridgeline where we set up overlooking a spiderweb of brushy draws that converged at a frozen stock pond.

It was that magical crepuscular time of the morning all coyote hunters cherish. The breeze was cool and wispy as the sun peeked over the horizon. Andre laid into the rabbit distress call with the guttural growl of a chain-smoking blues singer, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand and applaud. I watched the hills come to life as coyotes began crawling out of the woodwork. Nine in all! Most were milling around several hundred yards out, finishing up the night shift and paying us very little attention. Then I spotted two coming hard, one down a fence line, the other circling the far end of the stock pond. I’d like to say that we cleaned house, but circumstances conspired to produce a big fat zero. Don’t ask, and I won’t tell. No worries, though. There was no shortage of coyotes and we’d get a chance at redemption in this predator-rich environment.

That reckoning came in the form of several rugged-out coyotes over the next few days of hunting, firmly planted by the formidable .17 Remington Fireball and its petite 20-grain AccuTip-V projectile. This hunt occurred a few years back when Remington first introduced the cartridge—a necked-down version of its .221 Fireball—and paired it with the also petite Model Seven rifle. I was one of a handful of early test subjects asked to measure its mettle. While I was somewhat skeptical of using such a small bullet on such large northern coyotes, that concern proved to be unfounded. A look at my notes from that hunt demonstrates the efficiency of this formidable little cartridge.

On that Alberta hunt we had no unrecovered coyotes. The longest shot—193 yards—to a broadside coyote dropped it in its tracks with no exit wound. A shot at 170 yards netted a similar result: instant death with no exit wound. A shot to the head at 171 yards dropped another coyote with an exit wound that caused only minimal damage. Only one coyote showed considerable fur damage: a frontal shot at 94 yards that encountered bone and exited out the shoulder.

Another group of hunters in Wyoming experienced similar results with kills ranging from 60 to 250 yards with no unrecovered coyotes. Only one hit coyote went a considerable distance and required a finishing shot. The dog shot at 250 yards was hit to the rear of the lungs, and the tough canine traveled 200 yards before succumbing.

Currently, there are three major .17-caliber centerfire cartridge offerings: .17 Remington, .17 Remington Fireball, and .17 Hornet. Each comes factory loaded with a decent selection of special-purpose varmint and predator bullets. I’d be remiss in not mentioning a lengthy list of wildcats, such as the .17 Ackley Bee, .17 Ackley Hornet, .17 MACH IV, .17 Javelina, and others.

So let’s set the stage by first looking at the three factory offerings in .17 caliber:

17 Remington

The first modern-day factory-loaded .17 varmint cartridge was the .17 Remington, introduced in 1971. It’s the hottest of the bunch (excluding the wildcats), and its angry little 20-grain Remington Premier AccuTip-V bullet leaves the barrel at 4,250 fps. This cartridge is based on the .223 Remington case (with some dimensional changes) necked-down to accept 0.172-inch-diameter bullets. Like its parent case, the rim diameter is 0.378 inch, and the shoulder angle remains 23 degrees.

.17 Remington Fireball

Remington launched the .17 Fireball, a necked-down version of its .221 Fireball, in 2007. It pushes the 20-grain Remington Premier AccuTip-V bullet out the barrel at 4,000 fps, almost matching the .17 Remington. But it uses significantly less powder than the .17 Remington and therefore produces less heat and fouling, which can be an issue with the high volume varmint hunters shoot. The .17 Remington Fireball was Remington’s factory-produced answer to the popular .17 Mach IV wildcat, which it resembles.

.17 Hornet

The .17 Hornet was originally offered as a wildcat cartridge by P.O. Ackley during the early 1950s, as a necked-down version of the .22 Hornet. Shooting a 20-grain V-max bullet, it produces a muzzle velocity of 3,650 fps and generates 592 ft.-lbs. of energy. Its trajectory is similar to that of a .223 Remington shooting a 55-grain bullet but with the felt recoil of a .22 WMR. As with the Fireball, there is less fouling, barrel wear, powder, and pressure when compared to the .17 Remington.

The Pros

It doesn’t take more than a glance to recognize what these cartridges have in common and what makes them effective for terminating predators, even those as large as northern coyote.Velocity, which, of course, is one of two ways to produce foot-pounds of energy. The other way being bullet mass. With their itty-bitty, frangible bullets, speed is required to produce the energy and terminal performance needed for effective kills—especially when dealing with coyote-sized critters. But the tiny .17 pill does come with some limitations.

