Monster 200" Ohio Whitetail

Yesterday I talked to my friend Matt, you know Matt from Ohio, on his way out for his evening hunt. He owns Ohio Homes and Acres and specializes in selling hunting land. When he was out with me in January hunting javelina and mule deer, he injured his hand (see the post here). That injury masked a problem with his elbow that required surgery a couple months ago. Because of his elbow surgery, he could not hunt with a compound bow, his preferred method, so he picked up a crossbow.

He grew up hunting the urban/suburban areas near Columbus, OH, and has made it an art form. He told me that he was definitely hunting yesterday because the wind was "almost wrong for me and almost right for the deer." He has found over the years that that's the best time to kill big bucks. Oh, how right he is!

He had been watching a nice nine-point all year and elected to pass him a few times in hopes of shooting a monster. His dreams came true as a huge 18-point, nearly 200" buck, stepped in front of him. Matt kept his composure and made a great 27-yard shot with his Excaliber crossbow. Luckily, he also got some great photos on his Moultrie game camera.

Here is the text from Matt's email:

I have had a trying and turbulent year to say the least. I have had two surgeries with the last one repairing the Ulnar nerve in my elbow. It has also left me unable to shoot my compound bow for the rest of the season, which has been discouraging.

With the great help of my wife I have recovered enough to get out there! With the help of Jeff Baker and Steve Esker I was successful while out there!

Once Steve heard of me loosing function in my left hand and the surgery, he immediately called and offered his Excaliber crossbow to use. I have known him only a SHORT time (met in August). Who does this kind of thing? Hunter's are awesome; his brother Scott and friends were all there to help me celibrate tonight.

Jeff Baker and I have hunted together for 26 years +/-; he has been a great mentor and friend. He was killing big deer before it was popular! He immediately came and got me while still in a cast and drug me out to the woods to set up an elevated blind. It sits below the lock-on I intended to use before I learned of my fate this fall.

Seven weeks of trail cam pics with no giants, but we all knew one was here. Tonight I had a wind that was almost wrong for me and almost right for him, my favorite wind to hunt. With the next two days with wind just wrong I knew tonight was my night. After a parade of pedestrians and dogs the woods started to settle. A few minutes later this bruiser gave me a 27-yard shot that I gladly took. Everything played out perfectly and I am now knocking on the door of the 200 club!!

Exhausted, more later, thanks to all that helped!!

Congrats Matt!! Thanks for sharing it with me and letting me post it here...

Matt Sheterom's 18-point, 200" (est.) Ohio Whitetail

Kansas Wheat Harvest 2011 - Part 1

The Tree Quarter/Lone Tree Field.

Nichole and I loaded up Mattox, the two cats, and two dogs, and then headed to Western Kansas to help Nichole's family with wheat harvest. On the way in we saw deer, antelope, and quite a few pheasants. A couple fields got hailed out just a few days before needing cut, and the custom cutters took care of a bunch of fields. That meant that our part of harvest only lasted six days - a record for sure!

Wheat!

On our way to the farm we spotted deer, antelope and pheasants.

The first day we arrived, we fed the baby calf, rested, and took some photos at the Tree Quarter, which is the lone tree on the farm, and THE lone tree used for Nichole's business logo. There just happened to be a whitetail doe bedded near the tree that posed for a couple photos before we posed for photos. The next day we started cutting. Nichole took a couple breaks to nurse Mattox when her mom brought him to the field. Otherwise, we were on the combines for about 10 hours. Each day was similar to the next... up early to feed the calf, check the wheat, haul water to the cows, service the combines, and then cut until 9pm or so.

Cinnamon the calf.

A whitetail doe posed for photos, too.

The best girl and the cutest boy in the world!

One night as we were making the first pass around a field straddling Mattox Draw (yes, THE Mattox Draw), I noticed the bin in my combine had way too much chaff. It turned out that a bracket broke, which caused one of the main separating fans to stop working. A quick weld the next day, along with a new bearing, fixed it like new!

The view from the combine.

One quick weld and my combine was back in the game.

The Best Binoculars

I have been lucky enough to use binoculars in the field from the “Big Three” of optics manufactures—Leica, Swarovski, and Zeiss. Each has helped me find big game animals and each has led me to the end of at least one successful hunt. They have all been 10-power and, of course, were all tripod-mountable. So which is the best? Some of you might think my answer is a cop-out, but here it is: they all are!

Each has certain features that I like better than the others, but even with the hundreds of hours that I have spent glassing, I am hard-pressed to see much difference in quality between them. For example, the Zeiss Victory RF 10x45s I used last year on my New Mexico antelope hunt has an integral rangefinder. I have not used the Leica Geovid with its integral rangefinder in the field much, but the Zeiss RF has the rangefinder activation button on the “right” side, especially for those of us who are right-handed. In addition, they add their rangefinder to their top binocular model, whereas the Leica rangefinder used to only be available in a lower model. Leica now offers the Geovid in their HD version that compares in quality to the Zeiss, but I have only looked through it at trade shows. Of course, Swarovski has yet to offer a rangefinding binocular.

