The woods are getting more and more crowded all of the time. I like the idea that there are more hunters out there doing what I love to do. But some of them could take some lessons on good sportsmanship. I hunt a lot of different properties, some public and some private and some of the public property has turned into a complete circus. You have hunters that know how to hunt and then you have some who spoil it for everyone else.   The last couple of years deer hunting on public property, I have run into situations with guys running around who think that they are stalking, to guys coming in after daylight carrying their treestands on a deer cart across a cornfield. I actually had guys walk up underneath my treestand and talk to me while I was hunting. 

 For us hunters who get up early, take scent free showers, put on a Scent-Lok suit and sit on stand 30 minutes before daylight waiting for the sun to come up, it can be pretty frustrating to have some guy walk in and try to engage you in conversation.. 

But I have to tell you about this past weekend. We had scouted out some turkeys the night before we hunted and I had set up my Gametracker Carbon Cabin Blind so I would not spook anything the next morning. 

We were trying to get a good turkey got in to the blind early the next morning to get a good turkey bowhunt video. We had two gobblers working from two different directions and one of them was getting close.  When all of a sudden here comes this guy walking right up to my blind. He squats down in front of the blind and starts carrying on a conversation, asking us if we had seen anything. I told him that we had been working two gobblers and they were coming in close. 

Then he says, “Don't move, there is a turkey right there!” 

Now, here we are sitting there in a turkey blind and this guy is telling us not to move! 

I look out the side window and there is a 20lb. plus long beard. He is about 40 - 45 yards and coming right into my new Renzo's decoys. The turkey looked right at our intruder and took off running as fast as he could. 

I was trying to be polite, but here it was only 8:30 in the morning, and he had just spoiled a perfect hunt. I guess the one good thing is that he did not try to shoot my turkey. I don't think I could have handled that. 

It is a good thing to let other hunters be aware of your presence, but when you call in another hunter from 300 yards and he tells you that he heard, what he thought was another hunter calling and scouts that hunter out. That is ridiculous! 

Everyone is going to run into another hunter once in awhile, but what I try to do, when I see another hunter, is to walk back the way that I came in and circle my way around so as not to disturb his hunt anymore than I already have. It is almost like if they are not having any luck they don't care if they spoil your hunt. We are all sportsmen. Let's all try to act like one. 

Lately, I have been very busy lately working for Muzzy Products. I have had the pleasure to represent the Muzzy Company at 3 different Deer and Turkey Classics. I worked in Bloomington, IL,Lansing, MI, and Madison, WI. I have been a pro-staff shooter for Muzzy Products for six years and, while working at these shows, I received a tremendous amount of feedback about the Zero-Effect Arrowrest. I was amazed at the number of people that came up to me and told me how much they really like it. One man said that he went from shooting a six-inch group to a 2-inch group because of the Zero-Effect. 

And a lot of people would also say,  “Muzzy broadheads are number one."  While the Zero-Effect has received high praise from many hunters, shooters and outdoor writers since its introduction, MUZZY has continued to make improvements. They now have a left-hand model and ones that will Hoyt and the Mathews Legacy, Icon and the new Lx bows. I am proud to represent the Muzzy Products Corporation at these Deer and Turkey Classics and have also had a chance to meet many outfitters and other company representatives. I am now working on plans for many hunts this fall. 

Randy
 

Randy Oitker, age 15, is an avid bowhunter and outdoor sports writer. Randy is also a professional archer who hails from Plainville, IL. Randy can be seen giving tech tips to young hunters each week on the Outdoor Channel on Sportsmen's Outdoor Strategies and his little sister Tiffany does a lead in a commercial on this show.  It can be seen at 7:30am.on Wed., 11:30am on Friday and 7:00pm on Saturday Central time.  Randy Oitker is sponsored by:  Mathews Solocam bows, Muzzy Products, Scent-Lok Odor-Elimanating Suits, Realtree Camo, Bushnell Sport Optics, Sims Vibration Laboratories, Carter Releases, Tracer Products, Rinehart 3-d targets, Shrewd Archery Products, Feather Visions Lenses, Outdoor Edge-Knives, LaCrosse Footwear, Carbon Express Arrows, SKB Bowcases, Eze- Crest Arrow Wraps, Walker's Game Ear, Cannon Country Game Calls, BCY bowstrings, Arrowspeed Radarchron, Bug Tamer Suits, Coleman Outdoor Products, Cobra Electronics, Magellan GPS Systems, Toxonics BowSights, Knight Rifles, Bolle Eyewear, Walls Outdoor Wear, Badlands Backpacks, Rock-it-Outdoors Duravanes, and Morrel Range Bags, and local sponsors from Quincy,IL: Gem City Ford, McDonalds and Outdoor Power.

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