First, the good news. There are many good reasons why downsizing to these diminutive cartridges for fur hunting can make sense, especially when pursuing smallish critters such as foxes, bobcats, and raccoons at moderate ranges: reduced recoil, flat trajectory, minimal fur damage, small maneuverable rifles, etc. Of these reasons, the one that left the biggest impression when I hunted with the .17 Fireball in Alberta was its mild recoil, which meant never losing sight of the target. Even when using high-powered optics, I could actually see the bullet hit fur on the coyotes I killed and that means I could often determine where the animal was hit and make quick follow-up shots when necessary. That’s because the .17 Fireball cartridge uses 50 percent less powder than the popular .22-250 Remington and generates 86 percent less recoil.

Next on the list of attributes is flat trajectory. Using the .17 Remington as an example, its 20-grain AccuTip-V bullet leaves the barrel at a blistering 4,250 fps, giving it a trajectory similar to the consummate varmint-getter, the .22-250 Remington, which has a muzzle velocity of 3,800 fps with a 50-grain version of the same bullet. With a 250-yard zero, the .17 Remington drops 2.5 inches at 300 yards and 13.5 inches at 400 yards. Comparatively, the .22-250 Remington with the same 250-yard zero drops 2.7 at 300 yards and 12.2 inches at 400 yards.

The next two characteristics—accuracy and terminal performance—have a lot to do with the bullets typically loaded for these cartridges, such as the aforementioned Remington AccuTip-V, Hornady V-MAX, Nosler FBHP Varmageddon, and others. In varmint calibers, these bullets, albeit small, combine superb flight characteristics and match-grade accuracy with a design optimized for explosive on-game results. Ballistic-tip bullets are death to thin-skinned critters, such as foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. The AccuTip-V performed as expected on those Alberta coyotes: a small entrance hole, explosive expansion, and very few exits. Most of the coyotes were dead before they hit the ground.

Finally, for outback hunts, lightweight, maneuverable rifles are the flavor of the day—for example, Remington’s Model Seven, Ruger’s 77/17, and Savage’s Walking Varminter. The fact that recoil isn’t an issue with the .17s means shedding weight makes sense when covering lots of ground or rugged terrain in pursuit of predators.

The Cons

OK, now for the not-so-good news. There are times when these undersized cartridges might get a fur hunter in trouble, such as when hunting in windy conditions or when hunting larger predators or a mixed bag of predators. The trade-off is that the lighter bullets produce less energy at the muzzle and shed it much quicker than heavier bullets, making them less effective as the yardage to the target increases. The .22-250 Remington produces nearly twice the foot-pounds of energy at the barrel—1,603 vs. 802—as the .17 Remington and 536 vs. 192 ft.-lbs. at 400 yards. That’s why I consider the .17s to be moderate-range cartridges for fur hunting, effective to 200 yards or so but not so much beyond that.

And as mentioned, wind drift is an issue with these lighter bullets when compared to larger calibers and their heavier bullets. Consider a .22-250 Remington pushing a 55-grain ballistic-tip bullet in a 20-mph crosswind. Hunters can expect 7.3 inches of drift at 200 yards and 17.5 inches at 300 yards. Compare that to the .17 Hornet pushing a 20-grain ballistic-tip bullet: 11.4 inches of drift and 200 yards and 28 inches of drift at 300 yards. For that reason, I often opt for larger calibers and heavier bullets if I know I’m going to be experiencing blustery conditions while hunting.

One last thing. Small-bore rifles generally need to be cleaned more frequently to maintain their accuracy.

I’m not ready to retire my .22-250 Remington rifles from active coyote duty, and I still have reservations about the downrange energy and wind-bucking ability of the 17-caliber cartridges on coyote-sized critter past 200 yards. But for light duty on fox-sized critters and coyotes at moderate ranges, these feisty little cartridges hold a secure position in my battery of predator/varmint rifles.

This week we continue our quest to determine who is the greatest bass angler of all time. In the previous article we revealed and made a case for three anglers in Denny Brauer, Aaron Martens and Edwin Evers. Again, our criteria are based off the recent list by B.A.S.S. of the ‘All-Time Money Winners.” But before we get to the top two on this list, we have to take a look at some of the old timers who made bass fishing what it is today. Guys who were around when it all began in the late 1960’s like Bill Dance, Roland Martin and Rick Clunn who all dominated the pro tour in the beginning and took full advantage of their early success.

