Huntography Deer Tour Equipment List PT 1

We took a look at where I plan to hunt on the Huntography Deer Tour in the last post. Just after I posted it I got invited to hunt an additional 320 acres of private land about 30 minutes from my house. I haven’t seen it yet but it is supposed to be covered in deer plus the neighbor that invited me doesn’t bow hunt and just started muzzle loading, I am loaning him gear so we can hunt during early season.

Since Rudy will be here during a short break between muzzle loader and gun season I will be using archery tackle. This summer I traded for a sweet custom Bama long bow to go along with my Bear Primos series compound and Ten Point crossbow. I hope to take a deer with the traditional bow but will probably leave it at home during filming. But we will see. Any who, let’s take a look at what I use, spend my money on and trust to do the job.

My main bow for several years now is a Bear Primos Done Deal. I pull 64# shooting a 29 inch arrow. I haven’t sent one through a chronograph so can’t give you the technical details on speed and to be honest I don’t really care that much. It is fast enough and if not I can change arrows to make it shoot faster and flatter. I picked this bow up to replace my Bear Golden Eagle II which had thumped several deer and a yote or two. It is the model just below their Truth II which I looked at but didn’t see the $100+ price difference for 5-10 fps.

When I bought the bow I added a new Whisker Biscuit rest, Bohning 4 arrow quiver, Simms Limb Saver S-Coil stabilizer, leather wrist strap but the things I did not buy was a new sight or release. I have used a Cobra Sidewinder for years along with a Cobra release so when the Golden Eagle was sold those stayed to go on the new bow. Why? I just like the sight it has what I need and works. I did upgrade it with the low light kit which is a bit on the weak side but does help in a ground blind. I haven’t asked to see if the bulbs in them have been improved.

The Whisker Biscuit rest is my favorite. No rattle, arrows falling off, works no matter what with easily replaceable parts if needed. The new ones have all manner of micro adjustments but my simple model works just fine.

The quiver, wrist strap and stabilizer are all pretty basic which keeps with my idea of the kiss principle. My release is one I have shot for years, a Cobra I picked up in a hurry one day when my old release failed. I found out it worked better for me than any of the more expensive models so I have never changed.

For arrows and broadheads I have two set ups for my compound. I shoot Carbon Express 6075 Terminators or Speed Pro 5.5. The Carbon Express are fairly common but the Speed Pros are harder to find. Speed Pros are very light at 5.5 grains per inch but still spined for my bow and FAST. They add ten yards to each of my pins. The down side is they are hard to find, loud and a bit fragile but did I mention FAST? All arrows are fletched with 2” vanes. I always carry at least one arrow with a Lumenock for low light shooting.

For broadheads I started shooting Grim Reaper 3 blade mechanicals years ago. I really like these because they don’t use a rubber band to hold things in place. The nice tight design and bone breaker tips let them fly exactly like a field point from any of my bows. I have taken my only two 8 pointers with them, both with the same terrible shot, both fell within 75 yards. I shoot the 85 grain model on the CE and Speed Pros. Another good point is the ease with which these heads can be rebuilt. I have used the same heads for many deer, simply replacing blades. I do take the time to soak them in alcohol then wipe them off with an old toothbrush to remove any debris. After that they come apart and go back together without a problem.

A new set of Rage and 2 sets of many times rebuilt Grim Reapers. All of the GR have traces of past hunts on them.


To be fair I also have a couple of sets of 100 gr Rage 2 blade that were given to me and use them, too. I had seen the videos, heard the hype but never spent the money to try them. When I started using a crossbow that was what was on it so kept them. Just like any good design they work, I don’t care for the rubber band much or how you have to reset them but they do leave a big hole. The worse part is the rebuild on these. The old style had a tiny allen screw holding them together which was almost impossible to remove. They changed this to a tiny pin that has to be driven out. Not an easy task unless you happen to be 20 years old with tiny hands and perfect eyesight.

The crossbow I use can be seen in several other posts. I use a Ten Point that was one of their package setups. Complete out of the box with a three dot electronic sight and a cool crank to help draw it. I am shooting 20 inch Carbon Express bolts. This thing is fun and I have taken several deer with it but still prefer my other bows. Crossbows are heavy, slow to load and loud. But for those that like them or need to use them to get out they are a great tool.

