Last month I talked about some of the chores you will have in the off season as preparations for hunting season. Today I will look at the firearm side of things as we look forward to a new season.

   Now is the time to do thorough cleaning and inspection of your firearms. So we shall start with cleaning. This last year some new items in gun cleaning have emerged that have helped change the way we clean firearms. The first name is Otis. They pioneered the cable type of gun cleaner. These are pulled from chamber opening to muzzle. Using a plastic coated cable we are safe in not harming the rifling of the barrel. One of the added bonuses of this system is its compact size. Coiled in the pouch this cleaning cable will travel most anywhere with you. So it can go along on the hunt or to the range if need be. If you have a scoped rifle you will want to clean the lens and inspect rings and mounts for being solid. If something should be out of place or need repair or replacement this is the best time to look at and do the needed repair. This is months ahead of the hunt and you will have the time to test any change.

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   Ammo, if you have living in the Arctic Circle for the past 6 months you may not know there has been a severe run on all ammunition since the end of 2012. It would be best to check your supply and keep it stocked as if you would hunt tomorrow. Just as a quick update here, shotgun loads look good as far as supply is concerned. Rifle ammo is in short supply in many calibers; however more of this ammo is manufactured in the months of June and July and up to the end of the year, so just watch for it.

  Now it is the time to look at the camo and hunting clothes you use or will need. Again this is the best time to start looking at these items as it will allow you to give all your attention to the actual hunt. Most of these items will have the most selection early in the summer. So make your list and check it twice, huntin’ season is coming!

~Bill Mellentine (Hunting Team Lead)

The “Off Season” of Hunting

   Here we are at low point of hunting season. Here in Florida we have turkey season winding down unless you head to northern parts of the state. Also hog hunting gets slower as warm weather approaches. So this is a great time to look over your hunting equipment and start to give a tune-up for all upcoming seasons.

   Today I will talk about the ways to get a sharp edge on your knife or knife sets. As we all will agree, a good knife is an essential part of our hunting gear and having it sharp is necessary. In addition we may have a game meat processing knife kit such as the Game Processing kit from Outdoor Edge. As any good butcher will tell you a sharp knife is key to making the job easier. I will show 2 products here that are both old and new.

    First the new- a sharpener by Work which uses a belt and is electric. This company created a product years ago that still is an industry standard and this product is the Drill Doctor, drill bit sharpener. Now they have built a knife sharpener that excels like their other products. This sharpener uses an angle guide to keep the knife blade at the proper angle to receive a razor sharp edge. It comes with 3 different grit belts to fix very dull blades to just a touch-up of a near sharp knife. This can be done in just a few minutes time.

    Next is an old favorite of mine, the Lansky knife sharpener. This is a hand sharpening system that uses oil stones and an angle guide to keep the edge true while honing the edge. I like this for my better hunting knives as I can really control the edge and feel have its being worked. The standard set will come with oil and stones and a knife holder that has the angle guide in it. You can add stones that will do serrated edge knives and also diamond stones for the harder steel blades. It takes only a short amount of practice to see this sharpener perform well. My own knife sharpener is around 24 years old and still doing fine, so it is a very inexpensive purchase over the many years of service. One of the benefits of using an oil stone is you have your blade oiled when finished, not allowing any corrosion to start.

  I hope this is of some help in the preparing your knife collection for your next great adventure in the outdoors.

~Bill Mellentine-Hunting Team Lead

Ok, you have found the perfect spot for your Spring Turkey hunt. Your mouth call practice has paid off since you have a nice Tom strutting towards your decoys. All that is left here is to pull Mr 12 gauge up and claim your trophy. But the hunt is not finished, this is where your gear can really make or breat your outing. Your choice of choke and ammunition can be the difference between going home happy or going home hungry.

   Today we have several very good choices in 12 gauge ammunition made just for Turkey hunting. What will matter here is how to match up our barrel and choke tube with the right ammunition to get the best results. Let us start with a true Turkey shotgun.

    Most devoted Turkey shotguns have a shorter barrel length that allows better swing in tight quarters such as a hub blind or other available cover. With that short barrel it is recommended that you use an “extra full choke tube”. This will allow tighter patterns at longer shooting ranges. For this type of shotgun the best choices in ammunition are Winchester, Remington, HeavyShot and Kent. These shot shells use a conventional plastic wad that spreads at the front soon after leaving the barrel. Patterns will be very good from 30 yards out to 50 yards. You will even be able to make kills farther out then 50 yards!

    So you want to hunt Turkey, you have a shotgun, but it is not a true Turkey gun. No problem, look at both ammo and chokes to get started. Install that improved cylinder choke tube and look at two other brands of ammunition. Hornady and Federal use a different wad in their shot shells. This wad does not open at all, but rather has a cone that expands when it leaves the barrel; this cone is at the base of the wad. This allows the wad to stay with the shot load longer yielding a tighter pattern. So you need not purchase a choke tube, only correct ammunition to work with your gun. If you have a Turkey gun and want to use the Federal or Hornady loads you should buy a different choke tube, improved cylinder is best.

    Now that you have matched your gun and ammunition it’s off to the range! This part is most important; always check your patterning at your expected shooting distance. This will confirm all is ready for your hunt. Now pull the trigger on that nice Tom Turkey and start warming up the oven!