No name or person in the history of bass fishing is more recognizable than Bill Dance with his University of Tennessee baseball cap. To give you an idea how popular that cap is, I ran into Bill at the International Fishing Show known as ICAST in Orlando a few years ago and his PR director had one of Bill caps in his hand while Bill toured the show. I ask him what the extra hat was for, and he said it’s in case someone comes by and snatches his hat off his head. I asked if that had ever happened, and he said yes quite often. When it comes to marketing, no other cap is as recognized as the one Bill Dance wears. His show “Bill Dance Outdoors” is the longest running fishing TV show in history broadcasting since January 5th,1968. Bill does an outstanding job of introducing new tackle and techniques to the public though his show. He’s not just another pretty face for TV, but in his hay day, he was one of the best anglers to ever wet a hook and dominated the tour early on. But he retired from tournament fishing at a very young age in order to focus more on his TV show and sponsor promotions. He pretty much put Strike King Lures on the map and has help make them the leading tackle company in the world.Let’s look at Roland Martin…another of the all-time greats who many will say IS the greatest angler of all time based on the fact that he won 9 Angler of the Year Titles. No one even comes close to that and the fact he won 19 B.A.S.S. events and 19 runner-up finishes. He was in the money 63% of the time as he accumulated over $1 million in winnings during a time when the money was nothing like it is today. If he would have fished in this new era of today with that kind of dominance, his earnings would have exceeded over $4 million in tournament winnings alone not including endorsements and merchandise sales. The only thing that haunts Roland Martin today, is the fact that he never won the Bassmaster Classic. A tournament that just seemed to elude his grasp time and time again. Just a little info about Roland (who resides in Naples Florida) is he loves to turkey hunt and tarpon fish. His son Elite Series Pro Scott Martin has also been very successful in his own right with an FLW Championship under his belt and a very popular TV show called “The Scott Martin Challenge.”

Rick Clunn is another angler whose name always comes up as the greatest of all time and at one time had the title of the GOAT.. Just like NFL quarterbacks who are judged by the number of Super Bowls they’ve won, bass fishing professionals are judged by how many Bassmaster Classics they’ve won. Rick Clunn and Kevin Van Dam lead that list with four Classic wins to their credit. (More on KVD later) Now Rick is a different bird who has always flown a little different route than most other anglers. When other anglers would zig, Clunn would zag. In the beginning and during most of his career, Rick separated himself completely from other pros and I mean literally by staying at campgrounds outside in a tent. He avoided hotels where he felt anglers talked too much and got into each other’s head. He avoided what he called “dock talk.” Rick’s philosophy included a form of meditation known as zenning. It was his way of becoming one with nature. He always felt like the closer he was with nature, the better he could connect with the bass and as Rick would say “become one with the fish.” Over his career, Rick has accumulated over $2.6 million dollars in winnings.

Now let’s looks at the real GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)…Kevin Van Dam. This guy took bass fishing by storm in 1987 and made his presence felt his first year as a touring professional. Allegedly the story goes that he walked up to Rick Clunn (who was the GOAT at that time) and introduced himself as Kevin Van Dam and that he was the guy who was going to start kicking his a#$. Whether this is true or not, it illustrates Van Dam’s confidence in his abilities to catch fish and win tournaments. His mental toughness has far exceeded all other anglers of his generation. If you look at winnings alone, Van Dam has collected over $6.4 million dollars in winnings which is double his closest competitor. He has won 4 Bassmaster Classics (the Super Bowl of bass fishing) and has won more B.A.S.S. events than any other angler in history with 25 and has 16 runner-up finishes to his credit. Over his career, he has been in the money 80% of the time which is an amazing stat in itself. KVD has also capitalized on the business side of bass fishing as well as the lead spokesperson and bait designer for Strike King Lures. There’s not a bass angler in America that does not have at least one KVD endorsed lure in their tackle box. So, you can debate this all you want, but it’s pretty clear based off statistics alone and money earned that Kevin Van Dam truly is the greatest bass fisherman of all time. I hope you’ve enjoyed this breakdown of bass fishing all-time greats. Whether you choose to agree or disagree, it’s hard to argue against KVD. Till next time, don’t forget to set the hook!