The new Swarovski SLC 10x42 HD binoculars seem to have a little better color rendition and light transmission than the others, but its all relative. I primarily used the new Swarovskis on my Wyoming mule deer hunt last year where the high elevation and cool, clear air made the glassing easier. I used the Zeiss in New Mexico where it was hot with lots of flat light. My Leicas are over 10 years old so while the clarity and focus are still top-notch, the new advancements in coatings on the newer binoculars have helped immensely.

Typically, the Leicas feel the best in my hands and up to my face, but everyone’s face and hands are a little different. As long as you are using top-shelf binoculars, the ergonomics might just be the most important factor. Assuming you can see really well through all of them, the thing that will keep you looking through them is how they feel. If you can get comfortable with the eyepieces stuck to your face all day, and the controls are easy for you to manipulate then you will glass longer. The longer you glass, the better chance you will have at finding the animal of your dreams.

Luckily, I’m in a unique position where I don’t have to choose just one. Depending on when and where I hunt, I can use them all. If you have to choose just one, I suggest you go somewhere and look through all three. If you can see a distinct difference in quality, more power to you… buy that one! If you can’t see much difference, don’t spend your time trying to find a difference; spend your time getting a feel for each one, and then buy the one that feels the best. You might even try closing your eyes and having the salesman hand you a different binocular to feel in your hands and up to your face. You can try to guess which brand it is, but more importantly, analyze it for its ergonomics. Once you’re out in the field, it won’t matter what you could have seen from the other two—they won’t be there! The performance level between the different brands is so close that I can't say one is better than the other; they are each just a little different.

One final note: Glassing effectively obviously requires skill, but it also requires confidence. Each time you sit down behind your glass, you should expect to find what you’re looking for. Part of that confidence comes from your inherent satisfaction with your purchase. If you think the Zeiss is the best and you use that confidence to find game, who cares what your buddies think? You’re the one looking through the binoculars, not them! Get the “Big Three” binocular you like the best, and then go find some critters!


I used my Leica 10x42s to locate this Kansas whitetail at first light. I watched him until he bedded and then stalked in close, crawling the last 100 yards or so. He got up from his bed and walked towards me. I shot him with a T/C Omega muzzleloader in “self defense” at 17 yards.


This New Mexico antelope fell from my shot of 267 yards. I know how far away he was because I had just ranged him with the excellent Zeiss Victory 10x45 RF binoculars.


I didn’t need binoculars when I finished this Wyoming buck at about 20 yards, but used the Swarovski SLC 10x42 HD to locate the bedded buck the day before.

Gear Review: Christensen Arms

A few years ago I completed a rifle project. Originally, I had a Winchester Model 70 in .300 WIN with the BOSS system and a Ruger M77 .25-06. Each was long and heavy and I wanted to replace them with lightweight rifles. In addition, I wanted two rifles chambered in calibers adequate for taking elk at reasonable hunting ranges so when my wife and I hunted together we would each have a rifle.

My quest led me to Christensen Arms. They use a unique process to lighten rifles by removing much of the steel from the outside of the barrel and replacing it with many layers of carbon fiber. The carbon fiber is stronger, stiffer, and lighter than steel. After visiting their facility and talking over my plans with John Mogle, I decided to let them apply their barrel treatment to my Model 70, and then ordered what they now call their Carbon One Extreme in .270 WSM. After getting back my Model 70, I sent it off to Bell & Carlson for a custom stock.

Both rifles shoot great and are a joy to carry. They each feel a little different in my hands but the Bell & Carlson stock on the .300 and the Christensen stock on the .270 compliment each rifle perfectly. Since getting the rifles, I have hunted more with the .270 than the .300, but have been very successful with both. The one time my wife an I hunted together was in Kansas—she carried the .270 and shot her first deer, and then minutes later I used the .300 on great 9-point whitetail.

If you are looking for a quality rifle that is lightweight, easy to shoot, and easy to carry, check out Christensen Arms. In addition to their awesome bolt-action rifles, they also now make lightweight AR-15s and a 1911 pistol.


Christensen Arms Carbon One Extreme .270 WSM - WY Mule Deer


Christensen Arms Carbon One Extreme .270 WSM - NM Antelope


Christensen Arms Barrel Wrap and Bell & Carlson Stock .300 WIN - CO Mule Deer


Christensen Arms Carbon One Extreme .270 WSM - AZ WMAT Black Bear


Christensen Arms Barrel Wrap and Bell & Carlson Stock .300 WIN - KS Whitetail


Christensen Arms Carbon One Extreme .270 WSM - KS Whitetail (Nichole's first deer!)