Interview Series - Rick Whitaker



Rick with his 2009 archery buck



Bones n' Broadheads is proud to bring you an interview with my taxidermist, Rick Whitaker.  Rick is very well known for his quality taxidermy work.  Rick also loves to bowhunt for giant whitetails in Iowa.  This interview will help you know what to do when you get that big ol' swamp donkey down this fall. 

Rick lives in between Pella and Knoxville in southern Iowa.  When Rick is not working on deer, he carries the mail in the rural area he lives in. 

I hope you enjoy the interview with Rick!

Bones n' Broadheads (BnB):  How did you decide to get in the taxidermy business?

Rick Whitaker (RW):  I grew up loving to hunt and fish.  A friend showed me a coyote rug he made when I was around 12.  I started playing with tanning and mounting squirrels and fish at that time.  When I was 20 I decided to attend a taxidermy school and further expand my interest.

BnB:  How long has Whitaker's Wildlife been in business?

RW:  I started the business in 1990 after going through taxidermy school.

BnB:  Which species of animals do you work on?

RW:  I specialize in whitetail deer and do a few mule deer.

BnB:  How did you choose whitetail deer?

RW:  I would rather hunt whitetails more than anything else, and as my business got busier and busier, I decided to focus on deer as my speciality in taxidermy.

BnB:  Has your taxidermy won any awards?  If so, which awards?

RW:  While competing as a professional I won first place ribbons on whitetails, mule deer, and fish at the state level.  Then at the master level I won first place and best of category on whitetails.  Competition was an important part of developing my skills and pushing me to work harder.

Rick's award winning deer

BnB:  A hunter brings a deer in to get mounted, what is the most common issue you have with a deer cape?

RW:  The two biggest problems are cutting the cape too short, usually in the brisket area, and slippage from waiting too long to bring it in. 

BnB:  Can you give any tips and tricks as to how to take care of your cape once the deer is recovered?

RW:  Hang and cape the deer as quickly as possible.  Any delay during this time makes my job more difficult and can cause slippage issues.

BnB:  How many deer have you mounted?

RW:  About 1,300.

BnB:  Out of all the deer you have mounted, which one has been your favorite?

RW:  I really don't have one.  I like features like 14" tines, 7" mass, 28" spread, and multiple drops and kickers.  All of those features make for an amazing mount.  I also like a super serious hunter who truly loves chasing whitetails and is just as proud of killing a 9 year old buck that they have pursued for five years, regardless of score.

BnB:  You had the opportunity to mount the world record "Albia Buck", can you talk a little about that experience?



Rick with the Albia Buck

RW:  It is an amazing deer.  Deer of that class seem to have a lot of "buzz" around them; sadly a lot of it was negative, based on jealousy and rumors.  I am just as happy mounting a nice 160" class deer that doesn't have endless rumors and speculations that take away from the true sense of accomplishment that the hunter should have.

BnB:  Out of all the people that have pulled in your driveway to drop off a deer, which person that stopped in suprised you the most?

RW:  Bill Jordan was one of the most interesting.  He really seems to enjoy interacting with the average hunter.  He came across as a super nice, down to earth guy, who has accomplished so much in the sport we all love.



Rick with Bill's Montana bow kill

 

Rick with Bill and his 2003 Iowa bow kill

BnB:  What makes you satisfied about a mount?  How do you know when the job is finished and the customer will be happy?

RW:  I am most satisfied when I see a "natural" look.  I never take for granted that the customer will be satisfied; I always look forward to hearing their feedback.

BnB:  After you send a mount home with a customer, what advice can you give in terms of care of the trophy?

RW:  I would focus on avoiding excessive dry heat and humidity.

BnB:  How do you go about recommending how a deer is mounted from a position standpoint?

Full sneak

RW:  I try to show through examples what might better show off the deer's individual traits.  Ultimately it is up to the customer.

Semi-sneak position

Pedistal mount



BnB:  How did you come up with your taxidermy style?

RW:  I studied live deer, still photos, and video trying to duplicate a "natural" relaxed look for mature Iowa deer.  I listened to the opinions of competition judges and simply what my customers pick up on and like.

BnB:  Besides your own work, whose taxidermy work do you admire the most?

RW:  Joe Meder is an extremely skilled artist that I look up to.  He has also done so many things to advance the industry through his products, training, and judging.