Steve GrafOwner/Co-hostHook’N Up & Track’N Down ShowAnd Tackle Talk Live

Cut 1

With the deer on its back, lift its rump and slide something beneath its hindquarters to expose anal and/or vaginal openings. Using a sharp, “pointy” knife with a 4- to 6-inch blade, puncture the skin an inch to one side of the anus. Push the knife straight in to its hilt. Keeping it level and pointed straight ahead, cut a coring hole around the anus. If you shot a doe, include the vaginal opening in the cut.

Make one more knife pass around the pelvic canal’s interior to cut all connective tissue between the colon and pelvic canal. Don’t sever the colon. With one hand, tug lightly where the anus connects to it. Reach inside the pelvic canal with your index finger and tear any remaining connective tissue so the colon slides freely. Leave it and proceed.

Cut 2

Retrieve your knife and straddle the deer at its sternum, facing its rear. (Some hunters prefer to make this cut from the pelvis to sternum, but I recommend working from the sternum to the pelvis, as you can straddle the ribcage to keep the carcass fairly immobile.) Find the sternum bone’s flat surface and cut about a 5-inch slit through the hide atop the sternum. Point the knife toward the deer’s rear and hold it so the blade’s edge faces upward. With your free hand, form a “V” with your index and middle fingers and slide them safely beneath and behind the blade on each side.

Press your two guide fingers inside the cut on the sternum, push lightly into the abdomen and lift the hide from inside. With your two guide fingers leading the way, and being careful not to cut into the stomach and intestines below, use the blade’s tip to slice the hide from the sternum to the deer’s pelvis. Don’t cut into the pelvis; there’s no need to cut or saw through the pelvic bone. At this point, you can also remove a buck’s penis and scrotum, or a doe’s udders.

Cut 3

Pull the cavity open and locate the diaphragm. This is a taut membrane separating the chest cavity (lungs and heart) from the liver, stomach and intestines. Carefully cut the diaphragm away from both sides of the body cavity to the spine below.

Cut 4

Using your free hand, reach far inside the chest cavity to the neck and find the esophagus (windpipe), which feels like the ribbed tube on an elk call or vacuum cleaner. Using extreme care, reach up inside with your knife and cut through the esophagus above where you’re holding it with your other hand.

While keeping one hand firmly around the esophagus, withdraw your knife and lay it on the ground. Now reach back inside, grip the esophagus with both hands and pull firmly. Everything inside the deer—stem to stern—will pull free of the deer’s interior. You’ll need to pull hard at times to tear some connective tissue, but more cuts shouldn’t be needed.

Watch the innards as you pull them from the abdomen. If the bladder is full, guide it gently with one hand as it slides out with the rest of the entrails. If you properly cored the anus and colon, they’ll pull into the abdomen and slide out with everything else.

Flip the deer belly down and splay its legs to drain pooled blood from the body cavity. While it drains, clean and stow your gear for the pack-out.

Follow these steps, and gutting the deer will be your easiest task of the day.

Throughout my childhood, my Dad would tell me old hunting stories from before I was around. At the time, I hadn’t really experienced much of the hunting life, so these stories sunk deep in my mind. One of those stories was of an archery deer hunt in upstate New York. It was just him and his bow. No rangefinder to speak of.

My Dad was sitting up in a tree and a lone buck came in beneath. He pulled his bow back, aimed, and let it loose thinking that deer steaks wouldn’t be far away. What really happened was he watched the arrow fly right over the buck’s back, followed by said buck running out of his life. “Should have aimed lower” my Dad said. It was my first lesson on shooting up or downhill with a bow.

Because of that story, I ALWAYS have an angle compensating rangefinder with me on archery hunts. It’s non-negotiable, because angles are a plenty in bowhunting. Whether it’s a 15 degree angle or a 40 degree one, your arrow will not hit where you want, if you don’t make the proper adjustments for the angle. Angle compensating rangefinders do just that for you.

Whether it’s uphill or downhill, yardage needs to be cut off in order to hit what you’re aiming at. The wordage in this article is referring to Vortex Optics Rangefinders.

Line of Sight Mode on Your Rangefinder

Line of sight is the distance from you to your target, whether you are standing on an angle or not. This is how rangefinders read distance from the beginning until angle compensating versions came out. Still to this day though, most rangefinders seem to have a mode for Line of Sight. This article is about using angle compensation though right? So, why is Line of Sight important?

