The Rub Line - News, Notes, and Hunt Reports from the Deer & Deer Hunting Staff

Judge Rules Ads Were Deceptive

DDH Staff — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:19:27 GMT

Perhaps the biggest news story in the hunting industry this week is out of Minnesota, where a U.S District Court Judge issued a summary judgment that found ALS Enterprises, maker of Scent-Lok clothing and technology, liable for deceptive advertising. Also named in the suit were Cabela’s and Gander Mountain, companies that either sold Scent-Lok products or were licensees who used patents to make and market their own products.

The lawsuit is three years in the making. The suit was originally filed by three Minnesota hunters who claimed they were misled by past Scent-Lok advertising campaigns that allegedly implied the clothing completely eliminates human odor. Early reports of the judgment, if it is upheld, indicate the plaintiffs would recoup the money they spent on Scent-Lok products.

Since the news of this judgment hit the Internet, we have received numerous inquiries on the legitimacy of scent-reduction products in general. We actually reported on this specific category – activated carbon – as far back as five years ago, and included the opinions of some of the best whitetail hunters in North America.

As the editor of D&DH, I receive thousands of queries each year — be it emails, letters or phone calls — from loyal readers wanting to pick my brain on everything from ethics and hunting strategies to new hunting gear. One of the most common questions I receive centers on carbon clothing: “Does it work?” My simple answer is always a qualified, “yes.”

I started using activated-carbon clothing after sharing a camp with Minnesota’s Gary Clancy in 1995. Clancy, one of North America’s most respected whitetail hunters, said carbon clothing drastically increased his success rate. He wasn’t kidding. I’ve used activated-carbon clothing ever since and have yet to be completely “busted” by a deer’s nose.

Sure, I’ve had several occasions where deer sensed something was wrong, but instead of snorting or sprinting away, they retreated with suspicious caution. On those occasions, I’ve attributed my own sloppiness — failing to shower or spray down with scent-killing spray — to the unsuccessful encounters. Clancy and I are not alone in our belief that activated-carbon clothing is an awfully effective hunting tool.

Having chased big whitetails and black bears for more than 40 years, Michigan’s Richard Smith is one of North America’s most successful whitetail hunters. Smith achieved deer hunting celebrity status by honing his skills the old-fashioned way, but has since learned to take full advantage of modern technology. Today, he’s a firm believer in activated-carbon clothing. In fact, he won’t go hunting without it. “In most cases, I wear a (activated-carbon) hood and gloves in addition to coat and pants,” Smith said. “I sometimes also wear an under layer. I’ve experienced many situations where whitetails have not winded me when they otherwise would have. Although I still pay attention to wind direction when deer hunting, it’s not always possible to predict which way whitetails will come from, and wind direction frequently shifts direction.” Although Smith will be the first to admit carbon clothing isn’t a silver bullet, he adds, “it at least reduces the chances of deer smelling me, and that’s always a plus.”

Renowned buck-hunter Doug Below agrees. “It certainly is another weapon to use against the whitetail’s nose ... or at least holds them downwind for another second or two, which may result in an opportunity for a killing shot,” Below said.

Fellow outdoor writer Steve Bartylla is another respected big-buck hunter who believes in activated carbon clothing. “A whitetail’s nose can be defeated,” Bartylla said. “However, one must think of and address every item brought into the woods with them, as well as treat their bodies and clothing. (Activated-carbon clothing) then becomes the critical and final layer of defense. Taking this approach, I am able to hunt the best stands for a given day, not the best stand for a given wind. This provides me with a tremendous advantage.” “Before carbon suits, all of my hunting clothing was washed in baking soda, dried outside and stored in containers with pine limbs,” Bartylla continued. “I showered before every trip into the woods and washed my equipment in hydrogen peroxide. After all of that, I would still get winded by around 25 percent of the deer that entered bow-range. Since incorporating (activated-carbon clothing) into my odor reduction techniques, that percentage has dropped to less than 1 percent.”

