Pine Ridge Archery
SUBURBIA MONSTERS - A BOWHUNTER'S DREAM
When most bowhunters dream of big bucks, they think of hunting on some large track of land in Illinois, Kansas or Iowa. Those places produce monster bucks every year but they are not the only place to find a big buck. In fact, more and more large bucks are being found on small parcels of woods tucked in behind a subdivision or next to a shopping mall than ever before. Finding big bucks on a small parcel of land isn’t rocket science but the truth is it requires a lot of hard work, just like killing big bucks on large parcels is a lot of work. Suburbia bucks beat to a different drum than big woods bucks. One guy who knows more about suburbia bucks than most is Steve Esker from Ohio. Esker has been featured in many magazines because he killed a 216-inch buck on a small parcel back in 2009. Since he killed that buck, he has tagged several big bucks... one with a higher score than the 2009 buck. Esker has killed over a dozen bucks that score more that 150 and most of them have been killed in suburbia, not on a large farm somewhere. “Killing big bucks on small parcels of land can be done, but it requires a lot of work,” Esker said. “What I have discovered over the years is just because a buck lived near a housing development does not mean that he is trapped. I have scouting camera pictures of a monster buck one night on a small parcel of land and a picture of the same buck a few days later several miles away. Suburbia bucks can cover a lot of ground just like big woods bucks.” One of the differences between the two bucks is many of the suburbia bucks live to a ripe old age so they sport large racks.
Killing suburbia bucks starts with having permission to hunt private land. “I recently killed a buck on 2-1/2 acres that scored over 170,” Esker said. “I get permission to hunt these small pieces of land by knocking on a lot of doors and asking for permission. Many people say no at first,but over time say yes. I always look professional when I ask for permission and am very polite. I have asked permission on the same piece of land three times before getting permission but eventually many people eventually say yes because I am always polite and never look like I just crawled out from under a car.”
Esker has dozens of small parcels that he hunts on; many of them are ten or twenty acres. Some are larger; some smaller. His key to finding the needle in the hay stack on those pieces of land is scouting cameras. “I hang many scouting cameras to try to pattern suburbia bucks. Most suburbia bucks spend the daylight hours bedded down and spend the few of daylight hours they are up and moving transitioning between feeding areas and bedding areas. I try to locate these transition areas where they travel. I try to find where bucks live and bed,” Esker explained. In 2010, Esker found a 217-7/8” buck living in a 30-acre tree nursery that had been abandoned. The buck would rarely leave the overgrown nursery during daylight hours. Esker had scouting camera pics that showed the buck repeatedly in the same area. “Because this buck never left the overgrown trees during daylight, I had to figure out a way to kill him in the nursery. It was really tough because there weren’t many big trees to hang a stand. The trees were all overgrown so I had to crawl in to hunt the area. I ended up putting my treestand in a young oak 15 feet off the ground. I eventually killed that buck.” The buck spent most of his life in the nursery that had housing developments around it.
Another thing Esker has noticed when hunting suburbia deer is that they can tell the difference between a person mowing the grass and a hunter. “These bucks are acclimated to hearing, seeing and smelling people but they get edgy, just like any other deer when they feel hunting pressure.” Esker said. “Deer will be bedded down and watch a person blowing leaves or mowing the lawn a short distance away and not have a problem with it but the moment a guy in camo comes walking into the woods, they leave. I have entered the woods with a leaf blower in my hand just to outsmart deer before. Suburbia bucks are smart; just like bucks that live in large sections of woods.”
You might think that suburbia bucks don’t care about human odor because they smell it all the time, but that is not the case at all. “I always hunt the wind. The deer really get spooky when they come in to a setup and smell human odor.” Just like when hunting big woods, Esker says the more hunting locations you have, the better so you have several backup plans. When looking for a new hunting location, Esker leaves no stone unturned and has learned over the years a monster buck can live almost anywhere. “There is one spot my brother and I hunt that the land owner has a gazebo that the deer are comfortable with. We actually put a popup blind right in the middle of the gazebo and hunt. We have killed a lot of deer out of that blind.”