Before angle compensating rangefinders, archers would use cut charts to calculate the proper amount of yardage that they needed to cut off with angled shots. Without getting to deep into the math, they’d take the Line of Sight distance given from their rangefinder, pair that with data from an inclinometer to get the proper angle, and refer to their custom cut chart for their set up. Sounds complicated and takes some extra time I know. It was accurate though and that’s what mattered. In fact, there are still folks that use Line of Sight distance paired with a custom cut chart. In terms of precision, it may be splitting hairs, but this is the most precise way of being accurate on angles.

HCD(Horizontal Component Distance Mode) on Your Rangefinder

When shooting at angles the distance that we actually want to aim for is not Line of Sight, but it is the Horizontal Distance. This is literally the horizontal distance between you and the target. Whether you’re standing even, uphill, or downhill it is the horizontal distance that will put you in the X. And the horizontal distance is always shorter than the line of sight distance, which is why one needs to cut yardage rather than adding it. It can be difficult eyeballing this in the field though and going through the cut chart process takes away valuable time. This is where HCD mode comes in.

The Horizontal Component Distance Mode on your Vortex rangefinder makes the cut for you and it does it with one click of a button. Whatever range this mode spits out for you is the range that you want to aim for. Don’t take more yardage off of this calculation, because you’ll hit low.

In terms of accuracy and precision, I tested the Razor 4000 rangefinder up against a custom cut chart I had made for myself. The calculations were within a 10th of a yard between the two. I don’t know about you, but I’m not that good to tell the difference in a 10th of a yard with my shooting ability. With only a 10th of a yard difference, that arrow is going in the lungs come hunting time.

Here’s a Video Demonstration Using Line of Sight vs. HCD

Closing Thoughts

Back in the days of old, my Dad didn’t have a rangefinder, let alone one that had angle compensating abilities. If he did, that buck feeding beneath his treestand might have been on the wall of the house I grew up in rather than high tailing it through the forest. An opportunity lost.

The fact of the matter is, bowhunting is literally a game of inches. Every little thing matters and any ethical advantage we can put in our favor, it will put us that much closer to success. Angle compensating rangefinders are in our corner. They’ve served me extremely well through the years and I know they’ll do the same for you. That’s my angle and I’m sticking to it.

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Have you just purchased your first bow sight and you need to sight it in?

What are the right sight marks for you?

What is the best way to sight-in your bow?

The only way to find out is to get out there and start somewhere, and we’ll show you where that is.

We’ll discuss common distances used to set your pins as well as our favorite way to sight in your bow.

What Distances to Sight in Pins on Your Bow?

What is the best distance to sight in your bow? You’ll find various answers here and there according to the preferences of the person providing the advice. We’ll lead you straight as the best distances for you will depend on a few things:

• Draw weight/bow speed
• Type of bow hunting
• Personal preference for maximum shooting distances

All these factors will be addressed as we discuss the most commonly used sight marks for many bow shooters.

Top Pin Setting

The most common top pin setting for both timber and the open fields is 20 yards.

These days, most compound bows are fast enough to see very little difference in arrow trajectory between 10-20 yards. When this is the case, the first pin is usually set at 20 yards that also serves as a pin for 10-25 yard distances. You may be a few inches high when using the 20-yard pin for a 10-yard shot, and you may be a few inches low for a 25-yard shot.

To enable accurate and precise shots using your 20-yard pin this way, you’ll have to know how your bow, arrows, and sight setup will perform. Get to shooting off some arrows!

Do you have a 5-inch difference or more? Do you need to start with a 10-yard pin instead? If you’re shooting from a tree stand, you just might. You must also know the positions and kill-zone sizes of your game if you’re a hunter.

Low poundage bows that includes 40lb draw weights will require a top pin that should be set for 10 or 15 yards. It’s about shot placement that includes getting close enough to your target with it in a position to take an ethical shot.

Factors to think about:

• How fast is your bow?
• Where and what are you shooting?
• Become proficient with setup to predict how it performs between 10-25 yards.
• See instructions for your bow sight if there is a recommended top pin distance.

5-Yard Distance Increments

You may see some shooters with sight marks in 5-yard increments. An example includes: 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 and other similar variations. Again, personal preference is the rule here.

Consistent 5-yard increments are usually seen on sights that have 5 to 7 or more pins, and there are both pros and cons to this pin setup.

Advantages include less gap shooting, pin for every reasonable distance, and smaller yardage increments for confident shooting.

However, the disadvantages can outweigh the benefits. When increments are small, and you have a generally fast bow, the pins will be stacked very close together. It’s likely you will choose the wrong pin to shoot with.