Minnesota’s Pat Reeve is another firm believer. Reeve makes his living by filming and hunting mature whitetails across the country. His successes are well documented, as are his beliefs in high-tech hunting gear. “A scent suit is not a cure-all for becoming entirely scent-free, but it’s the final step to a process that helps control your odor,” Reeve said. “The first step in the process is to wash all your clothes in scent-free detergent and store them in a scent-free environment. I also will activate my suit if I haven’t done it in a while. The next step is taking a shower, using scent-free soap and shampoo, then dressing in something other than what you’re going to hunt in. I then drive to my hunting location and dress in the field — not in the truck or at the camp house. The final step is to spray everything with scent-killing spray, making sure your boots and legs get a double dose.”

New Hunting-Themed Restaurant Competes with Fast Food

DDH Staff — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:40:17 GMT

A new hunting-themed restaurant in Florida aims to compete with the fast food joints of the world. As a franchise, it has the potential to promote hunting and fill bellies nationwide.

- Ben Sobieck, online editor

Jacksonville, Fla.; March 4, 2010 – Hunt Club Subs N Grill, a new outdoor themed quick service restaurant franchise, opened its first restaurant on Jacksonville, Florida’s southside on March 1st.

Located at 6426 Bowden Road, the rustic style restaurant, featuring a hunting/fishing cabin décor with a fireplace, wooden floors and video screens with outdoor and sports programming, offers a selection of hamburgers, sub sandwiches, hot dogs and beer, in addition to a breakfast menu.

The franchise concept is the first store for the husband and wife ownership team of Bo and Violet Lawrence. Bo Lawrence has over 15 years experience in developing and owning several nationally known fast casual food franchise operations in Northeast Florida. Violet Lawrence has a background in advertising/marketing for national companies in Chicago and Atlanta.

“Hunting, fishing and sitting around the hunt camp has been a part of my whole life,” Lawrence explained. “So I wanted to create a local place where the whole family can come and enjoy great food and share their outdoor experiences with friends and neighbors.” The tables throughout the restaurant display photos of hunting trips, trophies and catches from friends and families in the Jacksonville area.

The signature menu items include a section called “Wallhangers,” an oversized serving of hamburgers, subs and hotdogs. And the signature side is Redneck Fries named for its special Redneck pepper. All hamburgers are made from fresh 100% Certified Angus beef instead of frozen beef patties.

“I believe we have a great concept for building a new business, particularly in today’s tough economy,” Lawrence said. Two more franchises in Northeast Florida are currently in the works. “Our goal is to have 25 – 30 stores throughout the Northeast Florida region,” Lawrence said.

In addition to developing the concept into a profitable business, Lawrence plans on using the franchises to help support local and national outdoor conservation groups.

The Hunt Club will have a grand opening celebration on March 13th with specials and prizes for customers. Captain Kevin Favor, Jeff Lageman and Captain Kirk Waltz of The Outdoor Show from Radio 1010XL will broadcast live at the restaurant from 7 – 10 AM. A 2-night/3 day turkey hunt trip with Captain Favor (filmed for a TV show) will be given away as the grand prize.

The restaurant is open 7 AM – 9 PM Monday through Friday and 8 AM – 9 PM on Saturdays.

Video: Deer Go For Beer Run

DDH Staff — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:23:59 GMT

What would cause deer to act like this? The Whitetail Behavior DVD contains insights into why deer behave certain ways.

Video: Locked Up Bucks Freed with Bullet to Antler

DDH Staff — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:02:09 GMT

Spiritual Outdoors Adventures filmed this clip, which shows one of the most amazing shots captured on video.

For more deer footage, be sure to check out the Whitetail Behavior DVD from Deer & Deer Hunting TV.

United Airlines to Allow Transport of Antlers

DDH Staff — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:22:51 GMT

by Ben Sobieck, online editor

Hunters traveling on United Airlines can now bring antlers in their luggage.

Previously, antlers and horns were banned from all flights. That changed last month when United reversed its stance. The new policy can be seen here.

Checked antlers will cost $175 per set to transport as checked luggage. Linear dimensions are limited at 120 inches. Tips must be padded and secured so as not to puncture baggage. The skull must also be wrapped.

Hunters on the deeranddeerhunting.com forum criticized United's previous prohibition of antlers.

