infRACKtion Whitetail Mineral Attractant Review

If you are looking for a great mineral attractant to help attract deer, increase antler size, and maintain a healthy deer herd, infRACKtion Whitetail Mineral Attractant by Daybreak Outdoors is a great option. I started using infRACKtion this fall and saw results immediately. I put it in a high traffic area where several deer trails met going into a 5 acre turnip plot. While hunting on the last day of bow season I was able to harvest my biggest buck to date because he stopped at the infRACKtion site 20 yards from my stand, instead of walking straight into the food plot as usual.

Most deer attractants on the market today contain salt as the main ingredient to help attract more deer. That is great if you are looking to get mostly trail cam pictures. The difference with infRACKtion is that it has only 27% salt. The main ingredients are calcium and phosphorus, two of the most important minerals needed to maximize antler and skeletal growth. It also contains Vitamins A and D, which are also vital for proper bone and antler development. Vitamin D helps enhance calcium absorption and mineralization of bone, while Vitamin A helps with the ossification (growing of antlers).

A whitetail’s antlers generally grow from April through September so it is especially helpful to antler development to keep your mineral sites fresh during this time. Although we all want to see an increase in antler size we can’t forget about the overall health of our entire deer herd. The Vitamins A, D and E in infRACKtion help maintain a healthy digestive system which is great for the bucks, as well as fawns and lactating does. Keep your mineral sites fresh year round, not just during times of antler growth!

infRACKtion Mineral Attractant comes in an 8 pound bag and it is recommended that you use an entire 8 pound bag per mineral site. Start by clearing a 3 foot by 3 foot spot on the ground of sticks and leaves. Break up the ground with a shovel so there is about 3 inches of loose dirt. Pour the mineral and mix it in with the dirt. You can use water to help absorb the mineral into the ground but it is not required.

Within a week of having my infRACKtion out the deer started tearing it up! The buck I shot this year was addicted to infRACKtion and I would not have shot him had he not stopped briefly at the mineral site before making his way into the food plot. It has worked as a great whitetail attractant on my property here in Missouri and I can’t wait to see the improvement in antler growth this fall!

For more information on infRACKtion or to purchase your own head over to www.daybreakoutdoors.com

-Andrea Haas

The Benefits Of An Archery Coach

     For me, my love of archery began with bow hunting. Like most hunters I started bow hunting to expand my deer season beyond gun seasons.

      I practiced a lot before season began to ensure clean shots. However, I kept in mind the vitals on a deer, and considered shooting within a perimeter of a pie shaped plate to be good shooting, and was pleased with my shooting sessions if I had accomplished that.

      It wasn't until I shot in an archery tournament that I realized I needed improvement if I was going to shoot at "dots". I had taught myself as much as I could, but needed some outside guidance to really hone in and shoot much tighter groups.

      I asked a friend that has won and placed in several Pro Am tournaments to coach me, and I feel confident in his ability as an archer. His teachings have really helped me in many ways. He has taught me more about breathing techniques as I follow through my shot. I've learned more about holding my form, remaining accurate, and consistent.
     Over the years I had acquired a few poor habits; such as dropping my arm too quickly after I shot, and punching the trigger on my release causing torque to the right. With his help I've been able to correct them. As we all may do a few things differently, asking another archer's opinion could possibly lead to finding a technique that works better for you. For any bow hunter looking to branch out into tournaments I highly recommend getting advice/coaching.

By: Allison O'Nan

Hunting the Seasons

One of my favorite things about bow hunting is that my deer season lasts longer. Our rifle season only lasts about 10 days here in Missouri, but bow season is from mid September to January. The deer activity and patterns change from early fall to late season and knowing what their main objectives are throughout the season is key to harvesting an animal.

During summer and early fall the bucks are in their bachelor groups and their main interest is food. Having food plots with clover, alfalfa, chicory, or wheat are all good choices for the deer from spring to late fall. We prefer wheat and clover in our plots for this time of year and have found they grow the best in our area. I use the ProVide Clover with Chicory from Evolved (http://www.evolved.com/products/provide-clover-2lbs.html). I set up trail cams in the summer so I can pattern the deer and see when and where they are coming into the plots.

Mid season usually means the rut, and we all know what’s on a deer’s brain at this time! The bucks are not on their normal patterns, as they are out searching for does. My plan during this time of year is to still hunt the food sources, where the does usually remain. If you can find the does, you will have a better chance at getting a buck as he’s out cruising!

My Evolved Brassica Plot
http://www.evolved.com/products/shotplot-10lbs.html#.UxzgHvldWSo

During December to early January survival is a deer’s main objective. They seek food and cover. I read in Deer and Deer Hunting magazine that a whitetail needs about 7 pounds of food per day to survive the winter! Some great high-energy forages for winter are brassica, turnips, corn and grains. We always plant a winter plot using the ShotPlot Forage Rape andBrassica from Evolved and it was the hot spot on our hunting land this winter!  The best way to increase your odds of shooting a deer in late season is to hunt these food sources and it paid off for me this year!

My 2014 buck

By being a bow hunter I have learned so much more about whitetail, their activity, and their nutritional needs as the seasons change. I am able to observe the deer and their patterns for months at a time, instead of just one week out of the year. 

-Andrea Haas

Know Your Gear

By Andrea Haas

Whether you hunt with a bow, rifle, muzzle loader, crossbow, or shotgun, it is important to know your gear. When I first started rifle hunting I started by getting familiar with handling, loading and shooting the rifle I knew I would be hunting with. Safety is the most important thing in hunting and being comfortable with your gun is half the battle. Second, to me, is being confident that I can make as clean of a kill as possible. That is why practicing is so important.

Although you definitely need to practice shooting your rifle, once I started bow hunting I found that rifle hunting did not require quite as much effort. I put in countless hours of shooting practice for months before deer season even starts and am now even more comfortable with a bow than any other weapon.

No matter what weapon I am hunting with, I make sure that what I practice with is what I hunt with. I don’t mean that I go bow hunting with my field tips. I mean once I have sighted in my weapon & know what I will be hunting with, I start practicing with that! There is no way that I would replace my field tips with broad heads & go hunting the next day. You have to shoot them first, find out how they fly, and sight in accordingly.

It is also important that all of my equipment is the same. My bow is sighted in using a 100 grain broad head, all the same brand. All of my arrows are the same brand and weight and the fletchings are all the same on each arrow. I want to know that no matter what arrow I use in my quiver, each one is going to shoot the same way.

No matter what type of weapon you use, practice with the gear you know you will be hunting with and make yourself familiar with it. Hunting is already a huge challenge, even when using gear that you have practiced with thousands of times!