I would like to thank Rick for taking time to do this interview.  Please take a look at this website:  www.whitakerswildlife.com.  You can learn more details on how to care for the animal after it is harvested, plus look at some of the giant whitetails that Rick has mounted over the years.

Look for another blog update next weekend.  I am going to the farm to hang stands and check cameras.  It should be a fun-filled weekend!

Muddyhunter

 

  

Interview Series - Boyd Mathes

This week Bones n' Broadheads is interviewing Boyd Mathes of Buck Hollow Sports in Pella, IA.  Boyd is an avid target shooter, bowhunter, and archery pro shop owner.  Boyd is also very active in the archery community in the state of Iowa with the Iowa Bowhunters Association and Hickory Ridge Bowhunters.  Boyd's involvement in the archery community has allowed him to become a part of BowTech's Pro Staff.  Boyd is also the preferred dealer for Midwest Whitetail. 

Boyd farms in southern Iowa, so he is busy year round in the field, shop, or in a treestand.  Whether it's 300, 3D or the real thing, Boyd is successful in archery and in the archery business.

Boyd with his 2010 bow kill

I hope you enjoy the interview with Boyd!

Bones n' Broadheads (BnB):  What made you decide to open an archery pro shop?

Boyd Mathes (BM):  A local archery shop was shutting down and brought me 47 bows to help him sell.  I decided that was a good time to stock up and start selling more archery gear.  The business has grown pretty much every year since then.

Boyd's Shop

BnB:  How long has Buck Hollow Sports been in business?

BM:  I've had and FFL to sell guns since 1988, started selling a few bows here and there special order in the mid 90's, and started a full archery inventory in 1999.

20 yard indoor range

BnB:  How do you handle the demands of farming full-time and being in the pro shop?

BM:  Time management is the key.  Making lots of lists of things that need done and trying to get them done efficiently with little wasted time.  You find time to do the things you love and those that pay the bills.

BnB:  How did you settle on selling Hoyt and BowTech bows?

BM:  I initially tried to get on with Mathews back in 1999, but gave up as they kept changing the rules and restrictions on me.  I found out later that a local shop that also had Mathews was feeding the sales rep false information to keep Mathews out of my shop and eliminate competition.  Interestingly enough, he is now out of business and my shop and business is growing.

I found this brand new lineup called BowTech at the ATA show in 2000 and have been with them ever since.  I picked up Hoyt by demand from a lot of local shooters that couldn't find a good dealer around.  This will be my best year selling Hoyt ever.  I think I have a very good mix of bows with these two brands.



BnB:  A customer brings in a bow that was not purchased from you that needs work.  What is the most common setup error you see?

BM:  Rests being way out of whack for center-shot and level is most common.  Also, lots of incorrectly timed drop-away rests and bows with cams way out of time.

BnB:  Any tips or tricks for setting up a bow?

BM:  Best tip I have is if you want it done right, let a professional handle it.  You wouldn't do brain surgery on yourself because you read how to on brainsurgurytalk.com would you?

BnB:  You have been in the pro shop business for a while.  In all your years, what is your favorite bow and why?

BM:  Every year bows get better.  My current favorite is my BowTech Specialist target bow.  I've never shot a bow that shoots this well.

BnB:  What setup do you shoot for target?  Deer hunting?

BM:  Target and Field - 50 lb. BowTech Specialist with Vapor Trail Limb Driver Rest, Sure Loc Supreme Sight, Sure Loc Black Eagle Scope, and Easton X10 Stabilizers with skinny arrows for long range shooting.

3D - 60 lb. BowTech Specialist with Vapor Trail Limb Driver Rest, Sure Loc Supreme Sight, Sure Loc Black Eagle Scope, and Easton X10 Stabilizers with fat arrows for line grabbing. 

Hunting - 60 lb BowTech Invasion, Limb Driver Pro-V rest, Montana Black Gold, and TighSpot Quiver with Easton ACC Pro Hunters and Muzzy Broadheads.

Boyd with his 200 1/8" (net) buck in 2002

BnB:  You have a lot of customers come in and shoot.  What is the one thing that most customers do while shooting that needs to be improved?

BM:  Most people have a bad grip on the bow.  If they let me work with them, I can teach them a torque-free grip that will make them a better shooter.