"So you can check a firearm if it's in a locked case but not antlers? Wow that doesn't make sense. I bet a lot of hunters fly a different airline when they hear about this," said Florida hunter Scott Styba.

Click here to discuss United's decision on the the forum.

Carbon Express F-15: Deadly as Advertised

DDH Staff — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:33:55 GMT

by Jacob Edson, Deer & Deer Hunting managing editor

Last winter, Carbon Express provided writers attending its media event with prototypes of the company's new F-15 fixed-blade broadheads. I've been itching to try them ever since.

Simply put, they look NASTY. The broadheads feature a unique design with dual, side-by-side "bleeder" blades. In total, the head features six cutting edges to create a large wound and a skin flap that will not re-seal no matter how tight the skin and muscle is drawn.

Like any new broadhead, I tested them on the range first. I found no noticeable change in point of impact. However, I waited to use them in the field until Sunday, Dec. 27. With only a week remaining in Wisconsin's bowseason, I decided I had better put the F-15s in my quiver.

It was as picturesque of a winter doe hunt as anyone could ask for. An inch of downy snow coated the woods and each whisper of wind brought a fresh puff of it drifting through the air. A cardinal kept me company as I waited.

With 15 minutes of shooting light remaining, a doe and her fawn appeared from some pines along a a small spring 20 yards to my left. The doe sensed my draw, but by the time she looked up I already had the pin settled.

The 18-yard poke was as chip-shot as you can get with whitetails in the real world, and the F-15 provided a blood trail in the snow that I could follow from my stand. I found the doe 40 yards into the spruce grove she had emerged from. As advertised, both the entry and exit hole remained wide open along the doe's short trail.

F-15 broadheads are available in a one-piece fixed blade model, and an expandable version. The 100-grain fixed blade model features a 1 1/8-inch cutting diameter. The 100 grain expandable features four parallel expandable blades with a cutting diameter of 1 3/8 inches. Both broadheads feature an aggressive cut-on-contact design.

If you haven't seen them already, I recommend checking them out next season.

Learn more from Edson experiences in this online course.

Leupold Counterfeit Alert

DDH Staff — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:05:26 GMT

The following is from the Leupold website.

Leupold® is issuing a customer alert to purchasers of products, particularly via Internet sales, in regards to bogus Leupold products that are apparently being illegally imported from the People’s Republic of China. These products bear many of the marks and trade dress of current Leupold & Stevens riflescopes making them very hard to distinguish externally from authentic Leupold products.

In recent months, counterfeited Leupold Mark 4® riflescopes have begun to arrive with increasing regularity at the firm’s Beaverton, Oregon, headquarters for service. These products are not manufactured by Leupold and are not covered by the Leupold Full Lifetime Guarantee.

Leupold employs serial number tracking for all its riflescopes, so if a customer finds a scope that is suspect, he or she can simply write down the serial number and call 1-800-LEUPOLD to confirm if it is indeed authentic.

In general, most of the scopes appear to originate from Hong Kong (People’s Republic of China), and have “Leupold Mark 4” laser engraved on the bottom of the turret in a silver etch, while the black ring on the objective is etched in white and does not include the name “Leupold.” An authentic Mark 4 riflescope will always be engraved black on black and have the name “Leupold” engraved on the black ring.

Video: How to Deep Clean a Bolt Action

DDH Staff — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:22:29 GMT

Hunters may have given a quick wipe down of their firearms after the '09 hunt, but guns need regular deep cleanings to function optimally. The off-season is the perfect time to give firearms the maintenance they need.

In this video, Larry Potterfield, CEO of MidwayUSA, shows how to deep clean the bolt action on a rifle.

Download more about rifle firearms maintenance with Gunsmithing: Rifles by Patrick Sweeney.

Video: Cell Phone Captures Bucks Fighting

DDH Staff — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:23:37 GMT

This footage was shot in Ladue, Mo.

Video: Deer Attacks Football Player

DDH Staff — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:38:35 GMT

Dramatic Photos: Bucks Lock Antlers

DDH Staff — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:31:04 GMT

These images apparently came out of Calhoun County. Which one was not revealed in the e-mail we received at Deer & Deer Hunting headquarters. The images, however, cannot be disputed. The bucks were eventually shot and killed.