So, there is a look at my archery equipment that will go on the hunt. Most likely the Done Deal but who knows. Not the latest or greatest but I have put many deer on the ground with these setups, I have no need to keep up the Jones so this is what I shoot. I had planned to add what I carry in my pack but this post is long enough plus that will give me something else to post about.

Now for the disclaimer: I did not receive anything from any of the companies mentioned to be listed in this post although a couple do know they will be in it. These are the products I spent my money on and have worked for me

Huntography Deer Tour Sets

With the upcoming Huntography Deer Tour many of the hunters are talking about what we are doing to get ready. Many are on Twitter, showing pics of plots, stand locations and gear, others on their blog or youtube. I have no plots this year, all of my cameras were destroyed in a flood so no trail cam pics for me.  Most folks have seen pics of my spots but I have never taken time to explain why I hunt them. Same with a lot of my gear, you see it in pics but I haven’t gone into much detail about what I hunt with or why. Time to fix that. Here is a first installment on where I hunt and the stands I use.

First the spots I have ready. The main one is 18 acres on the mountain. Monteagle mountain in the edge of Marion county in Unit A which has a smaller deer limit than Unit L where I live. This is big hardwoods full of oaks the deer love. One problem, oaks are everywhere so critters feeding on them can feed all over the woods. No real way to pattern them so I hunt trails at junctions and crossing points. Trails are everywhere you look, crisscrossing the woods with little rhyme or reason. I have found a few spots deer use repeatedly so set up on them. My favorite is halfway down a hill on an old stagecoach road. Deer come down a hill from the property next door, cross a tiny creek to wind up within 35 yards of my stand. Another trail comes in on my left. It just goes right through the middle of the woods within 20 yards, another comes out another 20 yards above it. This spot has given up 8-9 deer so far with hopefully more to come. I plan on taking a look at a couple of stand locations a bit deeper into the woods but this spot is hard to beat.

If these trails seem close, they are. I take most of my deer with a bow so most of my stands are in places where I can get that type of shot. No need for 300 yard shots where I am mainly because you can’t see that far. This property has great climbing trees literally everywhere you look. I keep a ladder stand in my favorite spot but use my Summit climbers to stay mobile and hunt other spots.  While this is a mountain the land is gently rolling, heavily wooded and very rural. In fact Great Granpa Tate’s old still is still visible up one of the hollers. Yes we say holler. The area is very old growth timber that is open enough to see a good distance with small heavy thickets of laurel.

What some folks can’t believe is my stand height, a whopping 8 feet off the ground. Yep that is all I use of my ladder stand. I leave the last section of the ladder off and this has worked fine for years. Deer will walk within yards of that stand and not pay any attention to it. Even when I use a climber it rarely goes over ten feet but it works for me.

The other place I have to hunt is in Marshall county just minutes from my house. 30 acres of fairly thick brush that has no food to offer. Deer use it for a bedding area mostly when pressure on surrounding farms gets too heavy. I didn’t see one deer on this place last year but have taken several off of it. It has almost no place to put up a ladder stand or climber so most of the hunting is from blinds. Part of the property backs up to a subdivision but here it is legal to hunt wherever I want on my property as long as shots don’t go toward homes. I know more deer use this spot than I see but because of the thick brush visibility is only 40-80 yards in many places. Yes it is a tough place to hunt but it is the only private land close to me where I have permission. With a lot of work and money it could be made into a good spot but that may never happen.
 I build blinds rather than use popups here this way there is nothing to steal and rebuilding one takes very little time. For some I use whatever is on hand but more and more I am using panels I build at home then take in. Built from 2x2 lumber I make by ripping a 2x4 then cutting to length and cover with fence wire, they are light, easy to set up and brush in. You can use string or zip ties at corners to have one ready to brush in minutes. Covered with local foliage they blend right in. I have additional panels made if I want to add a roof but rarely do. I attach the roof panel to a couple of trees at the back, add a couple of poles at the front corners to hold it up, some plastic on top then pile on some brush.  These are handy on private land where they can stay in place and cheap enough to replace or fix if needed. Many can be built from scraps you can pick up from a building site throw away pile. I do have one ladder stand on this property set up at a creek crossing. I am thinking of maybe adding one or two more but it is tough to do here.

So there is a quick look at the spots I hunt. A couple of ladder stands, a couple of more ground blinds, two Summit climbers, an old Cobra and a Viper X4 and I am pretty well good to go. I will post about my bows and pack next so stay tuned.

Check out last year's tour and pick up the DVD at Huntography