Pins too close together can also block out a significant amount of the target. The more pins you have, the more it clutters your field of view.

10-Yard Distance Increments

Even 10-yard distances are the most common and versatile setup for hunters for many types of prey in the field. It may start with a 20-yard pin and continue from there, or it may start with a 15 or 25-yard pin and follow suit.

10-yard increments allow enough space between the pins to adequately see the target and to appropriately shoot the gaps when necessary. However, difficulty in achieving accuracy and precision at ranges further than 50 yards increases especially when you gap shoot. When you extend your pins out to longer distances, arrow drop, user error, and form issues are magnified.

Holding over or holding under isn’t so easy to do when you’re cold, hungry, tired, or you’re pumping with adrenaline due to the 10-point buck that just came into view 30 or so odd yards away. It may now be helpful to split the distance in 5-yard increments for the bottom pins such as 20, 30, 40, 45, and 50 or 20, 30, 35, 40, and 45. Find the variation that works for your bow setup and your shooting style.

Think about:

• How many pins should be in your 10-yard increment setup?
• What maximum distance are you comfortable and skilled enough at to make an ethical shot?

The more pins you have, the further you can shoot out in practice whether you realistically take shots out this far in the field. Practicing at 60 and 70 yards can make your 20-40 yard groupings tighter and easier to make. However, it does clutter your sight picture and it may encourage you to take shots you shouldn’t in the field.

Where is the Middle Ground?

The middle ground is more about having the right number of pins for your setup. There’s no need to clutter your sight picture with more pins than you realistically use in the field.

A general rule of thumb is 3 pins for many hunting applications, and 5 pins for Western or long shot hunting. Of course, there are hunters that do very well with a single pin bow sight to eliminate the process of gap shooting altogether. Where do you sit in the single vs multi-pin debate?

If you’re one of those hunters who push your bottom pins down as far as they can go to get them out of the way, but you keep them for the “just in case” moment, a fixed pin with a floater bow sight would serve you better.

Many times, the bow sight manufacturer will recommend in the setup and sighting-in instructions what distance the first pin should be set with and the distance increments for the following pins.

While 10-yard increments are certainly the standard and is a versatile setup, the goal is to find what setup works best for you. You won’t know it until you get out there and start practicing.

How to Sight-In a Bow

General Preparation Instructions for Sighting In

• Mount your sight to your bow.
• Be prepared to spread out sighting-in process over a course of several days due to fatigue that can compromise everything from correct form to accuracy.
• Have necessary gear and equipment ready i.e. targets, arrows, appropriate laser rangefinder, etc.
• Safety first: ensure you have the appropriate backstops and area clearance to shoot.
• Start close to the target: 10 yards to get on paper and to reduce adjustment issues later.
• Adjust in small increments at a time.
• Have Allen wrenches or required tools to make adjustments to sight.
• We like the “one axis at a time” method of sighting in. This process may incorporate use of leveled tape in the shape of a sideways “T”, as a cross, or any target that helps to focus the eye to aim in straight lines.

How to Sight In With a Fixed Pin Bow Sight

1. Stand approximately 10 yards away from your T target. Starting with the windage axis (left/right), you will want to aim for the vertical part of the target. Let off 3-5 arrows in a line.

1. Examine the arrows position in relation to the vertical line of the T. Being this close to the target, you want to make sure you’re as dead-on the center of the line as possible. Margins of error will be magnified when you step back to fine-tune your adjustments at longer distances.

1. To make adjustments, follow the arrow. If your arrows are left of the T, make an adjustment to move the entire sight housing If your arrows are right of the T, make an adjustment to move right.

1. Repeat this process until your arrows are dead-on center on the vertical line.

1. Stand approximately 10 yards away from your T target. If necessary, move the top pin high up towards the top of the housing to leave enough adjustment room for the remaining pins on sights with 5-7 pins. Let off 3-5 arrows in a line using your top pin as an aiming point for the horizontal part of the target to begin adjustments for the elevation axis (up/down).

1. Examine the arrows position in relation to the horizontal line of the T. You don’t have to be so precise with this at 10 yards. If the arrows are further than 6 inches of the line, follow the arrow to make adjustments by moving the entire sight housing. If your arrows are above the line, make an adjustment to move the sight up. If your arrows are below the line, make an adjustment to move the sight down.