BnB:  Who has been the biggest influence in your life from an archery perspective?

BM:  There are three guys who are some of the original founders of our archery club (Hickory Ridge Bowhunters), sadly, one has died but the other two are still active.  They mean the world to me and were a great part of getting me more deeply involved in the club and thus archery as a whole.

Hickory Ridge Bowhunters "Big Buck Contest"

BnB:  Besides working long hours in the field and in the shop, what else do you do for fun?

BM:  Time with my family is extremely important; my wife and kids are great.  I also love to go to archery shoots with my buddies and spend endless hours in a treestand.        

I hope you enjoyed the interview with Boyd.  I have never met someone with as much knowledge to share as Boyd does.  I can attribute most of my archery skills to his teaching.

Bones n' Broadheads is going to try and bring you one more interview and will let everyone know when I have my next victim locked down.

Muddyhunter

Interview Series - Chad Lathrop

Since the season is getting close and I have covered everything from preseason practice to food plot preparation to treestand setups, I thought my fellow bowhunters would benefit from hearing what some hunting and archery professionals do to get ready for the season, how they got started, and learn some new tips and tricks.  There are some fun questions as well!

Chad with bow in hand

Bones n' Broadheads first victim is Chad Lathrop.  Chad is an avid bowhunter and lives outside of the small southern Iowa town of Albia (Chad refers to Albia as "God's Country"). 

Chad works full-time at Muddy Outdoors just outside of Albia where he does sales and customer support for Muddy treestands, harnesses, and camera arms.  Chad is also on the prostaff for Midwest Whitetail where he provides some top-notch hunts for the Main Show.  Hope

                                   you enjoy the interview with Chad! 

Bones n' Broadheads (BnB):  How did you get started in the outdoor industry?

Chad Lathrop (CL): To be honest, I just kind of fell into it.  A close family friend of ours made the decision to start a treestand company (Muddy Outdoors) and at the time I was graduating from high school.  They needed somebody to travel to tradeshows, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for me to get my foot in the door.  Four years later, I am still here and I love my job.  I now work in sales and marketing at the Muddy Outdoors headquarters in Albia, IA.

BnB:  What is it like having to balance working full time for Muddy and getting in the stand hunting and filming?

CL:  Fortunately, by the time deer season rolls around, things start to slow down here at Muddy.  Customers have already made their treestand purchases for the season and everyone is out hunting.  Because of this, I get to spend quite a bit of time in the stand.  However, because we are busy during the summer, it is very tough to have time to hang stands and plant food plots.  There have been numerous occasions this year where I have planted food plots in the middle of the night.

BnB:  What setup are you shooting this year?

CL:  Hoyt Carbon Element.  I am using all Fuse accessories and Easton Full Metal Jacket arrows

Hoyt Carbon Element

 

 BnB:  What do you look for when you go into the timber to set a stand?  What is your thought process?

CL:   I use shed season to do most of my scouting because I can walk through the entire farm to look for the best land features and not have to worry about distrubing the area during the months leading up to season.  From there, I  think about access and wind advantage.  Being able to get to and hunt the stand without alerting deer is important.  Once I find the best locations based off these two factors, I find the best tree in the location and hunt there.  After hunting the stand a few times, I use my observations and fine tune the location.

BnB:  Any tips or tricks for getting a big mature whitetail on the ground?

CL:  Hunt hard and hunt often. 

BnB:  What is your most memorable hunt and why?

CL:  Last year I killed an 8-point in Missouri.  This is my biggest bow kill to date.  My buddy, Louie Clouse was in the tree filming me and got great footage of the entire hunt.  I found the match set of his sheds the season before.  The combination of these things made this hunt my most memorable.

Chad's 2010 Missouri Bow kill

You can watch Chad's hunt by clicking here.

BnB:  How many days a year do you spend hunting whitetails?  How many days a year do you spend preparing for deer season?

CL:  A lot......most would say that my buddies and I are nuts!

BnB:  On Midwest Whitetail, you hunt a lot on the Muddy Ranch.  Explain what the Muddy Ranch is.

CL:  The Muddy Ranch is a 2,100 acre, fair chase farm in Missouri that is owned by the owner of Muddy Outdoors.  Mike Valliere, Travis & Tyson Patten, and myself manage the farm and prepare it for the season.  In return, we get rights to hunt the ranch.  It is an awesome deal for us!  Muddy also brings some of their top sales people out each year to hunt the farm as a way to pay thanks for their hard work.  Hopefully, there are more great hunts to come from the farm this season.