The best time to kill a suburbia buck is between the middle of October to the first week of November. “I have the best of luck around the middle of October through the beginning of November because that is when the bucks are starting to move around during daylight.” Esker has also killed bucks early in the season. “Early in the season can be good as well because the bucks still have a pattern but many of these bucks only move first thing in the morning and just before dark in the evening. I like to hunt when the bucks start thinking about the does. To be successful, I must do everything right from worry about scent to hanging my stand in the right location. Every little detail must be thought out.”
One thing is certain: getting permission to hunt farms and large parcels of ground is getting extremely difficult. If you want to tag a big buck but don’t have deep pockets, consider hunting in suburbia. Like Esker says, it isn’t a cake walk but with a little hard work, you might kill a monster right behind the sand box.
BY TRACY BREEN
About the author: Tracy Breen is a full time outdoor writer, consultant and game dinner speaker who often discuss how he overcomes cerebral palsy. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com
BUILDING AN EDGE - FOOD PLOT SECRETS
Food Plots are more popular than ever before. Almost every serious land owner in America who hunts deer plants food plots. There are a variety of reasons hunters love planting food plots. For starters, food plots provide deer with a quality food source. Providing a quality food source on a piece of property keeps the deer on a piece of property and gives them the nutrition they need in the spring and summer when bucks are growing antlers and the does are lactating. Some food plots provide food into the fall and winter. As fall turns to winter, it is especially important to give deer a quality food source like a food plot because during the winter, finding food can be difficult for deer. If built right, food plots can provide more than just food for wildlife like deer. They can also provide cover. I recently interviewed Jason Lupardus, the NWTF Field Supervisor for the Midwest. He says research shows that food plots that offer field borders are even more attractive to deer and other wildlife than fields that go from a food source to hardwoods. “Food plots that have a transition that goes from food to cover to hardwoods is extremely attractive to wildlife and easy to create,” said Lupardus. “Instead of planting a crop all the way to the edge of a field, you stop a few rows shy of the woods. When this small area around a field or food plot doesn’t get planted with crops, it will return to native grasses. These grasses will often grow fairly tall which will provide cover for wildlife including deer, turkeys and other upland birds.” This buffer zone around a food plot gives does a place to have their fawns that is close to a food source yet gives the doe enough cover to hide her newborn. It is also a place for turkeys to nest and raise their poults. “Turkeys love to nest in the high borders around the edges of fields because they can nest without being seen by predators. When the eggs hatch, the high grasses offer security cover for the small poults. As spring turns to summer, this cover will be full of grasshoppers and other insects which provide the small turkeys with a high protein meal,” Lupardus noted. According to Lupardus, the first year that a field border is allowed to grow, wildlife, will quickly find it and use it. The second and third year the edge is provided becomes extremely beneficial to wildlife. “The second year, the border is often taller and thicker, providing even more cover for deer, turkeys and other game animals, giving them more security and in some cases, more food. For instance, ragweed often takes root and provides turkeys and other birds with plenty of food in the late summer and early fall.” Best of all, building a field border is free. Most food plot projects require time and money. Creating a field border doesn’t take much of either. You lose a few rows of crops which is the only drawback. Leave an edge this year and see what happens this fall.
BY TRACY BREEN www.tracybreen.com
Why Practicing at Long Distances Makes You a Better Bowhunter
Fall is almost here, and many bowhunters are already shooting their bows every day to get ready for the season. Most of us practice at 20, 30, or maybe 40 yards. That may seem like enough, especially if you never plan to take long-range shots in the woods. However, shooting at 60, 70, or even 80 yards can dramatically improve your accuracy at shorter distances. It’s one of the best ways to build confidence and discover weaknesses in your form or equipment. For tools that help you tune your setup, visit Pine Ridge Archery.
Long-Range Practice Sharpens Your Form
If you can consistently hit a pie plate at 60 or 70 yards, you have strong, repeatable shooting form. At close distances, it’s easy to hide mistakes. For example, a slight amount of bow torque at 20 yards may not affect your group much. But at 70 yards, even a tiny twist can send your arrow way off target.