1. Repeat this process until your arrows are within 6 inches of the horizontal line.

1. Step back to the distance you want to set your first pin for which is likely 20 yards. The top pin is the only pin you can set by moving the entire sight housing at this point in the process. Let off 3-5 arrows aiming with your top pin to hit dead-on the center of the horizontal line as possible. Now is the time to be precise with your adjustments by moving the entire sight housing up or down.

1. Once you’re hitting dead-on with your 20-yard pin, it’s time to sight-in the remaining pins which will all be adjusted individually. Typically, the next pins will be set for 30, 40, and 50 yards, if applicable. Stand at the distance you want to set your next pin for, let off 3-5 arrows using the appropriate pin to aim with and shoot for the horizontal line of the target.

1. Examine the arrows in relation to the horizontal line of the T. Be precise in making individual adjustments for the appropriate pin. Again, follow the arrow. When you’re successfully hitting the center of the line, it’s time to move to the next pin until all remaining pins are set for their distance.

1. Go back to 30 yards and let off 3-5 arrows for the vertical line to fine-tune your windage (left/right) axis with any adjustments if needed. You might notice you may be slightly off at 30 yards since variations in accuracy are magnified at longer distances.

1. Fine-tune any adjustments by double checking you’re consistently hitting the lines at your set pin distances. If you need to make any fine-tuning adjustments to your 20-yard pin at this point, do it by adjusting the individual pin, not by moving the entire sight housing.

How to Sight In a Bow Sight With 1 Pin

Each manufacturer and model of single-pin sights will have slightly different sighting-in instructions and sight tapes provided. It’s important to follow the setup recommended by the manufacturer to achieve maximum potential and accuracy from your sight.

A well-accepted method is the 20/60 setup which we’ll explain below.

1. Stand approximately 10 yards away from your T target. Starting with the windage axis (left/right), you will want to aim for the vertical part of the target. Let off 3-5 arrows in a line.

1. Examine the arrows position in relation to the vertical line of the T. Being this close to the target, you want to make sure you’re as dead-on the center of the line as possible since margins of error will be magnified when you step back to fine-tune your adjustments at longer distances.

1. To make adjustments, follow the arrow. If your arrows are left of the T, make an adjustment to move the entire sight housing If your arrows are right of the T, make an adjustment to move right.

1. Repeat this process until your arrows are dead-on center on the vertical line.

1. If you’re using calibration tape provided by the manufacturer, go ahead and stick it on your wheel or bar now. Turn the wheel or knob all the way to the top until it stops. Stand 20 yards away from your T target. Let off 3-5 arrows in a line using your pin as an aiming point for the horizontal part of the target to begin adjustments.

1. Follow the arrow. If you’re low, turn the wheel/knob down in small increments at a time. Repeat this process until your arrows are dead-on center on the horizontal line.

1. If using calibration tape, note the reference number the indicator is lined up with as this is your 20-yard mark. If not, use a pencil or marker to mark where your 20-yard mark is.

1. Step back in 10 yards at a time to sight-in for 30, 40, and 50 yards. Dial down the wheel/knob each time you move back.

1. Finally, get sighted-in at 60 yards and make the adjustments necessary by following the arrow. Take note of the reference number the indicator is lined up with or mark this spot as this is your 60-yard mark. Additionally, fine-tune your windage (left/right) axis now to ensure consistent shots.

1. Match the correct sight tape for your markings or number references provided by the manufacturer and apply it to the wheel or bar. Use the sight-tape to double-check you’re hitting consistently at the matched distances.

Put it to the Test!

Once you’re done sighting-in, it’s time to pull out the 3D and 10-ring targets and put your skills to the test. You may be surprised to find your groups are tighter than ever. But, is this the only way to sight in a bow?

Everyone may use a slightly different sighting-in method, the same way they may use different distances to sight in their pins. Some may adjust for both left/right at the same time as they’re adjusting for up/down shots. It happens to be the mainstream way of adjusting especially when using traditional 10-ring targets.

Use the system you’re most familiar with. Get to know what distances or sight-in method you like best by getting out there and nocking some rounds. Sight in and shoot sharp!

Further Reading

• How to Measure Scope Ring Height (With Pics & Calculations)
• How to Adjust a Rifle Scope: 6 Scope Adjustments Explained!
• How to Level a Scope on a Rifle [Step-by-Step With Pics]
• What is a Rifle Scope Ruler (Mildot Master) & How to Use It?
• What is a Prism Scope? Prism VS Reflex VS LPVO!