Chad with a set of BIG antlers from the Muddy Ranch

BnB:  Any sneak peek on new 2012 Muddy products? 

CL:  You will have to wait and see!

BnB:  I am sure all the young ladies that read this blog want to know, is your Facebook status "single" or "in a relationship"?

CL:  "In a relationship". 

BnB:  For those of us that film or would like to start filming, what camera setup do you recommend?

CL:  A great camera to start with is the Canon GL2.  That seems to be what a lot of guys are starting with.  The GL2 is cost effective and easy to operate.  This camera works well on the Muddy Outfitter Camera Arm and the Manfrotto 701 fluid head.  With this setup you will have professional grade footage without a professional budget.

Canon GL2

BnB:  How is your hit list shaping up for this year?  Any giants?

CL:  I have numerous old, mature bucks that I have some history with that are showing up on camera.  I would be happy to shoot anyone of these bucks.  I don't have anything that is super high scoring, but when November roles around, there is always a chance that a monster will show up.

BnB:  What do you do to relax when you're not in the timber?

CL:  I enjoy watching sports and spending time at the lake.

I hope you enjoyed the interview with Chad.  He has a ton of whitetail and bowhunting knowledge!

The next interview will be with Boyd Mathes of Buck Hollow Sports in Pella, IA.  Boyd is a bow setup wizard.  He is on BowTech's Pro Staff and is a very accomplished target archer and bowhunter.  Boyd will be answering questions on bow setup, managing an archery pro shop, and hunting.  If you would like to submit a question to ask Boyd, please comment on this blog post.

Muddyhunter 

Weekend Update - August 6th & 7th

Saturday, the wife and I made a quick trip to the farm to spread some fertilizer and lime on the new food plot, check and move some cameras, and eat at my favorite steak place.


Spreading some fertilizer

First off, I didn't get a chance last weekend to spread fertilizer and lime, so I had to do it this weekend.  Spreading fertilizer and lime would have been ideal last weekend because it would have gotten disked in before I seeded the plot.  With rain in the forecast for southern Iowa this week, the rain will get the fertilizer in the ground and will help the brassica blend start to grow.  It is very dry in southern Iowa!



After spreading some fertilizer and setting up a camera, it was time to go check some cameras and refresh mineral sites.  I have been using Lucky Buck all year and the deer seem to love it!  I can see why because it smells awesome when you pop the lid open.

Finally, Katie and I went to Bogie's Steak House in Albia.  If you are in southern Iowa within 100 miles of Albia, you need to take a detour and eat here!  Bogie's has awesome food with a wide variety of steaks, pork chops, and chicken.  Bogie's is only open for dinner on Wednesday through Saturday evenings.  If you are hunting in southern Iowa this fall, Bogie's is the hunter hang-out.  Bogie's is just south of the Highway 34 and Highway 5 intersection in Albia.

Bogie's Steak House in Albia

Because I forgot my laptop at home, I had to wait a few hours to look at the pictures from the cameras that I checked.......it was worth the wait!  It has been a rough year for pictures because of the heat in Iowa and I haven't gotten pictures of a huge 160"+ 8-pointer that I have seen the past few years.  Also, one half of his sheds were found on the farm this past spring, so I knew he was around.

2009




2010

 

2010 Shed

2011





This big 8-pointer is my #1 hit list buck.  He is probably 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 years old and is to the point where he is going to start going downhill from an antler size standpoint.

Today (Sunday) my brother Ryan and I went to the Iowa Bowhunters Association Fall Festival 3D shoot in Eldora, IA.  This is the first time I have been to this event, and it was awesome!  The 3D course is very well setup, the grounds are nice, and it was an easy walk.  The shoot was also challenging with some longer shots which I like. 



Some good shooting!



Muddyhunter (Jake) shooting

Ryan taking aim

This past weekend was full of preseason practice and property management.  Tomorrow I will post my treestand setups for this year and why I am hunting these specific locations.

Muddyhunter

Treestand Locations

Treestand selection is one of, if not the most important aspect to being successful when hunting.  It has taken me a few years of actual hunting and observing to figure out the deer on the property I hunt, but I now have enough knowledge of the deer movement that I have a plan established for this year. 

