Author: Jeff Helsdon

While a Western or open-country hunter wouldn’t be caught in the field without binoculars, that’s not the case everywhere. But are hunters who aren’t carrying binoculars are missing something—even if their normal distances aren’t that great? I often find myself asking that question while turkey hunting when a bird flies down in the first few minutes of legal shooting time, and I wish I had the added light-gathering power of binoculars. Or, it happens when I am sitting in a blind and a turkey appears 200 yards or more away. I also want more magnification then. The idea of compact binoculars…

Most deer hunters believe that deer are color blind, but they really don’t know much more about the vision of the animal they pursue. Recent studies have provided new insights about deer vision and reveal information that can assist hunters. Color Blindness What does color blind mean in the case of a deer? Does Odocoileus virginianus see the world in shades of grey? While deer see color differently than humans do, they do see in color. The difference in color perception can be traced to the physical makeup of a deer’s eyes. Most mammals, including humans and deer, have photoreceptors…

The bear entered the clearing in front of me in a tentative way. In what seemed like slow motion, it moved toward the barrel. I sat perfectly still, not moving a muscle, waiting for the bear to get to the barrel before I moved. When it reached the barrel and stood on its back legs to reach bait in a pail attached to the tree, I made my move. Slowly and carefully, I raised the Savage rifle to my shoulder. I depended on the silent material of my Redhead coat to stay silent. The bear that came in so tentatively…

Spring brings with it a sense of optimism and opportunity. For hunters, spring means turkey hunting. For large game hunters, bear hunting is the name of the game. The opportunity to bring both together in one trip this spring was new for me. Since their reintroduction in Ontario 39 years ago, turkeys have flourished there, spreading well beyond the bird’s original range. In practical terms, this means turkeys have moved northward. They’re found as far as North Bay and along the north shore of Lake Huron—and into territory that is shared with black bears. Many Ontario outfitters offer bear or…

When you’re standing at the ammunition counter in a gun store, the choices are staggering. There are many selections: discounted ammunition, run-of-the-mill ammunition, and then the premium stuff. Premium ammunition often offers the latest and greatest technology. As the price goes down, so does the technology. Sometimes, a premium price isn’t for anything fancy, but just for ammunition that is loaded more precisely, more consistently and with better components. But is it worth it? This is a multi-faceted question that needs to be broken down discipline by discipline. I had my eyes opened as to the difference when doing an…

The Technical Know-How Crucial to Purchasing the Right Deer Rifle Scope Are you looking for a new scope for your deer gun? The options for a hunter in the market for a scope have become so numerous that it can be intimidating to try to decipher the technical lingo. First focal plane reticle, second focal plane reticle, red dot or illuminated reticle, high-definition glass, reticle choices, custom dials, mil-dot reticles—the options are almost endless. Although some scopes are good for general use, others are quite specialized. If you’re looking for the best crossbow scope, we also have you covered (click…