This is why long-range practice is so valuable. It magnifies your mistakes, helping you fix them. Once your form is clean enough to hit at long distances, a 20–40 yard shot becomes incredibly easy. Improving your technique also builds confidence — something every bowhunter needs in the field.
To help make your form more consistent, consider stabilizers, string loops, and other tuning accessories from Pine Ridge Archery.
Long-Range Shooting Reveals Equipment Problems
Shooting farther doesn’t just help your form — it also exposes issues with your arrows and gear. Not all arrows in a dozen fly exactly the same. At close range you may never notice a flawed nock, an uneven vane, or a slightly off-weight broadhead. But at 60 or 70 yards, these problems stand out immediately.
To sort your arrows, try marking each shaft and shooting them one by one. If the same arrow misses consistently, it likely has a defect. Remove it from your hunting setup and keep only the best performers.
For even more accuracy, many bowhunters use tools like the Pine Ridge Archery Arrow Inspector (spin tester) to check for straightness. You can find this tool and more at Pine Ridge Archery.
Fine-Tune Your Broadheads and Setup
Consistent arrow weight is essential for tight groups. Before the season begins, weigh every broadhead to ensure they match. Mechanical broadhead shooters should always practice with the supplied practice head. Fixed-blade shooters should practice with the same blades they plan to hunt with, or at least identical extras.
Using high-quality components — such as vanes, glue, and string accessories from Pine Ridge Archery — helps ensure reliable performance.
The Confidence You Need in the Field
Long-range practice takes effort, but it pays off. When you’re accurate at 60 yards or more, a 20-yard shot feels effortless. You know your form is solid. You know your arrows are tuned. And you trust your gear.
To make your setup even more consistent, check out tuning tools and accessories at Pine Ridge Archery today.
Velocitip Testing Confirms NITRO Vanes Outperform Other Arrow Vanes
The Velocitip by Full Flight Technology uses innovation to test actual arrow performance and provide data that is invaluable to learn more about your set up and it's performance. Recently we contacted the folks at Velocitip asking them to do perform an impartial 3rd party test on our NITRO Vane and other popular arrow vanes...
Pine Ridge Archery Joins Driven TV
Pine Ridge Archery is now sponsoring Driven TV with Pat and Nicole. This husband and wife hunting tag team spend a ton of time in the woods each year. The Pine Ridge team recently interviewed Pat about some of his hunting techniques and adventures. Q: Over the years, you have killed some big bucks. Give the readers a tactic...
Pro's and Shops Love the NITRO Vane
We are getting amazing feedback from professional archers and dealers who have tested the NITRO Vane and here are a some of the things they said...I never had a first impression like the Nitro Vanes gave me. I immediately went to the shop and replaced all the fletching’s on my target arrows...In my opinion, Pine Ridge Nitro Vanes are truly a superior vane.
Start Kids Young: Tips from John Schaffer on Introducing Children to Archery
John Schaffer from Schaffer Performance Archery has introduced dozens of kids to archery and bowhunting so he knows how to get kids involved in archery and keep them interested. “I think many dads try to introduce their kids to deer hunting first. I believe that can be a mistake. In today’s fast-paced world, kids are used to playing video...
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR THE BOWHUNTER BY TRACY BREEN
Christmas is almost here. If you haven't found that perfect gift for the bowhunter in your life check out the bowhunting accessories listed below! Brightly colored products are the rage these days. Everyone wants to add bright colors to their bow setups. Pine Ridge Archery is offering several accessories that come in over half a dozen different colors...
How to Re-Fletch Arrows Properly: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide for Archers
Maintaining your arrows is an essential part of consistent, accurate shooting. Over time, fletchings tear, peel, or get damaged from repeated use—especially for bowhunters and target shooters who shoot year-round. The good news is that re-fletching arrows is a simple process that can save you a significant amount of money. Instead of buying brand-new arrows, you can restore your current shafts with a few basic tools and high-quality fletchings from Pine Ridge Archery.
Below is a breakdown of the steps demonstrated in the latest how-to video on removing old vanes, wraps, and glue before installing new fletchings.