This blog will take you through my go to stands for early season and the rut, as well as why I am placing the stands where I am.  Here is the legend for the photos:

Red dot - Stand location
Red dotted line - path deer take
Blue oval - bedding area
Yellow box - food source
The top of the map is always north.

Early Season

Early season hunts are difficult on the farm I hunt because of wind direction.  In early October, the wind is almost always out of the south, and a south wind is difficult to hunt on this property.  I do have a few spots where I can play a south wind and knock down a few does.  Shooting does is important to not only manage the buck/doe ratio, but also to get some meat in the freezer and build confidence going into the rut.

The Double Stand

The Double Stand is one of the best spots on the farm early or late, and is perfect for a south wind.  I have a double ladder stand in this location so my wife and I can both hunt together in the mornings.  Below is a map that shows the setup.

This stand has treated me well over the past three years.  I have shot quite a few does in this spot on morning hunts in October.

The Food Plot Stand

In the July 31st weekend update blog I showed the spot where I planted a new food plot, and this area will be where I can hunt evenings with a south wind.

This spot should allow me to have a good early season spot for evenings when the wind is out of the south.

I will hunt these two stands quite a bit the first few weekends in October to try and shoot a 3-4 does. 

Rut Stands

I have 3 spots for the rut that I know will be dynamite.  These stands will not be hunted until Halloween, and the property will sit for a few weeks without pressure before the pre-rut kicks in.  Here is my strategy for the rut!

Ridge Top Stand

I had a stand below this ridge along a creek for the past two years.  I always could see deer moving along the ridge, and this year there will be a stand there.  This ridge follows the edge of the timber and then slopes off into a tight funnel.

The purple line represents the ridge top and the two green lines represent the funnel the deer move through.  There is a large corn field to the south which the yellow box only shots the corner of.  The deer move from there beds through the funnel and then into the corn field.

Tom's Stand

In the bowhunting fitness blog I told the story of my Wisconsin buddy Tom's hunt last fall at LJS Lodge.  To add to the story, I had a stand along a corn field and could watch the deer move from the funnel, and through a small block of timber.  The deer would either walk right past my stand or go west of me.  I had Tom setup west of me the first night and he seen over 30 deer!  We moved the stand two more times before Tim killed his buck.  The spot where Tom killed will be forever known as Tom's stand, and I will share how the deer move through here.

You can see from the aerial photo that this stand is not too far away from the Ridge Top Stand.  The same funnel feeds into this block of timber.  The deer move out of the CRP and deep ravine bedding areas and go into the timber.  The purple line in this photo shows where a shallow ditch runs through the timber.  The deer travel this ditch to get to the corn field to the south. 

Here are some pictures Tom sent me from this stand.

Big rub in the shallow ditch



View from Tom's tree where he killed



View from Tom's stand

The Ridge Top and Tom's stand are the two areas that I will be focusing my efforts early if the wind is out of the north to have a chance at the Big 8 pointer.  This area is where the Big 8 pointer likes to hang out in the early season. 

The Logging Road Stand

This is my favorite stand for two reasons:  1) There are a ton of deer that move through the area, and 2) I shot my buck there last year.

This stand is will work in the afternoons with a north wind or mornings with a south wind.  Below, I lay out the scenario of how the deer came in mid-morning when I shot this big Iowa stud.

The green line represents part of the logging road.  The road curves along the ridge down to the bottom to the north.  The deer follow this to the top of the ridge and walk past the stand at 20 yards.  Most of the deer either come from the bedding area or from across the road in the neighbors crop fields and work their way up the logging road.

I have around 10 more stands on this property that I may hunt periodically depending on the wind and deer movement, but the stands locations shown above are the ones I will concentrate most of my time this fall.

I mentioned a few key things to look for on your hunting property in this blog.  Terrain features like ridges and funnels can help you show where deer move.  Use aerial and topo maps that show these terrain features.  Man-made logging roads are also a great spot to put a stand.  Finally, understanding where the deer bed, where the food is, and the path they take to get from A to B will allow you to be successful this fall.

This is my last regular blog I will post this summer, but I will post regular updates that include what I am doing at the farm to prepare for this fall. 

Muddyhunter